2017: Pagudpud, Philippines: The ground work

Lance walked in a brushed the webs out from in front of him. He made his way to the center of the room and pulled out an old wooden chair from behind an old wooden table and took a seat. He pulled the black bag he had up and sat it on the table. The zipper made a quick noise as he unzipped it and grabbed a map from the bottom. "Come have a seat..." he said just as a person from the back room walked to the table.

The building wasn't totally deserted. People still came here to eat, and the food wasn't bad. The waiter was actually pretty dressed up for being in such a dump, he wore all white clothing and had a towel on his arm witch went across his body. "I will have my usual, and she will have the same" he gestured toward Natalia. His usual consisted of wanting to be left alone and a plate of rice covered in an amazing topping that made lance drool just thinking about it. They where alone in the building, it was just Lance, Natalia, and the waiter. No cook or anyone. This made lance comfortable, he unfolded his map and started to examine it.

"Do you know why you are here?" He asked as the steward began walking toward them with their food.

"An assassination. I don't know who, I don't know why." Natalia told, him leaning back on her chair. She kept the golf bag right next to her in case anything happened. "Ah, yes, one last piece of equipment you should know we have at our disposal." She said as she flicked her wrist, the small pistol popping out. "It might come in handy." Flicking it away, she asked him "What's the usual?" Her chair was balancing on it's back two legs, rocking back and forth slightly. "So, who is it that we're assassinating and why him?" She asked, all these questions spinning around her head.

"cool toy" Lance thought looking at the neat gun. Then a plate of food was set upon the table, a beautiful sent filled the air. Lance couldn't help but thank the man and stare at the silver platter. Rice and a sauce that's name excepted his mind filled the silver space. He loved the Philippines, the food was amazing, the people were nice, and the girls where beautiful. But he REALLY liked the food.

The questions suddenly made their way through Lances mind. "His name is Joel Reyes, he was born in the Philippines but has been dealing with an undercover agent from the United Stats, dealing with drugs and guns." Lance paused for a moment, filling his plate with food and gesturing Natalia to do the same. "I don't even know exactly what is going on, the agency has been keeping me in the dark for some reason. The whole thing seems far fetched, but I am payed to take orders... sadly not to think. So, he will be at a party tonight. That is where we will get him. There is a tower that is not too far from the hall, you can cover me that way if you wish. The building has many windows so, you will be able to shoot him if you are positive the shot will kill" He said, then began to eat the food that was siting in front of him.

"And the usual is good, just eat..." He said after he swallowed his first bite. "any more questions?

"No, let's just get this over with. Do you have any questions? Obviously not about the mission, seeing as you know more than me probably, but more so that we spare each other of that awkward silence." Natalia responded to Lance's question while she filled her plate. Taking a few bites she thought to herself, Not bad, not bad at all.

((sorry it's short))

(OOC: Thats fine)

"Not really.. You?" Lance replied, trying not to seem like a pig talking with his mouth full. Then he looked down to his wrist. They only have a few more hours till they have to be at the party, or be in position anyway. "Are you a capable sniper?" He asked after swallowing. "Or would you like to be in the party with me? whatever you prefer.. they don't have any requests on they way they want him dead, except that we make it seem like he was killed by Rebels. So make it nasty." The last part he almost said with a grin. He didn't mean to imply that he liked killing, but that is how it was presented. The killing part was the bad part about his job. He enjoyed more of the undercover type of stuff.

Lance glanced down at his watch once more, then stood up. "Are we ready?" He said clearing off his plate and setting it on the table. "We have a plane to catch."

"Ill take sniper thank you." Natalia answered to his question about her position. "Rebels, sure. I think I can do that." She told him before the two of them left to their plane. While they flew, Natalia stayed silent and went over various plans in her head. She hoped that she was prepared for almost anything. After landing, the two of them took a car to their destination. As the car drove down the roads, Natalia changed into her black bodysuit so that she would be less noticeable soon. When Lance went into the party, she went up the opposite building. Without any sound, she moved up the stairs tot he roof of the building. The party would be held on the top floor of the building so this floor would give her the best view. She had small smoke grenades she could use for escape or load into the sniper rifle and shoot into the party. Her earpiece was in place so she could hear Lances signal. Once he gave the signal she would snipe the target once he came into sight.

The roof of the building was humid, the black floor caused the sun to beat off it, reflecting the sun's heat back at the faces of the people. Luckily the crowed was smart enough to put tents up, suppressing the shining tyrants heat. Lance was glad, and not surprised, these people lived here, they knew what to do when it gets hot, and especially how to treat the important people. Keeping them fanned like it was the old days. Professor looked at them with envy. "I should have disguised myself as one of them." He thought, sipping on the alcohol in his glass. The liquid rushed into his stomach with a burning sensation, it brought back a flood of memories that where not possible to hold back. India, Iraq, China, all of the scenes that passed before him had one thing in common, people burning.. screams filled his mind as he watched the flames dance around the people. "What a wicked dance that was" the though went through his mind as he shook his head.

He didn't drink a lot, only on missions when the memories where needed, when the possibility of him having to use his abilities increased. He didn't like the pain the flames caused people, but he had a job to do, and his feelings where not allowed to get in the way.

He took a final sip, the rushing liquid made his mind flash once again. This time it was shorter and the thoughts left with another shake from Lance's head. He pushed his hand through his hair, stealthy putting a hearing aid in his ear. At least it looked like one; this device allowed him to contact Natalia.Lance looked around once again. The crowed seemed busy, they all had a look of anticipation on their face, and their body language screamed it as well. Luckily lance's disguise fit right in. Today he was a young black arms traitor, born in the Philippians, with the same anticipated look now radiating from his body.

He assumed they where waiting for Joel. He was the head of all of this. But soon the crowed grouped around the stage that was in the center of the roof. Seats where mingled around it, the people with the fans where near by waving it at the people under them. "hmm... Whats going on here? Joel?" He thought. Joining the crowed. There was a microphone in the middle of the platform and an American stood up and went to it. Lance seemed to recognize him, but he couldn't make out the memory, suddenly a bad feeling filled his body.

"I don't know about this..." He said, speaking into the mic on his shirt. He made sure to do it with ease, not attracting attention.

"Hello everyone." The American spoke. "Today is a special day, a day to reveal the power of the new alliance." He said, with charisma, and zeal. The crowed cheered, and the people in the seats clapped as if at a golf game. Lance didn't like the looks of this. Why is an American here? He looked toward Natalia's sniper nest.

Natalia was watching Lance from the snipers nest that she was situated in on the building opposite the party. The two glass and steel buildings rose majestically above the city, shooting up from the ground like trees in a forest. Watching the party through the scope of the sniper rifle, Natalia watched as someone walked up to the podium. It was not someone she recognized from the files that Lance handed her earlier. "What's wrong in there?" She asked when Lance spoke to her. She could see his eye turned to her in the snipers nest. Making sure the sniper rifle was loaded, she got ready to fire if Lance got into any trouble.

The clapping sound quickly silenced as the American raised his hand. A thought went through Lances head, "I haven't seen Joel yet." A part of him wondered if he was even going to attend. The presence of the man on the stage sent bad feelings though Lance's body. Bad thoughts about the agency, about their mission.

"Today..." The American continued, "We celebrate the destruction of..." The man paused. His head became steady, his eyes stopped looking over the crowd and seemed to zero in on Lance. Suddenly Lance's disguise emitter started to fail. A flicker went through out the crowd, and there stood lance. A man dressed in a tight black sneaking suit. Fear rushed through his body. He never had his emitter malfunction. He didn't know what to do. He was in a crowd full of gorillas. No-on has yet made an attempt on his life, and he wondered if there was anyone else that noticed the bright flash that originated from his Lance's hand. He quickly made his way out from the crowd, giving himself a better vantage point.

The American pointed at Lance, "Destroy him!" He yelled.

"Take out the American! DO IT NOW!" Lance's voice raised, the Gorilla's moved toward lance. Etch having there own preferred weapon.

Alright, alright. No need to shout. Natalia thought to herself as she activated the red dot sight. The red beam of light found it's way onto the American's forehead. He would find a bullet lodged in his head after she pulled the trigger. Behind her, a wail could be heard. It was the wail of the motion sensor she had set up by the door. Quickly, Natalia took the shot before she felt a hand grab her neck. Her foot slammed into the man's groin and she grabbed his lower arm. Twisting it around, she made her next move and snapped it. There was another man behind her wearing a coat. This one had a gun. He took a shot at her but she pulled the body of the man she had injured over her body. He took the bullet for her before she threw his body at the man with the gun. Whipping out her pistol, she shot the man in the chest. After taking the shot, she realized just how much she was panting and kneeled back down on the corner of the roof. She loaded the sniper rifle with a bullet that would release smoke when it hit the ground. It may help Lance as a distraction for him to escape or finish the job.

There was no time, Lance now had to rely on his combat skills to get him out of this one. The people where closing in fast. Quickly the Professor side stepped to his right, grabbed one of the men. His arm rapped around the mans throat, and a knife was on the verge of entering the assailants body right under his floating rib. Then a shot was heard. "That's my girl." Lance thought as his eyes darted toward the American, then right back to the surrounding crowd.

Lance seemed to growl in anger as the sight sunk into his mind. The bullet went right though the man's head, but he was still standing there, but now looking toward the sniper nest. Hate lingered in his eyes, as they turned dark, then he yelled, "Kill them both! Now!"

As soon as he said that, a barrage of bullets where fired at the nest and a man quickly pulled out an RPG and pointed it toward the peak of the building. Right where Natalia would be.

Lance exhaled. Time seemed to slow- - this was happening in his own mind as adrenalin pumped though his vanes. He quickly stabbed the man in the kidney and then brought the knife up and drug it across the gorillas neck as he tossed him off the building. The surrounding men opened fire. Each shot echoed through the air as Lance rolled from the flying lead. He moved behind the man to his right for protection. It bought him an instant. Time long enough for Lance to stand up. He reached out with his hands and caused the entire building top to burst into flames. A sight that isn't easily forgotten; people screaming, skin in the early stages of melting, families being destroyed. These where the things that hunted Lance, he prayed that Natalia would look away.

The gun shots from the near by men, where now directed toward the sky as the people where in pain. The Professor took a moment to look at the stage, wondering what had become of the American. He saw as the skin was melting off of the man, he was not yelling like the others, but just standing there, still looking toward the nest, then his eyes quickly scanned the burning crowd. Now the skin was practically gone, reveling a dark skinned man. He was naked, but completely black. Lance watched as he seen a circular blue mass shift on the surface of the man.

"What the heck.." Lance said As the Crowd began to get quite. He didn't like that he killed all of those men, but in certain circumstances, bad things have to be done.