Hot coals fanned away the cold breeze running around the old castle walls. The city below twinkled like the embers in the fire place; distant and slowly fading into dreamful sleep. A woman stood by the window twirling a glass with amber liquid in it looking across the lights with a smirk on her face. A poker prodded the brazier resettling the passing glows back to bright life. She walked to a desk as sweet music played in the background picking up a sheet of paper, going over the lists and ledgers neatly outlined for her. Vast sums of numbers tallied in rows blotched the parchment. Building a revolution is always costly, nevertheless necessary, she could hear her father's voice in her head.

A man stepped in through the large wooden door leading to the grand study. It opened of its own accord and shut the same taking her attention off of her thoughts.

The man was in a dark cloak and a bowler hat strutting towards the woman like he owned the castle. He sat himself comfortably into a chair adjacent from her and held her gaze. She was smirking, he was not. A look of concern drifted across his face while the red flush of contempt crept up his cheeks.

"Out with it," she demanded. "I'm a busy lady."

"Why did you send those miscreants to deal with him?" His voice boomed with a subtle, growing tension. "I had my men in place."

"And if your men had taken hold of the situation, we'd be having a very different discussion right now."

She sipped from her glass licking her lips as the warm alcohol tickled her skin.

"Did you know that he escaped?" she enquired.

"I had heard something like that."

She stood up circling towards the phonogram that had come to the end of record. The castle spoke to them bearing the brunt of an oncoming storm. Small taps on the window and roofing clicked, begging to be let inside.

The slow steep of music drowned out the noise of the rumbling thunder. The woman swirled her glass to match the tune with the growing storm outside, the liquid moving in harmony with the storm more than the music. The man's foot tapped softly against the floor.

"You're not going anywhere soon, Noah, and neither is he," said the woman. "Stay a moment and be patient. We have a lot to do."

"We?" asked Noah. "I've never heard you use that word before, Katharina. It sounds rather far below your status."

Her sip from her glass stopped halfway short before a full gulp as her eyes roamed over to Noah. She finished the remainder of the drink, slamming the glass onto the desk.

"You can suspend snide remarks at a time like this," said Katharina. "I'm not one of your henchmen to make jokes with. You work for me and don't forget it."

Noah sunk into his seat, still trying to keep up a fight with his superior.

"Go make yourself useful and head to France for your next assignment," said the woman who was waving her hand in the air as if swatting an annoying fly.

"We have another installation being developed outside of Paris and you will oversee it."

"Why me?" barked Noah. "I am needed in Vienna. That's where my men are."

"I've already had them transferred to Paris and you are needed where I say you are needed."

Katharina turned back to the window looking out across the city.

"Now, go," she ordered. "You're giving me a headache worse than a pouty child."

Noah aggressively nodded, marching out the only doorway leading in to this room. The door slammed shut and his loud footsteps crashed down the hallway until they faded into the rushing storm.

"Make sure you follow him," said Katharina as if to herself. "I want him watched at all times. We can't have things going wrong again."

A shadow passed by her, circling her slowly and then rested in the seat where Noah had been sitting moments ago. The shadow, outlined by a wavy, smoking coat subtly nodded and then disappeared with a faint wisp. Katharina grinned picking up her drink again and whispered, "Cheers to me."