Arlington

Twenty-First Chapter

Location: The residence of Valery Strazio

Address: 220 20th Street South, Arlington, VA, 22240

Date: 2/12/2016

Time: 11:50 p.m.

There was a strange noise in the house. Like the boogeyman opening the closet door. Valery was in bed; the noise woke her from her sleep. Even though the creak was subtle and quick, she knew what people in her house sounded like. Agatha's voice came through the laptop. "There has been a breach." Valery's suspicions were confirmed.

That wasn't the part that surprised Valery, neither was the fact that 5 MKUltra Agents were in her house. It was the fact that they were using her technology. Those soldiers were wearing Valery's cloaking technology. She didn't see them on the screen until Agatha changed the view to heat sensor.

They were coming for her, and she was ready for them. The biggest mistake The Board made was giving Valery time to prepare. And prepared she was. This impending attack led Valery to sleep in her combat gear ever since the fallout. Those twin machete blades were used as neck support every night. She reached for them, pulling her weapons out from under her pillow. The helmet was on the night stand. She placed it on her head before she got out of bed.

She wouldn't take off the suit. She left it on her body for a month and a half. It was the only thing she could wear that guaranteed survival. Valery didn't take off the suit the entire time, not even for a shower. The body odor that collected inside was nauseating, but life and death situations bring out the worst in people.

* * *

Malachi was downstairs, parked outside with his wife. He was the one who plotted the assassination. He wanted to be responsible for the death of his friend. At least, that is what he wanted to portray. He had Agatha give Valery a heads-up on the situation a day before the plot. He wasn't sure if Valery had received the message.

He hadn't seen her in over a month, which was a drastic change for him. He was accustomed to seeing her several times throughout his week, even when he was on active duty.

At this moment, he had faith that Valery was going to figure a way out of the situation. Malachi and Jasmine had footage playing in the car. A few Agents were wearing body cameras. It showed how they were moving inside of Valery's apartment.

A hand pushed open Valery's bedroom door. The night vision came on the screen. The bed was empty. Suddenly, the camera feed died. There was a smile on Malachi's face; he knew that Valery was fighting back. He knew that his message had been received.

Jasmine screamed into the microphone, trying to get a response. There was none, just a stream of static. There was a loud thump heard on the right side of the vehicle, followed by the sound of broken glass hitting the floor.

It was the body of an MKUltra Agent that was thrown from 17 stories high. The commotion on the top floor was audible to Jasmine and Malachi. The smoke was venting through the windows of Valery's apartment, leaving a black streak in the night sky. The entire apartment was on fire.

Malachi put the vehicle into gear. "Too much attention. Babe, we have to get out of here." And they departed, only to return to the scene in the morning.

* * *

Location: The residence of Valery Strazio

Address: 220 20th Street South, Arlington, VA, 22240

Date: 2/13/2016

Time: 10:34 a.m.

Confirmation was coming in to Malachi that the body of Valery Strazio had been found. But Jasmine was skeptical. "I want to see the body for myself. I have to make sure it's her."