Assassination 2136

Chapter 6: Perfect Relationships

This contract was unlike anything I had ever seen before. As I flicked through the file back at the apartment, I realised that the client had given me a lot more info than just the ID of the tracker. They gave me a photo, a photo of the woman. She was very professional looking, cropped black hair parted down the middle and pulled back into a ponytail. She had thin glasses, and basically exuded very business like vibes.

They also gave me an information brochure to a presentation night. It looked like some kind of 'eco-talk', I had heard of them happening often enough in the city but always chalked them up to being quacks. This particular brochure had a photo of the lady I was to assassinate, Lindsay Burge. The pamphlet informed me that Lindsay was an expert in theoretical biology, and had devised a hypothetical method to restore the Earth to it's previously habitable environment. A way to correct the atmosphere, reintroduce plants, and restore the climate so we can once again live outside the dome.

So yeah, she's a quack.

Finally, I found a small sticky note in the file with an address and floor number on it. Nothing more. This address was different to where the eco-talk would be according to the brochure, however I did note it was on the same street.

It appeared that the client had done some research. Not only had they specifically requested me, someone who specialises in sniper take downs, but they had found the location and time Lindsay would be, and also a perfect vantage point to perform the act. Basically, they took the hard work out of my job, and were paying me 5,000 creds to just be the moron to pull the trigger.

But why me? Xyle had a multitude of assassin's at his disposal, in fact I was the only assassin without cybernetic augmentations. They were expensive, often with long recovery times after the operation. However, whatever you wanted to augment you could. Super speed? Sure. Increased eyesight? Done! I wanted to save up for it, but I couldn't justify the financial impact it would have on Dovima and myself.

I had a swarm of questions clouding my mind as I sat stewing in my apartment on the couch. Dovima and I were watching some shitty rom com on TV, and my attention was clearly elsewhere.

"What's up babe? Is that contract bothering you?" She asked, turning to face me and placing a hand on my arm. I smiled at her, a small and unconvincing shadow of a smile.

"It's just.... Weird.... You know? Something's not right with it babe..." I replied. She cocked her head at me, running a hand through my hair. I had never hesitated for a contract before. Never flinched to kill someone for my own financial gain. But now there was a weight on my shoulders, a knot of dread winding up like a ball of yarn in my belly. It was weighing me down, holding me back from diving wholeheartedly into my work.

"You don't have to do it, you know. I'm so close on this project! As soon as I get in that's 100 creds bang!" She exclaimed, clearly getting excited. I loved how passionate she was about her work, she had always been a wizz at computers.

"5,000 creds, I can't turn this down. It'll be fine. Same as always," I said, kissing her forehead. But deep down, I knew it was not the same as always.

***

The dank alleyway stank of piss and smoke. Trash littered the path, lining the sides and crawling onto the walkway. Gazing up into the night sky, that familiar claustrophobic feeling gnawing at my mind. It was only dark, no lights no stars no moon. Only the sheer darkness of the dome, staring back into my soul.

I was sitting on the cold damp floor, the same cold damp floor I had spent every night since leaving the orphanage. Looking down at it, I wondered what a warm bed felt like. A loving home. To feel safe.