They say “give a man a fish, he’ll eat for a day; teach him to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime.” I have a new one. “Give a man a gun, he’ll kill for his protection; teach a man to kill, he’ll kill because he can.”
After graduation Zero and I were placed on a jet and gassed. I woke up in a hotel with belongings from my home. Not much. Just various medals from sports in school and awards. I assumed that since my father had passed that the house was now occupied by another family. I no longer had a need to go home. But I did want to at least see his grave and pay my respects. I looked on a nearby dresser and saw a small black purse. I opened it and there was a note attached to a set of keys. The note read:
“Inside you will find a set of keys for a 2022 Ford Explorer, three credit cards that contain a total of $765,000, and a set of keys for a home with an attached address. Good job, Kendra Hecksford. We will contact you when needed.
- The Corps.”
I looked at the amount of money at least five times before it began to sink in. I looked at the calendar and blinked twice when I saw it. Had six years really gone by that quickly? I was now 24. Fuck. I grabbed the car keys and headed outside. I was in Downtown L.A and it was a beautiful day. I spotted the Explorer immediately. I walked near the car and it started up before I even lifted the keys. I placed all of my belongings into the trunk and went to the driver’s side door. I stepped inside and a small screen appeared. The Corps appeared in all his glory.
“This is a prerecorded message, Hecksford. Hopefully you enjoy the new life you have been given. You earned it. You have the highest number of kills any student has ever received. In three days you will be sent on a mission at 0700. The vehicle will take you there. Your target will be a former graduate of the program named Tucker “Red Eye,” Raves. Do I need to even remind you to use extreme caution? After this video a photo will be printed. Remember it then quickly toss it from the vehicle and drive away. Raves is a danger not only to the program, but to himself. Make it fast. The longer you fight him the stronger he gets. He was a part of the program that had some...glitches. Don't report to us when the mission is completed. We’ll know.”
The video beeped and the image went black before the screen disappeared and a photo was printed. I checked it, memorized it, then sped away as I tossed it from the window. I looked into the rear view mirror and saw the photo begin to sizzle before smoke billowed from it. A small fire began around it and then, boom, it exploded. This was crazy comic book shit.
I dreaded this mission. This Raves guy seemed nice. He looked almost like that guy from those funny home video shows. That morning I climbed into the Explorer and it started and sped off before I closed the door. I guess The Corps wasn't joking around. The car stopped a block away from Raves house.
The street was nice and quiet. A few kids walked down the street on their way to school. I grabbed an assault rifle from the backseat and wrapped it in a yoga mat before heading to Raves home. It was very clean looking. I think I had this image of graduates of the program living like insane Vietnam vets. Just as I sneak around the side of the house Raves exploded from a side window, landing on top of me like a ton of bricks. I slam hard against the picket fence, snapping two of its boards.
“I shoulda known you'd guys come after me sooner or later!” Raves shouted in my face, spit landing on my lips. “Why now, huh?!” He punched me in the face. He went for another and I moved, making him strike the ground less than an inch from my ear. He reared back his bloody hand and I felt that old burn in my head again. It was go-time.
I punched Raves in the chest sending him high into the air. He hit the side of the house hard and snarled like an animal. He threw another punch that hit the picket fence, his hand going through it. I punched the stuck arm and elbowed him in the nose. He smiled and head butted me while simultaneously pulling his arm free. He grabbed me around my collar and threw me into the window he had dove through. I landed on a dining room table and quickly jumped up. Raves came in without touching the windowsill.
“You’re a tough one, lady,” Raves said. “So are you, Red Eye,” I replied. “Now let me get this over with. I need to be somewhere.” “Cemetery?” he asked. I was caught off guard by the question and he knew it. “They killed your
father a few years back. Shame. Wish I had done it. Taught me almost everything I know about deceit.”
“You did not know my father!” I shouted as I charged stupidly at Raves. He sidestepped me and brought his knee hard into my back. I recovered and kicked him in the neck. His head flopped sickeningly to the side, neck broken. He smiled and jerked his shoulders. His neck made a pop and he stretched his jaws. “Impossible,” I whispered.
“Nothing is impossible,” he replied. “That’s what L.T used to say.” I dropped my guard. “Yeah, I knew him. How is that crazy fucker anyway?”
“Dead,” I said. “Tell him I said hello,” I said as I swung a chair at him. He blocked it with one hand, the wooden legs splintering.
“Bullshit,” Raves said, ignoring the blood pouring from his arm. “L.T isn’t dead.” Raves walked away from me completely exposing his back. I considered kicking him in the spine or grabbing my gun and finishing the mission. “Fuck, man,” Raves muttered. He seemed to shrink in size. “Fuck.”
“Did you know him well?” I asked.
“He was like a brother to me,” Raves said. “We grew up together. Went to school together. The program together. Hell, we even fucked the same chicks.” He blushed a little after that statement. “Sorry.”
“I've heard worse,” I assured him. “Have a seat, miss,” he said. “We have a lot to discuss.” Raves sat down across me from in his living room. He was still upset about hearing about L.T’s
death. He had a cup of coffee and brought me a glass of orange juice. I thanked him and he sat there just sighing heavily.
“I can't believe he died before me,” he said. “We made a damned deal. I was gonna go first and then he would be so overcome with grief that he would kill himself.”
“Sounds like something he would do,” I said. “Is it safe to talk here?”
“It’s not safe to talk anywhere,” Raves said. “They’re probably listening to the two of us right now. Hell, you may be bugged and not even know it. They figured that I should be dead by now and you’d be heading back to report in.”
“They actually said that they’d know when I was done,” I said. Raves lifted his brows and gave me the universal “be silent,” gesture. He motioned for a small dog that I hadn’t noticed over and it jumped into his lap. He took a sheet of paper and wrote on it.
“Give me your arm. Don’t make a sound. Please trust me.”
I stood and walked over to him. Before I knew it he plunged a small black blade into my arm and began digging. He pulled out a small dark green chip and stuck it under his dog's collar. He clapped twice and the dog began running around like it lost its mind before heading outside into the backyard.
“Now we can really talk,” Raves said. “I trained that damned mutt to run around like crazy a few years back before I took my chip out. L.T was the one that tipped me to it. They use it to either track you down or kill you slowly. That’s how they got your father. He just happened to be driving when the chip dissolved killing him instantly.”
“Why did they kill my father?” I asked. I felt a heat boiling inside of me that had nothing to do with the program. “And what did he have to do with the program?”
“Your father was one of its founders,” Raves said. I must have been visibly shocked because he smiled. “He had tried to get your brothers into the program since they were in high school. They even met The Corps, that asshole, a few times. Your father finally got you into it and here we are. He’s
dead, L.T’s dead, and they sent you to kill me. How good are you?” “Very,” I replied. “Apparently I killed more people before graduation than anyone else. I also
hold the record for the fastest speed.” “Faster than L.T?” Raves asked. “I clocked
in at 120mph,” said humbly. “Jesus,” he said while scratching his chin. “That’s fucking fast. Let’s get out of here. I gotta blow
this place up.” “Wait,” I said as he rose to his feet. “Don’t you have a family? Things to pack?” “Not really,” he said. “I got a dead body in the garage with my same height, weight, and blood
type. Close enough to have the cops believe I died in the explosion. Rebel, rebel, party, party.” “What was that?” I asked. “Sequence to blow this place to bits in about thirty seconds,” he said as he walked to the door. I
thought he was joking until I heard a high-pitched whine. I ran past Raves and he followed. The house exploded and sent Raves soaring past me. He landed on his back and rolled to his feet without missing a beat. Raves whipped his pants off and dusted his shoulders. “Now let's go grab something to eat. I always get hungry after blowing shit up.”
Raves climbed into the car with me and buckled up. The car started and then stopped. Raves laughed as I tried starting the engine again. The small screen rolled down again and The Corps appeared. Raves snarled like an animal once again.
“Hello, ‘Red Eye’,” The Corps said. “Haven't seen you in a dog’s year. Blow up another house?” Raves was about to strike the screen when I grabbed his fist an inch before he shattered it. “Temper, temper, Red. Hecksford, has Red Eye here told you about how he once killed 300 civilians because they were 'in his way'? I bet he hasn't. I haven't given the two of you much time to catch up. I assume that you removed your chip seeing as how you’re still alive. I am so disappointed in you, Hecksford. I had high hopes for you. Zero should be arriving any moment. Take care.” The screen vanished. Raves was breathing shallowly.
“What the fuck is a ‘Zero’?” he asked.
“Him,” I said as I saw Zero heading towards me at a speed that appeared much faster than my 120mph. Raves stuck his hand underneath my steering wheel and something cracked. The car's engine turned over and I immediately speed backwards. Zero closed in on us and I slammed on the brakes. Zero hit the back and rolled onto the top of the car. I sped off and Zero rolled to the ground behind us as I peeled down the street.
“How did that not kill him?” Raves asked.
“That guy is going to be damned near impossible to kill,” I said. “When I kill him I am going to kill him a few more times. Make sure there isn't enough of him left for the program to put back together.”
“You sound like your father,” Raves said. “That man was nuts.” I tried to ignore him but my curiosity got the best of me.
“Was he a part of the program?” I asked.
“No, no, no,” Raves replied. “He was one of its founders but he never went through it. He and The Corps brought in all kinds of psychos and lunatics that wanted to earn fast buck and were semi- patriotic. L.T and I were just bored. Bored with school, bored with sex, bored with life. Your father was one of the first people we met. They put us through the hardest training ever. I mean, they beat the shit out of us! They pumped us full of so many drugs and potions, trying to find the right mixture. We were nothing but guinea pigs to them.”
“That sounds horrible,” I said. “How did you deal with it?”
“L.T,” he said with a sadness in his eyes. “That crazy son of a bitch got me through the program. He would constantly be attacked by the guards for cracking jokes.” I smiled as I remembered L.T’s laugh. “Once he was jumped by four guards and he beat them all.” I giggled. “He beat all of them and
stripped them naked. After that he was never attacked again. But I was.” “What would they do?” This conversation was keeping me from thinking about the lunatic that
was chasing us. “Ever wonder how I got the name ‘Red Eye’?” Raves asked. “One day I...snapped. Killed eleven
guards. One of them caught me in the eye with a knife. It went all the way into the back of my skull. Blood shot out about five feet.”
“So how can you see out of that eye?” I asked. “I can't see a difference in the two.”
“Thank the program,” Raves said. “The new one is better than the old one. The only problem is that when I use it...” Raves said before he stopped. He was looking in his rear view. I checked mine as well and saw Zero running towards the car. He leaped into the air and vanished. Suddenly he was on top of the car and pounding it. “Cover your eyes,” Raves said.
“Why?” I asked as I tried to keep the vehicle on the road. “Because I am about to show you the other reason I am called ‘Red Eye.’”
8