England, 2023 — London, 8:47 PM, December 25th.
As the first glows of Christmas settled in, trees and skyscrapers shimmered with a thousand lights. Families had gathered to celebrate this special day, at home or outside.
People were singing and smiling from ear to ear, immersed in an atmosphere of joy.
Such carelessness… in this almost illusory happiness.
Meanwhile, in a crowded bar, the mood was entirely different — yet just as intense, if not louder.
Married or not, men gave in unreservedly to their pleasures: gambling, alcohol, women… each surrendering to excess, consumed by his own desires.
All… except one.
A man, hidden beneath a white hoodie, entered without trying to conceal himself.
His attitude stood in stark contrast to the surrounding chaos.
With a discrete, almost imperceptible gesture, he took a fork… then a small capsule, without anyone noticing.
He continued on his way to a door, where he paused for a moment.
Using his fork, he manipulated the lock with mechanical precision… then opened it effortlessly.
On the other side, a basement dimly lit by flickering white neon lights.
The man entered slowly, hands in his pockets, perfectly calm.
Suddenly, his earpiece crackled, and a weary male voice echoed:
"There are cameras in the hallway you are about to enter. Make sure to disable them before moving forward.
" Red stopped halfway through.
He slightly raised his head.
The cold light revealed his tired face: dark circles under his eyes, a pale complexion… and a blank stare.
Without a word, he pulled out the capsule he had picked up earlier.
He tossed it lightly into the air… then flicked it forward.
The capsule sped down the hallway, ricocheting off the walls with troubling accuracy…
before striking every single camera, one by one.
Within seconds, they were all out of order.
Red then stepped into the hallway, now clear of all surveillance.
The voice in his earpiece resumed:
"Get ready. Now that the cameras are destroyed, they will send men to figure out what's going on."
But these words had no effect on Red. His expression remained unchanged, cold, almost blank, as he ventured deeper and deeper into the building's darkness.
— Don't worry. I'll already be out of their reach when they arrive… so stop bothering me.
His contact was not concerned for Red's safety… but about the risk of getting spotted because of him.
— Listen to me, don't get noticed. Remember, no one can know you are here.
Red moved into the next hallway and pulled his fork out of his pocket, ready to act.
— Don't worry. I'm handling it.
Further ahead, a security guard turned around, thinking he heard footsteps. In the dark hallway, he narrowed his eyes, suspicious.
— That's strange…
Another man stepped up.
— You think someone's there?
The first man replied that he could have sworn he heard someone coming. He stared into the darkness for a few more seconds without seeing anything, then turned back, slightly uneasy.
— I should…
He didn't even have time to finish his sentence.
A fork sliced through the darkness and pierced his neck with lethal precision.
His body collapsed with a dull thud.
Silence fell again for a fraction of a second… before everyone reacted, immediately dropping into high alert and drawing their weapons.
— WHO'S THERE?!
The guards raised their guns.
In total darkness, no movement was visible. Tension rose as their eyes searched the shadows in vain.
A broad-shouldered man cautiously stepped forward, weapon aimed straight ahead, while others covered the angles.
Each step sank him deeper into the shadows.
Suddenly…
A small capsule rolled slowly across the floor and stopped right in front of him.
— What… ?
He didn't have time to finish his sentence.
His neck was violently snapped with a single swift blow.
Red had appeared to his left.
At the exact same instant, he grabbed another guard, twisted his arm, and choked him with his belt before throwing him against the wall.
Before the others could react, Red disappeared into the darkness once more.
Another gunshot rang out, but he was already gone.
He reappeared behind a group, struck quickly, and two men collapsed without a sound.
The last man left standing fell back, terrified.
But a belt wrapped around his neck in an instant.
He collapsed as well, suffocating in silence.
The man was about to pull the trigger.
But it was useless.
Red had already acted.
He seized the fork in a flash and plunged it into the man's elbow before he could even react. A brutal force accompanied the movement, snapping the bone with a sharp crack.
The man dropped to his knees in agonizing pain.
Red did not hesitate. He immediately followed through, driving the fork into his victim's neck.
A brief spurt of blood sprayed onto his black boots.
Impassive, he retrieved the weapon and pointed it at the three remaining men.
Then…
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The three bodies collapsed simultaneously.
Each had a bullet between the eyes.
All of it took place in absolute silence, with total indifference.
Calm returned, even heavier than before, as if the massacre had been nothing more than a cold, perfectly calculated execution.
Red pulled down his hood and dropped the weapon to the ground.
— Good work… I see you are still as efficient as ever, Red.
No reply.
Red simply kept walking forward without looking back.
A few minutes later, he finally emerged from the bar, hood up.
Two people passed in front of him without noticing a thing, unaware of everything that had just taken place.
In the parking lot, leaning against a car, Inspector William seemed relaxed. He was smoking a cigarette, eyes turned toward the starry sky, watching the clouds drift in the dark.
Red approached him, his face still neutral and tired, illuminated by red and white neon lights.
His steps left faint prints in the fresh snow stained with blood.
Upon reaching the inspector, he handed him a black briefcase without saying a word.
— Here. This is what you were looking for, isn't it?
William turned slightly and looked at him with his green eyes before taking the briefcase as if it were nothing.
— Thank you… even though, this time, you took longer than expected.
Red's eyes remained locked on the briefcase, and more specifically on the barely visible black logo. A symbol he would recognize out of a thousand.
William pulled his cigarette away and slowly exhaled the smoke.
— Looks like even after all this time, the Omen logo still has the same effect on you, huh?
Red threw him a dark glare, narrowing his eyes slightly. But William was not intimidated in the slightest.
— This is the eighteenth operation you've carried out to help us find a flaw in the organization. And yet, you still have no news of our progress.
His voice was filled with tension… and exhaustion.
— You are Red, the greatest assassin in the world and a former member of Omen. Do you really believe my superiors are ready to trust you? Even if you help us, it is unlikely they will ever trust a legend like you… you understand.
Red stared at him without answering, then got into the car.
William sighed, the cold wind whipping his face.
— What a day!…