Category : Books-Fiction

Sub Category : Science Fiction

My name is Phoebe Cosworth and I am an elite assassin and I work for an off the grid agency by the name of Cinder. Although I don't know anything about my life before being an assassin, I know that I am good at what I do. I’m the best assassin the agency has and I have eliminated countless targets. Now you may think that this is another story about completing a contract, but you’re dead wrong.

“Agent Cosworth, it’s nice for you to finally show up,” said the Headmaster, “However, you’re late.”
“I know sir, but it’s only been three minutes,” I replied. 
“And as the best assassin in the agency, I’d expect you to know that three minutes could cost you dearly,” he remarked
“Of course sir, my apologies.”
“Agent Carter is waiting for you in the leisure hall, meet him there,” he informed me, “he will give you the details of your contract, now go.”
As I proceeded through the agency, I felt the eyes of my fellow agents linger on my presence. The feeling was alarming, something wasn’t right. I suppress my feelings like I was taught in training, we’re not supposed to feel and I managed to do well at that. I continued toward the leisure hall, inspecting the walls as if it were my first time inside. I reached the leisure hall to find agent Carter asleep in a chair.
“Agent Carter, I believe you were waiting for me.”
“I was indeed, the Headmaster asked me to debrief you on your contract.,” he informed me        “shall we begin?” “Of course,” I replied. “You will be heading back thirty years into the past, your target is living in the year 1983 and will be attending the revealing of the Terry Fox statue.”
“Can I see the contract file,” I asked.
“Unfortunately we were only able to obtain a single photo and a location,” he said as he handed over the file.
“That’s all I need.”
“Perfect, now  go to the time machine and we will begin the procedures.”
I left agent Carter and proceeded to walk to the washroom. I took a minute to look at myself in the mirror and study my features. My appearance remained the same for most of my adulthood and was the only tie left to my old life. My face was slim, my hair was long, straight and black. My skin is soft and fair and my eyes were a majestic sapphire blue. I left the washroom and headed towards the time machine once again. Upon arrival I was greeted by the headmaster, who didn’t seem like himself. I entered the machine and fastened my seatbelt, shortly after the machine door closed. I remember the sounds of the machine starting up, but then for a brief moment there was nothing. Suddenly I woke up in a coffee shop, it was barren and empty, except for the staff and a man who sat across from me. 
“Excuse me sir,” I started, “Is that today’s paper?’ 
“It sure is,” he replied “ I wouldn't be reading yesterday's paper,” he said with a smile.
“May I borrow it for just a moment?”
“You can have it, it’s full of rubbish anyway.”
The man handed me the paper and I immediately found the publication date.  I had successfully travelled to the date in the file, which meant my time was running short. Upon leaving the coffee shop I examined my surroundings, the streets were full and there were many shops and vendors along the street. As I began walking towards the statue I noticed a suspicious man wearing a trench coat and fedora heading in my direction. As we crossed paths he spoke to me, “Trust nobody” were his only words. It only took a moment for the man to disappear, there were no clues to where he would’ve went, so I continued towards my destination. About an hour has passed since I left the coffee shop and I’ve almost reached the statue. It took me a few more minutes to arrive at the statue, shortly after I discovered a parking garage across the street and decided it would be the perfect vantage point. As I approached the entrance, I noticed a sign that read “NO TRESPASSING”, but decided to continue. The garage was empty, not a car in sight. I had finally reached the fourth level when I heard the growing sound of footsteps, they were quickly getting closer. I had no time to run and nowhere to hide, so I waited for my tail to catch me. It was the garage security, she wore a protective vest and was armed with nothing but a baton and a beretta M9 handgun. 
“Hey, you’re not supposed to be up here,” She stated, “you need to leave.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” I replied with a malicious grin.
“I will use force if you fail to comply.” She exclaimed.
“Do what you must.”
As she approached me, gun in hand, I was left with no choice. I had to subdue her, even if it meant taking her life. She continued to get closer and urged me to put my hands above my head. I did as she said, hoping she would get in close enough for me to disarm her. I felt her hand wrap firmly around my wrist, I heard the jingle of her cuffs as she went to trap me with it's cold steel. I quickly got to my feet and flipped her over my shoulder, taking the gun from her in the process. I was able to hear my heartbeat as if it were a drum inside my head, I could feel the blood coursing through my veins and I could see the frustration on my foe’s face. She stood without hesitation, she had a powerful stance, this time she was ready for resistance. She now wielded her baton, it was a thick piece of hardened plastic. She began to move in my direction, but I was well prepared for her attack. She swung at me with great force, she missed a few times before landing a strike. I could hear the crack as it whipped across my face, I could feel the stinging of my wound and the warm stream of blood that flowed down my cheek. I was able to smell the sweat emanating from my foe, this meant she was growing tired. She was relentless and began her next set of attacks immediately. She swung her baton several times before I had managed to catch her wrist and bring her to the floor once again. I forced the cuffs onto her wrists and knocked her unconscious with a single punch. I had finally made it to the roof of the garage where I began to assemble my Armalite AR-50 sniper rifle. The statue had already been revealed and the crowd was cheering. I used the tripod attached to my gun to rest it on the ledge of the garage and took one last look at the photo before beginning my search. I scanned the crowd and couldn't find any signs of my target. Just as I was ready to head back down, she turned and looked straight at me. I couldn’t believe what I had saw, she had a slim face with long, straight, black hair. Her skin appeared as if it was soft and fair, her eyes sparkled in the sunlight and beamed a bright sapphire blue. Suddenly I started to remember pieces of my past, memories from before I was an assassin. I can’t believe it, my own agency turned against me. I’ve been set up and I’m not letting anyone get away with this. I packed my rifle and began my journey to Cinder. It was a long walk and I had enough time to rough out a plan, but it wasn’t anything reliable. I sat outside Cinder for several hours, studying the guards patrols. Once I had figured out the pattern it was time to launch my assault. I approached the front gate and was stopped by a guard.
“Excuse me, but this is private property,” he began. “I’m going to need some ID before I can let you pass.”
Without any hesitation I drew the beretta that I had obtained from the garage security and fired a single bullet into his skull. The sound of the gunshot alerted the other guards, but I had gained access to the compound. I could see five guards running in my direction, but I knew there were more on their way. I began to sprint for the front door while firing at the guards, hoping I could make it inside the building without any bullet wounds. As I reached the entrance to the building, One of the guards clutched my arm and pulled me back. I hit the ground hard, but that didn’t stop me from getting back on my feet. There were only three guards now, I must’ve gotten the other two while making my way to the door. One of the guards was wielding a dagger and the other two had firearms. After a brief moment of thought, I lunged for one of the guards holding a firearm and disarmed him. Now in the possession of a gun, I shot  the second guard in the knee and proceeded to fire three rounds into his chest. As the guard dropped to the floor, I turned to the guard I had just disarmed and Shot him right between his eyes. The last guard had rushed me and attempted to stab me with his dagger, but I had managed to catch his arm before the dagger had punctured my skin. Now my options were limited. I had no choice but to release his arm and reach for the handgun laying on the floor. As I stretched out my arm and grabbed the gun, I felt the dagger pierce my skin as he drove it deep into my stomach. Despite the pain I was able to fire the gun, sending a bullet through his brain. The pain faded within seconds, my adrenaline must have kicked in. I was now inside and had pulled the fire alarm to evacuate the building, anyone who remained inside would die by my hand. I made way to the staircase and climbed to the fiftieth floor. I continued slowly down the hall towards the headmaster’s office, but before I could enter I was stopped by agent Carter. 
“Get out of my way Carter.”
“You know I can’t let you go in there,” he said.
“Carter, they tried to kill me,” I stated “I’m only here to end what he started.
“And I’m just doing my job.”
“Please Carter, don’t make me do this.”
As Carter gave me my final warning he unsheathed what appeared to be throwing stars. He insisted that I turn back or he would lodge one in my chest. I took a single step towards him before having one of his throwing stars drill into my shoulder. For a single moment it was as if time had slowed. I could see Carter’s throwing star whirling towards me as it sparkled in the dimly lit hallway. I noticed the single drop of sweat dripping off Carter’s nose and I could see the blood running down my arm. Then suddenly I saw a figure rush out from behind me. It was the man from earlier, the one in the trench coat. He caught the throwing star in mid air and tackled Carter. I seized the opportunity and made my way to the end of the hall. This was the moment of truth, I could finally confront the headmaster. I opened the door to find the headmaster sitting at his desk, he was unmoved by my arrival. 
“YOU BASTARD,” I shouted “I trusted you!”
“I’m sorry, but I don't understand,” he replied.
“You sent me back in time to eliminate myself from existence,” I said “how could you do that to me, after all my years working at Cinder.”
“I think I’d remember the face of an employee of mine, but I have never seen you before my dear.”
I had realized my attempt at a conversation with the headmaster was pointless. Upon this realization, I had taken a pair of scissors of his desk, and slowly walked towards him. 
“You’re a bad man ‘Headmaster’ and bad men don’t get to live.”
Before the headmaster could reply, I had stuck the scissors in his jugular. I felt relieved as I sat there and watched him die a slow death, gasping for the air that he could no longer breath. I remember stabbing the headmaster and the feeling I had watching him die, but then for a brief moment there was nothing.
“Agent Cosworth, it’s nice for you to finally show up,” said the Headmaster, “However, you’re late.”
“I know sir, but it’s only been three minutes,” I replied. 
“And as the best assassin in the agency, I’d expect you to know that three minutes could cost you dearly,” he remarked
“Of course sir, my apologies.”

*The grandfather paradox is a paradox of time travel in which inconsistencies emerge through changing the past. The name comes from the paradox's common description: a person travels to the past and kills their own grandfather before the conception of their father or mother, which prevents the time traveler's existence.