The Liberal Assassin

Faster! Move faster!

"There he is! Shoot him!"

I cursed as a shot grazed my upper arm. They weren't keeping their chill anymore. Rion wanted me dead, no doubt about it. Nash would have my head for not telling him that there were people out for my blood. That was all the motivation I needed to run quicker.

"Titus! What do you think you're doing? Get back to base this instance!"

Wincing at the sheer volume, I reached for the mute button.

Just as I rounded a corner, a new group of men decked in Luna Security uniforms appeared. They didn't have much time to react when Baby Blue covered the area. I needed a diversion…

Up ahead was an alley, perfect for my plan. Who knew recording holographic images of me running would come in handy?

"Kevin, activate route sequence two, four and five for decoy."

"Roger that, sir."

The coughing behind me faded as I ducked into the alley and readied three spy-bots while fiddling with the settings for the decoy. The light blending technology was in place too as I held my breath. Heart pounding in the ears, it was hard to differentiate them from the approaching footsteps.

"Where did he go?"

Orders to search were shouted and I bit my lip to rein in the slight panic blossoming. Rion had his man out in every corner of the city and here I am, hiding beneath the radar hoping to pull off a half-baked plan.

Closing my eyes to take in a lungful of the city's icy air, I quelled the shaking in my hands and activated the command. Three decoys sprang away from the alley and as anticipated, they started pursuing them. Footsteps faded as quickly as they came and after ascertaining nobody was in the vicinity, I hightailed for the Academy.

***

Just outside the window, snow was piling up on the sill. Carefully I scooped whatever I could into a hand and made my way to the unsuspecting boy. Tearing the covers from the boy, I dumped the fresh snow underneath his shirt. As expected, the bewildered and rudely awakened student screamed so I clamped a hand over his mouth. The hand that covered his mouth hurt when chomped on it during the struggle.

"Stop that Alastair! It's me!"

The boy stopped struggling but the squirming didn't stop while the snow melted against his skin. The vigorous nodding was what convinced me to let him go.

Throwing the soaked shirt over his head, Alastair hopped around in the room trying to locate his duvet without success. Sighing at his incompetence, I grabbed the thick material and dr.a.p.ed it over his snowy white hair.

Like a freezing man who found heat source, Alastair held onto the duvet for dear life. Those eyes I knew were definitely cursing me and wishing for my early demise.

"You couldn't wake a man the normal way? And what's with that getup?"

"What do you think?" I asked. Most people who could recognise the Night Walker and would make that connection but Alastair was one of a kind. He was attuned to Titus Crowley like the magnet that always knows the north so it took a few seconds for the information to register. Of all the things I expected him to do, doubling over in laughter was not one of those reactions I anticipated. Clearly, loudmouth wasn't the sanest of people I've met.

"Oh my, who would have imagined that my Sirius would be Luna's most feared man?"

"That was rather anticlimactic. I expected a more dramatic reaction."

Alastair shook his head. "I would never be surprised at the things you do. I've always known you were meant to do great things!"

"Thanks," I told the teen and shuffled to close the window and draw the blinds shut. That was awkward.

After Alastair finally adjusted to the lights and found a new shirt, he looked at me wordlessly. It was obvious how his trembling shoulders were the only thing holding back the barrage of questions.

"Alright. Start slowly. I'll answer them all."

Without missing a beat, the teen fired questions off the list. Some questions were predictable but others were not.

"Do you wear brief or boxers as the Night Walker?"

That was it. The boy has gone too far. "Alastair, I didn't come here to chat."

The teen pouted and sulked. That wasn't a good sign. Whenever he got into that mood, nothing will get him out of it until he had what he wanted. The kid was spoiled rotten thanks to his sister with a brother complex.

"Look," I tried to bargain but the teen wasn't even giving me his attention. "I came here because I needed your help."

Olive green eyes brightened but he made no attempt to move. At least I've caught his interest.

"I have a scoop that you might be interested in. Sable is dating someone from the Slums and her father is a Parliament member who has locked the city down because of it. I can give you more details but I need you to help me contact Io."

Alastair looked at me with an expression I never thought I'd see on him. The olive green eyes were suddenly sharp and piercing like a man on a mission to kill or be killed. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as self-preservation instincts kicked in.

"I won't let you harm my sister."

I met his gaze head on and allowed for him to search the truth in my eyes. "I'm not going to harm her or let any harm come to her. I just need her help. She's the only one who can do this."

"What's going on, Titus?"

Alastair never calls me Titus unless it was about something gravely important. Heck, he doesn't call anyone by their given names. I swallowed. It was only going to be a matter of time before he knows the whole plan.

Knowing that I will regret what I am about to do, I steeled myself to tell Alastair what I found out about the Parliament's involvement with human experimentation and the rigged credit system. I shared with him how I felt about the divided Luna and my hopes for it should the plan succeed.

The entire time I told my story, Alastair listened without any indication of how he felt about it. I couldn't read his expressions and it made me reconsider my opinions of the teen. Was there more to the goofy and spoiled brat I've come to know?

It has been about ten seconds after the explanation ended but Alastair's expression never changed. Half of me tried to come up with some form of contingency plan but the other half was still trying to read his expression.

When he grinned widely, I sagged in relief on the inside. The cheerful and slightly mischievous look in his eyes told me that he wanted in.

"So when do we start, Sirius? Or should I call you 'Boss'?"

A short semi-choked chuckle left me. Of the many things I've been called, 'Boss' was one that I definitely found most uncomfortable. Even though the respect was flattering, hearing someone call me boss made me feel ten different levels of awkwardness.

"How about we get Io filled in on it first before I reveal the grand plan?"