As I look around the coffee shop I can't help but compare the life I lead with everyone else's, I guess it's true that ignorance is bliss, they all ignore me and don't know who I am or what I do; they don't know what I'm a part of nor do they understand why it has to be done. Except him.
I take a sip of my coffee and thumb through another page in the book I'm reading, keeping him in the periphery of my eye, and staying aware of my surroundings, I can hear the till behind me open and shut, the espresso machine let out its squeals of steam, and the subtle changes to the temperature, I notice everyone around me, talking, laughing, reading or working intently on their electronic devices of all variations; I see him working on a computer, his back to me, he's wearing a white hooded jumper and a pair of jeans, he'd blend in perfectly with the sterility of everything around us, it's all plain and conforming, a basic contrasting colour scheme, the identical chairs and seats at perfect intervals, without my training he'd be the type of person you wouldn't look back at if you passed him in the street, but to me, he might as well be wearing a luminous jacket with "I AM RIGHT HERE!" emblazoned on it, I've heard stories of other people like me being able to just look at someone and know who or what they are, but they're just stories, our training teaches us to pick up on the people who don't want to be noticed, not those that hid their face under a hat or something, but those who fit in too well to our surroundings. I'm not naive enough to believe that he's unaware I'm here, or at the very least, that there is someone here looking for him.
I keep on reading my book and I'm aware that he's looking around him, subtle, but still a little obvious, he sees a woman walk past and turns to look at her as she continues walking, I see his gaze linger a fraction of a second longer, and I instinctively know that he's checking around him to make sure there's no one else here, when he turns back I look up to reach over to the table and grab my coffee again to take a sip, I get a glimpse of the screen on the computer he's using. It's a laptop, about 16" screen, webcam on top, what looks like four windows open, one email, one is a news website, one is blinking orange, so I guess it's a IM window or some form of chat , the fourth I can't see, but I see a status bar in the middle of the screen, I also notice a pen drive plugged into the side, his hand right next to it, I figure he must be moving out soon, he has a delivery to make after all.
The courier tries to play it cool and adjusts himself in his seat to have a look around through the glass, but to also have a look around the shop through the reflection, but again, I pick up on this and go back to my book, The Prince, I smirk at the irony, I'm on my own but I'm still being helped by one of us, as I turn the page, I notice that the courier has started packing up his laptop and affixes the pen drive to a cord around his neck, clever, I think to myself as I take my time to finish my coffee, he stands up and shoulders his backpack and begins to leave, I notice he takes the long way around the coffee shop, probably to draw out some amateurish followers, but I know better, I decide to yawn and stretch and creak my head just far enough to see him leave, I mark my page in my book and put it into my satchel and finish my coffee before I stand up and walk to the toilet. A moment later I emerge and leave the shop, setting off in the direction the courier was walking.
After a few moments I pick up his tail, he's walking past a bookstore, I keep a generous distance between us, I casually look around and stop to tie my shoelace before moving on again, always keeping him in my line of sight, but only just, it doesn't pose any particular problem, but it's just to make sure any counter-surveillance that's following him doesn't notice me, I see him going down an escalator, I already know the layout to this place, so I stay on this floor and decide to follow him from above, making sure that I'm not getting followed while I'm following him, when he gets to the bottom, a woman approaches him, I don't recognise her, and apparently neither does he, because I see a man halfway down the escalator take a sudden step forward, moving his hand to his right hip, So the bastard has company then I think to myself, I must remember to thank that woman if I ever meet her again; nonetheless I press on and decide to take the next escalator down to the same floor since we'll be approaching an exit soon and if I get made, it'll be difficult to track them once we're outside. The courier and his bodyguard keep moving forward, the bodyguard is more aware than usual, that startle with the woman probably made him more vigilant; it shouldn't pose a problem though, I've dealt with worse. I stop and pretend to window shop as they cross the shaded threshold into the sunlight, I give them five seconds and then I step out after them.
The sunlight is beaming down around me, the blue in the skies looks infinite and there's not a cloud in sight, I momentarily enjoy the slight breeze before I continue on. It isn't hard to pick up their trail again, the buildings are so tall and cramped together there was only so many ways they could've gone, but they opted for straight ahead, I had to work fast now, no doubt they would get some form of transport soon to get them to their destination and once they were in motion, I doubt I'd be able to intercept them without resorting to 'Plan B' and we were trained to avoid that where possible. They continue on, a ten foot gap between them, close enough to protect him at a moment's notice, but far enough to ensure they both can't be attacked at once. Suddenly, a door opens in front of them and the bodyguard looks at it briefly then moves up quickly to the courier and whispers something, I don't think he's asking him the time, I notice a change in their posture, I'm 100 yards away, but its considerably obvious, the shoulders hunch up, he adjusts his backpack nervously and the bodyguard moves him arm to his right hip and holds it there; I begin to speed up my pace, all the while an uncomfortable feeling is settling in my gut, I know what's going to happen. They suddenly take a right and go down an alley, as they disappear from view, I see the courier look back down the street to where I am and even from here, I can tell he's both afraid and curious. I feel the adrenaline surge through my veins and a single coherent thought enter my mind: I've been made.
Quickly I move forward to follow them, I only have a few minutes before more of them come, or he erases or destroys the pen drive. I quickly glance into the alley to see where they are; its empty, at the bottom of the stairs though I see a small puddle that is rippling slightly, they're not far ahead. I walk down soundlessly, watching both my front and my back, making sure there are no nasty surprises waiting for me. As I reach the bottom step, where the puddle is, I hear a noise to my right and turn suddenly, ready to strike, but I see a stone hit the ground and come to rest, it came from behind me, where my blindside is now exposed to. I hear the sound of a gun cocking behind my head, then a voice.
"Hands where I can see them... slowly" it ordered. I decided it was best to comply, for now. I raise my hands, placing them on top of my head.
"Turn around, again, slowly or you'll get a 9mm in the back of the head" the voice said again, I think I could hear a tone of amusement at the control he had on me at this point in time.
I nod and begin to turn, slowly, but promptly so as not to give the impression I'm planning something, as I turn, I see the bodyguard pointing a Glock 17 at my face, the courier behind him in a corner, holding onto his backpack, apparently frozen with fear, which was fine with me, it suits my needs perfectly.
"Place the satchel on the ground" the bodyguard ordered, he was dressed semi-casually, he had a blazer on him, but was wearing jeans and a pair of running shoes, I comply and lower my satchel, I take notice of the bodyguard, he's also carrying a knife, six inches, curved, but slightly serrated, mainly for stabbing or cutting, it focused on offence, not defence. I hear the courier whimper slightly behind the bodyguard, the bodyguard also notices this and for a split second turns his head to him.
That spilt second was all I needed, I let my instinct take control and use the training that has been so deeply ingrained into me, I step forward and grab the slide of the Glock with my left hand and hit the magazine eject button, releasing the magazine which I catch with my right hand and throw down the alley, I then roll the bodyguard over me using his own momentum to catapult him into the ground, I then grab the Glock from his slackened grip, turn it around, push it into his forehead and pull the trigger, killing him with the remaining round. The round goes through his skull and I can see his eyes instantly bloodshot, the vessels exploded, he was truly dead. The sound was loud, but I don't think it carried up to the street above me. At this, the courier tries to scream, but he's utterly speechless at what just happened, I can see the fear in his eyes, he's truly a deer caught in the headlights, I drop the Glock, stand up and check myself for blood spray, a few specks on my jumper, but it's black, so it shouldn't be too obvious. I approach the courier who has now fallen to the ground and even though he's in a corner, is trying to push himself away from me; I kneel down to look him in the eyes.
"What's your name?" I ask him calmly, I know it seems like I'm taunting him, but I feel compelled to do this.
"D..Daniel" he answers, tears are going down his face now and he's started quietly sobbing
"Daniel, I'm truly sorry that this has to happen, but this is how it must happen; the work you're a part of is destroying the world and its people."
"Please...please." He begs me, the humanity that exists within me wants to let him go, but I know I can't, I take a deep breath and he closes his eyes. I flex my left wrist and the blade comes out, carefully hidden on the inside of my forearm, it extends about seven inches past my wrist and I plunge it into his heart, killing him instantly. I pull out the blade and look up at him, the look of fear is still on him, I life my hand and close his eyes, retract my blade and mutter "Rest in peace" under my breath. I then grab the pen drive from his neck and replace it with the identical one I have in my pocket, I also grab his laptop and pull out the hard drive and place it in my satchel, I also grab both the Glock, it's magazine and the bodyguard's knife and drop them down a nearby drain, I also grab their wallets and throw them down there as well, it won't last long, but the ruse will hopefully allow me enough time to get home. I shoulder my satchel, take one last look at them and move on.
I take no pride or joy in taking a life, the day I do is the day I know I'll be truly dead inside; the work I do isn't for my own benefit or ego, it's for the betterment of Man himself; I work by myself, but I'm never alone. I fight a war that's been raging behind the scenes for over two millennia; I work in the dark to serve the light. My name is Sam, and I am an Assassin. This is my story.