The Assassin Chronicles
A Better Life Part 2
I awoke the next morning and slowly rose as the rays of sun broke through my window and danced across the floor.
After relieving myself I suddenly remembered what had gone on in the previous day. I quickly found my jacket and checked to make sure the gun was still inside. Surely enough it was, but you could never be sure with all the petty little thieves that frequented the city.
I decided that it was pointless to stay in this tiny apartment, I needed to move on.
*****
After checking out ten minutes later I decided to start searching for the guy I was supposed to "dispose of". I'd reviewed the photo and limited information on him last night and I had one lead I could trace.
It said in my bio on the guy, provided by ponytail man that I could find my target at The Well Dressed Gentleman, a little clothing shop over in 5. I hopped on the gravtrain and waited out the ten-minute ride.
As I sat in the back all by myself I once again pondered what I was doing. In the past 24 hours I had agreed to commit a homicide, for money! What was I thinking! I had all the sudden decided that I was God? Deciding who lives and who doesn't?
Reno, calm down man I'm not a psychiatrist, enough with all of this brain examination. I had agreed to take the job and I'd already been paid a third and bought a gun, I couldn't back down now.
My philosophizing was interrupted as the mechanical voice rang out over the speakers, "Sector 5."
I made my way out through the crowd and found myself standing in an environment quite different than my usual surroundings of late. It was easily three steps up from my lodgings last night in 5.
There were noticeably more cars on the street and fairly nice ones too. All of the people walking around wore fashionable clothes, and looked like they probably took showers every day, a luxury for me.
As I looked around for my target's store I realize through the looks I was attracting that I was a bit out of place. If I was going to be successful on this job then I'd have to look like I belonged in 5, not 7.
*****
I found a little store called Casual Elegance, the name gives the store more credit than it deserves. The place is basically a spoofed up bargain bin shop. But it had some things that looked like they would fit in around here and I could afford them, so things were good.
Upon my arrival a mousy little man with small mustachios greeted me.
"How may I help you sir?" he asked, in a lowly sales clerk type of way.
"I'm lookin' for some clothes to wear around here. I uh just moved down here from 6 and I want something to help me fit in better."
"Well sir we have many selections as you can see. Over here there is…"
He spent another hour guiding me through the selection and eventually he hooked me up with two complete suits and one jacket for "casual affairs", as he'd put it. After another twenty minutes of ringing up my suits and listening to mouse boy tell me what each could be used for I walked out of the store 300 gil lighter.
I found a public bathroom to change in and I was set. I walked out a whole new man, wearing my new gray suit and sporting a smile. I found that after getting rid of my filthy street clothes and my old hat that I looked fairly presentable.
I stopped at a small kiosk and bought a cell phone to add to my look, another 100 gil there. Now I fit in perfectly on the streets of 5, talking wildly into my cell phone about random things and walking around comfortably in my knock off designer suit.
Now I was ready to find the Well Dressed Gentleman.
*****
After lunch at a nice little café right on the roof of the building my target's store was in I decided it was time to check out the store.
I would have taken the elevator down but on my way I'd noticed that the cab got out right in front of a window to the store. I didn't want to be noticed, especially if I was going to be the last person this man ever saw.
As I walked down the stairs I realized that I didn't even know this man's name. That was a little odd, but apparently Ponytail Man didn't figure that was necessary information for the job.
At the bottom of the stairs I stopped and assessed my situation. I was facing the back of the store and I could see through the large window that it looked like my man was working at the counter. So his back was turned to me, but probably not for long. I had to act quick before he could see me standing still, awkwardly at the bottom of the stairs.
I pulled out my cell phone and dialed the sector information number. I began to walk by slowly while yelling into the phone and moving my hands animatedly like I had seen so many people do out on the streets.
As I made my down the hall past the Well Dressed Gentleman I pretended to be observing the clothing. While I was really making sure I had the right guy, and sure enough I did. I must have studied that picture twenty times, and I would know his face anywhere.
He looked like any other normal middle aged man, a bit large in the waist and a bit of a receding hair line. The only distinguishing feature was that he had a large unibrow, something to catch a few looks on the street.
I made eye contact with no one on my little recon mission; I didn't want anyone to remember me.
*****
Four hours later I sat across from the back of my target's building. He should be leaving by now, where the hell is he?
I waited another fifteen minutes and realized that my target was either running late or I'd missed him. But how could that have happened? I'd been here in the same exact spot for four hours, and I hadn't gone anywhere.
I made a very rash decision and ran around to the front of the "Well Dressed Gentleman" building.
And to my utter shock and disbelief my target walked right out the front door! How could this have happened? I thought for sure that he would go out the back.
Suddenly I felt the weight of the gun inside my suit pocket. It still felt so foreign pressed against my ribcage. I turned my back to the street and pulled the gun out of my suit jacket.
I looked over my shoulder and saw that he was still within range. With out a second thought I brought the gun up and spun around.
Anya's note- I changed a few small things from the original story and I hope they didn't mess things up. Also I messed up on the sector thing again, I can't quite remember which is which. Oh, and by the way I don't know what's going to happen any more than you do… Both I and Diego appreciate this greatly, so please r&r.
Diego's Note- I changed a few things from Anya's conversion but I think she's doing a great job helping me with this and I really appreciate it. Once again this story is basically the same as A Better Life Part 2. Thanks for the good reviews, and please R&R.