"It is no rumor. You may expect me."

"Will you be bringing your companion?"

"I have no companion."

"Then perhaps that particular rumor, unlike that of your arrival, is false."

"One such as yourself should know better than to listen to gossip."

"One such as myself oftentimes has nothing but gossip to listen to. There is talk of you and another, and I have reason to believe in its validity... but, of course, I would rather hear truth from you."

"Your source is indeed valid."

"So it is true. We thought perhaps you had abandoned a partner, after Boddington appeared again in Berlin. Did you hear the news of Soldats?"

"No, I have not heard any news."

"There is a new commander now, as the contract on their previous leader was filled. However, it is very strange doings. We were quite aware that the contract belonged to you, yet no one was notified of your presence in London, and it was not your modus operandi. Did someone manage to steal your kill?

"It was not stolen, but freely given, in exchange for matters that are none of your business. Is Boddington alive?"

"Very much so, and in the fair city that you are now sequestered in. I might give you her location, should you care to visit."

"Perhaps later. There is traveling to be done first."

"When should we expect you, Madame Noir?"

"Before nightfall. It should not take me long."

Once alone, she found the solitude to be pleasing. It had been long since she'd last had no partner or no companion. To be able to do what she wanted, go where she desired... it was a powerful thing, this freedom. Having Thoth follow her orders and only ordering herself were two entirely different things, and Riya decided that she would do her best to enjoy this liberty.

After all, it meant that there would be no one to share her kill, and that was good, as Riya was not in a sharing mood.

The needle on her speedometer pegged out for the duration of her journey along the Audobon. There was nothing but road-- miles and miles and hundreds of miles of twisting highway that rolled through hills and skirted towns, and she chased imaginary prey like a cheetah races through herds of antelope, weaving and dodging and following closely until she grew tired and found another target.

Without a helmet her hair whipped behind her in a long snowy cloud, and bent over her white speedbike as she sped along, Riya was but a pale blur.

This is what I live for. Not for the death, but for this race against it.

She arrived in Munich near midafternoon, disheveled and hot and utterly pleased with herself. A roadside cafe provided her with a seat outside in the sunshine, and under a canopy of ivy she sat and enjoyed the beautiful day. No one paid her mind as she alternated between reading over her contract's dossier and sipping a cup of tea; she looked for all the world to be a young woman studying.

From there she slowly made her way to the hotel that would provide her sanctuary for the next few days. The owner was not a Wolf, but one of her many acquaintances, and she paid a hefty sum for his silence. Whenever Riya entered a town, those who knew her understood what her presence meant, and the man gave her a knowing smile as he handed her the keys to her room.

Once secured inside, she unpacked her bags and then lay down on the couch. Boots propped on the couch arm and arms folded behind her head, she stared out the window and let the silence and solitude lull her to sleep.

"I am sorry if I have woken you, Madame Noir, but the surveillance you requested has shown an abnormality."

"...an abnormality? Explain."

"At approximately 1400 hours, a man matching the description of one Alejandro de Altamira, the man you specified in your request, was seen leaving your condominium. He traveled to the private airfield in Berlin, and departed the country as of 1520 hours."

"He left?"

"Indeed. Your other companion has not been seen exiting the building. Do you wish for us to continue surveillance?

"Yes. You will now monitor the young woman in residence there. I want to know her every movement, and you will notify me immediately if and when she departs from the building."

"Yes, Madame Noir. Is there anything else you require of us?

"Notify me if the man returns."

"We can certainly do that. Speaking of surveillance, we have the other reports you requested, dating from the week previous until currently. Would you like those delivered to your room?"

"I would. And dinner."

"A package has also arrived for you."

"I am not expecting a package."

"Perhaps not, but the package is most certainly expecting you. My staff has scanned it, but it does not appear to be an explosive device."

"What is the postmark?"

"Paris, France. From one Monsieur Maessai."

"Then I am expecting it. Bring it."

"Dinner will be ready shortly, and someone will deliver your items. If you require any further services, do not hesitate to call."

Her mind was running a mile a minute, bouncing back and forth between thoughts. Ejan had deserted Thoth, even after he had agreed to ride herd on her partner. This contract was tricky, so difficult that she was grateful again that she'd decided to undertake the assassination of Ambassador Dhamet alone. Thoth was alone in Berlin, without a single associate, without Riya, without Ejan, without an idea of where anyone was. The Wolves had called in the early morning with a request for a meeting once she had completed this mission. A meeting? Ejan had left Thoth.

There were so many thoughts.

Each one she considered at length, but there were no easy answers, and eventually Riya gave up on fruitless pondering and focused instead on the task at hand.

Dhamet was no easy target. Having been the objective of an assassination attempt years ago-- obviously a failed attempt-- he had taken paranoia to new heights. Riya liked a challenge, but his safety precautions bordered on ridiculous, and even though she'd read over the specs for his compound's security system a million times, it still made her shake her head and sigh.

Gaining access to the ambassador's compound was the simplest part of her mission; she had already arranged for placement as a new maid with the servant's staff. Everyone suspected the butler, butno one gave mroe than cursory attention to the other hired staff. Riya knew this from experience, having utterly ignored everyone she considered below her station for as long as she could remember. So getting inside was easy.

Getting out, however...

At the first sign of alarm, the doors in the main house locked down. One gunshot, and Riya would be trapped, caught like a hare in a trap before she could do more than blink. Even if she managed to slip through the doors, there was still the matter of the guards.

Typically, Riya was not concerned with guards. She had never even been concerned with Legion, and men with rudimentary military training held no threat to her. That was her typical thinking... but unfortunately, this situation was less than typical.

Riya preferred one on one combat. Failing that, she'd shoot as many people who chose to stand in her way. At the ambassador's compound, however, she could not simply point and shoot, because--

Ejan had left Thoth.

Her train of thought derailed, Riya kicked her heels angrily against the table and made a sound that could almost be taken for a sullen huff. It was no use. Try as she might to concentrate on other things, her anger had its own agenda, and the old displeasure began to simmer in her eyes again as she set the pistol down beside her and stared blindly out of the window.

How dare he.

His reasoning held no concern for her; she cared not for whatever justification he might believe himself to have. She herself had left Berlin for business; there had been no other alternative, and she had thought to leave her partner in capable hands. He, however... he had simply deserted, without any consideration at all, leaving Thoth alone. Thoth was all alone.

An emotion she was incapable of recognizing as guilt overcame her, coupled with an uncertain sort of concern, and she forgot about her mission and her contracts and the Wolves as she picked up her cell phone, ready to call Thoth.

"Certainly. You do understand that we have not cancelled this contract out of question of your abilities. There may come a time when this will be renewed, but until then we are in need of your services elsewhere."

"I have gone to a great deal of trouble to arrange this contract."

"And we understand that, Noir. We've never had a cancellation of this sort with you, so there is no standard procedure, but we would gladly offer you a considerable sum as a sign of our appreciation."

"That will do."

"Excellent. In addition to that fee, do you think that four million dollars will give us your services for this next assignment?"

"Four million."

"Yes. Is that sufficient? This will not be a difficult undertaking, but there are some factors you will have to take into consideration. We would also like this completed as soon as you are able. Are you still interested?"

"I will see the dossier."

"A courier will arrive later this afternoon with those documents for you. You are still in Munich, is that correct?"

"...yes, that is correct."

"Very good. You are not obligated to commit to this contract until you have had time to review its specifications, but we do hope that you will accept. I believe you may find it rather... interesting."

"We shall see."

However, for four million dollars, she could afford to overlook it this time.

Her irritation all but disappeared when she was handed the dossier and a note quoting the amount of her cancellation fee. It was a respectful gesture on their part, and Riya felt that her time had not been wasted.

When the courier was gone she did not immediately read over the file, but insteat set it down on the table and moved for the phone. The hotel host at the desk downstairs was very accomodating, and not ten minutes later a steward arrived with a meal, newspaper, and a little update on Thoth's well-being. Riya gave the boy an outrageously generous tipe, told him to get out of her sight, and then sat down to peruse the New York Times and eat her lunch at leisure.

Only after squandering away a good three hours of luxurious time did she retrieve the dossier and move to the couch. Comfortably situated with her bare feet propped up once more on the tabletop, she smiled faintly to herself and opened the folder to the front page.

She was not expecting what she found.

A familiar pair of honey eyes looked up at her as she stared down at the photograph before her. Quickly she leafed through the other documents, over a biography and surveillance reports and a number of other photographs, and while confusion flickered through her mind she had a single, absurdly clear thought.

Well... Thoth will certainly like this.

Riya had just been offered a contract on the life of Alejandro Serafin de Altamira.

After surprise, her reaction was a renewed sense of anger. Thinking of him made her think of Thoth, of her partner all alone, and after asking him for a favor she was still furious over his desertion. It might very well serve him right to be punished for his offense, and whatever the justification for his death might be, the Wolves were offering her the opportunity on a silver platter.

Thoth... her partner would certainly be pleased. She'd been looking for any chance she got to shoot the man, and Riya did not have to use her imagination to know what the girl's reaction would be. Bloody, violent, retributive... just the way she'd threatened so many times. That in itself did not bother Riya. That it would be a sanctioned death did not bother her, either.

So what was bothering her?

An idea occurred to her, one that made her smile, actually smile, and Riya picked up her cell phone. The voice on the other end was polite and inquisitive, and she gave him her answer.

"Yes."

"And I trust it was satisfactory? We want nothing more than to ensure that our business relationship remains a pleasant one."

"It was satisfactory."

"Excellent. Did the dossier contain all the information you require?"

"He has left Berlin."

"Yes, and arrived in Madrid, Spain, at his home there. Is this a problem, Noir? Transportation and such is all easily arrangeable for you, of course."

"It is not a problem."

"Well, then. Is there anything else you need? The full sum of your payment will be transported to your accounts, per previous instruction, as soon as we receive confirmation that you have been successful."

"That is acceptable. There is nothing that I require."

Her journey this time was anything but leisurely; while her speed remained the same, she was rushed, not playful. Turns she had taken with ease before were now sharply made, and there was an edge to her flight, an urgency, a focus. The tails of her overcoat flapped loudly in the wind as she drove, bent over her bike and hugging the highway, and her thoughts ran as many miles per hour as she did.

They wish for me to kill Ejan.

She should have been happy; excited, even, or pleased or vengeful or satisfied. He had deserted her partner. He had broken his promise. He had annoyed her and irritated her and antagonized her countless times. He was insolent. He was arrogant. He was unnecessary.

Riya did her best to conjure anger, and after an effort succeeded in fooling herself. She was angry. She was furious. There would be no hesitation when he stood before her pistol, and she would never have to look into that face or those eyes again. Then there would only be Thoth.

And she would be even more wealthy. Four million dollars could buy her and Thoth anything they wanted. She could even retire; that thought was ridiculous, and she dismissed it immediately, but she had thought it. With this last contract she could finally begin to feel secure in all she had, and nothing could touch them. That was something Riya had been striving for as long as she could remember; security, safety, and invincibility. Four million dollars could give them that.

Why was she even hesitating?

Decisions were made and decisions were set aside as she rode hundreds of miles over the landscape, and her eyes held a familiar coldness and her expression its old lines when she finally skidded to halt in front of her condominium in Berlin.

Thoth opened the door, looking furious, but Riya was too preoccupied to care. She made a complicated gesture, even went so far as to pat her partner on the arm as she stepped inside, and opened her mouth to tell the news that would fix this animosity.

Different words came out.