Chapter 6
The underground venue was hidden beneath a modern art gallery,
and the entrance was disguised as a private wine cellar,
guarded by massive men in expensive tailored suits.
Lily approached the front door with supreme confidence,
and she handed the forged digital invitation to the guard,
her expression completely bored and deeply unimpressed.
The guard scanned the barcode with a handheld device,
and the machine flashed a solid, bright green light,
verifying her fake identity as a wealthy data broker.
He stepped aside and opened the heavy iron door,
and Lily walked down the spiraling stone staircase,
entering the hidden depths of the Parisian catacombs.
The air down there was incredibly cold and damp,
and the walls were lined with ancient human skulls,
creating a deeply macabre and disturbing atmosphere.
The main auction room was massive and warmly lit,
and it was filled with dozens of international criminals,
sipping expensive champagne and whispering in the shadows.
Lily moved gracefully through the crowded room,
and she scanned the faces of the wealthy attendees,
looking for the primary target of the operation.
She spotted Viktor sitting in a plush velvet booth,
and he was surrounded by four heavily armed bodyguards,
laughing loudly with a notorious Russian arms dealer.
He looked older than his official agency file suggested,
and his face was scarred from the Berlin explosion,
but his eyes were still incredibly sharp and cruel.
Lily ordered a glass of wine from a passing waiter,
and she slowly maneuvered her way across the floor,
getting closer to the VIP section of the room.
She needed to breach the three-foot proximity barrier,
and she needed to hold the position for thirty seconds,
to allow the pen to fully clone his phone.
She deliberately bumped into a man carrying a drink,
and she used the minor distraction to slip past a guard,
stepping right up to the edge of Viktor's table.
She pulled the luxury fountain pen from her pocket,
and she pretended to write a note on a napkin,
activating the hidden magnetic pulse mechanism.
A tiny blue light began to blink on the pen,
and it indicated that the data transfer had initiated,
downloading the highly encrypted files from his device.
Viktor suddenly stopped laughing and looked directly at her,
and his cold eyes narrowed with intense, deep suspicion,
wondering who had breached his personal security perimeter.
Who are you,
he demanded in a thick, gravelly voice,
and why are you standing so incredibly close to my table.
I am merely admiring the architecture,
Lily replied smoothly,
and she did not break eye contact for a second.
I was told this venue was highly exclusive,
she added with a slight, mocking smile,
but it seems they let just anyone in these days.
Viktor stared at her for a very long moment,
and the bodyguards instinctively reached for their hidden weapons,
ready to eliminate her at his simple command.
The blue light on the pen blinked faster,
and it reached ninety percent completion,
but the tension in the air was thick enough to cut.
You have a lot of nerve,
Viktor finally said,
and he let out a low, dangerous chuckle.
I like nerve,
he admitted,
and he gestured for her to sit down beside him.
The pen vibrated slightly in her hand,
and it signaled that the entire download was complete,
giving her exactly what we came here to get.
I would love to stay and chat,
Lily said politely,
and she slipped the loaded pen back into her pocket.
But I have a highly pressing engagement elsewhere,
she concluded,
and she turned her back on the dangerous broker.
She walked calmly toward the main exit,
and she forced herself not to run or look back,
maintaining her perfectly crafted undercover persona.
She reached the bottom of the stone staircase,
and she began to climb back up to the surface,
feeling a massive wave of absolute relief.
But as she reached the heavy iron door,
an alarm suddenly blared through the underground complex,
and the red emergency lights began to flash wildly.
Viktor had noticed his phone was completely wiped,
and he realized he had been deeply compromised,
triggering the lockdown protocol for the entire venue.
The heavy iron door slammed shut right in front of her,
and the electronic magnetic locks engaged with a loud clank,
trapping her inside the deadly catacombs.
Her cover was completely blown,
and the extraction clock had instantly expired,
leaving her to fight for her own survival.
She drew the compact pistol from her shoulder holster,
May you like
and she prepared to breach the room by force,
knowing I was already on my way down.
