Itachi heaved a sigh as he left the airport HQ. He was given an assignment by his leader and he intended to carry it out with haste. He hailed a cab so that he could return to the motel room that he was renting. He knew he would have to see about getting some kind of permanent residence eventually, but now was not that time. There was a lot going on and a lot to do both in his personal life and in his business life.

During the ride back to the motel, Itachi thought over the minor details he had pertaining this mission he was being sent on. It was his first assassination for this family as the last time he killed for Adonis, it wasn't exactly planned to go that way. He was sure that there would be some kind of recompense for that happening just as there were repercussions for the other killings that he had witnessed and been apart of.  That wasn't really important right now though, nor was it any of his responsibility. He was only supposed to follow orders and these were the orders he was given.

It didn't take him very long to get back to the room, either the car and the traffic moved very quickly or he was lost in his own thoughts. Either way he didn't wish to dawdle or delay this mission any longer than it needed to be. He paid the cab driver and before he knew it he was in his room. He quickly set all of his supplies on his bed. He switched out of his suit and put on his usual combat attire. He attached his forehead protector as well. He wasn't sure how good the metal stood up against bullets, but he wasn't ready to test that theory anyway. This should be a nice and quiet assassination if all went according to his brief plan, but then again, when did things ever go according to plan? 

Itachi dressed in all black so that it would help his stealth. He decided not to bring his body armor as it would slow him down some and make escape a bit more difficult. He was taking a bit of a chance with this decision but he decided to trust his agility and his training to stick to the shadows instead of preparing for a head to head assault. Itachi packed his two pouches of weapons on him, the bigger on on the back of his hip and the other taped to his thigh. He hid more weapons on his person just in case he needed them. Last but not least was his mask from his old Special Ops Shinobi days. He tucked it away in his hip as well, he would only use it in the case of things getting hairy and his face possibly getting seen, but Itachi planned to have this murder occur from a distance.

With his gear and attire prepped, he decided it was finally time for him to head off. He walked to his destination instead of taking a car or a cab. The less amount of people he had contact with while doing this the better. He knew where he had to head thanks to the information in the envelope. He was headed to The G's Diner in Old City District, Philadelphia. He'd never been there before so when he arrived the first thing he did was scout the place out. He needed to find all of it's entry points and exit points. He looked around to make sure he wasn't being watched or paid any particular attention. He quickly summoned one of his crows. Once it arrived he had it circle the Diner to find all the points he was looking for. While it did that, Itachi used binoculars to look into and see the patrons inside the building. 

He was looking for a man named John Moody. He had a picture of the man to go along with some of his information as well. He wasn't particularly outstanding in looks or ability, but Itachi knew better than to underestimate anyone. The man was an associate to the family, but he had gone quiet for far too long. Itachi thought it was rather foolish for someone to stop checking in with their place of employment. If this was a normal job he would just be cut from the books and forgotten, but in a life such as theirs where information getting to the wrong people was a very dangerous thing, people who went missing or rogue could not be left alone. This man was such a case, just had gone missing for far too long, and now it was up to Itachi to deal with.

The man was seated at a table eating some kind of sandwich. Now that he had him in his sight he would make sure not to lose him. After watching for a few minutes the crow Itachi sent to scout the building had returned. It communicated with him through shakes and movements of it's head. He was informed that there were about six ways to get in and as many ways to get out. Only four of them would allow him to get in unnoticed. A roof entrance, and three upper level entrances via windows that were left open for ventilation purposes. The other two were the front and the back entrance to the establishments.

He figured he'd keep his distance and hopefully wait for his target to exit the establishment. He didn't seem to be on his guard or have any extra protection with him, or rather any protection with him at all. He seemed like he was oblivious to his position. Itachi silently shook his head. He was a bit sad for this man, he would be defenseless and had no idea that his life was in any danger, but orders were orders.

He climbed a fire escape of the building directly across from the diner. He had his crow keep a lookout on the man and was told to let Itachi know should he move from his current spot. Itachi was able to get to the roof and the man hadn't moved from his seat. He seemed to still be enjoying his food and drink at the moment and wasn't in any hurry. Itachi heaved another sigh as he tried to keep his mind empty as he waited the man out.

He would watch the other people along the street move to and fro, going from one destination to the next and try to imagine where it is they were going and what it was they would be doing based on their manner of dress. It was a rather childish game but one he used to play with his brother to pass the time while watching him. Itachi quickly fought those thoughts back as it really wasn't the time to get lost in thoughts of his former home during a mission.

It would take his target about thirty minutes to move from his spot. Itachi knew so because the crow began to caw at him. Itachi immediately found his target again cleaning up his food and making his way toward the front entrance. Itachi wasted no time pulling out a kunai knife from his pouch on his thigh. The man who was his target froze as he stepped outside the door. He just stopped suddenly, Itachi fought back his feelings of panic and dread and wondered if perhaps he had given away his location. He froze as well but was silently preparing to jump down to one of the parked cars on the street. If he hit it at the right angle, he wouldn't hurt his legs and ankles as he had jumped from higher places than this before.

Itachi released his tight clutch on his kunai a bit once the man looked up into the clouds in the sky, before moving once again. Itachi couldn't understand why this man had just done that, but he couldn't keep the feeling of relief from filling him in place of his worry. Itachi didn't waste any time as he followed the man with his eyes. Itachi saw the man approach a car that he assumed was his own. He had his back turned and he reached into his pocket for his keys. Once he retrieved the key he moved to put it into the lock of his car to unlock and open the door. He inserted the key into the lock, where it would remain, the lock would forever go unturned.

Itachi had launched his kunai once the man had put the key in his door lock. He aimed it at the back of the man's neck, and given the force behind Itachi's throw, it penetrated the back of and probably got into the man's throat muscles from behind. It would be pretty gruesome and he was partially sorry he didn't grant the man a more swift death, but what was done was done. He watched as the man barely moved as he began gurgling and choking on his own blood. He fell to the ground and a thud was heard. A passerby on the street rushed to the man and checked to see if he was okay. Finding the weapon protruding from his neck, the man began to yell and cry for help. This sent other pedestrians screaming and scurrying for safety while others chose to try and help the man if they could. There would be no help for this man, only the cool embrace of death could finally end his suffering, and soon it did. 

Itachi watched this all play out and the life fade from the man's eyes from his perch on the rooftop. Once done he pulled out the picture of his target that was given to him by his employer, he used another kunai to scratch and X through the man's picture. He then folded it up and placed it inside of his crow's mouth.

"Take it to the Headquarters." Itachi ordered and the bird took off into the evening.

Itachi turned once more to the man he had just taken out before he too took off unnoticed.

Joe's boot dug into the metal hard, as it then stabbed at the dirt. He pushed downwards with force, then pulled the shovel back and went at it again, his boot being the main source of energy behind the digging. His hands were only there to guide the instrument to where it was needed. 

The slicing sound of a shovel through dirt was obvious. You'd be able to hear it from the Pier, if it weren't for the hustle of the airport. Joe wiped his brow as he took a moment, also taking a deep breath in. His shirt showed signs he'd been at it awhile, the sweat showing through at the upper back and armpits. His sleeves were somewhat rolled back yet kept falling down with each effort, so he just let them be as they were.

As he took a breather, he looked over at the airfield from the spot he'd now found to be a sanctuary of sorts. It was a hill near the rear, or the front depending on your view of things. It was towards a large fence which over the other side had an old decommissioned plane turned bar setup and had recently started operating. This was technically the front of the Midas plot of land. Yet given the planes ended up taking off on the other side, Joe tried not to put a definite locale to it.

He watched as the grounds crew were guiding a plane into one of their hangars a little ways off in the distance. It was the only activity he was currently seeing at the airport, so his eyes fixed on it as his thoughts began ticking over. John Moody was a dear friend. The closest he'd gotten to one outside of the inner sanctum, and before his journey really took off.

The thoughts didn't last long, as he didn't want the emotions to build. Life was tough in general when it came to what they did. Murder was no joke. Sometimes he'd use it as an excuse to beat his self loathing out and into a punching bag of a crumb before putting a bullet into him, like it was just a process of him dealing with his own shit, as if it were a form of therapy.

These days, it meant much more. Joe stabbed at the dirt a few more times where he'd now made a decent hole, wiggling the shovel into it to try open up the gap a little, then tossed it off to the side. He bent forward, resting his hands on his knees. The ground looked different from this angle. Beads of sweat dripped down his face and dropped onto the disturbed dirt below. He was parched. Too much whisky. He took in some deep breaths then stood up straight again.

The sun was high in the sky, which Joe was now looking directly at. He had to squint to keep his gaze on it, but he made the effort to let his mind be consumed by the beauty of it. Things of natural order seemed to capture Joe more and more these days. They were almost a sought out affair even, to keep him balanced. And because of his growing responsibilities he found himself admiring and being drawn to the natural world more and more.

A caw caught his attention, but was initially ignored. Then it came again. And again, and it seemed to be getting closer. In an effort to spot it, Joe turned his head to where he thought it was coming from. The glare of the sun had his eyesight up shits creek, unable to see anything other than the round mass in a vibrant glow on his retinas.

A hand rubbed at his eyes, then a head shake followed in an attempt to return his sight. Looking back up, he spotted a crow perching itself on the large security fence that had a bright glow around and through it. It seemed to have something in its mouth, which it dropped before flying away. Joe was curious, so he walked over to where the bird had been.

A picture, it seemed, which had to be slapped against his knee a few times before it became apparent. With an X scratched into it, it was the picture of John Moody he left with Itachy. He'd like to think it were a coincidence, but the oddity of it fit the situation like a glove. He gave the picture of his friend one last look as he walked back to where he'd dug the ditch.

With a wave of the hand, Joe's men then brought over a tree and placed it into the hole. As they got to filling dirt around it, Adonis lit himself a cigarette. Even though he had men to do things for him, something of this nature needed his personal exertion. At least the making of the hole, which was the start. He called the order to have Moody and Sawyer clipped. The least he could do was set this offering in motion too.

As his men finished making the tree straight, Joe remembered back to one similar. It was where he'd been once before personally, and where a completely different story that had been told to him by a friend ended tragically. Soon enough, as with all things, life would do its thing and churn death back into itself again.

As he took a puff and exhaled, Joe let out a deep sigh. It hurt, making the call on a dear friend. But hopefully this would keep his memory alive, and all those of the fallen under his Midas leadership, those already passed and those to come. Stepping forward, Ray passed him a nail and a hammer. With the picture leaning against the trunk of the medium sized apple tree, Joe pegged in the bit of metal that would keep it. At least for now, until mother nature did with it what she wanted.

A plaque would be set here at some point. And names engraved into the tree. For now, this would do. Joe handed back the hammer to Ray then took a seat on the grass. He placed the smoke between his lips as he lay down. The sun overhead had him close his eyes. As his men took their queue to leave, possibly for a drink in The Fuselage Bar, Joe let the midday sun beat down on him. Better than doing the same to some poor chap, he thought, as his mind then drifted away.