Posted by Hungry for More on May 24, 2000 at 22:28:10:
Juli’s Tragic Ending
Becky picks up the phone and dials. The cell phone rings in the vehicle that HfM is driving. “Hello. You’ve reached NecroBabe Investigations. Problem elimination is our specialty. How may we help you?” “HfM, this is Becky. Get over to my place right away. And hurry it up, I’ll be waiting. We’ve got a job to do.” “On my way, boss.” HfM checks the road and the mirrors and finds his hole in the traffic. Stomping on the brakes and jerking the wheel (left at first then right again as the vehicle responds), HfM executes a textbook emergency turn around. It was a skill acquired in the defensive driving school that all NBI operatives are required to attend before becoming eligible for assignment. Merging into the traffic, HfM sets off in the direction of Becky’s condominium.
Becky was the head of the field operations division of Necrobabes, Inc. the huge multinational corporation making millions in the wildly popular and ever growing death fetish industry on the Internet. HfM had just barely survived the grueling admission requirements to the inner sanctum of the field operations unit. It had taken all his skills to convince the organization and Becky in particular to accept him as an operative in training. The entrance exam included some extremely deadly exercises that he had to successfully negotiate before he could be considered. HfM could feel the fabric of his shirt brushing against the scars from one such exercise that Becky had administered personally.
Becky lived in the hill country near the edge of the city. She didn’t care to live amid all the glitz and glamour that was downtown Vegas. She preferred a quieter existence that did not call attention to her real life at NBI. Becky was a near genius in executing the field operations as dictated by Vicki, the corporate CEO. Her creativity and ingenuity had served her well since joining the organization early in its formative stages. But, despite her many talents, she had always hated to drive. Assigning HfM to be her chauffeur and gopher had proven to be a good place to start the new guy. She could keep an eye on him that way and ensure that he lived up to the high expectations she had of her operatives.
HfM wheeled up to the entrance into the condominium complex and turned in. Driving to the rear of the buildings, he stopped the vehicle near a cluster of bushes and trees in a dark corner of the complex. Greenery was common only around the more expensive homes and buildings, where the rich could afford the high cost of the water, captured from the Colorado river and rerouted into the desert to create the isolated islands of green. Once the vehicle stopped, a figure in black emerged from the shadows and opened the back door and slid into the spacious back seat of the limousine. “Did you retrieve the item as I instructed?” Becky demanded without greeting. HfM responded sheepishly, “Yes, boss. You will find it inside its case in the compartment in front of you. I apologize for my oversight.” HfM paused while Becky reached into the small cupboard and retrieved the leather-covered box. HfM continued, “Sandi sure didn’t want to give it up though. I had to pull really hard to remove it. And you should have felt the grip of her hand on the handle. Boy, rigor mortis is sure hard to overcome.”
“Shut up, you idiot, and drive.” Becky paused to inspect the surroundings to see if she had been observed. Satisfied, she continued, “If you expect to remain in this organization, not to mention stay alive, you better not screw up like that again.” She opened the box and removed the stiletto and inspected it carefully as HfM began to drive off. He knew the extent of the risk his error had created for himself. The training films had graphically demonstrated what happened to operatives that failed the corporation. “I sent you on a simple mission and you left my favorite stiletto behind!” HfM had felt honored when Becky had given him his first assignment and even granted him the privilege of using her gemstone encrusted silver stiletto. Even though he had a difficult time subduing the shapely and athletic Sandi, he was feeling cocky from the success of the operation when he had phoned Becky to report in. His deflation had been phenomenal when she inquired as to the condition of her weapon and he had to admit that he had left it at the scene, sticking skyward out of the flat stomach of his victim. Becky’s confidence in her trainee had been greatly diminished and she had not been kind in letting him know what he had to do to make amends. HfM realized that his next failure could be his last.
Putting on his best game face and tone, HfM inquires, “What’s up, boss?” Becky sits silently in back looking out of the window at the passing environment, partially light by the pale moonlight and the occasional street light. “The organization has issued a new directive, to executed at once.” She stated after a long pause. Barely able to contain his overly eager enthusiasm, HfM inquires immediately, “Gee boss, who’s the target, this time?” Using an expensive handkerchief she retrieved from her purse, Becky wipes the dried blood off the blade of the stiletto, then breathes lightly on the shiny metal and polishes the surface. When finished, she discards the handkerchief in the trash receptacle. “Juli”, she states coldly.
“Juli, boss? The N’Babe?” Hfm inquires with astonishment. “I thought she was one of the favorites, been here all along?” HfM checks the rear view mirror for reaction from his boss. Seeing none and having arrived at an intersection that required a turn, he slows and negotiates the turn, smoothly guiding the extra long vehicle. HfM was very proud of his driving skills. “That’s just the problem” Becky states. “She’s become too popular with the membership. The organization is concerned that she might start her own site and take a lot of the membership with her. The organization can’t allow that to happen.”
‘My God, not Juli’ thought HfM. ‘She’s been a rock around here and he had always enjoyed her stories and comments.’ He didn’t dare state his sentiments out loud. ‘The Organization’ was Becky’s term for Vicki. The CEO was very protective of her creation. It was unclear to HfM if Becky felt the same as he did about Juli or if Becky agreed with Vicki. However, directives from ‘The Organization’ were always followed exactly and immediately. Failure to do so might instigate a visit from the CEO herself. It was clearly understood that you were unlikely to survive a personal visit from Vicki.
“What’s the plan, boss?” “The plan is for you to shut up and drive. I’ll let you know what to do and when to do it. Now, take me to the service lane behind the headquarters and park in between the buildings where we can’t be seen from the street or the sidewalk.” His answer of “Yes, boss” brought him a look of death from Becky because he had stupidly ignored her directive about silence. HfM drove on without speaking; finally recognizing that any more inquires would only further damage his already tarnished reputation and present a serious threat to his existence. Becky thinks, ‘I don’t know why I put up with it; I don’t have the same problem with the rest of the operatives.’
The limousine arrived at the headquarters, a posh high tech building complex in the rapidly expanding commercial/professional district on the north side of the city. HfM did as instructed and parked in a lane reserved for service vehicles between the buildings. At one end of the lane, the sidewalk that led from the building’s main entrance to the parking lot in the rear crossed perpendicular to the lane. At the intersection of the sidewalk and the lane there was a check-in hut for service trucks. The hut was now empty and dark due to the late hour. Becky exited the limousine when HfM opened the door. She wore all black clothes. Her leather jacket was unzipped to reveal a tight black athletic top that hugged her form. Her skin tight soft leather pants accentuated her long legs, which ended in black patent boots with stiletto heels. HfM noted the heels as Becky emerged from the vehicle and wondered if there was any symbolic connection between the heels of her shoes and Becky’s favorite weapon. Rising from the limo, Becky covered her dark hair when she donned a black leather snap rimmed hat shaped like the businessman’s hat of the 30’s and 40’s. She pulled the hat low over her eyes and started to walk away from HfM toward the hut. After closing the door to the limo, HfM followed closely behind. He noted the hard edge to her attire this night. Previously, he had only seen Becky wear flexible, functional and quiet clothes when she was executing an operation. Her impractical high heels made a distinct click on the concrete with each step she took. Her tight clothes, while made of soft leather, seemed a bit too restrictive, compared to her usual working attire. And then there was that hat. What did this all mean?
Becky arrived at the hut and stood in the shadows. HfM stepped up beside her. “I want you go over there, past the entrance, and wait out of sight behind those pillars. Juli will be leaving shortly to head for her car. When she does you follow her at a distance until she gets close to this stand. When I intercept her, you be ready to grab her from behind and hold on tight.” “No problem boss, Juli is real small. I’ll hold her down for you.” Shaking her head in disbelief, Becky admonishes, “Don’t underestimate her, HfM. She’s one tough little cookie. She can fight like a banshee.” “Ok, boss”, HfM replies as he heads off toward his assigned post. Becky steps into the stand and slides onto the high attendant’s stool. She crosses her legs and hooks the heel of her boot over the footrest that circles the legs of the stool. She sits in silence, waiting and watching for Juli. HfM fidgets as he stands his post behind the pillar.
Ten minutes later, Juli emerges from the building. She waves and speaks to the guard inside as she pushes open the large glass doors, set almost seamlessly into the smoked glass front of the building. The guard returns her smile and wave and says, “Have a nice night. What’s left of it.” Juli does not notice the guard activating the silent automated lock that would prevent anyone from reentering the building and picking up the phone to contact the CEO’s office. She is tired after a long day and heading home for a long relaxing soak in her bath before taking a light snack and then retiring to the bedroom. Juli was petite in stature but an attractive, well proportioned, and physically fit woman by anyone’s standard. She wore a smooth form fitting pullover sweater in a color that accented her dark toned Oriental skin and long straight black hair. She also wore a very short pleated skirt that bounced slightly with her gait. She had on dark pantyhose and matching shoes with wide comfortable heels that added a little boost to her diminutive stature. As she reached the corner of the sidewalk in front of the building, she turned right and headed toward the parking lot and her waiting car. In her preoccupation and anticipation, she fails to notice HfM stepping out from behind the pillar and silently walking behind her at a distance.
As she approached the service lane and the stand, Juli thought she heard a sound behind her. Glancing back, she noted HfM’s shadowy form rapidly closing the distance to her. Looking back to the building and forward to her car, she saw that she was closer to her car and that the unknown man was blocking her return to the building. She quickened her pace toward the parking lot and came along side the hut. Glancing back again, Juli discovered that the man had nearly caught up with her. Then, she heard a sound from in front of her. It was a clicking sound, like footsteps on the concrete. As a woman, she recognized the sound as that of another woman wearing heels. She snapped her head and her attention around to her front side again. Click, click, click. A woman’s form emerges from the darkness behind the hut and steps from the lane directly into her path on the sidewalk.
Juli quickly surveys the woman before her, dressed all in black with a hat pulled down almost over her eyes. Gasping with fright as her heart now races and her breathing indicates the fight or flight reactions that her mind is sending to her body, Juli manages to say, “Oh my God, who are you? The form before her strongly resembles a figure from her recurrent nightmares. HfM arrives just behind her; she is pinned between them. Becky raises her head to reveal her face. “Becky, is that you? Adjusting to the light, Juli recognizes Becky and calms momentarily at the sight of a familiar face. Thinking rapidly though, Juli realizes her still perilous situation. Nervously she asks, “What is the head of operations doing here at this hour? Shouldn’t you be out on a mission?” Becky’s ominous response “I am on a mission” brings another quick gasp of near panic from Juli.
Slowly, methodically, ominously Becky continues to speak. “The gig is up Juli. You’ve been found out. Your usefulness to the organization is over. Your services are no longer required. The organization has issued a new directive.” Click, click. Becky closes the last of the distance to Juli and stands directly in front of her. “No” Juli mutters. Reaching out with her right arm, Becky grabs the back of Juli’s slender neck. She pulls Juli’s face up to hers and plants a rough, hard, cold kiss on Juli’s lips. Juli’s body recoils backward in frightened response as Becky releases her neck with an ‘up yours’ flourish. Juli trips slightly and falls against HfM who latches onto her arms with a raptor like grip that brings a yell of pain from Juli. “Get your hands off of me, you cretin!” Juli shouts at HfM in response to his painful grip. Realizing her most significant danger, Juli returns her attention to the woman in black. “Becky, I promise I won’t leave. You’ve got to help me tell Vicki that I won’t”; Juli’s words are cut off by the first stab.
Juli had not noticed Becky’s left hand, which had concealed the stiletto at her side up to this point. Now the shiny blade was sliding into Juli’s flesh. The sharp point cleanly penetrating the fabric of her sweater and piercing her skin. The sharp edges of the blade slicing and dividing the skin of Juli’s marvelous abdomen to admit the mass of the knife into the interior of her body. Instinctively trying to grab for the weapon now being inserted into her, Juli found herself restrained by HfM’s grasp on her arms. Struggling mightily against the pain she felt, and her fear and her desperate need to get away, Juli lashes out with her legs, just missing Becky as she sidesteps the blow and yanks the blade from Juli’s stomach. HfM is not so lucky. Holding Juli in place, he receives the return blow directly to the shin. Ahhhh, he yells in excruciating pain as he releases Juli’s arms and hunches over trying to recover his composure and his breath. Juli’s freed arms now grasp for the wound to her stomach and she bends forward in pain. Before she can attempt to escape, Becky’s surprisingly strong hand latches onto Juli’s throat as she bends forward, clenching off the windpipe of the smaller woman and raising her to an upright position again.
The second blow strikes lower, just an inch above Juli’s groin. Juli falls forward onto Becky this time as her body reacts to the blow. With Becky’s continued grip on her throat, Juli utters no sound, but her arms flail uselessly at her side as she struggles to comprehend what is happening to her. Becky pushes Juli away to an arm’s length from her. Swinging her left arm back, Becky delivers the stiletto to the base of Juli’s rib cage and drives the blade upward into her chest all the way to the hilt. Reaching her heart, the stiletto ends Juli’s life, as she still stands frozen in the momentary recognition of the last seconds of her life. Juli’s knees begin to collapse and she falls away from Becky, the weight of her body pulling the stiletto handle from Becky’s hand. Juli lands on the sidewalk on her side. Becky stands over her looking down. “You are right, Juli, you aren’t leaving. At least not under your own power.” Becky looks over at HfM who is just now recovering and moving to join her over Juli’s dead body. Noticing the slight hobble as HfM approached, Becky chides him. “I told you she could fight. I’ll bet that kick hurt, didn’t it?” HfM gave no response other than a low moan.
“Now, make sure she’s dead, if you can manage that much”, Becky commands. HfM looks down at Juli and comments “Jeez what a shame, she sure was good looking and she was a nice person to boot. I wonder why she always called herself ‘blonde’ though? She doesn’t have blonde hair.” HfM bent over, just barely avoiding the second stiletto, now in Becky’s hand, as it slashed just centimeters from his head. He gently rolls Juli onto her back, brushing the hair from her face and neck, and places his fingers on her carotid artery to check for a pulse. Finding none, he notices the first stiletto still stuck fully into Juli’s body. Latching onto the weapon, he withdraws it carefully from Juli’s body and rises to face Becky. “Hey boss, I didn’t forget the stiletto this time”, he reports displaying the blood covered weapon. Noticing the second (and clean) stiletto in Becky’s hand, which was now pointed ominously in his direction, HfM inquires, “Where did that come from boss?” Becky stares at him with astonishment. “Bloody, lucky, fool” she mutters and shakes her head. Deciding to give him just one more chance, she covers her reaction to his stupid blonde remark with a plausible response. “Always carry a second weapon, haven’t you learned that yet. Your career is going to be short lived, HfM. What does that stand for anyway, horrible f..king moron?” HfM stands over Juli and looks at his boss. “What?” He shouts back, raising his arms in a confused response to Becky’s insult. She turns and clicks off in the direction of the limousine, issuing the order, “Come on, drive me home. And by the way, this time you get clean the stiletto.”
HfM makes a final inquiry, “But what about Juli, it’s kind of public around here?” Becky shouts back, “Leave her, the organization wants to teach the rest of the staff a good lesson.” HfM trots off behind Becky. Juli’s body lies cooling on the sidewalk. The blood from her wounds, having soaked through her sweater and skirt, now begins to pool on the concrete under her body. Her eyes are open. The look of horror and pain they expressed when she had taken her last breath is now replaced by a blank lifeless stare into space. Her right leg is bent slightly at the knee but lays sideways, limp and flat on the concrete, while her left leg is stretched out straight. Both of her arms now lay partially outstretched at her sides where HfM had left her when he rolled her onto her back. Juli’s head is turned slightly toward her left side facing the intersection of the street and the lane.
The limousine left its parking place and glided smoothly past Juli’s body as HfM exited the lane and entered the street. Becky looked out the window at the lifeless body that seemed to stare back at her. ‘HfM was right’, she thought, ‘it was a shame’. The limousine sped off and disappeared into the darkness.