I wrote a short story for my wife for your anniversary (13 years!
)
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PROJECT ATHENA
Lights shone through the sky, illuminating shafts that waved back and forth as if in welcome to the guests. The spotlights which had been hired for the occasion were also used in Las Vegas, although the northern Canadian lodge setting meant that it was not gaudy in the slightest.
The mansion stood at the edge of both the Boreal Forest and a lake, the building itself a mixture of Jack Pine wood and locally quarried stone as a nod to the areas heritage. Snow hung from every bough and the lake’s surface glistened with diamond-like ice. The moon shone down on the road, which bore a parade of cars containing the Who’s Who of the world’s political scene.
All of the guests exiting cars were wrapped up in expensive looking furs, faux-fur or artificial fleece depending on their nationality and the current public opinion sway.
As a Bentley moved away from the front of the house, a sleek, black BMW glided to a halt. Those guests who were loitering around the front entrance were treated to the sight of a smooth, ivory leg emerging as the footman smoothly opened the door. Taking the footman’s hand gracefully, a slim, dark-haired beauty stepped out from the low-slung car. Adjusting the form-fitting dress, she tossed her carefully curled dark hair over her shoulder and sashayed towards the entrance. She attracted several pairs of male eyes in her black dress, with inset silver slashes down the skirt and bodice and a long slit which revealed an almost scandalous amount of leg. Her progress was also noted in a different fashion, through the eyes of watchful security guards positioned above and to the sides of the entrance.
Reaching the stairs, the lady opened her matching clutch and extended an invitation to the well-dressed and manicured employee at the door. The man gave an ingratiating smile and, while scanning its code, asked for her passport and compared her to the photo inside.
“Tight security,” she said, conversationally. The employee nodded. “Oui, your ‘ighness. Monsieur Resoin insisted on ze ‘ighest and tightest security considering ze guest list.” He led her over to another guard with a security wand. “I am very sorry, but we will ‘ave to scan you and your clutch.”
“Pas de probleme, monsieur,” the lady answered smoothly, handing over the small bag. The inspecting guard poured the contents out onto a round mechanical device which promptly emitted several beeps and three indicator lights turned green. “It scans for explosives, drugs and poisons, Madame, quite ze cutting edge of technology,” simpered the reception employee, earning a well practiced smile.
The guard proceeded to wand her then, evidently satisified waved her through. “Thank you, Madame.” The lady inclined her head and followed the other employee as he lead her to the main door.
“I do ‘ope that Madame enjoys ‘er evening.”
The lady’s lips twitched up as she glided past. She would enjoy herself, just not in the way that anyone was expecting.
Handing her thermal wrap, matching her dress in black and silver, to the receptionist, she smoothly lifted a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and made her way into the grand hall.
Remy Resoin was the owner of an international lumber company as well as a significant amount of forested land from which he derived his fortunes. As she walked through the ostentatious hallways, filled with curtains of gold lame and strategically placed pieces of priceless art, she reflected on the subject of the evening: Remy had invited his full address book of political persons of import to announce a new product that his company would be producing. And they had responded in force. Money evidently did add volume to a voice.
The lady glided between sultans and dukes, presidents and prime ministers until she had crossed the floor and climbed a couple of stairs leading off into the house.
Ahead, a security guard stood behind a rope stanchion. “I’m sorry Madame, but there is no access to this part of the house.”
“Access? Who said I wanted access? I merely enjoy perusing a place once I arrive.” The lady continued her slow advance up the corridor towards the suited guard. She smiled disarmingly, a dimple appearing on one pristine cheek.
The guard continued to wave her off. “No access in this direction on strict orders of Mister Resoin.” As she arrived at the stanchion, he put a hand on her shoulder and gestured in the opposite direction.
The hand holding the clutch struck twice. A hard, central blow to the solar-plexus generating a standing wave through the rest of the body followed by a another to the groin. As the guard doubled up, the lady delivered an almost polite rap to the side of the proffered head. The unconscious guard slid to the ground.
The lady’s demeanour changed instantly. Kneeling, she dragged the guard’s unconscious body into a nearby cupboard. Tapping her earpiece, she spoke softly, “Ulysses, I’m in and past the first layer of security.”
The cultured and sardonic tones of her handler sounded in her ear. “Princess?! How in the world did you manage to get an ID for a princess?”
Jess smiled, she loved pulling a fast one on her handler. “Strangely enough Uly, that part is true. I’m distantly related, just enough to avoid the tabloids.” Her handler’s voice bristled over the comms “You know how much I hate your version of my call sign, Athena, just get on with it.”
The lower half of her dress detached and when wrapped around the rest of her body, created a full stealth body suit. Cleverly hidden zippers covered the silver patches and moved strategically placed ceramic plates into positions, effectively creating a bullet-proof vest. She gathered the ‘jewellery’ around her hands and connected each at the wrist, forming a very stylish set of knuckle dusters.
Jess kneeled and, with a soft click, detached the heels from her shoes and twisted each of them. The bars telescopically enlarged into two short clubs with which she had extensively trained. “They never scan the shoes,” she remarked to herself as she tapped the formidable batons in her hands.
Tying her hair back behind her, she heard the guard’s radio crackle. “Two-four, check in.”
She swore under her breath. She had been hoping for a little bit more time before the breach in their security was identified.
She twisted a button on the side of her watch and the state-of-the-art contact lenses provided her with a live display of the schematics of the mansion, along with small dots indicating thermal-imaging detected bodies from a satellite overhead. Making her way to the end of the corridor, she slowly opened the door.
At the far side of the room, guarding the entrance to a small staircase, were two armed guards. She controlled her breathing and, hefting her weapons, sprinted into the room.
The guards reacted instantly, turning towards her and hands diving into jackets for their weapons. Her hands flashed down. One baton sailed through the air to connect with one man’s forehead, the other barely missing as the other guard twisted back partially losing his balance while his colleague slumped to the floor.
Within a heartbeat she closed with the guard still on his feet, who had regained his balance and had a semi-automatic pistol half drawn from a shoulder holster. Twisting the gun inwards and back, she disarmed him just as his right hand swung towards her in a wild haymaker. Instincts honed by hundreds of hours in training kicked in and she swayed backwards, catching him by the wrist as it sailed by. Turning her shoulder into him and shoving her shoulder into his armpit, the blow’s power was redirected as she pulled hard on the arm. The guard’s eyes widened as he found himself flying over her shoulder, all his breath leaving him as he slammed into the floor with his arm wrenched above him. Jess pivoted to complete the armlock and delivered a measured kick to the side of his head. His entire body went limp.
Dropping the arm, she touched her ear. “Ulysses, I’m at the base of the staircase but timing is compromised. Use the satellite link and talk me through this.” Turning off the digital display from her contacts so she could concentrate, she knelt by the door.
Ulysses’ voice came back through as she attached one of her earrings to the digital lock. “This staircase seems to lead to some kind of a mezzanine above the main hall. There’s something blocking scans so we can’t get an exact idea of what’s there.” The three diamonds on the earrings lit up one by one until, with a soft click, the staircase opened.
Bounding up the stairs, a light frown crossed Jess’ forehead. “Going in blind, great. Remind me why we pay the IT guys again?”
Ulysses voice took on the slighter higher pitch it always did when he was concerned, “Just be careful, Athena.”
“Aren’t I always?” She responded sweetly.
“Yes. Apart from jumping out of a plane in Prague saying ‘I’m sure I’ll catch up to the parachute, they just threw it out’ or disarming a dirty bomb in Moscow because ‘the tech idiots always take too long’ or-“
Jess zoned out his voice. He always worried too much.
Arriving at the top of the steps, she cautiously peered around the corner. A large laboratory was laid out before her, with a large figure seated at a computer terminal at the far end, dimly lit by monitors and flashing control boards. As she crept forwards, she passed what was evidently some kind of production line. First sets of distilleries, then vats of liquid and finally large tanks connected by countless pipes that spread like a spiderweb out across the ceiling and vanishing into the walls.
She was almost to the table when her luck ran out. Evidently one of the guards had been discovered (or recovered) and a general alert put out, as a klaxon sounded seemingly right in her ear.
The figure jumped up and span round. She tried to make to him in time, but it was too far and there was no place to take cover. His hand produced a small pistol-like object, which made a low thunk. Jess felt a pain in her thigh. Stumbling she instinctively grabbed at the wound and her hand closed around a dart.
Blackness filled her and she was gone.
o0o
“... I want to know ‘oo she is and ‘ow she got so far into ze mansion!” Remy Resoin was furious. How had this girl managed to bypass his considerable security and get as far as she had? Mere moments more and she could have undone all his careful work and timing.
“Yes sir, once she wakes we can extract the information.” Wilson, his head of security, stood sweating slightly as the blame for the incident fell primarily on him.
“Yes, but do not notify ze police. I cannot ‘ave zem ‘ere right now. It is too close to ze time.”
It had taken him years to perfect his formula and then months of work to find a time when he could have the majority of the world’s leaders in one place. Who would have guessed that the pine resin from the woods in this area could be refined into a narcotic so strong it completely bypassed any kind of conscious thought and inhibition, leaving any subject introduced to it immediately subject to complete deep-state hypnosis.
He checked his watch. No matter. Even with this complication he was still on schedule. Checking the cameras, he saw that his Master of Ceremonies was summoning all guests to his auditorium in preparation for his announcement of a new product line. Ha! They would get first hand experience of his product.
Chuckling to himself, he checked the direct gas line feed from this room to hundreds of dispersal units in the auditorium.
A grunt from behind him disturbed his thoughts.
He turned to find the security guard stationed next to the unconscious woman falling to the floor as the previously tied and unconscious woman rapidly closed with his head of security.
Even though Wilson was a martial arts specialist, the woman made him seem like he was standing still. So close that they could have been dancing, the woman evaded three rapid punches from the guard, then turned his incoming knee strike into a hyperextended leg forcing the man into the splits. Grabbing his wrist on the way down, she spun one leg over his shoulder forcing his torso to the floor so she stood with one foot on his back and the other still holding his extended wrist. With a small flex, accompanied by a loud crack, she dislocated his shoulder.
“Right,” the lady grunted, her voice dropping an octave in a clear sign of utmost danger. As the guard attempted to rise with his good arm, the lady slammed a knee into his chin, probably breaking it in three or more places. As Wilson’s body flopped to the floor, she stepped away. “Now you reprobates have REALLY pissed me off.”
“Wha- ‘ow did you get free?” He stammered as she advanced on him.
She twiddled carefully manicured fingers at him, “Re-fired porcelain. Stronger than steel and utterly undetectable to a metal scanner.” She admired the nails, “The ultimate fashion accessory.”
“Stay back!” Remy warned, as he backed to the console and held his hand over a large red button, “any closer and I’ll initiate a fatal dosage of-“
“Your new pine-fresh, mind control gas. Yes, yes. Very impressive.” She tilted her head. “You haven’t actually made yourself a RED button have you? How terribly unoriginal.”
Remy was stunned. How could she know? Then he realized that she was much too close to one of the solution-concentrate valves. His heart skipped a beat when she put her hand on it.
“NO! Don’t touch zat! Ze mixture is too concentrated! You’ll kill us both!
Jess smiled as she attached the cloth from her erstwhile clutch to her face, the fabric moulding and firmly attaching through a series of nano-suction pads, “You really didn’t think this through, did you Remy?”
With one spin of the valve, gas sprayed out and enveloped both of them.
o0o
The MC checked his watch. His boss was never this late. Maybe something was wrong? He could feel the crowd beginning to get restless. He glanced at the doors. Maybe he should check upstairs...
The back door suddenly opened and Remy Resoin walked in with a dazzling beauty on his arm. Ah, he thought, relaxing, he got caught up with some lady-friend.
Kissing the lady on the cheek, Remy settled her in a chair and walked to the stage, acknowledging greetings as he went, a large smile on his face. The MC took his cue leaned in to the microphone and announced: “Ladies and gentlemen, mesdames et messieurs, please welcome Monsieur Resoin!”
Leaving the stage free for his boss, he headed to the side. His main job was financial advisor to the agricultural magnate and he knew that with the release of the toxin they would shortly be receiving major donations from each of the people present. A fortune given freely and which would make Resoin Industries the richest company in the world.
Daydreaming slightly about yachts and bikini-clad young ladies, he didn’t realize that Remy had changed his speech until he was about halfway through.
“- and so tonight is our first fundraiser for donations against animal cruelty, to be shared between each of your countries most effective charities on zis matter.”
The MC was stunned. He pinched himself and looked up again. His boss was famous for allowing NO-ONE to interrupt his speeches and so he, along with the rest of the support staff, looked on helplessly as Remy continued.
“- and Resoin Industries will be the first to donate 2.5 billion dollars to-,“ Gasps of shock and exclamations drowned out the rest of his sentence but clapping sprang up and raced through the crowd as the audience gave a standing ovation to the Billionaire as he handed a check over to a very confused looking charity spokesperson.
No-one noticed the Master of Ceremonies collapse in a heap at the back of the stage.
o0o
Jess sat in the audience, admiring her handiwork, sipping on a glass of champagne. She licked her lips, this was actually quite good although obviously not a Chandon. She must ask for the vineyard.
A low chuckle came through her earpiece. “You’re a criminal genius, you know that right?”
She smiled into her drink. “Yes Ulysses, I believe I do.”
“How long will the gas last?”
Jess watched the disbelieving crowd, as Remy Resoin, known miser, started doing stage fundraising. She smiled as a South African dignitary raised his hand to give the first donation. Maybe he owned a nature reserve. “Well, he did say it was a concentrated dose. And they never did get round to testing the extent of the gases effects and the duration per cubic millilitre... So… Probably just long enough for him to donate the majority of his sizeable estate to charity, doing some good and leaving him pretty much penniless. Not to mention harmless” She toyed with the now ruined piece of cloth that had been part of the clutch. “At least we know that the gas mask works.”
Ulysses chuckled again in her ear. “Genius. And more than a bit spiteful.”
Jess tossed her hair back. A nicely tanned Colombian coffee plantation owner had just caught her eye and maybe she had some time on her hands now. “Well, they should know better than to shoot me then. He got off lightly all things considered. Now, I have a couple of things to attend to if there’s nothing else...?”
The sigh that came through on the comm told her everything.
Jess finished her drink and stood up to leave. With the lower part of her dress reattached and silver slashes uncovered, she again stood in her dazzling and utterly innocent looking evening dress. Although, she thought with a touch of irritability, I really did like that clutch…
Turning her back on the chaos that she had unleashed, she spoke to Ulysses through the comm as she made her way back towards the main entrance. “Let me guess, an Indian nuclear research facility? Venezuelan dictator?”
Ulysses coughed, “I’ll brief you when you’re back. Let’s just say that I hope you still remember how to ride a camel.”
The beautiful spy walked down the front steps as the BMW smoothly came to a halt at the bottom. The same employee as at her arrival opened the door for her. “I ‘ope that Madame ‘as enjoyed ‘er evening?”
Jess stopped and listened for a moment at the shouts of delight and surprise that could be heard even at this distance front the auditorium and smiled broadly at the man.
“You know what? I think I have.”
o0o
the second one was just for laughs as it was a blatant rip-off from "Jingle Bells" 
even though I felt I put a lot more effort into the storyline than before... [sigh] ah well...
