Revenge

Hearing the question lifted the haze in Valerie's mind. In a moment of clarity, she finally formed the words to express the feelings that had been simmering in her mind since her humiliation at Gloria's hands.

"The Organization took away everything from me," she said, the tremors disappearing from her voice as the words left her mouth. "I want revenge."

When she uttered those words, Valerie felt as if a weight had lifted off her shoulders. Her resentment against the Organization had been growing for quite some time. The seemingly endless delays that had kept her bank accounts frozen, having to rely on her friend for a place to live, and nobody even offering her a single item of clothing in the entire place - she had a lot of reasons to be pissed off.

She had given everything to the Org. She had put her life on the line for them for so long. While on their missions, she had endured so many indignities - everything from being stripped to being humiliated in public to god knows what else - without a word of complaint. Even her current predicament - being naked and blindfolded with her hands tied behind her back - was a direct result of the Org's actions. And yet, despite all her sacrifices for them, they had treated her like dirt.

I'm going to make them pay, she thought.

The Masked Man stopped in his steps. For a few moments, there was an eerie silence in the room as he and Anya looked at each other. Anya, in her sheer catsuit, walked up to him and whispered something in his ear.

"How interesting," he said. He took Valerie's chin in his palm, brushing his finger against her parted lips. "I appreciate your honesty, Agent - a rare quality in our line of work. What are you proposing, exactly?"

Valerie shivered, not only because of his touch but also at what she was about to say. She had heard so much about him, and all the nefarious dealings he was involved in. And yet, so much of what the Org had promised her had been lies. Was anything they had ever said true? Her desire for revenge overruled her sense of caution.

"We share a common enemy," she replied confidently. "I know you want to bring down the Organization, and so do I."

"I'm listening," he said, a smile beginning to form behind his mask.

"I'm offering you my services," she said, standing proudly despite her nudity. "You know how good I am. If you let me work for you, you might actually be able to achieve your goal of bringing down the Org for good."

"A very compelling argument, no doubt. But I'll need more," he shot back. "You see, my dear Agent Valerie, I'm not like the Organization you're used to working for. I'm not simply driven by greed or hate. Before I accept you, I need to be sure you're loyal to me and my cause."

Valerie hesitated. She knew from several Org briefings that the Masked Man did purport to be working towards some kind of grand objective. However, she had no idea what it was. What she did know, though, was that he had a reputation for being more than a little fanatical about it.

"How do I prove my loyalty to you?" she asked cautiously.

"Why, a test, of course!" he exclaimed, his voice betraying his excitement.

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