Midnight Visitor

The night before the competition, Little Seven had gone to bed early to rest; she did not hang out with anyone after dinner. She was not close to anyone else apart from Seko, Hawk, and, recently, CJ. As for Scarface... that guy was obsessed with entering rank B in the assassin ranks that he used most of his time alone training, while Yakama, forget it, it's good enough if he didn't stare at her as if she owed him a hundred million shillings.

 At midnight, a faint sound stirred her from shallow sleep. Her breathing remained calm and controlled, as if she were still dreaming. 

She had already figured that someone or maybe some people wanted her dead, but she didn't expect them to be too dumb; just because she was a recruit, they casually sent some F-ranked assassin to assassinate her. If it were in the past, she would have already passed out from fear. She sneered as her hand silently reached beneath her pillow.

Good, very good. She was afraid that she would lack something other than little rabbits to practice on after all that training, but apparently, someone delivered "a very good gift" to her doorstep. It would be a pity if she didn't thank that person well.

Her fingers curled around the dagger. This butterfly knife was something that Big Brother Seko had personally made for her before training her secretly how to use it.

The door creaked open, and a figure slipped into the room like smoke, small, barefoot, deadly. She could guess the person's ranking because they made their invasion very obvious. Little Seven could already feel the assassin's presence before they could even sneak into her room.

The intruder crept forward with her blade raised, viciousness in her eyes. She couldn't wait to finish the task and receive money from that person, not knowing that Little Seven was ready. In a blur of motion, she twisted from the bed, parried the strike, and kicked the girl's stomach.

The girl took several steps backward, shock visible in her eyes. When she took on the task, she had been assured that her target was a small ten-year-old girl who had been recruited recently and although her rank was low, she had been around for at least two years.

It seemed that this little girl had some tricks up her sleeves, but they were useless. What could a little girl who was five years younger do to her?

She immediately gained composure and moved forward with her dagger. Steel clashed in the moonlight.

" Who sent you?" Little Seven questioned, her eyes turning cold, making her opponent shiver. This little girl didn't fear death at all; it was vice versa.

" Little girl, don't you know the ethics of our profession? I would rather die than tell you anything."

" Then I'll be letting you down if I don't fulfil your request."

They fought in silence, a deadly dance of speed and precision. It ended when Little Seven struck low, disarming the girl, then drove her blade into the intruder's chest.

The girl gasped, then fell still.

She was good at fighting, a pity she met me.

Blood soaked the floor. Little Seven's nose scrunched; she really hated that metallic smell. A sharp sting burned through Little Seven's arm where the girl had cut her, but this time around, she didn't cry or look scared. She ripped a strip from her trouser leg, tied the wound, and turned to the body.

The girl looked older than her, around fifteen or sixteen years old. She was just a child, but Little Seven had learned from Big Brother Seko that this place was a jungle where only the strongest survive. She had no choice but to end the girl's life tonight.

Little Seven recognized her from another team, but they'd never spoken before. They also had no grudge; this girl was probably just following orders.

It was the first time she had killed, so her heart pounded wildly, but not from guilt but because of the realization that the body lying in a pool of blood could have been hers. 

She worked fast, quiet as a shadow, and crept into the kitchen. She returned with a coarse sack which she used to shove the girl's body inside and slid it under her bed. She'd ask Big Brother Seko how to get rid of it quietly.

Meanwhile, across the compound, the elders gathered.

At the long stone table sat the Seven Elders and Zain. The agenda was to finalize rules and ranks for the competition and also give updates of the two recruits who were survivors of the new drug. 

Zain sipped tea from his cup before raising his head to face his subordinates. His cold voice, commanding. "Update me on Number 07 and Number 05's progress."

These two were the most Important assets that ZERO had currently. If things went well, according to Professor Johnson, the two of them would become the top-ranked assassins in the future and even surpass Tiger. They would become ZERO's trump card against their enemies.

The room stirred as someone cleared her voice. It was Jane, the Second Elder, who spoke first. "Big Boss, I have a presumptuous request." She glanced toward her husband, Professor Johnson, the quiet and observant Fourth Elder.

"My husband and I want to adopt Number 07."

Immediately, the room fell silent.

"No," came the response from the First Elder, who was always calm but firm. "You know the rules, Jane. Recruits, especially Number 07 and Number 05, belong to ZERO, not individuals."

"I second the first Elder, second Elder, don't be too greedy." The third elder said calmly as he looked at the second elder with disdain in his eyes. He had always wondered why the Big Boss tolerated this lady's shenanigans and even made her the second Elder. Isn't she just riding on the fact that she saved Big Boss's life at one point, to throw her weight around?

The fifth and seventh Elders supported the third Elder and immediately opposed the idea of leaving Number 07 in the hands of the second Elder while the seventh Elder chose to remain silent on this matter.

Zain narrowed his eyes at Jane. "Why her? You were never interested in matters of recruits previously."

Jane's voice softened, as she pretended to look aggrieved and at a loss. "You owe me one, Zain. I lost a child while saving your life during that mission, now I can't bear children anymore, I remember at that time you said I could ask for one favor and you'd do your best to fulfil it."

The fourth Elder almost chocked on his tea . He turned to glance at his wife shedding non-existence tears and shook his head in embarrassment. Since when were they unable to have another child? Why did she waste her talent and became an assassin? She should have joined the entertainment industry and become and actress instead.

But also, he knew first hand that his wife was capable and she always got what she wanted in one way or the other. 

Zain's jaw clenched as the reminder of that incident hit him like a dull blade. He'd asked her several times that year what she wanted but this woman pretended that she wasn't interested in anything but was only doing it out of good will.

He'd eventually forgotten about his promise after several years passed. He never expected her to use that debt on his prized weapons. He may act like he didn't care but he'd always monitored number 07 and number 05 because those two were crucial to his plans to take over Nairobi.

Reluctantly, he nodded. "She will be raised by both you and Johnson. But remember, she still belongs to ZERO."

"And Number 05?" the First Elder asked.

"He'll train under Tiger," Zain said flatly. "He has a lot of potential, I'd like to keep him by my side for now."

The decision was sealed after Zain spoke. After that, they made the final arrangements for the upcoming competitions before concluding their conversations.

As they adjourned, Jane hid a small smile; she could see Zain's eyes, which were calculating and sneered. She would use Number 07 to gain more power within the organization and see if this old hag would touch her by then. He might even beg her to spare his life by the time she's done with him.

Zain lifted his cup to sip his tea with thoughts dancing inside his head. He would honor his word, for now. But he was already thinking of how to cut her influence. One day, she would pay the price for her ambition.

Elsewhere, in a shadowed hall of ZERO, an 18-year-old boy paced back and forth nervously, fists clenched. The assassin he sent to kill Little Seven hadn't returned.

Something must have gone terribly wrong.

Initially, killing that little girl seemed like no issue at all; that's why he dared to drown her in the river. However, recently, one of his friends, who was working as a nurse under Samantha, hinted that the two recruits were ZERO's secret weapon, and he was advised not to lay a finger on either of them.

Yakama couldn't accept the fact that he was unable to avenge his brother. Driven by his obsession, he devised a plan to send a rank F assassin to eliminate Little Seven during the night before the competition, and afterward, he intended to kill her himself to erase any evidence.