Equipment check: Magnum, silencer and four extra clips; three hunting knives; ten, no, eight throwing knives. Need to contact resources for replacements. Mission details. Locate target. Daily patterns have been sent through. Behaviour analysis is available. Eliminate target, maximum subtly. Public must remain unaware for three weeks. Abduction is not an option. Eliminate and cover up. Hesitation will result in consequences. Violating mission criteria will result in consequences. Inability to obey time constraints will, what do you know, result in consequences. Mission start.

Like I haven’t handled anything worse than this before.

I don’t know why they seem to think that we’d hesitate. The money’s too good to pass up. Plus that whole ‘good of humanity’ thing. Anyone that crosses our sights is a risk to the planet’s future. I don’t know why my old partner ever hesitated. Getting the order to kill them was inevitable really. Unlike them, I actually pulled the trigger. A second had passed and they were on the ground. We worked together for seven years. Yet Control still insists on making me go through that mental check every single time. I’d rather just start.

Looks like today will involve a little breaking and entering. I’ll have to do it before the target’s wife gets home. A little tricky with timing. Traffic is decent for once, so I expect a quick return. That gives me ten minutes from the target getting home to her wife arriving. It’s a little too close of a gap for comfort. But it’s the only time of the day that the target is out of sight. If I had that little time to myself I’d go crazy too. Maybe if she had more alone time then she wouldn’t be on the list.

Risk of fighting back is high. And what do you know, the wife is a cop. No bullets or blood then. Dammit. Why couldn’t they send through these details before I packed? Because that would jeopardise the carefully balanced need to know network Isaiah. Obviously. When I finish this mission and I’ll get to move up in that blasted network. Maybe then I’ll know what I’m dealing with before I actually start my missions.

Best way to handle this will be to wait inside the house. I’ll take her out the moment the front door closes. Won’t have time to open the front curtains that way. Best way to cover up the car is using it to get away. Neighbours are home. Okay, should be simple. If someone asks questions then I’ll improvise. Control hates it when I improvise. They always end up shouting orders at me through my earpiece. It’s like they can’t stand watching me make a mess of everything or something. I always get the mission done within the parameters set. That’s better than most agents.

Lots of family pictures inside. That’s odd. They don’t have any kids listed. Must be extended or something. I’m still waiting for her picture to come through. It’s another thing that you’d think they give you before the mission starts. That and a name. I don’t know why there’s such a big delay. I’d usually have that kind of info by now. At this rate I’ll figure out who my target is when she walks through the front door. I’m sure she’ll be in at least one of these pictures. I’ve just got to match the personality report to the face. Can’t be that hard.

Crap.

“Control, I’m going to need a confirm on the ID of target. Please confirm ID.”

“You have to complete the mission Isaiah.”

“I will, just confirm the damn ID.”

“Eleanor Noel.”

“And at no point did you see it fit to tell me before?”

“We were afraid of how you’d react. You need to complete the miss-.”

“I know!” I pick a photo with Eleanor, her wife and their son. “You couldn’t have given this to someone else?”

“It was a direct order.”

Dammit. “It was the boss, wasn’t it? He doesn’t want me moving up so he gave me this job.” They don’t speak. “You know what? Don’t answer that. I’ll report in when I’m done.”

“Understood. Good luck Isaiah.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Guess this changes things. I won’t have to sneak around anymore. I’ll surprise her when she comes home. Direct her attention to me and only me and then I’ll ... I’ll snap her neck. Plain and simple. She won’t feel much pain. Shouldn’t be much blood, if any, and there’ll be no way to trace this back to me or my organisation. It’ll be the first time a target sees me in, well, ever. But she won’t run away from me. She trusts me. That’ll be an advantage. It’s probably the real reason the boss gave me this mission. I’d rather hate his guts, but the logic behind it makes sense.

“Isaiah? Is that you?”

I turn around. She drops her bag.

“Yeah Mum. It’s me. Been a while. I missed you two.”

She steps forward. The door closes behind her. Good. Don’t want an audience for this.

“Isaiah, it’s you. You’re actually here.”

Another step forward. I take a tentative step towards her too. And suddenly she’s running to me and throwing her arms around my neck. One move and I could end it. Right here right now. I still have some time before Mama gets home. So I can enjoy this for a little bit longer. Please Control, just let me have this.

“How’ve you been?” I awkwardly edge out of her hug.

“Oh you know. The same as always. Your mama got a big promotion recently. She’s in charge of hunting down those horrible elitists who think they get to decide who lives and who dies. I’ve never seen her happier.”

“Really? She have any leads on them yet?”

Mum pouts. “Don’t know. She refuses to tell me. It’s confidential.” She shakes it off, a gesture I’m all too familiar with. “But what about you? What have you been up to? You found anyone worthy of marrying the great dancer Isaiah yet?”

I laugh. “No Mum. Nobody yet. I’m just not in a position to have a relationship right now. You know that. Work keeps me too busy.”

“Well that’s obvious. You’re so busy you can’t come see your mothers anymore. How long has it been since you last saw one of us in person?”

“Ten years.”

“Ten years! We’ve got some catching up to do young man. Just you wait. I’ll call your mama and she’ll be home right away. It’s a family emergency. Our sweet boy has finally come home to visit.”

“Mum, that’s really not necessary.”

“Damn right it’s not.” Mama. No. I took too long. “What dragged you back into town Isaiah?” I’m engulfed in a hug before I can answer. “We thought those elitists got you. Had us worried sick.”

Orders start from my earpiece. They’re a mess of voices over each other, but the message is clear. I’ve got to finish the mission. Or they’re going to kill both of them.

“They did.”

“What?” Mum stares at me, eyes wide with horror.

“Did you really think I went off to become a dancer? I could never dance, not really.”

Mama takes a step back and moves Mum behind her. “What happened, Isaiah?”

I pull out my concealed pistol. “She’s on the list.”

“She’s your mother! We both are.”

Mum peaks her head out. “W-why am I?”

“You know why. We always knew why. It’s why I’m with them. Thought maybe they’d protect you two until the time came.” I aim. “That time is now.”

“You are not going to kill you mum. We raised you to be better than this.”

“If I don’t then someone else will. They won’t be so merciful. A quick bullet to the brain, she won’t feel a thing.”

Mum squeezes Mama’s hand. “Don’t worry. We both know they won’t stop until I’m dead. I’m on the list. That’s just how it is.”

“No. They’ve already taken our son. I won’t let them have you.”

My earpiece screeches from the cascade of orders.

“I’m not gone Mama. I’m still alive.”

“You do this, and you won’t be.”

“I don’t, and none of us will be.”

Mum starts crying. So do I. Mama just glares.

“They can’t make you do this.”

“KILL HER NOW.” The boss. If he’s at Control then...

Backup is on its way. This is why I prefer not making eye contact with the target. It makes it that much harder to pull the trigger.

“I’m so, so sorry.”

I do it.

Mama screams. She doesn’t get out her own gun. She falls to the ground with Mum and cries out like she’s the one who’s been shot. Pain, pure pain tears through her voice. She holds Mum to her. But Mum’s already gone. Clean shot, straight through the skull. Painless. The best gift I could give her. The best anyone on that list will ever get. But this. These tears. This pain. It’s worse, worse than anything. And exactly what I deserve.

This is all for the good of humanity, right? Then why do I feel like I just shot mine?