Damien's POV
SITE: THE PENTAGON .
LOCATION: UNKNOWN.
I sat near the wall with the assistants and bodyguards listening to the arguments of government officials on the best defense sector for the mission.
" I think the military is the best sector for this job." The General said.
" The CIA agents are the most experienced in missions like this." The head of the CIA argued.
" And yet they have failed." The head of the FBI retorted and started another round of arguments.
" Enough!" The Minister of defense exclaimed and the room went silent.
" Agent Myers, what is your opinion on this?" He asked.
I stood up and buttoned my suit jacket aware that the eyes of the most powerful people in the USA's defense sector were on me.
" Well, any one of these sectors will be fine as long as their 'agent' have the qualities we are looking for."
" And what are these qualities?" The Minister asked and I smirked.
" Well, we need someone who has knowledge of the human mind, a master of deception, an illusionist. Someone who can slip in and out, a thief. Of course, she can't be defenseless, she should be a master of mixed martial arts or any form of martial arts. We need someone who's distractingly beautiful, who can catch attention and keep it if needed. A master behind the screen, a hacker."
"I think I know just the person." The head of the prison authorities said and I raised an eyebrow.
This should be interesting.
***************
SITE: MINISTER'S OFFICE.
LOCATION: MINISTRY OF DEFENSE, USA
" Sir, she's the perfect person for the job and you know it." Travis, the head of the prison authorities said.
" Look Travis, she's a convict." The Minister of said.
" So what?"
" Okay can we all just calm down" I said cutting in
" Sir, what do we have to lose by checking her out?" I asked. The Minister paced round his office weighing the options then he sighed.
" Fine. Tomorrow we'll go to NYC's women prison."
***
SITE: NEW YORK CITY'S WOMEN'S PRISON.
LOCATION: NEW YORK CITY, USA.
" Welcome Sirs." A woman who was probably in charge of the prison greeted.
" Thank you. We're actually here to visit a prisoner." The Minister said and I saw the woman visibly relax and chuckled.
' She must have thought we were here for an inspection.'
" We're here to see Kim Reynolds." The Minister said once we were in her office.
" I'll send for her." The head warden said picking up the phone on her desk. She spoke with someone for a few minutes before ending the call.
" Uhm, Kim is unavailable at the moment."
" Why?" The Minister questioned authoritatively.
" She, uhm, y- She's a very good illusionist so we allow her to do have a show once a week and the inmates who behave are allowed to watch. A lot of the inmates are on their best behavior just so they can watch her."
" How long till the show ends?" Travis asked in annoyance.
" She has ten minutes left."
" Can you take us there?" I asked and her eyes widened. She looked over at the Minister and at Travis for any sign of disapproval but nodded when she didn't see any.
" Sure. It's right this way." She said leading us out of the office.
" Here we are." The woman said opening the doors of the cafeteria.
She wasn't kidding when she said a lot of inmates came to watch, we couldn't see Kim because of the crowd
"Hello." A voice rang out but the inmates were still chattering
" Everybody shut up!" A voice yelled and the whole room was quiet.
" Thanks Irene. How's everyone doing?" The voice from earlier which I'm assuming is Kim's asked but didn't get a response
" Wow, tough crowd." She said and some inmates chuckled.
" Well I don't know 'bout you but I am loving this place. Nah, I'm just kidding I'd be a real psycho if I actually enjoyed this hellhole." She said and the crowd laughed.
" Okay, we're getting there. I mean mystery meat?!, I know I'm gonna die here no need to speed up the process." She said the crowd laughed again.
" Okay, so today I'm going to be doing a, wait for it.... Card trick!!"
The crowd grumbled upon hearing that and Kim had to calm them down.
" Hey! I have limited resources. I'm in jail for crying out loud! I've spoken to the management about getting me more resources but they keep saying they don't have enough funds which I personally know is a big fat lie. I think they just don't trust me, they probably think I'll escape if I had enough resources. Which I probably will."
" Once I'm out of here I'd probably just mind my own business, living under the radar but I'm pretty sure some people will want to introduce me to some shady business. But I'll be like ' Jail?!, Been there! Done that! Over it! So not going back there!" Kim said with a saucy southern accent and I smiled.
Her voice was smooth and it had this tone that automatically makes you feel relaxed. She talked with confidence like she was performing at a show and not in front of inmates.
" Alright. Can somebody hand me a pack of cards and a pen? Thanks warden but, don't go yet I need you to shuffle the deck and pick a card. You've picked it? Okay, no don't show me but you can show it to the others.
Now I want you to sign on the card anywhere you want to. Don't worry I'm not going to forge your signature. Or am I?" She said and the crowd went 'Ooh'.
" Kidding. I'm not going to forge your signature. Let's give it up for warden Andy." She said and the crowd applauded.
" Say Andy, you're kinda cute, oh you're married well your wife's one lucky lady. So, would you mind leaving her for me? Why not?! There's no rule against us getting married! Wait, there is? You're just making it up. You probably think I'm going to kill you while you're sleeping but I'm not. Well, at least not yet. First, I have to get your social security number and your credit card pins."
Standing there, I realized why most inmates came to watch. It wasn't just because of the magic, it was also because of her personality. She found a way of making their situation seem better.
I turned looked over at Travis and saw him laughing at something Kim said. I turned to my right to look at the Minister and saw him smiling softly with a familiar look in his eyes
' Is that pain?'
" Alright. Now Andy, I want you to hold onto the pack but place your card on my palm but in a way that I won't see which card you picked. Good, can I get a lighter?.
Thank you now I'm going to burn the signed card. Done! Andy can you please spread the deck of cards. Now I'm going to close my eyes and pick a random card and that card will be the same card you picked earlier and signed on. Impossible right? Well to make it more interesting, I'll do it backwards with my eyes closed." She said and the crowd 'oohed'.
" Is this your card Andy?"
"Yes!!"
" Thank you, Thank you!, You're too kind." Kim said trying to calm the crowd.
" I know y'all are wondering ' how did she do that?!!' but, what you should be wondering is ' where'd she go?' "
The crowd parted and the spot where Kim must have been standing was empty
The crowd were searching for her but soon gave up. I saw someone slip out of the cafeteria the side door out of the corner of my eye.
' Must be Kim.' I thought.
" Found her. " I said and started making my way to the side door with the Minister and the Travis right in tow.
Illusionist [✓]
The side door led to a hallway and thankfully, Kim was still there.
" Kimia." The Minister called and she stopped walking.
' Who's Kimia?'
" There are only two people who call me by my full name and one of them is dead. Hello Minister." She said and then turned to face us.
Immediately she turned another thing went off my checklist.
Distractingly beautiful [✓]
Kimia had a very tanned skin with a small face that was framed by a mass of long, wavy ómbre hair. Her hair was black from the roots till her elbow and then grey till her waist. She looked small to me even though she was about 5'6 but I was still taller at 6'2. But, what caught my attention the most was her eyes. She had heterochromia. Her eyes were two different colors. The left eye was blue-grey while the right eye was bright green.
" Your eyes, they're two different colors." I mumbled.
" Wow give the man an award, he's a genius." She said sarcastically pursing her small lips
" Kimia we have to talk to you about something very important." The Minister said.
" Well it must be important for the Minister to come see me in person." She said.
" Come on, let's talk somewhere else."
We followed her as she walked down the hallway and then she stopped in front of a door that read ' warden's lounge'. She then removed a pin from her hair and picked the locks.
Thief [✓].
" These people really need to improve their security system." She said and the Minister gave Travis a pointed look.
" Step into my office." She said opening the door and going straight towards the cabinets.
" So what do you want?" She asked her back turned to us as she raided the cabinets for snacks
" We need your help." I said and she chuckled.
" Wow, the people who put me in this hell hole need my help. With what?"
" It's a mission." The Travis said.
" Don't you guys have agents for stuff like that?" She asked clearly uninterested.
" We do but, we know you'd be the perfect person for this mission." The Minister said and she turned to look at us with an amused smile playing on her lips.
" Wait, so let me get this straight, you want to catch a criminal by using another criminal?"
" Yeah?" Travis answered unsurely.
" Fine, but what's in it for me?" She asked leaning against the counter with a pile of snacks next to her.
I stared at her as she and couldn't look away she seemed mysterious and I found myself trying to solve the mystery. I wanted her to be my partner on the mission
I looked at the Minister silently asking if he had anything to offer her but he shook his head.
' Don't say anything. Just keep your mouth shut.' I told myself.
I had been through a lot as an agent. I had been drugged more time than was ever considered possible, I had been hung off a building several times, I had been shot multiple times, in all I have been tortured but not once have I ever lost my control.
But under Kimia's scrutinizing eyes, my control slipped.
" We'll get you out of prison!!" I blurted.
" What?!" The Minister and Travis exclaimed
Then she laughed,
And I was a goner.
" Thanks for the offer but, I'm not interested." She said and walked out.
Where'd all the snacks go?
" Myers, are you crazy?!, you know we can't get her out of prison permanently, well not unless the President is involved!" The Minister exclaimed.
" I know that, you know that, but she doesn't. Look, we tell her that we'll get her out of prison permanently, and then she helps with the mission after which we tell her that we tried our best to get her out of prison but the only thing we could do was shortening her sentence."
" But she refused the offer." Travis said.
" Why she did, I'm trying to figure out." I said staring at the door.
