• Prologue

    Work and destroy. Destroy and work. That’s what I’m made for. We are killing machines. The government named us “Perishers.” Super powered humans.

    1
    Dane Mandel

    “Boss, is the Perisher that controls gravity the one?” I asked. My voice was muffled by my mask. My voice transported to him by the machine in my ear.
    “Yes. Hurry up and take his briefcase, Dane. Kill him if you have too,” my boss demanded harshly, “Captain Lin needs it as soon as possible.”
    “Understood.”
    I spied the runaway sprinting away from the bank.
    “Captain Lin wants money?” I muttered in disbelief. There was no time pondering about that. I needed to get the briefcase now.
    I heard police sirens screaming behind me. They work for Captain Lin, too. Even though I’m on their side, they don’t know. And that is a big problem. Any Perishers they see, their fore finger presses down the trigger. It wasn’t annoying that they wanted to kill me; their strength against mine was no comparison. What annoyed me was: I was commanded that I couldn’t kill them.
    I scowled that Captain Lin wouldn’t tell them who I really was.
    I blended in the darkness of the night. I tailed behind the man who stolen the briefcase. I was careful not to be seen by the other chasers. My black jacket wrapped around my body, helping me to camouflage in the shadows.
    The wailing sirens came closer. I needed to hurry.
    I ran faster.
    No way! Where did the guy with the briefcase go?! Boss would be really mad if I didn’t get him! I frantically looked around from left to right. I searched for him in the black sky when I couldn’t find him on the street. Does gravity control include flying? Seemed like it did once I saw him! He was smart enough that he know someone was following him.
    “Stop being a coward!” I grumbled under my breath.
    I brought out my cord. You could say it was some kind of Batman tool, how he flings it to some building and then immediately gets to where he wants to. My boss is rich; he gets me anything I need. The cord whipped out in the air. Once I heard the soft clink, I jumped up and I was went upward onto the roof of the tall building.
    When I peered down from the top of the building, glaring lights reflected off the walls. I escaped from the cops’ sight just in time. I quickly got back on my task once I knew I was hidden from view. The man with the briefcase was leaping from roof to roof of the continuous buildings (Perishers can have farther and higher jump. It’s quite useful). His gravity control probably tired him.
    “What’s taking you so long, Dane?!” the machine yelled in my ear, “This mission should be easy for you!”
    “This guy can fly, boss,” I whispered. I was making sure no one would be able to notice me.
    I knew he was irritated.
    “The other Perishers you killed had much better abilities. You’re the Black Shadow! The one who is feared of all time!” my boss recalled to me.
    “The Black Shadow can’t fly,” I shot back. The nickname stuck on since no one knew who I actually was and I always wore a mask. Only boss knows who I am and what I do.
    “Don’t argue with me! Just hurry up!” he shouted.
    I fell silent and I looked at my wrist nervously. Right there was terrible pain or death.
    I began pursuing the Perisher again. I bounded from tower to tower, trying to reach him. I saw him stop and he met two people on the roof. Were they cops? Or were they his friends who were also Perishers? Taking advantage of his hesitance, I leaped faster. I stopped at the last building and I lingered to see who he was talking to. The Perisher was the only one there. Was it really the cops that found him? He was about to jump to the next building, but I wouldn’t let him.
    “You’re not going anywhere!” I barked.
    The Perisher turned around expecting another cop. His calm expression was replaced by shock and fear once he saw me.
    “No, it’s the Black Shadow!” he shrieked. He knew me by the mask. He backed away; his hand clenched the briefcase tightly.
    Under the mask, I rolled my eyes at his horror. Of course he didn’t see me. All he saw was the black, pointed ovals for the eyes and the thin red line for the mouth.
    “Give me the briefcase and I won’t kill you,” I threatened.
    “Here!” he threw the briefcase at me. He knew that he would never win if he fought me.
    But was this a trick? The briefcase must have been important if Captain Lin wanted it so badly. I frowned under the mask in suspicion. The power I had as a Perisher charged up through my body. The other Perisher’s eyes widened. He knew I was about to unleash the power that was developing. A blue glow surrounded every Perisher when he or she uses it.
    “No! I gave you the briefcase! Don’t kill me!” he begged.
    The blue glow disappeared. I saw relief spread on his face.
    “If you trick me, I will kill you,” I growled.
    The Perisher had a pained look, but he nodded in agreement.
    I turned my back on him and started back to the park where my boss waited. My palm glowed brighter with blue as I charged energy. I suddenly faced back toward the Perisher and a streak of lightning shot out and hit his chest.
    “Liar…” it was the Perisher’s last words. He fell down with smoke floating toward the sky. I couldn’t let the police know that I took the briefcase. Another command from Boss: don’t let the cops suspect you.
    “Perishers are liars and traitors,” I told the motionless Perisher, “Never trust them.”