Of Spiders &
Snakes
They were right; stealing the
software had been the easy part, getting away was proving to be much
harder! Twelve hand-to-hand battles from the computer lab to at present
the warehouse had left Claire Baxter C.O.I.L. Agent tried and hurt, but she
still had the disk and they were still after her. The seemingly endless
corridors of containers would provide an excellent hiding place to rest and
gather her thoughts for what she knew were more battles to come. Sure
enough, approaching footsteps snapped her back to reality; rest would have to
wait for another time. She lithely danced into a shadowy corner her black
cat suit melting into the darkness. Executing a handstand she waited for
her prey to get within striking distance for a quick and silent kill.
Two constricting thighs wrapped
around the guards’ neck at the same instance as two arms encircled his
legs. Her legs drew inwards, increasing the pressure on her victim.
No chance to scream for help, Claire had his face tight against her body,
sensing her prey weakening she rocked him off his feet, onto the concrete floor
they fell with the guard on his back and Claire on top. Normally she
would enjoy this moment, slowly increasing the pressure, but at the present
time was against her. A quick twist of her hips ended the struggle as the
guard fell motionless. Unlocking her death grip she got to her feet.
“One more down, more to
come,” she thought.
That proved to be her last conscious thought a
sharp rap to the back of her head and inky blackness overcame her as she fell
to the floor.
Claire snapped awake.
Nothing usually surprised her, she’d been an agent for a while, the bizarre for
most people was ordinary for her, but even this caught her up. Standing
in front of her was a man in his late twenties/early thirties (a very handsome
man she thought) about six feet two with sandy blond hair. The shock was
that he had six arms; Claire recalled the Indian statues of Vishnu as a direct
reference. She also noticed that her entire body had been spun into a
form-fitting cocoon of webbing and for good measure she’d been placed at the
centre of a large spider’s web a few inches off the floor. She tugged and
pulled her limbs but could not budge them in the slightest.
“You’ve been placed in there for
your own good. You were pretty badly hurt when I brought you here.
That webbing has healing properties that will help with your recovery,” the
stranger stated.
“Who are you and where is here and are you the one who knocked me out?” Claire asked irritably.
“My name is Marcus Ardvitsen. Here is
two hundred feet below the warehouse in a natural cave system, my home and yes
I was the one who knocked you out.”
Claire made to open her mouth to
ask another question but before she could he continued.
“If I hadn’t rendered you unconscious Miss.
Baxter our mutual enemy DOOM would have caught you in the next minute or so.”
This was getting all too much for
Claire to comprehend at once; he saw her exasperated expression and moved to
fill in the gaps.
“As I was saying, we have a mutual enemy in DOOM;
I was doing research work into electronic security systems for the E- banking
industry when they approached me to work for them against the very systems I
was trying to create. I refused their offers several times, I told my
colleagues about it and was advised to go to the authorities with it, before I
could I was kidnapped and taken here to Rio. The result is what you see
before you.”
He moved his arms to indicate the
obvious. “They spliced my DNA with that of a spider and then sent
pictures of me to my associates as a warning against further resistance.
My career as a researcher they thought was over, however I escaped, came here
and have been working against them in my small way ever since. They
should have killed me when they had the chance because their experiments,
however inhuman have actually made me a stronger more versatile adversary than
I ever was without the spider DNA. As for knowing your name that was
supplied by C.O.I.L. when I uploaded the disk you had.
Claire finally managed to get a
quick question in.
“How do you know whom I work for,” she
said.
“That was a logical deduction, who
else but C.O.I.L. would have the resources and the skill to infiltrate a
stronghold of DOOM I uploaded the disk to your organisation little by
little piggybacking it on outgoing e-mails from our friends above. Each
packet contained a piece of the data and a separate address, insignificant in
and of itself but slowly the receiver gets all the pieces and puts the message
together with our friends from above being no wiser,” he glibly stated.
“Once they had the data and an address to send a message back they did so,
informing me of who you are. I have also informed them that you are safe
and well.”
“And what did they say to that?” Claire asked.
“To stay where you are and they
will contact you soon,” Marcus answered.
Claire strained at the
webbing.
“Not much chance of me going anywhere, is
there?”
Walking over to a desk in the corner of the room
Marcus pulled open a drawer and took out a pair of scissors and a
blanket. Walking over to the web her started to cut the cocoon off
Claire’s arms, once done he pulled them out gently and massaged some life back
into her arms, she couldn’t help but notice his gentle and soothing
touch. Once Claire’s arms were free he handed her the scissors and taking
the blanket held it up to shield his view from her.
“Please cut yourself free and take the blanket
to cover yourself with. I’m sorry but I had to spin you into the cocoon
naked in order for the webbing to have the maximum healing effect,” he said
rather embarrassingly.
Claire listened as she cut, she
noticed that all her cuts had healed completely and no bruises were to be
seen. Massaging her legs she stepped out and pulled the blanket about
her.
“I left you some clothes and you can take a
shower if you wish,” Marcus said motioning to a door.
“Once your done just come this way
and I’ll have some food ready for you, you must be hungry you’ve been asleep
seventy-two hours.”
The hot shower helped to
invigorate her it also gave her time to be alone with her thoughts. Those
thoughts however kept working their way back to her host. Each time it
happened she snapped her head back to attention, getting attached to people in
her line of work or even being attracted to them almost always ended badly,
usually for both parties.
“Push those feelings down and bury them!” she
commanded herself.
Claire ate her food in
silence. Finishing she walked over to a terminal Marcus was working at
and asked.
“Why did you save me, you might have been
caught yourself?” she asked in a soft voice.
“If they’d caught you who
knows what they would have done to you, I couldn’t have lived with myself if I
hadn’t done something. I may sound kind of corny but we all need a friend
now and then at that time it was more important to be your friend that to worry
about what might happen,” he answered back tenderly.
“You won’t always be there,
on my next mission I may end up in a similar situation, so in a sense you’ve
just delayed what may happen. Besides I’ve escaped some interesting
situations in the past, but I do thank you for this one,” she answered equally
as tenderly giving his shoulder a little squeeze in the process.
Again those emotions started to bubble to the
surface; this time pushing them down got a little harder!
“Perhaps I can’t prevent something in the
future, but maybe I can give you an advantage over it,” he answered
hopefully.
“How so?” Claire questioned.
Reaching into a drawer on the monitor table
and pulling out a black object he said.
“DOOM didn’t count on my genetic alteration
being of any benefit, they saw it only as punishment, your new cat suit,” he
said proudly. “I spun it myself; no liquid or object can penetrate
it. It can’t be cut. It will keep your body cool when the
temperature is hot and vice versa. Spider’s silk has one hundred times
the strength of steel; it will provide you protection your old suit
couldn’t. This is a spool of the webbing you were spun into, it can’t be
cut except under extreme pressure, I’m sure you could find uses for it,” he
said smiling. “Maybe we can’t put DOOM out of business, but perhaps we
can hurt them a little more,” he added.
Feelings are hard things to control,
no matter how hard you try or how hard you’re trained to try. Claire bend
over and kissed him on the cheek, once, then twice and then their lips found
each other. Several wonderful embraces later Marcus pulled away.
“Stop, this is wrong, you see what kind of a
man I am!” he blurted out.
Claire wasn’t going to be as
easily discouraged as that, she let her hand trail down to between his legs.
“Judging by your reaction I’d say you were a
perfectly normal man,” she said smiling.
Their mouths found each other
again, tongues frantically probed and touched, hands slide over each other and
clothes were torn from each other, it was frenzied and wonderful Claire
recalled later. After the seventh time she stopped counting. The
sensations of having six arms caress you all at once was beyond her power to
express, touches, feelings, yearnings were all heightened as he ran his hands
over the wonderful softness of Claire’s body. Suspended in his arms
they coupled again, exquisite pleasure shot through her. She’d made love
many times in the past but nothing could compare to this and the growing
feelings she was having towards Marcus.
After they had spent each other
they collapsed in each other’s arms. You are constantly told as an agent
not to develop feelings for anybody! She knew that was true and what see
was doing was wrong, very wrong, and bound to get her in trouble. She
went to push away from Marcus having made up her mind, but instead found
herself drawing closer.
“Just because somebody tells you something
doesn’t make it right,” she thought, a smile crossing her face as she drew a
little closer to her lover.
Marcus nudged Claire awake.
“You’ve got an e-mail,” he said softly.
She quickly pulled on clothes and
followed him to the computer terminal.
“I’ll just be over here,” he said, moving to
step away from the terminal.
She reached out and gently took hold of his
arm.
“No you have every right to see this as well,”
she said emphatically.
“But I don’t have any clearance or whatever
you call it in the spy game,” he countered.
“No you don’t have clearance, but you have my
trust and that’s more important, stay,” she said in a commanding but somehow
caring tone.
After calling it up and reading it through
they started to discuss it. Marcus started.
“So you have the disk with all the
schematics, but not the emerald which is the power amplification source, that
is in the hands of another C.O.I.L. agent in Sao Paulo, who it now appears is
trying to sell the jewel to DOOM.”
“That, professor sums it up
completely,” she added.
“What are you going to do?” Marcus
asked, not really wanting to hear the answer.
“The e-mail only said to
get the jewel. “It means how I get it back is completely up to me, as
long as I do it. It also means that my so called superiors have no idea
how to do it,” she said sarcastically.
“So do you have an idea?” he
questioned.
“I’m going to offer to sell the
disk along with the emerald to DOOM that way we can both increase our payday,”
she stated flippantly.
“I’ve only known you a short time but I can
tell you’re lying,” Marcus stated.
“It’s the only way to draw Chris out; he’s the
other C.O.I.L. agent. I’ve worked with him in the past and he’s just
greedy enough to go for it. I’ll get the emerald from him and finish the
assignment,” Claire stated coolly.
“There seem to be a few steps
missing in that plan don’t you think?” he said dubiously.
“Like what?” she said trying hard
too not sound annoyed.
“Like what if he doesn’t want to
deal with you and decides to kill you in order to increase his share,” Marcus
sounded in an exasperated tone.
“Then I guess I’ll just have to kill him
before he kills me,” she said smartly.
She saw another question coming and headed it
off.
“It’s the only way now, he’s
decided to sell out, right away that makes him a liability. He knows too
much about C.O.I.L., he can jeopardise lives all over the world, including
mine!”
Marcus thought for a few seconds
and he had to agree it was the only way, even if he didn’t like the possible
outcome.
“However, I still don’t think it’s
as easy as you think it’s going to be. He’s a trained agent to, he’s
going to suspect something and he’ll know your tricks and will be on alert for
them!”
“A woman agent is ten times more resourceful
and deadlier than any male agent. Besides, I have a few tricks that he
doesn’t know about and I’m always coming up with new ones. However, just
to be sure I want you to doctor the disk,” she stated.
“How?” he asked.
“Remove a small but completely vital part of
the schematics so if in the oft chance I fail,” she saw his face twist in
terror at the thought.
Walking over she put her arms around his neck
and added.
“Don’t worry, I won’t, I’m a
professional”.
“So is he!” he thought as he pulled her close.
Claire sent a sent a few more
e-mails arranging or her arrival in Sao Paulo. She knew that some of the
e-mails would find there way to Chris and that he in turn would find his way to
her. While she did this Marcus altered the disk as requested. Claire
packed up a few things, ate a little and then was ready to go.
“One final thing I need to say to you.
You can’t worry about me because that will play on my mind when I need to focus
on the mission. I don’t say this to be mean, but you will not be on mine,
not because I don’t love you, but because I do, and if I let you in a little
there’s a chance I’ll make a mistake and the you’ll never see me again!
Promise me this and I hope you understand.”
He took her in is arms and
gently kissed her forehead.
“I understand and I won’t worry, I
promise,” was all he said as he led the way to the surface.
A short commuter flight to Sao
Paulo and a quick cab ride later found Claire soaking in the bathtub in her
luxury Cabana. The portable receiver rang; reaching down she picked up the
handset.
“Chris, I thought you’d never call? Yes
I have it; do you have the emerald? Well now I think the price just may
have doubled, you may be right, tripled then. Of course we’re 50/50
partners! I agree we should meet. Ok, that’s fine and then we can
come back to my place to, shall we say consummate the partnership. Bye.”
Claire got out of the water, dried
and went to the closet to pick out her arsenal for the meeting. If she
remembered correctly Chris liked the colour yellow on women. The meeting
went as planned and they agreed to put the merchandise in a safety deposit box
each keeping one of the two keys needed to open it. The yellow dress did
the trick for Claire, Chris was still guarded but her charms and the dress were
breaking them down! They drove back to her place. She told him to
fix her a drink while she got ready exiting to the bedroom. If the yellow
dress damaged his defences what emerged from the bedroom totally destroyed
them! Claire stood in the doorway wearing a white voile negligee that
flowed over her body frosting its deliciousness. As she walked toward him
it swayed and flowed with her, it left nothing and everything to the
imagination at the same time. Melting into his body her arms encircled his
neck. He ran his hands over the curves of her hips moving the gauzy
fabric in wisps as he did. The effect of the negligee was completely
mesmerising, she held him in her spell. Tightening her embrace round his
neck, her breasts pushed against his chest as she moved her lips against
his. Rotating her pelvis around his enlarged member only served to pull
him further into her seduction. Claire languished in his arms for several
more kisses, then pulling away she walked toward the bedroom trailing a look
over her shoulder. He followed close on her heels, completely under her
spell. Sitting down at the dressing table she picked up a lipstick and
began to coat her lips.
“I don’t think so Claire!” Chris
stated.
“Don’t think what?” she
answered.
“I though you were less obvious than that,
applying a poisonous lipstick in front of me and then thinking I was going to
fall willingly into your arms again for a fatal embrace from you.”
Turning her around to face him he continued.
“I think our partnership is off, I
can’t trust you, in fact I think I’m going to have..”
He never finished the sentence. Claire
reached out and pushed him backward on the bed. Getting up from the chair and
leaning over him she proceeded to pull a needle out of his neck.
“A paralysing dart fired from my lipstick, you
see a weapon can have more than one use,” she purred.
Reaching into his pocket
Claire took the deposit box key.
“Your right darling our partnership is
dissolved.”
She bent down and kissed him.
“Like I said, a weapon can have more than one
use, the lipstick is poisonous.”
She walked out of the bedroom closing the door
behind her.
“Congratulations Claire,” a voice
said. Turning she saw a woman standing at the front door.
“Do I know you,” Claire asked causally,
tensing however all the time she said it.
“Anna Pimentel, DOOM agent at your
service. Please give me the keys for the deposit box now.”
“You want it you can come
and get it,” Claire countered and readied herself for combat.
Anna cat like stepped towards Claire and went
right to the offensive. Claire blocked all the punches and kicks Anna
could muster with wisp like manoeuvres as her voile negligee flowed in the
air. Anna delivered a spinning heel kick towards Claire’s head.
Jerking her head back to avoid the blow Claire now had her opening as the
missed kick left Anna off balance. Claire went to raise her leg to
deliver a deadly inside crescent kick only to find she couldn’t lift it off the
floor. Anna took advantage as Claire looked down; punching to the stomach
and then throwing Claire over her shoulder with Judo toss to the carpet.
Normally Claire would be on her feet instantly, however she found to her
astonishment that she could not rise that easily. She slowly struggled to
her feet only to be punched in the kidneys, the blow forcing her to her knees,
this time she could not get back to her feet. It was after the pain had
cleared from the blow that she heard Anna’s derisive laugh.
“Let me explain, that deadly piece of lingerie
that help you to kill Chris has been sprayed with an interesting chemical that
causes the garment to become extremely sticky. When Chris called you we
traced the call, after you left I let myself in. It was extremely helpful
of you leave the negligee out, it made my job so much easier. Either
Chris would kill you or you would kill Chris, it didn’t matter it was my job to
take care of the survivor. DOOM doesn’t like to pay for anything it can
acquire for free. I’m curious Claire, how did you kill him? Poison,
that’s my guess, or perhaps you applied one of your fatal yoga holds on
him. I understand that they are quite impossible to extricate ones self
from once you’ve applied it. I’ll just leave you to struggle while I get
the keys.”
On her knees Claire continued to
twist and writhe. She was a fly trapped in a web, the more she tried to
escape the more entangled she became, but she couldn’t stop trying to free
herself. The deadly effectiveness of her weapon had been turned against
her. The flowing wispy voile now clung to her mercilessly as the folds of
extra material layered themselves together drawing her into a tighter trap.
Presently Anna returned to the
room.
“If you were thinking of trying to cut your
way out, think again. Your nails would not be able to, the chemical also
acts to strengthen the material it comes into contact with, so your vaulted
nails will do you no good this time,” Anna said triumphantly.
It was as if a spider’s web
blanket had been spun around her, sheer and sticky. Parts of her body were
visible as only a single layer of the voile clung to her whereas other areas
were completely white as the material had layered over several times in her
frantic escape attempts. Smaller and smaller became the package Claire
was trapped in, she’d started on her knees, but now she was lying on her back,
her legs bent at the knees drawn up underneath her, her arms pinned behind her
as well. Her once thrashing movements had been reduced to struggling
movements to finally now little flexes and even they were getting fewer.
After several more minutes the fly was bound tight and helpless, further body
movements were impossible. Claire lay still on the floor, arms and legs
drawn up her back, the fly was completely secured in his web.
“I have the keys and I have you,
however I’m not finished with you yet. Since your going nowhere at the present
time I will be, I will however return in a few hours to finish the job,” Anna
said smiling fatally at her captive.
Clare lay there her sheer garment taut on her
body; all she could do was wait for Anna’s return and hope for a break.
In the meanwhile her muscles were beginning to cramp, no doubt her adversary
knew this, hence the delay. She would be severally weakened after several
hours and thus much easier to manipulate. To combat the onslaught on
cramps Claire gently moved her toes and fingers thereby keeping the feeling in
her limbs much the same way soldiers do when on parade, meanwhile she
waited. Anna’s return later found Claire in the same position she’d left
her.
“Now Claire its time for you to answer a few
questions,” her voice threatened.
She bent down over Claire’s head, looking over
her face, placing her hands one on each side of Claire’s neck and applied
pressure. Wincing in pain, but unable to thrash her body to relieve it
she heard Anna say.
“Tell me the names and locations
of C.O.I.L. agents operating in this area and I’ll release my grip,” Anna said
softly.
“Go to hell!” Claire’s reply screamed out
amidst the pain.
After ten minutes of
constant pressure to Claire’s neck with no success Anna released the
hold. “It’s clear I need to apply pain in several areas of your body at
once to induce you,” Anna said as she walked over to a black satchel she’d
brought back with her. Taking out a series of metal poles she proceeded
to connect them end to end. The top and the bottom poles had wrist and
ankle straps attached. Taking a spray can from the satchel she returned
to Claire.
“This device works on a
spring mechanism, once it’s started in unwinds inside the pole stretching its
occupant slightly with each revolution. The result after a while I’m sure
you can guess?’
Holding up a spray can she
continued.
“This is the solvent to free you from my web,
only temporarily, one tight spot for another,” she laughed.
This would be the only chance
Claire would get to escape, as the agent from the spray can took effect she
could feel the webbing release its hold. Anna took Claire’s arms and
stretched them above her head.
“Wait,” Claire thought, “Wait.”
Anna moved to Claire’s legs and as
she began to pull them straight Claire flicked her leg connecting with Anna’s
shoulder and knocking her of balance. Quickly rolling away from both the
device and her capture Claire pushed to her knees and rapidly stripped on her
negligee in case it reverted back to its former immobilising trap. Unable
at the present time to get to her feet she thrust her arms outward and assumed
a fighting position. Recovering Anna advanced on Claire, “Nice try my
dear but the time for games has past,” she said. Claire wondered if her
earlier martial arts battle was an indication of their comparative skills or
was Anna just holding back to get Claire caught in the webbing. One way
or the other she was going to find out now! Anna jumped at Claire with a
spinning heel kick, which she blocked with ease. Switching the attack
Anna let lose with a series of rapid fire kicks to Claire’s side. Unable
to block all the blows she absorbed several to both sides causing her arms to
fall by the wayside. Seeing the opening Anna spun to deliver a knockout
blow with her foot to Claire’s now unprotected head. At the last second
Claire bent forward and Anna’s leg sailed over her harmlessly. With her
opponent of balance from the missed blow Claire had her chance. The
combat had got her adrenaline flowing and her legs responded. Sweeping a
leg out she hammered Anna at the back of the knee, her legs gave out beneath
her as she crumpled to the carpet her back to Claire. A series of rapid
punches to the small of her back left her prostate on the floor. Claire
slowly rose to her feet and circled to the side of Anna. The DOOM agent
made one last attempt to get to her feet, Claire watched her and just as she
was about to Claire swept the legs out from under her sending Anna back to the
floor in further pain. One final blow from Claire to Anna’s ribs sent her
onto her stomach.
“You asked me earlier how I killed Chris, you
were right, it was poison, but for you I’ll think yoga will be more
interesting,” she said her voice positively dripping with venom.
Claire fell on top of her victim and began to
intricately entangle her arms and legs into Anna. Once completed Claire
rolled on to her back taking her immobilised prey with her.
“This hold is called The Swarm because every
part of it can sting independently or all at once. Even the slightest
movement of my wrist or ankle will cause you incredible torment, let me
demonstrate.”
Claire moved her ankle almost imperceptibly
and pain shot through Anna’s body.
“This can be fast or slow, the wonderful thing
about your entanglement is it requires almost no effort on my part to hold you
in it, your own body works against you. Time for another demonstration I
think,” Claire purred.
This time she moved parts of her arms and legs
and pain surged in Anna and reflected on her face.
“Where are the items,” Claire demanded
applying pressure again.
Anna refused for several more minutes, but
Claire knew it was only a matter of time
. “There at my place in the
fountain at the centre of my backyard,” Anna finally gasped out between pain
spasms.
After getting the
directions to her place Claire rolled Anna over onto her stomach and released
her. However, unlike her defeated prey she immediately put Anna into the
device she had intended for Claire. Picking up the phone she place a
call.
“Two for pickup, no there’s no hurry.”
Hanging up she turned to Anna.
“ I’ll leave you to your fate, whichever way
it works out.”
Going into the bedroom she changed
into her new cat suit. She was amazed the way it stretched to allow her
to put it on and the way it enclosed around her body; it felt like a second
skin. Retrieving the car keys from Chris’s pocket she left the Cabana to
complete her assignment.
Finding Anna’s house after a 45-minute
drive up a lonely road she parked the car and cautiously entered the backyard
via the left side of the house. Passing through a large gate she started
down the path towards the sound of bubbling water. The colour and variety
of plants was beyond description, red, yellow, blue and green were only a
portion of the colours that confronted Claire. Normally she would have
enjoyed this, flowers being a passion of hers, but not at the present.
She kept a watchful eye as she made her way down the path. The garden
came right up and sometimes over the path in parts. A variety of South
American Spiked Violets rustled in the breeze, or so Claire assumed as she
caught the sight out of the corner of her eye. Suddenly a Spiked Violet
stem caught her and snapped around her waist. Instantly what seemed like
hundreds of plants ensnared her body. Claire strained to be free but the
plants held her fast! The as quick as it had happened the vines released
her. Claire, looking down saw that her cat suit was covered with hundreds
of tiny spikes. She pulled one out and examined it closely; the imbedded
point was hollow. A movement from the undergrowth snapped her back to
attention; a vine was snaking out of it towards her. Reacting quickly she
moved down the path and out of the Violet patch coming to the fountain.
Sitting down on the edge she began to pull the rest of the spikes from her
suit, all were exactly the same as the first one she had examined.
“A carnivorous plant,” she thought.
“No doubt the needles contained some kind of
poison to immobilise the prey and then the vine secured it for feeding; only
the needles weren’t able to penetrate her new suit.”
Finally she pulled out the last of
the spikes. Reaching into the fountain she took out the emerald and the
disk. She placed the emerald inside her suit between her breasts for
safekeeping. The disk she smashed into small pieces not needing it.
“I’d better not go back the way I
came, that might be tempting the fates a little,” she thought.
Instead she went around the
house on the other side. No path existed on this side, only protruding
tree roots that made footing treacherous. Claire had to divide her
concentration between keeping her footing and making sure nothing else caught
her by surprise. As careful as she was the divided senses caught her up
and she misplaced a step, slipping off a root, coming unbalanced and tumbling
into a soft mossy patch of ground. She quickly recovered herself and came
out of the patch, however so also brought an unwanted companion in the form of
an Anaconda, which had encircled Claire’s right leg.
As Anaconda’s went it was only a
small one, maybe twenty feet, more than enough to finish Claire with
ease! She looked for the head but the body of the snake had trailed off
into the darkness. The trailing serpent began to pull her; Claire braced
her free leg to counter the pulling pressure. Her leg muscles flexed and
strained through the car suit as she tried to counter balance herself. It
required all her strength just to stay upright, then as quickly as the pulling
had started it stopped. A few seconds later Claire saw why. Slowly
the snake’s head appeared out of the darkness slithering toward her. It
came within a few feet of her, just out of reach, and then it made a circle
around the base of her feet several times forming as yet used coils.
Satisfied with its preparations it decided to proceed to the kill. In
rapid succession the two loops came up her body and drew her legs together, one
coil around her thighs the other around the calves. Claire’s legs slammed
together as the slack was immediately taken up the loose coils forming at her
feet for another strike. Unable to move she was ensnared in two more
circles of muscle, this time around her shoulder and waist. Claire
managed to get her hands above her head just before the coil could permanently
strap them to her sides. Four bands of death were now wound around
her. Her deadly foe gave a quick jerk of its free body, Claire could not
resist the pull of the creature and she fell to the ground helpless.
With its great muscles it moved
Claire into its awaiting coils rolling her body into its bands of
constriction. It entwined her arms above her head to quell here frantic
escape attempts. Slowly now it proceeded to encircle and wind its prey up
covering all parts of its victim until only the Anaconda showed around
Claire. It’s ensnaring of her complete it now started the make
adjustments to her with its coils. Claire flexed and twisted and writhed
within her prison, her valiant escape attempts completely inadequate against
her capture. Slowly the Anaconda compressed her, its serpentine movements
perfectly countering hers. She knew she was trapped in an embrace of no
escape! Most of the 20 feet of snake held Claire now; only the head was
visible to her as its rested directly above her eyes, which was the only part
of her still visible beneath a sea of twisting green death. Each time the
muscles on the side of the snakes head twitched her entangle body lost a little
more freedom, still despite this she continued to resist as best she could, but
with ever decreasing efficiency. Several minutes later her last attempt
at escape exhausted she lay motionless in the Anacondas grip.
The serpent drew inward on her corkscrewing
her body even tighter. She felt her rib cage being drawn in with each
inhale. Lying motionless in her coffin of coils she starred at the sky
and waited for it to end. Another inward spiral caused her to moan, pain
and pressure were now her constant companions. The great killer cinched
her and then adjusted her again within its tomb. Her whole body was
aflame with pain as her constant moaning attested to. The only thing
keeping her conscious was her will not to give in until the absolute end.
“Always make the opponent earn the victory,”
she recalled.
Her blanket of death
rippled its coiled springs once more, the head of the serpent once level with
hers was now three feet past her head, still she continued to be reduced under
the mass of sinew.
“Come on! Come on!” Claire
desperately thought between moans. She had nothing left to resist with.
One more inward turn of her and
then it stopped. No new pressure or tightening, in fact if anything the
coils had loosened around her. Air filed into her lungs for the first
time in minutes.
“Thank God,” Claire thought.
“A minute longer and I wouldn’t be alive.”
The poison needles from the
African Violets that could not penetrate her suit had instead coated it with
their poison leaving the Anaconda to absorb it while it was trying to absorb
her. Claire wasn’t sure how long the drug would immobilise her capture
and she didn’t want to wait around to find out! Even with the coils loose
it took about fifteen minutes to escape what until a little while ago had been
inescapable. Once free of the snake’s embrace she looked down and smiled.
“I’m starting to develop a taste
for poison, two in one night.”
She made her way to the front of
the house. The car ride back to the Cabana was uneventful; both bodies
were gone when she returned, one dead, the other soon to be. She took a
shower in the cat suit just to make sure she washed off any unused residual
poison. The next day she handed over the emerald to a C.O.I.L. courier
and took the next flight back to Rio.
Marcus was deep in concentration
as a silent intruder slide towards him. He was still unaware when it
struck…gently biting him on the back of the neck. Slapping a hand to his
neck he jumped in surprise and turned around.
“How did you get in here? My
security system should have warned me!”
“I am a spy,” she said
smiling. “We’ll fix it in the morning.”
“But,” he started to counter
before Claire gently placed her fingers over his lips.
“Shhh,” and then she pulled him
close, feeling the warmth and comfort of his arms.
After a few minutes she whispered
warmly in his ear, “Take me into your parlour.”
THE END
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