Black Cardinal: The Haystack Affair

by qazaq_2000

Part 1.1

The mood in the ultra-modern military facility was tense. "Bad news, sir," the lieutenant reported to Col. Davis, head of the ultra-secret US Army Special Operations Unit. "Our agents in London have confirmed that Operation Haystack has gone off course."

"What does 'off course' mean, Lieutenant?" demanded an irritated Col. Davis. He knew what Operation Haystack was: a new anti-missile technology that could actually fulfill the dream of a foolproof shield against incoming warheads. This latest generation of theatre missile defense would render almost all existing strategic military strategy obsolete in a stroke. After receiving intelligence that hostile nations may have found out the location of the secret facility at which Haystack was being developed, the Army and the CIA had decided to move the whole secret research effort to a new location.

"It means, sir, that the transfer to the new facility never was completed. The Haystack system, and its developer, Dr Cartwright, are missing."

"Blast it! Why is something this sensitive being developed outside the US anyway?"

"Because Dr Cartwright is British, and she wouldn't consent to work so far away from her family."

"Hang it all!" thundered Davis. "Well, anyway, has MI5 been informed?"

"Uh, no, sir," the lieutenant confessed. 

"Why not?"

"Because we never told the British government about Haystack. This has been a thoroughly American project, it just happens to be happening under the noses of the UK authorities. Sir, with all due respect…"

"Yes, son, spit it out!"

"I recommend we activate the Black Cardinal."

Davis sighed. He was uneasy about relinquishing control over such an important operation, but he had to agree with his subordinate: Black Cardinal had been of decisive help in the past, and she was the best candidate for this job. "Lieutenant, get me the batphone!" Inside Special Ops, the "batphone" was slang for the high security dedicated line to the Black Cardinal. 

"Ready for you on line one," replied the lieutenant. Col Davis called 

Part 1.2

Becca was enjoying a peaceful day at home. "Home" in Becca's case meant more than it did for most people, since Becca was the Black Cardinal, America's secret weapon in international espionage! Her house looked ordinary enough, but hidden in the basement and behind secret panels was installed the most advanced electronic equipment known. In a secret changing room was her Black Cardinal costume: a snug black body suit cut to show her athletic legs and body, black boots, and most important her gold belt containing a host of gadgets to use in her adventures. This last item was a technological marvel, powered by special high-powered batteries. Each link in the belt was a button that activated a different special piece of equipment. All Becca had to do was be mindful of how much she was using the belt, otherwise her technology might run out of power at an inopportune time!

Suddenly the hotline rang. Becca ran over to the phone and answered it. The gruff, stressed voice of Col Davis barked into the receiver, "Black Cardinal? You're needed."

Col Davis explained the situation as he understood it. The Haystack missile defense system must not be allowed to fall into hostile hands. The part of Haystack that had disappeared was the special optics that helped pinpoint the incoming missiles (hence the operation's name - Haystack - because these optics allowed you to find a needle in one). Dr Cartwright, the most talented aeronautics expert in ceramics and optics, should be presumed kidnapped and her inventions stolen. To complicate matters, Becca was told she could expect no help from the UK authorities, since they had not been told of this project. 

"I'll save Operation Haystack, Colonel," Becca vowed. 

"I know we can count on you, Black Cardinal," Davis replied. "You'll leave for Heathrow tonight. Tomorrow you'll rendezvous with one of our agents, code-named Hazel. He'll brief you in more detail when you arrive." 

Part 1.3

Becca packed her bags quickly and made her way to the airport. She found when she got to the airport that she had already had a seat reserved on the plane to London. Who says the government is inefficient, she thought. Her security clearance got around some potentially sticky problems at airport security, such as why she was carrying enough electronic gear to set up her own Silicon Valley firm.

The flight over to London was a relatively tranquil seven hours. Becca cleared customs at Heathrow Airport quickly. She collected her luggage from the carrousel downstairs and headed into the arrivals concourse at Terminal 2. Amid the throng waiting for passengers, Becca spotted a limo driver holding a sign with her cover name on it: Ms B Carlton. Becca approached the driver and announced that she was Ms Carlton. 

The pair walked to the garage where a sleek black sedan with tinted windows was waiting ("We call them saloons here," the driver pointed out.) Once Becca's luggage was loaded, she got in the back seat wile the driver got in the front. The driver turned to Becca and said in a posh Home Counties accent, "We've arranged for you to stay at a special residence - Hazel House."

Becca recognized the code. "And I take it you're Mr Hazel?"

"Indeed I am. And you are really Miss Cardinal, if I am not mistaken."

"I am. But I was told MI5 was not aware of this project. I was expecting Mr Hazel to have an American accent."

"Oh, I'm a sherman all right," said Hazel, suddenly switching to a Texas drawl. " I wouldn't be undercover for long if I couldn't fake it as a Brit."

"I beg your pardon?" asked Becca, puzzled.

"Cockney rhyming slang," explained Hazel. "Sherman tank = Yank. You'll pick it up soon enough. Along with great gardening and lousy ice cubes."

As they made their way through the usual heavy traffic on the M4 motorway toward central London, Agent Hazel filled Becca in on what was known about the theft of Operation Haystack. "Our big fear," he said, "is that the North Koreans are behind this and will use Haystack to make themselves impervious to attack. Then they'd be able to threaten not just the ROK but Japan as well. And we know how tricky that is with the elections coming up and regional issues being such a big campaign issue!" 

Part 1.4

"What should we do first?" asked Becca.

"Since we have no idea where the stolen system or Dr Cartwright are being held, I think the most fruitful lead would be to find out where the leak in our intelligence is. Somehow our adversaries found out where Operation Haystack was being moved, and when, and managed to intercept it under our noses near Cheltenham. You'd think Gloucestershire would be boring enough to avoid undue attention! But anyway, if we can catch the leak, we might be able to find Haystack! Here's where you can help. We think that some of our local contacts have switched sides and betrayed secrets to our enemies. They have a front of working for a hardware company based in Hackney. The problem is, the contacts that we suspect all know us by face. It would be almost impossible for us to sneak into their offices. But they don't know you - so your presence won't tip them off."

"Perhaps I should pay their offices a visit this evening," thought Becca, "…as Black Cardinal!"

Hackney is in north London, a maze of grim council estates and warehouses. The streets are poorly lit, the area deserted at night except for a few trendy clubs and the beginnings of a bar and restaurant scene along the southern fringes of the area nearest Old Street Tube station. It would be hard to imagine something more removed from the London the tourists see.

The contrast was especially apparent to Becca, since a suite had been arranged for her at a grand private residence in St James's, near Buckingham Palace and Green Park in central London. There she had rested until sunset, then had dressed in the provocative costume of Black Cardinal. Over her costume she put on a Burberry's coat and walked out to meet Agent Hazel in his car. 

They drove through London, by Piccadilly Circus, through Holborn and Clerkenwell, onto Old Street and Hackney Road. Agent Hazel turned into a deserted sidestreet amidst the closed-up warehouses, occasional mini-cab dispatchers and the odd, forlorn chip shop. He parked and asked Becca if she was ready.

" I'll take it from here," Becca instructed. "We'll rendezvous back on Cremer Street across Hackney Road in one hour."

"You have the address of the offices of VJ Singh Spice Importers. Singh has been very helpful to us in providing information in the past, but we think he, or someone in his employ, may be a double agent. Somewhere in that office, we believe, is the clue that will lead us to Haystack. Be careful, Black Cardinal." 

Part 1.5

Becca got out of the car, and walked down the deserted street. She found an alley where she was sure no one could see her. She unbuttoned her trenchcoat and cast it on the ground, revealing the sexy costume of Black Cardinal. "Now it's time to use some of the high tech gear I've got in my gold belt," she said to herself. She pressed one of the links on the belt - an advanced electronics and optics system instantly rendered her invisible. "OK, three minutes to break into the offices - no more! I don't want to use up too much power."

Becca raced around the corner invisibly to her destination on Pelter Street, another nondescript, long, curving street with dim sulphur lights and grated storefronts. She quickly found the address, picked the lock to the front door in a matter of seconds, and raced up the stairs to the third floor. 

Once inside the offices of VJ Singh, Becca disabled a security camera, then turned off her invisibility. She had succeeded in infiltrating the offices without being detected. "Now to go through their files," thought Becca. She glided silently over to a corner office and turned on the computer inside. Becca was poring over the files on disk - they seemed to be all ordinary records relating to Singh's import business. "I've got to find if there is anything buried in the files here," Becca said to herself. As she continued to pore over the records on the monitor, Becca realized that she could see a face in the reflection of the screen! Someone was watching her in the shadows!

But as soon as she realized she was under surveillance, the face disappeared into the darkness. This was Black Cardinal's chance! Becca sprang into action and gave chase to the mysterious figure. She could hear footsteps on the stairs sprinting to the exit. Becca pursued, catching sight of a dark shape in the shadows of the stairwell. But her quarry was too far ahead - he (or she!) might make it outside before Becca caught up! "Time for a little surprise!" thought Becca, as she vaulted over the stair railing straight into the stairwell! Becca fell three floors, but her special Black Cardinal boots absorbed the shock of landing! Just as she landed her prey, a slim South Asian man, came running down to the ground floor, shocked to see Black Cardinal waiting there for him. 

"What? How did you do that?" asked the man. 

"I paid attention in gym class," Becca bantered. The sleek heroine approached the dumbfounded man and grabbed him by the shirt. "Now, tell me, who do you work for?"

"Him," answered the man, pointing over Becca's shoulder.

"Who?" asked Becca, as she started to turn her head to look behind her. But a sharp blow to her head knocked her out before she could discover the answer. 

"Get her in the van," was the last thing Becca heard before she passed out…. 

Part 1.6

"Oooh," said Becca as she slowly came to. Considering how she had been attacked, her head didn't hurt as much as it might. But Becca found that was the least of her problems. She found herself in a dark room, and was seated directly underneath a large light, the only one in the room. She was lashed to a large, heavy chair, her wrists tightly bound behind her back, her arms stretched uncomfortably around the back of the chair, her ankles tied together and to the chair. Just to be sure her assailants had wound more rope around her thighs and booted calves, also around her waist to secure her firmly to the chair. Becca tested her bonds, discovering to her dismay that she was not going to be able to free herself any time soon. "This is not good," she thought.

"I think our guest is awake," said an Indian voice from the gloom.

"You had better let go of me," Becca asserted.

"Oh really?" said a Manchester accent. " I suppose you had a warrant to search our offices?"

Becca simply twisted in her bonds in reply.

"Well, then, consider this a citizen's arrest, isn't that what you Yanks call it?" A large, pudgy white man emerged from the gloom. "Now, you are going to tell us all about what you were doing, why you were doing it, and why we shouldn't make you disappear forever."

"Is the other guy here Mr Singh?" Becca demanded.

"She's quite rude," said the Indian voice, "that will be a strike against her." The slim man that Becca had accosted stepped into view.

The pudgy Mancunian grabbed Becca by the chin and jerked her head up. "Now see here, missie, we ask the questions an' that. Got it?"

"When I get free I am really going to hurt you," Becca spat out defiantly.

"Why do we waste time reasoning with her, Nick?" asked the slim Indian man. 

Nick looked over his bound captive, appreciating the athletic figure of Black Cardinal, in her black body suit and boots, tied up and helpless. Becca merely glowered back defiantly.

"I say we just force her to talk, Nick."

"Well, you don't run the show, now do you?" replied Nick with irritation.

"I'll tell you nothing until you untie me!" demanded Becca.

"Come on, Nick, she's trouble. Let's just get rid of her."

"Don't panic, Singh!" said Nick. (Ah, so it is VJ Singh, noted Becca as she continued to work on her ties surreptitiously. Her hands were tied extremely tightly. If she could just reach her belt but it was no use: her bonds were too tight!)

"Well, I hate to use extreme methods, especially on as beautiful a woman as you, but your stubborness leaves my partner and me no choice, like" said Nick as he picked up what looked like an electric cattle prod. "Straight from China," said Nick as he admired the torture device.

"Is that who you're working for?" asked Becca.

"You still aren't getting the picture, are you, duck? I ask the questions, you answer, and then you die," said Nick as he approached Black Cardinal menacingly.

"You can't intimidate me, you thug," Becca vowed bravely. But she at this moment could think of no way out of her current predicament.

Things have certainly taken a wrong turn at the outset of Black Cardinal's adventure. How will she escape the clutches of the sinister Nick and the paranoid VJ Singh? Stay tuned…. 

Part 2.1

Black Cardinal had fallen into the hands of double agents leaking information on Operation Haystack to hostile foreign powers. Becca had been tied up in a heavy chair with armrests, her slender wrists bound behind her back, her lithe legs tightly tied with ropes. She struggled in vain to reach her golden belt, but her captors had restrained her too well. Now one of them, Nick, approached Becca and intended to torture secrets out of her. 

Becca twisted helplessly as Nick and VJ Singh closed in on their prey. "Don't bother struggling, girl, you won't escape. You'll tell us everything we want to know!" Nick threatened.

"Never!" hissed Becca as she continued to fight her bonds.

"You won't be so brave after a few rounds with me," Nick growled as he brandished the cattle prod he carried.

There's only one chance, thought Becca. If I can just shift my body over a bit, I can push up against the right armrest of this chair. One of the buttons on my belt…

With a supreme effort Becca managed, despite her extremely tight bonds, to push her hips off to the right. Her gold belt was pressed into the armrest, and one of the links on the belt was activated. A massive ultrasound pulse fired out from Black Cardinal's belt, bowling both Nick and VJ Singh over and knocking them out cold!

"Now to get out of these ropes before those two come around!" said Becca to herself. She looked around for a knife of scissors, and noticed a jagged piece of scrap metal on a table nearby, just on the edge of the shadows of the room. Becca hopped over to the table, picked up the metal scrap with her bound hands and began to cut the ropes holding her hands behind her back. Soon she had cut through the wrist bonds, then quickly freed her legs. 

Part 2.2

Becca pushed another link in her belt and contacted Mr Hazel, the code name for her American contact in London. "I've done some 'plumbing' tonight - I think I've solved your leak. Can you send reinforcements to round up two spies? Home in on this signal."

Agent Hazel complied immediately - Black Cardinal guarded the unconscious Nick and Singh until the cavalry arrived. A half dozen "men in black" swooped down on Becca's location, picked up the two double agents, and sped off before any local law enforcement was aware of any problem. More than one of the agents was taken aback by the sight of Black Cardinal, in her superheroine costume, as was Hazel. 

"Washington certainly has not sent us their usual special ops person!" he said as he took notice of Becca's striking outfit.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Becca answered.

"Please do. In one night you've already made a big difference. We'll sift through the evidence we've gained here and play 20 questions with your two friends here. I say we regroup tomorrow - I'll pick you up at 8 and we'll head over to our headquarters."

Becca agreed. After Nick and Mr Singh had been carted off, Becca looked around, and noticed something lying on the ground catch the light. It was a tiny piece of unusual tile, the likes of which Becca had not seen before, She picked it up - it might lead her to the next stage of recovering Operation Haystack.

Becca and the rest of the agents walked out of the building where she had been held prisoner; as she emerged into the late-night street, she didn't recognize the neighborhood. Instead of Hackney Road's warehouses, she was on a street of cozy brown brick town houses on a gentle slope on one side, and a large park on the other.

"We're in Islington," explained one of the agents. "Tony Blair territory. Those two didn't take you all that far - that helped us get here so quickly when we got your signal." 

Part 2.3

Becca returned to her residence on St James's Square and got a good night's sleep after her adventure. She met Hazel the next morning refreshed and dressed professionally in a black suit. 

"Where to?" asked Becca.

"We have a situation room set up in a safe house in a mews street off Weymouth Street in Marylebone. We'll be briefed by the team and discuss a plan of action from there." Becca took in the city streets rolling past her as they drove to the meeting. The day was typical spring London - damp and overcast, but not really cold. Becca noticed how many offices had flower boxes in their windows. They made their way up Regent Street with its many famous stores - Hamley's, the world's largest toy store, along with the newer American invader, the Warner Bros emporium. Farther up lay Liberty's department store, in its odd Tudor edifice, and not far past that they crossed the pedestrian and traffic chaos of Oxford Circus. As the car continued its northward course, Becca noticed the out of place, small round tower of All Souls as Regent Street bent around the Langham Hilton and turned into Portland Place. The street now became a divided road with a strip of grass and flowers in the median. The neighborhood had turned into a more residential one, especially after they turned left onto New Cavendish Street. They then made their way to a small road off Weymouth Street, parked the car out of immediate visibility of the main road, and entered a small mews house.

Inside the house had been transformed into something out of a Tom Clancy novel. Screens and electronic gizmos were everywhere. Every room and corridor had poker faced men and women with earpieces and wires dangling down their necks into their suit pockets. Becca was led to the rear of the house where the dining room had been converted into a meeting place. She and several others, including Agent Hazel, sat down. Another agent - code-named Mr Blue - began his briefing.

"We have," Mr Blue began, "after a long night of persuasive tactics, secured the cooperation of Messrs VJ Singh and Nick Spadell. They have told us that they were moles planted by North Korean forces to conduct espionage against NATO in general and the US and UK in particular.

"While they cannot tell us where to find Operation, our forensics team found in Mr Singh's pocket a hand scribbled note reading 'Down tomorrow.' We so far have no conclusive thoughts on the meaning of those words."

Not much to go on, thought Becca. But Blue continued. "Mr Singh did reveal to us that his main contact was not a North Korean, but a Sudanese expatriate named Youssef. The team has spent most of the night cross checking the evidence and we believe that this is actually a Mr Youssef Amada, working in the Sudanese Embassy." Blue passed around some photos taken of the suspect.

"Isn't the Sudanese Embassy right next to St James's Palace?" asked Hazel.

"That's right," Blue confirmed. He then turned to Becca. "Just a few streets from where you're staying, Ms Cardinal. How'd you like to do a little surveillance work? Perhaps this Youssef character can get us closer to Operation Haystack's location."

"No problem. If he's involved in this, I'll get to the bottom of it."

"Excellent." Blue cracked the first smile Becca had seen. "Ladies and gentlemen, our meeting is adjourned." 

Part 2.4

The Sudanese embassy stands on Cleveland Row, directly opposite the Renaissance-era St James's Palace, with its large oak gates and dark brick walls. The Palace itself sits in contrast to most of the area's imposing buildings of large grey stone. A steady stream of tourists interferes with the heavy traffic where Pall Mall turns uphill and becomes St James's Street. Since the team couldn't set up surveillance in the Palace itself, the team decided to have a few agents continually walk by the area so that the front door of the Embassy was always in an agent's line of sight. Becca, still in her black suit, her Black Cardinal outfit hidden underneath, was part of the stakeout. She too now had a discreet earpiece and a microphone that kept her in constant contact with the other agents. She also carried a gun in case things got out of hand.

There had been no sign of Youssef for the whole day. Part of the training should be how to endure the tedious side of spying, thought Becca. Now, as dusk approached, the wind turned and began to come in from the east, bringing with it a faint tinge of the salt of the Thames estuary and the North Sea into the air. Soon Becca realized that the east wind was also bringing with it a dense fog that was thickening with each passing moment.

"Great," thought Becca, "it will be a nightmare trying to track someone in a real London pea souper."

Soon a voice crackled in her earpiece. "Target sighted. Leaving Cleveland Row, heading east. Can you pick up, Black Cardinal?"

Becca was on St James's Square. "On my way. Follow target until you hand off to me on Pall Mall." She briskly walked the one block from the park square to the busy boulevard of Pall Mall, and soon saw Youssef hailing a black cab. "Target acquired. In pursuit," she notified her colleagues. Becca immediately flagged another taxi down down, and instructed the cabbie to follow Youssef's cab.

"I'll do what I can, luv," the cabbie said, "but in this fog one cab'll look much like any other."

Nevertheless, Becca's cab driver lived up to his guild's reputation, and they didn't lose sight of Youssef's taxi as it circled around St James's, then sped down Northumberland Avenue to the Embankment. From here one could usually see South Bank, the Millenium ferris wheel on the far bank of the Thames, and, downstream, the floodlit outlines of St Paul's in the distance. Tonight none of that was visible. The riverbank lights of the Embankment stood as eerie beacons in the darkening fog. Both cabs traversed the tunnel underneath Blackfriars Bridge Eventually, Youssef got out on Upper Thames Street near the onramp to Southwark Bridge. Becca alighted a safe distance away. 

Youssef almost ran toward the bridge, then suddenly disappeared down a stairway to the right of the bridge approach. Becca had to run to catch up, and saw the sign for "Thames Walk" and the stairway leading to it. 

Part 2.5

It turned out that this part of Thames Walk was a narrow, crooked pedestrian walkway that ran right up alongside the river open to the sky but below street level. Youssef was now heading west, doubling back in the opposite direction he had taken in the cab. As Becca tailed Youssef she passed small piers, most having boats converted into pubs moored to them. 

Youssef suddenly turned around. He spotted Becca shadowing him and immediately began to run! Becca, having been discovered, had no choice but to pursue her quarry in a simple test of athletic endurance. They raced along the jagged path of the Walk, Becca about thirty feet behind Youssef, but closing in. "Target has seen me. Thames Walk, west of Southwark Bridge, heading west toward Blackfriars," she radioed to her colleagues.

Ahead Becca could barely make out that the embankment had a small indentation cut into it. A small white pedestrian bridge, enclosed by iron gratings on the sides and above, spanned the ten feet of water. Youssef ran at top speed across the little bridge, with Becca in hot pursuit. But as soon as he crossed to the far side, Yousef suddenly stopped. Becca ran onto the bridge, past the signs reading "No pedestrians allowed when lights are flashing."

Youssef swung a heavy iron gate to block access to the Walk from the bridge, and swiftly padlocked the gate. Becca skidded to a stop halfway across the bridge, and only then heard another metal gate slam shut behind her. The metal bridge was now effectively a cage, and Becca was trapped!

Becca didn't have time to think what to do next, for she saw the warning lights start to flash and heard machinery creak into action. The bridge was actually a drawbridge, and the two halves were opening up. She was going to plunge into the icy, treacherous waters of the Thames! 

She shouted into her microphone, "I need backup. I'm on a pedestrian bridge on Thames Walk. Hurry!" The drawbridge rose to such an angle that Becca lost her footing, and nearly fell into the river, but at the last moment caught part of a metal railing with one hand, and dangled from the rising drawbridge. She couldn't hold out for long!

Just then a speedboat with several men in it arrived on the river beneath her. The pilot positioned the boat directly underneath the dangling figure of Becca as her aching arm muscles gave out, and she fell into the boat. Becca tried to go for her gun, but in the confined space several strong arms quickly overpowered her. "Help! I'm being kid…mmmphfff!" Becca could not complete the warning, for one of her captors pushed a hankerchief soaked in chloroform over her nose and mouth, knocking Becca out. Youssef and his unknown accomplice on the other side of the bridge got into the speedboat, and together with their captive they chopped through the black waters of the Thames, heading downstream. 

Part 2.6

"Oi! She's waking up!" was the first thing Becca heard. She was still in her business suit. She was lying down, stretched out on something metal and machine-like. Her arms were stretched above her head, her hands bound together and somehow attached to the machinery, so that her arms were completely immobilized. She tried to move her legs, but they too were tightly tied together, and attached to something heavy in such a way as to prevent any movement. As the miasma from the choloform dissipated, Becca became aware of the sounds of large heavy machinery, and realized that she was in a cavernous room. Her first guess was that she was in a power station. 

"She's a fit bird, I'll tell you that," said another Cockney voice. "She sure outran you, ya weak bastard! You need more real food an' less of that curry rubbish you always eat. Lucky we were waiting for you at the bridge!"

"Where are your friends?" asked a foreign voice. "Let's wrap this up!"

"Oh, they'll be here!" said the first voice.

"Where am I?" asked Becca groggily.

"Inside the Thames Flood Barrier, one of Europe's great engineering marvels," answered the first voice. Becca lifted her head despite the dizziness she felt and saw several men. Nearest to her were Youssef and the other two men who had been speaking, both heavy-set East Enders.

"Don't you know that Britain has very strict gun control laws?" mocked one of the East Enders as he toyed with Becca's gun. "You could get into serious trouble with this!"

Becca didn't reply to her unidentified captor's taunting, but instead tested her bonds.

"Don't even bother," sneered Youssef.

"You can't fault her for trying, innit?" said one of the East Enders. 

Part 2.7

"Now," said Youssef to Becca, "while we complete a very important transaction with some Asian counterparties, your job is to stay here all tied up like a good little spy until high tide rolls in. In about half an hour the Flood Barrier will be activated, and the gearwork will close the flood gates. The trouble is, you are actually in the gearworks, and as they turn, I'm sorry to say, you will be crushed like a grape."

Becca turned her head to the other two men near her. "Do you want to be part of this? Your plan will never succeed. Even now my colleagues are closing in on you."

"I rather doubt that," said Youssef. "You see, we found your little homing device and tossed it into the Thames somewhere around Rotherhithe. No one is coming to save you."

One of the men in the background called out, "I see the Koreans coming. Their boat will be here soon!"

Youssef smiled evilly. "You'll have to excuse us. We have a piece of high tech optics to show our overseas buyers that we have what they want. Just a sample, not the whole thing. But I think you'd just complicate the bargaining."

"You'll never get away with this," said Becca. "What have you done with Dr Cartwright?"

"Ah, so you know! I suppose I can tell you, since there won't be much left of you a short time from now. Dr Cartwright is proving a bit stubborn and has refused to part with some important technical data. But no matter - our techniques will eventually break her, as inevitably as the gears to which you are tied will crush you." Youssef turned to his colleagues. "Let's go!" he barked. Turning back to Becca he asked, "Any last words, my dear?"

"These gears have a lot of oil on them. I'm sending you the dry cleaning bill for my suit."

Youssef laughed. "Try to collect!" He then pulled out a white scarf from his pocket, shoved it in Becca's mouth, pulled the silk tightly against Becca's cheeks, and tied the gag behind her head. 

"Ta ta," said one of the East Enders as the whole gang walked out of the huge room. Becca began to squirm vigorously against her bonds. Her kidnappers had tied her very tightly, and her arms ached from being stretched above her head. Becca flexed her leg muscles in a vain attempt to loosen the ropes around her ankles. Underneath her suit she wore the superheroine costume of Black Cardinal, with her power belt, but had no way of getting to it! But she had to get out of her predicament. It could only be a short while before the flood gates closed and she was crushed by the gearwork!

Can Becca free herself in time? How can the other agents save her when they don't know where she is? How else can she possibly escape? Will she be crushed by the enormous gears of the flood barrier? Or will she thwart the evil plans of Youssef? The most perilous chapter is yet to come! 

Part 3.1

When we last left our heroine, she had been kidnapped by a gang led by the sinister Youssef Adana, who was going to sell part of the Haystack anti-missile system to the North Koreans. Meanwhile Becca had been left tied to one of the huge gears of the Thames Flood Barrier, and would be crushed in the teeth of the gears when the flood gates closed!

Becca continued to twist and turn in her bonds. She was stretched out between two teeth of a giant gear, her wrists tied together above her head, her ankles bound together and fastened to the machinery. Despite her brave words to Youssef, she knew there was no hope of rescue. If she were going to get out of this one she would have to do it herself. But how? The Barrier would be activated at any moment! Becca strained to loosen the cruel cords that held her fast in the deadly trap. She rocked from side to side in a desperate attempt to free herself; her white silk gag made it that much harder to breathe in enough air to keep up her exertions. Her limbs ached from being bound so tightly. But Becca's struggles against her ties were useless. She could not escape!

More futile struggles ensued, until the Barrier flood gates started to close. A loud mechanical humming started, and the gears started to rotate. Becca, tied up in the large groove between two teeth of a gargantuan gear, involuntarily moved closer to another gear that would mesh with the one to which she was tied. She would be crushed in moments! Becca closed her eyes, preparing for the worst even as she continued to fight the ropes.

Just before the gears were about to mesh together, miraculously the rope which bound Becca's wrists above her relaxed! Becca tugged at her wrist bonds, and found she could bring her bound hands in front of her. She sat up and in a second had rolled off the gears, narrowly avoiding falling into the mesh. 

What had happened was this: Becca's captors had not examined the gearworks sufficiently carefully. Although they had bound her securely, they had not noticed that they had tied her wrists to a locking mechanism that had to open and close as the gears pushed the flood gates. So once the gears had reached a certain position, the rope knot could just slide off the end of the metal bar to which it had been tied.

Now, although she was still bound hand and foot, with her hands in front of her, getting free was a lot easier. Becca found that a Swiss Army knife she had in her suit pocket was still there. She quickly sliced through her bonds, removed her gag, and stripped down to reveal the sexy costume of Black Cardinal. 

Part 3.2

Becca ran to the door along the far wall of the huge gear room and opened it. Beyond the door was a staircase leading down. Black Cardinal pushed the invisibility button on her belt and silently descended the stairs. She heard voices at the bottom. Eavesdropping made it clear that the North Koreans had already left, and that Youssef's gang had been paid and was preparing to return to their hideout in London.

"Well, I can't do anything about the Koreans, but if I sneak into Youssef's boat I can follow them back to discover their base," Becca thought. With her invisibility she sneaked past the gang and made her way down another flight of stairs. She soon found a corridor that lead to a door to the outside. She opened it to be enveloped once again in the damp night air and fog. She turned her invisibility off to conserve power in her belt for when she really might need it, and descended down concrete stairs to a small landing. Becca recognized the villains' speedboat moored there. In the back of the speedboat there was a storage area covered by a canvas flap. "I can hide here and follow them after they dock near their lair," thought Becca.

Soon enough Youssef and his gang climbed into the boat and carefully sailed into the foggy night. Becca could overhear their triumphant laughs as they discussed how rich they would all become when the big deal was finally completed. Eventually, Becca felt the throttle ease up as the boat came up to a mooring. The villains clambered out of the boat, and as soon as she thought the coast was clear, Becca emerged from her hiding place.

She was at another landing on the banks of the Thames. In the fog she could not see more than a few feet ahead, but could tell that she was near another bridge. She climbed out of the boat and followed the gang up the stone steps to street level. Becca could barely make out a small truck parked a few feet ahead of her, and saw several figures getting in the truck. That must be Youssef and his cohort.

Becca, in her Black Cardinal outfit, stealthily crept up to the truck after all of Youssef's gang had gotten in, then climbed up on the rear of the truck, out of sight, as the driver turned the ignition and put the motor into gear. The truck crossed the river and rolled along deserted streets of large government buildings. Then they made several odd turns before resuming their way along a throughfare. After a right turn Becca realized they were driving past Buckingham Palace - she was able to reconstruct her journey to deduce that the truck had crossed Lambeth Bridge. The truck then proceeded up Constitution Hill, with a ghostly Green Park on the right, then around Hyde Park Corner and onto Piccadilly. But soon the truck turned left onto a small street and came to a halt.

Black Cardinal turned her invisibility back on and hopped off the truck, waiting to see where the gang would go once they got out of the truck. But no one came out. Becca went up the side of the vehicle to look into the front cabin just as the driver, oblivious to the invisible super agent, suddenly put the truck into gear and drove off. Becca barely managed to hop back on the rear of the truck as it passed her.

Part 3.3

But this time Black Cardinal didn't have long to wait before the truck turned into a nearby car park. The driver, a skinny, pasty-faced man, nonchalantly walked off, still unaware that Becca was tailing him. She turned her invisibility off to conserve power: in fog this thick she was unlikely to be spotted if she were careful.

The skinny driver walked back to the street where he had first parked. Becca ducked into some shadows as he looked around to make sure the street was deserted, before he lifted up a manhole cover and crawled into the hole.

"That truck must have a false floor," thought Becca. "The other gang members went straight underground, and he joins them if the coast is clear. Well, this time the surprise will be on them!" 

Black Cardinal lifted up the manhole cover and descended into the pitch black depths below. A quick push of a button on her belt turned on a flashlight and revealed that she was in some sort of tunnel. It clearly wasn't a sewer - it didn't smell bad enough for that, and it was far lower below street level than most sewers. The tunnel looked old, with brick vaulting. Becca followed the tunnel about twenty feet until it turned and led down a staircase! How odd to find that here below ground! Becca also noticed as she rounded the corner that another tunnel led off to both right and left at the bottom of the stair, and there was light coming from the left hand side at the bottom illuminating the dust. 

Becca turned her flashlight off and let her eyes adjust to the much lower level of light, then steathily made her way down the stairs. She flattened herself against the wall at the bottom and peeked around the corner. Becca was surprised to see what looked like a train platform, with tiled walls and pillars supporting a vaulted roof every twenty feet or so. Becca also could see the half a dozen members of the gang, sitting around a wooden table on the pltaform. At another table was Youssef, who was wearing a microphoned headset and staring at the screen of a laptop computer. By the sound of things he was taking instructions rather than giving them. 

One of the gang looked into the tunnel where Becca was hiding and said, "Oi, d'you hear something?"

"No mate, must be the rats - come to invite you to a party," said another.

"All right, lemme take a quick butcher's," said the first, rising and walking toward Becca's hiding place! 

Part 3.4

Becca silently stepped back and climbed a few stairs. The thug came through the tunnel with a drawn gun. But as he rounded the corner to the stairs, he saw Black Cardinal for less than a second before a taser electrical bolt shot out from her belt, stunning him. The thug crumpled to the ground; Becca immediately relieved him of his gun. "Well, I've got to round this gang up before he wakes up," thought Becca. "Not enough time to call in the team - he'll come around and they'll all take off before we can catch them!"

Becca advanced to the edge of the shadows where her tunnel became the underground platform. She boldly leapt onto the platform.

"Freeze!" she ordered, pointing the gun first at Youssef, then at each of his accomplices. "Hands up - NOW!" The villains, seeing no alternative, complied. "OK, now, each of you in turn will pull your guns out of your holsters and drop them on the floor. Starting with you," Becca barked to Youssef. The ringleader snarled as he dropped his revolver to the floor. 

One by one Becca disarmed the thugs, then said, "OK, now we're going back above ground." It was at that moment that Becca heard the click of a weapon and felt the cold barrel of a gun at her back. "We're not going anywhere, guv'ness," hissed a raspy London voice. 

Becca dropped her gun as the gang collected theirs, delighted at how the tables had been turned. "Well done, Sid," said one of the gang to the thug behind Becca as he thrust her roughly into the circle of villains.

"I thought we had disposed of you at the Flood Barrier," Youssef said as he approached the surrounded heroine. "No matter, we'll finish you off here."

Becca was sizing up the situation, preparing to strike. At that moment the villain she had stunned earlier staggered onto the platform. "Watch out, lads!" he cried, "She's got some powerful stun ray!" 

Part 3.5

Out of planning time, thought Black Cardinal. There was no way to knock out every villain with her ultrasonic pulse, but she could cut her way through the small crowd surrounding her. She pressed the button, and the pulse hurled Youssef and two of the thugs backward, knocking them out. In the confined space of the underground platform, the pulse bounced off the walls, floor and ceiling, sowing confusion among the villains still standing. Becca used this opportunity to flee own the far end of the platform, away from the tunnel by which she had entered. She turned on her flashlight and saw another tunnel at the far end of the platform.

"After her, lads!" she heard one of the gang say. A shot rang out but it was a wild one in the darkness. Becca could hear the sound of her pursuers running to catch up to her.

The super spy ran at top speed into the far tunnel. About one hundred feet into the tunnel Becca saw a staircase leading up. She turned to climb it, but saw that the stairs came to an abrupt end, the passageway having been bricked up. No choice, then, but to keep heading down the current tunnel. Meanwhile the villains had closed some of the distance - Becca could see their lights swinging as they ran. Becca took off once more down the tunnel. 

Not far after the closed stairs, the tunnel suddenly changed. No longer was it old brick vaults and concrete floors. Now the tunnel was roughly cut out of the dense clay on which London is built, with wood and steel support beams put in to keep it from collapsing. These were clearly recently and hastily cut. Becca fled down this new twisty tunnel, with the gang in hot pursuit. 

Black Cardinal ran hundreds of feet down this new tunnel, hoping it didn't come to a dead end. Indeed it didn't, but returned to being an old vaulted brick tunnel. Becca could hear the sound of running water, and nearly fell into what appeared to be an underground river. Luckily there was a navigable path alongside the river, and Becca moved as fast as she could away from the thugs chasing her.

But the villains, on home turf, were catching up. "There she is!" said one of her pursuers. "Get her!"

Becca continued to run from them. "She won't get away - this is a dead end, mate!" she heard as she continued to try to evade capture. Could it be true? 

Part 3.6

A few feet later Becca discovered it was! The tunnel ended, and the river continued to pour itself down a tunnel with vaulting so low as to be almost a drain. Becca looked around desperately for a means of escape, but saw none. Meanwhile she could see her pursuers' flashlights dance against the tunnel vaults. She was trapped!

Or was she? Becca looked up, and saw in the gloom a vertical shaft with a metal ladder bolted into the side. She'd have to jump up about six feet to make the lowest rung. Her special Black Cardinal boots would give her the assist needed for that! 

A flashlight trained on her just as she leapt up into the air and disappeared from the villains' view. Becca rapidly climbed up the metal ladder to a manhole cover. With a great push she lifted the iron manhole cover, dragged herself out into the foggy night, then closed the manhole before her pursuers could shoot at her.

Becca stopped for a moment to get her bearings. She was in a large park - it had to be Green Park, although the fog was so thick she could barely see in front of her. She couldn't rest yet - she had to get back to St James's Square - just a few streets away!

Becca got up on her feet. She at least could determine uphill and downhill, so used that to determine the best way to Queen's Walk, the eastern perimeter of Green Park. It couldn't be more than fifty feet away! 

Out of the foggy gloom a large figure in a black jumpsuit came up and tried to take a swing at Black Cardinal. Surprised but agile, Becca dodged the blow and kicked her new assailant in the solar plexus. She ran in the direction she presumed to be east, but saw more black figures closing on her. Becca fired her taser bolt at the nearest, sending him crashing into the grass with a pained groan, then flicked her invisibility on. These mystery attackers would never catch her now!

But as more of the black-clad figures closed in on her, she noticed they were wearing infrared night vision goggles. Her body heat made her as visible as if she were in plain daylight! One pulled out a gun and fired a dart into her leg. Becca instantly felt woozy, then fell to her knees as the dart's crippling toxins swept through her bloodstream. The super spy collapsed as several of the figures dressed all in black picked the heroine up and carried her back to the manhole cover she had just emerged from. Becca heard one say into a walkie-talkie, "Black Cardinal down. Security breach sealed." Then she passed out. 

Part 3.6

When Black Cardinal regained consciousness, she found herself back in the vaulted tunnels by the platform where she had found Youssef's gang. Only she was below platform level, on her back, looking up to the edge of the platform.

She tried to get up, but to her shock found that she was tied up with her hands behind her back and her legs bound together. More ropes around her waist and neck bound her to a metal rail - a railroad track? Here? Her booted ankles were similarly bound tightly to another rail. She tried to cry out but found her voice stifled by a thick cloth gag. She began to stretch and twist against her bonds. What horrible, convoluted plan could be in store for her?

The face of Youssef suddenly appeared from the platform. "Ah, we're awake," he cooed evilly. "As you have no doubt figured out by now, we have a very special entertainment planned for you. Allow me to explain. You are lying on the tracks of Down Street Station, an old London Tube stop - that's the subway to you - that has been shut for, oh, at least thirty years. We happened to find it very handy as a base in this very high security part of London - in fact, we dug the tunnels that connect Down St with the Tyburn River, that now flows underneath Green Park. We've been here since 1997. When they built this end of the Jubilee line extension the sound of that covered our own tunnelling."

Becca glared at her captor as he relished his triumph, and began her struggles anew.

"Oh, wait, that's not all, my dear Black Cardinal. Oh yes, we found out who you are - you're quite notorious in certain circles. You should be proud of yourself - beating the buffoons in my "gang" is one thing, but it took a whole squad of North Korean commandos to take you down in Green Park!"

Becca tried to look around her surroundings while Youssef continued to gloat. If she had to listen to this she was going to use the time to try to find a way out of whatever trap he had planned for her. 

Part 3.8

"Although, I am quite annoyed that you forced me to call the commandos in - it makes the negotiations with Pyongyang for the Haystack system that much more, er, complicated. So, it suits my culture's well-honed sense of revenge to bring you here, and explain how you are going to exit this world. Now, this is an abandoned Tube station, so the Underground trains won't roll through here, that's true. But the whole Tube system runs on electrical rails. It's about three in the morning right now: the Tube system has been closed for the night for a little over two hours. But it will start up again around half five. And when it does, the electrical power still goes through these rails - well, it doe ever since we hooked them up about a hour ago - just for you, my dear. So you have about two and a half hours to struggle prettily until it's all over."

Becca tried to yell but her gag made her retort unintelligible.

"What's that? A bit baroque?" taunted Youssef. "Something you wouldn't expect from a Sudanese? Well, well, the world is just full of surprises. Fare not so well, Black Cardinal."

With that Youssef vanished behind the edge of the platform above her. Becca immediately renewed her efforts to extricate herself. She fought her bonds fiercely, straining her entire body in a futile expenditure of energy. The ropes showed no signs of giving way - her captors had tied her too well! The minutes ticked away as Black Cardinal's doom approached!

Is this the end of the line for our brave super spy? Will Becca find a way to escape from her dire predicament? Will she stop Youssef and the North Koreans? Stay tuned…

Part 4.1

4/24/00 11:05 pm

In our last episode. Black Cardinal had been discovered spying on Youssef Adana's gang. After a chase through tunnels underneath central London, she had been captured and brought back to an abandoned Tube station, where she lay helplessly bound and gagged on the disused rail tracks. Youssef had left her to her fate, which would be electrocution if she didn't manage to escape before the mass transit system started up again around 5.30 AM. And escape seemed impossible...

The lone figure of Black Cardinal struggled powerlessly in her dimly lit subterranean prison. Becca, in her form-fitting outfit of a black body suit and black boots, writhed in her bonds in futile efforts to free herself. Her exertions so taxed her that she groaned into her stifling gag as her lungs demanded more air to keep up her fight against the unyielding ropes keeping her tied to the deadly rails. "How will I ever get out of this one?" she thought, realizing that all her struggling was in vain.

She twisted her wrists in the cruel cords lashing her hands together behind her back, trying to find some way to loosen the ropes. But it was hopeless - her ties were not slackening at all. Time dragged on as Becca continued her valiant struggles, each minute seeming to last an eternity. She flexed her long legs to try to weaken the ropes holding her booted ankles together and pinning them to the deadly rails. But nothing she did made any difference - the villains had tied her up too well! Her power belt had no tricks to get her out of this terrible trap. What could she do now?

As she continued to writhe, bound and gagged, on the tracks, Becca noticed something metallic catch the gloomy light from the lamp suspended from the vaulted ceiling of Down Street Station. Becca lifted her head as far as the rope tying her neck to the tracks would allow, and saw what appeared to be a piece of jagged metal lying in the rail bed by her bound feet. If only she could get that scrap of metal into her hands! But how could she, tied up as she was? It couldn't be too long before the dawn brought the London Underground system back to life, and with it Black Cardinal's demise!

I have to try," thought Becca. "It's my only hope!" She strained and twisted in an effort to grab the metal shard between her booted feet. After much struggling, Becca finally managed to pick up the piece of metal between her boots and wedged it against the rail. With the metal scrap as firmly anchored as it was going to be, Becca began to move her bound legs back and forth so the ropes tying her ankles went over the sharp edge of the iron fragment. Becca could only hope that the shard would cut the cords tying her feet to the tracks. Several times the metal fragment came loose and fell to the rail bed. But Becca managed to pick it up and carry on. Then, suddenly, success! She had cut the ropes!

"Now for my hands," thought Becca, realizing time was running out. She was still bound to the rails, but at least she could move her legs. She picked up the metal scrap between her boots again, swung her legs back and bent her knees so that her feet reached her bound hands. With some straining Becca was able to pass the metal shard from her feet to her hands, and at once began to use it to cut through her wrist bonds. This was a bit easier, and soon Becca's hands were free!

Black Cardinal removed the tight white cloth gag and cut herself free of her remaining bonds, then jumped onto the platform. The super spy was back in action!

After a brief moment to recover from her ordeal, Becca ran up the stairway, the sound of her running footsteps echoing in the otherwise silent tunnels of the abandoned Tube station. She crawled up out of the manhole back above ground to the deserted street. The fog had dissipated, but it was still before dawn. Becca turned her invisibility back on and, using the last of her belt's batteries, raced along Piccadilly, past Green Park and the Ritz Hotel, turning at Fortnum and Mason's onto Duke Street, then made her way to St James's Square and her residence. She contacted Agent Hazel to notify the team of the Down Street espionage hideout. Breaking that link in the conspiracy had been the sole tangible gain for all Becca's bravery and all the peril she had faced. Exhausted, she flopped onto her bed and fell asleep.

She was awakened to the sound of a ringing phone. It was Hazel. "Meet me in an hour at the Barbican," he instructed. "We have some new information I can't discuss over the phone. I'll see you at the northeast side of Aldersgate Street and London Wall. There's a big traffic roundabout there, and a staircase that leads to the pedestrian walks and the Museum of London."

Becca found Hazel's instructions suspicious. He had never before suggested they meet in the open: he had always picked her up in the car. Nevertheless, since it was his voice, Becca decided to meet him at the designated rendezvous point. She dressed in regular street clothes, since it was a Sunday and to do otherwise would look out of place, but underneath her jeans and blue shirt she wore the costume of Black Cardinal.

She smiled inwardly as she took the Tube to Barbican Station. Just a few hours earlier, she had been struggling desperately to free herself from the rails of the very same system. She walked down Aldersgate Street to the meeting point. Across the street to her left stood the imposing concrete walls of the Barbican Centre, a city within the City, a maze of modern apartments, museums, theatres, and schools. All of these were linked by massive grey concrete pedestrian skyways about two stories above street level.

Becca reached the traffic circle, surrounded by high rise office building to the west and a smooth, curved, modern wall made of brown brick on the east side. Becca saw the signs for the Museum of London and the wide concrete steps that led up to the upper level of the Barbican.

The stairs followed the curve of the wall, meaning that Becca could only see about a third of the way up the steps. She began to climb the stair and was met halfway, not by Agent Hazel, but by one of the other agents she recognized from the briefing at the secret headquarters in Marylebone. From this point on the staircase they could be seen neither from the street nor the top of the steps - the curve of the high walls blocking a line of sight from both vantage points. "Something is seriously wrong here," thought Becca.

"Ms Cardinal," began the agent, "please come closer - I have special information to share with you! Mr Hazel will be here momentarily..." The agent reached into his jacket.

Becca's instincts told her this was a trap. "I think I want to see Hazel before we discuss anything," she insisted, holding her ground.

"Have it your way, " said the agent as he suddenly pulled out a tranquilizer dart gun. Becca turned on her heel and began to run back down the stairway. She heard a high pitched ping sound as a dart missed her and bounced off the wall. The rogue agent was in pursuit!

But no sooner had Becca started down the steps than she saw her enemy Youssef Adana and three accomplices running toward her from below. She was trapped!

Becca tried to break past Youssef and his minions. She fought desperately and skilfully, landing a few kicks and punches on the evil spies, but there were too many of them, and she had no time to get to her Black Cardinal gold belt. The villains quickly overpowered her; two of the thugs pinned her arms behind her back and one pressing his sweaty palm over her mouth so she couldn't call for help. The traitorous American agent swaggered toward Becca as she squirmed in her enemies' vise-like grip. "It was so easy to capture you after all," he sneered as he prepared to inject her with a drug to knock her out. "As easy as it was to synthesize Hazel's voice over the phone to lure you into my trap!"

Becca struggled in the villains' clutches. She realized she had to do something fast or she would once again be a helpless prisoner of her foes. She leaned back against the men pinioning her arms behind her, and landed a fierce kick on the stomach of the rogue US agent. The agent was thrown backward and bounced off the wall of the stairway. Becca then stomped on the foot of one of Youssef's men, making him howl in pain and releasing his grip. Becca wheeled around and karate-chopped the other thug holding her, and ran up the stairs to the pedestrian plaza.

"Get her!" exclaimed the agent, still reeling from Becca's kick. "Take her alive!" he grunted as Youssef and his minions took up the chase.

Becca had reached the top of the steps, and looked onto the deserted vistas of the pedestrian walks Becca raced eastward to evade being captured. Green lawns and small fountains lay twenty feet below to her right. As she ran she pressed a button on a small pendant she wore, sending a mayday message to Agent Hazel and the other members of the team. The villains were hot on her heels as they sprinted through the Barbican. Becca tried to give them the slip as she turned onto the cement pedestrian bridges that connected the tower blocks of the complex and spanned the gardens and city streets below. She could see St Giles Church below her to her right as she continued to elude her pursuers. But as she ran across the skyways she knew Youssef and his gang could see her every move. She had to find a place to hide!

Meanwhile, the villains had split up into two groups in an attempt to corner her. Becca ducked behind one of the concrete buildings and unbuttoned her shirt to reveal the top of Black Cardinal's sexy costume. She was about to take of her jeans, which would allow her to use her powerful gold belt, but two of the goons at that moment rounded the corner! Becca had been discovered!

"Hands up!" said one as he pulled a gun out of his pocket. Becca had no choice but to comply. She slowly raised her hands, glowering at her enemies. But no sooner had she surrendered than she heard American voices shout, "Freeze! Everybody drop your weapons!" It was Agent Hazel and the team! They had tracked Becca down when she had sent her signal!

"We've already rounded up Youssef and his crew," said Hazel as he approached Becca. "You must be getting too close if they took this many chances to try to capture you!"

"Thanks for the timely arrival," Becca replied. "This was nearly a disaster!"

"Maybe, but your quick thinking gave us the time to get here," Hazel rejoined. "Now we've finally flushed out the mole in our team. With your help we've closed a major security problem we didn't even know about!"

"You mean you caught that double agent?"

"Yes," replied Hazel. "By the way, what on earth did you do to him, Black Cardinal? He was just lying there on the steps doubled over when we found him."

Becca simply smiled demurely. She looked out from the walkway to the ruins of an old wall below. "What is that?" she asked.

"That's the London Wall, the old Roman fortifications from when Britain was a province of the Roman Empire," one of Hazel's colleagues answered.

All of a sudden Becca understood the significance of the odd piece of tile that she had recovered after she had rounded up the informants in Hackney. No wonder the tile was so unusual! Becca knew she could have the answer to where the Haystack system and Dr Cartwright were being held!

Becca hastily arranged a meeting with archaeology experts in the British Museum for the following day. She arrived at the huge museum, with its imposing grey stone exterior, and was ushered past the grand halls of the cavernous museum into one of the private offices along one of the corridors closed to the public. There she was introduced to a thin, wispy-haired professor: Dr Arbuthnot, one of the leading authorities on Roman archaeological sites in the UK. Becca asked him about the Roman presence in Britain, where they settled, and where the ruins were located. The professor, not sure exactly where Becca's questions were leading, talked about several sites until Becca asked him what Roman sites existed in the West country. (After all, Becca reasoned to herself, the Haystack system had disappeared outside Gloucester - the thieves couldn't have taken it too far without being discovered.)

"Well, there's Bath, obviously," said Dr Arbuthnot, slightly irritated at the interrogation. "And some roads, such as Watling Street and Ermin Way, are built on top of Roman roads - you can tell because they run in a straight line no matter what the local terrain."

"Are there any hidden sites, anything where one would find fine tilework?" asked Becca.

"Well, that you'd probably find at one of the villas - they're scattered all over southern England, but there are quite a few between Cheltenham and Oxford, including one near the village of Winchcombe that no one ever visits because it's so overgrown. But there are signs for it - it's not far from Sudeley Castle."

Becca had found out exactly what she wanted to know. She thanked the professor and left the museum premises. She contacted Agent Hazel and informed him that she planned to snoop around some of the ruins near where the Haystack system had been stolen. Hazel agreed that Black Cardinal should take the lead, and the rest of the team would wait in reserve to swoop down if she found the thieves.

"We'll get you a car," said Hazel. "Let's see what the CIA has in the car park," he added impishly. "I'll see you at the Marylebone headquarters at noon."

When Becca arrived at the mews house off Weymouth Street, the same place where she and the team had been briefed a few days before, she saw a brand new roadster, the like she had never seen before, parked in the mews alley in front of the house. The car's frame looked scalloped; the design made it seem as though the car were made out of scales, like a huge mechanical shark. All in all it looked like someone had gone ahead and built the Batmobile. Becca peered through the driver's side window. There were almost no dials where one would expect them; the fuel gauge and the speedometer were off to the side.

Agent Hazel came outside to greet her. "If you wonder where the government budget surplus is going, guess no more," he joked.

"What on earth is this?" Becca asked.

"This, Black Cardinal, is a TVR Speed 12 sportscar - a tribute to Britain's status as an oil exporter. Eight hundred horsepower, twelve cylinders, and a speed limiter that would kick in at 240 miles per hour if we hadn't removed it. Don't ask about miles per gallon...or insurance premia. The company is based in Blackpool, and only made a few of these. The rest are owned by rock stars."

Becca started cracking up with laughter. Hazel was clearly infatuated with this automobile. "Could you have picked a more conspicuous car, perhaps?" Becca joked.

"Hey, you want to get to Cheltenham quick? This will get you there quick - real quick."

Becca chuckled as she said, "Something tells me I shouldn't look at the licence plate."

"Go ahead!"

Becca walked over to the rear of the car. On the yellow plate, in black letters, was the vanity plate " T0P B1RD".

"Top bird?" asked Becca, raising an eyebrow.

"Great pun, isn't it? Black Cardinal - bird, geddit?" Hazel said.

Becca smiled and shook her head slowly. "Hardly politically correct."

"Welcome to Britain," Hazel replied with a wink.

"OK, now that I'll be driving the most notorious car in the country, I'm ready to get started right away," said Becca.

"Excellent. So is the rest of the team."

Becca started her TVR and peeled out onto the busy London Streets. She quickly got onto Marylebone Road, following it until it turned into the elevated M40 motorway. She drove out past the M25, at which point the traffic thinned out and she was able to get up to a comfortable 100 mph cruising speed.

She drove past High Wycombe and into the low rolling Chiltern Hills, then passed to the north of Oxford, where the road changed from motorway to a highway with occasional roundabout intersections. She crossed the flat farmland west of Oxford and then drove through the northern end of the Cotswolds until she arrived at Cheltenham. There Becca turned right onto a secondary road and drove for about five miles until she saw a small, unobtrusive sign directing her to the ruins of a Roman villa. The road she followed was a narrow country lane which twisted and turned through small fields separated by thick copses and hedgerows.

Becca parked the car. The rest of the team would eventually catch up to her, but for now she could do some investigating on her own. She stepped out of the car and looked around. There was no one around, and the trees kept her and the car out of sight. Becca removed her outer clothes to reveal the sexy outfit of Black Cardinal! She pushed a button on her belt, sending out a homing beacon to the rest of the team so they could track her. Then she walked toward the ruins of the villa.

The site was heavily overgrown, and all that seemed to be left of the Roman villa was the foundations of the buildings that had stood there almost two millenia ago. From some parts of the villa's ruins Becca had a view of a lush, gentle valley in the distance; she imagined how magnificent the villa must have been.

No sooner had she allowed herself this thought than Becca stumbled upon a beautifully intact mosaic on the ground. This must at one time have been a floor in one of the houses here. Closer inspection revealed that the mosaic was made up of small elaborate tiles, just like the fragment she had found! The Haystack system had to be nearby!

Becca heard rustling in the bushes near the ruins. She pushed her invisibility button just in time to see two men walk around the ruins. They were dressed casually, but didn't seem like tourists. They gave Becca the impression of being on patrol. Perhaps the villains' secret base was hidden nearby!

Becca invisibly and silently followed the men from a safe distance behind as they walked off to the edge of the ruins, behind some thick bushes. Becca watched as they found an iron handle on a small slope and pulled it back to reveal a secret entrance in the side of the hill! It was impossible for Becca to follow so closely behind them, so she watched as they shut the door behind them, which became camouflaged and hidden from view once more.

She turned her invisibility off to conserve power. She turned her attention to the secret door, which seemed to have some sort of lock on it, for she couldn't budge the door when she tried pulling the handle. How would she surprise the villains if she couldn't break into their lair?

Black Cardinal heard a twig snap behind her. She turned around, only to see four large swarthy men converging toward her. She reached for her gold belt but they were too close and too fast for her. Two of them grabbed her by the arms before she could use any of her powers while a third pressed a thick white hankerchief into her mouth before she could cry out for help. Becca struggled in vain as the third man yanked the cloth and tied it firmly at the back of her neck. The fourth man pulled some rope out of his jacket while the two goons holding her forced her hands behind her back, despite her resistance. Becca twisted and turned, trying to break free, but she was powerless to prevent her wrists being tied securely behind her. She now stood gagged and with her hands tied, a helpless prisoner of these villains.

"There, that ought to hold you," said one of the men, leering at his sexy captive.

"Wait, take her belt - you remember what Adana told us about her tricks," another warned. "Look what happened to him!" Becca could only groan a futile protest as the thugs took her gold belt from her. Now she was completely defenceless!

The gang unlocked the secret door and roughly forced Becca into their underground lair. She was marched along a dimly lit corridor until the group came to a large room full of farm machinery. A tall man in fatigues and a group of evil looking men were standing there. The tall man turned as the gang forced Becca forward, pushing her so hard that, with her hands bound, she almost lost her balance and stumbled into the center of the room.

"We have a gift for you, Major Akbar," said one of the gang. "We have captured the infamous Black Cardinal, and have the belt that gives her such power. Now our triumph will be complete!"

"Ah, al-bint hilweh, w'Allah ha'l-masjunah ahla!" said the Major.

"He says you are very beautiful," hissed one of the thugs into Becca's ear. Becca jerked her head away angrily.

Major Akbar switched into flawless English. "She would fetch a high price indeed, if we had the time to sell her."

Becca let out a loud "mmmppphhh!" to indicate her displeasure at the direction the conversation was taking. Akbar reached around and untied her gag.

"You've been found out!" Becca shouted. "Your plan to sell the Haystack system will never succeed now. I have a transponder on me which has sent out a homing signal to my team. Soon a swarm of agents will round up you and your cronies!"

"I think not, my dear," said the major cooly. "The whole area around our little forward base is surrounded by electronic countermeasures. We suppressed your signal and used it to locate you. You only revealed yourself and allowed us to capture you! Your signal never made it to your friends; not only are they not coming, we've used a false signal to send them on a wild goose chase miles away!"

Becca strained against her bonds in vain. "So you see, Black Cardinal, no one is coming to save you! Now, I think it's time you had a lesson in modern agriculture." The major motioned to the thugs holding Becca immobile. The villains dragged their bound prisoner, despite her futile resistance, over to a large metal machine with a conveyor belt at one end that fed into a large opening on one side. There they tied Black Cardinal's ankles together, then tied more ropes around her upper arms to pull her elbows together and above her knees to further hamper her. Becca was now completely immobilized, able to stand only because her captors were propping her up.

Not so tough now, are you, Black Cardinal?" sneered the thug holding Becca up, as the Major hung her gold belt on a peg about five feet away from the conveyor belt.

"We'll see who's tough when I get free!" Becca retorted.

"Ah, but you won't get free!" the major interceded. "Allow me to demonstrate." He turned a switch on the machine, which began to emit a loud hum. One of his minions placed a large tree branch on the conveyor belt. When the branch entered the machine the loud hum turned into a ghastly grinding and tearing sound, and soon wood chips spewed out of the other end of the machine.

One of the thugs picked Becca up and, despite her attempts at kicking, placed her on the conveyor belt.

"Surely you don't expect me to talk!" said Becca bravely.

"No, I expect her to," replied the major, looking to the other side of the room. Becca turned her head as more villains forced a tall brunette woman into the room. Becca could see that the woman wore a white lab coat and had her hands tied behind her back as well. It must be Dr Cartwright!

The woman spoke with exhaustion in her voice even before Major Akbar had a chance to address her. "Whatever you intend to do to me, Akbar, I'll never tell you what you want!"

"Dr Cartwright," the major intoned suavely, "please meet your would-be rescuer, better known as Black Cardinal."

The woman now saw Becca's predicament. "You savage! What are you doing?"

"Just using my 30-day free trial for some John Deere equipment, my good doctor. Now, I might be persuaded to let Black Cardinal go, but that will all depend on your cooperation."

Becca shouted from the conveyor belt, "Don't tell them anything! They'll kill us both once they no longer need you!"

Major Akbar again motioned to one of his accomplices, who strode over to the conveyor belt where Black Cardinal was tied up, and stuffed the white cloth gag back into Becca's mouth.

"Mmmpphhh!" Becca exclaimed in protest.

"I won't give in!" insisted Dr Cartwright.

"Illi busbur binul," muttered Akbar. "He who is patient eventually wins. Turn on the conveyor belt, the slowest setting please, to give Dr Cartwright some time to reflect on her choices." One of the villains turned the machine on. Becca felt herself edging slowly toward the maw of the wood chipper. She struggled ferociously but powerlessly in her bonds.

"You horrible fiend!" exclaimed Dr Cartwright.

"Enough insults. The transaction I propose is very simple. Black Cardinal's fate is in your hands, Professor. Will you tell me the missing specifications I need for the Haystack system? I am waiting for your answer, as is Comrade Kim of the North Korean secret police! But I think Black Cardinal may be waiting most anxiously of all," Akbar cackled as he glanced over at the prostrate, bound figure of Black Cardinal, thrashing helplessly against the ropes tying her in this trap! It would only be moments for her to be ripped to shreds, even at the conveyor belt's excruciatingly slow speed.

Will Becca meet a horrible end at the hands of Major Akbar and his minions? Will Dr Cartwright crack and divulge the secrets that Akbar needs to complete his sale of the Haystack system? Will Black Cardinal find a way to get to her power belt and save the day? Or has our heroine been defeated at last? The answers lie ahead...