Food was good. Rest was better. Rest in a safe place, where all the occupants of the house were either allies or automated defense systems was better yet again. Hades slept soundly and woke refreshed. He pulled on a Shirt and cargo pants and went to see how Noel was doing. When he glanced into her room she still seemed sound asleep with her hair fanned around her like some sort of colored halo of light. He closed the door softly.

As he silently padded down stairs and ate breakfast. Hades mused over the events of the past day, well evening really. So very much had happened so fast. The bar, the fight, the escape to safe house #1. Resting slightly, the ambush, the fighting, discovering about Noel's power, the interrogation by kissing and the price it cost, the raid and arson and finally safe haven. He mulled over this strange yet talented lady. So much untapped potential, so much waste just staying in security. He wondered what Noel would do now, once this was all over. Hades was tempted to get her interviews with a number of companies that he indirectly owned. Where she might put her talents to full use but that would wait.

After a filling breakfast Hades plugged his phone into the socket and pulled out a wireless keyboard and mouse and sat in the living room turning the flat screen TV into a computer monitor. He started browsing through the data that they had grabbed the night before. One thing lead to another and Hades started to see a pattern in and amongst the clutter. He heard Noel stumble down the stairs. "There is coffee in the kitchen" He yelled over his shoulder. Wait had he really just said that. It was almost as if Noel was more like a team mate as opposed to some random stranger that he had just met literally last night. Hmmm. The pattern was starting to point to one person. But Hades was not willing to jump to conclusions. It could not be, could it possibly be?

She wasn't sure what woke her, but once she was awake, Noel was too achy to get back to sleep.

Hotel? The brunette sat up pulling a gun from beneath her pillow and setting it in her lap so she could rub her eyes and inspect her surroundings. She usually slept with a gun in hand so no surprise there. She felt fuzzy in the head. There was no note. That was usually a good sign, right?

Noel ran through her checklist and not a lot of it was fitting. It was a new place. Not her clothes. The weapon in her lap was not even hers.

But it was loaded.

The whole thing was weird. Like she'd stepped into someone else's life. She hurried to the restroom to double check that she still looked like herself.

Once she finished as much of her morning routine as she could, Noel scrounged some pants and went to explore. She stepped quietly in this stark place, pausing in front of a painting in the hall way before the kitchen.

She liked it. If she had to describe it in one word, she thought, it would be movement. Wait...

It felt like lightning striking in her head. She'd stood here before. Sort of like Deja Vu, but this was reality. A memory. She stood here last night. Noel put her hands on her head, one still clutching the gun. Don't forget. Hades. Davronski. Movement. Hades. Davronski. Movement. "Hades. Davronski. Movement." She whispered the words to herself. She'd made a deliberate memory, knowing that she liked this piece, knowing that she would spend time here. Now she could almost feel her mind seeking out old connections.

>"There is coffee in the kitchen"

Noel jumped and moved to pull up the loose men's pants. "Are you Davronski or Hades?" An ally in either case, if they were having a casual morning coffee together. She tried to be cool and made herself keep the gun down by her leg rather than pointing it at anyone who might take offense.

She peeked around the corner, enticed by the promise of caffeine.

Bald, tan, wiry. Another lightning strike. She was wading through bikers using non-lethal strikes shouting for someone who looked like the man here in the kitchen.

"I feel like I got hit by a bus." She went to get some coffee, but she had to put down the gun to do the pouring. It felt wrong. Like driving without a seat belt. Choices, choices.

>"Are you Davronski or Hades?"



Apparently the memory loss took some time to kick in. "I am Hades, the Davronski's were a merc group that tried to kill you. The video of last night should be on your phone under safe house #1 folder." At that moment Hades was thankful for cameras inside the safe house. That way at least she could review what happened after they met in the safe house. He also observed that she was holding a gun by her leg. This was going to be.... interesting. It reminded Hades of that movie 50 first dates. He hoped it would not be that bad. "We wiped out one Davronski cell after they tried to capture us and there is still one cell that has your house under surveillance." Hades summarized helpfully. He hoped he would not be asked to summarize the entirety of last nights events.



>"I feel like I got hit by a bus."

"Last night you kissed a Davronski agent and essentially downloaded his memories. You told me that that came at a price and that you would forget some things. Also in the safe hosue you had me sign a note. Are you all right?"



This was a new turn of events, Hades hoped they would not have to go through this routine every morning. He went back to data mining and cross correlation.

Truth. More truth. Phone? Noel put down the gun on the counter and pat her pants down looking for her phone. Ah. Not these pants. The ones she'd stepped over in the bathroom. "My mind settles it accounts when I'm sleeping. If there's a surplus, that's when it'll bail out the extra memories." She poured the coffee while her hands were free. She was confident that she could reach it before he could reach her.

She turned and leaned back against the counter in front of the coffee maker, both hands wrapped around the mug. Noel took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of it and wincing once her lungs were full. Was she all right?

"Mostly stiff, I think. Headache. I remember bikers." That was helpful, right? "Let me go get my phone." She had to do an odd sort of juggle to hold up the oversized pants while balancing a full cup of coffee and a gun, but she was nothing if not stubborn.

Back in the room, Noel ditched the pants. Hers might be dirty and blood stained, but at least they fit. She found a phone in her back pocket and the note he mentioned in the front. Again, the phone wasn't hers. Except it was. What the heck did she do last night that got her so many new things?

Noel sat tailor fashion, balanced the gun on one knee, and sipped her coffee while she read. It was her handwriting and the more she read, the more she remembered. Ugh. She took a hit from a chain to the side. She took a quick peek at the bruising. It was a sick sort of yellow. The kind of bruising that's deep and takes more than a day to hit its full bloom. But this was only half the story according to Hades.

"Still one more cell." She muttered to herself and fiddled with the phone as she made her way back to the kitchen. Noel grabbed a napkin from the counter and a pen from a drawer. The gun was now only sort of safe tucked in the front of her pants. "Sign it. Uh. Please." She hesitated, distracted by a video this crazy awesome phone that was totally now hers. The words 'keyed to her DNA' floated around like maybe she'd heard that.

"Whoa. You go through walls." Whoa. Another lightning strike. Noel looked around at the safe house, eyes resting on a few specific places. There were weapons inside these walls. Quick access hideyholes for someone who could go right through the sheetrock. "If it's not been too long, neural pathways can be reforged." She flicked her eyes to Hades now. Another thing she remembered. Assassin.

Hades dutifully signed the paper thrust upon him. "So how much do you remember? I can try to fill in the gaps if you would like. If not there is the little problem of the Davronski cell stalking your home and probably hunting your room mate. I also copied all the data we grabbed from the first cell we took out. I am trying to find out who sold us out. I have some ideas but I am not liking the conclusion."

The pathway though the data was difficult. There were numerous transactions between companies, some of the shell some of the legitimate. Hades suspected that if he was to go that way he would need a full army of accountants and lawyers at least a week or so to unravel this so he turned his attention to the communications. and the Ip addressed. He pulled up various tools and started tracing the signals around the globe. An image of the world appeared on the TV screen and the path that the contract took slowly started to trace out. But it split in many directions. Perhaps more information was needed. Hades wondered if Noel was up for a little information gathering trip. He would also completely understand if she did not want to "kiss ant tell". He had his own bloodless, wound less methods of extracting information.

"How are your wounds? I know you asked to be kept in on this as now the contract on me will havesplit off a contract on you as well. The Davronski's would love to have a mutant under their control who could discern lies and pull memories from both the living and the dead. So are you up for an info gathering trip?"

Hell, what intelligence agency or group would not want such an ability. Hades would need to be careful. He was dealing with an ally who could forget that she was his ally, but who was well on her way to earning a place on his small trusted ally list. This would be interesting.

"Between the phone and notes... No, this pretty well covers things, I think. I've never used video surveillance before like this. It's helpful." And the phone. She liked that too. Noel locked the phone and slipped it into her pocket and compared the signatures. Adequate, she decided. Not a 100% match, that would have been suspicious, but to her untrained eyes it was enough.

"My roommate's a police consultant," and she talked to dead people, "if there was anything suspicious, she'll stay at the station." It had happened before. Besides Noel's message to her was probably enough to tip her off to stay away. Probably.

> "I am trying to find out who sold us out."

Us. She didn't miss that grouping. Were they an us? This contract thing might have thrown them together. That was us enough of an explanation for Noel. She usually had to let the whole tracking down reasons thing was something Noel usually had to let go of. She watched Hades do his thing, pouring herself a second cup of coffee but preferring to stay standing for now. Just in case she needed to move quickly.

> "How are your wounds?"

Noel rolled her shoulders, testing. "Cut's pulling. If I reopen it again, it's gonna need stitches 100%. Bruises aren't too pretty yet. Tomorrow we'll see the really cool colors. Nothing's broken. If it comes to a fight, I still can." An honest report from someone who was, unfortunately, rather used to taking a beating. She was just like a normal human in most ways.

She shuddered at the thought of someone, anyone, keeping her to constantly read others. Without her routines, without her safeguards and rules, she wouldn't be a person. She would just be a sieve of information.

"I'm willing to do whatever it takes to stay my own person." Even sacrifice more memory. She set down her cup. "Let's go." She pulled her hair around her shoulder and started braiding. Business time.

>"Cut's pulling. If I reopen it again, it's gonna need stitches 100%. Bruises aren't too pretty yet. Tomorrow we'll see the really cool colors. Nothing's broken. If it comes to a fight, I still can."

Hades smirked at this comment. Over the centuries he had seen and experienced more than his fair share of bruises. But it was good to know that she was still in fighting shape.

>"I'm willing to do whatever it takes to stay my own person. Let't go."

"I fully agree, come." He lead the way through the medical bay where after rummaging for a bit he tossed Noel two items. One was can with a spray nozzle, another was a roll of tape. "Liquid stitches" Hades explained. "That works with the tape to help hold wounds together while minimizing the affect on mobility, that should help." He carried on to a wall and punched a sequence on what looked to be a glass pane. A hidden door swung open. "In here is the armory" Hades explained. It was a very well stocked armory. that included an extensive non-lethal section as well. "As this is your house we are liberating, do you want to take point on this one?" Said Hades as he picked a few items from the lethal and non-lethal section.

[OCC apologies for the shortness off this one. Work and illness.....]

He took her to the medical room. As she walked, Noel pulled the sections of hair out in long practiced movements that were reminiscent of playing a harp. She had to keep the strands separate or else the ends would tangle. Such a hassle.

And then he held out a can. WD-40? Her raised eyebrow was skeptical.

> "Liquid stitches" Was his defense.

Well, yeah, that's what the can said. Didn't mean it actually worked. Noel indicated for Hades to put the can down. Her hands were full and she wasn't about to glue her hands to her hair. She was making quick work of it anyway.

He showed her a whole new cache of weapons. Considering what she'd seen last night, and the fact that she knew he had more of the same, put Noel's tiny little cash nest egg beneath her mattress to shame. "Oh God." Noel pulled a hair tie from her pocket and tied off the end of the braid, tossing the whole heavy mess over her shoulder. "They were probably all over my place weren't they?" She wracked her memory for protocol, but the memories were sluggish. They hadn't been in her head long enough to leave a lasting impression.

"They'll have it bugged. Assuming our contracts are still non-lethal capture they'll hope for an ambush." Noel put her hands to her forehead. It was probably placebo to think that the action would help unlock those slippery memories. "We should play into that. Again it'll be teams. Wheelmen and an assalt team only." That was the beauty of living in a low-rent, cramped apartment building. There was some small protection in the sheer number of eyes around.

"If you can silence the exterior team without alerting the inside guys that there's anything wrong, that'll half the fight right there." The numbers. She couldn't grasp them. Either she couldn't reconcile her apartment layout with their tactics or the information was just plain missing.

>"Oh God. They were probably all over my place weren't they?"

"I am afraid so. I don't know how throughly they will have worked the place over. Do you live alone?" Hades wondered if they would ahve to worry about potential hostages. He personally would not choose to reside in a place that had been in the hands of a group like the Davronski's for any length of time. No telling what surprises that had planted or that could lie in wait, dormant for years before suddenly activating to catch one unawares. That however would be a decision that Noes would have to make on her own. As far as hades was concerned, so far she had proved herself a capable ally and therefore was welcome to remain in one of his safehouses for as long as she wished. There was still the possability of asking her to help with the search of his past but Hades had not decided on that yet and would need to see what Noel would choose when then finally closed this chapter and an immediate threat was no longer hanging over their heads. If she chose to go her own way hades would respect that.

>"They'll have it bugged. Assuming our contracts are still non-lethal capture they'll hope
for an ambush. We should play into that. Again it'll be teams. Wheelmen and an assalt team
only. If you can silence the exterior team without alerting the inside guys that there's
anything wrong, that'll half the fight right there."

"Agreed. You know your neighbourhood best, and you have their playbook, so call the play."
Tactically this was true. This was her home turf and she would know what would stand out and what did not belong. Furthermore she had literally gotten inside their heads, something that could very well give them an edge. Hades would be interested to see how Noel would play it. It would be an educational experience into how her mind worked. Hades was very concious of the fact that there was still so very much about Noel that he did not know

"I don't live alone, but I wouldn't worry about my roomie. She's got other ways of knowing things. She'll stay away." Talking to dead people did have its advantages.

Man. Noel was going to have to move. Not only because of this Davronski silliness, but because she was starting to rack up enough ghosts around her that her roomie, who worked with the police, might not be as tolerant of her behavior anymore.

Moving was so hard for her. New routines had to be established, new notes, new tattoos... did she have a current address tattoo? Noel didn't check. Not while Hades was there.

And that body count... Did that mean, she was doing the wrong thing? It felt right. The Davronskis started it, yeah? So that made it okay.

Right?

Noel frowned at Hades. She had the playbook. Kind of.

"We'll split. Like my initial idea." That put the more difficult task of stealth on Hades' shoulders and the most risk toward herself. That was how it should be. The one who made the decisions should bear the weight of those decisions.

"I'm assuming you're good." She'd watched him demolish a tactical team with only marginal help from her. Also, if he wasn't good he'd be dead. Or less rich. He had to be good at what he did. "Good enough to finish up the outside wetwork with enough time to dig me out of any holes I fall into." Because she was good, but not rich, assassin good. Otherwise she'd be a rich assassin.

"Let me use your skin glue spray stuff and find better clothes. Then we can go clean house." Of course, they could just... not. Noel hesitated at that thought. "Or I could just move. I was thinking about it anyway."

"If you would prefer you are welcome to continue staying at the safehouse." Siad Hades. It would be nice to have an actualy ally instead of just assets taht he could call upon and deploy when necessary. Being immortal did not preclude the desire for company now and then. Although when building relationships Hades was always cognicent of the fact that it was most likely that he would outlive them. Hades wondered what the frown was for.

>"We'll split. Like my initial idea. I'm assuming you're good."

Hades simply responded with a "Yes." In a matter of fact voice. He was not boasting, it was a fact, he knew it, those in his profession knew it. even with more thant 50% of his kills attirbuted to others or accidents he was still far ahead of any other individual.

>"Good enough to finish up the outside wetwork with enough time to dig me out of any holes I fall into."

"I can take the outside if you wish." Hades was a little surprised. If they played b y the same rules there was be one driver and at most 2 snipers to take care of as opposed to 8-9 individuals hiding in her house waiting to ambush her. But that was her choice and hades would respect that. he already knew how he was going to take out those outside. This time he would go non-lethal. He also knew a few contacts in the government and other organizations that would pay for a live davronski agent. What they wanted to do with them after they obtained them was none of Hades business.

>"Let me use your skin glue spray stuff and find better clothes. Then we can go clean house. Or I could just move. I was thinking about it anyway."

"That is up to you. Moving would probably be good in case they have added your address to the database and their file on you. Although it would probably be unwise to allow a Davronski cell remain operational and it would be an inconvenience to your ...."roomie" Your choice." Said Hades. Personally he would prefer not to let a Davronski cell stay alive and well, particularly if their target was... well... them. It was never wise, it would be better to preempt any attack. If Noel did not feel comfortable Hades would do it alone.

She sighed. It had been a fool's hope, hadn't it? That they could just avoid the Davronskis. The memorymancer allowed herself a moment to mourn the idea that she would willingly take a life. Not only that, but that she was asking someone else to do so as well. He said he would do it anyway so maybe that took a bit of the responsibility from her shoulders, but she needed to acknowledge the feeling before she could move on. They deserved that much at least.

"Glue. Guns. Then let's go." Well, and clothes. Clothes went in there somewhere too. It just wasn't as alliterative.

She took care of business. The glue stung like a son of a biscuit eater, but the cut was holding together better. Or maybe she was just moving to accommodate the hurt now. She couldn't do that in the upcoming fight.

Noel armed for bear. Or as bear as she could while still being relatively discreet. She filled her inner-pants holster and adjusted a new under arm rig down to her size. Her gladius sheath she had to wedge between gun rig and her body. Her custom set up had been sheered through in the shoulder making it useless. Extra clips in her pockets. Noel shrugged carefully into yet another button-up. She rolled up the sleeves and made sure she could move. "I think I owe you like three new shirts after this." At least.

Finally ready, Noel looked up her address on the phone. Her phone, she had to remind herself. Change was hard. Where should she live after this? Obviously not the same place... And she let Hades drive, trying not to psyche herself up along the way. Once they were close, it was interesting to note that Hades stuck true to his word. He let her lead.

"If you don't mind, I'll have you get out about here. That way when I pull up, it'll look like just me all alone." He wouldn't have far to walk. Maybe she could stop at a bodega to grab something for extra authenticity and to give Hades some time to get started. She didn't want to be inside for too long alone.

"I'll try not to ding your shiny car." She teased Hades as she drove away. They were throwing around a lot of trust, but then, brothers in arms did that kind of thing. They were brothers in circumstance now.

As Noes armed herself with weapons Hades made a few discrete calls, well more like encrypted e-mails. Yes the CIA and military intelligence would be happy to get their hands on members of the Davronski. They had a bad habit of committing suicide before they could be caught. Yes they would pay handsomely if Hades was interested in cash. Hades sent a brief reply that he would prefer information and favors to be called in at a later date. Hades armed himself simply, a few sets of knives, a pouch or tow of things that clinked. two taser guns, some cylindrical looking objects. He recognized the trust that Noel was placing in him. Clearing out ones home is not something that you trust or invite just anyone too. He respected that. More and more he was warming to the idea of potentially partnering with Noel on missions. Perhaps not regularly, that might depend on how Noel felt about this. Would she be interested in some of the less violent aspects of his job? Perhaps running recon on missions or information gathering. Hmm He wondered what she would think of that. But this was not the time or place to mention such things. He would wait for an appropriate time to present itself.

While arming himself he was also cognoscenti that if he did get into combat whilst in Noel's abode he would attempt to minimize damage to property to a reasonable degree. For clothes he dressed casually, in slacks and a shirt. He almost looked like an accountant coming home from work.

>"I think I owe you like three new shirts after this."

"Noel, the time and effort that you have saved me is vastly more than recompense for a mere shirt or two. Perhaps it is I that should be offering to purchase clothing for you." Hades said half jokingly. That was very true. Noel had, with one kiss, one single kiss, saved Hades what could ahve taken months to uncover, and Hades had not even finished mining the data from the first hideout.

>"If you don't mind, I'll have you get out about here. That way when I pull up, it'll look like just me all alone. I'll try not to ding your shiny car."

Hades just smiled and nodded. he had a plan. He neglected to say that to the observing Davronski's, who by now would know of Noel's recent lack of employment, it would more likely appear that Noel had found new employment, a very well paying new employment at that.

After exiting the car Hades circled the block once. He quickly spotted the van that was the current mobile base. He approached the vehicle and knocked on the window. In a nasally accountant accent he engaged in conversation with the driver. "I am Sam of the neighborhood watch, I received a number of calls about a suspicious black van parked in our neighborhood. If you don't explain your business or I don't report back to the current shift in 5 minutes the police will be called. So please either leave or state your business. We are a peaceful neighborhood and don't like strangers lurking." He sounded indignant, like an accountant who is proud of being the neighborhood watch. And being an accountant he was attentive to detail. Just as the driver was showing papers to an increasingly suspicious (pretend) accountant, he promptly received a taser to the neck. Hades slapped a patch on his neck which would release a sedative that would ensure the driver stayed unconscious for a number of hours. he then removed a cylinder and attached it to the ventilation system. The cylinder started hissing. Hades left the vehicle and waited for a few minutes. Upon opening the rear door he was greeted by the sight of the two Davronski snipers who were also manning the listening equipment and video screens, slumped unconscious over their desks. they also got the patches. With that Hades closed the door and started walking towards Noel's house. He sent her a text. "Gate crashers detained, coming to join the party." He wondered how she was getting on playing hide and go seek with Davronski troops.

Noel gripped the steering wheel with white knuckles. She wasn't used to driving. In all reality, she was lucky she hadn't done something foolish (like take out a fire hydrant) as she drove away from Hades. Had she ever driven before? She had plenty of memories of driving, but she wasn't entirely sure they were hers... and where could she even park?

After she got the car sorted, there was the small matter of Noel not being a great actress. Her usual MO was to look in a mirror and just get rid of any offending mental information that might negatively influence her behavior. Noel just didn't think she'd be able to do that and survive here.

She gnawed her lower lip as she went to check her mail box in the front foyer. The Davronskis were in here. She'd packed guns because that was a tool she was comfortable with, but now that she was here she wasn't sure. Apartment walls weren't built to stop something traveling 2,000ish feet per second. She'd accounted for the lives she meant to take, but what about accidental casualties? Worse, those casualties would be her neighbors.

'Bill. Bill. Oh. Netflix.'

Noel climbed the stairs and distracted herself by opening the mail. She'd been waiting for this disk, My Alien Friend Flicka part 2.

In no time, she was turning the key to her apartment and using her teeth to tear open the red envelope.

There was the distinct sound of a shotgun racking and all thought of extraterrestrial horses was suddenly gone as she followed her instincts and dropped bodily to the ground.

Some people think shotguns are better home defense because in theory the shot won't penetrate a wall or door, but 00 shot penetrated her cheap hollow wood front door just fine. The force of the blast slammed the door shut again and peppered Noel and the hallway with bits of rubber and wood.

She scrambled for a gun and rolled off to one side of the doorway. Her mind raced. She wasn’t expecting direct, immediate assault. It was the middle of the day for Pete’s sake! People would be calling the cops with that kind of noise.

Movement down the hall had her levelling her gun at a nosy old man who had a bull terrier in arm. He scooted back and away immediately, even before Noel could point her weapon at the ceiling. Crap. She wasn’t expecting a shoot out. This needed to end now. Fast. Before anyone got hurt who wasn't supposed to.

The memorymancer said a prayer, put two hands on her weapon, and ducked around the corner and through the door. She kept low and was rewarded with a second shotgun blast above her head. She saw the shooter immediately, shotgun at the ready. Head shot. The agent at his side caught two in the chest. There was movement in her peripheral, but before she could swing her weapon all the way around something hit her full in the face, knocking her back onto the ground. She felt her phone buzz in her pocket as she grappled with a Davronski agent. After all that weapon fire in so close an area, she couldn’t hear diddly. Was that a text or a phone call?

'Kinda busy, dude'.

Hades casually strolled towards Noel's house. He was more interested in keeping people alive this time. Partially as the government was interested in interrogating but also as both he and Noel could obtain more information as required. By preference Hades preferred to be subtle as befitting an assassin. He could do loud if necessary but if given a choice he preferred completing his goal with nobody the wiser. Another thing was that this was Noel's abode and as a courtesy to her he would try to minimize property damage within reason. As Hades neared the apartment complex he heard gun shots, shotgun blasts and pistols respectively. He circled round the back and climbed up the fire escape entering the apartment through a window. He moved silently, a hunter stalking prey. Behind a barely open door, there was a Davronski aiming what looked like a dart gun through the door. He looked ready to fire so rather then try anything fancy Hades simply snapped his neck. He wanted them alive so he could "question" them (his questioning technique never left any physical marks.....) and then turn them over to the authorities who would be more than happy to take them in return for favors, some of which Hades was planning on calling in very soon. After that Hades quietly moved through the door drawing two taser guns. The good thing was that these were of a new design, made by Glont International. Instead of delivering the high voltage as a single burst, which could lead to the targets accidentally firing any weapons in hand, the new designs pulsed it so that the muscles of those hit just locked up and did not contract fully. The down side was that like all other taser weapons, this was a fire once weapon, the other down side was that the person on the receiving end tended to take longer to black out so for them it was more painful. Hades targeted the two Davronskis that were hanging back, trying to get a clean shot at Noel. They promptly froze in place, their mouths froze open in silent scream before quietly collapsing. Hades dragged them to cover, secured them with Zip ties and removed their suicide pill. Then pulling two shock batons he again went hunting, confident that Noel would be handling herself adequately.