CHAPTER 9
November 7th, 1993
Alison was up before sunrise. Sleep hadn't lasted long as she woke up from her dream .
She dreamt of her past life ,
Her friends, her parents, her comfy room,her immense collection of manga and her past goals and dreams .
It was a simple life and she was happy with it despite the problems she faces sometimes. It was a fresh breeze amidst the now suffocating environment.
Don't get her wrong, she's happy with living in one of her favorite manga series, but she couldn't help but feel nostalgic and reminisce about her past .
Her body felt rested, but her mind was already moving.
She dressed up quietly mind still occupied , layered up for the cold waiting for her outside, and tied her boots tightly. A bruise near her ribs throbbed as she bent down to lace them, a reminder from the fight two days ago.
She opened the lockbox under the bed. Inside it was , her knife, a folded note from Ash, and the small field journal they gave her. She flipped it open.
Recon Tier Two: Asset Monitoring — Secondary Objective Update.
Target: Marlo Densik
Priority: Data Retrieval.
Notes: Flash drive transfer observed. Unknown contents. Possible side deal.
There were three address leads scribbled beneath. One circled in red. That was the focus today.
She tucked the journal into her inner jacket pocket and left the room.
No one spoke in the halls. Footsteps echoed quietly, doors opened and shut. Lowtown had its own rhythm—people moved early, did what they had to, and disappeared again. It wasn't trust. It was routine.
Ash waited near the stairwell. Same scar, same smug look.
"You're late."
"It's five," Alison replied.
"Exactly."
He handed her a small earpiece.
She took it without a word and fitted it under her hair. He held out a small device.
"What's this?"
"Mini recorder. For if you get close again. Use it wisely—batteries don't grow on trees."
Alison pocketed it and waited.
Ash gave her a long look, then finally spoke. "Your target leaves in ten. He'll take the tram uptown first. Follow him. We'll track you if needed."
She nodded once and climbed the stairs to the street level.
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟
City mornings were different from Lowtown. Louder, colder, filled with people pretending they weren't tired. She blended in without effort, her appearance ordinary enough to draw no attention—small frame, plain clothes , nothing eye catching.
Marlo boarded the tram at 5:35. Alison took a spot two cars back, pretending to read a folded newspaper she'd picked up from a bench. The article was dated from last month. Didn't matter.
He got off at the mid-level district, near the edge of East Krow. That made sense—less security than the city center, but still neutral ground for business.
Alison followed him at a distance, keeping him in sight but never directly trailing. Sometimes she ducked into storefronts, crossed streets early, or paused to tie a shoelace. The trick was to move like someone with nowhere to be. Most people didn't question that.
After forty minutes of walking, Marlo entered a small building—an old dry cleaner with a faded sign and no customers. She waited across the street, crouched behind a short wall near a parking meter.
Five minutes passed. Then ten.
She adjusted her earpiece.
Ash's voice crackled in. "We don't have a visual inside. If he doesn't leave in five, check it out. You're cleared for audio."
She didn't like that.
At the six-minute mark, she crossed the street casually and moved toward the back alley of the building. A side door was propped open slightly with a brick. She knelt beside it, pressed the recorder against the crack, and activated it.
Muffled voices.
"…saying they know?"
"Not yet. That's the point of the drop."
"Too early. We wait. Otherwise, we're the ones exposed."
She leaned closer, catching fragments. A woman's voice. Then another male—maybe younger than Marlo.
Marlo spoke again. "It's not just about the money. If they find out about the storage unit, we're done."
Storage unit?
She rewound the mental tape in her head. That wasn't in the files. No mention of alternate storage.
The woman said something sharp, but Alison couldn't catch it. A phone buzzed. Then silence.
She pulled back slowly, pocketed the device, and slipped away before anyone noticed the shift in air near the door.
That was enough for now.
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟
Back in the small mafia base , Alison sat with Ash and the tall man from before. The room was dim as usual. The air was heavy with cigarette smoke that kinda made her choke .
Her attention landed on Ash as he played back the recording.
The word storage unit hit like a pin drop.
"Where's the location?" the tall man asked.
"I don't know , They didn't mention it ."she replied, her nose itchy.
"But you heard enough to confirm a second drop site?"
"Yes. It wasn't scripted. They weren't acting."
The man leaned back, with gears running through his mind .
Ash looked at her. "You did well. Better than expected."
"I wasn't trying to impress anyone," Alison muttered turning her head to the side
He snorted. "That's why it works."
The tall man opened a drawer and tossed her a folded slip of paper.
"What's this?"
"Your first bonus. And a contact number. Burn the note after memorizing it."
She took it , stood, and walked out. Her legs ached from crouching so long, and the cold had started to creep into her joints. Still, her mind kept circling the same question.
Why would Marlo risk a side operation?
There were rules, even in criminal networks. Greed usually meant one thing—someone bigger was involved, or someone desperate was making a move.
She wasn't sure which was worse.
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟
Later that night, Alison sat in her room again, peeling the bonus note open.
5,000 Jenny. Not bad.
Enough for better boots and a spare knife. Maybe a meal that wasn't cold or canned and maybe an airship ticket to heavens arena .
She burned the slip in the sink and watched the paper curl into ash.
"Recon tier two," she muttered, rubbing her temples. "Not bad for a kid with no background."
Her thoughts drifted back to the storage unit. If she could find it, that would push her status higher. but she pushed the idea out of her mind .
" stop being stupid , who knows what could happen to me , I'll leave this job after 6 months , I don't wanna die this early"