The woman smirked, pocketing the device. "You. Or at least, your skills." She glanced around, making sure no one else was listening. "I've been watching you for a while, Mikey. And I'm impressed. You're sharper than most of the agents your age, but alone you're not invincible."
Mikey's heart pounded, but he kept his expression cold. His mind raced. How long had she been watching him? And more importantly, who was she working for?
"You didn't answer my question," Mikey shot back, trying to keep his voice steady. "What do you want with me?"
The woman raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by his attempt to take control of the conversation. She took a step closer, but not close enough to be threatening—just enough to let him know she wasn't afraid.
"I'll get to that," she said. "But first, let's talk about your little mission at the warehouse. You and your team did well, but you poked your noses into the wrong place. There are bigger players in this game than you realize."
Mikey stiffened. She knew about the mission. She had to be connected to the group they were investigating. But then why hadn't she acted yet? Why this cat-and-mouse game?
"You're with them, aren't you?" Mikey asked, his voice low and accusing. "The group we've been tracking."
The woman let out a soft laugh. "I'm not with anyone, kid. I work for myself. And I could care less about the people you're after. My interests are... elsewhere."
Mikey's frustration grew. He was getting tired of the cryptic answers. "Then why follow me? What do you want?"
The woman's expression shifted, becoming serious. "Because you're valuable, Mikey. You've got talent, and people are starting to notice. But the thing is, you're young, inexperienced. You have potential, but if you keep running with your little team, you're going to get yourself killed."
She paused, letting her words sink in. "I'm offering you something better."
Mikey narrowed his eyes. He didn't trust her, not for a second. "Better how?"
She shrugged. "Protection. Access to intel you wouldn't get anywhere else. And most importantly, the chance to do something bigger than these small-time missions you've been running. The people I work with, we're the ones who operate in the real shadows, not the playground you've been playing in."
Mikey's mind raced. The offer sounded tempting, but it also reeked of danger. He had no idea who this woman was or what she truly wanted from him. Everything in his training told him to walk away, but something about the way she spoke made him hesitate. There was power in her words, a knowledge that went beyond what he had learned as an agent.
"You expect me to believe you?" Mikey asked, testing her.
The woman smiled faintly. "No. I expect you to be smart enough to consider it. You've seen enough now to know that the agency you work for doesn't tell you everything. They never do. They use people like you—young, talented, and expendable."
The word expendable hit Mikey like a punch to the gut. He had always suspected there was more going on behind the scenes, that the agency wasn't telling him everything. But hearing it laid out so bluntly shook him.
"You don't have to decide now," the woman said, her voice softening slightly. "But think about it. You can keep doing what you're doing—taking orders, following the rules—or you can join people who actually know how to win."
She turned, walking slowly back toward the entrance of the alley. "When you're ready, you'll know how to find me."
Mikey watched her go, his mind spinning with questions and doubts. He wanted to believe that he could handle it all—the missions, the secrets, the balancing act between his life as an agent and his life as a regular high school student. But this woman had planted a seed of doubt deep inside him.
As she disappeared into the night, Mikey was left standing alone, the weight of her words heavy on his shoulders. He didn't know what he was going to do next, but one thing was clear—his world was changing, and there was no going back to the way things were before.
Mikey finally stepped out of the alley, his mind still replaying the conversation. He glanced around, making sure no one else was watching him. The streets were quiet, too quiet, as if the entire world had held its breath during that encounter.
He kept walking toward his house, but his steps felt heavier now, his mind clouded by the weight of the decision he would soon have to make. The agency had trained him well, but they had never prepared him for this—the feeling of being caught between two worlds, both full of lies and secrets.
As he approached his front door, Mikey paused for a moment, staring at the familiar sight of his home. Inside, his family would be going about their normal routines, completely unaware of the storm brewing in his life. The life he had fought so hard to keep separate from his agent duties was slipping away, and no matter how much he tried to hold on to it, it was already out of his control.
He opened the door and stepped inside, the warmth of his home washing over him, but it did nothing to calm the cold feeling settling deep in his chest. He closed the door behind him, the sound echoing through the quiet house.
For the first time since becoming an agent, Mikey felt truly alone.