Chapter 118 - 120
An unseen hand rips the black bag from my head.
My head on a swivel, the world shaping into a sophisticated underground arena. Two tiers of high-tech command stations sprawl across the vast chamber, their screens aglow with shifting data like something out of a sci-fi thriller. Black-clad commandos guard every entry point—some stationed above on the catwalks. Below, smartly dressed agents move with purpose.
Someone nudges me forward and I follow my escort. At the head of the expansive chamber, a picture of my face dominates the gigantic monitor along with profiles of my family.
The glass-walled office looms over everything, a dystopian command center encased in sleek transparency. Inside, a woman waits. White-blond hair, ice-chip eyes, a suit so sharply tailored it looks sculpted.
"Miss Du Pont, forgive the theatrics, but we had to make sure your extraction was untraceable," she begins, with a face and form that embodies a living AI. So perfect, not in a beautiful way, but almost haunting. "I am Director Katherine Reece, the head of clandestine operations and this Specialised Taskforce." She glances down at the primary monitor, still exhibiting my picture. "You have become something of... a point of interest in the intelligence community."
A flick of her hand gestures toward the chair opposite her pristine white marble desk. The door clicks shut behind me. My pulse spikes. I hesitate, scanning the glass walls for an exit, before lowering myself onto the stiff seat.
"You don’t know me, but you know of me," she says obscurely. "We have a mutual friend. Simon."
His name expels every residue of fear.
"You’re his CIA contact."
"Of sorts."
"When he said he knew someone. I imagined a common agent. Not the director of—whatever. You know you could’ve come to me directly. Talked over coffee or something."
She smiles, and not out of humour. "As lovely as that sounds, neither of us could afford the risk. You have eyes on you, and even now our time together is short. So I’ll be forthright. Have you heard of Los Hijos del Sol?"