WARNING: this fanfiction will contain mature scenes, violence, and coarse language.
word count: 1.6k, a short set-up chapter. enjoy!
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CHAPTER ONE: ONE SHOT, ONE KILL.
Grace McCarron loved the smell of coffee. Especially in the early mornings when the sun hadn’t risen and the streets were still wet with last night’s rain. It irked her though, how people could be so loud at such an early hour. Couldn’t people just be quiet? Talk at a normal volume, it was only the hour of six.
The blonde’s fingers rap against the counter in a steady rhythm. Her expression reads neutral as she watches the customers enjoying their breakfasts, discussing work projects and gossip. It was all so mundane, every word they said was capable of drawing a yawn from her lips. Nobody is interesting this morning.
With a sigh, Grace reaches under the counter for the remote, flicking on the television in the corner. Her head tilts, blue eyes sparkling with intense focus at the headline written across the lower third of the screen.
Manfred Fest assassinated.
Grace’s eyes narrow, something interesting. Her attention is only being drawn away by the sound of a customer waiting to order. A young woman, brunette, she’d be mid-twenties.
‘It’s horrible isn’t it?’ The woman says.
‘I’m on the fence,’ Grace admits. ‘What can I get for you?’
‘A latte, please… You don’t think it’s bad?’
‘That a fascist offended somebody and got himself killed? Not really.’ Grace presses the coffee, clicking it into the machine before foaming the milk. With practised expertise, she fills a takeaway cup with the espresso and milk, creating lines of art on the top.
‘I don’t know much about foreign politics,’ the woman taps her card.
‘Take it from me, be glad he won’t be the new German Chancellor.’
Grace’s attention is brought back to the screen as the customer walks away with her latte. A single sniper shot from a distance of over three kilometres. Impressive. More than. The corners of her lips tilt into a small grin, leaning back onto the counter with crossed arms, she watches the news report.
It had started raining again, like it usually did in London. The sound of tires driving over the slick roads was comforting to Grace. Red brake lights reflected in the puddles by the footpath, headlights and street lamps casting a warm hue despite the darkening sky. She loved the rain, the sound of it pattering against whatever surface. However, it did make it hard to get a decent line of sight. Her lips quirked slightly, a lover of challenge. One blue eye closed, a glint of thrill in the other as it stared through the scope of a personalised sniper rifle.
Sleeping with the blinds open, Grace could never understand it, but it certainly helped her in this case. The target laid across his bed, his thumb scrolling across the screen of his phone. The lights in his apartment were on, everything visible. He was so stupidly vulnerable. She could’ve shot six times over by now, but would there be any fun in that? Her finger taps against the trigger as she recalls the deviance of the sleazy man. The world would be better off without him.
BANG. One shot, one kill.
Grace pulls her head back from the sniper, standing up, she starts to pack down the rifle. Her eyes don’t leave the window of the now-deceased target as she unscrews the barrel, packing it all into a case. She hurries downstairs, unlocking her car and driving off swiftly. Chances are nobody would find him until morning, but it is still safer to get away as quickly as possible.
The internet cafe was practically dead at this hour, a lone stranger or two. It had started to rain outside again, Grace could hear it on the roof, see it on the windows. It was also a Wednesday, unlikely that it would be busy. She plugs a USB into one of the many PCs, accessing Dark Core.
Username: xxxfOxTROT22971x$
xxxfOxTROT22971x$___ job complete.
xxxfOxTROT22971x$___he will not bother you anymore.
CRTVDSTRYR*1908 one new message.
CRTVDSTRYR*1908___Big admirers of your work. Have project we think will interest you. Superlative remuneration.
xxxfOxTROT22971x$___i don’t work for money.
CRTVDSTRYR*1908___What do you work for?
xxxfOxTROT22971x$___enforcement of consequence.
CRTVDSTRYR*1908___There is a man who needs to face consequences.
CRTVDSTRYR*1908___Can’t talk here.
CRTVDSTRYR*1908___Will you meet in person?
xxxfOxTROT22971x$___where?
Grace sits back in her seat, her finger traces her bottom lip as she waits for a response. This was an odd one, but they seem insistent. For them to know of her work, they had to have communication with sources she had helped in the past.
CRTVDSTRYR*1908___Will make a transfer of good will. Location attached.
xxxfOxTROT22971x$___tomorrow morning.
A sum of $10,000 has been transferred to your account.
A transfer message has been left.
Grace shuts down the computer, taking out the USB, she packs it into her handbag. Her lips quirk as she exits the internet cafe. Something new, something interesting, a potential challenge. This calls for a stop at that delicious dessert bar down the road from her apartment, a nice meringue or maybe some ice cream would do.
For once the sun was out in London, albeit only slightly, but it did still make Grace look less ridiculous for wearing a cap and sunglasses. She notices a woman sitting on the park bench, must be her. Her black coat flutters behind her in the wind as she sits beside the other woman.
‘Who are you?’ Grace asks.
‘Irish?’ The woman responds with a question.
‘Why am I here?’ Grace leans back against the park bench, crossing her legs. ‘What did he do? Was it assault, did he hurt the kids…?’
‘I don’t see how exposing the rich is a crime,’ Grace grins. ‘Please don’t tell me you’ve wasted my time.’
‘If he releases River, it’s not just the rich who fall. All secret networks will be exposed, you’ll be discovered.’ The woman turns to face Grace, trying to get a look at her expression. She quickly realises it’s impossible with the cap and the darkly tinted glasses. ‘You’ll go to prison for a long time.’
‘If that’s the case, hidden networks of paedophiles, rapists… it will all be exposed. You think they’ll go after little old me?’
‘I think even after exposing the rich, they’ll still have the power, and they’ll still be protected.’
‘You’re very insistent,’ Grace observes. ‘Why me?’
‘Because you always get the job done.’
Sighing, Grace looks up at the cloudy sky, the sun peaking out slightly. She sucks in a breath of the fresh park air before responding. ‘This job is a bit harder than the others…’
‘Which is why we’ve hired a second… professional, such as yourself.’
‘First, you ask me to eliminate a man for wanting to expose the rich, and now you tell me I’d have to work with another person?’
There is a silence that passes momentarily between the two women as they stare each other down.
‘River is good for nobody. You will go to prison.’
‘No, I won’t.’ Grace smirks knowingly. ‘Who is the other person?’
‘He is one of the best, alongside yourself.’
‘I don’t know his identity…’ She answers. ‘He took out Fest.’
‘Ah.’ Grace’s lips immediately quick upwards, a grin taking over her expression. She stands up, hands in pockets, she stares down at the woman still sitting. ‘And what do they call you?’
‘Zina… I don’t kill innocent men. Give me one good reason to take this job, and not because of River.’
‘...’ The American woman sits there contemplating for a moment, her mind working a million miles an hour. ‘You don’t have to take the shot. We need you to… babysit.’
Grace lets out a loud chuckle, ‘babysit?’
‘It seems our other hire is caught up in a few… troubles after the fest situation. We need you to ensure he gets the job done, and if he fails to, you step in and finish it.’
‘Well… let’s hope he doesn’t fail.’
‘Is that a yes to the job?’ Zina sits up straight.
‘Get me in contact,’ Grace turns around and walks away, her coat once again billowing behind her.
It was another early morning, three days after Grace’s meeting with Zina. She sat behind the counter at the cafe, it was a very quiet morning. A Sunday morning, not many were up and about. She opened her laptop, plugging in her USB.
Username: xxxfOxTROT22971x$
**&525marTinGuerrE^$___who are you?
xxxfOxTROT22971x$___should i not be asking you?
**&525marTinGuerrE^$___i do not need babysitting.
xxxfOxTROT22971x$___the other ‘professional’
xxxfOxTROT22971x$___nice shot.
**&525marTinGuerrE^$___refuse the job.
xxxfOxTROT22971x$___i don’t think i will.
xxxfOxTROT22971x$___i get bored sometimes.
**&525marTinGuerrE^$___then stay out of the way.
xxxfOxTROT22971x$___i do the job i’m hired for.
xxxfOxTROT22971x$___don’t get into trouble, and i won’t have to step in and clean it up.
**&525marTinGuerrE^$___i don’t need anybody to clean up.
xxxfOxTROT22971x$___a little birdy told me otherwise.
xxxfOxTROT22971x$___i am not the enemy.
**&525marTinGuerrE^$___i don’t work in teams.
xxxfOxTROT22971x$___there is a first time for everything.
xxxfOxTROT22971x$___i’m not here to steal your job.
xxxfOxTROT22971x$___i’m here to cover your ass so you can get it done.
xxxfOxTROT22971x$___you said you don’t work in teams, that means you have no connections.
xxxfOxTROT22971x$___you will fuck up, you will go to jail.
**&525marTinGuerrE^$___Munich.
**&525marTinGuerrE^$___i will send the hotel details.
xxxfOxTROT22971x$___see you there.
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