Retirement

This is the conclusion, or not, of Dance, Dance, Dance.  If readers

want more of Rod and Virginia. I can create more stories.

Suggestions always welcome

‘I thought I was done.  You made that very clear about a week ago’  I seem to recall, what were the exact

words, yes.  ‘You don’t have the look anymore, meaning I’m too old to attract anymore.  But now, this week,

I am.’

‘You have the experience and all the metrics favour an older agent, so you got selected.  Look if you don’t want the assignment we can find another agent.  I just thought you’d want one last victory to cap your career.  Since you’re not teaching and your last assignment was a failure, this was the chance for redemption, a chance to exit with a win,’ he said.

That was the hook, her ego could not say no.  This was for, she could care less about them, she’d been a great agent for many years, then to be cast aside, told you didn’t have it anymore, that hurt plenty.  But, then to be told you didn’t have the ability to teach, that you were an instinctual agent and that didn’t transfer to teaching so off you go.  Cast away and forgotten, he knew she’d take it, ego demanded it, so she did, picking up the dossier and leaving.

***

‘What are you doing?’ the supervisor asked her.

‘Same thing I do with all my assignments, research, only a little more than usual, given the circumstances.  See what knowledge I can gain, that little extra bit of intel that will give me the advantage I can use on them,’ she said, concentrating on the screen.  ‘For instance, who is this guy,’ she asked using the highlight function to zoom in on this face then pressing search.  

‘If you don’t mind me saying, you are less than a frequent visitor to my humble basement empire.  Has something changed?’

‘My last mission and well I don’t want it to be my last mission, if you follow.  I need that edge, my confidence is down a great deal from my last couple of fiasco’s, so I want to go out with a win,’ she said.  

‘I see, well, then let me assist in any small way I can.  No data found,’ means there’s either nothing or he’s a dead enemy agent and his file has been deleted from our database.  Most likely a dead enemy agent, his real history or any reference to him would most probably,’ she said reaching over the keyboard.  ‘Excuse me,’ she added absentmindedly while tapping the keyboards.  ‘You see, there you go, nothing on your target on the web, all you have is what we have, typical.  Pity, he’s easy on the eyes.  You sure this is your assignment,’ she said, not hiding the surprise in her voice,  

‘Thanks for your help,’ the agent said, closing her dossier.  ‘I think I have all I need.’

***

‘This shouldn’t take any time at all, the planning is the main element, as it always is.  I don’t even have to travel, we live in the same city.  These are his likes, I have a few of these so an introduction will be easy, it's just arranging how we should meet.  I think I need a sense of his rhythm, his routine,’ she smiled from the comfort of her apartment.

‘He certainly is active, here and there, moves with a purpose, lots of business buildings, never eats lunchout, little or no personal interaction or recreactions, as far as she could tell.  ‘He does live in a very niceplace, but I bet I can get inside with little or no effort, with a little help.  Time to bring in the team.’

***

‘I was beginning to think you’d never get here and all that planning your friends and the company went into giving you a retirement present would go to waste,’ she said standing in the doorway of his kitchen.  ‘In case you're wondering, I'm their retirement gift to you,’ she added walking toward him, her hips swaying like a snake ready to strike.  

‘I left my credentials on the table.  I am an agent, I’m surprised and more my prospective sorry we never worked together, given your long tenure with Force, speaking of long,’ she smiled touching his package.  ‘Glad to see my elaborate ensemble did not go to waste,’ she said, her arms going around his neck.  ‘Now what do you say we get this party started.’

She took her time, a few nibbles to get the motion, her years of experience teasing more promising touches, a final one with just to curl of her tongue touching the corner of his mouth before she delivered, her lips closing around his.  Her lips pulled, teased and turned, her pressure varying, one ankle crossing over the other.  She pulled away slowly a final nibble, her arms straddling his neck, fingers entwined but not touching him.  

‘Thank you for letting my career end where it began, with a kiss,’ she smiled watching him slip from her arms to the floor.  

She stepped over him into the bedroom retrieving her cell phone from her clutch.

‘One to pick up, usual cover.  Thank you.’ she said hanging up then went to change.  

She’d just finished dressing when there was a soft knock on the door.  She finished her hair and opened it looking at two men dressed as if they came from the Coroner's Office.

He’s over there,’ she said casually pointing in the direction of the bedroom.  As they passed by her one of them handed her a bag.  She went into the bathroom emerging minutes later in a new dress and heels.  She handed the bag to them then which they dropped into the body bag, her clutch was waiting on top.  She took off her jewellery and dropped them into the clutch, her last official act, they were company property.

They loaded his body onto the gurney, practised efficiency ensured he was inside and zipped up in under a minute.  

One of the two made a scan of his features to see they matched the assignment picture.

‘Confirmed, it's him,’ one said.  The other called HQ to report the mission had been a success and recovery of the body and her items had been complete.  One of them was just about to close the bag while the other called for the elevator when she put a hand out to stop him.

‘My last time and my trademark,’ she said bending over to kiss him, 

They all got into the elevator and waited for it to open in the basement where the hearse was parked, but instead it opened on one below, the mechanical floor.  They tried again, but the elevator refused to go down.

‘Go back up,’ she said.  ‘To the lobby, I’ll slip out, you close the doors behind me and I’ll find out what is going on.  We don’t want to make more of an impression and get people talking than we need to.  ‘I’ll play the grieving woman to him and get this resolved,’ she said in her best take charge voice.  

They did as she said and within a few minutes she was back, a small rap on the door opened it.  The elevator control system, that’s what the concierge says is busted again, apparently this is a regular issue.  He has locked out the other elevator, he will stand guard over the stairwell, I’ll stay with the body.’

‘Why can’t you do it?’ one asked.  

‘Because, I'm the distraught woman, remember, how will that look?’ she said in an annoyed voice.  ‘And if you remember, the concierge will remember you from your little public utility inspection of the electrical and elevator rooms.  We don’t want any links or loose ends coming back.  Do we? Let’s get this done and over with, my career is over tonight and the last thing I want to do is debate this.  Good, now let’s get this done.’  

The entire operation took less than 5 minutes, good fortune kept the lobby clear of residents and the street as well.  Soon the hearse was on its way to the crematorium far out of town, a Trident cover operation to get rid of enemy agents.

‘One final look and scan to make sure after all that happened,’ one of them said, unzipping the bag and scanning the face.  ‘Everythings fine, open the door,’ he finished.

The other did, then pushed the button starting the pusher to take the bag inside.  Trident never bothered with the ashes, they just got swept up and tossed after so many bodies.  

‘The oven will shut off automatically, can we take you home or drop you somewhere?’ the other said.

‘Any place is better than here,’ she said.  

***

She arrived back at her place.  Locking the door, she turned and walked into the bedroom kicking off her shoes and unzipping her dress, discarding it on her vanity chair as she got into bed, her arms curling around a familiar object in a hug.

‘I don’t want or expect anything at the moment, this is wonderful all by itself,’ Virginia said in a soft happy contented voice to Rod.  ‘You’ll be fine by morning, then we can talk and plan,’ she said.  Both were asleep in each other's arms almost instantly.  

***

‘I couldn’t believe it when I opened the mission portfolio and there you were, my last assignment.  I suppose they picked me because our ages were close and thought I might have the best chance without making you suspect something,’ Virginia explained in the next morning as they lay in bed, she half across his body as he lay on his back.  ‘I knew I was never going to do the mission, even as I accepted it.  Part of me wanted to run to you right away so we could run, but they would have just assigned someone to hunt us down, so I stalled for time.  I went to our research department, a place I did not frequent very much and learned that once an agent is eliminated they are erased from our database.  That left me with the perfect opportunity to eliminate you and retire.  All I needed was a little help and two patsy’s to pin the blame on should something go wrong,’ she explained, adjusting herself a little on him.

‘I sent them disguised as techs for the electrical company into your condo where they hacked into the security system to create a feedback loop of recorded camera activity that would run for the time we required to get me into the building and your apartment and out again.  Along with that we added a master pass code so I and they could get into the building.  All of that code and information will erase itself in a week or be overwritten,’ she explained her fingers caressing his cheek.

‘My plan set up, I waited for you to leave.  I knew where you’d be going having followed you around for a week and when you’d be back.  At the appropriate time I entered the building and into your place.  I knew you’d be more than happy to see me and would not question anything especially given my attire.  I chose it special.  That night in the hotel when you came into the bathroom and I was wearing your shirt looking into the mirror you never made a move to convince me. Even though out of the corner of my eye I could see you were very interested.  A woman in a shirt always does that.  All you did was walk by and kiss me gently on the head, a lovely gesture. You knew or sensed my concern about what we had just down and my conflicted feelings even before I told you the next morning.  I thought I owed you that shirt again, that’s why I wore it,’ she explained shifting herself a little more onto him.

‘I guessed correctly that you’d go along with my role play idea making my job easy as you would not suspect me.  I had the antidote at the ready if needed, but I was confident my preparations were solid. I diluted my Fatal Embrace lipstick and reformed it back into shape.  That kiss took you right to the edge, your vitals so slow you didn’t respond or register when they checked you.  I administered the antidote claiming it was my trademark on how I left my victims.  That second kiss contained the antidote, but in a more slow recovery strength.  I had to get you out of the apartment and to safety without you moving,’ she continued.

‘How exactly did that happen?,’ he said, a hand finding the small of her back.  

‘I have many of those special elevator keys.  I opened the panel, inserted a USB stick into the port and reprogrammed the elevator to stop at one below instead of the basement where the hearse was parked.  I tossed the keys down the gap after I was done.   We had no choice but to come back up to the lobby where I took control.  Once they had gone back to one below and walked down to get the hearse I had the chance to switch the bodies.  I had one stored in the concierge's office, he helped me unload you and load it complete with a very detailed ultra thin skin mask of your face complete in every detail,’ she smiled, moving to allow his other arms to join the other behind her back. 

‘Why would the concierge help you with something like that?’ he inquired.

‘I have one or two friends who owe me a favour from freelance jobs I’ve taken now and then so I cashed several favours.  They needed to get rid of a body that was incredibly close to yours, so one hand washes the other.  I knew they would check again, hence the mask.  We cremated the other, there will be no questions I can assure you, on either his or your death.  They brought me back home, I had arranged to have you brought here secretly and here we are,’ she finished as he pulled her on top.  

‘I believe this is how we started the last time,’ he smiled, then kissed her.

‘Only this time it doesn’t end in a one night stand,’ she added, adjusting her hips.  ‘Mmm, just like I remember,’ she added, before a tilt of her body ended the conversation.