Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="yangnome" data-source="post: 3099257" data-attributes="member: 7413">Cat FightReal spy work is nothing like the pictures Hollywood paints.  It isn’t glamorous or sexy and our tools aren’t that cool.  Most of us in the business are fine with that—after all, nothing like a job with sex appeal.  Mick though, well Mick grew up watching too many spy flicks.  He doesn’t get the fact there’s a difference between real life and what’s on the big screen.  Mick is my runner—he’s my point of contact with the agency, and the one that gets me the tools and the information I need to do my job and stay alive.  I’m sure you can imagine the problems this has caused since Mick started working with me a few months ago.Take for instance the last job I worked.  I got a message that I needed to pick up a drop with my new assignment.  Now, he could have mailed me a dossier, or even put it in a normal drop location—under a park bench, inside the lip of a trashcan, you get the idea.  Instead, I’m told to look for a guy in a tux at the zoo.If you’re anything like me, you’re figuring that a guy in a tuxedo at a zoo is going to look really out of place.  That is until you see what he’s cooked up this time—a penguin.  An effin’ penguin.  How the hell am I supposed to get a message from a penguin?  <a href="http://www.enworld.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=26111" target="_blank">So I crouch down and try to call the penguin over to me.  The damn thing waddles over to me and I notice something under the penguin’s wing—or is it a flipper?  I give it a little piece of a Snicker’s bar I had been munching on and try to retrieve my message. There’s a small electronic device under the penguin’s wing.  I place my finger over it and a recorded message begins to play:</a>   He can’t be serious.  Then I notice that the ticking. He is.  PETA isn’t going to be happy about this.  I get out of the areas as soon as possible.---Now, it’s been a number of years since I’ve been to Canukistan and I don’t have a whole lot of information to work with.  I knew that there were a number of groups upset at The Queen, but which one is doing the plotting, I have no clue.  I do have a few contacts inside Canukistan and I figure it’d be a good time to make use of them—I have no idea how much time we have before they make this attempt on The Queen.I decide to meet up with Jorge first.  Jorge isn’t in the business any longer; he’s retired— well as retired as you can get in this business without being dead.  Jorge’s a unique fellow, a flamboyant gent who’s always remarkably dressed and one hell of a shot.  Jorge keeps his ears to the ground and his information is usually quite reliable.  If there were any groups talking about a job like this, he’d know about it.  I also knew where Jorge usually hung out—he usually played chess down by the river in Bay City.  Sure enough, that’s where Jorge was.  He didn’t have an opponent at the moment, so I sat down next across from him.  “Nice weather today isn’t it?” I said.“Devine.  We’ll probably only have one or two weeks before the storms start rolling in.  I haven’t seen you around in awhile.” Jorge replied.“Business has kept me away.  You mind if I play?” I move a pawn forward two squares. “You know I’m always more than willing to let you play with me.” Jorge replied, winking at me as he moved his rook.Innuendo, Jorge was famous for it.  I didn’t have time to play though. “Do you know anyone getting ready to make a move on The Queen?” I asked.“It’s still a bit early in the game, are you talking about the chess piece, or are you asking about my love life?” Jorge asked.  He picked up his wine glass and took a sip.“Neither,” I said. “I’m talking about work.  I’ve heard someone is getting ready to make a move on The Queen and I need to find out who, I thought maybe you’d know.”“I haven’t heard anything.” Jorge said.  “The Queen’s pissed off enough people though.  It wouldn’t surprise me.”“You haven’t heard anything specific though?”“No.  I’m retired.  I haven’t even heard any rumors.”“Do you know anywhere I could find some more information?  I don’t know when they’re going to make their move.”“You could try Ari’s place.  He’s usually got his ear to the ground.”Ari owned a dye shop. He died fabrics that are used in high end garments.  It was a cover operation though.  He also worked as a place to dump bodies.  He’d store them in the dye vats.  Not only were the bodies impossible to see in the vats, but they added vibrant color to the crimsons.  At night he’d fill the vats with acids that would eat the remains away.  No evidence, no smell, all taken care of nice and clean.“Do you think he’d know anything about this?”“I’m not sure,” Jorge said. “But he’s a good place to start with.  He keeps his ear to the ground about anything going on in the industry.”“Thanks, I’ll give it a try.”“Checkmate.” He’s got me between his queen and his knight.“Ok, thanks for the game.”  I’ll see you around. I get up and head for the subway.--- Thirty minutes later, I step off the subway and I head through some back alleys.  A beggar sits in the alley way next to a door, but I know who he really is.  Under his robes, he’s holding an MP5, or some similar weapon, ready to gun down anyone who doesn’t belong.  I flash him a sign and he nods at me.  I go through the door and step out into a courtyard.  <a href="http://www.enworld.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=26112" target="_blank">In the far corner of the courtyard, two men are haggling over the price of something.  I only pick up bits and pieces of their conversation.  Another man works in the vats.  The courtyard between us is filled with a bunch of vats, different colors, mostly browns and reds—it’s what’s hot this season.</a>They look up at me and I nod.  I wait for them to finish their business—it’d be rude to interrupt.  Once they’re done one of the men walks around the vats and exits out a different door.  I walk over and shake Ari’s hand.  “Ari, it looks like you’ve been busy.”“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you.”“Yeah, I haven’t had any needs of your services.” I tell him.  A large pile of cloth lies on top of a table next to Ari.  I lift up the top of the first couple pieces of fabric and sure enough, there’s a body under it—probably just dropped off by the man that left.  Ari hasn’t had time to put him in a vat yet.  The face is familiar. “Alas, poor Yorick.” I said.“You knew him?” Ari asked.“I knew him well.”“I am sorry.” He said.“Don’t worry, it’s a part of the business,” I tell him. “I know it too well unfortunately.”“What can I do for you today?” Ari asks. “Arranging for a delivery?”Ari, Always the business man. “I’m actually here to get some information.” I tell him.“You know I don’t talk about who my customers are, or what business I do with them.”“It isn’t like that Ari.  I’m looking for rumors.  I hear someone is going to make an attempt on The Queen.  I was just wondering if you’d heard anything.  Any idea who’d be doing this?”“Well, there are a lot of people who don’t like her.”“Yeah, but who would act on something like that.”“Ah hell, I’ve always liked The Queen.  I tell you what.  You didn’t get this information from me, but Lady Daffodil and her crew have been talking about a job coming up.  Saturday night at the show, and The Queen is supposed to be there.”“Thanks, I appreciate it.  Saturday, that doesn’t give me much time.”“Good luck, my friend.”---I was familiar with Lady Daffodil and her bunch.  They were small time players, but I wouldn’t put this job past them.  I also had contact with someone on their team.  I knew I could meet up with StacyQ at a bar she went to almost every night, the ‘Why not?’.  I had brought some decent clothing with me, so I went back to my hotel room, took a short nap and then changed to go out.  Sure enough, I found StacyQ on her usual barstool, chatting up the others in the place.  StacyQ was pretty popular and everyone knew that after a few drinks, you could get her talking.I started buying her drinks—Midori, Malibu and orange juice.  It wasn’t strong, but it didn’t take much to get her going.  She always had a thing for me anyway.  The feeling wasn’t reciprocal—I don’t like to mix business and pleasure.  StacyQ was fun to look at, but there was too much baggage that came with any relationship in this business.It wasn’t long before I got StacyQ talking.  I just mentioned The Queen and she practically started telling me the whole thing.  She was angry that The Queen had held her title so long, and lady daffodil’s group felt that they’d been cheated.  They wanted to retire The Queen for good so someone else would have a chance.“We’re going to make it public, and we’re going to make it embarrassing,” StacyQ told me. “How?”“Lady D’s got the details,” she said. “She’s been practicing for this one.”“Do you know anything about it?”“Markus keeps a safe up in his office.  He’s agreed to help.  When The Queen’s out on the stage, Lady D’s gonna grab a rifle from the safe and shot the bitch in front of everyone.” “Isn’t that a little drastic,” I ask. “We’re tired of that bitch.”“Well, good luck with it all.” I tell her. “I’ll have to be careful about where I sit during the show.”      “You’re gonna come see me sweetie?”“I’m going to try.  I have to run now though.  I have someone to meet.”A big, fake pout spread across StacyQ’s face.  As soon as I was out the door though, she was practically in someone else’s lap.--- Saturday I got to the show early.  The show always took place at Club Trance. It was a neat place. Saturdays at midnight, they’d have the show.  The rest of the week, the place was a nightclub with dancing and such.  The walls were decorated with large murals. On one wall, a desert scene, on the other an ocean scene.  The front and back walls had mirrors.  There was a stage with a catwalk and a pole out at the end.  The pictures were painted so well, that when the lights were flashing, depending which way you were looking, it’d seem almost like you were outside with a crowd of people, not in a building.  I hadn’t been to this show in a few years. There were still a lot of familiar faces.  I almost didn’t recognize Markus—he’d had more surgery done since I’d last seen him.  As I was looking at him, Lady Daffodil walked up behind him and patted him on the ass.  He winked at me before disappearing up a stairwell with her.  A few minutes later, they all came back down.  I had to get up into the office and put a stop to this whole thing.After the two of them walked into the main theater area, I slipped up the stairwell.  Upstairs there were two doors.  I tried the one in front of me, but it was just a closet.  I tried the one to the right, but the door handle was locked.  No worries.  I pulled a hairpin out and went to work on the lock.  *click* The pins in the cylinder lined up and I turned the handle.  I quickly closed the door behind me.     The room was pitch black, but I didn’t dare turn on a light.  I knew his office had a window that overlooked the theater and I didn’t want to alert them to my presence.  I took a small pair of night vision goggles out of my pocket and placed them on my head.  The room lit up green.  I tried to work at the safe, but I wasn’t as lucky with it as I had been with the door.Below me, the show had started; I could hear the music reverberating through the floor.  Then, I heard someone coming up the stairway.  I quickly moved back into the corner, making as little noise as possible.  A key turned in the doorknob and the door to the office opened.  The light outside blinded me for a second, but the person closed the door almost all the way shut.  They didn’t turn a light on either, but came across towards the safe. <a href="http://www.enworld.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=26109" target="_blank"> Even through the night vision goggles, I could tell it was Lady Daffodil—I’d recognize her bald head anywhere.  She quickly turned the combination on the safe door and pulled a rifle out. </a> As she started to assemble the rifle’s upper and lower receivers I made my move.   I jumped up and knocked the rifle out of her hands.  I grabbed for her neck, but she moved away just in time.  She let out a loud shriek, but the music below was playing too loud for anyone to hear.  She came at me, fingernails trying to gouge out my eyes.  I fended off her attack and struck a blow to her ribs—breasts, she’d had her operation, I noticed.It was then we heard the music outside.  Barbie Girl, The Queen’s theme song. Lady D slipped out of my grip and made a move towards the window.  Before I could stop her, she jumped out the window, head first, grabbing onto a zipline Markus had installed to make a fabulous entrance into the club from his office a few years ago—it was made to look like a large bird perch.  <a href="http://www.enworld.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=26110" target="_blank">Lady D had dove onto the perch and was now heading straight for the stage where The Queen was doing her bit.  </a>Before I could even react Lady D had bowled over The Queen and had her hands around her throat.  I had to act quickly.  I took a towel from Markus’ makeup stand and wrapped it over the line.  I then jumped out the window, on a path towards the catwalk where Lady D and the Queen were rolled up in a ball together with others in the audience rushing to get involved.      I came down into the fray and kicked Lady D off of The Queen.   Instead of fight Lady D, I tried to pull The Queen back to safety.  With Markus and the others in on this, I knew I had to get her out of the building.  We fought our way through the crowd and once we got out on the street I called a taxi.  I’d have to take care of Lady D later. Once we got into the taxi, The Queen thanked me.  I’d completed my mission, and gotten her out safe.  I don’t know if she’ll be able to retain her title, but that wasn’t my concern.  I’d done my job.  Why am I protecting drag queens on the government dime?  Don’t ask, don’t tell.  I bet you’d have never guessed that the politics in the world of drag queen competitions were this serious.  There’s a lot going on behind the scenes that you don’t know about, stuff that even Hollywood couldn’t make up.</blockquote>

Verification