13-04-2019, 04:15 PM
A Chinese man, wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase, came out of the darkness from the side and took a seat at the table next to her, regarding Helen with a nod.
"You will pardon me, Contessa." The man said in perfect West-Coast American English. "My name is Lee." Helen nodded. If he'd been American, it would have been Smith. "The Elders felt that they should hear both sides of this dispute."
Mander remained standing behind Helen as another figure entered from the far end of the room-within-the-crates. The man wore a new suit, and what looked like a motorcycle helmet with the visor closed, blacking out the wearer's head entirely. The figure walked closer and took a seat at the table. It was then that light flickered from the helmet's visor; light that made Helen think of a screen powering up. The thought was proved correct a moment later when Leonard Whyte, CBE's face appeared in the visor.
"Nice to see you face-to-face again, Contessa." He said from speakers on the sides of the helmet. "Well, not really face-to-face, but you understand."
Helen exploded into hysterical laughter. Whyte's face on the monitor indicated that he was waiting for her to finish.
"Yes, I do!" Helen got out between gasps for air. "After... all this shit... My 'arch-foe,'... my fucking 'nemesis'... in this 'deadly cat and mouse game'... I've been playing... for the last two months... turns out to be DAFTPUNK???" She wasn't finished laughing, but still tried to get the rest out. "There is... FAR more truth to that... than you could possibly know!"
"Oh, it's a bit Tron, I know. When the people who watched the warehouse video before me didn't obey your commands as well, I determined that your... unique talent... wasn't something that could be transmitted electronically, the idea just came to me. It also answered that burning question 'Why doesn't Contessa Helena de San Finzione just go on TV and conquer the world already?' So, this little baby blocks off all outside sound and light, depending on built-in cameras and internal speakers, allowing us to speak without worrying about your ability. Provided that it's me at the table, that is. Knowing me, I might've just grabbed a bum off the street and gave him a new suit and a thousand bucks to put on this helmet and sit here for an hour. Maybe he's watching Spongebob. The thing gets Netflix. He's not bored in there."
Helen composed herself and lit a cigarette. The answer that involved Whyte exploiting an innocent was likely the correct one.
"Ok, ok. It would've been cool if it was like Arrested Development, and you had Super Dave Osbourne under that helmet, but your version explains the smell. Tron didn't end too well for the English tech guy, if I recall. But, are you planning to make any more of those helmets? Because my maid would just love one! Not the one with hobo breath on the inside, though. I'd want to get her a new one. Ooh, do they come in Emerald Green?"
"There's at least one more. I was going to offer them to our Chinese friends if it became necessary to 'come get you' from where you're hiding in town."
Mr. Lee cut in.
"So, you knew that The Viper... er, the Contessa, was not at the hotel?"
"I considered it a possibility. She has a double; it was a 50-50 chance. That's the real Contessa. The double's probably on a flight back to San Finzione right now."
"He knew I wasn't there, because he sent me a text about your men 'paying her a visit.' And your little stunts have shut down the airport, Leonard." Helen replied with a long drag. "But yes, she's out of this now." Helen switched to Mandarin and turned to Mr. Lee. "I am the real Viper That Speaks All the Tongues of Man. There is another name that you know me by. I shall not be using it tonight, but I suspect you know it, and He who gave it to me." She thought a moment and turned back to Whyte or his avatar under the helmet. "And Leonard, your helmet thing, it operates via phone frequencies; and must have wi-fi if it's got Netflix, but gets through your jammer? Well, I'd suppose it would; I mean, you built both of them, right?"
"A very exclusive feature of Whyte cell phones, for our privileged clientele, like the Honorable Mr. Lee." He replied in English, bowing his head on the screen in Lee's direction. "But let's get to business, Helena. I understand you have a recording you'd like Mr. Lee to hear."
"I did," She replied in English. "But I see there's no point now. I mean, you've been pretty calm about it from the beginning. That and the fact that you're... well, your vagrant, anyway; is here, means you struck a deal with the Elders before I even got to Seattle. So, let's talk about that, instead."
She turned to Mr. Lee and switched back to Mandarin.
"What has this man offered the Elders to risk my wrath?"
* * *
"You will pardon me, Contessa." The man said in perfect West-Coast American English. "My name is Lee." Helen nodded. If he'd been American, it would have been Smith. "The Elders felt that they should hear both sides of this dispute."
Mander remained standing behind Helen as another figure entered from the far end of the room-within-the-crates. The man wore a new suit, and what looked like a motorcycle helmet with the visor closed, blacking out the wearer's head entirely. The figure walked closer and took a seat at the table. It was then that light flickered from the helmet's visor; light that made Helen think of a screen powering up. The thought was proved correct a moment later when Leonard Whyte, CBE's face appeared in the visor.
"Nice to see you face-to-face again, Contessa." He said from speakers on the sides of the helmet. "Well, not really face-to-face, but you understand."
Helen exploded into hysterical laughter. Whyte's face on the monitor indicated that he was waiting for her to finish.
"Yes, I do!" Helen got out between gasps for air. "After... all this shit... My 'arch-foe,'... my fucking 'nemesis'... in this 'deadly cat and mouse game'... I've been playing... for the last two months... turns out to be DAFTPUNK???" She wasn't finished laughing, but still tried to get the rest out. "There is... FAR more truth to that... than you could possibly know!"
"Oh, it's a bit Tron, I know. When the people who watched the warehouse video before me didn't obey your commands as well, I determined that your... unique talent... wasn't something that could be transmitted electronically, the idea just came to me. It also answered that burning question 'Why doesn't Contessa Helena de San Finzione just go on TV and conquer the world already?' So, this little baby blocks off all outside sound and light, depending on built-in cameras and internal speakers, allowing us to speak without worrying about your ability. Provided that it's me at the table, that is. Knowing me, I might've just grabbed a bum off the street and gave him a new suit and a thousand bucks to put on this helmet and sit here for an hour. Maybe he's watching Spongebob. The thing gets Netflix. He's not bored in there."
Helen composed herself and lit a cigarette. The answer that involved Whyte exploiting an innocent was likely the correct one.
"Ok, ok. It would've been cool if it was like Arrested Development, and you had Super Dave Osbourne under that helmet, but your version explains the smell. Tron didn't end too well for the English tech guy, if I recall. But, are you planning to make any more of those helmets? Because my maid would just love one! Not the one with hobo breath on the inside, though. I'd want to get her a new one. Ooh, do they come in Emerald Green?"
"There's at least one more. I was going to offer them to our Chinese friends if it became necessary to 'come get you' from where you're hiding in town."
Mr. Lee cut in.
"So, you knew that The Viper... er, the Contessa, was not at the hotel?"
"I considered it a possibility. She has a double; it was a 50-50 chance. That's the real Contessa. The double's probably on a flight back to San Finzione right now."
"He knew I wasn't there, because he sent me a text about your men 'paying her a visit.' And your little stunts have shut down the airport, Leonard." Helen replied with a long drag. "But yes, she's out of this now." Helen switched to Mandarin and turned to Mr. Lee. "I am the real Viper That Speaks All the Tongues of Man. There is another name that you know me by. I shall not be using it tonight, but I suspect you know it, and He who gave it to me." She thought a moment and turned back to Whyte or his avatar under the helmet. "And Leonard, your helmet thing, it operates via phone frequencies; and must have wi-fi if it's got Netflix, but gets through your jammer? Well, I'd suppose it would; I mean, you built both of them, right?"
"A very exclusive feature of Whyte cell phones, for our privileged clientele, like the Honorable Mr. Lee." He replied in English, bowing his head on the screen in Lee's direction. "But let's get to business, Helena. I understand you have a recording you'd like Mr. Lee to hear."
"I did," She replied in English. "But I see there's no point now. I mean, you've been pretty calm about it from the beginning. That and the fact that you're... well, your vagrant, anyway; is here, means you struck a deal with the Elders before I even got to Seattle. So, let's talk about that, instead."
She turned to Mr. Lee and switched back to Mandarin.
"What has this man offered the Elders to risk my wrath?"
* * *
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