Hitman Half-Life

Entrée

Peering through his binoculars, Panther watched the entrance of the club like a hawk. The line outside the entrance snaked along the footpath disappearing into the dark shadows of background. Panning his binoculars he focused on the glowing entrance, which its pulsating sign that kindled the burning embers of lights that danced inside it. They flickered wildly from blue, to red, to green, to yellow in an unbridled passionate pattern. Upholding the entrance like two pillars were two bouncers dressed in dark suits. Then, a blurred shadow raced across Panther's view. He zoomed out and refocused. A short man with long curly hair that curtained his head and red suited shoulders. His plain of hair was marred by bald patch that shone in the night, ignited by the dancing lights. Dropping his binoculars he reached into the backseat and pulled out a large black sports bag. He unzipped and removed from inside a large, dark and sleek object that was almost the size of the bag itself. He unfolded the tripod dangling on the bottom and rested on the seat. He flicked on a switch and listened as the object purred lightly, indicating it was on. He peered into the end. The street lit up and was dark no more. The super cooled IR sensor picked up every waft of body heat. The snake that was the line was no longer, but became a dancing fire. Focusing on the entrance again, he noticed each bouncer and the short man had a dark patch on their left torsos. Too small to be pistols, he thought.

     "Hey you two, keep your eyes open. You know why..." the short man said.
     "Don worry 'bout it," one of the bouncers replied.
     "Listen up you prick. After yesterday the whole fucking pack will be after us. Just hope they haven't found out who it was!!"
     "Yeah alright, alright".

Panther flicked off the switch on the IR sight, and tossed it into the back seat. He stepped out of his Chevrolet Impala and silently closed the door. He brushed off with his hand his Ralph Lauren suit, and straightened out the large collars on his shirt. He opened his jacket and checked his two pens were there in his pocket. Looking back up he stridded towards the entrance.

* * *
     "End of the line pal," rasped the bouncer.
     "Hey, Vinnie!?! It's me, don't you remember? It's Gordon...well???" Panther replied as he flicked out a wad of cash containing $100 in one fluid motion ready for a handshake. The bouncer started at Panther's hand for a moment. "Oh....yeah. Gordie!!! go right in but hold up we gotta check ya".
     "No problem Vinnie".
     He motioned the other bouncer. "Hold out you arms," he ordered. He patted him down finding nothing.
     "What's in the jacket?". He opened his jacket. Nothing again. "The pocket...". He pulled out two pens and a piece of paper. "Think you'll get lucky tonight?" jeered "Vinnie" as he motioned him to go in.
     Panther smiled. "Always"

     The lights danced even more furiously inside on the dance floor. Their stage was a sea of bodies that lapped against the edges in an fickle pattern, yet the loud beating of the synthesized motioned the sea to move like a drummer leading his army. Panther let his eyes sway from the bodies and ride the stairs that led up to second floor. The second floor was a thin gallery that overlooked the dance floor, and circled two thirds of the club. It was framed by a glass barrier. Hugging it were tables for two. Below was a large a bar where bodies were dotted across the counter. He moved his eyes back up and found the short man again. He watched him as he handed out a crumpled yellow envelope to thin yet well built man dressed in a gray suit. Then they both leaned back and started talking.
     "Hey honey you seem a little bored," a voice whispered. He turned around moving his eyes towards the voice. He looked at the woman that was standing there. She was wearing the cliché short black dress, and had her voluptuous legs formed upwards into a likewise torso. He shoulders were covered by long deep brown hair. "No, not really just searching for my target," he replied gazing into her green eyes.
     "And have you found it yet?"
     "I don't know, you tell me. Have I?". He grinned, and raised an eyebrow.
     "Let's go find out...". She smiled back.
     "I'll take a raincheck". He winked and turned back around, when a movement caught his eyes. A large burly man was walking into the bathroom. A bodyguard, he thought. "It's play time," he whispered to himself an he put on his single piece red lens glasses.

     The bathroom was quite well furnished. Blue green marble tiles filled the whole room, and the cubicles where likewise colored. He noticed all eight were engaged. He waited at the door. Then he noticed a cubicle opening at the end. It was the bodyguard. Panther coolly walked up and stood next to the bodyguard. He watched as he ran his hands through running water and bent over to rinse his face. Panther reached into his jacket and removed one of the pens. He clicked. Then he swiftly brought it down on the bodyguard's neck. The bodyguard tried to scream but the neurotoxin was already working. His large and well built body crumpled into the floor. He stared at the ceiling. He tried to move his eyes but he couldn't. He tried to breathe but the couldn't. He tried to shuffle his body it didn't heed his orders. Then he saw man leaning over him. His short gelled black hair shone in the well lit room. The dark olive skin was broken up by two brown eyes. He then produced a pen. He darted the pen into his neck. His vision blurred and faded into black.

     The neurotoxin had worked. Panther was gambling with such a small amount but he didn't want any dead bodies around. The bodyguard would be out for a least an hour with the amount of tranquilizer he gave him but that was plenty of time. He searched through the man. He found an MP5K-PDW in a shoulder holster with two thirty round magazines. Looking further he found a suppresser. He checked his legs and found a Para-Ordnance P10-45. This bodyguard wasn't leaving anything to chance, Panther thought. He put the weapons on himself and dragged the body back into the cubicle and sat him on the toilet. Then he walked back out into the dance floor.

     Looking up he saw his target still sitting on the same table. This time he was alone. Panther began to scan he surroundings. He found a dark spot were no lights trespassed. He slowly stridded into that spot. He turned around and looked at his target. Panther was now blanketed in black hiding him from curious eyes. At this point he pulled out the MP5K-PDW and unfolded the stock. He then slowly affixed the suppresser onto the muzzle. He slowly brought his weapon up focusing on the front sight and letting the back sight align itself. Suddenly, he realised that the sights were out of alignment. He twisted the rear cylindrical sight to its proper gradation. He brought the weapon up and re-aimed. This time he squeezed the trigger. Five audible clicks and a puff off smoke emerged from the gun. He watched through the PDW's diopter sight as the man disappeared downwards from his view leaving a streak of blood.

The man felt nothing. The five 9x19mm 147 grain Jacketed Hollow Point ripped apart the man's brain. The bullets entered the left side of his skull. They punched into his brain shredding it as the shards of broken bone darted into his cerebrum. Then they continued into his brain stem leaving a gaping chasm as they stopped as the mushrooming induced drag.

Panther lowered his weapon, unscrewed the suppresser and folded the stock in one fluid motion. He quickly holstered it. Then a quite shrill pierced the air. Panther figured that no one had heard the shots. Although the suppresser didn't silence the shot, it did make the subgun sound something other than a gunshot. "Now for the egress," he thought.

     It was a mess on the dance floor. The guards had secured the entrances and exits. People were running everywhere. The music had stopped. Panther had to think. He darted his head around. Two at one entrance. Two at another. Three guarding the last one. "Time to improvise," he concluded. He looked back at where he shot from. Damn. All the lights were on. "Damn damn damn!" he swore. The guards started weaving through the crowd telling everyone to get on the floor. He had to act now. He took a deep breath.

     "Here goes nothing". He coolly walked over to the bar. The bartenders were nowhere to be seen. He scanned the black granite bar. He looked around to make sure no-one was watching. Then he flipped over the bar and then positioned himself prone. There were a couple of taps dispensing beer, but he wasn't looking for those. Bingo. A lighter. He grabbed two large bottles of gin. The undid the bottle caps and pulled out his notepad. He place all three on the floor. He reached into his pockets in his pants. "Yes!!!" He had some left over gum. He removed all the sticks from the packet and began chewing them all. He chewed and chewed. "Come on you pieces of shit, soften up already", he thought as he chewed. When they were ready he grabbed the note pad. He tore off a piece of paper. Reaching into his mouth he removed a wad of the gum. He rolled up the paper into a stick shape and punched one end through the wad of gum. Then he placed on the mouth of the bottle making sure the bottom end of the paper was in the gin. He now had himself an albeit inefficient Molotov Cocktail. He repeated the procedure on the other bottle. "Now...", he thought as he grabbed four more bottles this time an assortment of vodka and whiskey. He lit the two Molotovs. He held two by the neck between his fingers in one hand and the same in the other. Then he lit the other two bottles. Hastily, he sprang and threw all four bottles at the guards near the main entrance. Just as quickly he grabbed the Molotovs and threw them. BOOM! BOOM! The Molotovs had exploded just before hitting the ground.

     He then somersaulted over the bar and simultaneously pulled out the MP5K-PDW. The whole entrance was now on fire. All three guards we alight like torches. Panther sprinted straight towards the entrance. He noticed there were three other guards outside who were stunned. Then he dived through the entrance hoping to miss the burning flames. He swooped past the guards, missing the flames, landed and rolled, then quickly spun around on his back and emptied the magazine in an arc. All the guards immediately dropped. He shot back up again and ran for his Impala. He looked back, and saw cloud of thick beautiful white smoke shoot through the entrance. They had put out the fire. He dropped the subgun and pulled out the P10-45. The first guard that emerged from the smoke took a 45 ACP 230 grain JHP to the head. Panther had now reached his car. Unlocking it, opening the door, and pulling out a red sports bag he shouted, "now for some real firepower!!!". He unzipped the bag and removed a FAMAS Shorty. It was already loaded. He pulled the cocking handle and aimed. Two guards again emerged firing blindly. Panther tapped a three round burst into both of them. Blood shot out like a geyser in each wound, staining the crisp white shirts, with a crimson red colour.

     "What the hell is going on out there?!!" John screamed.
     "We're getting fucking hammered!!! James, and the guys that went with him are rotting on the bloody street now," Brad answered.
     "This ain't worth risking our arses for. Fuck this shit!!!". John and James then proceeded to run back inside. "Stay the fuck inside". All the guards lowered their weapons. "Clear out this joint...".

Panther jumped into his car. He started up the engine and immediately took off in a orgy of smoke and noise. He laughed, "Walk in the park".