Rogue Nation: Meet the IMF

Chapter 6: Ilsa Faust

Ethan's bullet hit the edge of the Chancellor's shoulder, the man grabbing his arm in pain even as the speed of the bullet forced him to spin out of his chair. The other two assassins fired just a second after Ethan, their bullets harmlessly into the now empty chair. The pair stood in shock, unable to believe what had just happened and knowing they'd missed their only opening as the Chancellor was pulled out by his bodyguards.

Ethan slowly lowered his gun as the woman looked around frantically for the source of the shot that had made her miss. She saw the light reflecting from the flute's shiny surface and her jaw tightened, while the assassin in the lighting booth turned to see the woman in the tower. She aimed, firing at Ethan and he ducked as he heard the bullets whizzing above his head.

She continued to fire at him as he ran, while the assassin in the lighting booth took aim, firing just as Benji arrived. He jerked his head around to look towards the door as he heard Benji's entrance, making him just miss the woman while Benji tackled the assassin. Ethan ran as the woman spun to point her gun at the lighting booth, alerted to another attacker's presence.

She paused as she saw the two men struggling, while Kat chewed her lip in the power room as she watched Benji wrestle with the other man. He was going to lose, she could tell. The other man was a seasoned fighter with both height and weight advantage on her friend. She winced, scrambling to find something that might help as the man punched Benji before grabbing him in a headlock.

The woman in the tower had her gun aimed and ready, and she waited for the opportune moment. The second the two men in the lighting booth spun around in their dual, she fired, hitting the assassin in the back. He collapsed, dead, leaving both Kat and Benji confused. Benji spotted the woman and ducked in case she fired again while Kat realized there was something going on in the props.

She quickly played with the controls, switching a large spotlight on and sending it around to point right at the tower. The woman turned, firing at it and quickly shutting it down as Benji ran from the lighting room, dashing for the power room as Kat grabbed all their stuff. If the Chancellor had been shot, they'd need to get out quickly.

She ran out, meeting Benji just as he came around the corner.

"Come on, come on!" He urged as he raced them out a side door and outside before anyone could see them. Kat sighed in relief as they made their way quickly to the parking lot. Benji began scouring for the right car, while Kat turned back to the Opera House worriedly, hoping Ethan would be all right.

********

Ethan paused as he saw the woman looking around frantically for a way out as the whole Opera House went into lockdown, the guards stopping the show as the rest of the special forces ran around to secure the building. He stepped over to the woman, saying nonchalantly: "I have a way out."

She turned to him sharply, and he turned to meet her eyes as he asked: "Interested?"

She paused, looking him up and down before saying quickly: "Lead the way."

He did, leading them back backstage. He grabbed a coil of rope along the way and he asked as they reached the spiral stairs and he started running up: "Anything you want to tell me?"

"Uh, no, not right now." She replied tightly as she ran after him.

"How's the pace?" Ethan questioned almost casually, which was ironic considered the guards starting to swarm the first floor.

"Don't wait for me." She replied shortly, so he didn't. Running out of the top and through the emergency doors, they arrived on the edge of the Opera House roof. In the distance, they could hear police sirens wailing, and the woman glanced around quickly as she noted the several hundred feet below them.