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STATE OF THE UNION by Dale Ribbons Great editing and help from the peerless Steve Zink OUR CAST OF CHARACTERS: Fan Fiction, no copyright violation intended U.N.I.O.N.: The United Nations Intelligence Operatives Network. A covert peacekeeping organization founded in 1949. WILLIAM ?BILLY? WEBSTER: Billy and his brother Thomas were both employed by UNION, Billy in Research & Development, Thomas as a field agent. When Thomas disappeared on an assignment, Billy asked to be made a field agent in hopes of finding him. UNION command agreed to this, but only if he had an experienced agent as his partner. The agent assigned was Katherine Kord. Kat had misgivings about Billy, thinking that, as a ?lab rat?, he wasn?t up to field work. Despite her low expectations, Billy and Katherine proved to be an effective team. Billy has recently come to realize he has romantic feelings for Kat, but she has empathically told him that she wants to keep their relationship professional. KATHERINE KORD: Considered by many to be UNION?S best agent. Kat vehemently opposed Billy?s reassignment as her partner. That?s because she and his brother Thomas were secretly lovers, and Billy reminded her of the missing Thomas. Despite this, Kat and Billy have become quite a team, and even close friends. Kat recently spurned Billy?s romantic attentions, for fear of getting too close to him and seeing get hurt. YASMEEN: The most dangerous woman in the world. Yasmeen is an assassin and the chief agent of the evil Dr. Syn. She has a long standing hatred towards Katherine, and would love to see her die slowly. On the other hand, she thinks Billy is rather cute, and would like to spend time getting to know him better. Unfortunately, her ties to Dr. Syn and his devotion to UNION make that unlikely. When last seen, Yasmeen had been taken into custody by UNION. DR. SYN: In his public life, he is he head of a multi-billion pornographic publishing empire. Secretly, he is dedicated to overthrowing all current governments and systems of morality, and replacing them with a new hedonistic world government under his control. In his identity of Dr. Syn, he has created a vast criminal/terrorist network dedicated to helping him achieve these goals. HORATIO EDGEWARE: Until recently, Edgeware had been considered a rising star in the UNION hierarchy. But then, he was put in charge of a mission that washorribly botched, and had to be rescued by Kat and Billy. Ever since, he has viewed them with hatred, privately blaming them for ruining his career, and waiting for his chance to repay them. DR. MILO PEPPLER: A scientist working for UNION, and Billy?s mentor. Although skilled in many areas, Milo is, to be quite honest, kind of nuts. However, he is a very nice nut, and has befriended Kat. Milo is a bit of a lecher, and is always attended by his nurses/lab assistants, May and June. CONTROL: Each branch of UNION is run by a superior officer named Control., who in turn reports to the mysterious Commander, the founder and true head of UNION. The Control in charge of Billy and Katherine?s division is an amiable British gentleman. HARRY KAONA: Billy and Katherine?s mission handler. A large gentleman of Polynesian descent. CHAPTER ONE To the average person, it looks like a normal department store. What they don't know was that this J-Mart, like all J-Marts, was really a cover for a base of UNION. Katherine Kord parked her car and headed into the store. As she walked through the aisles, she thought about the last 48 hours. She tried to blot out the memory of the hurt look on Billy Webster's face. She had broken his heart, and she had done it deliberately. She kept telling herself that it was the right idea. There was no way she and Billy could start a relationship. They would be too worried about each other's safety to be effective partners and agents. She kept telling herself that was the real reason, not that she was afraid of seeing something happening to him. Like his brother Tom...her last lover. She walked past the manager's office (where the secret entrance to the actual base was located) and headed to the gardening section in the back of the store. Waiting in the shadows was the man she had come to meet...Horatio Edgeware. The fact that Horatio had asked her to meet him was curious. They had no love for each other. She thought he was an odious prick with a bug up his butt, and she knew he disliked her as well. But then he asked her to meet him alone, without mentioning it to anyone, especially Billy. Kat had to come, if for no other reason then to find out what was going on. "We can't talk here, Katherine," he said, "follow me to my car." "Okay," she said, as they drove off, "what's going on? Why all the secrecy?" "It's a very important mission," he said, "from the Commander himself. To be honest, I'd rather not involve you, but he insisted." "But why couldn't I say something to Billy? He's supposed to be my partner." "Because this is the most dangerous assignment you?ve ever had! If the damn 'lab rat' stuck his nose into it, who knows what would happen? It's bad enough to risk you on this..." Kat was quiet. Ordinarily, she would take umbrage with the way he talked about Billy. But there was something in his voice. This wasn't just Horatio's usual uptight attitude talking. This was serious! Soon, the car arrived at its destination, what appeared to be a veterinarian's office. But like the J-Mart, this appearance was deceiving. This was actually a UNION field hospital, designed for the care of special patients that couldn't be admitted to a regular hospital. Inside, Kat found another surprise. Behind the reception desk was the buxom Nurse May. Kat knew that if May was here, then her employer couldn't be far. Sure enough, Milo came walking out of the back with a smile beaming on his wizened face. "Goody," he said gleefully, "you're here, Kitty! Now we can begin!" Now Kat was worried. She knew Dr. Milo Peppler well, and loved the old man dearly, but she knew he was crazy as a soup sandwich. If this mysterious assignment required him, then it really was dangerous! Before she could say anything, Milo dragged her into the back. There she saw a large technological device of what purpose Kat couldn't even begin to guess. May's equally shapely sister June was standing over a hospital bed on which lay yet another surprising figure...Yasmeen! Kat's blood froze as she looked at the Arabian beauty laying on the bed, seemingly peacefully asleep. She looked somewhat angelic now, but Kat knew this was another case of appearances being deceiving. Yasmeen was the chief agent of Dr. Syn, and a ruthless killer. She was also the woman Kat hated most in the world. She remembered the last time she had seen her, as she was being carted off by UNION agents, swearing bloody vengeance on the woman responsible for her capture...Katherine. Kat remembered how many times she had seen her murder someone without remorse. How many times she had escaped death at the assassin's hands. "What is she doing here?" she said flatly. "What's going on here?!" "Well, you see," Milo began hesitantly, "it's kind of a long story..." "Milo's built a body switching machine," Horatio interrupted. "We're going to use it on Yasmeen so we can send an agent undercover in her body." Kat was stunned by this. Trust Horatio to come bluntly to the point. Suddenly, she had a realization as to why she was there. "NO FUCKING WAY!! There is no way in Hell you're going to put my mind in her body!! I'll resign first!!" Kat shoved her way past Milo and stormed out. Horatio ran after her, and caught hold of her arm outside. "Listen, I know it's bad. I know how much you hate Yasmeen. But look at it like this. This is our first opportunity to get inside Dr. Syn's organization. Think about how many innocent lives he's ruined, how many people he's killed. Now we can send you in, and you can cripple his operation from the inside. Think how much good you can do! Isn't it worth it?" Kat stared at him. She was livid, but deep down she knew he was right. Dr. Syn had to be stopped, and this might be their best chance, their only chance, to do it. Silently, she walked back into the building. "Okay," she asked sullenly, "how do we do this?" Milo smiled. "The first thing we do, Kitty, is run a few tests. Reflexes, blood work, heart rate, etc. Oh, and we have to ask you a series of questions. What's your favorite movie, that sort of thing. This is so we can determine it's really you when we revive Yasmeen's body." "I see," Kat said, "so Yasmeen's under some sort of sedation now?" "Well, it's more of a coma. No worry, though. There will be no after effects. She'll be as right as rain. I mean, you'll be." Katherine was not reassured. "I'm sorry, but I have to ask. How do you know this is going to work? How do you know you can actually swap our bodies? And if you can, can you swap us back after the mission's over?" "Well, I've run...a few tests," Milo smiled, looking at the buxom nurses, who giggled. "Oh, that's just too much information," Kat said, nauseated. Time passed. After changing into a hospital gown, Kat went through the tests and Q & A session. Milo said she was ready. Kat was told to lie on another bed next to Yasmeen's. The nurses put an IV in her arm, and Milo fitted a helmet onto her head. This helmet was attached by wires to Milo's device. He placed another helmet on Yasmeen's head. Kat begin to feel drowsy, the effects of the IV. She slipped into a deep sleep. It was not a restful sleep. There was a brilliant show of lights, followed by a tugging sensation and the feeling of flight down a long tunnel. It was terrifying, yet for some reason, oddly stimulating in an erotic fashion. Then it ended, followed by unconsciousness. Kat began to stir, with a fuzzy feeling in her head, and a stiffness all over her body. She saw Milo, Horatio, and the nurses standing over her. She tried to move, but realized she was firmly strapped down. Looking down at her arm, she saw it wasn't her normal skin tone, but was darker. It was Yasmeen's arm. "Oh...my god!" she cried. "It...it worked!" Before releasing her, Horatio asked the questions, although he knew there was no real point. This was Katherine Kord. Aided by the nurses, Kat stood up. She looked over at the other bed, and saw herself laying there. The stiffness passed, and Kat walked over to the mirror. Although she was prepared for it, what she saw there still shocked her. Gone were her blonde hair and green eyes, replaced by Yasmeen's jet- black mane and dark eyes. Katherine was now Yasmeen! CHAPTER 2 AUTHOR?S NOTE: This chapter introduces a character that wasn't on the 'Cast Of Characters' list. Oops. The only excuse I can make is that the COC was an early draft, and I'm making much of this up as I go along. Sorry, folks. Honolulu, Hawaii, 48 hours later. Harry Koana was a large and jovial man of Hawaiian descent. When I say large, I mean he was 6'3'' tall, and almost half as wide. When I say jovial, I mean he enjoyed wine, women, and song. This was fitting as he was the owner of Harry's Place, a local bar. However, this was all misleading. Harry's soft girth hid a good deal of muscle. You didn't want to get into a fight with him. And Harry wasn't all fun and games. That was just his cover. What no one knew was he was an agent of UNION. Harry was a mission handler, running operations from the bar's basement. His job was to supply field agents with information before they went out, then to keep tabs on them. Harry was the agents' lifeline, ready call in help at a moment's notice if things got too hairy. He was justifiably proud of the work he did. At that moment, Harry was staring agog at the sight of the most dangerous woman in the world standing in his lair acting like nothing was wrong. When Horatio Edgeware told him about this mission, he had trouble believing it. Body swapping? It sounded like something out of a crappy movie. But there was the proof. He had gotten to know Katherine Kord quite well, and the woman standing there...well, she didn't look like her, but it was her! Kat realized Harry was staring at her. It was all a bit much for him to take in. It was even more shocking for her. Every time she saw her reflection, she saw the face of a woman she had grown to hate. Every time she looked at her body, she saw the body of a stranger. Katherine was two inches taller and had longer legs, while Yasmeen's figure was slightly fuller. And then there were the odd feelings. Revulsion at being in Yasmeen's body combined with an odd feeling of erotic euphoria. Milo said this was perfectly normal, just part of the brain's neurons and synapses adjusting to its new operator. Kat was still worried, especially after the dreams she had of having sex with Billy in Yasmeen's body. Milo recommended she take a week to adjust, but Horatio insisted that time was of the essence. So, there she was, 48 hours later, about to go on the most dangerous mission of her life. "So, Harry," she said, hoping to shake them both out of their shocked states, "what's the next move?" "Oh...right. Well, after you make contact with Dr. Syn's people, you go to the hotel and wait for them to pick you up. With the transmitter implanted in your tooth, we'll be able to locate you no matter where they take you. Now, do you remember the safety word?" "Yes," she said, rolling her eyes, "Freaky Friday." "Good. You just say that, kiddo, and ol' Harry will call in the cavalry." "Yeah, I trust you, big guy. I just wish..." "You wish Billy was here, don't you?" "Yes. I've gotten so used to him being at my back. Since he's not involved, I feel...odd. As if being in a completely different body wasn't odd enough." "Yeah. It's kinda weird not seeing him here. Did Horatio explain why he didn't want him involved?" "Well, he said that the mission had to be kept as small as possible, the fewer people involved the better. I don't know, though. Ever since the Barcelona incident, Horatio has had a grudge against me and Billy. He had to include me in it, but I think he's deliberately snubbing Billy." "Hmm. It still seems odd to me. Why send you? I know you're a pro, but I think they could sent in an agent who wasn't part of a team." "Well, I got this 'plum assignment' because they wanted someone with experience with Yasmeen, someone who knew how she operated. I just happened to be the best woman for the job." The two went over the mission perimeters one more time. Then, Harry took Kat to the secret exit tunnel. Before leaving, the two hugged each other. It was a sweet moment...until Harry took the opportunity to pinch Kat's shapely new ass. Kat stared at him angrily. "Sorry, kiddo," he said, smiling sheepishly, "I couldn?t resist." Hours later, Kat was still walking through the streets. She could feel eyes on her everywhere she went. Part of this she attributed to Yasmeen's sexy body and tight clothes. But she also knew there were more sinister reasons for this feeling. Finally, the moment she had been waiting for came. A large man stepped out of the shadows and asked 'Yasmeen' to follow him. He led Kat into the back room of a bar where Kat saw another familiar face...Madame Rose. Madame Rose was a woman of African-American descent. When I say large, I mean obese. Her girth was accentuated by the clingy low-cut dress she wore that displayed a good deal of her ample breasts. She was one of Dr. Syn's operatives, specializing in kidnapping young men and women, and selling them into slavery. Kat and Billy had tangled with her before, but she had eluded capture, wriggling to freedom like a greased pig. Seeing her, Kat realized there were worse people than Yasmeen she could have become. "Yasmeen, baby," she cried, spreading her arms, "come give Madame Rose a big hug!" Ruefully, Kat did so. Madame Rose grapped her and planted a wet sloppy kiss on her cheek. As Kat wiped off her cheek, Rose motioned for her to sit down at a table with her. One of Rose's assistants brought over a bottle of wine and glasses. "Oh dear, let me tell you. Dr. Syn has been worried sick ever since you were caught by UNION. When did you get out?" "About 24 hours ago, I guess. It's hard to say. I wasn't keeping track of time when I broke loose. I've been wandering the streets, trying to find someone who could take me back to base. Like you say, I imagine the good doctor has been worried sick." "Oh, that's bad," Rose said, shaking her head, "UNION has probably got a large dragnet out for you by now. I can contact the boss and tell him you're loose, but he's probably going to want to wait until the heat dies down a bit. Can you wait it out, baby?" "I guess I'll have to. I'm staying at this hotel." "Oh, don't worry, baby. We'll find you." With that taken care of, Rose and her guest started drinking the wine, and talking about old times. 'Yasmeen' got uncomfortable when Rose started talking about their old mutual enemies, Billy and Kat, and how she would do them both if given the chance. The thought of being in bed with Rose almost made Kat wretch. That was enough. Kat got up, saying she had to go before it got too late. As she walked away from the bar, Kat thought how the operation was going, and found she still wished Billy was there. Harry?s Bar, later that night. Harry found he had a visitor at the back door of his secret lair. "Oh, it's you," he said, as he admitted the guest, "I wasn't expecting you. I received a call from Kat. She met up with Madame Rose. Everything's running smoothly so far." Then Harry noticed the gun in his visitor's hand. "What the..." he said, just before the gun fired three times. Harry slumped to the floor, a shocked look on his dead face. The killer went through the lair, destroying every log, every record Harry had made in the last 48 hours. The killer smiled evilly, thinking how well the plan was going. Westside Veterinary Hospital. 24 hours later. Nurse May was checking on her patient. She thought it was eerie. On the outside, the woman on the hospital looked like her friend Katherine, but inside was a dangerous killer. If she wasn't in a coma, May would be really scared. Checking the IV, May thought it looked odd. If she didn't know better, she could swear that the bag didn't contain Milo's sedative, but ordinary saline solution. That would mean the patient wasn't asleep, probably hadn't been for hours. May did not see the patient's arm raising behind her, swinging a metal bed pan with great force. May slumped onto the floor unconscious. Yasmeen rose up unhindered by the restraints which someone had left loosened. The plan had worked! She was in Katherine Kord's body, and she was loose! Time for some fun! CHAPTER 3 When Horatio entered the room, he found Yasmeen standing over Nurse May's unconscious body. "Good," he said, "you're awake. Now we can start. I've disabled the alarms, so the guards have no idea you're loose. You'll find Katherine's clothes in that closet over there. And you can change in the bathroom over there." But evidently, she felt no need for that. She simply stripped off the hospital gown and threw it in his direction. "Well, I see you're not shy." "HA! No one who works for Dr. Syn is! That's one of the job requirements! I hope you realized that before you decided to join up. If you have any reservations about being nude, you'd better drop them now...because eventually everybody's going to see what you've got!" As she was talking (and putting on Kat's panties), she stopped and raised a hand to her throat. Her voice had changed! It really struck her at that moment...she was actually in someone else's body! She thought back to when Horatio first told her about the plan. She had been arrested by UNION, and thrown in a cell. They interrogated her numerous times, trying to get her to give up information on Dr. Syn...without any success. When Horatio first visited her, she thought it was going to be another waste of time, but she was wrong. Instead of interrogating her, he offered her a chance at freedom...and an opportunity to get revenge on their mutual enemy, Katherine Kord. He told her about Dr. Milo Peppler, and his marvelous new invention, a body swapping device. Horatio's plan was to con Milo and Katherine into using the device to swap her mind with Yasmeen, supposedly as part of an undercover assignment. This was a lie. There was no assignment. No one knew about this plan except Horatio and Yasmeen. The implications became obvious to her. As the idea of becoming Katherine appealed to her, and as she had no other chance of escape, she eagerly agreed. But as much as she had prepared for it, finding herself in Katherine's body was a shock. Walking over to the full length mirror, Yasmeen got a really good look at her new body. Long blonde hair, alabaster skin, a lovely face, long legs, firm breasts...all in all, a great package. The only thing wrong was the ass. Yasmeen's own was a lot better. She squeezed it, and wondered if there were such things as butt implants. Suddenly, she was brought out of her reverie by Horatio's cough. "I know you have a new body, but examine it on your time. You've got work to do. The guards will be making their rounds soon, and you have to be ready to deal with them. Oh, I brought you these..." He handed her two plastic evidence bags. Inside were a stiletto and a revolver with a full clip and silencer. They were her weapons, impounded by UNION when she was arrested. "Be sure to wear these gloves with them," he said, handing them over. "After all, we don't want to smudge Yasmeen's fingerprints." Several hours later. Milo Peppler returned from lunch to find a horrible sight. Burke, Solomon, and the other UNION agents assigned as guards were lying in the reception room...dead. Even worse, someone had arranged their bodies in lewd pornographic poses. Stunned, Milo didn't notice someone was hiding on the other side of the door. Then, an arm wrapped around his throat and a gun nozzle was pressed into his back. "All right, old man," a sultry female voice said, "I need you alive so I'm not going to kill you. But the quality of that life depends on if you piss me off or not. Cooperate or else." The woman released Milo and turned to lock the door. Milo was shocked. It was his friend, Kitty. Her blouse, opened to give a good view of her lovely breasts, was covered in red stains. Milo knew what those stains were. He also knew this wasn't really Kitty, but the other woman...the killer whose body the real Kitty occupied. She gestured toward the back of the room with the gun. There, he was relieved to find May and June, alive but tied to chairs. He was also relieved to see Horatio, free and unharmed. "HORATIO, he shouted, "it's that girl...Yancy! She's escaped and killed all the guards!" "No, really?!" Horatio said, with a mock shocked look on his face. Milo realized what had happened. There was only one way she could have escaped. He had arranged it all...even down to which agents Yasmeen would kill. Horatio was a traitor. If Milo had been younger, less decrepit, he would have gone for his throat. But the little old man was powerless. "Why, Horatio?! Why did you do this?" "Why? Because I've devoted years of my life to this organization! I was the most loyal agent UNION had! But one mistake...one lousy damn mistake...and it's all gone! I became a laughingstock! A miserable little pencil pushing bureaucrat tied to a desk! And it was all their fault...that blonde slut and her geek partner!" "Kitty and Billy? But they saved your life...they saved the lives of all the agents you put in danger!" "Yes, they saved me...but only so they could rub my face in the dirt! Only so they could laugh behind my back! Well, I'm the one who will have the last laugh! She's going to wind up a wanted fugitive, hunted by her own follow agents...and he's going to die at his girlfriend's hands! And it's all thanks to you!" Milo was horrified. He could offer little resistance as Yasmeen strapped him onto one of the hospital beds. "Now," Horatio continued, "the question is...what to do with you? I was just thinking about handing you to Dr. Syn, but Yasmeen thought your old body wouldn't take the strain. So, we came up with another idea." "I wanted to see your machine in action," she said, with an evil smile, "I was asleep before. Horatio said it was easy to use once you knew how, so he's going to give me a demonstration." The two walked over to the unconscious, bound women. After a few minutes of debate, they untied the redheaded June and strapped her into the other hospital bed. They wheeled both beds over to the body swap device. Milo helplessly struggled as Yasmeen strapped the helmets onto June's and his heads. Horatio activated the device. Milo gave a yelp of pain before he and June started twitching. Within minutes, it was over. Both bodies lie still. Yasmeen went to the buxom redhead and slapped her awake. "June...June," she said, groggily, "is June all right?" Yasmeen smiled. The device worked! The old man was now in his eye candy assistant's body! She looked over at Horatio, who was examining Milo's body. He shook his mind. Milo's body had died from then shock. Yasmeen shrugged. No matter. The scientist lived on, and she now knew how to use the device. Horatio knocked the old man's body to the floor and strapped May unto the bed. Then, he and Yasmeen wheeled the two beds onto a waiting transport van. Yasmeen said she wanted to keep the other nurse alive in order to assure Milo's cooperation. Given Milo's special sedative, they'd be asleep for hours. Then the two disassembled the body swap device and stored it in the van. Horatio went through the hospital, checking to see if everything was in order. He returned with a file folder and a case holding computer discs. "There you go. All the information you need to pass for Katherine is in the file, and the discs contain all the schematics for the device. Now, I'm going to wait awhile before I return and find Yasmeen's escaped from custody, killing Milo and the guards in the process. Then, after you kill Billy, we'll contact Dr. Syn. He'll love having two agents undercover in UNION!" "Sounds like a good plan," she said, smiling. "Speaking of plans, I've decided to tweak yours a little. I want Billy Webster to live...so I can play with him a little." Right, like a cat plays with a mouse, Horatio thought. Knowing her rep, Billy would probably end up dead anyway, so Horatio was fine with it. "There's another part of the plan I want to alter as well," she said seductively, as she pressed herself against him. Horatio was surprised by this. He always viewed Kat as an enemy, so the thought of a romantic entanglement with her had never entered his mind. But here she was, sort of, kissing and caressing him. Horatio started to enjoy the physical contact...until Yasmeen stabbed him with the stiletto. Horatio slumped to the ground, a surprised look on his pale, dying face. "You idiot," she said, "you traitorous fool! You expected me to go back to Dr. Syn? Never! He treated me like a slave, always licking his boots and kissing his fat ass. He used me...abused me...and I had no choice but to come back for more. Well, thanks to you, I'm free! You've killed everyone else who knew about the swap! Katherine can be the slave now...if she isn't captured first! And I can enjoy my new life...and all the fringe benefits...like Billy Webster! I've always wondered what he was like in bed. Now I can find out! And it's all thanks to you!" She kissed the dying Horatio on the forehead before dropping her weapons on the floor. The original Yasmeen's fingerprints were the only ones on it. Whoever was in her body would be blamed for murdering all those agents...as well as Horatio! Yasmeen sauntered out with the files and discs, got in the van with Milo/June, May, and the device, and drove off into the night. Honolulu, Hawaii. Approximately the same time. Kat had spent the last 24 hours in a dinghy hotel room, waiting for Dr. Syn's minions to pick her up. She tried calling Harry, but he never picked up. So she went back to his lair. She found his body lying on the ground. As she knelt over her friend's cold body, she heard someone come down the staircase from the bar upstairs. It was two surfer dudes...or so she thought at first. When they pulled their guns, she realized they were UNION agents! "Freeze, bitch... Or we'll blow your stinking head off!" CHAPTER 4 Katherine stared at the two agents who were standing there with their guns drawn. They were young, probably fresh from the training academy, and highly agitated. Very slowly and carefully, she stood up and placed her hands on top of her head. She felt the hairpin there. Not much of a weapon against revolvers, but better than nothing. She hated to use it, but her gut told her she would have to if she didn't talk sense into them. "All right, it's okay. I didn't kill Harry. He's been dead for a long time. Check it out for yourselves." The two agents looked at each other. Agent A (let's call him that for brevity's sake) went over to the body, while Agent B kept Kat covered. Agent A examined Harry's body and nodded at his partner. Suddenly, Kat grabbed him and spun him so he was shielding her from Agent B. She had one arm wrapped around his throat while the other held the hairpin. "All right, this may look like an ordinary hairpin, but its tip contains a powerful poison. One scratch and your partner is dead!" This was a lie. The tip actually contained a knockout drug, but she wasn't going to let them know that. "Now," she said to Agent B, "I know I look like someone you've been told to look out for, but I'm not really her. I need to call HQ and have them put you in touch with Horatio Edgeware or Milo Peppler. The code words are 'Freaky Friday'." Agent B pulled out his cellphone with one hand while covering Kat with the other. He spoke quietly with the person on the line for a few minutes. An angry look came over his face. "You lying bitch! Control said there was no record of those code words! And Edgeware isn't answering his phone! Peppler either!" Katherine started to become very worried. If the code words were false, then the assignment wasn't real, and Harry was killed to keep him from telling anyone about it. That meant...this was all a trap! And if she was brought in, she would probably never see the light of day again! In desperation, Kat pushed Agent B toward A, sending them sprawling on the stairs, and dove for the panic button! A steel door slammed down between the stairs and the lair. Kat felt safer, knowing it would take hours to get through it, and by then, she'd be long gone. She ran out through the tunnel, thinking about her situation. Horatio had set her up! And by now he had probably disposed of all the evidence. Kat had to contact someone and convince them she wasn't Yasmeen. The home of Billy Webster, a day and a half later. Billy had had a depressing week. First the woman he loved had rejected him. That alone had made him consider resigning from UNION. And in the last day, he had learned Milo, the man who was like a second father to him was dead. The UNION medical examiner said he had died of a heart attack, probably brought on from seeing Yasmeen kill Horatio. Billy felt helpless and useless. As he sat moping, he received a call that would change his life. It was Katherine. She wanted him to come to her apartment. Thinking she had news about Yasmeen, he jumped on his motorcycle and raced over. She greeted him at the door, dressed in a form-fitting sleek red dress, complete with a low neckline and a slit on the side showing her long leg. "Well," he said, with a gulp, "I feel underdressed." He was dressed in a green t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers, and his brown hair was mussed from the helmet. "That's all right," Yasmeen said, "we'll make do." As he entered, she watched him, noticing he was still as lean and trim as she remembered. It was all the exercise from being a field agent. Billy noticed the lighting was down low, and the table had been arranged for a romantic dinner for two, complete with candles. "I hope you don't mind. I've spent the whole day preparing. I thought you would appreciate a nice, warm meal today." She stroked his cheek. "Just as I thought...you've been sitting around all day in the dark, depressed. You need a shave." Without letting him speak, she grabbed his hand and guided him into the bathroom. She sprayed lather over his chin and pulled out a straight razor. Billy thought for an instant she was going to slit his throat, but she started to shave him. "Katherine," he started to say, but she placed a finger on his lips. "No talking until I'm done. It would be a shame to nick that handsome face of yours. Hmmm. Maybe after we're done here, I can run you a nice, warm bath. Dinner will wait until you're done. Or maybe a shower. We could help each other with those hard to reach areas. You wash my back, I'll wash yours..." She finished shaving him, and Billy stomped out of the bathroom. He had reached the door when she grabbed his arm. "Oh, come on, Billy, don't go. We haven't had dinner yet, and I wanted to teach you how to tango." Yasmeen held out a remote control. With the press of a few buttons, music played...'Conquest' by the White Stripes. She tried to lead him in a few dance moves, but he pushed her away. "That's enough! This has gone too far! One of my best friends is dead...now you're making fun of me! It was bad enough when you ripped out my heart and stomped on it, but now you're turning it into a joke!" Yasmeen was stunned. She had realized a long time ago that Billy had feelings for Kat, but not that he had revealed it to her, or that she had spurned him. That really put a crimp in her plans. Quietly, she turned off the music and turned away. Then, with a smile briefly playing on her lips, she started making crying noises. Yasmeen knew no man with a heart could stand the sound of a woman crying. Billy closed the door of the apartment and slowly walked toward her. "Oh god, Billy. I've screwed it all up. I was so afraid of seeing you hurt or killed that I had to reject you. But then I talked to Milo. He told me I was being foolish. He said we made a beautiful couple. He said that when...if we got married, he'd like to walk me down the aisle. I didn't think much of it at the time, but that was the last time we talked. Now, that sweet old man is dead..." She spun around, embraced him, and buried her head in his chest. When she had a few raking sobs, he gently patted her bare back. Yasmeen dug her sharp fingernails into her palms. Then, with tears streaming down her face, she looked up at him. "Oh, Billy. I realize it now. I love you deeply. I want to be with you always! I know I was trying too hard, but I just don't want you to go! Please, please, forgive me!" Billy grabbed a napkin off the table and wiped her tears. Then, slowly, gently, he kissed her. A nice slow, gentle kiss. Yasmeen smiled at him, and led him to the table. Smiling sheepishly at each other, they ate the meal in silence. Then, they danced. Not a tango, but a slow dance to romantic music. Then, they kissed again. A deep passionate kiss that lasted for long minutes. Yasmeen took Billy by the hand, and led him toward the bedroom. Katherine's apartment, three hours later. Yasmeen sat in a chair, staring at Billy as he slept blissfully in 'her' bed. She was troubled. It all had been a game to her at first. She planned to have a fun little romp with him and then toss him aside when she was done. But something had happened. Billy had been the kindest, gentlest lover she ever had. All her previous sexual encounters had been short, brutal and often ended in violence. But Billy had shown her that it could be romantic and tender. She thought that Katherine Kord was an idiot for rejecting him, and didn't deserve him. But she was smarter than that. She decided that as long as she was in this body, she'd enjoy having his company. Yasmeen didn't realize it, having no experience with tender human emotion, but she was falling in love. Honolulu, Hawaii, approximately the same time. Kat ducked into the alley as the police car rolled by. She had abandoned her hotel room, worrying UNION might find her, and had spent the last 36 or so hours living on the streets. She hated hiding, but what could she do...she was a fugitive now. She knew she had to contact Billy. If anyone would believe her story, it would be him. Unfortunately, she had no money to call him. Suddenly, she was grabbed from behind. With an odd sense of relief, she saw it was one of Madame Rose's flunkies. He led her to a car where Rose was waiting. "Get in," Rose said, "I'm going to take you to a private airstrip. You're going home to Dr. Syn!" This did not fill Kat with confidence. As bad as things were now, she felt in her gut that they were about to get even worse! STATE OF THE UNION, CHAPTER 5 The limo drove to a private airstrip. The UNION agent now in the form of her most hated foe was hustled aboard a private jet so fast she could hardly catch her breath. As the plane taxied to take off, Kat could see Madame Rose waving goodbye. After the plane took off, the stewardess offered her a drink. Kat noticed she looked like an idealized version of a sexy stewardess...blonde, giggling, built like a brick house. She realized the stewardess was one of Dr. Syn's brainwashed bimbos, an innocent woman turned into a living Bill Ward cartoon. As Kat drank the smooth scotch, she started to relax. She became so relaxed that she immediately fell asleep. Kat woke up feeling refreshed and revitalized. She discovered she was no longer in the plane, but in a bedroom. It was completely white, down to the furniture, with an overhead fan cooling the otherwise warm air. She also found she was completely nude. She put on a nearby robe, which was flimsy and see-through. The drink had probably contained some sort of knockout drops. There was no way for her to know how long she had been asleep, nor exactly where she was. Another one of Dr. Syn's bimbos, this one dressed as a maid, entered bearing breakfast. She told Kat that the master was occupied and would see her later. She pointed out a wardrobe and dresser where she would find clothes to wear if she wanted to. After eating the tasty breakfast, Kat checked the wardrobe. The clothes there weren't much better than the see-through robe. Reluctantly, she decided on a skimpy bikini. After going outside Kat realized wherever she was, it was warm and tropical. Her room was in a cabana next to a large manor house. There were a lot of people frolicking around the grounds, including many of Dr. Syn's custom-built bimbos. There were also many famous celebrities and rich, powerful men there. Kat wondered how many of them knew about Dr. Syn's criminal record, and how many were guests of the rich, powerful pornographic publisher he posed as. Kat thought about what she had read about him in UNION'S files. Born with a club foot that looked somewhat like a hoof, the young Dr. Syn was mercilessly teased by the children with whom he went to school. They called him a satyr, so he decided to become one in reality, and revel in sin and debauchery. When he finally inherited the family's publishing empire, Syn turned it toward pornography...and made himself a billionaire! He decided to use these billions to finance his private dream: to create a new world order based on sin...where he would be king of all he surveyed! Kat grew bored waiting for her unseen host. Although she wasn't eager about their meeting, she thought if it had to be done, it was better to be done quickly. Suddenly, a golf cart drew near. Inside was Dr. Syn himself! A broad smile could be seen lurking past his bushy satyr's beard. "Ah, Yasmeen! I'm so happy to see you have managed to escape UNION! Though to tell the truth, I do so wish you hadn't killed all those people. All those agents were bad enough, but Horatio Edgeware and Milo Peppler were a waste! I could have used them!" Kat was aghast at hearing those names. They were the only people who knew she and the real Yasmeen had swapped bodies! "Also, you've made things extremely hot for yourself. UNION is going to be scouring the world looking for you! I'm afraid you're going to have to stay here under my protection until the heat dies down...however long that takes. Don't worry. I'm sure we can find some things to keep you from being bored." As he spoke, the stout man ran his hand up Kat's side, and copped a feel of her breasts. "Now, I'm going to be quite busy until later. We can have dinner together and discuss how to punish you for being naughty." With that, Dr. Syn squeezed Kat's butt. Then, he tapped his cane and the cart sped off. Kat was fairly revolted by his touch, but yet found herself oddly excited by it. This left her feeling more insecure than she already was. Since there was going to be a while to wait, Kat decided to tour the surroundings All the while, she felt unseen eyes watching her, and knew Dr. Syn's security was keeping tabs on her. Her suspicion about the manor proved to be true. It was on an island, completely surrounded by water. On her tour, she found where the communications was, but realized it was heavily guarded. She couldn't use one of the guests' cell-phones as that would have security coming down on her. And there was no way they would let her leave with one of the guests. So, she was trapped! Evening came, and when Kat returned to the cabana, she found the maid had laid out an outfit for her to wear. It consisted of a leather collar, black leather corset, black panties, black opera length gloves, stockings, black leather lace-up boots, and a fur stole. Wearing it, Kat thought she looked like a German cabaret performer. Although it had more material than the bikini, she felt more exposed in this! Kat sauntered toward the manor house. The feeling of dread and insecurity was growing every moment. She tried desperately not to think what Yasmeen was doing in her form, especially now that everyone who knew the truth was dead. A maid greeted Kat at the door, and led her into the basement. There, Dr. Syn was waiting, dressed in pajamas, slippers, and a robe. "Oh, I'm sorry, my dear, but dinner is going to have to wait. I have some unfinished business. In fact, why don't you come along and see." They walked, arm in arm, toward a cell. Inside were three women in dominatrix garb, and a man shackled on a table. Kat recognized him as Hoskins, another agent of UNION. "Another snoopy UNION agent," Dr. Syn sighed. "Tiffany, Meg and Alexia were interrogating him. Maybe you would like to have a go. I know how much you enjoy it." One of the dommes handed Kat a whip. She didn't want to torture Hoskins, but to refuse might alert their suspicions. She began to whip the unfortunate man. After a few strokes, she began to felt excited. When Dr. Syn stopped her, she realized to her horror, she had enjoyed it! Dr. Syn led her away, leaving the dommes to their 'fun'. "So, what's going to become of him?," Kat asked, trying to sound nonchalant, and trying not to feel guilty. "Are you going to kill him?" "Murder another UNION agent? Haven't you had enough, my dear? You know I prefer not to kill unless it's absolutely necessary. No, after we get what info we can out of him, I plan to have him 'reassigned'. I'm not exactly sure what his...HER new role will be. I hate to resort to making another maid, so hopefully something else will come to me." Kat was horrified! Dr. Syn had some way to turn men into women! She remembered something else from his file. He actually was a doctor, with a PhD in genetics! Obviously, he was more gifted in the field than anyone knew. She thought of all the buxom bimbos she had seen. Who knows many of them started out as men? The two entered a dining room where a feast was waiting for them. Kat ate little, but the doctor made up for that, eating the equivalent of two full meals without pause. That explains why he's so fat, she thought. During the meal, Kat began feeling odd. Her heart was fluttering and she felt excited and anxious. Looking at the doctor, with grease and pieces of chicken on his bearded face, she started to get weak at the knees. Suddenly, she remembered something else from his file. Women who had met him talked about having strange amorous feelings in his presence. The answer came to her. He had altered his own DNA so he produced pheromones that caused women to become 'hot' for him. And that included Katherine! "Now, let's talk about your punishment," Syn said as he wiped his hands and mouth. "You've been a very naughty girl." He pushed his chair away from the table and mentioned for her to come over. Kat did so reluctantly. Suddenly, he grabbed her by the arm and flung her across his lap with her face dangling toward the floor. Kat knew what was going to happen, and struggled to get away. Dr. Syn put one of his legs over her knees, trapping her. Then, he pulled down her panties and began spanking her. Kat was shocked at first, but then the amorous feelings overtook her. Her cries of pain turned into moans of pleasure. After twenty-five blows, Kat was placed on her feet. Dr. Syn stood up, grabbed her, and started to kiss her passionately. Unable to help herself, the woman appearing to be Syn's pet returned the kiss with equal passion. "Oh, Yasmeen. You always were my favorite," he gasped. He led her to his opulent bedroom. Kat was horrified beyond words, but couldn't help herself. She couldn't resist him! As they shed their clothes, she learned there were two more reasons he was called a satyr. He was exceedingly hairy, and he was...larger than the average man. As he lowered her down on the bed, she thought of Billy. Katherine's apartment, about the same time. Billy was doing pretty much the same thing with the woman he thought was Katherine. Dr. Syn's island, several hours later. Kat awoke, feeling sore and exhausted. She tried to sneak away from the sleeping doctor, but something stopped her. She saw she was wearing a metal collar, with a lock on its clasp. The collar had a chain which was contacted to a bracelet around his wrist. "You're awake! I'm sorry about the collar, but you've been so naughty that I've decided to keep a close eye on you. Think of yourself as Mary's Little Lamb. Everywhere I go, you shall follow! Now, come along. We can shower before breakfast." Dr. Syn walked into the bathroom, with Kat following close behind. Honolulu, Hawaii, about the same time. Madame Rose had received a phone call from someone she never expected: Katherine Kord! "Rose, just shut up and listen. It's me, Yasmeen. The real Yasmeen! And have I got a story to tell you!" STATE OF THE UNION, CHAPTER 6 Katherine Kord's apartment, approximately 24 hours later. The woman who appeared to be Katherine Kord looked at herself in the mirror one final time before leaving. She wanted to make sure everything was perfect before her meeting. She got in her car (well, it was hers now) and drove to the outskirts of town. There stood a dilapidated house. Outside it were two vehicles, a limousine and a van, both with darkened windows. 'Katherine' was happy to see them. This meant her guest had arrived. Inside the limo, Madame Rose was anxious. She still found it hard to believe that the blonde woman who looked like her enemy Katherine Kord was actually her dear friend Yasmeen. But she knew things, personal secrets that Yasmeen would never tell another person under duress. That was what made her believe the wild story of body swapping. Then Yasmeen asked her to fly in and meet with her...but not to say anything to their employer Dr. Syn. Reluctantly, Rose did what she asked, although she did bring along some of her boys in case of a trap. The two women got out of their cars. 'Kat' ran up and gave Rose a big hug. She knew Rose was still stunned by her new appearance, which is what made this so much fun! She took Rose by the hand, and guided her toward the house. Two of Rose's goons got out of the limo and started to follow them. 'Kat' stared at them with narrowed eyes. "Can you trust them?" she asked Rose. "I mean, can you trust them to keep their mouths shut? What I'm about to show you is not something I want to share with the entire world." "Oh, if I couldn't trust them, they'd be dead." The blonde mentioned for them to follow. Inside the house, they were greeted by a large man. Yasmeen provided introductions. "This is Aristotle. We've been friends for awhile. You'll find he's a man of few words. That's because Dr. Syn cut out his tongue. That's why he's joined my conspiracy. Hopefully, you'll want to join too...especially after you see what I've got for you." "Conspiracy? What are you talking about?" "Oh, didn't I tell you? I'm going to destroy Dr. Syn piece by piece." Rose was shocked when she heard this. She knew Yasmeen hated their boss, but didn't know how badly. She was talking about his destruction like it was nothing. She wanted to hear more. They went down into a basement. Yasmeen said that was where Aristotle was keeping their 'guests'. Indeed, there were two women chained to the wall. Both were very well built and dressed in sexy nurse uniforms (which were kind of dinghy). "Allow me to introduce you to Dr. Milo Peppler, and his lovely assistant May." "That's not Milo Peppler," Rose said, looking at the buxom redhead, "I've seen his picture. He doesn't have breasts that large." "True, he didn't used to," Yasmeen said with a smile. "But then again, I wasn't born a blonde. But all that's changed, thanks to this..." She pointed toward the body swap device, reassembled and sitting in a corner of the room. Yasmeen told Rose how Milo and Horatio used it to swap her with Kat, and how she used it to swap Milo with his assistant June. Now she planned to use it to destroy Dr. Syn. "Oh, I hate to say this, dear, but I don't think you'll get close enough to use it on him." "Rose, I'm not going to use it on him. I'm going to use it on you!" "WHAT?!?" "Think about it, Rose. Haven't you told me before that you'd love to be younger...slimmer? Wouldn't you love to be able to go down the street and have men chasing after you...and not because you're on a wanted poster? Imagine not having to worry about going to prison. Imagine being free of Dr. Syn...of never having to take orders from that fat goat again!" Rose started at Yasmeen. She was completely serious. The heavy-set black woman sat down on a chair. Silently, she thought about Yasmeen's offer. "Tell me more," she said, quietly. "What is your plan?" It was fairly simple. Katherine Kord would bring Madame Rose in as her prisoner. Rose would give UNION every scrap of information she had on Dr. Syn's operations. UNION would use this to cripple his criminal empire. Meanwhile, someone else would take over Rose's operations and sever ties to Dr. Syn, further hurting his operations. This person would be Rose in a new form, while someone else in her old body would be serving her time in prison. As far as Rose's minions, they would receive new bodies themselves if they cooperated. "But whose body do I get?" Rose asked. "Hmm, good question. Why not nurse May over there? She's not going anywhere." "Yancy, you bitch!" Milo shrieked. "You evil cow! It wasn't bad enough you killed June, but now you're going to put May in that fat witch's body!" Yasmeen walked over to Milo and slapped 'his' face. "First, the name is Yasmeen, you senile old coot. Quit calling me Yancy! Second, that's not even my name anymore. It's Katherine now. As far as May goes, if she behaves herself, and does everything she's told, she'll be all right. She'll be in Rose's body and in prison, but otherwise okay. Now mind your manners, or I'll let Rose's goons play with you. I'm sure they'll like that." Milo was silent. Yasmeen turned back toward Rose. She was staring at May intently. She could tell she was actually considering being her. Rose was hooked. "So, I get to be that sweet young and bouncy thing, and all I have to do is betray our former boss?" "Well, I'm going to ask another thing of you. I want you to take charge of Milo here. Put him...her through slave training. I'm going to want to use her brain in the future, and I want her to know who her mistress is." "Sounds okay," Rose said, "but I want something else in return." "What's that?" Yasmeen asked. She got her answer when Rose walked up and pinched her butt. "I've always wanted to know what Katherine Kord was like in bed. Her cute little partner Billy, too. Can you arrange it so I can find out?" "I think something can be arranged...once you've been switched with May, that is. So, do we have a deal?" The two women started laughing. They agreed to meet again in Honolulu a week from then. This would give Rose time to set up the transfer of power from herself to...herself. Yasmeen went back to Kat's apartment. As she slipped out of her clothes and prepared to take a shower, she thought of how well things were going. Suddenly, she heard a noise. Thinking it might be a burglar, Yasmeen quietly reached into the toilet tank and pulled out a fearsome looking weapon. She realized she was dressed in her bra and panties, but decided to give the intruder a thrill before she blew his head off. She burst out of the bathroom only to find it was Billy. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "I decided to make you dinner, you know, in return for when you did it for me. I heard you were in the shower, so I decided to surprise you." "Oh, I was surprised all right. You're lucky I didn't come out with guns blazing or you'd be really surprised. Still, it was a nice thought. I'll tell you what. I'll take my shower while you finish, and then I'll pretend to be surprised. Only this time, I won't have the gun. Or these, either." With that, she stripped off her undergarments and threw them at Billy. As he watched her slink back into the bathroom, the agent decided his feelings were correct. Katherine Kord wasn't in her right mind. STATE OF THE UNION, CHAPTER 7 The J-Mart parking lot, noon. "Okay, lover boy," Yasmeen said as she parked the car, "you lead the way and I'll follow...staring at your nice ass all the way." Billy blushed as he got out of the car. This was another sign of Kat's changes in behavior. Ever since Milo had died, she had been acting very differently. First she had changed her mind about their relationship. He didn't mind that so much. But she had proved to be sexually insatiable. It seemed to him like she wanted to have sex every night. Then she changed her style of dress, ditching her usual businesswoman attire for silky blouses that she invariably left unbuttoned at the top, exposing a nice view of her breasts. She had also started wearing shorter, tighter skirts, which gave everyone a nice view of her legs. There were other changes in her that bothered him. She seemed somehow crueler, harder, and less sensitive to others' feelings than she had before. Maybe Milo's death had hit her harder than it first appeared. Billy wished there was something he could do for her. Yasmeen had another reason for following Billy. This was actually the first time she had actually been there! Before today she had no idea UNION was using the department store as a cover for their base. She followed Billy into the manager's office. In the back was an empty closet. They stepped into it, and Billy looked at a mirror on the wall. Yasmeen realized this was a retina scanner. It was how the UNION agents activated the secret elevator (which the closet really was) that brought them down into the base's lower second floor...UNION HQ! Yasmeen followed Billy into Control's office. Each UNION branch was headed by an individual superior officer who went by the title Control. Billy and Katherine's Control was an Englishman in his late thirties. Like many UNION employees, he was kind of odd. He could be described as a combination of Mister Rogers and a character from a John LeCarre novel. "Ah, Billy and Katherine. Good to see you both. Are you both feeling well? Please, have a seat. Would either of you like a cookie? They're chocolate chip. Very tasty." Yasmeen sat down and stared puzzled at Control. He was not at all what she expected. "Now, I suppose you're wondering why I asked you to come in. It has to do with that naughty Yasmeen woman. As you know, we've been busy searching exceptionally hard for her since the...ugliness. So far we haven't been able to find her since she disappeared in Honolulu. But it appears a fresh lead may have turned up. You both remember Madame Rose." Billy shuddered. It was hard to forget that lascivious fat witch. "Well, UNION knows that she and Yasmeen are very close chums. We were somewhat surprised to learn Madame Rose has been in this very city and has just flown back to Hawaii today." Yasmeen inwardly smiled. Madame Rose was keeping to their plan and had left a trail. "And it seems she had some company with her when she left," Control said. "Milo's assistants, June and May. They have both been missing since the...ugliness." "I think I know where this is going," Yasmeen interrupted. "You want me and Billy to go to Hawaii and get on her trail." "That's right. And hopefully when you catch her, she'll lead us to Yasmeen. Unfortunately, there's a small problem. Billy isn't going with you." "WHAT? Why not?" Yasmeen cried out. "We need him to go to Milo's house. You know Milo was a brilliant inventor. We'd hate to see the wrong person get their hands on anything he left behind. And since Billy was his prot?g?, it's only fitting he should be the one to go through his house for such material." Yasmeen fumed. She had hoped to be able to have some fun on the beach with Billy. This was the first time her plan had worked against her. Then, she had another thought. What if Milo left some sort of record of the body swap project? Something that might reveal her true identity. She had to make sure it was destroyed. That would be a problem as she was going out of town, and had no idea where Milo's house was. But she had an idea. "Well, I guess I'll have to make due," Yasmeen said. "At least I'll have plenty of back-up. There are a lot of UNION agents who want to bring in Madame Rose and Yasmeen. I'll miss you though, partner." Over the next 24 hours, Billy helped 'Katherine' prepare for her mission. While he wasn't looking, she sent a message to someone who would take care of the situation for her. The next morning, Billy saw her off at the airport before heading to Milo's house. Milo's house was an unassuming two-story suburban house that didn't fit his reputation as a mad scientist. Billy walked in, taking note of what was there. Nothing spectacular caught his attention until he entered what he assumed was Milo's study. There were papers scattered all over the floor, books stacked haphazardly on the shelves, and diagrams pinned to the wall. He opened up a roll-top desk and found Milo's diary. It was filled with odd notes and figures. One entry near the end caught his attention. "Saw an episode of Buffy (THIS YEAR'S GIRL) today. The two girls were very nice looking. Yes, an intriguing idea." That was typical Milo. He would often watch a TV show, usually one with nice looking women on it, and become inspired. Usually whatever he was trying to make didn't work, and Milo would get bored and move on to something else. Billy tried to recall which episode that was, but couldn't. He saw another entry. "HE is really interested in my idea. HE said it could used to help UNION." Billy realized HE was Horatio Edgeware, and whatever Milo was working on had not only worked, but had drawn the interest of UNION higher-ups. Now Billy was really curious. He decided to go down into Milo's basement workshop. There he found bits and pieces of electronics strewn about, which was typical of how Milo worked. He saw one thing unusual...a table covered with books, DVDs, video tapes, and comic books. Standing by them was a blackboard with two lists on it. ACCEPTED: Iron Man # 202 Doctor Who (NEW EARTH) Buffy (THIS YEAR'S GIRL) Captain Planet (UNBEARABLE BLIGHTNESS OF BEING) Uncanny X-Men #151-152 REJECTED: Apple Geeks Big Wolf On Campus (SWITCH ME BABY) The Hot Chick Buffy (THE WITCH) Justice League Of America #166-168 There were more on these lists, but Billy was truly confused by what he had read. They seemed like an eclectic collection of different media. He wondered what their connection was, and why some were accepted and others rejected. He was so enthralled by these lists that he didn't notice Aristotle sneaking up behind him. He wrapped an arm around Billy's throat and held an ether-covered rag over his mouth. Billy tried to break loose, but was no match for the bruiser's strength. Billy slumped to the floor unconscious. Aristotle was glad he wasn't hurt, as Yasmeen gave him implicit instructions against that. His mission was to follow Billy to Milo's house, knock him out, and then proceed to his main objective. Several hours passed. Billy woke up feeling cold and smelling smoke. He was being shaken awake by someone...a fire fighter. Startled, Billy sat up. He had been lying on a neighbor's lawn. Looking around, he was horrified to see Milo's house was a blazing inferno. From his truck, Aristotle watched as Milo's house burned down to the ground. Guarding busty bimbos was one thing, but his true specialty was demolition and sabotage. He took a certain pride in reducing things to smoking ruins. He saw paramedics were tending to Billy, so he knew he would be all right. Aristotle drove off, sending a text message to Yasmeen that the mission was accomplished. Billy was pissed. Someone had just destroyed every clue to whatever Milo's last project was. He knew this was the handiwork of Yasmeen or some flunky. Too bad there was one thing they hadn't counted on...Billy's photographic memory. He remembered everything that was on Milo's lists. It would take research, but he would figure out how they were connected and what Milo was working on! STATE OF THE UNION CHAPTER 8 Control was troubled by Billy's report. One fact bothering him even more was that the arsonist knew Billy was going to Milo's house. "The most curious thing about this," Control stated, "is the fact that our mysterious arsonist left you alive. If he was under orders to dispose of all evidence, then why go to the trouble to spare you, Billy? Why not leave you in the building when it went up?" "I'm not sure, but I'm glad they did." "Well, yes, that goes without saying. But the very fact that you're alive is significant. If Yasmeen is behind this like we suspect, then she must want you alive for some purpose. This is fortunate, for although the arsonist destroyed Milo's records, you did memorize that list he made. Have you had any luck deciphering it?" "Not yet. There were a lot of entries, and it's going to take time to go through them all." "Well, I propose you take that time. Our enemy has no idea that list exists, and is probably feeling very secure right now. This should make things safe for you. I suggest you take a vacation. Make it appear you're just lounging around, recovering from your recent traumas while you're actually working on the list." And so, Billy Webster found himself in Hawaii. Since the woman who appeared to be his partner was already there, Billy and Control thought it would be an ideal location. Billy had little contact with 'Katherine' the first few days, as she was supposedly hunting down Madame Rose. Then, while sitting on the beach doing research on his laptop, the agent rec