Prelude
Prelude
The woman stood. Leaving her plush, executive chair and expansive desk behind, she strode to the large, curved window. The scene below was the same as it alsways was, the same as it had been for eons. She didn't notice the stormy, wind-whipped seas surging blackly in the dim crimson light. Rather, her mind was on the report, the report of an operation so badly blown, yet so ultimately successful, it exceeded anything she had seen before.
Thank God this wasn't one of ours, she thought. Her operative was untouched and, as far as she could tell, still had cover intact. The others weren't so lucky. In fact, it was a miracle FRECLE's man was still alive. A miracle and a damned lucky coincidence they had come together that way, and a second one when the ACID girl brought them to Facility 1013.
Luck was a fickle thing, she had learned that the hard way. So, when good luck came her way, she knew she had to grab it and this, This, might turn out to be the best luck she's had so far this damned rotten year. They'll need a doctor, she thought, and something else besides, but those arrangements would be minor. She keyed her comm, "Simon, come in here. I need you for something."