Part 3

Oct. 12, 1964

Saigon, South Vietnam

The Murray Residence

Two days had passed since Laura's abduction and ironically those two days had been the dullest she had known in some time. She had steered clear of her father and mother, tuned out their conversations, thinking back to what the woman had offered her. That was all she thought about fo a little over forty eight hours. As the clock ticked away she tore the situation apart, thinking now about the full range of what she had gotten herself into. Now the contact dangled

like the Sword of Damocles.

On the third day, after arriving home from the American School, it finally happened. Laura went up to her room to start on her homework. When she got there Phuong Ming was waiting.

"Missa Lala come me . . ." the old woman said in pigeon, gesturing with an arthritic hand. Laura followed as the woman led her down several floors to the wine cellar, an air conditioned room in the southeast corner of the house designed to be air tight to protect the Ambassador's expensive wines from the heat and humidity of Indochina. Laura opened the heavy doors for the aged housekeeper, but Phuong waited at the entrance and gestured for Laura to go first. Laura found this strange, but didn't make any connections.

"What are you up to Phuong?" Laura laughed, playing along and walked into the wine cellar. As she walked in Phuong followed and closed the door behind her. The room was plunged into darkness, prompting Laura to let out a gasp of shock. Then suddenly the lights above turned on and the masked woman emerged from behind the racks, attired as she had been the night she had kidnaped Laura.

"Hello again, Laura." the woman said cordially.

"Hey . . ." Laura said, not knowing what else to say.

The woman then looked to Phuong and said something in Vietnamese that Laura could just make out with her limited grasp of the language to be permission to leave. The old woman saluted and exited the cellar. Laura followed Phuong Ming's exit with incredulousity apparent in her expression.

"Phuong Ming is your contact!" Laura gasped.

"Yes, she is," the woman replied matter-of-factly, "Phuong Ming, which isn't her real name, is a venerated patriot of Indochina. She was a contemporary of Ho Chi Minh and before that a staunch anti-french guerilla. For her dedication and long service she was rewarded with the important but less physically taxing assignment of watching the American Ambassador's house."

Laura's heart sank. Her only confidante had turned out to be a facade adopted by a communist agent to gain her trust. She felt utterly alone. The woman seemed to sense this and patted her on the shoulder in consolation.

"Don't feel bad about it. Being used is a human condition. We are all used by everyone around us in one way or another. Think nothing of it. Very soon you will be a user."

This made Laura feel a small degree better.

"So are you here to give me an assignment or briefing or something?"

"You could say that. I am here to inform you of events that are to come and give information prudent to your new role."

Here the woman handed Laura a manilla envelope, which she immediately opened, expecting to see black and white motion photos of potential targets and blueprints of government buildings that she would have to infiltrate. What she saw instead was a top sheet that was a loose leaf piece of notepaper with her writing on it.

"What is it?" Laura asked.

"That is a rough essay our intelligence bureau fabricated in your hand full of subversive themes and anti-American ideas. They had quite a bit of fun writing in the style of a pampered fifteen year old American girl. An exact duplicate was handed to the principal of your school. Needless to say, it will be grounds for expulsion. However, being that you are the Ambassador's

daughter, your expulsion will be kept very quiet and you will be sent by your father to this facility (she flipped the page of Laura's packet to a picture of a very modern looking school) in Tunghwa on the Chinese border. It is a former US-Soviet-Chinese 'spy academy' that I myself attended before the second World War. The Chinese now control it with the cooperation of the Soviets. You will be educated there for three years and taught all the specifics of spycraft. Do you have any questions?"

"Just one right now," Laura said,"I wasn't just chosen for my politics, was I?

"No. Not entirely. You were chosen because your father is who he is. You will be ideally placed and almost undetectable as a spy. Your father would implicate everyone on his staff before suspecting you. Does that bother you?"

"No. It's just as you said, we are all used. But I am obviously a rare and valuable commodity, so you need me more than I need you."

"Well put Laura. Now that things are set there can be no harm in revealing this." The woman reached a gloved hand to the top of her balaclava and yanked it off. A cascade of golden blonde hair came down to her shoulders and the most beautiful face met her eyes. The woman's nose, mouth, cheek bones, and especially her eyes looked like they had been crafted by an artisan.

"You are so beautiful." The words escaped Laura's awe struck lips without her willing them to.

"Thank you. Part of the regimen at the charm schools are cosmetic alteration. You will receive some as well. Beauty is a woman's greatest weapon."

"Who exactly am I going to be working for?" Laura asked.

"You will be working for a group known as the 'Philosophers'. The Chinese Philosophers are in control of everything that happens within their sphere of influence and enlarging that sphere is key. I report to General HQ Second Department of the People's Liberation Army in China, bu my loyalty lies with the Philosophers."

"You said 'the Chinese Philosophers'. Are there other Philosophers?"

"Yes. The Philosophers were a group of power elite from China, Russia, and America that formed an alliance at the start of the 20th century. With their money and resources they won the two world wars against Germany and her allies and secured total control and prosperity in their host nations. At the end of World War II the Philosophers split and turned against each other as they became too powerful to coexist. The Soviet Philosophers are all but extinct. My former lover, the last great of the Russian Philosophers, a GRU colonel named Yevgeny Borisovitch Volgin, fell by my hand a month and a half ago. Now only China and America are left, and we fear the American Philosophers will become dominant due to an unforseen event. So you will help us stop this from happening."

"I see," Laura said thoughtfully, "What will I do at this training facility. I mean what kinds of activities will I take part in?"

"As I said before you will be trained in sneaking missions and combat situations in tri-weekly war games and in the art of seduction on men and women. You will study different cultures and improvisational acting."

"May I ask one more question, ma'am?"

"Of course."

"What is your name. I mean, what should I call you?"

"I am code named EVA." the woman said, "and I will code name you DELILAH."

DELILAH. Laura liked the sound of that. The Murray's had attended Episcopalian church services for years to put an air of piousness in the minds of voters when they thought of Senator Murray, and Laura knew the story of Delilah. Coupled with the knowledge that she was close to becoming a secret agent she smiled deviously.

"If you have no further questions you are dismissed, DELILAH." EVA said saluting. Laura stood as straight as she could and saluted rigidly, trying to emulate the Marines she saw stationed outside her home. She then exited the cellar and returned to her room and started her homework.

An hour and a half after her contact with Agent EVA, Phuong Ming returned, entering the room and bowed.

"Missa Lala, yah fatta wish to see you don stair in library." She said, still not breaking the pretense of the humble housekeeper. Laura tried not to let it bother her, but she still flet a pang of anger at the maid's duplicity. She however got up and walked downstairs with an air of carefree youth and innocence.

When she entered, her father was seated at his desk as he usually was at that time of day. He however was quite irrate as he looked up at his daughter.

"Sit your damn ass down," he snarled. Obediently Laura took a seat in a little red leather chair in front of the desk. As she did her father pushed a piece of paper toward her.

"Have you ever seen this before?" He asked ominously. Laura got up and grabbed the paper. As she expected, it was the paper EVA had warned her that had been turned in to the principal's office.

"I would be lying if I said no," Laura retorted truthfully.

"Don't get fresh with me you spoiled little bitch! Do you have any goddam clue how this could reflect on me if any of my colleagues caught wind of this!"

"No, sir. Sorry, sir." Laura said meekly looking at the floor.

"What were you thinking writing something like that in an American Embassy school?"

"I honestly couldn't tell you." She said again truthfully.

"Well you've been expelled, and thank God I was able to bribe the principal into keeping it quiet. You've really fucked up this time Laura. More than you usually do. Luckily for me, I was able to find a good school in Hong Kong to send you to that will look good to Washington and be far enough away to shield me from your total goddam stupidity."

"Thank you, father." Laura said not really knowing what else to say.

Ambassador Murray wasted no time. Laura was packed ready for departure to Hong Kong and, unknown to her father, from there to Tunghwa, the next evening. Laura's mother, ever the politician herself, was tearful and stricken with grief (real or manufactured) at the exodus, but never once consoled her or gave her any formed of solidarity for her 'crime'. Laura chose to think that she meant to, though in her heart she knew this wasn't the case. Either way, Laura was about to take a giant step into a new life.

Part 4

Oct. 16, 1964

Tunghwa, China

'The International Academy of Philosophy'

When Laura arrived at the Airport in Hong Kong she was almost immediately loaded into a jeep and shuttled to a helipad where her and her belongings were loaded into a small glass orb shaped helicopter and flown across the border into China. A few miles inland they landed in a field where a larger heavily armed Soviet-made attack chopper was waiting. As she got on this time she was blindfolded by several Chinese regulars and flown for what seemed like hours.

Then Laura was unblindfolded and led out the side door onto another helipad. Waiting for her outside on the tarmac was agent EVA. She was dressed in tight fitting tan riding pants, and equally tight officer's jacket with the rankings of a major, knee high black boots, and an officer's cap over her hair, which was up in a bun. As Laura exited EVA saluted. Laura returned the salute, as she was now technically a soldier in a very cold war.

"Greetings, Agent DELILAH and welcome to the International Academy of Philosophy. If you will follow me, I will show you the facility."

EVA showed Laura the different classrooms which ranged from chemistry labs, to firing ranges with children as young as eight firing, assembling, and disassembling automatic weapons (mainly Chinese AK's, American XM16E1's, and the more compact Carbine 15 variety), lush living rooms with comfy looking armchairs and love seats, and several large lecture a halls. When they came to the mess hall it was about noon the whole of the student body was sat down to eat. The diversity of the crowd shocked Laura. There were a great many Asians, almost half the population, but besides there were a great many Africans, a few Indians, and quite few Caucasian students, some as Aryan looking as a Nazi propaganda poster.

"We have agents posted in every government on the planet. Keeping our foot in world politics is the key to supremacy." EVA said shepherding Laura on.

They traveled down several corridors until they came to a room consisting of a very comfortable bed, audiovisual equipment, light arrays, and a table of bottles with different colored liquids in them.

"What is this?" Laura asked, a little unnerved.

"This will be your one and only classroom for the next four months. You see, your education will be different from that of your peers here. Training began for them at infancy. You, however, are fourteen years behind them, so we will catch you up using subliminal education with a descent into you unconscious mind, part light induced, part drug. In four months you will learn fourteen years worth of advanced math, chemistry, physics, world history, politics, combat education, and be fluent in English, German, French, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, Vietnamese, and Arabic."

"Will it hurt?" Laura asked.

"Such a question is unfit for a soldier." EVA reprimanded harshly, "but no, you will wake up four months after the procedure begins with no memory of what occurred during that time."

This was still unnerving, but Laura was more fascinated by what EVA said she would learn. With all those languages she could go anywhere in the world and do whatever she wanted. Visions of sitting in a moonlit arcade in Paris by the Seine, speaking passionately in perfect French to a cute Parisian gigolo, or masquerading as a concubine in a rich oil sheik's harem floated into her mind.

While she thought about this EVA led her to another room. It was virginal white and its only feature was a luxuriant bed with satin sheets and a down comforter.

"Is this my room?" Laura asked hopefully.

"No, it is but another classroom. I will give you one lesson before your subliminal education commences. For your unconscious to recognize and accept the material presented it, you must have an instinct or prior experience to base it on. Your mind already knows the rudiments of language from its struggle to learn English in your infancy. You are attracted to boys instinctively so your mind will accept lessons on heterosexual seduction. To be a balanced agent we are going to teach you to be bisexual. I will instruct you briefly so the neurologists can do the rest. Please undress."

Laura nervously began unbuttoning her shirt. She wasn't just unnerved by the fact that she had never been with a woman before, but because she ha never been with anyone before. She was still a virgin. As she undid her bra and slipped off her panties she stood naked with her hands clasped in front of her. She undressed as quickly as possible.

EVA began to undress but much more slowly. First she unzipped her boots and slid each off, then she unbuttoned her jacket, loosened her scarlet tie, unbuttoned her collar shirt revealing a lacy black bra supporting two luscious breasts, then unzipped her pants down the back, and pulled them off revealing high cut lacy black panties. Here she stopped to pick up her uniform and hang up each component on a coat rack on the wall behind her. When she turned around Laura saw that her black panties lacked a back, but had a thin string that tucked neatly between EVA's ass cheeks. Laura's jaw dropped.

"May I ask you a question, Miss EVA?"

"Of course," EVA said, hanging up her coat.

"What kind of underwear is that you have one?"

"These?" laughed EVA, "They are called 'thongs'. They are popular in Brazil and with American exotic dancers. Do you like them?"

"I don't know." Laura said embarrassed.

"Of course," EVA laughed, "You've never been with a woman before, have you?"

EVA walked slowly up to Laura, strutting her stuff, arousing in her a slight pang of lust. When she was right in front of Laura, EVA grabbed her arms and placed them on her hips, sliding them down to her naked ass and then around the front of her thong and her bulging mons. Laura could feel the heat radiating from EVA's love mound. Then EVA moved Laura's hand down into her thong, placing her trembling fingers on the shaved mons itself. EVA gasped with pleasure as Laura's fingers split the crevice.

EVA soon removed Laura's hand and picked her up laying her on the bed. She removed her bra and slid off her panties, both actions making her large breast jiggle. She then lowered herself onto Laura putting her lips to hers and kissing her passionately. EVA's hand then went to Laura's stomach and wandered downward until it found the cleft between Laura's legs. Laura gasped as EVA's hand expertly fingered her and elicited pleasure. Eva's own was positioned over Laura's leg, rubbing against her thigh to relieve herself.

Though she wasn't used to or inclined to what she was doing, Laura kept herself open to EVA's advances and after they had finished she laid her head on EVA's breast, listening to her heart beat as EVA stroked her hair.

After a few moments together EVA got up, crossed the room, and dressed again neatly in her uniform. Laura, taking a hint from EVA, began to pick up her own garments and put them on. When they had both gotten dressed and EVA had smoothed out the creases in her jacket and adjusted her ensemble to pristine perfection, she turned to Laura and smiled at her in a way that could either be seductive or sinister or both.

"Did you enjoy that, DELILAH?" EVA asked.

"Yes . . . of course. I . . I mean you . . . It was wonderful." Laura lied so terribly she couldn't believe it. EVA just laughed.

"Follow me then. It's time for the rest of your education."

EVA led Laura to the laboratory with the bed. This time around there were five white coated staff present, prepping the equipment. They spoke in blistering Chinese making the situation even more ominous. One of them began speaking to EVA who replied in as quick Chinese. When concluded EVA grabbed a vacuum sealed package that said "CALORIE MATE" and tossed it to Laura.

"Eat this." EVA said, "It'll be the last solid food you'll eat for four months."

Laura unwrapped it and ate the wafer inside in three large bites. It had a sweet, buttery taste and almost immediately took the edge off her hunger."

Then she was lead to the bed and strapped down. Electrodes were place all over her body and a mouth guard was placed in her mouth. Two IV's were placed in her arms and then Laura slept.

To be continued . . . . . .