Chapter 8; Hornet

Dr. Warne was walking on an airstrip in London, looking to leave the city now that he was fully healed and able. In the recent weeks his focus was managing personnel from his office and laboratory, but now he would be stepping onto the field for a more hands on approach. He had not found any leads regarding neither his former apprentice nor his prized subject. And so, he decided that he was no detective; but one could be hired.

So, he set his sights toward private investigators and bounty hunters. Though, the latter would likely prove more efficient than the former, they were meant for hunting specific targets after all. So, he went to searching for one, using the backchannels of his contacts to find someone suiting the specifications of the task. It had taken nearly an hour of making calls to former associates and fellow others in the less legal topography of science, but he found the one that fit the bill. A Spanish bounty hunter by the name of Carter Reyes; trained in search and destroy tactics, assassination, and bounty hunting.

He dialled the number he was given, and it rang for a bit before a gravelly voice answered.

"Who is this and what do you want? Answer quickly." Came the voice from across the line of the burner he was using.

"Mr. Reyes, my name is Dr Warne. I have an assignment for you." He replied with ease, not much deterred by the otherwise crude response.

"What would I be doing, Mister Warne?" The bearded man pulled on his cigarette, sitting in a villa in the bustling streets of Havanna.

"There is someone I want you to find, and you will be paid double to bring her back to me alive."

--Kathmandu, Central Business district, 18:12.

In the setting afternoon sun, the nameless subject and her permanent escort stepped through Kathmandu's bustling central business district. The place was not as large or grand as other metropolitan cities she'd seen in pictures while studying, but it certainly fit the rest of the city in aesthetic and architectural appeal. What was the reason for this visit, you ask? Well, things had been going very well lately for her. Profits were through the roof, now in the five-digit range and on the cusp of turning to six. More than that, it seems her plan of rooting into the underground had been proven wise, as a certain Asian scientist has been spotted in the far downtown area by several of her most loyal customers. When questioned, they divulged that they'd been asked by certain people seen with him buying electrical equipment if they know who she was.

They hadn't given that information obviously, and for good reason. It only took them one showing of a particularly stupid employee who stole merchandise choking herself to death in front of the 'Boss' for them to become obedient. And apparently, they were dismissed easily by what were likely the Slim-eyed-man's agents. What a perfect opportunity he missed, she thought this with a small smirk gracing her lips as they strolled, taking in the sights before getting to their objective.

With the first stage of her plan being complete, as well as exceeding her expectations and the Slim-Eyed-man's timely arrival, she thought a two-pronged initiative was in order. On one hand, now that their success spoke for itself, it was high time they begin to look the part as well as playing it. That was why several black SUVs were purchased for general use, and why she and her ward stepped into a nicely lit tailor shop. On the other, she'd wanted to try the practice of "Spoiling oneself," that she had learned about recently.

Classic red brick walls and a cream-coloured ceiling made the place feel professionally comfortable, if that made sense. There were unfinished suit and dress designs scattered about, and a man who appeared in his late forties strolled over and spoke in English.

"Good evening and welcome to Shrestha Empire tailoring, how can I help you two this evening?" He gave them a welcoming expression and took the measuring line from his shoulder. He did not speak like someone native to the city, most likely a foreigner.

"We came for some custom orders, preferably black." Replied the ever-present guard to his commander, and the owner saw they both were dressed rather comfortably. The slightly bearded man wore red flannel over a plain white vest, denim on his legs and leather work boots on his feet, while the girl was wearing a large jacket that reached her waist, a dark army green shirt laying underneath. And on her feet were black sneakers. This establishment was on the more expensive side, but supposed he cannot judge books by their covers.

"Are you looking for any particular style? Italian for the suit and Modern English for the dress are two I would recommend." He offered, looking over their forms and posing a viable option for both. Differing builds had different complimentary styles after all.

They seemed to look at each other for a moment, both eerily silent. After what felt like a minute, they both looked to him and again the older male spoke.

"Surprise us, Mister tailor."

The man only gave a smile in response, and got to work.

--Three weeks later, Shrestha Empire Tailors.

This was odd, in a word. She was sure that someone more experienced in fashion would be more appreciative of the tailor's efforts. The black, form fitting dress hugged her developing figure, but was not entirely uncomfortable, just a change from what she had previously grown used to. The dress itself only reached just above the middle of her thighs, showing some of the ragged scars from her past surgeries. The top half had two stretches of fabric trailing upward past her neck from the upper breast area. From there they connected to the end of her dress, sitting at the nape of her neck. Thankfully, the mechanical slots housed in the flesh of her back were obscured and covered by the dress, so the tailor, now named Antoine Miller, noticed nothing.

It was nice and fit the bill of its purposes. Exactly wat she was looking for. Her personal guard, on the other hand was adorned in a black Italian styed suit, complete with matching shirt, vest and tie. The tapered lining made it so he would not be hindered in protecting his queen. She gave him a once-over and gave a small curt nod.

"We will take them. And some others," The eternal guard handed the tailor a list of orders they had for him, which caused his eyes to widen slightly.

"I see, I will have this sent to the factory, they should be ready in a week's time." The pair of master and servant nodded, giving the man the money they owed and turned to leave the store. Only, something caught the young Subject's eye. A faded black trench coat, hanging idly on a rack with several more outerwear items. She had always liked larger clothing items, and she felt compelled to have it.

"That coat, is it for sale?" He acted on the subconscious urge of his commander and turned to the man again.

"That old thing? Well, it never sold so I was going to just get rid of it, but it's yours. Free of charge, for future customers." He waved a hand, taking it from the rack and handing it to the now besuited man, who took it with a shared surprise as his master.

"Thank you. We will keep in touch." He gave the tailor a nod as he passed the coat to the young girl, who threw it over her shoulders. 

She touched the inside of the coat, feeling the silk interior. It was comfortable. She gave him a look and he fished a burner from his pocket, beginning to call their driver as they left the establishment.

The tailor scratched his head in slight confusion. What an odd pair.

--The same time, on a rooftop.

"Dr Fuyomi, I have a positive ID on the target. They entered a black Jeep, now moving southbound to the downtown district." An agent communicated through his earpiece, watching them depart through a high-powered camera he used to take pictures of the two, for evidence.

"Did you obtain anything useful?" Came the Asian man's voice from the other end of the line. 

"Yes sir, several high-quality images. I will be returning with them now." The man begun to scale down the building on ladders and drainpipes, before going downtown on a motorcycle.

"Excellent work, report back to me directly and immediately." In the office he was previously viewing damage reports in, he was ecstatic to have finally gotten something substantial. This big break was needed in order to further their plans, otherwise he feared it would have taken more time to do so.

Seeing as they were likely to return to the tailor's shop as well, they could now expect to find them there. This was going to be a much larger step in the right direction, instead of shuffling about in the dark as they've been doing recently.

Now that they had a lead, he was pushed further ahead of Warne in this little race, as he had hoped to be from the start of all of this. He only hoped that he was able to hold this lead for the next few turns.

--Kathmandu city limits, 21:42.

On a hill looking over the city, Carter Reyes stood and looked at the glowing lights and the buildings. So, his new target was somewhere down there, and according to his employer's information, she may have been rather slippery. It was not an issue, none before had managed to escape from him, and doubted a fifteen-year-old girl would do any better than the others, but he would have to see. He picked his burner from his pocket and dialled his employer.

"Warne, I've arrived in Kathmandu. Yes, I know the objective. See you soon." He grumbled at the last statement he was given. Senile old men and their stupidity. He thought with a frown and got onto a motorcycle, riding it into the city.

If the intelligence he was given was correct, he may have ended up enjoying this hunt, if nothing else. He grinned under his helmet, turning a corner into the uptown area.