So, in honour of the return of the forum, I thought I'd post one of my more recent pieces of fiction here. I've got three shorts in this series so far - and I'm always looking for ideas, so all feedback is welcome.

Enjoy.

****

Mercury Security

Helix

Recovery operations were her least favourite.

If there was one thing that Helix didn’t care for, it was the mundane details of this type of work. Sure, the number of security personnel, availability of access points, the specific details of what needed to be recouped - those were all critical to the job.

The rest of it, she pretty much ignored. 

Of course, there were others who actually paid attention to that level of detail. The more studious members of the organisation. Mirage, in particular, constantly chided her that she really should focus on the details in order to make sure nothing caught her off-guard. Helix laughed. Where’s the element of surprise? Where’s the thrill you get from having to improvise in the heat of the moment? She could still remember the dismissive look Mirage gave her with her steely blue eyes at her response.

Shaking her head, she adjusted her position in the tree of the grounds of the sprawling mansion grounds, making sure she had a clear view of the surroundings in the rapidly diminishing daylight. She had scaled the security fence with ease and taken up a position that allowed her to remain undiscovered while she surveyed the building and scout out the perimeter security. She could hear Mirage in her head, pointing out that if she had simply paid attention to the briefing, she wouldn’t find herself in this position.

Of course, then it wouldn’t be as much fun.

Her eyes focused on the figure making his way across the lawn. Even in the fading light, she could see he was dressed in a smart suit. His gait was unnaturally cautious, his head on a virtual swivel as he carefully made his way around the perimeter of the property. One lone security guard, no doubt bored out of his mind. She watched and waited patiently, tensing her body in preparation of what was to come. As he walked under the tree, Helix pushed herself off the branch. Her body arced in the air, her mind and body in perfect unison. To the guard, it was all a blur. A black shape flying toward him from the tree that his mind registered as maybe a bird for a fraction of a second before two neoprene clad legs wrapped around his neck.

Tumbling to the ground with a soft thud, Helix immediately thrust her legs out, trapping his throat in her vice-like grip as her muscles turned to steel. She looked down at him, the top of his head just barely visible to her, catching the look in his eyes of confusion, bewilderment and fear. A soft, condescending chuckle escaped her lips as she could feel him slapping and pawing his hands ineffectively against her thighs.

“Save it baby,” Helix cooed as she squeezed tighter. “Better men have tried to escape this hold and it’s always ended the same way for them. Just accept the fact that this is how you die. Choked out between my thighs.” She felt the familiar burn in her muscles as she poured the pressure on, the most intensely erotic and stimulating work out she knew she could experience. 

The security guard tried to coordinate the movements of his arms and fists with the misfiring neurons in his dying brain, but all he could muster were a few feeble strikes. Helix’s cold smile looked down on him as she saw his eyes roll back in his head and his arms flop to his sides. “Mmmm, not long now darling,” She shifted her legs, transitioning from the headscissor to a figure four scissorhold. She couldn’t help but grind her hips slightly. A girl’s got to have some fun, she thought. 

His movements slowed, his body shaking and twitching uncontrollably as Helix found herself biting down on her bottom lip. The feeling never felt like it diminished over the years. Each time she felt it, it was invigorating. She closed her eyes for a moment, savouring it, then felt something in his throat collapse. Likely his trachea, she reasoned as she looked down at him. His skin had taken on a slight bluish tone and his body was still. A small moan escaped Helix’s lips before she snagged his arm. Placing her fingers on his wrist, she felt no pulse. She slowly unwrapped her legs from around his neck, his body slumping to the grass. Helix rose from the ground, taking care to ensure she wasn’t observed from any of the windows.

On to phase two.

****  

The door was unlocked, just as she expected, and once inside, her padded boots registered virtually no sound against the wooden floors. For a moment, she paused, looking at the portraits on the walls and the selection of ornate vases adorning the various shelves. Pretentious prick, she thought as she turned her head to the left, then the right. She could just about pick out the faint sound of keys on a keyboard being repeatedly struck. Taking measured steps, she found her way by sound to a small study located just off to the left of the main hallway.

****

The door was already open a crack, just enough to allow Helix to get a clear view inside. Her eyes gleamed with delight as a wicked smile began to dance across her lips.

His name was George McCall. A software engineer from what Helix could recall. Not that it mattered - the only thing that mattered to her was the fact she had orders to execute him. She licked her lips, feeling the anticipation rising inside her.

He was sitting at his desk, his attention focused on the monitor in front of him. The light from a small desk lamp was the only illumination in the room. To his right there was a plate with a half-eaten sandwich on it, the edges curled up indicating it had been sat out for some time. His hands were moving across the keyboard, creating a strange percussive hum that filled the air. Here was a man completely consumed by his work that he was oblivious to the world around him.

Perfect.

Pushing the door open enough to allow her lithe body to slip inside, each step she took towards him felt like the agonising tease of the touch of a new lover. One after another, she closed the six feet in distance to him without being noticed. Her movements like those of a predator - practised, measured and precise. There was a momentary sense of George relaxing - then Helix struck.

Her arms wrapping around his neck, her forearm pressing savagely into his throat as she locked her chokehold in place. She leveraged his body, pulling him up and out of his seat slightly, removing any purchase he may have had as he felt his head being pulled back against her breasts. His arms flailed wildly as his legs kicked out, catching the underside of the desk and pulling the power cord free from the monitor. Helix could see George’s anguished face reflected back in the black screen. A dark, throaty chuckle escaped her lips as she held him tightly against her, enough to make sure she had his full attention but not enough to render him unresponsive. Happy that he was still of use to her, she lowered her head.

“I’m sure you’re wondering what I’m after,” She whispered into his ear. “Is it the data on your computer? The files in your safe behind the picture on the wall? The prototype you’ve got in your little laboratory down stairs?” Helix paused, letting his mind comprehend the possibilities. “Well, I hate to disappoint you but I hacked your computer an hour ago, the combination to your safe is your wife’s birthday and as for the prototype? I’m sure our science division will be able to whip something up within a couple of days, which means I don’t have to carry any potentially dangerous chemicals on my way out tonight.” George tried to shift his position.

“W…w…wwwhhaaa…”

“What? What? Is that the start of what do I want, dear George?” Helix pre-empted his strangled question. “Well, I’d have thought it was obvious by now. I want to kill you. Slowly. Intimately.” She tightened her grip now, making sure that George wouldn’t be in a position to resist her for much longer. “And I’m sure, with the last fleeting moments of your life, you’re wondering why…” Helix felt the resistance from his body fading now, his limbs becoming uncoordinated now. “Because I can and I like doing it.” 

There was one final burst of energy from George’s body, one that Helix recognised as the last hurrah, the futile, desperate attempt to escape, then he went limp. She kept the chokehold in place for another minute, keeping his head pulled tightly against her chest, then dropped his lifeless body to the floor. It took her less than three minutes to locate and remove the paperwork she needed from the safe in the wall. Turning on her heels, she left the building without a second thought.

Productive night. I wonder how Mirage is getting on?