He chuckled, “Given the pany, I don’t bme her,” He said and tapped the door, pushing it open and stepping inside.
More importantly, his new employer would be happy that he was building a retionship with her. The odd young man had expressed i in Sonya ovna during their st meeting. Maybe he should set up a meetiweewo? That would be good. He nodded, Yeah, I’ll talk to her about that . Mister Otis will be happy for sure. He thought, w at what the young man’s face would look like, so happy, for some reason his youthful sponsor’s face wouldn’t e to him. He thought that should bother him, but he really didn’t feel like it did. He shrugged, it didn’t matter.
Craig walked into his room ahe coffee on, it robably going to be a te night.
“Ah… I need a shower,” He grunted, and tossed off his coat and shoes.
He hummed merrily as he stepped out of the bathroom a few mier, grabbing his mug as he walked by the ter and making way for the desk set up in the er of the rge, luxurious room. He sat down and took a sip, flipping open his puter and typing in his password. It was a long one, but he’d learo be careful with his information. Having access to this puter was as good as having access to his business and his assets. His arm felt a little stiff aretched, grumbling, “Not even a hot shower will do it these days…” He groused.
He took another sip of his coffee and tapped a few more keys, “Okay now,” He mumbled only to feel his arm stiffen again, then his legs. He blinked and looked at his hand. It was trembling. “Huh?” He gasped, I ’t move. Why ’t I move?
“Mister Craig Hart,” A voice came from behind him. He tried to turn his head but his body wouldn’t move an inch. He trembled, flig his eyes about as he tried to get a look at the dark figure that slipped into pce at his right. A hand fell on his shoulder aiffened when he saw a knife in the figure’s other hand. “Mistress Ishtar has requested your presence.”
The hing he knew, he was sinking. He looked down and saw a bck hole in the floor, shadows billowing off of it. They felt so cold. His heart rate spiked, he wao scream, call for help, do anything. Yet all he could do was ehe chill as slowly he was ed by the darkness beh him.
He didn’t see the figure turn to the ptop and pick it up before writing something down on a piece of paper, “That’s quite the password,” The figure said before disappearing into the ground as well, leaving the room spotless.
–
At first, the copy was going to do as it was told, stay in pd wait to hear from Bckrazor. It really was, and to be ho it didn’t have any real good reason to leave and cause trouble. However, the more it thought the more it realized that there was a step to the pn that was overlooked. It sidered whether or not to reach out to the inal, its legs crossed on the chair iel room. Finally, it decided to go for broke. It sent the suggestion out and received a response almost immediately.
The copy, no, for the moment it was wearing the mask of Ishtar, got to her feet and grabbed a suitcase before she strode towards the door, teopathy already w on the cameras in the hallway. She stepped out and made a beeline for the elevator. With a single flick of will she temporarily locked all the doors in the hallreventing anyone from stepping out until she was long gone. She took the elevator up, willing the elevator not to stop on the way. When she reached her destination the door opened and she stepped out onto a beautiful gold-inid marble floor. The walls were mirrored and there were absolutely no cameras present.
This wasn’t a pce for the average visitor.
She strode up to the ter where a man in a suit stood, looking down at something. He gnced up and froze when he saw her.
“Excuse me,” He said after catg himself, “I don’t believe you should be here, miss. How did you get up here?”
Ishtar tilted her head, “Tell Prichard that he has a guest,” Ishtar said coldly.
“I think I’d rather call security,” He said instead and reached for the phone only for it to fizzle and spark, he pulled his hand away in surprise and looked up at her.
“This isn’t your fault,” Ishtar rasped solingly, “He won’t bme you. He might if you don’t take me to him, though.”
The host hesitated and reached up to dab a bit of sweat from his brow before turning towards the single archway leading into the private restaurant beyond. He cleared his throat, “R-right this way Miss…?”
“Ishtar. You tell him before I step inside if it helps your nerves,” Ishtar said, that seemed to give the man a bit of his agency back as he rexed, sighing and nodding. He lead her into a brightly lit hall colored with expensive aper. Instead of the traditional open atmosphere of a restaurant, it was separated into private rooms for the guests to enjoy their meals and have their versations imost fide was a good strategy, given the kind of people that would get invited up into this pce.
The host stopped at a door and kwice before opening the door and stepping inside. Even with her senses she couldn’t pick up on any words oherside. Excellent soundproofing. She thought before the door opened and the man o her, opening it pletely to let her inside.
“Mister Earl will see you,” He said, looking immensely relieved.
She nodded and walked past him, stepping into a stately dining room with a long table. Only one person in the room besides herself. Prichard Earl was standio his chair, his eyes wide. “You’re real,” He breathed.
Ishtar tilted her head, “In a manner of speaking.”
The man grinned, “I’ve only heard rumors, for someone like me finding so little information is a bit close to impossible. I thought you were a myth.”
Ishtar walked to the table ahe suitcase down, “Do you know why I’m here?”
“To do business, I imagihe man said.
“Yes,” Ishtar said, “How would you like to be young again?” She said and opehe suitcase, turning it around to reveal the dots stacked inside.
–
Martin had been io sit at the table in the VIP room but opted against it, he preferred to stand and it allowed him a better view of everyone present. Specifically the one person he wao watch the most. His eyes narrowed just a fra as the doors opened and Sonya ovna sauntered inside, her usual casual fir and ckadaisical attitude clearly iious to most people. Everyone in the room smiled at the sparkling, nearly glowing, all white woman who threw her hands open in a dramatic greeting.
“It feels like Christmas!” She ughed, walking up and shaking hands with each of the members of the iional team in turn.
Who gets that excited over a formal meeting? He wondered just as his earpiece hummed to life.
“Martin,” Ironsides said sharply, “Got something.”
He turned away a little and tilted his head down, “What is it?”
“Multiple reports of lock failures across several random floors, cameras flickering too. I spotted something while watg the cameras, too,” Ironsides went on, “Someog the description of Ishtar.”
Martin froze and whipped his head in Sonya’s dire. Is it really true? Is she really not Ishtar? I was so sure. My gut is screaming at me that I’m right. I have to be right. A trick? He frowned and cleared his throat, “Keep an eye on things a me know if you get a location to follow up on.”
“On it.”
–
Ishtar stepped out of the elevator with the suitcase in hand and a smile on her face beh the mask. She had to admit, the payout was better than she had expected. Prichard had been ied in Sonya, but he was a dht fanboy of Ishtar. It made it retively easy for her to vince him to look the other way and even help cover up anything she did while she was there. He had asked for quite the repayment, ohat was equally beneficial to her. He assumed rightly that she was going to be building a work in North America. While he didn’t know that the ‘club’ already existed in Europe, he had his theories that she was already spreading her influence.
He wao be at the helm.
That was more than fih her. Using the Pace as a gathering point was absolutely perfect, it was secure, private, and Prichard was a man with a great amount of sense.
He’d also asked for a few copies of the youth tract for his family, which she’d provided without argument. As for binding him as a member of the club, that had been the most eaining part of the whole iioaken her hand and frowhen his eyes had widened as he looked up into her mask.
“You’re-” He breathed.
“That ability of yours is very useful,” Ishtar said coldly, “But I would be careful, Mister Earl, about what you say .”
He gri her, “I uand, amazing, really amazing. Yoing to have the whole world dang in the palm of your hand.”
She grio herself at the memory as she approached the room that Bckrazor had informed her about part way through the meeting. She willed the door open and slipped inside, handing the suitcase off to a waiting Bckrazor. “Well done,” She said before stepping fully into the open space where she found a bound and gagged Craig Hart waiting. “Craig Hart,” She rasped as his eyes fluttered open, “Found you.”
–
It was the only way she could get herself to do it. The only way to break through the hesitation and gut tightening terror that she felt. Just throw herself in with all the gusto and panache she could manage, be the Sonya ovna that everyone knew even if every instinct told her to be the ohat none of them had ever known. The ohat cwed at the back of her mind when she finally met her eyes. Those eyes that made her heart ache and made her knees weak, that made her skin tingle and her mouth go dry, that made her want to weep with tears that would never e to her broken eyes.
I missed you so much.
“It’s like Christmas!” She decred, ughing, throwing her arms open in a dramatic greeting and walking forward towards the assembled group of five heroes. First among them, leading the pack, was her. Lian hua. Tall, raven haired, stoic, agly geous. Soended a hand with a smile and the womaurhe gesture. Even in that moment, with all her emotions in turmoil, she had enough presenind to use analyze.
“Lian Chuhua, in the flesh, I ’t believe you’re more beautiful than oelevision,” She said with a wry smile. She gave the woman a wink, “You aren’t single, are you?”
The Chairman barked out a ugh and Marta sighed o her. hua oher hand just stared at her and at her hand then up at her again, a look of fusion on her face. She squared up a little, “I greet the Voice of the Hero-”
“Call me Sonya, please. I have a name,” Sonya cut in, giving hua’s hand a squeeze, “Please use it.”
The irony wasn’t lost on Sonya.
hua blinked and then rexed visibly, which for some reason got a few odd looks from the rest of her group, “Very well, Sonya it is,” She said with a small smile and it may have definitely been Sonya’s imagination, but a look of amused i. Yeah, definitely my imagination, not wishful thinking at all. Quit it you idiot, yetting carried away!
Sonya cleared her throat, “Aha! Enough flirting,” Sonya teased and released hua’s hand before turning to the others, “Let’s see!” She walked over to the first in line. Vytal was a slightly heavy set man with a easy smile and eyes that were a startling near-white blue. They reminded her of gciers. “Vytal, right? Or should I say, Edgar Wolf,” She said and took his outstretched hand.
“You make quite the impression, Sonya,” He said with a startlingly deep voice, “It’s a pleasure ma’am.”
Analyze.
“The pleasure is all mine!” She said brightly and gave his hand a brisk shake before turning to the . A powerfully built man with short bck hair, thick eyebrows and dark eyes. “Sapporo, Takeda Goro,” She said and took his hand with a brief handshake and a partial bow.
His dark expression remained unged but he did mao speak at least, “Your work has resulted in a peaceful east, even if uional, you have my gratitude and that of my family and people.”
Analyze.
“Thank you,” She said, “I hope that my work inspire more success for humanity iure.”
He nodded brusquely and she moved on. The person was a younger womaeens probably, with bright eyes and a too-wide smile. She was boung on her heels when Sonya reached out to greet her, “Molly Byrne? Or should I say Euclidia?” She asked.
The girl snatched up her hand with both of her own hands, shaking it vigorously, almost so fast that she didn’t get to use analyze, “Oh my gosh it's su honor! You are a frigging i! Like, seriously, oh my god, you believe what you’ve done for the unity, not to mention you know, all the hero stuff and uh… I get your autograph? For my girlfriend, I mean, oh man, wow you’re pretty.”
Sonya blinked.
Analyze?
Sonya ughed, “Sure!” She said, “What do you wao sign?”
Molly brightened, “Could you sign my t-” She began only to get cut off by hua clearihroat in warning, she gri the leader of their group sheepishly, “I got a postcard.”
Sonya just ughed and shrugged, “I’ll sign whatever you want ter, cutie,” She said and moved on past a squealing Molly to the far more serious looking mao her. He bowed his head once before standing up straight and shaking his head.
“I apologize, I ot,” He said.
“I uand,” Sonya said without dropping a beat, “Thank you for ing.”
He ined his head, “It is the right thing to do.”
She stepped back to give him a bit of respectful space before lookiween the five of them and put her hands on her hips, “Now that we’ve had our introdus! Let’s eat!”