Pink Viper
As my senses slowly awakened from sleep, my instincts warned me to stay alert. Suddenly, everything that happened yesterday flooded back to me one by one. I quickly glanced under the sheets, and to my surprise, I was completely naked.
Shit, don’t tell me.
I turned my head slowly, and as the weight of reality crashed down on me, I realized the consequence of my actions last night was sound asleep beside me.
Fuck!
I had to quietly slip away before he woke up and find another time to accomplish what I came here to do.
I spent the night with my enemy. He was my target, and instead of doing my job, I ended up sleeping with him. I found myself surrendering to his magnetic allure, despite repeatedly telling myself that I would never go down that road. And yet, here I am.
Ugh, what’s wrong with me?
This was the first time I acted so recklessly.
Carefully, I removed the covers from myself to grab my clothes so I could get ready to leave. Just as I swung my legs over the side of the bed, I felt a firm grip on my wrist. He pulled me back, hovering above me.
“Where do you think you’re going, trouble?” He said, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips. His eyes sparkled with mischief as they locked onto mine.
Two weeks ago:
I stood still, surrounded by the aftermath.
I left them breathing. Barely.
They were amateurs—overconfident and loud. I had warned them once; I told them they needed to be cautious, but they didn’t listen.
Four bodies sprawled on the ground. One of them tried to crawl, his fingers twitching as they reached for a weapon nearby. Without a hint of hesitation, I pressed my foot down on it, crushing it beneath my heel. He let out a low groan, but I didn’t flinch. I kicked him in the head, and he immediately lost consciousness.
I crouched beside him, pulled the flash drive from his pocket, and tucked it into my jacket. The mission was complete.
I stood up and took out my secondary phone—the untraceable one. I opened the encrypted app and typed just two words:
‘Package secured.’
I slipped the phone back into my coat as blood coated my knuckles. Most of it wasn’t mine.
One would wake up with a dislocated shoulder, another with a shattered knee. The other two might need help remembering their names. But they’d live. I made sure of it.
Not because I had any concern for their lives; killing them would have drawn attention I didn’t need. I had already stayed longer than I should have.
I slipped through the back door of the warehouse. It was raining heavily. With my hood up and blood drying under my collar, I lifted my head to look at the sky as I let the rain wash over my face, as memories of the past flooded my mind.
When I was born, my parents didn't want me, and I ended up in foster care. Over the years, no one wanted to officially adopt me, which made me feel unwanted and abandoned. In response, I began acting out by fighting at school, but it never suppressed the anger I felt deep inside. Eventually, I turned to stealing and vandalizing properties.
Because of my record, when I turned sixteen years old, I was placed in juvenile detention and was about to be sent to an adult prison. The day before my transfer, a man in a black suit named Samuel Wilson came to make me a proposition. He offered me a way out—a clean slate, to be exact. The only condition was that I had to work for them.
They trained me and gave me a new life as a secret agent. Six years after I was released from the juvenile system, they finally allowed me to work independently.
I became the youngest agent to succeed on my own.
When they need something done, they send me the target through encrypted messages. I receive at least 48 hours' notice before each mission.
I’m known only by my code name, Pink Viper, which has led me here today.
Fifteen minutes later, with my bag slung over my shoulder, I walked into a small hotel. I registered under an alias, aware that this place rarely asked questions. The lobby was dimly lit, and the tired clerk behind the counter barely looked up from the old magazine he was reading. I paid in cash. This was exactly the kind of place I was looking for—a brief escape from the outside world.
I went to room 304, which was at the end of the hall.
Locking the door behind me, I tossed my bag on the bed and put my coat over the chair. I needed a shower. When I entered the bathroom, the light buzzed when I turned it on.
I stripped off my clothes piece by piece, letting each piece drop onto the cold tile floor. I turned on the shower, and the hot water enveloped me in steam. When I stepped inside, I closed my eyes and allowed the warmth to wash over me, helping to wash away the blood from my skin.
Stepping out of the shower, I felt refreshed. I dried my hair and body with a towel before wrapping it around myself. Then, I went to the other room to put on fresh clothes.
I grabbed the plastic bag I always keep on hand and headed to the bathroom. I removed my bloodstained clothes and placed them inside the bag. I will need to burn them later to dispose of them properly.
I was exhausted and ready to sleep on the bed. Before my head hit the pillow, the burner buzzed.
This must be important; I usually have 48 hours before the next assignment.
Reaching for the burner, I unlocked the cryptic code, and a message appeared on the screen.
Name: Adam Thorn
Objective: Surveillance, infiltration, possible elimination.
Accept: Yes / No
I never refused a mission. I pressed yes. This one will not be different from the others. I’ll face it head-on, prepared for whatever lies ahead.
