The Courier 

Author's Note

Some of my readers really seemed to enjoy the New Assignment story, I wrote about a month ago and the main takeaway I got was that everyone liked the banter between, Ben and the Assassin.

Well.. guess what?

Sheeeeee'sssss Baaaaaccck! And she is a little more.. suggestive, shall we say? Enjoy!

The Courier 

Chap 2: The waking.

“Ohhnhh!” 

My head was throbbing with an unforgiving and pulsating pain. It was like being in the inside of a base drum in a marching band.

What the hell happened? Had I been drinking the night before? I tried shaking my head and instantly regretted it. My stomach turned.

“Don’t try to move or talk yet, Mr. Harper”

Who was that? Where was I anyway?

Whoever it was, I felt them move my arm a little, but only vaguely. I couldn’t see but, I felt my arm sort of flopping around like a wet noodle.

I guess whatever I had at the club was stronger than I thought. Maybe somebody roofied me or something. I tried to remember what happened.

I remembered meeting a girl…..that smile. So wide. Like a tiger ready to pounce. The whistle just behind my ear.. Then.. nothing.

Oh

No

I remembered. I was not in the club last night. I had been at that warehouse, delivering a hand written note to her…. The Assassin.  

So….. it was her…but…

Why wasn’t I dead? 

I heard footsteps approaching while a wet cloth was being placed on my forehead, gently wiping my brow almost in a caress

There was a murmuring in the room..

I strained to hear, but I could only make out vague syllables without any meaning to them at all until I heard one say “vitals are stable”

Well, that’s good.

I can’t move

I can’t see

But…Glory Be! My vitals are stable!

“Take the win, man. At least you're alive”, I thought.

That’s true. I seem to have survived an assassination, which is good..

One question. Why was I being targeted?  

Oh yeah… She said that I had been “made”. I guess I was a loose end that needed to be removed.

So once again..how is it that I am alive now?

The footsteps fell away as did the voices and soon, I was drifting off, into darkness, still with unanswered questions.

*************

Suddenly, I was back in the alleyway, heading to the abandoned warehouse. The whole place smelled of rotting trash. I held my breath in an attempt to not let the scent overwhelm me as I approached the structure.

I entered the building and walked up the stairs.

She wasn’t asleep.  

I saw her silhouette playing along the floor while a light gleamed off of the sword she was holding over her head. Then, in a gentle movement, her left leg, which had been held knee up, was descending slowly to the floor while the sword seemed to cut a tiny slice in the air.

Watching her carefully from a distance, I carefully retrieved the paper from my pocket and quietly placed it on the night stand near the stairs. I then turned and started to descent the staircase, counting my blessings.

“You suurrree you don’t wanna staaaayyy, Ben?”, she purred,

Damn!

I shook my head and looked at her shadow on the wall next to me as it seemed to beckon, urging me to come back… and watch her!  As I looked at the shadow again I noticed that something was different. Was she… oh boy. 

I couldn’t even bear to think what I was thinking. I felt a sudden flush of heat rising from my neck and I quickened my pace down the steps.. I’m sure that I was red as a tomato. Yeah.. get out.. Get out now!

“Hey!.. Don’t knock it, Ben! You could actually leeaaaarn something!” As I reached the bottom floor, I could hear her cackling laughter echoing off the walls.

*************

“Mr. Harper?”

I opened my eyes for what seemed to be the first time. I was lying in some kind of hospital bed. White bedsheets, dotted ceiling tile. Beeping monitors. My heart rate was elevated. I wonder why?

I tried sitting up, but it couldn’t

“It’s okay, Mr. Harper. The effects are still wearing off slowly”, the calm, deep male voice uttered. I strained my eyes, looking towards my feet to get a good look at him.  

He was an older gentleman with wispy white hair wearing white lab coat, wearing thick glasses. 

“Who..where..?”

He nodded his head slowly with a sigh. “I’m Doctor Phillips. You were poisoned, Mr. Harper. You were almost at the brink of death when you were brought in. You almost didn’t make it.”

I shook my head a little, blinking.

“We have some questions, of course.”, the doctor continued walking closer to the bed. “We have taken care of the effects which will continue to wear off over time, but we were wondering. How did you come in contact with this poison?’

I looked at him for a moment. He didn’t know how I had gotten poisoned. That meant he was not connected to the assassin at all. 

“I don’t know”, I whispered. "I was just walking along and then… boom, I was out!” It was partially true anyway. I sure did go boom, alright.

The old doctor’s brow furrowed as he adjusted his glasses and nodded with a slight smile. “Well, that’s understandable in your condition, Mr. Harper. Regardless, you are lucky to be alive. If you had been brought in any later, then you wouldn’t have survived.”

I nodded.. “Where?” I managed to croak.

“Mercy Springs Memorial”

Mercy Springs Memorial. I searched the maze of my brain for any connection between where I had been and Mercy Springs Memorial and found nothing at all. I had never heard of it. Ever.

“It’s about 50 miles outside the city.,” the doctor explained as he headed to the door. "We'll be back to check on you later"

“Wait”, I said.

“Who brought me in?”

Doctor Phillips frowned a little. “I was not present at that time, but from what I am told, it was an Asian woman who brought you in.”

An Asian woman.

I frowned.

“Probably a local of some kind. Whoever she was, she just dropped you off and left”

I stared at him for a moment, blinked and then nodded slowly. 

“Rest easy Mr. Harper. Your nurse will be here shortly to check you vitals again and later… dinner”

I nodded and put my head back onto the pillow attempting to process everything that had happened so far.

Dinner.

It was still light outside, so this meant it was late afternoon at least. As for the date or day of the week, I had no idea until I saw it displayed on the white board, hand drawn in blue marker. It was August 10 and my nurse’s name was Michael.

So I had been in here for about a week since that night with the assassin. That was an answer at least. I still had no idea how I had survived other than being brought in by an Asian woman. Was it her? Did the assassin bring me here to this hospital?  Was she the one who actually poisoned me or was it someone else? 

“Sloppy, Ben…Real Sloppy!”

I remembered that piece.

I knew one thing.. Once I got to where I could move again, I would have to leave this place and find my answers. There’s no going back now