S Ison - Russian Doomsday

The shipping company was a big place, and he carried her for quite some way before arriving at his office. She was very pleased with herself. Now the real work began. He took her over to a beautiful leather couch and sat her upon it. She let her arms linger around his neck just a moment longer than necessary. Then, disengaging herself, she wiped at her tears. He handed her a crisp white, very expensive, cotton handkerchief. Only the best for Borin.

Her low position in research and development allowed her greater latitude in moving about freely; no one really paid attention to her. Now she faced the full force of his attention. Her heart fluttered. Her eyes followed him as he went to the credenza to pour her a glass of whisky.

Dina inhaled deeply, exhaled slowly. She had Alexei, and it was now up to her to gather the intel they needed on the POSEIDON project. She smiled, letting her lips tremble a bit, as she accepted the crystal tumbler from Alexei’s strong hand. She sipped delicately at the amber liquid. It felt good as it burned down her throat.

Like the whisky, she hoped this operation would go smoothly.

Hamish woke to the chirping ringtone of the phone. He grabbed the phone as he clambered out of bed, placing his thumb over the identifier as he did so. The call came through. A code was given and challenged, and then another set of clicks sounded before he was speaking to one of his assets on Russian soil.

“Mermaid is in place,” said the disembodied voice.

“I expect sitreps daily. Also, copy to Milton in Analysis. See what we can glean. Out.” He hung up the phone. Lying back down, he smiled to himself. Dina was in place. That was good. Very good. He’d waited two years for this, and not a moment too soon. His other assets were coming up with nothing. Everyone was tightlipped over there.

It had been a hard wait, but they were in. She’d been taught by the best spymaster, and whatever she gave them would be gold, no matter how small a nugget. Each bit of intel helped to build the bigger picture, helped to solve the puzzle. It was an ongoing task, and when he retired or moved on, his replacement would pick up where he left off as he had done.

His predecessor had seen to it that there were several female assets who could work up into the highest levels of government and industry. Any intel was good intel. Spying was a slow game, the long game. There was a chance they’d learn nothing. But, now that Mermaid was in, there was at least a chance.

He’d take whatever he could get. She was in, and the ball was rolling. He’d let Jenson know in the morning, and keep her apprised if anything notable were to come up. She wasn’t a micromanager, thank God. He’d run across too many of those in his career. They tended to hamstring the players.

He got up and went downstairs to their small, elegant kitchen. Opening the fridge, he looked in. There wasn’t anything he wanted. He pulled out the quart of milk, opened it, and sniffed. Drinking out of the container, he let out a satisfied burp and put it back in the fridge. The floor was a little cold and his toes curled.

He crept back to bed. Thankfully Mark hadn’t woken up. He smiled. Being married had certainly changed his life. His husband was a tenured professor at Georgetown, an exceptionally brilliant man. They’d met in college, at Georgetown, in fact. At first their private lives had been lived in the shadows, but now they lived and loved as most couples did.

It didn’t hurt, his blending into the scenery. Poor Mark was as bland and unremarkable-looking as himself. He grinned. Two unremarkable men with remarkable minds. He liked that thought. He fluffed his pillow and went back to sleep, a smile on his unremarkable face. Things were finally looking up with regards to POSEIDON.

Life sure is funny , Mikey thought. Life was so boring in this dump, you had to make your own fun. There just wasn’t a lot to do. He did a lot of robberies with Kalvin. That was always a win-win in his book. But something was missing. The thrill of it.

Mikey blew smoke out of his nose. He felt so relaxed. He looked down. Julia lay beside him, staring at him. He smiled down at her, making his blue eyes sparkle. Lifting a finger, he gently caressed her jawline. She was very pretty, and young. He liked them young, though the woman he’d met at the bar had been nice too. What was her name? He couldn’t seem to remember.

Julia had been coming out of a lingerie shop when he first saw her.

So, for nearly three months, he followed her and watched her. A week ago, he’d approached her at a café. They’d flirted and exchanged numbers.

And finally, they’d gone out. It had been worth it.

He frowned. Her eyes were filled with tears. He leaned over and gently wiped them away, then kissed her on the nose. “I’m sorry I was so rough. You just drove me to it,” he said, though he really didn’t mean it. He knew women liked to hear it, though.

He grinned, his eyes roaming every curve of her face. She was quite lovely. “You know, I waited a week before calling you? It was really hard, but I’m glad I waited.” He smiled. He took a long drag from his cigarette. “Sorry about dinner. I know I said we were going out for Chinese, but I couldn’t wait to get you here.”

Julia whimpered a little, her eyes large and luminous. She didn’t say anything, though. She kept looking into his eyes, searching.

“Look, you shouldn’t have fought me. I like it, don’t get me wrong, but the more you fight, the more I want you. I can’t help myself.” He grinned and leaned down to kiss her mouth. “See, and you’re already learning not to pull away. I know you women. You like it rough and tough, though you say otherwise. I saw your face. You loved it.” He snickered. He reached over and pinched her nipple, eliciting a whimper. His grin grew bigger.

“Two days with you and I’m a happy man. And baby, you still make my heart beat fast.” He leaned his head down and bit her nipple. She cried out.

He raised his head up and sighed. “Now, I know what you’re thinking, but I’d say you should reconsider.”

“What… what am I thinking?” Julia asked, her voice trembling.

His grin grew. They always did this. He sniggered. So predictable, but that was what he loved about them. “You think that, when I drive you home, you’ll maybe call a friend and that friend will say, ‘Call the police.’ But you shouldn’t. Tell a friend, I mean.”

He ran his tongue along her neck. She trembled. That excited him, but he had a shift coming up and he needed to go to work. He was a punctual man and knew the importance of keeping a low profile. No questions got pointed in his direction.

“Look. We had a great time, and more than likely I’ll never bother you again. I do know where you live: 48 Crescent Drive, apartment 302, and I know where you keep that spare key. You know, you shouldn’t do that. I made a duplicate as easy as that. I think you have a very nice apartment too, by the way. I like that you’re a big reader, though too many romance novels for my taste.”

He laughed when her dark eyes widened, and he watched as liquid fear rushed across them. He never tired of seeing that, it always gave that certain rush that made him feel invincible. He’d never found a substitute for it. Not booze, not drugs, and certainly not consensual sex. Boring.

“I… I w-won’t tell anyone, I promise,” she stuttered.

“That’s good. I’ll be watching you, you know, to make sure you mind your Ps and Qs. I have a couple of friends who’ll take exception should the police show up at my apartment. They won’t like it, and if you meet them, I know you won’t like it,” he lied smoothly.