ALIVE

The sunshine beamed down on Violet’s face while the cold ocean soaked and wrinkled her toes with every wave.

A smile stretched her lips when she tossed her head back and closed her eyes, her long black hair swaying in the gentle breeze.

Violet couldn’t believe that she was finally here.

That she actually made it to a beach in California.

She had always dreamed of seeing the ocean again; ever since she was five years old, but sadly, that was also when her life changed.

And not for the better.

Not yet, anyway.

After the death of her parents and the fact that she had no other blood relatives, she had no other choice but to be put into foster care. The ten years she had spent in that system was a living nightmare.

The bouncing from home-to-home, the unreasonable chores, the beatings and the general degradation were enough to destroy anyone’s self-esteem, but luckily for her, she eventually got adopted into a welcoming family; making those long sleepless nights and constant worrying a distant memory.

Upon her arrival, Vince—who would later prefer to be called: “dad”—immediately gave her a silver pendant. He said that it would signify the point of her “new life”...and he was right. From that moment on, she felt like she belonged. She felt like she was home and it became even better when the three of them expanded to a family of six.

Four siblings.

Four girls in total.

She could only imagine how they accomplished that feat.

The years would soon give way to her entering high school, which didn’t seem like a prospect earlier in her life, but she managed to experience a great one. She made tons of friends, gained some experiences, had a few boyfriends, but the pinnacle of her life would come next.

College.

Her original plan was to major in Psychology. She had always been good at helping others, so, when she decided to pursue it, everyone had her back.

They always did.

But with the highs soon came the lows.

During those days, her parents tried to make their marriage work but after all of the arguments and the unloving glares, they eventually divorced with her dad taking the main house. On their own though, they continued to foster children, their reputations of being well-respected and well-liked followed them wherever they went, which came in handy in certain, sticky situations.

When Violet graduated, she originally planned on doing the grown-up thing by finding a job, or working some other menial task, but life had other plans. A few days later, she would be recruited into a special ops team.

Shocking? Completely.

She didn’t know how she came to be on their radar but when someone approaches a young woman, who is about to enter the world—in a very real way—and they offer to change her life—with money “not being an issue”—that young lady is bound to be interested.

And interested she was.

It would take her many years until she was fully trained, so, when it came time for her first mission…she was beyond ready.

Her first kill was both exhilarating and frightening.

Her second one was unnerving.

Her tenth?

Routine.

As she continued to perform, Violet progressed from a novel, inexperienced agent into a top-level-sought-after-killing-machine, who would quickly climb the record-breaking tier with her weighty claim of over 400 souls. However, every “Point” or “cleanse”—which was how they addressed those “Endangered” and/or the type of situation—began to wear on her, but somehow…she was able to just push through.

After all, she was doing this for the good of mankind.

The cleansing only happened to horrible people.

And who was she to question over a hundred years of tradition?

She was loyal, trustworthy and obedient.

High qualities that were sought after in this lifestyle, so when she suddenly announced her plan to retire, her management and team members were stunned. Her talent wasn’t “easy to come by”, but Violet didn’t want to be part of it anymore.

She wanted to travel.

She wanted to see the beach where she had spent the last moments of her former life.

She wanted to be free.

They would eventually grant her wish, but first, she would have to perform one more task.

Three days later, she was taken to a remote city where she was to monitor a family from a vacant building, across the way, and when further instructions came—with her being told to simply scout and report back her findings—she set up her gear beside a long window and peered through the telescope.

Violet’s jaw was set as she eyed the home, paying close attention to any movements or signs of potential threats, but just when her muscles began to settle, her earpiece sparked to life with a small static.

“Your orders have changed. You are now to engage with the targets and kill on sight.”

Violet raised a brow but didn’t move. “I thought this was a non-lethal assignment?”

“You have your orders. Contact me when you’re clear.”

Rolling her eyes, Violet put away her sniper rifle before grabbing a smaller gun and a silencer, her lean frame rising smoothly when she reached for two rounds of ammunition and a couple of knives. She always hoped for a non-bloody situation but it was better to be prepared than foolish.

Dressed in black, she brushed her long hair up into a high bun before slipping on a pair of glasses and making her way over to the front door. Since it was an “all-kill”, Violet wasn’t too worried about them making out portions of her face.

Stepping out into the brisk night, she crept over to the house and flattened herself against the wall. The front porch was conveniently shaded by huge trees so she wasn’t too worried about nosy neighbors when she peered inside a low–seated window.

As her eyes took in everything, she noted the warm and inviting color scheme before a myriad of toys, books, candy wrappers and thrown-about-clothes caught her attention.

Immediately, her throat constricted.

Her target was a family?

Skimming the fireplace’s mantel, she could barely make out the smiling faces of, at least, six children as well as the various trophies that sat neatly beside the other.

She took a step away from the window and touched her earpiece. “Control?”

“Yes, Agent Hawk?”

“I’m supposed to kill every Endangered Point in this house?”

“That is correct.”

“Are you sure that I have the right place?”

“Yes, your location lines up perfectly with the targets’ coordinates.”

Violet licked her dry lips. “Can you list the full details of this mission?”

There was a brief pause before the voice continued, the tone flat. “This vital slate cleansing consists of an entire family. One adult and six orphans.”

Violet’s face paled. “Orphans?”

“Affirmative.”

She hesitated before peeking inside the window again, her eyes making direct contact with the picture frames. Shaking her head, her hands quivered and her heart pumped loudly in her ears. “No,” she whispered, a chill rolling up her spine. “I’ve never had to kill a family before…”

“I’m sorry…can you repeat?”

Violet swallowed hard. Removing her hand from her ear, she considered her options. Was she really going to do what they asked of her? Or—and this was unthinkable—was she going to Disavow?

She had never abandoned an assignment before. Never.

But this was something she just couldn’t do.

What could they have done? What evil did they commit?

Shaking her head, Violet took a step back and put away her weapons. Her eyes watered behind her glasses when she thought about her own adopted family.

She couldn’t do this.

She wouldn’t.

She was done.

Screw her last assignment.

Running from the house, she bolted to the vacant one and quickly packed up her stuff before the connection buzzed to life.

“Agent Hawk?”

She didn’t answer. She was much too busy with all of her weapons and clothes to even think about what she was going to tell them when she returned. Throwing a jacket on, Violet crushed her earpiece then headed to the spare car in the garage.

Her stomach immediately tightened when she arrived at the base.

Leaving her items in the trunk, she removed her glasses then slowly got out of the vehicle and walked over to the entrance where she scanned in using her thumb.

A countdown began playing in her head.

I have 20 seconds until they’ll come for me, she thought, knowing that the precise moment she had entered, her ID went from the Front Desk to Control to Security.

Ignoring the two ladies stationed a few feet away, Violet moved over to the right side, hoping against hope that she could reach the lockers before they came, but it was already too late.

She could hear them approaching.

Ten burly men soon pushed their way through the lobby and quickly apprehended her in a matter of seconds. Not even bothering to fight them, Violet allowed herself to be taken into the main hallway before she was shoved into a freezing room.

Hundreds of computers lined one wall and as she stared at them, her eyes involuntarily widened.

There, on the screen in front of her, was the same house she had been watching.

“There you are. I was worried that something had happened to our star.”

Violet instantly recognized that voice as Control.

Security then fell away so that the other person could stand directly beside the unmoving agent.

“I thought the Gen-Pop Surveillance ended years ago…”

“Of course not,” Control responded. “We just told everyone that in order for them to act more naturally.”

Violet’s jaw clenched at the admission. Sparing a side-glance, she glared at the profile of the tall woman. Hands clasped, her eyes were glittering and that instantly made Violet nervous.

“You Disavowed,” she said, matter-of-factly.

“This one called for it.”

Control turned to look at her. “And why is that?”

Violet instinctively schooled her emotions. “You know my background. You know where I come from. Families were never agreed upon.”

“Situations vary,” she responded coolly. “Just because you never personally dealt with it before, doesn't mean it never happens. You’re not the first to be assigned something similar.”

Violent swallowed hard. That was news to her.

Control observed her for a few more seconds before turning her attention back to the screen that contained the assigned house. “I want you to look at something,” she said lightly, reaching into a pocket to retrieve a remote. “You need to see what now has to be done.”

Violet didn’t like that statement but that didn’t stop her from obeying.

Biting her tongue, she breathed deeply before gazing back at the TV. Control then pressed a green button, which changed the individual programs into one gigantic image.

As if on cue, two other agents suddenly entered the picture and made their way over to the front door, their weapons drawn.

Violet’s blood instantly ran cold.

Using an unknown device, they quickly stormed the house and swept the lower level in search of the Endangered Points.

Pressing a black button, Control enabled their attached microphones, allowing the sounds of the subsequent screaming, muffled shots and their own movements to fill the entire room while the screen remained exactly the same.

“You brought this upon yourself,” she then said with no hint of remorse as she watched a stricken Violet. “Had you the nerve to actually finish the job, you wouldn’t be facing the consequences of your actions.”

Eyes glued to the screen, Violet jerked backwards, but if she planned on escaping, she should’ve done it quicker because the Security guards surrounded her at once. Breathing heavily, she fought against them when they decided to grab her, but she couldn't shake them off.

She then snapped her eyes over to an amused Control.

“For disobeying orders,” the woman added, tilting her head. “You are going to be punished extensively but first…he wants to see you.”

“He?”

“He.”

Limbs relaxing, Violet grunted when the men gripped at her wrists and shoulders tightly.

No disobeying agent has ever seen the Head Boss and survived.

She was in for it now.

She would never be free.

It would be a miracle if she was even alive at the end of the day.

After Control gave her a dismissive nod, they removed Violet from the room and practically carried her all the way down to a secured parking lot where they promptly blindfolded her with a black cloth. She tried to keep her composure in the cramped car—her face the definition of “indifference”—but inside, her nerves were frayed.

No one spoke when they left the building and even though the ride only lasted forty-two minutes, it felt like an eternity to Violet.

When the car came to a jolting stop, they waited a few seconds before pulling her from the vehicle, her arms pliable when they led her to the unknown location.

Breathing deeply, she felt them stuff her into an elevator where they descended rapidly before she was, once again, pushed into a cold room. Forced to her knees, Violet waited for the Head Boss to say something, but when he did…it sent shivers down her spine.

“Remove her blindfold,” he commanded as he stood several feet away from her, his eyes ever watchful.

A man stepped forward to untie the secured knot, but as she adjusted to the bright, office-like room, Violet already knew who she was facing before she even met his gaze.

“Dad,” she acknowledged, her voice slightly trembling. “What’s going on?”

Leaning against a long table, Vince smiled at her, his eyes twinkling. “You Disavowed and I sent for you, of course.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about,” she said as she got to her feet. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, that,” he answered. “That can easily be explained—”

“Then do it,” Violet demanded, her eyes flickering.

Was this a joke? A trick?

Whatever it was, she didn’t like the way her gut was responding to it.

Vince crossed his arms over his chest before dismissing the men who had brought her in with a head nod. “They already know the story,” he explained when she briefly turned to watch them go. “You see, where you are concerned…it was all my doing.”

“Minus the unfortunate death of your parents, your future was predetermined,” he continued, his gaze unflinching. “I had the idea when I began my own training. The process was orchestrated in such a way that no one would be the wiser. To an outsider, I appear as a simple, but loving, foster parent but to this large corporation, I am the Head Boss. I control who comes into this program and who doesn’t. It’s a title I’m proud to have earned.”

Paling, Violet felt her balance slip before her muscle memory kicked in. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.Taking a step forward, she unconsciously shook her head. “Are you telling me…that every decision I ever made, every kill, everything I have ever done…was because of you?”

“Yes.”

“That’s not possible!”

“But it’s true,” Vince replied. “Ever since you came to me, you were conditioned for this life. You were bred for greatness. In fact, you all were…”

Violet’s features blanched further. “...My sisters? They’re—?”

Vince nodded his head. “All of my Potentials are. Did you think that you were the first? That you were the ‘only one’ since this story began? No. One of the reasons why I’ve gotten this far, is because they all became top assassins, in every corner of the world.” He then smirked. “But none have gotten as far as you, Violet. You have become a legend. You are my greatest triumph.”

Flinching at his words, Violet looked at the polished floor. “So, let me get this straight. Instead of being a normal person, you groomed me to kill since the moment you adopted me? Why?!”

“It’s a long line of tradition. I too was adopted. I too was recruited. You should consider yourself grateful for what you’ve been given.”

“Oh my God,” she whispered, but then she suddenly snapped her eyes back at him. “And what of mom? Was she part of this too?”

It was here that a change happened in Vince. A hint of apprehension filled his features before he too looked down. Scratching the back of his head, he regained his composure with a heavy sigh. “She was until she left.”

“What do you mean?”

“She wanted something more ‘stable’ so…she didn’t want to be married to me anymore.”

Realization struck her hard. “That’s why you two split up?”

“Yes. She discovered the truth months before that though. She found my life choices too difficult to accept. I even tried to win her back but she was unmovable. She always had a knack for pushing my buttons, so,” he then paused, a malicious gleam parting his lips into a smile. “I had the situation taken care of.”

Violet's heart pounded. “What do you mean? What did you do?”

He regarded her quietly before shrugging; the motion uncaring. “Funny you should ask given what happened today…”

“No,” Violet began, swiftly connecting the dots. Her mom had recently moved to another city so she wasn’t aware of her new location. She was supposed to find out later that day. Stammering, she fervently shook her head. “You wouldn’t…I didn’t see…she…they were our family!”

“Her family. She took care of those Endangered Points on her own.”

Violet’s mind spiraled at the thought of her mom and siblings being gone.

Murdered.

She would never see those faces again.

Those six children.

The dots just kept on connecting.

And he sent her to kill them.

“Why would you make them my assignment?” she exhaled, her tone low. “Why would you send me?”

“You were the perfect one to do so. Your loyalty was unquestionable and you’re the best orphan-child I’ve ever trained. Surely, you would’ve honored the wishes of this establishment when you realized the truth. Her slate needed to be cleansed.”

On the verge of crying, tears pricked at Violet’s eyes. Needing to breathe, she turned around and covered her mouth with both of her hands.

But mom wasn’t evil.

She didn’t deserve this…

How many more were killed because of selfish desires or decisions?

A steel resolve began to pump through her veins, hardening her will. The soldier they had “bred” took her place seconds before she turned back around, her firm and unrelenting gaze meeting his intrigued ones.

“This operation ends today,” she announced. “I will personally see to it that everyone involved is either set straight, imprisoned or permanently eliminated. I suggest you choose wisely on which position you want to fulfill.”

Finally standing up straight, Vince laughed before whistling. At once, men filtered into the room and grabbed her arms. At her unyielding stare, he then moved closer and leaned in, brushing a hand down her cheek. “My darling daughter,” he began, his tone sickly sweet. “I would love to see you try.”

After giving him a humorless smile, Violet was then rushed out of the office and thrown into a cell, a few floors down, her vision catching sight of several rooms along the way.

When alone, she closed her eyes and clenched her fists before collapsing to her knees and screaming out her frustration, her cry full of rage and pain. Throat raw, she used the thick bars to then pull herself back up.

She didn’t have time for this.

She had to get out.

“I will bring this organization to its knees,” she declared, fury leaking from her body when she reopened her eyes. Looking around, she analyzed her prison. The cobbled walls were tall and unbroken. The room was relatively small and consisted of a sink, bed and toilet. The bars were sturdy and strong...

Her gaze then fell onto the lock. Walking over to it, Violet analyzed the plate.

It was standard size and would require a key but she already had an idea.

They should have searched her before imprisoning her.

If they did, they would have noticed the silver pendant she wore. The same one Vince had given her all those years ago.

They most likely would’ve taken it…but their folly was her gain.

Using it, she freed herself in a matter of minutes. Tossing the now ruined necklace to the floor, she looked at it one last time before bolting from the cell and through an adjoined door.

Why they weren’t locked or guarded, she didn’t know, but again…she would use their failures against them.

Heading back to the Head Boss’ office, she slipped in unscathed and began looking for something she could use when she noticed that he wasn’t there. Finding a laptop, Violet guessed the password—which disgustingly enough was her mom’s name—on her third try before swiftly locating an unlabeled folder.

After bypassing the encryption, she then breathed a sigh of relief. Inside, it contained a detailed ledger of everyone within the organization; from the ground up. Grabbing a USB from one of his drawers, she downloaded every file before pocketing it and wiping the hard-drive clean.

Realizing what she had to do now, Violet breathed deeply before making her way to the Weaponry—one of the rooms she had seen.

This area was guarded but she managed them with several unsuspecting high kicks and debilitating punches. After using one of their thumbs for the scanning pad, Violet entered the room where she promptly took out the sixteen people who were lurking inside.

Brushing away some loose hair, she then grabbed one of the sprawled figure’s radios where she simply stated her number, Agent Name and her next location: the Training Room.

She knew that he would meet her and that he would come alone.

When she got there, Violet only had to wait ten minutes before he arrived, his eyes taking in her unkempt appearance.

Noticing that she was armed, Vince slowly raised his hands.

“I’m sure you were told about the Weaponry,” she stated, flatly. “You are my last opponent, dad…”

He said nothing but she could tell that he was frazzled.

She had escaped within thirty minutes and, in that time, she also managed to upturn his working environment. Tilting her head, Violet continued. “You taught me this life and now, you’re going to pay the consequences.”

He then gave her a smile. “I’ve always been proud of you and that will never change.”

She frowned.

Could she really end her father? Monster or no, he was one of the few people she had left now. She thought about sparing him…but that changed quickly.

“Whether in this life or the next, I will either unite our family under this organization or avenge it. Make your decision wisely, my dear…”

Breathing deeply, Violet stared at the ocean, her thoughts ebbing with every wave she spied. Recalling the tears she had shed on her last day there, she tried not to think about the fact that she had now lost two sets of parents.

But with that loss, she gained a new mission.

After dropping several of the files onto the internet and seeing once proud individuals crumble to society’s laws, Violet knew what her next move had to be.

She had to find her other siblings—her three precious sisters—and free them too. It wasn’t going to be easy. They were clever and had obviously found shelter somewhere but it didn’t matter.

She will find them.

Enjoying the breeze, Violet finally moved away from the water and began making her way to her car. Pulling out her phone, she then clicked on a message she had received an hour ago, from one of her trusty contacts, and as she read it, she smiled.

Opening the vehicle’s door, she then nodded her head. “Here we go.”