Chapter 1 - Graduation

I never wanted this. I never asked for this in any way, why did there have to be people like this? I asked myself as I looked at the burning building in front of me.

—

“UNTIL THE END” my instructor shouted

“UNTIL THE END” I responded, saluting along with all of the other trainees next to me, all lined up in single file.

“What is next for you maggots is the real world even though you have already gotten some practice with easy missions,” he muttered under his breath “you have all passed and will continue into the unknown. I frankly couldn’t care less!” He screamed at us “All of you will most likely be hearing from your new supervisors sometime today with your first job. I hope that I will never have to see any of your faces ever again. DISMISSED!”

I looked around at all of our beds in front of us. I’d spent my entire life here could I really just leave it all. I knew this day would come but why so soon, couldn’t I just stay here a little while longer, even if it isn’t home? It doesn't matter now, none of it does.

I walked out of the sleeping area to the staircase to the surface, I hadn’t known a home in a long time but this was the closest thing to it, this training all off record was all I had known for 10 whole years now.

I made it to the main floor with its crammed hallways and musky smell. This fake orphanage was all that was open to me and now I’m going to leave, see somewhere new, somewhere that I could do what I was trained to do, protect and kill.

I opened the back door to the balcony, nothing but open farmland in front of me. Out in the middle of nowhere we had all gone through hell trained and tested to become the perfect…anything. Assassin, bodyguard, killer, hunter, it was all open and now I’d get to see what I would be assigned.

Suddenly I heard the door open and close before they said “Hey, 017, knew I would find you out here”

I looked behind toward him before saying “Hey 007, you know me too well”

“So what do you think your assignment will be?” he asked me

“Honestly I’m not sure” I said as he leaned over the balcony towering over me “there isn't much I can do with my size and age. Plus who knows who has been watching us for our assignments once we graduate”

“I for one don’t care what I get so long as I either work with or for a hot lady”

“HAHAHA” we both laughed

“But in all honesty,” I said “I’m hoping that I won’t get a bodyguard assignment, that shit can get repetitive and boring really quick”

“I have to agree, but I don’t really care so long as there is action which every bodyguard gets,” he said staring off into the open land in front of us “cause what kind of a dumbass hires a bodyguard that doesn’t really need one”

“Ya,” I sighed “but who knows, we could be told to kill someone…or multiple people”

“Hey get over that shit already,” 007 said while hitting me “look you did good, so what, who cares if you made tensions in the North even worse. It was a training exercise.” he turned away from me before saying “Plus, you were told to do it anyway”

I looked off the balcony “Ya, I should just get over it” just then I noticed some black SUVs moving on the dirt road about 2 miles way “Hey, it looks like our employers are here”

007 put his hand over his head before saying “Yep, and that means our time here is damn close to being done”

007 and I watched the cars slowly move along the road before eventually reaching the building.

“Hey, do you wanna go down to the training room for one last spar?” 007 asked me

“You know what sure, if this is gonna be my last day to see you I’d rather have some fun than be all sentimental”

We both headed inside before getting to the stairs and going down to the 3rd floor where the changing room was. 007 and I both changed into our sparring outfits all black but great for mobility and fighting. We then headed down to the 4th where the fighting arena was. It was completely white on the inside with nothing but lights overhead and viewing area above and the fighting area below.

“So what are you thinking in terms of weapons?” 007 asked me

“How about nothing, just fists” I said

“Uhhhh” he groaned “can we at least have some tape I don’t feel like getting too bloody today”

“Fine”

I walked over to the wall with a selection panel before saying “tape please”

“One moment” a female robot responded.

A second later some tape was dispensed. I walked back towards the center of the area before applying the tape to my fists. I looked over to the other side to see 007 doing the same.

“Hey computer,” 007 shouted out

“Yes 007?” it asked

“What are the odds for this matchup?” he asked it

“Based off the last 10 fights with no items the winner has been 017 9 and 007 1, so that would put the odds in favor of 017 by 9 to-”

“Alright that’s enough” he said chuckling “you’re always good at hand to hand combat but besides that you got nothing 017”

“Yep, it’s kind of ironic don’t you think,” I said “Computer start a countdown”

“What’s ironic?” he asked me

“10, 9, 8, 7,-” the computer counted down

“Even though fighting with items should be easier with my smaller figure”

“5, 4, 3,-”

“Yet, I’m best when the playing field is completely even and body weight matters the most”

“2, 1,-”

“Ya, but that doesn’t guarantee victory for you 017”

“Begin” the AI said

Immediately he lunged toward me quick enough where I wouldn’t be able to strike back. I was able to dodge to the right and recover my footing before the next move.

Just then he added more pressure to the fight, more and more backing me up into the corner where I couldn’t run anymore. Then it came down to close combat, a slew of punches were thrown, no incredible hits, only gut punches and some good dodges from both me and 007.

Then he went for it, 007 was always a little too fast for his own good, I saw it coming from a mile away. He threw a decoy right hook while his left hand winded up for an insane gamble strike.

He knew I planned to dodge it so all I had to do was throw him off, so I let his right hook connect moving my head away from his left fist as it went straight into the wall behind.

“AHH” he screamed from the pain, but it was already too late.

I ducked down and swept his legs putting him on the ground before he could react. Before he hit the ground I landed a great hit onto his abdomen.

His body slammed on the ground, he tried to stand up before he was able to the computer came on to say “Match over 017 win 007 loss, match time 59 seconds”

“Good fight man” I said as I offered him my hand to get up

“Ya ya whatever act as if it wasn’t easy for you” 007 said as he grabbed my hand and I helped him up.

Just then over us in the viewing area I heard someone clapping. We looked over to see the director of the program looking over us.

“Well done both of you” he said to us

Immediately 007 and I lined up as fast as possible before saying in unison “Sir, thank you sir”

“That was a good fight, it's a shame I won’t be able to see that again” he then turned around to head out before saying “Both of you go change and clean up. Oh, and 017 your new employers are here, they are waiting in the lobby”

“Oh, thank you once again sir”

I can’t believe they are already here. I know that some people have already met with their employers but that was quick. We only were dismissed about an hour ago and my employers are already here.

007 and I made it back to the changing room where I took off my tape layer by layer. I removed the final layer to find only a few scratches, no blood or any serious wounds of any kind. I quickly changed into my dress clothes as I would probably need it.

A suit and tie, all that I would be taking from here on out. Well, unless my employers decided to give me equipment which I damn hope they do.

“Hey 017 great match today,” 007 said while turning toward me

“Ya, it's a shame this is probably the last time we will see each other”

He sighed before saying “Well, for what it's worth this training would’ve been insanely harder without you here”

“I’d have to agree,” I said as I extended my hand to him.

“I’m going to miss you brother” he said as he shook my hand one last time.

“I’ll miss you too”

I started to move out of the room before saying one last thing to the oldest friend I have. “I hope you get the hot chick supervisor we know you want”

“Haha” I heard him laugh as I closed the door behind me and started my way up the stairs to my employers.

I’d leave this place once and for all. For better or for worse I will miss this hell hole the good and the overwhelmingly bad. No matter what I get as my assignment I’ll take it and do it. Even if it's a bodyguard job I’ll muscle through it and tell myself that at least I’m free from training endlessly with seemingly no end in sight.

I finally made it to the main floor where I turned to the left and found myself in the lobby with 2 men already waiting. One was obviously a body standing up with sunglasses and the other a politician maybe. He looked nice but everyone did, I wasn’t sure.

“Hello sirs, I’m 017” I said “I was told you were my new employers.”

“We are 017, please if you would follow me I’d like to brief you along the way back to the city”

“Okay sir, but shouldn’t I be briefed once we arrive instead of in a car”

“Well, that the problem,” he said as he stood up “You’ll be leaving for your assignment once we arrive”

“Understood sir,” I said as I followed him out to his car. It was a nice tinted SUV large yet not outrageously.

His bodyguard opened the door for the man and for myself.

I climbed inside to find a large open area like a limousine with plenty of room and a table in between the two rows of seats facing each other. I quickly took a seat across from where the man was sitting.

The body guard got into the passenger seat of the car as he said “drive” to the driver.

“Now you’re name?” he asked

“You said it earlier sir, 017”

“No, no your real name”

“Sorry, sir but I don’t really understand, what do you mean by a real name”

“Okay, my name is Harry Kinsman now what is yours”

“All I have is a number, sir, no ‘real name’. Even if I had one I would’ve forgotten it a long time ago”

“Oh, well anyway, this was you right?” he asked me as he moved a file across the table.

I opened it to find the practice mission I was sent on 6 months ago. It showed pictures of me in public with my disguise.

“Now how did you get away, I’m told from the organization that you did this on your own you were only given a target name”

“Well sir, I just studied the man’s daily routine along with subway timings throughout the city so that I could just simply get on a train, change appearance and slip into the crowded subway. All I did was kill him, leave the building quickly, slip into a subway to evade police, and get away with the limited surveillance and the crowded area.”

“Now going back to how you left the building, how exactly did you pull that off since based on eye witness you never left the building and you were seen only a minute after the shot near the subway. So tell me, how did you drop 15 stories in 60 seconds?”

“It was simple sir. I jumped out the other side of the building. I grabbed some climbing gear and used it to slow my fall to a reasonable pace so that I wouldn’t break my legs. It was also into an alley way so I wouldn’t really be seen unless I was extremely unlucky.”

“Alright, I’ve heard enough”

“Heard enough, sir?”

“You impressed me so I know you can take on the job”

“If you don’t mind me asking what will I be doing”

“Oh, you will be a bodyguard for my daughter Rose”