《My New Life at Hitman Academy》


 Prologue: The Beginning, Right?

    The beautiful cloudless sky tonight makes the moonlight glint across the pavement. The tinted windows of this new, armored black stealth car I''m driving make it hard to appreciate the view in all its glory, though¡­ But that''s part of the job, I guess.


    So here I am, a man rushing into his late 30s, having some sort of midlife crisis in the midst of his current job. My name is (or was it?) Angus Bronson, or Gus for short, and I¡¯m now a secret agent fighting to dismantle this large and dangerous clandestine organization full of thugs.


    But the truth is, I''m just a former high school teacher, with wavy light brown hair and kind hazel eyes behind my signature square glasses, who''s always been the supportive and protective type. Back then, since the sudden loss of my teaching job, I''ve been feeling uncertain and adrift. But now look at me, it''s time to put some action in my life!


    The name of the Secret Service division I work for is H.I.T.M.A.N., and no, that¡¯s not a real acronym. I bet whoever came up with the name thought it would sound badass spelled that way. The division was created by an independent, unknown group of former National Intelligence spies who call themselves ''The Enigma.'' In short, they''re an elite, secret group of spies, agents, and analysts. They''re dedicated to preserving peace and stability around the world, no matter the cost. The Enigma values ??loyalty above all else. Its founding agents are bound by a strict code of conduct, ensuring that they always put the mission first.


    "Come on, Agent G, eyes on the road!" an irritated voice from a presumably pissed-off woman scolded me.


    Oh yeah, the nickname ''Agent G'' is my new name, by the way. And this woman calling me is my mentor within the organization, her nickname is ''Agent B'' and she is currently the one training me. A typical hot Latina girl, she works as an instructor at the Academy and has vowed to train her students as hard as she can. Her long dark hair cascades down her back, and her piercing green eyes seem to penetrate one''s very soul.


    The thing is... Let''s just say our history goes way back and that may or may not be partly the reason why she''s always so mean to me. Well, it is what it is.


    "Roger, Agent B."


    "Miss Agent B, don''t forget!"


    See what I mean by that?


    "Okay... Ms. almighty Agent B."


    "Oh, I don''t like your tone, my dear subordinate..." she said with a sadistic smile and a glint of evil in her eyes, "I''ll make sure to punish you properly when we get back to the Academy."


    "Eh..."


    I don''t have the energy to keep up the conversation, so I just adjusted my tie, making sure my traditional and bulletproof secret agent all black suit is ready... Shit, it seems like things just keep getting worse and worse for me, no matter what I do!A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    This ''Academy'' she''s referring to is the secret academy that trains and graduates secret agents to work on Project H.I.T.M.A.N. Created by the Enigma group, the Academy prides itself on its rigorous training program, which is designed to push recruits to their limits, both physically and mentally. There, recruits learn everything from advanced hand-to-hand combat to mastering the latest in surveillance and hacking technology. They''re taught to think critically, make split-second decisions, and work as a team. And it''s been my new home since... Since the day things completely changed and my once peaceful life was turned upside down.


    Now we''re headed to our mission, my first "official" mission, somewhere deep in the Havenfield countryside. This place used to be just a small, peaceful town with a population of around 20,000 people, known for its friendly locals, picturesque main street and beautiful parks. But now it is home to one of the most dangerous clandestine organizations, the ravenous ''Rogues'', who have become a formidable force. They are a diverse group, with members from various backgrounds, united only by their loyalty to their leader ''Lil D''. The gang specializes in extortion, kidnapping and smuggling. Their current goal is to eliminate the secret agents of Project H.I.T.M.A.N., as we always get in the way of the gang''s goals.


    "Go faster, Agent G!" she yelled at me once more, "At this rate, we''ll never reach our objective in time!"


    "I''m going as fast as I can, okay!"


    "Then hurry up, because this is our only chance to catch Lil D."


    The guy''s nickname...


    "Pffff..." I was trying my best to hold back the laughter that was eating me up inside.


    "What?!"


    "Nothing."


    "FOCUS, ON THE MISSION AGENT! FOCUS!"


    "Yes, ma''am... I mean, Ms. Agent B."


    Although his nickname is in, shall we say, bad taste, he is known in the underworld only by the moniker Lil D, and he is a sadistic man with a penchant for theatrics. In the photos I saw in the briefing room, he had a thick goatee and his eyes were dark and piercing. His fashion sense is as eccentric as his personality, favoring a purple trench coat and a top hat. Lil D''s unusual appearance and behavior have earned him a reputation as a madman, which he delights in. His tall, lanky frame makes him look like a star on any NBA team, and I''M NOT saying he looks like one of the most famous players to ever play in the league, but the way he always dyes his hair a different color every time... You know exactly which basketball player I''m thinking of, right?


    "Agent B, do you copy?"


    At that moment, we could hear the voice of a fellow agent in our special Secret Service earpieces, discreetly disguised in our right ears.


    "Loud and clear, Agent L." Agent B responded, pressing her own earpiece.


    Oh, ''Agent L''¡­ The one responsible for changing my life forever. I don''t know whether to thank him or curse him, but the truth is that I feel like I''m finally living my life to the fullest now, in some way. As for his appearance, you could say he''s a tall, muscular white dude with short blond hair and his eyes are a deep shade of green. He has a warm and approachable demeanor, making it easy for people to trust him. Beneath his agent''s attire, he hides the skills of a highly trained fighter, ready to protect those he cares about at any moment.


    "The target has arrived, over."


    "Good job, Agent L! We''ll be there in a few minutes, over."


    It seems our target, Lil D, has been successfully lured into our trap.


    "..."


    "GO FASTER!"


    "I know, dammit!" so I accelerated to max speed, hoping for the best.


    As I''ve gone full pedal to metal, I couldn¡¯t help but think back to that fateful day when everything changed. On the remaining way to our destination, I began to recall the sequence of events that led me here, to where I am now¡­

 Chapter 1: A Chance Meeting

    Another day arrived in the quiet town of Havenfield, the sun slowly rising over the mountains on the horizon. The cold seasons were long gone, so the temperatures were starting to rise, and particularly that year, the heat was becoming truly unbearable.


    "Yawn..."


    I rubbed my eyes, as I woke up from bed covered in sweat early in the morning, thanks to the faulty air conditioning in the room. Unfortunately, I didn''t have the money to fix it at that point as it had been almost two months since I lost my job as a geography teacher at the local high school.


    "Damn, it''s so hot today!" as I unbuttoned my light blue pajama shirt, heading to the bathroom to brush my teeth.


    Today would be another day of looking around the town, in search for a job, always keeping an eye on the newspaper for any job openings as well.


    Time was running out, and the little money I had saved over the years was almost gone. The small apartment I was living in was a complete dump, but the rent was low, so it was worth it. However, I needed to find a job and fast, otherwise I would soon be looking for another place, or city, to live.


    Moments later, I finished changing into my casual, simple yet somewhat sporty formal clothes, with a shirt, tie, jeans, and some cool sneakers. It''s my style, don''t judge me!


    After that, I was getting ready to head out to start my job-hunt when my outdated flip phone rang a single tone. A message had been received.


    "Oh, a text message... Maybe it''s a job opportunity?" I pulled out my phone to see what it was about, wiping my glasses on my shirt.


    The message was from a number I had long forgotten about and, for real, why was the number still saved in my contact list? Anyway, the phone''s display showed a message from a number related to someone named ''Lincoln Gardens'', my old friend and classmate since elementary school. Unfortunately, we lost touch after we graduated high school and went our separate ways to pursue our dreams.


    "A text from Link?! Holy shit, has it been 15 years already... or maybe more?"


    The full message was as follows:


    "Hey Gus, how are you?


    I''ll be back in town tonight!


    It''s been so many years since we last saw each other, so are you up for our usual dinner at the Town Caf¨¦ later to catch up?


    Your homie, Link."


    Damn, it''s been so long, man! If I remember correctly, he went to the big city to study computer science or something... I think I''ll ask him more about it tonight. Maybe he could even help me find a job or a referral or something or whatever, either one is fine. The important thing is to get back in touch.


    It''s not like I don''t have any friends or anything...


    "Hey Link, I''ll be there for sure! See ya later." read the message I sent him in reply.


    So I finished making my preparations and left the apartment to continue my noble quest for gold.


    ***


    Almost a full day later, as the sun began to set on the horizon, I returned from my journey into the outside world completely defeated. I was so beat you wouldn''t believe it even if I told you.


    "Fuck, man..."


    I sighed as I closed the old, peeling green front door of my apartment and grabbed a cold beer from the fridge on my way to the couch, where I collapsed.


    "Who does that idiot think he is?! ''Sorry, Mr. Bronson, but we need someone with actual experience for the job'' it''s a crappy drugstore, for God''s sake!" I complained to myself, between sips, "Screw that guy!"


    There I spent a almost an hour chewing over the bad memories of the day and imitating the jerks I met in interviews. However, when I looked at the clock that hung on the wall of my living room, I was amazed at the time. How could it already be so late?! Damn, I was going to have to hurry things up if I was planning to make it to the Town Caf¨¦ on time.


    "Holy shit, I have to go!"


    So I finished my errands and went to meet Link at the caf¨¦, which was still the same place it had been over a decade ago. Perhaps the only difference was that it hadn''t been painted in quite a while, so the new "post-apocalyptic" vibe of the place was a plus in my opinion.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    A few minutes later, as I walked there (you didn''t assume I had a car, did you?), the warm evening reminded me that summer was coming in full force this year. Since the place was about four blocks from my house, it wasn''t hard to get there quickly.


    The whole neighborhood was still the same after all these years. Havenfield was an old rural railroad hub, so the train stations and tracks were exposed all over the small town. Across the street from the Town Caf¨¦ was a large abandoned warehouse, filled with empty shipping containers that had once been transported by trains through the area.


    Oh, I know my history, just so you know.


    "Gus?!"


    I heard a voice as I approached my destination, and as soon as I looked, I saw Lincoln sitting at one of the outdoor tables. He greeted me, raising his hand.


    "Link! Holy shit, man, how long has it been?" I said, walking over to him and shaking hands.


    "A long long time, if you ask me! Haha."


    "Yeah, I''m glad to see you''re doing okay."


    "Me too, man." he then pointed me to the table he was at before, sitting down on the small chair.


    "So, what brought you back to town?" I asked, as I also sat down on a similar chair on the opposite side.


    I noticed that he was a little starched up, wearing formal clothes and even a sweater... Even in this heat! Other than that, he still looked pretty much the same as before. I guess the two of us hadn''t changed much physically while we were getting older all this time.


    "You know, I was looking for something to break up the same old boring life... Wake up, go to work, come home, sleep, and so on."


    "Ah... I never thought I''d say this, but I miss this life too."


    "What do you mean?"


    "I''ve been working as a teacher at our old school for many years, but apparently I told an inappropriate joke during class and... Well, here I am looking for a job."


    "No way, man! I''m sorry to hear that..."


    Okay, since we''re on the subject, I''ll be as direct as possible with him.


    "Yeah... Now I know I should never make jokes about ''ice cream'' and ''two scoops'' again, haha!" I told him, pretending that everything was fine, "Anyway, you don''t know any place that needs someone, do you? I mean, I''d even do manual labor if I had to..."


    "Sorry, but I-..."


    At that moment he cut off his words as he looked around us. When I turned to see for myself what had him so perplexed, I saw three men approaching our table from different sides, all pointing guns at us.


    "WHAT?! WHAT THE FU-?!"


    "GUS, GET DOWN!" Gardens ordered me, as he pulled me under the table.


    I didn''t see exactly when, since everything happened so fast, but at some point Link threw his glass cup right at the head of one of the three men, who fell unconscious. At that moment, the other two opened fire on us, as they retreated to an old ''pimp-my-ride'' styled car that was parked a few meters away from the street. The thick wooden table served as a sort of shield for the bullets, and my friend turned it in a way that would make a barricade for us. He was abnormally calm during this, while I was losing my shit.


    "WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?! WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?!"


    "So they attacked me even in an open place like this... Looks like I underestimated them."


    "HUH?! WHA- WHY?! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, LINK?!"


    "Calm down, man. I''ll find a way to get us out of here."


    "CAL- Calm down?! We''re being shot at by some random lunatics out here in the open!"


    Link then calmly pulled what looked like a yellow taser from under his sweater and pointed it at the attackers, taking cover behind the overturned table. As a commotion occurred, everyone else had already fled the scene. It was just us and these gangsters, and I use that term specifically because the whole scene was so surreal that it felt like it was straight out of a gangster hip hop music video I grew up watching on TV.


    And also the way they came at us, holding their guns, like true badasses. It was kind of cool too... I mean, it would have been cool if my life wasn''t on the line for some reason.


    "Gus, listen to me, okay? On my command, you will run across the street and into the old abandoned warehouse for cover."


    "Wait, wait, wait a minute, I-..."


    , he fired his taser, which I confirmed as a fact that it was definitely NOT a taser, since it fired something that promptly blew one of the gangster''s head off. That poor guy certainly found an efficient way to clear his mind.


    "NOW!"


    "W-WAIT, I JUS-... SHIIIIIIIEETT!!!"


    I didn''t even bother thinking about all the unanswered questions I had in my mind anymore, I just wanted to live. That''s all. So I ran like there was no tomorrow, at a world record running pace. Did it feel like I was marching? Yeah, but who cares?! We were under heavy fire up until that very moment AND my belt wasn''t even that tight, since I was prepared to eat like a wild boar (expecting Link would pay for it all, since he was the one who invited me out, of course...).


    As I reached the gate to the warehouse, I looked back and saw Lincoln take another well-aimed shot to the other motherfucker''s head and then walk right behind me, following the same trajectory I had just taken.


    "What the HELL is going on?!"


    "Not now, we don''t have enough time." he said, while sprinting beside me, "We have to take cover and protect ourselves first, in case more of them show up."


    "M-MORE OF THEM?!"


    "Yes, unfortunately."


    "HOLY FUCKAROO!!"


    "That''s one godlike neologism, for sure." Link observed calmly, as he picked the old rusty padlock.


    "AJSUHBFAJGBN..."


    "Dude, are you having a stroke over there? Hold on, we''re almost in." as he successfully opened the gates.


    "S-Shut up, leave my coping mechanisms alone!" I promptly stated, as an expert in the arts of being a drama queen.


    "Come on, let''s get inside! The rest of them should be here soon, I believe."


    "Great¡­"


    Even though my coping was going through the five stages of grief on its own, I agreed with him and we both ran into the old warehouse full of empty, dusty shipping containers. The place was huge and full of cover spots that we could choose.


    "Here, follow me!"


    Somehow, Lincoln knew exactly what he was doing as he scanned the area and pointed me to a really tactically advantageous place to hide. So if you asked me what was going on, I would have said I didn''t know shit. At that point, I was just focused on staying alive, which was essential if I still wanted to ask the appropriate questions later.

 Chapter 2: In Shock

    It''s been a few minutes since Link took me to this empty container on the side, perhaps the only one that was already open, and told me to hide inside and not leave the place until he said so. I have no idea what''s going on, but I know that those bullets that almost burned off my skin were the real fucking deal.


    "THEY''RE INSIDE THE BUILDING, LET''S GET THEM!!"


    I heard someone shouting some orders outside while I heard wheels burning and the movement of cars approaching the warehouse. The only thing I can do now is hope for the best and spy on what''s happening through this rusty hole in the metal structure of this makeshift hideout I''m in.


    I tried to look around to see if I could spot Lincoln, but to no avail. Maybe he''s also hiding somewhere else in the warehouse, which is logical, since this... um... "gang" is after us for some reason.


    "YOU TWO ARE GOING DOWN!" one of the men who had barged in yelled as he opened the side door to enter.


    Oh shit, they''re here! What the hell are we going to do? This place is huge, with hundreds of metal containers... Maybe they''re not going to search all of them, are they?


    I stood there, sweating like a pig ready to be slaughtered, while still peering through the hole. I counted six people in total who entered the building, all wearing masks or bandanas covering their faces AND holding weapons, of course.


    "SHOW YOURSELVES, MAGGOTS!"


    "WE''RE AFTER YOU, BITCHES!!"


    "IT''S THE END OF THE LINE!"


    They yelled as they searched the open area in the middle of the place. The gang was surrounded by containers, and the silence that followed made me swallow hard in fear and apprehension.


    Shit, I''m too young and handsome to die here!


    At that moment, I heard a sound of something hitting metal on the opposite side of where I was, and all the gangsters immediately turned their attention to the place.


    "Heheh, found ya!", one of the men celebrated, heading towards the place, leading the others.


    Suddenly, as they approached, the leader of the group realized that he had stepped on what seemed to be some shiny marbles. He stopped and started laughing, making fun of the situation.


    "This is pathetic, hahaha!", he continued, looking at his friends, "As if we were idiots enough to trip and fall on a child''s toy!"


    *KABOOOOOOOOOMM*


    A massive, earth-shattering explosion shattered the previous silence, reverberating throughout the warehouse and causing everyone''s eardrums to immediately start ringing. As I gathered myself from the loud sound, I rubbed my ears and peered through the hole once more. It seemed that those ''marbles'' were, in fact, explosives.


    One of the men was blown to a pulp. I could see something... something that was once a human, lying there, completely destroyed. Holy shit!


    "MOTHAFUCKA!!"


    "WHERE?!"The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    The other gangsters shouted, as they opened fire through the remaining smoke in all directions. They gathered themselves in a defensive formation after their comrade''s explosion.


    So I was about to climb out of the container, thinking of making a run to the exit door and risk everything to leave this hellish place, but then I could see the silhouette of someone moving quickly through the smoke and weaving through the anguished group of men.


    "IAAAARRRRGGHHHH!!!"


    One of the men screamed as he fell with a huge cut on his throat, swaying from side to side, letting out an almost tragicomic waterfall of blood everywhere.


    Then the shadowy figure, still moving abnormally fast, continued his attack.


    "OVER THER- UGH-!"


    "OH N- ACK-!"


    Two of the other gangsters present there were lifted by their necks by some kind of sharp line, which that mysterious figure held as he jumped high and ended up stretching and strangling them both to death.


    I couldn''t believe my eyes, as the fog dissipated even more, I could see that the figure was Link himself! As soon as I realized the situation I was witnessing, he threw a small knife that he was holding in his hand, and it pierced another gangster''s eye. The poor guy fell, already lifeless, in a pool of blood.


    In an instant, a complete silence almost returned to the place, being interrupted only by several clicks of a gun that was already empty of bullets.


    "NO! NO! NOOOOO!" shouted the last remaining thug, trying to shoot his empty gun in vain, as Lincoln approached him, "GET AWAY FROM ME!!"


    Then, fast as lightning, my friend delivered an acrobatic spinning kick in the gangster''s last direction.


    "KETKETBARUKET!"


    Did he... Did he just... Did he just try to say ''Tatsumaki Senpukyaku''? Like... Like the move in that famous fighting game? No way... I must have heard wrong.


    "HYAAAGHH!!"


    Link then landed his acrobatic attack right in the thug''s face, breaking his neck instantly. The deadly silence had finally returned. Now more dead than ever, because I could clearly peer through the hole at the several bodies lying on the ground, all over the place.


    "Phew... Easy-peasy!" my friend said, wiping the sweat that was breaking on his forehead, "You can leave now, Gus. It''s safe!"


    The motherfucker tells me that, his voice reverberating and echoing off the walls, as if nothing had happened! Damn, I''m shaking so hard I think my knees are going to give out at any moment.


    "W-What was that...?" I asked, getting out of the container I was in and slowly approaching him.


    "Oh, those were members of the Rogue gang... That''s typical behavior for them."


    "Huh?!"


    "But don''t worry, it looks like the ones who were on our trail have been eliminated."


    "Da-Dafuck are you saying-?!"


    Just as I was about to finish my indignant remarks, a small earpiece in his right ear began to blink a red dot light, followed by several beeping sounds.


    "Excuse me for a sec, man." he told me, as he pressed his earpiece, "Affirmative, they''ve all been eliminated. Send the cleanup team to the coordinates I just sent, over."


    A what team now?


    "Understood." he continued, as if confirming something to someone on the other end of the comm, "We''ll be right there, over."


    Wait, "we" what does he mean by "we"¡­?


    "Uh¡­ We?"


    "Let''s get going, Gus, a service car is already waiting for us outside."


    "Wait, wait, wait, a car?! You said you''d answer my questions!"


    "I will, but I''ll do it when we get back to our base."


    "Our base?!"


    "Yeah... Since you know too much, you''re now part of the team." he congratulated me as we headed for the exit door, "Welcome to Project H.I.T.M.A.N., Agent!"


    "W-Welcome to Project Hit-what?! What the fuck?! Dude, we need to call the police right now, this has gone on too far-"


    When we left the warehouse, a luxurious all-black car with blacked-out windows was waiting for us outside in the darkness of the night. The vehicle was parked on the street right in front of where we were standing, and Link walked over to it and opened one of the backseat doors.


    "Get in, man."


    "I-I... Wait..."


    "Fine, I''ll explain everything to you on the way back."


    "..."


    Unable to rationalize any more of this shit that was unfolding before my eyes, I sighed a "Fuck it..." to myself and got into the vehicle. Gardens got in right after me and we both sat there in the comfortable back seats. Solid tinted glass blocked our view of the driver.


    As the car''s silent engines started and we pulled away, I looked back through the windows and another all-black car was pulling up to the scene we were leaving behind. All I could think about were the many unanswered questions I had in mind and how surreal it all was.

 Chapter 3: Hitman Academy

    It had been almost an hour since we''d gotten into the black car, and there I was, holding my outdated flip phone and staring at the ''No Signal'' message displayed on the screen. I''d heard so much bullshit that I bet I could write a best-selling fiction book about this shit, just by writing the exact same words of the nonsensical explanation Gardens just gave me.


    "Uh-huh¡­ Let me get this straight¡­"


    "Sure, go ahead."


    "So you''re saying that you''re part of a Secret Service organization that works in the shadows to dismantle the organized crime underworld and its various factions, which you call gangs¡­"


    "That''s right."


    "¡­ Also, you''re telling me that I know too much now, which means I''m obligated to be part of this organization too. Do I get that right?"


    "Exactly!"


    "Well, what if I just said no?"


    "Then I''d have to kill you and dump your body in the nearest river, unfortunately."


    "..."


    "Hahaha, I''m kidding!"


    "Heh, you got me, Link! Thank goodne-"


    "I''d just have to kill you. The cleaning department would get rid of your body."


    "O-Oh..."


    I want to live my life alone, leave me be!


    "So what''s your final answer, Gus?"


    "I guess I don''t have much of a choice, huh?"


    "We always have a choice."


    "Yeah, right... But the answer is yes."


    Fuck it, I have nothing left to lose anyway.


    "WONDERFUL!"


    As the car turned onto a dirt road, somewhere on the outskirts of town. Heading towards a large farm. It wasn''t long before we reached this old barn, where whoever was driving the car parked right in front of the open entrance.


    "Where are we?" I asked, as we got out of the car.


    "This is the Academy." he said, pointing to the barn.


    "The Academy? You mean this old barn is the infamous Academy?!"


    "You''ll see, just follow me."


    "Okay..."


    We entered the place, which was just a normal barn. At least until Lincoln approached a pile of hay that was stacked in one of the corners, pulling one of the bunches to the side, revealing a sort of secret trapdoor. He opened it and started to go down the ladder.


    "Come on, man!"


    I guess I don''t have any other options at the moment, right?


    So I followed right behind him, going down that endless straight ladder.


    When we finally reached the bottom after a few minutes, I was shocked to look around me. It felt like I was in some kind of classic spy movie, as I was in the middle of this advanced technological facility, almost resembling a tech lab, I would say.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    "Wow..."


    "Mr. Bronson! It''s a pleasure to meet you."


    When I turned around, I saw a somewhat fit old man with a proud gray hair mustache and a monocle, wearing a stylish black suit complete with gloves and all. He greeted me, as Lincoln walked off into the other room.


    "And you are...?" as I adjusted my glasses, still looking around the place.


    "I am Agent X, the Operational Director of this Academy."


    "Oh, nice to meet you too."


    "Now give me your documents, like ID and everything. Your mobile phone too, please."


    "Uh... Sure, here you go."


    He turned to the side of the room and threw everything I handled him into a small furnace that was there. The heat was so high that from the moment he opened it, we were all hit by the heat wave emanating from it. Everything burned to ashes when he closed the lid.


    "Perfect! Now you shall be known only by the name ''Agent G'', a secret agent in training."


    "Agent G? Why ''G'', then? If you don''t mind me asking..."


    "An agent is assigned his letter of the alphabet accordingly, to feel more familiar with his former name or nickname."


    Hum, so that''s how it works... Wait a minute, ''Agent X'' as in Xavier? Damn, it would be cool if the old man could read my mind too! Even better if he was bald and in a wheelchair, haha!


    "Now is not the time for jokes, Agent G." the mustachioed man declared.


    HOLY SHIT!


    "I-I... No, I was just... I..."


    "Today you will begin your training."


    "Heh, sure... Wait, what?"


    At that moment a beautiful brunette woman, also wearing a black suit (in her case, without a tie and with an open shirt, revealing her delicious bust). Her skin was tanned and shone to perfection, her hair was perfectly silky and long, her lips were full, with a seductive crimson lipstick. Her figure was perfect, like an Olympian goddess, her eyes were... Wait! BELLA?! WHAT THE FUCK, IT WAS REALLY HER!


    "This is Agent B, she will be your mentor from now on." the director introduced her to me.


    "BELLA?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"


    And as soon as I said that, her grace went down the drain as the veins on her forehead began to pop out in anger.


    But could you blame me for my shock? She was definitely Isabella Rodriguez, my ex-girlfriend from high school... Hmm... She may or may not have been my only girlfriend ever, I''ll leave you with that open question. The fact is, she was crazy and we ended our turbulent relationship before she left for college. I haven''t seen her since.


    "Oh, my sweet, sweet subordinate... IT''S AGENT B NOW, AM I CLEAR?!"


    "Heeee- Yes, ma''am!"


    "It''s good to know you two are going to get along."


    That''s a nice sense of sarcasm, good job, old man! And a nice mustache too.


    "..."


    What''s with the awkward silence all of a sudden? Whatever, it''s not like I give a damn anymore.


    "We''re all finally here!" Link - I mean - Agent L said as he came back into the room, now also wearing the full black suit and gloves.


    "What do you mean by that?"


    Wait a moment, let''s think about this now that the shock is wearing off and I can think about things a little more clearly... How many letters are in the alphabet, like 26? Okay, since I was named ''Agent G'', that means the letter G was up for grabs, leading me to think that there are less than 26 people at most in this entire organization, which is worrying. And besides, Gardens just suggested that the four of us here might be all of the current members...


    "We have uh... a few other members too, don''t worry." Agent X muttered quietly.


    THE OLD MAN SURELY JUST READ MY MIND!


    "A ''few'' others, huh?" I said to the group, without thinking twice, "That''s reassuring."


    "Agent G..." Bella - oh, right - Agent B caught my attention.


    "Y-Yeah?"


    "BE RESPECTFUL TO THE DIRECTOR!" she yelled, as she punched me brutally in the gut.


    "AAAGGHH-... S-SORRY!"


    "It''s okay, it''s okay." said the old man, continuing his speech, "More importantly, now is the time to begin your training, Agent G."


    "Welcome to the team, G!" my longtime friend then congratulated me.


    I guess there''s no turning back now...


    "T-thank you."


    After a few more moments of chatting to get more details about everything, the director and Agent L left the briefing room, leaving me alone with my crazy nightmare ex-girlfriend.


    "Uh... So I guess we could-" I tried to start a conversation, but was cut off relentlessly by her.


    "Silence!"


    "Wow, that was rude as f-"


    "SILENCE!" she yelled even louder.


    "Alright, alright! Relax, geez..."


    "It''s ''Yes, Ms. Agent B'' to you!"


    "No way, that''s so stupid, haha-"


    "NOW!"


    "Yes, Ms. Agent B, ma''am!"


    "Good. Now we''re ready to begin."


    "Begin what exactly?"


    "Your training, idiot!"


    "Oh, that''s right... I almost forgot."


    "Shut up and follow me to the training center." as she headed for the nearest door, "Let''s go!"


    "Damn, still the same bossy bitch as always, I see..."


    "..." she stopped and then looked straight at me, her eyes filled with murderous intent.


    "EEECK-... YES MISS AGENT B, RIGHT AWAY!"


    Then I too left the room, following Bella to wherever the hell she was taking me, to begin my training or something, which I''m worried sick about due to the fact that she''s insane!


    Can you believe all the things that have happened in the last six hours or so? Because I couldn''t, nothing felt real! Everything felt like a convoluted nightmare that involved all the loose ends of my past... Really, that was some crazy shit.

 Chapter 4: Nevermore

    It was early morning and there I was, completely catatonic, taking a shower in my bathroom, inside the individual stalls of the private dormitory area. My head hurt, my feet hurt, my arms hurt, every muscle fiber in my entire body hurt. Still, I was determined not to give up, because I was preparing for the last day of training. EVER.


    "I can''t believe it''s already been three months of this Spartan routine..."


    As I was zoning out for a while, frozen in something like a semi-fugue state, I started thinking about the life I left behind. Suddenly, my thoughts took me to remember my pet goldfish, Goldberg... It was sad and lucky that he died of old age about a week before all this shit happened, because I never got to go back to my old apartment.


    Soon the bells will ring through the speakers all over the Academy, telling us that it is time to do our tasks for the day... Just thinking about the face of that crazy bitch makes me shiver.


    "Oof! I can still hear her screechy voice in my head, giving me orders."


    When I got out of the shower and finished putting on my new all-black outfit, the aforementioned siren signals started to sound. The time had come, since that day would be the ''final test'' for me that would decide whether or not I would pass the training course... And, holy shit, I didn''t even want to think about what would become of me if I failed.


    The preparations were over and I was ready to begin, so I took a deep breath and left my private quarters, heading one last time to the training center that has been my bane for the past few months. It was now or never!


    A few minutes later, I arrived once more at that cursed arena and realized through the glass that separated me from my mentors that, besides Bella, Lincoln was also there. They were accompanied by a small woman with a somewhat familiar face, probably another Agent, who was typing something on her laptop. All three of them were watching the training course together from behind the bulletproof security glass. I, unfortunately, was already inside the arena, because the path I took led me directly here. It had been my standard morning route for the past three months.


    Link greeted me, shouting from where he stood.


    "Hey, Agent G! Good luck with the final test!"


    "Thanks, man - I mean - Agent L."


    "Do like you did in the training sessions and you''ll be fine!" Bella shouted, her voice loud as ever, "Just stay alive until the end of the course and you''ll pass."


    Wait, I thought I heard her say something about ''staying alive''... Hahaha haha ??ha... WHAT?!


    "S-STAY ALIVE?!" I widened my eyes and clutched my ass, "What do you mean by that?! Aren''t the weapons and everything fake like always?"


    "Nope." she smiled sadly at me, "Today everything is real AND highly lethal. Good luck, Agent G."


    Oh no... OH GOD NO! PLEASE NO! NOOOOO!!!


    Then the sirens placed in the corners of the training course activated in a single continuous blast, indicating that the final test was about to begin. However, this time it would not be an ordinary training, which was already brutal, but it would be the real deal.


    "I''m screwed, I''m so screwed, I''m so fucked!!"


    I knew the sequences of the training course that we had trained to exhaustion like the back of my hand, BUT executing them all at the risk of dying was too much for my poor ojisan''s heart. It was at that moment that I heard a female voice in my earpiece.


    "Agent G, this is Agent P, can you hear me?"


    It was the petite woman on the other side of the glass.


    "Y-Yes." I replied, as I pressed on it to activate the microphone.


    "Inside your gear, you''ll find a yellow gun that resembles a regular police force taser." she told me, her voice calm and contained.


    "Oh, I''ve seen that before, it''s already on my belt."


    "Good job! The name of this gun is the NM T-50, it''s a .50 caliber pistol and a powerful taser, displayed in a double trigger fashion. The top trigger fires the bullet and the bottom trigger activates the taser."The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Okay, I think I got it."


    As soon as she finished her explanation, I could hear a suspicious little whistle coming from Link.


    Wait a minute... Don''t tell me that back at the Town Caf¨¦ he accidentally pulled the wrong trigger and blew that guy''s head off by accident?! Maybe the total carnage that followed could have actually been avoided, huh? Welp, anyway...


    "Good luck, Agent G." Agent P, the voice on the other end, said honestly.


    "Thank you."


    Then, immediately, a few small security robots, flying drones, and fixed turrets all "came to life" at the same time all over the arena. This was the final warning for me to prepare myself, because now the final test had truly begun.


    *ZAPT*


    I heard a loud buzzing sound passing right by my ear, and to my shock, my cheek started bleeding. Thankfully, it was only a superficial wound, but it came from one of the automated flying drones.


    "So they''re really using lethal ammunition, huh?" I said, as I smiled unexpectedly at the adrenaline rush.


    As chaos took over the small training arena, I ran around the course, protecting myself from the countless bullets that were coming my way. There were several things scattered around the place that I could use as cover or barricades, such as destroyed vehicles, concrete pipes, and even trenches.


    "HOLY SHIT, WHAT DO I DO NOW?!" I thought to myself, crouching behind an old rusty bulldozer, "Calm down, Gus... It''s raining bullets now, but I have to remember my training and wait for the time for them to reload."


    So I waited for the right moment to act, while I readied my NM T-50 and took a deep breath. When the fire stopped, I left my cover, running and screaming like a crazy motherfucker.


    "AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!! I''M COMING TO GET YOU PIECES OF JUNK!"


    It was surreal how the unending Spartan training had conditioned my entire body to constant adrenaline, making me an unstoppable force. It was awesome!


    "Take this, take that, TAKE IT ALL!" I said, as I acrobatically jumped from one side to the other across the arena while firing back at my targets, "GET FUCKED!"


    I couldn''t believe how much my aim had improved in such a short time. I hadn''t missed a single shot!


    "I am a bad motherfucker!"


    One by one, my targets were being destroyed. As I got rid of the last one and prepared for the victory cry, another robot, bigger and badder, entered the arena. This hunk of metal looked like a mini panzer. It immediately machine-gunned me, and since I had little time to react, I was hit by some of the bullets, causing me to cough up a few gushes of blood from my mouth.


    "OOF!" as I ran for cover in the nearest trench, "If it weren''t for this bulletproof suit, I''d be dead already..."


    Then I was able to remember something from one of my previous runs on this course. These electric machines are vulnerable to electricity. So I looked at my stupid yellow gun and had an idea. I waited for the right moment, once again, and then jumped right at the damn thing, firing my taser at it.


    The panzer robot was immediately electrocuted and exploded in a sea of ??flames and debris, while I landed like a badass, with my back turned to the fire and all.


    "That was the true power of the Nevermore Model, my one and only masterpiece!" exclaimed an excited Agent P.


    Heh, I never doubted myself. (*Lie*)


    "I... I did it!" I whispered with some difficulty, as my vision was getting blurrier and blurrier.


    And then, just like that, I fainted and fell to the ground like a falling potato. However, I was in pure ecstasy, as I had just passed the hardest test of all! LET''S GO!!!


    ***


    After a while, I woke up in the local infirmary. As I groaned as I stood up, I realized that I had been healed with bandages all over my body. Then I noticed that my friends, the other agents, were all gathered around me.


    "Rise and shine, Agent G." Link said with a smile.


    "Tch... Congratulations on your success, my dear subordinate." Bella didn''t look happy at all, since she''s a mean bitch.


    "Thank you, guys!" I said, as I cried like a little girl.


    In the end I was grateful that the constant nightmare that had been the last few months had come to an end.


    "You did a great job, Agent G." said the short woman, as I finally met her, "I''m Agent P, the team''s tech specialist."


    Wow, she''s kind of cute. Her silky black hair in a ponytail, her clear blue eyes, her fair skin, her uh... her small but perfectly shaped breasts. Damn, she really is such a pretty lady! But I feel like I know her from somewhere... ''Agent P''... P like in... PENNY?! NO WAY!


    "Agent G..." Agent B showed a salty, angry vein on her forehead as she clenched her fists at me, "Don''t look at her while drooling like she''s a piece of meat!"


    "N-NO! You got it all wrong!" I exclaimed, fearing for my life, "It''s just that I could have sworn I''ve seen her before, somehow..."


    "I think you must be mistaking me for someone else." Agent P laughed.


    There was no way I could have been mistaken. She was definitely Penny, or more specifically, Penelope Jones. We were also in the same class in high school, but she was such a typical "nerdy girl with thick glasses" back then that I barely recognized her. I guess she must be wearing contact lenses these days... And didn''t Link have a crush on her or something?


    "But I''m sure tha-"


    Suddenly, the lights started flashing, while an emergency alarm blared through all the speakers.


    Agent X, interrupting our little reunion, told us through our earpieces to come to an urgent meeting in the conference room.


    "Attention all Agents, come to headquarters right now! This is not a training, I repeat, this is not a training!"


    "Get dressed and meet us there, G." Agent L told me, as the three of them hurriedly left the infirmary, "Don''t be late!"


    And so I changed as quickly as I could, which made me act very clumsy while putting my amazing suit back on. Then, once I was ready, I left the room to go after them, wondering what all this commotion could have been about¡­