The car pulled to a halt outside the embassy and she was roughly shoved out of the door. A screech of tyres and the car pulled away as quickly as it had arrived leaving her swaying in the cold morning air. She looked about her with panic to make sure it was gone before gingerly mounting the steps. Her naked feet left bloodied footprints as she climbed each one slowly, holding her arms tightly to her sides. The guards at the top of the steps moved toward her, one unholstering his weapon. Before they could mount a challenge she pitched forward blood spraying from her head. A distant gunshot carried on the chill morning breeze.
'You simply must try them!' Carla gushed as she pushed the tray of cakes at me.
I examined them closely looking for some clue. They looked like brownies. I looked up at her from my chair where she had invited me to sit. 'No thank you, Carla. I am not very hungry.'
'Are you quite sure?'
'Yes thank you for offering though. You are too kind.'
'Well, what can I do for you Mr...'
Her face became blank for a second before breaking into a ferociously huge smile. The way she smiled was at odds with the Carla I knew. A fact that made me bite the inside of my cheek to keep me from leaping to my feet and shaking her. I focused on counting my breathing and inspected my surroundings.
It was a lounge in an apartment. Architecturally indistinct from others of its type. I had been invited to sit on a slightly shabby armchair across from which sat its twin. Between the chairs hunched a low chrome-rimmed glass table. There was a magazine lying open on it but I knew there were no clues there as I had scanned it quite thoroughly on one of my previous visits. The decor was a little more revealing. Photos of different situations adorned the otherwise empty walls. Damn but this was a grubby mission. I made a mental note to tell AC9 to shove it the next time he pulled something like this. I looked straight at Carla and felt a pang of remorse as I realised that there would be no further missions for her. This was it, this little fragment was all that was left in fact.
'Mr McKenzie,' I replied, keeping my voice level.
'Well Mr McKenzie, you are a friend of my brother you say?'
'Yes I met him state-side recently and he asked me to pay you a visit.' God knows. it had taken them long enough to get even this far without the Vir flaking out.
Time to try a new tack I thought grimly. I stood with my tea and skirted around Carla who still had that fixed 100-watt smile on her face. I moved toward one of the walls and looked at the nearest photo. Carla and her brother, the Pyramids. I sighed inwardly. It was on file, she had never been to the pyramids. I moved along a step. The next one was more interesting. Carla and another man looking out from high over a building site.
'Wow, the pyramids? I have that on my bucket list.' I kept my tone light, cheerful even.
'Yes, Ken loved history. It was always one of his dreams to go there. Cairo was such a delight.'
'It certainly looks it, oh look,' I peered closer to the first picture. 'Is that a camel?'
'Yes, they were absolutely everywhere!'
I looked straight at Carla and her rictus grin. It's not really her. It's not really her. I told myself.
'And Carla... where was this taken?' Broad smile, lazy gesture at the second photo.
'That one. It's. It's.' She shook slightly. The lights in the room flickered then came back on with a buzzing sound. 'Kharkiv.' Her tone was flat. The buzzing sound rose in intensity. 'The Khartron plant,' she whispered.
I rolled my eyes over the ceiling then the walls which were flickering in a nauseating fashion before returning them to rest on Carla who had lolled forward as if her strings had been cut. The buzzing had become a loud whining and everything was starting to break up into fractals of disorganised colour.
'PK-109. Extricate.' I murmured sadly, as the world around me dissolved.
'Cutting it a bit close this time weren't we?'
'Well, needs must.' I was pissed and not in the mood for small talk. 'She was definitely in the Ukraine. Something to do with the Khartron corporation.' I pulled the induction link away from my temple, feeling that familiar sucking sensation deep in my cortex as the Vir application disengaged.
'I saw that. You are definitely getting somewhere. Keep your chin up, you are doing well, we will have what she knows by Christmas for sure.'
I pulled myself to a sitting position to face my interlocutor.
'It's fucking September.' I hissed.