All human activity in India began early in the day for two reasons: one to escape the heat of the midday and two, the sheer volume of things that needed to be done each day.
"Both these truths apply to me," thought Claire Baxter, as she stood motionless in the small garden of her rented bungalow practising her yoga, no matter how pressing matters were she always found the time and matters at the present were pressing indeed.
Fluidly changing her position she kept her breathing low and steady the sign of a yoga expert. She'd been a 22-year-old Fine Arts/History Grad Schoolgirl before C.O.I.L. (Counter Operations Intelligence League) recruited her and here she was 8 years later still alive, no small miracle given the type of life she led. One final move, then a quick walk round her small but attractive garden to smell the flowers.
"Always stop and smell the flowers, life is short," she thought and laughed out loud in spite of herself at the gallows humour of it all.
Picking up her towel she walked back inside pausing in front of the mirror. Her cotton shirt clung seductively to her breasts and hips due to the perspiration from her morning workout. Her body was slim, tanned and most importantly to her toned, in her line of work a fit body was a requirement. The cotton magnificently displayed all the wondrous curves she processed, the very curves that men had become lost in so many times, until it was to late. Truth was she loved her job, the danger, the excitement, and the exhilaration of being the predator and yes, sometimes even the prey. She dreaded the day when she would no longer be a viable field agent. Sometimes she admitted to herself it would be better to die on assignment than behind a desk. However much she thought that she wasn't wishing it anytime in the near future
"There's still life in the old girl yet", she thought and turned away from the mirror to a more important matter....her assignment.
Dr. Parvez Patel had been a noted genetic research scientist in both the animal and botanical fields. A series of unauthorised gene splicing and grafting experiments; all with apocalyptic results had permanently removed him from any stable source of funding. Without the money pit of government aid he turned to any organisation that would support his experiments into recombinant DNA. Money came alright in the form of D.O.O.M. (Dominion of Organisation Mayhem) intent on destabilising the region of 1.5 billion people they had given Dr. Patel an order to produce genetically modified seeds for next year's crop, under the guise that they would grow stronger plants. Since the government controlled the seed distribution and what to grow they would take the blame when the seeds failed. The result, chaos and anarchy would reign. D.O.O.M. under the cover of perfectly legitimate companies would offer help to the poor unfortunate starving people in exchange for concessions from the government, which they would naturally grant to them to avoid being toppled. In a few years D.O.O.M. would control the entire strategically important region.
Dr. Patel was slated to hand over the formula in 3 days. Notoriously suspicious and secretive he kept all the data lock inside himself, only he knew the formula. Thus he was in a position of both strength and weakness, this gave COIL it's opening and the reason Claire was sent. COIL needed to terminate Dr. Patel and Claire had been assigned. The how and the where were up to her.
"Just what I always wanted in a job, the freedom to make your own decisions", she thought sarcastically. Anyway it gave her the chance to be creative in how she would do it and if Claire was anything she was creative.
COIL was worried about the short time to complete the assignment. Claire never let that concern her for she had already met Dr. Patel and his executive assistant slash DOOM protection Manjit at an exposition of Indian Art. He was a noted collector of Indian sculpture and Claire had to admit some of his pieces were stunning, but apparently not as stunning as Dr. Patel found Claire.
He was giving a lecture on an early piece of the God Vishnu when she entered the hall. Walking slowly down the isle she took a seat in the front row very near him. Sitting down she methodically crossed her legs as only a woman confidant in her appeal can do. She had him from that moment and for the rest of the lecture he never took his eyes off of her for more than 10 seconds. The fact that her opal-coloured blouse was open just enough to show what needed to be showed and that she would recross her luscious legs every so often didn't hurt. While Dr. Patel was entranced Manjit was studying Claire with a clinical eye. "Much to dangerous", she thought.
After the lecture Dr. Patel come over and introduced himself and Manjit. Claire had no trouble impressing him with her knowledge of Art History, that being part of her formal educational background.
"Your collection must be quite fabulous if the pieces here are any indication," she recalled saying.
"Thank you Miss. Baxter," he said. "Yes many fine pieces unfortunately some far too important and too delicate to move from my estate."
Claire gave him a smile that told him he was making progress with her.
"Miss. Bax.." he started to say before she put her hand on his arm.
"No, please call me Claire," she uttered.
"As I was saying, Miss. I mean Claire", he laughed at little and then continued. "You are welcome to come to my estate and I will personally show you around". Like all men he rushed to quickly to the trap only seeing the bait and not the hook. "How about tomorrow at 9:00am before all the heat", he asked wantonly.
"You work fast Dr.," she said and smiled, giving him a false sense of triumph. "Tomorrow it is."
This was enough for Manjit she slipped her arm around the doctors and stated firmly
"Doctor we must be going now!"
"Yes, Yes," said the doctor absently, for he was watching Claire who had turned around, gone over to her lecture chair and bent over to pick up her notes. Dr. Patel's eyes travelled up and down Claire's legs. Claire couldn't see his serpentine smile at that moment but she felt it. She pushed down the revulsion; she had a job to do. A quick backward glance on the way out of the lecture room saw he still had is eyes locked on her. Claire's smile was triumphant. Her skills as a spy told her she had him. Her skills as a woman told her the same.
Looking up from her assignment notes and brushing the previous day's recollections from her mind she put her thoughts into action. She took a shower, dried and when to the closet to pick the proper bait to draw him closer, but not to close, not yet.
"This will do fine," she purred.
Standing in front of the mirror an hour later was the bait she needed. A forest green V necked blouse with an open back and bare arms, a white shirt cut just above the knee with 2" white pumps. A pearl necklace and matching earrings and bracelet finished the outfit. The doorbell rang; her cab was here and waiting. The adrenaline built in Claire; she loved the seduction and the impending game.
"Focus, Focus!" she told herself as she stepped into the cab.
The doctor's estate was about twenty minutes out of town. When it came into view Claire noticed that it was surrounded by what appeared to be a large green hedge of about twelve feet in height. Along the hedge every 50 feet or so were entrance doors. She made a mental note to ask about these doors. The car turned onto the grounds continuing up the drive until a magnificent mansion came into view. The mansion, the left behind traces of the British colonial period in India was quite impressive. The car rolled to a stop and the driver came around to open the door just as Dr. Patel came bounding down the large front steps to meet his guest.
"Perfect timing, put your best foot forward!" she thought.
Not only did she put her best foot forward, but also her stunning legs. An impossibly thin ankle followed by a beautiful calf and just a hint of thigh she managed to reveal for the doctor's pleasure. Claire was upon the doctor before he could recover his stare. When he did Claire didn't like the look she was shown. Instead of embarrassment at being caught out in a schoolboy gaze what blazed in his eyes were cold malicious thoughts. She pretended not to notice.
"Play the game," she told herself, "you'll get your revenge later!"
She slipped her arm around his and they walked up the steps through the doors and into an opulent marble foyer. Two halls led off the foyer in either direction for the main wings of the house. Two burly guards came up behind Claire as the doctor suddenly turned on her and said.
