Marie-Ange on a job for the Guild

[x-tarot.livejournal.com]

While on a job for the Assassin's Guild, Marie-Ange speaks to Daniel Boudreaux about Shirow Ishihara and questions why Belladonna might be looking into the man's medical records. She does not get answers - yet.



The summer weather in Seattle was cool and cloudy, and a welcome difference from the hot and steamy New Orleans weather. Like nearly every other young professional looking woman in the city, Marie-Ange was seated in a coffee shop with a laptop, a bluetooth hands-free phone in her ear, and a steaming mug of coffee in her hands.

The laptop, had anyone been interested enough to look, showed a spreadsheet, rows and rows of numbers, all very long and all very boring. The important program ran in the background, a white noise generator that ensured that anyone listening in wouldn't be able to make out anything said. The mug hid her mouth from anyone who happened to be skilled enough in lip-reading to interpret her without sound. The coffee was nothing much to speak of.

"No, he is not suspicious. He is just running late." Behind the laptop, she cut a deck of tarot cards, glancing at the top card before sliding it back into the deck and cutting again. Judgement, like it had been the last four times she had cut the deck.

"There are two teams out there waiting." Daniel's voice was impatient, although she couldn't tell whether or not that was real or faked. Daniel Boudreaux had confirmed a number of her suspecions; he was a cruel and often monstrous man, brutal in his appitites and vicious in protecting his territory. But he'd surprised her with how effective a leader he was in his Guild, and while his rule over the Assassins was harsh, it was never capricious. He honoured his word and the arcane rules of the Guild. He wouldn't hestitate to kill her if it was in the Assassin's best interest, but he wouldn't break his word to do so. It was not entirely comforting.

"Remember, Colbert, this contract is about delivering a message. They want him dead in an obvious fashion, but no collateral damage what so ever." Daniel was watching over a satellite feed, safely esconced in the Guild mansion in New Orleans.

"You have told me that twice now. I do not forget things when I am told them." Even if Marie-Ange was that unprofessional, she wouldn't have dared be that lazy or forgetful around Daniel. "It is just a slight adjustment in schedule. Those teams should learn to be more patient."

She sat patiently, drinking her coffee for several more minutes, almost enjoying the silence from the two teams. Had it been her team, there would have been chatter. Updates from Doug or Amanda, Jubilee's idle talk, colorful swearing from someone - anyone on her team, until they were ready. Here it was absolute silence unless it was necessary to speak. It would've been nice, if it hadn't been unnerving.

The man she had been watching finally finished his 'coffee meeting', which in reality was nothing of the sort, and got up. He folded his paper, slid it across the table to his 'business partner' and headed out of the coffee shop with the stride of a overworked executive late for a meeting.

"Patience is one thing. Chances of exposure are another." Daniel needled her, but went silent. He had assigned Marie-Ange to this job as a coordinator; a person who worked with the team commander in order to make sure orders went out and provide logistical support. It was a perfect chance to see her skills in the field without risking anything. He'd considered, momentarily, putting her in the operational profile as one of the wetworkers, but decided against it. There was time to test that later.

Marie-Ange slipped her laptop into her shoulder bag, and exited the store, crossing the street to follow the man in the suit carefully. "He is moving. Walking west on King Street towards the bus station, and should be in sight in half a minute or so. Martine, your team will be in range first, but please wait until he is clear of the sidewalk."

"Oui" The reply was almost militarily crisp. The Assassins trained their own, but didn't miss sending men to enlist to pick up special skills. They had a long time series of bribed officials and officers in the bases in their home state, and the slightly older than average recruits were always highly motivated and 'naturals' in certain fields. Two or three years of Special Forces or Ranger training paid off handsomely with their team operatives.

The Assassins - the ones Marie-Ange knew about anyway - didn't even make so much as a ripple in the foot traffic on the sidewalk as they peeled away from the things they were doing and followed the target into the office building he entered. If Marie-Ange hadn't known them, she wouldn't have even noticed. Half the team wasn't even there to make the kill - just to provide even more cover. Even in the highly unlikely event of an investigation, it just simply would not be 'the deliveryman' or 'the young woman coming in for a job interview'. Safety in numbers.

Her own entrance was just as smooth, and as unremarkable. It did not hurt at all that the building's receptionist barely looked up from her Facebook page to see who was 'signing' the visitor log and walking to the elevator.

"When Gambit told me that almost all of these types of jobs were very boring, I did not expect it to extend quite this far." It wasn't that she was bored. It was that Marie-Ange had grown accustomed to a certain amount of drama, and five minute elevator rides were not part of that. "But it gives me time to follow my own pursuits, no?" She waited for the neutral noise from Daniel that meant that he was listening, even if he did not precisely care, and continued. "I am wondering, did you know that your sister is still paying several doctors to send her any medical information on several of your members, and a few of the other Guilds too?"

"It doesn't surprise me. I know about one or two already, oui. She is cunning, and with those salope in the Hellfire Club aiding her, she has resources. But she is not the only one that my father trained." Daniel said, his voice heavy with menace that any conversation about Belladonna invoked. "We checked a few leads, and it's not just limited to Guildmasters, like you thought, but also their family. Both personal and immediate members."

"Shirow Ishihara. His regular doctor has been receiving payments to send his medical information to your sister. Not only him, no, but only he and one or two others. I believe she is focusing her attention on him, and I am having little luck... oh, pardon me."

The elevator stopped, the doors opened, and Marie-Ange navigated past the reception desk, where the 'temp' - in reality the daughter of one of the Guild members, waved her on. She picked through the maze of cubicles, and past them to an empty office. "I do not suppose you wish video of this?" She said dryly, as a body came flashing past the window. "No? I can confirm the job was done as requested by the client."

"One of the squad will do that. Now," Daniel tapped a couple of buttons on his laptop. "get the team out of there and on the charter back to New Orleans. Payment will be waiting at the airport. How does it feel to end a life for money?"

Marie-Ange's response was delayed as she listened to the various team members check in and report that they were leaving the building, or the area. "I do not understand the question." she finally responded. "Is it supposed to feel differently than ending a life for other reasons? A life is a life."

"Some people feel guilt, that you can put a price on life." Daniel's barb was skillfully aimed. Even with their training and traditions, the Assassins' Guild's biggest challenge was getting controled people willing to kill others for pay. "Glad to see that doesn't bother you. Get our people home. We'll speak after you get back."

Of course they would. Marie-Ange didn't intend to let the questions about Shirow Ishihara go unanswered. "I will check in again from the airport." First she had to make a few phone calls to a bank about opening an overseas account. It was prudent to sow a few seeds that might bear fruit later.