Dark Obsessions (Emma Myers X Jenna Ortega)

Chapter five

Moscow, Russia - 22:45

Emma hates coming to Russia, that's the simple truth of it all. Being here is never pleasant with all the violence that is constantly happening within the country, and she always makes a conscious effort to stay off the beaten path whenever she's in town. Moscow is not a safe place for spies, not even in the slightest. Everywhere in this country is dangerous for a spy, but this city in particular comes with so many risks.

Outside of the dangers, Emma hates the weather here, and she truly does not want to come to this country in the middle of winter. Moscow is, of course, a beautiful city, Emma can appreciate that. What she cannot appreciate is the fact that it's below freezing outside, the ground is covered with about seven inches of snow already, and the forecast has more arriving overnight. This is undoubtedly the worst time to be here for a mission that requires Emma to get in and out of cities quickly, but there is little other choice.

Drew had called her only two days after Emma had wrapped up in Singapore with the institute there. She had been about to board her plane back to Europe when her phone went off, and she had to find a pay phone to place the call to Drew. It was then that he let her know it was time to come here to take on the job that had been brought to her about a month ago. So Emma had changed her plans at the last minute.

Now she's here, sitting in a rundown bar just outside the main part of the city, sipping Stoli vodka martinis as she waits for the call that should be coming into the bar payphone anytime now. The bartender has been paying her no mind, something that Emma appreciates because it has allowed her to go over the information sitting in front of her. Everything in the file is written out in French, something that Emma would be surprised to learn any of the patrons here spoke, so she's safe to have it laid out here.

Drew had been wrong about the target being a mob leader, though he rarely actually checks the targets, instead focusing on the reason they're being sought after. Instead, the man here is a media mogul, someone who is trying to rise to fame. The way he wishes to do that is by exposing information that he has no idea is tied to the Operative. From what Emma has read, this man hardly has enough information to bring down the Operative, but it would cause a significant dent should someone from the outside hear his reports and look into it.

So tomorrow Emma begins tailing him to find out not only what he knows but also who he might have told about this. Given the tense political situation here with the government and the media, it really won't take much to make his murder appear as if it happened at the hands of local government officials. Before Emma jumps to murder, she will see if this situation can be remedied with more subtle measures. Usually a good server wipe does the trick, even if all Emma removes is information relative to the Operative.

The seat next to Emma is pulled out, and she turns her head in surprise. There are countless other empty seats along the bar, and yet this woman has chosen to sit right near Emma. Closing the file, Emma takes her in from the corner of her eye while the woman converses with the bartender in Russia. The woman is wearing a warm looking quilted forest green coat that wraps around her body, and a pair of heeled boots on her feet. There's nothing particularly practical about her outfit when the weather is this cold.

Objectively, the woman is rather pretty, certainly someone that Emma would go for if she weren't here on official business. Soft blonde waves fall around the woman's shoulders, brushing over the top of her coat as she shakes her head at something the bartender says. She's wearing a light amount of makeup, but dark red lipstick colours her lips and pulls back to reveal a pretty smile and cute dimples when the woman laughs.

"I'll have a vodka martini, extra dirty, stirred," the woman orders in Russian with an accent that lets Emma know she isn't from here,

"Actually, make those two."