A thin band of light spread across the doorway leading into the old room. A pair of cameras directed at the spot fizzled before the electronics inside popped. The streak of illumination opened into a portal, and Sonya stepped through, hands behind her back. She raised a hand to her lips and coughed at the dust lingering in the air. She took another step or two and slowly panned her gaze around the room. Desks, tables, an old projector screen, filing cabinets and stacks of papers. She walked over to one of the desks and traced a pink nail over a binder that had been left there in a hurry.

She opened it and saw the faces of children next to profiles.

Two more presences joined her through the portal and it closed. “Ekaterina Popova,” she read aloud. “Ten years old. 135.13 Centimeters, 30.84 Kilograms. Mother is an accountant. Father is an engineer. ‘Demonstrates an aptitude for mathematics like her parents and keen intuition for physics based on tests. Personality markers indicate a strong leader. Approved for the Institution’.”

She flipped through the pages briefly before shutting the binder and looking up at the terrified woman standing between her and the looming figure of Marta. Marta was in her full combat gear, gauntlets and all. Her eyes were glowing faintly as well. Marta walked past the woman without a second glance and handed a handkerchief to Sonya, who held it over her mouth. She never broke eye contact with Polina. “Thank you, Marta.”

“Of course, Miss,” Marta said and stepped away with a bow.

“Where’s mine?” Sonya asked.

Polina swallowed so hard her throat bobbed. “It-it’s been a while since I’ve been here. It may take a moment to relocate.” She cleared her throat. “Y-you should be aware that being here on Russian soil in a secure area is a s-serious crime. You are not supposed to be-”

Sonya cocked an eyebrow. “Polina, do you think I care?”

Polina looked down at her feet. “No, you don’t.”

“No, I don’t,” Sonya agreed with a nod. “The only reason you are still alive right now is because you haven’t finished explaining why you and your government decided to come after my daughter and I. I think I’m getting an idea, but how about we cut to the chase?”

Polina looked back up at her, all the blood draining from her face. “...And after?”

“That is entirely up to you to decide how you leave,” Sonya said flatly.

The Russian representative let out a sigh of relief and nodded. “I understand.” She walked over to the binder that Sonya had been looking through and put her hand on it as well. “The Institute was a program created a few years before you entered kindergarten, I believe. The timeline varies based on who you talk to. It was originally proposed by…” she hesitated and looked around. “Is there anyone listening right now?”

“No one who will say anything. I possess Technopathy and other abilities that prevent eavesdropping,” Sonya said evenly. “Continue.”

Polina dropped her voice into a whisper. “The Night Society. A group of assassins that-”

Sonya snorted out a laugh. “Really? The Night Society?”

“Y-you know them?” Polina asked. “Is that how Sowards…”

“No, I handled him myself,” Sonya said flatly. “Blackrazor?”

Sonya’s shadow roiled and stretched, sliding out from beneath her as the woman let out a gasp, and Blackrazor rose up from it. Polina staggered backward and caught herself on a desk as the master assassin glanced around the room. “I was not aware of the program,” Blackrazor said. “It was probably a thesis project. The old Headmaster probably canceled it after finding out. He didn’t approve of satellite schools.” He pulled out his phone and dialed out, stepping away. “I will confirm it.”

“Thank you, dear,” Sonya said with a sigh and looked over at the trembling coward of a woman. Her nose wrinkled in disgust before she settled her expression into a coy smile. “You’ve heard of Blackrazor, right? One of my Inner Circle?” she asked pleasantly. The woman nodded slowly. “He’s the Headmaster of the Night Society. The boss.”

Polina dropped to her knees. “Please! Please! Erase my memory of this conversation! I do not want to know these things! The Night Society? Wh-what Night Society?” She crawled, literally crawled, and grabbed onto the leg of Sonya’s pants. “Please!”

Sonya stared down at her and kicked her off. “You’re disgusting. Where the hell is your pride? Coward! Ma had spine and morals, but look at you!” She planted a foot on the woman’s head and pushed the stiletto down against her temple. “Where is my file, Polina?”

“They’re shelved by birth year! Birth year! Over there!” Polina shrieked, pointing towards the left side of the room.

“I’ll get it, Miss,” Marta started to say, but Sonya held up her hand.

“It’s in Russian. I’ll do it,” she snarled and gestured to Polina. “Make sure this garbage doesn’t run away before she finishes trying to save herself. I’m not done asking questions.”

“Right away,” Marta said and moved in as Sonya stepped away. She glanced towards Blackrazor, who was in the midst of hanging up his phone. He nodded once, and she nodded back but held up a finger before he started elaborating. She didn’t want Polina to corroborate what he said. He would test and see if she was lying again. 

Sonya stopped at one of the cabinets and examined the lettering on the primary label. Instead of a number, there was a name. She pulled up her HUD and connected to the internet, doing a quick dig and found some notable Russians who had a relevant birth year. One of them even shared the name. She turned to the left and kept walking down, checking until she found the right cabinet. She pulled open the first drawer and was unsurprised to find her file missing.

“Polina,” she said quietly. “I want my file. You are starting to annoy me.”

“It’s in there! It should be in there!” she gasped. “Please! I told you-”

“I have it,” a voice entered the room, and Sonya looked up with a frown. Blackrazor was already moving, knife drawn. In a matter of a heartbeat, the mustachioed man who had come in through the hallway leaving the records room was wrapped in shadow with a violet blade pressed near his neck. He looked middle-aged, tired, and like he had run here based on the red in his cheeks. “I have what you want, Ishtar.”

Alexi Sidorov, Awakened

Sonya scowled. “You just killed yourself, you know that, right?”

“I am not an enemy. We secured the document after there were attempts by others to dig it up. It’s in my hand. If you would also check my lapel, you will understand,” he said quickly. “When the cameras were damaged, we got an alert and knew you might be here. I came as fast as I could.”

“Blackrazor?”

The shadows around the man shifted and then released him, taking the folder the man had been holding. Blackrazor opened it briefly and examined the contents before closing it. “He’s wearing a club pin, Mistress,” Blackrazor said blandly. He walked over and held out the folder. “This is what you are looking for.”

“A member of the club? In Russia? I haven’t expanded here yet,” she said thoughtfully. “Is this Bernetta’s handiwork?”

He nodded. “Yes. I was operating as a spy in Italy when we crossed paths.”

She smiled with approval. “So you’ve already signed the agreement?”

He nodded again. “Yes.”

“Good. Thank you for your help. I’m glad I set up that network now,” Sonya said absently and looked down at the folder in her hands. She rubbed her thumbs over it before opening it. There, right at the top left, was a picture of a little girl with black hair and a wicked, shit-eating grin on her face. She took a deep breath and read it aloud. 

“Sonya Chernovna. Ten years old, 127.76 Centimeters, 27.99 Kilograms,” she flicked her eyes up towards Polina before looking back down again. “Mother’s occupation is listed as homemaker. Father is the owner of a small fishing group. Positive upbringing, blah blah. Demonstrates a keen aptitude for… manipulation. High STEM scores. Personality markers indicate possible rebellious behavior. Possibility of being retooled for an administrative role. Approved for Institution, officer route.”

“Retooled,” Sonya said aloud. “Retooled.”

She snapped the folder shut and looked at Polina. “Tell me about the Institute.”

Polina looked over at Blackrazor, who said nothing, and gasped when Marta put a hand on her shoulder. Sonya crossed her arms and waited until the woman finally worked up some nerve. “Th-the program was to find high potential youths and groom them for leadership positions in the government as well as for espionage. They were to undergo training equivalent to a N-night Society member. The intention was to create skilled individuals who could act as sleeper assassins if the necessity struck.”

Sonya leaned against the table next to her and breathed. “What happened next?”

“A leak,” Polina said. “The United States found out about the Institute and they sent operatives to communicate with the families of the children. They picked from among them a few to offer sanctuary and new identities to the parents. The rest they helped smuggle out of the country. Shortly after that, the entire program was closed and most of its members ended up dead.”

“The Headmaster found out,” Blackrazor said with a nod. He turned to Sonya. “She is being truthful.”

BANG!

The table beneath her hands snapped in half, and she whirled, a rail thin streak of light stretching all the way out to stop at Polina’s throat. “Are you telling me that I was smuggled out of the country so I wouldn’t end up a sleeper agent hand trained by a member of the Night Society? Is that what you’re saying? That my parents' choices were to send me away or…” She gestured around herself helplessly. “This?”

Polina trembled. “N-not quite.” She looked on the verge of tears. “Families that knew too much about the program were to be, ah… eliminated to prevent a further scandal. A-after you surfaced-” she cleared her throat. “I-I was put in charge of discrediting you and separating you from the Pandora Committee. As famous as you became, it was a concern that-”

Sonya dismissed the hard light weapon and ran her fingers through her hair. “What the hell is wrong with you people? What? So you went after my daughter? You nearly killed her! I knew nothing about the program. I didn’t care! Then you…” She pinched the bridge of her nose as she paced back and forth. Sonya had never thought about her parents as an adult. The feeling of betrayal had worn off well into High School, and she had turned the energy of her resentment towards her education. By the time she was in University, she could barely remember their names. It was just a consequence of time. To her, they were just the strangers who had sent her to the United States without a word and without knowing a lick of English. 

She felt Ishtar’s presence rise up and closed her eyes. I know. I know! The karma is still there, though! Sonya thought before her big sister could speak.

I was wrong to tell you to avoid this. You didn’t have a bad childhood before you were sent away, Ishtar said patiently. You need to face this before you move on. Any loose ends and possible weaknesses should be addressed. Riot will find them if you don’t, and Otis…

Sonya exhaled. Riot. Yes, Riot will be able to pick them out of a crowd without any difficulty. It’s a damn shame Kera wasn’t able to kill him. Did we figure out how he survived?

I haven’t the foggiest, Ishtar said. My sole theory is that he redirected the damage to someone else.

Sonya clicked her tongue. It’s such a damn shame. That kid has really become as bad as Otis. Oh, well. I gave him as much help as I could, but I wasn’t going to hold his hand. It’s cruel, but I can’t feel bad for him anymore. He had a chance to come to me on his own, and he didn’t. She sighed. I should have killed him the moment Otis truly gravitated towards him. Otis only picks people he knows have a seed of what he’s looking for in a Herald. He even embraced that codename of his. A twisted sign that he enjoyed it somewhere deep down.

He is without a doubt a Herald now, Ishtar said. He is a threat.

Agreed. He has my attention.

What now?

Ishtar asked.

Balance the scales, Sonya said with a sigh. I need to see my parents at least one more time. I can’t let them be used against me.

Will you be alright?

Sonya snorted. I don’t know. I… remember things. Some of them. Little details, but the past timeline and everything else just covers it all up. I can’t even remember what I did for fun when I was little. She clicked her tongue. They made the right call for me. I would have done the same for Cass. I owe them more now, damn it.

Then clear the debt. Sever the link of Karma and get back to it. Your heart and mind are yours and you are strong, but you need to be fully focused for a merger like the one you have planned, Ishtar said. No distractions.

No distractions, Sonya agreed.

She stood up straight and exhaled, running her fingers through her hair and tossing it out a bit. She adjusted her tie and let the emotions work their way through her. She ran the gambit of anger, sadness, grief, rage, disappointment, and others. She felt them all and let them go. She knew she was in for more pain, but she could deal with it and be back to her normal self when it was time. “I am satisfied with your information, Polina. Thank you for providing the file, Alexi.”

The spy inclined his head. “I will take my leave.”

“I need you to do something for me, before you go,” Sonya said and blue sparks danced in her palm. She turned and fixed Polina with a stare before approaching her. She grabbed the woman by the hand and put a gun in it. “Your choice, Polina. I suggest making it quick,” she said and glanced towards Blackrazor. “Otherwise, he will take his time. Consider this me being merciful.”

Polina looked down at the gun in horror. She looked up at Sonya who gave her a pitiless look and gestured for a portal to open back to the Idol of Venus. “Blackrazor, have your man in the CIA find where my parents were moved.”

“Yes, Mistress.”

“Alexi, you’ve been helpful. Make it look like it was guilt over the Institute program,” she said.

“Yes, Mistress.”

“Marta, we’re leaving.

“Yes, Miss. Right away.”

She didn’t look back at the sobbing wreck of a human being who had taken part in something that disgusted her so much. Sonya was aware of the hypocrisy in it. The Night Society had a similar program, but from what she did understand, they at least recruited in a more ethical way to avoid attention. Not that the training program itself is very ethical, but that’s not my problem. She walked through the portal with Marta, and as it closed, there was a loud crack of sound.

Sonya took a deep breath and let it out, taking a moment to savor a feeling of release. “That is the last of the Representatives who nearly killed Cass, with Ma working for me now. I feel better, much better. I need a shower, though.”

“I’ll get the water ready,” Marta said and started walking. She turned back and gave Sonya a soft look. 

Sonya smiled back at her and cleared her throat. “Marta, um..” she hesitated a little and scratched her nose before finally forcing the words out. “Just so you hear it from me, because I’ve never actually said it out loud before.”

Marta tilted her head. “Yes?”

“You’ll always be the mom I needed. Regardless of what happens tonight.”

Marta smiled at her and bowed in a far more dramatic way. “Always happy to serve, Miss.”