The Remote Seduction

Copyright 2013 By Joany Kane

All Rights Reserved

ONE YEAR
AGO

A dark SUV is parked near a militia
bunker at the edge of a dusty third world town.

Inside the SUV are two middle aged
American men, Richard Karn and Walter Winchester.
 
They eagle eye the bunker.
 
Richard, slick and sleazy, oozes smarmy bureaucrat and
schoolyard bully.
 
Walter, second
fiddle to Richard, resents his position and if there were ever an opportunity
to stick it to Richard he would, but for now he masks his resentment by acting
like a cheery team player.

Richard holds a high tech,
state-of-the-art remote control, a gadget that looks like it was taken straight
out of a futuristic sci-fi thriller.

“Shall we?” Richard asks with a devilish
grin.

“Let her rip.”

Richard points the remote at the
bunker.
 
He hits some buttons.

Inside the bunker…

In the weapons’ holding cell a scud
missile starts to activate on its own.
 
The militia men in the room are horrified to see the weapon activating -
and are helpless to stop it.

Inside the SUV…

Richard and Walter watch the bunker blow
up.
 
They smile victoriously.
 

“This remote represents endless
opportunities for us, Walt.
 
Just
think of all the terrorists and anti-Americans we can blow up and the locations
we can illegally access.”
 
Richard
boasts as he holds up the remote.
 

“Don’t forget the money we can
make.”
 
Walter points out.

Days later, back in America…

Richard and Walter drink champagne with
other agents celebrating their victory of blowing up the bunker.
 
They’re in the command center of the
Federal Strategic Security Unit (FSSU,) a covert agency that fights terrorism
with advanced technology.

Felix Russo joins the celebration.
 
Felix is beguiling and brooding with a
mysterious and seductive allure. He’s Grimm fairy tale handsome with raven
black hair, Guinness brown eyes and perpetual ‘tickle me’ stubble.
 
He could cast an unbreakable spell over
a woman's heart with just a sideways glance.

“Bravo.
 
What a victory. You sold them a missile, cashed the check
and then blew them all up.”
 
Felix
deadpans.

“All thanks to you, Felix.
 
“Your remote works like a charm,”
Richard responds.
 

Felix holds up a disc.
 
“I finished the Hacker Heaven
program.
 
It has ten levels.”
Everyone looks duly impressed with this information.

Richard and Walter follow Felix to a
computer.
 
Felix inserts the disc
and masterfully commands the computer.
 
The computer screen shows that Hacker Heaven is a computer game where
the player has to figure out how to hack through state-of-the-art security
systems.

“So far no one has made it through level
eight.
 
If anyone can advance to
and through level ten, you will have found the Holy Grail of hackers,” Felix
tells Richard and Walter.

“I want to take a stab at level ten,”
Richard smugly states.

“I knew you would,” Felix grins.

Felix moves away from the computer giving
the seat to Richard.
 
Richard types
away, confident he'll beat the program.
 
Richard makes a move that sets off alarms, the skull and bones image
appears on every monitor in the room.

“What the hell just happened?!” Richard
hollers.

“A virus. I'll have to go to the main
frame to fix it,” Felix tells Richard.

“Well, go!
 
Go fix it, damn it!” Richard shouts at Felix.

Felix leaves the command center.
 
He calmly walks through the building as
alarms sound all around.
 
The
facility's entire computer and security systems are shutting down.
 
Agents and guards hurry about in a
frenzy.
 

Felix proceeds to a heavily secured area
that is no longer secure thanks to the virus.
 
He waltzes right into a vaulted secret chamber that houses
the remote control. Felix grabs the remote and leaves.

In the command center Richard frantically
types away at the computer trying desperately to shut the thing down. “Where
the hell is Felix?!” He hollers.
 

At that very moment Felix appears on
every computer screen and on every cell phone in the room. “Isn't level ten a
bitch, Richard?”
 
Felix asks.

Richard's expression drops, the
realization setting in. “You traitor,” Richard says as he glares at Felix on
the monitor.

Felix holds up the remote for Richard to
see.
 
“I'm taking my toy and
leaving.
 
I don't want to play on
your team anymore, Richard.”

“You won't get away with this,” Richard
snarls at Felix.

“I am getting away with this,” Felix
coolly responds. “Feel free to waste man hours and resources trying to find
me.”

“I swear to God if it's the last thing I
do I will get the remote back and I will kill you,” Richard threatens,
emphasizing every word.

As if he were relishing engaging Richard
in a chess match Felix offers, “To that end, should you ever find someone who
can make it through level ten, someone whose mind works in the same way as
mine, that person would be the only person who could steal back your precious
remote and I would provide that opportunity. I would welcome challenging that
person.
 
Until then…”

The monitors go black.

*****

PRESENT DAY

Katrina Brice rows down an urban river in
a single person scull.
 
She's
strong, focused, radiating beauty, the kind of beauty enhanced by a healthy
lifestyle and an inner glow. She rows with power and determination; it's a
graceful sight.
 

An unidentifiable man, hidden in the
shadows on the shore, seems quite interested in Katrina - he's taking pictures
of her.

Once Katrina finishes up her early
morning row, she docks her scull and walks along a quiet city sidewalk to the
Chick Lit Bookstore.
 
She unlocks
the door and enters the store.

The store is cozy and cramped.
 
Tall and short shelves are stacked with
books - all written by female authors.
 
Comfy reading chairs are scattered throughout the store.

Hanging on the one spot of wall not
blocked by a bookshelf - a replica of the steamy painting “Paolo &
Francesca.”
 
The passionate embrace
depicted in the painting is of real life lovers made famous in Dante's Divine
Comedy.

Katrina heads straight for her computer
located behind the cashier counter. She takes a seat and powers up her laptop.

With the screen name "Francesca”
Katrina sends an instant message to "Paolo."
 
They both have the same icon for their
screen image - the painting of the lovers "Paolo & Francesca,"
the same image that hangs on the bookstore wall.
 

Katrina as “Francesca” and “Paolo” engage
in an instant message chat.

Francesca:
 
I've decided on my favorite George Sand quote. “Let us
accept truth, even when it surprises us and alters our views.”

Paolo: I would have surmised her quote
‘there is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved” to be your
favorite.

Francesca: What would make you surmise
that?

Paolo: The icon we share for one, your
screen name, and the books you choose for us to read and discuss tend to have
an unforgettable romance.

Francesca:
 
Then I could presume the same for you.

Paolo: If I had the right woman in my
embrace you would presume correctly. Have you ever found true love?
 
Has there ever been anyone in your
embrace that you wanted to hold forever?

Katrina sits back, flustered by the
questions.
 
Before she can think of
a reply Paolo sends another message.

Paolo: I apologize. It was an
inappropriate inquiry. I will honor our pledge that our real identities and
lives will remain a mystery to each other, most especially since I was the one
who insisted on anonymity. I value our cyber relationship too much; my inner being
would be shattered if anything were to happen to our connection.

Francesca: I feel the same.
 
To answer your inquiry, no.
 
I haven’t even had a casual date in
almost a year.

Paolo: Perhaps that is my fault since
we’ve spent just about every evening “together” reading and instant messaging.

Francesca:
I have cherished every one of those evenings.
 

Paolo:
As have I.
 
In all humble sincerity
no one inspires, stimulates and engages me in thinking and feeling the way you
do.
 
What we have is truly rare and
extraordinary.

Katrina
sits back, her breath catches and her cheeks flame.
 
How can someone she’s never met, never even seen, touch her
so deeply.
 

Francesca:
 
I’ve been told I live in my books, that
I stay well hidden in my comfort zone, a place I’ve never let anyone in.
  
Until you.

*****

In a city park a man sits on a bench
across the street from a corporate building reading a newspaper. The newspaper
hides his upper body and face so the only thing to tell about him at this
moment is that his suit pants have been pressed and his shoes have been shined.

Katrina approaches and stands a couple of
feet away from the bench.

“Mr. Reeves?” She tentatively asks.

The man puts down his newspaper revealing
he's armed services clean cut/clean shaven and Captain America handsome.
 
He’s mid-thirties in age, a couple of
years older than Katrina.
 
He wears
an American flag pin on his lapel.
 
This is Sullivan “Sully” Reeves.

“You found him,” he grins at Katrina as
he sizes her up.
 
Her hair is
pulled back and she's wearing black-rimmed glasses and J Crew business casual
clothes.
 
He squints at her as if
trying to figure out her femme fatale potential - which she definitely has. Let
the hair down, put on some hooker red lipstick and heels and she could easily
bed James Bond.

Sully slides over on the bench. “Have a
seat.
 
Please.”

Katrina takes a seat next to Sully.
 
He nods towards the corporate building
across the way.
 
“Hamilton
Dynamics.
 
A defense contractor for
which I am one of the primary stock holders. We, my fellow stock holders and
myself, believe that one of the VP's has been engaging in creative accounting.”
He tells her.

“Embezzling,” Katrina clarifies.

“A fairly significant amount,” Sully
adds.

“Why call me?
 
If it's a government contract, why not contact the government?”
 
Katrina asks.

“Bureaucracy would most likely tip our
hat,” Sully tells her.

At the same time in the FSSU command
center…

Richard and Walter are observing Sully’s
Interaction with Katrina via a hidden camera and recording device in Sully’s American
flag pin on his lapel.