The Secret to Doomsday

Five and the Handler were in the middle of a faceoff in the alleyway behind Elliott's place.

"I'm giving you another chance, Five," the Handler continued. "Think of it as repayment for helping me become head of the Commission."

Five looked away; he didn't like this, but what choice did he have? He sighed and turned back to the Handler.

"All I have to do is complete my broken contract?" He asked. "To kill the president."

"And agree to become my personal assassin," she reminded Five, gently stroking his cheek. "Then yes, you will get everything you asked for, and this time the briefcase will give you and your family 24 hours to return home."

Five knew it was insane that he was actually going through with this. But perhaps the Commission's modifications to his body, to become the perfect assassin, were too extensive to let Five escape the nature of what he had been rebuilt for.

The Handler held out her hand and waited. Five took a deep breath then shook on it.

"I accept," Five said.

+++

The Handler had corrected Five's earlier assumption about the key to stopping nuclear doomsday: it wasn't Viktor, it was the death of JFK. The president would always start the war, and blowing up the FBI building was merely one cause in a series of events that would be the trigger.

Which was unfortunate, because back at Elliott's, Diego was gloating about his success and had set up a party to celebrate saving JFK. There was alcohol, soda, pizza, tacos, snacks, and streamers hung up everywhere. Five hated parties—unless he was piss-ass drunk. Either way, he had a job to do.

He stopped by the living room on the way out.

"I'm leaving," Five said.

"What? Why?" Viktor asked. "Come join us."

Five gave a slightly disgusted look and blinked out.

+++

The Handler didn't give Five a time-traveling suitcase, but behind a dumpster three streets over she had left a suitcase with a disassembled sniper rifle in it and a note. The note had all the information needed to kill the mark, JFK, before he left Dallas. Five had until tomorrow afternoon before the mark was on his way to the airport back to Washington, D.C.

+++

Five was in an empty apartment across the street, waiting for the mark to arrive for dinner at a fancy restaurant downtown. He had assembled the rifle and was waiting for the mark's motorcade to arrive. This wasn't the time or place Five would have chosen, but he trusted the Handler when she gave him missions.

Soon enough, a motorcade with the mark arrived, in a black limousine. Five situated himself at the window, looking through the scope. He saw a group of secret service agents guarding the area near the car door, and around the mark. One of them opened the limousine door and out stepped JFK.

Almost immediately an agent stepped behind the mark, blocking Five's view. But Five was patient; he kept his breathing even while gently fingering the trigger. The mark walked up the stairs, and just before he arrived at the top step, the agent behind him stumbled.

Bang. A headshot, and then the mark slumped to the floor. The secret service agents were in a panic, and the gathering crowd began screaming and gasping in shock and horror.

JFK was dead.

Five pulled away from the window and with the rifle in one hand and suitcase in the other, he blinked out.

+++

He disassembled the sniper rifle, put it back in the suitcase and left it behind the dumpster where he found it. Since this mission wasn't sanctioned by the Commission, no doubt the Handler would send someone to pick it up.

Five didn't go home immediately, because it might look suspicious if he arrived so soon after the president's assassination was all over the news.

Instead, he went to a nearby bar; he was hungry and needed a drink. Tomorrow Five had all sorts of shit to deal with, including Diego's emotional freak out over not being able to save JFK from the assassination, the dawning realization over agreeing to become the Handler's personal assassin, and the knowledge he would have to keep the latter a secret from his siblings.

But all those problems could wait, because Five had just come back from a successful mission and that was something to celebrate.