White Cobra

William Chang closed his eyes and pictured his mental chessboard, contemplating the next move. Lung Mao was taking his time fixing the issue with the men who had attacked William’s wife, and now Emily was talking about going home. He didn’t want her back on the streets until the danger was sorted; well he didn’t want her out of his house under any circumstances. So what to do? He could always drug or poison her of course but he wasn’t sure how his little creations would stack with the nightmare spells, and Emily was bound to get suspicious if she suddenly fell ill. That wouldn’t do, just now when she was beginning to trust him again. No, he would… “HOW DARE YOU!” The door to William’s study burst open and Anni Nakayima stormed in as if she had spent the whole afternoon drinking from the Well of Furies. “Anni…calm down…” “I will not have that flirtatious little slut staying under our roof!” Anni slammed her fist into William’s desk. “Technically, it’s my roof, and Emily is not a…” “Oh give me a break! That scheming harlot has been trying to sink her venomous little fangs back into you ever since you left her…” “Well you can hardly blame her for wanting me back can you? And it’s not like that. I found her on the streets of Port Oakes…” “Oh…I would have thought that was a little too upmarket for her. Trying to ply her trade there…” Anni snorted. “Streetwalking was not what I implied. I found her there, wounded.” “For heaven’s sake! Can’t you see she is using you? Manipulating you! It’s the same every time. She gets herself in trouble and then comes running to you crying for help, that conniving, treacherous…” “That’s not what happened!” William’s stare would have frightened Anni if she hadn’t been so caught up in jealous rage. “And what do you think our business partners would say, if they knew that you were harboring Lady Promiscuous here?” “They don’t know, and if they did they would be wise to follow my instructions…” “Well I want her gone! This instance!” “She needs rest. To recuperate.” “Well she can do that somewhere else. I’m sure she can find an establishment renting by the hour and if she can’t, I will bloody well find one for her myself!” “Anni…” “I mean it William. I want her gone! Luckily for the both of you I have to go and arrange that dinner for Takuma and Rei now. I’m late already! Just make sure she is gone when I come back, or I’ll wring her neck myself!” Anni left slamming the door. For once, William hadn’t gotten the last word.

Shortly after midnight, a slender, ponytailed figure hurried to her bedroom, glancing over her shoulder to make sure that nobody was watching. She entered the secret elevator at the back of her large walk-in closet. Moments later, she had arrived in her underground lair. After yet another conspiratory glance over her shoulder, she quickly removed her Mizuni fashion line clothing and retrieved new attire from a huge security vault that only she could access. The costume was skin-tight and all white except for the red circle symbolizing the hinomaru. It made the wearer a perfect walking portrayal of the Japanese flag. A final conspiratory glance over her shoulder later, the ponytailed Avenging Angel was off on her black Ducati ready for that night’s patrol.

”I must say Takuma, you really are the perfect wingman. I would never have dared approach those two on my own, let alone have had any idea what to say to them.” Lord Baraclough nodded appreciatively in the direction of the two beauties that had just left to powder their noses but already accepted to continue the party back at the Nakayima penthouse. The blonde was a Paragon Illustrated model and the brunette a celebrity influencer and beach volley player. “What can I say,” Takuma smiled, “I do tend to have that effect on women.” “But what about your fiancé, doesn’t she mind?" “Well, Rei-chan is crazy about me, obviously, but she knows better than to crowd me. Like it or not, she knows I need some space.” Takuma’s Eurasian eyes glinted confidently, accustomed as they were to mass-conquering female defensive bastions. “You’re one lucky man, I’m telling you! To have that Mizuni heiress all to yourself and still being allowed out to play.” Lord Baraclough shook his head in admiration. “It’s just a question of setting the rules straight. Let them know that they can have you but only on your terms. Yes, Rei is going crazy with jealousy, but it keeps her on her toes in the pleasing department if you get my drift…” “Oh…so you…?” “Well…” Nakayima clearly wasn’t too pleased with that question. “She’s…conservative in that way…saving herself for the wedding and all that nonsense…if nothing else it will give me the fun of breaking her in.” Nakayima and his friend laughed heartily and prepared for their two companions to return. They were obviously far less conservatively minded than Rei Mizuni. It was going to be a very enjoyable evening.

When she woke, Emily’s headache was feeling much better, and by the time she had enjoyed a warm shower, it was all but gone. The many hours of sleep uninterrupted by nightmares must also have helped. Perhaps William really was on to something about Emily’s subconscious mind trying to tell her to give him another chance. It defied any logic but sometimes the mind worked in mysterious ways, and maybe it was true what William said that she didn’t always know what was best for her. Emily started dressing in the clothes William had laid out for her. The white Mizuni skirt and blouse could have come from her own wardrobe and gave off a conflicting vibe. On the one hand, it proved that William knew her style and was genuinely trying to make her feel comfortable, but on the other hand – since Emily had only started wearing the Mizuni brand after befriending Rei and after the divorce – it also gave an eerie indication that William might have been spying on her. Or, of course, the Mizuni brand choice could just be a coincidence. Perhaps she was demonizing William unfairly – making him worse than he really was. William was having breakfast in the garden as Emily sat down to join him. “My beautiful White Cobra awakes…” William’s eyes made sure not to miss out on any part of Emily’s body. “William…” She sighed. “You can’t blame me for loving you Emily.” She didn’t reply but accepted William’s offer to pour her some tea. Since he had been drinking from the same pot, Emily hoped she wouldn’t have too much to fear. “I trust you slept well and without any nightmares?” William inquired. Emily nodded and sipped her tea. “Well…I rest my case then,” William smiled, “and it would appear your subconscious mind has ruled in my favor already.” “I…I guess we’ll see…” Emily bit her lip. “And just to underline my point, in addition to saving your well-sculptured backside already, I am trying to ensure that no further harm comes to it.” William folded his arms across the chest. “You are?” “I’m making sure those men don’t try coming after you again.” “They won’t…I think…they weren’t there for me.” “What were they there for then?” It felt like William was drawing on his experience as courtroom cross-examinator. “I think they were targeting the homeless. Several have gone missing. I don’t know why. But that was why I was there, in disguise…although I hadn’t thought things through properly obviously…” Emily’s gaze dropped. “Well then you may have angered someone…someone powerful enough to organize an operation like that. I don’t think you’re safe out there until I have taken care of it.” “I can look after myself William…You don’t need to…” “Yes, we saw a fine example of that the other night, didn’t we? If I hadn’t been there, you might be a zombie or failed experiment or worse by now…I…don’t want to lose you again Emily…I quite simply won’t allow it!” Emily bit her lip again. It was probably best not to challenge William for now. Maybe wait a day or two and get her full strength back before forcing the issue. In the meantime, she would make sure to call her friend and speak with the Lady of Allure.

After checking on the still sleeping Lady Cobra once again, William summoned Lung Mao to his office. It took a while for him to notice that his guest had actually arrived. “Excellent work last night,” William offered as rare appraisal. “Khop khun mâak,” the tracker expressed his gratitude and relief, bowing his head and holding his palms together in a submissive waai. “But I need you to go back there now and find out all you can about the men attacking her. I need to know who they were, why they were there, and whether my wife was attacked by random, or if she was their intended target.” “Of course, “ the tracker eagerly confirmed, “I am not sure if the Sao Ngo Haaw was the primary target. They were checking others first, male and female, and rejecting them. But whether it was because they were looking for her or someone or something else, it was hard to tell na khrap.” “Well I need you to find out the truth of the matter. For starters, check what our people on the ground know. If those men were coming for my wife I may need to warn or pay them off, so they don’t go after her again, also…” “Yes sir?” The tracker waited for his dreaded superior to continue. “I may have…uh…slightly exaggerated my own role in the…uh…rescue. Only very slightly of course.” William looked at the tracker dangerously. “Yes sir.” The tracker kept his head bowed. “So as you will understand, it is highly important that yourself and anyone else, including those men, corroborate my narrative if my wife were to inquire. Understood?” “Of course sir.” “And make sure those men understand too. My wife is off limits and I rescued her. Whether you have to pay them or hurt them to make them understand I don’t care…” “Of course sir, and if payment should be preferable, may I consider myself empowered to act within the usual limits?” “Just get the job done, and there’ll be a bonus in it for you too.” The tracker nodded and rushed off to comply with instructions. William inwardly rejoiced at the man’s obvious terror. It hadn’t been necessary to threaten him with the consequences of failure – the tracker knew all too well that wasn’t a possible outcome. William smiled and rose from his chair. Now it was time to resume the enjoyable pastime of holding his sleeping beauty’s hand and stroking her hair.

”There, there, my beautiful angel. I’ve got you now. Everything is going to be okay…” Emily Chang gulped and opened her eyes to the great-grandmother of all headaches and the even worse realization that ex-husband William was touching her; stroking and caressing her hair and chin. It had to be another nightmare. She tried sitting up and gasped. Her ribs felt like she had been run over by a Caterpillar dumper truck, and when she brought a hand to her head it was sporting a bump the size of the Gibraltar rock. “Relax my little serpent, you had a nasty bump on the head!” William was stroking her again, and she tried to pull away, gasping in agony at the attempted movement. “What are you…? D-don’t touch me…” William’s face turned from gentle concern to anger. “Well, that’s gratitude for you…” “W-what do you mean? Why am I here?” Emily realized that she was no longer wearing her homeless woman disguise. It must have been William. The thought of the ex-husband undressing her made Emily’s skin crawl. “You’re here because I happen to have saved your life. You might want to think about that and what would have happened to you if I hadn’t been there.” Emily tried to concentrate through the heavy mists of migraine. William? Saved her life? She remembered the men now. Remembered how they had been overpowering her. Remembered the silhouette with the baseball bat. The paralyzing blow. “But…how…?” “You should count yourself lucky I happened to have business in the vicinity and saw the men attacking the poor homeless woman.” “But…there were too many of them. They were armed…How could you…?” Emily was resting a hand against her forehead and closed her eyes in an attempt to alleviate the throbbing agony inside her skull. “My face and name is not unknown in those parts. They knew better than to mess with me.” William smiled arrogantly. “I…I suppose I should genuinely thank you then.” “I suppose you should. I know you have the wrong impression about me…” William put on one of those indignant faces Emily remembered only too well. “I’m sorry…it’s just…I’ve been having these nightmares, and my head is killing me…can’t think straight…” Emily winced and closed her eyes again. “I don’t think you had any nightmares while you were resting just now.” William started stroking her chin again, and Emily didn’t have the energy to stop him. “I suppose I didn’t…” “I’m sure those nightmares are just your subconscious mind trying to tell you what you already know. That you should be with me. That we belong together. That you’re safe here with me.” “William…” Emily sighed but couldn’t completely disregard the potential logic of what he was saying. William did play a role in most of her nightmares, and perhaps his failure to save her in those nightmares was because she refused to believe in him and wouldn’t let him in? It certainly seemed significant that this night under his roof had been the first sleep for her without nightmares for… for she couldn’t remember how long anymore. But how could she have known if she was unconscious? She felt like she didn’t know anything anymore. If only her head didn’t hurt so much. “Tell you what,” William said still stroking her chin and hair, “stay here and rest and recover for a few days, and we’ll see how it goes. If you don’t have any nightmares, you can draw your own conclusions.” Too tired to protest, Emily nodded, winced, and closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep again. -0- William continued stroking her gently for a while and then got up with a final look at his sleeping ex-wife. So pale and fragile right now, but still so beautiful. The most prized among all his possessions. He left the room to make a call. He needed to instruct the Witch of Mekong to keep holding off with the nightmare spells as long as Emily was in his care.

Lung Mao was watching the battle unfold with growing concern. Was this really all that the legendary Sao Ngo Haaw was capable of? Yes, she was fast and obviously hampered by the disguise, and the men outnumbered her and were clearly no amateurs. But still, he had expected more, and to make matters worse, it was beginning to look more and more like a losing battle for the infamous archenemy that had defied Ngo Damh’s reign for generations. Normally, that would of course be a good thing, a very good thing in fact, but Khun William had been clear in his instructions had he not. He did not want the Sao Ngo Haaw to be hurt for now. He winced as he watched an unnoticed assailant catch the Sao Ngo Haaw with a powerful baseball-bat blow to the back of her head that made her gasp and drop to her knees. This was something she would not recover from. He would have to do something to intervene. Lung Mao was not a fighting man. As he watched the blows and kicks savagely inflicted on the helpless enemy, he saw the homeless stirring as if almost ready to come to the fallen woman’s aid, it was as if they just needed a little nudge or encouragement to tip the scales and make them engage. Lung Mao cursed himself for not securing back-up from Ngo Damh enforcers, but they would hardly have jumped at the opportunity of bodyguarding their archenemy even if he had tried. But, he thought to himself, as a final monstrous baseball bat blow slammed into the Sao Ngo Haaw’s head, knocking her out cold. The assailants couldn’t know that Lung Mao was alone, so perhaps a little bluff would work. Lung Mao was not a brave man but he didn’t dare think about facing Khun William’s wrath either. -0- “uuii-uuii-uuii” The gibbon imitating whistling call made the six assailants freeze just as they were about to grab hold of the defeated homeless woman. As many regular visitors to the Isles, they knew what it meant. It was the Ngo Damh call to arms distress signal, and soon the place would be crawling with them, not to mention the crowd of homeless patrons that had risen to their feet and were approaching, some with broken bottles in their hands. “Abort,” The leader said, already weary about how their mistress would react when she heard of their failure. Perhaps now would be a good time to get that life insurance after all so his wife and kids would be taken well care of. With a final glimpse at the fallen homeless woman and wondering how she could have fought back so ferociously, he led his men in a controlled retreat to the black van.

I was having another nightmare. Despite my desperate struggle to stay awake, I must have drifted off, and now another very vivid dream was haunting me. I was in my homeless woman disguise this time. Cold, tired, confused. Two men were grabbing me, forcing me to stand. I was trying to object, trying to get free and one of them started peeling off my right-hand glove, checking for something. I struggled some more and SLAP, one of the men backhanded me, knocking my head to the side. Ouch, that hurt. It was the first time actual, physical pain had invaded my nightmares, and… As the other man strengthened his grip on my wrist, and I felt blood trickle at the side of my mouth and then tasted it too, it finally dawned on me that this was no nightmare. At least not one of the dreamy variety. No, this was the real thing, and I needed desperately to clear my head and wake up. This was the moment I had been waiting for for all these cold and damp nights among the homeless. Then I saw the black van and felt a touch of panic start to brew. Perhaps this was what the nightmares were trying to warn me about. I hadn’t been thinking things through properly, hadn’t planned ahead like I should. But with no back-up in place I knew there was no way I could let these men take me with them in that black van. The man holding my wrist appeared to be checking the pulse. The other was holding me from behind. I managed to free my arm and palm the pulse-checker in the jaw as he tried to catch hold of it again. The other tightened his grip around my waist and I gasped and became slack in his arms, my head dropping. It made him loosen the hold just a fraction and I caught him unprepared as I slammed my head backwards and into his face. He staggered backwards, grabbing his possibly broken nose and I was free. The first man was recovering and came at me. I went for him but the long coat and dress were hampering my movements and the knee to his chest did not have quite the force and impact I would have hoped for. It gave me a little distance though, and I was able to lose the coat. The long, black dress was more resistant though. I tried if I could rip it off, and when that failed, had to settle for pulling it up around the waist to free my legs. I wrapped it as best I could, but wasn’t sure how long it would hold, and now I was out of time. The men were coming at me again, circling me as I held my arm out to keep them at distance. And now I saw two more coming making the odds of a favorable outcome for me deteriorate considerably. The was some stirring in the background among my fellow homeless dwellers. “Help me,” I tried calling to them without any immediate response, but at least it made my assailants aware that there was another potential threat that they needed to keep in mind. For now, however, their minds were focused on me. They came at me from all four corners of the world, and fueled by adrenaline, I burst into action. A flurry of action left two of the men on the ground and me on my knees, gasping and dazed from a blow to the back of my head coming out of nowhere. Had there been more men? Armed? The answer was yes I learnt painfully as more blows rained over my back and shoulders and boots hammered against my ribs. I was just able to make out the silhouette of someone wielding a baseball bat and preparing to strike. There was a thud and a paralyzing jolt of pain, and then there was nothing more.

Practically unnoticeable in the shadows, Lung Mao watched the arrival of the old, black van and the emergence of men from it. Intrigued, he saw them check on the homeless people one after the other but obviously not finding who or what they were looking for. Two of the men were now approaching the spot where the old woman he knew to be the Sao Ngo Haaw in disguise lay. A little earlier she appeared to have drifted off. Lung Mao couldn’t believe that was part of her plan, and he wondered what ailment was plaguing her. It was clear that she was not feeling well, and Khun William had appeared to know what was wrong, to have been expecting it. Perhaps he was even behind it. Lung Mao had to suppress a shiver. The Ngo Damh were far from squeamish when it came to the use of venom to enforce their will, but even among their leaders, Khun William’s experiments with poisons were whispered about in awe. But these men did not appear to have been sent by Khun William. They had now reached the Sao Ngo Haaw and dragged her to her feet. She muttered something and started struggling in their grip. Lung Mao steadied himself. Things were about to get interesting.

The man standing in front of William Chang was of indeterminable age and of so inconspicuous appearance you might pause in his presence to question whether there was actually anyone standing in front of you at all. “Well?” William hissed at him impatiently. Lung Mao might be one of Ngo Damh’s best trackers but he certainly did take his time getting to the point. “She went to see a Doctor Armstrong and was in there for about half an hour. Then she left for the Isles again na khrap.” “And you say she looked unwell?” “Chây khrap. Pale, very pale. Dark shadows under the eyes. Didn’t even check if she was being followed.” The tracker shook his head in professional disapproval but it was sweet music to William’s ears. “Excellent. Looks like it’s working even beyond my expectations! And you’re sure she is staying in a rented room there?” “Chây khrap,” the tracker nodded and continued, “and she leaves at dusk dressed as an old lady, mingling in with the homeless community.” “Well, keep a close eye on her and let me know the second there is any development.” The tracker nodded and started towards the door. “Oh, and by the way…” William’s voice made the tracker pause. “Make sure our men there leave her alone for now. When the time is right, I will come and deal with her myself.”

And it surrounds everything, and it surrounds all your dreams, and it will take you to fears, you never knew. Zola Jesus: Vessel Emily Chang sat hugging herself on the bed after yet another nightmare. This had been the worst so far. The worst by far. The Lady Cobra captured by Ngo Damh, wrapped in chains, taken deep into a cave, lifted into a stone coffin filled with spiders, the lid closed despite her wild eyes and desperate cries for mercy, the darkness, the creepy crawling everywhere, the suffocating claustrophobia, the inability to breathe, the overwhelming feeling of going insane and almost begging for whatever relief that might follow in the wake of losing her mind. The waking up in a sweat, the gasping for breath, the slow realization that it was just a bad, bad dream…another one. After one of the earlier nightmares that day, Emily had been careless enough to look in the mirror. She was now so pale her face could appear in a Thai billboard advertisement for facial crème. It wasn’t sustainable being deprived from sleep like this. Something was going to snap. Emily had tried going to sleep again but found she couldn’t breathe and felt like she was suffocating each time she rested her head on the pillow. She thought about calling her friend the Lady of Allure but her mind was too tired to work out the time difference to Bangkok. A brief attempt to read from her current poetry book had met with similar failure. So now she was left to trembling and hugging herself on the bed. And in two hours she would have to venture into the dark streets posing as an old lady again.

”You can get dressed now,” the doctor said. “Is everything okay?” Emily pulled the white roll-neck blouse back on and adjusted her hair, trying to gauge the doctor’s verdict from his expression. “Physically there’s nothing wrong with you, quite the opposite in fact. But…” “Yes?” Emily bit her lip. “Is everything okay at home? At work? Too busy perhaps? Feeling a bit stressed maybe?” “I don’t know…” Emily resumed biting her lip. Was she stressed? Was that it? The undercover homeless assignment perhaps? The whole William…situation…thing? Jessica? She had certainly been plagued by yet another horrible nightmare as she tried to get half an hour of sleep before the doctor’s appointment. Diving this time. A shipwreck with crucial cargo inside. Strangely, William had been on the Lady Cobra’s diving crew and had gestured her to swim inside a large crack in the hull, trying to guide her in the poor visibility. But then, just as she had managed to squeeze inside the opening, she had become entangled in a net. The more she struggled to get free, the more entangled she became, and her arms were caught so she couldn’t get to her knife. Desperately, she tried to alert William to her plight, but he was just looking at her, as if he didn’t understand, and then…he swam away from her, leaving her there, trapped in the net. Leaving her alone in the dark abyss. Leaving her alone to drown… That was when she had awoken in yet another panic. That was the fourth nightmare in one day. A new, terrifying record, and it had made her glad she had called the day before to schedule a visit to the doctor. Emily’s mind returned to the present and she realized the doctor was staring at her with a quite concerned-looking expression on his face. “I may be…just a little bit…stressed,” Emily offered, "uh...office gossip and politics...that kind of stuff...you know..." “Well, normally I would tell you to get some rest and sleep. I’ll prescribe some Melatonin for you but given the circumstances I might also suggest you seek out the help of someone more qualified to help with that. Someone with a degree in psychology.” As Emily had thanked the doctor and left, she thought about his suggestion. Had she been back in Denmark, she would have called Dr. Holmblad even though he was William’s friend. He had helped her and most likely saved her life back then with…with Jessica. Here, she didn’t know anyone and she was weary about ending up on the couch of some poorly selected therapist that she couldn’t trust and spilling out the Lady Cobra’s most closely guarded secrets to him or her. Emily’s eyes lit up a bit as a sudden thought occurred to her. She could call one of her friends and colleagues from Thailand, the Lady of Allure. She had helped Lady Cobra before and might have an idea on how to deal with the current predicament before Emily was driven mad or hurt during a mission from lack of sleep. Yes, she was going to follow that plan and give her fellow costumed heroine a call and hear her opinion before seeking out a random therapist. But for now, it was already late afternoon, and Emily needed to get back to the Isles and back in her role as homeless old lady impersonator before darkness fell.

A serial killer was on the loose. Committing murders dressed as the Lady Cobra in a perfect replica of her costume and mask. And now she was wanted by the authorities. She had to go to the police. To clear her name. But why was she being held in custody? And why did they keep saying her fingerprints were on the knife and traces of her DNA found on the body? And why…why was William her defense attorney? He didn’t do criminal law? And plea bargaining? Life in prison without parole? No! She hadn’t agreed to that! And now she was being taken to prison in her costume. She wouldn’t survive 10 minutes in gen pop dressed like that. She was going to die! She had to… Emily awoke in a sweat, her eyes darting madly about in the darkness of her rented room. Her rented room. Not prison, she slowly realized. Another nightmare… She gulped wearily. It was the third in a row. First there had been the one were she was drowning in quicksand and awoke clawing at the neckline of her nightgown and gasping for breath. Then there was the one where she was at the top of that skyscraper construction site having to balance across a narrow steel beam to escape the axe-wielding maniac clown hunting her. Three nightmares in the space of a few hours and hardly any sleep. Whatever was the matter with her? Emily realized that there would be no more sleep for her that day. The room was spinning when she got out of bed and she was just so, so tired. A look in the mirror told her she wouldn’t need much makeup to complete her old lady disguise. An anemic vampire would look healthily tanned compared to her. Getting into character was very important when undercover. And Emily really did feel like a down-on-her-luck old lady as she left to take her place amongst the homeless community for yet another night of whatever vigilance she might be able to muster.

”Rei-chan fancy meeting you here!” Rei Mizuni looked up from the Mizuni Logistics division management reports she had been studying. Oh great… “Nakayima-san, this is most unexpected surprise…” Rei’s voice carried as much warmth as a winter Siberian tundra. Her mind was busy analyzing numbers and did not welcome any interruption and least of all one coming from Takuma Nakayima and the two luscious young women draped around either side of him. The blonde was a model and the redhead an actress Rei’s mind registered after a brief, scowling scan. A painfully obvious attempt to make her jealous no doubt. “I was thinking I might be able to fit in a dinner with you later this month…” Takuma flashed her one of his signature playboy smiles while squeezing the buttocks of his two companions. Nakayima’s offer made the redhead scowl at Rei, but the return thunderbolt of flames from black, Japanese eyes made the actress retreat and cower. “That is most generous offer…” The tone in Rei’s voice could now singlehandedly eliminate the threat of global warming. “Yes?” Nakayima looked at her hopefully. “Unfortunately I am in the process to supervise redecoration of one Mizuni warehouse and am most occupied about to watch that paint dry…” “Oh…but that…uh…I see…” Nakayima was shifting his feet nervously. “And now, if you will most kindly excuse me – I must read most urgently these reports.” After sending a final scowl in the direction of the departing Nakayima and his mannequin entourage, Rei resumed her studies of the most recent numbers. She frowned. Performance was not what she was expecting. Especially the local business here and in the Isles was suffering, and Rei had a pretty good idea why. Chang Industries and that wretched new outfit from Thailand, Ngo Damh, a combination of intelligence and rumors would have it that William Chang was working with, were giving her people a hard time. Rei took a sip of her elderflower lemonade. Delicious! Well, this was something she couldn’t allow to pass. The Mizuni Corporation did not bow down to pressure like this. Only, it might be too obvious if she used her own “Security division” staff as regulators. No, surely this was more work suitable for an external contractor. Now she just needed to find someone having the required skillset and the death-defying courage to match.

Emily Chang had been undercover before, more than she cared to remember, but this was her first time sleeping rough. And rough it was. It was hard to say what was the worst part. The rain soaking her improvised cardboard box shelter, the nocturnal chill carelessly penetrating any measure of layered clothing she had thought might protect her, or the random verbal abuse from passing drunks and other hostiles with the ever-present threat of escalation into physical violence. It made her feel vulnerable; threatened to make her forget who she was, what she was capable of, and why she was here. She was the Lady Cobra, Mistress of disguise and Mistress of the Martial Arts, she reminded herself as she huddled as close to the illusion of warmth emanating from an oil-barrel fire, as fierce territorial competition from her fellow residents of the street would allow. At least Emily had the luxury of spending her days in a rented room with private entrance, close to the harbor. It allowed her to sleep in relative comfort during the day, so she could be awake and alert during the nighttime when she was wearing her homeless old lady disguise. Unfortunately, on her first day, this luxury had been interrupted by another vivid nightmare. This time, the Lady Cobra had been in the ocean, struggling against incoming waves, further and further away from the shore, desperate to save a swimmer in distress but getting more and more cold and exhausted herself the longer it took. Then finally, she had reached the distressed swimmer, but now she saw that they were in scuba gear, and there were three of them, and they were dragging her down, drowning her… Again, Emily had emerged from the nightmare covered in perspiration, and as she slowly donned her disguise, she was feeling far less replenished than she would have hoped. But the mission had to go on regardless of how tired she felt. This was the second night posing as a homeless lady, and the others were beginning to accept her presence among them. So far nothing had happened, but there was something in the air – an unmistakable aura of nervous anticipation. It was as if something or someone was coming. And – urban legend or not - the whole homeless community seemed to be holding their breaths in fear.

William Chang looked at the framed picture of Anni Nakayima on his desk and grunted. The woman really was quite insufferable most of the time. But she did have the redeeming quality of being quite adventurous in the bedchamber – evil tongues would have it known it was tricks learnt from a previous trade. William didn’t much care as long as her skills worked to his benefit. More importantly though, their relation gave him some measure of control over Nakayima Enterprises and enabled him to ensure that their considerable resources and influence could be used to support the interests of Chang Industries. That ghastly playboy son of hers, Takuma, had been a nuisance at first, but thankfully he was now fully occupied chasing down Rei Mizuni and acting as lovesick puppy, wagging his tail whenever she was within a hundred-mile radius. It kept Takuma distracted and the Mizuni girl annoyed, and that meant that two of William’s rivals were kept off their best business game. He buzzed his secretary letting her know that he was under no circumstances whatsoever to be disturbed. Protecting his business interests was one thing, but far from his most important concern. Now to things that really mattered. William took a key from his vest pocket and opened the locked, top desk drawer. Carefully, he retrieved the item hidden therein. It was a special Thai edition Lady Cobra Barbie-doll complete in the blue, red, white, and golden costume and with all ceremonial regalia. He sat with the doll in his hands, studying it carefully, resisting the urge to spit on it and trample it to pieces on the floor. How dare that… William discovered he was squeezing the doll to the point of breaking it. How could she have had the audacity to leave and divorce him when all he had ever done was shower her in affection and love? Well, she might think she had won for now, but William was determined on getting her back. For fun he started jabbing needles into the doll, wishing she could feel it for real. But unfortunately, the doll wasn’t of the Haitian variety, although it might actually be worth a visit there to see if he could get the real thing. Using his business partners Ngo Damh was also getting a bit old. Yes, their methods were quite terrifying and effective, and he still quite liked the idea of Emily walking in to find a deadly Taipan waiting in the shower or a Brazilian wandering spider lurking under the duvet, but he didn’t want her dead. He just wanted her to suffer and then to come running to him, and for that purpose some of his own creations were much more effective and adaptable. He had a lot of planning to do, certainly. For now he had turned to an old, trusted business companion, the infamous Witch of Mekong. The Witch wasn’t cheap, excessively costly in fact, but she had served him well before, posing as Jessica’s nanny, and William was expecting a lot from their most recent collaboration. The Witch had listened to William’s frustration and come up with a great idea, and now he just had to muster some patience to let the Witch work her magic. Nightmare spells. It was strange he hadn’t thought or heard of it before. It seemed such an obvious idea, and William could hardly wait to see how it would work to throw poor, little Emily off balance.

Emily Chang never felt quite comfortable visiting the Isles. Dressed inconspicuously in charcoal grey she fell in with the background, but she was mindful to remember that this was away turf and hostile territory with potential danger lurking around every wall or corner. Just last night, Emily had experienced a very vivid nightmare of being drugged and abducted by Ex-husband William and his men and being left in a Sharkhead Isles pile of slag dressed in her full Lady Cobra costume. She had awoken in a sweat before trying to figure out how to deal with that predicament, but she couldn’t quite escape the eerie feeling that the nightmare had been an ominous warning to abandon today’s venture into this dangerous environment. But homeless people were reportedly disappearing at an alarming frequency and she didn’t really have much choice. She rounded a corner and turned down a harbor street. This area of Port Oakes in particular brought back nasty memories and forced her to suppress a shiver. During a previous encounter here, Emily had found herself badly outnumbered and been roughed up quite a bit before narrowly managing to escape and retreat with her tail between the legs. It had been large slices of humble pie, difficult for her to digest. But it had been highly educative as well. Since then she had learnt to be even more careful and discrete than before. Careful and discrete she certainly was as she tried approaching and questioning patrons of the street, but it was hard getting any solid leads or information from the few people even willing to speak with her. She spoke to a friend of a man called Lumberjack Joe, who hadn’t been seen for several days and there were other more hearsay-based accounts. As darkness started to fall, new patrons took to the streets and Emily was able to get at least two more solid references to homeless people going missing and a handful of additional hearsay ones. The accounts of mysterious figures attacking and abducting the helpless victims at night had a slight urban legend vibe to it but based on the more solid accounts there was no doubt that something – and something organized – was at play. Drawing her coat closer against the evening chill Emily prepared to leave for home. She had no doubts that she would have to come back soon. Perhaps disguising herself as a homeless person and taking to the streets would be the key to getting to the bottom of this mystery.

((inspired by the great writing prompts from @CrystalDragon, the astonishing story thread by @TwoDee, and conversations in game, I thought about creating this story thread to chronicle on a more current basis in short scenes and stories the adventures and other ongoings in Lady Cobra’s little corner of the Everlasting universe. The first short piece is based on an idea from @Sabrehawk and is meant to mark the start of an investigative plot/story. It would be great if anyone else might be persuaded to contribute with their own scenes or stories – be it something that might serve as a plot hook or “icebreaker” for in-game interaction, or just stories about their characters regardless of whether they have any current or prospective relation to Lady Cobra and related characters or not.))

((The Lady Cobra’s most haunting memory. WARNING: Very much on the dark side and includes hints at domestic violence, depression, and the abduction of a child.)) Another red light! I felt as if I might crush the steering wheel in frustration. Light after light after light, as if even they were conspiring to keep me away from my daughter. Until now, Jessica’s birthday had been an unmitigated disaster. First there was William. I had always known that he has a difficult relation to nóong Jessica at best, but his behavior this morning, completely refusing to take part in the Happy Birthday singing, the opening of presents, and the birthday cake ritual, and just leaving for an unspecified “meeting at the office” was unprecedented even for him. Then there was the nanny, brought into our home by William without consulting me and against my wishes. It would enable me to devote more time to William’s needs had been his rationale. She was from somewhere in the Northern regions of Thailand and commanded a range of facial expressions spanning over four or five variations of strong, frowning disapproval. Her sole purpose in life seemed to be keeping me away from my daughter while making me feel as miserable and inadequate as possible in the process. Even today, she had made sure that I spent practically no time at all with Jessie on her birthday, and in my stupid fear of doing anything to enrage or defy William, I had failed to do anything about it. And then my mother had called. Today of all days there had to be a Ngo Damh situation at a Copenhagen casino, and with my mum across the globe in Khao Yai it had fallen on me to investigate, nóong Jessica’s birthday or not. Foolishly thinking that matters couldn’t get much worse, I had gone to change, and just as I emerged from our bedroom, William returned home. He took one look at my low-cut lavender dress and immediately deduced that I was on my way to some adulterous encounter that had only been prevented by his unexpected early return. He started walking briskly towards me. At that moment, I couldn’t allow him to hit me. There was no way I could show up at the casino with a swollen cheekbone or a cracked lip. Perhaps because I was in my professional mindset, it was almost ridiculously easy to deflect his blow and subdue him in a wristlock and with my other palm to the back of his neck until he ran out of steam and gave up any thought of attacking me. His frothing insults stung though. He had never called me a filthy whore before and I didn’t dare imagine what horrors might await me when I returned home to face his wrath, but I just had to forget about that for the time being and focus on the mission. Jessica had stood in the door in her pretty pastel pink dress, closely guarded by the nanny of course, and with her hands formed in an adorable but heartbreaking waai as I left. To top things off, the tip about Ngo Damh had been wrong. Yes, there was an alarming over-representation of Asian patrons at the casino, including quite a few Thai, but the suspected Ngo Damh representatives were nowhere to be seen. And thus finally, after wasting the evening, I was on my way home, hoping desperately that Jessie would still be up, my longing to be with her for the moment suppressing the dread of what William might have planned for me. -0- To my surprise, the lights were off as I finally entered our driveway. That was strange. It wasn’t that late. My first thought was that they had gone out for dinner and then that William – despite my efforts to be as gentle as possible under the circumstances – might have been hurt in our brief struggle after all and they had gone to the ER, but then why hadn’t they called me or left a message? A frantic search of the house confirmed my initial assumption of it being empty. Finally, on my seventh attempt, William picked up his phone. The tone of his voice was sub-arctic. He had gone to the office to attend to “business”, and no, he had no idea where Jessica or the nanny might be. And then he hung up on me. My stomach felt like I had swallowed a woodpecker that was now thrashing about, trying blindly to hack its way out. After searching the house yet again to be sure they weren’t there, I rushed to my car. The hours-long, increasingly aimless, and desperate search yielded no clues to the nanny’s or Jessica’s whereabouts. As the car finally ran out of gas and left me stranded at the side of some random neighborhood road, I felt like my soul was being crushed and my mind about to implode. -0- Hours became days, days became weeks, and weeks became months. Still no sign, no ransom note, or even the smallest of clues. When there was nowhere left for me to search, everything became darkness, each morning a struggle just to get out of bed. I had sworn to love and protect nóong Jessica before and above anything else and I had failed her and that promise in the most horrible manner possible. William suggested therapy. A Dr. Holmblad – one of his hunting buddies. If only I could muster the energy to call him, I would. I needed help. I needed so desperately for someone to help me. If not, I wasn’t sure I was going to survive.

((Rei Mizuni’s first experience with what would trigger her passion for car- and motorbike racing and her rivalry with Takuma Nakayima.)) 12-year-old Rei Mizuni was busy coming up with new and innovative ways to sulk. She did not want to spend her rare precious moments with her father at some stupid racetrack and much less so in the company of that walking monument to plastic surgery, Anni Nakayima, who had been trying relentlessly to sink her gold-digging, black widow claws into Rei’s father ever since Rei’s mother had left. Even worse was the added presence of Anni’s insufferable son, Takuma, who defied common theory on the male gender’s inability to multitask by mastering the combined skills of continuous boasting and radiating arrogant superiority while at the same time coming up with new ways of trying to ogle Rei and peep up her dress. Three years older than her, he was perfectly convinced of being god’s gift to everything in general and anything remotely female in particular, and it made Rei physically ill to see the way all the girls were fawning over him. “Look at Takuma’s skill!” Anni Nakayima marveled as a kart and its purple crash-helmeted driver raced by taking the chequered flag. Rei’s scowling intensified. As if his personality hadn’t been intolerable enough before the victory…and lo and behold, now he was coming over to brag. Takuma lapped up his mother’s vomit-inducing appraisal and to Rei’s dismay, even her father seemed impressed by the kart racing victory. And now Takuma had his eyes set on her. “What do you say, Rei-chan, pretty brilliant eh?” “Pardon?” “My victory!” “I didn’t notice. I was busy studying my finger nails.” “Got to keep them pretty for me I guess.” “How do you mean?” Rei’s scowl attained new, record-breaking intensity. “Well, it’s like my mum says. You’re lucky! When you grow up, I am going to marry you, and then you can keep yourself busy studying fingernails while I run Nakayima Mizuni Enterprises. If I decide to keep the Mizuni name post-merger that is…” Rei muttered something about rather being chewed slowly to death by a pack of rabid Tasmanian devils, but the megalomaniac nuisance hadn’t finished. “Besides, it’s not like girls know how to drive anyway.” “Excuse me?” Rei’s eyes sizzled dangerously. “Obviously you could never be expected to understand the craft and intricacies that lie behind racing…let alone victory.” “Is that so?” The tone of Rei’s voice would have caused any remotely sane person to seek the nearest nuclear fallout shelter. “Of course – it’s not like a girl would have the guts to get behind the wheel and race me anyway…” Only the skilled intervention of Mouse holding her back prevented the ripping of Takuma Nakayima’s throat. But nothing, not even the immense strength of Mouse could have held her away from taking up the carelessly pronounced challenge. -0- Borrowing a Kart and a racing suit had not proven difficult for Toshiro Mizuni at his cherished daughter’s insistence and Rei had even acquired a pastel pink crash helmet that would make her female victory all the more embarrassing for the chauvinistic rival. The lights came off and Rei accelerated furiously away with a reaction time that even Nakayima came nowhere near matching. Within seconds, the first left hand corner approached. Rei started to turn in, and…SLAM…something driven by an opponent with a purple crash helmet crashed into her, pushing her off the track. Rei’s ribs, elbows, and wrists burned from the impact and it took forever to get the Kart back on track. It was a small miracle it was still running, but Nakayima and everyone else were long gone ahead. Rei gritted her teeth and concentrated on putting in lap times. She could see the back markers ahead come closer and closer and remarkably the Kart felt like an extension of her own body and mind and she felt like she had been racing for years and just intuitively knew what lines to take and when to brake. She was gaining on the rest of the field fast, and yes, she might be helped by the others being considerably heavier than her, but in Rei’s mind it was mostly down to skill. Overtaking seemed surprisingly easy and with two laps to go, she was amazingly up to second and hunting down the purple-helmeted race leader. As they flew down the finishing line straight, Rei was right on his tail and she used her weight and speed advantage to go up the inside. The purple helmet turned in disbelief and started to pull towards her in an attempt to squeeze her against the barrier. But Rei had anticipated his aggressive move and lifted off just enough to fall behind Nakayima and take the outside line. Nakayima had to brake earlier than her and Rei had the better exit line, and in one perfectly executed – and for Rei breathtaking – slingshot move, Rei went ahead to lead the race. The remainder of that penultimate lap, Rei extended her lead. Now there was just that final lap left and victory would be hers. She turned into that first left-hand corner and…SLAM! Rei’s eyes fluttered open and closed and her body was one big mess of pain as she sat buried deep in the tire barrier. Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! She was going to rip Takuma Nakayima apart and trample on his heart. If only she didn’t hurt so much. Officials carefully helped Rei from the Kart and lifted her onto a stretcher. Rei closed her eyes and drifted away dreaming of ways to slowly torture and kill Takuma Nakayima. -0- At the hospital, Rei was told that the insane long-distance inside-line dive-bomb from Nakayima had taken them both out of the race and had him disqualified. She supposed it had been better for him than having to face the reality of being beaten by a girl. Rei winced and inwardly questioned the doctor’s assessment that luckily nothing was broken. Despite the aches and bruises she couldn’t wait to ask her father to buy her a proper kart of her own – pink to match the helmet – and to get back on track to hone her skills and beat Nakayima for real.

((The Lady Cobra receives the first of what is to prove a recurring series of gifts…)) As always since Ex-husband William had publicly revealed her secret identity, Emily Chang was very cautious answering the door. A quick scan revealed no obvious danger, although the delivery truck and its notepad equipped driver could of course be part of some cleverly disguised kidnapping ploy. “We have a delivery for a Ms. ...uh…Cobra-sama?” The delivery man was reading from his notepad. “I…didn’t order anything…” Emily’s mind was thinking did somebody send her a bomb, something poisoned or contagious? Could it be Ngo Damh sending a venomous reptile or spider “gift”? It wouldn’t be the first time. “It’s from…uh…Mizuni Fashion,” the driver volunteered after consulting his pad again. Emily nodded, puzzled but definitely relieved. Whatever Rei’s company might have sent her, it probably wasn’t anything dangerous. Her eyes then widened as the delivery man and his colleague started bringing box after box after box into Emily’s hall. When they had finally left it looked as if she was just moving into a new house. Emily’s eyes went over the mountain of boxes and finally found one with an envelope attached. She opened the envelope and examined the letter inside. Dear Ms. Cobra-sama. On behalf of Ms. Mizuni Rei, please find accompanied herewith this month’s delivery of complimentary clothing and accessories from Mizuni Fashion. For this month you will find sneak preview items of our next Mizuni fashion line for Fall. Also please find our complimentary and honorary delivery from Subdivision X. Yours most truly, Yamada Hiroko, head of Mizuni Fashion division. Emily didn’t know what to say. This was… Still in a state of shock, Emily started opening the boxes. Dresses, skirts, pants, suits. Jackets and coats. Shoes and boots. Underwear, hosiery, belts, gloves, scarfs,…*gasp*…jewelry. This was just over the top. There was no way she could accept this. She had to call Rei. Except Emily was afraid that Rei might be offended if she were to decline or return the gift. And…most of these outfits were gorgeous. Some of them a bit more risqué than Emily’s traditional Thai upbringing would normally allow for, but she might at least try them on at home, as long as her mother never found out. The final boxes were the complimentary deliveries from Subdivision X. Emily gasped. It was a series of stunning alternate Lady Cobra costumes complete with belt, boots, and mask. She couldn’t wait to try them on, but first she would have to phone Rei. But how in the world was she going to word her gratitude in any way even remotely appropriate in proportion to the enormity of Rei’s generosity? Then she discovered a final parcel, this one smaller and also with an envelope attached. Eagerly, Emily opened it. Dear most honored Cobra-sama, I hope most sincerely that you are not offended about my most humble delivery of complimentary items from Mizuni Fashion division. It will be my most distinguished pleasure when you will graciously honor us by to wear these items at your election and at your convenience from the time to time. In particular it will be my most distinguished thrill to witness your most exquisite elegance and beauty in the dress that accompanies this letter when perhaps we may visit that Pocket D night-club together in a future not too distant from now? Most truly and humbly yours, Mizuni Rei. Emily gasped and looked at the ravishing orchid-pink dress Rei had singled out. It was stunning! A bit risqué again perhaps, but if she was to wear it in the company of the confident Rei, perhaps even Emily could muster the courage to pull it off. A night out in the company and slipstream of Rei Mizuni. Yes, this was something she was already looking forward to. Very much so in fact!

((Rei Mizuni’s most haunting memory.)) Alone in her boarding school room, Rei had finished homework and was now busy studying fresh interim management reports from the Mizuni Entertainment division’s most recent acquisition – Roberto J’s record company. The deal had been Rei’s suggestion and it had been the first she had been allowed to structure, lead, and close herself. Numbers were looking good, and her father had even acknowledged her achievement. She smiled proudly at the recollection before being interrupted by an unexpected knock on her door. She opened and saw Madame Barrington at the door. Her dreaded English teacher looked slightly less strict and disapproving than usual. “Mademoiselle Mizuni, Madame Depardieu would like to see you in her office immediately.” Rei nodded and tried to suppress a sudden fluttering in her stomach. The headmistress’ office? Immediately? Whatever could this mean? Quickly she checked her appearance in the large mirror. Even the slightest infringement of school uniform regulations, be it an open shirt button, an imperfectly knotted tie, or – heaven forbid – an unnoticed sag in the tights brought about immediate reprimand or disciplinary sanctions that were worse. Satisfied that everything looked irreproachable, Rei hurried downstairs and knocked on the office door. “Enter!” Madame Depardieu was waiting behind her desk. Even she looked a little less frowning than usual. “Ah…Mademoiselle Mi-Zy-Ni…sit down s’il vous plait.” Rei complied, her entire nervous system tingling in cautious anticipation. “I am afraid I have some very bad news.” Rei’s stomach knotted. “Y-yes?” “I am afraid your father has been killed. Shot I was told.” The headmistress looked at Rei, struggling to reshape her frown into something more comforting. It was a valiant effort but a limited success. A strange sound was trying to form in Rei’s throat and she felt like her head would come crashing into Madame Depardieu’s desk. She clenched her fists madly. Never show emotion or weakness in public. Never show emotion or weakness in public. Never show emotion or weakness in public. Her father’s words were racing on repeat through her mind. “I…I see…” she somehow managed. “Of course you will be allowed to take tomorrow morning off. I expect you will have arrangements to make.” “T-thank you…” Never show emotion or weakness in public. “And now you may be excused. I am…sorry…for your loss.” Rei nodded and tried to see if her legs would carry her. It worked, sort of. At least she made it to the headmistress’ door. Never show emotion or weakness in public. The walk back to her room lasted forever. From all directions eyes were following her. It was as if they knew. Rei held her head high. Never show emotion or weakness in public. Finally, she was in her room, the door locked safely behind her. She cranked up her radio. Business news on full volume. Then, sure now that nobody could hear, she flung herself on the bed, buried her head in the pillow and wailed.

((The Lady Cobra’s most beautiful and most haunted memory both relate to the same person. This is a brief account of the most beautiful one – their first meeting.)) Emily Chang’s eyes fluttered and she moaned wearily as the midwife told her for the millionth time to remember to breathe. She had lost sense of how long she had been here. Hour after hour of tormenting labor; an excruciating blurry of oxygens masks, contraction monitors, whimpers, pleading and desperation. By now she was exhausted beyond comprehension and just wanted to close her eyes never to open them again. Except, that annoying midwife wouldn’t let her but just kept telling her to breathe and to push. A final depleted sob escaped Emily’s lips, and the accompanying push that she was barely aware of making brought unexpected relief and triggered wailing that wasn’t coming from her. Emily closed her eyes to the sudden flurry of activity around her, hardly daring to believe the ordeal was over. And then something wonderful was placed against her chest. Emily opened her eyes and looked at the most beautiful thing ever and felt her heart overheat and liquify as she gently cuddled her newborn daughter. Suddenly everything was pure, joyful bliss. It had been worth every second of agony and suffering; instant and unconditional love beyond anything she had ever imagined possible. As she still cuddled the baby close, Emily knew that her life would never be the same. Now there was new meaning, larger than her own life and more important. Much, much more important. From now on, her life would be dedicated to loving this baby and keeping her safe, and nothing else would even begin to matter or compare.

((Rei Mizuni takes a rare Saturday afternoon off from work and is acting very secretively – whatever can she be up to?)) Rei Mizuni checked her watch and gasped just as she and Tanaka-san were finalizing the final details on a non-binding indicative auction bid. “I must please be excused. I have in shortest moment most important….” “Teleconference?” Tanaka-san asked before Rei could finish. Rei’s eyes widened in surprise. “That is most remarkably accurate assumption!” She left Tanaka-san to finalize the Mizuni bid and hastily retreated to her private quarters, instructing Mouse that she was under no circumstances to be disturbed and locking the door behind her. As expected there were several large packages and parcels left on her desk after being cleared by security. She scanned them and picked out the one from the Mizuni Entertainment division first. The Mizuni Fashion packages demanded more close scrutiny. At the moment she wasn’t interested in the ones containing new Mizuni fashion line clothing items for her to wear and promote. No, she was looking for the deliveries she was expecting from Subdivision X. With a satisfied smile, she found and retrieved the correct parcels. Looking around in a conspiratory manner, the young heiress then activated her combined conference phone and sound system device and quickly tapped instructions on her cell. Seconds later, hours of prerecorded business calls started to play out loudly in the room. Balancing the selected parcels, Rei then hurried to her bedroom. The Mizuni country mansion was filled with secret rooms and passageways and - most importantly for her current purpose – also an underground lair that was accessed from a secret elevator at the back of her large walk-in closet. Only Mouse and her combined cook, housekeeper and childhood Nanny, Ikeda-san, knew about it, but even to them it was strictly off-limits except in the event of emergency or after prior arrangement with Rei. Finally arrived in her underground quarters, Rei eagerly opened the Mizuni Entertainment package. She marveled at the contents. A selection of rare original Lady Cobra comics from Thailand and to her absolute joy an obscenely rare recording of the legendary final Lady Cobra movie, The Cardinal of Death. According to rumor, production had been cursed by several accidents, and the Lady Cobra herself had almost been killed in the final climaxing fencing duel with the cardinal in heavy rain on the roof of his castle. The actor playing the cardinal had proven to be mentally unstable and the son of a serial predator once brought to justice by the Lady Cobra and had seen the movie production and his role as the cardinal as the ideal opportunity to avenge his father. The movie had never been finalized or screened, and it was thought to have been lost to the world, but now it was Rei’s to add to her collection. Then came the Division X packages. The first two contained the white attire she had ordered for her “friend”. Several new costume variants ensured that the Avenging Angel would still be looking fashionable fighting crime. Rei couldn’t wait for her “friend” to try them on, but for now, her focus was on the fourth and final package. Rei pulled back the lid and gasped. Division X had outdone themselves. She must make sure to thank Yamada-san most profoundly and see to it that she received a generous bonus. The blue, red, white, and golden outfit was an outstanding replica, and ten minutes later, Rei stood dressed as a perfect imitation of the Lady Cobra, albeit in an unusual ponytailed variant. Rei checked her watch and for once didn’t gasp. She was in perfect time. The underground lair was a veritable fox den of secret exits and one of them led to a nearby barn, where she had a number of vehicles waiting – a black Ducati, yet another indigo Lexus from the Mizuni fleet, and her vehicle of choice for today, a much more nondescript grey Mazda. Soon she was on the road and headed for the city. The Comic-Con opened at four and Rei couldn’t wait to reveal her new outfit. Her cosplay friends and rivals were in for a big surprise.

((The Lady Cobra relaxes after a mission.)) Finally at home, Emily thought as she locked and chained the door behind her. Off came the long, white coat so useful for concealing the Lady Cobra costume from prospective prying neighbor eyes and then the costume gloves and boots. The mask she had already removed in the car. It had been a rough night but also a rewarding one, Emily persuaded herself, as she sipped from a cup of heavenly peppermint tea. For too long the Ngo Damh thug Mee and a couple of hangarounds had been terrorizing the dockside bars and in particular the female patrons and working girls dependent on making their living there. Protected as the thugs were apparently by some higher-up authority, nobody had dared challenge them. Eventually, word on the street had reached Emily’s ear and she had soon come to realize that the Lady Cobra would have to intervene. The thugs were not protected from the Mistress of the Martial Arts. It was hostile and dangerous territory but after following the thugs for several nights and learning their routines, Emily had chosen the confrontation time and spot well. The alley was narrow, dark, and deserted. As she had hoped, it was just her and them. The battle had been short but intense. The men did not go down easily, especially Mee, but there was never any real doubt about the outcome. And now she was home safely and could finally relax. Finishing the tea, Emily went upstairs to the bathroom, unfastening and stepping out of the costume skirt. Steam soon started rising from the bathtub as she opened the hot water tap, together with the divine scent from a generous dosage of Jasmine bathing oil. Emily winced as she pulled off the costume top. Mee was pronounced with a rising tone and meant bear, and it was a highly appropriate name for the lead thug. He was built and attacked like a rabid grizzly on superadine, and the Lady Cobra had not emerged from their battle completely unscathed. Emily finished undressing and checked herself in the mirror. Sure enough, a couple of nasty bruises were forming on her lower back and across the left hip, but hopefully it was something the hot bath could help soothe. Emily gasped as she lowered her weary and battered body into the steaming embrace of bathwater awaiting her and closed her eyes. It was pure rapture and just what she had dreamt of all evening. Now if only there had been a special someone to gently kiss and scrub her back. But no. The chances of that part of her dream coming true were…bleak to say the least. She sighed and opened her eyes again. Well, nil desperandum she thought and reached for the shelf above the tub. At least she had the company of one of her favorite romantic poetry books, and the ability to dream. Life probably wasn’t too bad after all.