1 Chapter 1
Red Light District, Ho Chi Minh
The Messenger is sitting on a bench across the Lush club, the city's premier nightclub. He had been there for almost half an hour observing well-dressed party-goers as they went in and out of the club and bidding his time till the club is buzzing with a lot of people.
Tonight, one of the girls would be his victim but he had to choose his test subject carefully to avoid arousing suspicion. He could have taken one of the prostitutes known as "butterflies of the night" but the last two he had nabbed and taken to the laboratory were rowdy and he had to drug them; and besides the scientist had specifically instructed him that he needed a black or mixed girl.
After a few asking around from the locals, he discovered the Lush to be the best place to find levelheaded and western-friendly girls.
He lights up a cigarette and observes the bustling lifestyle of the Red light District of Vietnam with amusement.
He rubbed his neck gently to make sure the plastic face mask he had applied earlier is still intact and he wrapped his scarf round his neck to conceal most of his features.
Just then, he notices a couple come out of the club arguing; he couldn't make out what they were saying but from his vantage point it seems like the guy, an Asian in his late twenties with tattoos all over his body is trying to force the girl, a black American girl with a red wig to go home with him while she protests. The young lady who is looking drunk pushes him and staggers back inside while the Asian guy storms out angrily, mounts his BMW bike and zooms off.
The Messenger drops his cigar and crushes it. He then stands up and adjusts his hat and knee-length coat before walking across the road without looking to check for oncoming traffic. He just waltzes through the road; cars, bikes and other road users stop abruptly raining curses at him as he walks towards the entrance to the two bouncers in suit guarding the entrance of the nightclub.
They signal him to stop.
He produces a black credit card from his breast pocket and waves it at them. They both look at each other and burst out laughing.
"What good is your card to us mister?" One of the bouncers said.
"See man, tonight is a special party and you look under-dressed for the party," the other added with a smirk.
"Oh, my apologies. Can I buy yours?" He said producing a wad of 100 dollar bills from his pocket.
"You want buy my suit?"
"Yeah, I'm expecting a date and we just want a few drinks but I don't have the time to go shopping. So how much is it gonna cost me to get that nice suit off your back," the Messenger said pulling out $100 notes one after the other, "a hundred? Two? Maybe five? What about nine?"
"I'll take it," one of the bouncer said and the Messenger press the cash on his chest and he catches it before it falls to the ground.
"Well then, can you take me out back so I can have a change?"
The bouncers look at each other and shrugged.
"Follow me," the bouncer leads the way and they enter the club.
The Lush club is filled with hundreds of people from different races dancing to hip hop and electronic music mixed by the international DJ; it looked like a dress to impress party as almost all the party-goers are in suits or in fashionable dresses. Above the dance floor are massive displays in various polygon shapes and lights flooding the expansive club.
A balcony overlooks the dance floor and they pass under it to avoid the crowd as they make their way to the back of the club; the bouncer high-fives a few of the party-goers as they push through the crowd.
"I take you to the restroom!" The bouncer shouts at the top of his voice.
"No no, to the back, my car at the back!" The Messenger said and he nods.
They get to a door with "STAFF ONLY", he swipes his key-card and the door opens, they enter the locker room and the bouncer closes the door drowning out the noise.
The Messenger scans the area for cameras and there was none.
"There is back door here sir. I want get another su..." He cuts off as the Messenger hits his neck from behind with the side of his palm. He slumps to the floor, a shocked expression on his face.
The Messenger undresses him down to his underwear and puts on his suit; he picks up the key card and examines it in the dimly lit room. He opens one of the lockers and squeezes the unconscious bouncer inside and locks it.
When he is through, he lights a cigar and heads back into the club. He goes up to the balcony and scans the crowd for the drunken black girl, her red wig was unmistakable; he spots her at the bar and he climbs down the stairs to the bar.
"What can I get you sir?" The barman asks as he takes a seat beside the black girl.
"I'll have what the pretty lady is having," he said, he had caught her attention and she looked him over.
"I hope you are not a light head though," she said.
"I guess we'll just have to find out."
"Hmmm. I'm Bimbo."
"Michael, nice to meet you." They shake hands.
"Same here," she finishes up the drink in her glass in one gulp and drops the cup on the table.
"Can I buy you a drink?"
"I don't mind. Let's have some shots."
"I don't think that's a good idea."
"C'mon don't be lame like my boyfriend. You know, I just dumped that control freak," she said drunkenly.
"Oh you mean your ex?"
She chuckles, "you're cocky. You really think I'm pretty?"
"Yea, I think you are a fine young lady, cheers," he said as the barman hands him his drink.
"To new beginnings," she said as they clink their glasses; they both drain the contents of their glass cup but the Messenger is the first to drop his cup.
"Let's have another round, I wanna beat you this time around," she said and they have another shot. This time he lets her win.
They have three more shots before she becomes completely drunk and passes out on his shoulder.
"Hey, are you okay?" He shakes her.
"I wanna go home. Take me home," she slurs.
The Messenger surveys the crowd and his eyes caught the other bouncer as he enters the club; he seemed to be looking for him; they both lock eyes and the bouncer starts coming towards him.
"Keep the change," he said dropping a three hundred dollar notes on the bar counter.
"Thank you sir, I hope you have fun tonight. Such a big tipper," the barman said gleefully as the Messenger helps Lucy stand up and they head for the Staff's locker room.
He quickly swipes the key-card while supporting the drunken Lucy with the other arm; he drops her on a bench and barricades the door with a table and some furniture's he finds in the locker room.
He hears banging on the locker room door and quickly lifts Lucy up and exits through the back door heading towards a Tesla Cybertruck he had parked a few meters away.
