Massive thanks to Shishou for being this chapter's beta!
It is generally agreed upon in the underworld circles that there are few jobs worse to have than being a professional assassin. Thieves, smugglers, forgers – those were all downright cushy occupations in comparison. Low risk, high reward, and if you're caught, the worst you'll get is a few years at a minimum security prison.
But assassins? Now they are a sorry lot. Unlike a random mercenary for hire you could find at any seedy bar, professional assassins are only used when going after the powerful, the rich, and the extremely well-protected. Oftentimes you'll have to fight through wave after wave of mooks in order to reach the target. And if you're caught – well, forget turning you over to the law enforcement. As a general rule of thumb, those who have a contract killer sent after them aren't afraid of getting their hands dirty. Worse yet, the pay isn't all that great either due to the handlers and parent agency taking the lion's share. Unless you go freelance, of course, but freelance contract killers rarely survive long due to, ah, certain unfavorable market conditions.
Despite all that, however, Yor Forger has yet to quit this job. She's considered it, of course; ever since her mission to protect the Gretchers, she has wondered whether or not it's worth it to continue working for the Garden. She hasn't quit yet, though. She can't quite bring herself to sever the ties.
Perhaps it's weird to hold any sentimentality toward a shadowy assassination organization, but the Garden was a big part of Yor's life. When she was struggling to stay afloat, her parents dead and no way to take care of her younger brother Yuri, the Garden was the reason why she was able to survive. They gave her a purpose. Sure, they may have irrevocably distorted her morals and view of the world, but that's a small price to pay for her and Yuri's lives.
That being said, even though she hasn't completely quit, Yor no longer wishes to put her life on the line by taking missions with a high fatality rate. Back when she was living alone, she was fine with it, but now, with Loid and Anya... Things are different. She isn't sure she can live with herself if she puts Anya through the pain of losing her mother a second time. Not to mention how now that Yuri is an adult with a stable job, she doesn't have to worry about him anymore. And Loid...
Well. At any rate, while her skills haven't diminished in the slightest, she has certainly come to place significantly more value in her own life. Which is why she was initially so hesitant when she was called by the Shopkeeper, the leader of the Garden, for another mission, especially with the treaty so close to being signed. At such a volatile time, there was a high chance she would have to undergo yet another arduous and dangerous mission.
To her relief, the mission wasn't as bad as she feared. For one, it wasn't a standard assassination assignment, but instead a capture mission with strict orders to keep the target alive. More importantly, however, while the target was apparently one of the best spies of Westallian Intelligence infamous for regularly running circles around Ostania's Secret Police, he was also known for his nonlethal methods. It was rare for him to kill anyone, and analysis showed that he would only do so as a last resort.
And so, Yor agreed to the job. It is definitely the first time the Thorn Princess will hunt down a WISE spy – typically, her targets were corrupt Ostanian officials, underworld kingpins, and the like – but she supposed the Garden had their reasons. Need to know, and all that.
Twilight was so good with his myriad of disguises that even the Garden has no idea what his true identity is. However, according to the Shopkeeper, the Garden recently came across a piece of leaked intelligence that heavily suggested Twilight's current mark is Donovan Desmond, the leader of the National Unity Party. Likely a disgruntled member of WISE leaked it, or perhaps the Garden finally managed to convert a double agent. Whatever the case, once the Garden had an idea of who Twilight was after, they immediately rushed to set a trap.
Yor isn't sure about the specifics; the logistics of the operation was left to the paper pushers. She was just told to wait in a secret compartment in the ceiling and come out when Desmond has left the room. It was honestly a long shot; Twilight was skilled enough that he could likely effortlessly counter any trap. The Shopkeeper was banking on the fact that Twilight wouldn't pass up on such an opportunity to meet with Desmond, and… well, one is never more vulnerable when mere feet away from their mark.
She felt it was a little unfair that the Garden had to rely on leaked inside information to even begin thinking about taking down Twilight, but from how the Shopkeeper put it, they would have absolutely no chance to succeed in any other scenario.
Waiting in such a cramped, dark space was uncomfortable, but compared to the one time Yor had to submerge herself in a swamp for five hours in order to ambush her mark, it was nothing. When her moment came, she dropped through the ceiling and immediately began attacking Twilight, who was in a disguise so effective she couldn't distinguish it from the real deal. Fortunately, him surviving her initial assault gave him away.
Twilight is good, but she is better. Even within the Garden, she is by far their most skilled operative in hand-to-hand combat. The Shopkeeper chose her for the mission because he was confident she would be able to defeat Twilight without having to resort to lethal measures, and she didn't disappoint.
Everything was going according to plan – until she spins around and unleashes a powerful kick to Twilight's jaw. The force behind the kick tears his facial latex off and sends his wig flying away, revealing the person underneath the disguise.
A very, very familiar person.
Yor watches on in utter disbelief as Loid Forger collapses to the floor, unconscious. A shocked gasp escapes her.
Wait.
She rubs her eyes before looking again, dearly hoping that she was just seeing things. No such luck.
Kneeling down, she reaches out to completely tear the latex mask off his face. Sure enough, it's her husband, Loid Forger. She touches his face, trying to see if Twilight perhaps wore a second mask, but no. It's his real face.
But then that means...
Twilight... is Loid?
"... w-what?" Yor whispers, her voice sounding strangled.
Twilight is Loid.
Loid is Twilight.
She tries to deny it, but the proof is staring her right in the face. Her husband is a spy.
A spy that Garden wants to capture, she realizes with a sudden jolt of alarm. What do they want with him? Torture him? Interrogate him? Brainwash him? Kill him?
It suddenly becomes hard to breathe as spots dance in the corner of her eyes. Normally, Yor has ice coursing through her veins during a mission, but now, she can feel herself beginning to panic.
Yor can't turn Loid over to the Garden. She – she can't. But at the same time, if she doesn't, then it'll be betrayal on her part. Can she betray the Garden? Oh god, would she even survive betraying the Garden? Why is Loid even Twilight? Is he spying on her? Is it just a coincidence? Has… has Loid betrayed her? Was he lying to her all along? Did he even love Anya? Did he even love –
She shakes her head in an attempt to clear her mind. She doesn't have time for this.
Thankfully, Desmond is still in the back room and hasn't come out. In order to protect Yor's identity, the Garden instructed Desmond to remain in the back room and to not come out until given the all clear. Desmond, eager to do anything to finally take down Twilight, who has been a constant thorn in Ostania's side for years, easily agreed to their terms.
However, Yor doesn't have long. The other Garden operatives will undoubtedly arrive soon to help her exfil. She needs to make a decision, and she needs to make a decision now.
The Garden? Or Loid?
It should be an obvious choice. Loid isn't even her real husband, after all.
She eyes the door. The Garden operatives will likely be here any second now. She has no time left. Logically, she knows what she should do.
And yet…
Unbidden, an image of Anya flashes across her mind.
Damnit.
She quickly picks the unconscious Loid up in her arms, not struggling despite the extra weight, and begins running. There are no windows in the study; Desmond is far too paranoid about potential snipers. The only exits are the back door that leads to the room where Desmond and his countless guards presently are, and the front doors, where she's running to right now.
Skidding out into the hallway, she can already hear the sound of footsteps off in the distance. The Garden operatives. Cursing slightly under her breath, she turns and sprints the other way. Fortunately, this entire section of the manor has been cleared for the mission, which means no servants or guests got in her way.
Reaching the end of the hall, she doesn't hesitate as she rushes straight at the large window at the end. It is doubtlessly composed of the highest grade bullet resistant glass, capable of withstanding rounds from handguns, rifles, and even high caliber sniper rifles. However, the manufacturers clearly didn't keep Yor in mind when they constructed the glass, because a single well-placed kick shatters it into countless pieces. And then they are out. Luckily, they are on the ground floor, so no extra complications from that.
Yor is little more than a blur as she silently streaks across the grass, the darkness of the night obscuring her movements. She reaches the fence – four-meters tall, electrified, and barbed-wired – and leaps over it, clearing it with ease. Landing softly with a thud, she makes a break for it.
Then she abruptly halts.
It isn't too late yet for her to turn back. She can still regroup with the other Garden operatives.
But…
Yor gives a single firm nod as she makes her choice. She wants answers — no, she needs answers.
And she is willing to do anything to get them.
With that in mind, she begins running again, Loid held firmly in her arms.
Some Yor perspective to clear some things up, though there's still a bit more going on behind the scenes
Thanks for reading!
