[ he fires before he answers. misses her just barely, though this time the failed shot isn't intentional—he meant to hit her then, but she's fast, good girl. good training. his answer echoes after the crack of the gunshot, aiming unblinkingly at the new doorway she just disappeared behind: ]

Maybe not.

[ he stays where he is, stock-still and alert. from this angle, the wall is meagre cover, so he crouches a little, breathes through his teeth. then, slowly, he edges forward. ]

Mommy's going to be very angry with you. Disobeying orders, no reinforcements, no guarantee of survival. Especially after your last disaster. [ he makes a pitying noise. ooph. ] What a mess.

[ mind games have always interesting to him; the give-take of power and perception, so important these days. even moreso after a piece of his own mind got lost somewhere back in china, all those years ago, taken by his captors and shredded beyond recognition. he has no doubt that she knows what he's doing, but it would be remiss of him not to take this chance in spite of the situation. ]

But I suppose... you helped me. [ that hard drive had been hard to come by. ] Thank you for that.