The three figures stood in a dimly lit, abandoned warehouse. The smell of decay and must pervaded the air, as did the steady sound of distant traffic. The flicker of a single fluorescent light caused shadows to dance and skitter along the walls, and Gale found herself momentarily distracted by their sinuous movement. She eyed Nikolai and Iris Ivanov, her captors, with a mixture of curiosity and caution. She was not unfamiliar with the sensation of being at someone's mercy; it was a common occurrence in her line of work.

"Where should we begin, Gale, or should I call you Gayle Tanner?" Nikolai smirked, reveling in the power dynamic.

Her gaze snapped onto him, and she felt her blood boil. "You can call me whatever you like, but I prefer not to be called by a name that doesn't belong to me."

The tension between them was palpable, and Gale could sense Iris’ss unease. But there was something else, a flicker of curiosity, perhaps even excitement in her eyes.

"Please. I am, after all, an information broker. Obviously, I would know all about you and your little 'Oz Crew,' Tanner." Nikolai taunted, "Especially you and your comrades’ supernatural abilities, wouldn’t I?" A cruel smile twisted his lips. The sound of clicking echoed in the cavernous warehouse, as he held out his small device, spherical in shape, and pressed the button on top of it. As it came to life, the mechanism emanated a low hum.

"Allow me to present, how do you say, a 'power popper,' yes?" Nikolai gloated, brandishing his automatic firearm with more confidence.

Iris activated her sphere and aimed her revolver at Gale as well.

"Yes, I've heard them called that. They look U.S. Army Issue, and they're spherical, so at least a Mark 30. Don't trust the ones from the motherland, Nikki?" Gale challenged, a slow smirk spreading over her lips.

"Well, the ones from Moscow are a little touchy; and their size can be problematic. So, what's the phrase, 'When in Rome’?" Nikolai's smirk deepened, relishing in the power that he, a mere human, had over a supernatural.

Changing the subject, Gale turned to Iris, "So, you were Nikki's intel mule?" she asked, her eyes narrowed and her gaze unrelenting.

Iris straightened at the oversimplification, showing pride in her role in this betrayal. Perhaps too much pride, as she then became playful, "Not quite. William was in a perfect position for Nikolai's needs. His discharge was a cover. William was in Naval Intelligence. Something he confided in me, because, well, I mean look at me." Iris motioned her hands down her body, indicating her youthful figure, and gave a coy grin. "He fell madly in love with me, like many have. After our marriage, I gave him a watch as a gift. It housed a micro-computer that could hold any data that Nikolai needed hidden. William was an efficient mule, because he was constantly moving, and no one would think twice about it. He was a perfect mule, because he wasn't even aware of it," Iris explained, her eyes still on Gale.

"But William found out," Gale surmised, her voice devoid of emotion.

"Yes, he did," Iris affirmed, a tinge of sadness in her eyes. "And he was going to expose it all. However, he took me with him to a safehouse, never realizing that I had always been in on it; never realizing I was Nikolai's sestryonka. You should have seen the look in Will's eyes when I killed him in cold blood. I've never seen such sadness, such weakness in my life. And I got a great deal of satisfaction from it." Iris explained, her voice filled with sadistic pleasure.

Gale remained silent at the casual confession of murder. Instead, she slowly looked over the two, taking in the sight of their intimate proximity. A devious and mischievous grin made its way across Gale's face.

"You and Nikolai are lovers!" Gale exclaimed, her eyes opening wide in shock.

Iris’s smile turned to anger, "You know nothing about love!" She hissed.

Nikolai sighed in frustration. He had heard enough distracting banter. Turning the conversation back in their favor, he interjected, "Regardless, Iris is indeed an agent; a very beautiful, intelligent and well trained one at that. She spotted you immediately, Tanner. Your little show of fisticuffs didn't make her swoon to your heroism; she invited you in and contacted me, hoping to lead you into a trap."

"Oh Gale, please, come with me to meet William! No one could protect me like you!" Iris cried out, exaggerating the words she used to convince Gale to come to the rendezvous.

Gale nodded as she lowered her head, "Here I was thinking that I was the one seducing you, when really it was all just a ploy."

"Oh, not 'just' a ploy, I contemplated making love to you at first. But I had more cruel and delightful plans for you." Iris couldn't hide the wicked smile spreading on her lips.

Nikolai interjected once again, "I of course contacted Abdul-Qadeer. I had Almaerifuh set a trap for the most dangerous member of your crew; the only one with the talent to crack my encryption, Vincent Galvani."

Gale's eyes narrowed, "Vincent would never be ambushed..." She started, but Nikolai interrupted.

"But he was. I'm sure you've noticed difficulty reaching Galvani, and I have a feeling you'll be unable to contact him for the remainder of your life." Nikolai said with a wide grin.

Gale lips quivered, and she looked away.

"No one will be coming to save you, Tanner." Nikolai sneered, his words laced with a mix of triumph and disgust. "For the sake of the closure that you seek, here is the proof: A text from Abdul-Qadeer himself. It reads, 'Galvani was distracted by the big baby and the weapon of one of my men went off before Vincent could react. He has been nullified. I have activated my receiver in case there is any further trouble. The big baby went berserk and started tearing up the crowd like the overgrown oaf that he is. King is S.T.O.I.C.'s problem now. You are free to proceed.' There, you, see? Victory. You and your crew of supernatural beings were defeated by a pair of lowly humans. Information trumps all, Tanner." He spat out, savoring the cruel taste of victory.

Gale turned her emerald gaze back to Nikolai, her grin haunting, "Oh, I wouldn't underestimate some good, old-fashioned, spy-craft, Nikki." She taunted, and Iris glanced between them, confusion in her wide eyes.

Nikolai, to his credit, was the first to realize that something was amiss. His eyes darted between Gale and Iris, and his grip tightened on his firearm.

Turning to Iris, Gale provoked her, "So, did Nikki pop your cherry? Did he call it training, giving you the experience required for your new role?"

Iris’s eyes glinted with anger, her response was immediate, as she pulled the trigger on her revolver. There was a muted thud as the round hit flesh and bone, however the sound did not come from Gale's body, but Nikolai's. Before he could even look at his shoulder, the location of the entry wound, his finger spasmed and pulled the trigger of his gun.

The shot rang out in the abandoned warehouse, and Iris felt her left lung collapse, her airway filling with blood. She tried to take a breath, but every inhalation was a battle.

Gale, however, remained unscathed.

With fury in her eyes, Iris raised the revolver once again and fired, her shot hitting Nikolai in the heart. The man crumpled to the ground, gasping for his final breath as a second spasm caused another discharge from his weapon, hitting Iris in the stomach.

Iris looked at Gale, a pleading expression in her eyes as she collapsed.

Gale exhaled sharply, her heart racing as she approached Iris.

Iris coughed, her eyes welling with tears. "I don't understand! I didn't see any glowing discs, any portals." She said, a stray, bloody cough escaping her lips.

"They were in the barrels of your guns. Old tricks are the best tricks, my dear." Gale's voice echoed through the dimly lit warehouse.

Iris was growing weaker, her eyes glazing over with pain and shock. The wound in her stomach was deep and lethal. She looked up at Gale, her eyes filled with pure vitriol, "Why didn't the power poppers affect you?" she asked, her voice straining.

"My team." Gale replied, her eyes flashing with determination as she pulled out her phone, "You see this? It looks like a standard smart phone, but it was designed by Vincent, one of the smartest men on the planet. It has a very useful feature, the ability to clone phones, like yours, when they’re in proximity. I read every text you wrote to your bratan over there. Like I said, never react off belief. I KNEW you were going to betray me, and how you planned to do it." Gale said, a hint of smugness in her voice.

"You, demon!" Iris snarled; her words barely audible as she struggled to breathe.

Gale's expression remained unchanged. "You're not the first person to call me that. And I'm sure you won't be the last."

Iris coughed again, her body shaking with the effort. "The power poppers!" She gasped, as blood spilled from her lips.

"I have a solution for those, my dear." Gale murmured, a cold smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. "I know the owner of the company that manufactures them. Your little popper states, made by RJI, which stands for Royal Jelly Industries, a subsidiary of..."

"King Incorporated," Iris finished, her eyes widening as the pieces started to click into place.

Gale's grin turned thoughtful, "The big guy would never allow any of those poppers to work on me. He had a failsafe built in, which I asked Vincent to activate for me. When I got his confirmation message, I finally made my move." she said, her gleaming green eyes, piercing Iris’s.

"When did he contact you?" Iris asked, her voice strained with pain.

Gale's eyes narrowed as she looked at the wounded woman. "The message Nikki read aloud minutes ago, the one claiming it was from Abdul-Qadeer, confirming that Vincent had been taken care of. King was called a big baby. The only one who calls King that is Vincent. So, the message was from him." She explained.

"'You are free to proceed...'" Iris’s eyes widened as she realized what Gale was saying, and she whispered, "Vincent is alive?"

Gale nodded, her smirk growing wider. "Yes, and he gave me the go ahead to kill you both, triggering the data download." Gale's voice was cold, and she showed no remorse.

Iris’s breathing grew shallow, and she looked at Gale with a newfound respect. "You, are, ruthless."

"You have no idea." Gale said, her voice low and sultry. She reached out, covering Iris’s nose and mouth with her hand, cutting off her air supply. The woman's eyes widened in fear as she tried to struggle, but Gale's grip was too strong.

"This is for William," Gale hissed, as she watched the life slowly fade from Iris’s eyes.

The silence in the warehouse was deafening. Iris’s life had left her body, and Gale leaned over her, still holding her hand to the dead woman's mouth. She felt a strange mixture of relief and sadness wash over her. She had been right all along, and it confirmed her decision making, something she had been doubting of late.

Then, the moment passed. She let go of Iris’s face, and stood up, taking in the stillness around her as she contemplated her next move. Gale pulled out her phone and called the large Sailor that confronted Iris at her apartment, having cloned his phone and saved his contact information during their fight.

He answered with confusion and skepticism. Gale simply gave him the address of the warehouse.

"And William?" He asked curtly, the weight of the situation becoming clearer.

"I'm so very sorry," Gale whispered, the sadness in her voice unmistakable, "Just know that the ones responsible for this tragedy are no longer among the living."

There was a long pause on the other end of the line, and Gale could almost hear the man's thoughts racing. She knew he would have questions, but now was not the time.

"I'll be there shortly," He finally said, his voice cold and determined.

Gale nodded, ending the call, as she took one last look at the lifeless bodies on the floor. She felt a mixture of sadness and anger boiling inside her, but now was not the time for that either. She stood tall, a supernatural villainess with a heart of darkness.

A large blindingly white disc appeared under Gale’s feet, and she vanished.