He steadied himself against the wall. Five traps, ten arrows and a falling boulder could have ended anyone's life. But having the quickest reflexes in the Rebellion basically saved Jing Kiat's skin this time. Barely. The path was getting wider and wider, and at the end of what seemed like a long tunnel, there was a bright shot of light. Could this be it? What they had been looking for?

He continued to clutch his katana, and edged forward.

*********************************************************************************

The assasin missed by inches. For one man to withsatnad so many guards... he was considered exceptional. JEssica continued to fire her pistol, but its as if he could sense every shot, and avoided them with ease.

'WHere is he?'

Jessica started at him.

'He's not here. Give up now. Hu sent you?'

The assasin smiled a little, then dashed towards Jessica. She avoided the dagger, only to find herself face to face with another dagger at the end of his boot. Her eyes widened. It sliced her shoulder, and let out a splutter of blood. She cried in agony, before falling to the ground.

'Po..poison...'

The assasin smiled summore. As he approached her, he looked at her , and said.

'Tell your general ... it's over. This war.'

Jessica snapped back. 'Never! We will never back down against you ignorant fools!'

Th assasin let out a laugh. 'The one's who are ignorant are you people!! Its over! He will win this war. He will....'

Jessica tried to stand up, but her body was paralysed. He assasin smirked. 'And if I get rid of you... the war would end much faster....'

The attack was quick, as the assasin was thrown a few feet back, finally crashing against the wall. Bin Li was on the ground, his fist in the air.

'You ok?'

Jessica smiled. 'Yeah... Barely, if you had been any later.'

The assasin got up, wiping the blood off his the side of his mouth. 'Hahahahahaha! Its over! Over!' and rushed towards Bin Li. The assasin suddenly ducked low, and threw the dagger at Bin Li. WIthput hesitation, Bin Licaught it with one hand. The assasin was stunned. 'How...'

Bin Li let the dagger drop to the ground, his mask still covering most of his face.

'You call yourself an assasin...'

The assasin looked angry now. 'Humpph! None of you could even match my speed! Not even your precious Secretariat!'

Then, before anyone could react, he drew a revolver from underneath his cloak, and fired it at Bin Li. Jessica's eye's grew wide. 'Bin Li!!!'

Bin Li stood still, not moving. The assasin smiled, but not for long. Bin Li edged forward, and opened the palm of his hand, revealing a bronze bullet.

'It... it can't be...'

He dropped it on the floor again. Then, pulled his mask down. What the assasin saw made him wish he was never there. With one blow, Bin Li knocked the assasin in the gut, so quickly that Jessica didn't even have time to blink. BLood spluttered out, and before he landed on the ground, Bin Li raised his feet, and with a fatal blow, knocked him dead.

Jessica let out a sigh of relief. Bin Li stood up, and walked back to Jessica's side. 'Never go out alone again...'

'Ah... fine.... no wonder Y.Hong hired you to protect me.'

Bin Li pulled his mask up. 'Let me make it clear again... I joined on my free will. Not hired.' And turned to go.

'Wait. That scar.....'

Bin Li stopped in his tracks, and turn back a little to face her.

'What if I told you.... you don't want to know?'

Jessica stared at him. 'Try me.'

Bin Li smiled under his mask.

'Tigers' and he walked away as the wind blew in through the window, lifting his cloak a little higher, revealing the emblem of a Black Panther, the symbol of the Black Ops, the Top Ten Fighters in the whole of UTAR.