Chapter 1

He woke up. He looked around. He did not recognize the room. It was sterile, white and clean. A typical hospital room. He sat up and examined the room. He was the only patient, there was another empty bed to his left. He had no idea how he got there. He looked at himself. He wore bandages at his waist and his arm. He remembered what happened with a headache. He felt the bandage at his arm. Lisa's work. He felt his waist. Joe Reisert's work. He was surprised that he was alive. He had thought he would die out there. He must have left consciousness shortly after Police had arrived.

He took a closer look through the window to the corridor. He recognized the dark blue uniform of a cop. Holy shit, he cursed. How could it get so far? The mission even more than failed. He stood up from the bed and got dressed. He searched his clothes. His cell phone and identity card were missing. Those shitty cops must have taken everything away. He bet that if he managed to escape now, he would easily get on their wanted list. He slowly opened the door and before the police officer could react, he kneed down to him and gave him a clout. He went unconscious immediately. He was proud on his ability and walked on trying not to attract any attention. He walked outside to the parking lot. It seemed to be early morning and therefore it was really empty on the parking place. He looked around and figured out the oldest car. The older the car, the easier to break and short-circuit.

Twenty minutes later he already was on the freeway and searched the gloves box. He found a cell phone which was even switched on. He enabled the key lock and dialed the number of his boss. He knew that he wasn't going to be happy but he hoped that he could explain how this went wrong and that it wasn't his fault. 'Yes' the person on the other side answered.

'It's Jackson' he said and tried to drive carefully.

'Jackson. I'm glad to hear from you. A bird sang me you were arrested and in hospital.'

'I escaped.'

'Police following you?'

'No' Jackson said confidently with a glance into the back-mirror.

'Good. Where are you?'

'On the freeway toward downtown.'

'Great. I'll send you an SMS with most important data. You get a flight to San Francisco.' The other person hung up the phone. San Francisco was the central of their little organization which occupied with government overthrows and high professional assassination.

Jackson arrived at the house. He got out of his car and walked over to the front door. He rang the bell and waited. A man opened and led him down to the cellar. The boss was already waiting there. He sat at the table and played chess against himself.

'Take a seat' he said and Jackson did as he was told.

'How are you? After the two stabbing wounds, I mean?' he asked and put the chess figures into their actual order.

'I'm okay' Jackson said not letting to know him any emotion.

The boss nodded. 'Okay enough for a new mission?' he asked.

'Yes' Jackson briefly responded.

'Your turn' the boss said and nodded to the chess board.

Jackson sighed and moved the knight from G1 to F3.

The boss nodded and brought his pawn from F7 to F5.

'What kind of mission?' Jackson asked while doing the pawn from E2 to E4.

The boss smiled and moved his pawn from B7 to B5. 'It will please you if the last mission pleased you.'

'I woke up in hospital with two grief shot wounds' Jackson responded with capturing the black with his white pawn on F5.

The boss nodded approving: black bishop from C8 to B7. He wouldn't capture my knight, Jackson thought and ignored the move with bringing his white pawn from D2 to D4.

'Perhaps you need a bit more male-driven fact based logic' the boss responded: pawn from G7 to G6. The following moves ended with a black and a white pawn captured and a black one standing on G6. Jackson smiled shortly and beat the pawn on B5 with his bishop. The boss cursed himself.

'Perhaps this male-driven fact based logic doesn't work out while occupying with women' he proposed hating that the boss had tried to defeat him with his own means.

The boss shrugged and responded silently with a pawn from A7 to A6. Queen from D1 to D3. He thought what this could mean. He looked into Jackson's blue eyes that hid any emotion and just stared concentrated on the check board.

'Your turn' he said and looked up.

The boss nodded. He knew why Jackson worked for him. He was the best in the job and never got distracted. The last mission must have really been bad luck. E7 to E6, a black pawn.

Jackson knew what his boss had planned: Making chess through bringing the bishop from F8 to B4. Didn't work. He moved his queen from D3 to G6. Now the black king was in danger.

The boss blinked and thought. The only solution he could think of was rescuing his king to E7. It was followed by the white bishop targeting him with C1 to G5.

'You still have to tell me what kind of mission' Jackson responded. He didn't seem to concentrate much at all and he was winning the game.

The boss thought about his king. 'I booked you a flight. From San Francisco to Washington.'

Black knight from G8 to F6.

'I assume my mission takes place in Washington?'

Queen from G6 to F6.

'No, not directly. Rather on the flight to Miami.'

'Miami? That's what I just come from.'

'I know. And then you will take the flight from Miami to San Diego.'

'Do I have to see any sense in there?' Jackson asked.

'Yes. You know, there will be a passenger seating right next to you on the last flight. You will nicely interact with her.'

'What do I have to understand in this sentence?'

'You will make her switch the family in the room in the Lux Atlanta hotel in Miami from 4872 to 1254. There's an explosive device placed in 1254. It will get off at half past six in two days.'

'Do I have a déjà-vu?' Jackson asked silently.

'The flight is book and everything is prepared. When you finished your job, kill her. How you manage this, that's your option.'

'Kill whom?'

'The woman you are going to blackmail that if she does not as you want her father will die.'

'It didn't work out last time.'

'But it will this time.'

'Why?'

King from E7 to E8.

'Because her name is Lisa Reisert.'

Jackson sighed shortly and without even looking at the board he moved the white queen from F6 to G6. He stood up, nodded to his boss and left the room. Last time he had had the chance to kill Lisa. He will never give up such a chance anymore again.

This time, he was absolutely sure to kill her.

And with this thought, he left the cellar and drove home.

He had a killing to plan.

Please review.