Shadows of Influence - Villanelle

Chapter 1

Sara had been sitting at her desk for hours going through paper work, when Eve approached her. She looked up, relieved to see her only friend since she moved to London for her master's degree 2 years ago. The people here were nice and London was an amazing city, but as a major in political science she had barely had any free time since she arrived.

She had been picked up by the MI6 and offered an internship during her last semester, it was of course an offer she couldn't refuse. She loved the team she got assigned to. Under the agent Eve Polastri, the group had a relaxed and friendly environment, even though it got serious when needed.

''Hey, glad i caught you''. Eve said as she approached. ''We've got a new assignment coming up, and I could use your help''.

Sara jolted up and looked at Eve with a smile. ''Hey Eve, of course. What do you need me for?'' she said hastily.

Eve returned her smile warmly, ''Great, thanks for being so quick. We've got a lead on a potential threat to national security. There's a high – profile politician attending a conference in a few days, and we suspect there might be an attempt on their life''.

Eve handen Sara a folder containing background information about the politician, as well as details about the conference. She looked at her with tired eyes and continued speaking with a sigh. ''I need you to go through this, gather any relevant information, and report back to me. We need to be prepared for anything''.

Sara took the folder from Eve's hands with a sinking heart. ''Poor guy, this is why I could never go into politics'' she said in a sad tone.

''Yea it's a though world out there'' Eve nodded. ''But thats why we're here. Dont't worry, you're doing important work here''. She placed a reassuring hand on Sara's shoulder.

''Of course'' Sara responded. ''I'll get to it''. She knew she was getting into a serious world when she accepted the internship at MI6. But when reality hit, it was way harder than on paper.

Eve smiled back at Sara, appreciating her confidence. '' I knew I could count on you Sara. Don't hesitate to ask if you need anything. We will reconvene later to go over things''.

Eve walked away and Sara started going through the folder. It contained information about the politician, and the times and locations of the various events at the conference. Additionally the folder included reports from intelligence agencies suggesting possible threats from extremist groups with a history off violence.

Sara dedicated her time collecting the relevant information about the politician, and the time schedule off the conference. She also looked into the extremist groups mentioned in the report, and their past activities and known members.

After several hours off investigation she discovered some concerning patterns suggesting that one off the extremist groups might have ties to individuals withing the conference's organizing committee. She quickly compiled a report and arranged a meeting with Eve tomorrow to discuss her findings. If someone on the inside off the conference's organizing committee had ties to a threatening group, it's possible that they were planning to exploit their inside contact to carry out an attack.

Meanwhile:

Villanelle had just arrived London a few hours ago. She had received a new contract, where the target was someone high profile.