BLACK CARDINAL
IN

PERFECT!

Part One

Becca had lost all track of time and did not know how
long she had been conscious she figured that hours had
passed since she had been abducted, since she had been
chloroformed. Now she lay on a hard floor, her arms
bound tightly behind her back, her ankles bound
tightly together. Her eyes were closed; she felt what
she supposed were cotton wool balls pressing down on
her eyelids secured by some form of tape or bandage. A
thick rag had been forced in her mouth and secured
tightly, then covered by some adhesive tape, which had
been wound tightly over it. She could not speak or
see, totally helpless and at the mercy of whomever had
kidnapped her.

She remembered… fragments of what happened, it
had begun with a phone call from control that had
instructed her to report to headquarters immediately.
She had returned home sometime later feeling very
tired the meeting had been long and tedious. So tired
was she, that the signs there being an intruder in her
apartment were not noticed immediately, and then it
had been too late. Something hit her from behind;
Becca sank to the floor her world now a spinning
vortex of stars and swirling colours. Before she could
react she was grabbed from behind her arms were pinned
to her body by a strong arm and a thick pad was forced
over her mouth and nose. A sweet sickly aroma began to
assault her senses, the word shot into her mind in a
second ‘Chloroform!’

The world around her began to grow dim her vision
blurring as the drug began to sap her strength. With
all the strength she could muster Becca kicked back
slamming the back of her head into the face of her
attacker. There was sickening thud and cursing as her
attacker was clearly caught by surprise at her
maneuver, his grip on her was lost and Becca was able
to take in fresh air. Before she could get her
bearings he was on her again. This time he grabbed her
around the waist pulled her against him as he fell
back onto the sofa then locked his legs around her as
he forced the thick cloth back over mouth and nose.
Becca was held firm no matter how she tied to break
free, the chloroform was slowly sapping her strength,
and her arms were becoming so very heavy. “That’s it
Black Cardinal struggle, as hard as you can, breathe
in the chloroform and go to sleep, sleeppppppp,
sleeeeepppp”.

Becca was slowly descending into blackness, he was
too strong, she had no leverage and could not break
free of his iron grip and the chloroform was
overpowering, she was being suffocated by its cloying
sickly odor. Becca sank into the black abyss, his
laughter echoing in the distance. “Sleeeeppppp”.


Now, she lay helpless in her attackers clutches,
everything was quiet. Becca could hear nothing, she
suspected she was alone. But she could not be certain,
she lay in silence allowing her strength to return and
awaiting the arrival of her captor.


“Are you hungry?”

Becca reacted startled. He was in the room, she had
not detected his presence, and no doubt he had been
sitting quietly gloating.

“I said are you hungry?”

Becca did not make any response, she was very hungry
as it happened but she did not dare acknowledge him.

“You’ve been unconscious for some considerable time,
I’m sure you’re hungry, but if you choose to play
tough lady that’s fine by me. I however will have
something to eat”.

The smell of bacon and eggs wafted over her. Becca
started to twist at her bonds trying to loosen them.

“Oh you really are quite entertaining Miss Cardinal I
could watch you struggle away all day, please do
continue”.

Becca grew angry at his taunting. “MmmmmmPPPPphhhh”.
She screamed through her gag.

“Oh bravo, bravo. You really are an intriguing
specimen”.

Becca stopped her struggles; all it was achieving was
providing him with a perverse form of entertainment
and depleting her energy. She lay still her heart
pumping like mad from all her exertions.

She heard his footsteps as he approached, felt his
hands brush her thighs. “Oh so lovely, so very
lovely”. He cooed. “Now Miss Cardinal would like to
talk?”

Becca’s initial reaction was to shake her head; the
last thing she wanted to do was to talk to this
fruitcake. But commonsense over rode her initial
thoughts. She had to find out who he was and what he
wanted with her. Slowly she nodded.

“If you plan to try and cry out, let me tell you that
you are in a cellar and there is no one around who
will hear you. Besides if you do try to cry out I will
use the chloroform again. Do you understand?”

Becca nodded.

“Very well”. He said.

Becca felt the tape being peeled away then the
pressure on her mouth was released as the thick cloth
was removed.

“There, how’s that?”

“Better, thank you”. Becca responded, then mentally
admonished herself.

“I’m so pleased to be able to talk to you at long
last”.

“Who are you and why have you brought me here?” Becca
demanded.

“My, my, we are spirited aren’t we”.

Becca was beginning to become angry, she had to fight
to maintain control.

“Ah, Miss Cardinal I have so wanted to meet you for
such a long time. In answer to your questions, my name
is Stannous, Karl Stannous”.

“Karl Stannous the industrialist? And the second
richest man in the world”.

“Oh I see you have heard of me! I am delighted”.

“What do you want with me?” Becca demanded.

“Well Miss Cardinal that is as you Americans say the
$64, 000 question. Quite simply I want you to become
part of my collection”.


To Be Cont…



BLACK CARDINAL

IN

PERFECT!

Part Two


Becca was stunned. “Collection?” She exclaimed.

“Of course, I have chosen you to become part of my
collection of rare and unique art”.

“You’re insane!”

“Oh, I assure you, I’m quite sane Miss Cardinal. I
have scoured the world seeking objects of beauty,
exquisite objects that are rare and unique. I have the
most extensive art collection in the world and you my
dear are to become the next addition”.

“You’ll never get away with this, my people will track
you down and then you will be sorry”.

“Ah yes, the all powerful Section Two, defenders of
the free world. They will of course be searching for
you; having by now deduced that you have been abducted
and no doubt turning the globe upside down in trying
to determine who was responsible”.

“It’s just a matter of time before they find me”.
Becca stated.

“I very much doubt that, they have no reason to
suspect me. They will conduct extensive inquiries but
they will not find you Miss Cardinal to all intensive
purposes you have vanished from the face of the
planet”.


Becca felt a deep sinking feeling in her stomach;
somehow she knew he was right. Why would Section Two
suspect him? They would certainly go after all her old
adversaries and discover that they were chasing their
tails. She was alone and could expect no help.

“I would love to continue our chat but I have much to
do, so I’m afraid we must end here”.

“What happens now?” Becca asked.

“Now? Now, Miss Cardinal you must go to sleep while I
have you moved to you new home”. Stannous produced a
cloth and a small bottle of chloroform. Which he began
to pour the liquid onto the cloth.

Becca caught the faint smell of the drug and started
to struggle at her bonds. “You, you don’t have to drug
me again, I won’t give you any trouble, I…”

“I’m sorry Miss Cardinal but I do not believe you, you
are an exceptional woman being Section Two’s top
agent. I do not expect you would go without putting up
a fight… I do not wish to have any of men injured.
Besides; I don’t want my prized acquisition getting
damaged”.

With that Stannous forced the chloroform soaked pad
over her mouth and nose. Becca shook her head trying
to keep the pad away.

“No, don’t do this! Nnnnooommmppphh!”

“Just breathe Miss Cardinal and go to sleep”.

The sweet cloying smell began to take effect, bound
tightly as she was Becca couldn’t fight.

“That’s good just inhale the fumes and relax”. He
cooed”

Becca felt him stroke her hair as he spoke soothingly
to her. Slowly she sank back into the warm blackness.
His patronising voice angered her, clearly he was
enjoying chloroforming her.


“That’s it, don’t fight it, just relax Miss Cardinal
and sleeeeppppp, Sllllleeeeepppppppppp”.


To Be Cont…


BLACK CARDINAL

IN

PERFECT!

Part Three

Becca awoke in a groggy haze. She sat up slowly,
trying to focus on her surroundings. She was in a
small room that looked exactly like her bedroom of her
apartment. She could move free now being untied.
Slowly she stood her legs a little unsteady. Becca
began to take in her surroundings, sure enough the
room did look exactly like her own, yet it was bigger,
wider.

“I’m pleased to see you are awake Miss Cardinal”.

Becca turned Karl Stannous stood watching behind what
looked like some kind of transparent wall.

“How do you like your new home? I had it designed to
look just like your apartment, I even brought your
clothes along”.

Becca opened the large wall closet and sure enough her
clothes hung there along with others she had not seen
before.

“You see I have provided you with everything you could
wish for. I want you to be happy here”.

“Happy!” Becca exclaimed I’m nothing more than a zoo
animal kept caged for your warped amusement, how can
you possibly expect me to be happy?”

With that Becca picked up a chair and threw it at the
transparent wall. It bounced off harmlessly.

“Oh, jolly good Miss Cardinal. Jolly good!” Stannous
exclaimed. “I can see you are going to be a delight to
get to know.

“I wouldn’t count on that Stannous”. Becca replied
defiantly.

“We’ll see Miss Cardinal, we’ll see”. With that the
lights outside Becca’s cell went out Stannous vanished
and she was left alone.

As best as she could tell her cell consisted of three
rooms. The bedroom with a large bathroom which had the
wc, shower cubicle and bath tub. The third room was
small consisting of a sofa a large arm chair, a book
case consisting of a selection of her favorite
authors. Lastly a rather up market CD player with a
wide selections of disks again all to her taste in
music. Becca was unsettled by this clearly Stannous
had conducted some intensive research on her tastes
prior to having her kidnapped.
Stannous was a very dangerous man, Becca realised she
was in dire peril.

To Be Cont…


BLACK CARDINAL

IN

PERFECT!


Part Four

Becca’s sleep was troubled, yet she could not
ascertain why? Over the years she had taken on many
deadly adversaries, yet Stannous unnerved her. He
clearly was a meglo-maniac, totally without scruples
or conscience. He thought nothing of others, his only
agenda seemed to be acquiring the things he wanted
regardless of weather it would break the law. To him
the end justified the means. The way he brushed aside
possible retaliation from Section Two if they
discovered her whereabouts, as being of no
consequence; that if nothing else worried Becca. No
one dismissed Section Two if they had any sense.

Becca awoke to see a breakfast tray on her bedside
table, how it gotten there she did not know.

“Good morning Miss Cardinal”.

The lights outside the transparent screen came on to
reveal Karl Stannous.

“Please do not let me stop you having your breakfast”.

“I think I’ll pass”. Becca spat.

“Oh I really must insist you eat I would hate for you
to become ill”.

“I’m not hungry”.

Stannous just smiled. “As you wish.”

“What do you want Stannous?”

“I thought I’d take you for a walk, would you like to
be let out of your room?”

“Out of my room?”

“Yes I’d like to show you something”.

“Ok’ lets go”.

“Not so fast Miss Cardinal. I have two conditions”.

“What are they?” Becca asked.

“Firstly, you have your breakfast”.

“And the second?”

“The second is you get cleaned up and wear that rather
sexy tight fitting black jumpsuit and boots hung up on
your closet door”.

Becca turned to see her jumpsuit. He had thought of
everything, a surge of anger began to rise within her,
stannous was exceptionally adept at manipulation.

“Alright”. She replied.

She ate her breakfast slowly trying hard not to show
she wasn’t hungry, which of course she was. In fact
she was ravenous. Stannous sat watching her as she ate
clearly enjoying the spectacle.

Finally Becca picked up her jumpsuit and entered the
bathroom. She showered ensuring there was plenty of
steam to stop any hidden cameras spying on her.

When she entered her bedroom, she stood before
Stannous hands on hips.

“This what you wanted?”

“Magnificent!” He exclaimed “You truly are a work of
art Miss Cardinal, perfect in every way”.

Becca suddenly noticed a wheel chair by her bed.

“Please sit in the wheel chair Miss Cardinal and place
your arms on the side rests”.


Reluctantly Becca did as she was directed. Then with a
loud click her wrists and ankles were suddenly locked
in place by metal manacles.

“I apologise for the restraints but they are quite
necessary”.

Becca watched helplessly as the transparent screen
began to silently rise allowing Stannous to enter her
cell. The metal restraints held her fast.

“Now you are secure I will give you a tour of my
collection”.

Becca sat quietly as he wheeled her out of the cell
and down a very long corridor. Passing through a pair
of large ornate wooden doors into a huge room. This
Becca realised was where he kept his art collection of
which she had become its most recent addition.

To Be Cont…

BLACK CARDINAL

IN

PERFECT!

Part Five


The collection room was enormous, along the walls were
various pieces of art some obscure and unknown. Others
however Becca could identify. As Stannous pushed the
wheel chair through the room she gasped, no it
couldn’t be! Could it? There on the wall hung the Mona
Lisa and the Laughing Cavalier.

“So what do you think of my collection Miss Cardinal?”


“It’s a very impressive range of fakes and Copies”.

Stannous laughed out loud. “Fakes? Copies? Oh dear
lady do you honestly think a man of wealth and power
like me would surround himself with mere fakes and
copies?”

Becca was startled. “You mean to say, that, that all
these are…”

“Genuine. Yes everything here is as you Americans
would say, the real McCoy. Everything is the original.
From the Mona Lisa to the Venus de Milo”.

Becca was speechless. It wasn’t possible surely.

“Allow me to show you the prize exhibits of my
collection Miss Cardinal”.

Becca was taken to a far alcove the Egyptian section,
there she noticed a number of sarcophagus.

“These belong to the Pharaoh Ramesses the great and
his Queen Neffertiri. Archeologists have been
searching for them for over a century. Their bodies
were thought to be lost, desecrated by tomb robbers.
But here they are resting in peace as they should be”.

Becca said nothing she was dumbstruck he truly did
have a fantastic collection.

“This will be of interest to you Miss Cardinal”.

Becca turned and gasped.

“I see you recognize it. As you should, I doubt there
isn’t a man or woman alive in the western world who
would not know this world famous artifact. The golden
death mask of the boy king Tutankhamun”.

“You’re going to tell me that that is the original as
well right?”

“It is the original Miss Cardinal, as discovered by
Howard Carter when he opened the tomb of the boy king.
The mask is priceless and one of my favourite
acquisitions.

The tour continued Becca was shown rare paintings,
unknown De Vinci’s as well as many of his drawings.
All totally unique and irreplaceable.

“So let me get this right all these are the genuine
articles and the objects in museums and collections
around the world are all…”

“Fakes and copies as you stated earlier”.

“But if that’s the case, why…”

“Why hasn’t anything been said? Why haven’t
governments and collectors around the world cried foul
play?”

Becca nodded. “Exactly, Section Two would have been
alerted immediately”.

“The reasons Miss Cardinal are two fold. Firstly, for
the most part no one is aware that they have a
fake/copy. The substituted articles are of such high
quality that it would take a time consuming and very
thorough examination by an art expert to be totally
sure. Secondly, if it is discovered the embarrassment
would be so acute that no government or collector
would want to admit to being in possession of a
fake/copy. The ramifications would be quite dire”.

Becca sat quietly assimilating this information, he
was right the political implications alone were
explosive, governments could topple and countries
descend into chaos.

“Is there anything you don’t own?” Becca asked.

“There is much I have yet to acquire Miss Cardinal. I
do not possess the original Magna Carter of England,
or its royal crown jewels, which are held in the
vaults of the Bank of England. The one’s shown to
tourists in the tower of London, are of course
fakes/copies, those British are so clever, I must
confess those fakes/copies are fantastic pieces of
work. Then of course there is the United States
Constitution as signed by your founding fathers. I
will eventually add them to my collection, it is just
a matter of time”.

Becca was astounded at his matter of fact manner, his
arrogance, yet she realised there seemed very little
that he could not accomplish.

Stannous began to wheel her out of the collection
room, back past the immense collections of priceless
art.

“So where do I fit in to all this?”

“What do you know of Mata Hari Miss Cardinal?”

“Mata Hari? She was a woman spy during the first world
war, as I recall she was caught, tried and convicted
of espionage, and shot”.

“Indeed she was, Mata Hari was the most effective
female spy of her age. Beautiful, sexy and shrewd, the
perfect woman. You my dear Miss Cardinal are her; or
rather her embodiment in the twenty first century”.

“I think you over estimate me Mr Stannous, I’m no Mata
Hari”. Becca replied quite bemused.

“In comparison you are, Miss Cardinal, in every way
and more besides. That is why I brought you here. Mata
Hari was the greatest female spy of her time. You are
the greatest female spy of your time. Like Mata Hari,
you are the perfect woman and now you are part of my
splendid collection”.

To Be Cont…


BLACK CARDINAL

IN

PERFECT!

Part Six

Becca awoke to find herself laying on her bed, the
affects of the drug lingered she was groggy and weak.
It took a considerable effort to sit up and support
herself against the wall. It happened as they were
returning from the collection room, Stannous brought
the wheel chair back to her cell.

“I hope you enjoyed the tour Miss Cardinal”.

“Yes, it was very informative”. She had replied, her
mind reeling from what had taken place.

“I’m so pleased, you now understand why I brought you
here, and why you are so special to me”.

Before Becca could respond he had clamped a face mask
over her mouth and nose, there was a hiss as gas was
activated. Unable to move Becca was quickly
overpowered and sent into a semi conscious state by
the noxious vapours.
Stannous activated the transparent screen to her cell,
pushed the wheel chair inside then deactivated the
manacles holding her before lifting her limp form and
placing her on the bed.

Becca felt herself floating, warm, comforting and
relaxed.

“That’s it My Mata Hari relax”. Stannous cooed,
stroking her hair. “You are so lovely, such
perfection”.

Becca felt the mask on her face again. “Now sleep my
lovely, sleep”. There was another hiss and Becca had
passed out.

Now she was alone in her room, the drug beginning to
wear off. There was no doubt in her mind that Stannous
was mad, completely mad. He had accumulated a
fantastic collection of art, of that there was no
denying, a collection he had forced her to become part
of.

Becca forced herself to stagger to and enter the
bathroom, there she closed the door and switched on
the shower and ran the hot water tap to the bath tub.
Once there was sufficient steam in the room to obscure
any cameras she slipped her right hand into the side
of her boot and pulled out a thin strip of metal. It
had a small red diode on the top. She pressed the
diode it clicked and changed colour to a flashing
blue. Becca smiled, Section Two had located her, the
cavalry was on the way, her miniature distress beacon
had been activated by them after her abduction. Now
all she had to do was get out of this cell.

She pulled out a similar looking strip from her other
boot then walked out to her bedroom. The strip was
about twenty centimeters in length, Becca licked it
then pressed against the transparent screen in a
circle, then stood back. There was a crackle then the
strip suddenly burst into flames for a few seconds
before exploding. The screen disintegrated.

Becca ran down the corridor, as sirens began to sound,
she figured her escape had been detected. Two armed
men suddenly appeared from behind the corner. Before
they could react Becca kicked one against the wall and
felled the other with a kick to the stomach and a
karate chop to the neck. She picked up a pistol of one
of the unconscious men and hurried on. As she rounded
the corner she almost ran straight into Karl Stannous,
the look on his face was one of surprise.

“Hold it right there Stannous”. She shouted bringing
the pistol to bare upon him.

“What? How did you escape?” He asked clearly shocked
in seeing her.

There was the sound of loud footsteps and three
running figures appeared in dark combat fatigues
appeared. Becca recognized them immediately as Section
Two’s assault team.

They stopped upon seeing her. “Well, well, isn’t that
typical we come all this to rescue you Black Cardinal
and it appears you don’t need rescuing after all”.

Becca smiled. “It’s good to see you too. Place Mr
Stannous here under arrest, and book him on charges of
kidnap, art fraud and grand theft”.

“Is that all?” The leader of the team asked clearly
amused at the situation.

“I think that’ll do for now”. Becca replied “You’d
best inform Control we have a major art collection
here that needs to be placed in top security storage”.

Stannous stood watching Becca and smiled as he was led
away by the Section Two agents.

“Until we meet again my Mata Hari”. He cooed.

“Until we meet again Mr Stannous, say in about a few
centuries or so after the courts are done with you”.
Becca replied.

Becca walked over to the waiting helicopters of
Section Two, she would be flown to base for medical
checks, debriefing and then home. She watched as
Stannous was escorted in handcuffs onto one of the
waiting aircraft. For a moment their eyes met, he
smiled at her before boarding. Something inside Becca
told her that she would see more of Karl Stannous.


THE END?