Chapter 1

Assasination

Washington, D.C.

1:45 AM

March 18, 1999

Agent Anderson squatted atop the roof of a Washington D.C. building, a Steyr Scout Tactical Sniper cradeled in his hands. He was watching the street below him, waiting for the target to come into view. Anderson was an Eraser. He was one of the best. Him and Omega Squad were in Washington D.C to take down a defecting Itex employee, planning to sell information to several undercover police officers. He should have been wearing combat garb, but he preferred his specially tailored business suit and tie, the latter of which he always secured with a tie pin. He stared down the rifle's scope through the lenses of his angular sunglasses, waiting for his target. The comm piece in his ear buzzed to life.

" Anderson, this is Walker. Bravo One is foxtrot, that is Bravo One Foxtrot."

" What is your location, Walker?"

" In front of the Congress building."

" Right. Keep me informed. Anderson out."

Anderson stopped talking and checked the sights on his rifle. They were perfectly adjusted, aimed at the alley bellow. The alley had one end open to the street, the other end was a brick building. There was only one way into the alley. Perfect. The sniper's clip was full. If all went according to plan, he would use all of it. The comm piece went live again.

" King, this is Walker. You have the trigger."

" Roger, King. Bravo One is still foxtrot...wait, Bravo One is held. Repeat, Bravo One is held at a bus stop. Stand by... Bravo One is complete the bus; he is mobile. Hall has the trigger."

" Roger that, King. Bravo One is still mobile, coming towards your position, Anderson. Stand by."

At that moment Anderson heard the diesel engine of a bus as it came to a stop at one end of the alley. An agreeable looking man in a long coat with a polo shirt and jeans stepped out into the night. His brown hair blew slightly as he looked nervously down the alley. At the other end of the alley, a metal door set into the brick building opened and several plain clothes police officers stepped out, also checking the perimeter. Anderson pulled back the catch on his rifle, ready to fire. The man walked down the alley toward the officers, reaching into his coat as he did so. He pulled out a manila envelope, bulging with papers and photos. He reached the police and they exchanged a few words. He was about to hand the officers the envelope when Anderson opened fire.

He pulled the trigger seven times. One bullet hit the now ex- Itex employee in the head, killing him instantly. The other bullets were divided among the officers, who also went down. It all went flawless. The flash suppressor and silencer had done their job. Nobody heard or saw a thing. Anderson quickly got back on the comm system.

" Bravo One is eliminated. That is Bravo One eliminated. Walker, bring in the truck now."

At that moment an International 4300 Box Van backed into the alley, blocking the entrance to any nosy passerby. the cargo door slid open, and Agent Hall and Agent King jumped out. The other members of Omega Squad wore similar garb as Anderson. Anderson scampered down the building's fire escape until he got to street level.

" That went perfectly," he said to Hall and King, now loading the bodies into body bags.

" Agreed," replied Hall. He had finished loading the Itex employee into a bag. King was working on the officers.

" We recovered the envelope," he said. With a flick of his fingers he tossed it to Anderson.

" Excellent," he said, checking the envelope's contents. There were several photos and dossiers on Maximum Ride, Fang, Nudge, Iggy, Gazzy, and Angel, some escaped human-avian hybrids. Anderson took out a cloth from his suitcoat pocket, wiping the envelope clean of blood before sliding it into in his jacket, along with the cloth. Walker got out from the truck's cab and walked back to the bodies, helping King load them into the bags. Anderson tossed the Steyr into the back of the truck. Then he stepped up into the back and brought out a hose, spraying the alley clean of blood. Walker, Hall and King passed him the body bags and he loaded them into the truck. Hall and King stepped into the back while Anderson went around front to sit in the cab with Walker, closing the cargo door after him. He opened the door and stepped up into the cab just as Walker turned on the diesel engine. The truck roared to life and the headlights came on, filling the alley with light.

Walker pressed down on the accelerator, easing the International out of the alley and onto the road. To the casual passerby, the alley now looked completely normal.

" What will we do with the bodies?" asked Walker as they passed several cars on the street. Washington was bustling, even at 2:00 AM.

" We'll dispose of them in the Potomac; no one will know anything," Anderson replied.

Walker nodded and the truck swung towards the Potomac.

The International pulled up to a woodsy area on the bank of the Potomac River. Walker skillfully manuevered the truck until it was at the very edge of the bank. He turned the keys in the ignition and he and Anderson stepped out of the cab. King and Hall had already opened the cargo door and were dumping the bodies into the river. The lit rear headlights flooded them with a bloody red glow. Anderson watched as the weighted body bags slowly sunk to the bottom; the current would probably carry them downstream, but that was nothing to worry about. What did matter was that the mission was a perfect success. The last of the body bags drifted to the bottom. Hall and King stepped back into the truck and shut the door while Walker and Anderson returned to the cab. The diesel engine roared into the night, leaving no evidence that anyone had ever been there.

Glossary of Surveillance Terms

Bravo One- Primary target

Complete- Inside any location-a car, building, etc.

Foxtrot- Walking

Held- Stopped but intending to move on-i.e. at traffic lights

Roger- OK or understood

Stand By- Informs the team that something is happening.

The Trigger- Informs the team that the target is on the move