A Devil's Sonnet: Codename

By Dexter Sajix

Codename, tells the story of Jonas and his slow ascension from a place what he calls hell. Whilst being there, mad scientists used him in their experiments to make the perfect soldier, by using something called Genome cells. Something to manipulate and reconfigure normal cells turning them into super humans.

Within time, Jonas was released with the understanding that he would become an assassin, no strings attached.

The discovery of this made it quite clear for Jonas, that he will never wake up from his nightmare, but rather go further into hell, with his former target, Alastair Crane (A.K.A The Blood rain).

The decent of madness for these two will continue as long as the enemies of the dark city still exist. But, the real question is How long will they last?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Dec 29, 2012
• ISBN: 9781479744374

Dexter Sajix

Growing up as the lost boy in school, I learnt that my only way to escape the complete stupidity of my class mates, was to write. In doing this I escaped into what I believed what was the reality I believed what I wanted to exist. This spiralled out of control to the point where I began show signs of anti-social behaviour with everyone around me, except for the random people I would speak to during the course of unimaginable nights, and that’s all I wanted. After what I learnt from the people that I met, I was told that it was okay to be me. To embrace this wild imagination and write what I want to say what I want. This wasn’t the case for a long time, as a matter a fact, it took a grinding halt while I was pursuing different things. By doing this, I was unable to think straight due to my mind racing over a thousand miles an hour with different ideas, plots, twists, resolves. All this drove me to the point, where at one singular moment an idea popped into my mind. Next thing you know it, I was writing again. With this magnanimous thought I started to produce my greatest dream and this became my greatest creation. So for those who read this and my book, I never imagined it would go this far. And with this thought passing through my mind, anything is possible. Dexter Sajix.

Book preview

Chapter 1

‘These walls are my only friends right now, I can’t believe what I’m doing, I’m writing my life story on the walls with a blunt piece of steel, that has managed to cut my fingers. I don’t know my name, where I’m from, why I’m even here. It’s very disturbing to the point where I would scream to see if anyone could hear me, but I can tell you what has happened so far, due to the lack of memory I can’t tell you my name. Although I can tell you my prison number. I am prisoner number: 003625.

These flashes of memories tell me a little bit of who I was. I was believed to be a former police officer, that’s all I can recapture, but it would be only snippets of memory that would come to me in dreams, when I dream I see a woman. I think she’s my wife because of the wedding ring she would always wave around every damn time. In anycase, she would always say to me, be careful when you’re out on the job. I would always tell her not to worry, but look at me I’m in a fucking cage.

So far, I’ve been in my cell all this time, left with my thoughts, and the screams of other cell mates. I know I’m being observed, because there’s a circular window above my cockroach infested bed, sometimes I hear footsteps, than sometimes I don’t hear anything at all, I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know what’s going on out there, I wish I knew. Times like these I wish I had someone to talk to, it’s hell in here and I want out. Every four hours, every day, I receive a meal. It’s disgusting, but fuck it’s food you know. Sometimes this place scares me, reason being the cell is round, not only that you don’t know who’s in the next cell. However, I have a feeling this isn’t just a prison, I think this place also does experiments, or for the slow people… A lab if you will. Because any person would recognise something different about themselves, sometimes my right arm quivers whenever someone or something walks by my cell, which really isn’t human. It’s crazy I know, but it’s quite true, now this where it gets out of hand, in the middle of the night I would wake up and see a thing carving marks on the floor.

Yet, I’m not sure what will become of me, I fear for my safety. Screams the other cells are’nt comforting as a matter a fact. It bothers me, but no one tells them to be quiet they just scream the same thing over and over again. Let me out please! I beg of you PLEASE, let me FUCKING GO!

Nobody answers the call of theirs. There’s no point in me screaming that, I know no one’s going to answer my prayers and here I am, stuck in a cage by myself. I walk around the wretched cell wandering what would become of me, unfortunately there’s nothing to save me from this place.

As the days fly by I started to turn into one of those prisoners, but then I hear the unlocking of my cell door. Could this be freedom? As the door slowly opens, I started to speak absurdly. Oh thank you so much I don’t know how long…

BANG!

They shot me. The bastards shot me and I don’t know why, but I wasn’t shot with a bullet, but something to put me asleep. I slowly lose sight of everything around me and I can only see a shadow coming towards me, could this be the end?

I wake somewhere else. I’m not in my cell any more. I’m in a cave. How did I get here? Still confused, I get back to my feet and while doing so, I hear someone singing ‘Twinkle twinkle little star

How I wonder what you are,

Up so high and up so bright

Like a diamond in the sky.’

I turn around—it is a little girl singing. With blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, she reminds me of someone I can’t remember. So I ask her, ‘Excuse me, little one, but where am I?’ She just giggles and simply replies, ‘You’re dreaming, silly.’

‘Dreaming?’ How can I be dreaming? So I asked her, ‘If I’m dreaming, why are you here?’ She stops singing, turns around, and says, ‘I don’t know.’

Just like me, no clue, so I thought it was good to make the best of it. ‘So if this is a dream, why couldn’t it look happier?’

‘Sometimes the soul needs to be happy for your dreams to be happy.’

‘Haha, my little one, you are smart. What’s your name?’

‘Mmmmmmmmmm… I don’t have a name… What’s yours?’

‘Wish I could tell you, but I don’t have a clue. All I have is a prison number—003625.’

She giggles and replies, ‘That’s a funny name, but I think I’ll call you zero for short, OK?’ ‘Sure thing. If we’re naming each other, I think I’ll name you Grace.’ She giggled some more and started to dance and sing like everything was ok, but it wasn’t—the reason being she and I have not a clue about how we are both here, and yet it’s a soothing feeling. I look to my left, and there is a dark corner. Not knowing what’s there, I am curious to find out. Grace turns around and says, ‘DON’T GO THERE.’

I was concerned and asked, ‘Why can’t I? What’s soo bad?’ She starts to cry and replied, ‘Something bad and mean.’ I looked at her, walked towards her, squatted down, gave her a cuddle, and simply said, ‘Don’t worry your pretty little head. It’ll be ok.’

Mustering up some courage, I walk towards the darkness. Now Grace’s words are making me nervous. I go closer. Suddenly a tentacle comes flying out. I run back, but the tentacle knocks me down. I hear this burning noise and a screech. I lash round and see the thing going back into darkness. Stumbling around in confused and scared out of my mind in just wandering what the fuck exactly tried to pull me in and also hoping that I did not just shit myself in front of a little girl.

I told you so!!! Grace yelled out to me, she said words, that every man on this God forsaken planet hates to hear. Especially if it is coming from a little girl no older than ten.

I learnt my lesson now; however, I never thought I’d see the day I would take advice from a child. It was a joke. Thank god, this was just a dream. If it wasn’t, well, let’s just say I wouldn’t be able to sleep for a very long time. Nevertheless, I was happy just spending time with the little Grace who reminds me of my daughter back in my past, but I don’t know if she really existed. Little Grace starts to sing again those old nursery rhymes. They’re stupid to hear but not when I hear it from her; it’s actually quite soothing.While trying to get my breath back I felt relaxed, calm. As if my cell was really just a nightmare. But I knew that was short lived. Flashes of my past began to invade me, I thought my head was going to explode from the agony I was in, regardless, I had to hide my pain from the little one, I didn’t want her to see her new friend suffering from flashbacks. Holding everything in I continued to listen to Grace’s singing and then the pain went away. However, when she sings strange things start to happen. Rocks start to move; this happens for a few seconds. Then out of nowhere a boulder rises from the ground; this thing must be at least 350 pounds easily, and it was lifted like it was a baby. Certainly impressive but not as astounding as what was underneath—gold, diamonds, rubies, and so many other layer underneath. I want a closer look, but when dear Grace stops singing, the boulder drops. Stunned, I look at her with awe, and I ask her, ‘Grace, my dear, how did you do that?’

‘Do what, Zero?’ replied Grace with a confused look on her face as if she didn’t know what she did.

‘You lifted that boulder while you were singing. How is that even possible?’

Grace looks at me blankly. ‘Enough said then…’

For a few more hours, I stayed with Grace just chatting and trying to relate to each other. We have a laugh. Suddenly, her laughter stops and she just says, ‘Hey, Zero, you’re floating… THAT’S AWESOME!’

I look down, and she wasn’t joking—I really was flying. ‘Well, it looks like I’m waking up, but I’ll be back soon, ok? Be safe till then.’

‘I will, but you be safe!’ I wake up.

Opening my eyes, I looked around, back to hell. After a few minutes I didn’t realise it at first, but my eyes were as sore as it could ever be. It was as if, I’d been on a bender. Then I remembered I was heavily drugged. Again I stare at the window—that same freaking window that I can’t see through. I try to look through again, so I jump and grab the top of the mirror, and a burning pain penetrates my arm—so painful I fall to the floor; then the pain stopped.

‘The hell happened?’ I’ve been asking myself that same question over and over, and I can’t have the answer yet, but the situation is as follows in plain English. I can say this very clearly and everyone can understand—‘I’M FUCKED.’

My situation grows dimmer and dimmer. All hope is lost; also I’m a little annoyed. I’m better off staying here in the dark, so I can’t get burned. Since I now have no choice but to stay in the dark, I decided to jus’ sit on my bed and wait when the light turns off, so I’ll be able to move around in the cell. At this point, I’m getting hungry, and my plate is at the door, where the light is shining bright.

Guess there’s no other way. Looks like I’m done for either choice. I can’t win with this shit—it’s either starve or get burned. I never choose the easy way out; however, I don’t want to starve to death. I get up and stare at the light beaming at my food—what’s there to lose? Nothing really. I had a good run, not like it truly mattered. All the memory I have is of my wife, and I don’t even know her name let alone mine. To hell with it I’m hungry. ‘Welcome to hell,’ I keep telling myself, so let’s do it. I walk to my plate. I can feel my skin burning; it’s a nice feeling.

I grab the plate, sit down, and begin to eat. I sit in the light knowing my end is near. I laugh and continued to eat away, because FUCK, I don’t care anymore.

For some reason the light turns straight off in spite of curiosity getting the better of me. I just laugh even harder and yell ‘Turn the light back on. I’m still working on my tan, asshole.’

Footsteps come rushing to my cell. I stand ready to attack. What are they going to do to me? Fear isn’t in my vocabulary. Plate ready in hand, here’s the game plan: once the door opens, I smash the guard’s face with the plate. While he’s down and out, I take his weapons, and I’ll fight my way out. A very big chance I’m taking, like it matters. That cold feeling comes back. I don’t know why, but it’s there, then that screeching noise is back again. Instead of being at the door, it’s right behind me. So whipping myself around nothing was there. My cell door unlocks; I’m ready. I thought I was two steps ahead, but these guys thought a step ahead of me, cheeky bastards.

The light in the circular window turns back on same with a bunch of other lights as well. It is so painful I fall to my knees. Burning, I look at my hands. They are on fire. This is the end isn’t? The cell door flies wide open I take a real good look at the guard. The son of a bitch should be wearing more than just sunglasses. The guard pulls the gun out to put me to sleep, but he’s taking his goddamn time; he walks in the room for a better shot.

‘Ahh, looks like it’s time to put the dumb dog down,’ says the guard, fooling himself into thinking I will go down without a fight, fucking retard. I’m trying to put myself together. Looking at the plate, it’s bright red, scorching from heat. This is the same plate that will burn the bastard’s face off, so I say to myself, ‘Let’s play.’

I simply laugh and say back to him, ‘I’d rather be a dumb dog than a FUCKING USELESS RENT-A-COP.’

Jumping back to my feet, I yell to the top of my lungs, ‘COME AND PUT ME DOWN, YOU FUCKING PIG!’

He rips out the gun and fires. Everything just went into slow motion, easy come. I dodged several shots. I spin back and throw the plate at the guard like a Frisbee. Not only did it penetrate his throat, the plate took his head clean off; as for the plate it landed in the wall.

Here’s my chance to escape, but I’m too wrecked to even move, but I need to get out of here, so I tell myself, ‘On your feet. You can do this. Jus’ keep moving.’ I grab the guard’s gun and make my way out of the cell. Out of the cell finally, trying to relax, taking a deep breath, the lights out here aren’t as bad as the lights in the cell. My skin begins to heal very slowly. Energy races back to me and I’m ready to continue. I get back up and start to limp up the stairs, hoping I will find some answers. I hear something behind me. I slowly turn around. I know what it is, and I see it—jus’ a shadow with piercing blue eyes. In a whisper it says, ‘Approach no further. Death awaits you.’

‘I’d rather die than be back in that wretched cell,’ I reply bluntly.

‘So be it. This will be the second time you played the wrong hand.’

And so it disappeared. With no time to think about what he said, I was running. Instead of taking my time, loath and behold six armed guards with SMGs, and I’m stuck with three lousy shots. I’m a dead man walking.

Drawing the gun, I fired those last shots that were in the gun. The bullets hit the targets, but they’re still alive. How is that possible? They fired back. I receive all the shots to my chest. I fall down, but I’m still being riddled with bullets. I never thought I would go out this way. For a strange reason, I woke back up, but not in my cell, in a cave, where I had woken up before. I look around to find Grace while trying to put myself together. The sounds and the very look of the cave are different.

‘Relax, buddy, you’re just fine,’ explains a stranger in a calm and soothing voice. Finally, getting up, I was spinning in circles, trying to find this person. ‘Behind you. Care for a smoke? You look like you could use one.’

I turned around slowly. He looked very different from what I had expected—clean shaven, with white hair, and wearing black.

‘Yeah, I could use one, cheers,’ I replied, taking the smoke and his lighter as well, a very nice looking Zippo. Looking at my smoke, I had to ask the stupid question which I already knew the answer to—‘I’m knocked out, aren’t I?’

‘Well, you WERE knocked out for about three months. However, where you are is real.’

‘But I should be…’

‘Dead? Yes and no really. You see, the bullets that were fired upon you had high traces of morphine, so when you were shot, you pretty much couldn’t feel shit. Wasn’t my idea really. However, it was the only way to keep you here.’

‘The hell did I do to deserve this? What’s happened to my family? WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO ME?’ I cried with a murderous yet weak intent, knowing I can’t do anything at all. I’m not free I’m in hell.

‘Calm yourself. There’s no need to go ballistic. All can be explained, in due time… However, I can’t tell you the situation with your family because I don’t know. As for the reason as to why you are here as with the others, you’re meant to be dead. In the report I was given—’

‘Hang on a second, are you trying to say, I’m meant to be dead? How’s that even possible?’

Even stopping him in his tracks, he still has me puzzled; the bastard is playing with my emotions. ‘I assure you it’s possible. While you were attempting to escape, you were given the same incident as how you died—six armed men and you only had three shots left in the chamber.’

Stunned by what was just said, I asked, ‘The same way I died?’

‘I promise you it’s all very true. Here, take a look for yourself and believe when I say what we did were merely a portrayal of your death.’

So I began reading the reports. There’re news clippings, police reports, and crime photos. ‘How did you receive these files? It’s not possible!’

‘Everything and anything is possible these days. If you pay the right amount, you can even grab top secret stuff.’

‘Do you think I’m lying? You and I both know that happened.’

‘Yeah, but what’s your point?’

With a sigh, he says, ‘My point is that YOU are one of the very few that can control, stabilise, and also manipulate the Genome cells that has been planted in your body. However, your body hasn’t been able to control the cells’ reaction to light. You burn like a vampire does under the sun. You see what I’m getting at, right?’

I look at this guy thinking he’s crazy, but I knew he wasn’t and that he was telling the truth. ‘I kind of understand, however, I’m still a little confused. What are Genome cells exactly? What are they capable of?’ I say it with a confused and disturbed look written on my face.

‘Good question. Genome cells are a group of copied cells from various unfinished experiments. Better yet, I’ll show you.’

The man pulls out a briefcase and opens it to remove a test tube. ‘This is a group of tiny Genome cells. The possibilities for these little wonders are endless. They don’t look anything that special I know. However, this is magnificent. Just with one test tube it could create the ultimate being. But the problem was that to make the perfect being, their body needs to react perfectly to the cells, and not many subjects were able to manage the cells. Some of them died just three minutes after being injected with these Genome cells. Strange I know, but this is possible, very possible, indeed,’ continued the man after showing his favourite group of friends.

Walking towards the briefcase, I notice some files there as well I was interested in reading some of them, but I wasn’t too sure if my stomach could handle the details. ‘May I?’ I asked not to be rude. The man just made a hand gesture saying it was OK for me to look. So taking the first file on top, I began to read.

DAY 1 OF EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE ON SUBJECT 1:

First subject: Prisoner 000012

The prisoner shows no trauma induced when injected with cells. This was very interesting. The cells react well to his body as well as the blood line inside him. I can deduce that this subject would be a promising one as he is the first subject for which genome cells are being used; however, he seems very relaxed after being injected as if he’s in a coma. If the report from the coroner is correct, it’s said that the test subject in hand was in fact a heroin addict. So there could be a possibility that he could fail, but it’s a 40 per cent chance of occurrence. Here are the photos on the first day.

Signed

Dr. Hubert McAllen

Day 2 OF EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE ON SUBJECT 1:

First subject: Prisoner 000012

Test subject showing great progress, showing no flaws as yet. There is the outside chance that there could be possible side effects. However, the subject shows no side effects what so ever, as with the moment I would not worry or deduce that this will be like creating GOD himself. Signed.

Dr. Hubert McAllen.

This is somewhat interesting that someone like this could be around. Like creating GOD himself? Yeah, most unlikely or could it, but I reckon this guy must be insane, just for even believing that he could create such a being, so I continue to read through the third day and that’s where everything started to go all wrong.

DAY 3 OF EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE ON SUBJECT 1:

First subject: Prisoner 000012

Test subject starting to show signs of side effects starting from paranoia, dementia, and losing all hope of being freed.

Prisoner 000012 began carving strange markings on the walls unable to know anything at the moment. At night he refuses to go to sleep. He has been shot with several doses of sedatives in the hope that he could sleep but it is still not working. Every ten minutes, he receives violent mood swings, from being aggressive to being very depressed. What on earth is going on here? He placed himself in the emergency room several times in one day which is absolutely absurd. It’s not possible. Where did I go wrong?

Signed.

Dr. Hubert McAllen.

While reading, I also saw the photos of the experiment. In a span of three days he was normal to depressed suicidal lunatic. How was that even possible? In a gyration in a short amount of time, could that be even possible? It’s a strange situation that’s been thrown at the good doctor. However, thinking he could make the ultimate being is just not possible.

On the seventh day, the first subject testing came to an end in a very bad way.

DAY 7 OF EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE ON SUBJECT 1:

First subject: Prisoner 000012

It wasn’t possible—prisoner 000012 committed suicide the worst way possible, not by hanging himself, but bashing his head wide open and did not stop laughing as if he was unstoppable and constantly repeating the same line in a strange way and also saying it in English, ‘There is such thing as a hell and you are all going to go there when you die.’

Sadly, we had no choice but to terminate him; however, he didn’t go down without a fight. Unfortunately, for him, he lost and was thrown into the pit. What a waste, and I actually thought he could’ve been the future.

Signed.

Dr. Hubert McAllen.

I was thrown off by what the doctor wrote. Just reading about one test subject made me sick. Even looking at the photos, I was appalled at the sight of them. ‘Shortly after the first few experiments, Dr McAllen couldn’t understand what was going wrong with his work, so he did not stop working and researching for a full week until he was crazy enough to make HIMSELF the lab rat.’ The man told it like it was a story. Still being concerned about what was given to me, I needed to know more, ‘Where’s Dr McAllen?’

‘In a cell… that’s all I know.’

DAMN! How is it possible that every time I go forward, I end up going back a step or two? I continue to look through other evidence and files of procedures that are being done to the test subjects, and what the man said was true. Most of them were failures and now most of them are locked up here, in this godforsaken place to call home. It’s disturbing to think that this is really being done. ‘Just kidding! Come on, I’ll show you!’

Following this man, almost felt like I was following the devil to the first gate of hell. Or, could it be that he would unleash me on to the world for his gain? All I could do was trust a man, to this day I will never know about.

‘Ah, here we are—the area and cell number the good doctor McAllen is in. It was confidential until you came along. Please come with me if you wish to know what he was thinking. OH if you were just wondering how he’s going to talk, it’s called pen and paper,’ told the man lighting another cigarette. There was no point arguing with him, so I followed. Instead of walking upstairs, we went down and down and down till we went passed my forgotten with some one else in there screaming. Where the doctor was kept he was far from anyone’s reach, put away from all the other prisoners. I stopped to have a look. However, the man slapped my arm and told me to keep moving.

It felt like the stairs just kept on going. Then they stop at a door with two heavily armed guards. They see me and how do they react—by pointing their guns at me. The man opens the door and walks through, leaving me behind. ‘Yo… you coming?’ cried the man. Those guards put the safety on their guns and let me pass.

This next area felt strange, like no one was here, until I heard the sounds of screaming; yeah, it’s no different down either. ‘Hey, what’s wrong? You feeling OK, Jonas?’ asked the man worried bout my health, yeah, right.

‘What’s so special down here?’

‘Wait and see, you’ll be surprised. Does look strange however. Reason being no cells are here—meaning, no prisoners. C’mon, you want to meet the doc, right?’ the man asked me with a blunt stare as if I were a clueless child, waiting for something interesting to happen; however, I was compelled to know more. So down to the darkest pit of hell, I march to meet the good doctor. My spine is tingling like being in a horror movie, and it would not stop. We make it to the door. ‘Hey, about what you said earlier,’ I began to ask a question that I should’ve asked then rather than now.

‘What about it?’

‘What did you mean by I only need pen and paper?’

‘The good doctor cut off his tongue while experimenting on himself.’ With that the question I asked was no more than a silly question, but I guess nothing was a silly question at that point of time.

Hearing of rattling came from the room we were approaching. The door opened. There was light. However, it was a very faint light, from candle sticks. Strolling in we heard muttering and paper rustling among themselves. It was a scary feeling, but I can’t be intimidated by these sounds.

With a stare, he looked at me. The doctor just stared at me.

‘OK, brace yourself and keep your defence up, for what stands in front of you is a man that was punished by death, trying to kill himself before his time,’ the man explained, expressionless. It was strange, extremely strange. It scared me, but I held my ground. McAllen began screaming and running around until he noticed me. He went to sit down and went back to what he was doing, just writing out formulas and possibilities.

He slid over a piece of paper with an equation written. This man was truly mad, giving someone he never an equation that didn’t make sense at all. I took a glance at it and all I could was this prick is trying to confuse me even more. But, it was than I looked at the bottom of the paper and this was all that was written.

"OVER LOOK.

X(2/sin+cos4/23)*D(3a=yp1s)

DO YOU KNOW THE ANSWER?"

I just glanced at it and it made no sense whatsoever. I didn’t even understand what was going on. He was simply giving me this strange equation, but I continued to read the message that was there as well. It read as follows:

One of the chosen few you have become unknown powers dwell within you however, you can’t control it yet, but lucky you it has fused with you well and that your able to contain it, keep it like that, and never attempt to come back running, because you and I both know that we’ll die from insanity in here.

Regards,

Dr McMullen.

PS Burn after reading this.

Something is truly wrong with this place—a master genius gone completely off the planet and a calm yet gentle guy running the entire show. What the fuck am I in?

‘Is there something the matter, Jonas?’ the man asked calmly.

By the looks of it, I best picked my words carefully. ‘No, nothing’s wrong, but I do have a question that is on my mind.’

‘Oh? And what would that be?’

‘What’s going to happen to me now?’

After I asked that, he merely smiled at me and cheerfully replied, ‘We’re going to set you free!’ If this was a cartoon, my jaw would’ve hit the fucking floor. No words could express how happy I was but to no avail; my freedom came at a price.

‘I’m glad that you’re overjoyed,’ the man said still smiling at me. ‘However, we can’t appoint the required fundamentals to be part of society.’ After hearing him say that, I was confused. ‘What do you mean by that?’

‘I mean, Jonas, you will never be able to have a proper job,’ the man said sternly. This was truly a major drawback in my happiness. ‘Or a proper life, for that matter, because of what’s inside of you, releasing you out there by yourself will be completely difficult on its own.’ ‘Then why am I leaving?’

‘Because there is no need for you to be tested on again. Everything is working really well right now in your system.’

Great! Just when I thought I got something good to look forward to it gets taken away.

‘Don’t be down. There is something that we can do for you though. Your job title isn’t the most innocent, but it will benefit you in the long term.’ The man continued telling me in a way to keep me motivated. Right now everything is starting to get weird.

‘What job is left available to me?’ I asked bravely while telling myself I want out by any means; and that’s when that wicked smile appeared, and replied ‘Assassin!’

‘Oh shit… I really put myself out there, didn’t I?’ I asked sarcastically.

He just laughed and continued to explain, ‘No need to worry. You’re going to have a partner. He is a little psychotic, but he gets the job done. Actually you already know who he is.’

The way he spoke made me feel like an idiot, but OK, I’ll play along. I’m doing good so far in that section; however, he didn’t speak the name. The man passed me a folder that had my partner’s name on it. That’s when everything came back to me. His name is ‘Alastair Crane’, aka ‘The Blood Rain.’

Looking up at the man with a sign of pure disbelief that this very mad man is my partner, well and truly terrified me.

‘Alastair Crane?’ I shakily asked. ‘Why him? Did you—?’

‘Create him?’ he broke in. ‘Yes, we did. You were also trying to hunt him down five years ago but never came close.’

At that moment, I had to accept my fate. I couldn’t refuse anything; ‘Blood Rain’—looked like I was finally going to meet him.

The man smiled and acknowledged my will, thus replying, ‘Then let’s get started.’ He walked past me waving his arm as if to follow him; looked like it was almost time for me to leave that fucking godforsaken place. I’ll be glad when I walked out the door.

Back, walking up the stairs to a middle corridor, there was a steel reinforced door. The man walked towards it. In doing so, the system asked him for retinal scan and fingerprint scan. He did so calmly. Bzzzzzzzz, the door flew right open, and the lights turned on in the room. It was an office—a calm and humble office.

‘There’s a shower in the next room and a toilet. Go ahead, I’ll wait,’ the man cheerfully said to me. I walked into the room. Just like what he said, there was a shower and a toilet; I was in utter awe of the toilet; even I used to sit on one of those, but I forgot about life’s little luxuries. Time for my business.

One full hour went by before I left the bathroom; the moment I came out, I looked clean, but as for the bathroom, I wasn’t so lucky.

‘Sorry about the bathroom. I didn’t mean for that happen,’ I said nervously, thinking that he would get angry at me.

‘Don’t worry, you look and smell worse than my bathroom does now, ha! ha!’ he replied happily, not a care in the world. ‘Now for your clothing, please take one of the suits, all handmade to perfection, and please help yourself.’

‘Thank you very much, sir,’ I said cheerfully to him while flicking through his suits, but to no avail I find this beautiful suit I just stared at it.

‘Go on, try it on. It suits you,’ the man said, pushing it on me. I simply nodded and tried it on. It fitted like a dream and suited me as well.

‘It’s me, all right. Now on to business,’ I stated, like a child trying to act like a hot shot because of a suit; the man just laughed and replied with a nod.

Walking to his desk, he pulled out a few files. ‘Here you go—the information on the outside,’ he began. ‘Unfortunately, you can’t use your original name because it will attract attention, which is very bad, so we decided to give you a suitable name for you other than Jonas. How do you like the name Vincent?’

I gazed at him showing my willingness for this. ‘Vincent Zero,’ I replied.

That smile appeared on his face again and agreed to my name, ‘Sounds like a rock star name.’

‘I like the sound of it. It has a certain quality,’ I replied sarcastically, knowing that he’ll laugh at it, and he did so but just chuckled.

‘Now here’re your documents, proof of identity, et cetera. Also Alastair will be carrying your gear required for your job,’ stated the man, then remembered something important, ‘Oh, before I forget, here is the money for your wallet and the address of Alastair. It’s a lovely bar, I assure you, one of a kind.’

Looking at everything, witnessing the mass amount of work, everything done to perfection. By the looks of things this was actually done via the proper channels, everything here that was done for my release truly incredible, there were no words to express the feeling of joy I had at that moment except the words ‘thank you.’

‘Now I’ll show you the way out, letting you know that now out there no one is watching you except yourself. Be careful—it’s a jungle out there,’ the