Missiles & Magic

The door to Phoenix's room opened and in staggered Osprey, looking dazed. Automatically, he went toward her, and she practically collapsed into his arms, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Risa?" his voice held a million questions.

She just shook her head. He tucked her into his bed without a word.

Couple hours later there was a knock on the door.

"I am here to debrief Osprey," Elk announced.

"She needs rest. She's under her basal magic, scraped and bruised... she's been through it."

"She's been alone for a time. We need to know what happened there."

"Not tonight you don't."

The guard never saw the silent portal open. Tiger's fist sent him into the land of dreams. Osprey grabbed a small brooch off the table. Lioness frowned.

"This way."

The door wasn't alarmed.

Overconfidence?

Swan was alone.

Small mercies.

Lioness touched the Director's hand.

"I am Nobody. Focus on that. Fight them, not us." She said in a level, quiet voice. "It's alright."

We can't break the connection here.

She nodded to Tiger and Osprey. Tiger lifted Swan in a bridal carry.

"Package secured," he said.

Osprey unleashed the loudest tripple-anchored portal and they stepped through.

So much for alarms.

"Don't waste energy - if someone else checks something go with that." - Except then you're doubling back, because you missed something somewhere, and praying everyone's energy holds.

"Don't touch artifacts you don't understand, especially when they obviously want to be touched." - Except this one obviously belonged to the person they are looking for. And you don't realize it's magical until after you touch it.

"If you can use telepathic connection with your empathy, that's your greatest asset." - Except when you're standing against an opponent who abuses exactly that. 

Lioness had good training. And enough wits to not use all of it.

Who do you work for?

Angella snorted in derision.

"Myself."

But somebody is...

"Not being on 'the good side' does not mean I am not loyal, or have mutually beneficial relationships." she explained with the air of tried patience.

So you don't owe him anything?

The Queen's hand reached for the amulet once again.

"I can be grateful. If I weren't here," she indicated her comfortable quarters, "I probably would be gone by now."

There was an origin story in there, but what intrigued Swan was the way the amulet echoed - or rather amplified - the other woman's very life force.

The stasis didn't allow Swan to regenerate her magic fully. But it also didn't totally stop her power from trickling back in. They couldn't allow her to die of exhaustion either.

When they brought her back, the Queen gave her a little opening. 

You are not working alone, Swan suggested. Or should I say, you are not working for yourself? 

A sneer should have been the answer, but there her inner eye could suddenly see a dark shape looming over her tormentor. 

Hidden, unseen and yet menacing and pulling strings.

You're his last ditch attempt to reinforce what has failed.

"I wonder what is Raven like in bed..." the assets at the next table made Maddie almost spit out her coffee.

"Warm," Osprey replied automatically, with a deadpan, and the coffee was snorted out of Lioness's nose.

The assets had the decency to blush.

***

"Why is there a mirror on your ceiling, Lion?" Risa asked, opening her eyes in the morning light.

Phillip just shook his head. "Did you sleep well, Osprey?"

She did. Somehow he had the opposite effect on her than on most other women. He calmed her. She was the only one sleeping soundly in his bed.

"Ua mākaukau nā lei korale no ka luau no ka hoʻohanohano ʻana i ka ʻohana moana nui"

Blooming Coral! Raven thought as the newest dispatch landed on his desk.

It turned out a surprising number of "decorations" around the HQ could in fact be used as communication devices with the right tweak. 

However, apparently some station chiefs decided to be more careful than others. In this case, not only was the message in Hawaiian, it was also coded, just for good measure.

Thorne reached into his bookshelf for his Guide to the Islands from 1991 to try and decrypt it.

It was really tempting to think that magic was infinite. Especially with artifacts like the amulet to aid her own potential.

But in the end it was just another form of energy and could be depleted... albeit temporarily. It needed to be periodically renewed, replenished. 

That was exactly what Queen Witch was banking on.

"Let's see how long you can go without rest, Director."

After all, keeping your subjects sleepless was a tried and true way of softening them up.

She didn't underestimate her opponent - while she herself took a nap, she had Swan put in a magically induced stasis.

Angella Mărdărescu reached for the amulet around her neck. The agent was proving a little tougher than she expected, and without the extra power she would have most probably already broken free.

Which was why it was so important to find out what she was protecting.

Of course, the Master, or the other parts of Synergy could turn the tables instantly. But that would mean giving up her prize without the fanfare of conquest.

And the Queen Witch could not really have that. 

She will come to her... collaborators... victorious. 

Triumphant without a shadow of a doubt.

...or empty handed.