FROM MIRA TO RAVEN
949 Words
Author's POV
Inside the sleek, glass-walled conference room, six men sat around a polished mahogany table, their laughter low as they sipped whiskey.
Then the door burst open.
A woman stepped in, dressed entirely in black; combat boots, tactical pants, a fitted leather jacket, and a mask that hid everything but her eyes. Raven moved with the precision of someone who had rehearsed this moment a thousand times.
Her boots struck the marble floor with deliberate force.
Thud. Thud.
Conversations froze as everyone stared at her.
One of the men, Vincent Korran; Raven's target, head of the Syndicate, rose slowly from his chair, his smile fading.
"Who the hell..." Vincent paused as Raven raised her silenced pistol.
Pfft!
The first shot hit the guard by the door before his hand could even reach his weapon.
She stepped forward and fired at the second man. He fell, his glass shattering as it hit the floor.
Vincent stumbled back, panic dawning on his face.
"Wait... wait! We can talk..."
Raven didn't speak; instead, her finger tightened.
Pfft!
The bullet pierced through his forehead. He crumpled over the table, a crimson stain spreading across expensive paper and polished wood.
Raven's breathing remained steady. She checked her watch; forty seconds in.
Footsteps echoed from the hallway; security was coming.
She turned and sprinted down the corridor, her movements silent even as alarms began to wail, alerting everyone. She vaulted over a desk, smashed through a side window, and leaped from the fifth floor, landing on the rooftop of a delivery truck below. The impact shook her bones, but she didn't slow. She rolled, dropped to the pavement, and disappeared into a maze of alleyways before anyone could catch a glimpse.
By the time the police swarmed the building, she was already standing in a dark corner, watching with a scoff.
She removed her mask and jacket as she approached her parked car, sliding inside. She dialed a number.
"It's done," she said coldly.
"Come right now. We've got another to take care of," Mason's voice replied.
"Yes, boss." She ended the call and drove off immediately.
This was Mira Logan, now known as Raven. The gentle, innocent Mira died the night her parents were murdered. In her place rose a cold, emotionless assassin, forged by pain and perfected by her handler, Mason Crowe, under the shadowy organization known as Black Ledger.
She drove down the silent street, going deeper until the massive billboard and eagle-headed logo of Black Ledger appeared.
She honked, and the gates opened. She drove inside and stepped out, heading straight in without speaking to anyone.
At an office door, she knocked.
"It's open," Mason's voice called.
She entered.
"Boss," her cold voice said as she folded her arms behind her, still on she stood.
"Raven, I'm proud of the person you're becoming, and I need you to remain this way. One day you'll find the people who killed your parents and take your revenge..." Mason paused, noticing how Raven's arms dropped and her fists clenched.
"Have a seat". He offered, Raven hesitated before sitting.
"There's another target, but this one is unlike the others. I'm giving it to you because you're my most trusted and skilled operative, if you're ready." Mason said.
"I'm in, boss," Raven answered.
"I've never doubted your capacity or skills, but this mission is different. If you succeed, you'll be given a fortune and you'll be free. No longer an assassin." Mason offered.
Raven met his gaze. She couldn't hide the flicker of hope at the word free.
"I'm in, boss. Who?" she asked, eager to know her next target.
He handed her a thin black file. No photo, just a name written in bold letters.
ALPHA LUCIEN BLACKWOOD.
Raven frowned.
"An alpha? What is this? Some kind of code name?"
Mason smirked. "Not a code. A species." He handed her a map.
"This will guide you into the pack."
"What?"
"Pack. He's a werewolf," Mason said simply. "Leader of the Shadow Pack. He controls the largest territory in the northern regions. He's dangerous, intelligent, and nearly impossible to kill."
"Werewolves? You expect me to believe fairy tales?" Raven asked.
He leaned closer, voice low. "You've seen enough monsters to know not all of them hide under beds."
Raven said nothing as she flipped open the file. Maps, photos of dense forest terrain, a black crest with a silver moon.
"You'll infiltrate his pack," Mason continued. "Gain his trust. Eliminate him. You have six months."
She shut the file. "Six months?"
"Yes. And I know you can do it."
A smirk curled her lips. "Six months is too much."
"Be alert," Mason warned. "He's intelligent and dangerous. Gain his trust first."
"I'll get it done, boss," Raven promised.
He slid an envelope across the table; stacks of cash and a black sapphire pendant inside.
"Half now. The rest when the Alpha is dead."
Raven pocketed the money and pendant, then she stood.
"Then I guess I'll be paying a visit to the wolves."
"And lastly, if you fail to complete this assignment in six months, consider yourself dead."
"Yes, boss."
"Your time starts now," Mason said.
Raven left immediately, heading for her car and driving off.
Back at her apartment, she opened her laptop and began researching werewolves.
A knock sounded at her door.
She walked over and opened it.
A man in his mid-twenties, unfamiliar, stood there.
"And how may I help you?" she asked.
He suddenly punched her and pulled a pistol from his waistband.
"Hands up! Backwards, now! Go in!" he barked.
Raven stepped back slowly as he followed, pistol still aimed.
Two more men slipped inside behind him, shutting the door.
- Writer
