Virtual Reality: Dark Days

Part Two: New Life

Six months ago, Alex Huang had finally confronted the pain he'd been suffering for nearly two weeks. It was two weeks of him running through the streets of New York. Avoiding as many threats as he possibly could while facing challenges he'd never faced before. All the young man had was a friend and a little bit of memory. That little bit of memory had nearly been wiped clean. If not fo an injury he sustained to the head, the young man would have likely been able to bring justice to all those that didn't get as luck as himself. He had been targeted by murderers working for the Virtual Reality company. His life had been on the line mulitple times due to his quest for memory reclamation. Thanks to the help of a friend, he barely made it out with his own life. Being hunted and on the run was a new feeling for Alex. Things never felt right though. As much as he tried to adjust to this new way of life, he found himself struggling to do so. Death weighed down on him. Each day that he tried to carry on, the young man found himself feeling the pressure more and more. He never knew when his time on Earth would end due to an error in caution. Due to each challenge he faced, his mind grew stronger. Pieces of the past began to flow back into him. He had remembered why he was truly in such danger. With reality back in control, he was ready to finish things. No more running. He was going to face the man that wanted him dead. After his confrontation, reporters soon learned of the situation taking place with the company. Every bit of news they could get on Alex and those that tried to kill him were retrieved. The press was now in the know about everything. Alex freed himself from the looming danger that Jason Callahan had over him. Callahan, being the villain that he was, would never again have to deal with Alex. And Alex would always fear the day he would come face to face with this conflict again. With the only person in the world he could trust behind bars, he fled the country. The United States had known too much about what he did. There was no way he could live a normal life in the country anymore. He left all of his best moments behind him and went some place far from home. His soul had not been cleansed of all the murders he committed. Running only reminded him of what had happened within those two weeks. He wasn't going to die because someone held a grudge over him. Peace needed to be kept within the young man's mind.

In a city known as Algiers, Alex Huang hid. He kept to himself always. With all of his efforts going into keeping a low profile, the now young fugitive hasn't kept up with himself very well. Everything the young fugitive had done was now only part of his memory. Keeping that time of his life down low was best while making a new life in this city. No matter how haunting it was for him, he couldn't let anyone see himself damaged, for it would draw attention onto him. He had made a vow to never get involved in something like that again. It was too dangerous to get into trouble here. This was his new life. There was no turning back at this point. A life full of ancient cities, cultured shopping malls, different religious beliefs and very hot weather. Alex was completely out of his depths here.

There wasn't a single part of Alex that feared the day that someone would recognize him. It was all clear to him now. Being in Algiers helped him see things so much easier. He was safe. This part of the world was mostly cut off from issues taking place in another country. He never had to worry about someone noticing him because of his past. Virtual Reality was basically non-existent. But, that didn't mean he was completely out of danger. There was always the chance that someone paying attention to worldwide news would see what had happened back in the United States. The six months he's spent in Algiers had been nice but the question of whether someone would recognize him didn't leave his head. He was never sure of the people around him, no matter how nice. Alex couldn't get too relaxed in this new life. Caution was his best friend. He kept his distance from people and tried not to gain friends. Whenever Alex did speak to people, they never attempted to latch onto him. Their ways of life just never matched up with his. If he ever felt in danger, Alex was ready to leave. So keeping things light was how he had proceeded.

Everything had been fine for Alex. There was no need to worry. Lifting up a gun to shoot someone was in the past now. This was the perfect resolution for him after everything he'd gone through in New York. But then something he never expected to happen happened. He had bumped into someone. Normally, he'd apologize and move on but this time things were different. After making his way back home with groceries, a person had bumped into him and managed to knock everything Alex was carrying onto the ground. Whatever didn't have too much dirt on it, Alex picked up. While it wasn't a lot, it was still enough to last him for a while. Alex simply apologized not thinking anything of the person he bumped into.

The Algerian, on the other hand, didn't seem too pleased. It also didn't help the situation that he was drunk. His drunken state only fueled the flames of anger he had brewing within him. He began shouting at Alex in Arabic. While most people in the country wouldn't have a problem with this, Alex did. All the time that he had spent in the country, Alex never learned a bit of their language. Now he was in trouble. Not only was he dealing with a drunken man, he was dealing with a man who was upset and unable to understand him. Alex couldn't understand a thing coming out of the man's mouth.

"I'm sorry." Alex repeated to the Algerian. "I don't understand you."

The Algerian slapped Alex's groceries back to the ground. The language barrier was definitely making it hard for the pair to communicate. Alex found himself growing more frustrated by the minute. He tried his best to calm himself down but eventually he was being shoved by the Algerian. Alex tried his best not to get physical with the man, but the drunken Algerian wasn't making it easy. It got so bad that people around them simply tried ignoring the situation and walking away. This has become normal for them. The guy would usually get drunk at this time and become violent. There had been situations in the past, but no amount of force worked to stop him. He became abormally strong in this state. All those that knew, kept away and even now, were keeping their distance. They all knew not to mess with him during this time and to avoid him as much as possible. Alex, unfortunately fell victim to this man's rage. Everyone who witnessed this for sympathy for the young fugitive. Getting involved is always a first thought, but then the knowledge of what this man is like causes them ignore it. It didn't help him feel any better about his situation. If anything, seeing them give him those looks only made him want to lose his temper. Alex had enough of being bullied and threw his leg across the Algerians face. The kick was so harsh that the man nearly lost balance. The Algerian began recovering himself from the attack. Those that had watched Alex kick him could only stand still and watch what happened next. Blood dripped from his mouth. He had been hurt. But the pain didn't bring him down. Instead of doing as Alex believed he'd done and stand down, the Algerian actually became more rageful. He was completely unhinged and that was exactly why people would avoid him. Once he got angry, it was hard to calm him down. He reached within his pocket and pulled out a knife. Rarely did the Algerian have to use this weapon, but he found himself ready to end Alex's life for standing in his way. The situation had become worse than Alex expected. An aggressive response was now what he received instead of a single take down. In another situation, the kick may have worked, but not this time.

Swiftly, the Algerian moved to attack Alex. Even in a drunken state, his moves were unbelieveable. He rushed the blade at the young fugitive multiple times. While the attempts at stabbing Alex were slow, Alex could only keep his eye on the swings of the blade. He didn't expect any other attack to come at him at any given moment. Alex had been punched right across the face. The Algerian had done exactly what he wanted do. By distracting Alex with his blade, he was able to land a hard hitting punch. This was going on longer than Alex expected. Soon enough, the law enforcement would arrive and Alex's whole low-key lifestyle would be tarnished. Besides, the intent of kicking the Algerian was to get him away, not to cause a fight. Effecting him this much was not something Alex wanted.

The Algerian came at Alex once more with the knife. This fight had to end. He stopped the knife with his left hand and used his right to punch the Algerian right in the face. Everything Alex had was put into the punch. He hoped it wasn't enough to kill him, but also didn't want him to get back up for a second round. Luckily, it was just enough to send the Algerian to the ground. Not just with a broken nose but also with a knock out.

Everyone watching the fight couldn't believe it. This man who had been a menace to them all was finally taken out by someone like Alex. It was unthinkable to even combat this man and yet, a single punch laid him out. It was almost horrific to see how it all happened. As happy as they should have been, they feared if Alex would now become a problem. Emotionless, the young fugitive fled. There was too much blood for this scene not to be called a crime. He had to make sure no one followed him wherever he went.

The stab wound Alex received to the hand bled so bad that it rendered his first aid kit useless. He cursed at himself with all the failed attempts of bandaging his hand surrounding him. Letting himself get stabbed ended the conflict with the drunken Algerian, but it now opened up a situation he wanted to avoid. There was no telling what type of information a hospital would want. If they even plugged him into their system, anyone looking for Alex would now know his whereabouts. Alex was going to have to get medical attention for this wound or he'd likely die. He couldn't avoid this. Dying would only spit in the face of all those that tried to help him. This would mean that he'd have to leave the city as soon as possible after his visit. The chances of someone leaking this information out wouldn't turn out good for him. He looked at his apartment and knew he was going to miss the comfort of it all. He had managed to make it feel like a home so much. Only one thing mattered over all of this and that was his safety.

Alex made the trip to the emergency room where he showed the technician his wound. The wound was a very unusual sight for the technician's. There was the usual cases of people coming in here after making a mistake, but this looked different. There was clearly a deliberate sign of an attack on Alex. The wound hadn't stopped bleeding all that much since he left his apartment. The technicians began registering him for treatment. It was only a matter of time before the people looking for him would learn of where he was. He was told that a physician would be with him in just a moment. Alex hoped that moment wouldn't take too long. He understood that he'd have to wait and went to take a seat.

Along the way to a chair, Alex noticed something at the corner of his eye. There was a man staring at him from across the room. He was an older man that didn't seem to just be glancing at Alex. His gaze had been upon Alex for quite some time. Just catching this nearly caused Alex's heart to jump from his chest. This man was watching him make every step. Not one single second wasn't used to stare Alex down. One thing had become apparent; this man may have known who Alex was!

He hadn't gotten a staredown like that since New York. He didn't even seem like a local. It was possible that he came here from the United States. If this were true, there was no doubt in Alex's mind that he was aware of everything that took place six months ago. The press flashed the incident on as many platforms as they could. There wasn't a single person who didn't know Alex Huang.

Taking a seat, Alex kept his eyes forward. He tried to pretend that he hadn't notice the man staring at him, but it didn't change the fact that his eyes were still glued to Alex. He could feel the stare, it was so intense.

He rose from his seat and began making his way toward Alex. The young fugitive had thought of a lot ways he could use to get out of this. None of them were good enough for the moment. He wasn't even sure of what to do. Fighting him would draw too much attention, but running would literally do the same thing. In the chair, Alex found himself unable to move. His mind wouldn't allow him to. All it was do was panic. Before the American could get too close, an Elderly Man grabbed the fast moving American and pulled him down into the chair beside him. With ease, the Elderly Man threw his hand into the American's throat. Seamlessly, the attack was completed. There wasn't a single sound to come out of it at all. One strike and the American was out cold. Everyone merely minded their own business except for Alex, seeing it as a regular movement. Alex had seen it all and wondered what was going on. Did these two know each other? What was going to happen next? The Elderly Man rose to his feet and sat down beside Alex.

"Hello." The Elderly Man said in English. "Don't be alarmed. I'm here to help. Raafi Mallarme."

"Who was that guy?" Alex asked.

"No idea." Raafi admitted.

"Then why did you attack him?" Alex asked.

"Because he was going to try and turn you in." Raafi said.

"How do you know that?" Alex could barely move at this point

Raafi just stared at Alex. His stare was so intense that it made Alex shiver just staring back at it. Clearly Raafi had known things about the young fugitive he sat beside. The big question Alex had on his mind was why someone like Raafi took a chance on him. Why save someone as troubled as Alex?

"You and I both know why that man was approaching you." Raafi finally said. "Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me. But eventually he will wake up and your time here will be blown."

"What are you suggesting I do?" Alex was completely shaken up by all of this. He could barely speak due to the bombardment of information.

"Come with me after you've been discharged." Raafi said. "You'll be safe with us."

"Are you sure?" Alex didn't like the sound of the idea.

"I wouldn't be offering you my home if I wasn't." Raafi left Alex off with those words alone. Filled with so many questions, Alex had to wait. For now, a physician had arrived to treat him. It took Alex a second to understand that his name was being called. The physician led Alex to a room after he was finally able to get onto his feet.

After being treated, Alex got in the car with Raafi and took off from the hospital. Neither of them suspected that they were being watched. Everything seemed fine on the surface but things truly weren't. The American that attempted to approach Alex had traveled to this country for vacation. He had no ties to Virtual Reality or anyone working there but he knew that Alex was still wanted for the crimes he committed. Whatever had been released to the public, this man knew it all. While some articles told the truth, other told another story. A story of greed and murder. This man had decided to believe the other stories. And now his beliefs were causing him to see the young fugitive in a negative light. He managed to take pictures of Alex getting in the car with Raafi. Alex had been caught without even knowing it. The evidence this man had would now prove those that are still seeking out Alex that he is here. This was all he needed to bring Alex to justice. The Virtual Reality Headquarters had been alerted of what this man had learned. It was good enough to get all the way to top, where Jason Callahan sat. Someone who still hadn't recovered from what Alex did.

Jason had never forgotten about Alex. He felt disgusted every time he walked into the building. The footage of the attack had been viewed by Jason soon after it happened. He was completely in disbelief of how hard Alex tried to reach him. So much damage for one person. Reconstruction on the building had finished, but he could tell what had been fixed and what had always been there. Jason knew this building all too well. It was his first glimpse into the big leagues. Seeing someone come through and try to destroy it would never leave him. A wall of ingraved names had been placed in the building. These names were of the ones killed that night trying to protect Jason. The blood of all the officers that night flashed through his head. Jason could tell where they covered up the bullet holes. Even if no one else could, it still bothered him. The creator would never forgive those that tried to kill him. In his eyes, they should be dead right now. The fact that one was imprisoned and the other was on the run urked his thoughts every second he was in the building. He only let Alex go because he feared the young fugitive would kill him. There was still a burning passion to see Alex dead.

When his assistant approached him with the call, he nearly turned it away. If not for the fact that this man knew where Alex was, Jason would have never known about his secret location. In his office, Jason took the phone call.

"This better not be a lie." Jason said to the man.

"It's not sir." The man said into the phone.

"Who am I speaking to?" Jason was curious.

"Scott." The man known as Scott said. "Scott Evans. I'm from North Carolina here on vacation. I got my own business and everything. Just like you."

"Boring." Jason said.

"Sorry." Scott was afraid he'd lose this chance at bringing down Alex. "I've seen the boy, sir."

"Have you now?" Jason asked. "What does he look like?"

"Asian-American." The details on Alex flowed through Scott's mind. "Slender build. Black hair that stops over his ears. About 6 foot tall."

"That's him." Jason was confident in this answer. "But I need more proof."

"I have pictures." Scott said. "I can send them to you."

Jason agreed to this and gave Scott his phone number. Seconds after, Jason received the pictures taken of Alex by Scott. He never saw the date and time of when the pictures were taken. Then he noticed Raafi in the car and realized that he was getting help once more.

"Impressive." Jason said to himself. "You'll be paid greatly for this, Scout."

"Paid?" Scott asked. "I'm truly grateful, sir. And my name is Scott."

"Send me your bank account information." Jason continued to stare at the pictures of Alex. "That'll be all."

The call was ended by Jason. He couldn't stand to listen to Scott's voice for another second. But there was the fact that he knew were Alex was. Somehow, the young fugitive had changed. He noticed how different he looked since the last time he saw him. Jason still found Alex goregous. He couldn't help but think of him. All of these thoughts led him to remember why he wanted him dead. Tobias Dunn was one of the best agents in the Federal Bureua of Investigations and not even he could bring down Alex. This time, he was going to need more than just one. One person alone failed to kill Alex. Two people would make the process go by quicker. While these two people weren't as skilled as Tobias, they would make up for it in their abilities to work together. Jason had worked with them before for different reasons. Tobias wasn't always available so he'd request help from two others.

The first person Jason thought of was a man from London named Ban Millard. The skills this man had would always make him a go-to person for any employer needing a fast kill. He was a marksman assassin who could use any gun to kill anyone. His length was 6'5 and he did not carry a lot of weight on him.

The second person was a man from Shirebrook named Jack Smith. While also slender, he had more of a physically fit body compared to Ban. He was also shorter than Ban. But his size was not the point. His skills in martial arts made him deadly. He could do the job that Ban could do but in a more personal way.

Ban and Jack together would become an unstoppable force, Jason believed. He called up each of them, excited to get them on a flight to Algiers quickly. But the one thing he made sure that they both knew was that their target was not someone they could easily defeat. Ban and Jack were both aware of what had gone down between Jason and Alex. They were annoyed at how aggressive things had gotten. But the part they weren't aware of was the death of Tobias Dunn.

It shocked the both of them to know that the one person they saw as a legend had been taken down by Alex Huang. This mission that Jason had given them was no longer just for a paycheck. This mission was to find out how great Alex Huang truly was. For someone like him to kill Tobias made no sense to them. They were more than willing to find Alex, see what he was made out of and swiftly kill him.

Jason like the head space that these two had and couldn't wait to see what they could do.

Raafi had taken Alex to the countryside of Algiers. Spending more than half his life working, Raafi retired to a small part of this country. A leader once was now a countryman living far away from his previous life. He now looked after his daughter Sanvi Mallarme and granddaughter Jabirah Mallarme. His daugher Sanvi was a children's development physician. Sanvi's daughter, Jabirah, was a regular student. They were a small family who kept to themselves as much as possible, but didn't stick out whenever they would enter the city. Raafi and Sanvi had made a lot of friends and were well liked. This alone led Raafi to believe that Alex could stay with them and fit right in.

They arrived at the white house that the Mallarme's stayed in. One look and Alex could tell that this family didn't come from a lot of money. The property itself was vast with so much room. It was so peaceful that Alex almost forgot about his troubles. While the house looked broken down, like the property, it was big. Everything looked so old and yet so different from what he was used to.

Raafi called out to his family, letting them know that he was home. Sanvi was the first to approach them but nearly froze in her tracks when she saw Alex. If she had been holding anything, it would have dropped to the floor. Jabirah looked down the stairs to greet her grandfather when she saw Alex standing beside him. Alex looked up the stairs and waved at her. Jabirah couldn't even figure out how to respond.

"Hello." Sanvi said in English. "My name is Sanvi. That is my daughter Jabirah."

"Hi." Alex said to the both of them. "My name is Alex."

"We know." Jabirah spoke in English.

"Oh." Alex soon began to understand why each of them treated him like this. What had happened in New York became more public than he realized. "That's interesting."

"Excuse us." Sanvi said to Alex as she dragged her father into the kitchen.

"Someone's in trouble." Alex joked to Jabirah, who still kept her eyes on him. He was met with silence unfortunately as the young Algerian girl had no words for the young fugitive. "This is awkward."

Sanvi was not interested in her fathers decision. She believed that Alex was a safety issue to them all. Sanvi had no idea why he took mercy on someone so dangerous. It wasn't like him at all. She knew what type of things he'd been into back in the States. She did not want that type of danger coming to their doorstep. Raafi tried his best to convince her of the fact that nothing would happen. He believed that they were safe and no one would come looking for Alex out there. Sanvi brought up the point of someone noticing Alex getting in the car with him. Raafi was totally under the impression that they had left without any eyes on them. Sanvi then brought up the cameras to which Raafi told her that the only way camera footage would be used to identify Alex was if someone from the Central Intelligence Agency came looking for him. Sanvi didn't even like the sound of that. This was all a bit too much for her right now and she didn't want any trouble from the authorities or the Americans. But Raafi gained her trust. Harm would no come to them. They would live peacefully. All the troubles that Alex had gone through were cleared. Raafi believed in that and he made sure his daughter understood it.

After some time, Jabirah came down the stairs to officially meet Alex. Standing in front of him while he sat down thinking on the situation, his attention was now focused on her. She smiled at him and stuck her hand out. Alex shook it, smiling back at her.

"Sorry for the cold welcome." Jabirah said. "We saw what you did on television and just assumed that you were a criminal."

"What makes you think I'm not a criminal?" Alex asked.

"You seem too nice to be a criminal." Jabirah said.

"I'm guessing you haven't met a lot of criminals in your life." Alex couldn't help but smile at this point.

"Nope." Jabirah said. "Why would we?"

"I have no clue." Alex laughed to himself. "Thank you."

The two continued to smile at each other until Sanvi and Raafi walked back over to them. After a lengthy talk, Sanvi and Raafi came to an agreement.

"You can stay." Sanvi smiled at Alex. "As long as you don't cause us any trouble."

"Really?" Alex smiled graciously. "Thank you!"

The young fugitive rushed over to give her a warm hug. His speed and strength alone nearly knocked her over. Sanvi hadn't expected this much energy and joy from a criminal ever.

"Okay." Sanvi awkwardly patted Alex on the back.

"Now!" Raafi interrupted the happy moment. "I'm starving! Let's eat!"

The family lead Alex toward the dining room for a feast he hadn't had in months with three people that had officially welcomed them into their home. All things were happy now that Alex was in a safe place. Only, it wasn't safe. Their location had been revealed. The safety net they all thought they had over them was fading. Alex had truly brought danger to their door steps. Unbeknownst to them, Scott Evans had followed them from the hospital back to their current location. He had been watching them the entire time and was sending all this information to Jason's personal cell phone...