Crypto-crash extract

 

Chapter 1 - Andy

 

Andy lay on the paddleboard that was gently bobbing on Lago Maggiore while the adaptive acoustics of the microphone remained fixed on a window of the penthouse apartment about a kilometre away. Unfortunately, active counter-measures were in place and all he was picking up was white noise. He glanced up just as a flash from the terrace coincided with explosion of the surveillance kit, along with the front end of his board. He automatically rolled off into the lake, struggling to avoid gasping from the chill of the water while he slowly sank below the surface and swam for a couple of strokes before forced up for a gasp of air.

This was just in time to see the remaining part of the board blasted into fragments, as he would have been had his reflexes not kicked in. Fucking military-grade chemical laser. He grimaced and submerged just before the heat and a pressure wave indicated a hit where his head had been a moment before. Thirty seconds underwater and he could see the hull of a yacht above him, allowing him to raise his head for a couple of quick breaths out of the line of sight of his attacker.

Andy was scanning the other moored yachts and motorboats in his vicinity, trying to work out a swimming route to shore without exposure to further fire, when he picked up the characteristic whine of an approaching drone. Could be police, responding to these explosions, but more likely the fucking Russians. He quickly flicked through menus on the smartpad attached to his left forearm and selected the option of an intense electro-magnetic pulse. Immediately the whine died and was quickly followed by a splash. Although the range is only a couple of hundred metres, better clear out of here fast before bystanders realise all their electronics have been fried. He checked his route again and then duck-dived, stroking towards his next cover twenty metres distant.

Ten minutes later, Andy cautiously clambered up the ancient granite steps leading from the harbour, conscious of looking out of place in his dripping swimming trunks and t-shirt on this cool May morning. Nevertheless, he attracted little attention due to the chaos caused by e-cars and -bikes abruptly stopped in their tracks, further amplified by the fact that all mobile phones and other electronic devices were completely dead. As he walked along the promenade in the direction away from Locarno town centre, he slipped the nuclear-hard pad around his arm so that it was not obvious that he possessed the only e-communication in the immediate vicinity. Got to get back to where my kit is stashed and then decide what to do. His rented apartment was actually two floors below the one he was trying to spy on, this being clearly more heavily defended than he had expected. The question was whether to go back there or, if this was too dangerous, decide if it would be prudent just to drop – or, at least, postpone – the entire mission. Of course, having spotted his attempted surveillance, it was possible that the Russians would just up-sticks and move on, but he was fairly sure that would not happen. Retreat could be seen as a sign of weakness and that was death to these gangs, who could operate with ease only when all their competitors feared them. Explains the fucking Ruskie overkill. Anyone else would have just been happy that their eavesdropping counter-measures were working or, worst case, used some focused weapon to fry my equipment. Not these bastards, though. They’d rather blow everything to buggery, including me.

Andy’s rucksack hung from a tree at a small beach towards the limits of the community of Minusio. Good old Switzerland, where you can still leave stuff lying about without some bugger nicking it. Hauling off his soggy t-shirt, he towelled himself down and then pulled on a shapeless hoodie. Ignoring the few passers-by, he stripped off his trunks and dragged on cycling shorts. He then uncoupled the trailer used to transport his board, replacing his name tag with a scrawled invitation for anyone to take it. Might even be a useful distraction if someone takes it soon. Thus unburdened, he cycled quickly back to Locarno, selecting a route passing further up the hill, through Minusio, in order to avoid the continuing confusion along the lakeside caused by his EMP.

After a lot of thought on the matter, he decided that returning to the Vivian apartment block was the best option. Apart from all the equipment he had stored there, Beat and Heidi would probably still be asleep and, if there were going to be any problems, he could hardly just abandon them.

Andy dropped off his bike in the underground garage, took the lift to the 5th floor and let himself into the apartment diagonally opposite. The large, modern flat had three bedrooms: a master with a large ensuite where the ladies would be, a further double bedroom that he had taken for himself and a third bedroom which contained 3 single beds, all of them currently covered with piles of equipment. The door to the master bedroom was open and he stuck his head around the corner, looking into the bathroom where Heidi was soaking up to her neck in bubbles. “Fancy jumping in?” she asked, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

“Love to, but I need to get sorted out first. You want anything for breakfast?”

“Glass of Champagne would be just the thing. Hair of the dog, you know.”

“I can guess,” he smiled. “And what about your better half?”

“She’s still snoozing, but best bring a glass for her too as she was drinking even more than I was last night. Of course, if she doesn’t wake up soon, I’ll just drink both glasses.”

“Fine, I’ll get that now. We can chat later, but I guess there’s nothing special to report from last night?”

“Nope, still no coconut. How about your early morning exercise, feel the better for it?”

“Well, the water’s a bit cooler than I expected,” he replied vaguely. It could certainly have gone a hell of a lot better, but anything I walk away from unscratched can’t be considered complete failure. If anything, a warning like that will certainly ensure that I’m even more careful in the future.

The capsule coffee machine growled while Andy opened a bottle of Veuve Clicquot and filled two large flutes with the sparkling wine. He returned to the bathroom and passed one glass to Heidi and set his small espresso on the ledge at the opposite end of the bath. In the bedroom, Beatrice was still snoozing, the sheet thrown back so that he could admire her smooth, olive skin and generous breasts, with their small brown nipples. He set the flute on the bedside table beside her and returned to the bathroom, where he peeled off his top and shorts.

Andy grimaced when he caught a sight of himself in a mirror. His head was shaved to minimise the evidence of advanced male-pattern baldness, but the stubble on his chin, once black, seemed to be getting greyer by the day. He kept fit, but his belly certainly wasn’t as flat as it had once been and almost blocked out the view of his dick when he looked down. Then again, the water had been cold.

“Mmm, that’s good,” Andy groaned while he eased himself slowly into the scorching water, sliding his legs outside Heidi’s until he was sitting upright with the woman’s feet touching his groin.

Heidi had raised herself a little to make room for him, so that her breasts were, tantalisingly, just level with the thick layer of bubbles. She sipped her Champagne while Andy slurped his coffee, this warming him from the inside while the heat of the bath removed the chill from his legs and lower torso. “That’s good too,” he grinned as the woman’s toes began to stroke his penis.

“So, is Beat awake yet? There’s space enough for her to squeeze in with us,” she mirrored his grin.

“Nope, the beauty is still sleeping. Maybe just as well, as it’d be a tight squeeze to get anyone else in here.”

“Tight squeezes are part of the fun,” her toes squeezed his dick to illustrate her point. “Anyway, what’s on the agenda for today?”

“Much of the same, I’m afraid. My cunning plan to get more information on our target came to nothing, so we’re still focusing on the honey trap approach.”

“Can’t beat a classic. So, we laze about all day and then head to the Casino again this evening. It’s a hard life! Maybe we should book a massage. There’s a Thai place that was recommended by a couple of working girls we met in the Casino last night. Apparently, they do a great happy ending for female clients. Maybe also for males, if you want me to check?” His penis was again squeezed, beginning to recover from its immersion in cold water and respond to her dactyl manipulations.

“Fun though that sounds, I’ll have to pass as I’ve got work to do. I could maybe fit in a swim though.”

“Not in the lake, I hope. It must be fucking freezing.”

“A bit cool,” he admitted, “maybe around 18 or so. But that’ll be nice to cool off in as, according to the forecast, it’s going to be sunny and into the high 20s.”

“Not a chance. If you want some exercise, we could have a threesome workout when my partner emerges from the land of Nod.”

Andy could hardly claim to be uninterested in this offer, as he was now fully erect. “Well, we can make a decision about that later. Let’s just enjoy the bath for now.”

Heidi took a large gulp of her wine, then tossed Andy a bar of soap. “Okay, you’re paying for all of this anyway. One enjoyable bath coming up.” She squirmed around until she was sitting on his lap, squeezing her bum against his erection. “You wash me, and then I’ll wash you.” She pulled his hands around to cradle her breasts.

Well, this can’t help but be an enjoyable bath. He smiled while he silently acknowledged how this woman made it impossible to feel stressed-out when in her company.