Posted by The Black Knight on July 11, 2006 at 15:30:10:
Early the next evening the stockholders sat around the meeting room again. Agi looked glumly at Claudia's empty seat as she stood.
"It would appear that my suspicions were correct, sadly. Now ladies, we have a choice. We can either hand over the weapon, since the Phantom now has the blueprints the parts are useless, or we can continue to keep our parts out of her hands." Agi said.
"I say we keep the parts and try to recover the blueprints." Susanne said.
"I don't like to give up without a fight, but I don't want to die. I say we destroy the parts." Orsi said.
"I say we keep them." Crista said.
"Keep them." Annica said.
"I suggest that we keep the parts and offer the Phantom some dummy parts to draw her into the open." Gabby said.
"That's a good idea, can you whip up the dummies?" Dorina asked.
"I probably could in a few hours." Agi answered.
"Are we all agreed them?" Anna asked.
"No! I just want out of this, but I'll bow to the majority vote." Orsi said.
The stockholders got up and walked out of the board room while Agi returned to the laboratory. Two hours after the meeting the plant began to empty. The final person out of the plant was Silvia, nearly thirty minutes after the last worker. The lithe raven haired beauty almost smiled when she saw Cristina and Victoria leaning on the front of her car, Andrea sitting on her hood, and Timea and Catarina leaning on the back fenders. Silvia carefully dropped her briefcase then removed her jacket.
"Only the five of you? I'm almost flattered." Silvia said as she took a defensive stance.
Timea whipped out her pistol with a roll of her eyes.
"No, we need her alive." Andrea said.
Cristina ran toward Silvia, grabbing toward Silvia's arms. Silvia took a step back and punched the blonde in the chest. Cristina wheezed as she fell to her knees. Victoria punched toward Silvia's belly, but Silvia grabbed the blonde's wrist, twisted her arm, and landed a chop in the back of Victoria's neck. Victoria fell with a grunt in Cristina's lap. Andrea leapt off the car hood toward Silvia. Silvia spun on her heel and connected with a spin kick on Andrea's chin. Andrea groaned as she back flipped and landed flat on her stomach. Timea turned her gun and used it like a club swinging at Silvia's head. Silvia stepped back and planted her foot deep in Timea's gut. Timea jerked back with a grunt. Silvia fell to one knee and landed and uppercut on the blonde's chin. Timea fell back with a groan. Silvia held her hand toward Catarina and motioned her to come forward. Catarina looked down the well trained fighter, and the muscle tone that could be seen through her wet blouse and thought better of a one on one fight with Silvia. Something whizzed by Catarina's head and landed with a solid thump in Silvia's belly. Catarina gasped and Silvia let out a scream when they both noticed an arrow stuck in Silvia's belly button.
"Th-That's not fair." Silvia whined as she looked down.
"Good help is so hard to find." the Phantom sighed as she walked around the car.
She slapped Catarina in the back of the head as she walked toward Silvia.
"Amazing, she's still on her feet. Most would have fallen over and curled up whining like a baby." the Phantom said.
The Phantom grabbed the arrow and gave it a little jerk upwards.
"Now, pretty lady. Where is your part?" the Phantom asked.
Silvia whimpered and jerked to her full height. Silvia shook her head as she looked down into the empty slits of the Phantom's mask. The Phantom twisted the arrow and Silvia screamed in pain.
"Where is it? The longer it takes the more it's going to hurt." the Phantom said.
"M-My case." Silvia gasped.
Catarina ripped open the case and pulled out a small cardboard box.
"Is it the real part or a fake one?" the Phantom asked.
"It's real. The fake ones are...in the...lab." Silvia gasped.
"What's going on here?" Agi asked as she came out the front door.
Catarina leveled her gun on the scientist.
"Good I can take yours too." the Phantom said.
Agi raised her hands and looked nervously down Catarina's pistol barrel.
"That's enough." a female voice said behind the Phantom.
Catarina turned around to face another masked figure, in a long black coat, a red and white hood with long bright red hair hanging out from the back, but what really caught Catarina's attention was the pistol in this woman's red gloved hand that was pointed at Catarina's belly.
"No! Not now! Not you." the Phantom gasped.
"Drop your gun blondie." said the red masked figure.
Catarina eased her fingers back on the gun and dropped it on Timea's belly. No one but the Phantom noticed as Timea struggled to keep her eyes closed in spite of the pain and surprise.
"Put your hands down Agi, you look silly like that." the newcomer said.
"What brings the Falcon out of retirement? It must be pretty important to get an old timer like you here." the Phantom said.
"I was hired by the goverment to protect this weapon from you at all costs." the Falcon answered.
"Does that include her?" the Phantom asked as she flicked her wrist toward the Falcon.
Silvia whimpered as she followed the pressure on the arrow causing her to stumble into the Falcon. The Falcon's gun was knocked to the ground and Catarina reached for hers. Agi tackled Catarina knocking her off balance. The cardboard box went skidding across the ground and into Andrea's waiting hands. Andrea jumped to her feet only to be caught by a punch from the Falcon. The Phantom grabbed the box as Andrea went down Cristina and Catarina grappled with Agi while Timea jumped to her feet with Catarina's gun in her hand. The Falcon grabbed Timea's wrist and moved the barrel away from Agi. The pistol fired.
"Ooo!" Silvia gasped as she stiffened.
Silvia shook her head as she looked down at a bullet hole in her chest. Silvia's eyes went blank as she fell. The Falcon and Timea struggled desperately for the gun and it moved down between the two battling women. The gun went off and both women stiffened. Timea smiled a little, then staggered back. She lay her hand on a bullet hole in her gut.
"Oh my!" gasped Timea as she crumpled.
As the Falcon looked down at her victim Andrea slammed the butt of her gun into the back of the Falcon's head. Agi pushed Catarina back away from her, but Cristina landed a punch in her jaw and dropped Agi to the ground beside the Falcon.
"Now we've got them." Andrea said as she pointed her gun down at Agi.
"Don't you have any imagination?" the Phantom asked.
The Phantom threw the box to Andrea and got behind the wheel of Silvia's car. She started the motor and jammed Silvia's briefcase down on the gas pedal. The Phantom put the car in gear and rolled out of the driver's seat with the car aimed toward the inert figures of the Falcon and Agi.
What will happen? Who is the Phantom? Can anyone stop her? Find out more in the next chapter.