Madame Mayor - Chapter 8: The Promise
Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2025 4:02 am
Diana and Trissa stood outside the door of the room in the embassy basement, arms crossed, their expressions stoic.
The two guards had been given strict orders by Heather Smythe to make sure no one entered or exited the room without authorization. More specifically, they were to make sure the two captives inside the room did not cause any trouble.
Diana was a tall woman with tanned skin, blue eyes, and dark blonde hair in a braided ponytail. Trissa was a slightly shorter guard with light skin, grey eyes, and short brown hair in a pixie cut. Both women wore grey button-down uniform shirts with embassy pins, black dress pants, brown loafers, and grey baseball caps.
Trissa checked her watch. “Any idea how much longer we’re posted here?” she asked. “There’s a game on tonight I wanted to catch.”
Diana shrugged. “We’re here as long as the boss says we should be here. She pays our bills, after all.”
Trissa sighed. “I guess.”
From within the room they were guarding, a sound emanated – a low groaning sound.
Then a cry followed: “Help! Someone help her!”
Trissa groaned. “What now?”
Diana’s eyes narrowed. “The prisoners are making trouble. Go check on them.”
“Why me?” Trissa protested.
“Because I’ve worked here longer than you, so I get to call the shots.”
“That’s not how it works!” Trissa replied indignantly.
Another cry came from within the room. “Please, someone help!”
Diana fixed Trissa with a look. “Want me to tell the boss you let the prisoners get hurt on your watch?”
Trissa sighed. “Okay, you win.”
She unlocked the door and entered the room. Diana shut the door behind her for security.
Lupe and Elena were still tied to their chairs. Elena, however, was gasping for breath, her head tossed back. Lupe had a look of fear and concern on her face.
“Please,” Lupe addressed Trissa. “She’s having a panic attack… She can’t breathe. Please help her.”
“What do you expect me to do?” Trissa asked.
“She’s claustrophobic… She’s been bound to the chair for hours. Please untie her hands… Give her some space…”
Trissa chuckled. “Just how dumb do you think I am?” she asked. “This is the oldest trick in the book.”
Elena gave one more gasp, then her chair tipped on its side. She fell to the floor and did not move.
Lupe stared at her cousin in horror. “Elena!”
She looked up at Trissa in desperation. “Please… If she dies, I’ll have no one…”
“Not my problem.” Trissa turned to go.
“And your boss will be furious,” Lupe said, louder this time. “You’re supposed to keep us alive, remember?”
Trissa paused, then sighed.
She turned and glared at Lupe. “No tricks. You move, I shoot you.”
Lupe nodded. “Please… just help her.”
Trissa walked over to Elena, who had by this point grown motionless. The guard knelt down by Elena and patted her cheek. “Hey… wake up. Snap out of it.”
Elena didn’t respond.
Trissa shrugged. “Eh, she’ll sleep it off.”
Elena’s eyes abruptly flickered open.
“Boo!” she said with a mischievous grin.
The next moment, she kicked out, sweeping Trissa’s legs out from under her. The guard had no time to react before she fell groundward.
Before Trissa could regain her bearings, Elena had kicked out again, striking the guard in the temple. Trissa groaned and slumped to the floor. She did not get back up.
“Eh, you’ll sleep it off,” Elena smiled.
She glanced proudly at Lupe. “Did you see what I did there? I just used her words against her!”
“Very clever,” Lupe replied dryly. “Does she have a knife on her or something? We need to cut these ropes.”
“Yes indeed.” Elena maneuvered herself to a position where she could grasp the pocketknife from Trissa’s belt. “I’ll have us free before you know it.”
“Hurry up,” Lupe said urgently. “That other guard may open the door at any moment…”
******************
Jenna glanced silently back from one woman to the next, waiting for a response.
“I said, will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?”
Oksana glanced at her, then up at Marta, who was still pointing a gun at her. Behind them, Adelaide stood with her own gun aimed at Marta.
Hargrove sat unconscious in her chair. Nearby, Sonja had become fascinated by an oil painting on the wall of the mayor’s office.
“I’ll tell you what’s going on,” Marta replied. “I came here with a mission, and now I’m getting three targets for the price of one.” She looked back and forth between Sonja, Oksana, and Hargrove. “I won’t let you stop me.”
Adelaide pressed her gun into the back of Marta’s neck. “I don’t know who you are, but you’re not shooting anyone. Now drop your gun before I drop you.”
Marta scowled. Her hand twitched, as though ready to fire.
Then she released her grip, letting her gun fall to the floor.
“Hands behind your head,” Adelaide ordered. “And get down on your knees.”
Marta complied, though her eyes blazed with cold fury.
Jenna looked oddly at Adelaide. “What are you doing here?”
“Long story,” Adelaide replied. “I’ll buy you a drink later and tell you about it.”
“You tied me up earlier today and stuck me in a cabinet,” Jenna frowned.
“Okay, no drinks then.” Adelaide gestured at Marta. “Anything we can use to restrain this woman?”
“I’ll take care of her.” Oksana walked over and knelt down beside Marta. “Just need to ask her some questions first.”
Marta scowled at her. “I will never answer questions from a traitor.”
“How many of you have infiltrated this mansion?” Oksana pressed.
“You won’t get me to speak. I refuse to—”
Marta stopped talking abruptly as Adelaide pressed the gun into the base of her neck again.
“Maybe this will encourage you,” Adelaide remarked.
Marta bit her lip. Still, after a few long seconds, she relented.
“There are five of us… all dressed as FEMME agents. We came here to find the traitors to our cause and execute them… and take out the mayor as a bonus.”
“Where are your friends?” Oksana asked.
“Spread around the mansion… Searching for you, I’d guess.” Marta smiled grimly. “You won’t be able to hide from them all… We’ve planned this out so well… We’ve anticipated every setback – ooff!”
She pitched forward as Oksana slammed a boot into her head.
“You didn’t anticipate that one,” Oksana said to the now-unconscious Marta.
She stood up and looked over at Sonja. “We need to get out of here.”
Sonja looked at her strangely, a vacant look still in her eyes. “But I didn’t get to feed the elephants.”
Oksana glanced over at Jenna. “You. You work for this mayor, correct?”
Jenna frowned. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but I do know that you’re all in serious trouble. When the FEMME agents get here, they’ll—”
“Idiot.” Oksana grabbed Jenna’s arm. “Your precious FEMME agents aren’t going to protect you. Nor are your security guards – most of them have been knocked out and replaced by imposters.”
“Guilty as charged,” Adelaide nodded, gesturing at her stolen security uniform.
“There are dangerous women in this building,” Oksana told Jenna. “They want to kill the mayor – and they’re the type to follow through on their threats. I can help you, but you need to help us as well.”
“Why would I trust you?” Jenna asked. “Any of you? You’ve all infiltrated this mansion yourselves!”
“You will trust us because there’s no one else you can trust right now,” Oksana answered.
Jenna paused. Hargrove was unconscious. Claudia and Zephyr were missing and presumably incapacitated. The FEMME agents, if Marta was to be believed, weren’t coming to the rescue.
She sighed. “Just what do you need?”
“First,” Oksana answered, “I need you to get me some new clothes.”
Jenna groaned. “I was afraid you’d say that…”
****************
Chandra narrowly dodged Svetlana’s blade, pivoting against a metal cabinet.
Svetlana scraped the knife across a metal fridge door as she advanced towards Chandra, relishing the sharp sound it created. “You’re making this more difficult than it needs to be.”
“Must be a habit of mine,” Chandra murmured, glancing around for a weapon she could use to defend herself.
With a snarl, Svetlana surged forward. Chandra grabbed a cutting board off the nearest table and held it up in front of her head. The blade pierced the board but was stopped short. Chandra twisted the board, sending the blade out of Svetlana’s hand and skittering across the floor.
Before Svetlana could react, Chandra had grabbed her wrist and flipped her around, twisting her arm behind her back. She pinned the woman down on the counter.
“Give it up,” Chandra ordered her. “Give up or I’ll break your arm. I’ll really do it this time.”
So saying, she twisted Svetlana’s arm sharply. For a moment, it looked as though Svetlana was wincing in agony.
Then, the next moment, the Russian woman’s face contorted into a new expression. She laughed.
“I don’t give up,” she said. “And a little pain won’t stop me.”
Without warning, she lurched her head up and back, knocking right into Chandra’s forehead.
Chandra staggered backwards, dazed. Before she could get her bearings, she felt a pair of hands wrap around her throat.
Svetlana slammed Chandra down against the metal counter.
“I don’t even need a weapon to kill you,” she grinned. “This is more rewarding.”
Chandra tried prying Svetlana’s fingers loose, but the Russian woman didn’t budge. Her fingers tightened around Chandra’s throat.
“Look at me,” Svetlana grinned malevolently. “I want my face to be the last thing you ever see. I want to watch as the last spark of light leaves your eyes.”
Chandra felt herself growing weak. She couldn’t breathe, she was pinned to the countertop. Her struggles were slowing, her vision blurring…
“Goodbye, Chandra,” Svetlana chuckled. “You fought well, but this battle only had one possible endin—”
WABAM!
Svetlana blinked. She stared blankly ahead for several long moments. Her hands loosened their grip from Chandra’s throat.
Then, slowly, she slid to the floor and lay still.
Chandra coughed, rubbing her throat. She took a few deep breaths and glanced up.
Another woman in a FEMME uniform stood over her. This one had light skin and dark hair in a ponytail. She was clutching a frying pan in her hands.
Chandra got to her feet. As her vision cleared, she recognized the woman standing before her.
“Oh… it’s you.”
Polina frowned. “Excuse me? Oh, it’s you? I just saved your life, and that’s the thanks I get?”
Chandra held up a hand. “Don’t start with me. It’s been a long day.”
She glanced down at the floor, where Svetlana lay motionless. “Is she…?”
“Out cold. Courtesy of this.” Polina triumphantly held up the frying pan. “These FEMME uniforms come with lots of weapons, but sometimes the old-fashioned cartoon-style knockouts work best. Don’t you agree?”
Chandra sighed. “I’m not going to ask why you’re in a FEMME uniform. Would you mind taking care of this maniac? I need to get out of here.”
Polina nodded. “You met with Oksana, right? She’s not answering her radio…”
“Oksana is holed up in the mayor’s office now. I’m sure she’s fine.”
“She mentioned in her last message that you had a plan, right?” Polina pressed. “A way to save my friends Lupe and Elena.”
“I do… But I need to get out of here to implement it. Please tie up the crazy woman before she wakes up and tries to kill me again.”
Polina nodded. “Sure thing. I never liked her anyway.”
Chandra headed for the kitchen exit. She stopped at the doorway and turned around. “Hey…”
Polina, who had crouched down beside Svetlana and begun unlacing her left boot, looked up.
Chandra paused. “Thank you.”
Polina smiled. “My pleasure. Good luck.”
Chandra was out the door.
Polina pulled off Svetlana’s boot and began untying the other one. Her own mind was racing as well…
********************
Carolyn stirred, and slowly shifted awake.
“Welcome back, Sleeping Beauty,” a voice chuckled.
Carolyn opened her eyes. She was lying on a table in a dark room. Her arms and legs had been cuffed. Over her stood Katerina, a cruel smile on her face, and Alisa, her face a cold mask.
“You’re quite the wildcat,” Katerina observed. “We had to restrain you to keep you docile. And now you’re going to answer some questions.”
Carolyn felt her cheeks flush with rage. She pulled against her bonds, but the metal cuffs would not budge.
“Easy, girl,” Katerina told her. “Those handcuffs are FEMME-designed. State-of-the-art. Unbreakable.”
Carolyn’s eyes brimmed with furious tears. “You… You killed her…”
“Your friend?” Katerina replied. “Yes, we did. She fought hard too, but—”
“She was my wife,” Carolyn said, teeth clenched.
“Oh? Well, sorry for your loss,” Katerina said, though she did not look or sound sorry. “But whoever she was, she’s not coming back. So we’d best move on to business. Tell us where Chandra and Sonja are.”
Carolyn didn’t respond. She simply stared up at the ceiling, tears streaming down her face.
“Answer me,” Katerina demanded. “You’re a security guard, aren’t you? You work here, you should know the details…”
“I don’t work here,” Carolyn murmured. “I should never have come here.”
Katerina looked at her in confusion. She eyed Carolyn’s name badge. “Cynthia, I warn you to stop playing games…”
“I’m not Cynthia,” Carolyn said tersely, quietly. “Cynthia is the poor guard whose uniform I stole. Another woman who got hurt so I could wear her clothes.”
Katerina looked surprised. Then she frowned. “An imposter, eh?”
Carolyn did not answer.
“You’ve wasted our time,” Katerina said angrily, pulling out her knife. “Screw this.”
Alisa held up a hand. “Katerina, wait. No killing, remember?”
“Rules have changed,” Katerina replied. “Besides, you killed the other guard, remember? She was probably an imposter too… Just more nosy women getting in our way. I’m sick and tired of it.”
She turned to Carolyn. “Good news, Cynthia or whatever your name is,” she said, a cruel smile spreading across her face. “You’re about to be reunited with your wife.”
Carolyn shut her eyes. Her limbs froze, unable… or unwilling… to fight back.
“Send her my love.” Katerina raised the knife, preparing to finish Carolyn once and for all.
The next moment, she felt a sharp blow to the side of her neck.
Katerina paused, the knife clattering to the floor.
The next moment, she fell to the floor beside it.
Carolyn opened her eyes. “Wha…?”
Alisa stood over her now. She lifted her own knife… and began cutting at Carolyn’s bonds.
“What’s going on?” Carolyn wasn’t sure whether to fight back or not.
“Quiet down,” Alisa said. “Keep calm and you’ll get out of here.”
“But…” Carolyn looked at her. “You killed Atsuko…”
“Atsuko’s fine. I had to knock her out, but she’ll recover.”
Carolyn felt a wave of relief wash over her.
Alisa finished cutting Carolyn’s ropes. “Come on, stop stalling. You’ve already complicated things for me.”
“Who… who are you?” Carolyn asked. Her eyes widened. “Wait… I recognize you and your friend from the news… That NASA attack…”
“Yes, the NASA attack,” Alisa nodded. “Completely upended my life. I was following orders, working for my country, but it all ended with me and my cohorts led away in handcuffs.”
She sighed. “After we were taken to jail… I was approached by a woman who worked for the Central Intelligence Agency. She asked me to provide the CIA with intel on the Russian government. She wanted me to spy on my friends, on my country. I said yes.”
“You…”
“But then things got complicated,” Alisa continued. “The Russian government effectively disowned us. Then Katerina organized a plan to break us out of prison, and I couldn’t say no without raising suspicions. One thing led to another, and now I’m at the mayor’s mansion, trying my best to prevent innocents from getting killed.”
She finished freeing Carolyn from her bonds. “There. Get up.”
Carolyn stood, rubbing her wrists. “…Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it,” Alisa replied. “You’ve really upset my plans… Now I have to improvise.”
Carolyn was about to apologize, but held her tongue. She still didn’t know what to make of this woman.
“Now please get out of here,” Alisa ordered. “Go find your wife and leave the premises. The authorities will be here soon. I should know, I secretly tipped off FEMME headquarters a few minutes ago.”
Carolyn nodded and headed for the door. She reached for the knob, then paused.
“Can I just ask…” She turned back to Alisa. “Why would you agree to help the CIA? Did they offer to shorten your sentence?”
Alisa was quiet for a moment.
“I have a daughter… A little girl back at home. They offered a chance for me to see her again. Potentially extradite her.”
Carolyn looked surprised. “You’re… a mother?”
Alisa glared at her. “I don’t need your judgment. And I told you to get out of here.”
Carolyn hesitated but a moment longer. Then she opened the door and disappeared.
Alisa wiped at the corner of her eye.
Then she turned back to the unconscious Katerina. There was still work to be done…
********************
Chandra smoothed down the wrinkles in her uniform as she walked briskly through the yard outside the mansion, towards the lot where various reporters and their news vans were now congregated.
Her fight with Svetlana had left her looking a little shaken and messy, but she still needed to put her security disguise to good use.
And then she could change to a more pristine outfit.
Her eyes quickly settled on one reporter standing some distance from the crowd, talking on her cell phone.
“That’s right, Mom, they gave me the assignment at the mayor’s mansion! Very last-minute…”
The woman was tall, with a slim but athletic figure. She had light skin and sunny blonde hair in a feathered style. She wore a dark blue gold-buttoned suit jacket and matching skirt, a crisp white button-down shirt, and penny loafers.
“Isn’t this cool, Mom? Your little Melanie is about to be on TV.” The blonde glanced up as she saw a woman in security uniform approaching her. “Gotta go, Mom. Talk soon.”
She hung up and turned to Chandra. “Something wrong, officer?”
“Just a routine security check,” Chandra replied. “The mayor ordered us to inspect random news vehicles to ensure there’s nothing threatening about. Would you mind leading me to your van?”
Melanie did not seem thrilled by the prospect of a security check. “How long will this take? I don’t want to miss the mayor’s big speech.”
“I promise it won’t take long at all,” Chandra replied. “Just a cursory search is needed.”
Melanie nodded. “Okay, if you’re sure…”
She began walking away from the crowd of reporters towards the area where the vehicles were parked. Chandra followed.
“You certainly seem excited to be here,” Chandra noted.
Melanie grinned. “I was given this assignment last-minute. It was originally supposed to go to some other reporter… that snobby Georgia O’Day… but she cancelled this afternoon. She was traumatized after some woman mugged her for her clothes.”
Chandra hid a smile. “Oh? That sounds awful.”
“She’s just being a drama queen,” Melanie scoffed. “If I ever met the woman who mugged her, I’d teach her a thing or two! I’ve got a brown belt in karate…”
“Sounds like that mugger would be pretty scared of you,” Chandra replied, eyes twinkling.
“You bet she’d be.” Melanie reached the white news van. She unlocked the rear doors.
“Here you go… Feel free to take a look around, but be careful… Some of the equipment is quite fragile.”
“Maybe you should climb in first,” Chandra suggested. “To make sure nothing gets damaged.”
Melanie nodded. “Good idea.”
She clambered into the rear of the van. A grinning Chandra followed, shutting the doors behind them.
“Hey, what are you…?”
The van rocked back and forth for about twenty seconds. Then it grew still once more.
A few minutes layer, the doors opened again. Chandra stepped out. For the second time that day, she was dressed in a set of clothes stolen from a newswoman.
The real newswoman, for the second time that day, was unconscious and stripped to her underwear. In Melanie’s case, that meant a cyan sports bra and burgundy lace panties. She was all tied up in spare coaxial cables and gagged with a pink handkerchief.
“I’m sure you and Georgia will have fun swapping stories,” Chandra deadpanned, shutting the van door.
She found a pocket mirror in the pocket of her newly acquired suit jacket and used it to check her hair. After all, she needed to look convincing and presentable if she was about to appear on television.
“Where’s a makeup artist when you need one?”
*****************
Luella took pride in her work as a makeup artist.
The young woman had worked for Delilah Hargrove since before the mayoral election. She had earned Hargrove’s trust as a faithful artist who was always ready and able to make her boss look presentable and professional whenever it was time for an interview, a debate, or some other public event. She felt certain that her own skills at making Hargrove appear extra-telegenic had played a small part at helping the councilwoman win the election.
So although she was officially on break and lounging in the mayor’s makeup room, the call from Jenna – “Mayor Hargrove needs you in her office. She wants to be made up before she gives a statement to the press” – made her perk up. She never missed an opportunity to make her boss look good.
Luella was a tall and fit girl in her mid-twenties, with light skin, green eyes, and sandy brown hair that she wore in a tight bun, a pink comb jutting from the knot. Her standard uniform consisted of a short-sleeve black tunic, grey capri pants, and white sneakers.
Luella carried her makeup kit in one hand as she strode down the hallway to the mayor’s office.
Odd, she noticed, that there were no guards stationed outside the room. Didn’t Mayor Hargrove usually have a couple of security officers posted in her area during secure events?
Still, she shrugged and knocked on the office door.
After a moment’s wait, the door opened. A woman in a tea server’s uniform stood there, looking Luella up and down.
The woman then turned to Jenna, who was standing slightly off to one side. “She’s about six inches too short. Is this the best you can do?”
Jenna’s facial expression was a mixture of helplessness and frustration. “It’s the best I could do on such little notice.”
Luella looked confused. “What are you talking about?”
Oksana sighed. “I suppose you’ll have to do.”
She reached out swiftly and grabbed Luella’s arm, pulling her into the room.
“Hey, what--?!” It was all the young makeup artist could cry out before the door shut.
“I’m so sorry about this,” Jenna told the frightened Luella as Oksana placed her in a sleeper hold. “She’s not going to hurt you.” Then she looked up at Oksana. “You’re not going to hurt her, are you?” Her voice attempted an air of stern authority.
Oksana, however, was unmoved. “As long as she falls asleep quickly, I won’t have to.” She tightened the sleeper hold around Luella’s neck. “Hear that, darling?”
Whether or not Luella had heard was unclear, but her frantic struggles suggested she was in no mood of falling asleep. Her sneakers scuffed the floor as she attempted to kick out, but Oksana held on tight.
Jenna watched sadly as Luella’s struggles weakened. She felt awful about luring this innocent woman into the room… but there was no other choice.
Slowly but surely, Luella’s strength ebbed away. She slumped motionless in Oksana’s grip.
Adelaide chose that moment to emerge from the closet. “Found some more tape. We can use that to tie her up.”
“Good.” Oksana began unlacing the woman’s shoes. “Let’s hurry.”
Sonja approached, still looking a little woozy. “Are we playing dress-up? Can I play?”
“No,” Oksana replied. “You need to snap out of your drugged stupor already.”
Sonja bent down and picked up Luella’s makeup kit. “Ooh, pretty.”
“What’s with her?” Adelaide asked Oksana.
The Russian sighed. “Long story.”
Minutes later, Oksana had dressed herself in the uniform of the makeup artist. It was obviously too tight for her, particularly at the hips and chest area, but this was hardly the first time she had “borrowed” a uniform of an inconvenient size. She did up her hair and stuck the comb in it to complete the disguise.
Adelaide used the dark green tape to bind and gag the slumbering Luella. She dragged her over to the closet where the unconscious Cam and Gwyneth had been stowed. Marta was bound-and-gagged behind a nearby bookshelf.
“That was easy enough,” she mused, shutting the closet door. “What’s our next move?”
“Hope Chandra’s plan works, and get out of here without being shot,” Oksana replied. “Take Sonja’s hand, will you? You’re both wearing security uniforms… You can pretend she’s one of your fellow guards who had a little too much to drink, and you need to escort her outside.”
“All right then,” Adelaide nodded. “Just one moment.”
She hurried over to Hargrove’s desk. Pushing the still-unconscious mayor aside, Adelaide rummaged around the desk until she found what she was looking for – a tape recorder with the tape still inside.
“Perfect.” She tucked the recorder into her jacket.
“What’s that?” Oksana inquired.
“Nothing much,” Adelaide replied. “Shall we get out of here?”
“Yes indeed.” Oksana turned to Jenna. “Thank you for your help.”
Jenna still did not look happy. “Just make sure you stop the women who are after the mayor.”
“Way ahead of you,” Oksana assured her. Then, turning to Adelaide, who was helping a reluctant Sonja to her feet: “Let’s move.”
********************
Polina glanced inside the low metal cabinet. “Comfy?”
Crammed inside the cabinet, stripped to a plain white sports bra and matching panties, Svetlana glared at her. She had been bound with thick metal handcuffs and gagged with several strips of duct tape.
“Sorry about the extra restraint… but I trained with you in the military… and I know you’re stronger than you look.” Polina tilted her head to one side. “Anyway, no hard feelings, right?”
Svetlana snarled furiously into her gag and tried to lunge outward. Polina instinctively recoiled, even though Svetlana’s hands were chained to an interior pipe.
“Wow… Even bound and gagged in your underwear, you manage to be scary,” Polina observed. “But I’m the one in the FEMME uniform now… I’ve got nothing to be scared of.”
She shut the cabinet door, all but entirely muffling Svetlana’s growls of fury.
Polina stopped for a moment and considered her words. She looked down at the FEMME uniform she was wearing.
“I’ve… got nothing to be scared of,” she echoed.
The idea came to her immediately. She knew what she had to do.
“Lupe, Elena… I’m coming.”
*****************
Diana checked her watch, raising a suspicious eyebrow. Trissa had been in the prisoners’ room for a while.
She knocked on the door. “Triss? What’s the holdup?”
Getting no response, she drew her pistol. Then she opened the door.
Lupe and Elena sat in their chairs, hands still behind their backs. Trissa was nowhere to be seen.
“Where the hell is my partner?” Diana demanded.
Elena shrugged. “She left a while ago.”
“Don’t get cute with me, girl.” Diana approached her, tucking the gun back into its holster. “I can make your time here very uncomfortable. The boss said to keep you alive, but she didn’t say anything about keeping your fingers intact.”
At that, Elena brought both of her hands out from behind her back, swiftly grabbing the guard’s lapels. “I like my fingers right where they are.”
“Wha--?” Diana started to react, reaching for her gun.
But Elena was faster. BAMM!
Diana dropped to the floor.
The Colombian woman shook out her hand. “Ouch! You’ve got a hard chin… So much for intact fingers.”
But it was worth the effort. The second guard was now out cold.
Lupe brought her own hands out from behind her back, no longer needing to pretend they were bound. “That was scary… I thought she was going to shoot you.”
“It was thrilling!” Elena replied. “You should not be scared of everything, cousin. You should appreciate the thrill of all this. There is so much joy in the simple pleasures of life!”
“Simple pleasures like… knocking out women and stealing their uniforms?”
Elena beamed. “Of course!”
Lupe shook her head in disbelief.
But she walked over to the doorway, behind which had been concealed the unconscious Trissa.
“We can strip these two women and wear their uniforms,” Elena said excitedly. “And we get the nice bonus of being able to use these uniforms to escape!”
“The escape is the main reason we’re stripping them,” Lupe replied.
Elena shrugged. “I suppose.”
Regardless of the intent, the outcome was inevitable – Trissa and Diana were soon stripped down to their underwear, cuffed to the chairs previously occupied by Lupe and Elena, their mouths gagged with black kerchiefs. Diana wore a pink triangle bra and zebra-print French cut panties, while Trissa was reduced to a blue balconette bra and seafoam boyshorts.
Lupe and Elena donned the uniforms and sized each other up.
“Ready?” Elena asked.
Lupe took a deep breath. “I… I guess.”
“Then let’s go!”
They headed for the door. As she was about to close it, Elena paused.
“What’s wrong?” Lupe asked.
“I forgot to make a quip,” Elena explained.
She turned back to the guards. “Looks like you’re all tied up at the moment! In knots, that is!”
Lupe groaned. “Can we please get out of here?”
*********************
Carolyn quickened her pace as she hurried down the hall, her heart pumping in her throat. She hoped Alisa had been telling the truth. She hoped… she prayed…
She reached the room where she had last seen Atsuko. The door was locked… or perhaps jammed. Alisa had likely restrained it as a precaution.
No matter. Carolyn would not let anything as trivial as a wooden door keep her from Atsuko. She kicked hard – once, twice, with all her might.
On the third kick, she was rewarded with the sound of splintering wood. The door came off its hinges.
Carolyn stepped over the fallen door and into the room. “…S-Suki?”
A groan came from behind the sofa. Carolyn hurried over to see Atsuko stirring, and beginning to awaken.
“Oh my god.” Carolyn swiftly knelt down and helped her wife to her feet. “You’re okay… you’re okay.”
“What happened?” Atsuko asked groggily. “My head… I can barely think… I…”
Carolyn leaned over and kissed Atsuko on the lips. She did not let go for several long seconds.
Finally, she pulled away. Atsuko’s eyes were now wide open.
“Uh… whoa. My head definitely feels better now.”
“I’ll explain everything later,” Carolyn promised. “But we need to get out of here now.”
“What about Adelaide?”
“Adelaide can take care of herself,” Carolyn replied. “My main priority is getting you out of here. I won’t lose you.”
“Babe,” Atsuko grinned alluringly, “as long as you keep kissing me like that, I swear you’ll never lose me.”
Carolyn managed a small smile. “Time for that later. Let’s hurry up. The gardening van is parked out front.”
Atsuko glanced at the broken door lying on the ground. “Wow… You’re stronger than you look.”
“I am when I’ve got the motivation.”
********************
Chandra strode across the grounds outside the mansion, past a fountain around which several reporters were congregated. She stopped to quickly check her reflection in the water, smoothing down her hair.
“Guess it’s as good as it’s gonna get…”
She heard a woman’s voice nearby. “We’re live in five minutes, Phil. Where’s Melanie? We need her on camera.”
Chandra turned to see what appeared to be a producer speaking to a man holding a TV camera.
“She’s not picking up her phone… Dammit, Melanie.” The woman frowned. “I’ll go find her. You stay here, make sure the camera’s ready for her report.”
The woman hurried off.
Chandra smiled, sensing her opportunity. She approached the cameraman.
“I’m ready to give my report,” she said.
The man looked at her strangely. “You’re not Melanie.”
“Melanie’s not available right now. She asked me to fill in for her.”
The cameraman looked at her clothes. “Is that Melanie’s suit?”
“Yes. She gave it to me since mine’s at the cleaners. Shall we get the camera rolling?”
The cameraman scratched his head. “I’m only supposed to film Melanie’s report.”
Chandra sighed and fixed the man with a steely glare. “Look, buddy. I’ve had a long day. Now start rolling the camera before I break it over your neck.”
The man looked stunned for a moment. Chandra’s angry gaze told him this was no idle threat.
“Er… Whatever you say, lady.” He readied the camera.
Chandra smiled and picked up a microphone.
*******************
Carolyn and Atsuko hurried outside to the area where they had parked the gardening van.
“There it is,” Carolyn said breathlessly, a look of encouragement on her face.
Carolyn retrieved the keys and unlocked the door of the van. Then she paused.
“What’s wrong?” Atsuko asked.
“There are still five women stashed inside this van,” Carolyn realized. “All bound and gagged in their underwear. We need to set them free.”
“Are you crazy? They’ll have us arrested. We can’t risk that.”
“We can’t risk taking them with us either,” Carolyn pointed out. “We’ll need to take them out of the van, make sure they’re all okay.”
Atsuko groaned. “There has to be another way…”
At that moment, they heard a throat clearing behind them.
Carolyn and Atsuko froze, then turned to see a tall woman approaching them, dressed in a FEMME uniform.
“Excuse me, ladies,” Polina said in her deepest and (to her mind) most intimidating voice, “I need to commandeer this van.”
Atsuko raised an eyebrow. “Eh?”
“Hand over the keys,” Polina continued. “I’ll be driving this van out of here. It’s an emergency.”
“But…” Carolyn started to say.
“No buts, missy,” Polina interrupted. “I have the authority to take command of this vehicle. I’m a FEMME agent! That’s Female Enforcement M… er, whatever the rest stands for!”
Carolyn and Atsuko wanted to argue further. But a glance at the gun strapped to the woman’s thigh holster convinced them to hold their tongues. They had both been disarmed by the Russian mercenaries earlier.
“O… Okay.” Carolyn held out the keys.
Polina smiled as she grabbed them. “Thank you kindly.”
She opened the door and hopped into the driver’s seat, then started the ignition and drove off.
*********************
Polina chuckled to herself as she tossed off the FEMME cap and let her dark hair fall free around her shoulders.
“Being a FEMME agent rocks! I can do anything I want!”
She thought for a second. “Well, except mug other women for their uniforms, I guess.”
At that moment, a faint moaning sound alerted her. Several moaning sounds, in fact.
She glanced in the rearview mirror and immediately raised her eyebrows.
Five women lay on the floor in the back of the van, all stripped to their underwear. They were all bound and gagged and in various states of grogginess.
“What the hell?” Polina glanced back at the quintet of half-naked women. “What kind of kinky slumber party is this?”
Daisy, Jasmine, Cynthia, Laurie, and Morgan all “mmmmpph”ed angrily in response.
Polina sighed. “Boy, I’m sure there’s an interesting story to explain how you all got here… but I’m kind of in a hurry. Afraid I can’t stop to untie any of you.”
Upon hearing this, the women turned angry, and began banging their feet against the walls of the van. Morgan, being the closest to the rear doors, began kicking out against them.
“Hey! Stop that!” Polina frowned. “You girls behave yourselves back there!”
Now she knew how her mom probably felt on long vacation trips…
The women continued their banging against the sides and rear of the van, mewling to be set free. Morgan kicked out with all her strength, hitting the doors as hard as she could.
*******************
The cameraman gave his signal.
Chandra took a deep breath.
“Good evening, everyone,” she said assertively. “I’m standing outside the mansion of Mayor Delilah Hargrove, where a terrible tragedy has just taken place.”
The cameraman gave her a funny look, but Chandra ignored him. She paused for emphasis.
“About twenty minutes ago, the mayor was stricken with a terrible and–”
WHAM!
The sound came from about twenty feet away, from a passing gardening van. The rear doors of the van flew open. The next moment, five half-naked women, all bound and gagged, tumbled out of the van and onto the grass.
The van continued to drive onward, its doors still open, other gardening implements strewing the road in its wake.
All the reporters standing around the area paused their activities and stared at the five dazed women lying on the ground.
Then, the next moment, they all immediately rushed towards them.
The cameraman who was previously trained on Chandra now turned and followed the crowd as fast as he could.
“Hey, get back here!” Chandra yelled.
But it was no use. All the reporters were now congregated around the quintet of “mmmmpphh”ing beauties, shouting questions that the women obviously could not audibly answer.
“What’s wrong with all you people?” an angered Chandra shouted. “Haven’t you ever seen a bunch of women tied up in their underwear before?”
No one paid her any attention. The reporters had more important things to focus on.
Chandra groaned. What could she do now?
********************
Polina winced as she glanced in the rearview mirror at the open rear doors. “Sorry, girls… But on the other hand, this van was getting too crowded.”
She pressed her boot down against the gas. The van blasted through the entry gate, sending the on-duty guard diving for cover.
“Let’s see how fast this thing can get back to the city,” Polina murmured.
Her phone rang. She answered, not taking her eyes off the road.
“Polina, where the hell are you?” Oksana sounded agitated. “We need to get out of here.”
“Way ahead of you, Oksy. I’ll meet you at the embassy.”
“What? What are you talking about?!”
“I’ve got a plan. Don’t worry about me. Just get out in one piece.”
Polina hung up. Then she pressed the gas to the floor.
********************
Oksana stared blankly at the phone in her hand. “Polina? Hello?”
“Something wrong?” Adelaide asked.
The two women had made it to the side of the mansion, with Oksana half-dragging Sonja along.
“My partner… She’s off on another harebrained plan.” Oksana frowned. “What do we do now?”
“Don’t worry, we’ve got a means of escape,” Adelaide assured her as they made their way to the garden. “There’s a van here that my friends brought with them…”
She stopped short. Carolyn and Atsuko were standing in a clearing near the garden. The van was nowhere to be seen.
“What happened?” Adelaide asked.
“Some FEMME agent stole our vehicle,” Atsuko replied.
“Technically, we stole it first,” Carolyn said quietly.
“No time for lectures,” Adelaide frowned. “What do we do now?”
At that moment, Chandra came racing up to the women.
“Lucky I found you girls… All hell is about to break loose.”
Atsuko’s eyes widened, immediately recognizing Chandra… and now Sonja as well. The two women who had infiltrated her office and knocked her out only a few hours earlier.
“What are you doing here?” she asked angrily.
Chandra gave her a surprised look. “I could ask you the same thing. I owe you for getting us arrested…”
“Hey! Time for fighting later.” Oksana interrupted, clearly annoyed. “Chandra, what’s wrong? Are any of the mercenaries still around? Where are Katerina and Alisa?”
Carolyn spoke up. “No, they’re… they’re taken care of.”
“Svetlana’s tied up, too,” Chandra nodded. “They’re all out of commission. But we’ve got bigger problems. A bunch of employees were found, tied up and missing their clothes. I overheard the mayor’s staff issuing lockdown procedures. They’re not letting anyone off the grounds.” Chandra sighed. “It seems like they trained for situations like this.”
“Perfect,” Adelaide scowled. “The cops will be here any minute.”
Carolyn gulped. “No… I can’t go to jail. I… I…”
Atsuko squeezed her hand. “Don’t panic, babe. We haven’t been caught… Not yet…”
“No, we haven’t,” Chandra nodded. She glanced from Oksana to Sonja to Carolyn to Atsuko to Adelaide.
“I don’t know who all of you are, but I assume we all have the same goal,” she said. “That is, to get out of here without being detected.”
The five other women nodded.
“Well, we just need some new disguises, then.”
“But what disguises will allow us out of the mayor’s mansion grounds during lockdown?” Atsuko asked.
At that moment, they heard the sound of a vehicle rumbling up to the front entrance of the mansion.
Chandra peered through the bushes, toward the main gate. A black van with FEMME signage came into view.
Chandra smiled. “I think that answers your question.”
******************
Heather Smythe coolly sipped her coffee as she glanced at the clock on the wall of her office.
“What is taking so long?”
She had dispatched Oksana and Polina to kill Mayor Hargrove hours ago. Neither had reported back, and Heather was beginning to grow agitated. The longer this went on, the riskier her plan would become…
She reached for her radio. “Diana, what is the status of the prisoners?”
No response.
Heather frowned. “Diana, talk to me. Status report.”
Still nothing. “Trissa, do you copy?”
Neither guard was answering. Something was wrong.
With a cry of exasperation, Heather got to her feet. She pulled her gun out of her desk drawer, tucked it into her jacket, and rushed out of the office. She headed straight for the elevators.
*******************
“Just a little farther,” Elena told Lupe. “We’re almost to the elevator, and no one’s stopped us yet.”
“Because there’s no one down at the basement level,” Lupe replied. “What happens when we get to the ground floor? These security uniforms come with photo ID passes. If even one officer stops to check our IDs, we’re done for.”
“We will worry about that if and when we need to. Now come on.”
They reached the elevator. Elena reached out to press the button.
However, before she could do so, the elevator dinged, and the door slid open.
Heather Smythe stood there. Her eyes locked on to Lupe and Elena’s.
A wicked grin spread across her face. “Ah… I had a feeling you two were trying to pull a fast one.”
Before either Lupe or Elena could move, Heather had pulled out her gun and pointed it at them.
“Naughty girls… You two have become quite a headache.”
Lupe raised her hands fearfully. “Please… please don’t shoot.”
Heather stepped out of the elevator. Lupe and Elena backed up, hands still raised.
“I don’t like headaches,” Heather continued. “But I’ve had too many lately. Mayor Hargrove, for one. And of course, you and your Russian friends.”
She sighed. “I thought I could get rid of all these problems today – but it appears that Hargrove will have to wait. For now, you two know too much about me, and you were just about to leave. I’m sorry, but you both need to be eliminated.”
Lupe blinked back tears. “Please…”
Elena remained silent, merely glancing back and forth between her cousin and the gun-wielding diplomat.
“Don’t worry,” Heather said with the faintest of chuckles. “If you shut your eyes, it’ll be over fast...”
“Not fast enough,” another woman’s voice said from behind her.
This was followed by the click of a pistol.
Heather turned, slowly, to see a woman in FEMME uniform, brandishing a gun to her head.
“Hi,” Polina smiled. “Remember me?”
“What…?” Heather gasped. “How…? Where…?”
“Time for Twenty Questions later,” Polina interrupted. “Would you mind dropping your weapon please?”
Heather dropped her gun. She scowled as she placed her hands behind her head.
Elena began to laugh. “Polina! You came back for us!”
“Damn right I did.” Polina glanced at Lupe. “You all right?”
Lupe nodded, slowly. She was clearly still shaken.
“You won’t get away with this,” Heather growled.
“On the contrary, Madame Diplomat,” Polina beamed. “We’ll be getting away with it as soon as you sign some papers for us…”
*******************
“No,” Carolyn said sternly.
“What do you mean, ‘no’?” Chandra frowned.
She peered through the bushes again. “This is perfect… It looks like there are five FEMME agents exiting that van. Enough uniforms for nearly all of us.”
“We are not mugging a team of FEMME agents,” Carolyn said adamantly.
“You scared of them?” Chandra asked.
“Not at all,” Carolyn replied. “Those women are heroes. They keep this city safe… Protect it from women like you.”
Chandra and Oksana both glared at her. Adelaide gave her a sour look. Atsuko uncomfortably looked away.
“You’re incredibly naïve if you believe that,” Chandra told Carolyn. “That uniform you’re wearing right now? Stolen from one of the mayor’s guards, I’ll bet.”
“But I had a good reason to steal her uniform,” Carolyn replied. “And I knocked her out gently. Humanely.”
“FEMME doesn’t care,” Chandra countered. “In their eyes, your motivation doesn’t matter. Your tactics don’t matter. They see you as a uniform thief, and they’ll arrest you along with all of us.”
Carolyn set her lip. “I don’t care. I won’t do it.”
Oksana and Chandra both looked quite angry. Neither one was willing to ally themselves with someone of Carolyn’s outlook.
Adelaide leaned over to Atsuko. “You’d better talk to your wife, and fast.”
Atsuko nodded. She walked over to Carolyn and put a hand on her shoulder.
“Honey,” she said softly. “This is all my fault.”
Carolyn turned to her.
“I was the one who wanted to go on this adventure… who wanted thrills, excitement to spice up my life. I thought this would be exciting – disguise, infiltration, all of it. It made me feel alive every time I stole another woman’s clothes.”
“Suki…” Carolyn began.
“Let me finish,” Atsuko interrupted. “When we were attacked by those mercenaries, I got scared. That woman – Alisa, her name was? – put me in a sleeper hold… And… I thought I would never wake up.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “Her friend ordered her to kill me, and… and I thought she would do it. I thought I was going to die. And all I could think about at that moment was… that I would never see you again.”
She wiped her eye. “Carolyn, you are my adventure. You are my greatest thrill. I don’t know why I never fully appreciated it before. But you spice up my life every day.”
She paused. Carolyn was silent, her lip trembling.
“So I make you this promise… We steal those FEMME agents’ uniforms, escape from here, go home, and then… I’m done. No more adventures, no more infiltrations or uniform stealing or putting our lives at risk. I just want to settle down with you, start a family. Leave all this behind.”
Carolyn’s eyes widened. “You… you mean it?”
“I promise,” Atsuko replied. “After today, we just live nice, peaceful, normal lives. We get our happily ever after.”
Carolyn could feel the tears brimming now. She nodded.
Then she turned back to Chandra and Oksana. “Okay… I’m in.”
Chandra looked a bit surprised at the emotional scene she had just witnessed. Adelaide did too. But she smiled.
Chandra nodded. “Okay, ladies. Let’s do this.”
“We’ll need to be careful,” Oksana pointed out. “These FEMME women are highly trained, with armor and weapons to spare. They’re authorized to use lethal force if needed.”
“Sounds like taking them down will be fun.”
All the women turned in surprise to see Sonja, standing upright and with a big smile on her face.
Chandra immediately brightened. “Sonja! You’re okay.”
Sonja nodded. “Of course I’m okay. That drug didn’t affect me at all.”
Chandra and Oksana exchanged a glance.
“You… sure you don’t need to rest?” Chandra asked her friend. “If you’re woozy, you should sit this one out.”
Sonja held up a hand to silence her. “Chandra, if you’re planning on taking down some FEMME agents, there’s no chance in hell you’re leaving me out of it.”
Chandra understood, and nodded. “Okay then. Now listen up, everyone. Here’s the plan…”
*******************
Delilah Hargrove groaned and stirred awake. She rubbed the back of her neck.
“Why do young women today always insist on getting violent?”
She turned to see Jenna standing beside her, having just finished untying the ropes from her hands.
“Jenna? What happened?”
Jenna hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Ma’am, it appears our event has been… interrupted. A group of mercenaries infiltrated the grounds, with the intent of targeting you. Fortunately, it appears they’ve been contained.”
“Appears?”
“We’re getting a number of reports from outside,” Jenna continued. “A group of women were found tied up in their underwear on the front grounds – they had just fallen out of a van.”
Hargrove shut her eyes in exasperation. “Where are Claudia and Zephyr?”
“Just heard over the radio. One of the maids just found them in the basement. They were apparently incapacitated by the mercenaries. They’re shaken but unharmed.”
Hargrove let out a breath. “This is a public relations nightmare.”
“The good news is that the FEMME agents have just arrived.”
Hargrove raised an eyebrow. “I thought the FEMME van arrived hours ago.”
“That was a van filled with the mercenaries, who were impersonating FEMME agents. An additional team of FEMME agents was delayed, but they’ve just shown up now. They’ll hopefully get the situation in hand.”
Hargrove rubbed her eyes. “Anything else?”
“Yes, ma’am. Several of your employees are bound and gagged in their underwear in your closet.”
Hargrove sighed again. She leaned back in her chair.
“Ma’am?” Jenna asked cautiously. “What do we do now?”
Hargrove opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling for several moments.
Then, slowly, a smile spread across her face.
“I think we’ve just been handed the golden opportunity of a lifetime.”
She sat up straight in her seat.
“Get the press organized. I’m about to make the most important speech of my career.”
The two guards had been given strict orders by Heather Smythe to make sure no one entered or exited the room without authorization. More specifically, they were to make sure the two captives inside the room did not cause any trouble.
Diana was a tall woman with tanned skin, blue eyes, and dark blonde hair in a braided ponytail. Trissa was a slightly shorter guard with light skin, grey eyes, and short brown hair in a pixie cut. Both women wore grey button-down uniform shirts with embassy pins, black dress pants, brown loafers, and grey baseball caps.
Trissa checked her watch. “Any idea how much longer we’re posted here?” she asked. “There’s a game on tonight I wanted to catch.”
Diana shrugged. “We’re here as long as the boss says we should be here. She pays our bills, after all.”
Trissa sighed. “I guess.”
From within the room they were guarding, a sound emanated – a low groaning sound.
Then a cry followed: “Help! Someone help her!”
Trissa groaned. “What now?”
Diana’s eyes narrowed. “The prisoners are making trouble. Go check on them.”
“Why me?” Trissa protested.
“Because I’ve worked here longer than you, so I get to call the shots.”
“That’s not how it works!” Trissa replied indignantly.
Another cry came from within the room. “Please, someone help!”
Diana fixed Trissa with a look. “Want me to tell the boss you let the prisoners get hurt on your watch?”
Trissa sighed. “Okay, you win.”
She unlocked the door and entered the room. Diana shut the door behind her for security.
Lupe and Elena were still tied to their chairs. Elena, however, was gasping for breath, her head tossed back. Lupe had a look of fear and concern on her face.
“Please,” Lupe addressed Trissa. “She’s having a panic attack… She can’t breathe. Please help her.”
“What do you expect me to do?” Trissa asked.
“She’s claustrophobic… She’s been bound to the chair for hours. Please untie her hands… Give her some space…”
Trissa chuckled. “Just how dumb do you think I am?” she asked. “This is the oldest trick in the book.”
Elena gave one more gasp, then her chair tipped on its side. She fell to the floor and did not move.
Lupe stared at her cousin in horror. “Elena!”
She looked up at Trissa in desperation. “Please… If she dies, I’ll have no one…”
“Not my problem.” Trissa turned to go.
“And your boss will be furious,” Lupe said, louder this time. “You’re supposed to keep us alive, remember?”
Trissa paused, then sighed.
She turned and glared at Lupe. “No tricks. You move, I shoot you.”
Lupe nodded. “Please… just help her.”
Trissa walked over to Elena, who had by this point grown motionless. The guard knelt down by Elena and patted her cheek. “Hey… wake up. Snap out of it.”
Elena didn’t respond.
Trissa shrugged. “Eh, she’ll sleep it off.”
Elena’s eyes abruptly flickered open.
“Boo!” she said with a mischievous grin.
The next moment, she kicked out, sweeping Trissa’s legs out from under her. The guard had no time to react before she fell groundward.
Before Trissa could regain her bearings, Elena had kicked out again, striking the guard in the temple. Trissa groaned and slumped to the floor. She did not get back up.
“Eh, you’ll sleep it off,” Elena smiled.
She glanced proudly at Lupe. “Did you see what I did there? I just used her words against her!”
“Very clever,” Lupe replied dryly. “Does she have a knife on her or something? We need to cut these ropes.”
“Yes indeed.” Elena maneuvered herself to a position where she could grasp the pocketknife from Trissa’s belt. “I’ll have us free before you know it.”
“Hurry up,” Lupe said urgently. “That other guard may open the door at any moment…”
******************
Jenna glanced silently back from one woman to the next, waiting for a response.
“I said, will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?”
Oksana glanced at her, then up at Marta, who was still pointing a gun at her. Behind them, Adelaide stood with her own gun aimed at Marta.
Hargrove sat unconscious in her chair. Nearby, Sonja had become fascinated by an oil painting on the wall of the mayor’s office.
“I’ll tell you what’s going on,” Marta replied. “I came here with a mission, and now I’m getting three targets for the price of one.” She looked back and forth between Sonja, Oksana, and Hargrove. “I won’t let you stop me.”
Adelaide pressed her gun into the back of Marta’s neck. “I don’t know who you are, but you’re not shooting anyone. Now drop your gun before I drop you.”
Marta scowled. Her hand twitched, as though ready to fire.
Then she released her grip, letting her gun fall to the floor.
“Hands behind your head,” Adelaide ordered. “And get down on your knees.”
Marta complied, though her eyes blazed with cold fury.
Jenna looked oddly at Adelaide. “What are you doing here?”
“Long story,” Adelaide replied. “I’ll buy you a drink later and tell you about it.”
“You tied me up earlier today and stuck me in a cabinet,” Jenna frowned.
“Okay, no drinks then.” Adelaide gestured at Marta. “Anything we can use to restrain this woman?”
“I’ll take care of her.” Oksana walked over and knelt down beside Marta. “Just need to ask her some questions first.”
Marta scowled at her. “I will never answer questions from a traitor.”
“How many of you have infiltrated this mansion?” Oksana pressed.
“You won’t get me to speak. I refuse to—”
Marta stopped talking abruptly as Adelaide pressed the gun into the base of her neck again.
“Maybe this will encourage you,” Adelaide remarked.
Marta bit her lip. Still, after a few long seconds, she relented.
“There are five of us… all dressed as FEMME agents. We came here to find the traitors to our cause and execute them… and take out the mayor as a bonus.”
“Where are your friends?” Oksana asked.
“Spread around the mansion… Searching for you, I’d guess.” Marta smiled grimly. “You won’t be able to hide from them all… We’ve planned this out so well… We’ve anticipated every setback – ooff!”
She pitched forward as Oksana slammed a boot into her head.
“You didn’t anticipate that one,” Oksana said to the now-unconscious Marta.
She stood up and looked over at Sonja. “We need to get out of here.”
Sonja looked at her strangely, a vacant look still in her eyes. “But I didn’t get to feed the elephants.”
Oksana glanced over at Jenna. “You. You work for this mayor, correct?”
Jenna frowned. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but I do know that you’re all in serious trouble. When the FEMME agents get here, they’ll—”
“Idiot.” Oksana grabbed Jenna’s arm. “Your precious FEMME agents aren’t going to protect you. Nor are your security guards – most of them have been knocked out and replaced by imposters.”
“Guilty as charged,” Adelaide nodded, gesturing at her stolen security uniform.
“There are dangerous women in this building,” Oksana told Jenna. “They want to kill the mayor – and they’re the type to follow through on their threats. I can help you, but you need to help us as well.”
“Why would I trust you?” Jenna asked. “Any of you? You’ve all infiltrated this mansion yourselves!”
“You will trust us because there’s no one else you can trust right now,” Oksana answered.
Jenna paused. Hargrove was unconscious. Claudia and Zephyr were missing and presumably incapacitated. The FEMME agents, if Marta was to be believed, weren’t coming to the rescue.
She sighed. “Just what do you need?”
“First,” Oksana answered, “I need you to get me some new clothes.”
Jenna groaned. “I was afraid you’d say that…”
****************
Chandra narrowly dodged Svetlana’s blade, pivoting against a metal cabinet.
Svetlana scraped the knife across a metal fridge door as she advanced towards Chandra, relishing the sharp sound it created. “You’re making this more difficult than it needs to be.”
“Must be a habit of mine,” Chandra murmured, glancing around for a weapon she could use to defend herself.
With a snarl, Svetlana surged forward. Chandra grabbed a cutting board off the nearest table and held it up in front of her head. The blade pierced the board but was stopped short. Chandra twisted the board, sending the blade out of Svetlana’s hand and skittering across the floor.
Before Svetlana could react, Chandra had grabbed her wrist and flipped her around, twisting her arm behind her back. She pinned the woman down on the counter.
“Give it up,” Chandra ordered her. “Give up or I’ll break your arm. I’ll really do it this time.”
So saying, she twisted Svetlana’s arm sharply. For a moment, it looked as though Svetlana was wincing in agony.
Then, the next moment, the Russian woman’s face contorted into a new expression. She laughed.
“I don’t give up,” she said. “And a little pain won’t stop me.”
Without warning, she lurched her head up and back, knocking right into Chandra’s forehead.
Chandra staggered backwards, dazed. Before she could get her bearings, she felt a pair of hands wrap around her throat.
Svetlana slammed Chandra down against the metal counter.
“I don’t even need a weapon to kill you,” she grinned. “This is more rewarding.”
Chandra tried prying Svetlana’s fingers loose, but the Russian woman didn’t budge. Her fingers tightened around Chandra’s throat.
“Look at me,” Svetlana grinned malevolently. “I want my face to be the last thing you ever see. I want to watch as the last spark of light leaves your eyes.”
Chandra felt herself growing weak. She couldn’t breathe, she was pinned to the countertop. Her struggles were slowing, her vision blurring…
“Goodbye, Chandra,” Svetlana chuckled. “You fought well, but this battle only had one possible endin—”
WABAM!
Svetlana blinked. She stared blankly ahead for several long moments. Her hands loosened their grip from Chandra’s throat.
Then, slowly, she slid to the floor and lay still.
Chandra coughed, rubbing her throat. She took a few deep breaths and glanced up.
Another woman in a FEMME uniform stood over her. This one had light skin and dark hair in a ponytail. She was clutching a frying pan in her hands.
Chandra got to her feet. As her vision cleared, she recognized the woman standing before her.
“Oh… it’s you.”
Polina frowned. “Excuse me? Oh, it’s you? I just saved your life, and that’s the thanks I get?”
Chandra held up a hand. “Don’t start with me. It’s been a long day.”
She glanced down at the floor, where Svetlana lay motionless. “Is she…?”
“Out cold. Courtesy of this.” Polina triumphantly held up the frying pan. “These FEMME uniforms come with lots of weapons, but sometimes the old-fashioned cartoon-style knockouts work best. Don’t you agree?”
Chandra sighed. “I’m not going to ask why you’re in a FEMME uniform. Would you mind taking care of this maniac? I need to get out of here.”
Polina nodded. “You met with Oksana, right? She’s not answering her radio…”
“Oksana is holed up in the mayor’s office now. I’m sure she’s fine.”
“She mentioned in her last message that you had a plan, right?” Polina pressed. “A way to save my friends Lupe and Elena.”
“I do… But I need to get out of here to implement it. Please tie up the crazy woman before she wakes up and tries to kill me again.”
Polina nodded. “Sure thing. I never liked her anyway.”
Chandra headed for the kitchen exit. She stopped at the doorway and turned around. “Hey…”
Polina, who had crouched down beside Svetlana and begun unlacing her left boot, looked up.
Chandra paused. “Thank you.”
Polina smiled. “My pleasure. Good luck.”
Chandra was out the door.
Polina pulled off Svetlana’s boot and began untying the other one. Her own mind was racing as well…
********************
Carolyn stirred, and slowly shifted awake.
“Welcome back, Sleeping Beauty,” a voice chuckled.
Carolyn opened her eyes. She was lying on a table in a dark room. Her arms and legs had been cuffed. Over her stood Katerina, a cruel smile on her face, and Alisa, her face a cold mask.
“You’re quite the wildcat,” Katerina observed. “We had to restrain you to keep you docile. And now you’re going to answer some questions.”
Carolyn felt her cheeks flush with rage. She pulled against her bonds, but the metal cuffs would not budge.
“Easy, girl,” Katerina told her. “Those handcuffs are FEMME-designed. State-of-the-art. Unbreakable.”
Carolyn’s eyes brimmed with furious tears. “You… You killed her…”
“Your friend?” Katerina replied. “Yes, we did. She fought hard too, but—”
“She was my wife,” Carolyn said, teeth clenched.
“Oh? Well, sorry for your loss,” Katerina said, though she did not look or sound sorry. “But whoever she was, she’s not coming back. So we’d best move on to business. Tell us where Chandra and Sonja are.”
Carolyn didn’t respond. She simply stared up at the ceiling, tears streaming down her face.
“Answer me,” Katerina demanded. “You’re a security guard, aren’t you? You work here, you should know the details…”
“I don’t work here,” Carolyn murmured. “I should never have come here.”
Katerina looked at her in confusion. She eyed Carolyn’s name badge. “Cynthia, I warn you to stop playing games…”
“I’m not Cynthia,” Carolyn said tersely, quietly. “Cynthia is the poor guard whose uniform I stole. Another woman who got hurt so I could wear her clothes.”
Katerina looked surprised. Then she frowned. “An imposter, eh?”
Carolyn did not answer.
“You’ve wasted our time,” Katerina said angrily, pulling out her knife. “Screw this.”
Alisa held up a hand. “Katerina, wait. No killing, remember?”
“Rules have changed,” Katerina replied. “Besides, you killed the other guard, remember? She was probably an imposter too… Just more nosy women getting in our way. I’m sick and tired of it.”
She turned to Carolyn. “Good news, Cynthia or whatever your name is,” she said, a cruel smile spreading across her face. “You’re about to be reunited with your wife.”
Carolyn shut her eyes. Her limbs froze, unable… or unwilling… to fight back.
“Send her my love.” Katerina raised the knife, preparing to finish Carolyn once and for all.
The next moment, she felt a sharp blow to the side of her neck.
Katerina paused, the knife clattering to the floor.
The next moment, she fell to the floor beside it.
Carolyn opened her eyes. “Wha…?”
Alisa stood over her now. She lifted her own knife… and began cutting at Carolyn’s bonds.
“What’s going on?” Carolyn wasn’t sure whether to fight back or not.
“Quiet down,” Alisa said. “Keep calm and you’ll get out of here.”
“But…” Carolyn looked at her. “You killed Atsuko…”
“Atsuko’s fine. I had to knock her out, but she’ll recover.”
Carolyn felt a wave of relief wash over her.
Alisa finished cutting Carolyn’s ropes. “Come on, stop stalling. You’ve already complicated things for me.”
“Who… who are you?” Carolyn asked. Her eyes widened. “Wait… I recognize you and your friend from the news… That NASA attack…”
“Yes, the NASA attack,” Alisa nodded. “Completely upended my life. I was following orders, working for my country, but it all ended with me and my cohorts led away in handcuffs.”
She sighed. “After we were taken to jail… I was approached by a woman who worked for the Central Intelligence Agency. She asked me to provide the CIA with intel on the Russian government. She wanted me to spy on my friends, on my country. I said yes.”
“You…”
“But then things got complicated,” Alisa continued. “The Russian government effectively disowned us. Then Katerina organized a plan to break us out of prison, and I couldn’t say no without raising suspicions. One thing led to another, and now I’m at the mayor’s mansion, trying my best to prevent innocents from getting killed.”
She finished freeing Carolyn from her bonds. “There. Get up.”
Carolyn stood, rubbing her wrists. “…Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it,” Alisa replied. “You’ve really upset my plans… Now I have to improvise.”
Carolyn was about to apologize, but held her tongue. She still didn’t know what to make of this woman.
“Now please get out of here,” Alisa ordered. “Go find your wife and leave the premises. The authorities will be here soon. I should know, I secretly tipped off FEMME headquarters a few minutes ago.”
Carolyn nodded and headed for the door. She reached for the knob, then paused.
“Can I just ask…” She turned back to Alisa. “Why would you agree to help the CIA? Did they offer to shorten your sentence?”
Alisa was quiet for a moment.
“I have a daughter… A little girl back at home. They offered a chance for me to see her again. Potentially extradite her.”
Carolyn looked surprised. “You’re… a mother?”
Alisa glared at her. “I don’t need your judgment. And I told you to get out of here.”
Carolyn hesitated but a moment longer. Then she opened the door and disappeared.
Alisa wiped at the corner of her eye.
Then she turned back to the unconscious Katerina. There was still work to be done…
********************
Chandra smoothed down the wrinkles in her uniform as she walked briskly through the yard outside the mansion, towards the lot where various reporters and their news vans were now congregated.
Her fight with Svetlana had left her looking a little shaken and messy, but she still needed to put her security disguise to good use.
And then she could change to a more pristine outfit.
Her eyes quickly settled on one reporter standing some distance from the crowd, talking on her cell phone.
“That’s right, Mom, they gave me the assignment at the mayor’s mansion! Very last-minute…”
The woman was tall, with a slim but athletic figure. She had light skin and sunny blonde hair in a feathered style. She wore a dark blue gold-buttoned suit jacket and matching skirt, a crisp white button-down shirt, and penny loafers.
“Isn’t this cool, Mom? Your little Melanie is about to be on TV.” The blonde glanced up as she saw a woman in security uniform approaching her. “Gotta go, Mom. Talk soon.”
She hung up and turned to Chandra. “Something wrong, officer?”
“Just a routine security check,” Chandra replied. “The mayor ordered us to inspect random news vehicles to ensure there’s nothing threatening about. Would you mind leading me to your van?”
Melanie did not seem thrilled by the prospect of a security check. “How long will this take? I don’t want to miss the mayor’s big speech.”
“I promise it won’t take long at all,” Chandra replied. “Just a cursory search is needed.”
Melanie nodded. “Okay, if you’re sure…”
She began walking away from the crowd of reporters towards the area where the vehicles were parked. Chandra followed.
“You certainly seem excited to be here,” Chandra noted.
Melanie grinned. “I was given this assignment last-minute. It was originally supposed to go to some other reporter… that snobby Georgia O’Day… but she cancelled this afternoon. She was traumatized after some woman mugged her for her clothes.”
Chandra hid a smile. “Oh? That sounds awful.”
“She’s just being a drama queen,” Melanie scoffed. “If I ever met the woman who mugged her, I’d teach her a thing or two! I’ve got a brown belt in karate…”
“Sounds like that mugger would be pretty scared of you,” Chandra replied, eyes twinkling.
“You bet she’d be.” Melanie reached the white news van. She unlocked the rear doors.
“Here you go… Feel free to take a look around, but be careful… Some of the equipment is quite fragile.”
“Maybe you should climb in first,” Chandra suggested. “To make sure nothing gets damaged.”
Melanie nodded. “Good idea.”
She clambered into the rear of the van. A grinning Chandra followed, shutting the doors behind them.
“Hey, what are you…?”
The van rocked back and forth for about twenty seconds. Then it grew still once more.
A few minutes layer, the doors opened again. Chandra stepped out. For the second time that day, she was dressed in a set of clothes stolen from a newswoman.
The real newswoman, for the second time that day, was unconscious and stripped to her underwear. In Melanie’s case, that meant a cyan sports bra and burgundy lace panties. She was all tied up in spare coaxial cables and gagged with a pink handkerchief.
“I’m sure you and Georgia will have fun swapping stories,” Chandra deadpanned, shutting the van door.
She found a pocket mirror in the pocket of her newly acquired suit jacket and used it to check her hair. After all, she needed to look convincing and presentable if she was about to appear on television.
“Where’s a makeup artist when you need one?”
*****************
Luella took pride in her work as a makeup artist.
The young woman had worked for Delilah Hargrove since before the mayoral election. She had earned Hargrove’s trust as a faithful artist who was always ready and able to make her boss look presentable and professional whenever it was time for an interview, a debate, or some other public event. She felt certain that her own skills at making Hargrove appear extra-telegenic had played a small part at helping the councilwoman win the election.
So although she was officially on break and lounging in the mayor’s makeup room, the call from Jenna – “Mayor Hargrove needs you in her office. She wants to be made up before she gives a statement to the press” – made her perk up. She never missed an opportunity to make her boss look good.
Luella was a tall and fit girl in her mid-twenties, with light skin, green eyes, and sandy brown hair that she wore in a tight bun, a pink comb jutting from the knot. Her standard uniform consisted of a short-sleeve black tunic, grey capri pants, and white sneakers.
Luella carried her makeup kit in one hand as she strode down the hallway to the mayor’s office.
Odd, she noticed, that there were no guards stationed outside the room. Didn’t Mayor Hargrove usually have a couple of security officers posted in her area during secure events?
Still, she shrugged and knocked on the office door.
After a moment’s wait, the door opened. A woman in a tea server’s uniform stood there, looking Luella up and down.
The woman then turned to Jenna, who was standing slightly off to one side. “She’s about six inches too short. Is this the best you can do?”
Jenna’s facial expression was a mixture of helplessness and frustration. “It’s the best I could do on such little notice.”
Luella looked confused. “What are you talking about?”
Oksana sighed. “I suppose you’ll have to do.”
She reached out swiftly and grabbed Luella’s arm, pulling her into the room.
“Hey, what--?!” It was all the young makeup artist could cry out before the door shut.
“I’m so sorry about this,” Jenna told the frightened Luella as Oksana placed her in a sleeper hold. “She’s not going to hurt you.” Then she looked up at Oksana. “You’re not going to hurt her, are you?” Her voice attempted an air of stern authority.
Oksana, however, was unmoved. “As long as she falls asleep quickly, I won’t have to.” She tightened the sleeper hold around Luella’s neck. “Hear that, darling?”
Whether or not Luella had heard was unclear, but her frantic struggles suggested she was in no mood of falling asleep. Her sneakers scuffed the floor as she attempted to kick out, but Oksana held on tight.
Jenna watched sadly as Luella’s struggles weakened. She felt awful about luring this innocent woman into the room… but there was no other choice.
Slowly but surely, Luella’s strength ebbed away. She slumped motionless in Oksana’s grip.
Adelaide chose that moment to emerge from the closet. “Found some more tape. We can use that to tie her up.”
“Good.” Oksana began unlacing the woman’s shoes. “Let’s hurry.”
Sonja approached, still looking a little woozy. “Are we playing dress-up? Can I play?”
“No,” Oksana replied. “You need to snap out of your drugged stupor already.”
Sonja bent down and picked up Luella’s makeup kit. “Ooh, pretty.”
“What’s with her?” Adelaide asked Oksana.
The Russian sighed. “Long story.”
Minutes later, Oksana had dressed herself in the uniform of the makeup artist. It was obviously too tight for her, particularly at the hips and chest area, but this was hardly the first time she had “borrowed” a uniform of an inconvenient size. She did up her hair and stuck the comb in it to complete the disguise.
Adelaide used the dark green tape to bind and gag the slumbering Luella. She dragged her over to the closet where the unconscious Cam and Gwyneth had been stowed. Marta was bound-and-gagged behind a nearby bookshelf.
“That was easy enough,” she mused, shutting the closet door. “What’s our next move?”
“Hope Chandra’s plan works, and get out of here without being shot,” Oksana replied. “Take Sonja’s hand, will you? You’re both wearing security uniforms… You can pretend she’s one of your fellow guards who had a little too much to drink, and you need to escort her outside.”
“All right then,” Adelaide nodded. “Just one moment.”
She hurried over to Hargrove’s desk. Pushing the still-unconscious mayor aside, Adelaide rummaged around the desk until she found what she was looking for – a tape recorder with the tape still inside.
“Perfect.” She tucked the recorder into her jacket.
“What’s that?” Oksana inquired.
“Nothing much,” Adelaide replied. “Shall we get out of here?”
“Yes indeed.” Oksana turned to Jenna. “Thank you for your help.”
Jenna still did not look happy. “Just make sure you stop the women who are after the mayor.”
“Way ahead of you,” Oksana assured her. Then, turning to Adelaide, who was helping a reluctant Sonja to her feet: “Let’s move.”
********************
Polina glanced inside the low metal cabinet. “Comfy?”
Crammed inside the cabinet, stripped to a plain white sports bra and matching panties, Svetlana glared at her. She had been bound with thick metal handcuffs and gagged with several strips of duct tape.
“Sorry about the extra restraint… but I trained with you in the military… and I know you’re stronger than you look.” Polina tilted her head to one side. “Anyway, no hard feelings, right?”
Svetlana snarled furiously into her gag and tried to lunge outward. Polina instinctively recoiled, even though Svetlana’s hands were chained to an interior pipe.
“Wow… Even bound and gagged in your underwear, you manage to be scary,” Polina observed. “But I’m the one in the FEMME uniform now… I’ve got nothing to be scared of.”
She shut the cabinet door, all but entirely muffling Svetlana’s growls of fury.
Polina stopped for a moment and considered her words. She looked down at the FEMME uniform she was wearing.
“I’ve… got nothing to be scared of,” she echoed.
The idea came to her immediately. She knew what she had to do.
“Lupe, Elena… I’m coming.”
*****************
Diana checked her watch, raising a suspicious eyebrow. Trissa had been in the prisoners’ room for a while.
She knocked on the door. “Triss? What’s the holdup?”
Getting no response, she drew her pistol. Then she opened the door.
Lupe and Elena sat in their chairs, hands still behind their backs. Trissa was nowhere to be seen.
“Where the hell is my partner?” Diana demanded.
Elena shrugged. “She left a while ago.”
“Don’t get cute with me, girl.” Diana approached her, tucking the gun back into its holster. “I can make your time here very uncomfortable. The boss said to keep you alive, but she didn’t say anything about keeping your fingers intact.”
At that, Elena brought both of her hands out from behind her back, swiftly grabbing the guard’s lapels. “I like my fingers right where they are.”
“Wha--?” Diana started to react, reaching for her gun.
But Elena was faster. BAMM!
Diana dropped to the floor.
The Colombian woman shook out her hand. “Ouch! You’ve got a hard chin… So much for intact fingers.”
But it was worth the effort. The second guard was now out cold.
Lupe brought her own hands out from behind her back, no longer needing to pretend they were bound. “That was scary… I thought she was going to shoot you.”
“It was thrilling!” Elena replied. “You should not be scared of everything, cousin. You should appreciate the thrill of all this. There is so much joy in the simple pleasures of life!”
“Simple pleasures like… knocking out women and stealing their uniforms?”
Elena beamed. “Of course!”
Lupe shook her head in disbelief.
But she walked over to the doorway, behind which had been concealed the unconscious Trissa.
“We can strip these two women and wear their uniforms,” Elena said excitedly. “And we get the nice bonus of being able to use these uniforms to escape!”
“The escape is the main reason we’re stripping them,” Lupe replied.
Elena shrugged. “I suppose.”
Regardless of the intent, the outcome was inevitable – Trissa and Diana were soon stripped down to their underwear, cuffed to the chairs previously occupied by Lupe and Elena, their mouths gagged with black kerchiefs. Diana wore a pink triangle bra and zebra-print French cut panties, while Trissa was reduced to a blue balconette bra and seafoam boyshorts.
Lupe and Elena donned the uniforms and sized each other up.
“Ready?” Elena asked.
Lupe took a deep breath. “I… I guess.”
“Then let’s go!”
They headed for the door. As she was about to close it, Elena paused.
“What’s wrong?” Lupe asked.
“I forgot to make a quip,” Elena explained.
She turned back to the guards. “Looks like you’re all tied up at the moment! In knots, that is!”
Lupe groaned. “Can we please get out of here?”
*********************
Carolyn quickened her pace as she hurried down the hall, her heart pumping in her throat. She hoped Alisa had been telling the truth. She hoped… she prayed…
She reached the room where she had last seen Atsuko. The door was locked… or perhaps jammed. Alisa had likely restrained it as a precaution.
No matter. Carolyn would not let anything as trivial as a wooden door keep her from Atsuko. She kicked hard – once, twice, with all her might.
On the third kick, she was rewarded with the sound of splintering wood. The door came off its hinges.
Carolyn stepped over the fallen door and into the room. “…S-Suki?”
A groan came from behind the sofa. Carolyn hurried over to see Atsuko stirring, and beginning to awaken.
“Oh my god.” Carolyn swiftly knelt down and helped her wife to her feet. “You’re okay… you’re okay.”
“What happened?” Atsuko asked groggily. “My head… I can barely think… I…”
Carolyn leaned over and kissed Atsuko on the lips. She did not let go for several long seconds.
Finally, she pulled away. Atsuko’s eyes were now wide open.
“Uh… whoa. My head definitely feels better now.”
“I’ll explain everything later,” Carolyn promised. “But we need to get out of here now.”
“What about Adelaide?”
“Adelaide can take care of herself,” Carolyn replied. “My main priority is getting you out of here. I won’t lose you.”
“Babe,” Atsuko grinned alluringly, “as long as you keep kissing me like that, I swear you’ll never lose me.”
Carolyn managed a small smile. “Time for that later. Let’s hurry up. The gardening van is parked out front.”
Atsuko glanced at the broken door lying on the ground. “Wow… You’re stronger than you look.”
“I am when I’ve got the motivation.”
********************
Chandra strode across the grounds outside the mansion, past a fountain around which several reporters were congregated. She stopped to quickly check her reflection in the water, smoothing down her hair.
“Guess it’s as good as it’s gonna get…”
She heard a woman’s voice nearby. “We’re live in five minutes, Phil. Where’s Melanie? We need her on camera.”
Chandra turned to see what appeared to be a producer speaking to a man holding a TV camera.
“She’s not picking up her phone… Dammit, Melanie.” The woman frowned. “I’ll go find her. You stay here, make sure the camera’s ready for her report.”
The woman hurried off.
Chandra smiled, sensing her opportunity. She approached the cameraman.
“I’m ready to give my report,” she said.
The man looked at her strangely. “You’re not Melanie.”
“Melanie’s not available right now. She asked me to fill in for her.”
The cameraman looked at her clothes. “Is that Melanie’s suit?”
“Yes. She gave it to me since mine’s at the cleaners. Shall we get the camera rolling?”
The cameraman scratched his head. “I’m only supposed to film Melanie’s report.”
Chandra sighed and fixed the man with a steely glare. “Look, buddy. I’ve had a long day. Now start rolling the camera before I break it over your neck.”
The man looked stunned for a moment. Chandra’s angry gaze told him this was no idle threat.
“Er… Whatever you say, lady.” He readied the camera.
Chandra smiled and picked up a microphone.
*******************
Carolyn and Atsuko hurried outside to the area where they had parked the gardening van.
“There it is,” Carolyn said breathlessly, a look of encouragement on her face.
Carolyn retrieved the keys and unlocked the door of the van. Then she paused.
“What’s wrong?” Atsuko asked.
“There are still five women stashed inside this van,” Carolyn realized. “All bound and gagged in their underwear. We need to set them free.”
“Are you crazy? They’ll have us arrested. We can’t risk that.”
“We can’t risk taking them with us either,” Carolyn pointed out. “We’ll need to take them out of the van, make sure they’re all okay.”
Atsuko groaned. “There has to be another way…”
At that moment, they heard a throat clearing behind them.
Carolyn and Atsuko froze, then turned to see a tall woman approaching them, dressed in a FEMME uniform.
“Excuse me, ladies,” Polina said in her deepest and (to her mind) most intimidating voice, “I need to commandeer this van.”
Atsuko raised an eyebrow. “Eh?”
“Hand over the keys,” Polina continued. “I’ll be driving this van out of here. It’s an emergency.”
“But…” Carolyn started to say.
“No buts, missy,” Polina interrupted. “I have the authority to take command of this vehicle. I’m a FEMME agent! That’s Female Enforcement M… er, whatever the rest stands for!”
Carolyn and Atsuko wanted to argue further. But a glance at the gun strapped to the woman’s thigh holster convinced them to hold their tongues. They had both been disarmed by the Russian mercenaries earlier.
“O… Okay.” Carolyn held out the keys.
Polina smiled as she grabbed them. “Thank you kindly.”
She opened the door and hopped into the driver’s seat, then started the ignition and drove off.
*********************
Polina chuckled to herself as she tossed off the FEMME cap and let her dark hair fall free around her shoulders.
“Being a FEMME agent rocks! I can do anything I want!”
She thought for a second. “Well, except mug other women for their uniforms, I guess.”
At that moment, a faint moaning sound alerted her. Several moaning sounds, in fact.
She glanced in the rearview mirror and immediately raised her eyebrows.
Five women lay on the floor in the back of the van, all stripped to their underwear. They were all bound and gagged and in various states of grogginess.
“What the hell?” Polina glanced back at the quintet of half-naked women. “What kind of kinky slumber party is this?”
Daisy, Jasmine, Cynthia, Laurie, and Morgan all “mmmmpph”ed angrily in response.
Polina sighed. “Boy, I’m sure there’s an interesting story to explain how you all got here… but I’m kind of in a hurry. Afraid I can’t stop to untie any of you.”
Upon hearing this, the women turned angry, and began banging their feet against the walls of the van. Morgan, being the closest to the rear doors, began kicking out against them.
“Hey! Stop that!” Polina frowned. “You girls behave yourselves back there!”
Now she knew how her mom probably felt on long vacation trips…
The women continued their banging against the sides and rear of the van, mewling to be set free. Morgan kicked out with all her strength, hitting the doors as hard as she could.
*******************
The cameraman gave his signal.
Chandra took a deep breath.
“Good evening, everyone,” she said assertively. “I’m standing outside the mansion of Mayor Delilah Hargrove, where a terrible tragedy has just taken place.”
The cameraman gave her a funny look, but Chandra ignored him. She paused for emphasis.
“About twenty minutes ago, the mayor was stricken with a terrible and–”
WHAM!
The sound came from about twenty feet away, from a passing gardening van. The rear doors of the van flew open. The next moment, five half-naked women, all bound and gagged, tumbled out of the van and onto the grass.
The van continued to drive onward, its doors still open, other gardening implements strewing the road in its wake.
All the reporters standing around the area paused their activities and stared at the five dazed women lying on the ground.
Then, the next moment, they all immediately rushed towards them.
The cameraman who was previously trained on Chandra now turned and followed the crowd as fast as he could.
“Hey, get back here!” Chandra yelled.
But it was no use. All the reporters were now congregated around the quintet of “mmmmpphh”ing beauties, shouting questions that the women obviously could not audibly answer.
“What’s wrong with all you people?” an angered Chandra shouted. “Haven’t you ever seen a bunch of women tied up in their underwear before?”
No one paid her any attention. The reporters had more important things to focus on.
Chandra groaned. What could she do now?
********************
Polina winced as she glanced in the rearview mirror at the open rear doors. “Sorry, girls… But on the other hand, this van was getting too crowded.”
She pressed her boot down against the gas. The van blasted through the entry gate, sending the on-duty guard diving for cover.
“Let’s see how fast this thing can get back to the city,” Polina murmured.
Her phone rang. She answered, not taking her eyes off the road.
“Polina, where the hell are you?” Oksana sounded agitated. “We need to get out of here.”
“Way ahead of you, Oksy. I’ll meet you at the embassy.”
“What? What are you talking about?!”
“I’ve got a plan. Don’t worry about me. Just get out in one piece.”
Polina hung up. Then she pressed the gas to the floor.
********************
Oksana stared blankly at the phone in her hand. “Polina? Hello?”
“Something wrong?” Adelaide asked.
The two women had made it to the side of the mansion, with Oksana half-dragging Sonja along.
“My partner… She’s off on another harebrained plan.” Oksana frowned. “What do we do now?”
“Don’t worry, we’ve got a means of escape,” Adelaide assured her as they made their way to the garden. “There’s a van here that my friends brought with them…”
She stopped short. Carolyn and Atsuko were standing in a clearing near the garden. The van was nowhere to be seen.
“What happened?” Adelaide asked.
“Some FEMME agent stole our vehicle,” Atsuko replied.
“Technically, we stole it first,” Carolyn said quietly.
“No time for lectures,” Adelaide frowned. “What do we do now?”
At that moment, Chandra came racing up to the women.
“Lucky I found you girls… All hell is about to break loose.”
Atsuko’s eyes widened, immediately recognizing Chandra… and now Sonja as well. The two women who had infiltrated her office and knocked her out only a few hours earlier.
“What are you doing here?” she asked angrily.
Chandra gave her a surprised look. “I could ask you the same thing. I owe you for getting us arrested…”
“Hey! Time for fighting later.” Oksana interrupted, clearly annoyed. “Chandra, what’s wrong? Are any of the mercenaries still around? Where are Katerina and Alisa?”
Carolyn spoke up. “No, they’re… they’re taken care of.”
“Svetlana’s tied up, too,” Chandra nodded. “They’re all out of commission. But we’ve got bigger problems. A bunch of employees were found, tied up and missing their clothes. I overheard the mayor’s staff issuing lockdown procedures. They’re not letting anyone off the grounds.” Chandra sighed. “It seems like they trained for situations like this.”
“Perfect,” Adelaide scowled. “The cops will be here any minute.”
Carolyn gulped. “No… I can’t go to jail. I… I…”
Atsuko squeezed her hand. “Don’t panic, babe. We haven’t been caught… Not yet…”
“No, we haven’t,” Chandra nodded. She glanced from Oksana to Sonja to Carolyn to Atsuko to Adelaide.
“I don’t know who all of you are, but I assume we all have the same goal,” she said. “That is, to get out of here without being detected.”
The five other women nodded.
“Well, we just need some new disguises, then.”
“But what disguises will allow us out of the mayor’s mansion grounds during lockdown?” Atsuko asked.
At that moment, they heard the sound of a vehicle rumbling up to the front entrance of the mansion.
Chandra peered through the bushes, toward the main gate. A black van with FEMME signage came into view.
Chandra smiled. “I think that answers your question.”
******************
Heather Smythe coolly sipped her coffee as she glanced at the clock on the wall of her office.
“What is taking so long?”
She had dispatched Oksana and Polina to kill Mayor Hargrove hours ago. Neither had reported back, and Heather was beginning to grow agitated. The longer this went on, the riskier her plan would become…
She reached for her radio. “Diana, what is the status of the prisoners?”
No response.
Heather frowned. “Diana, talk to me. Status report.”
Still nothing. “Trissa, do you copy?”
Neither guard was answering. Something was wrong.
With a cry of exasperation, Heather got to her feet. She pulled her gun out of her desk drawer, tucked it into her jacket, and rushed out of the office. She headed straight for the elevators.
*******************
“Just a little farther,” Elena told Lupe. “We’re almost to the elevator, and no one’s stopped us yet.”
“Because there’s no one down at the basement level,” Lupe replied. “What happens when we get to the ground floor? These security uniforms come with photo ID passes. If even one officer stops to check our IDs, we’re done for.”
“We will worry about that if and when we need to. Now come on.”
They reached the elevator. Elena reached out to press the button.
However, before she could do so, the elevator dinged, and the door slid open.
Heather Smythe stood there. Her eyes locked on to Lupe and Elena’s.
A wicked grin spread across her face. “Ah… I had a feeling you two were trying to pull a fast one.”
Before either Lupe or Elena could move, Heather had pulled out her gun and pointed it at them.
“Naughty girls… You two have become quite a headache.”
Lupe raised her hands fearfully. “Please… please don’t shoot.”
Heather stepped out of the elevator. Lupe and Elena backed up, hands still raised.
“I don’t like headaches,” Heather continued. “But I’ve had too many lately. Mayor Hargrove, for one. And of course, you and your Russian friends.”
She sighed. “I thought I could get rid of all these problems today – but it appears that Hargrove will have to wait. For now, you two know too much about me, and you were just about to leave. I’m sorry, but you both need to be eliminated.”
Lupe blinked back tears. “Please…”
Elena remained silent, merely glancing back and forth between her cousin and the gun-wielding diplomat.
“Don’t worry,” Heather said with the faintest of chuckles. “If you shut your eyes, it’ll be over fast...”
“Not fast enough,” another woman’s voice said from behind her.
This was followed by the click of a pistol.
Heather turned, slowly, to see a woman in FEMME uniform, brandishing a gun to her head.
“Hi,” Polina smiled. “Remember me?”
“What…?” Heather gasped. “How…? Where…?”
“Time for Twenty Questions later,” Polina interrupted. “Would you mind dropping your weapon please?”
Heather dropped her gun. She scowled as she placed her hands behind her head.
Elena began to laugh. “Polina! You came back for us!”
“Damn right I did.” Polina glanced at Lupe. “You all right?”
Lupe nodded, slowly. She was clearly still shaken.
“You won’t get away with this,” Heather growled.
“On the contrary, Madame Diplomat,” Polina beamed. “We’ll be getting away with it as soon as you sign some papers for us…”
*******************
“No,” Carolyn said sternly.
“What do you mean, ‘no’?” Chandra frowned.
She peered through the bushes again. “This is perfect… It looks like there are five FEMME agents exiting that van. Enough uniforms for nearly all of us.”
“We are not mugging a team of FEMME agents,” Carolyn said adamantly.
“You scared of them?” Chandra asked.
“Not at all,” Carolyn replied. “Those women are heroes. They keep this city safe… Protect it from women like you.”
Chandra and Oksana both glared at her. Adelaide gave her a sour look. Atsuko uncomfortably looked away.
“You’re incredibly naïve if you believe that,” Chandra told Carolyn. “That uniform you’re wearing right now? Stolen from one of the mayor’s guards, I’ll bet.”
“But I had a good reason to steal her uniform,” Carolyn replied. “And I knocked her out gently. Humanely.”
“FEMME doesn’t care,” Chandra countered. “In their eyes, your motivation doesn’t matter. Your tactics don’t matter. They see you as a uniform thief, and they’ll arrest you along with all of us.”
Carolyn set her lip. “I don’t care. I won’t do it.”
Oksana and Chandra both looked quite angry. Neither one was willing to ally themselves with someone of Carolyn’s outlook.
Adelaide leaned over to Atsuko. “You’d better talk to your wife, and fast.”
Atsuko nodded. She walked over to Carolyn and put a hand on her shoulder.
“Honey,” she said softly. “This is all my fault.”
Carolyn turned to her.
“I was the one who wanted to go on this adventure… who wanted thrills, excitement to spice up my life. I thought this would be exciting – disguise, infiltration, all of it. It made me feel alive every time I stole another woman’s clothes.”
“Suki…” Carolyn began.
“Let me finish,” Atsuko interrupted. “When we were attacked by those mercenaries, I got scared. That woman – Alisa, her name was? – put me in a sleeper hold… And… I thought I would never wake up.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “Her friend ordered her to kill me, and… and I thought she would do it. I thought I was going to die. And all I could think about at that moment was… that I would never see you again.”
She wiped her eye. “Carolyn, you are my adventure. You are my greatest thrill. I don’t know why I never fully appreciated it before. But you spice up my life every day.”
She paused. Carolyn was silent, her lip trembling.
“So I make you this promise… We steal those FEMME agents’ uniforms, escape from here, go home, and then… I’m done. No more adventures, no more infiltrations or uniform stealing or putting our lives at risk. I just want to settle down with you, start a family. Leave all this behind.”
Carolyn’s eyes widened. “You… you mean it?”
“I promise,” Atsuko replied. “After today, we just live nice, peaceful, normal lives. We get our happily ever after.”
Carolyn could feel the tears brimming now. She nodded.
Then she turned back to Chandra and Oksana. “Okay… I’m in.”
Chandra looked a bit surprised at the emotional scene she had just witnessed. Adelaide did too. But she smiled.
Chandra nodded. “Okay, ladies. Let’s do this.”
“We’ll need to be careful,” Oksana pointed out. “These FEMME women are highly trained, with armor and weapons to spare. They’re authorized to use lethal force if needed.”
“Sounds like taking them down will be fun.”
All the women turned in surprise to see Sonja, standing upright and with a big smile on her face.
Chandra immediately brightened. “Sonja! You’re okay.”
Sonja nodded. “Of course I’m okay. That drug didn’t affect me at all.”
Chandra and Oksana exchanged a glance.
“You… sure you don’t need to rest?” Chandra asked her friend. “If you’re woozy, you should sit this one out.”
Sonja held up a hand to silence her. “Chandra, if you’re planning on taking down some FEMME agents, there’s no chance in hell you’re leaving me out of it.”
Chandra understood, and nodded. “Okay then. Now listen up, everyone. Here’s the plan…”
*******************
Delilah Hargrove groaned and stirred awake. She rubbed the back of her neck.
“Why do young women today always insist on getting violent?”
She turned to see Jenna standing beside her, having just finished untying the ropes from her hands.
“Jenna? What happened?”
Jenna hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Ma’am, it appears our event has been… interrupted. A group of mercenaries infiltrated the grounds, with the intent of targeting you. Fortunately, it appears they’ve been contained.”
“Appears?”
“We’re getting a number of reports from outside,” Jenna continued. “A group of women were found tied up in their underwear on the front grounds – they had just fallen out of a van.”
Hargrove shut her eyes in exasperation. “Where are Claudia and Zephyr?”
“Just heard over the radio. One of the maids just found them in the basement. They were apparently incapacitated by the mercenaries. They’re shaken but unharmed.”
Hargrove let out a breath. “This is a public relations nightmare.”
“The good news is that the FEMME agents have just arrived.”
Hargrove raised an eyebrow. “I thought the FEMME van arrived hours ago.”
“That was a van filled with the mercenaries, who were impersonating FEMME agents. An additional team of FEMME agents was delayed, but they’ve just shown up now. They’ll hopefully get the situation in hand.”
Hargrove rubbed her eyes. “Anything else?”
“Yes, ma’am. Several of your employees are bound and gagged in their underwear in your closet.”
Hargrove sighed again. She leaned back in her chair.
“Ma’am?” Jenna asked cautiously. “What do we do now?”
Hargrove opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling for several moments.
Then, slowly, a smile spread across her face.
“I think we’ve just been handed the golden opportunity of a lifetime.”
She sat up straight in her seat.
“Get the press organized. I’m about to make the most important speech of my career.”
In a way, it's reassuring to witness that in a world which is becoming more and more self-aware, there are still some clueless sentries to serve as cannon fodder for uniform thieves. 
