It was the summer of his fifth grade Oliver was happily walking home. Since his house was quite close Oliver would play with his classmates a bit before heading home. Today was no exception Oliver had gone home after playing a bit of football with his friends.
While walking a van suddenly stops in front of Oliver. The van's doors open, one man got out and forcefully took Oliver. When Oliver entered the van he was confused and scared he tried to scream but a foreign object covered his mouth. Oliver got to see that there were a bunch of men wearing masks surrounding him. His eyes were then covered by something.
The whole ride was nothing but silence, the men in masks never talked to each other. The only thing that could be heard was the whimpering of Oliver, who was crying.
The masked men were eerily quiet which made Oliver who had stopped crying even more scared. It has been an hour since the men took Oliver, during this past hour Oliver who was feeling fear and worry was also thinking about his parents.
Were they looking for him right now? Were they crying as well?
'Mom, Dad, I'm scared please save me! I'm scared! I'm scared! I'm scared! I'm scared! Help! Help! God anyone, please help me!' Oliver was screaming for help in his mind, truly scared as what was about to happen.
Finally, the van stopped and Oliver was being dragged somewhere. When the mask covering his eyes was removed he saw that he was in a jail of sorts. They even removed the thing in his mouth. When he was able to speak again Oliver shouted at the men wearing masks.
"Where am I? Who are you? Let me out of here?! Please, I want to go home?" Oliver started to cry again but the men in the mask didn't bother with him and left.
Oliver continued crying for a while and then he heard his tummy growling. He was hungry but it doesn't seem like those men will feed him anything. Oliver then started to look around the jail-like room, checking if there was a way to escape. But unlike in cartoons reality was harsh. There doesn't seem to be anything that could help Oliver escape.
Oliver simply hugged his knees in the corner silently crying. He remembered his mom's cooking for some reason, and it made him even hungrier. It had been a few hours and the men in masks don't seem to be coming back…
Oliver started thinking as to why he was kidnapped. Was this like those shows where he would be experimented on? Or was something much crueler awaiting him?
Bang! Clank! Boom!
Oliver suddenly heard noises coming from the floor above him; it was the sound of gunshots and explosions. Was someone attacking the men in masks? Was he finally going to be rescued?
Oliver who was despairing a while ago found his hope was being rekindled. As his expectations were rising he saw someone came running down the stairs. At first, Oliver thought it was his savior, but then he saw that the person was wearing the same black uniform and mask like the others.
The person wearing the mask approached Oliver's cell. When the man wearing the mask was close enough, Oliver was finally able to notice that the height of this person was the same as him.
The man in the mask suddenly talked to Oliver. "Hey, are you alright?" The voice that came from the mask was that of a kid.
Oliver gathering up his courage asked the kid with the mask. "Who are you? Are you one of them?" It didn't need to be said who 'them' was.
"No, I'm not, I'm here to save you!" The kid in the mask responded. He placed something on the door of the cell and asked Oliver to step aside.
When Oliver got to the corner of the room, the masked kid moved away as well and pressed something.
BOOM!
The device the masked kid placed exploded. The door broke and the masked kid entered. "Come on let's get out of here!"
Even though his savior finally came Oliver couldn't move because of fear. "I can't I'm too scared!" Even though it was illogical Oliver said what a kid his age would say in this situation.
Even though they were having such a long talk the masked men don't seem to be coming. This was because the masked kid was not alone in this rescue attempt he was accompanied by four others who were freeing the other kids and delaying the enemy.
The masked kid who seems to be the same age as Oliver sighed. "You're scared?" Oliver nodded at the question.
"That's fine I could give you courage."
"Really?" Oliver meekly looked at the masked kid.
"Of course I know some magic words that could give you courage."
"Please tell me!" Oliver clung to the masked kid's arm.
"All you need to do is shout I'm James Bourne from the shadow mercenaries! None are my equal!" Oliver looked at the masked kid as if he was a lunatic.
"Don't look at me like that, just try it." Oliver was hesitant but he still decided to try it.
"I'M JAMES BOURNE FROM THE SHADOW MERCENARIES! NONE ARE MY EQUAL!" When Oliver shouted these words he felt empowered.
"Say it again this time louder!" The masked kid said.
Oliver didn't notice but some people were approaching them, so he still shouted those magic words but this time louder.
"I'M JAMES BOURNE FROM THE SHADOW MERCENARIES! NONE ARE MY EQUAL!" While Oliver was shouting as loud as he can, the masked kid had shot two people with his gun.
Oliver didn't notice the two dead bodies as he felt his confidence rising. "Are you still scared?" Oliver shook his head.
"By that way who is James Bourne?"
"Oh him, that's me." The masked kid proclaimed, which made Oliver look at him in a dumbfounded expression.
"Well now that your okay to move let's get out of here." Oliver started running alongside the kid called James Bourne.
Every time a masked man would appear like a hero of justice from his TV shows, James Bourne was able to easily subdue them. James didn't kill the opponents' cause that might frighten Oliver making him even more of a liability.
"You're amazing!" Oliver shouted at James.
"Of course I am! I'm the best of the best in the shadow mercenaries." James arrogantly proclaimed.
"Hmph! well, your ego is indeed the best in the shadow mercenaries that's for sure." Another voice sounded coming from the front. A man wearing the same mask as James' appeared before the two kids.
"Well I'm really the best don't you think specter?"
"If you were the best you wouldn't be shouting your real name all the time and be using your codename."
"What do I have to hide? Let them come for me, I'll bring them all to their knees."
"That's why I keep saying, in a place of people who think they're the best, your ego is the worse of the lot." The man called Specter responded.
"So your one of them? One of those with a big ego?"
"Of course." Oliver couldn't see past the mask but he felt like Specter was smiling.
"Well let's talk later we need to get out of here."
…
The group of three was able to escape the place, and when they got out they were greeted by a group of crying kids.
"Is everyone finally here?!" "YES!" The other masked men answered. While the three older masked men were talking to each other Oliver approached James.
"Hey thank you for saving me. You were really cool."
"Heh, keep on praising me but it would've been better if you were a girl."
"James, can we be friends?" James was taken aback by what Oliver said. After awhile the shock he felt was replaced by a smile.
"Sure let's be friends, you might not remember me, but I will remember you. As long as one of us remembers, we'll be friends. Do not forget if you get scared, confused, or simply need the confidence boost; just proclaim that you are James Bourne from the shadow mercenaries." Oliver couldn't understand most of what James said but he nodded his head.
James joined with the other masked men and then they started shooting at the kids. Oliver was shocked and couldn't react in time, so he was hit by something like a dart, his consciousness started fading.
…
Oliver woke up to what seems to be a long dream. When he opened his eyes he saw an unfamiliar ceiling.
"Oliver!" Oliver looked at his side; he saw his crying mom and dad. What has happened?
"Mom where am I?" Oliver asked weakly.
"You're in the hospital a group of kind strangers found you collapsed on your way home, and brought you to this hospital."
After hearing his mom's explanation Oliver went back to sleep.
…
Oliver was to be released from the hospital tomorrow morning so for now, he needed to stay and rest.
Oliver started to remember parts of a weird dream, which felt more like a nightmare. He couldn't remember much but he did remember something very important. In the dream, he had acquired courage, and the magical words to summon that courage.
'I'm James Bourne from the Shadow Mercenaries. None are my equal.' From this point on Oliver had a very good impression of the mercenaries who fought on the front lines and wanted to be like them.