Chapter 9 The Black Box

Present Day

Like a thunderous bolt shattering the stillness, the alarm clock blasted off at 4: 00 am, stirring its owner wide awake. With a frustrated groan, Serena rolled over to the edge of the bed. She planted her feet firmly on the ground and staggered to the bathroom a few feet from her bed, where she searched and groped in the dark for the screaming alarm clock.

She found it where she had left it, blaring with a jarring sound, and killed it with a violent slap. The early morning became instantly still as it once was.

She stood in the dark for a moment, breathless, terrified, her heart pounding rapidly -but it wasn't from a nightmare. Serena never had nightmares. Rather, she didn't dream or she never remembers them.

It was from the cardiac arrest she flirted with each morning at the time when the thing erupted. Staring at the fluorescent numbers that glowed from the alarm clock, she realized how much she hated it -its piercing sound could wake the dead.

Yet she took it with her everywhere she went, given the nature of her job and her irregular sleep pattern.

The clock sat on the windowsill so that she would be required to move around a bit before it was silenced. Once up, she never allowed herself to crawl back to the comfort of her bed again. It was one of her rules. A rule she'd break at least twice a year and then ruin her entire day's schedule.

So the alarm clock stayed on the windowsill, where it served its purpose.

Flicking on the light switch, her eyes widened, and she gasped in horror at the state of her reflection.

Who is that?

The usual ginger-haired girl with piercing green eyes was nowhere to be found. The only thing piercing was the painful reality of her hair being dyed dark black -temporarily, for the sake of her mission.

Her hair shot in all directions, its curly nature back to dominate the previous hot iron effects. Her eyes were swollen, and white stuff was packed in the corners. A seam in the pillow left a bright red scar across the side of her face. She touched it, then rubbed it, wondering if it would go away.

Still pretty regardless, she thought. She bent over the bathroom sink and splashed cold water on her face, wetting her front hair. Grabbing her toothbrush, her eyes still on her reflection, she began scrubbing away the plaque and grime that accumulated in her mouth overnight.

It was then that thoughts of him ran across her mind without looking both ways. Her Prince Charming.

His kind but mysterious eyes, his flattering but dark smirk, his intoxicating scent, his thick deep, alluring voice, his thick, sleek black hair... she imagined running her fingers through them.

"What's happening?"

She abruptly asked out loud, the first words she said on Wednesday, July 18th.

"What is happening!?" She asked again, genuinely curious, her tone more demanding.

This feeling of attraction was alien to her. Calista Bloom grew up a man-hater. All she ever did was find out their most atrocious secrets and expose them before driving her tanto blade through their throat. She never trusted one. Not until she met Sylvester Peckham. Oh, and Tom, her gay best friend.

But Serena Lopez... her new identity. Serena Lopez seemed to have a soft spot for men. Maybe not so soft, or not just men. Maybe it was all Stefan.

She pondered these things as she completed her twenty laps on the treadmill, then showered and changed into a more comfy cloth. She needed to get Stefan off her mind, so she could focus on her mission.

"That should be very easy," she thought to herself sarcastically.

Finally, she let go of thoughts of him and then settled on her work chair.

As requested, the grand condo she paid $4000 for was completely stacked with everything she needed. A rotating foam chair and spacious work table included.

It was time to review her mission's paperwork before activating her mission protocol.

Without further ado, she sliced open the thick, large brown envelope with the word "CONFIDENTIAL" written on it in capital red letters.

Dipping her hand into the envelope, she pulled out a stack of papers still sealed in a plastic wrapper. The Chief's stern instructions still lingered in her mind: "Don't open the papers until you're in Italy, and your mission resumes." She hesitated for a moment, her eyes scanning the room as if searching for permission to disobey. Then, with a swift motion, she sliced through the plastic wrapper with a blade, revealing the contents within.

On the first paper was a hard copy picture of Melissa Forbes. The kidnapped politician's daughter.

Serena's eyes darkened.

"What kind of sick bastard kidnaps a 15-year-old girl from her birthday party." She muttered with disgust and a hint of personal connection to the case.

"A politician's daughter, no less." She added, irritated by the perpetrator's audacity.

The next three papers revealed damning evidence of Stefano De Ricco's illicit activities; money laundering, arms trafficking, and international drug smuggling. The remaining documents contained classified images and details of a nuclear weapon, the one allegedly hidden in Stefano's possession.

The final paper contained a single, direct instruction: "AGENT MUST ESTABLISH CONTACT WITH THE NUCLEAR WEAPON BEFORE INITIATING CONTACT WITH THE HEADQUARTERS."

"Is that it?" Serena asked sternly with deeply furrowed brows.

That was it.

There was no image of Stefano. There was no location to scout. There was literally nothing to work with.

How was she supposed to know what her target looked like?

How was she supposed to find a ghost in a huge city like Italy?

There were no answers to her questions. And given her bizarre instructions, there was no way to ask.

Even though she was warned that there was no confirmed location of Stefano's whereabouts, she still imagined they would leave some kind of hint to work with inside the documents.

She let out an exasperated sigh, rubbing her temple, she said. "You just love to make things hard for me, don't you, Chief?" She muttered to herself. "You just love to challenge me."

"Well, good thing I love to be challenged." She rounded up her review and packed up the documents. "It adds to the thrill." She added with a subtle smirk.

Just then, her phone screen illuminated with a message notification that came from an unknown number.

Bringing her phone closer to her eyes, she read:

~Hello, Serena. I promised you I'd see you soon. I'll come pick you up at 7:00 pm. Wear the dress.~

Serena's eyes widened. She had to reread the message to confirm she hadn't started seeing things. The message had no sender, but she was certain it was Stefan. It had to be.

Her mouth hung open with awe and surprise. She had no words. Yet, a devilish smirk found its way to her lips, intrigued.

"How?" she finally asked.

"Did he follow me?" She hated to think that he did. That would only mean that he was a creep. She hated creeps.

"Wear the dress? What dress!?" She queried, slightly irritated, yet thrilled.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Instinctively she got off her chair and raced to the bedside table where she had a gun placed in a drawer.

Who the fuck comes knocking at 6:00 in the morning?

The day just kept getting more thrilling.

Her senses perked up, she deliberately walked to the door from the side.

She hesitated before she looked through the peephole. All she saw was the opposite door, staring back at her. No human figure was there.

However, Serena wasn't one to be easily frightened.

Cautiously, she unlocked the door and lowered her body to the floor. Steadily, she placed her hand on the door handle, and in a swift movement, she opened it with one hand and pointed the gun straight ahead with the other, her finger placed firmly on the trigger.

Again, there was no one there. Just a black box tied with a red bow lying on the floor in front of her door.

She poked her head out, but she saw no one in the entire hallway.

What could be in the box? A bomb? Has she been made? Are Stefano's men after her? Serena's mind raced.

Another message popped up in her phone and she rushed towards it.

It read: ~Don't be spooked, darling. I'm sure you'll love the dress.~

The last thing Serena needed was a freak obsessed with her. She flung the phone and went out to grab the box.

She looked left and right again, there was still no one there. She resigned and locked the door before going to unbox what might be the 'dress.'