Leila stepped into Captain Thorne's office, wondering why she was asked to meet with the captain of another BPI section. Tamara Thorne was the BPI Captain in Charge of the local intelligence operations and while Leila had worked well with Thorne's people in the past, her style didn't really lean towards the sort of subtly – read leave the building standing – that Thorne encouraged among her undercover agents.

Thorne was behind her desk, the normally relaxed captain looking just a fraction tenser than she normally let on. The sources of that tension were standing to either side of her. Two people, one male, and one female – male suit and tie, female jeans and t-shirt – who's body language screamed "I'm an FBI Agent!" stood on either side of the Captain.  hissed the sword on her hip.  Leila shut the voice up. Keeping her internal arguments with her paranoiac omnicidal sword on the inside where it belonged and not all over her face for the spymaster in front of her to see and start asking all sorts of inconvenient questions, Leila cleared her throat. “What does the FBI need from me, ma'am?”

The two Agents stiffened at her abrupt tone as an almost imperceptible amount of Tamara's tension drained left her posture. Leila filed that reaction away for future reference. "They have an operation that your unique abilities make you an ideal candidate to pull off." Thorne's tone was absolutely neutral. Leila resolved to get to the bottom of her friends' hidden animosity towards the FBI.

“SAIC Purdue will brief you.”

The male Agent – definitely capital A – leaned slightly forward as he spoke. " We are currently in the middle of an investigation into the dealings of a human trafficking cartel. We are trying to get to the leader but can't get much information on him other than he likes to have a hands-on approach to the major deals. As part of their advertising strategy, they run a fighting ring where they sell off the combatants after each tournament."

Leila nodded. And you want me to suppress my powers and fight to get a person on the inside, are you people insane!!. While as a lower Class 5, she was capable of doing that, her official power level was a Class 4-6, just above the middle of Class 4. If this place is supposed to be selling combat slaves, the top would probably be mid-fours as well. Do they want me to disguise my powers and fight at full power? Or... Shut up Mo! Do you want to get caught? Purdue kept on talking, oblivious to the fact that his audience was barely paying attention to him. “Understood?” Finally, the Agent got bored of the sound of his voice. Leila replayed the past few minutes over in her mindscape before responding. "Not happening."

The Agents both started at that. Not in the script huh? Tamara didn't react at all, but Leila somehow got the feeling that if she had her brothers abilities, she would be feeling quite a bit of amusement from the other woman.

The male was the first to recover. “You weren't given the option of refusal.”

Leila felt her lips draw back into a smile. “ I don't report to you or Captain Thorne. I'm a member of Section Three. Patrols, Agent, not investigations.”

And if you know anything about what we 'coincidentally' come across on our 'patrols' you wouldn't push me. Another political note to file away, apparently, an FBI agent who knew enough of her file to try to recruit her was actually trying to pressure her. He should know enough to not bother trying. If I didn't think that this could help Jim and myself, he wouldn't succeed.

“The BPI is under the Authority of the FBI,” Purdue snapped. “I can have the head of this area order you to comply.”

No, you really can't. Before she could respond, however, Tamara cut in. “ Why won't you do it? You haven't shown any aversion to going undercover before this.”

Leila snorted. “Normally, I don't have a good chance of dying,” She gave the two FBI agents a look that told them just how unimpressed she was by their threats. “You want me to go into hostile territory, restrict my power, and pretend to be a slave to an under-experienced agent that looks like she's maybe a year out of Quantico, who by the way will also be in charge of the op. This sounds like a great plan. Especially the part where there are only three months until the tournament so we don't have enough time to set me up as a known fighter and I can't imitate another person's psionic wavelengths so setting me up in place of somebody who already exists is just going to get us killed faster."

The female agent looked like she wanted to take offense from that, but a glance from her partner stopped her. “What do you propose?” he asked.

Calmer than she had expected. “One, I'm in charge. This is non-compromisable. She-” Leila glanced at the female, “will likely have more freedom and so will be in charge of communications, but if I say we pull out, we pull out.” Purdue nodded. Leila continued.”Second, I will be responsible for preparations and training for this operation. I will be using resources from outside the government that I will not disclose to you.”

Purdue thought for a moment, “Can you disclose the identities of the providers and nature of these resources?”

Unbelievable, what a ridiculous change in attitude. “Primarily training and intelligence. I can not disclose the identities of the providers.”

Purdue nodded again, “Acceptable. Any further conditions?”

Leila looked the agent in the eyes. "No plea bargains. Not for anyone arrested. I don't care if they offer to give testimony on the kingpin of entire America, you don't accept."

“That's not within my power Agent.” Purdue shook his head, “I can't guarantee that the AG won't want additional testimony.”

An idea came to mind. “No, you can't.” Leila agreed calmly. “But if you tell whoever in the military that's behind this, that she's not getting her new soldiers until I get that guarantee in writing. I think the AG will find my conditions a lot more... agreeable.”

Agent Purdue stared at Leila for a long minute. Tamara's expression barely changed, making it impossible to read. The female agent seemed to be stunned at Leila's bold statement.

Finally, Purdue nodded. "I'll bring it up."

Sold, Leila inclined her head. “I'll need a month for preparations and training. If I don't have the paper in a week, this is off.”

Purdue tapped the other agent on her shoulder, startling her. The other woman walked around Captain Thorne's desk and stuck her hand out. “Raina O'Hara”

Leila took it and grinned, “Leila Drake. Dinner at my place?”