Along the Arcade

The young woman walked along the arcade, the ruffles from her dress billowing around her legs in the light wind. She peered casually between the columns, trying desperately to appear nonchalant. She knew he would be here. Her maidservant said he would, and Anna would never lie to her.

Rebecca picked up her pace, feeling her stomach clench as she became more frantic. What would she do if he didn't show? Her plan hinged on him having it. If he didn't, all the work she had done would be lost.

At the end of the arcade, a shadowy figure loomed. She burst into a run, her polished black shoes slapping loudly against the stones. The noise worried her and she slowed down long enough to take the offending footwear off and toss it into the bushes between two columns.

When she finally reached the man, she was out of breath. He held her elbow while she composed herself and she turned to look at him. He was tall, several inches taller than her. His dark hair was hidden by a black hat and he wore a black coat that hung to the knees of his black pants. His face was stern, his lips set in a hard line.

"Do you have it?" she asked when she could speak again.

He nodded once before reaching into his coat. As his hand came out, she peered at it eagerly, desperate to see what she longed for. In his palm was a shiny metal object, not much bigger than a marble. It had two buttons, one black, one white, just above a little black hole. On the side opposite the buttons was a little indentation.

Rebecca took the object and turned it over in her hands, a smile growing across her naturally pouty lips. When she saw the indentation, she smiled and pressed her thumb to it.

Tiny needles popped out of the object, piercing her skin, tasting her blood and DNA. She gasped a little and the man grabbed her arm again.

"Are you ok, ma'am?"

She smiled up at him--a charming, disarming smile--and he released her elbow.

"I'm just fine, thank you."

His eyes squinted and he looked at the object she held. "What is it?"

"Oh, just a little trinket. Now, let's see if it works."

She held the object up and pressed the black button. A laser shot out of the hole, stabbing into the man's eye. He grunted in pain a moment, clutching his face, then straightened.

"How many I serve you, Miss Rebecca?"

She clapped with joy. "Oh yes, it works just perfectly!"

Pocketing the little device, she beckoned to the man. "Come, we have work to do."

"What are we going to do today, Miss Rebecca?"

"The same thing I've wanted to do every day, Martin. Try to take over the world."

Her cackle echoed down the arcade as they walked, a new determination in her step.