Overcast

9.

Gonzalez, Tauber, Marais and The Vixen listened.

They listened to the voice that spoke to them. They did not know who he was, why they were there or what future had in store for them. But they listened.

"You all must be wondering why I have brought you here. Rather forcefully, I must add. Apologies for that, but it was needed. You must, however, appreciate my method of capturing you. The men were held down by men, and the women were touched by women only. I mean to play fair. But I mean to play hard."

"Your purpose of visit, now. I believe The Vixen and Agent Tauber have already discussed about this at length. Oh yes, Ms. Vixen, his real name is Tauber, not Koppel. For security purposes, he had to introduce himself as Koppel, when he had visited India as part of his assignment. You may call him Tauber, from now on, for that is his real name, and there are no security threats here."

The Vixen looked across at Tauber. He looked her right back in the eye. Both of them knew that Tauber had lied for the benefit of his nation. And The Vixen was smart enough to understand that the situation called for it. She grinned at him, thus ensuring that things were cool between them.

"I believe a few introductions are necessary before we proceed."

Three out of the four spotlights went dark. The fourth one, first in order, focused on Gonzalez.

"Mr. Carlos Gonzalez, a Colombian drug lord. One of the most feared men in the South American underworld. His murder rate, however, is not as much as his predecessors, probably due to the fact that his ambition was not to become a criminal, and because he has had no lust for money, power and fame. Not only has he garnered these three in his tenure as a drug dealer, but he has also gained a very important fourth thing - respect. For he is humble at heart, and noble by nature."

The spotlight went out, and Tauber's one came on.

"Agent Kalev Tauber, a MOSSAD agent. And one of Israel's finest, I must add. Very rarely has the MOSSAD ever been gifted an agent who has an undying passion for her/his motherland, commitment to the purpose of the agency, and a knack for snooping targets out of their hideouts and eliminating them. He also holds a grudge against Palestinians criminals, and never fails to give them a good hiding whenever one of them is brought into the interrogation room. A true patriot, is Tauber."

Marais was next in line, and the spotlight alternated appropriately.

"Ms. Ilora Marais, a South African detective. A lady dedicated to her job, she is resilient, and refuses to leave a case passed on to her unsolved. With an impeccable sense of justice, she is one of the best things to have happened to the South - African police force, and she tries her level best to stop crime in South - Africa by striking fear in the hearts of perpetrators, who know that she will pull them out of hiding if they do as much as even come under her radar.

The next person to take center stage was The Vixen.

"The Vixen, an Indian hacker. Vijayalakshmi Saluja began her hacking career as The Vixen after her parents' demise, which forced her to take over the reigns of the gang her father ran. The gang, however, was more of a Robin-Hood one, albeit on a much larger and more dangerous scale. She has, since then, taken care of the poor and needy, and dished out justice to those who had seemingly escaped it. She is a delightfully skilled hacker, and a good judge when it comes to right and wrong."