Chapter 43
Golden Handshake
Man Overboard
Part 1 of 4

For years, Claude, the invisible man, worked side by side with Noah Bennet, the man in horned-rimmed glasses.  Together, these “company men” risked their lives to save the world.  Or so they thought.  Claude grew uneasy with his assignments, questioning who benefited from their work.  Discovering this, the company gave Bennet his most difficult assignment:  kill Claude.

But before Bennet, Claude had a different partner, the man called Haram…

17 years ago…

STATUS REPORT:
Location: Cote d’Azur
The French Riviera.

Notes:  Have tracked down extortionist and murderer Rollo Fusor - ’special’ whose ability to rapidly dehydrate water from whatever he touches has been used to bankrupt many in the European elite.

Considered a class ‘A’ priority by the higher-ups before he seemingly fell off the face of the planet seven years ago.  Fusor was my partner Haram’s first failed case.  Haram wasn’t about to let him get away again.

golden_01.JPG

Haram is in a standoff with Fusor, taking cover on one of the bridges crossing the Riviera.  He is fumbling with a pill bottle, mumbling to himself, “Damn it!  Not now.”  The top pops off, and pills scatter everywhere.  One stops, hovering in the air. 

golden_03.JPG“Temper, temper, partner,” Claude says, becoming visible again.  “You’ve got this.  Don’t let your nerves–”

“Don’t lecture me, Claude!” Haram snaps back.  “I know what I’m doing.”

Claude convinces Haram to accept Fusor’s requests, at which point the invisible Claude will jump the criminal as he tries to escape.  When Haram approaches Fusor, telling him that he has his requests, Fusor tells him that he has explosives strapped to his hostages, Mr. Pizet and “his lovely lady friend”.  “I see anyone following me…BOOM!  More blood on your pathetic hands!”

golden_04.JPGFusor runs from the boat, and Claude gives chase.  Rounding a corner, he sees the criminal calmly leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette.  Back on the boat, Haram approaches the hostages.  He tells the girl, who is dragging the unconcious Pizet, “Don’t worry, I’ve got you.”  Pulling her blonde wig off, she replies, “No, no, love…we’ve got you.”  Swiftly, she handcuffs him to Pivet’s unmoving body, and shoves them over the side of the pier.

Pivet’s dead wait drags Haram down into the depths…

TO BE CONTINUED…

This week’s easter egg is a behind the scenes shot of Hayden Pantierre and James Coleman.