The Legacies (Sequal to The Unrated)

Choice

A high pitch ringing noise buzzed in Hunter's ears as he began to stir. He felt something pulling him backward. His eyes drifted towards the flipped shuttle. The smell of smoke started to fill the air. Hunter was in and out of consciousness. Whoever was pulling him had him at their mercy. Two human-shaped white blobs started to grab his arms. Hunter's eyes flew open, and he kicked the nearest one in the chest. The other one took out what looked like a cattle prod and waved it around. 

Hunter placed his hand on his forehead and looked at it. Blood ran down his fingers. 

"Son of a bitch kicked me!" 

"Damn...right I did!" Hunter said, trying to steady himself. 

The one with the cattle prod held their other hand out. "Easy now, kid. Just come with us, and no one will get hurt."

"Who are you, people? Do you work for Young? Are you here to kill me? Or maybe kidnap me?" Hunter said, backing up. He glanced back towards the shuttle, and his blood ran cold. "What about the others?"

The two men looked at each other before stepping closer. 

"Hey! Answer me!" Hunter shouted, then winced. He was suddenly aware of how badly he was hurt. 

"You need to calm down. You're injured. We're here to help. Have you heard of a group called Ventus Via? That's us. Our leader wishes to speak to you." The one holding the cattle prod walked closer and handed Hunter a phone. 

Hunter cautiously took it and held it up to his ear. "Yeah?"

"Hunter Carter. It's an honor. I apologize for us having to meet this way, but it can't be helped. I'd like to have a quick chat face to face with you. I'll explain everything when we meet. Also, sorry in advance." Hunter felt something press against his back, and a wave of electricity rushed through him. He barely had time to scream before he was on the ground. He felt them take his wrists and put them behind his back. He heard the clicking of handcuffs, and they yanked him to his feet. One of the men took out a small remote and pressed a large red button. An RV immediately materialized out of thin air. Hunter was thrown in the back, and the two men moved to the front. The RV roared to life, and they sped away.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The ride was long, and Hunter was pretty sure these guys were lying to him. He was going to be delivered to President Young on a silver platter. However, his thoughts were on the others. He hoped they were alive. He'd hope that somehow, Shaun and Zoey would find them. He hoped that they were alive. 

The RV stopped abruptly, and Hunter heard the two men get out. The sounds of their boots echoed throughout the back of the RV as they got closer. The doors to the back burst open, and a bright white light flooded into the RV. Hunter felt hands drag him out and onto his feet. "Move," One of the men said, shoving Hunter towards a large grey building. It looked like something out of a horror movie. The outside of the building was run down and had large cracks that ran up the sides. However, as soon as he stepped through the threshold, the building changed. What was once a decrepit old building morphed into a fully functional base. 

They led him to what looked like an interrogation room, sat him down, and slammed the door. 

"Talk about hospitality," Hunter said, trying to figure out the cuffs. They looked standard issue, so he figured it shouldn't be that hard. There was a weak link in the chain connecting the cuffs together. With a good tug, he was sure he could break them, but he had to wait for a good opportunity. Hunter's eyes went from corner to corner, and that's when he spotted a small camera tucked away in the left corner of the room. He sat back and waited.

Then the door opened, and a man walked in. He looked like he was around Hunter's age. He was tall with short black hair and pale skin. "I told them not to be too rough with you. However, I know your history, so we had to be careful. No offense. How's your head?" The man sat down on the opposite side of the table.

"Did you cause the crash?" Hunter asked.

"If we hadn't, you'd be dead by now. Young told each driver to be prepared if you were to get on their shuttle.  Then their chip would be activated, and they would take you, and whoever else was on board to an undisclosed location to kill all of you. My name's Maddox, by the way. I'm the leader of Ventus Via. I've been interested in you since I saw you in the games last year. You're a fighter, and I like that. So, I looked into you, and the more I read, the more I knew I had to meet you."

"Where are my friends? What about the other people on board?" Hunter looked for any facial change in Maddox. His face was stone, and he looked at Hunter with calculating eyes. 

"I'm sorry to say the wreck was pretty bad. Most on board didn't make it. However, I was told that some of the Rating Games staff took three participants away. I think you'd be happy to hear that Naomi was recovered and is being repaired."

That was a lot at once. Hunter was still trying to get past the "most on board didn't make it" part. Those three people could've been anyone. 

Maddox leaned in and observed Hunter's expression. "If you're curious, we have the footage. I had a drone in the area." Maddox snapped his fingers, and someone came in and handed him a tablet. "Thanks." He tapped on it for a few moments before sliding it towards Hunter. "Have a look."

Hunter took the tablet and watched as the shuttle sped through the forest. He knew they were going fast, but it looked like they were going faster than a bullet. It seemed like they made it pretty far before the shuttle flipped and slid to a stop. The video played for a lot longer than Hunter liked before another shuttle pulled up and four Obsidian guards got out. 

Hunter didn't know how to feel when they took his friends out and into their RV. He was relieved they were alive, at least. "Where did they take them?"

"Do you always ask so many questions?" Maddox laughed. When he saw Hunter wasn't laughing, he continued. "They've been taken here." He took the tablet and pulled up a live feed. A video of a building similar to the one he was in started playing. It showed his friends getting escorted inside. "My guess is that they're waiting for you to show up. The whole thing smells like a trap. I'm willing to help you get them back. All I ask is that you join us. If your friends want to join, then that's fine. But I need your word you'll join us."

Hunter contemplated the offer. He knew he couldn't rescue them on his own. He knew he'd be shot or captured. He sighed and then ran his hand through his hair. "I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

"We all have a choice, Hunter," Maddox said as the door opened. An Old Way member ran inside, panting like a dog. "What's wrong?"

The man raised his shaky hand and pointed towards the front door. "There's some psycho in a mask outside. He took down five of our guys. He's looking for someone named Hunter."

Hunter's eyes went wide as he facepalmed. "Isiah."

Maddox turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "Friend of yours?"

"Yeah, I'll be right back," Hunter said as he hurried outside.