Inside the darkness of the gift box, Killian waited. He rolled his shoulders. It had been a while since his last assignment. Many of his brethren had been retired to the incinerator. But not him. The new Kiloni series Ova was more popular with clients with its bells and whistles, but sometimes you just had to send in the clown.

Killian could feel his box being brought inside and nestled beneath a Christmas tree. Reaching for his equipment bag, Killian jingled and jangled. He concealed his weapons beneath his striped costume and fluffed his sparkly ruffles.

Something fluttered out of Killian’s bag of tricks. At first in the darkness Killian thought it was a remnant of razor micro-wire, but it was simply a strand of blonde hair. Shocked, Killian stared at it. Priscilla, the name was engraved on his positronic brain. It had been a long term mission. He had been embedded as Priscillia’s toy until the hard target Victor Ashanti, her father, was on site.

Unfortunately Ashanti wasn’t around much and weeks dragged into months. For some, long term assisgnments were the hardest. It was easy to form attachments. But not for Killian. Finally Ashanti showed and Killian completed his mission. Hard target eliminated, no witnesses.

Muffled talking and laughter surrounded Killian. His box was being shifted. He stuffed the hair back into his bag of tricks. Damn, he would have a word with the cleanup crew back at headquarters. Sloppiness spoilt missions.

Rustling of an untied ribbon followed by the shimmying of his box’s lid. Freezing his pudgy limbs and dimpled cheeks into position, Killian affixed his brighest smile. Showtime!