Assassin's Retribution

By Jeffrey Jake

Assassin's Retribution is for a casual reader who likes a fast paced story with lots of action. It's the first book in the Assassin's series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jeffrey Jake
• Release date: Dec 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301548514

Jeffrey Jake

Jeff was born and raised in Missouri. Almost from the day he could walk, he was hooked on all types of fiction. From Star Trek and Space 1999, to Conan the Barbarian.For almost twenty years, Jeff thought about writing his own story. In July of 2012, he did just that. October 2012, Jeff published his short novel, Assassin's Retribution. What he found was that he had a love of writing that was stronger than he had first realized.With copies of Assassin's Retribution downloaded in the U.S., U.K., and Germany, Jeff has since published two short stories, A Dead Run and Martyr. His next novel is also underway. The Valiant Incident will be available in early 2013. Also in 2013, he plans to release the second book in the Assassin's series, Assassin's Redemption.Jeff's style of writing is what he calls "pulp fiction"; heavy on the action, light on philosophical characters. If you want an action packed read, his books are for you.

Book preview

Assassin’s Retribution

By Jeffrey R. Jake

Smashwords Edition

Assassin's Retribution is Copyright © 2012 by Jeffrey R. Jake. All rights reserved

www.jeffjake.com

Follow Jeff @ www.facebook.com/jeffreyrjake or on Twitter @MortisG187

Cover art by Derek Stevens www.derek-stevens.deviantart.com

Edited by Jane Best

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

DEDICATION

I would like to dedicate this book to my family. Without their support and encouragement I would not be where I am today. So, thanks to my dad, who taught me that imagination is a good thing and encouraged me to use mine. To this day, my dad sparks and fans the flames of my imagination. Thanks to my mom who supports me in everything I do (even if I'm wrong…LOL). Whatever I set my mind to, mom would tell me that I could do it and do it well. She is the ultimate cheerleader and my biggest fan. Thank you to my beautiful wife. I don't even know where to start. She has put up with me for almost 19 years, along with all the hair-brained ideas, being broke, ALL my hobbies...ALL of it. She sometimes will give me the eye roll, but then tells me to go for it: maybe shaking her head a bit at her 41-year-old kid. So, it's no surprise when out of the blue I tell her I think I want to write a book and she says, Go for it. I can't imagine life without her. She is my best friend and the love of my life. Next, I have to thank my two children, Alyssa and Matthew. Wow, they have had to put up with one crazy dad. I mean; I put a capital ‘G’ in the word Geek. But even though I'm not the coolest dad and certainly have lost my temper over the years, they still love me and give me encouragement. They have given me so much joy and enriched my life more than words can say. Thanks to my friends that I made suffer through the reading of this book as I put it together. I appreciate the input that they had to offer. Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't give thanks to God. Without Him, I would be nothing. Because of Him, I have wonderful parents, a beautiful wife, awesome kids, great friends, and an imagination to bring you this story. Thank you for reading this. I hope you enjoy it.

PROLOGUE

In the centuries to come, the face of our world will not look the same. Wars, famines, plagues, and natural disasters will destroy nations and create new ones in their place. Over time, even these new nations will fall into anarchy. Eventually, all the governments of the world will fail. What remains are warlord states and areas controlled by massive companies that position themselves for the fall of the world’s governments. Money systems crash and technology, information, food, and supplies become the new currency. As populations are decimated, they start to group together for protection. The warlords and companies build huge, walled settlements to protect themselves and the people that have become their allies.  For years, these groups fight and raid each other for precious supplies. The area between the walled cities becomes a wasteland, an area that is teeming with vile criminals and exiles. Eventually a sort of truce between the groups is reached. While each faction is still hostile toward the other, they do agree to set up common infrastructure. Communications and data networks are set up between cities.  A money system is put in place. Some technology is even shared. Law and order is left to the individual cities, and no form of government is reinstated. The only laws are the ones that the people in charge of the cities make, which in some cases means none at all.  Humanity begins to rebuild and pulls itself from the brink of oblivion.

In the decades that follow, massive walled city-states grow where major cities once stood. All manner of technological advances takes place.  Advances in weapons, energy, building materials, armor, medicine, and computers all grow by leaps and bounds. These advances kick off a new type of arms race with each faction trying to have the best technology. This new arms race quickly becomes bloody, only not in an open and highly destructive way. The new war is fought through espionage and assassination. Companies and warlords use spies and assassins to gain the upper hand in the race for the latest technology. It’s through this race for better technology, better spies, and better assassins that a breakthrough occurs - cybernetic implants. No one knows for sure who first used implants to give their spies and assassins the upper hand but one thing is for sure, the genie is out of the bottle. The lines between technology and humans begin to blur.  Now, 50 years later, there are very few who don’t have at least one implant.  In a world that will chew you up and spit you out, any advantage may mean the difference between life and death.

CHAPTER ONE

Natasha tightens her grip on the large caliber pistol. It is a custom-built 50-caliber handgun, balanced perfectly for her and coded to her cybernetic implants. The alley behind the bar is a perfect place to slip in unnoticed. She's wearing all black to blend with the shadows. The loose fitting cargo pants are cut to allow for unrestricted movement. The cuffs of the cargo pants are tucked into calf-high black boots. Her dark shirt fits tight, clinging to all her curves, but doesn't restrict motion. To help conceal the massive weapon she carries, she is wearing a full-length leather trench coat. The coat is lined with an anti-detection mesh that should prevent a door scanner from detecting the cumbersome handgun once it’s tucked in at the small of her back. Her red hair is pulled back into a ponytail that drapes between her shoulders.

She stuffs the 50-caliber into the holster. A breeze blows bits of paper and ruffles her coat, bringing with it the smells of the city. The alley door has a keypad entry, but it’s not a problem. Natasha presses her hacker to the side of the keypad. One...two...three seconds and she is greeted with a triple tone and the click of the lock. Glancing both ways to make sure no one is watching she slips into the back of the bar. The hallway is dimly lit. Two of the three bulbs flicker precariously on the verge of giving up their light, casting skittering shadows along the floor and wall. In here, the rhythmic thumping of the music from the dance floor can easily be heard. She can feel the music through the floor as it vibrates the dusty wood planks.

Natasha’s cybernetic implants begin feeding her the floor plan of the building. She moves to the door that leads to the bar. Opening the door just enough to slip through, she waits and watches to see if anyone is going to challenge her, but no one does. The pulsating music and lights make for good cover as she enters the room. Making her way over to the bar she scans her surroundings. The stage flashes and thumps as the semi-nude girls dance for the male customers, their neon body paint glowing in the black light. The smoke in the room hangs low. As she approaches the bar, she sees an open spot and moves to occupy it. It’s a good vantage point to watch the room. She orders a drink.

Her target is in the bar. That was confirmed by her agency. With a deliberate precision, she begins her search for Gregor. According to her contact, he was stealing some very sensitive material from a partner agency. Of course, her own investigation had turned up that he was also involved in child sex trafficking. Killing him will not be a problem. The enhanced lenses in her eyes cuts through the haze and filters out the lighting so she can clearly see everyone’s face. As she searches the bar with her eyes, the implants confirm that no cameras are functional in this area of the bar. The lack of security inside the bar is going to make things a lot easier. As she slowly sections off the bar, she spots her target off to her left.

Leaving her drink untouched, Natasha heads directly to her target. The bartender calls to her about her forgotten drink, but she ignores him. When she is 20 feet away from Gregor, her cyber implants detect that he is armed with a submachine gun. The two men standing beside the booth are also armed with pistols. This is interesting, considering they scan for weapons at the door and require them to be checked. This puts Natasha on even higher alert. The fact that they were allowed to retain their weapons could mean that this is a safe haven for Gregor’s activities. The two girls at his booth have his full attention. They continue to rub his shoulders and chest, whispering in his ear. However, when she is within 15 feet, all three men immediately turn and lock their eyes on her. The bodyguards waste no time and reach for their concealed weapons. Gregor starts to push the two girls away and reaches under his jacket for his weapon as well. It's a sure bet that they are wired with some of the same technology as Natasha. This is not a complete shock, but it will take away her element of surprise.

While this is a slight ripple in her plan, she is not worried. Natasha is certain her cybernetics are better than theirs. She triggers her adrenaline boost. The chip in her adrenal gland forces her body to dump three times the normal amount of adrenaline into her system. The kinetic wiring that weaves through her muscles energizes as every fiber of her body becomes 100 percent active and aware, and everything in the room slows. Every smell and every color explodes into vividness. Dust particles in the harsh light seem to stand still in time. The hairs on her body stand on end as her entire body becomes hypersensitive. From Gregor's perspective, it's as if Natasha is moving almost in a blur.

In one fluid motion she pulls her 50-cal from its holster. As soon as she grips the handle, the gun triggers her targeting chip and her handgun becomes an extension of her senses. The heads-up display in her vision automatically places target boxes around all three men and assigns a threat assessment. The bodyguard on the left rates an impressive 84 percent. He’s fast and has managed to clear his sidearm from its holster. It's likely he has some speed enhancing implants similar to hers. Unfortunately for the three, she has the drop on them.

She jerks the pistol left and receives a green box with a lock tone. The massive pistol cracks over the music. In her heightened state, she sees the shockwave leave the barrel of the gun. The thumb-sized round hits the man square in the chest. As the energy of the shell is transferred into his body, he is lifted off the ground and thrown backwards. In her peripheral vision, she sees the crowd begin to react to the noise of the gun. Before the first target’s feet leave the ground, Natasha has acquired the second bodyguard. For a second time, the gun jumps in her hand and once again a chest explodes as a 50-caliber round cuts through body armor, bone, and organs.

Now she swings her firearm to Gregor. She can feel the adrenaline burning off and her reflexes slowing. The boost can give a great advantage if used at the right time, but it never seems to last long enough. With most of the boost wasted on the bodyguards, it has given her target time to pull his submachine gun and level it at her. Natasha smiles, as Gregor is too late. Her third round slams into his forehead and leaves a macabre display on the wall behind him. The two girls scream and head for the front door, along with everyone else in the bar. Not wanting to be picked up on camera or seen by anyone in the clear light of the street, Natasha wheels around with the bottom of her coat flaring as she heads for the back door.

The hallway is still clear as she moves to the door and exits into the alley. She looks both ways and her night vision picks up nothing of concern, however, her enhanced hearing is picking up the wail of enforcer vehicles. She had been told to expect a rapid response, and she has to admit it is one of the best response times she has ever seen. Natasha flips open her communications unit and punches in three digits. She moves away from the door and deeper into the alley. As she moves to the back of