Sarah struggled to breathe when she got out of the interrogation room where Nick is. She got her phone and dialed a number.
"Mom… I need you to tell me something…" Sarah spoke as soon as the line connected.
Stella could hear that something is wrong with Sarah. "What is it, baby girl?"
"The medicine for altering memories… How does it work?"
Stella didn't understand the question. "What medicine?"
"The one you tested on Vivian. It made her forget things."
"Oh, that one… Give me a second." Stella paused while remembering the information. "It gradually corrupts the short term memory and makes it foggy, before going deeper. The report said that the results are not consistent. The test subjects forgot the recent memories anywhere from six months to five years in the past after taking the medication for a month, and the longer the person takes the medication, the further it goes. Also, it makes the person susceptible to accept another reality." Stella heard that Sarah took in a shaky breath. "I assume there is a reason you are asking me this."
Sarah decided to speak up. There is no point in hiding this anyway because she needs Stella's help.
"Mom… we were attacked. Hero was shot, Eve is down, and Aiden is missing."
Stella connected the dots. She reminded herself not to reveal that she knows about the attacks because Sarah called SP3CT3R. "Aiden is kidnapped, and you think that whoever has Aiden will give him this medicine?"
"The attackers had a heavy Eastern European accent and they mentioned names Mirko and Natalia. I was their target, but they took Aiden instead. They wanted to feed me that medicine, mom, and I can only suspect that they will do the same to him. Everything points to the Lebedev family."
"I'm not aware of any attacks. I will follow up on that right away and get in touch with you. Did you reach Europe?"
"I'm in Romania currently. I need to go. Let me know if you find something…"
Sarah ended the call and walked into the room next door.
…
"Leave us." Sarah said to the two members of the Army of Chaos who were with Marija in the room.
"Hi, Sarah… Long time no see." Marija greeted Sarah with a smile on her face when the two soldiers left.
Marija was kidnaped from her apartment in Belgrade and she woke up here. She didn't know who is behind it and she dismissed that it's Sarah because Marija was confident that she covered up her tracks well. And even if she didn't, this is too fast.
Their mission from two days ago failed. Nick threw a tantrum when Sarah was not caught, and he hit Marija several times in anger.
Marija promised Nick that they will try again.
"Now we know how and where to attack. Next time, we will hit them harder and shake them up…" Marija did her best to pacify Nick who was raging.
Marija was also upset that they failed. She didn't get any information on their properties, she didn't manage to get rid of her targets, and on top of that, she needs to deal with Nick who is throwing a tantrum. Why is he acting like a child who didn't get candy?
As soon as he let her go, Marija left Nick's apartment and headed to Belgrade. She needed to figure out what happened and how they failed so miserably, and she had no time to deal with Nick.
Marija was also furious. She spent years planning, collecting data, and recruiting people. Her plan was brilliant. How is it possible that nothing worked? The sabotage was done, and attacks as well. They saw numerous vehicles leaving the Cliffside Villa. How is it possible that Sarah stayed inside? Would she really allow her kids to go into danger while she stays home? Not possible, not Sarah. Marija inspected all the photos that various teams sent her, and she saw many unfamiliar faces. How many kids they have on that property? Some were obviously not kids. And she saw two men in black uniforms who were guarding her, in the same uniforms as the people who came to deal with sabotaged facilities in Los Angeles. Does Sarah have an army of bodyguards? How is that possible? And what was that with the black panther?
Marija planned to find out the secrets of Sigma and Omega and to crush them, but she ended up with a million questions and no answers. It was a complete failure.
Back to the present…
"Why am I here?" Marija asked Sarah who was silently observing her.
Sarah didn't want to waste time, and she feared that if she smacks Marija, she will kill her on the spot.
Sarah injected Marija with the truth serum and stepped to the side. In a few minutes, she will get her answers.
Marija didn't like that she was tied up and unable to move. Sarah glaring at her made her uncomfortable.
Marija thought about her current situation. She didn't miss that two soldiers treated Sarah with respect and based on that, Marija concluded that Sarah belongs to some mercenary organization and that Sarah probably has some rank. Why else would those two men obey her? And that would explain all those men in black uniforms which showed up in Los Angeles.
Well, if Sarah has some standing in this organization, she has answers as well. Marija decided to ask a few questions and gauge her situation.
"Do you know why I am here? I can guess that this is some organization. Do you want to recruit me for my skills?" Marija thought how this makes sense because there is no way that Sarah knows how Marija is the one behind the attacks from two days ago.
"Why do you think I brought you here?" Sarah asked in an icy tone.
"You kicked me out of the Sigma army. If you want me back, kidnapping is the wrong approach. Where are we? France?"
"I just spoke with Nick." Sarah said. "He told me… many things."
Marija's eyes shifted. "What did he say?"
"He told me that you coached him in coding and that he did some jobs for you. The latest job was about attacking my friends and family."
Marija swallowed hard. "He is lying."
"I don't think so."
"You believe a young brat who has a crush on you? Nick would say anything to get your attention. Since I know him, the only girl on his mind is you. That is not news. He would…"
"Yes." Sarah interrupted Marija. "He would do anything. Even hack into my security because you promised him that he can have me. I have no idea how your brain works, Marija. What is your problem with me? I warned you, more than once, to behave and you didn't. What did you expect will happen? That you can screw any guy and mess up any relationship just because you feel like it? Some people have feelings that go deeper than a need to scratch an itch in the crotch area."
Marija sneered. "Easy for you to say. You have Aiden and money and fame, and I can't even watch from the side."
Marija froze. What is wrong with her? This is NOT the time to run her mouth!
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