Sonera had no response, not even with her face. She was simmering with rage. The operation in its entirety was a last-minute fluke, an emergency response to a mission gone wrong. Originally, her team had stolen an index containing sensitive information on Tesselation from their Martian facility, but after a sudden communication outage, the asset was gone.
Due to such an unexpected failure, Sonera was forced to enter the Al-Zein's family manor to retrieve the artifact and, with the help of her backup, kill the head of the family.
But Sonera didn't care about warlords and Algernon's business. She felt betrayed. She wanted blood.
The location was a full-court house decorated with a homely cobblestone, nestled gently on a terraformed hilltop with green palm trees and calm skies far away from the orange Martian wastes. It was the perfect avenue for Sonera's disguise, due to its frequent trafficking. And whether the denizens of the manor liked it or not, Sonera was deemed by many to be worth her price.
"Mm," Sonera muttered as she became increasingly impatient.
It wasn't getting any easier for the assassin to contain her rage, not after she was approached by a petite maid on her way towards the family's head. The young girl matched Sonera perfectly in stature, and due to her elegant features, her attitude was easily discerned. She wore a tight black skirt with a short-sleeved apron, alongside a golden necklace that shone almost as brightly as Sonera's.
She was probably another comfort girl, only trained in service rather than dance.
"Allow me to show you the way." The maid held a platter in one hand, while grabbing Sonera's arm with the other.
The tight grasp told Sonera all she needed to know. Her kind wasn't welcome there. If the servants of the manor were free to speak, they likely would have called Sonera something crude, particularly in reference to her looks.
"We'll have to get you a change of clothes." The young maid continued, brushing aside her black hair. "What you have is...expected."
On a better day, Sonera would have wanted nothing more than to split the girl's pretty skull open with the heel of her shoe. But she was still utterly distracted. All Sonera could do was stare down at the maid's tight white stockings and think to herself how easily they would fit on her.
"That bitch is jealous." Four laughed. "Who wants to bet she tries to spice Sonera's drink?"
"Ooh, four quid she does." Two chimed in, his younger voice causing Sonera to smile, if only briefly.
She always liked her brothers.
"I'll match that," Four retorted with a snort. "But if she tries to assault Sonera first, I get five."
Two replied with an agitated tone. "Well, hold on now, that's vague."
"You'll see what I mean. Sonera has a certain way of...spreading her crazy around."
Ignoring the chatter, Sonera followed the maid closely up a set of carpeted velvet stairs, her skin almost bleeding against her captor's nails.
"Here." The maid sneered, flicking Sonera's nape. "Don't get any funny ideas."
Sonera turned to give the girl a malicious glare, only to have a door slammed in her face. She had reached the second floor, a parlor of sorts decorated with old Earthling relics. Inside were only two gaurds and one command table, where the head of the family sat patiently.
"Five will like this." Sonera thought to herself, glancing over at what she beleived to be a pool table. "I'll show him."
The family head stood up from his wooden chair, plucking a cigar out of his mouth before speaking. "A ballerina. I thought they lied about that part."
Sonera looked down at her heels, still bruised from her earlier practice. She feigned a warm smile, appearing nervous. The man fell for the bait, smiling at her like she were a child.
He was a fat creature, wearing a tacky purple suit and adorning several golden teeth alongside his yellow beard. But of course, Sonera didn't care. All she needed was for the man to drop his guard around her. She had hoped the silver nightgown she wore would sell the look, its transparent fabric allowing for her to easily display her petite figure.
"A quiet one." The large man nodded in approval. "Good."
The large man then grabbed Sonera by her skinny waist, pulling her up onto his wooden seat. He began to inspect the Sonera, causing her left hand to twitch once again. She had to feign the rest of her embarrassment in hopes that the man would continue to lower his guard. But the truth was rather apparent. Sonera had no reaction to her role in the mission. Her mind was elsewhere.
"Is it natural?" The man asked with a squint as he ran his fingers through Sonera's silver hair, inspecting the orange hues that could be seen glistening along its surface.
"Yes." Sonera nodded, reaching for her nightgown.
The man stopped her halfway, insisting on removing the left strap of Sonera's bra himself. Throughout the entire process, she remained unfazed, allowing the act to continue as if waiting eagerly for her cue. That moment finally came in the form of two silent whistles, followed by a splotch of blood on the floor. Both guards in the room had been silently shot by her team, leaving Sonera alone with her prey.
"Who the hell-." The large man complained, unaware that Sonera's eyes had been lit up with fervent energy.
Without mercy or hesitation, Sonera shattered a nearby picture frame with her bare hand, grasping at a broken shard of glass before assaulting the man with all her feral might. It didn't really matter how badly the improvised weapon cut into her own palm; she had become entirely focused on her prey. As if judging herself for every moment she left the target alive, Sonera increased the ferocity of her attack, grunting like a wild animal as she slammed the shard deeper and deeper into the man's neck.
"Sloppy." Sonera cursed at herself. "The jugular is so easy, yet he's so fat."
Ultimately, the victim hadn't even gained the chance to scream, his blood drowning out his own voice as he slumped onto the ground. Sonera was known for many things at that stage of her life. Clean kills were evidently not one of them. Covered in blood, she climbed over the corpse before rushing to the dead man's desk terminal.
"Tesselation." She muttered to herself, inputting the code Three had given her for the terminal a few hours ago. "Index."
Sonera was focused on her task. And all seemed well until she made the mistake of looking at the security feed. Beneath the manor, in a room not unlike the one she had entered from, stood a familiar girl.
It was Venra. Her long, dark brown hair was just as she remembered it, reflecting the light around it with its silky polish. Her yellow eyes stared at the camera, as if forcing Sonera to recall their time togethor. It made the assassin furious.
"You," Sonera growled. "You."
Sonera wanted to look away. But she couldn't, her eyes drawn to Venra's large hooped earrings, the same ones she wore a day ago. The same accessories she would play with when smiling at Sonera. Such cruel remembrance distracted the assassin, blinding her to the doorway in front of her.
It was already open.
"You!" The maid from before stared Sonera down, her hands preoccupied with two mugs of steaming coffee. "You slut."
Sonera pulled a handgun from her prey's corpse, pointing it directly at the maid's head. "Takes one to know one."
The maid surveyed her surroundings, locking her gaze on a red alarm positioned just to her right next to the window. All she had to do was tap on the glowing switch, dead or alive, and the manor would be on full alert. Sonera honestly didn't care. A fight would bring her to Venra. A mission complete would take her away.
"Hold on, we're lining up a shot, Sonera." Two whispered calmly. "One's with me. Just keep that girl distracted, and we'll double tap her before she can call you that again."
Sonera glowered. She wouldn't pull the trigger unless she had to. But part of her needed to antagonize the maid, lest she actually get away cleanly. It was an irrational and horrible thought. But it was what she needed.
"You loved him?" Sonera taunted.
The young maid tightened her grip around the coffee, fantasizing her next move against Sonera. "Not all of us are cold monsters."
Sonera smiled, drawing upon her worst instincts. "And yet, for just that second, he was warmer with me than he ever was with you."
The maid lunged at the alarm, her coffee spilling onto the ground with a steamy splash. Sonera and her team weren't far behind, turning the enemy into a red mist. But her body was still moving, drawing ever closer to the alarm. It was too late.
Sonera spoke with shame in her voice. "I apologize."
"What? You kiss the wrong girl?" Four chuckled, positioning herself atop the manor's rooftop, oblivious to the situation. "How sad."
A blaring alarm sounded around the manor, causing Four to nearly slip. Her entire team became lit up by the several spotlights of the manor's defense system, revealing their position. Unlike Sonera, they were not specialized in deceiving appearances, wearing black drop-trooper gear from head to toe. And despite the unfortunate turn of events, they were ready to fight.