Mission: Failure

She hated her name: Zopium. It sounded like a drug; sure to cure what ails you, but rife with every side effect known to man. It’d clear up your rash, but may cause death. 

Death. Maybe it fit after all. 

When the clouds finally drifted in front of the moon, Z attached the suppressor to the end of her HK45, then crept along the balcony. The security team would be making their rounds on the other side of the house by now. She eased open the glass door and slipped inside, pausing to let her eyes adjust. 

Dressed all in black, Z was the last thing her targets ever saw. If they saw her at all. Her only flaw were her startling blue eyes. One she remedied by wearing contacts—cutting edge tech with built-in night vision. In her profession, the more bland and unremarkable she appeared, the better. Unlike those she eliminated.

They were all the same. They’d made a bad deal. Lied to the wrong person. Slept with the wrong person. They wanted to stand out, wanted fame and riches. It was the wanting that led to those bad decisions, led to attracting the wrong kind of attention—led to mistakes. 

Z didn’t make mistakes. 

The man slept soundly, oblivious that he was taking his last few breaths—thinking himself safe. No one was truly safe in this world. As she pressed her pistol against her target’s forehead, he woke, blubbering and pissing himself. Her lip curled in disgust as her finger tightened around the trigger. 

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw what was waiting for her, and slowly turned her head. 

As big as a horse, stiff, black hair covered its body. Its mandibles oozed greenish slime, and multiple eyes glistened with malice, watching her every move. It crawled closer, and her muscles locked up. She could have sworn a low hiss escaped it. Crouching low, it bunched its many legs, and pounced. 

Jen screamed and jumped off the couch, dropping the controller. Zopium, her avatar of six years, was immediately dispatched by the elite bodyguards who flooded her target’s bedroom. “Mission Failure” flashed across the screen.

Derek’s voice spoke into her headset. “What the hell, Jen? You had the final boss in your sights!”

“Shut up, Derek!” Jen yelled, frantically searching her clothes.

 “You’re never gonna live this down on the forums. What happened?!” 

“There was a huge spider!”

“A spider? The deadliest assassin ever got taken down by a spider?” 

Derek’s derisive laughter reverberated in her ears, but Jen’s focus was on finding the hairy little creature, which had disappeared like a ghost.