Page 71 of Billion-Dollar Ransom

SIX BLENDED IN perfectly with the civilians. Which was why One had hired her for this assignment. Six had a certain look.

Or non-look.

If you happened to glance at Six, you’d instantly dismiss her, regardless of your generation.

If you were a Gen Z or Millennial, you’d think she was a factory-model Karen, ready to manage a youth soccer team or complain to the manager at any moment.

If you were Gen X, which happened to be Six’s generation, you’d also ignore her, because there were plenty of people who looked like Six already populating your feed, and why the hell did you need one more?

Everybody that age had gone to college with dozens of women who now looked like Six.

And Boomers? They’d view Six as another one of the sheep, blindly following whatever was trending. They would not consider her worthy of their attention.

Six was, for all practical purposes, invisible.

Which was why she was perfect to float among the shoppers and tourists at the Grove.

She’d spent the past two days patiently waiting for this moment.

She felt like the surprise guest star late in the season of a streaming series.

The audience didn’t know how important you’d be or to what degree you’d alter the storyline—but you knew, and as you waited, you got to watch all the pieces falling slowly into place, knowing that your role was the most vital one of all.

Six strolled past the synchronized fountain, where a couple of kids up way past their bedtime were trying to predict where the bursts and streams would jet out of the concrete. She made her way to the AMC Grove 14 ticket booth and purchased a ticket to a movie she’d never see.

Well, maybe Six would catch it later, after this was over. But not tonight.

Tonight was all about her part in the grand plan.

Six took her ticket and walked into the lobby. The ticket taker scanned the ticket. Six tucked it in her pocket. For tax purposes, she thought, and almost laughed. Then she walked to the concession booth and stood there pretending to study the digital menu.

She was not going to order food, however. She was waiting for someone.

And here she was…