(Ford's POV)
(January 29, 2031. Birthday Celebration of John Rick/The Election Day)
Looking back at the pillars where bulletins and tarpaulins of politicians were hanging, I walked down the pavement without looking to any passerby. The clouds are building up, forming a dark shade of light accross the area as if it's going to rain cats and dogs any time now. On the sidewalk I've observed a huge crowd rejoicing for some reason, shouting and clapping their hands. It's a busy day I guess. Everyone seems to mind the will of their own happiness. But me? I don't give a single care about the government. As long as I'm satisfied with my everyday life, that's enough. The hell I care about leaders, they are just greedy for money and positions after all.
My name is Ford Soquita
I live at the highly respectable suburb of Santiago, a place where mostly educated people live. Contradicting to my personality, Santiago's residents are fond of getting themselves involve with politics. Their capability to think logically and speak with wisdom and confidence can tell anyone they are the people worth to be acknowledge.
Well, I have this close friend in Santiago named Maggie Grace, whom I really adore ever since we're classmates in high school. She's really amazing and intelligent, like she don't even miscalculate every single action she did. She's a freaking genius, for always getting perfect scores with her exams and not making any mistake that would take down her integrity. Even though she wears eyeglasses, it doesn't make her appearance like an ordinary nerd in the campus. In fact, she was so good-looking and she do have a lot of suitors, but neither of them succeeded.
What a goddess.
I suddenly felt something that tickles my head. A cold water that flows down my cheeks and soothed my tired body. It's raining now. A powerful rain that cleared the sidewalks in just a blink of an eye. I continued my way going back to Santiago without worrying for myself. Well, I might get colds and severe coughs if I don't stop and wait for the rain to cease. Releasing some heavy footsteps, I've noticed a guy wearing all black and handling a brown suitcase departed a restaurant in a hurry. Then he immediately sprinted himself through a lane and disappeared in my sight. This person, I can say, look very suspicious. With my curiousity, I decided to have a look inside the restaurant and see what made him run like a horse. And I never expected the setting that I have encountered.
Dead people.
Without any hesitation I screamed for help, trying to seek someone's attention.
"Help!! somebody help us!"
Fortunately, some people heard my screech and went towards me.
"Holy shit. What happened here? Call the ambulance!" an old lady yelled. After a while, I've observed a woman wearing a black leather jacket and pants, quickly made her way through the assembling crowd.
It was Maggie.
She hurriedly went inside the restaurant and gazed upon the bloody victims. A sob suddenly caught her attention and glanced over a boy crying for his dead parents. She gasped and covered her mouth with her palms as she walk away with sadness in her eyes.
"There's still alive inside, please call for help..." she just muttered. Her eyes wandered around the crowd as she heavily made her way out but then her eyes met mine and she waved at me weakly.
"Hey Ford...." She called me out. I felt a sudden loneliness that slowly weakened my body. The moment I reached her arms and was about to ask if she was fine, she immediately moved my hands off her and threw me a sad smile.
"I think we should get away from here" she said, advancing through her car. I followed her and she instructed me to went inside even if I'm completely soaked with rain.
The moment we're inside, she grabbed her seatbelt and begun to maneuver the car.
"Shit. It's too late now" Maggie spoke with a strong voice. I didn't tried to talked to her for what she meant about 'too late'. I guess she was saying something about the lives of those people when she saw them. How caring.
"Did you see who killed them?" She asked me seriously, glancing at the mirror of the car and I've noticed that she was looking at me.
"I've spotted someone running away from the restaurant" I said honestly
She nodded, looking from side to side. The she slowered the car due to the slippery road caused by the heavy rain. Afterwards, she returned her eyes again on the mirror
"Do you recognize the person?"
"I- I don't. I'm sorry"
"It's okay" She sighed. "Can you just describe to me the person you saw?"
"He ... he was wearing an all black clothes, that made him barely recognizable. He also wore a face mask and he is bringing a brown suitcase" I simply explained what I had observed. Maggie become quiet at that time. She was thinking deeply, as always. But then she finally inhaled and exhaled hardly as she slowed down the car even more before throwing a quick glance at me.
"You are coming with me" she said.
"What do you mean, Maggie?" I just asked in confusion.
"I really need your help, you know." the words coming out in monotone voice. The car sped up as she looked away from me.
"Ford, can I trust you?" she interrogated.
"Why not?"
She looked back at me but this time, it was a direct eye to eye contact, not on the mirror, and she wore a sweet grin on her face. "Thank you"
"It's always my pleasure to help" I smiled back.
It doesn't took us too long until we finally reached an old, abandoned house on the farthest side of Santiago. That time, the rain loses it's power and can only threw little raindrops on the ground. Maggie went down the car, and so I did.
"What are we doing here?" I asked her with a puzzled voice. To be honest, this gave me some horror-struck feeling and it was definitely horrifying. No one would ever dare to at least go near this freaking house. No lights from the inside. Dead trees around the place. It's like a typical spot for filming a horror show.
"Ford, I want you to keep this a secret. Please, don't tell anyone about what you are going to see"
As she said that, a mixture of fear and uncertainty built up on my body. I can't even understand a single word she uttered. What is her intention for bringing me here? She raised the sleeves of her leather jacket and a unique watch become visible. She begun to step forward and reached the door of the big, spooky house. She waved her palm above her watch and it flashes a red light, slowly forming a holographic image of a woman.
"July, This is Agent April. Let me in." She spoke
"The commander wants to talk to us now for an important mission, proceed on the meeting room immediately" The hologram said before disappearing. The ground where she was standing produced a white light and shimmered.
"Come with me, Ford" she called me out. I stepped forward on where she was standing and look directly at her eyes, still with a confusion on my face.
"I hope I can trust you about this" she said as the ground where we were standing lowered, producing a soft thud like of an elevator moving below the ground. I just nodded my head. Few seconds later and I can finally see a transparent window in front of us. My eyes wide opened as I gaze upon everything I saw. I've spotted some sort of high-tech operational devices and few rooms below us. There were also people who were busy minding their own business, as if they were fixing something I can't explain. The door in front of us automatically opened when we arrived at the ground floor, as Maggie glanced at me.
"Just follow me, don't touch anything okay?" she grinned and begun to move forward. Well, I'm really amazed at this underground facility or what, with the fact that everything here seems to be out of the world. I wonder what is this place for, and what does Maggie's business here.
We headed in front of a huge door with "Meeting Room" written at the center. She pressed her tbumb on what seemed to be a fingerprint scanner and the door, as I am expecting, opened mechanically. There is a long, broad table in the middle of the enormous room, surrounded by silver chairs, 13 to be exact. But there were only 9 people sitted. The moment they saw us, a guy who appeared to be the oldet among them, rose with a serious look on his face.
"Who are you?" he asked, directly looking at me. I just froze. I didn't even manage to open my mouth and speak. His appearance was really intimidating and I'm afraid that my words will turn him into a terrifying monster. That's the time when Maggie stepped forward and stood straightly.
"Sir, this is Ford Soquita. The person we aimed to train as Agent March"she defended.
I.... I am what?? What is she talking about? I can't handle my curiousity anymore. I glanced upon all of them and begun to ask.
"Can anyone explain to me where am I? and what is happening right now?" I questioned. Suddenly, the man who was serious a while ago, released a little smile on his lips, but it was barely detectable.
"I'm glad you asked. Once we told you everything, there's no turning back. You'll be part of the team, or you'll die" he said.