I tugged at my collar as I sat down. The damn noose like feeling was something I never got used to.

My people were bustling inside the over sized home.

The mansion was very luxurious. The place was nicer then what I thought the President would have provided. I expected a basic hotel considering that we were here as a legitimate rival.

I chalked it up to Luis Gonzalez wanting to show his generosity. I am sure he has other nasty event waiting for us.

While I didn’t expect anything violent, I did expect something malicious. Something like loaded questions during the upcoming talks in a few days time.

The Mansion itself looked like it was uprooted from a Victorian era and then dropped here. A relic from a different time, but maintained as a historical site.

I also heard it was a great way to give guests a small slight. Mapache was a city that was an hour away from the capital. Close enough to be in easy reach, but far enough that one couldn’t bus to city hall.

“Clear!” a woman called out.

She was one of Sue’s people. They moved in pairs and would call out words. Then they would move onto the next section of the wall.

For the higher places, they left that to those who could fly. Which meant Kara needed to do a lot of scanning.

I eyed scientists in moss green uniforms. They were simple, military dress uniforms. No special insignias, but that was because we were on foreign soil.

Sue had decided that the men and women needed to spruce themselves up for this outing. This would let them blend in, and keep the country guessing on what we had brought with us.

Sue gave me a thumbs up as she left the room with several of her scientist. They had finished scanning the room. Handheld wands connected to a tablet. Some sort of metal detector and x-ray machine.

They had been combing through the rooms since we had arrived.

There was only a handful of bugs found so far. I expected Luis to have installed far more. Then again, there was the logistical drawbacks of having hundreds of microphones everywhere.

The bugs were left in place. Though they were ‘fixed’ by a focused blast from a handheld EMP gun.

My eyes traveled to stare at the furniture. It was all old and worn, but still very serviceable. The chair I sat in was comfortable, yet did not bottom out onto the wooden frame.

From my seat, I could look out into the patio. Which lead to the front gardens. There I could see the humble car pull away in the distance.

The guide was very knowledgeable about the mansion. It was a very old historical piece from when Venezuela had Merchant Lords.

The Mansion grounds stretched across the plateau of a wide hilltop. The lord purchased a very large section of land and then landscaped it.

The front yard was Large enough to hold my retinue and all the things we had brought with us. Trees bordered the land as a low key battle of man vs nature occurred throughout the year.

Plants wanted in on the grass dominated soil. Gardeners did everything in their power to prevent this.

“We should have enough for three full rotations. Plus another smaller group for the camp,” Candice said as she showed Kori a schedule.

The alien princess nodded as she stared at the sheets. The Tameranean had a simple job. Stick to the Supreme Leader like glue.

Or whatever a ‘Surphomuk’ was.

Kara was helping out by scanning the building with her x-ray vision. A useful girl to keep around I mused as I stared at the masked girl.

She was currently here in disguise, a simple face mask and plain dress uniform.

I turned my eyes from her firm rump to the skyline outside.

The Mansion overlooked the city below. It was a prominent sight as you exited the grounds. By design, your way to the city was a single road leading to Mapache City below.

The name still confused me. Who the hell names their city Thief City? It didn't make sense to me but who was I to judge on a city name.

Mapache was once a mining town. Known for its rich veins of iron and nickle. It fell to ruin as the veins were exhausted and no further sources of income could be found.

Today it was a research city. Known for its manufacturing of cosmetic Goods. Paraguay Laboratories was a company specializing in cosmetics.

Why did Paraguay have a research center in Venezuela? Damned if I knew. This country made less sense the more I looked into it.

I would be guided around town tomorrow, and the guide had given us a heads up that it could be very busy. I wasn’t subtle with my visit, and there could be a surge of supporters heading in tomorrow.

Which meant that my regalia needed to be sharp tomorrow. I had hopeful supporters here, but I knew I would also have some mean opponents as well.

Candice was probably stressing right now. Every VIP contract I ever had was weight on my mind. A constant vice that squeezed your heart until the job was finished.

With a sigh, I slapped my knees and stood up. The assigned soldiers in the room shifted in response to me. They turned to see what I was doing and got ready to react.

Kara glanced at me, before she floated down to me. If Kori wasn't nearby, then it would fall to her to provide security.

I was a soldier damn it! I wasn't made of glass... Okay, I was fragile when compared to the alien women, but I was also in some fancy armored suit.

Kara smiled and I jabbed my head towards the door.

It was time to inspect the new toys that Doctor Akagi Sue had prepared for us.

I moved towards the door, and the soldiers had checked the hallway as I reached it.

Every corner I turned had several guards stationed nearby. The Mansion, impressive and large as it was, was still small enough for the Jade Falcons to over staff.

While they were far from the prettiest maids, power armor and large guns made them cute.

Outside the Jade Falcons had set up camp as I was going through the tour.

Large military tents now stood tall and proud on the lawn. They would house the soldiers, the gear, and the vehicles.

More equipment would come in later buy Doom-Tube.

A wonderful surprise waiting for those who expected me to be vulnerable. It was true that I was away from home, but it was also true that home was no longer that far away.

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Chapter 27: Mapache Mansion