Our first destination was Shawna's private jet, located on an exclusive piece of land owned solely by her. Once we boarded the aircraft, Ace issued a warning.
"What I said yesterday was serious, Mr. Souken. You surely have time to think it over. Back then, you seemed to be on the boss's side. What about now?" Ace inquired, his gaze probing.
It became evident that Ace had foreseen my inner struggle, especially the time when Shawna and I had criticized him for holding onto his morals. It served as a stark reminder of the hypocrisy that had tainted my judgment then.
"I will kill Xavier and leave his family alive," I affirmed.
Ace's reaction was subtle, but a faint smile crept across his face.
Two hours later, we touched down in the United States of America, a country known for the 'Unity Project' - a place where individuals of all races come together to live as one. The underlying concept behind this nation intrigued me, although my visits here had been rare during my past assassination missions.
As we landed the private jet, Ace made arrangements with a fellow assassin from a different branch. The man appeared inconspicuous in his casual attire, nothing about him raised suspicions. He left us with a warning before we departed. "I got here ahead of time, but I can't guarantee that my people will be of much help to you from this point. I'll be moving the jet to our facility if that's alright." Ace nodded in understanding and replied, "It's fair. We're dealing with Xavier, after all. I don't expect you to throw your lives away." The man nodded in relief and said, "I'm not sure why my branch of assassins is being specifically targeted, but we'll put a stop to it today." He turned to me and smiled, bowing slightly. "It's an honor to meet you, Sombie."
The term "Sombie" was like a blast from the past, a nickname I hadn't heard in years. It was a playful moniker my colleagues used to tease me with. Ironically, it had become famous and attached to me, striking fear in the hearts of many.
We left the casually dressed assassin with the responsibility of caring for the boss's private jet. "Where to now?" I asked Ace. Without hesitation, Ace pulled out his phone and responded, "He's in Las Vegas now." The mention of Las Vegas brought a sense of anticipation, and I couldn't help but smirk. The City of Sin had a reputation for gambling, parties, and secrets, but we were there for a different kind of game. Ace stared at his phone, contemplating our target's location. "Looks like our target is at one of those French cuisine restaurants on Vegas Boulevard, also known as 'The Strip.' If he's there, he's most likely with his wife and kids," he informed me. "Man, this guy sounds like a family man. Is he always with his family?" Ace complained, revealing a hint of frustration. "Probably, protective of them. He knows the kind of business he's in; his loved ones can be taken from him at any time for the acts he's caused throughout his miserable life," I replied without much thought, acknowledging the bitter irony of our situation. Ace didn't mince words when he pointed out the parallels between our lives. "There's some hypocrisy in those words. Don't forget, Mr. Souken, you aren't very different from him." His statement caught me off guard, and I turned to him, surprised. "What do you mean!?" I demanded an explanation. Ace was blunt, refusing to sugarcoat the truth. "Face it, both of you have the highest kill counts I have ever known about, and now both of you, years later, are pretending as if nothing's happened. You're raising your niece while Xavier is raising his children. Not much of a difference, is it?" I respected Ace for his honesty and straightforwardness. "How many of your fellow agents has he killed so far?" I challenged him, hoping to highlight the urgency of our mission. "That's why I'm here, to do him in. But you, you really shouldn't talk as if we're in the same boat," Ace responded, defending our fundamental differences. Ace then addressed our roles in the mission. "Anyways, we need to decide who'll be taking the lead on this mission." "That should be obvious, you, of course," I conceded, well aware of my rusty skills and the ever-evolving nature of our profession. Ace's continued involvement made him the natural choice. "Okay, now that that's covered, we'll rent a vehicle and be on our way. We don't know how long our target will stay at the restaurant, so we won't strike yet. We'll bide our time for now," Ace strategized. I agreed with his plan, understanding that patience was key in such an operation. Hasty decisions could lead to a missed opportunity or an unnecessary altercation. "By the way, how was Xavier bugged?" I inquired, curious about the technical details. "A transmitter is inside of his hair. We'll have tabs on him as long as he doesn't take a bath," Ace explained.
My heart pounded as we neared our destination, the French cuisine restaurant where Xavier and his family were supposedly dining. Our mission was clear: confirm Xavier's whereabouts, and if the opportunity presented itself, end his life.
"He is going to take a bath before the day is over," I confidently predicted.
Ace seemed skeptical. "Why so sure?"
"Come on! The chances of him skipping out are pretty low, don't you think?" I pressed.
"So, we should bug him again after he showers?" Ace asked, a hint of sarcasm in his tone.
"No, we should end his life before then," I said with determination.
Ace seemed to play along with my theatrics. "Hmm, sounds like we have a time limit then."
Annoyed by his feigned cluelessness, I didn't hold back. "I don't like you."
Ace didn't mince words in his response. "You sure love to talk a bunch of nonsense."
His words cut deep, and at this rate, my target might shift from Xavier to this young partner standing next to me. Ace made a call, and soon, a car arrived to pick us up. It was another assassin from Gaia's USA branch, clad in casual attire. He handed the car keys to Ace and departed without uttering a word.
"We might not return this," Ace whispered in my ear, hinting at a rather cavalier approach to borrowing the car.
We entered the vehicle, and Ace drove us toward "The Strip." One of the most visited boulevards in Las Vegas. As we embarked on our journey, my stomach began to growl uncontrollably. It had just dawned on me that I hadn't eaten anything since I left my beloved niece on her own. "Could we make one stop?" I pleaded, feeling the pangs of hunger.
Ace's response was cold and unwavering. "No."
"But I'm starving. There's no way I can perform at my best like this," I argued, pretending to fight back tears.
"Are you my dad?" Ace suddenly asked, catching me off guard.
I replied with a hint of confusion, "No, I'm not."
A sly smile crept onto Ace's face as he explained, "Oh, I almost thought for a second that you are. Please don't annoy me about dinner, especially when we're on our way to a darn restaurant, which is, by the way, your treat."
I was under the impression that we weren't planning to enter the restaurant. Our initial strategy was to stay in the car and watch Xavier's movements from a distance. However, it sounds like Ace had different plans.
"What if Xavier is inside the restaurant? I might be older now, but I bet he would still recognize me," I told him.
Ace dismissed my concerns, stating, "And? You're an old man entering a restaurant for some grub to eat."
Talking to this man had officially become the most tedious thing to do. I gave up and said, "Fine, whatever."
"Whether Xavier recognizes you or not doesn't matter," Ace emphasized. "We need to confirm Xavier's whereabouts with our own eyes. So far, the dot on my GPS tracker is telling me he's in the restaurant. But tell me, if you were in his shoes and you happened to find out you were being tracked, what would you do with the bug? As a veteran?"
In Xavier's place, I imagined myself discovering a bug while with my family. I wouldn't get rid of it. That would be the last thing I'd do. Instead, I would plant the bug on someone else inside the same vicinity I was in, then watch whoever was following that tracker. It was more important to find out who had placed the bug on me in the first place, so I could execute them.
After contemplating my response, I realized the depth of thought Ace put into his moves. He was right – we couldn't merely rely on a GPS tracker. Our own eyes needed to confirm Xavier's location. Until we laid eyes on him, we didn't know for sure where he was.
"I understand. You're not half bad, you know," I acknowledged.
"How old are you again?"
Ace replied, "25 this year."
"Hmm, around your age I would consider myself a wild boar compared to you" I joked.
Two hours later, we arrived at our parking spot behind the restaurant. The GPS tracker still indicated that Xavier was inside the building, which was highly unusual.
We decided to enter the restaurant. To my surprise, Xavier was there with his family, exactly as Ace had assumed. He hadn't aged a day in the twenty years since I last saw him. His vibrant red hair, black eyes, and slight muscular figure were still the same. He wore a white coat, a blue T-shirt underneath, and black pants.
I was trembling. The man I wanted to murder stood right in front of me. Why was I shaking?
I questioned my resolve.
But deep down, I knew there was no turning back. My family had been brutally murdered by this monster, and he needed to pay.
"DARN IT!" I blurted out, unable to contain my emotions.
Ace noticed my trembling and began patting my shoulder. "Settle down. If I can feel your bloodlust from here, then Xavier will eventually pick up on it too."
Xavier and I found ourselves seated at separate tables. Ace and I picked up our menus, a pretense that we were here to dine.
I kept a small mirror in my hand, using it to discreetly observe Xavier's location behind me. The mirror reflected his image, and I whispered to myself, "I'm here; death has arrived."
The sight of a happy man, playing with his son, caused my heart to ache. How dare Xavier have fun while I am here suffering!
Ace tapped on my hand after ordering our food, "Put down that mirror for a moment. We need to act like we're here to eat. Besides, emotions tend to get in the way when we're hungry. We don't reason well in that state."
I smiled and agreed. "True.