Wild Shooter

by Andre Pisco

We were perplexed, speechless, still trying to figure out what had happened. I had told her what I thought about how dedicated she was, and it didn't seem to have taken effect. Or maybe she'd understood, but she was already too deep in the tunnel to dig into the light. Gordon asked us to be patient with her. He explained that she was afraid of commitment after Ashen forcibly removed her from their old group.

  "Forced?" I said, "She just told me that Ashen ended the group and she walked away."

  "That's a very reductive summary, James. Ashen ended the group, yes, but she didn't accept it. She continued to act as if we were functioning; in the shadows, not obeying the laws, entering risky fights. Ashen was forced to revoke her access to the Hunter APP and the weapons they sold at headquarters. After that, she was never the same, as well. She created her own path."

  "Is that such a bad thing?" Kendra asked.

  "It took her a few years to calm down and forgive Ashen." Gordon started by sitting in his chair. I'd bet it was already shaped like his ass, "In the early years she messed with a couple of people she shouldn't have. Including your sister, when she was still on the council. But we'll have time to talk about this some other time. Let's focus on the plan. Your clothes are in your room. You're going an hour early. Maggie's going to talk to her dad and let us know how security's doing. Once the party's starting, you'll join it. Your plan is simple: to find out who is interested in financing the Reapers, if any of them is a Hunter, and to leave the party unharmed. At no time must you challenge anyone. Understood?"

  "What if we get a chance to arrest them all? To destroy the humanoid?" I asked him, still trying to figure out the big picture.

  "You do nothing. Take pictures. That's it. Most likely, only a few of the top men will go and the rest will be middlemen. We can't risk them finding out we're on their tail." Gordon said. He opened the drawer and pulled out an object smaller than my nail, "Here. One of you put it between your eyebrows, come on, it's a camera. It'll record everything you see."

  "Hm... My dad won't let anyone in without going through a metal and technology detector. Cell phones and guns stay in the lobby."

  "Nobody's gonna touch my whip. No way!" Kendra interrupted us by grasping the whip attached to her belt.

  "They won't let you in with it. Not even with your gun, James. Even I will have to remove the glove. My dad's paranoid about it and everyone has to play by the rules."

  "Ashen and I had already predicted something like that. It doesn't make any difference. This camera is too small to appear on the sensors. As for the guns... well, James, that's a good reason not to cause any trouble, don't you think?"

  "Better than good. No mess, no problem." I answered him, my heart pounding louder than before.

  We decided Maggie would use the camera. Not only were her eyebrows straighter, but her hair was darker, and the camera blended perfectly. We reviewed the plans once again and memorized a few emergencies exits in case everything went wrong. I exchanged several glances with both Maggie and Kendra. An understanding between us that we would be together the whole time.

  After a long speech by Gordon about what to do in case we get caught and other precautions, we went down to the first floor, where Ashen was cooking. The smell of burning salmon had spread to the living room and the hallway. The weather outside had brightened up. The sun shone, its arms reaching out to the earth, burning the horizon with lively colors and drying the remaining soaked lands.

  "You may sit down. This won't take long." Ashen said. He had a white apron protecting him from the oil that sprinkled on him.

  He was calmer than before. There was an empty cup of coffee in the middle of the wooden table. It was apparently kicking in. We sat at the table and waited for him to finish.

  The salmon was so good, no one spoke at lunch. It wasn't burnt, and the colors popped out. The smell was great, and it tasted even better. I didn't even know Ashen cooked so well, but I suppose he had to get used to cooking while working in a remote area without being able to order food. It was something I still had to learn. Of course, I knew how to make eggs, pasta and rice, but that was all.

  "Take advantage of the sunny afternoon to sleep. You're going to need to be at your best for tonight." Ashen said, after we all put the cutlery on the plate, "You... Ah, you can do it. You know I'm not much for this stuff, but without you, we wouldn't have gotten that close. I'm grateful for that." He added, keeping his eyes up, his jawline sharp as a knife.

  "We're a team, aren't we?" I said, "You don't have to thank us. Each one offers the group what they can."

  "Yeah, you're right. But after so many years of trying to get closer, of everything that's happened, we're finally there. Not only me, but all of us who fight to end corruption."

  "Who's behind all of this?" Kendra asked, leading Ashen to choke on one of the puddings. I'd never seen him so bothered, losing all his composure, the spoon slipping through his fingers.

  "Changing the subject... Have you tried the outfit for tonight? I used the measurements in your Hunter file." He answered. He picked up the spoon again and continued to eat the pudding as if nothing had happened.

  "No..." Maggie began, speaking calmly, hoping he would interrupt her to answer Kendra's question, but he never did, "For me anything is good, as long as it's not black."

  "Black? The best color?" Kendra intervened.

  "To you. Do you think black would match my light eyes and blond hair?"

  "Of course, you had to think about that." Kendra said, "But I'm glad you don't like black. At least we're not going to be wearing the same outfit."

  I ended up laughing and saying they both looked good anyway.

  "What a Don Juan you are, James." Ashen said, " You better be that tight. There aren't many groups like you anymore, you know? The more money and fame are involved, the more the groups are mere smokescreens seeking the top. They don't have fun, they don't socialize out of the raids, nothing. It's weird. When I started, there were no shortage of bars where Hunters from all over the city and even outside ended their nights. Now there are one or two left and they are almost always empty, with only two or three veterans drinking until it closes."

  I nodded my head. I didn't answer, but I agreed with him. I had lived it first-hand. Hunters' lunches and dinners at my house before my father fell. And I tried to take that philosophy to the academy, but it didn't go well. People would look at me sideways and questioning me why every time I tried to plan a convivial. I ended up quitting. There's no point in pushing myself for something that wasn't even appreciated. Even team lessons became individual, as everyone wanted to stay on top, regardless of whether the rest of the team stayed behind. By the end of the first year I too had become individual and focused only on myself. Apart from three or four people I met there, I didn't keep in touch with anyone else, much less had any interest in doing so.

  Gordon was the first to get up from the table, which was the opposite of the usual, leaving half a slice of chocolate cake on the plate.

  "Excuse me. I need to get some rest, too. It's been a while since I've felt so tired." He said, before he left the kitchen.

  "Is he okay?" Maggie asked Ashen.

  "Yes, it was a bit of a shock for him to know that Damien hadn't given up on creating a humanoid. I guess deep down he still believed he could change him, you know? I don't think people can change, at least they can't run away from what they genuinely are." Ashen answered, and stood up from the table, "I still have a call to make. Get some rest. I'll wake you up later."

  I heard him open the house door and tread on the wooden tiles as he walked down the stairs. I leaned back on the chair and sighed, "Well, I suppose he's right. We should get some rest."

  "Wait." Kendra said, "Do you believe what he said? That people can't change? Do you think I won't be able to save Lipa?"

  Truth be told, I didn't know how to answer it. I'd never thought much about it, but I knew that not only could I not lie to her, but I also didn't want to leave her one foot away from sadness, "
I can't tell you for sure that you're going to save her, but it's worth the shot, right? She doesn't look like the other killers. I don't know, I don't know her like you, but I believe there's still a shred of kindness in her. After all, she helped us, right? Even if she owed you one, she could have said no."

  "She'll open her eyes." Maggie said and put her hand on Kendra's shoulder. She thanked us and smiled, which was as rare as her flickering voice.

  I looked out the window one last time before we headed for the room. Ashen had removed the sheet covering the lake and circled the crystalline blue mirroring the sun's rays as if they were escaping through windows gaps, all the while with the phone close to his ear. He seemed upset by the way he was waving his arms and partridges jumped from his mouth to the already dry ground.

  Maggie grabbed the sleeve of my sweater and pulled me into the hallway. My smooth black suit was lying on the bed next to a short simple yellow dress and a long black dress with a lacy neckline. I told them the best thing was to try them after we woke up so we wouldn't mess them up. After all, we hadn't even bathed after the fight we had. Sometimes traces of shattered rock would still come out of my hair as I brushed it.

  We lay on the bed and turned off the light. It didn't take more than a few seconds for my eyes to close too. Still, my brain wouldn't shut up. I could think of several scenarios that could happen during the party; from the successful options to dozens of mistakes that we could make and that would lead us to getting caught. My palms were sweating beside my body, and an anthill seized my right foot. I took a deep breath and tried to convince myself that nothing would go wrong. It was just a recon mission.

  Chapter XIX

  I woke up with Ashen staring at me, standing at the door, the light in the room lit and the two of them still asleep.

  "We better talk privately." He said it and went into the living room.

  I still had the clothes from the day before and that's how I walked up to him. He sat on one of the cushion chairs, his hands on the smooth fabric and his eyes following each step of mine. I sat in the chair in front of him and asked him what was going on, why he had to talk to me alone.

  "Look, there's a lot you don't know yet that you'll know someday and maybe you won't like it. Maybe you'll even get angry, but I want you to know that it was never meant to have happened, that plans changed as fast as they can be undone if the truth gets out."

  "What are you talking about?" I asked, interrupting him.

  "Don't talk now. Just listen to me. Whatever happens today, don't give up. Protect them. They'll do the same for you. You're more than a group, you're a team." He said and paused, pulling an old battered paper out of his pocket, "Here. If you ever need a place to hide, go to this address. The key is hidden at the bottom of the third vase in the flower bed. I know you must be full of questions. They will all be answered. You just have to be patient."

  We stayed the rest of the time in pure silence until Maggie appeared behind me. I didn't even hear her. She had small feet inside woolen socks that didn't make any noise when they touched the floor.

  "I'm going to take a shower. Kendra said she was next. You want to go after that?"

  "Yes. Tell her to call me. Didn't your father tell you anything today?" I asked her when I noticed she had her mobile in her left hand.

  "Not really. I was just texting him and asking if he remembered what we had arranged. It wouldn't be the first time he forgot about me." She said, head down, with bags under her eyes, "I better go. I left the water running hot."

  The girls took almost an hour to bathe. They came out of there with scented hair, honey-smelling bodies, and glowing skin. Unlike me, who took a quick shower and used the regular soap... When I got to the room, I really had to rub my eyes to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Kendra sitting at her desk, looking at herself in the mirror while Maggie was doing her makeup. Both with only towels covering their lower body.

  "I was able to convince her." Maggie told me, as soon as she noticed me, "It's a party. We can't afford to be careless. We must prepare ourselves as if we were excited."

  For the first time, I put on the suit that Ashen had gotten me. It settled perfectly on my body. The chest folds facing outwards, the neck folds upwards and a leather belt fastening the whole outfit. He even got me black shoes. My toes hurt, but it was just a matter of habit. The girls asked me for a few minutes alone in the room to get dressed. They wanted it to be a surprise to me.

  When they finally showed up in front of me, with their dresses, makeup and straightened hair, I released a long "wow" that made them blush. They looked terrific. The yellow dress matched Maggie's green eyes and pink cheeks and the soft highlighter she had on, as well as emphasizing her breasts and legs. The black dress matched Kendra's brown eyes and black hair. Maggie had made her a small curved eyeliner and used a soft gray shade for her eyeshadow. They had not lost their essence; rather, each one stood out in its own way.

  "I'm really lucky." I said, my eyes sailing acres their bodies.

  "Well, all three of you are ready. There's not much time left. You better get on your way." Ashen said, looking at his cell phone as if waiting for a call, "James, I placed a pocket on the inside. In case you need to hide something. Plus, you can turn the upper part around and it will serve as a silver coat. Good luck. I believe in you."

  "Thank you. Where's Gordon?" I asked him. We were already on our way out. Maggie had opened the door and still no sign of him.

  "Still asleep. I guess it's been a while since he slept this long. We won't be able to track you this time, so it doesn't make much difference either. We're trusting your abilities. I can't reveal much, but there'll be Hunters around."

  I was never one to believe in signs, but I was all over the place. I believed, with all my strength, that the shining sun above us was a portent of the success that awaited us. The black car had been destroyed, but in the back of the house, a new car was waiting for us; red, with a grey stripe in the middle of both sides, which I had no doubt could compete with the best in the market. I remembered Gordon's words telling me that Ashen had saved up some good money. It seemed that way and no doubt he wouldn't mind spending it if he had to. Maggie and Kendra sat on the satin seats in the back. Elisa hadn't even left us a good-luck message since she had freak-out, and as I looked at the bench next to me, I missed her presence.

  I entered the palace address where Maggie lived and turned on the radio. I left it at the first station that came; a man's voice thundered over the classical instruments. The car's clock marked 6:13 pm. The highway was filled with people going home after a long day's work and what was left of the sun stumbled on the sightings and spread across the tar. In the distance, the sight of a blazing horizon fatigued us and softened our bodies.

  At least it's not raining today... I thought to myself.

  "I'm glad we came early." Maggie said looking out her window, "The line seems endless."

  In addition to the engines rattling, there were also horns and men and women screaming at those in front of them to ride. Time was passing by, minute by minute, and we were barely moving. Even after 20 minutes, we didn't seem to have left the same place. The man on the radio had been replaced by a female voice accompanied by soft electric chords. I confirmed once again that I had the gun in my holster. I was afraid that I would forget something, that I would make such a basic mistake that instead of ending up on a photo in the hallways of the headquarters, I would end the night with a dictionary entry in the word "error".

  The sunset descended, timidly sheltering behind one of the green and rugged heights. The remaining rays struck the sharp grass and the nearby rear-view mirrors. It was 6:34 pm when traffic finally started to move at a normal pace. We had cars ahead of us, in the back, even on both sides. Trapped in the modernity and cloistered on the road one hour away from the party that could lead to the apocalypse of everything. The grumpy faces and the smiley faces stamped all over her would be replaced by fearful glances and blood gluing both lips.

>   "Turn right at the next exit." The GPS said.

  It was a small road, with only one lane on each side, and surrounded by boulders on the right side and the city landscape on the left. The buildings looked like mere constructions produced by ants; small and prone to destruction with a finger snap. The road morphed into a serpent, each curve hidden behind another and with metal brackets, in the corners and in parallel, which protected against falls and skidding. I slowed down and gripped the wheel. We all had our belts on, but still, each turn made us swing to the opposite side. Maggie knew which way to straighten her body before the curve even came up.

  "Don't tell me this was your father's plan." I asked, as soon as I saw three luxury cars, one of which was a limousine, a few meters ahead of us.

  "It is... Look over there," she said and pointed to a hole between two rocks, the passage of time leaving it there, scrapping only the surrounding walls in different shades of brown, "You can't see but there's a camera there. Several places here have hidden cameras. If anyone goes down this road without permission, they will be received by my father's private army of security guards. I told you. This house is a fortress."

  "Why does your father look like a megalomaniac villain out of a cartoon? Does he also have an eye patch or a scar on his face?" Kendra asked, waving her ass around the seat, still adjusting to the dress.

  "Kendra..." I intervened.

  "She's not far from the truth." Maggie said, "There's no mark on his face, but there's something that draws attention. You'll understand when he shakes your hand. James don't be surprised if it's a strong handshake. My father likes to test his new guests."

  Finally, after making the last turn, there was only a straight road that led us to a metal door surrounded by a high crevice that went around the house and its surroundings. Outside and around hundreds of trees peeped for endless miles. It was more of a military complex than a house. Hidden beneath the leaves and forest density, the solar panels on a black roof still welcomed the remnants of the sun's rays hovering in the air.