Moles Be Gone

This wasn't a normal job for him. Not that he minded the change in pace. Cetus always enjoyed a challenge. At least as much as someone like him could. Clinging to the side of the client's building, the assassin was waiting for the employees to leave. A mole hunt. Not something he'd ever really done before. Seemed like a stupid occupation. Double crossing your employers was never a good idea. They usually got wind of it and hunted you down. Or hired someone else to hunt you down. Cetus looked through the window. Only the secretary was left. The others had gone home at least ten minutes ago.

He wondered if seduction would be the route to go. She was attractive, he guessed. If she was a hard worker, putting in overtime, it could be several hours before she left. Plus this woman had access to nearly everything. Cetus had seen her go in and out of rooms that were restricted to the rest of the office. As the assassin watched her work, he had another thought. Perhaps this one was the mole. She had the access required and ample time to give information to J&G. He'd have to watch her closely. Maybe seduce that information out of her. So many options.

Cetus decided to wait. He wanted to be sure before doing anything drastic. Revealing himself to the secretary would force him to push up any timeline he made. Waiting wouldn't kill him. Luckily, the secretary didn't stay too long. She locked up the office before heading out the front door. Cetus waited for ten minutes after she left. Simply to make sure that she wasn't coming back for any reason. Cetus tested the window to see if it was locked. As the pane began to slide upwards, Cetus smiled in triumph. Easy access. People thought they were safe when they were five or six stories up. No need to lock those windows.

The assassin slipped through the opening. Now to investigate. There might not be anything here whatsoever but better safe than sorry. The interior of the office was split into a space of six cubicles, the secretary's desk in front of half wall, three offices and a break room. Cetus dismissed the break room. Anyone with even a modicum of sense wouldn't put anything in such a public area. The cubicles might hold something. It wouldn't take long to search them all. That left the offices. Cetus decided to start there. They would take the longest to search and put back together.

The first office was that of the big boss. Cetus doubted he was the mole. He made the most here and if the company failed it came out of his pocket. No way he wanted that. The other two offices were those of the VPs. Vice presidents could potentially be moles. Why, Cetus wasn't sure but best to double check their things anyways. Just to be sure. He crept up to the first door. After checking it for magical wards and physical alarms, Cetus carefully picked the lock. As the door swung open, Cetus pressed himself back against the wall. Nothing flew out of the office. Probably safe then.

The assassin eased his way inside. There he stopped dead. This VP liked women. There were pictures of them everywhere. Professional ones of course, nothing crude or not work safe. There were a few that toed the line however. Cetus couldn't be sure if they were a pervert or an admirer. He found it rather creepy to have all those pictures everywhere. All the eyes staring down at him, keeping him from vanishing into the shadows. Cetus shook off a shudder, walking further into the room. Besides the pictures, there seemed to be only a desk. Nothing else. It was rather spartan for an office. The shark man quickly checked everything on and around the desk. Nothing. At least nothing that was incriminating. Cetus did find some sort of scrapbook he wished he hadn't ever seen. It was carefully placed back in the desk. It was too bad he hadn't been hired to take down this office.

The assassin eased his way out of the room and carefully locked the door once again. One office down. Cetus wondered if he wasn't in the wrong building of Richmond LTD. It might have been swifter to go directly to the offices of J&G instead. Though they were smart about this. They'd hidden the identity of the mole and forced Richmond LTD to hire Hidden Blades. Better to see what he could find here. If he failed, Cetus could always pay a visit to J&G in the following days. There wasn't exactly a time limit on the mole. Insidious plans began to filter through his mind as he crept toward the second office.

Cetus jumped as something hit the second office door. He clung to the ceiling as someone inside giggled. "Shhhh someone might hear us!" A feminine voice cautioned though Cetus thought she might be amused. "No one is here to hear us." A masculine voice responded. Cetus nearly cursed. A late night rendezvous? That hadn't been in his info. His eyebrows rose as a third voice spoke up. "Besides you love it when he's rough." Another female. Three people all together. If this wasn't a stealth mission, he could have killed them all no sweat. However, Richmond LTD wouldn't be happy if three of their employees suddenly showed up dead. Though... Cetus cocked his head. There were two people that had access to a vice president's office. That gave them the means to be the mole.

The assassin slunk around on the ceiling looking for an alternative way into the office. If he could see their faces, he would know which cubicles to search. He'd probably have to look into this vice president too. If they were rather promiscuous there could have been a whole group of people with access to that office. Only one of them would have needed to get their hands on information to leak it to J&G. Cetus decided to wait until the threesome was finished. He could look at their faces while they were leaving and do a quick search before morning. His plan to get out of the building before midnight was looking like a dim fantasy at this point. There was more going on in Richmond LTD than he'd been led to believe. Unraveling the threads to find the mole wouldn't be an easy task.

WC: 1086

It took forever for those idiots to finish up. Cetus had to have been waiting for hours. He checked the clock as the VP's door opened. Ten minutes? He would have made a small noise if he hadn't been trying to stealth. What was wrong with his sense of time? it was usually right on the dot. He'd have to re-calibrate once this job was over. It wouldn't do to have an assassin missing his sense of time. It could throw everything off. Cetus looked at the people exiting the office. Even upside down, he was able to identify two of them. Rachel O'Hare, a vice president of Richmond LTD and Winston Darling, an upper manager - whatever that was.

The third person to exit the office was a stranger. Her head was full of long blonde strands that fell nearly to her hips. Full lips graced her face but her eyes were a bit on the small side. Her irises were a shade of violet. Her body was pleasant to look at, he guessed. It was a bit thin. Cetus couldn't quite figure out why she was there. She didn't look like a hooker so paid sex was out there. Well maybe not if she was a high class escort. It was possible the woman was an intern here at Richmond LTD. If she was, it just meant the HB information division had screwed up - again. They really needed to fix that issue. It could get someone killed.

The assassin had to make a decision now. Did he follow the strange woman? She had access to O'Hare's office. It wouldn't be far fetched to think she'd nabbed bits of information. She'd have to be an intern in order to be the mole though. Cetus mused over that one. His other option was to investigate O'Hare's office. It was doubtful he'd find much given the orgy she'd just held. Still there was always a chance there was a clue. Cetus watched the three walk from the office laughing. He'd follow the woman. The office would still be there tomorrow. The woman... making her disappear wouldn't be too hard. Provided she was an escort, not an intern.

The shark man slipped from the office, removing any evidence that he might have been there. The threesome had just exited the building. They chatted for a few moments before parting ways. O'Hare and Darling went one way, the stranger went another. Excellent. He wouldn't have to work too hard now. Cetus followed the woman, waiting for his chance. A few thugs hassled her as she walked. The woman dealt with all of them handily. Wind has cut them. So she was a mage. Interesting. A talented one given she hit the thugs without killing them. That took precision. Yet she was working at or with or for Richmond LTD. At least potentially. She could be the piece of the puzzle he was missing. A contact for the mole that no one would suspect. After all, who would think the VP's little pet was helping the opposition?

As the mage escort stepped into an alleyway, Cetus made his move. He twirled through the air to land on his feet behind her. Thanks to Albion's power, the move didn't make a sound. "Greetings...Infidel" He rasped through his mask. The woman whipped around her hand raised. A gem on the back of her bracelet was glowing. A holder mage then. "I...'ave some qwestions fer you." He continued, moving forward. "I'm warning you once, creep. Stay back." She said sternly shaking her hand menacingly. A backbone. How refreshing. They'd see how long that kept up. Cetus didn't need to bother with magic here.

The assassin darted toward the wall of the alley. A wing blade cut through the air behind him. Leaping up, Cetus pushed off the wall. That put him within arm's reach. He slipped the bracelet off with one hand. The other went directly into her stomach. The force of the blow made her fall to her knees. A puff of air hit him in the face from her hand. Ah so the bracelet was a magical enhancer. He'd be sure to keep that. "Now..." Cetus rasped grasping her hair and forcing her face up. "Yer gonna tell me wa' I wanna know. Otherwise..." He trailed his free hand along her forehead. The dentils gently tugged on her skin. Her eyes widened at the sensation. "It'll be ratha' unpleasan' for ya."

"Now...who is da mole in Richard LTD?" Her eyes somehow managed to get a little wider. They darted to one side than the other. Her tongue shot out to lick her lips. She slowly opened her mouth. Cetus cut off her lying words before they were spoken. "Tink befah yah speak, miss. Ya lie ta me and I'll tear yer face off." The woman began to shake. He had her. Clearly she hadn't ever expected to be caught. "Y-you c-c-can't kill m-me! They'll- They'll n-n-notice!" Not exactly the words he'd wanted to hear.

Cetus leaned down close to the woman. She would die tonight. No matter what. There was no place for the weak in this world. "And what makes you think I care about that?" She put her hands over her mouth. Cetus placed a finger against her forehead. The dentil hooked into the skin. "Speak, bitch. Tell me what I want to hear or the world will hear you scream." The woman whimpered. However there were no words of any sort. Cetus ripped his finger downward. A long strip of skin came off her face. Then she screamed. "Tell me who the mole is or I will strip the skin from your body in one inch strips!" He growled in her face.

Tears poured down her face, mixing with the blood. The words came bubbling out of her like a fountain. "Henri Everstone is the mole! She gives her findings to me and I pass them onto Gregory Amide! Please don't hurt me!" Finally some useful information. This he could use. Cetus wrapped his hand around her throat. It didn't matter if this information was a lie - it might be. He had a name of the J&G contact. He could verify things with them. His hand moved downward, taking the woman's throat with it. Blood spurted from the wound. She gurgled for a moment before falling flat on her face.

Cetus looked at the body for a moment. How had this idiot survived for so long? This world of shadows wasn't for the meek. He flipped open his burner iLac as he went through the woman's belongings. He pocketed anything of value. Best to make this look like a robbery. There wouldn't be any evidence on the corpse pointing to him but he planned to cover this one up with something else. The person on the other end of his call picked up. "Bernie! Mah ol' frien'. Hows ya doin'? Listen, I's got a body here fer ya. She's qui'e da looka!" Cetus waited for Bernie's response. The necrophiliac was a disgusting person that perked up at the sound of a dead girl. Luckily the man didn't have a name for Cetus. Bernie's fingerprints and semen would point the Rune Knights straight away from Cetus. They'd also take out a notorious criminal in the process. "Nah it's no big deal! I's jus' helpin' a frien'. She's on Lacrima Way and 42n', in a li'l alley. Have ya self some fun, me mate!" With that he hung up. Next stop, the home of Gregory Amide.

It didn't take long to reach the residence. A quick call to Blanche had given him the information required. Gregory Amide was a middling employee in J&G. He lived alone with two cats and was using this middleman deal to further his career. Unfortunately for him, Cetus wasn't in a forgiving mood. He'd caught a break with the blonde escort intern but the night only had so many hours. They were rapidly being burned by all this running around. Gregory better give up the information quickly or the man would be in hell.

Cetus was able to slip into Gregory's home easily. The man had a lock on his door but that was the extent of his security. The cats hissed at Cetus when he entered via picking the lock. Rather irritated, the assassin snapped their necks. His patience for all of this ran out when he'd called Bernie. Fucking necrophiliac. He hoped that the Rune Knights caught the bastard this time. Cetus glided up the stairs, using the information to get to Gregory's bedroom. There were two forms on the bed. A girlfriend? A hooker? Didn't matter. Cetus would make the J&D employee talk.

The assassin collected a few items from around the house. They'd be needed for the upcoming torture. Prepared, he returned to Gregory's room. Gregory woke suspended by his arms from the ceiling. His hooker girlfriend was suspended across from him. She looked at him with terrified eyes. Cetus stood off to the side sharpening a few knives. His mask was open to reveal a sharp toothed smile. "Ah, mister Amide. I've got a few questions for you. You'll answer them truthfully or... well I'll just leave it at or. Don't want to limit my options. Now..."

Cetus questioned Gregory for two hours. Through the screaming and blood, Cetus managed to get the answer that Henri was indeed the mole. Gregory's hooker girlfriend was barely a hunk of meat at that point. The shark man had been forced to turn on Gregory himself. With the answers he needed, Cetus ripped out both their throats. The assassin left the blood drenched room with a smile. Three deaths to find one little mole. Not his best work but not his worst either. He'd only have to torture one more person tonight. Henri herself.

Dragging Henri from her bed was probably the most enjoyable part of the evening. Her husband tried to stop Cetus only to have his throat ripped out as well. Whoops looks like five deaths. The woman fought like crazy to keep Cetus from taking her. It was more pathetic than anything. She could barely reach him and quickly exhausted herself. A swift knock to the head put her back into dream land. It was easy to carry to the warehouse after that.

Cetus turned the camera on after tying Henri to the chair. He'd stripped her down first to keep clothing out of the way. Getting cloth in the wounds was messy work. His mask turned toward the camera. "This is Henri Everstone. She's worked for LTD for three years. She is also your mole. This recording is to prove she is guilty." The assassin worked the woman over. It didn't take long to make her squeal but Cetus coldly kept going until she spilled everything. Every secret every single dirty little thought or fantasy was recorded by the camera. When he was done, Cetus turned to the camera. "There is your evidence. Send the payment to Blanche." He sent the video to the CEO along with his location -currently at least- and exited the building. He didn't need to see Henri's final breaths once her company descended upon her.

WC: 1880
TWC: 2966