By Bob A.
Salem walked into Sabra Manor about 2 A.M., appearing in
the passage from the garage to the house. He padded slowly into
the house, making no noise as he walked. Going up the ramp, he
made it to the ground floor. There was a flickering light from the
living room, along with an old, familiar tune. As he reached the
doorway, Salem heard the unmistakable voice of Groucho Marx
singing 'I'm Against It' from the movie 'Horse Feathers'.
Salem looked in and saw Shawn sprawled out on the floor,
apparently asleep in front of the 3DTV. "At least the kid has
good taste in comedy." Salem thought to himself, remembering
seeing the Marx Brothers live many times in the 1930's and 40's.
He darted past the doorway to the ramp to the upper floor.
Salem crept down the upstairs hallway, heading to the room
where Brett DuQuesne and Mahree Smith slept. He was just
about to enter the bedroom when he was grabbed by what
appeared to be a long set of tongs and pinned to the wall.
Squawking in surprise, Salem looked- and saw Shawn holding a
long forklike device, which glowed an eerie pinkish color. The
trident-shaped birthmark on his upper left arm glowed a similar
color. "I don't recall you being invited to come in here tonight,
Mister Salem." Shawn hissed in an almost inaudible whisper.
"You didn't. Shall we go downstairs and have a chat?"
Salem answered in an equally quiet whisper.
The fork flickered out. "Precede me downstairs, if you
please." Shawn whispered. They went downstairs to the kitchen,
where Shawn picked Salem up and set him on the table. "Can I
get you anything, honored sir?" Shawn asked quietly.
"Some fish, if you have it." Shawn opened the icebox and
pulled out a mahi-mahi he brought home earlier. Getting Salem's
approval, he cut a fillet off it and chopped it fine, serving it to the
cat in a crystal bowl.
As Salem ate, Shawn asked in a voice that was so flat that it
was creepy, "Just what are you doing here at 0210 hours?"
"Testing you. Your grandmother sent me to check. She was
curious to see if your encounter with Naya last week affected
your performance any. Apparently not. How did you spot me,
anyway?" Salem asked. Getting no response, he continued,
"You're missing your movie, kid. Go relax- you're off duty until
they wake up."
"Salem, I'm never off duty totally. You should realize that.
However, if you want to, you can join me, and we can watch the
film together." Shawn offered.
"Kid, you got a deal. I'll tell you some stories about them, if
you want."
"You actually knew them? I'll be glad to hear them!" Shawn
said excitedly. His favorite pastime is to watch- and imitate- old
20th and 21st century comedians, earning him the nickname 'Mr.
Showbiz'. They chatted until sunrise, watching Marx Brothers
and Three Stooges movies.
In the morning, after a swim with his sister, Shawn, along
with Robin, reported to VSHQ for their training. About 10 A.M.,
Shawn was told to report to the office of the Grey Rose, General
Janice Feldman. When he reported there, he was surprised to see
his grandmother Raven there, as well as Prime Minister
DuQuesne, by vidphone.
"Captain Smith, you are aware that Blood Rose rank has
many duties, other than 'wet' work." said the Grey Rose. At his
nod, she continued, "One of the most important duties is rather
unglamourous- that of being essentially a message person."
"There are only three people who can give a Blood Rose
official covert ops orders- the holders of the Grey and Black
Roses, and the sitting Prime Minister. At least two, preferably all
three, must issue the order. Your orders are to deliver this
envelope to the desk of President Ramon Perez Trujillo of the
Inca Republic." said the Black Rose.
"The letter must be placed on the desk that is located in the
sitting room next to his bedroom in the official residence. You are
to penetrate his security, leave the letter, then make your way
back. Deadly force is authorized, BUT, if used, you must justify it
to us personally." said the Prime Minister, his voice and manner
stern.
Shawn took in the information impassively. "I require
detailed information on the official residence, so I can plan my
movements effectively." he said quietly.
"You will be provided with as much data that we possess.
Just remember that many times, you will not have detailed
information at your disposal. You will have to innovate your
plans at any moment too many times." said the Black Rose. "Any
questions?"
"Two. First, may I ask the reason I am being used to deliver
this letter, and second, by when must it be delivered by?" Shawn
asked.
The three people behind the desk looked at each other for a
few seconds, then the Prime Minister spoke. "The letter contains
information that we deem is too sensitive to trust to normal
communications channels- in fact, General Feldman does not
know what the letter says."
"The letter must be placed on his desk before dawn day after
tomorrow. We had best get started planning- I want to see how
well you plan." Raven said. The Prime Minister wished him
success in his mission, then broke the connection. As the picture
blanked, Shawn noticed the corner of the Prime Minister's mouth
twitch, like he was smothering a laugh. He made no motion that
told others he noticed this. Maps were brought out and the
planning session began.
Two hours later, Shawn was satisfied with his plans. "I
require only one additional item- a waterproof carrying case for
the letter, so it will not be damaged during my swim to Lima." he
declared.
"We had one made up when we decided to give you this job-
I just hope it works." said the general.
"Then I best get started. Optimally, I will have this letter
delivered by 0300 hours the day after tomorrow, and return to
base by noon two days after that, give or take two hours,
depending on currents." Shawn said impassively. He was given
the letter and carrying case, and he left for home, where he
decided would be the best place to start.
Flicking in to the vestibule, he jogged to the tunnel to the
boathouse. Jumping in to the waterway, he took the packet's
handle in his teeth, then shifted into shark form. Adjusting the
packet, he swam to sea.
Swimming at his top speed, he covered the distance to Lima
in just over thirty hours, not stopping once to feed. He switched
to man form in the river, two miles from the palace. He surveyed
the palace grounds, looking for a way in that will escape notice.
Finding a tunnel, he crept up it, extending his awareness to
find alarms, monitors, and sentries. Each one he found, he
evaded.
Shawn found himself in the basement of the palace.
Consulting his memory, he found where the secret passages
throughout the palace ran, and where they entered the basement.
Finding an entrance, he picked the lock, using tools that he
conjured up. He entered the passage, relocking the door.
Going into full hunter stealth mode, Shawn made his way up
to the presidential bedchambers, making no noise, not using his
sight, but using an electrical sense that determined the location of
living beings. It also told him where the sensors and traps were
hidden, because he could sense the current flow. Climbing higher
up the dry, dusty passage, he could feel his skin itch from the
dryness, but he ignored the discomfort.
Then, on the fringe of his awareness, he detected a person
patrolling the passages, heading in his direction. Standing still, he
willed himself to indetectability, his birthmark fading from his
skin. Slowly, the person approached. When it came to within
arm's reach, Shawn unleashed a quick blow to the person's chin.
The only noise was the crack of fist against chin, and a soft grunt
from the victim. Catching the body before it could fall, Shawn
noticed that the victim was a woman. Tying her down with her
belt, he stepped over her and continued on. "The President must
like hiring amazons- that guard is very big." he thought.
After another half an hour, he reached the entrance to the
President's office. Cautiously, he opened the door a crack,
peering through, because his sense could not penetrate the walls,
because of the wiring. The only light in the room came from the
computer's display on screen saver mode. There was light coming
from under the door to the bedroom. "The President keeps late
hours." he thought.
Shawn opened the door just enough to slip his beefy frame
through. He crept to the desk, removing the letter from the pouch.
He put the letter on the desk, centered perfectly on the blotter.
Shawn then went back to the passage and shut the door. He made
his way back down, coming to the fallen guard. He 'looked' at
her with his electric sense to make sure she was still alive,
because she was still out. "Good. If she's still out, then
Poseidon's lessons proved their value." he thought, carefully
stepping over her.
He made it back to the basement. This is the most dangerous
part, because he had to cross a room to get to the exit tunnel.
Making sure there were no people around, he quickly crossed the
room.
Just as he reached the tunnel, a voice came over the
loudspeaker. "Stop right there, Shawn." it said. He froze,
recognizing the voice. It was his housemate, Brett!
A door to the room opened and the lights brightened,
revealing Brett and Shawn's sister, Mahree. Behind them came
two people he least expected to see- President Trujillo and
Shawn's grandmother, Raven!
When they all entered the room, Shawn said, deadpan, "I
suspected that this was a test of my abilities."
"Correct, Shawn. We wanted to monitor how you would
perform under real conditions, not in a holodeck." said Raven.
"If I may ask, have you recovered the guard that I struck in
the passage?" Shawn asked.
"You may ask. Sophie is still unconscious- you clocked her a
good one!" Raven laughed. The others laughed with her, but not
Shawn.
"If the test is over, may I request permission to depart?"
Shawn asked when the laughter faded.
"Not yet, sir. I would like to discuss how you managed to
easily penetrate my security." President Trujillo said. Shawn just
looked at him, and, if looks could kill, the Inca Republic would
need a new President. Shawn didn't scowl or glower, just let the
shark within him come to the surface momentarily. President
Trujillo became very uncomfortable under Shawn's stare- he
himself is a ruthless predator, but this one- "Madre de Dios!"
Trujillo thought to himself.
"Ramon, he's not going to reveal his secrets. Not even I know
everything he can do. I suspect that he doesn't even know
himself." Raven said quietly.
"Shawn, calm down. Test is complete. Evaluations to follow.
At ease." Brett said softly, but with lots of suggestion behind it.
Shawn suppressed his wild side. He looked at Raven, waiting
patiently. After a quick eyeball conference, the Black Rose
spoke.
"Shawn, you head for home. Take your time, and get a good
feed out of it. Debriefing will be held upon your return.
Dismissed." Shawn backed into the tunnel, his senses telling him
that a person was coming up behind him. He let the person close,
then, Shawn quickly elbowed the person in the stomach, tossed it
into the room, turned, and departed. If he noticed that the person
attempting to rush him was his other housemate, Robin, he gave
no sign.
Robin landed in a heap on the floor, sliding to the feet of the
people in the room, gasping for breath. When he recovered, he
said, "Ouch! He's vicious when working!"
Shawn arrived back home about 36 hours later, reveling in
the freedom of the ocean, and allowing himself to feed freely
until he ached. When he dried himself off, he called VSHQ to
report his return. He was told to report in the morning. Shawn
then patrolled the house and grounds, doing a thorough
inspection.
When he finished, he found that his housemates had returned
home. "Hey, Shawn, not so hard next time, okay?" laughed
Robin. "I hurt for hours!"
"Then, don't attack me while I'm working. If I had been
under orders to, I would have killed you." Shawn said simply.
Robin paused awkwardly, not knowing what to say. Then,
Mahree broke the chill. "Calm down, brother! You're home now!
Relax- be yourself!" she said in a big-sister fashion [she's the
older of the two.].
Shawn smiled. "Okay. Robin, would you like to go a few
rounds in the workout room? You're getting soft!" he laughed.
"You're on!" Later, Robin was on- his back, on the mats,
more often than he was on his feet!