The Archer (18+)

V

Pueblo looked at me pointedly as I dropped what I was doing to trail after Raine.

My mother was already seated in the expansive beige and brown room. The other assassins were already all seated and deathly silent.

This type of meeting was a prerequisite for all missions. We had the opportunity to deep dive into information as well as to pose all of our queries. I would normally hate to sit through it but for the first time ever, I was looking forward to it since I still had not read the contents of the mission folder.

My mother's eyes darted around then trained itself on the door. Soon Pueblo entered and bolted it shut.

"Twelve men did their rounds on the premises. We have six stationed out front and two by the door. No other Heads will be joining so we will start now." He spoke.

In all things that we did, we had to be extremely confidential. These meetings were usually held at The Headquarters but I assumed it's at the Act because
there were six of us to travel there. Perhaps it would have been a hassle to move us back and forth without being noticed.

Our secrecy was not due to the general public's ignorance. It was a law.  The public should never be exposed to what we did. In society, we were only known by those we were dictated to end and we preferred it that way.

The Hierarchy went lengths to make deals with the governments of different countries so that we could secure privacy for doing missions. We could eliminate without backlash. The police usually took the heat or glory and The Heads would have meetings with law enforcement ever-so-often to cover up our tracks.

We were always precautious when outside of our Acts. Though we weren't allowed outside, we could make a request for a few hours as long as we were supervised by someone way older. Some of us found loop-holes of course but I found it all to be so tedious. I was safer inside anyways.

None of us had day jobs. All assassins were funded on a bi-monthly basis. The money came directly from the government of our countries but had to pass through The Hierarchy, then The Heads before it became ours. The more missions we did within a two week span, was the more cash we were allotted.

If you were a busy assassin, you more than likely would have money beyond compare. However, all assassins were provided with basic necessities and were not allowed to spend lavishly.

There was no such thing as retiring with pension at a young age. There was no escape in our world. Once in, you were in. The only way out was to live past 60 years. If you decided you wanted out before 60, you would be tortured by The Hierarchy for being a traitor. And if you died before retirement, the government would reclaim your assets.

Some assassins were trying to find a loophole to the retirement clause of the Sin Book. Many assassins feigned sickness and injuries to not be dispatched. They technically were assassins but without any of the actual work. However, The Hierarchy caught on and reinstated a new clause. All assassins of every Organisation needed to complete at least one mission per month. The only way to exempt this rule was if you were in a coma or dead. If you refused then The Hierarchy would have been off with your head.

To abide by this rule, many older assassins would only complete easy targets once per month. My mother used this tactic as well.

Pueblo rounded my mother's desk before pulling out a stack of folders.

He passed a folder to each person. I rubbed my temples anticipating the headache that was about to form.

"In the folder is your target." He started off steadily.

The sound of paper turning was the only thing that was heard in the room.

"He is the leader of The Teschi: a large underground business of human trafficking, gun swapping and drug handling. The Teschi is the code name the target uses for his businesses but its actually the Italian Mafia. He operates illegal factories that promotes child lab-"