A Tally of Killsby Mongoose750 (mongoose750@yahoo.rtf

Running the possible scenarios in her mind, Ming Shi realized to herself that the only surefire solution would be a "scorched earth" strategy, meaning that she'll need to sanction virtually everyone she comes in contact with until she reached her target. She didn't feel undaunted by the concept; she's done it several times before.

Well, time to get started, Ming Shi thought to herself as she walked across the lobby, her stocking-clad feet stalking silently across the floor.

As she reached the stairwell, she met another one of the guards who just came down the stairs. He gave Ming Shi a look that was either condescending, lustful, or a mixture of both.

"Back so soon?" The guard asked.

"Yes, I've appeared to have forgotten my shoes, and I came back to get them," Ming Shi said.

As lame and crazy as it sounded, the statement produced the desired effect. The guard, a tall man, instinctively looked down to see Ming Shi's stocking feet. Taken off guard, he quickly became a casualty as Ming Shi suddenly spun around and gave him a spinning rear kick. Ming Shi's hardened heel struck his temple, crushing it. The female assassin dragged the body to a nearby closet and threw him in. She then returned to the stairs and slowly ascended, on the lookout for her next victim.

She didn't have far to look or long to wait as she reached the second floor. At the end of the hallway that led to a small outside balcony, was a man who casually stood guard while gazing at the woodland on that side of the house (which was a different side from the front where Ming Shi dispatched her first guard). Ming Shi remembered him as the one guard she did not meet face to face on her first visit, because he was standing on the balcony with his back to her watching the outdoors and smoking a cigarette. She strode quickly but silently to him when he turned and saw her. Ming Shi froze and looked natural.

"Hey, I thought Kevin was escorting you to your car," he said gruffly.

"He's in the bathroom," Ming Shi said, still moving closer to him.

"Well I can't have you walking the halls unattended," he continued. "I'll radio one of the others to walk you out of here."

He reached with his left hand toward the walkie-talkie hanging on his belt, and pulled it loose, preparing to contact one of the other guards. However, he only was able to watch it leap out of his hand and over the balcony railing as the stiffened toes of Ming Shi's right foot kicked it flying.

Not missing a beat, the man reached for his gun with his right hand heading toward his shoulder holster on his left side. He barely managed to pull it out when Ming Shi grabbed his wrist with her right hand, twisting it painfully, then raised it up high and turned alongside the guard, slamming her left elbow into his exposed armpit. The ferocity of the blow hitting a major nerve center numbed his arm, while the force dislocated his shoulder. His gun fell harmlessly to the ground. The guard started to cry out from the pain of the blow, but Ming Shi covered his mouth with her hand, and pushed him against the wall. She slammed her knee into his solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him.

As a Barefoot Assassin, Ming Shi was taught that her effectiveness depended on three keys: be quick, be powerful, and be quiet. At the moment, she felt she violated at least two of those rules. She thought she could have put him away with a blow to the nose of throat, and not have to risk the danger of him calling for help. In any case, she needed to end this conflict quickly.

When the guard bent over from the blow to his gut, Ming Shi bent down, allowing him to drape over her left shoulder, then she straightened up, her right arm grabbing one of his legs lifting him up.

As much as they have us lifting weights, I should be able to pick somebody up, she thought as she carried her squirming, wheezing victim. Closing her eyes and giving a final grunt, she lifted the stunned guard over her head and threw him off the balcony.

Ming Shi quickly turned and headed for the stairs to the third floor when her ears heard something strange. Instead of hearing a "thud," she heard a "splash" sound. Sighing, she walked back over to the balcony and looked down. Instead of seeing the guard's body sprawled out on the mansion's lawn, he was splashing around in the center of the mansion's swimming pool.

Ming Shi fumed under her breath. This man couldn't just die like everyone else; no, he had to go swimming! And what is a branch of DOOM headquarters doing with a swimming pool anyway? Where are they going to find the time to take a dip?

The feminine assassin found herself in a quandary. She couldn't leave him and head upstairs; he could manage to make it out of the pool and warn her target, or raise enough of a ruckus that someone on the third floor could come to his aid. At the same time, by the time she made it downstairs to finish him off, he might escape and still manage to warn her target.

Next time I throw someone off a balcony, I'll keep my eyes open, she thought.

Ming Shi sighed again, then pulled off her sweater, and undid her skirt. Clad only in her bra, panties, and pantyhose, she climbed on the balcony railing and dove off.

*****

Meanwhile, the DOOM agent was floundering around in the water as he tried to develop a decent stroke using only one arm and his legs. His suit, which was tailored for comfort as well as style, felt like a ball and chain as he struggled through the water. He was still trying to register what happened.

Man, what do they feed these women in Brazil, he thought as he started to make his way toward a ladder on the inside of the pool. First this woman almost literally ripped my arm out and beat me with it, and then she threw me out of the balcony! It's a good thing this pool was here, otherwise I'd be street pizza. When I get back in the place, I'll call the others and grab a gun, a club, or something to fight her off with. I need to hurry.

In-between his thoughts and struggling through the water, he didn't hear another splash not too far behind him.

As Ming Shi rose to the surface, she made a quick inventory. Her bra was still secure, that was good. She'd heard stories about how a number of the women and some of the men COIL and DOOM agents like to fight in the nude. Well that wasn't the way her parents have raised their "little flower." Then again, they didn't raise her to be an assassin either; they still think she's just a "government employee." A quick memory of one of her training classes came to mind about her objective.

"I don't want you to date them, I want you to kill them! If you want to be Jane Bond, get in the movies. The other spy groups can play around with each other all they want; you just go in, complete the sanction, and get out, that's it," said one of her instructors. Ming Shi wondered what that instructor would think of her now, diving in a pool after a failed kill. Well she won't tell.

There was no need to check her pantyhose and panties; her hose stuck to her legs like glue. She saw the guard making his way to the pool ladder. He was making progress, but not moving too fast, so catching up shouldn't be a problem. Being on the rowing team in college, plus continuing the sport on a weekly basis, Ming Shi was not a stranger to water. She cut through the water with ease, almost catching the man.

The soaked guard started to breath a sigh of relief when he grasped the ladder with his one good arm. The sigh became a gasp when another arm wrapped around his throat.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to drown you," Ming Shi spoke softly into his ear, "I know full well how a drowning man can bring down both himself and the other person. I'm just going to give you an old-fashioned strangulation. You should start to receive some feeling back in your right arm, such as it is with it being dislocated and all, but by that time you won't have to worry about it."

"W-who are you," the man said, trying to struggle free. "COIL?"

"No, I represent a country who's sick and tired of having you scum slither back in after we told you to stay out," Ming Shi said as she tightened her chokehold. She figured a pool wouldn't be a good place to use her double python hold, which consists of a judo choke around the neck and a crushing leg scissors around the ribs. There was too much of a chance that her quarry would twist around and use the water to his advantage. Instead, she secured one leg around the pool ladder and wrapped the other one around her victim's leg. She made her choke hold in a way that would have his left arm (his good arm) up helplessly in the air. He waved it in a futile attempt to grab some part of his attacker or to try to push off into the water. But Ming Shi had a firm hold, and his frantic actions were doing nothing but depriving him of air. Shortly, he fell unconscious. Instead of maintaining her hold for an extra minute, she just let him fall into the water. She took one of his arms and stuck it into the ladder in a way that he wouldn't float off. If the choke didn't finish him off, the water would, invading his lungs before he regained consciousness. If by some minor miracle he managed to survive this onslaught, she should be finished with business, and finish him off at her leisure.

As she climbed up the ladder out of the pool, Ming Shi came to a sudden realization, that pool was cold! They didn't even bother to heat the thing up! She was not going to do any good shivering while completing her mission. She estimated that since she already took out three of the five guards, that just leaves her two men on the third floor before she reached her target. With the loss of the three men, that gives her not a whole lot of time, but some extra time to take care of a few things, like drying herself off. If they have a pool, that means they have a place with towels nearby as she reentered the house for the third time, her feet leaving wet footprints on the patio, and the lobby, and eventually the carpet as she found a closet with towels on the second floor (wouldn't make more sense to have it on the first floor?), and a laundry room next door. Before she started drying off, she took the precaution of grabbing her sweater and skirt. Drying off wasn't too much of a problem until she encountered the wet pantyhose. They were still clammy on her legs and she didn't have time to take them off, so she was stuck with them.

As she put her clothes back on, mainly to warm herself, she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Her respite was over, time to get back to work.

The fourth guard walked down the steps to make his way to the kitchen to grab a soft drink from the refrigerator when he saw something peculiar. Starting at the balcony, he saw wet footprints headed to and going away from the balcony ledge. He also noticed Joe wasn't there either. He followed the footprints going away from the balcony and stopped when they disappeared in front of the bathroom. He was about to step in and investigate further, when a wet towel wrapped around his neck coming from the supply closet across the hallway.

Ming Shi jerked the towel hard, pulling the man close to her, then used that momentum to bang his head against the side of the doorway so we would be too stunned to properly fight back. She realized she must be more frustrated than she realized because she kept banging his head from one side of the doorway to the other, strangling him as she did so. She finally realized she did her task when he was just hanging from her towel. She dropped the towel, and him, and both fell hard to the floor. Despite the bungle with the last kill, she felt rather proud of herself manipulating her footsteps for just in case someone ran across them. She grabbed a fresh towel from the closet, and walked to the stairs to the third floor. She felt drier and warmer, but her legs still felt a little clammy from her damp hose.

The last remaining guard was casually talking to the secretary. He was a blonde handsome man of 6'2" and carried a look of ambition on his face, like he was planning to advance up the corporate ladder regardless of what it took or what he had to do. The secretary was a 5'4" petite woman with shoulder length straight light brown hair and aside from being efficient at her job, seemed pretty much timid concerning everything else in the world.

"Hey Annie, you haven't seen Kevin or Joe around here lately, have you?" The guard asked.

"No, haven't seen either one of them for a while now," Annie, the secretary replied.

"Well, Joe was supposed to bring me back a coke from the kitchen. Him and Kevin are probably making time with that Asian chick. What is she doing in Brazil anyway? Shouldn't she be eating sushi or rice patties where she came from?"

Annie looked at the man with some mild annoyance. "Jack, if you read the demographics on the country on the flight here, it would have told you that Brazil has a wide diversity of ethnic groups, including those who immigrated from China, Japan, and many countries. This country is considered the true "melting pot,'" she said.

"I thought the United States was considered a "melting pot,'" Jack argued.

"That's what our information said; you'll have to take it up with the people who wrote it down."

"Whatever; all I know is I have plans for this organization, and they don't involve standing around in some backwater country that has people coming from everywhere. How do we know who the native Brazilians are?"

Annie, realizing she was arguing with someone who had the cranial density of a brick wall, decided to change the subject. "Maybe you should go downstairs and check on your coke," she said.

"Yeah, that's a good idea. When I come back, I'll tell you what I would do with this place if I was in charge."

"Can't wait."

Annie breathed a sigh of relief as this blowhard walked down the hall and turned the corner. Everyday she had to listen to him pop off about something; if it's not how hot he is around the ladies, it's his plans on what to do when he's in charge. Her period of relief was short as she suddenly saw Jack sliding back on the floor, momentarily stunned. Immediately following him was the woman who was interviewed earlier today. The secretary squinted a little to comprehend what she was seeing. Her pantyhose were soaking wet!

Ming Shi quickly placed her left foot on Jack's right arm, pinning it, while slamming her right knee on his chest, winding him. She fired her right hand in a knife blow to his throat hard enough to damage it, but not hard enough to kill him quickly. She then stood up and spoke to him.

"My great-grandparents are Chinese, my grandparents and my parents were born here as was I. I am Brazilian!" She said tersely. "Think about that in your remaining moments of life." She then stepped over the wheezing figure and headed towards the secretary's desk. "Man, I hate bigots."

Annie, who just came to the realization that this woman just murdered a fellow employee right before her eyes (even if he was a jerk), was a little flabbergasted and was unsure of what to do, especially since she was headed toward her boss's office.

"M-ma'am, you can't just go in there, you need a-"

Annie's words were cut off as Ming Shi clobbered her with a back fist blow, knocking her out and sending her chair rolling against the side of her desk. She then stopped for a moment and casually opened the door to her target's office.

The man had his back to the door, facing the window as he was going through some papers. He heard the door open, but he didn't look up.

"Oh Annie, could you check through your files for last month's report? I've seemed to have misplaced my copy. Could you get me a cup of coffee too? Don't put in too much sugar like the last . . . time . . ." he said, then stopped as he looked up slightly, his gaze falling on a pair of feet in wet, white hose. He looked up further to see Ming Shi staring down at him.

"I'm back!" She said.

*****

Annie came to, rubbing her jaw. As she opened her eyes, she saw Ming Shi return to her desk. Remembering how hard she was hit moments before, she started to panic. Ming Shi placed her hands on Annie's desk and spoke to her in her native Portuguese.

"By the order of the Brazilian government, I hereby place you under arrest. I-" she said, but stopped when she saw that Annie was still horrified and babbling incoherently. She also was looking for something, like a button to push.

"Oh, I wouldn't bother pressing the button; everyone else is dead, including your boss. Let's just say he now has a new angle of looking at life. Now-"

Ming Shi stopped again when it still appeared that Annie didn't comprehend what she said. Okay, let's try English, she thought.

"By the order of the Brazilian government, you are under arrest."

Annie was still unaffected, looking at Ming Shi with a blank expression and babbling uncontrollably. Finally, Ming Shi addressed Annie bluntly.

"Shut up or I'll hit you again!" She growled.

Annie shut up and nodded her head.

"Thank you. Now I need you to stand up for me please."

Annie stood up and Ming Shi took some nearby duct tape and bound her wrists, and as an afterthought, put a strip on her mouth as well. She guided the bound secretary away from her desk.

"Okay, we're now going to walk out of here, and we're going to drive to headquarters." Ming Shi glanced at Annie's stiletto heels. "Wait a minute, you walked up these stairs in those?"

The assassin considered ripping Annie's shoes off her, but changed her mind. Instead, she slung Annie over her shoulder and carried her down the stairs and out of the house; Annie's eyes gaping a few times when she saw some of the bodies of her former co-workers. Ming Shi opened the back door of her car and tossed Annie on the back seat. She retrieved her shoes and purse and almost hit Annie when she tossed the pumps in the back.

"Oh, sorry about that," Ming Shi said as she got in the driver's seat and started the car. "You know, you ought to be glad you're not working for your boss anymore. What a jerk! He actually had the nerve to proposition me when I was posing as somebody looking for a job. Can you believe that? And that one co-worker of yours, you know the one I killed before I offed your boss, couldn't conceive the concept of Asians living in Brazil! I mean, how stupid can you get . . ."

*****

The next day, Ming Shi was in the office of her superior. She stood in front of her desk, until her boss motioned for her to sit down while she went through her report. Her boss, who's name was Bliss, was an attractive woman in her early 40's, and stood a few inches taller than Ming Shi at six feet. Her long blonde hair was just a little past her shoulders resting on her black uniform shirt. As the creator and leader of the Barefoot Assassins, she also followed them in living a virtually shoeless lifestyle. While many have noticed her feet were attractive, others have also said that her feet were also so tough, she could walk over burning pavement on her way to tap dance on red hot coals. She read through Ming Shi's report along with the report their "cleaners" had also wrote, giving an occasional grunt. The cleaners were the "janitors" of the spy organization; they had a range of duties, from disposing of the bodies left by the assassins if necessary to collecting valuable data and information the opposing party had either left behind or "no longer needed."

Ming Shi, who was wearing an outfit consisting of blue sweat pants with three yellow stripes down on each side, the legs were cut right above the knee. Her shirt was yellow with blue short sleeves. She looked down at her bare toes, noticing that it was time for her to put on a new layer of nail polish, maybe something with a darker shade of blue. She sat in this office many times after a mission. She knew with this last one, she achieved her mission objective, and resulted in providing valuable information and even brought back a prisoner to boot. So why did she feel like there was something wrong?

"Ming, it looked like you achieved your objective," Bliss said, thoroughly checking one page of details on the cleaner's report. "It looked like you've made quite an impression on your prisoner too."

"Well, she didn't seem to object much while she was captured," Ming Shi replied.

Bliss smirked. "I think her exact words when we locked her up were, "Please, keep that murdering freak away from me.' She practically promised to tell us anything else if we kept you away."

"Well, you know how some people are around tall women."

"I think it was the fact that you killed one of her coworkers."

"She didn't even like the guy! DOOM should thank me for taking care of him early."

"And there were signs of - wet footprints through the place? Never mind, I don't need to know."

"Yeah, long story," Ming Shi said, then added under her breath, "The guy didn't land where I threw him."

"What's that?"

"I said they don't make towels like they used to."

Bliss gave Ming Shi a funny look at the remark, then ignored it and went on. "And except for the secretary, you took out everybody. It's a good thing the mailman wasn't there too, huh?"

"I believe the mailman arrives earlier in the morning than I planned to-"

"Ming, this is the third "scorched earth' procedure you've done out of the last four missions. You've been - what is that old term they used in the states - swatting a fly with a shotgun."

"But at least it got the job done, right?"

"Yes, but at great risk. The "scorched earth' procedure may "get the job done,' but it also increases the risk of getting captured or worse. A "scorched earth' operation is used only when it is ordered, a matter of great peril, or there is no other way to accomplish your mission," Bliss said.

"But my target was on the third floor, there wasn't any other way," Ming Shi protested.

"According to your report, you came during late morning. You could've waited until office hours were over to go and take him out. You could've waited until he left the building for whatever reason. You could've hid in his car until he arrived. If you couldn't sanction him at his office, you could've followed him home or better yet, obtained his address and waited for him at his place for you to accomplish your mission. You see there was "another way.'"

Ming Shi just cast her eyes down, looking at her wiggling toenails.

"Ming, as a Barefoot Assassin, you need to think "outside the box' to use the expression," Bliss continued. "Our purpose is not to bust into a stronghold with guns blazing, mainly because we don't use guns in the first place. We use only our bodies and the things we have at hand. That's all we need. We are to go in, sanction our target, and get out. If you eliminated your target alone, the remaining personnel would've had no choice but to return to where they came from. They posed no threat. You performed a severe case of overkill and brought back a shell-shocked secretary that we're not sure what to do with."

Ming Shi kept her head down. "Sorry boss," she said.

"Ah well, what's done is done. I'm sure we can find something for that woman to do, if she doesn't require therapy first. Anyway, go home and get some rest. You have another mission."

Ming Shi suddenly looked up, surprised. "Another mission?" She said.

"Yes, it's another mansion transformed into a DOOM stronghold. Apparently, they're trying to use the small business or "cottage industry' approach to sneak into this country. Anyway, this facility is larger and more fortified than the previous one, meaning there's three times the guards. Your mission objective is the same; find the head person and take them out. Looks like you have a chance to have a chance to redeem yourself."

"Thank you boss," Ming Shi said, a little elated.

"One more thing; you will be working with Catalina and Kim Lin-Soo, two of our more "precise' killers. Normally I would have you sit out for a while to think about what I said, but I've already had you scheduled. You'll meet with Catalina who'll give you the complete brief on the assignment. That is all."

What remained of Ming Shi's elation evaporated. "Yes boss," she said.

"I'm sorry, I did have one more thing. It has been a few months since you asked to be taken off deep undercover work after that assignment where you posed as a girlfriend to one of the DOOM agents who you had to sanction after he got away from us. How have you been feeling since-"

"I'm fine, boss," Ming Shi said tersely. "Just because I botched up this last mission doesn't mean-"

"Whoa, whoa!" Bliss said, holding up her hands. "I didn't say you botched up your last assignment; I was saying you employed a case of unnecessary overkill, if you'll excuse the pun, that's all. And as your superior, it's my job and I retain the right to ask and find out how you're feeling after a difficult mission, especially one where you had to get emotionally close to your target. This is not a glorious job we do, despite the fact we do it for our country. Killing enemy agents, DOOM agents who set foot on our country in particular is what we as Barefoot Assassins are trained for. We don't do the "glamorous' stuff like look for a secret document or thwarting the latest attempt of world domination. Pure wet work, that's what we do. We hunt down our targets, and eliminate them so we can live peacefully for another day."

"Sorry boss, I didn't mean to erupt like that," Ming Shi said apologetically.

"Forget about it. Truthfully, if you or one of my other agents started to enjoy what we do, that's when I'll need to worry. I will let you know though that since you did your deep cover assignment, I had all my agents pulled from covert operations. It's just too much trouble. In the time we develop a suitable cover and find our way into the target's confidence, we could just kill them and get on with the next operation. Now I'm finished. Get out of here and get some rest, you'll need it in the next couple of days."

"Yes boss," Ming Shi said as she turned and left.

"And Ming, stop calling me "boss;' you can call me "Bliss,' we're not that formal around here."

"Yes boss," Ming Shi said absently as she closed the door.

Bliss sighed, shook her head, and looked over a report of one of her other agents.

*****

Ming Shi took the time in-between assignments to do the one thing that normally cleared her head and kept her in shape along with the weight training and martial arts practice: a couple of sets of rowing at a nearby lake. In college, she was on both the rowing and volleyball teams, but her first love always was rowing. There was something about it that helped her become more focused, and it never ceased to challenge her, despite the many years she'd done it.

As she finished her final set, she pulled her boat from the water, and walked through the mud carrying it to her car. Almost as an afterthought, after she put the boat on her car, she walked back to the lake and washed the mud off her bare soles, remembering how hard it is to get mud off the floorboards. She went through her mental calendar, remembering the time she was to meet with Catalina for the next assignment. It wasn't a meeting she was looking forward to. Ming Shi liked and generally preferred to work alone, and she started to wonder if she was being unjustly punished for working in a trio.

When she saw that there was no mud left, she walked back to her car and drove home, having a quiet evening consisting of a light dinner, watching some television, and sleeping the sleep of the peaceful to prepare for the next day.

On that next day, during the early evening, Ming Shi drove to the designated spot that wasn't too far from the place of their next assignment. When she parked, she saw that Catalina was already sitting on a park bench waiting for her. Catalina was a 5'7" black woman with dark brown skin, and a slim figure that was taut muscle. She wore her hair short and cut close to the scalp. She was an expert in the Brazilian fighting art of Capoeria, a martial art that almost resembles dancing instead of fighting; that is, until you're hit. They worked together during Ming's undercover deal, except while she was undercover, Catalina and Bliss were the welcoming party for the DOOM agents who thought they discovered the secret of what happened to their missing agents. Although they did, they didn't go very far with the information. In the fight that followed, two of the four agents were killed by Bliss and Catalina each, while the one who escaped was eventually killed by Ming Shi. The only survivor of the team, a woman agent, was currently imprisoned.

Both women were wearing black unitards with a scoop neck, half sleeves on the arms and the legs cut at mid-calf. As their title indicated, both were barefoot, and they even went to the extra trouble of painting black polish on their fingernails and toenails.

"Ah, Ming Shi, long time, no see," Catalina said as she greeted her fellow assassin.

"Hello; is this your first time as a keeper?" Ming Shi replied.

"Keeper? I don't understand," Catalina said.

"Keeper, you know, like a babysitter? You're here to keep a short leash on me so I don't end up wiping everybody out, right?"

"No, no, it's not like that. The reason why you're here is because I requested you. I heard about your last mission. You know how Bliss can be such a mother hen sometimes. She wouldn't talk to you like that if she didn't like you. Besides, you're quite popular among the rest of us."

"Popular?" Ming Shi asked.

"Yeah, we call you our little "neutron bomb,'" Catalina replied.

"Neutron bomb?"

"Yes, you know how a neutron bomb is designed to go off and kill everybody and leave the buildings still standing?"

"Yeah."

"Well it's the same thing with you; they set you loose, and the facility is the only thing left standing, or breathing for that matter."

"Oh I get it," Ming Shi said, struggling to keep a small smirk from forming on her face and failing before Catalina saw it.

"I knew I could get you to smile," she said, slapping Ming Shi on the back. "Now let's get into position. I have found a little short cut that will get us close to the house without being detected."

"Where's Kim?"

"She went on ahead to get into position. She'll be in contact via our mini headsets."

As the two women treaded through the shortcut, it didn't take long before they saw the house. It was three stories tall like the house Ming Shi infiltrated, but it was wider. They could see there were more guards, but similar to the last facility, they were still a work in progress. There wasn't any video equipment yet installed.

"This is going to be fun to get into," Ming Shi said sarcastically.

"How did you do it with the other three places?" Catalina asked.

"Oh it was just one guard at a time."

"It looks like we'll need to take care of a few. Any suggestions for this one closest to us?"

"Nothing that a simple heel to the temple couldn't take care of."

"Heel to the temple?"

In response to Catalina's question, Ming Shi quickly snuck behind the guard, and executed a spinning back kick to the man's left temple. He fell dead to the ground not knowing what hit him. Ming Shi dragged his body into the bushes.

"There, that should make things a little easier," Ming Shi said.

"You killed him with a back kick to the temple? I'm impressed," Catalina said.

"What, in all that spinning around and kicking that you do in your discipline, you don't have any kill shots to the head?"

"Uh no, at least I don't. I usually aim for the throat or cripple them in some vital organ before I finish them off."

"Well a kick to the temple shouldn't be any problem for you; just aim a little higher, that's all."

"Yeah you're right. Hey, there's another guard," Catalina said, pointing to a guard who just walked into the range of the two assassins. "Let me give it a try."

"Uh Catalina, don't you think we should-"

But Catalina was already silently sneaking toward the unsuspecting guard. Performing her own set of spins, she launched her bare heel toward the side of the guard's head. The guard turned, but it only served to make himself a better target as Catalina made her mark. The guard fell down before he could make a sound. She dragged the body to place it alongside Ming Shi's victim."

"You're right, there's nothing to it," she said.

"I thought you might practice it at home, not here on a mission," Ming Shi said. "Still, I liked the extra spins you added to that move."

"What better place to practice that kick than on a living, breathing victim? And thanks, since my martial art is just like dancing, I had to make it a little fancy."

"Yeah, nice touch."

Suddenly both women heard a new voice speak through their headsets.

"Hey if you two are through showing off, let's get to the mission at hand," the voice said.

"Kim, where are you?" Catalina asked.

"Look up," Kim said.

Both women looked up to the top of the building, which had a balcony where a guard was casually looking over the landscape.

"I don't see anything, other than that guy up there - oh!" Ming Shi said.

A large tree overlooked the balcony, and the guard walked underneath a low hanging branch suspecting nothing until a pair of strong, bare legs suddenly encircled his neck. The guard attempted to cry out, but all he could accomplish was a weak gurgle as the thighs bit deeply against his throat. In a few moments, it was over as the two legs opened, and the corpse fell with a crushed throat. Shortly after, Kim Lin-Soo dropped from her perch onto the balcony floor. Kim was a shorter woman, 5,4" of Japanese decent. Like Ming Shi, her parentage was similar with her grandparents first immigrating to Brazil many years ago. Like Ming Shi, her build was similar, except with the stocky muscular build as a gymnast. Unlike Ming Shi, Kim preferred to use a more "aerial" approach when seeking her target in a stronghold, then dispatching her victim with acrobatics and her kung fu skills. She was dressed in a navy blue tank top leotard, allowing for no binding movement when she fought. Her black hair went just below her shoulders and pulled back into two ponytails.

"As Bliss once said, she's one of our more precise killers," Catalina said.

"I thank you, but I think that honor goes to the White Ghost," Kim replied over the radio headsets.

"The White Ghost?" Ming Shi said.

"Oh, that's Anna's new title," Catalina said.

"You mean that woman with the pale skin?"

"Yeah, she was voted the Most Scary Assassin of the Year at our company picnic earlier this year. Weren't you there?"

"Uh, no, I wasn't. I stayed home."

"Why did you do that? We had fun," Kim said.

"Ladies, we kill people for a living," Ming Shi said. "I just find it a little absurd to go to a picnic that seems to celebrate it. Not that we can tell anybody else about it anyway. "Hi, I'm an attorney, what do you do?' "Oh, I just assassinate enemy agents, that's all.'"

"But Ming Shi, that's the point. Bliss recognizes that we have a difficult job and recognizes that we need to at least share our burdens with each other. If we didn't do things like this, we've have nothing better to do between assignments but sit at home and watch TV." Catalina stopped and looked at Ming Shi. "Don't tell me, that is what you do between assignments isn't it?"

"What's wrong with that?" Ming Shi said defensively. "I do that and a little rowing, and I'm good to go."

"Girlfriend, after we finish with this assignment, we need to work on your social life."

"Speaking of our assignment," Kim interrupted, "What's your status down there?"

"Ming Shi and I took out a guard each, but it still looks like we'll have some more work to do before we get in," Catalina said. "How are things up there?"

"Not bad, but I'm not sure our target has his office up here. Looks like I'll need to work my way down. I'll get back with you after I look around."

"I'll tell you what, I'll go to the next get-together so I can say hi to everybody, but I'm not making any promises," Ming Shi said. "Now let's go ahead and finish this so I can go home. By the way, Kim did do a nice job on the balcony. The last time I fought somebody on a balcony, I had to pick him up and throw him off."

"That sounds pretty effective," Catalina said.

"He landed in the pool. I had to dive in to go after him."

"So that explains the "wet footprints' in the mansion."

"Did everybody read my report?"

"No, when I was asking Bliss to have you on this mission, she mentioned that, nothing else. It sounded kind of strange until you just explained it."

"Well not all of us have the "precision' to finish a person just like that. Some of us have to rely a little more on our strength. If you're not as strong, I can see where it would be better to sneak up on the enemy and take them out that way."

"I heard that!" Kim said suddenly over their headsets. "Are you suggesting that I'm not strong?"

Ming Shi, who thought Kim had signed off for the moment, stumbled around trying to explain.

"No, that's not what I meant," she said. "I meant-"

"You said if you're not as strong, you have to sneak up on people? I weight train about as much as you do. Just because I don't throw people off balconies doesn't mean I can't do it."

"But Kim, I-"

"Hold on." There was some momentary silence, followed by the signs of a brief scuffle, then Kim spoke again. "Look up."

The two women looked up and saw Kim holding a medium-sized, semi-conscious guard over her head. As soon as they saw her, she threw him down. However, instead of hitting the ground, the guard landed in the lower branches of the tree that Kim climbed earlier. The impact with a solid branch smashed his skull and broke his neck. Kim had her fists on her hips looking at them (Ming Shi in particular) defiantly.

"What do you think of that?" Kim said.

"I take back what I said," Ming Shi answered. "You also have much better aim than I have too."

"Actually, I meant to hit one of the guards on the ground. The tree got in the way."

"Ladies, you don't suppose he drew any attention on his way down, do you?" Catalina asked.

"I knocked him out before I threw him," Kim said, "and he happened to be one of only two guards on this floor. There's not much up here. I'll try working my way down and meet you in the middle. Kim out."

Catalina started looking around at the yard for more guards. "I think we better get going. We're not even in the house yet," she said.

"Yeah, right now I feel like killing something," Ming Shi replied. "How do you want to do this?"

"How do you normally do this?"

"You know how I do this, I'm the one who kills every living person in sight, remember? We both took out a guard each, Kim took out two, but we may be able to get into a door or window without encountering any more people."

"Wait a minute, she got one more than us."

"What?"

"Kim, she killed two to our one a piece. She's ahead of us."

"So? That was all she had on her floor."

Catalina was counting off on her fingers. "Let's see, we have six down here, we already whacked two, so that leaves four left to deal with. How about you go to the left while I go to the right to take care of them?" She said.

"Uh, Cat, I thought this wasn't a "scorched earth' mission," Ming Shi said.

"It's not, I just think with three kills each under our belt, we'll be one ahead of her. Not getting cold feet, are you?"

"No, my feet hardly get cold anymore; well, except for that dip in that cold pool the other day. You're the mission leader, let's do it."

They both prowled the grounds and took out the remaining guards. Besides bringing up their tally, they took the opportunity to try out some different techniques. Catalina had the chance to see if she could execute a neck breaking kick like Gail, one of her fellow assassins, while Ming Shi had a chance to see if her leg scissors could crack a skull on her last guard. She seemed to be getting close, but she had to settle for twisting her legs and breaking his neck when it looked like he might scream too loud. After they finished with their business, they met at the front door. Catalina pulled out a set of lock picks from a pocket on her unitard.

"Where did you have that?" Ming Shi said. "On my outfit, I don't even have a place to put any change for a phone call."

"I had an extra pocket sewn on," Catalina replied. "I usually carry a utility belt around my waist, but I wasn't in the mood tonight."

"So you get to carry all these nifty gadgets with you while I've been roughing it all this time?"

"It didn't seem to slow you down. That's another reason why you need to go to these get-togethers; you get to keep up with the latest shoptalk. See how you're missing out?"

"Yeah; this way I don't have to kill someone just to take their key. Is the coast clear?"

"Yeah, but expect a few people walking around this floor. There's two stairs heading up for the next floor; I'll meet you at this one by the suit of armor."

"Okay."

A few minutes later, both women met by the foot of the stairs. Catalina was brushing something off one of her arms.

"Did you see anybody?" She asked.

"Just one person, no big deal."

"Me too."

"What did you do?"

"Killed him."

"Me too. What are you brushing off your arm?"

"Coffee. Apparently, someone likes their java freshly brewed. Let's go upstairs and see who it is."

With a tally of four kills each, the two lady assassins ascended the stairs quietly. Catalina contacted Kim on her headset.

"Kim, are you there?" She said.

"Yes, I was a little busy. Where are you?" Kim replied.

"We're on the stairs heading up to the second floor."

"Oh, turn right, and I will meet you at the hallway."

After Catalina and Ming Shi got on the second floor and followed Kim's instructions, they met the smaller assassin with a handkerchief wiping blood off her hands.

"Kim, are you all right?" Ming Shi asked.

"Oh yes, I'm fine. This isn't my blood," Kim replied.

"What happened?" Catalina said.

"Well the last guard was going to call for help as soon as he saw me, so I ripped his throat out."

Both Catalina and Ming Shi said, "Eww."

"You just reached up and ripped it out?" Ming Shi said.

"Yeah, what's the big deal?"

"Wasn't there a way to neutralize this guy without making it so bloody?" Catalina asked.

"Maybe, but this was the most effective. I can show you the guy's throat if you're interested. The vocal cords look just like they describe in those biology books."

Ming Shi, on the verge of turning green, said, "No! Actually I'd be thankful if we don't go that direction at all."

"Don't tell me you're afraid of actually shedding a little blood."

"No, but ripping out somebody's throat, that's shedding a lot of blood," Catalina said.

"We talk about throwing people off buildings, blows to the throat and temples and such, but we're squeamish about spilling out someone's blood," Kim said, laughing. "It's a good thing you two weren't around that one time when I had to rip somebody's throat out with my teeth."

Ming Shi felt her legs go weak. "Is there a bathroom nearby?" She said.

Kim smiled evilly. "Yes, but you'll have to step over that guard to get there," she said.

"That's okay, I think I'll be fine as long as we don't talk about it anymore. How many guards are on this floor?"

"There were three guards up here, but I took care of them. That makes five kills for me."

Ming Shi looked at her suspiciously. "You didn't turn you headset off, did you?"

"Nope," Kim giggled. "Anyway, I know where the office is. It's a large room, so we'll need to go in carefully. At least we can take our time now."

"So Kim, how did you do, uh what you did without getting blood on your clothes?" Catalina said.

"Oh that's my little secret. You see, you tilt the neck back away from you, and-"

"That's okay, let's leave it a secret for a while longer. I think Ming Shi needs to wait until the world stops spinning."

When it looked like Ming Shi's complexion was coming back, they forged ahead. Kim followed behind the two, shaking her head.

I guess it would be a good idea not to tell them what I did to that other guard, Kim thought.

*****

Before anyone could enter the main office where the cell leader was working, there was the receptionist area where the secretary was working. Sally Mae Lemming, a 5'6" strawberry blonde secretary, wondered in the brief time she was here why her desk was located here instead of on the ground floor to greet visitors or why there wasn't a receptionist downstairs. But asking curious questions weren't the norm at DOOM, even if they were things that didn't make logical sense. However, at the moment, office design was the last thing on Sally's mind.

"But you said you cared about me!" She said to the man who was seated casually on the edge of her desk. "You said last night was really special."

"That's right, it was," Danny Mann said, a brown-haired, 6'3" agent with so-called "movie star good looks," and had recently been sent to Brazil to investigate the disappearance of DOOM agents. "When you're a field agent, you're sent on several missions where you don't know if you'll make it out alive. During that time, you're deprived of many needs. When you make it back, you have to find a way to meet those needs before you're sent back on the field again."

"Is that all I was, a way to meet your "needs?'" Sally exclaimed. "Just a way for you to find "relief' before you're sent back out again?"

Danny was stunned for a moment. That story always worked before. He always wished they would show in those James Bond movies how he got away with giving his latest conquest the "brush-off.' The truth was Danny didn't have any trouble "meeting his needs" while on field missions; in fact, he's one of a few male agents who keep a running "tally" of women they have been with on the field or off. He also heard there's a few women agents who do the same thing, but he hasn't found them to his knowledge. He normally didn't do his thing with his co-workers, but Sally was the result of a bet between him and one of the fellow guards (the one that Kim threw off the balcony earlier). He should be receiving some money for winning that bet soon.

"Yes babe, but it's for the cause of DOOM," he said. "It doesn't mean we can't be friends." He realized a second too late, he said the dreaded "F" word.

"Friends? You did this for your own pleasure, not for some grand "mission.' You pig, I wish you were dead! Get off my desk and get out of my life!"

"Suit yourself baby; I thought maybe tonight we could have another go around, but if that's the way you want it," he said as he turned a corner and started walking to the door. "Last night we were magic-"

And "magic" were the last words that came out of his throat before it was crushed by a knife hand blow by Ming Shi as she and Catalina and Kim walked into the receptionist's area. Sally by that time had tuned him out, throwing herself into her work organizing files on her computer. She didn't hear the padding sound of three pairs of bare feet on the carpet until Catalina drew her attention. Looking at her nameplate on the desk and guessing she was from the states, Catalina decided to address her in English.

"Ms. Jenkins, you are now under arrest. This facility is now the possession of the governmental group Brazilians for an Independent Brazil. We request that you surrender. Don't bother calling for the guards, for they are all dead," she said.

"All dead?" Sally said.

"Yes they are."

"Would one of them happen to be a tall, brown-haired man who just left here?"

"Oh, I got that one on the way in here," Ming Shi said. "Was he someone close to you?"

"Not anymore," Sally said with a smirk.

"Wait a minute, was this the man who said he had "needs?'" Kim asked.

"That's the one, stinking pig," Sally said.

"We need to know where your boss is," Catalina said.

"Oh, he's in there," she said, pointing a thumb at the door behind her. "He's a pig too. This whole place is filled with pigs."

"Dead pigs now, especially the one who tried to "squeal,' Kim said.

"You had to say that, didn't you?" Ming Shi said.

"I assume this means you surrender?" Catalina said quizzically.

"Oh yeah, I give up. What you ladies have in mind couldn't be any worse," Sally said.

"Boy, he really burnt you bad, didn't he?" Kim said.

"You have no idea."

"Uh, somehow I don't think you'll try to escape, but we need to restrain you until we're finished," Catalina said.

"Okay, there's some string and tape in my right hand desk drawer. Help yourself," Sally replied as she opened the drawer, revealing a variety of things inside.

"You two tie her up, I won't be long," Kim said as she started toward the office.

"Oh no you don't! You already had your quota for today. Ming Shi evened up with that handsome guy. This man is mine," Catalina said.

"You really are keeping count, aren't you?" Ming Shi said. "How about we all go in there and take care of it?" She already bound the secretary's wrists with duct tape while Kim used the string on her ankles. "We're finished."

"Fine, you can watch, but as mission leader, this is my kill; I've been looking forward to this." The black assassin headed toward the door. Ming Shi shrugged at Sally as she put a small piece of tape over the secretary's mouth, mainly out of standard procedure, not because she thought she would do anything.

As her fingers touched the doorknob, Catalina pondered how she would go about this. She couldn't just burst into the room; the man most likely was armed, and as fast as she was, even she couldn't outrun a bullet. Being his office, he held the advantage. She would pretty much have to wait until he left the office or -. Catalina glanced over at Ming Shi and smiled, realizing that the approach that she used on a similar facility earlier that week may be the best one of all. Before the confused Ming Shi could ask her what she was smiling about, Catalina turned the doorknob and walked in.

As Catalina expected, the headman, a middle-aged man of medium build with a salt and pepper hairstyle was leafing through a magazine. Without looking up, the man said, "Sally, could you bring me the files on the Vegas Project?"

Catalina said nothing, she just moved quickly and silently around the desk. His suit jacket was off, his tie was loosened a little, and if he was wearing a shoulder holster, it's off now, probably hanging on the coat rack with the suit. He still hadn't looked up from his magazine yet.

"And could you get me a soft drink after you're finished? Sally?" The man said, finally looking up and coiling back in surprise when he saw Catalina a few feet from him leaning on his desk.

"I'm sorry, but Sally is "all tied up' right now," she said, delighted that she actually got the chance to quote that old line.

Not wasting time, the man reached with his right hand for the top drawer on his desk that had the spare pistol in it. Using her hip, Catalina closed the drawer on his hand, trapping it as well as inflicting pain. She quickly grabbed his left hand with her right, and pulled the thumb back, putting his other hand in another painful hold. Then leaning against the desk, and the desk drawer that held his right hand captive, Catalina swung her legs up high and locked them around his neck. She then cranked up the pressure, causing him to gag for breath.

"You, mister DOOM agent you're under arrest by the Brazilians for an Independent Brazil. Considering the position you're in, I think it would be wise that you surrender. Hey, what's this you're reading?" She said, as she eyed the magazine he was leafing through. She picked it up with her free hand, and then took a quick intake of breath and her eyes widened as she saw what was in it. "What on earth is this?"

"What are you looking at, Cat?" Ming Shi said as her and Kim came in the room. Catalina tossed her the magazine. The two women's eyes widened as well.

"That is sick!" Ming Shi said, pointing to some of the pictures of the magazine.

"That girl in those pictures is younger than my little sister, and she's barely in high school!" Kim said. The woman's shock instantly turned to rage, and Ming Shi found herself using just about all her strength to keep her from flying across the desk at their target.

"Give him to me! I'll rip his face off and feed him his eyeballs for reading such filth. This animal doesn't deserve to live! Let me go!" She said, trying to pry herself loose from Ming Shi.

"It's all right Kim, I have everything under control. Stand down," Catalina said. "You sir are in violation of your agencies' agreement to leave this country and leave us alone. Do not bother calling for help, for your men have been neutralized. Despite what Kim would like to do to you, I am going to release my hold just enough to hear your surrender."

Catalina did so, opening her legs up slightly. What came from the DOOM agent's mouth was not pleasant. After cursing them in both English and Portuguese, he proceeded to tell them how DOOM would one day come back and crush them all for what they did. He continued to tell them what kind of women they are when Catalina closed her legs, cutting him off in a sudden choke.

"Your secretary was right, you are a pig," she said. "Well at least she won't have to deal with you any longer; in fact I think she'll be pleased after we're finished. I was thinking of just turning you in, but after your outburst, and after seeing this garbage you read, I think your best contribution to this world is to no longer be in it." Catalina glanced at his nameplate on his desk. "Mister Wagner, I would highly suggest in the next minute or two to make peace with your God. Perhaps he might forgive you for being such a demeaning man, or at least place you in a less hotter hell than you deserve."

The Capoerista tightened her scissors, and shortly finished the deed. She opened her legs and let the man's lifeless body slide to the floor. The three agents then took a quick look around the office.

"I call dips on the computer," Ming Shi said.

"No problem, after they scrub it, it's yours," Kim said. "I already have enough computers and electronic gadgets from these agents to keep me happy."

"After gaining five computers, I stopped bothering with that anymore," Catalina said. "Actually, I'm more interested in what he has in this office."

Kim opened a drawer that revealed more porn magazines. "Here's what he has in here, more filth," she said. "I wish you'd let me have him, I would have made him suffer."

"Perhaps so, but you would've made us suffer as well," Ming Shi said, inwardly shuddering at what the smaller assassin might have done to the DOOM agent. "At least he's gone. You want to go after somebody, go after the people who make this garbage."

Kim stroked her chin in thought. "Perhaps I will. Good idea, Ming Shi. Do you think the boss will let me do it?"

Before Ming Shi could answer, Catalina interrupted. "Hey you two, do you remember what he said to me when he thought I was his secretary about getting the file for the "Vegas Project?'"

"Yeah, probably some project they plan on doing over in the states, particularly Los Vegas, so?" Ming Shi said.

"That's the thing, if he's down here in our country, why would he be asking for a file about a project in another country?"

Ming Shi and Kim looked at each other for a moment, then the idea came to both of them at the same time. Kim spoke first.

"So you're saying that this project may have something to do with us?" Kim asked.

"But why in Vegas?" Ming Shi said.

"I don't know, but I'm going to ask Sally if she will give us the file. I have a feeling that this may be a priority matter," Catalina said.

"Good idea; besides, I think I tied her wrists too tight anyway," Ming Shi said.

They approached the secretary, untied her, and obliged them in giving them the requested file. Upon standing her up to escort her down the stairs, Ming Shi looked at Sally's shoes.

"What are those, three inch heels? How can you work in those things?" She asked.

"The boss ordered that I wear shoes like these to work," Sally said. "They're supposed to make me look "professional.'"

"The boss is dead," Kim said, "so I don't think his orders counts anymore."

Looking at both women for a moment, Sally shrugged and kicked off her heels. Now standing in her stocking feet, Ming Shi smiled with approval.

"Yeah! Now that's the way to do it!" Ming Shi said.

"Now that you two gained a "convert,' let's hurry up and get back to headquarters. I don't think this news can wait," Catalina said.

The four women started to leave, pausing only long enough for Sally to spit on Danny Mann's corpse, then left the mansion, journeyed through the short cut to their vehicles (except for Kim, who came from another way), and drove to headquarters to deliver the news of their mission and to drop off the file.

*****

The next day, all three women were standing before Bliss' desk while she went over the reports. All three, dressed in T-shirts and jeans, except for Kim, who was wearing a tank top and blue jean shorts, looked down at their toes while Bliss finished. Ming Shi found some satisfaction in remembering to reapply a fresh application of nail polish on her toes before she came. She was focusing on how they shined in the office lights; something to take her mind off the upcoming storm. Then again, lately she was used to it. Catalina and Kim looked around nervously while they waited for Bliss.

Finally, Bliss laid down her report and looked at them. I know that look, Ming Shi thought; it's the "You've completed your mission, but" look. She was only a little surprised when she got it right.

"Well from the looks of things, you've completed the mission objective," Bliss began, "however, there's a few things of note I'd like to discuss. Ming, are you alright?"

Ming Shi, managing to hide the smirk from her previous prediction, said, "Yes, boss, just a little gas."

Bliss grimaced from Ming Shi's use of the word "boss," but decided to go on. "If I remember correctly, your mission objective was to infiltrate this mansion, and take out the head man. It was originally meant to be a mission of stealth, and I thought with three agents, it wouldn't be a problem. Instead, it turns into another scorched earth mission. Now, can anyone tell me how this came about?" She said, glaring at Ming Shi.

Ming Shi raised up her hands. "Oh no, it wasn't me, boss, I was following orders," she said.

Catalina swallowed and said, "She's right, Bliss, it was my fault. I guess I got a little uh, carried away and made it more uh, competitive than it should be."

"Competitive? That's funny Catalina, the last time I checked, this was a mission for your country, not a competition," Bliss said, staring a hole through the black assassin. "I allowed Ming Shi to be with you because you requested her and to curb her over exuberance, not to involve her in a game of "who can kill the most DOOM agents in one night!' While I should be flattered that three of my agents wiped out a whole DOOM installation, again I must stress to you that a scorched earth operation should be used only if it's necessary."

The room was silent for a long moment.

"At least we didn't kill anyone who worked in the mailroom," Ming Shi said, trying to make things light.

"As a matter of fact, you ladies did kill someone who worked in the mailroom," Bliss said. "He also happened to be doing guard duty as well. He was the one who had his throat ripped out; ewww."

"But he was going to call for help when he saw me," Kim said defensively. "I had to keep him quiet."

"You couldn't just knock him out, or at least deliver a chop to his throat instead of taking it out? That's very messy. Oh, let me guess, you didn't want to fall behind on your number of dead agents. And this is the one I had the stomach to read. I'm still trying to get through what was done to this other guard; was that you too?"

"Yes ma'am," Kim said, looking down.

Both Catalina and Ming Shi looked at Kim suspiciously.

"Kim, what did you do?" Catalina asked.

Bliss handed her the one page on the cleaners' report that mentioned it. Catalina went pale, as she handed it over to Ming Shi.

"No, no, I don't want to know! I still have pictures of that other guy in my mind," she said.

Catalina handed the report back to Bliss, still looking warily at Kim. Kim kept her head down.

"If my kids want to see a horror movie, I'll just hand them this page of the report, that'll keep them up at night!" Bliss said. "As over the top and - gross this mission was, you three did do a few things right. One, you kept the secretary alive at least. Two, you knocked out the target. Catalina, did you do it outright, or did you ask for his surrender first?"

"I did ask first. Uh, by any chance, did you look at his "reading material' that's by the report?" Catalina asked.

"Not yet. You're talking about this?" Bliss said as she picked up the magazine and looked at it. Her eyes went wide. "How old are these kids?"

"At least a little younger than my kid sister," Kim said.

Bliss laid the magazine down like she was holding a dead animal and sighed. "I don't suppose there's a way we can raise him back to life so we could kill him again, is there?"

"Kim did suggest the idea of going after the makers of the magazine," Catalina volunteered.

"As - pleasurable as that may be, child pornographers are not within our mission parameters. However, if you happen to run across these scum and shut down their place of operations, you didn't hear anything from me," Bliss said.

"Yes ma'am!" Kim said, a little excitedly. She calmed down when all three women stared at her.

"One more thing, ladies; Catalina, you were wise to bring that file to me personally. It had a lot of vital information. Despite all the other things, for the most part you completed your mission. Now get out of here, take a few days off. Maybe your "bloodlust' will be curbed by then. I'll call you when I need you," Bliss said.

As they closed the door to Bliss's office, Ming Shi said, "That went better than I thought."

The two fellow assassins gave her a strange look.

*****

Later that day, at a steakhouse on the outskirts of town, Ming Shi, Catalina, and Kim reclined in the patio; their calloused and dirty feet were perched on the railing as they relaxed after their meal, watching the busy street.

"This is a great place you brought us to, Ming," Kim said after sipping her ice tea.

"Thank you, I found this place a few months ago. See, I'm not a total hermit," Ming Shi replied.

"Well just come to the next social function we have," Catalina said. "They're not that bad; in fact, you may find yourself having fun."

"All right, I'll do it. Kim, I just wanted to apologize again for the not being so strong remark."

"Don't worry about it Ming, people do it all the time," Kim said. "In fact, I really like it when our enemies underestimate me like that. I forget sometimes my friends do too."

"Okay." Ming Shi gestured to a nearby waiter for a refill of her soft drink. "So, are your hind ends still a little sore from the way our boss chewed on it?"

"A little," Kim said. "It's the first time for me. That's what I get for not hiding the bodies."

Ming Shi gave Kim a funny look. "Not hiding the bodies?"

Before Kim could respond, Catalina said, "It's the first time for me too, but I'm not worried. She has some big plans for us."

"Oh yeah, that's right," Kim replied.

"What "big plans?'" Ming Shi asked.

"Well with all the new recruits that's been coming in, Bliss has been recruiting some new teachers," Catalina began.

"Yeah, like the three sisters," Kim added in.

"Wait a minute, the three sisters? I've heard of them briefly, but I forgot some of the details," Ming Shi said.

"The three sisters are sisters very close to each other in age, who are each a master in a different martial art. One sister is a master of both aikido and tai chi, the other sister is a master of Jeet Kune Do, her specialty is close in-fighting, and the other is a master of a style of karate, one of the hard styles," Kim explained.

"Three sisters, three styles; one soft, one medium, and one hard," Catalina said.

"They're sometimes called "the untouchables,' because they're so good, you can't lay a hand on them."

"So what brings them over to our party?" Ming Shi said.

"One of the sisters had a good friend killed by a DOOM agent during a skirmish with local police. An innocent bystander," Kim said.

"I'm sorry to hear that, really, but what has the arrival of these three ladies have to do with us?"

"To further train the new recruits, Bliss is going to have us, the first agents, become mentors," Catalina said.

"Mentors?" Ming Shi exclaimed. "Us? Me, the "neutron bomb,' train the rookies? Our boss can't be that desperate?"

"Like I said before, Ming, Bliss really thinks a lot of you. You may not notice in-between butt chewings, but it's true. Remember it was because of how you felt one that one mission that she discontinued deep undercover work and focused more on uh, just killing the enemy."

"And where are these new people coming from? They know that we kill people for a living, right?"

"Bliss finds them from here and there, and yes, she tells them what the job calls for; no running around playing Jane Bond."

Ming shook her head. "What a week. First I get chewed out for a case of "overkill' on both assignments, now I'll be helping to teach the rookies how to kill DOOM agents," she sighed.

"I meant to ask you Ming," Kim said, "but what went wrong when you went undercover on that assignment?"

"Well first off, let me tell you that I wasn't deep in love with the guy, and we weren't making wedding plans or anything like that. Despite being DOOM scum, he was a pretty nice guy. I was not comfortable with getting to know somebody only to have to kill them whenever I got their information or they get out of line. Maybe COIL and DOOM agents do it to each other all the time, but I can't. I rather just kill them and be done with it. Sounds callous, but at least I can sleep better at night."

They were silent for a moment, the two fellow assassins taking in what Ming Shi said.

"Wow, I never thought about that," Catalina said.

"Me either," Kim said. "Now that I think about it, I don't know if I would be so quick to sanction a target I've gotten close to. That reminds me, I meant to ask you the other day."

"Ask me what?" Ming Shi said.

"How many have you sanctioned?"

"How many have I sanctioned? How should I know? I just kill them, not count them. You mean you keep count?"

"Sure, doesn't everybody? Right now, counting the agents I killed on our last mission, I should be in third place, right behind you and Natalia, the cleaning woman."

"I'm second? How would you know?"

"Kim likes to read the archives regarding everyone's missions, and keeps count," Catalina said, shrugging her shoulders.

"So where do you rank?" Ming Shi asked Catalina.

"Somewhere in the top ten I think, no big deal."

"She's fifth," Kim said.

"Fifth? Who's ahead of me?"

"Other than Ming and yours truly, the White Ghost is just ahead of you, and Lady Wolverine is bringing up the rear. Our last mission should keep you barely just ahead of her."

"So I'm second. I don't know if I should be flattered or scared to death," Ming Shi said.

"Scared of what?" Kim said.

"Of you. I feel like I belong on a scoreboard. So if you knew my numbers, why did you ask me?"

"Just in case you had some bodies hidden someplace that our cleaners haven't found," Kim said simply with a smirk.

Ming Shi looked at Kim with a funny look before speaking. "I'm going to change the subject now. Have you ladies ever gone rowing? It's real fun."

For any comments, questions, or story ideas, email the author at shrewsberry@juno.com.