3 comments/ 3531 views/ 4 favorites VESPER Ch. 01 By: saturnaliat It was pouring rain, but Vesper didn't mind. In fact, she kind of relished it. She liked the thrill of clinging to the crevices of a slick brick wall, working her way up one windowsill at a time, never thinking about the growing way down. Only the shrinking distance up. She was seventeen stories above the trash-and-puddle filled alley now. Eight more to go. She hauled herself up onto another sill, balanced on the two-foot ledge above a fatal drop, and languidly unwound, stretching upward to reach the next. Her thin black shoes found purchase in the wall. A few minutes later, she was rolling out onto the roof. Made it. She allowed herself to bask in victory for one moment. Then it was back to business. She grabbed the slack cord around her waist and used it to drag up the waterproof duffel she'd left in the alley below. Then she stepped out to the very edge of the building. Across the street loomed the Carter Hotel, where the annual Carter Family Ball was currently in full swing. She hadn't been invited, but she'd decided to crash the party anyway. She secured one end of the cord to a pole on the ceiling and flung the other end across the street with a grapple on the end. It smashed through a darkened window and the grapple held. She tested the rope. Firm. Perfect. She hefted the duffel, aimed it carefully, and lobbed it out into the air. It flew through the window, much to her relief. She wouldn't have relished the long trip back to street level to retrieve it. Now for the tricky part. She flexed her toes a few times and stepped out onto the cord. Every time she did this it brought her back to the circus, that first day on the tightrope, standing too far above the ground, terrified in spite of the safety net. She'd fallen a few times, learning, but sooner or later you had to learn not to fall. When you were performing there was no net. Falling was not an option. Not even once. No mistakes. This was a performance. Moments later she dropped through the window into a darkened apartment. This would be room 25A, which she'd already ascertained was uninhabited at the moment. She scooped up the duffel, made her way into the bathroom, switched on the light and closed the door. No need to risk someone noticing. She quickly stripped off her soaked jeans and T-shirt. She grabbed a towel, dried herself off. Pulled off the black skullcap and let her curly blonde hair fall out. She opened the duffel and pulled out a small red dress, garters, and a pair of heels, which she slipped into. She took two more minutes to fix her hair and apply some makeup. Complete transformation. The last item in the bag was a butterfly knife. She slipped it into her garter. She stuffed her wet clothes into the duffel, dumped it in the bathtub and closed the curtain. Time to join the party. Vesper rolled in suavely through the main entrance, not giving the guards a second glance. They didn't give her one either. She was clearly a guest, clearly harmless. It was a beautiful disguise. She stopped near the entrance and scanned the room. The crowd was slightly overwhelming. Searching for a single person in this human miasma could be a monolithic task. Well, maybe they'd bump into each other. Vesper strolled into the crowd, casually nodding hellos, careful not to be dragged into any conversations. With luck, she wouldn't meet anyone she knew. "Vesper! Hey, Vesper! Is that you?" Shit. Madeleine. "Hey, Madeleine," said Vesper, closing her eyes and praying that the bitch would die of a spontaneous heart attack. "Vesper, I didn't know you were here!" said Madeleine. "I thought Mr Carter disowned you!" "Invited anyway," said Vesper. "Salt in the wound, I guess. Is Adam around?" "Adam's just dying to see you!" Madeleine put a hand over her mouth. "My God, Vesper, you never called, you never said anything! He's been so worried. I mean, it's not like he disowned you! He's your brother!" "I know, I know," said Vesper. "I've been busy. Do you know where he is?" "Near the band," said Madeleine, pointing. "Talking to Mr Carter. Oh. Maybe you don't want to talk to Mr Carter." "I'm sure it'll be fine." "I mean, he invited you, right? That has to mean something. Like maybe this is his way of extending the olive branch. It might be the only way he knows to reach you." "Parties," said Vesper. "My favourite thing. Thanks, Madeleine. See you later." She was already walking. Now that she had him in her sights, the universe had slid into slow motion. She surveyed the room. He was standing facing the band, his back turned to her. Hadn't seen her yet. Area around him clear of people. Perfect. Her eyes swivelled to the left. Large window. Heavy potted plant sitting nearby. What side of the building was that? East side, twentieth floor. Narrow alley, building across the street had a fire escape. Security? Two goons hovering nearby. Not close enough to make a difference. Perfect, perfect, perfect. She scooped a wine glass off a tray with her left hand, never breaking step. Took a sip without tasting it. She was so close to the moment she'd envisioned for ten years. Who fantasized about murder as a twelve-year-old girl? It was fucked up. But her whole life had been fucked up. This made it all worth it. Even if it was the last thing she ever did right. And it wouldn't be. Ten steps away, she lifted up her dress and got the butterfly knife out with her right hand. Back still to her. She flipped the knife open behind her back, the wine glass still in her left hand. Mark was ranting at some unfamiliar Asian girl, his face red. Rick standing by with his arms folded. Five steps. Four. Three. Two. Mark glanced up and saw her just as she brought the knife down, through Adam's ribcage and directly into his heart, shoving him forward into the band, the sudden screech of violins as a corpse landed on the musicians. The Asian girl screamed. Mark staggered back in disbelief. Vesper dropped the wine glass with a crash and ran, kicking off her heels. It took the goons one second of shock to spring into action. Poorly trained, she thought dispassionately. She was already halfway to the window. She scooped up the potted plant and lobbed it. The window shattered, the pot flew through. People were screaming, trying to run nowhere in particular. Vesper sprinted and dove through the window, hung out in space for a heart-lurching moment, crashed into the fire escape on the fire side of the alley and hung on. Someone fired a shot through the window. She dropped one storey and grabbed the fire escape again. Drop, grab, drop, grab. Fucking hard on the arms. Five stories down she climbed up over the railing and took the steps. Shots ricocheted off the brickwork, but the goons had already given up on her. They might try to catch her in the street. She was too fast for that. Six stories up, she jumped and landed in a dumpster, cushioning the fall with wet trash. Not the most elegant escape route - the dress might not be salvageable. She hauled herself out and ran barefoot out of the alley, across the street, and into the far alley where her car was parked. A moment later she was peeling away, splashing up puddles. They would never catch her now. * Vesper parked the car outside a hotel and punched a button on her cell phone. "Hong," she said. "He's dead." "Sure of it?" came Hong's voice. "Stabbed him in the heart. No question." "Come see me tomorrow evening," he said. "Don't go back to your apartment." "I'm not stupid." "I'll be staying with Vincent. Be there at seven. Don't be late." "Are you going to say thank you?" "Thank you," said Hong. He sounded sincere. She hung up. She'd left an extra suit of clothes in the car. She climbed into the back seat, stripped off the ruined dress and pulled them on. Not much she could do about the smell until she got to a bathroom. She grabbed her purse from under the seat and went into the hotel. Vesper woke up and was momentarily bemused to find herself lying in a cheap hotel bed. Then she remembered last night. She smiled gleefully at the memory. A knock at the door brought her back to reality. 5:30 in the morning? Who would bang on her door this early? Who even knew she was staying here? Shit. She lay frozen in bed for a moment. She had no plan for this contingency. They weren't supposed to find her for a day. One day, and then she could get to Hong and be safe. It had been seven hours since she killed her brother. Seven hours and they had already found her. How? The knock came again. She rolled out of bed. First things first. She couldn't make an escape in panties and her undershirt. She had dumped her clothes near the bed somewhere, but she couldn't see them in the dark. Switch on a light? The door was locked, after all. How long before they tried breaking it down? Had she pulled the latch? Her heart leaped into her mouth. They'd have a key from the front desk. They could just walk in at any second. She ran to the door and felt for the latch. It was in place. Phew. Knock, knock. "Open up!" shouted a harsh male voice from outside. "We know you're in there!" Fuck. She had to move fast. Clothes, then window. She was only on the second floor. She could jump that. Easily. She flipped on the light. The door unlocked and jerked open half an inch. Thank God for that latch. "You can't get away from us, bitch!" the voice roared. No time for clothes. She ran to the window. Locked shut. She felt feverishly for the switch. Flipped it. Someone slammed into the door. Once. Twice. The window opened with a jerk. She pulled herself through and dropped down to the street. She landed right at the feet of a massive goon in a black vest. Of course they would be waiting outside, too. She kneed him in the groin. He didn't even flinch. Just grabbed her arm as she tried to run. A moment later she got a fist to the back of the head. Went down on the wet asphalt. Stumbled back up, gritting her teeth. The goon grabbed her wrists and yanked them behind her back. She shouted helplessly as the cuffs went on. "At least let me get dressed, asshole!" she shouted as he shoved her into the backseat of a black van. The door slammed shut. She was sandwiched between two piles of black leather and muscle. The van peeled away. "We got her," the driver growled into a mic. "Who the fuck are you?" she shouted. "Let me the fuck out of here! What the fuck do you think you're doing?" The goons didn't even look at her. She looked out the tinted windows, trying to figure out where they were going. Wherever it was, they were going there dangerously fast. Red lights streaked by in a blur. A few cars honked. She really wished she'd taken the time to get her clothes on. The van stopped on the outskirts of town in a large empty lot. There was a sleek silver sedan parked in the centre. The goons opened the door, dragged her out, and shoved her on her knees. She looked up grimly as the sedan door opened. A young woman got out, a woman wearing a pink ribbon in her hair, a brown leather dog collar on her neck, and absolutely nothing else. She unfolded a big black umbrella and held it up authoritatively. Behind her came a man in a white suit and a black tie, a perfectly cut goatee on his chin, a faint smile on his lips. He looked disapprovingly at the sky, then down at Vesper, kneeling on the asphalt in her underwear in the pouring rain. "Good morning," he said kindly. "Mr John Blight," she said through gritted teeth. "To what do I owe the fucking pleasure?" Blight wiggled his fingers imperiously. Another naked girl stepped out of the car with a pack of cigarettes. She placed one in his mouth and lit it. Blight took his time drawing in a breath and blowing out smoke. "Vesper Carter," he said. "You killed your brother Adam last night." "Could we talk about this somewhere else?" she snarled. "Certainly," he said. "Let's go to my place, shall we? In a moment. First I would like you to answer a few questions." "I'm not going to tell you anything, you fucker. Let me out of these handcuffs and give me a fucking T-shirt or something." Blight shook his head. "You've always had an attitude problem, Vesper," he said. "Sometimes it's endearing. Now, it's just obstructive. I have a lot of respect for you, Vesper. You did a good thing last night. The question is - who for?" "Myself." "Not likely. Oh, I'm sure there were personal reasons. But Vesper Carter does not work alone. You are part of a great machine - one that I would like to understand. I need to know if you are my enemy or my ally." "We're getting closer to Enemy," said Vesper, "every second I have to sit here in the rain." "Sharp-witted as always. I didn't mean in a personal sense. Who are you working with?" "None of your business." "I see." Blight shook his head. "You're being difficult. Look, I can find out on my own easily enough, if necessary, Vesper. For God's sake, I knew about this murder hours after it happened. You think I couldn't learn everything about you? A few phone calls is all it would take. I wanted to give you a chance to prove you're willing to help me. If you are, then I'm willing to help you." "I'd feel a lot more willing to help you if you'd been a bit nicer about asking." "If you aren't willing to help me," Blight said, "then our entire relationship could come to a premature end. You understand? I can't help you if you won't help me. I'm talking about abrupt termination. There, now, I see the light is dawning. One more time. Who do you work for?" Vesper sighed deeply. Her teeth were starting to chatter. "Fine," she said. "I work for Hong Lee. Hong Lee and his gang. We work together. We're a team. Okay, are you fucking happy now, can we maybe go inside and get some coffee?" "Of course," said Blight, gesturing. "Thank you for understanding. You can't ride in the sedan, I'm afraid. You're a little wet." The goons dragged her back into the van. She sat there sullenly as they drove out of the city, trying to ignore the wet hair clinging to her face. This was not part of the plan. VESPER Ch. 02 The van stopped somewhere in the suburbs, pulled into the driveway of a gigantic mansion. Peering out the window, Vesper couldn't see another house for miles. Just damp fields getting muddy in the rain. The goons dragged her through a side door into what looked like an empty parking garage. The two girls from the car were waiting there, arms crossed over their chests, looking bored. The goons left Vesper in the room and stomped out. The door closed with a decisive slam. Vesper stared at the girls. "Hey," she said. "The name's Vesper. Nice ribbons." They ignored her. One of them was holding a pair of scissors. She walked up to Vesper and starting cutting off her undershirt. "Hey, fuck off!" Vesper snapped, kneeing her in the chest. The girl stumbled back and glared at her. "I'll call in the boys if you do that again," she said. "Finally, someone goddamn talks to me," said Vesper. "What's going on?" "We are making you presentable so you can go into the main house. Mr Blight is very particular about what goes on in his house." "I guess I am a little messy," said Vesper. "Fine. But just take off the fucking handcuffs and let me deal with my own underwear. No need to cut it up." The girl shrugged. "Okay," she said, walking up behind her and removing the cuffs. Vesper spent a second running things over in her mind. These ladies were clearly not fighters. She could overpower them in seconds. Back through the door. Then what? Fight off two massive brutes unarmed? Run down the road in her underwear for ten miles? Nothing came to mind. Better to just go with it for now. She obligingly removed her underwear. The girls led her out of the garage and into an adjacent bathroom. It was the most luxurious bathroom Vesper had ever seen, and she was pretty sure it was bigger than her entire apartment. "Are you going to tell me your names?" she asked as they fiddled around in the cupboards. "I am Nicole One," said the first girl, "and this is Nicole Seven." "There are seven Nicoles here?" "We are all named Nicole." Vesper raised her eyebrows. "Does Blight only hire Nicoles? Is that some kind of policy or something?" "That is the name he gives us," said Nicole One. "Easier to remember. Here, dry yourself off." Vesper accepted the silk towel and rubbed herself down. The towel was warm, like it had just come out of the dryer. It felt great. "Now stand still," said Nicole One, and starting rubbing Vesper down with some kind of scented perfume. Nicole Seven attacked her hair with a brush and a blow dryer. When that was done she produced another pink ribbon and tied it into Vesper's hair. Nicole One started dabbing makeup on her face. "There," she said at last, stepping back and admiring her work. "Just one more thing." She reached under the counter and produced another dog collar. "Um," said Vesper. "I'm not wearing that." Nicole One rolled her eyes. "Please don't make this difficult." "Okay. But I'm not wearing that." "You're going to wear it." "Make me." "I'll call the boys in. I swear. I will call them in right now." "Okay, fine, I get it," said Vesper. "Follow the fucking dress code. At least get me a dress or something." Nicole One put the collar on her neck and tightened it. "No dress." "Some fucking pants then." "You're ready. Let's go." "I'm naked!" Nicole One grabbed her hand and dragged her out the door. "Okay, come on," she said. "I'm starting to regret letting you take the handcuffs off." Vesper gave in and followed her down a carpeted hallway, through a parlour decorated with paintings of fruit, and into a sprawling ballroom with a grand piano and a massive stone fireplace. John Blight was in an armchair near the fire, drinking something out of a china saucer. A naked girl stood on either side of him. Vesper rolled her eyes. "Ah, what a pleasure," said Blight. "You mentioned coffee?" He snapped his fingers. One of the girls poured another cup and brought it to Vesper. She took a sip. It tasted expensive. "Right," said Vesper. "So question one, when do I get to put on some fucking clothes? Question two, was your first girlfriend named Nicole or something? Question three, I am damn serious about those clothes. Get them on me right now." Blight smiled. "Charming as ever, Vesper," he said. "Shall we talk business?" "It's Miss Carter, please," said Vesper. "If I came to your house," said Blight, "you might have certain expectations - that I take my shoes off at the door, for example, so as not to track mud on your fine carpet. I simply have my own standards, and while you are in my house, you will follow them. Understood?" "I'm not exactly a voluntary guest," said Vesper. "You kidnapped me. You bastard." Blight shook his head. "You try my patience," he said. "Whenever you're finished ranting, maybe we can get to the matter at hand. Go ahead and sit down." Vesper looked around for a chair. There were none. "Good joke." "As you wish. Now, about the murder last night." "What about it?" "An act like that has repercussions," said Blight. "They will be felt by Mr Adam Carter's friends and enemies alike. Most groups have not had time to react. I like to be a little ahead of everyone, as you know, which is why I arranged this meeting. So here's the situation. When you killed Adam Carter, you started a war. You and I are both a part of this war, whether we like it or not. Every party will be looking out for their own interests. What is important to me is that your interests are aligned with my own." "Hard to say," said Vesper. "I don't feel very good about you right now." "A fair reaction," said Blight. "But consider this. Your father, and the group he represents, are not directly involved in this conflict. But they have felt the sting of Adam's death. They want revenge against his killer. They would be delighted were I to turn you over to them, right now. If I discovered that our interests were not aligned, to turn you over would likely be my first response. You follow?" "You're threatening me." "Exactly. This is a threat. I threat, I hope, that will soon blossom into a beautiful friendship." "So what happens in the long run?" "You work for me. You are obviously a capable and intelligent operative. Hong is incompetent and uninteresting. The choice is obvious." "Will I have to change my name to Nicole?" He laughed. "That's just my little joke," he said. "You will not be working in that capacity. Here is what I propose. You rendezvous with Hong, as you have likely planned. You keep a low profile for the time being. You observe as alliances are formed and enemies are made among the factions. Once battle lines are drawn, you will spring into action." "Action?" "As an assassin. I will communicate with you directly. You will receive the benefit of my protection, and, of course, significant financial remuneration. What do you say?" Vesper shrugged. "Not much of a choice," she said. "I accept. Can I have some clothes now?" "When do you rendezvous with Hong?" said Blight. "Tonight. Seven. Sharp." "You will be there. Do not tell him we spoke. Remember, just because you are out of my hands does not mean you are out of my sight." Hong opened the door the instant he heard the knock. "You're late," he informed Vesper. Then he did a double take. "Where were you hiding, the Playboy Mansion?" "Fuck off," said Vesper, stepping into the apartment. "Just get me some clothes." "Fine," he said. "Get in here. Get Colleen. She's about your size, right?" "Colleen!" Vesper hollered. "I need a goddamn T-shirt!" Colleen stumbled into the room, rubbing her eyes. "Vesper," she said. "Wait, why are you naked?" "Nice ribbon," said Hong. "Spent the day on the town or something? You were supposed to keep a low profile, Vesper." "Yeah, well, things got complicated. Get out of my way." Ten minutes later she was sitting on Hong's mouldy couch in a pair of sweatpants and one of Colleen's baggy sweaters, sipping lukewarm tea from a chipped porcelain cup. "Adam's in the news already," said Hong, switching on the TV. "The factions are gearing up. This is a big deal, Vesper. You did good." "Thanks," said Vesper. "It felt good." "You don't sound happy about it." "I dunno," said Vesper. "It wasn't quite like I expected. But that's not important. We have to talk about what happened next." "We have to talk about why you showed up at the door start naked with a ribbon in your hair," said Hong. "What the hell was that?" "I just forgot about the ribbon," said Vesper. "That's not important either. I'll tell you about it later, if I have to." "Did anyone find you?" "No, it was all low key." "Being naked was low -" "Will you shut up about the nudity already!" Vesper almost spat out her tea. "Have the Skulls put out a warrant for my head yet?" "Nobody knows it was you," said Hong. "Who saw you do it?" "Basically everyone at the party," said Vesper. "But who recognized you?" "Mark. Madeleine. Probably Rick." "And they haven't told anybody. For the time being, that's good. Keeps you out of the hot water. We can plan around that." "Yeah, about that." Somebody rang the doorbell. Vesper stiffened. "Colleen, see who that is," said Hong quietly. A moment later Colleen came back with a lanky young man in a baseball cap. "Calvin," said Hong. "What is it?" Calvin shook his head. "Just thought you should know, man," he said. "Kim didn't get home last night." Hong wrinkled his forehead. "What? Where was she?" "Carter's party." "Fuck." Hong jumped to his feet. "Goddammit, Calvin, why didn't you tell me sooner?" "Just found out now," said Calvin. "Thought I should tell you in person." "Yeah, okay. Vesper, you need to check on this." "Check on what? Your little sister?" said Vesper. "I'm not a babysitter." "Fuck you, Vesper, this is important! Somebody probably thought she was involved with me! Mark knows she's my fucking sister!" "So what? She's got nothing to do with this." "Mark doesn't know that! You've got to look for her, Vesper." "I have to keep a low profile. Send someone else." "There's no one else I trust enough!" "Well, I'm not doing it. It's too dangerous." Hong punched the wall. Colleen touched his arm. "Calm down," she said. "I'm sure Kim is fine. Maybe she was just shaken up by the murder and left town." Hong took a deep breath and stared at the floor. "I'll call her phone," he said. "Maybe she'll answer her phone." When she heard the phone, Madeleine was kneeling naked on the floor, her face buried in Mark's crotch, stroking his cock with her tongue. It all felt the same as the first time she'd done it, two years ago, right after they'd been introduced. Adam had gone out for some reason she couldn't remember, and the two of them had been left alone together. She'd never met a man as powerful as Mark before. He was richer than God, and probably owned more companies, too. He'd taken a liking to her right away. She couldn't remember quite how it had started, but before an hour had passed she was stripped out of her clothes and getting down in front of him. His cock had tasted of piss and sweat. She licked the shaft with the tip of her tongue, buried her face in his scrotum and kissed his balls, until he finally grabbed the back of her head and pushed the tip right down the back of her throat. Her nose was buried in his mess of pubic hair. It felt like forever, staring up at his ecstatic face, waiting for the salty globs of semen to drop down her throat, for him to pull out so she could breathe. After that it happened regularly. Even now that Adam was dead, it just felt natural. "What's that goddamn ringing?" Mark grunted, taking his hand out of her hair. She kept sucking. He stood up awkwardly, holding his pants with one hand and feeling around on the coffee table. "Hey," he said, "it's that bitch's purse. Must be her phone. Hey, stop it for a second. I want to get this." He sat down on the couch. She released his penis and settled back on her haunches. "Yeah, this is Mark Carter," he said, stroking her cheek. "Who the fuck are you? Oh yeah! Oh yeah. Well, listen up, chum. You want your sister back? I'll cut you a fucking deal. You give me my daughter. Yeah, that's right. I want her trussed up like a turkey on my doorstep. I'm going to make her wish she was never born. Yeah, you go ahead and threaten me, kiddo! I've been playing the game since you were learning to shit in diapers. I want that little bitch trussed up on my doorstep tomorrow, you got it? Or things are going to get real nasty with your little sister over here. Yeah, I love you too." He tossed the phone on the table and grinned. "Now we're getting somewhere," he said. "Go on, let's get back in business. What do you think you're doing?"