Agent Neo

Today could only end in a disaster, with at least one member of Pantheon losing their cool or threatening to sabotage the whole mission. They hadn’t really considered the idea of everything running smoothly. Always on edge, Hades always suspected the worst but still hoped for the best. It didn’t exactly fill them with anxiety, but rather alertness. Who would fall out of line today and was never to be seen again? They’d wait and see until the time came.

Speaking of such disasters – another one spoke to them with such softness in her tone. An angel, innocent and pure, they could barely look at them - her charm worked instantly, her sweetness intoxicating, causing even the evilest and most sinister monsters to fall victim to it.”Oh, I was hoping for some sort of whispering amidst the crowd, a few broken bones before 10 PM, you know, a new headshot I can add to my list.” They merely mumbled towards Neo, not really putting too much effort towards filling their sentences with emotion or the right tone - in fact it did sound monotonous. 

“They are expensive, that’s all they care about,” a genuine smile appeared on Hades’ face, however it vanished soon once they remembered Neo’s usual position. “Did they force you to be here?” Hades asked with curiosity laced in their voice, concern, too, “Things can get bad in no time, Neo:”

Briana can’t help but snickers just quickly when Hade’s first speaks, but it is cut off quick at how monotone the other is and Briana not being able to ever tell when Hades is or isn’t being serious. Briana still wished to this day she could read the other’s on her team better. But Hel and Hade’s more so then others still were mostly mysteries to her even after a year of working with them.

“Forced isn’t the right word.” No Briana knew she would have missions like this when she agreed to sign up. Everyone was explained to her in clear and easy to understand messages. Still, Briana loved the missions where she could stay behind her computer, Missions where she was based on hack into computers, turning off security systems and making her those in person could get through where ever they were without hassle. She would much rather be doing research to give to those who would be here and taking care of what needed to be taken care of then be here herself.

They almost make it out the door. An arm catches West’s chest, pushing him backward and slightly off balance. West catches himself before he falls, his arms going up in a defense stance.

“Easy gentleman,” West’s easy smile is clear on display, meant to disarm the guards in front of him. “She has our hall passes. Right Neo?” Briana moves and the guard’s eyes flicker over to her, and it’s enough for him. West launches himself forward with a quick grapple, locking the guy’s arms up before pressing down, hard, on a pressure point. The guy drops to the ground, dead weight and a sack of potatoes, and West tosses him aside. He hits the plush carpet with a heavy thud, out cold.

Another guard lunges at him from the side, and West throws up his hands in a block. He knows he’ll be too slow to dodge it entirely and wants to remain with his balance intact and ready to misdirect the attacker’s momentum. The blade catches West by surprise and a hiss escapes his teeth as it kisses his skin. The noise of fabric tearing meets his ears seconds later, and West curses out.

“That’s my suit dude!” His nostrils flair out and anger darkens his face. His attacker does not look impressed. “My one good suit, are you fuckin’ kiddin’ me right now?”

Briana flashes a smile when West mentions her name. It’s enough of a distraction for the guards to look her way and West to get the upper hand on one. And luckily his movement was enough for the attention to get taken back off Briana and she moves faster than most people would expect her too.

In the time it takes her to knock one guard out and to the ground, West is fighting and second and, there is no way he is really concerned about a rip in his sleeve right now? Briana brushes a few pieces of hair that came loose in the shuffle away before making sure their actually was just the three guards close enough that they have now taken care off.

-

Melody was going to take another sip of her drink when the voice in her ear disturbed her again. Sighing, Melody calls for a passing waiter with a tray full of caviar on blinis and takes a serving. She has no idea what Briana is talking about. These are delicious. First, there’s Agent Icarus with his ridiculous cloudy socks, then there’s Agent Neo who complains about the food. She doesn’t understand her crew members’ taste, but they don’t understand theirs either. Call her pretentious, but Melody is French. She likes fine things and fine things only. “If you have to ask, Briana,” she hisses the agent’s real name. “Then you’re really a lost cause.”

“If you’re really about to faint from starvation, then you can certainly eat just about anything,” she grunts. “Including the damn canapés. So shove them into your mouth and stop complaining before I go over there and force you to.”

Honestly at this point Briana isn’t even upset about the food anymore. Instead she is all out smirk in the bathroom at how easily Mel seems to get annoyed with her. She shouldn’t be this proud at annoying her fellow agent. But in moments like this it makes her less stressed out by what all could go down in a matter of minutes.

A chuckle escapes her lips at the image forming in her brain of Mel force feeding her canapes in the middle of the fancy event going on. The looks she can easily picture of the guest having to witness such an event makes the chuckle turn into an all out laugh.

The bathroom door opens and Briana stops mid laugh before pretending like she is washing her hands and makes a quick exit back to the first floor. She wishes Mel was in the same area of her, just to walk by and stick her tongue out at the fellow agent and nothing less. Instead she opens the mic and lets a dramatic sigh out over the comms.

—

Isa had always been good at blending in. Whether it was because she had been trained since a child to slip into new characters like she was trying on a new coat, or whether it was because she was good at projecting an air of bing unremarkable, she wasn’t sure. She certainly felt unremarkable in situations like this. Despite the training and the skills she knew she could possess, she would always feel more at home back in Cairo, buried deep in her research, following a lead or tracking down the next artefact on Pantheon’s list. She would leave the theatrics to the Nemeses. 

Her eyes were carefully trained on one of the members of the Seven Tables she had spotted, when she caught someone sidling up to her in her peripheral vision. There was a moment of tension that overtook her body before she realised who it was. Keeping her eyes forward, she didn’t turn her head to answer.

     “It’s a lot, I think they’re always like this,” she said quietly, burying the soft lilt of her accent in favour of something more generic, “It’s what they’re all about right? Power, greed, opulence.”

She didn’t want to lose focus, knowing that any minute now something would be unfolding behind the doors to the Chamber Room. But she looked sideways to catch Briana’s eye.

     “Maybe we’ll get used to them someday.”

-

“God, it’s absolutely un unnecessary.” Briana mutters as she brings the glass to her lips again. Her eyes slide around the room, checking in the same direction Isa had been looking earlier and seeing the same someone from the Seven Table’s there.

 She only looks that way for a brief second before locking eyes with Isa. She gives the girl another brief smile and a small chuckle that only she would notice unless someone was clearly watching them.

“I’m not sure I want to get use to this. I would much rather still be at my computer now.”

Briana knew Isa would understand that. They both bonded over the fact in the past they likes the researching. Searching for the answers from a safer location then right out in the open. There was plenty of reasons Briana was happy not to be one of the more head first rankings.

she   hides   brief   smile   behind   rim   before   hand   lowers.   hovers   around   the   dip   of   her   ribcage,   glass   held   delicately   between   fingers.   though   she   had   never   attended   events   like   this   before   university,   they   were   in   her   blood.   her   stock!   a   rich   girl   through   &&   through   down   to   the   parental   neglect   [   …   ]   still,   she   had   learned   how   to   do   things   when   surrounded   by   others   of   similar   bank   account   sizes   so   perfectly   that   it   was   instinctual   as   breathing.   is   glad   to   put   the   mandatory   lessons   to   use.

answering   voice   is   correct   :   it   is   indeed   the   men   speaking   such   things.   the   women   have   tended   to   have   politeness   bred   into   their   bones   [   …   ]   likely   would   not   say   anything   while   she   was   within   earshot   should   they   find   something   to   criticize   or   comment   on.   should   they   find   her   lacking   in   anyway,   (   she   has   built   this   persona   to   be   largely   bulletproof   :   perfect   on   the   outside   at   easy   glances,   but   look   too   closely   &&   it   can   be   seen   that   she   possesses   cracks,   just   as   intended.   here,   she   is   not   someone   who   was   born,   but   made   with   her   talent.   )

“   nah.   ”   little   more   than   a   hum,   a   shift   of   her   tongue   behind   immobile   mouth   as   she   passes   a   small   group   of   eyes.   gaksi   slips   closer   to   a   wall,   pretends   to   absently   walk   closer   to   the   rest   of   the   apollos   as   own   gaze   takes   everything   in   with   curiosity   that   is   deliberately   thinly   veiled.   “   i’m   keeping   an   eye   on   them,   myself.   if   things   get   messy,   maybe   i’ll   chop   them   in   the   throat.   ”

-

Briana is almost shocked when she isn’t answered by someone, mainly Hel, not answering her and telling her to behavior herself. Or that the comms were meant for more important matters. When the response is what comes back over the ear piece she has to hid a smirk, hoping by the others answer she was at least assumed by her first comment.

Briana seems to idle. She’s standing on the out skirts of the first floor, stilling scanning the faces of everyone she sees. it’s easy to make out the people from the Pantheon, even those not from her crew. Briana has spent more than she would like to admit looking into her fellow colleagues. Some faces stand out more then others, but it’s still enough to Briana to feel a slight safety in the numbers of them.

A couple of familiar faces - Hercules from other crews and a nemesis West is positive threatened him one time after a particularly bad dad joke - are sliding through the crowd as well. It’s a lot of chaotic energy everywhere, and West can hear chatter across the comms that is hard to pick up over the dull roar of the room. The bodyguards are all wearing matching clothing which makes them easy to track. By West’s standards, the quickest and safest way out will be through the front door, but they may be intercepted by some cronies on their way.

“Door’s that way,” West thumbs behind him, across a dance floor, crowd of bodies, and angry group of bodyguards. “And I forgot my hall pass. Think if we ask nicely, they’ll let us through?”

The idea of fighting in a suit…. well it sucks. Even a well fitted, worn suit like the one he is wearing still lacked flexibility that other clothing had. The material would catch around his elbows if he moved too much, or pull and strain at his back. The likelihood of them making it out alive was incredibly high. Briana isn’t a skilled fighter, he knows that, but they should manage just fine. The likelihood of the suit making it out intact? Not so much. And West really doesn’t want to go shopping, again.

It’s clear to see other crew members rushing from one side to the next. The ear pieces are a chaotic mess of voices and everyone trying to check in on everyone and updates. It’s none stop and Briana has to do everything in her power not to just yank it out of her ear just to make it stop.

Instead she blocked it out and can’t help but chuckle at West bad joke. At least she was lucky enough to bump into him, someone with a sense of humor to make her feel less frantic in the moment. “If only there was a computer near by.” Briana shakes her head, looking all to flustered until a smirk comes on her face. “I could forge us new hall passes to use.’ 

-

Smile, look as humanely as you can. Mel chants the words again and again in her mind as she glides across the room. Missions are fun, but what she doesn’t like about it is that when undercover, she has to pretend like she’s approachable and fun. So far, Mel has had 2 flutes of champagne and she needs to pace herself just in case things take a turn for the worst. And the hercules agent has no idea whether she wants this mission to go without a hitch or for something to happen. She misses the action. The thrill is still there, but the action has not been as intriguing as it was in the past. 

Melody says a polite hello to the people sitting at the VIP table before taking her seat. A woman sitting beside her turns to her and pays her a compliment, asking who made her dress. After the inquiring woman takes her leave, Melody leans back and continues to scan the room until a whiney, naggy voice fills her earpiece. 

Oh, Jesus. 

“Neo,” she muttered, her voice filled with warning. “What did I say about unnecessary complaints?”

Take it up to the office of ‘I don’t give a flying fuck’, Mel had told the younger agent once. 

-

Briana lets out and auditable laugh that makes her glad she is hiding away in the bathroom. Briana should know by now, she really should, not to try to out right pester Mel but there is something fun about it. Like a small child playing the why game with an older sibling or parent. And if something important was happening right now she might take up less time being a pain on the comms but the evening is still calm so far.

“But define unnecessary?” One could hear the smirk in Briana’s voice as she leans against the bathroom wall. She’s not hiding, not exactly. But it is comforting to have not be in a room surrounded by people with more money they she knows any one person could ever needed.

 “Because I am pretty sure me fainting due to starvation could hinder the mission just a smidgen.” 

The night is dragging. At least it feels that way to Briana as she circles the party for what feels like the millionth time. The glass in her hand has started to grow warm and Briana wishes she had drank it faster, at least it tasted slightly better then. 

And speaking of tasting slightly better, Briana grabbed for another small bite of something off the tray the passed by her. She takes a bit before having to physically stop herself from making the most horrendous face to ever be made.

Briana hold half the bite in her mouth and the other half in her hand as she makes a bee line for the nearest bathroom and into a stall to spit it into the toilet and flashes it with the other half. God, she was wishing now she had ate something before before they arrived to the party.

Exiting the stall she looks down, checking for feet under all of the doors before pressing her finger up to her ear and whining out “Hel,” in the most dragged out and annoying way. “Can we fix the snacks? These are awful and I was told once that it is rude to be talking to a stranger and have my stomach growl.”

MISSION: 423*PROMETHEUS TIMEFRAME: 2303 to 0005 PAGING: Agent Neo @codenameneo

It’s chaos, and not the good kind. 

West still feels his heartbeat in his throat from the hissing static of lost comms and a single gunshot. The minutes that pass afterwards feel like days slipping away as they wait for updates of something, anything, to indicate just what the hell is going on. A heavy breath escapes his lips and West’s shoulder slump in obvious relief when people start talking again.

His eyes catch Briana across the room. Her fancy, bright dress catches his eyes immediately and West closes the distance between them as the Hercules make for a swift retreat. West’s fingers itch to grab the key fob out of his suit pants and go grab the car, but there is a strict voice in his head that sounds oddly like Hel barking a “not yet” at him.

“Fancy seein’ you here, huh?” West says with a laugh as bodyguards start pouring out of a side door. If it is a fight they want, West is sure as hell going to give them one.

Twenty minutes. Twenty minutes, it’s exactly how long the static rings through the comms and Briana feels every second of every one. Her heart rate increases, she feels the sweat growing on her palms, and for most of those minutes she wishes she drank more then two glasses of champagne to make her nerves some what calmer in this moment.

She feels herself take the biggest inhale when she hears another voice instead of static in her ear once again and Briana wishes she could grab who ever it is and kiss them just out of happiness to hear a voice again.  The feeling is short lived with the comment of an injury and hostage without much details on who and if it is their team or not.

The night has turned from a stuffy party to chaos in a minute and the adrenaline rushing through Briana is more then she thinks she can handle. Then she spots West, a wonderful sight to see her fellow crew member there and she can’t help but match his laugh. “You mean you don’t come here often?” She answer with a smirk. The guards start coming down the hall and Briana is glad she went with a pair of flat’s instead of heels for the night. 

The stuffy party seemed to truly be in the middle of everything by the time Briana started moving up to the second floor on que. She grabbed for a second drink once at the top of the steps and took a small sip. Proud, Briana was able to stop herself from making a face. Every time she had to attend an event like this she was sure of one thing, the more expensive a drink seemed to be, the worst she thought it tasted. Still, having the cup in her hand made her look like she fit in more. And gave her something else to do with her hand’s besides keep fidgeting with her ring.

Her eyes scanned the faces surrounding her as she moved though the second floor. Briana couldn’t help but walk slowly, taking in everyone around her until her eye’s feel on a familiar face and she let out a sigh of relieve as she slowly made it in the direction of Isa. Something about having not just someone of her ranking, but someone she felt closer to near by made her relax a little bit as she approached with a small smile.

𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐈𝐃 : 𝟒𝟐𝟑*𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐔𝐒 [ … ] 09262021, around 2011 ft : open

her collar itches where it lays against column of her throat : white && overly starched, as much a study in excess as the rooms surrounding. she’s separated from the others [ … ] close by but distanced, eyes taking in everything && displaying image of pretty professional enjoying herself.

a faceless employee moves close && gaksi slips a champagne glass from the tray with a cup of slender fingers. a move that would make etiquette teacher of youth proud. ( mere though tempts her to dump rose gold liquid out on the floor from pure spite. ) hasn’t quite decided on if she’s going to drink tonight yet, but it makes an excellent prop. an excellent way to blend in.

with a motion disguised as adjusting sweep of dark hair, she tests the comm at her ear before holding the glass up. uses the curve of glass and liquid inside to hide the way painted mouth moves. “ we haven’t been here very long && already at least four people have told me how exotic i look. disgusting. ”

The night had barely started and Briana was antsy. She fidgeted with a ring on her finger, one she put on only to do so. The feeling of twisting the simple band under her finger at least gave her something to mess with, with out looking to obvious that she felt out of place in the middle of the fancy party.

She wasn’t fully sure whose voice came over the head set but it still caused her nose to scrunch in disgust and she quickly worked to wipe the look off her face. Briana is sure no one else over the ear piece wants to hear her physically gag, but she still presses her finger to it before making the sounds. “God, men are the worst.” Even if the other voice didn’t say it was men Briana just assumed. Most women at least had more tact then to say stupid comments they were thinking out loud. 

“Want me to kick the night off early with kicking someone in the teeth for you?” She could almost picture the faces anyone else would be making listening to the conversation. At least most people on her crew would know she was joking, partly, and she got a chuckle wondering if anyone might take her seriously.

Hades & Neo ( @codenameneo​ ) –  𝙼𝙸𝚂𝚂𝙸𝙾𝙽 𝙸𝙳: 𝟺𝟸𝟹*𝙿𝚁𝙾𝙼𝙴𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚄𝚂, 8:20 PM

They’d decided to meet up every now and then to gain update on today’s mission. While being forced into separate floors, Hades needed to keep an eye out on Neo tonight. A Sainthood just like them, they’d make sure to see the other alive and well at the end of the mission. 

Making their way down to Neo’s floor, Hades grabbed one drink, their first and only for today, to not look too suspicious around everybody else. Drinking belonged into social gatherings like this one, didn’t it? However, a Nemesis like Hades, at least in their mind, shouldn’t drink on the job. A steady hand and full focus, they were meant to kill the target today, not having… fun. Whatever that meant.

“I suspected more of a spectacle, but two, three and four are tame, for now.” Eyeing Neo for just a moment Hades wondered if everything was alright. “Did you have a drink yet? I believe they serve some expensive champagne and oysters. Not the best combo.” A distraction tactic, really.

It was exactly fancy ass parties like this that made Briana dislike people. The money that was going into this event, hell she didn’t even want to assume or try to guess how much it was, could be better spent anywhere else. Anywhere. Still Briana at least used to the excuse to dress up. An act she rarely got to do from behind her computer screen and she hadn’t spent money on dresses just for missions like this for them to go to waste.

There was an unease in her stomach that Briana wished the small hors d'oeuvres would settled. She knew it was from being in the middle of it. Briana knew signing up for the Pantheon she wasn’t just getting paid for her hacking skills, yet even after a year, she still got nervous when she actually was at the missions and not just a voice over a headset sitting at her computer.

And she was pretty sure Hade’s could sense her nerves. Briana was sure she read they were mostly suppose to stay on different floors but the fellow agent kept seeming to check in on her. And Briana would never admit it out loud but it made her calm a bit seeing the familiar face head her way again. “This isn’t a spectacle?” Briana can’t help but chuckle. “I just got one,” she held the drink up that she was proud to have managed to get off the moving trays with out knocking them all over. “Never got why people think these bubbles taste good though.”