Covert

Chapter One- Agent Autumn

“Agent?” A female voice spoke into the ear of an incapacitated young woman as she was carried into the back of a compact vehicle. Under the guise of nightfall, a figure covered in dark clothing disposed of her body within the confines of the car’s trunk before returning to the front seat of the car. The feeling of the engine having shook the car was just enough to allow her the chance to awaken and give herself a fair chance to escape with her life. With her surroundings having been dark and her hands having been bound behind her, she was limited to ways she could make a grandeur escape possible. Anything of use to her had been concealed by the pitch black nature of the trunk itself. Luckily, as the car was backing up, its red reversal lights had allowed her the chance to gain a slight crimson aura that showed her a tire jack near the far end of the trunk. Throwing her body weight to a full 180, the young girl fell for the sharpest edge of the mechanism-finding it to be near the bottom of the device. Then using the walls of the trunks as leverage, she began to pump her legs, grinding the rope upon the edge as it then began to loosen the grip of the rope enough so she could pull her hands free from their restricted binding. Upon the same moment of her gaining her freedom, the car’s sudden motion coming to a halt had alarmed her. She knew the eerie silence that filled the space around her had been anything but a good sign-and she was brought to the realization that she was running out of time. 

The car itself seemed to crash upon something that made her jolt forward and cut her wrist on the very jack that allowed her the chance to escape. It caused her to wince, before she was able to feel a slight drip fall onto her injured hand. The stinging caused from the water itself had allowed her to deduct the fact what was coming into the car had been salt water. She was within moments of her life being claimed by the vast ocean and nobody would ever find her body as she used an alias with anyone she came into contact with-aside from her employer. The young woman then began to search for anything in the car she could use to break through the trunk or the seat-realizing the jack would come of use once again. By the time she got it into a proper position, the bottom of the trunk had become sodden and the blood from her wound caused her grip to slip enough times to warrant a surrender-but she was not a quitter. Instead, she calmed her racing heartbeat and focused upon the jack set before her, using it to break open the trunk. The water tried to shut it immediately, allowing her only a matter of seconds for an escape. 

The freezing water hit upon her body like ice, making her muscles begin to tense up as she had been forced unconscious with a tranquilizer- worsening the circumstances that she found herself in. Nevertheless, she swam upwards until she broke through the surface. The sight of the stars above her and the silence of the beach had forced her to become one with the world around her-recalling the dark souls that resided-one of those that she was now given the green light to eliminate. With the car having been ditched in the ocean, she knew she could catch up to the driver as he would be on foot-having known more about him than even his closest family members-and knowing where he would be headed. The warm summer night of this particular date had allowed her to continue forward without worry of hypothermia as her damp clothing began to dry slowly to the small bursts of heat allowed in the forecast. With the man having ventured a small distance in front of her, the woman was left to remain as part of the shadows in order to catch him off guard. 

She followed the footsteps in the sand until they broke apart, taking a chance on her instincts, before coming to a figure on the beach that matched the description of the man she remembered and studied for the last few months. The woman managed to remain in the shadows up until the moment she brought a finger to his shoulder, interrupting a conversation he was having with a young woman out jogging. The young woman cleared her throat, having gained the man’s attention as he looked to her as if she was a ghost before him. The woman jogging then looked to her sodden appearance and smeared makeup-thinking the worst of her. 

“You may want to call the authorities...he just tried to kill me by stuffing me in a trunk and disposing of the car in the ocean. Ask for Officer Pattson-tell him it’s Autumn.” And with that, the young woman tore her phone from her pocket before the potential killer took hold of the cellular device, throwing it into the ocean. Knowing the woman was now in danger, Autumn tried to divert his attention to her, but it was too late-he had taken hold of the jogger. Unfortunately, the jogger fit this killer’s modus operandi, having chosen a victim with dark features; similar to that of Autumn. Everything from the chestnut brown eyes and slender build to the pale skin and emerald eyes had been similar to a ‘t’. But Autumn would not allow herself the chance to have a victim resting on her conscience. With this frame of mind, she watched as the man held the young lady in a choke hold and how she struggled-kicking up sand and gasping for breath. Autumn used the same sand to throw it in the man’s eyes, loosening his one grip until the jogger was able to break free. 

Autumn used her tactical training to knock the man face first into the sand and used the very ties used to keep her bound to lock him in place. Bringing the earpiece made useless during this mission, she carried it to her lips before speaking. “Agent Autumn, the target has been neutralized.” She spoke out of breath before sitting on the man’s back to keep him from escaping. She would remain here for a handful of minutes before the sight of red and blue flashing lights from police cars and an ambulance made their way to the scene. Giving a statement to authorities, Autumn had her wrist wrapped up in gauze and allowed to leave, as she stumbled back home. 

Having arrived to her apartment building, the very middle apartment on the top floor, she nearly fell asleep upon walking across the threshold. Forgetting about the mail for the moment and ignoring the messages on her answering machine, Autumn fell onto the bed, having crashed from the adrenaline, and allowed herself a peaceful sleep in knowing she took yet another scumbag off the street. Entering her office the next morning after rushing to avoid being late, Autumn found herself to be greeted with a round of applause as her story made the news headlines of yet another killer having been apprehended. Of course, due to the prestigious privacy of the organization she had been a part of, the jogger’s statement had been the one taken aside from her own; as she was left out of the report all together-but given a newspaper clipping as a memento of what she had done. 

“There is another case…” A woman dressed in a full black pant suit spoke as she swiped a small portion of her peroxide blonde locks over her shoulder before handing a file to Autumn. Due to her age, build, and persona, Autumn was given the cases of bait and seduction-similar to the case that nearly cost her her own life the night before. But she would not be allowed even a moment of rest as she was due to ‘meet’ her target without him knowing that it had been a ruse. The man in this instance had been named Justin Stallard, son of a suspected criminal. Cases such as these were usually trust fund babies who crack under pressure-and so she saw it as a walk in the park. However, as done upon the completion of reading a full dossier, an agent must forego their current look, residence, and connections in order to protect herself and the organization. Due to this, she was forced to leave everything behind in her apartment, that acted as more of a hotel, and make her way to a set of lifestyle gurus to help her change. First came the hair-having been forced to change her black locks to that of a honey blonde, complete with a trim of her eyebrows, and a small class in a new makeup style. She was then given a new phone, new laptop, an address of what her next location would be, and a plane ticket. Anything else she would need to know had been known in that dossier-leaving her to assume what it was about this man that they took interest in. 

Nevertheless, she made her way into the airport, feeling uneasy before boarding the plane-feeling a set of eyes she couldn’t quite pin to rest upon her. It was a feeling she couldn’t shake, but she boarded her first class seat, anyway, putting together a portfolio of a faux life and come into character, before noting a man having taken a spot beside her. The man was quite handsome, dressed in Armani and present with great care in his personal appearance. He was the kind of man she could distract herself with the long ten hour flight to her next location; Spain. Using occupancy of her personal cabin, she seduced this very man present with the pompadour haircut to keep her company for the duration of the flight, focusing mainly on oral presentations spoken between her thighs and the pleasure based on her satisfaction. His breath hot between her thighs had allowed her a slight amount of arousal-but nothing that allowed her to come to orgasm. Instead, she was left unsatisfied as the plane touched down-leaving her disappointed to her potential latin lover. 

While making her way off the plane, Autumn retrieved her luggage from the baggage claim, having been given a new ID for this alias as Rosaline Keene; a college student. Fitting the physical caliber of a student on vacation, she began to take up the persona immediately, still feeling that gaze follow her in this airport as well. Believing herself to be paranoid, she continued throughout the airport and into the taxi before being taken to her momentary residence. Of all the places she had lived, they were usually of a decent expense; complete with a hot tub or self-serving bar that was all paid for. But for this instance, she was forced into a run down motel that was clearly barely scraping by the health guidelines. Standing in the lobby while waiting for her hotel room key of this Bates Motel style layout, she noticed the sight of a man who seemed to look at her up and down. There was a clear lust behind his gaze that allowed her to understand his intentions-but due to her last run in with a random lover, she decided to just give a smile, before retiring to her room to try and ease herself from the jet lag. Pulling up her phone, she learned that her target is due at this hotel after deciding on an ‘afternoon delight’ with a payable woman. She was then given his hotel room number via a text and allowed a key through the dossier that allowed her to gain access to his room to search for anything she could to learn about him. 

She walked out from her hotel room and to the room directly diagonal from her that had been marked as Justin’s room. Sliding the key into the door, she struggled to get it open before making her way into his rental. Upon crossing the threshold, the aroma of weed and alcohol was palpable even before she made her way fully into the room. Garbage made up of empty alcohol containers and cigarette butts were set around the room with an erratic placement-even having one strewn within the light fixture that illuminated the rest of the room below her. Autumn knew she had been limited on time, and so she focused her attention upon the suitcase of her target. Surprised someone of his reveler ways held such an antique way of transportation items, she was intrigued to know if it held information that had been business related. Because of this, it piqued her interest, and so she moved towards it quickly, finding it to be unlocked. Pulling it open, a slew of paperwork sat jumbled and marked up, some having been unfolded and left as garbage-but one business card that allowed her to give a clue as to what it was he had been doing in Spain. The business card had been made holding the information of a lawyer-but she would be unable to research anything further at this point as a hand came around her mouth. The sound of a latin accent beginning to speak in her ear had given her a small hint as to who-or at least a detail of who it was that had taken her by surprise. 

“You are out of your depth, Americana…” He called her before forcing a bag over her head that had still held the scent of potatoes that had been placed prior to it being set over her cranium. Due to its lattice design, she was able to make out small details such as the room closing in on her while she was forced into the confines of an unseen closet. Within seconds, the figure, whom she was now able to determine to be a latino male standing at six two and with the similar motives that she held in being in this room. Before she was able to stand at attention in the closet, she was blocked into the door by something long and thin being fit in the handles of the door to where she could not escape. However, even if she was unable to make her way out, that did not mean she would allow herself to give up just yet. She watched the man’s movements, trying to pin anything down to later identify him or even his reason for being in Justin’s room. But she was only able to watch him pace within the room, collecting unseen items, and then finally leaving before speaking to her “Besos, novia.” She was able to understand from her senior year of high school that he was taunting her by speaking “kisses, sweetheart’ before leaving her to be discovered by the current resident of this hotel room. 

Knowing what was at stake for being uncovered, Autumn looked around the closet, in search of anything that would allow her an alibi for being forced into the closet. And then, it came to her in the sight of a white sweater that had been left upon the ground after falling from its hanger. Pulling it around her waist, she could hear the sound of his door opening and the sound of an American man’s accent and spanish females making their way into the room. She knew by his dossier that Justin was a heavy drinker, so much so that it would be rare to catch him sober- and so, she prayed that her idea would work. When hearing him enter and close the door, she began to beat from the inside of the closet to gain their attention. One of the girls who was the cliche big breasted and low IQ female that men like him saw as easy targets, was the one to make their way to Autumn to release her. Having tied the sweatshirt around her to give her black dress the final touch to appear like the help, she quickly threw down her hair to seem as though she had been in distress before this moment. 

“Gracias! Muchas Gracias! Fui atacado...encerrado…” She tried to recall those damned verbal tests from high school, explaining to the girl who came upon her that she was attacked and locked away. The woman then spoke to her in spanish before Autumn assured the young girl that she was alright, before making her way from the hotel. Thanks to her photographic memory, she was able to recall the phone number from the business card that she never had a chance to take with her. Recalling this, she spoke the numbers over and over again in her mind to be sure not to forget them until reaching her own hotel room. Dialing it in the old rotary phone that the hotel had in each room, it took her a full minute to act the part, before the sound of knocking came at her door. Without the safety of a peephole in her door, she was forced to rely on her instincts before she opened it, finding a man to enter with a gun, while he appeared to be beaten up and out of breath. At first, she was concerned that it had something to do with drugs as the location she had been in was infamous for arrests made here, but when he spoke to her, she was able to recall where she knew him from. 

“Hola, novia…” It was clear he recognized her as he carried a gun to her forehead, pushing her back within her room. She was at least ten feet away from her weapon and truly at the mercy of whoever this man was-as it was apparent that he located her for a reason. She became anxious to know what said reason would be.