Discipline

Me- “So… What do I do now?”

The bridge of light just faded into nothingness at this point; there was no way forward. I had reached the end. But now that I was here, what was I supposed to do? I observed the area, looking for clues.

Golden light was swirling around my location, and the golden ceiling was so close that I could touch it if jumped. Should I?

Not seeing a reason not to, I gathered strength within my legs before springing upwards. Reaching my hand upwards as high as possible, the edge of my middle finger barely grazed the ceiling. There was some sort of rippling when I touched it, but other than that, there was no reaction.

“…”

Well. That didn’t work.

*******************

The school building, with my newfound powers of invisibility, was easy to escape unnoticed. Even the cafeteria, which wouldn’t even let a rat pass by without being discovered, was an area that I could escape through easily.

The design of the cafeteria’s surveillance system was undoubtedly well made. The cameras, peppered across various walls of the cafeteria, overlapped in such a way that they could watch both the student’s activities at the lunch tables and the only path to an exiting doorway. There was no fault with the system that I could point out; it simply wouldn’t encounter any problems when dealing with your average high schooler. Unfortunately, I wasn’t so average.

This ingenious 360-degree surveillance system turned into something designed by someone with the insight of a toddler under the absolute tyranny of my abilities. The fact that the door wasn’t directly watched proved to be its downfall, as I could simply push open the door and walk out with none being the wiser. And from there, it was a simple matter to escape the school’s premises.

I opened the cafeteria doors after making sure no-one was in the surrounding area, and then, I slipped through them and closed it silently. Safe…

A few minutes later, I had already arrived within the vicinity of the Racetrac. But I wasn’t going there for the training mission; that only happened on weekends at 10:00 am. It was for the more serious mission, Discipline.

‘Discipline’

‘Our intelligence has determined that a man, 45 years of age, has been using his ability to obtain and deal certain drugs illegally. He will be at 4567 Apple Street, Chicago Illinois, selling what he calls pot. Find him and bring him back alive to the extraction point where he will be dealt with accordingly.

‘Ability index- D’

‘Ability description: Bodily transformation land type, increases his speed by 2-3 times.’

‘Ability Requirements: N/A’

‘Reward: 500$, 1 point for completion without maiming the man. Reward is invalid if he is dead.’

‘Status: Accepted’

I walked in-between the replacement under cover agents and went through the fake wall. Within moments, I opened the blast doors and stepped into the empty room.

It was dark, dusty, and the only light in the room came from the soft flickering glow of the teleportation circle on the ground. From this light, I could see a couple of objects in the center of the circle.

Me- “You know, I never thought I’d be using one of these again.”

Picking up one of the objects, I looked at it and smiled. It had a sleek, long muzzle, lengthened by a couple of add-ons I had purchased for around $200 extra. The object was black, dangerous, powerful, and it came with 3 lightweight and easy to carry magazines. It was the Glock 22.

With a little less interest, I picked up some of the other objects: armored gloves, a bulletproof vest, and most importantly, a bulletproof helmet (with a facemask attached). It would protect me from ending up as splattered brains across the pavement. But of course, that wasn’t all.

I picked up the last items, a Taser and its cartridges. And with that I had completed my arsenal.

Armor! I would use it to help prevent my battle strength from temporarily declining from wounds, and it would also protect me from getting 1 shot insta-killed from a hidden position.

Weapons! With the addition of a Taser and a gun, I had become much more versatile in combat.

Putting on my black hoodie, I hid the armor beneath my clothes. Then I pulled up the mission on my phone and created a flame point in mid air.

“Whoosh”

The purple lines, which had been dimming down after transporting my equipment, flared back to life! And as I stepped into the center of the violet circle, shimmering words appeared in front of me.

‘New teleportation destination created, Chicago, Illinois. Teleport?”

‘Yes’

‘No’

I pointed at yes, but there was no reaction. Waving my finger through the words had no effect.

Me- “Yes.”

That didn’t do anything either. Finally, I moved my flame to the center of the word, ‘yes,’ and the teleportation portal activated.

****************

The purple light faded away, and I took a moment to observe the room. It gave off a comfy feeling, and the room was lit by a slightly dim candlelight. Like the underground room at the racetrack, the area was closed off by a pair of blast doors, so with a thought, I caused them to open.

What greeted me was a long, dark hallway. Walking through it, I turned at the end of the corridor and saw a glass panel. It showcased the back of an old, dusty bookshelf, and there were no people in sight.

Pushing at it, the glass swiveled around so I was able to walk to the other side. Then it closed back on its own, revealing an old-fashioned mirror. Fancy.

The area I was transported to was a library. An old one at that. It barely had any people visiting, and as I passed the receptionist’s desk, a woman in her twenties came up to me with a professional smile. Her nametag identified her as Nancy.

Nancy- “Hi. How may I help you?”

Deciding I’d play around a little bit, I asked,

Me- “Hi. I’m here to renew an overdue book for my friend. Do you know a man around 45 years old who sells apples around here?”

A sharp glint passed through her eyes, before it was replaced by a disarming smile. She asked with a sort of certain tone, almost as if she was confirming something,

Nancy- “Yeah. He’s been by here a couple times. Did he tell you the pin he used for his account?”

Me- “I believe it was 4567?”

Nancy- “Let me see…”

A couple of seconds passed before Nancy sighed.

Nancy- “I’m sorry. I can’t renew the book while your friend isn’t here. Could you bring him back here with the overdue book? I saw him on my way here, but I didn’t think to call. If you could get him for me, I would be very grateful.”

She emphasized the word, ‘very.’ I assumed she was alluding to the reward.

Me- “Of course! It will be no problem.”

Nancy- “And incase you didn’t know, you take a right from this building, and continue straight until you see a Mc Donald’s on your left. Then you will cross the street to the Mc Donald’s, and he’ll be in the next alleyway you see.”

She clicked something on the computer a couple of times, and I turned to walk to the door. But as I did this, she said in an offhanded way,

Nancy- “Now that I think about it, he’s in quite the unpopular place. I’m surprised his stall hasn’t closed down already!”

My footsteps paused, and I turned around to give the lady a reassuring smile.

Me- “I’ll get him to close it down soon. If he can’t even return a library book, what business does he have running an apple stall in such an out of the way place?”

Nancy- “Right!? Good luck!”

I didn’t respond to her well wishes, but a small chuckle passed my lips. Good luck? I already had it!

*******************

I followed Nancy’s instructions to find my way to an out of the way, dark alley. At the end of one of its pathways, a suspicious looking stall stood. A middle-aged man was sitting behind the stall, and there was someone talking with the man. She was a girl around my age.

The girl- “Can you get me more?”

The man rubbed his fingers together, as if asking for cash. The girl pulled out a couple of Washingtons. At this, the man scowled,

The man- “Da f*ck! Do you think I’m some sort of low-life n*gg*r? Pull out some franklins, and maybe we can talk.”

I couldn’t see what sort of facial expression the girl was making, but the man’s face was full of contempt. But while they were negotiating, I was approaching with the golden aura set to ‘stealth’ mode. The bulletproof helmet was now on my head under the hoodie, and I had my Glock at the ready.

The girl- “You know, maybe we could get together at a later time. Get something worked out.”

The man’s pupils dilated, and his breathing became a bit heavier. He was clearly seriously considering her ‘arrangement.’ The man disgustingly said,

The man- “We’d have to ‘talk’ for the whole night, but I’d give you somethn’ for it. How about 8 ounces?”

I could see some hesitation on the part of the girl; she was clearly debating on whether she’d really go through something like this. Unfortunately, the addiction won over, so she nodded her head yes.

The man gave off a lecherous smile, and he offered, clearly much more politely than before,

The man- “I’ll see you outside the McDonald’s here then, at 9:00. From there we can find a place to ‘talk. Does that sound good sweet-heart?”

I had arrived behind the middle-aged man now, and I silently raised the Glock to the man’s head.

The girl smiled and looked to the side for a second. Then she was about to say something in tacit agreement before her eyes widened in horror!

The man- “What?”

The girl- “Th- there’s a person with…”

The man- “Is there a problem?”

The girl- “B-b-behind you, a gu-“

“Click”

The man jolted suddenly, and under the dim light of the alley, I could see his face pale. One of his hands tried to sneak into the shack’s shelves, but I pressed the cold, hard muzzle of the gun on the back of his head. His hand froze.

Me- “Get the f*ck away from the stall, and get on your knees!”

I pointed the gun towards the girl.

Me- “And you too. Don’t make a sound…”

I backed away slightly, giving the man room to step backwards away from the stall. He slowly retracted his hands, and slowly inched away from the stall. The girl, however, seemed to have no experience in these kind of situations; she was standing there, frozen. I growled,

Me- “I said, get on your f*cking knees you addicted sl*t!!!”

She suddenly dropped to her knees, and lay there, trembling. The man however, had stopped, and he was eyeing my gun.

The Man- “I don’t know what the f*ck you’re playing at kid, but I don’t think you know who you’re dealing with. My homies will find you and kill yo little b*st*rd *ss, if you don’t stop this sh*t right now!”

Did he really think he could intimidate me into letting him go with just a bit of colorful language? It seems that I need to show him who exactly is in control.

I kicked at the inside of his knees, causing him to kneel on the ground. Then I rammed the gun into his ear while holding his head close in. The girl let out a small shriek, while the man groaned loudly. I whispered in his ear,

Me- “Your buddies ain’t gonna find sh*t, and if you keep talking like this, all they’re gonna find of you is some f*cking b*st*rd’s brains splattered all across this stall here! Do you understand me!?”

The man fearfully nodded, and I kicked him sprawling next to the girl. The teenage girl seemed to be hyperventilating, and she looked like she was about to pass out. So, as I rummaged through the stall to collect his ‘merchandise,’ I spoke softly to the both of them,

Me- “Now, nobody has to get hurt. All you have to do is walk with me to a certain location with your mouths shut, and you will keep your hands where I can see them. Do you understand?”

The terrified girl nodded vigorously, while the man grunted in assent. So I stood them both up, and patted down the two for weapons. I found a switchblade, their wallets, and their phones. Putting them in my pant’s pocket, I seethed,

Me- “Walk.”

I put away the gun and took of the helmet (it covered my face as well). I only intended to use it for intimidation, and it seemed to be working. But I was sure that the man wouldn’t go down without at least trying to escape once, so I remained vigilant.

Surprisingly, the two didn’t make a scene as we walked to the library, but once we arrived, I could see the shock in the man’s eyes.

The Man- “Sh*t, you’re one of those newbie C.H.I.B.I. f*ckers aren’t you!? Looking for a bit of cash, are we?”

Me- “That doesn’t change the fact that I have a Glock on your ass. Get the h*ll in the f*cking door!”

The girl started hyperventilating again, and I could tell she would cause a scene if I left her unchecked. So while the man was going into the library, I pulled the girl in close.

Me- “Go into that bathroom over there, and lock the door. You don’t want to see what happens next.”

As soon as I said these words, the girl rushed into the bathroom and slammed the door. And at this, the man remarked,

The Man- “You’re going to kill me?”

He was surprisingly calm, for a man with no weapons vs a trained professional who is armed to the teeth.

Me- “Not if I can help it. Just turn yourself in at the desk over there. It’ll save me a lot of trouble.”

The man- “Anything you sa-“

He attacked me with a backhand mid sentence, and he had already grown some fur around his arm. The speed was shockingly fast, but I was prepared and ready for his attack. Without any unnecessary words, I shocked the man with my Taser!

“BZZZZ”

The electricity arced violently around his skin, but it was only slightly effective! His attack faltered shortly, and this gave me enough time to tilt my head backwards. His blow only grazed my face, yet he was able to use this momentary distraction to follow up his attack with a claw to my chest!

Unfortunately for him, I totally ignored the blow, absorbing it with the help of my Kevlar vest. Then I squeezed the pressure point on his clawing arm, and followed up with a quick jab to his windpipe!

The blow wasn’t strong enough to kill him, but it disrupted his breathing, causing the man to involuntarily bring his free hand to protect his throat, leaving his body defenseless!

I bent the man’s arm around to his back, and then I held the switchblade at an exposed area of his jugular.

Me- “You just had to choose the hard way, didn’t you. Yield!”

The man- “MAKE ME!!!”

He bashed backwards with his head, and this made me very tempted to just slash his jugular and get this over with. But instead, I dodged the head-butt and kneed him away from me. The man staggered and turned around to face me.

The man- “Sh*t”

His hand remained slack at his side, bleeding profusely. Instead of cutting at his neck, I ended up slicing the tendon off of his right arm as I kicked him away. It would hurt like h*ll, but it wouldn’t kill him.

Me- “Ready to turn yourself in?”

The man looked surprised that I even asked that. He yelled angrily,

The Man- “Do you even know what they’ll do to me!? You f*cking newbies, all of you, clueless!”

He rushed at me again, but this time he ended up slipping on some of the blood that dropped to the floor. His head smashed to the floor, and he stopped moving. Well then. That was anti-climatic.