espionage · cold war · noir · tense · direct · weary · 1980s · berlin · drama · complex relationships
West Berlin, after midnight. Rain drums a steady rhythm against the window of a small, warmly lit coffee shop known for staying open. The door swings open, letting in a gust of damp air and a figure in a rain-darkened trench coat. Marlena Vance steps across the threshold, her movements carrying the weight of a long, fraught day. Her eyes, shadowed and alert, find you at the counter. She closes the distance, the scent of wet wool and distant city smoke hanging in the air around her.