The Party Assassination!

The fog grew denser, covering the moon beneath it, swirling thickly around us. We had been waiting for more than an hour for John and Simon. Emma was condensing her breath against the cold window of the car and drawing random patterns, while I was humming along to the folk opera playing from the radio. Of course, we had to kill the time.

Without losing any more patience, I dialed John's number once again, the fourth time. Again a terrible ringtone began ringing, making me cringe. ‘How many times have I told him to change his goddamn ringtone!’, I complained to Emma. She burst into laughter. ‘It's so bad, we can even use it to torture someone’.

He was not picking up. I let out an exasperated sigh. Suddenly, a blue limousine braked before us, headlights on and shining brightly. ‘Finally!’, I said, letting out a relieved sigh. Simon, lavishly dressed in his tuxedo and a white tie, got out of the car, puffing a cigar, walking as though he was some prince. Following him was John, decently dressed in a navy blue suit and black tie. ‘Oh my god, they look so hot!', Emma squealed.

They both were wearing freshly shined shoes, completing their handsome look. Their hair was perfectly styled; I was sure that they both had been wasting their time in some luxurious saloon. "So what do you think?" Simon said as he opened the back door of my Toyota Vigo and made himself comfortable inside. ‘Well, you certainly look handsome tonight Sam.’ Emma gushed. ‘You also look gorgeous darling,’ He replied with a wink. ‘Sorry to disturb you two love birds here, but we have a job to do. It would be better if you planned your date another night.’ I interceded with a smirk.

They both blushed. ‘On a more important note, we are also late’, John took part in the conversation. ‘Oh so finally you have realized that we are LATE. We could have been at the Great Hall by now if you both weren't wasting time dressing yourselves up. Now keep quiet, and let’s do what we do best'. I took the steering wheel and drove across the rugged road, trying my best to avoid potholes.

It was difficult to drive in that thick fog and forested landscape. It seemed like a scene from a spy movie; four secret agents driving along a deserted road, on their way to carry out an important mission. I was confident we were going to get the job done, but I had a sinking feeling in my stomach. Maybe it was a spy movie, and maybe something bad really WAS about to happen. I shook my head, telling myself that I was just being paranoid. We were heading towards the Amsterdam Hall for the Christmas Eve celebrations; the largest and most exclusive event in the country.

Every year, it was attended by the President and the most important government officials of Germany. We had been fortunate to receive vip passes for the event via one of the government officials, a person whose allegiance lies with us. Oops! I shouldn’t have used the word ‘allegiance’. It creates an impression of conflict between two different groups.

Of course, we were not on a secret mission. Nor were we planning to assassinate anyone. I think I might have revealed too much information.

Anyways, we reached the Hall half an hour late, with the party already having begun. ‘Emma, at the main passage. Top floor is yours Simon. As for John, you'll be monitoring the security cameras.’ I defined the positions of everyone once again, before stepping out of the car. The security procedure was much more strict than what we had been prepared for. But that's where John's powerful contacts came in. It scarcely took him more than 5 minutes, and we were allowed to enter the Hall without the proper check-up. We were glad to know that the President was also late and no other government official had arrived.

We got plenty of time in our hands. According to the plan, we spread out to take our allotted duties. I think the story is becoming clearer as we are continuing, and there’s no need for me to provide some additional context.

The music was playing louder and everyone was cheering and cherishing the luxurious event; dancing on the floor and gulping on champagne, wine, beer, vodka, and some innocent one enjoying the lemonade. Well, this doesn’t mean that drinks were not allowed even though it was a government-organized event. The large Christmas tree was all set in the center of the hall, lavishly decorated with lights, odd socks, and some plastic balls and stars. I always hated Christmas and never took interest in helping my siblings in decorating the house when I was a child. A huge statue of Santa Claus was also adorned at one side of the hallway, attracting a large number of children accompanying their parents. The buffet was also richly served with Sauerbraten, Schweinshaxe, Rinderroulade, Bratwurst, and many more luxurious dishes. It was all a perfect party.

‘Cody, the president is about to approach in 15 minutes. Do you copy?’ a crazy voice banged in my ears through the wireless device. ‘Roger that cap, we have taken our positions.’ I mumbled. I was feeling bad because the party was going to be ruined, but we had to do our job. ‘John stop flirting with the girl! We are here on a mission.’ I rebuked through the microphone. It annoys me when someone misbehaves during the mission. ‘Steve, the President is entering’, Emma’s voice popped in my ears. ‘Okay everyone, get attentive’ I instructed all my members and came over the terrace to see the president entering.

The enormous door opened with a sudden thud, dramatically flinging in both directions. The president's bodyguards; four bald giant figures with thick mustaches, appeared inside. Following them was President, along with his country’s officials, and behind them were few more guards. The security was tighter than ever. Everyone was spectating the majestic entry with enthusiastic eyes.

The president was nicely dressed in a black suit, with an unbuttoned velvet coat. His large stomach was pushing against the shirt’s buttons and bulging out. President accommodated himself into his special reserved sitting area. This was the odd thing about the party this year. Every year president joins in with the local people and enjoys Christmas Eve, singing, and dancing. This year his presence was just formal participation.

‘All eyes on the president, guys.’, I instructed. I scanned the room for any suspicious activity. At once there was a loud noise. A gunshot. Emma fell on the ground, blood gushing out through her leg. 'Emma!' I yelled, rushing to her side. The bullet was buried deep inside her limb but I knew from experience that it wouldn't prove fatal. But the fact didn't suppress my rage. Angered, I took out my revolver and began firing. Soon there were gunshots from different corners of the hall and people were running frantically to save their lives.

I found a pillar to back against and aim at the guards. It didn’t take me long enough to take down all of them; I had lost my temper and I had to save Emma. Panic spread like wildfire in the party hall; people were shouting and crying. There was a huge mob on the porch. I ran towards Emma and trusted her with the incoming soldiers, entering the hallway after listening to the shots, to provide her the medical assistance. I had lost my wireless connection with John and Simon and they were both nowhere to be found.

I ran towards the president. He was hiding under a table in his sitting area. ‘Mr. President, are you okay?’ I inquired him. There was no physical damage to him or any government official. Though one of the president guards was down and, of course, Emma was also shot. ‘Everyone stay calm! The situation is under control!’, I bellowed to calm the people. There were five bodies lying around; me three of them killed by me. They all were dressed as the event security guards. We were successful. The president was safe.

I am an agent of the German FIS. I and my team was assigned to an underground mission to protect the president. It was suspected that enemies of the country were going to launch an attack against the president. The authorities received an anonymous tip that there was going to be an attempt to kill the president. Thus they hired the top security detail for him.

However, John and Simon betrayed me. They leaked classified information to the assassins which led them to target Emma. It has been three months since the incident and they both have still not been found. But if they are caught, nothing can save them from my wrath. Emma could have died. She has recovered from her injury but has to use a cane to move around.

I felt relieved, having fulfilled my duty, but the guilt of having ruined an important party still eats away at me.