Chapter 2

Attack or Defend

Unknown Location

23rd March, 2008

Slowly I regain my senses. An alien world surrounds me. A distant buzzing noise and a faint voice pour through a small speaker in the top left corner of the white room. I try to raise myself, but my arms fell like their made of iron. I'm paralysed! I gasp at the horror. "I hope that wasn't for my face." A voice comes from the wooden door. I swivel my head in the direction and see a young boy staring back at me. "Because if it is, I will have to punish you." He said this in a monotone, not a single raise or drop in pitch. I study the boy. A large burn envelops half of his face which I see through his dark brown hair; he's wearing a black tuxedo and leather shoes. "My name is Desmond Hammond. You are Max. Now we are acquainted, we can do business."

I hold back laughing, this is so not the time. "How am I meant to do business when you paralysed me?" My voice rises with anger searing out. "Oh, your not paralysed just tranquilised. Don't worry; I'll get a medic to fix you." Suddenly a girl with blonde curls walks in, holding a syringe. She jabs me in the neck without so much of a second thought, then walks back outside. "Do try and get it in the bucket." Desmond says. What on earth is he talking about? Then I felt it. I vomit into the bucket next to me. "There! Don't you feel so much better?" The more this boy talks, the more I hate him. "Welcome to the Nightshade!"

I stand without very much balance, but I manage it. "What the hell is the Nightshade?" I stammer. Desmond looks up at me; he is extremely short. "Follow me." He darts toward the door, jeez he's quick!

"I asked what is the Nigh-"I start.

"And I said follow me! What part do you not understand? The "follow" or the "me"?"

"All I'm doing is asking a question!" I yell.

"And I'm giving you an answer!" He replies.

He leads me down a series of corridors; I try to make a mental map of where we're going but I lose the picture after the fourth turn. A set of double doors appears after the 8th or so turn I think. I don't know how this Desmond character found it; it all looks the same with the same white paint in every wall. He turns the handle and opens the doors to reveal a magnificent room, filled with teenagers, computers and a large monitor to the front. "This is the Nightshade"

I stand flabbergasted for around five short seconds, but it's enough to get the attention of some boys close to the doors on a smaller secondary screen. "The Nightshade is an organisation of teenagers. We are no ordinary teens though. We all have special abilities. You are either an Attacker or a Defender. You though are the exception to this rule. You are both, the rarest of rare. You are a prize jewel." Desmond explains.

"You said 'special abilities'. What do you mean?" I ask. He moves forward, toward the front of the room.

"I'm not talking about Superman or Batman. I'm talking about human traits. Some people are good at attacking, some at defending. Or like you both, but that is very rare. People can learn to attack and defend, but what I talk about is different. It is an instinct within a person that can never be lost or forgotten. Its just there."

"And you just abduct teens with this ability?" I ask

"No. Not normally. But you are the exception. We usually meet the person in a secure location and tell them." Desmond stops in front of a computer. "The reason why we abducted you was because of your position."

"My position?" I look at him confused.

"Yes, your position."

"And what is my position?" I ask.

"This is." He presses Enter on the keyboard and a picture of Tommy enlarged face appears on the screen. A grin is spread across his face. I realise that it's his prison photo. "What do you know of Tommy's escape?" Desmond asks.