Saving the World - Awakening

New Formalities

Perspiration dripped down Eliot's hair as he beat away at the punching bag in front of him.  He had tapped into a vein of anger deep inside of him, part was resentment at his family for being such a horrible family, and part was the effect of dedicating his entire life to taking what others had.  He never wanted to be better, to be some kind of superhero.  He just wanted to live.

Not to be mistaken, he was still grateful for whatever science-chemical that had saved his life, but B had been a tad melodramatic when he had talked of superheroes.  Comic books weren't real, and neither were superpowers.  He continued to bash away at the punching bag, frustrated that he had almost fallen for such a farce.

Still, there had to be a reason B had chosen him for whatever it was he was going to be assigned to do.  In a couple of hours, he would need to leave, but for now it was up to him to decide what he wanted to do.  He made one final swing at the bag and sent it swinging around on the cables holding it to the ceiling.  He looked down at his hands and noticed the bruises he had acquired in the last half an hour.  He hadn't even noticed any pain, he had been too focused on the bag.

Around him, the room had darkened.  It was getting late, and his meeting with B was soon/  He walked over to a light switch and lit the room.  Still panting from the exercise, he dropped to the ground.  As he lay there, he peeled the tape off of his fists and threw it across the room.  His spar with B was nothing for him, but only because B had given him the upper hand.  He knew next time would be a different story, and knew to train for it.

He finally caught his breath and sat up.  The sweat had all but dried on his temples, his messy, unkempt hair crusted from the salt.  He wasn't used to the idea of hygiene, but it seemed to be normal here despite the odd tendencies of his neighbors.  After all, he didn't want to stick out if he was going to steal regularly from these freaks.

As he thought, he realized how strange the environment felt.  In the past he had explored the Side Show and they seemed more like a carnival of gypsies and not what he had experienced today.  Sure, there were a few people who held to the Side Show's freakish atmosphere, but it wasn't the same as in the past.  But why would so many grown men and women change so fast?  B was sure to confirm his suspicions later in the evening, but there were undoubtedly going to be more secrets.

Still, he needed to clean himself off for the meeting.  After twenty minutes of figuring the shower out, Eliot emerged from the bathroom clean and changed.  He had taken advantage of the clothes that were given to him in his dresser drawers.  It was drawing near to time for the meeting with B and whoever else was directly involved in his charade, so he grabbed one of his knives and tucked it in his boot.  He was especially relieved to be provided with boots, as they were easy to conceal weapons and stolen items in.

Just as he was about ready to leave, he heard a knock on the door.  He instinctively reached to his side for a gun or a knife and realized he wasn't carrying it. Remembering that he was relatively safe here, he shook away his instinct, walked over to the door and opened it.

"Hey there!  I just wanted to ask how your first day here was." Samantha stood before him, slightly uncomfortable.

Eliot was constantly puzzled by Samantha's strange attitude towards him.  The only time he had felt like she was really comfortable around him was when he was bleeding out on the ground in the middle of the square.  Not exactly a defining moment of connection.  Nevertheless, she seemed to be genuine towards him, which was somewhat refreshing considering his surroundings.

"My day has been good.  Kinda confusing, but I'll get used to it." Eliot realized his bruised hands were showing and quickly put them behind his back, embarrassed.

"Oh, well, good then!"  Samantha replied with a smile. "Are you excited to find out why we are here?"

Eliot looked at Samantha, shocked.

"Why we are here?" Eliot asked.

Samantha looked confused. "Didn't I tell you?  B rescued me a few months ago, similar to what he did here for you."

Eliot shook his head, bewildered. He was partly relieved to have another person to share in his feelings and frustrations with B's cryptic personality, and he was partly disappointed that he wasn't the only one to be given the miracle chemical.  Still, it seemed to be inevitable that he and Samantha were to work together, so it would be a better idea to get to know her than to shut her out.

"No," Eliot replied, "you didn't.  But I would like to know, where did you come from if you didn't come from here in Islington?"

Samantha thought for a few seconds. "Long story short: I was alone in the Amazon and B adventured there to rescue me."

"But how long were you in the rainforest before B rescued you, and why were you there alone in the first place?" Eliot asked curiously.

"I, um, can we talk about this sometime else, please?" Samantha asked uncomfortably. "It's just a really long story and I think we need to be somewhere soon."

"Of course, sorry about that.  Lead the way." Eliot gestured towards the square.

Samantha smiled gratefully and turned around, making her way through the crowd to the meeting place, where Eliot would hopefully find the answers he desired.  Maybe he would meet some more people like Samantha and himself.  He could only find out by waiting and watching.