Deadly Like a Fox (Reboot)

Ch. 4: Three-Headed Hydra

After coming back to Headquarters when my little vacation was over, it wasn’t long before the Director had another assignment for me. “I won’t lie, Agent Rane. This is a critical contract, countless innocent lives could be lost if the targets are not terminated ASAP. When I said you can expect more challenging contracts in the future, well, they don’t get much more challenging than this.” He handed me the dossier, and I opened it to see the my targets were three Jackal men, one of them dressed in a General’s uniform. The one in uniform I had actually heard of before joining the League. He was General Omar bin Ahad, a military dictator who ruled the middle eastern country of Bakaristan. The other two targets turned out to be his sons.

“These men must be eliminated, for the sake of global security.” The Director continued. “We have received intelligence that General Ahad has been preparing his forces to invade and conquer the entire middle east. After that, he plans to instigate a war with the United States, which could lead to a third global conflict. The CIA itself has sanctioned this contract in order to prevent such a disaster before it happens. Also, you will need to eliminate the General’s two sons as well, in order to prevent them replacing their father and following in his footsteps.”

I’ll be honest, at first I was kind of feeling overwhelmed with the responsibility of such a contract assigned to me. I asked the Director why he gave me this assignment, when my last one was literally to murder an old man in his nursing home. “Because I believe you can do it.” He gave me a reassuring smile. “I know you can. Your trainers tell me that your stats were off the charts with nearly every test they gave you. You’re a natural, Rane. You were born to be a member of the IAL, cleansing the world of evil one scumbag at a time. You may be new around here, but I can tell you’re destined to become one of our top Agents, if not the very best.”

I actually felt rather touched at those words. It wasn’t often I got such praise. “Now, go see Sheila. She’s got everything that you’ll need for this job. Remember, be very discreet on this assignment, we can’t have this traced back to us or the client.”

Sheila was actually surprised to see me again. “I gotta admit, didn’t think you’d be doing so well around here like you are.” She said “Guess I owe the Director a drink.” Then she proceeded to give me info on my targets.

“General Ahad and his sons are almost always found frequenting the palace that the General appropriated from the country’s previous ruler, who he is believed to have had a hand in deposing. Omar bin Ahad is usually found in his office, or in his war room. Both are sure to be heavily guarded. However, he is known to keep a special elite squad of elite all female bodyguards known as the Black Hand. If you could perhaps disguise yourself as one of them, and find an opportunity to be alone with the General, it should give you the perfect opportunity.”

“Saji Bin Ahad and his brother Adul, are both known to use their father’s money and influence to lead a rather hedonistic lifestyle. Saji considers himself a connoisseur of narcotics, smuggling various exotic drugs into the country from the largest and most costly cartels around the globe. You may be able to use this to your advantage. Adul is known to be a notorious womanizer, frequently spending time with his father’s harem. If you approach the palace entrance and pretend to be a new addition to the harem girls, something tells me you should have no problem getting in. Of course, they’ll definitely search you, so you’ll have to do this without weapons.”

Next thing I knew, I was on a plane to Bakaristan, dressing up in a belly dancer outfit. When we landed, I met up with some other agents disguised as some of the General’s soldiers. They drove me to the palace and brought me to the front gate. They told the guards my cover story, how I was a new member of the harem. They allowed us through and from that point, I was on my own.

I was lead through the ivory and marble halls of the palace to two huge doors, guarded by two soldiers with machine guns. Inside were dozens of women in scantily clad outfits, lounging on velvet pillows and couches, with a fountain in the center of the room. Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long before my first target, Adul, entered the room.

I made my move by grabbing a pitcher of wine and pouring him a drink. He noticed I must be a new addition, and asked for some private time with me, as he liked to do that with all the new girls. I pretended to accept and he lead me to his room on the upper floor of the palace. He sat on the end of his bed and asked for a dance. I obliged him as sort of a last request, even if he didn’t know it.

I started to belly dance, slowly approaching him as I did so until it more or less became a lap dance. He laid back on his bed with me on top of him. He motioned for me to kiss him, and once he closed his eyes, I grabbed the sides of his head and snapped his neck. I hide the body under his bed before exiting the room, telling the guards that he was tired from our private session and not to disturb him.

That was one target down, next was Saji. As luck would have it, I just happened to pass him in the hallway. Of course, he immediately noticed me and asked who I was. I told him I had just finished servicing his brother, and asked if he would like a private show as well. He accepted, of course and had me follow him to his room further down the hall. Once inside, I saw that Sheila wasn’t kidding when she said this guy loved doing drugs. There were tables lined with all sorts of paraphernalia imaginable, and every kind of narcotic on earth.

Saji asked me if I would like a hit before we got down to business, offering me a syringe filled with who knows what. I noticed it was quite full, and recognized my next opportunity to eliminate my target. I pretended to accept, taking the syringe in hand before quickly jabbing it into the side of his neck and pressing down the plunger, injecting the entire thing into his veins.

Before he could react, he fell onto his back and began to shake and convulse, foaming at the mouth like a rabid dog. Whatever was in that syringe, it must have been really powerful stuff. He eventually stopped, his eyes going glassy and his breathing stopped. I dragged him over to his closet and hid the body inside, and what should I find but a Black Hand uniform.

I don’t know why he had one of his father’s bodyguard’s uniforms in his closet, but because I needed it to complete my mission, I wasn’t going to question it. Dressed as a bodyguard, I managed to find my way to the armory and grabbed an assault rifle to further blend in, before I went to the General’s office on the top floor of the palace. Two other Black Hand members, a cat and a wolf, stood guard outside the door.

As I was trying to think of a way to get past them without raising suspicion, at that moment the General himself exited his office and ordered the two guards to follow him. After they were out of sight, I slipped inside the office, and looked around for any possible opportunities . I saw a balcony connected to the far wall, and that gave me an idea.

The General’s bed was one of those old fashioned ones with curtains around it. I hid behind the curtains and waited for him to return. For about half an hour I sat in silence before the General returned. Peeking from behind the curtains, I watched as he sat at his desk signing papers, before he poured himself a drink and finally went to stand at the balcony.

I silently made my way off the bed and across the room. Poor bastard never knew what happened as I pushed him over the edge of the balcony. There was a brief cry of surprise, which was quickly quieted when he hit the concrete below.

My mission was accomplished, now I just had to make my getaway. I was sure that would be easier said than done, but to my surprise and relief, since I was still dressed as one of the Black Hand, all I had to do was literally walk out the palace entrance and meet up with the team that had gotten me in. We flew back to headquarters, where I saw on the news a report on the General’s death, which had been determined he had drunkenly stumbled and fell from his balcony window.

The Director congratulated me for successfully pulling off such an important mission, and gave me a nice bonus as well. It would be about a month before the IAL would contact me for another job. This time, I had to eliminate an entire family that had it coming.