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.”