"Come on, come on pop our head up you damn vermin. Gotcha, smile bitch." The assassin said looking through her scope. The sound of gunshots pierced the silence. Screams of panic erupted as the man fell to the ground, his throat ripped out by three bullets. Taking her equipment apart and putting it in its case the assassin sprinted down the stairs of the building. Outside the assassin leaned against the fire escape of a nearby hotel to catch her breath, her heart beating quickly, the adrenaline still coursing through her veins. Her cell phone vibrating on her hip, her contact calling to confirm the kill undoubtedly.
"It's done?"
"Yes, three bullets through the throat he died instantly. You got the money?"
"Seven hundred eighty-three thousand dectrals, as agreed."
"Good, you know the drill weapons store twenty minutes come alone or you'll be next." With that, she snapped the cell phone closed and walked towards the store. Checking her pistol before walking inside from the night, she noticed the tall black haired man and the strangely exotic woman next to him. She quietly leaned up against the wall next to the door and rested her pounding head against the wall. Getting lost in the rhythmic pulse of her head she almost missed the cling of bells as a paranoid looking man walked through the doorway clutching a briefcase to his chest.
"You alone?" The hit woman asked, in a polite voice, the man.
"Here, happy birthday Brenna the bosses present." The man replied keeping his eyes everywhere.
"Thanks, tell the boss ok. Stay out of trouble."
"Yeah thank you. You stay out of trouble too."
Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she saw the tall man holding an unusual crescent bladed weapon nearly as tall as she was. The exotic woman was loading a pistol magazine. She could hear the bullets slide into the magazine. She slipped out the door, briefcase in hand, and ran the three blocks to where her motorbike was parked. Strapping the briefcase with the money in it to the back of her bike, she mounted. Starting the bike, she sped around the parking lot a couple times before doing a wheelie into the street. The sound of the motor in her sensitive ears was calming as the wind blew her hair form her face. After about half-an-hour of riding she was using her instinct to get to her apartment. As she pulled into the lower garage, she slowly aroused from her trancelike state, parking her bike in one of the bike closets she started up the stairs to her fourth floor room. When she entered the room, she quickly stripped and went to take a shower.
Stepping into the living room covered by only a towel she answered her ringing phone.
"Hello." She answered
"Hello, Esha I have a job for you." An unusual feminine voice said.
"Who are you? How do you know my name?" The assassin said nervousness obvious in her voice.
"Why I suppose I have you at a disadvantage, don't I? I've watched you from the shadows, call me Brenda. So are you interested Esha?" The voice said.
"What are you talking about? What kind of job?" Esha inquired.
"Don't play the fool, girl, it doesn't suit you. You know exactly what I'm talking about it's your business. Four million dectrals accept or decline?" Brenda said.
"Details or I'll tell you where you can put the money." Esha said, a scowl wrinkling her face.
"Well I never knew a hit person to scoff at four million dectrals. All right, you've seen your target already tonight in the weapons shop." Brenda said
"Which person the tall man, the shop keeper, or the woman?" Esha asked
"The woman, if you knock the man out and bring him to me alive I'll triple the sum." Brenda said, trying to mask the longing in her voice.
"Alright I accept. Two questions. First what is with that woman, I can see something is weird about her? Second how do you want her killed?"
"Hhmm, she's Athairien, as for her death close range you have to be able to see her irises."
"Athairien, well that explains it. She's as good as dead."
"Excellent, goodbye, I'll call you after it's done."
Esha snapped her phone closed and walked into her room and started dressing. Once she had dressed, she went over to her window and saw her latest target passing below. She spun instantly and ran for her door, grabbing her munitions belt on the way by. Esha sprinted down the flights of stairs, her dark hair flying wildly behind her. As she reached the lower parking lot, she threw the door her motorcycle was behind open. She started the bike and sped outside to intercept her marks. Light form the street lamps glinted off her bike as she sped down the street searching, like a falcon for a rabbit, after her prey. When she spotted the two, she took one of the side streets to escape being seen. Pulling her knife out Esha swung her bike around and charged down the sidewalk her targets were on, knife in her left hand she extended her arms hoping to take down the man and kill the woman in one unseen blow.
"Matt watch out!" the Athairien woman shouted shoving the man out of the way.
The man tumbled off the sidewalk and the woman ran strait at Esha. She could her the footsteps of the woman were as light as her own, pain wracked Esha's chest as the other woman's high top boots made solid contact; knocking her off her motorcycle. Slightly winded Esha stood facing the other woman, clutching her chest. She tossed her knife to the side and unbuckled her munitions belt.
"Well you're the first to ever hit me, or to know I was coming to kill you until you were dead. That is why I'm fighting you unarmed now." Esha said with a hint of respect.
"Why do you want to kill me, I've done nothing except defend myself."
"Oh it's nothing personal Athairien, I've just been hired to kill you."
"Okay, than what's to keep me from shooting you." The Athairien said pulling out a pistol.
"Honor, plus I'm slightly intrigued how is it you can move like I can. I was genetically enhanced as a child, an old government experiment." Esha said
"Well that's interesting, all Athairiens are modified before birth. It keeps problems down, like the headaches people who get modified after they are grown get."
Esha's eyes widened upon hearing that. "How did you know about the headaches?"
"You need to get help if you're having headaches that make you want to pass out. Are you having those headaches?" The Athairien said, concern flashing onto her face.
"Why do I need help, all the doctors say I'm fine."
"Because you're going insane."
"That's bull-shit. I would be nuts already if I was."
"Really, how old are you?"
"One hundred twenty-seven, yes I know I look only thirty."
"Well, you are the oldest so far to still be sane, but that could just be because you were an infant," The woman said. "Why don't you come with us? We Athairiens have genetics almost to an art."
"Because there's four million dectrals on your head and twelve million if I deliver him alive," Esha said nodding towards the black-haired man.
"That's it I'm shooting you." The woman said leveling the gun.
"Well if those are my choices I'll go with you, but I hope you can stay awake as long as I can."
A small noise behind her caught her attention as a pair of hands slammed into her back. Esha felt the ground rushing towards her, she was still too dazed to do anything though. The taste of blood was the last thing she remembered before the world went black.
"Kya are you alright?" Matt asked Kya, glancing down at the unconscious form of the assassin.
"I'm fine, but we should tie her up before she wakes up." Kya replied walking towards Matt.
"So what should we do with her? She did try to kill you after all."
"We'll take her with us, she will go insane after all."
"That wasn't a bluff, okay so we're taking her with us. You're genetically enhanced, that was unexpected."
"Yes Matt all Athairiens are."
"So how old are you?"
"Older than you would probably guess."
"I'll go grab her bike could be useful." Matt said loping in the bikes direction.
Kya quietly pick the hit woman up off the ground. She carefully looked the unconscious woman over, the only thing marring her skin was a small cut on her lip. Her dark hair was neatly braided to keep it out of her face. She could guess there was a bruise on this woman's chest. When Matt arrived with the bike, Kya bound the woman's hands and feet with cords. Kya sat behind Matt on the motorcycle and placed the woman between them, to hold her in place. Matt had placed his crescent bladed weapon on the back to act as a brace for higher speeds.
Soon they were speeding down the street towards the Thaneian border, soon they would be in the war zone. The bound woman looked completely helpless in Kya's eyes, she could hear a small whimper emanating from the woman's throat as the sped along. Acting on an impulse Kya gently stroked the unconscious assassin's hair. The gentle purr of the engine was starting to have a calming effect on her when Matt told her they were nearing the city border.