DNA

I hesitated when I looked into his eyes. I had never hesitated before now and he knew it to. But it was going to happen anyway, whether we liked it or not.

BANG!

ONE WEEK EARLIER

I had barely scanned my DNA to open the doors before Viper called me into his office. I ran to his office like everyone does when Viper wants to talk to them. I didn't hesitate at the door only newbies did that, and I definitely wasn't a newbie. I walked in, closed the door, and sat down in one of the wooden chairs in front of his desk. He opened his mouth but didn't speak. He had a look of anger on his face like he had just lost an argument. When he finally spoke it was a quiet whisper.

"Cobra I have a job for you." Viper whispered.

"Of course sir" ,I whispered back, " but why did you have to call me in here."

"Because this might be your hardest mission yet" Viper mumbled. The look of anger was replaced with a look of concern. A look I was very used to seeing on his face. The look of a father when his child learns to ride a bike without training wheels. But I didn't have a father. I was an orphan left on the street, or so they told me. I have been with the order sense I can remember. I was trained by Viper, he taught me everything he knows. He raised me. So in some ways he is my father but normal fathers don't teach their children to kill.

"Yah right" I scoffed back. Viper's look of concern was quickly replaced with anger again. I knew what he was going to say next. He had given this speech to me so many times over the years. He doesn't want me to get too confident because that's when you start to mess up, and that's when you get killed.

"I want you to take this very seriously we can't afford to lose anyone you got that, no one here wants you dead so don't be stupid. You might be doing the devil's work but that doesn't mean you have to go see him in person." he almost yelled.He was scared for my safety like always, but there was something in his eyes that told me there was something else but he was mad so I wasn't going to press my luck.

"Yes sir, sorry sir" I said in a quiet voice with my head down to show that I had gotten the message.

"Good, you can go now and close the door behind you." Viper said, back in his normal voice.He gave me the name and I got out of the chair and left the room without saying another word.We all do our best not to provoke him when he's mad.Viper has a nasty bite that's why it's his name.

I went to my desk and tracked the name "Ian Jacob Baxter" he was rich and powerful as the name suggested. The name was linked to an apartment in New York City by Central Park. I doubt it was his real name or his real apartment but I had to start somewhere. So I grabbed my long black coat, perfect for hiding the two long steel daggers strapped to my legs and the 9mm pistols I kept on my belt. I ran to my motorcycle and rode out of the litup tonal that lead to the underground headquarters and into the darkness of the city.

I went down street after street until I came to the building that the computer said he lived in. I climbed the stairs of the building next door until I got to the roof. I pulled out the binoculars I kept in my coat pocket. I crouched on the edge of the roof, one hand held the edge of the building the other held the binoculars to my eyes. Then I saw him coming down the street toward the building, I started my way down the fire escape watching him as I went. I hit the ground as he walked in the door. I ran across the street, opened the door and watched him go to the 13th floor. I laughed as I climbed the stairs to the 13th floor, 13 is a very unlucky number and he was going to die tonight. Unlike the other assassins in the order I didn't stalk my prey. I went to their home, waited across the street for them, followed them to there apartment and killed them, clean and simple like pressing the enter key on a keypad. I went to his apartment and there it was again the number 13. The unlucky number and my age. I entered the room and he was there waiting for me with no weapons of any kind in sight. It put me on edge no one ever knew I was coming for them, but this man he knew and I wanted to know how.

"Finally, we meet Cobra" he said in a very calm voice.

"Who are you and how did you know I was coming" I said back in a slightly agitated voice.

"You mean you don't recognize me. Oh well, that was so long ago. But its time all the secrets are revealed"

"What secrets. What are you talking about" I was really annoyed this time.

"I'll explain everything if you just stop interrupting me, o.k." He said back hastily.

He motioned for me to have a seat in the large chair across from him. I took the seat but kept one of my daggers in hand, just in case.

"I'm your twin brother. Don't say anything please or I won't finish. You are not an orphan they told you that so they could train you and you wouldn't run off. To make you think you had nowhere to run. I control the order but now it's time for you to take power, Viper will tell you the rest. Oh and one more thing Viper is our father and our mother is dead" He said with a steady voice but faltered at the end.

"Now it's time to finish the job you came here to do. You have to kill me" He said in an even calmer voice. I walked over to him sheathed my dagger and pulled out my gun. I pointed it right at his head. I hesitated when I looked into his eyes. I had never done anything like that before and he knew it. The gun didn't shake in my hand I didn't know him, to me he wasn't my twin brother he was my target. I pulled the trigger, the shot rang out and his limp body hit the floor. I walked over to the door, pulled it open and walked out. I never looked back, what was the point, I never knew him nothing to feel bad about. I never felt bad about killing anyone, it was kill or be killed in my world.

THE NEXT DAY

Viper explained everything, he told me about my mother, my brother and why I had to kill him. He told me about how I was next to lead us and how the tradition was when a new leader came to power that the old one was killed by his or her successor. He said that Python (that was his codename) had chosen me to replace him. He showed me all of Python's things and what I had to do to keep everything in order. I was to give a list of names to a captain who would then give a name to each one of his men who would kill the target. So I took over for the brother I didn't even know I had.

"Why me" I asked Viper when he was done showing me everything.

"He trusted you despite the fact that he didn't know you well" Viper replied back

THE END