In the backroom
of a gentleman’s club, a mature lady elegantly dressed in black stood before
four scantily clad young women. The shapely brunette with pale skin was known
to them as the Black Widow; they had been recruited and trained by her to
perform assignments for the guild which she had organized. In her youth she had
been a highly successful freelance assassin who relied on an expertise with
poisons that she had developed as a biochemistry grad student; as she grew
older, she used her skills to train younger women whose talents she sold to the
highest bidder. Her organization which used strip clubs as a front consisted of
a wide range of lethal women who used their seductive charms to accomplish
their missions usually disguised as stripper’s or prostitutes. The four most
recent recruits to her organization stood before her after having completed the
first stages of their training; two others, not having met the criteria for
continuing with the training, had met untimely accidental deaths. The Black Widow
stood beside a table on which rested a stainless steel cosmetics case.
“This is your weapons kit. It
contains a range of weapons disguised as ordinary items of jewelry, cosmetics
or clothing with which to use on your targets. Over the course of my career I
have created different delivery methods for a range of special toxins which I
have developed. These poisons consist of both fast-acting and slow-acting forms
and are complemented by less deadly narcotics such as tranquillizers,
aphrodisiacs and truth serums. The bottom drawer contains jewelry; there are
two rings, one with a reservoir and a needle for administering the drug you
choose to use and a traditional “poison ring” with a hinged lid to release the chosen
chemical. There are also two bracelets, one has a mechanism which releases a
stiletto blade for an intimate kill and one which shoots darts that possess a
range of six feet. There is also a necklace which serves as a strangulation
wire and earrings which double as throwing knives.”
Opening the next
drawer, she continues, “This drawer contains a full arsenal of deadly
cosmetics. This jar of aspirin is in fact full of a multi-purpose antitoxin
which inhibits the absorption of any of the drugs into your bloodstream whether
through ingestion, inhalation or injection. There are two perfume atomizers,
one of which contains a fast-acting sedative; the other contains a powerful
aphrodisiac. There are two nail polishes, one with a potent fast-acting poison
which requires just one scratch, the other a slow-acting poison which requires
multiple scratches but has the advantage of simulating a heart attack in the
victim. And of course your most valuable weapon because what man could resist one
of your delicious kisses, a lip gloss case which contains three tints of the
shiniest clear gloss to wear over whatever shade of lipstick you choose. I had
originally developed an array of deadly lipsticks, but I found the stickiness
of the gloss aided in the transfer of the chemical to the victim. This palette
consists of a knockout formula in one compartment which immobilizes the target
for about one hour, a powerful neurotoxin in another compartment which when
combined with heightened levels of testosterone shuts down the central nervous
system and my favorite, a delayed poison which the body having metabolized,
produces an untraceable protein-based compound which causes a sudden and fatal
stroke. Many of my assignments have received one of my special goodnight kisses,
only to experience a fatal reaction within a few hours. All of the glosses have
a vanilla scent to prevent detection of the drug when tasted by the victim.”
“In the top drawer
you will find the other weapons such as Daphne’s Needles on which you have been
trained already, your feather boa with the self-constriction mechanism and
Penelope’s Pasties, which allow you to shoot a stream of potent nerve gas into
the face of your victim by pressing the base of the device. This weapon is
particularly effective for the simultaneous elimination of two targets. And as
you grow more experienced, more weapons will be added to your repertoire, but
for now these will suffice. Are there any questions?”
“When do we get to
try out our new weapons?” asked the chorus of eager young voices.
“Soon I will have
your first assignments,” replied the Black Widow, pleased to sense their
enthusiasm. “Very soon.”
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