A House Divided - Chapter 10

Chapter 10

“What’s the time frame on repairing the damage?” Mrs. Yin asked.

“Minimum 2 months,” the voice at the other end of the phone answered.  “Plus we need to get the butterfly back in order to make the system fully operational upon complete and we can’t locate it in the rubble as of yet.”

“Nor will you Mr. Kwang!  You concentrate on repair and let me focus on recovery,” she said hanging up the phone.

Mrs. Yin reclined her office chair a little and thought about the current situation. Not only had her collection of jade miniatures gone missing, that was bad enough, but now with her plan and DOOM’s so close to being completed something, no someone had interfered and set the whole project back months!  She knew Miss Baxter was responsible for one of the two occurrences, maybe both, but she couldn’t be sure.  She had the evidence against Kiko for the theft, still that may have been planted, but since she couldn’t be sure she decided to kill two birds, or more to the point two women with two men!  Unfortunately both women had disposed of them. 

 “Perhaps a mixture of methods was called for or perhaps the two women would manage to kill one another, or just one would survive thus saving her a fee!” she thought picking up the phone to start the procedure.  She loved problems that always came to the same conclusion; it made things so much simpler!

* * * * * * * * * * *

Claire swung the rented car into the parking lot and began the search for a spot.  She’d decided against a taxi for the remainder of the assignment. 

 “They’re just too slow for my liking,” she told herself.  “Besides, when it was a choice between a cab and a Porsche there really wasn’t one!” 

 She finally located a spot, pulled the car in, clicked the alarm into action and started to make her way towards the exit when a hidden leg swept out from between two cars knocking her face first onto the hood of a car!  Claire barely ad time to sweep the haze and surprise from her mind as she rolled onto her back to the leathered legged missile fast approaching her head!  Instinctively both hands raised catching the downward blow, Claire freed a hand and delivered in succession and punch to the upper exposed thigh followed up with a hard shot to the groin!  The free hand swung through with a sharp upper cut flush on the jaw as her leg swung up and connected to the back of her assailants head snapping her down and forward beside Claire!  A back elbow smash between the solar plexus finished the routine as she got to her feet wrenched the prone persons arm behind her back and cocked her fist!

“I guess you finally decided to draw the line!  Well I’m about to erase it!” Claire said loudly over the high pitched squealing tires coming around the corner.  Her fist turned, tightened and came forward to strike the kill!  Kiko closed her eyes!

The first bullets slammed in to the concrete just beside and above the spy splintering shards of the material on the hood of the car like hailstones!  A few landed on Kiko as Claire dragged her down the hood and onto the concrete floor as the material showered on top of them!  Bullets ripped into tires, metal and glass, the latter exploding and landing in a cascade of razor sharp rain around the two women!  The leaden projectiles pinged and screamed everywhere, setting off car alarms as the found home.  It seemed to Claire as if she was inside a giant pinball machine gone wild!  Parts of the vehicle began to break off or merely disintegrate under the attack, they had to move and fast!  Claire crawled quickly away giving Kiko a kick along the way to follow her or choose her own path, Kiko choose her own and moved away in the opposite direction.

The bullets followed her an incessant shadow bent on catching its twin!  She slipped over a concrete barricade and dropped 5 feet to the next level, ran like hell across open ground to the next line of parked cars and began to work her way toward the exit as she pulled her Beretta clear of her ankle holster!  She was well up the line of cars when she heard the footfalls coming from both ends of the level, bullets from their automatic weapons tearing and chewing to pieces all in there path which would soon include her!  She spotted it two spaces down and moved, removing and turning her earring as she went!  Claire crept silently up to the red Honda Interceptor ABS reached up removed and donned the helmet before slipping her earring into the ignition, switching it on and turning her makeshift key!  The engine and the spy roared to life seconds later, Claire vaulting into the saddle, shifting and throttling the bike to the high pitched din of rubber on cement, blue smoke and burning rubber emanating from between the white lines!

The motorcycle left a crescent shaped liquorice mark in its former resting place as the spy roared out of the spot, popped the clutch again forcing the cycle up on one wheel!  Claire bounced the bike down at the same putting a bullet in the forehead of man she approached, her arm swung down and underneath, she squeezed and scored a direct hit at the opposite end of the lot on the other man!

The red flame scorched around the corner and down the next level, the scream of the motor equalled by the death yells of two more men as Claire took her deadly aim and toll!  A quick low tuck high-speed turn and there was the exit and two more men mid way between their guns spitting fire as the converged on a single car!

“Kiko!” Claire said to herself.

She slowed the Honda and fired just a fraction of a second before they turned their muzzles towards her!  They fell still pressing the triggers as the bullets embedded themselves in concrete about covering them in an ethereal death shroud of white dust!  Kiko emerged from between the cars and into the roadway as Claire slowed just enough and extended her left arm.  Claire seized the Kunoichi around the waist as she seized Claire’s waist.  Kiko swung her stiffened body up and around Claire’s back across the front of the bike before splitting her legs on the return and dropping into the seat behind Claire as her arms closed around the spy’s waist!

“Hang on!” Claire yelled.  “We’re going down and then up!  We’ve got company on our ass!”

Behind the duo a Hummer was closing fast and ahead the booth with the wooden toll barrier down!  Claire accelerated hard into the on coming barrier seemingly bent on smashing the bike through it!  Calculated to the second she turned the wheel, applied the brake and collapsed the bike on its side to a cacophony of metal on concrete and a shower of sparks that sprayed around the ladies!  Claire limboed the bike under the bar jerked the wheel opposite from before, righting the powerful 791cc turbo machine fluidity, kicked the throttle full on and rocketed onto the street!

Their pursuers made no such delicate adjustments, the wooden bar snapped off its moorings, 360ed several times before crashing into the toll collector’s booth splintering yet more glass about.  The chase was enjoined as the foes raced through the streets Claire punching the bike in and out of traffic as she put distance, but not enough to outrun the bullets, between her and the Hummer!  She reached back tapped Kiko on the thigh and released to Beretta to the woman’s grasp.  Kiko hung on to Claire with one hand while she turned and fired emptying the remainder of the clip.

“Reach into the back of my pants, I have two spare clips in there,” Claire yelled over the high pitched buzzing of the engine.

Kiko removed one, slammed it into the gun and secured the other in the waistband for easy access before she rejoined the fray.  Claire cut some corners too sharp, accelerated out of others to soon fishtailing the motorcycle all over the road, almost, but never quite loosing control of it as her passenger returned completely in accurate fire as all the while the assailants gained on them!  Claire gunned the bike around a corner and down to the water before another sharp turn motored them rapidly toward the Hung Lok Tunnel.  Claire opened up the machine and it responded the turbo kicking in as they ate up the road, the bike a blur of red and a wall of sound as it screamed down the boulevard!

The tunnel cut as a half circle with sloping sides swallowed them up seconds later and shortly after that the Hummer as the two projectiles raced toward the daylight!  In, out and around Claire moved the bike about the cars in her path while the Hummer did the same.

“Their gaining fast,” Kiko screamed about the engine.  “Let them get a little closer so I can get a good shot off!”

“Shit!” Claire screamed and a second later so did Kiko as she took a furtive glance up the road!  Construction had closed all but one lane with no room to manoeuvre and road rapidly coming to a short premium for the two!

“Once they get close take your best shot and then hang on to me tight,” Claire yelled.

The two slowed and let the Hummer close to with striking distance!  Machine guns spat death all about the bike pock marking the walls of the tunnel as the flaming barrels of the weapons wreathed the vehicles in a deadly halo!  Kiko waited and steadied the weapon as Claire brought the bike straight again for her; she fired, emptying the clip smashing the windshield and grill but not stopping the menace.

“Now!” she yelled to Claire who downshifted then up again giving the bike the acceleration it needed as the Hummer closed in for the kill!

“You’re redlining!” Kiko wailed.

Claire ignored the warning and pushed the Interceptor all the way open, the engine pitched high, the bike hesitated for an instant while the pistons turned freely before catching the camshaft.  The bike exploded forward and over to the edge of the road and the off it!  The bike rose up on the wall of the tunnel tentatively at first but inching higher under Claire’s nudging until the two were 90 degrees from the roadway, gravity, centrifugal force and velocity all working in tandem to keep them there as the construction came upon them!  The Hummer came along side blasting its death at them, but always just miraculously missing until Kiko emptied the last of the clip into the side door!  The Hummer swung widely to the left, went up on two wheels then off them as it rolled over and over like to crazed top straight toward disaster!

All that happened next was mixed into a pastel of sound and fire.  The two women vaulted out of the tunnel wall Claire and Kiko leaning hard to their left to bring the wheels vertical with the roadway and outrun the expanding fireball spewing forth from the tunnel entrance engulfing all in its path!  The pursuers so intend on catching their prey had themselves become the prey in a blaze of glorious death as the Hummer slammed full on into the back of a parked fuel tanker truck!  The two could feel the heat on their backs for just a second and then nothing as Claire turned a corner and slowed finally coming to a stop underneath a raised section of roadway in an abandoned old industrial complex.  She switched off the bike, swung down the stand, removed her helmet, slipped off her mount and faced Kiko who was already off.

Both women eyed each other head to foot neither speaking until it dawned on them they were both wearing the exact same outfit!  Leather pants and vest with a red blouse, cut differently, but stylish and revealing to suit their body types.  Kiko reacted first, ejecting the last spent clip; it clanged off the concrete unnoticed as she kept her eyes fixed on the spy.   She hesitated before coming forward and slipping the warm steel barrel of the gun into the front of her pants.

            “Mrs. Yin won’t be pleased to hear we’re still alive but tomorrows another day!” Claire said

“You had your chance the other night, but your assassin missed!” Kiko retorted  “Today I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, a mere coincidence.”

“I don’t hire people to do what I’m fully capable of doing and doing right the first time as our little confrontation earlier should have convinced you of!” Claire stated in surprise.  “Any attempt on your life came from within and you needn’t look any further than the woman you work for!”

“You’re lying, but I’ll give you credit you’re very good at it,” Kiko smirked.

“When you get back to your apartment do me the favour of checking two things would you.  One the sensor to your bedroom skylight seems to be easily bypassed and two you’re safe!  Left 24, right 45, left 12.  See if the miniature jade figurines I stole are still there, my guess is there back in Mrs. Yin’s hands already!” Claire stated knowingly.

The COIL agent watched Kiko’s face startle for a flash of time and then recover. 

 “Again you are a cleaver liar Miss Baxter.  Mrs. Yin knows I’m loyal to her alone and your clumsy attempt to dismember that loyalty cannot fool her.”

Claire gave up in exasperation, turned away to get on the bike and leave and then surprising even herself turned around, looked at Kiko and said. 

“Your loyalty, however misguided is commendable.  I only hope Mrs. Yin takes that into account before she kills you!” and then she saw it.  The look Kiko gave told her everything she needed and didn’t need to know. 

 “Just do yourself a favour when you go to see her, go armed and ready to fight!”  Claire said as she started the bike and sped away leaving Kiko and her thoughts alone, hers were firmly fixed on the second island.

* * * * * * * * * * *

“That’s a very intriguing notion!  I like the irony of it all!  Give her the thing she most desires only to see it taken away once again by me.  An excellent idea indeed! No time like the present, summon her at once!”  Mrs. Ying said to no one in particular in the meeting but knowing the matter was taken care of all the same.

* * * * * * * * * * *

The COIL agent made a few stops on her way back to returning the somewhat damaged motorcycle.  Ashley Martin, the bikes owner was at first furious and then delirious at Claire’s disclosure of the damage and then the cheque to cover the damages and some modifications to the Interceptor.  She decided to postpone her visit to the second island for at least one day, besides, she had a feeling the evening would provide her with all the action she could handle!
 

A spa bath with scented candles and oils was just the tonic for the day’s tribulations.  Her soft form soaked up the rich emulsifiers, releasing the tension and rejuvenating all they touched.  She tenderly padded herself dry; the thick towel soaking up the excess liquid that clung to her.  Claire moved into the now dark sunroom and began stretching her body mixing yoga, martial arts and dance into one fluid series before ending in the classic lotus position.  She let her body cool for a few minutes before opening a small bottle she’d brought along from the bathroom.  The spy warmed the bottle in her hands before letting a small portion escape to her skin between her breasts.  Slowly she swayed her torso as her hands massaged the oil about her neck, breasts, arms and stomach in a sensuous caress until she was bathed in a radiant luminescent glow.  Next came her legs, she slipped one limb free and pulled it up her body.  Claire again poured a small amount of the oil on the bottom of her foot.  Interlocked hands swept down and around her leg coating it in oil as they went letting the slick substance penetrate her skin as she rubbed.  She switched legs and repeated the procedure before returning her suspended appendage to the floor, splitting her legs, leaning forward and executing a handstand in a split position before bending and manoeuvring to stand upright once more.  She finished with her back and ass, opened several large windows to let air into the suite and pulled on a loose fitting sheer baby doll nightie.

Claire picked up her Yoga book, slid into bed and began reading for a short time before glancing at her alarm clock.

  “That’s enough for now, it’s getting near my time,” she thought, she closed the book and turned off the light plunging the room into black.

Even in the darkness the glint of polished metal flashed before her eyes!  Claire watched the sword strike several times, like the flash of lightning it was there and gone only to return again with equal fury!   The spy felt the sheets rip and the mattress tear open before her eyes and then nothing, just the darkness overtaking all!

“The maid usually does a better job on the bed,” a voice said from the darkness as Kiko turned quickly sword still in hand until she felt something take hold of it and wrench it free.

Claire appeared seconds later, book under one hand the sword and leather strap in the other.  Kiko her A plan thwarted moved to B as her right hand danced 3 throwing stars at the spy.  Claire dodged the first, raised the Yoga book and caught the other two in the thick leather binding with a smile.

“Any other tricks or are is your bag empty?” Claire asked, the answer already foretold by Kiko’s shocked expression.

The spy put down the book, raised the sword up taking the tip in her free hand as she placed the blade over her knee her eyes carefully watching Kiko all the while.  Claire bowed the sword just a little the Kunoichi’s mouth opened in horror, her face glazing over like she’d suddenly been punched in the stomach.  Then Claire knew for sure!  She’s suspected before, but this just confirmed it for her.  The spy relaxed her tension on the blade, but too late for Kiko to see!  The woman, the loss too much to bear again, had fled in horror and shame at her defeat leaving Claire alone, but still feeling her presence in the room.

* * * * * * * * * * *

The COIL agent slipped inside and made her way stealthily down the hall unsure of where she’d find her.  At her side the prize burned bright in the low light, ready to do the bidding of the user!  She turned corners, checked a few rooms, somehow she knew they’d be empty, she knew where she’d be because she’d be in the same place.  She stepped into the doorway of the exercise room and found her slumped in the corner, still dresses in her black Ninja clothes from their earlier encounter, her back up against the wall.  The woman looked up momentarily, not surprised at all by the intruder, indeed, the look on her face to register that she’d expected it, before it returned to rest on her drawn up legs.  Claire walked softly over to her and knelt down the sword held upright between them.

“She must have been a very good and powerful Kunoichi to have such a magnificent sword.  I date it from about the middle of the seventeenth century, it was an honour to be able to examine it, but your ancestor’s sword belongs to you and you alone,” Claire said holding it flat across her chest for Kiko to take.

Kiko’s tear stained face looked up in surprise.  “How did you know?”

Only the guardian of a family tradition would have reacted the way you did when I went to break it over my knee which I swear I never would have done, but I needed to be sure I was right about it and you.”

Kiko’s puzzled look prompted Claire to continue.

“The first look you gave after our motorcycle adventure raised my suspicions.  I don’t think a Ninja is afraid to die, but to die by the use of your own sword in the hands of another is an agony that cannot be overcome for a Ninja.  You would continue to be the servant to Mrs. Yin as long as she owned your legacy!  Has every daughter since Hioto Matsumora been a Kunoichi in your family?”

“Yes, I was the holder of that legacy and trust until I lost the sword to Mrs. Yin!”

“How?” Claire asked quietly.

“How is not important, only that it happened.  She gave me the sword to kill you and said that it would release the obligation my family owed her and the sword would be mine again.”

“It was a set up, you know that!  After you left the police came to my door.  They said they’d received a compliant about a fight in the apartment.  Obviously they were sent by Mrs. Yin to arrest one or both of us and recover the murder or at the very least attempted murder weapon depending on how the fight between us worked out.  I hid the sword and since you had left, well they left empty-handed.”  Claire said leaving out the “as well” from the last part of the sentence.

Claire brushed away some hair from Kiko’s face and placed one of her hands into the handle of the sword.

  “Your debt has been paid in full and this is yours once more.  Lies and dishonour cannot be used as collateral!”

Kiko closed her hand cautiously around the blade and then got to her feet uneasily.  She raised the sword up and looked at Claire unsure of what to do next her mind racing beyond its capacity to reason.  Instead she said nothing, but silently walked over to the empty sword rack across the room and lovingly returned her heirloom to its proper resting-place.

“We must regrettably finish this encounter Miss Baxter on an unpleasant note!  I must honour my obligation and kill you, despite your kindness to me!”  Kiko said as she braided her hair quickly.

Claire sighed and stood up she had expected as much and taken the precaution of wearing loose fitting cotton pants and a tee.  She flexed her shoulders apart slightly and danced her legs, shaking them ready for the fight that came to her presently in the form of a running flying kick from Kiko.  The spy deftly side-stepped the woman and waited for her next move, a spinning back heel kick!  Claire caught her ankle, spun herself inside out and sent the Ninja corkscrewing in the air to a hard landing!

Kiko looked up stunned at Claire, but got to her feet and attacked savagely once more!  She came forward feet and hands flailing into her opponent, attacking at all possible angles and height!  Once again Claire parried the blows and thrusts before seizing one of Kiko’s arms, locking hers into it and stepping inside for a gentle hip toss of the woman to the mat!  The Ninja, clearly frustrated, back pedalled away on her hands and feet before executing a nip up to her feet.

Kiko steadied herself and then came again her hands open and pointed like the edges of a knife.  She slashed and cut at Claire, close, but always missing until the spy caught her two forward charging hands at waist level in hers, turned her wrist upward and forced Kiko to her knees!  Claire stretched the Ninja’s arms straight out from her side stepped over them with her legs and fell forward.  As she fell the spy’s legs encircled her trapped prey’s upper body, her feet locking tight together under her opponents chin!  Claire simultaneously pulled her arms and legs forward to snap Kiko’s neck; the fight was over for her!  The COIL agent took the fight out of the writhing woman slowly, sinking the hold deeper as she tired until Kiko could struggle no more!

“Mrs Yin will have an easy time killing you don’t learn to fight better than this Kiko!” Claire said as she released her from her legs, swung round and brought her face next to the exhausted woman’s.

  “She or someone she hires will be coming for you just as they will for me.  My suggestion is you had better practice if you hope to live another day.”  Claire left and left something in silence, leaving Kiko and all her tortured thoughts to themselves.

* * * * * * * * * * *

“These two are proving to be more resourceful and resilient than I had anticipated.  Miss Baxter finds her own trouble, but Kiko is another matter altogether.  Taking the sword away is no longer satisfying enough for me!  I want the sword and her head; she has most definitely used up her usefulness to DOOM and me!”  Mrs. Yin smiled.  “Now to find the instrument of my wrath.”

* * * * * * * * * * *

Claire didn’t need to give Mrs. Yin any extra chances to kill her; she’d have plenty in the next few days.  Accordingly she changed hotels, one right on the water with an excellent far off view of her next target, island number 2.  Claire rechecked the entry point on her laptop.  The island was really more of an atoll, very shallow clear blue water, no more than 10 to 20 feet deep from about one hundred yards in.  But unlike most atolls it was covered in vegetation, again her mind went back to just what kind of foliage it was?  She closed the computer, she’d have her answer in several hours, once it got dark enough, several days of rest and hiding had made her fit again and nervous for action!

Her silhouette cut through the water the one piece Dolphin Body Suit giving her form all the added buoyancy and speed she needed, she surfaced for air silently and then disappeared again.   Incrementally she worked her way to the beach until finally she dashed up the white sands and into the cover of the jungle.  Claire unzipped the body suit, fine for water, but hot and uncomfortable on land and hid it for her return along with her flippers.  She took her gun, complete with laser sight and silencer, slipped it into the back of her one-piece bathing suit her only other clothing a pair of leather sandals she had worn inside her flippers.

Claire wrenched the gun free and moved off into the jungle flipping her former swimming goggles to the night vision setting as she went.   The spy bent twigs and left concealed markers on the path for the journey back, which if all went according to plan, which it rarely did, would be unhurried.  The vegetation seemed to be of the normal variety, she noted nothing out of the ordinary as she traversed the path toward the epicentre of the island.   Like a jungle cat the COIL tigress prowled onward making steady progress until she could see the lights ahead!  She crouched down behind a large rubber tree, concealed to all, as she studied the area and formulated an entrance plan.

No one came in our out of the building over the next 30 minutes so she decided to act!  Stealing from the shadows she slunk across the open ground to the door of the building, listened, heard nothing then turned the latch slowly gun at the ready!  The small building was packaged floor to ceiling with computer equipment, monitors, oscilloscopes and a main control centre manned by one person whose eyes came alive when he saw the intruder!  Claire made sure it was the last thing he ever saw with them!  She rolled the chair containing his slumped form away from the desk and began her search for the second piece of the pie, the cricket.

“Shit! Where can it be?” Claire said under her breath after 20 minutes of fruitless searching through the computer files had turned up nothing.  Frustrated, she stepped away from the desk to put her emotions back in check and review the problem.

“It has to be here!” she said.  “If only the walls could talk?” then it hit her.

The spy walked over and turned up the volume on the first oscilloscope, then the second until all six were beeping away.  She called up the patterns on the computer screen and recorded a repeating sample of all six and played it back.

“Not quite right Claire, try again.”

She rearranged the patterns several times before the unmistakable sound of a chirping cricket was heard.  The agent smiled, inserted a blank Cd, copied the file, picked up the dead man’s assault rifle, then headed for the door when all hell broke loose!  Bullets ripped into the building as she dove for cover, returned fire and dashed for the jungle path a patrol of 5 men hot on her trail!  She emptied the clip on her Beretta, tossed the gun away and swung round the rifle.  Several shot muzzle blast brought a series of longer and more intense blasts in response ripping leaves and small branches from the jungle canopy! The Ping-Pong series of skirmishes contained for a while until Claire heard the ominous click/click of an empty clip and knew she had to change the rules of engagement to her advantage.  She tossed the useless weapon away, diverted from the path and made her way into the thick undergrowth of the forest.  Sporadic fire followed her; some whizzing by uncomfortably close for her liking before it died away.

“Halt!” said the squad leader.

“But Sir we would have had her in the next couple of minutes!” said another.

“We don’t need to worry about that now!  The jungle will do that or us, all we have to do is collect the bones in several days time!” the squad leader laughed.

Claire caught her breath for a moment before pulling out the disk and smiling.  “Now to get what you contain safely back to COIL.”

She moved off, took a few steps before she was swallowed up to the chest and stuck fast!  The disk flew from her hand as she fell over hard to the ground her body attacking its captor with boundless passion but unable to free itself!  She felt her body heat up and instantly knew what she had hoped wasn’t the case, she’d been caught by a Giant Steaming Lotus, a carnivorous plant that literally cooked its victims to death in the heat in converted from the sun!  Its ultra sticky pedals had snapped closed around her when she accidentally triggered the plant’s trigger mechanism.  Only her breasts, shoulders and head had escaped total encasement within the Lotus but what it had of her was more than enough to suffice!

Her body writhed and thrashed as the plant began to heat its prey up!  She was slick and soaking in her own sweat within twenty minutes as she battled the sticky pedals for some, any freedom!  The plant was much to fibrous to cut her way out of, instead she moved her hands inside the pedals and slipped of her bathing suit, before they were sprayed with the Lotus’ sticky secretion that held its prey permanently, allowing her body to breath a little better.  She rejoined the fight her naked body somewhat rejuvenated but still impossibly trapped strained to be free from the grip of the Lotus as she grunted and roared in an effort to encourage herself on!  The spy fought on for hours, her body cooking slowly beneath the pedals as she squirreled and twisted her snake like form hopelessly, the Lotus let her move it about the earth with total freedom, its flexibility taking away any she could muster as it went with her actions!

Death would have to wait another day as the sun started to rise.  The Lotus now stiffened and became erect dragging Claire upright in the process!  The outside layers of the pedals peeled backward to catch the sun leaving a transparent membrane of themselves and inside that their meal!  The plant would replenish itself during the day and then finish her after sunset; she had all day to bake while she contemplated her death!  The tropical sun beat down mercilessly upon her; she became hallucinogenic and lingered on the edge of reality most of the day dreaming half-awake dreams of people she had encountered on past missions.  She couldn’t understand any of them as the plots merged, people changed into someone else while speaking and although she understood all that was being said it made no sense when she repeated it to herself, it just came out gibberish.

She thumped to the ground and came awake as much as she could. The plant sometime during the day had swallowed more off her stiff form, now only her head remained free!  Again the enveloped spy snaked and bent her sheathed body as the Lotus steamed her body within its gluey confines!  By noon she was hanging by a thread of hope the plant had pulled her deeper into its body sealing the spy to its gelatinous secretions!  Claire felt the adhesive all over her upper body as it flowed from the Lotus’ membrane onto her skin and welded her to it!  The COIL agent worked her naked, dripping, scorching hot body for everything it had as the plant began to pull her inside!  Claire knew that once she slipped from sight and the tips of the pedals touched she’d be digested as the Lotus secreted an enzyme that would instantly begin the dissolve her body!

The steam bath continued unabated all afternoon, her body superheated and screaming in pain at her as she felt the lethal Lotus pull up and over her ears, she had less than an inch of life left!  Claire rocked and tilted her hips, her muscles thrusting and contracting as she danced them forcefully against her captor as she worked her body for position.  The sweltering woman’s left foot was dislodged in her frenzied undulations, freed to spring the trap open if it could!  Claire had had to let the Lotus surround her almost totally for this her one chance!  Escape earlier had been impossible, but as the plant plunged deeper around her, her lower body was held by only a very thin membrane of the residue, her hip action had broken their hold.

“Now to see if I haven’t lost my touch,” Claire thought as energy found her body for one final chance at escape.

The encased spy’s foot probed carefully until it found its target, the trigger lever for the Lotus.  Claire slowly and tenderly entwined the thin leaf about her toes; carefully making sure it didn’t slip away from her wet dripping grasp.  Her toes tensed and released, bent and unbent, contracted and stroked the trigger in an effort to fool it into resetting by flooding it with a sweet syrup it used to attract its non-human victims!  The heat prostrated spy began to feel the final sucking downward of her flaccid body even as she worked, she ignored her fate and concentrated on escape!  A turn of her ankle and a repositioning of the trigger brought small results, it slowly began to fill with fluid, becoming semi soft to the touch!

The felt the base of the trigger rise up to meet the bottom of her foot as it pushed through the space of her toes.  Claire released slowly and re-entangled it quickly between just two toes as she continued her labour of escape.  She stroked the trigger up and down pumping the delectable honey into the hollow as it grew harder.  Her wet toes slipped and stroked endlessly until finally the trigger leaked just a little from the opening and fell on her foot.  Claire slid her toes slowly down the triggers shaft until she felt the base, she tightened gently and turned slightly resetting the mechanism.

The leaves gave way and pulled back still stuck to the spy as she twisted and flexed her naked moisturised body to break free.  Claire pulled free minutes later and rolled away her body reddened from the heat and exhausted beyond anything she’d ever experienced.  The spy stumbled in the darkness towards where she thought the long discarded disk lay, after more than an hour she found it.  Claire fought to get to her hands and knee’s, she tried three times, each more desperate than the last, to get to her feet, but she couldn’t!  Protecting the disk as best she could, she crawled off back toward the path she had left more than a day ago collapsing more times than she could count and nearly coming to tears over the pain and desperate situation she knew she was in.

“Even if I make it to the water how will I get off back to my craft over 200 yards off shore!?” she thought to herself as the panic began to rise in her for the first time in a very long while!

She stumbled and fell over and over again to the point of tears until finally she crawled along the jungle carpet through the night until she could her the lapping of water nearby!  Claire, a rushed of adrenaline over coming her found her feet and stumbled down the path tumbled and fell into the shallow water.  She lay starring up at the clear night sky dotted with stars wishing for a better fate upon each one before she clawed her way to her wet suit, threw it on and slipped into the water.

She flailed more than swam, the fluid motion of the swim to the island gone, replaced by haphazard lunges and stabs at the water as she worked towards her low lying craft.  After 30 minutes she checked the homing locator on her wristwatch to adjust her course.  Several resets later she realised the boat wasn’t there anymore, she was along in the ocean and more than 15 miles from land, the panic came back!

She lost control of herself after that and swam in circles smacking the water hard in anger spending energy she didn’t have until she stopped gave in and started to cry!  Even as it happened she hated, but couldn’t stop herself from doing it until it had run its course.

“Ok stupid, how the fuck are you going to get yourself out of this mess!” she said after the last tear hit the ocean.  “There appears to be only one answer Claire.  Swim to you can’t anymore!”

Resolved the spy moved forward toward the light pollution glaze over the water that was Singapore Harbour.  After two hours she’d gone maybe 2 miles in the ocean that was getting rougher with each stroke, the swells over two feet and growing.  She pressed on wearily but slowly she was becoming disoriented and semi conscious, falling into periods of non-reality even as her body continued to swim along.  She snapped out of it several times, fell back in, came out and then slipped over the edge and into a trough she couldn’t get to the top of!

She rolled over on her back and kicked her body in circles gazing at the breaking dawn as she laughed and crashed her hands aimlessly in the water.  The circles slowed the splashing calmed then she lay still before slipping beneath the surface the promise of a new day erased by the void of the ocean as her mind played a last cruel prank on her.  She imagined she was moving through the water at a great speed and not even trying to do so.  She rose up from the depths to the fractured light of the surface before smashing through into the air and continuing up as if this was natural!  The air was sweet a fresh with all the vitality of an early morning and still she soared up to the heavens, the light warm and beautiful upon her.  Then she stopped, so close in reach of it, like she could just stretch out a hand grasp it making it hers!  She reached out but the more she tried the farther it got away, she frantically thrust her hand outward but she fell away from it as she slipped back down from the light as her eyes flicked open to the sky.

* * * * * * * * * * *

“Slow down, slow down,” Claire said calmly using her hands to emphasise the point to the captain and man named Yuen Hwang.  Her command of Mandarin and his of English were just about on par with each other reducing the two to simple words, pointing and gestures to make each other understood.

From what Claire had so far been able to understand was that she had become entangled in their fishing net as the Sea Dragon, Yuen’s boat, had been raising it from the ocean floor after a nights fishing. They’d revived her and her she was in the captain’s cabin being peppered with question after question so to her mind it had to be true.

As the Sea Dragon made its way into the twisting maze of jetties and causeways that made up Singapore’s fishing harbour Claire and Yuen had managed to answer all of each others questions including ones regarding Claire’s next island.  Yuen through drawings and charts had managed to relay to her something nobody else knew but that her suspected that the island had an underground access cave!  He reasoned this by current flow temperature readings and fish her hand caught near the island.  The fish he said were the main reason her suspected the cave, as they were of a variety that liked very deep water and complete blackness, something a cave could mistakenly provide them with.  He even showed Claire on a chart the possible location of it.

Claire broke all the rules and told him everything about herself and what she was doing, even the nature of the assignment, he probably had guessed something like it anyway she reasoned and asked for his help.  Everything should have made him say no but his smile confirmed the affirmative and an ally.

He gave Claire a map on how to get back to the Sea Dragon via the maze of docks and wharf’s while she told him that he could expect delivery of some equipment for her and to keep it a secret and away from prying eyes.  She gingerly stepped off the ship, unsure and unbelieving that she had actually survived the ordeal, but thankful none the less.  Her body however was severely hurt and it showed as she winced in pain with each step she took.
 

Claire stumbled into her suite barely managing to close the door behind her.  She was exhausted, sore, hurting and hungry then she added not alone to the list!   The spy hand very little left to offer; just enough to end this confrontation quickly, one way or the other with whomever lay in wait against her! Claire made straight for her laptop, removed the disk from inside the suit and transferred the data to COIL before saving an encrypted copy to the hard drive and then destroying the disk.  Gathering her thoughts and her body Claire moved to the bedroom, her eyes darting about for any signs of her unwelcome guest.  Carefully reaching under the Futon platform of her bed she retrieved a hidden Beretta, cocked the gun and headed for the bathroom.  She pushed the door open pressed her body flat against the outside wall for defence.   The expected shot from inside never materialised, spinning round the corner, down on one knee, wincing in pain as she did Claire levelled the gun and panned it around the room searching for a target to lock onto!

“Don’t move another muscle and loose the gun!” came the response from above.

Claire, her body numbed by pain and lack of sleep had neglected to look up at the ceiling.  The intruder had her as they dropped to the floor, stood behind her and kicked her weapon out of reach.  Claire watched as a second gun traverse the floor to join hers as cautious hands turned her sideways and leaned her back against the wall of the room.

“I was beginning to think I’d never see you again?”

Claire tried to talk but a soft set of fingers pressing against her lips invited her silence.

“Relax, you’re, we’re safe for the time being,” Kiko whispered giving Claire a tender kiss on the cheek. 

The Kunoichi saw the spy’s face relax with her words and kiss.  Kiko took hold of the zipper for the wetsuit and carefully slid it down as far as it would go.  She tentatively worked her shoulders and arms out of clinging material carefully watching Claire’s pain racked face as she gently tried to free her, which she did over time.   Half an hour later and with food in her stomach thanks to room service Claire was helped into the very large spa bathtub to soak her battered body in a luxurious combination of exotic oils and scents that Kiko had mixed with the water.  Claire’s stiff body began to relax in the revitalising concoction after only a few minutes as she drifted within a haze of sleep and semi-consciousness and happy to do so.

She awoke slowly pushing the film of fog from her mind until it was clear.  She was still in the water, only not alone anymore.  Kiko sometime during her period of rest had joined her in the water and joined her body to Claire’s!  The Ninja’s soft slippery body moved about Claire’s working her magic on the woman as Claire relaxed more and more and Kiko tightened more and more until she had the woman.

“Don’t move Claire,” Kiko whispered.

“Why would I want to?  Your Water Lily technique is excellent!” Claire breathed.

“I’m glad you’re familiar with Kunoichi healing practices.  Now relax and breath, I need to feel your body so mine can adjust about yours and start the healing process.” Kiko soothed.

“I..” Claire started.

“Shhh, we’ll talk later for now silence!” the Ninja cooed.

The spy could feel every inch of Kiko's nubile body on hers as she worked to repair it.  The Water Lily was a secret healing skill only known to the Kunoichi, not their male counterparts.  Claire had experienced it once before, but not nearly as good as Kiko was now applying it.  Her tender rubs and strokes coupled with massage skills pushed the pain and ache to the surface and then out of Claire’s body as she clung to her.  Their intertwined bodies became one as Kiko secured Claire tight to her the Ninja’s long legs coiled about the agent’s body her chin resting on the top of Claire’s head their arms embraced!

 Claire’s head just above the water was held still by Kiko while below the water the Kunoichi’s body worked deeper into the spy’s with gentle healing rhythms the oil helping her form slip effortlessly against Claire’s.  The only sound the odd burbling of water as Kiko adjusted her and Claire matching the spy’s increasingly slow breathing.  Each could feel the other, the power, the softness, the curves, and the beauty of each form against the other but neither moved to feel more, it would have ruined the moment and the experience.

            Slowly Kiko began to unwind herself from her partner until only her legs encircled Claire’s hips and those stayed as she reclined their bodies against the edge of the spa tub Claire’s head resting just below hers.

 “You were very badly banged up but I think I managed to heal most of it!  Do you want to tell me what happened or is it top secret?” Kiko asked the laugh in her voice evident.

 Claire smiled and then began to relay the tale in all its detail to Kiko who absentmindedly stroked or tensed her legs around Claire during the more intense moments as a sign of comfort that the spy very much appreciated.

 “This time nearly killed you, the next time?” Kiko left the sentence there not wishing to complete the thought in her mind.

            “I have no choice, it’s my job!  I don’t get to pick and choose my assignments based on whether or not I have a chance to be killed or survive.  I gave up that part of my life the minute I became a COIL agent and I accept it.”  Claire answered.  “The sooner I get this over with the better and thanks to your skills I think I’ll have a go tomorrow night!  Perhaps so soon after the second attempt will catch them by surprise?” she added hopefully.

 A long empty silence filled the room; Kiko nearly spoke several times, but held back out of sheer force of will before Claire picked up the conversation again.

“And what brought you here?”  she asked pulling away from Kiko turning around and splashing to the other end of the tub her mouth showing just the hint of a smile.

 The Ninja came toward her swung round reclined and felt the pleasure of Claire’s long legs enfold about her hips as her arms encircled her chest and the two got comfortable.

 “Just as you predicted Mrs. Yin sent someone to kill me!  Luckily, for me, another someone had left a copy of a certain part of an ancient text for me to study before they showed up.”

 Claire squeezed her body against Kiko’s as a sign of comprehension.  The COIL agent, thanks to Kiko’s throwing stars had made a fantastic discovery regarding the Yoga book she had been reading the night the Kunoichi had tried to kill her.  The throwing stars had torn a small seem in the old brown leather cover.  Upon their removal Claire was shocked to find that the other side of the cover was not brown but a dull manila colour indicating something had been sown between the two strips of leather!  Inside both the front and back covers were 10 sheets of fine paper with detailed diagrams and instructions regarding a very lethal form of Yoga thought lost forever called Dewendi.  Claire had made a copy of one such hold and left it at Kiko’s when she returned the sword hoping she would heed the advice about Mrs. Yin’s plans for her.

            “Before I continue I need to know some things Claire regarding you and I?  First would you have killed me in the parking garage if we hadn’t been interrupted?  Second why did you save me then if the answer to the first question is yes and finally why seek me out to return the sword when I most assuredly would have killed you that night in your room?”

 “Yes to the first question,” she said as she stroked Kiko’s arms with hers.  “The second is a little more complicated but here goes.  That’s no way for women, who do what we do to die, we deserve a much more exotic and personal method.  A bullet from a double cross is cold and heartless and doesn’t befit the passion that we have for our chosen professions.  Lastly, I saw the look in your eye both after you got off the bike and just when I was about to break the sword.  That was all I needed to see the real you away from the yoke of burden you carried and I saw somebody worth getting to know better even if it meant the risk I took.  Boiled down I had a feeling about you and I had to know one way or the other.  I’ve never operated like this before, but you got to me and as it turned out the risk was worth the reward!”

 Kiko was still for a few moments fighting with her rising emotions before she launched into her story as a means of regaining control.

            “I found the diagram and the note you left, you took an awfully big risk telling me where you were going to be staying.  I could have taken that information and ran to Mrs. Yin with it, which I’m ashamed to say I was on my way to do when I encountered some blonde resistance in the elevator of my apartment!”

 “She got on the floor below me, smiled and pushed the stop button as she snapped and connected with a kick to my stomach followed up by an elbow to the back of my neck and then a knee to my chest!  I crash into the corner of the elevator and she was on me in that instant.  Tall, over six feet, very thin, but strong, wiry and extremely fast, her moves were all economical and proficient in motion.  She pulled me to my feet and flung me across the space to the opposite wall, missed with a jump kick and I countered with an inside kick to her thigh that was like hitting steel!  Shocked I tried two more, same effect, she blocked my third with a raised leg of her own and another punch to my stomach that doubled me over from the force!  I was in serious trouble and she knew it a final blow set me up for her finishing move as she picked me up once again, turned me around in a chin lock so we were back to back and lifted me off the ground!”

 “She pulled up and back my neck stretching painfully under her control!  I thought she was a COIL assassin until she mentioned Mrs. Yin, then I realised you’d been right all along about her!  It was however both an unfortunate and fortunate time to be wrong!  She had me but I had the other half of my hand or should I say legs to play with!  I kicked off my shoes and started to work my legs up her back bending myself into a ball as I worked upward on her.  She strained, shimmied and twisted to try and dislodge my creeping action but my assets wouldn’t be denied their prize!”

 “Carefully I worked them about her head and neck my body tested to the limits of its stretching prowess as she sought to finish me with sudden quick thrusts of her upper body but to no avail all she did was let me cinch her tight within me!  I could feel her weakening and her panic, her trap on me had become her trap, and if her hands slipped free of my chin the fight would switch to my advantage!  We stalemate for several more minutes before she fell to her knees and with a slight twist of my hips I released her hands from my chin!”

“I could have ended the fight then and there but then there was the matter of the diagram that so intrigued me!  Patiently I took her body into the mine over the next hour, she wiggled and squirmed and twisted her fibrous body endlessly but she couldn’t escape the ever-tightening embrace overtaking her!  She twitched one final time as I completed the hold and then she was still unable to move.  The Damselfly finished her in several excruciatingly painful minutes after that!  I disposed of her body and realised I only had you to turn to.  I made my way over here, making sure I wasn’t followed, used the codes you had provided and waited and waited for you to show up!  Sorry about the way I greeted you but my nerves were getting the better of me.  I thought they’d got you and were now coming for me again!”

“They get another chance tomorrow for that!” Claire said as she released her legs from around Kiko, who slid away as Claire stood up and got out of the bath followed by the Kunoichi.

“I’m sorry but I both think we need to get some sleep we both have big days ahead tomorrow,” Claire stated.

“I know what you’re doing, but what am I?” Kiko said surprised and hopeful that Claire meant to include her on the final part of the mission.

“You’re leaving town and getting as far away from here and Mrs. Yin as possible!” the spy stated flatly.

“I’ll do what I please!” came the curt response from the Ninja.

Claire finished padding herself dry, reached for her powder began applying it with the puff ignoring what Kiko had said who had also just finished drying.  The COIL agent stepped closer to her smiled and began powdering her body as well.

“I don’t want us both to die tomorrow,” she said looking Kiko right in the eye.  “Besides, you have a family legacy to continue and I’ll need someone to avenge my death, if it comes to that,” she said trying but failing to laugh.

Kiko didn’t say anything in part from the erotic nature of Claire’s application of the powder, which she knew was designed to do just that, silence her as she searched for something meaningful to say to a person who coldly talks about there own possible death as if it were just another something to tick of a “to do” list.  When she had the retort she wanted Claire had left the room and slipped into bed.  The Ninja came after her, stopped at the end of the bed, sat down and began putting her clothes back on.

“Where are you going?” Claire asked.  “You need sleep just as much as I do!”

“Rejection seems to be my lot today.  If I’m not good enough to go with you tomorrow then I’m certainly not good enough to spend the night with!” Kiko snapped.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Sharing is a two way street you’ve made your position very clear now I’m clarifying mine.  There are still people who think I’m a very good Kunoichi.”

“I never said you weren’t!” Claire snapped back as she felt her face heat up.

“Just not good enough for you!  Think about that tomorrow just before you die!  And that’s exactly what’s going to happen!  I don’t care how good you think you are you can’t win this time!  You’re going to die tomorrow, don’t you get it Claire!”  Kiko screamed at her.

“Did it ever occur to you that maybe I have a way onto the island that they aren’t expecting?” Claire snapped back, her ego bruised a bit by Kiko’s lack of confidence in her.

Kiko was too upset to hear anything as she struggled with her clothes before standing up and glaring down at Claire.

            “You’re going to die and I’m..SHIT!” she sniffed angrily at herself for letting her emotions and tears run away with her.

  Ashamed and abandoned once more she left the unpleasant scene quickly the slammed door only serving to put an exclamation point on matters.

“That went like crap Claire!” she spat disgustedly to herself as she slammed her pillow in frustration before reaching for her PDA to change the security codes for the alarm.  She flopped back in the bed, turned out the light and let the tiredness overtake her, but not without an undue amount of struggle.

* * * * * * * * * * *

The commercial docks were a warren of paths, jetties and makeshift walkways.  Narrow planks strapped to oil drums served as thoroughfares to people’s places of residence or business, sometimes, most times they were one and the same.

“You’d have to be part bloodhound to track a person as they moved through this maze of interconnected wooden circuit boards,” Claire thought to herself as she stepped lightly and quickly over the non-to-stable planks until she stepped onto the deck of the Sea Dragon.

“I guess my directions were right!” Yuen Hwang said slowly so Claire could follow.

She smiled and laughed and then answered in the affirmative before inquiring if her equipment had arrived safely.  She only got to the start the sentence before he smiled and answered that it had to which Claire was thankful she didn’t have go proceed any further along in the sentence her Mandarin being poor at best.   Just like before they communicated mostly with hand gestures and the odd word each intuitively able to pick up on the thread of the others train of thought and get to the answer without need of much talk.

She checked out her equipment Yuen trusting the navigation of his ship to a crew member watching her all along as the boat pulled out of the slipped and began negotiating the maze of turns to escape the docks and get out of the harbour and into open sea.   Claire took what she needed and started toward the his cabin to change giving him a reassuring smile as she past, he fell into step just slightly behind her.

Claire closed the door to his private quarters leaving him pouring over a navigational chart until she returned.  She stepped out a little later and joined him at the chart table he not even noticing the enticing sleekness of her clinging wet suit, as he was so absorbed in the chart and the route near the island.

He pointed, spoke slowly and made gestures when she didn’t understand until she nodded then he continued.  Claire repeated the charade from her end until both clearly understood the plan from their respective positions, she confidant, she had to be!  He confident, although his eyes gave away concern and fear for her, Claire read it but ignored it as she made her way out of the cabin and back to her equipment.

The boat slowed just slightly as Claire slipped over the side and down the ladder.  Her mask fitted in place she activated the instrument panel on the Personal Diving Vehicle (PDV) a torpedo shaped propulsion system to pull a driver along underwater, turned on the screen, checked the pre-set co-ordinates then gave the signal for the lines to be cut.  A splash concealed by the Sea Dragon was all the noise the sea gave up as it swallowed her up beneath its waves as if she was never there.

Claire listened in silence and total darkness as the boats engine faded away above her.  She sank to a depth of about 30 feet then switched on the engine and brought the propeller to life.  The PDV moved through the blackness quickly the spy’s flippered feet giving that much extra momentum.  The instrument panel provided her with a 3 dimensional map of the where she was via constant sonar readings as well as the progress she was making and location on the pre plotted course COIL had set for her.  She ran in total blackness, choosing to leave the high intensity nose fitted light switched off for added stealth.  The complete void that surrounded her created a strange panicky feeling she had to fight back several times during the trip.  A little after an hours journey the sonar showed the opening of the underwater cave about 100 metres ahead, Claire switched off the auto pilot and took over the controls navigating by a blip on the screen and the outline provided by the constantly changing sonar map before her eyes.

Claire adjusted depth and speed as she moved cautiously into the mouth of the underwater cave her eyes transfixed on the instrument panel as her arms made minute adjustments to her course.   The COIL agent checked her air gauge against her speed before satisfied she pressed on into the bowels of the cave.  She checked her watch again, over 30 minutes had passed, she thinned her air and pressed on, she’d passed the point of no return, her air would last more than another 20 minutes and she’d already been 45 inside the underwater abyss.  Finally she noticed the seabed begin to rise up; Claire adjusted upward, turned a sharp corner in the cave and finally saw light streaming in from above into a large circular open area directly before her!  As the spy got closer she made out a ladder that led from the ocean floor up out of the water, embedded into the seabed were a series a concrete supporting columns all around the open area she had entered.

She took the PDV down and behind one of the supports, switched it off and opened the storage hatch halfway up the body of the unit retrieved her Beretta complete with silencer and two extra clips of ammo.  Several long intakes of air later she closed the air tank value and freed herself from it making her way to the ladder.

Her slippery body emerged from the water tentatively, removed her mask and made furtive glances around.  She was along in the large room that appeared to be a staging area for divers and incoming items best kept from prying eyes on the water, judging by the storehouse of parts on shelves that lined one wall.  At the far end of the bland concrete walled room was what appeared to be one of only two doors out of the place, the other one a walkway that ran around the circumference of the room about 10 feet above the level she occupied.  A walk on ramp/elevator connected the two levels and lay directly ahead of her about 20 feet away.  Claire slipped silently from the water, pulled off her head covering and started towards it before it opened and a torrent of human activity forced its way through it and along the walkway to either side of her their footsteps trudging in unison as they went!  In seconds she was completely surround and outgunned, she raised her hands in surrender!

Two guards approached and relieved her of her guns and extra ammo before checking her body quite thoroughly for any other conceal weapons.  Satisfied they pocketed the items then each grabbed one of her arms and held it securely behind her back.  The door on the main floor opened just then and as Claire had suspected it walked Mrs. Yin dressed elegantly as usual in an expensive Chinese Style Dress showing off her comely legs and seductive body to its fullest.

“Miss Baxter what a completely expected pleasure.  Your even close to the time I thought you might arrive, how considerate off you!” the DOOM operative slyly said coming up close to the trapped agent. 

 “You look surprised to see me Claire, I guess you’re plan wasn’t as foolproof as you that it might be?  Well I must confess a little bird or perhaps more accurately I should say a little Kunoichi told me all about it!” Mrs Yin said as she snapped her fingers and Kiko entered wearing a large Cheshire Cat grin as she approached the two women, stopped next her Mrs. Yin and gave her a kiss on the cheek, just as she had done to Claire.

“I see your renewed loyalty had a price!” Claire spat venomously at Kiko.

“True Claire, but it was a small price to pay for one’s life don’t you think?” Mrs. Yin answered for her.

“You let her!” Claire said speaking to Kiko, but glancing a look at Mrs. Yin. “Cut your hair off with your own sword!  How could you disgrace yourself and your family like that!  Now the sword is lost forever and you are her slave for the rest of your life!” Claire stammered as she stared into the completely blank face of Kiko whose long braided hair had been shorn to close to her head.

“True the ritual off a Kunoichi allowing her hair to be cut off with her own sword does give the right of ownership of it and bind that person to me.  But then again she gets to live, that is my part of the bargain, which brings us full circle back to you Miss Baxter!  I regret I cannot offer you the same bargain as Kiko, but I suspect you wouldn’t take it even if it were offered?  Besides, killing you is going to be much more fun!” she said with a quick nod to the guards holding Claire and snap of her fingers.

The guards buried a flurry of rifle butts to the stomach and back of the spy knocking the wind out of and dazing the woman all at the same time!  Claire fell to the hard concrete floor gasping for air and dazed from pain!  Mrs. Yin and Kiko had retreated during the brief melee, but now the DOOM agent returned alone her newly shorn slave ordered to stay behind against the wall by the door.

Mrs. Yin waited for the wounded woman to gingerly to her feet before beginning her attack as two folding fans emerged one from each of her hands!  Still in a closed position the two Senssu delivered a drumbeat attack to Claire’s torso before entangling one of the spy’s arms, bending in to Mrs. Yin’s pleasure before she used the leverage to throw Claire hard to the floor!  Claire rolled over and threw a desperate kick upward at her adversary’s stomach that the DOOM spy evaded and than trapped between her two fans at the ankle while her free foot pinned Claire’s to the floor!  Mrs. Yin’s free leg stung the already weaken Claire with further blasts to her body and legs before she released the fans.

“As you can see Miss Baxter I’m quite effective with the Senssu,” she said as she snapped them open as assumed a fighting stance with them.

A hurt Claire found the strength from somewhere to fight to her feet and face her opponent.  She lunged forward with a spinning backhand fist to Yang Yin’s face!  Yang brought one hand up and Claire’s fist struck square on the steel blades of the opened Senssu!  Mrs. Yin snapped the fan closed and flowed into the wincing Claire with the two closed fans scoring blows to her stomach that doubled the spy over in pain!  Yang crouched, spun around rapidly in a fast circle and swept the legs out from under Claire!  The two women collapsed to the floor Yang using the Senssu to immobilise the spy’s arms as they went until the two were stretched out of the floor head to head!

Mrs. Yin wasted no time, her lethal legs swung back and over her body, one after the after, and whipped into Claire’s chest with deadly force!  Claire was too weak to do anything but absorb the strikes that reigned down from above on her until finally, mercifully they stopped and she was released.

Yang got to her feet, smoothed her dress and began to circle her defeated prey intent upon delivering as much pain as possible before administering death!

“Come Claire get to your feet, I’m not finished with you yet!” she snaked in a menacing tone.

The COIL agent wobbled, fell and then wobbled to her feet once more as Yang moved in caught her and pummelled the agent preventing her from escaping by once more tying her up in the fans and supporting her!  Yang released her with a thrust backward that sent Claire reeling into the arms of the two guards.

“Hold her upright!” Mrs. Yin commanded as she joined the two fans together at the ends.

Yang cartwheeled forward and into Claire her legs securing the spy’s torso and head while she inserted the closed joined fans between Claire’s ankles and turned crossing them over each other!  Yang’s heels slipped over each other locking her leggy embrace permanently around her victim!  The guards released and the two women tumbled to the ground!

“Now it is time to slowly and painfully end our little session Miss Baxter,” she hissed.

Yang slowly began to rotate the joined fans twisting Claire’s spine in the process while her legs pinned Claire’s torso in place!

“The Coiled Serpent is a favourite Chinese Yoga Hold of mine Miss Baxter.  The Senssu, under my control, twist your spine around until eventually it snaps!”

Even if Claire had not suffered the beating she had she knew escape from Mrs. Yin’s legs alone would prove nearly impossible!  Her magnificently shapely legs concealed their deadly power, like a coiled spring she held Claire perfectly still in their embrace tightening her to immobility almost instantly!  Yang carefully worked the Senssu in a circle as the pain built in the spy’s lower back first then began to charge upward until her whole body was awash in agony!

Yang worked the conjoined fans slowly around her expert skill keeping Claire conscious through the ordeal as her pain grew in leaps!  She’d keep her like this until right at the moment when a sharp turn would relieve the spy’s pain forever!

The assembled onlookers watched the death match between the two women with bloodlust silence as Mrs. Yin coiled her serpent Claire a little more!  Claire, her pain threshold climbing needed to escape and her adversary’s legs presented the best means to achieve her goal.  The trapped agent manoeuvred her hands around Yang’s slim ankles slowly sliding them up her tense calves’ midway before digging in with her razor sharp nails!  Her nails slipped once, then twice as she tried again before hearing mocking laughter from her captor.

“I know all about your vaunted nails Miss Baxter so I prepared ahead of time!  My pantyhose have been sprayed with Teflon coating making them scratch and cut resistant, even to your touch!  But don’t trust me, please keep trying to escape.” Yang slithered.

Claire tried again and again but her nails, just as Yang had predicted, could not penetrate the coating she’d applied.  She ran her hands all over Yang’s tensing constrictors, feeling their delicious deadly smoothness but no bite from her nails was possible, but a bite of another more subtle kind was!  Claire swept and ran her hands up and down Yang’s lovely legs for the next few minutes, from ankles to thighs she worked even as the Coiled Serpent worked on her!  Touch, stroke, brush she worked with the time remaining to her until she pulled her head free of the vice, counter rolled quickly, disentangle her legs and was free!

“Excellent escape Claire the massage however only served to invigorate my legs!  Can you say the same for yours?” 

 Yang smiled as she rose up off the floor.  Claire got to her knees and to hers and Yang’s surprised and delight to her feet.  The DOOM agent separated and opened her fans and advanced a poisonous smile forming on her lips!

Claire had no defence at the moment, she tied to raise her legs for a kick, they wouldn’t obey her order!  Her arms would but the punches lacked anything behind them and where telegraphed as she threw them awkwardly at Yang.

“Perhaps you need something more confining than my body Claire to end our little confrontation?  I think I have just the thing to secure you permanently stiff!” she smiled as she pushed a button on each fan.

Claire swung wildly allowing Yang to trap her extended arm between the two opened fans and begin her attack!  From the spines of the fan in her left had thin strands of material appeared and caught on Claire’s arm, eight in all!  Mrs. Yin did the same to the other arm and swept them behind the Spy’s back as she moved in back of her and pulled her caught arms in place!  The lethal woman danced around Claire with fatal flowing motions the fans encircling her body from head to toe as the thin strands meshed around her wetsuit.  The ensnared spy couldn’t move within the binding as her opponent wove a curtain of death around her within minutes the strand streaming from the spines of both fans as she moved with deadly grace and skill!  Mrs. Yin finished snapped the fans closed and pushed Claire over with the point of one!
 

 “The Concubines Fan’s, A Ch’ing Dynasty invention by a female monk, inconspicuous but deadly when used in skilled hands such as mine Miss Baxter.  Mine however, contain an added twist, the twine constricts around its victim, slowly, very slowly, providing quite an agonising death, which I favour!”

Thin strands of twine ran everywhere around her body as Claire flexed in a frenzied manner to escape!  She rolled on the floor, writhed and wiggled her lithe pliant form in a helpless solo tango for freedom as the web closed about her!   Yang watched Claire erotically flex and strain in her trap, the tight wetsuit adding to her pleasure as it displayed all of her victim’s extensively curvy form.  Slowly over the next ten minutes or so the twine pinched inwards making lines in the suit as Claire slowed and then stopped moving!

Mrs Yin smiled.

“I wish I had time to stand around and watch your body succumb to my trap but I regrettably have work to do.  Pity, the wetsuit and the twine are such a fantastic combination together!  In fact I think I’ll had a final piece to the puzzle and return you from whence you came!” she laughed and then snapped her fingers.

“Pick her up and toss her in the water, if I have to be denied the pleasure of watching her die then so does everyone else!” Yang barked.

“Wait!” Kiko begged as she came forward.  “May I please say goodbye as well?” she asked deferentially and in a hushed voice head cast down.

“Of course, my reward to you for all you’ve done for DOOM,” Mrs Yin smiled.

The Kunoichi came forward and knelt beside Claire who defiantly turned her head away until Kiko seized it in hers and forced it straight her eyes boring into Claire’s!

“Part a Ninja’s training is in the art of deception Claire!  An art I’m very good at and as you can see there are still people who think so!”  she said looking up a Yang.

The words ran into Claire like a sharp sword hitting the deepest part of her with there venom.

“If only you’d spoken differently that night you could have enjoyed more of this!”  Kiko hushed as she closed her lips around Claire’s and moved them about the spy’s until her resistance was defeated! 

The Kunoichi pushed her tongue forward and parted the spy’s last defiant gesture as Claire’s mouth opened to hers for a final taste of pleasure!  Kiko pulled away, got up and rejoined her mistress the men picked Claire up and dropped her taut body into the water; she sank from sight in seconds!

* * * * * * * * * * *

“You look lovely in that Kimono Kiko!  Come here and let me see it and you more closely,” Mrs Yin said with mischief clearly in her voice.

“Yes Ma’am,” Kiko answered with a big smile that was not lost on her employer as she switched off and rose from the bank of security monitors she was watching.

“Killing Miss Baxter was delightful, but now I have need of more immediate pleasure!” Yang said as she undid the sash holding the Kimono in place and let it fall to the ground where the Kimono shortly joined it.

Kiko smiled as she hugged Mrs. Yin the pleasure growing in her but in a different way.

“You should be more careful of how you speak of the dead! They may come back to haunt you?” Kiko purred as she pulled away.

“What do you mean by that?” Yang asked.

“She means me Yang!” Claire said from behind her a gun levelled square at her.

“How did you escape, my twine its unbreakable!” Yang protested.

“But not uncuttable,” Claire said holding up a dangling object that upon closer inspection the DOOM operative recognised as an earring in the shape of a razor blade.

“Where did that come from Miss Baxter, you weren’t wearing any earlier?”

“A gift from a friend packaged in the sweetest form I know” came the smooth reply.

Mrs. Yin pondered the riddle for a few seconds before she came to the answer.  “Kiko’s kiss! She transferred her earring to your mouth!”

“You get an A Yang!” Claire said sarcastically.  “Now lets she how well you do against me without a head start from your flunkies!” the spy rumbled coming forward.

Kiko slowly curled her toes around the sash and flicked it up seizing it in mid air before dashing between Claire and Mrs. Yin.

“You need to get the missing piece of the puzzle!  Besides, she’s mine!” Kiko ordered.  “The password to her computer is Triad.”

“You treacherous bitch Kiko!  Once I’m done with you Miss Baxter can be next!”

Claire reluctantly left Kiko to her desire as she moved the to the desk and began accessing the information her gun placed strategically in front of her should she need it.  Mrs. Yin kicked off her heels and smiled as she stalked Kiko who readied the sash between her hands.

The DOOM operative and older woman worked her kicks low to avoid the sash and make Kiko reached the furthest with it, one missed position and she would pounce, sink her claws in and finish the arrogant young woman!  Kiko defended expertly, swing her legs from side to side, her knee slightly raised as she blocked the older woman’s attack before she countered with a swing roundhouse kick to connected the her opponents head!  Yang stumbled backward from the force of the blow, wiped a small trickle of blood from the corner of her lip, tasted it and smiled.

“You’re speed and skill are impressive Kiko!” said offered.

Kiko neither said nor offered nothing by way of expression to her, she tensed and readied again for another attacking round.  Yang serpentined her lethal body forward darted quickly before Kiko could react and emerged inside the defensive perimeter of the sash and next to the Ninja’s body!  Knife edged strikes scored into Kiko’s stomach before Yang smashed her hips forward thumping them hard into Kiko’s nearly doubling her over in pain!  Yang spun round her whipping with her as she crossed them over came round full into the Kunoichi’s face!  Claire watched in anticipated horror then relief as Kiko evaded the first leg and secured the second in the sash at the ankle!

The Ninja spun Yang around, kicked out the back of her planted legs and forced Yang to her knees!  The naked woman secured Mrs. Yin’s head in her thighs and tumbled forward in a somersault taking Yang with her until Kiko came to rest on her back her prisoner held by the sash and her legs!  Kiko rolled them both over arched up and back until her entire body was suspended above Mrs. Yin’s who struggled beneath her for freedom!  The Kunoichi gathered up the loose sash and commenced work on her opponent her naked body tensed and straining as she held the powerful woman at bay while her attack wove its deadly promise about her!

“Where are you?” Claire said to herself as she searched the files.  “Where did she hide you, under what name or extension! Ah, there you are!” she triumphed.  All the schematics and documentation were copied in seconds.  “One more thing to do then its time to leave,” she said as she accessed the main network and went to work.

The beautiful Kunoichi worked the ancient technique about Yang whose massive strength and skill began to wane with each gentle touch of the sash to her body!  Kiko slowly lowered her magnificent body onto Yang’s rolled both of them over again and began to intricate process of extricating herself from the sash and Yang!  The DOOM beauty flailed endlessly in the trap of the Ninja, her body looking for escape or the slightest mistake from Kiko to turn the tables in her favour, but Kiko’s long legs and the sash were much too intricately positioned around her encapsulated form!  She moved Mrs. Yin at will within her embrace until she was nearly free, a final turn brought the entangled woman upright on her knees the Ninja still buried around her until a final turn and move and Kiko slid free of her.

“I’m sure you know your fate!  The Shimoi is very effective and very quick even against such a powerful woman as you Mrs. Yin!  It was a joy entwining you in its fatal threads!” Kiko hissed.

Yang draped in the crushing embrace of the Shimoi hissed venomously in response as the sash worked against her.  Kiko left the room and returned seconds later this time wearing a green bikini and carrying a gun her sword safe inside its sheath tied securely to her back.

“Have you got what you came for?” Kiko asked.

“Just finished,” Claire answered as she slipped the disk inside her wetsuit and zipped it back up again before glancing at her watch.  “We need the quickest way off this island and we need it in less than 5 minutes!” Claire said as she picked up her gun and came round the desk, the hidden meaning of the message not lost in Kiko.

“Then these,” the Kunoichi said, pointing to her and Claire’s guns aren’t going to cut it!”

  She moved to the desk and punched in a code with a smile before motioning with her arm for Claire to take up a position on the other side of the entrance door to her.

Two guards stormed into the room and crashed to the floor never to move again as the women relieved them of their AK-47’s and moved into the hallway, Kiko taking the lead.  The two ladies cut a swath of death and mayhem; short muzzles flashes lit up the winding hallways as they advanced.  Claire activated the fire alarm to add the confusion as people started to ignore them and run for their lives.  The two turned a corner and ran down a dead end hallway to a step of metal stairs embedded in the wall leading straight up.

“Cover fire Claire!” Kiko yelled as she nimbly ran up the ladder several steps before opening fire then scrambling up and disappearing from site a loud metal clang indicating her aim had been true as the latch slammed open.  Claire followed suit and moments later closed the hatch behind her.

Once again the Kunoichi took the point as they carefully moved along a narrow jungle path in the pitch-blackness of the night each holding the others hand so as to not become separated when suddenly they did as Claire felt a strong tug on her hand then Kiko releasing her grip!  Frantically the spy dropped to her knees and felt around until her hand slipped rapidly downward into soft earth.

“Quicksand!” she gasped before rolling over on her stomach on the paths edge and thrusting her legs down into the mire!

  She came up empty moved and did it again this time catching something! She tightened hard the muck sucking at her as it tried to lure her into its domain as well.  Claire arched up and lowered herself more into the quicksand to get a better grip on Kiko then screamed in fury as she pulled up and out the bog refusing to give up its prize easily as the cloying sand secured her in there wrap and began to envelop her!  Claire tilted her head up in defiance and pulled back just as hard refusing to release her prize to the sand when she made out the shadow of a large limb over head.  The AK-47 burst to life as Claire emptied the clip into the wood splintering it and snapping it off!  It fell just at her arms; she wrapped them around it and pulled with all she had legs and arms until the mud cakes silhouette of Kiko was pried from the sand!  The spy pulled the coughing Ninja to her feet, threw her across her back in a fireman’s carry and continued on the path until mercifully she heard lapping water.

“This is a bad time to ask!” Claire said to her almost recovered partner as she steadied Kiko on her feet. 

“But you can swim I hope?”

“Better in water than quicksand,” she laughed as they plunged in and swam furiously out to sea Claire checking the built in compass on her watch for the direction.

A minute later a small wave picked up the women and pushed them forward a little.  Claire stopped swimming and turned around, as did Kiko to see the outline of the island sink just a little as water rushed over it.

“Come on we still have a ways to go yet!” Claire said as she set the course and pace that Kiko matched.  After about an hour Claire and Kiko stopped and bobbed in the water.

“What the hell do we do now!?” Kiko asked.

“We wait by my approximation 60 to 70 minutes,” Claire answered.

“That probably gives you just about enough time to explain everything to me,” Kiko answered.

“And you to me,” Claire bounced back.  “But me first I suppose.”

“Mrs. Yin was building a three part power plant for a ground to space weapon system, one part on each of the islands.  Island one had the generators, island two the computer and telemetry systems and island three the actual weapon itself a giant laser capable of hitting any satellite in space or missile.  It could have destroyed it or knocked it off course!  Its pure energy could also have been used to power DOOM’s own conquest of space if they so desired.  They were just about finished when I came along and took the 3 parts they needed most to run the system.  Along the way I also happened to set construction back a bit.”

“What about the island?” Kiko wanted to know.

“Before I came up the first time I activated the C4 bomb inside the PDV that carried me into the cave.  I left it against the main support pillar for than room.  It was always my intention that even if I failed DOOM would fail as well; I don’t like to lose, ever, even if it meant my life in the bargain!  Anyway,” she said regaining her composure as the water lapped against them.  “After I freed myself from the twine I had somewhat the element of surprise back on my side and I reasoned you’d be looking out for me along the way.  Your use of the flashing red lights on the camera to guide me to you was brilliant by the way!  During your encounter with Yang I got the last of the data, then accessed the main network, got into the power conduit for the laser and reversed the flow and polarity of the current so that it built up on itself and would explode at near the same time as the C4!  The resulting explosion blew a small crater in the centre of the island and it collapsed in on itself, something like a black hole.  I think that brings me full circle except for all the questions I have for and about you Kiko Matsumora!”

Such as?” the Kunoichi asked slyly.

“Let’s see where to start?  Why did you got back to Yang?  Why did you let that happen to your hair?”

“You didn’t want me to come along because you cared about me.  I understand and love you for it, but you can’t control what other people do, especially if you well and truly care for them.  Your rejection only confirmed that if you weren’t going to save yourself, if you don’t value yourself enough somebody else is going to have to!  That left me!  You’re a terrific woman and a wonderful spy but you need to learn when to ask for help!  That doesn’t make you weaker in case you didn’t know, it makes you stronger!” Kiko said the passion evident in her cracking voice.

“I knew about the underground entrance and your telling me you’d found a way onto the island without being detected only confirmed that you knew of it as well.  But beyond that you knew nothing about what you were walking into!  I did and I couldn’t let that happen so I ran back to my former employer and let my hair down, so to speak.”

“Why did you do that Kiko?” Claire said almost mournfully.

“Because of you and only you!  I couldn’t let you die at the hands of that sadistic woman.  Besides you need to read the rules a little closer regarding surrender such as mine to the enemy!  I must give my heart and soul totally to the person who cuts my hair and nobody else!  I gave both those to another already so Yang had no claim on me.  The details as they say are always in the fine print!” Kiko said with a smile. 

 “The rest was a long chance I had to take.  I told her about your coming, to build trust and then had to stand by a watch what happened!  I’m so sorry about it Claire, but there was no other way to save you from yourself!  I hope you can understand and forgive me?”

“I can’t forgive anything!  Because you’re right about all of it!  The question is can you forgive me for what I did to you?”

 The rising sun picked up the beam of Kiko’s smile just as a boat appeared on the horizon.

“Come on our taxi’s arrived!” Claire shouted as she started to swim off.

* * * * * * * * * * *

“What did he say?” Claire asked Kiko as Yuen helped them on board to a chorus of laughter from the crew.

“He said he’s going to start fishing these waters everyday if this is the type of catch he can expect,” Kiko said.  “And I couldn’t agree more!”
 

THE END