“Let me get this straight,” Yeri said, having settled very comfortably on the small couch in the living room. Draping her arms over the couch, she leveled her gaze at each of the women seated at the small table in the adjacent kitchen. “You’re saying there’s some corrupt… issue happening with some company or government branch or politician or whatever, and you want to fix it. And you think five random girls out here in Nowheresville can do that? This is the whole team? Some crazy D-list actress no one’s heard of, the tiny mercenary goof, a clueless driver with probably something stupid like a heart of gold, and a pretty girl with the jets running the show? This is what we’re working with?”

Well, when you put it like that… Wendy grimaced. No, joining this team was definitively not one the brightest decisions she’d made in her life. She looked at each of the women as Yeri addressed them, and inhaled deeply. I’m going to get myself killed for real on this job. She’s right. Who do these women think they are?

“Well, ain’t that a bite,” Joy muttered, rolling her eyes. “You scared? I told you, Joohyun, she’s just a kid--" If Wendy hadn’t been looking for it, she might have missed the conspiratory smile Joy threw at Irene. She wasn’t sure what these women knew how to do, but they understood how to play people, at least. And Joy--with seemingly all the self-confidence in the world--put her faith in the ever-stoic Irene. Why?

“Hey, cool it, lady. I was just asking,” Yeri interrupted, predictably, with a scowl. “I’m up for a challenge, I’m just not looking for a suicide mission, alright? I just don’t see how we’d stand a chance against literally any organization with any structure or self respect at all, much less the ‘Big Bad’ type.”

She couldn’t help but find it entertaining to watch Irene and Joy play the rest of them like fools. Entertaining--and deeply unsettling, because they seemed to know how she ticked better than she knew herself. Two seats to her left, Seulgi was nodding along, maybe despite herself. On her right, Irene stayed silent, face expressing that she was listening, but voice offering nothing in return.

“Well, let’s see--now’s as good a time as any. I’m sure we’re all dying to know,” Joy said, directing her attention to Irene. “What was in the damn case you two almost got shot over?”

Starting with a nod, Irene straightened in her seat. “Before any of you say anything, yes, most of it is just paper. I assure you, it was worth the risk.” With a slight shake of the table, the case was pulled into the center of them. She flipped open the latches on the case, tossing the lid open. The top manila folder was unmarked from the outside, but Irene picked it up and said, “Information. This has the blueprints for all of the key governmental buildings in the city, including a slightly out-of-date sketch of their respective security systems and patrol routes.” She set it aside, and began picking up the subsequent files inside. “This contains the past, current, and predicted successive keys to access the computational machines the agency is using to try to crack ciphers, intercept communications, and calculate trajectory for their attacks.”

“The machines,” Wendy breathed, incredulous. “You have access to the computers? The ones people can get are near-useless. I heard the ones on the market are barely more than giant chunks of metal and plastic.”

“The ones on the market are, Seungwan. They’ve been commercially available for a few years, but you have to expect the ones used by the intelligence agencies to be far ahead of the game. They’re infinitely more reliable and efficient than human calculation. They can process and store data faster than we can comprehend. And if they’re using it do find target angles for missile launches... ”

She didn’t know what else to say to that--she’d seen the clunky electronic beasts in storefronts and in the paper, but hadn’t put much thought into them. People were beginning to develop a fear of the thing that could put them out of jobs, but no one really knew what they were capable of.

Irene was continuing, as if no one had interrupted her. “We also have names of people we can trust for help, and names of people suspected of being against our cause. One of these lists is much longer than the other.”

Seulgi looked at Wendy, and then to Irene. “What--sorry, but what exactly is our cause? You’ve all been very vague about this whole thing.”

Irene nodded, collecting the folders in her hands. She tapped the stack against the table, aligning the corners, and spoke in the same, quiet voice she had been using. “Weaponry is being developed that could easily destroy the lives of hundreds of thousands in an instant. This could be the most massive genocide in history as we know it--and, from the moment between launch and landing, there’s not nearly enough time to evacuate even a quarter of this country. We would have nowhere to go. It would be absolutely historical on the most horrifying scale possible. Not only would the victors write history and have this massive destruction be their leverage to power, but there would be no defeated party to speak of. Personally, I would rather not have the general populous find out about something like this--or for any country to be its first target. Hopefully you all feel the same way.”

Yeri piped up, hesitant. “Aren’t there already things like that? Even just a few years ago, in Japan--”

“There’s nothing like this,” Irene replied. “The armistice was only signed months ago. The nations are far from at peace. There are already hands on the figurative launch button--and too many men that are too willing to be the first to press down. There are more world leaders involved in this than we know.”

“But you know, don’t you?” Wendy murmured, heart sinking at the implications. This was far bigger than she had hoped it would be.

“We can’t stop the development,” Irene replied, tone still surprisingly light, “but there are people out there who want this war to escalate--for these men behind their desks to prove there’s substance behind their words, to simply give the word and wipe out the lives of entire nations. One very specific piece of intel is threatening to come by the desk of some very top officials this week, and it’s going to look legitimate enough to start a bloodbath.” She took a breath, putting down all the papers and clasping her hands on top of the stack. “That’s where we come in.”

“I thought this was going to be a quick and easy heist,” Wendy joked, trying to lighten the mood. “Like a Klimt painting, or that Hope Diamond circulating the States again. Something normal like that.”

Yeri twisted her ponytail in her hand, biting her lip. “Yeah,” she agreed. “Not to be dramatic, but you’re saying we’re trying to save the world?”

Irene pursed her lips, considering for a second. The fact that she had to think about the question at all had Wendy a little nervous.  “No, not really. We’re trying to keep things from getting any worse. We’re…” she paused, finding the right words. “We’re just seeking out the truth.”

“I don’t know how you manage to make it sound so boring,” Yeri drawled. She shook her head, impatient. “Hey--but don’t let me stop you. What else have you got in there?”

Wendy figured she could reconcile all of the information in her head later, when she had time to think everything through. This was huge. Why did Irene pick the team she had for such a supposedly grand-scale mission?

Beneath all the papers laid a second case--this one smaller, and plastic. From the black foam, Irene pulled out a small piece of plastic, a coil of wire from it leading down to a black box the just larger than her hand. “Earpieces.”

Joy frowned. “Come again? You said that like they weren’t just two random words thrown together.”

“They’re from the electronics development branch, an alpha test--they transmit and receive over a radio frequency we can specify for long-range communication in the field. The intent is to use these for field operations in the coming years, once the technology is perfected. I figured we might have a good use for them. I--” she held one up, putting it in her own ear, “can talk into this, and you can all hear me as long as we’re within range. It’ll keep us on the same page, and gives us an extra edge.”

Yeri yawned, and Wendy honestly couldn’t tell if it was for effect or not. “Okay, thanks for the science lecture. Next?”

“How long have you been planning this?” Wendy asked, quietly. She eyed the set of the four remaining pieces still encased in the foam--one for each of them.

“A long time,” was the only response she got--and she hated that she was still disappointed by the lack of openness.

“Can I ask another question, then?” Seulgi asked. “How did you get all of this?”

“I used to have a friend on the inside.” Irene offered, a noncommittal shrug with the sentence.

Joy frowned at that. She looked at Irene for a long moment--asking for permission, maybe?--and then gestured for Seulgi to look at her. “She used to be the friend on the inside.”

“Until..?” Yeri prompted, suddenly all ears at the hint of internal drama, or the scoop on the mysterious Bae Joohyun.

“Until we found out that some of our friends weren’t really friends at all,” Joy scoffed, and there was an amount of bitterness in her tone that couldn’t--or wouldn’t--be masked. “Until--”

“Until I wasn’t. Now, Yerim--you are our eyes and ears. Everywhere we go, you’ll be the first to see and hear anything and everyone that’s coming at us, and you’ll be letting us know through the earpieces.

“The first to run into anyone that might beat us up,” she deadpanned, raising a brow.

“Of course not. You are to stay well out of sight and out of mind. You’re to stick exclusively to the shadows, and Sooyoung and Seungwan will never be far behind, in case you run into any trouble.”

Wendy nodded, having expected that to be her role. “Any suggested takedown methods? Anything to avoid in particular?”

Irene locked eyes with Wendy for a long second before replying, and Wendy almost forgot to listen for the response. “I’d prefer a non-lethal trail,” she stated, and moved on when Wendy nodded silently. “Seulgi, you’re our base. Just like the last one, you’re to stick to the car unless there are some extreme extenuating circumstances, and you’re to keep us notified if anyone rolls up from the outside.”

“What are ‘extenuating circumstances?’” Seulgi asked, concern lacing her features.

“You’ll know. Now, as for our current objective--” She slid her finger under the flap of one of the folders, sliding out the contents and laying them down. “This comes in two fairly simple steps: getting in; and getting out.”

“The average Friday night,” Joy joked, leaning her elbows on the table. She rapped her fingers against her cheek, deceptively nonchalant. “So we get in, grab this letter--or whatever it may be--and get out? Easy as that?” Her voice dripped with a doubt that was not unkind, but more uncertain. Wendy could not wrap her mind around the trust this woman seemed to place in Irene, and why, ludicrously, Wendy wanted to do the same.

‘Blind trust is synonymous with a death wish,’ Wendy had once been told. But what did it matter when part of you was already dead and gone?

Irene tilted her head from side to side, half conceding to Joy’s statement, but Wendy frowned--a quick grab of an envelope shouldn’t require a team of five near-strangers. She voiced this concern.

With a sigh, Irene then continued, spreading the pages across the table. “Right. So, admittedly, it’s not that simple. The security of this building is the top-of-the-top, and the stakes if we get caught--well, they’re higher than I’d like to have to mention.”

“And you want to go nonlethal,” Wendy added.

“And you don’t want to leave a single trace,” Yeri pitched in.

“And you don’t know if this information is up-to-date,” Joy said.

“And you seem to think we’re capable of actually working together without a hitch,” Seulgi threw in, brow raised.

Irene’s lips quirked up in a small smile. Perhaps she found the term ‘challenge’ to be synonymous with ‘suicide mission.’ “And, we’re going to do this in broad daylight, during a public media release event.”

That one hit them hard. They sat in a stunned silence for a fraction of a breath, before Yeri broke the tension. “Oh, okay, I see,” she drawled, eyes wide. “I see what’s going on here. You’re insane. If I try to walk out the door right now, are you gonna try to kill me?”

Irene rolled her eyes--so none of this doubt was new to her, at least. She’s used to working with non-believers, Wendy thought, suddenly, bizarrely. “Have some faith, Yerim. Let me explain. It’s not so much that we can’t be seen, it’s more that--”

“--we can’t be recognized,” Wendy finished, coming to the conclusion a split second before Irene said it. “We’re going undercover? As--what, as reporters?”

Irene was smiling. “Naturally. You and Yerim are, at least. Sooyoung will be dressed as security. I’m just a generic civil servant, invited to hear the speakers. Seulgi--if necessary, you can be prepared to intercept the scene as some authority figure--police, or something, I’m sure we can find you something. It shouldn’t be necessary.”

“Why do I have to go with Wendy?” Yeri asked, at the same time Wendy said, “Why am I not security?”

They looked at each other, surprised, and Yeri snorted. “No offense, but even I know that no one would believe you’re security. I just didn’t want to go with you.”

“You’re sure this isn’t a sort of terrorist attack?” Seulgi was asking, over the sound of Yeri and Wendy bickering. “This isn’t about to be you intercepting some sort of peace agreement? I don’t distrust you, but you’re not making a very good case for yourself.”

Irene nodded at that one--it was a clever thought, and she appreciated that. “I know I’m not giving you a lot of reason to trust me, but I think it goes without saying that a peace accord is the last thing on the minds of the people running the show. Why would I waste so much time and money on four strangers just to get myself killed? I could do that on my own.”

“That’s fair enough,” Seulgi said, as if that was that.

Wendy held up a finger, another, unrelated, question having lingered in her head. “Before you really get into it, I had meant to ask you earlier. When we were meeting with Yerim, the man in the diner--was he--”

“Oh, he just lives a few blocks off the main highway. A very nice man, actually. He feeds the stray cats around there. Completely harmless.”

Wendy nodded, appreciative of the deception. “That was just to motivate her to come with us, then? A false sense of risk?”

“Of course,” Irene replied, smiling gently, and that certainly was doing things to Wendy’s head. “What am I supposed to do if you continue to go revealing all my tricks like this?”

Friendly banter? What is this? “Better keep up, Joohyun,” she found herself saying, smiling right back despite herself.

“God,” came Yeri’s voice, who had left the couch to seat herself on Wendy’s other side, “are they always like this? Is it too late to unsign my contract?”

Wendy pulled her gaze away from Irene. “Hey, listen--”

“Professionalism, please girls!” It was Joy, but she looked positively thrilled that none of them were being the slightest bit professional. She was thumbing through the papers in the manila folder Irene handed to each woman, her pseudo-academic posture belying her amusement.

The folder placed in front of Wendy seemed unassuming enough, unmarked and unwrinkled. She flipped it open, scanning quickly over a series of snapshots and names of local politicians and small diagrams of governmental buildings.

Seulgi leaned over the table across Yeri, angling her file so Wendy could see it. Her index finger tapped on the table on the second page, her brows furrowed in concentration. “Ah, Seungwannie, do you remember—”

“Oh my god.” Joy had slammed both hands on the table, mouth agape, and Irene jumped at the sound. Seulgi’s sentence died in its tracks. “‘Seungwan-nie?’”

Wendy slowly looked up from the file to meet Joy’s eyes, dread pooling in her stomach, heat creeping up to the tips of her ears. ‘Professionalism,’ my  . “Do not.”

Yer let out a loud hoot of laughter. She slapped Wendy’s arm, grin plastered across her face. “Seulgi, you wonderful human being, you. Motion to change Wendy’s name to the far, far cuter 'Seungwannie' for all official and unofficial business from here on out?”

“Seconded!” Joy offered, and Wendy blinked, mildly horrified. Between the beginnings of a terrifying duo before her eyes and Seulgi’s knowledge of her college days, she was starting to think this combination of women was a grave mistake.

Brow furrowed, Wendy dropped her copy of the file onto the mahogany with a scowl. She narrowed her eyes at the girl to her left, and then leveled her gaze across the table at Joy. “What happened to being professionals?”

Joy continued, with pure, unadulterated glee, mission and planning taking a spot on the shelf in lieu of tormenting Wendy. “It’s called being amicable with coworkers. Oh my lord. I’m never calling you anything else. Seungwannie.”

“Seulgi, what have you done?” Wendy hissed, and Seulgi’s grin only grew wider.

“See? I told you, I trust these girls.”

“Please, girls, the job?” Irene waved her own file in the air, her voice gentle as always. There was something in that quiet voice that commanded a deep respect, though--Wendy couldn’t put her finger on it, but she wasn’t alone. Almost immediately, the table quieted down.

“Thank you,” Irene said. With a quick glance at Wendy, her eyes sparkling, she directed her voice to the rest of the room. “So, as Seungwannie was saying--”

To the sound of raucous laughter from the group, Wendy let her head drop to the table, partially in exasperation, but mostly to hide the smile that was threatening to show itself.

When Wendy would look back on this moment--she would snort and wonder if it was the moment where everything really began to go wrong.