Chapter 10 - Shawna Matar

After a much-needed nap, I woke up feeling refreshed and grateful for the comfort of a proper bed. It had been days since I had slept that well, and I relished the warmth of the covers. I got out of bed, eager to start the day's preparations, and headed straight to the shower. Today was the final day to get everything in order before the mission I had been assigned began tomorrow.

"It will happen soon."

Most importantly, it was the day when I would receive crucial updates about my target, Xavier. Additionally, I had yet to meet the boss of this branch, and my knowledge of this particular Gaia facility remained limited. Each branch of Gaia had its specialization when it came to assassination missions. 

When it came to tasks that involved seduction and deception, the Canadian branch was second to none. On the other hand, if a mission required specialized skills such as long-range sniping, the Cuban branch was the go-to choice. However, I was unsure what this branch, the Arcland branch specialized in.

Having completed my morning routine, I left the dorm and returned to the office to find everyone hard at work. However, on arriving, I noticed that the boss's luxurious chair remained unoccupied. Ace quickly spotted me and notified me that the boss would be arriving soon, despite the fact that it was already 10:22 am. I expressed concern, "She's running rather late," to which Ace responded with a sigh of resignation, "Nothing new under the sun." As if on cue, we heard the faint sound of the elevator descending.

The presence of the elevator was only within the knowledge of the Gaia Agency members, serving as a sign of the boss's arrival. I was thrilled to finally meet the enigmatic person who had recruited me for the mission to target Xavier, a chance for me to seek vengeance for my family. The elevator doors opened, but to my surprise, there wasn't anyone inside. I searched around, puzzled by the lack of any figure in the elevator. "Welcome back, Boss!" Ace greeted with a respectful bow. "Boss?" I muttered, perplexed, with no one in sight.

George and his colleagues followed suit, bowing momentarily to an invisible presence before returning to their tasks. Although it was evident that they had acknowledged the boss's presence, I remained puzzled. "Excuse my tardiness. My car broke down, and-" 

"You've used that excuse ten times already," Ace interjected, interrupting the speaker.

"Really? Okay, I was sick, so—" the boss began to explain before being cut off by Ace's interruption. "This makes thirty times, think of something new next time," he said, easily calling out the boss's attempts at deception. As the situation unfolded, I suddenly felt something brushing against my knees. Looking down, I realized the shocking truth, the boss was actually a child. This was a once in a lifetime experience, seeing a little girl with a mature woman's voice. The bizarre contrast of an adult trapped in a child's body left me feeling baffled. "It's just a kid!" I blurted out.

SMACK! SMACK! 

Two swift hits connected, one to my gut, and the other was Ace slapping my head. The boss corrected my misconception with a stern tone, stating, "I am no child, you geezer. You, of all people, should be aware of the Immortal Arts." She extended her tiny hand for a handshake, introducing herself. " I am Shawna Matar, also known as The Virus, A pleasure." 

I shook her hand, and the grip she maintained was surprisingly strong, nearly crushing my bones, as though they were made of cookies. 

"I'm afraid that old age has weakened you considerably," she remarked sternly. My request to let go of me was met with unwavering resistance, despite my polite tone. In a sudden turn of events, I aimed a swift kick at her chin, causing her to soar through the air. Fortunately, Ace was there to catch her, given her small stature. "I did warn you," I reminded her, as the dust settled.

Seeing the boss, who appeared to be a child, made me uneasy. I had no desire to harm anyone, let alone someone who looked so young. However, the mission was crucial, and Shawna's youthfulness wasn't enough to dissuade me. As for as I am concern, this is nothing but a test to understand my mental state. Since I can harm someone like Shawna, then it's safe to say I am able to harm anybody when the mission arrise. Ace made an insightful observation, "I bet if your niece were here, you wouldn't act the same way." I agreed, acknowledging that my separation from Maki was necessary for the mission's success.

After regaining her composure, Shawna casually rubbed her chin and smiled. "Hmm, that was all right. For a geezer, you still pack quite a punch." 

"Thank you," I accepted the compliment. Despite her childlike appearance, I knew better than to underestimate her. Her choice to cease aging at approximately ten years old seemed designed to deceive others into underestimating her. Although my heart had softened with age, I couldn't afford to let her appearance deter me. 

"From my observations," Shawna began, "your niece's presence might have altered your actions." My agreement with Ace's earlier observation solidified the importance of distancing myself from Maki. Her influence was holding me back, but this mission remained my top priority. Shawna assumed her place in the luxurious chair at the center of the open office and produced a set of papers from her bag. 

"On my way here, our broker provided valuable information about Xavier. It appears that his family trip has been canceled," she announced, surprising me.

I was shocked when Shawna broke the news, that Xavier had canceled the family trip to North Korea. Ace was equally surprised and we both demanded an explanation. Ace asked, "Why was it canceled? He must have caught on to us." 

Shawna, having an insight into Xavier's plans, had a different perspective. She suspected that it was a ploy. As a seasoned assassin, Xavier had made it too easy for us to find him in the first place.

"I expected him to visit somewhere other than North Korea, for a guy this skilled and experienced in our field, I was suspicious of the fact that we could have gotten his location so easily as if he's tempting us to pounce on him. The trip must not have been his doing, since it was done so sloppily" Shawna explained. Ace wanted clarification. "So, are you saying Xavier really planned a family trip, and it was canceled, nothing more, nothing less?" Shawna's gaze shifted to me with a sly smile. "What do you think, Mr. Souken?" 

From what I knew of Xavier's wife, it was evident that she regularly shared her location on social media. I was sure Xavier had to deal with the frustration of her oversharing. "I've only met his wife once a long time ago, but from what I recalled, Xavier has little strength to go against her. Though he had the strength to deploy violent means to her, he chose not to and tried to convince her with words, which most times takes days to happen," I replied. 

Shawna nodded in agreement, confirming my assessment. "Yes, this whole North Korea thing was not by our target, Xavier, but by his wife. He just happened to convince her to cancel that trip last minute somehow, so he's still in the United States." 

Ace was astounded. "You know where he is now?" We had been tracking Xavier's potential whereabouts but had not yet located him. Shawna revealed that one of our agents had placed a bug on him while he was at a local bar the night before. Ace breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Xavier's current location on Shawna's phone screen. However, Ace wanted to make something clear before we proceeded. "Listen, I want to reiterate that we are only after Xavier. His family is not to be harmed under any circumstances."

Both Shawna and I stared at him, not comprehending his perspective. "These modern assassins are not being trained right," I lamented. Shawna concurred, "Tell me about it. Sometimes, I wonder if they even hear themselves talking." Ace, refusing to be mocked, slammed his hands on Shawna's desk. "They did nothing wrong, have they?" 

"That means nothing to us, Ace. I'm disappointed to hear this from you. Please refrain from speaking anything else that will make you lose face in front of our visitor, Mr. Souken," Shawna sternly admonished him. I understood Ace's concerns, but I couldn't help but assert the unyielding principles of our profession. Assassinations were carried out with no regard for morals. Eliminating the offspring of our targets reduces the chance of a future threat to the agency. 

"If it makes you feel any better, I'll do the deed if it comes down to it," Shawna teased him. Ace, however, turned away and said, "No, I'll do it." Shawna added, giving us an order. "All right, just let me know all the equipment and gear you want, and I'll send them to you before the day ends. Good luck tomorrow on your mission." 

Just when we thought the meeting was over, a voice caught us off guard. "I'm sure we'll be fine, we have the great Mr. Souken with us." 

"WHAT!" I was startled by a hand touching my back and a voice – it was George, my admirer. He had a habit of appearing in conversations out of nowhere. "Who said you're going with them? Ace and Mr. Souken alone is sufficient," Shawna interjected. She continued, "Besides, I have some orders for you. My son will be leaving school late this evening because of club activities, so please ensure that he gets home safely." George grumbled about the babysitting duties he'd been assigned and walked away.

The rest of the day was spent sparring with Ace in close combat and practicing various shots. In the mountains, I had focused mainly on long-range shots, but this time, I added middle to close-range combat to my training. As the sun set, Ace introduced me to some of the agency's new weapons, and I was eager to try out one of them, a plain dagger with special effects.