February 2nd, 2014 (7:36 pm)

“Our new, changed and introverted Zack of yours has been exceptional in training the whole month. He has a great interest for learning new and different stuff every day, but the main problem is his ‘introversion’. He doesn’t talk to anyone else much and is always absorbed in his own training. Just some rare ‘yes, sir,’ ‘how do we do this’ and all that crap is what our ears can reach from his mouth. Maybe he is still not comfortable here,” Mr. Johnson told Carlos. Both of them were sitting in the Director’s Office facing each other. Carlos had two-three more empty chairs kept beside him. The office was painted blue, which gave it a dark look, with just a bulb to provide light. The desk between both of them was filled with papers lying all around the desk. It also had a whole computer system lying on it with desktop, CPU, printer and all that stuff. The desk itself was made of brown laminated wood, with drawers present on both the sides of Mr. Johnson.

On hearing the report of Zack, Carlos sighed and said, “See, I know why he’s like this, but, can ya tell me any instance as to how you reached this conclusion?”

Mr. Johnson took out his spectacles and cleaned the sweat of his forehead by his hands. Then, he said, “Okay, why not.”

“Thank you,” Carlos said under his breath.

“It was the incidence of some fifteen-twenty days ago. Zack was at the Shooting Center with a trainer teaching all sorts of trainees along him. Zack was actually having some problem holding the pistol because no one imagines how heavy a pistol actually is, thanks to those action films. So, seeing him having some trouble, his trainer walked towards him and after keeping an arm around his neck, he touched the pistol and can ya imagine what he did?”

“What?” Carlos drably asked.

“Well, HE PULLED HIS HANDS BACK! Can ya believe it?” Mr. Johnson shockingly said. “Even girls don’t do that nowadays here!”

“So?” Carlos asked. “What should I do if girls don’t do that? I just care that ZACK DID IT.”

Mr. Johnson was confused at the sentence. “Wha—”

“See, I know why he did this. There’s a method to his madness, and I know the reason. Maybe he’s not feeling like home here.”

“Yeah.”

“And, what about Adam Atkinson?” Carlos asked. “Have they met each other?”

“Nah, Adam is the same, cheerful guy with a good humor. And Zack and Adam may have seen each other or talked formally, but not like friends or something.”

“Hmm…” Carlos hummed, rubbing his chin. “Today’s the last day. Today will decide if they pass their first test or not.”

“I don’t seem to care, Carlos. You’re their mentor, at last.”

“Yeah. I’ll be back after some three weeks. If the three don’t meet each other, then I will surely make them meet,” Carlos said and stood up. Giving a hand for a handshake, Mr. Johnson also stood up and they shook hands.

“Okay so, best of luck for your mission. Hope ya come back alive.”

“It’s an easy one. I’ll surely come back, no matter what!” Carlos chuckled and left the office.

Zack was standing at the door with the label ‘Carlos’ Entrance/Exit’ on it with his head tilted downwards in despair. He sighed and talked with himself, “Mr. Carlos gave me a whole month to find my other two teammates. But, my shyness took over me and somehow I lost my way. Today’s the last day, and I’m goin’ home…” He smiled, laughing at his own plight. His voice turned heavier in pain as he continued, “I’m goin’ home, losing everything back again.”

“Hey?” A masculine voice called him from behind.

Zack wiped his tears with his sleeve so that he may not see them, and turned back. He found a cheerful guy with a porcelain white skin tone and blue eyes with black hair asking him, “Are ya also from Mr. Carlos’ team?”

“Y-Yes,” Zack replied, trying to act calm.

“Well, I gotcha!” He cried. “At last, our first test was an absolute success!”

“Wait, are you also from Carlos’ group?”

“Always has been!” He replied gleefully. “By the way, I’m Adam Atkinson. Actually, there’s one more in our group, as you may know, but he’s suffering from some kinda disease and is on a leave for some time.”

“Oh, may he get well soon,” Zack replied.

“And your good name?”

“Oh, sorry I almost forgot!” Zack answered, scratching his head. “I’m Zack Will.”

“Nice to meet ya, Zack!”

“Same here,” Zack replied casually.

“So, I think we should get to know each other, right?”

“D’you mean that we can walk down the slum together?” Zack asked.

“Uh…” Adam tried to think of some other way because his reply was caught at the first glance. But after a few seconds of ‘Uh…’ he sighed and replied, “Oof, yes. It’s the first time my jokes are caught up like this. I hope I won’t stand in such difficult situation again.”

“Well, I, uh…” Zack was nervous at the thought, but agreed at last, “Okay, I will.”

“Great!” Adam gleefully said, keeping an arm over Zack’s neck and starting to ask all sorts of questions.

“So, how’d ya found me?”

“Well, can’t ya see ‘Carlos’ Entrance/Exit’ written? It states that only the Carlos’ team can use it. So, anyone who uses it will be in his team, right?”

“Whoa, never thought of this funny but clever way!”

“So, do you play games?”

“No.”

“Neither me, they’re for kids at last.”

“Hey, ever played Counter of Commanders?”

“YEAH, that was a hell of a game!”

They both walked the street together when a girl, came running towards them. She was black by skin color. She even had long black hair with brown eyes. She saw her left hand’s watch as she said, “Oh, boy, I’m gonna be late for…” as she suddenly bumped on Zack, who never saw her as he was talking with Adam. They collided as Zack fell hard on the ground. “Ouch!” he said while rubbing his back.

“O-Oh sorry! I’m getting late for something…” and ran away.

“What heck of the thing was she late for? It’s nine o’clock,” Adam commented, watching her running.

“‘Something’. She was getting late for ‘something’. Haven’t ya heard it right?” Zack said, getting up.

“But, what is this ‘something’ of her?”

“‘Something’ is a thing. A proper noun, I must say.”

“You’ve got a horrible sense of humor, Zacky,” Adam said.

“Oh, yeah, I know, Ads,” Zack said as he started to cross the road. “Maybe you can get a taxi that way,” Zack said, pointing towards the end of the intersection.

Adam ran towards him and said, “We just gave each other nicknames.”

“Yeah, I know.”

February 2nd (9:09 pm)

Zack was sitting inside a taxi where melody songs were being played. Zack sat at the back side of the taxi, drably looking outside the window and lost in his own thoughts. He was feeling very sleepy. “It’s been a month, and I still can’t control my sleeping schedule,” muttered Zack. The thickets of trees and bushes covered the borders of the highway-like road. Suddenly, Zack’s eyes grew wide as drops of sweat filled his forehead. “Wait, why am I in a highway?” The question struck his mind. He looked at the driver, who was watching him from the rear view mirror.

Suddenly, the taxi stopped in the midway. Seeing that there was no building or person beside the highway, just woodlands around, he asked, “Where’re we?”

The driver, sitting on driver’s seat, took off his cap which he was wearing, turned back towards Zack, and by making an eye contact with his devilish eyes, he said, “This is the road of DEATH!” as Zack saw some two more men arriving from the bushes, armed with axes. Zack got outta the car as the three men surrounded him. He thought, “They’re three, and I’ve never fought such number of people alone. It’s just like that day.” He raised his fists up in front of his face, like that in boxing, but those fists were unable to hide the fear in his eyes and his trembling legs. He suddenly clapped once with his hands and closed his eyes. But, what eyes opened were not the old, trembling ones of Zack. They were more menacing with anger. The first man, or the driver, was with a steel rod, standing on his front, while the other two with axes were at his back and beside him respectively.

The driver attacked first. He ran towards him and raised his rod for a blow directly on his face, but Zack, who stood there, defended himself with his left arm. The driver was shocked to see Zack dealing with a blow of the rod with his arm, but Zack was hit hard. “Ha-ha! You thought you can deal with a rod’s blow by defending yourself with your arm. So much for being an amateur!” the driver said as Zack rubbed his arm in pain. “I think I’m enough for you! Be aside, guys!”

“Oh, really?” Zack asked as he jumped and gave him a round flying kick directly on his face. The driver-thug fell hard on the ground, with his nose and face bleeding. “It was just one blow,” Zack told him as he took the rod from the lying thug.

The driver-thug shouted, “He’s not an amateur, guys! I underestimated him!” as the two rolled their axes and prepared to attack Zack. Unlike the driver and Zack himself, those two had some good abs on their arms. The left one lifted his right arm and attacked Zack directly on his face. Zack used his rod to defend, but it broke into two pieces. Luckily, the rod was strong enough to absorb the force and then break. In the meantime, the second one blew it on his waist, but Zack jumped over it by rolling at one-eighty degree jump and landing his feet by using his right hand on the ground before the feet. He then used his left hand and presented a blow right on the left one’s belly. It hit him so hard that some blood came out as he started choking. In another fraction of second, he kicked him again on the face to knock him out. He lay there, unconscious as Zack took up his axe and throwing his rods. Then, he saw the third one who was now trembling a bit by seeing his sharp reflexes and powerful punches. But, he collected his guts and gave Zack a sharp menacing look. Zack, who was already giving one, started to walk towards him, rolling the axe in his hands. As he lifted his axe, he saw a vision. He remembered a house’s bedroom with a window, with a boy of 14 years, lifting an axe. Suddenly, his eyes rolled as the axe rolled one-eighty degree and Zack lost grip of the axe. The axe hit the head of the third one. The man fainted, but he didn’t die because the axe rolled sideways. Zack also fainted on the spot.

February 3rd, 2014 (8:00 am)

Zack opened his eyes and found himself lying on his bed. He came to a sitting position on the bed and held his head from his hand in pain and thought, “It’s the same kinda headache that happens when…” Suddenly, he saw his digital alarm clock ringing and displaying ‘0800 hours’. Zack thought, “What did he do yesterday night?” He saw a letter kept beside the alarm. He took it up and read it. 

Congratulations, Zack! I was leaving for my next mission when I thought to test you once more. Your fighting is just like it used to be. Great job!

Carlos

He kept the letter back on the bedside table and sighed. Suddenly, something struck his mind. “I should get ready for the training.”

February 3rd, 2014 (7:34 pm)

The drills just ended and everyone was roaming here and there towards their exits for going home. Everyone had their brown bags on. They were, in fact, safety kits that the trainees were made to have because even as a trainee, there’re huge chances that they can act as targets by some enemy groups.

Zack and Adam were walking together down the corridor, talking to each other.

“So, I just wanna become one of the best spies out here!” Zack said.

“Yeah, me too. At last, who is here who will reply that he don’t want to?” Adam ironically replied.

“Yeah, the competition’s high here,” Zack pointed. “But just tell me, what’ll ya do if you become the best spy out there?”

“Uh…” Adam started to think, looking upwards and rubbing his chin. “Maybe…” Suddenly, he bumped into another man. “Oh, sorry,”

Zack saw the tall and muscular man standing in front of him, watching both of them with a sense of disgust. He had black hair, standing up due to get, maybe, with blue eyes and a porcelain white skin tone. His face was muscular and had a good shape. He was also wearing the uniform, a mustard pair of pants with a white-shirt. He said in a heavy voice, “So, y’are Zack Will, the asshole that was brought by Mr. Carlos from prison by bribe, right?”

“Uh, yes,” Zack shyly replied.

“So, ya know what, ya don’t deserve here!” He dominantly said. “This is not a place for some shithead prisoner like ya. Wanna know why?”

“Enough, Rolan,” Adam tried to stop him.

“Who the fuck are you to command me like the big-shot here?” Rolan said, squeezing his neck.

“W-Wait, please leave him!” Zack desperately begged him.

With his muscular head turning right towards Zack, he angrily asked, “Wanna fight, ya son of a bitch?”

He had another vision, maybe from his past or something, where a man, probably in his forties, angrily asked him, “Your mother is a bitch!”

Holding his forehead in pain, he shockingly asked, “What was that?”

“Ya gone mad?” Rolan disgustingly asked.

“W-What?” Zack said. With his eyes wide open in shock, he saw Adam chocking and then the muscular face and abs of Rolan. Closing his eyes, he screamed, “YES!”

Rolan opened his face and released Adam.

“I-I will!” Zack said, still holding his head. “I-I can go through any means to protect my friends!”

“Sure. Mr. Carlos is famous for bringing one of the best spies here. So, I wanna test myself against ya,” Rolan said, and left away. “Tomorrow at the ring, at the same time!” He shouted back.

“Don’t fight him!” Adam replied, looking back at his scream.

“Why?” Zack asked, turning to the front and walking towards the exit.

“You don’t know him!” Adam desperately tried to explain. “He’s a bully! He started training just after the previous year’s admissions ended! He’s been training for over eleven months! And you, just one!”

“Y-Yeah, I know, but I have had some martial art training.”

“When?” Adam shockingly asked.

“When I was twelve,” Zack joked to calm himself.

Adam face-palmed at Zack’s reply.