Chapter 4 Going Back

• It all started when I was a little girl. Taken in by my adopted father, I was trained to be a secret agent, not just for one government but for numerous covert organizations across the globe.
• My childhood was far from ordinary. Under his strict guidance, I mastered various martial arts, learned to survive in the harshest jungles, and perfected the art of adopting different personalities to extract vital information. Spying on high-profile targets and saving innocent lives were all in a day's work. I went through the worst of the worst, facing life-threatening dangers at every turn.
• Enemies were countless, each one desperate to eliminate me because I was one of the most powerful and skillful secret agents ever, despite my youth. I became a ghost, a deadly woman feared by those who trafficked in secrets and lies.
• My life took a devastating turn when my adopted father was killed in a bombing while trying to rescue hostages. His death shattered me, leaving me to face the world alone. Realizing that continuing in his footsteps would only lead to my demise, I decided to abandon the perilous life of espionage. I mourned him deeply, his loss marking the end of an era for me.
• In an attempt to escape my past, I relocated to a new city, adopted a new identity, and even deliberately got fat to avoid recognition. I buried Allison Miles, the deadly agent, and became Seraphina, an ordinary woman craving peace and love. It was during this time that I met Williams.
• For three and a half years, I lived a life so different from my past that it felt almost surreal. I was fat, weak, and content with the illusion of a loving marriage. But that illusion shattered spectacularly. Williams’s betrayal with my best friend, Jessica, was the final blow. I lost my baby in the aftermath of a harrowing accident, triggered by their heartless actions.
• Now, I was alone, divorced, broken, and bereaved, I realized how far I had fallen. But within that realization was a spark of the old fire that once defined me. The fat, weak Seraphina was a facade, a mask I could discard. The real me was still there, buried but not defeated.
• I stood in front of the nondescript building that housed the secret agents' hideout. From the outside, it looked like an abandoned warehouse, surrounded by overgrown weeds and a rusting chain-link fence. But I knew better. This was the place where I had trained, bled, and survived. A place that was designed to be invisible to the world.
• As I walked forward, I felt the hum of sophisticated security systems activate, invisible lasers scanning me from head to toe. A panel in the wall slid open, and a uniformed guard stepped out, his expression was of curiosity and suspicion.
• “Halt. What are you doing here?” he demanded, his voice authoritative. “How did you manage to find this place? It’s impossible to stumble upon this location even by accident.”
• I took a deep breath, meeting his gaze. “I used to be one of you,” I said firmly. “That’s how I found it.”
• The guard chuckled, a derisive sound that grated on my nerves. “You? One of us? Are you on drugs or something? Look at you.”
• I understood his skepticism. The fat, disheveled woman standing before him was a far cry from the sleek, powerful agent I once was. But I hadn’t come this far to be turned away.
• “I’m Allison Miles,” I said, my voice steady. “I used to be a top agent here.”
• His laughter sounded through the alley. “Allison Miles? That’s hilarious. Allison Miles was perfect in every aspect, unlike you.”
• Ignoring his taunts, I rattled off a series of codes, my words flowing in the cryptic language used only by the agency’s elite. “Delta-7, Bravo-3, Omega-12. Operation Nightfall. Cipher X-ray.”
• The guard’s laughter died abruptly, replaced by a look of astonishment. “Where did you learn that?” he asked, his tone now filled with respect and confusion.
• “I told you,” I replied. “I used to be one of you. And I need to see Viktor.”
• The guard’s eyes widened at the mention of Viktor, the agency's second-in-command. He hesitated, then spoke into his radio. Moments later, the heavy doors of the warehouse creaked open, and I was ushered inside.
• The interior buzzed with activity. Agents moved to and fro high-tech equipment lining the walls. But all eyes turned towards me, the unexpected visitor. The air was thick with curiosity and skepticism.
• The guard led me through a maze of corridors until we reached a heavily secured room. He knocked twice, then opened the door. Inside, Viktor sat at a large desk, his sharp eyes scrutinizing a stack of documents. He looked up as we entered, his gaze narrowing as it fell on me.
• “Who is this?” Viktor demanded.
• “She claims to know you, sir,” the guard replied, stepping aside.
• I took a deep breath, meeting Viktor’s piercing gaze. “It’s me,” I said softly. “Allison Miles.”
• Viktor’s eyes widened in recognition, then narrowed with suspicion. “Prove it.”
• “Operation Midnight Sun. You and I infiltrated the compound in Siberia. You had a scar on your left arm from the ice pick, and I saved your life when we were ambushed.” I recited a sequence of events, missions we had undertaken together, and details only someone intimately involved with the agency’s operations could know.
• Viktor’s expression softened slightly. “Allison,”
• he said, his voice laced with disbelief and relief. “What happened to you?”
• “I’ll explain everything,” I replied. “But first, I need your help.”