Assassin X

It was darker than a moonless night when Raven groggily opened her eyes. At first she blinked rapidly, hoping that her eyes would adjust to her surroundings, whatever they may be. But no matter how many times she blinked, the only thing she could see was total blackness. She tried to call out, to find someone that might be there with her, hoping she wasn't alone, but her screams were muffled by the gag in her mouth. The moment she felt the rag against her tongue, her other senses went on high alert. She could suddenly feel metal against her wrists, pinning her arms to those of the stiff chair she was sitting in. Her ribs were constricted by something, a rope perhaps, which was keeping her tied down. What had happened? How had she gotten there? While Raven's brain struggled to remember, her body struggled against her restraints. The pounding in her chest was thumping harder and faster, making the blood whoosh in her ears. Panic was ensuing and it was becoming more difficult to breathe. "You may struggle all you wish but it isn't going to help you any,” she heard a voice echo in the room. This voice, the eerie calmness of it, sent chills up her spine. This unnerving presence in the dark only made Raven thrash harder. "Stop!” His voice was harsh and caused her blood to run cold. "I'd like to undo your gag, I'd like to talk," he told her. "Would you like that?" Raven nodded vigorously though in the blackness she was sure the man couldn't see that. But if he undid her gag maybe there was something she could do. Scream? Bite? Beg or plead? Those last options weren't her usual choices but she'd also never been the victim before. "I know you're a fighter Raven, it's one of the reasons you were chosen. What you've done out on those streets to people, well, it has earned you high respect in our little family here. But let me tell you, there is no use fighting me or even screaming. You are too far underground for anyone to hear you and as for fighting, my dear not even you could fight the monsters outside those doors. Not yet anyway." His words made her stop thrashing and attempting to scream, cold fear was prickling its way inside of her. If he was telling the truth, then all hope was lost for her escape. Of course, he may have been lying to her but could she take that chance? Delicate fingers brushed against her cheeks as he slowly removed the thick tape and she spit out the gag. "There, isn't that better?” he asked. "Are you going to kill me?” Her voice sounded hoarse and weak, it was a voice she didn't recognize. If there was one thing she knew that she was not, it was weak. Not when she'd spent half of her young life living on the streets and half bouncing through foster homes like a stray dog nobody wanted; kicked to the curb when she did something wrong. Whoever this man was, he was right, she was a fighter, but at the moment she was too confused and full of fear to remember how to fight. The stranger in the dark simply chuckled at her question of death and lightly caressed her cheek. Raven turned away her face away from him, angered by his attempt at reassurance. "Now why would we want to kill someone who could be the greatest fighter we've ever seen? We've been watching you for a long time, years really. We've seen the damage you cause when you fight, you're scrappy, like a street cat. And with our help, you're going to be the best of all of us.” "All of who?” Her impatience was growing with the riddles he was giving her. "Ah, there will be plenty of time for all of that. But for now, we need to start the process. We can't wait for you to get started.” There was a sharp pain in her forearm and then a rush of heat as something was filling her veins. She could feel the warmth spreading throughout her body and while she wanted to resist, she could feel sleep over taking her. "What…have…you…given…me?” The question came out breathy, almost unable to be heard. "You rest now,” the man told her. “When you wake up again, everything will be different.” *** To her disappointment, Raven lost track of time quickly. When she was alone she would try to count the seconds that ticked by, but she only had her own mind to do that. There was no clock or way to know how many minutes or hours passed. Keeping track of the time, second to minute to hour, had kept her calm in the beginning. After all, someone would have to come for her eventually, this man wasn't going to get away with kidnapping her; it was only a matter of time. That's what she told herself, the mantra she repeated when she lay on her stiff cot in her cell block that was her room. Once she lost track of the minutes and hours, it was impossible to keep up with the days. There was no light in her dingy cell, just dirty walls boarded up with wood, cold cement flooring, and the low casting lights that hung over head. She didn't have her own clothes, but dressed in what appeared to be scrubs that her captors, or prison guards as she thought of them, gave her every day. For a long time they didn't say anything to her, they wouldn't even acknowledge her. She'd get her scrubs dropped off at her door and she'd get food, plenty of food. It puzzled her why they were treating her like a prisoner but feeding her like royalty. Steaks, potatoes, grilled chicken, all day long. While the food became the only thing to look forward to, she often tried to talk to someone, anyone. She'd try to ask questions, find out where she was, find any information at all, but they ignored her. Wouldn't even look at her. For so much of her life she'd been alone so it was something she was used to. Being an orphan was always lonely. But down in that cell, trapped like an animal, it was the worst, most desperate time she'd ever had. Every moment of every day she would silently beg to be let free, to smell fresh air and feel the sun again, freedoms she'd always taken for granted. And then one day, long after she'd lost count of her time down in her cell, the bars opened and in walked a man. It wasn't one of the ones she'd seen that had brought her food or clothes, he was new to her, but at the same time his presence felt familiar. "Raven, how are you feeling?” Immediately she recognized the voice, it was the same one that she heard the first night she was there. He had given her that burning shot in her arm and she had fallen asleep immediately, and when she woke up she was alone in her cell. And that's where she'd been for longer than she wanted to know. The thought of the power he held over her sent a wave of nausea through her. "I…I…” she didn't know how to answer his question. How was she feeling? Scared, lonely, racked with confusion. “Why am I here?” The man nodded and she studied him in the yellow light. He was old enough to be her father, white hair slicked back and styled professionally, and wearing a nice tailored suit. It was obvious he hadn't been living in the same place she had. But what she noticed most wasn't his looks or his age, but the aura he gave off about himself. Whoever this man was, he was a man of power, prestige, and someone that she could tell always got what he wanted. "I'm glad you asked that because I'm ready to tell you. You, Raven, are going to be a star. You're going to be my star, I know it already.” He touched her face as a father would, gently on the cheek. "What is it you want me to do?” she asked, more curious now than anything else she'd been feeling moments before. "You're going to become a fighter for me, in my family that I have constructed. You're number ten, Assassin X, that will be part of us. We're small but we're going to take over the city. I think you'll be my favorite. I can feel it, there's something special about you, something unique. And I know you're going to make me proud.” Raven had no idea what the man was talking about and his words should have frightened her but the way he said them, as smooth as soft butter, made her want to know what he was talking about. He felt…comforting in a sense, which he shouldn't have since he was the one who was keeping her captive. "What am I supposed to do?” She felt mesmerized by the man. Any fear she had subsided. "You'll train the way we show you, eat how we tell you, take what we tell you, and learn what we teach you. If you follow our rules, you'll never have to worry about a thing.” "And if I don't?” It wasn't so much that she was challenging him like she was so used to challenging authority, it was that she wanted to know what would happened if she refused. The man's hand slid from the comforting position on her cheek to her chin which he cupped firmly. Raven was forced to stare into his eyes, dark like coal. "You will be a good girl and do as we tell you, I know it,” he answered with a smile. Raven was still so unsure of who or what the man was, but deep inside of her she liked the way he talked to her, the way he comforted her. He didn't even know her yet he told her she was special. It was a feeling she'd always craved. "So, I'll become a fighter?” His eyes flashed brightly and she knew that she'd just admitted that she had given in to him. He'd kidnapped her, drugged her, and was holding her hostage until she did what he wanted her to do, but she was going to be what he wanted her to be, for approval, for a family, for the bond he had already found a way to create with her. "We'll take care of the bad in the world, the men who wield power like it's a toy, and we'll take it over. We'll have the power and we'll run the world the right way. You, Raven, you'll be more than just a fighter. You're going to become a shadow in the night, a killer, a woman who changes the world.” It was hard to resist the sound of that. For someone who'd never had anyone or anything, what he was offering was too great to pass up. "Once you're trained, we'll let you go. You'll live in the world among everyone else, but at night, you'll be called upon.” "To change the world,” she repeated his words. He nodded slowly and smiled, he was proud she was understanding. "I'll give you the night to understand this all and to process it. After breakfast tomorrow, you'll begin.” Raven noticed that he wasn't giving her any choice. He wasn't saying that she could sleep on it and decide in the morning. He was only giving her time to process his demands. Yet even if he had given her the choice, there was something inside Raven that knew she wouldn't have said no. Before he walked away and out of her cell, she asked one more question. "What do I call you?” "You can just call me Papa.”