The cold marble floors of the bank gleamed under the morning sun streaming in through tall, arched windows. Cassie and Anya entered, the sounds of their footsteps blending with the quiet hum of activity as tellers exchanged pleasantries with early patrons. It was an upscale establishment, catering to those who preferred discretion—a fitting place to hide something so dangerous.
Cassie's heart thudded in her chest as they approached the main lobby. She could feel eyes following them, searching for any sign of nervousness or deception. Anya, dressed in a sharp gray suit, moved with the confidence of someone who had walked this path countless times. Cassie followed, adjusting her coat and keeping her head down to avoid unwanted attention.
"We need to get to the security office first," Anya whispered as they passed a row of counters. "If we trigger any alarms, we'll be cornered before we reach the deposit box."
Cassie nodded, veering slightly to the left, away from the main flow of people. A uniformed security guard glanced in their direction but then looked away, disinterested. They reached a door marked "Employees Only," and Anya took out a small lock-picking tool from her pocket. With a few deft twists, the lock clicked open, and they slipped inside.
The hallway was narrow, lit by a dim fluorescent strip overhead. The muted thud of the door closing behind them felt like a shot in the silence. Anya gestured to the far end of the hall where the security room lay. Cassie took position, pressing her ear to the door, listening for movement. Inside, she could hear the low hum of monitors and the shuffling of feet. One person, maybe two.
Anya produced a small gas canister from her pocket, holding it up to Cassie before sliding it under the door. Cassie took a deep breath, bracing for the inevitable. The faint hiss of gas released, and within moments, a thud sounded inside, followed by silence.
They moved quickly, entering the security room to find a single guard slumped over a console. Anya checked his pulse to ensure he was only unconscious, then went to work on the monitors. Cassie watched the screens flicker as Anya hacked into the system, looping the camera feeds to buy them precious time.
"Done," Anya whispered, nodding to Cassie. "We have about ten minutes before the backup system reboots."
They slipped out and made their way down the hall to the main vault room. The heavy steel door loomed large, imposing, its electronic keypad blinking with readiness. Anya stepped forward, typing in a series of numbers she had memorized from an old contact. The keypad beeped, and the lock clicked open with a low groan. Cassie pushed the door, and they were inside.
Rows of safety deposit boxes lined the walls, each one identical in its brushed steel exterior. Anya checked the numbers, her finger stopping at one labeled 431. Cassie felt her pulse spike. This was it.
Anya inserted the key Nikolai had given her, and with a small twist, the lock opened. Inside was a plain manila envelope, nondescript and almost disappointingly ordinary. Cassie grabbed it, her fingers trembling slightly as she pulled out the contents. Pages filled with names, dates, and places—all evidence pointing to double agents, informants, and rogue operatives within the agency.
"This is it," Cassie breathed, her mind racing with the possibilities this list held. But before she could savor the moment, a noise from behind made her freeze. The vault door slammed shut, the echo reverberating through the room.
A man stood just inside, dressed in the crisp suit of an operative. His eyes were dark, calculating, and his mouth curved into a thin smile. Cassie recognized him instantly—Martin Hale, the agency's fixer, known for cleaning up messes no one else would touch.
"Well, well," Hale drawled, his voice smooth as polished steel. "It seems I'm just in time for the main event."
Cassie's muscles tensed, and she glanced at Anya, who was already shifting her weight, readying herself for a fight.
"Hand over the list, Cassie," Hale continued, stepping forward. "You don't know what you're dealing with."
Cassie shook her head, slipping the envelope into her coat. "I know exactly what I'm dealing with. Corruption. Lies. The kind of power that keeps people like you in control."
Hale's eyes flickered with something unreadable before his smile widened. "Brave. But foolish."
Before he could move, Cassie launched herself forward, catching him off guard. They collided against the vault wall, the force knocking a stack of deposit boxes to the floor. Anya took the opportunity to dart forward, delivering a sharp elbow to Hale's side. He grunted but retaliated swiftly, twisting Anya's arm and sending her crashing into the metal shelving.
Cassie lunged again, grabbing at Hale's wrist as he reached for a gun holstered beneath his jacket. The room exploded into a tangle of limbs and sharp movements, the sound of metal clashing and grunts of exertion filling the air.
Hale managed to wrench free, raising his gun just as Anya hurled a fallen deposit box at him. The impact knocked him off balance, and Cassie seized the moment, kicking the weapon from his hand. It skittered across the floor, out of reach.
Panting, Hale glared at them, the mask of calm slipping to reveal raw anger. "This isn't over," he hissed.
Anya moved fast, pressing a button on the side of the vault that released the manual override. The heavy door creaked open just enough for them to squeeze through.
Cassie turned to Hale, a hint of defiance in her eyes. "No, it's not," she said. Then she and Anya bolted, leaving Hale shouting after them as the vault door swung shut behind them.
The bank was in chaos as alarms blared, but Cassie and Anya managed to slip through a side exit, disappearing into the maze of Prague's narrow alleys. Cassie clutched the envelope tighter, the weight of their actions pressing down on her with every step.
They were on the run, but now they had the one thing that could expose the agency and bring its web of lies crashing down. The question was whether they'd survive long enough to use it.