Captured by Charybdis

by Bruce McLachlan

  Chapter 4

  The doorbell played its trio of chimes through the quiet interior. Closing her study books, Mina lifted herself from the armchair and entered the hallway, heading for the front door she was already plotting her words and actions, trying to prepare for what was about to occur. There was no reason for anyone else to come to this apartment, this caller had to be connected to the Scylla accounts.

  Since the break in, she had been resident at this covert abode, using the time to study, educating herself in new leaps in computer technology and security, reviewing Korin’s latest stock reports and business ventures, and brushing up on her Japanese when the numbers and charts grew too tedious. Studying was something she did as part of her life and her quest. Learning filled her hours, either refining her body or her mind. The times she had spent being taught directly were among the last times she allowed herself prolonged contact with others. Occasionally she still returned to face live opponents in various martial arts, to refine her methods on animate adversaries, but it seemed she could not be beaten. The sporadic attendance to centres of elite fighting arts, of sword play and combat were more to see if there were any new techniques that someone may have developed that she might need to incorporate into her own style. There never were; she had gone as far as she could. Only the sustaining of such a level was open to her now, that and waiting to see what the future might offer by way of challenge.

  When she visited the many dojos, the cream of their masters and students eagerly took the opportunity to face her, to see if they could be the one to best the shadowy visitor that they had heard tale of. She was spoken of in rumour, awed and respected, her payments for the privilege of such anonymous attendance greatly assisting in their fund raising. Every time they tried to convince her to enter tournaments, to teach, and to use her gifts, but such high profile diversions were risky and ultimately offered her nothing that she did not already possess.

  The field of mental accomplishment was all that was left to her, and though it was a realm too vast for any human to master in its entirety, she could at least strive for it to help occupy her time.

  Throwing the latch, Mina pulled back the door, revealing a tall and powerful woman waiting casually without. The woman was early into her thirties, her features a sculpted mask of indifference, a façade of impartiality that made it difficult for even Mina’s highly tuned senses to read anything off of. Her head was shaven near to the scalp, the slight dark fuzz across the near smooth dome providing a lush carpet and a more severe edge to her already intimidating demeanour. Her cosmetics were dark, set to heighten her uncompromising attitude, her features locked, their allure contrasted by radical intent.

  In keeping with this precedent she was clad in a white suit, the expensive jacket, blouse, tie and pencil skirt all gleaming with crisp starkness. The heeled court shoes added new inches to her impressive height, and she moved on them as though she had learned to walk on such dagger heels.

  Only her hair, makeup and ebony pointed nails contradicted the purity of her garments, that and the dark funereal mood she carried like a cloak about her, prickling Mina with uneasiness. Truly this female would have been a terror to face in any business deal. The very fear of denying her, in contradicting her will, would have made even the toughest negotiator or lawyer sweat and cringe.

  ‘Miss Kraken?’ she asked, her voice like velvet. Mina had expected some sort of growling demonic shout, not soft calming tones. Her words were seductive, a melodious noise that soothed, lulling into complacency, and Mina knew then that this woman was as pernicious with her negotiations and recruitment as Mina herself was a killer.

  ‘Yes. Can I help you?’ she asked quizzically, offering the scenario that she received callers, and had no idea who this woman was or why she was here. The recruits were ignorant of Scylla’s interest in them, they were made an offer out of the blue, and this had to be how it was handled. It all began with a home visit, the personal touch to answer all questions on the spot while the prospective candidate was intimately scrutinised by this psychological scalpel of a recruitment officer.

  ‘I’m Miss Asclly and I represent a firm that wishes to make you a most lucrative offer, Miss Kraken,’ she stated, keeping still, not even attempting to encourage entry.

  ‘No thanks,’ Mina replied, the initial words no different a response than any door-to-door salesman might expect. Though she knew this was her window into Scylla, she had to try and allay any suspicion that she was anything other than a mundane candidate, with no future, no job, and no ties. The woman’s name was an anagram of the company identity, this was definitely the person she had been waiting for.

  She started to close the door, keeping the fake smile of politeness to the woman and placing a hint of annoyance at such disturbance behind it, her face like any other part of her body, was something she knew how to control and use to her advantage.

  ‘If unemployment meets with your taste Miss Kraken, feel free to ignore me. But after being fired for gross misconduct, I feel your prospects are greatly limited,’ she stated with gravity, the end of the sentence marked with the closure of the door.

  Mina treated herself to a smile of admiration, the woman having timed her precise words with expertise. Counting to three, Mina pretended to have suddenly realised that the woman had known details no pestering hawker should have.

  Opening the door again with a jerk, she found Asclly moving away with a slow pace, fully aware that Mina would be calling her back.

  ‘Excuse me, how did you know that?’ she asked with a hint of anger.

  The woman stopped and refrained from replying until she had turned around, letting impatience grow. Walking back to the door, she spoke with epic intent.

  ‘You are one of the rare people who meet the criteria my company seeks. We don’t care for experience or knowledge. What a person picked up from college or high school in no way defines them. We are after the raw material, we seek those with the inner promise and we are prepared to pay handsome salaries to acquire it.’

  ‘Handsome?’

  ‘Would a six figure amount be an incentive to at least invite me in and hear my company’s offer, Miss Kraken?’

  Dropping her jaw in astonishment, Mina stammered her affirmation and retreated to let the woman stride confidently in. How many times had this female run this very scenario, word for word? It was effective to say the least, but what else was there to it?

  Escorting her to the living room, Mina offered her a drink, an offer she declined as she settled onto one of the chairs. Mina could now see a ring on her left hand, the silver band bearing a disc in which was set a small jewelled depiction of some manner of sea beast. The intricacy and workmanship were astounding.

  ‘So what is it you want me to do, Miss... sorry, what was the name again?’ she asked meekly, sitting opposite the woman, her books hidden from view so as not to offer more than what was necessary.

  ‘Asclly,’ she repeated, Mina offering the illusion that she had seen nothing out of the ordinary at the moment of introduction, not even bothering to recall the name of what she had thought was a nuisance salesperson.

  ‘We have several coast side holdings in this state. We want you to come and attend one of our facilities there. We will provide excellent food and board, and all medical, personal and transport needs will be met by the company.’

  ‘What am I supposed to do?’

  ‘We are currently conducting an extensive oceanic project, and we need people to live and work at our research facility. The work primarily revolves around the assimilation of new data, experimentation, observation and other non-technical duties. However, it is highly sensitive, thus we have been locating persons such as you to fulfil the posts. Your job prospects are low, and your level of education and previous experience will severely limit the salary you can achieve on an open market. The generosity of our offer ensures loyalty and trus
tworthiness simply because you will prize your post and not seek to endanger it, because after all, there is no chance of you ever coming even vaguely close to it again.’

  Asclly had concocted her sales banter exceedingly well; she had made it plausible and clear why Mina was being offered this post. It even made a twisted sort of sense. Someone who was used to such bloated salaries would have little compunction about betraying such confidence for better offers. But someone young, who had no chance of ever attaining such sums, someone snatched from feeble mind numbing and lowly secretarial work would never risk it.

  But Mina was aware from her researches that people from high paid vocations were also being seduced by Scylla’s song and sucked into the void that was Charybdis. What was their reason? What were they being told? Such knowledge made Mina seriously doubt Asclly’s words. There was more to this and she wasn’t being told the truth. Either it was being distorted, or the whole thing was one attractive bauble of a lie, dazzling her with its brilliance, luring her in for the kill. Were the recruits being told what they wanted to hear?

  ‘When do you want me to start?’ she asked with a dubious tremor to her voice, hoping to get Asclly to reveal more, to try and further persuade, betray more than she would have ordinarily wished.

  ‘You will have a week to round up your affairs. At the end of this period you will be collected, taken to our facility for orientation. If all goes well, you will undergo a medical examination, and you will be transferred to the Project.’

  ‘For how long? And where is this project whatever-it’s-called?’

  ‘It is called Charybdis, and its location must remain secret for now, until you finish orientation, a security precaution in case you fail some part of the procedures. Though I’m sure that won’t be the case, because so far you fit our requirements perfectly.’

  The woman had sidestepped the question, making it look as though it were an oversight. There was something else as well. It had taken a while to notice it because of the preoccupation with the exchange, but there was a sense of being examined. The woman’s eyes were fixed to her, but in the periphery she was letting her stare soak up Mina’s form. It was almost licentious in its covert intensity.

  ‘Yes, but how long am I going to be there? Can I leave? Do I get vacations, even days off?’

  ‘But of course. All our employees are regularly released from the Project premises. Letting the minds of our personnel wander and see and experience new things is quintessential to the safe and secure running of the Project. Though I can assure you, we have a most propitious locale, with gardens and a superb ocean view. The scenery is nothing less than exquisite. Plus you’ll find your working environment enjoyable enough if you give it a chance, almost all of our employees choose to stay close to the facility, all their needs are met there, and really, there is no real cause or motivation to leave. We have cultivated an environment where a real sense of camaraderie can blossom amongst those working there. I’m sure you’ll fit into our family just perfectly.’

  The woman had been devouring her visage throughout the speech, the practised and often said text unconsciously rolling off her tongue, letting her sate her voyeuristic assessment of Mina’s body. It felt as though she were fantasising, dreaming of what possibilities existed with the girl before her.

  ‘And I can leave any time I want.’

  ‘If you don’t want to be part of the Project, you’ll have the opportunity to leave the facility if you wish.’

  The avoidance of a simple ‘yes’ troubled Mina. The entire offer was being sugar coated, reworded from the truth. What the hell was Korin up to out there? She had to know.

  Keeping silent in excogitation, Mina waited for Asclly to recommence the conversation.

  ‘Are you willing to join our little team?’ she asked, hiding her interest in Mina’s answer.

  ‘I would be insane to refuse,’ she confessed. ‘I’m most certainly in.’

  A euphoric grin spilled across Asclly’s lips, the display of teeth giving Mina the sudden image that she had just entrusted her head into the yawning maw of a crocodile.

  ‘An excellent and wise decision, Miss Kraken. One week from today, at the same time, expect a car to pick you up. Unfortunately, we will have to ask you to pack no more than two suitcases of personal affects. You can send for anything you put into storage once you’re set up at the facility. Here is the card for a firm we have found most efficient.’

  Presenting a card, she handed it over. The plain text simply offered the company of ‘Leviathan Ltd, storage experts.’ There was a number, a fax line and an address underneath.

  ‘Well, I have other business this day, so I’ll bid you farewell, and I’ll see you in a week, Miss Kraken,’ she stated, rising up from her seat and taking out another card.

  ‘Here is my business line and home phone number should you have any inquiries during the week. Don’t hesitate to phone,’ she offered, and turned for the door. Mina followed her out, noticing that the card bore nothing else, not even the woman’s name.

  When the door closed Mina looked across the cards one more time. She had seen Leviathan amongst the last areas of her search, and at the time she had thought them a dummy company. They had accepted items from the employees sent to Charybdis, but no further payments were made. Was the company covering such expenditure? Leviathan did little trade outside of handling the Scylla account. The others were token to offset suspicion, so Scylla had to be paying very well to support the company and its private policy of virtually keeping all its business solely to Charybdis. But then why had nothing ever been sent forward? Not one employee had called for their possessions to be forwarded to them. It was all still there, untouched. What had happened to the owners? If they were no longer alive, the possessions would be destroyed as damning clues to the company’s involvement, but quite to the contrary, the items were being safely and expensively looked after.

  Chapter 5

  The doorbell released its chimes for the first time in a week, and lifting back the curtain, Mina saw a stretched limousine parked without. They were not sparing much in the way of seeking to impress new candidates.

  She had sent the few carefully chosen possessions to the relevant company, continuing to maintain her secretarial pretence for they were almost certain to go through the personal effects in search of clues. All she had with her was a suitcase of clothes and a few trinkets, nothing more. It made her a little nervous to enter such a situation with nothing to assist her, but she was sure she could extradite herself from any problem scenarios that might arise from her sly infiltration.

  Opening the door, a woman in a close-fitting chauffeur’s uniform gave a curt bow. Her short blonde hair was kept firmly pressed down under her peaked cap, the silver buttoned tunic clasped firmly at her torso, accentuating the curvature of her body and the presence of her breasts. Leather gloves covered her hands, and black skin-tight trousers dropped into tall polished boots. Her female form was conspicuously displayed, almost as though this was an erotic version of the standard chauffeur vestments.

  ‘Miss Kraken? I’ve been sent by the Company to collect you. Are those all your bags?’ she quickly inquired.

  Mina nodded, letting the chauffeur take the case, turn and lead her back towards the car. The woman’s rear sauntered within its tight confines, and despite the thickness of the material, Mina could detect a faint hint of something beneath. She wore no mundane underwear, instead, a more solid band seemed to traverse her crotch, the folds of her rear and the zipper at the front serving to help conceal it from all but the most perceptive of eyes.

  The woman courteously opened the rear door, letting Mina enter the spacious and sumptuous interior of the elongated car. The door was shut and her case loaded into the boot before the woman retook the driver’s seat. The partition dividing them was sealed and opaque, preventing sight or sound slipping between them.


  Mina settled into her seat and waited, thinking that perhaps the woman was having trouble with the vehicle. It was taking an inordinately long time for her to simply fix her seat belt and start the car. For a moment Mina considered getting out and seeing if all was well, and suddenly with a precise mechanised growl the engine erupted into life and with a smooth passage, the expensive car slinked majestically back onto the roads.

  The dense interlocked grids of the city fed them in fits and jolts of motion, the lights and stop signs making progress haphazard.

  Mina studied the armies of workers as they marched dutifully along the sidewalks. Faces were locked into bland expressions, cell phones clamped to ears to distract from the numbing tedium. Adornments of pagers, suits, trinkets and trappings, all tried to elevate them, to show those around that they were more than just some husk bent over a keyboard, that they were someone, screaming their independence with acts that were ludicrously conformist. Eyes ignored the outstretched palms of vagrants as sneers of contempt tickled their lips, regarding the wretches in the same disdainful way that Mina regarded the workers.

  Whenever she saw the faceless multitudes of corporate employees she felt both dismay and warmth. To be trapped in such a cell of banality was abhorrent to Mina. She fought, she strove, and she sacrificed to better herself, to rise above others. To simply dwell and conduct the mere motions of life without change, without challenge or danger was a fate she considered despicable. Even prison would at least offer some level of jeopardy, of challenge to escape compared to such vocational malaise.

  But with these cold pangs of disgust, there was the cosy nugget that soothed her angst, that she had indeed broken free of their ranks, that she had brought herself far from those she now stared at from the comfort of a limousine. Where the arteries of chugging vehicles carried their occupants to endless routine and toil, hers ferried her into mystery and possible danger, a battle of mind and body pitted against the machinations of an unknown foe. She was a predator in their midst, hidden within the cloak of humanity, operating with anonymity amongst them, a secret.