Saleem Murali's feet hurt. She looked forward to a time when she could stop doing these damn catering jobs. Especially for a rich but uncouth bastard like Donovan Hock. This party was going to be nothing but her running around with a tray and smiling warmly while putting up with getting her ass grabbed.

The asari sighed and let her feet drift in the warm and bubbling foot-bath in front of her chair. She could afford about twenty more minutes of this luxury and then she'd have to dress and get ready for the Goddess-be-damned party. Saleem stretched her arms over her head and felt her spine crackle a little as she gave a happy sigh.

There was a slight gust of air around her, and she opened her eyes. Saleem got one of the largest shocks of her life as she saw someone looming over her. That was impossible, she was in her apartment with the door locked. As she stared up at the intruder in sudden terror, she also felt some puzzlement. This intruder looked just like her; it was like staring up into a mirror.

As Saleem tried to rise she felt a slight sting in her neck. Her muscles betrayed her, and as much as she pressed downward she didn't seem able to get up out of her chair. The familiar-looking invader patted Saleem's shoulder. "Don't struggle, sister. You're perfectly safe."

After that things got odd and disjointed. She had impressions of being carried, of the faint whine of an aircar. By the time things got settled back down again she was seated in a very comfortable reclining leather chair which was in the middle of a starkly-lit room. Bright fluorescent lights buzzed above her as she stared around in a growing panic. The only other furniture was a plush leather sofa off to her right. She wasn't tied to the chair, which was the only bright spot in this whole strange and frightening episode.

Just as she was about ready to start screaming, the single door into the room opened. A human with dark skin and a shaved head entered, pushing in front of him a rolling cart piled high with papers and books. He shut and locked the door firmly behind him and gave her a warm smile. His teeth seemed to glow in the stark lighting, and he wore a faultless and crisp light gray suit.

"Ms. Murali?" His voice was as pleasant as his face. "A pleasure, and my sincere apologies for having to meet under such circumstances. Please, don't bother to get up."

She sat frozen in the comfy chair, wondering if any twitch on her part would cause some sort of retribution. The human pushed the cart closer and parked it right beside her. With a neat economical movement, he plucked a newspaper off of the cart and walked over to the sofa. He seated himself and opened the paper with a little flourish. He kept talking while he scanned the paper. "I tried to select reading materials that would appeal to you. Let me know if there is something specific that you would like."

Saleem focused her eyes on the cart. Actual physical books and newspapers? She felt like she'd been somehow transported into the distant past. She hesitantly wetted her lips. "What do you want from me?"

He looked up from his paper with a mild expression. "Nothing, Ms. Murali. We just ask that you remain here for a few hours."

"I have a job to get to, you know."

The human nodded with a smile. "Of course. But how would you like to earn three hundred thousand to not go to that job?"

She felt a thrill in her gut. That much money would easily let her set up her own catering business and be her own boss. "Three hundred thousand...credits?"

He chuckled. "Yes, credits. All we ask is that you remain here until it is safe to leave. And, if you are agreeable, we would even use your own catering services in the future."

"Who is 'we'?"

The human turned a page of his paper. "The Bekenstein Continental. I assure you that we pay quite handsomely. And our functions are much more...civilized than those of Mr. Hock. There is no threat of molestation, for starters."

Saleem felt the final traces of her panic subside. If she was indeed kidnapped, then her captors were certainly being polite about the whole business. She looked again at the cart. There was actually one book there that interested her, a dissertation on asari folklore which she'd been meaning to read at some point. Well, now was as good a time as any. She picked up the book and cracked it open, then leaned back into the leather-bound chair with a little smile. She read happily for a few pages, then realized something was missing. The one remaining thing that would make this perfect would be...

She cleared her throat hesitantly. "Um..."

The dark-skinned human looked up with a wry smile. "Yes, ma'am?"

"I know it seems very forward, but could we get some tea brought in?"

The human gave a genuine belly laugh at the question. "Of course, Ms. Murali. We're not barbarians."

----------------------------------------

John Wick stared up at the sloping walls of the Hock compound. It reminded him ever so slightly of the pyramidal salarian architecture that he'd seen on Sur'Kesh.

The shuttle they were in had been given a very snazzy-looking glossy black paint job as if it was somebody's private limo. The vehicle settled onto the lawn just outside the main entrance with a faint whirr. Just before the final landing, Kasumi gave the two Johns a confident smile and fizzled into invisibility.

"Showtime, I guess," muttered Shepard.

"Have a good party, gentlemen," called Bast from the front. She was dressed in a snazzy-looking outfit which matched the shuttle's appearance. She and John exchanged nods as he stepped out of the vehicle. There was a short line of people getting frisked by two guards that flanked the entrance. As they walked up the steps, Bast's aircar flew off.

It would have been more surprising for two people dealing in weapons to not be armed, and so they'd decided to each carry an 'obvious' pistol. If the security wasn't as tight as they imagined, then so much the better.

But it did turn out to be every bit as thorough as expected. One of the mercs at the door waved his omni-tool at them as they stepped forward. The guard gave a little frown and pointed at Shepard's lapel. "No weapons are permitted inside."

Shepard gave a disarming smile. They'd decided beforehand that he would be the jovial 'good cop' while Wick would be the taciturn 'bad cop'; the assassin was very good at the dead-eyed look which made that role a natural fit.

"Come on, man!" Shepard said. "It's just a holdout piece." He gestured at the guard's own well-armored form. "Wouldn't do much against you guys anyway. Is that Hahne-Kedar? Nice."

"Is there a problem?" asked someone behind the guard in a clipped Afrikaans accent.

The guard started as if he'd been caught in a nefarious act. "No problem, sir. Just that these two men are armed."

"You Hock?" asked Shepard with a wide and very toothy grin. He waved a hand in lieu of a handshake. "Name's Gunn. Guess the universe had a way of telling me what I should be, eh?" He laughed. "This sour-pussed fella here is my business associate, Mr. Hadlock."

Donovan Hock stepped around from behind his guard. The man was clad in a knee-length jacket that reminded Wick of a Chinese bureaucrat. He had a short, well-groomed goatee and a faintly amused look in his dark eyes. "A pleasure, Mr. Gunn. Mr. Hadlock."

Wick nodded curtly, keeping in his chosen role.

Hock shifted his eyes back to Shepard. "I'll keep your guns in very good safekeeping, gentlemen. And you've seen how well-protected my estate is. You'll be safe here, even with an army after you."

Shepard laughed. "Well, we don't have that, thank Christ. But guys in our line of work need to be careful, am I right?" With his thumb and forefinger, he pulled a medium-sized pistol out of his lapel and handed it to one of the guards. "Just treat 'er with care, eh?"

"Of course, sir," replied the guard. Wick didn't say a word as he also handed over his weapon. The other guard performed a final scan and nodded to Hock.

The host's tanned face split in a wide and utterly fake smile. "Allow me to bid you welcome, gentlemen. This is your first time here for both of you, correct?" Upon Shepard's nod, Hock swept a hand towards the open doors. "Then allow me escort you in. I take any excuse to show off the fruits of my labor."

They both followed Hock up the wide steps and into a long and high-ceilinged galleria. People were clustered in small groups here and there in the large space while white-and-blue uniformed staff flitted around with trays of appetizers.

Wick also noted the guards. They were discreet but not bothering to stay hidden. All of them were as well-armored as the pair out front. That would make things very interesting if shit went down.

Hock gave some friendly waves to a few of the partygoers as he led them further along the galleria. "Mr. Gunn," he said in a thoughtful tone. "First name is Solomon, correct? You've done some weapons development in the past. The word is that you now run a small but talented band of mercs out in the Terminus systems."

"If it involves a gun, I've done some of it," replied Shepard. "And me and my people are trying to get rid of the 'small' description."

"Onward and upward, of course," replied Hock with another fake smile. "Mr. Hadlock, I didn't expect to see you here. Everything I've found indicates you retired."

"Retirement turned out to be less fulfilling than I'd hoped," replied Wick.

Hock chuckled. "Yes, I can understand. I could stop my business dealings tomorrow and live out quite comfortably the rest of my days." He spread his arms expressively as he reached the large room at the end of the galleria. The sudden motion caused a passing waiter to bump into one of his arms, and Hock's pleasant face contorted in a snarl as he rounded on the man. "Watch your step, idiot!"

The waiter ducked his head and muttered an apology, then scuttled away.

Hock's face relaxed back into its plastic pleasantness. "But then what would I do to pass the time? Parties like these are nice, but they can get tedious after a while."

The large room at the end of the galleria was several stories tall and had multiple balconies. The floor was intricately-patterned and made of polished hardwood. Across from them was a wall of glass that overlooked a small lake. Through those windows Wick could see the setting suh, which in turn cast everything in the room in a golden light. A string quintet was seated in the center of the tall room, filling the space with soft and pleasant music.

"I imagine you're not here strictly for pleasure, are you?" asked Hock. "You mentioned something about a business venture."

"More of a business notion," replied Shepard. "Mr. Hadlock and I got to chatting once and realized there are certain gaps in current weapons technology."

"But you need capital, I'm sure," said Hock. "I am always interested in something new. But I have to look after my other guests for a while. If we get the chance to talk again I will be all ears, as they say. Enjoy the party, gentlemen." Hock gave them both a nod and another plastic smile then strolled off.

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Wick and Shepard walked out of the rear of the room and out onto a huge balcony that gave a spectacular view of the sunset over the lake. Several partygoers were there They stood next to the railing and took in the sight for a few moments.

"He hides it well, doesn't he?" mused Wick.

Shepard nodded. "Yep. But the eyes always give it away. I imagine you run into a lot of sociopaths in your chosen field."

"There are days when I wonder if I'm a sociopath myself," said John.

"Nah." The simple declaration by Shepard made John look over in surprise. "You care," continued the Commander. "I've seen you with your team. You care for 'em." He smiled, but it wasn't a pleasant smile. "From what I've seen, you're someone who's convinced himself that he's a monster."

Wick looked back out over the lake and didn't reply. He wondered if Kasumi had been able to infiltrate in their wake. Surely they had thermal imaging to detect cloaked people? But then, she must know about such things and had the appropriate countermeasures. It was an amusing little philosophical question. What was the difference between a silent, invisible woman and a woman who wasn't there at all?

Shepard looked back into the huge room with its chatting party-goers and live music. "If this thing goes south, there's too many civilians," he muttered. "The attendees are mostly shitheads, but I didn't expect the musicians on top of the caterers."

"We'll do what we can. Not to mention we have someone in here who can help get them out if it comes to that."

"Care for a canapé, gentlemen?" asked one of the waitstaff. Wick turned and met Persephone's amused eyes. For once he wasn't looking down at her; the lifts in her shoes were well-done and made her almost normal in height. She was dressed in the same white-and-blue outfit as the other servers. Her makeup was first class; if he didn't know her intimately, John wouldn't have given her a second glance.

"Thanks, ma'am," said Shepard with a smile. He made a big show of plucking a fiddly-looking hors d'oeuvre off of her tray. John just about saw the other transfer take place under the tray, but only because he was looking for it.

"And you, sir?" she asked, turning to John with a twinkle in her eye. He also made a large and obvious gesture as he took one of the proffered appetizers, while under the tray her other hand slipped him his own gun.

"That little shielded case of yours worked great," she muttered to Shepard. "The guards' scans didn't even twitch."

Shepard nodded. "A little trick I picked up from a quarian friend of mine."

"You keep safe, okay?" said John to Persephone. "There's a lotta guards in here if this goes bad." He managed to get his gun stowed with a little surreptitious maneuver.

Persephone gave John another smile and moved off, but not before giving his ass a covert and completely gratuitous pinch.

Shepard munched on his appetizer and grinned at John. "Careful," he said. "You almost cracked a smile there."

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After thirty minutes of idle chatter with the other attendees, the pair made their way towards the stairway to Hock's vault. There was a little alcove just before the stairs proper which gave them a secluded area to talk.

Both Johns stood awkwardly while Shepard looked around. There was no sound or hint of Kasumi. "How long should we give her?" he asked.

Wick just managed to avoid jumping at Kasumi's voice from behind them. "Such a handsome pair of men. It's a pity I have to be clandestine for this shindig. I would love to make a grand entrance with both of you, one on each arm. Perhaps in the future?"

"Oh, no," said Shepard. "I'm wearing this monkey suit exactly once. How's the vault?"

Kasumi's voice sighed. "Altered, as I expected. Plus there's an armed guard in front of the door itself, so I'm the only one who can get near it. Looks like Hock splurged and went with an EX-700 series. It's got multiple layers of authentication, as I expected. There's the usual password protected voice lock. Plus a DNA scanner and a kinetic barrier as a final touch. Everything a vault needs to be impenetrable."

Wick smiled a little. "But that won't be a problem for you, right?"

"Of course! This is me you're talking to. We'll need to get a voice sample for the voice lock bit. You'll have to chat up Hock for that. We'll have to find the password too."

"And the DNA?" asked Shepard.

"Child's play. We should find plenty of DNA samples in Hock's private quarters."

"Oh yeah, we can just waltz right in there no problem," replied Shepard sarcastically.

Wick figured there was one piece of future-tech he needed to get a better handle on. "What about the kinetic barrier?"

"That's the one that worries me," said Kasumi. "Once we bypass the voice and DNA it will shut off as well and let us in. But then Hock could turn the barrier back on at any time and trap us inside the vault. So we'll have to move fast."

"Or we cut its power," said Shepard. "Is the barrier's generator on-site?"

"Nope. I'm still tracing it, but it looks like the barrier is powered by hard-lines direct from the city. The line is encased in steel and concrete, so we can't just cut them. Hock may have a kill-switch for those lines here in the manor, but flipping that switch will certainly let the guards know that something is wrong. Bypassing any monitors on the switch itself might be dicey. I won't know until I see it."

Shepard looked grim. "The guard at the vault door. Will he be a problem?"

Kasumi's voice regained its confidence. "Nope. When we're ready I'll make him go sleepy-bye."

Wick rubbed his bearded jaw. "So that's our choice. We either go in covertly and risk getting trapped, or we go in with alarms sounding."

Shepard shrugged. "We did plan for that case. But let's find out first before we decide. You brought our earpieces?" He held out a hand, and suddenly three small transparent buds appeared in his palm. The two Johns had avoided wearing them while walking in, since the guns would be suspicious enough.

John set his earpiece in place. "Check check."

"Loud and clear," replied Shepard subvocallly. It sounded nice and loud in John's ear.

"I hear you both as well," said Kasumi. "So what do we tackle first?"

Shepard pondered the question. "We've got multiple people here, so we should assign tasks." He looked at Wick with a raised eyebrow. "Any strike your fancy?"

"I'll do the DNA," said Wick. "Getting into those quarters unseen should be easy."

"If you say so. I'm doing the schmoozer role, so I'll handle getting Hock's voice sample and the password if I can. I'll also pass Persephone her earpiece. Kasumi, you scout around and see if you can find that kill switch and what its alarms look like. We all keep in touch and the three of us meet back here in thirty minutes regardless."

"Right-o," said her voice. Without another word Shepard and Wick split up.

John Wick walked back out onto the balcony and took a look back at Hock's mansion. The location of the man's own quarters was obvious from the outside; there were huge panoramic windows at one corner about half-way up. The sloping sides of the mansion had little in the way of handholds or concealment. If he tried going up the outside, he would be spotted immediately.

So going upstairs would have to be done inside. Now that he thought about it, he'd seen a couple of elevators that might take him where he needed to go.

John strolled back inside. Off of the main 'galleria' there were several more cozy rooms, most of which had bookshelves. Hock had not struck John as a reader, so these were probably for show. As he scouted he found the elevator. Fortunately, there was no guard stationed in front of it. Unfortunately, he found out why as he casually sidled up to it. The elevator was quite firmly locked, and John was sure that if it moved the guards in the main security room would know.

"Mackie, do you read?" he said softly.

The fixer's voice sounded cheerfully in his ear. "Loud and clear, boss. Whatcha need?"

"I have an elevator that needs hacking. Get Gabby on it if you need to."

"Okay. Can you give me a scan of the elevator door?"

John managed to do so while making it look like he was checking his omni-tool for messages. He still felt a little clunky while using the holographic device; his fingers kept expecting to encounter something solid and didn't.

"Got it!" said Mackie. "Okay, sit tight and let me see what we can come up with..."

----------------------------------------

Donovan Hock gave Shepard a smile. He was standing next to one of the huge windows overlooking the lake and sipping on something that looked brown and very expensive. For his own part, Shepard was sticking with ginger ale. He'd managed to slip Persephone an earpiece of her own just before heading over to 'schmooze' with Hock.

"Mr. Gunn, I hope you're having a good time. I apologize again for the slight unpleasantness when you arrived."

Shepard shrugged. "Not a big deal. I am impressed with your security set-up. But it's gotta cost you a boatload every month in salaries. And after all, who would dare try to break into Donovan Hock's home?"

Hock laughed. "Solomon, in our line of work we attract a certain element, do we not?"

Shepard matched his laugh. "Yeah, I gotta few people who wouldn't mind if I just went away."

"In my case, it is sadly more than a few." Hock waved at the lake outside. "I love having a view of the water, but I could not simply buy a mansion by the beach. They were all too unsafe, too exposed. So I had to have this lake made on my own property. It cost a boatload, as you would say, but it was worth it. Now I can have my water view and also my safety."

Shepard toasted the view with his glass. "It sure is pretty. I just wish ya didn't have to be so careful. Folks should understand that what we do is just business."

"Exactly! People call us violent and cruel, but those same people don't understand the pains that we take to keep the barbarians at bay. People these days want comfort, entertainment, love. They don't see that the galaxy is fragile. They only have to worry about simple luxuries. Why? Because people like us are doing the terrible things that keep the galaxy spinning."

"Yeah, I've been called a lotta nasty stuff," said Shepard. "A lotta people don't wanna hear about how the sausage gets made."

Hock nodded. "Which is why I have these functions. Our kind deserve a measure of luxury. This party is for us. The cleaners. The support structure for the galaxy's gleeful delusion of peace. May there always be a market for the things we do!"

Hock had acquired a little gaggle of onlookers by this point in his speechifying. He raised a glass in general to the room and got a polite round of applause.

Shepard figured that would be enough of a voice sample for Kasumi to work on, so he just nodded and made ready to leave only to be buttonholed by Hock.

"You never did tell me about your new business," said the arms dealer.

Shepard sighed internally and launched into his prepared spiel. "It's a new type of mortar system. Nowadays mortar rounds are all 'smart' and stuff and all ya have to do it get it generally in the right area to score a hit. But that hardware can be hacked. So we've got an idea for a new system which uses 'dumb' rounds but also has proprietary alignment software on the mortar tube itself. It's almost as easy to use as the current 'smart' systems but a lot less prone to bein' messed with."

"Interesting. What kind of tests have you performed?"

----------------------------------------

There was a guard stationed outside of Hock's apartments, which showed just how paranoid the man was. But Hock wasn't quite paranoid enough, since there was only the one guard.

John drew his head back around the corner and out of sight. He was a little uncertain as to how to proceed. He could take the man out, but the guard might have to call in every so often. Failure to check in would raise the very alarm they were trying to prevent.

The man leaned against a wall, looking bored and half-asleep. As John watched the guard's head nodded forward and then jerked up as the man gave a grunt of annoyance. Then the guard's head went down again and stayed down. John figured that this was as good as it was going to get, and stalked forward.

He got right next to the man when a sound pinned him to the spot. Then he relaxed as he realized the sound was actually a snore; the guard was out like a light. John shrugged mentally and ghosted past the guard and through the door beyond.

With a few muttered instructions from Kasumi, John managed to find a few small items that would certainly carry enough of Hock's DNA. He peeked around the edge of the door before exiting, and saw that the guard was still doing his best Sleeping Beauty impression.

John smiled to himself as he silently made his way back to the elevator. Sometimes it was better to be lucky than good.

----------------------------------------

The three of them reconvened near the vault stairway.

"DNA is taken care of," said John, and held out his finds. They vanished from his hands as Kasumi claimed them.

"Yes, these should work," said the thief. "And Shepard got enough of a voice sample from Hock. Now all we need is the password. I'll shadow the guards and see if I can find out about that."

"What about the power lines?" asked Shepard.

"No joy. I did find the kill switch, but it's inside the central control room. My scans indicate there's at least three people in there right now, and if we run in and shoot 'em that will trigger an alert."

"Maybe we're going about this all wrong," mused John. "We don't all have to go into the vault. Maybe I could be a contingency."

"Let me guess," said Kasumi. "You station yourself near the control room, then shoot your way in and shut off the barrier if we run into trouble."

"I like it," said Shepard. "But I should be the one outside the control room. Kasumi, you know what we're looking for. Wick, you're the ancient weapons expert. Just in case you do get assaulted, you'll at least have some backup weaponry."

"But that leaves you to attack and then hold a heavily guarded control room with one damn pistol," said John.

"I'll manage," said Shepard with a smile.

John shook his head. "Don't get cocky. At least take my spare thermal clips."

----------------------------------------

After splitting up again, John tried to relax and mingle. There would be plenty of stress in a while, and he should simply enjoy the music and general good mood.

After about twenty minutes, Kasumi's voice sounded in his ear. "Got it. That bastard Hock has a sense of humor. His password is 'Peruggia', which is the name of the man who stole the Mona Lisa."

"Nice," replied Shepard. "I've got my spot picked, so whenever you guys want to make your move feel free. Persephone, are you ready to rock and roll?"

"I am," she replied. "Let me know if you need help when you attack the control room."

"Nope," said the Commander. "If the balloon goes up, you get the waitstaff and the musicians evacced."

"Will do," said the asari. "And if I get a chance I may deal out some payback. There's one of the guests who keeps grabbing my ass."

"Which one?" asked John. One of the other attendees glanced over at John and flinched upon seeing his stormy expression.

"Now, now, honey," said Persephone with an amused air. "I'm a big girl and can fight my own battles. Go do your thing."

"Right," muttered John as he began strolling back towards the stairwell to the vault.

He was brought up short by Hock's cheerful voice from behind him. "Mr. Hadlock! Good, I finally found you. I ran into someone who's an old acquaintance of yours!"

John felt a little cold sensation in his stomach. This was not going to be good. He turned and managed to keep his face impassive when he saw who the 'old acquaintance' was. "Hello," he said to the man standing next to Hock.

It was a very familiar-looking man, with dead eyes and a sharklike smile.

"How's it hanging, Mr. Hadlock?" asked Kai Leng.