Lost In Transit

Job Details:

Job Sign-Up: Page 31, Post Number 760

-Silent Glaciers, afternoon-

Standing ankle-deep in snow and wearing all-white winter camouflage with a white face wrap and a hydration pack on her back, green eyes hidden behind polarized orange goggles looked for the cargo plane that contained "the package" that she had been hired to find on behalf of a client who was close to becoming a regular of hers... Mister Burke.

According to Mister Burke, a special item that his company had commissioned was completed a week ago. It was being carried to company headquarters in Capital Crocus but had been lost when the cargo plane that had been carrying it experienced engine difficulties and went down over Silent Glaciers three days ago. Diana's primary objective was to find and secure the company's order, but she was also tasked with rescuing any survivors of the plane crash. In between the frigid conditions and the hostile wildlife, the huntress doubted that there were any survivors, but she had been hired for a job and she was going to do it.

Diana looked ahead of her and saw nothing but endless snow broken up by the occasional snow-covered stone, a wilted tree that dared to poke through the snow, or the occasional snow hare that darted across the white blanket that nature had laid over the area. Despite wearing warm winter gear, the huntress felt somewhat cold and the piercing wind that blew did not help matters. She needed to keep moving to stay warm, so she continued to put one foot in front of the other while searching for any sign of the cargo plane like crates that might have fallen out and created a trail for her to follow. So far she had seen nothing at all.

Diana walked past a snow-covered stone and listened out for polar bears, wolves, or other hazardous wildlife that called the region home. So far she had not run into any, let alone spot any, but just because she had not seen any animals yet did not mean that danger was absent. Polar bears and wolves were hunters that could pick up a scent and follow it like a four-legged heat-seeking missile. Maybe they were lurking just out of her sight and waiting for the right moment to pounce and end the huntress' career in an ironic fashion. Or maybe she did not have to worry about animals but instead had to worry about other humans, namely The Shadow Collective.

Diana had bloodied the nose of The Shadow Collective several months ago with a string of jobs that she took that ended up with her killing support agents and financial backers. Mr. Necargie had warned her that those attacks would not go unanswered and the huntress had been vigilant ever since. Maybe those two people she had encountered in the Fulci office building were on the Collective's payroll. Diana did not know and did not care. It did not matter how many agents they sent after her... she would eliminate anyone who came after her.

The huntress kept walking through the snow until she spotted an opening that led to the frozen delta she had seen once before. That was an encouraging sign. It was also a welcome break from the endless expanse of snow that she had trudged through up to this point. Taking a breath of cold air and exhaling a thin cloud of warm air, Diana pressed towards the frozen delta to get the lay of the land and possibly find clues to the cargo plane's whereabouts. But first she had to cross a frozen river without getting her feet wet.

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Diana stared at the frozen river for a bit and tried to think through a way to get across that did not involve getting her feet wet. The blonde looked for a tree trunk that she could use as a makeshift bridge, but the largest piece of wood nearby was a twig the diameter of a pencil. The river was also moving too swiftly to safely cross on foot; if she entered she would get swept away in a few seconds' time. Neither using a makeshift bridge or walking across were feasible options... it was too bad that she could not just fly across.

Wait a minute.

Diana had Ami the flying android to call upon. Diana had received Ami shortly after returning home from Capital Crocus after babysitting Angela Helton. Maybe she could give the huntress a lift across the river that was too wide to jump across and too swift to even think about trying to cross on foot. Diana snapped the fingers of her right hand and Ami landed a short distance to her right.

"Hi Diana! What do you need?" The cheerful android asked the blonde as her long hair blew in the wind and her long green skirt flapped around. Since she was an android, Ami had no reason to worry about the cold and no need to change her outfit to match the climate. Diana envied her right now... even with full winter gear the huntress was a little cold. The cold wind pierced her clothing with contemptuous ease.

"I need to get across that water without getting my feet wet." Diana answered. Ami smiled and walked behind Diana, gently grabbing her around the waist.

"I've got you covered! Just hang on!" Ami said before flying straight up three meters into the air and moving forward. About eight seconds later Ami landed on the opposite side with Diana, who was none the worse for wear. More importantly, Diana was at no risk of hypothermia thanks to her lower body remaining dry.

"Thanks." Diana thanked the android for getting her across safely. Ami smiled again and flashed a thumbs-up with her right hand. She then asked a question

"Say, is there any reason you're out here in the snow?" Ami asked. Diana thought about the answer for a moment and concluded that there was no risk to using the android to assist in the search for the downed cargo plane. It was not like Ami was a top-secret military android... or was she? Diana had no idea and the cheerful android was not exactly forthcoming with information about herself, insisting that the only thing Diana needed to know about her was that she was made to serve the blonde.

"I am looking for a cargo plane that experienced engine trouble and went down in Silent Glaciers roughly three days ago. I am tasked with retrieving a valuable item that was in the plane when it went down. I am also tasked with rescuing survivors... if there are any." Diana gave Ami the details she had received from Mister Burke.

"All right then. I'll take to the sky and fly on ahead to look for that plane. I'll drop by if I find anything. Give me a shout if you need any more help!" Ami said before flying straight up into the sky and then flying towards a stretch of woods in the distance. Diana began to follow the android on foot and approached the frozen delta that had captivated her the last time she was here on the mission to rescue Eliza the photographer. The blonde stood a safe distance away from the water and paused to admire the natural beauty of the delta full of crystal-clear water and with its banks coated by pristine snow.

Diana admired the view for a minute or two before moving on towards the woods she had spotted when she first crossed the river. Boots crunched through the snow as she passed by a cave and remembered to look for any polar bears that might be on the hunt. Diana brought out her Suppressed Assault Rifle to keep it ready for hostile encounters and continued towards the woods she suspected might hold a clue to solve the mystery of the missing plane. It was roughly 2,000 meters to the woods, but there was still plenty of daylight, so the huntress did not have to worry about nocturnal predators just yet.

Diana trudged through the snow without a break until she reached the halfway point to the woods. She paused and sat down on a sizable frozen rock that was waist-high, then shifted her weapon to her left hand and used her right hand to bring the bite valve of the hydration pack to her lips. She bit down on the valve and took a lengthy drink of water, then let the valve drop back to her side and shifted her weapon to her right hand before standing up to continue. She started moving and kept a watch for bears or wolves but did not see any yet, so she kept putting one foot in front of the other while waiting for Ami to drop by with news of the plane's whereabouts.

She covered the remaining 1,000 meters without incident and paused just outside the woods to see if Ami would drop by. Diana waited for five minutes and Ami did not appear with any news, so the huntress prepared to press deeper into the woods and began to look for anything that might indicate a plane passing over. The sun shone through the thin canopy of branches, so light would not be an issue. Still, she needed to be careful because wolves could be roaming the woods in search of prey and she would not have the clear line of sight that she had out in the open. There were also plenty of trees about, so there were few clear lanes to be had if she needed to shoot in self-defense.

-Inside the woods-

Diana entered the woods and immediately looked for items that could have been dropped from the plane on its way down. About 500 meters away she spotted something that looked like a wooden crate that had broken open on impact, so the huntress began to proceed towards it. She listened out for wolves and did not hear any, so she kept going towards the crate until she reached it. Diana paused in front of the splintered crate to inspect the contents.

The crate had contained some kind of machine parts that had been strewn about; they were large and presumably for industrial machinery of some kind. While that was an interesting find, it was not what she was looking for, so Diana looked around for another crate and spotted one to the right of her current position. The huntress left the machine parts behind and moved towards the second crate to inspect it.

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At the end of a brisk walk Diana approached the second crate and inspected its scattered contents, which were ball bearings for precision machinery. Again, that was an interesting find, but she doubted that she had been sent all the way out here for machine parts and ball bearings. Those items could be easily replaced, but whatever Mister Burke had sent Diana to find was not something that could just be ordered up and be ready within the next day. It was something very special, but what could it be?

A prototype for a new weapon? Schematics for a new type of vehicle? Or a new model of computer with enhanced processing power and memory?

Diana took a knee to lower her profile when the tree canopy near her position began to rustle. Something hovered just above the canopy and lowered itself to the ground about five meters from her right. Diana spun and pointed her weapon at the object to find that it was Ami dropping in, hopefully with some news concerning the whereabouts of the missing cargo plane.

"Oh hi there! Sorry about that!" Ami greeted her owner and apologized for the surprise entrance. Diana stood up and lowered her weapon.

"Have you found the missing aircraft?" Diana asked. Ami gave a thumbs-up.

"I found what's left of the plane about 3,500 meters from here and to the northwest! It's pretty banged up from the crash. Pieces of fuselage everywhere, both wings ripped off from impacts with trees, the tail section broken off on impact with the ground... anyway, I estimate that it first hit the ground 1,000 meters away from its current location and the remains skidded to a halt at its present location." Ami listed the damage the crashed cargo plane had sustained on impact with the ground and the trees. Diana was not educated in aircraft engineering, but even she understood that it had sustained enough damage that it was not going to be airworthy. Of greater interest to her was the status of the cargo and the crew.

"Did you see any signs of life?" Diana asked. Ami shook her head.

"No, not at all." Ami answered. Diana knew that the chances of the crew's survival were slim and Ami's description of the crash site had painted a grim picture. Still, the huntress was hoping that at least one crew member had survived. That possibility seemed to be as remote as Silent Glaciers now.

"Could you guide me to the site?" Diana requested. Ami gave a thumbs-up.

"I can do you one better! Care to fly again?" Ami asked her own question. Diana took a moment to think about the offer. While she would be exposed to the biting wind while airborne, she would also be able to cover the distance a lot faster by air than she could while walking. After weighing the pros and cons the huntress decided to go for it.

"Certainly." Diana replied before dispelling her weapon. Ami walked behind her and grabbed her tightly around the waist. Ami then lifted off, flying straight up and then circling about five meters above the treetops before proceeding northwest with her passenger. It was a good thing that Diana had chosen to wear eye protection for this job.

-At the crash site, three minutes later-

"THERE IT IS! JUST BELOW US!" Ami shouted over the wind as she circled above the crash site with her owner. She then gradually slowed down and decreased altitude, then gently deposited Diana on the ground only 50 meters from the crash site, which was every bit a mess as Ami had described it. Diana was standing only 50 meters away from the tail section lying on its side in the snow and about 700 meters away from what was left of the fuselage. The wings were lying another 500 meters away in a patch of woods that had been cleared by the plane landing and skidding on its belly.

"Thanks." Diana thanked her android companion for the second lift today. Ami smiled and gave a thumbs-up.

"No problem. I'll circle overhead and keep a watch out for trouble while you check the crash site for whatever it is you're looking for. Good luck!" Ami said before zooming off into the sky again. Diana began to walk towards the fuselage to search it for any signs of life and for the item she had been hired to retrieve. It was going to be a bit of a hike, but it was a lot more manageable than walking the entire distance from the woods to the site.

It took Diana about seven minutes of continuous walking to reach the fuselage, but once she did she immediately saw that the plane had landed very roughly.

The wreckage was from a typical four-engine cargo plane had been painted a dull gray color. It was an unusual paint scheme for a commercial cargo transport, but it was not indicative of black-ops activity or other shady enterprises. There were numerous shallow gouge marks where it had skidded across the ground and still more gouge marks where tree branches had scraped the sides before the wings were ripped off. The side door was also hanging open, which gave Diana cause for concern. Had it been opened by survivors of the crew or had it been opened by someone else?

Diana equipped her Suppressed Submachine Gun in case there was close-quarters combat to be had, then carefully entered the side door to check for any signs of life.

-Inside the cargo plane-

Activating her natural night vision, Diana stood in place and looked around her for any signs of life. She found a male crew member in a pale blue short-sleeved shirt and black dress pants with black shoes sprawled on the floor about ten meters away from her, but he was dead because she switched to infrared vision and he was not giving off a heat signature. His head was also twisted at an odd angle and a trickle of blood was frozen at the corner of his mouth, suggesting that his neck had been broken on impact. Diana turned to her left and saw that the cockpit door had been left open, so Diana decided to see if the pilots were still in place.

Diana carefully walked to the front of the plane and gingerly stepped over the body of another crew member who was sprawled on the floor with a broken neck. Diana was halfway to the cockpit door when she heard a protracted scraping sound from the rear of the aircraft and paused. Was there a survivor in the back of the wreck?

Diana looked back with her night vision and saw nothing. She then switched to infrared and saw nothing. Perplexed by the noise but still determined to check the welfare of the pilots, Diana turned around and began to walk carefully past a fallen clipboard and a shattered circular window to her left that was about the size of a basketball. Maybe the noise was caused by cargo shifting in the cargo hold, but she could not discount that it was caused by something else. Diana needed to be careful.

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Diana reached the cockpit and saw that the pilot and co-pilot were still belted into their seats and that their heads were hanging at awkward angles. That was a sure sign that they had been killed on impact, but the mage would at least check if they were really dead before moving onto the cargo hold. She checked for a pulse and both men did not have a pulse... they were truly dead. Diana had all but given up on the prospect of finding any survivors among the crew when she heard noises coming from the cargo hold again. Diana slowly made her way to the cargo hold to investigate the source of the noise.

Diana carefully made her way to the back of the airplane and began slowly moving along the corridor left by the fallen crates that dominated the space. She was wary of the cargo shifting and slamming into her with enough force to break limbs, so Diana did her best to stay away from crates the best she could. Once she reached the back of the cargo hold she found a long blue capsule that was open. It was long enough and wide enough to accommodate a single person.

Red lights were dancing across a small control panel situated on the side and the word "OPEN" flashed in green letters in a little box next to the panel. What had been in here? What could be so important as to merit a special capsule for transportation? Diana heard the sound of footsteps behind her and spun to meet the threat with her weapon held at the hip.

"Hello!" A female with long brown hair and green eyes greeted Diana. The young woman was wearing a blue dress with red and pink and a red beret on her head. She was definitely not part of the flight crew.

Diana lowered her weapon and spoke to the person.

"Who are you?" Diana asked her.

"I'm FLO-1856, part of the Nightingale series of combat medic androids. If you need to call me something, call me Florence. That's all I can tell you." "FLO-1856" said to Diana. Diana looked back at the capsule, then at "FLO-1856." The android had to have come from within the capsule, but how did she get out if she was sealed within it? Diana did not get a chance to ask that question because she heard a WHUMP from a sudden landing and heard footsteps echo from the front of the plane.

"Diana, it's me, Ami! We've got company!" Ami warned Diana. Diana walked past the android and towards Ami to find out what exactly they were dealing with.

"I saw a bunch of dudes in white winter camouflage packing heat. I counted twelve, twenty-four, maybe even more than that. They're headed this way and they don't look like they want to talk about this." Ami spoke up. Moments later a bullet punched through the fuselage and whizzed by Ami's head, just narrowly missing her forehead before embedding itself in the opposite end. Diana had reason to suspect that The Shadow Collective had finally caught up with her and was looking to take her down.

"I can't carry both you and whoever that chick is. I also don't think that we can fight our way out of this, not in a head-on fight. How are we going to get out of here?" Ami asked Diana. Florence went into action by retracting her left hand and forming an arm cannon, then firing a thin blue laser that began to melt the metal of the fuselage. Diana noticed the pattern was shaping up to look like a door... Florence was cutting them a way out!

"I'll go outside and buy you guys a bit of time, but don't take too long!" Ami said before proceeding to equip a large arm cannon of her own and making her way out the door. She took off in a hail of gunfire while Diana dispelled the Suppressed Submachine Gun and brought out the Suppressed Assault Rifle for a long-range shootout with the attackers. It was risky, but she had to show them that she was willing and able to fight back.

Diana crawled over to a window and carefully popped her head up to get a glimpse of the situation and almost got it shot off. What she saw were most of the men staying behind to provide suppressing fire while a team of eight moved up to the passenger door Diana had used to get in the plane. These guys were no average hired guns. Unfortunately for them, Diana was no average mage.

Diana heard a groan from outside and briefly popped up to see one of the eight-man team dead on the snow with a giant hole through his torso as the other seven continued to advance. Presumably Ami had made a diving attack with her arm cannon that killed one of the men of the team that would storm the plane. Diana appreciated that intervention because it kept the attackers on their toes and made them divide their attention between her and Ami. Diana ducked back down and avoided more gunfire that was sent her way.

"I'm a quarter of the way through." Florence informed Diana. Diana turned to see that the android had indeed carved through a quarter of the fuselage. It was up to her and Ami to keep the mystery men busy while Florence went about her work. The huntress heard another groan and heard more gunfire that was directed away from her, meaning that Ami must have claimed the life of another boarding team member. That was good because the escape route would take a little more time to be cut open.

Diana heard the crunching of boots in snow and knew that the boarders were starting to get very close. She shifted her attention from the outside to the door to get ready for close-quarters fighting. If these goons thought that they were going to just swoop in and steal the android after all the work she had put into traveling through Silent Glaciers to find it, they would pay for their folly with their lives.

Florence:

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Diana stayed low and watched the door for the boarding team, which would arrive at any minute now since they were already halfway to the plane before Ami's deadly intervention took out two of the eight members of the team. The men who had formed a firing line were hammering away at the plane with their weapons. While they had little chance to hit Diana since she stayed out of sight, she could not peek through a window to gauge the progress of the boarding team because she had to keep her head down to avoid catching a case of lead poisoning. Florence was still cutting through the fuselage and had neared the halfway point, but the escape hatch was nowhere near ready. Stuck in the wreckage until the escape hatch was complete, Diana would have to hold her ground against a team of hired guns who knew what they were doing.

Diana heard the sound of snow crunching beneath boots and then the sound of a boot meeting metal. The boarding team was near and they were loaded for bear; she could hear a shotgun being pumped and the sound of flashbangs being prepared. They would be thrown through the door and the nearby windows in an effort to blind her before the team moved in for the kill. Diana heard the CLINK CLINK CLINK of one rolling on the floor at the door and heard another land about five meters to her right when it was thrown through the window. Diana covered the back of her neck with her left arm to protect against falling glass, closed her eyes, and waited for the BANG to sound.

The BANG temporarily deafened her and the smoke from the explosions blinded her, but she could still see straight thanks to closing her eyes in time to negate the worst of the blinding light. She switched to infrared vision and spotted the thermal image of a man in white camouflage with a shotgun boarding the plane and sweeping the area for her. Diana quietly raised her weapon, carefully aimed for the side of his head, and fired a suppressed Three-Round Burst that took him down before he could turn to face her.

"...it! The... -stile's still active! The hostile's still active!" A second man reported as a portion of Diana's hearing returned. Another flashbang was lobbed through the broken window just above her and it rolled to a stop within arm's reach. Diana quickly scooped it up and threw it towards the door, where it went off in a flash that momentarily blinded the huntress and deafened her again. Diana saw more holes being punched in the fuselage as the firing line poured on more suppressing fire. She rallied enough to retreat behind a fallen crate that was ten meters away from her current position... while it was not ideal cover, it was better than none since she lacked the all-metal construction of Florence, who took several bullets to the back and merely sighed in annoyance as she continued her work.

Diana's vision had recovered, but her hearing had not returned, so everything sounded muffled to her. Another man in white with a shotgun climbed aboard and a second man with a submachine gun soon joined him. They began walking towards her position with weapons pointed and soon spied Florence, who was still busy. The pair looked away from Diana and focused on the combat medic android, who was oblivious to their presence.

"There's the asset, but where's the host-" The man with the shotgun asked before Diana shot him through the head with a Three-Round Burst. The other man spotted the huntress from the muzzle flash of her weapon and fired a burst in Diana's direction that hit the crate just above her head. He fired sporadically and hastily retreated, grabbing the collar of the fallen soldier's vest and dragging the body with him until he disappeared through the door. The huntress fired a few token shots to keep him moving and waited until he was gone, then quickly looked for another defensive position to take up as more suppressing fire came her way.

"The exit is almost finished. I only need ten more minutes to finish the job, but I'd appreciate it if they'd quit shooting at me." Florence gave a status update while facing forward. The blue laser emanating from her arm cannon continued to carve through the fuselage while shots buried themselves in the wall around her. Diana took shelter behind another crate that was just to the right of the android and dared to look through the window. She saw a yellow beam of light lance from the sky towards the ground and heard a loud yell followed by orders being barked to the men providing suppressing fire. Ami was still attacking when she could and buying Diana and Florence precious time for the escape hatch to be carved out, but the boarding team was about to make another effort to storm the plane and kill Diana.

She saw cylindrical objects being tossed in and knew what would happen next, so she momentarily ducked behind the crate to avoid being completely blinded and waited until she saw the thermal image of a soldier with a shotgun plus two with assault rifles clamber on board. They were actively sweeping the area and moving towards her fast.

Diana leaned out and fired an automatic burst that took down the soldier with the shotgun, but she was forced to duck back when the two survivors began to fire in her direction. While the two men were firing at her she saw flashes of white through the corner of the door as more men lined up to board the plane. Unable to expose her body for aimed fire, Diana stuck the rifle out and blind fired at the men to try and force them back. She was not hitting anything and her troubles would only get worse when she heard the sound of more boots in the plane... enemy reinforcements had arrived.

"Kill the hostile, then extract the asset!" A commanding voice ordered. Diana squeezed herself against the right wall and spied Florence through a crack between the crate and the wall. The android had stopped cutting and faced four of the men, who were aiming their weapons at her while another four were preparing to advance on Diana's position for a quick kill. Diana was outnumbered and outgunned with nowhere to run. She needed to think of a way out of this unfavorable situation before she was flushed out and killed.

Brute force would not do it because she was badly outnumbered and stealth was not an option since there was only one way in or out of the plane. Diana would just have to fight this out. She heard the sound of boots approaching her and took a deep breath. This was about to get ugly.

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Diana had to think of an exit plan and think fast. A gunfight with the men approaching her would be suicidal because while she would kill one, the rest would gun her down before she could shoot a second soldier. She could not surrender because they would just kill her and take Florence to their employer. With a shootout or surrender not being valid options, Diana had one option left. She would use Spirit Dome to dispatch the men coming after her and take her chances in a close-quarters firefight with the rest.

Diana set down her weapon and prepared the Spirit Dome by focusing magic into her hands. She had prepared the spell just as the four men rounded the corner and began barking orders at her. They had thought that they had cornered a run-of-the-mill mage who would fold under pressure, but they were wrong. They had messed with the wrong mage and now they were going to pay the price.

"Hands up, hands up NOW!" One of them bellowed and pointed a shotgun at her head. Diana momentarily complied by moving slowly and raising her hands, then suddenly slamming her hands to the ground, releasing the dome of death magic that enveloped her captors and drained the life from them. The soldiers screamed as they dropped their weapons and frantically patted their shriveling faces in an attempt to comprehend what was happening to them. They collapsed to the ground and Diana quickly picked up the dropped shotgun and readied it for action.

"Holy shit, what just happened to them?" One soldier asked another before concerned murmuring began.

"They were fine just a moment ago and then that blue flash happened and now they're all dead! What the Hell are we up against?" Another soldier asked.

"It doesn't matter what we're up against! We kill the hostile and take the asset back to base, then we get paid! The hostile won't get off this plane alive!" The same commanding voice assured the soldiers.

Diana listened for the approach of the four men who had surrounded Florence and waited for them to either storm her position or call for backup from the men outside. That never came because screaming ensued on the other side of the crate. Diana saw one soldier being flung against the opposite wall with enough force to dent the wall, then heard muffled blasts of a weapon and three screams. Florence calmly strolled around the corner and faced Diana.

"They were not very nice people, would you agree?" Florence asked Diana, the former's arm cannon smoking from where she had fired it three times in succession. Diana dropped the shotgun, picked up her rifle, and stood up as Florence stepped over the dead soldiers and turned to face the section of wall she had been welding. The android then resumed work like nothing had happened.

Diana took some time to catch her breath and crawl over to the window to risk a quick peek at the men standing outside the plane. The huntress slowly and carefully pulled herself up and took a glance. She had gotten only five seconds to look before a single shot from a sniper rifle forced her back down, but she had seen everything she needed to see. There were still over a dozen soldiers keeping their distance from the plane and at least one marksman among them. Diana scurried back to the crate she had been using for cover and watched Florence complete the escape hatch.

Florence brought her hand back out and lifted her left leg, then kicked in the middle with all the force that she could muster. The hatch flew off and landed in the snow below, giving them a way out. The android then walked forward, turned towards the cockpit, and aimed her arm cannon down the corridor. What was she doing?

Florence aimed and fired three shots in rapid succession, causing a soft BOOM and a shower of sparks to burst from the cockpit. She then turned back to Diana and motioned towards the escape hatch with her right hand.

"I've destroyed the black box of this aircraft. Those soldiers won't be able to trace where the plane took off from, so the secret is safe. Let's go before more of them arrive." Florence explained to Diana. Diana was in no mood to argue. She swiftly dispelled her weapon before jumping through the hatch and landing on all fours. She got to her feet and moved away to give Florence room to jump and land. The combat medic did so with all the grace of a human.

-Outside the cargo plane-

"We won't have long before the soldiers start chasing us again. We'd better put as much distance between us and them as possible." Florence said to Diana, who was busy trying to think of how she was going to get Florence back to Mister Burke. The client had not arranged for any transportation out of the region and he certainly had not arranged for a rescue party to come and pick them up, so Diana, Florence, and Ami would have to make their own way out while being chased across snowy terrain by skilled and heavily armed hostiles. This was going to be quite the extraction mission.

Ami zoomed in and landed next to the pair for a moment to inform them of the situation on the other side of the plane. Diana heard loud buzzing noises that sounded like several snowmobiles pulling to a stop. She then heard the sound of orders being shouted.

"Man, those dudes are really pissed off! They must want that android real bad because there's about two dozen more of them who just showed up! They've got light machine guns, sniper rifles, even rocket-propelled grenades!" Ami warned the duo of the enemy reinforcements and the weapons they were packing. Diana took a deep breath. Whoever the enemy was wanted her dead and had brought enough firepower to make it happen. The Shadow Collective certainly had it out for her and had made that clear in no uncertain terms.

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Diana and Florence listened to Ami describe the threat they were facing. Once the description was complete the pair tried to come up with an escape plan that could get them out of Silent Glaciers without having to leave in body bags. Florence stared off in the distance for a moment before suddenly turning to face Diana, who was keeping a watch on the airplane they had just left behind. The blonde heard the sound of engines revving and knew that the snowmobiles would be zooming their way in a short time.

"We need to get moving before those men find us and overwhelm us." Diana said calmly while bringing out her Suppressed Assault Rifle for the fight ahead.

"I agree, but we shouldn't take the way you came in. We can't fight our way past that much firepower." Florence said to Diana. Ami stood patiently while awaiting new orders from her owner, who was trying to piece together an escape plan. The huntress had no idea other than to circle back around and return the way whence she came. Then she spotted the stretch of woods to the west that had been cleared when the plane had come down for an emergency landing over three days ago. If the trio could make it to the woods the snowmobiles would have a hard time maneuvering in such tight spaces, something which could give the trio the tiny edge needed to whittle down their pursuers and ultimately get away.

"With those snowmobiles they will chase us down with ease. We either get a snowmobile of our own or make a break for those woods and attempt to lose them in there." Diana suggested to Florence while pointing towards the woods in question. Florence shook her head.

"It's a long run across flat ground and they've got a lot of automatic weapons. While I'd be OK, you'd be turned to Swiss cheese long before you reach the woods." Florence pointed out the flaw in that plan. She then pointed towards the open expanse that loomed behind them, tracing her finger across the landscape and back to the woods that Diana had flown over when she first arrived at the scene. The woods were 3,500 meters away and the soldiers were blocking direct access to them, so the trio would have to take the long way around while fighting soldiers and dodging sniper fire. Diana was not exactly thrilled with that plan, but with the sounds of snowmobiles making their way around the plane she did not have much choice.

"OK. We take the long away around and double back to the woods." Diana agreed to Florence's idea. Diana then turned to address Ami, who was still patiently waiting for orders. The combat android had taken a few bullet holes through her long green skirt and two through her shirt, but Ami was none the worse for wear.

"I need you to cover us as we make a break for it. Take out the snowmobiles, then look for their snipers and eliminate them." Diana ordered Ami. The winged android flashed a thumbs-up and took off flying to the right, leaving Florence and Diana to begin their great escape from Silent Glaciers.

"You go first. I will cover you." Diana instructed Florence. The brown-haired android nodded and began to run ahead of the huntress just as some snowmobiles rounded the wreckage. She counted four snowmobiles, two of them for each side. Diana stood her ground and fired at the driver of a red snowmobile zooming in from the right; she hit him in the head with a Three-Round Burst, causing him to suddenly stop and for the passenger to dismount and shove the dead soldier aside to take over the transport as a second snowmobile zoomed by. Diana watched as a yellow beam of light from above hit the vehicle dead center and caused it to explode in a fireball worthy of an action movie lacrima.

She turned and sprinted towards Florence, who had stopped about 200 meters ahead and was providing cover fire with her arm cannon. The snowmobiles to Diana's left had passengers armed with assault rifles who were firing on her while the drivers swerved and braked to avoid Florence's fire. Diana kept running as Florence shrugged off the bullets with ease and fired at the driver of a black snowmobile, shattering the curved windscreen and barely missing his head. The intimidated driver got the message and pulled a u-turn to disengage from the battle while the second black snowmobile zoomed in to keep the pressure on the huntress.

Diana reached Florence and the android sprinted off while Diana covered her movement. The driver was moving towards Diana in a straight line and the passenger's Light Machine Gun was chattering in her direction. The blonde took a knee and aimed at the passenger before firing a Three-Round Burst that hit the passenger in the chest and dumped him off the back of the vehicle, causing the defenseless driver to turn back and leave the fight. Diana turned around and started to run as Ami flew overhead and delivered some news.

"MORE SNOWMOBILES INCOMING! I COUNT FOUR!" Ami shouted before zooming straight ahead and gaining altitude before banking right to engage the snowmobiles. Diana kept running and reached Florence, who stood ready with her arm cannon aimed towards the plane.

"Four more snowmobiles incoming." Diana relayed to Florence the message that Ami had given her. Florence nodded and took off running while Diana covered her. Diana spotted a rapid, sustained muzzle flash from the inside of the plane and saw that an enemy soldier with a Light Machine Gun had opened fire on her. The huntress took a knee and returned fire with a Three-Round Burst that hit the fuselage just above his head. He took the hint and took cover, giving her just enough time to start running before the snowmobiles zoomed into sight again.

Diana continued to run across the snowy field while bullets churned up the snow in front of her and around her. Florence opened fire and took out the driver of one snowmobile with a headshot. Ami dove down and fired an energy beam that turned another snowmobile into a ball of flame, but the remaining two kept pursuing Diana as she fled.

Diana spun around and took a snapshot that hit the passenger of a red snowmobile in the head, causing him to fire his Rocket-Propelled Grenade Launcher up into the air as he tumbled backwards onto the snow. The driver quickly disengaged and left his comrades on a black snowmobile to keep up the pursuit. Ami dove again and blasted the last one into a charred wreck, giving Diana some much-needed breathing room to keep running. The trio had made it approximately 800 meters, but they still had about 2,700 to go before they could even think about slowing down. Diana heard a sharp CRACK and saw a bullet hit the snow about three inches from her right foot.

Enemy snipers had taken up positions inside the plane and were shooting at them!

Diana and Florence continued to run while Ami gained altitude and banked left to attack the snipers holed up in the airplane. The huntress hoped that she would not catch a bullet in the back or legs at this critical point. One hit to a vital spot and she was as good as dead.

[Post Word Count: 1,242]
[Total Word Count: 7,415/12,500]

Not wanting to stand out in the open and become target practice for either the snipers or the snowmobile passengers that would inevitably chase them, Diana and Florence continued to cover more ground as sniper bullets whizzed by them and slammed into the snow around them. Now they were about 1,100 meters out from the wreckage but had 2,400 meters to go to reach anything that approximated safety. Diana turned around to see Ami dive on the plane and fire an energy beam that pierced the fuselage and silenced one of the enemy snipers. The blonde took advantage of the break to keep running before more snowmobiles zoomed to the attack and erased the distance gap that the trio had worked so hard to build up.

"Keep going! If we stop here we're dead!" Florence urged Diana, who did not need a reminder of her fate should she be caught by the soldiers. Florence stopped to exchange a few arm cannon shots with the snipers while Diana passed by her, then spun around and quickly caught up to the blonde. The pair were making good progress but had to keep moving to avoid catching a rifle round in the back; Diana had much more to fear from the snipers than Florence did due to being an unarmored human. Bullets continued to whiz by them as they closed the distance to the woods and a pair of snowmobiles zipped around the wreckage to renew the chase.

Ami dove on a black snowmobile and fired a shot that detonated the gas tank and turned it into a charred wreck, causing the second snowmobile to take evasive action and leave the fight. Diana and Florence continued to run while rifle rounds continued to land uncomfortably close to them; they had reached the 1,500-meter mark but had a good distance to go. The huntress' legs were starting to get a little tired, but now was not the time to stop and rest because the soldiers were still gunning for them. At least the snipers had stopped firing because the duo had passed beyond the effective range of their weapons; it would take a very good marksman with a firm command of the mathematics behind ballistics to hit them at this distance, but Diana was not going to give them the chance to make that kind of shot by slowing down to take a breather. She pushed herself to keep going until they reached the 2,000-meter mark.

"Keep going! The woods are only 1,500 meters away!" Florence shouted encouragement to Diana. The huntress kept pace with the android and breathed as she ran for all she was worth. They reached the 2,500-meter mark and kept moving as the sound of snowmobiles whined behind them. Diana stopped and turned briefly to get an eyeball count and saw that there were two more vehicles giving chase. The tired blonde dug deep and found the reserves of energy needed to ignore her aching calves and keep going in order to reach the shelter of the woods.

Ami dove down and blasted one of the snowmobiles into a fireball, but the other kept going in a straight line towards Diana and Florence. Ami banked right and flew above and behind the vehicle until she got a clear shot, then fired and blasted it to charred wreckage. The combat android then descended and caught up to the pair to relay more information.

"I've scrapped all the snowmobiles that were chasing you guys, but I'm not sure that there won't be more of them later. Those dudes are really pissed off now!" Ami told Diana as the latter kept going and passed the 3,000-meter mark. The woods were now only 500 meters away, but to the tired blonde they might as well be all the way in Bellum. Diana struggled for breath as she began to slow down. Ami came to the rescue by banking right and circling around to pick up her owner by the waist for swift transport.

Diana felt herself being lifted off the ground and did not resist, instead letting herself be carried by Ami across the remaining distance to the woods. Florence kept running until she reached the pair, who had landed on the edge of the woods that promised to shelter them from snowmobiles and snipers. Once the brown-haired android reached them they scurried into the woods and took cover to foil the snipers.

-Inside the woods-

Diana ducked behind a thick, sturdy tree and began to breathe heavily while Florence and Ami casually walked behind her. Her legs were hurting and she was not sure how much further she could run at full speed. She could manage sprints to safety, but she could not sustain a full run from here to the Silent Glaciers border.

"You're looking pretty tired." Florence remarked to Diana, who was still breathing heavily as she slowly walked among the trees to stay in motion. They had to keep moving because the soldiers would not let the woods stop them from chasing down Diana and Florence. The trio had cost the soldiers a lot of men and resources and they would need to bring back something to show for all their trouble, even if that something was only Diana's severed head.

"I am not sure if I can sustain a full run if we get into trouble a second time." Diana admitted to Florence while slowly moving forward and ignoring the pain. The woods they were in would cover them for awhile, but the way out of Silent Glaciers was all open ground once they passed by the cave that sat in front of the frozen delta. The trio needed to come up with a plan that would get them the rest of the way out before the soldiers could catch up to them.

"Well, we've got to keep going because I estimate that we have over 5,000 meters to the border. These woods will protect us for approximately 2,000 meters of the way, but after that we'll be traversing mostly open ground with few hills for protection." Florence informed Diana. Diana said nothing and kept putting one foot in front of the other while Ami lent a shoulder to her owner to try and ease the blonde's travels

"I hope they don't bring in any air support." Ami mused. Again Diana kept silent and kept walking while Florence walked beside Diana. They had earned a much-needed respite from the pursuit, but once they left the woods they would be hunted again until they reached the border of Silent Glaciers. Mister Burke had better appreciate the lengths that Diana was going to in order to rescue the combat medic android from the mysterious pursuers.

[Post Word Count: 1,124]
[Total Word Count: 8,539/12,500]

-3,500 meters later, near the frozen delta-

After a lot of walking and crunching through the snow in temperatures that chilled the huntress despite wearing clothing specially adapted for cold weather, Diana, Florence, and Ami had made it past the blockade and to the frozen delta, or rather the area around it. The most prominent landmark was the cave that was positioned right in front of the delta. They still had a good ways to go before they reached the border and safety and the soldiers were not going to let them go without a major manhunt, so they needed to keep going if they hoped to get out of here without catching lead poisoning.

Walking right in front of the cave would be a lot quicker than traversing the hilly terrain behind the cave, but that would be the most obvious path to take. If there was even one marksman hiding in the area his weapon would already be trained on such an obvious route. While it was somewhat tougher terrain, the area immediately behind the cave was hilly and offered slightly more cover than walking across open ground, which was not saying very much because the hills were mild slopes. Without much choice in the matter and with time not on their side, the trio immediately proceeded for the path behind the cave while watching their backs for pursuers and watching their surroundings for more snipers.

"We're getting close to the border of Silent Glaciers, but we've still got a ways to go. I'd say about 2,500 meters stand between us and safety." Florence told Diana and Ami. Diana's legs had recovered enough that she could walk under her own power, but a long full-speed run was still out of the question. The trio struggled through the snowy terrain and made it to the hilly area behind the cave, which in hindsight was a bad move because now they were on elevated terrain and made an even easier target for enemy marksmen. The "hills" were only high enough to protect them if they were crawling, but they could not crawl because time was of the essence, so they would just have to press forward and hope for the best.

The trio trudged through the area while occasionally glancing behind them and checking their surroundings for the glint of rifle scopes that might not have been concealed enough to avoid reflecting the sun. They were unable to see any lens flares, so they assumed that they were safe for the time being and pressed on. They passed the cave and began taking the high path to the frozen river that barred Diana's way earlier.

"Man, I can't wait to get out of this place. It's so cold and snowy that I might freeze up if I stay out here too much longer!" Ami complained about the conditions while crossing her arms and holding them to her armored chest.

"I don't have anything to worry about." Florence chimed in with a sickeningly sweet and carefree voice. Diana and Ami glared at her and the brunette blinked. They were getting more than a little cold and the brown-haired android was traipsing out here like it was a warm summer day.

"What?" Florence asked innocently. Diana and Ami let it go and focused on crossing the frigid river that loomed about 250 meters away from them. It would be a simple matter for Ami to lift Diana across. Presumably Florence did not need any help because she was an android and thus did not have to worry about temperature problems from walking in cold water. Once the trio finally reached the frigid river Ami grabbed Diana around the waist, lifted off into the air about five meters, and flew across the water with no trouble whatsoever.

Florence simply waded into the water and walked through it like that was a perfectly natural thing to do. Once she reached the other side she took her hair into her hands and carefully wrung it dry before walking past Ami and Diana like it was nothing. The two were envious of Florence's ability to ignore the cold and the cold water, but they could talk about that later. Right now they needed to keep moving and leave the country before the soldiers caught up with them.

"We're about 2,000 meters away now." Florence reported while the trio kept moving and watching for enemy snipers. Diana was glad that the trio had not run into any trouble after leaving the relative safety of the forest, but now she was worried that the soldiers had radioed ahead and set up an ambush at the border to try and catch them off guard after they were lulled into complacency by a leisurely walk through the snow. Leaving Silent Glaciers was the time where they needed to be the most alert, but right now was a good time to focus too because the huntress doubted that they were going totally unobserved.

Diana's legs were continuing to slowly recover from the strain she had put on them fleeing the crash site. The slow pace of the walk and the lack of need to run meant that they were hurting less and less as time went on, which was good because she would have a lot of walking to do once they kicked the snow of Silent Glaciers off of their boots. Maybe she should have arranged for transport with Mister Burke before having left home to go on this job. It was probably for the best that she had not because it would have been vulnerable to enemy activity and it being shot down or destroyed would have only complicated things further.

"We're 1,000 meters away from the border. Just keep going!" Florence offered encouragement to Ami and Diana. Ami brought up the rear and looked around the terrain for trouble while Diana just focused on putting one foot in front of the other. She was getting tired of the cold weather and just wanted to get somewhere warmer so that she could warm up before she got into another fight for her life.

"Do you see anything out of the ordinary, Ami?" Diana asked the winged android who was watching their backs.

"No, not yet!" Ami reported in the negative. Diana nodded in thanks and focused enough to get over her wish to be out of the cold. She started helping Ami watch for danger from the sides while Florence watched the area in front of them. Diana could not afford to lose focus at a critical time like this. They were almost out of the immediate danger zone and that was when the enemy was most likely to spring an ambush on them.

[Post Word Count: 1,125]
[Total Word Count: 9,664/12,500]

-Shirotsume, eight hours later-

The trio had somehow made it back to Shirotsume without encountering any further opposition from the mystery men, something that had concerned Diana to no end. There was no way that the soldiers would have let them go after all the men that they had lost and all the snowmobiles that had been destroyed by Ami. But somehow the trio had escaped Silent Glaciers without any further encounters and had made it all the way to Shirotsume without trouble aside from a few bandits just outside town that Ami scared away with a simple wave of her arm cannon. Diana was in such a hurry to get Florence back to the client that she let the bandits live... for now.

Diana had removed the hood to her jacket, her polarized orange goggles, and had dispelled her weapon at the border as to not frighten anyone, but since it was almost nightfall in Shirotsume there were very few people to frighten with her clothing and appearance. She was glad for that. Now all she had to do to finish the mission was to take Florence to Mister Burke's home... if he were still accepting guests at this hour. Diana hoped that he was still accepting visitors because she did not want to have to wait until sunrise to try and return Florence.

"Man, I'm glad to be out of the cold!" Ami said to Diana and Florence as the trio walked down an avenue flanked by sakura trees and turned in front of the gate that led to Mister Burke's home.

"Me too." Diana said laconically as she led the way through the gate and to the front door of the client's house. She was worried that the soldiers might have deliberately let her, Ami, and Florence go so that they could later track them to the client's home and then take the combat medic android back after Diana had left. Diana was not sure if heading here was the right thing to do, but Mister Burke had not given an alternate location to take Florence to and had given her orders to return with the android the moment it had been recovered.

The huntress reached the front door and knocked on it. Within moments Mister Burke himself opened the door and saw Diana. Behind her were Ami and Florence.

"Ah, Miss Winchester. Please, do come in." Mister Burke urged her and the two androids to enter his home. Diana took her boots off outside and carried them in, where she left them on a black mat that was positioned just inside the doorway. Ami took off her shoes and deposited them on the mat as well. Florence wiped her metallic feet off at the door and entered the home, where Mister Burke shut the door behind them.

-Inside Mister Burke's home, First Floor-

"I see that you have recovered the Nightingale Combat Medic like I requested." Mister Burke started the conversation around a low wooden table where Kumiko had set two cups of green tea. Diana carefully moved up to the table and sat on her legs in the traditional Shirotsume style. Ami and Florence stood patiently behind Diana while she and the client talked about the retrieval mission.

"Yes, Mister Burke. It was a lengthy trip through Silent Glaciers, but your information was good. I found Florence at the crash site exactly where you said she would be found." Diana reported before taking a slow, leisurely sip of the beverage. The client smiled at the news that his information was accurate.

"Well done, Miss Winchester. I hate to sound ghoulish, but I must know something. Did any of the plane's crew survive?" Mister Burke asked her. Diana shook her head.

"No, Mister Burke. They were all dead when I found them. They had all died when the plane went down." Diana reported the grim news. He remained silent and took another sip of the tea. Then he looked towards Ami for a moment.

The client's eyes appeared to be focusing on her long green skirt, which had taken several bullet holes during the fighting. He looked at the garment for several long moments before turning away from Ami and back to Diana.

"I noticed that your armored companion has several bullet holes in her skirt. Did you encounter any significant opposition on your mission?" He asked the huntress. Diana nodded.

"Yes, Mister Burke. No sooner than I had retrieved Florence from the cargo hold did my android companion report that two dozen armed men wearing winter camouflage had arrived in the area and were gathering a distance away from the wreck. I looked out the window and they opened fire on me without any warning whatsoever." Diana reported to Mister Burke. When he heard her answer he set down the tea and sat up straight with a worried look on his face. The mage did not like that at all.

"I have reason to suspect that they were not Silent Glaciers' military. I had sought and received approval from their government before requesting you to take the retrieval mission, so the military should not have had any reason to be out there." Mister Burke said in all seriousness.

"I doubt that they were the national military either. However, they were not just any hired guns. They moved and acted with military precision. They were also armed with military-grade weapons like assault rifles, sniper rifles, light machine guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers." Diana added.

"Yeah! Once we thinned out some of the first wave more of those dudes came in on snowmobiles! Those were the guys with the heavy weapons!" Ami chimed in. The client looked at the armored android and then back at Diana.

"It sounds like you ran into some kind of paramilitary group that had an interest in the Nightingale android. I wonder how they got the location of the plane." Mister Burke said to her with suspicion on his voice.

"Do you suspect that someone within your company leaked the information?" Diana asked.

"I am not sure. However, I will have to check into that possibility. Only a few executives knew that the Nightingale was being flown to company headquarters. The ground crew and the flight crew were sworn to absolute secrecy about the cargo." Mister Burke answered grimly. Diana did not like the sound of that. If someone in the company had leaked the location of the downed plane, there was no telling what else might have been leaked. It sounded like Mister Burke had a tough task on his hands.

[Post Word Count: 1,100]
[Total Word Count: 10,764/12,500]

"What do you suggest I do from here, Mister Burke?" Diana asked him. She could go home if she wanted to since she was in the company of Ami, who could help her if a fight broke out. Diana was at home in the dark and could blend with the shadows to gain an advantage that few could match. She could take out threats long before they spotted her and disappear into the shadows to avoid detection or return fire.

"I suggest that you stay here for the night. If you were followed back, they would not dare attack this house because of the extensive security." Mister Burke suggested. Diana thought over the suggestion for a moment because while that option had some appeal, she was not sure how far the mystery men would go to claim Florence for themselves. She did not want one of her most generous clients to be endangered because she had gotten lazy and led trouble to his doorstep. Still, her legs were tired from all the walking and moving slowly at night could be deadly for her.

"Very well then. I will spend the night here." Diana said to Mister Burke. He smiled at her and took a sip from the tea, then set the cup down again.

"Excellent. You will have nothing to fear while staying in my home. Once morning comes you can be on your way." He promised her. Diana was not afraid of the mystery men, only wary because she did not know the full extent of their resources or the extent of their reach. If the source of the leak was in the employ of the mystery men, then their reach was far greater than the huntress had suspected. Diana suspected that the soldiers somehow knew where the plane was and had been sent to retrieve Florence and eliminate anyone who came to investigate the site. However, Mister Burke would first have to determine whether there was an information leak within his company before the conspiracy theories could fly in earnest.

Mister Burke finished the tea and gently set the cup down on the table. He then stood up from the table and spoke to the huntress.

"I will escort you to your room. Please follow me." Mister Burke requested. Diana finished her tea and gently set the cup down, then stood up from the table and followed her host to a staircase and followed him up. Ami and Florence followed close behind the humans.

-The second floor, Guest Room-

Mister Burke opened the sliding door to a medium-sized room that was tastefully decorated with quality wooden furniture and a Fiore-style bed with white pillows on top of white sheets and a white comforter with a pink cherry blossom pattern. On the left side of the bed was a wooden nightstand with an electric lamp sitting on it. On the right side of the bed was another wooden nightstand that had nothing on top. Sitting in the right corner of the room was a sturdy chair made out of dark wood.

"Here is your room for the night, Miss Winchester. This room has its own en suite bathroom accessible through the door to the right should you need it. Should you need anything else like food or drink, you have only to ask Kumiko and it will be provided." Mister Burke informed her. Diana and Ami walked into the comfortable room and felt relieved that their long journey was over. Once the huntress got through tonight she could get paid and go back home to look for another job.

"Thank you for your hospitality." Diana thanked Mister Burke for the generous accommodations she had been given for the night. He nodded in acknowledgment.

"I will see you in the morning, Miss Winchester. In the meantime I have much work to do. Should I learn anything about the men who attacked you at the crash site, I will let you know first thing tomorrow." He said to her before sliding the door shut and leaving with Florence, leaving Diana and Ami alone in the room. Diana took off her jacket and set it on the back of the chair, then took off her pants and set them on the back of the chair as well. She was not wearing anything comfortable to sleep in, but her navy blue clothing would do in a pinch. She was wearing a navy blue short-sleeved shirt and navy blue cargo pants.

"Man, I like this room!" Ami exclaimed as she stretched her arms above her head. Diana liked it too. It was spacious and had a bathroom that did not require her to leave the room, which was a plus. It was also located on the second floor with no window access, a feature which gave her both security from snipers and enough time to arm herself should intruders be detected and the alarm sounded. Mister Burke did not expect trouble because of the presence of armed guards and electronic security measures like cameras and alarms, but Diana mentally prepared for the possibility that there might be a night attack.

"I'll stand watch for you, Diana. I'm an android, so I don't need to sleep!" Ami boasted to her owner before taking up a standing position in front of the bed. From there she could both watch the door and take bullets for Diana should someone break in and try to kill the huntress by spraying automatic weapons fire through the door. Diana appreciated having someone able and willing to stand watch over her while she slept. Working alone meant not having to worry about a teammate's performance, but it also meant not having any help if things got bad. The arrival of Ami into her service was a gift from above.

"Thank you, Ami." Diana said while pulling back the covers to the bed and arranging the pillows. The armored android flashed a thumbs-up.

"No problem, Diana. See you tomorrow!" She said to her owner. Diana lay in the bed and tried to go to sleep, but her aching legs were not making it easy. At least all she had to do was survive tonight and she would get a big payday, not to mention more chances at future employment from Mister Burke. Having a regular client was a good thing for Diana because regular work meant regular pay and continued success for one client opened the door to more varied and more lucrative job opportunities from other clients.

[Post Word Count: 1,086]
[Total Word Count: 11,850/12,500]

-The next day-

Diana woke up the next day to find that she was still alive and had not caught lead poisoning, which was good because being dead would mean no payday. She sat up to find Ami standing exactly where she had been left and still facing the doorway. A minute later Diana stood up, smoothed out her clothing, and greeted the faithful android who had watched over the huntress while she slept.

"Hi Diana!" Ami cheerfully greeted her owner.

"Hello." Diana calmly returned the greeting. She got up, made up the bed, and walked towards the chair to gather her coat and pants for the trip home. While she was grateful for being provided a safe place to stay for the night, time was money and Diana wanted to get back to work so that she could earn more Jewels. Still, part of the huntress appreciated Mister Burke's patronage and wanted to ensure that he was able to continue hiring her, so leaving now would be the best way to keep him safe.

"Planning to leave already?" Ami asked. Diana nodded.

"Yes. I feel that it is not a good idea to stay around here for any longer than I have to because my presence puts Mister Burke and his staff in jeopardy." Diana answered calmly. While she was a traveling troubleshooter who constantly pursued money, that did not mean that the huntress lacked a heart or basic human decency. Maybe she was getting too soft for this trade and needed to retire before she was forcibly "retired" by a bullet to the back of the head when one of her enemies finally managed to get the drop on her.

Who was she kidding?

There was no chance of retirement. She was stuck where she was until she either died of natural causes or was killed.

Diana shook off the grim thought and left the guest room with Ami following close behind. She wanted to get out of here and leave the thoughts behind before they could consume her like they almost had at Angela Helton's home. She headed downstairs to see if Mister Burke was awake so that she could notify him of her departure.

-First floor-

With coat and pants in hand, Diana carefully made her way down the stairs and walked towards the living room to see if Mister Burke was awake. She found him sitting at the low table with a cup of coffee in hand, something that the blonde could appreciate. He looked up and greeted her with a raised hand.

"Hello Miss Winchester." He greeted her warmly. Diana looked towards him and saw that Florence was standing behind him.

"Florence told me about how you and Ami helped get her to safety after finding her at the crash site. She also told me about how she destroyed the aircraft's black box so that those men would be unable to trace the plane back to where it took off from. I regret the loss of the flight data, but if those men got it and were able to follow the information back to where it took off from things would be a lot worse because the Nightingale series is a valuable asset to my employers. As it stands, I have quite the task ahead of me." Mister Burke got right to business.

"Have you found any information pertaining to a possible leak?" Diana inquired. He shook his head.

"Not at all. It will take some time to investigate for potential leaks." He answered dourly. Diana did not like the sound of that but kept quiet.

"At any rate, I will continue with my work, as you will continue with yours. I take it that you will be leaving me now?" He inquired. Diana nodded.

"Yes, Mister Burke. I am concerned that staying here will only put you and your staff in danger, not to mention Florence." Diana replied. If the mystery men were after her, once she left here the danger to Mister Burke would all but vanish. While Florence would still be a target, she would be a secondary priority compared to eliminating the huntress who had thwarted their attempted acquisition of the Nightingale android at the crash site. Once Diana was dead the mystery men could retrieve Florence with considerably less opposition than they would face if Diana were still alive.

"I understand your concerns. Thank you for your work in retrieving Florence. I will need your services in the future, so I will keep in touch." Mister Burke said to her. Diana nodded and walked towards the entrance to retrieve her shoes and Ami did the same. Once the pair had their footwear back they left the residence and set out for home.

-Outside Shirotsume-

"I'm glad that's over. I'd like to stay out of cold places for awhile. I'm an all-weather android, but Silent Glaciers is so cold that it gives even me a hard time!" Ami said to Diana as the pair walked down the path leading away from Shirotsume and towards home. Diana was not going to argue with Ami. The huntress had found Silent Glaciers to be barely tolerable and would be glad to give that place a wide berth for awhile. There was plenty of work to do elsewhere.

"Where do you think we'll be going next? Is it gonna be tropical? I'd like it to at least be warm. I'd really like it to be somewhere with warm, sandy beaches." Ami said to Diana.

"I go wherever the job takes me. I would not mind going to the beach, though." Diana admitted to her android companion. It had been years since she had last visited the beach of Crescent Island with her family. That was back when she was eight years old, back when her family was still alive, and back before her magic manifested and everything went downhill for her. Diana was filled with apprehension about confronting still more memories of her past that would have been better off forgotten. On second thought, going back to Silent Glaciers was more preferable than dredging up more memories of her family.

Diana and Ami headed for home with hopes of going somewhere warm for their next job. Maybe they could avoid the beach until Diana was ready to deal with her emotional baggage.

[Post Word Count: 1,058]
[Total Word Count: 12,908/12,500]