And So It Begins (Dal-Geon)

A few dozen meters short of a kilometer away from the highway, Dal-Geon was waiting, seated on top of a large boulder that comprised one of the several rocky hills that covered the mountain they have chosen for stakeout. Everything around him was in shades of yellow, orange and brown, much befitting a desert. The air was dry, but little to no sand was carried in it. It was a lucky occurrence that the day the target was moving happened to be on a day such as this, when the wind was nothing but a gentle breeze that occasionally made itself noticeable. On a bad day, you couldn't see five meters ahead, let alone have a chance at a perfect shot from this distance.

The sun was blazing in the sky, and the warm sand bellow sent heat waves upward. Dal-Geon felt very much like he was being cooked in an oven*, but it didn't bother him much. The long and grueling training he went through, his missions up till now that were all situated in north Africa and the middle east, turned him indifferent to the scorching heat that characterized these parts of the earth. There was nothing to do but bear with it, so he found no reason to dwell on something that was out of his control, and just suck it up.

Dal-Geon hated everything about what he was doing. There wasn't a single thing he was comfortable with. Not the mission, not the people. One of the worst among them was his partner for this mission, perched on another pile of boulders on a hill to his right, due east, the noisy Russian guy that was yammering nonstop in his ear, was a racist ass to boot. But Dal-Geon was used to that kind of shit by now, being the new guy in a unit that rarely accepted newbies to it's lines, it wasn't that different than the army. It was an army, in all ways that counted, other than the filthy purpose and evil people it served. Like any military organization, hierarchy played a big role, and Dal-Geon was still new compared to the rest, even though he already had a decent amount of missions under his belt.

The special unit he was a part of now was no easy place to get in to. Even though Black Sun as a whole was very particular about the people it allowed in, this unit was even more exclusive. By the hand of god he was allowed in after "surviving" the mission of his previous unit, where only a handful made it alive – him, and the guys that secured the perimeter outside the structure. He got some unearned credit for surviving the explosion that he, in fact, caused, and made it to the special unit, with no one the wiser. He didn't care what he had to do, as long as it served to achieve his goal – find out the truth, expose the perpetrators and take vengeance. This was the only way for him to protect the people he cared for, the only way to create a safe world for them to live in. Only this way will his nephew and the other victims get justice and be able to rest in peace. And seeing that he was pronounced dead and accused of murder, there was nothing much left for him in life other than that.

Dal-Geon sat with his eyes closed, assessing the gentle breeze that caressed his face, calculating the adjustments that had to be made from this elevation. It wasn't a hard shot, the distance wasn't that bad and there was no obstruction between him and the spot where the target was expected to pass. The Russian idiot kept going on and on, Dal-Geon didn't care much what he had to say, and while ignoring him, he waited quietly for the spotter to speak up. The spotter was an American dude, considerably and thankfully less talkative than the Slavic chatterbox, several kilometers to the east, waiting, much like them, for the arrival of the target.

"three minutes before the target arrives", the American spotter announced on the radio.

Dal-Geon finally opened his eyes, brought out of his calculations, and pulled down the heavy headset that covered only one ear, positioning it properly over both with the mic to his lips. The sniper rifle was standing on the bipod on top of the boulder in front of him. He adjusted his position and prepared himself for the target's arrival.

Three minutes passed, and a black SUV came into view from around the mountain that was to their right. A white limo, which contained the target, was close behind it. Dal-Geon readied his rifle and peered through its scope. The shot of his Russian partner hit the front right tire perfectly, causing a blowout, and Dal-Geon saw the limo skids to a stop, the SUV pulling up not long after. Hardly breathing, locking his muscles to keep a steady arm, he waited for his opportunity.

He didn't know much about the target, they only gave out essential information that was necessary to complete the mission. He knew this time it was a young woman in her late 20's that was headed to meet a member of the royal family, that was to be eliminated before this meeting took place. He heard some bits of information here and there, some speculations the guys had that were more befitting to be called gossip rather than actual reliable information. Some said she was a foreign princess that was having an affair with the Sheikh, some thought she was just a common girl one of the royals was toying with, but one of the more informed guys that was higher up said he heard she was a foreign representative of some oil company that came to negotiate a deal. Though as a private army they weren't too particular about the mission as long as it paid well, and some rich people were crazy enough to have their husband's or rival's lover assassinated, knowing what he knew of this organization and its relations to people like Samael, he thought the third option was probably the most likely. Meddling with internal affairs of another country sounded like something the Axis, "a global finance organization", as Jarome described it, would definitely dip its toes in.

Dal-Geon, his eye not leaving the scope, breathing controlled and levelled, saw two armed men coming out of the SUV, rushing to the limo, and two more coming out the front of the limo, looking around erratically, planting themselves protectively in front of its right back door, which slowly opened. Though the goons obstructed his view, he saw his target come out of the car. She was wearing all black, with a black scarf over her hair, black jacket hanging on her shoulders and a black dress. She had large sunglasses that covered a considerable portion of her face. No clean shot. He waited for an opening.

She reached up a hand and took her sunglasses off, her face hidden from Dal-Geon, who was closely monitoring her movement through the scope. She made her way to the front of the car, still well hidden behind her guards, apparently wishing so inspect the damage to the tire. Dal-Geon's finger caressed the trigger lightly in preparation. Any moment now.

Suddenly, a gush of wind came out of nowhere, which entirely changed the calculation for a clean shot, even though the target was up for grabs as she raised her head to watch her scarf fly away after being blown by the wind. Her hair came down in heavy cascades down her shoulders, a reddish chestnut under the sun. For the first time, he could see her face clearly. Dal-Geon's heart stopped, then went off again like a jackhammer that was trying to break through his ribcage. He quickly raised his head from the scope, blinking, bewildered.

Impossible, he thought. I'm seeing things.

He pulled down the checkered cloth that covered his mouth and nose, finding it too stuffy to breath even without it, and looked through the scope again. She was reaching for the ground as if to pick something up.

Shit, it's really her.

On the verge of panic, his mind was a mush of so many emotions and thoughts, incomplete, rushing simultaneously, cutting one another halfway, swarming around like millions of bugs, buzzing inside his skull. Even so, his body was steady like steel, and his focus didn't waver. Dal-Geon was no stranger to emergencies and dangerous situations that required composure and quick actions. If there ever was a life and death situation, it was now.

Her jacket sleeves were dancing in the wind as she made her way to the back of the limo, while Dal-Geon tried hard to come up with a plan. It didn't have to be a good plan, just anything that will stop this mission from executing. Anything to prevent what was surely coming. His mind was racing, finding dead ends wherever it turned, the dire situation seemed hopeless as the seconds ticked by.

"Geon, there's your shot", the spotter's voice was heard on the radio again. Dal-Geon was struggling, racking his brain, trying to think of a way out of it. He couldn't watch her get hurt, the only reason he left her in the dark was because he wanted her to be safe. What the hell was the point if this was how it was going to end?

He was breathing hard, angry and scared, he felt like he was about to lose his mind. The frustration and helplessness made him want to pull his hair out. If he won't shoot her the Russian guy surely will. The wind died down and there was no logistical or tactical reason to delay this hit.

There were only the three of them on this mission, only they were on this particular radio frequency. The spotter was about 3 kilometers to the east, no sniper rifle. He was monitoring the target using binoculars from a location that was too far off. He also couldn't see Dal-Geon and his partner up on the mountain. The Russian guy was the only problem.

"What are you waiting for?", the spotter's voice came again, urgent.

Dal-Geon felt like he was going crazy. How was he to stop the inevitable from happening? If he shot her, he thought, he might be able to save her. If he took the shot and just injured her, her guards will immediately jump to protect her from being shot again. They could have her treated, she could be saved. The alternative was for her to be fatally shot by his partner. Injuring her could buy him some time to figure out a plan before the higher ups ordered to execute this mission again once they find out she's still alive. He could come up with a way to get her out of this, somehow. He had to. The other option was to let her die, which meant there was no other option at all.

The thought of actually shooting her made his stomach turn, wondering if he could actually do it. He knew he could and would do anything to save her, he would die if he had to, and to hell with everything. Nothing was more important than for her to live, for her to be safe from harm. But shooting her, even if not for the sake of killing her, even if it was to save her, when he knew any tiny sudden gush of wind could change the course of the bullet and land it in a vital position, even if it wasn't his aim… He didn't think he could. He couldn't be the one to kill her, even by mistake while intending to save her, he couldn't take the risk. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he hurt her. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he was to allow anyone to harm her. He would never forgive anyone who did. Having his gun aimed at her was already a sin in itself. Squeezing the trigger was unforgivable, for whatever reason, when he knew that from this distance, any shot could end killing her.

"Geon, take the shot", the voice came again.

"Geon!", it urged him.

"Geon, shoot the target right now!", the spotter was screaming, pushing him to a corner. His time was running out, they would take action if he waited any longer. He had to come up with something now, or it would be too late. Dal-Geon's finger faltered on the trigger.

It might be the only way… he tried to reason with himself.

"Geon!"

"There must be a problem, I take the shot", the Russian voice was the one to speak up, making Dal-Geon's blood boil in his veins in an instant. That's it. There were mere seconds before everything was over, before her life and his were over. It was clear to him that he wouldn't be able to live after that. He would do anything to avenge her, even if he got himself killed in the process.

And there it was. There was no reason to wait.

All the gods of the world on his side, suddenly the air was completely still, no calculations needed, no adjustments. An easy shot even an amateur could nail, and he was no amateur. In one fluid motion, as if it was made of weightless feathers instead of the 15 kg block of metal that it was, Dal-Geon averted the rifle to the right, positioned it, peered through the scope, and immediately squeezed the trigger.

A clean shot to the head, the Russian died instantly. Dal-Geon breathed hard, tears streaming down his face, feeling the tension seeping out of his body. He took a moment to regain his calm, and took the headset off with a shaky hand, heart thudding like a drum.

She's safe. All that matters is that she's safe, he took a breath of relief, but he knew it will be short lived. It wouldn't be long before she was targeted again. The spotter will soon see her leave the scene, and will send the guys after her. The unit's base wasn't too close, and there weren't any missions going on nearby, so it would be a while before they get to her, but they will get to her before she reached her destination. The hit won't be as clean as it was supposed to be, it won't be snipers this time, probably a drive-by. Maybe a car or a motorcycle, or maybe a shoulder-fired missile. It will be considerably messier, but it will happen. He wasn't worried about turning into a suspect, not immediately. Since both he and the Russian ass "lost" connection with the spotter, the spotter will think something went wrong. When they'd find his dead partner, they will assume it was an ambush. He knew they wouldn't suspect one of their own for no reason, and they had no reason. They might think he was captured or injured, or managed to escape and lost touch on the run. Black Sun had many enemies, this scenario wasn't unlikely, and wouldn't be the first time a mission was thwarted because of that.

Hae-Ri was rushed to the black SUV by her armed guards, and took off at full speed. Watching after it disappearing around a mountain to his left, due west, Dal-Geon knew what he had to do. He didn't have a plan, but he knew what his next step should be. Whatever it takes, he had to protect her. Determination took over every cell in his body. He will keep her safe, there was no question about it.