Page 11 of Sublime Target

Jeez, she needed to take a shower and go to bed. At half past six in the morning, she’d be back on the Loop, heading to the city for another long day of work.

It occurred to her that she’d forgotten the small package on her kitchen bench. It was a sleek black capsule-type thing about the size of her fist.

It was probably jewelry or makeup—something she’d ordered from a virtual store late at night. She could hardly remember—she’d probably been tired at the time.

Whatever. She was tired now, too.

She’d check it in the morning.

SIX

As Clarissa checked herself in the mirror one last time, making sure her hair was perfectly coiffed and her makeup was flawless, she remembered the little parcel on the counter.

Might as well open it.

She had ten minutes before she had to be out the door. If it was jewelry or something, maybe she could add it to her outfit of the day.

She’d dressed in her usual work style—conservative but classy. A tailored navy blue pantsuit over a white silk shirt. She didn’t have many clothes, but she made a point of ensuring the pieces she bought were timeless and high quality.

Dark tones, muted tones, natural fabrics, minimal jewelry and makeup.

That’s what was required for her role as Garner’s shadow. Efficient. Discreet. Never giving unsolicited opinions, even when there were things she distinctly disagreed with.

All her life, whether directly or indirectly, she’d been taught not to stand out. She was the youngest of three. Her two older siblings, Eric and Ava, were high academic achievers.

Eric was a robotics engineer.

Ava owned a dental practice.

Both were happily married and settled with kids.

Clarissa’s choice to study marketing and public relations was met with mild disapproval from her parents, but she persisted anyway because she knew that she was good at one thing.

Communication.

Somehow, she was pretty good at reading people and anticipating their reactions; their needs.

Becoming an executive assistant to one of the wealthiest individuals in the region hadn’t been part of her plans, but it worked for now. The things she’d witnessed behind the scenes; a peek into the world of the ultra-wealthy and connected, an intimate knowledge of the who’s who of Earth…

These things were invaluable, and she swore that one day, she would put this information to good use.

Satisfied with her appearance, Clarissa walked over to her kitchen counter and found the small package. It was strange, really, unlike any packaging she’d seen before. These digital stores were always trying to outdo each other with different kinds of fancy packaging.

It was a capsule; rectangular, but rounded at the edges. Perfectly obsidian and smooth, almost like wood, but not quite.

There was no seam, no opening. She fiddled with the edges, pressing her thumb against one side to see whether she could pop it open.

And pop open it did.

Actually, it unfurled like a flower, revealing eight perfectly symmetrical geometric ‘petals.’

What the hell?

Suddenly, someone else was in the room with her.

Clarissa stifled a scream.

There was a man. No, not a man.

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