One Shot (1 of 5)

INTRODUCING ONE SHOT

“Target in range, ready to take the shot.” I report.

“Roger that. You’re free to fire once her speech begins.”

“Copy that. Rifle armed.”

I waited as my target approached the podium. I could see her lips move and once I read her lips say “Good Afternoon”, I pulled the trigger and watched the bullet enter and exit her skull. She was dead before she hit the ground.

“Target terminated.” I said as I calmly folded my rifle legs and picked it up. “Reporting to the next site.”

“Copy.”

I went down the hall to room 2254. I picked it open and was met with sounds of a woman moaning. I walked into the room, immediately pulled out my 9mm with a silencer attachment and shot the man and woman that were in the bed. I set up my rifle by the window and started looking through the scope. I searched for my next target.

“Target acquired.” I said.

“Fire when ready.”

I took aim and fired a shot at a man standing over the woman I just killed. His head blew off on impact. I then searched for another man and took aim.

“Target acquired.”

“Hold.” I waited. “Fire when ready.”

I fired at him, blowing his head off as well. People were running around everywhere. I tried locating my next three targets. I spotted them running.

“Remaining targets are on the move.”

“Fire when ready.”

I took aim and shot all three in the head.

“Targets eliminated.” I stated.

“Good job, report to The Island.”

“En route.”

After placing my rifle in its case, I casually walked out of the hotel room I was in and headed to the elevator. As I waited for the elevator to come I made a call.

“Ready for housekeeping.” I said as the call was answered.

“Turn down service confirmed.” They responded. I hung up and got on the elevator as the doors opened.

When I got down to the lobby, I met up with my driver and followed him to the car. He opened my door and closed it after I got in. As he started driving, a call came in on the car phone. I picked up the phone and held it to my ear.

“This just came in, you have another mission 20 miles west of your current position. Do you accept?”

“I accept.” I replied without hesitation.

“Details are being sent to your PDA. You won’t have any support so call that number after the mission is complete.”

“Copy. One Shot out.” I hung up the phone and took out my PDA. The driver was already aware of the mission so he was heading to the destination without me telling him anything.

When we arrived at the destination, the driver opened my door and I got out. I went to the trunk, which was already open and gathered the weapons I felt was required to complete the mission. When I finished, I closed the trunk and looked at the driver.

“If I’m not out in 15 minutes, leave without me.” I told him.

“Yes sir.” He replied.

I started running through the woods until I approached a brick wall-fence. I hid behind a tree as I surveyed the area. I noticed two cameras pointed in my vicinity. I pulled out my PDA and activated the scrambler. Confident that the feed was scrambled, I quickly scaled the brick fence and proceeded to the small compound.

As I got closer, I started to see armed guards. I took out my semi-automatic rifle, switched it to a one-shot setting, attached a silencer on it and took aim at one of the guards. There were 7 in my immediate line of sight so I had to be quick to get them before they noticed me. I mapped out my plan and executed it. Taking aim at each one; one at a time, I shot them in the head before I could be spotted.

Now unobstructed, I cautiously approached the entrance to the compound. I could sense a solid 10 people inside. Feeling confident that these ten individuals were the only ones on the compound, I decided to stop sneaking around. Holding two desert eagles, I kicked the door open and started shooting at whomever I saw. One by one, bodies dropped to the ground after a single shot to the head.

Satisfied, I put my guns back in their holsters, grabbed the C4 blocks that I had on my hip and placed it in three different locations. I looked at my watch and noticed that 12 minutes have passed. I nodded, walked out of the compound, and started heading back to the car.

When I approached the car, the driver opened the door for me. I detonated the C4, blowing up the compound as I entered the vehicle. As the door closed, I called the number I was supposed to call.

“It’s done.” I said as the call was answered.

“Good work; now report to The Island.”

“Copy that.” I hung up the phone, turned on the TV that was hanging from the roof of the car and started watching the news.

“Yes, Pete, emergency personnel have confirmed that she died immediately at the scene. Worse than that, 5 other officials have also been assassinated, 3 of them were actually on the run.”

“I’m sorry, Jennifer, I don’t mean to interrupt you but we were able to get in contact with one of the investigators that’s working the case. Inspector Wilson, thank you for taking the time to speak with us and the world for that matter, so let’s get right to it. How did something like this even occur? Wasn’t the Prime Minister protected by bullet proof glass?”

“Yes she was. Not only was she protected by the glass, the area was secured at a 5 mile radius.”

“When you say the area was secured, what exactly do you mean?”

“5 miles away from where she was holding her speech were checkpoints. These checkpoints included vehicle inspections and personnel inspections to ensure there would be no unauthorized access. All buildings were searched and only accessible by approved personnel. Security details, as well as the national guard, were on hand to keep things even more secure.”

“So with all of these measures in place, what do you think happened?”

“It’s really hard to say. All signs point to a sniper but with all of these measures in place, the sniper would have to make that shot over 5 miles away and at an angle where the Prime Minister wasn’t protected by glass. The only place that would be is directly behind her but clearly you had the Capital as the back drop. At this moment, I can’t really say I am sure of how things happened.”

“Again I’d like to thank you for your time and I…..”

I turned off the TV. I took out my other phone and noticed a few text messages. Before I could reply, the car stopped and my door opened. I put my phone in my pocket, got out the car and walked into the building. I placed my thumb on the security pad and waited as my thumb print was scanned, as well as the rest of my body. The doors opened and I proceeded inside. I approached the front desk and she nodded. I proceeded to the left side, towards the elevators and went into the only open elevator. The doors closed and went down. After about 10 seconds, the elevators stopped and the doors opened. I walked off the elevator and into another secure room. That’s where Selena was waiting on me.

“Right on time, Shot.” She said to me. “Good work today.”

“Thank you.” I sat next to her.

“Here’s your doctor’s note for school tomorrow.” She said as she handed me a folded piece of paper. “In a few minutes we’ll be meeting with Chief. No matter what he offers you, do not answer immediately.”

“Why not?”

“He doesn’t like eagerness, makes him think you’ll be careless. He’s funny like that.”

“So what do I say?”

“You’ll take it into consideration. After 48 hours, we’ll give him a reply.”

“Is this a test to see how thorough I am? Ensuring I’m capable of analyzing everything and not just the perks?”

“Exactly.” At that moment the door opened. “Let’s go.” We stood up and walked into the office. The door closed behind us. A man was sitting in the chair behind the desk but was turned away from us, staring out of a window that gave the illusion of a city view. “Chief, Selena S reporting along with One Shot.” Selena greeted as we stood about 6 feet from his desk.

“Relax, Selena.” He said calmly. “Today is a good day.” Selena sat down in one of the two chairs positioned in front of his desk. I stood where I was, at parade rest. Chief turned around and looked at me. “So you’re the infamous One Shot; a man that I’ve been paying a lot of money to do the jobs that no one can do? Although I expected a man, you’re merely a boy.” He looked at Selena. “Why is there a boy in my presence?”

“Chief, since your attempted murder, decisions were made to find an outsider that can eliminate the parties involved. We discovered One Shot by mere chance when he killed four teenagers that were bullying him.”

“How old are you son?” Chief asked me.

“17, sir.” I replied.

“Are you completely aware of what you’re doing?”

“I am.”

“How am I to believe that I can continue to put my trust in your abilities when all I see is a kid?” He asked.

“Chief, with all due respect, One Shot has done everything…”

“I’m not asking you.” Chief interrupted her. “I’m asking him.” He stood up and started walking towards me. “How am I supposed to believe in your talent?”

He stood 4 feet away from me. I looked at him in his eyes. In a flash, I took out my glock, held it to his head, threw a knife into the arm of one of his guards with my other hand and then held another knife to Chief’s arm before he could reach his weapon. I didn’t say anything and neither did Selena.

“Not only do you have the ability to bring a weapon into this facility but you’ve managed to put me in this situation.” He started to smile. “Impressive, young man.” He started to walk back towards his desk. “The problem is you didn’t necessarily analyze the situation completely.” He said as he sat down. Selena turned around and looked at what was behind me.

“Are you referring to the guard with the unloaded gun to my head?” I began as the guard repeatedly pulled the trigger with no success of firing a round. “Maybe you’re referring to the machine gun at the door that’s pointed at me but has a pin stuck in the chamber to prevent it from firing? Or how about the fact that the guard with the knife in his arm still has a free hand but can’t use it because he’s now paralyzed?” I then looked at Selena, “or did you believe Selena would protect you with no weapon at all.” She started to search herself and noticed her weapon missing. Chief looked at her as she looked at him. He started laughing.

“You are indeed a rare find.” He stated. “Very well, you have my approval. This is your mission.” He handed a file to Selena. She went through it. “The payout is $2.5 million and needs to be completed in one week.”  He took out a cigar and lit it. “What do you say?”

“I would like to take it under consideration.” I stated.

“It’s two and a half million dollars, what’s to consider?” He asked.

“Not only would I like to know who the mark is, I would also like to take into account all relevant information to ensure I’m capable of handling the task in 7 days.” Selena and Chief were both impressed with that answer.

“Very well, inform Selena of your decision after you’ve reviewed everything. In the meantime, continue to follow your normal routine. I understand you’re enrolled in high school and staying off the radar.”

“Yes sir.”

“Excellent. It’s been a pleasure meeting you.”

I nodded, turned and left the office. I sat down and waited for Selena to come out. As I waited, I began to think about the text that I read but didn’t get a chance to answer. Not too much longer, Selena came out the office. I stood up and started walking with her.

“He’s beyond impressed with you. No one has ever been able to do what you just did and that’s including impressing me.”

“So what’s the plan?” I asked, getting right to the point.

“We’re catching the next flight back to Miami. We’ll discuss the target there. Have you eaten yet?”

“I’ll eat at the airport.”

When we arrived at Miami, we went straight to Selena’s place. I went to my room and placed my bag on my bed. I then immediately went to her room. I knocked on the door, even though it was still open.

“I take it you want to discuss the target right now?” She guessed, yelling that to me from her bathroom.

“Yes, ma’am.” I yelled back.

“Come in, I already have the file ready for you.” She said. I walked into her room and then into her bathroom. She had a robe on and the bath water running. “It’s a very high profile target, per the usual. This one will require quite a bit of skill.”

She turned the water off, took off her robe and got in. The scent of French vanilla and strawberries filled the air, stemming from her bath remedy. She looked at me, studying me as if she was still trying to read me.

“This won’t be a sniper kill?” I asked.

“It will be, but it’ll take a degree of stealth and skill to actually get to the target.” She activated a screen that was on the wall on the side of her bath tub. She pulled up the map showing where this would take place at. “Your target is not only Senator Cullen, but also Chief Inspector Yesski, Deputy Chief Ramus, and a couple high profile executives. 8 targets total, 10 rounds in the chamber.”

“It’ll already be set up?”

“Yes. It’ll be here.” She made an “X” on the map. “You’ll encounter many guards, all special forces. Your mission is to take out all targets without being detected.”

“I accept.” I said as I closed the file.

“I figured you would. I’ll give Chief a reply tomorrow evening.”

“I thought you said 48 hours?”

“Due to the time needed to prepare, we can’t afford to sit on this that long. 24 hours is perfect.” I nodded in agreement. A moment of silence draped over us. I looked at Selena as she lied in the tub, resting her head back with her eyes closed. “What’s on your mind?” She asked, feeling my eyes on her.

“I’ve been trying to figure out how to respond to this text and I can’t really articulate the right words.” I grabbed my phone and started reading the text, “I really like you, Brandon, and I want to be with you. I just can’t tell how you really feel about me…” I looked at Selena. “What do I say?”

“Well, how do you feel about her?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know how you feel about her or you don’t know how you’re supposed to feel about her?”

“Both.”

“Do you like hanging around her?” She asked.

“I don’t dislike it.”

“Has there been any physical contact?”

“She’s held my hand and hugged me before.” She sat up a little and turned towards me.

“Has she aroused you sexually?”

“What do you mean?”

“Have you had thoughts about having sex with her?” I looked puzzled. “Wait, have you never had sex?”

“Not that I’m aware of.”

“Do you even know what sex is??”

“I don’t know.” I admitted.

“Oh no, this is unacceptable. How can you blend in as a 17 year old if you don’t know what sex is?” She started going through the files on her monitor and pulled up a video. “This is sex. Watch and learn.” I started watching it. “Now how does this make you feel?” I looked down, as did she which generated a smile from her. “Good, that at least lets me know we’re barking up the right tree.”

“So this is sex? Why the obsession with it?” I wondered.

“Oh, I don’t know; maybe cuz it feels AMAZING!!!” She said with the most excitement I’ve ever heard from her. “Look, if this girl stirs up emotion in you that makes you want to have sex with her then I’d say you should date her and see what happens. Maybe she’s the bridge to the normal life your cover needs.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“Of course I am. Just remember everything I taught you about women and their needs.”

“Yes ma’am.” I stood up. “Thank you, Selena.”

“You’re welcome, Brandon.”

I walked out of her bathroom, went to my room and lied down. I stared at the ceiling for a moment before deciding to text the girl back. It began a back and forth texting conversation for the next hour before I fell asleep.

The next morning, my routine began:

-0530: Wake up (no alarm)

-0531 – 0535: Brush my teeth

-0535 – 0543: Shower

-0543 – 0600: Dry off, lotion up and get dressed

-0600 – 0620: Cook breakfast for me and Selena

-0620 – 0630: Eat, washing it down with a tall glass of orange juice.

-0645: Walk out the door

All of this done at the same time every school day. Selena usually gets up 5 minutes before I walk out the door at 0645. We live about 15 walking minutes away from my school, where I needed to be at 0730. Today is different because I decided to pick up Olivia from her house, which is an additional 5 minutes, driving. Selena came downstairs at 0640.

“Selena, may I take my car today?” I asked her.

“Driving? That’s a bit out of your routine.”

“I decided to pick up Olivia today.”

“You’re learning quick.” She tossed me the keys. “Be careful and remember…”

“Low profile. Yes ma’am.” I said, smiling as if I’m already in character. I approached Selena and kissed her cheek. “Have a good day.”

“You too.” She replied.

As I opened the door to the garage and then opened the garage door, I looked at my car and took a deep breath. I got in the car, started it up and made my way to Olivia’s house. When I got there, she was outside waiting on me. She got in the passenger side and kissed my cheek.

“Thank you for picking me up.” She said.

“Not a problem.” I replied.

“Nice car, is this your mom’s?”

“No, it’s mine. She got it for me as a graduation gift.”

“Lucky! I think I just got a t-shirt.”

“A nice t-shirt though.” I chuckled.

“Whatever!” She laughed, “My dad makes too much money for me to just get a damn t-shirt.” We both laughed at that.

We continued talking up to the point we got to school. We got out the car and she walked up to me to hold my hand. As people were passing by us, speaking to her because she’s so popular, they would constantly look at me and the fact I was holding her hand. That’s when I started to regret the decision to start dating her…… I may be sticking out too much.