DEADLY NIGHTSHADE

An insight into the world of a very special government operative.

 

 

Internationally despised ruthless drug baron Rodriquez Sanchez, habitually looked right, left and right again prior to stooping down to get into his bullet-proof limousine. The high velocity bullet entered his skull five centimetres above his left ear. Up until that moment Mister Sanchez was one of the most wanted men on the planet.

 

Five hundred metres away as the crow flies, and amongst the dense greenery a husky female voice whispered, ‘Thank you.’ Emma reasoned to herself that she always said that after a hit to balance things in her mind. She had stopped pondering if it was because the completed task had just placed another large sum of money in her secret account, or if it was a message to God for allowing her to continue with this unusual type of work. Whatever the real reason, it provided a mental barrier between her subconscious and the deed itself.

           

            The young assassin lay perfectly still in the undergrowth for a full minute prior to  leaving her firing position. She observed the driver and two bodyguards running around like the proverbial headless chickens. Their weapons were pointing in a variety of directions, pausing, as if they were going to see something to shoot at. Each had his favourite, but it didn’t matter if it was an Uzi or a Kalashnikov, without a target it was a chunk of metal. Emma checked her wristwatch. The minute she always allowed herself was gone. If she was going to be seen moving, it would have been in that short space of time immediately after her target fell. Now as relaxed as she could hope to be, she reached out slowly and retrieved the empty case from the single round she had fired. From her firing practice with this rifle she knew to within a few inches how far the empty case would eject. Once she had that small casing safely in her possession, she placed the rifle in the crook of her right arm and eased back from the place she had laid for over two hours. The only evidence ever left was the small piece of metal lodged in her target, invariably in the head.

 

            Emma took great pride in her ability and was fastidious when it came to recce, setting up, or moving out. In a very short space of time she had gained a reputation for being one of the best, and her services were regularly in demand.  Once she received the brief on her target her ‘handler’ was confident she would complete the task without a hitch.    

           

In the Columbian forestry she was not as relaxed as she might otherwise be, mainly due to the heat, but she managed to get her mindset normal during what she termed the ‘conversion’. This was the stage where she went from camouflaged hired assassin to pretty blonde English tourist looking at the local flora and fauna. She worked quickly but methodically, as she always did. Whilst in training she had insisted on doing rehearsals with every weapon in a pitch black environment. It provided total familiarisation. 

               In less than five minutes from squeezing the trigger, Emma had the rifle broken down into six component parts and packed away in it’s titanium case. She also placed the empty cartridge in the case. Her own outfit was changed almost as rapidly then she left the scene, located the burial area and got rid of all things related to the shooting.

            As Emma left the site, on the edge of her map she used her own special code to make a note of the ten figure grid reference so that the recovery team could find the weapon and clothing at a later date. Apart from skill with a firearm she was exceptional in the use of a map. She looked at the symbols on the paper and it was like looking at a large photograph.

 

***

           

Emma had been ‘recruited’ by a covert government agency when she had been spotted on a firing range. As a teenager she had been an Army Cadet and loved physical fitness, map reading and shooting. She was the youngest markswoman ever to go to the Bisley Shooting Championships and it was there that her potential was spotted. Through a little gentle persuasion her interest in military skills was nurtured, but she was quietly discouraged from actually joining the Armed Forces. Her tutors at university would see only her ability to soak up knowledge and she excelled in her chosen field. Botany was her childhood interest and by the time she reached the end of her degree she was recognised as a name for the future. By the time Emma was twenty five years old she was in a good job with prospects in her chosen field, and her continued interest in military skills made her a target herself. A target of a very special kind. 

 

She was sent to ‘Sniper’s School’ for a week by the Territorial Army as a ‘treat’ because of her ability. Unknown to Emma, she was observed very closely by a handful of men who’s job it was to spot natural talent. It was at the end of that week she was approached by two men in Saville Row suits.  At first she refused to listen. When National Security was mentioned it captured something deep within her. She was hooked. It took three more conversations, then the mention of the amount of money she could earn and the travelling she would do. Her only proviso was that she would only do the task if it meant removing the scum of the earth. That was agreed.   

 

***

           

            Emma was now twenty seven and enjoyed a strange double life. It was that very strange life that caused her to be in a Columbian forest assassinating a drug baron.

 

            Less than fifteen minutes after the death of their boss, the three men from the large mansion were combing all the roads in the hills. The large black car’s tyres screeched as it took each bend. They knew they had to get a result quickly. The boss’s son, Andreas was in Switzerland on a ‘business’ trip and when he heard about his father’s assassination he would want to personally meet the perpetrator. If Andreas Rodriguez returned and there was no one on which to wreak vengeance he would have the driver and bodyguards buried alive, each with a loved one. It was something of a Rodriguez family tradition. A special incentive.

 

            The car came around a bend high in the hills and the driver saw a movement in the bushes. ‘There!’ he cried out and brought the car skidding to a halt beside a small track. From the tree line onto the road a young woman stepped and looked directly at the men as they piled out of the car and turned towards her. Emma stood her full 5 foot 10 inches and in doing so gave the men something to look at. She had a red bandana tied around her blonde hair. Her big brown eyes and gleaming white teeth sparkled when she smiled. The sun-tanned face a picture of loveliness.  She was no pencil thin catwalk model. Emma had the body of a woman and it was made obvious by her outfit. The lightweight safari jacket hung open displaying a close fitting t-shirt which was bulging in just the right places. Her Levi shorts were perfect for showing off her well formed legs, and the desert boots gave a hint of outdoor girl. A suggestion of ‘ready for anything’, and she was. 

 

Emma stood with one hand on her hip and the other holding her small backpack. She made quite a sight out here in the wilderness. There was something alluring about her, an Amazon quality. The three gangsters saw it.

 

            The men now slowed their pace to take in the unexpected and welcome view. Once he had caught his breath, the more senior of the three asked, ‘What are you doing here?’

            Emma lowered her backpack to the floor and bent down to open it. She knew full well that when she bent down the men would be watching very closely, though probably not for the right thing. She lifted out her small digital camera and a journal and said brightly,  ‘I’m studying rare plants and flowers.’

            The bodyguard came forward quickly and looked through the pages of the journal to find pressed flowers, sketches and notes in latin. He looked in the backpack and lifted out a mobile phone. He dropped the phone in the pack and handed it back to Emma. 

‘Who is with you?’ He asked suspiciously.

            ‘Nobody,’ Emma responded truthfully, ‘I always work alone.’ 

            The lecherous bodyguard looked at her closely from her bandana to her boots, slowing down his gaze in particular places. Emma could smell cigar smoke on his breath and it was adding to the feeling of nausea he was already giving her by his attentions. He looked over his shoulder at his companions and called, ‘this little lady is all alone, perhaps we should take her back to the mansion and show her some hospitality...eh’

            ‘Maybe,’ the driver called back, ‘but first we find the shooter.’

            ‘Have you lost a gun?’ Emma asked sweetly.

            The lecherous one looked at her again, turned to walk away, then stopped and said,

‘I think I will be looking for you later, and we will have some fun together...we will come   back and find you before you get to town...English lady...’

            Emma watched without emotion as the three gangsters got back into the limousine. She lifted the mobile phone out of the backpack. When the car was fifty metres away she pressed three digits and the call button. As she pressed the call button she stepped behind the nearest tree and waited until the last parts of the car and it’s occupants landed on the ground. Another of Emma’s traits was that she always had a back up plan.

 

***

 

Two hours later, following a leisurely walk into the nearest town, Emma used a public phone to dial an international number. She spoke rapidly but clearly, ‘This is ‘Nightshade’. Sample collected but with some extra damage. The regular price should not be affected.’ She put the phone down then spent three more days in the area investigating plants and flowers before flying back to London and her regular job with the Botanical Gardens. She knew it wouldn’t be long before some more scum would need removing. 

 

The end...of this assignment

Author's Note

All reviews as always are most welcome. Have a feeling that this has the makings of a series. Thoughts anybody? Tom

Reviews

[SR Urie]

Hiya Tom, nice pic man.
What a great character you've brought to life. The intelligent young lady of education and grace whose expertise with a gun brings her to a double life of rubbing out the scum of the earth, and in the bargain seeing the world like a young sailor on a brigan three master. She's very attractive, stylish in dress and attitude, and very thorough, efficient; deadly.
Bravo, sir! Give me a while and I'll have a look at your proceding texts, I'm sure they'll be as entertaining as this, my friend. BZ

[Tom Benson]

Hi guys. This story has now been reworked and appears in one of my short story anthologies as 'Poisoned Ivy'.
As it happens, this story is typical of my style, now as an author of several books.

[Momo]

Hi Tom,

Wow. The story captivated me instantly and really drew me in. Your character's personality is very intriguing; the combination of two different worlds in one individual that leads to this extreme but sophisticated individual was a stroke of genius.

Your writing style is very captivating as well with enough imagery to set the scene for me and enough hints to help me imagine the rest. I look forward to reading more of your writing.

I do have one suggestion. The two paragraphs which describe Emma's background - when she was recruited by a covert government agency - seemed out of place in the story. It pulled me out of the story. Maybe you can try to find another way to incorporate these details in the story?

Keep up the great work!

[emmajoy]

The writer has characters and backgrounds very clearly in mind as he shoots from his hip in a story which would indeed make a great series. You add enough facts to build the excitement but with quite stealthy movements as if involved to the hilt yourself. There's a distinct knowledge or awareness in many of the goings on, this is written with insight as well as a clear imagination. As someone who loves mystery and adventure tales this gripped me start to finish ..

As always your grammar and spelling are perfect!
I like this piece it captures the audience, and you descriptions are great. I don't usually go in for this kind of writing but I had to read it all.
-Nice Write-
-Satan's Toaster