"Target Acquired."

Cinder kept her eye on the target through the scope and waited for the instruction to shoot. The window was closing. Soon the target would walk around the building and out of range and this whole exercise would have been for nothing.

"Permission to engage?" she prompted through her Bluetooth headset. She only had about thirty seconds before he disappeared.

"Negative, do not engage. Retreat."

Cinder was tempted to shoot anyway. Rid the world of one more lunar. They were a blight to humanity and humanity didn't even know it. She squeezed her finger dangerously close to the trigger before she cursed and shoved the safety back on the rifle. To disobey a command would be an immediate dismissal, and then she would get no further intel on the lunars invading her planet. Twisting off the silencer and shoving the weapon back in its case, she locked it and put it back into her suitcase, straightening out her business suit and slipping back into her black pumps. Rolling the suitcase behind her, she slipped a pair of sunglasses on and made her way down to the hotel lobby.

A comm popped up on her interface.

NEW TARGET ACQUIRED. STAND BY FOR CO-ORDINATES.

Scowling, Cinder left her suitcase with the front desk and headed to the bar to waste time while headquarters sent through the specs on the new target. She slid onto a bar stool and signalled the barkeep, but a low voice muttering a curse turned her head. She blinked slowly as she took in the crown prince sitting a few stools down. He had on large sunglasses, an attempt to go unrecognised, but there was no fooling her retina scanner. That was one of the reasons she was the top assassin in their company. She never got the wrong guy. The prince was fiddling with a port, pressing random buttons, and swearing when the port stayed blank. He looked so frustrated, his brow furrowed, his lips pursed. She wondered what he was doing in some hotel bar miles away from the palace but decided it was none of her business. He was the prince. He could do what he wanted where he wanted. Even if that was futilely pressing a power button over and over again with no results.

"Need some help with that?" She was surprised that she had even offered, but he looked so frustrated. He glanced up, suspicious.

"Kai right?" she grinned at his shocked expression, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." She gestured to the port in his hands, "What's the matter with it?"

The prince looked at the port and then handed it over to her. "It won't turn on. It was working perfectly fine, and then all of a sudden…" he gestured helplessly to the blank screen.

Cinder turned the port over in her hands before prying open the back. The prince shifted nervously in his seat as she studied the internal wires and connections.

"Careful with that. There's, um… sensitive information on there."

Cinder glanced up, raising an eyebrow. Kai glanced away and shrugged.

"I mean it's not like our national security relies on it or anything," he huffed an awkward laugh, "But seriously, don't break it."

"National security. Funny."

Cinder looked back at the port. Nothing seemed to be terribly out of place. She replaced the cover and bashed the port against the bar, making the prince jump. Ignoring him, she pressed the power button, grinning up at him when the screen turned on. The prince gaped at her.

"How did you do that?"

Cinder shrugged. "You'd be surprised how often that works. The bartender arrived with her drink and she took a sip, eyeing the prince out of the corner of her eye. He tilted his head as he looked at her.

"Thank you! You know, you don't exactly look like the mechanic type."

"oh, I'm not. I just like to tinker."

The prince smiled and Cinder found herself smiling back. Gosh he was attractive when he was smiling. He put the port in his pocket and turned to face her. Cinder's heartbeat accelerated. She should get out of here. The prince was looking at her like he was… interested, like he wanted to know more about her, and stars above that would only lead to disaster.

Cinder tipped back the rest of her drink and grinned at him. "The nation is secure your majesty." She winked and slid off the chair. A tiny blip in the corner of her vision alerted her that the second comm from headquarters had just come up. It was time to get to work.


Cinder stormed through to her Commanding Officer's office, bursting through the doors and standing there, fuming as he slowly glanced up at her from over his spectacles.

"THIS is the new target?" she threw the file down in front of him. "He is not Lunar!"

The doctor pushed back from his desk and glanced lazily up at her, thumbing through the pages she had printed out to review. Sighing, he dropped them before returning to his netscreen.

"Nevertheless, he is your next target. You have a week."

His voice dismissed her, but she pressed on.

"I only signed up to your stupid program so I could keep the world safe from Lunars. Find someone else for your human targets."

Dr. Erland returned his gaze slowly to her, steely resolve in his eyes.

"You are our best agent, and as such, receive our most important targets. You will do this. You will be successful by the end of the week. Or I will have your sister-"

"No don't!" Cinder held out a hand, shoulders drooping in defeat. Blast to the high heavens the fact that she had ever revealed her sister to this man. "I'll do it." She stalked out.


Standing at the netscreen in her apartment Cinder went over the details. Name. Age. Occupation. Current whereabouts. Wanted for stealing a rampion cargo ship from the US military. What was he doing in New Beijing? Cinder sighed, pulling up the ridiculous mugshot. He didn't look too concerned, winking at the camera, but word had it that he had escaped from custody, and was now wanted in three countries. Shaking her head at his long list of felonies, she wondered which country had hired their specific skill set. Sitting at her desk, she began hatching a plan. Carswell Thorne would be dead before the weeks end.


AN: dun dun duuuuuuuun

so I was actually thinking about writing a full fic for this one - hence the cliffhanger.. let me know if you think I should have a go?

In other news, thanks everyone who has been reading and reviewing, love you all! xx