It had begun to drizzle. Garth watched as the numerous tiny droplets spattered against the window, then slowly gathered to form small streams that flowed south, down the window, traveling in a pattern known only to them. The shadow mutant was back in New York City after almost three years. However, it seemed like he had never left.

His gaze looked past the water covered window to the sights of the streets below. It was dusk, and the last light of the sun was fading beneath the curve of the earth. Having to battle its way through the rain clouds, the dwindling light was even more diminished. Cars had already turned on their lights, allowing their movements to be tracked by Garth who was observing their movements two hundred feet up in one of the many towering skyscrapers.

"Ashen, were you able to get the information on the Weaver case?" The voice of his boss's voice, Mr. McCafferty, broke Garth's concentration on the tiny cars below him.

"It is pronounced Whilver," Garth replied, turning from the window. His face broke into the usual half grin as his blue eyes met his employer. The shadow mutant was dressed sharply in his business attire which complimented nicely with his boss's suit. Mr. McCafferty was a larger, heavier set man compared to Garth's thin frame. The Garth's boss had obviously been rather muscular in his youth. However, long years of sedentary life had caught up to the man as a thick layer of fat had developed. "And yes, I was able to get some of the information. Although, it did not come cheap. Police records are flimsy at best. I had to find other, more reliable sources."

"Of course, but that is why we pay you the big bucks." Mr. McCafferty said with a hearty chuckle. Garth's boss had been looking into the rising incidents of mutant attacks in New York City, and what better way than to see the action for himself. Therefore, it had been a short trip from the company's headquarters in Chicago to the Big Apple. Garth had been chosen to come along due to his ability to find the most valuable information as well as his previous knowledge of the city. Of course, due to the shadow mutant's background, he had a good idea of who might have been behind it. However, he never revealed any more information than was absolutely necessary.

"Here, you go sir." Garth said, passing him the large tan envelop he had received from the NYPD and the other sources. "It appears she has quite a history."

"I'd say." The larger human said as he grabbed the envelop. "Thank you, Ashen. You can have the rest of the night off."

"Thank you sir." Garth replied as he bowed himself out of the recently completed office.

Mr. McCafferty was a dead man. Well, not yet. But he would be very soon.You see her employer for the evening had taken exception to his investigation of various mutant attacks. Even before that the man had not been well liked by her employer. This had simply been the breaking point. Mute had been contacted. She'd infiltrated the building earlier in the day with a batch of prospective employees. From there she'd found a suitable place to hide and waited. It had been long and boring. One of the downsides of having no steady partner with which to work. Mina preferred to work alone but a partner would have given her someone to pass the time with.

At any rate she waited the hours until most of the workers had left the building in her quiet isolation. In her area of concern there was only the boss and his aid. Mina was quite certain she could handle both of them silently with a pair of bullets. She needed only an opening from the aide that had only just now left the office. McCafferty was behind that door. She could kill the aide as well but it would be better to leave him. He would take most of the suspicion as the last person to see McCafferty alive. Behind her mask, donned with the rest of her mission gear in the unused storage closet that she'd spent the afternoon in, Mina frowned impatiently.

The sooner this fellow moved on the better. Surely he'd been dismissed for the night by now. To prevent some tiny noise from giving her away, Mina silenced herself and settled in to wait. If she had to she would tail McCafferty on his way to his car when he finally left and end him there. It made little difference to her. The contract only required the man's death. There were no other specifications.

Garth closed the door behind him as he made his way out of the office.

Already, his boss had opened the large package of information Garth had given him. Mr. McCafferty had not become the CEO of the company for no reason. He had managed it by working harder than anyone else and usually that meant spending late nights alone with only his work. He ruffled through the pile of papers with no certain direction. One thing Mr. McCafferty could say about Garth was he was certainly thorough, if not repetitive. Heaving a heavy sigh, the oversized man began his deciphering of the data.

The shadow mutant made his way to his desk, passing the currently 'empty' storage closet on his way. He was certain that it would be used in the future for office or cleaning supplies. However, they had just moved into this office building, and they currently had much more space than required. So, Garth just walked on by without a second thought. In fact, his primary thoughts were on what he was going to do when he finally reached his hotel room.

When he made it to his desk, Garth seated himself in his comfy chair before cleaning up the clutter that had accumulated from the day's work. With papers filed in their correct places, pens and pencils hidden in their draws, Garth was ready to leave for the night. He grabbed his black umbrella that usually protected his pale skin from the harsh sunlight, but tonight, it would protect his expensive suit from the effects of the rain. He made his way to the elevator and pressed the down button. As he waited patiently, Garth noticed there was a single envelop in their mailbox.

"Hmm," Garth said to himself as he snatched it up. It was addressed to Mr. McCafferty. It must have been something if it had not come with the usual mail for the day. Eyeing the mysterious envelope, Garth began to make his way back to his boss's office as the elevator dinged its arrival.

An attentive eye followed the assistant as he took care of his final tasks for the day. The minutia of cleaning up from the day's work and gathering those items he would take with him upon leaving. The moment the man left the office Mina acted swiftly. She silenced her movements and the barrel of her gun. With quick and decisive steps she entered the office, careful to extend the silencing over McCafferty. No good letting him scream for help from the assistant that was probably at the elevators by now. McCafferty was so caught up in his work that he failed to notice the woman that had entered the room. It was only when the light glinted off of the gun barrel that the man looked up.

His face transformed from determined concentration into silent horror. What was undoubtedly a cry for help went unheard. As did the gunshot that followed it. This was how her kills should go. No competition from pretty faced knife wielders. No one to challenge her ability. In short, no Martin. He would die, she would make sure of it. It was only a matter of time. Time was something that was precious at this particular juncture though. The last thing she wanted was to get caught red handed. So she retreated to the storage closet to grab something she had brought with her.

A small bag was clutched in Mina's hands as she exited the storage again. The office door clicked shut behind her. A small can of gasoline and a timed explosive. Both purchased through enough middlemen to ensure that she would not be connected to them. Mina spread the gasoline around the corpse and the desk before turning to the explosive.

On his way back to his boss's open, white envelop in hand, Garth came across the most perplexing of smells: gunpowder. It was only a faint whiff of the strange scent, but Garth was certain he had smelled it. He was confused about where it might have come from. However, upon opening the door to the office, Garth came upon a more perplexing scene.

The flash of red was present to Garth before anything else. Blood was splattered against the back wall in a mosaic pattern. It did not take Garth long to discover the owner of the blood. Still sitting in his chair, Mr. McCafferty have a small bullet hole placed squarely on his forehead. His head had been snapped back by the blast, and a pool of blood had formed beneath his chair. In between Garth and his recently murdered boss was the obvious killer, a woman dressed in clothes only meant for an assassin. Garth knew those clothes well.

Before he could actually think, his body was already reacting instinctively. He charged the woman as his right hand slipped into the sleeve of his left hand. He pulled a black knife out, gripping it tightly. With a gladiator yell, he quickly closed the distance that separated the two people in the room that were still alive. He wasn't sure he heard the yell, so blind his fury.

There were times when her own power was a curse. For instance when someone was bearing down upon her with a rage filled scream and a knife raised. Were the silence not active she might have heard her assailant and had plenty of time to react. As it stood only knew that something was wrong by the vague flicker of movement in her periphery. Mina turned to survey the newcomer and promptly began backpedaling to avoid the knife. Her explosive insurance would have to wait. For now she was a little busy avoiding a knife.

And here she'd hoped to be rid of knife wielders on this trip. She hadn't been particularly fond of the last one. This man would hopefully prove less troublesome though. Beneath the cloth of her mask Mina smirked. Martin was a unique opponent. There was now way this man could be as annoying. In fact, Mina might just be able to finish her job and take him out at the same time. A plan formed as she backed away.

It would work and accomplish her goals. All that was needed was to keep this fool occupied for a little while. That alone would be far too easy.