Marcus caught a flight and landed in Paris, where a translator was waiting for him in the lounge arranged by the client, since Marcus spoke only English.
The man stepped forward, extending a hand with a warm smile. "Bonjour, I'm Blaise," he said. His accent was thick, but his English was smooth and confident. "I've been assigned to help you navigate this mission."
Marcus gave a curt nod in response, noting the introduction but choosing to refer to him simply as the translator. With pleasantries exchanged, they headed straight for the destination provided by the client—an old warehouse on the outskirts of the city.
The scene shifted to a dimly lit room inside the warehouse, where Marcus sat with five other individuals. Among the six, five—including Marcus—shared the same background: independent, small-scale assassins operating in underground circles across different regions. However, each of them spoke a different language and could only communicate in their native tongue. The sixth person in the room was a translator—a polyglot. To bridge the communication gap, the client had arranged for the translator to guide Marcus and others in the room.
He now worked tirelessly to ensure everyone understood the mission. The client himself was absent, delivering his instructions through phone calls relayed by the translator. The target: A notable politician named Elorian. The plan: Assassination. The political motives remained vague, but the mission was clearly high stakes. The client had handpicked this linguistically diverse group of assassins to carry it out, leaving no room for error. None of them, including Marcus, spoke the local language, French. Without the translator, collaboration would have been impossible.
There was a hidden reason behind the client's choice of assassins who couldn't speak the same language. The mirror showed the translator working tirelessly, explaining every detail about the politician—his background, schedule, and personal life—to the team. He moved fluidly between English, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, and Amharic—the native language of the man from Ethiopia. His efforts kept the group focused, though the language barrier still made the atmosphere tense and the meetings slow.
Among them, Marcus found it easier than the others to process the information and begin forming a strategy, thanks to his sharp comprehension skills. Through the translator, the client instructed the team to take one month to devise a precise and flawless plan to eliminate the target.
Marcus used sign language to communicate with the others. The group included Lucia Maren, a sharp-eyed woman who spoke only Spanish; Alina Vetrova, a quiet but observant Russian; Renji Takeda, a reserved Japanese man with a calculating gaze; and Kaleb Tesfaye, a stoic Ethiopian who spoke only Amharic. Despite the translator's constant efforts, the language barrier kept their coordination strained. Still, they watched and listened closely, each assassin absorbing what they could in their own way.
The mirror paused for a moment, showing Lucia Maren and Alina Vetrova communicating through simple sign language. Though not fluent, they used it occasionally to clarify things. It helped—just a little—but the gaps remained.
Marcus, along with the others and the translator, set out to gather critical intel. They obtained the blueprint of the politician's campaign office, the route of his regular convoy, and his upcoming schedule. They soon discovered that national elections were just a month away, and the politician would be actively campaigning. After reviewing his itinerary, they marked September 13, 2003, as the ideal day for the assassination.