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Chapter Eight: The First Mission
"Do I really have to do this?"
The words barely reached Merlin's ears, but he gave William a stern look and said,
"You must do it."
William didn't hear a thing.
They were at twenty thousand feet, ready to parachute. William wasn't fully prepared, but with the countdown, both of them jumped.
At first, he closed his eyes, but when he opened them, a breathtaking scene filled him with excitement. He was ready to enjoy the height. Today was his eighteenth birthday, March 2002. In the sky, the earth below, the birthday cake, and the reflection of the sun on the sea formed a perfect, thrilling celebration.
A few days later, after repeated parachute training, he and Harry were to visit the store that prepared the King's Men uniforms. They got into a black taxi and drove through the crowded streets of London. Watching ordinary people deal calmly with life's struggles without worrying about war or death felt strange. He sometimes wondered: if I had been born in a normal family, and regained my past memories, what would I do? Would I abandon the King's Men?
Harry, Merlin, and the rest of the team were like family. He knew whatever they had shown him came at a cost, yet… he still didn't know what to do.
As they stepped out of the taxi, people glanced at them, but only for a moment. Over the years, his hair and face had turned completely white, and the blue of his eyes had faded. The doctor had said it was genetic; the pigment in his body would continue to fade, and he might even lose his sight in eight to ten years. That was why the organization only enlisted him for six years of active missions.
He had completed all his training. With his super-fast mind, he only needed a quarter of the time an ordinary human would need to comprehend what he saw or read. And with his death sense, he could avoid dangerous situations. All he needed now was experience to reach the level of agents like Black Widow, Winter Soldier, Hawkeye, Ethan Hunt, and Ian Shaw.
They entered the store; his measurements were taken, and then they left.
Merlin reminded him of his mission: his very first mission.
"You must protect Lord Richard Croft's daughter for three days, anonymously."
Several photos of the target were on the table. A girl with black hair in a ponytail, black eyes, delicate lips, a fit figure, and wielding two guns. That was Lara Croft, a tomb raider by family tradition.
The next photo was of a middle-aged man, the obvious villain, Mr. Paul, a member of the mysterious Illuminati seeking a magical triangle.
Merlin continued:
"Today, Lara will meet Mr. Paul. There's a high chance her house will be attacked tonight. Your mission begins now. Your only task is to protect Lara secretly—her life must not be in danger."
I looked at Lara's photo, then at her weapons. She was no amateur.
"Merlin, are you sure she needs my help?"
Merlin nodded.
"It's okay if nothing has happened yet. But you must always be ready. And what about the treasure with magical power? Do I need to bring it?"
He thought for a moment, then said:
"Anything uncontrollable is dangerous. If Lara can't destroy it, you can handle it."
I went to the preparation room, collected communication devices, checked them, picked up my specialized weapons, and entered the London Metro through a secret passage. I bought a ticket and traveled part of the way by train.
After exiting the next station, I took a taxi and got close to the Croft mansion. I rented a room in a nearby hotel.
At nine p.m., dressed in black, masked, and carrying my weapon bag, I exited through the hotel window, ran across the rooftop, and approached the Croft estate from above. About 300 meters away, I climbed a ten-meter tree to get a full view of the mansion through the windows.
I readied my sniper rifle and waited. Around eleven, Lara Croft swung across the main hall like a circus performer.
A servant, Hillary, went to bed, and a man named Bryan, obsessed with computers and the internet, banged his head to music like a maniac, but he wasn't bald.
"Get ready."
Merlin's voice came through my earpiece.
"OK."
A minute later, a group of twenty men in black, all armed, entered the mansion. Their leader was a muscular, bald, black man. Bald men seemed to have a knack for leading combat troops.
The first thing they did was lock the door to Bryan. When they entered the hall, Lara, still swinging, noticed the mistake. She leapt onto a chandelier.
I was ready to shoot the enemies at any moment, but both Merlin and I underestimated her.
Some mercenaries climbed down from the windows, but Lara quickly snapped one's neck, took his gun, and shot the second. Two remained: one above the other, opposite Lara. She twisted the second's neck with her leg to prevent the one above from firing. It was a moment too late; she might have felt death. Eyes closed, the sound of shattering glass, and the upper man fell from the ceiling. She wasn't slowed. Using a dagger on the opponent's back, she cut his band to drop him and quickly descended.
There was no time to think; more enemies entered the hall. Lara hid behind a pillar, jumped into the weapon room, and tried to enter the cabinet code, but sensed danger from behind and took cover behind a desk.
A noise came from the bag on the desk; it was Bryan. He called for support. He held a gun-like engineering tool, used a screwdriver, and waited for Bryan's direction. After a few seconds, Bryan guided her aim. Lara fired—the first target went down.
I smiled behind my mask: clever girl.
I could hear Bryan in my earpiece. The second's aim was wrong, but both Lara and I fired simultaneously. Lara's bullet hit the wall, but mine struck the enemy's head.
Lara frowned; she realized someone was assisting her in the dark, but there was no time to think. The third tried to hide behind a pillar, but it was too late—a long spike lodged in his chest.
Lara quickly moved toward the room holding the ancient artifact, but found nothing. Hillary was there with a heavy gun and bulletproof vest, wearing cute rabbit slippers. They also freed Bryan.
The three of them discussed something while the mercenaries left with the item.
I left a camera on the tree and returned to the hotel.
Merlin praised my work.
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