Chapter 1: Undisclosed Location
September
“I have a job for you.” The voice in the shadow sounded different somehow. “The deadline is March.”
“The origin of this request is a matter of conjecture,” he stated, having heard the deadpan tone of the familiar stranger’s voice.
“That is a correct assumption.”
The voice was most certainly different. Nevertheless, it made no difference. He would not ordinarily accept orders from anyone, but he owed a few favors. He would complete the job.
“Are there any ties?” he asked, as he always had.
“Ties?” the voice asked in forced surprise, yet not bothering to mask his boredom. The owner of the mysterious voice audibly exhaled.
He permitted a very calculated expression of discontentment to creep onto his impassive face. “You know exactly the correlation to which I am referring.”
There was no reply, only dead silence in a dark, cold room.
He waited in the still of the darkness, not sure a response would bless the conversation. Although he was hoping for an answer, it did not mean he would give this mysterious voice the satisfaction of asking again.
The voice, finally, boomed from the pitch black air. “The agreement, if you will, is the same. You acquiesce to eradicate the threat. No questions asked. No questions answered.”
Yes, the answer is always the same, but he had to ask. He just could not disregard the consequences. Too much was at stake.
“Who is it? Where do I need to go?” he asked. His rejoinder was mechanical.
“We will be in touch,” the voice said.
He, then, heard the slam of a door echo throughout the vacant darkness.
