It was 5:45 PM. The smoking man had been sitting in his car - smoking - opposite the Golden Leaf Holistic Personal Care Spa for 10 minutes. He knew he had to call the Inspector, but he was still processing what had happened to him and how he was feeling.

The smoking man didn’t feel much. The only feelings he had were detachment and disgust - and anger. He experienced excitement - but that was only fleeting and only when it involved violence.

Like Number Three, the smoking man had missed the war. He had grown up in a Republic orphanage. His parents had been liquidated for counter revolutionary thoughts - so he had been told. He was 18-months old when they were taken, and had no memory of them, or any photos of them. He was told when he was 11 - at the orphanage - that his parents were traitors, and had been found guilty by the People’s Republic and killed. He was told - warned - never to shed a tear for his dead and treacherous parents, and he never did.

His life at the orphanage was filled with monotony, misery, and abuse. Class leaders would dish out violent retribution for minor offenses, and the teachers would take great pleasure in ridiculing and punishing their charges for everything - not just minor offenses. And there was the sexual abuse as well. The smoking man had never been raped himself - but the weaker children were targeted by the class leaders and teachers alike. The weaker children were abused, and then ultimately died of pneumonia. The death from pneumonia was caused by a lethal injection of morphine from the orphanage’s doctor to cover up the abuse.

The smoking man made sure he wasn’t a weaker child. He became a class leader, and he dished out the violence and the abuse. By the time he was 15 he was the head boy, and a member of the People’s Boys Brigade, known as the PBB. The PBB was a paramilitary unit whose mission was to train and ready the youth of today, to fight the battles of tomorrow.

In the PBB the smoking man relished life. Learning about guns, and knives - and how to use them. He loved to learn how to camp, how to hike, how to kill a sheep and butcher it, and how to bully and abuse the weaker members of his company. At age 16 the smoking man left the orphanage and joined the PBB full time as a corporal.

As a corporal in the PBB, the smoking man was tasked with training new recruits and getting them passed out. It was as a corporal in the PBB that the smoking man killed for the first time.

A new recruit was on a hike, and was lagging behind in the group. It was a wet, damp, and cold hike across rocky and hilly ground. The smoking man told the other corporal to keep the company moving, and he would work on getting the slow coach back up to speed to join them.

The smoking man hiked back, and found the laggard about 300 meters off the back of the group. Damp, and cold - the new recruit was struggling with the terrain and the heavy load. The smoking man told him to catch his breath and drink a bit of water. The smoking man checked up ahead, and the rest of the company was out of sight. He told the recruit to remove his backpack so he could rest a while, and as the recruit was struggling to remove his backpack the smoking man pushed him off the trail and into a rocky ravine. The recruit died of multiple head wounds and internal injuries. The smoking man informed the company commander that he had been worried about the laggard recruit, and agreed with the other corporal that he would double back to make sure he was okay, and to help him rejoin the rest of the group. But when he checked the path, the recruit could not be found - only his water bottle.

At age 20 the smoking man joined the internal police unit of the People’s militia, as a constable. The internal police unit of the People’s militia dealt with issues in the same way military police did. The work wasn’t exciting, but he enjoyed the authority and existing as an outsider within an organization. He enjoyed catching militia members for minor infractions, and he relished in their arrest. He enjoyed having a gun. He enjoyed planting evidence to implicate someone who had called him a “fucking cunt” in the mess hall. He enjoyed being a policeman.

At age 26, when the chance came to join the People’s Ministry of State Security and Policing and to become a secret policeman, he enjoyed it even more.

The smoking man started the car. He sat there and did nothing. What the fuck is the matter with you? - He thought. Everything that had just happened, with Karla, he was trying to put in a box. The smoking man put everything in a box, and then threw the box mentally into the pile with all the other boxes in his head to be forgotten. But the box containing Karla contained too much stuff to be closed and discarded. It kept bursting open, and he had to bang it shut - and just as he was ready to throw it away it burst open again. For someone who felt nothing but disconnection and disgust and anger, this was new. He felt something - a connection with Karla. But he also felt disgust with himself and anger. He was not the victim - he did not get fucked, he did the fucking. This made him angry. But what disgusted him the most was that he had enjoyed being with Karla. He disgusted himself. How could he like being raped by a man pretending to be a woman? That is disgusting - he told himself, but he had liked it - and that made him angry.

Karla was beautiful, and being fucked and choked by her was at first terrible. But then he had enjoyed it - he had found something and someone he connected to. In the shower with Karla, as she sucked his penis he had felt excitement. As she kissed him he felt excitement. He only felt excitement when he was beating or killing someone. But this was disgusting - or was it? It made the smoking man angry that he was even considering this not to be disgusting. But her huge breasts covered in oil against his back, she strangling him, and fucking him, and whispering in his ear, and...

‘Get in the fucking box you fucking cunt!’ - The smoking man screamed, slamming his hands on the steering wheel.

The smoking man lit another cigarette, and pulled the car away. He drove. He wasn’t sure where he was driving to. He saw a phone box and pulled up next to it. He left the car running and jumped out of the car. He stepped into the phone box and picked up the receiver. The smoking man dropped a 1 shilling coin in the phone, dialed a number, and waited.

‘Yes?’ - Said the Inspector.

‘Hello guv - I have an update for you.’

‘Go ahead.’

‘The target sees a masseuse at the Golden Leaf called Karla. He is a regular, they know him well - goes by the name Mike’ - said the smoking man, flicking away a cigarette and lighting another.

‘And…?’ - Said the Inspector.

‘The target has an appointment with the masseuse Karla again tomorrow, 11 AM.’

‘Bingo’ - said the Inspector - ‘Will the masseuse play ball?’

‘I think we should keep her out of it guv - we don’t want civilians involved.’

‘We don’t have time to keep civilians not-involved comrade’ - said the Inspector, standing up in his office - ‘Get a car outside the Golden Leaf, and a patrol out the back. When this Karla whore ends her shift, have her picked up and call me. I will have a little chat with her myself - and I will explain the importance of what we are doing and the importance she will play in this operation.’

The Inspector hung up.

‘Fuck!’ - The smoking man yelled as he slammed down the receiver.

The smoking man knew that if Karla told the Inspector what had happened between them he could be booking himself to a late night bagging and a one-way trip to the farm. The smoking man wasn’t sure how the “all in the line of duty” defense would stand-up.

He would pick Karla up. He would warn her. He would tell her that she would be okay - just don’t mention what had happened with him, and do what the Inspector says and everything will be okay.

He got back in the car, and lit another cigarette. He looped around and drove back to the Golden Leaf, parking up across the street and waiting. He radioed dispatch and called in another car. The car arrived about 40 minutes later, and pulled up beside his car.

‘Get round the back - if you see a tall black haired woman, pale face, pretty, big tits, with tattooed arms leaving the Golden Leaf, detain her and call me’ - the smoking man said.

‘Roger that comrade - can I fuck her first?’ - Laughed the constable, and he drove off and around the corner.

It was 6:30 PM. The smoking man sat in his car - smoking - watching the front entrance to the Golden Leaf Holistic Personal Care Spa.

Before he had left Karla - after they had showered, she had dried him with a white fluffy towel. After she had dried him she had pressed her body close to his and kissed him deeply - and she had held his erect penis in her hand along with her own erect penis.

‘That’s fucking disgusting’ - the smoking man muttered to himself.

He put the thought and Karla back in the box.

‘That disgusting fucking whore is going to get me fucking killed’ - the smoking man closed the box up and threw it on the pile in his mind with all the other boxes.

She is just a fucking asset. She is going to fucking get Percival to the slaughterhouse, and she is going to close this fucking case up and we all might get a fucking medal. She is just a degenerate whore cunt who fucking tricked you, and fucking violated you, and you were just doing your fucking job. When this fucking job is done, she will be a fucking loose end. The department doesn’t like fucking loose ends and neither do I.

The box was back there again - open. Karla holding his and her erect penis in her hand, rubbing them both together - kissing him.

‘Are you going to see me again baby?’ - Karla had whispered in his ear - ‘I can fuck you again baby. I can suck you baby. We can do whatever you want baby.’

This fucking bitch is going to get the assistant deputy-minister put through a fucking wood chipper - do you want to fucking join him? Don’t even think about this you fucking degenerate! She raped you. Like you were some fucking weakling. Do not feel aroused by this perverted filth! Get her to do the job, and then - when the time is right and no one is watching - the fucking bitch can have an accident. Fall down some stairs - or a drug overdose. A loose fucking end to be snipped off. Nice and neat and fucking tidy.

The box wasn’t going to be closed. It was going to be set aside. Left at arm's length and out of sight. Then, when the time is right - he will take some action that will close the box up for good.

10:45 PM. The front entrance of the Golden Leaf opened and someone stepped out. The smoking man’s eyes hadn't left the doorway for hours. It was her. She was wearing a long raincoat that was buttoned up with knee high black zip up boots, and stiletto heels. Her hair was the same - black, shiny, beautiful. Her face was the same - pale, pretty, beautiful. She turned right as she left the Golden Leaf and started walking down the street. The rest of the street was closed up.

There was a prole pub called The Jolly Revolutionary that was still open - selling third rate whiskey and ale to keep the people happy.

Karla walked past the pub, and continued down the street. The smoking man started his car up and did a u-turn in the street and then drove ahead of where Karla was walking. The smoking man pulled up about 20 meters ahead of Karla, and got out of the car. He had retrieved his holster and firearm and badge from the boot of the car - and was now wearing his tie - neatly fastened - with his trilby hat.

Karla paid no attention to him as she walked level with his car.

‘Karla’ - the smoking man said, walking around the front of his car.

Karla looked up, confused - ‘What are you doing here?’

The smoking man pulled out his badge - and flashed it to Karla.

‘Get in the car’ - the smoking man said.

‘What the fuck?’ - Karla said, startled, slowly backing away.

‘Karla, get in the car’ - the smoking man said, opening the passenger side door

‘Are you going to arrest me - is that what you are going to do? What the fuck?!’

‘I am not going to arrest you Karla - but please get in the car. Don’t cause a scene.’

Karla stood and waited. She looked over her shoulder back towards the Golden Leaf.

‘Don’t run Karla - there are other officers at the corner. It is better you see me than them. You are not in any trouble.’

Karla hesitated, and then walked towards the car.

‘If I am not in any trouble - why the fuck are you here, flashing your fucking badge and not wanting me to cause a scene?’

‘I just need to talk to you about something.’

‘My cock in your ass - Is that what you want to talk about? Or your cock in my mouth - which one is it?’

‘Just get in the fucking car Karla!’ - The smoking man was worried that this was spiraling out of control.

‘We fucking talk here - say what you have to say here, or we can go down to your station and I can tell them how you paid me 300 shillings to fuck you, and how you are shitting yourself now and are fucking threatening me!’

‘Don’t fucking mention that to anyone Karla - I am trying to fucking protect you. My boss is going to come down to speak to you about something - he wants you to do him a favor. He isn’t the sort of person you say no to when he asks you for a favor, Karla. I’m here, now - to make sure that you’re ready for that chat. If you mention to him that we... about what happened earlier, then we are both in big trouble, the worst kind of trouble. The kind of trouble that cannot be gotten out of. So when you see my boss just say yes to whatever he asks - and do not create any drama for him, you or me.’

Karla stood and stared at the smoking man - ‘What kind of favor - does he want me to fuck him as well?’

‘No Karla - he doesn’t want you to fuck him. He will ask you to do something - nothing special, just to do what you do. He wants some things to be kept safe for him. The things that he needs, he needs your help to get. But if you say no - then my boss will be forced to do things he doesn’t want to do. And if you tell him about me and you - to try and get out of this, he will still do the things he doesn’t want to do.’

‘You are a fucking piece of shit, comrade’ - Karla said, disappointed.

‘Now get in the car.’

Karla got in the car. The smoking man closed the door and walked round to the driver’s side, climbing into the car swiftly.

‘Give me a cigarette you fucking weasel’ - Karla said, looking straight ahead.

The smoking man gave Karla a cigarette, and lit it for her.

He spoke into the radio - ‘Dispatch this is operations 22 for the Inspector.’

‘Operations 22 message for the Inspector - go ahead’ - came the voice back over the radio.

‘Inform the Inspector that operations 22 is ready for him, at the agreed location’ - said the smoking man.

‘Operations 22 is ready for the Inspector at the front of the agreed location - roger that’ - the voice came back over the radio.

‘Roger that - operations 22 over and out’ - said the smoking man, putting the radio down.

The smoking man started the car back up and did a u-turn in the street, pulling up again across from the Golden Leaf Holistic Personal Care Spa.

Karla and the smoking man sat in silence.

‘How long?’ - Karla asked after a while.

‘About 30 minutes’ - said the smoking man, looking at his watch.

Silence again.

The smoking man smoked more cigarettes.

A black unmarked van pulled up in front of the smoking man’s car. A man got out of the passenger’s side of the van. He walked to the back of the van and stood by the door.

‘Remember - whatever he asks, just say yes, and don’t mention what happened between us’ - the smoking man said as he got out of the car.

Karla said nothing. The smoking man walked around to the passenger side of his car and opened the door. Karla climbed out, and the smoking man held her arm and walked her to the back of the van. The man standing at the back of the van opened the door, and Karla was helped inside. It was 11:40 PM.