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Story Notes:

This is a revision of my original story APO: Safest Place to Hide. It still has the main plot and subplots as the original version but I wanted to go in a different direction to approach them. Thanks for reading and please review :)

Thanks, Misha (Ruby Maye)

APO Database> Missions/Assignments> Date: 2007 July 25> Destination: desert [CA/NV]> Mission: Retrieval, Rescue> Agent(s) assigned: Blade, M. [White Tiger]

Mia Blade crouched at a corner of an old warehouse somewhere in the desert along California and Nevada. Her mission was to retrieve a weapon developed by a corrupt business man and to rescue an agent from the CIA. Mia was among the top ranking agents in a top secret organization of ninjas called APO, which stood for Authorized Personnel Only. She was known as White Tiger, a fierce and skilled ninja of APO.

A rush of adrenaline ran through White Tiger's veins as she watched a woman and a group of armed men drag a man from the back of a van. The woman was the daughter of the billionaire Roger Black and was the heiress to his company Black Corporation.

“Take him inside!” Regina Black barked at her henchmen as they dragged the CIA agent out of the truck.

CIA Agent Emile Davenport was bound at his wrists and ankles and had a bag over his head. The men dragged him into the warehouse with Regina following them.

Two armed men stood guard outside the door. White Tiger moved forward slightly as she reached into the pockets of her black ninja suit and pulled out two shuriken (ninja stars). With a flick of her wrists, she threw the shuriken at the two guards, nailing one of them in the head and the other in the chest. The guards’ bodies fell in a slump to the ground. She ran up and yanked her shuriken off from their bodies and wiped the blood off on her suit.

She used a grapple hook to hoist herself up onto the roof of the warehouse. She dropped down to the balls of her feet and crept toward a window that had a padlock on it. She recovered a lock pick from the heel of her boot and picked the lock. She pushed the window open when she was able to unlock it and entered the warehouse.

Below, she saw Agent Davenport being tied to a chair. Regina yanked the bag from his head and revealed his handsome face; he had emerald, green eyes and long wavy, chestnut hair that was tied in a messy ponytail. The gag in his mouth prevented him from saying anything.

“Stay put, Agent. I have some business to take care of,” Regina ordered while Agent Davenport glared up at her.

Regina was selling a weapon Black Corporation developed, along with stolen Black Market goods, to a group of corrupt leaders from foreign countries. Several buyers were seated in front of Regina in a special assembly.

"With my father’s company, we were able to develop an electro-magnetic pulse emitter,” Regina announced. “It has the power to destroy electrical devices within a city. My father is on the brink of developing a more advanced EMPE that can destroy satellites, which in turn can destroy whatever that satellite is linked to. My father has also developed a unique program to embed the weapon’s software within music and movie files to be put in CDs and DVDs, so it can easily be copied and distributed without detection.”

While Regina was busy entertaining her “guests,” White Tiger slid down a beam and landed behind a stack of crates next to Agent Davenport.

“Agent Davenport, I’m here to rescue you,” she whispered to the bewildered agent. She took the gag from his mouth and untied his wrists. White Tiger helped him off the chair and they hid behind the crates.

“Who are you? Did Rochester send you?” whispered Agent Davenport to White Tiger.

“No, I’m with APO,” she replied.

“APO? Not that I’m ungrateful for the rescue, but why you guys?” he asked confused, “I was kind of expecting some of my own guys to come and get me.”

White Tiger gritted her teeth in annoyance. Not only did she hate going on this mission alone, but she also had to save an agent from an agency she hated. She didn’t like the idea of APO teaming up with the CIA anymore than the CIA wanted to team up with them.

“We’re after the weapon,” White Tiger replied. “And if I had it my way, I wouldn’t be here saving your ass.”

Agent Davenport shot her a defensive look. “Hey, I’m grateful for the rescue. I was just confused as to why an agent from APO would come to my rescue.”

“Listen, we don’t have a lot of time so I suggest we save the chitchat for later. Right now, we have to focus on getting that weapon.” And the other part of my mission is for me to get you out of here safely. she added silently.

“So, what’s your plan? Take out Regina Black and all her henchmen and then leave with the weapon?” asked Agent Davenport.

“Exactly.” White Tiger reached into her ninja suit and pulled out a dozen smoke bombs and threw them out so that they were covered in smoke. Agent Davenport gaped at her in shock and disbelief.

The smoke caught Regina off guard and she whirled around in surprise and caught sight of them. She screamed with fury.

“GET THEM!”

Gunshots rang out in the warehouse as the assembly began to shuffle out of the warehouse disoriented and in terror. Agent Davenport and White Tiger dodged the bullets and engaged in combat. White Tiger pulled out her steel fighting fans and repelled bullets and other projectiles with it.

White Tiger was so busy deflecting bullets that she didn’t notice Regina escaping with the weapon.

“Don’t let her get away with that weapon!” Agent Davenport yelled at White Tiger, as he gripped a man in a half nelson while doing a multiple array of high speed kicks at the others who were trying to attack him. After he knocked out the rest of Regina’s henchmen, he followed after White Tiger in pursuit of Regina.

They got outside but it was too late. Regina sped off in a yellow Suzuki motorbike, taking the weapon and leaving a trail of dust behind her.

White Tiger cursed under her breath.

"We need to find out where they are taking the weapon," Agent Davenport said but when he turned to face White Tiger he found that he was alone.


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Several miles from the desert on the outskirts of Los Angeles, a man in a nice suit standing next to a yellow Jaguar waited. He watched as Regina pulled up in her motorbike and skidded to a halt creating a dust cloud around him.

She dismounted her bike and took her helmet off, shaking her silky long black hair in the process. She reached into her leather jacket and handed the man a small disk.

“I hope I can trust you with this,” Regina said. “I’m not sure you can handle having this weapon in your hands given your…obligation.”

“The weapon is safe with me,” the man replied, reaching out to grab the disk when Regina pulled it back slightly from his grasp.

“Remember our deal,” Regina interjected. “If you so fail at concealing this from your associates, our deal is over…and you will meet your end!”

Though she meant to intimidate the man, her threat didn’t much faze him.

“Just be sure to hold up your end of the deal,” he shot back, snatching the disk from her hands. He turned on his heel and got in his yellow Jaguar.

Regina stood glowering as she watched her contact speed off into the night.