Salekhard, Russia
June 10, 2008
It was a warm day outside, or as warm as could be expected for being in Siberia. Dr. Blight felt that she should probably go outside, she had not seen the sun for days. She had been bunkered down in her underground lab for almost a week, working on weapons for various arms dealers she had contact with. But she really had nothing to do if she decided to leave, so she focused on her work instead, hoping the time would pass quickly.
At some point in the afternoon the sterile silence was broken by a message from MAL. "You have a guest, doctor." MAL's computerized voice held no hint to indicate who that guest might be.
Dr. Blight did not look up from her task- a small nuclear warhead she was constructing for a terrorist cell in Iran. The arc from her welding torch reflected off of the stainless steel surfaces of the lab, illuminating the room in a strange blue light. It made her appear very intense as she focused on her project.
"Do you want to let him in, doctor?" MAL asked, sounding strangely impatient for a computer.
Dr. Blight turned off her torch, standing up straight and feeling the vertebra in her back popping as she did so. It was probably some black market arms dealer, looking for one of her brand of devious weapons. She already had enough on her agenda to keep her busy for the next year and she was really not interested in taking on any new projects right now.
"Tell whoever it is that I'm not interested." she said, as she stretched her arms. She sat down at her computer console.
"You might want to know who it is that you're turning away."
"God, MAL! Why don't you go ahead and tell me, I really don't have the patience right now." She sighed in exasperation. She really should have been more particular when developing MAL's Artificial Intelligence programming.
"It's Argos Bleak."
Dr. Blight was silent for a moment. It had been almost a decade since she had dealt with any of the other so-called "eco-villains." Why would Looten Plunder be sending his right hand man to her now?
"Let him in," she said.
"Dr. Barbara Blight, it's been a long time," Argos Bleak said as the heavy steel doors of her lab opened, allowing him to come inside. "Or should I say Dr. Mariya Barishnikov?"
Dr. Blight glared at him. "It's been a lot of work keeping my identity a secret," she said icily. "I really don't appreciate you coming here and endangering my cover like this. If the American government knew where I was…"
"But they think that you're dead, don't they?" Bleak interrupted. "Killed by those do-gooder Planeteers."
Dr. Blight's glare somehow became even colder. "I trust you have something more important to talk about than that," she said, with barely restrained anger. "What does Plunder want this time?"
"Not one for small talk, huh?" Bleak said, sounding amused with himself. He plopped down in one of the chairs in her lab, and kicked his feet up on one of the tables. His heavy combat boots made a loud thud that echoed through the lab as his feet landed.
Dr. Blight frowned at the sight of this camo-clad mercenary making himself at home in her secret hideout. She could see the dirt from his boots getting all over the surfaces that she kept obsessively clean.
"You know, you did quite a job of making yourself scarce, Doc. The Boss had to spend quite a bit of dough tracking you down."
"Did he now?" Dr. Blight seemed uninterested. "He must really want quite a favor from me to spend money like that."
"Nope. He just wants to have dinner with you."
Dr. Blight burst into a fit of uncontrolled laughter. "Ah, yes." She said finally, her voice still shaking. "The richest man in the world can't find a dinner date, so he spends a ton of money sending his mercenary to the middle of Russia to track down someone he hasn't seen in ten years. That makes perfect sense."
Bleak nodded. "Glad you understand." He handed her an envelope that he had carried with him. Inside was a Russian passport with her alias, and a cell phone. "You can call the Boss with that to make arrangements to meet him in Paris. It's a secure line, you won't be traced."
"Hmph. What would make you think I am all that eager to see him?" Dr. Blight asked.
"You've been holed up here in Siberia for almost a decade. He thought you might appreciate a getaway."
Dr. Blight turned the phone over in her hand, considering Bleak's words. It did get incredibly lonely and boring spending day after day in her lab in the middle of nowhere. But she had her reasons for being here as well. Her enemies thought that she was dead, and she preferred keeping it that way. And with all the new anti-terrorism laws that were springing up all over the world in the last couple of years it would be dangerous if anyone knew she was still alive.
After her supposed death nearly ten years ago she had been forced to go into hiding. She called in some favors with some Russian arms dealers she had been supplying to help her come up with a new identity. In exchange she provided them with top of the line weapons technology. And in her spare time she picked up projects for paramilitary groups from Iran to China to Colombia.
"He seems to think that you would want to see him. He already has a private jet standing by at Salekhard Airport for you."
Dr. Blight raised an eyebrow. She could always count on Plunder to be so certain of himself. He was definitely not lacking in self-confidence.
"I'll consider it." she said plainly.
"I'll be at the airport when you decide to show up," Bleak said, standing up and walking to the door.
She waited until a few minutes after Bleak left before she turned on the phone and called Plunder.
Paris, France
June 12, 2008
Plunder's private jet touched town on the runway at Charles De Gaulle airport around 5 p.m. A black Mercedes-Benz CL600 met Dr. Blight to drive her to her room- the Presidential Suite at the Hyatt Regency Paris. The car was incredible, but fortunately not too noticeably ornate for a city like Paris. She had told Plunder to keep things low key, or as inconspicuous as he could manage. He had lost touch with any sense of a bourgeois lifestyle a very long time ago.
As she watched the city streets pass by through the tinted windows of the car, Dr. Blight became uncomfortably aware of the fact that this was the first time she had been out of hiding in nearly a decade. Unconsciously she adjusted her dark glasses and shrank back into the large collar of her fur coat. Fortunately it was a short ride and soon she could retreat to her room.
She was greeted by a very friendly staff. She knew that Plunder had made sure to flaunt his money at them, to tell them to leave no detail unattended.
"Good evening, Ms. Barishnikov. It is so nice to see you," the desk clerk said enthusiastically.
Dr. Blight smiled. She had become accustomed to being greeted by her alias- Mariya Barishnikov, the name on her passport, the name she had been using for several years now.
"Is there anything we can do for you today?" the clerk asked.
"Nyet." she replied, easily slipping into the role she had gotten used to playing. "I am very tired. I would simply like to retire to my suite."
"Of course, Ms. Barishnikov, we will see you to your room immediately."
The room was amazing, of course. Original artwork, a grand piano and a marble bath. There was a large bouquet of flowers setting on the dining room table. They were an assortment of rare and endangered flowers, mostly Amazonian. Dr. Blight recognized all of them except for one. A beautiful red flower that she had never seen before. She had extensive training in botany, among other things, so a new species was exciting to her.
"What do you think?"
She jumped at the voice, her heart pounding. She turned to see Looten Plunder standing in the doorway to the bedroom, a stupid grin plastered on his face.
"Christ, Looten! You scared the hell out of me!" She yelled.
"Well, that would be quite an accomplishment," he quipped, folding his arms across his chest and leaning on the doorframe.
"Glad to see you're still as charming as ever," Dr. Blight said wryly.
"And I'm glad to see you're still as stunning as ever. The years have treated you well, Doc."
"Better living through chemistry," Dr. Blight replied. "And the girls in school made fun of me for liking science glass. I wonder if they would still be laughing now."
Dr. Blight really did look good for her age. She had developed cosmetics that kept her looking a decade younger. It's too bad the stupid Planeteers had shut down her last attempt in the cosmetics industry, she would have the top company in the world by now. She frowned a little at the thought.
"What's wrong?" Plunder asked.
"Nothing, just thinking," she replied. "You're not looking too bad yourself," she said, not wanting to think about the past at the moment. "I like the new look."
Plunder was obviously happy with the compliment. He had traded in his green suit for a black Armani, custom tailored. It fit him perfectly. He was actually quite handsome, tall and thin with bright blue eyes. Dr. Blight had always enjoyed working with him far more than any of the other eco-villains, even though she had never bothered to tell him that. She figured his ego did not need any more inflation.
"And your new look is very… Russian," he joked, referring to her long mink coat and mink ushanka.
Dr. Blight decided to ignore the comment. As much as she loved her trademark pink jumpsuit she thought that it would call a little too much attention to herself. She decided to make fun of him instead. "So I saw on CNN the other day that Plunder Industries is going green… Turning over a new leaf then are we?" Dr. Blight teased.
"Hmph. Hardly," Plunder snorted. "It's what sells. Slap an 'organic' or 'recycled' label on a product and yuppie saps are suddenly willing to pay three times the price for it. It's all about the money, Doc."
"So your products aren't really organic or recycled?" Dr. Blight grinned, already knowing the answer to that question.
"What do you think?" He laughed, sounding somewhere between condescending and malicious. "These people just want to feel good about themselves. They love to consume just as much as anyone else, but making them think that somehow they helped save the earth in the process alleviates some of the guilt. They really don't care enough to read beyond the label. People are gullible… and selfish. It's two things I can count on in my work."
Dr. Blight nodded. Those were two things you could count on in general. But she was not really in the mood to discuss human nature with Looten Plunder right now. As much as he could be charming and conversational she knew him well enough to know that he had an agenda in inviting her here tonight.
"So what is it you want from me?" she asked curtly, not really being the type to hold back what she was thinking.
"I thought Argos told you," he said smoothly. "A nice dinner in Paris, a chance to get away…"
"Can it, Plunder. You and I both know I'm not going to fall for that." She folded her arms across her chest and stared at him impatiently.
Plunder frowned slightly. So much for a night of polite conversation. "I have a new project in the works, one that stands to make billions. But I need your scientific genius to make it happen."
"Of course," she said. "You're certain you couldn't just pay off some other scientist to do this job? Is it really that important that you have me on board?" She had been laying low for years now, and really had no interest in making a comeback.
"You're the only one who can pull this off. Not only are you the most brilliant scientist that I have ever met, but you also aren't plagued by all those pathetic ethical constraints that seem to hold back others."
Dr. Blight made a strange face. "Ethical constraints… I used to be all about ethics in science, you know. I wrote a thesis paper about ethics in college. It was published in several journals. Then…"
Her voice trailed off and she seemed lost in thought. "Then what?" Plunder prompted.
"Then I realized that progress has a cost. Somebody somewhere has to pay. No matter how ethical anyone may claim to be they are still harming someone. People are selfish by nature, as you've already pointed out."
"Exactly. That's why I need you, someone who sees things my way… at least for the most part."
"What do you mean by that?" Dr. Blight said, sounding curious.
"You don't really seem to care about the money side of things. You invent things in your spare time that are twenty years ahead of conventional science. You could be making billions."
"I could be," Dr. Blight said with disinterest.
"Then why not?" Plunder asked, sounding rather confused.
Dr. Blight paused for a moment. "I didn't get into science for the money."
Plunder snorted. "Then for what? The betterment of mankind? The search for knowledge?"
"Oh, please," Dr. Blight rolled her eyes. "You know me better than that. I've never been altruistic a day in my life. I did it for myself. To prove that I was better than anyone thought I could be. Everybody thought of me as the pretty blonde, the airhead, the cheerleader type. My sister cashed in on that stereotype, but I always knew I could do more. And I did. Top of my class. Drafted by the government to work on their top secret biological weapons program."
Plunder watched Dr. Blight as she explained herself. He could hear her voice becoming more passionate, he could see a gleam of anger in her eyes. He felt like pushing her just a little more. Stirring up that anger was just what he needed to get her onboard with his new scheme. "Sounds like you were pretty successful… what happened?"
Dr. Blight glared at him angrily. Finally she answered him, her voice sounding strained. "I was stabbed in the back by the people I dedicated my life too. I was so young, so idealistic. I never thought my own government would betray me, the prodigy scientist. Ha."
Plunder thought about pushing it a little further, but decided against it. He needed her to be on his side, and she was just at the point where his plan should be an easy sale.
"There is some wine chilling in the other room. Let's have a seat and talk," Plunder suggested amicably.
Blight nodded and followed him to the seating area. There were some very nice chairs in front of a large picture window. She took off her coat and hat and had a seat across from Plunder, who had already poured them both a glass of wine.
Dr. Blight swirled the wine in her glass, admiring its deep red color. The aroma of the wine was strong and complex. She was certain it would be amazing, Plunder would not settle for anything but the best.
She savored the taste of the wine for a moment before speaking. "So what is it you're into this time? Human cloning? Genetically modified livestock?"
"Biological warfare."
Dr. Blight's eyes flashed with intrigue. "Something you plan on selling to world governments?"
"Even better," he said, pausing to take a sip of wine. "Something that only I have the cure for."
"You're talking about bioterrorism?" Dr. Blight's voice was not judgmental, only curious.
"Call it what you'd like. They'll pay me for the cure, or they'll be in a lot of trouble."
"What about when someone else discovers a cure?"
"They won't." he said confidently. He pulled a leather bound portfolio from his briefcase and handed it to her. "This explains everything."
Dr. Blight opened the folder, her eyes quickly scanning across the pages inside. Plunder watched her to gauge her reaction, but she was a hard person to read. Finally she closed the folder and set it down on the end table next to her chair.
She looked him in the eye and asked seriously, "Is this plan really about making billions, or is it about revenge?"
"Both. Mostly the money, the revenge aspect is just an added bonus." He gave her his most charming smile.
Dr. Blight had to smile herself. Plunder always knew what buttons to push. He knew she didn't care about money, but revenge was another thing altogether. Her mind wandered for a minute as she considered things she had not thought about in a long time.
She thought about the Planeteers, the group of goody-goody environmentalists that had left her for dead. For years she had dreamed about repaying them for all the pain they had caused her. She had let them think she was dead, knowing that it would leave her the perfect opportunity to strike later, totally unexpected.
Plunder had apparently been keeping track of the little brats for the last ten years. He had info on their whereabouts, what they had been doing. And he had them all exactly where he wanted, not surprising for a man with his resources and determination.
Plunder's plan was intriguing as well. A chance for her to get back to her "first love": biological weapons. She had not created anything this insidious for a long time. She was up for a challenge. Making weapons for the black market had kept her solvent but it had been for the most part rather boring. A chance to create a super virus was incredibly appealing.
"I'll do it," she said finally.
"I thought you would agree," Plunder said with a smile. "I already have a lab set up for you in Sao Paulo. You can head there whenever you like."
"You really don't ever plan on being rejected do you?" Dr. Blight teased.
"I never have been. Why waste time planning for something that's not going to happen?"
Dr. Blight sighed. She had forgotten exactly how egotistical Plunder could be. But working with him was still more interesting that being holed up in a lab in the middle of the frozen Russian tundra with only MAL to keep her company. And thought of going to Brazil was amazing. She hadn't had a tan in over a decade.
She leaned back in her chair and took another sip of wine. Closing her eyes, she let her mind wander. This would be her best project ever, especially when she got her revenge on the Planeteers…
Author's notes (just in case anyone cares): This is a story I have been wanting to write for a long time (translation: years) It's been a while since I've actually seen the show, but hopefully I got all the details right. I have always wanted to write a serious story for CP, one that gets a little more into the characters, their motivations and personalities. I thought the eco-villains would be more interesting if they were closer to human, not just some crazy people who wanted to pollute the earth for no good reason. And I thought it would be good to show the Planeteers grown up, to see how they deal with adult life, to give them some human weaknesses so they're not just perfect over-achievers.
Anyway, now that we have seen what the eco-villains are up to (or at least two of them) the next chapter will reveal what's been going on with the Planeteers for the last decade. Hope everyone enjoyed Chapter One!