I’m not sure what to say, or even if I should say anything at all. I stare at the heaving mass of humanity before us. “Can I… ah… get you a coffee or something?”
He smiles. “No, thank you. I’ll be brief. It’s not often I meet with our assets, Adrian.”
I look across at him. From the side, he looks quite frail. The loose skin around his throat and on his face makes him appear older than he probably is. He has a tall, strong posture and an easy confidence. I bet he was a real tough sonofabitch when he was younger.
I can’t help picturing him with a white beard though…
“I should count myself lucky then. This is the third time we’ve met now.”
As I shift in my seat to get comfortable, he finally turns to look me in the eye. “Are you nervous?”
I shake my head. “Not at all. But given the first time we met, I technically died a short while afterward, and the second time resulted in me being thrown out of an airplane, I must admit I’m exercising caution.” I pick up my drink and gesture to it with my head. “I just want to finish my coffee before anything else happens to me, alright?”
He nods and smiles, but there’s no humor in it. “You have nothing to be cautious about. You’re in The Order now, Adrian. This is your life. My name is Horizon.”
“Yeah, Lily said. I’m sorry, I just can’t bring myself to call you that with a straight face! To me, you’re Colonel Sanders.” I smile and look at his bodyguards, but they’re staring at me blankly. I chuckle to myself awkwardly. “Huh… tough crowd.”
“Adrian, when I was given the somewhat unenviable task of managing The Order’s assets, my life had to change for the second time since being accepted into this organization. I was assigned that name because I was deserving of it. It’s more of a title — an acknowledgement of my ability to always plan ahead, to look further forward than other people do. It means I’m always six moves ahead of anyone else, and therefore perfect for the job I have. It’s who I am, and you will respect that.”
I shrug and hold my hands up in silent apology.
“Thank you. Now, I understand Lily has already given you a cell phone…”
I nod. “She has.”
“Good. Periodically, you’ll receive contracts on that device, so keep it with you at all times. There are three rules I want to explain to you, which our people must adhere to. The first—”
I hold a hand up. “Don’t worry, Lily has already covered the rules. I—”
“Then you will hear them twice.” His tone is sharp and final. “Don’t ever interrupt me again.”
I nod once and turn away, pausing to take a sip of my coffee, using the time to calm down. Usually, anyone speaks down to me like that and they’re knocked on their ass. But these are exceptional circumstances, and I need to bury that flash of anger.
I place my cup down gently and turn back to him. “You got it, Chief.”
He holds my gaze for a moment, almost defiantly. “Thank you. The first rule is that you will always be ready to carry out a contract. You will be provided with everything you need to carry out the task when it’s assigned to you, and you should do so without question or hesitation. We expect you to commit to our cause, put your faith in us… believe in what we’re working for.”
“And what is your cause, exactly? Sorry—our cause. Blind faith is a lot to ask for without any explanation. For me, trust and faith are like respect — they’re earned, not expected.”
“I appreciate your point of view, Adrian, but understand these rules are non-negotiable. The penalty for disobeying any of them is expulsion from The Order and death.”
“Bit extreme…”
“We take them very seriously. We don’t answer to anyone, and consequently don’t owe anyone an explanation about anything. But as a show of faith, I will say this: The Order has existed for countless years, observing the world around us and working with people in strategic positions to guide it toward the right future. If we believe someone is directly, or indirectly, working in opposition of this, we see that as a problem, and we assume responsibility for removing that problem. It’s a burden we gladly bear.”
I take a sip of my coffee. “Fair enough. That all sounds very noble and everything, but who put you guys in charge?”
He lets out a short sigh, which I take as a sign of impatience. “The upper echelons of The Order consist of very influential people throughout the world. They hide their allegiance, but believe completely in the goals we strive to achieve. We put ourselves in charge, and there’s no one powerful enough to keep us in check.”
Jesus…
You know what… I’m not arguing with him. Not here. Not now. I’m going to play along until I find out what the hell I’m meant to be doing.
I wave a dismissive hand. “Okay, fine. Whatever. Rule number two?”
“The second rule is you’re an assassin, not a murderer. There is a difference. You’re The Order’s weapon, and we will use you when we feel the time is right to do so. But unless we give you permission, by way of a contract, you are forbidden from taking a life.”
I have to admit, he’s being far more condescending than Lily was when she told me all this. I don’t have the tolerance for people like him, but for the sake of argument, I nod along silently.
Horizon — yes, I concede that his reason for the name was impressive — shifts in his seat slightly “The third rule is perhaps the most important. The life you now have is one that many people cannot imagine. The freedom it affords you is, at times, hard to believe. But we cannot allow you to make contact with anyone from your former life. You can do whatever you want when you’re not working a contract, but you have to actively avoid going anywhere or doing anything that could alert anyone you may have once known to the fact you’re still alive. No exceptions. Am I clear?”
I take another sip of coffee, which finishes it. I push the empty cup aside. “You are.”
“Good. Now that’s out of the way…” He looks at one of his bodyguards and nods. The guy steps forward and reaches inside his jacket. He pulls out a small, thick envelope and drops it on the table in front of me. “Inside that is your new life, Adrian.”
I frown and open it up. Inside is a new passport, a couple of credit cards and some other bits of paperwork. I look over at Horizon. “Is this it?”
He nods. “Your passport is in the new identity we have manufactured for you. The credit cards are limitless and the bills aren’t your concern, so do whatever you want. The other papers in there are a birth certificate and some insurance documents.”
Holy shit! Unlimited money, a new ID… are you kidding me?
Yeah… I know, I know…
“What’s the catch, Chief?”
Horizon shakes his head. “Besides your unquestionable adherence to those three rules? There isn’t one. This is your reward, in acknowledgement of the skills that brought you into The Order.” He stands and takes a few idle paces away from the table, then turns around to look at me. His bodyguards resume their position on either side of him. With one hand, he gestures to the lines of people, all queuing to buy airline tickets. “It’s a big world out there, Adrian. Go and see it. We’ll be in touch.”
He turns again and walks out the main entrance, leaving me sitting here alone, staring at the envelope. I scratch the back of my head and look around. I’m not really sure what to do now.
Coffee. This definitely calls for more coffee.
I get myself another drink and sit back down. I take a sip of the steaming hot liquid and let out a deep breath. I look over at the lines of people, and all the destinations listed on the boards above the counters they’re queuing from, then I look at the envelope again.