Story: Behind Enemy Lines

I'm excited to be posting a new story. I held a contest on my blog last year and the prize was a story commission. I'd intended for the story to be finished in a couple of weeks and run around 3,000 words. Well, it is six months later and just shy of 13,000 words. Oh well.

The story features mind control and women being converted from non-smokers into smokers.

I want to give a big shout out to blackbladder for the story idea and to Steve Wells for looking the story over and giving me amazing feedback.


Behind Enemy Lines
By Varian Milagro
Based on the story idea by Blackbladder

“Andie, what do you think your previous supervisor would say is your greatest weakness?” Melinda Harris asked out of courtesy. She didn’t even bother listening to the reply. She picked at the remains of her Caesar salad and focused on avoiding Andie’s secondhand smoke.

Melinda and Andie were seated at a small outdoor table at Hogan’s Heroes, an independent lunch spot a couple miles from NTA, the company where Melinda worked. Both ladies were in their early forties and slim for their age. That is where the similarities ended. Andie stood an inch over five-foot and had straight, black hair so long that she sometimes sat on it if she wasn’t careful. Melinda pushed six-foot in heels and had naturally wavy, red hair that stopped just shy of her generous bosom. Another difference was their disposition. Melinda had warm, inviting eyes and she smiled constantly. Andie looked like her face might crack if she tried to smile and her eyes betrayed a cold, calculating intelligence.

Melinda glanced at her phone as Andie droned on. She couldn’t even remember what question she’d asked. Not that it mattered, there was no way she was hiring the woman. She’d only agreed to conduct the interview as a personal favor for her co-worker, Hilda Johnson.

When Hilda had mentioned that she knew someone that was perfect for the soon to be open accountant position at NTA she’d gotten excited. Their normal accountant, Tegan Rutgers, was starting maternity leave in less than a week and they’d yet to find a replacement.

The first sign that Andie Branson wasn’t the right person for the job came when Melinda tried to setup the interview. Andie insisted that it take place away from NTA. It wouldn’t be the first interview she’d held offsite, but it was the first where the interviewee was so insistent that it be held offsite.

The second sign came when she met Andie. The woman reeked of cigarette smoke. The third sign and deal breaker came when Andie lit up a cigarette without even asking if Melinda minded. NTA stood for No Tobacco Association. Smoking a cigarette at a job interview was a bad idea when applying for any job. When interviewing for an anti-smoking organization it was just plain stupid. Melinda wasn’t about to hire a stupid accountant.

NTA was the brain child of its CEO, Rita Mitchell. During her presidency at The American Lung Association she had conceived of an organization that would unite all of the anti-smoking groups. It would focus their efforts and act as a donation nexus. NTA was an instant hit. Money poured in and they were making great strides in curbing the use of tobacco products. Rita projected that the last user of tobacco products had already been born and there were those in their forties who would die in a smoke-free world.

“Well, I think that wraps up all of my questions, do you have any questions for me?” Melinda asked.

“When do I start?” Andie asked as she pulled a crystal cylinder the size of a tube of lipstick from her purse. It looked a lot like a perfume dispenser.

Melinda laughed in spite of herself. Composing herself she said, “I have several other candidates to interview. I’ll let you know next week.”

“On a scale of one to ten, what do you think my chances are?”

Melinda regarded Andie for a moment as she considered her reply. Normally she avoided confrontation and told candidates that they weren’t getting the job through email, but something about Andie rankled Melinda. “Zero. There is no way you’re getting this job.”

“Thank you for your honesty.” Andie stood and extended her hand.

When Melinda shook Andie’s hand she was suddenly yanked forward with a surprising force. As she tried to catch herself, Andie spritzed her with the perfume. It smelled like a mixture of ammonia and tea leaves.

“What is wrong with you?” Melinda shrieked.

“Sit down and be quiet. I’ve decided that I have a couple questions after all.”

Melinda’s face drained of color. Her mind wanted to grab her purse and leave, but her body sat back down. She fought to scream, but she couldn’t utter a sound.

“You may talk, but only conversationally.” Andie sat down, removed a cigarette from her pack and lit it. “Now, I’m going to ask you some questions and I want you to answer them truthfully. Do you smoke?”

“No.” Terror rocked Melinda’s body, internally. On the outside she looked calm and relaxed.

“Briefly, tell me what you think of smoking.” Andie exhaled a thick cloud of smoke toward Melinda.

“It’s disgusting for one thing,” Melinda said as she waved at the smoke casually.

“But you think it smells wonderful,” Andie said and then took a drag.

Melinda stopped waving at Andie’s smoke and then sniffed the air. The smoke had changed from acrid and bitter to sweet and floral. “How did you do that?”

“I can make you do anything I want. The chemical in the perfume bottle has mind altering properties. For the next ten minutes you will do anything I say and believe anything I say. Any commands I give you during those ten minutes will become hardwired in your brain and will persist indefinitely.”

“That’s crazy,” Melinda said. Yet she feared that Andie was telling the truth. She still couldn’t stand, nor could she shout.

“I think you need a couple demonstrations.” Andie smiled. “The table is on fire.”

Melinda panicked as the table erupted in flames. A wall of heat slammed into her as the flames licked at her face. She tried to stand, wanting to flee the area, but still couldn’t. She scooted her chair away from the table.

“The table isn’t on fire and you know that it was all just an illusion.”

The fear on Melinda’s face changed to panic. Fire was scary, but having your mind altered against your will was horrific. “Please don’t do anything to me. You can have the job.”

“The job is only the start of it. You are going to be my disciple. You are going to help me bring NTA to its knees. But first you need to be a smoker.” Andie slid her pack of cigarettes across the table. “Have a cigarette.”

“I’m not about to smoke a cigarette.”

Andie's jaw clenched. Through gritted teeth she said, “I’m going to give one more chance to smoke voluntarily. You won’t like what happens if you refuse again.”

Melinda removed a cigarette and then placed it between her lips. As she reached for the lighter she said, “Please don’t make me smoke.”

“Are you married? Do you have children?”

“I’m married and I have two children.” She lit the cigarette and then immediately spat the smoke out. It might smell life flowers now, but it tasted horrible.

“Tell me about your children, do they live at home?”

“I have twin daughters. They’re both in college, but still live at home. Danielle is pre-med and Morgan is pre-law.” Melinda took another small puff and then exhaled the smoke without inhaling.

“If they take after you in any way they must be beautiful,” Andie took a drag and then slowly exhaled her smoke across the table. “I’m glad you decided to smoke without too much fuss. I don’t like it when people are stubborn; it makes me cranky in a hurry. If you had refused to smoke I may have done something nasty like make you lust after your daughters. Speaking of which, you can continue to smoke without inhaling and I’ll turn your daughters into strippers or you can inhale like a real smoker.”

Melinda brought the cigarette back to her lips and then pulled smoke into her mouth, this time breathing it into her lungs. Naturally, she gagged. “There I smoked. Please don’t make me do this anymore!”

“But you love smoking. You love it so much that you are going to help me overtake NTA. You want to share your love of smoking with the world. When you get home you’ll want to share your new love with your family.”

Melinda looked at her cigarette with a new appreciation. When she took her next drag she sucked on it aggressively. This time she didn’t gag when she inhaled. Instead she held the smoke in her lungs, savoring the fullness, letting the warm pleasure wash over her body. When she finally exhaled she said, “This cigarette tastes wonderful. Everyone should know how great it is to smoke.”

“Perfect,” Andie said as she watched her newest convert take another cheek hollowing drag. “I want you to call your assistant and let her know that I have the job. Also tell her that you’re taking the rest of the day off. Go home and share your new passion with your daughters. If they won’t smoke willingly give them a squirt of this.” Andie handed the perfume bottle to Melinda.

Melinda looked at the cigarette pack on the table and then the dwindling cigarette in her hand. “Do you think that I could have another cigarette?”

“Take the pack and the lighter.” Andie reached into her purse and pulled out a couple packs of Virginia Slims. “Here, take these, too. Consider them presents for your daughters. You might want to buy something a little more manly for your husband. I’d suggest Marlboro reds or Camel wides.”

“Thank you for showing me the light, Andie.” Melinda dropped her new cigarettes in her purse and then stood. She walked around the table and then hugged her new friend.

“You’re welcome. Now, I think that you have a call to make.”

*** Later that day ***

Danielle arrived home and encountered a scent she hadn’t smelled for months and one that she didn’t think she’d ever smell in her parent’s house: cigarette smoke. She set her backpack and purse down on the bench in the entryway and removed her coat. As she hung it up in the closet she kicked off her wedge sandals and slipped on her pink bunny slippers.

“Mom? Are you home?” Danielle called as she walked into the main part of the house.

“I’m in the kitchen, sweetie,” Melinda shouted back. “Are you hungry?”

Danielle entered the kitchen and froze. “No, I ate on the way home,” she said automatically as she stared at her mother, trying to process what her eyes were seeing. They told her that her mother was smoking a cigarette, but her brain was rejecting the idea as ridiculous.

Melinda exhaled smoke across the room. “Is Morgan with you?” She rolled the perfume bottle in her free hand.

“No, she has debate on Tuesdays,” Danielle folded her arms under her breasts. She looked a like a younger version of her mom, tall, slender and busty. She had her mother’s naturally wavy hair, but was a blonde. “Mom, why are you smoking?”

“Because it is wonderful. If I’d known how great cigarettes tasted I would have started smoking years ago.” Melinda motioned to the seat across from her. “Why don’t you have a seat?”

As she sat, Danielle looked at her mother like she expected an alien to explode from her chest.

“Have you ever tried smoking?” Melinda took another drag.

“No.”

“Have you ever been tempted?” Melinda exhaled a jet of smoke toward the ceiling.

“Of course. Who hasn’t?”

“Tell me about it.”

“It was a few years ago, in high school. You remember Kaley? Well, she stole a pack from her mom and talked a bunch of my friends into trying it. They all wanted me to smoke, but I refused. Kaley and a few of the others started smoking all the time after that.”

Melinda rolled the tip of her cigarette along the bottom of the ashtray, removing the excess ash. “Were you ever curious about what it tasted like? If you would have liked it like Kaley did?”

“Maybe a little bit. What’s gotten into you, Mom? You hate smokers.”

“I was ignorant. My eyes have been opened and I don’t want you walking through the world blind.” Melinda held the burning cigarette out to her daughter. “You should know what you’ve been missing.”

Danielle looked at the cigarette, then her mom and then the cigarette again.

“Go on and take it.”

Danielle took the cigarette and a strange thrill shot through her. It reminded her of the thrill she’d felt when her mom had let her drink wine three years ago. It had been just the two of them, both Morgan and her dad had been away for the evening. Drinking wine with her mother had made her feel like an adult, made her feel close to her mom and feel like her own person. It was their secret, one of the few she’d ever kept from her twin sister.

She raised the cigarette to her lips, first tasting her mother’s lipstick and then harsh smoke as she sucked a small amount of smoke into her mouth. She still remembered the violent coughing fits Kaley and the others had undergone when they’d taken too much smoke on their first drag. After a few seconds she breathed the smoke in. Both her throat and her lungs burned, but she didn’t choke.

“Go ahead and keep that one,” Melinda said as she pulled a cigarette from her pack.

Danielle took another small drag.

“Not so bad, is it?” Melinda asked around her cigarette as her she watched her daughter’s exhale join her own.

“It tastes better than I thought it would.” From what she’d heard it they tasted even better after a few cigarettes. She exhaled a thin stream of smoke. The feelings she’d had when drinking wine with her mom were back. She took another drag and savored the moment. “I don’t think that I’ll smoke regularly, but I might share one with you now and then.”

“Do you think Morgan would like to try it?” Melinda dropped the perfume bottle into her purse, glad that she hadn’t needed to use it on Danielle. It still might see use with Morgan and Ronald, her husband.

Danielle’s heart sank. There went her special time with her mom.

As if reading Danielle’s thoughts, Melinda said, “I know that it must be hard being a twin, not feeling like an individual, with an exact copy of yourself living in the same house. We can figure out something that can be just ours, but I don’t want it to be smoking. I hate the thought of depriving anyone of the chance to experience it firsthand.”

Danielle took another puff as she considered her mother’s words. Truth was she knew that Morgan would like to smoke. She’d been there when Kaley and the others had tried smoking for the first time. She had been one of the girls to continue smoking, sneaking away with Kaley during lunch to smoke in the woods behind the high school. She’d quit only because Danielle had threatened to tell their parents. Morgan had quit begrudgingly.

“Yeah, I think she’d like to try it.” Despite feeling a little dizzy and a touch nauseous, Danielle took one last drag before crushing her first cigarette out in the ashtray. Once Morgan found out that she could smoke without consequence, she had a feeling that they’d both be smoking together regularly.

*** Fourteen weeks later

Tegan sensed that something was off the moment she crossed the threshold into the corporate office of NTA. When you’ve worked at a company long enough everything about it becomes familiar, the way the florescent lights reflect off the plastic ferns in the lobby, the feel of the bland, low-pile carpet in the halls, the hum of the air conditioner mixed with the murmurs of co-workers, the recycled smell of hundreds of people working in close quarters being pumped throughout the building. It was the last that set off Tegan’s inner alarm.

There was a slight acrid quality to the office air that hadn’t be present when Tegan had started on maternity leave a little over three months ago. The smell was reminiscent of holidays with her grandparents when she was young. Whenever they visited, Tegan could tell that they were in the house as soon as she stepped in the door. They both chained smoked, and even though her mother made them smoke outdoors, the smoke that lingered on their breath, hair and clothes altered the air quality in the house enough to be detected. That smell was at the NTA. Tegan grew up in a small, three bedroom rambler. The NTA corporate office took up half a city block. It would take a lot more than two heavy smokers to alter the smell of the entire building.

A parade of people stopped by Tegan’s desk that day, all welcoming her back, asking about Annabelle, her newborn baby daughter, many of them smelling like they’d smoked recently, people that Tegan knew to be non-smokers.

Between the well wishers, various meetings, a phone that wouldn’t stop ringing, and needing to express milk every couple hours, Tegan was not able to get any actual work done that day. She’d barely had the time to look through the pile of work on her desk. What she did see made her want to go home and cry. It was bad enough being away from Annabelle, every minute yearning to see her face, smell her hair, feel her soft skin against hers, but it looked like no one had done a single account reconciliation in the time she’d been gone.

Melinda had told her that they’d hired a woman to take over during her absence, someone competent. Melinda had assured Tegan that the woman was a perfect fit, that NTA was lucky to have someone with her unique skill set. Tegan wasn’t sure what the woman had been doing for the last 90 days, but it wasn’t reconciling the books.

On her second day back to work Tegan was introduced to the company’s latest intern, Claire Haines. At first Tegan thought that Claire had been hired for the same reason as Amber, the company’s receptionist. Claire was in her early twenties, five-six, busty, and gorgeous. The most obvious difference between the two was Amber was an all American blonde and Claire was an exotic mix of races and had full, wavy auburn hair. The second difference wasn’t as readily apparent, but after talking to the intern for a few minutes Tegan realized that Claire’s beauty disguised a sharp, critical mind. Whereas Amber was as dumb as she looked.

After a bit of friendly prying, Tegan learned that Claire worked a second job, freelancing for the local newspaper, The Guardian. Claire had a tendency to play up the naiveté, knowing that people, men especially, let down their guard around a sweet, pretty girl. She’d broken a couple stories letting people assume that she was a little ditzy. Claire had a bright future in the journalism world and Tegan liked her instantly.

The following morning, as she headed to the break room for a cup of coffee, Tegan stopped by Claire’s cubicle and invited her new friend out to lunch. When noon rolled around, Tegan was completely immersed in work and would have worked straight through to quitting time except that Claire stopped by her desk for their lunch date. As they walked to the café Tegan caught the fresh scent of cigarette smoke coming from Clarie. She waited until they were seated at Coogan’s Diner before bring the subject up.

“I don’t mean to pry, but do you smoke?” Tegan said as she pretended to read the menu.

Claire set her menu down at the edge of the table. “Occasionally. I’m a social smoker for the most part. I’ve been trying to quit for good, but if I’m around a bunch of smokers my will power crumbles and I beg a cigarette off someone.”

“You were around a bunch smokers at NTA?”

“I know, right?” Claire said incredulously. “I thought that of all places the NTA would be somewhere that I’d be away from smokers. It seemed that way at first, but lately I’d swear that there are more smokers working at NTA than non-smokers.”

“That’s not the only strange thing that’s going on.”

Claire’s face lit up as she leaned forward. “What do you mean?”

Tegan looked around and then leaned across the table. In a near whisper she said, “It’s too early to tell for sure, but I think that someone may have been monkeying with the books while I was on maternity leave.”

Claire’s eyes widened. “You mean embezzlement?”

“I don’t know yet, but I’ll know more soon. I have a feeling that this isn’t a low level job. Someone high up is in on it. If I’m right I’ll let you know and you can sell the story to The Guardian.”

“If you’re right, I’ll be able to sell the story to CNN or the API. It’s stories like these that make careers.”

“Don’t get your hopes up yet,” Tegan said as she leaned back in her chair. “Right now it’s only a suspicion.”

“If it’s only a suspicion why are you telling me?”

Tegan shrugged. “I’m a good judge of people and I believe that I can trust you.”

“You can. I promise that I won’t breathe a word of this until you are absolutely positive on the facts.”

***

That weekend, Tegan’s husband, Gregory, helped her setup a small impromptu nursery at the office. Annabelle’s high chair sat next to Tegan’s office chair, her playpen sat in the walkway between cubicles and her bassinette was across the way in Belinda’ cubicle. In between feeding, changing and playing with Annabelle, Tegan poured over the company books, trying the find the root of the accounting irregularities.

At noon, Gregory brought lunch from Lucky Louie’s and at five he returned with dinner from The Thai House. After dinner Gregory took their daughter home with him for a bath and then bedtime. Tegan stayed at the office until after midnight.

***

When Claire arrived at NTA on Monday she headed straight to Tegan’s desk. Her trash overflowed with empty take out containers, Starbucks to go cups, and baby wipes. Tegan was nowhere to be seen. Disappointed, Claire walked to her desk. She found Tegan sitting in her office chair, head on the desk, sound asleep. Claire shook her shoulder tentatively.

Tegan’s eyes popped open. She blinked a couple times, placed a finger over her lips and then motioned for Claire to follow.

“What’s going on?” Claire asked as soon as they were outside.

Tegan scowled at Claire. She clicked her remote, unlocking her car and then motioned toward to passenger door.

“Can we speak now?” Claire said with a slight chuckle once Tegan started the car.

“Be patient.”

Tegan drove to a small park a few miles down the road. She led Claire to a small bench in the middle of the park, with an unimpeded 360 degree view of the surrounding area. They’d be able to see anyone approach for half a mile.

“My suspicions were correct. Except someone hasn’t been just monkeying with the books, they’ve let a whole band of gorillas walk all over them,” Tegan said. “Over 50 million dollars in donations from NTA’s various non-profits was funneled into a new subsidiary. After that the money goes on a trip through a series of offshore accounts. It took a lot of digging, but I have found proof that in the end, the money ends up in the hands of big tobacco.”

“How could that happen without someone noticing?”

“It couldn’t,” Tegan said. “Barry Hemple, NTA’s CFO, has to be involved, but he wouldn’t be able to do it alone. He’d need Rita Hayward’s involvement too.”

Claire looked at Tegan like someone just told her that her mother was a serial killer. “There’s no way Rita is involved. I’ve heard that she’d rather die than see big tobacco get a penny. Tobacco killed her husband and both her parents. It’s why she founded NTA in the first place.”

Tegan stared at the grass, her brow furrowed as she chewed the inside of her cheek. After a few seconds she said, “It would be possible to go around Rita, but it would take two, maybe three, other corporate officers to do it without Rita’s involvement. I find that just as unlikely.”

“What are your next steps?”

“I’m going to make copies of everything I have and then lock up a copy in a safety deposit box.”

“That’s pretty smart,” Claire said. A large grin broke out on her face. “Thank you for including me on this. I could get a permanent staff position at The Guardian for bringing in this story.” Claire removed her iPhone from her purse.

“Who are you calling?” Tegan said, a look of panic on her face.

“Brenda, my editor. I’m going to give her a heads up.”

“No!” Tegan ripped the phone from Claire’s hands. “Don’t tell anyone until I say it’s okay. People get killed over a few thousand dollars. Imagine what someone would do to protect 50 million. Once I have copies secured then we can go meet your editor somewhere safe.”

“She’ll be furious if I don’t at least give her a heads up, but I will defer to your judgment.”

***

Tegan drove Claire back to NTA and then drove south on Highway 99 to Rosemont, a small town thirty miles away. After making several copies on a coin operated copier in a tiny library that was smaller than most Starbucks, she drove to the local bank. Using her maiden name, Wilderman, she opened a safety deposit box and stuffed one copy of the documents inside. Her next stop was at Sisters of the Faith, a convent nestled in the forest just outside of town.

Tegan had spent many hours inside its walls. She’d gotten involved with a bad crowd in her first year of middle school. The entire group had been arrested for shoplifting and while the parents of all the other kids had come and bailed them out, Tegan’s mother was too busy sleeping off her latest binge to come down to the police station. After the fifth unanswered call to her house the sheriff drove her to the convent rather than have a twelve year old spend a night in jail. That is where she met Sister Abigail.

Abigail was still in high school at the time. She spent most of her free time at the convent helping the nuns in any way she could. She was deeply religious and had dreamed of being a nun ever since seeing “The Sound of Music” when she was seven. The girls bonded instantly, both finding a missing part in their lives in the other. For Tegan, Abigail was the positive role model and big sister she’d been craving. For Abigail, Tegan epitomized what called her to a life as a nun, a good person at the core being led astray by wickedness and neglect. Abigail had the chance to change the course of a person’s life for the good.

From that day forward Tegan spent almost as much time at convent as Abigail. Away from the bad crowd and her mother’s caustic influence she began to thrive. Whenever Tegan needed help of any kind, Abigail was there. When she needed help with school Abigail tutored her. When Tegan needed a ride to the doctor Sister Abigail drove her. When Tegan needed money for college, the whole convent put on a fund raiser to pay the tuition. Now, when she needed someone she could trust absolutely, she of course turned to Abigail.

“I need you to hold a package for me,” Tegan said. She handed Abigail a sealed FedEx envelope containing a copy of the incrementing NTA documents.

She and Sister Abigail sat on a stone bench in the convent gardens. The flowers were in bloom, their sweet scent floated in the air. Birds flittered about in the trees, filling the air with chorus of chirps, warbles and trills. Sister Abigail was dressed in a pair of slacks and a grey, knitted sweater. A large, hand carved cross hung from a beaded chain around her neck. Abigail was in great shape; the Sisters of the Faith took care of all of their own cooking, cleaning and gardening. The physical activity kept her body slender and well toned. Even without makeup her face would turn most men’s heads, full lips and high cheek bones. Despite being in her early twenties she had the skin of a twenty year old. If it wasn’t for the nun’s vow of chastity Tegan would’ve never let Abigail within a mile of her husband.

“Of course, dear. How is little Annabelle?”

“She’s perfect.” Tegan eyes moistened at her daughter’s name. It had been too many hours since she’d seen her. “I can’t stay long. Please do not let anyone know that you have this and don’t open it. If I don’t contact you tonight I want you to drop the envelope in the nearest mailbox. I’ll contact you every morning and evening for the next week. If I don’t, mail it right away.”

“Are you in some kind of trouble?” Abigail’s brow furrowed with worry.

“Not yet. The less you know the better, but let’s just say that you’re my insurance policy. If anything goes wrong you will save me by mailing that envelope.”

Abigail looked at the envelope’s mailing label. “The FBI? I hope you know what you’re doing, Tegan.”

“So do I.”

Tegan hugged Abigail goodbye and then rushed to her car. As she drove back to the city she called Claire. “I’m nearly ready on my end. All I need to do is return the original files to the office before anyone notices them missing and I’ll be all set. Give me forty-five minutes and then call Brenda.”

“That’s great!”

“I want to meet somewhere public. I can go over the documents and explain everything. Brenda should probably bring a lawyer, or at least an accountant. This is some pretty heavy stuff and it will take hours to go over it.”

“I’ll take care of it right away.”

“Not yet,” Tegan shouted into the phone. “You need to give me time to return the original documents.”

“Fine,” Claire said and then ended the call.

Fifteen minutes later Tegan’s phone chirped, indicating that she had a text message. A minute later it chirped again. When it chirped a third time, Tegan pulled to the side of the road and checked her messages.

“Meetup arranged with Brenda. Need to meet right away. Address will follow.”

“That bitch,” Tegan shouted. “What part of forty-five minutes did she not understand?”

Tegan read the next message. “6482 Harbor Ln” followed by “sorry.”

“You should be sorry,” Tegan muttered to herself as she entered the address into her GPS.

Ignoring the little voice inside her head that told her to return to the office and return the paperwork, Tegan followed the directions of her GPS to the address Claire had supplied. It led her to a row of dingy office buildings near the waterfront, not the nice waterfront in the heart of downtown, the seamy waterfront filled with dilapidated buildings and strip clubs.

Tegan spotted Claire’s Mazda Miata parked between a Mercedes and a BMW 7 series, all three looking out of place and in danger of being stripped. Tegan’s anxiety grew as she stepped out of her car. Why would Claire organize a meeting in such a horrid place? Had her editor, Brenda, suggested it? Who owned the third car? Did it belong to the newspaper’s lawyer?

Claire burst out of the office on the left. “Did you bring the evidence?” Her hands shook and her eyes darted back and forth. She looked like a junkie in need of a fix.

“I have it all,” Tegan said as she patted her oversize purse. “Why are we meeting out here? Why didn’t you wait like I’d asked you?”

“Perfect!” Claire grabbed Tegan’s hand and dragged her toward the door. “She’s very eager to see what you’ve got.”

“Let go of me.” Tegan yanked her hand free of Claire’s grasp. “What’s gotten into you?”

“I’m sorry. I should have waited like you asked, but I got excited. I’d never had a story this big before. As to why here, I’ll let Andie explain all of that.”

“Andie? I thought your editor’s name was Brenda.”

Claire held the door open. “Andie is Rita Mitchell’s personal secretary. She wants an opportunity to explain the accounting irregularities before you talk to Brenda.”

Tegan scowled at Claire for a minute, trying to decide whether to turn around and just drive to the newspaper office directly, or put a little more trust in her new friend.

“Come inside and everything will be made clear, I promise,” Claire said.

“I wish I hadn’t told you,” Tegan muttered as she entered the building.

Once her whole body crossed the threshold, a large hand grabbed her hair. Another hand clamped a damp cloth over her nose and mouth. It had a strong medicinal aroma. Tegan reached up to fend off her attacker, but the strength quickly left her body. Her eyes closed involuntarily. She felt strong arms catch her as she crumbled and then lost consciousness.

***

Tegan awoke to bright, neon light. She was lying down on a lumpy mattress, covered by a thin, scratchy blanket. She was in a windowless room, little bigger than ten by ten. A large video monitor was attached to one of the concrete walls near the ceiling. A chair that looked like it weighed more than Tegan was chained to the galvanized table that was bolted to the wall. A large steel door was the only exit. A tin ashtray, a yellow bic lighter and a pack of cigarettes lay in the center of the table.

She sat up and nearly vomited. Her head swam and the room lurched around her. Things settled down after a half a minute. Tegan took stock of herself. She still wore the clothes she’d been wearing when she’d been attacked. She hoped that Claire was okay. She hoped that Claire wasn’t her attacker. She remembered being caught by someone strong. By the strength of the arms she guessed that it was a male someone.

Her purse was missing, as was her watch, earrings, wedding ring and necklace. Gone too were her shoes and belt. Without windows or some way to tell time, she had no idea how long she’d been knocked out. Based on the way her body felt she guessed that it was only an hour or two. Had she lain on the hard mattress any longer she would surely have an aching back. She wasn’t terribly hungry either. If she’d slept through the night she’d be hungrier than she was.

Tegan stood slowly. When she was sure that she wasn’t going to fall over on her first step, she slowly walked to the door. It was locked. She figured that it would be, but she had to try.

“Ah, you’re awake,” said a raspy, woman’s voice.

Tegan jumped at the sound. She turned. The monitor was on and filled with the face of a middle aged woman with straight, black hair. The video had a grainy quality and the camera moved randomly, making Tegan suspect that the camera was being hand operated.

“I’m happy to see that you’re finally up,” the woman said. “I was afraid that you were going to sleep all day, which would have been a shame. I really want you to see what’s about to happen.”

“Why have you imprisoned me?” Tegan said through clenched teeth. She wanted to scream, but knew that it would serve no purpose, other than to play into her captor’s hands. If she was a sadist then she’d take pleasure in Tegan’s distress. If the woman was willing to negotiate then losing her temper would only weaken her position.

“You’re here because you’ve been a naughty girl. Snooping around, trying to make trouble for me. It’s lucky for me that I’d discovered that Claire worked part time for The Guardian and have been monitoring all of her communications; otherwise you might have wreaked havoc on my plans.”

“You’re Andie, aren’t you?”

“Very impressive. You will be a welcome addition to our campaign. Provided that you join willingly.”

“Join what?” Tegan asked. “An embezzlement team?”

Andie laughed. “Goodness no. I haven’t been embezzling. This isn’t about personal riches. I was redirecting funds to further our goal.”

“What goal?” Tegan asked in desperation. She wished that Andie would just get to the point.

“To bring smoking back. It is my mission to bring smoking back to the world. NTA is the starting point. By the time we are done, the 50s and 60s will look smoke free in comparison. We want an 80% smoking rate at a minimum.”

Tegan sat down on the hard bed. It looked like this was going to be a long conversation. “Why on earth would you want that? Smoking is a smelly, expensive and decidedly unhealthy habit. Once it is completely eradicated the world will be the better for it.”

“You won’t feel that way for long,” Andie said with an unsettling smile. “Now, the question is, will you join us willingly?”

“Of course not!”

“I didn’t think you would agree right away, so I’ve created a video for you. I hope that after viewing this you will see that it is futile to resist us.” The camera moved away from Andie’s face. It turned until it was facing a computer workstation. Small hands with long, painted fingernails typed at a keyboard. The camera turned back to Andie’s face. “Before I begin the presentation, would you like something to eat or drink?”

“Water would be nice.”

“I’ll have Bruno bring you some.”

The camera turned back to the keyboard.

The video cut away from Andie’s face to a girl in her late teens or early twenties. There was something familiar to Tegan about her face. The video was time stamped in the bottom right. The date was May 12th, the time 12:41pm. That was the day she’d gone into labor with Annabelle, just over three months ago.

“Okay, this is my new video journal,” the girl said. “My mom asked me to make one about my new life as a smoker.”

The camera jerked to the left, showing the burning cigarette in the girl’s dainty hand. Her nails were short and each was painted a different color of the rainbow. The cigarette was long, completely white, and freshly lit. The camera followed the cigarette as it journeyed to the girl’s mouth. She took a long drag, a look of ecstasy on her face.

“Oh my god, I love smoking so much.” She blew out a thick cloud of smoke and then the camera jerked away from her face again. It panned around the room swiftly. It looked like a girl’s bedroom. The video feed settled, pointing toward a bed with a pink comforter. The girl positioned herself on the bed so that her upper body was in frame. She took another puff and then said, “So, I come home from college on Monday and my mom is in the dining room smoking. I was totally shocked. My mom works for an anti-smoking company and hates smokers. She offers me a cigarette and tells me that she wants me to start smoking and she wants me to get my sister to start smoking, too.”

Tegan didn’t hear the next part. Her mind was spinning. She realized who the girl was. It was Danielle, Melinda Harris’s daughter. Melinda was the HR manager at NTA and a passionate non-smoker. Danielle had to be lying. There was no way Melinda would encourage her daughters to start smoking.

“So, Morgan is going to arrive any minute with Kim, Lucy and Moisha. We’re going to test the drug on them. After that we’ll start using it on random people at the university. My mom wants me to film the whole thing for some reason.” Danielle took a drag. “I don’t know who is watching this, but you should try smoking. It’s fucking amazing.”

The video feed went black. After a couple seconds it came back on in a different room. Three girls around Danielle’s age sat on an overstuffed couch. A window in the wall next to them was positioned near the ceiling, making it look like the room was in a basement of someone’s house. The girl on the left had dark, wavy hair and smooth, mocha colored skin. The girl in the center had long straight hair and looked like she had some Asian ancestry in her. The third girl had a short blonde hair and was very white. They looked like they were about to pose for the cover of a college diversity brochure. All three girls were busy with their phones.

“Is it recording?” Danielle asked from off screen.

“Yeah, the red light is one,” said another unseen girl. She sounded a lot like Danielle.

Danielle and her sister, Morgan, stepped in front of the camera. Morgan’s hair was a darker shade of blonde and pulled back into a pony tail. She wore her makeup differently, but she was the twin of Danielle. Same build, same height, same face.

They sat on chairs across from the three girls. A long, low coffee table separated the chairs from the couch. A large glass ashtray sat in the center of the table. A small crystal perfume bottle sat next to it.

“Okay, let’s start by introducing every one,” Danielle said as she glanced at the camera. “I’m Danielle.”

“I’m Morgan,” Danielle’s twin sister said.

The three girls on the couch looked up from the couch and introduced themselves. The blonde’s name was Kim, the girl next to her was Lucy and the third girl was Moisha. Danielle asked them to tell the camera a little about themselves. Tegan didn’t catch all of it. She was distracted by the door to her cell opening.

A large man entered the room carrying a pitcher of water and a small plastic cup. Bruno smelled like he’d just come from an intense workout and had smoked a cigar along the way. He poured water into the cup and then handed it to Tegan. After setting the pitcher on the table he left the room. The sound of a deadbolt slamming home quickly followed.

Tegan took a sip of water. It didn’t make it to her throat. She was so parched her mouth absorbed it instantly. After draining the cup she grabbed the pitcher and then poured herself a refill. She set the pitcher at her feet and turned her attention back to the video.

“And what do you think of smoking? Danielle asked the three girls on the couch.

Kim and Lucy turned to each other with quizzical looks on their faces.

Morgan spoke up first. “It’s gross,” she said much in the same way someone says “duh”.

“Yeah, totally gross,” Lucy said. “The smell makes me want to puke.”

“Me, too,” Kim added.

“Perfect.” Danielle picked up the perfume bottle and handed it to Morgan.

“What does smoking have to do with perfume?” Kim asked. “Is that thing supposed to mask the smell of cigarette smoke?”

“In a way.” She removed a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from her purse as Morgan squirted each girl in turn.

“That smells like my Mom’s kitchen after she’s finished cleaning,” Lucy said.

Danielle handed Morgan a cigarette. Morgan lit her own cigarette and then held the lighter out for her sister.

“When did you two start smoking?” Moisha asked.

Morgan exhaled smoke to the side. She held the cigarette between two fingers with a natural casualness. “Just started.”

“Why?” Lucy asked as she fanned at the smoke with her hand. “Smoking will kill you.”

Danielle exhaled toward the girls. “Now tell me, does the cigarette smoke smell any better to you?”

“No,” the three girls said in near unison.

Danielle took another puff. “Okay. Now listen to me Kim. Cigarette smoke isn’t gross anymore. It has a neutral smell, like water.”

Kim frowned. She sniffed the air. Her eyes widened. She sniffed a couple more times, a smile forming on her face. “You’re right. It doesn’t smell gross anymore.”

“It still smells nasty to me,” Moisha said. “Why is the perfuming working for Kim and not me?”

“That’s because you don’t have the right attitude about the smell yet.” Danielle looked at Morgan. “You want this one?”

Morgan took a drag and then said, “Moisha, cigarette smoke smells better than the sweetest flower.” Morgan blew her exhale at Moisha’s face.

Moisha inhaled deeply, a delightful smile painting her face. “Oh my god, that smells amazing. Blow more at me.”

“How the fuck are you doing this?” Lucy said as she stood. She looked at Kim and then Moisha. “Are you two in on this?” When her friends shook their heads she said, “I’m leaving.”

“No you aren’t. Sit down, Lucy. All three of you will stay on the couch and remain silent until either Moran or I say otherwise.” Danielle turned to Morgan. “What should we do with the rebel?”

“Let’s make her a smoker, but not enjoy it right away.”

“You can be such an evil bitch. No wonder you’re going to be a lawyer.” Danielle looked at Lucy. “Anything you’d like to say before you become a smoker?”

Tears filled Lucy’s eyes. “Why are you doing this?”

“Because smoking is the most amazing thing ever. We want everyone to experience it firsthand. With the compound in the perfume bottle we can turn anyone into a smoker instantly. A friend of my mom’s used it on us last night. Her name is Andie and she wants us to turn everyone at the university into smokers. We want you three to help us.”

“Please don’t do this,” Lucy said.

The other two girls nodded in agreement.

“No more talking. You are now addicted to cigarettes, Lucy. If you go more than an hour without a cigarette you’ll start freaking out.” Danielle watched the desperation form on Lucy’s face. She held out the pack of cigarettes to the new nicotine addict.

Lucy grabbed the pack. She ripped it apart, trying to get at her salvation. She needed a cigarette more than she’d ever needed anything else before. She accepted a light from Morgan. When the smoke hit her lungs she gagged. It tasted and smelled just as bad as before. While still coughing out her first drag she took another.

“Okay, time for you two to join Lucy. Kim and Moisha, you both love smoking. You love cigarettes. If you cannot smoke you’ll keep an unlit cigarette in your hand or mouth until you can smoke it. You won’t cough when you smoke. You’re body loves smoking almost as much as you do.”

The girls accepted cigarettes from Danielle happily. They smoked their cigarettes like they’d been smoking for years, with deep, cheek hollowing drags. Lucy still struggled with her cigarette, but matched them drag for drag.

“You enjoy smoking now, Lucy,” Danielle said. She watched her friend’s expression change from anguish to delight as she took another puff. “All three of you want to share smoking with the world. It pains you that there are people out there that do not know how awesome smoking is.”

Morgan set a Zappos shoebox in front of each girl. “Each of these boxes contains twenty bottles of the compound. You will use these on people at the university. Once you’ve turned them into devout smokers give them a couple perfume bottles of their own and then have them do the same.”

Danielle picked up Moisha’s phone and started typing. “If you run out of the compound send a text to the phone number I’ve entered and they’ll ship you some more.”

“Thank you for showing us how wonderful smoking is,” Kim said. Smoke poured from her mouth as she spoke.

“Yes, thank you for choosing us,” Lucy said.

The video want black again.

Tegan didn’t know what to make of the video she’d just seen. Was it some kind of put on? Had they been paid to put on a performance? She knew Danielle and Morgan. She’d met them several times in the last couple years at company events. They’d always seemed like nice, intelligent girls, much like their mother. Why would they take part in such a weird ruse? Was it an attempt to make a viral video for the internet?

The monitor came to life again, this time showing a scene of a large courtyard outside of a tall, stately building. A sign near the building pointed directions to the university library, administration building, and cafeteria. Concrete paths cut between the expansive grassy areas with stone benches edging the path every few yards. College students walked along the path while others sat on the benches, reading or talking together. A ring of five guys played hacky sack in one of the grassy areas. A large white circle was painted on a concrete slab in the left corner of the courtyard. A lone man smoked a cigarette inside the circle. The video looked like it was part of a surveillance feed.

The camera panned toward the smoking area and then zoomed in. The timestamp indicated that it was a week after Danielle’s video. The man finished his cigarette and then the video sped up, the time passing quickly. A couple entered the smoking area, smoked their cigarettes over a couple seconds and then hurried away. Three girls entered the smoking area, one of them was Morgan. They lit up and smoked in high speed. The video sped up again, an hour of video time passing every thirty seconds. Shadows shrank, disappeared and then grew in the opposite direction. A total of thirty or so people entered the smoking area. Once the sun set, the time sped up. In the center of the screen it read, “Day 1”

When the sun rose the video slowed a little, but the day sped by faster than the previous day. A similar number of smokers entered and left the smoking section. The same scene played out over days three and four. On day five the video sped up again, days flew by. When it slowed down again, “Day 30” was on the screen. A steady stream of smokers entered the smoking section. Tegan counted fifty in the first hour alone. The video raced ahead, stopping on “Day 60”. The smoking area was packed with people the entire day, too many people for Tegan to count. The video fast forwarded until it reached “Day 90”. The smoking area was empty. After a couple hours of video time, the camera pulled back. The courtyard was filled with people as on the first day, except now they were all smoking. Every single one of them. Tegan stood and walked up to the monitor. She scanned the video, trying to find a non-smoker in the crowds.

She let out a yelp when the video abruptly switched back to Andie.

“You’ve seen the power that we wield. You know that I can turn you into a devout smoker anytime I wish,” Andie said.

“You’ve proven your point. What do you want from me?”

“I want you to join us willingly.”

“Never!” Tegan spat.

“Light up a cigarette. Show me that you concede and I’ll give you a position of authority in the new company.”

“I’ll find some way to stop you,” Tegan said. “If it’s the last thing I do.”

“You will regret defying me!” Rage filled Andie’s face. She took several deep breaths and seemed to gain some composure. “I have one more thing to show you and then I hope you’ll change your mind. For your own sake.”

The video cut away from Andie’s face. It now showed Rita Mitchell’s expansive corner office. NTA’s CEO was typing away on a laptop on her solid oak wrap around desk. Tegan had met Rita many times and recognized her instantly. She was a tall, statuesque woman in her late 40s. She had a charismatic, commanding presence and others followed her instinctively.

When Andie entered the office a minute later she looked up at the camera and flashed a wink and a smile. She turned her attention back to Rita and said, “You wanted to see me?”

Rita looked up. “Yes, about ten minutes ago.” She turned her attention back to the laptop. “I need you to gather the executive team. I’m going to get to the bottom of the weirdness that has been going on around here once and for all. If they don’t get their acts together I’ll can the lot of them.”

“They’re already gathered in the executive conference room,” Andie said casually.

Rita’s head whipped up. “Who called them together?”

“I did.”

“Why?”

“Why don’t you come into the conference room and see for yourself,” Andie said.

Rita popped up from her chair and stormed toward the door, glaring at Andie the whole time.

The video cut away from Rita’s office. The next scene was a high shot of NTA’s executive conference room. The camera pointed to the front of the room. The long, oval conference table was filled with all of the company’s vice presidents, only the chair at the head of the table, the one reserved for Rita, was empty.

A moment later Rita burst into the room. “All right, what’s going on? I want answers and I want them quick.”

The department managers remained silent. They weren’t looking at Rita, they all stared at Andie, looking like obedient puppies.

Rita frowned. Her eyes followed the gaze of the others until she too was looking at Andie. “What is happening here?”

Andie walked past Rita and then sat in the empty chair. She smiled at the managers for a moment and then said, “Light up.”

Each manager produced a pack of cigarettes and promptly lit a cigarette. Andie looked up at Rita’s horrified face and laughed. She lit a cigarette for herself and then laid the pack of cigarettes on the table.

“There has been a shake up in the company, Rita.” Andie blew out a thick cloud of smoke. “The NTA will be promoting smoking going forward. As you can see, all of the managers are on board.”

“You? You’ve been behind all of this? How?” Rita stammered.

“It is better demonstrated than described.” Andie leaned back in Rita’s chair. “Barry, call Amber in here.”

Barry, the company’s CFO, picked up the conference phone and pressed zero. “Amber, please come into the executive conference room.” Barry paused for a second. “No, you don’t need to bring anything with you.”

No one spoke while they waited for Amber to arrive.

“You wanted to see…Why is everyone smoking?” Amber stood in the doorway, her mouth agape. She wore her normal short skirt and tight cashmere sweater, showcasing her youthful, slim legs and generous bosom. Her blonde hair flowed over her shoulders in silky waves.

“Please come here,” Andie said. “How do you like being the company receptionist?”

“I like it just fine.” Amber walked slowly to Andie’s side, her eyes glancing nervously at the various smokers in the room.

“What are your plans for the future?”

“Um, I just got married.” Amber held her left hand out and wiggled her fingers, the diamond solitaire glittering in the florescent light. “My husband and I are going to save money for a house and then we want to start a family.”

Andie removed a small perfume bottle from her pocket. “Do you or your husband smoke?”

“No.”

Andie spritzed Amber in the face with the compound. “Amber, you aren’t the receptionist at NTA. You are the executive sex toy. Now do your job and give Barry a smoky blow job. After you’re finished proceed around the room and pleasure everyone in turn.”

Amber strutted to Barry, losing her sweater and bra along the way. She plucked the cigarette from his mouth and then dropped to her knees. She took a long drag off the cigarette while she unzipped his fly. Once she had his erection free she bathed it in smoke and then dove on it, swallowing it whole.

While Amber bobbed up and down on Barry’s cock, Andie turned back to Rita. “With the chemical compound in this perfume bottle I can make anyone do or believe anything I want. Now, do you want to be the CEO of NTA or do you want to be the receptionist. As it so happens we have a brand new opening.”

“You fucking bitch,” Rita spat.

Andie’s eyes narrowed and flashed with fury. “Perhaps you’d like to join Amber under the table.”

“This is my company. I founded it. I’m not stepping down.”

Andie’s body relaxed. “I like that attitude. Now light up a cigarette to show your solidarity.”

Rita looked at each of the managers in the room and then at Amber, who was licking the length of Barry’s cock while shooting smoke out of her nose. She picked up a cigarette, lit it and then quickly blew out a small amount of uninhaled smoke.

“I’m so proud of you.” Andie stood and then offered the chair to Rita.

Rita sat. “Why are you doing this? What have we ever done to you?”

“You, personally? Nothing. The anti-smoking mission? Plenty. I used to be a simple bar owner. I didn’t make a lot of money, but I had a lot of loyal customers and I made enough to survive. Then one of your subsidiaries got my bar shutdown because I allowed smoking. I was furious at the anti-smoking movement. Not one of my customers had ever complained about smoking in my place. Yet, a bunch of assholes who’d never even stepped foot inside my bar decide that it should be shutdown because I let adults make decisions for themselves.” Andie took a deep drag and then crushed her cigarette out in the ashtray. “I decided at that moment that I’d do just the opposite. Instead of trying to make the world smoke free, like the anti’s, I’d devote my life to turning the world into smokers. I got a job with Phillip Morris and quickly rose through the ranks. When I discovered the brainwashing compound at Marlboro Labs I seized my opportunity. I got myself hired on at NTA and I think you can figure out the rest from there.”

Rita looked at the cigarette between her fingers. The ash had grown and was threatening to fall onto the carpet. It had gone unsmoked while Andie had ranted. “Well fuck.”

Andie squirted Rita in the face with the compound. “Rita, it is your mission in life to turn everyone in the world into devoted smokers. You love smoking and know deep in your heart that so will everyone else. You’ll be doing the world a favor.”

Rita flicked her cigarette, sending its ash into the ashtray. She brought it to her mouth and took a long, slow drag. Her eyes closed and a look of pure pleasure washed over her face as she drew the smoke deep into her lungs. She let out a thick, slow exhale into the smoky room. “Let’s go around the room. I want to hear everyone’s ideas on how we can share the pleasures of smoking with the world.”

The video cut out.

A few seconds later the door opened. Bruno entered and then stood by the door. Claire followed a moment later. She had a phone up to her ear.

“I’m just going in now,” Claire said into the phone. She stepped up to Tegan and then held out the phone. “Andie wants to talk to you.”

Tegan scowled at Claire as she accepted the phone. Claire looked like she wanted to cry.

“What do you want?” Tegan said.

“I’m giving you one last chance to smoke on your own. Even Rita has joined in. I’ll still find a good place for you in the company. If you still refuse, you’ll think that the Amber has it good.”

Tegan didn’t reply. Instead she handed the phone to Claire. “Tell your boss to go fuck herself.”

Claire put the phone to her ear. After half a minute she said, “I understand.” She stuffed the phone into her back pocket, walked over to the table, removed a cigarette from the pack and then lit it. “I really wish you’d accepted her offer, Tegan,” Claire said, smoke punctuating her words. “I hate what I’m about to do.”

Claire nodded to Bruno. He grabbed Tegan by the armpits and hoisted her to her feet. He wrapped one burly arm around her body, pinning her arms to her sides. With the other hand he pinched her nose. Claire took a drag on the cigarette, waited until Tegan breathed in and then blew smoke directly into her mouth.

She waited until Tegan finished coughing before talking. “I’m going to feed you the smoke from this cigarette. Afterwards you’ll be given the chance to smoke on your own. If you don’t we’ll do it again. We’ll keep it up until you finally light up a cigarette on your own.” Claire took another drag and forced her exhale into Tegan’s mouth.

“Please don’t do this to me,” Tegan said after she’d expelled the smoke out of her lungs. “Andie is evil. Fight her with me.”

“I’m sorry Tegan, but she has my mom. She can make people do whatever she wants. She told me that if I didn’t cooperate she’d turn my mom into a crack whore.” Claire took a puff and fed it to Tegan. “I’m begging you to smoke a cigarette, just one. I shudder at what she has in store for you otherwise.”

Tears streamed down Tegan’s face. “I can’t. I’ll never give in. She’ll have to kill me first.”

“Before this is over, you may wish she had.” Claire’s eyes filled with tears of their own. She looked at the cigarette, threw it at the wall and then ran out of the room.

Bruno followed Claire out the door at a leisurely pace. Ten minutes later he returned carrying a takeout bag from Ming’s Oriental Express and another pitcher of water.

“Do you need to use the bathroom?” Bruno said as he set the food and water on the table.

“No.”

“You want to watch TV?”

“Um, okay.”

Bruno pulled a remote out of his pocket. He switched it over to AMC. A rerun of Breaking Bad was playing. He set the remote on the table next to the take out and left the room.

Tegan removed one of the takeout containers. It had the tangy aroma of Orange Chicken. She skipped the chopsticks and found a plastic fork in the bottom of the bag. She ate her fill while she waited for Claire and Bruno to return. They didn’t. She didn’t see them again until she had to pee, nearly two hours later.

She knocked on the steel door. Bruno opened it and led her into the hall. Similar steel doors lined the hall in both directions, five to the left and four to the right. A small office was directly across the hall. Claire was its only occupant. She sat in front of a bank of monitors, rapidly smoking a cigarette. Bruno led Tegan down the hall to a series of single occupant bathrooms.

Tegan did her business quickly. There was no reason to tarry; the bathroom was even more depressing than her cell. Unlike her cell it wasn’t heated and the steel toilet froze her butt cheeks. It had sandpaper in lieu of toilet paper and brushed aluminum in place of a glass mirror. A hairy bar of soap sat on a shelf next to a sink that looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in months.

Once she’d been deposited back in her cell, Tegan lay down on her bed and tried to sleep. It wasn’t easy. She missed Gregory and Annabelle terribly. Gregory must be sick with worry. She should have been home hours ago and she always called whenever she was going to be late. Tegan popped open an eye and looked at the cigarette pack. Maybe if she just smoked a cigarette Andie would let her leave. Tegan doubted it. Perhaps Gregory had called the police, maybe her car had been spotted and help was on the way. Tegan doubted that, too.

“Then what are you doing out here?”

Tegan recognized Andie’s voice. It was muffled by the steel door and cement walls, but it was clear that she was shouting.

“That bitch wants to play? Let’s see how she likes this. Follow me, Bruno,” Andie shouted from the hall. “No, you stay where you are, Claire. I’ll deal with you later.”

It was silent for nearly ten minutes.

“Open the fucking door!” Andie screamed from the other side of the door.

The door flew open. Andie burst in carrying a gas mask in one hand and a perfume bottle in the other.

Claire hurried into the room. “I’m sorry Andie. Please don’t punish Tegan it’s not her fault.”

Andie ignored her and instead tossed the gas mask at Tegan. “Put that on.”

“Fuck you!” Tegan threw the mask across the room.

Andie crossed her arms. “Bruno, get in here.” When the giant man entered the room she said, “How would you like to fuck Tegan?”

“I’m sorry!” Tegan leapt off the bed and then scrambled for the mask. “I’ll put it on.”

Andie turned to Claire and then squirted her with the perfume. “Claire, you now have an intense smoking fetish. From now on the only way you’ll be able to get off is by turning non-smoking women into smokers. Forcing them to smoke through a gas mask will be the ultimate for you. Tegan will be your first.”

Claire looked at Tegan. The sight of her donning the gas mask sent a bolt of pleasure through her body. She let out an involuntary moan.

“Oh god, no,” Tegan said through the mask.

“I’ll leave you two to it.” Andie grabbed Claire by the back of the neck. “If she isn’t smoking on her own by the time I return I’ll make you addicted to donkey semen.”

“Why don’t you just squirt her with your concoction?” Claire asked as she removed a cigarette from the pack on the table.

“She tried to interfere with my plans and to a lesser extent so did you. I’ll use the formula on her eventually, but I want to break her first.”

“I’ll stop you somehow,” Tegan said.

Andie laughed. “And how do you plan on doing that? You may have noticed that I hold all the cards.”

“My husband has called the police by now. They’ll be looking for me.” Tegan wanted to gloat about the documents that she’d given to Sister Abigail. There was a good chance that they were already on their way to the FBI. There would be a formal investigation. Andie may have taken over NTA, but she couldn’t take on the US government.

“Ah yes, Gregory. I have something that you might want to see.” Andie walked to the door. “Leave the mask on and follow me.”

Tegan followed Andie down the hall to the last door on the right. Claire and Bruno followed along, too. Bruno stepped past them and opened the door. Tegan was hit with a blast of cigarette smoke and a pair of lustful moans, a man’s and a woman’s. Tegan recognized the man’s voice instantly.

“This is what you get for being stubborn,” Andie said.

Inside the smoky room Gregory was fucking Sister Abigail doggy style. They were both naked, sweat dripping off their bodies, cigarettes dangling from their mouths. Abigail’s hand carved cross hung between her full breasts and flapped from her belly to her chin as Gregory thrust into her. They looked toward the door in unison—their faces not showing any signs of recognition—and then turned their heads away and continued fucking.

“How could you?” Tegan said.

“You only have yourself to blame.” Andie snapped. “Do you know what would have happened to my plans had the nun sent that envelope?” Andie glared at Tegan for a moment before continuing. “I’ll be ready for the FBI soon, but not yet. Luckily I caught you in time.”

“Where’s Annabelle?”

“She’s with Gregory’s mother from what I understand. Now go inside and take a seat. Claire is going to get you addicted to cigarettes while you watch your husband fuck the nun.”

“I’ll smoke a cigarette. I’ll do whatever you want. Just make them stop.”

“It’s too late for that. I gave you a chance and you decided to be stubborn. I was just going to turn them into smokers, but now they are lovers forever more. You still have a choice. You can continue to resist and I’ll come up with another way to punish you, or you can be compliant and maybe I’ll take some pity on you.”

Tegan entered the room and sat on one of the chairs across from the bed where her husband fucked the woman whom she considered her big sister. “How did you find Abigail? I didn’t even tell Gregory that I was going to see her.”

“You had location services enabled on your phone. I had one of the IT guys download every stop you made yesterday. Once I used the compound on Gregory, he was nice enough to inform me who you knew at the convent.”

Claire pulled up a chair next to Tegan and lit a cigarette. She lifted the tube and then blew smoke into the mask. Tegan’s first instinct was to hold her breath, but Andie was watching. She breathed in the secondhand smoke and choked. Claire let out a throaty moan. Gregory and Sister Abigail continued fucking like no one was in the room.

“I’d love to stay and watch this unfold, but I’m due at an emergency NTA board meeting,” Andie said. “Rita is going to convert all of the board members personally. Most of them hold top positions at other anti-smoking organizations. With NTA fully converted it is time to start branching out. Luckily all of this is being recorded so I can watch you become a smoker while your husband fucks his new mistress later this evening.”

Andie left the door open when she departed. There was no reason to close it. Tegan had nowhere to go. If she managed to get past Claire and Bruno they’d alert Andie long before she could get to Annabelle and get the both of them out of town. The only thing she’d accomplish is making Andie even angrier and Tegan’s punishment that much more severe.

Claire blew more smoke into the gas mask. Tegan’s eyes watered and her throat was raw from choking on the harsh smoke. Tegan noticed that Claire had one hand down her pants. Every time she blew smoke into Tegan’s mask she bucked her hips and let out a primal grunt.

Gregory finally came in Sister Abigail around the same time Claire started up her second cigarette. The couple lay down together and cuddled while trying to catch their breaths. Gregory reached for a pack of cigarettes and took notice of Tegan as if for the first time.

“Oh, hi honey. When did you get here?” Gregory shook Abigail’s shoulder. “Baby, it’s my wife, Tegan.”

Abigail stopped kissing Gregory’s chest and looked up. “How are you, dear?” She accepted a cigarette from Gregory and then a light. “I see that you’re smoking now, too. Aren’t these things delightful?”

“I’m sorry that I got you into this,” Tegan said. Smoke billowed out of the exhaust vent in her gas mask as she spoke. “I should have sent the file directly to the FBI. I never should have involved you.”

“Are you kidding? I finally got laid because of you. Your husband really knows how to fuck a woman. I’m surprised you ever let him out of bed.” Abigail took a drag while fondling Gregory’s cock with her free hand.

“Keep that up and we’ll be going for round two,” Gregory said.

Abigail kneaded Gregory’s manhood. “I’m ready when you are, big boy.” She hollowed her cheeks on her cigarette and then kissed him passionately.

“Please hurry, Claire,” Tegan said. “I don’t want to watch this anymore.”

“We’re just getting started, girl.” Claire had her pants down around her ankles and her panties around her knees. Her fingers plunged in and out of her pussy. “We’re going to be here all night.” She blew another lungful of smoke into Tegan’s mask.

Tears streamed down Tegan’s face. She inhaled more of Claire’s smoke and didn’t cough this time. She was starting to get used to the smoke. This realization made her cry even harder.

Epilogue – Five Years later.

Tegan sat in her Lexus GX across the street from Park Heights Elementary. She grabbed a cigarette from a pack of Marlboros sitting on the dash and lit it with the butt of her last cigarette. She double pumped the cigarette to life and then crushed the butt in the car’s the overflowing ashtray.

“You’re starting to smoke like me,” Abigail said from the passenger seat. She hollowed her cheeks on her cigarette and then pulled the smoke deep into her lungs.

“I’m nervous,” Tegan said. She exhaled and then quickly took another drag.

Abigail stroked Tegan’s cheek tenderly. “She’s in capable hands and having great time.”

Tegan turned her head and kissed Abigail’s fingers. “I know, but it’s her first day of school. I wish I could be in there with her.”

“You are such a wonderful mother.” Abigail pulled Tegan’s face to hers. They kissed gently for a minute before getting passionate.

A bell rang across the street. Tegan broke the kiss. “School’s ending!”

“I want to continue that kiss later tonight,” Abigail said.

“Gregory has poker tonight. We’ll have the bed to ourselves.”

“I love our girl’s only nights. I’m getting wet at the thought,” Abigail said. “You better go or Annabelle will be looking for you.”

Tegan hopped out of the car. She crossed the street and then joined the line of the other mother’s waiting for their child’s first day of school to end. Like her they were all smoking. Everyone smoked now. Once NTA fell, the other anti-smoking organizations crumbled and became pro-smoking companies. After that Andie had focused her attention on the government.

One of NTA’s board members was friends with Senator Clark’s personal assistant. Once she’d used the compound on the senator she was able to leverage a meeting with the president. Within a year everyone on Capitol Hill smoked. With the leaders of the country converted into zealous smoking advocates the rest of the country soon followed. It was now a requirement that everyone 18 and over be exposed to the compound and made into passionate smokers. There were still holdouts, hiding in the hills, but their numbers shrank every year. Last she’d heard over 85% of the country smoked. The percentage was only 75% worldwide, but President Morris had promised that it would be over 80% by the end of his first term.

Tegan looked over her shoulder at Abigail, still sitting in the car across the street, waiting and smoking. She was reminded once again of that night five years ago when their relationship had taken a drastic turn, at first a tragic turn and then a glorious one. She’d been forced to watch her husband fuck her friend nearly continuously through the night. During which time she’d been forced to breathe in Claire’s secondhand smoke while the woman masturbated next to her. The night had been torture and seemed to have no end.

In the morning, Andie returned in a much better mood than the night before. She promoted Claire to the head of a new department at NTA, Non-smoker Conversions. Claire orgasmed on the spot. Andie used the compound on Tegan, making her a devout smoker. She also made the idea of a three way marriage with Gregory and Abigail sexy and exciting. They’d been living together ever since. Tegan was still an accountant, but now worked for SU, Smokers United. Abigail was still a nun, but had left the convent, though not before sharing the compound with the other nuns at Sisters of the Faith. It was the first 100% smoking convent. Many others soon followed.

“Mommy!”

Tegan whipped around. Annabelle ran toward her with a piece of paper in one hand and her stuffed panda in the other. Tegan scooped her up, mindful of the cigarette in her hand. She didn’t want to drop the cigarette or burn her baby girl. She kissed Annabelle on the cheek.

“How was your first day of school?”

“Fun!” Annabelle squealed. “Teacher gave us a story and I went on swings and I got two whole graham crackers.”

“That’s sounds exciting. What do you have in your hand?”

“I made a picture of me and daddy and you and Aunty Abby.”

Tegan held up the paper. It was a crayon drawing of four stick figures. The smallest stick figure stood in front of three taller stick figures, two of which had long, brown hair. All three of the adults had cigarettes in their mouths.

“It’s beautiful, baby girl.” Tegan set Annabelle down and took her hand. “Let’s go show Aunt Abby your drawing. After lunch we can go to the park.”

“Yay!”

The park always wore Annabelle out. After a long afternoon at the park, she’d sleep well that night, giving Tegan and Abigail a long, intimate, smoky night together.

The End