RH Week 3 Prompt Challenge: Silent Night
Prompt:
Write a story in 500 words or less beginning with this sentence: He tried to remember who had talked him into this.
Summary: Sometimes even love isn't enough to stop a soldier...
He tried to remember who had talked him into this. But another part of him knew better than to question. Although he couldn't explain the reasons for his actions, he was well aware he didn't need to know. What he was going to do needed to be done. There was no other way.
He watched quietly from the shadows as a figure dressed in black quietly crept along the rooftops, oblivious to his presence. This was good – it meant he was doing his job well. Stealth would be needed to carry out this task. His eyes followed the figure leaping from roof to roof, clearly heading for the one of the tallest towers in all of Seattle.
When the figure was a good distance ahead of him, he took off from his hiding place, following with practiced ease and stealth. When the figure stopped, he stopped. When the figure continued, so did he. It would all be over soon.
The figure finally settled on one of Seattle's highest outlook towers – the Space Needle, as he predicted. He quickly got to work and set his equipment up. It took him less than a minute. Years of training ensured he knew exactly how to arm the weapon within seconds, blindfolded. There was no doubt that he knew exactly what he was doing.
His heart rebelled as he aimed the weapon's crosshair, searching for the target. Without warning, memories flashed back of their past, of their friendship, and of their eventual relationship. Emotions he couldn't comprehend threatened to overwhelm him and render him a failure. Yet the soldier in him took over, washing those emotions away. He was a soldier. He didn't need to feel. He just needed to act.
The Familiars would soon fall, and when that happened, Manticore would resurface under a new name and once again provide a home for them all. Yet there was one obstacle in the way of that goal, and he was going to deal with it now.
He checked his weapon's aim, and without a second thought, he fired a silent shot through the air. A sad smile crept across is dark features as he watched the figure fall and take one last breath. He quickly disassembled his weapon just as quickly as he had assembled it. A minute later, he was gone.
"Report."
"X5-452 eliminated, sir!"
"Well done, 494."
"Thank you, sir."
"Dismissed."
494 saluted the colonel and disappeared once again into the night, waiting for a new place to call home. It wouldn't be long now before the rest of the transgenic nation returned. He was their leader, after all. They would follow in his lead and return home where they belonged.
A/N: I use prompt challenges to try something...new. Don't hate me for it...heh...reviews appreciated...and dare I say it - flames included if need be...