The first crow of the day sounded down a deserted alley. In the gloom of the midnight, dark buildings rose high down the street with the moonlight making a silhouette of them. It had just rained and the ground was all muddy and slippery to walk on. Down a corner a little distance from the beginning of the street, a stray cat leapt over a gutter running from a stone thrown lamely at it. There were whispered sounds coming from cloaked men behind a dirty bakery.
"Munoz, listen to me. You only have three days to find the boy. After that, I won't defend you this time around." A dirty old man in his late sixties addressed his mate. He was dressed in black coat and a dark hat that concealed half his face. His foul breath mixed with the scent of the cigarette hanging from his mouth, giving a more offensive odour.
Munoz stood opposite him in similar dress code, black on black. A middle aged man with a slightly tanned skin and a hooked nose. Coarse strands of hair scattered all over his sharp jaw and his brown hair stretched down from under the hat to fall on his shoulders. Munoz was feeling uneasy.
"Alright, alright. I will reschedule. I will get the boy. Don't worry, Kraff." He dipped his hand into his coat pocket and emerged with a cigarette stick. He lit it up with a lighter and puffed out the smoke after a long drag. "It's a cold morning," Munoz said.
The old man, Kraff walked down the alley leaving Munoz behind. "Just get back to me asap. You don't want to keep the boss waiting. Bye fella." He turned a corner and was out of sight.
Munoz crushed his cigarette and muttered a curse in Mexican. Munoz Fernandez was a hitman, a sleek and gentle assassin. Lately, he has been on a mission for a certain Order of the black cult. He had been asked to fetch a poor black boy who has been marked as a human sacrifice for their god. After a long search, he had come in contact with the boy... A tiny patch of dry flesh supported by thin bones was all he saw. He could have completed his mission that day but he was not ordered to kill the boy. He was to be brought to the cult alive. So, he advanced at the boy, ready to capture him into his waiting van, but the street was full of people so it couldn't be done in secrecy. He lost him in the crowd later.
Now, he had been pestered too much to provide the the black boy. Three days was all that remains.
Munoz pocketed his lighter and turned back towards his apartment some buildings away. His black figure walked briskly down the alley among the numerous tall brick buildings. He whistled a Mexican tune as he turned a corner by his left. Then,...
Slash... A silver blade caught the reflection of the moonlight while moving in a short arch.
The whistled tune caught up in Munoz's throat as it was ended by a gurgling sound. He reached his two hands up to his neck in pains. Litres of warm blood washed down his chest and painted his long fingers red. He coughed out more blood and his eyes turned white, shining brightly under the moonlight. A loud thud greeted his fall. His head fell back and his neck opened up in a wide slit. He was dead.
Out of the darkness, a tiny figure appeared in a black hoodie. 'A patch of dry skin supported by thin bones...'
"21," the boy counted before running barefooted after Kraff.
Kraft who hasn't moved a long distance had heard the thud made by Munoz's body. He turned instantly in his heels to see what had made that sound this late. Reflexively, he dipped his right hand into his coat pocket and brought out his gun. He might be a sixty-year-old fella, but he didn't lose much of his youth when it comes to a fight.
In the alley, he saw the lump of a body which he guessed belong to Munoz. So whatever killed Munoz was definitely coming for him too. His sharp eyes scanned the dark alley the more but he still couldn't find another figure except Munoz's dead body.
Kraff's body got tensed and his grip on the gun got tighter. He could feel something or someone creeping up on him, but he couldn't see whatever it is. His instincts couldn't be wrong as he had lived off it all his life.
"I know you are there, whatever you are. Stop hiding, let's iron this out," his croaked voice reverberated down the silent alley.
A tiny voice responded. "You can't see me even if you can. It's a riddle you can't ever solve."
Kraft was shocked to discover that the voice belonged to a child. And it sounded so close to him than he had imagined. He turned round swiftly, aimimg the gun downwards judging the height that small childish voice belonged to. "Stay away from me, child. I got a gun."
Kraft now sounded a little bit fearful. The outcome of this was now unsure for him because the child sounded so dangerously close to him yet he couldn't see him.
"I don't talk much, but let me tell you a secret since I'm in a good mood," the childish voice sounded again. "I was 6 when my commander dad took me and others to a lab where we were turned to super beings. It sounds strange, right? Everybody got different superpowers after we got mutated... And mine is the stealth power. I can blend with the littlest shadow, see?.."
"Shut the fuck up, you dumb fuck!" Kraff yelled, frustrated.
"...don't you want to know what gave us the powers? It was an orb which we believe is currently somewhere only God knows where. So, I've been sent here to Mexico to search for the orb in order to help my country..."
"I said shut the hell up!" Thick beads of sweat flowed down Kraff's forehead. He was feeling threatened by the boy's voice, pointing his gun recklessly about without seeing anybody. The boy's voice came from nowhere and everywhere at the same time.
"...but your evil Order pointed me as a sacrifice to your gods? What have I done to your god that he wants me killed for his supper? I'm only here for the orb... The orb and nothing more, goddammit!"
Kraft now got what the situation was all about. The boy who they were targeting to sacrifice to their god is now counter-targeting them. "See, boy... I don't know about this, just leave and forget all these. I promise I won't hurt you..."
"Read the room Mr Kraff, or perhaps read the street," the old man froze at the mention of his name. "I am the only one here who can promise not to hurt anyone. You don't even know if I'm really here, see?"
"Okay, I'll drop my weapon now and I'll leave peacefully. Is that okay, boy?"
"No, it's not okay... Why? I've just told you a top secret. See, nobody's supposed to know about we mutants and about the orb but I just told you about it... So Mr Kraff, you have to catch up with your friend Munoz... And greet your god for me. Adios."
"No, I promise I won't tell anybody about your secret. I..."
Slash...
Steel through flesh...
Kraff's meaty neck got sliced in the jugular, and he was immediately drowned in his own blood.
"I talked too much. That was so unlike me," the boy stepped out from the shadow of a thick pipe. He cleaned the sharp knife with Kraff's coat and hopped away on his barefoot.
"22," he hummed.
**********************************
"Yes, it is mostly that way. Your special power after you are mutated is as a result of your abilities before mutation," Olatunde explained while mixing a cup full of oats inside Jacq's home.
Jacq reasoned along with him, wondering why Stranger hadn't explained this to him earlier. "This African boy seems to be a knowledgeable one," Jacq thought.
Olatunde continued. "For example, I am the warrior on the ring when we were little. Nobody could beat me in a wrestle. So, I think that was what made me superb when it comes to close combat." He paused, thinking of another example. He laughed when he remembered one. "Hear this too. There was a boy too, One of my step brothers actually... He was good in stealing meat from his mom's pot. He would sneak into the kitchen at night just to steal meat. When he got mutated, he developed insane ninja skills, his stealth mode can never be discovered. He also became deadly with a knife. He was sent to Mexico in search of the orb."
Jacq laughed a little at the possibility of developing ninja skills just from stealing from the kitchen at midnight. And what is my own special power?
[None and everything], Stranger said. [You are above them all.]
Jacq smiled childishly at himself at the prospect of being the most powerful. His dreams might be coming true, he just doesn't like the sacrifice. In any way, he must get involved in the coming war... That left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Olatunde spoke, "and you Cassie? What is your special power?"
Huh, Cassie... I forgot she's here again?
Cassie looked up from the dining table in annoyance. The two boys were not expecting an answer but she answered anyways.
"Ask Jacq."
Jacq was shocked by the answer. Firstly, he wasn't aware what her special power was. Secondly, they are still at loggerheads so he hadn't expected to answer for her.
"I... I... I don't know your special power," Jacq stuttered a response.
As if waiting for this moment all along, Cassie stood up suddenly from the chair, hitting the table at the same time. "See? See?! You were not even aware of what went down that day. You ran up all by yourself trying to get yourself killed. I was the only one dealing with those drones and those bastard soldiers. Explain yourself, Jacq. Fucking tell me what you were doing that got you blown away by that orb!" She had tears on the brink of falling from her eyes now.
She is cursing?
Jacq just looked on, more shocked than Olatunde was. "I was trying... I was trying to get the... The... Key... You know... To the orb. That was our agreement, remember?"
"And what did you achieve?" Cassie cried out again. "Yes, you got mutated just like us even though I don't know how... But what the hell were you thinking? You almost got yourself killed!!!"
Now, Jacq wasn't sure how to react at the moment. His thoughts were all jumbled up, he couldn't think straight.
Was she worried about me? What the hell have I done?
Jacq managed to ask what he was thinking. "Were you worried about me?"
Cassie didn't answer. She wiped the tears off her face and sat back down on the dining chair.
"Were you?" Jacq asked again.
Olatunde who was grasping the whole event excused himself from the table and went out the room. When he went out, Cassie looked up at Jacq and whispered just what he had been thinking. "Yes."
What? What about..?
"What about the whole scene after the lab? The fight and... And... Your father's chamber?" Jacq hated thinking about it. Even though he didn't kill Professor Jerkins, he had almost done it. Thanks to you, Stranger. He thought contemptuously.
[Hush], Stranger replied quietly.
"I know you didn't kill him. I realized later... But why did you run?" Cassie questioned.
"I was sick of everything. That was why. A whole lot happened that day and my mind couldn't process them all. I'm not sorry I took off," Jacq said bitterly.
He realized he ended that badly, but he didn't care. He felt he had the right to his anger too. After all, he didn't push himself into this from the start.
Cassie shook her head in painful admittance and rose slowly from the chair. She looked like she was about to cry again when she spoke. "I know. I know... Just get back to us if you need anything. We have your suit prepared..." She broke off in tears.
C'mon now... Ugh...
Jacq had no option at this point. He had to comfort her lest he appeared as a bad person to her. He had liked at her first after all. He should not leave her hurting.
He rose from the seat opposite her before turning round the table to get by her side. And... Slowly, so slowly, he wrapped his arms round her in a warm embrace.
Jacq apologized for all that happened while she teared up even more into his arms. They stood like that for a couple of minutes before breaking Cassie broke off the comforting hug. She wiped her tears and looked deep into Jacq's eyes. "I'm sorry," she muttered. "For everything."
"No, don't be." He decided to try a playful way to make her feel better. "See? Your organization made me a superhuman too, is it not cool? I even beat your two subordinates and my new classmate. I'm happy with it, just so you know," he winked at her and flashed a smile.
Cassie smiled too, and rushed at him for another embrace.
Good God.
"Now, don't cry anymore unless you want to see me cry too. And trust me, you don't want to see me cry."
Cassie chuckled...
You just ruined my favorite shirt with salty water. Get off me girl...
[Looooser], Stranger made a long hiss.
Shut up...
[AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING TOMORROW?]
"What is happening?" Jacq replied in his mind, with Cassie now untangling herself.
[YOU'RE STARTING YOUR FIRST REAL TRAINING, YOU LAZY ASS]
"what?"
[Exactly. And not only that...]
"what else?"
[You need to learn the real secret about the coming war]