Michael spotted his quarry moving smartly along the street the cliché bowler hat of the British gentleman bobbing up and down as he moved. Michael blended into the crowd effortlessly. Michael's left arm drifted to his right double checking the hidden blade was still there. It was virtually weightless and hidden under the sleeve of the dark hoodie he was wearing. Michael was very paranoid about it falling off and not being there when he needed it.
Michael kept his eyes on his target as much as possible reporting his movements to George and Dave through the earpiece. He also kept checking his surroundings making sure he was not the one being followed in turn. Michael felt the adrenaline course through his system killing any nerves he had left, his quarry moved quickly along Albany Street. Michael was able to get a clearer view through the crowd and saw his target was quite tall wearing a long black coat that Michael guessed was quite expensive. The target turned left onto Dublin Street keeping a brisk pace Michael was hard pushed to make sure he was blending in, checking his own back and keeping an eye on the target.
He turned left again onto Queen's Street Michael paused for a moment before turning the corner the park to the right of this street left him feeling very exposed. Michael waited for a group of tourists walking slowly along and blended right into them. The target crossed the road and entered one of the town houses on the terrace. Michael kept walking and sat on a bench further on down the street from the house.
'Target's entered a building third in on my left along Queen's Street, no tail.' Michael reported.
'Perfect, hold there.' George's voice crackled on the earpiece.
Michael waited watching the world go by looking like someone taking in the sights, really his attention was focused on the building that the target had entered. Michael saw George creeping along the roof of the building before he crept in through an upstairs window. Michael had no doubt he was the only one who had witnessed this bit of breaking and entering. It's amazing what people who don't look up miss.
Michael stood and made his way back to the safe house as ordered. He was walking along Forth Street as he heard his earpiece crackle.
'Target eliminated.' George muttered grimly.
Michael smiled with a certain degree of satisfaction, his first mission as an Assassin completed.
'Please! Please let me go!' Michael heard a female voice plead from down an alleyway.
Michael paused peering down the dark alleyway.
'This feels familiar.' Michael thought sardonically.
Michael moved slowly down the alley ready to engage his hidden blade. He spotted a rotund man pinning a girl against the wall to the right. The man was dressed in dark clothes, the cool winter sunlight was blocked by the surrounding buildings creating plenty of shadows to hide in which Michael used to his advantage as he edged closer.
'...If you don't have my money I'm going to have to get it back some other way.' The man growled pulling a Stanley knife and waving the small sharp blade in front of the woman's face. She whimpered audibly.
'Let her go.' Michael growled.
The man whipped around letting her throat go.
'This is none of your business so why don't you move the fuck along.' The man threatened. Michael glanced at the girl, her left eye was swollen shut and her lip was broken and bleeding what angered Michael the most were not these physical indications of violence but the pure terror in her eyes.
'I've a better idea, how about you disappear before I shove that knife up your arse.' Michael smiled pleasantly.
'Do you have any idea who I am?' The man asked shocked.
'I neither know nor care.' Michael said dismissively, moving his left foot forward making ready to strike.
A fresh wave of anger crossed the man's face and instantly lashed out at Michael's face with the Stanley knife. Michael leapt back and engaged the hidden blade. A look of shock and uncertainty crossed the man's face. He swiped at Michael again who circled away waiting for an opening. The man snarled and dived at Michael who drove his right hand up. Michael felt a searing pain in his left side as he drove his blade into the man's left temple. Michael fell back as the man collapsed dead and twitching on the ground. His hand went to his left side and came away bloody.
'Shit.' Michael muttered.
The wound was neither deep nor fatal but seemed to bleed profusely. Michael looked up seeing the girl who he had saved covering her mouth her eyes filled with terror and confusion.
'Mike; where the hell are you?' Ian's voice came over the earpiece.
'Alley along Forth Street, something happened.' Michael said through gritted teeth.
'T..Thank you.' The Girl said nervously.
'Michael stared at her. Her green eyes, or eye as one was swollen shut, filled with concern. Michael staggered against the wall to rest and move away from the slowly spreading pool of crimson blood moving out from the body with a hole in its head.
'You shouldn't have done that.' The girl said nervously.
'What and let him kill you?' Michael asked.
The girl looked away, Michael noticed she was thin to the point of emaciation, her one good eye was sunken into her skull with a large dark circle under it from lack of sleep. She wore stained clothes and smelt vaguely of stale tobacco smoke.
'They'll kill me for this.' Panic and fear were pronounced in her voice, 'Oh God they'll kill me!'
'Who'll kill you?' Michael asked, he was starting to feel light headed from blood loss.
'His friends.' She answered as if it should be obvious.
Michael looked up as a car stopped at the entrance to the alley; Dave stepped out spotted and spotted Michael his eyes filling with surprise and suspicion. Michael saw Dave tense his arm ready to either go for his gun or engage his blade.
'What the hell happened to you?' Dave asked looking from the girl to Michael and then to the body bleeding on the ground.
'I'll explain later we've to get outta here.' Michael said.
'Whose she?' Dave nodded.
'We've to go.' Michael insisted.
Dave scowled his face expressing the conflict going on inside him.
'Take the lot of them leave the body, we'll sort it back at the safe house.' George's voice crackled over Michael's and Dave's earpieces.
'Fine, fuck it!' Dave spat grabbing the girl as Michael walked slowly to the car.