Project G

Chapter I - Lamia

I awoke on my bed, just like any other day. Except it wasn't a bed, it was under the overhanging roof of the nearest store. I stood up and looked around, it wasn't busy today, and it was a small place, so I walked over to the woods, and I took my clothes off to bathe in the creek nearby, as even though I was homeless, I still wished to look nice, and smelliness drove people away.

When I finished bathing, I was headed back to the store and heard a woman scream, "Someone stop him! That purse has so much money in it!" So, of course, I started running, I wasn't the fastest, but neither was I slow. You couldn't afford to be slow on the streets, and although I was respected by most, reputation never held with wild animals or outsiders. So I was running towards where I thought I saw someone go, and when he turned into an alleyway, I followed, we were just on the edge of Harlow city, so alleyways near woods were commonplace. It was my biggest but best mistake of my life. As I turned into the alleyway, I saw a group of three guys. Of course, it was a trap. Why wouldn't it be? They had bait, and they wanted someone to give chase so they could be mugged, I counted three men, not the most muscular but one carried a pipe, another a switchblade, and a third his bare fists. Mr. Fists was larger than the other two. I doubt the woman ever even existed. As I tried to think, I couldn't, I was never stupid, but I wasn't the smartest, I could think, and maybe a little smarter than others, but I couldn't calculate the odds here, all I knew is they were majorly against me. Even so, I never went without at least trying and waited for them to attack. And attack they did, fists ran at me, and swung. It was sloppy, and I easily unbalanced him, landing him on the ground, although it was only temporary, by the time he attacked I was already figuring out how to fight the next one, pipe. He swung his pipe at me, and I ducked. It was a slow swing. Obviously, the pipe was too large for him, and I knocked it out of his hands. Sadly, it skittered away before I could grab it, and so I had to fight him first, swinging my fist at him, making sure my head was covered, I connected, right into the solar plexus, he doubled over clutching his chest, and I grabbed the back of his head, slamming it into my knee, hearing the satisfying crack of his nose, I let him go, but then someone grabbed me from behind, pinning my arms to my sides. It was the original guy, the one that was unarmed, as he grabbed me, Switchblade started his work, cutting my arms and back, they made sure I wouldn't forget. After that, Pipe came back and started swinging. By the time they were done, I was a bloody broken mess
"Let's kill him! He'll never be a problem again then!" Switchblade suggested. There was an edge of lunacy to his voice, but also a certain resilience, I respected that.
"Nah, I doubt he'd ever be a problem anyway, plus if we're lucky, he'll bleed out." Pipe said
After that, they left, and I slowly left consciousness, and with that, I had a vision

I was in an area. It looked like space, but there was no starlight, but somehow, I was bathed in light, and so were they.. There was a line of people, strong, smart people.. was that a skeleton? And that one looked like he was dripping water.. what's going on? And then I looked at the last guy in line. He looked like me! Kind of..? He was larger, stronger, there was an intelligence in his eyes, and scars on his arms.. he was dressed in an emerald green shirt with brown pants that stuck to his legs, and on his lapel was an emblem, two blades crossed and a hand seizing them at the cross, by the blades, blood leaking from it in drops.
"Who are you?" I asked, but as I spoke, there was no sound, but even then, he replied,
"You'll find out in time, child, and when you do, you'll be proud." He replied

I awoke with a gasp, sitting up speedily, and had to blink a few times as the light was blinding. I was in some kind of room. It looked like something you'd find in an old book, like the room of someone before my time. There was a candle on the stand. Is that what blinded me? It couldn't be.. it wasn't even that bright? But it was obvious, as it was the only source of light in the room. And then I realized how comfortable I was, I was in a bed! A real bed! For the first time in years, I slept in a bed! And then I tried to look down and screamed, my back hurt terribly, as even that slight movement had broken scabs, and I could feel gauze scrape against it, as I tried to feel it I couldn't help but let out another sound of pain, my arms seemed to also be bandaged, and scabbed heavily as well.
"I wouldn't move too much if I were you." A voice said, I tried to look, but it hurt again, but after the pain subsided, I slowly moved my head. If anyone attacked now, I'd be helpless.
"Who.. who are you..?" I croaked to the man. He was sitting in a rocking chair in the corner of the room. The soft creaking it made had me questioning how I didn't notice he was there originally. He was thin, but it held muscle, and if he wanted to, he could do much damage to most, and the way he talked, he seemed to be wiser than some.
"You can call me what you wish, but I'm mostly the hidden dagger, and sometimes they call me Harold."
"Well, Harold, are you planning to kill me? If so, please hurry on with it. My back is killing me."
As he laughed, I felt a sense of warmth. Under that exterior, he really could be a friend, or at least it seemed. It would be a good trick if he wasn't.
"No, I don't plan on it, actually I want to help you. I run a program, one for a group called the Lamias. We don't hurt children, of course, but we do hurt people. Especially in my program, I essentially train people to their limit, not only their limit, but the limit of our species. My products are the best of the best, top of the line, no one can escape them and no one can hope to compare. Problem is, none have survived yet. I call this program project G, and if you survive, you'll be the most powerful person on this planet, able to destroy a whole army!" He said, speaking faster with each word, a light glowing in his eyes "of course, if you don't wish to participate, I won't make you, but it'll take you a bit to walk away, until your wounds heal. You almost bled out when I found you, and don't worry about those delinquents. They've been put safely away." He said calmly.
"...what..?" I asked, unsure whether sanity was a foreign concept to this man
"I understand, it's a lot, and I probably could have said it better, but I assure you, it'll all work out. Oh! And one last thing before I take my leave! You've been asleep for eight days! It's a miracle we've been able to administer you drink, but food wasn't as easy, so you'll be a bit weak, but if you like, I can have someone bring you food, they'll get it to you with minimal contact, or I'd do it, but I have a habit of talking, so I wouldn't be fit to do so, and you need time to recuperate." He said as it it was normal
"Eight days? Those delinquents definitely did more than I could've imagined.." I said after he'd left the room. I slowly laid down and tried to go back to sleep, but it wasn't easy, and the pain was nearly unbearable.

When I woke up, there was a plate of food and a note, with a cup of ice water and a small pill right beside it, so I picked up the note and read: 'Jason, I don't know if you had a name before, but if you did, forget it. You will now be Jason Doe. Beside you is a painkiller. Make sure to take it after you eat your food. I will know if you failed to do so, as well. Besides that, I will come to visit again later this afternoon. We've fastened a watch to your wrist, so that you know the time of day. Good luck, child, sincerely, Harold.'
Okay, so it said to eat the food first. There's gotta be a reason for that, so I tried to eat, pushing through the pain that burdened me when I reached for it. Setting it on my lap, I started eating, and there were mashed potatoes, steak of the highest quality, and some green beans. As I was eating, I finished off the steak and was eating the potatoes when I noticed something. My fork hit something solid, and it wasn't the plate. I dug it up and found a capsule, one that held a paper inside. I opened it and unfurled the paper, written on it were instructions.
'Make sure not to swallow the pill immediately. Instead, hold it under your tounge for five minutes, no less, no more, if you do for less, the poison inside will take effect and you will fall into another coma, if you hold it too long, the painkiller will take no effect. Make sure to not swallow, spit out the saliva as to keep the poison from taking effect, and keep the pill under your tongue so it deteriorates correctly.'
Okay, so they put poison in the painkiller.. why? What's the point? I still followed however, and after five minutes passed, I swallowed the pill, and near immediately, the pain subsided, it was blissful, I could even stand up, and I walked for a moment, my legs felt like I hadn't used them in ages. As I laid back down, I heard the oak door open, with a light groan as it encumbered its hinges with its weight. Mr. Harold walked in and spoke, "So, I see you're awake, meaning you followed all directions well perfectly!"
"Why did you try to poison me?!" I asked, enraged
"Oh, child, I didn't try to poison you! I simply tested you, I wanted to test two things, your ability to follow directions and your patience. Many have failed here. One even died by choking on the capsule. Those who failed were taken out of the program immediately. This already places you in the top 61% of people! Of course, you are the hundredth, meaning the percentages are balanced perfectly! just how I love it! You seem like you'll be fairly good. However, if you get all the way through, I believe you'll prove the best this generation has seen! Better even than Nikolas!" He said,"Who's Nikolas?" I asked him
"A mage more powerful than anyone ever seen, not important currently, don't worry." He explained
"I must have heard you wrong, a mage?"
"Yes, a mage, as in a man who practices magic, he was very proficient.
At this point, I laughed harder than I had in all the years of my life
"Magic? Really? Like stuff that isn't possible? Abra cadabra! Boppity boo! Haha!" I exclaimed, wiping the tears from my eyes. Finally, I noticed the cold look on his face.
"Not your idea of magic, boy, but powerful sorcery, striking someone with crystals of ice as big as a man. Delving into a person's mind and finding everything about them. Making illusions so realistic that it could confuse an entire planet. Bringing someone to the brink of insanity and pulling them back. Sending someone into nothing. Magic is real, Jason Doe, and it is much more powerful than ever believed."
At this point, I could tell he was serious, and the things he described terrified me, but I still doubted if it was real, and I voiced my thoughts.
He replied with a simple, "The next step in your training will show you, and if it goes well, you'll be in the top twenty percent of trainees. If not, you will die." He said with a scary sense of calm.