Hunter's Prey

Assignment

The Organization specializes in a variety of unique services for anyone willing to pay the price. The greed of the rich never failed to surprise me. Always willing to kill just to save a dollar or earn a penny. Or simply out of convenience, are the lives of those below worth less because someone believes they are above the system? Or perhaps it is someone within the system itself, wanting a quick clean-up to hide misdeeds?

There wasn’t much I hadn’t already done for a client, except, of course, the work OS 8 specializes in. OS 8 didn’t really have “agents” working for him, and those that did were more like managers to his operations. My Overseer, OS 13, specialized in the quick operations. The get-in and get-out quick type never took longer than a week to deliver. Not that quick ever meant easy. Most of the time, OS 13’s team was under tight deadlines, and expected to finish with perfection. OS 13’s team had a wide and thin mastery of skills that let them go anywhere and be anyone.

Turning down the large hall that held all the Overseer’s Offices. It had always struck me as unusual that all 15 Overseers held offices in the same hall. From what I had seen of office politics, none of the Overseers liked each other. Friendliness was strictly based on mutually assured destruction, and the Administrator sounded like he revelled in it- not that I had ever met him personally. The closest I’ve ever gotten to interacting with him was a signed letter congratulating me on my “promotion” to Agent 6. Not that it was a choice.

Luckily, the offices were in order of number, making OS 13’s door the second on the left. I knocked on the solid mahogany door, which almost seemed to blend with the dark stone of the complex.

“Come in,” a faint voice called from within. Entering, I was greeted by OS 13 behind her oak desk, looking over paperwork.

“Ms. Lithgow,” I greeted. Of everyone in the Organization, OS 13 was my favourite. She didn’t have the same look of disdain or inflated sense of superiority everyone else had. OS 13 treated me with respect- sure OS 13 was still the boss, but she was the only one to look at me as human instead of another expendable. OS 13 herself was a Hunter with Witch’s blood- which meant though she wasn’t technically a witch herself, she did have a magical edge compared to humans. OS 13 couldn’t cast spells or make things disappear, but she had what could really only be described as a 6th sense. OS 13 always seemed to know certain things, she could read people like books and was always acutely aware of what and who was where in her immediate vicinity.

“Artemis my dear,” OS 13 turned her Sapphire eyes up to me. “Please, take a seat, we have been through this dance one too many times for such formalities.” She gave a friendly smile, gathering up her paperwork to be set neatly off to the side until their meeting was over.

I took a seat while OS 13 straightened her hair. She wore her age well, perhaps because of her witch blood, but it was beginning to catch up to her in the form of greying hair. Still, Os 13 held her elegance as grey began to streak through the once pitch-black hair. “It appears our old friend has another request,” OS 13 began the meeting.

“The same person that had requested the last assignment?” I asked.

OS 13 chuckled, “They have asked for your services specifically the last few times. It’s been keeping you quite busy, huh?” I remained impassive as OS 13 spoke, leading to her follow-up question, “Tell me, my dear. Do you ever consider who is requesting these services?”

“Not usually,” I answered honestly. “Does it matter?”

OS 13 looked at me with a look of curiosity, which she tended to do a lot. “I suppose not as face value, no. It is good to remain vigilant. I may sound Hypocritical, but you don’t need to follow the path laid out for you by others.” She paused, and probably reading my mind continued with, “I know you have spent many years in your young life dedicated to the Organization, your loyalty and efforts don’t go unnoticed.”

Loyalty and efforts. What an odd way to phrase it. “So this person has another request of me?” I pushed the conversation forward, not willing to dwell in pity.

OS 13 sighed, then agreed, “Yes. It appears the leader of the largest Northern European crime syndicate has landed on Mr Thatcher’s radar. He has requested that you specifically handle the matter.”

“How would he like it handled?” I followed up, knowing that ‘handled’ had a surprisingly large range of meanings.

“Whatever gets the job done quickly. He has informed me that this leader, Mr Baines, will be on vacation at his mountain holiday home. Outside servants and security personnel he should be alone,” OS 13 informed, pulling out a vanilla folder with some paperwork inside.

“Baines? As in the Marquis Baine family?” I asked knitting her brows up in surprise. The Baine Family was a part of the Vampire Aristocracy, I couldn’t imagine why any of them would need or want to get caught up in a crime organization.

“A cousin, I believe,” OS 13 corrected, “though he could’ve also taken the name for power.” She handed the Vanilla folder to me after briefly thumbing through it herself.

I proceeded to look through it, “is there anything else?”

“Not that I believe, you should head out soon,” OS 13 suggested, “the mountains where he’s vacationing are forecasted to be hit with heavy snow within the week.”

“Alright, I’ll start to prep immediately and head out in the mor-” I began to wrap up the meeting.

“Artemis,” OS 13 cut me off, causing me to lower back into the chair waiting for OS 13 to continue. “Be honest with me my dear,” OS 13 began, “do you ever have higher ambitions?”

“Higher ambitions?” I repeated, “Haven’t I gotten high enough?”

OS 13 looked at me, scanning me with those eyes that didn’t look at me, but in me- like OS 13 was trying to discern my innermost thoughts and motives. “As I said my dear, your loyalty and efforts in the Organization have not gone unnoticed. Your story is quite a unique one. Not many can start at the bottom of our ranks and make it so high up.”

“With all due respect, Ms. Lithgow,” I interrupted before she could continue. “I don’t need a reminder of my past with the company.”

“Of course,” OS 13 sighed, “I just wished to keep you aware.”

Aware of what? “I appreciate that. If there is nothing else, I’d like to be excused,” I replied curtly.

“Very well Artemis,” OS 13 waved her off. “Good luck.”

I stood, bowing my head slightly and headed out of the office. As I reentered the hall, I looked down to take a better look at the details of my next assignment. I could hear Agents 13 and 11 talking near the end of the hall. They stopped to glare at me as I walked by, but I didn’t pay them any attention. I had been in my position longer than either of them had been in theirs, and both had challenged me when they’d initially made it to the top 50. One of the few I’d had spared, only at the request of their superiors.

Agent 13- Shyama, works directly under OS 1, and tries to parade around as if she was the best agent in the organization because of it. She was a werewolf with a serious Omega complex, and would probably believe she was one of the moon goddesses if you let her. While she wasn’t goddess-pretty, she did have several attractive traits, from her perfect dark ebony skin to her bouncing dark curls. Her wild and untamed side showed in her dangerous smile, flashing her elongated canines. Her fierce pride shone in her amber eyes with a look that either made you cower, or respect her.

Agent 11- Atticus, was more reserved with his dislike of me. Unless another agent like Shyama was around, then he’d become another one of the bullies. He worked under OS 4. who ironically, was the only human on the Overseer Council. Atticus, however, was a Hunter with Vampire Blood. He had the very typical, but charming traits most vampires have, like fair skin, and strongly defined features. His brunette hair was short on the sides, but long enough on top to be visibly swept back.

“Another mission, 6?” Shyama snickered, “Didn’t you just come off one? One could think you don’t have a life outside the Organization.”

“Doesn’t your family ever miss you?” Atticus added on.

I passed them without a glance. Shyama in particular thrived off of attention, positive or negative. She could starve. All the top agents knew this was all I was and had. I started in the organization the way most of the lower-level staff and agents did- young and from nothing. Top Agents, however, like the rest of the 15, and many of the top 50, had come from various crime families and agencies. They had lives outside the Organization, and they were allowed to live them. I had been denied both, and the bitter love to rub it in.

That didn’t matter. What matters now is the present, and right now, I have another assignment to complete.