chapter 1

« ...thirteenth victim in six month...", "...police spokesperson had this to say..."
The news channel provided a background sound to the empty and quiet dining room. She sipped on her now cold coffee, waiting for the girls to come back from their shopping. Jannette was alone for the first time in weeks, and she enjoyed the peace and quiet, hoping that her colleagues (where they friends? She wasn't sure) would take their time while buying the supplies they needed.
Lost in her thoughts, the blonde woman was dangling her flat shoe distractedly on her feet. The muffled scratching of her stockings on the leather was soothing her unconsciously. Images of the past couple of years were flicking in her mind. What a crazy adventure!
Two years ago, she was struggling with her semi-professional wrestling career, while finishing her doctorate in biochemistry. Since childhood, Jeanette, although very feminine, had always been sort of a tomboy, always play-fighting with boys, and winning. She was really strong and wrestling came to her almost naturally. She loved the rush, the showmanship and the spectacular acrobatics of this sport. According to most people she heard talk about her style, she was really good and the public loved her. However, her rather heavy and tall frame, all in curves, had prevented her to go pro. She didn't fit the bimbo type that was expected in the field. True, she had the "boobage" needed, big heavy D's, but her bubble butt and hints of cellulite, despite her hours of training, were holding her back, but she wasn't going to surgically mutilate her body to fit some stupid standards. Some sponsors even proposed to pay for the rather expensive surgeries she needed to enter the big leagues. She refused, feeling that doing this would betray her true self, she liked her body as it was and enjoyed too much her food!
In the study front, she was doing far better, Jeannette was a straight A's student. She loved the research and her professors were impressed by the depth of her knowledge and understanding of the field. Her thesis was focused on some chemical elements able to better tissues elasticity. The concrete applications of her research were not completely clear, but she thought that her findings might have an impact on geriatric organs preservation or to help the recuperation of women during pregnancies.
She was close to a breakthrough when the Corporation contacted her. They told her that they were very interested by her work and wanted her to continue it for them. Wary at first, Jeanette ended up accepting their offer when she saw the kind of money she could make with them, while finishing her doctorate in their labs. But the real reason she accepted, was most likely when she saw their labs, they were a researcher's dream : all new and very expensive equipment operated by minimal teams of highly skilled and famous experts. In a matter of weeks, she integrated and lead a team of four to expand on her research, and her findings were exceeding all expectations.
She never really met the brass of the Corporation, but after some months she heard from her boss that they were highly interested in her and wanted to meet her for a special and very hush hush project...