Chapter 2
Guns and Roses " Ms. Bane," a guard greeted, nodding his head to the young woman who came through the entrance door. Like many others like him, the hallway was lined with men of varying sizes, but each one deadly and lethal in their own unique assets. These were the prized Elites. A group of esteemed highly skilled soldiers that fought and protected the head at all times. There were only 11 currently now, back then there were 12, but out of unknown reasons one of them was "deemed" MIA; dead, lost, and never to be found.
There were whispers of chatter going about the The Messengers that he supposedly quit and fled the group after his partner died.Some say his partner was a traitor or a snitch from another organization and the consequences after finding out the other's identity warranted the person's death in the end by the heads. The 12th member couldn't handle that fact and became obsessed of finding the truth. People said he went crazy to the point where he would lock himself up in his room and never come out. Others believe he was like any other grieving partner and eventually left the organization out of grief and remorse. Whatever the case was, there was never a clear claim of what exactly happened to the last member. Lizzy could never remember his codename compared to the other soldiers in the clan, the elites bore masks and were assigned names to fit their new identity as the face and top class of the hierarchy.
It had wolf at the end, night wolf or something like that she mused, trying and failing to catch a puzzle piece that seemed to float higher and higher from her mind. Whatever. It didn't matter now. Frankly, why am I even thinking about an issue that happened two years ago she thought bemusedly. Focus, Liz. Get your head out of fantasy land.
Her footsteps echoed like a clear bell on the mahogany flooring, the only sound that occupied the quite corridor. Chandeliers hung above the ceiling, paintings of past heads hung in order on the beige walls, and ornaments of vast variety were stationed atop pristine wood. It was regal and imposing, it reeked of respect and intimidation. Any new soldier would have leaked their pants by the sheer power the room seemed to hold, but Lizzy had been through these halls countless of times she had no nervousness or trepidation whatsoever. It was a walk in the park she supposed and oh too soon she thought dismayed. I have arrived. In front of her stood a set of large oak doors, the handle was carved into the insignia of the organization. Two snakes joined together by one tail, converging as one while facing each other in opposite directions. On the bottom in gold letters stood The Messengers's mantra, a saying that all soldiers knew by heart and soul.
"E pluribus nati. Sumus unus.Sicut unus fortiter stamus." her words seemed to magnify in the vast space of the hallway. Born from many. We are one. As one we stand strong. She took a deep breath, straightening herself out before knocking on the door. One. Two. Three.
" Come in!" a voice commanded from the other side. Her fingers found the knob and turned it clockwise, stepping into the room she saw the head seated at his desk. He held up one finger for her to wait before finishing up the last signature of the document in his hands and acknowledging the young woman in his office. Two elites stood on either side of his mahogany desk, unmoving and deadly like a pair of vipers ready to strike at any threat coming at their master's way. It was imposing, but not impossible to stare down.
" Ms. Bane, thank you for coming to the headquarters in such short notice. I hope it wasn't of too much inconvenience to you." he began formally and earnestly, but Lizzy knew better than that. He meant business and his superficial sincerity was just that; superficial.
" Stop acting that political on me, Head Hikaru. I know you enjoyed calling me over here after just finishing a job for you. I'm not the same rookie you met eight years ago." she said cooly sitting herself down on one of the chairs.
Hikaru smiled enigmatically, twining his hands together and settling them under his chin an amusing yet cryptic look etched on his face.
" Now why would I do that?" he said questionably though the answer was obvious to both of them.
Lizzy sighed and positioned her body more comfortably on the chair. This man owned half of the deals happening in the underground city of New York and yet he couldn't spare a few cents on a piece of furniture. What a waste.
" Enough beating around the bush, let's get straight to the point here. What did you call me for, Head Hikaru?"
The man in turn after all playful banter was over and done with, hardened his expression to the man the shadowed world knew him to be since they met him. A man capable of penetrating fear in enemies and admiration in others. A true force not to be reckoned in the slightest bit. He bent down under his desk and retrieved a brown manila folder from the drawer. He placed it on the surface of the table and slid it towards the assassin who caught it in mid-slide with effortless ease.
As the other opened the folder, he began speaking the finite details of the mission. " His real name is Jongin Kim, but most people call him Kai. He's a rogue assassin from an unknown rival organization we've been recently keeping tabs with for the last three years. They call themselves The Lighters. We don't much about them nor do we have much on this man either, but we do know some things. In less than two weeks from now, there will be a rendezvous meetings between Kai and an unknown informative, a mole from his ex-organization, in Central Park at 1200 hour sharp. Your mission is simply to gather information from the event and intercept Kai after it. I want you to gather everything you have on him and kill him once you have succeeded. Do you understand your mission, BlackTigress?"
Yes, but-" Lizzy stopped all together as she stared at the middle-aged man before her who smirked knowingly at her astonishment. For the first time, Lizzy was left speechless. Her codename. That was her own codename. She couldn't believe it. All her life she was living for the momentum of this moment; to be finally be considered an Elite.
" Did you just call me by my codename?" she asked shockingly, her cool exterior long forgotten.
Hikaru stood up from his seat and looked in her in the eye. His eyes twinkled at delight at having the chance to catch the deadly assassin by surprise for once in her life, but his face remained impassive all together.
" I've deducted that you are ready enough to be the last addition to our special division. You're considered the best and regarded with respect from various members in our organization. It was obvious from the list of candidates that you were the clear choice. However," drawled the head moving towards the window to stare below the headquarter's garden." You must complete this mission. Take it as an preliminary assessment and treat it with utter most focus and importance. It is crucial you finish this to the end and stay on task. This could be the most critical event in your career, Miss Bane. I expect this job to be a success."
Lizzy looked at the man on the folder. He seemed to be in his early to mid twenties. His face was good looking in a pretty boy appearance. Tan skin, black lustrous eyes, and ebony locks. She could imagine he would be a big hit for girls her age. For a moment, a small buzzing sound echoed in her mind. Flashes of a warm fire, snow, and a beautiful, bright smile popped up randomly in quick successions. She clutched her head in pain, trying to dispel the images away, but like a wisp of smoke they disappeared from her mind. What was that? Where did those come from? Were they memories? Lizzy shook her head, no that's not impossible. It was probably just her medication. Yeah. That's it.
The Head failed to notice her little epilepsy. She clutched the folder tighter in her hands, standing up from her chair she saluted the man.
" I promise, Head Hikaru. I won't let you down, you can count on it."
" Good. You are dismissed, Ms. Bane. Your mission will start tomorrow. There will be transportation to your disposal and a place to live as well, but any other factors are up to you. Do you understand?"
" Yes. I do."
" Very well, you may leave."
Lizzy left with a heavy mind and heavy heart. Two completely different things. She knew she wasn't going to sleep tonight. For both of those reasons.
Comments