Ayumi glares at Jess as she paces out a square of floor, and then sets down to do Pilates.
"Jess," she loud-whispers as she stretches, "I don't know what the fuck that was. I hope it was an act. Just remember, I'm not as bright as you. Spy is a second language to me.
"I will add, though, that if Tokyo Branch let Kenji get nabbed, I'm sure glad I got transfered."
Having kept her glasses on during her excercises, Ayumi reactivates the X-Ray function and does a scan of the walls, particularly where the window is bricked over.
Ayumi focuses her specs on the outer walls and doors. It seems that Ivan is the truly the only one babysitting them. He is currently sitting down on a chair just outside their room. Next to him is a table with a few items sitting on it, one of which being an SMG. On Ivan's person, he has a shoulder-rig with a pistol. The old stucco walls obscure any further scanning, but suffice to say, Ivan's probably the only one on this floor.
The lenses burn through the bricked up window revealing a small corridor/alley/canal between them and the next building over. The expance is roughly 10ft across to the other side.
Below their room is another floor, and judging from its contents (sink, stove, table with chairs) it is probably the kitchen.
Most interesting is the room above them. One silhouette (with a female figure) is moving about the room. She is holding a phone(?) while going back and forth from a bed(?) where a laptop and gun-rig rests to a table when some sort of equipment resides. The heavy flooring prevents any further identification.
With her muscles feeling a satisfying burn, Ayumi gets back to her feet. She does a short walk around the walls of their room, both to cool down from the brief workout and to passively scan for bugs.
After that, she doffs her glasses and, fearing skullduggery while they sleep, folds them and hangs them from the collar of her blouse with the lenses on the inside. She splashes her face with some water from the washstand, folds her jacket under her pillow, toes out of her shoes, plops down on her bed, and tries not to worry about Kenji long enough to get some needed rest.
The day breaks with Artis and Co. waiting out the night across the lagoon from Venice, nervous as pregnant nuns.
Across the murky Mediterranean waters, a package arrives (via boat) at the pilazzo followed by a knock on Ayumi and Jess' chamber door. Ivan yells through the door.
"Are you two ladies decent? There are things that must be done before your task this morning?"
Back at the hotel room in San Giuliano, the stake-out finally has a break. The phone rings with Nightengale on the line.
Agents, intelligence reports indicate Mr. Vercetti has breakfast in the Piazza D' San Silvestro. It might warrant a forward observation.
Ivan opens the door with Liz trailing right behind him...gun in hand. Seeing that the two of them have been good secret agents, she safeties her pistol and walks in. Carried in her other hand is a small handbag which she tosses to Jess.
Ivan steps outside the room for a moment, returning with a plate of fruit and two plastic orange juice bottles.
"You will need something to eat before going out, no?"
Liz rolls her eyes at the Russian's compassion towards their captives.
"If you are done with the room service, Ivan..."
Ivan cowers a bit, getting back into character as the designated heavy. Liz gestures for Jess to open the bag.
"Being that you're professionals and all, I trust you won't need anything bigger that a pistol to the job. Inside you'll find a vial of potassium cyanide and two 9mm's...unloaded for everyone's safety. You will get the ammunition upon arrival. Is there anything else you require?"
Jess reaches into the handbag, takes out one of the pistols, then initiates a quick field-strip - just to make sure that the pistol has all required parts, like, for example, a firing pin. It's something you only learn from experience.
"Good. We leave in one hour. There is a bathroom down the hallway if you wish to tidy up and look the part for Mr. Vercetti's untimely departure from the world as we know it."
Jess notices that Liz speaks with a complete lack of remorse, barely showing an emotion through the whole conversation.
I've seen that look before. This isn't the first time you've been ordered to carry out the death of someone...is it, Liz?
Ayumi brushes past her captor and the goon and heads down the hall to the bathroom for a shower. Crazy circumstances aside, habit shines through; she likes to be clean before killing people.
Properly groomed and attired for the occasion, Ayumi wearing plain street clothes and Jess playing the part of a waitress, they are escorted by Ivan down the pillazzo's stairwell to a waiting Liz, SMG-toting henchman #2, and pilot sitting in an idling speedboat.
As the boat pulls away from its moorings, the basement doors open, casting a blinding beam of daylight on the sleep-weary agents. The boat comes about and throttles up and out into the open waters of the lagoon. Liz seems confident yet impatient as the speedboat heads into a canal. She gives Ivan a nod which causes him to unearth from a cargo hold a camera and some clips of pistol ammunition. He hands Liz the camera (which she slings over a shoulder) and the ammo.
"We'll be reaching the target site soon, and I suppose you'll be needing these..."
(Handing over the ammunition to Ayumi and Jess)
"...Odds are, you'll have to shoot your way out. My boss wouldn't want you to run out of bullets doing so."
"He may be sadistic, but you can never say he wasn't considerate in his business practices. I...er, excuse me, we wouldn't want you to botch the job. There's nothing more degrading than having to clean up after someone else. Don't you think?"
Jess, always the observant one, notices a change in Ivan's countenance when Liz trips up on her choice of words. A bead of sweat trickles down the heavy's face, showing the very first sign self-doubt thusfar in their fledgling relationship. He is quick to change the subject.
"Err...Ms. Liz. We are approaching the drop site..."
Liz quickly gets back into character, lashing out at Ivan with a slap to the face and a verbal tyrate in Russian vernacular.
(translated for Jess)
"Don't ever interrupt me again, you slovenly oaf. Did you not think I knew we were getting close? You know what your problem is? You care too much. Maybe a tour working security in the Vladivostok office is order for you, hmm? That should ice up that warm heart of yours?"
Ivan perks up a bit with Ayumi's reassuring smile.
"No hard feelings? We're all just doing business. I you understand my position, or lack thereof."
Liz's disgust rises to all-time high.
"Would you two like a room (cocking the hammers on her guns) or how about I just put a bullet in both of you and get it over with? Move it, we have a schedule to keep!"
(turning to look at the pilot and Ivan)
"Keep the boat docked and idling. This shouldn't take long. I want a fast exit out of here if the situation calls for it."
Ivan reluctantly nods.
"I....I understand."
It may go without saying, something just doesn't seem right about this scenario.
Liz follows closely behind Ayumi and Jess, leading them about the narrow Venetian streets to the plaza. Like clockwork, Vercetti is sitting down (his back to a wall) at one of the cafe's tables reading the latest edition of the Miami Herald and sipping a large cup of coffee. It seems that the tables (two others) around him have been cordoned off with some velvet ropes, its entrance being further blocked off by two henchmen-looking fellows wearing bad suits sporting earpieces and talking into their collars. Sitting at a table next to Vercetti's are two other men casually dressed but still wearing the ubiquitous Sportcoats o' Death (TM). One is inhaling a variety of pastries and delicacies while the other constantly looks about the plaza while incessantly talking on his phone.
A few minutes pass with Vercetti seeming to be enjoying himself, although he does berate his hired help everyone once in the while when they appear to be just standing around. A waiter (male) occasionally comes out to check on Vercetti & Co, his food being glanced over by the guards and himself suffering the indecency of a metal-detector wanding everytime he passes through the roped perimeter.
The waiter picks up a tray of hot food, turning around and nearly running straight into Jess. He starts with a long line of staccatoed Italian verses.
Sig.na, che cosa state facendo dentro qui? Ciò è la cucina, non la toletta! Vada prego, ho alimento da servire ed il sig. Vercetti non è il tipo di persona da continuare a attendere!
Jess isn't sure what exactly he's saying, but from his tone he basically is asking what the heck is she doing in the kitchen. He struggles to press by her and out the door.
Outside in the plaza, Ayumi finds herself an open table near the perimeter of Vercett's area. A waiter (not the one with Jess) greets her with a menu and cup of coffee.
Jess backs away, then walks back into the restaurant and to one of Vercetti's bodyguards.
"Erm, excuse me, do you speak English? I'm looking for the restroom.", Jess says to one of the burly men.
The man smiles, then glances over to his cohort.
"Hey, what do you know?! An honest to goodness American. I haven't heard American in two freaking weeks."
He appears to be taking a shine to Jess' girl-next-door looks, stepping down from his designated position for a moment to show Jess the way to the ladies' room.
"Marco, keep an eye on things while I show the little lady the way."
The other goon nods, taking a wider stance at the entrance to cover for his partner's departure. Inside, the goon is all over Jess like stink on shit, grabbing her ass and putting the moves on her.
Dieter
