Illusion

It was either me or him and I chose him. As soon as I saw him I knew that now was my final chance. I sprinted toward him. There was no other thought in my head except that it had to be done. Then the shot came, an agonizing scream, and a dull thud as his body hit the ground. That moment changed my life forever. I was a killer, once again.

Ten hours earlier, I would have never guessed what was about to happen. I had just landed at El Alto International Airport in La Paz, Bolivia. I was preparing for a relaxing stay at a cozy local beachside resort called Illusion. I saw a limo driver who had a sign with my name, Carlos Rolasc, on it. I took a step on the road and I looked to my left to see if I could cross. In 30 seconds time a black van sped out of nowhere and drifted in a circle. At the end of the circle a door opened up and a masked figure grabbed me into the van. I felt the blindfold and shove to the back of the van. I felt a prick as a needle shoved into my arm. The last thing I heard before passing out was a whisper that everything is going to be okay.

I woke up strapped to a chair in a white room. The room was empty with nothing in it except the chair that I was sitting on and a small white box in the corner. I had a towel stuffed in my mouth, preventing me from being able to speak. I started sputtering hysterically and about 1 minute later I heard voices outside the door. I heard them say only a few words, “tell... secret...kill... President... cause... conspiracy.” At that point I was really confused and started to blow and the rag popped out of my mouth. “What am I doing here? Let me go. You, you bastards! Let me go, you have the wrong person.” The door opened and a buff, scary looking man burst through. He had a tattoo of an odd symbol on his neck and a gold earring with the same symbol on it. I vaguely recognized the symbol, but before I could remember where I had seen it, the buff man slapped me in the face and screamed, “Pay attention. You want answers, now you are getting them." I looked at him shocked that he slapped me in the face, and shyly responded “uh huh” as he stared at me with a smirk on his face. “Everything is soon gonna be clear. We are going to see King.” He cut my ropes off and gestured me out of the room and up the stairs.

We climbed up about 100 steps and eventually reached a room with a sign that said: DANGER-HAZARDOUS MATERIALS IN USE STAY OUT. Buffy (That’s what I decided to call him since I didn’t know his name) pushed me to the door and I went inside. It was nothing that I would have ever expected; there was a laboratory with 2 men talking with each other. One was wearing a lab apron and the other was wearing a gray suit. The laboratory was full of computers and other high tech equipment that I had never seen before. As soon as we came in a man with the suit greeted us, “Ah look who has finally woken up. Welcome home Mr. Sion, I am King.” I looked over at Buffy, but he was looking at me, grinning. I looked at King, and said, “You must be mistaken. I am not Mr. Sion, my name is Carlos Rolasc.” They now started to laugh and I knew that I was missing something, but I still protested as they urged me into an office adjacent to the laboratory. I walked into the office and yet another man who was in a suit greeted me and seemed to know who I was. I responded to his greeting by saying, “I think you have me mista,” Cut off mid-sentence by him, he firmly stated, “I think not. We know who you are and have not mistaken you for anybody else.” I sat there quietly as King paced around the room. He then casually said, “There are a few things that you don’t know about yourself.” I responded, “Why would I not know anything about myself?” And he looked at me like I was crazy and blatantly stated, “We altered your memory. 10 years ago you used to be the world's greatest assassin and you worked for our secret service, Illusion.”

I had no idea what to say. I was about to run out of the room unsure whether to believe them. However, right as I got up, a TV slid down from the ceiling and showed pictures and videos of who I was before. I was still shocked and wasn't sure what to believe, but I did understand that there was a possibility that I was an assassin and that what they were saying might be true. I was sort of excited because I would much rather have been a cool assassin as opposed to the boring guy that I thought I was. I was scared too. I was a killer, someone whom everyone was afraid of. I still was confused on how I did not remember anything from my “previous life.” I asked them, “Why don’t I remember this?” They all started laughing and the man with the gray suit said, “Your memory was altered and you were given a different identity.” I then asked, “But why was my memory changed?” He said slowly, “Well, you were wanted all over the world for killing the president of Switzerland, and you wanted to stay alive. So you came to us, we altered your memory, and here you are now after 10 years still alive.” I then responded, “But why are you telling me all of this? Why did you bring me here?” King looked at me straight in the eyes and replied, “Well to be honest, we need your services again.”

“You need me? For what? How would I be able to help you? I’m not an assassin anymore. I like my life just how it is. Now just let me go!” King was getting frustrated; “We need your services as an assassin and you have to work for us again. We will give you back all of your old memories and that is all you need to become an assassin again.” I replied, “I won’t do it. I am not a killer. Who do you even want me to kill anyway?” King was about to say something, and then turned around and looked out the window as he said, “The President of the United States of America. He is a terrorist who is working to destroy the United States of America.”

They wanted for me to kill the President of the United States of America. I couldn’t do that. I voted for the President. I liked him. I was an American. I wasn’t sure what to do, but I realized their plan. I had no choice; if I didn’t do it they would reveal my identity to the world and I would go to prison to life. I could never do that to my children, I could never let them find out who I used to be.

It was time for me to receive my old memories and begin to train to become the nightmare that I once was before. I didn't really know why I was doing this, but all I could remember how boring my life was before and how interesting it would be now. They escorted me to a secret bunker underneath the building. I sat in a machine and Buffy put a metal cap on my head. He then asked if I was ready and I said, “Yes I am.” That was the last thing I remembered before I blacked out.

When I woke up a huge rush flew toward my head as fast as a rocket taking off. I was horrified at all the things that now were in my memory. I had supposedly killed 56 people, all very important ones. I remembered my technique for killing, and everything else about my prior life. I knew how to kill, yet I was still afraid to do it. It was like I was starting over again, as if I had never killed anyone before. I knew that I didn’t have a choice and that was the only reason that I was doing this.

Today was the day that I went to kill the president. I had his schedule for his day and decided that I would do the deed when he was giving a speech in a public park called Parque Urbano Central in downtown La Paz. I decided that I would go up onto the Torre Ventura building because it gave me the angle that I needed to hit the president and it was an easy option for escape for it was close to the highway. Buffy came into my room and asked if I was ready. Before I could respond he tossed a set of car keys toward me and said, “It’s time, if you do not leave now you will not reach in time.” I took the keys and headed outside trying to forget what I was about to do. I got into the car and pretended that it was just a normal day and that I was a normal person. As soon as I reached my stomach began to tremble and I threw up a little in my mouth and headed to the roof of the Torre Ventura building. I got up to the top and looked at the president. He looked so helpless standing there like a sitting duck. I knew that the old me would have easily taken him down and walked away without a second glance back. But this was not who I was now; I was scared of being a killer and I was not sure I could go through with it. I set up my sniper rifle and focused the scope so that it was pointing right at his head.

I had the president in my sight. All I had to do was pull the trigger, but for a second I was paralyzed by fear and couldn’t bring myself to do it. The president walked to the side and I lost my focus. I looked away for a second thinking that I was going to give up and leave, but I looked back and realized that the president was done with his speech. He was going to leave and this was my only chance. I took an oath to myself that I wouldn’t freeze up again as I hurriedly set up for the second time. I looked over at the president and realized that he was standing still and that this was my chance to finish the job. Time slowed down; I closed my eyes and pulled the trigger. The shot flew out of the barrel and made a loud thundering sound that knocked me back into reality. I opened up my eyes and saw what had happened. The president was on the ground and his bodyguards took out their pistols and fired at me. I ducked my head down and looked back up after they had stopped firing. Shockingly, the president was up and running to the safety of his car. I then only realized what had happened- I had missed. Part of me was relieved, but another part was furious. I had never missed, at least not in my prior life. This was really bad; I had missed my only chance at killing the president meaning that I was going to die in prison. I thought at what my family would think of me once they found out who I really was. I could see their faces, my little daughter screaming, “Daddy no! Please don’t go!” I realized that I had to kill the president even if I was scared of doing it because I would never forgive myself for leaving my daughter. The sounds of shots firing jolted me back and I scrambled toward my car. This opportunity wasted away and I could not stay or they would find me. I drove off into the city of La Paz full speed and kept on driving until I was sure that they would not find me.

I parked my car at the side of the road and tucked a pistol in my pocket as I walked into a busy diner. I ordered some food and attempted to blend in trying not to arouse any suspicion. The waitress came over to my booth and asked if I had heard about what had happened to the president. I looked at her and lied with a completely straight face, “No I haven’t. What’s going on?” She told me to look at the screen of a small television placed on the counter. She began to speak to me again, “The U.S. president was almost murdered by someone when he was giving a speech in the park.” I acted like I was in shock, “What really? That’s crazy. Did they see who the shooter was?” She paused for a second and said, “Sadly no, but I’m sure that they will find him.” She then walked away and I ate my food quietly while thinking about what to do next.
The next place where I knew the President would be for certain was on his private plane headed back to the U.S. I left a 20 dollar bill on the table and left. I began to jog toward my car when I heard a huge explosion. I looked around and was really scared and had no idea what was going on. I saw people running towards me, all screaming. I went over to where they were running from and saw a blown up car and a second car flipped over. The door of the flipped car was opening and someone was getting out. It was the president! He clutched his arm as he came out. I took out my pistol and pointed it at him.

It was either me or him and I chose him. As soon as I saw him I knew that it was my final chance. I sprinted toward him. There was no other thought in my head except that it had to be done. Then the shot came, an agonizing scream and a dull thud as his body hit the ground. That was the moment that changed my life forever. I was a killer, once again.

I couldn’t believe what I had just done. I had just killed the president of the U.S.A. I was so scared I couldn’t think straight. I ran to my car and drove. I didn’t stop driving until I had calmed down. Once I was calm, I thought to myself what I should do next. I decided to return to Illusion to tell them that I had done what they asked me to do. It was a long drive and I thought back to the shot. I had done it mercilessly and ruthlessly. I saw his face as I did it. At first it was hopeful thinking that I would have helped him. But as I pulled out the pistol his face contorted into an expression of pure fear. Then I shot the gun. He didn’t even scream. He just moaned for a second before going silent and leaving this world. I continued to drive and got really angry at Illusion for making me into a killer again.

As I arrived there I sped into a parking spot and ran up to the top floor. Everybody was there and they all started to congratulate me on how well I had done. They brought out a TV and showed me footage of me killing him. Everybody was drinking and really happy that they had gotten me to finish their goal. Buffy came over and said, “Good thing that you didn’t give up otherwise you wouldn’t have been able to complete your mission.” I sighed and looked away. I was still pissed at these guys and didn’t know what to do about it. Then, King drunkenly took me into his office and said, “Carlos there is one more thing that we kept secret from you. You were never actually a sniper. We tricked you into thinking that so that you would kill the President for us.” I screamed at him, “What are you talking about? You gave me back memories and...” I stopped. I didn’t know what to say or believe anymore. All I knew was that I was furious with this stupid Illusion. I was done with all of this. I then realized that I still had the pistol in my pocket. I pulled it out and grabbed King and shoved the pistol into his head. I walked out of the room and said, “Everybody listen up! I want a fast car and a ticket for a flight back to the U.S. right now or something bad is going to happen to your King!” They looked at me in utter silence and then Buffy tossed me the keys for a Lamborghini Gallardo and the scientist got on the computer and printed me a ticket and handed it to me. I shuffled to the car still holding King; I held onto him all the way to the car. The others followed me to the car and I looked at them and at King. I then shot King in the foot and pushed him out in front of me. All of the members of Illusion ran over to check on him except for Buffy who ran straight at me. I got in the car and slammed down on the accelerator. I looked back and saw Buffy yelling at me. I stuck my hand out of the car and flipped him off. I was relieved; I had finally gotten rid of Illusion. I speedily drove to the airport. I was done with Bolivia. All I wanted was to go home. I finally arrived at the airport and threw out both the keys and the gun in a trash can determined to forget everything that happened during this crazy trip. I got through security and boarded the plane with no other thought than being able to see my daughter and my wife again once I reached home.