Chapter 5
Emma was shuffling along one of the carpeted halls in the finished portion of Canary Roe, escorted by one guard in front of her and another in back. Just in case she was thinking about turning and making a run for it, her ankles had been loosely shackled together by a short chain, effectively hobbling her. She was still in the flimsy dress that Leov had forced her to wear; but they had just passed by Emma's room, and she had seen her leathers lying on the bed, beckoning to her, spurring her to action.
She hadn't anticipated they would capture Steed. If they wanted him so badly, why not just snatch him off the street? What was the point in having him show up for a meeting with someone named Paulina Porzhisni? And what had been in that small case she handed him?
When the van had arrived at the caviar-packing plant, Leov had left immediately, before Steed could regain his senses; either she didn't want him to see her, or she was eager to report to The Ladja. When Steed finally became aware what was going on, he was separated from Emma and hustled into the factory. Emma noticed they had made no attempt to blindfold him. That was probably a bad sign; if they had intended to let Steed live, they would have taken some precautions to keep their location a secret. Come to think of it, that same logic applied to her, as well; her death must also be part of the plan.
They were imprisoning Steed in a different part of Canary Roe than her. That must mean Leov didn't want the two of them to get together and compare notes. To Emma, that elevated a meeting with Steed up to first priority. This was followed closely by finding The Ladja, beating the tar out of him, then finding Leov, and beating the tar out of her, for good measure. It was quite an action list that Emma had compiled. Might as well add to it retrieving her leathers and destroying the slutty dress. It was a shame that the shackles and guards were interfering with her well-planned agenda.
As she emerged from the finished part of the plant with her two guards, she was prodded across a rickety catwalk that spanned the main factory floor. Several open vats of caviar loomed below, their noxious vapors rising up towards the slowly rotating fans overhead.
Emma knew that the guards accompanying her must have crossed the catwalk a hundred times. But probably not while someone was purposely shaking it.
Suddenly dropping face-down onto the tread surface, Emma started lunging violently from side to side. The catwalk oscillated wildly, and the guard in front plunged over the rail, falling a dozen feet into a vat of sticky black fish eggs. The guard behind her was dislodged as well, precariously hanging onto the catwalk with a single hand.
"Help!" he cried.
Emma smiled sympathetically and extended her hand towards him. When he tried to grasp it to rescue himself, she evaded his fingers and instead pulled the keys out of his shirt pocket. The guard lost his grip and fell screaming towards the vat of caviar, landing on top of the other guard, who had just managed to reach the surface.
She quickly unlocked her leg shackles and looked down to see the two men bobbing back to the top of the fishy mixture, angrily shouting at her. With a jaunty wave, she tossed the shackles and keys onto their heads and took off running.
Emma lost no time in sprinting back to her suite of rooms. She donned some underwear and her leathers, indulging herself with an extra second of joy as she ripped the dress in half. Then she headed back to the section of the plant where they had taken Steed to be held prisoner.
-oOo-
One of the storerooms in the industrial section of the plant had been set up as a makeshift cell. Emma peeked around the corner that led to the access corridor. Undoubtedly, Steed was being held inside; the two bored guards pacing impatiently in front of the door confirmed that.
Emma wouldn't bother with self-recriminations if anything had happened to Steed. After all, he could have been abducted at any time by The Ladja and Leov, even without her participation in the trap. It was Steed's ability to not only survive these types of situations, but to do it with style that made the man just so damned sexy. Emma's mind reeled back to when she first saw him springing from the bushes in the Amazon, attacking a band of armed gun-runners with naught but a wooden quarterstaff. Just the memory of his panache brought a warm flush between her thighs.
Her only regret was that they had so badly crossed signals at the cafe yesterday—it was very unlike the two of them to be so out of synch. Perhaps Steed would be able to explain what went wrong when she met up with him.
As if Steed had suddenly returned to her psychic wavelength, he pounded on the inside of the cell door. "I say, any chance of getting a meal in here?" he shouted. "I'm famished!"
Emma grinned. It was as if he had calculated how long it would take her to get free, arrive outside the cell, and be in need of a diversion. In true Steed fashion, she would improvise. Her eyes lit up at the sight of a bright red fire extinguisher on the wall.
She snatched the extinguisher from its bracket and ran directly at Steed's cell. "Fire!" she screamed hysterically, spraying short bursts of foam into the air. The two guards turned towards her in a panic.
Emma quickly sprayed foam directly into the face of the guard on the right and rammed the bottom of the extinguisher into the stomach of the guard on the left; then she reversed the procedure. The end result was two guards incapacitated on the ground, each with a face full of foam and the wind knocked out of him. Emma found the symmetry satisfying.
The keys on the wall unlocked the storeroom door, and Emma swung it open with a creak. Steed was leaning casually against the cinderblock wall, straightening his bowler and tie.
"Where's the fire?" he asked cheerily.
"Are you okay?" Emma asked, her face a mask of concern as she rushed to his side.
"You mean after you led me into a trap where I was hit with enough watts to soft-boil an egg?" he teased with a grin. "As well as can be expected..."
"I'm sorry, Steed." She smiled and gave his cheek a light caress. "You're not soft-boiled, are you? If I had known they would play that rough, I would have given you some notice."
"They are the KGB," he chided. "'Rough' is their middle name when it comes to people like me."
Emma grew wide-eyed. "The KGB? What?"
"Not only that," Steed continued, "the Ministry is convinced you're a double agent working for them."
"How did they get that idea?"
"You were masquerading as Paulina Porzhisni," he offered.
"You mean Paulina the Prostitute?" she smirked.
Steed arched an eyebrow. "No, Paulina the East German cipher clerk and Russian operative," he said.
"I see." Emma's eyes blazed.
"Well?" Steed prompted.
"I was set up by a violent leather-clad woman."
Steed scanned her outfit from head to toe and looked at the two guards on the floor with a wry grin. Emma cleared her throat.
"Another violent leather-clad woman," she said tersely.
Steed straightened his clothes and practiced his brilliant smile. "Perhaps I can charm my way past her."
"Don't waste your breath; you're a man," Emma replied. "She hates men. All except one."
"And who is this man amongst men?"
"The Ladja."
Steed grinned. "Suddenly, your involvement here becomes clear to me."
Emma nodded. "This may be my one chance to trap him."
"Canary Roe is his stronghold, Mrs. Peel," Steed reminded her. "It's entirely possible he'll trap you instead. We need help."
"I couldn't agree more. That's why you're going to fetch some backup."
"I am?"
Emma looked directly into Steed's eyes and tenderly stroked his arm. "I don't know what their whole plan is, but capturing you seems to be a key part of it. The sooner you're out of here, the better."
The guards on the floor were beginning to stir. Emma picked up the fire extinguisher and emptied the rest of the foam upon their prone forms. "Stay down!" she warned, "unless you want me to get really rough."
The two guards stopped moving and held their place, probably not liking the two-against-two odds when one of them was the dangerous Emma. They didn't interfere as she escorted Steed down the hall towards a side exit.
Steed teased her under his breath, "Paulina the Prostitute, eh? Well, that explains your outfit and your... amorousness."
"You weren't exactly coy yourself," Emma bristled. "Why would you start kissing the neck of a complete stranger?"
"You had supposedly fallen in love with my photograph. And I was trying to check out the earpiece."
Emma was silent for a moment. "I saw it in your eyes," she said suddenly as she turned to face him. "You had a moment of doubt about me, there in the cafe."
"Doubt?" Steed deadpanned. "Not at all. I was just uncertain as to how you wanted to play the game."
"By my own rules, of course," Emma smirked. "And the Golden Rule is: As long as I get The Ladja, nothing else matters. Capturing him should be our only objective."
"That's not exactly true," Steed interposed. "We need the Zagadka."
"The who?"
"Not who, but what," he corrected. "It's the decoding device in the case you were handing me."
"Why on earth should we care about that?"
"I'll explain later." Best not to tell her about the Ministry's demands, he thought.
"So we're in agreement," Emma announced. "You go for help, I'll scout around Canary Roe to see if I can find a line on The Ladja."
Steed opened the side door. "I'll be right back," he cautioned. "Don't get involved in anything foolish."
-oOo-
Emma wore a feral grin as she moved stealthily through the maze of piping and concrete at the caviar-packing plant. Her action list had shortened considerably; she was crossing off items at a rapid rate. She was free, and now Steed was free, and going for help; she was secure in her leathers like a stalking panther, and the trampy dress of Mistress Leov's would never display a trollop's wares again. All that remained was her face-to-face confrontation with The Ladja.
She had retraced her steps back to the finished portion of the plant, where her own suite of rooms were located. If The Ladja had an office, it would probably be somewhere in this wing. Emma started on the floor above her, checking out each door she came to. Several were locked; luckily, The Ladja and his staff were very conscientious about fire safety, so she once again adopted her favorite tool, the fire extinguisher, to use as a battering ram.
One door opened into a dimly lit room. As Emma looked inside, she thought the opposite wall contained a mirror. Then she noted that her reflection had grown a larger bosom and hips. In addition, the reflection was brandishing the silhouette of a whip.
Emma frowned. The time for politeness was over.
"Take me to The Ladja," she commanded.
Mistress Leov smiled malevolently as she stepped forward. She was dressed head-to-toe in leather, with stiletto-heeled boots. "I was wondering how long it would take you to figure everything out," she said.
"Stop stalling," Emma interrupted. "I know you work for him."
"Work? More than that, I should think," the Mistress crooned. "He is my lover."
Emma wrinkled her mouth in disgust. "You... and The Ladja?"
Mistress Leov snorted. "You're one to talk, Mrs. Peel."
"You know my name," Emma said.
"Yes, I know everything about you and Pyotr."
Emma noticed she had pronounced the name with a strange Russian twist. Had this woman known Peter?
"Then you must know that I am The Ladja's sworn enemy," Emma announced.
An ironic smile touched Mistress Leov's mouth.
"No, I didn't," she declared. "How delicious. Then he will certainly forgive me if I kill you."
"You can try," Emma smirked. She adopted a martial pose with her hands out in front of her.
The whip cracked twice, but Emma successfully used the leather on her forearm to protect her face. Then an expert single flick caused a thin line of blood to appear on the back of her hand. Mistress Leov dropped the whip and approached. Was she opting for hand-to-hand combat?
Emma's head spun dizzily as the soporific took effect. By the time Leov reached her, Emma had already collapsed to her knees. The Mistress used the side of her boot to kick Emma to the ground.
"My whip contains a paralyzing agent," Leov explained. "The heels of my shoes are coated with a fast-acting poison." She raised her foot so that it hovered over Emma's right hand. Emma tried to move, but could not. At least she could still speak, though with difficulty.
"You're going to kill me with your shoe?" Emma said weakly.
The Mistress smiled. "No, I won't kill you—not yet. I have a plan all worked out. Steed is going to murder you, his lover, for being a KGB spy."
"I'm not his lover."
"Really? That's not what I see in your eyes. You, who claimed to hate all men. Steed will then take his own life. The scandal following your deaths will ensure that Steed will be remembered as a disgrace to the Ministry, and to England."
Emma grunted as she tried to move. It was hopeless. "No one will believe that," she contradicted.
"Yes, they will," Leov gloated. "Especially with the pictures and tape-recording of your meeting."
"So we met." Emma could barely get the words out as the drug spread through her system.
"Yes, at a meeting setup by the British Ministry of Defence to obtain a KGB Zagadka decoder machine. Too bad the deal went sour. Part of Steed's motivation for killing you, no doubt."
Leov used her toe to flip Emma over onto her back. Kneeling down next to her, she slipped her finger into the loop at Emma's neck, then with a quick tug unzipped her leathers to the waist. She then stripped them off of her, leaving only her black satin underwear. The Mistress reclined on the floor and ran her hands across Emma's smooth, flat stomach.
"When your body is found dressed like this, shot by a gun with Steed's fingerprints, next to his corpse in a hotel room," Leov declared smugly, "then there will be no doubt."
"No," Emma protested weakly. Don't let them catch you, Steed!
Then she slipped into darkness.
-oOo-
None of the vans in the parking lot had keys, and Steed was too unfamiliar with the model to attempt any creative re-wiring. Instead, he sneaked into a darkened garage area towards the rear of the caviar-packing plant. Plenty of automobiles were parked here; part of the motor pool, no doubt. The keys were arranged and labeled on a pegboard against the wall. Quite handy. He made his selection and turned back towards the line of cars.
A pattern was visible in the darkness: small squares of light were reflecting back in alternating rows. It was a chessboard mask. Then Steed heard a low hum, like the sound of a hornet. It was a sound he had heard before, at the cafe. He was not eager to experience the effects of the electric stunner again.
The Ladja stepped forward into the light. Steed greeted him solemnly.
"Checkers," he said.
"John Steed," The Ladja answered.
"Any chance you've seen a Zagadka machine around here? It's about this large, comes in a case," Steed said glibly, gesturing with his hands. "Decodes top secret messages..."
"Merely bait, the excuse for you to meet with Paulina Porzhisni," The Ladja replied. "The woman you will kill."
"Me? Kill Paulina? That hardly seems likely." But even if I did, the Ministry authorized me to kill Mrs. Peel. What can The Ladja be thinking? Steed took a step backward, casting his eyes about for any sort of weapon he could use against the electric prod.
"Once Paulina's body is found, killed by a gun with your fingerprints, I have made sure that the Ministry will receive pictures and recordings of your tryst at the cafe today."
Steed kicked an air hose up into his adversary's face. The Ladja swatted it away with the prod, amidst a shower of sparks.
"Careful, Steed," he cautioned. "This weapon is strong enough to stun a shark."
The Ladja pressed forward, trying to block any avenue of escape.
"Nothing awaits you in the future but disgrace and the hangman," he continued. "Imagine the disappointment of that partner of yours—Emma."
Steed arched his eyebrows. Charles was right—the right hand doesn't know what the left is doing, Steed thought. He doesn't know Mrs. Peel is playing Paulina!
Steed was only a few steps away from the car listed on the keytag in his fist. He broke into a run and jumped into the car, slamming the door behind him. He had just managed to get the key into the ignition when The Ladja dived forward and discharged the prod against the frame of the car.
Steed spasmed as the voltage shot through his body, then collapsed back into the seat.
The Ladja strolled smugly over to the side of the car and opened the door. Steed's body spilled out onto the pavement. Two henchmen showed up on command.
"Take this man inside," The Ladja ordered. He lifted his mask and smiled evilly.
"The Mistress will know what to do with him."
-oOo-