Winona Stratford: the Genius of Mortifer

Chapter 1: The Agents

Winona's heart was pounding as she jogged in Mortifer Park. She glanced over her shoulder. There were two suspicious men following her. It was usual for people to be jogging behind her, of course, it was a park! But these men were different - they were large and bulky, wearing black suits and sunglasses. They were also watching her. As they approached her, she quickened her footsteps. She was now afraid, her heart was in her mouth and she glanced over her shoulder every few seconds. She was fast, but no match for them.

Soon, the inevitable came. Their long brisk footsteps allowed them to move in front of Winona. As they stood in front of her, they remained still and emotionless as if they were robots. Her mind and body were working separately; her mind was telling her to run away, but her body just would not move. Just then, Winona jumped as one of the men's loud, deep voices sounded, "Good evening, Winona Stratford. I am special agent Sam Connor, and this is my partner, Fred Maxwell. We are from the MSA. We have been informed that you possess an extremely high IQ and are especially gifted in many things. We have a mission for you, but it is not secure to inform you here. Please follow us to a safer location." As they spoke, They took out their wallets to show an ID.

Winona stared at them in disbelief. MSA? Mission? High IQ? She did have to do an IQ test a few months back... but she never got back the results. Could this be true? Could she really be a genius, wanted by the MSA for a special mission? Winona had a gut feeling that these agents were genuine. She nodded and made a gested with her hand, inviting them to lead the way.

Winona followed the agents to an unknown area. The walk seemed like an eternity, Winona was excited, but also frightened of what consequences would come if she had been tricked. She fidgeted with her fingers as they walked and walked. Soon, they reached a run-down warehouse.