"Why is it that whenever you three come into my office, you hand me the most stupid and risky plan I've ever seen?" Grey asked as he finished reading over the mission plan Ali, Ben and Rila had put together.

Ali shared a knowing look with both Ben and Rila, before she said, "I'm a bad influence?"

"Definitely," Grey agreed, turning back to the report. "You want to break into an ambassador's shindig and interrogate an admiral."

"Technically it's a gala," Rila corrected.

Grey resisted every urge he had to glare at Rila and instead turned his gaze upon Ali. "Right now he's our best shot at getting answers."

"You think he knows something?" Grey asked.

"Not as much as he probably thinks, but if you can think of another possible option that doesn't put us immediately on Tuktutav's shit-list, I'll happily listen."

"Ali, I think you're already on that list," Grey reminded her.

"I think she's aiming for the number one spot," Ben added.

Ali rolled her eyes. "Look, I know we have no evidence that Tuktutav have any influence within USEP, but we know what kind of experiments they've been performing, the fact that they've never been on anyone's radar, and that Witworth was involved in both my suspensions…" Ali trailed off. "Rila and Olkant can fake the credentials we need to get in undetected with a little help. It shouldn't be too hard to bide our time to get Witworth alone, most of us aren't instantly recognisable in these kinds of social circles. We can probably blend right in as staff."

"Probably is doing a lot of heavy lifting there," Grey said.

Ali shrugged. "If not we'll be our usual charming selves and just socialise until we spot an opening. It wouldn't be unusual for USEP officers to be invited."

"If we're careful who we take, either will be perfectly possible," Ben added.

"Well that's us out then," Rila muttered. Ben pretended to frown at her.

"For diplomacy, I'd normally suggest you go," Ali admitted indicating to Grey. "However, we can't both go until we're certain we can trust HQ again," she added and Grey nodded. "Despite their tempers these two are good candidates because they can bring themselves to be polite when it matters, but also have the combat experience for if things go… wrong."

"High praise indeed," Ben quipped.

Ali practically had to bite her lip to not laugh at his deadpan remark as she waited for Grey to mull it over. Finally he asked, "do you think you can get Witworth to talk? Or do you want me to have a crack at him?"

"Oh, I'd pay good money to see you punch him," Ali admitted in an almost dreamy voice, earning a couple of barely hidden chuckles. "But, actually, I planned on playing a little good cop bad cop with Claire."

Grey's eyebrows would've shot up if his years as a commander and playing cards with Narla hadn't given him a decent poker face. "Claire?" He checked and Ali nodded, a quick glance at Ben and Rila confirmed that he had heard right and they were also on-board with this. "I admit that she'd be a decent good cop to play off, but I'm not sure she's in the best place for such a mission right now."

"With your permission I'll talk to her about it before we decide anything, but I think this might help her heal," Ali admitted with a shrug.

~-x-~

"I prefer Spud's parties," Claire decided as they took in the scene in front of them.

"You know, I always meant to ask about those," Sam said with a far too innocent grin. "I have explicit instructions never to call after a 'Spud Extravaganza'."

Ben frowned at his sister whilst Ali and Rila's expressions grew positively devious. "I know I can't stop this, but can I suggest that we at least leave it till after we no longer need to worry about being caught?" He asked tiredly.

"Deal," Ali agreed, winking conspiratorially at Sam, who grinned. "Right, spread out, let's find our guy."

As they were the least likely to be recognised, Claire and Rila were confident with their ability to blend in as staff. Naturally Sam was there in her capacity as an ambassador's aide but keeping an eye out for them and was tuned in on their frequency. They were pretty certain Ben would be anonymous enough to stick to the same roles as Claire and Rila, but he'd been involved in enough high profile ops - despite the secrecy of those involved - that a couple of people might recognise him if they had a good memory for faces and high enough security clearance to know the redacted details. Ali was the one who'd struggle the most, given just how much notoriety she'd managed to gain for herself. And the outstanding arrest warrant.

Still, so long as she avoided eye contact as much as possible and didn't force her way into any group conversations, she figured she'd be okay to wander around as she saw fit. Either that or she'd have to try some kind of shadows or inconspicuous balcony to watch the events from.

Just like they'd planned, they worked their way through the crowd and room until they got eyes on Witworth. It was Sam who got near enough for a visual first and confirmed it over the comm before asking, "what's your plan from here?"

"Possibly about to change," Ali replied as her eyes scanned the crowd around her. "I don't think we're the only ones infiltrating this event."

"What?" Claire asked nervously. "You mean they know we're here?"

"No, it's not S-Core and they're not after us," Rila said. "You're right, Ali, I've got suspects too."

"I've got more than that," Ben cut in before just as quickly falling silent again. Ali demanded an update only to receive a grunt as the only reply. Rila was busy relaying her movement towards where they'd last known him to be before being interrupted by an overly calm, "it's okay, that was the other guy."

"Something tells me it's not okay," Ali said, if any of them were punching people, they had some kind of situation brewing.

"We are definitely in the realms of it not being okay," Ben confirmed. "We've got at least one bomb."

"Krekt, krekt, krekt," Ali muttered to herself. "Can you disarm it?"

"Is it the only one?"

Ali hated that he was right. "Sam, try to start evacuating people without starting a panic. If they panic it'll be a chaotic stampede. Claire, find Witworth and stick on him. Rila, I do not want these guys to all disappear. Ben -"

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Disarm," he finished for her. "I'll do what I can."

"What's your plan?" Rila asked.

"I'm going to try and make sure there aren't any more." Ali already had her scanner in her hand and was busy syncing a certain screen up to the display on her sleeve. Ben sent her the scans he'd taken of the device he was looking at to help narrow her results. "How the hell did this get past security?"

"Believe me, I intend to have… words with them about that," Sam promised.

"Words?" Rila said incredulously.

"She'll narrate her own punches," Ben supplied helpfully, making Ali laugh.

"If we survive this, I am so remembering that one," Ali said with a grin, despite the uneasy feeling that was settling into her gut as she tried to sweep her way around the event hall.

Ali was quickly able to clear the lower level other than the device Ben was currently working on, and was soon making her way up the stairs to ensure that there were no additional nasty surprises waiting for them on any of the mezzanine levels or balconies. The crowds of guests had thinned considerably in the meantime, but there were still too many for Ali's liking.

"Wood, watch your six!" Rila suddenly shouted as Ali saw her sprinting up a set of stairs. "One just split off towards you and I'm chasing another one up."

Ali turned to see where everyone else was, her scans of that mezzanine clear, leaning over the railing to get the best vantage point she could. Ducking just as suddenly as she spotted a weapon in the crowd, her instincts vindicated as an energy bolt dissipated in a nearby wall. "Okay, I'm getting the whole security team fired!" Sam shouted angrily as she heard the shot.

Ali almost laughed as she popped briefly out of her cover to take stock of the situation now the dignitaries and their guests were running in a panic after a shot had been fired. Her attention diverted from the shooter to a pair grappling beneath her. Duck! She didn't wait before vaulting over the railing - and if anyone asked it was to stop the gunman being able to aim at her again - and cushioned her landing by grabbing onto the shoulders of the perpetrator currently fighting with Ben. Using him as a landing pad had put him off-balance, a quick shove once her feet were planted back on the ground sent him sprawling to the floor and Ben quickly kicked at his head with enough strength to knock him out.

He turned back to thank her for the help, only for his eyes to lock onto something behind her. She heard a warning through their tetnar that also gave her an impression of what he had seen. She span to block the punch with her left forearm, grabbing her attacker's wrist and yanking it down as her foot shot up with her spin and she caught their head with her shin.

Should you be able to kick someone that tall in the head? Ali almost laughed as she heard Ben's unfiltered thought, but they had more important things to worry about right now. Something that occurred to him as well as he turned back to the bomb he had been working at. "If I don't get jumped again, this shouldn't take much longer."

"And if there's more than one?" Ali asked, grabbing the gun from the person she'd just knocked out.

"I'd suggest trying to jam any detonator, but I can't promise they're all using the same frequency."

"Surely S-Core has ways of instigating a jam across all frequencies?" Ali asked. "They should be putting that kinda thing into place right about now if it's not already." She took a step as she cast her eyes and senses about the room, only for something else to occur to her. "Unless they've installed a backup that means if they don't get a signal they'll blow."

"Not on this one," Ben assured her. She'd take any good news she could get right now.

A movement caught Ali's eye up on one of the balcony wings she'd been scanning earlier. She swore under her breath as she recognised the woman trying to make her way towards the areas Ali hadn't had time to scan. "Wood, how long?" She asked.

"Just another moment," he replied without looking up. "Why?"

"I've just seen Petra running towards the uncleared sections -"

"Go," he interrupted softly but firmly. "I've got this."

"You sure?"

"Well, it's not gonna matter if she sets off a second one," he added rather too jovially for the subject matter. Though as Ali couldn't help her smile, she had to admit it did serve to reassure her.

"Don't you dare die," she warned before she set off running, explaining the situation into the comm as she did.

There was no sneaking up on Petra in the event rooms they were in, and Ali's chase was quickly spotted. Ali yelled at the woman, partly frustration and partly hope that she wasn't running towards a second explosive. Petra didn't stop at the sound of her name, but Ali hadn't expected her to, instead taking a shot at Petra in the hope that - if she couldn't injure her - it would at least slow her down as she evaded the weapon.

Petra finally came to a stop next to a maintenance panel, quickly prising it open as Ali slid to a stop to be able to get an aim. "Don't," she said loud enough to be heard down the hallway. Petra turned at the sound to watch Ali taking tentative steps towards her, eyes fixed on her down the pistol.

The panel door was partly open, but Petra didn't move the hand that was on it any more, instead raised her other to reveal a switch. "It doesn't matter," she explained.

"Then why not blow it already?" Ali asked, Petra frowned at her. "Guess S-Core aren't completely incompetent and have got enough jamming in place to mean you have to be close enough to get through."

"You clearly have it all sussed out, but how do you plan on getting out alive?" Petra taunted.

"I'm surprised this is a suicide mission for you, weren't you busy working your way up the Cosmos' Champions chain of command?"

"Plans change."

"Then it won't hurt to explain what the point of all this is then, will it?" Ali asked. "Why betray us? Why start blowing up innocent people?"

"You think this crowd are innocent?" Petra asked. "Most of them are only interested in making deals that benefit the people who donate to them."

"And they deserve to die for that?"

"Change doesn't happen without getting the attention of powerful people and proving that you're serious, Barker taught me that much," Petra snapped back and Ali couldn't stop her confusion flashing across her face. "You didn't know, did you? I was assigned to infiltrate the group of followers Barker recruited a few years ago."

"Guess he managed to turn you into a terrorist too then."

Petra laughed. "That wasn't Barker, that was S-Core!"

"S-Core has it's flaws, but you're gonna have to explain that leap of logic."

"He really didn't tell you then," Petra realised. "Barker didn't just lose his mind or whatever else USEP and S-Core claimed in the aftermath. He was trying to stop atrocities. When I infiltrated his group he showed me the proof, and I showed that to S-Core. Next thing I know is that I have a new handler and most of the usual undercover support has been taken away from me."

"You're saying S-Core swept it under the rug?"

"You think I just went rogue for fun?" Petra asked.

"Without any evidence to the contrary, yeah, pretty much."

Petra briefly glared something rotten, before realising that Ali had a point and her face softened into it's usual neutral look. "S-Core abandoned me so I fought back the only way I had available, and that was with Barker."

"So, what, you saw your new assignment with Cosmos' Champions as an opportunity to continue that?"

"I convinced my handler to let me continue my new underworld life on the promise of slipping them information, passed on enough to keep them happy without compromising anything important."

Ali reaffirmed the grip on her pistol, her arms were starting to ache a little from behind held up so long, but she wasn't giving Petra even the hint of a chance to press the button. "So what are you trying to stop by making threats against hybrids?"

"Oh, that wasn't Cosmos, that was all Tuktutav. Same reason my handler changed, they think you're a threat to them, Turner," Petra shrugged. "I'm not the only one who thinks Barker told you what he was up to. He always denied you were involved, we all thought it was a ruse to protect you. Guess not."

"Are we gonna keep dancing around this topic? What was so monumental that you carried on his fight long after he was imprisoned and even died?"

Petra smiled a sad smile then, and Ali found herself getting worried. "You know, you won't have to worry about Cosmos planting bombs anymore," she explained. "Zychene was always against it but was too loyal to Touchard. They might try and spring him from prison if they think they can do it, you know."

"That I'm not surprised by."

"No, I don't suppose you would be. How many jail breaks have you run yourself?" Petra asked rhetorically. "I had hoped to use this as a way of making someone listen, change the demands, but you guys crashed the party and are frankly far too competent."

"You don't have to press that switch."

"Don't I? If I leave with you I'll be in a jail cell and with S-Core sooner than I consider good for my health."

"I have no intention of turning you over to S-Core until this whole mess is dealt with."

Petra snorted a laugh. "You'll be lucky if you get your crew out of here without S-Core arresting you without having to blag me out as well. No, they'll take me before we leave the building. I'd rather make it quick."

"Petra -"

"Tell Spud I'm sorry, and start running."

"Petra -"

"I mean it, Turner, last warning. Run."

Ali swallowed but decided against risking it a second time and turned into a full sprint as far away as she could possibly manage. She was outside of the worst part of the danger zone when she felt the shockwave beneath her feet, sending her tumbling down the rest of the stairs in an undignified and ungraceful roll.