Autumn Massacre [closed]

For as long as he had been in the organization, he had done every single one of his missions as a lone wolf, only being dispatched when necessary and taking care of everything with unmatched finesse. When asked about it, he constantly stated that he preferred to work solo, that he couldn't stand the idea of cooperating with partners that could hinder his progress. And he proved himself time and time again to be able to do the amount of work one group could do with his hands tied behind his back and eyes completely blindfolded. He wasn't necessarily second to none, but his abilities were unmatched in more ways than one. That was supposed to be the case. That had always been the case, even when he was younger. People in Argona's Force knew that, and they knew that he was fully capable of handling tasks on his own without the assistance of anyone else.

Yet, here he was, about to crash a party with none other than Magic Stein.

It hadn't been that long since the two of them were assigned to be partners - if he had to guess, the other boy had been with the People in Black for a few months, and only about a month ago, they were told to work together in most of their assignments. Callum had found himself protesting the orders for awhile or trying to find a way to get out of it, but any attempts to convince higher-ups to repeal the coalition came out completely fruitless. Okay, fine, perhaps it was inevitable that he had to get a partner, even if independence made it easier for him to have no one question his motives or anything about him. But out of everyone in the entire group, it had to be him? It had to be? There wasn't anyone else he could be paired up with? Why did it have to be Magic of all people? Hell, he would've been fine with partnering with someone like Jillian or Harley or Cameron or even Cenek or anyone that wasn't the fucking Soundman. As if Argona had known that he wouldn't tolerate being around Mason and as a result, she put them together for her own amusement or someone else who was watching them.

But no matter how much he had hoped that it would change, there was nothing he could to modify it, lest he killed his 'partner' himself. Not that he wouldn't mind doing that, but doing so would immediately brand him a traitor, and due to some very unfortunate circumstances, he couldn't risk that. So all he could do was sigh and attempt to cooperate with him when it was necessary. Cooperate being used very loosely, in this case. He'll follow orders without question, sure, but when it came to playing nice with Magic... there was not a chance that would happen. No absolute way he would be okay with that.

He blinked, keeping his hands on his lap. The car was on its way to Villa Les Cedres. Approximate distance from the area was 14.484096 kilometers. The next turn would be a left. In 2016, it was considered the most expensive building to ever be built, featuring several ten bedrooms, thirty stables, and a chapel; the garden was also considered a national heritage site by France's government and had been used as a holiday home for King Leopold II. There were also several stars who had been housed in the area, including Charlie Chaplin and Elizabeth Taylor. A handful of people had attempted to buy the place due to its expensive pricing, having an estimated $330,000,000 price on it in USD, being the most expensive residential home to go on sale at the time. A ballroom was also present, acting as the very area where the masquerade would be taking place today. The Tempo family had bought it several years after it was first on sale, and now, it was considered their headquarters where they kept a number of secret information and held various parties at at the beckoning of the current family head, Nicolette Tempo, who, in her youth, had enjoyed being a host and continued to enjoy doing so to this day.

They had been told that it would be too suspicious to arrive through teleportation or through any of the holes that Cadence could conjure to bring them into an area instantaneously. His hand was shaky as he lifted it, placing his fingers on the small space jutting out from the window before using his index finger to quietly tap. Short. Long... Long... Pause. Long... Long... Long... Pause. Short. Long... Short. Pause. Long... Pause. Short. Short. Short. Short. Pause. Short. Long... Short. Short. Pause. Short. Pause. Short. Short. Short. Repeat the last pattern. His other hand had pulled out the file for the mission objective, eyes carefully reading over it without any true focus; occasionally, if Mason made any noise, he would lift his head and glance over, but it was only a fleeting glance that never lasted for longer than a millisecond.

---

The force has requested that the following members, Mason W. Stein and Callum Ainsworth, infiltrate an elite gifted family (Tempo) headquarters and obtain several items of importance that would help in growth for strategic initiatives. This mission is critical and failure to complete it will result in severe punishment and demotion in rank; additionally, should they fail, a mentor will be assigned to watch over them until they are proven fit to work independently once again.

ninja words Priority #1: ninja words Break open the family vault and retrieve the files on the following...
ninja wordsninja words... family member records
ninja wordsninja words... security passwords and credit card numbers
ninja wordsninja words... keys to unlock safes
ninja words Priority #2: ninja words Lure and assassinate the family head, Nicolette Tempo

ninja words Location: ninja words Villa Les Cedres, Saint Jean-Cap-Ferrat, France
ninja words Date: ninja words  November 24, 2036
ninja words Time: ninja words 7:00 PM - 12:00 AM

Stein will be infiltrating the area and be tasked with opening the vault. Ainsworth shall serve as a diversion for Stein and ultimately take out Nicolette Tempo. Method of diversion can be chosen however.

Several files have been attached with the following information.
ninja words> Files regarding Nicolette Tempo
ninja words> Official records on the members participating
ninja words> A blueprint of the mansion's layout

Plan accordingly. Several guards will be stationed and all guests attending are gifted members and many are able to engage in combat. Act cautiously and be wary at all times.




He quietly shifted through the remaining papers. Mason Stein. Vincent Stein. Eve Stein. Jeremy Stein. Mikaela Bryson. Adam Bryson. His own records were abysmally blank, with only his name, height, weight, phone number, and gift filled in. He had already memorized all of this upon being told to do so, but he found himself reading over them again. His mask sat off to the side, taking the form of half of a butterfly. His eyes didn't seem to follow the words yet at the same time, they seemed to be absorbing the information with each passing second. For the entire ride, he had remained deathly quiet without attempting to strike any conversation, the only sounds he made often being a bit of tapping every 5.75 minutes or what seemed like very muffled humming, contrasting his much more flamboyant and vile nature before stepping into the car where he had taken the time to actually spite or mock Magic, especially after his spectacular failure at the academy when several students had been drugged. He didn't hold any expression over his face like a blank canvas, his lips a thin line that never wavered; his bangs were swept to one side and his hair had been tied up into a ponytail on the same side.

Within moments, the car halted, and he slipped the files into the open slit of the chair in front before getting up without a word and exiting the vehicle. Outside, a mansion towered over them, pillars at the entrance to hold up the structure, and several windows allowed bright yellow lights to filter out. The entire building was painted in white, allowing it to stand out in the dark, save for the fact that there were multiple lampposts and a long line of people filed out, standing on a red carpet and slowly being admitted in. They were exactly on time. The garden itself was very decorated, clearly taken care of most of the time.

Callum blinked, looking at Magic out of the corner of his eyes as he slipped his mask on. "Don't screw this up or I'm going to kill you," he said, a warning edge in his tone as he shoved one hand, excluding his thumb, into his pocket. They weren't waiting in line, however. Without waiting for an answer from Magic, Callum walked to to the side of the crowd of people and took out his phone to show the security guard. A special symbol was displayed on it with the Tempo family semblance, noting that it was an exclusive invitation into the area. The security guard was burly and glanced at the two of them curiously. "Kearn's friend," he stated before being asked, and the guard removed the velvet red wire to allow them to step in with a slightly astonished look.

Once they had taken a good number of steps into the hallway with the ballroom in sight, Callum halted. "Are you going to enjoy yourself first or do you want to get this over with already?" His lips morphed into a crescent of a smirk. "But I bet you don't want to stick around long and have a little fun. This is her family, after all. It's going to be funny when she finds out what you did to them." He had made sure that the air only transmitted his voice to Magic, that no one else could hear their conversation.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure to record her reaction and force you to watch it on repeat for as long as I want you to, of course." Callum turned his head over his shoulders to seemingly lock his eyes with Magic's. "How much you want to bet that she'll hate your guts after this?"

As much as Magic didn't like this mission he couldn't protest it. As much as he didn't like his partner he didn't protest it. While he was trusted by the organization, he wasn't fully trusted to the point he could protest something like that. Especially sense they know he had a relation with a member of the tempo family before. While he could kill Callum and blame it on the gifteds fighting back, something in him told him not too, he could be useful later, unlike the others that he had killed who were only useful being dead.

Mason looked out the car window, not really taking in any of the sights, not bothering to speak to Callum. Every time the tapping started the former student just simply used his gift to block the noise from his ears, choosing to remain in silence. Even if Callum had spoken to him Magic wouldn't respond. He was already used to his taunting, it was nothing new. He had dealt with it before. Rather he kept his retorts to himself, and just chose to carry on with what he was supposed to do.

When the care stopped Magic place his mask on his face and got out of the vehicle remaining silent. He checked his outfit for a moment making sure it looked neat, and tugged at the collar for a moment before following Callum to the enterance. He didn't bother to respond to Callum's threat, just choosing to roll his eyes. Magic didn't look at the guard as they walked inside. He could hear the music already. He let out a sigh, that was going to be slightly painful for his ears wasn't it.

Magic stopped when Callum had halted but instead of going over plans, he choose yet again to taunt him. So professional.. The former student placed a hand on Callum's face and shoved him speaking for the first time that night. "Stuff it." Only two words. That was all that was needed to get his point across in his mind. Magic could kill Callum anytime he wanted with some well place sound waves, but that wasn't going to happen. After he said those words he continued forward to the ball room, leaving Callum to scramble to catch up with him.

Watching Magic scamper off towards the ballroom with only two insignificant words being voiced, having thought that a little push like that would be enough to get him to keep his mouth shut, Callum snickered to himself, unfazed by the minor spectacle the other boy had put up. What a shame that his 'partner' seemed to be in such a terrible mood over the whole debacle. But that might as well be natural when he was being ordered around by the higher-ups to sabotage the family of a person who was supposed to be held oh-so-dearly to him. Unfortunately, for the lack of fun they could've had, Soundman was aware of the consequences he would have to face if he disobeyed or tried to squirm his way out of the mission, and so, the best he could do was resort to being a stick in the mud and suck up his pride in the face of sporadic, psychological warfare. "Suit yourself," he concluded, reeling his hand out of his pocket to make use of his fingers to re-adjust his gloves. They had to be pure white, huh? Just the luck of the draw that they weren't semi-transparent, at least.

He was in no hurry to catch up with him. Instead, he scanned the general vicinity, trying to formulate something that he could make use of. A few people here and there were walking in and seemed to take no heed in noticing his lone figure, the only one that wasn't moving in the corridor. There were several diversions that could be possible, and it would've been poor of him if he didn't come up with anything before they arrived on site. But every professional knew that nothing always went as planned - they needed several back-ups in advance and to make sure they could be resourceful and use whatever they could to their advantage. As expected of a formal party spot however, there wasn't much to manipulate and play like chess pieces. Guess he would have to start with that idea first, then.

Slowly, Callum sauntered into the sea of people in their over-extravagant gowns and pricey suits, being as faceless as possible, only strengthened by the fact that he couldn't make out what most of them looked like with those masks. The floor was very glossy, more shiny than one would expect and enough that anyone could see their reflection in it if there weren't so many people trampling around and about, and the detailed roses on them could scarcely be made out because of it. Chandeliers hung from the ornate ceilings with a warm, white hue, lighting up the otherwise dominantly blue and purple room. A stage basked in pink, and one could almost mistake the area as a chapel from Renaissance times - a certain select number of individuals were up there, playing tunes on their instruments and filling the zone with dulcet arias and waltzes. Some levels with several people sitting around in tables could be seen, the first floor having long rows of cuisines available. One particular stream of chairs housed where the Tempos and their esteemed guests were seated. By the time he managed to completely analyze the area, he had caught up with Magic.

Speaking of which, Magic probably only stopped because he had been expecting something that wasn't mockery. Folding his arms in front of him, Callum leaned against the nearest available wall space he could find before pulling out a container of pills, the label on it clearly warning against high dosages, the title as 'pentobarbital'. It might've been best to have taken them earlier, but alas, better late than never. Suppressing his subconsciousness was the only way to properly socialize anyway. "You're a moron for not rereading the files when you had the chance." Two or three pills plopped themselves into his mouth, forced down with water. He pulled out his phone, swiftly tapping against the surface and within seconds, the message was sent. "You better have your phone with you." He disliked Magic, a lot. Yet, he had to 'cooperate' if they wanted to get anything done. "I'm not wasting my breath just to explain everything all over again."

Stuffing his hand and phone back into his pockets, he looked around again. Good. Nobody was actually hearing their conversation. The plus side was that both he and Magic could converse with one another in an almost telepathic manner without anyone noticing. Discussing everything out in the open without an unwanted soul listening in was ideal - made missions and keeping secrets much easier. The bad thing was that it wasn't the kind of connection where taking control was an option. Oh well. It wasn't necessary. For now.

"You're a moron for assuming I'm not prepared." Magic commented flatly. He wasn't in the mood to put up with any of Callum's bullshit. He wasn't going to say thank you for the stupid paper that was completely vague. Honestly Magic was ready to grabbed Callum by the head and destroy his brain with sound waves but he couldn't do that. At least not right now maybe later he could find an opportunity even though his gut told him not to kill Callum.  

"Come get me when you are ready to not waste my time with pointless taunts."  The former student stated before walking off into the crowd to be an actual socializing person. He didn't like hanging around people he didn't know but he would rather spend time with them instead of hearing Callum taunt him over and over again with the same pointless statements. It was rather annoying.

Once he ran across a lady his around his age, he acted the complete opposite of what he usually was like. He had a smile on his face. He bowed to the woman slightly being a gentleman to the girl making her giggle. Then eventually asking her to a dance to which she accepted. He quickly swept her out to the dance floor to enjoy the little bit of time he had before he had to go break into some places.

He found himself laughing again, not because Magic thought it was clever to redirect his own taunts back at the original user or that the other boy was not up to dealing with whatever thread of phrases Callum decided to weave together and spring upon him with a transparency akin to ice, but because he didn't even stop to consider pulling up his phone and checking the files again. How idiotic of him - he couldn't complain about the mission objectives and everything else later when he messed up from deciding not to look them over. Magic could consider himself prepared all he wanted, though the likeliness he even managed to memorize half of it was low; he always did come off as the kind of person who couldn't follow orders or be commanded by superiors. Kind of like a certain someone else where their resemblance and identities fit together perfectly in a puzzle. With a disgruntled sigh, his eyes watched Magic join the motley sea of bodies, almost until it faded from existence. So he was going to try and enjoy the party, after all.

Callum found his gaze wandering about again - he could see the family head chatting away with some esteemed guests at the table, Magic was dancing with some unknown girl he probably didn't catch the name of yet, and a few others he could recognize from the scarce number of records they had previously managed to snatch away, a couple at a time. This was really just finishing a job that was started some time ago, especially since all of the pieces fell into place now. It was irritating, being delegated to the task of diversion. Distracting the mindless sheep from noticing anything suspicious was going on behind their backs was an assignment usually given to members who weren't qualified enough to handle the more significant and game-changing portions of an operation. It was an insult to his abilities, the purpose he had been created for and conditioned for. For whatever reason, Magic had been given the task. To help prove his loyalties, they had said. As if he would ever be loyal to murderers. He was keeping a good front, thus far. There just had to be sufficient evidence to prove it wrong at one point and break the shell he was trying to hold up. Eventually.

Ugh, he still had to decide on some sort of disturbance to get the mission started. This wasn't something he was cut out for at all. Footsteps rang about, echoing without a care in the world about who might be hearing it at an amplified volume, and as though he had to find some reason to distract himself and make do, Callum found that his feet were turned and headed towards the kitchen. Here and there, he gave polite greetings to others, adjusting himself to what everyone found courteous, but it was as always - few people recognized or noticed his presence. That was fine. Made things all the easier for their own sake. A familiar voice could be heard around the area, kindly instructing the chefs in what to make for their next cuisine or meal; a long night called for a good line-up of food, otherwise the guests would be disappointed, after all. That was just plain, common sense. Anyone with a decent brain should have that information known like the back of their hand.

"We'll need twenty more of those done in half an hour, so please hurry." A notepad was in hand, the eraser end of a pencil being bitten on softly between his mouth. His shoulders were tense, features furrowed, and the mask people were told to wear at a masquerade ball was abandoned on the kitchen counter.

The corners of his lips twitched upward, feigning a smile as his hand came to tap the boy's shoulder. "You should consider relaxing for a second."

"No, I can't do that. We're behind schedule and--" His reaction was very delayed and lagged behind as though he were suffering some latency from poor connections. "Wait, Callum, when did you get here?"

"Oh, you know, past fifteen minutes or so."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. I'm hurt you didn't notice me, Kearn."

Kearn pinched the bridge of his nose, eyes squeezing shut as he tried to ward off a headache before a nervous chuckle bubbled up his throat. "Sorry about that. I just didn't expect to be put in charge of some of the stuff for the ball, and it's my first time doing this sort of thing," he sighed.

"That's what you get for being the head's grandson." Callum's smirk widened as he teasingly jabbed.

"Oh, come on! I can't control which part of the family I'm a part of." His reaction was an obviously over-dramatized one meant to mimic offense.

Callum simply stuck his tongue out in response, and Kearn only sighed again in response.

"What brings you in here anyway?" It wasn't a bad question to ask; in fact, it made a lot of sense. "I figured you would be getting some girls to fawn over you."

"No thanks." Callum folded his arms and rolled his eyes. That was the last thing he should be doing at the moment, and it wasn't exactly a thought that he wanted to be contemplating on. Leaning against the kitchen counter, he huffed softly, "What? Can't come talk to an old friend after not seeing you in ages?"

"Th-that's not--"

"I am so genuinely hurt that it's not even funny." As if to emphasize his point, his white gloved hand fell over his chest, gently placing itself around the area where his hurt would be. "I thought we were closer than that."

"You know that's not true."

"Heh." The start of a laugh managed to worm its way out but it never continued. "Do I?" When Kearn didn't answer, an expression contorted with shock falling over his features, his mouth seeming to open to try and give a response but nothing came out. "You still need to learn that sarcasm exists."

"H-hey... That's cheating." He never was the best at picking up on those sort of things. But that really did make things easier. "Still didn't answer my question."

"Wanted to order take-out for later."

The pencil in his hand dropped, clattering onto the floor, and the notepad nearly met the same fate, had Kearn not caught it in time. "Really?" he asked, brow taut as he bent down to pick up the writing utensil.

"Sis wanted me to pick something up for her since she's not here," Callum replied, shrugging as he did so. "She always liked the food your family made, so there's that."

Kearn blinked multiple times in succession. "Wait, your sister isn't here?" The green-haired boy nodded. "Then who was the person you asked for the extra invite for?"

His smile grew a bit more, tilting his head to the side innocently. "Magic."

"You know magicians aren't exactly the best entertainment for a formal setting, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know." He shrugged, his eyes darting towards the figure he could scarcely make out in the distance. "But not that kind of magic. The person."

It took a few moments before the realization dawned on him. "Oh! Magic. Adeline's friend."

Callum laughed. "Yeah, that one." Slowly, he stood up straight again. "We hit it off after meeting during my visit to Beata." That wasn't a lie, to say the least. Somewhat, anyway. Or something along those lines. It didn't matter, anyway. "Can I order take-out or you guys too busy? I just need it before midnight."

"Didn't expect you two to be friends, but you've always been good at that sort of thing." Kearn smiled. "And sure. You have a list of stuff you want?"

"Right here." Pulling the paper out of his pocket, the slip was handed over without ease. Blue eyes scanned over it real quick, and with a few nods here and there, it was passed onto the nearest chef who followed the directions and began working on it almost immediately once the commands were given. The already busy kitchen only seemed to bustle with more energy then. "Sweet, now she won't kill me for denying her an invite."

"She would've--"

"No, I was joking."

"By the way, Adeline's here today too," Kearn said, pointing out towards the ballroom. Callum's eyes followed the direction and in the distance, he could spot the girl in question; not that it mattered much if he could see her or not - all he had to do was read the wind to know. "You want to talk to her or no?"

"Pretty sure someone else will be occupying her time." He didn't care enough to converse with her, anyway. That wasn't anything he had to deal with, and it wasn't something he wanted to bother going out of his way to do. From what it seemed like, she was just about to bump into another person from her lack of balance on the heels she wore, and if she wasn't careful, she'd...

... Never mind. That person's glass was doomed from the start.

"I'm so s-s-sorry...!"