LA Hotel What was it about high profile targets and vapid stupidity? Katherine asked herself this question every time she looked through the scope of her rifle. Through it she watched a party of sorts unfold on a pool balcony. The little red dot followed this one girl walk around the pool's edge in a shiny green bikini. She was a fox, fiery red hair falling down her back, hour glass figure. She was laughing, hugging up on other girls and guys, not a care in the world. Katherine wouldn't have pegged her for a world class hacker. "Shame about those legs," Katherine lamented then took the shot. A [i]thwip[/i] was all that signaled the .308 round exiting the gun. It hit, turning her pretty face to red mist and her body toppling into the pool. Katherine could hear the screams all the way from her vantage point. She pulled her rifle in and began dissembling it, humming to herself. She sang to herself as she put her baby into its case. "Gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to run." She left the hotel room, case slung across her shoulder, and a duffel in hand. She sang softly to herself all the way to the elevator and down to the lobby. Katherine stopped at receptionist desk and started settling her account. "Did you enjoy your stay ma'am?" the clerk said, a little too cheerful for the job he had. It was cute. "View was killer." Kathrine felt a little bad about her horrible joke almost as much as she found it absolutely hilarious. She walked out into the LA daylight.[i]I'm going to hell one day.[/i] She suddenly chuckled at that little gem of thought. The valet arrived with her beat up pickup. She tossed her case and duffel in the back seat and headed to find some decent breakfast. God she was hungry. ________________________________________________________________________________ Random Diner, Outside LA It was official, O'Mally's had the finest fucking eggs she'd ever tasted. It escaped her how a very Irish cafe ended up on the west coast. She sounded like some sex fiend eating her eggs but they were so good! Shame the coffee sucked. Her flip phone buzzed beside her plate ruining her yolky Nirvana. "Ten minutes, could have waited ten minutes." Katherine picked up the phone. "Cerberus." "Is it done?" a garbled voice said. These secretive types and their love of this cloak and dagger stuff. "Yep." She shoveled another fork full of eggs into her mouth. "Are you sure?" [i]Douche-bag[/i] "Got a bloody pool, traumatized party-goers in serious need of therapy, and a twitching body that says I am." "Your money will be routed the usual way." The call disconnected. "No 'hi how was your day? How was your flight'," Katherine said, snapping the phone shut and thumping it down. "No, that'd be almost human." "More coffee?" the server asked. "Nah I'll have milk." Her phone buzzed when the girl walked away with her coffee cup, same number. Katherine rolled her eyes and took the call. "Jesus you want me to pose with the corpse and send you a picture?" "Speaking of operations in public, a most egregious faux pas Ms. Silvers." The voice this time was refined, soft spoken and most assuredly female. Katherine's eyes widened. "No retort? Good that means I have your attention. I;m afraid I must put you on call. There are several openly active Ultra's I need contained. Three hundred thousand a head to make this forced assignment less bitter. There is very little information on them but I'm sure you can track them with ease, you may even find it fun. I'll call you in a week with an update." Katherine stared at her phone for quite a while. "Well fuck." __________________________________________________________________________________ Highway Meal ruined, going back into the hell that was LA traffic, and the Lady was rearing her ugly head once more. Katherine's day had gone to shit in the span of a single phone call. Sure three thousand was nothing to sneeze at but still... if Lady was involved than that meant shit was gonna happen. LA was fucked and for that matter so was she. Katherine turned her police scanner on. Within seven minutes she heard units being called to a bank robbery done by a possible Ultra. Turning on her GPS she headed toward the crime. Some time later she was parked blocks away. Katherine strapped her handgun to the back of her jeans and shrugged on her thin leather jacket before heading toward the bank. Cops had already begun to secure a parameter. One tried to stop her. "I'm sorry ma'am-" was as far as he got before Katherine knocked him out cold and relieved him of his gun then unloaded the clip into his partner. She tossed the gun away and walked toward the side entrance.