Chapter 1: Lunch and the Warning (Continued)

(The opening section established Elara subduing Lance Corporal Blake Harrison with a joint lock in the Mess Hall…)

Blake Harrison, his face pale with shock, finally knelt down to clear up the mess. He did it slowly, resentfully, feeling hundreds of eyes glued to his back. His arrogance had vanished, replaced by seething anger and humiliation.

Elara smoothly retreated. The clumsy civilian data analyst had returned, except for one small detail: no one in the room believed the façade anymore.

As Elara took her tray to the disposal counter, she felt the atmosphere in the Mess Hall shift. It was no longer a noisy chaos, but a tense silence, rife with furtive glances and suppressed whispers.

Too much attention, Elara thought, a wave of discomfort rising. Her classified mission required her to be invisible, an indistinct echo. Now, she was the center of attention merely because of a practiced reflex.

Chapter 2: The Storm Begins

The incident in the mess hall spread faster than the data network she was trying to trace. Within an hour, the name “Lena Hayes” was replaced by “Kung Fu Lady” or “Lena the Killer.”

Elara knew what she had to do to manage the situation: frame it as an accident.

She sought out the Mess Hall’s confused Commanding Officer, a young Lieutenant, and apologized profusely. “I… I’m so sorry, Lieutenant. I’ve been working too many hours and I’m so exhausted. When he pushed me, I panicked, and I learned a little bit of Judo in college… I swear I didn’t mean to hurt him.”

Elara’s acting skills, honed over numerous infiltration missions, convinced the Lieutenant. However, when speaking to the higher-ups, she added a crucial detail: “Lance Corporal Harrison was very aggressive, and I’m afraid to work near him.”

This ensured Blake would face consequences.

Meanwhile, Blake, whose arm was still throbbing, was in a rage. He was disciplined by the Commanding Officer for aggressive behavior towards a civilian employee and was ordered to clean the Mess Hall floor all week. Blake swore revenge. He did not buy the college Judo story. That joint lock was the work of a professional.

In her office, Elara—as Major Vance—sent an encrypted report to her superiors regarding the incident.

Incident Summary: Exposed Tier One combat skills. Minimized exposure by creating a “civilian panic attack” cover story. Need to neutralize target [Blake Harrison] before he becomes too significant a hindrance to the operation.

Chapter 3: Blake’s Determination and Unexpected Intervention

A few days later, Blake decided to execute his revenge plan. He tracked Elara to the parking lot at the end of her shift.

It was late, and a light drizzle made the asphalt shimmer.

“Hey, Lena,” Blake growled, blocking her path. “The cat-and-mouse game is over. College Judo? Don’t make me laugh.”

Elara turned, still wearing her glasses, feigning fear. “Please, Blake. I don’t want trouble.”

“Trouble came looking for you,” Blake said confidently. He was a Marine trained in hand-to-hand combat (MCMAP). He couldn’t be beaten by a flimsy civilian girl a second time.

He threw a simple, yet powerful, hook punch aimed at her side.

But Elara anticipated the strike. She was not a clumsy “Hammer,” she was “Echo”—the Special Operations Unit’s counter-response machine.

With a slight shift of her hips, Elara easily dodged the punch. Her counter-attack was a gentle strike to a weak point: She used her palm to push hard against Blake’s solar plexus.

The blow caused no external damage, but immediately cut off Blake’s breath. He buckled over, writhing in pain, desperately trying to inhale.

“Bitch!” Blake gasped.

“This time it’s Advanced Judo,” Elara said in a normal tone, without a hint of breathlessness. She kicked her large leather purse at Blake’s head mockingly.

However, before Blake could recover and before she could vanish, a black, unmarked SUV suddenly screeched to a halt beside them.

The rear door flew open. A tall man with salt-and-pepper hair, dressed in a sharp bespoke suit but with the cold, steely eyes of a career military officer, stepped out. It was Colonel Vance—Elara’s father, and also her superior officer in Special Operations Command (SOCOM).

He surveyed the scene: the civilian woman Lena Hayes standing calmly, and Lance Corporal Harrison crumpled on the ground.

“Lena,” Colonel Vance said, his voice deep yet commanding. “Are you alright? What is this Lance Corporal doing?”

“Yes, Colonel,” Elara replied in the shaky voice of Lena Hayes. “I was leaving when he blocked my way and seemed… a little drunk.”

Colonel Vance turned to Blake, who was trying to straighten up. “Lance Corporal, this is a civilian specialist working for me. You are harassing a civilian employee. This will be reported to your Commanding Officer.”

Blake was utterly stunned. Not by the blow, but by this man. The Colonel’s face, voice, and radiating authority made him realize that if he opened his mouth about the second strike, he would be demoted.

“No, Colonel,” Blake stammered, bowing crudely. “I… I apologize to her. There won’t be a third time.”

Colonel Vance nodded, signaling Elara to get in the car. The SUV sped away, leaving Blake Harrison standing alone in the rain, ashamed and extremely suspicious.

Chapter 4: Undercover Mission in the Shadows

Inside the car, Elara’s cover melted away.

“Father, why did you interfere?” Elara (Major Vance) asked, her voice returning to the sharpness of a high-ranking officer.

“The network is heating up, Elara,” Colonel Vance replied, not looking at his daughter. “The system you are tracking detected an anomaly. The Mess Hall incident created too much noise. You have exposed yourself too much.”

Elara frowned. “It was a reflex. I tried to contain it.”

“I know,” he sighed. “But you need to move faster. The team has identified the potential leak point at a low rank, likely a computer technician or a supply clerk.”

Elara nodded, looking out the window. Blake Harrison’s attention, though annoying, had distracted her from the primary target.

“There’s an Intel Sergeant named Marcus Thorne,” Colonel Vance continued. “He’s subtly gathering information about you. Perhaps because of the Mess Hall incident, or perhaps he’s part of this network and sees you as a threat.”

Elara rubbed her temple. Sergeant Thorne. A new piece of the puzzle. “I need his profile.”

“Of course. But I need you to understand,” Colonel Vance turned to her, his gaze stern. “You are a Special Operations Officer. You are Echo. Your cover is your life. Don’t let a foolish Lance Corporal make you forget that. The mission requires invisibility, not a display of skill.“

“Understood, Colonel,” Elara replied.

Chapter 5: The Counter-Attack of Suspicion

The next day, Sergeant Thorne (Intel Sergeant) approached Elara at the data analysis room. Thorne was a lanky man, wearing glasses, looking academic but with constantly scrutinizing eyes.

“Ms. Hayes,” Thorne said, his voice suspiciously polite. “I’m Sergeant Thorne. I just wanted to check if you feel safe after the incident with Lance Corporal Harrison.”

“Thank you, Sergeant,” Elara replied, trying to appear fragile. “I’m fine. Just a little spooked.”

Thorne chuckled softly. “Spooked? I heard you took down a 200-pound Marine with a simple Judo throw. What kind of civilian girl knows such a professional figure-four wrist lock?”

Elara knew this was a stress test. She maintained her look of confusion. “It was a lucky break. And it wasn’t a figure-four… it was just a simple leverage move. My instructor… he was Japanese, very strict.”

Thorne moved closer, lowering his voice: “Ms. Hayes. I’ve seen the security footage. That move wasn’t luck. It was Tier One trained combat reflex. I have 15 years in intelligence, and I’ve never seen a civilian analyst with that kind of precision.”

Elara sighed, feigning annoyance at being scrutinized. “If the Sergeant wants to think I’m some kind of spy, go ahead. But I’m just a person trying to make a living and do my job. If he hadn’t deliberately tried to injure me, none of this would have happened.”

Thorne shrugged, but his gaze did not leave her. “I’m not saying you’re a spy. But I have a feeling you’re not who you say you are. Who are you, Lena Hayes?”

Elara decided to go on the offensive. She stepped forward, forcing Thorne to retreat, her eyes finally allowing a steely glint of Major Vance to escape.

“Sergeant Thorne,” Elara said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I am a person working for Colonel Vance. And if Colonel Vance learns that an Intel Sergeant is wasting his time investigating civilian personnel, instead of focusing on the reported security breaches, you will be in much bigger trouble than Lance Corporal Harrison.”

The blow landed. The name of Colonel Vance, known to be ruthless and powerful, immediately shifted Thorne’s focus.

“Alright, Ms. Hayes,” Thorne said, his voice softening. He knew that regardless of who Elara was, confronting her superior was unwise. “I will leave you alone. But I will continue to track security flaws.”

“Good,” Elara said. “Because that is your job.”

Chapter 6: The Web and the Unwanted Confrontation

Thorne was repelled, but not eliminated. Elara knew her cover was cracking. She had to complete the mission quickly.

That night, Elara infiltrated the central computer network. Using her expert hacking skills, she finally found the trail: an encrypted sequence hidden within the logistics management system, sent out every night.

The source of the data leak originated from a computer terminal in the Technical Supply Depot.

Elara changed into her subdued combat gear under a large hooded jacket, carrying specialized equipment, and slipped into the depot. It was pitch black, permeated by the smell of oil and rubber.

She found the flagged computer terminal, but just as she was about to insert the decryption device, a voice echoed behind her.

“I knew it was you, civilian.”

It was Lance Corporal Harrison.

His punishment hadn’t been severe enough, and he had spent the whole day tracking her, convinced she was an enemy operative. He wasn’t carrying a weapon, but he carried rage and determination to avenge the humiliation he suffered in the Mess Hall.

“I knew you weren’t Lena Hayes,” Blake whispered, the triumphant grin returning to his face. “I’m taking you to my superiors. I’ll be the hero.”

Elara sighed, her frustration evident on her face. “I don’t have time for you, Lance Corporal. Can you please just go home?”

“No,” Blake said. He lunged, this time not with a clumsy punch but a powerful tackle, trying to lock her down using the moves he was taught in training.

Elara, as Major Vance, was an unparalleled silent killer. She couldn’t afford for him to raise the alarm.

In an instant, Elara shifted into combat mode. As Blake attempted to grab her, she rotated her body, letting his momentum slide past, while simultaneously driving her knee hard into his inner thigh (nerve strike).

Blake screamed in intense pain, dropping to his knees. But he still managed to grab her leg.

“Don’t make this difficult, Lance Corporal!” Elara growled. She delivered a spinning kick, not using maximum force, but enough to send Blake tumbling into a stack of cardboard boxes. He lay there, wheezing, unable to move.

Elara turned back to the terminal, beginning the decryption.

But just then, a second voice rang out from the darkness.

“No need to do that, Lena. Your job is done.”

Sergeant Thorne stepped out. He hadn’t been fooled by Colonel Vance’s threat. He had followed Elara and knew who she was, or at least that she wasn’t a civilian specialist.

“Surprised?” Thorne smiled. “I saw you as a threat, but not because you were a Russian spy. You are Special Operations sent to find our network.”

Thorne wasn’t alone. Two other Marines, dressed in civilian clothes, appeared behind him, each carrying a heavy baton.

“We won’t kill you,” Thorne said, smirking. “Just an accident in the supply room. Tried to catch a thief, and failed miserably.”

Elara stood tall, calmly facing the three attackers. She looked at Blake, who was still groaning on the floor, out of the fight.

“Sergeant,” Elara said, her voice ice-cold. “You have made the biggest mistake of your life.”

“What’s that?”

“You just interrupted the apprehension of the culprits,” Elara said, her smile sharp. “You believed this was a personal fight. You utterly fail to understand, I am trained to win every fight. You have no idea who I am.“