Targets - A Roman Reigns AU Story

4. the code

"Fuck!" Roman gritted his teeth as his body slid down the jagged, unforgiving surface of the rock. He gingerly touched the part of his face where he scraped his cheek.

"Jesus, asshole!" Dean yelled a few feet above Roman, hanging on by the harness strapped to himself. "I thought I told you to tighten your rope earlier! You nearly fuckin' dragged me down with you!"

"It was just a slip, man, fuckin' relax," Roman defended.

"Right, a slip that coulda offed us both," Dean chastised, as Roman rolled his eyes at his dramatic colleague.

This was a typical day off for the Agents. The average person went sightseeing, lounged in a beach somewhere or just hung out with friends at home. These guys went on expedition trips to the Amazon jungle, engaged in every extreme sport imaginable, and co-habited with Shaolin monks. Each of these things strengthened the muscles in the body, heightened awareness and all-in-all converted their bodies into the assault weapons they were today. Today they were rock climbing in the world-famous Gunks. It wasn't as challenging as the Grand Canyon, but it would do, and it was perfect bonding time for the two professional hitmen.

"We should go out sometime," Dean shouted over his shoulder, wincing as he heaved himself up another jagged slab of rock. "All this excessive physicality is messin' with our minds."

Dean was right, partially. It had been a long week for both of them. In this line of work, days tended to blend into the other, as did the numerous kills, disorienting the mind. Sometimes. Of course, both Ambrose and Reigns, Ambrose in particular, were made of much sterner stuff. But on many occasions in the past, they'd witnessed their colleagues begin to lose the stomach for the brutal things they did. That was when the mistakes were made. You could never tell who was lurking around when that happened, be it an undercover cop or a Federal Agent or a rival hitman. The possibilities were real and the consequences were always deadly.

At the Authority, a strict code of honor was followed, and it consisted of three simple rules: the first was to never spill the blood of an innocent. Walk in, take out the target and anyone else who gets in the way, and walk out. The second was to always hide in plain sight. Blend in, do nothing that would garner unnecessary attention. The third and probably the most important was to never compromise the Company. Nothing, human or otherwise, was to come between an Agent and these three rules. Breaking the rules was inexcusable and punishable by death. Second chances were a very costly luxury in this business.

But still, many fell short. The temptation was too much for most. Some chose to betray loved ones in the face of danger. Others turned their backs on the Authority for financial gain. But the one thing they had in common was that they rarely lived to tell the tale. A fellow Agent was entrusted with the job to eliminate the offender, and said person was expected to operate as if it were just another assignment. Emotion, they came to learn, was a sign of weakness. Weakness, as demonstrated so many times, only served to compromise the Code. It wasn't too much to ask. After all, the Authority rescued these men and women when everything in life looked bleak for them, handing them a new lease of life. Not many people showed kindness of this magnitude. Adhering strictly to the Code was the least they could do.

The two men reached the top of the mountain and stared out into the world before them, breathing hard from their laborious yet liberating climb. The sound of Roman's phone ringing caused Dean to roll his eyes. "So much for 'no work on our day off'," he griped.

"You'll get over it," the Samoan dismissed, taking out his iPhone.

Glenn Jacobs, Director of Operations at the Authority and Hunter's second-in-command, appeared on the screen. "Good morning, Mr. Reigns. I am aware that this is your day off and I apologize for interrupting. But our clients insist on a speedy delivery of this next mission, should you choose to accept it. It involves the disposal of the listed targets."