Armory, Core Facility, Blackjack HQ

"Taengoo! Is it true that we will be having new team members today?” the shortest of the trio chirped in her usual upbeat persona, elated to hear the addition of new teammates.

Sooyoung and her fellow teammates strode down the hallway leading to their personal strongboxes, all lined in neat rows branching off from the main path. BoA had tasked them to pay a visit to the head armorer to collect fresh sets equipment for the fresh inductees.

"Yes, Lee Sunkyu. They will be introduced to us after we are done with this. And, don't ever call me by my nickname again! I'm not done with you yet...," the woman shot back in irritation, jabbing the index finger in her face to emphasize her point. Her honey-blonde hair grazed her shoulders elegantly, softening the supposed anger on her face.

“YAH! Kim Taeyeon! I’m Sunny, OK? Which part of my introduction do you not understand?” Sunny retorted, her tongue rolling behind her cheek, a much adored indication of her frustration.

Sooyoung shook her head in defeat as the duo continued to bicker, wondering if BoA had made a sound decision by picking Taeyeon as the leader of the team. Fortunately, their verbal sparring was brought to a halt when the duo had reached their strongboxes.

“Im Yoona… Kwon Yuri… So they are the ones?” Sunny said, reading the names of their new comrades off the freshly engraved plaques on the door.

"Sunny. Unlock these first and check the contents. It should match the ones on your list."

Taeyeon handed Sunny an access card, opening the door to the equipment within. Her eyes made a visual check of the item issued. Each operator had an array of weapons and items that were custom tailored to their needs, and could later be modified should they find it unsuitable - the beauty of having a full arms factory in this self-contained, self-sufficient city of underground bunkers.

"Wow! Nice collection of cars!" Sunny exclaimed.

A wide collection of keys hung in neat columns on the walls of the walk-in space, sorted into countries of manufacture and type. Sunny made a check on the list – over thirty-five cars and motorcycles formed her own personal fleet, all prepared and ready for her use. A series of revolvers and pistols lay on the small counter-top within, polished and waiting to send a bullet down its barrel.

"Very unique, this Kwon Yuri..."

---

"Are those weapons cleared for use yet, Xmas?"

Sooyoung walked to the armorer's office, two doors down and to the right from the entrance. The place was spick and span, almost sterile, unlike her little workstation. His working demeanor was just as clean cut as his occupation - gunsmithing and assassination.

"Ah... Sooyoung! I’ve long retired from field work. How can I help you this time?" The man set down the upper receiver of a HK416 carbine, smiling at his apprentice. The shock of platinum blonde on his head hit a stark contrast against the clandestine nature of their work. His lean, long-limbed build coupled with a pale complexion earned him the nickname of 'Slender Man' in the field.

"I'm here to collect Jessica Jung's kit."

Sooyoung leaned against his workbench, and her hand automatically reached down to the fridge beneath for her usual fix of Coke and chips. She watched him assemble the weapon with effortless fluidity, performing operational and safety checks before returning the weapon to its rightful place on the rack beside his bench. Honestly, if he hadn’t retired from field work during his time as the Ace of Clubs, he could have gone on to become a member of the elites – The Ace of Spades.

"Those guns Tiffany handed to me? Those are some fine stuff. I can only say whoever the gunsmith is, he or she is one hell of an expert in gun making.” Xmas said, sliding the yellow transport case out from its place in the shelves. Jessica’s 1911 pistols, all seven of them, nestled snugly in the foam, all precisely tuned for speed and accuracy.

"How so?"

Sooyoung continued to munch on the savory snack, nodding at the man, who rarely showed such enthusiasm in a plain old 1911. If he started to rave about something that common, it had got to be something really special.

“Look at these… Precision fit components, stainless steel barrels, combat sights… This is a highly accurised production-class piece.” Xmas handed Sooyoung a concealable compact. Its nose was a touch heavier than expected, considering its small size. The heat-sensitive Pachmayr grip moulded itself into her hands, further perfecting the fit with this alien weapon.

Heavier barrels or weights had been used in this gun for recoil management, very analogue…

Sooyoung examined the gun, Wilson Combat Tactical Supergrade Compact, state-of-the-art in fine custom pistols. The dull parkerized coating and heft imparted a no-nonsense, rock-solid sense of reliability on weapon. She set it down as Xmas brought another 1911 before her, a much more complex one in a matte bead-blasted finish, complete with optics and other specialised components.

“Here you have a racegun that is chambered for the 9mm. Barrel with integrated compensators crafted from a single piece of 416 rifle-grade stainless steel, reworked ultra lightweight trigger, titanium hammer and firing pin. This one is built for speed shooting, and from the test fire targets, is one hell of a tack driver." Sooyoung allowed Xmas to continue to ramble on, singing praises about the remaining pieces, while she took another can of coke and heated up some microwave pizza she found in the fridge.

Come on, oppa... When are you going to finish? I've almost cleaned out your fridge, and I'm still starving! I'm starting to doubt if the canteen has enough food left for me at this hour...

"I would love to see weapons of such caliber again." Xmas said, ending the hour long lecture about the guns' manufacturers and its relevant modifications. The depth and breadth of his knowledge and mastery in an extremely wide variety of arms and ordance had never failed to amaze Sooyoung since her induction three months ago, straight from her return to the Seoul Metropolitan SWAT team after training with the German GSG9 on an international counter-terrorism exchange.

"That reminds me... are you done with the tuning of my rifles? We have orders to prepare for ops soon." Sooyoung pulled her rifle case from one of the shelves, unlatching the clasps to check her prized piece - the Blaser Tactical II in .338 Lapua Magnum, a German high-power sniper rifle for engaging targets at vast distances, capable of extremely quick follow-up shots thanks to its straight-pull bolt assembly. It was a parting gift from a fellow sniper of the GSG9, recognising her effort for being one of the very few females that are awarded the title of the best exchange trainee.

"I just got this baby done yesterday. I've converted the trigger to a two-stage one and lighten the pull as specified, it’s also gone through the full accurizing package as required by Blackjack specifications. It was bloody accurate in the past. Now, it's pin point precision." Xmas handed her several forms to be signed for weapon clearance and owner registration- No matter how high-tech the organisation was, some things were better done in the old-fashioned way.

"Thanks, Xmas!" Sooyoung slapped the pen down on the bench, itching to test the limits of her refreshed stick at the neighbouring range.

"I have a name too, you know!" Xmas popped four pellets of gum into his mouth, before turning his back to her, continuing his work on the mass of electronics and fragments of scrapped bullets on his desk.

"Yeah... Yeah... Jungmo. See ya later!"

---

Taeyeon carefully checked through the contents of the reinforced cabinet, making sure that none had been left out. Personalized pistols, training gear, body armor, knives, gloves and all other necessities for assignments.  But something else attracted her attention while she was looking the last item on the list.

"What's this?"

Taeyeon's eyes landed on the clear plastic case, placed on a pedestal in the middle of the cabinet. What seemed to be some fabric sparkled gently beneath the transparent container, neatly folded into a square. She checked the list she held. It described a prototype bodysuit made from fabric infused with carbon nanotubes, forming a lightweight, high durability underarmor designed to be worn beneath regular clothes.

Out of curiosity, Taeyeon took it out of the enclosure, unfolding the protective suit. It was almost as light as a feather, and she felt that if she stared at it hard enough, she could actually see through the material.

Whoever that wears this isn't involved in direct combat...

Taeyeon thought to herself. The thin, skimpy fabric felt less than substantial for any serious combat situations. She unfolded the attire and the pearly white material shimmered beautifully under the artificial lighting, as though it was the most delicate and excuisite lace and silk of a wedding gown.

"This is beautiful...," Taeyeon said to herself, not aware of the person approaching from behind.

"Of course it is! It's a masterpiece!"

The zesty aroma of citrus spritz filled her nostrils as Taeyeon felt the voice coming closer, behind the column in her 7 o'clock direction. Her ear picked up that distinct heartbeat and breathing patterns, bouncing off the concrete to her 5 o'clock. The grit of the floor against the soft synthetic soles of her boots grew louder as she took another step closer to Taeyeon.

"I can identify you anywhere, Kim Hyoyeon."

Taeyeon said as she quickly folded the bodysuit, hiding her strange fascination for anything beautiful and well-made. Her extraordinarily acute senses could pick up minute changes in the environment around her, combined with dogged determination and knack for clue hunting, allowed her to excel in the Major Case Squad, NYPD as a investigator before she was drafted into the Blackjack. The power of enhanced sensory perception, as BoA liked to call it.

"I know." Hyoyeon peeled off her own bodysuit, an exact copy of the one in Taeyeon's grasp. The fabric clung onto her curves like a second skin. Her lithe, athletic frame shimmered with a light coat of perspiration, likely from the vigors of the assignment she had just returned from.

"How was the assignment?" Taeyeon made a half-hearted attempt to strike up a conversation with her, she still couldn't forgive herself for letting Hyoyeon be the only black mark on her otherwise stellar record in the force. Taeyeon knew better not to underestimate the resourcefulness and tact of her nemesis, for she had spent a good eighteen months chasing her across Europe – her efforts to stop the art thief's stealing spree had been anything but sucessful.

"Easy-peasy! Nothing stops me from going for the gold!"

Hyoyeon could never have imagined that she would have to work with the likes of Kim Taeyeon one day, shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand. She had always wondered what was in the mind of a person that would trace and follow her trails, eventually cornering and leading to her arrest. She had considered Taeyeon a worthy adversary to herself, both in intellect and guts; she was definitely one of the best in the Interpol. But now with Taeyeon holding the commanding role, she had to swallow her pride in order to serve her role without hesitation - survival of the fittest; that was the principle that was drilled into her subconscious as a child on the streets.

“Uhh… It's your turn to do shopping this week. Remember to go back to the surface to stock up on snacks, okay? That cursed Sooyoung almost devoured our entire food reserve." Oafishness still lingered in Taeyeon's words, unacustomed to the idea of having a criminal she caught with her very hands, having to work with her and to trust her to cover her back on an assignment. "We'll be getting four new members today, so grab their share too."

"Alright! More pudding and gummy worms for you, right?" Hyoyeon pulled on a gray tank top and track pants before locking her strongbox. Taeyeon feigned browsing through an assortment of blades mounted on the insides of the cabinet, waiting for Hyoyeon to leave the armory. Her face was hot with shame. Why could Hyoyeon put down their differences and work together, but not herself?

"Sure," Taeyeon replied, not knowing what to say next.

“I’ll be heading for debrief now. See you in a bit.”

Hyoyeon could literally taste the awkwardness curdling in the air, slowly weighing down the tendrils that were holding this meeting together. It was logically wise to move on, before Taeyeon decided to make mountains out of molehills, her pride clouding her good judgment again.

“Yeah... You should go now!" Taeyeon had caught a glimpse of Hyoyeon slipping out of the corners of her eyes, shrugging her shoulders in bewilderment. She often wondered about how others thought of her with that odd, secretive personality. Her heart had been barren; an emptiness, a void caused by a lack of fulfillment. Had she spent too much time in the field working on cases than she had been interacting less with regular people? Just the thought about that was enough to bring her down, beating out the tough facade she wore on a daily basis. As she locked the strongbox, Taeyeon was silently hoping for the day that she would find the courage to let down her pride and speak to Hyoyeon as a comrade, as an equal and most importantly, as a part of her family.

---

Operations room, Suit of Spades, Blackjack HQ

"So, I will be holding a few recruits under my wings this time? Where are they from now?"

The man looked through the contents of the subjects' dockets, raising an eyebrow and letting out a chuckle occasionally. BoA sat on the bench across him, her fingers crossed on the table, patiently waiting for him to finish his reading. The Suit of Spades was nothing short of legendary in the Blackjack - an elite handful of operatives who were recruited from various sources, all of them the very best at what they did. Combining the combat capabilities from the Suit of Clubs and the intelligence from the Suit of Hearts, they formed the most potent unit in the organization. Their current headcount stood at less than a hundred, all of them the previous Aces from other suits - Hearts, Clubs and Diamonds. BoA now seriously considered if the new recruits were actually good enough to be trained under tutelage of the Spades.

"Yes, it is. I believe you’ll be surprised at their origin."

"Tell me more... Hmm... They're pretty...," the Head of Ops said, rubbing the day-old stubble on his chin as he screened through photos of the subjects. He wasn't just stunned by their beauty, but also by what they had achieved at their age. Their physical assessment had shown that all of them were at the peak of their health, and were still developing despite their age...

"That’s odd... The stats seem..." the man rapped his fingertips on the laminated steel desk, a spark of curiosity jumped at the back of head as he pulled forth a file from the virtual filling cabinet of his mind.

"Yes... That’s why I placed them under your care." BoA was glad that she had stirred his interest in the subjects; the curious statistics would be more than enough to sustain his interest.

"Don't tell me they are the results of the experiment." The man leaned forward, speaking in a soft whisper, as though a hunter silently stalking a potential prey. The Big Game Hunter, a nickname that had pretty much gotten stuck to him for his preferred choice of sidearm - a .44 Colt Anaconda.

"What if... I'm telling you right now that they are?"

"Then... It will be interesting..."

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Sorry for the long wait, guys! Hope you hadn't forgotten about this story yet ^-^v