"Great job, Ian", Byron congratulated his friend with an outstretched hand.

"Thanks. It wasn't all that hard on me. A lot of work, but not all that hard."

Byron smiled. "How is she doing?"

"She's awake. I spoke with her and brought her some dinner."

Byron laughed. "That was nice. Did you cook enough for me?"

"Yeah, I probably did, but I ate the rest of it myself. Giving speeches to bureaucrats makes me hungry."

 "So what are you going to do now?"

"I have a few loose ends to tie up in my own notes and perhaps work on a regimen for her after I leave. It'll take me a little while.

"No problem, stay as long as you like."

Ian laughed. "I could use some rest, '03 has been a busy year. You know I was abducted a few months ago."

"Yeah, I heard about that before I called you here. I didn't want to bring it up though."

"It turned out ok. I'm even trying to work with someone I met while I was abducted. I have a friend looking after things for me right now, but I bet she's getting tired. I think I'll be ready to leave tomorrow."

Byron nodded. "I'll make a reservation for an early afternoon flight."

Before Ian left he gave the exercise regimen for Jan to Byron. He based it on what a friend of his had done to harness her own abilities. He didn't see Jan again before he left for home. He figured he'd see her again one day in the future.

Jan, Alisha, and Sara all trained through Thanksgiving and Christmas. They told their parents half truths to get rid of any suspicion. Jan still couldn't get complete control of her strength, but she was getting better. Alisha really saw results. She had grown nearly an inch and a half and slimmed a little with a recovered Yvonne working her out every day. Sara felt better than ever too. She too had grown and felt stronger than ever. Her mental abilities were growing too. The leaders of the school were paying attention.

"What do you think about our newest students?", Byron asked Ms. Worthington.

She took a deep breath before answering. "I think Miss Caufield and Miss von Edder might be ready to go out. I talked to Rick this morning, he wants more time with Miss Hewitt. So..."

Byron smiled and nodded. "So, we send out the two who are ready. I think I have something that fits their skills."

"How much longer?", Jan asked in a hushed tone.

"Two minutes", Alisha answered. "The security on this system is better than the stuff you can get at Compusa."

"You're supposed to be the computer genius."

Alisha looked up, but kept working. She had a super trojan to install on a secure computer without the computer's owner ever knowing. As much as she liked the banter with Jan, she needed to concentrate. Covering her tracks was just as important as the rest of the process. "Done", Alisha announced.

Jan was near the front door of the loft apartment. She looked down into the small screen of her pinhead camera. She turned the camera slowly sweeping the hall. There as no one coming. The loft's owner usually used the elevator, but there was no reason to get sloppy this close to the end of their first mission. Jan opened the door with a gloved hand and closed it behind them after Alisha came out. Jan and Alisha hurried to the stairs. Three flights of stairs and out the back door. The cool air felt like needles on the skin after the warmth of the loft. Jan and Alisha made it four blocks to the waiting car. Their first mission had gone off without a hitch. They smiled towards each other as they made the long trip back to Livingston.

The next four missions went off as smoothly as the first. Jan and Alisha had quickly become the best team in program. Other girls were requesting to join them on missions. It was on the sixth mission that there would be trouble.

Three girls, Kennedy Morrison, Brandi Miller, and Janie Brinn had slowly worked their way into the third floor office of a respected Moroccan-American business man. He sold insurance and real estate, by day, but by night he dealt in stolen US Government property. He usually dealt in $50 dollar bill pressing plates and the ink recipe used to print the notes. Intelligence reports said that Mohammed Jetou, who had left for the evening, did not have any illegal sales planned this evening. Jan, dressed like everyone else in black swat gear, looked on from the roof of the building across the street. She was team leader. She had three look-outs stationed around the building and Alisha monitoring security, plus the three girls on the inside. It made Jan feel good to be trusted She wanted to tell her parents. Her father had been in the Army. He would understand, but oh well one day she might be able to talk.

"We're at the safe", Kennedy whispered into the comm unit.

"Copy that", Jan answered. Alisha started giving the instructions on how to crack the safe. It was a good safe, but not good enough.

Jan used binoculars to scan the roads on the moonless night. At first she saw nothing, but then.. oh no.

"Ladies we have car lights. Standby. That's affirmative. Silver 2002 Lexus GS 430, Mr. Jetou is on his way back to the office with one, no two cars in tow. Looks like we have a meeting going this evening. Get out of there now!"

It was too late. One car pulled to the front door and the other car pulled to the parking garage elevator and stairs. Jan couldn't see which way they had taken and she wouldn't hazard a guess.

"I'm coming in", Jan announced. "Stay hidden!"

"You'll never make it in time", one of the lookouts said over the comm.

"I think I will!" Jan took a few steps away from the edge of the roof and started running. She didn't stop when she reached the edge. Four stories below, the ground came up to meet her. She hit with a boom and went to a knee momentarily. She started running. Her legs protested, but she didn't have time for pain. She ran into the parking garage as fast as her legs could take her. She saw the elevator, but thought better of it and took the stairs.

Jan took the steps four and five at a time as she made her way up to the third floor in seconds. The elevator bell rang just as she turned the corner. She wanted to order the team out, but she didn't have time. Jan turned the corner and recognized Mr. Jetou right away. She gritted her teeth and kicked him as hard as she could in the side of the head. The middle aged man dropped like a stone. His two bodyguards had their guns out in half a heartbeat. Jan's team was armed, but Jan had no time or intention to pull her weapon. She was the weapon.

A shot rang out. It missed. Jan moved to her left and grabbed at the pistol as the guard fired another shot. It went into the floor. Jan twisted the gun from his hand and elbowed him in the jaw. Even without her super strength, Jan still hit as hard as fit man could hit and now she was trained on how and where to strike the human body. The second guard fired again. The shot stuck the first guard in the neck as he fell. Blood sprayed on the walls. Jan spun hoping to move away from the next shot. The gun fired. Jan could feel the bullet whiz past her face. The guard fired again, but Jan was on him.

He struck first. He caught her in the side of the head with the butt of his pistol. Jan staggered. He turned and fired three shots into her torso at point blank range. The impact and burning sent her nerves into overdrive. Blood sprayed up against her face as she slumped against the wall. Five more guards came from the other elevator after the shots stopped. All had their weapon's drawn.

"What the hell?"

"She attacked us! Came from nowhere!", the living guard yelled. Mr. Jetou awoke and staggered to his feet. He looked at the dead guard and at Jan slumped against the wall. He calmly walked over to her after clearing his head and kicked her as hard as she could

"Do you know how hard it will be to clean this up!", he yelled.

"Sir, she is probably not alone. We should do this deal quickly, or call it off. The client is still in the elevator."

"Bring him into my office", Mr. Jetou ordered.

Jan's body protested moving, but she was awake again. Jetou's kicks and yelling had helped. She could feel the bullets in her body. It was the strangest sensation. She had been grazed before, but never shot. This sucked. She moved her hand slowly and activated her comm.

"Proceed into the safe then exit plan 3", she whispered, but not quietly enough. "Copy that", came the reply from Kennedy who was thinking clearly, but shaken from the gunfire.

"Did you say something?", one of the guards asked.

"No. Did you?" The guards looked at one another.

Jan came up from the shadow around the corner. "No I did!" She kicked a guard in the small of his back. He went down. All the guards turned, but they didn't have a clear shot. Jan grabbed at the next guard's gun. He pulled it back. She kicked him in the chest and sent him flying against the still closed elevator doors. Mr. Jetou crouched looking for somewhere safe. Gunfire rang out again. Jan ducked behind the corner. Chunks of drywall flew everywhere. The guards came around the corner. Jan waited until they took a few more steps and then she jumped down the from behind the plant near the window. Two bone jarring hooks sent one guard down. The other two guards fired. Glass flew everywhere. Jan rolled close to them and jumped to her feet. She moved in and out of the shadows. Finally she saw one pistol lock open then the other. They were empty. She attacked. They were ready.

She threw three punches at one guard, but he blocked them. The other guard kicked her in the back of her knee. Jan went down and then punch to her face sent her down to the cheap carpet. She turned over and sprang to her feet faster than the guards thought possible. She was ready to take on the two guards, but she saw one of the other guards shake his head as he came to this feet. Another guard was staggering to his feet also. They had bullets in their guns and Jan didn't want to get shot again. She backed up near the shot out window.

"Contraband retrieved. Are exiting the building now!", Jan heard over the comm. She smiled.

"Who the fuck are you?", one of the guards asked in accented english.

"What the fuck are you!?!", another guard yelled.

"Kill her!", Jetou yelled out. "Kill her now!"

Jan looked at the guards as they prepared to fire. "Not today, boys!", she said, and jumped out of the shot out window.

Stunned, the men hesitated before rushing to the window in time to see a shadow head north and then out of sight. They cursed under their breath.

"The safe is open!", someone yelled.

The men cursed out loud then.

to be continued...

Find out the aftermath....