Deep undercover for Europol.

It had taken nearly seven years for the opportunity for this case to be busted open. Every time it looked as if we might finally be getting to the very top of the pyramid structure of the Ruritanian crime families, then whatever underboss or Capo we had managed to gather damning evidence on refused to roll over on their crime lords and turn witness, no matter how sweet a deal or immunity they were offered. The culture of silence was simply too deeply ingrained. Stay loyal and take the rap yourself, and your family would be looked after generously. Turn rat and your wife, children and siblings would pay with their lives. It was ironically that loyalty t family that finally presented us with a chink in that seemingly impenetrable wall.

The largest Ruritanian crime family, the Korolevs, had recently accomplished a hostile takeover of the smaller Boyarov family. As part of the payment to ensure their future loyalty, Andrey Korolev had demanded that Nikitina Boyarova, the twenty-one-year-old daughter of the family's head, be surrendered as a hostage. This was a price that Grigory Boyarov was not prepared to pay. Instead, he had reached out to Europol, and in return for immunity for his family and witness protection for his daughter, he would assist in the gathering of evidence to bring Andrey Korolev to justice.

This is where I came into the case. A male police detective in his late thirties. I was of Ruritanian descent and spoke Ruritanian fluently, the only officer in Europol who could. Andrey was expecting Nikitina to be delivered; if she was not handed over, then the Boyarovs would be useless as double agents. I, with the use of an X-Change clone pill, would take her place. This would put me in the heart of the Korolev organisation; Andrey would want to keep his hostage as close as possible.

I looked at the photograph of Nikitina Boyarova one last time; the clone pill and a glass of water were already on the table, ready for me to swallow. No wonder Grigory doted on his daughter to the point of betraying the code of silence for her. The young woman was, by any standard, stunningly beautiful. High cheekbones and delicate facial features coupled with a lithe and feminine figure meant she could easily have been a supermodel. Instead, Nikitina had embraced her family's business and served as one of her father's lieutenants, her beauty and value as a capable foot soldier being yet more reasons Andrey had demanded her as a hostage.

I picked up the small pink pill; it was one of a pair, the choice variant of X-Change that had no time limit; only the paired pill that was safely stored in Europol's headquarters vault could reverse the transformation. I did not hesitate, popping the pill into my mouth and immediately washing it down with a mouthful of water. I took a deep breath and shrugged off the loose bathrobe that was my only clothing. I gripped the edge of the table in front of me so hard my knuckles whitened as I felt a warm glow and a tingling sensation spread through my body in just a few seconds. The transformation into Nikitina Boyarova was beginning.