Project Mercy

Chapter 6

The train was packed with people, no seat was empty and this made me rather uncomfortable.  The noise on the train was almost deafening;  children squeal,  businessmen shout angrily on their phones and teens talk loudly to each other, it wasn't the nicest place to be.

You'd think being a trained killer would make you fine with loud noise and people but fortunately for me, that is not the case. Weird, I know but it's something I can't seem to change.

I look around the train to notice an elderly woman, she holds an old discoloured photo with a beaming smile, probably wanting the woman next to her to look, but the rude portly woman just ignores her, which then the elderly woman places the photo back in her lap with a sad smile. A frown creeps onto my face as I watch the one-way exchange. I remember the days where I'd sit with my Grandma and Grandpa in their living room with a blanket wrapped around me as I listened intently to the stories of when they were young, I was always so overjoyed whenever my mum would tell me that we were going to my Grandparent's house. I absolutely loved the stories they told with joy, it was a little thing but it meant the world to me at the time.

But unfortunately, those blissful memories also bring pain. I remember the day I got told they'd gotten killed, they'd collided with a lorry. The roads were slippery from the storm from the previous night, my mother told them not to come but obviously, they were stubborn enough to proceed travelling in those dangerous conditions.

I remember shutting myself off from the world and my parents, I felt broken and empty. I'd never felt this type of pain before, one minute I was listening to their stories and then suddenly they were gone. I was never going to talk to them, see them or hear from them again.

I sigh staring out the window, the surrounding greenery speeds past and the sun comfortably heats my face. It was strange to think about such happy memories that happened such a long time ago, I always had my mind on missions and plans, so it was certainly odd to be thinking about normal things.

As the train came to a  halt at another station, people got on and off. Suddenly I feel a sudden rush of adrenaline as the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, I felt a bad presence amongst the people in the crowded space. 

Trying not to look as if I knew something was up, I focus my attention on the reflection in the window. It was one of those men from the club who wore one of those fancy white suits, but instead of a suit, he was dressed in casual wear like myself. Glancing down while barely moving my head, I catch a glimpse of the metal tip of a needle that reflects off the sun. The man fumbles with the sides of his jumper nervously, as his arms were crossed in an attempt to conceal it. Sweat drips down his forehead as he looks everywhere but in my direction, he was definitely a newbie with no experience at all. I almost laugh at his rookie-like behaviour, surely they'd send out more skilled agents and not rookies like this little guy.

I get up from my seat slightly tipping my hat forwards in an attempt to hide my face, it was a dumb idea seeing as though he already knew who I was, but I proceed to tilt it forward anyway. 

I slowly walk past the man and into the aisle, the train rocked side to side so I used this as my advantage to  'accidentally' fall onto the man, making sure I don't inject myself. Forcefully I turn the needle around, the weight of my body pressed firmly up against his crossed arms keeping him in place. The man squirms violently but soon stops when the liquid slowly enters his veins. I quickly look around suspiciously to see that no one had noticed that little interaction with the nice man who's now completely passed out in his seat. Sometimes I wonder why I don't just take the cowards way out and run away, it would be easier and less life-threatening, but then again what's the fun in that?

The train was only a few minutes away from Croyden by now so I'd need to make sure to get off the train with the crowd. My plan was to slip away into the shadows, away from any Elite agents who may be waiting for my arrival. 

I grab the backpack from the floor, throwing it over my shoulder. The doors open, and a rush of people push aggressively through the doors, all of them muttering swear words under their breath as they walk in different directions swiftly.

If I'm correct, the apartment building wasn't very far away from the station, so walking there wouldn't be a problem at all, I just had to stay vigilant on my way there.

If I'm completely honest I was a bit nervous and excited at the same time. The last time I saw Natalia was when I was seventeen, where I helped her escape the programme. Nat wasn't a volunteer like I was, she was kidn*pped by the Elite when she was on her way home from school, they'd think she would be a good candidate for the programme. It turns out that they were right,  Nat and I always trained together except for the training sessions we separately had with Denzel. 

We were the best in our class, but this achievement came with the graduational ceremony, where needles and unknown serums were commonly used, even when the pain was unbearable. I still shudder now just thinking about all that pain and testing, we went through. All of this was only done because they wanted a new generation of the Elite' as they put it, it made me sick. Every year they would perform this graduation ceremony with the highest-ranking students, and over fifty percent of the time, they wouldn't survive. I guess you could call us the 'lucky ones.

These tests resulted in my telekinetic abilities and Nat's manipulation of metal, in the beginning, it was painful to use our powers as it almost felt like our skin was burning off but in the end, we managed to master the abilities. We were deemed to be the most powerful and feared weapons ever 'made'.

Though when we were seventeen Nat had enough of living this kind of life, so we planned a way to get her out. This involved a burning building, a mission and a corpse. 

When we received the details for the next mission, we used straighteners that were in the target's room to set the building on fire, this was done by placing them on the bed with them on full heat. It was slow but effective as the fire would give enough time for locals to evacuate, I didn't want to kill any innocents. 

To prove Nat supposedly 'died' in the building with the target, she would be seen going into the building via the security cameras across the street, where then after a few minutes the fire would start.

The plan was mad, but it worked. She managed to go and live a normal life with a new identity, leaving that murderous life behind, but as she left that horrible life she also left me on my own. Though that wasn't her fault, it was entirely my choice since I still had unfinished business with the Elite.