I watch as a trio of teenagers exits the hospital and moves to an older model sedan. The girl appears tiny and weak, and of the two boys, only one of them looks like he might put up a fight.
"These children are the ones responsible for my brother's annihilation?" I ask the acolytes sitting behind me.
"Yes, sir," they answer in unison. The darker haired one continues, "They are but a small contingent of a larger team from the Academy."
I snarl at the mention of the coalition of Good Samaritans, and take a few quick photographs of these murderers. When I brought my brother into the business, his skills were sharp, and I knew that there was no way that his life was in danger. Either these Academy members were more deadly than they appeared, or my brother's skills had slipped.
"Have I yet told you how I became aware of this Academy?" I muse aloud.
My acolytes shake their heads and I smile wryly. "For many years, we took jobs from the lowest scum. Killing off business partners or spouses for insurance purposes. Helping a cheating husband get out of a prenuptial agreement. Settling grudges for people too afraid to do the deed themselves. When we gained in notoriety, the jobs became more interesting; more fulfilling. Mafia hit men contracted out to us for jobs that were too difficult for them to complete, and a pattern emerged. My brother was the first to notice that many of our targets were connected, through means that our employers were unaware. Common phone numbers in their mobiles when they lived virtually unconnected lives. The thing they had in connection?" I look back to them and see their faces focused on me, rapt with attention. "Many of them had crossed paths in their quests to do good. They were members of this secret Academy. My brother was tasked with continuing to take jobs while I worked to ingratiate myself with this Academy in Italy."
"This is how you get your information on ideal targets?" the blonde one asks softly. The dark haired one sucks in a breath at the audacity of interrupting me, and I laugh.
"Yes, this is how I have expanded our business, how I have come to be in a position to train new acolytes like yourselves. We sell this information to the highest bidder, and in turn, they put out a contract that my brother picked up for an even greater fee."
I pull up the image of the waif of a girl on my camera and show it to the two seated in back. "This is the girl that my brother was hired to erase?" I ask.
"Yes, sir," the dark haired one answers immediately.
"And you have done as I've requested?" I take one last look at the target and then pack my camera away.
"Yes, sir," they reply in unison.
"Good," I mutter. "Continue as planned, and do not let on that you are anything more or less than an Academy team from overseas. I have expended great effort to infiltrate this organization, and I will not have you ruin my hard work because you grew careless. I have invested considerable resources in your education and indoctrination, but I will not hesitate to eliminate you myself if you mishandle this assignment. You are not my only team, understood?"
I lock eyes with each of the masked figures behind me and smile coolly.
"Yes, sir," they reply in unison once more.
I watch as the Academy teenagers pull away in the brown sedan and then start my own car. As I head back to the airport, my acolytes remain silent, and I review my plan in my head. All the pieces are in place, it is time to begin making our moves.
***
