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Fatal Attraction Ch. 01

By: skyunending



Hey everybody! I'm back! thanks to all those fans who've been waiting for a story for me. I mean I made ya'll wait one whole year, but I'm on my summer vacation again and I just had to pen dow this story! 

It's a lot different from 'Black and White' but I hope you'll enjoy it immensely!

and don't forget to mail any feedback to me.

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The shootout at ‘Crazy Mongers' would be one to remember. Sadly there were just a handful of people who would even hear of it. Nevertheless, the skirmish that ensued at the bar, and the god-like skill that was unleashed would be etched as the last image into the brains of all those that had taken a bullet before they fell to the floor.

Christian stared at his mate in wonder and shock. It was still to dark to see but he could make out Duke's slumped kneeling posture as the latter breathed heavily. He was clutching his prized gun in his palms tightly. The gun that had just taken more than a dozen lives.

Christian scrambled to his feet as he slowly crept up to Duke and reassuringly put his hands on his companion's shoulders.

"You ok buddy?" He asked in a gentle voice.

Duke lifted his face slowly, finally peeling his eyes away from the semi-automatic pistol in his hand.

"Yeah, I think so."

Then Christian whistled in a low voice before he added, "What the hell was that Badgerking? Are you some kind of a monster or something?"

Duke did not reply.

The almost supernatural sleight of gun that Duke had just displayed would brand him a legend forever. Sadly there were not many who had witnessed the scene or would ever know about it.

Episode 1

Duke yawned blatantly and scratched his collarbone as he waited for the chat applet to load. The past few weeks had seen him with no assignments and no hack requests. No small jobs and no password cracking tasks or trapdoor entry requests. Hell, he was bored with life. And the money was not coming one way or another.

The screen flashed as the applet loaded and Duke signed in as BadgerKing. A chat room where mere mortal net surfers would never dare lurk. For there was every possibility of an IP hack, a Trojan load off, or many other things would be done to one's computer just for entering the ‘dark side of the net' like this. To be here, one had to be adept at using the computer and know way more than the average internet surfer; armed with his knowledge of the browser and his list of a few web-sites that he frequents. But then again, simpleton net users would hardly ever surface in a hacker's haven like this. 

Ordinary firewalls were a hacker's delight. They loved proving to users that the software which they used to protect themselves was less than competent, and the methods they adopted to prove their points were not exactly lukewarm welcomes.

Duke picked up his standard thermocol glass that read "Café Coffee Day" and sipped at the iced tea as he glanced at the topics being discussed. His feet were tapping on the floor as the headphones around his neck continued to thump music into his ears. Duke was a heavy metal listener, classified by most people as noise and Duke was a lover of the extreme side of it; death metal; which as its genre name suggested, was exactly the type of music that would have been played if human sacrifices were being made by a horde of savages.

Suddenly a personal message window popped up with a message for Duke.

"Are you THE BadgerKing?"

7 months ago, an A-class hacker had assumed the alias BadgerKing and had put the FBI to shame. This ace hacker had broken into the FBI secure system infringing through their stronghold servers, peeling of all their firewalls and assumed control for a total of 1 hour and 23 minutes. Understandably, any FBI personnel who logged in within that time period were astonished to find the wallpaper of a pesky rodent; the badger, and the photos in the lists of the top 10 most wanted criminals in the world had been replaced by other members of the rodent family.

Dignity had never been restored to the FBI for that incident for they could never catch the perpetrator. Hell, they could not even certify which part of the world he was from. The name BadgerKing stuck on after that, the King who had skimmed into their tightest security, right under their noses, taken over the reins of their kingdom, mocked the entire department and then slid back out without leaving any clue for them. The case was supposedly under wraps but of course the entire internet underworld knew of it. 

The FBI was still hot on the heels of this enigmatic hacker. Not so much to catch hold and punish him but more to recruit him. But they had no leads in any direction whatsoever. 

"Yeah I am." Duke typed back. He had gotten used to answering that question.

Ever since the FBI break-in 7 months back, the alias BadgerKing had become a rage amongst hackers and crackers alike. It was not uncommon in those days to encounter several different people who assumed that nickname or some varied version of it. BadgerKing69, BadgerKingXXX, bAdgerkIng:) and even a series of BadgerQueens. Those nicks were dwindling these days, the incident slowly fading out of people's memories as new and more daring hack attempts took the spotlight.

The 22 year old junkie, Duke had been the original BadgerKing.

And he knew that stating that he was indeed the ‘real' BadgerKing to some weirdo on the net meant nothing. Most who assumed the nickname anyway claimed that they were indeed the original BadgerKing.

Duke sighed as he closed the small pop up that was the personal message window. He thought back to how times 7 months ago, had been the heydays. The days when he had felt that nothing in the digital world was outside his reach. He was after all a self-proclaimed king. And though he had done the FBI stint for fun, accepting it as a challenge, it had still been his masterpiece. One he never thought he could top. And no one even knew he had done it. Not a soul. Nor had he gotten any sort of monetary gain from it. Yet he had spent all of 4 weeks to break into the system, baffling tracers, shattering firewalls and breaking through all those impossible algorithms. All to satisfy his ever parched thirst for adrenaline.

But now was a different time, when challenges were many and the horizon seemed endless. Nothing seemed to excite him these days. And nothing good was coming along. He still did a few trick jobs for clients online. A password here and backdoor entry there, but those mundane tasks were beginning to bore him. He was glad he still had the company of Colt and his bike, the two loves in his life.

Duke scratched under his left ear and glanced down at the dirty t-shirt he was wearing. The damn thing was twice his size and he had been wearing it since the last four days. It was reeking by now..

"Well, I guess I should change my shirt." Duke voiced to his own self as the funny odor from the shirt made its way up to his nostrils. 

Just as he was about to close the chat window and raise himself from the dingy corner that was his computer centre, another personal message popped up. 

"R u sure that ur the real BadgerKing?"

Duke sighed as he looked to the nickname this time; Fiery_babe.

"I'm positive," Duke typed and sighed again as he hit the enter key. Was this heading anywhere anyway?

The screen remained blank as Duke waited for Fiery_babe's reply. None seemed to come however for the next 20 seconds or so and Duke was just about to close the window again. That's when those words flashed on his screen.

"Then lets c u get thru this."

Immediately Duke blanched as his screen turned blue and a green blinking block cursor was the only thing left on the top left corner of his screen. That and a timer running on the right corner counting down 15 minutes. ‘Time left for DOOMSVILLE', the words beneath the timer read.

Duke stared in shock. What the hell had just happened?! And then he frantically tried moving his mouse around to no effect. The green cursor continued to blink and then someone typed the letters from across; "It's a challenge then!"

Duke was still dazed. How could this be happening? Was someone that skilled and that adept with their breakthrough skills that they had just shattered his firewalls and blocking programs just like that? That was hardly possible, for most of the programs he used were designed himself. And he was way beyond the amateur hacker for some prank of this sort to be working on him. But still the screen in front of him suggested otherwise.

As bewildered thoughts ran through Duke's mind, a program applet opened up at the centre of the screen and algorithmic codes starting inundating his screen. Duke stared in a dazed manner at all the various applets loading one after the other, the code stack, the function declarations, the function bodies and what looked like loads of cryptographic nonsense to Duke. 

"If this is a hoax", Duke thought to himself, "Its way too elaborate!"

He rubbed his chin and clicked his tongue. "Ok, let's try it out!" he exclaimed to the empty room and frantically started hitting the keys.

A half minute of frantic trying later, Duke realized that it was no use trying to escape the program. He was in some sort of an infinite loop and had to break the loop by cracking the code in all the window applets. He could not forcefully exit the program nor use any of his pre-programmed cracking utilities and software to assist. And the timer was ticking down. Duke was not sure what would happen at the end of the stipulated period but he was sure he did not want to find out. After all, a hacker with the capability to design such a malicious code could do any damn thing he wanted with his system.

Or he could just pull the main power cord before the time ran out, Duke reasoned with himself.

And with that he rubbed his hands before he frantically started trying to figure out how to get out of this morass the hard way.

A few minutes later, Duke's face was red. The coding was real good. In fact it was of a type he had never encountered before. Combining Nth order matrices with basic C language and looping techniques, the ingenious code was way beyond anything he had ever seen before. It seemed to be the perfect firewall and at the same time a malicious one. And sweating as he was by now, Duke had no clue of how he was going to crack it at all. He realized that this was some sort of an ‘open code' extension, designed by a particular user who alone must be knowing the way through its confusing labyrinths.

He looked at the timer. It said 8 minutes and 14 seconds left. And then he glanced at the power cord of his computer, jutting out from behind the mahogany desk. It seemed to be the only option now.

Just then his eyes fell on the first words written on the screen in green letters.

"It's a challenge then!"

And that made his stomach churn. Here was the great BadgerKing reduced to shambles by some amateur hacker. Someone who broke through all his systems protection in a jiffy and who was now gleefully challenging him. And Duke was helpless. Had he been reduced to this?

Duke took a deep breath, took a long sip of iced tea from his thermocol glass and wiped the sweat of his brow before he returned to the keyboard and the screen. There was no way he was going to give up here. This code was not going to get the better of him. He was absolutely not going to pull that power cord no matter what the circumstances.

His fingers hit the keys at a lightning rate as his mind leafed through all the jumbled mazes, his mind performing a zillion calculations a minute. Fitting in the row matrix vectors was absolute genius, he reckoned, for they stupefied him to the extent where he almost wanted to break down and cry at the thought of deciphering them. But if the code was so damn perfect then why had he never encountered such a type before? His mind reeled as it whisked through thousands of permutations and combinations that would be required to break the various deadlocks.

Or maybe it's not that perfect after all. He suddenly realized. And with that thought his brainstorming stormed onto a new level. A level beyond those of mere mortals. And it peaked and reached his culmination as Duke suddenly realized the sheer trickery of the code.

A few calmly typed keys later, Duke whistled triumphantly as he pressed the final return key and launched himself out of the Death window. He exclaimed a loud ‘Yes!' to the empty room and patted his own back. He had done it! And he still had a minute and 8 seconds left!

And then he glanced at the screen again as a message pooped up from the person who had just send him on a ride to hell and back.

"That was good!"

In his befuddled state, before Duke could think of what to write back, whether to choke this person and kill him or congratulate him or her, another message appeared on the screen.

"Catch you later then!"

And the mysterious chatter logged off.

Duke spent the next 20 minutes trying to trace the hacker. But it was all in vain. He found no trace to go ahead on and just hoped that he would bump into Fiery_babe sooner or later. Little did Duke know that it would be more sooner than later

~~~

Duke had had only two loves in his life. The first was 92 inches in length and 39 inches in width. Weighing over 550 lbs, his lover was hardly animate. That's until Duke rode it. His lover was a BMW K 1200 GT, a Deep blue metallic Sports touring bike. The bike had cost him a bomb given his lousy monetary habits, it had taken him several months of saving to purchase.

Duke approached the devilish creature in the narrow garage his building owned, striding towards it purposefully dressed in black leather pants and a black Ducati jacket to match. One glance at him would scream out Bike-freak to anyone, but Duke hardly cared. Once he was on his crotch-rocket, it would be off pointed to the horizon, chugging in mile after mile or more or less lead him to one of the only destinations he would visit everyday; the Archery.

Duke mounted the bike and settled into the tipped-forward position as he slipped on his helmet. Seconds later the powerful 4-cylinder 152 bhp cylinder roared to life as Duke zoomed away.

The Archery was a shooting range. Where beginners and experts alike practiced their shooting skills, for sport or for other purposes. It was a 20 minute drive from Duke's beat-down apartment. Duke never took more than 10 minutes to reach it.

The Archery was where Duke would brandish the second love of his life. ‘Colt' as duke referred to her. She weighed hardly a kilogram and was barely 4 inches in length. A semi-automatic single action pistol, the Colt M1911 was Duke's prized possession. And he unleashed its lethality every single evening at the Archery, and he believed he had gotten pretty good at it.

Armed with his two lovers, Duke sped off for one of the only destinations that caused him to leave his crumby apartment. The other destination would be wherever Damien forced him to go. It had been a couple of days since Damien last met him. Duke knew it was about time that Damien got restless about his friend's social life and would soon be beckoning him to ‘get out of the damned house and mingle with the singletons or to at least get laid!'

~~~

Damien was getting impatient waiting at the bar. He had been waiting far too long for Duke to arrive. There were way too many hot guys around and if Duke did not make it in time, then they would be missing out on quite a few of them. ‘That's only if Duke's interested', he thought to himself.

Lately Damien had been growing aware of Duke's reclusion. The lad wasn't one to have a very active social life from the very beginning. Duke's idea of a social life was probably his bike, his gun and his computer, but nowadays Duke had virtually turned into a hermit.

Just then Damien noticed a tall biker-jacket clad guy entering the bar from the other end. Yup, Duke had arrived.

Crazy Mongers was a gay bar. A place where neither the atmosphere was too smoky nor the music too loud. Duke would never step into a place where techno and trance thumped at your skull or where smoke and dazzling lights made you feel like you were high without smoking any pot. Of course that meant that all the fun places that Damien liked to hang out at were not an option if he wanted Duke along but he would have to make some sacrifices for his sloppy best friend.

"So how's our darling hacker anchorite today?" Damien squealed out as Duke made his way towards him and took a place by the bar stools at the counter. 

Duke flipped him off with a finger before flopping atop the high stool and letting a whoosh of air out. Damien snorted as he noticed Duke scratching his head with his right hand and unzipping the black leather jacket with the other. And then he had to stop himself from bursting out in laughter.

"What?" Duke asked as he noticed Damien staring at his jacket.

"You still wear those crummy t-shirts don't you? I mean have absolutely no sense of fashion."

"I don't give a rat's ass about fashion."

"Oh yeah, then what about common dressing sense and hygiene? I mean you come in all dressed up like some leather stud in what looks like a 600$ jacket and then you take it off to reveal a 2 dollar t-shirt. I mean look at that thing, it probably has stains on it since last year. I don't wanna be seen with you in that thing."

Duke just nodded his head dismissively as he shrugged Damien off. He knew he was a bit anti-social, but he really did not need a lecture on what not to wear on public from Damien right now. Damien got the hint and shifted to his favorite line of conversation. 

"Anyways you know what? I finally did the dirty with Sam today."

"Sam?" Duke asked with a questioning look on his face.

"Yeah Sam, you moron, that redheaded hottie from my office", Damien replied in a nasal voice irritated that Duke had forgotten already. "I'd been stalking him for ages."

He knew that Damien stalking someone for ages meant that it was just his most recent infatuation that lasted half a day before he would finally screw the guy and move on to the next conquest.

Duke snorted slightly as he motioned the bartender to come over and take their order. Duke was a total teetotaler, never one to quaff alcohol, but he needed something to distract him as he listened to Damien and would order a coke for himself. He was a little peeved at the fact that the bar did not serve iced-tea. 

"Oh Him!" Duke exclaimed, pretending he knew exactly who Damien was referring to. He actually had no clue.

"Yeah, and you won't believe it, we did the horizontal mamba in the men's room at the office!"

Duke hardly raised an eye-brow. He would have to let Damien continue with the story of his latest escapades for now.

"So we were both in the men's room. Actually I kinda followed him in. And well we made eye contact in the mirror before he dragged me inside a cubicle and slammed me against the wall."

Duke was barely listening. He was instead thinking about what he would have to eat once he got back home.

"And then it was frantic man, all the clothes being tugged at before all the family jewels came out and you won't believe it, but when I zeroed in on his mouth, he said he didn't like to kiss!"

"Yeah?" Duke asked barely listening. 

"Yeah man, that's when I swooped down on his face and smothered his lips with my own and man, kiss he did! He freaking ate me as if his life depended on it!"

"Uh huh…"

"And you should've…" Damien suddenly stopped as he noticed the bored expression on his companions face. 

"You're not even listening to what I'm saying", Damien shrieked causing a few patrons of the bar to look towards them. "For Christ's sake, it was the fuck of the century and you don't wanna listen?"


Fatal Attraction Ch. 01



I waited at the crossroads next to the old town theatre, its lights glowing softly in the night while snow silently drifted on the breeze. Wearing a discreet warm winter dress that covered everything to the knee and boots that outlined the best curves of my legs and with a tight black hat pulled over my ears framing my pretty dark face I knew I was being a little naughty; my outfit was demure yet innocently seductive. I hadn't applied much make up, not that much was needed – just enough foundation, lipstick and eye pencil to accentuate my dark eyes and naturally full lips. I was waiting for him. He said he would come in his car but he neglected to describe the model – not that I would have stood much chance to recognize it just from a name. 

So I stood there, expectancy fighting off the cold as I watched each car pass with a nervous, eager excitement. I had seen his photo, his reddish hair and blue eyes had instantly captivated me but I was careful to hide the fact I had liked what I had seen from him and continued to play it cool as we chatted online just a few days earlier. I had no idea if he was short or tall as the photo was carefully framed only showing him from his broad shoulders up but those shoulders held the promise that he was a well-built man which was an added attraction for me. When we had later talked on the phone I was enchanted by his cute foreign accent and found his faltering attempts to learn our language sexy and alluring.

We finally agreed to meet for coffee. I was still hiding my attraction from him and he seemed to be expressing just as much interest to see my home town for the first time as he wanted to meet me. Was he hiding something to? Was it naivety to hope for such a thing? To wish for a perfect match? I knew he could break the spell in an instant. He could say something crass, make an inappropriate gesture or stumble on one of my "pet hates" and suddenly any flicker of romance would die long before it could burst into flame. Of course, I had to consider that I might not be his type either. He only had a photo and a voice to go on as well. Maybe he was expecting some angel from his fantasies that would be impossible to live up to. I pushed these thoughts from my mind. Let's just relax and enjoy the evening. What happens will happen. After all – it's just a coffee. It's not like it's a date!

A silver car, a Mercedes I think, pulled up at the far side of the crossroads. I couldn't see inside so it was impossible to know if this was him. The car flashed its lights. Was he signaling me? Cars started to queue behind the silver one. He flashed again. I had hoped for a more memorable hello but I hurriedly crossed to the chorus of honking horns crying out in displeasure at this unnecessary delay. As I passed in front of the car I glanced in the window and, yes, it was him. A little annoyed at his entrance but pressured to act by the growing queues behind I opened the passenger door and jumped into the empty seat beside him. I immediately turned to him, thoughts to admonish him evaporated as my eyes fell upon him for the first time. Our eyes met and time seemed to stop, the honking noised faded from my consciousness captivated as I was by this handsome man beside me. I was suddenly nervous being alone with him, this almost complete stranger yet I was unable to move, I was like a butterfly pinned to a collectors board. The features that had attracted me to him in his photo were so much more pronounced "in the flesh". His eyes, blue as ice, seemed to pierce my heart. I didn't even notice that we were moving again until he politely asked me for directions to the café. I shook myself free from the spell he had cast, hoping it had gone unnoticed and gave him perfunctory directions to a nearby car park. Only once a minute or so had passed did I risk a furtive glance back across to him. Had he noticed my clumsy entrance? I felt lightness in my chest as my eyes fell on him again and I noticed an unmistakable yet gentle smile on his lips. It was only then I realized I was smiling too.

We parked and walked to the café. He was quite tall, but not ungainly. As we walked along side each other I noticed he was limping. He explained that he had been involved in a road accident some time ago and was still feeling the after effects, especially in the cold of winter.

We arrived to the café and took a small table in a quieter corner. Oh, it was so Byronian! The time passed quickly almost without either of us noticing. We talked almost non-stop impressing each other with seemingly trivial stories and comments yet there was a force of nature at work, like gravity slowly, inexorably pulling us closer. I felt it and decided to play a little game to see if he felt it too. I would lean back away from him and out of our little huddle, feigning slight boredom and each time I did it, fighting against gravity, his disappointment was clear, not in what he said but in his body language. It was clear he too was being drawn to me. In one moment as he spoke my eyes started to wander over him and he caught them lingering just a little too long and I couldn't help but blush. He smiled happily at the sight confirming, as it did, our mutual attraction.

Suddenly it was time to say goodbye and he offered to drive me home. Once we arrived outside my building I reached out to shake his hand goodbye but instead he grabbed it and pulled me towards him urgently. He gazed deeply into my eyes before kissing my lips. His kiss was light at first but then emboldened by passion and my lack of protest he started kissing me more deeply unable to stop himself. I could feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest, his excitement obvious. Both our faces were flushed with passion but I could not allow this to go any further, not on our first date. I pushed him gently away, straightened my dress then leaned across and kissed him once on the cheek and started to say goodbye. But once again he wanted a little more – he reached for me and pulled me into a tight hug. I felt him trembling, almost as if he was cold. He kissed me on my forehead and wished me a good night. As I walked away from the car, determined not to look back, I was sure of one thing. I would be seeing this man again!

I knew he had quite a long drive ahead of him yet when I arrived home and checked my phone there was a text message from him already waiting for me. We exchanged a few good night wishes and to be honest one or two had subtexts. I was worried for his safety, texting while driving, so in my last text I agreed he should call me once he got home. He phoned about an hour later and we talked just like we had done in the café earlier in the evening. It seemed to last only a few minutes but the clock beside my bed put paid to that lie. In reality it was more than two hours and as we said goodbye it was early morning. At the end of our conversation we had set the date for our next meeting – it would be the next weekend and despite that being almost a full week away a wonderful anticipation was already building inside me.

I woke the next day after only a handful of hours sleep. I was very tired yet so elated from my encounter that I almost floated from my bed. I seemed unable to stop smiling. My roommate noticed it immediately as I entered the kitchen for breakfast – commenting oh so subtly that I was grinning like a lunatic. He texted me around 11 declaring that he could not wait so long to see me again. He missed me too much and if I agreed he wanted to see me the very next day. I agreed immediately, unable to hide my delight.

He visited me the next day as he said he would, skipping work to make the journey. He came again the day after that. But unlike the first night we held our passions in check – he too respectful and I too shy. Maybe it was because on our first night we had nothing to lose but now we realized something special could grow between us so caution won the day and the only outlet for our desires were delicious words and lustful gazes. This abstinence only increased the intoxication and it soon felt like we were going to explode with love without warning. My roommate, already doubting my sanity, gave up commenting completely as a look of bliss grew more intense with the passing of each day of that wonderful week until it seemed almost permanently stuck to my face.

Towards the end of the week I had to travel to a nearby city for a business meeting and he quickly suggested that he could meet me there – not wanting to lose a single opportunity to spend time with me. Of course I agreed and so after the meeting finished, I climbed into his waiting car. One glance toward him and I was completely disarmed. I could barely wait for him to find a parking space before enveloped him in an embrace. I felt so good, so safe, in his strong arms. As soon as we were out of the car we fell upon each other, unable to take more than a step without kissing or wanting to feel our bodies against each other. As we walked and I hugged him I felt a pressure on my belly and I realized that he was very excited, his hardness pressing into me. I pretended not to notice but it only increased my excitement to know he was so hard for me.

Despite our obvious excitement we didn't let our hands wander or give in to our desires. He took me to a classy Japanese restaurant and patiently explained to me the tradition and particular skills needed to enjoy sushi with aggressive species. Each time our hands touched as he explained some detail of Japanese cuisine an almost electric excitement would run through us yet he remained a gentleman – polite, respectful but clearly so very passionate about me.

After two weeks of these meetings in different spots around my town I finally agreed to go to visit him at his home. As soon as I entered it was clear he was almost overwhelmed with desire for me but he somehow kept it in check. I too had to fight against desires threatening to overwhelm me as we lay on his bed, kissing passionately for hours.

I was losing myself to him. My hands wandered all over his torso, never straying to his groin. I knew doing so would cause our passions to be unleashed uncontrollably. After a few moments of stroking him just above his navel he leaned into my ear and whispered to me. He asked me to stop touching him "there" or he could not guarantee that he wouldn't lose all control. I was surprised and said that I didn't realize his navel would be such an erogenous zone for him. But he laughed and said simply that it was not his navel I had been touching – "it" was there. I thought he was joking, surely it wasn't possible for his manhood to reach above his navel? I looked down to where my hand rested and saw, to my shock, surprise (and secret delight) a large bulge under his clothing. I was suddenly very curious but my shyness held me back. I didn't want him to think I was teasing him so much only to leave him frustrated. Slowly my passions overcame my shyness.

I simply melted in front of him. Was it love or lust? I couldn't tell the difference anymore. All I could do was feel and I felt alive, buzzing with excitement and delicious anticipation. He gave me a long, intense look. No words. No sounds. He brought his hand against my face and gently stroked my cheek. He mumbled something that I didn't quite hear and when I asked what he had said he shook his head slightly and said never mind.

Was I mistaken or had he looked a little sad in that moment? 

"My friends tell me I am out of my mind. Am I?" 

He didn't wait for an answer, instead he continued:

"The other day they pranked me on my mobile. They were sat beside me and when I looked at what was on my mobile it gave me such a shock that I leapt to my feet then they all began to laugh at my overreaction." 

He paused, thinking before turning to me fixing me with his striking eyes he asked:

"Are you going to break me? "

Almost immediately his eyes hardened a little, his demeanor transformed into something like anger. With that he pulled his shirt on and said:

"It's a long journey back home for you, maybe we should get started before it gets too late".

I still lay on the bed where moments before I had felt so close to him, almost as one, my defenses almost breached. And now this angry stranger stood above me and was telling me it was time to leave! What had happened? Was it something I had said or done? I left a few minutes later and all I could think of on my journey how was "What just happened? I don't understand..."

When I got home, my roommate was still up and was reading Tarot cards. I tried to sneak by, just wanting to get to bed and let sleep take me but she called me over and as she approached she invited me to take a card. I didn't want to. As a child I was frightened of the seemingly magical power of tarot and even now that I was older and more rational, that fear still lingered in me but I knew she would not let me leave until I did as she asked. I reached out and took a card from the pack turning it over as nonchalantly as I could but as my eyes registered its details I felt the muscles of my stomach tighten. I had drawn the "Devil" – a woman naked and bound in chains at the feet of a horned devil. I quickly shoved the card back in the pack without her seeing it and mumbled something about "mumbo jumbo" before quickly scuttling to my room. I knew exactly what the devil card meant.

That night a battle was waged in my head. On one side I worried of the portents of the card – on the other I wanted dismissing it as just a bit of harmless fun that I could ignore. By morning, I had more or less decided to pretend it hadn't happened at all.....



Fatal Attraction Ch. 01



"Every fuck is the fuck of the century for you Dame."

"Yeah, what's that supposed to mean." Damien's cheeks were red.

"I'm saying, chill dude, fall back, relax. You don't have to screw every guy you lay your eyes on, I mean you've practically become the town's mattress."

Damien scowled as Duke swallowed, feeling a little guilty for that sudden outburst.

"Oh Yeah, well coming from a guy like you I guess it…"

"What do you mean a guy like me?" Damien demanded a little irritated.

"Well I mean, coming from Mother Teresa, I guess it's ok to be condemned for my sinful ways, but Jesus, the local priest gets more action than you Duke!" 

"Yeah?!" Duke wasn't going to give in without a fight this time.

"Yeah! I mean, when was the last time you got laid?"

Duke's face went blank as he tried to recall. The guy's name was Brian wasn't it. And it had been a long time since then. A really really long time.

Duke tried to find his way out of the corner Damien had pushed him into. "Why does it all have to be about getting laid?"

"Oh please don't give me that. Ok. When was the last time you went out on a date?"

This time Duke remembered. It had been Brian. And now he recalled that he had not slept with Brian at all. So it was Kyle he had sex with last and that was one hell of a long time back.

"Jeez honey, you're 22!" Damien continued knowing he had his prey hook line and sinker. "I mean, just look around you. All these guys, all that youth just humping away to glory in their private pea pods while you deal with the most severe case of blue balls. And all you think about is your stupid computer and that stupid bike. Are you even human anymore?"

Guilty as charged, Duke realized. He tried to come up with some sappy dialogue to counter his demanding friend, but nothing came to mind, Damien really was on his case today.

"I mean it's about time you found something organic to spend your time with. Doesn't it get a bit too much to just…"

"Am I interrupting you guys?"

Damien and Duke both looked up. A tall redheaded girl was smiling at the two of them. Damien paused his lecturing to take in her appearance. She was stunning; stunningly gorgeous. With a face that could launch a thousand ships. And she was waiting for a signal from the two of them to let her continue.

"Actually honey, you are kinda interrupting, I mean this dickhead out here hasn't exchanged bodily fluids with anyone since the last 9 months or so and he isn't even listening to what I have to say about…"

"It's not been that long!" Duke exclaimed, but feared if he really had to count it would have been even more.

"So Duke", the girl interrupted, "How long has it been since your last guy?"

Duke paused and looked the new arrival in the face. "Excuse me. Do I know you?"

Damien was now busy checking out the girl. It wasn't rare for the female species to come drifting into Crazy Mongers every now and then and he was pretty sure this was not a drag act, so what was this gorgeous chick doing here and how did she know Duke anyway?

"No, we've never met face to face…" the girl paused before she added, "BadgerKing."

Duke's jaw dropped. There was no person in real life who knew him as that.

"I'm Natasha" the girl extended her hand, "And you know me better as Fiery Babe."

Duke's eye-brows shot up in surprise and it took a few moments before what the girl said sunk in. "How the hell did you find me?" 

"Sources." The redheaded female replied nonchalantly. "But that's not important, what is important is that I have a job you might be interested in."

~~~

"No fucking way!" Duke exclaimed. "That's gonna be impossible. That airport has way too much security." Duke could hardly believe what he was being made to look at.

"Look, it's not that I'm asking you to do the entire job. It's a three man job and you're gonna handle the security break through part of it."

"And what, just walk away with that statuette? You're way off your head."

Natasha hardly flinched. She would convince this guy all right, but the stinky apartment they were in was what was causing the real problems. 

Duke had taken the girl back to his own apartment after their confrontation at the bar and he had had to split up with Damien. He was sure he would never hear the end of that from Damien. He would have a lot of explaining to do but Natasha had demanded that they speak in private.

"Perhaps you would reconsider if you saw this." Natasha flipped open her laptop and swung it around. There was an image of a jade coloured statue of a young woman draped in a shawl with her hands on either side staring out from the screen.

Duke squinted his eyes as he read off the screen. "Watchful lady. Is this the statue in question?"

"Yup, go on, read the whole thing."

Duke returned to reading from the screen and suddenly whirled around and exclaimed.

"A hundred and sixty three thousand dollars?!"

Natasha folder her arms across her tummy as she replied with a blank expression., "Yup that's what that thing is worth, so if you take off the costs incurred and split the remaining money three ways, we'll still have around 50 Grand per person."

"Fifty thousand dollars!" Duke repeated to himself softly. That was way more money than he had made the whole of last year.

"Yup. 50 grand."

Duke let out a low whistle. Then he thought back to what the girl had said.

"Wait a minute, split it three ways?"

"Yup, you me and Scott."

"Who the hell is Scott?"

"Our third member and our team leader. He'll be in charge of this operation. In fact I've already informed him about our whereabouts and I guess he'll be here shortly."

"Uh-huh." Duke muttered under his breath. He was not at all comfortable about the fact that more people knew about the ‘original BadgerKing'.

Just then, as if on cue, someone knocked on the apartment door. Duke made his way towards the door and swung it open to find an extended hand proffered to him for a handshake.

"Hey, I'm Scott."

Duke stood there transfixed for all of five seconds before he shook himself and extended his hand to greet the new arrival.

"Jeez BadgerKing", the handsome new man added, "Your apartment stinks!"



~~~

Duke was having hard time concentrating on the conversation. Two professional criminals were discussing stealing a statuette worth a hundred and sixty grand in his apartment and he would be one of the accomplices, and he was having a hard time keeping track of what was going on.

Sitting on his sofa was the most striking man he'd ever laid eyes on; Scott. Scott with his aquiline face and chiseled features, his square jaw face set off with high cheekbones, the soft pink lips and dark brown hair raised at the centre and buzzed short at the sides. The strapping arms and musculature visible through the flimsy shirt he was wearing. Pink soft lips and brown eyes, everything about Scott screamed out SEX to Duke.

"So the first task that you'll be responsible for BadgerKing, is to get us valid ID accounts in the Sirono security system."

"Call me Duke." Duke's voice was barely a whisper, he was just watching Scott's lips move as he spoke. How would it feel to kiss those lips? 

Damien was right; it had been far too long since he had gotten laid.

"We'll get the duplicate ID's for the security shifts but you'll have to manipulate the mainframe computers and feed in the fake ID keys and bar codes that'll verify us."

Duke nodded barely listening. His brain was screaming for him to come to his senses. What the hell was he getting himself into?

"And the second task, which is the difficult one, will be for you to hack into the mainframe locker real-time, once we have physically broken onto the plane's vault."

Duke shook himself once again as he tried to figure out what was being discussed.

"And what type of system do they have?"

"It's an MD398 series vault, the automatic timer locked type", Natasha chimed in.

Duke face turned white at that. "Wait wait wait. A timed vault? How the fuck am I to break into that?"

"Everyone knows that the only way to hack into a timed vault without physically ripping it apart is to tamper with the timer and set it to the release time."

"Is that even possible?" Duke asked exasperatedly.

"Yes it is, but all the hacking has to be done real time. I mean you can carry your sentient AI backups and programs which can assist you but all the major work has to be done in under 10 minutes."

"You're kidding right?"

"Nope." Natasha had a bored look on her face by now.

"So why don't you do it then." Duke finally added. "You're pretty good yourself. I mean I saw fiery babe's talent before."

"But she's nowhere as good as the great BadgerKing," Scott interrupted as Natasha scowled at him. "We need you to complete all the homework and finish the security hacks by Saturday evening."

"What?!" Duke exclaimed. "You're giving me like what, 4 days for the thing. I need at least a couple of weeks for it!"

"Well the watchful lady can't wait 2 weeks." Scott stated as he rested one of his hands on Duke's knee. "She's scheduled to be on board a flight to Paris that will leaves Saturday 7:15 PM and we have to make sure she does not leave on that plane!"

Duke was experiencing some trouble in the nether regions by now. The raw heat that Scott was emanating was driving him wild. He readjusted himself so his state of arousal would be less noticeable and coughed slightly. The amount of money involved and this drop dead gorgeous man intoxicating him were driving him towards the edge.

"C'mon BadgerKing. We know you can do it."

~~~

Duke could hardly believe what he had gotten himself into. It had been 2 days of relentless planning and programming and it was driving him nuts. The ‘deadly duo' as Duke had started referring to Scott and Natasha, mostly stayed over at his apartment and sketched out plans, blue prints, sentry timings and Program codes.

Duke had been more than impressed over the professional expertise of the duo. Scott was clearly the brains of the operation. He had planned every single detail of their loot to the minutest instant with all possibilities taken care of. Scott and Natasha would be doing the actually field work of ‘collecting' the artifact from the flight before it took off. Duke would be monitoring the two of them, keeping a watch over security guards and hacking real time when required.

Duke had no idea a job like this involved so much preparation and hard work. But Scott and Natasha had thought of every damn thing. They had blueprints of the airport, security guard shift timings, layouts of the plane and where the vault could be accessed and even relevant information of the server modules and the computer system on board the plane that Duke would have to hack.

And duke was going nuts trying to complete his share of the work. 

It had been two days of unmitigated hard work. Duke had hardly slept a wink since then. The security part of his work that involved putting fake ID's into the airport security's database had been more or less an easy task and that was done on the first day itself. But hacking into the artifact safe real time was posing to be far more problematic than he had initially thought. It involved massive amounts of programming data and his full attentiveness while coding. And to top it all of, whenever he was not in front of the computer screen working away at algorithms, the deadly duo would be on his case, trying to make him learn the entire schedule of the operation and getting him to know the functioning of the cameras and comm. systems.

And to top it all off, Scott's proximity was driving him even crazier.

"So once the comm. systems are active you have to be careful not to…" Duke was hardly listening as Scott spoke. He was just watching him speak. The man was too damn gorgeous. Duke's long t-shirts partially hid his arousal but he was sure Scott was aware of how Duke's mouth always watered near him.

"For Christ's sake, go jerk off!"

Duke suddenly snapped out of his reverie. "Uh?" 

"You've been staring at me like you want to hump me into the sofa. And you can't even pay attention cause of your horniness."

Duke was taken aback. Ok, so Scott knew of his ogling over him. The cat was out of the bag, and it had been e really crude exit.

"I, err…" Duke stammered.

Just then the bell rang, momentarily saving Duke from the embarrassing position he had been put in.

Duke rushed over to the door.

It was Damien; a very annoyed Damien.

"So where you been sweety? Still screwing your girlfriend?"

Duke was hardly in the mood to face Damien right now.

"I've been a bit busy Damien", Duke gritted through his teeth, stressing on the word ‘busy'.

"What? One minute you find this fantastic babe and now you're not even gay anymore? And what the fuck? You don't even have time for me anymore. I mean I've been calling you since…"

Damien stopped talking as Scott appeared, hovering above Duke. His eyes grew wide and then he tilted his head and squinted before speaking.

"And who's the man candy?"

Duke let out an exasperated sigh. 

"Well who is he?"

"You know what?" Duke voiced with irritation thick in his voice. "I really don't have to face all this so Damien you can just leave for now…" Duke pushed the door but Damien shoved in a leg before the door could slam on his face.

"No no no!" Cried Damien from the other side, his voice muffled by the wooden door. "No way are you throwing me out like this."

"Yes I am!" Duke yelled back trying to push the door shut which resulted in a scream from the other side.

"My foot! You asshole! You mother…"

"Then withdraw your foot!" Duke yelled back as Scott watched in amusement.

"Ok ok I'm going!" yelled Damien as Duke stopped pressing against the door. "At least let me see that hunky beefcake once more!"

Duke sighed and opened the door as Damien's eyes fell on Scott. Damien stopped wincing in pain immediately and a smile appeared on his face as he asked in a husky voice "So sexy mama. Wuz-ur-name?"

"Bye Damien." Duke stated as he suddenly swung the door shut giving his guest no time to protest. 

A series of expletives were heard from the other side as Duke retreated back into his room. 

"Later Damien!" he called out as Scott followed him into the room. Duke started rummaging through stuff in his cup board.

"Interesting friend you have there." Scott stated as Duke Uh-huh'd in response.

"So can we get back to discussing the comm. systems now?" Scott asked in a forcibly calmed tone. Duke did not reply. Instead he dug deeper into the closet as he fished out his black leather Ducati jacket and slid it on. Scott's eyebrows shot up as he realized Duke fished out a gun holster from the cupboard drawer and secured it into his jacket's inner pocket.

"Where you going with that?" Scott asked against his better judgment.

"Shooting Range", Duke replied not looking at Scott at all.

"Man, we've work to finish here. You can go later once we've…" Duke was not listening though. He squatted as he removed his shoes from under the bed.

"Listen asshole!" Scott's face was red with rage. "We have tonnes to do here and the big day is just 2 days away. There's a schedule to keep and we have to perfect every routine."

"Fuck you!" Duke stated flatly. "I'm going no matter what you say. I don't give a damn about…"

Duke was cut short as Scott suddenly closed the distance between them in one long stride and caught hold of the former by his leather collar.

"You better fucking give a damn. It's our lives on the line here." Scott clenched his teeth as Duke tugged at the iron grip against his throat.

Then as suddenly as he had grabbed him, Scott let go and stepped back, the sudden anger vanishing from his face.

"Just go, but come back quick." He ordered looking at the floor. His voice was shaking.

Duke smoothed the creases on his jacket as he left the room.

~~~

Natasha was on surveillance at the Suda airport. She had been assigned to give the look-over to the area to make sure that everything was the same as it had been in their plans, the security shifts, the exits, the wirings and every little detail. She checked her watch. It was 7:14 PM. 24 hours later, at this time, the plane carrying ‘Watchful Lady' would be taking off. And hopefully without the priceless artifact. 

Natasha knew that there was hardly any chance of their burglary being foiled. Scott was a master planner. And he had a knack for precision and a predilection for the unforeseen. His acrobatic and combat skills were far more superior than her own. Not to mention his stealth related abilities. And they had a good hacker by their side.

Natasha had been sensing some tension between Scott and the ‘Nerd' as she referred to Duke. The two always looked like they wanted to slit each others throats. And Duke was a bit moody sometimes. She hoped that his quirkiness would not dampen the operation. But given Scotts foresight, she was pretty confident that everything would go according to plan.

~~~

"Get some good shut-eye", Scott stated calmly. "Tomorrow's going to be the big day and we don't want you dozing off in the middle of the deed."

"Yes mother." Duke replied nonchalantly as Scott opened a suitcase and starting taking out equipment that would be used for the ‘deed'. Duke cringed when he saw the all too familiar gear as he thought about how Scott would once again start explaining to him about the comm. links and the various cameras. Frankly, he had had enough of that. 

Suddenly Duke's attention shifted to a metallic object in Scott's hand. Scott had just pulled out a gun from under one of the suitcase covers.

A smile slowly spread across Duke's face as he looked at the gun. "Hmm, should've known you were a Beretta kinda guy."

"Huh?" Scott turned as he faced Duke with the silvery black pistol in his hand.

"The gun", Scott repeated, "The Beretta 92. The same used by the United States arms service. I shoulda guessed you would be the Beretta type of guy."

"Yeah?" Scott had a questioning look on his face.

"But seriously though, are you both gonna carry guns along. I mean you've explained the whole damn skit to me about a gazillion times and you didn't mention any guns till now."

Scott lifted the gun to his lips blowing imaginary smoke from it. "It's in case we are in some precarious position." Scott slid back the gun and resumed checking the other accoutrements. One by one he pulled a miscellany of objects ranging from pulleys to ropes and gloves.

"But seriously," Duke continued. "That gun should have never replaced the Colt. I mean double action where the hammer needs to be recocked in each firing cycle; that really messes your first shot man. And the first shot is way too important for reflexes."


"Yeah." Scott droned continuing his check up. Duke caught the drift and let the topic slide. It was rare to find a gun lover like himself.

"So I'm guessing you two are like some kinda acrobats or something." Duke stated. He suddenly was in the mood to talk to the muscular ‘teammate of his'. He had barely spoken to him over the last couple of days, busy trying to finish all his programming codes, but seeing a gun in Scott's hand made him want to know the person. Scott did not even pause to look up at him.

"I mean, there are quite a few place where you guys won't be using the ropes and all, and I don't think any ordinary guy would be able to swing and jump across those distances you know, especially the landing gear cubicle jump. Were you guys some sorta gymnasts or something?"

"Yeah, something like that."

"So you people from up North or something?" Duke persisted again, trying to dig up a little more info on Scott. 

"Sorta." 

"What kind of music do you listen to?" Duke asked in a last attempt to make some conversation. He knew very few people had taste in music as close to the death metal sounds he listened to but everyone had some taste or the other didn't they? "I mean , you do listen to some form or the other of music don't you?"




Fatal Attraction Ch. 01



"Hardly", Scott replied not even lifting his head.

Duke raised his eyebrows and shook his head helplessly. Whenever he had tried to talk about personal stuff to the deadly duo, they would evade the topics, never once answering the questions he asked. Apart from the ‘great Plane's robbery' (Duke's name for their operation), nothing else was ever discussed.

He wondered what the next day would have in store for them. Would he pull of his first theft?

~~~

Suda airport was always choc-a-bloc with people. The busy junction served as the terminus of many a flight. The private section of the airport lay across the lake from the mainstream airport. The section which multi millionaires, celebrities and their like used to catch private jets. And that section was hardly busy at all.

It was 6:59 PM on Saturday. And two black figures in skin tight black suits made their way across the hangar marked L-15 where a private jet lay waiting to take off. The two figures kept to the shadows with black duffel bags strapped to their backs. They were there to steal priceless merchandise from the plane before it took off 16 minutes later.

Duke's blood was sizzling. He was excited and highly alert as he watched several video screens on his laptop and computer. There were several security camera windows that they had hacked into and two screens that directly casted shots from both of his accomplices, tiny cameras being snuck behind and over their ears.

Duke was mostly watching Natasha's camera though, for he could see Scott in it. Drooling over Scott's squatting position as the black diaphanous suit that clad him left hardly anything to the imagination. All his muscle and cuts were visible across the black skin tight suit that wrapped around him like shrink wrap.

Duke shook his head to clear the lust overflowing his senses. He had to concentrate. Till now things had been perfect. The deadly duo had merged into the airport security using their fake passes and ID's at 6:36 PM and changed into their tight suits by 6:47 PM to slip into the Hangars. He watched as they suddenly left the shadows and quickly made their way across to the parked plane from the leeward side, all the time keeping low. 

Duke's pulse was racing faster than ever before. The tough part was coming up.

And Duke had waned to see this.

He watched in awe as the two professionals climbed the landing gear and soared across the air before finally attaching themselves to the bottom side of the plane with the help of magnetic fastener.

"Damn!" Duke said out aloud, "You guys are good!"

Duke watched as the smooth as slick duo made their way across to the hull where Duke had now electronically opened a tiny passageway for them. Crawling across like spiders on an upside down wall, they entered the plane.

It was 7:01 PM. 14 minutes to take off. Scott had promised him a 10 minute gap to hack the vault. Looked like by the time Scott got to the vault it would be exactly that.

64 seconds later Scott and Natasha were inside the vault chamber, had opened the vaults security panels in the walls and had a miscellany of PNC cables and wires hooked into the system.

Duke was in.

"Ok BadegerKing! It's all yours now!"

Duke's heart was beating like a ten thousand watt woofer. He had not had such an adrenaline rush in a long time. And the next ten minutes were going to be crucial.

Hundreds of alphanumerics poured across the screen as Duke entered the system from the relative safety of his room. He set to work upon the primary firewall. 

"Yup, its charged and heavily offensive!" He said aloud in his usual manner as he followed a series of set and eliminate commands to break through. His backup AI programs were helping big time with the algorithms.

A few moments later he was logged in. And now he would be all alone; without the support of his backup AI's. It would be just him and pure raw algorithms from now on. Duke rubbed his hands and quaffed his iced-tea from the thermocol glass, his standard hacking drink, as he set to work on the inside core of the protection system. Inside the plane's vault chamber Scott and Natasha waited wistfully. There was nothing more they could do till Duke had cracked open the vault. For the next few minutes they were going to just stand around and wait, keeping watch.

In a dingy room, Duke was having the time of his life up-linking and sorting out codes, truly amazed at the genius of the code which was just right for a speed challenge to him. Cracking the Sirono system would be simpler than he had anticipated. All he needed to do now was to clear of the loopers around the timer, overload the firewall and change the timer to 14 hours and 12 minutes later, when the safe was supposed to be opened. 

And it would take just a few minutes for him to achieve that.

"Check, Eliminate, Check, Eliminate…" Duke said to the empty room, tapping his feet on the floor in rhythm to the blaring metal music that blasted into his left ear from the earphone while the mike attached to his mouth cackled in Scott's and Natasha's ears. The two would have to patiently wait till the hacker finished his job. This was Duke's forte.

"Done!" Duke suddenly cried out, almost deafening the two on the receiving side. Duke looked at the timer. It stated 7:09 PM. He had finished it in record time. He watched the screen as one by one the letters of the password manifested themselves on the screen.

"OPEN SESAME." Duke cried out aloud. "That's the password? I mean who the heck is the administrator of this Sirono thing? Ali Baba?"

Scott and Natasha chuckled from the other end as Duke opened the prompt once again to feed in the password. Just this and the vault would be open, the statuette would be taken, Scott and Natasha would steal their way out and 50 grand would be his.

But that's where Duke made the worst kind of error. An error he would kick himself in the shin for whenever he would recall the incident later on in life.

He fed the password in wrong.

"Fucking hell!" Duke yelled out an instant after he hit the return key and realized what he had one. He had typed in OPEN SESAMA instead of the famous keyword.

He watched helplessly as the system reconfigured and shut down, locking itself into dormancy. A wrong password entered would do that to it. And Duke had just triggered the mechanism. 

It was 7:11 PM on Saturday with Scott and Natasha hidden inside the plane waiting for the vault to open and Duke had just ruined their day.

~~~

"What the fuck do you mean you entered it wrong?" Scott yelled his lungs out from the other side. "You fucking nerd, do you even realize…"

"It was a mistake dammit!" Duke yelled back. "I am trying to fix it now."

It was 7:13 PM. The scheduled time for take off was a few dozen seconds away. Scott and Natasha were still inside trying to grasp the situation. Scott was screaming as Natasha just kept quite and let her leader do all the howling and cursing.

"Abort operation!" Scott yelled as he stretched his arm to yank the PNC cables and get out of the plane before it took off; without the artifact of course.

"No wait!" Duke yelled back. "I am not finishing this without that bloody jade statue!"

And just then the lights in the plane went out, leaving the deadly duo in pitch black darkness, save the flickering of a few LED's of the hacking apparatus.

"We are aborting and leaving!" Scott hissed angrily into the comm. system. "There's no point…"

"I did it!" Duke yelled, cutting him off.

"Did what?" Scott asked puzzled.

"I cut of the power supply and I am now taking measures to ensure that plane does not take off in the next few minutes."

Scott and Natasha looked at each other, barely able to make out the other's reaction in the dark. This was not going as planned and Scott never did anything that was not according to plan. His strategist mind screamed at him to abort and flee with their lives.

"And I am making damn well gonna open that safe!"

Natasha gestured helplessly to Scott as she heard those words from Duke.

~~~

Tracie, a 39 year old blonde, her job was to monitor the airport hangars and runaway timing at the private section at the Suda airport. She was just about to order Flight E-751 to leave the L-15 hangar when something contrary happened. The hangar shutter started going down.

"The hell…?" 

Suddenly the screen she was watching went blank and was soon replaced by a blue screen of death. The anti virus started beeping on all the screens across the control room.

"A self dividing virus has invaded!" someone yelled in from the software section.

~~~

Duke was frantically hitting away at keys on the keyboard. He continued typing away, brainstorming through the impossible algorithms that surfaced on lockdown. He was going to do this right.

Large beads of sweat dripped of his forehead and chin as he resisted the urge to take a sip from the iced tea. There was not a second he could afford to waste.

~~~

Scott pressed a button on his watch to activate the LED to read the time. 7:21 PM. And the plane was still parked in the hangar. His stomach was churning as thoughts raced across his head. Should he have listened to that moody hacker and stayed? Would they be caught? They could still leave even now; after all their lives were far more important.

"Natasha to hell with this…"

"Yeah, Zelderman is gonna screw our asses when she hears of this."

Suddenly the safe clicked open as bright tube lights flickered on everywhere in the chamber. Duke had done it.

Duke's voice cackled through "Take that damned thing!" 

Scott and Natasha wasted no time. 40 seconds later, the artifact was in a black duffel bag on Natasha's back, the cables gad been yanked out and the deadly duo were sidling out of the plane.

Scott and Natasha landed with soft plops onto the cemented hangar floor. They were outside the plane after exactly 20 minutes and 13 seconds of going in. 7 minutes more than their proposed time. But the statuette was with them now.

The hangar was in chaos however. The alert had been sounded.

Scott immediately realized the danger the two of them were in. Voices were heard everywhere as running footsteps resounded of the walls. It would take a miracle for the two of them to not get noticed now.

The two black figures kept to the shadows, staying low from the security guards. Two personnel were opening the hatch and entering the plane now. The thieves had no time to spare!

Scott signaled to Natasha to the small rear exit the hangar had. Natasha looked at him questioningly. Was he mad? There were bound to be guards everywhere. Then she noticed Scott had his pistol in his hand now. She slowly took out her own, hoping things would not turn too ugly.

With a sudden movement the two made a dash towards the hangar's rear-exit, running as fast as they could. A shrill whistle cracked through the cold night air. They had been spotted!

Scott and Natasha ran with all their might as Duke watched on the screen in front of him, his heart in his mouth. He watched the two exit the hangar with various voices following them and then he heard the crack of a gunshot. The personnel had opened fire!

Scott felt the bullet hit the wall barely centimeters from his head before he exited. And then he balked and stopped short. There were two security guards that were running towards them in a direct confrontation. The guards had obviously been deading toward the hangar!

Scott paused for a moment as the two personnel came right at him and then suddenly fell to the floor as he swing his leg in a wide semi-circular arc knocking the breath out of one of them and then slamming his elbow onto the fallen man's back. The man screamed in pain as the other guard launched a punch in Scott's direction. Scott swiftly dodged it rising to the right and used his left hand to pull forcefully at the guard's leg, tipping him off balance. And before the man hit the floor, Scott rose up with godlike speed, grabbed the man's arm and swung the bulky frame of the guard in a wide arc in the air, crashing him into the wall next to the hangar exit. 

Duke watched with wide eyes at the action that was taking place in front of him. What was this man?

The first guard that Scott had knocked made a snorting sound as he tried to get up and fight back. Scott slammed the back of his pistol into his head, knocking him unconscious.

The whole encounter was over in a few seconds. Scott and Natasha realized that the guards from the inside were about to exit the hangar at any moment now. And they would have to make sure they would not have any confrontations with guards anymore.

The two black figures ran into the darkness of the night.

~~~

Natasha winced as Scott slammed the artifact on the computer desk. But there was no way she could interrupt his rage right now. She would just have to fall back silently for now. 

"What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Duke flinched at the deafening ranting he was being subjected to. He had had a goofy grin on his face after the statuette had been secured and the deadly duo had escaped from the air port. A feeling that arose because of the dangerous situation that he had been through. And all the adrenaline had flushed his body and now left there was pure satisfaction; satisfaction that came from the acknowledgement that his skills had been put to test in far greater circumstances than had been expected and he had proven his worth to his own self once again.

"Jesus, Scott calm down. It's all done now isn't it?"

"What the fuck do you mean done? The two of us nearly lost our lives there while you sat in this comfortable room typing away at a screen." Scott's voice was rising by the second. Suddenly he caught hold of Duke by the collar and lifted him up from the chair he was in; for the second time in three days. 

"Do you have any fucking idea what we went through?"

Duke was turning red; the feelings of satisfaction washed away as pure rage rose and tormented his mind.

"It was a mistake dammit! Mistakes happen!"

"That was a bloody catastrophe!" Scott yelled back "Which hacker enters the bloody password wrong? You bloody two-bit hacker. Should have known you'll never get past typos!"

Duke calmed himself. Only for a moment. He was going to give in to that desire now. 

Smack! And with that Scott let go of Duke's collar as the latter smacked him across the jaw and he staggered backwards. Natasha rushed towards Scott's side but the leader beckoned her to stop. This was his fight.

"At least I got you out!" Duke yelled as Scott wiped blood from his cut lip with the back of his hand. "And we still got the loot!"

Duke's eyes opened wide as Scott suddenly charged and rammed into him, tackling him with his shoulder which connected with his stomach and the pair slammed into the wall behind them.

Duke gasped for breath as Scott pinned him against the wall with his entire body weight. Scott brought his face a mere two inches away from Duke's and hissed at him through clenched teeth.

"Listen Mr BadgerKing. We had a plan and had perfected every detail. And you went along and messed it up and put our lives on the line. And all you have to say for that is that it was a mistake?!"

Duke was having diffculty breathing. Scott was too strong for him. Their breath was clashing as Scott pinioned him. And his head was reeling at the impact it took when it struck the wall.

"Well it all worked out didn't it?" Duke yelled back at Scott. "And you both came back with that damned statue and without a scratch.

Natasha shook her head wistfully form side to side as she quietly left the room. "Boys!" she stated flatly before she left.

Duke stared into his captor's eyes. There was a murderous intent in them, mixed with something else.

And the next moment Duke gasped in shock as suddenly Scott slammed his lips against his own, smothering them wildly. A couple of seconds later Duke reciprocated with equal ferocity.

Duke's brain was in overdrive as he gave in to the second desire that had surfaced in the past 30 seconds. He shut out his brain as the lust and hormones cruised through his body.

Abruptly Scott broke apart and the two gasped for air. Instantly Duke pushed against his foe and turned the two around slamming Scott against the wall now. Scott fumbled with Duke's collar and in one strong swift motion, ripped open his t-shirt who at once resumed his attack on Scott's mouth as he tasted traces of the latter's blood, seeping through the cut lip he had given him just a few moments back.

The two ravaged each other mouths, lips and tongue and saliva smothered everywhere on their jaws. Brusquely Duke pulled Scott away from his face by tugging at his hair from behind as the two rested their foreheads against each other's breathing heavily on each others faces. They just caught a glimmer of lust and animalistic passion in the other's eyes before Duke shot his hand down between the two of them and tried to insert it into the tight skin suit's crotch area. Scott groaned as he grabbed Duke's face with both of his hands and rammed his tongue down his throat. 

Moments later, the two were struggling to get Scott's suit off as they made their way towards the bed and collapsed on top of it.

In the adjacent corridor Natasha had stopped short when she heard the noises. And she knew exactly what was going on. Well it was good it was finally happening, although she felt a little regret.

Inside the room, the jaded statuette of the ‘Watchful Lady' watched the sexual exploits of the two men.

~~~

It was 3 AM on Sunday and Duke slowly un-entangled himself from his mate. He hardly felt like getting up but he had to leave.

He silently slid up as Duke moaned a little in his sleep and then went back to snoring slightly. Scott fumbled for his clothes in the dark as he watched the man he had made passionate love to a few hours before. And it had been strenuous. His whole body still felt sore and raw.

‘Nasty little beast' he thought to himself as he put on his suit. BadgerKing, as he referred to him, had been the one who had risked their entire operation and then gotten them out of the mess. Scott hated him with all his heart. But there was some other feeling mixed with all of that. He looked down to the peaceful sleeping form of Duke. One could hardly know that he was such an animal in bed if they saw that serene slumbering form.

And now the last phase of Scott's carefully planned operation would have to be implemented. He picked up the 2 foot statuette of the artifact they had stolen and carefully slid it into a duffel bag. He made his way out of the door

Once outside he was confronted by Natasha. Natasha sitting by a dimmed lamp light with her hands folded across her breasts, her flaming red hair open and spread out, looking like a principle ready to scold a child.

"So was all that horny humping really necessary."

Scott flashed her an angry glare.

"It's over. Let's go!"

"Hmmm… Loverboy gets his rocks off and now leaves his lover in the lurch eh?"

"Let's leave!" Scott hissed through clenched teeth. "It's done!"

Natasha got up and collected the bags already packed around her.

"His hacking was exceptional," she stated as she strung the bag straps across her shoulders and handed a couple to Scott.

Scott did not answer. The two were going to leave, as silently as they could. And the great BadgerKing would never be able to trace them. They were off with his share of the loot as well. BadgerKing would probably get up some time in the morning and realize that everyone had left. Gone with all the equipment and with the statuette. And he would not get a single penny for the whole thing. The deadly duo would fleece him real good.

Scott once again stared at the sleeping from across the room as his stomach churned. He had conned many accomplices before but this one had really gotten under his skin.




Fatal Attraction Ch. 02



Hey everyone, here's the second episode of the series... actually had worked on it before, so it's come real soon after the first one. 

Anyway, this might be a spoiler for some, but Fatal Attraction will be a 7 episode series. This is the second installment so there are five more to go.

And thanks to all those people who mailed me! Keep the mails coming!

*

Episode 2

It was steadily getting dark as Damien walked home with a 6 year old. He never refused Mrs. Writer when she asked him to pick up her daughter from school or from the playgroup. The poor lady hardly had any time herself. A 35 year old divorcee, she had a hard time making ends meet. And Damien always tried to help her out by picking up her daughter from school and sometimes going to the park with her. And he absolutely cherished the time he got to spend with Valary, the little angel.

"Uncle Damien, what does gay mean?" the little girl suddenly asked as they were walking hand in hand back towards their apartments. 

Damien turned eighty shades of red.

"What? Who told you that word?" 

Valary looked up at the adult, her eyes wide and innocent. "Malchik said you were gay."

Malchik was a male nanny at the playgroup where Damien often picked up Valary from.

"He did?" Damien asked softly as Valary nodded her head vigorously in reply. "When did he tell you that?"

"When you dropped me off at the playgroup yesterday evening. He was talking to John that it was nice that you always came to take care of me and all. And that you always came to pick me up when mom couldn't and all. And that you'd probably never have kids of your own and..."

"Wait a second, wait! Damien suddenly stopped walking jerking the little girl backward with his hand, interrupting her fusillade of information "He said that?"

"Yes", the little girl nodded her head rapidly again. "And he was all..."

"Damn that Malchik. He should not be talking in front of kids like that!" Damien was annoyed at that. And to think he had the hots for Malchik. There went his plans of getting into Malchik's pants.

Valary was still looking up at her uncle. "So what does it mean uncle Damien?"

Damien squatted down in front of the girl till his face was at the same level as hers.

"It's grown up stuff."

"It is?" Valary's eyebrows shot up as her face scrunched all over.

"Yes it is. And don't use that word in front of your mother and the next time John or Malchik use it in front of you, tell them that your uncle Damien is gonna kick their, err, bottoms!"

"I can't ask mom?"

"No you cannot."

"And I can't even ask Malchik?"

"You are not going to discuss it with him either if he doesn't bring the topic up himself!"

Valary was confused now, but Damien knew this was all he could do for now. Damien sighed as he stood up and resumed walking with the little girl, her hand in his. 

A few minutes later Damien entered his apartment. He was free now, with nothing to do. That meant he could go down to the racy bars and find someone for the night; especially since Duke hardly seemed to give him any time. He mumbled about how Duke wouldn't give him the time of day ever since he hooked up with that girl and the drop dead gorgeous guy.

The answering machine was blinking red and Damien played the messages as he changed his clothes.

The first message was from some guy called Mark who Damien couldn't quite remember. But apparently he had probably spent a night with him for Mark was asking if they could do it again. Damien sighed as he tried as best as he could to try and remember what Mark looked like.

The second message was from Duke, and Damien immediately stopped short with his shirt still halfway on.

'Hey Dame. It's me.' Duke's was cracking up on the recording. 'I think I screwed up and, ummm' and then there was a long pause. 

Damien paced towards the machine to clearly hear the last few words in the recording. 

'I'm going to the Mongers so.... Yeah that's all.'

An electronic voice announced that it was the end of the message.

Damien immediately picked up his cellphone to call Duke.

~~~

"You're thinking about him aren't you?"

Scott snapped out of his reverie, it was Natasha looking at him with a knowing expression.

"About who?" he asked, though he knew who she was referring to.

"That nerd Duke; you've been thinking about him haven't you?"

"What? No!" Scott was hardly going to admit it to her.

"Oh save it and try fooling someone else." Natasha quipped. She knew Scott like the back of her hand. "You didn't have to sleep with him you know."

"What?" Scott asked even though he knew exactly what was being discussed. He knew this topic was bound to pop up sooner or later.

"You didn't have to screw him before you screwed him", Natasha replied with a wry expression her face. "That wasn't in the plan and you never do things unless they are in the plan."

"That just kinda happened." Scott replied defensively. "And no, I am not thinking about him."

"We have to perfect every routine," Natasha quipped imitating her partner as he scowled at her. "Please, for a guy who uses that line as his mantra, this was hardly expected."

"I'm not thinking about him okay!" Scott was indignant now.

"Fine, fine, whatever."

Scott waited for her to argue but she did not say anything more. It was evident who the winner of that bout was.

"Anyway there's nothing you can do about it now. We leave this town by midnight and you'll never see him again."

"Yeah." Scott replied trying to feign disinterest. Would he actually ever see BadgerKing again?

~~~

To say Duke was gloomy was an understatement. He was positively lugubrious. He sat alone at the bar nursing his drink. He watched the pale brown liquid slosh in the glass as he wished he could somehow drown in it and die.

"Hey biker boy, fancy some company?" 

It was Randy. Duke looked up and used all his will power to not reach out and smash his glass over Randy's head. Randy was the biggest asshole Duke new.

"Nope, run along and play with your daddies now!"

That would irritate Randy. Duke knew that. Randy with his platinum blond hair cut in the latest fashion. Randy with his red lips and soft blue eyes. Randy who did bareback videos with some porno company to earn a living. His screen name was Randy Rodriguez, and that's what everyone knew him as. He wasn't Spanish or Mexican though, just bronzed all over and his face was cut at the perfect angles. He weighed almost a hundred pounds over Duke, all thanks to the half a dozen hours he spend in the gym each day. 

That same Randy had been enticing Duke since quite some time. Probably because he could have anyone he wanted, but not Duke. Duke always shrugged him off.

"Yeah?" Randy questioned with a frown on his face, "So pussy boy here doesn't want to play?"

Duke flipped him with a finger and turned his attention back to his drink.

With a sudden movement Randy grabbed Duke's collar and swung him around along with the bar stool. Randy was 6 feet 5 inches, and all of it was muscle, which included his most famous muscle of course.

"One of these days Duke, I'm gonna bang you like a street whore and you're gonna love every moment of it. In fact you're gonna..."

"Am I interrupting something here?"

Duke and Randy turned their heads to see the new entrée. It was Damien.

Randy pulled a face. "Pussy boy here was just begging for my cock and I'm having a hard time saying no to him."

Damien snorted as Randy let go of Duke's collar. "Yes, I'm sure of it."

Randy stepped back as he gritted his teeth at Duke. "One of these days Duke, remember that!" And with that he stepped back as Damien waited for him to be out of ear-shot before he flopped down onto the bar stool next to Duke.

"Ok, whats going on? First you completely ignore me for like a week and you find some new friends to hang out with. Then you leave some awkward message on my machine, I try to call you but you're phone's switched off and now I find you here lower than a pug's testicles having a drink?" 

Duke stared as Damien continued, "Jesus! And you don't even have alcohol! Why the hell are you drinking now?"

Damien paused as he waited for Duke to reply, but no reply was coming. Just Duke's expressionless face slowly turning gloomy.

"So what happened?"

Duke swallowed before he answered. 

"I fucked up." And with that Duke motioned the bartender to refill his glass. Damien could smell the alcohol on Duke's breath and it looked like Duke had had quite a few.

"I did a job with those two you met and they fleeced me real good. They ran away with the money."

Damien absorbed the news for a few seconds before he replied. "That's it? Someone milked you of your shady money and you're all torn apart? C'mon, I thought it would take way more than that to knock you down."

"It was fifty thousand dollars." Duke gulped down the contents of his glass in one go.

Damien's eyes grew wide in surprise. "Fifty..."

"And they disappeared with my share and that's not all."

Damien was still trying to contemplate the sum as Duke continued.

"That guy you met at my apartment the other day. His name's Scott. He slept with me."

"What?" Damien's eyes grew wide in surprise.

"Fucked me, screwed with my head, used me, got me drunk up on lust and ran away with my money." Duke slammed his glass upon the counter gesturing the bartender for another round. His voice was becoming thick and drowsy.

"Jesus!" Damien's mouth was still wide open. "So all these days you were working with those two..."

"Yup, and now I'm fucked over."

Damien tried to say something but nothing came out of his mouth. Instead he put an arm over Duke's shoulders to try to comfort him.

Somewhere in the corner of the bar, a rather penitent man watched the sad figure and his friend sitting at the barstools near the counter.

~~~

Damien had seen Duke drink in life on two prior incidents. He knew Duke was a weird kind of drunk guy. He only drunk on occasions of sorrow, and Damien would definitely agree Duke was quite a sad drunk.

"Jesus Duke, you gotta stop drinking, no more for you!" Damien had been watching Duke drink since far too long. He had way too much to drink since he had come into the picture and there was no saying how many he had had before that.

"Uh, Pleeeez", Duke made a melancholic face and. "A little more."

"No. That's it", Damien stated as he hastily snatched the glass in front of Duke. Even the bartender had been scowling to refill the last one. "Just a quick visit to the men's room for me and we're outta here."

Damien looked at his friend whose eyes looked all sad and glazed over. He thought about how Duke made one hell of a sorrowful drinker.

Damien climbed down from the stool as he picked up his jacket. "And we're gonna tuck you in and you're gonna go off to la-la land with no more daring handsome men in your dreams."

Duke looked hurt at that. "But I want handsome men!"

Damien realized Duke was acting like a kid now; an innocent sorrowful child. It was about time he took him home. Of course that meant there was no cruising to be done for him that night.

"Just wait here honey. Don't go anywhere. I'll be back in a flash." 

And with that Damien made his way towards the restroom.

Duke looked around. His eyes were getting droopy. He knew at the back of his mind that he was wasted; more than he had ever been before. But there was a feeling of weightlessness. Something that took away all the sadness and regret he had felt all day since he had gotten up alone in the morning to an empty house, all the luggage and plans and equipment used for their job gone; not a trace of anything left. Oddly he had felt no rage, only grief and misery, for himself. And that was replaced by some kind of euphoria for now. 

"Hey sweetie. Fancy a fuck?"

Duke looked up at the sudden voice. It was Randy; and he could plainly see that Duke was dead drunk.

"Nooo. I can't." Duke stated hazily. "I have to go home."

"C'mon, it'll only take a few minutes. It'll be fun."

"No, I hafta waaiit here for Damien." Duke's mind was clouding by now and the world was revolving all around him.

The blonde porn-star took Duke's right hand and guided it over to his pectorals as he leaned in and whispered in the latter's ears. "You like that don't you."

Duke squealed as he felt along the massive chest, "Oooh. Strong body!" 

With that Randy put an arm around desolate drunk and pulled him up. "C'mon, it's just a little fun."

"But Damien is supposed to take me home", Duke protested in a barely audible voice.

"Yes. He can take you home after we've had a little fun."

Randy dragged Duke to the rear exit, the drunk youth muttering something all along about how his life had lacked fun since quite some time now, and how he someone had cheated him out of the last ounce of fun he'd had. 

Four other men followed Randy and his inebriated companion out of the bar.

Duke felt the whole world was spinning around him. He suddenly wanted to take a leak. There was a general confusion in his mind however. Where was he going?

He stumbled along with one of his arms pulled over Randy's shoulders as the latter led him outside the back gate and cross a couple of buildings till their coterie comprising of four other men and them entered a dark alley, barely lit by a flickering tube light that rapidly turned on and off.

"Hey disco!" Duke smiled as he was stared at the tube light. "Are we gonna disco?"

"No sweetheart, we're gonna fuck", Randy declared as he suddenly let go of Duke's hand and pushed him against a dead end.

Duke stumbled over plastic garbage bags as he tried to steady himself as Randy unzipped his trousers.

Four other men in the alley behind egged the huge man on, waiting in anticipation for their own turn.

~~~

"Where's Duke?" Damien asked the bartender. He had just returned from the men's room and saw no sign of his souse of a friend anywhere. 

"I think he left with Randy", the bartender replied, not really interested.

"What?!" Damien's loud voice attracted many glances. "He left with Randy?"

"Yeah about a minute ago I think."

"You let him leave?" Damien was absolutely livid.

The bartender shrugged disinterestedly and Damien decided there was no time to waste. Duke was drunk, way beyond comprehension; he could hardly put a sentence together. And he had taken off with Randy. And it made Damien sick to the stomach when he though of all the things Raany would do to him. After all, there was way too much common knowledge of Randy's deeds and he himself had had a bad experience with him once. Moreover, he knew that Randy had wanted Duke since a long time.

"Where did they go?" Damien asked in a demanding tone. 

The bartender just shrugged again.

Damien quickly made for the exit as he scanned the crowds. He would just have to find Duke as soon as possible.

~~~

"Whazar u doing?" Duke slurred as he tried to make sense of what was going on. 

Randy pulled down his own pants and revealed the famous 'randy junior' the huge member he was famous for.

"I'm going to finally give you what you've been waiting so long for."

"Yeah Randy, go for it!" A voice called out from behind. 

"Don't stretch him too much, cause its no fun fucking loose pussies." Another voice called out.

"Nooo." Duke said in a loud voice. "You're not going to fuck me!"

Instantly Randy caught hold of Duke's hands and tugged at the smaller man's button fly which snapped as it broke and pulled his pants downwards. 

Duke struggled but his mind was too clogged to put up a fight. He punched the air helplessly. All his strength seemed to have vanished.

"Yes!" Randy hissed in his ear. "I am going to fuck you raw and without rubbers that is. And I'm gonna cum inside you!"

Duke struggled helplessly as Randy tugged at his shirt and in one fluid motion his t-shirt ripped open. Randy pushed him against a trash can and bend him over, exposing his hole to the cheering audience.

"Ooh baby", Randy yelled, "I've wanted this!" 

Suddenly Duke spun around and swung his arm wildly in the air, ramming his elbow against Randy's chest, pushing him backwards. Randy lost his grip on Duke stumbled a few steps as Duke tried to pull up his pants to hide his nakedness.

"So you're gonna be wild eh?" Randy sneered, "Well it won't take much time to break you."

And with that two men who were spectators till now stepped ahead and grabbed Duke's arms crashing him to the floor.

"No. Stop you asshole!" Duke yelled but it was of no use. His voice was drowned in the jeering and yelling from the excited men behind. 

The two pairs of strong arms forced Duke flat on the ground as he struggled feebly. Randy squatted between his legs and pulled his pants off. The helpless drunken male tried to kick his assailant but they restrained his legs after a few attempts. 

Suddenly one of the men smacked Duke across the face making him see stars. Duke's head reeled in pain as the testosterone charged men restrained him to ravage him in their lust. Under the influence of his indulgence and the pain that he felt across his face, he could hardly comprehend anything going around him anymore. He put up no more defences as Randy pulled apart his legs and exposed his asshole to everyone once again. The would be rapist grabbed his colossal dick as he guided it towards the puckered hole.

"Now let's get this monster inside!" Randy yelled as several voices cheered him on and he prepared to invade the defenseless man with his massive tool.

Duke just lay back in a dazed state, not putting up a fight. He could barely make out what was happening anymore. There was drool oozing out of the corner of his mouth as he slipped between the conscious and the subconscious. He could barely feel the dick trying to enter him.

"I think you should stop."

A voice bellowed from behind Randy and the racketeering men. Everyone including Randy swung their heads around.

It was a tall figure, silhouetted against the darkness in the alley by the flickering tube light. A tall figure in an overcoat and whose face Randy could not quite see. Standing ramrod straight with his hands in the pockets of his coat in the entrance to the dingy alley, he waited as if for their reaction.

"Who the fuck are you?" Randy bellowed, not getting up from his position. His penis was rock hard and was about to enter the hapless man.

"A friend of the man down there." The man stepped towards the ruffled group that stood silently. Just ten seconds ago they had been causing a ruckus.

"Well 'friend of the man I am going to rape', you better fuck of from here", Randy paused as the man hardly flinched as he walked slowly towards the group.

"And don't tell anyone what you saw or else..."

"Or else what?" The man asked in a stentorian voice as he walked to about half a dozen feet from the group, his face showing in the light. Randy failed to recognize him.

"It's five against one pretty boy. So I think you can imagine what the 'or else' would be like", Randy sneered.

"No actually I don't", the man replied a little contemptuously, "Maybe you can show me."

There was silence in the alleyway for a few seconds and no one moved a muscle.

Without warning a huge member of the rowdy group leapt at the new arrival. The man in the overcoat ducked with fluid grace to dodge the swing and almost instantly rose with lightning pace with his fist connecting with the attackers jaw from below. Teeth shattered as his head snapped backwards and he flew a considerable distance back before smashing against trash cans.

Blood splattered across the dirty floor of the alley as the first attacker was knocked unconscious.

"What the..?" Randy cried out as he rose up and tried to pull up his pants as the others in the group rushed towards the 'friend of the man down there'.




Fatal Attraction Ch. 02



The days passed so quickly and soon we were together for more than a month. Each time I would meet him my knees would buckle when I saw him waiting for me. We had fallen into a rhythm of meeting which was pretty much every other day. In the movements I allowed myself to reflect I knew there was something unusual, out of character, a maybe, in how I felt for him. I had always thought my perfect man would need to be an eloquent bookworm, someone I could talk to for hours about my deepest fears and desires as well as the most trivial aspects of life. Yet, here I was, completely obsessed with this man who, while far from being stupid had rough, almost uncultured edges. 

There was also a darkness in him. Nothing I could say was threatening but there was always an edge, though he rarely let it show like he had that night when I had been at his place and received an angry suggestion that I should leave. I would so often find myself speechless in his company and hours could pass in almost total silence. But it never felt awkward, our desires still simmered just below the surface giving those quite moments a devilish feel of anticipation. Feelings I didn't fully understand bubbled up in me whenever we were together. He was a mystery in so many ways, and in so many ways "not my type" but I could not deny the mysterious, wild emotions that ruled me in those days, emotions that grew from my very core.

Then, one Friday afternoon I was staring longingly out of my office window, willing the minutes to tick by so we could be together. Fridays had now been established as my favorite day of the week because I knew we would meet and not have to worry about the demands of work the next day - freeing us to stay up into the small hours of the morning. The minutes ticked by and an excitement rose in my stomach, as I somehow knew he was approaching. Then, there it was, his car pulled up across the street. My heart raced as I grabbed my handbag and shut down my computer. I guess I would have seemed pretty rude to my colleagues as I rushed past them with only the most functionary goodbyes.

I jumped into the car and turned to kiss him, but the look on his face stopped me cold. It was clear something was troubling him and there was darkness in his eyes. I asked what was wrong and he replied that he could not stand the thought of other men flirting with me. It was driving him crazy. I felt excitement flutter in my chest, flattered as I was by his jealousy but a little worried at the intensity of it. I knew I had to be careful in case I said the wrong thing causing the darkness descend over him again and probably bringing our weekend to a premature end.

I wanted to tell him that he was the only one, that no other man looked at me but I could not tell him a lie. I took a deep breath and decided to gamble on honesty. I explained that he had no reason to be jealous. Yes, other men would approach me, others, would just stare undressing me with their eyes. I took his hand before continuing to explain that I barely noticed them anymore because he had won me. I looked into his eyes. They were glistening but I could not be sure if it was because he was glaring at me or tears were forming. 

I bit my lips a little nervously before reaching over and touching them lightly on his. He grabbed me suddenly and pulled me into his arms, burrowing his face into the nape of my neck and said something quietly. I couldn't quite be sure, but it sounded like "I love you" but he would not repeat the words for me when I asked him to. The darkness had seemingly lifted with my words and I felt the tension release from me too. Our Friday night was seemingly backed on track.

My roommate was away that evening so I excitedly invited him to my place - not sure exactly where the evening would lead. As he sat down on the couch I noticed he was trembling. I wasn't sure of the cause, was it passion or the late winter chill. I offered him some tea and went to the kitchen to prepare it. When I returned with the cup, he had fallen asleep, exhausted by so many long days (and nights) of travel.

I let him sleep, watching him as he did. His chest rising and falling with each breath. His face free from any pretence, any tension looked almost childlike. I suddenly had an urge to kiss him but instead I sat quietly on the chair across from where he sat. I couldn't take my eyes from him. It was amazing that in just a handful of short weeks he had come to dominate my every waking thought and quite a few of my dreams. When he finally stirred and woke it was late. He seemed very self-conscious, apologising for abandoning me. I laughed telling him it was ok, making a joke that I had obviously worn him out. Was I really such hard work? I asked. Again the mood changed and tension returned to the room. He tried to hide it but soon he was kissing me half-heartedly as he said goodnight then he disappeared into the darkness. 

The following weekend it was my turn to visit him again. He asked me to bring something I could leave behind in his apartment when I was gone. 

"Are we getting serious? " I asked jokingly. He looked at me and did not smile. 

"Do you mind that?" he asked, an edge of anger in his voice.

We walked into his darkened flat and he led me to his bedroom in silence, his blue eyes making my body feel weak and almost in agony with desire. He took off his shirt and I noticed a cross hung from his necklace. Was he religious or was it just a fashionable trinket?

I was so very nervous yet slowly I was being overwhelmed by his kisses. Then I heard a voice that took me a few seconds to realize was mine telling him I was ready, that I wanted him completely. He seemed taken aback by my words. Had he heard correctly? He asked me if I was sure and I nodded looking down, unable to hold his gaze.

We slowly removed the last of our clothes as we lay on the bed. He quickly rolled on top of me, gently spreading my legs. I felt something huge and warm on my thighs and I gasped, suddenly very nervous again. He whispered to me not to be afraid, he would be gentle. He tried to enter me once, twice three times, but on each attempt it seemed I was too small for him. I was lost to my passions, my body trembling in expectation of what was to come yet shyness still clung to me and I didn't give in to my urges completely. I could see both his passion and frustration growing with each failed attempt to enter me. I whispered to him that maybe he was too big and not to worry, we could try again later. 

By now he was completely beside himself with desire. He kissed me deeply and once again tried to push himself inside me. Suddenly, with a little force and a small adjustment he slid into me. Instantly I felt completely full. He started to move inside me and it was if I could not feel my arms or legs. I lay on the bed paralyzed by the sensations coursing through my body, melting into the mattress with each movement inside me. He came after some minutes and lifted his weight from me dropping seemingly exhausted to my side. I lay there silently, the feeling of fullness still with me, my mind reeling from the sensations I had just enjoyed. We lay there the silence broken only by our breathing, lost in our own thoughts, then after a minute or two he leaned over and asked me if I'd like to do it again...



Fatal Attraction Ch. 02



He moved faster than they could see, connecting punches, easily dodging swings and finally leaping around swinging his legs in large semi circular arcs knocking down all the three of the new attackers in less than five seconds. He then slowly approached the infamous porn star.

Randy's jaw had dropped down to his chest. What the hell had just happened? All of his mates were on the floor, some grimacing in pain and others knocked flat out. Apparently this man had been responsible but Randy Rodriguez could barely tell anyone how he had done it. His pants were barely on his hips, still unzipped.

Suddenly Randy withdrew a pocket knife from under the folds of his jacket and held it out in his hand as he flipped the blade open.

"You don't wanna use that." The man's voice was calm and collected.

"What? You scared pretty boy?" Randy sneered with mock contempt. His knees were trembling.

"Okay then", the man stated as he shrugged and remained where he was.

Randy waited for a few seconds before he suddenly yelled a battle cry and launched himself forward. With one swift step to the side, the man dodged Randy's straight thrust and instantly caught hold of the knife wielding hand. Randy yelled as the skilled fighter bend his arm back and slashed his famous face with the knife still in his hand. Two seconds later Randy and his opponent were standing five feet apart, Randy trying to contemplate what had just taken place.

He felt blood dripping from his cheeks as he touched his face with his fingers to feel what was wrong. His fingers returned dyed crimson red.

"You asshole, you have no idea what you've done!" Randy shrieked before he again launched himself at his adversary.

This time the man suddenly leaped revolving a complete circle as he swung around his leg. The aimed foot connected with the side of Randy's head, sending him flying to the side wall. Randy crashed against the wall and was immediately knocked out from the impact to his head, slumping into a pile of garbage and plastic bags.

The man straightened his coat as he quickly made his way towards the person who had been the victim of all these men. He sat down next to Duke and cradled his head in his arms. 

Duke's eyes were half open and his head was moving from side to side slowly, as if listening to some slow music. His savior lifted his form gently, trying to dress him up, making the best he could to cover his nakedness with the torn clothes.

"You okay BadgerKing?" the man questioned in a soft voice as he used his other hand and slowly rose to a standing position with Duke in his alms. He easily carried him across the dingy alley where one tragedy had just been prevented and other tragedies lay moaning in the dingy alley.

The tube light flickered relentlessly as two men left the dingy alleyway and five other lay barely moving on the dirt ridden floor.

~~~

"Are you sure you haven't seen Duke anywhere?"

"No, its been ages since I last saw him," the store owner replied.

Damien was getting more and more worried as each second passed. Where the hell had Duke disappeared? He had searched frantically in the streets and in the stores adjacent to the bar, all to no avail. He was constantly trying Duke's cell phone as well, but it had been switched off even before he had met Duke at the bar, and he didn't expect Duke to use it in the drunken state he was in.

Damien was worried to death. As long as he had known him, he had never seen Duke drink himself to such a stupor. Hell, he had hardly ever seen him drink at all. And today things had really gotten out of hand.

But what he was really worried about was Randy. His stomach tied itself in knots when he thought about what Randy would do to Duke in that helpless state.

~~~

He was having s tough time dragging Duke around. Initially the weight had been easy to carry, but after that staircase, even his strong arms were tired. After all Duke was a pretty big guy.

Finally he reached the apartment and managed to get the keys out of Duke's pocket. Turning the key around with one hand he slowly hauled Duke into it. Making his way into the bedroom, he gently placed the knocked out form onto the bed. 

He hastily made his way to the cupboard clicking his tongue in disapproval as he looked at the dirty oversized t-shirts he saw inside. Did this guy wear anything other than those? Finally he selected one and got back to the man he had lugged around with him for the past 15 minutes. He gently took off his own jacket, the one he had put on the drunken form, lest he catch a cold, and replaced it with the t-shirt he had fetched from the cup board.

Duke moaned a bit in his reverie, as if enjoying the pampering and snuggled into the sheets to make himself more comfortable.

The man sat beside the now sleeping form, staring at him for a few moments. He gently ran his hand over his hair, brushing aside the strands that fell onto his forehead.

"I'm sorry BadgerKing. I hope you forgive me."

He took a deep breath and got up. He had to make his leave. He had to leave the town in a few hours. And his companion would not be happy to know he'd come here.

~~~

"But why do you have to get inside now?" The old lady asked in an irritated voice.

"Just let me check once. I think he might be in. And he's not answering the phone." Damien had been frenetically searching for the past fifteen minutes. Having no luck on the streets, he ha finally decided to check up on Duke's house itself.

She grumbled as she fetched out her spare key and opened the door to Duke's apartment. She hated being disturbed at night. She was still in her sleeping gown, and mumbled disparagingly about homosexuals as she swung the door open and Damien stumbled inside in his hurry. 

"Don't do anything I wouldn't," the old landlady stated in an icy tone as she made her leave.

"No, and sorry for disturbing you this late. I'll shut the door when I leave."

She hmmphed as she stomped away, her frilly night gown swishing as she made her way across the corridor.

Damien rushed to the only bedroom and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Duke's sleeping form on the bed; snoring slightly as his chest rose and fell. 

He quietly walked over to the bedside and looked down at his friend. Thoughts were still running through his head. How had Duke reached here? He had been way too wasted before. Had Randy brought him here? Had Randy done anything to him? He looked at his watch; it was barely twenty minutes since he had left Duke alone in the bar. Randy simply would not have had the time to do something with the drunken Duke and then bring him over. Then had someone else brought him in?

Damien suddenly felt exhausted himself. All the worrying had worn him down. He hardly felt like going home himself.

He made his way to the living room and settled down into the sofa, his frame barely fitting into it, falling asleep minutes after.

~~~

It was 10 AM on Monday and Duke woke up to a splitting head ache. The blinds had been strung open and the sun streamed in onto his face.

"Ahh, sleeping beauty awakens!" 

Duke squinted his eyes to make out the silhouetted form against the sun's rays which stung his eyes. It was Damien.

"Jeez, what time is it?" Duke questioned and immediately regretted speaking for his own voice reverberated across the insides of his head, making it throb with pain.

"Late enough," Damien stated, flopping down onto the bed next to Duke. "How did you get home yesterday? You came by yourself?"

Duke tried to clear his head as he tried to recall the previous night's events. His head throbbed even harder. All he could remember was a dark alleyway and a flickering tube light.

"Can't remember," he finally stated as softly as he could.

"Did you meet Randy after I left you?"

Duke thought back once again. Everything was hazy but, he did meet Randy somewhere after Damien left him, didn't he?

"Okay, drink this up. My special concoction." Duke glanced at the bedside stand and noticed a pale yellow-red colored drink, Damien's cure for his hangover.

"I have to go now buddy, duty calls, but if you need anything, call me," Damien stated as he arose to make his way out. 

"And don't go beating yourself over that guy again, that Scott fellow!" Damien's voice was authoritative.

Duke shrugged picking up the drink, pinching his nose shut as he gulped down its contents. 

~~~

The loud clanging of the phone woke Duke up again. He checked the clock at the bedside stand before he answered the phone, all the time cursing the loudness of the tone. It was 11:53 AM. He had fallen asleep again after Damien had left.

"Hi hon, its me."

"Damien?" Duke whispered hoarsely into the phone. His head was still reeling. He was having the hang-over of the century.

"Yup, sweetie and I have some interesting news. You'll want to hear this."

Duke waited for Damien's 'pause for dramatic effect' to subside.

"Yesterday, after you got wasted and I sorta left you for a moment, Randy picked you up."

"Ok?" Duke's voice had apprehension in it. He could vaguely recall something. 

"Along with four other dudes." Duke's stomach churned. 

"Still don't recall anything sweetheart?" Duke shook his head, stating no. His mind was still clouded.

Damien sighed from the other end before continuing. "And they sorta took you to some dark alley and were all set to take turns on you but somebody came along and saved you."

"Huh?" Duke stated with surprise in his voice.

"Saved you is an understatement," Damien continued, "He literally bashed all five of their skulls in. Beat them up real good."

"Serisouly?" Duke questioned.

"Yup, they've all been beaten up badly and a couple of them have been hospitalized as well. All done by one man who none of them knew. And the words all around and everywhere man. Everyone's talking about it."

The fog in Duke's mind was suddenly lifting. His headache seemed to have disappeared.

"And then I'm guessing he dropped you home; your knight in shining armor. Can't you remember anything darling?"

Duke did not reply.

"You there darling?" Damien questioned.

Suddenly he whispered. "It was Scott." 

"Huh?" 

This time his voice rang into Damien's ears on the other end loud and clear. "I know who it was," Damien stated firmly. "It was Scott." 



Fatal Attraction Ch. 03



Hey everyone, back here with the third episode of the series, Hope you all enjoy it.

And there's another thing, I'm hardly fond of defending myself but over the past few days, a few of you have assumed I'm a hacker of sorts myself! I mean that's weird, I can barely type 20 words a minute on the keyboard! But I hope you take the hacking involved in the story in the right spirit, cause it's not meant to offend anyone. And please don't send me hack requests and codes; they're plain gibberish to me!

So hoping the hacking controversy dies down, we move onwards to the third episode!

And yeah, don't forget to send me feedback!

Episode 3

"What the fuck?" Duke exclaimed at the top of his lungs to an empty room. His room was used to being quite the listener whenever he was sitting at the computer for hours at a time, and this was one of his louder outbursts of emotion.

Duke had been angry all afternoon. He'd been sad the past day; morose to the point where he's almost broken down, but the incident that occured after he'd been wasted, had knocked him out of the doldrums. And contrary to the fact that he should have felt some kind of gratefulness to his savior Scott, he felt anger, pure unadulterated antagonism towards the people who had milked him, and especially towards 'that' man. 

All his sorrow had been replaced by wrath, his sadness overtaken with a feeling of revenge, for that was all the vengeful spirit had on his mind right then, revenge! He had already decided that he would channel all the rage he felt and use it to find the 'deadly duo'. He would find Scott and would have his revenge. And he had only begun the rather impossible task of finding two phantoms.

He had spent the last two hours going over every detail he could remember from their operation. The two really hadn't left that much for him to follow. But the internet was Duke's domain, and he could use it to its full potential.

And Duke had chanced upon a page that listed priceless curios around the world, and there he saw the very image of the 'watchful lady' that they had stolen, listed for an auctioning price of $456,000.

And Duke blew off his head when he saw that. He yanked the earphones out of his ears, abruptly ending his 'concert' of clanging metal music, as if it was in the way, and looked at the figure more closely. He could hardly believe his eyes.

"How can his be?" He asked loudly to the room. The room gave no answer.

Frantically Duke opened a host of other websites, pulling pages with the jade statuette in them, and with each listing his shoulders slumped a little more. The artifact was in fact priced that much. Then what had he seen before? Where was the page that Natasha had shown him?

And then it hit Duke; the trick they played on him went far deeper than he had felt at first. The price of the mission had never been fifty grand a person; it had always been a hundred and fifty grand, and he had been naïve enough to never even check up on the actual cost of the artifact. The deadly duo had probably lied to the hacker so if they got stuck with him, they could pay him just a third of his actual payment and make a dash for it. The poor broke hacker would be overwhelmed by the sum of fifty thousand anyway.

"Great." Duke stated calmly to the room as he accepted the fact with sudden tranquility that surprised him too. "Just great, I guess this is just gonna be the beginning of the surprises."

And with that Duke sighed as he resumed tapping over the keyboard, the inner vindictiveness he felt even stronger than before.

~~~

"Duke honey, how you holding up?" Damien's voice was full of concern. He had to take care of his friend during the rough time he was going through.

"I'm fine." Duke replied through the other end of the phone.

"Ok, then I'm coming over to your place. I've got us dinner, some Chinese."

"Err, actually Dame, I'm at the Archery."

Damien paused as he heard that. He took that as a good sign; a sign of recovery. Duke indulging in his pass time was a sign of him getting over the whole thing.

"But don't worry. I'm just leaving the archery right now. Just tell me where you are and I'll pick you up."

Damien wasn't too happy at that. Duke coming to pick him up meant he would have to ride pinion on his bike. And Duke wasn't too fond of pinion riders; but Damien's reluctance to ride pinion on Duke's bike was far more; the boy always drove so fast that his eyes watered and his heart jumped right into his mouth. But it would have to do for now. "Fine, I'm just at the park near my apartment."

"Great, I'll be there in 5 minutes."

Damien sighed as the call disconnected. It would take a good 10 to 15 minute drive to reach the Archery from his place. But that was only for mere mortals.

Exactly 6 minutes later Damien heard the droning of an engine as the metallic blue BMW skidded across the corner and screeched to a halt next to where Damien had taken a seat on a bench along the street.

Damien sighed once again as he gave a helpless smile to the biker in who removed his helmet and grinned at him.

"I hope the food's not gotten cold, you waiting here long Dame?"

"Not long enough." Damien stated before he made his way to the kerb and saddled the bike, positioning himself behind Duke.

A few minutes later Damien was cursing himself as to why he had not simply taken a cab or something. The 152 bhp engine roared as his eyelashes were moist with the water around eyes, instigated by the strong winds gushing at his face. His heart was beating fast and he closed his eyes each time Duke hit the brakes. His hair was obviously a mess. 'Why do I have to get stuck with this speed demon?' he asked himself.

They finally made it to Duke's apartment, Damein checked to find himself in one piece..

Damien waited till Duke got off the bike and flailed his arms around, stating melodramatically, "And great Lord, I thank thee I'm still alive after that ride!" 

"Yeah yeah. We know."

"Seriously darling, we oughta go back to that park. I think I left my stomach back there."

Duke shrugged him off and started closing the garage door, Damien hastily making his way out lest he be shut inside.

"His name's Christian."

"Who?" Damien questioned at the sudden utterance from his friend.

"The guy who screwed me over, his name's not Scott, its Christian; Christian Steel."

Damien looked apprehensively at his friend as they entered the apartment. 

"Honey, you still thinking about that bloke? Forget that meat-pack darling. Men who look like that always have something up their sleeves."

"Nah! Not gonna forget him, Damien snorted. "In fact I'm gonna catch up to him."

"What?" Damien exclaimed his voice getting shrill. "You're not thinking of doing anything stupid are you pumpkin?"

Duke led Damien straight into his room, where his computer monitor was still on, and Damien first squinted his eyes to make out the screen clearly and groaned when he saw the wallpaper. It was a photo of Scott, or Christian as he'd better come to know him now. Only he was wearing a blue skin tight spandex suit and had his arms stretched horizontally out. Clearly he was on a gymnast's mat.

"Don't tell me you're gonna obsess over him darling."

"Sit down Damien, take out the food and I'll tell you a thing or two."

Damien scowled as he opened the packets and took out the cardboard boxes, withdrawing the chopsticks and handing over Duke his share. He had a good mind to tell his friend to just drop the whole issue with this Christian/Scott guy but he knew better than to argue with Duke when he had his mind made up.

"You know, I told you that those two cheated me off fifty grand?"

Damien uh-huh'd in response.

"Well that wasn't true. They actually milked me off a hundred and fifty grand!"

Damien gasped in response.

"Yup," Duke stated nodding his head, "that's what the job was worth."

"Jeezus honey! What the hell were you trying to pull off? Robbing Fort Knox?"

Duke grinned, "Something like that."

"Anyway," Duke continued, "I found that out only today and then I spent the entire day searching for him." Duke pointed to the screen where the handsome youth on the wallpaper stood in the glory of his own body.

"He looks cho-chweeet!" Damien cooed. "Must be a photo taken when he was younger of him. How old was the beefcake when the photo was taken?"

"Sixteen." Duke replied, breaking apart the chopsticks as he dug into his meal.

"Real cute guy!" Damien nodded. "Man he must've broken a lot of hearts in high school!"

"Christian Steele. Born December 16th, 1983. Raised by his mother, he was a single child and showed exceptional talents in academics and athletics. He was considered a prodigy of sorts, a brilliant mathematician who also keenly focused on soccer, swimming and gymnastics."

Damien nodded as Duke continued in his 'professor' tone. 

"Christian was an ace gymnast who won several competitions for his high school and was touted to be entering the Olympics after he entered college. He excelled at the rings, the parallel bars and the mat and..."

Duke pushed Damien aside as he made his way to the computer and clicked an icon on the desktop.

"...Believe me Dame, the guy was good." 

Damien's eyes grew wide as he watched a video of the teen gymnast at the rings, dressed in a pure white vest and white slackers, the boy's strong arms fastened on to the rings as he performed a succession of mind boggling revolutions keeping the ring bar as his fulcrum. The crowd applauded and aww-ed each time he changed hands or let go of the rings, performing summersaults in the air before he caught them again.

Damien whistled as he watched the muscles ripple with the acrobatics "Damn, it's like watching really really soft porn!"

"Yeah, sort of poetry in motion kinda stuff. He trounced the competition each time he was on the show. And then it all suddenly stopped."

Damien looked curiously at his friend, waiting for him to continue.

"Drug testing. He failed the health tests; was using some kind of steroids or something. Needless to say, he was banned from the sport and probably shunned by his mates and all. That was towards the end of high school. He never joined college, or at least I didn't find any records that say so. After turning seventeen, he just plain disappeared, that was after his mom died from a stroke."

Damien took a deep breath. "So cutie got into some bad shit eh?"

"Yeah, and then he took to duping dumb broke guys like me I guess." Duke resumed slurping at the noodles as Damien absorbed all the info.

"So honey," Damien started, "What are you gonna do now? I mean you're gonna stalk him or something now? Firstly, where did you find all this stuff?"

"Spent hours searching it over the internet. Used all my resources and all. Here let me show you," Damien once again clicked on a folder as images of gymnasts popped up one after the other.

"I've looked over thousands of these guys in the last few hours, cause I was sure he had to be there somewhere, and I finally nailed him."

"Hey some of these guys are hot!" Damien exclaimed as Duke scowled at him. "Ok ok, but what are you gonna do now?"

Duke inhaled deeply before he replied, his voice full of conviction, "Am gonna track him down." 

"And how you gonna do that honey? I don't think all this is gonna be any help in finding him? He's probably thousands of miles from here now."

"Well he was in town yesterday night."

Damien swallowed as he recalled the incident with Randy that was still fresh in their minds. 

"But honey, this is pointless. Forget the guy," Damien paused before adding, "We'll hook you up with some other handsome hunk!"

Duke frowned at his friend who pretended to cringe.

"No but seriously sweetheart, how you gonna find him?"

"I have some other leads. I'm gonna try and follow those."

~~~

"And this is Vladimir Checkov."

He stared at the photo on the laptop screen ahead of him. A photo of a wizened man dressed in a woolen suit. Silver cuffs on the edges of his sleeves screamed money.

"Russian?"

"Yup Russian. And here's a photo of his yacht, the Nebressa."

He looked at the photo of the luxury yacht. "Stinks of money."

"Yeah it does. It arrives at the docks on Wednesday night around 9 PM and departs Thursday 12 noon. The jobs gotta be done somewhere Wednesday night."

Christian sighed. He rather fancied the city of Mali. He would have liked to spend some time there. But the job being done on Wednesday meant that they had to scram their asses out of there by Thursday. And between the job and it's preparation he would have no time to for himself.

"That hardly gives us any time Ness. We have like 2 days to prepare."

"Yup," his companion quipped, "No time at all." She unfurled blueprints of the ships architecture and plans of it's security. They had cost them a bomb.

"Hate doing back to back jobs. Its not been 2 days since that statuette job."

"Yup. Not been two days," his partner repeated. She knew he was somewhat different than before and she knew he had that young hacker on his mind. But she conjectured that he would soon get over him. He was hardly as stable as she was.

"So here are the plans of the ship and of the dock area. Now the yacht is private owned and as such there is not much security other than Mr. Checkov's personal museum, but the docks and their security are what's gonna be the major problem. The place has armed guards, police jeeps and tight round the clock security. And the wharf area is huge, almost endless."

"And the plans..."

"Yup, all here. Unfortunately Zelderman had a hand in this too, so a huge cuts gonna go her way. She was a medium of sorts to provide us the plans."

"Man, she's a real tough bitch."

"And she does know how to call the shots. But, I don't think we'll be dealing with her anymore after this stint."

He let out a deep breath at that. "Glad to hear that! She's always on our necks when we have deals with her and the pirate area."

The deadly duo glanced through the photographs of the ship and the dock area as the slides were changed one after another. Suddenly Vanessa broke the silence.

"So Chris, where did you disappear yesterday evening?"

He cringed at that. He knew it was inevitable. Sometimes Vanessa could be worse than his mother had been. 

"Just out for a drink." 

She saw through the lie. It was easy for her to read him. They had been together for over five years now, ever since they were teenagers.

"Well, the next time you go for a drink, do tell me and go."

He nodded, his face red. He was not going to tell her where he had gone, and he was glad she did not pursue it any further, though he was aware that she obviously knew the truth.

The two paused as she clicked on the next slide icon.

"And that Chris, is the Assassin of the Dark."

He snorted as he looked at the grim painting. A man's dark silhouette against a brown background, dressed in black robes that partially hid his face. His hand held a scythe with drops of blood trickling down he edge.

"The grim reaper eh?"

"Yup, and that grim reaper is gonna fetch us three hundred thousand dollars."

He nodded in approval. Their next job was set.

~~~

"Honey, just calling to check up on you. You doing ok? Nabbed any hot criminals yet?" 8 AM Tuesday morning and it was Damien over the phone.

Duke snorted at that. He'd been in touch with Damien a lot recently, since he was the only one who knew of his predicament at the time.

"No, not having much luck here." 

Damien picked up the drowsiness in his voice immediately. "Honey, you don't sound all that good? You slept recently."

Duke sighed. "Nah, been up all net searching for a name over the underground internet. Using all my connections with he hacking community but can't find this guy."

Damien had to strain his ears to hear Duke's voice over a constant clashing sound in the background. "Jeez honey, whats all that cacophony? You still listening to that metal shit?"

Duke immediately paused the music and his head felt empty. The music had been his only company over the long night.

"So who're you supposed to be looking for?" Damien asked once the background was purged.

"Some dude named Zelderman or something. I mean I don't know how to spell that but I sort of overheard those two talking about him. I think he's their deal setter or something, the one who sets the location and buys them their plans and all. Those two do the actually deed."

"So you've not found this guy yet?"

"Nope. Been staring at the screen all night and my eyes are kinda burning now. I mean there are a lot of people with that name or that kind of name but someone who has to be a little shady and would satisfy me, is barely there."

It was Damien's turn to sigh now. He was hardly in favor of Duke playing this cat and mouse game in the first place. And he wondered what was going on Duke's mind. What did he plan to do exactly?

Suddenly Damien balked as he recalled something. 

"Wait a minute sweetie. What did you say the name was?"

"Zelderman or something like that. Why, you heard of him?"

Damien sucked in his breath wondering if he should tell his friend what he knew. Finally he decided in favor of it.

"Yes," Damien stated slowly. "In fact I do know someone with that name. But only its a she darling, not a he."

"Seriously?"

"Yup. And this might be the Zelderman you're looking for. She's into all kinds of shady stuff, drugs, gangs and the whole nine yards. She's pretty famous you know."

"Who is she?" Damien could hear the drowsiness dissolve in Duke's voice. He was getting a little excited himself.

"Why Argessa Zelderman! Don't you know her? She's like the godmother of the underworld in this town and all."

"Uh-huh, so how do you know her?"

"She owns Crazy Mongers darling, the bar you frequent." Damien paused before adding, "The one where trouble was prevented the other day."

"Great, so how do I meet her?"

"Well," Damien hesitated before continuing, "I can try and pull some strings you know."

"And how would you do that?"

"Well I know a bodyguard of hers. Actually, I know two of them."

Duke snorted from the other end of the line. "Lemme guess, you've been screwed by both of them?"

"Of course honey!" Damien replied without missing a beat, "And at the same time!" 

"Tch. To think I would ever doubt the great Dame!"

"No you shouldn't!" Damien quipped cheekily.

It was 9:30 when Damien called back. 

"Not having much luck honey, I think she's way bigger than I thought at first. Some puny bodyguards can barely arrange a meeting for you. I don't know how to get you through to her."

"What happened to those guys you lolled around with?"

"They are not even worth calling pawns hon. Although I did get this much out. She's gonna be at Whispering Palms tonight at around 7:30."

Duke thanked Damien for his efforts. He had not been able to arrange a meeting with her, but at least he had confirmed her identity and tracked her down, Duke was thankful for that. He would have to manage the rest on his own.

~~~

Whispering Palms was a high profile restaurant, reserved for the rich and famous. Its patrons mainly comprised of clientele that earned at least five figures a month, and they looked the part. Duke stood waiting outside the grand foyer, his black jacket and flashy pants already being given a disapproving glare by the doorman. He would have to play his cards right on this one.

He waited till it was 7:35 and then typed in a message from his cell phone.

'INTEND TO MEET YOU. HERE ARE A FEW GOOD REASONS;'

'A little cheeky', Duke thought to himself, but it would have to do. He was never one for class.

And immediately after he pressed the send button, he logged into his Multimedia drafts, the ones that he'd spent a considerable time of the afternoon preparing. Drafts with personal details, contact numbers and transaction details; drafts that spoke of many of the iniquitous deeds that the infamous female gang-leader had been up to. And drafts that he had conveniently hacked into after obtaining one of her contact numbers and finding she used the Frees360; a mobile phone that synchronized with the internet to store personal data. 




Fatal Attraction Ch. 03



All I could do was to nod silently not able to come back fully to my senses. He got back on the top of me and fixed his eyes on mine leaning on his elbows. Once again I was enchanted and I knew I was intoxicated by the combination of passion, domination and power he had over me. This time he was much more confident and in control. He slowly pushed himself into me again, strong but not forceful, being careful of every little moan or movement I made. I was gasping for air, knowing he still had some way to go before he was fully in me again. My excitement rose again as he moved deeper into me. But just before that exquisite moment of complete fullness I was longing for arrived he withdrew his full length from me. 

The groan of ecstasy that was building in me in anticipation of fulfillment turned into a quiet groan of disappointment. I saw in his eyes that he was enjoying administering this exquisite torture, reveling in his new found domination and power over me. He slid down beside me, cupping my head in his hands. He kissed me and then teased my lips with the tip of his tongue. "How much do you want me?" he whispered, stroking my face. I was lost on a rolling sea of desire. I wanted him inside me, I needed to feel myself stretched and full again. Instinctively I took his fingers into my mouth, biting him gently and sucking them a little. 

He withdrew his hand and said:

"Well?"

I wasn't sure if I would be able to speak but I tried. Breathlessly words fell from my mouth in gasping desire.

"Please, make love to me, I need you to, before my heart explodes."

He gave me a satisfied grin and reposition himself again on top of me. Soon, the tip of his manhood pressed against my wetness, but he held back entering me again looking down at me, taking obvious pleasure from my squirming desires. Something had changed, in both of us. No longer were we star crossed lovers, innocently exploring, frightened that we may go too far and offend. Now he was in control and he knew it. I was under his thrall, I was his plaything. 

"Please, I whimpered, I can't take it any longer, make love to me."

I almost choked on the words. Had I really said them? He pushed slowly forward a look of victory mixed with pleasure on his face. I writhed under him finally revelling in the sensations I had been craving. He suddenly pushed into me hard and strong and my whole body went numb with pleasure. He started moving, his pace quickening. He was a skilled lover, able to push into me with such passionate force and power but expertly judging each thrust so as not to pain. He kissed me as he thrusted inside me, feeling me tremble on his lips. 

My mind scrambled, my body tightened and we came together in a gasping tangle of arms and legs. I felt like my mind had gone, addled by some powerful drug. But this was a natural high, like no other I had ever experienced. I was addicted. I was his, and by the look on his face as he stared down on me in my post coital bliss he knew it too.

I was woken by the sun breaking through the window shutters. I immediately reached to my side, seeking him but I was alone and my heart sank. I lay quietly for a few minutes seeking out any sounds that might be him in the bathroom or moving about the house but only the distant church bells broke the silence as I watched dust dance in the shafts of light created by the shutters. I turned to get out of bed and that's when I noticed the note sitting on the bedside table to the side of the bed.

"Good morning Darl," the note started, "I had to check on a few things at work. Make yourself comfortable. Don't worry I won't be gone long. If I'm lucky you'll still be in bed by the time I get back." 

I smiled like a teenager in her first blooming of love. "Darl", I rolled the word around my mouth. It was short for darling, he had explained but it sounded so much better when he said it to me, his forging accent changing its character completely I touched the paper lightly, tracing the pen strokes with my fingers, imagining I was slowly tracing them over his skin. I was besotted with him, I was besotted with pieces of paper he had touched and written on. It seemed I would have been besotted with anything related to him. I was in love. 

The mirror in the bathroom reflected the face of a stranger back at me. My hair a mess from our love making, my lipstick smeared across my cheeks, yet my eyes were on fire. As I examined my reflection I felt like a character from a Roman Polanski film.

I got under the shower and as the water ran down my body and I massaged the soap into my skin images from last night flashed into my mind. I felt a wetness between my legs. Each time I washed it away within seconds I was wet again. Giving up and turning my attention to the rest of me I quickly finished and stepped out. I towelled myself dry then put my nighty back on, my hair, and another place, still wet.



Fatal Attraction Ch. 03



Duke waited for a reply, nervously checking to se if he'd turned his set to the silent mode. Two minutes of worried thoughts later, Duke could hardly contain himself. He sent his final message.

'I'M OUTSIDE RIGHT NOW.'

Duke's fingers trembled as he hit the send button, but he knew there was no going back. He had jut thrust his head into the alligator's mouth. Now he had to wait for the jaws to snap shut.

About a minute later two hulky men exited the grand entrance. They glanced around and made straight for Duke whose breath was caught in his throat; he questioned himself repeatedly; was he doing the right thing?

"You here to meet Zelderman?" a huge bald man who towered over Duke asked in a menacing tone. 

"Yup." Duke replied, shrugging his shoulders. He was in now. There was no going back.

Duke took towards the entrance, the two men following him barely a centimeter behind. They walked at a brisk pace, forcing Duke ahead to walk as fast as they did. The doorman continued to eye him as he walked by.

The trio walked through a maze of corridors, ornamentally garnished with flower arrangements, paintings and soft lighting. A waiter raised his eyebrows at Duke's attire as they passed him. 'Well I'm no suit and tie guy' Duke murmured.

The two giants walked him to an oversized wooden door, pausing to frisk Duke to search for concealed weapons. They gently knocked before they pushed open the heavy door and nudged him in.

"So you're the little Menace sending those messages favi?"

The lighting inside was dim and Duke strained his eyes to make out the profile of a blonde woman wearing a deep pink tight jacket smoking a cigarette.

"Yes. I'm Duke." He stepped forward, extending his hand. Her face emerged from the dim light and suddenly Duke stopped short.

Half her face was charred; scarred and burned. Starting from above her right eyebrow, there was an ugly demarcation of seared skin, the flesh wrinkled obscenely in parchment forms till the lower side of her nose; fading away into the skin just on the right side of her lip. 

She obviously noticed Duke's reaction, but spoke none of it.

"So favi, what business do you have of me?"

Duke noted the baritone voice she possessed; a voice with a husky timbre in it. Clearly this was a person not to be fooled around with.

"I err, wanted to meet you," Duke stammered much to his own chagrin. Where had his confidence suddenly disappeared? "I'm searching for a man called Christian Steele."

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise as she heard that. "And what business do you have of him?"

Duke paused, he knew the next part was going to sound stupid. "I sort of helped him in a job, a job I think you arranged, the job with that jaded statuette, the watchful lady," Duke's words were coming out in a hurry. The authoritative lady blew smoke in his direction as he continued to speak. "And he left without paying me my share. I am trying to catch him now."

"Oh Fabulous!" she suddenly burst out smiling as the two massive bodyguards looked at each other. "So you're the dimwit who entered the password wrong!"

Duke's cheeks turned red. "Th, that was a mistake."

Zelderman burst out laughing. "Yes indeed favi, a fabulous mistake." Her laughter broke as abruptly as it had started. "And now you're here because?"

"I want to know where he is, I mean they is, I mean they are!" Duke kicked himself mentally for the incompetent fool that he was appearing to her. She had an unnerving presence and he had felt the brunt of it.

"And why should I tell you?"

Duke wanted to say something, but nothing left his mouth. 'Maybe this was not such a good idea', he thought to himself, wishing he was at home that very instant. Scott and Christian and gymnasts and artifacts could all go to hell.

"So favi, you think that if I don't tell you where he is now, you're gonna use all that stuff against me," she pointed to her handset, the one on which she had received messages from Duke just minutes earlier. 

Duke stood motionless, stupefied. He wished the floor would just swallow him whole.

Zelderman edged ahead on her seat, resting her elbows on the desk as Duke looked at her through the floral arrangement, noticing how beautiful half her face was, one blue eye and blonde curls falling over her spotless left face as well as over the singed skin on the right. The beauty and the beast, all packed into one face.

"Do you know what I do, favi?"

Duke swallowed knowing he had to reply. "You do a lot of big business, with other big people." Duke could hardly believe what he was saying. "And you own Crazy Mongers."

Zelderman puffed on her cigarette, blowing rings into the air. "You ever been there favi?"

"Lots of times." Duke murmured. It was the only bar he ever went to.

"Oh Fabulous!" Zelderman practically shrieked at the top of her lungs. "So favi is a little faggot as well!"

Duke cringed into himself. He had no control over what was happening anymore.

"So faggot-favi, what have you, to offer me, for telling you where that bastard Scott is?"

Duke noticed she used the name Scott instead of Christian. He shrugged at her question. There was a nagging feeling in the back of his head to offer his bike; but something told him if he said that to her, she would have bitten his head off.

"Ok favi, here's the deal. I can actually make use of you right now."

Duke gulped. He could be useful to her?

"I have this trouble transferring some amount from one of the accounts one of my rogue clients tried to dupe me with. You have to transfer it for me."

Zelderman paused as she inhaled deeply on the cigarette and let the smoke out with a puff. Duke was still looking at her face, the perfect make up, the mascara under her left eye. One eye was baby blue and the other eye socket was disproportionate; wrinkly dark brown skin and pale pink flesh embedding a green eye. But the unburnt portion of her face was immaculate, perfectly done over with make up. Duke shook himself as he tried to concentrate; maybe there was a way out of this. 

"There was a fabulous job done earlier but that twit of a client tried to pull me panties over me head."

Duke stifled a giggle. He somehow found the phrase being used by this enigmatic lady very humorous. 

"Oh and favi, don't worry about the client, he's reached the top floor now," she flicked her cigarette roof-wards, as Duke understood the meaning of her words. 

"But the money is still not here."

Zelderman uncrossed her legs as she leaned forward on the chair.

"So here's the deal favi, if you can finish this job by the time I order dessert, I'll tell you where that scoundrel Scott is."

She paused as the cigarette made its way to her lips again. 

"But if you don't do a fabulous job honey, you can be sure I'll have your fagotty balls for dessert," she paused before adding, "With cranberry sauce of course."

Duke gulped again. What had he gotten himself into?

"Oh, and you can't refuse now favi, cause if you do, I'll have dessert before my meal!"

Duke stood there listening to the proposition. Was there a choice?

He finally spoke, "So what's the job exactly?" 

Zelderman motioned over to the room and for the first time Duke noticed there was someone in the room other than Zelderman, himself and the two man mountains. A thin bespectacled man brought over a laptop.

"Do a fabulous job favi, and do it quick, cause I'm about to order my main course. And get this right favi, cause there's a score I have to settle with that bastard Scott myself!"

~~~

10:03 PM and the phone was ringing in his apartment. Duke picked it up, barely making it to the phone before it rung out; he had just entered his apartment

"So how was the meeting sweetie?" 

It was Damien.

Duke bellowed from his end, "Fabulous favi, it went along fabulously!" 

"You got Scott, err, Christian's location?"

"Yup favi, I've caught hold of that scheming rascal!"

"So where is he? And why are you talking like that?"

Duke burst out laughing from the other end, much to Damien's consternation. 

"So you gonna speak or what...?"

"She was quite the girl," Duke spoke in between fits of laughter, "Our Zelderman, you should have met her Damien."

"Yeah yeah, I can imagine, so where is Christian?"

Duke stopped laughing. The past few hours had seen way too many ups and downs. From almost having his balls served as dessert with cranberry sauce, to half beautiful lethal women to forged account transfers, And Duke's adrenaline had pumped non-stop, giving him the high he always unknowingly sought. 

"He's in Mali."

"Mali? As in on the coast? Jeez, that's more than five hundred miles on the West side!"

"Yup and he's only there till tomorrow night. And this will be my last chance to catch him!"

"And you're going hon? I mean that's far! How you gonna get there?"

"I don't know." Duke whispered, all traces of mirth suddenly vanishing from his voice.

"And what are you going to say to him when you do meet him?"

"I don't know," Duke replied, uncertainty filled in his voice as he repeated, "I don't know."

~~~



Fatal Attraction Ch. 04



The endless scenery zoomed by as Duke sped off into the horizon. He checked his watch, it was 9 AM and the sun was rising higher with each passing minute. He reckoned that at the speed he was going, he would surely make it to Mali before noon.

He had awoken at 6 AM. As soon as the sun's first rays streamed through his windows. And he had been riding ever since he left fifteen minutes later. Armed with his laptop, his gun and no pair of extra clothes, he had begun his journey towards the coastal city of Mali; a hostile road by anyone's standards; the road to Mali went through the everglades with their teeming crocodiles before it entered the worst type of terrain, the harsh salt desert. Winds swept in tiny grains of sand that danced about on the roads in wispy mini tornadoes. Population density was down to a minimum, with a few scattered townships at great distances.

As the wind streamlined across his helmet, Duke thought back to the conversation he and Damien had the previous night 

"So what you gonna do hon? Buy air tickets? You only have till tomorrow."

"No, I can't afford air tickets. And I don't think I'll make it in time anyway. I think I'm gonna go there by bike."

"What?" Damien cried from the other side. "How the hell you gonna get there by bike? You'll probably get eaten by crocodiles on the way or something, or worse, you'll turn to crispy toast in the middle of the desert!"

"Yeah, but it's the only option."

Damien opened his mouth to say something but then shut up. He knew it was pointless arguing against Duke in such situations.

"So what you gonna say to him if you do catch up?"

Duke could hardly give a reply that time. And that was exactly what he was thinking about, riding along on his bike through the salty desert air. The temperature was beginning to rise and his dark attire and bike were going to make him bear the brunt of it. But those were the least of concerns in his mind. Nothing would stop him from meeting Christian, he was now sure of that, but then what exactly would he do once he did meet him? Damien's words came floating back to his mind again.

"I mean, don't hit him or anything when you see him sweetie, cause we both know what he's capable of doing when he's in a fight."

"Don't know, we'll see."

"And where does that girl fit into all this? The red-haired one I met at the bar."

"Don't know." Duke replied again as Damien sighed at his redundancy. 

And then Damien had launched into a vivid description of what had happened to the people who Christian had intercepted that fated night, telling him every detail of Randy and his unfortunate mates, how a couple of them were still hospitalized and how one of them would probably never be able to reproduce, even if he wanted to.

And Duke had barely listened. He was deep in thought of what he would do. But there was one thing he did know; there was no way he was going to sit back and try and forget the whole incident. 

~~~

"So that's where we split up right."

"Yes, after we get in the ship and enter E-deck, you're gonna make your way to the control room and I'm gonna continue towards Mr. Checkov's private collection."

The plot seemed perfect to Christian. This would probably be one of the easier tasks they had been on. That did not mean he would be on a lower caution level. But everything had been perfected to the last routine, and things didn't look like they could go wrong now. Christian smiled to himself as he recalled how things had gone wrong on their last job; that moron had entered in the password wrong!

Christian shook his head to clear his thoughts. He needed a break from their jobs, and he was going to get it after this task. There was a lot of thinking he had to do; a lot of thoughts had to be expunged from his mind.

~~~

It was 11 AM when Duke pulled up at a kerb on the outskirts of Mali and tugged of the helmet on his head. It had been boiling hot inside but he had made it before he had to face the worst part of the afternoon sun. A young boy who looked to be about 14 eyed Duke as he unzipped his jacket and strode of the bike.

"Hey, is that a BMW?"

Duke smiled as he patted his bike, "Yup."

"Cool, can I take a ride?"

Duke stared at the kid shaking his head in wonder.

Duke thought about how he'd made it to the town and Christian was somewhere there too. But the only information Duke had, pertained to where Christian would be sometime that night. He had no clue as to where he was at that very moment. He decided to acquaint himself with the scenario that he would be facing that night. After all, he had to be fully prepared, or he would miss his only chance.

Ten minutes later, Duke made his way into a coffee shop and was glad to find his much preferred lemon iced-tea on the menu. That would give him something to sip at whilst he got down to business.

He flipped open his laptop and immediately started searching for wireless internet connections. The screen showed up quite a few and Duke was surprised that they were all encrypted. He sighed as he realized that more and more Internet Service Providers were taking notice of illegal usage of their bandwidths and had begun to encrypt their usages. 

That would hardly deter Duke though. A few minutes of code filtering, and he was through.

Through and blissfully breaking through and scanning the security reports of the private docks and on board a luxury yacht called the Nebressa.

~~~

It was evening time and Damien was just getting off from work as his phone buzzed. It was his neighbor, Mrs. Writer, asking him not to pick up Valary from the play group for she was free herself. 

Damien sighed as he realized that he had all the free time to do whatever else he desired that evening. He wondered what his sod of a friend was doing, and had he in fact reached Mali? He called Duke a bastard in his mind when he thought about how he never even took the pains to inform him that he had reached Mali safely, but he knew Duke was never one for formalities.

Damien's cellphone buzzed with the arrival of a message. It was from a number he failed to recognize.

'Mark; 32, 5'8", brown hair, blue eyes. Care to meet up? (PS – got your number from a friend.'

Damien bit his lip as he read the message once again. 'What the hell', he said to himself, 'I'm free anyway', and dialed the number.

20 minutes later Damien walked into a bar and flipped open his phone and accessed the pictures folder. The mysterious Mark had forwarded over an image of himself and Damien had found it adorable. The almost baby like charm the guy possessed had Damien smitten in a second and high-fiving the air for his stroke of good luck. Now he had to meet the real thing and see if Mark was indeed the dreamboat he claimed he was.

He saw him near the counter, in a red polo-shirt and immediately his body reacted in more ways than one. Mark smiled as he made his way towards Damien and extended his hand showing his perfectly straight white teeth.

"Hey, I'm Mark. Pleased to meet you."

5 Minutes later, they were at Mark's apartment, Damien getting drilled for all he was worth. He was moaning and cursing at the top of his voice as the beautiful man ploughed him. Between gasps and moans Damien looked up to the angelic face that was giving him the ride of his life. He had really scored today, a guy who looked like a 16 year old and took charge like a man. And boy, was he hitting all the right spots.

Mark grabbed Damien's dick as he pumped in and out of him, stroking long and hard as they kissed ferociously, and soon Damien tripped over the edge, his release coming way too soon, hoping, somewhere at the back of his orgasming mind, that there would be a round two.

A minute later Mark collapsed breathing heavily, onto Damien's frame, seeding the condom clad dick which lay buried deep within his companion. The two bodies were covered in a sheen of sweat from the frantic coupling. Damien stroked the brown hair as he mentally thanked the mystery middle person who had forwarded Mark his number.

"Don't take this the wrong way," Damien stated staring at the beautiful face, "But I think I've seen you somewhere before."

Mark smiled and Damien melted at the sight of the prettiest of faces. "Yeah, you might have seen me on porno."

And then it hit Damien; Mark Lester! He was a porn model! And he had in fact seen him in the most intimate of scenes in his collection.

"You might have seen my buddy too." Mark gestured as Damien immediately threw him off when he noticed the presence of a third person in the room. He frantically tried to hide his nakedness as he glanced up to see who it was.

"Hey fruitcake! Simmer down! It's just me." 

Damien's face turned pale as he looked at the all too unforgettable face. Only it had a scar across it now, a wicked cut on the right side that started above the lips and ended just below his eye. It was Randy.

Damien immediately realized that something was very wrong.

~~~



There was no moon that night, which made for a favorable scenario for Christian and Vanessa. He motioned her with his fingers to follow as they stole into the night, towards the docked Nebressa.

They had stolen in easily, getting into the dock area required cutting through an electrocuted fence and handling a camera surveillance system. And it had been easy, a bit too easy, Christian felt. And now they were in. They looked at the ship parked at the harbor, a few soft lights glowing at the sides, but other than that, the night seemed dead.

Christian gestured Vanessa once more as they dashed in the direction of the ship and with soft splashes dived into the water. They would enter the ship from the leeward side.

Minutes later, the two were hurriedly stuffing their wet suits into duffel bags as Christian signaled his partner towards the E-deck.

They glanced at each other before nodding affirmatively; this would be where they part. From now on, Christian's job would comprise hardware; acrobatics and physically securing the painting whereas Vanessa would handle the surveillance system and the security vault break through; the software side of things.

~~~



Damien yawned. He had been frightened before but now he was bored to death. The sudden appearance of Randy Rodriguez into the picture had left him shocked, but now he had no clue what was going on. The steamy sex and post orgasmic bliss he was enjoying with Mark had obviously been rudely interrupted and much to his surprise, they had then dragged him into a room and locked him inside.

Damien was surprised they hadn't even tied him up, not that he knew what they were planning to do. And he had spent the last 6 hours locked up in a room which even had a TV inside. He was hardly in a mood to watch though. They had taken his phone and there was no way to get in touch with someone outside, but other than that, they had not done anything to him. 'Maybe they plan to bore me to death', he thought to himself.

Suddenly he heard footsteps outside as the latch slid open and Randy Rodriguez came in grinning. He was followed by two other men.

"So tooth-fairy? How you been?"

"Hungry." Damien replied, a little disappointed that Mark wasn't with them. The wicked guy had gotten him into this situation, but he still found him cute.

"We'll have to take care of the hunger shan't we? Let's go grab a bite to eat."

Randy held up a black scarf as Damien realized that they intended to blindfold him. He sighed as he put up no resistance. 

"So where are we going?" Damien questioned his group as they led him out of the building and into a waiting car. 

"We're going to meet an old friend of mine." Randy replied before he forcefully shoved the blind Damien inside.

Minutes later, Damien found his questions not being answered as Randy asked him to 'shut the fuck up for he would find out things eventually'.

Damien had almost dozed off by the time the car screeched to a halt, and pairs of hands roughly made him exit the car. He groggily walked along with the men as they led him up a flight of stairs and felt the temperature drop as the air-conditioning of a building surrounded him in it's cool blanket. He had many questions in his mind. Why would Randy Rodriguez be after him? What did they want with him anyway? And why the hell had they got such a cute guy to try to entice him into the whole thing in the first place?

Damien was abruptly pulled back as their group stopped and knocked at a door. Seconds later he was ushered into a room and his blindfold taken off. He waited for his eyes to adjust to the light as someone's voice sailed through the room..

"So favi, you're our fairy friend Damien aren't you? Make yourself comfortable, you're my guest now."

Damien looked to where the voice was coming from. His breath got caught in his throat as he looked at a woman with a half burnt face smiling at him.

~~~



"Yup, it's done," Vanessa spoke softly into the microphone. Now head over to the double doors.

Somewhere on the lower decks Christian made his way towards the grand entrance which required a computer key to be fed in for entrance. Vanessa provided him with the key she had obtained and the door slid open, making a whirring noise as it did, revealing a gate of iron bars that was to be tackled next. This would be the last obstacle to cover for Christian to reach the painting. And then he would have to manually handle the alarm system that would go of if the painting was removed incorrectly.

A few keyboard taps later, The iron bars slid up and Christian was in. 

Vanessa let out a sigh of relief. The operation had been easy, bit too easy; and that somehow made her feel it was going dreadfully wrong. As if they had been expected and things had been laid out for them. She had easily overwritten the surveillance system and the firewalls to the security system had taken hardly any effort to bypass. She couldn't help shake the feeling that something was amiss. Maybe they had gotten a bit too good at their job. 

Inside the grand room that housed Mr Checkov's private collection, Christian was surrounded by a conglomeration of curios, artifacts and paintings. He boldly made his way towards the painting they were seeking, and drew out the cylindrical holder that would be used to hold it. 

He drew out a knife from below his thigh and advanced towards the painting. 

'A rather crude alarm system for such a collection', he thought to himself as reached out to insert the knife into the socket that tripped he alarm system and gently tugged at the frame of the painting.

He let out the breath of anxious aur as he placed the masterpiece on the ground and withdrew a second knife from his body suit. Now all he had to do was slice the canvas from the frame, roll it up and three hundred thousand dollars would be theirs.

He knelt down to start at the job and the blade of his knife had barely touched the canvas fabric when Vanessa's voice cackled into his ears.

"Christian, you have to get out immediately, there's..."

He failed to hear the rest as the earphones hissed static into his ears and the connection went dead. 

Christian stood up in a flash. 

"Vanessa?" he spoke worriedly into the microphone. "Can you hear me? What's going...?"

The rest was cut off as Christian heard a whirring sound and was shocked to see the grand entry door sliding shut. He made a mad dash for the door and dived forward to try and make it in the last second through the narrow opening left as the door steadily closed in.

He failed.

His head rammed against the door as he felt the solidity of it and collapsed on the floor. He groggily stood up as he pushed against the monolithic gate. It was no use. And he was sure it would not budge even if a force ten times greater than his was applied.

Suddenly Christian hear another whirring noise as the iron bar gate collapsed and fell behind him.

Christian watched in horror. He was trapped between the double gates. This could not be happening.

"Vanessa? Vanessa? Whats going on? Are you there?" he stated in a frenzied tone into the headset but received no reply. 

Christian looked around at the small two foot wide enclosure he was trapped in. And he had no way out. Was this the end for him? Where was Vanessa? What had gone wrong in their plan?

He kicked against the door screaming and shouting but nothing moved. It was no use. He was powerless. He had been caught.

In his helpless state he fell back against the iron bars and slumped down to the ground, a million thoughts running through his head. 

'There go the plans for my vacation now.' He thought as suddenly he chuckled in the cramped confinement. He sighed as the tension left his body, realizing it was no use; he was doomed.

A clicking noise from the first door jerked him up with a start. Had the authorities gotten here so soon?

His mouth fell open when he saw who it was. Standing ahead of him in black leather pants and a biker jacket was Duke, with a smug expression on his face.

"Yo! How you been?"

~~~

--------------------------------------------------

Ok, that's it for this episode (yeah I know it's a small one), but I'm going out for the next five days so the next one's gonna be a little late. And that one's gonna have all the action, so be on the lookout for it!

And thanks to all those who mailed me! 



Fatal Attraction Ch. 04



This was the first time I had had a chance to look around his flat. In the past I would arrive at night and we would stumble blindly to the bedroom in the dark, me leaving to head home once the clock beat us and we had to say good night. The thought shocked me a little because it made me realise just how much of a mystery this man still was to me, yet at the same time I felt I knew every intimate detail of his life. 

The apartment was spacious, much too spacious for a single person. And the feeling of emptiness was only exacerbated by the sparse scattering of expensive furniture. The house had the feel of a place not really lived in. If it was not for his jacket and some other clothes hanging on the back of a chair you could have mistaken it for one of those fancy show houses developers furnish to entice buyers to part with their cash. Only the wooden, slightly traditional kitchen had any kind of a homely feel. I guessed it was probably installed by the previous owner, and by the look of it, he didn't use it much. Its little touches of homeliness drew me to it and I sat down at the breakfast table, almost on instinct.

As I looked around at the austere surroundings my mind returned to the mystery that surrounded him. He had never fully explained what he did for a living. He had mentioned something about him "heading up" a legal office of about ten people in the city but that didn't make sense – he wasn't a lawyer and he had told me he had never gone to university. Looking at the furniture around the house whatever it was he did he was paid well for doing it!

I retrieved my phone from my handbag having retrieved it from beside the front door where I dropped it as I entered the night before. It was one of those new "smart phones". Yes, back then smart phones were "new"! I filled the kettle and put it on to boil, intending to make a cup of coffee (if I could find the ingredients in this Marie Celeste of a kitchen). I sat back down at the table, waiting for the water to boil and flicked through some web pages. Maybe it was something subconsciously pushing the idea to my fingers but soon I found myself on a site explaining Tarot. The memory of that night a few weeks ago when I drew the devil suddenly came to mind and I read a small paragraph about the card.

Some phrases almost jumped off the page, "submitting to another", "allowing yourself to be controlled" focus in on the physical and forgetting the spiritual", being taken in by appearances and "foreseeing a bleak future". Panic was rising in my chest when the sound of the kettle boiling made me jump. I switched off my phone, returned it to my bag and made myself a coffee.

I sat back down at the table and took a small sip before placing the cup down. I slowly lost myself in thought – a mix of reflections on him, the night before and the information about the card spun around my head.

Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder that froze me with fear then a whispered voice I knew only too well let the tension evaporate.

"I see you are finding your way around the kitchen" he said, "I like that" he added with a quiet chuckle.

I turned around to face him, suddenly very aware of the way the wetness of my hair had transferred to my nightly making it almost translucent. I knew my breasts were clearly visible and that thought, knowing his eyes were caressing me instantly hardened my nipples. I blushed, lost for words as he blatantly let his eyes wander.

How had he sneaked up on me without a sound? Why had he been so quiet? Was he hiding something or had he wanted to catch me doing something I shouldn't, searching through a drawer or something? I pushed these silly fears from the front of my mind, put there, I guess buy thoughts about that damned card – there was a much more likely and simple explanation – he hadn't wanted to wake me. That was it. I silently scolded myself for being so silly.

He took hold of the slim shoulder strap of my nightie and stroked it with his fingers, his eyes finally settling on mine. My stomach tightened, I felt the butterflies fighting to escape one again. Then he started to kiss me, teasing me. His lips danced around my mouth, kissing its corners but avoiding the rest deliberately trying to increase my longing to feel them press onto mine. I started to squirm a little as anticipation and desire grew in me, the sensations threatening to make me a little crazy. 

"You are very responsive," I heard him say, my eyes closed. 

The tone of it was awkward and that hard edge had returned. I looked at him with a now familiar uneasiness.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Are you so quickly overcome with your emotions when you are with other men too?" his breath suddenly heavy as if he had been running. 

He ran his hand through his hair and broke our gaze, looking away to the side. The powerful emotions that were coursing through me in anticipation of his touch were suddenly redirected and I felt the tears welling in my eyes.

"Are you upset with me for being attracted to you?" I head my voice crack as I spoke.

"Why are you here? Why are you with me?" he asked, but this was not so much a question. 

His voice had hardened – this was a demand.

"I am not one of your lustful frustrated intellectuals that you tell me so attract you, or a tall dark beau that women go crazy for." 

I was at a complete loss at what to say, instead I pulled him to me seeking comfort, and answers, in a hug, my body trembling the fear returned. I hugged him urgently and my body started trembling. He seemed to calm down a little and said :

"You should go dry your hair before you catch a cold."

This time his words were softer too but they sounded like an excuse rather than a genuine concern. He was quickly regaining his composure, his body relaxing as he spoke:

"Go to bed and I'll bring u something nice to eat."

Was this a demand or a request? I pushed the thought from my mind.



Fatal Attraction Ch. 05



Hey everyone! Finally back with the fifth episode of the series!

And a big thanx once again to all those people who keep mailing me! Love all my fans! You keep me going!

And a note here, my college re opens this week so the last two episodes are going to be a bit slow in coming. Please be patient, I will finish the story as promised.

Ok, now with all that out of the way, onwards with the story!

Episode 5

The rest was cut off as Christian heard a whirring sound and was shocked to see the grand entry door sliding shut. He made a mad dash for it and dived forward to try and make it in the last second through the narrow opening left as the door steadily closed in.

He failed.

His head rammed against the door as he felt the solidity of it and collapsed on the floor. He groggily stood up as he pushed against the monolithic gate. It was no use. And he was sure it would not budge even if a force ten times greater than his was applied.

Suddenly Christian heard another whirring noise as the iron bar gate collapsed and fell behind him.

Christian watched in horror. He was trapped between the double gates. 'This can not be happening', he thought to himself.

"Vanessa? Vanessa? What's going on? Are you there?" he talked in a frenzied tone into the headset, but received no reply. 

Christian looked around at the small two foot wide enclosure he was trapped in. And he had no way out. Was this the end for him? And where was Vanessa? What had gone wrong in their plan?

He kicked against the door screaming and shouting, all to no avail. He was powerless; he had been caught.

In his helpless state he fell back against the iron bars and slumped down to the ground, a million thoughts running through his head. 

'There go the plans for my vacation now.' He thought as suddenly he chuckled in the cramped confinement. He sighed as the tension left his body, realizing there was nothing he could do; he was doomed.

A clicking noise from the first door jerked him up with a start. Had the authorities gotten here so soon?

His mouth fell open when he saw who it was. Standing ahead of him in black leather pants and a biker jacket was Duke, with a smug expression on his face.

"Yo! How you been?"

"Ba, Badgerking?" Christian finally stammered, finding his mouth suddenly dry. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Nice to meet you too." Duke stated wryly as the fallen man struggled to get up. "Now get your lame ass up and running, we have to leave."

Christian still stared at the new person on the scene. He stood up in a dazed manner.

"And close your mouth."

At that Christian snapped back to reality as his dropped jaw returned back to its normal state. There was no time to figure out how Duke was on the scene and how he got there. There was danger lurking around and they had to make an escape.

He stepped up and started sprinting after Duke who had already taken of towards the E-deck.

"Where's Vanessa?" he hissed once he sided up to Duke.

"You mean Natasha?" Duke gasped between breaths. "Don't worry about her; she's already out of here. It's us who are going to be in deep shit now."

Footsteps resounded along the ship's passageways as both the runners stopped short. Christian immediately ducked low and peered around the corner. A group of armed guards were racing along it, but much to his relief they turned left into the corridor before theirs and raced towards the museum that housed Mr. Checkov's personal collection.

"How the hell did the dock guards get here so fast?"

"The whole thing was rigged." Duke stated in a chastising manner. "You're lucky I got here on time." 

"C'mon!" Duke gestured sprinting ahead of Christian when the footsteps faded away. "We have to get outside!"

Christian raced after Duke. There were too many thoughts inside his head but he had to stay focused. There would be time for questions later. He followed as Duke led him through a maze of corridors and staircases, obviously aware of the way that led out. It took a few seconds of following him around for Christian to understand that Duke had studied the plans of the ship and knew his way around; perhaps even better than he did.

The pair paced along as silently and stealthily as they could. A general commotion on board the ship made it all too obvious that the alarm had been sounded and security personnel were swarming all around.

A minute later, jumping from a deck onto the wooden wharf; a difficult hurdle for Duke from a height of around 6-7 meters, and an easy hop for Christian, the two were on solid ground again. 

"Follow me," Duke stated with gritted teeth, the soles of his feet hurting after the fall. His lower jaw had slammed against the roof of his mouth as he had hit the ground and his teeth were clanging as well.

Christian's eyes widened as he was led to an area behind metallic crates and saw the metallic blue BMW parked in the shadows, hardly suitably concealed He opened his mouth to question Duke as they paced towards the parked bike but was cut off by a high pitched whistle from above the deck.

They had been spotted.

"Get on," Duke stated angrily as he put on his helmet.

Christian shrugged as he made towards the pillion rider's seat and straddled the crotch-rocket. 

Above on deck a tumult was being raised as armed personnel made their way towards the ship railings and peered over, some standing exactly where Duke and Christian had jumped out from, but no one jumped overboard as they had. They were rushing towards the lower decks.

The spotlight beacon was now shining down onto the dock area and scanned it for fugitives as whistles continued to blast in the air all around.

But they were soon drowned out by the sounds of a gun, as bullets ricocheted against the steel containers in the small confined area. 

'We're fucked', Christian thought to himself, 'They're opening fire without warning; this should definitely not be such a highly sensitized front!' Christian's thoughts were swamped out as Duke's bike started with a warm purring which developed into a heavy droning in a couple of seconds. 

"Here, you'll need these to stay stable." Duke stated, handing a couple of white earphones with a small digital MP3 player to his pillion rider. Christian took the offered mini speakers with confusion written all over his face. He put them next to his ear wondering what they were for, and why they were so important in such a critical situation.

He made a face and immediately pulled the earphones apart as he heard the blaring thumps and electrical distortions of the metallic music playing on them.

"Put them on!" Duke hissed as he wrenched the handle and re-adjusted the handlebar to a greater height in his forward leaning position that would enable the back rider to hold on more tightly. They skidded as the sports cruiser pulled out from the shadows and Duke shifted gears as the GT series bike roared to life.

Without thinking, Christian put the tiny devices on as Duke accelerated at a break-neck pace to the parked area in front of the Nebressa.

Duke raced alongside the parked ship as bullets paced past them, hitting the steel canisters and the wooden crates that lay alongside. A few guards quickly made their way inside jeeps to give chase.

Christian watched in horror to suddenly find two hummers packed with security personnel raced after them. Little did he know that his fear of getting caught would soon be replaced by a new fear.

His stomach did somersaults as Duke zipped right and then left as he skidded across at a maddening pace; forging new paths amidst the dockyard dumps. The hummers were now following in a parallel lane, their profiles too large to maneuver inside the narrow path Duke had steered his bike in. He held onto the metallic back flap, all the while Duke's selection of music throbbing in his ears, blocking all outside sound and somehow seeming fit for the situation.

Duke sped towards the entrance of the dockyard. He knew once they were out of the private port area and onto civilian area, their predators would no longer recklessly shower bullets upon them. And then he saw the huge metallic gate of the entrance slowly sliding in as a few men waved for the bike to stop.

Duke knew he would have to make it. 

There was no other option.

"What the..?" Christian shouted as he realized what Duke was going to attempt, but his voice was sunk in the commotion, the roaring engine, the bullets being fired towards them and the loud music blaring into his ears.

The bike zoomed alarmingly, covering the few dozen between them as the gate slid inwards, and Duke rode towards the narrow gap on growing smaller each instant.

They made it, the metallic door missing them by a hair's breadth.

Christian sat stunned behind. He had nearly been chopped in half by the massive metallic gate and the driver in front of him was to blame. He was also the one to blame for getting him out of a very sticky situation.

"What, why are we slowing?" Christian asked loudly, not able to hear his own voice as the music continued to overpower his own voice.

And then he saw the narrow path ahead; a narrow road that branched off into the expressway. The same path was blocked by a monstrous jeep with its headlights blinding them as they approached.

Behind them the metallic gate of the dock entrance was slowly reopening as the hummers revved their engines.

"Hold onto me!" Duke yelled loud enough for Christian to hear over the piercing cacophony in his ears, which had turned from meaningless thumps to screeching electrical distortions. 

Christian realized what Duke was attempting as he leaned forward and tightly clutched the driver around the waist. He hardly knew if he would survive this one.

Duke clutched the handlebars hard as the bike roared and picked up speed at an astonishing rate. And drove directly towards the parked monstrous truck ahead of them.

Christian watched the on board computer display rapidly changing speeds on the flat screen display. He closed his eyes at the last moment, the moment when Duke suddenly arched the bike towards the left and made for a wooden plank conveniently placed as an upwards incline, pointing more or less towards the general direction of the expressway.

The bike climbed the platform and zoomed off the end, soaring through the air, the occupants of the security personnel in the parked truck watching in awe as the bike peaked at an altitude of about 10 feet of the ground before resuming its parabolic trajectory back to Earth.

A heavy clunk was heard as the Motorrad para-lever and shock absorber system took in the impact and the bike skidded before Duke regained control and veered sideways, tires screeching, just avoiding the trash cans on the sides.

Christian opened his eyes to realize they were back on track and on the expressway. His heart was thumping louder than the music that boomed in his ears. 

He turned sideways to notice that the monster truck parked behind was frantically backing up as the hummer vehicles waited impatiently for it to get out of the way so they could go after the fugitives.

"It's not over yet!" Duke yelled to his companion as he zoomed off on the expressway. "Hold on tighter!"

Christian could hardly hear the instructions being doled out but he hardly needed to be informed. He clutched the leather jacket around Duke's waist as tightly as he could, holding on for dear life. The metallic bluish black rocket roared along the expressway with its two riders, its diver performing a series of tilts and turns to overtake the speeding cars.

Christian turned behind only to find the hummers back on their tracks. His head was reeling under the effect of the music, the speed and the wind blowing in his face. His jaw hurt from the impact of the fall they had taken after the bike had zoomed off into empty space. He had no clue as to whether they would ever evade their captors. He held on to Duke and inched in closer knowing he had to leave everything in his hands now.

Duke suddenly started cutting towards the right. Scott closed his eyes once again as the bike reached speeds not meant for road traffic. He hardly had the stomach to digest what Duke would try next.

With a sharp skid, Duke braked as the rear braking systems exerted themselves to turn by a complete 180 degrees at the intersection, the bike tilting at a perilous 30 degrees off the ground as Christian's knees scraped the surface. And the next instant the bike was on the road again. 

Only, they were on the wrong side. 

Christian's heart jumped into his mouth as Duke tilted left and right at dangerous angles to maneuver against the reverse traffic. They were riding amidst cars speeding at more than a hundred miles an hour, which were all heading in the opposite direction! Tilting too close for comfort towards one side and then suddenly lurching the bike in the opposite direction and tilting the other way, barely missing speeding cars by millimeters each time Car's veered left and right, blowing their horns and some skidded as their drivers cursed and tires screeched to a halt. Christian thought it would never end, and they would never get out of the expressway alive.

He felt he was going to throw up. He could barely make out the blurry shape of vehicles zooming by as Duke zig-zagged between them. And then he turned sharply after one to take them onto a by-lane.

Around a half minute later, having hardly recovered from the harrowing experience, Christian turned back once more to check up on their captors. There was no one in sight. No one was chasing them anymore.

They had escaped.

And toxicity was still thumping in Christian's ears.

Ahead of him, adrenaline and epinephrine coursed its way through Duke's veins, as he relished the spirit of adrenaline he always sought.

~~~

"But darlings, how long are you gonna keep me here? I'm getting bored you know!"

The helpless bodyguard tried to put on his best poker face, but their new guest was not an easy one to handle.

Damien banged his fists against the wooden door that kept him locked inside. The massive bodyguards parked outside grunted in disapproval but there was not much they could do, unless one of the two barged in and gagged and tied the melodramatic man. And they were under instruction from Ms. Zelderman to not mistreat their 'guest' in any manner.

"You know Carl or whatever your name is," Damien stated, his voice muffled from the other side of the door, "For a person built like a brick house, you sure don't know how to pitch!"

The guard named Carl shifted uncomfortably at the obvious reference to the encounter he'd had with Damien as his companion eyed him curiously.

"I mean, back in the bar last Wednesday, you looked all butch and massive and all and you took of your clothes and had this teeny-weenie dick," Damien continued in a sing-song manner from the other side of the door. "And then we go back to your apartment and you stuck your ass in the air and waited for me to do the honors!"

The guard outside turned beet red while his companion's face lost its frown as he coughed to stifle a chuckle.

"I mean, jeez honey, I brought you over to do the plugging, and instead I had to do all the dirty work while you laid back and enjoyed!"

Damien heard sounds of feet shuffling from the other end but nothing else happened. He sighed as he cursed Duke; 'A fine mess he and his boyfriend have gotten me into!' 

He opened his mouth again, not one to stop the never ending provocations. "So tell me, why doesn't this boss of yours, Ms Zelderman, why doesn't she have some reconstructive surgery on her face or something? She scares the shit out of me!"

Damien backed away a little from the door when he heard the latches click from the other side. Maybe he had nettled them enough to finally open the door.

The door swung open as Randy's smiling face appeared.

"Doing Okay hon?"

"Fabulous!" Damien retorted and then ran his fingers over his own cheeks as he stated, "By the way, forgot to mention it before; nice scar!"

Randy's face lost a bit of its color as he scowled. "Yeah, you want one?" Randy immediately pulled out a pocket knife and flicked it open in front of Damien's face. It was the same knife he had failed to threaten Christian with earlier, the same knife that Christian had used to slice his own face.

Damien however was unfazed. "What? That Christian dude messes up Zelderman's sex-toy and he comes running to her for revenge? Can't handle one guy on your own can you honey? Brawling like a baby in front of your mama and now keeping ME hostage to try and lure Duke's boyfriend?"

"Shut the fuck up!" Randy spat out at Damien's face. "Or I'll show you how I handle things."

Damien stepped back as he let out his breath. He was enjoying every moment of the ridiculing the porn star, and it was hardly difficult to mess up his mind.

"So what you doing hanging around here anyways? Bareback videos threw you out because of the new pattern on your face?"

Randy's face turned livid as he stepped forward. For a moment he looked like he was going to reach out and grab Damien's collar. Then he spat on the ground and left in a huff, slamming the door as he left.

Damien stepped to the shut door and yelled at the top of his voice, "You know honey, some guys find scars hot! I'm sure you can find some blokes to get off on them!"

Damien heard footsteps stomping along the corridor before the finally faded.



~~~



Christian coughed and pulled back as he realized he still had his arms around Duke's waist. They had lost their chasing party quite some time back and he was just recovering from the giddiness that had nauseated his mind, owing to the traumatic daredevil stunts that Duke had performed on the BMW, with him on the backseat. The spinning feeling in his head was yet to fade away and he still had the urge to get Duke to stop the bike, lean over a railing and puke his guts out.

And Duke's selection of music still reverberated in his ears. The whole experience had shaken him to the core, which was a funny thing in itself for Christian always thought himself to be unshakeable. 

"You know, we're going the wrong way," he stated leaning towards Duke.

"Yeah," Duke mumbled sliding the visor of his helmet up. "I was waiting for you to come out of shock to give me directions."

Christian scowled at that before he chose to ignore the comment as he asked Duke to turn off at the intersection and provided him with the directions to where he and Vanessa had been staying in Mali.

Twenty minutes later, guided by Christian, Duke drove to the outskirts of Mali, leading them away from the shore and towards the hilly areas that barricaded the southern entrance to the port town. Traffic decreased to a few stray cars as the roadways turned from broad 8 lane expressways to 2 lane cement paths. The two did not speak, except for Christian giving the odd direction here and there. 

With the powerful headlights beaming, they sailed across the darkness of the night, the moonlight casting a pale glow on the forested areas along the slopes as no sound was heard, other than the 152 bhp engine purring as they ascended the acclivity of the hills. 

The verdant southern foothills of Mali impelled their tranquility to try and calm the animosity between the two.

"There it is!" Christian suddenly burst out as Duke looked up ahead to make out the shape of a wooden cabin that lay embedded in a canopy of trees, highlighted by the waning moon. The cabin was raised on wooden stilts and Duke wondered briefly if the area ever flooded for the cabin to be raised so high.

A couple of minutes later they reached a stony tract that led to the cabin; bumping across which Duke killed the engine as they reached their destination.




Fatal Attraction Ch. 05



Vanessa was waiting on the front porch, her red hair glowing eerily in the dark, her arms folder below her breasts, her face impassive. She stood up as soon as she heard the engine droning in the distance.

She waited for the two riders to dismount as Christian finally caught a glimpse of her and shrugged gesturing towards Duke as he smiled. 

Duke pulled off the helmet from his head, his back to the man he had just helped escape; standing motionless for a few seconds as if contemplating what to do next.

Christian suddenly burst out cheekily, "Jesus BadgerKing, that was one hell of a ride!"

Quick as lightning, Duke spun around and slapped him hard across the face. Vanessa's jaw dropped. Christian recoiled as the right side of his face stung and he immediately lifted his hand to his cheek.

"Why did you come back?"

One question; one question asked by the hapless hacker; one question that took Christian a few moments to absorb and understand. 

Christian bit his lower lip hard as he looked at the pained expression on his assailant's face, as those seeking eyes that glowed pleadingly in the dark ripped a scar across his heart.

"Why did you come back?" Duke asked once again, softly this time, his voice trembling as his body shivered, "Why did you come back that night to the bar to save me?"

The emotions that washed through Christian rendered him speechless. He lowered his head to stare at the ground, unable to look into Duke's eyes. Duke's eyes that did not despise him for cheating him, eyes that showed no hatred for leaving him in the lurch, eyes that did not question him for confusing him and then leaving him all alone, but eyes that pleaded to know why he had returned after stabbing him in the back.

And Christian had no answer.

The blood rushed to his cheeks as they turned an angry red, and then to a deep scarlet, barely visible in the soft moonlight, but he could hardly feel the pain on his cheek in comparison to the ache he felt in his heart.

And in those moments Christian's life ran in front of his eyes as snippets and flashes; an incomplete childhood, the feeling of being a champion and then that being snatched away, the feeling of helplessness and of going astray; and they all led right to this single moment, as the hurt man in front of him pleaded silently with his eyes; a young man who shook his very foundations. And in those flashes Christian's determination grew strong as he resolved to treat this young man differently; a reaction that arose from the deepest recesses of his heart.

He lifted his face and tried to smile. "Is this going to be like last time? I mean I remember what happened after you hit me the last time."

Christian faked a chuckle as he inched slowly towards Duke and extended his hand towards the tense shoulder. Duke resisted, still shaking and then finally let loose, his shoulders slumping as he did. Christian took that as a sign and stepped forward as he embraced the hurting man; the young man who had caused him many sleepless nights.

Vanessa watched silently as the two embraced in the soft moonlight, Duke's leather jacket gleaming as his head lay buried in Christian's left shoulder. The taller man stroked his hair softly, muttering how sorry he was into the shorter man's ears.



~~~



"Ok, so what exactly happened back there on the Nebressa?" Christian questioned as he settled onto a sofa opposite Duke as Vanessa pulled up a chair. The three sat around the unlit fireplace as dawn broke and a faint pink glow in the atmosphere signaled them of the rising sun.

"Well, everything was going along perfectly," Vanessa started, "A little too perfectly and we separated on E-deck and I easily managed to penetrate their security systems and we looked like we were going to be just fine. There were no security guards around or anything"

"Uh-huh," Christian nodded as she continued.

"Till I spotted him," Vanessa gestured towards Duke, "on the surveillance systems and my blood froze. My eyes nearly popped out of my head then he entered the control room and it was all just a big haze. He did convince me to get out though, ensuring that he would get you out. He told me how to exit the ship without getting caught."

"Ok." Christian nodded as both turned towards Duke to hear his side of the story.

Duke swallowed before he began. "I found out your whereabouts from Zelderman and knew the job you were trying to pull off."

A dozen warning chimes went off in both Christian's and Vanessa's head, but they let him continue for the time being.

"So I came over to Mali and hacked into the private dock area servers; only to find that something was really really wrong. Everything had been set up. The entire dock area was rigged. You both had been set up. I mean all the security patterns had been changed and everyone's schedules were on high alert after midnight. Their patrol patterns had conspicuously been changed to clash with the Nebressa; but what really set the alarm bells off, was me finding that the firewalls around the servers had been recently de-activated; even the surveillance equipment was rigged."

The two nodded as they thought over how the job had seemed surprisingly easy till the pivotal moment. They should have guessed earlier.

"So then I overwrote the security schedules, re-deployed their security systems and around mid night set up a false alarm to go off in the vicinity and that's why the attention was shifted and the guards were delayed; otherwise you would both be cooked geese by now."

The two absorbed the news, unable to argue. Duke was right. A trap had been laid out and they had walked into it blindfolded. If it would not have been for Duke, they would have been behind bars by now.

Duke sneered as he put on Christian's deep tone of speaking, "Apparently, we'd not perfected every routine."

Vanessa smiled as Christian chose to ignore the last comment, so Duke continued

"And you don't need to worry about the cameras and tapes and all, I took care of all that long before."

"So what's going to happen with the Stevenson deal?" Vanessa suddenly turned towards Christian and asked who shook his head sadly to imply he had no idea.

"Who's Stevenson now?" Duke questioned, a little irritated that his limelight was suddenly snatched away from him. The two had hardly thanked him for all his efforts.

"He's the big-guy who set up the job. That painting we were trying to steal was to be delivered to him today."

"So you two gonna be in shit for that now?"

"Neck-deep shit." Vanessa stated. 

"We'll be happy to live after he finishes with us."

"And Zelderman?" Duke asked.

"She had very little to do with this deal, mainly she presides over the dealings in the pirate terrain area."

Duke nodded, not really wanting to know what that meant.

"Though you said you managed to get to us through her," Christian interjected. "How did you do that?"

"Oh, it's due to my uncanny abilities of persuasion." Duke stated matter-of-factly, waving a hand dismissively in the air.

Christian suddenly put on a suggestive tone, "So you wanna show me some of those mysterious persuasive powers in private?" 

Duke raised his eye-brows at the abrupt change in mood, but he wasn't one to back down. "Sure, where do you wanna see them?"

"In the shower nutcase! You stink!" Christian bellowed as Duke's face fell. "I mean, jeez, I was practically clinging on to you the entire time on the bike and boy, could I smell your sweat and god knows what else even through that leather jacket. You simply reek of perspiration man!"

"Well, I didn't find a place to shower yesterday," Duke admitted sheepishly. "And it was hot riding under the sun in all these clothes, maybe I do smell a bit funny."

"A bit?" Christian snorted. "We could use you as a skunk-cover if we got caught back then. I'm sure no security would have approached us if they took one whiff of the air around you!"

"So are you coming?" Duke stated suddenly rising from the sofa.

"Where?" 

"To the shower; to behold my powers of persuasion!"

Christian's face broke into an evil grin as he rose to his feet. "Only if I get to shampoo you!"

"Ooh, my personal slave!" Duke shot back as they both burst out laughing, Duke realizing that in all the time he had spent with Christian, this was the first light moment that they had shared. They made their way towards the bunk rooms, Vanessa a little irritated at all the overflowing testosterone around.

Duke was in the tub a few minutes later, the clear water cascading around his body as he sat towards the edge. He had been a little hesitant when he entered the bathroom along with Christian; but after Christian used the conventional 'What you ashamed of? There's nothing I've not seen before' line, Duke stripped down to his birthday suit and stepped into the water.

He sat with legs folder in the middle of the bathtub, his back towards Christian as the taller man changed from his black tight suit and pulled up his sleeves as he knelt down at the edge of the bathtub.

"You're not going to join me?" Duke asked, hoping he would.

"Nah!" Christian stated chidingly. "We're gonna get you all cleaned out first."

Duke relaxed in the midst of the warm water which began its therapeutic effect almost instantly as Christian poured a mug of water over his head and started soaping his back. Duke let out a long breath as his overwrought muscles relaxed.

"So you always this dirty?"

Duke replied not missing a beat, "More so since you left me, Chris."

Christian's eye-brows immediately shot up in surprise. "So you do know my name then."

"Yes, Mr. Christian Steele. You were born on December 16th, 1983. Raised by a single mother, an accomplished gymnast and a brilliant academician and considered a complete genius till you tested positive for tetrahydrogestrinone in 1999 and were banned from all sport activities. Your mom died shortly after and you disappeared only to re-appear much later as Scott; one who seduces broke hackers and steals for a living."

Christian fell silent as the vanilla description of his life unfolded from Duke's mouth. Duke felt the hands soaping his back fall slack and immediately felt guilty for being insensitive. Clearly, Christian's past was not a merry topic for discussion.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..."

"No, its fine." Christian cut him off. "And completely true; so can't say anything about that."

The air around them fell silent again as Christian resumed soaping Duke's arms, upper back and neck, Duke sighing in response. Finally the clothed man broke the silence.

"Back when I was sixteen, I really did feel like I could own the world. Mom's health was improving, our financial condition was turning stable, I loved the mat and the bars, and I was good at them, and I had met what I thought was the love of my life, his name was Martin, though everyone called him Marty."

Duke listened silently as Christian spoke with no feeling in his voice.

"Then came the final annual athletic meet, the one before high school ended, and the world was waiting to see me perform. My fiercest competitors knew of my prowess in the acrobatic field and I was touted to slice through all the competition from the other colleges, but it seemed some were too envious of my abilities." 

Christian leaned forward as he glided the soap along the front and back of Duke's arms, massaging them ever so slightly.

"To cut a long story short, I failed the doping test just before my stint at the athletic meet, the board charged me with the use of anabolic steroids and I was to never participate professionally. When an athlete's career is killed like that, it almost ends his life. And the entire deal was due to a case of jealousy. My arch rival, a Dominic Paige, got me drunk in the name of camaraderie a couple of days before the big event and injected me with the drug, or so I have surmised"

Duke swallowed as he heard the aloof voice carrying on with the story.

"But it didn't end there. Marty turned against me, told the rest of the guys that I'd forced myself onto him. I got gay bashed badly once and was hospitalized. Mom slipped down a flight of stairs and joined me in the hospital too, I couldn't give my high school exams and couldn't clear the rest of the semester. Mom died shortly after due to a heart attack."

Duke gulped silently. His life hadn't been pretty either, but it was nothing like the one he was hearing of.

"I literally came onto the streets and hustled for a few weeks until I got into some bad shit. Stevenson pulled me out of all that, he knew of my talents. He caught hold of me and send me off to train in martial arts and combat. That's where I met Vanessa and we've been together for more than five years now."

The area was plunged into silence once again, save the minimal sound of water swishing against the tub edges as Christian guided the soap bar towards the front of Duke's neck. Finally Christian spoke again.

"So anyway, where did you learn to drive your bike like that? The air-force?"

"Nah." Duke stated softly, acknowledging the fact that Christian wanted to lighten the mood.

"You saved me back there with your crazy driving; I guess that makes us even."

"Even?" Duke questioned, his head turning sideways.

"Yeah, I saved you once and you returned the favor."

Duke did not reply, feeling empty that this was the conclusion, that the man he had been mad on in every possible way, wanted to reach. 

Christian leaned in closer as he started soaping the front of Duke's torso, rubbing along the chest contours and his abs as his stubble brushed along the back of the latter's neck.

"So where do we go from here?"

Duke kept silent. Christian closed in as he whispered in Duke's ears, tickling him with his stubble.

"I mean, here we are, you an unemployed programmer and me an unsuccessful professional thief who's in a fine mess by now, so where do we go from here? You want to run away and get married and have six or seven kids?"

"I don't know." Duke stated as he turned around slowly, the water swishing as he did and looked into Scott's brown eyes. He sighed at the beautiful face in front of him, the one that had caused him so much anguish. And he lifted his hand as he stroked his cheek before he closed in and their lips met.

They kissed gently, gliding their tongues against each others, relishing each moment as the first rays of the sun streamed in through the small wooden windows. Christian clasped the back of Duke's head, sliding his fingers up and down the velvety curls as he closed his eyes and savored the taste of his lover. Finally they drew apart, but only for a moment to catch their breaths, and their lips returned with the same tenderness; no hurry as their passions peaked ever so slowly.

"So you wanna take this into the bedroom?" Christian gasped as Duke bit his lower lip and gently tugged at it.

"You still owe me a shampoo," Duke muttered between mouthfuls.

Christian giggled as he stretched an arm beneath the water, under Duke's legs, and the other arm below his upper back as he stood up slowly, lifting up Duke's naked and highly aroused from the water that ran between them, dripping onto the floor, never breaking the kiss once.

He walked them into the adjoining room Duke giggling into the kisses as they collapsed together on the bed.



~~~



A polished black van made its way upslope as it ascended the hilly terrain. Dawn had broken in some time back and now the birds were cooing and chirping as the sun shone a brilliant red along the horizon, rising ever so steadily. The engine of the van droned against the emptiness of the scenic beauty that the southern foothills were. 

There were 5 men in the van in total, all dressed in an identical manner. With black woolen suits and their pristine shirts, they screamed money, or at least class. Two of them had shades on which were of course black as well. And all of them had pinstriped black and white ties on.

As they made their journey upslope, a wooden cabin on stilts, a lone sign of civilization came into view as the driver, one of the black suited men grimaced; they had almost reached their destination.



~~~



Vanessa sat in front of the empty fireplace. Her face bore an expression of irritation mixed with a tinge of helplessness, and a little bit of anger as well.          

She stood up from the sofa and looked around, wondering what she should do. She had a good mind to interrupt the boys' session, and maybe even mess it up real good. She thought for a moment what it would be like intrude the room where the two were obviously having a good time. At last she shook her head deciding against it and slumped back into the sofa again.

She was angrier now. Christian having a fling once back in the town of Salvia was ok, but this was developing into something serious. 

And she did not approve of it at all. 

It was in the middle of her thinking stupor that she heard the sounds. The sound of a car door sliding shut, a noise accentuated in the midst of the idyllic sounds that surrounded the atmosphere in the hills, and she rushed outside to see what it was.

Her blood froze when she peered out of the window. A black van was parked below on the stone pavement and five men made their way out of it as they scurried towards the long winding staircase that led up to the cabin.



~~~





Duke couldn't keep himself from giggling as the grainy stubble tickled his pubes. Naked as a buck, he lay back on the bed highly aroused with his legs spread apart as Christian crouched over and finally swallowed his dick, after teasing him for what seemed like an eternity; and Duke continued sniggering, flailing his head about on the bed as Christian tried to go all the way to his pubes.

Finally Christian broke contact and sided up next to his face, his body weight pinning Duke firmly underneath. "Why are you giggling?"

"Don't know." Duke replied between giggles as Christian leaned in and bit an ear lobe.

Duke squealed as gasped and finally burst out into fits of laughter. Christian pulled apart once again and stared at him with a cross look on his face.

"What?"

And a few seconds later, he joined in the infectious laughter, both men cracking up over something only shared between them as tears accumulated in the corners of their eyes, Christian tickling Duke asking him to beg for mercy, making him laugh and cry at the same time.

Suddenly Christian smashed his mouth over Duke's, kissing him ferociously as Duke's giggles were captured by his mouth, till they ceased and finally faded. Duke felt the hot tongue invading his mouth as he tugged at the shirt Christian was still wearing. Christian struggled, sliding it off breaking the kiss for all of one second as Duke ran his hands hungrily over the muscular torso, ultimately holding him by the sides as he flipped them over, their teeth clashing before Duke balanced himself with his knees on either side of the man below him. 

He sat up, staring at the body beneath him; the sinewy sun kissed skin stretched over the beautiful frame of hard muscles and sharp definitions, the perfect ups and downs and the round brown nipples, just the color of his eyes and hair, and the beautiful face, with a tiny dimple on the left cheek that Duke had never noticed before. Duke realized that the man was more beautiful than anyone he'd ever seen, resetting his scales of comparison to a new high, the heavy muscular arms leading up to prominent shoulder blades, and a face that could stop anyone dead in their tracks.

Christian was drop dead gorgeous; Duke knew that; beautiful but lethal at the same time.

He slowly stretched out both his hand towards the round nipples as Christian stared deep into his eyes and moaned as they were tweaked.




Fatal Attraction Ch. 05



The very next instant a door flung open.

"We have company; we have to get out immediately." 

It was Vanessa. She turned around and latched the door.

Christian immediately shoved Duke aside as he stood up from the bed bare-chested.

"What?! whos' here?"

"No time." Vanessa stated as she picked up Duke's leather clothes from near the bathroom floor and threw them at his face, screaming for him to put them on immediately.

Duke stared at the two open mouthed as Christian hurriedly put on a t-shirt, yelling at him to get dressed or run get ready or run naked into the woods with them. 

Finally he caught hold of the gravity of the situation when a loud crash was heard as the front door was kicked in, followed by the sounds of multiple footsteps.

"Through the back verandah." Christian stated firmly as Duke kicked about to get into his tight leather pants, sans underwear. He grabbed his jacket and made a mad dash for the side door that led to the verandah, Christian and Vanessa hissing at him to hurry.

"Me first."

Christian immediately leaned over the wooden railing that creaked under his weight and swinging down the wrong side of the verandah, threw himself off, catching onto the horizontal bits of scaffolding, the one the cabin was raised on, as he fell earthwards. He swung over once more and landed on the ground in a crouching position.

"Okay, now you go BadgerKing, Vanessa help him." Christian shouted from below, immediately standing up. Behind, Duke could hear the door to the room being kicked and thrashed against as the intruders tried to break it in.

Duke's looked down as his eyes nearly popped out of his head. They were at least 12 - 15 meters above ground. There was no way he would manage to get down there like that. And there was no way he was throwing himself of that wooden railing.

"C'mon! Hurry!" Vanessa urged shoving, nearly pushing him off the railing.

Duke looked down at Christian shouting. "I'm here BadgerKing, trust me!"

He closed his eyes swallowing hard and reopened them as the door behind gave in with a deafening bang. 

He jumped to the wrong side of the railing as Vanessa grabbed his hands, holding onto him and trying to lower him as much as possible by leaning over the railing herself. And then she let go.

Duke found himself sailing through the air and then the impact came rapidly and unexpectedly as his feet hit the ground and he collapsed in a heap.

Christian was all over him in an instant as Duke recouped from his momentary blackout.

"You all right?" Christian asked repeatedly slapping Duke. "You hit your head against the stilts on the way!"

"Trust me, I'm here BadgerKing!" Duke stated groggily, imitating what he had been told a few instants ago. "Ha!"

Christian smiled as he raised Duke upon a shoulder. "Up then!"

A loud crack broke through the air as Christian looked up in dismay. Hulky men in black suits were peering down the verandah as they drew guns out from their suit breast pockets. And Vanessa was swinging mid way between the ground and the verandah, her clothing snagged onto a wooden shaft that had snapped as she had jumped as the back side of her jacket ripped and fastened on.

And she was struggling, trying to break free.

The men on the verandah chose not to undertake the precarious jump and retreated back into the room, running as they made for the main entrance. Christian realized that they had just bought some time and he would have to do something to unhook Vanessa from the seemingly flimsy wooden block that had caught onto her.

Vanessa dangled in the air as the wooden pole swung her around in a pendulum's trajectory, kicking and screaming, trying to reach her hands to her back where the pole had clasped on. She just couldn't reach it. Then she looked down to find Christian aiming his gun towards her. 'Is he mad?' she thought to herself.

Loud bangs were heard one after the other as Christian fired the gun into the air, carefully aiming above Vanessa's head at the oppugning shaft.

He missed each time. 

It was an impossible shot. 

He cursed as he looked towards the maze of wooden shafts, horizontal and vertical that raised the cabin. He would have to climb them and free her by hand. Did they have the time?

And then a deafening crack sounded from his side as the pole snapped and Vanessa tumbled towards the ground.

Christian looked towards his companion still reclining against him; with a gun in his hand, aiming towards where Vanessa had been. He had hit the shaft in one clean shot.

"That's why I tell you not to use the Beretta." Duke stated, his voice still slurring as he pointed with his chin to the gun in Christian's hand. "You'll never get accuracy."

Vanessa stood up groaning, rubbing the arm which she had landed on. Footsteps thudding on wood made it apparent that the men who were after them were descending the stair case.



~~~



Duke could barely grasp what was going on around him. He knew he was stumbling between twigs and leaves as Christian kept yelling at him to keep a good pace, and he knew he was slowing everyone down. His legs were wobbling, and one ankle had probably twisted for the pain from it was unbearable, but the worst affected area was the back of his head, the one that had bumped the wooden scaffolding during his fall, and that hurt like a bitch.

In the midst of the rustling leaves and snapping twigs, and Christian's voice aiming to keep him steady, he reached a hand and touched the back of his head. It was a bit sticky, and his fingers came back tainted red. And it was beginning to get clear that the people after them were close by, the commotion around made it all too evident. 

Suddenly he lost his footing as he tripped over a root, crashing Christian into the ground along with him. The latter immediately scrambled to his feet and propped up Duke to an upright position against a tree, deciding running was of no use; he would have to take their captors head on.

And not a moment too soon for two men burst into sight as Christian flung his frame at them. He knew at the back of his mind that if the men intended to shoot, they would have done so long ago, but instead they chose to pursue, so they would not readily use their guns. But he also knew they were far from ordinary civilians.

Fists and Kicks flew in the air as Christian took on both formally dressed men together, kicking a gun out of one's hand and dodging and blocking blows one after the other. The resulting fracas snapped branches all around and dirt and leaves rose to cover the air, the three men entangling each other in a series of combat moves.

The dust settled to Christian's heavy breathing and coughing. One of their captors lay on the ground, his eyes shut, obviously unconscious while the other, a large hulk of a man, was trying to raise himself against a tree bark, breathing heavily, staring at Christian with a precarious look on his face as he panted hard to catch his breath, his suit and shirt soiled by the dust.

Suddenly the expression on the man's face turned into that of a slight smile as Christian realized something was wrong. Leaves rustled behind him as he whirled around, unsuccessful in his attempt to dodge the blow that landed smack against the back of his head. It was another one of the suits, with a large wooden branch in his hand. 

Christian fell to the ground moaning in pain as the two men walked over to him, one's frame standing tall above him and the other hobbling to his side. 

"That should settle him," a voice broke out into the air.

"Yeah, too bad the boss wants him alive," the other one answered. 

"Where's the other one?"

The question was left unanswered as another gun shot cracked the air. The man dropped the wooden mace as he clutched his hand in pain, blood oozing from it. A bullet had gone through his palm.

The other man looked towards the source of the gunfire. It was Duke, panting heavily, leaning with his back on a tree. 

"Why you...?" The man who hadn't been shot shouted as he charged towards Duke. 

Duke, who held up his gun once more; Duke who aimed for the man's heart; Duke who could not pull the trigger at the last moment for the realization suddenly hit him. How could he take another man's life?

And he braced himself for the blow he was about to receive as he closed his eyes. A few confused sounds later he reopened them to find himself untouched by the bulky guy. And Christian was once again up and panting heavily as the dust settled. That was the last thing Duke saw before his vision turned hazy and he fell to the dirt and leaves on the ground.

~~~



He could feel the world spinning around, even with his eyes closed. He knew he was awake now, but couldn't get his eyes to open; the eye-lids seemed too heavy. 

Finally Duke opened them slightly.

"Wakey wakey sleepyhead." It was Christian sitting on the ground, his back resting against the bark of a tree.

Duke looked around in a haze, his head hurt as he craned his neck to absorb the surroundings. They were still in the woods, his frame resting against a pillow stacked against the bark of a tree. The sun was high in the sky and filtered through the thick foliage of the trees in cylindrical beams of white and yellow light.

Christian started talking, explaining to him about how they had managed to escape, and how he'd gone back to the cabin later and fetched a first aid kit and even a pillow and how they were in 'big time' danger.

Duke absorbed the news in parts, not really being able to understand much, muttering what a day it had been, filled with high speed chases, jumps, gangsters, paintings and security guards.

"They took Vanessa."

Duke jolted up with that, a little more conscious now.

"How? What happened?"

Christian launched in another description of how they had managed to flee and Vanessa had been separated and now she was nowhere to be found, leading to the assumption that she had abducted by the men. Duke heard it in bits and pieces as he raised his hand behind to feel the source of pain, the backside of his head throbbed when he felt the cloth bandages and dressing that Christian must have used on him. 

"So you brag on and on about the gun and actually fail to use it for what it's intended to be used?"

Duke heard the mocking tone in his companion's voice and played over the words in his head, trying to understand what they meant as he realized his right foot hurt like hell too, he probably twisted his ankle in the fall.

"Uh?"

"When it came to actually shoot a person you couldn't do it could you? And you act all macho with that gun of yours."

Duke hardly felt like answering. He knew what was being said was true.

"You twisted your ankle," Christian stated, swiftly changing the topic and confirming Duke's suspicion. 

"Well we know it was Stevenson's men who were after us, he must be after my ass now, so I have to go after his."

Duke thought back to an earlier conversation, his mind straining as he did.

"Isn't that the big-man who inducted you into this whole stealing thing?"

Christian chuckled an affirmative response and proceeded to narrate to Duke of the love-hate relationship he had with Stevenson, the man who had gotten him out of the streets and the man who's claws he had escaped later only to work separately with little to do with Stevenson directly, but it was all probably coming full circle now.

"And I have news for you too buddy; Zelderman has a friend of yours, some Damien fellow."

"What?" Duke's eyes opened wide as his consciousness stepped back into reality. "What? Why? How did you...?"

"I don't know why but I thin you messed up with her earlier, she's taken your friend captive and is probably waiting for you to pop around."

Duke swallowed, suddenly gathering conviction as he tried to stand up but failed, Christian scooting over to him to support him.

"Relax buddy. Your buddy's all the way in Salvia, and I guess you're probably not going to leave him in the lurch but there's no point hurting yourself like that."

Duke collapsed onto the ground, a myriad of notions running across his mind, suddenly blaming Christian for all of it. It had all started when he came into his life, and now he had gotten Damien involved in the mess too.

Christian ensured Damien was secure against the tree before he got up again, picking up a slender twig and squatting before Duke. He drew a triangle on the ground before Duke, running the twig through the mud, two vertices of the triangle close to each other and a third far apart. Duke stared curiously at the diagram.

"This is Mali," Christian stated, pointing to the far away vertex and circling around it with a large radius. "And this is the pirate bay area; Stevenson's zone of control so to speak, all his shady dealings are done here, though he actually resides here." Christian pointed towards one of the vertices that was sticking close to the other one.

"That's Midbane, and this is Salvia, your home sweet home, where Zelderman presides, though her 'jurisdiction' is here." Christian drew a wide semicircular region around the last vertex as he pointed to it, the lines in the dirt highlighting 'her' area. "That's the pirate terrain area."

Duke snorted at the last bit. "Who named these so called areas? Jack Sparrow?"

Christian ignored him once more, Duke getting used to the fact that his jokes would never ever be picked up by the man.

"So now we both have to head back South, me towards Midbane to entertain Stevenson, and you towards Salvia to meet Zelderman, personally, I would rather meet Stevenson than Zelderman."

Duke kept quiet. The master planner was at work again.

"Of course we're gonna go together all the way, but we'll separate at the outskirts of Midbane and then we'll go our separate routes."

Christian looked up at Duke's inexpressive face.

"So you ready for what's about to come amigo?"

Duke wondered if he was.

"Oh and by the way, they blew up your Bike before they left, and I'm guessing your laptop went along with it."



Fatal Attraction Ch. 06



Hey everyone! I'm back with the second last episode of the series! Ok, Ok! I know some of you want to throw tomatoes and rotten eggs at me for taking this long and for coming up with a small episode but all I can do for now is apologize.

Anyway, let's continue with the story for now.

And yeah, keep the mails flowing! 

*

Episode 6

Pebbles and gravel crunched as Duke' knees hit the ground, his shoulders drooping low as his head bend forward, chin touching chest.

The gutted remains of mangled metal were all that was left of the BMW. The love of his life lay in a heap of charred scraps, and for the first time in his life, Duke felt he would burst out in tears.

"Totally cooked eh?" 

The obvious question was voiced from behind. And Duke felt a flash of anger towards the person who asked him that. Christian. It was because of him he was in this mess in the first place. And it was because of him that he had lost the love of his life, the one he had spent dozens of months saving for.

Duke's body kneeled slack in front of the still smoking debris, the twisted handlebar jutting out at an odd angle from the sooty heap. The sun had climbed higher in the sky and burned mercilessly upon them. Duke's head still pounded from the impact it had taken, but all he could think of was his bike, and how he could never zoom off into the horizon with it again.

Pebbles crunched as Christian made his way towards his companion and squatted beside him, putting an arm around shoulders that stiffened instantly.

"C'mon BadgerKing, we can't stay here much longer."

Duke's eyes flashed fire as he looked at Christian. He wanted to say something but his throat seemed suddenly parched. Christian returned his angered look with a look of determination and slowly Duke's body lost the tension as his gaze dropped downwards.

"Let's get those Bastards BadgerKing."

Those words reverberated across Duke's mind as he wondered if he should get involved in the quagmire any further. Would he ever get out of it all alive? And then he remembered Damien.

No, he could not leave Damien in these people's hands. He would have to do something. He could not cower and run away now.

Christian slowly raised them both to a standing position as Duke let him.

~~~

"I'm not eating that!" 

"And why not?" 

Damien folder his arms across his chest as he spoke exasperatedly. "Because it's not low fat now is it? And I'm sure the coke's not diet as well. There's no way all that sinful stuff is going down my throat."

The poor bodyguard stared helplessly at his demanding prisoner.

"I'm not going back to get more food," the six foot four inch bodybuilder muttered.

"Aha! And Miss Zelderman is going to find out you've been ill-treating your guest!"

The massive hulk of a man stared at the puny man threatening him. Finally he leaned forward to collect the 'sinful' cheeseburger and coke that lay on the table in front of Damien, muttering constantly.

"And sweetie, make sure you get a salad with no cheese or mayonnaise and a diet coke this time."

The door slammed shut as Damien's guard left the room in a huff.

In another city, another hostage was apparently not being pampered so much.

Vanessa struggled to free herself from the tight wires that bound her wrists, which had by now cut into her hands at places and blood had clotted all along her veins. She lay in a heap on the floor, her feet bound by the same wires as she strived the remove her restraints but all to no effect. Her captors had been professionals themselves after all. They were not ones whose knots would be so easy to untie. 

The wooden door of the tiny dingy room she was held in clicked open as the light blinded Vanessa for a few seconds. 

"Why Vanessa! Long time no see!"

Vanessa strained her eyes to make out the silhouette of the suited man standing in the narrow entrance, though she knew very well who it was.

"What's the meaning of this Stevenson? I know we messed your job but the damn thing was rigged. We were being expected at the docks."

"Oh, the bloody painting's hardly a concern anymore, other important merchandise has taken priority, and I believe you were accompanying that merchandise."

"So you're gonna use this mission's failure to entrap Christian? That's dirty Stevenson, but there's no way you're getting your hands on him."

The suited man walked towards the struggling bundle on the floor and squatted besides her. He gently lifted the bright red hair that covered her eyes and breathed softly into her ears.

"What in the world made you think its Christian I want?"

~~~

"You've got to be kidding!"

Duke stared at the long bus-cum-truck that stood in front of them. One that housed farm animals and was used to transport them over long distances. The same one that Christian was signaling him to get into.

"No, I'm not. This is our ride to Midbane."

Duke swallowed as he heard the neighing of a horse from inside the slightly ajar door. Was he to share space with horses all the way to Midbane.

"You boys get in or I'm leaving without ya!"

It was the driver of the lorry. A man with a goblin face and a red cap with his first two teeth missing. And he was peering out of the driver's window and back at them.

"We're getting on Al!" Christian shouted back as he pushed Duke towards the door, Duke strongly resisting.

"No way I'm getting on that thing!"

"This is all I could manage for now," Christian hissed into Duke's ears. "Besides we don't have the time to be picky now!"

"Why can't we just sit up in the front with toothless Al?"

As if on cue a boy's head popped out of the front window, the same one Al was looking curiously out of, and waved at the two men. Duke immediately realized the resemblance of the youth's resemblance to Al.

Christian flung the back door of the lorry open as Duke stared in disbelief, standing motionless on the small attached steps that one had to climb in order to get into the back of the lorry. 

The inside was partitioned into thin rectangular stalls by wooden pickets, each one housing a horse that barely fit into it. The air was saturated with the musky odor of the beasts, restrained in their wooden encasements to a tight standing position. Hay lay strewn on the floor and visible traces of grain foods and dung could be seen on the floor, remnants of the lorry's previous occupants that had not properly been scraped off. One of the horses snorted as the two men stood at the entrance.

"No way!" Duke stated firmly, planting his feet on the ground as Christian continued half pushing, half dragging him into the lorry. 

"What you afraid of? They won't bite!" Christian was getting exasperated. "And besides," he added with a grin, "I don't think they smell any worse than you!"

Duke scowled as he was forced towards the back of the cramped lorry, towards one of the wooden stalls that was unoccupied, half of it piled with haystacks. He counted 5 horses in total, fitted into five of the stalls, and the sixth stall would apparently be their residence for the ride.

He yelped as Christian shoved him towards the haystack and entered the stall himself. Duke got up hastily and then realized there was no place for them both to be standing as their heads clunked against each other. He crouched nursing his still hurting head as he brushed off the hay from his leather jacket and pants.

"So Black Beauty here is our new neighbor?" Duke motioned towards the horse whose behind was a mere inches from his face in the stall next to theirs. The horse turned his head around as if to see who was referring to him. It glanced at Duke and turned his head back straight, ignoring him.

"Yup, she is!" Christian stated as the lorry roared to life and he held onto the rickety wooden pickets for balance. The horses all shifted in discomfort and whined as the truck turned and steered before it finally reached a steady pace and the motion became stable. 

Christian collapsed next to the Duke on the hay bundles.

"Aren't you thieves supposed to be resourceful?" Duke questioned. "I mean, you're supposed to have all these contacts and all and all we get to use as transport is some borrowed ride on a truck on its way to Doctor Doolittle's farm?"

"Resourceful? At a time like this?" Christian sneered. "Definitely not, when my boss has cut me off and turned against me and I have to keep my profile as low as possible, this is the only way out."

Duke felt the edge of bitterness in Christian's voice and decided he would have to drop misgivings about the arrangements. He and Christian were both in the same situation after all, and the most he could do was to cooperate. But that hardly meant his taunting attitude towards Christian would stop.

"So a sty, is all the glamorous thief can manage eh?"

"Yes, and this is the humble means of transportation the glamorous hacker must be relegated to."

"I believe the term is ethical hacker."

It took a moment for Christian to understand the meaning of the term. And he snorted and chuckled as soon as he realized what Duke meant.

"Ethical hacker? My God! That's a new one, You're using that to describe yourself?" Christian broke out into fits of laughter. The black stallion next to them neighed as if to join Christian in his ridiculing of Duke.

"And pray tell me Mr. ethical Hacker, what was so damn ethical about the job you did with us? And were there any morals in the FBI server rip job you did? Where were your ethics then?"

"That was an exception, I really needed the money!" Duke mumbled, his face turning a bit red. And then he gathered conviction in his voice. "But I don't do any overly notorious hacking otherwise. The FBI stint was just a challenge and even there I did not cause any damage to their system."

Christian shrugged as if he wasn't listening as Duke continued. "Except a bit of humiliation to the agency that is. But other than that, I mostly do odd jobs here and there which mostly comprise of Technical Security Reviews and Penetration tests."

"Yeah right."

"Seriously, you don't think its all necessary to remind people from time to time that fortunes they spend their entire lives collecting are at a risk of being swiped away right from under their noses? Who does that job then?"

"What in the world are you blabbering about?"

Duke took a deep breath.

"What I'm talking about is that I'm sick and tired of being treated like the worst scum criminal just because my skills lie in hacking. Just because I don't want to work for some prudish agency that chains me to a desk doesn't mean that I am no good. I'm good, believe me, but I still get sidelined as notorious scum."

Christian wanted to interrupt, but he paused when he looked at the serious expression on Duke's face.

"People hear the term hacker, and immediately brand you as the vilest of all creatures. I mean, we've got talents too, and we don't all use them maliciously in every thing that we do, they're only as malicious as the next profession."

"Jesus, you sound like Shylock from Merchant of Venice."

Duke chose to ignore the comment.

"And you my friend, you yourself are a crook, a person who steals people's belongings for a living and even you look derogatorily at me. Of course, after all, this two-bit jobless hacker is just worthless scum to be made use of and then thrown away right?"

Christian bit his lower lip as he remembered how he had used some of those terms to describe Duke earlier. He lifted his hand to keep on Duke's shoulder to reassure him but the latter shrugged it off.

Duke's face was livid by now. He knew he had lost control and he hated that. He seldom let anyone get under his skin.

"Cool off man." Christian stated, raising his hand towards Duke once more. This time Duke did not stop him. Christian squeezed his arm. 

"I'm sorry I said those things, I shouldn't have."

Save the groaning noise of the engine and the cricketing of wooden pickets, no other sound was heard for a few moments. Even Black Beauty looked at the two men, staring at them and trying to assess their feelings.

"I'm sorry, there was no need to say all that." Duke stated, surprising himself by apologizing. He hardly ever said sorry. It seemed to him he was hardly being himself anymore.

"No, it's fine, you needed to get that out of your system, and I was asking for it."

"But I should not have..."

"It's fine!" Christian stated firmly, silencing Duke by placing his index finger on his lips and then moved his hand around, softly rubbing his cheeks.

Christian's voice turned soft as he purred, "Now if that's settled, Let's finish what we started back there." 

Duke closed his eyes and sighed in response, wondering if it was Christian's habit to suddenly turn sour arguments into love-making scenarios. Suddenly he lifted his hands to stop Christian's.

"Should we be doing this now?" There were uncertainties about Damien in the back of Duke's mind. 

"Yes, we should." Christian stated before he closed in and kissed Duke long and hard. Duke returned the kiss with kindred passion, their tongues dueling as Christian pulled Duke over his own frame, stumbling in the cramped place on the hay as he did. He reached out his hand and pulled down Duke's jacket zipper, slowly sliding the jacket off his arms, never once breaking the kiss. 

Duke groaned as Christian pulled part, only momentarily to slide off his t-shirt and then resumed the kiss, his hands roaming around Duke's back, feeling the muscles move as they ground themselves into one another.

Duke broke contact this time, kissing and sucking on the right side of Christian's neck, sure to leave his mark. Then he glided down to the celestial torso, with all of its ripples and sinews. Licking and kissing the contours along the chest and abdomen, biting the nipples a little, enjoying Christian's squirming and moaning as he worshipped his body.

He unzipped Christian's jeans, his dick immediately slapping against his abdomen. Duke backed of for a moment, once again lost in the beauty that Christian was. The musky scent of horse hides all around, the beautiful body, the hay and Christian's proximity in the confined stall were turning him on more than ever before.

"So you're gonna fuck me or just sit there and stare?"

Duke's face broke into a broad grin as he struggled to get off his leather pants before he went to work on Christian's jeans, being interrupted only to remove a condom packet from the back of the jeans' pocket. Duke yelped in the middle when his twisted ankle got caught in the wrong position and Christian immediately shifted to make him more comfortable.

Minutes later Duke was in bliss. Moving gently in and out of the bigger man who was forced down under his weight, the two of them rocking amidst the hay. The swaggering bus added to their movements, adding another dimension of tremors. Duke looked down at Christian's face to find a look of pure ecstasy, he swooped down, slowing his pistoning movement as he captured Christian's mouth with his own, kissing ferociously. He ended the kiss to pick up pace.

Black Beauty watched intently for a minute before it chose to leave the two to their privacy.

~~~

The nude forms of two naked men lay in the hay, Duke on top, the moving lorry rocking them gently. A sheen of sweat over their bodies spoke of all the exertions that the two had been engaged in during the past one hour. Duke lay peacefully on top his head resting just below Christian's shoulder blade. Suddenly he lifted his head to speak to the man under him.

"So how will the poor horses sleep?"

"What?" Christian asked, puzzled at the sudden outburst. 

"I mean, there's hardly any damn place in here. And the poor horses are gonna have to stand during the whole trip to Midbane. Isn't that kinda mean?"

Christian giggled slowly at that. And then his giggling turned into loud riotous laughter.

"What's so funny?"

"Are you always so cute after you've had sex?"

"What do you mean?"

"Horses can go to sleep standing you dolt! Didn't you know that?" 

"Seriously?"

"Oh My God! I can't believe you!" Christian stated in between fits of laughter.

Duke's face turned red in embarrassment "Ok, ok, I get the picture. You can stop laughing now." Much to his chagrin, Black Beauty joined in with her neighing. Duke had a good mind to pinch the horse's butt which was not that far above his face but somehow that came across as such a good idea.

"Ha ha. Very funny! You can stop now."

"It seriously is!" Christian injected in between laughs which were slowly dying down. "And to think you were worried as to how they would sleep!" He wiped the tears that were forming at the corners of his eyes.

Duke hmmphed in disapproval as he tried to ignore the man under him, which was hardly an easy task given their confined space. Christian would cease his laughing to almost a halt and then would crack up again.

Finally the laughing subsided to what Duke thought was a possible ending to the spree.

"So what are we going to do after we reach Midbane?" Duke asked seriously.

Christian swallowed before he answered. "You go ahead to bonnie-chan and I'll head towards Vanessa."

"And?"

"And what?"

"Are we going to be able to see each other again after that?"

Duke hated saying that. He felt like he was begging. But he needed to know this time.

"I don't know BadgerKing." Christian stated softly. "I don't know."

~~~

Christian walked up to the iron gate of the colossal iron gate and pressed a button on the stone wall. An embedded screen lit up that would allow him to interact with the occupants inside before they allowed him to enter. 

The massive door to the Stevenson mansion swung open almost as soon as the screen lit up. Obviously his arrival was awaited. He walked slowly onto the gravel path as the electronic door creaked and swung close behind him. Apparently there was no need of any digital interaction before he was allowed entry.

He thought about how he had parted with Duke just a little time ago. And he wondered what was going to happen next. 

A million questions raced through his head. He knew however that the events coming up next would probably change his life forever.

~~~ 



Fatal Attraction Ch. 07



The road was desolate, owing to the late hour. Duke checked his watch. It was 2 AM and the moon was high in the sky. He walked silently towards the destination he had visited many times before. Only this time, it would not be for merriment or for drinks.  

The red and blue neon sign at Crazy Mongers was still on, dazzling brightly on the otherwise deserted road. He crossed the road treading softly, easily walking across the junction that would be any pedestrian's nightmare during daytime.

And as he headed towards the unknown, he could not help but think back to the conversation that he had had with Christian just before they parted a couple of hours earlier; when they stood at the expressway intersection that would branch them off into different cities.

"So BadgerKing, I guess we part ways here."

Duke, a little peeved had haughtily answered back. "Yeah Chris, I guess we do."

Christian looked to his companion's face, trying to read his expression in the dark. 

"No one calls me Chris you know. In fact I'm not too fond of it."

Duke pounced on that without missing a beat. "Then stop calling me BadgerKing!"

Duke's reply had been a forced one; almost spiteful. The two had stood silently for a minute before Christian patted his shoulder and headed off into the darkness. 

Duke swallowed as the memory played itself through his head. He had not been so much annoyed at being called BadgerKing as he had at the overwhelming probability of the fact that they would never meet again. And now walking towards the bar that Christian had told him to head towards to find Zelderman, he wished he had never met Christian in the first place, and that though made his stomach churn. Then maybe he wouldn't have been in such a pathetic position now. 

He sighed as he pushed the maze of thoughts out of his head and stood looking up at the glowing sign of the bar. It was beckoning him to come inside, like a spider enticing a fly to enter its lair.

He gulped and closed his eyes tight as he thought about meeting the beautiful and lethal Miss Zelderman. The last time he had met her, he could hardly wait to get out of her terrifying presence, being relieved beyond words to get out of her aura when he had finally acquired what he wanted form her. And now he was being forced to walk right back to her. He reopened his eyes and with newly mustered courage walked into the bar, swinging the door open.

The insides were sparsely lit. It took a few moments for his eyes to get accustomed to the dim lighting. And when they did, he could make out that the bar was now closed, or almost was. 

The first thing Duke noticed as he glanced around was that the place was in a mess, or rather very different from when he usually visited it. There was the silhouette of an old-fashioned movie projector stationed on its tall tripod legs at the entrance and bags of pop corn and party hats and ribbons were strewn everywhere. The place apparently had had some sort of a theme party night. He had been dragged to Crazy Mongers on ample occasions earlier by an over eager Damien to know that the place was famous for its themed nights. A crazy thought went through his head as he thought about how he had missed out on the festivities which must have been taking place till about an hour or so ago.

He never stayed back so late at Crazy Mongers to actually know what time the bar would shut its doors to customers, but at the time there was not a single patron left in the bar. All save the massive frame of a very large and obese man who barely fit on a barstool with his head buried in his arms, peacefully snoring away at the counter, slumping his massive frame which threatened to tip over and crash to the floor at any instant. 

And there was the bartender, Duke recognized him from his bald head and signature apron, polishing away glasses and bottles with a white kerchief; an activity he stopped as soon as his eyes fell on Duke. Something along the lines of "We're closed", was about to leave his mouth before he suddenly paused and fished out a cell phone.

Apparently Duke's arrival was being awaited.

And things happened quickly then. The rustle of curtains to the left of Duke signaled the entry of two large hulky men into the bar from a private area and Duke was caught hold of by both shoulders and forced to move in tandem with the two behemoths. A haze of stumbled movements, and growling titans shoved him past a colossal glass cuboid that was apparently a pop corn machine. The words '60's MOVIE NIGHT' splashed in golden glitter that glowed in the dim light confirmed that it had indeed been a theme night. And Duke sighed as he realized the senseless thoughts running through his head at such a time. 

The two led him towards a wooden staircase that he had never noticed before, dragging the half-complying man along, forcing him to take two steps at a time as they hurried him to what Duke knew was the inevitable. 

"You're in deep shit you know," One of the guards snarled in his ear.

Duke nodded his head acknowledging he knew as he wondered if the two escorting him were the same two men that had ushered him to meet Zelderman earlier. 

"Why the fuck you alone?" the other whispered leaving Duke puzzled. 

But he hardly got the time to process what was said. They led him to a mahogany door rich in carvings and paused as they turned him round and about, frisking his jacket and pants. Duke watched in dismay as his Colt and cartridges were confiscated by the men and at last when they felt satisfied at having rummaged through him properly, they flung open the massive door and pushed Duke inside.

Duke shrugged his shoulders to straighten his jacket as the door slammed behind him; the two hulks folding their arms across their chests as they stood on either side of the door. 

Duke's eyes roamed across the room as he took in the sweet fragrance and the gaudy decoration of lilies and wooden carvings that adorned the room.

"So where's your friend, favi?"

Duke's body temperature dipped five degrees as he heard that unmistakable voice. He slowly turned towards the direction where it came from.

There was Zelderman, sitting on a tiger skin, draped over an auburn sofa, in a bright pink tight coat and white undershirt, her long legs crossed, jutting out of a short pink skirt. She had a cigarette in one hand and a flimsy flute in the other. The glass was filled with a fluorescent green fluid that glowed and bubbled eerily in the dark. Duke's eyes almost hurt as he took note of Zelderman and her dazzling clash of colors through the floral display of white lilies.

He gulped as he regained some composure. And suddenly he realized he had no idea why he was there. His mind seemed to be betraying him too for all he could think of was whether he had disturbed Zelderman at this late hour.

"What do you mean where's my friend?" He spat out surprising even himself. "You've taken him captive haven't you?"

Duke thought Zelderman raised an eyebrow at his paroxysm, but the obtruding flower arrangement and the distance between them made it difficult for him to actually tell.

"C'mere Favi." Zelderman gestured lifting a hand and flicking her index finger. 

Duke stepped boldly towards her, walking firmly as his eyes once again took in the sight of her burnt face and the wrinkled skin veiled by curly blonde tresses that reached all the way to her breasts. She let out a puff of smoke in his direction as he moved to a spot directly in front of her.

"Your faggot friend is a guest of ours", Zelderman began in a strangely calm voice as she stared squarely into Duke's eyes who cold feel his courage melting away. "He's living here quite fabulously and will continue to do so until I get Scott in my claws."

"Sc.. Scott?" Duke stammered.

"Yes favi, Scott, Christian, Rumplestiltskin, whatever you want to call him, he's scarred my poor Randy baby and I am going to have to get even with him for that."

"Randy?" 

Duke could hardly think straight as Zelderman's two differently colored eyes drew his attention in the midst of the folds of seared flesh on her face. One of the eye colors was a perfect match to the effervescent drink she held in her hand.

"Yes. I said Randy Rodriguez favi, not the tooth fairy!"

Things were hardly making sense to Duke anymore. What the hell did Randy Rodriguez have to do with all this?

"So Damien..."

"Your friend is just piggy bait favi!" Zelderman raise her voice cutting Duke off as she slammed the flimsy looking glass on a side table beside her. Miraculously the glass survived the assault. 

"What I am want to dig my claws into, is that brat Scott who messed up my poor Randy." Zelderman clenched her teeth as she took Christian's name.

"Although, I feel I did find the new scar kinda mannish." Zelderman added the last bit as an afterthought. 

The realization of what was going on finally hit Duke like a ton of bricks. 

It was Christian she wanted; not him. Christian had conveniently dragged him into one more of his messes, and this time Damien had been tagged along. He cursed Christian in his mind, sidelining the fact that it was to save his own ass that Christian had trounced Randy for.

But where in the world was Christian right now?

~~~

A lone figure paced stony pavements in the darkness of the night. The voltages of the street lights had been turned low and they glowed ever so softly, casting pale shadows on concrete walls as the figure headed towards unknown destinations at an unearthly hour at night. 

He clutched a black briefcase in one hand and walked keeping it at an even level. He was extremely conscious of its contents, hardly believing he had such a case with him. He stopped walking and lifted the case to an eye level, unlatching the levers that fastened it shut. A soft clicking ensured the case was open. He pulled up the lid ever so slightly to confirm its contents once more.

Christian drew in his breath sharply as green bills of obscene denominations peered back at him. He immediately clicked the case shut and looked around warily before resuming his brisk walking pace, his mind wandering to what had happened some time before, to a meeting that had taken place between him and Stevenson.

He had been over cautious while entering Stevenson's mansion, expecting anything to happen to him when he entered. Maybe he would be gunned down, maybe he would be restrained and taken in to meet the big man himself or maybe he would just be thrown out, but one thing he did know for sure was that no one around was going to be very friendly.

But his arrival had been portended, for he was immediately ushered in. And the next minute saw him standing inside Raphael Stevenson's massive mansion, waiting in the palatial entrance hall, awaiting Stevenson's descend from the grand staircase at the centre of the hall.

"And so the prodigal son returns."

Those words had signaled Stevenson's appearance on top of the imposing staircase, one hand stroking a large Labrador while the other slid over the banister as he descended.

Christian's eyebrows had knit themselves as creases appeared on his forehead. This was Raphael Stevenson, dressed ever so immaculately, in all his 72 year glory. Christian wanted nothing more than to see the man dead.

"And he comes alone", Stevenson had continued.

"Course he does", Christian plastered a sweet smile on his face as he replied, "For his companion has been gleefully abducted by some unscrupulous scheming old geezer."

Stevenson barely flinched at the name calling as he reached Christian's floor level, the large beast at his side growling as it stared at Christian, its hackles raised.

"Yes obviously, the scheming old geezer assumed that inviting your sweetheart would entice you here as well, given that you hardly want to visit me nowadays, but this old man had someone else in mind too."

Christian drew a blank at that, waiting for Stevenson to continue.

With a sharp turn Stevenson lurched at Christian, his face barely a centimeter from Christian's as he hissed into his face.

"I want that lad who broke into the FBI database. And I want him now!"

Christian's face registered a marked sign of confusion. "What?"

"The lad who worked with you in Salvia, I want him. And you know I'll go to any lengths to get what I want."

Christian fell silent. He had no idea where this was stemming from. He was still having difficulty grasping the situation.

Finally he spoke.

"So you kidnapped Vanessa to get BadgerKing? And I thought all along it was me you wanted."

Stevenson launched himself back, throwing himself out of Christian's face as he burst out into a deep baritone laughter, amplifying itself with every instant that passed; a laugh of contempt, of superiority and one that mocked the hilarity of Christian's words.

"You? Who in the world wants you?"

"But why...?"

"My dear, you're like dog poo when compared to the prodigy that lad is. I mean, there're dozens like you, petty thieves, but he; he's a true gem, a bona fide genius. And I want him working under me!"

Duke's mind reeled under the shock of the surprise. There were a lot of scenarios that had played around in his head as to why Stevenson had abducted Vanessa, but this was definitely not one of them.

"But will he work for you?" Christian asked, though he knew it was a lame attempt at distracting himself.

"Funny question coming from you", Stevenson chided. "Of course he will. After I'm done with him through my methods, the boy will do any thing I ask him for."

Stevenson's eyes took on an evil glint as he said the last bit and Christian shuddered as thoughts of those methods flooded his brain.

"Bu, but...?"

"Oh stop with the questioning already. I want that boy right now, and you're going to help me get him. If you value your own freedom that is, for you already owe me too much considering the job you failed at back there in Mali."

"The damn job was rigged!"

"Oh potato - patato, I don't give a damn, the fact remains that you failed and caused much loss. And your life is in my hands for that."

Christian had a pretty good idea who had rigged the job, but there was no point arguing here. He disliked whining anyway. And then a smile appeared across his face as he suddenly remembered Duke's predicament.

"But you can't have BadgerKing, you see he's in Zelderman's hands now."

A bewildered expression appeared on Stevenson's face as he heard that. "What's he doing in that bi-yatch's hands?"

"Oh she wanted a piece of him too." Christian replied smugly, "So I guess he's off limits now."

Stevenson fell silent as he though for a moment. 

"Still, you're going to get him for me."

"What?"

"So you're going to get him for me." Stevenson repeated smiling slightly. That bitch is not going to hand him over directly, so you're gonna be the one to get him for me. After all, you can manipulate a teenie little nerd and pull some stunts on that bitch can't you?"

Christian's head was numb. What was Stevenson assuming he would do for him? He was certainly not going to push Duke into this cunning fox's mouth.

"And I'm going to offer you a little incentive to make sure you take this up."

Christian waited for Stevenson to continue and his mouth fell open when he heard Stevenson quote an obscene amount of money for doing the job.

The 72 year old man clapped his hands as an attendant rushed out of the room and returned hardly a minute later with a black briefcase. Christian's eyes grew wide when Stevenson flashed its green contents to his guest.

"This is just the beginning, you'll get the remaining after you've delivered him to me."

Christian looked down at the case Stevenson held in his hand, his mind unable to comprehend anything at the stupendous amount being offered to him.

"And you are free wherever you want after this, I'll personally cut off all ties with you."

Christian looked up to the smug expression on the elder man's face. His freedom from the jobs that bound him to this wicked man? Was it really possible?

"And keep in mind another reason you have for doing this."

Christian looked to the sinister expression the elder man harbored on his face. He was obviously referring to Vanessa. 

And jumbling with all those overwhelming reasons in his head, Christian had extended his hands slowly to accept the briefcase. 

And he now clutched that very same briefcase in his hand as he made his way towards a destination unknown. His own freedom had been sworn by Stevenson, a risible sum had been offered to him with a significant starting remuneration already delivered. Vanessa's life lay in his hands too.

And for obtaining all of it, he had to deliver BadgerKing into Stevenson's hands.

Things had happened to quickly in Stevenson's company. He had hardly thought over all of the aspects of Stevenson's requests and the rewards yet. The decision he had to come to next would probably be the most difficult one in his life. And his sharp tactical mind was failing to aid him in it.

With a heavy heart, Christian trudged towards finding a way into the next city at the ungodly hour, wondering what BadgerKing was facing by now.

And unknown to him, Stevenson had called to his assistant to round up the best of his men to accompany him to Salvia immediately after Christian had left his company. His assistant had been surprised, given the odd time of the night.

"I have some plans you see", he had told the doubting female as he rubbed his hands in glee. "The uproar Christian causes in Zelderman's lair will give me the opportunity to get rid of her once and for all."

The assistant stared waiting for an explanation.

"It's called killing two birds with one stone dear, or actually. Its three birds."

Fifteen minutes later, three black vans, stocked with sleep-disturbed but alert men in suits had set off into the darkness towards Salvia. 

Stevenson was with them.

~~~

A helpless figure lay gagged and bound in one of the corner most rooms in the basement of Stevenson mansion. Strung out all alone for more than a dozen hours, Vanessa's body was beginning to cramp at several places. And as much as she wanted to fall asleep, she could not. A few muffled voices and thumping outside her locked door had informed her that something had just happened outside. And ever since the brief commotion, there had been no more noises from outside, as if she was left all alone in the basement. Even now, straining her ears, she could not make out the presence of a single soul beyond the door that held her captive.

She wondered whether the confusion had been caused by Christian coming over to the mansion. She was a little uncertain if he would come for her, but knew that if he did, he would not try any fancy stunts in Stevenson's heavily guarded mansion with all its Fort Knox qualities. But she knew something was up a few minutes earlier, and now all of it had faded away. 

She was hungry by now, and her captors had not been kind enough to spare her a meal. She did not even know what the time was, but expected it to be way past midnight. And as her sleep deprived mind roamed aimlessly, her mind went back to how she and Christian had been trained together under Stevenson's cruel tutelage. 

She remembered being thrust into Stevenson's grasp at an early age and leading a life of strict discipline, aimed at being an elite body guard for her cruel master. And then Christian had stepped onto the scene and her life had changed. She had almost fallen in love with him the very first moment she laid eyes on him, but circumstances and a better understanding of the man had later told her that it was not to be.

Stevenson had then unexpectedly deployed the two of them on tasks that involved more than being a mere body guard and pleased at their success had shoved more and more missions on the two of them. She was happy for she saw less and less of the wretched man and slowly and steadily she and her partner had worked towards loosening Stevenson's iron-like grip over them. 




Fatal Attraction Ch. 07



But now it seemed they were under his grasp more than ever before.

Still, there was confusion in her mind as to what it was that Stevenson actually wanted. He had hinted earlier it was not recapturing and pinioning Christian that was on his mind. Then what had been his motive in incarcerating her?

She gave up the line of thought for the umpteenth time, reaching no conclusion this time as well.

She would have to wait and see what time had in store for her and what everything going around was all about. 

She had no other choice.

~~~

Duke wandered about in the room that Zelderman's guards had locked him in. He was exhausted but hid mind was swinging in so many different directions that he could hardly sit still. What had happened to that peaceful world he had been living in till a few days back?

He had still not met Damien, and didn't even know if he was anywhere in the vicinity. And the both of them would be stuck under Zelderman's control because of Randy Rodriguez. Where did that arrogant porn star suddenly jump into the already complex equation from?

Finally he sat down on the comfortable bed. The room he was in was luxurious to say the least. And the food kept on the table spoke of how Zelderman always treated her guests like kings. He could never have guessed that atop Crazy Mongers, the bar he frequented, would be a hangout of one of the most notorious criminals in the town. And he probably would never have known of it if his so called peaceful life earlier would not have been disturbed.

He flopped backwards onto the soft sheets, his eye lids suddenly heavy. All the tiredness of the last two days was finally catching up to him. The trip to Mali and then the overnight expedition at the docks, followed by a sleepless night and hounding gangs the next day and then a trip back to Salvia. And he had not slept a wink in the entire time.

And as much as his mind wanted to wander, his body wouldn't let it. The ceiling turned blurry as thoughts about how Christian would never turn up and how he would end up being Zelderman's personal slave swam through his head, paving way for an uncomfortable dream.

He was jolted awake some time later by thumping noise. His eyes squinted open as he realized some sort of a scuffle was taking place just past the door of the room he was in. The noises ended abruptly and then there was silence. Suddenly he heard the metallic clink of a key turning in the lock as he sat upright immediately.

The door flew wide open as did Duke's eyes stared at the silhouette standing at the doorway, at a complete loss of words.

"Chr, Chris?" he finally managed to stammer.

There was Christian at the door, and it took Duke a moment to understand his surroundings and the situation he was in.

Christian immediately lifted a finger to his lips, beckoning Duke to remain silent as the latter stood up hastily from the bed and made his way towards the door.

"How did you...?"

"Later." Christian whispered to him. "We have to try and get out of here first."

Duke nodded as he followed Christian out of the room and into the corridor, past a knocked out guard who was apparently pacing the corridor keeping watch before he was rendered unconscious by Christian.

"We have to get Damien first." Duke hissed at Christian's back. "But I don't know if he's held here."

Christian didn't turn back to reply as he made their way silently through the corridor. Abruptly he stopped and whirled around, beckoning ahead with his hand.

Duke reached where he was and peered over to see what Christian was gesturing towards.

A wave of relief washed over him as he spotted Damien, quietly crouched behind a doorway, where Christian had left him with orders to stay put as silently as he could.

"Dame!" Duke exclaimed as he rushed over to his mate's side and hugged him. 

Damien smiled broadly as he hugged Duke back fiercely, the joy and relief on his face obvious to finally meet his friend again.

Duke broke the hug as he looked up and down at Damien. "Dame, thank God you're Ok." 

"Boy, am I glad to see you. You won't believe..."

"Ladies, its not time for the celebrations and recollections yet."

It was Christian from behind, talking in a controlled yet authoritative tone. 

"First we have to get out of here!"

"Right." Duke stated as he got up slowly, raising Damien along with him and making his way towards Christian. 

They followed as Christian led them across another hallway perpendicular to the one they were in, coming across two more bulky bodies that lay flat on the floor, ahead of another door where Duke presumed Damien had been held in. The two bodies were obviously of guard as well.

Duke stared down at the two colossal fallen forms as the trio zipped across them. 

"How in the world did you ever take these guys down?" Duke questioned softly to Christian's back.

They paused at an intersection of hallways as Christian crouched low to check whether the coast was clear.

"Combat Skill." Christian stated flatly to an unconvinced Damien before he added, "That and the element of surprise."

Suddenly Duke balked as he noticed something tucked under one of the guard's belt. He traced his steps back and bent low to pick up something.

Christian waited at the end of the passageway, his face questioning as to what his companion was up to. And then he saw the gun Duke was tucking into his jacket, recognizing the black Colt as Duke jogged back towards him.

"Had to get my damn gun back!" Duke hissed as an explanation when he caught up to the other two. Christian nodded faintly before he lurched off into a corridor beckoning the two to follow and stopped at another intersection, this time as footsteps thumped ahead. The three men held their breath as the footsteps faded, heading towards another direction. Christian peered across the corner before he decided that this was not the way they would be going towards. He turned back and waddled to the corridor they had come from.

"How we gonna get out of here?" Damien suddenly questioned in a high pitched voice, much to Christian's consternation. Damien had yet not realized the danger they were in and that escape from wherever they were would not be easy.

No one answered him.

"Well, how did you come in?" he asked Christian, his eyebrows knit as one.

"The three of us can't go out the way I came in", Christian finally answered.

"Why not?" asked a cross Damien.

No one answered him again.

"I asked why..." 

Damien was cut off by a hand held over his mouth that muffled out the remaining part of his question. Footsteps were heard, this time heading towards them. Christian waited for a few seconds to see if they would turn away to another corridor but they didn't. Finally he grasped Damien's hand and pulled him over, sprinting back to the passageway they had come from, Duke following suit. 

Christian did rapid calculations in his mind before he decided to not go back he way they had come from. Instead he hopped onto a staircase that led downwards, guiding the trio along.

They waited at the end of the first flight of stairs, crouching low, trying to remain hidden as to their horror they realized that someone was walking into the passageway they had just come out from.

It was only a matter of seconds before he would spot the unconscious guards on the floor and an alarm would be sounded.

Christian pointed his thumb downwards, indicating the others to follow him down. There was no point in going back up now. They would have to find another way out of the complex.

They descended as silently as they could, the lights at the top of the staircase fading as they descended. Suddenly the trio was ushered into a large open area, but with no semblance of illumination around, they could not make out where they were.

"Where are we?" Damien questioned as he groped about in the dark to feel whether the other two were still with him. Christian pranced about, trying to understand his surroundings. They seemed to be in a large hall with various tables and chairs arranged systematically. He knew for sure that they were at ground level, so all he had to do was find a door and they would be outside.

Duke moved around blindly, using wooden surfaces and walls to guide him. It was pitch black, and as long as he waited, his eyes were simply not getting used to the darkness of the enclosure they were in. There was not the tiniest source of illumination around to cast light on any surface.

His hands touched a glass surface in the middle of the large room. He felt along the cuboidal frame and suddenly realization dawned on him.

"We're in Crazy Mongers!"

"Say what?" Damien yelped.

"We're in Crazy Mongers. How stupid of us." Duke grinned as he realized how he'd entered Zelderman's lair.

"Yeah, should've realized earlier." Christian admitted.

"So this is the bar area and the door should be that way." Duke pointed in the dark to no avail but Christian headed off towards the general direction of the entrance without having to be guided. It looked like they would be able to make it to the outside.

"Oh yeah, today was 60's themed night if I remember correctly!" Damien chimed in. "Bloody hooligans made me miss out on it!"

The three walked to where they thought freedom lay, bumping against tables and chairs as they made their way across the bar.

~~~

A large man in a black T-shirt and jeans made his way across the convoluted passageways. It had been some time since he had heard from his buddies; the ones who had been on duty guarding the so called guests. And it was mandatory that he check up on them. 

He looked to his watch. He hated unnecessary shifts at timings like this. But his job ensured he got his fill of them. And he hated the fact that a couple of weasels were being held and treated like kings, save the captivity, just because the boss' boy toy had received a scar to his face.

He yawned as he walked along, another two hours and he could go home. He could hardly wait for the minutes to pass.

Suddenly his eyes fell upon two bodies slumped on the floor. His eyeballs nearly popped out his head. He rushed over to the figures that lay on the floor.

~~~

"We're fucked."

It was Damien, stating aloud to the darkness of the bar that enveloped them. A general statement that arose from their realization that the bar's entrance was sealed shut at the absurd time of night. The large glass panes had metallic shutters drawn downwards and thorough but fumbled inspection of the area revealed that they were sealed in. The only way out was the staircase they had come down from.

Damien slumped against a leather couch on the floor as he let out a breath of air. He felt fluffy balls falling on him as he did. He picked one up and sniffed at it. It was pop-corn. Raising his hand upwards he felt a cardboard box on the armrest of the sofa, one that had tilted over and spilled its contents on him as he crashed against the sofa.

"So this is how my beautiful twenty one year old life comes to an end?" Damien's question was directed to the darkness of the bar around him. He felt Duke slumping onto the floor next to him, popcorn showering oh him too as his helplessness became apparent from the air around him.

"I mean, there are still so many guys I haven't done the boogie with, and you two dickwads get me into this mess."

Duke ran his hand along the infuriated man's back, trying to comfort him. But he was at a loss too. There was no way out, they were trapped like rats. Cushioning noises informed him that Christian had settled onto the sofa they were leaning against. Apparently he had given up too.

"So do you know that Zelderman wasn't after me, but you?" Duke questioned to the air around.

Christian balked at that. "Huh?"

"Yeah, she went through this whole damn charade of abducting Damien just to get to you. Apparently you screwed up her sex toy's face when you, err, saved me that night and she did all this to get to you."

Christian let out a whoosh of breath as he realized what Duke was talking about. And then suddenly he burst out laughing as he realized the irony of the situation.

"Well then", he stated between fits of laughter. "It would be good for you to know that Stevenson wasn't after me either, its you he wants!"

"Me? Why the hell?"

"Don't even ask."

The air fell silent as everyone stopped talking, thinking about the muddling puddle they were all in. 

"So who's this Stevenson guy now?" It was Damien who broke the silence.

No one answered him and he resigned himself to his fate to not get the answer to that one.

"Well what happens if we do manage to get out of here?"

Christian paused before he said anything, trying to understand the weight of Duke's question.

"I mean, suppose we manage to escape from here right now; what happens after that? Zelderman and your other boss are simply not going to leave us out in the open I guess, so I'm guessing we'll have to go into hiding, running around our whole life."

"Yeah, sorta."

Duke fell silent. There was no use in cursing his fate anymore.

"What?!" Damien exclaimed suddenly realizing what the conversation was all about. "Darling's if you think you're gonna make me leave my home and string me along to the middle of Timbuktu, you must be crazy!"

"There's not a thing we can do." Christian's voice was calm as opposed to a frenzied Damien. "Those guards I knocked out earlier must have surely been discovered and now we're holed in here."

"Then why didn't you hide their bodies after knocking them out?" Damien asked exasperatedly. "I mean, what kind of a dimwit knocks out guards and leaves them lying around as decoration?"

"Well, I was in a hurry to get you two out that time."

"Well then darling, do something now! The world has not seen enough of Damien to sustain itself without him."

"Well I can't do anything now." Christian's voice was showing signs of the irritation he was beginning to feel being nettled by Damien.

"What do you mean you can't do anything now? Surely there has to be something you can do!"

The air fell silent once more as Christian refused to argue anymore with the energetic Damien.

"Well there has to be SOMETHING that you can do! Why are we all just sitting around, waiting for them to come and pick us up?"

"You're right Damien." It was Duke this time, getting up from the floor, brushing the fallen popcorn from his jacket as he picked up the cardboard popcorn boxes from the armrest of the sofa. "There is something I can do."

Duke walked over, fumbling in the dark to the bartender's area as he picked up a glass of wine and held it from the neck.

"What can you do?"

A loud crash was heard as Duke smashed the bottle against the counter, making both Damien and Christian flinch in surprise. 

"I'm gonna fight my way out of here."

And saying that he withdrew the Colt M1911 out of his jacket.

Christian raised his eye brows as he heard the distinctive metallic chinking of Duke reloading the cartridge as he slid back the rack of the gun.

~~~

The fact that she was awoken from her sleep didn't go too well with Miss Zelderman. And the fact that there were two highly unforeseen events taking place right under her nose didn't suit her too well either.

She strode purposefully across the corridor as two henchmen followed behind, matching their stride to hers. 

A door flung open as a displeased lady made her way into the surveillance room that was abuzz with activity. The men in the room fell silent as soon as they heard the door crashing and their boss entered.

"You twits! What have ya'll been up to? Sleeping around on the job?"

It was a peculiar sight; the huge frames of the henchmen shuddered as the lone female fumed at them, none of them being able to answer her.

"Well did you find them yet? Since ya'll do a fabulous job keeping them in, we might as well see how fabulously you perform in finding them now! Or have my guests already taken their leave from the building?"

"We can't find them anywhere on the monitors!" one man finally blurted out as Zelderman paced towards the myriad of screens that captured every conceivable nook and corner of the building they were in.

"Unless they're in the bar!" the man added, as if it was a consolation.

The seething female ring leader twisted her nose, her burnt face contorting at odd angles as she waited for the man to continue.

"Well?"

"These screens show the bar camera's!" the man hurriedly stated as he pointed towards a collection of screens that seemed to be switched off.

"Well turn them on then favi!" Zelderman yelled, scaring her surveillance expert out of his skin.

"They're on. The main power of the bar will have to turned on from the first floor control room. But I can try and enable us to see what's there without having someone go down there!"

"Well enable us then!" Zelderman folder her arms across her breasts, tapping her fingers impatiently. 

The poor man hastily attached a portable keyboard to a USB and started running a series of commands through. Soon enough the black monitors turned a green as blurry images of furniture and figures came on screen, effectively stimulating a night-vision type environment.

"There they are!" the man yelled, almost overjoyed as Zelderman raised her eyebrows. This was very interesting indeed.

"What are they doing?" Zelderman questioned as she squinted her eyes to make out what the hazy images were depicting on screen.

Her surveillance expert immediately routed sound from a particular screen to the speakers as the entire room heard the sounds of glass smashing as a murky green figure on screen smashed bottles against the counter.

"Well if they think they can cause me to go bankrupt by disrupting my bar, they've another thing coming!" She paused as she put her arms on her hips and turned around to face her men. "Boma, Raul, take some men and go apprehend those faggots down there!"

Swinging around she stooped down to resume watching the grainy green reception in front of her as her men bustled and got ready to go down to the bar.

Zelderman seethed as she peered from screen to screen "How did two little fairies get through my security and manage to escape?"

"Well that's because they had help from another fairy friend of theirs."

The voice was cold, unmistakable and distinct. And Zelderman flinched as she recognized it immediately. Not a voice she wanted to hear, but she had mentally prepared herself to face the man ever since she had been awakened from her slumber. This was after all, the second unexpected event that had taken place on this happening night.

"Well, well, if it isn't Charlie Ol' Horse, Raphael Stevenson himself!"

"Nice to meet you too Miss Zelderman", the elder man paused as he looked up and down at the female gang leader. "What in the world are you wearing my dear? You sleep in those?" He was referring to the stilettos Zelderman was wearing atop her baby pink night robe.

Zelderman didn't bat an eye. "What business do you have today favi? It isn't such a fabulous night anyway, and you have to come and rain down upon it all?"

Stevenson took slow steps as he entered the already packed surveillance room, his suit-clad henchmen walking behind him, ever alert for the slightest show of offense from their loathe-cooperate partners in the pirate areas.

"Those boys down there didn't escape from your care by themselves. Christian is the one who got them out. And he's probably with them in that bar right now."

"He's probably right!" Zelderman's surveillance technician called out in a timid voice from behind. "I can make out three men in the bar."

"And since I have business of my own with Christian and that hacker friend of his, I think you should allow me to take this task further."




Fatal Attraction Ch. 07



Zelderman looked at the man curiously. Obviously, he was aware of the situation and had come prepared with men at such a forsaken time. She wondered what he had in mind.

"And what do you intend to do?"

"Oh we'll play a little game with them. They are locked up inside that black cave of a bar ain't they? So we'll just send a few men of mine down there and play around with them a little before we finally extirpate them!"

Zelderman thought for a few seconds about what was being proposed. The lads had caused her enough trouble already. And on top of it all, there was no saying how much more damage they could cause to her men in a fight for life and death type confrontation in the bar, especially with someone like Christian around. It certainly seemed a better idea to let Stevenson's men do the job; especially since he seemed to be harboring a grudge that dragged him to Salvia in the middle of the night.

"Ok, favi, you can ask your men to go ahead. But ask them not too cause too much damage to the bar, the repairs ain't coming out of your pockets now are they?"

Stevenson smiled. The first phase of his plan was over. Pretty soon everything he had planned would come into motion. And his greatest adversary would soon be sleeping in a coffin.

"So you do have those special goods that came last week don't you? The one from that Turkish smuggler."

Zelderman raised her eyebrows. It seemed Raphael Stevenson's knowledge about her own dealings were good. 

"Yes, but what would you want with those now?"

"Oh, I just thought it would be fun to equip my men with some of those night vision goggles and all. Just for the thrill of it. It'll be like a hunt in the dark then."

Zelderman scowled and contorted her face. The old geezer was a sick twisted man indeed. She nodded apprehensively as she gave instructions to one of her own men to lead Stevenson's men to the 'special' goods that had come in the previous week.

A bustling noise by the door informed the people inside that someone else had just arrived. "Lemme in, one sec!" someone called out from behind the mass of men.

Zelderman shrugged helplessly as she realized that Randy Rodriguez had arrived too.

~~~

13 men slowly made their way downwards, descending the staircase that led to the bar; 13 men that were under strict instructions; their mission was to annihilate the thief, and capture the nerd unharmed; 13 men under rigid instructions of Raphael Stevenson himself. And equipped with state of the art Night Vision Devices, they descended cautiously down the steps.

The large scuba-gear styled goggles they had on were the so called NVD's; Night vision devices comprising an IR image intensifier tube in a rigid casing; A dual type utilizing a separate image intensifier tube for each eye. The state of the art goggles were the 'special' goods that would enable them to see clearly in the sinister lack of light the bar was plunged into, as opposed to their prey that would be rendered defenseless. And it would make their rather complicated scenario of taking one hostage simpler, and obviously slaughtering whoever else would come in the way.

They descend warily, their guns in their hands, treading lightly with their polished black suits; a perfect match to the pristine white shirts and black suits that Stevenson's men were always known to dress in. Their prey had probably been alerted of their presence as a few steps of the wooden staircase creaked, but then too, it was obviously going to be an easy task. Each member of the gang had an earpiece attached to his ear, one that doled out instructions at regular intervals, giving the men orders; orders that were being given by a squad coordinator of sorts; another of Stevenson's men who sat watching the monitors in the surveillance room.

Christian's breathing was heavy. He hated being in situations which went beyond his control. And this certainly was one of the most extreme cases; one of certain death. Armed with just a double-action Beretta, he squatted behind a sofa, clutching the gun close to his chest. He wondered if it would be of any use. 

He closed his eyes as he recalled the calmness and conviction in Duke's voice when he stated he would fight his way out of there. And even in the darkness, he had been able to spot a glint of determination in his mate's eyes. That determination was the only thing he could pin his hopes on. 

Duke knelt in the dark, his eyes closed. There was hardly any point in keeping them open. He couldn't see a darned thing anyways. And now he would have to rely on other senses to achieve his goals.

His heart was thumping nonstop. He could hear the damn thing throbbing; pulsating into his brain, throbbing in his chest. And in those moments of adrenaline he felt powerful, inexorable and insuperable. A rush of excitement fuelled by chemical reactions in his head, giving him the high he always sought out. And in those very moments, he knew he would be able to penetrate the veil of darkness with his ears; a serpent of sorts. He set his colt in single in 'Condition 1'. A mode better known as cocked and locked, only setting the thumb safety off. 

Two stories up, almost exactly above where he was crouched, the remote squad coordinator of the men in suits was affirming orders, under scrutiny of Zelderman, Stevenson and a few of Zelderman's men, along with the notorious Randy Rodriguez. The man with the headset and microphone knew there was not much need of coordinating the men in this situation, given the overwhelming unfair advantage his men had, but there was no need to cross the dangerous bridge. 

He could clearly make out the crouched shape of one of the quarries, the squatting figure behind a sofa, with what seemed like a gun in his hand in the hazy green images, and informed his accomplices of his position. He chuckled as he wondered how long he would last in the blackness of the bar.

He breathed the final order.

"Rush in now!"

All hell broke loose. 

Thirteen men crouched at the base of the staircase raced towards the bar, a snake of black suits trailing behind, moving forward as the black assassins took the steps two at a time. 

Two men took the lead and broke into the bar, their vision enriched by the infrared NVD's they had been accoutered with, looking around everywhere for a sign of their prey.

It would be easy, like a barn owl hunting a rat.

"This is it!" Duke whispered to himself in the dark.

Crunching and clinking noises were heard and Duke reacted instantly. He rose up with lightning speed.

Bam! Bang! 

Two seconds later two bodies fell to the floor, thumping loudly as they did, making weird scrunching noises. 

"Two down", a calm voice counted in the dark.

Two other suited men watched their infrared vision in horror as their partners took vital hits and fell to the floor, dead. And they looked up to find a dash of a red figure running and jumping to the floor. They fired in his direction, the figure tumbling and skidding before it got concealed behind tables and chairs. Several other men were now behind them, crowding the bottom of the wooden staircase, blindly trying to contemplate what had just happened.

The two live men ahead thought quickly and decided to rush everyone in. Remaining standing out there, they were like sitting ducks. Clomping and clinking noises were heard as eleven living men rushed into the bar and concealed themselves behind tables, chairs, barstools and whatever furniture or obstacles were accessible.

"What the fuck just happened?" Stevenson bellowed in the surveillance room above, the terminology he used belying his vernacular. 

Stevenson's coordinator on the headset was straining to hear the whispers of one of his men. "Two of our men are down! The bastards! They spilled glass on the floor. There's broken glass everywhere!"

The shocked coordinator conveyed the same to his boss who stared at him like a madman. 

"And they've spread something else on the floor.... wait." The coordinator waited as the man speaking from the other end presumably lifted a chunk of whatever was on the floor.

"Popcorn?!"

"What?" Stevenson bellowed once more, sticking his ear right next to the headset on his man on the monitors. He couldn't believe he had just lost two of his able bodied men. And the reason was popcorn?

"Get those bastards now!" He hollered into the microphone.

Silence reigned in the bar underneath. The men crouched in bundles signaled each other, gestures clearly visible in the dark through infrared vision. They could no see the floor clearly, a mess of broken glass shards and popcorn. There was no avoiding it, but they could see certain areas that had lesser quantities nevertheless.

One arose bravely, standing up ever so slowly, looking all around frantically, his vision in shades of crimson. He stepped forward with mincing steps, inching towards the bar counter area; he knew their quarry was there somewhere.

Crunch.

Bang!

He fell to the floor; a bullet through his head.

Chaos resulted. A flurry of movements as glass shattered and footsteps pounded everywhere. Disorder and chaos highlighted by the firing of bullets in every conceivable direction. A series of gunshots echoed through the darkness. Bang, Bam!

Two more bodies thumped to the floor as figures scurried about in befuddlement.

Christian's heart was racing. He hadn't the slightest inkling of what was taking place. All he knew was that he was still alive. He still clutched his gun in his hand, and he hadn't yet fired a single shot. And yet the sounds around informed him that people around were falling to the floor like bowling pins; knocked out dead for good. He had raised himself to try to add his own to the situation but had failed miserably. All he saw were flashes of gunshots and the madness of hunters and the hunted and immediately ducked back behind the sofa.

"Five down!" Duke breathed silently. His temperament exactly opposite to his mate whose heart was riding rollercoasters; wondering if Duke was still alive.

He was a stalker of the night now; his ears and reflexes making him a terrifying force. His brain had closed in, thinking of nothing but his gun and the sounds around. The very lightest sound that was made, be it the clinking of glass pieces or the crunching of popcorn on the floor was captured by his ears; and he shot his gun in that exact direction with pinpoint accuracy.

He was unscathed. But the silence this time was brief. He reacted speedily as he heard a few noises behind him and lurched ahead, jumping and diving through the air, raising his gun as he flew.

Two more shots were fired by him as he sailed through the air, Bang, Bang!

Duke landed on his arms as two more men fell to the floor. Two who had snuck up behind him. Duke tumbled across the floor, his arms and legs intertwining before he speedily unentangled himself and ducked behind a table. Various men reassembled themselves across the hide-n-seek arena.

Duke felt a twinge of pain as slivers of glass lay embedded in his arms, but only for a moment. His mind refused to acknowledge the pain after that.

"Seven." 

Duke breathed softly as he cocked the hammer of his gun manually, reloading the cartridge. The gun ching-ed as he reloaded it.

"What the fuck is happening?" It was Stevenson two stories above, his face red as he tried to understand what was taking place in the blurry green screens ahead of him. His teeth were gritted as contortions appeared on his forehead. 

"Sir, we've confirmed that at least six of our men are dead."

"WHAT?!"

Zelderman's jaw was hanging low as Randy Rodriguez face acquired a puzzled expression. What exactly was going on down there?

"How can my bloody men be dead?"

"Sir, they have some sort of an elite marksman with them. He took all six of them down single handedly."

"What the fuck do you mean marksman? A fucking fairy? Against all my men with those NVD's? Are you fucking crazy?"

The poor coordinator on the headset wiped the spit from his face. Zelderman's spit, who was growling a mere two centimeters from his face now.

His face took on a puzzled expression as he strained to hear a voice cackling through the earphones. He paused before adding timidly. "Sir, one more of our men has been confirmed dead."

Stevenson lost all his sanity at that. 

"Shoot them all fucking dead!" His voice carried through the entire hall. "Kill them all. I don't care what orders I gave before, just kill all those fucking queers down there! Find each one of those rats and riddle them with bullets beyond recognition!"

Stevenson looked like he was breathing fire.

The so called assassins waited patiently as the howling of their boss through the microphone was translated into their new order by their coordinator. So now they were to show now mercy; just shoot whichever enemy that moved.

A man in the bar below looked around, his red vision highlighting the tables and chairs in saturated crimsons and scarlets. Suddenly he spotted a shape amidst all the furniture and squinted his eyes to concentrate on it as he nudged himself forwards, still squatting. A chair touched his shoulder and creaked as it shifted slightly on the floor.

The shape changed positions with Godlike speed. And even before he could raise his gun, his head snapped backwards as the bullet went through his goggles and went straight through. His heart stopped beating a second later.

"Eight!"

Christian was feeling like an ignorant frog, stuck in a well. What in the world was happening all around? The last minute and a half had passed without him hardly moving from his position. Was Duke still alive? 

Suddenly he heard the crunching of glass pieces around him. Unknown to him and unlike Duke, he was visible on the night vision cameras that their hunting party's coordinator was monitoring. And in his state of helplessness, the man behind the monitors was directing his men towards the only visible victim on the cameras.

Christian looked about frantically, desperately trying to predict where the noise had come from. He felt the danger he was in and intuitively knew that he was being stalked in the dark. But where would his hunters strike from.

Hearing another shifting of bodyweight, he suddenly lurched forward and pointed his Beretta to the darkness. False Alarm!

"Behind!" he though to himself as he swung around to notice the metallic glint of a gun in his peripheral vision. He knew he was dead.

Bang!

Christian felt the man ahead of him collapse as his body fell forward on him, slumping.

His assailant had just been shot by someone!

"Nine."

Christian fell to the floor, the corpse falling slack and collapsing on him as he did. Had Duke shot this man through this fog of war? 

Christian felt a strange plastic object rubbing against his shoulder, an accoutrement that the dead man had on him, the man who had died in an instant. He immediately felt it up and yanked it off, pulling a cord over the man's head. 

"NVD's!" Christian stated, a bit too loudly as he fumbled with the device and put it on. Their attackers had been fighting them with these on?

The red graphics in his vision immediately put into perspective all his surroundings. Every damn object around him was clearly visible; the furniture, the barstools, cardboard boxes and even the glass shards and popcorn on the floor. And then he peered over the edge of the bar to find Duke crouching behind a table.

It took him just a second to realize that Duke hadn't one of the devices on. And then it hit him. He was shooting on raw instinct and precision, judging the enemy's positions simply by concentrating on the noises they made when they moved.

Would popcorn and broken glass take them all the way to victory?

Clattering noises informed Christian that someone was on the move again. And before he could turn his head to see what movement had taken places, Duke arose like a demonic force, aiming towards the well equipped assailants.

Bang! Bang!

Fire was exchanged in flurries after that, as Duke veered left and right and took his turn as the hunter in the dark in the deathly game of hide and seek. Christian swallowed as he saw him zigzagging across the floor and then diving on the floor firing rounds one after the other. Bullets ricochet off countless surfaces, and bodies collapsed on the floor in several directions before the noises ceased.

Christian held his breath as he saw Duke's form on the floor, lying motionless. Was he hit?

He breathed a sigh of relief as Duke raised himself and crouched low once more. And he knew that instant that Duke had still not been touched by the enemies' bullets. He was a demon; the aura that he was emanating was the stuff of legends. An aura of sheer invulnerability; one that mere mortals simply do not possess; an aura that amalgamated divinity and demonic forces alike. 

And no mortal could even get near that aura.

And at the same time Christian felt fear; a queasy feeling in his stomach that asked him to stay away from this monster, lest he be shot dead too. 

"Ten, Eleven, Twelve."

Duke arose calmly, standing tall in the middle of the bar for the first time. Pointing the Colt towards the popcorn vending machine.

Bang!

A body thumped to the floor.

"Thirteen."

And with that, Duke knew it was over. Even though there was no way to confirm it, he knew intuitively that they were all dead. The whole charade had been played out and there was not a single enemy left. And as much as he had steeled himself for it, it was all sinking in now. He had just killed thirteen men.

He fell to the floor, his arms falling slack, his fingers now loosely grasping the gun as Christian slowly made his way towards him. The shootout at `Crazy Mongers' would be one to remember. Sadly there were just a handful of people who would even hear of it. Nevertheless, the skirmish that ensued at the bar, and the god-like skill that was unleashed would be etched as the last image into the brains of all those that had taken a bullet before they fell to the floor. Christian stared at his mate in wonder and shock. It was still to dark to see but he could make out Duke's slumped kneeling posture as the latter breathed heavily. He was clutching his prized gun in his palms tightly. The gun that had just taken more than a dozen lives. Christian scrambled to his feet as he slowly crept up to Duke and reassuringly put his hands on his companion's shoulders. "You ok buddy?" He asked in a gentle voice. Duke lifted his face slowly, finally peeling his eyes away from the semi-automatic pistol in his hand. "Yeah, I think so." Then Christian whistled in a low voice before he added, "What the hell was that BadgerKing? Are you some kind of a monster or something?" Duke did not reply. The almost supernatural sleight of gun that Duke had just displayed would brand him a legend forever. Sadly there were not many who had witnessed the scene or would ever know about it. Christian heaved himself up from the floor. He knew Duke's avatar had just ended and the realization of what he had done was sinking in. But it was not all over yet. He made his way towards the bartender's counter, knocking on the wooden cabinet below the liquor pipes. "You ok there?" Damien hummed in response. "Stay in there buddy, for just a little while longer."

~~~

"What do you mean you can't contact them?"

The rage boiling over was evident in Stevenson's voice. His face was black with rage.

"I can't get through to any of them. Either they were all killed or everyone down there killed each other."

"Confirm it!" Stevenson bellowed. "Switch on the damn power down there!"

The images everyone had been watching on screen had hardly given them glimpses of what had happened beneath. Mad firing and suited men falling to the floor one after the other in flashes were all they had seen.