Dan made only one request to Chad Eisenworth before they departed. He wanted to pay his respects to his mother’s grave.

  Dan’s trip was possibly the safest he had ever taken through the crime-ridden streets. He hopped into a limousine escorted by three other understated sedans. Not one gang member they drove by attempted anything funny. Dan had assumed at least one would have tried something stupid. However, the executive told him during the drive that the sedans the agents rode in had their windows rolled down, allowing them to show off their weapons. Dan in essence had his own bodyguards.

  They finally arrived at the cemetery where his mother was buried. Dan still grimly remembered how he had no money to afford a proper funeral. The state sure as hell didn’t pay for one either, only providing the bare essentials for what was needed to bury his mom’s body.

  The vehicles stopped in front of the cemetery.

  “Thanks for doing this for me, Chad,” Dan said. “Just in case I never step foot on U.S. soil again, I wanted one last visit.”

  “Not a problem, kid. Just be mindful of your time here,” the executive said. “We still need to transport you to Alpha-controlled territory and get you prepped as an agent. Plus, we might be attracting some nosey ones in your little neighborhood. My agents will defend themselves, but starting a war isn’t what we’re here for.”

  Dan hopped out of the limo, walked through the open gate and followed the gravel path. After another minute of walking, a yellow triangle pointed out the exact location of his mom's grave. He was unsettled how his HUD knew to give directions to him based on his current circumstances. It only proved that the Alpha Corp already knew a lot about him just from hacking into the local surveillance systems.

  Dan stopped in front of the yellow triangle. It promptly disappeared, and he saw his mom’s gravestone for the first time since they’d buried her.

  Emily Erikson

  2261 - 2301

  The state had the bare minimum of consideration to give Dan’s mom the surname of her mother, if only for documentation purposes.

  Dan had to keep this brief. His new life was waiting for him.

  “Hey, Mom,” Dan said. He hadn’t addressed his mom for what felt like an eternity, even though her death was only two months ago.

  “I never thought my life would take this direction. A direction without you and a path out of the U.S. I’m taking the opportunity to get out while I can to start something new.”

  Dan knew he was the only one talking, but it brought him comfort to sort of pretend that his mom was still around in some capacity.

  “I don’t know what these Alpha Corporation dudes have in store for me, but who knows? It might be fun to be an agent. They’re going to give me weapons, armor, a rank, actual prospects, Mom. Running around and evading these assholes is getting so fucking old. It’s time for me to go. I don’t know if I’ll ever come back here, but I hope you know that I’m escaping this place.”

  Dan walked up to the gravestone and placed his hand on the cold wet stone. “See ya, Mom.”

  He removed his hand and walked away. The yellow triangle popped up in his vision and guided him back to the entrance of the cemetery. He saw the executive and an agent standing at the entrance, waiting for him.

  “That was pretty quick,” the agent said. He looked over to Chad. “Usually the goodbyes from the recruits to their loved ones are always a drag.”

  “Not much to say,” Dan said. “I’m getting out of here to start a new life and said to wish me good luck.”

  The agent chuckled. “I like this kid.”

  “Ready to go, Dan?” Chad asked.

  Dan nodded. “Yeah, I am. You okay with me taking a nap on the trip?”

  “No worries. My agents wouldn’t mind a quiet ride.”

  “Tell me about it,” the agent said. “All the new recruits we collect from Alpha territories always ask a bunch of questions as if we’re fucking walking service desks.”

  Dan laughed at the agent’s bluntness as he got inside the limo.

  ***

  A jab to Dan’s arm woke him up. He looked around and saw the familiar interiors of the jet they’d boarded. Across from him was Chad and his secretary Skye, who both unfastened their seatbelts and stood up. Beside him was the agent that had jabbed him in the arm.

  Dan let out a yawn. “What’s going on?”

  “We’re here,” the agent said.

  “How long was I asleep?”

  “Just an hour. We traveled from the East Coast of the U.S. to where Britain used to be.”

  Dan rubbed his eyes and stared at the agent. “Hold the fuck up. You’re telling me we traveled from the States to Europe in an hour?! How is that possible?”

  “What? You’ve never been on an airplane before?”

  “Never. I’m just a street kid, remember? I never knew planes were that fast,” Dan said.

  “Oh right, I forgot,” the agent said. “By the way, we no longer call it Europe. Most of it is now territory of the Alpha Corp.”

  Once again, Dan was shocked at how the Alpha Corporation operated. To treat a one hour flight that spanned the Atlantic Ocean like it was no big deal. Honestly, Dan was surprised their jet hadn’t been shot down since the entire U.S. was jam-packed with no-fly zones.

  “How did you guys get around the no-fly zones?”

  “We didn’t have to,” Chad said. “All the personal jets I own have advanced stealth technology.”

  “Damn,” Dan said.

  “Well, come along now. We need to get you into the city,” Chad said.

  Dan unfastened his seatbelt and followed behind the executive. The agent brought up the rear. Another agent greeted them and promptly opened the side door and the sunlight spilled through. Dan excitedly stepped out, almost bumping into Chad and his secretary.

  “Woah, easy now,” Chad said.

  “Sorry, I don’t see the sun too often,” Dan said.

  “Geez,” the agent behind him said.

  As Dan stepped down the stairs from the private jet, he looked out and saw they had landed on what appeared to be lush flatlands.

  Dan stood still for a few seconds to admire the greenery. Back where he lived, he would be lucky to see one tree per block. The grass was a serene green shade and swayed to the light breeze. Colors appeared far more vibrant than what Dan thought was possible. Was it the sunlight?

  The gold rays cascaded down onto the grass along what appeared to be a mile-long stretch of plains through the white clouds. Dan took a deep breath. The air just felt great to breathe. No longer was his throat irritated with the smoke and other crap in the air of his hometown. He recalled times when he had to resist the urge to cough or sneeze while sneaking around groups of gangsters because of how poor the air quality had been.

  “It’s not just the sunlight, kid,” the agent said behind him. “Thanks to the serum, your improved visual acuity gives the world around you a facelift.”

  “Wow, good to know,” Dan said, still in awe of the serene landscape in front of him.

  Dan continued walking down the stairs and reached the ground. He looked back at the private jet and took a few seconds to check out its bizarre design. It was sleek and skinny. The nose was sharp and pointy, and it drooped slightly downward at an angle. The wings in particular looked like they were reversed in their design, pointing towards the front of the aircraft instead of behind it.

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Then the outer shell of the plane shimmered with pastel colors for a few seconds before going completely translucent.

  “Woah, holy shit,” Dan shouted.

  “That’s the cloaking system in action,” Chad said. “The Americans would kill to have to do this.”

  “It’s rare to ever see kids impressed these days,” the agent said. “Most of the previous recruits in the past six months would look at this and just go back to swiping on their handhelds.”

  “What the hell?” Dan said. “How could they? This shit is awesome!”

  “If you like that, you’ll love the gear we got in our armories,” Chad said. “But remember that you’ll have to rank up and earn our top-notch equipment. Now let’s hurry on.”

  A jeep was waiting for them and Dan followed Chad and Skye into the vehicle. Chad walked to the passenger seat while Dan and Skye entered the backseats. They got onto a road and the jeep drove through the countryside. Dan saw rolling hills and the occasional barns here and there. All the scenes he witnessed looked like the various pictures of what many areas in the States used to look like a few centuries ago.

  “I’m surprised your shard kept the landscapes intact,” Dan said.

  “Well, not exactly,” Chad said. “Urbanization had already taken its toll in many lands. The Alpha Corporation had to jumpstart tearing certain sections down just to cultivate everything you see here. These flatlands in particular took us forty years to develop into what they are now.”

  “That long?”

  “Mankind knows how to leave its mark on the Earth,” Chad said. “It truly is a shame that we cover up nature’s majestic wonders with our inferior man-made sights, which never measure up.”

  Compared to where he grew up, this was a fantasy land. Just the variety in color and scenery already captured Dan’s full attention. As if that wasn’t enough, the sky shifted from blue to a splash of aqua and yellow, and the sunlight even shifted from an angelic gold to an unexpected pink.

  “The fuck? What’s going on?” Dan said.

  Skye chimed in. “The Alpha Corporation employs periodic color changes to the sky and sunlight to offer more variety in outdoor scenery for certain sections. These flat plains are one of them.”

  Dan simply stared at her before looking back out the window and watching the bizarre scenery. Now he was witnessing the countryside with pink sunshine and aqua-yellow skies. Dan had never taken drugs in his life, but maybe this was what some drug users saw when they were high.

  Half an hour flew by with Dan admiring all these fresh landscapes, a much needed change of scenery compared to the smog and rain-soaked streets of his hometown. Chad cleared his throat and caught Dan’s attention.

  “This will be a bit disorientating,” the executive said. “But your training process is going to be done out of order compared to all the others.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “Let’s just say that Michael Cynosa did what his heart told him and he saved an innocent bystander in his conflict against the agents of the Kodak-Cresh shard.” Chad’s eyes solely rested on Dan. “But in doing so, that forces us to make some changes to how your training is supposed to proceed.”

  “Training?” Dan said, though he shouldn’t be surprised. Inferring from the title of ‘agent’, Dan assumed he had to be knowledgeable in multiple fields.

  “Well Dan, after looking through your past, your survival instincts and harsh background give you the edge over other recruits, but that alone merely makes you into a potential candidate. You’re not an agent yet.”

  “That makes sense. So you guys have to teach me how to shoot a gun first?”

  “Oh much more than that my boy,” Chad said with a smile. “You’re going to be put through our most optimized training regime and be prepared to take on the challenges all our agents must face on the field. But there’s something else at play.”

  “And what’s that?”

  Chad’s expression hardened and Dan saw the lines in the executive's face, truly showing the man’s age.

  “Michael injected you with our latest state of the art serum to heal your injuries. But he also used up a valuable serum without confirming you were ready to become an agent. The proper augmentation process takes place after an agent completes the flash training and simulated combat scenarios in our program.”

  “So in other words, one of your guys jumped the gun and used an expensive super serum to save me from dying, and now you and the Alpha Corp are in a tough spot. One of your serums was used up to save someone who isn’t yet an agent,” Dan said bluntly. He found time to chuckle about the situation. “I guess you must be glad that I didn’t resist the idea of becoming an agent. I wouldn’t want to think what you guys would have done if I said no.”

  “That is… one way to put it,” Chad said. “The stakes for you are high. You must complete our training for us to fully recruit you into the shard as an agent.”

  “And if I fail?” Dan asked.

  Chad gave him a grim expression but Dan already had a response. “Dumb question, I know. But yeah, I get it. You guys are not a charity and my life being saved doesn’t come free. Nothing comes free in this world.”

  “Unfortunately not,” Chad said.

  Dan gave the executive the biggest grin he could muster. “Throw your worst at me and I’ll show you I can make it. Michael won’t regret his decision.”

  Chad leveled with Dan with his own grin. “That’s the spirit.”

  Dan had been so absorbed in the conversation that only now he glanced out the window and saw the jeep was underground. The jeep eventually reached a parking lot and halted.

  “You’ll get your opportunity soon enough Dan,” Chad said. “Looks like we’re here.”

  “Where?”

  “We’re at a site belonging to the Alpha Corp. The sort of property that regular civilians never see. This is where your training will take place. Follow me.”

  The side doors opened from the outside and both Dan and Chad were greeted by Alpha agents. Both stood straight and gave a respectful nod to Dan. He looked up and saw the duo who towered over him. The rifle in their hands vaguely resembled an AK with dual elongated bayonets. The most intimidating assault rifle he had ever laid eyes on.

  The parking lot was barren save for a few armored jeeps and transports belonging to the shard. Nothing about the lot stood out to Dan. The cold and drab concrete with the modest lighting on the walls was nothing out of the ordinary compared to the multi-colored sky during the trip here.

  Chad began walking and Dan followed closely behind him. The two agents followed behind as well. The executive led him through a narrow staircase and the stale air and dim lighting made Dan feel like he was climbing out of some underground bunker. The door at the top slid aside and they stepped through.

  Dan looked around and the hallway was only marginally less drab compared to the parking lot. Grey walls and ceiling with no distinct pattern or texture lined the hallway. He looked down and saw the floor had an odd sheen to it, reflecting Dan’s fuzzy and distorted reflection back at him.

  Dan followed the executive through numerous hallways before stopping at a marked door. Chad entered a code in the keypad next to the door and the entrance slid open. “In here my boy.”

  The door opened to another hallway. This time, the hall was narrower and somehow even more dim. The walls were now a deep black, making Dan feel like he walked through a void. Many doors lined either side of the hall and Chad slowly made his way to the right side door near the end of the hall.

  “Dan, the first phase of your training starts in this room,” the executive said.

  “And what’s that?”

  Chad typed in another code in the keypad and the door slowly cracked open and Dan walked up behind the executive. In the room, he saw a large chamber that vaguely reminded him of a tanning bed. The strange contraption had thick tubes and other wiring connected to another machine against the wall that appeared to be a supercomputer. All Dan could make out was the flat display showcasing various graphs and charts along with blinking lights on the control panel.

  “Your first phase is flash training,” the executive said. “You will enter into this chamber and allow our machines to connect directly to your mind.”

  “I don’t know if I feel comfortable with you guys peering into my memories,” Dan admitted.

  “Oh no it’s nothing like that,” Chad reassured. “This machine will be implanting new memories into your mind, not extracting them. You will have combat training and theory implanted into you.”

  “Woah what the hell? That’s a thing? You guys have machines that can just dump knowledge directly into your head?”

  “Yes, though that is not the full story. Just like in a typical classroom setting, the knowledge learned will only be useful if you begin applying it in the real world. During this flashing training, you will take in and absorb whatever knowledge you receive and then move on to our combat simulator to apply the theory you have learned from this machine.”

  “That doesn’t sound so hard,” Dan said. “I never liked any of my teachers anyway.”

  Chad ignored the remark and continued. “However, with a minority of our past candidates, we found that the volume of info being fed directly into your brain has some… side effects. Intense migraines, seizures and bleeding from the eyes and ears were reported in some candidates. A young mind can absorb new information faster than us older folk, but the deluge of knowledge that is forcibly crammed inside any mind can be overwhelming.”

  “Oh,” Dan said. “Well, let’s get it over with then. Nothing more to do than to just jump right in.”

  Chad flashed him a smile and said, “Very good. We’ll get started then.”

  The executive looked out of the room and made a gesture. One of the agents escorting them entered the room and approached the computer. Dan didn’t follow what the agent did or the commands he typed into the controls, but he saw the lid of the chamber pop open and lift itself.

  “It’s ready sir,” the agent said.

  “So, how long is this supposed to take?” Dan asked.

  “The average flash training process will take a candidate two to three weeks to complete,” Chad said. “Good luck my boy. I have faith you will pull through.”

  “Well if I somehow don’t, it was nice knowing you,” Dan said candidly.

  The agent snorted and then regained his composure. Dan looked at the chamber that resembled an open mechanical clam shell. He walked up to the strange contraption and slowly climbed inside and laid his body.

  The agent grabbed a few tubes with pads at the ends and began sticking them in various spots on Dan’s head. The heavy-handed approach to sticking Dan’s head with these tubes reminded Dan that he wasn’t about to have a massage. He didn’t bother counting past the seventh or eighth pad that was attached to his head.

  “Closing it now,” the agent said. Dan heard the agent’s fingers pressing more buttons before the hatch of the chamber slowly closed down. The last thing Dan saw was Chad giving him a nod before the top closed down on him, isolating him from the rest of the world.

  The chamber filled with some kind of mist. The strange substance reached above Dan’s neck and he got a whiff of the scent. The mist was odourless, but it took immediate effect on Dan as it entered his system. Even with all of his willpower, he couldn’t keep his eyes open and his eyelids shut as if being commanded to do so by something other than himself.

  The pads attached to his head began warming up. The last thing he felt was a slight jolt fed through the pads and directly into his head.