MISSION L

— By Steven姜国语208111332

I

Karl thought of how all of this began on that sunny afternoon with the scent of light green hyacinths. As he looked up, her smile bloomed like a sunflower. It was the first and the only seraphic smile Karl had seen. With a beam of sunshine kissing her violet eyes, her scarlet hair was like a mermaid's in the deep water, flowing and waving gently.

To Karl's surprise, five minutes later, he accidentally ran into the owner of that smile and heard the first of many words from her — "Sorry." Karl coud not figure out the perfect reply, so he just looked at her.

"Of all these works, the one I like most is that one." She pointed at an oil painting called "A Cup of Sky" and said, "Twinkling stars are dancing in blue water. This reminds me of aquamarine, stramoniums. and the eyes of Persian cats." How could she know exactly what was in his mind? Karl stood there, astonished, and excited.

"Coffee, tea, or a cup of starry sky?" she murmured and smiled to Karl, who didn't realize, from that moment, he would never move his eyes from that smile.

"Lisa, I'm glad you're here." Karl's new assistant Mia Cullen came and said, "Karl, this is my friend Lisa Aniston, the lawyer in charge of your copyright issue. Lisa, this is Karl Gable, my boss and the great painter." When Karl was able to shake hands with Lisa, Mia knew from the familiar and confident expression of Lisa that everything was under control. However, one month later, if anyone could rewind that afternoon, they might say that everything had actually been blurry, vague like a veiled beauty in the mist of spring.

In Karl's studio, the aroma of roasting cocoa penetrated the whole room. When Karl handed the mug to Lisa, she felt his warm skin, and then a look of cunning came into her eyes. Karl didn't need to say a lot. Whenever he looked at Lisa, she seemed to understand exactly what he meant.

"Will you believe what I say?" Karl asked, seeing primroses and lilies dancing around Lisa's shoulders.

"As a lawyer, I believe in truth and justice." Lisa's silver earrings joggled rhythmically. "But, as your fan, I believe whatever you say."

With Lisa's professional help, Karl was about to win the suit. But it turned out that the man who had sold pirated copies of Karl's works was a laid off worker who received no assistance from the government and had a large family to raise. So, Karl recalled the lawsuit and asked Mia to find a job for the man. Knowing how shy and quiet Karl was, Mia encouraged him to ask Lisa out. "Karl, I can see from your eyes. You're totally into her." Mia said and giggled. “OK, I will arrange a dinner for you and Lisa."

No one knew Karl's secret, his extraordinary eye illness. Just as he was described in the newspapers ,"A talented painter with incredibly handsome look and weird nature", Karl was considered as an erratic artist who had never been on a date. He hadn't opened his twisted world to anyone. But now, some unknown energy in his body decided to give his world's only key to Lisa.

When Lisa walked into the restaurant in her little black dress, Karl saw thousands of ballonflowers overspreading the room. Naturally, they started to talk. The topic expanded like colored waterfall, including Karl's childhood, university life, and work. Most of the time, Lisa just listened to Karl patiently; she seemed to understand whatever he said. Whenever he talked to her, he could see a rainbow glittering beside her with the smell of peppermints, golden dandelions flying around her.

"L, if I tell you I only paint what I see, would you think I'm crazy? "

Lisa shook her head and looked at Karl gently.

"There is something wrong with my eyes. Shape, color, and distance may be different in my eyes. "

"So, you must be bad at mathematics, aren't you?" This was not the reply Karl had expected, but a better one.

"Yes, my teachers thought that I was an idiot, " Karl laughed and continued, "And there is another strange problem. When I look at a person directly, his face will decay with maggots and grow moldy. "

"Why do you tell me all of this? Just tell me; am I decaying right now?"

"No, you're not, L. You're the only one I can look in the eye. You're the only one. You're my exception."

Hearing this, Lisa held Karl's hands and asked him in a naughty tongue, "You're in love with me, aren't you?"

Without hesitation, Karl nodded and asked in return, "You're in love with me, aren't you?" Lisa didn't answer but smiled. Karl took it for granted that the answer would be the one he wanted. He wasn't clever enough to figure out what was behind that seductive smile. And he didn't know how so many things had started long before that sunny afternoon.

II

Twenty hours before that sunny afternoon, holding a goblet of frozen blue Margarita, a skinny young lady stood in Dr. Trump's laboratory. A scar caused by a bomb in last mission flawed her beauty, "Time limit is one month, Fiona. General Krebs will attend the award ceremony at the international art festival. That's your only chance to get the correct location of their abyssal nuclear base.” Dr. Trump passed a pile of documents to the lady and said, "From now on, you're Lisa Aniston, a luscious blonde. As usual, you will undergo cosmetic surgery first. Mia will help you during the mission."

Scanning the papers, the lady arrogantly said, "Let's find a suitable blockhead to attend the ceremony with." Ten seconds later, she pulled a sheet from one file with a label "Karl Gable". "No one will suspect if an eccentric painter kills his lover." The lady's laughter contorted her scar, making wide ravines on her face.

"Honey, you're always my favorite, excellent writer and actress. " A typical wise old man as Dr. Trump was, he slowly clinked glasses with that young lady and said, "To our country. To truth and justice. "

The poker-faced lady drank the cocktail off and replied, "To nothing." Then she went into the jet where Mia was waiting. Both Fiona and Mia worked for the government, taking missions from Dr. Trump, a wise old man. They had worked as partners for years and changed their identities all over the world. The difference between these two women was that Fiona was an orphan brought up by Dr. Trump, and she had one strange power. Whenever she touched someone, Fiona would unconsciously copy his memory. At the beginning, Fiona accepted those missions to repay Dr. Trump. Gradually, she had gotten used to this life, which now was designed and progressed by her own control. She liked using her power as a tool to steal others' live and to easily get any man hooked; it was like always fishing with the perfect bait.

When she bumped against Karl as planned, she saw the unique images in his mind. All of a sudden, she became obsessed with what he saw. The world in his eyes was a mixture of a fairyland, an elf land, and a wonderland. Playing the part of Lisa Aniston, Fiona indulged herself in sharing Karl's memory. Being a lawyer, Lisa used her power to collect evidence, so she would immediately win the case. In order to touch him at any time, Fiona successfully became Karl's girlfriend. By touching him. she could see fantastic scenes that she had never imagined.

On a rainy day, when Karl walked her home, she kissed him. The sparkling odor of wild roses and the frothy odor of lavenders and gardenias filled the street. While Karl took her face in his hands gently, as if feeling its frangible loveliness, her eyes moved gradually out into the rain. Feeling the softness of his lips, she was lost in what he saw. The rainfall was all kinds of jewels falling off the chromatic sky. Leaves were elves sleeping on branches, with golden dust on their wings. She also saw how fabulous she was in his eyes.

From that moment, she was utterly fascinated by his world. But she didn't know touching him would be like taking drugs that she would be unable to resist in the rest of her life.

III

Lisa came out from the kitchen and hugged Karl. Although she had known what had happened, she asked, "What's the matter?"

Showing disappointment in his face, Karl answered, "The committee has to guarantee that a billionaire’s son will win the prize. So, I can't even be short listed. We don't need to attend the ceremony..."

"That's absolutely unfair! How dare they do that?" Lisa's anger was also about the mission. Karl kissed her and said, "It's OK, L. I don't care since I have the most precious award in the world.” That night, after Karl fell asleep, Lisa reported the situation to Dr. Trump online. Every three days, Lisa would find a chance to contact Dr. Trump. The life after she moved in Karl's apartment was easy for Lisa to handle because she had done the same "couple life" in her past missions.

Whenever the man came back, she would hug him to get his memory, finding out if he felt dubious about her or if there was something wrong in her plan. Lisa was good at pretending to be curious, surprised, and excited. Having been a spy for a long time, she sometimes couldn't tell what her real feelings really were. Was that sadness or happiness? She didn't allow those problems to bother her.

Next day, Lisa went to the chairman of committee to ensure that Karl would attend the ceremony. A slim secretary in a low-cut dress told Lisa the minister was on a business trip. As soon as Lisa burst through the door, she saw a fat man smoking a cigar "Nice to meet you." The confused minister shook hands with Lisa.

"Five million dollar, don't you think he's too stingy? Art should be more expensive, right?" A sly smile crept around the corners of Lisa's mouth. That's the price the billionaire had given to the minister for the prize.

"I... don't ... don't ... know... what..." The face of the minister became pale.

"Don't you think your wife will feel happy if I tell her about your affair with that chick?" Lisa lit up a cigar and asked, "Will she disclose your corruption? I think she won't. You want to bet?"

"Who sent you here? Mike? What do you want?" The minister had recently announced that he was going to run for the presidency.

"Calm down. Could you do me a favor? Will you please make sure that Karl Gable will be treated as fairly as the son of that billionaire was? Then your secrets will be safe." Without any choice, the minister nodded. Frightened as he was, he didn't understand how the secret had been leaked. He had to make a plan to settle the score with his opponents.

After Mia called, Karl was so excited. “We're going to the ceremony, L." He laughed like a child. Lisa pretended to be surprised, but she didn't know whether her happiness was also pretend. Undoubtedly, seeing Karl's smiling face made her smile. Everything had been under control until the day before the ceremony.

While Lisa was reading newspapers, an article attracted her attention: "Our incorruptible official Mike died in a car accident yesterday night. "Lisa recognized that face. She had seen this Mike in that minister's memory. They had been involved together in real estate, drugs, and munitions.

"Morning, Karl." Lisa smiled to him. But Karl was flurried to see Lisa. Her appearance had changed. Her mermaid's beauty was replaced by a blonde who looked strict and insidious.

"I have to go. It's late." Karl went out of the house quickly before Lisa's face started to decay.

Recently, the condition of Karl's eyes had become stranger. Karl thought it might be a temporary situation. When he came back at night, everything would be fine. However, everything was just like Lisa's face, decaying into ugliness, breaking into pieces, and revealing the true darkness.

Lisa was given the case about of the inheritance of the dead official; his wife, two children and a pregnant mistress arguing in Lisa's office. Having shook hands with them, Lisa knew they were all lying. All they cared about was money.

The news on TV was all about Mike's death. Authorities claimed it was only a car accident, and the police were looking for the driver. When Lisa saw where the car accident had taken place, she was shocked. It was the same scene that she had seen in Karl's memory last night. However, Mike wasn't in Karl's version. He told Lisa that he hit a tree on the way home. This was when Lisa realized Karl's eyes were severely sick. She had to do something before Karl got caught.

Lisa went to Karl's apartment, only to find him sitting in front of her computer with his eyes stuck on the screen. Lisa fleetly took up the laptop; Karl looked at her, a complete stranger. Several seconds later, he turned round to avoid looking at her disgusting face. He irritatingly asked, "What do you want from me, L? Or may I call you Fiona?"

Lisa bit her lips and looked as if she was innocent.

"Damn it. What a fool I am! What's your purpose? "

"Karl, I didn't mean to hurt you. I have no choice. They kidnapped my parents. If I don't get what they want, my parents will .... “ Lisa's wail was a sharp prick in Karl's heart. Lisa held Karl's hands and begged, "I'm sorry, Karl, "

Karl didn't shake off her hand. Lisa felt released when she copied Karl's memory. Karl had only read one document of her past missions. It was about her fake marriage with one terrorist. Karl slammed the door and went away. Then Lisa stopped crying.

A call from Dr. Trump broke the silence of the room. You know what you should do, Fiona," he said indifferently and slowly.

"You promised me that you wouldn’t interfere with my progress. I should never have believed you,"

"Honey, promises are true lies. Make it quick and quiet. I'm waiting for Karl's funeral."

"What if I refuse? He is not a threat, anyway. I'll finish this mission on time."

"Interesting. " Dr. Trump burst into laughter. “Fiona, his life is not in your hand." Suddenly, the line went dead.

Unable to contact Karl, Lisa went to find a scapegoat for Karl's killing of Mike. His rival candidate, the minister, would be the perfect choice. All of the journalists that Lisa called said they could not write anything bad about the minister since the higher authorities had already decided to support him to be the next president.

It was two hours before the award ceremony, Karl finally showed up in Lisa's office. "No matter what you did, I forgive you." He said firmly, "I believe whatever you say."

Some iceberg in Lisa's heart unconsciously melted into a stream of milk chocolate. As Karl kissed Lisa, she remembered the first time she tasted vanilla ice-cream, the sweet sense spreading to the whole body, bringing her a fresh thrill. She lost her power to copy his memory, or her maybe her body refused to do it.

IV

After the minister announced that Karl Gable had been awarded the title "Best Painter of the Year", General Krebs came to congratulate Karl. He shook hands with Karl and Lisa. Stealing the information she needed, Lisa hugged Karl happily, but Karl's face was a calm surface of a lake. Lisa saw herself in Karl's eyes, her rotten face and nasty mildew. She watched a conversation, a talk between Karl and Mia. Mia pretended to be an outsider and told Karl about Lisa's intension. Lisa was terrified. An unfamiliar feeling tightened its grip on her head.

"This is all you want." Karl said without emotions, "It must have been very hard for you to pretend. Now, you can leave. Use your power to cheat others."

Abruptly, Karl saw a quartz light falling down. It was about to hit Lisa so he pushed Lisa away as soon as he could. All of a sudden, he was blind. In darkness, he heard screams, clashing, and Lisa's soft voice. Near his ears, her voice said a last word to him; the word he had heard on that warm and shiny afternoon when they first met - "Sorry."

"Karl Gable, you're under arrest." Then Karl heard handcuffs fasten and door’s open and shut. "Where is Lisa? Lisa!" He cried desperately. Somebody gave him an injection and he passed out.

Next day, blind Karl woke up in a hospital. "Mr. Gable. Can you hear me?" A man's voice.

"I can't see anything. Where's Lisa? I want to see her, now. " Karl struggled to get out of the handcuffs. "

Calm down, Mr. Gable. Another injection. " The man's voice faded.

The next two weeks, the whole country celebrated the minister's winning of the election. The minister waved to his people and smiled with his fake white teeth. He said, "Our country will thrive because we believe in truth and justice." The public cheered loudly as if sky-high prices of houses, fees in the hospital, and tuitions in schools had been banned.

Few people were interested in the story concerning a crazy artist who had pushed his girlfriend down the stairs. After his girlfriend died, the painter's assistant had proved that he was lunacy. The doctors' diagnosis also showed he had psychological issues. Instead of a prison, he was sent to a psychiatric hospital. Searching the painter's home, the police had found his girlfriend's dairy, in which she confessed that she had hit Minister Mike with her car.

It was another typical day for a patient like Karl Gable. A blind of embroidered tulle kept the ward in twilight. "I can hardly remember her." Looking at a photo of his dead girlfriend, Karl sighed and felt ashamed.

"We're making progress here. At least, you don't imagine your former girlfriend as a spy with super powers." The old doctor smiled to Karl and wrote down something in his notebook.

With the doctor's treatment, Karl's eyes slowly became normal. At first, he wanted to vomit when he saw the gray sky, stinking sewage, filthy streets, and bare hills. Progressively, he got used to it. He forgot what he used to see. The memory evaporated under the merciless sun. He accepted the fact and comforted himself, "This is the world without any mask.

"Thank you, Dr. Trump." Karl waved goodbye to that old doctor.

The old man shut the door and went into his lab where there stood a woman. She threw a check on the desk and said, "That minister, oh, no, that president asked me to thank you for your poisons. They perfectly killed Mike. He hopes to cooperate with you in the long term."

" Good," Dr. Trump laughed. “Support their president and then destroy their nuclear base. It's brilliant, isn't it?”

"Don't you think it's unfair to Fiona?" The woman tried in vain to hide her anger.

"Mia, fairness only exists in daydreamers' imagination and politicians' speeches.”

“I hope you will keep your promise to set Karl free. Fiona did follow your orders." Mia went out, leaving Dr. Trump sitting beside his black wood desk.

A skinny young lady came to the room. "Dr. Trump, this mission is finished. What's next?" She said like an automaton.

Dr. Trump passed a goblet of frozen blue Margarita to her and said, "Take it easy, Honey." The skinny lady drank the liquor quickly and grabbed a document.

Touching her fingers, Dr. Trump became confused. He was the man who shared his power her. Unfortunately, he could not get anything now, any fragment of her thoughts. Her mind was thoroughly locked. The first time in his life, his drugs had lost the effectiveness to control her.

Staring at the liquor in the bottle, he couldn’t figure out what procedure had gone wrong. After the skinny lady went out of the room, Dr. Trump opened a file labeled "Mission L" and checked the details carefully.

In that file, every step of Fiona's life was clearly recorded, including when she took medicine, which man she met, and how Dr. Trump had changed her memory. Nobody knew that everything Fiona had did was part of Mission L.

"There is no way that you can eliminate human's ability to love, you mad loser." General Krebs's mockery tightened Dr. Trump's flesh like it did twenty years ago when he had married Dr. Trump's fiancée and laughed at Mission L. Over twenty years, his voice had been buzzing around Dr. Trump's ears, in his brain, and in his blood. It grew into a monster living inside Dr. Trump's body.

Throwing that bottle of frozen blue Margarita on floor, Dr. Trump cried, "Why can't I feel anything?" Nobody answered. The shadow of silence was ready to eat the room up. Dr. Trump felt a severe pain in his heart. Then his eyes closed, and they never opened again.

In the garden, where a red-billed leiothrix was singing on the tree, stood a skinny lady. She smilingly hugged the woman beside her and said, "Thank you, Mia. But if he finds out that you had changed his drugs in that Margarita, he will..."

That woman shook her head and said, "Don't worry. He won't. I'm sorry that I didn't stop him from reforming your memory. "

"It's OK. I know it part of was my deal with Dr. Trump, although I don't remember why I did it. And I don't care because I'm ready to start my new life. Goodbye, Mia. "

"Goodbye, Fiona. "

V

As the skinny lady walked in the corridor, her silver high-heel shoes stopped when a painting appeared in her eyes. Surrounded by warm dust, the painting slept in the ward. It was a drawing of a cup of starry sky. A familiar feeling caught her. The moment she turned round, she accidentally bumped against someone. It was nearly a shy and gentle embrace.

"Sorry," she said and looked at the person directly. It seemed as if the eyes had dyed the sky cerulean. The dust hid its face to avoid his sustaining comparison with his eyes.

"I'm sorry. I'm Karl Gable. It's nice to meet you. "

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Gable. I'm ..." Fiona suddenly made up a new name for her new life. The name just popped up in her mind. "I'm Lisa Aniston," she said naturally.

Hearing that name, Karl gazed at her and asked, "Have we ever met?"

"No, I don't think so. Besides, that's juar an old-fashioned line to chat up girls.”

Both of them smiled. The ground between them was checkered with sunshine and shade. The last blur of that dust's sunlight crawled across their smiles.