p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" align="center" emAustin, Texas 2005/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emThe Superior straightened his beret and walked towards the orphanage. He was in his late twenties at the time, owning a private agency that hired assassins and skilled workers. The hot sun beat down in the cloudless sky, baking the vast fields of grass./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emThe Superior knew a war was coming. It didn/emem't take a genius to know that rising populations, global warming and decreasing water supply would lead to a resource war. He wasn't part of the majority of the population who naively turned a blind eye to the coming Armageddon./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emBut he wasn/emem't looking for a way to make things better for mankind. In fact, he welcomed war and the spoils it had to offer. But for now, he was looking for something to bond with. Something that would grow into a war machine in the future, and turn the tides of the coming war to his favor./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emHe walked inside, the the air conditioning of the facility immediately surrounded him. He made his way to the front desk. /emem"He's ready?" He inquired the owner./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emThe woman looked up from her computer. She glared at him. /emem"Are you really sure you want him? He's known to be one of the… /emtroubledem kind of kids./emem"/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" em"We went over this."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" em"I'm always told to warn the adults before picking children like this. He has these… problems."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emThe Superior/emem's mouth twitched. "He's exactly what I'm looking for."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emThe owner gave a nonchalant shrug. /emem"Your funeral." She pushed a button on her desk, speaking into the mic. Her bitchy voice resonated through the hallways of the orphanage. "CHILD NUMBER 1 TO THE FRONT."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emMinutes later, the doors swung open and the Superior was welcomed inside an isolated room to meet the orphan./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emThe doors shut behind him, and an 11 year old boy was shoved inside the same room, wearing handcuffs. They were taken off and he was ordered to approach the Superior./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emWhen they left, the boy remained standing in place and seemed completely uninterested in the Superior. His eyes remained glued to the floor, so he couldn/emem't see their color. Instead, The Superior closed the distance between them./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emHe smiled. /emem"Ready to go home?"/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emThe boy sneered and finally met the Superior/emem's gaze. He had icy cobalt blue eyes and a steely gaze. He was young and destructive, but smart. Very smart. The Superior knew the boy immediately didn't like him. He didn't mind. It would only strengthen his anger in the future./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emThe Superior knelt down to his level. /emem"Will you tell me your name?"/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emThe boy gave him a look like a wolf about to devour it/emem's prey. "I don't need to tell you anything. Besides, I don't have a name. I'm Child Number 1."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emThe Superior smiled. He liked him already. /emem"Alright then, Child Number 1. Here's the deal. I'm going to offer you more money than any 11 year old boy would dream of having. Money, a place to stay, luxuries, anything you ask for, you can have."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emThe boy gave him a side eye glare. /emem"What's the catch?"/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" em"I'm going to train you."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emThe boy scoffed, as if the Superior just told the worst joke in the world. /emem"Train me. For what?"/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" em"I'll train you for war. Do we have a deal?"/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emThe boy remained silent, and the Superior could tell by the stirring thoughts in his eyes, he was mulling it over. Finally, he gave a hesitant nod./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emThe Superior grinned, showing straight white teeth. /emem"Perfect. Life is about to get a whole lot better for you, son."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emThe Superior removed his beret and slapped it on the boy/emem's head. It nearly covered his blue eyes. The Superior's mouth lifted up at the side in a half smirk. "It suits you, Creticus."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"emBut the Superior wasn/emem't smiling at the boy. He was smiling at the darkness inside of him./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emThe Superior straightened his beret and walked towards the orphanage. He was in his late twenties at the time, owning a private agency that hired assassins and skilled workers. The hot sun beat down in the cloudless sky, baking the vast fields of grass./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emThe Superior knew a war was coming. It didn/emem't take a genius to know that rising populations, global warming and decreasing water supply would lead to a resource war. He wasn't part of the majority of the population who naively turned a blind eye to the coming Armageddon./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emBut he wasn/emem't looking for a way to make things better for mankind. In fact, he welcomed war and the spoils it had to offer. But for now, he was looking for something to bond with. Something that would grow into a war machine in the future, and turn the tides of the coming war to his favor./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emHe walked inside, the the air conditioning of the facility immediately surrounded him. He made his way to the front desk. /emem"He's ready?" He inquired the owner./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emThe woman looked up from her computer. She glared at him. /emem"Are you really sure you want him? He's known to be one of the… /emtroubledem kind of kids./emem"/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" em"We went over this."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" em"I'm always told to warn the adults before picking children like this. He has these… problems."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emThe Superior/emem's mouth twitched. "He's exactly what I'm looking for."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emThe owner gave a nonchalant shrug. /emem"Your funeral." She pushed a button on her desk, speaking into the mic. Her bitchy voice resonated through the hallways of the orphanage. "CHILD NUMBER 1 TO THE FRONT."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emMinutes later, the doors swung open and the Superior was welcomed inside an isolated room to meet the orphan./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emThe doors shut behind him, and an 11 year old boy was shoved inside the same room, wearing handcuffs. They were taken off and he was ordered to approach the Superior./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emWhen they left, the boy remained standing in place and seemed completely uninterested in the Superior. His eyes remained glued to the floor, so he couldn/emem't see their color. Instead, The Superior closed the distance between them./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emHe smiled. /emem"Ready to go home?"/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emThe boy sneered and finally met the Superior/emem's gaze. He had icy cobalt blue eyes and a steely gaze. He was young and destructive, but smart. Very smart. The Superior knew the boy immediately didn't like him. He didn't mind. It would only strengthen his anger in the future./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emThe Superior knelt down to his level. /emem"Will you tell me your name?"/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emThe boy gave him a look like a wolf about to devour it/emem's prey. "I don't need to tell you anything. Besides, I don't have a name. I'm Child Number 1."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emThe Superior smiled. He liked him already. /emem"Alright then, Child Number 1. Here's the deal. I'm going to offer you more money than any 11 year old boy would dream of having. Money, a place to stay, luxuries, anything you ask for, you can have."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emThe boy gave him a side eye glare. /emem"What's the catch?"/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" em"I'm going to train you."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emThe boy scoffed, as if the Superior just told the worst joke in the world. /emem"Train me. For what?"/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" em"I'll train you for war. Do we have a deal?"/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emThe boy remained silent, and the Superior could tell by the stirring thoughts in his eyes, he was mulling it over. Finally, he gave a hesitant nod./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emThe Superior grinned, showing straight white teeth. /emem"Perfect. Life is about to get a whole lot better for you, son."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;" emThe Superior removed his beret and slapped it on the boy/emem's head. It nearly covered his blue eyes. The Superior's mouth lifted up at the side in a half smirk. "It suits you, Creticus."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; background-color: #fffffa;"emBut the Superior wasn/emem't smiling at the boy. He was smiling at the darkness inside of him./em/p