Disclaimer: I do not own Amelia Atwater-Rhodes' Kiesha'ra book series or Ubi Soft's Splinter Cell game series.

And read the end of chapter 7 for info on Kiesha'ra and Splinter Cell.

Operation: Shapeshifter

Sam Fisher

The sky was dark. Heavy cumulus clouds hid the moon and stars. Looked like a storm was coming, probably with thunder and lightning. I had to hurry if I didn't want to be stranded out here in the rain.

Colonel Irving Lambert, the operations coordinator, came on over the cochlear implant. "Sun's down, and the rain's coming. You better get moving, Fisher. You don't have much time."

"I knew that," I said, creeping forward through the thick grass toward the large structure ahead.

"Remember your objective. You are to sedate and apprehend the avian Tuuli Thea, Danica Shardae. Our sources say she's in the serpiente palace with her mate, Zane Cobriana."

"Mate?"

"Mate, pair bond, whatever. Don't ask me about their terminology. Either way, Zane's probably going to be with her at all times. You might have to deal with him first before getting to Danica."

I stopped behind a large shrub. The silhouette of the palace stood before me. It looked sinister, and evil. I flicked my night vision goggles down over my eyes. The world lit up around me, every tree, blade of grass, and mortar block sharp as day. I scanned the second level balcony for guards.

A female voice came on over the implant. "Sam, there are two guards patrolling the balcony," said Anna Grímsdóttir, the communications leader. "Their names are Ailbhe and Adelina. Both of them are white vipers, so be extra careful. It's likely they can see you even in this darkness."

Damn it. I hate it when stealth doesn't work. I was going to have to make do with what I have.

I asked, "What do they look like?"

"Well, the girl will look like a stripper," replied Vernon Wilkes Junior, the team field runner. "The guy will look like her counterpart."

"Wilkes, shut up," Grímsdóttir said. "Since they're white vipers, their hair will be white, or blond-white. That should help you locate them."

I already had. Or at least had for one of them. The slim figure sauntering along the balcony had long, silky white hair that reached down to her waist. The night vision goggles only served to amplify her appearance.

"I found Adelina."

"Don't move," said Lambert. "She's half snake. That means she has both natural night vision and thermal vision. If you go into the open, she'll spot you instantly and alert the others. Chances are you'll have to snipe her from here."

It was going to be a difficult shot. Adelina was over a hundred feet away. She was moving slowly, but she was already halfway down the walkway. If she reached the end and turned the corner, I might never get another shot at her.

I took out my SC-20K and leveled it against my shoulder. I looked through the scope and centered it on the girl's head. I held my breath, and pulled the trigger.

The shot was barely audible. A spray of blood launched from the girl's temple, where a circular hole was punched in. She gasped, gagged, and crumpled in a heap onto the balcony, blood pooling around her.

"Poor girl," I said.