Mademoiselle Noir

K inhaled silently, her senses on high alert and intently focused as she stepped onto the property borders of the abandoned factory. This was where her tracking led her, to this address that was no longer in use. There was no mistake in the trace she had made of that call that came from her contact.

The girl stopped, taking in the broken down foundation and at the open front yard littered with trash and rusted steel barrels. The ground was mostly sand and invaded with wild weeds that grew through the remnants of the concrete shards that were left. It was a barren place, a skeletal frame that didn’t hold a flame to the memories of its glory days. The place was a perfect fit for dead things, so much so that it was nearly poetic. And it was not welcoming in the least bit.

K’s eyes scanned the failed factory with sharp eyes, keeping an eye out for that boy. He was a good one, the contact, and a reliable one at that. Despite being so young at the age of fourteen, he proved himself to be quick and invisible, picking up any rumors that breezed through his broken neighborhood. She remembered the frantic sounds in the wordless voicemail that had come from his phone. The running, gasping for air with each pounding step. Fear and terror dripped with every pass of breath, the sound scraping into her phone roughly.
Helpless. Wounded. Weak.

A prey.

That cold stillness settled in K’s chest as the tactical soldier within her emerged in her mindset. As if by a flip of a switch, she analyzed the situation and calculated the outcomes. It was unintelligent to enter the grounds without eyes in and surrounding the area. This may be a failed operation, lost cause. It was possible that the boy was already dead.

A breath escaped through the girl’s lips and she closed her eyes, forcing herself to bring back out the human in her.
He was a good kid---both in skills and conscience. His intel has saved her more than just a few times. And this was no tactic operation. This was a rescue.

She had taken precautions and had set steps to make sure she was prepared for anything that came. Even getting here, she made sure she had nothing on her that could be traced. Making sure she wasn’t tailed, checking for any bugs and trackers, taking multiple transportations and staying on foot the rest of the way. Her phone was in the standby mission order---in her pocket on the side of her thigh, the battery separated and stored in another.
Upon arrival, she made a round around the block radius, searching for any cars that were out of place, strange people that lingered for too long. There was nothing; this part of town was dead and vacant. The only ones that should be here was her and the reason she was there in the first place.
She was always prepared for the worst, always on guard. And today was no exception…but still.

There was this cold feeling of a dark foreshadow hanging over her, intuitive dread. Something was not right.

K scanned the area one more time before she started across the front yard and towards the entrance into the abandoned building. Gravel and debris crunched under her boots as she strode over the uneven grounds, keeping her feet light and stepping with caution in case of hidden trigger traps. She was just about to enter through the factory doors when she spotted something on the ground.
K’s eyes narrowed and she scanned the area before kneeling down for a closer look.

There, amongst the dirt and shards of old glass bottles was a small dribble of red.

Just by looking at the color and the slight sheen in the liquid told her that it was blood. And still fresh at that.
K straightened to a stand and peered into the factory with prying eyes. Throughout the whole yard, not a single sign of foul play or footprints could be found, yet just a step out from the factory, a small almost deliberate looking amount of blood was left for her to find.
It was like a lure.

A normal operative, spy, anyone properly trained in this sort of discipline would take that as a sign and back off. In any other circumstances, this was the point where the job was aborted. But K couldn’t do that. Not with this, not with the boy missing.
Knowing very well that what she was about to do would qualify as being reckless and possibly stupid, K steeled herself and stepped into the factory.

The inside of the factory was colder than what it was outside, the stale air a bit dry and full of dust. The inside was much emptier and broken looking than it did on the exterior, with most of the tools and rooms ripped out. The floor had a generous layer of piling sand and dirt in every crevice and corner, with splintered planks of wood and wires lying about here and there. There were some chipped cement blocks and rectangular foundation ridges left in the ground, only adding to the mess. K made a mental note to keep a watchful eye on her footing.
The crunching of sand, dirt and rock under her footsteps echoed and ricocheted off the distant walls and high ceilings, the sounds bouncing back to her sharply in a steady beat. It was dark, the only form of light coming in through the windows filmed with grime on her right side and above her on the second landing. Sunlight landed onto the cluttered floor in a stream of glowing white light, giving the place a haunting look and making it hard for K ‘s eyes to adjust fully.
K stepped into the wider room slowly, scanning the wide barren space. There were no signs of the boy or any more blood. It was like whatever left that blood for her to find had just disappeared…

K walked down the long room, finding no threat to be wary of, detecting no sound or motion. But that seem to put her on edge even more. Something was not right here; this was something she felt for sure. She was starting to think coming out like this was very well indeed reckless and stupid…

She was probably about two-thirds of a way down the room when she felt it. The feelings of her intuition jumping up to high alarm, making her heart run faster and punch adrenaline through her veins. The feeling nearly knocked the air out of her like a punch in the chest, like a brick wall. All this because of that all-knowing chill.
It was a chill she knew well. Shit.

K didn’t quicken her already slow pace down the room or come to a stop. Very discretely, she lifted her left hand so it trailed up her abdomen and slipped it into her jacket and to her rib, where her prepared Sig Sauer p226 rested. Her fingers silently undid the safety…
That was all she managed to do when she heard a silence-breaking thud from just a few yards behind her. She pivoted around her left side, her arms dropping to her side---

Bang!

A strangled gasp escaped K and she twisted, the velocity of the fired shot colliding into her right side, just below her clavicle. She was thrown back and her body crumpled to the ground, face down.

In the dark corner, a tall lean shadow stepped out from hiding, his posture and stance casual. A small easy smirk pulled at the corner of his perfect lips and he lowered his smoking gun.
“Checkmate,” he murmured to himself.



The resonating blast from the fired shot died down, settling into hollow ringing within the factory walls. The silence fell over the place once again, the absence of movement almost lacking and anti-climactic, considering the situation. But to Yunho U-Know, this outcome wasn’t all too surprising.
The dust finally settled, dirt and sand alike settling over the still body on the ground and clinging to the dark clothing. And there was not a single twitch or sound from the newly formed lump on the ground.
Yunho waited a few more moments before he started his way over to his fresh kill.
In his opinion, the bullet was long overdue. But he was slightly disappointed. With a reputation K had, he had expected this particular side game to last him at least an hour. In the end, she didn’t even prove to be an efficient distraction.

The man sighed and he returned his gun to his holster strapped to his lower back. His steps were calm and leisurely, as if to be taking time to enjoy every moment of this.
He came to a stop, roughly ten feet away from the body and tilted his head to the side. My, what a sight this was.

K’s body was sprawled in a twisted and ungraceful fashion, face down in the dirt with her right arm stretched partly over her head. Her left arm was trapped under her somewhere in her awkward fall, her legs poking out into the stream of light while her torso rested in the cold shade.
Somehow this didn’t suit her. At least not with the image the stories of her had set in his mind and most definitely not from his memory of the one time they had crossed paths. She was so much more fun back then…

“Pathetic, K,” he groaned mockingly, shifting his weight to his right as he gazed down at his work. “I was hoping we could pick up where we left off in France.”
He tsk-tsked at her, shaking his head as if she could see his amused expression.
“Don’t worry,” he told her. “I’ll deliver the sad news to Detective Kim personally. You should rest in peace, knowing that she will be very well taken care of---”

---BANG! BANG-BANG!

Sounds of gun shots exploded through the tense air, and Yunho saw the right side of K’s black jacket explode in pieces of fabric and worn leather. He twisted away, reacting to the shots being fired at him from the impossible angle. But he was not quick enough, as he felt a bullet bite into his own jacket and graze his shoulder.
A strange, maniacal grin found its way onto his face as he stumbled back, his eyes glued on K. His grin only grew wider as he saw the body swiftly flip over onto its back with the hidden gun pointed in its left hand, the motion fluid and efficient. He saw the dark eyes glare coldly back at him, those same fiery eyes from his memory. Yes. Then he was running.

K didn’t pause to catch a breath as she continued to fire at him with deadly aim, the sig pounding out the shots unapologetically in her left hand. She sat up as she fired and got to her feet. She fired three more shots before running to the closest steel column to take cover.
Then…the tension and silence returned. The air was thick and the chaotic vibe danced across K’s skin as she leaned her back against the cold rusted steel. Her breathing was ragged and heavy, and she gritted her teeth against the pain that bloomed angrily from her right shoulder. Keeping the gun in her left hand, she reached up and pushed her jacket aside from her right shoulder, careful not to pull the trigger.
There, right at the base of the clavicle head was the bullet, crushed into her tight-fitted armored Kevlar vest. She ripped it out of her vest and turned it in her fingers.
“Hollow point,” she snarled under her breath, observing the expanded tip. Had she not been wearing the vest, she would’ve been dead.

K pocketed the spent slug into her pants pocket and turned her attention to her shoulder. The pain was getting worse, and her right arm was completely useless.
Playing dead with a dislocated shoulder was a bitch.

---Moi, je m'appelle Mademoiselle Noir.
Et comme vous pouvez le voir
Je ne souris, ni ris, ni vis
…Et c'est tout ce qu'elle a dit,..

K froze at the smooth voice that sang, breaking the silence in a smooth mournful melody. His voice was deep but playful, and she could picture that sick smile on his face.
From somewhere in the room, Yunho finished his song and chuckled.

“Ah…K!” he laughed. The exhilaration in his voice was blatant. “Now that’s more like it!”

K yanked at her jacket collar, pulling it over her swelling shoulder as she slid down to kneel in the dirt. She dropped the spent magazine out from the sig and pulled out another load from her pants pocket. With some struggle she forced her right arm onto her lap. She bit a hiss as pain shot through her arm and chest and forced her numbing fingers to curl and support the new magazine.
Inhale, exhale...K lifted the gun over the clip, slid it in place and reloaded the gun. Yunho continued.
“It’s been a while since France. Ça fait longtemps qu'on s'est pas vu,” he said in flawless French, his voice echoing into the empty space.

It was hard to pinpoint his exact location, and he was taking advantage of the lighting and the wide space. But the role was the same in reverse.
K breathed out quietly, and listened carefully.
“You owe me a new jacket,” she called out flatly, ignoring his nostalgic comment. “I really liked this one.”

“I believe you were the one that poked holes in your own jacket, K.” Yunho returned, humor in his tone. “I thought I was looking at a dead body.”

He was still somewhere behind her, that was for sure. K scoffed, maintaining the conversation.
“Désolé, mon cher. Meilleur chance la prochaine fois.” she replied, matching him in his light tone.

As she expected, Yunho hummed in his easy relaxed tone.
“Luck has nothing to do with aim. Next time I’ll aim between your eyes.” he said. “Mademoiselle Noir, it’s about time you change your color to red.”

K glanced around, trying to spot even a glimpse of the known killer. She kept her own movements minimal, not wanting to give anything for him to use as an advantage against her.
“I’ll have to keep that in mind,” she said. She had to move away from where she was before he caught a grasp of her location. Moving to get out of the room was ideal; there were the columns that went down the whole length of the room with a few yards in between.

Slowly and silently, she peered out from the side of the left side of the support column. The wide room held a perfect illusion of being completely empty and void of life. Sticking close to the column, K slowly stood and scanned the space left, right, up and down. Nothing.
“It’s been a while since I heard the name Noir.” K said. “Didn’t realize that you even bothered catching my name back in France.”

Laughter floated into the air, coming from nowhere but echoing everywhere.
“Who didn’t know of the legendary thief Mademoiselle Noir?” K heard Yunho say. “She had style and grace. I was her number one fan.”

K stepped away from the column, her steps slow and deliberate. When no fire was returned, she continued to inch along the shadows.
“I should tell you, flattery is not going to get your anything.” K spoke to the air. “Besides, I recall you expressing your admiration with bullets and fireworks.”

“My feelings got hurt when you didn’t receive my offer the way I hoped you would.” he said. “And excuse my reaction; I had heard you liked silver and flashy things.”

K gripped the sig tightly in her left hand, keeping her injured right side tucked behind her as she advanced steadily.
“What do you want, Yunho?” K called, cutting to the point.

There was a pause in the air, and the tension in the air seemed to multiply.
“I want you to stop messing with the game pieces, K.” Yunho finally said, the humor no longer on the surface of his tone. “I don’t like it when uninvolved people mess with my chessboard.”

“Chess is a game of strategy and reading few moves ahead of your opponent, not a game of manipulation and deceit.” K said. “And Detective Kim Jin Ae is not a pawn for you to mess with.”

“On the contrary, Detective Kim is an essential game piece that is currently live on my board.” Yunho said. “But you’re right; she is too fascinating to be a lowly pawn. She’s not her partner after all.”

K forced down the flare of anger that threatened to rip through her chest.
“I had assumed that you were playing against the detective, not using her as a piece.” she commented.

Yunho hummed thoughtfully.
“Actually, it’s a bit of both.” he said. “I’m the type to look at multiple pictures; not just one boring oversized one.”
K didn’t speak, not trusting herself to be able to speak calmly. He went on.
“So far I’ve captured her most valuable intel, a few of her fellow officers and her partner.” he went on to say. “After I get rid of you standing in my way, I think I can move into the final checkmate.”

K breathed out quietly, his toying words burning into her mind. She had promised to not go after Yunho to hunt him directly. He was to be taken in and put away for life. Detective Kim Jin Ae was pure at heart in that sense, and a true servant of law.
K was neither one of those. She had hoped at the very least she can maintain her code to keep any promises she had made.

“You’re wrong when you say I’m not involved,” K said. “Especially if Detective Kim is sitting across from you on the board.”

“Oh? How do you figure that?” Yunho questioned, his tone hardening slightly.

“You should learn not to underestimate Jin Ae,” K said. “She just sat down to play just as dirty as you do.”
K stepped out from behind the column she was hiding behind and came to a stand out into the open.
“And I am the lowly pawn that’s waiting for the promotion.” she said.

She wheeled around, raised her gun up to the second landing and fired into the grime-covered window.
The window shattered, and a bright fresh stream of sunlight broke into the dark. Right beside the window was the lean figure of Yunho, shielding his head from the sudden light and shards of glass. K saw a wide grin on his face before he took off running.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

K fired after him, not wasting a moment. All she needed was one bullet to hit him, one and she could finish this once and for all---
There was a loud crash of broken glass and more light streamed into the factory as Yunho jumped and threw his body out through a window.
“Fuck,” K swore and she took off running.

She sprinted out of the room and turned the corner and out of the side entrance to where Yunho should’ve landed. But of course, there was not a single sign of him there.
K was ready to sprint in the most likely direction when she heard a ringing of a phone. She froze and looked around. Where was it coming from?
K followed the sound around a pile of debris and found the pile of freshly shattered glass and window pane. There, on top of the shards was a simple black burner cell.
K glanced around once more before holstering her gun, picked it up and answered.

“Impressive, K. As expected from you.” Yunho commented.

“Your running legs have gotten faster since I last saw you,” K returned. “Have you been practicing?”

“Hardly. Detective Kim has been pretty aggressive and forward in her pursuit of me.” he said. “Keeps me in top shape is all.”

K looked around trying to find any more clues.
“I’m a bit disappointed.” she said. “No fireworks this time?”

“Don’t be hasty, it will come.” he said. “I believe you were looking for someone…”

K spun around, her eyes already searching the area. So he did have the boy.

“The poor boy must’ve been tired from all that running, he went to go take a nap.” Yunho continued to muse.

K ran around to the front yard, her eyes searching.
“Where.” she snarled.

Yunho chuckled.
“Goodbye, K.”

The phone went dead in K’s ear.
K shut off the phone, swearing angrily under her breath. She ran across the yard, looking for anything that would keep a body hidden from view. Where in this broken down place would he put him---

K stopped short when she caught sights of a rusted old pickup truck. Leaking from the hood was smoke, flooding the inside of the car in a cloud of thick grayish white.

K raced over, not wasting another second.
“Hey!” she yelled.
She yanked on the door, but it was locked. Her cautious operative mind kicked in and quickly she searched the truck. Her left hand skimmed under the body of the truck and over the tires and into the wheel well. She trailed along the bumper and onto the driver’s side of the car.
As she reached into the front tire well, she felt something square and bulky. She yanked it out and saw the detonation device. Quickly she disarmed it by yanking out the charge and she moved onto getting the car open.
“Bae! Are you in there?” K demanded.
When she got no response, she searched the ground for anything that would break through the glass. She grabbed the first thick pipe she saw on the ground, gripped it tight in her left hand before smashing it against the side window.
The window shattered and the cloud of smoke billowed out. K dropped the pipe and hoisted herself up onto the footing and reached into unlock the door.
“Bae!” she yelled.

The smoke cleared enough for her to make out two feet lying across the driver’s seat.

K yanked the door open, and with some difficulty, pulled at the boy’s legs.
“Come on, Bae!” she growled.

She could see now that he was knocked out cold, but not a whole lot of blood was seen on him. The alarming thing was that his lips were a slight pale blue.
“Dammit!” K swore, reaching in and yanking the limp boy up by his arms.
This proved to be a difficult task to do with just one arm, and soon K started to feel the effects of the smoke. Quickly she pulled him to her left side and dragged him out and away from the truck. She didn’t stop until she was a good distance away from the truck.

“Bae!” she coughed out. She set the boy down as gently as she could but he still fell heavy with a thud.
She pushed him onto his back and checked his pulse. After a brief moment, she sighed in relief.
He was alive. Barely, but alive. If only he started breathing on his own again.
“Wake up,” K grouched. She didn’t have room to be delicate at the moment as she brought the side of her fist down heavy onto the boy’s sternum.
A strangled garbled sound escaped the boy and he started coughing and choking. The color slowly started to return to his lips, now with fresh air flowing into his lungs.

K breathed out heavily and sat back on her heels. The pain in her right shoulder roared fiercely, now that the adrenaline rush was fading.
“I need a fucking drink,” she said to herself.