Slave stood next to Ti. The borg did not blend, but if people stared, Slave didn't seem to notice. Again, she was seemingly inanimate as a stone. The unit scanned the crowds with passive radar, alert for an attack. Slave had no concept of normalcy, but nothing approached with undo speed, nothing that would trigger a fear/fight/flee response.

Slave did note one thing of minor interest.

<Transmitting...>

"//Identified: subject: Nadya//"
"//Range: 20M//"
"//Subject carrying object [query: paper bag: end query]//"
"//Subject has locked onto this unit: recognition 96.53%//"

Slave cocked her head at Nadya like a bird, curious...

Ti, concentrating on conversation with his date for the coming evening, didn't notice Slave's "staring" at Nadya. Unfortunately, neither did Kass.

Frederick's response was calm. "I wouldn't call him /enhanced/."

His failure to elaborate could not have gone unnoticed. "What's in the paper bag Nadya is carrying?"

Frederick received Slave's transmission from outside and responded. //Slave, continue observation of subject Nadya. Allegiance is uncertain, but subject is not neutral.// Frederick didn't use subvocals to transmit to Slave, such would possibly be noticed by Addy. Instead, he had generated the message from his skullcomp.

Nadya looked back at Slave for a moment longer and then proceeded in to the cafe.

Around the same time inside the cafe, Addy cocks her head and looks away for a moment. Then she asks, "Do you guys have a cyborg modified for work in a vacuum with you? Nadya says that if she's with you, it's really obvious out there. It could attract unwanted attention."

Nadya approached the table and nodded curtly at Diana, Frederick, Ed and Gisele. Her eye lingered for a moment on Diana, reflecting memory or interest. One could say they were very close yesterday. Hopefully this afternoon would prove less... energetic.

Diana returned her look. There certainly could be sparks between the two. She tried to occupy her mind with something else, anything else. She didn't need her body to "go active" just yet. That would happen soon enough.

However, her eyes wandered back to Nadya, during the conversation, and Diana couldn't help thinking about what might happen.

As she took a drink from her cup, she threw Nadya a flirtatious look, that lingered for several long seconds, before disappearing. She looked away for a long minute, concentrating on anything other then her.

Once she had "regained some control" she returned to the conversation that was going on.

The short-haired blonde hefted a paper sack and placed it on the table. "I believe this belonged to Chalk. You may vish to haf vhat it contains," she said cryptically, her Russian accent thick on her tongue.

Addy looked at Nadya as bewildered as the rest of the team.

"She hangs around us, but doesn't answer to us. She answered only to Chalk, but since he's gone, she pretty much does as she pleases. I'll ask her to wait in the limo."

Without moving, Frederick sent the request to the Cyborg. But since the limo was not parked nearby, Slave entered the bar and crossed to Frederick's side.

"Hey, where are you going?" Ti asked Slave in confusion. When the 'borg did not reply, he looked at Kass and then into the cafe where he saw the newcomer with the bag.

"Excuse me." He muttered back to Kass and then entered the resteraunt. Kass walked down the street after the limo.

"What's up?" He tossed to the group upon reaching their table.

Frederick tipped the bag slightly so he could see the contents.

There appeared to be something in there wrapped in white paper, like a meat locker would wrap fresh hamburger.

Frederick frowned at the contents.

Quietly regarding the entrance of Nadya, Frederick's bodyguard was in awe of the 'tale' Addy had just told them. Not only the scale of the information, but that Frederick had swallowed it so readily. It sounded plausible. Hell, if even sounded like something the SS would be doing. There were always conspiracy theories circulating about hidden test labs and classified documents, and while there may have been a shred of truth, these kinds of allegations were largely seen as daydreams for the paranoid.

Gisele had never been in trouble with the government before, or even the police for that matter. Her criminal record was pretty clean, so she had no inkling of what kind of people the SS really were. Just the fabulous stories told in movies.

And yet, here they were, obviously trying to get her and the others because of some secret project, threatened by exposure. It all just reeked of some spy movie. A cliched, bad spy movie.

She glanced silently at Ed during and after the discussion, noting his reaction to the story. He was going with it, too.. then just maybe. But what would that mean? What if it all were true?

Then Gisele was in way over her head. A poor little lost girl who a special skeleton would make her a bad motherfucker, who gets showed up by Ti, and on top of that, hunted by the a vengeful government division, the SS, the grand daddy of all bad motherfuckerdom.

If she could cry, she knew that later on that night she would have.

But there was no way out.

She didn't even pay attention to the paper-wrapped package. It was just another item adding unecessary complications to the problem, and it could wait. "What..." she started to say, but her voice gave out. She began again. "So what do we do now? What *can* we do?"

Addy looked up at Nadya who nodded in affirmation.

"Let's work together. Nadya and I can help, but this is too big for us to handle on our own. You were already put on the case, and it might just be a bit much for your team, too. I think we have a fighting chance if we work together."

Nadya put in her own thoughts. "I think that ve should relax tonight. Time to stretch. Tomorrow, and for long time after, ve vork hard. Very hard, da?"

Nadya looked curiously and with some interest at Diana. Pages of ideas flowed behind her sparkling blue eyes as she considered the situation. But that was for later. Right now, it was time for business.

"You fight well, Diana. But I can teach you things they dared not give you. I vill teach any who are capable to fight better. I'm am pilot, too. Certified, level three."

Adelaide chimed in as well, "And I'm an infiltration specialist. I can work with any of your infiltration people to broaden the team's capabilities. Also, if we should need to split up and attack a problem from two fronts, you'll be able to do that now without seriously undermining your team's overall capabilities. What do you say?"

"Okay, you talked me into it. I vote them in." diana said, never taking her eyes from Nadya for a second. In the back of her mind, though, she was thinking of other things, and the mischivious smile that played across her lips, for a few lingering seconds, only added to the sparks between them.

Frederick picked up the paper bag with the index and middle fingers of his right hand and handed it to Ti. It was a casual gesture as if there was nothing wrong with the package.

"Hang on to this, will you?"

He then turned back to Addy. "I don't trust you any more than I trusted Chalk. But I've had dealings with the SS before, and I trust them even less. We can work together, but we're not destroying the data until we can verify what it is. We grab it, take it to a safe place, & look it over. Only then should we decided what to do with it. Now then, back to the hotel. I have things I need to do."

Noticing the cyborg for the first time, Frederick smiles slightly. //I see you are learning to adapt to uncertain cercumstances. That is good. Come, let us go.//

Frederick moved to leave expecting the others to follow.

"What's this?" Ti asked, looking into the bag.

When Ti ignored Frederick's instructions and kept unwrapping, Frederick responded with anger.

"I said hold it! If you want to get paid, you don't unwrap that here! It is not yours, and will not be yours! If you don't want to hang on to it for me, just say so! But if you ever defy my instruction again, you will be fired!"

Fired? "Hey, genius, don't know if you noticed yet but you haven't actually paid me ANYTHING so far, so either hire me or carry your own damn lunch."

Ti then tossed the damp bag to the hacker.

Frederick decided that Ti was dangerous to be around. Here he was asked if he would hold onto a bag, then he insisted on unwrapping the contents. That showed that he had no regard for the people around him. It'd be better to give him some money now and send him packing than to keep him around. He'd have to talk to the others about this.

Ed did a double take. First towards the kid leaving, then towards the attractive woman called Addy. With a confused look on his face, he got up and went with Frederick, all the while looking at Addy.

"It appears you are all here," said Addy. "Then I'll assume we have a deal. And I think Nadya has a good suggestion. We're in for a tough mission, so why not take some time to relax tonight? If you like we could retire to whatever hotel you've picked out. Then maybe later we could hit a bar for R&R?"

The rest of the afternoon quickly passed into evening. Adelaide and Nadya traveled back with the team to the hotel and arranged to get another room for themselves.

There was definitely both electricity and tension in the air between many of the team members, both new and old. Most notably was Diana's discomfort, however. While it was barely under control before, it got that much more obvious now as Nadya was the first to begin to return the attentions. The limo soon came to feel far too small for the rest of them, and even the normally cool Adelaide started to seem a bit irritated by Nadya and Diana's flirtations. However, she kept quiet most of the way.

During the ride to the hotel, Ti just watched the antics of the group with amusement. He already had one date lined up for tonight and even if that fell through he could probably pick someone up at a club, or just come back and join whatever Diana had started. Looked like it was going to be a fun evening.

Seated next to her was Ed, still desperately seeking a way out and almost comically uncomfortably being this close. Still the only other option would be for Ed to sit opposite Addy and then he'd be forced to stare right at the raven-haired beauty. At least sitting next to her, he was able to avert his gaze without seeming rude.

Frederick and Gisele tried to ignore Nadya and Diana with varying degrees of success while observing Ed squirming in his skin. Yes, there appeared to be a number of tensions that needed to be worked out before the mission could proceed successfully.

Finally, the limo dropped everyone off at the hotel and people were able to retreat to their rooms to make ready for the evening. Nadya ran down to a street-corner store to pick up 'necessities' while her partner freshened up a bit. Everyone else also had an hour or two to pick up fresh clothes, shower, etc.

Ti skipped room service since he was going to be eating with Kass later on. He picked up some new clothes from the hotel service center... probably something loose fitting and cool. Also it should show off his arms and chest well, be fashionable and eye catching.

He spent some time showering and prepping himself before going down to the bar. He'll take his gun, of course, and the gloves. He won't worry about checking the revolver at the door unless they normally check for licences at the same time. He's used to things like that and knows that objecting is more trouble than it's worth.

Before leaving, though, he got the name of the club the group would be at so that he could find them later if Kass felt like dancing after dinner. He'll be waiting at the hotel bar for her, drinking a beer and relaxing when she shows up.

Dinner is still being served at 8pm in the hotel when the the group gathers.

Soon, however, everyone is ready to go out. Nadya suggests a club called 'The Nightingale'.

Frederick came out of his room wearing a designer Armorweave outfit in blacks and grey. This seemed to be a theme pattern for him. He still carried the backpack, but it's content had been rearanged so that it didn't look quite so full. His rose colored glasses didn't look like they offered much protection from the light, but he should need them at night anyway. The jacket seem to be a bit bulky for him, but he still looked comfortable
wearing it.

Ed showered as soon as he got to his room. A quick change of clothes and he was ready. Ed then took a few moments to contemplate what happened to him in the past few days. He has somehow managed to gain the ability to heal himself. This was strange. He could feel that his control and power were increasing. With this new knowledge wandering around in his head, he thought of what might have to happen. He would have to kill others that are like him. People that did not ask for what happened to him. Killing normaly did not bother him. It was killing those that had no idea why.

His last thoughts were of the two new women. One was constantly in his mind. This was not acceptable.

Ed finished his routine before the time to gather for dinner had arrived. Ed made sure his staff was secure in one of his cargo pocket as he went out the door for dinner.

Diana took a rather extra long shower. There were things on her mind, and then there were things on her mind.

She couldn't help think of how Nadya and her had been seriously flirting with each other. That thought drover her body to a point, that she had to "satisfy" it.

This she did a couple of times, adding some 20 minutes to her shower. When she was done she got dressed in one of her hottest dresses. She made sure she looked sexy for Nadya.

The woman was on her mind the whole time. In fact, Diana liked that idea. Not that Nadya could really satisfy her, but, she shtrugged, who knows. She figured she was "enhanced" through genetics, so maybe she could, as well. In any case, tonight was absolutely going to be very interesting.

When she was dressed, she went downstairs to the bar. As she entered it, she could feel the eyes of nearly every male in the place on her, and she liked it.

In fact, there seemed to be something of a strut to her walk. Like she was showing off, but not overtly. She saught out Nadya, and sat down beside her. "I got your note, and am absolutely looking forward to whatever you have planned." Diana whispered into her ear, followed by a very flirtatious smile.

Nadya smiled wickedly. "I think the Nightingale Club will be an interesting prelude for us," she whispered back.

Addy observed the exchange but couldn't hear what Diana and Nadya were saying. She could only assume it was trouble, so she hoped she could stay safely out of the way as long as possible.

Gisele showered, though in the strictest sense she didn't really need to as much as the others. She didn't sweat, so there was little body odor to wash off. Just the faint smells of dirt and gunpowder.

Exiting the hotel shower, she was startled by a figure in the fogged up mirror. She recoiled for a split second before realizing it was her own reflection. Her own face. Sort of. As remarkably adaptive as human beings are, they become accustomed to seeing a certain face in the mirror every time.

The face Gisele saw in the hazy bathroom mirror was a stranger. Yet she knew that she was looking at herself. It has been so long, several years at least, since she'd had her own face. A job perk, they'd said.. free makeovers. It had sounded clever like a joke at the time, or a very interesting prospect. Now she had to keep a photo on her bedside table as a reminder of what her face really looked like. Or did, at any rate. Gisele had always said she'd get her real face back when she retired. If only she could remember what it looked like..

As far as the bodyguard business went, it was invaluable. Even the cheapest skin doctor could make a face if he didn't have to work around bone, sinew, and tissue rejection. Just metal, wiring, and plastics underneath. In a matter of days, she could look like a completely different person. No swelling, no healing. No muss, no fuss. A living dress-up doll.

It all suddenly made her very angry. Balling a fist and gritting her ceramic teeth, Gisele almost hit the mirror for daring to reflect the truth. It would have been so satisfying... But then it all drained away. A simple shake of her head later, she was toweling herself dry and getting dressed for the evening.

Frederick did his best to get everyone together for supper. After ordering, and getting a bottle of wine, he started the discussion.

"Here what I have in mind for the funds. I have access to all the money originally budgeted for this operation. When the operation is done we can split whats left. We're talking close to 100,000 marks each. Depending on how much we spend in the mean time, and who qualifies for a share. Anyone not interested in the profit sharing concept can speak up now. That person will get a fixed 50,000, regardless of what's left. Anyone not interested in continuing the mission can take 25,000 now, and leave."

He sniffed at his wine and took small sips.

Ti's head spun when he heard the figures being tossed. The 20k he'd nearly lost his life over seemed paltry compared to the funds to be had. He wondered why Gisele had made such a big deal over it at the time.

The natural greed of a career criminal crept into his mind and he found himself loosing the thought he'd had about slipping away from the group in the middle of the night. Monsters or no monsters, he wanted that cash and equal pay for shared risk seemed fine to him.

Two warning lights lit, though.

"How much can we spend before we eat into that 100,000 mark?" He aksed. "How much did we start with and how careful do we need to be with the budget?"

"Also, who 'qualifies' for shares? I'd like to think that if I put my thick neck on the line I'll be treated fairly, with respect and get an equal share of the profit."

Frederick had to think carefully about how to answer Ti's questions. Looked like the walking pry-bar might be able to focus his thoughts after all.

"I think anyone but Slave would /qualify/ for a share. Though anyone getting thrown out of the group before completion of the mission would not qualify, and of course, anybody killed. And advance will be given to each person, you may use the advance any way you want. I recommend the advance be no more than 1,000 Marks. The rest of the money will be spent only on items needed for the mission."

"As for how much we can spend before eating into the 100,000, I'll just say a /minimal/ amount. We can't go overboard. When we get to the target zone, we may be able to find some income sources as secondary targets. There is also the possibility that Our information about what the target is in wrong. It may turn out to be something we can sell. That's why I wan't to get it out and examine it before deciding what to do with it."

Addy looked at Slave for a moment and then back at Frederick. "But why doesn't the cyborg qualify?"

Ti Hadn't thought about the comment regarding Slave, but now that it was brought up he felt Addy had a valid point.

"If she risks her life alongside us, shouldn't she get a share?"

It didn't really sound like he was terribly concerned with the fate of Slave, but he did think it was a consideration. "And the only thing I'd like to see changed," He said in his thick, Muscovite accent, "Is if I die, send my share to my mother, Da?"

Slave kept to Frederick's side throughout the evening thus far. Transmitting: "//Share:currency:irrelevant. Subject designate: Frederick: 'slavery
degrades both slave and master. Repair this unit.//"

Gisele spoke up, somewhat matter-of-factly.

"It's not a person. It's a thing. It was a dirty Jew, and now it's something better. Something useful. So we'll use it." The venom in her words was undeniable, almost tangible.

She then turned to Frederick, deftly switching gears without so much as a pause and said coolly, "You know I'm in."

As used to this attitude amongst the Germans as Ti was becoming, it still bothered him every time he'd encountered it. Discarding a person's entire worth simply because of their heritage was disgusting, in his opinion. The Mob was filled with such sentiments, though, so he learned to ignore for professional reasons.

Still, it did not put the little cyborg into a good light as far as he was concerned. After all, did she feel the same way about him simply because he was 1/4 Hispanic? Most like, and probably the rest of them did as well.

His gaze swept the group, looking for reactions, and most likely he didn't notice any objection to Gisele's statement so he didn't offer any of his own either. He did, however, give the brushed chrome woman a sympathetic look.

Adelaide looked disturbed at the comment but held her tongue for now. In fact, she didn't even know her own heritage. She had always assumed some kind of northern European, but what if that wasn't true? Would she be next on the receiving end of such remarks?

Not that it would be any different from the treatment she received at the hands of the Company surgeons and officers. However, she had hoped things would be different once she escaped.

Adelaide, too, looked to see if everyone felt the same way. And she made some judgements of her own...

"Gisele, whatever the cyborg is," Adelaide advised, "it would be wiser to show respect to someone you expect to be watching your back, lest you find her welding torch carving new designs into your hull in the middle of the next engagement, if you catch my drift." She gave a half-smile to lighten the well-meant criticism.

For her part, Nadya didn't give half a rat's ass who discriminated against who. After all, a simple genetic test would prove beyond doubt that she was the most racially pure of them all, putting everyone else certainly on a lower genetic rung. Not that she cared anyway. The whole thing was rather stupid in her view. She rolled her eyes at Gisele's comment.

Rather then commenting, Ti simply smiled at Addy's statement. No doubt the Slave unit's programming would make such things impossible but it was still a valid sentiment. He didn't think it was a very bright thing to say, though, and such discussions didn't make for good business any case.

Instead he simply rumbled off a very Russian saying in his native language regarding fools, politicians and idealists. He was, or so he considered himself, first and foremost a businessman who didn't let his opinions get in the way.

Things rarely worked out that way, but he still tried.

Right at 9pm and just in time to for her date with Ti, Kass showed up. She was dressed neatly in an innocent medium-length skirt and an off-white blouse with a cut bow. Quite a different from earlier today.

Ti could see that the suit she wore earlier didn't have much to hide in terms of breast size, which was as small as she was thin. Still, unless that was important to Ti, Kass managed to come across as reasonably well-suited and clothed for a typical date.

At times it got to the point where looks didn't even matter anymore. He doubted that no matter what she looked like outside of her uniform she'd even come close to matching the three women he was already hanging around with. Besides, it took all kinds to make up the world and he didn't always have to go for the huge rack. The waif look was still in as far as he was concerned, but it didn't really matter.

Ti offered her a pre-dinner drink and introduced her to the bartender whom he'd been talking with... apparently a distant cousin of Der Fuhrer if the man was to be believed.

He entertained her for a few minutes before heading for the reservation he'd made at the hotel resteraunt. Not being used to that fancy of a place he needed a little help with the menu but did his best to come off as cute rather than uncultured. The way he pronounced Brie made her giggle as did, no doubt, the expression on his face when he tasted the sharp, soft cheese.

"Breee!" He uttered, pursing his lips. "I can see how they came up with the name."