Edna Howton Super-Agent

'Maybe I'm just lucky."

"And I'm Charles Lindbergh!"

The two stared at each other for several long minutes. Edna tried to seem the naive show girl she claimed to be. The professors eyes were hot with indignation. At last he spoke.

"Whoever you really are, you have no simple escape. The nearest bit of land is hundreds of kilometers away. Logically, they will take you out when the supply boat from the mainland makes its scheduled return. Your operators are smart, woman. Even so, there is no reason to be uncivilized about things. Let us sit down to dinner. Before your little stunt interrupted my day, Pascal, among other things, informed me that he had made one of his specialties. I'm sure we will all feel better on a full stomach and you will realize the uselessness of your continued ruse and will begin telling the truth."

With no option other than to accept the professor's rather cold invitation to dine, Edna made her way to the table.

"Why won't you believe me, professor?"

"Because I don't believe in the impossible, yet I just witnessed it. There is something very strange about you, woman. Your great beauty masks an astounding mystery."

"But what is it you didn't want me to see?" responded Edna, still trying to sell her alias.

"Woman, don't play me for a simpleton, you know very well what you were looking for, because someone sent you here with a list of specific things to look for. Please don't continue your charade. It will only make Pascal and myself quite angry."

Ever the gentleman despite the circumstances, Professor Ulanov held the chair for Edna as she sat. He then settled himself in the chair opposite her before gesturing to Pascal.

"Since it now clear that you have known who I was since well before you washed up on my beach, will you at least give me the courtesy of your real name?"

Edna considered the professor's offer. Further subterfuge was pointless. In a very real sense, Gloria Parks died in the avalanche of boulders. Still, she could not be completely forthcoming. She replied,

"Professor, Ulanov, you know that an agent can't provide their real names. I'm NOT really Gloria Parks but I'd prefer if you called me Gloria rather than simply "woman."

"I suppose that is the best answer I am going to get." replied the professor. "And I suppose that you cannot tell me how you survived those blocks of coral?"

"Trade secret." replied Edna.

"Which puts us in a very difficult place, Gloria. You realize that I can not permit you to contact your handlers but killing you would be such a waste."

"I have my duties as well, professor and I have a really wonderful civilian life I intend to return to."

"I suspect, it might be difficult to kill you." ventured the professor.

"That is probably a very good suspicion professor."

Whatever the professor was going to say next was interrupted by the arrival of Pascal toting a tray of food. The hideous servant placed a dish before the professor and then one before Edna. Too late, Edna realized that the plate and the flatware for this far more formal dinner were both sterling silver. Pascal had placed the silver platter, by accident, abutting Edna's arm. She swooned for a moment, nearly toppling into the meal until restrained by Pascal.

The astute professor quickly rose, crossed to Edna, and pressed a silver spoon against her cheek. Edna screamed and passed out, not regaining consciousness until the professor withdrew the utensil from her cheek. Edna opened her eyes, panic obvious in them and made a vain struggle to free herself. The professor returned the spoon to Edna's cheek once more, gazed at his henchman and spoke,

"Fascinating, Pascal." opined Professor Ulanov as he continued to hold the silver against Edna's skin. "Your suspicions about the girl are no doubt correct. I didn't believe a word of her cock and bull story for a moment myself. She's was clearly far more intelligent than she was pretending to be. But why would they send a woman? She is clearly an agent of quite unusual abilities aside from her obviously captivating form. I doubt they'd go to all this trouble simply to seduce me. I'd like to think that at least some of her flattery and passions were genuine. What was that communique? "Be on the lookout for an unknown agent or agents of unique abilities." that such an agent would have such an exploitable weakness and that we would find it is by serendipity is something they did not count on and is something we must investigate further."

Edna fought to retain consciousness. She heard Professor Ulanov ordering Pascal in Russian. They were obviously specific instructions of some kind. Pascal hefted the empty silver serving tray, bowed to the Professor and was off. Professor Ulanov's tanned countenance became an menacing leer. With his free hand, he deliberately stroked Edna's luminous brown hair. "Now, we shall get some answers, "Gloria.""

Edna realized that she was in terrible trouble. Her main thoughts were about Tom. "I HAVE to get back to him. I made a promise!" And with those thoughts, Edna's battle for consciousness ended in failure.

Perception returned slowly to Edna. She sensed that she was naked once more. Tugging on her arms and legs revealed that she was tied spread eagle to a bed. Opening, her eyes she recognized the room she had awakened in at noon. She could not fathom her apparent weakness. Finally, she perceived a tightness about her neck. Professor Ulanov loomed into vision, he was holding some sort of servo mechanism. Grinning malevolently over his shoulder, Pascal.

"Ah, back with us are you, Gloria?"

Edna emitted a soft gasp.

"I so value Pascal's ingenuity", continued the professor. "He has fashioned a silver collar, out of a simple serving tray, for your neck with an insert which I control with this device. Through trial and error we now know how much exposure to silver weakens you without also rendering you unconscious. It has truly been a fascinating experience. I can't wait to file my report on you."

"You won't get away with this." replied Edna in a weak voice.

"Cliches, Gloria? Is that the best you can do?"

The professor stared intently at Edna and stated in a firm voice. "Let me give you my proposal. You will tell me who you really are, who you work for, and how you came in possession of the abilities that allowed you to survive Pascal's booby trap and we will select a most painless manner of execution for you. If you choose to remain recalcitrant, I shall turn Pascal lose. He is versed in the most painful methods of torture known to man. Resisting him just means disfigurement for you and a lingering, painful death."

"Go to Hell!" shouted Edna with as much volume as she could generate.

"Oh, Gloria, I thought you were an intelligent woman." He turned, nodded and said,

"Pascal."

The hideous henchman's ugly mug broke into a smile laced with pure malice. From a case sitting on a dresser he produced two small clamps. Edna recognized them from her training in the CIA, Nipple clamps! She had no doubt that Pascal was quite proficient in their use. Edna recalled how she had been tortured by men trying to break her during training. While Edna realized the necessity of the training it had left her bitter and angry and she would be damned if she was going to suffer it again! Suddenly, she was as alert as she had ever been in her life. All sh needed was an opening, no matter how fleeting.

Trying to force Pascal out of her mind, Edna focused on the professor. She noted a slight altering of the position of his fingers on the controller. Edna took that moment to strike, Marshaling all of her strength, she pulled on all her bonds simultaneously. The bedposts broke away and Edna rolled off the bed and out of the grasp of a truly surprised Pascal. The Professor equally stunned failed to press the button which would incapacitate his suddenly free captive.

Edna's hands went instantly to her neck and tore away the hated silver. Instantly, she was at full strength. Her anger had bought her her freedom and she was determined to keep it. She launched herself in a flying leap at Pascal's head and neck. The big thug was utterly unprepared for how much force the naked, unarmed woman could generate. He raised his forearm to ward her off and Edna sailed right through it, shattering the arm and reducing it to a bloody pulp. Pascal howled in pain and went down.

Still livid at the thought that this man meant to torture her, Edna quickly, formed her hands into rigid planes and supplied full force karate chops to Pascal's legs and remaining arm. He became a knot of pain on the floor, useless to the professor now. With Pascal out of the picture, Edna focused on the professor who had run from the room in fear. He did not get far, Edna captured him as he was about to exit the front door to the beach.

Holding the man aloft as though he weighed nothing, Edna laughed and said. "I won't kill you professor. My bosses would like to interview YOU! Here is my proposal, you radio a full confession to the American government and let me keep you tied up until they come for us and I WON'T break your arms and legs like I just did to Pascal."

The professor was more than amenable to Edna's proposal.

As it turned out, Edna had to wait the full two weeks for the supply ship. Edna used that time to enjoy the hospitality of the professor's beautiful house. She ate his food, read his books, and lounged on his beach.

Pascal succumbed to blood loss and shock that first night. Edna had only the tiniest regret fro having killed him. The professor, she locked in the guest room, her would be torture chamber, tied to a chair but released at regular intervals under close supervision. With nothing now to hide, the professor gave her a tour of his laboratory. Edna made sure that he safely shut the reactor down.

When she did, at last, return to Tom, she did indeed have a very deep tan. Tom was quick to note that it was, in fact, an all over one.