[indent]Sure enough, a serving girl had passed through the lounge with a tray of small glasses of sake. It was a little out of place to be sipping sake here, but anything was better than that disgustingly sweet liquid. Even with the alcohol to dull her nerves there was this tingling sensation that refused to leave her. Her mind wanted to settle herself but even a slight intoxication could not take her body off edge. After a few minutes of the restlessness bothering her she left her seat and stepped to the back corner of the private area. It wasn’t very far from people but it would have to do. [color=#fffadd][i]“Ever have the feeling that something isn’t quite right?”[/i][/color] she muttered over the radio channel.

[color=#ffdde4][i]“Keep personal banter off comms, thank you.”[/i][/color]
Chief Hardass wasn’t particularly helpful on the matter. [color=#fffadd][i]“No just... hear me out,”[/i][/color] she insisted, [color=#fffadd][i]“something feels ... [/i]off[i]. Confirm nobody else has anything of note?”[/i][/color]
[color=#ffdde4][i]“Local EPA reported a minor hiccup with the security drones but it sounds like nothing. Stay to your post Takeda.”[/i][/color]
A random patrolman countermanded Chief Hardass’ assertion. [color=#d6e0ff][i]“Check that, delivery van coming down 31st street, kinda quick.”[/i][/color]
[color=#ffdde4][i]“Keep an eye on it. Nobody break position until we have an actual incident.”[/i][/color]
[color=#fffadd][i]“Do we have a vehicle prepared to exfil the VIP?”[/i][/color] Kira probed.
[color=#ffdde4][i]“Standing by.”[/i][/color]

Kira’s paranoia had kicked into full gear. If she couldn’t settle before, there was no chance now. Hiero-san had taken notice to her restlessness. [color=#ccffcc][i]“Are you bothered, Takeda-san?”[/i][/color]
[color=#fffadd][i]“I’m fine ... it’s nothing.”[/i][/color]
She refused to make eye contact with the sleazy womanizer. He did make her uncomfortable but not in any capacity she couldn’t hide. It was the paranoia that came with being an operative – an operative under duress mind you – that consistently got to her. She tried to relax, leaning back and closing her eyes for just a moment to unwind. Just a moment was all she could have however, as the peace was interrupted by the worst possible outcome. [color=d6e0ff][i]“[b]INCOMING![/b]”[/i][/color]

She shot upright just as her ears were assaulted with what she first thought must be a bomb. It took a second to realize that the van had barreled head first [i]into[/i] the building. Immediately she was in go-mode. She ignored the Sig and went straight for her gauss driver and put one right through the center of the windscreen. It didn’t look like she made contact with anything but she changed target anyway, directing her aim downwards and firing two slugs into the engine block. Disabling the probable getaway vehicle was an important first step, but now her attention needed to return to her assignment: protect Hiero-san. He, like most people at this rate, had dove for the ground. Unlike most people however, he didn’t get up and start running as the security forces and armed intruders began exchanging fire.

Her comms were a mess of various people yelling. She reported she was extracting the VIP and got right to it. She grabbed him by the shoulder and shoved him to the back of the private area as far from sight as possible. [color=#fffadd][i]“Listen to me,”[/i][/color] she barked, [color=#fffadd][i]“you do what I say when I say it and you will be fine. Understand?”[/i][/color]
He nodded feverishly right before she pulled him to the ground to avoid a hail of bullets. [color=#fffadd][i]“You see that back door there?”[/i][/color] she pointed behind Hiero-san to a set of double doors near the rear alley, [color=#fffadd][i]“When I pop up to shoot, you run. A car is there for you. [b]DO NOT WAIT FOR ME.[/b]”[/i][/color]
Again he nodded, and Kira drew the Sig. She gave a quick 3-2-1 countdown on her fingers, turned on a knee and popped up from cover to unload. The Sig didn’t kick nearly as hard as her gauss driver; her fire was laser-accurate. She put three and four round bursts of fire towards any clump of hostiles she could see. At just 9mm with an extended-grip magazine, she had a massive 24 rounds to burn. Her last trigger-pull echoed the telltale click of the firing pin on nothing but air – a sound somehow crystal clear in the cacophony of a firefight – just as Hiero-san made it to the alley door. She waved frantically for him to go. [color=#ffdde4][i]“Confirming VIP is secure. Go get ‘em Takeda.”[/i][/color]

[color=#fffadd][i]“With pleasure,”[/i][/color] she snarled as she ducked from another volley of automatic weapons fire.
She reloaded the Sig and holstered it, going back to the hard-hitting gauss driver. She had heard a call that the hostiles had military grade armor somewhere in the frenzy. She hadn’t even had time to survey the situation herself ... and that wasn’t changing from her pinned-down position. All she knew was that the body count was unacceptably high, security was falling apart, and these guys meant business. The only option was quite clear: [i]kill them quickly.[/i][/indent]