Rise

Chapter 3

Matt's heart pumped fast as he evaluated the situation. He looked around the dead end making note of what he had. He saw a pencil and picked it up and got into a defensive stance.
"Oh great! Now I got a stupid pencil! How pathetic is this?" He mumbled under his breath. He heard the footsteps of the suited man coming closer and closer. Matt quietly dove behind some trash cans in an attempt to stay hidden. The man walked in. Matt could now see that he was carrying a nasty silenced gun with him. Matt dared himself to stay still and quiet. The man walked past the garbage cans. Matt leaped from the cans and stabbed the pencil toward him. The man spun around with inhuman speed and knocked the pencil to the side as he brought the gun up. Matt spun around and grabbed the man's wrist with the gun and pinned his hand in between his arm. In one deft move, Matt spun and heard the man's wrist give a satisfying snap. Matt quickly took the gun and put his free hand over the guys mouth to quiet the scream. Matt then shot the man twice. Once in the stomach and once in the chest. Good thing the gun was silenced. Matt picked up the body. Carrying heavy things was never a problem for him at all. In Pasco he constantly worked out. His body was covered in muscle. He carried the man through the alleys all the way until he came upon a river. With a heave and a ho, Matt threw the cadaver into the river. After a brief second his phone rang. He checked the caller ID and was severely creeped out when the ID didn't say anything. He hesitantly answered.
"Good work Matt. You're not as pathetic as I thought. Make your way to the Starbucks on 18th street then make your way to the alley behind it. We have a little something waiting for you." A tingle shot up Matt's spine.
"Who are you people?"
"...you will soon see." The man hung up. Matt stood there in the autumn breeze. His body felt numb and it struggled to walk. But eventually he made his way to the Starbucks on 18th street. He went to the alley and looked around. Dissatisfied that he found nothing, he was about to leave when he heard something hum. He spun around and saw a metal footlocker that wasn't there before. Curiosity took over him as he moved toward it. He cautiously opened the box and found, to his surprise, multiple passports, two gun licences, twenty million dollars in American currency, and several guns with their own holsters. He looked at the passports. They all read, "given: 2047" Matt never got a passport in his life but there was his picture taken this very year 2047! Whoever these people were sure aren't messing around.

*                                   *                               *

Matt made his way back to the hotel. He put the things he grabbed into his duffel. After doing so he received another phone call.
"Glad to see you found our care package."
"Dude I hardly call twenty million and three magnums a "care" package. Heck I have a passport to the Czech republic! Who needs to go there?"
"Just shut up and listen. There is a car waiting for you outside. Go with them. They will take you to us. That is... If you want to have your life changed..." Matt sat there.
"You love to be dramatic don't you?"
"This job isn't the most exciting. Answering calls isn't kicking trash atop the white House."
"I figured. Fine. I'll see what you guys are all about." and with that. The man hung up. Matt packed everything into his duffel and made his way to the car out front. The car was a slick black limo and the driver was even more intimidating. The driver looked like a secret service agent mixed with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Matt hesitantly climbed in and without a word, the driver drove off. Matt looked out the tinted windows at the passing city. Matt always loved a location like this. It was a combination of urban city, and rural forests. Matt happened to love both. He remembered when he and his younger sister would always run around in the woods in Washington. He loved how the trees always had somewhat of a majestic feel about them and whenever Matt saw the trees of any forest he would get a nostalgic feeling. A feeling that he was always meant for something better. In Pasco everyone thought that Matt was a prodigy child. He got good grades sure but everyone saw something in him that Matt couldn't see. And because of this, his parents decided his college, his job, everything. They saw him as a decent kid, at least with some fallbacks, who deserved a good future. But what they didn't know was Matt's secret life. His double life of theft and fights. His double life of drugs and sex. His secret double life of trouble. Matt ran away from the feeling of being crushed after his sister died over two months ago. Matt could feel a new set of tears coming. Sidney. He missed her. And it was because of him that Sidney was gone.
The car came to a stop. Matt looked up and saw a huge compound surrounded by forest. Matt hesitantly got out and stepped forward. He was greeted by two tall men in military uniform. As he looked closer at the compound he saw snipers from the windows. All of them aimed at him. Matt gulped and considered running.
"Don't worry Matt. Those guys won't shoot you unless you give them reason too." The man on the left said. "Welcome to the Predator core! I have to admit you impressed me with the way you handled the thug back there." He shook Matt's hand. "Now with no further ado, let's introduce you to the family... Agent Thompson."