She parked at the corner of 36th Street and Prospect. At exactly noon she got out of her car, and walked to The Tombs, a swanky Georgetown bar across the street. The inside was dark and empty. It was a weekday and most people wouldn’t arrive until happy hour. A bartender was at the far side of the room, wiping down the glossy tables.
Lena scanned to see if the Jinshan was already here.
The bartender spotted her. “You ready to order?” he asked.
“No. Just—”
“Two Dewars on the rocks. We’ll sit by the fireplace.” The voice from behind froze her. She was sixteen when she had last heard that voice. The day that he had recruited her. She tried not to think about that day of tears.
She turned and held out her hand. “Hello, sir.”
“Hello, Lena.” He studied her for a moment, and then walked on.
They sat at a long wooden table tucked beside a large brick fireplace. The flames blazed and crackled. A dozen crew paddles formed a semicircle on the stones above the fire.
The bartender brought two heavy glasses of light brown liquid and went back to cleaning.
“Do you drink?” the man asked, taking a sip.
She gave a weak smile. “A little. Not like the others at my school. I have more important things to do with my time.” She felt like this was half evaluation, half job interview.
“I see.” was his only reply.
They sat for a few moments. The silence made her uncomfortable. She tried to think of something appropriate to say but nothing came to mind.
“You’ve done well here.” he said finally.
“Thank you.”
“Your grades and athletic performance have been exemplary. Your linguistic skills are superb. Also… your extracurricular performance has been noted.” She was pretty sure that he didn’t mean school clubs. Her small contributions to the spy trade were likely what he was referring to.
“Thank you.” She nodded, pursing her lips. She was humble. Complements made her uneasy.
“Still… we’ve watched you closely Lena. You’ve had specific guidelines on how you can interact with others here.”
The tone of his voice told her that he was going somewhere with this. Her heart stopped. She had been careful. They couldn’t possibly know about him. It had only been a few months. Maybe she had slipped up on something else. Filed a report wrong, possibly? But the pit forming in her stomach told her otherwise. She took a sip from her glass.
“And we’ve observed a few… deviations.”
Her face reddened. They knew. She had hoped to God that it wasn’t about this. She hadn’t meant for it to happen. He was on the track team with her. They had both been at a hotel and had spent some time alone. He was a quiet boy. She liked the attention. She knew that it was against the rules. Just like she did years ago. When she was sixteen.
“You’ve taken a lover.”
She looked at her feet. The taste of whiskey heated her throat.
“It’s alright, Lena. I’m not judging you. You are human, after all. But still, we need to know that you will be able to abide by our strict guidelines in any environment. This program isn’t for everyone. We need deeply committed personnel. You are still in training here. It may not seem like it always. But you are. And you need to keep a minimalist lifestyle. That means no relationships of this nature. You must sacrifice, lest you grow sluggish. Or worse, compromised. We don’t want relationships to inhibit future placement. And we don’t want to ever put you in a position where you could slip and say something to the wrong person.”
She looked at him. For a split second, she thought of denying it. She could deceive him. Say that it was nothing. But with Jinshan, she could not risk it. Never lie to Jinshan. That’s what she had been told by the others. She must take responsibility and hope for the best. “Of course, sir. Of course. It’s my fault. I just — I’m sorry. I’ll break it off at once. I will do better. I’m sorry. Please—”
“No, no. Lena, this isn’t about a relationship.” He took a deep gulp from his glass and laid it on the table, ice clinking the edges. “It’s about trust.”
“You can trust me, sir.” She saw all of her hard work slipping away. It was a terrifying prospect. She had spent years training to be here. She didn’t want to go back to what could await her if she failed out of the program.
“We have invested a lot of time and energy into you. As I have stated, your performance has been very high quality. I personally have followed your development, and I see great things in store for you Lena. But I have to know that I can trust you.”
“Yes, yes. Of course. I am so sorry. Please.” She shook her head. She hoped that she had not jeopardized her career.
“Lena I am here for two reasons. First, to tell you that I have selected you for a special program. I want you to follow a particular career track. One that many don’t even know exists. If you do this, you will be working on our most covert and most important assignments. You’ll receive a lot more specialized training. And your contribution to your country will be of the utmost importance. In future assignments, you’ll report directly to me.”
Her heart skipped a beat. He was going to let her continue. She could keep moving up. She would retain her honor. Lena nodded vigorously, trying to hold back her emotions.
“The second thing I am here to tell you is that I need you to perform one final act in this segment of your training. I need you to demonstrate your loyalty… your dedication… and your ability to put the mission above all else in your life. If you can do this, I will know that I can trust you. And we can move forward as I described.”
“Of course. Anything. Please just let me know—”
He leaned forward and whispered, “You will kill your boyfriend.”
Her world stopped.
He spoke but she barely heard him. “Please understand; this is not because I think you told him anything about your role with us. I believe you when you say that you have kept your secrets. No Lena, this order is a way for me to know that you are capable of this kind of thing. If I select you for this special assignment, your future career will require a level of emotional detachment from your professional endeavors that few possess. Some could refer to this quality as heartless, ruthless, cold, calculating. Call it what you will. Lena, you must be all of these things if you are to be a weapon. I don’t need you to be just a listener. I have many listeners. I need you to be, at times, an assassin. You have been trained in many techniques. Now you will put them into action. Show me that you can effectively perform this task.”
She felt sick. The look on his face — it was as if he felt nothing in asking her this. What kind of man could ask this? She threw out the thought as quickly as it entered her mind. He had given her a second chance in life. Her family was proud of her for serving her country. She would never see them again, but she had retained her honor.
He continued, “Make it look like an accident. This will ensure that you aren’t questioned. Play the part of the devastated girlfriend. You will graduate from college in a few months. Begin to cut ties with any other friends you had while here. We’ll set you up with your next job. I have big things planned Lena. And I want you to be a part of those plans.”