Illogical Agitation

CHAPTER 3

Lucy, Kiara, Laura and Tasha were on their way to the Starlight warehouse. Lucy was driving and Kiara rode shotgun. Laura and Tasha sat in the back. The car was quiet.

Kiara tried to calm herself and her friends fell silent because they've witnessed something extraordinary. All the years they've been on mission with Kiara, not once they saw Kiara show any kind of emotions. A man saved Kiara from being a roadkill and she lost her cool. What did the man say to make Kiara angry?

They glanced at Kiara silently because they're at a loss of words.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the warehouse. The four of them got out of the car and wore their masks and sunglasses that they store in the car for occasions.

"Who are we meeting?" Tasha asked.

"A guy named Xander. Keep your eyes and ears open. Starlight does business with almost every illegal corporation in the world. We can't trust them so don't go yapping your mouth" Kiara warned them without glancing at her coworkers.

They walk towards the warehouse entrance with Kiara taking the lead. Two guards stood guarding the door glare at them with hostility.

"Stop" warned one of the guards.

"My name's Queen. We are here to see Xander" said Kiara firmly.

"He's not available right now," said the other guard.

"I'm from Luna and they are with me," continued Kiara with fierce confidence.

"Are you deaf? Or you can't understand simple words?" said the guard again. He's getting annoyed. Kiara grabbed the collar of one of the guards and lifted him up slightly. She looked straight into the man's eyes. They all thought Kiara was going to beat him up but Kiara just slid down her sunglasses slightly, revealing her grey eyes.

"Ms. Kia-I mean Queen. I'm sorry for my mistake. I can't recognize you" the guard stammered. He paled.

Everyone who worked at Starlight knows that Kiara was the only person from Luna who has strikingly silver-gray eyes. Kiara released her firm grasp from the guard. The guard clumsily unlocked the entrance gate. The girls entered the big warehouse with long strides. They just wanted to get this over with. The longer they stay, Xander's minions will attack them with their thirst for information. They were greeted by an older man.

"Queen, I haven't seen you in a long time. Welcome to my humble space," said the man warmly.

The man has broad shoulders with a huge scar across his eyebrows. He looked intimidating but the cheerful smile on his lips betrayed his malicious profile.

"Xander" Kiara greeted him courteously. "I thought I'd be welcomed by your watchdogs with respect" she continued.

"Sorry about that. I forgot to tell them about your arrival" said Xander sheepishly.

"Where's the stuff?" Kiara asked.

"Follow me," said Xander. He was used to Kiara's straightforwardness. He led the girls towards Starlight's private arsenal. "These are what Luna asked for" Xander showed them five bulky bags that were stored in one place. "I'll order my men to help you carry these," he continued.

Lucy and Tasha checked the bags and scanned the items. There were several rifles, pistols, revolvers, swords and bombs. They both glanced at Kiara for assurance.

"Alright, Luna is pleased to do business with you," said Kiara. She shook hands with the man. Xander looked at them as if to say something. He looked hesitant.

"Madam Serena has paid the price. We've tied up loose ends of the deal" Kiara pat the man's shoulder with amusement in her eyes. With the man's reaction alone, it was clear that he didn't trust Serena Altair. Xander gave her a satisfied smile.

The girls made their way to Lucy's car with Xander's minions behind them, carrying the heavy bags. Lucy opened the car boot. Xander's minions placed the bags inside the car. Once the bags were secured, Lucy mumbled her thanks. Even assassins were taught basic courtesy.

The girls got in the car. Lucy drove them back to Luna's base. They took off their sunglasses and masks.

"I hate doing missions in the morning, it's a drag. The weather is hot and bright" Tasha sighed. She tried to rest her head on Laura's shoulder. Laura shoved her away aggressively with an annoyed expression. Tasha pouted and leaned against the window instead.

The car was silent. The girls were all occupied with their own thoughts. Lucy drove carefully, and suddenly her car was hit from the behind. They all jolted forward from the harsh impact. Kiara hit her shoulders on the dashboard as she managed to save herself in the last minute. The back of Lucy's Mercedes was crushed.

"Shit, what kind of bastard-"

"Ugh, I don't have time for this-" Lucy's words interrupted Tasha's cussing.

"Oh, it's them again?" said Laura when she saw two men get out of the white Porche. "What's the matter with those fuckers?" Tasha gritted her teeth. Kiara and Lucy got out of the car. Lucy's face turned red with anger. Her beloved car was smashed. It was the worst day ever.

Lucy tried her best to hold back her fury. She has the power and the skills to end the culprit's life right there and then but killing in the middle of the road means their identities will be exposed. She'll definitely get fired from Luna. The two men walked towards them.

"It's you?" said the man simultaneously with Kiara. Lucy stepped between Kiara and Evan. "You're Evan, right? What's your problem?" Lucy crossed her arms to avoid her fists from landing on the

"Sorry, I'm the one at fault. I was in a hurry" said Shawn. Lucy averted her attention towards the other man. "Oh, are you the one who's driving? If you're not a good driver, don't even dream about taking over the road" Lucy spat bitterly.

"He said he's sorry, didn't he?" said Evan with a frown. "Is that all you got to say?" said Lucy fiercely. Evan rolled his eyes, he couldn't understand women. There's no reason to be dramatic about this situation.

"I'm sorry that I crashed your car. I'll send it to an automobile repair shop and pay for the damages of your car" Shawn gave Lucy an apologetic smile. "That's more I like it," Lucy smirked.

Kiara glanced at Laura and Tasha who were standing outside the car. They removed the bags and plastic bags containing their clothes from the car. Lucy took her car keys and gave them to Shawn.

"Take care of my precious baby. I'll kill you if something happens to it" threatened Lucy. Lucy walked back towards her friends but her hand was grabbed by Shawn.

"Your phone number? You know, if the car is fixed, how am I going to tell you?" Shawn's eyes gleamed with hope. Lucy squinted her eyes in annoyance but she had no choice to give her number to the stranger.

While the two of them exchange numbers, Evan walks towards the other girls to make sure they're okay. "The bags look heavy, do you want help?" said Evan.

"No need, why do you like getting your nose into other people's business?" replied Kiara coldly. Evan looked at Kiara in disbelief. How stubborn can the woman be? "I just want to help," said the man.

"I don't need your help" Kiara had to be harsh towards him so that they wouldn't be caught carrying weapons. Kiara and Evan stared at each other in frustration. Tasha skipped over towards Shawn.

"Thank you for your help" Tasha gave him a kind smile. Tasha fake friendly demeanor irritated Laura and Lucy the most especially when they're on a mission. Instead of going for a straight clean kill, Tasha prefers to toy with the victim's feelings.

"No problem it's my fault in the first place. How are you going to head back? Do you want a ride?" Shawn returned her smile.

"That won't be necessary, our friend is on his way" said Laura monotonously. She felt uneasy with the hate Kiara and Evan emitted between them.

Shawn nodded his head and informed the two of his friends who were sitting in the car about the situation. Then, he and Evan got back to Lucy's car.

"Don't worry, I'll call you" Shawn winked at Lucy. Lucy's eyes widened and she scowled. Evan and Shawn get into Lucy's car and leave. The girls sighed in relief.

"That was a close call" Tasha slicked back her bangs.

"I called Izz, he'll pick us up," said Laura. They all waited at the side of the road, which was an awkward and uncomfortable place to wait. They had no choice, they can't carry the suspicious bags into a business premises.

A few minutes later, a blue car arrived. Izz got out of the car and helped the girls put the black bags into the boot of the car. They all got in the car and sighed in relief. The cool air conditioned lifted their stress. Kiara rode shotgun like she always did. The others sat in the back. The girls were really grateful that Izz arrived on time to cover them.

"Where do you get the car? Luna only owns black and silver cars" said Kiara with curiosity in her eyes. "I was chased by a spy earlier, so I switched cars with a friend of mine to get rid of the tail" said Izz.

"Did you manage to lose the tail?" said Lucy.

"I did. After I changed the car, I sped up to get the bastard off me. Suddenly there's a bitch crossing the road. Luckily, I managed to avoid her or not I'll get caught"

The girls perked up in realization. Tasha closed her eyes as Lucy rubbed her temple in disbelief. Laura patted Izz's shoulder.

"Izz" Laura shook her head.

"Yes?" answered Izz without taking his eyes off the road.

"Kiara was the bitch" said Laura. Izz's eyes widened and he glanced at Kiara. Kiara grit her teeth and restrained herself from beating the crap out of the guy. Izz was driving so their lives were in his hands. "Fuck, sorry about that" said Izz slowly. He gave Kiara an apologetic look.

When they arrived at the base, a few of Luna's men waited at the entrance. They took the bags of weapons from Lucy's car and headed to the private arsenal. The five assassins walked towards the elevator.

"Before I forgot, there's a client that wants to meet you tonight at his company. His name is Max Hudson" said Izz.

"Max Hudson, brother of the deceased Charles Hudson?" Lucy asked for confirmation. "Yes, him. I'm surprised no clients ever want to contact us for the second time. Is he not satisfied with our service?" Izz scratched his head in confusion.

"What does he want?" said Tasha.

"I don't know, my job is just to inform you," said Izz.

When they arrived at the main lobby, Izz headed towards Madam Serena's office. The four girls returned to their respective dorms. Kiara remembered that Bella asked for help to arrange the files. She went to the file room. She caught Bella at the hallway.

"Right on time. I thought you've forgotten about it" said Bella with a smile. Bella access card on the door. The door became unlocked and they entered the room.

"Kiara, can you tidy up that side of the room. I want to compile new members' files" said Bella. Kiara walked towards the middle section of the room. Kiara silently despised this 'chore'. She found no motives in keeping hardcopy files when they have all the softcopy in the database.

While she was arranging the files alphabetically, she saw files about herself. She has never seen the file with her name on it. She was very curious, what could possibly Luna hide from her? Kiara watched Bella who was too focused on her job. When Bella turned her back on her, Kiara flipped the file open. She read the info one by one.

Full name: Kiara

Working period: 2014 until now

Background: The daughter of Ace and Diamond. Met at-

Kiara stopped reading. She couldn't believe what was stated in the file. Luna didn't know what her full name was, let alone herself. It's impossible for her to be Ace's daughter. Seriously, Ace the infamous traitor. Diamond? Who's that?

"Kiara, are you done? There's other files I need help with" Bella asked. Kiara continued to close the file and store it on the shelf. Kiara felt furious and betrayed. Why didn't anyone from Luna tell her this? Madam Serena was her legal guardian, why did she keep this away from her?

It's time for Kiara to have a word with her so-called 'mother'.

***

At 11pm, Kiara, Lucy, Laura and Tasha gathered at Luna's garage. Laura wore a dark gray hoodie. Lucy wore a knee-length jacket. Tasha wore a black jacket and maroon scarf. Kiara is wearing a black leather jacket. The pendant she wore was hidden behind her shirt's collar. They all wear face masks and climb on their motorbikes. The girls wasted no time and immediately headed to their desperate client's company.

"When does Mr. Hudson owns a company?" Tasha asked.

"His brother is dead, he is the rightful successor to the company. Silverwater is his now" said Laura. Tasha just smiled.

They stopped in front of the Silverwater building. Lucy and Kiara's sheathed sword were tied around their waists.

"Dark and Crystal, wait at the roof of that building. We need backup. If they try to do something stupid, shoot them" Lucy pointed to the nearest building. Laura and Tasha nod their heads and rush towards the other building. Lucy and Kiara took long strides toward Silverwater and entered the building. Two bodyguards guide them to the 20th floor. Kiara saw the symbol of the sun on the bodyguards' suit. They entered an office.

Kiara glanced around the office and silently judged the interior design. It was too bland for her taste. Lucy stared straight on towards the old man sitting in a chair with an unsatisfied look. The assassins took note of the man's paled complexion and his fidgeting hands. Mr. Hudson was paranoid. The girls smiled in amusement behind their masks. Six bodyguards, including those who guided them, entered the office and stood at the door.

"We don't have other business with you so what do you want?" said Lucy.

"What's the meaning of this?" said Mr. Hudson. He threw a letter on the table but it missed and landed on Kiara's feet. Kiara picked up the piece of paper and read silently.

'This is not over. This is just the beginning. We know who you are. We will meet again'

The paper was crumpled and words were written with red ink. Kiara caught a whiff of metallic smell. It's not red ink, it's dried blood. Kiara's eyes twitched and she passed the letter to Lucy.

"That's a threatening letter, in case you don't know," Kiara stated calmly. She was sure it wasn't a work of Luna's assassins. Luna doesn't do threatening letters, especially those that are written in blood for dramatic effect.

"Whoever wrote that, wants to kill me!" Mr. Hudson said with a trembling voice. Lucy folded the letter neatly and put it in her back pocket. She scratched her eyebrow in an annoyed manner.

"That's not our problem, you're the one who carelessly searched for hitmen online" said Lucy mockingly.

"It's not my fault" the man shrieked paranoidly.

"We've kept our end of the bargain, this is not in our line of work" Kiara asked.

"I want you to work under me," said Mr. Hudson.

"We work with Madam Altair," said Kiara. She's starting to lose her patience. At this point, she didn't know why they wasted their time on this crazy man.

"But I need someone to protect me," said Mr.Hudson. Kiara and Lucy laughed softly. Seems like the man was not really wise. No one who's in their right mind would hire a hitman to protect him.

"I need the strength of someone who is strong and has no mercy" said Mr. Hudson. He thought that reason was enough to justify his pleas for the assassins to protect him. Lucy glanced at the bodyguards who worked their ass off protecting this pitiful man.

The girls had enough and walked towards the door to leave but were stopped by two bodyguards.

"You will work with me, whether you are willing or not" Mr. Hudson slammed his hands on the table as a sign of protest. Obviously, the old man was in fear just because of a threatening letter.

"This is a child's game" Lucy said slowly like the man couldn't understand a word she's said.

Kiara ran and jumped on Mr. Hudson's desk. She unsheathed her sword and pressed the blade on the man's neck.

"We kill people for a price. We have a right to deny a request and most importantly, we work for no one other than Madam Altair herself" said Kiara firmly.

Mr. Hudson took the gun out of his drawer and shot Kiara in the shoulder. Kiara fell off the table from the impact. Kiara grunted loudly, she couldn't believe she didn't see that coming. The bodyguards began to attack them. Lucy unsheathed her sword and grabbed Kiara harshly by the arm until the girl stood up on both her feet.

"You can't kill me. You have to get through them first!" Mr. Hudson smiled pretentiously. Lucy and Kiara dodge the bodyguards' attack. Suddenly, three of the six bodyguards fell. They were shot repeatedly by an unknown shooter. The window shattered due to bullets shot from outside of the building. Kiara and Lucy finish off the remaining bodyguards.

Mr. Hudson paled in fear. Kiara walked towards the shaken man. Blood dripping from her blade. Kiara rubs off the blood stain on her cheek with her sleeves.

"You should think twice if you want to fight people like us," said Kiara threateningly. Mr. Hudson walked backwards until he was trapped on the wall.

"You are not human. Humans have feelings and compassion" said Mr. Hudson. Kiara's eyes gleamed with menace. A man who murdered his own brother for fortune has no right to tell her about compassion.

"You're right. I'm not human" said Kiara. She swung her sword and decapitated Mr. Hudson's head. Blood splashed across the white wall creating patterns too gory for a normal human being to witness. The headless fresh corpse slumped down on the floor. Kiara wiped her blade clean on the dead man's shirt.

The office was filled with the smell of blood. Lucy and Kiara walked around the corpses and carefully watched their step so they wouldn't leave red footprints. They quickly left the building. Outside the building, Laura and Tasha are waiting for them.

"Why did he attack suddenly?" Laura asked.

"Are you alright?" Tasha faced Kiara.

"I'm fine, I wear a vest. Anyway, the man was crazy, he got this letter" said Kiara. Lucy gave the letter to Laura and Tasha.

"What is this symbol?" Tasha asked. Lucy and Kiara raised their eyebrows. They didn't notice the symbol when they read it in the office. Tasha pointed at the symbol. It was a ring with three horizontal lines.

"I don't think the letter is for him ..." said Kiara and the others just looked at her in curiosity.

"What do you mean?" asked Laura.

"I think the letter is actually for us, this is the logo of Eclipse" Kiara continued.

"So, someone managed to track us, and they know something," said Laura.