Junebug stepped from the car with the rolling grace of a combat veteran unassing a vehicle. Despite the nerve shattering ride in, long experience and muscle memory meant that she didn’t freeze up or stumble under pressure. Taya and Aiden faired worse stumbling from the car as though motion sickness was about to make them lose whatever was in their stomachs. Neil dropped gracefully to the balcony also, clearly impressed with his flying as indeed he had every right to be.

The night around them was quiet after the howling winds of the approach, although the distant thrum of aircar fans was a presure you could feel in your bones. Not for the first time Sayeeda was pleased that the palace restricted the use of the camera drones that were an omnipresent feature of life everywhere else in the city. It wouldn’t do to have an audience. 

The balcony itself was nearly big enough to have accommodated the Highlander, though Junebug would not have vouched for the structure taking the ships immense weight. It was made of the ubiquitous white marble and sported beds of carefully manicured plants and trees. A hot tub steamed at one end where the occupants could look out over the glittering city lights. The whole area was tastefully lit with small recessed lighting which cast a moonlight ambiance which must have been extremely expensive. And this was just a balcony, Junebug would not have imagined that the vast appartment they had been assigned could be made to feel second rate but here they were.

“Stop!” Taya hissed as Aiden reached for the door. The prince paused with his hand halfway to the handle of a large door of blackened glass. He cocked an eyebrow at the young blonde. Taya lifted a small scanner of some sort to emphasis the words.

“There is a security screen,” Taya whispered as though they hadn’t just landed an air car on a balcony.

“Can you deactivate it?” Aiden asked glancing back over his shoulder. The door banged open and a beautiful woman in a see through shift stepped through the door. The woman looked at the group in confusion. Her eyes went from the butchered aircar to the group strung out on the balcony and their very obviously displayed weapons. Junebug shot her twice from less than a meter away. The weapon was nearly silent hissing like a soda can opening. Compressed air fired needles of polarized crystal into the womans chest. The woman looked down in shock and opened her mouth to scream. Before her lungs could draw breath the alternating currents the crystal produced dropped her in a twitching heap. Froth flecked her lips as the muscles spasmed uncontrollably. 

“Who is  that?” Aiden asked looking a little wide eyed. Sayeeda stepped around the fallen woman and stuck her foot in the door before it could swing shut.

“Some woman,” Sayeeda said with a shrug, “I have no idea.”

“But you shot her!” 

Junebug stepped through the open door and looked back at her companions.

“I don’t know most of the people I shoot, someone tape her and lets do what we came to do.”



[@POOHEAD189]