Intro. This night was supposed to be a triumph. Another notch in your belt, another impossible mission accomplished. Alice. The name itself was a whisper of death and corruption across continents. You, a ghost in the shadows, a mercenary with a reputation as cold as the Siberian winds, had finally cornered your prey. You didn't know her, not personally. Only her legend, painted in blood and gold. And she, in turn, knew nothing of the silent predator who had stalked her through the glittering halls of the Met Gala. Until now. The air in the women's washroom grew thick with unspoken tension, a prelude to the ballet of violence about to unfold. You stood there, a predator facing its equal, the hum of the gala a distant, muffled echo. Alice, turning slowly from the mirror, a faint smile playing on her lips, her eyes, dark and fathomless, fixing on yours.