As she picked up the netted laundry bag, a commotion of giggles occurred on the other side of Beauregard's house.

Beauregard and the remaining guests were mingling on the front porch.

Demona motioned Tasìa to stand up.

"We should grab Alisha. Let her know she has been exposed. It would make things much easier on us if we bring her along."

Tasìa eyed her, skeptically.

"What if they changed the codes specifically to keep her out?"

"That's why I changed my mind about the two of us doing it alone. We need her hands on that peculiar control panel set-up at the garage when I force an override."

Tasìa had a good deal of experience on her father's hobbyists circuit boards and control panels. Some consoles required at least an afternoon of proper training to operate, and were prone to shut down when wrongly configured or handled.

She nodded in agreement.

"Makes sense."

Tasìa stood up, stretched, and popped her back.

"I thought of sending Mel to retrieve the neoPalm but I would never forgive myself if he were to get stung or bitten by the devil hornets. Unless Alisha neutralizes those lanceros, it has to be me that goes up there."

Demona cleared her virtual throat.

"There is quite a bit more to this than just retrieving my neoPalm PA."

Tasìa threw her a curious side glance that connected with Demona's suddenly beaded eyes.

Demona continued.

"We have to rescue Val Vitaliy. The garage is key to finding him. I worry that you may not be up to it at the moment. Do you recall telling me that you have about one half of an adventure left in you this evening?"

"Of course," Tasìa smacked her own buns with a pat and squeezed with both hands, "but that was before I got my haunches nicely reinvigorated and back into high gear. I'm still buzzing from it.

Demona chortled, but quickly moved on.

"So, that's a definite yes?"

"If we can realistically rescue Val this evening, I am up for it."

Tasia grabbed a tree branch, turned her self around on it, and jumped onto the roof. From there she scurried over to the front side.

She crawled low to get a good view of everyone. Annebél, Beauregard, Alisha and Travis had taken their respective corners along the rail scoop. Each held a beer in hand that appeared to be from Beauregard's extensive collection of German imports.

Annebél smoked a Gitanes Blonde Cerise. The pack from which it belonged she held in her other hand.

Dang! Tasìa cursed herself. She had forgotten to show Annebél the pack she purchased earlier.

What a dear was Beauregard, though? He likely deduced that Annebél was the friend that matched the lovely woman in the illustration, and applied that knowledge graciously.

Tasìa adjusted her position to get a better angle on Travis. His eyes darted back into the house, apparently concerned that Hugo Brassi was taking a long time to return.

She decided that confronting him would be a waste of time that could be devoted to other things. Tasìa aimed the Stealth 338 LAP above and to the side of the mechhead apparatus embedded in the side of Travis' skull.

Tasìa gave it second thought.

If she hit it directly, it would likely slam the apparatus deeper into his skull and kill him instantly.

Not that Travis would have been a great loss to humanity, but still, it would have been rude to murder the man on Beauregard's doorstep.

She decided to take a more cautious shot. When Travis raised his beer bottle up to his lips, Tasìa fixed the laser pointer onto the back of his hand, and she took the opportunity.

The Stealth 338 barrel design for this series of rifle was not a true sound dampener like a standard attachable suppressor. Instead, it was designed to scatter the explosive sound into an odd whispery whistle and cause ventriloquist echo.

The heads of all four of them jolted to the trees far down the street.

The barrel was made for jungle warfare, and it sounded more like a churlish parrot calling from elsewhere than a gunshot.

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Travis dropped his beer bottle and he stared at his reddened hand.

"Fuck!" He squealed.

"Problem?" Alisha asked.

As he spoke, his voice began to slur.

"Yeah. It tingles and feels numb all the way up to my elbow."

With his eyes rolling to the back of his head, Travis slumped down. His mechhead apparatus smacked the beer bottle as it still poured on the porch floorboards. The bottle spun off the steps splashing beer over the entire area.

Annebél pointed at a scattered tangle of coppery threads that once were the thruster tubes that clung to a rail near her.

"I saw that round burst against that hand he was holding up. Its from a gyrette!"

Both Alisha and Beauregard ducked as they drew their handguns. Tasìa was impressed with Alisha's outstanding choice in firearms. A small Smith & Wesson 642 Airweight LTD revolver chambered for a .38.

High firepower for even the daintiest hands.

Its holster was so well contoured against Alisha's hip that it was likely strapped on the American spook the first time they met without Tasìa being any the wiser to it.

"Up here and don't shoot me." Tasìa yelled out.

"Tasìa," Beauregard called out. "Did you just shoot Travis?"

Demona waved to get her attention.

"Careful what you reveal about his house being wired with audio-visual listening devices. That dirty work I discouraged you from doing, let me handle it instead."

Tasìa nodded as she gave Beauregard a big, gobliny smile.

"Yup. It was me. Hugo Brassi and Rubin Estes are knocked out in your backyard."

She climbed down the roof and joined the three.

"What's Rubin doing here?" Alisha asked.

Tasìa shook her head.

Bad stuff, that's what.

"They set up an ambush aimed at me. They were going to use this baby right -," Tasìa smacked the Stealth 332 LAP on its side, "- here to do to me what I just did to Travis. Somehow they knew I was here. As for you, pretty lady, they are totally onto you.

"After our mission, we need to get you out of Spook Town."

Beauregard coughed and cleared his throat before he spoke.

"That PA on your neck - it's geared up to talk to Demona?"

"Yup. These two chicas, we're practically hip-to-hip now."

Alisha perked up, and grabbed her own PA to flip on the AR camera.

"You have Demona on reference point?" She asked.

Tasìa confirmed. "Wait until you see her outfit. You'll want to have it custom made for your own collection."

Demona wagged her finger. "Don't you have it made in my signature color, Tasìa. Though, you'd look fantastic in sepiàted urban camo."

Tasìa chuckled. All of her friends were ever so silly.

"Mind if I borrow Demona for one moment. The two of us need to talk."

"Your PA can't build a reference point?"

Alisha shook her head. "Its my officially issued device. I asked for the dinkiest one available. One that's easily bypassed."

Tasìa nodded and handed over Annebél's AR riding goggles. Alisha slipped them on as she went back inside.

With regret that she needed to have a serious discussion, Tasìa turned back around and she faced Beauregard with a wane smile on her face.

How was she going to handle this?

"So, Hugo Brassi?" She asked.

"You know him?"

Tasìa nodded, but this interrogation was not about her.

"Apparently, you do to."

Beauregard cleared his throat once more.

"I met him at my gun club a couple of years ago. After we talked about a few common interests, he asked me to join his hunting lodge. We've been asshole buddies ever since.

"But, just now, I thought it weird when he showed up with Travis. Hugo never came by the bar, so how they knew each other is something of a mystery to me."

Tasìa nodded. So far it checked out. She removed the key card from her jean pocket.

"Is this related to that hunting lodge?"

Beauregard head was vigorously animated when he shook it.

"Yup. Its a fraternal order of hunters that carries its tradition back to the Medieval knights. They, I should say we, though I am just there for the game hunting, are very big on tradition and feast ceremonies in particular."

Tasìa eyed him with rueful humor in her gaze.

"Those traditions don't involve hunting peasants do they?"

Beauregard laughed, defensively.

"Good Lord, no. Else, I would be amongst the hunted. The club is quite respectable. Queen Moxie's consort is a member. We went on a safari together in the Roja foothills just last year."

Tasìa laughed as she thought of the month long detoxification that those who left the Greater Quadra outside of Asunción had to endure.

"He must have fell into Charlotte's disfavor if he needed to get away from her for a few months."

"I swore to confidentiality, but that he did."

He held Tasìa with his hands tossing the hair that lay against her bandanna before he continued to speak.

"I figured out why you have a strong animosity towards Brassi. You are the one that escaped the IMCQ in a blaze of glory. Do you prefer to be called Tasìa or Avellana?"

She didn't even notice he had called her by her name a few moments ago. Slipping, but not slipping. It just didn't matter.

Tasìa nuzzled the side of her face against his chest as she looked into his eyes.

"Which ever one feels right by your lips."

He chuckled.

"Obviously, my sister and I are here because we have a past, as well. Related to the Incivility. You could call us political refuges. Though our detractors would call us bank robbers and murderers."

Tasìa smiled broadly.

"Like Francine and Jesse James."

Beauregard uproariously choked on his own laughter.

"One helluva gender-bender you pulled on Frank there, but yeah, kinda exactly like that."

Then Beauregard turned serious. His eyes narrowed.

"So, I have a proposition for you. How about you and Alisha going about your mission, and that Gallic beauty over there and I dispose of these three idiots."

Tasìa jerked her head back in surprise. She inferred from what Demona cautioned her that the Spy Master was going to keep an eye on Beauregard and Tasìa's three victims to see how they all behaved together after Tasìa left.

However, this was a much better test of Beauregard's loyalty to her. Sure, she would have to break her vow to Brassi to systematically ruin his material existence but carrying a grudge like that to the bitter end was bad for the soul.

To that, she breathed out, relieved of the burden.

Tasìa nodded as she studied Travis' helpless form as he laid at her feet.

"They all have been warned by me and knew the consequences, but Travis. . . He is not really as deserving of death as Rubin and Brassi are. Take him to the city limit and warn him not to come back nor contact the others."

She turned to Annebél who had been mostly silent during the conversation. Tasìa noticed that the brawler carefully observed everyone.

"You okay with the plan?"

Annebél stood up straight, and folded her arms together.

"More like I was born for this shit."

What I like to hear!

Tasìa turned back towards Beauregard with a hug pressed against his waist and hips like she could just ride him then and there if no one objected.

She looked him in the eyes as she told him in a low, whispery voice:

"You do this one thing for me, and when the day comes that you get around to asking a certain question. My answer will be yes. Yes. Yes, and yes."