Just Another Man
The Gentleman had entered the flower shop fifteen minutes after it opened. His order would be the same as every time he ordered from the flower shop pre-assassination. "I would like a dozen black tulips, please."
The woman nodded and rang him up. The wait time was three days for this particular flower shop. He had called ahead.
"The address?"
The Gentleman handed her a card with the private address of one General Ivanov. She took the card and handed him a receipt. The transaction took less than five minutes. She would likely not even remember one of the hundred businessmen in suits that came by her shop daily. He left without another word. His Russian was flawless, though it was not his native language.
It was a universally known truth in certain work areas that a clipboard and a suit would get you a lot of places. This job was no exception. The Gentleman had been paid to kill a man. This meant nothing to him. His fee was the same for such a high-profile man as always. Fifty thousand euros. It was only a matter of time before something on the motorboat General Ivanov was so fond of broke. He was one of the wealthiest men in Russia. Repairmen were in and out of the boat on a near-constant basis. The Gentleman approached the secretary at the front of the private harbor. "I'm here to repair a leak."
The woman looked quite harried. She was close to snapping at him.
"The motorboat?"
The Gentleman checked his clipboard. She tapped the keyboard while he did so. Finally, he made his decision. "Yes."
A machine ran next to him and printed him a badge. A pass for temporary workers. She handed him the badge.
"Proceed straight to the harbor and do your work. Security will escort you out and you will be charged with trespassing if you wander. Do not get lost."
The Gentleman nodded as he took the badge from her and headed towards the back door. It was a pity that today's assassination was not an elevator accident. He had a knack for those. He continued out the door and went straight to the harbor. Today, the motorboat was his target, rather than the man. Anyone could pull a trigger but arranging an assassination to look like an accident was the skill that had earned him his premium rates. The motorboat in question was a high-maintenance one. The leak was fairly obvious, as it seems they had patched it with duct tape. The Gentleman sighed. At least they had the sense to pull the boat out of the water.
He carefully removed the putty from his storage bag. A glance around told him that the guards were not watching close enough to notice as he plugged a device into the navigation system. It was a computer virus that would drive the boat out to sea before destroying the motor of the boat in a rather explosive fashion. Normally, this would not be an issue, however, he was also sabotaging the key structures of the boat. He pulled out a saw made of diamond. It easily sheared into the aluminum of the boat. The Gentleman was creating a fault line in the boat for the explosion to crack. The putty would also play a key role in destroying the boat. It would begin to weaken after two hours on the water.
The Gentleman quietly swept up the aluminum fragments. The guards were still not sparing so much as a glance his way. He began to carefully insert the putty. Removing the duct tape from the leak area, he continued his repairs on the boat. Rubbing alcohol easily removed the sticky residue left by the tape. More putty sealed the leak. He waited for the putty to dry as his virus finished uploading to the computer. The Gentleman was not entirely sure that a boating accident would be convincing but it mattered only that it was convincing enough for the public to buy. The client had been very clear on what he wanted to take place. Kill only the father while the boy was still away from home. Nothing very obvious. The putty dried fairly quickly. The Gentleman treated it with a light for quicker drying. It was now time to stain the putty so that it was indistinguishable from the aluminum. Though he doubted Victor Ivanov checked the floor of his motorboat every time he went out, it would not do to be sloppy.
The Gentleman removed the flash drive while he waited for the staining to cure. The virus had uploaded as expected. The coloration cured well within the time limit on the badge. He leaned against the boat to examine the room before he began to replace the rug and furniture over the areas he had resealed. He rose from the floor and grabbed his tool bag. This was going to be lucrative. Fifty thousand euros, all for the price of plane tickets and a few boat repairs supplied. The virus had been fairly tricky, but he had eventually found someone to write a virus for the boat. Disgruntled government employees looking for money were everywhere.
The Gentleman exited in much the same way that he had come. The secretary took his badge back and placed it on a tray on her desk. He presumed that it was to be destroyed later. "I would advise that the boat not be taken out for about a day. The repairs will last longer if they are permitted to finish drying quickly."
The woman nodded and typed the note into the computer. The Gentleman raised his hand in a farewell motion. She waved him off and he exited the building.
The sun was beginning to set as he got back to his hotel room. The Gentleman's next flight would take him to another client meeting. The same client. It seemed that they had a list of people that they wanted removed. It was not his concern to question why. There was always another job to go to and he had a few years before he had to retire. Arranging accidents had left his career with a longer lifespan than most.
Fin
Based on a prompt by Zyzyax (see story summary). This is the 125th work in the Winds of Change 2022 Alex Rider Prompt event, where a new prompt (plus a short 1-3K work) is posted every day. For more details, see the AO3 collection :) Want to discuss? Leave a comment beneath, or join the discord (Link on AO3 Fics or just PM me, lol). Want to take part in our Alex Rider anniversary celebrations in September? Join the WoC discord to take part in a fanfic event! Want to showcase your work to your fellow fans and authors? The WoC server has a new feature! Any author who joins can ask to join our authors' feed, which shows all the fics from the authors who opt in, including non-AR fics!
