A high risk investment (IC; Offline)

[Lenciland]

Akio was having problems he had cut his subsidiaries down to size but the woman that came to speak to him had heard a few names of unheard of corporations that could cause problems if he didn't deal with it.
"Li get me a piece of paper I shall be sending a letter,"
She handedhim the paper

Dear Mr. Silver,
I have heard great things about you and I would like to speak with you personally please come to Tokyo and we shall discuss matters of payment and continous employment. If you were to arrive and find the jobs unsatisfactory I will pay you $100,000 for coming to speak with me. It would be a great honor to speak with you.

From Akio Samsung

[Esternial]

Upon letting Mike in, Alexandra went to sit on the arm of her couch. She then simply stared at him as he formulated his question and complimented her apartment. At that last bit, she simply smiled again.

"Thank you! I know it's not much, but I love it here." She said to him, and then shook her head before actually moving on to answer his question. "As for what you were talking about... Ah, something about Greek mythology, is it?" She said, feigning ignorance. She could have just said that she didn't hear what they were talking about, but frankly, that in itself was suspicious, and she doubted Mike would believe her, so instead she opted to say something that gave the impression that she had heard an insignificant part of the conversation, not enough to be dangerous or anything, even though she had actually heard a lot more.

"Oh...that's good." Mike replied somewhat hesitantly, his mind already trying to figure out his next sentence. While she had an innocent air around her, what was going on inside her head was a complete mystery - especially to Mike, which led him to trying to poke her again and see what happens.

"I've been made an offer and...I..." He stammered whilst blushing, "...was wondering if you'd like to come, too?"

Only after having uttered the words did he realize how direct that sounded, and Alexandra could easily misinterpret his request. Don't get me wrong, Mike would like to spend some more time with this woman - or actually any woman for that matter - but at the time that was the last thing on his mind, what with that stranger strolling around in his apartment. His eye twitched when he heard a distant crashing sound coming from the floor below, and for a moment Mike briefly forgot the awkward moment he had created for himself.

One of Silver's men walked into his office, a piece of paper clutched in his hand. He placed it on Silver's desk, then stepped off to the side, standing next to the cabinet of expensive and rare guns from around the world. Benjamin spoke into his phone.

"I'll have to call you back. Something just came up. But in short, no, I'm afraid I don't know what happened to your emissary. His helicopter never made it to my ship."

Done spinning a tale of woe and lies to Billiton-Woolworths, Silver picked up the piece of paper and scanned it, picking out key words and mentally calculating how much something like this could be worth.

Dear Mister Silver

This note is from a powerful but as of yet little known corporation. We want you to do business with us. You are the best and what you do, and we only hire the best. Come to Mexico City. We will contact you there. For your troubles, fifty thousand dollars have been wired to your account.

Think on it.

Benjamin placed the letter to the side, and tapped rapidly on the computer built into his desk. He accessed one of his international accounts, the same as before. He accessed a second, still no change. The third account he opened however, showed a recent deposit of fifty thousand dollars. He nodded slowly to himself, before looking out the bulletproof glass that was his window. The coast of Mexico was passing by. He pressed a button for the intercom, which connected him to the bridge.

"Bridge, bring us into port, and fuel up our new helicopter. I assume it has been resprayed with the company logo?"
"Of course sir. The pilot is heading there already."

Silver stood, and waved his two bodyguards forward with him. He looked at the man who had brought him the note.

"Tell the men we have received an anonymous contract. I'm going to Mexico city, I'll be staying at my usual hotel. If you haven't heard from me, and me alone, in three hours, call in the cavalry."

The Mercenary nodded and saluted, racing to the crew's common quarters. Silver's two men followed him to the Helicopter. One was the best shot in the crew, the other was the resident hand to hand combat expert, an Israeli who was a master of twelve different martial arts, including Muy Tai and Krav Maga. They entered the Helicopter, which lifted off as soon as the doors had closed, the Silver Eagle on the side of the helicopter leaving no doubt that this was official property of the most vaunted Mercenary company in the world.

Half an hour later the Helicopter touched down on top of the Ritz Carlton of Mexico City, and Silver was almost immediately set up in a suite, along with his two men and helicopter pilots. There he waited.

Once the mercenaries were settled in, a discreet knock on their door followed. When they opened they found one of the hotel's employees with a cellphone lying on a silver platter, which began to ring only a few moments later. The employee pressed a button on the phone and set it on speaker.

"Mr. Silver, I have a mission which - should you choose to accept it - would no doubt result in more than just monetary gain." A voice on the other side of the line said, taking a brief pause before continuing.

"Mind you, you will be more than properly compensated."

The man waited for a response.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

When Mike spoke to her, stammering and blushing, Alexandra couldn't help but feel a bit of pity and a bit of attraction towards him. "How cute." She thought aloud, although when she noticed that she had said that out loud, she blushed as well. "I, umm, nevermind." She stated. Now she felt a bit like Mike felt, which was useful to give her some perspective, though frankly, that wasn't what she was thinking about at the moment.

Fortunately, Alexandra could calm herself much better than Mike apparently could, so after a few moments she was no longer blushing. "Anyways," She said, trying to give that past bit little importance. She then stood up and walked a little closer to Mike, her hands put behind her. "An offer? What kind of offer? Was that other person a business acquaintance?" She asked, hoping she wasn't flooding him with questions.

Hearing the faint sound of something breaking yet again, though, she tossed in another. "And good god, what is going on down there?"

[Len Hyet]

Silver considered the phone, then nodded slowly to himself. One of his men went over to the phone, took it off speaker, and handed it to Silver, before moving off to the side and pouring drinks. One for Mister Silver, but none for the two bodyguards. They didn't drink while working.

"First" Silver spoke calmly into the phone.

"Let us discuss the job in question. I'm now going to tell you the same thing I tell every new customer. We don't smuggle drugs, and we don't escort drug caravans. We don't traffic humans, and we don't sell them either. My men and I have a very specific skill set, which we apply to very specialized jobs, for very large sums of money. When we are asked to do something out of the norm, our rates go up. When we are asked to do an operation on US or European Soil, our rates go up. This is not an attempt at extortion, this is protection for my men and I. Our fees are paid one third before the job is done, and two thirds after completion. Non negotiable."

He sat back and sipped his Brandy.

"Now, what is your offer for me."

[Esternial]

When Mike spoke to her, stammering and blushing, Alexandra couldn't help but feel a bit of pity and a bit of attraction towards him. "How cute." She thought aloud, although when she noticed that she had said that out loud, she blushed as well. "I, umm, nevermind." She stated. Now she felt a bit like Mike felt, which was useful to give her some perspective, though frankly, that wasn't what she was thinking about at the moment.

Fortunately, Alexandra could calm herself much better than Mike apparently could, so after a few moments she was no longer blushing. "Anyways," She said, trying to give that past bit little importance. She then stood up and walked a little closer to Mike, her hands put behind her. "An offer? What kind of offer? Was that other person a business acquaintance?" She asked, hoping she wasn't flooding him with questions.

Hearing the faint sound of something breaking yet again, though, she tossed in another. "And good god, what is going on down there?"

"Don't ask" Mike replied at her last question, a painful look on his face as his mind began to consider what D could possibly do in his apartment. What was even worse was that it was probably even true.

"He asked me to come to his company's office and give me a briefing. They want to fight corruption or something..."

Mike was being shady on the details, but that was because D hadn't told him much either. He was about to, but then Alexandra popped in and their conversation met an abrupt end.

"Look...he gave me this to give to you." Mike continued, grabbing a cellphone from his pocket. It wasn't a cellphone, though. It was a small tablet that was completely identical to a smartphone minus the ability to call someone with it, thus rendering it utterly useless; but for some reason people still bought it. On it was a single application, which functioned much like the much larger tablet that was in Zachiel's possession.

Wonder how he's doing?

Ahem. Anyway, if opened, it would require the user to place his or her thumb onto the screen, allowing it to register the user in a database and produce the required tickets for transportation to the company office. The device itself could store the ticket electronically, removing the need to print it out.

Excusing himself to save whatever was left unbroken in his apartment, Mike quickly left Alexandra's, briefly looking back before closing the door behind him and dashing downstairs. When he opened his own door he felt his heart stop for a brief moment, staring at a suited man with a brush in his hand and a pile of shards on the floor. A tear rolled down Mike's eye.

"Fuck you."

Then he took D's tablet that he left on his kitchen table, placed his hand on the screen and let the device do the rest. D smirked. He's an asshole, get used to it.

---

Silver considered the phone, then nodded slowly to himself. One of his men went over to the phone, took it off speaker, and handed it to Silver, before moving off to the side and pouring drinks. One for Mister Silver, but none for the two bodyguards. They didn't drink while working.

"First" Silver spoke calmly into the phone.

"Let us discuss the job in question. I'm now going to tell you the same thing I tell every new customer. We don't smuggle drugs, and we don't escort drug caravans. We don't traffic humans, and we don't sell them either. My men and I have a very specific skill set, which we apply to very specialized jobs, for very large sums of money. When we are asked to do something out of the norm, our rates go up. When we are asked to do an operation on US or European Soil, our rates go up. This is not an attempt at extortion, this is protection for my men and I. Our fees are paid one third before the job is done, and two thirds after completion. Non negotiable."

He sat back and sipped his Brandy.

"Now, what is your offer for me."

There was silence, which seemed to take longer than expected.

"Alright," The voice finally replied, "we agree to your requirements. All specifics will be discussed at our company office, which is also in Mexico City. It will be a brief trip for you, but we'd like to wait for our other applicants to arrive before we commence the briefing. It involves a series of operations which you can drop out off at any moment, provided you will hold all knowledge of them for yourselves and maintain a full confidentiality. You will be provided with new technology that may benefit you during your other missions in the future, some of which you are free to keep after completing the operations.

[Len Hyet]

Silver mentally shrugged and spoke into the phone.

"Agreed. Since you obviously know how to reach me, I'll wait to be contacted. Good day, and good hunting." Benjamin shut off the phone and handed it to the hotel employee, who took it and left the room. Silver snapped his fingers. One of the men held up a small mobile device, which had been pointed at the phone for the entire conversation.

"Caller is in Mexico City boss. About four blocks from here, an office building."

"Good. Call the boys, tell them the deal is go, and to stand down from ready."

The bodyguard flipped open a burn phone, made the call, and then took out and snapped in half the SIM card, before taking out the battery, snapping the phone itself in half, and placing it in the pocket of his suit.

[SSTxReaper]

Marco arrived at his house and proceeded to look over the tablet. He cracked his fingers and turned on the tablet. When the screen turned on it had a lock symbol to it. "Shit.... Well I guess I'll need to work on it..." Marco pressed the lock screen and a circle appear. On the bottom were small words that said place hand here. He put his hand there and an error message followed by a beep came out. Marco sigh and began to look up on his computer ways to unlock the tablet.

Spending at least 2 hours researching and messing with the tablet Marco had managed to unlock it. He placed his hand again on the circle and a green message appeared follow by his IDD being registered to the tablet. "Oh..." Marco said while he watched the tablet do its thing. Only when it was done Marco notice that it had arranged online tickets to a Mexico City.

"Mexico City? Wonder what there?" he said in astonishment.

[Legital]

The elevator ride up to the thirty-second floor was slower than one would think for a building and corporation of this statue. More electric music played on the radio on the ceiling, and Carl found it odd yet oddly fitting. The music had a sort of thrilling current to it, and he could not help but enjoy it. However, the elevator soon chimed and he was on the correct floor, and reaching into his black coat, he pulled out his handgun.
He strode out of the elevator, weapon lowered in a one hand grip, and took a look around. The main office floor was empty, as only the spare lights were on, which made the room rather dim but still visible enough. At the far end of the long room, he saw his targets office, which was lit up well. He could even see the mans darkened figure at the distance, looking over something. A holoscreen was also playing on the wall behind him in his office, so the man no doubt was not thinking of having any visitors.
Carl walked down the rows of cubicles in a somewhat casual stride. He was not cocky, but he knew what he was doing. And he enjoyed it too. Hell, it was almost amusing. Perhaps he should have some fun with this.

As he neared the end of the cubicles he came across a desk that happened to have a champagne bottle on it, with a little ribbon. No doubt a corporate gift for a hard worker, or a reward for good service, or a 'long service' gift. Carl stopped by it and picked up the bottle, glancing at it. "Sparkling Champagne." He said to himself with an exaggerated French accent. "Never really liked it." He added before dropping the bottle to the tiled floor. It broke, naturally, and made a rather loud crashing sound. The figure in the office stirred, and Carl moved over to the side of the office room, leaning against the wall, one hand in his pocket, the other gripping the gun.
The door to the office opened, and out came Phillips Chevrolet. The man was young, younger than Carl it seemed, and he had one of those snotty, high-ass noble faces with that sneering look. Carl already hated the man. And in the dim light, and the angle Carl was, Philips walked right past him and towards the broken bottle on the floor. The mans hands clenched as if he was going to have a fit. "Alright!" He yelled into the office, raising an accusing finger. "Whose the bastard playing tricks here? That bottle was an expensive gift!" He said, still yelling. Carl quietly snickered. Philips heard him, but did not know where the sound came from. "I heard that! Whoever you are your career is over! You hear me, over!" The man was obviously very angry. It only made it all the more amusing. However, all good things must come to an end.

Leaning forward and taking a few steps forward behind Philips, the man turned around just in time to have the gun placed nicely on his forehead and a sneering look on Carls face. Philips noticeably paled, and his eyes widened. He raised his hands into the air as if to surrender. "W-who are you?" He stammered. "Whatever their paying you, I'll give you double. No, triple!" He said, voice in an elevated pitch. Carl feigned the look of excitement on his face, and lowered the gun ever so slightly, "Really?" Carl said, and Philips quickly nodded. Then, Carls face went back to the leering snarl, and he lowered the gun and shot Philips in the knee. The shot was loud in the office.
"Thats for being stupid." Carl said, squatting down next to the bleeding and whimpering man. "You really don't know who I am, do you? I'll give you a hint. I'm not some corporate thug-ass lackey, and I work for the government organization that has a three letter abbreviation. It ain't the FDA either." Philips looked up at Carl with even wider eyes. "F-FBI? Oh...god...." Carl nodded. "So you know what the means then?" The man simply whimpered again. Then, suddenly, Carl head a ding at the other end of the office, and he quickly glanced up to see four men with guns enter the room, weapons raised.
"Shit." Carl said simply, before point his gun at Philips' head. "You've just gone and caused me some trouble now." He said as he shot the man, which instantly alerted the four men. Carl quickly stood, took aim, and fired at the first two men coming down the cubicle row.

The first one was hit twice in the chest, and the man fell down with his assault rifle clattering to the floor, dead. The second one took a shot to the arm, and one into his bullet proof vest. He fell behind a cubicle crying out in pain. The other two men, however, brought both their rifles up, and began to unload on where Carl just was, and he was now crouch walking quickly down one of the horizontal rows away from the carnage. The firing then stopped, and Carl heard footsteps hasten. Carl glanced across the isle, and jumped to the next horizontal row just as more gun fire ripped apart the wood and fabric covering. There were two distinct clicks, and Carl smiled. Fools.
He stood up quickly and aimed at the men, firing three shots at the first one, hitting the man in the head, and the other one twice in the chest. But just as the second one went down, the previous man who was hit in the arm earlier stood up with a pistol and fired off at Carl, who quickly ducked as he was nearly hit.
The elevator down at the end chimed again, and he heard shouting. Apparently, back up arrived. That was not good.

The rain outside began to pick up again, and it drummed hard against the window. Carl spared a glance outside, and saw that the building next to him was actually rather close. Then he frowned. No way am I jumping out of the window and attempt to land on that roof next- Several guns opened fire on his position, and Carl ducked down as far as he could. He cursed himself, and looked at the window. Pointing the handgun at the window and firing, Carl jumped up and sprinted the few feet he had out of the window. He was immediately in mid air and in the rain, and it hit his face hard. Gunfire was pouring out after him as he was in mid leap, just above the roof of the next building. Then, the realization that he was going to hit the roof very hard hit him. "Holy mother of-" Was all he was able to say as he put his arm up as he crashed into the roof. Pain shot up his left arm, and he rolled over on the wet roof now completely soaked. He looked up at the window behind him to see three men aim at him, and he quickly rolled over out of their aim behind the door to the rood. Bullets pinged around him.
"Damn...." He muttered as he shakily stood, his arm hurting much. He turned and shook the door knob, which was locked. Of course. He thought as he fired off the last three shots in his gun at the door knob, which broke. He kicked in the door, which caused pain to shoot up his leg. He grimaced; apparently he hurt his leg badly too.

Carl reload his gun clumsily as he stumbled down the stairs quickly, trying to get out of the building.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Alexandra took the tiny tablet from Mike's hands and then heard as he quickly excused himself. "I wouldn't mind if you drop by later." She said to him with a wink before he left and went back downstairs to confront D.

Once he was gone, she lay on her back, resting on her couch, and looked curiously at the small tablet, toying around with it for a while before finally deciding to turn it on. Once it was activated, Alexandra only saw one application, so, without really trying to snoop around to see if the others were hidden or anything, she accessed the application. It appeared that there was a small circle on the screen, and a small instruction as well, so, curiosity taking over, she pressed her thumb against the circle, and apparently, it registered something about her IDD. What intrigued her more, though, was the fact that the application informed her that it had succesfully produced a ticket to fly to Mexico City.

"How odd..." She thought to herself. "Mexico City? I wonder what's over there?" She continued, hypotheses running through her mind. "Maybe this is just a really fancy and overly elaborate way of asking me out?" She finally though, and a smile graced her face as she considered that possibility.

"...Nah..."

[Esternial]

"This is odd..."

Inspecting a list of names, the senior board member of Eris International raised his eyebrow as he saw several unfamiliar names.

"Alexandra Target and Marco Dell?" He said to himself, trying to figure out who they were. Their personal information wasn't very impressive, with no notable skills to make the eligible candidates for the programme. But how did they acquire one of their tablets? Maybe a headhunter screwed up, or maybe there's something more going on.

Leaning back on his chair, he reached for a cigar and shoved it between his lips. His eyes fixed on the holographic screen, he grabbed his lighter and ignited the flame, lighting up his features like a candle. The flame danced and made his smirk turn into a sinister smile on his gleaming face.

"This is going to be interesting, indeed. Hopefully they'll get here..."

"...soon, because if we don't leave now we may be late for the party." D told Mike as he took the tablet from the young programmer's hands and safely returned it to his briefcase. Mike nodded, took one last look at his apartment and closed the door behind him. He wondered if Alexandra would come too, but D wasn't keen on checking up on her.

"You go on ahead," Mike replied, "I'll tag along with Alexandra"

D shrugged and left. Mike kinda felt sad he didn't say anything, but felt kind of better when he realize he could go back upstairs. Taking a look at his smartphone, he noticed that D had transferred his ticket, and shrugged before knocking on Alexandra's door for the second time this day. This was more social contact he was used to.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

While the small conversation ended downstairs, upstairs, Alexandra was, once again, lost in her thoughts. When she heard the knock on her apartment's door, however, the redhead nimbly jumped off of the couch, landing on her feet and giving herself a small clap. She then simply walked over to the door, taking a moment to briefly look at who was knocking through her door's spyhole, before opening it and letting Mike in.

"Hey there. Missed me, did you?" She said, smiling confidently as she looked at her neighbor. He was probably here to take her to Mexico City, and she knew that, but there was no harm in teasing him a little, was there?

[Esternial]

While the small conversation ended downstairs, upstairs, Alexandra was, once again, lost in her thoughts. When she heard the knock on her apartment's door, however, the redhead nimbly jumped off of the couch, landing on her feet and giving herself a small clap. She then simply walked over to the door, taking a moment to briefly look at who was knocking through her door's spyhole, before opening it and letting Mike in.

"Hey there. Missed me, did you?" She said, smiling confidently as she looked at her neighbor. He was probably here to take her to Mexico City, and she knew that, but there was no harm in teasing him a little, was there?

"Wha-" Mike stammered, blushing profusely. Alexandra had a way with words, that she did - or perhaps it was her sex appeal that made his heart beat faster. It was likely a combination of the two, plus Mike was a socially deprived programmer, which also played a significant role.

Clearing his throat and mind, Mike confirmed Alexandra's thoughts.

"I'd like you to come to Mexico City with me."

[Len Hyet]

Silver strode out of the hotel in a business like manner, his two bodyguards following close behind. Above them the sky was clear, and indeed shone a rather beautiful shade of blue, the same color as a pale Sapphire. He and his two men turned the corner, and walked several more blocks, stopping only once for Silver to buy a cup of superb local coffee, where the coffee grind had been mixed with ground cinnamon and a dash of coco powder. He got a bag of the grind every time he visited Mexico, because the stuff was just so damn good.

The trio made it to the assigned building, and entered the lobby. Silver walked up to the Secretary.

"My name is Mister Silver, I believe I have an appointment?"

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Seeing Mike's reaction to her words, Alexandra muffled a giggle with her hand and then simply stood there, waiting for Mike to explain why he had come back here. When her neighbor confirmed that he was here to take her to Mexico City, Alexandra smiled again.

"Ah, so that's where you're taking me. I guess I'll just have to trust your knowledge of romance." She said to him with a wink, and then gracefully walked towards the door, though, when she was about to walk past him, she turned to face him, smiling at him in a much different way. "Although..." She said mysteriously, moving her eyes to the side for just a moment and putting her index finger against Mike's lips. "Maybe you wouldn't mind a small delay?" She said enticingly.

"But!" She said afterwards, backing away from Mike and smiling normally again. "That probably wouldn't be convenient. So, let's go!" She said, poking his nose with her index finger and then heading out of the apartment.

[Esternial]

Silver strode out of the hotel in a business like manner, his two bodyguards following close behind. Above them the sky was clear, and indeed shone a rather beautiful shade of blue, the same color as a pale Sapphire. He and his two men turned the corner, and walked several more blocks, stopping only once for Silver to buy a cup of superb local coffee, where the coffee grind had been mixed with ground cinnamon and a dash of coco powder. He got a bag of the grind every time he visited Mexico, because the stuff was just so damn good.

The trio made it to the assigned building, and entered the lobby. Silver walked up to the Secretary.

"My name is Mister Silver, I believe I have an appointment?"

The secretary seemed to fit the stereotype. Librarian's glasses, a knot that pulled her grey hair back with a few dead strands sticking out and a bored face that spelled menopause all over it.

"Mister Silver." She repeated out loud, her eyes not even dignifying the man with as much as a bitter look as she went through a list of names. When she confirmed his name on the list, she opened his with two brief clicks and studied the info. Since Silver was being recruited through official channels, he hadn't had his IDD registered in the database yet; this meant that the secretary had to provide him with a tablet first, which she did moments later.

"You'll have to check in first. Place your hand on the screen." She spoke with a tone drenched in an authority similar to that of an up-tight high school principal. The tablet was just like the others, with a single app. The sour woman opened it and placed the tablet in front of Mr. Silver.

Seeing Mike's reaction to her words, Alexandra muffled a giggle with her hand and then simply stood there, waiting for Mike to explain why he had come back here. When her neighbor confirmed that he was here to take her to Mexico City, Alexandra smiled again.

"Ah, so that's where you're taking me. I guess I'll just have to trust your knowledge of romance." She said to him with a wink, and then gracefully walked towards the door, though, when she was about to walk past him, she turned to face him, smiling at him in a much different way. "Although..." She said mysteriously, moving her eyes to the side for just a moment and putting her index finger against Mike's lips. "Maybe you wouldn't mind a small delay?" She said enticingly.

"But!" She said afterwards, backing away from Mike and smiling normally again. "That probably wouldn't be convenient. So, let's go!" She said, poking his nose with her index finger and then heading out of the apartment.

The woman was teasing him, curse her attractive face and sexual innuendos! Fantasies were coursing through Mike's brain and apparently also his loins, but were quickly tempered when Alexandra uttered her last sentence, which to Mike felt as if he drove his car against a concrete wall. With a disappointed look plastered across his face, he followed the ever-cheerful young lady as they made their way downstairs, wondering if D was waiting for him.

Which he wasn't.

[Len Hyet]

Silver cocked an eyebrow. One of his men stepped up next to him and handed Silver a latex glove, which he put on with an artful gesture. The bodyguard stepped back, and Silver placed his hand on the screen. The glove in question had engineered fingerprints, and a copious amount of Silver's DNA. That way, if the idea was to give Silver access to the building, the glove would give them fingerprints Silver could use, but couldn't be used against him, or if it wanted DNA, it got it, but couldn't steal fingerprints.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Alexandra continued heading downstairs and then out of the apartment complex, wondering what effect her teasing had caused on Mike, though she didn't really look back to see him, just for the sake of keeping up the act a bit more.

When she was finally outside, she lookd back at Mike, noticing that he seemed to be looking around for someone. Walking up to him, she addressed him again.

"Waiting for someone other than myself, Mike? I expect you to at leask ask for my permission!" She said in an obviously false irritated tone just to tease him a little more, and then intertwined her arm with his. "But nevermind that, we should probably get to the airport, no? We don't want to get late to our flight, do we?" She asked, smiling at him. "So, lead the way!"

[Esternial]

Alexandra continued heading downstairs and then out of the apartment complex, wondering what effect her teasing had caused on Mike, though she didn't really look back to see him, just for the sake of keeping up the act a bit more.

When she was finally outside, she lookd back at Mike, noticing that he seemed to be looking around for someone. Walking up to him, she addressed him again.

"Waiting for someone other than myself, Mike? I expect you to at leask ask for my permission!" She said in an obviously false irritated tone just to tease him a little more, and then intertwined her arm with his. "But nevermind that, we should probably get to the airport, no? We don't want to get late to our flight, do we?" She asked, smiling at him. "So, lead the way!"

Mike felt too startled to answer the question, so he was relieved when Alexandra excused him from having to respond to that. Considering the airport was quite the distance, he'd probably need a...

"Taxi!"

The stereotypical yellow car drove up next to them, not having changed much despite years of technological progress and corporate pressure to increase a company's performance. The interior had improved, though. What was once occasionally a stained back seat was now a properly maintained leather-coated sea of comfort that were designed to make any type or size of buttcheeks melt like butter.

I'm just reciting the ad, but the truth wasn't that far off. The drivers were all nicely groomed and polite, because driving a taxi now paid much better through the well-oiled corporate machine that links everything together like a very complex Knex construct.

"The airport, please." Mike said after casting a look back at Alexandra, accompanied with a faint smile. Once both companions were settled in the vehicle, the taxi drove off.

"I'm glad we finally got properly acquainted" He said with a faint tremble to his voice. The taxi driver didn't listen, there was a sound-proof screen between them, curtsey of some company I'm too tired to name. Some people argued that it was kind of dangerous, but most people didn't care and told the others to piss off and drive their bicycles.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Alexandra saw how terrified Mike seemed to be after her question, and though in part she felt bad for it she had to fight to repress a giggle that was trying to get out.

When the taxi drove over next to them, Alexandra observed it for a moment. In her mind it was a bit of a luxury, since, both for convenience and preference, she was used to just walk everywhere or, in the worst cases, use public transport. She could probably afford one every now and then, but she didn't just to save up for more important stuff, like books or a good pizza on the Friday of a long week.

When Mike cast a look back at her, smiling at her, Alexandra smiled back. Though it was very hard to notice due to her currently conveniently positioned red hair, she was blushing a little. That was pretty much the very first time he smiled at her, and she did find him somewhat attractive, after all.

When Mike told the driver they were heading to the airport and then got into the car, Alexandra followed suite.

"Ahh..." Was the only sound that came from her as she sat down in the car's back seat, clearly satisfied with how comfortable it was. She briefly wondered if she could somehow get a couch made of that stuff, but quickly dismissed the thought. It'd likely be expensive if it was even possible, and her old one was just fine. She'd grown attached to it, too.

Hearing Mike addressing her, Alexandra turned to him, and gave him a reassuring smile to try to get him to relax, because she could hear the tremble in his voice. "Me too." She responded. "Although, you know, gentlemen usually hold the door for ladies. But that doesn't matter." She said afterwards, still smiling, and yawned after that.

"Sorry... I haven't slept much lately." She said, as if apologizing. She had spent most nights reading as of late.

[Legital]

Carl had, more or less, seen better days. His left arm was more than likely broken, and his left leg hurt much as well. He was also soaking wet. He enjoyed the rain, sipping a coffee and peering outside, but not when he falls onto a roof and gets splashed all over in water. There was a fine line there. One was entertainment, the other a rare nuisance. However, his mind was mostly worried about the mercenaries after him. He was now in an older apartment building, and from growing up in areas like this, he knew that there were often many tricks and turns he could lose himself in, which he did just that.

One door led to an adjacent apartment building, which was also old and somewhat depressing. No doubt it was built decades ago, with little traffic going through their halls. But he paid not attention to much as he clambered down hallways and occasional turns until he came to a stairwell that led outside. If he remembered the way he was moving correctly, this should lead him outside on the opposite side of the Chevrolet office. If so, there were a good amount of shops out there too he could get lost in.

It really was not long before Carl was out on the rainy streets again, clutching his arm lightly and moving through the not so crowded streets. More holo ads and neon lights lit up the scene, some rather creative, others putting the point simply across.
One particular store he came to, had a simple holo sign depicting suits and men's formal and casual wear. Miraculously, the place was still open. So, without waiting in the rain much longer, Carl clambered through the door.

The interior was nothing fancy, but there was a wide arrangement of suits and wear for men. He spotted an advertisement for golfing clothes, which reminded him how much he hated golf. But Carl had a trained eye for many things, so it did not take long to pick out a nice tan greatcoat, pair of black pants and some socks. His white button shirt was not very wet, nor his undershirt. So he did not need much.
He presented his items to the clerk at the desk, who he swore was sleeping when he entered. But hey, he'd be sleeping too.
The clerk mechanically told him his bill, and Carl waved his IDD over to pay for it. The clerk mumbled something about a good afternoon, which Carl chuckled at.
He made his way over to the dressing rooms, which appeared to be converted bathroom stalls, and Carl slipped off his clothes in exchange for the new ones. He was simply happy not to be soaked in rain. However, he realized it was still raining outside when he reached the door with his new clothes. He thought for a moment before glancing to his right and spotting an umbrella on a rack. Peeking at the now sleeping clerk, Carl grabbed the Umbrella, and then noticed a fedora cap. I really should not be doing this.... He thought, and decided to leave the hat, but take the umbrella.

"Damn piece of....there we go!" Carl said as he tried to fumble with the umbrella to get it open. Which, once it was, provided nice protection against the rain. And better yet, no sing of the mercenaries. Carl simply set off on the long way around back to where his car was....

....the area Carl found himself in could only be explained as the bad part of town. Old factories, dim lights, empty rain soaked lots, all of it. No cars drove here, and he had spotted no people either. It was all rather eerie. He had passed several street turns that led to decrepit looking warehouses. One street he passed, there was a man standing out in the middle of the rain, gripping something from the looks of it. The man let out a yell, and sank to his knees. Carl figured the loony bin was around here somewhere, so he simply turned his head and carried on with a quicker step down the side walk, towards a well lit gas station.

The gas station may have been well lit, but it was mostly deserted, which again added to the eerie air of the entire section of the city he was in. Carl thought back and forth for a moment, decided to go in and get something, but something cut through his thoughts like a hot knife through butter. Not a few feet away from him, a pay phone was ringing. Carl felt the hairs on the back of his neck stick up. How...odd.... He thought. People don't just call payphones, nor do they get wrong numbers often. All he could think of was that the payphone was possessed by an evil spirit of the night, or someone was watching him. He did not know which one was better.
So, he did the logical thing. Answer the phone.
Taking a few steps towards it, he shifted his hurt arm to hold the umbrella loosely, which his good arm held the phone. He picked it up, and put it to his face.

"Hello?" He managed after clearing his voice.