Deadly Like a Fox (Reboot)

Ch. 3: Initiation

After months of training, I was ready for my final test. The Director called me into his office and handed me a black dossier. "Here's everything you need to know for your first official contract." He leaned back in his chair and took a long drag of his cigar and exhaling before continuing. "Just between us, I think this particular target is going on my top ten list of "Most Deserving of Death". You'll see why once you read the file. Anyway, consider this your final exam. Your initiation, if you will. Send this son of a bitch to hell, and you'll officially be a full IAL Agent. Good luck."

After our little meeting, I was sent to Sheila, who had been assigned as my Manager. Basically, she was responsible for gathering intel on my targets and supplying equipment. On my way to meet her, I read through the dossier and found that the Director had been right when he said that my target definitely deserved what was going to happen to him.

According to his file, his name was Frank Krause, a German immigrant who had moved to the US decades before. Or at least, that was the story he wanted you to believe. His real name was Herman Gunter, a notorious Concentration Camp warden and SS officer during World War 2. The file came with a couple of photos, a black and white one of him as a young wolf in an SS uniform, and another of him much older, his fur gray and his teeth gone, his body practically skin and bones. Apparently, after the war, he was able to cut a deal with the American government in exchange for amnesty from his atrocities and a new identity. Official public records claimed he had been executed after the Nuremberg Trials, but in reality he was still very much alive.

The man was responsible for the deaths of countless innocent people, men, women and children. I admit at first it seemed redundant, killing such an old man when he was probably going to die soon anyway due to his age. But the file said something about the client wanting to send him to an early grave as retribution for their distant relatives who had been Holocaust survivors. I figured, what the hell, a job is a job and this guy deserved to die sooner rather than later.

I met up with Sheila, a panther woman dressed in a lab coat and glasses. "So, the director sends me another newbie, huh?" I couldn't tell if she was being friendly or sarcastic, so I just nodded and said "I was told you have some equipment for me?"

"Yes, I do. But first, I need to give you the rundown of your mission. Standard procedure." She turned to the large screen behind her with a projector set up across from it. The first few slides were of a nice looking retirement complex, as well as overhead shots and blueprints of the place.

"Your target has been living in the Golden Meadows retirement facility in Tennessee for nearly the last two decades. It is an exclusive nursing home for the wealthiest of senior citizens in America. There shouldn't be a whole lot of security, but unfortunately, we don't know which room your target is located in. What we do know is that he never leaves the grounds and has whatever he needs, food, medicine etc. delivered to his room. You will have to infiltrate the facility, find out which room your target is living in, and eliminate him. Preferably with no witnesses or evidence left behind."

I nodded again. "So, how do I get inside the place?" Sheila just sighed "That's for you to figure out. But when it comes to leaving no evidence, I can help you there." She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a bottle of pills. "I developed these for just this sort of job. They look like ordinary medication, but each pill contains a specially concocted poison of my own design. After ingestion, they will lead to death in about fifteen seconds, and dissipate within the body, leaving no trace."

I took the pills and thanked Sheila, and before I knew it, I was on a flight to Tennessee. When I arrived at the entrance to the nursing home grounds, it was barred by an old fashioned iron gate. I rang the intercom and told the nurse on the other end I was there to visit a relative. The gates creaked open and I entered the grounds, making my way to the reception building.

I told the tigress receptionist I was there to visit Frank Krause, but she gave me a strange look and said "Really? That's odd, he's never had any visitors before. In fact, I'm pretty sure he said not to allow anyone to visit him. Are you a relative of his?" I quickly came up with a cover story, telling her that he was my distant great uncle. She eyed me suspiciously. "Wait right here." She walked away, and intuition told me she was going to fetch security. I had to act fast.

Just then, I noticed one of the nurses pushing one of those big hospital carts they use to carry food. I quickly came up with another plan and trailed behind her, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. I made sure nobody was looking, and approached her from behind. I jabbed my fingers into the pressure points on her shoulders, and before she could even gasp, fell unconscious. I dragged her into a nearby storage closet and put on her uniform, as well as taking a master key she'd been carrying.

Fortunately, the closet I had stashed her in was close to the kitchen. Just as I entered, who I assumed was the head cook approached me. " You must be the new intern. It's about time you got here! What took you so long? Never mind,just get ready to serve the residents their lunch." As other kitchen workers loaded the cart with food, I was given a list of rooms and who each resident was, as well as who got which dish. Wouldn't you know it? My target was on that list. I almost laughed at how this mission was turning out.

I went around to the rooms on the list, delivering meals to not look suspicious until I came to my target's room, number 88. I couldn't help but give a small chuckle at the irony of that room number. Just before I went in, I put a poison pill in his glass off water, which dissolved in mere moments. I entered the room.

"Mr. Krause, lunchtime!"

He sat in the corner of the room in a big reclining chair, an oxygen tank by his side and a mask over his muzzle. "Who are you? You're not the normal nurse." He said as I wheeled the cart in. "I'm new here. I brought you your meal, if your hungry." He removed his oxygen mask and smiled an old, toothless grin. "Ah, it's always so nice to see a fresh face around here. After awhile, you get tired of seeing the same people day in and day out."

I just nodded as I set up his food tray and placed his meal in front of him. "Won't you please keep me company while I eat? It's been ages since I had such a lovely lady by my side." I sat on his bed and he began to talk. I honestly can't remember what about, as I was just waiting for him to take a drink of water, and my mission would be done. I just smiled, nodded and occasionally said "uh-huh" as he ate and yammered on and on.

Finally, he'd finished his lunch. "My, all this talk is making me thirsty." He finally took a gulp of water, and I began to count out loud. "One...two...three...four...five..."

"What are you doing?"

"Counting down to your death, Mr. Gunter."

His eyes widened in shock and fear, but before he could say anything, began to choke, making strange wheezing and gargling noise before he finally went limp in his chair. I smiled, my job was done. Now I just had to leave without getting caught. I locked the door from the inside, to make sure the body wouldn't be discovered for as long as possible before making my exit through the window. I made my way back to my car and drove through the iron gates, my mission accomplished. After I got back to headquarters to report my success, The Director congratulated me on a job well done. "I had every confidence in you." He said as he shook my hand. "Don't get cocky, though. That was a pretty easy contract by our standards. You can expect more challenging ones in the future. In the meantime, get some rest. I'd say you've earned it."

I spent the next week on vacation, going to nice restaurants, the beach, and the local spa club with the money I'd made from my first real contract, before I was called in again. This time, it was to bring down a tyrant and his would-be empire."