A Pawn in the Game

phoxy_brown · 19 years ago

Nakisha Branch arrived at the MICE headquarters a little after 8am. She had a hard time trying to get her office uniform out of the cleaners and was behind schedule. All agents, when not in field were required to wear a navy blue skirt suit with a white blouse and navy blue tights. As she entered the glass building she ran into the restroom to make sure her suit was correct for her meeting with the new director, Lindsay Karcher. Ms. Karcher had worked her way up from a trainee to one of the elite agents. She was well on her way to becoming one of the all-time greats until she was captured while on a mission by the Iron Cross and tortured by Baroness Brueker. Her unit of MICE agents were also captured and severely tortured before being executed. Ms. Karcher was eventually rescued but was held responsible for the death of her teammates. Rather than be discharged, she was reassigned to desk duty in a remote outpost in Asia.

Over the years she became a drone, mindlessly performing menial tasks. While this was happening, there was a power play happening stateside for control of MICE. The long time director, Myles McCarty had suffered a heart attack and died sudden. He was in the process of setting up an heir, but a rival faction within the organization had managed to gain control of MICE. Thus started an internal struggle that lasted almost five years. After five years, the interim director, Katie O’Brien realized that the department was fractured after years of infighting had almost brought MICE to it’s knees. She knew that she was not capable of fighting of the other groups that were trying to gain control of the organization. So in a bold and daring move, she decided to enlist the aid of Ms. Karcher. Katie and Ms. Karcher came into the program at the same time and graduated at the top of their class. They had even worked several missions together. Katie had managed to keep in touch with Ms. Karcher during her current “exile”. Katie felt that Ms. Karcher had the right assets to clean up the organization, as she was probably the one individual with ties to Chief McCarthy that wasn’t corrupt. Sure, Lindsay was bitter but not corrupt.

Katie managed to pull some strings and get Ms. Karcher reassigned as second in command. This made the in fighting get worse as Ms. Karcher had a “reputation” for being a hot-headed maverick that was labeled as unstable by some of her superiors. But no one could argue with her results. Ms. Karcher had the highest arrest rate of any agent and consistently met all of her mission objectives. Some on the inside believe that Ms. Karcher was sent on that final mission with the full intent of having her fail so that she could be placed on ice. Over the next year, Katie and Ms. Karcher sought to clean up MICE and fought many hard battles against the other factions within MICE and eventually came out on top. Finally, MICE was back in top form. But the victory was not without a price. While en route to a conference with Cynthia Stone who was in charge of GIRLS to discuss a possible joint-unit, Katie’s jet went down over swamps of Florida. No one survived, and many felt that several “rouge” MICE officials sabotaged the flight. The NTSB combed the swamps for weeks without finding anything. The swamp had effectively managed to swallow up any trace of life or evident of foul play. The case was closed, but Ms. Karcher knew deep down that the one person responsible for where she was today had been murdered by someone with ties to MICE. She was determined to find out who killed her friend, but that would have to wait for another time.

Ms. Karcher stood staring out of the window of her corner office surveying the city skyline. She still could not believe that just 18 months earlier she was rotting away in Kuala Lumpur. A quick buzz jarred her from her random musing. The receptionist was informing Ms. Karcher that her 8am appointment had arrived. She told the receptionist to show her in and hold all calls. Nakisha or Nicky to her friends, walked in with a little trepidation. Not only was she late, she knew that Ms. Karcher had a reputation for being extremely hard on her agents. Nicky walked in and Ms. Karcher looked down at her watch in a stern manner. She didn’t say anything to Nakisha, walking back to her desk. Nakisha was standing in attention as Ms. Karcher slid a dossier across the long oak table. Ms. Karcher asked Nicky if she knew anything about bioengineering. Nicky responded with the best dictionary definition that she could come up with. Ms. Karcher pointed to the dossier and explained that the man in the file was the leading researcher in the field; his name was Kenshiro Matsuyama. He also happened to be employed by the Nakano Corporation. The doctor started out many years ago with the best of intentions. He was a pioneer in the field of biomechanics and robotics. He had several patents for low-level bionics and implants and was on his way to becoming the savior of a national. Reuters released a story on him in 2009 implying that he was using live test subjects in his research. Many in the industry began to label him as a mad scientist. Just the accusation alone was enough to ruin him, until he was “recruited” by the Nakano Group.

The Nakano Corp had long developed a reputation of being a leader in biochemical research. They had patents on many of the drugs on the market today. They had surpassed the American pharmaceutical companies due to relaxed regulations and restrictions in Japan. Many in various government organizations theorized that the Nakano Group had gone too far in its research as they had allegedly performed experiments on live human subjects. Normal American government channels had no way to prove this due to Japan’s strict law on external agencies having access to Japanese records. Relations were extremely strained with Japan and had gotten worse since the US accidentally shot down a passenger jetliner over Osaka. The incident sparked a huge outcry against the US military presence in Japan. The Japanese government had accused the Americans of trying to turn Japan into a protectorate or 51st state. The Americans of course denied this. The Japanese where offended by all American culture and banned the import of all American products back in 2009. The American economy began to suffer as a result. Tensions were high stateside as many plants were being shut down as a result of this reverse embargo. Some US officials were concerned about awakening the “Dragon” and forcing them to become an enemy. The final straw occurred in 2011 when a militant Japanese loyalist group bombed the American Embassy in Japan, killing 65% of the occupants. The US Government saw this as a direct attack on American property. Japanese government denounced the militant group responsible but refused to extradite the group’s members stating that they would be tried in a Japanese court. The American President saw this as an affront and wanted to declare war against Japan, her cabinet managed to sway her in a different direction. Sanctions, embargoes, and funding would cease immediately. Each countries economy continued to fail as a result of these actions. For all intents and purposes a new Cold War had begun between Japan and the US. Needless to say, the Japan government was not about to allow a non-sanctioned shadow operative into their borders to investigate their highly advanced bioresearch. Nicky was about to be sent on a mission into a hostile country to gather intel a possible rouge scientist. Ms. Karcher pulled out another dossier; this one was black and contained Nakisha’s service record. She proceeded to read off a slew of commendations and accolades outlining Nicky’s time in MICE. Then she got to the part where Nick was reprimanded on several occasion for insubordination and refusing to follow direct orders. In many ways, Ms. Karcher was staring a younger version of herself.

Nakisha was born in Atlanta, Georgia at the end of the 1st Gulf Crisis. Her mother was a nurse and her father worked for the city as a mechanic. Nakisha was always a troublemaker, even as a child. She constantly terrorized the other neighborhood kids with practical jokes and got into a lot of fights with both boys and girls. From an early age, Nicky’s parents knew she was different. She was playing the piano by the age of six and was always the fastest kid in her class. Nicky’s parents enrolled her in a special school where she could hone her talents. Yet she was still getting into trouble.

One day, the track coach was watching her terrorize another freshman. The student was twice Nick’s size, but that didn’t matter, as Nicky was just too fast. The coach eventually broke up the ruckus and approached Nicky with an opportunity to join the track team. She told the coach that she was already taking piano lessons. The coach could tell that Nicky was almost bored with life and that she always needed to be doing something. In the past, she would have been labeled with ADD, but modern medicine was able to determine that Nicky was highly advanced in the use of her right and left sides of her brain. Thus explained her natural ability at the piano and track. Nicky was also extremely attractive. Her mother was actually a runner up in the Ms. Georgia Pageant back in her youth. Thus explaining Nicky’s stunning ebony features. Nicky was approximately 5’8” and 122 pounds. She had long wavy dark hair that she would often highlight with blond streaks and perfectly framed her mocha complexion. Her natural brown eyes made her even more exotic. Nicky eventually lettered in track for three years and gained All State honors in music. She was offered a scholarship to both Berklee for piano and the University of Georgia for track. She decided to accept the track scholarship so that she could stay closer to home.

Nick was always a tomboy at heart and never felt comfortable “dressing up”. She always felt that the best part of her job was her field costume, which consisted of a one-piece lycra bodystocking that covered her from head to toe. Of course she felt the ears were stupid and made the agents stand out and couldn’t figure out why the tech didn’t fit the receivers inside the headpiece instead of on top of their head; but that was a different issue. During Nick’s senior year, she enrolled in a special training program offered by her track coach. Nick and several teammates were sent to Eugene, Oregon to participate with other track athletes. They all took written aptitude tests and performed several physical test before entering the competition. Nicky was the star of the event. While at the meet, Nicky was approached by a female in a Navy Blue skirt suit. She introduced herself to Nick and asked if they could speak in private. Nick though she was going to over her a spot on the Olympic Trial Team, but was shocked when the lady told her about a secret agency assigned to protecting American interests abroad. Being one that loved action Nicky jumped at the opportunity to serve her country and go on dangerous missions. Thus was Nicky’s first meeting with Katie O’Brien who was still in charge of recruitment at that point. Nicky found the transition from college to secret agent a little difficult at first. Sure she excelled at the physical and mental aspects of the training, but still had a hard time adjusting to authority.

One day, after a rather tense training session with her martial arts instructor, Katie called Nicky into her office. Katie was standing behind a desk with a large pile of folders in front of her. Nicky was somewhat perplexed. Katie told her to pick up any folder at random and open it. At first, Nicky thought it was a mission; then the cold realization hit her like a ton of bricks. She threw down the first folder and grabbed another, followed by another. Each folder represented an agent that had either been captured or killed while on a mission. There were tons of pictures of girls roughly Nicky’s age still in their MICE field costume severely beaten, tortured, and left for dead in dark, dank and forsaken places throughout the world. Most of the pictures were taken by the MICE extradition team as part of the standard field report; but many pictures were taken by the capturers themselves and sent back to MICE. One particular picture that haunted Nicky was taken of an agent captured in Turkey. She was in a dimly lit cell and was being held up by a two large masked men on either side of her. Nicky could tell the girl was an agent because she was still in her standard field ops bodystocking or what was left of it. The part that covered the agent’s head had been rip away from the rest of the costume revealing a red head approximately 22 years old. Her right eye was swollen shut and blood was trickling from her nose and mouth. The upper portion of her bodystocking was covered with dried blood and dirt. Her arms were tied in front her, and were completely exposed and had red markings around her wrist. The lower half of the bodystocking was completely missing exposing her battered legs. The bodystocking was in essence reduced to a torn and tattered loincloth with just enough fabric to cover the agent’s breasts and nether region. Nicky could see the fear in the girl’s eyes and fought hard to choke back the tears. Katie explained that there were scores of girls like her that had given lives while in the service of MICE. Even when orders are followed, bad things happen to good people. The words rang through Nicky’s ears and she finally understood the gravity of her situation. Nicky completed the rest of her training without incident.

Over the years, Nicky would distinguish herself as a certified, top-level agent. She had successfully completed scores of missions and brought down several key splinter cells. Still, the one thing holding her back was her fiery temper and disregard for authority. Ms. Karcher was well aware of this when she selected Nicky for this mission. Deep down, Lindsay knew this was a suicide mission – going unauthorized into a country that the US was on the brink of war with. But of all the agents, Nakiska stood the best chance of fulfilling the most important objective before being captured – observe and document Dr. Matsuyama’s research. The mission was so stacked that the disavowed clause was not even mentioned; it was just understood. Ms. Karcher did not want to lose Nakisha as an agent, but she represented MICE’s best option and extracting the intel. Ms. Karcher went over the details of the mission one last time with Nakisha and expressed her concerns at what lie ahead. Both were well aware of the importance of this mission. Nakisha knew that she did not want to end up like one of the photographs from her training.

Nakisha arrived at the MICE hangar at approximately 0400 hours. The plan was for her to perform a HALO jump from a C130 just off the coast of Osaka Bay; then make her way to the Nakano Building where the bulk of the remainder of the mission was to take place. Due to the nature of relations between the US and Japan, the standard extradition squad was not at Nakisha’s disposal. She would have to find her own way out providing she made it that far. Nakisha boarded the C130 and was wearing a flight suit just like the pilot. She took a breath and buckled herself into the chair and got ready for the mission. The insertion had gone according to plan. Nakisha removed her helmet and hid her parachute behind a large rock that was in the area. She slowly unzipped the flight suit and stepped out of it revealing the distinct skintight gray of the MICE costume. Begrudgingly, she pulled up the headpiece of her costume over her stunning locks completing the look. Nakisha had managed to get onto Japanese soil and began to make her way towards the Nakano Building. It was still roughly half an hours before dawn when Nakisha landed behind enemy lines which was approximately 9 miles outside the city limits. The landing point was a deserted area and had a lonely narrow two-lane road leading back into town. Nakisha could hear the rumbling of cargo trucks and quickly hid behind a rock. Several large trucks passed by apparently part of a convoy. Nakisha waited for the last truck to past before jumping into the back. She checked her PDA and confirmed that they were heading into town. After 25 minutes or so, the truck arrived at the checkpoint into the Nakano Building. “How convenient”, Nicky thought. The perimeter was surrounded by massive iron gates and had a security detail at the main gate. After checking the inventory of the first couple of trucks the guard motioned the convoy to move into the compound. Now that she had gained access, how on earth would she escape this fortress without being torn to ribbons? She thought back to when she was first briefed on gaining access to the compound and the grave look on Ms. Archer’s face when the issue of extraction came up. For the first time Nakisha contemplated the difficulty of this task.
The main objective of the mission was to download key files into her PDA then upload them to the MICE satellite where they would be sent back to MICE HQ – there was no mention of a team coming to pick her up and now she knew why. Dawn was rapidly approaching and as the trucks entered the compound, Nick snuck out the last one and entered the facility through the loading dock. She hid in the shadows behind some crates and pulled out her PDA. The layout indicated that there was a research and development wing located on the 57th floor of the building. Nicky moved with great stealth to the lifts. She knew that there would probably be cameras inside the elevator and that security was monitoring all access points. She pointed her PDA at one of the many technicians working in the loading area and scanned an image, then she pointed the PDA at herself imprinted a holographic image of a tech over herself. She then pointed the PDA at the keypad for the elevator and walked into the lift. As the lift began to rise she looked around in the lift and spotted a hole in the upper corner of the car, most likely the camera. She knew she was being watched and held up the PDA again and scanned an image of the same tech to act as a dummy while she popped the emergency hatch. She managed to get the hatch opened and pulled herself up onto the roof of the ascending car. The shaft was dark and barely had any light. She carefully walked across the roof of the car and waited for it to stop. The car eventually stopped on the 52nd floor. The scanned image in the car disappeared before the car stopped. She carefully climbed up the access ladder to the 53rd floor cracked open the doors and peeked onto the floor. Once she saw that the coast was clear, she opened the doors and made her way onto the cold tiled surface. Her plan was to take the access stairs the rest of the way to the 57th floor. She made her way to the 57th floor via the stairwell, but the door was locked, she knew she was on to something. Once again the PDA acted like a skeleton key and allowed her access to the floor. She checked the PDA once more for where the lab was located and gingerly padded across the tiled surface. Suddenly, she heard footsteps from around the corner and scurried back in the opposite direction. She ducked into the utility closet and waited for the noise to pass. After a while, she thought that walking the floor may not be such a good idea and scanning images depleted vital battery life. She looked around the closet and noticed a grate leading to a ventilation shaft above her. She moved a box below the vent and stood up on it and removed the grate; she then shimmed her way in the vent. She could hear voices in the distance and made her way towards them. As she got closer, she could see a light in front of her. As she got closer, she saw Dr. Matsuyama looking at a clipboard and giving instructions to lab assistants in Japanese. The room looked like any other lab you would see in a research facility except for the fact that there were huge canisters in the room with white drapes over them. She would have to get inside to get the intel.

Roughly an hour passed and Nicky was starting to cramp up from lying on her stomach so long and she was sweating from the heat and the vent. The room was now vacant and Nicky took this opportunity to sneak into the lab. She pulled out a flash pen and attached it to the USB port of the computer and began to sift through the computer. Suddenly images began to flashing on the screen. Apparently the rumors were true. The doctor was using live human subjects to test nanotechnology and it’s effects on the human organs. All of the test subjects were female between the age of 19 and 24. The screen flickered through scores for young women from around the globe and the finally an image flashed by that managed to catch Nicky’s eye. She quickly banged on the keyboard and went back several screens and gasped when she saw the images. They were pictures of captured MICE agents being stripped of their costume and subjected horrific tests. Girls were being injected against their will and turning into something that looked like a zombie. They were not decayed but in a catatonic state and being controlled by an unseen entity. She had heard stories of MICE agents turning up missing while on missions in China and Europe. She had no idea they were being transported to the Nakano Building as part of the government’s twisted scheme of building an army of nano driven soldiers. She removed the flash pen and began to investigate the rest of the lab. There were notes in Japanese and all types of schematics of the human nervous system. She finally made her way to the large draped canisters and peeked under one of them and was horrified to see one of the agents she had trained with back at MICE floating in a pool of liquid. She could not remember the girl’s name, but she could tell she was an agent by the small tattoo on her wrist. Suddenly, Nicky heard voices approaching; she quickly replaced the drape and ran back to the vent. She barely made it back into the vent and saw the doctor enter the lab, followed by the assistants. Nicky sat in the vent contemplating the dilemma before her. She had managed to secure the data on the doctor’s hard drive and uploaded it to the MICE satellite; but now she was determined to find out what had happened to the other MICE agents. As Nicky thought of her next course of action, she began to feel sleepy. She then heard a hissing sound and then looked through the vent. The doctor was again giving instructions motioning for the assistants to leave the lab. All the while, the assistants were looking back over their shoulders in the direction of Nicky’s hiding place. Nicky finally put two and two together and figured out that the doctor had released some type of gas into the ventilation shaft. Apparently the doctor was immune to the effects of the gas. Fear had overtaken Nicky, but the effects of the gas had already taken hold and she finally passed out.

Nakisha woke up in a completely white room. There were no doors or windows only a bright white light. There weren’t even any seams in the room indicating the presence of a doorway – it was a perfect 10 X 10 cube. She groggily sat up a massaged the back of her neck. She didn’t feel any fabric; then she looked down and noticed that she was completely naked. The doctor’s security detail had stripped Nicky of her costume and PDA. Good thing she uploaded the intel before it was confiscated she thought. She tried to stand up in the cell, but was too disoriented and collapsed back on the cold hard surface. She had no idea how long she had been knocked out or any concept of time. The last thing she remembered was downloading the intel into her flash pen. She wondered what the doctor and his cronies had done to her and panic began to set in. Suddenly heard a voice over an unseen PA system. The voice spoke fluent English, but had a Japanese accent. The voice congratulated Nakisha for successfully breaking and stealing government property. The troublemaker in Nakisha blurted out that the intel was already on its way to MICE HQ and the doctor’s plans would be thwarted. “Bold words for a naked girl in a cell” the voice returned. “That is precisely what we had hoped for. The data you so skillfully uploaded was encrypted with a virus that should keep your technicians busy for quite a while…long enough for us to set plan into motion”. “What have you done with me, what are you doing with all of thes…” The voice cut Nakisha off mid sentence and complimented her on her fiery spirit even in the face of defeat. “Such a quality is rare and will be put to good use. You are now property of the Phoenix”, explained the voice. The Phoenix was a shadow operation that functioned well outside the boundaries of the Japanese government. They were in essence a radical extremist group that sought to return Japan to its former glory. MICE and other US covert ops had theorized that Phoenix had orchestrated the entire “Cold War” scenario in an effort to awaken the sleeping “Dragon”. “We are deeply grateful to your organization for providing us with so many test subjects. You saved us the hassle of having to round up our own “recruits”.” A holographic screen appeared in front a Nakisha and flashed the images of ID photos of various MICE agents that were listed as either missing or KIA – killed in action. Some of the girls were familiar to Nakisha while others had been missing for years. All of the agents had been subjected to various tests and experiments. The whole plan was filled with irony, take MICE agents and have them attack the very interests they wore sworn to protect. Nakisha looked around for something to throw but again the room was completely empty; finally, she defiantly threw up a middle finger hoping her capturer would see it. Then the room filled with laughter. “Yes! I love your spirit!!! We will have great fun with you”.

Nakisha tried to remain calm, as she knew her capturers were watching her, but deep down she was scared and knew that the situation was not good. She was still a bit groggy and tried to shake it off by pacing about in the cell. Finally, after an indeterminate amount of time the voice came back in the room. The voice indicated that Nakisha might be tired of sitting in an empty room naked. Just then a door materialized in one of the four wall revealing a costume just like MICE issued bodystocking except that it was white. The voice instructed Nakisha to put the suit on and to prepare for the next phase. Nicky was not in a position to ask questions and obliged. She took the suit off the hangar and carefully slipped into the shiny white spandex outfit. She tugged on the bodystocking making sure that everything was in place. Despite the fact that she was being held against her will, she was glad to be finally wearing something, not that she had anything to be self conscious about. She stood in the center of the room awaiting her next instructions. Several minutes passed without anything happened and Nicky was becoming anxious. Suddenly a door slid open in front of her revealing nothing but pitch-black darkness, Nicky took this as a sign to proceed. She cautiously peered into the room but could not see anything. Suddenly, floodlights came on in the room illuminating what appeared to be a firing range. Before her was a booth with plexiglass on her left and right sides and a series of targets in front of her. An antique Luger pistol with a scope and silencer was in the booth along with a clip of rounds. The voice indicated that the rounds were live and that the targets that she would be facing were equally alive as well. Nakisha picked up the Luger and made sure that the pistol was armed and loaded. She tucked the clip in a small pocket on the right biceps of the suit. Then without warning, the room was flooded with a low red light and a piercing alarm. The shrill siren forced Nicky to cover her ears. Just then the targets at the end of the range disappeared and where replaced by firing drones. Nicky knew the booth offered no protection and ducked out of the way of the first volley from the drones. The combination of the lights and siren was extremely disorienting. Nicky had a hard time concentrating on the targets in front of her. She wondered how she was going to stop attack drones with just a Luger. Nicky decided to utilize her speed to stop the drones’ advances. With blazing speed, Nicky leaped and ran about the room dodging rounds from the drones. She managed to move in such a way that the drone ended up just shooting each other. Although she had managed to evade most of the drones’ attacks, several laser shots clipped Nicky. There was a small tear in the right thigh of Nicky’s costume as well as one on her left shoulder. There was no blood was a result of the lasers cauterizing the wounds. Once all of the drones were destroyed, Nicky slumped down in the corner and tried to catch her breath. Then she heard clapping over the PA system. “Very clever, my pretty!” echoed the voice. “The last girl foolishly emptied her clip before being riddled with bullets. You are quite the combination of brawns and beauty. Yes, we will definitely have fun with you!” Nicky took great offense to being objectified in such a tasteless manner, but fought to keep her cool. She wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. Dodging the drones’ shots had worn her out, but she knew that her ordeal was only just beginning. As she sat in the corner she contemplated if she would ever get out alive and see the sun again. She was always cognizant of the fact that she was being watched and did not want to let on that she was scared. Just then, she heard a low hissing sound. She looked up and saw white smoke entering the room. She knew if they wanted to knock her they would have be more subtle able, the next phase was under way.

Nicky stood up and began to feel around the walls for some type of hidden door or panel. She remained calm, though she was beginning to choke and she was beginning to tear as well. She finally pressed against a panel revealing what appeared to be a chute of some type. She couldn’t go up, only down the chute. She had no idea where the shaft led to but she figured it couldn’t be worse than suffocating. She went head first into the opening and slid down the shaft. As she rapidly slid down the tubing, she noticed that it looked like something at an amusement park. It was a dark series of tubes that ran vertically and at steep angles. Finally, after what appeared to be several minutes, Nicky finally landed into a vat of waste. The sludge was deep enough to the point where Nicky could not feel the bottom of the tank. The smell was repulsive and Nicky fought hard to hold back the vomit in her throat. She looked around for some type of exit hatch; she figured that this sewage had to leave the tank somehow. Suddenly, Nicky heard a low grinding sound. She noticed that the tank was getting smaller. “Of all the rotten luck” she thought to herself. She landed into a massive waste disposal tank and the unit was beginning to expel the sewage into an incinerator. Nicky noticed a series of rungs on the opposite end of the tank and made her towards the ladder as fast as the thick sludge would allow. As the walls began to close in, Nicky made it to the first rung. She reached out for the rung and pulled herself out of the slime and was now standing on the ladder but as she made her way up, she lost her grip due to the slimy residue that covered her. She bobbed up and down in the sludge as the walls were getting closer and closer. Nicky summoned her reserves to make one last attempt and was able to pull herself up again onto the ladder. She quickly made her way up the exit ladder and banged on the hatch. The hatch itself had a flywheel that needed to be turned in order to open it. Nicky wrapped her left arm around the last rung and tried to turn the flywheel with her right hand. The fabric of the suit was still covered in a slick goo that made it hard to grip and turn the lock. She could feel herself slipping. If she were to fall now, there would not be enough time to climb back up and she would be crushed. She steadied herself on the ladder and gave one last tug on the lock before she felt the wheel turn in her hand. She spun the wheel as fast as she could and opened the hatch and made her way through the opening just as the walls closed shut.

Nakisha sat in the area that led to the sewage system wondering what else could happen. She was shot at and nearly drowned in a vat of raw sewage. Her once white bodysuit was dingy gray and littered with holes and tears of various sizes. She pulled back her cowl and tried to ring out her hair and assessed the damaged. She smelled as bad as felt. She was mentally and physically spent was terrified by what else her capturer had in store for her. She laughed at the irony of the situation as she felt like a lab rat trapped in a maze or habitrail with her capturer performing wicked experiments. Nakisha was sick and tired of the game and desperately wanted to find a way out. After was seemed like several hours of aimlessly walking about the facility, she realized the maze metaphor was more and more self-fulling. She finally stumbled area that appeared to be restricted and not part of the “game”. She could hear distant voices coming from the other side of the wall. Nicky noticed a small opening that led to the next room. It was not large enough to fit through, but she could at least see what was going on. She looked around the room for something to reach the opening. She moved a couple of boxes across the floor over the wall with the opening and climbed them. She was at eye level and could see what looked like another lab. But this one was much more sinister in its atmosphere. Unlike the rest of the rooms in the facility, this one was dimly lit and had a strange odor in it. There were platforms on hydraulics with arm and ankle restraints and medical trays with all types of syringes. There was also a device that looked like a massive generator with two cables with electrodes at the end of it. Nakisha felt a wave of sickness wash over her – was this a torture chamber? Just then, a door open in the chamber and a figure dressed in what appeared to be a tattered MICE uniform was thrown in. The door slammed shut and the figure turned to open the door, but it was in vain. Nicky could not make out the face of the figure but she could tell that it was a female approximately 5’4” and 115 lbs with long brown hair. Nicky could see that the girl was worked over pretty well. She immediately flashed back to the picture she saw of the tortured agent back in training and began to feel some type of déjà vu. Several seconds past before the door was opened again. Two massive guards well over six feet and 250 pounds entered the room followed by the doctor. The door closed behind him and he approached the wounded agent. The doctor asked the girl some questions, none of which she answered. The doctor informed the girl that he knew of her mission in Eastern Europe and was abducted and sent to Japan because she had met certain “requirements”. Nicky realized that girl below her was April Martin, one of the girls that she had trained with back in the day. Nicky remembered the April was always an optimist and had cheery disposition. Nicky never understood how this girl who looked more like Strawberry Shortcake could be an agent. Apparently, April was on a recon mission to trace the whereabouts of a rogue NATO official that may have been passing secret information to a Turkish warlord. April had stopped reporting back to HQ roughly a month ago. The extraction team was unable to find any trace of April or the official once they got to extraction point. April was captured and sent to Japan by special request.

April was completely unrecognizable from the girl that Nakisha knew back in training. She could see that April was pale and detected weight loss even through the bodystocking. Nakisha continued to look on in horror as the two guards pounced on April beating her senseless. The doctor then snapped his finger and the guards stopped immediately and dragged April over to the flat metal gurney. Once April was strapped in, the doctor held up a syringe and flicked out the air bubbles then injected it into April’s right arm; almost immediately, she began to convulse violently before passing out. After some time passed April came to and began to struggle in her restraints the doctor whispered something to April and she then spit in his face. The doctor calmly used a small pair of scissors to cut down center of April’s costume and placed two electrodes on April’s chest. The doctor then pressed a button on the control panel and the gurney moved into a vertical position. The doctor then whispered something again to April before one of the guard threw a bucket of water on April. The doctor then flipped a switch and a live current began to flow from the generator into the cables and finally into the electrodes electrifying April with 5 times the voltage of a the average stun gun – not enough to kill her, but enough to certainly get her attention. The doctor had a devilish grin on his face as he threw the switch again. This time the voltage was enough for April to lose control of her bodily functions. The doctor released the switch and April’s head slumped to her chest; she was barely conscious and a puddle had formed below her. Nakisha was sickened by the senseless torture she was witnessing. Ever since she saw that photo back in training, she understood the inherent dangers that an agent faces every time they the put on that gray costume, but now as she watched helplessly this girl being brutalized did the cold hard reality finally seep in.

The torture of April Martin continued for several more hours before she finally broke down and gave up the intel she was sent to Europe to retrieve. Once the doctor got what he wanted, he ordered the guards to strip April and take her to the holding area. April was in no condition to offer and resistance. Before stripping April, one guard held April up while the second guard flipped a switch on the mounted camcorder 15 feet away. The second guard was also taking pictures with a digital camera presumably with the intent to send back to MICE HQ as a warning to all agents. April stood in front of the camera and shielded her eyes with her right forearm. She barely had enough strength to stand on her own. She was forced to read a statement denouncing the sanctions levied against the Japanese government and announced that the US was responsible for awakening the “Sleeping Dragon”. With her last bit of strength April managed to blurt out that she was scared and sorry and begged for someone to help her. The image of the wounded agent, still in costume begging for her life sent chills up Nakisha’s spine. Once the guards were finished taking pictures and filming April’s “statement”, they descended upon April with a swift and brutal fury. They ripped off April’s bodystocking and tossed it aside and carried April’s unconscious body out of the chamber. The doctor proceeded to pick up the remains of April’s costume and placed it in a box label MICE HQ along with the pictures and video. He left the room with the box and turned off the light behind him. Nakisha was completely beside herself. She was completely cut off from the outside world and had no way of contacting anyone to update them on her condition. She was resolved not to end up like April or any of the countless other agents that were stripped of their dignity and savaged tortured at the handoff of this brutal monster. She was determined to escape the facility or die trying.

Nakisha figured that there were cameras everywhere throughout the facility and would have to change out of her wretched white catsuit to have any chance of escaping undetected. She ventured around the facility in search of one of the many “operators” that was close to her size – not an easy task at 5’8” in Japan. She finally came upon a technician dressed in a black bodystocking roughly Nakisha’s size. Nicky snuck up on the unsuspecting worker and proceeded to apply a sleeper which rendered the worker unconscious after 10 seconds. Nicky dragged the worker into a storage closet and proceeded to remove the bodystocking. After several minutes, Nicky was dressed in the worker’s uniform and tossed the smelly, tattered white bodystocking in the trash. She then tied up the worker and gagged her for go measure and left her in the closet. Nicky carefully cracked the door open and made sure that it was clear and made her way into the facility. The uniform covered Nicky form head to toe, with a small opening for her face. She grabbed a pair of dark goggles and slid them over her eyes in an attempt to hide her features. As Nicky surveyed the main section of the facility, she noticed that it was run just like any other legitimate operation save for the fact that there ghastly experiments being performed on site. Women were operating forklifts and maneuvering transport ATVs throughout the complex. It looked like a standard shipping facility. Being able to explore the complex unfettered, allowed her greater visibility that if she were crawling through ventilation shafts. She unfortunately no longer had her PDA and had no way of documenting her findings. After walking around for a bit she came upon a restricted area. Rather than run the risk of exposure, she thought with better judgment and avoided the area. Then she realized that the worker whom she stole the suit from had an ID card with allowed them access to the area. Nicky swiped the card through the reader and entered through the metal double doors. After a couple paced she noticed a door labeled with the same type marking as the room she regained consciousness in. She swiped the card again which this time opened to reveal a room full of girls in their early to mid twenties. These girls were from all different races and ethnicities. Apparently, Nicky stumbled upon the holding area for many kidnapped agents. Many of the girls were in battle torn MICE costumes while others were naked. The apparently were drugged and tortured and thrown in the holding area awaiting their final fate. Most of the girls were either zombified or mentally broken down and in no condition to put up a fight. In the rear corner of the room Nicky saw April sitting up naked in a fetal position. She ran over to her expecting April to recognize her, but the hours of torture and experimentation left April a shell of her former self. Her eyes were glazed over and she was drooling from her mouth; she had obviously been through hell and back. Suddenly, a tapping on her right shoulder startled Nicky; she instinctively wheeled around ready to snap her attacker’s arm off only to realize that she was face to face with Linda Guerrero.

Linda had graduated from the Academy two years after Nicky but they had worked together on several missions in the past. Linda was born in East LA to Mexican parents and had many of the same qualities as Nakisha. Both were stubborn, and fiercely defiant towards authority. Although not as tall as Nicky, Linda was equally as attractive with her long raven hair and piercing hazel eyes. Linda was working on a mission in Bolivia with another agent to connect a local drug lord with funding a politician in the hopes of gaining a foothold in the government. Somehow Linda’s mission was compromised and Linda’s partner was killed in an info swap gone terribly wrong. Linda theorized that there was a mole in the system and had set her and her partner up. Linda saw her partner being torn to shreds by a group of the drug lord’s soldiers while trying to trade intel with their informant. The informant was too stupid to know anything and Linda’s partner would certainly not have gone into the meeting had she had known what was going to happen. Someone tipped off the drug lord and set the whole thing up. After Linda’s partner was killed, Linda tried to flee the scene, but the soldiers managed to overtake her position and take her into custody. The drug lord held Linda captive for two weeks, during which time all communication with MICE HQ had ceased. Linda was not harmed during her captivity, which led her to believe that she would be part of a “commodities” swap – agent for info. Sure enough, Linda was transported to Japan at the request of the Nakano Group in exchange for info on all of the judges in the drug lord’s district. Once Linda got to Japan, she was subjected to the same type of experiments that April had endured. It was only her strong upbringing and defiant attitude that prevented her from ending up like April. It was now five weeks since her partner was killed and Linda was visibly shaken. She was still in her MICE uniform or what was left of it. The bodystocking was missing its right arm and had dirt and holes all over it. One of the feet was also missing from Linda’s costume. She was in a better mental state than April was but still in no condition to put up a fight. Most if not all of the girls were in the same condition.

Nicky knew she could not lead every girl out of the facility and the many were already past the point of saving but if she could rescue even just one, it would be worth it. Nicky asked Linda if she was strong enough to function on her own. Despite being tortured mentally and physically, Linda was up to the task. They were going to attempt a roughshod jailbreak and force their way out of the facility. Nicky had a managed to grab a spare white Nakano uniform from one of the storage closets and threw it at Linda. Linda instinctively changed out of the tattered, old gray suit and into the fresh new bodystocking and was beginning to feel her confidence rise. The two agents snuck out of the holding cell and made their way down the corridor. They knew it was only a matter of time before the sensors would go off and alert security. They managed to sneak their way down to the loading area with the same access card that Nicky had managed to secure from the “employee” that she knocked out earlier. They saw “employees” of all different nationalities going about their daily tasks and figured their best chance at escape would be one of the many ATVs scattered about. The compound was so massive that rather than use the standard golf cart to traverse the ground, ATVs were used for their versatility in moving equipment about via a hitch attached to the back of the bike. The girls made their way down to one of the bay doors and managed to knock out two workers who were unloading equipment from the hitch. The girls moved the workers into the shadows and away from prying eyes. They uncoupled the hitch and just as they were climbing onto the bikes an alarm sounded and the bay doors began to close. They were discovered! The girls started up the bikes and barreled towards the closing bay door. They just managed to clear the door and sped towards the checkpoint gate. Amidst the ruckus, the guards in the yard began firing on our heroines. Nicky tore down on the throttle and popped a wheelie and busted through the checkpoint gate, followed by Linda. They were actually free of the compound, but the only problem was that they had no idea where they were going. Almost immediately, a wave of ATVs tore out of the compound in pursuit of the fleeing agents. The troopers were clearly at an advantage. As Nicky and Linda sped down the highway they looked for any sign or off ramp that led out of the city. Nicky’s Japanese was not that good, but was able to spot a sign indicating the city limits in 5 kilometers. Nicky deftly performed a drift move onto the off ramp with Linda close behind. The marauders were not that far behind and appeared to be gaining ground.

The chase seemed to go on forever as the girls tried desperately to stay ahead of the hunters. By now the scene had shifted to a rolling countryside indicating that Nicky’s instincts were correct. But now that they were out in the open, they were clearly visible. The hunters took this fact to their advantage and broke off the road and rode the bikes on the soft grassy hills. Nicky and Linda were so focused on eluding their hunters that they hadn’t noticed that it began to rain, making traction difficult. Nicky quickly peeked over her left shoulder and did not spot the hunters any more and became terrified. She knew that they had taken to the high ground and were attempting to outflank the two agents. Sure enough, one of the hunters jumped over Nicky’s head in an attempt to cause a wipe out. Nicky almost did just that, but was able to steady the bike and continue forward progress. Just then, she heard machine gun fire. It was the hunters firing off rounds from gatling guns attached to the bikes. “Why didn’t I steal a bike with one of those?” she thought to herself. The hunters followed the girls over the hills and across streams. They looked like cats toying with small mice. One of the hunters got close enough to the fleeing agent to squeeze off a couple more rounds. Most of the shots missed, but one managed to severe Linda’s fuel line. Her bike was leaking gasoline and in danger of igniting. She was so intent on concentrating on the leaking fuel that she didn’t notice that one of the round had also managed to hit her in the left thigh. Finally, she felt a burning sensation and looked down and saw blood flowing down her leg turning the white lycra red. The sight caught Linda off guard and bike began to fish tail in the dirt. Her senses locked up on her and she mistakenly gripped down on the front brakes. She immediately realized her errors but was to late to stop it. She was instantly thrown head over heels from her bike and flew across the grass like a superheroine before crashing to the wet earth and sliding to a stop. Nicky was on a hill approximately 40 yards away and watched the whole thing unfold. She internally begged Linda to get up and run. Linda lay motionless for several seconds and then tried to get up, but when she applied pressure to her left leg, she cried out in pain. The fall caused Linda to fracture her left tibia as well as her collarbone. She also managed to separate her right shoulder. Linda was unable to stand up and resorted to crawling in the mud in an effort to make her last stand. Linda’s white bodystocking was now covered with mud and had huge holes in both knees and elbows from when she hit the ground. The hunters, all dressed in black surrounded Linda and began to kick and punch her broke body. With each blow, Linda let out a sickening groan. Finally, after was seemed like an eternity, the hunters finally put Linda out of her misery. The sound rang through Nicky’s head, but she did not utter a peep, as she did not want to give up her position. She carefully rolled her bike down the opposite side of the hill and took off into the distance. The hunters gave chase, but were unable to pick up her tracks. The lead hunter radioed back to the facility indicating that they had lost contact with the second agent. The voice on the other end indicated that it was ok and that they would eventually catch up to her some other time.

Nicky rode until the bike finally ran out of fuel. By this point she was at large pier on the most northeastern tip of the country. She was able to snoop about until she saw a manifest destined for Australia. She managed to sneak onto the ship and secure a small little area deep in the bowels of the vessel and waited for the ship to pull out. As the horn blew, Nicky pulled her knees to her chest and thought about everything that had gone down. She was alive, but her mission was compromised, possibly infecting the MICE computer network in the process. She watched two agents being tortured, one of which was brutally executed and was now heading back to the US to possibly face a court martial and maybe worse. As the ship made its way out of the harbor, Nicky broke down and sobbed uncontrollably as she contemplated her fate.
The end for now…

Guest · 19 years ago

Good story. A little darker than what I prefer but the real world of espionge and that of a cold war isn't clean. Liked your Japan US conflict idea reminds me of Debt of Honor.

cthulhu1 · 19 years ago

phoxy_brown · 19 years ago

The continuation of the Saga...
Much thanks to cthulhu1 for providing the inspiration and universe in which this story takes place!

Nicky finally returned to her apartment nearly three weeks after stowing away on an Australian sea freighter. She had a long time to reflect and contemplate the recent events. She was mentally and physically drained and was in desperate need of a nice long bath. She peeled off the smelly and tattered bodystocking and threw it down on the ground. As she gazed at the tattered remains of her field costume on the tiled floor, she couldn’t help but to break down into tears. She was glad to be out, but she was deeply haunted by the images of all of those girls who were less fortunate, especially Linda. Nicky lowered herself in the tub and sank beneath the water and tried to cleanse herself of all of the bad vibes.

After nearly thirty minutes, Nicky finally emerged from the tub and threw on a large terry cloth robe and attempted to eat some toast. She looked at her answering machine and saw that the machine was filled with messages. She was too out of it to scan all of them, but most of them were of friends and family concerned about her whereabouts. Not one of them was from the agency. Nicky tried to surf the tube for a bit but most of what was on was too depressing. After a while, Nicky walked into her bedroom and finally passed out.

Sometime later, Nicky was startled from her slumber by the phone. She didn’t feel like taking any calls and decided to let it got to voice mail. She nearly fell out of the bed when she heard the voice - it was Serena Montoya. Serena sounded extremely upset and was begging Nicky to answer in a futile attempt to hope against hope. Finally, Nicky answered the phone and Serena nearly fainted. Serena, through her tears told Nicky that she thought the Nicky was dead and that the Agency had even closed the case on the Nakano Group. Nicky heard Serena’s voice and it was the first comforting thing she heard in a while. Serena told Nicky that she would be by shortly. An hour pasted before Nicky’s intercom rang. She heard Serena’s voice and buzzed her in. When Serena appeared in the door way the to girls embraced for nearly thirty seconds and broke down in tears. They eventually moved into Nicky’s apartment and Nicky began to recount the sorted details of her captivity. Serena looked at Nicky with a pained expression on her face. Nicky, ever perceptive, noticed it immediately. Serena asked Nicky if she knew how long she was gone for, Nicky had not the slightest idea. When Serena told her that she was missing for nearly six months, Nicky’s jaw dropped. She had lost six months of her life and had no idea what had happened to her during her imprisonment. Nicky asked Serena that if she was gone so long why was she calling. Serena simply replied that she refused to believe that Nicky was dead. She called once a week hoping against hope.

Nicky and Serena were the best of friends and went through the field agent training together. They instantly bonded with each other. They were both fiercely independent and determined women. But where Nicky was brash and cocky, Serena was cool and steely, almost aloof. Nicky credits Serena with being the calming influence in her life. They shared an almost kinetic bond. Hence why Serena refused to believe that Nicky was dead – she never sensed it.

Serena filled Nicky in on everything that had happened while she was “away”. Apparently, there was a mole in the Agency that was selling agent for secrets. The mole worked for a faction that was trying to overthrow Ms. Archer’s leadership and implant someone that would assist in the downfall of MICE from within. They eventually found the mole to be a former field agent with an ax to bear with Ms. Archer stemming from the now infamous Iron Cross Incident. The agent had apparently switched sides and was now working for the Cross. Once the mole was captured, the Agency tried to extract vital information from them. She only gave out random pieces of information before committing suicide. Nicky asked about the virus she uploaded during her last mission. Serena explained that MICE network was indeed crippled for approximately 24 minutes and vital information was leaked, but Ms. Archer knew that something like this would happen and was prepared. Much of the information that was stolen from the MICE database was bogus and planted. Hence, none of the positions and secret identities of field ops were ever revealed. During the crisis, Ms. Archer reasserted herself as the true head of MICE. Her position was stronger than ever once the mole revealed all of the identities of the other members plotting against the current regime. For the first time in quite a while MICE was operating as a single entity under a common leader. Serena had managed to get promoted to lead agent in the Domestic office. She was still in the field, but had a detail of agents under her.

For Nicky, it was a bittersweet moment. The Agency was finally back on its feet and her best friend was now lead agent in the Home office, but now Nicky’s own career as an agent was over. Nicky asked about the Nakano situation to which Serena let out a sigh. “Well, at least we are not a war with Japan – yet.” Tensions had gotten worse in the last six months between Japan and the US. Neither party was aware of what went down at the Nakano facility but that did not change the fact both countries were hurtling towards an inevitable conclusion. Both economies continued to spiral downward and finger pointing was at an all-time high. Serena could sense Nakisha’s loss and told her that she would do anything to help. “Nakano needs to be taken down!” exclaimed Nicky. Serena tried to calm Nicky down, but she could she the fire in Nicky’s eyes. Serena knew that if she didn’t do something, Nicky was crazy enough to go back and do it herself. Serena told Nicky to take some time off and they would formulate a solid plan.

Meanwhile, back at the Nakano facility…

In the six months since Nakisha’s escape, the doctor continued his “research” and was close to completing his “Perfect Warrior” serum. Although new test “subjects” had abruptly ceased a short time back, there was no shortage of human guinea pigs already on hand. At present, the doctor was in his office talking to a mysterious figure clad in black. The figure was an attractive Asian female with the appearance of someone in her mid thirties with long jet-black hair and piercing dark eyes. She was shrouded in an air of mystery that even caused the doctor to take notice. The figure spoken in a slow, haunting tone that almost had a hypnotic quality. They were standing over a blue print discussing plans in their native tongue when the female abruptly excused herself a calmly left the office. As mad as the doctor was, the female appeared to be that much more sinister. A brief time later, the female in black entered a room and was greeted by another female in her early twenties in a lime green nylon bodystocking that covered her from head to toe. The younger female removed the black trench coat from the older female and then proceeded to remove her boots. Finally, the older female stood up and stretched out her short yet athletic frame. She wore a dark green leotard and tan shiny footed tights. The two figures stood in the white 12 X 12 room facing each other and bowed to one another before launching into action. After ten minutes, the older combatant stood coolly over her fallen prey. The younger combatant was taller and younger but did not stand a chance. Her bodystocking was torn to shreds exposing her bruised and battered flesh. Her face was a puffy mess and it sounded like she had broken a couple of ribs by her labored breathing. The white room was covered in blood, none of which belonged to the warrior in dark green. The warrior was basically toying with her sparring partner. She subjected her partner to a series of brutal submission holds and various martial arts moves. The figure in dark green longed for real combat and took her aggression out on the hapless “worker drones” in the facility. She calmly wiped her opponent’s blood from her porcelain cheeks and quietly exited the sparring room.

Very little is known about the woman who would become the Dragon Lady. The facts that are known was that she was born in the Shimane prefecture sometime around World War I and that she was a master of submission holds. At 5’2”, she hardly fit the description of a coldhearted assassin, but what she lacked in size, she easily replaced with lightning agility and a fierce hatred to all things not Japanese. Her first documented appearance was in January on 1942. Shortly after the attacks at Pearl Harbor a young Reiko Hanada was assigned by the Japanese government to infiltrate the US and pose as the daughter of a fishmonger in San Francisco. Once in the US she was to spy on the local Naval Shipyard and report back to the Empire her findings. Ironically, her “family” was rounded up in the first wave of the Japanese-American internment program. During her internment, her hatred of the Americans intensified as she watched harmless working class Japanese American citizens being sent to prison on the basis of their complexion. Why were her people being singled out while German and Italian American were allowed to prosper during the wartime economy. Eventually, Reiko would escape internment and make her way back to Japan.

Throughout the war, Reiko channeled her rage and led several covert assaults against American interests. By this time, Reiko had assumed the name Dragon Lady and was assigned a group of trained female agents. Soldiers were often caught off-guard at the sight of five beautiful Asian women clad only in head to toe bodystockings. Their raids were so successful that it garnered the attention of the Office of Secret Service (OSS) stateside. At the bequest of the OSS a team of heroines were assembled to battle Reiko and her minions. Over the next couple of years, Dragon Lady and her Lady Dragons would fight various members of the Freedom Brigade including Paula Revere and Miss Avenger. But her greatest adversary was June-Jitsu. Before June joined the Ladies of Liberty, she was an alternate member of the Brigade. In a move that angered many in Washington, the OSS recruited June as a counterspy and she worked many covert operations deep in the heart of Japan. The Dragon and June-Jitsu fought on several occasions with mixed results. The battles were often long bloody affairs that left both combatants scarred. Each one considered the other a traitor and they took their violent aggression out on one another in several epic battles. It has been speculated that Reiko and June knew each other prior to the war and grew up in the same village. As the war raged on, the Japanese government saw the tide turn in favor of the Allied Forces. In a last ditch effort the Japanese government assigned Dragon to work with Countess Eva Kohler in an attempt to rally the Axis forces. The Freedom Brigade thwarted the Axis attempt and was on the verge of rounding up the entire unit to have them stand trial for their war crimes when the Axis group suddenly disappeared off the face of the earth.

Recently, the Doctor had managed to capture a MICE field agent with ties to the Governmental Investigative Research and Logistics Service (GIRLS). While under “interrogation”, it was revealed that the Dragon was placed in suspended animation at the end of the war and located somewhere in Germany. The Nakano Group spared no expense to find their lost agent and after an exhaustive search they finally found the container that housed one of their greatest warriors.

cthulhu1 · 19 years ago

phoxy_brown · 19 years ago

Nicky found herself knee deep in the marsh. She didn’t know were her team was and the fog was so thick that she couldn’t get her bearings. As she waded through the muck and mire, her feet sank deeper into the mud. Her legs felt like they had lead weights attached to them. The driving rain had completely soaked her gray bodystocking and left no doubt that she was freezing. Suddenly, she heard a noise but couldn’t tell from which direction it came. Instinctively, she began to pump her legs as fast as she could, but the mud made her flight extremely difficult. She heard the sound again and this time she pulled her cowl down in an attempt to draw a bead. It seemed like the eerie sound was all around her. She took off heading north, praying that it was the opposite direction. As the noise got closer, Nicky tripped over a vine and slid across the muddy marsh and crashed against a large gnarly tree. As she tried to get up she screamed out in pain. The fall caused Nicky to injure her ankle. Her legendary speed was already reduced by the muddy marsh; and now she was unable to even walk through the bog. As she sat up against the tree and massaged her ankle, she was unaware of the limbs and vines slowly drooping in on her. Before she knew it, the vines had managed to grab Nicky around the neck and lift her off the ground. Now suspended in the air, Nicky frantically clawed at the vine wrapped around her neck. Then she heard the loud growling sound again. This time followed by razor sharp claws that tore across her chest shredding her costume and exposing her flesh. Just as she was about to black out she heard a faint ringing sound in the background. Nicky woke up in her own bed dripping with sweat – it was another nightmare. Nicky hadn’t had a straight night’s sleep since her first night back home. The doorbell thankfully jarred her from her torture. Nicky slowly donned her robe and shuffled across the floor to the door. On the other side was Serena with a concerned look on her face. “Oh my God! I though something had happened to you…” exclaimed Serena. “Huh, wha?!” replied Nicky. Serena entered the apartment and began to wipe the sweat from Nicky’s forehead. “What happened to you? I’ve been trying to reach you for days.” “Sorry, I forgot that I turned my ringer off and this medication that the doctor prescribed is kicking my ass”. Serena’s heart went out to Nicky as she saw the pain on her face. She knew that Nicky would need time before she would return to normal if ever. But if anyone was capable of recovery it was Nakisha.

Serena offered to have Nicky move in with her while she recovered to which Nicky graciously accepted. Over the next six weeks, Nicky would train with Serena to regain the muscled that atrophied during her imprisonment and Serena also made sure that Nicky was receiving counseling to deal with her ordeal. Slowly and gradually, signs of the old Nicky began to return. But Serena wasn’t so sure that Nicky wouldn’t be all the way back. The physical healing was easy; it was the emotional part that worried her the most. She noticed that Nicky was a lot darker and cynical, which was to be expected.

Several weeks had past and Nicky was finally settling in as Serena’s roommate. Nicky continued her physical rehab with Serena while still receiving counseling for the mental aspect. The two girls seemed to grow closer since Nicky had moved in. Serena explained to Nicky “It’s been good having someone in the apartment, usually I’d come home from a mission to an empty place and have no one to talk to. I understand that being an agent can be a lonely life, but I’m not a hermit.” Nicky completely understood and gave Serena quick smile. “Thanks for helping me out. I know I’ve been a little screwy lately with everything and I really appreciate you putting up with me.” The two girls agreed to keep Nicky’s “death/disappearance” a secret. The Agency no longer had need for a compromised agent and the spy game was all that Nicky knew how to do. She was itching to get back into the field and take down the Nakano Group. Not just for her own sake but she felt that she owed it to all the other agents she encountered during her imprisonment. Nicky’s mean streak was finally back.

One day after a sparring session, the two girls sat in the gym still clothed in their practice tights and leotards and discussed the next course of action. Serena had a grim look on her face and Nicky immediately picked up on it. “You know Nick, I’ve been thinking long and hard about what you’ve been saying over the last couple of weeks. About taking the fight to Nakano. What you’re talking about is crazy. MICE closed the book on that case a long time ago and I don’t have enough pull to take a MICE sponsored team over there.” Nicky was beginning to well up with rage, but Serena interrupted her. “I told you that I would have your back no matter what, and I’m sticking to my word. I’ve decided to take an extended leave of absence from MICE and help you take down Nakano or die trying.” Nicky’s mood shifted from rage to gratitude on a dime. She began to tear up and for the first time in her life was speechless. Serena continued, “I don’t need to tell you that this is a serious undertaking with no turning back and all the other clichés you’ve heard in the past and with that in mind we have to do this strictly black ops. We are completely rogue and alone on this, MICE has no idea this is going down.” Before she could continue another voice answered, “Neither does GIRLS.” From out of the shadows appeared a voluptous Brazilian woman approximately 5’6” and 135 lbs with long flowing black hair. It was Paola Roldini. Ashley Tanaka, Serena’s old partner from MICE, accompanied her. Serena had called Ashley earlier in the week and told her the plans to strike Nakano. Ashley in turn call Paola who was a field agent with GIRLS who had a penchant for wetworks. The three girls had previously worked together on several joint ops. Ashley saw the Nakano Group as an entity that was corrupt and twisted and did not at all represent the true essence of Japan. This was just as personal for her as it was for Nicky. “Well, the gangs all here.” Serena commented. “Let’s go somewhere more private.”

A short time later Serena’s roadster pulled into what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse followed by Ashley’s Black SUV. Three of the four girls got out while Serena disappeared into the darkness. After several tense minutes the lights came on in the warehouse and Serena reemerged in wearing a jet-black nylon bodystocking that covered her from head to toe and barely hid her major assets. “Since this is an unauthorized joint operation between GIRLS and MICE, I figured that we couldn’t just show up in our standard issue costumes. Hope you gals like the new look.” Serena stated with a touch of sarcasm. Serena directed the girls to a wall across the floor and flipped the switch on her remote revealing three black cases. The girls opened the cases and pulled out their own costume. Both Nicky and Ashley looked at each as if to say it was a massive improvement over the standard grays. Paola was more interested in the ordinance that was packed in the case as well. There was a utility belt stuffed with all type of explosives, jamming devices, tracking and decoding units and other such nifty items. Then she held up a black object that looked like a fountain pen. Serena told Paola to be careful as it was loaded. The pen was a state of the art weapon that housed a taser on one end and a point that looked like an ice pick on the other. The taser was capable of releasing twice the voltage of a standard taser, not strong enough to kill, but more than enough to incapacitate. The opposite end was a retractable pick that was capable of delivering 20 cc of any liquid of choice. There were several vials of sodium pentathol, knockout liquid, and a smaller vial of cyanide. Paola, who was a master of hand-to-hand combat, was thrilled at the options the pick offered. “I hope you girls understand that I had to call in a lot of favors to pull this off.” Ashley raised her hand in sarcastic manner, “How are we supposed to get there, on a slow boat?” “I oughtta make you swim there.” returned Serena. “Seriously, that’s been taken care of.” answered Paola. Ashley was always good for a wisecrack that seemed to break the tension. The girls continued to go over the plans well into the night. Finally, as the sun was piercing through the blacked out windows of the warehouse, Serena told the girls to disperse and take care of anything important, they would reconvene in 36 hours and make their way into the heart of darkness.

phoxy_brown · 19 years ago

I'm not sure if this is going to work, but here goes...

phoxy_brown · 19 years ago

Hope this helps with the visuals...

cthulhu1 · 19 years ago

gettingverysleepy · 19 years ago

Hypnosis? Submission holds? Me likey the Dragon Lady!

Catwacher · 18 years ago

Great story! I have just joined and have been reading all of your work. As a fellow fan of the "darker" side, I'd love to discuss this with you. Please email me.

Great stories!