My name is Robin H. Law. I live in Chicago, Illinois. I never really thought too much about what all happened around me until here recently. Everything went downhill, and I lost all control. I just had to use my talents and what strength I had at the time.
What am I thinking? I'm the only one to know this... Either way, I guess it's always good to reminisce. I taught myself a lesson long ago. When things fall apart, don't go mad in the moment. Stay calm. Plan a way out. Right, then. Flashback.
Approximately two weeks ago, I received a package in the mail. Granted, I'm middle class, but I live in the poorer side of town. It was set as a trap. It paralyzed me. "How?!" I thought. I'm not sure how, I wasn't exactly paying attention. Some group of people--probably three or four--carried me out of my house, dragged me down the stairs, pulled me across the lawn and placed me in the back of a van with an odd mix of colors. Purple and yellow. Who would've thought it?
Either way, I was getting kidnapped. I was immobile--unable to move. I decided to give up and either wait to die or wait for the paralysis to wear off. All depended on how long it lasts. I lost consciousness.
They had me tied to a chair in a dark room, the only light was coming from a window out of sight. I couldn't tell if it was night or day. I could sense energy. More of an aura. Negative. Strong. It was so quiet I could hear the sweat of some unknown person run from his pores. I could hear my thoughts clearly. I couldn't hear breathing other than my own, though. I could've died...
Where the hell am I?!
A man in black spoke.
"You must be confused--please, let me explain.
You are nothing to society. You're a nobody. A nobody with potential. We brought you here in order to train you. Keep in mind, we are only wanting to help both, you and society."
I retorted. "It would help me out if you let me go.."
Then I was electrocuted! I screamed out in agony; in pain.
I understood then.
No one cares about me. I can do great things without losing others. They want me to be a hero for the weak.
He spoke again. "You are already strong, fast, and intelligent. Therefore, we should get to your training.
I want to duel you!"
"What--!"
He spoke again. "You heard me.
Now, since I am the one challenging you, you get to choose when, where, and what we battle with."
I replied. "Right here, right now, and with throwing or melee weapons."
He answered my request. "Accepted. I'll be using swords."
"And I'll be using knives."
I was released from my holds and granted the ability to move and roam. I stood and proceeded to collapse at my quick attempt. I got up, and I grabbed the knives before me.
He spoke. "Are you ready, then?"
"Yes."
"Then, fight!"
He moved first; fast, but I was faster. Everything was as normal... except... he didn't have adrenaline going yet. His energy wasn't draining. He wasn't trying. Did he want me to win, or did he not trust my skill? If I could defeat him, I wouldn't have to deal with these fools, but... if I failed, I would have to cooperate. Except...
It wasn't an if I fail...
It was a when I fail.
I needed to either figure out how to win or surrender. I was already weak from my fall from the day before; I had fallen from a one-story building and landed correctly, which just meant a lot of pain. It wasn't the greatest thing, but all I knew in the moment was that all it did was delay my speed and reaction time.
That's when I got hit in the side by a defense sword; in other words, it won't slice, cut, or anything of that sort, but it will hit hard.
I collapsed, unable to breathe.
The man spoke. "That's all for now. You have a keen eye. Good bye.
Expect us in a few weeks. Probably fifteen days."
Then I was knocked out.
I woke up some time in the morning, in an alleyway of Old Town, Chicago. I recognized this place immediately. I grew up living on the streets of Chicago. I spent a lot of my time here. An old lady, now deceased, fed me, bathed me, and taught me. She didn't have to do those things for me, but she did.
Nothing important has happened since then, which leads to now. I haven't done too much, because all I could do was cower. At least, until now. Now I'm trying to find where in Chicago these people are from.
I'm at the top of the Auditorium Building, on the roof. I don't usually do this whole thing, but while I was in Loop, I decided that I might as well look out for a few people. I began looking for things to do, but this building caught my eye. There was something off.
The aura of the place seemed off-setting. It wasn't right.
Twenty minutes of nothing, huh? That's always nice. Yet, when it's specific that means something does happen. After approximately twenty minutes, there is an explosion on the far side. I rush down the ladder, now only a few stories away from ground level.
I have a heavy choice. Do I jump and injure myself to get to them, or do I take it easy and possibly miss them?
If I don't think fast, I won't have a chance.
What to do...
I decide to slide most of the way down the ladder and force myself off at the right time to land on their vehicle.
I act. I slide down, just fast enough and then pull the most risky stunt I have done.
The adrenaline! It feels amazing!
I land exactly where I want to, letting the crops in the back of a purple and yellow truck cushion my fall. Where did I see purple and yellow before? Oh, well. What matters now is that I'm uninjured. I stand up to go take out the people who did this, but then I end up getting shot in the chest by a tranquilizer rifle.
I wake up, restrained to a chair again.
"Welcome to Hell, do you have a reservation?"
What the--?
I retort. "Law, party of one."
"Right this way, sir."
He doesn't move. That's when I realize I'm locked in place.
I spoke again. "I hope you wouldn't mind telling me where I am."
"Sorry; out of stock."
"You should be fired solely based on your sense of humor."
Another voice speaks. "Leave the man be. He's here for training."
I speak. "Training for what?"
"Training so you can be the best Robin Hood you can be."
I remember something...
Purple and yellow! Those are the colors for the the Hood Corporation...
Why didn't I realize...
I know what to do.
I'll partake.
I speak with sarcasm. "I almost feel obliged to."
"Wonderful.
Now, I'm sure you are curious about who we are-"
I intervene. "More so about why you leave me strapped in."
"Your release will come momentarily.
Anyway, my name, or, rather, my nom de plume, is Falsetto-"
I reply. "So, you're unusually high?"
"In a way."
"Oh, I get it. You went beyond your natural possibilities with the enhancements?"
"Correct."
"Well, Falsetto, I'm ready."
"Wonderful."
It isn't like I really have a choice.
I pass out.
I had an amazing dream. I dreamt that I ripped his ass to shreds.
It's truly amazing because it could never happen.
How could it?
I stand.
I realize where I am.
I'm in a field, out from of Kankakee, IL. I'm not sure what direction. It's, maybe, 1323 hours.
I speak. "What are we doing here?"
Falsetto replies. "Training. Why did you think we were here? Were you wanting start a wheat farm?"
"Maybe. Maybe not. You think you can train me completely here?"
In response, he says "Two things. Yes, because you are almost "complete." The other thing is that the enhancements don't happen naturally. You will have to train your mind before you can train your body."
"How will we train my mind?"
"You have to know what you are capable and incapable of. Then, you have to go past that. We looked into your health and found that you can last roughly five days without water. You'll go six. We found that you last seventy days without food. You will be going seventy-one, and so on until you don't need food or water for long enough to last.. well.." He pauses. I notice his hesitation. I know where this is going.
He notices me examining him, and speaks quickly, almost missing the beat.
"We don't know your max capabilities."
"So, seventy-one days of this?"
He replies, changing the subject. "Once we know what you're capable of, we will do the enhancements."
I speak. "What are we doing in a field out from Kankakee?"
"You'll see. Follow me."
We walked until we "stumbled" upon an out-house. Falsetto pointed at it.
He spoke. "Enter. It isn't what you think."
"I swear--this is straight out of some cheesy 2000's film."
"I agree. I wasn't the one who organized this."
I open the door and nearly fall eighteen feet. It's just a hole at the bottom, with a ladder, of course.
He had a laugh about how I almost fell...
Anyway, I went down, and saw a vestibule, which presented a small group of obviously advanced, although not enhanced, people. We stood in an awkward glance.
Falsetto broke the tension. "Robin, I'd like you to meet these four. From left to right, we have Mathew, Lee, Ann, and Layne. These are your teammates. They will be assisting you in your tasks."
I examine them each closely, deciding how to disarm them in case if they turn against me.
Mathew. Slightly older than me, with brown hair, blue eyes, and scars on his hands. He's a brawler. He's thin, but I can see his haste and his strength. If I want to handle him, I'll need to use pressure points. Preferably the neck and ribs. I'll have to be fast about it, too.
Lee. He's the same age as Mathew, only slightly older, with light brown hair, brown eyes, and a deep mind. I can tell by his eyes. He does best either with a sword or in a corner, due to him being built for defense. If I need to deal with him, I'll have to put him in a chokehold.
Ann. She's younger than me, with brown hair, blue eyes, elegance, and an astronomical feel. She's best long-range, but at close-quarters, she needs a knife. She's also quite short, maybe If I need to take care of her... What am I thinking, I'm not going to hit her.
Layne. He's my age, with long, dark hair. He has brown eyes, and puts off an aura of intelligence. He's not weak, but he certainly isn't strong. I feel like he'll be telling us what to do. I needn't take care of him.
I give them a moment to analyze me, holding my composure without needing to try.
Without missing a beat, Ann puts out her hand. She speaks. "Hi, it's nice to finally meet you. We've all heard so much about you, some of us... less excited than others. We've all been trained, but we have yet to be enhanced. They are waiting for the right time."
She's kind. I don't think I'll be concerned.
Falsetto speaks. "Although I run the organization, Robin, here, will be leading you all. You will all have codenames, dedicated to who you are.
Robin, you are Hood.
Mathew, you are Brawl.
Lee, you are Bunny.
Ann, you are Moon.
Layne, you are Raven."
Sweet.
The next morning, 0827 hours, I wake up in our under-ground, oddly luxurious bunkers, almost forgetting I was here.
In my room is Lee. To the left of our room is Layne and Mathew. To the right, is Ann.
I get up, bathe, and go out into the kitchen and dining area. I was never great at cooking, but I decide to make breakfast anyway. As I started cooking, Ann came out, and greeted me. I asked her to grab a few things. Eggs, bread, cheese. She complied.
After I made breakfast, she took her plate and sat down at the table. I grabbed mine and sat across from her.
Ann speaks. "So, you lack in stealth, huh? Well, I sure don't. I managed to pickpocket you and find out more information about you. Your name is Law, huh? That's nice."
"Nice to know you're a thief."
"Nice to know you like trespass."
"I haven't been caught..."
She shifts, and hesitates when she replies.
"I haven't felt as mixed feelings before."
"What do you mean by that?"
She hesitates. "Nothing."
Nothing was mentioned for a few minutes, then I speak again. "I recognize you. I don't know where. Have we met before?"
She looks at me with this funny look on her face.
She doesn't respond.
That was awkward.
I take care of my dishes and go back into my room, only to find Lee still asleep on his bed.
I decide that I'll wake him... but how?
I walk over to him and I shove into his sides, hitting pressure points.
He shouts. "What the hell, man!"
"Maybe you should get out of the practice of sleeping all morning."
"Maybe you should get out of the practice of stabbing people in their sleep!"
He makes a fair point.
I reply. "Deal!"
He rises, bathes, gets dressed and leaves.
At about 1021 hours, Falsetto returns, ready to train me.
We go into a subsection of the place that was actually relatively difficult to find.
Obstacle course? Stealth training? Lasers? How much funding do these guys have?
Better yet, who are they, exactly?
I stand in awe of the design of this place. It tests everyone, and I mean everyone's capabilities.
Falsetto ushers me over to the first section. It's parkour. I begin to marvel at the size of this place. It's bigger than I could imagine.
He doesn't have to tell me to start. I run at the first obstacle. I jump left to right, from one to the other. They aren't level. I then end up on a wall, and I begin to spider jump from one to the next, each higher than the last.
Next is sliding. It's a short part of it, but still important. I slide under all of them. Easy. That was an unnecessary practice, but sure.
Now, there's grip training. First, I swing from one to the other, watching in front of me. Focused. I then climb, but this time, I can only use my hands. I do well. I choose to simply walk over the next section. It isn't cheating, I'm getting past it in a way they didn't consider.
Now I have vaults and jumps to do. I run at the first vault, and I go over it in a way that propels me at the next one, making me move faster. I make these vaults look easy. I glance over and I see Falsetto whispering something in Mathew's ear. I'm curious, but I don't ask anything. It's just that I lost focus and wound up in a hole.
Falsetto signals me to return.
He speaks. "Until just then, you were doing better than all four of your mates, but you did that and wound up failing.
I won't be testing your physical skills again, having already seen them in combat. That's all for now. I'm satisfied."
Later, at 2107 hours, I was walking to my room, when I heard a voice speak to me.
"You want to know what happened, huh?"
I turn and realize it was just Mathew.
I reply. "Sure."
He hesitates, now in a slightly more serious tone. "He told me that if you got enhancements, that you would then be able to kill us. Easily. Maybe it was to make me hate you. Maybe it was to give me a passion for training and getting better. I don't want to have to be afraid of death."
I pause for a moment, deciding what to say. I speak. "I'm a cold person. That doesn't mean I just kill. I wouldn't want to hurt anyone unless they deserve it. You don't even deserve that."
He speaks again. "He also said that even if we all had weapons, you would win. I don't know if you really know your capabilities or not."
I speak again. "Right."
I walk away.
I find Lee in our room. He looks bored. I tell him to follow me. He will have to get used to doing what I say, anyway.
I manage to get out of this place without getting caught. I take Lee to a place I know all too well.
Mound Grove Cemetery.
He asks why we are here.
I reply. "This is where my parents are. Deceased fifteen years ago. I was only four."
Lee replies with a query. "What happened?"
"A rich and powerful man by the name of McKinney went mad and killed them both. I won't go into details. I'll just say this. Red room."
He replies. "Torture? Did he do it as a catharsis of pain?"
"No. He was caught. They gave him a life sentence without parole."
He asks another question. He wants to get to know me.
"Is this reason for your beliefs?"
I ponder. I hesitate. "No. I was four. I was never close to them. I only have some distant memories."
"Ah- I understand."
We chat for a bit. Nothing important.
When we get back, no one is at the entrance, so we don't worry.
Then Layne comes out from a corner and pins me to the ground.
He shouts. "What the HELL did you think you were doing?! I know it isn't all that obvious, but we kind of have to stay here!"
I don't understand why he said that.
Lee moves and gets him off me.
Lee spurs him. "You need to stop! Calm down."
He calms down, and then runs off.
Great.
The next day, Falsetto brings us into the training area, and over to the arena.
He speaks to us all. "None of you know why we're here. I'll be blunt. One of you is superior. I would like to see how superior."
All of them look at me.
"I want you four," he says, ushering them to a side of the arena, "to stand there. And I want you to stand exactly where you are. In this, anything goes. Don't go easy. Go all out."
I should learn from my mistakes...
"Three. Two.. One... FIGHT!"