It was 5:00 AM. The smoking man was sitting in the Inspector’s office, puffing on a cigarette, while the Inspector drank tea.

‘Here’s how it is going to play out’ - the Inspector said, putting down his tea cup - ‘You will be in position at the Golden Leaf. We expect the target to be leaving the Ministry at approximately 7 AM. The target will be tailed from the ministry to the squash club, and then from the squash club to the Golden Leaf. The tail will hand over to you at this point. The tail unit will then take up position at the rear of the Golden Leaf awaiting your confirmation that the target is leaving - at which point they will tail the target, presumably, back to the ministry. You will observe the target entering the Golden Leaf, at which point you will gain access to the boot of the target’s car and secrete “the thing we do not talk about” inside the target’s car. You will then await for the target to leave the Golden Leaf, at which point you will hand over to the tail team. You will then enter the Golden Leaf and take possession of the evidence as discussed. You will transport the evidence to the slaughterhouse and place it in the possession of the SS. Is that clear?’

‘Yes guv’ - the smoking man extinguished his cigarette.

‘You need to be in situ at the Golden Leaf no later than 10:30 AM.’

‘Yes guv’ - the smoking man said as he lit another cigarette.

‘You have the thing we do not talk about?’

‘Yes guv.’

‘Make sure it is cleaned - no forensics and no fuck ups, comrade.’

‘Yes guv.’

The Inspector picked up his tea cup and took a sip.

‘Once the secret service has the evidence - our job is done comrade. Percival will be exposed - and everyone’s ducks will be in a row. We might even get a fucking medal before this is all done Comrade!’ - The Inspector finished his tea.

‘Yes guv.’

‘Alright - no need to stand on ceremony, you know what you need to do. Good day comrade.’

The smoking man stubbed out his cigarette, opened the Inspector’s office door and left - closing the door behind him.

10:20 AM. The smoking man was parked opposite and further down the street to the Golden Leaf Holistic Personal Care Spa. He was smoking and listening to the wire.

‘22 this is ops 14 - eyes on target. Leaving the second location now.’

The smoking man picked up the radio - ‘Operations 14 - this is 22. Roger that.’

The smoking man put the radio down. He puffed his cigarette and stared at the Golden Leaf. He thought of how much he would like to be going in there now. The sense of excitement. Paying his money to the madam. The madam giving him a smile and telling him to follow her. Entering the room and being told to have a shower. Cleaning himself, and then waiting. Hearing the knock at the door - the excitement growing - and then seeing her.

The smoking man flicked his cigarette away into the street.

Last night he had been angry. He had overreacted. Karla had done what the inspector wanted, and there was no drama. All she had to do now was deliver the evidence and she would fade into the background. She would be just a prole caught up in things that did not concern her. As long as she delivered - she would be in the clear.

Maybe there won't be a need for her to have an accident. Maybe when this is all done the smoking man could see her again. Let her tie him up and fuck him. And then a shower together. Maybe the smoking man could ask her if she wanted to go for dinner with him - maybe have some drinks. Maybe they could fall in love? As long as she did what the Inspector wanted then she would be okay - and if she was okay then the smoking man would be okay.

They could go to a nice restaurant - and they could have dinner like lovers, sipping whiskey and wine. She would flirt with him and smile at him. And they would smoke cigarettes and talk. And they would go back to her flat - a bit drunk. She would kiss him and they would take their clothes off. They would kiss and touch each other. She would suck his penis while staring in his eyes. She would tie him up and fuck him - and they would fuck and suck and kiss. And she would fall in love with him. And she would stop working at the Golden Leaf, and they would be together. Maybe he would leave the ministry.

All she had to do was make sure that the Inspector was happy.

The smoking man lit another cigarette. It was 10:45 AM.

The radio crackled - ‘22 this is 14 - do you copy?’

The smoking man picked up the radio - ‘14 this is 22 - I copy. What’s your status?’

‘10 minutes out 22 - do you copy?’

‘Ten minutes out, I copy.’

The smoking man smoked his cigarette.

He thought of Karla naked, her body pressed up against his. She was kissing him and holding his penis. She was holding her penis as well in her hand. He sat in the car smoking - and aroused.

The radio crackled - ‘22 this is 14 - 5 minutes out.’

The smoking man clicked the radio - ‘Roger that 14.’

It was time. Time to tie up all the loose ends and put this one to bed. The dead prole in the alley. The dead prole in the apartment. 17 dead party members. All of this now to be hung around someone else's neck. Get a pat on the back and then move on to the next thing.

‘22 this is 14 - 1 minute out. Advise when you have eyes on target.’

‘Roger that 14’ - the smoking man flicked away his cigarette.

The smoking man looked down the street and saw a midnight blue Victory Elite model car driving towards him. The car slowed and pulled into a parking spot opposite the Golden Leaf.

‘14 this is 22 - eyes on target.’

‘22 this is 14 - target is all yours.’

‘Roger that 14.’

The assistant deputy-minister parked his car, and then stepped out of the driver's seat. He didn’t pay any attention to who might be watching and crossed the street, heading inside the Golden Leaf.

The smoking man thought the assistant deputy-minister was lucky. He was going to see Karla. He was going to sit and drink whiskey with Karla, smoke a cigarette with Karla - and Karla was going to flirt with him and kiss him. Karla would be wearing sexy lingerie showing her great body. Karla would tie him up, and lick and kiss his ear. And then Karla would fuck him.

The smoking man would give it 20 minutes before he moved. Give the assistant deputy-minister plenty of time to get comfortable and get tied up. Once he was tied up he wouldn’t be going anywhere.

Immediately the assistant deputy-minister was out of the way - the smoking man thought he could take his place. Become Karla’s new best customer. He could see her twice a week - maybe three times. He would give her a big tip every time he saw her. They would build a relationship - and then he would suggest they go for dinner. She would play hard to get, be noncommittal, but then she would say yes. Then they would go to a nice restaurant and have dinner like lovers. They would get to know each other, and Karla would tell the smoking man about herself and what she likes. And the smoking man would be charming and witty. They would have a lovely time - and Karla would have feelings for the smoking man. And Karla would whisper in his ear that he could come back to her apartment, and the smoking man would say yes. And they would drive back to her apartment - and they would kiss each other in the car. Karla would put her hand on his penis and rub it. When they got to Karla’s apartment they would kiss and undress and....

Okay - time for work, the smoking man thought, snapping his mind back to the operation. 20 minutes had passed. The smoking man pulled two black latex gloves from out of his pocket and put them on. He then climbed out of the driver's side door of his car, and looked up and down the street. It was quiet.

He walked down the street to the assistant deputy-minister’s car and walked behind it, pulling from his pocket a bunch of keys. They were master keys for Victory Elite model cars. One of them would open the boot. He tried a few different keys, until he inserted one and turned it and it clicked. He opened the boot and there was a sports bag with a squash racquet compartment in the middle of the trunk space. The smoking man lifted the bottom of the trunk space cover and exposed the spare wheel beneath it. There was plenty of space. The smoking man lowered the boot without closing it, and then walked back to his own car.

The smoking man opened the boot of his car and lifted out an attache case. The smoking man then looked up and down the street again, and then closed the boot of his car. He walked back to the assistant deputy-minister’s car and lifted the boot open. Checking the street once more - he then lifted the bottom trunk cover and placed the attache case on top of the spare wheel. He placed the cover back in-place, and reset the sports bag so that it was where it was before he lifted the spare wheel cover.

The smoking man slammed the boot shut, and then walked back to his car removing the black latex gloves.

12:43 PM. The smoking man was watching the door of the Golden Leaf. The door opened and the assistant deputy-minister stepped out of the spa and walked across the street towards his car.

‘14 this is 22 - do you copy?’ - The smoking man spoke into the radio.

‘22 this is 14 - what is your status?’

‘14 I have eyes on the target - the target is on the move, leaving third location. Do you copy?’

‘Roger that 22 - we are on the move and will advise when we have eyes on the target.’

The smoking man watched the assistant deputy-minister pull out of his parking spot, and pull a u-turn in the road to head back the way had come. His car drove away, and as it passed a side street another car pulled out - at a distance - behind it.

‘22 this is 14 - we have eyes on the target, leaving third location.’

‘14 the target is all yours - do you copy?’

“Roger that 22.’

And that was that. The smoking man climbed out of his car and walked down the street, crossing over the road and opening the door to the Golden Leaf Holistic Personal Care Spa. He walked up to the reception and dinged the bell.

The blonde madam appeared - parting the bead curtain with her hands and walking through.

‘Oh hello! You again comrade - back so soon?’ - The madam said, smiling.

The smoking man flashed his badge - ‘Where’s Karla?’

The madam stopped smiling and her expression changed - ‘We don’t want any trouble comrade sir.’

‘Which room is Karla in?’ - The smoking man was now behind the reception desk and halfway through the bead curtain.

‘N...nine...room nine’ - the madam stammered.

The smoking man walked down the dim hallway and stopped outside room 9. He gathered himself - and then knocked on the door. There was no answer.

He tried the door handle and it opened. He opened the door, and Karla was sitting, wrapped in a towel on the sofa, holding a glass of whiskey and smoking a cigarette.

The smoking man stepped into room 9 and closed the door.

‘Hello’ - he said, trying to sound positive.

Karla didn’t say anything.

‘How are you?’ - The smoking man said, still trying to be positive.

‘It’s there on the table - glass and ashtray. The filterless cigarettes are his’ - Karla said, avoiding the smoking man’s eyes.

The smoking man stood for a moment, hesitant. He wanted to explain - wanted to say sorry. He wanted to sit down next to Karla and to talk to her. But he could tell that Karla wasn’t in the mood to talk.

The smoking man pulled out of his pocket two evidence bags and some black latex gloves. He placed the evidence bags on the massage table and put the gloves on. He then picked up one of the evidence bags and walked to the table. Kneeling down, he opened the evidence bag and picked up all of the filterless Turkish cigarettes from the ashtray and dropped them in the evidence bag that he immediately sealed. He stood and placed the evidence bag with the cigarettes in it on the massage table. He picked up the other evidence bag and walked back to the table. The smoking man picked up the whiskey glass at the base, and looked inside. There was a small amount of whiskey remaining in the glass. He stood and walked to the shower cubicle and held the glass upside down over the shower until all of the whiskey dripped out. He then placed the glass inside the second evidence bag and sealed it up.

He walked back to the massage table and picked up the other evidence bag with the cigarettes in it. He hesitated again.

‘Thank you’ - he said, turning to Karla.

Karla said nothing.

The smoking man went towards the door and then hesitated again.

‘See you soon’ - he said to Karla.

Karla said nothing.

The smoking man opened the door and walked through it, closing it again behind him. He walked down the dim corridor and through the bead curtain. The madam was still standing where she was when he had left her - the same expression of shock still planted on her face.

The smoking man moved closer to the madam.

‘Don’t mention this to anyone. Don’t mention this to any of your girls, and especially do not mention this to Karla. Do I make myself clear?’

‘Yes...yes...yes comrade sir’ - the madam stammered, leaning back away from the smoking man.

The smoking man left the Golden Leaf Holistic Personal Care Spa and walked back up the road towards his car. He crossed the road and climbed into his car, placing the two evidence bags on the passenger seat. He started the engine and drove off.

The smoking man headed towards the slaughterhouse. It was about a 40 minute drive to the slaughterhouse from the Golden Leaf.

The smoking man smoked as he drove.

It was natural that Karla was unhappy, the smoking man thought. Last night she had been minding her own business, and the next minute she was inside the back of a van being threatened with being killed.

She just needed some time. When proles step into his world they get confused, and angry, and terrified. The prole world is routine. Get up, do your job, eat some food, have a drink, obey the rules, go to bed and then repeat. When they enter the smoking man’s world - that routine is broken. They get disorientated, and it takes a while for them to get back into the routine.

He will give Karla some space. Let her get back into the routine and put all of this nonsense behind her. Then, when she has had a chance to normalize, he will go to see her at the Golden Leaf. Maybe take her a present. A bottle of the Elite whiskey. He would go there as a civilian and apologize. Explain that she has helped out a state security case that has saved many lives. That she is a hero. That Mike was a villain - a mad dog terrorist that had to be stopped. She would pout and give him the cold shoulder - but then she’d eventually give in. She will kiss him and the smoking man would give her the gift. She would open it and they’d have a drink together, sitting on the sofa smoking a cigarette. She’d fill his glass and they’d cheer together. She would move closer to him and press her large breasts against him. She would whisper in his ear “do you want me to fuck you baby?” and the smoking man will say yes. Karla would undress him and go in the shower with him to wash him. She’d cover his body in kelp body wash and her body as well. Karla would wash his penis and his asshole - sliding a finger inside him whilst she kisses him. She’d wash his erect penis at the same time she would wash hers - holding them together in her hand. And Karla would…

The smoking man has arrived at the slaughterhouse.

The smoking man parked his car in the dilapidated car park. He wasn’t going past reception today - just dropping off. He picked up the two evidence bags, climbed out of his car and walked across the parking lot to the reception door.

A man was sitting at the wooden reception desk with his feet on the table reading a newspaper.

The man peered up at the smoking man as he walked in, and then went back to reading the newspaper.

The smoking man walked up to the reception desk - ‘Number Four’ - he said.

The man behind the desk huffed and put down the newspaper. He took his feet off the desk and picked up the phone and dialed three digits, and waited.

‘Kempeitai for you’ - he said, and then hung up.

The smoking man waited, and lit a cigarette. The man behind the reception desk put his feet back on the desk and went back to his paper.

The smoking man waited for 15 minutes, and then Number Four walked through the double doors at the back of the reception area.

‘Good afternoon comrade’ - said Number Four.

‘Evidence collection for you - from the target’ - said the smoking man.

‘The target?’ - Number Four asked.

The smoking man handed the two evidence bags to Number Four, and Number Four held the bag containing the cigarettes up in front of his face.

‘Turkish!’ - Number Four said.

‘If you need anything else - speak to the Inspector’ - said the smoking man, turning and walking out the reception door and back towards his car.

Time to get the fuck out of here - and back to the ministry, thought the smoking man.