《The Icarus Project》


 Prologue

    ¡°You¡¯re dying sweety. You¡¯re dying and there''s absolutely nothing I can do about it.¡± Tear sprang to my eyes as I looked at my daughters disturbingly still form. Her chest barely moving as she struggled to breath. ¡°The doctors don¡¯t know what the hell is happening. You¡¯d think with all the money I give them they would have¡­ Some idea? Maybe? With all the research. All the test subjects. All the resources they would have at least some small idea as to what the hell is happening to you.¡±


    With a sigh I reach out and gently touch her face, my fingers playing ever so gently with an escaped lock of auburn hair. ¡° I can barely remember your laugh, it''s been so long. It¡¯s been replaced with the sounds of these damn machines. When I close my eyes and think of you all I can hear is the damn beeping. All I can smell is ozone and antiseptic. All I can feel is the roughness of your hospital bed. And here I am, living life to the fullest while you waste the fuck away.¡± Tears sprang to my eyes as I lowered my head to rest on her bed, the fingers of a hand still tangled in her hair.


    ¡°I know¡­ I know I¡¯m doing all I can love but my best does not seem to be enough.¡±


    Still crying silently I stand and glance once more at the body of my daughter. Her face pale. Her eyes closed. Her lips bloodless. And I sob. I weep. I wallow in self pitty. And without another word I turn and walk from the room.


    THREE YEARS LATER


    ¡°Is¡­ Is this real? Scott, these findings. These are real right? Not some pipe dream of yours and Rebeccas? You got actual results on the test subjects?¡± A glimmer of hope fills my soul for the first time in years and I shoot to my feet, 6¡¯4¡¯¡¯ fram almost drawfing the other man. ¡° They showed improvement when subjected to this new strain?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s real Isaac. We¡¯ve finally made headway. And given how much money you¡¯ve spent well¡­ It¡¯s about damn time let me tell you. Were still a ways away from testing on human subjects, but initial treatment seems to work just fine on our more animalistic patients.¡±


    Scott was not an intimidating man, at least not at first glance. Standing at just under five and a half the man was on the small side for sure. His long brown hair was always lank and in need of a wash. Her pale skin patchy. His shirt and pants always a size to large or to small. Honestly at first glance the man looked at best like he just recently escaped an asylum and mugged the first homeless man he happened across. Most dismissed the man. At least tell they looked him in the eye and saw the spark of intelligence hidden behind those unassuming brown orbs.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¡°And the¡­ Side effects? You¡¯ve gotten them under control?¡±


    The man paled, which I hadn¡¯t haden¡¯t thought was possible, and broke eye contact looking everywhere but where I was.


    ¡°Not¡­ Not as such. We¡¯ve¡­ gotten them under control. The subjects don¡¯t die o¡­ On the table. But the tests¡­ And the formula still causes some unexpected¡­ Consequences. We¡­ we¡¯ve had to put down more than a few. But i¡¯m confident that when we are ready to move onto human trials we will have the worst of it figured out.¡± he let out a chuckle and wrang his hands before whipping them on his oversized smock.


    ¡°Honestly I think we could start human trials in as little as four or five years¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t hear his next words. My mind shutting down as what he said sunk in. Four or five years? Sabrina didn¡¯t have that long. Not at all. At most the doctors could keep her in suspension for another year. A year and a half at most. Not nearly enough time to get this to work. To save her. Which was what this entire enterprise was about. To hell with everyone else, if I couldn¡¯t save my daughter what the hell did it matter?


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Uhh what?¡±


    ¡°The time frame is not acceptable. You said you have the side effects to a manageable level yes?¡±


    ¡°I well What I ment to say was that it¡¯s not you know¡­ Always fatal.¡±


    ¡°But you have had success with the treatment, yes? Regardless of what happens after? ¡°


    Scott¡¯s mouth hung open for a second before he responded.


    ¡°I mean yes in the strictest sense. We¡¯ve treated various lab inflicted cases on various animal hosts and ¡®cured¡¯ them as it where.¡±


    ¡°Good. Where moving directly to human testing then. ''Clinical trials''. I¡¯ll have the test subjects ready for you within the week.¡±


    He blinked. ¡° I wait. What? We can¡¯t just move onto human testing. There still to much we don¡¯t know, and there¡¯s no way in hell we can get the permission to move on to clinical trials..¡±


    I just grinned at the man and placed my hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that Scott. I¡¯ll handle it. And if we need to move our testing facilities thats something we can easily manage. I¡¯ll just have Rebecca set up a new lab at our overseas headquarters just in case.¡± I turn on my heel and walk towards my office door.


    ¡°Be ready my friend. We have work to do.¡±


    I stop halfway out the door and glance back eyeing the man.


    ¡°What was it joe used to say? ¡®Always strive to fly to close to the sun¡¯ or some such nonsense? Well that¡¯s what we''re going to do. But our wings Scott, our wings will not be held together by wax. We won¡¯t come crashing down. No we will soar as high as we want and as low as we need to accomplish our tasks. So buck up, you¡¯re going to change the world.¡±


    I reach into the pocket of the blazer, takeout my cell phone and turn back around, proceeding down the hallway. I had people to talk to. Bribes to make. And threats to issue. All in all, just another day in the office.


    "Daddies comming sweety. Just wait a little while longer."

 Chapter 1 - Subject Alpha

    ¡°You need to wake up Soph, we gotta get moving asap.¡± I was roughly shaken awake by a rather aggressive pair of hands. ¡°Soph i¡¯m dead serious right now, if you don¡¯t get a move on you¡¯ll be walking to school and I¡¯ll not be hearing about it when you get home.¡±


    With a groan I opened my eyes and blearily stared up at the face of my tormentor.


    ¡°Fiiiiiine Mom. I¡¯m getting up just stop shaking my world!¡± I kicked the covers down and showed the offending hands away. ¡°I mean really I hit snooze like twice.¡±


    I mean, more like five times but still. It¡¯s not that late.


    I glance around my room, completely ignoring Moms disapproving stare as she stands by the bedside, looking for my phone. Not really remembering where i set it down the night before. The nightstand maybe? Nope, just some battered books.The floor? I glance over the side of my bed, only to be greeted with the sight of discarded clothes.


    Okay. Fine. I see how it is.


    I sit up, swing my legs over the side of the bed. ¡°Hey mom¡­ Is the ac on?¡± Damn it¡¯s cold. With one more glance about the room, noting that it might well be time to ACTUALLY clean it I start to stand up.


    ¡°No hun the ac¡¯s not on. You¡¯re just naked.¡±


    Ah ya that makes sen-WaitI¡¯m what!?


    I glance down and notice for the first time that I''m wearing nothing but my birthday suit. Not a single stitch more or less. I can feel the heat rush to my cheeks, which as a bonus seemed to help warm me, even if it was more than a tad mortifying. Scrambling under my covers I glare up at my mother. Her face was a mask of indifference.


    ¡°You see hun, being naked in a lot of cases leads one to be cold? Odd how that works out.¡± And with that her mask slips just a little and is then completely destroyed as she starts to laugh. Not a small giggle. Not a timid chuckle. But a full on belly laugh that only big boned, big chested women can seem to manage. ¡°Bless your heart dear but it¡¯s not you''ve got anything I haven''t seen before. Why¡¯d you scramble under them there covers so darn fast? Where ya up to something wicked last night hmm?¡± The gleam in his clear blue eyes could only be described as wicked.


    ¡°I- You- GET OUT!¡± I yell and throw a pillow at her. With one last chuckle she winks at me and calmly starts for the door. ¡°Don¡¯t ya worry your head. I wont tell your little boyfriend you where having one of them there nighttime fantasies. His name is Frank right?¡±


    ¡°MOM!¡± My face is so hot that it couldn''t be anything other than crimson and I ready another pillow as she exits the room and quickly turns a corner. Her chortaling still somehow echoing in my head.


    ¡°Keep calm. Just deep breaths. God almighty preserve me.¡± With one last glare at my departed mother I stand up, making sure to keep the covers bunched about my body and make my way to my dresser, stepping quick to avoid the clutter strewn about my room. The assorted magazines, books, bags, and clothes doing little to hamper me. ¡°Now where did I put my phone¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh and Soph? I found your phone on the coffee table this mornin¡¯ Best be quick and get dressed else I might just start sending messages out of sheer boredom.¡±


    What the hell is she some sort of mind reader?


    ¡°And watch your language!¡±


    I¡­ I best just hurry. Right? Right. School. Yay.


    Glancing at my dresser I come to the swift conclusion that I should probably start putting my clothes away. The draws are empty. And stacked on top in what could be described as a tangled mess where what remained of my clean laundry.


    Why do I do this to myself? I always say I¡¯m going to put em away but somehow I never manage. What kinda hot mess am I?


    Throwing caution to the wind I start sorting the clothing as best I can tell I have a somewhat passable outfit for the day. Going as fast as i can I throw my clothes on and head for the standing mirror in the corner of my room. Checking out what O managed in the short time I was given. And I gotta say I impressed myself.


    A one size fits none t shirt hat was obviously a size or two to small for my frame. Admittedly I chose it for one simple reason. It accented my somewhat small bust. In a classy way. Just the right tightness. Just a hint of cleavage. And hey if it rode up if I breathed too deeply , while that was a small price to pay for fashion. Plus it was black and white striped. Which was a major bonus. My pants of course were artfully ripped. Showing just the right amount of skin in just the right places. A calf, a dash of knee, and just enough thigh to make it interesting. All in all it was a serviceable look.


    Damn I¡¯m hot.


    I smile into the mirror. My green eyes twinkling as I drag a brush through my brown hair, trying to tame the frizzy beast.


    ¡°Soph if you''re not down here in the next thirty seconds I¡¯m sending random emojis to ¡®That hot dude in chem¡¯ and I will make it just saucy enough that he questions your honor!¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Coming!¡± I yell as I drop the brush and scramble around for a hair tie or scrunchy before running down out of my room and into the hallway. Stopping once to adjust my hair I rushed into the kitchen, bare feet slapping hard on the linoleum.


    ¡°Mom I swear to god if you sent anything we will have words!¡±


    She of course just smiles, sips her coffee and hands me a brown sack lunch. Before gesturing to the counter. Where sitting next to a cookie jar in the shape of a grinning fat black cat is my phone. Mercifully out of my mothers hands.


    Thank god.


    I swipe the screen and nothing¡­ I press the button on the side¡­ And nothing. I hold the on button and¡­


    ¡°Oh ya, it¡¯s as dead as a doornail Soph. Anyways, lets get goin¡¯ we gotta beat that traffic and I swear to God Almighty, if I see That Clarice woman dropping off her daughter I will start a scene yes siree I tell ya I will. Thinking she can shift me out of the bake sale? Bless her heart but she¡¯s messing with the wrong moma.¡±


    ____________________________________________________________________________


    Thankfully ¡®That Clarice woman wasn¡¯t at drop off. Unluckily I rushed out the door just fast enough to forget just about everything I needed for my day, minus my lunch of course.


    ¡°Of all the things mom remembers to help with¡­ It had to be that?¡± I mutter with a grimace as I exit the station wagon.


    ¡®It¡¯s not a car Soph. It¡¯s a station wagon and you best keep getting it right lest you get a tanning¡¯ Pfft like she ever once spanked me.


    ¡°What was that darlin? Did ya say something?¡±


    ¡°No mom, just kicking myself for forgetting my bag.¡± I reply


    ¡°Okay hun, well in that case remember you¡¯ll need to take the bus home. I gotta work late tonight so you¡¯ll have the house to yourself for the first little while. Order a pizza or something if I¡¯m late, I transfer some money into your account so don¡¯t worry too much about it! Love ya!¡± She says and blows me a kiss.


    ¡°Love you to mom, wake me up when you get home if it¡¯s not too late.¡±


    ¡°Oh I will¡­ And Say hi to Frank for me!¡± With a cackle she rolls up the window and drives away. Our brown wagon puttering along as if it had not a care in the world.


    I turn towards the school and glance at the bustling crowd. Of the happy and not so happy people on their way to class. And I can¡¯t help but feel excited. Class always made me giddy. Being out and about with people always brought a smile to my face. Not a common reaction to be sure. But I loved my school. I loved my friends. And I may well have been falling in like with a certain someone as well. All in all life was looking up, and as I crossed the courtyard and made my way up the steps to the front doors I couldn''t help but feel blessed.


    ____________________________________________________________________________


    I wake up in pain and confused, the taste and smell of something sickly sweet on my tongue and in my nose, lingering in the back of my oh so dry mouth. I try to speak and only manage a weak cough. I try to sit up only to find myself bound hand and foot in some dark enclosed space.


    Where am I? What¡¯s¡­ What¡¯s going on here?


    I try to move and find that all I can do is wiggle ever so slightly and that something¡­ Something is pressed over my mouth and nose. And then I notice the movement. A slightly rumbling. A jostle. A sudden turn that slams me painfully into a wall.


    Am I in a car? Am I in the trunk of a car?! What¡­ The last thing I remeber is waiting at the bus stop¡­ And then¡­


    It was blank. Other than pain she remembered nothing past the bus stop. Just a giant blank patch.


    Was I. Am I being kidnapped? What? Why? What''s going on.


    I start to thrash as best as I can, which given the restraints amounts to little but useless inching forward and backward. My blood starts to rise and tears come to my eyes as the horrible reality starts to set in.


    I¡¯m tied up in the back of a car. Going God knows where. Why? I¡¯m no one. A no buddy. My family isn¡¯t even that well off! There¡¯s gotta be a mistake. There just has to be.


    I don¡¯t know how long we drive. All I know is that the need to heed the call of nature comes and goes and I¡¯m left laying in my mess for hours. Hours on end. I fall asleep. I wake up. And the smell that greets me just gets worse. There is no reprieve. There is no stretching. And in the end I just give up.


    And then as suddenly we started we stopped. And I hear the engine finally give out followed almost immediately by the sound of a door slamming and muffled indistinct voices drawing ever closer.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got the package right here in the back for you sir. Should be right as rain and healthy to boot. Just don¡¯t mind the smell, we¡¯ve not let it out since we picked it up so theres bound to be a mess.¡± I hear the scrapping of metal, and the sound of a key being turned.


    ¡°I honestly don¡¯t care so long as you¡¯ve gotten the right test subject. Each and every one was chosen for a purpose.¡± This voice unlike the first is crisp, clear, with just a hint of nasal undertones. The voice of a professional desk jockey. Or call center representative.


    With a creek the trunk opens and I¡¯m blinded by bright florescent light. I quickly close my eyes and and try to look away but my restraints prevent even that much movement.


    ¡°Well it looks like you got it trussed up like a pig, you had no problems I hope?¡±


    "None whatsoever sir. Narry a peep. But thats due mostly to the mask as you can see.¡± Came the reply.


    ¡°Ah yes. What a handy little device. Please remind me to pick a few up, I can honestly say they would come in handy. Now¡­ to business.¡±


    I open my eyes and am greeted with the sight of a man that was almost too handsome to describe. Broad shoulders. Deep clear blue eyes. Long Auburn hair tied back in a clean sleek ponytail. And he was tall. Taller than tall. Almost a giant, or so it looked to me. Standing well over six feet in height. IT was honestly more than a little intimidating.


    ¡°Please miss, I¡¯m going to ask you some questions. All you have to do is nod or shake your head to answer. Do you understand?¡±


    I nod ever so slightly. To scared not to as I cry ever so gently.


    ¡°Good good. Now your name is Sophie Wexlar, correct?¡±


    Another nod.


    ¡°Daughter of Vicktor and Abbie Wexler?¡±


    I nod again.


    ¡°Fantastic. Just hold still now, you¡¯ll be alright in a moment.¡±


    He rummages in his pocket and withdraws¡­ Something. I squirm. I try and move away. I fail and the next thing I feel is a slight pinch and a feeling of something cold running into my neck. Then nothing at all.

 Chapter 2 - Subject Beta

    The sounds of gunfire and the smell of smoke woke me. The rumble of explosions tipped me from my bed and a pain lanced through my body as I struggled to stand. Smoke filled the room, wafting in from under my door and through the holes that had at some point appeared in the walls of my room. I could hear shouting, yelling, screaming from all outside my walls but the ringing in my ears prevented me from understanding what was being said.  Walking quickly to the window I glance out the window eye¡¯s sweeping the predawn darkness.


    Hell greets me. I see smoking ruins of homes. I see bodies dotting the ground just meters away. ¡°Is that Amara? And Kiluf amd Ife?¡± I couldn¡¯t tell if they were living or dead, but I could clearly make them out in the light provided by the burning buildings even with the smoke in the air. Hell I could jump out the window and be there right next to them, helping them in a matter of moments.


    I reach for the lock and start to throw the window open.


    CRACK


    I feel something hot  streak across my cheek and I stumble back confused and whimpering in pain. I scoot on my ass back  towards my bedroom door and reach over my shoulder for the handle before I fight to get on my knees and throw open the door, the knob hot to the touch, and am greeted by the sight of flames and the rushing of smoke. The flames are leeping up the walls, consuming the wood and the pictures hanging there. I see my wifes face consumed  ever so slowly by fire before I fall backwards and crawl as quick as I can towards the window.


    ¡°Come on Kojo. Come on you¡¯ve got to move. Just move. You¡¯ve been through worse than worse than this.¡±


    Who am Ikidding. But still I have to get moving. I can¡¯t.. I won¡¯t be burned alive.


    I make it back to the window faster than I imagined I could manage it. Meer seconds having passed and without a look. Without a second thought I haul myself up and over the window sill and throw myself to the ground just a foot below. Landing on my back in the cool grass I take stock of my injuries, closing my eyes so I¡¯m not tempted to look to the side. To see the faces of what could only be my dead friends.


    Okay my hand is blistered. My head is ringing. My feet feel scorched. And finally I can¡¯t seem to catch my breath. How long was I laying there with the smoke slowly seeping into my room?


    I can hear shouts in the distance, and gunshots but they seem to be moving blessedly away. I slowly open my eyes and look up into the smoke filled sky. The stars and moon slowly losing out to the brilliance of the rising sun.  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    I have to move. Have to hide. Someone. Anyone will come to help. To save us. An attack like this won¡¯t go unnoticed. I just have to make it to safety first and wait out the fighting. Yes. I just need to find a place to hide. I can worry about the others later, I can¡¯t help them if I¡¯m dead.


    Closing my eyes one last time I steel myself and push myself to my feet. Refusing to look at the bodies lying within arms reach.


    They''re not dead. Just resting. Just resting and waiting for rescue. I¡¯ll bring help. I¡¯ll bring help I promise. Just hold out a while longer!


    I stumbled forward, eyes locked the dirt bath that would lead me into the bush beyond the border of our town. Not glancing left or right my feet carry me forward towards the well worn path and safety that was promised beyond. I glanced at my bare feet and grimaced at what was about to happen, but resolved myself to the pain that was to come. ¡°It¡¯s alright. You¡¯ve just gone through worse. You were shot at. You were burned. A few sharp rocks is nothing compared to that. Nothing at all. ¡° I wish I believed my own words.


    Still I could do nothing but stumble forward ignoring the sounds coming from behind me. ¡°¡±I¡¯m not a coward. I¡¯m not. There''s nothing I can do here. If I live though I could save the other survivors. It¡¯s the best plan. The only plan that makes sense. Let¡¯s move it Kojo. We don¡¯t have much time left to get out of here.¡±


    My shuffling steps picked up speed as the ground beneath my feet transitioned from soft grass hard packed dirt. I was more than familiar with this area. I knew that right ahead the path would branch, I knew that just a few hundred feet to my left there was a small stream that was more mud than water. And I knew if I continued forward for just a little while I¡¯d make it to the large Marula tree that my father had helped plant when he had been just a boy.


    ¡°I just have to make it to the tree. I¡¯ll be safe there. No one will find me. No one would think to look there. I mean it¡¯s too obvious right? Right. Move those feet Kojo. Faster. Faster. Faster.¡±


    That mantra went through my head over and over again during the next half hour. Move Kojo. Faster. Move Kojo. You¡¯ll be safe once you reach the tree. Faster Kojo. Faster.


    Those words kept me moving when I slipped and fell. Those words kept me moving as my feet bled and cracked. Those words kept me moving forward when all else failed. Through the fear. Through the exhaustion. Until finally the mighty tree rose in the distance, through the shrub and tall grass. Illuminated beautifully by the early morning light that had finally brought true light to the day. And when I finally burst through the scrub I heard the tell tale CRACK of a rifle and felt something sharp and cold enter my back before I started to fall forward. The last thing I saw was the tree my father had planted as my body finally gave out. Move¡­ Kojo. You¡¯ll be safe when¡­


    ____________________________________________________________________________


    ¡°We got him sir. The target was fleeing south of the village, but he left a trail a babe could follow.¡± I say into my radio as I move to cuff our target.  ¡°African male, approximately nineteen years of age. Matches the description of one test subject beta at five foot ten, around a buck and half in weight last seen leaving his residence on the .¡±


    ¡°Good job Cash, hold there we will have a ground transport at your location in thirty or less. The boss says drinks are on him tonight.¡± The voice on the other ends of the line sounded relived to be sure. Which i definitely understood. Our employer was not one to take failure lightly.


    ¡°Gotcha Hub. Tag, bag, and wait for pickup.¡±  I pull the wiry man''s arms behind his back before placing the restraints on him. I do the same for his feet and then connect the two, effectively hog tying the man. Then I sit on the ground next to him and wait. It was going to be a good day, especially with the bonus he knew he had coming his way

 Chapter 3 - Subject Theta

    ¡°Oh my god. Declin, if this was you, I swear I''ll beat your ass six ways to sunday.¡± I can¡¯t help but swear as I look up and down the road tracks. ¡°If you¡¯re late AGAIN i¡¯m not waiting for you. Hell, you can right on and go fuck ya self. I¡¯m not missing this train. Not again. Not staying in Cleveland one more night. I don¡¯t even care. I¡¯ll ride by myself. I swear to God almighty I will. Just you watch me. Mhmm.¡±


    I glance all about the yard, looking for any sign of my missing friend but see nothing but rusted train cars and silent train tracks. I check my watch and start to make for the now open train car. ¡°It¡¯s a quarter tell. If you don¡¯t get here soon pal I¡¯ll be that much closer to cali and you¡¯ll be here wishing you were me. I tell ya, you won¡¯t even know what hit you if you miss this damn train.¡±


    I walk towards the car clearly marked ¡®easy to enter¡¯ not even bothering to glance about again as I force the lock and throw the door open revealing an interior filled with crates and boxes of all shapes and sizes. Each box marked with a number. Each crate is marked with a name and letter. I smiled as I got inside knowing that this was about as comfortable a train ride as I could manage baring actually paying for a ticket. Which was laughable. Why pay when you could ride for free?


    "Yo Sam, You here?¡±  I hear echo over the train yard and I smile recognising the voice of my erstwhile friend. ¡°Yey man! Just walk back I¡¯ll keep the door open for ya! Gotta get in quick through They leave in like half an hour! Come on man! Hurry yo ass up!¡±


    I sit my ass down, swing my legs over the edge and kick my feet out, almost dancing as I sit and wait. Damn girl, these shoes are fine. I should go scrounging in  them bougie parts more often. The kicks in question were dark worn in boots with steel toes. Done in leather and velvet they had seen better days but they still had plenty of life left to live. Honestly whoever had thrown them out had made one hell of a mistake. One man''s trash and all that.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°Sam I can¡¯t see ya. Call your ass out if ya would?¡± I can¡¯t help but smile as his words ring clear and closer.


    ¡°Yo, over here hurry your ass up! I want these door closed in the next little while! Don¡¯t wanna get caught riding by some last second check!¡± Which was more than true. You never knew when they would run checks on the locks and doors before a departure. Most days, it didn¡¯t matter much. But every once in a while they did snap inspections¡­ And if we were caught being the landward style of stowaways well a whole lot of hurt could be coming our way.


    ¡°I gotch you boo. I see ya just one sec!¡± I hear the sound of heavy running footsteps and can¡¯t help but frown. They didn¡¯t sound like Declin¡¯s steps, but hell he may well have made a score. Would have made sense with how late the boy was. ¡°Damn son, you sound like you are packed to the nines! Can¡¯t wait to see what swag you got on ya!¡±


    The man that rounded the corner was not Declin. In fact he was the farthest thing from the sixteen year old runaway that one might be. For one he was dressed to the nines. A suit that was tailored to his gigantic frame. Black on black on more shades of black. The only hint of color was on his tie which had a red stripe running down the center. ¡°Who the hell are you and where¡¯s Declin.


    He just looked at me, his blue eyes locking me in place as I tried to stand. He reached into his pocket as he drew closer and in a flash he withdrew a silver almost futuristic gun, pointed it at me, and pulled the trigger. The next thing I knew I was tumbling forward, my body unresponsive, My eyes growing heavy. My mind slowly running down. I can;t help but wonder where Declin is. What had happened to him. If he was alright. I panic.Not for myself, but for my friend. But as my eyes finally fell shut I saw him round the corner. A stack of cash in his dirty hands, a new bag over his shoulder. I¡¯d have cried then and there, but blessedly I fell into unconsciousness.