Prologue: Aboard the Palm of Royalty

The life of a secret agent can, occasionally, be quite glamorous, if you can manage to forget the kind of company you're keeping. Adder's wine and auction party in Egypt-- the target of Operation First Plague-- had been one such. That night had ended in unforeseeable consequences, as you'd been infected with Adder's Bound Blood 1000, along with countless of the world's terrorist population, effectively binding those guilty but unfortunate souls in what may be thoughtless servitude for the rest of their remaining lives. Once again, you'd ventured to a picturesque spot: one of the world's most exclusive cruise liners for the famous and wealthy, The Palm of Royalty. This massive casino cruise liner was recognizable by the decorative palm trees lining the deck by pool-side and the strange adornment of a golden-outreaching hand near the bow of the ship. One could easily wonder which palm the ship had actually been named after...

A mission like this came with other perks, besides just the gambling and the lavish amenities. In this case, it also meant being treated to the rare sight of your fellow agents in swimwear. To keep in camouflage, both Au Revoir and Vaarvel had dressed down, flanking you on either side with an impressive display of muscle and womanly appeal. For Au Revoir, the "gear" this time included a close-fitting bikini with blue paneling and white bands-- a little sporty, but still catching the eye from every angle. Her feet were totally bare, which you wondered if she might regret once you stepped onto the hot boards of the main deck. Still, pushing that silliness aside, you imagined the effect she might have with her hair down and glistening wet from the pool... you wouldn't see a girl of her size in a Bond film, yet, there was still something to her. Any time she caught you looking, she simply grinned from ear-to-ear with shameless satisfaction.

Vaarvel, on the other hand, had somehow adopted a tan Arabian complexion with long, braided black hair. Her striking brown eyes were still the same as ever, though with no mask framing them, and her luscious body was every bit as curvy as she appeared in her normal mission gear. Rather than that form-fitting catsuit, she wore an outfit leaving even less to the imagination: a gold, one-piece swimsuit, backless and tying at the neck with a halter top. At first, you thought she was also grinning each time she caught you stealing glances... But it would be more accurate to say that was simply her resting face. Whatever the case, she still seemed perfectly confident, even in enemy territory with no more equipment than skimpy swimwear and sandals.

As for you... this wasn't the time to be conservative. You'd come dressed in black swim-trunks and sandals, looking a bit like early days Sean Connery in a beach scene. It would be a good chance to show off for the girls, if it wasn't for the fact that noth were so toned comparatively.

The other party-goers were about fifty/fifty dressed in swimsuits or in their fancy party clothes. It would have been nice to occupy the latter group, just to have more pockets, but both of your gadgets were so small this time you could effectively hide them in the inside band of your trunks. It wasn't the most dignified way to do it, but it may actually be more discrete than using the pockets of a gambler's vest.

As much as the three of you would love to enjoy the sun-- and you would personally like to apply sunscreen to your fellow agents-- the mission was the top priority. Forging your way onto the Palm of Royalty had not been especially difficult, but sneaking onto the lower decks where Nora was waiting wouldn't be so simple. There were certain parts of the ship that only Adder personnel were going to have any way to access. Working your way in there would take an application of either wits and guile... or explosives large enough to inform the whole ship of your presence.

"One factor we have in our favor, Ciao, is that Adder probably imagines they've got the whole ship waiting on their code-words for some kind of attack, us included. I doubt they've prepared much in the way of trained gunmen as guards for each block. Getting to Nora at the meet-up point should be a matter of working through just a precious few victims," Vaarvel informed me, speaking with a slight Middle Eastern accent rather than her usual sultry South American.

"Ha ha! This is a great chance for Au Revoir to prove her strength in unarmed combat! Please, please let me have the lead. Whether they are armed or not, male or female, big or small, I will show you my technique," Au Revoir pitched in, patting one fist into the opposite palm as her teeth sparkled in an inviting grin that didn't match the menace of her words.

"No no. If you think carefully, I imagine you'll see that this is the perfect time for my talents to shine. I can silently take out a few targets without alerting a soul." Vaarvel grabbed one of your hands and squeezed it encouragingly-- not very professional for an agent on the job...

Au Revoir countered by pulling you in closer to her side, laughing and squeezing your entire face into her sizable bosom. "Au contraire! Your way is slow and boring. My way is fast and exciting! Ciao knows the right answer already. He knows!" If you didn't want to go Au Revoir's way, you were going to have to trust that she wasn't going to throw a hissy-fit that would break your spine in the process... it felt like it would be the simplest thing in the world for her to do so.