I awoke the next day and was able to get a run in on the hotel treadmill, as well as take a small dent out of my new book. I checked out of the hotel and walked around the area to kill time. I was at the Museum right at opening hours and startled the volunteer as they mentioned how nobody ever seemed to come right at opening.

　　The delivery location wasn`t too hard to find and as I stood there, I looked around at all the other tombstones laid out within the cemetery. My thoughts went back to the man last night, and the eerie sensation it was that he had just disappeared into thin air. Perhaps it was all a test. An assessment to see if I had really changed as a field agent. Placed with temptation easily within my reach, a simple mission that could leave me with the non-curable itch for action, intensity, lust. Regardless of the intent or any potential deeper meaning to the mission, I was happy knowing I had accomplished it, without incident.

　　The one thing I did tell myself, however, that day, as I stood amongst the dead. The old B2 was also dead. An old corpse of failures and last chances which I no longer wanted to be associated with. The last chance in life and within the agency was a blessing, and one I wasn`t going to take for granted. I knelt by the gravesite and took the small container out of my backpack, placing it directly next to the tombstone the way the mission instructions stated. I stood up and turned away, leaving the package behind me, as well as the old self that I no longer wanted to identify as.

　　|||MISSION ACCOMPLISHED^|||

　　As soon as I got back into the minivan a message came in from Terra.

　　"Hey buddy, So& you interested in a mission?" There was a slight pause but before I could even answer, but Terra followed up. "FYI& Sasha is the client that ordered it and also, may have asked if you`d be interested."

　　"If Sasha is the client, then I`m in."

　　"Don`t you want to read over it first?"

　　"Nope, don`t care about that. If Sasha is asking, then it`s a yes. Period."

　　"Sounds good buddy. I have no doubt Sasha will be& happy also. Sending the details over now."

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　　OBJECTIVE: TARGET ELIMINATION

　　LOCATION : 33.431172, -112.211372

　　ADDRESS: 6835 W Watkins St, Phoenix, AZ 85043

　　ACCESS: 24/7 ALL ACCESS

　　REQUEST: ELIMINATION

　　TARGET: WAYNE PROPORCHEK

　　CLIENT : CLASSIFIED

　　TIMEFRAME : 168 HRS

　　REASON : CLASSIFIED

　　COMPENSATION : SUBSTANTIAL

　　WAYNE PROPORCHEK

　　INTEL : T/PROPORCHEK has recently been identified through ISR agencies for supporting illegal trafficking of highly volatile substances and materials. Current evidence collected has identified that T/PROPORCHEK is a critical link in providing volatile substances to overseas clients. Materials provided by T/PROPORCHEK were identified in a bombing which occurred in MADRID, SPAIN last year. 48 casualties reported. Currently, intelligence sources have confirmed that T/PROPORCHEK has received communications and an order, which will have materials being shipped, with a final destination target of ATLANTA, GEORGIA. CLIENT has confirmed order, ELIMINATION. You have 168 hrs to complete this request.

　　Do you accept this mission? Yes or No.

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　　TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS

　　TLH to PHX

　　FLIGHT : 3M3052 / EXPLORATION

　　BOARD : 0905

　　DEPARTURE : 0930

　　GATE : A7

　　SEAT 28A

　　(LAYOVER TPA/IAH)

　　ARRIVAL : 1940

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　　TRANSPORTATION:

　　RENTAL : WAVEZ

　　VEHICLE : BITCH ASS MINIVAN

　　PLATE : NY64311

　　COLOR : White

　　RESERVATION : WNWY664TTL9123

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　　LODGING : GREEN WALL MOTEL PLUS+

　　LOCATION : 5215 W. WILLETTA ST, PHOENIX, AZ 85043

　　ROOM : 136A

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　　I mentally clicked on my messenger icon and typed up a message to Terra.

　　"Yo Terra! Did you see I accepted the mission?"

　　"Yup! Looks like an interesting one and one that is really time sensitive." She replied.

　　"Any idea where this fucker lives at? I looked over the map. The location shows a massive warehouse with a lot of tractor trailers pulling in and out from the location."

　　"Yeah, the shipping company is where the target is working out of and where the intel material is pointing us back to. We actually can`t find a location for the target`s residence. ISR data provided says that a fake identity is being utilized for travel. It is suspected that he may also be living at the location or is dwelling at another property. All cash, totally under the table and off the books." Terra informed me.

　　"Can we triangle cell phone data to showcase where this fucker is bedding down at every night?" I asked.

　　"Looks like Alan already tried that angle and no luck. Current belief is that he`s leaving the phone at work and traveling without it to avoid detection of his movements to and from safehouse."

　　"Smart fucker." I replied and then asked. "How soon do I have until I need to get on the next flight out?"

　　"Plane leaves tomorrow morning." She said.

　　"Sounds good. Thanks. I`ll reach out soon!"

　　"Okay BYEEEEEEEE!"

　　The alarm clock gently began to wake me up and pull me out of the neurochip-coma. I had forced myself into a sleep state through the chip`s hibernation mode. It eliminated any temptation to leave the hotel and get into some trouble. The wake-up function was a slight warming sensation that awakened my mind and brought a radiating tingling sensation all throughout my body.

　　The travel to Phoenix was without issues and I had made another dent in my book. The rental car was waiting for me and I drove my way onto Interstate 10 West. As soon as I did I told my neurochip to hit the shuffle play button, which brought "Only girl (In the world) by Rihanna" playing over my mindscape.

　　A chuckle coming over me as I had not heard the song in ages. I jammed out to music the whole way there. What should have only been a 15-minute drive, however, turned out to be closer to 40 minutes. The traffic congested the entire highway and you could have easily thought you were in Los Angeles with how bad it was.

　　I found myself at my hotel, checked into the room and put a local Arizona Diamondbacks game on in the background while laying down in the bed and loaded up my map in my HUD. I went over the grid pattern of the streets, saw all my access points and best areas to approach the facility and egress should I need to get the fuck out of there. After studying the area some more and once I felt I had a good handle of the layout, I put my boots back on and headed out the door.

　　I put the van in reverse, and as I did, "Same Asshole, by Jelly Roll" started playing from my Neurochips shuffle mode. " Fitting", I muttered as I started to pull away from the hotel and make my way towards the target known location. I checked the HUD status and noticed a few ticks on the mission timer had been chipped away. I still got plenty of time. If worse comes to worse we`ll go gangbanger on it and just be a street level shoot out. I thought as I sat at the red light and waited to cross over the I-10 and make it into the South end of the valley.

　　I made my way over to the opposite side of the street from the facility and waited. I did an initial drive by and around the block a few times, to make sure the map data was accurate with ground level reality. The last thing I wanted was to be in an operation and then turn down the street that is supposed to be wide open only to find that it is completely blocked off with road construction. All my avenues were clear, and I nestled up for an initial observation of the traffic flow.

　　The vehicle access gate for the compound was completely wide open, which was fairly common for these warehouses. With so much logistics flowing in and out of the facility at all times of the day, it`s not even worth it to try and stop the access. Additionally, with so many employees coming in and out of the facility performing 24 hour operations, you might as well just leave the damn thing open.

　　I finally felt comfortable enough that I drove the van into the parking lot and found a spot nestled in the middle of the lot. Though I didn`t like the fact that I was completely enclosed within the setting, I felt I blended in with the environment well. I put the van in park, rolled the windows down, reclined the chair back, turned some music on through the van and lit up a cigar. I wanted to try and appear as if I was waiting to pick up someone from their shift, or just having a nice long smoke before I would go inside to begin mine.

　　I watched as multiple people came and went from the facility. There was a key access point to get into the facility. A camera video feed with push button feature that I assumed went to some operator on the inside. As I continued my surveillance, I noticed two vehicles pull into the parking lot at roughly the same time. The vehicles proceeded down the parking lot and off to the far side. It seemed odd and certainly stood out, my attention. I narrowed in on both.

　　The first vehicle was a more beat up sedan and I watched as a Hispanic adult male exited the driver side and popped the trunk of the sedan. Reaching into the trunk they retrieved a cleaning crew carrier filled with what looked to be chemical agents, rags, and other assorted items needed for janitorial work. The Hispanic male was wearing a white hoodie sweatshirt with some blue lettering that I couldn`t make out from my distance. I saw him tapping away at what looked to be his phone that he soon tucked into a front pocket on his sweatshirt. A standard pair of blue jeans and some sneakers as the other vehicle had a white adult male exit the driver side. He had what appeared to be a tablet of some kind.

　　The Caucasian male had a dark grey polo shirt on with some type of logo on the left chest area and some type of service pants with multiple pockets scattered around them. The two walked up together and I could clearly see they were having a discussion. The white adult male was speaking with his hands while his mouth kept flapping in the wind as they approached the building together. They arrived at the main door and the Caucasian male who had been bullshitting the whole time leaned over and pushed the call button. A few seconds later I saw a small green light flash on the keypad next to the door and the two pulled the door open and entered in.

　　The stogie I was smoking had a good amount left on it, so I left the van and made my way closer to the entrance. I made sure to place myself in a spot where either of the two would have to pass by me to return to their vehicles. Sure enough, about 12 minutes later the Caucasian male exited the warehouse and started to walk by. I took notice of the emblem embroidered on the top left breast area of his shirt. Facility Solutions. Well, that sounded simple enough.

　　I clicked open the HUD overlay and messaged Terra. It was about 10 minutes later that I had a bunch of snapshot images of their webpage and pertinent data regarding their company. Janitorial services were at the top of the list. "Too easy drill sergeant." I muffled under my breath as I took the last few remaining drags off the cigar and then flicked it onto the pavement of the parking lot. I looked at the time in my HUD and saw that it was 22:00. I had not seen any signs of Proporchek coming or going, so I assumed he was not in the facility.

　　I watched as the Caucasian male exited the parking lot in his red suv he had arrived in. I went back to my rental and asked Terra to send me previous mission notes of past operations where I had to do target elimination. She sent me a few snapshots of the synopsis`s written by the Scalpel analysts. I went through the different options I had done previously, and one stood out to me as a potential option.

　　On at least one mission I had previously done, I had utilized fentanyl as the lethal agent to take out a target. I thought over the idea and liked this as my potential choice for this target. I was near the Mexican border with it being just over a 2 hr drive south, so it should be plentiful in the area. I had Terra pull a few recent news clippings of drug usage, levels, and smuggling through the greater Phoenix valley.

　　I wasn`t surprised to see all the news clippings and reports highlighting the prevalence of drug trafficking. They all spoke how the valley had become one of the nations leading transportation hubs for cartels. This would make things super plausible for anyone questioning it. A lethal dosage of China White to the system with some other fake M-30 fentanyl laced pills laying in the desk drawer next to him would complete the investigation easily. I sent another message to Terra, "I need a lethal dosage of pure fentanyl and four fake M-30 pills laced with the shit. Can you coordinate delivery to the hotel room?"

　　She responded soon after I sent the message. "Can do. It will be waiting for you on the bathroom countertop by the time you arrive back at the hotel. Just be careful with handling that shit& wear gloves, don`t breathe it in& and for God sake don`t take that shit!"

　　"Don`t worry, I got it all under control."

　　"I hope so." She replied. I closed out the message feed in my HUD when there was a file icon that appeared and Terra continued. "I was asked to send this to you."

　　I clicked open the file to see a video of Sasha. I couldn`t tell where she was but it appeared like she was in some kind of apartment setting, perhaps even an hotel. There was something about the background that left me feeling she wasn`t at her residence. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

　　She was wearing a navy-blue tank top but kept the camera angle upwards, only allowing me to see her gorgeous face and those eyes and smile that instantly had me captivated all over again. She seemed to have a serious tone in her voice, but she lost her composure. A playful smirk that appeared for a brief moment as she started. "Hey big guy&" she paused and regained her composure, putting the professional expression back on her face and looked away from the camera, "I heard you took that Phoenix mission for me& I just wanted to say thanks. This one is kinda close to home, you know. So, I appreciate you taking care of it for me." Her eyes glanced back at the camera and a small smile appeared. "Good luck out there, stay safe."

　　The video ended with nothing else being said. She didn`t need to say anything else, and I loved every millisecond of what she sent me. So much so that I just sat in the parking lot and replayed the video for thirty minutes. Gazing into the only thing that seemed to matter to me, "Don`t worry angel& I`m gonna handle this one for you alright." I softly spoke inside the van.

　　I finally closed the video and went back to observing the warehouse entry. At 23:12 the Hispanic male that had arrived and entered with the facility solutions guy exited. He was still carrying the cleaning supplies in his hand, and I was sure that that would be my way into the facility. The guy walked back to his sedan, put the cleaning supplies into the trunk of the car where he had retrieved them from, and left.

　　I waited for another two hours in the parking lot, still no signs of Proporchek. Just random individuals coming and going from the warehouse with the appearance of regular employees. The operations of the logistics facility were still going on as semitrucks with their trailers just kept driving by non-stop. It wasn`t until 0600 that next morning that I finally identified Proporchek arriving to the facility. He was being dropped off by a black sports car. The tinted windows didn`t allow me to see who the driver was One thing I found interesting was how many vehicles in the parking lot all had tinted windows, as compared to other states I had been to. It made sense to me though, I thought about how fucking hot it could get in the summer months here in the desert.

　　Once I had confirmed the target was at the facility, I drove back to the hotel to get a few hours of sleep. I walked into the room and dropped my few items on the countertop desk adjacent to the TV as I rushed into the bathroom. Fuck I need to remember to pick up some sports drink bottle to keep them in the car! And no& I didn`t need the bottle for drinking.

　　I pissed for what seemed like an hour and dear god did that feel amazing to empty out the old tank. I let out a long breath of relief and turned around and noticed a small plastic container on the counter of the bathroom. The clear plastic had two compartments to it. On one side was a tiny zip lock bag with 6 little round blue pills with the imprint of M30 on them. The pill was designed after the traditional Oxycodone Hydrochloride 30mg. Or more commonly known as Oxy`s.

　　The intel briefs I had skimmed over in the car gave me the full run down on how Mexican cartels were making these fake pills and infusing them with fentanyl rather than the real stuff. The cartel`s making dollars on the penny with the cost difference for the manufacturing and distribution of the shit. The other side of the container had a small glass vial with a clear liquid substance inside it, as well as some insulin syringes. The blue cap had a depression in the center with a red septa. I would punch through the septa with the syringes and could extract the liquid fentanyl with ease.

　　I almost felt like Terra had worked with me long enough that she knew I would need liquid based rather than powder base for the deadly cocktail. I smirked, "Well this will do it." I said with a slight mumble as I placed the plastic container back on the counter and walked over to the bed. I let my body fall and crash upon the semi firm mattress with the flower-patterned bedspread greeting my weary face. I replayed the video of Sasha in my mind one more time and as it ended playing, I was on my way towards a deep sleep.

　　I woke up to the sound of some arguing in the parking lot, peeking out the window it was two druggies arguing with each other. One cursing the other out and telling him to keep his dragon away from him. His opponent decided to inform his nemesis that he had placed a curse on him and was then launching a " Fire ball" his way. To which the other man started screaming uncontrollably and running around trying to wave the invisible flames off him.

　　I waved off the intrusion and headed out, driving throughout the phoenix valley and got a good feel for the area. There was plenty of time to kill and I made sure to stop by a supply store. A quick few items to create my own cleaning kit to sell my disguise for later that night. I drove my way back to the hotel, grabbed my items and set up the car for another night. This time, however, I had my compliment of six magazines. Two of them stashed inside the cleaning kit I had created, the other four tucked inside my concealed carry pouches within the waistline of my pants.

　　I drove back over to the warehouse and setup shop in the same general area of the parking lot. The sun was still scorching hot and I let the car run non-stop with the AC blasting as I simply waited. It wasn`t until roughly 1830 that I watched Proporchek come out of the main entrance to the warehouse and get picked up in the same vehicle he had arrived in earlier that day. I was surprised he was still there that late and was simply just waiting for the evening hour to arrive before I entered. But seeing him not there now I decided to make an attempt at entering the facility.

　　I grabbed the cleaning kit and started to make my way towards the door. I checked the time within my HUD and saw the time read 1903. I arrived at the main door and approached the camera access panel, pushing the button directly below the camera. I heard a ringing sound as a voice come over the speaker shortly after.

　　"Yeah?"

　　"Cleaning crew."

　　A slight pause until the voice responded. "You`re early& and where is the usual guy& Carlos is it?"

　　"Ohh, he called in sick and the boss asked me to cover. I`m trying to take care of the facility early so I can still hit my normal clients tonight."

　　"No rest for the weary huh?"

　　I rolled my head to play the part, "You could say that."

　　"Come on in." The voice responded. I heard the audible click on the door as it unlatched. The green light on an access pad replaced the red light that had just been there in its` place. I grabbed hold of the door handle and pulled it open.

　　As soon as I walked through the door I noticed the lobby was very narrow, directly off to my left was a small desk area where a man sat behind the desk, he greeted me as I entered and his voice matched the distorted version which had come over the speaker, "Go ahead and take your time. Our normal guy hits the offices first and then finishes with the bathrooms before he takes off, but go ahead and do your thing."

　　"Thanks, I might take a walk around the facility really quick and get my bearings on it all, if that`s okay?"

　　"All good here man."

　　I noticed that past the guy`s desk was an open hallway which then cut to the right. I walked past him and noticed he was wearing a Dallas Stars t-shirt, a scruffy beard and prescription glasses which complimented his facial features. His brown hair was slicked backwards with a hair product. As I walked slowly past him I said, "Robertson& that kid is a stud!"

　　It took a second as a confused expression came over his face, but he then looked down at his shirt and the light bulb turned on as he smiled, "Ohh yeah!" he chuckled, "Hopefully this is our year."

　　I turned the corner at the end to see a long-extended hallway. At the end of the hallway I could see it opened up to the left. I quickly made my way down and noticed that the opening to the left was the Will Call waiting area. A door was directly off to the left side of the room. Two service windows were directly in front of me. I could see two people typing away on computers on the other side of them. To the right of the windows was another door which was a secured entryway. A key card access panel off to the left side of the door.

　　I turned around and made my way back to the main entrance. To the right of the main entrance was an open office with the name plate which read Human Resources. A large L-shaped desk wrapped around the far corner of the room with a shorter woman sitting behind it smashing away on the keyboard as she had an email system opened on the screen. Two chairs opposite of her desk area and photos scattered about as she then noticed me glancing around, "Hello." She had short cropped blonde hair and a friendly smile with dark brown eyes and a floral blouse on.

　　I nodded, "Just checking over the facility before I start cleaning for the night." I raised the cleaning kit slightly to emphasize my intentions. She nodded and waved her hand as if to tell me to proceed.

　　Directly in front of the main entrance door was a pass through into a larger hallway, I guessed it was roughly 8 ft across with offices on both sides. I counted four doorways to the left side, with three doorways on the right side of the extended hallway. As I walked through the entry way and into the new space, I mentally took note of each individual I found within the offices. Left side, green shirt, black hat. Right side, a red shirt, grey hair. I continued to the second office on the left, grey shirt, phoenix suns ballcap. Second door on the right, men`s bathroom. Third office on the right, red shirt, black ballcap. The third door on the right was the women`s bathroom.

　　The fourth door to the left was a larger office with a large window connecting to the hallway. I looked inside and noticed a large desk on one end with two chairs directly across from it. At the opposite side of the room from the desk was a couch, which was closest to the entry door.

　　I stood in the hallway looking at the fourth office entry. Directly to the left was a break room area. A window was connected to the hallway I was currently standing in, but no doorway to which I could make entry through. Two individuals sat leaned back in their chairs and on cell phones. I leaned to peer more into the room and I could see a doorway to the break room. It was propped open and led to the warehouse area. Directly across the hallway from the warehouse breakroom was an additional break room which looked to be dedicated to the office staff. The hallway separating the two areas had an access door with a keypad.

　　I turned around and tried to play off the acting performance of the role I was playing. Looking around at the different areas of the room. A few workers had exited the warehouse through the access door which was in between the two break rooms. I stepped out of their pathway and watched as they proceeded to the office which was second on the left side. Grey shirt, suns ballcap. Once they departed my view, I turned and looked further into the office staff breakroom.

　　Two smaller windows on either side of the main access door, three individuals sitting in the room. Each appeared to have some type of home prepared meals they ate out of Tupperware containers set in front of them. This break room also had a larger window on the left wall which looked out into the hallway.

　　I started to run my finger across exposed surfaces such as a fire extinguisher outlet. I could care less if there was dust or not, but a few eyes started to glance my way, so I moved along and continued to act my part. A new individual appeared through the warehouse door and as he approached me, I drifted past him and walked back and into the warehouse area.

　　I looked out to my right and directly in front and noticed massive rows of shelved supplies and merchandise all boxed up. The layout was practically similar to that of the Crunchy warehouse I had worked in temporarily before getting accepted by Scalpel. I slowly walked to the left side and noticed the breakroom door, the other access door I had seen in the Will Call waiting area and then three individuals at the computers who were sitting behind the windows.

　　All three had sweatshirts on and I noticed there was certainly a cooler chill in the air, but all three also had safety vests on. The one motioned over to me and started to approach. A large black beard on his face and he was burly to say the least. He had a rough eastern European voice which greeted me. "New guy?"

　　"Yeah& just for a few nights possibly."

　　He nodded, "Need vest for being back here." He pointed behind me and I turned around and noticed some vests hanging on the wall near the door I had entered through. "Grab vest when back here."

　　"Sure thing." I said and he nodded as he turned around and returned to his work.

　　I glanced around as I walked back to the access door I had come through. I didn`t see anything else out of the ordinary. As I re-entered the staff office area, I went over towards the women`s bathroom door. I propped it slightly open as I gave it a firm knock. "Janitor, anyone in here?" To which there was no response.

　　I started to approach the men`s bathroom and was internally startled to see Proporchek exiting from the men`s bathroom. He was wiping his hands as if he had just washed them and working to dry the remnants of the moisture on his hands. He nodded to me as he passed, and I was positive he was my target. "Hello" I said as I let him pass by me.

　　I paused at the men`s bathroom door and watched him as he entered the fourth office on the left side. So that is his office. I pulled back from entering the men`s room and went back to the women`s bathroom instead. I had planned to try and put the deadly solution into a drink cup, such as a coffee cup, or even an alcohol bottle he had stashed in his desk, but this opportunity only made things easier for me.

　　I entered the bathroom and found a yellow wet floor sign leaning against the interior wall. I grabbed the sign and placed it directly outside the bathroom`s door. I placed my cleaning supply carrier up and onto the single bathroom sink that was inside the room.

　　I put on some nitrile gloves that I had in the fake cleaning kit. I pulled my syringe and glass vile of fentanyl out of my cargo pocket. Removing the needle safety cap, I plunged the needle through the silicon topper. I drew as much of the solution as I could get into the syringe, but only the amount I felt I could effectively control with one hand. I then placed the needle into the plastic cleaning kit that I had been carrying around. Neurochip, play "Give it All" by Rise Against .

　　I looked myself in the mirror and let out a long breathe, "Game time." I softly said. I grabbed hold of the plastic carrier in my left hand and turned around and exited the women`s bathroom. I made sure to slowly move about to appear that I was taking my time, but walked directly to the fourth officer where Proporchek was at. He was sitting behind the desk and I couldn`t help but notice the multiple tattoo`s covering down his neck as well as his fingers which were actively going to town on the mouse and keyboard. He quickly glanced up at me as I knocked on the door, "Trash?"

　　He stopped what he was doing and leaned over to his left, looking at his trash can on the of his desk. He then waved for me to proceed as he said in a rough East European voice, "Go ahead."

　　I proceeded to the right side of the desk, standing just slightly off his left side. I placed the plastic trey down on the floor next to the trashcan and reached into the cleaning kit. I grabbed hold of a roll of trash bags I had staged inside it, as well as the lethal syringe. I cupped the needle in my right hand as I then tore a new trash bag off the roll. I gripped just enough of the fresh bag in my right fingertips, working to conceal what was truly there. I then placed the roll back into the container and glanced in my peripheral to notice Proporchek had turned slightly to his right, gazing down towards a cell phone.

　　I sprang into action once I noticed the opportunity presented itself and lunged to my right side. My left hand latched onto Proporchek`s face and covered his mouth as I now stood behind him and his desk chair. He instantly started to spasm around and fight my efforts. He didn`t get very far in his attempt as my weight was driving down on him while at the same time my right hand reached around and stuck the needle directly into his neck, my thumb smashing down on the plunger that forced the deadly cocktail into his system. Proporchek struggled and fought to try and reach into his desk. I assumed there was a weapon of some sort inside.

　　All the while he was increasing his heart rate to the fastest it had operated in a while. His adrenaline surging inside his mind and his lunges roaring to life to fight for every fleeting oxygen molecule. His efforts only sped up the process as the death entered his system with a vast amount of speed. He fell limp after only a few seconds from the moment my attack struck him.

　　The syringe left his neck and I tossed it back into the plastic container. I leaned over and grabbed hold of the plastic cleaning container, but as I stood back up my eyes caught the movement beyond the office window. Standing directly across the hallway was one of the workers who had been in the office staff breakroom. His blue shirt was pulled upward by his right hand. All I saw next was his left hand holding the pistol out in front of him as his first two shots hit me center mass. I fell off to my left side and landed on the floor. "Fucking hell!" I screamed out as the impact took the wind out of me and my chest burned from the rounds ramming into my dragonskin armor.

　　I reached over and grabbed the two magazines from the cleaning kit that I had stashed in there. I shoved them into my pants pocket as the target kept volleying rounds through the office window. He was now angling them down into the desk and around it in an attempt to finish me off. The wood splinters peppered all over my face as they continued to rip around me. I kicked myself as hard as I could and was happy that the floor was a linoleum tile, for if it was carpet, I didn`t think I would have slid as easily.

　　My hand latched onto my pistol grip and I pulled it free from its concealed holster, my finger finding its placement on the trigger, and I hammered back, shooting through the wall and in the general direction of the target. I stood up to my knees, noticing that one of my rounds had impacted the target`s right quadricep. He was hunched over and grasping it with his hand. My red dot came up and centered on his upper torso. I fired another volley which sent him tumbling down and onto the floor. I looked at my ammo meter and noticed 10 rounds remaining as I made my way towards the doorway.

　　As I crested the entry way into the main hallway, I noticed the second individual exiting the breakroom with a pistol firmly grasped in his hand. I quickly pressed towards him as fast as possible, cutting the distance instantly as I fired three rounds directly into his chest. His grip on the pistol falling to the ground and I shoved his body backwards. His collapse onto the ground aided by my shove. I moved past him and blitzed through the breakroom door and entered the room. The third individual stood up with haste and I sent three rounds directly into her center mass as her body fell backwards into the corner of the room. They lost their strength and slid down the wall as the blood left slight streaks on the wall they had been pressed against.

　　Fuck! I don`t know if they were truly hostile or not! I thought for only an instant as glass shattered and went flying all around me. I could feel the small slivers latch onto my skin and around my neckline as gunshots poured into the room. I ducked down and was shocked to find that I had not been hit at all by the volley. I had no idea how many rounds were streaking into the room, but I could tell was they were coming from the warehouse breakroom across the way. The far wall began to take all the rounds and sent pieces of dry wall falling to the floor.

　　I crawled as quickly as I could to the back left corner of the room. Puddles of soda and water were scattered over the floor with fragments of food as the incoming fire tore through it all. I tucked myself into the corner as best as possible while the shots continued to be blindly fired. I did a quick magazine swap to give me a full load as I then stood up and got as close to the large window frame. The firing had ended for a brief moment, as I heard the warehouse access door open in the hallway which separated the two rooms.

　　I didn`t hesitate as I leaned out from the window frame and acquired my sights on the first of the two targets within the warehouse break room. My first round hit dead on in the center of his forehead. The second bullet pounded into his upper chest. I continued to lean out and around the window frame. I found the new target who had entered through the warehouse door and now stood dead center in the warehouse doorway.

　　My finger squeezed back on the trigger, and I pumped three rounds into his gut, his frame falling backwards and onto the floor. His body now acted as a door stop and kept the door propped open. The second target who was still well alive in the warehouse breakroom took advantage of my decision and sent two rounds into my stomach area. The fuckers weapon jammed, however, and ducted down into cover. I bolted out of the breakroom in the best sprint I could muster. I started to slow my pace slightly as I passed through the doorway. Gliding along the wall where the windows had once been.

　　As soon as I crested the corner and faced the large warehouse breakroom window, the target had fixed his jam. But the bastard had not realized I already had exited the previous room. He continued to fire into the empty room where I had been. His eyes widened in fear as he noticed me rear around the corner and sent two rounds of hot death into him.

　　I watched his body hunch over as I continued to press towards him. His body started to collapse downward onto the floor as I heard the new eruption of gunfire. I felt a round graze across my chest and one shot which felt that it went directly in-between my legs. I turned to my left and looked back to see red-shirt, black ballcap from the third office. He was standing slightly in the hallway. Directly across from him was an individual I had not seen yet, poking out from behind the men`s bathroom door.

　　Both had their pistols raised but before either of them could continue to engage me, I neutralized red shirt . I then snapped my red dot to the second target and poured two rounds into him as well. I turned and began to run towards the warehouse passthrough. I hopped over the downed target that kept the door propped open for me. Six rounds remaining in my magazine display. I didn`t even have time to reload yet or make it through the doorway as more rounds ripped past me from behind. I felt impacts hit my back as if it were from hot molten hammers. I stammered through the doorway as the rounds continued to rip past me.

　　I immediately turned to the left to rush towards the door that would lead me out of the warehouse and into the Will Call area. Only to see two of the individuals at will call retrieve handguns and begin to raise them towards me. I centered my red dot directly on the worker with his large black beard and pulled the trigger. The recoil coming to life within my grasp as I watched three rounds rip through his thick frame. One of the rounds slicing straight through and lodging itself into the worker who was standing directly behind him. I couldn`t see if she was holding a weapon or not, all I could see was her mouth gaping open.

　　I sent two more rounds downrange and towards her. I saw another round punch right through the collar of her shirt. She coughed up a small splattering of blood and began to drop her head down. Her body arched and fell towards the floor. The third individual who was to the far right sent rounds all around me. He was clearly not used to engaging an active threat. I had made it to the man door without him coming close to hitting me. I pulled two shots wide and missed him completely as I bolted into the waiting area.

　　I performed a quick reload as I practically stumbled through the will call waiting room. I burst through the secondary door that was in the room and now found myself at the loading docks. The third individual had started to work their way around the corner from within the warehouse and was firing more rounds towards in my direction. I noticed the first loading dock door that was open and pressed hard towards it.

　　I didn`t even wait as I saw a semi-truck backing up to the open door directly in front of me. I charged the opening and performed a stolen base, baseball slide across the smooth concrete finish. I had just enough momentum that it carried me off the edge and my weight dropped me down and off the heightened platform. As soon as my feet touched the pavement I did a forward roll to carry my forward. My feet coming back around I sprang upwards.

　　The semi-truck came to an abrupt stop but had closed the gap enough that no one else could proceed after me through the loading door. I was now running through the parking low and back towards the front of the building, I still had to make it around the exterior portion of the offices and towards the front of the building off to my left. As I turned the final corner I saw grey-shirt, phoenix suns ballcap, from the second office on the left, standing alongside r ed-shirt and grey haired adult male from the first right side office. Grey shirt started yelling out as he began to lift what looked to be some type of a sub-machine gun up towards me. The second target began to raise a pistol.

　　I didn`t even slow my stride but pushed my pistol out and smashed back on the trigger relentlessly as soon as I saw the red dot come onto the targets. I continued to rapidly fire my volley until I saw the targets both drop in unison. I had closed the gap and was now practically running past them. The sub-machine gun in grey shirts hands ripped out a few rounds as his trigger naturally pulled back in his final dying thought. The rounds peppered the ground in a line but completely missed me.

　　It wasn`t until both targets had fallen lifeless to the ground, that I noticed I had sent 10 rounds towards them. I had no idea how many actually impacted the targets, nor did I care, as long as I got out of there alive. I rushed towards the van and jumped into the driver`s seat as fast as possible. The only thing left behind were skid marks in the parking lot and brass casings scattered throughout the area.

　　I turned North and headed towards the interstate, getting onto West bound Interstate 10 as fast as possible and then turned North on Loop 303. The 303 was the farthest outward circle of the transportation routes servicing the valley. Once I made it onto the loop, I drove as normal as possible to avoid suspicion; but I would alternate my speed and lane selection to see if I was being followed.

　　I finally made it to Interstate 17 and took that South, slicing my way through the center of Phoenix proper until I made it back to Interstate 10. I turned back to the West yet again. Now that I was further East of my hotel, I had literally driven in a complete circle. I had not noticed any tails following me. Once I felt I was truly in the clear, I exited the interstate and arrived back at my hotel.

　　As soon as I got in my room I turned all the lights out and stood offset of the window and peered out as best as I could. I kept watch over the parking lot. I waited there while I assessed the area for nearly two hours before I finally retreated into the depths of the room. Finally letting out a long, long exhale. I had not even noticed the icon appear in the top right corner of my HUD. I clicked on it to noticed the icons appear in the center of my vision.

　　|||MISSION ACCOMPLISHED^|||

　　>>CLOAKED ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: STOLEN BASE - LEVEL 2<<

　　>>CLOAKED ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: SPICY MOSQUITO BITE - LEVEL 2<<

　　I dismissed the icons without giving them much thought and told myself I would deal with them later. I stripped down and took in the site of all my bruises scattered around my body. But to my amazement, a significant amount of the pain was gone. I felt as if my body was in tune with everything that had happened. I still had a lot more work to do with getting my footing better and working to smoothen my movements throughout engagements. But, I had taken several direct hits and my body felt more dense, more hardened towards receiving the impacts.

　　As I gazed upon myself in the mirror more intently, looking over every wound I had received, I couldn`t help but replay the whole event in my mind. I rescanned every scene that my mind had captured and analyzed what I could have different. How I could have become better, even more efficient in my lethality. The replay showed me over and over again all the corpses that I left laying on the floor and throughout the area.

　　I was saddened to think that there may have been two collateral deaths to individuals who were caught in the crossfire. But the deep dark voice from before came quietly whispering into my ear that night, as I looked dead into the eyes staring back at me in the mirror. The cold heartless voice had a slight chuckle to it as it taunted in the depths of my mind, "Welcome back& Bloodbath"