Author's Note: Hi there. For any who have read my previous stuff, I know that this is probably very unexpected but trust me, I will get back to my other ongoing projects soon. I just felt like doing this because the Hitman franchise is one I love a lot. As for anyone reading my stuff for the first time, I hope you'll enjoy reading it. If you're wondering about the inspiration for this... Honestly, I've been wanting to write out how one of the games' main missions would work for a while so I thought "Why not go back to the very first mission." (for the franchise at least.) If you love the franchise as much as I do, then I hopefully you'll find something you'll love in here, if this is your introduction then I strongly recommend you play these games because they are amazing. Without further ado.

Disclaimer: I do not own ANYTHING involving the Hitman franchise. (IO you rock!)

Enjoy.

The First of Many

I open the blinds of my hotel room window and look out into the somewhat busy streets of Hong Kong. What many would deem an interesting place, full of mystery, laughs and excitement. My sight doesn't settle on the many skyscrapers soaking the blackened skies with their neon glow. Instead, I focus my eyes on Chiu Dai Park, the cornerstone of this part of the city.

It had been a year since I had managed to escape the asylum, a year since I had been enrolled by the I.C.A. as one of their agents. Agent 47. The first time I had ever been called by a name, one that had confused Diana, but I couldn't care less. I take one last look at the park before heading over to my desk and opening a miniature laptop, one that can easily be disposed of without raising suspicion.

This will be my first contract for the I.C.A. The first time I will have ever killed… For them. Though my recollection of it has been somewhat blurry, I do remember having killed targets before, their names and faces remaining a mystery to me. It's been said that every person feels something different when confronted with a murder… Yet from what I can gather, I didn't feel anything. The thought of taking someone's life doesn't spark anything within me. Oddly enough, it feels welcoming. As the computer switches on, I squint my eyes at the bright, murky green glare of the screen before reading up on the mission details once again.

The ultimate target to get rid of is Lee Hong, leader of the Red Dragon triad. However, taking him out right now would be suicide considering the amount of power he wields within Hong Kong. Instead, the agency has opted for starting a gang war between the Red Dragon and Blue Lotus triads to make him more vulnerable. A complicated endeavour but certainly doable. Sources say Lee Hong's chief negotiator is meeting with the Blue Lotus' negotiator in Chiu Dai Park at 12:00am, a perfect chance to unsettle the balance between the two most powerful triads in Hong Kong. To do this, I need to take out the Red Dragon negotiator and leave the members of the Blue Lotus alive to imply their involvement. However, if I want to be successful in this, I cannot be seen. The second they realise that there is outside involvement, the entire plan is worthless.

I scroll through several screens on the laptop before reaching an overhead map of the area, with Chiu Dai Park in the centre and many other buildings surrounding it including the hotel I'm staying in. I've scouted out the areas and have found my options are severely limited. An up-close approach is almost certainly a death wish. Too many openings in the park's geometry to take the negotiator out subtly, no places to hide his body and very little possibility of infiltrating the place. Triad groups like this will almost certainly have closely knit security personnel, leaving no chance of me infiltrating as one of them. There is potential to get into the park as a gardener, but I will need to evaluate the situation when the target arrives before proceeding.

Luckily, there are plenty of vantage points within this area of the city thanks to the many tall buildings. Unfortunately, my hotel isn't one of them. Over the past day or so of staying here, I've noticed several Blue Lotus members talking with the hotel manager, a glint of fear present in the manager's eyes throughout the whole conversation. Clearly, they will be keeping an eye on this place in the fear of any potential attack. Though it would be smart to keep all buildings on lockdown, it is not humanly possible to make sure every part of the area is secure. Every security team leaves cracks in their defences. They always do. I will just need to see which sightline is available.

With the plan coming together in my head, I shift my gaze over to the suitcase lying on the foot of my bed. Inside it lies the pieces of a WA2000 model Sniper rifle, equipped with a suppressor and 4 level zoom scope. A model that certainly doesn't come cheap, however after my performance at the final test, the agency gave little fuss about bringing the rifle to me. Three vantage points in particular come to mind; One at a small hill near the end of street, one on the roof of an opposing hotel and the final one near a neon sign located at the top of an adjacent building. Whichever location I use, I will need to escape from there without drawing attention to myself or the agency's rendezvous point. My optimal method beginning to finalize in my mind, I look to the hotel room's clock.

11:45pm.

Only fifteen minutes until the target arrives. Fifteen minutes until I will need to take my shot. I scroll the laptop screen back to the mission briefing to remind myself of my objectives one last time. No nervousness or anxiousness consumes my body, only concentration fills it as I look on the luminescent green screen of my mission briefing.

Eliminate Red Dragon negotiator.

Keep Blue Lotus negotiator alive.

Escape to the rendezvous point.

11:55pm.

Within ten minutes I leave my hotel room, check out and walk out into the streets, briefcase in hand and dressed in a black suit with a white shirt and dark red tie. I wear nothing on top of my head, nothing to conceal the bar code printed on the back of my skull. I never needed to. Most people never gave it any attention.

11:57pm.

For several minutes I continue strolling through the city streets, my eyes flicking between the three vantage points and the park my target will soon be presiding in. I keep myself from loitering in any place for too long, any suspicion I bring to myself could potentially result in me becoming a suspect. Something that would ruin everything. I notice a few civilians lying on the floor with ragged clothing, reaching out their arms towards me. They utter something in Chinese, practically pleading as a few flies zip around their dirty rags. I don't feel any compulsion to give them money as many others would. Instead, I notice the streets become practically barren, only a few pedestrians idly walking by and the few cars here and there.

As I continue my walk around the streets, I notice a sleek black sedan driving up towards one of the two entrances to Chiu Dai Park. If discretion was their main aim, then they could certainly improve upon it. Seven members of the Blue Lotus triad exit the vehicle, two of them ushering the negotiator into the park before heading over towards their guard posts. Two of them stand in front of the first entrance whilst the other five guards spread out amongst the city streets. As expected, one of them heads inside my hotel to keep watch. Another makes their way towards the opposing hotel, yet I do not see him appearing up on the roof. Two guards reach the hill at the end of the street and the final Blue Lotus member stands in front of the building with the neon sign on its roof. Almost every single vantage point has been practically blocked off. Almost. There's a narrow alleyway that leads to the back of building with the neon lights, giving me a direct route to its elevator. A route that by all means looks completely unguarded.

My eyes scout around the area again, noticing the guards posted at the front area frisking a gardener wanting to gain access. For a moment I look on at the potential ways to eliminate my target. By heading into the opposing hotel and picking a lock in one of the rooms, unseen by the Blue Lotus member guarding the building. To disguise as one of the gardeners and conceal my weapons within the broken-in room. I would be frisked and allowed in before considering my kill opportunity. Perhaps I unlatch the cable holding one of the lanterns in the pagoda, its heavy cast iron frame certainly capable of crushing the Red Dragon negotiator's head. Or I could potentially leave one of the sprinklers on and toss an electric tool in the puddle. If he has a drink, I could utilise some lethal rat poison surely found in one of the gardeners' toolboxes. As for escaping, I would either be escorted out by the guards, or they wouldn't bat an eye if I run out of the park in 'fear' which allows me to head back into that room, regain my suit and weapons. From there I would have a fairly simple way to head to the rendezvous point.

This visualisation soon fades away as I quickly shift my gaze back towards the alleyway. Too many problems with that method. For starters the Blue Lotus member could possibly see me breaking into the hotel room. The hotel room could be populated, possibly not even having a disguise for me to use. Past those problems, what if the gardeners already in the park recognise the fact that I'm not an employee? Or if they see me attempting any of those possible kill methods? There is not even a guarantee that I can utilise any of these methods. Once the deed is done, what if the guards keep all the gardeners there for questioning. Surely, they'll realise that I'm not who I say I am. Too much of this method relies on sheer dumb luck. Luck that I don't believe in. I pull my left sleeve up to look at my watch.

11:58pm.

Time to move. Walking into the alleyway at a brisk pace, I make sure none of the guards see me heading into the damp and murky path. It's oppressive lack of light forces me to squint my eyes as I continue to make my way through. A rumble of thunder reaches my ears as rain begins to pour from the sky, its intensity increasing the closer I get to the end of the alley. As I finally reach the exit from the shadowy alley, I take a look at the elevator leading up to the roof, thankful for the sudden downpour of rain. I hadn't considered the amount of noise that the elevator can make, possibly notifying the guard of a presence on the roof. This heavy weather provides perfect cover as the raindrops only become faster, their intensity proving too loud to even hear myself think. Seeing no one else near the backstreets, I walk into the elevator and press the button to go upwards. It's mechanical clanks and motorised hums are overpowered by the pounding rain as it reaches the very top of the building. I squint again, my eyes almost blinded by the bright neon sign piercing against the veil of the dark night sky. Before long, my eyes adjust, and I make my way across the roof. I look down towards the ground, noticing that the guard in front of the building hasn't moved an inch. My focus shifts towards the other rooftops, not seeing a single Blue Lotus guard patrolling them. A sloppy mistake.

With little risk of being seen, I open the briefcase and carefully take out the pieces of the sniper rifle. I piece together the rifle, its stock clicking into place in its frame, the scope sliding onto its top before I have to tightly screw in the suppressor in front of the barrel and fit the magazine at the bottom of the frame. The rifle now complete, I take a quick look at the weapon. Many gun enthusiasts would call it a work of art, though their devout appreciation for this tool is beyond me. I merely chose this model in particular because barely anyone has ever used it. It's unlikely that they would guess this model of firearm would be used due to its rarity, an advantage all too useful for maximum discretion.

Taking my spot in front of the neon sign, I open the lens cap on the scope just enough so that the rain doesn't interfere with my view as I survey the park. Any minute now, the target will show himself. A small window of time to get rid of him and then exfiltrate, yet just enough for the entire hit to go wrong. Not a single mistake can be made, not now.

11:59pm.

As I wait for the target to arrive, my eyes take in the grimy buildings clearly in desperate need for repair. The shrivelled and unkempt denizens roaming the streets. Obviously whatever power the triad has, whatever riches they gain from their underground enterprises are spent only on themselves, this part of Hong Kong being a far cry from the shining lights in the distance. This thought doesn't take much space in my mind as I notice another black sedan pulling up by the second entrance of the park. Four Blue Lotus members exit from the sedan, with half of them escorting my target into the premises and the other two heading towards their posts. My eyes widen slightly as one of them heads towards my building.

Hastily, I take my eyes away from the scope and press on the elevator to go back down. If that guard patrols around the back of this establishment and sees the elevator up at the roof, then his suspicion will certainly be aroused. It takes five seconds for the lift to fully reach the floor. Five seconds that somehow feel much longer than that. I lay low on the roof, looking down into the backstreets in anticipation for that guard. Within five seconds, the new guard arrives, casually glancing about the place without a single care in the world. He passes by the elevator, unaware of me looking down on him. Not noticing anything suspicious, the Blue Lotus member turns the corner, allowing me to call the elevator back up. A crisis averted… For now. Thankfully, the intensity of the rain hasn't died down yet, allowing for the elevator's machinal sounds to remain cloaked.

I take my spot back up at the neon sign, scoping back in to see the guards remaining in their positions with two new ones guarding the second entrance and the third patrolling around the front streets. Eleven guards none the wiser to my presence, some looking confident that the negotiations will run smoothly. It's interesting how the prospect of power itself, how the feeling of being above others can make people feel like they're untouchable. How that arrogance can make them much more vulnerable than they know.

12:00am.

My focus shifts towards the pagoda in the centre of the park as I notice the two negotiators slowly stroll underneath it, seeking shelter from the onslaught of rain. The Blue Lotus negotiator stays on the right side with his arms by his side whilst my target walks on the left, his arms behind his back. They both patiently head towards two seats located in the pagoda, its angle making it impossible for me to kill one negotiator without killing the other. I need to take my shot soon. Almost as if in response to me, the two stop in their tracks, clearly intrigued in whatever matters they're discussing.

Perfect.

Within an instant of them stopping, I line up the crosshair directly onto my target's head as my gloved finger finds its way onto the trigger. My target's demise now almost certain, I hold my breath to keep my aim steady and pull the trigger. Whatever miniscule sound let out by the suppressed weapon is further minimised by the thunderous sky. For a brief moment I look to the location of my target to confirm his demise. With most people, the very idea of taking a life would shake their very core, at the worst, break them. However, as I see the pool of blood forming underneath the corpse of the Red Dragon negotiator, no question of moral standing flows in my mind. No conscious attempt to rationalise the reprehensible thing I have done. Instead, I feel…

Nothing.

I don't see a man with a family or friends lying dead on the floor. I see my target lying on the floor with a bullet in his head and my secondary objective panicking right beside him. After confirming part of my mission done, I quickly sprint away from the neon sign and get on to the elevator, grabbing my briefcase on the way there. The elevator begins to descend after I sharply elbow the button, with the raindrops starting to become lighter. In the five seconds it takes to make it down to the bottom, I manage to speedily pack my sniper rifle back into the case. As soon as the elevator hits the floor, I step off and walk back into the dark alley.

After emerging from the dank place, multiple Blue Lotus members run into the park, hearing their negotiator's fearful screams. I ignore my instinctive urges telling me to run away, knowing that me sprinting off will only attract attention to myself. Before long, several guards run past me and over to the building with the neon sign whilst other guards search the other potential vantage points for intruders. With little else keeping me from heading to my extraction point, I calmly head towards the grey car I had arrived in days prior, parked in front of the hotel I had stayed in.

I drive away before any of the Blue Lotus members finish their searches around the area, exiting the area of Chiu Dai Park in a few minutes time. After gauging how far I have gone from the soon-to-be crime scene, I park on the side of the road and call the number the agency had given me in the briefing.

"I trust your mission went well?" The voice of my handler, Diana Burnwood, rings into my ear, her voice just managing to overpower the patter of the rain.

"Yes, my target has been eliminated and no evidence has been left behind to insinuate my involvement."

"Good to hear, with any luck Lee Hong will immediately assume the Blue Lotus are responsible for this and their impending war will begin soon." At this, I raise my eyebrows in question. If this was the I.C.A.'s main way of luring out Lee Hong, did that mean they didn't have any contingencies?

"And if he doesn't?"

"Then we'll contact you on whatever else we will need you to do." I nod my head, slightly reassured by her confident tone.

"Understood."

"Congratulations on a job well done, 47. Your payment will be transferred to your account shortly. Farewell." The phone line cuts off with a dead ring as I head back inside the grey car and drive down the road.

My first target for the I.C.A. eliminated. My first mission completed. The first of many to come.