It was over before it had begun...

There was no sound in the basement as the two assassins moved, using the shadows, not a movement wasted. Although their actions may have appeared similar to the untrained eye, they couldn't have been more different. One, the champion, wore grey snow gear. The other, a newcomer, wore the black of the special forces. The champion had a slight, barely discernible nervousness in his movements. The challenger radiated confidence. Their choice of weapon said a lot about their characters. They both favoured the silenced PP7, which despite it's lack of power was deadly in the hands of experts. That they had unknowingly chosen the same firearm was no surprise. They were students of the same Masters.

They were getting closer. The champion attempted a smooth blend around a wall, in a darkened corridor, as he had done countless times before. This time, his timing was off by a fraction of a second, and the challenger, himself edging along a shadowed wall in the adjoining room, noticed a minute movement in the wall-cast shadow.

Aware of his mistake perhaps, or even feeling the tinge of a higher sense, the champion aborted his planned route and silently retraced his steps, back to where he felt his stalker wouldn't expect him. Kneeling in the darkness, his keenly trained eyes noticed a minute anomaly in the deep corridor shadow across the room. 99.9% of people would swear that there was no movement, but the champion trusted his instinct. He soundlessly crept forwards a few feet, protected by the darkness surrounding him, his back to the wall to allow him to check in every direction.

Suddenly his foot brushed against something on the floor. He silently dropped to his knees and reached for the bullet - the shape against his toes had told him immediately what it was. As he touched it with his hand he heard a soft chlak sound and noticed with some puzzlement that there on the floor before him, extending a few inches into the lit part of the room was a pebbledash of red. It was the last thing he ever saw. He slumped forward, already dead as the challenger, now champion, silently grew behind him and disappeared into the shadows.