The Liberal Assassin

How did I end up sipping Pantiumite tea with the man I was supposed to murder?

The couch was slightly worn but warm and comfortable to sit in. The humming host insisted on making some tea despite his unusual house guest. Janon looked relaxed, his smile unforced although there was something heavy in his eyes that had me palming the hidden dagger.

"It's really nice to be paid a visit. I can't remember the last time I had visitors. Your name is…?"

"Night Walker."

Janon shook his head and sighed while placing a cup of Pantiumite tea in front of me. I didn't drink it even when the eccentric host took a sip of his.

I noticed how he had the same thick-rimmed spectacles and curly locks pulled into a messy man bun that completed the haggard look while leisurely sipping tea. I never thought there would be another person on Luna who would wear a lab coat to sleep. In all his dishevelled glory stood Janon Trueman, the man, who rivalled the mad scientist. Fluffy white indoor slippers matched the white lab coat surprisingly well but I digress.

Janon m.o.a.n.e.d into the tea and let out a contented sigh. There was no visible sign of tension and it put me on the edge. Where did he hide his self-preservation instinct? I doubt he was suicidal and he was clearly far from dumb. What was this man planning?

"A very befitting drink for my last night," Janon smiled and I raised an invisible brow at his declaration. It was as if he had embraced his impending fate.

Janon chuckled. "Well, I'm not surprised really. It was only a matter of time."

"You've surrendered the device Rion gave you before I did anything. You're not thinking I'll let you go because of your cooperation, are you?"

The sorrowful smile threw me off. This man was different from the rest of them.

"Pyros, no. I just want to help. I really wish we met under different circ.u.mstances but it was really not meant to be. If you had been born three hundred years earlier, things could have been very different."

"Why three hundred?"

The smile on the albino's face never left. "That was when the Parliament started to become corrupted. Arvin Vogel became the leader of the Parliament and ousted many of my colleagues from their positions through violent means much like what you're doing. It started off mild like bribery and blackmailing. However, the more tenacious ones held on and it wasn't until Arvin hired someone to off them one by one, making their deaths look like accidents. The murderer was never caught but I think you know who he is."

"What's that person's name?"

Janon took a sip of his tea and so did I, intrigued by the story I was hearing. Could this be the story about Nash in his prime?

"His name and deeds were never recorded and made known to the public. For a period of time, the Inner City was unstable with the political shift in power. As Spencer is a good friend of mine, it wasn't hard to get a name despite how all records about his existence had been wiped. Your close combat skills from the footages Rion showed me resembled him."

"Is he…?"

Janon nodded. "Nash Skinner, the one and only man to be known as a hitman."

I gasped. It was so surreal. "What happened after Arvin rid him of his competition?"

Janon shook his head. "Arvin didn't truly rid of all his competition. I submitted to him and offered him my services to remain as a member in this corrupted system."

I scowled. "To save your life?"

Janon shook his head. "I'm not afraid of dying, however, I did it to save the life of my son. My wife was a member of the Parliament back then too and she died valiantly. I would have died with her but if I did, there would be nobody left to stop Arvin so I surrendered. I didn't want to put my son in danger so I placed him in the cryonics with Spencer. His identity was forged to give him a new start."

I frowned. "Is your son still in the cryonics?"

Janon laughed at the question but the laughter was hollow. Tears started flowing even though the man was laughing, the scene was horrifyingly sad. It was the laugh of a man who had lost everything.

"No," Janon croaked. "He's woken up and grown up well. He should look like you I would imagine. He had his mother's eyes and hair. He had my intelligence for sure and was a very bright boy at two. My only regret was not being able to tell him how much I loved him. I'm very proud of him though, he's become such a great man…"

Something… there was something in the way he spoke that gave me chills. Why was he looking at me like that? Half of me wanted to know why he had such a bittersweet look in his eyes but the other half of me wanted to quickly get over and done with the job. A small part at the back of my mind wanted to know more. What was his son's name? Perhaps I could search for the boy and…

'And do what?' the logical side of me sneered. 'Confess that I killed his father?'

"Enough small talk," I donned the cold facade of the Night Walker, too confused to deal with more. "I'm here for information. Berriwott said you were part of the human experimentation project. I want to know what that project is about and who is involved. Who is the mastermind behind it? Why are they doing it?"

Janon smiled almost fondly. His expression is soft as he stood up, beckoning me to follow him.

Warily I stood behind him, knife ready in hand in case he pulled anything funny. The drawer beneath the desk was unlocked and he pulled out a hardcopy book. It was old and worn.

"In here, you'll find all the information you need." Janon walked over to me and grasped the hand that didn't hold a knife. The book was placed in it and I noted how cold Janon's skin was to touch.

"You know Titus," he spoke in a quieter tone that made me tense. How did he know my name? My visor was still in place and not even Spencer knew who I was.

"I'm very proud of you. Thank you, please make things right."

After the last word, Janon crumbled to the ground and I dropped the knife to catch the man.

"Janon?"

The man's body temperature was oddly cold and I checked for any signs of a pulse. Dread filled me and I yelled into the communicator.

"Khronos! Khronos come in! Something's happened to Janon…"

The communication came to life and Khronos grumbled. "What is it? I thought you said you could handle it yourself? I'm still piecing the evidence together…"

"Forget the evidence! Janon's lost consciousness and I can't locate a pulse."

Immediately shuffling could be heard as I laid the man on his bed. It was strange, too strange. The man wasn't afraid of it and seemed prepared for death. What could possibly have killed him? Was it the device? Did Rion add new features we didn't know about?

Rion's device sat on the desk and I went to grab it. After a scan that revealed nothing, my brain worked on overdrive. What was it? What could it be? Everything else that Janon did, I did as well… including the tea…

The tea!

"Khronos, can you analyse the tea's content? I'll take a sample now."

A syringe was retrieved from the belt and I extracted a small amount of it so Khronos could analyse it remotely.

"Titus! You need to take antidote B right now! It's a slow acting poison but a deadly one."

Without hesitation, I took the antidote and stared at Janon. Did he really intend to take me down with him?

"I'll send you another sample of the tea from the other cup just to be sure. That poison was from Janon's cup."

A minute later, Khronos' puzzled voice crackled over the hearing device.

"Are you sure you didn't take it from the wrong cup? This one is just normal Pantiumite tea."

I glanced at the book in my hands. "No, I'm absolutely sure it's correct."

The scientist sighed. "He outsmarted you. That's what happened. It was suicide. He'd rather die than talk."

The book felt heavy in my hands. "Maybe. I have a book with me and we'll need to check it out before I know if he was lying to buy time."

"I'll see you back at base," the scientist sighed wearily.

I glanced at the watch. There wasn't a need to rush back, not while daylight is still six hours away. A small part of me regretted not sticking to plan and using the truth serum. However, I could not sense any threat from the man so I decided to trust my instincts.

"I'll see you later. I have some questions for the dead."

Snorting, the scientist wished me best of luck.

I sat down on the floor beside the dead man and flipped to the first page. It wasn't the hardest thing to do but when a printed photograph fell out from the book, I frowned. The woman in the picture looked very much like me and the handsome albino beside in the lab coat must be Janon. A very young infant was gnawing at his father's ankle while the photograph was taken.

On the back side of it was scrawled in messy cursive, "For my boy Titus, from your dad Janon and mom Alice".

Titus… that boy shared the same name as me. That set another gear turning in my mind but I wanted more evidence to confirm my dreadful suspicion.

I turned the page and saw a date scribbled on the upper right corner. The book was a diary and that explained why it looked so worn. The first entry was dated over fifty years back, Janon didn't write regularly.

"To Titus if you are reading this, sorry for being a lousy dad. In this book, you'll find out the reason why your mother and I couldn't be there for you. It must have been difficult for you to not know who your parents were. I'm really sorry. If there is a way, I'll make it up to you…"

Well, I'm sure that boy will forgive him. Even if he was part of the human experimentation project, he did the part of a father enough behind the scenes. From what Janon said, he must have suffered a lot betraying his comrades, wife and son to play spy.

"Luna's Parliament system in the Inner City is corrupted. Your mother died nobly in a fight against the corruption and I did my best but in order to protect you, I surrendered and worked for the enemy. In this book, I will record everything that the Parliament did. After you read this book, it is up to you to decide what to do with the information. Do note that your mother and I love you very much even though we may no longer be alive when you read this."

So he really wasn't lying when he said that I'll have all the information I need after reading the book.

"Also, thank Spencer Creed for me. He's been kind enough to adopt you on my behalf and protect you when I cannot. I don't know what you're called now but your mother named you Titus after the protector of the nomadic tribes. We hope that you'll grow up to walk a path of your own and stand up for what you believe is right. Please don't make the same mistake as your father, never betray the people you hold dear."

I couldn't read anymore as wet spots smudged the writing. The more I tried to dry it, the more smudges it made. It took a while to realise the leakage came from me.

"Why?" I shut the book and glanced at Janon who looked like he was fast asleep.

"Why didn't you say anything…?" I grabbed his stiff fingers gently. "Silly father…"