The hidden yet in your face and out in the open, secret operations assassination organization called AIC (Assassination Initiation Crops) is a program to find the youth in society who have been forgotten and are strong minded, fast and determined, able to be indoctrinated and trained to become cold blooded assassins for hire. In a world where being chipped at birth is a normal thing, but with not just any chip in any spot, a chip for the brain that can have information downloaded to it instantly, and comprehension of the information is immediate, as if it was all there before.
Runner
The story of one operative stands out, as he was the last person to have ever been picked out of the crowd, trained, and led to be a leader of a squad. And it is also the story of how one squad could take down an entire mesh of organizations of similar secret ops kill groups, and then start his own.
It all started with Allan, he was a young 18 year old kid when it all started. He had just left his job at a junk food place and was walking home through the city; he needed to go to the bank to cash his meager check of what they called his salary. Standing in line for the teller, he first heard the typical noises of the bank and the big city, cars honking outside, people walking on the side walk with their fancy shoes, others talking loudly just in front of the door of the bank so as everyone can hear that they work at the stock exchange, and the mumbling sounds of people talking softly inside the bank, workers walking up and down with paper carts and cell phones going off. But then a different noise, multiple guns shots went off as the words “GROUND NOW!!!” were yelled. Every one drop down immediately, yet Allan was too curious about the gun shots and the sudden burst of adrenaline flowing through him to drop to the ground, he turned and faced a man who appeared out of nowhere. The man said “You in?” And with a simple nod of confirmation Allan became part of the AIC. He got sudden rush of power through his mind, something he had felt before, but never so strong and so long. He was downloading information; normally it takes an instant, even when downloading an entire book. This took at least ten seconds, and then it was all clear, he knew what the mission was, he knew what to do, and he knew how to shoot, perfectly.
The mission today was, find the bank director, James Harden, and kill him. A simple task as James Harden had just arrived at the bank as Allan turned his head to the door. He recognized him instantly from the information he had down loaded, taking the gun of the man out of his holster Allan aimed and fired with no hesitation and no second thought. The bullet few across the room straight into the head of James Harden, the missions had been completed, and as soon as it did he saw that the man who he had just taken the gun from was already many steps ahead of him and running toward the door. Outside stood a dark van waiting, others jumped in and then also the man, just as Alan was to take the jump into the van, the door shut in front of him and the van spend off.
As if out of instinct Allan ran the other way, took a left and than a right, jumping over road blocks, down stairs and making his way toward the city docks. He grabbed a school bus that he knew was heading that way, and he remembered himself sitting in a school bus seat going to school from the orphanage, thinking there has to be more to life than having no one care about you, no one wanting to teach you, and no one believing you or listening to you. He snapped out of his day dream as the awe full smell of fish and oil filled his nose, he was near the docks alright. He jumped off the bus and ran toward a lonely container, black with three red dots on one of the doors. He was a hundred feet away when in the corner of his eyes he saw the black van from the bank racing for the container. With one swift move the van drifted into a 180 spin and stopped right with the back doors standing towards the containers doors. The people he had seen jumping into the van before where jumping out and running into the container, last the man stepped out turned to Allan just as he ran up, and the man said; welcome home. And lead Allan into the dark container and closed the door.
Mission 1; Bank rolls. - Completed.
New operative initiated; Allan Sams.
Code name: Runner.
The door closed behind them, pitch black in a small confinement, you could only hear the easy breathing of several other individuals all dressed in black, looking like high-tech ninjas, standing completely still, making not a noise, and waiting for something to happen. Suddenly the floor starts to drop, evident only by the feeling in his gut telling him he is moving, he already knows what is expecting him, or at least he thinks he does. After dropping several hundred feet the doors open and he sees his new home; the head quarters and training grounds of AIC. A super facility housing hundreds of people, computer systems, cars, bikes, aircraft, boats, any kind of transport imaginable, everywhere there was something happening. Allan looks around and sees other groups of squads exit out of doors besides him all to his right, none to his left. The man who had gotten him to get here introduced himself as Smoker, one of the leaders of one many assassin squads.
“I saw you standing there after the guns started going off, you didn’t flinch, drop or, run, you just stood there listening for more sounds. The exact traits of an assassin, and of a leader, you stand here on the far left of the entrances, you will be trained to become the new squad leader. Those standing by the other doors are also new recruits; they will be your team.”
Allan looks to his right and sees 5 five other teens standing with their recruiter, 2 guys, three girls, all look eighteen, all look fit and strong. He recognizes one of them, the closest to his right, an old bully of his at an old orphanage, Red. Very strong, very big, and very mean, Allan remembers being bullied by him every day, getting beaten up after school, and always trying to fight back, never with any results. He also remembers one day in particular, he was walking back to the orphanage after having missed the bus from school. There was a large black car standing in front of the orphanage, and a man and a woman were walking with Red to the car. Allan waited near the car to see Red drive off with his new parents. As the parents stepped into the car, Red walked up to Allan, and gave him a hug, saying; “You were always my only friend, and I only picked on you because you needed to become stronger, one day I’m going to see you again and then I’ll continue making you stronger.” As he finished his sentence his arm went up and then punched Allan straight in the stomach. His last goodbye, before having seen him again at AIC, now the beating would restart, and from the looks of Red, they we’re going to be worse.
Red looked left after having had the same explanation about the left to right ranking, wanting to see who his leader was. Red instantly recognized Allan and said; Hey buddy, ready to get stronger?” Allan said back; “ready to finally get punched back?” And they both started to laugh, yet at the end of the line to the far right stood a girl, she was crying, her mission was not like Allan’s hit and run. She went through something traumatic. The other recruits were studying each other, looking left and them right, first to their superiors, and then their subordinates, only the lowest ranked of us was looking just left, crying, full of emotion, and full of guilt, and hate.
Smoker then said; “Your code name is Runner, the others are Snake, Crouch, Fly, Singer, and the crying girl is Tears. Get to know them, ask them their stories of how they got here, tell them yours, and then go to training. You need to know your team before you can lead it.”
He left with the rest of the squad leaders towards the back of the bunker, into a room with blacked out window, one way windows where they would keep an eye on every one there while conversing about how to train the new recruits, learn about their background , and then erase it all. The new recruits left standing where they came in, not knowing what to do, pondering what awaits them and where the others came from, and what this entire facility is about.
