York was inexperienced. This was his first mission, an actual mission, not one of those combat simulations that HQ had run him through multiple times. Heck if he can remember there was an exact simulation just like this where they had to infiltrate a banquet and eliminate key figures within the banquet without causing an uproar.
He had placed near last in that one as he floundered around wondering what he had to do as he was used as bait and sniped near the beginning.
In a real mission that would mean he was K.I.A. He had to change the outcome. York calmed himself and he headed toward the food table, a table where a variety of courses were being held.
York glanced around, his observation of the courses on the table allowing him to check the participants gathered around. A familiar dress appeared in his vision not long after arriving so he made his way over with the two glasses of wine that he had procured earlier.
"Milady" Yukon greeted, extending a glass toward the female before him.
"Butler Y, I've been wondering where you had disappeared off to, Victoria has been looking for you."
"I apologize, I was occupied attempting to find the both of you mam."
"It would seem, are you sure you haven't been pigging yourself out at the table while we had to attend to formalities? I'll have a word with father when this is over so you know." Agent T quips, the faintest of grins forming on her face as she took a sip of her wine.
"Speaking of having a word, I received an invitation addressed to Lady Victoria and you from a mutual friend. She is requesting food and drinks so I'll make myself useful and prove that I have not been "pigging" myself out. Now if you will excuse me milady I shall procure the necessary refreshments and hors d'oeuvre for all of you to snack on." Yukon bowed himself out, after handing the paper to Agent T, and proceeded to walk up to the servers to ask for a tray so that he could acquire some for the team.
After obtaining and stocking the tray with food and drinks, he only had to ask for directions of the room that he was heading towards. The proposed meeting would happen any moment now and York wasn't sure how he felt about this turn of events. The world of spies and secrets were a cut throat business... literally. York remembered the sensation of hands wrapping around him and how easily it would have been for those very hands to slice his throat.
York paused as he neared the room, he took a deep breathe. Basic training dictates that he checked for wires, alarms, bugs. York gave a quick one-over of the door before he knocked. Where was everyone else?
"Enter" a sweet voice echoed from within and York pushed the door open after turning the knob.
Inside sat a beautiful lady dressed in a slim dark blue dress adorned with tiny stars. A shawl wrapped around her shoulders and deep brown hair fell around her smiling face. Intense green eyes gazed at him, as if picking him apart. The room was sparsely decorated, two sofas for sitting and a table between them. A desk in the corner next to a bookcase. Two vase plants on little tables themselves and two windows that overlooked the garden behind.
"Thank you for delivering the food and drinks for me. Now tell me, how is the party so far? I hope that the nobles aren't working you to the bone."
"I should get back to my duties." York said quickly, maybe a bit to quickly as the girl's eyes narrowed before him.
"A butler like you wouldn't be missed, De'Monticourt has many under his employ." The girl observed her nails as she leaded on the other one. "Tell me, how do you know those words that you spoke to me. The dark moon never really rises." "
She was right. He wouldn't be missed here, his butler skills weren't on par with the many high-grade staff that he had seen around the place, a face flashed before his eyes one that was grinning with warmth and relief. York grimaced as the girl's grin grew wider, he hardened himself and ran through the various combat techniques that they tried to teach him... he had to go back. No matter the cost.
"Well?" The girl asked again.
"My friend likes astronomy. She told me that one was due to rise tonight."
"Interesting." The girl said, her eyes flicked toward the door before she kicked up the table and launched it at York.
York scrambled to the side and rolled as a knife landed where he was just at.
The girl secured the knife in her hands in one motion and lunged forward. York quickly blocked with his arm before using his other to punch at the girl only for her to catch it and headbutt him.
York gritted his teeth as he stumbled back before collapsing.
"I don't know who you are, but for your information. Wrong code phrase by the way." The girl sneered and she jabbed forward with her blade only for it to be blocked.
"He is one of us" V growled.
"Victoria!" York cried out in panick.
"Victoria? Is that really you under there V?" The girl asked
"Nonsense, I'm only here for business... however, the dark moon shines tonight."
"That is what I said!" York exclaimed.
"You said "though" not "however". Wording is very important, the slightest tip that you are not who we can trust." A argued.
"Enough! I'm glad that we were able to meet but you smashed a table into Y here. People are bound to have found out if not for X suppressing our current conversation. We need to move before hostiles encroach on our position." Agent V exclaimed
"But Victoria" A smirked. "There is still information I need to gather. I can hand off some information to you now but for the juicier bits you'd have to wait on a later date. I can also potentially get an excuse to slip away, in addition to how suspicious would it look if I just slip away. I'd need to create a body, plot a murder and more to have myself extract safely."
"The objective of the mission was retrieval anyway, we can leave you alone but for us to exit here unscathed would make it suspicious. After all you did send a table flying. Sound won't be a problem but we have nothing to impair what the cameras see."
"I can frame the next servant who enters as the perpetrator just need to rough myself up a bit." Agent A explained as she took out a kit from under her dress.
"O, T go on ahead and make sure the perimeter is safe, back up X if he meets any resistance." Victoria ordered and the other two exited the room as she rounded on York.
"Rookie move for forgetting the pass phrase but we've all been there. I'll save you're talk for debriefing as the situation calls for another course of action. Do you have any hallucinatory ingredients with your herbs?
York checked his herbalist kit and the plants that he deemed needing. He was kitted for healing or quick remedies. "Best thing that I have is Papaver Somniferum" York spoke and Victoria tilted her head in confusion.
"Opium" he sighed.
"Why do you have a drug?"
"Drugs can help suppress pain. Keep your mind free and helps you to stop struggling. It also helps me sedate someone so I can operate on them." York explained.
"That'll do, we need a distraction so that we can ex-filtrate, I want you to drug as many people as you can."
Drugging people? With Opium?
"Are you sure this is a good idea? This could make some people addicted..." York expressed his concern but Victoria waved it away.
"The mission is important, we drug a few people and they run the risk of getting addicted. We do not get this information back to base and millions of people are guaranteed to die." Victoria explained and York balked.
Millions? How big was this operation? and why was he, a first timer, sent on this mission? They could be compromised with any task he foiled.
"Give me a few minutes, I'll do the best I can with what I have." York explained and he cut the seeds quickly while extracting the milky substance that was leaking out.
"I hope this is for a good cause." York expressed his displeasure and Victoria glared at him.
"Of course this is for a good cause, we save millions! Now drug some drinks and passed them out butler."
"Of course Lady Victoria." York bowed and he swiftly exited from the scene. He passed by a servant and ask them to bring a bottle of wine, red and 1940s for the room he had just exited and he swiftly made his way to the kitchen to grab a tray.
Making his way around the room York distributed the opium-drugged glasses of wine and it wasn't long before incidents started to occur.
"Perfect, Agent X has gotten the limousine and is awaiting our arrival. T and O are making their way and I'm waiting for you by the entrance."
"I hope A is okay."
"She is fine, she is used to infiltration missions that drama queen she."
"Seems like you know her really well." York commented and he was only met with silence.
"V?" York asked. Nothing.
"O! T! V might be in trouble" York said into his mic and he went toward the entrance
He prayed that she was okay.
