Chapter 6 - The Yacht

Under the cover of night, not too far off the coast - a small speedboat moved quietly in the sea. The sole occupant of the boat - a woman - turned off the engines and took out a pair of binoculars and looked around her.

"I have a visual of the target. What's recon looking like?", said Valerie into her earpiece.

"Aerial scan shows no patrols on deck. The crew is likely asleep.", replied Iris. "Everything looks good. Are you ready to proceed with the mission?"

Valerie took a deep breath. This was her first mission back, after escaping her imprisonment at the hands of a mysterious organization. For three months, she had been a prisoner, subjected to what they had called 'conditioning training'. She shuddered as the debasement she had been **** to undergo flashed back in her mind. Was she indeed ready?

Despite the misgivings of several of her colleagues, she had decided to go back in the field. She had hidden the full extent of what had happened to her from her superiors, insisting she was fine. There was no way she would be confined to a lab for god knows how long. She had created a facade around herself, a thin layer of confidence that hid the true state of her mind from the outside world.

Now that she was standing in front of the yacht - allegedly operated by the same organization that had taken her captive - her facade felt more fragile than ever. If she failed in her infiltration, she risked being captured again, and she knew what her fate would be if that happened. And as much as she hated to admit it, a part of her almost wished she was captured again.

"Valerie, do you copy?", asked Iris, after some time had passed.
"Y-yes. I copy. Sneak into the vessel, retrieve the memory module, and get out."
"Exactly. Do you need other information?"
"No, I'm fine. I'll see you on the other side."

Valerie disabled her earpiece and took it out. Radio silence was needed for the mission. She looked at the empty seat next to her, containing her equipment for the mission.