The Company

[dr_kromm]

On December 10, we had Bonnie ("Xiang Wen," a.k.a. "Wu Xie Zhi" and "Dot"), Marc ("Anabel Windsor," a.k.a. "Abigail Wilson" and "Vicky"), and Torsten ("Qoqa Ramazanova," a.k.a. "Zoya Petrovna Sidorova").

Time: Friday, August 23, 2013 (night).
Place: Milan, Italy.
Last Event: Skulking around an outdoor dance party.

With Anabel, Jili, Qoqa, and Wen in the thick of the dance party – and in costume, no less! – while Klas, Lev, and Paul pose as roadies, the Agents are ready to make their move. They all do their best to fit in and avoid drawing attention. This proves trivial, thanks in part to Anabel's disguises, and gives the team time to assess the situation and formulate a plan of action. The four inside the event proper quickly locate the VIP area and start scheming how to gain entrance, as that's where Asuka is sure to be if Lu©a has any influence. Anabel feels that the best bet would be to get invited in.

To set things up, Jili uses her considerable knowledge of concert lighting to pick out a well-lit area where Anabel can show off. Then Qoqa makes a hole in the crowd in a way that only her charming snarl can manage. When the lights come up and the music starts to blare, Anabel unleashes a riveting mixture of hot dance moves and blatant flashing. Wen succeeds at getting other attendees cheering Anabel on. Halfway through the opening set, Anabel's performance catches the eye of one of the musicians on stage; by the end, the young man is gesturing for her to meet him as he walks offstage.

Before long, Anabel is escorted into the VIP area to meet her new "friend." Security is minimal; nobody bothers to ask why a musician is inviting an attractive stranger to party with him. Anabel meets the artist, spends a while being sexy, and then slips away with the classic "I need to pee" line. As soon as she's on her own, she confirms that Asuka hasn't arrived yet. Then she brushes past the understaffed security checkpoint, where she slickly grabs a fistful of VIP passes and tucks them into her outfit undetected. On returning to her host, all it takes is a little excessive sleaziness to get her politely but firmly ushered out.

Anabel has no difficulty locating Wen, Qoqa, and Jili, who by this point have made their way as close to the VIP area as they dare. She slips a stolen pass to each of her friends. However, the four decide to lurk in the crowd for a bit – both to let Anabel's mark forget about her and to leave time for Asuka to show up. In the meantime, the Agents just hang around and pretend to be partying like everybody else.

Almost two hours later, when Lu©a's act comes on, Anabel, Jili, Qoqa, and Wen head over to the VIP area. Their passes get them inside without a second glance. They immediately spot Asuka. She doesn't look drunk or high, but she fails to recognize her old acquaintances. Wen notices at least two bulky men who look like stereotyped Italian gangsters watching the entrance to the stage – Lu©a's bodyguards, no doubt – and two Japanese goons guarding Asuka. A closer look reveals a complication: four more Japanese men lurking in the shadows, clearly keeping an eye on Lu©a's hoods rather than on Asuka.

Wen reports her assessment to her teammates. They decide that the best move would be to ensure that Asuka collapses here, and then to deal with her security men as they're removing her to their vehicle. The backstage parking area is much darker and not in sight of hundreds, even thousands of people. With that agreed, Qoqa starts working her way over to Asuka while Wen texts Paul to apprise him, Klas, and Lev of the plan.

Qoqa moves up without provoking so much as a cursory glance. She manages to inject Asuka painlessly as she bumps into her on the way past. The whole maneuver takes mere seconds, and Qoqa is back with her allies before anybody notices that anything is afoot. It doesn't take long for the drug to work, but nobody much seems to react to the fact that Asuka is slumped over. Anabel catalyzes a reaction by staggering past Asuka, stumbling over her legs, and then screeching about an overdose.

An instant after Anabel's performance, the six Japanese heavies are in motion. Two of them pick up Asuka, two more start clearing a path through the VIP area, and the last two bring up the rear. The bodyguards advance in a tight phalanx. It's clear that they're alert enough to spot anybody following them as they leave the crowd. Consequently, Wen texts Klas, Lev, and Paul to expect Asuka and friends momentarily, and then drops over a nearby rail into another section of the parking area. Qoqa, Jili, and Anabel follow Wen's lead.

Down among the cars, Lev positions Klas, Paul, and himself in dark hiding places along the goons' route. Meanwhile, Wen circles around behind the vehicles, moving closer and closer as she stalks. Anabel, Jili, and Qoqa opt to hang back until needed, so as not to risk alerting anyone to the ambush. Asuka's guards are clearly well-trained and observant . . . but the Agents are simply better, and manage to evade detection. Before long, it's time to strike.

The opening moments of the clash are hopelessly one-sided: Klas and Paul emerge from the left and right up ahead, while Lev and Wen steal in from either side in the rear. On the left, Klas is point-blank to one thug, and kayos him with a jumping knee to the head; Lev appears behind another and drops him with a rabbit punch. Over on the right, Paul and Wen come running out of nowhere and land high kicks, putting two more men in the dirt. When the initial thumping and crunching ends, there are just two heavies left standing – the ones carrying Asuka.

One of the bodyguards immediately drags Asuka to cover between some cars. The other tries to buy him some time by whipping out a TMP and firing. Paul is clipped by a few rounds, which slam through his arm and leg on one side. While the injuries aren't all that severe, they send Paul reeling. At least the Agents don't have to worry about anybody hearing the gunfire – the dance party is considerably louder and utterly drowns out the noise.

With Paul down, Klas and Lev step things up. The gunman is standing so close that they can run in and tackle him. Before their victim can react, Wen hurdles the bonnet of the nearest car and lands feet-first on the man's face. He slumps in Lev's grasp, leaving Wen and Klas free to circle around after their last remaining opponent. Klas takes the high route, over the top of a nearby van, while Wen acrobatically rolls along the ground to come in low.

The surviving hood, realizing that things are desperate, decides to drop Asuka on the ground and go for his own weapon. With cars boxing him in on both sides, his attackers half-hidden in the dark, and his one clear target – Lev – screened by his unconscious associate, the man doesn't have a clear shot. He fires anyway, but manages only to shoot out some car windows. Then Lev and Wen dogpile him and beat him to a pulp, just like the others.

By now Anabel, Jili, and Qoqa are on the scene. Anabel and Jili pop up behind the sixth and final thug in time to see Lev and Wen brutally smack him down. The four of them link up, locate Asuka in the dark, and carefully carry the girl out from among the cars. Meanwhile, Qoqa dashes around the other side to help Paul, who seems to have collapsed from mild shock, as his wounds don't look all that bad. Klas surveys the area from his place on the roof of the van, but sees nobody coming to investigate.