After arriving back on Earth Martin was taken to Area 51 where he was greeted at the front entrance by a tall and athletic pony tailed blonde wearing dark dress slacks and a white blouse.
"I'm Agent Walker," she said, shaking his hand. "I am here to assist in the investigation."
"Thanks," he said smiling.
They both hopped in a dark sedan with tinted windows riding out pass the gates.
"From what you sent back to us he was taking money out of an ATM at a bank?"
"That's right," he said. "Though we couldn't tell which one. You have so many."
"Based on the screen shot from the background it's First National."
"Nice work."
"Thank you," she said, glancing his way.
She every so often took on a quizzical look looking his way.
"Something else on your mind?"
"You mean you can't read it?"
"No, I can," Martin said, laughing. "But I don't without someone's permission. It's not how we do things."
"It's just that you are the most human looking alien I have ever seen."
"As far back as my people go on Earth we just might be related."
They both laughed pulling up to the bank and got out heading inside. Once inside they approached a teller where Agent Walker showed her badge and explained the situation. She asked the teller to go back to looking at the timestamp soon finding Kieran.
"He took out $5000."
"Would that of gotten him far?"
"Somewhat," she said. "You know him better. Where would of he gone next?"
"He would of wanted to lie low unnoticed."
"There is a motel that is right up the street."
Martin and Agent Walker walked inside of the front office seeing Mrs. Rogers sitting next to Thomas in a clean pair of clothes.
"I have no idea what happened, honey," Thomas said, "I just woke up in the trunk of the car."
From asking the clerk Agent Walker flashed Kieran's photo on her cell phone where he said he never saw him before.
"It's like my mind went blank for a while," Thomas said.
From that Martin ears perked up overhearing Thomas' conversation with his wife.
"Forgive me," Martin said, stepping forward. "You said you had a blackout?"
"Yeah, one minute I was driving out on the highway and the next I woke up in the trunk of my car at this place."
"Are you alright?" Agent Walker asked, "Do you need any medical treatment?"
"No, I'm alright."
"Could I have your names?"
As Agent Walker intently wrote down asking their names and more questions about his whereabouts, Martin stepped back out looking at the row of motel room doors until he saw one that was slightly ajar.
He walked inside finding nothing out of the ordinary; however, when he looked to the floor he could see a small pile of black ash on the carpet. He knelt down rubbing some of it between his fingers seeing Kieran's silver communicator sticking out the edge of the bed. He picked it up seeing it was dead pocketing it in his pants.
He stepped back out seeing Agent Walker still talking to the Rogers and tapped his communicator.
"Aiden, you there?"
"I'm here," he replied. "What have you got?"
"Well found Kieran except he's dead."
"He's what?!"
"Yeah, all that is left of him is black ash but I found his communicator. The battery is dead though. Only a disruptor gun could do this kind of damage. This was the work of an assassin. Whatever information he had was worth covering up."
"So did you find anything?" Agent Walker asked, walking up from behind him.
Martin quickly shut down his communicator turning his head back to the agent.
"I had noticed one of the rooms was open and looked inside."
Martin just stared at her as she sensed that he was possibly holding something back.
"If we are going to work together you are going to have to tell me everything," she said. "What did you see?"
"All you need to know is that he's dead," he answered.
"Dead? So there must be a body?"
She started to walk past him but he blocked her path.
"You don't want to go in there, believe me."
"What?" Agent Walker said, looking annoyed. "You aren't going to stop me."
She pushed past him where reluctantly Martin relented letting her pass to look around the room.
"But I don't see anything," she said, turning her head back to Martin. "Where is he?"
She followed Martin's eyes to the carpet seeing the pile of ash on the carpet.
"That's what left of him."
Agent Walker looked down in astonishment. "What kind of weapon could do that?"
"We call it a disruptor. It was set at it's highest setting."
She gave him a matter of fact stern looking at. "I need to know if there is any real threats to our safety."
"We want the same thing," Martin said seriously. "We didn't come all the way to Earth to bring trouble."
"I have to report this to the chief," she said.
Martin and Agent Walker both climbed back in heading out making the drive returning to Area 51.
**************
Aiden sat in his quarters looking through a file entry on intergalactic assassins. He could hear someone come in taking a sideways glance seeing Anna walk over to his desk. She rested her hands on his shoulders giving him a rub.
"Thank you for that," he said, placing his hand on top of hers.
"I'm just glad that you are safe," she said. "Christopher told me what happened."
"Kieran was silenced by a professional."
"You think whomever hired him was a follower?"
He turned in his chair leaning back looking up at Anna.
"Yes, it's the only explanation I have even though we put away all of their leaders there could still be dissidents. I was still a young member when I was appointed to the High Council."
"Now because of your involvement you are being targeted?"
"Looks that way," he said, nodding.
**********
The assassin, back aboard his ship, sat at his console tapping a button.
"Give me full biography of Adien Turner," he announced.
"Accessing," a digital soft female voice replied, showing a 3-D hold image of Adien's face. "Aiden Turner, rank Captain. Member of the Terran High Council for fifteen years. Wife Anna. Current assignment. Reconnaissance exploratory mission of Earth for future colonization. End of record."
The assassin had heard some talk that Terra was becoming unenvironmentally friendly and that supposedly the whole race were actually originally from Earth. He completed half the job by getting rid of the Terran sympathizer but now still had to find his way to go after the real target.
Thanks to everyone who has been reading the story so far. Always interested in hearing anyone's thoughts or comments and give it a like if you are enjoying it.