by Saxon Andrew
• • •
Tal left the house running at his full-augmented speed. He arrived at the highway outside the sub-division and moved over to the massive interstate exit. Cars would move forward, come to a stop, and then merge into traffic. He waited until a medium-hauler pulled to a stop, he went to the back of the hauler, and pressed his hands against the back doors. He felt the points in his palms go into the metal and he scurried up to the top of the vehicle. Forty-five-minutes later, he arrived in the city and worked his way over to the Guild’s Headquarters Building. He saw the briber’s appointment time was nearly over and he rushed into the huge parking garage. He looked at the status board in the master-parking-room and saw the briber was parked on the second-floor. He quickly moved out of the room, being careful not to make any contact with the ten-people working in the small room and ran up to the second-floor.
He waited until the briber came out of the elevator. He took out a transparent tube and inserted a tiny dart in it. The briber stopped to open his transport and Tal blew the dart through his pants’ leg into his leg. The man didn’t feel the dart; it was tiny and was coated in a strong nerve blocker. The briber drove off and Tal looked at the clock on the wall. The poison would activate in twelve-hours. Ten-minutes after it did, it would dissolve into the man’s heart. It would make it appear he had a massive heart attack. It selectively attacked the aorta artery and would cause it to swell and burst, mimicking an aneurism. He moved out of the parking garage and worked his way back to the house of the couple he was replacing. It took longer than he planned but he still made it back by mid-night.
• • •
Tal opened the garage door with the outside remote, rushed inside, reappeared, and picked up a garbage can. He walked out and saw Ka enter the garage from the inside door behind him. She watched him empty the trashcan into the underground container next to the street and walk back to the garage. She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a quick kiss. The neighbor across the street was watching them through his window and said over his shoulder to his wife, “That is the kissingest couple I’ve ever seen.”
“That’s not a word, Sig.”
“You know what I mean.”
“You could learn from them.”
Sig shook his head; they made it tough on everyone; he had no desire to kiss his wife.”
• • •
Tal walked in and closed the garage. He smelled the meal wafting out of the open door and smiled, “That smells good!”
“I suppose you pulled it off.” Ka asked.
“The briber is going to die of a heart attack in eight-more-hours; I gave him a slow-acting poison.”
“Another one of your poisons?”
“It’s something I cooked up when I decided to join the guild,” Tal answered.
Ka headed toward the cooker, “Sit down and I’ll bring everything out to the table.” Tal sat down at the dining room table, as Ka brought everything out and put it on the table. She took a drink out of the refrigerator, snapped off the top, and put it in front of him. He took a big swig and she said, “You aren’t worried about me poisoning you?”
“If you do, then that’s just the way the ball bounces. I’ve done everything I can to convince you I’m an asset and no danger to you. I’ve decided to trust you and constantly worrying about it is wasted time and effort.”
Ka sat down, filled her plate, took a bite, and asked him, “Can I trust you, Tal?”
“Absolutely.” He answered without hesitation.
“Why?”
“Because I’m hoping I can convince you that I am a very valuable tool for you to use. If I can get you to see that, then I’ll have the best assassin in the guild as a resource.” Tal took a bite of his meal and smiled, “You are a very good cook!”
Ka sighed, “Not really. I used Jil’s memories to prepare this meal.”
Tal nodded, “We need to start using their names.”
“I know.”
“What’s wrong, Jil?”
“Jil and Zak were very good people. I think after listening to everything you discussed with me earlier, I’m starting to feel somewhat uneasy about the ones that are killed needlessly.”
“Jil, if the killing stopped, we would be ass deep in people in less than a hundred-years. I can see they were good people, but their number came up. You can’t allow your feelings to cause you to lose your edge.”
“You are the most confusing person I know, Zak! It sounds like you’re against the killing taking place but now defend it happening. Which is it?”
“Both, Jil! If I could stop the killing and not cause massive overpopulation, I’d make it my goal. But that’s not going to happen any time soon.”
“You have an idea about how to stop the killing, don’t you?”
Zak looked at his plate and sighed, “Boy! You have me nailed. You’re right. Why did we stop at fifty-colonies, Jil?”
“I don’t know. I guess there weren’t any more habitable planets to colonize.”
“That’s not the reason, Jil; we just stopped looking for them. We got lazy and loved the life here and that ultimately caused the Council to license the Assassins Guild.”
“So, are you saying if we went out and found new planets to colonize, the population threat would go away?”
“No, Jil. Just finding new planets won’t make it happen. Why did all the billions of people on Earth choose to leave and colonize other planets?”
Jil thought for a moment and replied, “There was over-population, the nations were constantly fighting wars, some of the weapons being used were deadly viruses, famine was rife in many places…”
Tal interrupted her, “That’s some of the reasons the colonists left Earth. None of those issues are currently present in the colonies; why would anyone in their right mind choose to leave the luxury we live in here? We could find other planets, but not the people with the will to go and colonize them. No one would go.”
Jil thought about it and then shrugged, “The only thing that would cause that is another war.” Zak raised an eyebrow and stared at her in silence. “If Earth develops a stardrive and attacks the colonies, then there would be a massive search for other planets to go and escape it.”
“Would that be a good thing, Jil?”
“You tell me. I’m thinking you might believe it is a good thing.”
Zak leaned back in his chair, “I’m not smart enough to make that determination. A war between the colonies and Earth could possibly lead to mutual destruction before any new colonies could be established.”
“You’re unwilling to tell me what you really think, Zak.”
“Maybe I will after we go and take a look at Earth. Right now, there’s not enough information to come to any conclusion.”
“I’ll hold my questions for later. Are you going to show me how you disappear?”
“Let’s finish eating and I’ll start the process.” Jil nodded and took another bite.
• • •
Tal surprised himself. When the meal was over, he was still in Zak’s memories and he stood up and began clearing the table. He cleaned the dishes and began to see a pattern where Jil and Zak shared the duties of running a home. He finished and found Jil in the living room gazing into the fake fire. He left Zak’s memories and sat down beside Ka, “I told you that I was a genetic engineer, but I didn’t tell you everything. I was considered one of the best on Americas.”
“That’s where the Council is located,” Ka interrupted.
“Yes, it is. And I developed some new procedures that I refused to share with anyone.”
“Why?”
“Because they would add to the Council’s power. I saw how our society operated and I didn’t want to strengthen the iron fist the Council uses to rule the colonies.”
Ka stared into his eyes, “This disappearing talent you have was one of those developments.” Tal nodded. “If this gets out, the assassins and Colony Military would be impossible to defeat or control.”
“That’s a difficult request.”
“Think of it this way, Ka. If the guild gets the means of being invisible, then any low-ranking assassin could come and kill you. You would probably die quickly if this technology ever got out.”
Ka nodded, “My rank would cause that to happen.”
“Yes, it would. You should know that I will have to modify your mimicking ability to give the talent to you.”
“Is it dangerous?”
“Not physically, but it requires self-control to prevent you from changing your appearance by accident; you’ll need to focus on the process to control it, Ka.”
“Self-control is not something I lack, Zak.”
“All right! I’ll stick to our mimicked names. Will you give me your word that you will protect this from getting out?”
“I will.”
Zak stared at her and then nodded. He went to his suitcase and took out a small pouch. He pulled out a bottle of clear fluid and a hypodermic-gun. He put the bottle in the gun and turned to her, “Are you sure about this? This is not reversible.”
“Will it give us a better chance of surviving on Earth?” Jil asked.
“It will.”
“You’ve decided that if we survive this contract that you intend for us to remain a team, haven’t you.” Zak’s gaze was frozen on her. Jil smiled, “That’s the real reason you accepted this contract and would have refused it if I didn’t agree, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“And if I refuse to remain with you?”
“I only ask you wait to decide until after the contract is completed, Jil.”
“I have no feelings for you, Zak, and never will; I see no reason to link with you; I like working alone. Why do you have feelings for me?”
“I’ve reviewed your contracts in the guild’s computer. You impressed me.”
“I assume you’ll allow me to review yours, as well.”
“I will if you desire it,” Zak replied.
Jil pulled up her sleeve, “Give me the shot.” Zak put the shot-gun against her arm and pulled the trigger. A wave of heat rushed through her body but was over in a few seconds. She looked at him and smiled, “I’ve been wondering something.”
“What is that?”
“How did your clothes disappear; they aren’t capable of mimicking anything.”
Tal smiled, “You’ve probably noticed that I’ve only worn this stretch suit.” Ka nodded. “It’s made from a genetically created material that matches my DNA. It bonds to my body and will mimic whatever my body does. Normally, it won’t change if I’m visible, but…”
“It will turn invisible if you do.”
“That’s right.”
Jil thought for a moment, “What about me; I don’t have that outfit.”
Tal smiled, “One size stretches to fit all. I have more than enough for both of us. However, we will have to wear them exclusively during the cruise.”
Jil shrugged, “Can I wear clothes over it; that suit isn’t fashionable.”
“Are you willing to take that risk?”
Jil looked down at her outfit, then sighed, “No, probably not.”
“You can change the suit to various colors, so you won’t be forced to wear the same color every day. And you now have a body that will get you noticed.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Jil, your normal body with your exaggerated…uh…”
“Breasts?” she added.
“Exactly. Anyway, it doesn’t look nearly as attractive as the body Jil had. All the bright colors you normally wear would only take away from the beauty of your new appearance. Be honest, don’t I look better without the orange hair, eyebrows, and flamboyant colored clothing?”
“I think my thoughts on that are colored by Jil’s pattern in my mind.”
Zak shrugged, “Well, you can have your choice of colors for your stretch-suits.”
“That makes it a little more bearable.”
“I want you to start focusing on your normal image and change from Jil’s image to it. Then focus on Jil’s image and change back.”
“But I’ll need a picture of the two to make the changes!”
“Not any more, only focus on the images in your mind. You might close your eyes to help you focus.” Jil closed her eyes and began changing her appearance.
• • •
Two-hours later, Jil had her eyes closed and heard Zak tell her, “Focus on your normal colony appearance. Get the image in your mind and think, “Change!”
“Why do I need to think that?”
“You need a mental trigger to make the process happen. Without developing a mental trigger, you could end up mimicking everyone around you by focusing on them. You must train your mind on how to make this work when you choose. Now, focus on that image.” Jil kept her eyes closed and suddenly changed into her normal appearance. “Open your eyes!” Zak ordered.
Jil opened her eyes and saw herself in the full-length mirror Zak had set up in front of her. She started shaking her head, “I’ve never been able to do this without staring at an image of myself.”
“Now, before you lose the feeling; close your eyes and focus on the image of Jil in her memories and think ‘Change’!”
Jil focused and opened her eyes. She still had her normal appearance. She turned to Zak, “It didn’t work.”
“It’s not an image you know well. Clear your mind, pull up Jil’s image, focus on it, and think ‘Change’.” Jil closed her eyes and, after three-minutes, she changed back into Jil’s image, “Open your eyes!”
Jil opened them and saw Jil sitting beside Zak. She turned to him, “This isn’t easy.”
“No, it’s not. You must work on getting the proper image in your mind and changing to it as quickly as possible. Speed is critical to using this new talent effectively.”
“What about the invisibility?”
“One-step at a time. You must develop the talent with images you know first and be able to change between them quickly. Work on that, and I’ll check on you when you can do it in less than two-or-three-seconds.”
“What are you going to be doing?” Jil asked.
“I’m going to look at the Guild’s Computer and see what’s going on.” Jil nodded and went back to work.
• • •
Zak went to the bedroom and pulled up the Guild Master’s video-message file on his small receiver and started scanning it. Most of it was answering questions from the various guild locations. After a few minutes, he stopped, scrolled back, and started seeing a video conversation the Guild Master had with the new President of the Council soon after they left his office.
“Guild Master, I’m concerned that the former President’s death may be uncovered as an assassination.”
“That won’t happen, Sir.”
“And how can you prove to me that’s true?”
“I’m sending the one that did it to Earth on a fake mission.”
Tal’s eyes flew wide open as he stared at the small display, “What? What do you mean?” the new President of the Council asked.
“I used you to provide a contract to send our best two-agents to stop an Earth Scientist from developing a stardrive. One of them is the assassin that killed the former president.”
“That doesn’t insure he’ll be removed!”
“No matter how hard they search to find this scientist, they won’t find him; he doesn’t exist. I also had one of my informers tell his contacts in Earth’s Security Unit that we believe they are developing a stardrive and will be sending two-assassins to remove the ones building it. Earth’
s security forces will now be on alert and looking for the two I sent.”
“Did he tell them who the assassins will be masquerading as?”
“Yes, he told them the assassins would be in their normal form without all the color modifications most tourists have. Earth’s Security forces are warned, and they will be ready to investigate any colony cruise ship that goes there. They are incredibly proficient and there’s not much of a chance of the assassins escaping.”
“Why did you send your two-best-agents.”
“I couldn’t very well send Number-Two without sending Number One. Besides, I needed to send a couple and they filled that requirement.”
“You’ll be throwing away your best agent.”
“Not really, Sir. She’s held the position far too long and is due for early forced retirement. It’s not good to keep a Number One too long. The top-two spots in the ranking will open and it will lead to every assassin in the guild doing everything possible to take their places. Their loss will lead to a vast improvement in my agents’ motivation level.”
“You know we’ve not authorized a contract at the cost of your top-two-agents.”
“They’ll never fulfill it; the target doesn’t exist.”
“Well, at least the last president’s assassin won’t be here to cause an issue. Keep me informed on what’s going on.”
“I will, Mr. President.”
• • •
Zak moved to the next lines and saw the Guild Leader had immediately contacted an agent immediately after the call. The agent’s face was blocked from the video feed.
“You know who you’re going on the cruise to watch?”
“My two-neighbors, Zak and Jil.”
“You will make sure they don’t survive this contract!”
“Piece of cake, Boss. I saw the two-love-birds taking out the garbage last night. It’ll be my pleasure to take them out.”
“Good. You’ll be our new Number One if you can make that happen.”
• • •
Zak stopped the conversation and remembered seeing the man watching him from his window across the street when he took the garbage out and now knew who had the assignment to kill them. It’s highly unusual to be watching out of a window that late at night. He must have had a spotter trained on his house that warned the agent of movement at Zak and Jil’s house. He thought about not telling Jil about the subterfuge but decided against it. Plans had to be changed and the best plan involved using Jil.