[hr][h1][color=#BCD6A2]Aislin Rose[/color][/h1][hr] [u][i]Courtbridge, Prince Ed-field - One week earlier…[/i][/u] Above the downtown streets and melting in with the night sky, Aislin crouched on an apartment roof. She wore a CID uniform, a dark, fitted outfit made for movement. After six days of rest, Hallmark sent her on a small contract. A job she’d been itching for. With a duffle bag resting by her feet, Aislin began pulling out her tools of the trade. The target for the evening: Phil Dolman. A politician held in modest regard and known for his fence-sitting with Metahumans. Not that Aislin was there for his diplomatic views; her contractor was more interested in his time off work. Hallmark was approached by the man’s wife, asking for evidence that Phil was cheating on her. She said it was nothing new, but if she wanted to win in a court of law, she had to get hard evidence. [i]18th floor. Purple folding chair on the balcony.[/i] Aislin recounted, pulling out a tablet and resting it by her feet. From her vantage point, she could see the target’s home. Only a few floors from the roof, with a fire escape adjacent to the balcony. Taking a stuffed cat from the bag, Aislin held it gently. “Missy, rise and shine.” The cotton-stuffed cat held a rigid position before stirring, a paw rubbing its sleepy eyes. Meowing as Aislin set it down, Missy brushed its face on her leg. “Voicebox, check. Let’s see if your eyes work.” Aislin pulled up an app on her tablet. A video feed showed the hazy outline of a leg and a faint illumination. It was her on screen, as Missy was still nuzzling her. A column on the side also confirmed audio levels were recording. Aislin gave Missy a nod. [i]Showtime, cutie.[/i] The cat descended the fire escape, pausing at the gap between the staircase and the target's balcony. It sprung up to the metal railing, balancing delicately against the wind. Haunches coiled, the cat leapt across to the other side, landing silently in the folding chair. The lights were turned on in the living room, two individuals sitting in plain view with a bottle of wine. Aslin studied the tablet, recognising the politician from the job file. The woman beside him was finely dressed, a plastic smile on her face. Aislin noticed the woman's wine was left untouched. Either the lady was paid to be there or needed sobriety to effectively schmooze with men of power. Keeping a part of her attention focused on Missy, Aislin sat in for the waiting part of the job. Maybe a half hour passed. Probably more. Finally, the mood became a lot more intimate as clothes were thrown to the wayside. From the balcony, Missy could see every detail. Aislin refrained from making a face, waiting only a minute more before commanding Missy back to the roof. Gently releasing Missy from her mind, Aislin checked the lifeless cat once more before quietly placing it in the duffle bag. Cutting out the important piece of the recording Missy took, the agent sent it over a secure line to HQ. Pressing a button on her earpiece, Aislin radioed in. “Boss~! It’s CT. I’m uploading contract 245 to you now.” “Thanks, CT,” Hallmark said. “We’ve just received the package. I have another job for you.” [hr][hider=Through the Night - Roniit x Trivecta][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGyjS5pCbAc[/youtube][/hider][hr] Aislin pursed her lips. “Yes?” “We’ve lost contact with a courier, codename Aegis. The alarm system notified us, and we know the emergency hatch was opened. The safehouse is no longer secure, and I need you to activate the manual destruct. I’ll send the details to your device.” “And this courier?” Aislin asked. “See if you can find us any leads.” “Right. CT out.” Aislin yawned, lazily opening the package as new data popped up on the tablet. Her eyes skimmed the job file until they came to a stop on the courier’s face. She did a double-take, nearly dropping the tablet as she brought it up to her nose. Her mouth hung open, shock in her eyes. [i]There’s no mistaking it... That’s my boo. Rhea![/i] [hr] [u][i]Old Raygate, Prince Ed-field[/i][/u] Roughly 50 minutes had passed since the chaos of Veronica and Makoto. The train container stood silently in the field, darkness hiding the destruction. Aislin approached cautiously, watching from her screen as Missy led the way. No one was in the vicinity, as Missy’s eyes confirmed, and Aislin pulled out a flashlight. She saw chairs thrown to the side, cupboards left hanging open and personal belongings decorating the floor. Fragments of a flashbang crunched under Aislin’s foot as she approached a whiteboard. Whoever was here wiped the whole thing, albeit hurriedly. Shreds of Rhea’s handwriting remained intact. “I’m late, Rhea...” Aislin lowered her head. There was nothing here. No company laptop, no cell phone, no meaningful personal effects. Just abandoned clothes and a dead space. She picked up on the blood trail from the emergency hatch, following it with her flashlight. Missy stayed close to her heels, meowing uncomfortably. The trail ended at a decrepit warehouse. Aislin played the beam across crates and broken glass, stepping inside. There were minor indications of a struggle, but it seemed to jump around. [i]Strange… Someone might have taken long leaps or teleported.[/i] All she found was a pistol, the same used in the company’s bug-out bags. Except, there was no bag. Just the pistol. Five bullets remained in the clip. Aislin placed the pistol in her duffle bag and pressed her earpiece. “CT here. I’m requesting a vehicle pick up at the Old Raygate’s power plant. We need to talk…” Before she left, Aislin returned to the safehouse. She opened a secret compartment in the floor, twisted a few knobs, and evacuated the container before it caught on fire. [hr] [u][i]Rosemaple Lake, Roseview - Present time...[/i][/u] Aislin sat in her regular attire, leather jacket unzipped and aviators hooked on her shirt. She sat in a shaded room, light cutting through the half-shut blinds. Her elbows rested on a mahogany conference table, chin resting on overlapped hands. Hallmark sat across from her, dressed to the nines as a proper CEO would be. His curly black hair was styled back and a Rolex glimmered on his wrist. On the table before him sat a china cup steaming with African coffee, along with a slim briefcase. Hallmark eyed Aislin silently over his cup, taking a long sip. The silence drew on until Aislin rolled her eyes. Their encounter last week hadn’t gone well, especially the part where she was told Rhea had been in the company for over two years. It was [i]‘for their protection that co-workers never associated’[/i]. Aislin called his ‘privacy policy’ a load of bull, proceeded to tear him a new one and was escorted from the room by a security guard. “If you’re pissed, just say so. I’m sorry I gave you shit for not telling me Aegis was Rhea. As I said, I’ve been looking for her for… a long time.” She said. “CT, if I had a dollar for every time you’ve yelled at me…” Hallmark set down his cup. “No. I didn’t call you here to rebuke you. A suspicious job has come in, and my intel has told me it’s someone we know.” Aislin tilted her head as Hallmark slid the briefcase over to her. He smiled knowingly. “This job, cracking a cellphone’s lock, belongs to Aegis.” “Whaaat?” Aislin said, lights in her eyes. “But this job paid to be strictly anonymous.” “Exactly, which is what piqued my interest.” “Why, though?” Aislin gave the briefcase a confused look. “She’s MIA. Why would she put a job through us in secret?” Hallmark leaned back in his seat, fingers pressed together. “Good question. I believe Aegis has been compromised in some way. I want you to deliver this job to her at the meeting point. Then radio me.” Aislin raised an eyebrow, smirking. “You’re going to let her just walk away?” A wolfish grin flashed across the CEO’s face. “I never said that.” [hr][h1][color=#ffe0bd]Rhea Harlow[/color] & [color=#BCD6A2]Aislin Rose[/color][/h1][hr][hider=Piano Quartet - The Secession Studios][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pix-EwMLF48[/youtube][/hider][hr] [u][i]New Raygate, Prince Ed-field[/i][/u] Rhea sat on a crate in an unassuming, narrow alley. Both Malik and she recovered well enough, and as always her healing left no scars. Adjusting to a lay-low lifestyle, however, left something to be desired. This was only her second time outside in a week. The first time was mainly for necessities as everything she owned was lost. Currently, her attire consisted of sweats, running shoes, and a grey hoodie. Before finding her way to the meeting point, Rhea tentatively spied on the Founding Family’s base, or what was left of it. The entire place had been destroyed. No clues, no answers. Just a plastic bag rolling across the driveway. Rhea shifted uncomfortably, heels bouncing as she sat. Waiting was incredibly boring. Sure, she should be concerned about [i]who[/i] would be delivering the package. But it wasn’t like she knew any of the other couriers, plus she paid extra for the ‘no questions asked’ policy. Hopefully, there wouldn’t be any hassles with the pick-up, and then Malik and she could start phase two of tracking down Marcelle. The courier was twenty minutes late. [i]Are they making me wait?[/i] Rhea wondered, standing up to stretch. At the end of the alley, a taxi cab stopped on the street. Rhea clicked her tongue, folding her arms. [i]Finally…[/i] A woman got out as the taxi rolled away, dressed in a leather jacket and slacks. She walked into the alley, slowly removing the aviators from her eyes. “Well. Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.” Rhea’s eyes widened, her stomach twisting in a knot. “...” Clipping the shades on her shirt, Aislin gestured to the briefcase. “You have a lot of nerve attempting to pull the wool over Hallmark's eyes. He says hi, by the way.” “Shit.” Rhea mumbled, pressing a palm to her forehead. Aislin stared at Rhea for a moment. “...Two and a half years.” “What?” Aislin shook her head. “You’ve ignored me for two and a half years without so much as a ‘thanks, bye’. I’ve tried to contact you, I’ve searched for you. And all the while, you didn’t give a shit.” Rhea narrowed her eyes. “Can I just have my package—” “No. You’re listening to me now.” Aislin growled. “If this is about your [i]dangerous[/i] work, I’ll have you know that I’ve been working in secret with Hallmark for five years. And [i]I[/i] kept in touch with you as I did my contracts.” Shock flashed across Rhea’s face. “Well I,” her jaw jutted out. “I just wanted to protect you.” “Pretending I’m dead was [i]not[/i] the way to go about it. Didn’t our friendship mean anything to you?” Aislin said, tossing the briefcase at her. Rhea plucked it from the air, swallowing the lump in her throat. She had no words to give. Aislin was right. She was always right. Feeling the heat burning in her cheeks, Rhea knew she needed to make an exit. Aislin couldn’t get the real answer from her. Not now, hopefully not ever. As Rhea turned to leave, Aislin sighed. A small grin pulled at her lips. “...Rhea.” Rhea gave the spy a side glance, pausing. “I still want to be friends. I’ve... missed you, a lot.” Rhea searched the ground wordlessly, turning her face away. She hurriedly wiped her eyes dry as she walked out the other side of the alley. She left without a goodbye, and Aislin let her go. They would see each other again, soon enough. “This is CT,” Aislin said, tapping her comms. “Aegis has the job.” “Good.” Hallmark’s voice crackled in her ear. “Lay low. I’ll notify you when I need you.” “Sounds good, boss.”