The IT Files: Hui's Nemesis

by Zero

Abandoned Czech Television Warehouse N5, Prague, Czech Republic

            International Temporal Enforcement Agency GRID agent Erik Brink adjusted his jacket as the light rain cleared up around him. The General Response Investigation Department had gotten a possible lead on Type-7 smuggling in Prague the other day and Erik's number had come up for who would go and check it out, along with his partner Grazia Lombardi. Europol had been the one to tip off the ITEA thus Erik and Grazia were currently meeting with a Europol officer in one suspected location where the smuggled drugs were presumed to have been stashed. Erik hadn't been to Prague before, so the amount of rain had caught him slightly off-guard, but luckily for him the clouds seemed to be going away though it was still chilly out. Erik wasn't too concerned about the cold; his past as a college football player greatly raised his tolerance of small discomforts.

            “So wait, every one of these buildings is empty?” questioned Grazia as the trio of law enforcement agents walked the grounds outside of a huge warehouse. “There's a dozen buildings here!” Grazia was Italian and Erik had served with her in Interpol before they'd joined the ITEA. Grazia was a bit older than Erik, being solidly in her mid-twenties while he was just reaching that area himself, and she had long brown hair with eyes that matched his, her hair having a slight bit of curl to it. Joining Interpol had been Grazia's dream when she was younger; her father had been an agent who'd been forced to resign his post after a false corruption scandal, so Erik had been a bit surprised that she'd joined the ITEA with him. As Erik looked at his eye-catching long-time partner now, one that many back in Italy had jokingly called his 'sister', he felt his heart flutter just a bit and felt the familiar pangs of sexual tension.

            “When Czech Television moved to its new location they took everything with them, but the buildings have yet to be converted or demolished,” explained Tekla Malmer. Tekla was a gorgeous woman, just over thirty and Swedish, possessing blonde hair and blue eyes. The Europol officer was dressed more or less like her companions, with a longer black jacket that wasn't quite an overcoat on top of a white collared shirt and black pants. Tekla's hair was down in a low ponytail while Grazia's has hanging loose and Erik's was too short to matter, the African-American agent liking his beard length more or less matching his hair length. Grazia mainly stood out from the trio as she had an umbrella hanging on her right arm.

            “Seems like a waste,” remarked Grazia, glancing around at the empty buildings near the one they stood in front of. “So what makes you think this crew is stashing their supplies here? I mean it is certainly appealing being huge and abandoned and all, but Prague is a big place...”

            “Officer Zajic has the statistical data with her, but the essence is there's been a lot of vehicles seen coming out this way, more than there should be,” revealed Tekla, referencing the local Europol officer that was stuck on the other side of the city at the moment, her car having gotten a flat tire. Tekla was on loan from Stockholm as she was a senior officer who had some familiarity with the city of Prague.

            “Do we know if it has been the same vehicle?” questioned Erik, looking for a bit more information as he examined the area more closely. The warehouse lot was paved in concrete and there were no obvious signs that any vehicles had come through recently, though the frequent rain wasn't helping. Erik and Grazia both were trained in analyzing locations however, so their expert eyes were hard at work, looking for clues.

            “Doesn't seem to be, but they could be using rentals or the like,” suggested Tekla with a shrug.

            “I see some patches of concrete that look drier than the rest,” announced Grazia, suddenly stepping away from the other two towards a corner outside of the warehouse. The corner was far from the warehouse entrance but as the group approached Erik saw what Grazia was talking about: while the day's light rain did soak the ground, it wasn't as heavy as the rain from the previous night; even so there was a patch of concrete showed no signs of wetness while spots around it did. Glancing up, Erik confirmed that the roof of the warehouse couldn't have shielded the patch of ground that remained dry.

            “Looks like an object rested here, but far from the entrance...” noted Erik, glancing around. “It's something though. This warehouse might be-”

            Erik suddenly stopped as a canister burst right next to him. The noise was loud and there was a hiss that followed. No cloud of gas was visible but Erik knew it was a smoke canister, most likely from a grenade launcher. As much as Erik felt the urge to dive and protect Grazia or pull Tekla aside he knew he had to move, so the former athlete felt a sudden burst of speed and dashed away. Tekla and Grazia made no sound and hadn’t budged a millimeter, so Erik was now fairly certain the gas shell had unleashed Type-7, freezing them in their tracks like living waxworks.  Thus in the quick hope of saving himself, and perhaps the others, Erik reached into his pocket as he ran and searched for an Immunity Ring. It was right as Erik reached the next corner of the warehouse that he found it, but it was also then that there was a sudden sharp and painful blow to his neck and he collapsed, his senses blurring.

* * *

            “Nice shot,” commented Bridget Williamson, one of the two fellow mercenaries Serafina Jawolski had found herself working with under her current contract. Bridget wasn't even thirty and was quite thin; she also wore copious amounts of eye-liner, but the Canadian had correctly predicted how the deployment of the Type-7 gas shell would work so Serafina liked her. Bridget had her dyed blonde hair in a half up-do and was clad only in a white halter top with tight black pants, Serafina was stunned the woman wasn't shivering. A tattoo of a butterfly was visible just to the right of Bridget's pierced belly button.

            “Thank you, I quite enjoyed that,” admitted Serafina, having been the one to punch the fleeing law enforcement agent in the neck as he came around the corner. While only slightly above average height, Serafina’s body was composed primarily of muscle, having a powerful figure that would be right at home with any amazon of legend. Serafina however still considered herself to be quite beautiful despite her imposing appearance, possessing blonde hair, blue eyes and a decent track record with men. The Polish mercenary smiled as she looked down at the collapsed agent, adjusting her long jacket.

            “Next time we get a handsome runner they're mine, better to send a professional than a brute,” insisted June Phelps, the American of the group and the one Serafina didn't like. June was young, younger than either Serafina or Bridget; yet for a girl who seemed hardly beyond college age, June had an impressive resume and loved to brag about it. Despite having brown eyes compared to Bridget's grey and Serafina's own blue there was something intoxicating about June's gaze, one she'd used to seduce people since a young age and now used it has a part of her so-called 'speciality.' The blonde was short, super-attractive and skilled enough in hand-to-hand to take someone down when they were lured in.

            “Whatever,” scoffed Bridget, pulling a modified Desert Eagle out of her waistband and shooting the stunned law enforcement agent right in the chest, a Type-7 dart hitting home and freezing him in place. Serafina was surprised Bridget hadn't broken her fingers firing the large weapon.

            “You can have this one, we'll go collect the other two,” offered Serafina, starting to walk over to where the other two intruding agents had been immobilized by Bridget's gas shot.

            “How generous,” June muttered sarcastically as she started to stand the frozen man up. Serafina ignored the remark and headed over to the frozen pair, with Bridget following. The blonde of the two had apparently been caught off-guard, her right arm was only slightly raised up in front and her open mouth did not quite show surprise, nor did her eyes. The blonde’s pose, Serafina decided, looked like someone getting ready to shake hands while talking. The brunette meanwhile had her knees bent and had clearly been looking to perhaps leap away, her arms were raised in alarm and she held a concerned frown on her face; her lips were slightly parted as she looked to her right.

            “Nice work; a few flash-frozen cops,” came a sudden voice. Serafina turned to see her employer had arrived. The warehouse being investigated was where the boss was keeping her supplies, but, as Serafina had learned over the course of the job, it was also an old base belonging to the Soviet KGB back in the 1980s. Some of the equipment in the secret parts of the building was old school, but Serafina had gotten to used to secret passages and the like quite a bit and had to admit spycraft was a lot of fun. Serafina's employer was a bit short, at five-foot four, but was in decent shape from what the mercenary had seen. Currently the woman was wearing a black overcoat and had her brown hair in a Dutch braid, a pink-lipped smile flashing against the skin of a woman who had some Native American ancestry in her.

            “It looks like this one's Europol,” announced Bridget, having pulled an ID from the frozen blonde she was handling as Serafina searched the brunette. “Tekla Malmer.”

            “Swedish,” Serafina immediately observed as she pulled an ID of her own. “Grazia Lombardi, Italian... She's not Europol, the insignia is 'ITEA'...”

            “The International Temporal Enforcement Agency,” chuckled the mercenaries' employer. “Perfect. Get these three statues inside, I've got a hostage video to make...”

            “A hostage video, Ms. Qillaq?” echoed Serafina, surprised that her boss would suggest such a thing.

            “Well, I'd also like to be packed for a quick escape, but yes, a hostage video,” confirmed Tamaya Qillaq, grinning ear to ear. “I have to make a tempting challenge to my old friend Hui Lan, one she cannot refuse...”

* * *

ITEA HQ, London, UK

One Day Later

            “... so that's the Europol officer, two of your agents, and, oh yes, your old boyfriend,” came a voice that filled Hui with a silent and cold rage. “What do you think, Agent Hui Lan? You want to come get them back? I'll be waiting...” Tamaya Qillaq stood alone against an improvised black backdrop, grinning ear to ear. Hui was sitting at her desk, holding back the urge to shoot her computer monitor as she watched the video. A mysterious email had shown up in Hui's mailbox just a few minutes ago and against her better judgement, she'd opened it; she was now both glad and angry she had.

            “Should I trace the file sig?” asked Sharon Clarke, who was standing behind Hui. Sharon was Team Gamma's new secretary and had been giving Hui her daily briefing when the video had kicked in. Sharon was a blue-eyed dirty blonde of around thirty years of age and the younger sister of Rachel Clarke, IT's head of human resources. Hui didn't mind having Sharon around, especially at the moment, since she was the one keeping the normally calm leader of Team Gamma from throwing a gasket.

            “No point; the smug bitch is blatantly in Prague, she even gave me the address,” revealed Hui, looking at the email. “She's telling us she's got four hostages and is flat-out daring me to come rescue them. She's really too confident for her own good if she thinks she's getting away with this.”

            “I hate to be 'that person,' but she did elude capture twice,” pointed out Sharon, Hui having to fight the urge to give her a death glare. Since the Ouroboros raid in New York Hui had been trying to track down Tamaya, especially since she'd apparently kidnapped her old boyfriend Tommy Chen. Unfortunately until now, Tamaya had eluded them.

            “Forward the email to Director Castillo; I'm going to go speak with her right away,” announced Hui, getting out of her chair and heading out of her office. Sharon quickly sat down at Hui's computer to do as asked while the Chinese woman hurried down the hallway and towards the director's office.

            Hui noted a few analysts were working frantically as she passed their area but didn't glance at the big monitors, instead she focused on the director's office and the young woman sitting outside of it. Angelita Castillo, dressed in a decently professional white business dress and salmon blouse with her hair in a low ponytail, looked up from her computer as Hui approached. “Hello Agent Lan, I'm afraid the Director-” began Angelita.

            “She'll want to see me right away,” interrupted Hui, glancing behind her. “A two-person team in Prague has been captured, along with their Europol contact.”

            “How did you know?” exclaimed Angelita in surprise. “We're just updating their status now!”

            “Trust me, your mother will want to speak to me,” insisted Hui, and Angelita reluctantly gestured for Hui to enter the office behind her after glancing around to make sure no one was looking at them. Taking no satisfaction in her little exchange with the younger Castillo, her slips of professionalism coming thanks to the rage she carried within, Hui moved on to greet the elder one.

            Sonia Castillo was in a blue business dress that day, her short hair hanging free. The Spaniard had clearly been about to make a phone call when Hui walked in, her right hand on the receiver. “What's going on, Agent Lan? We've got a crisis on our hands.”

            “I know, and I know exactly why,” confirmed Hui, gesturing at Sonia's computer. “Sharon should have forwarded you an email just now. Open it and watch the video.”

            Hui watched Sonia do as she was asked, though the director seemed a bit reluctant at being ordered around. Hui was still getting used to Sonia but was glad to see she took things seriously, objecting to her interruption but none the less listening. “A YouTube video?” questioned Sonia.

            “You'll see,” pressed Hui. Tamaya, in her infinite confidence, had posted the video online, though thankfully at least made it private.

            “Hello Hui Lan, its been, what, a month already since we last met?” came Tamaya Qillaq's sugary voice as Sonia started the playback. “So nice of... Tommy, wasn't it? Yes, so nice of Tommy to keep a copy of your email address in his phone. I thought I'd let you know that a couple of your fellow ITEA agents came to visit my neck of the woods yesterday, so I'm afraid I had to put them into cold storage with your old boy toy. Oh yeah, there was the Swede, too... so that's the Europol officer, two of your agents, and, oh yes, your old boyfriend. What do you think, Agent Hui Lan? You want to come get them back? I'm waiting, and so are they...”

            Hui fought back the urge to tremble a bit as Sonia turned to face her, frowning slightly. “So now we know what happened to those three,” mused Sonia. “Europol Officer Darina Zajic contacted us early this morning to let us know she hasn't been able to find them. We know they disappeared in Prague, but it seems their captor isn't worried about subterfuge. Can you explain that?”

            “Tamara has managed to capture some of our agents before, even best a few of our more gifted fighters in hand to hand combat, and she was the only known member of Ouroboros to get out of New York without being captured,” admitted Hui. “On top of that she really seems to have it in for me, given I was responsible for her original arrest and later tried to capture her in New York.”

            “So she's hoping to make you a trophy, too,” sighed Sonia, then glancing at the email again and reading the rest of the words that came with it. “She is asking you to not bring an army or she'll kill the hostages... but she doesn't want you to just come alone either and seems to understand that would be utterly unreasonable.  She wants a ‘challenge’ then?”

            “Look, I wouldn't request this, even after the personal taunt, but she seems set on having me come or our people will die,” declared Hui. “Team Gamma is more than capable of this on our own. Let us handle it.”

            “... I'll need a second opinion first,” decided Sonia after sitting in thought for a moment. She picked up her phone and made a quick internal call. Hui plopped down onto one of Sonia's chairs as she waited, not focusing on what Sonia was saying or what she was doing on the computer afterwards. It seemed like eons for Hui, but eventually Sonia turned her computer monitor to face the agent, as a live video image appeared on the screen.

            “Hello Agent Lan; good to see you're looking decently calm, given the circumstances,” greeted Rory Becker, IT's resident psychologist and acting psychiatrist. Rory was in his forties and wore a prominent pair of horn-rimmed glasses. Rory had an office in the medical wing, so Hui was a bit surprised he hadn't just come upstairs.

            “Sorry not to pop by in person, but I'd rather not leave a patient unattended,” explained Rory, also implying that there was someone else in the room with him.  “It's okay love, I'm in the middle of freeze therapy so no one else can hear this conversation.” Freeze therapy was a new kind of treatment Rory had introduced upon joining the ITEA, openly administering his patients with Type-7 to help them cope with encountering it in the field, giving suggestions on how to deal with feeling helpless and various other potential symptoms. Hui hadn't had a session with Rory involving his unique therapy but from what she'd heard it seemed to work.

            “So what is your opinion, doctor?” asked Sonia, tapping her finger on her desk. “Do you think Agent Lan would be capable of leading a team in this situation?”

            “Well a lot of people think that emotional attachment to something can be a liability, and certainly its better to assume it will be than it won't, but that's in the medical field where total concentration is needed,” commented Rory, smiling now and then as he spoke. “Trick is, right, there's always emotions in battle, 'specially in between members of a team. Problem is knowin' when someone's acting on their emotions but being smart 'bout it, and not bein' reckless. Agent Lan just got some of the worst possible news of her life and is sitting there calmly in your comfy chair. I gotta say, think she'll be okay on this one.”

            “Thank you doctor,” offered Sonia, turning off the video chat and turning her computer monitor back towards her desk. “It looks like you've got my green light, Agent Lan.”

            “Thank you Director,” replied Hui, standing. “Should I contact local Europol? They will want in on this.”

            “No need, I'll take care of that, you just get your team to Prague right away,” insisted Sonia, focusing on her computer as she spoke, typing and clicking rapidly. “Miss Ewart isn't on-site today so I'm contacting Mrs. Stein directly, she'll have a flight ready to go by the time you get to the airport. I'm also requisitioning you some extra field gear; you might need it.”

            “Any back-up?” asked Hui, knowing that while they'd only send in Gamma Team at first, a second team on stand-by just around Prague might not be a bad idea.

            “Zeta's on the board, they'll be arriving a bit behind you though,” announced Sonia, frowning and shaking her head. “I really don't like sending a team in this hastily... but we can't leave our people hostage in enemy hands.”

            “Don't worry Director, I'll get them home,” Hui promised as she headed for the door.

            “Sonia's fine,” offered the Spaniard in parting.

* * *

Outside Warehouse N5

Five Hours Later

            True to Sonia's word, Team Gamma had gotten everything they'd requested. By the time Hui's team had gotten to the airport barely an hour and a half after being given a green light, a plane had been assigned, provisioned, and was ready to go. Upon arriving in Prague after the roughly two-hour flight, the team had made quick contact with their Europol liaison and were now on the scene. Team Gamma was fully geared up, with everyone in NI Impact Armour. Tatiana and Jason were carrying MP5 sub-machine guns while Hui hefted a C7 assault rifle and Miranda had an ITEA SM-3. The team had just exited their SUV and was now huddling around behind it.

            “Okay everyone, radio check,” ordered Hui as she and other four hunkered down.

            “Miranda, G2, check,” announced Miranda, her gun held close to her chest.

            “Tatiana, G3, check,” said Tatiana, adjusting the strap on her own weapon.

            “Jason, G4, check,” confirmed Jason, Hui was even now a bit amused at how his armour hugged his skinny frame.

            “Darina, G5, check,” chimed in Darina Zajic. Darina hadn't been exactly what Hui had expected, the woman very young but very keen. Darina was also quite tall, nearly six feet in height, and possessed dark green eyes as well as blonde hair. The Europol officer was kitted out in a standard Kevlar vest, the Glock pistol in her hands was the only weapon the ITEA had clearance to issue her.

            “Hui, G1, check,” finally replied Hui, thus confirming that all five had working radios. “Immunity Rings, on now.” The team promptly pulled out their special rings, designed to protect against Type-7 but potentially vulnerable to a nearby Freeze-Key, Darina struggling with hers slightly before Jason assisted.

            “Okay, Miranda, engage SARA,” was Hui's next order, her girlfriend promptly pulled out a small device connected by a cord to her bulky backpack. The device was a white cross-shaped object with a red orb in the middle, Miranda pressing a switch on one of the cross's tips as she put it on the ground. There was a sudden shimmer of blue light and then almost instantly a sixth person was standing with the group. The new “persona” was SARA, an acronym for Simulated Analysis Recon Assistant, a special piece of hardware and software created by CyTek that IT was now field-testing. SARA was a revolutionary hologram interface and field analysis tool, the hologram going beyond just a visual metaphor as its particles could act as sensors. While the SARA projection did look effectively like a perfect human being from arm’s length, it did lack any tangibility, its one flaw.

            “SARA online,” announced the new arrival. All SARA holograms were modelled on real people, and while the ITEA was working on getting some of their own people downloaded as visual options, the default was that of one its contributing programmers, a Stone Enterprises employee named Lana Rollins who was around thirty. SARA thus currently looked like a brown-haired, brown-eyed woman of average height dressed in a generic black and white business outfit, the skirt and jacket black while the blouse was white, her shoulder-length hair behind her ears.  She looked rather out of place among the armed and armored assault team surrounding her.

            “Analyze the warehouse, check for life-signs,” Miranda told SARA, having had the most experience of any of the team in using it. The hologram turned to face the nearest warehouse, the software set to by default scan the closest thing matching the description that its user gave. The SARA image seemed to freeze momentarily, its eyes flashing red for a moment, only to then go from standing at attention to putting her hands on her hips.

            “One life-sign detected,” announced the hologram. “Analysis suggests heartbeat sensors and thermal imaging are being blocked.”

            “So thermal goggles wouldn't have been useful even if we'd brought them,” noted Jason.

            “How many entrances are there to that warehouse?” Miranda asked next. Sara once again snapped to attention, her eyes flashing red before she returned to standing like some kind of action figure.

            “Five entrances, three above ground, one on the roof, one below,” answered SARA.

            “Below?” repeated Miranda, the team looking at each other. “Is there some kind of underground parking structure beneath the warehouse?”

            “Computer records suggest the building was once used by the Russian KGB during the Cold War as a hidden base, and this included an escape tunnel,” revealed SARA, turning around and acting more natural now as she spoke to the team. “It looks like whatever is blocking accurate imaging is also masking the exact definitions of the tunnel network underground, but it seems extensive.”

            “I've heard about this!” exclaimed Tatiana, chiming in. “I heard stories of this back home in Perm. Suddenly the KGB used to have these so-called 'living' bases, buildings with extensive secret passages and who knows what else. If this is remotely like that, we could be looking at a real cluster-fuck.”

            “Where's the tunnel exit?” asked Hui, focusing on the hologram.

            “I'm afraid I don't know,” shrugged SARA, spinning around to look back at the warehouse. “It doesn't look like the exit is nearby...”

            “I hate to say this, but we can't wait,” announced Hui, noting Tatiana and Darina both frowned the most at the news, Miranda not flinching while Jason did raise an eyebrow. “Zeta is coming to back us up, and they'll have extra support, I'm sure. But we can't risk having our prime target escape with her hostages, and that tunnel's too much of an unknown for me to just sit here.”

            “So I guess we each take an entrance?” offered Tatiana after letting out a small sigh. “I can run solo.”

            “Okay, do it,” nodded Hui. “Tatiana, you take the west entrance. Jason, you and Darina take the South. Miranda and I will go East. SARA, I want you to save all the data you've gathered and email it to Team Zeta, then shut down.”

            “Not a problem,” confirmed SARA, standing at attention one last time, her eyes going green before the hologram faded from view.

            “I always wanted to check out an old Cold War base, how did you know what to get me for my birthday?” joked Jason as he readied his sub-machine gun, giving Darina a reassuring pat on the shoulder as he did.

            “Call me psychic,” shrugged Hui, readying her own weapon. “Okay, lets go get this bitch.”

* * *

Inside Warehouse N5

Five Minutes Later

            Tatiana walked quietly down the hallway, her soft-heeled boots making no noise at the field agent cautiously scanned the area. The warehouse area was mostly bare save for a couple of boxes, but the low lighting was an issue since Tatiana didn't have any special vision goggles, not that they would have done any good according to SARA. As Tatiana walked along, her special NI Impact armor began to really feel heavy, which was odd since it was made of a lightweight material. Tatiana also noticed her sub-machine gun felt heavier and heavier, but it at least weighed a decent amount. The air felt stale, as if there was chalk in it, and Tatiana wondered if it was dust she stirred up.

            Suddenly lights in the hallway flashed in some sort of violent sequence, assaulting Tatiana's eyes. “Relax... let yourself go...” came a sudden voice as Tatiana was vaguely aware that shutter doors had closed on either side of her, cutting off her part of the hallway. The light pulses continued and Tatiana reluctantly let go of her gun to shield her eyes, the MP5 hitting the floor as the strap wasn't secure. Tatiana tried to think of which way she needed to go but for the moment she was just focused on blocking out the light, ignoring how light-headed she was feeling and how soothing the voice sounded.

            “You're tired, your mind is going blank...” droned the voice as Tatiana tried to recompose herself. “You feel yourself becoming stiff, solid; as rigid as stone...” Tatiana now wanted to cover her ears but the lights were making it hard for her to find a way to shield both, and the voice was only mildly annoying compared to the lights. Each breath Tatiana took seemed to drain her energy and willpower that much more and make her want to just give in, but the IT agent wasn't about to yield.

            “You are so rock-hard right now... it would be nice to just be a statue...” suggested the voice, and Tatiana suddenly felt her legs locking up. Tatiana panicked for a moment, trying to move her feet from being shoulder-width apart with her knees slightly bent, but then found herself unable to care, realizing how good the sensation of stiffness felt. The lights suddenly didn't seem to bother Tatiana either and she lowered her arms, letting the strobe effect go on with no resistance. Tatiana's lips parted and her eyes went out of focus, taking everything in.

            “Just let yourself go... You're just a statue in a park...” echoed the voice and Tatiana, not feeling any urge to resist, felt her whole body lock up; her left arm held in an outward V-shape while her right arm rested at her side. Her expression was blank and her eyes unfocused. Tatiana was still aware, but her mind just observed, it didn't try to react. The lights stopped flashing, the sound went away, and Tatiana could hear footsteps. A blonde woman in a half up-do came into view, a gas mask on her face. Tatiana quietly stood still, letting the masked woman take off her helmet and touch her face before moving to her outstretched hand. There on Tatiana's left ring finger was the Immunity Ring protecting her from any Type-7, but right now Tatiana welcomed the drug. The masked woman carefully pulled the ring from Tatiana's finger and she didn't resist, then feeling her mind go blank before everything faded.

* * *

Inside Warehouse N5

Simultaneously

            Jason Holland carefully led Darina down the hall, his MP-5 raised and ready to fire a barrage of electro-static rounds at anything that appeared to be a threat, the stunning ammunition especially good if the team encountered people wearing Chips as expected, given Tamaya's history. Darina nervously followed, Jason feeling bad for the young Europol officer as she didn't even have a helmet, just her vest. The blonde's ponytail whipped back and forth as Jason could see her looking around more and more frantically as they moved down the hall. “What happened to that keen spirit I saw outside?” whispered Jason to Darina.

            “I didn't know how creepy this place was,” Darina hissed in reply, which caused Jason to stop and turn to face his assigned partner, clipping his gun to his belt and grabbing the barrel of hers for a moment.

            “We're in unknown territory, but we won't make it anywhere expecting something to jump out at any moment,” Jason told Darina, putting his other hand on her shoulder as he spoke. “You can't relax, but you can't tense up either. You need to breathe, find that special place called calm between relaxed and nervous.”

            “Heh...” smiled Darina, glancing away for a moment. “So you know you just said 'calm down' but about twenty extra words, right?”

            “Ah, a smart mouth... A little closer to what we're looking for than twitchy eyes,” grinned Jason, letting go of Darina and unhooking his gun, allowing him to return his focus to the empty warehouse hall.

            “So you noticed my eyes,” whispered Darina from behind as the pair began to move again, Jason trying his best not to keep the conversation going as it was. Arriving at a corner, Jason led and carefully glanced down it, only to spot a person standing there.

            A short blonde in a brown sun dress was standing in the middle of the hall, motionless, her arms raised in alarm, her face frozen in fear with her mouth hanging open, black heels on her feet. “This is G4, be advised I have a subject in front of me who appears to be frozen,” announced Jason into his radio as he pulled out a NI 150 Heartbeat Sensor from the back of his equipment belt, holding it up in the frozen woman's direction. No heartbeat was detected, meaning the woman was indeed frozen. “G4, subject confirmed in stasis,” continued Jason.

            “G4, this is G1, extract the individual if they are not armed,” ordered Hui over the radio.

            “I'll search,” offered Darina, moving past Jason and approaching the female statue. Jason carefully followed Darina, watching the hallway, as it did seem odd to just find a woman alone like she was. Darina quickly patted down the stiffened blonde, Jason continuing to listen and watch, only to discover nothing new.

            “She's clean,” announced Darina, stepping back from the frozen woman. Nodding, Jason reached into another pouch and pulled out a bottle of Motion Mist, then moved to stand right in front of the apparent victim. A quick blast of the counter-agent in her face caused the blonde to blink, suddenly step back, then stop, look around, and smile.

            “Oh my God, you saved me!” exclaimed the woman in a midwest American accent. Jason barely had time to register the oddity that was the blonde's accent however as she immediately grabbed him and, to his surprise, planted a kiss on his lips.

            “Hey, step back!” yelled Darina, Jason didn’t see it but guessing the Europol officer had raised her gun.

            “It's...” began Jason, only to suddenly feel weak. Spinning sideways, he dropped his gun and fell backwards, his knees buckling as all of his joints felt like jelly. Jason could only watch as Darina readied to fire her weapon, which contained Type-7 darts, and was then promptly struck from behind, her pistol clattering to the floor. A second blonde, who looked quite imposing despite not being that tall thanks to her visible muscle, had appeared and quickly deflected Darina's counterattack, a high kick that was promptly pushed backwards. The new blonde was clothed in tan pants and a green tank top with a black Kevlar vest over it and a black bandanna in her loose hair. Darina avoided the blonde's follow-up punch and even grabbed her arm, twisting behind the blonde, but was then elbowed and, much to Jason's dismay, he saw the attacker pull off Darina's immunity ring as she let go.

            “Hurry up,” complained the blonde in the sundress as Darina lunged at the muscular blonde. Darina disappeared from sight for a moment but the blonde then twisted away and Darina landed woodenly beside Jason, her face frozen in surprise and her arms bent, her head awkwardly resting on his shoulder and a syringe sticking in her leg.

            “Happy?” snipped the taller blonde. Jason was feeling his breathing slow down now, which he figured meant he'd black out soon.

            “You're such a brute Serafina, no elegance,” chided the smaller blonde, dismissively waving a hand at the woman apparently named Serafina. “Play the victim, give your 'hero' a kiss and boom, no muss, no fuss.”

            “Unless they hadn't decided to unfreeze you, June,” pointed out Serafina as she moved towards Jason and Darina. Jason's eyes were a bit less focused now, but this let him see that a part of the hallway wall had given way to reveal a passage, it most likely being where Serafina had come from.

            “Still less risky to my health than picking a fist fight, like you did,” retorted June, bending over and looking right into Jason's eyes. “Okay geeky man, you're gonna go off to dreamy land now. But hey, maybe when you wake up you'll be in bed with me... I've certainly had worse, and I always get paid...”

* * *

Inside Warehouse N5

Seven Minutes Later

            Tamaya stood in front of a table in an old office within the warehouse, the room buried deep inside the complex with two large storage rooms flanking it and several of the KGB tunnels all leading to the spot. Tamaya had made the office her central holding area, it being where she'd kept her food supplies, weapons, a bedroll, and her computer set-up. At the moment Tamaya was preparing herself for what she believed to be her final confrontation with Hui Lan, pulling a Dragon Skin vest on over a military-green T-shirt and a harness over her tight black pants, her hair pulled back into a low ponytail. Stiletto heels were on Tamaya's feet and a pair of mirrored goggles were over her eyes. Holstered on one side Tamaya had her modified Desert Eagle, and on the other was a stolen ITEA Glock chanbering Type-7 rounds. A combat knife and a Chrono Flash grenade were also attached to her vest. An FN SCAR assault rifle, also modified, rested in Tamaya's gloved hands.

            “I hate waiting,” muttered Tamaya, glancing over the far side of the room where, moments ago, three stiff bodies had rolled out. The KGB had designed the facility with a sort of internal tram system, one designed for rapid escapes and the quick movement of valuable items, so Tamaya had ordered her mercenaries to send anyone they captured to her using the system. After the last two had arrived Tamaya had radioed the merc group and told them they were fired, which had made them angry but using her control of the facility Tamaya had quickly forced them out the secret exit, closing doors behind them and then activating the gas deployment system, though she'd never actually gassed her former allies since they had done good work. With only Hui and her lover Miranda left, by Tamaya's estimate, she had decided to finish things personally.

            “Don't you guys hate waiting?” Tamaya asked the silent row of human shields she'd set up in the room. Between the single door that entered the office and the table where Tamaya had her guns and computer equipment, there were two walls that covered half the room and then a large gap between them. Wanting some kind of cover for the anticipated firefight, Tamaya had placed six people she'd collected earlier in front of the gap to act as shields. Tekla, Erik and Grazia were ones Tamaya had collected just the other day, all three standing at attention with blank looks on their faces. Next to Grazia, Tamaya had placed Tommy Chen, Hui's ex-boyfriend, that she'd kidnapped back when she was broken out of jail by Ouroboros. He was dressed only in a pair of grey sweat pants, thus showing off his well-toned chest. Next to Tommy were two older women Tamaya had obtained only a few days ago, her mercenaries having collected them for her: Qiao Lan and Xue Lan. Qiao was Hui's mother, a short-haired brunette in her mid-fifties with a noticeable mole on the left side of her chin, who was wearing cheap black sun dress and unlike the rest, posed with her hands on her hips, a smile also on her lips. Xue Lan was one of Hui's many aunts, a woman in her late forties who was apparently a big name cop in Hong Kong, but the mercenaries had managed to nab her apparently with no trouble. Xue's long black hair dropped around her head and she was standing still like the others, blank and at attention while only dressed in revealing white underwear, her panties in particular being very thin at the front and back, though not a full thong.

            “Oh you're no fun,” complained Tamaya, and it was then that the door on the other side of the room was kicked open. “Shit!” Tamaya dove for cover, two weapons firing at the wall she'd dived behind.

            “Give up, Tamaya!” yelled Hui, Tamaya knowing the voice very well. “Wait, what the...”

            “Hui, that's-!” began Miranda.

            “That's right, its your mother!” laughed Tamaya, having dreamt of boasting about the moment for the last two days. “You think you can stop me, Hui Lan?! You're nothing! Maybe I'll visit one of your aunts in San Francisco next... You think Auntie Ling and Auntie Ming would like it if I crashed their little restaurant business and turned them into statues? Or how about your cute cousins in LA...?”

            “You bitch!” screamed Hui, and Tamaya took great pleasure in hearing the rage as well as the scream of her foe's weapon as more dart-bullets harmlessly hit the wall that Tamaya was crouching low behind. The dart weapons lacked the stopping power of full bullets and thus they were not even able to penetrate the drywall, save a couple of lucky shots.

            “You took Zhen from me!” yelled back Tamaya, rolling out to behind Qiao and firing a burst from her own weapon. Tamaya's long-time lieutenant had been supposed to contact her when she was released but she'd received no word, and thus assumed the ITEA were behind it. It could have been someone else, Tamaya knew, but the disappearance was too convenient for her taste.

            “She ran away on her own!” insisted Miranda. Tamaya chuckled to herself as she watched the pair struggle, not having any real cover in the room. Tamaya happily opened fire, letting her extra-long drum of ammunition do her talking for her. With such sheer offense, Tamaya was soon able to hit her targets with at least four darts each; but as Tamaya's weapon neared empty she realized the pair were still moving, though the impact of the shots had stunned them. Tamaya had modified her darts to be long enough to penetrate even thick armor, so the fact that both women could still move confounded her.

            “Ah ha, so you're wearing the rings again,” realized Tamaya as she stopped firing and rolled; Miranda risked a shot with her odd SMG while Hui didn't shoot, the ex-smuggler ending up behind Erik. “Immunity is cheating... Time to even the field.” Pulling at her flash bomb, Tamaya casually tossed it over her shoulder.

            “Chrono Goggles!” yelled Hui in warning, and Tamaya watched as both Hui and Miranda lowered their weapons to frantically pull up some goggles they'd been sporting but not bothering to properly wear, most likely due to the low-light levels in the hallways. The flash went off and Tamaya saw both women had apparently gotten their goggles on in time, but Miranda's helmet had fallen off in the process and Hui had actually dropped her assault rifle, giving Tamaya the opening she'd needed.

            “Hi,” whispered Tamaya as she struck hard, her padded gloves helping her hit fast. With a quick punch Tamaya rocked Miranda back, striking her in the head and cracking her goggles. A pivot swept Hui's rifle away and Tamaya then jumped to grab Hui's neck, pulling her down to slam her head against the floor. Returning to focus her assault on Miranda, Tamaya sprung backwards and flipped behind the agent, putting her in a Full Nelson headlock and quickly forcing her to drop her gun. Tamaya then transitioned into an arm lock, her goal being Hui's ring finger.

            “Not today!” screamed Miranda, rolling around behind Tamaya, but it was too late. Just as Miranda was to get free, Tamaya pulled the ring loose, quickly slipping it on her own finger while reaching for her Glock. As Miranda swung around to punch Tamaya in the face the gun was fired, the dart hitting Miranda square in the neck and freezing her right before her right fist could connect with Tamaya's face.

            “One down,” declared Tamaya as she spun around and pulled her Desert Eagle out, casually shooting Hui as she tried to stand up, her helmet peeled off. The Desert Eagle, despite lacking the incredible power of a full fifty-caliber slug, still had a large impact effect and thus knocked Hui back as she came up, fumbling the sidearm she'd been trying to draw. The backlash from the heavy pistol shot did hurt Tamaya's hand however and she dropped her large weapon, holstering her Glock as she moved in.

            “Screw you,” gasped Hui, striking with two palms. Tamaya's vest absorbed some of the impact but she was stunned. Hui then pressed the attack with a quick high kick. Tamaya fell backwards but luckily onto Hui's lost Glock, which Tamaya grabbed, also pulling out her own. Hui moved to pounce but Tamaya rolled and snapped herself onto her feet, promptly spinning and pistol-whipping Hui, who was slammed against the wall and slumped down, the impact clearly having rattled her.

            “Too easy,” chided Tamaya, casually walking over and stepping on Hui's ringed hand with one foot, the other pushing the ring free. With no ring, Hui was easy prey, but Tamaya wanted one more triumphant rush. Dropping the pistols, Tamaya casually walked back over to her human shields, where she'd dropped her assault rifle. As Tamaya picked the weapon up she could hear Hui stirring, most likely scrambling for the pistols. Snapping around, Tamaya emptied the last of her assault rifle's drum right into Hui, hitting the IT agent on her chest as she crouched with her Glock raised in Tamaya's direction, a look of determination frozen on her face while a dart was seen imbedded in her shoulder, another in her left, now empty hand that rested on the brown-carpeted floor.

            “I win,” declared Tamaya, feeling a rush in her blood as she dropped her rifle and walked towards Hui. The Immunity Ring Hui had been wearing was still visible on the floor, so she wasn't faking Tamaya out. Tamaya made it to Hui and casually kicked the gun out of her hand, then bent over and standing Hui upright as if posing a life-sized puppet.

            “You were fun for a while, but I believe that's two to one in my favour,” stated Tamaya, adjusting Hui so she was standing properly balanced and put her hands at her sides. “I believe my prize is doing with you what I like... and as for that...” with her blood boiling and her crotch warm, Tamaya quickly let her hair down and leaned in, kissing Hui full on the lips. Immediately the former Hong Kong smuggler was lost to desire, pressing Hui’s stiffened body against the wall and kissing her passionately as she worked to remove both of their clothes. Hui's armor proved easy to peel off, thanks to simple zippers, and her black bodysuit Tamaya just slit open using her knife before getting naked herself. Hui was only a few minutes later lowered to the floor, her back still against the wall and Tamaya on top of her, kissing and using Hui's hands to stimulate herself.

            “Ooohhh Hui, I never thought I could fall for a woman, but you've just been so much fun...” gasped Tamaya as she felt herself start to orgasm. Breathing heavily, Tamaya went in for yet another kiss as she felt the orgasm climax. In the moment of ecstasy, however, Tamaya suddenly noticed something odd: as she rotated her tongue inside Hui's mouth, her frozen lover's tongue was moving as well. Surprised, Tamaya pulled back.

            “I didn't say stop...” whispered Hui, suddenly grinning ear to ear. Tamaya had Hui's left fingers still touching her crotch and felt them twitch, just stimulating her more, but Hui's right hand had reached over to her discarded tactical gear and pulled out a remote-sized device, one Tamaya remembered seeing before when she'd first faced Hui in Hong Kong. The device was a Freeze-Key.

            “N-” began Tamaya, but darkness took her.

* * *

            “'He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot, will be victorious,'” quoted Hui, putting down the Freeze-Key and carefully removing her fingers from Tamaya's moist stimulated vagina, wiping them on the naked statue's discarded green shirt. “Sun Tzu.” Tamaya sat rigid with her hips on top of Hui's legs, her mouth held open in a round shape and her eyes wide with astonishment, her unmoving hands still on Hui's shoulders.

            “I'd love to say this was my plan, but why the hell did I unfreeze so fast?” wondered Hui out loud, already questioning if she should alter the final report on the mission to not make it look like she'd won by dumb luck alone. Inspecting a nearby dart in the wall that had come from Tamaya's assault rifle, Hui quickly realized just what had happened: the weapons contained nowhere near enough Type-7 to freeze anyone effectively for more than a few minutes. Hui could tell the solution in the dart was watered down, most likely a sign of running low on Type-7 and having to spread out its use, and the darts themselves were so designed for armor penetration they contained a very tiny amount of the drug to be delivered with each shot.

            “So I wore you down to the point where any shots you did get in were useless,” decided Hui, slowly pulling herself out from under Tamaya. “Well, good news is that ring will keep you absolutely frozen until it’s taken off, so you won't be getting off as easy as I did.” Patting her frozen foe on the forehead, Hui casually walked around the area, needing a moment to herself, before focusing on Miranda. Leaning past Miranda's fist, Hui moved in and gave her girlfriend a big kiss, then lowered her arm.

            “Don't want you hurting anyone,” commented Hui as she examined the dart that had hit her lover. To Hui's surprise the dart in Miranda had been fully potent, but she then realized it was an ITEA Glock that had been taken so the enduring immobilization made sense.

            Moving on, Hui approached the row of shield statues, frowning as she looked at her aunt and mother, knowing that neither were going to be much fun to talk to once they were revived. Tommy was next; Hui felt a rush of joy at seeing her ex-boyfriend again, given he'd been kidnapped weeks ago. “I hate to say it, but I really missed you,” confessed Hui, taking Tommy's head and pulling it in, giving him a big kiss of his own. Tommy's lips felt warm, familiar, and Hui felt herself getting aroused, even wondering if she should go further, but then reminding herself Miranda was in the room. “It was not to be,” sighed Hui, moving past Tommy and heading for Tamaya's table.

            Tamaya's computer set-up, which included a wireless modem and router, didn't have a password so it was easy for Hui to connect to the base's camera feeds. A quick search showed Hui the base was empty, though she did note some fresh tire tracks in what appeared to be an exit to an underground tunnel. Looking at the time, Hui noted Zeta was probably another hour away, but they'd have plenty of support with them, which meant Hui had an hour to kill. Not feeling super professional thanks to Tamaya's actions using her own frozen body, Hui decided she'd unfreeze Miranda, they'd roll around for a few in the bedroll sitting in the corner and then they could get to work reviving everyone; Hui planned to leave her mother and aunt for last.

            “How the hell did you find them anyway?” wondered Hui for a moment, glancing back at the computer screen. A couple of clicks opened an Internet browser, and from there Hui was quick to discover Tamaya had actually stalked Hui's family using the Stone Networks social media website. “Erika Stone and I are going to have a talk about this website at some point,” declared Hui as she noted one of her many aunts had listed her as a relative on her personal page, thus how Tamaya had found her. “Ugh... I should revive Miranda before I completely cool off...”

* * *

Northern Prague

An Hour Later

            June had been wondering what else could go wrong after Tamaya had stabbed her, and the other two mercenaries, in the back, and naturally that had led to the trio discovering the ugly yellow car Tamaya left for them only had six miles of gas in the tank. The sedan was sitting on the side of a secluded road going north out of Prague, hills around them. Bridget, still wearing the white top from yesterday as well as her half up-do, was tinkering under the hood of the car, giving June as nice view of the Canadian's backside. Serafina was meanwhile leaning against the side of the car, watching the road.

            “I cannot believe that bitch,” grumbled June, shifting her thigh holster as she spoke, the concealed strap that she'd put on before leaving holding her emergency needles of Type-7 and her passport. “Seriously, leaves us no gas and doesn't pay us in full?!”

            “You know that's the ninth time you've said that since we stopped?” pointed out Serafina. June merely rolled her eyes.

            “Oh I'm sorry; should I not care that I got ripped off after having some prime selections for a trophy in my lap only to lose them?!” yelled June, unable to believe Serafina was criticizing her.

            “You keep talking about a 'trophy,' what exactly was your plan?” asked Bridget, not looking up from the hood of the car. Bridget had claimed she was trying a trick she knew that could get a few extra miles out of a car even with an apparently empty gas tank, but June now wondered if the boast was all lies. Serafina had criticized her brilliant takedown of the one tactical guy, Tamaya had ripped her off, and now both of her so-called 'allies' were criticizing her plans, something June loathed.

            “Never mind,” sniffed June, moving to stand next to Serafina, who was still leaning against the car, her arms crossed and her hair lightly blowing in the breeze.

            “What, now we're friends?” questioned Serafina, but June ignored what the blonde was saying, instead thinking about what a good trophy she'd make. With a flick of her hand June had a needle in her grip and jabbed Serafina in the leg, the Polish mercenary not even getting time to react before she went suddenly rigid, continuing to the stare at June fixedly.

            “Yep, and more,” whispered June, grinning and giving Serafina a quick peck before moving back over to Bridget, who hadn't looked up.

            “Okay, I think—” began Bridget, standing up and closing the hood. As Bridget slammed the hood shut, June struck, jabbing a second needle into Bridget's rear end and watching her go stiff, her lovely face oddly blank as she leaned on the hood of the car.

            “No need for that, you're mine now,” declared June, squeezing Bridget's ass hard. June was planning to do more but it was then that a blue Austin Mini, one that had arrived straight out of the 70s by the looks of it, suddenly came around the corner and, to June's joy, pulled over. Quietly hiding a third needle behind her back, June walked up to the parked car to greet the driver.

            “Hello, is there any problem?” asked another blonde beauty that emerged from the car, June knew only slightly more than rudimentary Czech so she didn't get proper English from the driver. The car was indeed tiny but by the looks of things the woman was alone and, as a bonus, dazzlingly attractive. A delightful pale blonde, the driver was around five-foot-eleven and had striking greenish-blue eyes as well as a small but tight figure, her teeth in particular very sparkling. The driver was in a pink blouse with a white collar, the name-tag pinned on it reading 'Monika', giving June a name to the stunning face. Monika was also wearing a white skirt and her hair was pinned up, so it wasn't hard for June to figure out the woman was a waitress. June did wonder however if Monika ever modelled, having the kind of tall and slender frame one would expect European fashion models to have.

            “I need ride,” managed June in broken Czech before lunging at Monika, who'd come around the other side of her car to greet June. Monika stepped back in surprise, alarm on her face and her arms raised up to possibly push June back, but it was too late; the needle had gone into her shoulder and she had instantly frozen in that position. Monika was now as much a human mannequin as Bridget and Serafina were; plus inside the car June could see a purse which probably meant an address to a place June could stash her latest trophies until she booked a way out of town.

            “From nothing to three blonde hotties and a classic Euro-ride out of this hell hole,” noted June, laughing to herself. “My life should be a movie...”

* * *

Outside Warehouse N5

Simultaneously

            Hui Lan kept wanting to adjust her black under-armor clothes to look more formal as she stood by, having a moment to herself. After reviving Miranda, she and Hui had fooled around for a few minutes before turning away to clean up the scene, reviving their team members first before slowly doing the same for the hostages, Hui's mother and aunt, as planned, were saved for last. Team Zeta had arrived not long after Hui had gotten everyone caught up, albeit being brief, and now local law enforcement tactical teams were sweeping the area in case Tamaya had any leftover surprises planted. Team Zeta accomplished the collection of Tamaya's arsenal while its leader, Sophia Katsopolis, was talking with the senior Europol brass along with Tekla and Darina in a van.

            Hui could see Sophia and the others in the van, apparently having a heated conversation as Sophia, who like Hui had stripped off the excess tactical gear she'd arrived in, was waving her arms quite a bit. Near to where Hui was standing was Miranda, also out of her top layer of armor; she was helping Kioni Abasi, still in her tactical gear minus her helmet, debrief Erik and Grazia. Nessa Kelly also remained in full gear and guarded Tamaya near a prison van. Tamaya’s rigid form was now laying on a medical gurney covered by a sheet, since Hui not having bothered to clothe her earlier. Anna Federov was overseeing the para-medics, who were tending to Qiao, Xue, Tommy, and Tatiana. Tatiana had been an odd case, seemingly being hypnotized into immobility with no way to revive her, but a blood test had determined that drugs in her system had made her far more suggestible than normal; after being detoxed the agent had finally snapped out of it. Jason, meanwhile, had been given an anti-paralytic and was still being run through detox. Tatiana was on hand to talk to him for reassurance as the medical professionals did their jobs.

            “-diculous!” yelled Sophia as she suddenly stormed out of the van, Hui moving over to see what was going on.

            “Your director agreed, there's no reason to-” insisted Tekla, coming out after Sophia while Darina stayed back in the van, apparently deciding to keep out of whatever Sophia and Tekla were arguing about.

            “This is exactly how she escaped the first time!” exclaimed Sophia, as Hui's blood suddenly ran cold as she started to realize what the pair were arguing about.

            “Europol has asserted jurisdiction on the prisoner?!” questioned Hui, joining the pair, hoping the statement she'd just made wasn't true.

            “We don't have enough Type-7 and other paraphernalia to properly convict her as a drug smuggler in this matter, and while Hong Kong had the original jurisdiction over her arrest, the 'international' level of her non-IT crimes has made her Europol’s prisoner,” explained Sophia, sighing as she did. “There is also the matter that they were the ones actively on this case and brought us in...”

            “She made a personal attack against a member of our organization!” snapped Hui, referring to herself. “Surely that should factor in...”

            “In the spirit of international cooperation, your director told our director we'd get her,” interrupted Tekla, shaking her head. “I'd actually normally question this too, but I think I know the real reason Director Castillo went along with it.”

            “Politics?” offered Sophia, crossing her arms and sporting a restrained scowl, Hui noting it was probably the angriest she'd ever seen the woman.

            “More or less,” confirmed Tekla with a nod. “Your director mentioned she was appealing to get the ITEA its own prison, and if the Director of Europol supports this detention request, that will make it more likely to be approved.”

            “So we give you a prisoner now to be able to keep our own in the future,” groaned Hui. When the ITEA had been founded, Hui knew Lucienne Christophe had been sloppy getting everything set up properly, but Hui was really feeling the consequences now. Many of ITEA’s prisoners were spread out, in regional prisons, and it was part of what had made it so easy for past escapes to occur. Hui however wasn't happy that Tamaya, who'd already freed herself once, was going right back to a regular prison. If she could have her way, Hui knew, she'd overdose Tamaya with Type-7 and stand her in a corner at ITEA’s HQ so she'd never be a threat to anyone again.

            “Look, I'm sorry, but I've got my orders,” insisted Tekla, Darina now having come out of the van to join them. “We'll be extracting the prisoner to a confidential location later tonight. If you're worried, you can be on site when the transfer happens.”

            “I intend to be,” confirmed Hui, nodding and walking away. She was in a daze, unable to believe what had happened before was now more than likely going to happen again. Lost in thought, Hui almost didn't see Tommy until bumping into him.

            “Hey,” greeted Tommy, clad in a black jumpsuit he'd been loaned since the rest of his clothes were missing. “I, uh...”

            “Hi,” replied Hui, unsure what to say either. It had been over a year ago that Tommy had broken Hui's heart, both feeling they never saw each other afterward due to how much time they'd put into their careers. The last time the former couple had met, they'd been in Hong Kong at Tamaya's earlier arrest. Hui had still been mad at Tommy during their last meeting, but now that he'd been rescued, Hui's old feelings were boiling back to the surface.

            “Look, uh...” began Tommy, clearly uncomfortable. Tommy did know Hui was dating Miranda, and Hui knew her girlfriend was watching as she spoke to her ex.

            “Good to see you're okay,” offered Hui, quickly moving on. Hui could feel Miranda's eyes following her as she walked off but Hui kept going, not wanting any fresh drama. Unfortunately Hui picked a bad direction to go for someone not looking for drama, as she ended up walking by the para-medics, where Qiao and Xue had just been released.

            “Now you hang on little one!” exclaimed Qiao, hurrying over to her daughter. Seeing her mother and aunt approach Hui silently wished she would spontaneously develop a temporal gene and stop time, but it was not to be.

            “Hello mother,” waved Hui, managing to smile despite the emotions in her chest.

            “I'm here too,” pointed out Xue, frowning as the two older women arrived in front of Hui.

            “I'm sorry, Aunt Xue, hello,” greeted Hui, already feeling the hairs on her neck start to bristle.

            “I wanted to say how proud I am that you rescued us, fighting that awful woman single-handed!” exclaimed Qiao, giving Hui a quick hug.

            “A shame your team wasn't able to help,” muttered Xue, her arms crossed and a frown on her face, not bothering to hide her obvious frustration. Earlier, thanks to Qiao and Xue recalling their last memories before being frozen, it had been figured out both were targeted while walking in the street, when they were at their most vulnerable, and that their abductions had only been two days ago at best, hence why Hui hadn't known Tamaya had gotten to them. Hui suspected that behind Xue's contempt was embarrassment; the seasoned police officer no doubt furious that she'd been so-easily kidnapped. Even worse was that Tamaya had apparently stripped Xue, since she was insisting she had been on the street when she was nabbed.

            “I must say though, this is not an acceptable way for us to visit, little one!” chided Qiao after breaking the hug, wagging her finger at her daughter. “I haven't heard from you in over a month! Your Aunt Ling called just last week and reminded me you haven't visited them in San Francisco for years!”

            “I've... been busy,” managed Hui, grimacing as she spoke since she knew how her mother would react to the excuse.

            “Family always comes first, little one!” insisted Qiao. “I've only met your girlfriend once since you started dating! Your cousin Madison actually took the time to fly, while pregnant I might add, to Shanghai and see your father and I so we could meet her girlfriend!” Hui vaguely remembered who her cousin Madison was, her mother having five sisters, all of whom had at least one kid, so between them and her aunt Xue on her father's side Hui constantly needed a flow-chart to track her extended family. It was nice for Hui that her family were open minded when it came to sexual preference.

            “I'll schedule time off for a visit,” offered Hui, her mind drifting away from family affairs and back onto just what she dreaded was going to become of Tamaya if Europol was left in charge of her prison arrangements.

* * *

Prague Stilton Hotel

Two Hours Later

            Anna opened the door after having knocked and been told to enter. The Russian was going to check on one of her own, though Anna knew Tatiana was used to the other Russian named Anna that worked at ITEA rather than her. After helping debrief some locals Anna had handled getting the IT teams rooms at the local hotel and was now particularly worried about Tatiana, who had experienced trouble coming out of the mesmerized state she'd been put in by Qillaq's disappearing allies.

            “Hey, you're looking better,” offered Anna as she entered, looking at Tatiana. The blonde Russian was sitting on the foot of her bed, her blonde hair loose and slightly curly while she wore a simple pair of thread-bare jeans and a navy-blue tank top. Anna meanwhile had her brown hair in a short ponytail, her lover Michael Bradford having told her she looked better that way, and wore a red golf shirt with grey pants.

            “Amazing what a shower and a quick change can do,” smiled Tatiana, her arms crossed as she however still looked glum. Anna moved to sit down opposite Tatiana on the second bed in the room, one that would be later occupied by Sophia Katsopolis.

            “The experience... You haven't shared what exactly they did to you,” pointed out Anna, offering a gentle hand on Tatiana's knee. “It might help to talk about it.”

            “Probably,” sighed Tatiana, leaning back for a moment. “All I remember really is a strobing light, a soothing voice and a sensation of smells. It just all made me want to... I dunno, just listen. Cut loose. Relax. Be... a statue.”

            “I suppose it is easy to relax if you're just asked to act like a mannequin,” chuckled Anna, then feeling the laugh was in appropriate. “I'm sorry, I can understand...” Anna trailed off as she looked over at Tatiana. The blonde agent was sitting very still with her arms touching the back of her neck, her gaze unfocused and looking past Anna, her lips remaining parted.

            “Tatiana?” asked Anna, waving a hand in front of the other Russian's face. “Hey!” Anna proceeded to snap her fingers a few times, but there was no reaction. Anna then remembered when Tatiana had first been unfrozen from the Type-7 that she'd continued to want to act like a mannequin. Anna could see hints of shallow breathing, indicating Tatiana hadn't suddenly become frozen thanks to Type-7, so she wondered if it had been the word she'd said.

            “Mannequin,” repeated Anna, and Tatiana suddenly started moving again without noticing that she had been motionless for almost a minute. “Mannequin!” Anna almost shouted; Tatiana's left hand raised up and away from her neck, her head turned further down and Tatiana again froze in place, a living display figure. Anna couldn't help but laugh.

            “Oh this is terrible... and awesome,” giggled Anna, leaning in and poking Tatiana's nose. Getting no response, Anna next pulled up Tatiana's right hand to the same height as the left, then sitting back down. “Mannequin,” said the brunette.

            “Uh?” remarked Tatiana, looking up at her hands suddenly. “Hey what-”

            “Mannequin,” cut off Anna, leaving Tatiana to stiffen once more with her hands raised high above her head, her blankly staring face looking at Anna's in confusion. “Okay, lets really test this...” Getting up, Anna carefully stood Tatiana up straight, even putting her hands square on her hips. Tatiana remained frozen and unaware, not even blinking. It was only when Anna gently shook her fellow Russian's shoulder that she saw any sign of life, her eyes finally blinking.  But she stayed in her pose.

            “I guess that drug hasn't exactly worn off, I’m pretty sure normal hypnosis doesn't work this way,” mused Anna, eyeing Tatiana's chest. Glancing around, Anna coped a quick feel of Tatiana's breasts, then feeling up her own.

            “Seem slightly smaller,” frowned Anna, referring to Tatiana's boobs. “Mine aren't as firm though. Then again she breathes exercise...” Continuing to experiment, knowing that with people under hypnosis unwanted stimuli or commands would cause the subject to snap out of it, Anna pinched Tatiana's rear end but again got no response. A tickle under the armpits later, Anna decided to fill a water glass in the bathroom and splash water on Tatiana's face, which still got no reaction.

            “Okay, I have a rare opportunity to mess with someone else, what should I do?” muttered Anna, convinced nearly nothing would make Tatiana snap out of it. “Hmm... Room service maybe? Let them in, have them see you, but I say nothing and just pay? I bet they'd love to hear their stories about the statue lady in the hotel kitchen...”

* * *

New Town Parking Complex, Prague

Seven Hours Later

            Europol had chosen the location for the exchange, wanting someplace secluded with local security who had been briefed beforehand. Miranda could feel Hui's anxiety even though they were standing a few feet apart, dressed warmly as they stood with Tekla Malmer, watching the van that would be collecting Tamaya Qillaq pull up. Miranda, Hui and Tekla had all decided to change before the meet, Tekla citing disgust at being in the same clothes for over a day. Miranda was now dressed in a teal blouse and olive green pants; the evening cold so she had added a tan jacket and had let her hair hand down to cover, and thus warm, her ears. Hui had changed her wardrobe as well, wearing a purple blouse, black pants, a black jacket and a cream-colored scarf, her hair in a half up-do. Tekla had her hair in a low ponytail and was wearing a long blue jacket, with leather boots visible underneath as well as a black business outfit with a white blouse. Tamaya’s immobilized body was waiting in the van behind the trio, still on a medical gurney and covered by a sheet.

            “Ah; Agent Lan, Agent Ohala,” greeted Europol senior liaison officer Mira Stolar, exiting from the reinforced and nondescript black van, wearing a tan trench-coat over a white blouse and what appeared to be a black business dress, with black heels on her feet; her shoulder-length hair bouncing as she stepped. Darina exited the vehicle soon after Mira, her hair down while clad in a pure black outfit, including the blouse, jacket, pants, socks, shoes, scarf and gloves.

            “I guess it figures you'd be the one to collect a prisoner we got for you,” noted Hui, Miranda deciding not to give her girlfriend a warning look. “Was your Oversight Committee position the reason why Director Castillo signed off on this so quickly? Surely you guys don't have that much influence over the prison project...”

            “Your prisoner represents a significant threat in terms of organized crime in Europe; we needed to handle this arrest,” insisted Mira. “We're mostly coordinators, but even we need someone we can stick on a poster and say, 'See, we apprehend big threats!' In return, the ITEA are getting a voice in support of the prison project, and it has convinced our superiors back in The Hague to get a desk in your office. In joint operations you get a choice of credit or perks, and really, as an organization that still needs to keep itself fairly secret, you can see why the Director made her choice...”

            “Understanding and liking are two very different things,” grumbled Hui, Tekla meanwhile walking past her and Miranda and opening the van doors. “Why meet here? Prisoner transfers at formal stations and holding facilities—”

            “Are easy to compromise, at least with the sort of threats you've had to deal with,” interrupted Mira as Miranda reluctantly helped remove Tamaya from the van, wheeling her out into the middle of the parking area. “Better to keep an exchange secret so the enemy won't know where to strike.”

            “Right, and if-” continued Hui before her voice cut off.  Miranda then noticed Tekla had stopped moving. A quick scan around the area showed Hui standing stiffly with her arms crossed and her mouth open, Mira with her hands in her coat pocket and a small smile on her lips, Darina frozen while holding the van door open with her right hand while her left was on her hip, and Tekla posed looking straight at Miranda, her face blank as she was slightly hunched over, her hands rigidly holding the cart Tamaya lay on top of. Miranda knew this meant Type-7 was in the air, and quickly held her breath to help fake being frozen herself.

            Miranda held herself in place, more or less mirroring Tekla’s stance, but hunched over a bit more for pushing. The Hawaiian knew it was Type-7 since she was most likely the only person still wearing an Immunity Ring, having put hers back on before the debriefing and never bothering to take it off. Footsteps were soon heard, and using her peripheral vision Miranda saw a woman clad entirely in black approaching from her left. The woman was coated in a skin-tight cat suit, thus Miranda could easily tell the gender, and the invader was also wearing a balaclava. From the woman's approach Miranda guessed she'd been hiding in a nearby black SUV, most likely for an hour or more since Miranda remembered seeing it when they'd first arrived at the parking garage. The Type-7 delivery Miranda guessed was airborne, most likely blown over from a sprayer further down the garage, though not that far or else the open-air environment would have dissipated the gas before arriving at its targets.

            The woman in black headed right for Tamaya, pausing only momentarily to stare at Mira. Miranda had her Glock in her pocket so as the woman in black moved over to Tekla to shift her hands off the gurney, Miranda decided to act. The woman in black appeared to notice Miranda as she moved, but just as she finished spinning around, Miranda had snapped up her pistol and fired a dart, impacting the woman right in the head. The woman in black froze with wide eyes, her hands away from her body in alarm but oddly her lips neutral.

            “Bad girl,” chided Miranda, slipping her weapon back into her pocket. “Well, at least you gave me a chance to do something I'd wanted to do all day...” Pulling the sheet off from Tamaya, Miranda revealed the naked mercenary in her full glory, her hair resting in a halo behind her head as she lay on her back, arms at her sides and her legs together. Smiling, Miranda leaned over and gave Tamaya a big kiss on her plush lips, taking a moment to cop a feel of the prisoner’s firm breasts as well before stepping away to examine the woman she'd managed to dart right in the forehead.

            “Let’s see just who you are...” muttered Miranda, removing the dart and pulling off the ski mask. To Miranda's surprise, the frozen woman was revealed to be Kioni Abasi, her deep eyes staring into the Hawaiian's own as the mask came off; a small red mark was on her forehead where the dart had impacted.

            “Huh... I think I'm going to need some answers,” declared Miranda, gently tapping Kioni's forehead before turning around. Placing her hands on Tamaya's legs, Miranda pushed and the criminal spun off of the gurney, landing on the ground below after twisting in a half-circle. With the moving platform free, Miranda turned back around and carefully lifted Kioni up, laying her down on her stomach atop the gurney. Peeling off her jacket, Miranda climbed up onto the surface, making sure to take a bottle of Motion Mist with her, and straddled Kioni between her legs. Placing her left hand on Kioni's back, Miranda used her right to spray the mist, causing her fellow IT agent to unfreeze.

            “Hey, what?!” exclaimed Kioni, but Miranda was already working her fingers. Hui knew an amazing massage technique, one Miranda had never seen anyone else do, that was one of the most deeply-satisfying she'd ever had. Miranda knew just how disarming and soothing it was, having experienced it herself, plus Cassandra and Lucienne had told her about times Hui had performed it on them too. It had taken a while but Hui had eventually agreed to show Miranda how to do the technique, at which point Miranda realized more could be done. The nerves the massage reached, when done properly, could feel as electric as being kissed, and with a little extra work around the side opposite the groin a full stupor could be induced. Kioni was fighting for a few seconds, but Miranda said nothing and worked, and as soon as she really gave the first pleasure nerve the treatment she knew the Kenyan wasn't going to fight anymore.

            “Oh... My God... That... Wow...” gasped Kioni, as Miranda wanted to smirk. Hui had been the only person Miranda had ever used the technique on, but after one session she'd not only agreed to having sex in a hot tub, something she'd initially been against when they'd started dating, but she'd agreed to transport her vintage Mustang from Hawaii to London. Miranda wondered if the massage technique could be considered a form of seductive hypnotism, though she knew she'd never really be able to use it on a field assignment unless the conditions were just right.

            “So... You want to tell me why you gassed us?” Miranda casually asked, leaning in and breathing on Kioni's neck as she continued to work, seeing the Kenyan's neck hairs stand up.

            “Ah... I came here... for Tamaya,” moaned Kioni, her eyes closed now as she seemed to lay comfortably. “She's a... oh... threat, and I can't trust regular prisons to hold her.”

            “So you wanted to keep her for yourself?” continued Miranda, starting to really work lower. The section Miranda was working now was key, as it sent stimulation to the groin. While working the upper body was still disarming, the added touches below seemed to make the subject much more agreeable, as well as abundantly aroused.

            “I... yes... ah... I've done it before,” confessed Kioni, jumping up slightly and no doubt feeling warmth in her crotch. “Rajni Arora, Zhen Shan, Barry Finnegan, Mike Bailey, the Howe Street Boys... I keep them all in a secret part of my basement... Like human-sized dolls... Mannequins, I guess... Oh, ohhh, that's nice...”

            “Huh... Interesting idea,” mused Miranda, finishing up with a careful stroke, one that went through Kioni's back and no doubt fully stimulated her womanhood. It was the lower parts Hui didn't normally cover, but Miranda found it made the stupor the massage created more suggestive, and horny. Rolling Kioni, Miranda saw the Kenyan was now panting a bit and running her hands around her breasts. Smiling, Miranda leaned in and locked lips with Kioni.

            The kissed lingered, with Kioni putting her hands behind Miranda's head and working her tongue. As they broke apart Miranda was feeling pretty stimulated herself and Kioni was starting to really pant, sweating and more than likely a minute away from an orgasm. “So how about instead of keeping Tamaya, you drop her off at Hui's place, and we watch her for you?” suggested Miranda, carefully running a hand across Kioni's leg. Kioni was straight, Miranda knew, but one special massage and she'd at least turned bi-curious, or was so horny she didn't care.

            “Yes...” nodded Kioni between breaths. “Yes, I can do that; just don't tell anyone what I'm doing... Ah... Now, leave me alone for a minute... I need... to finish... Or I'm gonna need... a really long cold shower...”

            “Suit yourself,” shrugged Miranda, a bit sad Kioni wasn't up for continuing their connection, but a massage, even a hyper-sexual one Miranda swore should be taught to any potential agents specializing in seduction, could only go so far. Sliding off of the gurney, Miranda instead casually hooked her arms around Tekla's waist and dragged her away, while Kioni continued letting out gasps of pleasure as she started to touch herself.

            “She's weird,” muttered Miranda, pulling Tekla up next to Darina. Miranda then quietly walked back to the gurney and dug into her jacket, pulling out a Type-7 sprayer. Just as Kioni let out a big gasp, her eyes still closed, Miranda sprayed, freezing the woman with both hands down her skin-tight pants.

            “Enjoy the moment, I need to deal with my own tension since you got me all excited,” Miranda told Kioni, letting out a small sigh as she headed back over to Tekla and Darina, casually spraying Mira as she passed her. Tekla went first, Miranda having had to stare into her eyes for a while thanks to Kioni, so the Hawaiian quickly tore off the Swede's clothing and got to it, leaving her pants around her ankles as she was pressed against the reinforced van. Miranda quickly found herself ready to burst but took a moment, moving over to Darina and pressing her against the van as well, pulling off both parties' pants. Even with the quick break all it took was one quick use of Darina's right hand and her wall came down, Miranda moaning in pleasure as she leaned against the Czech officer.

            “Ah... Thank you both,” breathed Miranda, taking a moment before the night chill got to her, prompting her to pull her pants up. Tekla was naked, her hair down, but Darina was only exposed from the waist down. Tekla's groomed bush and Darina's lack of one made an interesting side by side. Giving both women a quick spray of Type-7, Miranda worried how long Kioni's was going to last, Miranda then headed back to the Kenyan and pulled out her Motion Mist, giving Kioni another blast.

            “YES!” exclaimed Kioni, as Miranda tastefully looked away and moved to stand beside Hui. There was silence for a few moments, then Kioni quietly got off of the gurney and walked towards Miranda. “Nice trick,” remarked the younger IT agent. “You know, of course, I'm not...”

            “Yeah, but in the heat of the moment, well, it happens,” smiled Miranda. “So I just want to explain to Hui what is going to happen, and then methinks you freeze us both so we avoid any blame? Maybe mess with us a bit?”

            “I think I can manage that,” nodded Kioni. “I, um... Thank you, though. For understanding.”

            “And nothing else?” smirked Miranda, offering Kioni a wink and seeing her face go red.

            “That too,” admitted Kioni, looking embarrassed. “Even when you first unfroze me, I... I never understood why so many people were fine with spiking the coffee in the office, pulling pranks, even taking Type-7 home... Now I think I do.”

            “There you go, my massages always give people epiphanies,” declared Miranda, technically lying since Kioni was the first she'd done it to besides Hui but curious if the trend would continue. “So shall we?”

            “Okay, do it,” nodded Kioni, Miranda nodding in turn and spraying Hui with Motion Mist.

            “-someone finds out and you're frozen which means, ah, hello Miranda... and Kioni?” spilled out Hui, obviously going by her train of thought as she noticed Mira was motionless before turning to look at Miranda and Kioni. “What's going on? Is that Tamaya on the ground?”

            “I needed the gurney,” confirmed Miranda, grinning. “So interesting news... It seems Kioni here has been taking the punishment of criminals were capture into her own hands by overdosing them and secretly hiding them in her house.  Permanently...”

            “Criminals we arrest... Wait, Zhen Shan!” exclaimed Hui, snapping her fingers. “You took all of them?! We think they're on the loose!”

            “I had to; sometimes the law is more of a hindrance than a tool of balance,” declared Kioni, crossing her arms. “I'm not proud of it, but people can't rescue who they can't find, and who can't move.”

            “Right, an understandable if not really agreeable viewpoint,” nodded Hui, Miranda well aware of just how jaded her girlfriend was feeling at the moment, thanks to the red tape. “So you came here... to take Tamaya?”

            “She did, but I proposed we take her instead,” revealed Miranda, making Hui step back from her and look shocked.

            “You... Okay,” accepted Hui, seeming ready to argue but then stopping, leaving Miranda flabbergasted, as she'd expected at least a half-hour discussion.

            “Really?” asked Kioni, her voice carrying a stunned edge.

            “I was really just thinking the same thing a few hours ago but didn't have a way to do it,” confessed Hui, looking sheepish. “Look, I don't like what you've been doing, Kioni... but I understand it, and I guess I can accept it. I'm just worried what will happen if this becomes more... I mean Tamaya threatened my family so yeah, she goes, but...”

            “I don't plan to do this to everyone we arrest,” insisted Kioni. “If the Director's prison project gets approved, I might even be able to stop soon.”

            “Right okay, I don't want to talk about it anymore, let’s just do it before I change my mind,” agreed Hui, moving back over to Miranda. “So you've frozen everyone else, I guess now you spray us, do what you came here to do, and then head back to London so you can drop her off.”

            “Exactly what I was thinking,” agreed Miranda, putting an arm around Hui's shoulders and pulling off her Immunity Ring. “Okay, here, put this on, just in case someone else wanted to ambush us here...”

            “Funny,” smirked Kioni, slipping the ring on and then accepting Miranda's gas sprayer. As Kioni raised the gadget Miranda did worry perhaps that the Kenyan would betray them, even collect them too, but then that thought faded along with everything else.

* * *

Monika Sykora's House, Prague

The Next Morning

            June rose up and down on the strap-on dildo she'd attached to trophy statue Serafina, feeling her post-orgasm finishing as she moaned in pleasure. Serafina was laying on her back, a smile plastered on her face with her hair pillowing her head, her arms spread up from her sides and her glorious 36C cups with nice pink nipples acting as hand-rests for June. Letting out a breath, June removed herself from the dildo and climbed off the bed.

            Finding Monika's address in her purse, June had decided to crash at the waitress's house for the night. It was a modest two bedroom place, one floor and one bathroom, the second bedroom really only meant for a younger person. The bed was a queen, but an old and simple one, and the bedroom had little else in it besides a dresser and a puny desk; the walls covered in what looked like low-budget pin-ups of Monika dressed in various fashionable outfits. It seemed Monika was indeed a model as well as a waitress, but it wasn't the big payday type of work.

            Standing in the corner of the bedroom was Monika, looking very much like a naked display mannequin; the tall and thin blonde was posed in a T-shape, a toothless and warm smile on her own lips, her short hair let down and her breasts, the same volume as Serafina's but with tanner nipples, on full display. “Hello boys,” greeted June, glancing at Monika's breasts and giving each one a quick kiss. Hanging on Monika's rigidly outstretched right arm was a blue robe that June casually pulled on as she wandered out of the bedroom.

            As June entered the kitchen, Bridget was standing next to the fridge, her hands cupped out in front of her and, unlike the other two, still clothed, a blank look on her face. “I think I'm about ready to complete this hat trick,” June told the frozen mercenary, giving her a big kiss before noticing the object in her hands. June had used some of her emergency funds to buy a prepaid phone and send out a call to a client who'd accessed her private website where she accepted undercover jobs. Checking the website had been easy since Monika's computer, an older model from 2003, was in the kitchen and lacked a password, so June now had access to her online banking funds as well, which meant she could leave the country that day. Now the burner phone number June had given her client had just received a text, it seemed, and flipping the phone open June saw there was a figure attached.

            “I guess we're going back home; well, my home, you're Canadian,” remarked June, sticking her tongue out at Bridget’s empty gaze as she dialed the number, getting an answer a few moments later. “Hello Mr. Robertson... Yes I know it’s late over in Seattle, but I just wanted to let you know that we're good to go, I just need to book my flight... Los Angeles? Yes, I can do that... I will have quite a bit of luggage though...”

* * *

Hui and Miranda's House, London, UK

One Day Later

            Hui and Miranda's house was a little two-bedroom, one and a half-bathroom designer home in a block that, twenty houses down, they shared with Dieter and Marika Bran. The house featured a mixture of their tastes, from the BMW that was side-by-side with the Ford Mustang in the driveway to the backyard that had small palm trees in planters as well as a covered area where traditional Chinese tea could be served. The master bedroom, however, was mostly filled with Hui's things, the king-sized bed being hers, as was the folding massage table, the cheap bedside tables and lamps, and the sparring mat in the corner.  The human statue standing on it, Hui was fine sharing with Miranda.

            “Hey there sexy,” greeted Miranda as she entered the bedroom, wearing only a pink nightie that really covered nothing, so Hui was able to see her girlfriend's nice breasts and groin demurely through the material. Hui herself was wearing a full black sports bra and snug panties, casually reading her copy of Brighton Rock and not casting a glance at Miranda she strode into the bedroom.

            “Hey,” replied Hui, casually turning the page in her book and trying to hold back a grin.

            “I wasn't talking to you,” chided Miranda, which was got Hui's attention. Looking up from her book, Hui saw Miranda going over to Tamaya, who stiffly stood guard next to Hui's mat. Tamaya was smiling weakly and had her hands clasped in front of her, her outfit being a short traditional white Chinese dress, though it was actually a bit more revealing than most due to it having virtually no back save a few small straps. Tamaya's hair was up Odango-style, two big balls on the top of her head. Miranda wrapped her arms around the Tamaya-statue and grinned ear to ear.

            “Funny,” sniffed Hui, pretending to return to her book.

            “You think I'm joking, I might sleep with her tonight instead of you,” warned Miranda, grinning ear to ear as she spoke, or at least that's how it looked in Hui's peripheral vision. “I mean she's great... Muscular, sexy, quiet, does exactly what I want...”

            “Boy, are you going to be embarrassed later, now that you've described yourself,” was Hui's casual reply, unable to stop a half-smirk as she said the words.

            “Described myself?” echoed Miranda, pausing, looking confused as Hui put down her book. Miranda stood where she was, her hands on Tamaya's shoulders, her face frozen in puzzlement with her hair mostly on the right side of her head.

            “Time-release Type-7 in our before bed tea, or well, yours, anyhow,” shrugged Hui as she hopped off of the bed, moving over to her immobilized girlfriend and casually lifting her arms up, then carrying her a short distance away so she was standing in front of the bed, her back to it.

            “Sorry, you don't get to play tonight,” Hui told the silent Tamaya, who stood as idle as Miranda, nothing but a human mannequin now with a faint smile on her lips. Standing in front of her foe, Hui couldn't help but play a bit, reaching up and letting Tamaya’s hair down as the traditional Chinese look didn't suit the criminal, but then that had been the point when Hui and Miranda had dressed her that way earlier. Playing with Tamaya's hair gave Hui a bit of a rush, the feeling of power making her feel good. Staring at Tamaya's face, Hui's gaze went to the woman's lips, which were inviting. Before Hui fully realized what she was doing, she was leaning in and gave her former foe a big peck on the mouth, the erotically-charged feeling getting stronger as she stepped back after.

            “Okay, I think its time for bed,” decided Hui, turning back to Miranda and walking over, casually poking her girlfriend in the forehead and causing her to tilt backwards and land on the bed, her arms still raised up. “Oh no, you've fallen... I'd better help you...” Stripping off her bra and panties, Hui  climbed up on top of Miranda and lowered the woman's right hand to crotch level, her left meanwhile kept up high as Hui ran her hands through Miranda's hair and turned her head to face her.

            “You're all I need,” Hui whispered to Miranda as she began rise up and down, letting her girlfriend's frozen fingers start their work.

The End

    CAST

Erik Brink – Aldis Hodge

Grazia Lombardi – Tina Casciani

Tekla Malmer – Malin Akerman

Bridget Williamson – Lauren Williams

Serafina Jawolski – Elizabeth Carolan

June Phelps – Ashley Simmons

Tamaya Qillaq – Mickie James

Hui Lan – Cecilia Cheung

Sharon Clarke – Lauren Lee Smith

Angelita Castillo – Selena Gomez

Sonia Castillo – Catherine Zeta-Jones

Rory Becker – Sean Lock

Miranda Ohala – Michelle Kriesic

Tatiana Lebedev – Yvonne Strahovski

Jason Holland – David Tennant

Darina Zajic – Karolina Kurokova

Lana Rollins (as SARA) – Michelle Borth

Tommy Chen – Chang Chen

Qiao Lan – Rebecca Chan

Xue Lan – Michelle Yeoh

Monika Sykora – Eva Herzigova

Sophia Katsopolis – Sofia Milos

Kioni Abasi – Zoe Saldana

Nessa Kelly – Olivia Wilde

Anna Federov – Sasha Alexander

Mira Stolar – Stana Katic