The Zodiac Assassins

Chapter 9

10 days till DdM

We watch them leave. A small aircraft, as small as they go, only big enough for the six of them and some luggage, shoots off the end of the runway and vanishes into the clouds. It's foggy and looks like it's about to rain, making me wish that I was going with them. Taurus is polishing his gun which, somehow, he got past security when we said we wanted to watch our friends leave. Not that I would really class them as friends. More... accomplices.

"So" Scorpio says as we turn to wander back inside, into the warmth of the airport. "Now they're gone, we need to get down to business. There are less of us so it should be easier to reach a decision or summit like that."

Aries grunts.

"Personally, I think we should do some kind of weird concoction with venom and poison" Cancer says, rubbing her hands together, bending her fingers back so she doesn't catch her nails. "We'll then give the syringe with the potion inside to Aries, who can beat the living crap out of him, whilst Taurus kills all the guards and anyone who comes close, and then inject him with it. When your done with that, you can chop him open. Then, you get out of there kind of quick and we let Aquarius blow up the building."

Aquarius whoops happily.

"And if it fails"

"We'll send in Gemini."

"Finally" I mutter.

No one responds. We get deep inside the airport and security increases so it isn't safe to talk about how to kill someone. Just before the gates, there is a WHSmith's store, newspapers coating the box standing out front. Aries takes one look at them, swoops down and grabs one.

"Oh my God" she says, staring at it. She continues walking alongside us, way past the shop, staring at the front page.

I roll my eyes. "What is it?"

She flips it round so that we can all see. "I made the front page!"

There is a blurry picture, no idea how or when it was taken, of Aries standing over a couple of the guards corpses, the knife in her hand, dripping blood. It's a good photo and she's got her back to the camera, making it even better. The headline reads 'Multi-Millionaire Gordon Ellis Attempted Assassination at Ellico'.

"This is... this is fantastic guys it's... fantastic. They spelt assassination right and everything. Newspapers never get that right. Too busy crowing over the new royal baby" Aries shakes the newspaper in our faces. "Front page. They got the information right and everything and... ahh yes... they even described how those guards were killed. This is just..."

"Fantastic?" Scorpio suggests. "I think I get that now."

"It's brilliant" Cancer cries, drawing a few odd looks from passers  by. "You go front page only a day after the event had happened and they didn't even get your face! That's even  better!"

Aries is grinning like she did in the building before killing the guards, like a psychopath. Maybe she can't smile in any other way but she's smiling all the same. It's not a good smile. Showing rows of gleaming, sharp, white teeth, a couple flecked with blood as if she didn't brush last night, and drawing back pink lips so they're so thin they can't be seen, or when they can, they're such a light colour, her pale skin looks dark.

Scorpio kicks open the door in front of us, sighs and drops his foot.

"Sir, please can you not do that" an attendant says, taking hold of his arm. "You're disrespecting airport property."

"Shut up" he says, shaking her hand off, jumping on the stair rail and sliding down it.

"Sir please, don't disresp..."

"Taurus shoots her"

Taurus laughs and takes out his gun, pointing it across the top of the steps at her. "Your blood will look pretty on these horrible, pale, grey steps."

The attendant screams and a couple of what looks like officials come running.

Taurus laughs even harder, pulling the gun away. "Relax, it's not even real. Okay it is but it isn't loaded. I'll prove it." He moves it up to his head and fires. The attendant screams again but nothing happens. "See, empty". He pockets it and strides down the steps, hands in pockets, still laughing.

"We'll get the police on you" one of the officials shouts"

"Yeah go for it" Taurus replies, throwing one arm in the air, showing he couldn't care less. "My friend will cut your organs outta your body"

Aries unsheaths her knife and lickes the point of it, grinning her psychopathic grin and showing them the newspaper. "Front page I got see."

The officials stare, horrified and the attendant faints. Scorpio has his green syringe out again and is pressing the bottom every so often, pushing up a little bit of the liquid inside. "Now don't go blabbing your silly little heads about this" he says, pointing the syringe at them. "Or I may just put this stuff inside of you. Or, we may just blow the entire building up, you inside."

Aquarius waves, happy to have been mentioned.

"Who the hell are you people?"

I shrug and turn around. "We're assassins miei amici."

Cancer waves one hand, flicking her super sharp nails up and down. We carry on walking, away from the airport and towards the van that's sitting alone in the distance outside a Tescos.

"We're calling the cops" one of the officials says, picking up the attendant and backing towards the door.

"And we'll cut off you oxygen supply" Cancer shouts.

I bow low. "Or we'll just poison you straight off. I hear Arscenis is very easy to come by this time of year." I fix them with a knowing look. "As I say, we're assassins. It's what we do."