text: Chew, chew*, Pop*! She certainly looked out of place where she was. A young girl, no older than twenty, blonde hair done up in pigtails, dressed in gothic Lolita attire and chewing bubble gum in an abandoned alleyway of some god forsaken corner of Nova Roma. Such a sight would be strange anywhere but more so here in one of the worst crime-ridden cities in the country. Yet she didn't care as she continued to stroll through the filthy ally. Of course, such nonchalance was bound to attract attention and eventually it did. A passing drunk with a posse wandered by. Perhaps it was the synthenal, perhaps it was the fact that he had others with him, or perhaps it was simply because he was stupid but this one decided to go and “ask” the pretty girl to spend time with him. He quickly matched pace with her and leaned down to look at her. “Well aren't you a pretty thing, why don't you come with me? I'm sure I can show you a good time.” ‘*Pop’* was her only reply. This angered the pig. “What, don't think I’m good enough for ya? You think I’m fat! You think I’m ugly don't ya!” He continued to project onto the young girl whose only reply was still ‘*Pop’*. “I’ll show you! Hmpf” He swung a fist at her head, or rather, where her head was. In his alcohol impaired mind, she appeared to dodge in a blink of an eye, when in actually he was just slow. The girl put out her leg, tripping him and with her right hand guided his fist into a nearby wall, smashing through the brick and becoming stuck. She then brought her pointed shoe back to deliver a kick to his unprotected groin. ‘*Pop’* Seeing how easily their boss was dealt with the goons panicked and fled causing the girl to sigh and move past the now whimpering degenerate. Before she could go any further however, a ringing could be heard inside her head. Tapping a button installed on the side of her head an image only she could see popped into her vision showing a girl and a waitress uniform with medium brown hair. Instantly her hard, unmoving features softened and she smiled, “Serena. How are you? I was just about to- “ Before she could get another word in Serena scowled. “How are you? How are you! I haven’t heard anything from you all day! I’ve been trying to reach you for five hours by now!” she grimaced remembering all the times she ignored her calls. To be fair, she didn’t want her to see what she was doing. “I just want to look out for you. What kind of sister would I be if I didn’t keep you safe?” “I know, I know. Look, I’ve been working and I couldn’t pick up my phone. If I did my clients would kill me. I’ve got one more stop and then ill be home. See ya.” And with that she ended the call. Her face once again hardened as the neon glow from the main road flashed, no need for anyone to see that other side of her. She wandered through the crowds until she got to the transport station. She stopped to get a new pack of gum and spit out the old, bland piece. Once in she went up to locker 224 and entered the usual combination. Inside was a guitar case. After retrieving the item, she began to move to the second location. She had found that one of the best ways to feign ignorance about her activates was to stand out. Everyone would see her so of course she couldn’t have done it. She smiled maliciously at the innocent act she pulled off every day. As she arrived at the high rise and began to climb the stairs, she thought back to how she got into this line of business as she continued to chew. *Pop.* It hadn’t been entirely by choice, as one you are recruited you can only accept or die. The training had been harsh but she pushed through and even excelled, graduating at the top of her class. Once out she chose to base in this city, one full of greed and corruption; perfect for business. The fact that her sister lived her was a plus as well. They had always been close friends but after their mom and dad died in a car accident, she was the only person she could rely on. Her mind came back to the present as reached the 42nd floor. The second room on the right from the stairs was where her handler had told her to go. Upon entering the room all she saw was a large window, a bottle of water, and an ear piece. She quickly put the ear piece in and opened the guitar case, revealing a disassembled sniper rifle. As she began putting the pieces together her ear piece cracked to life. “Agent 4, your assignment tonight is simple. The target is a waitress at the restaurant across the street. Company agents have filled to room and no other civilians should be within sight. Once you have finished cleanup will be handled by the usual team.” For a brief second, she paused, something about this didn’t seem right. The usual targets were much more challenging than this. It almost seemed as if the company was trying to make this as easy as possible. Yet it didn’t matter, she was a killer and kill she would. *Pop.* With a click she loaded the magazine into the rifle and aimed at the poor soul, seeing them for the first time. Her immediate thought was ‘that’s a lot like Serena’s uniform.’ And then she noticed the hair, and her posture, and eventually her face once she turned around. She gasped, the chewed piece of gum falling from her mouth. “No.” she whimpered, realizing what she had to do. Tears began to stream from her eyes. The ear piece crackled again, “agent 4 you must do this. You know as well as I do that agent can not have any emotional attachments. You told me when you started that you always dreamed of this life. You need to do it. Pull the trigger and become a true assassin.” She could barely hear her handler over the sound of her own sobbing. It was true, she had always loved spy thrillers and dreamed about that life since she was young. But was it worth it? Her sister had loved her, cared for her at her darkest hour. Was this how she would repay her? She knew her answer. After glancing around at the other agents in the restaurant she took a deep breath. *Pop.