Phase 1: Ciao has figured out Vaarvel's location

You told Madison that you weren't going after Au Revoir, but you still had something to offer her that would make her reconsider pointing that gun at you. It was the most valuable information she could ask for: the present location of Vaarvel, the master of disguise and, some would say, the lynchpin of the Goodbye Girls.

"Following orders really isn't your strong point," Madison sighed, looking weary as she fixed you with an icy, blue glare. "I didn't ask for Vaarvel. I told you where Au Revoir is and asked you to apprehend her. If you continue to defy me, I may shoot you just for wasting my time."

Again, you shook your head. With a smirk, you told her that firearms didn't suit her.

"Ha. I may have spent a lot of time behind a desk, Nathaniel, but I'm an expert marksman as well. I assure you, at this distance, I won't miss."

That was true... but again, it came down to preferences, not abilities. Madison Pettigrew wouldn't miss a shot from that distance, but she probably wouldn't want to take a shot at a fellow officer either. The same could be said of Vaarvel. You told her that in some ways, the stoic London leader and the South African deception specialist weren't so different. They both were keenly interested in CEDIT's health across the globe and wouldn't hesitate to shoot a man, even a fellow CEDIT officer, to sustain the international body. Well, the only difference was that Vaarvel would probably strangle the man instead of shooting him.

A thin, wry smile spread across Madison's face. "You think that I and that woman think similarly? Don't make me laugh... Our methods and our intentions couldn't be more different. She's the sort of person who would sacrifice anything to get where she wanted to be and wouldn't let a little thing like ethics stop her on the way there. I care for CEDIT as a world peacekeeping organization; she's decided that what's best for CEDIT trumps what's best for the world community."

You told the woman behind the desk that you never realized she had such a grudge against Madison. You wanted to hear more about that.

The eerie smirk on the woman's face slowly widened and her lips parted, revealing a familiar white grin. Her eyes narrowed until they were amused slits. "Hm hm hm... How did you figure it out? I was certain my disguise was perfect. I've practiced it quite a lot." She questioned you calmly, finally placing the gun down upon the desk and crossing her hands beneath her chin. You thought she sounded impressed.

You returned her laugh, then told her frankly: you hadn't figured it out. You just thought of the most fucked up situation possible and took a bet. Either Madison would take the shot or Vaarvel would be too amused to let that be the end of it. In the end, it really was a gamble. {if Stealth Skill = 1}Your training and experience in stealth and disguises, as extensive as it was, had never been what you needed to match wits with Vaarvel.{endif} Facing off against this opponent on even footing meant developing "a sense for the impossible." You even ventured to guess that the lack of that sense-- the need to prepare for an impossible circumstance-- was what held so many people back from being able to fight back against her. It was almost more practical to call it "imagination" than "logic."

Vaarvel calmly began to remove her blue eye contacts as she spoke. "What a bizarre theory you've come up with. CEDIT technology is advanced, far more advanced than what you'll see in the laboratories. 'Impossible.' When you've seen what people like Despedida and Bortnik are capable of, is there any point using that word any more? But hearing you call my techniques 'impossible...' that does have a nice ring to it." She grinned and slowly detached her blond wig, setting it upon the table in front of herself neatly next to the gun. There was something pretty unsettling, seeing a bald shaven, brown-eyed Madison in front of you. "We have Madison to credit for allowing the spy world to continue to be pulled into the future the way it is. Still, I wouldn't exactly say I'm thankful to her for it."

You held your questions as she neatly completed the rest of the transformation back into Vaarvel; you felt your jaw dropping, just watching it. All this time, you'd taken for granted her disguise ability. You'd never been allowed to see it all play out in front of you. With a hideous crackling noise, she began to pop the bones in her shoulders, allowing them to set back into their usual broad position instead of Madison's narrow profile. Her skin shifted from pale, pink-white to a deep, ebony coloration, slowly enough for you to see all of the shades between. With delicate hands, she began to pull away various prosthetics from her face, including a fake nose, artificial cheek-bones, and a chin piece. Her grin curved slightly as she unbuttoned her shirt and completed the final piece of the metamorphosis by removing several bindings from around her chest, freeing her breasts from where she'd been forced to constrict them. That wrap was probably the most low-tech, but necessary, feature to complete the image.

By the time she'd finished, Vaarvel sat across the desk from you, sans mask, wearing Madison's powder blue suit, unbuttoned down to a provocative point at her bust.

Your smile faded as you began to address the important question: where was Madison?

"Don't worry; she's safe. My plan is to abduct her and take her away from this place. Once she's missing, a nice gentleman by the name of Francois Port will take over CEDIT's London division. I suspect when she doesn't return, London will become quite comfortable under his leadership, as will the world at large. Only a few entities-- I'm not sure you know of them-- will be adversely affected. A positive change, on the whole," Vaarvel shrugged with a cryptic smirk. "Come over here, Nathaniel. Madison had some lovely tea here in her personal office. I've taken the liberty of preparing a pot; let's take a rest and enjoy a cup."

It sounded as though Vaarvel had taken management of the world's highest powers into her own hands, for matters of her own personal politics. That seemed unconscionable; at the very least, you couldn't condone methods that meant harming Madison. You took a few steps forward, away from the door, planning how you might pump your fellow agent for information and decide her fate.

Before you could reach the desk, an interruption stopped you in your tracks. "Hold it right there!" It was the voice of one of the agents from earlier! You spun around to face him and raised your hands... only to find both still lying unconscious on the floor.

"You even raised your hands? You're far too soft." Vaarvel's giggling voice came from far too close by. In the next moment, her arms slipped beneath yours, holding them up and away from the trunk of your torso as the softness of her breasts pushed against your back. One of her legs stepped past you, then wrapped your legs. There was nothing soft about the next part... her hands worked their way up to your neck then began to choke. "I always thought that 'Remote Voice Modulator' of Pamela's was a pathetic toy, from the moment I heard of it. A real operative ought to train their vocal cords until they can throw their own voice and imitate anyone, right?" You knew she was grinning sadistically as she locked in the hold tighter and tighter... It was true what you said earlier: guns didn't suit her. This method of killing, however, was right up her alley; so much so that it felt like she might finish you off at any moment.

A red light spun the room and the alarm blared overhead, making you feel dizzy in addition to oxygen deprived. You could feel your consciousness fading fast as your hands struggled to either rip her arms away from your neck or grab your holstered gun.

"It's quite a shame, really. You were a great agent-- one of the finest it's been my pleasure to serve alongside. Still you're not the first I've sacrificed for the greater good and I doubt you'll be the last. The secret you now hold onto is the type that can only be carried by one, never two."