AN: I'm sorry about how late this is coming out. I'm thinking this is going to be the last chapter; there might be another one depending on how far I get.
Joe stared at the barrel of his gun; his eyes flickered up to Adrian. Adrian was not laugh, or even smiling. He just stared at Joe like he was tearing a mental hole through Joe. Joe did not move or try; it seemed to him that Adrian was not in the mood to be provoked. So they stood there for several minutes staring each other down. One at the mercy of the other.
"So…" Joe began breaking the silence.
"So." Adrian repeated.
"I thought you were a good guy."
"So did I."
Joe stared at the boy in front of him, but at this moment he did not look like a boy. He looked cold and callused. "Well, I'm not one for dramatic moments, so do something before I am forced to use a cliché on you."
Adrian broke and smirked a little at Joe. "I don't have time for cliché's or maybe I do. Give me the diamond."
Joe nodded, "My turn, no."
Adrian laughed. "Now it's passed to me. Give me the diamond or I kill you."
"Normally one should say I would rather die then give up the diamond, but I would not. I don't care one way or another about what happens to it. I just want to know why you would threaten me with a gun to get it."
Adrian nodded. "Yes, it does seem strange doesn't it, but you see I don't care for the diamond either. It's just a cover for my real mission."
"Your real mission? How cliché."
"I know you're going to love this story too."
"There's a story?" Joe asked sarcastically.
Adrian laughed again and this time he kept smiling. The insanity began to burn behind his eyes as he focused in on Joe. "Remember when I first arrived and apologized?" Joe nodded unsure how this could be relevant. "Well I almost let it slip then. I have been trained to be the world's top assassin."
Joe did remember this. Why hadn't he paid more attention? Adrian could have taken him on the first day, but he was acting. Then Joe laughed. "Let me guess your mother hated me and trained you to kill me."
Then Adrian laughed. "No, actually, it was just a coincidence that you got involved. Imagine my surprise when I found out my next mission was here."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, Her Majesty Amelia holds a very powerful political vote, despite her countries size." The Adrian laughed again. "Look now I am chattering on like a twit, giving you time for your buddies to show up and help you." He sighed, "I guess I'm going to have to lock you in here."
Joe frowned, "Shouldn't you kill me? Not that I'm complaining it's just…"
"Yes its just you'll escape and stop the assassination."
"Um… Yeah."
"Tell me Joe, how resistant are you to being gassed?"
"What?" Adrian smiled a dropped a can on the ground. It burst at Joe's feet before he could react. He inhaled the gas and felt it burn his lungs as he fell on conscious.
"Sweet dreams, Dad." Then Adrian closed the door behind himself.
Adrian closed his eyes and sighed. He looked at Joe's gun in his hand and unloaded the mag. He laughed as he stared at it, it was empty. The old man knew too. Joe had just wanted to see if Adrian would do it. He wanted to know if Adrian would shoot him. Adrian hoped he got his answer and quickly discarded the gun and mag on the ground. He pulled out his own hand guns from under his shirt and raced down the hallway.
He hated look like the bad guy, but sometimes, sometimes people just got in the way. People like Joe always got in the way. People like his mother too. He cursed himself again and again. The fire had been Adrian fault, well not completely, but it was his fault that his mother got caught in it. She had followed him on one of his mission. She thought she could help or maybe she was told to help. He didn't know which.
Adrian dodged behind a corner and avoided too of the dark clothed men. He had to sit there now. They weren't moving. A good assassin never kills unnecessarily. His mother had followed him. The guy he was tailing was good, very good. In fact that guy was here tonight, for Mia. Adrian let him get away the first time; he wasn't going to do it again. He remembered that night so well. He had followed the guy into a trap. The doors had locked behind him as he stepped into the room as his target had before him. His target was waiting for him.
If he were in an action film it would have been the hard core epic battle scene between to well trained assassins. Adrian miscalculated one move and then he was thrown across the room. The target laughed and shook a finger at him. He struck a match and dropped onto a strip of gun powder. The stuff lit up and he had dashed away through the window. Adrian got up to follow him when bars slammed down. The doors were locked and windows barred. He watched the powder burn and then realized it was heading for a gasoline tank that was flipped on its side.
Adrian flipped the near by metal table and got behind it just as the tank exploded. He avoided being burned but a shard of metal tore away from the table and went right through his shoulder. He cried out and no one heard him at least he thought. He stood and looked around the blazing room madly. He saw a vent above his head. Adrian pulled out a gun and shot it open. He left the gun and slowly hoisted himself into the vent grinding his teeth at the pain in his shoulder. He touched his shoulder where the scar was.
The dark guards had moved on. Adrian got to his feet and started running again. He turned quickly to a painting and through it open. Closing it he dashed up the stair into a hidden loft above the ballroom, people were still oblivious and still dancing. He took this as his time to find his target.
He remembered dropping out of the vent outside the building. He began running away when he heard her screams. He swallowed hard and turned to the heated blaze behind him. His mother was caught in there and there was no way he could reach her. Adrian listened to her screams and until they died away. Staring at the blaze he promised to avenge her and protect anyone else who would…
Adrian spotted his target. The man had blazing red hair and sharp blue eyes. A Scottish man if he remembered the accent properly. The man was lying on his belly in the darkened balcony above the ballroom. He lay in the shadows unnoticed by the untrained eye. Why had he waited? Then Adrian remembered Mia second speech and he quickly pulled up his sniper gun he had hid there earlier. Mia walked up onto the stage and directly behind the podium. Adrian aimed his gun at the target, the target moved his finger.
There seemed to be a tear in time as the bullet sounded. The room below froze in confusion and slowly began to look about for someone to have been shot. Most looked to Mia who stood frozen and pale looking up at an arm hanging over the edge. The only part of Adrian's target that entered the light. He turned back to the dark room he was in and dropped his gun to his side. He sat there sprawled out against the wall staring into nothing. Slowly he began to cry softly thinking about his mother again.
Adrian sat there for hours listening to the mass panic, the confusion and frustration. He listened to security quiet the crowd and led each guest out one by one by escort. He listened to the hushed whispers of dozens of people waiting to leave. He could even hear Clarisse trying to calm Mia while also trying to find out what happened to Joe. Joe… He heard them tell Clarisse that they found him unconscious. Adrian sat there mentally drained. Soon he fell asleep to the soundless hall as everyone had finally left.
He felt someone tap his foot. He cringed and tried to sleep some more. Now they shook him. He cracked open his eyes to find Joe looking over him. Sun light filtered through the openings above his head, it was past noon, Adrian had deduced. He looked back at Joe who sat silently across from him.
"You thought I would get in the way." Joe began.
"It wouldn't have been the first time."
"I see."
"This is a dream."
Joe laughed. "Hardly…" He looked at Adrian who merely stared back. There was nothing but silence between them for some time.
"I have to leave soon. I have to contact my superiors."
Joe nodded. "You are too young for this kind of work."
Adrian smiled, "Not really, I find my hardest targets are younger like me."
"What kind of targets are you given?"
"Only those who would threaten others. I am a protector not a destroyer."
Joe laughed, "This seems like some kind of movie." Adrian laughed.
"Yeah…" He looked away for a second and then looked back. "I'll probably some back to visit Josh."
"Anytime, you are always welcome."
"Good because I'll need a place I can hide out at sometimes." Joe laughed and stood up. He helped Adrian up and Adrian picked up his guns. "Hey how did you find me?"
"I know every secret passage there is, besides this is the best place to find someone in the ballroom."
"Touché, old man." Then Adrian ran off laughing and Joe chasing him.
Adrian left quietly later that day. Joe thought that Josh's calmness to his brother leaving was odd, but it then occurred to him that Josh had probably seen Adrian leave many times. Clarisse still loved him and o that he was reassured that evening in private. So life went on in the palace almost like nothing had happened, but then again no knows what tomorrow may bring.
