Short Story
Game: Hitman
Author: Cane

Hitpenguin

The sun was getting higher in the sky. It glinted off the window of a passing car and temporarily blinded me. I adjusted the rifle held tightly between my wings. Damn civilians. I glanced at my watch, only taking my eyes from the scope for a moment, then shifted back. The target should have been here by now. I tend to take jobs that involve military personnel. They’re much more reliable. It’s almost as though they’ve all read “Avoiding Assassins for Dummies”-they all use the same tactics, always by the book. Civvies are much more erratic and unpredictable, which is why they make me nervous. I shifted the rifle again. My wings were starting to get tired, and that was a bad sign. I waited another few minutes, then put down the rifle. If he were going to pass by here, he would have by now. It was time to investigate.

I got up and went down a small path to the street. The cliff I’d been sitting on was a perfect vantage point for where I’d been told my target would go. Unfortunately, he apparently decided to change his plans at the last minute. I adjusted my tuxedo-an annoying nervous habit-then headed for my car. Inside I had a map of the city, as well as a schedule I’d bought from one of his assistants. I examined the map carefully, looking mainly at the area around the conference hall. Jameson Hughes was a part of an international group of bankers, and they had conferences here occasionally. If Hughes had changed his plans, it would most likely be out of convenience. There was a hotel near the conference hall, which was being used by a number of the guests. It was as good a place as any to start. I put on my seatbelt and drove off to the east.

The hotel was a convenient little place. It was about 8 stories high, and each room had a small balcony that overlooked the river. The conference hall was nearby, and situated on one of the best pieces of land in the whole city. I parked the car a couple blocks away-leaving a running car in front of the hotel would arouse some unwanted suspicion-and walked over to the hotel. There were two guards stationed outside, checking out peoples’ cars as I suspected. There’s probably quite a few people staying here for the conference, and the guards would be hired by whoever was hosting the conference. I stepped inside, smiling at the guards, then walked up to the front desk.
“Hello,” I quacked. The employee behind the counter leaned over and looked at me strangely. It’s not every day that a penguin walks into your hotel. “My name is Carl Winters, I work for Mr. Hughes. I need his room number.” Carl Winters was actually Hughes’ assistant, and he stayed back in New York to manage the bank. It was the perfect cover name.
“I’m sorry, sir,” the employee said, “but we aren’t allowed to give out that information.”
“I told you I work for him,” I replied, feigning impatience. “He’s waiting for me, and if you delay me, he’ll be none too happy.” The clerk thought for a moment, but finally reached under the counter and pulled out a large book. He flipped the page and ran his finger down to near the middle.
“Hughes, Jameson, Room 403,” He read. I turned and headed for a nearby elevator. As the doors closed and the annoying elevator music came on, I quickly took stock of what I had with me. I hadn’t expected this turn of events, so my only backup weapons were a fibre wire and a silenced AMT Hardballer. The elevator opened, and I looked at the numbers on the doors, deciding that room 403 would be east. I walked down the east hallway. Ahead, I noticed a maid putting a key into one of the rooms and opening it, then stepping inside to clean. She left the key in the door. I slowed down and walked close to the wall. As I passed, I made a show of accidentally hitting the door with my wing, and when I’d passed, I was putting the maid’s master key in my pocket. Excellent.
I passed 406, then turned the corner. Down the hall I saw a bodyguard in a rumpled suit glancing wearily around. As I rounded the corner he instantly became alert. I walked past him and went up to room 404. I pretended to go through my pockets, then knocked on the door. I waited a moment, then went through my pockets again, this time taking out the master key. I put it in the lock and turned, then unceremoniously stepped inside the room and closed the door. I checked the room and, seeing that it was unoccupied, set the key on the desk. I pulled out the Hardballer that was hidden securely in its holster, checked the clip, and then paused. I looked out at the balcony, and grinned.
At first, I’d planned to step outside, shoot the guard, and use the master key to get into the room, but there might be another way in… I stepped out onto the balcony and looked around. The rooms in the hotel were fairly small, so the balconies were close together. The space between them was only about a meter or two. I looked over at the nearby balconies, made sure that there weren’t any nosy civilians down on the street, then climbed over the balcony railing. Holding on with on wing and foot, I hopped over to the other side, catching hold and waiting for a sudden gust of wind to subside. I kept away from the window and listened inside. Somewhere in the room, a shower was running. I knew Hughes was travelling alone, so that could only be him. I saw him, still wearing his suit, walk into the bathroom. Quickly, I swung over the railing, quietly opened the door, and ducked inside. There was a desk against the wall facing the balcony, so I stepped beside it, partially hidden from the view of the rest of the room. I pulled the Hardballer out, clicked the safety off, and then started screwing on the silencer. A cell phone on the bed started ringing. I quickly ducked down behind the desk as he grumbled, turned off the shower, and walked out to pick up the phone. Apparently it was an important call, because he sat down on a nearby chair and talked for a couple minutes. He was facing away from the bed, so I quietly crept toward it, then hid behind it. I heard him wrapping up the phone call and moved fast. I dropped the Hardballer on the floor and pulled out the fibre wire. Then, my webbed feet making little noise as I scurried slowly toward him, I got as close as possible.
“Yes. Yes, I understand. Yea, goodbye.” Hughes started pulling the phone away from his ear and pressed the off button. I jumped quickly out from behind him and slipped the wire around his neck. “Wha--? Urk!” I tightened my grip on it and pulled, dragging him slightly off the bed. The fibre wire was little more than a string connected to two hand holds. A useful, silent, and untraceable weapon, it comes in handy in situations like this. It started cutting into his neck, and some blood started dropping onto my wing and tuxedo as he struggled, so I shifted my position slightly. It wouldn’t do to walk out of the hotel with blood all over my tuxedo. Besides, I’d just had it cleaned. He stopped fighting, so I pulled harder for good measure, and when I was sure he was dead, I dropped him carefully to the ground, and went about the room, removing any trace I might have been there. I holstered my handgun, stepped out onto the balcony, closed the door, and then jumped back to room 404. I quickly did the same check to 404 as I did to 403, then left the room. The guard looked at me strangely as I passed, but didn’t move. I got into the elevator, left the hotel, and walked down the street to my car. I looked back at the hotel and saw the guards scurrying around. Apparently they’d found Hughes. I grinned as I hopped into the car and drove off. Nobody ever expects a penguin.