It was 4:26 in the afternoon by the time I made it to the rendezvous point. Keller was already waiting, their eyes glued to the file as they went over it once more.  

“Hey Kells,” I sat down next to them on the park bench, “anything I need to know as the newbie before I go in?” 

Keller grinned and looked up at me, their tiny stature giving them the look of an excited child, “Vik! No, I think the file mostly covered it.” I frowned slightly, but said nothing as they continued, “You know who we’re targeting, right?” 

I nodded and waved Greta over from where she stood across the street, “And I have clearance from the Kill to take them out by any means necessary if things go...” I stared at a suspicious looking man as he grinned at me from a few meters away, “...Sour...” 

Keller and Greta must not have felt as on edge as I was. All I could think about was how wrong things could go if even one of us mistimed something.  

Greta handed me my duffel bag for the mission and slung her own over her shoulder, smiling sweetly she handed Keller their own duffel and started to walk away. 

“Oh!” she turned back quickly, “Vik, don’t forget to put in your contacts.” 

I raised an eyebrow and my lips twitched with an involuntary smirk. Keller nodded and gestured towards me vaguely. 

“Yeah, your eyes are pretty,” they made an odd sound of amusement, “but anyone would be able to recognize you...” 

This comment made me laugh a little too loud for someone who was supposed to be getting ready to murder a bunch of people, but as I walked away towards the small café I had chosen earlier to get ready in, I found myself laughing harder. I cleared my throat and tried to smother my wild grin as I entered the quaint establishment.  

The café was nearly empty; the owner shrank down as I approached, no doubt terrorized regularly by the anti-Kill gangs and Immunity freaks that were becoming more and more popular these days. I tapped the counter gently and smiled maliciously as the owner of the café, a small young man with beady eyes, shivered. 

“H-how can I h-h-he-help you today, miss?” 

I tilted my head and gave him an innocent look, “You have a little lady’s room I could use?” 

He nodded vigorously and pointed to the back. I smiled again and pulled out my phone to tip him, winking at him as he went back to cowering. 

Once in the bathroom, I unzipped the duffel and practically drooled over the number of unnecessary weapons that I had been gifted by the Kill for this mission. The skin-tight jumpsuit was fully bullet proof and had straps on my arms, waist, and inner thighs for hiding all sorts of knives and guns. The professional looking suit that went over the jumpsuit also had many hidden compartments for concealing weapons of my wildest imaginations. I looked in the mirror and smirked, fixing my hair to look neat and composed. The last step was to put in the colored contacts to disguise my vibrant yellow eyes. When I was finished, I clipped on the fake I.D. that the Kill had made for me, allowing me access to the room that I would be “guarding”.  

“Fan-Fucking-Tastic" I whispered into the com that sat hidden in my ear, “Ready?” 

“Ready,” Greta’s preppy falsetto sounded from the earpiece. 

“All set!” Keller practically sang. 

I grinned wildly, entering the building we were soon going to blow up, “All right gang,” A tall man with shoulders as wide as boulders gave me a curious looked and scanned my I.D., giving me the ‘all clear’. I walked through a short hallway that led to a heavy wood door and entered casually, making my way to the far wall straight across from huge table that our targets were seated at. Whispering into my com, I barely moved my lips, but the excitement in my voice was evident: 

“It’s go time.” 

Ten minutes into the corporate meeting, I was ready to rip out my eyeballs and bleach my brain. The monotone voice of one of our targets, a squat middle-aged woman with a faded brown bob, was almost enough to make me groan. I had to bite my lip, distracting myself by assessing the real guards around me with deadly intention.  

They all looked well built, athletic and strong and hiding all sorts of weapons, just as I was. I glanced to the young man beside me and almost choked. 

He was side eyeing me with a slight smile and I instantly recognized him as the man who had been smiling at me like a weirdo earlier.  

I inhaled sharply through flared nostrils and turned back towards the meeting in front of me, trying with all my might not to look back at the man whose eyes were still burning holes in my head.  

“Hey, Vik,” Greta’s voice rang in my ear, “I know you can’t respond, but hold on for a few more minutes; we are analyzing the files right now.” 

Keller’s voice replaced Greta’s, their tone much more chipper, “All the bombs are rigged and ready.” 

If I could have sighed, I would have, but with the creep beside me watching my every move, I didn’t dare make a sound. 

The com went silent, and the boring lady finally shut up, handing thick Nilla envelopes to her fellow CEOs. 

A man who looked about a jump scare away from death, stood and addressed the small assembly, “Friends and associates, I would like to take a moment to confront the issue that has been rising from the horizon of the future,” Murmurs filled the room, even from the guards; this man was clearly known amongst these people, “The industry that has been killing off our economy and our loyal workers and employees; Davin Nao’s Kill Incorporated!” 

The murmurs turned to groans, mine joining the mix; this old fool was an Anti-Kill gang boss. How fantastic. In my earpiece, I could hear Greta giggling madly and Keller making a noise of disappointment.  

The man tried to continue, but a beautifully pale woman stood and waved a hand in dismissal, “What are you going on about this time, old man.”  

It’s too bad I gonna kill her cause she’s real pretty, I thought to myself with a small smile. 

“First day on the job?” 

I frowned and turned slightly to inspect the perv that kept staring at me, “Yeah, they just had me transferred,” I replied in a low tone before turning back to the bickering of the beautiful woman and the stupid old man. 

“Yeah, not a great day to transfer,” he whispered back, ignoring my cold shoulder, “Real boring stuff, aye?” 

His accent made me smile involuntarily and he took it as a sign to keep chatting. 

“You know, I saw you earlier...you really stick out in a crowd, even with different eyes.”  

I flinched, but not enough to be noticeable, “Is that supposed to be a compliment?” 

He grinned as I looked over at him, my brows raising in something like disgust as he flushed a light pink, “Yeah, I guess I’m sayin’ you’re pretty.” 

It took all my will power not to gag.  

Men will be men; horny and predictable.  

I pretended to blush, looking away as I feigned embarrassment, “O-oh thanks" 

“Vik, stop flirting,” Greta laughed into the com, “Giving you guys a thirty second warning.”  

Keller laughed too and I had to refrain from cussing them out. 

“Bombs are a-go in tee minus ten,” they cleared their throat, “Ready?” 

The man next to me was still talking as I straightened up and looked back at him.  

Three... 

Two... 

One.