Target In Sight

Chapter 4

The next morning everyone went to the buffet for a peaceful breakfast. Charlotte was flirting with James, Matt and Harriet were arguing over whether tea was better than coffee, and I walked with Benjy to get to know him better. "Hey, Mr. Guy," I greeted. "You been handling things okay? Haven't really seen you talking to anyone."

"Yeah, I'm usually like that," he said quietly. "I'm not exactly the most social person around. Doesn't help that I'm surrounded by the best of the best."

"What are you talking about? There's a good reason you're here. What's something you're really good at?"

"Well, I was always good at stealth training."

"See? There's hope for you yet. That's not what I wanted to talk to you about. Tell me something about yourself."

  "Um, there's not a lot to talk about. I pretty much just read books and watch anime." 

"I watch a little bit of anime too. Mostly just mainstream stuff, but I've watched weird stuff like Cute High Earth Defense Club Love! before."

"Oh my God, that anime's so weird!" he laughed. "I can never get over the fact that everyone just accepts how the wombat's teacher puppet is someone he killed."

"I know, they're just like, 'Hey, that guy's dead. Okay. Just make sure he doesn't rot," he joked. We kept talking about more weird anime moments until we got to the diner. I had to admit I really enjoyed the conversation. Benjy seems like a cool guy. He really doesn't give himself enough credit. I'll make sure he keeps his confidence up, should the need ever arise. 

Team Artemis kept to themselves while they served themselves food, which I found odd. We don't have to be competitive for every second of the day. I piled on buttermilk pancakes and hashbrowns on my plate and sat in a window booth. Everyone stuffed themselves inside after they got their breakfast until Yang was at the edge of the seat. Team Artemis sat in a neighboring booth and we all dined together in tranquility.

 I saw that Yin and Yang were eyeing each other over the tops off the booths and I grew worried. I don't want to deal with them tearing at each other this early in the morning. I just want to eat my pancakes.

I had just finished my orange juice when Yang flicked her wrist and readied a concealed pistol, firing it without a second thought. At the same time Yin drew a dagger from his sleeve and threw it with amazing speed at Yang's head.

Their heads snapped back simultaneously, a blade dug deep into Yang's skull while the small hole left in Yin's head oozed blood. Their eyes rolled in the back of their heads and they went limp. Welp, this is dramatic. "Really guys?" Matt snapped. "You got blood on my eggs."

Yang's eyes centered themselves again and she yanked the knife out of her head. She wiped it clean with a napkin and tossed it aside. "I'm sorry. I'll go and get you another plate," she offered. Yin laughed at her as she walked over to the buffet. David elbowed him and said, "You got blood on my bacon. Go bring me some." Yin didn't find that funny and begrudgingly did as he was told.

I heard a loud ping and checked my datapad. Harmon sent me another message. His hologram lit up my screen as he gave us our assignment. "Team Apollo, you will be engaging in an infiltration operation at 7:45 sharp. Team Artemis will bunker themselves in the Derelict Building and your objective is to eliminate each bogie. Be quick and be efficient. Good luck, ladies and gentlemen."

He signed off and we hurried with our food scraps before setting off. We marched to a run-down structure at the end of the street. Team Artemis ambled inside and we waited ten minutes before entering ourselves. "Alright guys, eyes open and weapons ready," I barked. "Let's get us some bogies."