Jarvok stood in the rain on Regulus 6. getting progressively more annoyed as all around him a crowd of nearly 200,000 people cheered. Waves of humanity surged around him, screaming and pushing to get as close as possible to the enormous Sanctuary Tower, looming over a mile into the sky. Jarvok had, of course, secured himself an ideal viewing spot near the front, but the wait was already getting tedious. Grudgingly, he mimicked the crowd around him, joining in the shouts just like every other mindless sheep here to worship their beloved leader. It wouldn't do to get picked out by one of the scores of armed guards serving as security for this event.

In a few minutes Prime Minister Loretta Duvius and her retinue were scheduled to arrive for the finial negotiations and signing ceremony for the founding of the CPA, Corruption Policing Alliance. Over the last 5 years, Duvius had waged a political crusade against any and all forms of corruption, and the CPA was intended to extend her methods to the other planets in the system. Her prosecutors had charged nearly two thousand politicians spread across Regulus 6 and arrested at least twice as many businessmen, land owners, and organized crime figures. So many members of the Colimi family had been caught up in the purge that Don Mecano had ordered all businesses on the planet sold or abandoned, and for family members to either go into hiding or flee. All together, her police forces had confiscated nearly 5 trillion credits from some of the wealthiest and most influential men and women on the planet, and all of that money was being funneled directly back into her law enforcement agencies. By almost any measure, Prime Minister Duvius was the most powerful, most wealthy, and most valuable woman in the system...and Jarvok intended to take her.

Suddenly, lights all around the plaze lit up, as a gleaming chrome ship cruised around the edge of the massive tower and descended towards the landing pad. The clamoring crowd redoubled its efforts, roaring enough to completely drown out the ship's engines as three struts extended and the ship gently set down. Jarvok pulled his hood higher to shadow his face better, as his eyes became translucent, shifting in their sockets until they looked like they belonged on an eagle more than a man. The world around him seemed to pop into focus, and he narrowed his vision down to catch every detail as the stairs lowered and a party of people descended to thunderous applause.

“So… the directorate supports the PM’s agenda, I get that… but why are WE here? She clearly has her own bodyguards and police… arguably military…” Haley said, hushing her voice with the last bit. The redheaded agent wasn’t too sure about PM Duvius’ methods yet… her results spoke for themselves though. Crime was down on the planet by a staggering amount. Law enforcement obviously loved her. The people loved her… but she still wondered if all this money that had come their way was going to cause problems in the future.

“Why does it matter? It’s a relatively safe job… I’ll take this over Shokushu detail, or hunting slavers… hell about anything we have to do.” The blonde readying her equipment next to Haley was Clara North, another ADD agent, going for officer rank, just like Haley. They’d worked together before, and got along well… great even. Clara was a lot like Haley… outgoing, warm, wanting to help people, even while she had a background full of baggage. Haley locked her armor’s bulky outer layer over the skintight weave that comprised the majority of the suit before replying. “I guess you’ve got a point.”

“Besides… if we ally with them now, some of that confiscated crime funding may just come the agency’s way. All this tech costs quite a bit.” Clara laughed. “Think we’re here, Young.”

“Oh, is that a thing we’re doing now, North?” Haley laughed, holstering a sidearm before grabbing a larger rifle out of the armory. She let her fellow agent do the same before locking up the extras and proceeding to the departure area, where the PM was already waiting.

“Ma’am. We’ll stay close but out of your hair unless something happens.” Agent Young smiled to PM Duvius.

“Of course… and Loretta is fine. I appreciate the agency’s support today…” She said, quickly but with a genuine sound to her voice, before some of her political advisors pulled her back, prepping her for whatever speech she was to make. Clara started coordinating with the local dispatch even as the ramp went down on the ship. The pair of young women followed the PM, walking calmly down the gangway as the stateswoman waved to her adoring crowds. The agents, for their part, scanned the crowd. There were too many people here to properly secure the place, no matter how many law enforcement personnel were on sight. She finally realized why they were there… they were better at pulling people out of hot situations than any local forces would be.


[Clara, on Regulus 6]

Javrok looked on as the three beauties gracefully strode towards the awaiting audience, noting the heavy armaments of the two bodyguards. The roar of the crowd made it impossible to hear anything being said, but his enhanced sight gave him a perfect view of their lips. "So, the PM called in the ADD as a security detail. Can't say I'm surprised." More than one dirty cop had taken a shot at the Prime Minister during her rise, so it made sense to rely on a neutral third party for personal security. Either way, it didn't affect Javrok's plans.

He began pushing with the crowd, acting as if he was trying to get as close as possible just like everyone else, except that his superior muscle density made shoving bystanders out of the way child's play. All the while he had a mental clock ticking down.

"15" Duvius walked down the carpet to her podium.

"12" He was only 3 rows back as the PM raises her hands

"8" His hand slid into his pocket, depressing a button to signal the start of the festivities, while he focused on shifting his facial features to match one of the security officers standing at the base of the ship. Without a sample, it wouldn't be perfect, but it didn't need to be for this.

"5" High above, a tiny pinprick of light appeared, as the remote guided missile he had just fired from a nearby rooftop shot forward, spearing straight towards the party on the landing pad.

"4" He reached the front row, only 20 feet from where his target stood.

"3" A second point of light appeared, this one brilliant red and holding steadily on Duvius' ample chest. This one came from a simple laser pointer he had positioned the night before.

"2" Jarvok filled lungs which he had grown specifically to be strong enough to pierce the roar of this crowd, and cried out "Madam Prime Minister, get down!"

"1" Show time.

Less than 50 feet behind the party, the missile impacted into the once beautiful ship, engulfing it in a blossoming ball of fire. Metal shrieked as the hull tore apart, and then a secondary explosion erupted outwards as the ship's fuel supply detonated. Jarvok ducked down with the rest of the cowering civilians and activated his holo suit, instantly changing his appearance to wear the same uniform as the security officer he was impersonating. The original would be incinerated by the explosion, and no one would be able to scan him carefully in the confusion.

He stood back up, acting dazed as all around him chaos erupted. He charged forward, joining with the other security officers encircling Loretta in a human shield, as they dashed to get her out of harms way and into Sanctuary Tower, completely unaware of their unwanted stow away.

The crowd cheered for Duvius as she approached the podium. Haley wasn’t surprised by how much they seemed to adore her… no doubt the crime syndicates she’d managed to push from the planet had made their lives hellish. She wasn’t sure how long the corruption had been present on the planet before the PM’s ascension but she figured it had probably taken at least one generation growing up in it to spawn enough resentment to do something about them.

Haley had to admit, up close the woman was stunning… she played down her features to appear more “Stately” and “political”, Haley was sure, but behind the studious glasses and updo she’d styled her raven hair into, there were the fair features of a girl next door that had probably spearheaded this campaign out of personal experience. Haley knew that Duvius had grown up in the slums of one of Regulus 6’s biggest cities and unlike a lot of the planet and systems' representatives, the people saw Duvius as a scion. Today she was wearing a crimson blazer that hung asymmetrically from her petite but curved figure, over a white blouse and black slacks. Most of all though, Haley was drawn to her gait… the way she walked reminded Haley of herself, slightly. She exuded confidence, but for one familiar with it, there was just a brief twitch as she would wave to the crowds… a nervousness… that betrayed how uncomfortable she still was in this role.

The agents scanned the crowd as Duvius raised her hands to quiet them. There were, of course, too many to really scan for threats, even with what she imagined was the vast majority of her security forces doing just that. The people were pushing and shoving, trying to get closer to see their hero, milling about like a living sea.

Suddenly, the whistle and roar of something caught her ear over the noise of the crowd. A voice cried out in warning, but she didn’t even have time to turn before the first explosion. A collective scream issued from the throngs of people as the clamor to get close to the PM reversed and they began to trample over each other in an effort to get away. Both she and Clara were at the PM, keeping her low and between them, by the time the second explosion sent ripples through the very air, threatening to knock them all back. A few of the scattered security officers that had made it to the PM were knocked down, though the Directorate agents kept their footing, in no small part thanks to their reinforced armor. Haley reached down with one hand to steady PM Duvius, and gave her a small nod of assurance, before calling into the security force. “We need to evac the PM on foot, what’s our destination?”

After the action, Haley would often laugh at herself in times like these… even just a few years prior, she would have been one of the many people running away, panicking, and screaming in terror. Now… there were certain situations that made her devolve into hysterics, but conflict like this wasn’t one of them.

More security officers swarmed around the PM… Haley and Clara tried to identify them by clothing at least as well as scan their surroundings as the group began to move, directed towards the very building they’d arrived to christen, it seemed.

The entire plaza was in utter chaos, as thousands of civilians screamed in terror, while the wounded from the explosion added their more pitiful sounds of agony. Looking at the wreckage of the ship, it was clear that more than just soldiers were caught in the explosion. Duvius' entire cabinet was accompanying her for this historic meeting, standing respectfully back from the podium and well within the blast radius. There was no time for triage though. For now, the only priority was to get the VIP to safety.

Jarvok joined in the mob of armed escorts, sprinting towards the aptly named building. A few of the onlookers ran towards the ball of military might, attempting to find a figure of authority in the bedlam, but the soldiers used their rifle butts and stun batons to clear a path through the mob. An eternity seemed to pass before the two agents, their charge, and eight security members made it to the gleaming entrance doors of the tower. The burnished dura-steel shone with the reflected light of the blazing ship as the part scrambled over the threshold into a lavish atrium and slammed the doors behind them. Alarms began blaring, as their weaponry and armor set off every sensor in the room.

One of the security forces, a hulking blond man, wearing several bars of rank on his chest shouted at the guard standing at the security station just inside.

"Initiate emergency lock down procedures! Authorization code 64732. Whoever just did that can't be allowed to get into the building!"

The entrance guard seemed dazed by everything that was happening, but quickly came back to his senses and began typing frantically into a datapad. Moments later, there was a new barrage of noise as dura-steel shutters rolled down to cover every inch of the 2 million square feet windows on the tower with a deafening clang. Moments later, a quiet but distinct crackling noise could be heard coming from outside the structure.

The officer bent over panting for a moment, before resignedly standing straight and addressing his leader. "You're safe now Prime Minister. Sanctuary tower is the most secure structure in the system. Those shields can withstand an orbital bombardment from a capital ship. Even cyber attacks can't get at us. Once the shield goes up, the system is hard wired to stay in lock down for 48 hours and all outside connectivity is disrupted by the power fluctuations. Whoever just took a shot at you, they missed their chance." He looked around at the beleaguered troops around him, several of which bore singed or burned uniforms or gashes from flying debris and grimaced. "I'm Captain Andres. It looks like I'm the ranking officer to make it inside, excepting your personal guards of course. On behalf of the Regulus defense forces, I would like to offer my deepest apologies. With your permission, I need to get a report on damage from the explosion, see to the supply situation, and check if a medic happened to be stationed in the building. One of my men will show you to your quarters."

Andres surveyed the remaining soldiers, then pointed at the one with the least scared uniform. "The Prime Minister has the penthouse quarters, floor 300. Her bodyguards have the two suites directly below that. The gravlifts should be down that hallway."



Jarvok nearly laughed out loud, but managed to hold himself back as he marched forward and saluted smartly to his superior, before turning back to his charges. "Please follow me ma'am. The grav lifts are this way."

Of course the Inferus had expected his plan to succeed, he had made it after all, but this level of success was a bit beyond what he had expected. Now, instead of dealing with hundreds of soldiers, the security detail was cut down to just 7 plus the two agents, and by the looks of them several of the soldiers should be in hospital beds. He'd still need to find out how many guards the other diplomats had with them, each of the five delegations had arrived earlier in the day, but he felt confident that if things came to a fight, he'd be able to escape without long term damage. Even better, HE was the one chosen to lead the dark hair beauty and her two lovely hangers on through the tower.

His first objective would need to be isolating one of the women and capturing her. His guard disguise was functional, but it wouldn't stand up once that captain took a role call and checked IDs. With that in mind, Jarvok lead the three ladies to the lifts, already planning his next move.

Haley had always been a bit of a social creature… but even that had limits. The chaos surrounded the agents and security forces, the mad throngs of people bouncing off them unintentionally like a mosh pit, or seeking shelter within the group, only to be beaten back… or perhaps legitimately trying to harm the PM, for all she knew. The PM’s security took no chances, smashing faces and breaking limbs with rifle and batons alike, doing whatever they had to clear a path for their charge to get to the building. Positioned within the growing ring of guards, Haley caught occasional glimpses of Clara, who seemed to share the same discomfort with the security forces’ methods. She knew it wasn’t her place or her job to stop them or protect the mob… but she still had the urge to speak up.

Concentrating on her duty would get her through this, she told herself, and tried to focus, pushing the PM gently towards the tower doors. She was wrong, she thought… the security forces seemed more than capable of handling this type of situation. She began to wonder again why they were there at all. As they finally entered the building though, she began to see the strain and fear in their eyes. Most had probably never seen combat and their ears were still ringing. The officer who took charge seemed shaken but in control, not to mention keeping a cool head. He got to most of the things she had intended to check on before she could even open her mouth.

“Officer, Agents Young, and North…” She said briskly… the sound of the young woman’s voice adopting such a military tone sounded strange to her even still, but she was getting fairly proficient at it. “… Will communication between floors work as normal? I want to be able to contact you if needed… also, I don’t suppose the building has any sort of security system that could detect unwanted visitors? I’ve no doubt that nobody is getting in… or out… of this place, but if someone was ALREADY here…” She offers, already starting to move with the PM despite having the conversation.

Meanwhile, Clara was talking quietly with Duvius, checking her over for injuries. The young woman gave the equally youthful politician a pat on the shoulder and a smile. “You seem fine, but does anything feel off? You’ll probably have some hearing loss for a little bit but don’t worry, that should come back.” She offered, speaking clearly but in a gentle tone. For her part, Duvius was trying to be stoic… she’d been attacked before, but never so blatantly, nor had she seen such collateral damage. She had no idea who among her cabinet was ok, though even she knew that many would have perished outright in the blasts. “Y-yes agent… don’t… don’t worry about me.” She said, managing the fake smile she’d practiced so many times in her normal duties. It was almost enough to convince herself, most days. “Well, that’s our job actually, so… afraid you’re stuck with us for now!” Clara laughed.

Haley glanced at the pair… she was always amazed how Clara managed to be so positive in even the darkest situations. For her part, “Loretta” seemed better than expected as well, though Agent Young suspected that was a façade to encourage her men. The PM was no military officer, but she’d learned to lead by example and was doing an admirable job for nearly being blown up not a couple of minutes earlier.

The soldier leading the ladies looked young, definitely no older than Haley, with a lean build that seemed to have had muscle bolted on during training. His features were a bit too rounded to match the soldier stereotype, but he certainly cut a dashing figure after all of the chaos outside.

He turned to answer Haley's question as they walked. "I'm Prvate Alito ma'am, pleasure to meet you. Your communicators will still work in here, plus there are call boxes beside every door and in the lifts. You'll need a different frequency, but I think we should give the captain a few minutes to settle things before stacking more on him. As for the security system, there's good news and bad new. The good news is that all the automated measures are top of the line. The transponders in our comm units should all be synched already, and none of the lifts or doors will work without one within 5 feet. The three of you should have access to every room in the tower, while the rest of us have more limited clearance. I'm not sure what the captain can get into. Regardless, every square inch of the building except for the 10 VIP suites and the conference room is wired for sound and video, and if they detect any movement without an authorized transponder, the security station gets a warning. Unfortunately, the guys who normally monitor that desk were stationed across the street in the command center, running the exterior sensors and exterior gun emplacements. I wouldn't be surprised if the guard we met at the door knows more about how to actually run the system than anyone else in the building."

The party arrived at their lift, walking into a tube bathed in blue light. Alito pressed a button on the wall and in a heartbeat, the floor beneath them was retreating at an alarming speed, without any sensation of movement at all. Seeing the look on the PM's face, Jarvok grinned "Inertia dampeners ma'am. We probably just pulled 20Gs there and never felt a thing." It was impossible to tell just how fast the lift was moving, but it took less than a minute for them to reach the penthouse. An iris hatch in the floor snapped closed with a hiss, dismissing the blue glow and leaving the party in the most opulent and lavish apartment on the planet.

The room's was decorated in white marble, with intricate gold and platinum inlays designed to highlight and accentuate each piece of furniture or art. The walls were covered with pieces by galaxy renowned painters, each piece clearly picked out before construction was even started so that the contours of the room would frame it without distracting from the overall presentation. In the center of the room rose a massive holographic display, showing a rotating rendering of the complete tower, as seen from above, so detailed that individual rain drops could be seen splattering against its surface.

Jarvok pretended to stare in awe for a few moments, before coming to his senses. "The bed chambers are through that door Prime Minister. All of the room's controls can be accessed through that data pad, or you can simply tap it with your personal one to synch it. Sorry, a tech guy was supposed to be around to give you specifics, but I'd stick to the basics. The tycoon you confiscated this place from had some pretty eccentric tastes, but you knew that already of course." He chuckled nervously, shifting from foot to foot before stumbling over his words all in a rush. At the same time, he reach to unfasten a small device at his belt.

"Ms.Duvius.please.take.this.its.personal.shield.generator.i.know.its.against.regulations.but..." the words were coming too frantically to catch them all, but the gist was that the device would stop most projectiles and explosions, but would disrupt a communicator or transponder while being worn. Apparently, the brass thought that up to date battlefield information was more important than safety for soldiers, and viewed wearing a shield as a major sign of cowardice. Some of that was actually true, but all Jarvok cared about was making sure Lorreta couldn't call for help once the two agents were dealt with, plus it established Alito as a fiercely loyal, but non-threatening figure to the bodyguards. The young private stammered to a stop, looking down in shame, before glancing up to see the PM's reaction.

Haley and Clara took up pace on either side of the PM, both paying attention to this “Alito” though he was speaking mostly to Haley. “Wow… seems the tower lives up to its name. And you’re definitely right about not stacking more on the captain, so thanks for filling me in. Still not sure about going to the highest floors with our charge but I suppose if it’s the most protected area, then it makes enough sense.” She responded in a rambling, thinking-out-loud sort of way, only half looking at the Private.

Agent North giggled a little at the PM’s reaction as the lift shot them into the air. “Same thing as is on most of your orbital and even planetary craft now, but they don’t have clear bottoms.” She explained.

“Because people would get sick?” Duvius laughed nervously, the adrenaline finally starting to ebb out of her system a little, especially with the reassurances about the security system. “Thank you all… I… I suppose it would be naive of me to say I hope everyone’s ok.”

“Worry about it later… for right now, you could probably use a place to sit down.” Haley suggested, finally cracking a smile if only for the sake of the others, both Duvius and even Alito. The elevator finally slowed and stopped, again almost silently. She was impressed with the engineering on the building if nothing else.

The next room gave the entire group pause. Internally, Haley made a snap judgment, but then tried to pull it back. “Pretty… ritzy place here.” She said quietly, walking in first and trying to get back in the right mindset. She swept the room, going ahead of the group to check corners, hiding places, investigate the other room, especially the bedchamber, as Alito pointed it out. The redhead kept her rifle lowered but was clearly not taking any chances.

Meanwhile, Agent North and PM Duvius walked to the hologram framed by the room. “Well, looks like you’ll be safe here… also, I’m definitely eating all your fancy stuff while we’re stuck here.” She joked, getting a smile from the young PM.

Haley returned in time to hear that the tower had been confiscated, easing her initial judgment a great deal. “More like no taste…” She muttered to herself. She jerked a little as Alito grabbed for something at his belt, but relaxed when she saw what it was, though the device only fostered intrigue for her. “Those are… pretty expensive, especially on a soldier… er… security?... sorry not sure what you prefer… on your budget.” She commented. The directorate was working on mounting them in their next generation of armor, but as with the security forces, the lack of communication was proving to be too big a hurdle to overcome. UNLIKE them, no ADD agent had any qualms about using such a thing if it meant saving their own skin. Honor was something you couldn’t always afford to have in their position.

For her part, and informed by Haley, Loretta reached out her hands gently and accepted it, but kept it held out. “Are… you sure? You’re all already doing so much for me… I feel bad.” She smiled, though at the same time it clearly was a meaningful gesture and one she appreciated, with the blasts still ringing in her ears.

Alito blushed as the agent pointed out the price tag before responding.

"Well, you see. I was on a raid to capture a pretty high ranking mobster earlier in the year, and he happened to be wearing this thing. Fired half a power pack of plasma rounds into that shield, before someone got the idea to shoot out the ceiling above him. I got tasked with digging out the body, and I figured, why let tech like this just go to waste right? So I pocketed it, marked it down as broken, and here it is today. The way I see it, the best thing to do with a criminal's shield is to give it to the person who's done the most to see that they all get what they deserve, and that's you Prime Minister. Besides, we already royally screwed up by not catching that missile in time. I can't fix that, but maybe this will help if they come after you again."

He offered up the small device again and looked relieved when the Prime Minister took it and placed it on her belt. Alito obviously still looked embarrassed by the whole encounter, but got himself together enough to turn to the two agents.

"Um right then. I guess one of you two should stay with the PM, and I'll show the other one to her room. After that, I should really get back down stairs to the captain and see what I can do. Since Agent North looks like she'll kick my teeth in if I get between her and the snack bar, I guess that means you're with me Agent Young. If you'll excuse us Ms. Duvius?"

He bowed his head respectfully to the prime minister, before turning back to the grav lift and waiting for Haley to follow him. As they descended, he was already shifting the muscles in his arm so that the hypodermic needle hidden just above his wrist would be ready the moment he got his opportunity. After just a few seconds, they arrived at a landing with two doors leading off of it. Jarvok motioned to the one on the left and said "This will be your room. The handle is keyed to your fingerprints, but I think there's a way to set a code for someone else to also be able to enter. Afraid that was another one of those things the tech guys were supposed to take care of. Why don't you open it up, and I'll give you the tour." Jarvok could only barely contain his smirk as he entered the room barely a step behind his prey.

Haley listened to the story with fading interest, especially as he got into patriotic reverence of Duvius. It wasn’t that she didn’t think the young politician was undeserving, she just couldn’t relate and felt awkward as an off-worlder. “Sounds like the right call.” She affirmed to him, still looking around the room a bit. The young woman finally seemed to relax slightly and slung her rifle over a padded shoulder.

For her part, Loretta was significantly more moved by his speech. “Well… thank you then. And you’re not personally responsible for today, so don’t feel like you are. I guess this is just an ongoing battle we’ll have to fight… sometimes more literally than I’d care for.” She admitted, finally walking over to the bedroom and looking into the door, before coming back into the main room and taking a seat. She sat back in the oversized chair, not slouching, though the weight of the attack was obvious on her features.

“I… I was joking!” Clara blushed, maintaining her much more carefree attitude. Haley knew it was, at least partly, a façade. It was one she seemed comfortable with though… she preferred to smile even when there was nothing to smile about.

The redhead managed her own laugh, and followed after Alito. “Well, best get moving then… before she comes after you for that comment.” She joked. “I suspect we’ll be spending most of our time near Prime Minister Duvius, but still… might need to rest eventually, in shifts.” She mused. The pair got in the lift quickly and went down a single story to another well-constructed, but less decorated floor. She surmised this part had probably been in the process of redecoration when the attack occurred.

“Huh… kinda unhandy, but I guess it’ll work for now. Like I said, I doubt we’ll be here much…” She said, though she felt something off. Something had changed in the air between her and Alito, though perhaps it was just his eagerness, or the trauma from the day catching up with her. She didn’t know any of these people, but she knew there were victims, and that never sat easily. The agent reached forward with a sigh, putting her thumb on the reader.

The room inside was nearly as ornate as the penthouse suite, but without some of the more over the top features. It was still decorated in marble, and boasted an impressive selection of art, but none of the pieces would be immediately recognizable to someone who wasn't well versed in the art world. Haley would only have a few seconds to take all that in however. As soon as the door closed behind the pair, she would feel a sharp pain shoot through the side of her neck as Jarvok struck with the needle, delivering a powerful paralytic directly into the agent's nervous system. Before she had any hope to reach for a weapon or call out, every one of her muscles turned to jello, leaving only her eyes mobile as she collapsed to the floor. Jarvok caught her under her arms as she fell, and spoke into her ear. "Oh no, we can't have you hurting yourself by accident. Any pain I decide you are due will be earned." He lowered her to the ground, then stepped back to look down at the still form at his feet. "There we go. Oh, are you trying to say something? I'd save my breath if I were you, you'll need it for either answering my questions or screaming. And moaning, you'll be doing that a LOT very soon. For now, let's see what toys were left for us to play with."

"Alito" walked out of Haley's line of sight, but she could still hear him nearby. She could hear the sound of doors opening, and panels sliding, before his voice sounded back to her. "Well that will do very nicely. It was so nice of the PM to choose such a well equipped building for her meeting." Alito reappeared in Haley's view, and reached down to grab her around the waist. With a swift jerk, she was tossed over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and was stuck watching the floor as she was limply carried into another room. The threshold appeared strange, as if it was a sliding panel rather than a normal door, and moments later it would become clear that this was not a standard bedroom. The walls appeared to be some sort of sound absorbing foam, and spaced throughout the chamber were half a dozen different restraint stations. Chains hung from the ceiling, a wooden horse stood off to one side, and a set of stocks was mounted near the center. Along the walls were several shelves filled with every tool of a slave master's trade, both for pleasure and pain.

Jarvok deposited Haley near the center of the room, below a contraption of ropes and leather manacles, then started undoing the clasps on her armor. He took ample advantage of her helpless position, groping her chest and ass, but soon enough the last of her clothing was laying on the floor nearby and he was looking down at her nude form, visibly hard within his uniform. "You are just gorgeous, you know that. If Loretta wasn't such a juicy prize, I might be tempted to just take you as my winnings and consider this all a job well done. Still, you and your partner should fetch a hefty price once you are properly trained."

He bent down and began tightening the straps onto her at the neck, hips, arms and legs. When he was satisfied, he pressed a button on the wall, and the ropes retracted into the ceiling, leaving the poor agent suspended with her arms fastened together behind her back and her legs bent double at the knees. He pressed another button, and the two ropes holding up her legs began to separate, pulling her thighs apart and giving an open view to her precious flower.

Jarvok walked back to the trussed up agent, running a finger along her plump ass, up her spine and neck until he took a firm grip of her hair. He pulled up her head to check checked that the height was right to align her holes with his crotch before sitting down on his haunches to look her in the eyes. As she watched, his skin would turn translucent, revealing muscle and bone beneath that writhed before her eyes. Slowly, the creature's face and hair would reshape themselves to be a crude approximation of her own features, although not especially convincing. "Let's make a few things clear from the outset. I'm Jarvok, but you may call me master. You, Ms. Haley Young, are fucked. Your partner thinks you are going to rest for the night, the guards down stairs have no clue how to use the security system, and no one else has a hope of getting in the building. Once I collect a sample, I'll look so much like you that your own mother wouldn't spot the difference. That means that for the next 48 hours, you are mine to do with as I please. Once I collect your partner and take the PM's place, you'll be mine for as long as I decide to keep you. If you are a good little girl, answer my questions, and learn your lessons well, I'll keep you for my personal stock. As far as masters go, I'm one of the better ones you're likely to meet. I won't beat you for the fun of it, I generally won't give you to minions to gang bang, and I don't like renting my property out to brothels. If you displease me, things will go VERY poorly for you, and I will be more than happy to punish the bouncing blond upstairs for your defiance. So with that in mind, I'm going to give you the antidote for that paralytic now. You can say your peace, since I can tell you are practically bursting to say something, but I'd choose my words carefully if I were you. After that, I intend to fuck you until I get bored. I hope this conversation has saved us some misunderstandings in the long run."

A new needle extended from one of Jarvok's fingers, and he jabbed it into Haley's neck, right next to the stinging spot from the first puncture. The antidote took a bit longer to take effect, but soon enough Haley would feel some measure of control coming back to her muscles, although the restraints prevented her from moving much beyond her mouth. He stood and turned his back on the agent to disrobe, waiting for the inevitable defiance to begin.

Agent Young rolled her eyes as the new scene opened up before her, clearly not caring for the over the top decorations. “Whoever built this place had some questionab-hwah? What theeuuuugh!” Haley tried to spin as she felt the sting. She’d been darted and injected before and knew what that little prick could mean. She also knew it meant she only had a few seconds… normally. This time though, she didn’t even get to finish her sentence before her limbs, then her entire body, even her tongue, went limp. The agent felt herself caught in Alito’s arms, felt herself lowered to the marble flooring… she could still FEEL just fine, but her body refused to move, save for her eyes, which darted around in a panic. Her lips were just barely moving as he noticed her effort… thankfully it hadn’t paralyzed her internals, and her chest still rose and fell in the skintight suit that passed for armor.

It seemed she’d found her assassin, though sadly not before he’d dealt with her. While he wandered off, she tried desperately to get her body to move, mustering every ounce of willpower she had, though it did nothing. She quietly seethed with frustration as Alito picked her up effortlessly and carried her deeper into the room. As they passed into another room, Haley could tell something was off with the setting. Though she couldn’t look around, the walls were thick and padded… the floor was no longer marble but a laminated flooring… something much easier to clean. Occasionally they would pass by patches of carpet or… padding? On the floor?

It wasn’t until he sat her down that she got a better picture of the room and the many pieces of bondage equipment that adorned it. A chill ran through her spine… it was clear before he said or did anything else what he planned for her now. Agent Young could do nothing but watch helplessly as he began to detach her armor, having plenty of time to figure out where the latches and seams were. He threw aside the heavier pieces and eventually shucked her out of the second skin, taking his time to grope at her prominent breasts as well as her backside. She couldn’t even protest. Yet, still, somehow her cheeks managed a blush as he appraised her naked young form while standing over her imposingly.

She felt herself flipped onto her belly, her tits blossoming out to either side of her as they were crushed against the cool floor. He’d done this before, she realized, as he quickly hogtied her, her slender arms crossed up behind herself, legs bent uselessly before she was raised off the floor and felt her legs spreading apart, baring her thighs and sex.

The strangest was yet to come as he shifted her around… making his intentions clear. She was surprised he had time for this if he was really here to kill the PM… but the longer he spent with her, she thought, the better chance Clara would have of at least protecting Duvius, if not coming to Haley’s rescue too. She was quite shocked to find herself soon staring into her own visage, her eyes widening a bit. She’d never met a shapeshifter before. She was aware of them, but even among the strange space she had found herself in, they were apparently rare.

His speech clearly registered with her… even from just her eyes, he would be able to see a flurry of emotions; rage eventually gave way to concern, for both the PM and Clara, and then enough frustration that she managed to tear up through the paralytic. By the time she was injected again and the antidote took hold, she didn’t know what to say.

“You… did your homework.” She finally admitted in a cracked voice, keeping it short. Clara wasn’t close enough to her to spot the types of inconsistencies he might show by impersonating her, and Loretta obviously didn’t have a chance. Though she was clearly infuriated, she didn’t bother wasting her breath, and instead tried to think of SOMETHING she could do to escape, to get help…

Jarvok simply grinned back at the agent's lack of defiant words, smiling with her own face. "I certainly did, thank you for noticing. I had to spend two weeks impersonating one of the tech staff to make sure I knew all this building's secrets, but I'd say it was time well spent. Now with that out of the way, let's get started."

Jarvok moved out from in front of the agent, and the collar around her neck prevented her from fully turning her head to follow his movements. She could still see his feet though, as the shape changer calmly walked to stand beside her hips, then placed a hand squarely on her firm cheeks. "Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find out which body guards Loretta would be bringing, so I wasn't able to do my homework on you or your partner. I like to be thorough with my disguises, so I'm going to ask you questions about yourself and Ms. North. If you answer them, you'll feel pleasure..." as he said this, Jarvok slid his hand lower and traced a single finger along the red head's waxed folds. "and if you don't answer, or if I think you are lying, you'll feel pain." With a sharp crack he pulled his hand back and laid a firm slap on Haley's backside. A nice red hand print was left behind, and Jarvok nodded in satisfaction before it faded.

"First question, how long have you been an agent in the ADD, and how were you recruited?"

Haley worked her fingers and toes, getting some feeling back into her bound limbs as best she could. The redheaded agent listened to him preen about his work… as she’d noted, it was impressive. She considered trying to keep him talking, keep him boasting, but before she could even begin to think of anything, she felt his presence between her spread thighs, looming over her… only his feet visible, but the specter of what he was going to do pressed down on her with emotional weight.

She tried to keep calm, breathing gently, even as his finger drifted across her exposed pussy. There was a soft “Mmph!” from her throat as she bit her lip and stifled a response to the slap at her backside. Agent Young could feel her skin burning where he’d swatted her already.

“Actually… making sure I have this right… you don’t have enough information to impersonate me correctly. So… though I suspect this will be painful… I’m going to have to politely ask you to shove it.” She growled the last bit, tensing herself for what was likely to come.

Jarvok had ready positioned his fingers back along her slit, ready to give her a proper reward for a properly demure answer, only to hear defiance in her voice. He walked back and leaned down in front of her, face incredulous at her response. "You can't be serious. You honestly believe that if you manage to keep back trivial details, details which I highly doubt your partner would even know of, that somehow my plans will fall apart? How incompetent do you think I am? Oh sure, it might be harder to pull this all off without someone discovering that the PM has been replaced, but that was always more of a stretch goal. Plan B is to neutralize Duvius and her body guards, then kill everyone else in the building. Considering your temperament, I think I'll just put on your armor, grab your rifle, and make it all look like the act of a rogue ADD agent, working under slave conditioning from a past mission. Of course, then I'll need a body for when you appear to kill yourself, but taking home two out of three ain't bad." While he was talking, Jarvok had stood and walked to one of the shelves lining the walls and pulled down a set of nipple clamps and a ball gag. He clicked the clamps together, nodding at the force he needed to open them, then came back to Haley's suspended form. Ignoring whatever she attempted to say, he leaned down and sharply grabbed one of her hanging teets, pulling it to the side and roughly clipping on the clamp. Completely uncaring of her pain, he walked to Haley's other side and repeated the process.

Then he stood in front of the helpless agent again, and held the gag before her face before speaking in a soft and menacing voice directly into her ear. "I have no intention of wasting my time on an ADD cow too stupid to know when she is beaten. If I put this gag on you, that means talking is done. I will fuck you until I get bored, capture the women upstairs, then murder every other living thing in this building while wearing your face. You have one chance to convince me that you are more useful alive than with your head blown off. Make it count." While describing the agent's fate if she failed to comply, Jarvok's face was shifting again, molding into a hideous mockery of the agent's covered with the tell tale burn makes of a plasma rifle, and with one half of the face simply missing. The message was crystal clear. "Play ball, or this will be you."