Divas Debut

BONGOLESIA, a small African nation outside South Africa

Salvatore Baptiste, The aging warlord and tyrant of a small African nation-city, sat at his desk and looked at the electronic screen, perspiring steadily as he breathed from his oxygen tank. The only other person in the room was Okku, an immense, muscled brute with a tiny human mind, his fiercely loyal bodyguard and attack meta human. Baptiste wore an extravagant, all white suit, with white shoes, making his dark skin stand out more. Okku wore massive combat boots, combat dress pants, and a tank top bulging with his frame. He was of tribal stock, and had even darker skin than Salvatore.


The old warlord hated this. It had been days, and his grip on his ‘presidency’ was coming to an end. Suddenly, the screen changed and showed the Red-Black mask of Red Scorpion, the notorious Mercenary and Arms Dealer’s mouthpiece resembling a scorpion’s mandible. “Red Scorpion! Finally! I need aid! The resistance is closing in on my city! Why have you not answered my calls?!?” He demanded.

“Mister Baptiste, our contract does not cover the supply of manpower, only equipment to outfit your army. You only wanted the armsdealer, not the arms user.” Red Scorpion replied flatly. This only infuriated Baptiste, whose fist was trembling on the table.

“I have too few men to deal with the Meta human situation AND the rebels! You said you’d help me keep my country!” He said, almost protesting the Scorpion’s passive attitude.

“Then you should have reconsidered killing your own men... or murdering their firstborn children to make them obedient. I am willing to negotiate a new contract with a 3rd party of mercenaries though. It will take a few weeks..” Red Scorpion began to suggest, which caused the warlord to simply lose his temper.

“DAMNIT RED SCORPION! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOUR AMERICAN BENEFACTORS! I HAVE PAID MILLIONS. MILLIONS! AND YOU BETRAY ME LIKE THIS! MILK MY COUNTRY! YOU COCKROACH. YOU FUCKING TRAITOROUS AMERICAN COCKROACH! COUGH! COUGH! AGH!”

Okku moved quickly to assist his master, operating the oxygen tank to let him breath.

“Goodbye, mister President.” The screen goes blank as Red Scorpion signed off.

= = = =

UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, SOUTH AFRICA

“That went well, mister Scorpion.” A snappily, military dressed African soldier with a green beret came into the room once the call ended. He was a middle aged and fit man, accompanied by two similarly dressed junior officers. The Red Scorpion was simply packing up her equipment.

“Yes. You know your mission then?” The Scorpion asked, off-handed, not even looking at the military man.

“Yes! By this time tomorrow, the people of Bongolesia will be free from the tyranny of Salvatore Baptiste. It will be a democratic country, ruled by the people. It will-” The leader began, only to be cut off by a hand.

“Save it for the victory speech, Colonel Hassad.”Red Scorpion said, not wanting to hear the promises of the new tyrant.

“You should be a bit more respectful to Bongolesia’s incoming president, Mercenary.” He said, a tone of arrogance and disdain towards Red Scorpion. He found the Red Scorpion’s armor flashy to the point of theatrical, but recognized that it was nonetheless fully functional combat attire.

“And you should be more respectful to the one who supplies your freedom fighters with big guns.” Red Scorpion retorted, her voice masking device making the voice even more intimidating, making Hassad take a step back.

Red Scorpion left the room and headed to the hangar area, where an V-22 Osprey was parked, a tall European blonde woman in military dress waving at her from the crates. All around, female mercenaries of varied ethnicity prepared their weapons and ammunition. A female Libyan sniper was loading her .50 caliber rifle into a helicopter gunship.

“Ah, big Boss! The gals are ready to rock and roll. Shall we have a jolly time then?” she said, following  the Red Scorpion as she moved around.

“Secure the plant samples, or destroy them. Deal with Baptiste’s men how you see fit. I will see to Salvatore personally.” Red Scorpion replied flatly, opening a special red-marked crate that contained her equipment.

“Isn’t it better if we left that to the resistance? I mean... they’ll want to give him a show trial and all...” She asked, always finding her employer... strange. She tried to take a peek at inside the Scorpion’s box, but it was closed before she could glimpse anything.

“Salvatore will be... prepared. He can’t be allowed to escape.” Red Scorpion said again, not elaborating to her subordinate anything beyond the mission parameters. Once she was equipped, she headed towards the gunship.

“Gotcha, sir.” Bernadette said, sighing and tossing her cigarette down and putting it out with her combat boot. Typical of the Red Scorpion; cold and professional.


THE BONGOLESIA COAST
MIDNIGHT

Within the dimly lit hull of the V-22 Osprey, ten of the Danger Divas quietly waited, standing. They were doing their final checks of their equipment- rifles locked and loaded, nightvision goggles working, At the door was the Divas’ most prominent figure, the half-french, half-UK Lady Bernadette, her blonde hair in a pony tail. She looked over the Divas present- mostly some of the newer members, as the other seniors were working in other places.

The only other senior present was Atiyah on the accompanying gunship, sitting idly with her sniper rifle, while the gunner loaded the port-side gatling gun with its ammunition.

“Alright ladies, time to put on the tampons. We’re dropping in now!”

The bay doors opened, and the dull thrum was replaced by the roar of the rotary engines, the light replaced by the vast, expansive darkness of the pacific ocean, and the lights on the Bongolesian coast. Right on time, the lights flickered out, and massive explosions rocked the city, as the coup d’etat was underway, the bulk of Baptiste’s army engaged the Resistance...

Bernadette ushered the Divas out the door, and they dropped into the water near the coast. Bernadette screamed in her adrenal rush as she hit the water last, climbing into the boats. “For Queen and Country!”

They quietly swim up to the docks, quickly and discreetly making short work of the guards stationed there, pulling soldiers under by pulling them down by their ankles then strangling them underwater. Deeper into the docks, they use their suppressed weapons, eliminating with double taps.
Bernadette herself climbed onto the docks and came across one of the guards- she came face to face with a teenager, no older than fifteen probably, wielding an AK. The gun was already pointed at her- the boy wasn’t quick enough on the trigger, as the mercenary gunned him down.
Two to the chest, two to the head.

Bernadette lowered her weapon, and paused a moment to look at her victim... Just another job, she thought to herself, fighting yet another tyrant who uses child soldiers.  

“Docks clear, no alarms rose. Bring in the fireworks, and the boss.” She radio’d in the gunship that waited off the coast. It came in and dropped a couple of large supply crates into the water, as well as Red Scorpion, who monitored the situation. The Divas called the all clear at the docks, and were getting out of their wetsuits and into their uniforms. Now, the Mansion lay ahead... filled with Baptiste’s elite Black Guard, laden with motion turrets and gun emplacements, and his chainsaw wielding Brutes...

“Stick to the plan, and I’ll see you at the Kitchen entrance.” Red Scorpion said and went ahead of the Divas, into the night...

= = = = =

(( Words: 1289 ))

= = = = =

Some things would be better left uncovered.  Deep secrets of ancient fonts pulling from places forgotten for a reason.  Terror always lurked within the deepest depths just outside of the scope of men, but those with the most power refused to stay dormant.  In the deepest sleeps of the most power hungry men they called.  Creatures felt the stir of these vibrations in the aether.  Creatures who should not exist knew of some things men never concerned themselves with-- and knew of the things men did concern themselves with.

An old empire would fall out like the placenta to a new life.  The violence of the expulsion would rupture the landscape, just the result an opportunist would look into.  Misaki entered the nation just before neighboring countries could shut major borders and any commercial line would stop entering the volatile country.  Most cities held their anxiety in empty streets.  The flow of radios and scattered televisions tucked away inside of crowded residence flowed information out of ajar windows and into the keen ears of Misaki.  It gave little context to what she already knew of the beginning of the birth process.

Glares accompanied the lone woman as she walked the few miles to come to the presidential mansion. Wearing a white skirt running the course of her figure to just above her knees, leaving only a few inches of skin before the beginnings of her boots moved up to the bottom of her knee, this woman kept a gaze hidden behind a dark pair of sunglasses and extenuated a her lips with a dark red shade of lipstick.  Her attire dared the populace to ignore her, but her features left them too intimidated to to look upon her face.  

The flow of empty anxiety melded into the influx of fear within the barricade erected outside of the mansion.  The inevitable would come for them eventually.  Their ranks probably stood in decimation to desertion, but Misaki could only guess at what the military went through in the waning hours of labor.  Maybe they would serve her, or maybe they would serve as the placenta to be devoured upon the birth of the new emperor.  

The growing conflict circled around her treasure.  Unearthing this came as her most prudent step and none of these distractions would interfere with her.  Even now she could feel some euphoria coming to her lips just from the proximity of the font.  A treasure trove of true knowledge, nothing transcribed or passed down, but instead knowledge imparted upon the mind, flowing and feeling.  Such things gave such warmth and energy to Misaki.  It would be hers.  Only hers.  

A stockade followed her with their eyes.  For a woman to walk through such a scenario with nothing more than a black bag and a pair of dark sunglasses filled them with a degree of confusion.  They did not know if misguided intentions or sinister intentions led her to them.  But, a dread came to their attention as they focused on her movement into a back alleyway.  They timed out her step process and waited for her to come into view along an open gap within the buildings.  They moved their eyes with the predictive gaze, but tricked themselves into gazing for nothing.  A few of the younger men ran out of the barricade and checked into the alley.  Gone.

A staggered detachment of men started to leave the gate as they searched for where the woman made off to.  Raised voices tried to call order from chaos, nothing gave Misaki's aspiration more room to grow.  The soles of her boots barely made any sound as she strode through the alley towards the walls encapsulating the complex.  

Misaki stepped through the gaps in the gate and came out before a large pool.  As the invisible fox strode through the yard, she took notice of the defensive grids along the yard.  They did not tell of safety, but of the dangers this man faced.  A little longer and the cloaked fox could make a better judgment on who to back in this conflict.  The collateral damage would leave Misaki with a treasure trove of information on this situation.  For now she sat and waited, waiting for the strong to cull the weak.  She needed to make use of the strong for information.

Red Scorpion reached the powerhouse for the mansion, hidden away with thick vegetation, its chain-link fence and entrance locked... She looked around a bit and saw where the power line’s feed into an underground pipe and led to the mansion. It took only a small amount of plastic explosive to disable the power.

The lights at the mansion went out immediately, causing the already confused guards to panic. The divas cut through the fence and moved in, night vision goggles allowing them to spot their enemies. Like deadly shadows, their passing and their suppressed weapons meant the swift death of unwary guards, moving with military precision. Two teams of six swept into the expansive mansion, heading towards a common goal, the underground complex...

“This is Atiyah from Bravo Team. We are ten meters from the entrance, resistance has been dealt with-” A hail of gunfire causes Atiyah’s squadron to take cover at the corner, large rounds blasting away chunks of the concrete wall.The doors to the underground were guarded by two large Brutes carrying heavy machineguns, .50 calibers no less, as the squad is placed in suppression. The Brutes also packed rocket launchers on their back.

“Bravo Team is pinned, repeat Bravo Team is pinned.” Atiyah said over her communicator.

“Copy, Bravo. Sit tight, the fireworks are coming.” Bernadette responded, shooting down more guards...hers team, Alpha, reached the corner where they flanked the Brutes. They deployed their own collapsible missile launchers, Bernadette taking aim behind the trigger and having the Brute squarely in her sights.

“knock Knock.” She muttered, before she and a fellow Diva released their specialized indoor rockets, blasting the Brutes’ weapons away, as well as chunks of their torso and arm being sprayed all over the still closed blast doors. Bernadette muttered just how tough these things are to take such a hit.

“About time, Alpha.” Atiyah said, emerging from the bullet laden corner.

“You’re welcome, Bravo. Well... these doors ain’t going to open themselves... Somebody bring me some C4!” Bernadette gestured for her supplies to be brought over.

“Explosives will be unnecessary.” The Divas turned around, and were slightly stunned seeing the Scorpion; they made room for their leader. Red Scorpion had caught up, and opened the control panel. The mercenaries waited for a few brief moments before their leader unlocked the doors’ security.

“Go, find the plants. Take as many as you can carry. We have about five minutes before they organize a proper retaliation, and another fifteen before the Resistance overruns the mansion.”

“And you?” Bernadette asked the Red Scorpion, as the Divas reloaded their weapons.

“I have business with Salvatore.” She said flatly, before sprinting towards the stairs, that strange pistol of hers in hand.

The team leaders nodded, and descended into the underground laboratories. Here, they moved more slowly and deliberately, as they had no knowledge of its layout or defences...

Meanwhile, more Brutes began wandering the grounds like vicious guard dogs, packing heavy weapons. Mutated hounds too began roaming the place, their sense of smell far more capable of finding prey. The fighting in the city streets was becoming more audible and thus coming closer to the mansion itself.

=====

((words: 565 ))

So far so good.

Gun fire erupted along the perimeters as hurried feet rushed into position.  Shells rang out and fell in a heated exchange; far too sporadic from the defenders side to do any good for their cause.  What they lacked in numbers, the Divas made up for in firepower and tactics.  Misaki moved along the edge of the raised topiary, staying ever vigilant to avoid the gunfire, but remaining in position to take prospect over the invading force.  So precise and planned.  Their voices in complement to one another in accord with orientation set to a goal.  Very admirable.  

From outside of the dark mansion, Misaki found her way in through following behind the fire team.  Each member proved vital to their mission and none would fail as a team.  This would make isolating and capturing a difficult task to accomplish for Misaki.  Biding her time for the perfect time to strike, Misaki stuck to the corners of the active warzone.  Bullets rained down from a savage barrage two men at the far end of the hall gave forth.  Two bullets rang through the wall and impacted into Misaki's side.  Both bullets impacted into Misaki, but only the heat of the bullets made an impact on the silent assailant.  

Harsh fire kept the team pinned.  Their inability to move weighed heavily upon the actions Misaki could take in reaction.  She needed the teams active and setting their gazes forward on a central goal.  Hiding and striking from the peripherals played into Misaki's strengths and this overpowering ruckus only grew more annoying.  The power held within this mansion looked strong enough to will men to fight and kill each other, but Misaki sought a different power, one that rewarded subtlety over the    

Misaki saw her opportunity in their direction.  She could move down and isolate either of the women giving orders.  Once isolated from the rest, she could hope to out match either of them in single combat before they could alert the rest of their unit.  The trap kept her on the alert; the quiet predator stalked her prey in hushed resolution.  When she saw the Bernadette unleash rocket fire against the machine gun wielding brutes, Misaki saw her opportunity to strike.  The intense noise echoing through the mansion filled Misaki with the taste of her prey as she edged forward, ready to ensnare her target with a shadow bind.

Just then, a new arrival came into view with an authority.  Misaki fell back into the darkness and waited for the single woman to move away from contingent.  This woman's goal would lead Misaki to her next destination.  Holding the balance of power in her hands, Misaki thought of the approaches she could take in this coup.  With the discipline and advantage this unit had on their side, Misaki would barely hold any sway over them, but if she could halt this assault and keep the despot hiding from his fate alive, she would gain considerable power.  

As the teams broke up and headed for the complex, Misaki began to tail Ellie.  She wanted to take her alive and present her as a gift to broker her way into the presence of the power behind this throne.  She just needed to wait until she could get Ellie alone to make her strike.

Mansion

Much as the Red Scorpion predicted, the soldiers at the mansion were now becoming organized, realizing they were under a surprise attack- a few surviving witnesses claimed the enemy to be few in number, and quickly did the dictator’s soldiers muster the arms and nerve to begin a counter attack. Groups of soldiers, accompanied by vicious attack dogs and hand-held flood lights begin scourging the mansion, splitting their forces between protecting their leader and the underground laboratories.

In the expansive corridors of the mansion, Red Scorpion detected the patrol heading her way, using heat detection. She sprayed the area with chemical pheromones designed to confuse trained guard dogs, while ducking into an adjacent room. She peered through the viewing lens and saw them walk past, not minding to checking the rooms...

The Scorpion came face to face with a woman in ill fitting fatigues, holding a colt 1911, aimed at her. There was a tense moment as she held up her hands.

"One step closer and I will shoot." She said, holding the weapon firmly with both hands, keeping good distance and aiming at her face rather than her obvious body armor. Ellie noted the training and decided not to go for a tranquilizer.

"Relax. I'm here for the old man." The Scorpion said. That alone made the women tense less, though the gun was still aimed at her.

"You are not one of Hassad's men?" She asked.

"Do I look like a countryman of yours?"

"You are... american?"

"Smart girl. Don't say a word and I'll be on my way." Scorpion began making a move toward the window.

"Wait! I want to leave this place." It was then she lowered her weapon, allowing Ellie to lower her arms. That could have gone worse.

"Why? Hassad isn't after the women here. He's not..." Scorpion trailed off, the sentence going somewhere.

"No, please. I have a son. I had a husband before I was taken but... Baptiste thinks it is his, and so does the rest of the country. He will be made an example of. You know this is our way. The family of the enemy must also be killed." The woman explained, knocking on a nearby closet. Inside was a little boy, no older than 5, peering out at them through the wardrobe door. He promptly leaves his hiding place and hides behind his mother.

"Lady, I'm a mercenary, not a superhero. I'm here to kill a dictator." Red Scorpion scoffed, internally wishing she didn't come across these civilians.

"Then take me as yours! Or I can pay you!"

"..." Scorpion began walking towards the window.

"I have access to Baptiste's accounts in Sweden, his business contacts, co-signed in my name. Worth tens of millions." She offered specifically, which caused Red Scorpion to pause in her tracks.

"...Then you should probably go hide with the kitchen staff. And get your son a soldier outfit. The mansion is in chaos, you'll like be able to slip out." Red Scorpion took the offer in a heartbeat. She knew about those, but decided instant access was better than months of grinding through the U.N. She peered out the window and saw a garden below, and set up a rappelling kit to lower the mother and child once they were prepared.

"I would thank you, but you're making off with the money I was saving for myself." The woman began wearing the harness, securing her child first.

"Head down to the docks, there will be 'female' soldiers waiting. Give them the password, 'Tree of Liberty', and you'll be able to get a ride out of the country." Red Scorpion said, as she secured the harness and began lowering the woman. The child who remained silent all throughout looked at her, and muttered "Thank you."

She nodded, muttering the rather... poetic password. As she reached the garden, she issued one more warning. "Beware Okku, Baptiste's personal bodyguard! He is blind in his right eye, though."

Red Scorpion continued with her mission, moving on the mansion's architectural features to swiftly bypass the hallways, checking each room before proceeding up. Baptiste's room was likely the manor penthouse.

A separate team, accompanied by one of those Brutes, men turned into hulking mountains of muscle and aggression, would soon cross paths with the mystical intruder. The dogs’ senses could pick up a most unusual smell, and began barking aggressively- the hounds were loosed, and sprinted towards Misaki’s position- mere seconds before jaws would seek her out, and mere moments before the Brutes would catch up with their heavy weapons.

Underground Labs

The Divas encountered stiff resistance in the laboratories, but eventually made their way to the hydroponic gardens where the Bongolium Plant was being grown. The team alternated between keeping watch and bagging samples.

"Meta soldiers incoming!" Atiyah said from outside, just as Bernadette filled up her bag. The defeaning boom of the Libyan Sniper firing her .50 caliber sniper rifle shook windows and stirred up dust, the massive kinetic energy penetrating the metahumans' skin... then exploding, the customized round blowing off one of the Meta soldier's legs... and exploding in the soldier behind him, showering that hallway with gore. The metahuman was unfazed though, and crawled on his hands, closing in on the Divas.

"This ain't a stealth mission anymore ladies! Grab yer knickers and bring it loud and fast! we're getting outta here!"



Manor Grounds

The main garrison at the front gates exploded with gunfire, as the rebels' infantry fighting vehicles drove into range and began to besiege the entrance to the manor. One of Baptiste's Technicals exploded when an rpg connects, and soon after the gates fall, and the rebels begin pouring into the grounds...

=====

((words: 976 ))

The old nemesis of her youth echoed in the hallways.  Growls and howls always accompanied the canines so regularly used to hunt Misaki in previous centuries.  Before surpassing the level of sentience accustomed to the range area foxes, Misaki found means of escaping a certain death and today she planned on letting those dogs be nothing of a bother.  Her scent came as indistinguishable to those beasts, something difficult to mask, but other plans could be enacted to hide her scent and punish those patrols for delaying her from her mark.  

An odd smell entered her nostrils.  A camouflage hiding any traces of odor coming from the main corridor.  While Misaki could continue to hide in the coated distraction, those dogs would surely find Misaki a more favorable target to chase instead of the interloper trained on their owner.  Pulling the perfume bottle from her carry, she placed a line of her intoxicating perfume along the edges of the door the dogs began to search.  The new smell would entice the animals to move towards a smell outside of the aroma hiding Ellie's movement.  To distract the dogs from their previous traces, the ambient noises of the hallway began to fill with the excitement of a forest.  Sounds of bushes rustling and tiny animals buzzing in the distance filled the echoing corridor, giving Misaki the time she needed to work her way past the patrols.

Slipping past the first patrol left her in a fine position, but the familiar smell of the hounds came in just a few feet ahead.  A dog lunged for her, but his teeth barely grazed her skin.  Before the guards could aim for on the intruder a burst of flames shot to their weapons.  She heated the magazines and unleashed the shells of their own weapons against them.  The excessive heat scorched their wounds and burned away charred flesh.  Naturally fearful of flame, the dog released his grip on Misaki's arm and back hesitantly away from the flames.  A red rubbing sat upon her arm from the bite, but she could hardly feel any pain or see and real damage to her skin.  With her vanity ensured, Misaki stepped over the bodies and continued down the corridor.  Two patrols in such a short time felt favorable.  

Then she caught her next smell.  

Something better smelling.  

Misaki moved quietly through the corridor and came across her next targets. Guards who were more isolated. Stationary and unmoving. It let her know whatever lay behind that door needed some protecting. She needed to think about her next moves in question. Attacking the guards could leave her tired in the event of her target coming and could compromise her station with her would be host. She let the thoughts come in until the abrupt noise around her made up her mind. This regime would fall and another would rise. Right now she needed to make allies with these invaders and join the winning side of this confrontation.

Conjuring an oil slick around the feet of the guards, Misaki watched as their attention moved around the room. She let her shadow bindings loose to bind the guards in place. With their weapons removed, Misaki found it easier to reveal herself without further repercussions. Now she just waited for her mark to enter the area to assist her with the penthouse, and more importantly, gain her trust through this sting.

Misaki needed not to wait very long though, as the doors to the penthouse suddenly exploded when a heavy marble bust of mister Baptiste was hurled through and into her face, the kinetic force likely capable of sending the kitsune flying back several feet, even if it wouldn’t harm her.

The remains of the doors were torn off as Okku emerged from the doors. The big, dark man was clad in heavy armor from tip to toe, a minigun in his hands, the rounds in the bullet feed glowing with an occult glow. The weapon began to whirr, and soon enough would start spewing death from its barrels.


The Red Scorpion climbed up quietly and quickly, seeing Hassad's men filling the grounds now, fighting Baptiste's soldiers and metahuman Brutes. She finally reaches the window of the darkened Penthouse. She hesitated to enter at first, but quickly heard the crash as the doors to the Penthouse were torn open by a flung object. Damn, did Hassad’s men move that fast? Did they catch up to Salvatore?

She peered in to see the old man Baptiste hobbling towards an express elevator, and she quietly cussed herself. Of course he’d have a plan of escape. She entered the Penthouse by the mundane means of opening the windows, rushing towards the elevator while shooting off her firearm- but Salvatore was quick enough that the elevator doors closed. He looked at the Red Scorpion with arrogant disdain, even as he laborously sucked in air from his oxygen tank.

Ellie cursed, and placed a automated jack on the shaft doors, forcing them open for Ellie to follow after the elevator, which had already reached the bottom. She shimmied down the elevator cables, about to touch down on the car...

The smell of anxiety pulsed through the excessive perspiration emanating from the well ventilated room.  An unfamiliar stench moved towards the door as a familiar aroma entered through the opposite wall.  Heavy footsteps moved closer to the entrance before briefly coming to a stop.  A grunt came from behind the closed walls and the rapid exertion of muscles strengthening took over the senses of the adjacent room.

The oil slick grew with a tenacity, soon taking root under the door of the penthouse itself.  Knowing of the action taking place just before her began to burn within Misaki.  Her mark chased on her own goals while the unfamiliar sense stayed behind.  Maybe the entity who stayed behind in the room was only a servant or some other degree of assistant.  After all, what could distract a guard's attention from a potentially dangerous assassin?  

As she pondered those questions, a marble bust flew through the door to strike against Misaki.  Knowing the slick of the oil would be too slippery to dodge, Misaki sized up the bust and took it against her chest, sliding back, but brushing off the damage with a small grunt.  Coming out with reckless animosity may have won this man battles in the past, but it would not triumph today.  

Bullets stood at the ready as the feed worked up to the speed it needed to begin firing into the hallway.  The machinery spun and roared with anguish, but Misaki turned her attention to allow her fox spirits to ingratiate themselves within the gun.  They burrowed within the technology and stopped up the muzzle, keeping the rounds from having an immediate path of egress.  In lieu of an open path, bullets would begin to take the necessary path of a misfired round and the weapon would explode under the weight of its own destructive firepower.  

Saving her foxfire for a more worthy adversary, Misaki would take advantage of the calamity and become invisible.  Moving away from the bullet riddled hallway and the smoking remains of the rail gun, Misaki would try to regain the hint of her target, before Okku could regain his composure, if any composure even lasted in his damaged state.  The elevator made room for her descent.  A long way down with a few snags on the elevator line to assist in breaking her fall to a more quiet approach made for her arrival to come out just where she wanted to be.  The smell faded under the sensation the heat of battle brought on, but any confrontation between Ellie and Salvatore would give her just the frequency she needed to focus in on her exact location.

...Ellie gently landed onto the elevator car, kicked open the hatch and dropped a flash bang in... but no sooner did she go down to investigate, a large arm grabs her by her leg, twisting it painfully, and sending her hurling into the spacious sewer wall- actually doubling as an escape tunnel. As fortune would have it, the sewer water was there to cushion her fall, but Ellie screamed in pain as the force easily cracked the bones in her body. Conditioned as she was, she was but a normal human physically, and her survival was due only to her nanosuit reacting, the fabric hardening around her impact points. Her armor's hard points glowed with energy.

Ellie didn't have much time to react, as the large, lumbering figure waded through the water to grab hold of her neck and attempt to drown her- her life-support system kicked in and covered her mouth and eyes, encapsulating her and buying her precious time.

She was able to see her opponent, barely, with infrared vision in this absolute darkness. Did Baptiste have a second Brute in reserve down here? No... the Brute was discarding an oxygen tank.

Ellie felt her heart sink, as she knew this would be the fight of her life. There was no time for words; there would be no quarter given or asked. She pulled out her hand-held grenade launcher, a rare and critical mistake for the agent- the monster Baptiste had turned himself into crushed the weapon that may have been Red Scorpion's only hope. She pulled out her other sidearm, her M1911, and emptied the 9 bullets in the clip into the monster's chest. The bullets embed themselves in the flesh, leaving bruises but nothing more.

Baptiste clamps down harder, this time with both hands, trying to crush Ellie's face and torso- through the adrenaline, through the protection of her nanosuit, she could feel her lower back compressing dangerously, the bones beginning to dislocate.

Air bubbles escape Ellie's rebreather as she desperately tries to free herself of the vice grip of the mutant. She pulls out a combat knife, barely scratching the Tyrant's face- but poking into an eye, causing him a moment of pain. Ellie slammed her shoulder into Baptiste, driving her advantage- brute force will not prevail here, and so she slams a fragmentation grenade into his mouth...

...Ellie crawls away on her arms to put distance between herself and the monster, trying to get out of the water. The grenade explodes in his mouth, but Baptiste proved terrifyingly resilient, the only result being his teeth falling out and smoke emitting from his orifice.

Baptiste was stunned, at the foot of the elevator. For how many precious seconds, Ellie did not know- her mind raced for a strategy- any solution to survive this confrontation.

In between bouts of gunfire and auditory carnage, resting just between the bursts of uncontrolled firepower, Misaki made out the calamity happening beneath her.  A forced opening led down to poorly ventilated sewer crawl.  From this ambush spot, an abomination barely holding any bearing to whatever man he may have been, forced his prey into a hurried attempt to flee from the water.  His face laid split open from the fragmentation of a powerful blast that could only have happened from inside of his head.  

Methane poured out of the hole in a nauseating cloud.  Sparking her flame would surely reach the initial desired result, but it could also do more than she wanted.  As she played out the scenario in her mind, the beast began to regain some semblance of bearings.  Fighting against such an injury stood as nothing other than a testament; a testament Misaki suddenly found herself surrounded by.  Databanks and internal sources held all the information vital to what became of the former leader.  To exhume the data would take time Misaki just did not have, but others within the complex may.  

Under order from their leader, the women laying waste to the facility would surely take the information and present it before her.  Taking the source of power within this nation would be unnecessary if men already unlocked the power themselves, and given the poor state of information survival during violent overthrows, this feint could act as Misaki's only real way of gaining such an interesting means of transmutation.  Foggy intuitions gained vivid clarity on whom she would support in this matter.

His time in power dwindled away just as his mind faded to rage.

Infiltration left Misaki at an expenditure for many of her uncanny abilities, but the smell of methane let her know she only needed one to truly take advantage of the hulking abomination and his escaping prey.  Fire flew from her hands towards the target far too large for her to miss at such close range.  The intensity of the flames would sear through the toughest of skins without the aid of the explosive air, but with such a toxicity in the air, the flames would intensify to give a perfect soliloquy of mayhem and destruction.  

After feeding the flames of hatred with the flames of avarice, Misaki would make her descent to the sewer.  Burning the methane would give her senses a little more room for operating back to their standards, allowing her to use her prism to block out the light in the tunnel.  Detecting any movement from Ellie and Baptiste would determine the course of action the wily fox would act upon.  With Baptiste removed from the fight, Misaki could simply plan her next moves of incapacitating Ellie.  If the blast did enough of an impact to knock her unconscious then Misaki would save her perfume for later, but if Ellie still remained in the land of the conscious, then Misaki would apply the gas to her victims face to overwhelm her senses and lull her to sleep.  

If Baptiste gave any problems from his shocked state, Misaki would use her claws to enact the final stage of rage against the abomination's vital points around his neck and lower back, while taking advantage of the wounds from massive blasts and internal ruptures.  If he remained placid to the situation, Misaki would merely pass by his fallen state and attend to her own agenda.

The explosion that came rocked the tunnels, the fires cutting into Baptiste and the explosion sending him reeling. The brute Tyrant's form lay there, not breathing but remarkably intact, and smoking.

Ellie barely slipping beneath the waist-high water to mitigate the damage. Still, the force pushed her further down the tunnel, a good twenty paces as she tumbled in the turbulent water. Her life in critical danger, all her vitals in the red, the suit automatically sent a distress call to her Divas...

The suit's power cells were expended, causing it to relax the hardened nano-weave that had likely saved her life. Ellie was on the brink of unconsciousness now, her vision a complete blur as she tried to get an epinephrine shot from her belt. Even after taking so much abuse, she refused to be a victim, helpless, as she made out a new figure slowly approaching her.

Meanwhile...

The unnamed, masked Divas load the bags containing the objectives into the rubber boats and speed off towards the recently arrived, water-capable cargo plane. "Alright! That was the last bag, get this bird back to Eagle Land." Bernadette said, overseeing the evacuation of the 'goods'.

Atiyah receives a distress signal from Red Scorpion's suit on her communicator. It was the one sound she dreaded to hear the most. "...Bernadette... Red Scorpion... he just activated his distress signal.... he's still at the mansion!" She said, in a slight panic.

"Blimey... Oi, WILLIAMS! GET DOWN HERE!" Slapping her forehead in fear, Bernadette called out to one of the Divas in the plane.

"You called, miss Croix?" Another tall,blonde english woman emerged from the plane, dressed in Veteran uniform but with a medic insignia on her arm.

"The boss just called for help! Get the Med-Vee!" She said, with all urgency in her voice.

"Say no more. Ladies, protect the plane! If the rebels find you, leave immediately and get the samples to our States base." Rachel went back inside to delay their flight, then drove a large, powerful custom Humvee onto the dock. She politely exits to allow Bernadette to drive, and moves to the passenger seat and prepared her medkit. Atiyah mans the turret. Bernadette floors it, racing against time and back towards the Mansion...

"No."  Misaki reached down to take the needle from Ellie.  Shooting the drug against the ground opened up the chamber of the needle to take in a direct dosage of the knockout gas.  Pressing the needle into a section of open skin along her torso, Misaki would hold her prey down until the drug moved through her body and readied her for transportation.  With such a dangerously concentrated shot, Ellie would quickly succumb to the chemicals under the painfully aware enjoyment of Misaki.  "Just be quiet."

Once Ellie fell into a more docile and tranquil state, Misaki would tie Ellie's hands behind her back with a cord.  Following on her course of action, she would bind her ankles and remove the mask over Ellie's face.  "Your company is very impressive.  I won't let them miss you though."  A course of plans of how to deal with her prisoner to benefit her stormed her mind.  She offered so many opportunities for the trickster to exploit, but she settled in on her master plan.  "We'll make a deal to ransom you back for the technologies you stole here, but it may come as a win-win for me.  I'll explain it to you later." No longer wishing to hear the thoughts of the sedated Ellie, Misaki would wrap a sliver of cloth around her mouth to keep her more quiet while Misaki thought out her escape.

Soon a host of many would descend upon Misaki.  If she wanted to enact her plans she needed her hostage to get out of the villa.  With Baptiste's hurried descent to this unlivable chamber, some manner of escape route must lay within the tunnels.  Misaki would begin to drag her prisoner off into the darkness of the tunnels, aided by the unnatural darkness of the prism hiding her motion.  "If your friends follow us, I'll have more in store for them than I did for you.  They aren't as important to me as you are, so if you plan on giving them some trail to follow, you may want to think about how many of their lives will need to be sacrificed just to save you from the mild discomfort of your captivity."  For centuries Misaki lied to the ears of humans.  This lie presented the truth as the most telling threat.

For all her heroic resolve, Ellie had given too much of herself this time, and now paid the price. Her broken back meant she was now paralyzed from the waist down, and she faded into unconsciousness, at the mercy of Misaki.

The tunnel led to a small, secluded clearing some ways in between the manor and the docks. With her suit automatically transmitting her position, the Divas would catch up, and await at the entrance to the tunnel. The turn on the powerful LED floodlight unto the mouth of the tunnel.

"...Boss, are you there? If anyone has the smarts to take down the Red Scorpion... come out, we want to resolve this peacefully." Bernadette spoke into her headset, which was wired into a speaker on the Humvee's dashboard.

A striking deal came over the head speaker echoing into the void of Ellie's concussion.  They spoke of resolution and peace.  Two things Misaki knew only came when she held the upper hand.  It came with no surprise with their leader bound as her prisoner.  It tempted Misaki into revealing more of her deceptions to the femme fatales.  She knew they would expect an ambush, so she could really only confirm their suspicions.  Eventually.  But, for now she took the headset without moving the gag around Ellie's mouth and brought the speaker towards her face.  "Your boss would like for me to congratulate you on a very successful mission.  A mission so successful, I need to have an exchange with you.  If you want your boss back..." Misaki brushed her hand across Ellie's forehead, wiping loose strands of hair from her brow.  "I'll need all of the scientific readouts you found within this compound.  There were very interesting creatures.  Many who used to be men.  I would like this cache of information and you would like your boss.  I'll send her out the tunnel."

Cutting the feed and smiling, Misaki removed three rods adorned with the images of mythical creatures.  Before she could prepare the body for duplication, Misaki removed the suit from Ellie and placed it on the ground.  She took a roll of tape and wrapped them around Ellie's arms to keep her subjugated and to open up the dimensional rift to her kitsune spirits.  Pulling a doll out from her bag, Misaki placed it on the ground and watched its features change.  It began to grow in stature and develop the features of Ellie.  The perfect token she would need to fool the Divas into believing they recovered their prize.  

Misaki took the mask and headset she placed on the ground and placed it on her deceptive doll.  Knowing the plan at hand, the doppleganger would don the suit of the Red Scorpion to sell the feint.  After she helped the trickster doll to her feet, Misaki would bind its hands behind its back before putting the mask and headset on her.  Lifting Ellie off the ground, Misaki dragged her off to a small alcove where no one would be able to find the mercenary commander.  Smiling down on the injured, helpless woman, Misaki took a deep pleasure from the misfortune she sowed, but the seeds of chaos needed to bear her fruit.  Now the exchange could take place.  

Misaki and her doll paced to the entrance of the tunnel, stepping into the blinding lights.  A stolen gun pointed against the doll's temple, with Misaki's grin barely visible from behind the illumination and shock of who she took prisoner.  "Where are my archives?"  Kicking the back of the mannequin's knee, Misaki lowered the gun towards the back of the fake's head.  "You wouldn't want this to get ugly would you?"  Misaki let her lips curve in deception.  However this transpired, Misaki would claw her way to the top, even if she needed to go through a heavily armed regiment to get there.

Bernadette got out of the car and approached ever so slightly. Once she hears the hostage taker's demands, she calls the plane. "Nana, you got the data?"

"You know it, Bernadette-taicho!" a voice on the otherside responded.

"Good. we need a copy to pay for the boss's release. We've had... complications." Bernadette said, grimly.

"NOoo problemo. Sending the data to the Prima Donna now." The voice responded.

Irish Divas Medic Rachelle Willaims inside the customized Humvee manages the download. Once done, she stuffs the laptop and charger into a small shoulder bag- with the Divas logo- and hands it to Bernadette outside. Bernadette whips out the laptop and opens it to show all the research data.

"Here you go, Guv. Free Lappie to go with it. One thing before we hand it over though..." Bernadette snaps her fingers.

Atiyah, manning an unusual turret weapon with glowing parts and wires - a laser cannon- turned the Prima Donna's gun on the imposter. The advanced weapon hummed with power, and the air sizzled with heat as the blue-white laser beam sliced into the far too healthy imposter.

"...We'd like our real boss, who is, according to her suit's last transmissions, has a twisted arm, broken back, legs paralyzed, unconscious and minutes from dying of internal injuries. You see Guv, the Scorpion only ever calls us for help when she's about to shake hands with St. Peter... So, pretty please. Like we said, we're willing to pay. The data. Cash. Hardware. Information on other assets. we just want our people to come home alive."

Atiyah aims the Laser Cannon onto Misaki. It probably won't kill her, but it'll hurt alot more than rpg's and bullets.