Assassination Attempt on The Custodian

The **Assassination Attempt on The Custodian** was an attempt made on The Custodian's life in 1994 by Katie Downes.

## Background

In the months prior to April of 1994, Katie Downes had begun to catch onto inconsistencies in Prospero's records, specifically regarding missions not being recorded and certain details being omitted from some of them. As a result, she began to look more closely into The Custodian's operations, and in the months following managed to discover an incriminating level of evidence. She discovered that he was performing off-the-books 'cloak and dagger' style operations to recover objects without the general knowledge of Prospero, in addition to the fact that he was authorising Agents to use highly unethical, and in some cases illegal, methods to accomplish these missions. She also learned of other Agents who had came close to discovering the truth about The Custodian's dealings, and more importantly learned that they'd either been 'transferred' or disappeared without a trace.

## Events

Wanting to stop The Custodian, but also wanting to act first in fear of her own safety, she chose confront The Custodian in his office. She told Sarah Williams that she was attending a meeting with The Custodian, and then set off to his office on the top floor of Prospero H.Q.

When she arrived at the offices floor, she crept down the hall to take a covert look into The Custodian's office. She found him sitting at his desk, with Cody Davis standing at his side just barely visible beyond the wall. Seeing her chance, she took aim, but before she could fire she was subdued from behind by Alex Carter, and then dragged into The Custodian's office.

When she awoke, she found herself sitting in a chair in front of The Custodian's desk, with him sitting behind the desk, and Carter and Davis at his sides with their pistols raised. Katie and The Custodian then had a conversation, with her revealing what she knew about him and wanting him to explain why he was doing what he was doing. The Custodian refused to give her a proper answer, his vague responses serving only to taunt Katie further as he gestured to Carter and Davis to lower their weapons

Sensing that her life was forfeit anyway, but seeing an opportunity, Katie decided to take action. She reached under The Custodian's desk and grabbed the pistol he kept strapped under there. She managed to disorient both Carter and Davis in the ensuing battle, and took aim on The Custodian when the moment presented itself. However, before she was able to pull the trigger, she was killed by Carter with a bullet to the head.

## Aftermath

The attempt on his life greatly affected The Custodian's attitude towards his own safety. No longer was he as confident, and he immediately chose to retire Carter and Davis from front-line operations. Instead, they were reassigned as his personal bodyguards and would be at his sides at all times. This later greatly affected his plans in OPERATION: INCLEMENT STRIKE, as he needed to send his next best Agents Sarah Williams and Jack Hunter in the stead of Carter and Davis, a decision he would later come to regret decisively.

In addition, The Custodian's actions with Katie served to spark Sarah's mistrust in him. Sarah knew, as Katie had told her, that she was attending a meeting with The Custodian. However, due to The Custodian's cover-up actions, Sarah never saw her again. Katie had officially been sent on an operation far away from Prospero H.Q., and after a spell of being listed Missing in Action, turned up dead. Sarah highly suspected this to be bogus, and her mistrust of The Custodian began to rise.