Police Sergeant Mike Dunwoody is a small-town cop, nearing the end of his service in New Mexico.

One evening, whilst waiting for two local miscreants who use the highway as a drag strip for their pickups, he sees something odd in the desert and goes to investigate. A flash flood fills the dry gulch with swirling water, and he sees what he believes is a child being swept off to certain death. He risks his life to save the child, but as he reaches dry land, he discovers that it is not a child, at least not a human child, and as his heart suffers a potentially fatal attack, his sacrifice leaves the commander of the alien ship with something of a quandary.

Mike’s body is beyond repair, but as the individual he saved is special, the captain decides to revive Mike, but so as not to risk certain exposure, the cloned body is slightly modified so the new Mike will not be able to tell of the experience.

The modifications? Mike wakes up as Michelle.

And Michelle is an awful lot more efficient than most girls.

 
 
Tanya's Book Shop where she is selling her works in book form is at http://tanyaallan.authorshaunt.com/shop.php . Please Visit!

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The Legal Stuff: Whispers in the Mind  ©2004 Tanya Allan
This work is the property of the author, and the author retains full copyright, in relation to printed material, whether on paper or electronically. Any adaptation of the whole or part of the material for broadcast by radio, TV, or for stage plays or film, is the right of the author unless negotiated through legal contract. Permission is granted for it to be copied and read by individuals, and for no other purpose. Any commercial use by anyone other than the author is strictly prohibited, and may only be posted to free sites with the express permission of the author.
 
This work is fictitious, and any similarities to any persons, alive or dead, are purely coincidental. Mention is made of persons in public life only for the purposes of realism, and for that reason alone. Certain licence is taken in respect of medical procedures, terms and conditions, and the author does not claim to be the fount of all knowledge.
 
The author accepts the right of the individual to hold his/her (or whatever) own political, religious and social views, and there is no intention to deliberately offend anyone. If you wish to take offence, that is your problem.
 
This is only a story, and it contains adult material, which includes sex and intimate descriptive details pertaining to genitalia. If this is likely to offend, then don’t read it.
 
 
Chapter 5
 
 
The doorbell rang, and Michelle looked at him.

“Do you want for me to answer it?” she asked, a naughty glint in her eyes.

“Would you?” he asked, seeing the potential for winding up his mother.

She laughed, and said, “Of course, would you like me to speak with a heavy accent?”

“No, just be yourself, please,” he said.
 

*          *          *
 
Rebecca Fenwick was very cross, as her son had done something without her knowledge and out of her control. She was a very attractive woman of medium build. She was what could be described as a ‘good’ fifty-one year old. In fact, she was excellent for her age and she knew it.

However, it was not without much expense and effort both on her, experts and surgeons parts. Her hair was a deep russet colour, and mostly out of a bottle, as underneath she was grey. Her figure was that of a thirty-five year old, and had cost her a small fortune.

The only daughter of a wealthy country doctor, Rebecca discovered sex at fourteen and with it, the power she had over men. By the time she was eighteen, she had lost count of how many men she had had. When George Fenwick had thought he had seduced her at a spring Ball, she identified that there were only two important things in life, money and sex.

George was forty and a very rich man. He was an experienced and moderate lover, so within six months, they were engaged.

Rebecca’s mother had been horrified at her daughter’s choice for a husband, as he was only a few years younger than she was. However, Rebecca loved him in her own funny little way, and the marriage had gone ahead.

They lived well, as Rebecca enjoyed a healthy sex life, and mostly with her husband. They had two children, Gordon and then Sally, eighteen months later. Rebecca found children distressingly hampering as far as her social life was concerned, so decided that two was enough.

The children were sent off to boarding school at the earliest opportunity, and shortly afterwards she persuaded her husband, now in his fifties, to buy her a house in the Caribbean.

Everything went well for a while, George’s business flourished, as did Rebecca’s sex life. George was spending six months or more in Europe, and she was free to find eager young men with whom she could cavort to her heart’s content while he was away.

In the eighties, the business started to struggle, so they had to sell the house in Tobago. She returned to England, and was more restricted in her amorous liaisons.

George was blissfully unaware of his wife’s extracurricular activities, as she was discreet at least. However, one evening, whilst indulging in legitimate marital sex, he suffered a massive heart attack, dying in his wife’s arms.

“Fuck!” she had said, and called an ambulance.

He was well insured and had catered for her amply in his will, thus her future was relatively secure. After receiving, and declining, twelve proposals within the first six months of widowhood, Rebecca discovered that her age was no barrier to having a healthy sex life.

Now, momentarily between partners, she had taken upon herself to identify a suitable bride for her idiot son, who seemed to be unaware that his genitals were for anything other than passing water.

She stood on the doorstep of his flat, having breached one of her steadfast rules, that of never being early or on time for anything. She was almost curling up in frustration and curiosity, so as the door opened she was wholly ill prepared for the reception she received.

Michelle opened the door, still with the blue and white striped apron around her waist.

“Ah, you must be Gordon’s mother. I am Michelle, I have heard all about you,” she said in faultless English, with a faint accent that Rebecca couldn’t place. Michelle held out a hand.

Rebecca stared upwards, forcing her eyes to travel down the extensive length of the girl’s voluptuous yet athletic frame, and then back up to her eyes again. Totally controlled and unafraid, Michelle stared into Rebecca’s eyes and simply smiled.

Rebecca shook the hand that Michelle offered and entered the flat. Her son was by the drinks cabinet.

“Hi Mother. Drink?” he said.

“Usual darling, please,” she said, but before she could move, Michelle had removed her coat and was hanging it up.

“Michelle, what a surprise. I didn’t know that Gordon had a house guest,” she said, as her son placed a strong gin and tonic in her hand.

“I am between apartments at moment, so as I have just been employed by your son, he was kind enough to offer me his spare room for a little while.” Her English was excellent, but Rebecca was frustrated as she could not identify the accent.

“How nice. You accent is illusive, where are you from?”

“I was born in Donetsk, in the east of Ukraine, and my family come from a small village to the south of the city.”

“You speak very good English. But is that an American accent?”

“My teacher leaned from an American, so I learned the accent too.”

“So, when did you start working for my son?”

Michelle smiled.

“At about three o’clock. Excuse me, I must see to the dinner,” she said, retreating to the kitchen.

Rebecca turned and looked at her son, who stared back with undisguised amusement. She walked across and sat next to him on the sofa.

“So, what do you think, mother?”

“She will have you for breakfast and spit out the bones,” she said, to which he laughed.

“Isn’t she wonderful?”

“Gordon, she’s rather bigger than I think is proper.”

“Mother, she is perfect. She is the first woman I can look at without getting a crick in my neck, and besides, her figure is wonderful.”

“She is not English.”

“So, she is the most beautiful girl I have ever seen in my life. She is intelligent, funny, charming, and quite stunning.”

Rebecca looked sharply at her son. Never before had he reacted to any woman quite like this. She was a little surprised and shocked. She glanced round the flat and immediately saw the flowers, and frowned.

Michelle returned, without the apron. Rebecca silently appraised the girl, and had to admit that she was a very pretty girl. No, Michelle was too tall to be pretty, strikingly beautiful perhaps, but pretty — never.

“Dinner will be in about fifteen minutes. Gordon, could I have another drink, please?”

Rebecca watched her son pick up Michelle’s glass and pour her some vodka and tonic, with plenty of ice and a slice of lemon. She watched him hand her the glass, noticing his fingers linger in contact with hers. She noticed also that the girl smiled, and that Gordon was totally captivated by her. She sighed, her son had found a woman at last, and what a woman!

They chatted idly for a few minutes, and Rebecca was pleasantly surprised at the younger woman’s grasp of current affairs, also that her opinions were sensible and informed. Up until that moment, she had believed all Russians (and she included all ex-soviet states in that category) were ignorant savages.

A buzzer sounded from the kitchen, so Michelle got up and left her alone with her son.

“Well?” Gordon asked.

“She seems very nice,” his mother said, somewhat guardedly.

Gordon smiled, aware that this was high praise indeed.

“Have you taken her to bed yet?” she asked.

Gordon looked quite shocked, so shook his head.

“We’ve only just met,” he said.

“It seems to have been long enough for you to fall in love with the girl.”

“It isn’t like that. She works for me.”

“Then she is playing you like a fish. Be careful, once caught, you may never lose this one,” she said.

Gordon looked at his mother for a moment, but then he smiled.

“Perhaps I never want to lose her.”

Rebecca nodded, saying nothing.

Michelle announced that dinner was served, having heard the whole of their exchange, a smile played round the corners of her mouth.

The Thai Red curry was wonderful, and Rebecca had a soft spot for Thai food. Wholly authentic, even down to the freshly made prawn crackers, she hastily reappraised the girl who sat laughing at one of her son’s rather smutty jokes.

The girl was nice, no question at all, but was she genuine, or was she a gold digger? That was the question.

Michelle turned to her and asked whether the food was to her taste.

“Yes, thank you. It was delicious. I have rarely tasted such a dish outside a Thai restaurant.”

Michelle smiled.

“I am pleased, I can cook a few dishes, but it is important that what I cook is appreciated.”

Rebecca smiled indulgently.

“May I ask you a question?” Michelle asked.

“Of course.”

“It is hard for me, here in a strange land. You see I have nothing, and yet I want to have a good job, so eventually have my own home. But it concerns me that I will be seen as a girl who tries to catch a rich man, and that is not what I want people to believe of me. What can I do to prevent this?”

Rebecca was rarely lost for words, as Michelle’s utter frankness had managed this substantial feat very effectively.

Unaware that Michelle was manipulating her very subtly, yet actually without any mental pressure, Rebecca sought to find the correct words.

“I understand completely what you mean, as it’s such a shame that people can be so shallow to consider such things, but it is possible and therefore must be faced. If you’re honest and open, then people, hopefully, will accept you for who and what you are. Just don’t be in a hurry to form any lasting attachments until you are sure the relationship is right,” she said; the last sentence for her son’s benefit.

Michelle started to clear the dishes and, much to Rebecca’s surprise, Gordon helped her, carrying everything out to the kitchen for the girl. This was wholly out of character, so Rebecca began to realise just how serious Gordon was over this girl.

The chocolate sponge was light and delicious, while the sauce was just perfect; so Rebecca could not fault anything the girl had done. Grudgingly, she began to accept that this girl was not a flash in the pan, so it could just be she would be seeing a lot more of her.

They loaded the dishwasher, then sat and drank coffee and liqueurs way past midnight. Eventually, Rebecca realised the time, so asked Gordon to call her a cab. It arrived a few minutes later, so she took her leave, kissing the tall Ukrainian on both cheeks.

“Goodbye Michelle. It was a pleasure to meet you. Please be careful of my son, he is an idiot really,” she said, and Michelle laughed.

“I know, and I will. Goodbye.”

Gordon walked her to the cab. She got in, but before the door closed, she said, “Gordon, don’t rush her and treat her with respect. She’s far better than you deserve.”

“Yes mother,” he said, and grinning, slammed the cab door.

He walked back into the flat to find Michelle tidying up.

“Leave it, we can do it tomorrow,” he said.

“I have to start my new job tomorrow. I have this strict boss who may sack me if I am late,” she said, and he laughed.

He walked over to her, standing close behind her. Turning, she looked him right in the eyes, as if daring him to try anything.

“Thank you for dinner, it was amazing; you are a great cook.”

She smiled, as he took her hands in his. She made no move to remove them from his grip.

“Michelle?”

She simply looked at him, inclining her head to signify she was listening.

“I’m not sure how to say this, but you were right, I am falling in love with you,” he said.

Michelle was pleased that he had declared himself, but was more perturbed at her own feelings. She found his touch exciting, and the fact he was clearly attracted, emotionally and physically was making her respond in a similar fashion. The detachment she experienced earlier had dissipated, and she found herself being drawn to him.

She decided not to say anything, but leaned forward and simply kissed him on the lips.

It was a quick and gentle kiss, little more than a brush of the lips, but it unleashed an indescribable feeling inside of her. Her whole body started to tingle in anticipation, and she felt her breasts swell and her nipples grow tight against her bra. A warm feeling spread from her groin and, as he gently pulled her towards him, she found her pulse begin to quicken. The person she used to be had a momentary objection, but the person she now was told him firmly to shut the f*** up.

He released her hands and gently placed his hands at her waist, so she wrapped her arms around his neck. He looked questioningly into her eyes.

“Michelle?”

“Shh,” she said, kissing him again.

This time, the kiss turned into something else, as her tongue met his and they locked themselves tightly together. His arms encircled her, and held her tight, and they kissed with renewed passion.

She felt his hard manhood press against her belly through their clothes, and she pushed herself tight against him as if to encourage him. She was aware that the warm feeling she had felt in her groin was now feeling decidedly damp, and she knew that with little trouble she would succumb and allow this man to make love to her.

Suddenly the fear of pregnancy hit her, so she broke away.

He looked hurt and surprised.

“Gordon, it is too soon. I am sorry, but I do not want to become a mother yet,” she said.

He smiled and nodded, as if understanding that somehow to give in to carnal lust would detract from whatever was growing between them.

“I love you,” he said.

“I am confused. Much has happened to me in a short time. I think I feel the same way, but I am female, so need time to think. Do not think bad of me, but I have never had a man, so will not give myself unless it is the right man.”

His respect for her grew to twice what it was. His attitude towards sex had been casual and unfeeling, and for the first time in his life, he found he regretted his selfish and uncaring past.

“Then, I will bid you goodnight. Although I would dearly like to spend the night with you, I’ll give you all the time and space you need,” he said, kissing her cheek, then he turned and went to his room, shutting the door.

Michelle sighed, now more confused than at any time since the initial moments in her new body. She was content to be female, and so far had enjoyed every minute. The feelings she experienced were so overpowering, she began to appreciate why there were so many unwanted pregnancies in the world. She had come so close to having sex, and would have had few regrets, until she fell pregnant.

She went to her room, and got ready for bed. She slipped into bed, and for some reason reached out with her mind to that of the man in the next room.

Gordon was lying on his bed, yet all he could think about was the girl who had totally stolen his heart. He desperately wanted her, not just her body, but her heart and soul too.

He had never been so consumed with passion and desire that he could think of nothing else. Yet he recognised that here was someone different, here was someone who needed to be treated with love and respect, otherwise he would lose her. He was unfamiliar with concepts such as these, so prayed that he could manage to respond to her properly.

Sleep was a long time coming for both of them, but her last conscious thoughts were of how she felt whilst kissing him.
 

*          *          *
 
Michelle was up at seven, had a shower, washing her hair. She found a hairdryer and sat at the dressing table in the nude and dried her hair. Gordon knocked on her door.

She pulled on a robe and opened the door.

He was dressed, but without his jacket on.

“I’m cooking breakfast, are you up for some?”

She reached out and pulled him towards her. She kissed him and said, “Good morning, yes please.”

His hand snaked into the unfastened robe and held her naked buttock, so before she knew what was happening, she was responding to his touch.

They kissed for several minutes, until she was as aroused as she had been the night before.

She forced herself to break off.

“Phew!” he said, smiling.

“I am sorry, I had to know,” she said.

“Had to know what?”

“Whether I still wanted you as much.”

“And do you?” he asked, frowning.

She smiled and nodded. His arm was still inside her robe, which was open, displaying one superb breast, and her pubic hair. She found she didn’t care, and was about to initiate sex when he let go of her.

“We don’t have time for both, and I refuse to allow the bacon to get burned,” he said.

She turned away, closing the door. She enjoyed the feelings of being a woman, yet recognised that she was on the point of throwing control out of the window completely. However, she found that she wanted him, both in the physical sense and emotionally as well. She enjoyed being desired sexually, but it was almost more important to be needed emotionally, and this feeling almost overtook the sexual arousal. Combined, they were very powerful, and it dawned on her that perhaps she had fallen for him too.

Her mind suddenly thought of the family in New Mexico, now without the husband and father she had once been. The wave of sadness brought her down to earth with a bump, clearing away all the desires that had almost consumed her a few moments before. She sat staring at this creature she had become, trying in vain to see anything of the old Mike.

Shaking off the memories, she dressed in her smart suit again, sitting down at the breakfast table without the jacket. Gordon dished up bacon, egg and sausage, and with freshly squeezed orange juice, it was the nicest breakfast she had had so far.

She looked across the table and saw him watching her.

“You are so beautiful,” he said so seriously that she had to smile.

“You must say that to all the girls.”

“Probably, but for the first time in my life I mean it.”

“I am flattered,” she said.

“I didn’t sleep very well, as I couldn’t get you out of my mind.”

“I was awake for a while. I am still not certain, but you affect me deeply.”

“I am certain, I love you Michelle.”

She smiled, as he took her hand.

“I have never ever loved anyone in my life, so I know I love you. For the first time, someone else is more important than me, and I just want to be with you.”

“Gordon. I have just come to this country, and many people have been very kind, but I want to live my life without being a burden to anyone else. You make me feel like a woman, and I want you badly, but I need to be sure that what I feel is love, and not just sexual feelings, or gratitude. Do you understand?”

He smiled, squeezing one of her hands.

“Yes, you wonderful creature. It must be so hard for you, so I will not make you ever do anything you do not wish to do. As long as you know how I feel, that is all I want you to know.”

Michelle smiled, squeezing his hand in return.
 

*          *          *
 
Mary was already in the office when the pair arrived, so one glance at his face told her everything she needed to know. Within ten minutes, the whole office knew that the boss had a girlfriend, and that she was utterly gorgeous.

He allocated Michelle an office just down the hall from his, and she was amazed at the size of her office. The building was quite an old one, but recently modernised, and expensively furnished and equipped, with modern flat screen monitors on the latest PCs running Windows NT. This office was the London administration of the company, so co-ordinated the sales teams with the manufacturing centres, with the distribution and shipment units. The company employed eighty administration workers at this location, but it was quite a friendly place.

Initially, Michelle concentrated on settling in, so went to speak to as many people as she could. She used her mental powers to gauge others reaction to her, occasionally managing to gently allay fears and implant positive feelings towards her. She found that her size intimidated the males, while her looks intimidated many of the females, so a little tweaking was required to facilitate her easy acceptance.

Gordon found some translation work for her almost immediately, so she quietly got on with her job. She found that the time sped by, so was surprised when Gordon rang her and asked whether she would join him for lunch.

The phone made her jump, as she was not expecting any calls, particularly as he was only a few yards down the hall.

He took her across the road to a wine bar that he obviously frequented a good deal.

There were some ribald comments as they walked in, while he selected a small booth away from the other men with whom he normally sat.

“Do you not wish to sit with your friends?” she asked, and he laughed.

“You’re remarkably observant. No, I’d much rather sit with you.”

She smiled and looked at the menu.

“Michelle, I’m a little worried about you,” he said, and Michelle looked up, concerned.

“You see, normally in a morning like this, I would have achieved a lot. But today all I have achieved is a desk blotter covered in your name. What have you done to me?”

She laughed, relieved to find he was joking.

“Well, I finished what you gave me to do, so at least one of us is earning their salary,” she said.

The waitress appeared, so they placed their order. She went through a show in being unfamiliar with some of the dishes, giving him the opportunity to get close to her to explain them, for which she seemed grateful.

He ordered a bottle of wine and they settled down to talk.

He asked about her life in the Ukraine, so she appeared quite open to him. She fulfilled his expectations, and he nodded sympathetically when she recounted the hardships she had experienced. He laughed at the fun times, feeling that he had grown closer to her as she revealed so much of her life. In turn, he shared some of his life, his schooling, which he enjoyed, and the early years in commerce, which he enjoyed even more.

He accepted that his personal life had suffered at the hands of his ambitions in the commercial world, but was anxious for her to help him find himself again.

She laughed at him, making him feel special, and he just adored every minute she was with him.

Michelle ate her pasta, glancing at the man she with whom she dined. She had not made any contingency to fall in love, but as she watched him, she knew that something had happened to her. This man, whom she had simply seen as yet another successful but uninteresting businessman had awoken in her feelings she had never anticipated, and she was a little afraid. Part of the fear was born out of who she used to be, as there was an element of the old Mike still lying deep within her psyche, which held her back from being the woman she wanted to be.

He saw her looking at him, and smiled.

“What are you thinking?” he asked.

“I am thinking that I maybe love you. And that I am afraid of my own feelings.”

“You? Afraid, never,” he said.

“You do not realise what it is like for me. I have only been here such a short time, and yet here I am, with a job and a good future. If I fall in love and things develop, what will become of me?”

Gordon’s face became serious, as he began to comprehend the difficulties this girl had faced. He actually had no idea of the inner turmoil she felt, but then she could never tell him the truth.

“Don’t be afraid, you are safe here, I will let nothing harm you, and I will never hurt you.”

“You say you love me, yet you only met me yesterday, when that love goes away, what happens then?” she asked.

Gordon felt his heart-strings tugged, he could not even conceive of a time when he did not love this girl, but he realised that her fears were real to her.

“I make no demands on you, and I’ve no wish to cause you hurt in any way. I say I love you, and I really mean what I say. I simply want you to be happy, and am prepared to do anything to achieve that.”

She smiled, a little timidly, so he reached over the table and took her hand.

He loved touching her, and he so wanted this woman to be his, but he was terrified of frightening her away by coming on too strong too quickly.

“I promise that I’ll never force you to do anything you do not want to do, and that I’ll always respect you and your wishes, can I do more?” he asked, pleading directly to her heart.

She shook her head, squeezing his hand. The battle between the old and the new was over, and the new had just won.

After lunch, they returned to the office, and she held his hand rather tightly. He felt like a sixteen year-old on his first date, as he eagerly waited for her to return the gentle pressure of a squeeze.

Michelle had now consigned Mike and his reservations and reticence to the void. She felt excited with the prospect of being a complete woman, and knew that what she felt for this man was probably love.

She felt safe with him; she felt secure and happy. He made her relax and laugh, and they could talk about anything and nothing, yet take strength and warmth from simply being in his presence. She smiled upon hearing his voice, and longed to feel his touch. In short, she wanted to be his woman, and for him to be her man.

They were about to go into the building, when she stopped him and kissed him.

“Gordon, I love you,” she said, and then walked briskly into the lobby, leaving him standing staring after her.
 
 
Chapter 6
 
 
The Boeing 777 landed at New York (JFK) on schedule, just after midday, and the passengers waited impatiently for the aircraft to taxi onto the stand. As soon as it stopped, then there was a mass of movement, except for two passengers in the first class cabin.

Michelle was curled up as close to Gordon as she could get, and sleepily woke from her restless doze. The eight-hour flight had been wonderful, as they had been together and savoured each moment.

She had been with him for a week now, yet still she would not succumb to the desire to have sex, and still he restrained from pushing. They both wanted to, yet something held them back. Gordon had never respected anyone as much as he respected this girl, and he knew that there was something very special that was developing between them.

She stretched, pulling the blanket off and letting her long legs extend as far as they could. The stewardess walked past and smiled.

“They don’t build these things for people your size, sorry,” she said, and Michelle grinned.

“Oh, it’s okay, but I couldn’t travel back there,” she said, pointing to the economy section.

The other passengers scuttled past and raced down the ramp to try to get to the Immigration desks so they could line up for longer. Gordon and Michelle took their time and gathered their hand luggage together. Then ambled casually off the plane, almost the last to leave, walking arm-in-arm down the pier towards the Immigration area.

Michelle’s passport had arrived just one day before they were due to leave, so they both breathed a sigh of relief. She was now a British subject, and she felt much more relaxed. The alien manufactured money was still where she had hidden it, and she was not inclined to collect it. There may come a time when she would need it, but it was just one more risk.

They joined the end of the line for Non-US citizens and patiently waited their turn. Gordon held her close so they kissed and rubbed noses just like the lovers they were becoming. Michelle knew that she and Gordon would have sex soon, it was just she wanted it to be special and right.

A uniformed security guard touched Gordon on the shoulder, indicating that a desk had become free. They went forward together and presented their passports. The armed immigration officer was abrupt and officious, but he could find no fault with the tall British couple. They were respectful and polite, so he stamped their passports with an unconditional entry visa.

Michelle found it strange being back in New York. She had spent fifteen years here as a cop in her other life, and it all came flooding back as the cab took them into Manhattan. The sights, sounds and smells brought back memories, and she found tears in her eyes.

Gordon, who had often been to New York, pointed out landmarks as they passed them. Michelle smiled, as she actually knew the place a hell of a lot better than he did.

They arrived at the hotel and went to the check-in desk. He paused and Michelle smiled, she knew what he was thinking.

“Gordon, one room, honey,” she said, so he turned and smiled at her.

“Sure?”

“Uhuh,” she said, nodding her head.

She lost her virginity the first time around in New York, so she decided to go for the pair.

Gordon checked them into a double suite, and they followed the bellhop up to the room.

It was truly luxurious, with a view of Manhattan, and high enough to be away from the sirens and traffic noise.

There were two huge beds, and she sat on one as Gordon tipped the bellhop.

“Do you want to catch up on some sleep?” he asked.

“No, I want you to kiss me,” she said. He sat beside her and kissed her.

“I have my first meeting tomorrow, what do you want to do today?” he asked.

She looked at him. He was so handsome and so earnest that her heart melted.

“Gordon, I want you to undress me, and I want you to make me your woman.”

He stared at her, almost disbelieving what she had said. She reached up, pulling his face towards her and kissed him, letting her hand slide down to his crotch. He squirmed and held her close, then she lay back passively on the bed. He took his jacket off, and looked down.

“I want you, and I want you now!” she said.

He smiled, and removed her shoes, she let him unbutton her dress, exposing her breasts straining for release in the black lacy bra. She wore a black petticoat and tights. She raised her bottom off the bed as he slid the petticoat down and then the tights. Her lacy black panties were the quick to follow. He pulled her up to a sitting position, unclipping the bra from the rear, so her breasts were freed from their constraints. He licked each in turn and her nipples hardened as his tongue touched them, and he sucked gently on each one. She moaned and started to unbutton his shirt.

He stood up and undressed rapidly and she lay on the bed watching him and smiling. He took out a condom and she held out her hand. Frowning, he passed it to her, so she opened the packet, rolling the condom onto his now ready manhood.

He joined her on the bed and they kissed for a while, their hands exploring each other’s bodies. His hand touched her soft damp crevice, and she moaned a little. He rubbed it, finding her hot little cherry, she grasped him tightly and opened her legs, so he rubbed some more.

She writhed and moaned with pleasure, as her juices made his work easier. She caught her lower lip between her teeth and shuddered as an orgasm hit her.

He shifted positions and she screamed as his tongue touched and titillated her clitoris. He adored her taste and musty scent, and he found himself way past the point of no return.

She came again, as a gush of warm liquid spewed out from her.

“Now. I want you now!” she said, pulling him on top of her.

He found her easily and slowly sank into her, as she was so very wet and ready. She raised her pelvis and moaned as he slowly impaled her.

Her eyes opened wide and she smiled.

“Fuck me, Gordon. Fuck me. Please. Fuck me!” she said, and so Gordon started to slowly withdraw and then thrust himself inside her. Faster and faster he went, as she clawed his back and wrapped her legs around him.

Their first session was not a long one, as he was so aroused that he ejaculated quite soon. In that time, she had experienced at least five orgasms, so was reluctant to allow him to withdraw.

He rolled off her, taking the condom off. They lay close for a while, with her head nestled on his chest.

No words were needed, so she simply held him. Both dozed off, only to awaken some half an hour later. Her hands sought him out, finding him ready and willing to start again.

Three times they made love and, at four pm, they showered and dressed.

“I want to get some new clothes,” she announced, and so like a slave he dutifully followed her out of the hotel into the stores, as she bought some wonderful outfits. He insisted on paying, so she felt like a kept woman, and loved it.

He bought her jewellery and even paid for her to have her ears pierced.

She insisted that he bought some clothes too, and they had a wonderful time. They returned to the hotel with many bags, but he was several thousand dollars poorer.

She changed into one of her new dresses, and as soon as she put it on, he wanted to take it off.

They went down and enjoyed a delightful dinner together, during which he held her hand for most of it. They had a brisk walk in Central Park and then went to bed. They made love four times during the night, and Michelle felt as content as she could ever remember.
 

*          *          *
 
Michelle woke up and saw that her lover was already dressed. She frowned at looked at the clock.

“Morning, Honey, why didn’t you wake me, it’s gone eight?” she asked.

He leaned over and kissed her.

“You looked so peaceful that I didn’t want to disturb you. I’ve a meeting with the financial people this morning, so there is no need for you to be there, and then I thought we could meet up at lunch.”

“Okay,” she said, stretching, so the sheet fell away revealing her perfect breasts. Gordon experienced a sexual pang, as he gazed at her. There was something of a large feline about her; graceful, athletic, beautiful, but with a hidden and almost dangerous power lurking behind her exquisite eyes.

“You are so beautiful. It’s a crime that someone can look as good as you at this time of the day.”

She smiled at him, rolling over onto her tummy.

“Have you time?” she asked, wiggling her bottom delightfully.

He looked at his watch.

“Regretfully, no, but I’ll make it up to you, I promise,” he said, and she pouted, swung her legs off the bed and stood up. She walked over to him, placing her arms around his neck.

“I miss you already,” she said, kissing him.

He held her for a long time, but then had to force himself to let go.

“Stop it. You drive me wild. I’ll see you here at noon, be good,” he said.

He kissed her cheek, picked up his briefcase and left.

Michelle went and ran a bath, and spent half an hour lying in the water. Relaxing in the warm water, she allowed her fingers to explore her vagina, and she brought herself to orgasm several times. The feelings she experienced were so much more than those she recalled having as Mike. She lay there, just enjoying doing nothing. She had breakfast in the room, seated in her robe and painted her nails.

She dressed in her smart but warm leather trousers, with a thick black roll neck sweater. She pulled on her knee length boots that fitted inside or outside the pant’s legs. The boots were cowboy style, with low heels. The leather jacket finished it off, and she looked in the mirror.

Makeup was an area in which she was still a beginner, and her long hair was beginning to piss her off. She adored how it looked, and had always liked long hair on women, but the time and trouble it took was something else.

She applied her usual minimal amount of make up, just some mascara, eye shadow and lipstick. She found that her complexion and natural colouring was such that she didn’t really need very much.

It was a cold November day, and the Christmas decorations were in all the shops and businesses. Only a couple of days to go to December, and so Michelle wrapped her new charcoal grey cape around her and stepped out into New York.

She had no plans, so she had left her shoulder bag in her room, preferring a bum-bag (fanny-bag) in which she had her wallet and a few essentials. She had not been in New York for over ten years, so she wanted to revisit old haunts.

She took a cab to her old precinct on 53rd, and looked at the tired building with the patrol cars outside. She had loved her old job, but did not miss it as much as she thought she might. Life was exciting enough at the moment, so she just enjoyed the pleasures and wonders her new life introduced to her each day.

She simply walked slowly down the same streets that she once patrolled, noticing that the neighbourhood was remarkably similar. Some of the shops had changed hands, and the bums’ faces were different, but it was almost as if she had never left.

As she turned a corner, she saw a Hispanic youth of around sixteen grab the purse from the shoulder of an elderly black woman. The woman tried to grab it back, but he pushed her to the ground and ran off laughing.

Michelle felt burning anger well up inside her, and before she knew what was happening, she was running after the youth. The noise of her boots as they hit the sidewalk caused the perpetrator to turn and look.

As he saw a woman giving chase, and an attractive one at that, it caused him to frown and slow down. She was big and very fast, with a look of grim determination on her face. His expression changed to one of fear, so he speeded up as he went round the next corner.

Michelle was sufficiently clued up never to rush round any corner blind, so she took it wide and cautiously. She had been right, for the man was waiting with a knife in his hand.

“Fuck off — bitch!” he said, rather wary now she had not fallen into his trap as he had anticipated.

“That’s not very nice,” she said, her natural New York accent free of any disguise now.

“Who are you, a cop?”

“I’m your worst nightmare, Luis. I know all your secrets. I know about Camilla and the baby, and I know about you and the football player. Do your friends know you give head for money?”

Luis looked very worried now, as she was saying things that no one knew about. His bisexuality was something he hid carefully from everyone. He had to be macho and straight, otherwise his brothers would not treat him well.

“Who are you, bitch?”

“I’m the Avenging Angel, and you, you little son of a bitch, have crossed the line,” she said and, in a blur of movement, Luis found himself disarmed and lying face down on the pavement. He watched as she simply snapped his blade between the fingers and thumb of her left hand. She threw the broken pieces into a trashcan that was nearby.

With his hands tied with packing tape, the woman literally carried him back to the scene of the crime, dumping him like a sack of meat on the sidewalk, handing the bag back to the old woman.

“Here you go, I think it’s all there,” she said, and the woman looked blankly at her.

“Hey, the big broad caught the son of a bitch!” said a shopkeeper, so a small crowd gathered.

She heard the sound of police sirens, so smiled at Luis.

“I gotta go, so you just be good and tell the nice cops the truth. Otherwise, I’ll be back, and everyone will get to know everything about you. And I mean everything,” she said, and with a swirl of her cape, she strode off, away from the small group.

“Who the hell is she?” she heard someone say.

“I heard her say that she was the Avenging Angel,” said another.

“Shit, you mean like Batman or Superman?”

“Don’t be dumb, they’re comic book heroes. She’s real.”

“Man, she is stacked!” said a young male voice, and Michelle smiled as she disappeared into the Subway.
 

*          *          *
 
She had two more encounters before returning to the hotel, and each had been almost surreal.

The first had been a pickpocket on the subway. The girl, Kelly, had been dressed as a Goth, all in black, with dyed black hair and hideous dark makeup. She was standing outside the station, and as men went to the automatic ticket machines, she would wait for her equally ridiculously looking boyfriend to drop change on the floor, and then, as the mark was distracted, she would go for the wallet, having seen which pocket to target.

However, on one occasion, Kelly had just got the wallet, and had slipped it from the pocket when she suddenly felt a vice-like grip on her hand.

She looked up and saw a very tall and attractive blonde lady staring at her.

“You don’t want to go to jail, Kelly? Your kid will be taken into care, and then what will you do?” she said.

The man turned round, and Kelly was suddenly very afraid, for she tried very hard to escape, but found the other girl’s grip was just too strong.

“Excuse me. You dropped your wallet,” she muttered, and handed the wallet to the man, who seemed shocked but relieved.

Bruce, the boyfriend had run, so she swore.

“Hey, he isn’t worth it, he’s screwing your friend Jeanette anyway,” said the tall girl, as she released her hold.

“Who the fuck are you?” Kelly asked. “And how come you know so much?” She had her suspicions about Bruce and Jeanette already.

The woman smiled, and Kelly thought she was beautiful, but menacing.

“I know everything. I’m the Avenging Angel,” she said, turning away. She vanished before Kelly could say anything else.

Kelly leaned against the wall, her heart racing and her mind unable to really take in what had happened. She then looked round and walked off, vowing to get a proper job.
 

*          *          *
 
Michelle’s last encounter was with a black car-jacker. She was waiting to cross a road at an intersection, and a BMW pulled up at the lights. Before everyone’s startled eyes, a heavily built black lad, simply went over to the driver’s door, opened it and started to pull the driver, a middle-aged white woman, out of her seat.

“Gimme you car, bitch!” he said, and then his voice went up several octaves.

“I don’t think so,” said a delightful female voice in his ear. But he was in no position to appreciate her, as both feet were off the ground, and she had a very tight grip of his genitalia.

“Say sorry to the nice lady,” said the voice.

He resisted, but then pain tore through his nether regions.

“Say it!” she insisted, her voice laden with ice.

“Sorry ma’am,” he squeaked.

He was then propelled through the air, landing painfully hard on the sidewalk. A booted foot on his chest pinned him to the ground before he could react, pressing him firmly into the hard ground.

“Okay Leroy, hear this, and hear it good. Your Mom would be so proud of you. Think, do you want to spend your next five years as someone’s bitch in the state pen?”

He looked up at the girl, but his pain-ridden eyes were unable to focus. All he could see was a golden halo of hair, and the most wonderful voice, which seemed to speak directly into his brain.

“Go, and if you sin again, I’ll take your balls away for good. I’ the Avenging Angel.” The voice seemed to mock him.

With the pressure gone, he was left there gasping for breath on the sidewalk. Passers-by had stopped and seen the silent tableau in front of them, but not heard a word.

Leroy rolled over and struggled to his feet, massaging his bruised testicles, and slowly walked away, wiser and suddenly a very sorry young man.
 

*          *          *
 
Gordon found Michelle in the lobby of the hotel chatting with a couple from Texas who had come to New York on a winter break. She had seen him enter the lobby, so had waved.

He came over and kissed her. He thought she was looking as gorgeous as ever.

“Hi Honey. Good meeting?” she asked.

“Yeah, it was okay. Our capital availability for expansion is a little more restricted than I would have liked, but all in all we are pretty healthy. What have you been doing?”

“I just went for a little walk. This is Mervyn and Julia from Houston. This is their first time here as well,” she said introducing the couple to him.

“Gordon is my boss, and someone special as well,” she said, smiling at Gordon. The couple could immediately see that these two were most definitely a couple and a well matched pair at that.

Gordon noticed that Michelle’s English was remarkably good, and her accent was if anything more American than Ukrainian. As Mervyn and Julia left, he told her of his observation.

She smiled.

“Of course, I’m trying to speak as well as I can, so I have been chatting to everyone who I can, and trying to get rid of the Ukrainian accent. How am I doing?” she asked.

“Well, very well, but the New York accent is hardly ideal.”

“Well, I shall have to be awfully careful to speak just as you do,” she said, mimicking his upper class English accent.

He laughed.

“You are so wonderful. Marry me?”

She looked at him, knowing he was deadly serious.

“Perhaps. I need more time. Is that okay?” she asked, and he nodded.

“So where do you want to go for lunch?” he asked, changing the subject while she gave him hope.

“I heard of a place. It’s small and Italian, and only a short cab ride from here,” she said.

“Fine.”
 

*          *          *
 
Mario Cambretti had come to New York as a child after WWII. His father had been killed during the North African campaign and his Uncle ran a restaurant on the lower east side.

He worked for Uncle Guiseppe and, when he’d died, he had taken over the business. His wife, Maria, had provided him with three sons and two daughters, all bar one had followed the family footsteps, so now the restaurant was three times the size and even had an outside catering business as well.

One of his sons had joined the NYPD, and he was a frequent visitor to the restaurant. His family was his pride and joy, and his restaurant was the unofficial office for the patrol division of the local precinct.

Mario was always to be found by the front door of the restaurant, greeting everyone who came through the doors, wearing the customary dirty apron. In fact, he never cooked, opened a bottle or cleaned away, so his apron had never been used in anger, but it gave him the appearance of being personally involved in the preparation of everyone’s meals.

The door opened and he stared up into the face of the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his life, and the tallest. Unfortunately, right behind her, and with a proprietary hand on her arm was an even larger male, who looked as if a train would lose a one-on-one contest should one be made between them.

“Hi, room for two little ones?” she asked.

Mario smiled; little ones. Who was she kidding, they were both nearly six-six?

He showed them to a booth and gave them a menu.

The man went to the restroom, so the girl took off her cape.

Mario took it, and as he turned to leave, the girl asked him a question.

“How is Marco?”

He turned back. Marco was his youngest son, the cop.

“He is good, do you know him?”

“Si. Yes kinda. Tell him a friend of Mike Dunwoody sends regards.”

Mario was surprised, he hadn’t heard that name in a while, and now twice in a week.

“You knew Mike?”

The girl nodded.

“You heard he died?”

She nodded again.

“How come you knew him?”

“Let’s say at one point our families were close, but it’s not something I want my friend to know about,” she said, smiling, as Mario felt a powerful urge to protect her secrets.

“Mike was a good man. He left at the right time.”

“Yeah, but he didn’t look after him self. A heart attack I heard,” she said.

“Is that so? We just heard he died.”

“Look, just pass on his regards to your son. He never forgot he taught Marco his first beat.”

“Okay, who are you?”

“I’m Michelle. But he won’t know me.”

Gordon returned, so Mario left them alone.

“This is an amazing place. Where did you find out about this?”

“I was walking and asked a policeman where was a good place to eat. He said to come here.”

“You just spoke to a cop?”

“Sure, why not?”

“You wouldn’t do that in the Ukraine?”

“No, but I am not in the Ukraine any more,” she said, and he laughed.

They ordered their food, which, when it came, was very good and plentiful.

“No wonder America is the land of the fat. I have not been given portions like this in a restaurant ever,” he said.

Michelle, finishing her food, smiled and put her fork down.

“I like it. Being big means I can eat a lot and not get fat. In Ukraine, I never got enough.”

Mario came over and saw two clean plates.

“Aha. You like my food. Not often everything gets eaten.”

“It was delicious, and just the right amount for us little people,” said Michelle with a smile.

They ordered dessert and coffee and spent a long time in idle chatter.

“No meeting this afternoon?” she asked.

“No. I have one more tomorrow morning, and one in the afternoon.”

She twiddled her teaspoon, and he took her hand. She looked up.

“I really do want to marry you,” he said.

“I know. But as I said, things happen very fast for me.”

Her accent came back when they spoke of intimate things, and she was aware of the levels of concentration required to keep it up.

“I don’t mean to rush you, but I’m terrified of losing you.”

She smiled and squeezed his hand.

“You won’t. But I need to be certain before I say yes.”

He smiled.

“I can wait.”

He paid the bill, and they took a cab downtown, spending the afternoon Christmas shopping. They bought small items, all the easier to take home in their luggage. On their return to the hotel, they both went to the hotel gym and worked out. Michelle surprised Gordon with her very high level of fitness, and even though she was deliberately not lifting her optimum weights, she was still able to almost match anything he lifted.

After the workout, they swam in the pool, and Gordon, who considered himself a good swimmer, was unable to beat her for style or stamina. She was like a dolphin in the water, her action smooth and perfect. She hardly produced any excess splash, and with the maximum power. He thought she was Olympic standard, and said so.

“They tested me for Olympic team, but I had influenza and missed it,” she said, inwardly cursing for being too fast.

“Well, you can represent the UK now.”

“Perhaps, but if you get your way, I will be having lots of babies,” she said, and he went bright red, as that was exactly what he would like.

They dined in the hotel, and retired early.

Just enjoying being together, they made love and lay in bed watching the TV.

The news came on, and a bemused reporter was talking about a couple of incidents that occurred in the city that day.
 
 
      “Convicted felon Luis Delgado (17), managed to snatch 72 year-old Glynnis Coltrane’s purse, having knocked the elderly woman to the ground, he made off, and was described to have been laughing by several witnesses.

      “However, what followed seems so unreal that it could well have been written by a script writer from Hollywood. Witness Marcus Haddow told me what he saw.”
 
 
The picture changed to the shopkeeper who was with the woman when Michelle brought the bound Luis back.
 
 
      “It was like something from the movies. I sees this guy snatch the purse and the old lady fell onto the sidewalk. And he just runs away, laughing he was, as if it was funny. Then, outa nowhere, this girl came, with long hair and, man she was just beautiful. Anyways, she goes after him, and man, was she fast? I swear she was runnin’ at a hundred miles an hour. Anyways, a couple a minutes later, she carries him back, with his hands tied and all, and she gives the old lady her purse back. I mean, this girl was strong and big, she was way bigger than me. I saw her snap the guy’s knife with two fingers.

      “Someone said she was the Avenging Angel, and she just disappeared before the cops arrived.”
 
 
The reporter was back.
 
 
      “Police arrived to find the suspect compliant and cooperative. In fact, he confessed to the crime, and seven others that the police did not know about. The mysterious girl has yet to be traced, but as far as the local people here are concerned, there is a new superhero in town. She is big, she is blonde and she is beautiful. She is the Avenging Angel. Back to the news room.”
 
 
Michelle was aware that Gordon was looking at her.

“Michelle?”

“Hmm?”

“What exactly did you do yesterday morning?”

She looked at him, and smiled.

“Tell me that wasn’t you?”

She shrugged.

“He was a nasty man, and the woman could have been hurt.”

He shook his head.

“Avenging Angel?”

She smiled and shrugged again.

“They made that one up,” she said.

“What really happened?”

“The guy mugged the lady, I ran, caught him, and got the bag back.”

“Why didn’t you wait for the police?”

“You would not have wanted me to be late for lunch, would you?” she asked innocently.

She then carefully manipulated his mind, so that all memories of the incident and her involvement were neatly erased.

He looked at her and frowned.

“What were we talking about?” he asked.

“Do you want me to come with you to your meetings tomorrow?” she asked, and his brow cleared.

“If you want to. They won’t be very exciting for you, as the first group is from the companies who produce our software and some of the distributors. The second group are potential suppliers. No foreign languages on these jobs, sorry.”
 

*          *          *
 
In the police station where Luis Delgado had been charged, Captain Harry Mancetti was fighting off the press.

He slammed the phone down on yet another pushy journalist who wanted to know about the Avenging Angel. He walked to the door of his office and opened it.

“Carl!” he yelled, and a balding overweight detective came over.

“Yeah, Cap, what?”

“Some dumb reporter tells me that this girl has done the same with a car-jacker in 35th Street. Tell me it ain’t true?”

“I just heard myself. The patrolman on that beat heard it from a witness. It is spreading like wildfire. I had one guy call in to say that she stopped a pickpocket in the subway station.”

“This is all I need. Since when do we need fucking superheroes? Does anyone know who she is?”

“No boss. No CCTV, and all we know is she is over six foot and is a beautiful blonde with a figure to die for.”

“Could she be a guy in drag?”

“No according to our witnesses, this is 100% woman,” the detective said, making breast motions with his hands.

“Goddamn it. I want her found. Hell, if you have to, enlist her into the goddamn department, but stop her making headlines.”
 

*          *          *
 
Michelle drifted off to sleep unaware she was creating waves in so many areas. News reporters across the city were being tasked with identifying and locating the mysterious girl. Databases were being trolled in order to create lists of very tall blonde girls who could possibly match the descriptions.

She accompanied Gordon to the morning meeting looking every inch the sophisticated, professional and exceptionally glamorous P.A. She was in her pinstripe skirt and jacket, but with her high heels, she was a stately six foot six inches. She had put her hair up, so it gave her a very cool and almost untouchable image. Gordon had been quite right, as she was bored rigid, but maintained a look of intelligent interest, impressing all she met with her charm and good nature.

Gordon was proud of her, as many comments were made praising her, despite the fact she did absolutely nothing apart from look gorgeous.

The corporate lunch was very pleasant, and she made small talk with a lot of people, mostly men, and many were all but drooling. She maintained her accent, which added to her already glamorous and faintly exotic persona. As a result, no less than three people approached her with a view to persuading her to change companies.

After lunch, she toyed with the idea of going for another ‘walk’, but wisely decided to stay and do her bit for Gordon again.

Meanwhile, in the big bad city, New York was being New York, and three copycat Avenging Angels managed to get into the news.

The first two were male transvestites, who were arrested for indecent assault and possession of a concealed weapon. Their costumes, including silicone breast forms and lots of Lycra, were faintly ludicrous, but the cape was a common feature. The third was an overweight schizophrenic girl who managed to fall onto the tracks of a railway station as she attempted to fly from one platform to the other. She was carted away in tears, having broken her leg.

With no further reports of the mysterious girl, Captain Mancetti relaxed somewhat, and halved his intake of blood pressure tablets.
 
 
Chapter 7
 
 
Paris in December was as cold and damp as London and New York, but Michelle was delighted and thrilled to be there. She had read a lot about the place, having some romantic notions of the place and the lifestyle of the inhabitants.

As soon as they arrived, she started practicing her linguistic skills. She was delighted with the ease with which she had grasped the language, silently praising the aliens and their amazing technology.

The French men adored her, as, for a start, she was female, and that was a good start. The fact that she was big, blonde and amazingly beautiful helped.

Her personality seemed to grow, and Gordon had a permanent smile on his face. She was bubbly and witty, and her laugh was seldom far away. In between meetings, on the coldest day so far recorded, she made him take her up to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

As they stood looking over Paris at dusk, with the lights coming on as far as the eye could see, and with coats tight up to their chins, she had kissed him and said the words that he was longing to hear.

“Gordon, I think that maybe I will marry you.”

Stunned and completely overwhelmed Gordon wept for the first time in years.

He took her to dinner to a small chic restaurant on the banks of the Seine, and produced a very old and very beautiful engagement ring.

“It was my grandmother’s ring. I have been carrying it with me ever since that first morning in my flat.”

She allowed him to slip it onto her left ring finger. She was surprised that it fitted.

He laughed.

“I had to have it enlarged. When you were asleep, I measured your finger,” he admitted.

She kissed him, suddenly feeling all warm and fuzzy. She was not absolutely certain that she was being wise, but she was happy, and that was important.

Gordon, on the other hand, appeared to have received a personality transplant. His whole outlook on life had been turned around, and Michelle found the man he had become much nicer than the man she had initially fallen for.

They attended meetings together, and they were all in French. The fair was international, and Gordon’s company had a stand. Fenwick’s Communications Ltd attracted many small businesses, but when Michelle was helping on the stand, the amount of enquiries seemed to increase.

Most of the local French people thought she was French too, and were very surprised to learn she held a British Passport. She gleaned a lot of information from her conversations, and was able to actually find some new business. Everyone she met fell in love with her a little, and all of Gordon’s associates saw a profound change in the man, and once they met his new fiancée, they understood.

They found a little café that served superb coffee and delightful croissants and pastries. Michelle loved the whole atmosphere, and could have settled down in France. Sometimes, when Gordon was in a meeting and she was not needed, she browsed the small shops, and just breathed the Paris air. One afternoon, she had left the noisy and crowded fair, and walked along the river bank for a while. It was cold, but she enjoyed being alone with her thoughts for a while. She stood on a bridge and watched the Seine flow underneath her feet. She reflected on who she now was, and discovered that her previous life was all but a faint shadow in her mind.

Like the river, she had moved on, and was in a different place, having taken on a new character. She smiled, for she doubted that anyone who knew Mike would dream that she was the same person underneath.

She felt a little sad, as there was a lot in Mike’s life that had been important, but she finally let them go. She had thought to visit New Mexico, just to see how everyone had got on, but she now decided that it was best left alone. A new person - a new life. It was always a mistake to go back, the old life was gone, and she was content to let it go.
 

*          *          *
 
After Paris, they flew to Moscow to visit three plants that were in the first year of production. Snow met them, and it was bitterly cold.

Michelle used her Russian from the moment they landed, despite a growing desire by the Russians to use English. The hotel was comfortable, and they had a car and armed driver. Allegedly, there was a problem with various bandit-style gangs in the area they were passing through, so, the armed escort was thought prudent, as a consequence.

The first plant was in an old textile factory fifty miles east of Moscow, which had been gutted and completely re-fitted as an electronics works. Externally it seemed to be out of the dark ages, but inside it was modern, well equipped and warm.

The Manager was a weasel-like man called Dimitri to whom Michelle took an instant dislike. He had a supercilious attitude, and was suspicious of the tall blonde girl with the Ukrainian accent. He expected to deal with a dumb Englishman, so he had not expected to deal with a girl who looked as if she could be trouble.

She probed his mind and found a web of deceit and embezzlement. As she dined with Gordon that evening in their hotel, she asked who had arranged the armed guard.

“Dimitri, why?”

“I don’t trust him. I have a really bad feeling about him,” she said.

They dropped the subject, but her unease got worse.

So much so, that she awoke in the middle of the night. Gordon was sound asleep, and she let her mind seek out anyone close.

To her surprise she found three men, one was their driver, and they were just outside the hotel. She probed their minds, and discovered that the plan was to seize both of them, and purport to be Chechnyan terrorists. Then a ransom would be asked for, and all the while Dimitri’s embezzlement would be forgotten. The plan was to kill them anyway, and in the confusion the plant would be burned down, as all the expensive equipment already had a Russian Mafia buyer lined up.

She slipped out of bed, silently dressing in black slacks, a black sweater and with good walking boots on her feet.

She tied her hair back and flexed her limbs.

She kept her probes open, observing that one man was with the vehicle, a large van, while the other two entered the hotel by a rear fire door and were making their way up the fire exit stairs.

She let her mind enter the sleeping brain of Gordon, making his sleep so deep that an earthquake would not wake him. She lifted him from the bed and carried him to the bathroom, placing him in the bath and covering him with some blankets.

Then she returned to the bedroom and quickly made the bed look as if two people were still asleep.

She positioned her self behind the door and waited.

The locked door was unlocked from the outside and slowly opened. Both men walked in, silently and quite confident that they could affect their purpose.

“Get the girl,” whispered one.

Michelle closed her eyes and focussed on this man’s brain. She found what he feared more than anything else in the world, and as he drew the covers back, she made him see the largest and most aggressive snake she could imagine.

The man screamed in real fear and ran from the room, leaving his colleague panicking and running after him. She made them run out of the hotel and across the road.

She then forced the second man to draw his pistol and shoot the first man in the back of the kneecap. The driver came up to see what was happening, and she made the gunman shoot him in the knee as well. Then she forced him to shoot himself in the foot.

Using all her will power, she imprinted on them an overwhelming desire to remain where they were, despite the pain, and to tell the police everything.

She then carried Gordon back to bed and placed him exactly how she remembered. Then she stripped off and was in beside him before the sirens arrived.

She released the deep sleep and allowed him to wake up.

“What the hell?” he said.

“Mmmm?” she said.

“Bloody sirens,” he said.

“What?” she said, feigning sleep.

He got up, going over to the window and looked out. Several police vehicles arrived and there was shouting.

“It looks like there’s been a shooting. There’s blood all over the snow.”

“I didn’t hear anything,” she said.

“Neither did I. Probably some gang warfare.”

They went back to bed, so he snuggled against her. She reached out and felt he was aroused.

Smiling, she gently stroked him, and within moments he had mounted her, with her gasping with pleasure.

The next morning, they were having breakfast in the hotel dining room, when two men came over and identified themselves as police detectives.

They spoke very little English, so Michelle had to translate.

“Mr Fenwick. We have detained three men who were involved in an attempt to kidnap you last night.”

“Kidnap us, why?” asked Gordon, shocked.

“It seems that the plant manager of your factory is heavily involved with some criminals, and has been diverting funds from the company into his own pocket for many months. Fearing you would discover his activities, he planned to kidnap and kill the pair of you, burn the plant, sell the machinery and equipment, and then claim it was destroyed in the fire and make a huge profit.”

“My God. How did you find all this out?” asked Gordon.

“It seems that the men who were paid to kidnap and kill you became involved in a very confusing incident, and for some reason one of them shot the other two, and then shot himself in the foot. They made no attempt to evade police, and have made very detailed confessions. It is very unusual.

“We have detained the manager and some of his staff. Five addresses have been searched and a lot of equipment and cash has been seized. We need you to identify the equipment to establish that it has been stolen from the plant.”

When they arrived at the plant, they found it shut. With a police guard on the main gate, several of the employees were baffled and upset. No one had told them why the plant was closed, and no one knew when it would reopen.

They went up to the office, to find several officers searching through the manager’s desk.

Michelle sat back, closed her eyes and sought out Dimitri. He was in a police cell some ten miles away and was very worried. She delved and discovered many things that he was terrified of the police discovering. Gordon was asked to wait as they looked for someone to take him to identify the stolen machinery.

They left Michelle alone in an office with a computer.

She quickly switched it on, created several documents, and downloaded Dimitri’s memories into typed format, typing with fluency in the Cyrillic script. She pressed PRINT, and then came out, leaving no saved copies. She switched the computer off again.

The paper copies printed out, so she simply collected them and carried them through to the police.

“Excuse me, but are these important?” she asked.

The Captain came over and took one look at the names dates and amounts, and almost kissed her.

“Where did you find these?”

She took them back into the office and pointed to the filing cabinet.

“They were at the back, I saw them just showing and wondered if they had been hidden on purpose.”

The Captain was suddenly filled with enthusiasm, so Michelle watched in quiet amusement as he told his subordinates that he was now in possession of key information incriminating some important criminals in the region.

She and Gordon were taken to an old farm, where, in a barn they were shown a pile of computer equipment, all of which was on the company stock list. He formally identified as belonging to the company, so the police photographed, bagged and tagged eveything.

As Gordon was busy listing all the items seized by the police, Michelle sat back and focussed back on Dimitri who was languishing in the cells. She managed to imprint a direct command on the man to confess to everything, and to literally tell the police everything he knew.

They were finally taken back to the plant, to find a large and angry crowd gathering. The factory had given the local people hope of a decent future, and now that future was looking doubtful again.

With many of the managers gone, there seemed little hope of opening up soon. Michelle persuaded Gordon to try to recruit managers from the shop floor.

She went out and faced the crowd. She explained what had happened and asked them for their patience as they tried to get everything running again. She and Gordon interviewed thirty hopefuls and they selected a temporary management team.

It was a long day, but by eight in the evening, the systems started up, and although running at a quarter capacity, the plant was operational again. The workers cheered, and Michelle and Gordon were suddenly the heroes of the town.

Fearful of losing a day’s wage, the workers worked until midnight, and managed to catch up a little on the back orders. Meanwhile, Gordon discovered the order books, and worked out how much was needed in order to bring the plant up to full capacity, and then to reach optimum efficiency.

Michelle found herself suddenly the personnel/welfare officer, and had a line of people with dreadful problems who needed help and advice. It was gone two a.m. when she finally managed to see the back of the last person.

She found some blankets, and the pair of them settled down to sleep on the floor of the office.
 

*          *          *
 
They were woken at seven, when the workers turned up, and work was started again. Tired, hungry and feeling she needed a bath, Michelle dragged herself back to her little office and found a deputation of the local women.

“Hello, can I help you?” she asked.

One of the women stepped forward.

“We wanted to come and say thank you. We appreciate how much you have done to get the factory operating again, and it means a lot to us. You see without the factory, we should have no food, no clothes, and the school will close. We brought you some food.”

She handed over a tray, and on it there was a freshly baked loaf, some cheese and a bowl of local stew, a bottle of what was probably a lethal home brew, and some home made sweets.

Michelle was so surprised, and so tired, she sat down, and simply cried. Without being asked, the group of women, fifteen of them, just appointed themselves tasks, and helped clean up. Windows were washed, floors swept and cleaned, desks were dusted, and tools sorted.

There became a carnival atmosphere within the plant, and without any warning singing broke out. Gordon, who was on the phone to England, trying to get some urgent supplies sent out, came out of his office in some alarm. The singing was so loud he thought it was a riot.

He found Michelle sitting on a table surrounded by a crowd of people singing. Considering she had had as little sleep as he had, and neither of them had had a shower this morning, she looked fantastic. He felt a familiar surge of desire, as she waved him over and handed him some food.

“Have some breakfast. I recommend the cheese, it’s very tasty.”

He sat with her, and was handed a steaming mug of bitter coffee.

“How’s it going?” she asked, between mouthfuls.

“Not bad, I’m surprised how well they are managing with what we have. That bastard had bled us dry, and then lied in all his reports.”

“I think we might have upset a few people by uncovering this little scam,” she observed.

“I’m bloody upset, so stuff them,” he said, with some feeling.
 

*          *          *
 
They spent a week at the plant. Gordon hadn’t anticipated spending so long there, but refused to leave until things were running efficiently. Much to the surprise of local chief of detectives, all the detained persons confessed so completely, that the police thought that they were being fed a red herring.

The facts were checked, and another seventeen arrests were made. Property, weapons, cash and drugs were seized, and the police were overwhelmed with the sheer amount of property that they recovered.

Having signed an agreement not to sell or dispose of any of the items, Gordon was delighted when the police returned all the stolen property, so it was returned to fulfil the functions for which they were originally intended.

They returned to the hotel for one last night before flying back to London the next day. Michelle was exhausted, so she collapsed and was asleep in no time. Gordon followed suit shortly afterwards.
 

*          *          *
 
Michelle awoke suddenly, and for a moment was disorientated. She immediately realised that there was a threat, and rolled out of bed as something was thrown through the window. She screamed and dived into the bath.

There was an enormous explosion and she passed out.

When she came to, she was completely deaf. There were men everywhere, firemen, paramedics and police. Someone helped her to her feet, and tried to talk to her.

She shook her head and pointed to her ears.

Then she saw what was left of Gordon being zipped up into a body bag.

“NOOO!” she screamed, rushing over to the gurney.

A police officer pulled her away, so she knelt on the glass-strewn floor and wept as the body was removed.

She was still wearing her nightdress, and someone managed to find some clothes that hadn’t been destroyed. They took her down the hall to a vacant room, where she dressed. She was shaking so much that the never thought she’d manage to get her bra done up.

She kept seeing the vision on the lump of meat that had been her fiancé. Tears just flowed, and she still couldn’t hear.

They helped her to an ambulance, as she had a large gash across her forehead along the hairline, and it took her to the local hospital.

There were about six people injured in the blast, with only one fatality - Gordon.

Armed police, looking more like Special Forces, were everywhere, so after she was given a few butterfly stitches, she was whisked to the police HQ.

Gradually, her hearing returned, but the shock had not subsided. It was like a surreal nightmare. People spoke to her, and perhaps she replied, she was not sure. The police chief was sympathetic, and told her that it was for the best that she was leaving Russia.

She stared at the man.

“I cannot leave now.” she said.

“What?”

“I must stay until the men who killed Gordon are caught.”

He had laughed at her.

“You must leave it to us,” he said.

She stared at him.

She probed his mind and found a petty bureaucrat, but not too corrupt, even by Russian standards.

She did, however, detect a mind with guilty knowledge, and close by. He was a policeman, but of low rank. She probed and found that he was in the pay of someone known as Big “I”.

She shook her head, and told the chief that she would take a few days to recover first.

They took a full statement first, and then arranged for her to be taken to another hotel, this time with a police guard. It was only five am.

Telling the guard that she was not feeling well she retired to her room, so he took up his post outside her door. She then changed into her black slacks, jumper and a leather jacket. She put on her stout pair of walking boots and slipped out of her window. This room was on the fourth floor, so she simply shinned down the drainpipe to the snow laden ground below.

She focussed her mind and sought out the man whom she had touched in the police station. He was in a vehicle, on the other side of town. The vehicle was stationary.

She turned and started to jog in that direction, keeping to the side streets and in the shadows as much as possible.

The car was outside a block of flats, and the policeman was alone. He was smoking a cigarette and was obviously waiting for someone.

Michelle was across the street, so she watched.

She probed the vicinity and was not aware of any other person whose mind obtained the awareness as this one.

She looked up and down the street and, seeing no one, she crossed the road, opened the car’s rear door and slipped in behind the smoking policeman.

<<Face the front, and say nothing,>> she commanded, literally taking over his mind.

She found he was a minor pawn, used to keep his masters informed of police activity well in advance. He knew little about the attack, only that he had to make sure that police patrols were kept away for sufficient time for the bomb to be launched.

<<Drive to Big “I”,>> she commanded, and the man did as he was ordered.

She kept low in the rear as they passed a couple of cars on the way. As she realised they were getting close, she told her slave to stop. He did so, and then she told him to drive back to where she had collected him, with an embedded command to forget the whole episode completely.

The location was a sawmill, just outside the town. There was one large structure, housing some of the larger machinery, and several other buildings, which only amounted to shacks. There were a couple of Nissen huts that contained trucks and other tree felling vehicles.

She approached very cautiously, as she sensed that there were about fifteen individuals here.

Three immediately stood out.

They were directly responsible for the attack on their hotel room, and were at this moment reporting back to the large man who was obviously their leader.

Almost too late, she walked round a corner and suddenly found herself just behind a man in a long coat, carrying a hunting rifle on a sling over his shoulder.

He was cold, tired and bored, and had his back to Michelle.

She reached out with her mind, so the man slumped onto the ground unconscious.

She found three more sentries, all equally ill-prepared, and just as easily dealt with. She explored the nearest shack, which proved to be an office of some kind. There was a telephone on a desk. She picked up the receiver and dialled for the police.

“There has been a shooting at the sawmill,” she said, in a heavily accented voice. She also left the receiver off the cradle.

She then approached the building in which she sensed the group were located. For a moment she hesitated, wondering how best to deal with these people. The last thing she wanted was to have any witnesses at all, so she simply tucked herself away in a cranny, and focussed her mind on the people in the building opposite.

There were three women, and none were more than sexual playthings for the leader and his lieutenants, so she induced irrepressible fatigue to come over them. This was neither unsurprising nor unexpected, so as they left and fell asleep, it was not even noticed.

There was a man by the door with an AK 47. She got into his mind and made him simply raise the weapon and start to shoot as many of the others as he could.

This caused others to turn their weapons on him and returned fire, so within a matter of seconds, he was dead, and she took over another, and so on.

The large boss, whose name was Ivan, ran out of a rear door. Michelle watched him go, and calmly and methodically finished up all that were left. The three men who had killed Gordon died, so she left her hiding place and quietly followed Ivan.

He had run to one of the vehicle sheds, and was now sitting in a Mercedes 4x4, turning the ignition over.

She walked into his line of sight, so he looked up and straight at her. The headlights were on, and he stared at this tall blonde woman with a scar across her brow.

She sensed his fear and confusion.

She caused a split in the HT lead, so this car was not going anywhere.

He realised it, so got out of the car, drawing a black self-loading pistol from his waistband.

“You! You bitch. Why?”

<<You murdered my lover, and tried to murder me!>> she screamed into his brain.

He fell to his knees, dropping the gun and holding his head with both hands. Thin trickles of pink fluid appeared from both ears, running down his thick neck.

He was an ugly man, swarthy and bull headed. He was about forty five and she was repelled by his mind, and all that he had done.

She played back everything to him. In moments, he was screaming and writhing in the snow.

She stopped and in the brief respite, he looked up at her. Her face pale and eyes very cold. This was not the face of mercy; it was the face of death.

Real fear gripped him.

“Who are you?” he asked.

“I am the Avenging Angel, and you are going to die!” she said in fluent accent free Russian. The first words she had spoken.

He was kneeling on the ground, so she walked over to him.

She looked down and their eyes met. Ivan lost bladder control, so a large dark patch grew at his crotch, and the white snow between his knees turned yellow.

She raised one finger on her right hand and pointed it at his head.

He frowned and almost smiled.

“Bang!” she said, and Ivan was thrown back, his brain completely destroyed by force of mind. He died instantly.

She heard the approaching sirens, so turned and quietly jogged down the road, careful to keep her feet on the compacted tyre marks. She then hid behind a tree as the first police vehicles arrived, and then cautiously continued until she arrived at the hotel. She shinned up the same drainpipe and was in her room quickly. She undressed and cleaned her boots in the basin.

She slipped in to bed and lay there for a while. She tried to get her head round what she had just done, and found that she had no remorse at all. These were men who had killed and corrupted and deserved to die. The system had failed, and would continue to fail those it was supposed to protect because the system had to follow rules, and these bastards didn’t.

She made a pact with herself, that never again would she take life on this scale, but she felt she owed it to Gordon.

She remembered that gentle giant, and began to weep again. She cried herself to sleep.
 
 
Chapter 8
 
 
London was wet but not cold.

Rebecca met the plane, and the two women wept in each other’s arms for a long time.

Michelle had returned with Gordon’s coffin, and the police were only too happy to facilitate her departure from Russia.

They had come to her Hotel room and found her asleep.

The police officer on duty outside the door was adamant that she had been in her room all night.

She was escorted to the police HQ once more, and she found that there was a flurry of activity, with military units assisting.

“What has happened?” she asked the senior officer, he was senior to the local chief.

“There was a development in the early hours of this morning.”

“What kind of development?” she asked.

“We are not precisely sure. There was a firearms incident and several fatalities have been reported,” he said, clearly at a loss to understand what had actually happened.

“Is this anything to do with the bomb in the hotel?” she asked.

“We are not sure, but very likely as there have been items found which would indicate that the device was constructed there. But it looks like there was some kind of battle between different factions.”

“Will I be allowed to leave?” she asked.

“Of course. But should you be required to give evidence, then I would ask that you leave details as to how you can be contacted.”

She agreed, and asked about taking Gordon’s body home.

He told her that the papers were to be signed by the necessary official that very morning, and that once the post mortem was concluded, she could take him home.

She returned to the hotel and packed her meagre belongings. Gordon’s personal effects were given to her by a young officer who was clearly upset by some of the sights he had witnessed over the last 24 hours.

Michelle was genuinely in shock and mourning on one level, on the other she was assessing her powers, and wondering how to deal with them effectively.

She waited at the town hall, and as she sat in the waiting room with another police officer, a small deputation from the factory came to see her. They were worried what would happen now Gordon was dead, and she assured them that she would ensure that everything was kept as it was. They handed her a huge bunch of flowers, and she openly wept.

Some of the women had been there when they had struggled to make the works efficient again, so they wept with her.

She received her necessary documentation, and was escorted past the growing ranks of the international press. In a large van provided by the local state, she went directly to the airport with Gordon’s coffin.

Rebecca had contracted a local undertakers to collect the body of her son, and remove it to their premises pending the funeral. She took Michelle in a taxi back to her flat.

“You poor darling, it must have been an absolute nightmare?” she said. She was shocked at Michelle’s appearance. The tall girl was very pale, and the scar was very obvious. Her eyes were vacant and she was on the verge of tears the whole time.

“Rebecca, I am so sorry, I couldn’t save him,” she said, breaking down again.

Rebecca just held her and sobs wracked her for several minutes.

Finally, she composed herself, and told the whole story of the bomb blast.

“I awoke when the window broke, and just screamed and dived into the bath. It was all so quick. He never woke up, so there was no pain, no suffering. My God, he was such a mess,” she said, and the tears started again.

Michelle stayed with Rebecca, only returning to Gordon’s flat to collect her clothes. The funeral was arranged, and the two women supported each other. Gordon’s sister was located and returned and so there were three women in black on in the front row.

Michelle existed in a sort of numb limbo for several weeks, unable to face any contact with the company. Eventually, she had a meeting with the other directors, and was relieved when they announced no changes in immediate policies.

She found that Gordon had already altered his will in her favour and left her everything. She went to the cemetery, and cried over his grave.
 

*          *          *
 
Colonel Jim Robertson was excited.

Various reports of strange activity had filtered through to his office from the NYPD. Three separate tales of the Avenging Angel came to his notice, and he read them all with increasing interest. Normally cranks and other freaks were just able to confuse the issue, but there was something different in these tales.

For a start, the individual made no attempt to draw attention to herself. Indeed, she actually avoided any contact with the police of press. Cranks liked the publicity, and she appeared definitely not a crank.

Jim and Kyle had flown to New York, and made their way to Captain Mancetti’s precinct.

The good Captain was on his seventh cup of coffee of the day when the two uniformed Air Force officers were shown to his office.

He stared vacantly at his unwanted and unannounced visitors.

“Gentlemen?”

“Captain, I’m Colonel Robertson, and this is Major Bennett. We’re investigating sightings of an unusual nature. We understand that you have had a peculiar series of incidents that could be attributed to a person with allegedly special powers. Is it possible we could have the details of these events?”

The Captain was unimpressed.

“What, like the goddamn X files?”

The two officers glanced at each other.

“Similar, yes.”

“So, you think this broad is a fuckin’ alien or somethin’?”

“Not necessarily an alien, but something, certainly.”

The Captain handed over the file.

“There’s been nothing recently, so I think she’s left town. She ain’t committed any offences, but if you find her, see if you can persuade her to join the force. It’ll make my job a whole lot easier,” he said, signifying an end to the conversation.
 

*          *          *
 
Jim took the file and after reading through it sent several of his people to take further statements from the witnesses, and the picture was even more interesting now.

He had a pen picture of a very tall and incredibly beautiful woman, with long blonde hair, and immense strength, power and speed.

Witnesses saw her out-run a thief who was already over one hundred metres ahead of her. She bound him and carried him back to the scene of the crime. She was also alleged to have snapped the blade of a large knife between her finger and thumb. One of his men actually found the knife, but they were unable to obtain fingerprints as it had been exposed to the elements for too long, and the few witnesses thought she’d been wearing gloves.

The other report had her lifting a car thief off his feet with one hand, and he weighed over 250 pounds.

But the one he liked the best was the young female pickpocket. Lieutenant Pierce located her through the CCTV, and although the tall caped woman was never clearly identifiable, the girl was.

It seems the entire conversation took place mentally, and Jim was now certain that this tall woman was a possible link to the aliens. He had no idea how, but he just had a feeling that if he found her, then he would be one step closer.

He was looking at the few blurred CCTV stills of the tall woman. Her face was illusively in darkness, but he felt he was getting closer.

All the witnesses remembered her speaking with a New York accent, and he was sending his team there to tighten the search.

He was just making the final arrangements when Kyle came in.

“Sir, before you get all excited about the Big Apple. I have just picked this off the Reuters news agency.”

He produced the report of the strange goings on in Russia, when an entire wing of the Russian Mafia seemed to have wiped themselves out in one fell swoop.

The report was vague, but it mentioned a British couple who were trying to set up an electronics and computer works there. Apparently, the locally recruited manager was skimming a lot of money from the company and planning an insurance scam. Fearing the British couple would find out, he attempted to have them killed, but the assassins somehow managed to shoot each other, and then confess all to the police, implicating many other people, including the manager of the plant and the boss of the local Mafia.

Steps were taken to kill the couple again, and although the man was killed, the woman survived with minor injuries and intended to return to the UK with her fiancé’s body. However, just a few hours after the attack, the persons suspected of carrying it out were all found dead, killed by each other’s guns, just like the assassins of a few nights previously.

The Police found the leader dead a short distance away, yet a post mortem found no wounds, but his brain showed severe trauma, despite no marks on the skull and no breaks in the skin.

Police were completely baffled about what happened, and the British female survivor of the two attacks was asleep in her hotel room with a police guard on her door.

The deceased British Businessman was a Gordon Fenwick, who had been in New York recently on business. His fiancée, Michelle Czakan, was also his interpreter as she is fluent in English, French and Russian. She is believed to have originated from the Ukraine, and had become a British Citizen quite recently,

There was a photograph of Michelle as she arrived back at Heathrow with the body of her fiancé.

Jim stared at the photograph.

She was blonde, very tall and stunningly beautiful.

He looked up at Kyle.

“It’s her.”

“Come on chief. It is a coincidence.”

Jim shook his head.

“No, look, they were in New York recently, I’ll bet you a million dollars that it was at the same time the Avenging Angel struck.”

“She’s British, the witnesses say the Angel was a New Yorker.”

“Look at that surname. Czakan is not a British name, she originated in the Ukraine.”

“It’s hardly common to New York either.”

“New York had thousands of immigrants. But I have a feeling about her, and I don’t actually think her nationality is an issue.”

“So what do we do?”

“Check the couple’s recent itinerary. If they were in New York at the same time as these reports, then book us two tickets on the next available flight to London.”
 

*          *          *
 
Michelle was unaware of the US Air Force’s interest in her, and was trying to make plans of her own. Rebecca was completely overcome by events. She may not have been desperately maternal, but she had always taken Gordon for granted, and now he was gone, she saw in Michelle her only link with her dead son.

Then something happened which caused Michelle to review her whole strategy. She missed her period, but had put it down to stress. However, the sickness was something else.

She went to the doctor, and was stunned to be told she was pregnant. She had always insisted that Gordon use a condom, but realised that one must have sprung a leak. It was hardly surprising, as their lovemaking had been excessively athletic and enthusiastic.

She was sitting in Rebecca’s flat when the latter returned.

Seeing the younger woman in some unease, Rebecca asked her what the matter was.

“I went to the doctor today, and you are going to be a grand mother again,” Michelle said. “I’m having Gordon’s baby.”

“Oh dear God. Are you sure?”

Michelle nodded, as she was still numb and unsure how she felt.

“You are sure that it is….. um, his?”

“Gordon was the only man. I have not known any other.”

Rebecca felt awful, so put her arm around Michelle.

“Then at least we’ll have something to remember him by.” Rebecca said.

“I would rather he was still here.”

“So would I dear, so would I.”

This had never been part of Michelle’s plans. She considered an abortion, for about a microsecond. There was no way she could ever do something like that, but then began to feel glad that she still had part of Gordon alive inside her.

Rebecca started to get bossy, by arranging for her to see various expensive consultants and such like.

Michelle, who was only six weeks pregnant, told her, in no uncertain terms, that she wasn’t playing her game. She moved into Gordon’s flat, which was now hers, and spent a couple of weeks redecorating the whole flat.

A few days later, she was wearing overalls and covered in paint when the doorbell rang. She had an old scarf over her hair, so she went to answer it with paintbrush in hand. As she approached the door, she immediately knew who was there and why they were here. She smiled slightly and opened the door.

Jim and Kyle stood there, both wearing smart suits, but still looking like military officers nonetheless.

“Miss Czakan?”

“Yes. Can I help you?” she said, with a Ukrainian accent.

The men looked at each other, as she started sowing seeds of doubt into both men’s minds.

“My name is Colonel Jim Robertson and this is my colleague Major Kyle Bennett. We are U.S. Air Force Officers attached to a special unit that investigates strange phenomena. Could we come in and speak with you for a moment?”

Michelle frowned, making it appear that she was somewhat confused.

“You say you are from which Air Force?”

“The United States Air Force, Ma’am,” said Jim.

She discovered that they had been observing her for several days, but she had been so preoccupied with the baby that she had been completely unaware. Mind you, she had done nothing for them to see, in any case.

“What has the United States Air Force got an interest in me for?” she asked, making no move to let the men in.

Jim looked rather uncomfortable, so looked at Kyle.

“Ma’am. There were some reports of activity in New York when you were there a few weeks back. You may be able to assist us,” Kyle said.

She opened the door and walked back into the flat.

“Come in, and mind the wet paint,” she said, so they followed her.

She had finished the living room, and it looked pretty. She had got rid of the modern angular furniture, replacing it with antique furniture with top quality soft furnishings. Flowers and ornaments abounded, and there was a real feel of home here.

“I am sorry, but I have to do this know, as with the baby on the way, I will not be able to do it later.”

“You’re expecting a baby?” Jim asked, surprised.

“My fiancé was murdered in Russia; you may have read about it. I was feeling unwell and I only found out I was pregnant a couple of weeks ago. He would have been pleased,” she said.

The men were standing in the living room, so both men had to look up at the tall girl.

“Please, sit. Would you like some coffee or tea?” she asked.

They both asked for coffee and she went out to the kitchen.

“This ain’t the Angel,” said Kyle.

“Hmm, maybe. She isn’t what I expected. That’s for sure.”

Michelle brought the coffees back, having made herself a herbal tea.

“I mustn’t drink caffeine, - the baby,” she said, apologetically. The officers took their coffees and drank in silence for a few moments.

“So, what is this about?” she asked. Making their unease and doubt double with every moment.

Suddenly their mission seemed very lame, and Jim felt that he was way off base. Kyle was embarrassed and wanted to cut and run. After all they had kept observation on this girl for over ten days, and she had not done anything make them feel she was the one.

“We are just checking tall, fair haired females who were in New York between certain dates. Three separate incidents took place, and we are eager to locate the person, so we can get some idea as to the truth of the events,” Jim said, struggling to explain without actually saying anything.

She frowned.

“I was in New York on business, how does this affect me?”

“Ah, did you have occasion to come across any crimes being committed?”

“Not unless you include sexual advances by certain board members,” she said with a smile.

“Were you alone for any long periods?”

“I had a day’s shopping, as I was not needed for many meetings as I was an interpreter. I was also a PA, but Gordon, my fiancé, did not need me for all his financial meetings.”

Kyle looked at the girl. She was tall, but her figure was very feminine, and she did not appear to have the muscle development he expected of someone who carried a bound thief for as far as she had. Her nails were long and painted, and she did not exude any weird sense of power or strength.

She seemed very sad and lonely. Then he remembered the terrible events she had experienced recently, so he felt guilty for intruding at this time. He glanced at Jim, and noticed he seemed equally uncomfortable.

“I am really sorry to intrude like this. But we believed you may have been able to help us. You see, to be honest, we are seeking to help the person. It’s weird, but we believe that a person with some amazing powers is somewhere out there, so we want to help them use those powers for good. We also believe that we could learn from them, and from wherever they got the powers from.”

Michelle looked at the two men.

She then surprised them by laughing.

“You think I am this person?”

The men looked at each other, and then back at this attractive girl, who by every second seemed less and less their quarry.

“Please, gentlemen. Be sensible for a moment. I am a big girl, yes, but I have no extra powers. If I had powers, would I have allowed myself and my fiancé be blown up by a bomb? Would I be pregnant? Would I be suffering the loss of the man I was to marry?

“This person you talk about, she belongs in the movies or in a comic book. It is not me. And I don’t think I see anyone in New York. So I am very sorry.”

Jim had one last trick. He asked her a question in Russian.

“Miss Czakan, where are you from?”

She answered without hesitation and in fluent Russian with a Ukrainian accent.

“I am from Donetsk, in the east of the country. Do you know it?” she asked.

Jim shook his head, feeling more lost than ever. Her accent was faultless, and he knew he had come to the end of the road.

He stood up.

“Miss Czakan. Please accept my apologies for intruding at this time, and also accept my condolences for your loss. It must be very hard for you, and so I thank you for your kindness and patience towards us. If you think of anything that could assist us, here is my card. It is toll free from anywhere in the world.”

Kyle stood also. Relieved that he could now escape and leave this poor girl to get on with her life.

Michelle closed the door and smiled. They may have been put off for a time, but they’d be back. She monitored their conversation as they left.
 

*          *          *
 
Jim and Kyle drove slowly away. Jim had a frown on his face.

“I was so certain,” he said.

“Yeah, but it isn’t her,” said Kyle.

Jim went over the conversation they had had with the girl, then he suddenly said, “Stop the car.”

Kyle pulled over.

“What?”

“Think. I was absolutely convinced that it was her. You felt it could be, yet nothing was said in there to remove that conviction, so why do I now feel it wasn’t her?”

“Huh?”

“She denied being the Angel, but never gave us any good reasons as to why it wasn’t her. She was in town, and she was in Russia. If she has such incredible powers, she could have easily sown the seeds of doubt in us. Now we are out of her immediate sphere of influence, she cannot touch us any more.”

Kyle frowned as he thought about everything. Jim was right, she simply denied it was her, and they agreed with her.

“So, what happens now?”

“One, we get fingerprints, and DNA. We see if it matches with Officer Dunwoody.”

“If it doesn’t?”

“Then we have found us another one.”

“How the hell do we get the DNA?”

“Hair samples. We wait until she goes out, and go in professionally. Our man, Carter, at the Embassy should be able to help.”

“Carter?”

“Yeah, he’s CIA.”

“So, if it turns out she is the one, what the hell can we do?”

“Simple, make her an offer she can’t refuse.”

“And if she does refuse?”

Jim frowned.

“Let’s just hope that doesn’t happen.”

“We have to think about it.”

“Yeah, but I somehow think this is going to be one hell of a lady to crack.”

Kyle started the car again and rejoined the traffic.

Michelle smiled, as she had been right, they would be back.
 

*          *          *
 
Michelle remembered Bill Richardson, the policeman who had so generously given her  £50 that first night. She drove the Range Rover out to Heathrow Airport, and parked outside the police station. She walked into the front counter and asked for him by name.

The Station Officer rang the CID and a few minutes later Bill appeared frowning.

As soon as he saw the stunning girl at the counter, he remembered her, even though she was looking even better than that first time.

“Hello Michelle. You look very well. I saw you have had quite a time of things in Russia.”

She smiled, and it was as if someone turned on a powerful sunlamp.

“Yes, I have had a terrible time, but I am a survivor.”

Her accent was much less pronounced, but her voice still had a profound effect upon the policeman. He brought her through into the small interview room.

“So, what can I do for you?” he asked.

She took out  £50 and passed it to him.

“I also owe you a dinner, so if you name the time and the place, I always pay my debts,” she said, with a smile.

“That was my treat. Believe me, I should love to, but Mrs Richardson would not be so amenable,” he replied with an embarrassed grin.

“You were very kind, and I want you to know that I appreciated your help very much. You are a very good man.”

“It was a pleasure, and I hope things get better for you.”

“I hope they will, too,” she said, kissing him gently on the cheek, and was gone.

Bill stood there for a moment, feeling that somehow he should have taken her up on the meal, but he shook his head sadly. Some things just weren’t meant to be.
 

*          *          *
 
Michelle did not want to continue working for Gordon’s company, so they let her go with a little relief, as she was too intense and made all the directors feel very uncomfortable.

She had sufficient from Gordon’s insurance, investments and property to ensure a comfortable standard of living. But she needed to be occupied. She found the pregnancy was a double-edged sword, as it was certainly a restriction, yet it was also quite wonderful. There were times when she seriously considered termination, and other times when she was aghast at herself for even considering it.

In the event, nature had other plans, and she was rushed to hospital with severe abdominal pains.

When she came to, she immediately sensed that all was not well, and as soon as the first Doctor appeared, she started to cry.

“I’m sorry, Miss Czakan, there was nothing we could do. The baby was in a bad way and had died.”

“Was there any deformity?” she asked, through her tears.

“No, not that we could discern. These things just happen, and, well your friend was saying what you have recently been through, so it could have some bearing.”

“Friend?” she asked.

Rebecca came in, and she was almost overcome with grief.

“Oh, you poor darling, what you must be feeling like?”

Rebecca stayed for about an hour, and was actually more harm than good. Eventually she left, and Michelle silently wept for her child.

---

 
To Be Continued...