=== Chapter One Merek lay on the floor of the dark, dank, concrete cell, breathing slowly. He slowly sat up and looked towards the cell door. The guard still stood silently, as if nothing had happened. What is this? Merek stared at the black glove that encased his right hand, and slowly clenched his fist and unclenched it. He smiled. So that's what this is. Merek stood up and walked towards the cell door and stood in front of it, the metal screen being the only thing separating him and the guard. "Hey." Merek spoke. "What?" the guard turned around, "You want something?" It was the start, and the guard didn't want to stir up commotion now. "Yes, actually." Merek lifted his gloved hand. "What would that be?"the guard eyed Merek cautiously. "Your life. Flare, Incendius." A small blast of fire leapt from the back of Merek's gloved hand into the face of the guard, melting a hole through the metal screen wall. The guard screamed as he clutched his face and ran backwards, impaling himself on a hook on the wall and falling silent. Sweeping his hand upwards, moved the small plume of fire so that it cut a large section out of the metal grating and leaped through. He relieved the dead guard of his weapons and took the key card. This is my purpose. Merek gazed out the long dark hallway lined with cells. He was held in the last cell in the entire detention block, and coincidentally, the only that has ever had an occupant. Aside from the single guard that he had just killed, the entire block was devoid of activity. How convenient. Merek walked into the detention block guard station. Wires hung from the ceiling and the far wall was dominated by a set of 9 monitors, looking at different areas of the detention block. A of the lower level hung on one wall. There was no one inside. Not that there needed to be - there was only one prisoner anyway. Merek gazed at the monitors and at the map of the complex. The detention block as the lowest level, shoved at the very back of the facility. A corridor connected the detention block to a guard barracks, then to the now-empty group 11 complex. This should be simple. Eight guards, minus the one I took out, which leaves seven guarding the entire lower level. From the way I've seen the guards operate, there's little to no communication between the levels except if an alarm is raised. Merek held the pistol belonging to guard he had recently killed firmly in his left hand and placed the silencer on it. He strolled into the unlighted steel metal hallway. The brightly lit room that was the guard barracks lay ahead, where three guards were chatting over a table. Aiming steadily with his left hand, he pulled the trigger. Two. A guard slumped forwards where he sat, where he was chatting with his comrades a few moments before. "What the..." The other guards stood up and gazed into the dark hallway, "w...who's there?!" Merek pulled the trigger again. A red spot appeared on the guard on the left's forehead and he fell backwards. Three... The third guard his weapon and fired blindly into the darkness. Merek pulled the trigger a third time, the guard's shots missing him completely. Four... The third guard flee down on top of his comrades. Merek walked into the lit room and rummaged through the corpses of the guards, taking the card keys and ammunition. Hearing footsteps behind the closed, blue door, he quickly slid back into the cover of darkness. The guard reached for the door. He swore he heard gunshots being fired. Drawing his weapon, he slowly opened the door and stepped through. "Fre-" The guard did not get to finish his sentence before Merek fired from the shadows, hitting the guard in the forehead. Five. Three left. Merek grabbed the guard's key card and ammunition and proceeded though the now-open blue door. *** "Dang, that was a long shift!" The guard exclaimed to his two comrades as they patrolled the empty corridors of the group 11 complex. "Yea. Joe went to get tell those lazy bastards in the rec room that its their turn." The second guard replied. "Hell, he's sure taking his time." The first guard answered. "Aw hell no, don't tell me he joined those bastards for a card came or something." The second guard exclaimed. "Should we go check on him?" The first guard asked. "Lets go whoop his sorry ass." The second guard said while nodding his head. "Intruder." The third guard muttered softly. "Alright. Lets go." The first guard drew his weapon and motioned to his comrades as he started towards the blue door. Merek stood flat against the wall as he eavesdropped on the guard's conversation, catching every phrase except for the third guard's single word. A shot whizzed past his ear and he ducked down and returned fire, rolling on the ground. "I gotcha now, bastard!" The second guard exclaimed as he drew a second pistol and proceeded to fire with both. Cocky one goes first. Merek nimbly sidestepped the guard's inaccurate shots and put a bullet between his eyes. Six. The first guard drew a semi automatic and sprayed a torrent of shots into the darkness where Merek hid. This isn't good. Wheres the third - Merek was cut short as the third guard closed in and swung his nightstick down, knocking Merek's pistol away. "Flare, Incendius." A stream of fire shot from the back of Merek's gloved right hand into the chest of the third guard. "Phase." The stream of fire materialized into a serrated metal blade impaling the guard. Merek pulled back and the blade came out of the guard's chest, ripping a large hole. "Return." The blade scattered into a shower of sparks that quickly died down. Seven As the guard slumped to the floor on top of a pool of his own blood, Merek rolled and picked up his pistol, dodging a spray of projectiles from the first guard's weapon. The stray shots clipped into a gas pipe running the length of the hallway, setting off an explosion. Merek threw himself on the ground to avoid the heat wave and fired a salvo of bullets into the guard's chest. Eight. Merek picked himself up and proceeded to the comm station at the far end of the hallway.
