"Agent.." the handler's voice grated as his eyes skirmed over the mission report, "Good job.. you are dismissed for now. Burn any evidence or left overs."

'Agent' clicked her tongue, then pulled her ear piece out and pushed it into her purse as she walked out of the bathroom stall. The she turned on two faucets and lightly tapped each door, checking for any stowaways. The ear piece let a small noise of warning and self destructed, igniting the gun cotton in her purse and the flash paper cards inside it. No smoke for the alarms and no residue for the guards.

She then walked out of the bathroom into the panicked crowd being herded out of the building as alarms blared over head. She fit into the crowd with ease. Once out and about, she ripped an inch off her heels, transforming her cerulean stilettos into ruby kitten heels. Next went the bob wig, which poured out her long wavy curls, she patted the wig and pulled a stitch and pinned it to the net, then she fluffed it and it became the perfect pom pom bag. She looked down at her dress which by now had reacted to the shift in the air and went from red to pastel pink. She shoved her stiletto heels, phone and lipstick into her bag and sauntered off the street.

Valentina Ortese had been in the office that day and interacted and 'stole.' But no camera could catch her presence and no tracker could catch her whereabouts, after all she never did exist.

Far away the handler smirked as the cameras around the building finally got working again and he caught the sight of their Agent looking perfectly in place with all the other citizens.

~

'Agent' stretched her arms up, cracking her back simultaneously, she sighed in content as she saw the door to her condo. She picked the key from under the vase beside the door and stuck into the key hole. Then discreetly placed her index over the knob letting it scan her finger print.

The door clicked open as she smiled. She pushed it open and put the 'pom pom' bag on the rack beside the door, she flung her kitten heels and then switched on the lights.

Then she paused, there were three men in her condo facing her back, hiding conveniently in the shadows. She shook her head, she was still alive which meant these fools really brought blades and sticks to fight her. She pulled out her emergency knife which also functioned as taser, hidden in her keys holder. She turned her head and then her eyes widened.

She picked the hand phone from the rack as her teeth gritted in anger. She pressed the sequence #008 and waited for the line to connect.

The boys made their move, the one standing right beside the sofa and the one hiding near the kitchen followed, the last one... waited, for some reason. She disarmed the one who came at her with what looked like a baton/spear. She dodged and slashed the veins on his hand, he almost dropped the spear, but held on. The other swung at her face with what looked like a club. She turned and blocked with her kunai's hilt, then kicked his elbow joint.

The spear near slashed her stomach as the third one joined the fight. The line connected as she lodged the her kunai into the spear and zapped it. The iron alloy head of the spear perfectly connected to the iron held by the holder's damaged bleeding hand, delivering a fatal jolt. He dropped the spear and flew into the guy joining the fight.

"Carlos... you elaborate idiot" She screamed into the phone.

"That is not my name" the line answered.

"Shut up" she hissed.

She pressed her kunai into the guy who was momentarily dazed by his acquaintance's death slashing an artery open. He staggered before she could pull it out, so she had to settle for the club in his hand. Which she bashed into the head of the naive late bloomer.

She wiped the blood off her face, as a monotonous "you done?" rung out.

"I'm gonna ask you a question and choose your answer carefully" she said punctuating each word with a pause.

"Agent" the line drawled, "we understand your displeasu-

"You do-fucking-not" she cut him off.

"Fine... tell me what is your inconvenience and how can I solve it?" the line replied as deadpan as ever.

"Firstly, don't give me that call center care tone" she parroted, "Secondly, you had one job Carlos." She bolted her door close and wandered around checking her home.

"That is not my name."

"Valentina isn't mine either but you used it for 3 straight missions. I comply.. I wear this stupid dress and that ugly bob and you let people break into my house."

"Agent, I'm terribly sorry-"

"They broke the cog mechanism in my irrigation system. Now my plants are gonna die." She wallowed.

He sighed, "The cog mechanism from the lock picker I gave you?"

"It broke and you were gonna feed it to the shredder, I fixed and gave it a purpose."

"Fine what do you want me to do?" he said in a voice that sounded like it stifled a yawn.

"Fix it... duh" she said into the phone finally leaning onto her window frame content that she was alone... except for the bodies, "And I need a clean up."

"The clean up crew will be there in 15...  3 bodies I presume?"

"Correct! Handled... no thanks to you"

"Well thank you... Valentina..." he grated on her nerves from the other side of the line.

"You need to be thankful that I don't have a carpet. There's blood polling around" she said picking her nails. 

"Noted" he grunted, "we'll take care of it."

"And the cog mechanism?" she asked.

"We don't use that particular one anymore" he  said with a click of tongue.

"Then buy one..."

"They're expensive...." 

"Well I need it" she emphasised eying the apple on the floor and debating if it could be edible.

There was a beat of silence and then, "Well,  a treasurer two blocks from you is holding a may day sale, he might have it."

She pinched the bridge between her eyes softly, "I hate you."

"Better hurry" he cheered.

"Well Carlos... your stupid dress is  now covered in blood, good luck with that" she snapped and cut the call immediately after his frustrated sigh.

~

She changed into a teal sweater and grey sweatpants paired with a wooly scarf wrapped around her like a turtle neck almost reaching her nose. She took the pom pom purse, (she was keeping it as compensation) and walked out of her room. 

She carried a useless coffee machine and her kunai with her. Treasures usually hoarded things, so she hoped someone would trade the coffee machine and fix the kunai, in the sale or in the street.

She walked on the sideways lazily, the exhaustion catching up to her as her adrenaline wore off. 

~

The shack looked exactly as she expected it to... but it was emptier than she had guessed. She yawned as she entered it. 

"Lovely night Madame" an annoyingly cheerful  voice greeted her, "I'm Dreykov and this is my shack, so this is indeed called Dreykov's shack. How can I help you enjoy your experience at Dreykov's shack?"

She sighed.

"Fix this" she dropped the kunai on the desk, "and find me a Pickett T30." She held on to the coffee mug, it was an odd instinct but she still did follow it.

He snapped his fingers and a man wearing goggles perked up from under the desk adjacent to her. He pointed at the kunai and the man nodded.

He then turned to her with a fake sweet smile, "Quite a tricky thing you want here.."

"Do you want it?  she deadpanned. 

"I do.. it is a rare item but I do have it" he said with that stupid smile.

She rolled her eyes, "How much?"

"600 won" he said.

"That is too much" she declared.

"I'm being generous here" he announced.

"I fail to see how this is generous" she announced back.

"Do you not have the money?" his smile was still in it's place.

"I do have the money.. I just don't want to spend it" she said in despair.

"Well nothing I can do about that" he said followed with a tsk tsk and placed the picker on the desk. For her to ogle at and lament and then buy.

She stared at it, hard.

"How is the damn coffee machine more expensive than the glock?" A voice rung out, barely. Many threw a quick glance and then turned back to their business. 

It was a tall lean woman standing at the other of her desk with her hand propped on it. She wore a red fitted but not tight T shirt and cargo pants. 

She could recongise that stance anywhere, the confidence. Wolf in sheep's clothing!

"Actually how does the newer version cost more than the older version?" she parroted at a man who wasn't Dreykov.

"The newer version has a sale on it" the man said with all the professionalism of a barista serving a drunk teen, "why don't you buy that one?"

"It ruins my tea" she said in disgust.

"It is a coffee machine" he pointed out.

"It is whatever I want it to be when it is in my hand" she emphasised.

"Well give me  800 won or leave with your glock" he responded. 

The girl sighed and looked around, the sauntering gaze fell on the pom pom bag in her hand. Suddenly, her spine straightened. She had felt almost, cornered. 

The eyes left her and the feeling vanished.

This wasn't a wolf in sheep's clothing, this was a Viper.

Interesting!

"That coffee machine..." she heard the woman say.

"It's old" she replied, "I'm willing to trade it." 

"How much?" she asked.

"300 won" she stated. She had technically stolen it so anything was a profit.

"Deal," they gave a nod to each other.

"I do not encourage  you ladies doing this in my business place" Dreykov said returning with her kunai.

"Shut it Dreykov" they both said without missing a beat and Dreykov, cleverly, did. She slid the cash for the picker and took the kunai, inspecting it. 

The woman waved her glock, signaling that she had paid for it and turned to leave. Then she paused, "A piece of advice... it hurts better with lithium polymer batteries."

"Noted" she said with a nod. She got a wave back in response as the footsteps recede. 

She pocketed her picker , her Kunai and sauntered out minutes later. Alone and oddly content. 

To be continued....

1840 words... Well this one definitely wrote itself... 

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