{Isabella}

She sat at a secluded table in the shadows of the inn’s brasserie sipping absinthe. Isabella had been there for nearly an hour – fortunately the digestive was expected to be had at a leisurely pace, so it aroused little suspicions. Aramis was late and she had a bad feeling. The blonde woman glanced towards a sympathetic innkeeper behind the bar, who merely shrugged not having an answer. Playing with the small amulet about her neck, she took another sip of the green faerie – and her mind slipped back two years prior.

A Nazi stronghold hidden amidst the towering peaks of the Austrian Alps. The cold stone walls were covered in a thick layer of frost, and the room's atmosphere was heavy with tension.

Seated at an ornate wooden table, Isabella wore a guise of icy resolve, her expression unreadable behind a mask of stoicism. Across from her sat SS-Standartenführer Ernst Müller, his uniform immaculate, and his demeanor chillingly composed.

"Miss Schneider, I have news that may interest you." Müller coldly started.

Isabella's heart quickened, and a chill ran down her spine. She had come to expect the unexpected when dealing with the SS, of which there had been many times, but the Nazi officer's ominous tone sent shivers through her.

"And what news might that be, Herr Müller?"

"Your sister,” he paused with a calculated emphasis, “Elsa Schneider, was involved in a secret expedition on behalf of the Third Reich."

Isabella's heart skipped a beat at the mention of her twin sister's name. Elsa, a brilliant student of the past like herself, had strayed down a path of darkness, entangled with the Nazis in a desperate bid to achieve power. Isabella had always held out hope that she could somehow save her sister from the clutches of the enemy.

"Elsa? What could she possibly be involved in?" Isabella feigned surprise.

Müller leaned in, his voice dripping with malice. "Your sister was on an expedition to recover an artifact of immense power. She believed it could lead to our ultimate conquests.”

Isabella fought to maintain her composure, her fingers gripping the edge of the table beneath her. The room seemed to close in around her, the air thick with the acrid scent of tension and deceit. Müller's lips curled into a sinister smile, and he leaned back in his chair, savoring the moment.

"I regret to inform you that your sister's expedition met with an unfortunate accident. She did not survive."

Isabella's heart shattered at the cruel revelation, but she had to play her part convincingly in order to survive.

"No... Elsa, she was all I had left." Her voice quivered. Tears welled up in her eyes as she lowered her head, her hands trembling with the weight of her act. She had to make Müller believe that Elsa's death had devastated her, even as her true feelings remained locked deep within.

"I thought you might react this way. It's a shame, Miss Schneider. She could have been a valuable asset to our cause. However, unser Führer does not like to lose assets. That is why you have been brought here. You share your sister’s visage. Your education and your family‘s historic...experiences…compel you to fill her role in Das Drittes Reich. You will maintain your independence, of course, until called upon. And you will be richly rewarded. But there are many ways that you will help our efforts. You shall be contacted. That is all, fraulein Isabella.”

Isabella nodded, struggling to maintain her facade. Inside, she seethed with anger and sorrow, mourning not only her sister but also the choices that had led Elsa down a path of darkness. And now it was her path. She knew that she had to bide her time, continue the subterfuge of her own beliefs, and work from within to stop the Nazis from unleashing the malevolent forces they sought to control – just as her father had warned.

It was a dark memory. And further complicated by the temptations that she had experienced since that day through to her recruitment by the Allies after war had spread across Europe. Isabella had become a shadow in a world of treachery and moral ambiguity, her allegiance shrouded in secrecy, her resolve strengthened by the haunting memory of Elsa.

The glass slipped from her hand and hit the table hard on the table. A few took notice, then returned to their own drinks. **La Fee Verte…indeed.** Isabella touched the amulet and said a few words – it immediately cleared her head. But, her time here was done. She left payment in francs and marks on the table, and feigned stumbling out. The innkeeper stopped one drunk villager from following her outside with a warning finger.

The storm had lessened slightly, enough for Isabella to get back in the sports car and focus.

**A rendezvous would still be scheduled…if there were survivors** She thought. Obviously, something had gone wrong – but she had a hunch someone was still out there. Isabella removed the amulet and placed it around the rearview mirror to let it hang down. Her hands moved in a brief rhythmic pattern around the dark metal object – just as they had done as teens after discovering it and saving Elsa from her first brush with death.

“Elsa…show me.” The amulet moved slightly. The engine revved and Delahaye followed that direction.