With a Pull of a Trigger

Chapter Twenty-Three

Virginia was still the same, she found. Among everything else that had changed in the past few weeks—no, months—Virginia was still quite the same, what with it being the base of almost every kind of defense system of the USA.

Tiredly, Reini reached for the cabinet overhead, opening it to grab her small luggage. Heaving a sigh, she put down her luggage, walked down the small staircase of the jet, and walked towards the sleek black car awaiting her, her small black luggage rolling behind her. A chauffeur wearing a nondescript black suit opened the car door, and Reini stepped inside, letting the chauffeur close the door and put her luggage in the trunk. After a few seconds, the chauffeur went inside the car, started the engine, and drove away, exiting through one of the airport’s many private gates.

Reini looked out the window, at the constant change of scenery, and took a deep breath, closing her eyes. “Where did Agent Chase instruct you to bring me?” Reini asked quietly, her voice so soft the chauffeur had to strain to hear her.

“The Pentagon,” said the chauffeur in a voice that betrayed no emotion, his eyes still looking straight ahead.

Reini nodded and looked back outside again, feeling too cold in the silent car. When she finally realized that they were nearing the Pentagon, she reached into her suit jacket and got out her ID, clipping it to her pocket right after. After what seemed like ages, the chauffeur finally turned the engine off, climbed out of the car, and opened her door. Her face remained impassive, not wanting to show anything else than respect and formality.

Reini walked with a purpose, like most agents did. Unlike the other agents, though, hers was something respected. The tight security at the entrance merely nodded at the sight of the ID clipped to her jacket, and she nodded back, a mere tilt of the head.

In the world of espionage, Reini was quite known. She was known as the girl who managed to go so quickly up the ranks despite having started at the agency at age twenty-five, a time when most have already been working at the agency for five years and were still desk agents against their will, forced to deal with the paperwork of the ones who were good enough to be field agents. Those who knew her parted like the red sea when she walked, and those who didn’t, well, they knew enough, could sense enough respect pouring out of everyone else in waves to know that Reini wasn’t someone they could easily mess with.

The sound of high heels making contact with polished granite echoed slightly in the large room. Reini walked to the corner where a woman sat behind a large granite counter, her eyes directed at the screen placed to the right. Reini cleared her throat, watched as the woman looked up and wordlessly gave her a piece of paper. Reini took the paper in her hand and nodded; walking away after the woman nodded back and looked back to her computer screen.

The piece of paper wasn’t cut, it was ripped, and Reini took a look at the instructions written on the small piece of slightly brown paper.

Harold Thatcher

Head of Liaisons Department

Dispose of this right after.

Reini was standing in the middle of a crowded lobby, and in her hands was a piece of paper she had to dispose of immediately. Vaguely, as Reini searched for an ashtray, she wondered what exactly was so important they had to make her dispose of it as soon as possible. Once she spotted an ashtray located near the hallway leading to the comfort rooms, she walked quickly, a pleased smile appearing on her face when she noticed a barely put-out cigarette. She put the paper on the ashtray, held the still hot cigarette to the edge of the brown paper, and nodded to herself when the paper started to burn, inches of paper disappearing until there was nothing left but ashes.