Azure Flame Reloaded

The Atride Corporation is well known for making its money by fomenting wars in different regions, and now two of its representatives, Tanner and Foster, are at a garden party in Algiers, meeting with one of Atride’s allies, General Canora. What they don’t know is that Noir is also there, having been sent to kill them. On the pretence of cuddling up to him, Mireille grabs Foster’s gun and shoots him; meanwhile, Kirika expertly stabs Tanner from behind with a fork.

With those two killed, there are three targets left- Hammond, the Atride Corporation’s president, and his two aides. Before Mireille and Kirika get started on the next part of their mission, however, the two women decide to take some time off at the beach. But whilst Mireille is content to lie and soak up the sun, Kirika is preoccupied by the recollection of the time when she first awoke with no memory of who she was beyond the word ‘Noir’.

Back on the job, Mireille and Kirika keep a close eye on Hammond. At the airport, the two women note the presence of his unobtrusive guards, but whilst Mireille counts four, Kirika is able to spot six. Meanwhile, Hammond himself is meeting with his teenage daughter, Rosalie, but instead of being pleased to see her, he slaps her. Back at his house, Hammond tells Rosalie that she must catch the first flight home to her mother. Rosalie is disappointed- had she been able to stay another day, she could have celebrated her birthday with her father.

Their surveillance over, Kirika and Mireille return to their chalet; Mireille proceeds to get a good night’s rest, but Kirika remains awake. She is curious about Rosalie, perhaps even a little jealous of the normal life the other girl leads.

The next day, Hammond wakes Rosalie with some good news- she can stay with him until next week. Whilst a delighted Rosalie cannot believe her good luck, Hammond heads off to work- but not before buying a birthday present for his daughter first.

At work, Hammond’s aides receive an anonymous message- a map with Noir’s location marked on it. It could be a tip-off, or a trap, but either way, Hammond decides to call in a favour and get General Canora to send in the army.

When the first squad arrives, Mireille and Kirika realise that their enemies must have revealed their location to Atride. Whilst Kirika distracts the soldiers by stepping out of the front of the chalet, Mireille slips out the back. The soldiers start questioning Kirika, but before they can get anywhere, Mireille shoots them down from the roof. Amidst the shooting, Kirika calmly picks up a machine gun from a dead man and finishes off the rest of the soldiers- it is way past time for Noir to finish this job.

Elsewhere, in an unknown location, a mysterious woman is playing chess with herself. A few moves and then checkmate. What is her role in this?

Hammond’s aides are just heading off to some of Atride’s dirty work when they bump into Mireille, who effortlessly dispatches both of them. Meanwhile, Kirika heads up to Hammond’s office. Her gun aimed at him, Hammond does not try to run or fight, but merely resigns himself to the inevitable- this can hardly be any more than he expected his eventual fate to be. Perhaps thinking of Rosalie, Kirika hesitates a moment, but only a moment, before pulling the trigger.

Another job complete, Kirika and Mireille walk away through town separately. Lost in thought, Kirika bumps into Rosalie, who is just coming home from shopping, unaware that anything is amiss. Rosalie smiles at Kirika, who merely walks past quietly, unable to say anything to the girl whose father she has just killed, a girl who, in another reality, could have been her friend…