Our next missions were much less dangerous than our first Op. Turns out, if you plan to assault every gang that did not want to submit to you, it was best to do so at the same time. All over the LA outskirts, every gang openly hostile to the Sentai and Undertakers was assaulted by teams of appropriate strength.

On the 1st of December 2127, that Monday morning between 6:30 am and 7:30 am all their opposition was utterly crushed.

This sent a very clear message to all the gangs that were still on the fence. Submit or die.

That did not result in an end to the violence, but rather a more covert approach. Assassinations and disappearances continued throughout the day.

Our team had one target too, a retired Sentai gangster who openly opposed the current events and wielded too much influence. Considering this would be a one-man job and we had other tasks to go through we split up.

We did a few games of rock, paper, scissors to determine who would have to go do the deed. Revy was excluded, she was too young for this.

Unfortunately, I ended up picking the short straw this time. I was on kill duty.

Going back to being a solo like in my early mercenary days made me uneasy. I realized how many things I took for granted. Having someone watching my back that I could trust, the small talk that would steady my nerves, being surrounded by people that truly understood you because they too went through the same scarring shit you did.

Unnerved as I was, I made a big mistake.

Instead of just shooting the old man from afar with my longbow and moving on like a good assassin, I decided to investigate the man. If I was going to murder someone in cold blood, I at least wanted to know who I was killing...

Is what I was thinking in my muddled state of mind.

I removed my camo vest and pants, switching to my civvies. I drove towards the old gangster’s house. The streets were eerily quiet, traces of gunfights could be spotted throughout much of my path. The silence would be interrupted by the occasional nondescript vehicle, most likely carrying mercs and gangsters to their next job.

Far too quickly I arrived at my destination.

He lived alone in one of the nicer districts. His home was a single-floor house of Japanese design, with a small pond of koi fish that swam in slow circles. The old man was feeding the fish by the pond, his back was to me. He was wearing traditional Japanese clothing.

After a moment of deliberation, I broke into his house. Despite being incredibly stupid I left my shoes by the entrance, as is tradition in a Japanese home. I looked for any computers and storage devices but couldn’t find any. What I did find were physical pictures and letters.

The image they painted of my target was not to my liking.

The old man had clearly turned a page from his days in the underworld.

He looked old. He had a tanned wrinkled face, balding white hair, and a full beard. A person that looks this old is something you don’t see often amongst those better off.

He looked like any caring grandparent out there spending time with his grandchildren. There was a picture of him smiling proudly next to a well-dressed young man. One where he was holding a child. Another, where he was surrounded by many young men and women who shared similar features.

I stopped looking at the pictures and put them back where I found them.

I turned to the letters.

Surprisingly his family turned out to be regular civilians, despite the old man being an influential member of one the biggest gangs in LA.

A rich grandparent whose fortune was built with the blood of countless innocents is what someone more cynical would say. However, if I couldn’t believe in second chances I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.

I had no desire to kill the man, but if I didn’t do it someone else would. The only thing I could control was how the man died.

I walked outside and stopped at a respectful distance next to the old man.

He did not look at me, he kept feeding the fish. After a while, he spoke up in a clear voice with a slight Japanese accent.

“Thank you for having taken off your shoes.”

I did not know what to say to that, nothing seemed appropriate.

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I stayed silent for a second and then said. “Sir –“

“Cut the sir.”

I started again. “Why did you oppose Sentai openly? I don’t think you are naïve enough to believe they would leave you alone if you did.”

The old man threw the rest of the feed into the pond. The koi fish started to clash against each other to take the last morsels. He looked up at the dark, cloudy sky. His hands behind his back.

“They’ve grown too tall to see what they once stood for.”

Before I could ask what that was, he continued.

“They initially stood for everyone in their district.

As the gang grew, they stood for their members.”

His gaze lowered to the fish fighting each other for food.

“Now they are corrupted by their power, making them greedy for more. This space race has them taking by force what they could have taken with patience.”

He closed his eyes.

I still did not see how that answered my question, but I let the silence grow between us.

He opened his eyes and spoke.

“I wanted them to remember, I went to the current leadership, many of whom I trained myself, and I reminded them of our core values. While they showed respect, I could tell that they were dismissing my words as the ramblings of an old fool.”

My eyebrows shot up, if this man was as important as he claimed to be, there was no way an order to eliminate him would be sent. I was about to ask what the hell was going on, but the man beat me to it.

“You must be wondering why they would send a kill order. They did not.”

“I did."

“They can ignore my words, but they cannot ignore my last wish.”

I blinked. “Why do all this?”

He slowly turned to look at me for the first time.

“What is your name, young man?”

“Jack.”

“Jack, do you have people you love? People for whom you would do anything, to keep them safe?”

“I do.”

“So do I.”

He paused for a moment and then continued. “I do not have much time left. When I am gone, I do not wish for my grandchildren to be protected by an organization that values power over their own people.”

After a second of silence, I couldn’t help but ask. “Why am I here?”

“If you are asking why, you specifically, it is but chance. I asked for a random mercenary team affiliated with Sentai. If you are asking why I do not kill myself, it is because” The old man hesitated “I lack the courage to do it.”

His words unnerved me. The old man was asking me to help kill him when there was no contract from Sentai.

He narrowed his eyes and spoke with a sharp tone.

“Would you feign such innocence as to claim that killing someone would discomfort you?”

I felt slightly cross at the question. “Who are you to know how I should feel? I might have killed many people during my job. Many probably didn’t deserve it, but their fate was sealed by a bloody contract. Your fate is yours alone.”

The old man studied me. “So, you will not kill me because there is no document from your employer telling you to do so? That is a low morale high ground you stand on, Jack.”

The words stung, but they didn’t make me falter.

“I do not act based on morality but based on my principles. Right now, I have no duty nor desire to help you in offing yourself. If you were honest about doing anything for those you love, you would not need me.”

The old man had no answer this time.

After a moment he began laughing. “You are truly ruthless, you remind me of myself in my younger days.” He let out a soft sigh and spoke. “Accompany this old man as he brews one last tea for himself.”

I understood what he meant, I nodded respectfully to his newfound determination. “What’s your name old man?”

“These days I go by the name of old Kai.”

Old Kai started walking towards the house, and I followed. He indicated the table by the kitchen. “Sit.”

I sat and watched in silence as old Kai boiled some water and got a genetically modified herb that was for a tea that, once drunk, would have you drift into a sleeping dreamless state one last time. The plant had a complicated scientific name, but common people would refer to its tea as the last tea. It was a peaceful way to die that couldn’t be afforded by most, considering its cost.

A few minutes passed during which old Kai brewed the tea, he then made his way to the table. He sat opposite me and poured the tea into the cup with a steady hand. He put the teapot aside and intertwined his fingers as he waited for the tea to cool.

I cannot say what gave him the courage he lacked. He looked calm, not like someone who had minutes left to live. Maybe my words reminded him of his resolve.

He picked up the cup, blew on the tea, and raised the cup in my direction.

“I said you reminded me of my younger self, but that is not a good thing.”

He then drank the tea, placed the cup down, and as his eyelids grew heavy, he spoke once more.

“If you wish to change, the first thing you need to do is forgive yourself.”

Those words hit me the hardest.

“I can’t” I whispered to no one.

I stood up from my seat, nodded one more time to the sleeping form of old Kai, and made my way to the door. With hands that were slightly shaking I wore my shoes and made my way out.

Alex was leaning on my car, arms crossed, waiting for me. I walked to her, she had a concerned look on her face.

“That bad, huh?”

“Not really –“

She closed the distance and gave me a tight hug. “Think I can’t tell after all these years?”

I hugged her back. The tension on my shoulders, which I didn’t notice until now, dissipated, allowing them to relax for the first time in what felt like forever.

We stayed like that for a while.

As we separated Alex asked. “You going to tell me what happened?”

“I’ll tell you on the way.”

We got in the car. I started driving to the next location.

During the drive, I told her “The target had orchestrated his own death, there was no contract from the higher-ups of Sentai. His death will apparently give value to some words he spoke to the Sentai Clan leadership. He seemed to be someone important. He eventually found the resolve to end himself.”

After I was done, Alex gave me a questioning look and spoke. “Knowing that it was something you could walk away from without consequence, what would have you done if he had not found the resolve to kill himself?"

“I would have left. The only reason I walked in there was because I figured he would die no matter what I did.”

After a pause, I added. “I’m surprised you had to ask.”

She looked away. “Sorry.”

“I’m sorry.” She whispered again.

I knew she was apologizing for something else this time.

“I’m sorry too,” I whispered back.

We rode the rest of the way silently.