Today would be a far cry from a the last social event Nate attended on behalf of Haven. His last soiree with the new organization he was helping Devon get off the ground was a typical charm and inform affair. Those already involved with Haven found people interested in bettering New York and the world, making it a place where mutants and humans could thrive in harmony and every other pretty mission statement on the label.

The support of benefactors and public faces went a long way to helping Haven’s image and spread the message, but it was not the fix the world really needed. All the money and ringing celebrity endorsements would not fix problems like the Santiago family.

The Santiago family owned a string of casinos in Atlantic City and Las Vegas, as well as other locations across the country. They were an unremarkable family no more than a decade earlier, when sudden fortune entered their lives and they rode it to unexpected and unprecedented success.

But there were rumors. Whispers from many sources that on their own were less than credible, but together formed a pattern. That was how Nate always navigated the criminal world; one man could not be trusted, but several unconnected men could have at least one common thread of truth between them.

The Santiago Family were enterprising criminals, but for a long time they were not good at it. All the classics: drug running, small-time illegal gambling, petty theft. It was a large family and members would take turns getting busted and spending a little time in jail. It was a terrible environment for Delaney Santiago to grow up in, but she managed to go through her childhood, doing her best to keep her head down.

It was not until Delaney was a teenager and her mutation manifested that the lessons of her family became too strong to ignore. Delaney inherited the ability of an alchemic touch: specifically, when her hands touched inorganic solid matter, the object she touched would turn to gold. It was not a permanent effect, she realized after quietly testing her power in her room. After a week, the items she touched would turn back to their original state, so she had to be careful with how she used her treasures. She would turn small objects into gold and pawn them at shops outside of Vegas where she would never have to return. With that spending money, she funded modest shopping sprees, making sure to invest in fur-lined gloves that would keep her from accidentally touching anything inorganic, and keeping her ill-gotten gains out of sight from her family.

But she got careless, as teenagers did. She started using her powers for petty reasons. Turning parts of a teacher’s car gold so it would refuse to work after a poor grade. Tricking popular girls into thinking they were rich so they would make careless decisions until they found out not all that glitters is gold. She had teenage angst to work through, and a nifty mutant power to exploit. She started flaunting the nice things she was able to get for herself, which raised the suspicions of her family. One day, she was caught using her powers by her mother hiding and watching from her closet as an innocuous stone became a chunk of gold. Her parents saw this gift their child had, and immediately knew they found the way to turn their luck around, even if it was at the expense of poor Delaney Santiago.

---

Nate was sitting at the foot of the bed in an upscale hotel room located several floors above The Last Song Casino, one of Las Vegas’s rising casinos and the rumored base of operations for the Santiago family. With access to gold, they were able to jumpstart enterprises with an essentially infinite well of funds to start up from. It was literally an overnight enterprise, and by the time previous “partners” realized gold they were given had turned away to bricks and ash, the Santiagos already had real money and real protection. They had made it to the next level of crime they always dreamed of.

Crime was not why they were in Las Vegas, however; Delaney Santiago was the reason for the cross-country trip. According to information Nate… gathered for Devon, the Santiago girl, now in her twenties, was no longer a member of the family as much as she was a precious item locked away. She wanted escape and a second chance.

Nate would, of course, be skeptical, but Haven was about second chances, and he was not the man to judge. Maybe she wanted to turn over a new leaf, or maybe she just missed fresh air and the mall. What mattered was there might be a young mutant being held against her will by a family using her for their own means. It was the antithesis of everything Haven stood for, and it made Nate’s skin crawl.

His suit jacket was laid out on the bed, but Nate already had his light blue button down shirt and his suit pants on. He was tying a cerulean tie around his neck when he called out to his partner in… well, anti-crime, who was preparing herself in the hotel room’s marble bathroom. ”Would you like to go over what the plan is here, honey, or are we hoping for the best tonight? Luck be a lady, and whatnot.” He smirked; if luck was a lady, his co-conspirator would likely leave to spend the evening with her instead.

This was decidedly different from a Gala event. When Agnes had first been approached by Devon and Nate about the possibility of a field mission, she was understandably a little hesitant. Agnes was not the one that people turned to for things like that. Even though she had more than her far share of “incidents” in her life, spying, fighting, what-have-you, was just one of those things that she never felt that she excelled at. However, when she was briefed on what the mission would be, there was a deep swell in her heart and a flush to her cheeks. She mad – and she wanted to make a difference.

Agnes readily agreed to join the mission when she was given the details. A poor girl was being used by her family for her mutation, an ability that allows them to be rich. When Agnes lived on the streets, she truly saw what wealth could do to people, the lengths they would go to in order to achieve it. It maddened her that money was what greased the wheels of the world, and to know that a mutant was being misused in order to gain more only aggravated her further.

However it wouldn’t be just her passion that would lead the others to ask for her aid, it would be her perspective. Though Agnes wasn’t used in that manner, she was asked because of her incredible amount of empathy. This young woman, Delaney, was being used by her parents and family – mistreated and now kept under lock and key. Devon knew of her past, and Nate probably did too. It made her to perfect candidate to go on this mission because at least she could talk to the young woman as an equal.

So the plans were set. Luckily it was far easier for Agnes to take time off during the rehearsal season so when asked, her conductor was fine with it. Normally Agnes would have to have another front to deal with, explaining something like this to River, but the Sioux harpist was still on tour with the Traveling Orchestra and their contact was still completely minimal. And Rebecca…well…Rebecca didn’t figure into those people she had to tell she was going away, now did she?

Ahem.

The travel and the checking into the hotel in Vegas had been a simple enough ordeal. Agnes remembered when she was much younger, her parents being extremely vocal about such places. They said that they were little more than modern Sodoms and Gamoras and that the righteous fires would purge them from the earth. When Agnes had arrived, the lights from the distance did indeed make it look as if it had all been set ablaze. Thankfully that would not turn out to be true – but the levels of sin that were freely advertised, well, some of it had to be true, she guessed.

The hotel / casino was elaborate in design. When Nate and she had checked in, it was under the guise of a couple who were vacationing. It was awkward to have her hand wrapped around the older man, the same man who drove her and Rebecca out to Julliard when she was only a teenager. Then again, in this city, just a glance around showed how common it was for the May/December romances to be seen. At least she hoped they were romances…god…what if most of the people who glanced their way thought that Agnes was little more than a hooker?

But, seriously, what hooker would be walking about in jeans and an ”I LOVE BACH” t-shirt? Agnes let the idea drop and continued to play her role as best she could. It wasn’t as if the hotel staff were watching them under a fine-toothed comb, but where they needed to go later, well, it was best that they got their practice in now.

Now, in the bathroom, Agnes sighed as she stood and looked at herself in the mirror. There were still some jitters crawling under her skin at what she was doing here. Constantly she had to remind herself that she was here to help, to help a mutant who was suffering like she had, and if she could do that it was worth any jitters she could possibly have.

As Nate finished dressing outside, Agnes busied herself in the bathroom. Normally this would have made the young violinist extremely nervous but she was steadily learning she could trust the older man. The whole way over he profusely apologized for the public displays of affection they would have to endure, especially knowing that Agnes was a firm lesbian. However, as it was for the greater good, she was fine with a little make believe. It was the mission that mattered most.

Taken the required time to fix her hair and apply her make-up, Agnes found herself slipping into a sheer, silk dress of sapphire. The color was perfect for her as it really highlighted her crystalline eyes. As a kid, Agnes never thought she would get used to dressing up like this, but recently, thanks to working for the New York Philharmonic, even from her time with her traveling troupe, dressing nice had come with the territory. Once her dress was on, Agnes applied the last finishing touches to her make-up and hair before she stepped back and looked herself in the mirror again.

The Afton hairstyle had been a favorite of hers for these kind of events. Her medium length hair hung down in gentle waves, before being curled at the ends and pinned to the side of her head. It gave her a dark, classic look, one reminiscent of the movie stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood, and one that fit the insect queen perfectly. Almost as if on cue, her “honey” called out to her from the other room.

>> ”Wouldyou like to go over what the plan is here, honey, or are we hoping for the best tonight? Luck be a lady, and whatnot.”

A snort and a smirk on her face, Agnes exited from the bathroom, mostly made up except for her shoes and accessories. As she made her way over to him, she had to give him a teasing, faux-unamused look. ”The ‘honey’ really isn’t necessary when we’re alone, you know.” She nodded her head in answer to his question. ”Yes, please. I’d rather not have to ad-lib anything if I don’t have to.”

Flexing her hands, Agnes peered down at what looked like near invisible red hairs that poked out of each pore. It wasn’t her most useful molt, but centipede attributes gave her the gift to climb vertical surfaces. It should help with breaking into where they needed to go to save the young woman. As she waited for Nate to begin, she took a step back to scrutinize him. Seeing that his tie was a little lop-sided, she gestured for him to turn around and face her. As he did, she reached up and carefully adjusted it so that it was straight. With a nod, she patted his shoulders.

”Okay. You look very…dashing. ‘Dashing’ is appropriate, right?” She really didn’t have a lot of experience with how to compliment a handsome man. Turning from him, she plucked up a box with some jewelry for the occasion and handed it to him. Pulling her hair aside, she turned her back to him and exposed her neck. ”If you don’t mind? I don’t want my nails getting scratched.”

With his task in hand, Agnes waited for him to explain what they would be doing and how they were getting that mutant out of bondage. She only hoped she was up to the task.

It had been a long time since Nate had passed through Vegas, and while he was not the travel companion type anyway, the last person he expected to take the trip with was Agnes Nichols. The young woman was still a teenager working at the Mansion when they first met, but as with everyone else, half a decade had changed a lot. The young gardener dating his foreign exchange student was now a renowned violinist engaged to a harpist and someone who was committed to the vision of Haven.

Agnes was the logical choice to come along given everything Delaney had gone through. Before she came to the Mansion, Agnes suffered at the hands of her parents and dealt with a tough life as a youth on the streets. Honestly, Nate and Agnes both understood who Delaney was in different ways, so they were the right two people for their mission.

That did not make them the right two people to parade around like a couple on vacation. Agnes younger than Nate would generally find himself dating, (not that he was that much older than her,) but that was not the biggest detail to make things awkward. Agnes was a Kinsey-Six lesbian engaged to another woman, so it was hard for them to act natural and in love with one another when she found herself on that short list of women Nate could not woo.

They would make due; not every couple was on the same page, so they just had to be passable. As the former conman and more comfortable of the two when it came to lying, Nate was doing what he could to lighten the mood with a little humor.

Agnes emerged from the bathroom in a stunning sapphire dress she was sure to catch many an eye once they made it to the casino. Giving him a once over, she complimented him and straightened out his tie, and he had to grin. ”Dashing is perfect. You sound so convincingly straight, Agnes,” he joked. They could make this work.

She asked for his assistance, so he stood up and grabbed the necklace she had picked out for the evening. Between the tie and the necklace, the whole scene would seem very coupley if they were not planning how to abduct a person.

”Okay, so the plan,” he started, as she moved away her hair to give him access to her neck. ”Well, less a plan and more an outline. The casino’s blueprints show no signs of a sub-level, so if Delaney is here, and she should be, she is on a higher floor. The casino encompasses floors one through three, and the hotel rooms start from the sixth floor up.” Normal business needs did a lot to help them narrow their search, since it was unlikely the Santiagos left a luxury hotel room for their captive daughter.

Nate fastened the clasp of the necklace and backed away so Agnes could let her hair back down. ”The buttons on the elevator for those floors did nothing when pressed, but there’s a keycard slot. The Santiagos are drinking and gambling in their own Casino, because of course they are. We’ll find Gabby Santiago, one of the older daughters, and I’ll chat her up so you can do your creepy crawling thing and finagle away the card.” Based on every piece of information about the Santiago family available, it was hard to imagine them taking a moral stance against flirting with a married man, and Nate was… well, Nate. Talking was his marquee non-mutant talent.

Grabbing the navy blue coat jacket off the bed, he donned the outerwear and smoothed out the sleeves before offering his arm. ”What do you say, dear? Ready to rescue a mutant?” It was a rescue mission, because when you are in the right, it is not technically kidnapping.

It was weird. Not that Agnes was vastly uncomfortable but this really was a little strange. Agnes had discovered her sexual orientation early enough in life that she really hasn’t thought in any other terms. She didn’t really know what sounded appropriate when complimenting a handsome man as she never had practice with it. Nate was handsome, she guessed, though clearly not her type. But “dashing” seemed like the correct word choice. All of it just felt a little odd for the violinist but she was willing to push through any discomfort that she may have had; they were here on a mission, after all and, so far, Nate had proven to be quite respectable.

After her compliment, the man chuckled and responded that she sounded convincingly straight. That was a plus in her book, she guessed. They were supposed to be a couple on vacation, after all, so they had to sell that. It wasn’t as if their targets knew what they were here for, but still people would be able to pick up on things if they seemed too insincere.

”Well thank you,” Agnes said with a small smirk.

Pointing out a necklace that she was going to be wearing for the evening, a simple silver chain with a dangling sapphire attached to it, Agnes knew that the two of them certainly presented themselves as a unified couple. Their color coordination should help sell the fact that they were together so it only continued to add believability to their story. So she moved her hair aside and allowed the taller man to slip the necklace around her slender neck. With her back to him, she listened intently as he began to explain the plan that they had so far.

She nodded. It seemed simple enough so far. Plans showed that there were no sublevels to this casino that would house young Delaney, so more than likely she was being held in the topmost penthouse. With Delaney up there, their task was to gain access to the penthouse but how were they going to do that without drawing attention? When they had arrived in the elevator, it was clear that the top floor buttons weren’t working without a keycard. Clearly they needed to get one of those, but from where? It seemed that Nate had that figured out as well.

Stepping away once the necklace was clasped, Agnes let her hair fall and turned back to face her partner. He continued with his thought, having the same as she that the keycard was needed. It would seem that the rest of the Santiagos were partaking in the pleasures of their casino and were down below, drinking and gambling to their heart’s content. The thought of them doing such while Delaney was sequestered to her room made the young violinist’s blood boil a little. But aside from a hardened look in her eyes, there was not real identity to her inner emotions. Thankfully, it would seem, that Agnes wouldn’t have to deal with them personally.

So that was the plan. Nate was going to chat up one of the older daughters, a woman by the name of Gabby. By charming her, he was hoping to cause enough of a distraction for Agnes to get close and take the keycard from her. Agnes had some skill in picking pockets, a talent she had picked up from her years of living on the streets. It had been some time so, she may be a little rusty, but even if that were the case, she had assistance. As if on cue, the invisible seam on her forearm split on one of her giant Amazonian centipedes, Tiny, poked his head out. He could move stealthily enough, at least to reach in and grab whatever card she directed him to. Either way, Nate was correct in suggesting that she could handle this part.

She nodded in agreement. ”Sounds solid enough.” Afterwards, she took a small, shaky sigh. She couldn’t remember the last time she had to practice any kind of subterfuge like this but knew that she wasn’t going to be turning back now. Nate, always the goof, gave her a kindly smile and offered his arm to her. The centipede slipping back into her body, Agnes took his offered arm and offered one last shaky breath. This was almost as bad as performing on stage at the philharmonic. ”Let’s go.”

Nate smiled as Agnes gave them the go ahead to move forward. She was nervous; it was easy to tell after working so many jobs with so many questionably confident partners. It made sense, given the nature of their mission when all the morals were stripped away: they were committing crimes. Even if the “abduction” was not actually kidnapping since Delaney was being held against her will, they were also breaking and entering, and by the strictest definition of the law, probably falling under the scope of “vigilantism.”

As they stood in the elevator, watching the illuminated screen above the closed metal doors tick down from number to number as they descended, Nate eyed his false lover, before looking to the systems around them. There was an obvious camera in the top-right front corner of the space. On the panel of elevator buttons, there was a small grate that could have been just a speaker, but he had to assume it might be a receiver as well, able to listen in on the goings on of the guests inside.

Thankfully, the cover of affectionate lovers did make sharing secrets a little easier. Nate turned his body just enough to keep his face away from the camera and inched close enough to Agnes to whisper in her ear. ”Listen, we talked this out, but remember: this could go south. The cops will not see the good in why we’re here. That’s not even accounting for the criminals catching us first.” He did not have to remind Agnes of the kind of people they were dealing with, and the likelihood that anyone they crossed would have no qualms putting a bullet or two in any suspicious intruder.

To the camera, he looked like an affectionate husband whispering sweet nothings into his wife’s ear, but he had to take a moment to make peace with his conscience while they were still alone. ”Beliefs are great, but if you feel the need to back out, I won’t hold it against you.” Agnes was a good-hearted young woman, and while the mission would be considerably easier with her around, he felt uneasy putting her in the same risk he was leaving himself open to.

The humming of the elevator stopped and he felt a shift as their momentum ceased, signaling they reached their floor. The doors slid open to reveal the large main floor of the casino, clad in a gold and green color scheme and filled with the sounds of electronic slot machines, excitement at card and roulette tables, and people quietly whittling away at their savings. Nate had always been the kind of man who preferred sticking to games he had the best chance of winning, so his trips to casinos usually had ulterior motives.

Some things never changed. ”So how about it, hun? Maybe we can find some fun company at the roulette tables?” Translation: Gabby Santiago had an unhealthy love of her family’s roulette tables.

This was decidedly unlike Agnes. She had dabbled in that moral line in the past, especially when she was living in the streets, but that just wasn’t who she was anymore. She didn’t spend her life like that once she got to the mansion. When she did those things, it was out of a need to survive, to see another day, not for the sake of it. She wasn’t one of those people who grew up and it became their entire life. She wasn’t a career criminal like Nate was (though she didn’t hold it against him) so it was clear from the slight tremor in her skin that there were some overactive nerves in her body.

Getting into the elevator didn’t help her situation either. Being enclosed in a small box, the walls lined in wood paneling that was vaguely reminiscent of a coffin. Nah, that was just her imagination getting to her. There was nothing to worry about here. Of course they were breaking the law and kidnapping someone from vile and cruel gangsters but that didn’t necessarily mean she was going to end up dead…right? As much as Agnes wanted to convince herself that this was just another drill, deep down in the bedrock of her soul, she knew it wasn’t.

Thankfully her demeanor was enough for Nate to pick up on.

She blinked in momentarily confusion as he wrapped his arm around her waist before leaning down to whisper in her ear. However, after that moment passed, she soon realized that he was not making a move on her, but was instead whispering into her ear. This was supposed to be part of their cover, something that they planned for whenever they were caught by guards or in a situation with cameras. In order to make their gambit more believable, they obviously had to be in love.

A flash of a smile pulled on her lips before she reached deep into her acting chops and a blissful look pulled at her features. She giggled, wrapping her arms around the man’s mid-section and completed the image of a sweet and loving young wife in the arms of her husband. Her eyes closed as she listened to the sweet and loving words that rolled off of his lips and into her ear, anyone coming through the elevator may have felt the smallest bit of discomfort and/or jealousy at the pair obviously in love.

However, those sweet nothings were actually words of encouragement. Though her face was a mask of bliss, deep inside she felt herself tear up just a little bit. Not out of sadness or fear, but out of appreciation for the man who she was standing with. She was here on a mission, of her own volition, and he was still offering her a way out if she felt truly uncomfortable. For some reason, that meant the world to her. So, returning the coyly whispering gesture, Agnes whispered back into his ear.

”Thank you. I’m okay.”

That said, Agnes gulped and smiled as she pulled back, cupping the man’s face to hold his gaze. With that she leaned in and gave him a tender kiss on the corner of his lips but, to the camera’s eye, it may as well have been full on. After she pulled back, the elevator dinged (just in time) and the duo was greeted with the sight of the casino floor and all the music, lights, and chattering that came with it. Agnes took a deep breath as Nate led the way out, she cupping her arm into his as she joined his side.

Fun company. She hid a smirk. Nate was good at coming up with the keywords that they would be using on this mission, she instantly recognized it as their target, Gabby. She would be at the roulette tables, hopefully. With a firm nod of her head and a brilliant smile, she moved alongside as they made their way in. ”Why not?” she said with a lightness in her voice. ”I may have a lucky number for you in mind.”

It was hard to work with an amateur, which was to say nothing against Agnes. To his knowledge, the young woman had never had to learn how to instigate corporate espionage, to hide in plain sight, or to methodically put on an act to perpetrate a crime. These plans came with stressors unlike what someone would deal with in everyday life, and while she wanted to be ready for what came next, he had to give her an out she could take when crap hit the fan.

To her credit, she was better at putting on an act than he anticipated. Her slender arms wrapped around his waist, embracing him to sell the act of affection. She affirmed that she felt ready for this, and either to sell the act or maybe to thank him for looking out for her, she gave him a soft kiss spread between his cheek and the corner of his lip. It was unexpected from the young lesbian, and it was hard not to smirk at the bizarre situation he found himself in.

Things with Sarah were looking pretty well these days, which made him wonder how true that would still be if she knew where he was. Noble causes were all well and good, but given his past, he was unsure how he would bring up technically illegal missions where he paraded around a casino like a newlywed. He shrugged the thought off; they were still trying to define where they were and what they were, and it was too early to bring up a complication like this yet. Soon.

For now, it was time to focus on the task at hand. With his faux lover on his arm, they walked through the casino, passing other flirtatious couples playing blackjack and poker, as well as less energetic gamblers getting a bad break from the dealer. Nate kept his arm wrapped around Agnes’s waist, keeping her close enough for the occasional peck on the cheek or squeeze to bring her in closer. The small acts of affection were not unusual in the Casino, as a glance around the floor would attest. It was amazing how easy it was to slip into playing a role after being out of the game so long.

There was something fun about it; a rush, like gambling. That adrenaline boost never went away. Flirting with an attractive young woman did not hurt either, even if they both knew it was just an act. It was almost exhibitionistic, like kissing in public and daring the world to call them on their bluff.

It was not long before they reached a collection of roulette tables, and Nate was scanning the area for their target. The floor was packed; it was a busy night, which was a conscious decision so they could draw the least attention possible. He had a brief description of Gabby, but the details were enough to get him by: a woman in her twenties with brown hair in a short pixie cut, around six feet tall, with a nose ring and tattoos along her arms, as well as one around her ankle. The Santiago family had no reason to blend in or be cautious: they were, in their eyes, untouchable.

The people cross with the Santiagos would not have thought of a plan like this. Nate led Agnes by the waist to the table with just enough space for them. Nate looked at Gabby, who stood almost level with him, and smiled. ”Hope this space isn’t taken?”

She looked him over, then looked to his implied wife before smiling and giving him a, “Sure.” Thankfully, he was right in assuming Agnes would not make her shy. He placed five hundred dollar bills on the table to be exchanged for chips and prepared for the game to begin.

Even when she was aspiring to be an X-Men, Agnes had never seen field work like this. That was what it was called, right? Field work? Either way, Agnes felt just the smallest tinge of nerves rolling throughout her body. It was a little scary but, at the same time, she was finding out that it was becoming rather exciting. She could feel her pulse quicken, her senses sharpened, and the sense of danger kept her pushing forward. She could do this, she could do this…

Nate played his part perfectly, but that was to be expected. He was experienced with this kind of thing and perfectly melded into the character he was performing. Had Agnes been an observer (and not a participant), she would have fully believed that the man was in a happy marriage. The way that he smiled, that he doted on the woman at his side, wrapped his arm lovingly and protectively around her waist, giving her a sweet little squeeze, it pained the picture of the perfect guy. Agnes had to admit that, if she did swing that way, this whole situation probably would have made her flustered and planted thoughts into her head.

Thankfully she was immune to such charms (for obvious reasons) and knew that this was only an act.

As the duo approached the roulette table, Agnes’ eyes drifted over the gambling contraption, a green felt covered table with a grid of red and black all over it. The massive wooden wheel at the end, smooth and moving without pause, clink as a small ball spun around it in the opposite direction before bouncing into one of the various numbered slots. All the patrons around were staring at it in awe, willing it to fall into one of their numbers. It was a simple game, but one that was cruel to the patrons as well. It was chance personified.

Falling in step next to her pretend husband, Agnes was all smiles to those who looked up to greet them. She heard Nate speak to someone and glanced over – and she spotted their target. She was an extremely tall young woman, a little older than Agnes herself but not by much, and was the personification of the alt-lifestyle. Her short hair, the colorful tattoos, the nose ring, she was a striking creature – maybe not Agnes’ cup of tea, but frankly that could be because she was willfully taking part in the kidnapping and imprisonment of a mutant, her own family nonetheless!

Her perspective was just a tad shaded.

As Nate planted himself next to the young beauty, Agnes stayed by his side, giving “Gabby” a warm and cordial smile before turning her attention to the game at hand. Nate handed over some cash, was given chips in return, and they were off.

As the game passed, Agnes could see that Nate was trying to get in the woman’s good graces. He struck up conversation, which she (on occasion) politely returned. They won a few round but lost more than anything else. Gabby, surprising, seemed to be sweeping up the roulette table, making Agnes only the slightest bit suspicious of anyone else’s chances. But she merely added it to the laundry list of reasons as to why she didn’t fully care for the woman.

Another to add, however, was the fact that Agnes couldn’t get an opening. As Nate played, Agnes excused herself to get they both a drink and purposefully took the long way around. She wanted to see where she could get in to hopefully snatch the keycard from the woman once Nate had managed to get her alone. Her purse was small and hung low against her hip. As Agnes walked by, her eyes drifted to the black sequin bag, noticing that it was primarily unzipped. However, on this occasion she was caught by Gabby who had turn to look at her, seeing that Agnes’ eyes had drifted down.

A blush appeared on Agnes’ cheeks, fearful that maybe she had been discovered and slipped away to gather the drinks for her and Nate. It in no way occurred to Agnes that Gabby had taken Agnes’ gaze as an appreciation of her firmly toned posterior. Agnes remained blissfully unaware as she stopped at the bar, purchased a rum and coke for herself and Nate’s standard order. With both drinks in hand, she returned to the game, a small nervous smile splitting her lips when she immediately caught Gabby looking at her with a scrutinizing look.

God, I already messed up, didn’t I? she thought to herself, but she didn’t pause too long on that thought. Instead she tried to keep herself pieced together as she slipped into the seat next to her “husband” and handed him his drink.

”Here you go, darling,” she said sweetly. She looked Gabby and caught her looking again, her expression unreadable. Agnes lightly, perhaps too lightly, kissed Nate. She had been aiming for his lips but nerves cause her to veer at the last second and kiss his cheek again. She recovered as best she could. ”I do hope you’re winning enough to buy me something pretty? I'd hate to have to leave you because you're a pauper.” she teased.

A glance. Gabby was looking at her again. God, she really hoped that didn’t mess this up already…

The money Nate was playing with was his own; Haven had resources, but if this mission went poorly, he wanted to make nothing traceable to their organization. If he took a significant loss at the roulette table, he would talk to Devon about on-the-job reimbursement. On the bright side, if he did get lucky, then this trip could just be considered rife with extra benefits.

The beauty of the plan itself was how it banked on some of the better skills the pair had at their disposal. Nate had to be charming, conversational, and distracting, and Agnes had to pull from her experience as a pickpocket, (which was another thing they had in common thanks to similar childhood struggles.)

There was one problem with the plan: nothing Nate was doing was working. While ego was not an admirable trait, it was hard for Nate not to acknowledge that he was a handsome, well-groomed, well-spoken man. Hell, he was great at this kind of thing back before he added on more sculpted muscle to his frame. There were not many women who were going to go ahead and dismiss him on site, yet that was exactly what Gabby Santiago was doing!

His “wife” left the table to grab them drinks so he could create an opening, as he and Gabby both seemed to watch her leave the table. For a moment, he questioned if she had a reason to be suspicious, before dismissing the concern as unfounded. Nate took the opportunity to try opening up with a conversation started, (“Seems like you’ve got a real feel for the table,” for example,) and every time he would be met with a disinterested, short-to-monosyllabic response, (“Yup,” for example.)

It was not that he was upset that she was showing no interest in him; he was annoyed that the first woman in recent memory not to show him any interest was the one woman he actually needed to woo. Well, that was not entirely accurate; Agnes was immune to his advances, but she was a…

Oh. Duh.

Gabby had not smiled at him when he got to the table. She smiled at Agnes. She was not watching his wife leave the table to grab drinks. She was watching his wife’s ass as she walked away.

As if to test the theory, Nate changed up his comment to the punk rock girl spreading her chips to what he assumed were her lucky numbers. ”If you really were looking to get lucky tonight,” he spoke in a hushed voice, leaning in closer, ”I think my wife might be looking for some… new company.”

Never had Nate seen a woman’s face shift from disgust to confusion to curious over the course of six seconds. The raised brow and the glint in her eye made it clear: she was interested.

Agnes seemed to realize something about the plan was not working, and returned with drinks for herself and her husband. Gabby’s eyes were fixated on the raven-haired beauty as she returned to her spot at the table. The kiss on the cheek was not enough to deter Gabby; she already had an idea the couple was not as wholesome as their image, even if she had no clue how right she actually was.

She made a lighthearted joke to play the role of the teasing, somewhat shallow wife, and Nate smirked, glancing back to Gabby. ”Oh, I’m always going to find the prettiest things for you.” That earned a grin from their target. The game was definitely back on.

”Actually, in the interest of keeping you in the lifestyle you’re comfortable in,” he started teasingly, ”I have to take a work call. Maybe those lovely hands of yours will have a better time with these chips.” It was not that Nate was having a bad night, but he had not hit a lucky street yet, so he was working from a loss. If Agnes did manage to lose the last four hundred or so dollars in chips he had, it would be worth it if they were successful in their real reason for being there.

He grabbed his drink, placing a kiss on Agnes’s lips to show he did have some kind of connection with her, with his kiss being more confident since he was aware of the advantage they now had. Before he stepped away, he moved closer to Agnes’s ear. It might have seemed to an observer like he was being cheeky, nibbling at her earlobe before he departed, but with his closeness and the help of her hair obscuring him, he was able to get away with softly whispering, ”New plan. We’re switching roles. Gabby’s more interested in a night with a Lady Luck. You’ve got this.” The hand he had on her shoulder gave her a squeeze of affirmation and approval and Nate was away, pulling out his phone but keeping an eye on his wife and her new lady friend, hoping for a window of opportunity.

The time ticked on slowly. Even as Agnes rejoined Nate’s side, her arm draped around his broad shoulders as she sipped her drink, she found the hairs on the back of her neck rising with the sensation that she was being stared at. Maybe not obsessively so, but every once and a while, she really felt like eyes kept glancing to her. The most unfortunately part of this was that she knew exactly where those eyes were coming from – Gabby Santiago herself. Earlier she had attempted to peer at her bag to get a good gauge on the angle she would need to approach in order to sneak out the keycard. Sadly the alt-girl caught her gaze. The two locked eyes for a microsecond before Agnes panicked and headed off to get herself and Nate their drinks.

Dammit, she screwed up. That was all she could think as the minutes ticked away. She had messed up and was going to blow the whole mission. But wasn’t it Nate’s job to keep the woman busy so that she could scope out the target? Why wasn’t he doing his part? She tried thinking back and she did recall him trying to strike up casual conversation with her but Gabby just wasn’t being engaged. What was going on here? The violinist could feel herself start to get a little nervous again. Were they going about this all wrong?

After she had teased her “husband” about making sure he wins enough to keep her in pretty things, Nate had a sly comment for her, one that seemed to draw a smile from the tattooed woman. Agnes’ gaze flicked to her, sharing her smile for a moment (a nervous act) before she turned back to Nate. The man had started to stand, confusing the young woman for a second as he claimed that he needed to make a work call. She mouthed the word “work call” and tilted her head, wondering if maybe he was going to contact Devon or something. Did he know something was wrong with the mission.

As she took his seat at the table, Agnes felt her shoulders tighten up a little when he suddenly leaned in and gave her a full on kiss on the lips. Most would have felt a spark or churning flames in the pits of their loins after receiving such a kiss; Agnes felt none of it. She blinked, in confusion for a second, until he broke the kiss and leaned in to her ear. It was then that his true motivations began to dig into his mind – they were switching roles.

Agnes gulped. The man was quick to explain, using the time to continue to portray the loving and sexually charged husband, in order to let Agnes know that Gabby wasn’t responding to him because of one very simple reason – she wasn’t interested in him. It all collapsed on Agnes at that point: the stares, the smiles, the feeling of the woman’s eyes on her when she walked away to grab their drinks – dammit. While Agnes wanted to believe that maybe the man was wrong, whenever her eyes slipped over to Gabby, she found the comely brunette looking right back at her, even chewing on her bottom lip at one point.

”O-Okay, hunny,” Agnes said as the man started to pull away. She gulped, unsure if she was going to be able to play the part that Nate was so practiced at. Agnes was a pick pocket, a survivor, she wasn’t a con-woman and certainly not some temptress. However, as she watched the back of her man disappear into the crowd, she knew that she didn’t have a choice anymore. She was here, by herself, and the rest of the mission was now resting on her shoulders. The only thing that she could think at the moment, was a very clear and loud FU---!

“Hi sweetie,” a lyrical voice said as the seat next to Agnes suddenly became occupied. Gabby Santiago used the opportunity of Nate’s departure to settle in closer. “Your dress is amazing.”

Agnes felt herself blush under the attention. As she watched Gabby, the woman had no qualms about letting her eyes give the young violinist a leering once over. It was clear that it wasn’t the dress she was admiring but the milky, toned body that it conformed to. For a second she found herself at a loss, but that didn’t seem to matter to Gabby as she was clearly busying herself with checking out the goods. Any other time Agnes would have been offended, maybe even decked the perpetrator of such a lusty gaze. But that was not an option now. Now, she needed to own it.

Taking a quick, calm breath, Agnes refocused on the task. As the Dealer called for the next bet to be placed, Agnes grinned at Gabby as she picked up a couple $50 chips and tossed them one number 15 on the table. She only had a rudimentary understanding of the game itself; the most she knew was that players placed chips on numbers that they think the ball on the wheel will land on. It seemed simple enough. She wasn’t here to win, after all, so really she wouldn’t have to put much thought in it.

”Well…thank you, hon,” Agnes finally said. She stood up from her seat. Once she stood, she did a little, slow twirl to show off the overly elegant dress. ”Picked it out myself when Oliver said to ‘look my best’.” After spinning, Agnes hand to reach out, subtly to steady herself. It was only a momentary bout of dizziness, nothing more. She reclaimed her seat, her cheeks looking flushed. Still, she pressed one as she eyed the tattooed girl who still hadn’t broken eye contact. ”What do you think? Is this my ‘best’?”

“And the winner is…10!”

”Oh shoot,” Agnes said with mock disappointment as the chips were taken away. God she hoped that Nate wouldn’t be bad that she just lost him…whatever those color chips meant. However, she still had a part to play so as the dealer got the next round set up, Agnes inadvertently picked up two $100 chips and placed one on the Red Bet block and the other on the Black Bet block (clearly she wasn’t a skilled gambler.)

However her bold focus seemed more intent on Gabby than on the roulette table. While she had made a couple of mistakes (the dizziness and the CLEARLY bad bet) Gabby seemed to be very much at attention. At Agnes question, Gabby took a second to sip from her glass of wine as she nodded her head in utter appreciation.

“Mmm, I’d…definitely say so…” She giggled flirtatious and pushed her chest out just a little more. The low cut neckline left little to the imagination as she leaned a little closer to Agnes. “What’s your name?”

It was really hard not to look at the voluptuous view that she was freely being given. Still, Agnes hardened herself to look only into the woman’s sultry eyes, an option that wasn’t exactly the better of the two (in this case, four) and plastered on her fake smile. The woman was coming onto her, hard, and it was getting more and more difficult to concentrate, but she had to. She had to push back the anxiety and the fear and focus on what was most important – saving that mutant. But how could she focus?

It came to her then. If Agnes needed to play flirtatious and engaging, then she needed to not believe she talking to Gabby Santiago and was instead talking to someone who had made her feel more comfortable. If only for a moment, Agnes didn’t see the dark-eyed, tatted up criminal coming onto her, instead all she saw was red hair, freckles, and lovely mismatched eyes.

”Rebecca,” Agnes said with a soft smile. ”Rebecca Queen,” Agnes said as she held out her hand to Gabby.

The woman took Agnes’ hand, wrinkled her nose cutely as she bit her bottom lip. “Rebecca. A beautiful name for a beautiful lady.” At this, she kissed the top of Agnes’ hand, leaving a small, moist imprint of her lips there. “My names Gabby Santiago…”

”Gabby,” Agnes mimicked with a grin of her own. The roulette wheel clinked and turned in one of her ears as the ball bounced and started to pick a slot. ”Just as breathtaking to say as it is to se—“

“Double zero!” the dealer announced.

Agnes turned back to the table and watched as the two bets of $100 were being taken away. She had just lost Nate $250 in less than ten minutes. Maybe luck wasn’t on her side tonight after all…

Agnes reacted to the news of their role reversal as well as he expected she might. There was a nervous look on her face, and her voice cracked when she replied. It would have been easier if they had prepared for this possible outcome, but there was no subtle way to take Agnes aside and give her a tutorial on charming criminals. He felt partially at fault for not taking a more modern look at their target, but at the same time felt there was some blame to put on Agnes, for not considering the woman they were after might also like women.

Nate did not stray far, keeping his phone to his ear, carrying on a fake conversation to distract from the fact that his eyes were constantly glancing over to the roulette table. He wished they had some kind of comms or whatever the X-Men would bring on a mission like this, just so he could hear how things were going. All he could do was keep an eye on the situation and hope for the best.

Gabby had closed the gap between herself and Agnes, which was a good sign. His partner seemed bashful, and he resisted the urge to signal for her to flaunt what she had, because any way he could picture signing that would be deemed inappropriate in public. Luckily, Agnes must have felt his suggestion, because she took a flirty twirl even he was proud of.

It was a little disheartening seeing the look on Agnes’s face after numbers on the board were called. Just like lessons in seduction, it would have been great if he could have given her even the slightest rundown of how to play roulette.

Losing money was evidently not a turnoff for Gabby, who was still watching Agnes with hungry eyes. Why would that bother her? She had a mutant stored away that made money a non-issue. The thought was a good reminder to keep on task and get the keycard as soon as possible.

Nate was pretty sure he was watching her guard drop when Gabby took Agnes’s hand and planted a kiss on it. She was enthralled with his fake wife, so Nate took steps toward them, ready to make a move for her purse…

---

Gabby was having a great night. Her outfit was on point, her chips were multiplying, and she was pretty sure some guy had offered his hot wife to her for the evening. It sounded unorthodox, but they were in Las Vegas, and she had experienced stranger bedfellows. It was her hope that he had no intention of hanging around or participating, but if some straight guy watching her was what it took to get Rebecca into bed, sacrifices could be made.

Speaking of sacrifices, Rebecca was sacrificing plenty of Oliver’s chips to the table, which made the black-haired woman upset. It was a reasonable concern for most; money was something it never felt good to toss away if your resources were limited.

But she was a Santiago. Money was a joke as long as they had their ace tucked away safely, and this seemed like an opportunity to throw around some of her play money to win some favor with her sexy prey. She took her purse from her side and rested it on the edge of her table so she could dig into it and grab a small stack of chips right next to her keycard.

Handing the chips over to Rebecca, she smirked. “There, Oli will never have to know now.”

---

…but Nate had to back off when the purse returned to Gabby’s attention and out of his reach. Luckily, Gabby’s focus was still squarely on Agnes, so she could not care to notice his near-return. Thinking on the fly of how to handle their situation, Nate took his phone out and sent Agnes a text, hoping she could make something happen while they still had time…

I need a window. You’re doing great, but I need you to really monopolize her attention.

Though she was uncomfortable with the idea of trying to seduce another person just so they could be thieved from, Agnes found herself pushing through the whole experience just fine. Of course she was losing a fortune for poor Nate, but her job was to keep the woman’s attention, not to make any copious amounts of money. Had that been the mission she would have failed quite some time ago. But, seeing as her task was to keep the overly flirtatious eyes of Gabby Santiago on her, Agnes had to admit that she was achieving that task fairly. Not perfectly, mind you, but well enough.

As she attempted to play the game and keep Gabby focused, she could see her “husband”, Nate, circling around like a vulture waiting for a carcass to drop dead. He was skill man. Just a glance at him made it seem like he was really having a conversation on the phone, with the way he smiled and chuckled absentmindedly – that was a trick she was going to have to pick up from him. But enough of admiring the man’s skills, what she needed was for him to finally sneak that keycard out of the woman’s purse so that she could stop be ogled.

Time ticked away, more bets were being made, and it was sufficient to say that Gabby was all over Agnes. There was no question about the amount of time that her husband spent on the phone as it was clear that the tattooed girl wanted Agnes all to herself. The way she smiled, leaned in to whisper soft words, and the gentle touch of her fingers on Agnes’ bare arm were all indications that she was more than interested in her, despite the fact that she was supposed to be a married woman. Agnes was surprised that she had missed this when she first approached the table, but then again she wasn’t the most observant when it came to catching onto other people’s romantic cues.

When she had lost money on another bet, Agnes sighed and looked a bit saddened by this. If she really were the vapid, wealthy hungry woman that she played, then losing money was clearly a turn off for her. That must have been the thought on Gabby’s mind when she realized that Agnes had lost more money. Since she didn’t want to lose the brunette’s interest, Gabby took Agnes’ hand and gave it a soft and tender kiss upon her knuckles, then she did something she hadn’t expected.

Tilting her head, she leaned back in her seat to watch as Gabby plucked up her purse. She could see the disappoint on Nate’s face as the man silently turned away and to his phone again. Inwardly Agnes’ ground her teeth in frustration. Gabby certainly wasn’t making this easy. Maybe she guessed who they were this whole time and was toying with them on purpose? Agnes wouldn’t have put it passed the young woman, even for how far-fetched it sounded.

There was a look of genuine surprise on her face when Gabby suddenly revealed a stack of chips which she slid over to her without pause. She was thusly informed that the chips were hers that that now her husband need never know about the money she lost. Many would have been touched by the gesture, but Agnes’ natural cynicism instantly knew that was not what this was – Gabby was buying her. She was trying to seal the deal between the two of them to spend more time together and what better leverage than paying off someone else’s debt?

”Oh my…” Agnes placed her hand against her chest. The actress in her was beginning to come out as she genuinely looked touched at the gesture. ”T-Thank you.” She accepted the chips but didn’t place them on any more spots on the board. Instead, as she turned to speak to the brunette again, she was distracted by a ping on her phone. Apologetically she held up he finger to be given a moment as she checked in such a way that the screen was hidden from Gabby.

I need a window. You’re doing great, but I need you to really monopolize her attention.

What the hell do you want me to do? Give her a lap dance?! she thought to no one in particular. This was getting frustration. She had picked pockets from the most observant people and this is what is turning out to be an issue? She grumbled inwardly as she tried to think of a solution to the problem. Nate needed to get at her purse as subtly as possible. The crowd wasn’t a factor as Nate was experienced with this, but Gabby was his stumbling block. She needed to be properly distracted, but how?

Agnes knew what she had to do. She had to swallow her pride and, essentially, take one for the team. As much as Gabby’s moral center made the young woman’s skin crawl, she knew that she had to up her game or they were going to get found out. Inside she steeled herself up, but outwardly a look of vapid wantonness filled her eyes. With calming breath she had to move in for the kill – it was the only way to keep her truly distracted.

Leaning over, Agnes softly placed her hand on Gabby’s knee. This seemed to immediately make the young woman straightened up and her skin goosebump. With a hand on her knee, Agnes leaned in, her lips dangerously close to Gabby’s ear. Keeping her head turned, Agnes tried to buy Nate time to lean in and fish for the keycard in their target’s purse. As he busied himself with that, the violinist whispered hotly in the tattooed woman’s ear.

”Mmm,” she whispered in a sultry tone. ”That’s so generous of you. Surely you’ll allow me to…” playfully she nipped at fleshy part of Gabby’s ear, just enough to get the blood flowing, before she leaned back but stay close enough to keep eye contact. ”…pay you back…somehow?”

She was so busy with Gabby that she didn’t see if Nate had been successful with grabbing her keycard before she leaned back in her seat. Whatever the case, she could tell she had Gabby’s full attention now – she only hoped she wouldn’t really have to go through with anything further than what she had just done. After all, she was essentially prostituting herself at this point.

Gabby, however, seemed perked by sudden affections of her new friend. Without a husband nearby to pry, and not really wanting to share anyways, Gabby leaned closer and whispered just as hotly in Agnes’ ear.

”You wanna get outta here?”

Agnes gulped. She had no idea what to say next…

Just like in conning, theft, and what his lawyer told him not to refer to as “freelance corporate espionage,” covert mission work was always going to require improvisational skills and quick decision making. If there was an “easy level” of subtlety and subterfuge to start Agnes on, the mission to save Delaney Santiago was turning out not to be it. It was clear, if only for a moment, on her face that she was desperately hoping for Nate to take a chance at the purse before it was snatched from his grasp, and yet again, he had to ask her to figure out a plan on the fly.

It was comforting to see, at least, that Gabby’s interest in Agnes was unwavering. Even from a distance, Nate could see the whispers and the affectionate touching offered by the tatted-up target. Nate had to admit, kissing Agnes’s hand was a nice touch from the persistent pursuer.

Nate was no empath, but he could have sworn he felt the cold chill of Agnes’s disapproval when she spotted his request for a better window and a solid distraction. When she glanced in his direction, the best he could do was shrug his shoulders. He was not a fan of telling a young woman to put her morals or comfort level into question, but that was exactly what Agnes signed up for by jumping on to this mission.

Agnes, to her credit, sold the hell out of what came next.

She rested a hand on Gabby’s knee, which was a new breech of personal space the young woman responded to with an overwhelmingly positive reply via body language. Agnes was whispering in Gabby’s ear, positioning them both in a way where Gabby’s eyes were no longer monitoring her purse. Nate would only have a short time to make his move, so he had to make the most of it.

Making his return to the table, Nate kept his footfalls light in case Gabby was one to get jumpy, but his pace was quick. As his approach grew closer and he was passing right behind Gabby, he was mentally preparing for the situation to go south, but it never did. Agnes had the criminal’s full attention and Nate had a moment to glance into the open purse, which was all he needed to spot the rectangular plastic shape of a keycard. His shadow discretely climbed up the surface of the table and the purse until it could reach in and envelop its prize.

The card retreated into Nate’s pocket just in time for him to interrupt the whispered offer Gabby made to Agnes. Returning to his character, “Oliver” returned to his wife’s side and placed a consoling arm around her shoulder. ”Honey, I’m so sorry. I know you and your lovely new friend must have been getting acquainted, but I have bad news: Tony is calling me in on an emergency, so we need to head back home an hour ago.” Surely, Agnes would get over being torn from her new companion’s side prematurely.

Gabby was less enthusiastic, pouting at the man who had crashed her party. “Does she really have to go?” It was not a surprising question, since Gabby likely saw his presence as a formality at best and a nuisance at worst.

Smiling and shaking his head, he apologized, ”Sorry dear, but in truth, I’m useless without Rebecca with me. Our flights have already been changed, but I’m sure if my lovely wife wants to get lucky again, we know the casino to come back to.”

The answer was not appreciated, but begrudgingly accepted with a pout and a, “Fine.” Nate was prepared to say his goodbye and lead Agnes away, but Gabby was too quick. She got up from her seat and Nate worried she picked up on something out of place about their meeting. Luckily for him and less luckily for Agnes, this was not the case.

Before either of “the Queens” were able to react, Gabby had bridged the gap between herself and Agnes, planting an enthusiastic kiss on the “married” woman’s lips. She pulled away, leaving behind the taste of cinnamon that lingered thanks to the Fireball-based drinks Gabby had been enjoying all night. Waving her gloved hand and smirking, she said, “It’s been a pleasure. Not enough of one, but still.”

Nate had to bite his tongue. He needed to keep a straight face for long enough to say his goodbye, collect the remaining chips on the table, and take Agnes’s arm to lead her away.

It was not until he was sure they were a safe distance away, working their way to the elevator, when the experienced professional ex-thief, finally allowed himself to chuckle and grin from ear-to-ear. ”So when we give a mission report to Devon, do I get to talk about this, or would you rather give a more detailed first-hand account?”

Agnes was simply at a loss for words. She knew what this mission was supposed to be when she got into it but it was quickly turning into anything but that. When they had arrived, their original plan was for Nate to seduce the young woman so that Agnes could pick the card from her purse. However that plan was thrown out the window when it quickly became apparent that Gabby was more interested in the fairer sex – to be specific, more interested in Agnes’ fairer sex. Oh that immediately made the young violinist uncomfortable but sadly she had to roll with it.

Though Nate hadn’t been gone long, her time alone with the cruel sister seemed an eternity. She was all over Agnes, smiling, winking, dropping sly, sexual innuendos that couldn’t be taken in any other way. If it weren’t for the fact that they were in a public setting, she was sure that Gabby would be climbing onto her lap at every possible opportunity. In the end, though, despite how much attention she was being given, it didn’t seem to be enough to afford her partner a chance to sneak in and steal from the young woman. At his urging, she needed to do more – and she did.

A well-placed hand, a sly nip of the ear, and she completely had Gabby’s attention; and it worked almost a little too well. While Agnes had Gabby turned away, she watched Nate as the man crept forward with silent footfalls. The man was skilled, she had to admit, more skilled than she had ever been when she was living on the streets. She didn’t see his shadow move but did catch the small glint of plastic as it left the woman’s purse and disappeared into Nate’s possession. They had done it – now there was only one problem left…

>> ”You wanna get outta here?”

Agnes could practically hear the purring emitting from the woman as she pushed closer to her. She angled herself in such a way that it afforded a rather magnificent view of her plunging neckline and her very blessed bust. If Agnes had not been on a mission she may have very well turned into a stammering fool at the sight of such a proposition. Even now, well, it was somewhat tempting but only for a moment. The woman was participating in the imprisonment of her sister and a mutant! That was just unforgiveable. Instead, she begged and prayed to think of a way out before it was too late.

Thankfully her savior would come in the form of her swarthy conman of a pretend husband. There was a small look of relief in her eyes when the man reappeared, a charming smile on his lips as he stretched his arm over Agnes’ shoulders. Instantly she could feel herself untense, thankful that she didn’t have to carry this alone anymore.

Nate had made the story that they were needed back home immediately. Of course he couldn’t help but tease about the connection that she and their new acquaintance had but at least he was adamant about leaving together. This, of course, brought a frown and a pout to Gabby’s lips as she watched Agnes stand up in preparation of leaving. She still tried, though, inquiring if it was really a necessity for the both of them to leave, hinting that Agnes was more than welcome to stay. However, again Nate assured her that she was needed at his side.

>> ”… but I’m sure if my lovely wife wants to get lucky again, we know the casino to come back to.”

Agnes plastered on a forced but flirtatious smile as she looked Gabby over. She threw in a lip nibble just for her benefit and nodded. ”I’ll be sure the next time I’m in town this is the first place I hit.”

Gabby as disappointed but she more than wanted to leave a lasting impression. Before the two of them could even step away from the table, Gabby stood, closed the gap between the two of them, and planted a firm and memorable kiss on Agnes’ lips. Of course the ex-runaway was surprised by this as, evident, by the muffled, ”Mmmph!” that squeaked out from her mouth. Still, she wrapped her arms around the forward woman’s body to play along, half-heartedly, with her character before Gabby broke the kiss. Her hands on her hips, Agnes caught her breath, as Gabby stepped away and reminded her how much of a pleasure it was to meet.

Agnes said nothing, merely shyly smiled and slipped away in the shadow of her husband’s side as the two of them finally broke away from the roulette table. With a gulp, Agnes placed her hand on her chest to calm her racing her heart. Now that they were out of that situation she could allow her body to start reacting and, hopefully, calm down in the face of such tension. When enough space between themselves and the tattooed woman was achieved, Agnes caught the silent snicker that came from Nate.

>> ”So when we give a mission report to Devon, do I get to talk about this, or would you rather give a more detailed first-hand account?”

Agnes narrowed her eyes at the man as she pushed the button for the elevator. When the doors opened, she firmly (but not too firmly) elbowed him in the rib before offering him a pleasing smile for anyone passing by and stepped inside.

Through a plastered smile and in a low voice only he could hear, she whispered, ”Utter one detail and you’re waking up with ants in your bed for a month, honey.” Afterwards she shuddered and made a BLECK! face as she tried to get the sensation of that woman’s lips off her own. ”Get the keycard out and lets go,” she whispered. ”I feel like I’m going to need to brush me teeth and gargle with mouthwash after this. Why do I still taste cinnamon? Bleh!”

It had to be said; it was impressive for Agnes, with her lack of experience, to manage not to break character when Gabby Santiago, a mutant hating criminal, planted a memorable kiss on her lips. Nate knew how the young violinist felt about the Santiago family and people like them; hell, it was the whole reason she came along on the mission. Knowing that, he was quietly thankful that she resisted the urge to smack Gabby across the face and blow their cover.

This appreciation did not spare Agnes from his taunts, however, as banter was half the fun of working with a partner. Being less appreciative of the grand tradition of banter, Agnes elbowed Nate in the ribs as they settled into the elevator. ”Ow,” he replied flatly, still chuckling as he rubbed his side. She made a threat to keep him from telling anyone about the kiss, and truthfully, Nate intended to keep the incident to himself anyway. It was important not to kiss and tell in his (old) profession, and he had enough respect for Agnes not to keep her confidence.

He swiped the keycard through the reader, and the small yellow light next to it started blinking as it processed the information. Agnes was lamenting the taste of the kiss that refused to go away, and while Nate would keep her secrets, that did not protect her from easy teasing in private. ”Aww, her kiss is lingering on your lips? How romantic.” Knowing better now, Nate prepared his arm to block an incoming hand or elbow. ”Seriously though, sorry, but cinnamon whiskey stays with you til morning.” Mornings filled with regret and headaches.

The small yellow light finally stopped blinking, instead replaced by the small green light next to it illuminating to signal they had full access to restricted floors. Pressing the button marked “4,” the elevator’s mechanisms churned, moving them up the building until they settled on the private-access fourth floor.

The hallway looked uncannily similar to the hotel floors above them, and was likely repurposed from its original intention. When contracting the building, it was unlikely they put in a formal request for an “evil lair and prisoner containment area.”

”So ideally, Delaney is on the fourth or fifth floor. The rooms in these hallways seem like a logical place to start looking. Watch out, though; we’re in enemy territory with no excuses to explain this away.” It was unlikely anyone would believe a happy married couple accidentally stumbled onto a card-access-only area of the building.

Nate slipped out of his fine cloths, leaving them in a loving pile near a snack machine, (shallowly hoping he would get the chance to recover them before they left,) until he was left in the white bodysuit he had for situations like this.

The process took no longer than a few seconds, with Nate’s flesh and bone converting to an almost opaque dark form comprised of shadowmass. ”Let’s get started.”

The first room they came across kept the door slightly ajar, which Nate was quite grateful for. The opening allowed him to discretely press his form against the wall just outside the room until he merged into it, as two-dimensional as an actual shadow, and slip in unnoticed.

Inside, it became clear how dangerous their mission would have been had they skipped over the door. Though the room layout was just like the room they were renting on the twenty-first floor, the typical hotel furniture was replaced with two sliding office chairs, each with a man sitting on it, glancing over a large collection of screens receiving security feeds through the building. Neither man appeared to be particularly thrilled with their assigned task, but all it took was a lucky look to spot two intruders caught on camera.

Nate stealthed back toward the door and his shadowy arm emerged from the ground just enough to signal Agnes to follow him in the room quietly. The watchers were facing away from the door, so if they could keep things quiet, they could clear the room and have access to invaluable control of the building’s cameras.

Quiet was, of course, Nate’s specialty, as he slid across the carpeted ground as a detached shadow, approaching one of the men from behind. He slowly emerged from the ground until he was a shadowy figure standing behind the sitting man. In quick succession, Nate’s shadowy hand covered the guard’s mouth and nose, (which was easy when his hand could mold to cover the area perfectly,) and his other arm wrapped around the guard’s neck. He did not want to kill the man—just leave him unconscious. He was focused on his task and hoped his partner could handle the other guard, who otherwise was guaranteed to notice his friend struggling with a dark specter eventually.