Ellis groaned, waking up from her stressed slumber. She sat at the edge of the bed and reached for the bedside lamp, switching it on. She looked at the clock, seeing that it was three in the morning. Sighing, she hooked back the loose strands of hair behind her ears and adjusted the lamp, letting the light hit the wall, and stood up. She stepped over to the illuminated board that had numerous documents and pins on it. She had minimal information on MI18 and things were going from bad to worse. Numbers were being quickly cut and defences were being slowly disabled. Her situation was growing more dire by the passing hour. Her mind raced about as she tried to find a way to survive the war that was to come. The fights that she had faced so far were nothing but small skirmishes. It was only when the double agent arrived that both organisations had decided to unleash their full potential. This was something that she had to plan out meticulously. After all, one small slip could kill her. They were evenly matched, but the organisation against her may have had a small upper hand, and that was enough for them. If she would make a blunder, even a tiny one, Pulvis would be brought down in one fell swoop. This was not trench warfare anymore, it was mountain warfare. There were no stalemates and every slight move mattered. Now was not the time to play games. Switching the light off and craning it back into its original position, she climbed back into bed and pulled the covers over herself, quickly falling into the comforting arms of Morpheus. The metal floor suddenly echoed out, some slow, steady footsteps making their way through the room. Ellis did not wake from her sleep, knowing that there was no danger. The intruder stepped up to her bed and looked down at her, leaving a non-existent shadow over her sleeping figure. Dark, crusted blood covered his hands and face, turning him into a ghastly spectacle. His ruined suit was riddled with stab wounds and soaked in blood that had long since dried itself into the fabric. Artificis crossed his arms and stared down at his adopted daughter, his scarred face blank. Without looking up or opening her eyes, Ellis chuckled, a sly smile creeping up onto her lips. “Are you proud of me now?” She asked the living nightmare.

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  The morning had broken through and Ghostflake and Miss Cantankerous arrived at Pulvis, prepared to attack. They ventured down into the earthen pit and through the corridor. Ted grabbed his coffee and took a sip, staring at the monitors. He suddenly spat out his drink and put the mug down, moved his head forward an inch, his eyes not believing what they were seeing. He caught another screen in his peripheral vision and then suddenly began to laugh, clapping to himself like a seal, greatly amused. Ghostflake opened up the door when instantly, there was a gunshot. Both assassins ducked back behind cover, pressing their backs to either side of the corridor, using what little space they had. The employees pointed their guns at the doorway, prepared to fire. Suddenly, there came a cold cackling. Ellis moved past her soldiers and looked at the doorway.

  “Did MI18 really only send two agents?” She asked them. “You may be some elitists or something, but you are clearly outnumbered. Let me give you some advice – go back to that secret organisation of yours and gather some agents to help you. Because trust me, if you want a war, then I shall bring you one, but don’t come unarmed. Even I need a challenge every now and then. Killing rookies has become far too tedious for me.” Ellis gestured with her hand and her employees lowered their guns. The door closed up and they could hear their footsteps growing fainter and fainter as they retreated. Ellis turned around. “We have to prepare our defences immediately.” She told them. “This will not be some small battle. MI18 is not going to back down that easily. We have to prepare for war.”

  The employees all dashed about, reinforcing doorways, fixing up traps. Others cleaned their guns and counted bullets. Ellis looked down at them all as they scrambled about and simply stared.