Infuriated I attacked the closest living thing, which unluckily was the driver, throwing the cab off the edge of the cliff. I bailed just in time to save myself. Scanning my memory I thought of who could have done this or where to go from here. I called the guys at the outpost back in the G-District. All I got was “This line has been disconnected.” Crap, they’re gone too. Now I’m alone in this world…… wait, no I’m not. Carl may have been a part of my old life but he’s still my friend.
It took me 2 weeks to hunt him down and get to his house. I waited until his parents left and went crashing through his sunroof straight down onto him, pulling a gun to my hand. I don’t care if he didn’t have anything to do with the slaughter of the people I loved, I was pretty ticked and didn’t want him trying anything. He pulled a gun on me! He had some explaining to do and I made him talk.
“Ryan! Buddy!”
“Don’t try it, Carl.”
“Dude I haven’t seen you in ages, how was the Fort?”
“What? How did you know about that?”
“Know what?” he grinned.
“I SAID DON’T F$%@#&* TRY IT, CARL! Frankly I don’t care how you know about that, just tell me WHO KILLED THEM!!!”
“Okay…… okay……”
“Start talking…… now.”
“Listen, I had no idea about the bombing until the day before it happened. They didn’t even tell me, I overheard it.”
“Who’s they?”
“Ya know it’d be a lot easier if you could get off me first… just sayin…”
I cocked my gun.
“Or not, that’s cool too. Raven Corp. That’s who. I’ve been working for them for a while. Just as a proctor for now, but I’ll get promoted soon. Now that they think you’re dead.”
“Enlighten me.”
He looked around, unsure about his surroundings, “Raven Corp watches everyone, Ryan. They always have. Street light cameras, creepy guys in tuxes and sunglasses… they’re all keeping an eye on Culda. Well somehow, don’t ask me how ‘cause I’m clueless, somehow they’ve known about your ‘abilities’ much longer than you have. That guy in the alley that you killed was one of us, and I, regrettably, lured you into it.”
“Maybe I should return the favor.” I gritted my teeth and leveled my finger gun.
“Originally I was just assigned to keep an eye on you and make sure you never joined the White Ops but you grew on me. I’ve never lied about being your friend, Ryan. When I heard about the bombings on The Fort and the outpost I sped up your flight to you get you out of there earlier. Now, Raven Corp thinks you’re dead.”
“Why have they been trying to drop me this whole time?”
“You’re a threat.”
“To?”
“Their take-over. Ryan from the plans I’ve seen, this doesn’t look pretty.”
“Honestly, I don’t give a $#@%. Who bombed my family?!”
“I haven’t heard much about him, he works solo, under direct order from the CEO of Raven Corp.”
“What have you heard?
“His name’s Henry Deroga. He’s from the Life District.”
“The Life District? That’s weird, people from there are generally peaceful. The Green usually keep them in check.”
“Yeah that’s what I thought. This guy says he bombs civilization to create more natural beauty. He says all of Culda should be like the Life District, ‘that’s how God made it’ Raven Corp’s funding him, just as they fund every nutcase that comes in with a dream of a ‘cleaner Culda’. Look, you need to see this.”
Carl got up and went over to his TV. He pulled a DVD from underneath the TV and popped it in. After setting it up, Carl went and sat on a foot stool.
When the DVD had been read by the player, a city backdrop appeared. It was a part of Puta, the headquarters of Raven Corp and one of the biggest, most advanced cities in Culda. A man in a suit stood in front of a large building, marked with a raven. It was the CEO. The camera zoomed in; he was wearing a nice suit. I began to notice the age of the video, it was cracked and in sepia. This wasn’t the current CEO, but one of the originals, possibly the founding fathers of Raven Corp.
“Welcome to Raven Corp! Congratulations on making the cut!”
I turned to Carl, “There’s a cut?”
“Shh!”
“Let me show you a little of what we do here at Raven Corp.” He began moving inside, “We here at Raven Corp believe in a better future, a future where we don’t have to worry about thieves, murderers, and those meddling kids these days. A future where we can leave our doors unlocked, where our automobiles are safe while unattended, and where crime isn’t even imagined. Come on in, dream with us, ha-ha.
Now, depending on where you are placed, you could have a variety of jobs. Those of you in the management line will be taking care of our loans. We here at Raven Corp support other people’s dreams as much as we support our own. And who knows, you may just end up as an executive someday!
If you had the spunk to make The Regulators, be prepared for much harder work than your mama ever gave you! Ha-ha, The Regulators are Raven Corp’s personal control, to make sure we don’t have any… problems. The mandatory attire for The Regulators is a tuxedo and black sunglasses, so suit up everybody! If you’re not in either of these 2 sections, ha-ha, well then look forward to an exciting career in maintenance here at Raven Corp!” Carl got up and flicked off the set.
“What was that?” –Me
“That’s initiation. Everyone watches it when they’re hired.” –Carl
“I always knew Raven Corp was screwed in the head but…” I stammered for words, finding myself at a loss.
“This is what the take-over is going to look like, everyone will be safe but what will that honestly do? If no one is even capable of…of stealing a candy bar, what will that do to Culda? To daily life?”
“This isn’t a cure, has anyone ever thought out ‘world peace’?!?” I got up and started getting intense, I kicked over Carl’s couch threw his footstool across the room, “Raven Corp DESTROYED my LIFE to chase this INSANE idea of ‘WORLD PEACE’!!!” I went and punched a hole in Carl’s TV, he just sat in a chair in the feeble position, “They, they CRUSHED Culda’s ONLY @$#%ING CHANCE at coming CLOSE to WORLD PEACE! In trying to make a cure, they DEMOLISHED THE ONLY POSSIBLE CURE THERE WAS!!!!!!!!”
I went around the room smashing everything I could grab. I broke his plates, I trashed his dining room, I tore down his chandelier, I flung chairs through all the windows, I ripped his paintings, and drove his bookshelf into his computer. Carl just sat there, tearing up almost. After almost an hour of destruction I found a spot just to stand in silence, not even thinking, just recuperating. Finally, my anger returning, I took a big breath and started my towards the door.
“Thanks for the info.” –Me
“Wait! Where are you going?” –Carl
“To kill Deroga.”
“Are you kidding? He’s impossible to find and just ‘cause he destroys with bombs, don’t think he won’t be highly trained.”
“Of course, but so am I.”
“Ryan, no offense, but you’ve had less than a year training. Deroga’s spent his 40-something year old life dedicated to combat. You’re smart and catch on fast but you need more time. That, and Raven Corp thinks you’re dead so you need to make them buy that. Lay low awhile, I’ll work into Deroga’s inner circle and give you a heads up.”
I thought it over, “Fine, but Carl…even counting that… you still owe me.”
“Still?”
“What do you think?” I smirked, things were starting to turn around.
“Point taken.”
“After I take Deroga out we’ve got more work to do.”
“Like?”
“Raven Corp has to go down.”
“What?! That’s insane! No two men can do that! Even if one is a White Op!”
“Yeah, but I just have this weird feeling that even as a White Op I’m not normal, you know? I’m the survivor. It just feels like there’re more people that are weird to start but are just somehow different. Maybe they can help.”
“You let me know how that works out for you.”
“I’m gonna have you hunting a couple down for me, probably.”
“Aughh… not sounding fun.”
“Like I said, you owe me. From here on out you’re my #$%@*. You game?” I offered my hand.
“Always.” He took it.
I was just at the door when a thought came to me. I reached into my bag, the same one I had brought with me to the G-District, full of the only items left that I own. From the bottom of the clothes I pulled out Harry’s jacket. I had brought it with me in the unlikely event of trouble while I was in the G-District. I had worn it when I landed but gained a sense of security with my abilities and trained skill.
“Hold this for me.” I gave it to Carl.
“What is it?”
“The only jacket anyone would ever need.”
“Then why don’t you keep it? You’ll need it more than me.”
“You’re not the one with superhuman abilities.”
“I’m not the one they’ll kill if The Regulators even see me.”
“Look I just don’t want it! Alright?!”
“Ok…ok… I get it.”
“It, it just brings back bad memories. I should have just as much a chance to die as they did. I’m cheating death so far.”
“No worries, I’ll watch after it.”
“Keep it in your plane; you may need to use it someday.”
“I’ll try not to; I understand what it means to you.”
“Alright, I’m gone.”
Over my shoulder Carl called after me, “You can count on me!”
I left there with a sense of renewal, of a fresh start. Raven Corp had a whole new meaning to me; they became despicable in my eye.
I had a nightmare that night. I was walking down the street in Puta, the sun was out and it was a nice day. As I entered the dense city I began to notice the lack of people on the sidewalks, or anywhere. There were no cars, no nothing. All was disturbingly quiet. The skies darkened and dark clouds formed overhead. Suddenly a huge pit of black opened up in front of me. I stopped dead in my tracks and stumbled back. Above me thins kept growing more black. The black pit began to rise up in a column that was rounded at the top. As I watched, the column grew two more columns from the sides. I saw it start to waver so I ran backwards, in fear it would fall on me. It did fall, it bent at half the height and fell, but the two side columns quickly grew hands and caught it. As a head began blocking its way into view, the arms grew longer and pushed itself back up to standing on its new legs. At that same time, 2 more of the same thing began growing behind and to the sides of the original. Then the original began to reach down at me, with its large, black, blocky hands. At first I began to run, but anger grew inside me, and without a second thought I turned and ran back at the hand. I jumped up on it, and ran the length of the arm jumping out of the way of other hands trying to swat me away. When I was close to the shoulder of the thing, I leapt for its head, right at the face. I pulled a sword to my arm and in the air sized up my shot at its eyes. I was inches away from my target when the whole creature, and its two other friends, burst into a bunch of black clumps that flew away. I fell and landed on a sky scraper, not too far from where I’d been standing on the thing’s arm. When turned around, I looked up in the sky. Amongst all the black and the gray that already resided there, all I could see where black birds flying away. All I could see where ravens.
No more would I be a guinea pig to Raven Corp. I know people will still see me, as much as I may try to hide. But I’ll lose them, just as I will lose and dispatch every person who stands in the way of me and Deroga. He’s going to die one way or another; I’m just hurrying the process.

Yours truly,







Ryan Garan





-End Transmission