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“Me too. Hearing your voice just made me happy. How was your first week in America?” he asked.
“Hectic. My direct boss has been killing me with work, and I don’t know anyone here. Making friends is just awkward as I don’t want to get too close to people. It could mess things up,” she said.
Adrik laughed, but she heard the sternness in his voice when he spoke.
“Remember, you’re not there for a paycheck, Sue. The priority is not your job. That’s just a means to an end. What plans have you come up with? Have you noticed any loopholes you can use?”
Vivien froze. She had been unable to think all week long because she had been so stressed out.
“Oh my! Was I supposed to come up with that already? I’m so sorry; I haven’t had time to think since I got here. It’s been really hectic all week long. I promise to do it over the weekend; at least, after I’ve gone cloth-shopping,” she said, trying to lighten the mood.
“What!” Adrik roared. “You’ve been there a whole week, and you’ve come up with nothing? You’re disappointing me, Viv.”
He hadn’t called her Suzanne this time. That told her how angry he was.
“I’m sorry, Adrik. It’s been hectic for me. I’m still trying to get used to this place. Please understand,” Vivien said. She was no longer enjoying the conversation.
“I’ll call you again soon. Have something good to tell me, please,” he said.
“Wait, Adrik. Please talk to me. I miss you,” she cried, but the phone went dead anyway. Tears ran down her eyes. She wasn’t too far from the office, and people were looking at her. She didn’t want them to ask questions, so she dried her tears with her palm and walked on.
The questions remained, though.
Why had Adrik treated her that way? Was it her or the mission that he loved more?
Once she got to the doughnut shop, she pulled out her phone and went to the call log. She knew the protocol. She had to delete the call record.
16th November 2021
2:53 pm
Old Port, Portland, Maine.
USA.
Suzanne had returned to the half-completed building and was thinking up her next move. She had moved from Washington, DC to Maine in the company of two others to reap children. It was the last mission. Or so the other agents thought. She knew it didn’t stop there. That was why she had gone off on her own, leaving the other agents clueless as to her whereabouts shortly after they arrived at Maine. Adrik hadn’t wanted her to join in with the reaping. He’d ordered her to go to New York. She had agreed but had snuck away. Luckily for her, she had long since prepared for this moment.
She looked at her device. The installation was at seventy-three percent. She groaned. It was taking so much time; she feared the organization would stop the process before it was complete. Her fear was assuaged by the fact that the virus had survived on the computer for months without their knowledge. Once it was done, she’d be able to read from the headquarters super computer incognito. Its features were limited so that she couldn’t change things with her device. However, she could get any information she needed from the computer and intercept its messages. She had outsmarted the organization. They didn’t know they were being watched.
However, no matter her expertise, she knew that taking the Ray of Hope down wasn’t a job for one person. She needed help. Her mind raced as she searched for people who would be of help to her. There was so much that needed to be done, but she couldn’t do it all alone. All the people she knew were either unwilling or unable to work with her. She didn’t want to get anyone killed.
She opened a pack of biscuits she had taken from a store.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of footsteps coming from another section of the building.
“Hello, is anyone here?”
The voice was that of a man. He was still far from the section she was in.
Shit! Soldiers.
She got up. She knew they were forcefully moving everyone to New York. That’s what they had been instructed to do. She didn’t know what to tell them if they saw her in her current state; neither did she have the strength to get into a fight.
Another thing that worried her was the identity of the soldiers. If they were Russians in disguise, she’d be in a lot of trouble. All her plans would be ruined, and she would be discovered. She couldn’t allow herself to be seen. She threw the biscuits into her bag and got up, hanging her bag on her shoulder in the process.
She looked around her for a place to hide. She was surrounded by cement on all sides. The windows were barred though there was no glass on them. The men were getting closer. Running stealthily out of that section, she paused and peered from behind a wall. Two soldiers had just left a section and were coming towards her. She looked behind her. If she went that way, she’d be trapped. Going forward would expose her. The cut on her stomach still burned a little. She didn’t want to have to fight anyone yet. She took a step backward, and her feet hit a plastic bottle. The sound reverberated all around.
Suzanne was horrified. They’d find her now.
