People go about their lives in their own way. Some believe the world is against them. Some believe the world is their's. But when your world has been destroyed, what would you do? What would you pay, to get some part of it back. What would you pay, to balance those scales? At what price; love? Safety? Sanity? Justice? At what price; Revenge? *Warning- Does contain hyper-violence*

Deidra Pohlton stood on the sidewalk waiting for the tram. Six other people stood along with her. It was early morning and they were all heading to their various places of work. She had known the most recent for at least two years. The rest, had been there before she moved into the neighborhood.If any had bothered to actually look at her face, they would have seen her barely holding back tears. She was ready to break down at any second. A shuffle of one's feet alerted the rest to look and see the tram approaching.

Last night she had taken a bath and dressed for bed. Before turning in, Deidra laid out her clothes for the next day. A blue floral print on white background cotton dress, belt a shade darker blue, white silk lingerie and mid-heel white sandals. She went to bed after that only to wake up to renewed horror. The clothes she had picked were not where she laid them out. In their place, a completely different selection lay. A solid red silk dress, black lace lingerie, nude thigh-hi's and red patent opera pumps. The clothes she had chosen were nowhere to be found anymore. Completely gone, not hidden like last time.

The tram was slowing down to stop. Deidra looked at it. The trams were so big. They looked very heavy. If a person fell in front of one, they were sure to be crushed. Would that hurt? Would it hurt for a long time? Would doctors be able to save her if it happened? Could she do it before anyone stopped her? Deidra lurched forward and was bumped by the person next to her.

"Oh, it's here already?" a man asked then tucked his newspaper under his arm and picked up a briefcase.

Deidra snapped out of the spell. She had been about to throw herself under the tram in hopes of killing herself. Quickly she turned to the man beside her.

"Mister Collins, what day is it?" Deidra asked.

Mister Collins chuckled. "Deidra, if the paper didn't tell me today is Thursday; I would be asking you. I really should get one of those old watches that tells that. I hear they're coming back into fashion."

Deidra nodded. "Maybe. Thank you Mister Collins."

'Thursday. Amy hits the shops on Thursday morning while the kids are at day-care.' Deidra remembered.

A plan formed. This chance was slim, but possible. She called into work on the tram, but only after switching to another at the next exchange. That wasn't all she wanted to change, but felt that might not be the smartest idea. The rough plan began taking more shape after that thought. It all hinged on her sister being her usual self. Two hours later, chance broke in Deidra's favor as she waved to get her sister's attention.

Amy Halifax blinked then walked forward to greet Deidra. "Sis, aren't you supposed to be at work?"

Amy saw the clear look of desperation on Deidra's face. She knew her sister was being stalked.She had tried to help, but nothing changed. He was very good. They couldn't catch him, prove he was doing it or even stop him. They couldn't even find out who he was. For the past six months her sister was being steadily driven to the breaking point. She would break or submit to some insane man's obsession to control her very life.

"I need to pick up some things and I hate shopping alone, no fun." Deidra replied and stood up.

Together older and younger sister went toward several shops. The picture became even clearer, when Deidra directed her sister away from her usual shops. In fact, they left that shopping center altogether and went to another. Amy wondered what exactly her sister was doing when she led them into a lingerie store. She pulled two chemises at random, not even looking at the size, and practically dragged her to the fitting rooms. Amy was by no means, stupid. She caught on fast. They went into separate booths and changed. Amy was about to drop the chemise over her head when the curtain moved. Deidra stopped her and gestured to remove lingerie and jewelry too.

'Oh dear God, she believes he may be messing with our underwear and jewelry now!' Amy thought, but did remove her bra and panty set.

Deidra pulled her from the booth after the chemise was on and into another one three spaces down. She pulled her sister close and whispered frantically into her ear.

"Amy, help me! I almost threw myself under a tram!" Deidra confessed and started sobbing.

Amy hugged her younger sister tight and said quietly. "I've heard of somebody. A revenge-broker. They're very expensive, but never fail. We'll have to pay. they'll get this guy, but we can't not pay. Do you understand? I can get the money together, I hope. If not, I'll have to sell Grandma's stuff to make up the difference."

Deidra still sobbed and nodded then said the words that couldn't be taken back. "Please, they can even have me for a while, if they want. Anything! Just make it stop!"

Amy's heart broke for her sister, that she was willing to go such lengths. She now began to pray it wouldn't come to it.

"I'll find them Dee. I'll get help." Amy said.

Deidra took another moment then began to collect herself. "We can't stay like this. It'll be bad."

Amy hugged her once more then joined her to go back to their changing booths. They got dressed, went out to the sales floor, selected a matching lingerie set each and checked out. Deidra tried to pay for her set and the card was rejected.

"He locked my card!" Deidra cried.

Amy spat angrily. "Son-of-a-bitch! Here, I have CASH!"

After paying Amy looked down at Deidra's purse and gestured for her to take out her phone. She knew the bastard had probably hacked it and was using it to spy on them. She took it and saw that not only was the phone on, the camera was up. She filled the screen with her hand, giving the middle-finger.

"Go To Hell you crazy shit! Leave my sister alone!" Amy demanded then not only turned it off, she removed the battery. For good measure, she did the same with her own.

"Ladies, what's going on?" The saleswoman asked.

Deidra looked whipped. "I'm being stalked. Nobody has been able to catch or stop him. Now he steals my clothes while I'm asleep. I didn't want to wear this today. He took what I picked. If I wore something else to spite him, he will steal all my clothes."

"First, we get you a burn phone. Second, we go to the bank and get your card unlocked." Amy ordered and took her sister out of the store.

An hour later, they had accomplished their goals. The bank manager suggested that they leave the card locked and simply freeze the account to only indoor service. Deidra would have to stand inside the bank at a teller to make transactions. He also suggested that they get her a prepaid card and only load a little money onto it, just in case. He then read off the email address they had for her.

"That's not my email. How did that get on there?" Deidra asked.

The manager checked his information and sighed. "It was filed online, from your computer. The stolen card notice also came from it. Your stalker is very good. He knows how to really disrupt your life, Miss Pohlton. Please confirm ALL you information and I will lock it. No updates unless in person."

Deidra gave him the correct information. It was entered then secured with notation that only in-person updates via his terminal could be entered.

"There Miss Pohlton. No more shenanigans. Unless they can impersonate you enough to fool me, your banking is secure now." The manager stated then added. "And nobody fools me. Place your left ring-finger on that pad."

Amy looked confused. "Why that?"

The manager smirked. "People are always asked to use their thumb. When security comes into doubt, I ask for a different finger. I've never been by-passed. If it came to it, I could even use your foot-print to secure your account."

Deidra thought about then said firmly. "Do it!"

"Yes Ma'am." The manager smiled and brought out a long scanner.

He connected it to his terminal then laid it on the floor. Deidra slipped off the red pump and gently rested the bottom of her left foot on the plate. A moment later he smiled again.

"Done. Other than drawing out more than twenty dollars per day, you have to come see me and be scanned." The manager said. "Withdrawing twenty dollars two days in a row will flag for the person to be detained. More than twenty dollars per withdrawal, the person will be flagged. Any attempt to access your account will require the person to be photographed."

Amy was shocked they could go to such measures at the drop of a hat. "Have you ever dealt with a situation like this before?"

"Similar. A bank-robbery team and some embezzlers. They were good, but I'm better. I caught each one." The manager smiled.

Deidra finally smiled a little. "Thank you."

The manager nodded. "Free advice. I'd make sure my employer knows not to allow any redirection of pay. If needed, issue a check and you sign for it. Good luck."

"We'll take all we can get." Amy said and ushered her sister out.

The rest of the day was spent going from place to place and putting as high of security measures as could be provided. The final stop was Deidra's work. Her boss looked defeated, only because there was nothing else he could do to help her. He promised not only to begin issuing an actual check to pay her, he said he and his secretary would escort her to her bank personally and extend the lunch hour to do so. Then he changed his mind, she would not go to lunch until returning from depositing her pay. He deemed it company business and therefore should be conducted on the clock.

Deidra sat in her bed. She had fixed her closet so that it would not open without giving off a sound, as would her bedroom door. She also set up a tiny camera that recorded in the dimly lit room after turning off the lights. It looked like a piece of white plastic. The reason why was evident. It matched up to her bed's headboard. Finally she scooted down, after an hour and tried to sleep.

Amy had been surprised when the message came in. It was very simple. She was to simply go to the botanical garden at sunset, wearing a white dress and walk the paths. She did as instructed for several minutes when she encountered a man in a brown suit sniffing one of the blooms.

"Lovely fragrance." the man said with a British accent as if the flower cared he was complimenting it.

Amy smiled, she could smell it's perfume from her distance. It did smell nice.

"Fussy little flower. It likes to be left alone." He commented then said in a lower tone. "Too much attention; can be a bad thing. Wouldn't you agree, Amy?"

Amy froze in mid-step. The man knew who she was. She regarded him. He was the same height as she was, but older. He looked to be in his mid-fifties and held a cane in his left hand. He turned and put her left hand into the crook of his right arm and encouraged her to walk. A moment later a soft squeal was heard. He gently took her purse and concealed it behind a border wall and walked them down the path.

"What just happened?" Amy asked.

The man sighed. "It seems that someone has some type of listening device in your handbag, my dear. They know that simply accessing your cellular telephone is not reliable as a means to eavesdrop on your conversations."

Amy looked at him incredulously. It had been that simple.

The gentleman chuckled. "I'm afraid my cane is a bit more than just a simple walking stick. It is also a means for detecting any electronic devices that transmit a steady signal. Bugs, you call them."

"My friend never mentioned you were British." Amy stated.

"Mister Banner met one of my associates. You were so nice to omit that the one he met was also a very attractive young lady as well." The Gentleman chuckled, that confirmed he was who he was supposed to be. To her at least.

Amy blushed. she had meant to smoke out an impostor, perhaps even the stalker. She now relaxed some, she had met the Revenge-broker.

"So what do I call you, Mister?" Amy asked.

The Gentleman chuckled. "Manco. My parents were rather enamored with a certain star of the screen."

"Ok Mister Manco." Amy replied.

Manco nodded. "Now. As I understand it, the problem seems to be attention. Too much of it, correct? A would-be suitor. I'd think your husband would be deterrent enough for such matters."

"It's not me Mister Manco. My sister. Attention is understating things. Deidra is being stalked by a lunatic trying to control every part of her life. He even tried to get her fired from her job two months ago. Now he's trying to lock away her money and stealing her clothes to force her to dress for him. Mister Manco, I'll be blunt. Deidra almost tried to commit suicide this morning. Can you stop this? Can you save my sister?" Amy asked.

Manco sighed. "That does put a fine head to it. I appreciate your frankness. The answer is, Yes. I can uncover this person. I assume you've been to the local constabulary and met with disappointment?"

"Yes. Deidra even hired a security man. He lasted a day. He got arrested for having child porn on his computer. The only reason he got off, was the fact that the techs discovered the time stamps. Turned out that when the porn was put on his computer, he was in court testifying. However, the firm didn't like that Deidra's stalker would go after their people in such a way. They refunded her money and dropped her case." Amy stated.

"Bugger." Manco commented. "That was rather nasty. Very well then. You do understand, I am not a public servant. My services do not come gratis."

Amy nodded. "Yes, Mister Manco. You do this for a fee. How much must we pay?"

"Twenty-five thousand. This is not negotiable, dear. It is, however, the minimum. I understand and sympathize, but this is the price I set." Manco replied.

Amy stopped walking. "I can have that by Tuesday. Is money all you want?"

Manco looked at her in puzzlement. "Of course. Were you under the impression I accepted some other form of payment, a non-currency, such as precious metal or gemstones?"

Amy looked relieved. "No. I was just hoping that you would only want money."

Manco now understood. "Amy, I am many things. I am not, however, going to victimize you or your sister. Whatever you or she thought I would demand, put it from your mind. I would not end one suffering, just to inflict another."

Amy noticed they had circled around and were coming back to the spot where her purse was concealed. The funny part, was that he had obviously been able to see it the whole time. He had been watching to see if anyone came to retrieve the bag.

"You will be contacted with the instructions on things to do and how to make payment. You will definitely know it is real. From now on, do not discuss me in any form or fashion. It will be a bit before I have this sorted out." Manco smiled then stopped them at her bag and pulled it from concealment. "Here you are."

Amy smiled then tipped the bag to spill it's contents on the pathway. "Oops! How clumsy of me!"

Manco chuckled, he knew she wanted him to find the device. He swept the head of his cane over the scattered objects then the bag itself. The cane squealed passing over the bag's strap. The bug was implanted at the center, where it would sit close to her face so all conversation would be picked up. Amy nodded, now aware of its location and began to gather up her things.

"Have a nice day, Sir. Enjoy the garden." Amy said and turned to leave.

Manco nodded and went back to wander more. "Tah."

When he began to whistle to himself she froze then wanted to laugh at recognizing the tune. It all made sense now. Manco. The man with no name, played by Clint Eastwood. He rode in, caused all kinds of trouble for people doing whatever they liked and rode away after the job was done. Amy smiled to herself. It seemed this revenge-broker had a sense of humor. She went home in a good mood. Daryl went back to walking the garden. It was going to take time and patience to smoke the stalker out.

Daryl knew the first thing he needed to do was secure Amy's house. Then he could move on to her sister and start counter-surveillance to catch him. Stalkers had one thing in common. They wanted to completely dominate their prey. Make nothing available to them, but the stalker. Deidra wasn't picked randomly. She had interacted with him at some point and that was when she gained attention. It would have only been once, but that would be enough. Stalkers had obsessive personalities. They devoted everything to whatever fascinated them. Their focus only widened to detect threats, any who would shield they prey from the efforts to isolate and dominate.

That would be the chink in his armor. Stalked people withdrew from people, as they wouldn't know who could be trusted, hoping to block off the stalker. That was ineffective. In fact, it actually helped the stalker more. Daryl played the old Leonard Cohen song and even sang along as he worked. He needed to find the ways the sisters interacted with the world first.

Deidra woke up and looked at the spot on her headboard. The camera was missing and her closet door stood open as did her bedroom door. The closet was empty except for a single dress and pair of very high heels. The message was beyond clear; she was to wear those clothes, period. In just the nightgown she went out and knocked on the woman across the hall's door.

The door opened and the elderly woman smiled. "Hello sweetheart."

"Hi Mrs. Goldmyer. Could I use your phone please?" Deidra asked.

Edna nodded. "Of course."

Deidra went straight to the phone and dialed. The building manager first. Deidra raised Hell for a few minutes uninterrupted then hung up. Edna Goldmyer was shocked at what had happened. Deidra was already dialing again.

"Hello?" Amy answered the call.

Deidra didn't waste a second. "He broke in and stole all my clothes last night."

"WHAT? Nevermind. I'm on my way now. I'll bring you some things." Amy said.

An hour later Deidra watched as the locksmith changed the locks on her door. In fact, he actually had to set the pins and cut the key to fit it. The building manager began going through each room. He looked over anything he saw, looking for cameras. He was able to find one in each smoke detector. That was obvious, as there were only supposed to be three. Deidra wanted to kick herself at that. She never paid them any attention before. After that she began to look around. She was looking for things she couldn't remember buying or if given, by whom.

As the sun went down Sunday, nobody paid much attention to the ragged woman pushing a shopping cart full of cast-off things, cans and decorated with what looked like Christmas tinsel; turned into the alley of a building across the street. Anybody that thought of venturing in, quickly veered away. The woman could clearly be heard crooning to herself about how the secret people were doing things to rule everyone's lives. As dark fell, anyone that even thought about taking up the alley was dissuaded. The rambling woman started wrapping tin foil around her head and secured it with an old stocking cap. She didn't stop there. Sheets of the crumpled and straightened foil were being tucked into her grubby sweater, up sleeves and around legs to be held in place by dirty socks pulled up to her knees. Nobody, no matter how destitute, wanted to be around a 'Foiler'. On and on she rambled.

Unnoticed, a small square object flew up from the cart and silently zoomed away. It went up then flew across the street. It hovered and slowly began to orbit in front of the windows. It stopped at one and landed on the small ledge. A few minutes later, several more did the same on other window ledges. More took place on top of the building. Twelve in all. Each drone had a camera and was looking in different directions. The feeds being sent over encrypted channels.

Diedra was lying in her bed. She had seen the cameras pulled from the smoke detectors and the fake ones removed completely. As a last second thought, she put the next day's dress and lingerie between the mattress and box spring directly under her. She also wedged a chair from Mrs. Goldmyer under the doorknob of her bedroom. Her eyes were getting heavy and started to drift closed. Eventually she began to sleep.

Daryl sat in the alley in his disguise. Nobody ever figured out that the rambling that was constant wasn't really him talking anymore. It was actually an hour long recording on a loop. The foil served more than one purpose. Yes, it convinced people that the bag-lady was unbalanced, but it also confused his heat signature. That was needed for the counter-surveillance. A smart stalker would use some type of night-optic to check for anybody lurking too close to his prey. With enough of the foil wrapped around him, Daryl's body heat became more randomly emitted. Anything, but a human body. Under the blanket, he watched the shifting images from the drone cameras.

Just after Two in the morning. Daryl's patience paid off. A man stepped out of the stairwell and walked down the hall. He stopped at Deidra's door and crouched down. Daryl counted to thirty then used his phone to send a signal. Five seconds later, the fire alarm on the floor below Deidra's went off. Lights went on all over the building. The man in front of Deidra's door bailed. He tore back down the hall and into the stairwell. Daryl watched the screens for the exits. People streamed out in their night-clothes, including Deidra with an elderly woman similarly dressed. The building was now totally clear. Daryl wanted to swear. The man didn't come out any of the doors. Nor had he went to any of the other floors.

"You're coming in through the basement or you're holed up in it." Daryl whispered to himself as Firemen began entering the building.

He watched them sweep the entire building. He had counted them going in and again when they came out. No additional members. The stalker was coming and going through the basement. He had either found an access point or made his own. The tenants were being allowed back into the building. Daryl settled back and waited for things to settle down, then he could turn on the motion sensors for the cameras and take a nap.

Deidra walked back up with Edna Goldmyer. She stopped at her door and noticed something odd. The was a slim metal tool on the floor in front of her door.

"Deidra? What is it sweetheart?" Edna asked.

Deidra shook her head. "I don't know. Maybe one of the Firemen dropped it?"

Edna bend down and looked at it then shook her head. "That's one of those lock picker things! I'm calling Earl!"

Deidra gasped and felt fear slam into her. Within minutes the building manager came up and looked at the object.

"Son-of-a-bitch! That's a lock-pick alright! Damn it!" Earl swore.

Deidra was confused. If he was picking the lock, why would he set off the alarm? Why would he leave the pick behind?

"I don't think he set off the alarm." Earl said.

Deidra looked up. "What?"

"You were talking out loud. He wouldn't have left that behind, other than by accident. He wouldn't have set off the alarm either. He dropped it because the alarm went off and had to leave it behind or didn't realize he was leaving it behind. He got spooked by the fire alarm. It got set off on purpose though. The Chief said it got overridden and set off." Earl told them.

Edna hugged Deidra and whispered in her ear. "Sweetheart. I think you finally picked up a guardian angel."

That's when it hit. Deidra want to fall to the floor, crying and laughing at the same time. It wasn't an angel. Her sister had done better. She had found her help at last. Deidra went back into her apartment and checked things. Everything was exactly as it was supposed be. She locked the door, wedged the chair then went back to bed. She fell asleep almost instantly, with a smile.

Wilton Kanick kicked the wall and put a hole in it. His computer revealed someone else had been in the fire alarm system and overrode it to go off. He started going through all the cameras. No strangers had entered the building since the locksmith had changed her locks. He had went to pick the lock. Once inside he could disassemble the lock, make a key then put the lock back together. He would also replace the cameras they had found. He still had four cameras in the apartment.

"SOMEBODY'S TRYING TO INTERFERE DEIDRA! I WON'T HAVE IT, YOU'RE MINE!" Wilton yelled at the screen showing her sleeping peacefully, with a smile on her face.

He went after her computer. He'd go through it to use her online pay information to sap her account. She would be punished for other people trying to keep her away from him. He went to the access screen and typed in the code. Nothing happened. He typed it again, no response. He ran a test and found the problem. Her computer wasn't connected to the internet at all. He went back to the cameras and backed up the video. She had not only disconnected it from the modem and turned it off, she'd unplugged it! That wasn't all she had unplugged. The television and phone as well. He couldn't remotely switch on the television to wake her up or cause a noise a complaint. He couldn't call to wake her either. He knew her cellphone was no longer in service. The clone he had made had done nothing since she had met her sister and went shopping. Even the clone of the sister's was dead too. His rage flew as he went after anything that didn't matter at the moment.

Amy was all smiles Monday morning. Deidra had called first thing that morning and told her that she'd had her first actual sleep in weeks. She didn't go into detail, she was at work and happy. Amy hung up after Deidra did and sighed in relief. the ringing of the doorbell caught her attention and she went to answer it. A glance through the peep-hole showed a woman in some type of service uniform.

"May I help you?" Amy called out through the door.

A feminine voice answered back. "Manco Exterminating."

Amy threw the locks and opened the door to a cute woman with shoulder length brown hair carrying a sprayer and a satchel.

"Please come in. I'm glad you could get to me today." Amy invited her in and read her name patch. "Holly."

"I had a cancellation. Client's boy has the chickenpox so I was able to come by." Holly explained.

Amy closed the door and locked it. Holly pumped her sprayer and began at the front door and went around the perimeter of the room. Amy noticed the wand wasn't the only thing in Holly's hand and forced herself not to smile. Insects weren't the only bugs she was going to deal with.

"Not to worry. This is made from chrysanthemums, harmless to people and pets, but effective against insects." Holly explained and sprayed around an air vent.

Amy watched her work. She certainly acted like a real exterminator, even talked like one too. Finally Holly finished spraying and set the tank down at the front door. She started going back through the house, carrying the satchel and began taking things apart and removing pieces. The things she removed were put into a metal looking box kept in the satchel. After finishing in the living room she nodded to Amy.

"Your house is now clean. There was a tap on the hard-line, but I killed that before coming down here. The only vulnerability is your car and cellphone. So I'll need you to unlock it for me when I go back out." Holly stated.

Amy nodded. "Oh god, I'm so glad now. I was worried that he bugged my house too. Wait, what about the computers?"

Holly smiled. "Taken care of half an hour before I arrived. There was a penetration. The trapdoor is closed for now, but he can try to access again. With enough time and effort, he will regain access."

"Ok. What now?" Amy asked.

Holly brought out a DVD case. It was a common romantic comedy movie that many women liked.

"Take this to your sister at work this afternoon. It's the real deal. It'll entertain her tonight. She needs to call you from her apartment hard-line tonight and arrange to meet you tomorrow morning to return it. He's going to think messages are being passed. He'll try to steal it. Let him. Put up a fuss, but let him get away with it." Holly instructed.

Amy nodded. "Ok. If that's what we need to do. Deidra called just before you came. She actually slept last night. Did something happen?"

"From what I understand, yes. What, exactly, I don't know. Not my thing." Holly admitted.

Amy was puzzled at that. "It isn't? What is?"

Holly tilted her head. "I'm just a sweeper. The old man sent me. Oh yeah. He told me to give you this."

Amy was given an envelope.

"That's it. My part's done. Take care." Holly said and gathered up her things to leave.

Amy showed her out and used her remote to unlock her car. She watched Holly go over it and seem to collect a couple of things then close the door and wave. Amy re-locked the car then opened the envelope. Inside was a single page from a printer.

Hello Amy,
I'm sure by now you have many questions. I can answer some. Firstly, the young woman has been instructed to remove all surveillance devices in your home and car. Holly is very competent I assure you. I do apologize that she is not very knowledgeable about the full going's on. Last night, the stalker tried to gain access to Deidra's apartment. The attempt was unsuccessful due to interference. He should be rather angry by now and I need to provoke him even more. This is where you can help. Holly will have given you a simple movie to loan to your sister for entertainment. It is quite real and I hope she likes it. I understand it is rather popular. Instruct her to call you after watching it to arrange a time in the morning to return it. This must be done out in the open. The ploy is to make him think you are passing communication between yourselves. Her stalker must have a chance to attempt to steal it. Let him succeed. Make a token display of resistance and distress. No need for an award performance. Just give a one-time show. I did mention payment instructions. I shall give them to you now. Please send the payment to the following account number. I do apologize if you expected it to be in the United States, but alas, it is a foreign account. Take heart, things are progressing. It will be sorted soon.
Manco

Amy laughed to herself. This Manco gentleman was definitely that. Amy suddenly remembered what Holly had said. Deidra's apartment wasn't her area. She had only been given the job of sweeping Amy's house for bugs. This Manco gentleman didn't seem the type to be doing physical things. he sounded more like an organizer, a planner. It was starting to sound like a team was at work, different people that did different things all working together on the same thing.

Daryl drove away and used counter-tactics to detect any tail cars. He was clean. that meant the stalker was focused on recovery. Good for Daryl, bad for him. The van was dropped off and 'Holly' was put away. Daryl mounted his racing bike and put on headphones. He needed to make every minute count. A list of dance mixes played as he pushed hard to cover the distance. At the city planners' office he found all the blueprints and technical drawing for the building. That was where he found what he was looking for. The building had a connection to the building directly behind it via the basement. It wasn't a residential building. Another night to be spent in an alley, Hobo Joe was needed this time since Contrary Mary had already been in the area.

Wilton parked at the office building's parking lot and walked toward the side door. A night watchman sat in the lobby, so he used the side-door. As he approached he used his phone. It sent a signal to turn on a video loop of the building's camera feeds, allowing him to go through unseen. He went down to the basement then a hidden panel into the service tunnel. Within minutes he was quietly walking up the stairs of Deidra's apartment. He had cursed himself at losing the pick. He was certain it was dropped in the hallway. He luckily had a second set of picks. Before leaving though, he made sure the override for the fire alarm was disabled and locked out. No surprises this time.

He inserted the pick and tension bar and began working the pins. Wilton knew there was a chair wedged under the knob. It wouldn't deter him. He knew how to get by that as well. The first pin shifted and he applied tension to hold it there and work on the next. It clicked and he smiled. The smile dropped and he almost swore when the lights came fully on and a buzzer started sounding loudly, in the very hall he was in. Snatching both tools and holding them firmly he tore back down the hall and burst into the stairwell. He hopped to cover distance down the stairs and back into the basement. In the tunnel, he swore and kicked at the wall. Someone was still getting in his way! The sister must have hired someone. He had lost all feeds from her house and car that morning. Feeds he wouldn't be able to replace for at least a few more days, which would require him to divide his attention from Deidra. He wrote off the night and began making his way out.

Daryl almost chuckled aloud. The man coming out of the building showing obvious anger was practically broadcasting himself. It wasn't that he was shouting, swearing, stomping or such blatant display; it was the fact that he was moving too calm. He was forcing himself to act cool and that was all Daryl needed. After the car drove away, Daryl used a small laptop to run the plate. It was fake. Not surprising. He entered the picture he'd taken of the guy's face and sent it to his own system to run identity. Meanwhile, he had other things to do. Hacking into the building's security feed was no problem. He couldn't find any recent intrusion. That was a problem. The stalker had set up a hardware package. Daryl began shedding Hobo Joe and get ready to penetrate the building. Two hours later, he was back in character and making his way home.

Deidra enjoyed the movie. It was a good one and she had seen it before. Neither she nor her sister really understood what was going on, but they were doing as instructed. They met at a coffee shop and sat at a table on the sidewalk. The movie case rested on the other edge of the table. Anyone could simply walk up, take it and be halfway down the block before either one could finish objecting. Which was exactly what happened. A young teen did just that. A few minutes later, their waiter walked up and said their coffee and pastries had been paid for. Then he whistled a tune as he cleared away their table, looking like he hoped to not look idiotic for doing so.

Amy gave him a tip and looked at him intently then smiled. "Thank you."

He whispered. "Lady, the guy paid me to whistle like that. I have no idea why."

"I know why. Thank you." Amy said then looked at her sister. "Well, I have errands and you have work."

They hugged and went their ways.

Wilton paid the purse snatcher and sent him off. He then opened the movie case and found, a DVD. The Princess Bride. It wasn't a copy. It looked very real. In his car he put it in his laptop and scanned it. It had the movie, making of and deleted scenes. It was real! It was beyond infuriating. He just paid a hundred dollars, to steal a movie that could be purchased online for one dollar and ninety-nine cents or even a dollar at a second-hand shop! that's when he caught sight of something in his mirror. Something was on the back-glass. he turned around and saw, to his horror, a reticle had been drawn. Cross-hairs. Below that, two words: MINE NOW.

Wilton struggled to get out then looked around. He'd been found. They had gotten somebody to discover him and he had been. Quickly he abandoned the car. It was disposable anyway. He hurried down the street and caught a tram. Four times he switched then picked up a spare car then used every counter-surveillance trick he knew to flush out a tail car. None. He wasn't being followed. At his home, in an old warehouse, he raged. How had anyone discovered him. Then it hit him. The movie. Specifically the case. It must have held a tracker. Whomever they had gotten had set it up to flush him out and he had taken the bait. Again he raged upon things that wouldn't matter to lose. Walls acquired more holes.

"THIS WON'T STOP ME DEIDRA! YOU'LL SEE, REAL SOON!" Wilton swore.

Wilton went back to his car. He'd sit and wait until she got off work. He'd follow her home, then when she went to bed, he'd get into her apartment for sure this time. Had he not been so angry, he'd have seen a person on a bicycle ride by front of the warehouse slowly.

Daryl wanted to shake his head. The guy had been so concerned looking for a car or person getting on and off trams, he completely missed a bicycle courier. Not that it was hard to do. There were so many in the city; you could close your eyes, spit and probably hit three if the wind was right. Daryl went in easy enough. The alarm wasn't even a level-1. He moved fast. His laptop was able to crack the guy's security encryption for his computer network in a mere five minutes. Daryl downloaded what he needed then loaded new software and brought it back online. He now owned it. The really fun part; it was now a weapon against the one who built it.

Daryl continued his search and found several boxes of things that belonged to Deidra. Those boxes were secured then taken outside. He called Billy to come pick them up and deliver to Amy's house. An hour later, 'Holly' went into Deidra's building. Only she wasn't wearing an exterminator's service clothing. She wore the uniform for SightUnseen, an actual counter-surveillance company there in the city. She was even verified as a legitimate technician by the company. She went through the building and found each device then the central junction relay on the roof. Holly's instructions were very precise, locate all illegal devices and install bypass on them, but leave in-place. Earl, the building manager, had followed her to watch. He was shocked at what he learned. Over fifty cameras with audio pickups were all over the building. He had no idea how they had all been placed. That wasn't all Holly did before she left.

Deidra received a call at work from her sister. Boxes of her things had suddenly been just dropped off. Along with a message. 'He belongs to us now, no more fear.' Deidra dug deep within herself and found that last bit of hope to galvanize herself with. At the end of the day, she went home and held her head high all the way. Walking into the building, Earl hugged her and apologized profusely.

Amy showed up and brought several items of her clothes. She had washed some and dropped off the dry-clean items at a service she had never used before, just in case. Deidra used a notepad to write to her sister, knowing the cameras were indeed there, but talked about random things.

What now?

Amy wrote back. I was told to tell you, act like he can't do anything anymore. Make him angry. Set him off.

Amy took the page with her when she left. She was hoping it would all be over soon and her sister would be safe.

Wilton watched his small receiver and grew steadily angrier. The sister was bringing her more clothes.

"What the hell?" Wilton said aloud to himself.

Deidra had gathered up the dresses he had left then smiled and began cutting them into scraps with a pair of scissors. The more she did it, the more she got into it and started just ripping them to shreds. She laughed as she destroyed them. She laughed and cursed him.

"UNGRATEFUL BITCH!" Wilton spat. "Well! Since you won't wear the clothes I pick for you; YOU WON'T HAVE ANY!"

An hour after she turned out her lights and got into bed, he was moving. He went into the building, down to the basement and through the tunnel. Wilton was so angry, he almost forgot to trip the loops for the security systems. He practically ran up the stairs and stomped down the hall to her door then began working on the lock. Right as the last pin clicked into place and the door opened, a very loud alarm went off. It was a piercing wail, easily over a hundred decibels. Not only that, but two brilliant beams lit him up and he could see writing on the door now.

Smile for the camera, Wilton!
Oh yeah,
the cops are coming.

Wilton quit the door and ran. He didn't bother with any form of stealth, he just ran. At the tunnel exit, the door wouldn't open. He had to kick it open then run up. The basement exit door opened and an alarm sounded. He bailed for the side-door, which set off an additional alarm. He ran down to his car and jumped in. Savagely he cranked the key and the engine roared to life. He threw it into gear, floored the pedal and spun the wheel over. He had to escape. He had just gained the edge of the parking lot when all four tires blew. Two seconds later the engine stalled out.

Wilton stared in horror for a second then came to his senses; Of self-preservation. He bolted from the car and ran down the street. Down alleys, the wrong way along a one-way street, across a pedestrian bridge and finally onto the Greenway. His legs felt like they were on fire, his lungs were ready to burst and his heart just wanted to stop. Suddenly, laughter rang out over the public speakers. Not just any laughter, Deidra's laughter. She was laughing and cursing again. Just as she had done when destroying the clothes he left for her. He ran. He ran as hard and as fast as could to get away from there. All the way back to his warehouse. Fumbled the keys and yanked the door open.

The computer system was awakened as he sat down. Another tap of the keys and Wilton's world shattered. There on every screen, was the image of himself, looking horror-struck.

An artificial voice spoke from the system. "Wilton Kanick. Thirty-two. Male. Caucasian. One hundred-seventy-six pounds. Five feet-nine inches. Born Riverside, California."

He sat there completely frozen as his entire life history was recited. Every school, every class, grade point average, known friends, even extracurricular activities and groups were given. Then his entire work history and specialist training was given. Especially being fired from a Los Angeles Private Investigation firm for taking surveillance too far on a subject. then the independent Private Investigators that fired him for the same reason. The state revoking his license. Losing his bonding. Criminal charges, and the trial for them. He was supposed to still be in California for his parole. He had violated it. Clips of his stalking of Deidra began to play. The cameras he had used to watch her had also seen him and all he had done.

"As you have watched, you have been watched Wilton Kanick. You will BE watched. Your data has been forwarded to local, state and federal authorities. The California Board of Parole has been notified of your present whereabouts and recent activities." the voice stated.

Suddenly a police radio feed came over the speakers. Units were dispatched to apprehend him. Wilton bolted from the chair and ran to the door. He had to get out. They were less than five minutes away. He tried the door, it didn't open. He twisted the knob and it came off in his hand. Deidra's laughter rang out over the speakers.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Wilton screamed.

He kicked at the door to no avail. It was an industrial door.

The voice from the computer spoke again. "We own you Wilton Kanick. You belong to us. There is no escape. All you have done, will be returned upon you."

"OWN ME? NEVER!" Wilton bellowed back. "NO! NOBODY CAN HAVE ME!"

He looked around, searching for an alternate way out and saw old, left over rope. It had been there when he took over the warehouse and hadn't been thrown out. He strode over and snatched it up. The laughter had returned and wasn't stopping this time as a countdown clock ticked down the time remaining before the police arrived. He would not go back to prison. He wouldn't leave. He yelled a vow to haunt her until she died then seize her in the afterlife while he tied a loop and secured the rope. After standing up on the computer station, he tightened the improvised noose around his neck then jumped as high and far as he could. Wilton's body jerked violently at the end of the rope.

Daryl stepped into the light as Wilton gurgled from being strangled. His neck had been snapped and could not save himself, even if he wanted to.

Daryl looked up and focused on the hate-filled eyes looking back. "The police weren't really coming here. That was fake. That 'haunt her and get her in the afterlife' bit was new. Never heard that one before. I'll be honest, you might want to be careful if there is one. There's somebody even angrier than me there already. Probably waiting for you to show up. She'll have a whole lot of fun with you."

Wilton's eyes were glazing over as he watched the mystery man tie pieces of black string around his wrists and ankles while singing a song. All went black as he left him there. Minutes later, the computers began to overload and burn.

Amy and Deidra walked the garden path with the British gentleman they knew as Manco.

"So it's really over?" Amy asked.

Manco nodded. "Yes it is. Things were going all to plan until the finale. One small thing overlooked came into play."

"Will he come after me again?" Deidra asked.

Manco sighed. "No my dear. He will not. Please take that to heart and think no more on it. The affair has been sorted. Not to my personal satisfaction, but it is acceptable. In fact, there is no choice but to accept the outcome as: resolved. Do go on with your life. Find some happiness how you can and put Wilton Kanick behind a door of the past. Lock that door and toss away the key."

Deidra deflated a bit. "Thank you so very much. I don't even know who you are."

Amy giggled. "Of course we do. He's The Man With No Name."

Deidra sputtered to laugh. Manco looked rather smug at that answer.

"Ah. You've indeed pinned me." Manco chuckled then began to walk away. "Look after yourselves."

As he walked away, they heard him whistle the tune from the movie For a Few Dollars More.

Deidra looked at her sister. "Amy. Why on earth would an Englishman use spaghetti-western names and songs?"

Amy was laughing and shook her head. "I have no idea, but he's definitely funny as all get-out. It worked too. We knew it was him when it was him."

Two days later they read in the newspaper that the body of Wilton Kanick had been found in a warehouse, an apparent suicide. It was evident he had been stalking someone, but the information was so corrupted, the authorities had no clue as to whom. They now understood everything Manco meant. He hadn't wanted Kanick dead. He wanted a different outcome. Perhaps Wilton to feel as Deidra had and go to the authorities for help, which would reveal all he had done to her.

"All done Dana." Daryl said as he shut down his system after a clean and leaned back in the chair to sing along to the song. "THAT'S HOW IT GOES. Everybody knows."

To be continued.