Sick One

DeletedUser28032

Upon discovering that they weren't staying in the nice suburban house in front of which they'd parked but in fact the derelict just down the street Sera couldn't help but grimace; wondering what on earth she'd gotten herself into. Perhaps it isn't too late to go home to Scotland and get a job as a secretary or something, a life in chemistry would be out of the question considering her background but she could still have a life of some sort. No, if those people were ever going to pay for what they did to all of those people then she'd have to see this through and hope that what Vincent promised about the interior was true.
With only a backpack of her own and Doc declining any form of assistance from Vincent, the three of them took the short walk down the street before then going inside; Sera bracing herself for the worst. However contrary to its outside appearance it wasn't too bad inside, serviceable was the word that sprang to mind; neat and tidy if not particularly glamorous.
Placing her bag beside the sofa Sera takes a short tour of the downstairs ending within the spacious kitchen where upon opening one of the cupboards her eyes lit up. Whoever had kitted this place out hadn't skimped on the cleaning supplies as she gazed upon the large unopened bottles with multiple possibilities flowing through her mind "Hey guys...I might look at doing a little cooking if that’s alright with you" she called over her shoulder; pulling a pair of bottles from out of the cupboard along with a pair of sturdy looking rubber gloves "...erm...you guys may want to stay clear for a little while, the fumes are liable to get a little strong in here"
 

DeletedUser31931

Her gear was gone, that was a blow to Maya, she nearly felt like shooting someone. It wasn't fair! That was her gear! Then again, she had abandoned the family and she'd known at the time that if they caught her... there would be punishments... still, they'd hit her where it really hurt and that was not going to be fun for her. At least Boris and most of the other contacts on the phone she'd given to them would be safe, they were fixers, working outside the system for the highest bidder, the Department kept them on-hand for the jobs that it was too risky getting Department hands messy for, so they'd be fine at least, it was the high ranking Rebel scum, the ones who'd sent them on the fixed mission, they were the ones that'd feel the wrath.
It felt good to be back where she belonged, it felt good to be home. The driver welcomed her, calling her comrade in Russian, it was nice to know she wasn't the only one, even if he was a bit over-zealous. They ended up near a large storage building, Department warehouse, safe-house and training house in one most likely, though this was not their final destination as the door slid open and a woman got in, sliding a bag under the seat, her stuff possibly? Maya didn't, however, get her hopes up, she never did.
She offered her hand and introduced herself. Maya took the hand and shook it stiffly, she had never really bothered with that, but she supposed some form of (what was it, she could never remember the word Boris had taught her, part of his attempts to allow her to blend in more.) Formality! (that was the one!) was in order. "You know who I am and you know my record or you wouldn't be here." She replied bluntly "What happens now? You want to put me back through basics or do you know how pointless that would be? Also, what's in the bag?" She didn't care about the formalities, as an Operative she was one of the less talkative ones, she'd just shoot when given the orders as to when and who. As she rejoined the family of the Department the only one bit of herself she maintained was her link to the factory group (the fixers didn't count they were always there), they had earned her trust and she was not going to betray them now.
 

DeletedUser

Maya

"Tactical sniper rifle." Swift casually waved off Maya's request about the contents of the bag. "And don't worry, we're not putting you back through basics."
Nobody answered her other questions as the SUV headed back to the Department headquarters in Albany. As they moved inbetween the gleaming glass and metal leviathans that marked the city centre, the traffic thinned in one particular area; a large rectangular building covered in tinted glass. An entrance to a car park beneath the building was guarded by a double shockfence and at least a dozen spec-ops personnel. Holosigns showing animations of trespassers being electrocuted on the fence, and big notices advertising the building as a haven of 'International Security' were all around.
The driver held his hand up to his earpiece and spoke into the mike; "Command this is Romeo 8 Bravo, coming in, we are in possession of the unit, repeat, we are in possession of the unit." As he then turned towards the driveway the guards opened the gate and waved them through.
A pair of guards jogged behind the SUV as it descended down the ramp into the car park, calmly rolling over a speedbump before parking inbetween a battered white van and another black SUV. To the right a trio of prisoners were led through the car park, bound and black bagged.
The driver killed the engine as the Operatives hopped out of the vehicle, taking care to take all of their weapons with them. Swift gestured for Maya to follow her out into the car park, and from there to a checkpoint leading upwards into the building. The guards waved them through after the man in the fedora flashed a pass. Inside the building the group led her through a maze of white corridors before arriving at an open door into a small bunk room, with one bed, a chair, table and TV. Nothing more.
The man in the fedora gestured for her to go in. "This is we're you'll be staying for now until you receive further orders."
 

DeletedUser31931

Maya nodded as Swift said it was a tactical sniper rifle, it was unlikely they'd send her straight out into the fields again, they'd do the check-overs ensure her loyalty as they should and then they'd put her back on missions again. She didn't bother asking any more questions, they wouldn't be answered anyway most likely. They arrived and she saw several other prisoners arrive although in less easy circumstances than hers. She would most likely spend several weeks rotting in here before the Department made up its mind as to whether to shoot her or to use her. She was hoping for use her because if not then she'd have to shoot them all first, she still had her pistol after all. As the car pulled to a stop she followed the other Operatives through the carpark and into the building. She kept note of the turns that they took on the route, the first left, then the second left, third right and second left and then the first door on the left. She couldn't decide if it was just basic training facilities (as she'd been promised) or an actual prison cell, but the door was just an average door so it was most likely just the 'cardboard boxes' she'd been promised. The male operative, who in true style had not given his name gestured for her to enter telling her what she'd already confirmed in her head. These were her living quarters for now. They were sparse but she'd lived in worse whilst on the run. "Is there any time scale as to when those orders might arrive?" She asked the Operative, and waited for his response before stepping inside the room.
 

DeletedUser28032

Feeling somewhat calmer than when she'd initially arrived; the process of turning everyday household products into a highly explosive compound having a soothing effect upon her Sera walked back into the living room having left the mixture to cure and the kitchen extractor to deal with any fumes "So...assuming that the door isn't kicked down within the next five minutes what’s our next move?" she asks the others as she took a seat upon the sofa "...I mean, Maya's still out there but she doesn't know about this place so we're reasonably safe...maybe...maybe we should consider making a move of our own?" she suggested not really knowing what that move would be but wanting to strike back none the less to make all this hiding from the authorities worth the effort “Just no daring raids ok? I think we’ve all had enough of those to last a life time”
 

DeletedUser

Upon entering their new "home", Doc nodded her head in silent agreement. The place was in good shape. She heard Sera in the kitchen talking about cooking, and initially misunderstood. Then, when the younger woman added comment on "stronger fumes", Doc understood, and grinned. She went up the stairs, and found a few bedrooms, almost all of which were identical. She chose one that had an adjoining bathroom, and placed her suitcase on the bed. Keeping her knapsack with her for the moment, she went back downstairs to the living room, and picked the over-sized chair with ottoman to sit in. Nice...it felt good to relax Doc thought as she put her feet up. She reached into her knapsack and pulled out her tablet to check her email. After a bit of time, Sera returned, and sat on the sofa, and asked what our next move was. The older woman hoped there was no "move" for at least a few days. She wasn't used to all this. " I think the best thing to do is nothing for a few days. They are out there, trying to find us, and soon perhaps, something else will come up with a higher priority, and maybe...just maybe they will stop looking for us." Doc said this, knowing it not to be true. She knew they would never stop looking for them. But the saying of it gave her a glimmer of hope.
 

DeletedUser28032

"Well sure I wasn't meaning right now but...we do need to come up with something" Sera replied with a sheepish smile relieved that she wasn't the only one who wanted lay low at least for today, they just had to make sure that laying low didn't turn into burying their heads in the sand "The way I see it the Feds are chasing Maya assuming that they haven't caught her already and we can't rely on her to keep quiet" would she sell them out? Sera wasn't sure...she didn't really know the woman but she was pretty sure that she wouldn't last long under interrogation even if Maya could and hadn't she heard that everyone broke eventually?
"Maybe...maybe we need to create a higher priority for them to chase...if...if we were to blow some things up and make it look like another group then maybe the feds will forget about us?" when all was said and done the three of them weren't major players, they were just a bunch of civilians caught up in something that shouldn't be, where as someone planting bombs would most certainly catch their attention...assuming of course that they didn't get caught "So...what do you guys think?"
 

DeletedUser13682

Vincent and the others walked into the dilapidated building, finding that the inside wasn’t bad at all. It was nice, cozy. While Sera went to cook something and Doc relaxed in the living room, Vincent went to the bedroom areas. One room had a black duffel bag inside it, indicating that the room was his. Vincent had opted for the provider of this safehouse to leave him a bag of necessities. Inside the bag was a few days worth of clothes, enough toiletries to last a month, and a replacement modular pistol. Vincent took a set of clothes, showering supplies, and cleaned up. When he returned to the front of the safehouse, Sera was returning from the kitchen, the fan running at high speed, and began discussing with Doc on what to do next. Vincent listened to their ideas as he adjusted his tie in the mirror. After a bit of discussion, it seemed like they both wanted to create a bigger problem than three civilians swept up in a raid. “I would rather stay low then try and create something bigger,” Vincent interjected, while taking a seat on the couch. “Just because we try and make it seem like an attack by us was by another group, the chance is high that we will be noticed and called out for our bluff. Also, that group that we try to blame might try to come after us. I’m sure something will happen to get the government off of our backs. Then we can move out of the country, live new lives somewhere else. Unless you two had different plans for your futures.”
 

DeletedUser

Doc finished checking her email, listened to both Sera and Vincent's opinion. Sera wanted to blow something up, as a diversion, and Vincent wanted to lay low. Doc tended to agree with Vincent. She opened a program on her tablet, that helped her to formulate odds. "Give me a minute, please." Doc requested. As she entered a few fields, she went into what she thought of as her forensic mode. She tried to predict the odds of Maya's capture, and she thought about what would Maya do, if captured. Would she be loyal to the team? Would she revert back to the department? Doc thought on this and entered a few more things in her tablet. Additionally...how much did Maya actually know about them? In fact, they had only worked together for a few hours. One job together. And a botched one at that. If they had been a team together for years...that would be an entirely different story. Then, they would have been more like a family. Doc nodded, deep in concentration, and noted a another couple of things in the program. She thought about the mole, and who could that be, and how much information that had about the three of them. So many unknowns. Doc had gotten to know Sera a bit, Vincent was still an unknown, but appeared rather passive. Maya was obviously a cold, calculated killer. And the department would have been trying to get her. Doc entered a few notes in the memo section. "Just about done here." And, Doc pressed the submit button, and waited for the results. As the results were displayed, Doc scrolled down and nodded again.

"Ok, this is what I have come up with so far, maybe you can help fill in some of the holes." Doc was well aware that she didn't have enough input to be anywhere close to 100% accurate. "Vincent is right. We are not experienced enough to do this, and not get caught. We are not important enough for a long search. However, they will keep at it, if they know who we are. Maya, on the other hand. They would know who she was. It is very obvious that she has killed... many times. I do not think that we were all together long enough for her to have a loyalty to us." Doc looked down at her tablet, scrolled a bit, and continued "I will go out on a limb here, and say that it is highly possible that this whole thing was arranged to get Maya. The department wanted her...wanted her bad. The question is... would they want her bad enough, to go to all this effort?" Doc was amazed, but it had a ring of truth. When she used to work there, and her job was to predict this kind of stuff... it always amazed her. "My prediction is that there is over a 70% chance that we will get caught, if we start planting bombs. We are not experienced enough to do this kind of thing without guidance." Doc looked back at her program "Additionally, there is a higher than 90% chance that Maya, if caught, would betray us. There wasn't enough bonding time. She is a killer, and killers need to kill. They will convert her." Doc took one last look at her notes, and said "I just don't have enough input on the mole, so I can't speak about that. Now that I have said all this, i am not even sure any of it matters. If we lay low long enough, we could probably all blend in, and not have to leave the country. But, for some reason, I get the idea that our choices are going to be made for us.... not sure why, but got a bad feeling."
 

DeletedUser28032

It didn't take long for Sera to realise that her plan of "blowing something up" was perhaps not the best of plans with both Vincent and Doc pointing out that it was more liable to get them into trouble than out of it, though to be honest Sera hadn't been all that keen on the idea as the risk of killing innocent people was rather high. She wanted to stop the bad guys not become one!
"Ok maybe that was a bad idea but I can't just leave it all and go into hiding...they have to pay for what they did, what they made me do to all those people, they..." the blonde suddenly stops mid sentence as her voice became rather unsteady and her hand began to tremble, images of dead bodies being carried out of an apartment building filling her mind, all those people killed by her handiwork "They can't get away with this I...I can't let them" she continued, speaking nearly at a whisper as she took hold of her hand with the other in order to stop it, not wanting the others to know just how badly this meant to her and more importantly how badly it had effected her "you guys can go if you like I won't blame you if you do but I need to at least try and see this through...besides if Doc's right and they already have Maya then we may not have a choice"
 

DeletedUser

Maya

"Your orders will arrive when we say they do. You will eat, sleep, shoot, interrogate and kill when we say you do. Things may be different outside of here, but now you're back it's the same as before." The man in the fedora waited until she was inside the room, before closing and locking the door. After that, nothing.

The Taxi Driver

It was a nice quiet backstreet, with few security cameras and several alleys leading off inbetween the backs of downtown flats. It would have been a nice place for the cab driver to relax and enjoy his take-out lunch. But the cab driver wasn't eating, he was sweating at gunpoint as he was hauled out of the taxi and into the back of a van parked in an alleyway. The van doors closed as the abductor followed him in.

The Safehouse

As the group discussed their plans, outside on the street a window somewhere smashed loudly, followed up by the roar of a pair of motorbikes racing past the houses, breaking the silence of suburbia.

The Taxi Driver

"Downtown Manhattan!" The taxi driver screamed, spattering blood from his battered face. "That's where I took them! I swear I'm tellin' the truth man! Some deserted street, suburbs, houses! That's the address I was given man! Please believe me! Just stop man! Just stop..."

Maya

Time was distorted in the cell. Every now and then the door was opened and an armed guard brought in a tray with ration packs, and sometimes the lights were turned off, leaving her in darkness. It seemed to be random, with the intention of disorientating her.
Eventually, when the lights were on, the door was unlocked and the man in the fedora entered the room. "Hello Maya." He was carrying a neon yellow sports bag with black straps. "Your orders are here. How would you like to rescue some rebel scum from the Department's 'evil clutches'?"
 

DeletedUser31931

(OOC: I changed my skills ever so slightly because I forgot something obvious, so just go check that out and it should be fine tiger. Also if you haven't already go read my post in Active, I'm not back just yet.)
Fedora replied stating the obvious and for a moment she felt like the stupid scared little girl that had been brought up in the Department. How had she forgotten? How had she been so stupid? Memories flooded back despite her best attempts, her, cold and hungry in the street, the man there had been in a soviet hat, he'd introduced himself as Ivan and offered her a place to stay with food and a fire. She'd nodded and got into his van, she would have died from the cold otherwise.
The next day she'd woken up on a bunk in the cold, the rags that had been her clothes gone, now she was in a fresh army uniform, she hadn't known it at the time but he'd been resistance, old members of a group known as the 'KGB', legends passed down from father to son of the expert group who had defend freedom and fought to save the world. The drills had been brutal, but she'd maintained her humanity her spirit, meanwhile in the real world Maya had fallen to her bunk and was sobbing into the sheets.
Back in her mind it all relayed through, training in hand to hand, physical fitness, explosives and, most importantly, marksmanship. That had always been her strongest field but she had also done well in martial arts, mastering many quickly giving her a large advantage in all types of combat. As she spiraled further into her mind, the defenses of the last five years finally crumbling down as the roller-coaster of emotions she had suppressed threatened to eat her inside out. Memories of the night of the raid came, she was about 16 by then and police came to the compound. Ivan had taken her and another girl to the exit, the rest (the lesser graduates) holding the line as the two of them escaped, they were to go out into the world and 'ensure the continuation of freedom'.
So the two of them had left, and they'd spent 2 years travelling together, mostly attempting to stop crime before the boy had made advances, she'd left him after that, and so it came to pass that two years later she walked into a government office building, handed them a dossier of photos of Department Operatives stopping the terrorists from blowing things up before asking to join. The man had paled slightly under her steely Russian gaze (after all he was French) and he'd called his senior. After that she'd blacked out and woken up in basic.
At around this point though, Maya came out of the past, pulling herself back out of her memories and back into her usual composed state. Anger flooded through her at the slip, she didn't need to revisit those memories now, they were her past! She was an operative now and that was her life, what she slept, breathed and ate, and so she kept herself in shape, eating the food and training, practicing moves and doing all manner of push-ups, pull-ups etc. to keep in shape. When the man opened the door and informed her of the operation she cocked her head for a second, confused. "I do not understand," she said, the puzzlement in her voice being the only thing that came across, her accent was now neutral again, "but as The Department commands, I obey. Tell me what to do."
 

DeletedUser13682

They sat and discussed their options. Doc appeared to agree with Vincent. Laying low was the best thing for them to do at this moment. Let the heat settle down for a while. Then, return to their lives, or start new ones. Sera didn’t agree with that, however. For some reason, she felt the personal need to strike continually against the Federation. Did something happen to her? Worse than losing everything she owned and being forced into the streets to die? “You can’t do anything right now, Sera,” Vincent told her, with as much sternness as he could muster. “We didn’t come here to create a base from which to attack. We came here to hide, to survive, and maybe in the future, strike again. We’re not safe right now. I truly believe Maya is our largest concern right now. I also believe her to be the mole. How does that factor into your calculations, Doc?” Vincent wasn’t trusting of a computer that claimed it could predict the future, but if it would placate Sera, then it was a good thing to rely on. “She probably has access to Federation surveillance. If we leave this place right now, we will most likely get captured. Let a few other big stories take over the news, let the government forget about what we did. Alright Sera?”
 

DeletedUser

Maya

The man in the fedora nodded, and gestured for her to step out into the corridor. Outside the hallway was oddly devoid of people. The man with the gas mask and SMG stood behind the man in the fedora, next to the man in the tracksuit. The man with the fedora placed the yellow holdall on the floor, and the man in the tracksuit moved to open it up.
"During the terrorist attack on the fertilizer plant, you were accompanied by Eddie Pearson. You believed him to be dead. Unfortunately for him he isn't, but rather lies in a medical bed within this building. We believe that he has IP addresses and names of terrorist commanders, and so far we have not got him to speak. You will trick him into doing so."
The man int eh tracksuit pulled an earpiece and a tiny wire microphone out of the holdall, and passed them up to Maya. "They should have covered these in basic training comrade, you'll know how to use it."
The man in the fedora continued to elucidate the plan as the man in the tracksuit reached inside the holdall for a second time. "You will eliminate the guards on Subject Pearson's room, and pose as a terrorist rescuing him. You will guide him outside of the facility, eliminating any response teams as necessary, and from there you will stay with him until you find out what he knows. We will be watching."
The man in the tracksuit pulled out a compact bullpup SMG with suppressor and webbing pack full of spare mags. "All live rounds. You have permission to only shoot guards in uniforms. If you come across an Operative drop your weapon. All Operatives have been informed of a cover operation today, so there shouldn't be trouble."
The man in the fedora nodded. "Operative, do you comprehend every aspect of this operation?
 

DeletedUser31931

Maya nodded as the orders were explained to her, following the plan. As Fedora finished she spoke. "I understand the operation. Make sure there is a car with keys at the gate left 'unattended', I will take him back to an old safehouse, since I'll be dodging police I might have to do some vanishing tricks so I can write down the address if necessary." Meanwhile, as she had been speaking she had taken the earpiece and mic and plugged it in, she wouldn't need to test it, the Department would have made sure of that. Then she picked up the SMG with the webbing of ammo.
Suddenly a thought seared through her, Eddie was part of the team. He would trust her, she would betray him and then she would have to kill him. How could she do that? He was part of the team and to betray him would be to destroy part of her soul. It was a conflict of interests in the largest way. That said, he was almost dead and the Department had him anyway, it did not matter if he died, he was owned by the Department now and they could do with him as they saw fit. He was just going to be another working part in the machine.
This explanation satisfied Maya and she slung the webbing across her chest, once the rescue started she wouldn't have the gun out at all times, so it would cause a problem of the two tangling. After she'd finished speaking she motioned to the earpiece, "Tap once to transmit and tap twice to activate GPS tracker if I'm not mistaken, so long as you haven't changed them recently."
 
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DeletedUser

Maya

The man with the fedora paused. "Ah yes. Activation. Things have changed since you last served us. We will activate the wire remotely once you are in position. As for the GPS tag..."
The man in the tracksuit pulled another object out of the holdall, it looked a bit like a small staple gun. Moving up he gently placed it on the side of Maya's neck, and squeezed the trigger. There was a popping sound, accompanied by a sharp sting as the nanochip was forced beneath her skin.
"Deactivation of GPS tags are not optional for the Operative." The man in the fedora stated. "Now if we are finished here, it is time for you to start work.'
The man in the gas mask began moving along the corridor, and gestured for her to follow. The other two Operatives stayed where they were.
 

DeletedUser

Doc noticed Sera's attempt at staying calm, but it was obvious to her that something had happened to her young friend that caused this need for revenge. Vincent started speaking sternly to her, but Doc knew that would make her even firmer in her convictions, as well as more anxious.

Doc answered Vincent's question. "As I mentioned, I don't have enough input to give anywhere close to an accurate prediction as to whether Maya is the mole. She certainly has the capacity for it. At this point, however, it really doesn't matter to me. I only trust the people in this room."

She turned and spoke softly to the younger lady, in a soothing voice "I understand that you feel strongly about this Sera. Do you want to talk about what happened? We can talk about it over tea if you'd like." Doc smiled encouragingly, hoping that her young friend would unload this burden she was carrying.
 

DeletedUser28032

Sera’s heart continued to sink as Vincent refused to help her, stating that he had only found the house in order to use it as a hiding place and not as a staging post from which to launch a strike against the Federation “If you didn’t wish to fight the Federation then why join the resistance at all? Why didn’t you simply just live your lives like the other sheep unaware that they’re shepherded by wolves” she snaps irritably, as much out of her fear of having to continue the fight alone as her anger at their refusal “Maybe laying low would be for the best but I am not disappearing so they can continue killing people they…they can’t keep getting away with it!” she shouts looking only moments away from having tears running down her face.
She knew that Doc was trying to calm her down; the soothing tones having a more positive effect than Vincent’s approach though by that point it was merely delaying the inevitable “No I don’t want to talk I want to get even, I want to destroy them I…I…I...oh I don’t know what I want” she sobbed quietly as she leant back in her chair and hid her face in her hands. Meanwhile outside a motorbike could be heard screaming away down the quiet suburban street.
 

DeletedUser31931

Fedora replied, explaining that she no longer had to do anything, and then they produced a GPS tagger. Maya remembered that this had been one of the reasons that had caused her to cut short her plans and leave, it'd be much harder escaping with a nanochip in her. As Tracksuit stapled it into her neck if someone was watching closely, for about a quarter of a second a slight look of pain came across her face and then she was back to normal. Still, this ensured her loyalty to the Department, she would not suffer a relapse now. Gas Mask now began walking down the corridor, beckoning for her to follow. As she did she ran through her memory and dragged out the list of directions to exit the building and began to prepare to add to it, unless Gas Mask had a specific route in which to point her.
 

DeletedUser

Maya

The man in the gas mask led her through the corridors right, straight ahead, left, straight, right, up a flight of stairs, right, straight ahead, left, right again, and then left. Along the way she couldn't help noticing the lack of people, or that whenever they saw a security camera, it turned the other way. The man stopped just in front of a T-junction, and through his mask Maya could hear that he was breathing deeply. Letting his SMG hang on its' strap, he pulled a tablet out of a trouser pocket and passed it to her. It showed a CCTV feed of a white door in a white corridor flanked by a pair of black-clad spec-ops personnel in full battle gear with assault rifles.
The man in the gas mask gestured at the feed on the tablet, then pointed to the right side of the T-junction, making it clear where she had to go.
 
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