Project HOOD [ON HOLD]

Chapter 3

HOOD Hideout, New York City

2:26 a.m.

Before Lennox could think, the others disappeared. She looked around and couldn't find them at all. The room suddenly became pitch black. Now she was alone and she couldn't see anything. It had only been a minute since she joined and she had already been left behind.

She started to feel around the area. Nothing seemed to be in the vicinity. She did her best to find a wall. Maybe there would be a light switch nearby if she found a wall. Luckily, she was successful. Once both of her hands were placed, she continued along the wall.

"Ow," she squealed, bumping into something sharp. Quickly, she leapt away from it. Sticking to the wall wasn't the best idea then. She backed up and bumped into something else. Her heart began to pound.

Thinking very carefully, she planned out her next couple of steps. After a few seconds she bumped into another wall. Her hands felt around it and eventually touched something. Before she knew it, everything was illuminated. The white wall in front of her was as clear as day. She looked down and saw that her outfit had completely changed. She was wearing a tight fitting, black cat suit. The back of the suit had a hood coming out from the top. It was a mystery how that got on her without her knowing. She decided it was best not to think about it. Surprises would probably get less surprising the longer she stayed in this place.

She quickly turned around and saw a door all the way across the room. That was where she needed to go. It looked easy to get to; the only weird thing was that the path forward was completely clear. From where she stood, the entire room was empty.

A second ago she would have sworn she bumped into something. Yet, there was nothing to bump into. She was confused, but she decided to not let her confusion get the best of her. Maybe she was just imagined things?

Whatever the case, she started forward. Imagine her surprise when she was pushed back by something after only a few steps. "The hell?" she uttered.

"Welcome to your first test, Jett. I call you Jett, because each of our operatives is called upon by the fewest amounts of syllables. This wastes less time and makes it easier to contact one another," HQ's voice boomed throughout the room.

"What do they call you to save time? H or Q?" Jett joked.

"I understand you are a bit confused about the current obstacle you face. Let this be a lesson, Jett. Not every threat can be seen. You may think that the best way to take out an enemy is to use your sense of vision, but you will learn to rely on your other senses. You also may learn that this hurdle may be easiest to overcome with the darkness."

As soon as the voice faded away, Jett took in a deep breath. She pressed the button against the wall and the lights vanished. Her eyes were of no use. HQ was right. There isn't always going to be a visible threat. Her other senses were now pushed to the forefront.

She closed her eyes and tried to listen. There was huge doubt in the back of her head that this would work. She did it anyway. As she allowed her ears to take over, there was a noticeable difference. An abundance of sounds existed within the room that she wasn't able to hear before.

Various mechanical devices, animals and even some human voices. Obviously, she didn't believe that all of those were actually present in this room. Though, it would explain why she was pushed back earlier.

Her sense of touch was somewhat used when she was unaware. This time she was sure that it wouldn't fail her. In the darkness, her hands wandered around making sure there was a clear path to take. She was doing much better this time. The door was coming closer and she could almost reach it, but she sensed something behind her.