Virtual Reality: Dark Days

A Hunted Target

A tall, yet physically fit man had entered the Virtual Reality Headquarters. This man had a strange aura to him. An aura that would give those smaller than him the chills. Just getting within an inch of him felt dangerous. You could feel the darkness flowing around him. The man had come into contact with many people over the years. If a person had managed to survive an attack from him, they'd make sure they could never be found again. He was the type of man that could make you feel your death the moment he stared at you. This was not the type of person to mess with. Even if someone had, there was a one percent chance that you were still alive. He wasn't exactly known by a lot. He kept to himself. The only people to ever get close to him were his employers. With every killer in the world, he was the worst one.

It wasn't known exactly why Jason Callahan had this man in his office on that night. But if it was Jason Callahan calling him, this wasn't a simple task. The man knew this wasn't going to be good. He almost dreaded learning what he had to do, but he needed the money and was willing to do anything to get it. He'd only ever done one job for Jason and that was a long time ago. Since then, he's mostly been doing work for his official job. Although, he hasn't turned down any other off-the-record jobs that required a trigger being pulled.

Upon arriving at the front desk, the security officer of the building looked up at the man. He'd seen this man before but, for some reason, was choking on his words. The man stared at him intently, waiting for him to speak. It was too late in the night for visitors. But he didn't want to tell this man that sort of news. He'd rather not speak at all. It was his job to be brave and that's what he had to do.

"May I help you sir?" The security officer asked.

"Agent." The man had revealed his official badge for the Federal Bureau of Investigations. "Agent Tobias Dunn. I'm here to see Jason Callahan. He requested my presence."

The security officer took Tobias' word as truth and began calling Jason's desk number. It was the F.B.I. agent that Jason often called into the office. Tobias rarely showed up to the building, so whatever Mr. Callahan had going on meant some serious business. Jason told the security officer to allow Agent Dunn to move forward. The security officer understood and ended the call. He looked up at Tobias and gave him the news. Tobias kept his words to himself. He walked past the security office and taped a button near the elevator. Tobias was a man of very few words. He hadn't always been this way. But after events from his past, he found himself wanting to be closed off. Tobias wasn't exactly the type willing to offer information about himself to others. Most of the words that came from his mouth were words regarding others.

Tobias moved toward the elevator and pressed the button that would take him to the floor where Jason's office was. Something sinister was going on here and it was definitely not for the security officer to care for. He simply sat back and continued on with his shift, with the thought of Tobias still on his mind.

"Tobias Dunn." Jason applauded as soon as he saw Tobias enter his office. He hadn't seen the agent in a while. Tobias stood before Jason, waiting for him to actually say what it was he needed help with. He wasn't the biggest fan of Jason's personality. Tobias was more of a silent type, whereas Jason could often get loud and too talkative during certain situations. Jason realized Tobias wasn't in the mood and calmed himself down. He was never good at reading Tobias and today definitely seemed like one of his more sour days. Then again, every time they met, Tobias looked like he was having a sour day. "There's a problem I need you to handle."

"You let your secret out again?" Tobias was almost frustrated with Jason. He didn't like the fact that this was another clean up job. This was not a surprise. But while he wasn't surprised, Tobias found himself annoyed. He'd rather kill those that actually needed to be killed. This was a case of an innocent life that got caught up with the wrong person. Tobias saw this as a useless job. As much as he didn't want to take it, he knew he was going to have to. Jason paid really well. Especially since the game has grown in popularity so recently, the pay would be five times as much as he got paid the last time. It would nearly be enough for Tobias to live off of for a whole year without working. As annoyed as he was, he couldn't simply turn down this chance to get paid big.

"He worked for me!" Jason had been triggered by the words Tobias said. There had only been a few that had known about Jason's dark side. He kept a very close circle of people around him that could keep secrets. Alex Huang was not one of them. While he was close to Jason, he was not within the circle. Jason wasn't the type to care when he got someone killed. If anything, it was like weight being lifted off his body. Once they were dead, Jason went back to his life as if it never happened. But this time, this one person gave Jason so much grief. Jason was in a state of stress because of the Alex Huang situation. There was more to this than Alex getting away. It was about why he wanted Alex dead. For the first time in a while, Jason couldn't hide his emotions. He showed how stressed he was in front of Tobias and didn't care. He wanted the agent to feel how important this kill was to him. Tobias was the least likely person he knew that could fail this mission. In the past, Tobias had handled a mission with such ease that Jason couldn't help but reach out to him once more. Although the difficulty of this mission was certainly greater this time, Jason believed in Tobias' skills. No matter the issue, Tobias was the perfect man for the job.

"I thought I could trust him. I thought... it's not important. Besides, I found out his location in the game. If I give you all the supplies you need for the game, could you go in? He's not much of a fighter, so you shouldn't have to worry about him. But the others are a different situation..."

"There's more than just one?" Tobias was more intrigued about the case now. Suddenly, he had to kill many people instead of one. He'd never taken on a job that required more than just one kill. Tobias suddenly found himself wanting to back out. The chances of this mission failing are too high now. Killing one person was easy for Tobias. Killing many was on a different level for him. This was a job for two killers, not one. If he were to slip and accidentally let the second or third person get away, Jason would be in trouble. Tobias's number one rule was to always make sure his employer never got caught. There lips would become too loose and Tobias would find himself being chased by the law. That was something Tobias made sure never happen in all the years he's been doing work like this. He's succeed for the most part, but now his biggest paycheck yet may cost him. He wasn't sure what to do about this or how to evern proceed. Jason was an emotional wreck right now. If he were to back out, there was no telling what Callahan would do to him. While killing him would be easy, this man didn't seem like the type to just let his death happen without consequences for the killer. There seemed to only be one course of actions at this point. He had to go forward with this job and make sure he did it right. No witnesses.

"Of course there more than just one person." Jason gave out a fake smile. "He's getting help, I know he is. All the time that he worked here, never once did I get the sense that he could survive a manhunt like this. The bastard is nothing more than a pencil pusher. But I'm mostly getting this theory based off of a detective's word. She came in here acting all high and mighty trying to scare me. Get this, apparently there is an officer within the game possibly helping him."

"That's enough" Tobias's ethical code for jobs like this was being pushed farther than it ever had before. He would kill for money, yes. But he'd never stoop so low as to kill someone working for the law. It just seemed too inhuman for him."I don't kill cops."

"Jeez." Jason hadn't expected Tobias to have a line that could be crossed. To think that a cold blooded murderer such as himself was capable of not killing a certain type of person annoyed him. Where did this love for cops come from? Why did he have such a heart on for them? It just didn't make sense to the young creator. "You can just kill the kid then, I guess. Now get on out of here. I need to start prepping your avatar. You're going to need as much as you can get in order to take him down... maybe."

Tobias was quickly hooked into the Virtual Reality system with the headset now being placed in front of his eyes. It had been a while since he was in a position like this. A part of him looked forward to going back into the game. He zoomed out of the real world and into the game like the speed of light. For him, he enjoyed having his mind being transferred into the game. It was as if everything he worried about in the real world no longer existed. He could be free and only think about the joys of this game.

When he came to, he found himself lying on a bed in an apartment he'd never seen before. The last time he was at the game, he could have sworn he was in a different apartment than this. Either Jason had been using his avatar to do things or someone in the game placed him there. It didn't matter. For now he had a mission. Find the boy and kill him.

Outside, the white Ford Thunderbird that Tobias always cruised around in sat parked in the side of the road waiting for him. It had been some time since he had seen a vehicle like this in the real world. Being able to drive it how he wanted to in this video game was going to be unlike any experience he'd ever had. It was a vehicle he liked and could never find in the real world. Tobias approached it, knowing this was going to be a hard gift to depart from once the mission was over. He opened the door and started the car. The engine roared like the way he remembered it and suddenly he found himself lost in the past. Nothing else matter but himself and the car. Whatever tricks Jason had pulled to make this game feel so real astonished him. He couldn't resist smiling at the sound of it. Before leaving, he pulled up a digital map in front of him and set a course for the apartment building. But it was the name of the person in the apartment that got to him. Shamar Lee. Tobias had a past with this man and it was going to be nerve-racking just seeing him again. He drove into the city enjoying the view of life-like restaurants, buses, and buildings. The nighttime setting always fascinated him. The game had improved since he was last in it. Everything was so glitchy then. Now, he felt like he could really live in this world for the rest of his life and not even realize he was living in a fake world. He could tell why people spent so much time and money on the game. If there ever came a time that he could play this game, he would. But then again, this was all fake. There was nothing real to this game. Getting lost in this would only make him into a sucker like the others that Jason tricked into buying this game. Tobias had things to do in the real world that required his full attention. Even though this was all nice, he couldn't get distracted by its beauty.

A light in Shamar's apartment shined through the window, indicating to Tobias that someone was home. Tobias tried waiting to see if a shadow in the light would appear or some sort of sign of a person. Nothing. He stepped out of his vehicle and entered the apartment building. While in the real world, it's hard to get into apartment buildings you don't own without being noticed, but in the game, he could do whatever he wanted. It was late and the building didn't seem to be as lively. He wasn't sure what it was like during the day but he definitely didn't have time for questions. This worked for Tobias, as he could glide through and not get noticed by anyone.

The hallway that lead to the last known location of the target had been reached by Tobias. This was his chance to end the job and get away without anyone noticing. While there was no noise coming from the apartment, Tobias knew there was someone inside. Whoever they were definitely wasn't trying very hard to conceal their presence in the apartment. Tobias made the choice to make sure no one would detect him. He moved so softly that not even the person with the keenest hearing could hear him. Any sound of movement from him and he knew the target would be on to him soon enough. Of all the gun options Jason gave to Tobias, the submachine gun worked the best. It would be the quickest death for anyone he needed to kill.

The door was kicked open by Tobias as he entered the room with his gun aimed forward. But there was one slight problem. The apartment was dark and no one was inside. Tobias knew for sure someone was there. It was like the feeling of being watched. He studied the room carefully and proceeded forward. The fear of being snuck up on and attacked settled into him.

Tobias entered the kitchen and found Shamar leaned forward in the corner, smoking a pre-rolled blunt of m*******a. Good ole Shamar Lee, always taking things as a joke. Shamar laughed the moment Tobias approached him and put the blunt out. He hadn't seen the man in a long time. Shamar hoped he'd never see him again. He put his hands up.

"They finally sent you," Shamar said. Still smiling over the fact his long lost friend stood before him.

"Where's the kid?" Tobias asked, really wanting to avoid the conversation with Shamar. He wondered if Shamar still even cared.

"He's hunting," Shamar said. Enjoying the fact that he set this all up nicely.

"Hunting who?" Tobias asked. He was no longer anxious. Annoyed was the feeling Tobias would use to describe himself.

"Jason." Shamar smiled, wanting to take another puff of his blunt. This news was way too exciting for him. "He's going to murder him and anyone who gets in his way. Had to show him some tricks before sending him off."

Tobias was annoyed with Shamar but didn't want to kill him. Killing the man would feel like killing himself. He decided it was best to take him to Jason. Jason would know what to do with him better than Tobias did. Tobias aimed close at Shamar's head and pulled the trigger. A reaction was what he was hoping to get out of Shamar.

The speed of the bullet caught Shamar off guard, allowing Tobias to move in and elbow Shamar across the neck. This attack dismantled Shamar's entire body. Shamar was completely knocked out by this blow. No resistance would come from him for a while. He hit the floor next to Tobias, leaving the agent to wonder where the kid might be now.

As Shamar began to come back to consciousness, he found a familiar looking man sitting across from him. He hadn't expected Tobias to knock him out. Honestly, Shamar thought he was going to die at that moment. When his vision was too blurry to tell who he was staring at, he used his hearing to confirm it. Tobias spoke.

"Finally," Tobias said with glee. He thought he had killed Shamar with the strike he gave him. "You're awake."

Shamar chuckled to himself, wanting to knock him back out, but Tobias didn't let it happen. Tobias had the upper hand here. He walked over to Shamar and began smacking his face. He didn't like treating him like that, but needed his old friend to talk.

"Wake up, Lee." Tobias said. "You're not going anywhere."

"What do you want?" Shamar asked. "Are you going to kill me or arrest me?"

"I'm not doing anything to you until you give me some answers," Tobias said, turning his back to Shamar. "I want to know where the kid is."

Shamar laughed. Of all the things Tobias could be doing, he was focusing on his mission. He figured that's why he was still alive. Tobias probably would have killed Shamar if he could. A man with his talents would never let anyone witness his darkness. No matter what, all those that saw Tobias' darkness were killed.

"I already told you, Dunn, he's going after Jason." Shamar reminded Tobias once again. He was purely annoyed with Tobias now.

"Oh I know that," Tobias said with a grin growing on his face. He could tell his old friend was going to open up to him. "But what I want to know is how he plans to do it? Callahan is a well guarded man. He'd have to find someone on the inside to get to him."

"Seems like you got this all figured out, Dunn." Shamar found Tobias to be a smart man. He wasn't one of the best in the Bureau for nothing. If there was anyone that could get a person to talk to, it was Tobias. "So why do you need me to tell you?"

"Because you know who his first target is," Tobias said as he bent down in front of Shamar. "And you're going to tell me."

"Ha." Shamar laughed. Just seeing how hard Tobias was going to press him for information made him laugh. Shamar knew all too well how good Tobias was at interrogation tactics. He would always find ways to put suspects through intense pain. It wasn't always just about torturing the body. Tobias had always done his homework on the suspect. He'd break them emotionally. Digging into things that could hurt them without using a single bit of strength. Unfortunately for Shamar, Tobias wouldn't have to do much homework on him. He practically knew all there was about Shamar.

"I know you know you used to be part of the Bureau at one point," Tobias threatened. "So torturing you physically won't mean anything. But did you ever consider how much money you actually put into this game? Nine thousand is a lot. Are you willing for all that money to go down the drain? Over a kid you barely know? You'll be broke and Callahan will force you out of the game. You'll be a bum in this game and in real life. But we can keep that from happening. Just give me a name."

Tobias had threatened Shamar so badly that it caused him to think about the matter. Tobias was right. Alex was a good kid with a good cause. But his money was all he had in this game and in the real world. He couldn't let it all go to waste. Alex needed his help. But Shamar needed to help himself this time.

"Gregory." Shamar gave in. He couldn't put his life on the line like this.

"Good job." Tobias congratulated Shamar on his decision. He rose to his feet and began to head for the door. "You'll be left out of this. Callahan will forget your involvement in the matter. You have my word, old friend."

Shamar found none of his words to be comforting. He hated Tobias for this. He feared for Alex if Tobias was coming after him. There was a lot Tobias could do for Alex and there wasn't much Alex could do to stop him. Taking on a rich video game creator was different to a deadly trained agent.

The moment Tobias left the apartment, Shamar quickly began trying to undo the ropes used to tie him to one of his dining room chairs. Something had to be done fast. Death was coming for the young gamer. He had to reach Alex before Tobias got to him…