Paperface
Wood Pulp Connoisseur
For everything that is lost, there is someone who misses it. There are however occasions when something is meant to get lost. A hard drive for example. In such cases, it becomes a top priority to cause the disappearance of every ‘someone’ who knows it is missing. While the Valdez siblings took care of the hard drive, Ashley was tasked with the disappearance of the original receiver. Which entailed infiltration and assassination.
The first objective, infiltration, she completed with relative ease. Navigating the compound in a semi-transparent state. An almost ethereal form moving speedily, yet skillfully remaining out of the grasp of the guardsmen. For the most part. Even her translucence could not prevent the occasional watchful eye from catching a glimpse of the ghost wandering the hallways. A sight that came at the highest price. They willingly approached death, lured in by the otherworldly sight and the call of a familiar voice. Their guard dropped enough to overlook the edge of a ghostly knife. Lulled into a false sense of security before the sharp sting of certain death forced them to see their costly mistake.
“Talk to me if you want to live.” She spoke whilst holding the knife in place, prolonging their fleeting existence by stifling the flow. Oftentimes they would respond. Clinging on to unfounded hope. Only to be rewarded with the sound of their own voice responding to their desperate call. The last thing they would ever hear.
Ashley’s mission only became easier now that she possessed the voices of those familiar to her target. Using her stealth to close in on the target and the voices as a lure. Persuading her target to leave the safety of his secured chamber and into the jaws of death. Then, disappearance. As he opened the door the hallway seemed empty. He called out once before feeling a brush against his side. Distraction. Did something slip past him? But there had been nobody there. It couldn’t be.
Death. Upon turning around to reenter the safety of his chamber, the sting of certain death proved him wrong in assuming. “Talk to me if you want to live.” The ghostly shape before him spoke. Offering to spare him in exchange for his voice. He obliged. Pleaded even. Only to have his voice stolen by the ghost. Ashley pulled the knife from her target’s neck and let the dying man collapse while she locked the chamber from the inside. Stepping over the body to search around while contacting ‘Mr. Butler’. The telekinetic connection established while Ashley thrashed the room looking for a trinket to bring back.
“Mr. Butler!” Ashley said, excitedly.
“That’s Portal to you still, Ghost,” the butler stated, shutting down further prattle by directing the topic of conversation. “I take it you have completed the mission? You are running late as it is.”
“You’re no fun!” The juvenile statement contrasted heavily with the copied voice Ashley used to prove the target had been taken care of. Not to mention that the middle-aged man’s voice came from the pipes of a far younger girl. “I can’t come back yet, Mr. Butler, there’s a ton of cool stuff here! Do you want a horse statue or something? It’s real coo- HEY!”
The ‘treasure hunt’ was cut short as Portal ran out of patience. The mission had been completed and within moments Ashley found herself amongst the rest of the HFZ members. Sporting her trusty knife in one hand and a snatched horse statuette in the other. Blissfully unaware of the charged discussion going on. Her eye fell on the new additions to the usual members and shamelessly inserted herself into the mix.
“HEY! Oh, man, everybody already got to hang out?” Ashley voiced her disapproval of being ‘left out’ while still hanging on to her target’s voice. Approaching the Alloways before anyone, or anything, else.
“I’m Ghost!” she continued, infusing the middle-aged voice with her own excitement. It was clear as day her interest was at its peak. However, it wasn’t the Alloways that peaked it, but rather what they carried with them. Two new voices.
The first objective, infiltration, she completed with relative ease. Navigating the compound in a semi-transparent state. An almost ethereal form moving speedily, yet skillfully remaining out of the grasp of the guardsmen. For the most part. Even her translucence could not prevent the occasional watchful eye from catching a glimpse of the ghost wandering the hallways. A sight that came at the highest price. They willingly approached death, lured in by the otherworldly sight and the call of a familiar voice. Their guard dropped enough to overlook the edge of a ghostly knife. Lulled into a false sense of security before the sharp sting of certain death forced them to see their costly mistake.
“Talk to me if you want to live.” She spoke whilst holding the knife in place, prolonging their fleeting existence by stifling the flow. Oftentimes they would respond. Clinging on to unfounded hope. Only to be rewarded with the sound of their own voice responding to their desperate call. The last thing they would ever hear.
Ashley’s mission only became easier now that she possessed the voices of those familiar to her target. Using her stealth to close in on the target and the voices as a lure. Persuading her target to leave the safety of his secured chamber and into the jaws of death. Then, disappearance. As he opened the door the hallway seemed empty. He called out once before feeling a brush against his side. Distraction. Did something slip past him? But there had been nobody there. It couldn’t be.
Death. Upon turning around to reenter the safety of his chamber, the sting of certain death proved him wrong in assuming. “Talk to me if you want to live.” The ghostly shape before him spoke. Offering to spare him in exchange for his voice. He obliged. Pleaded even. Only to have his voice stolen by the ghost. Ashley pulled the knife from her target’s neck and let the dying man collapse while she locked the chamber from the inside. Stepping over the body to search around while contacting ‘Mr. Butler’. The telekinetic connection established while Ashley thrashed the room looking for a trinket to bring back.
“Mr. Butler!” Ashley said, excitedly.
“That’s Portal to you still, Ghost,” the butler stated, shutting down further prattle by directing the topic of conversation. “I take it you have completed the mission? You are running late as it is.”
“You’re no fun!” The juvenile statement contrasted heavily with the copied voice Ashley used to prove the target had been taken care of. Not to mention that the middle-aged man’s voice came from the pipes of a far younger girl. “I can’t come back yet, Mr. Butler, there’s a ton of cool stuff here! Do you want a horse statue or something? It’s real coo- HEY!”
The ‘treasure hunt’ was cut short as Portal ran out of patience. The mission had been completed and within moments Ashley found herself amongst the rest of the HFZ members. Sporting her trusty knife in one hand and a snatched horse statuette in the other. Blissfully unaware of the charged discussion going on. Her eye fell on the new additions to the usual members and shamelessly inserted herself into the mix.
“HEY! Oh, man, everybody already got to hang out?” Ashley voiced her disapproval of being ‘left out’ while still hanging on to her target’s voice. Approaching the Alloways before anyone, or anything, else.
“I’m Ghost!” she continued, infusing the middle-aged voice with her own excitement. It was clear as day her interest was at its peak. However, it wasn’t the Alloways that peaked it, but rather what they carried with them. Two new voices.
