Dangerous Memory {ONC 2021}

Chapter 7

The warm breeze blew her hair, and the necklace with the silver star bounced against her chest.

I knew it was a bad idea to pass through the square, she thought and turned her head in the opposite direction.

The clicking of a camera was heard a few meters away from her. The grey pigeons annoyed by the hasty stranger flew in all directions while her light, brown sneakers tapped against the ground.

Seeing a toddler running in her direction, she changed her course and turned right, altering her original route.

She adjusted the sunglasses on her face, making sure that her hair covered the earpiece, and entered a narrow alley, leaving behind her the cheerful voices and the burbling water of the fountain.

You have memorized the plan, you helped the others create it. You got this, Alba. Neva can't escape.

She entered a smaller alley where there were no cameras on the buildings and no shops with tourists and found a trash can.

This is where we part, she thought and removed the earpiece. She left it by the trash can, knowing that someone from the team would pick it up later. They didn't want to risk someone finding Agent 23 with an earpiece.

The colorful buildings built in the twentieth century started to become scarce. The scenery changed, and the hill appeared in front of her. The castle looked breathtaking from the close distance.

She started walking through the small road, the device in her backpack moving in each step. Her hands had started to become sweaty, and the spring sun made it worse.

You are not a newbie. Get it over. You might die today.

She rubbed her hands on her shorts and looked up. The entrance of the castle wasn't far, but she wasn't heading there. Instead, she left the main road and walked further from the castle. A black, old car had stopped in the midst of trees.

Here we go.

She took a deep breath and removed every sign of worry from her face.

A tall man with blonde hair and a light blue shirt was standing in the middle. Two other men dressed in casual clothing were by his side.

"Hello," she said.

The man stared at her and looked unimpressed.

"I'm zvezda." She tried to look innocent, yet someone who knew what she was doing. However, her instinct told her that she wasn't doing a very good job.

"Id."

She took her backpack in her hands and pretended to search for it.

"Here."

The only real thing on the card was her photo.

Let's hope I've done a decent job.

The man on her left took it while the other one brought a small laptop and put it on the hood of the car.

They scanned the id, and the screen of the laptop lit up.

Neva never left her from his eyesight. The backpack was still in her hands. They were under the shadow of a tree, but the cold breeze she was hoping for never arrived.

"She's clear," one of the men said and returned her id.

Neva extended his arm. "The device."

She raised her eyebrow, and a small laugh escaped her lips.

"The money first."

He looked at his men, and they brought a black bag. They opened it and put it between Neva and Agent 23; It was full of money.