The Stronghold 2: Immortals

Pridian

Soon a sleek black car pulled up and Blade pulled open the door. I slid into the seat furthest from the pavement and watched as Blade got in, shutting the door after him. The streets had been dark and the car's interior was darker still. Unable to find a light switch I sat back and wondered what Blade actually looked like. 

"Now I can tell you why I've dragged you after me," Blade said once the car had started driving again.

"That would be a good idea, yes," I said, nodding.

"I saw your fight. You handled yourself very well and showed clear signs of intelligence," Blade stated. "We could do with that here at Pridian. We lose agents all the time and our work gets steadily more and more dangerous. You have exactly the kind of skills we're looking for."

"Do I get a say in the matter?" I asked.

"Well, you get a place to stay, good salary, a cafeteria, a gun license, an excuse to punch people, protection from the highest power..." Blade shrugged. "You can back out if you want."

"What does Pridian do?" I wasn't agreeing to anything until I had some more answers.

"Anything that needs doing," Blade stated. "The newbies go out and do all the small jobs whilst the people at the top get to fly about in helicopters and shoot people. You'll be thrown in at the deep end, by the way. Right at the top. You can handle that, can't you?"

I gulped and nodded slowly. 

"That's good," Blade said, laughing in relief. "I had one agent throw himself out of a window, another run away screaming... People just don't work well under pressure. They can't think on their feet." He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "That's why we're so valuable. Only the elite get to be part of Pridian."

"Will I get to go home?" I queried. 

"Anything you need can be brought to you but it's advised that you start a whole other life," Blade said. "Sorry."

"So I can't talk to any of my friends? I can't tell them where I've gone?" My tone was getting increasingly more panicked as I spoke.

"Why? Is there a problem?" Blade frowned.

"You see, one person just got back from legging it without telling anyone, and I don't want to do that again," I said in a rush. "I need to tell them somehow. Please?"

"I suppose you could tell one person," Blade said reluctantly. "Just one person, though. Who can you trust?"

Josh. Wait, no, he's dead. "I have somebody in mind," I said at last. 

"Good. When we reach Pridian you can call them and get them to meet you somewhere. There's a coffee shop close by, you should be able to talk in peace there. It's run by Pridian and is a regular meet-up point." 

"Is there anything else I should know?"

"You get a few days to get to know everyone and work out how to get around. Then you're put on your first mission."

"What do the missions usually contain?"

"At the moment we're looking into a load of murders that were committed recently in America," Blade explained. "There were explosions and all sorts. The killer just vanished but was seen on CCTV to have incredible speed."

"Oh, I know who that is," I said. "One of my friends. I said that he'd been disappeared randomly but he came back a week or so ago. You can arrest him if you like."

"We don't arrest people, Shaade," Blade said sternly. "We're not the police."

"What are you then?"

"Think of MI5. Remember how it was abolished for Thunder and Rainfall and all that weird stuff?"

"Yes. I was caught up in a lot of that."

"Really?" Blade looked interested but then coughed and got back to explaining. "Pridian is the part of the secret service that survived, with a few improvements. The word 'pridian' itself means 'relating to yesterday'. We work in matters of the past, present and future. We do the things that nobody else dares to do." He grinned, teeth glinting in the light of a passing streetlight. "Some people say that we're as bad as the people we put in our cells. I prefer to think of it as justice." 

"Why? What sort of stuff do you do?" I asked in alarm. Blade smirked and stepped out of the car. I followed, glancing into the front to thank our driver. To my horror there was nobody there.

"Who was driving that car?" I squeaked, poking Blade to get his attention.

"They're programmed to pick up agents and take them back to headquarters," Blade said calmly, not turning around. "You get used to it."

"But what if they go off course? What if the programming doesn't work? What if the car runs out of fuel?"

"Everything is covered by the mechanics," Blade said soothingly. "Calm down."

"But what if-" I began. I was cut off by the arrival of a woman in a sharp black suit with auburn hair cut around her face into a bob. 

"Ah, Agent," she said curtly. "I see you found us a new recruit."

"Yes ma'am," Blade said, saluting.

"Turn some lights on, would you? I can't see either of your faces," the woman ordered. Immediately glaring white lights were shone from every angle. Spots exploded before my eyes and before they got a chance to clear I was being dragged inside by a smooth hand. 

"This is better," the woman said, regarding us both with an analytical gaze. Feeling uncomfortable under the intensity of her stare I glanced sideways to see who I'd been blindly trusting for the past hour or so.

Blade was about the same height as me with a slender build, much like my own. He had an angular face with high cheekbones and piercing grey eyes underneath a mass of wavy brown hair. A thin scar stretched across his left eye and bounced over one perfect cheekbone, elongated and pale against slightly tanned skin. He spent a lot of time outdoors and yet could pass as a secretary were it not for that scar. His outfit, too, gave away his real role: leather jacket and ripped T-Shirt, a sturdy belt keeping his patched jeans up. 

"Look at me while I'm judging you," the woman snapped, making me jump. I shifted my gaze back to her and was met with steely hazel eyes staring back at me. 

"Hi," I said nervously. 

"What's your name?" she interrogated.

"Shaade."

"Shaade what?"

"Shaade Jaetun."

"Where are you from?"

"A place without a name."

"Be serious."

I considered making a Harry Potter joke but decided against it. "I am. I can't remember the name of the place where I came from. I do know that there were gods there, though, and lots of weird creatures. And ice. Lots of ice." 

"Is it even human?" the woman asked, addressing Blade.

"He," Blade corrected. "And even if he isn't, his fighting skills are second to none. Plus he's quick-thinking and rational."

"But insane," the woman said.

"True," I said. Blade subtly kicked me and I changed my answer hurriedly. "I mean, I'm perfectly sane. Look how sane I am! Definitely normal. Yep. I'm sane. No chance of rainbows and insanity here. Nu-uh. Not in the slightest."

"Agent Partin, you're in charge of this one," the woman said, marching away, high-heels clicking on the floor as she went. Blade sighed and gripped my shoulder firmly, propelling me in front of him and down a dark corridor into the unknown.