Assassins Inc. - Part Two

 

Part Two: The Selection

Returning to the base of the mountain but still in the depths of ancient forest, they embraced one another and departed in different directions. Their separation was merely physical but they remained connected in a way that escaped the understanding of normal men. The three of them moved at a steady pace and walked until dusk, knowing the beauty of their surroundings would soon end. The ancient forest had been protected for centuries and despite its natural beauty, it was still surrounded by massive cities of inescapable technology.

They reached the edge of the forest in three separate locations, each one far from the others, and looked at the visual brilliance of the cities they were about to enter. In perfect synchronicity, they released a collective sigh and stepped from earth to blacktop. Shedding their brown robes, their thus far hidden attire now exposed, allowed them to blend into the modern cultures of the singular metropolis that covered every habitable inch of the planet.

The contrast could not have been any more stark. Each one, at the exact same moment, felt a shudder pass through them as they left the natural beauty of the forest for the palpable corruption of the steel and glass. It was at that moment that their uniformity stopped as they each needed to find a means of transport to their final destinations. 

While they had departed in three different directions, south, east and north, they all, strangely enough, needed to go west for the most part. The flow of pedestrian traffic swallowed them and they went with the natural ebb of voluminous foot traffic. Jose drifted to his right and entered a communique. As he scrolled through his options, he decided on travel by train, as his path covered mostly desert. The retinal scanner identified him and charged his account for the one way ticket, ending in Asyut, Egypt.

Jahwn, as well, merged into the flow of pedestrians in his part of the city. Standing nearly a foot taller than those around him, he knew that he stook out but did his best to blend in regardless. Hailing a taxi, he gave the driver instructions to take him to the nearest airport. 

“I know this city very well, driver,” he said. “Take me directly to the airport with no detours or elongated paths. My time is short. Be direct, please.”

The car weaved through heavy traffic, seemingly stopped by every traffic light. With the airport in sight, the car came to a complete stop, as there seemed to be an accident of some sort slightly up ahead. Jahwn paid his fare and exited the vehicle in the middle of the road. “I’ll walk the rest of the way,” he said. 

        His massive frame too stuck out as oddly oversized in contrast to the others on the sidewalk. He visited three counters before he found a flight to St Petersburg, Russia for that day. After buying his ticket, he made his way through airport security and took a seat near the check in desk. Always in awe of the variety of people in crowded places such as this, he people-watched for several hours until seating instructions for his flight were announced. Not one to hurry into anything, he waited until the last moment before boarding. 

        With his head tilted slightly forward, and his knees slightly bent, he worked his way down the aisle and lowered himself into his aisle seat, the last one onto the plane, joining what appeared to be a teenage girl in the window seat next to him. As the plane lifted into the air, he could clearly see the young girl tense up and grip the armrests, while still maintaining her sense of calm.

        A long, exasperated breath let him know that the girl finally relaxed, to be followed by an unending stream of inane questions and stories. He tried to answer her, but her endless stream of talk forbade him from doing so. Learning more about pop culture than he ever thought possible, he smiled and nodded as she continued her monologue for most of the trip. 

        Eventually zoning her out, he focused his attention on his heart in an attempt to find some peace and quiet. “This is going to be a long twelve hours,” he muttered to himself. 

        More than anything Joshua found himself wandering, and eventually he ended up in a conversation with a very short man with a very large nose. The two sat on a park bench and ran a circuitous verbal path from religion to politics to philosophy to ethics. Listening to the man talk, Joshua was quite impressed with the man’s depth of knowledge and clarity of thought. They agreed on much but disagreed on an equal amount. 

        Extracting himself from the conversation, he caught a bus and immediately found himself in another conversation with a very elderly woman with no teeth. This new conversation was nothing like the last and he kept their dialogue as light and friendly as possible. After only a few minutes, the bus stopped and he apologized to the woman for having to end their talk. He stepped off the bus and jogged across the street through heavy traffic, receiving no less than three aggressive honks.

        He entered a travel agency and thumbed through a number of brochures on the front counter. “Boat? No, that wouldn’t get me there. Rent a car? No, it’s too far. I guess it’s a plane ride then,” he said out loud. 

        Startled by the unexpected touch on his hand from the young woman at the counter, he caught himself before vocally responding. “I overheard you say you needed to buy a flight?” she said.

        “Yes, I need to get to Bucharest, Romania, today if possible,” he said.

        “Yes, I think we can do that,” she answered. “Just give me a few minutes and I’ll find you a flight. Will you need a hotel or a car rental once you arrive in Bucharest?”

        “I will not need a hotel, I am meeting friends,” he said. “But a car rental would be very helpful.” 

        “Considering how big of a man you are, I would recommend the Cadillac,” she said. “I don’t know how much driving you’ll do but personally, I would hate to be crammed into a car too small for me. Does that sound alright?”

        “That would be great, thank you,” he answered. He pressed the flat of his index finger onto the scanner as the total charge came up on the screen. With a ding, the screen flashed, “Paid”.

        “You’ve got about forty-five minutes before your flight leaves,” she said. “Any sort of DNA scan will give you access to your flight and then your car rental once you arrive in Bucharest. I would recommend getting through airport security as soon as you can.”

        “Thank you,” he responded. 

        With a first-class boarding pass, he was the first one onto the plane and he ordered a cranberry juice as soon as he took his seat. It was the gentle squeeze on his forearm that woke him. 

        “Sorry to wake you, sir,” the stewardess said, “but we landed about ten minutes ago. I need you to exit the aircraft. It’s time for the cleaning crew to do their job. Thanks for flying with us.” Shaking his head, he realized that he could remember nothing of the flight and that he apparently had slept the entire time. A shiver erupted through him as he stepped into the cold air of Bucharest and he made his way toward the car rental agency.