10-04-2019, 11:13 AM
"Contessa-In-Reggenza Maria de San Finzione has been prepared for this task her entire life, and has been aided by the guidance of Count Vincenzo and Contessa Helena throughout. I have every confidence in her."
The phone in his pocket vibrated.
"The meeting is being called now. I have no more time to give you. Please leave and go report your stories, as your equipment is interfering with the hospital's emergency business. Gracias."
The reporters began packing up their equipment. Generalissimo Ramirez's driver had brought his staff car up the hospital's main drive, and as he speed-walked toward it and pulled out his phone.
The message was, as he expected, Contessa Maria calling in her top staff. He confirmed that he was en route, then placed a call.
"Get me Interpol," Ramirez told his secretary as he got in the vehicle. "Call me back when Luc Allaine is on the line."
The driver made for the castle.
* * *
Half a step ahead of Ramirez, Helena and Suzy-Q discussed the issue while talking on a couch in her head. If not for the television studio setting and their outfits, the two of them might have appeared to onlookers as idly chatting neighbors; provided Lara Croft's neighbor wore a Chinese qipao dress around the house.
"OK, so they knew how, when, and where to hit you. This must be part of the plan too. Not us talking, nobody could've seen that; Susan still hasn't even noticed me gone. I mean, there's a reason it had to be now. He had to make sure you were dead, or at least in the hospital by now. Why? What did you have planned after the tour stop?"
Helena had to think about that.
"Hmm... nothing, really. Had a meeting, something earlier canceled and it got bumped up to before Noon, so my plans for after were a cup of cocoa and some hot sex with Jeanne."
Suzy-Q gave her a look. A look that told Helen that she'd just missed something there. She picked up on it and ran the thought through her head again.
"I had no plans... because the afternoon meeting got bumped up! I wasn't supposed to be at that meeting!"
The look on Suzy-Q's face became a smile.
"That's it," she said to Helena. "So, what happened at The Meeting That Shouldn't Have Been?"
Helena was about to open her mouth when Suzy-Q raised a hand.
"Before you even think 'that's classified,' I think you already know what the real Susan would say to that. I'm here to help, really."
Helena nodded and took a puff of her unending cigarette before speaking.
"We discussed how everything's a go for the Air Finzione launch. And this year's wine harvest."
Suzy-Q looked around before answering.
"I don't see Troy here, so we can rule out any James Bond plots right away. Nobody's going to go to all this to blow up some planes or poison the wine supply. That's not something they'd 'need you out of the way' for, anyway."
That gave Helena a small upraising of the lips and a little snort.
"Ok, yeah. They're not after the emeralds in my tiara for their superlaser. So, after that, it was just me and the Top Secret guys, we talked about The Elders and Raymond Chen for a moment; but that just makes the idea that they're behind this even more stupid. Why go through with the whole charade with him if they were going to hit me 12 hours later?"
"Yeah, they're out of this, though it also explains why they sent a hand instead of a head, because then you might say 'Hey, that's the wrong Raymond Chen.'"
"Right," Helena answered. "So that just leaves..."
They said the word together.
"Springheel."
* * *
The phone in his pocket vibrated.
"The meeting is being called now. I have no more time to give you. Please leave and go report your stories, as your equipment is interfering with the hospital's emergency business. Gracias."
The reporters began packing up their equipment. Generalissimo Ramirez's driver had brought his staff car up the hospital's main drive, and as he speed-walked toward it and pulled out his phone.
The message was, as he expected, Contessa Maria calling in her top staff. He confirmed that he was en route, then placed a call.
"Get me Interpol," Ramirez told his secretary as he got in the vehicle. "Call me back when Luc Allaine is on the line."
The driver made for the castle.
* * *
Half a step ahead of Ramirez, Helena and Suzy-Q discussed the issue while talking on a couch in her head. If not for the television studio setting and their outfits, the two of them might have appeared to onlookers as idly chatting neighbors; provided Lara Croft's neighbor wore a Chinese qipao dress around the house.
"OK, so they knew how, when, and where to hit you. This must be part of the plan too. Not us talking, nobody could've seen that; Susan still hasn't even noticed me gone. I mean, there's a reason it had to be now. He had to make sure you were dead, or at least in the hospital by now. Why? What did you have planned after the tour stop?"
Helena had to think about that.
"Hmm... nothing, really. Had a meeting, something earlier canceled and it got bumped up to before Noon, so my plans for after were a cup of cocoa and some hot sex with Jeanne."
Suzy-Q gave her a look. A look that told Helen that she'd just missed something there. She picked up on it and ran the thought through her head again.
"I had no plans... because the afternoon meeting got bumped up! I wasn't supposed to be at that meeting!"
The look on Suzy-Q's face became a smile.
"That's it," she said to Helena. "So, what happened at The Meeting That Shouldn't Have Been?"
Helena was about to open her mouth when Suzy-Q raised a hand.
"Before you even think 'that's classified,' I think you already know what the real Susan would say to that. I'm here to help, really."
Helena nodded and took a puff of her unending cigarette before speaking.
"We discussed how everything's a go for the Air Finzione launch. And this year's wine harvest."
Suzy-Q looked around before answering.
"I don't see Troy here, so we can rule out any James Bond plots right away. Nobody's going to go to all this to blow up some planes or poison the wine supply. That's not something they'd 'need you out of the way' for, anyway."
That gave Helena a small upraising of the lips and a little snort.
"Ok, yeah. They're not after the emeralds in my tiara for their superlaser. So, after that, it was just me and the Top Secret guys, we talked about The Elders and Raymond Chen for a moment; but that just makes the idea that they're behind this even more stupid. Why go through with the whole charade with him if they were going to hit me 12 hours later?"
"Yeah, they're out of this, though it also explains why they sent a hand instead of a head, because then you might say 'Hey, that's the wrong Raymond Chen.'"
"Right," Helena answered. "So that just leaves..."
They said the word together.
"Springheel."
* * *
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