The supporting cast

The next morning, I was in Langley at CIA headquarters for my briefing, and to meet the rest of my supporting cast. Well, that's the way I looked at it at first. After all, I was the star of the show. They were quite a cast of characters to say the least. From Interpol there were agents Marcella De Blondin, a very sexy French redhead, and her partner Hans Gruber from the Netherlands. Next to them sat a no nonsense, statuesque blond named Alexis Carrington from MI-5. On the opposite side of the table sat the Hindi intelligence officer Azwonne Patel, a grim looking fellow who had striking features that could scare a cockroach back into hiding on a permanent basis. The person next to him was a petite, lovely dark-skinned, dark-haired lady named Alayja Saahira. She smiled at me as I sat down next to her.

"You must be the chosen one," said Alayja. "Lara Morgan? I am Alayja Saahira of the India intelligence bureau. This is my partner Azwonne. He may look frightening, but he's really a big teddy bear."

Azwonne looked over at us and smiled. Even his smile was intimidating. "I'm pleased to meet you both," I said as I took her hand.

The last ones to show were the CIA operatives, and the director who sat at the head of the table. The CIA operatives were both women, Traci Dogget, another tall blond, and Melanie Pervis who had chestnut brown hair. Once they were all seated, the meeting began.

The director opened a rather thick file and rifled through it. "We are all aware pf who this man is," he regarded everyone. "Some of us are more familiar with him than others." He looked directly at me as he said this. "I don't want this mission compromised in any way, shape, or form. Is that understood?"

I looked at him, quizzically. "With all due respect sir, if you don't have confidence in me, then why am I here? I may have a past connection to bin Saladin, but that doesn't mean I won't handle the task of bringing him to justice in an unprofessional manner. I know first and foremost that I am going in as an intelligence gatherer, and that is what I intend to do. I will do whatever needs to be done to bring him to justice. i am not out for personal ****, if that is what you're concerned about."

The director's gaze softened. "Forgive me, Miss Morgan. We've already lost two agents who have gone in undercover. we have no idea of their whereabouts. We don't know if they're alive or dead. For all we know they may have been sold into slavery. We don't want the same thing, or worse, happening to someone else. That's why it's extremely important you play your part and stick to that part. Don't try to be a hero."

"I assure you sir; you can count on me."

I had no idea that two other agents had vanished while doing the same thing I was about to embark upon. Again, I could not help but get a bad feeling, but I pushed it aside. I had to do this now more than ever. Perhaps I could find out what happened to the two missing agents. Intelligence gathering would have to come first, but I didn't want to leave the missing agents behind. I told myself I would find them.

The rest of the meeting involved getting familiar with everyone. I would be reporting to them in a safe house with all the information I would be able to gather. They would keep me under surveillance at all times. Since my nipples had been pierced, it would be easy enough for me to wear a tiny GPS transmitter that I could activate or deactivate when I needed to.

After all the technical side of the operation was taken care of, I was given my cover story. I would pose as a college student who took a year's leave to see the sights of Europe and India. I was given a passport that reflected the cover story very well. I was no longer Lara Morgan. I was now Chloe Breedlove. That's quite a name for a future porn star, isn't it? It beats being nicknamed Doggy or Pervy like my two CIA compatriots.

My next stop would be Mumbai India. Once there, I would be the victim of a staged robbery who needed a quick way to recover her losses. I would be staying at the same hostel where the other two agents were recruited to join bin Saladin's production company. It was all now just a matter of time.