The Warrior's Quest
“Are you listening to me Mr. Johnson?”
“Yes Ma’am.”
“Since you have been in this prison you have done the following things, Killed a man with blunt force trauma by hitting him with a lunch tray, broke a man’s diaphragm with a single punch, snapped a man’s neck, stabbed a man with a knife constricted out of wood chips, killed three men by blunt force in the exercise yard by hitting them with a railroad tie, burnt a man’s eye with a lit cigar, bit a man’s left eye out and ripped his scalp with your fingernails, broke one man’s shoulder and two men’s arms, constructed a car bomb from unknown materials and rolled it under a parked car filled with convicts, drenched a man in hot oil and beat him with the container. Dropped an explosive device down a sleeping man’s throat, constructed a blade out of grass an moss and stabbed a man’s leg, set a man ablaze by drenching him in oiled and lighting it with a cigar. Did you do these things?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“The guards have said that these are provoked attacks, is that true?”
“If the guards sayin’ it I reckon it be true.”
“All of the men you’ve killed or injured were convicted of serious crimes. Why is that?”
“Dunno Ma’am.”
“You’ve never killed a guard. Why?”
“Because they don’t deserve it.”
“How many ways could you have killed me in the time we’ve been talking?”
“432 or 433 ma’am.”
“May I ask how you constructed a knife out of moss?”
“And grass.”
“How is that possible?”
“It’s not”
“Then how did you do it?”
“dunno ma’am.”
“You know in all the files I can’t find a single reason you are in hear. Were you ever convicted?”
“No ma’am.”
“Then how are you here?”
“I clinged to the bottom of a prison bus.”
“No one noticed?”
“No ma’am.”
“I see the guards never stopped you. Why?”
“All good men like to see bad men get there karma. I beat and killed murderers and criminals.”
“You killed over 30 men while you were here. You are for all intents and purposes a murderer. Does that make you a bad man?”
I cracked a smile; my first in months.
“Am I a killer if I kill killers?” I asked wryly.
“According to the law, yes.”
“What about according to the greater powers of this universe?”
“I wouldn’t know. I operate by the law and I could send you back to the prison but you would keep killing. I could transfer you but you would keep killing. I am going to release you Mr. Johnson and I will arrange to have you taken where you want to go. Would you like that?”
“Yes’m.”
“Okay, it’ll be arranged. Until you leave stay in the room across the hall.”
“I will ma’am, thank you.”
I had been in the prison for several months. I had made a name for myself fighting and killing. The guards liked me though. They called me little psych. I was small at 5’8 165lb. I padded across the hall and lay down on the floor. Soon I was asleep. As always my dreams took me back to that night. 15 years ago in 1974. I was lying on the floor next to a fire. I was playing with some toys, brand-new and top of the line like always. I was excited, very much so, I was going to a movie. Not with my parents, they were always busy. My maid Angelina was taking me. It was ‘The Godfather part 2’.
My parents friend Jordan Rodgers was sitting on the couch reading a magazine. It was a dark rainy night. I believe there was a full moon. I wouldn’t know. I thought about that night so many times that I have no idea what actually happened.
What I remember was a knock on the door; three loud knocks on the oak door. The banging echoed throughout the nearly empty house. The house was huge, I still live there now. I didn’t move but Uncle Rodgers (not my legitimate uncle) opened the door. Two very serious looking police men stood there. They sat on a couch and began to talk to Uncle Rodgers. I left the room. I had a strange fear of police officers. I headed to the kitchen to get a snack. The tall fridge was always stocked with unlimited foods, all my favorite. I heard a loud crack in the kitchen and then a sliding noise. I figured it was Angelina so I pushed open the door. What I saw changed my life forever. What I saw was a body on the table. Not just any body, my mother’s. The last thing I fully remember was screaming as loudly as I could. The sound echoed throughout the whole house. The officers were there in seconds. I actually have no idea what happened next. The next several months were a blur. My father was missing meaning he was killed or a killer. My childhood ended that night on February 23, 1974.
Since that night I have been different. I became hard and cold like the knife that killed my mother. The knife is in my dresser drawer back home. It is a fifteen inch silver knife. I used to dream of stabbing my father with it. My father was involved with the mafias of Diamond-arch (my home city). Uncle Rodgers told me so. Since he told me I have been obsessed with having the power to destroy the mafias, gangs, mobs, and criminal empires. Most were centered in a terrible part of the city hidden by a wall to tall warehouses surrounding it. It was awful. The buildings were so close they touched and the streets were made of cracked cement. Gangs ran rampant and the good people ran scared. A thick greenish smog hovered thirty feet above the slums. Most people weren’t aware of the slums. To the locals who did know the place was called Demon-arch. The government paid activists to ignore the place and built a wall of tall buildings and warehouses. The only entryways to Demon-arch were alleyways and sewers. My name was Cameron Aaronson but Zach Johnson was my prison name.
I guess I should explain why I was so rich. My dad Bryson Aaronson owned a corporation called Plexawave. He met my mother; also a rich CEO and they fell in love. My dad’s company fused with hers and became Aaronson Inc. Its net worth was close to seven trillion. My riches alone totaled just fewer than 1 trillion. My Uncle Rodgers was in charge of the company. I technically owned it but he ran everything.
The prison I was at was located on a small island about a mile from Diamond-arch. It was very poorly funded and the government turned a blind eye to the bad conditions. I had come here for a reason and that was to fight crime the only way I knew how. Brawling. I was incredible strong for my small stature and I was fast. I had already achieved a black belt in karate so I knew how to fight.
“AARONSON!”
I snapped out of my daze and catapulted to my feet. I spun 360 degrees but saw no one. Then I examined the wall and saw no loud speakers. The only new thing was a small gold case. I walked over and flipped it open.
“BOOOOOOOOOOM!”
I was thrown backwards into the wall and bounced off like rubber. Black spots danced before my eyes but I struggled to my feet. A gold mist hovered above the case. Some sort of shockwave had erupted from the box.
“Aaronson.”
The voice vibrated every bone in my body.
“What.” was my incredibly intelligent answer.
“You have been chosen for a privilege beyond any other riches.”
“What’s that?”
“You will be given the warrior blessing. It will give you power beyond your wildest dreams. The blessing will make your body the home to a warrior spirit. This spirit is made from the power of a billion dying stars and that power will be given to you.”
“Aw, I’m really messed up aren’t I?” I asked myself.
“No, quite on the contrary you have been singled out of a million people. Do you accept the privilege?”
“Will it help me avenge my mother and bring the criminal empires crashing down?”
“Yes.”
“Then I accept the nomination.”
Horrible pain coursed through my body. I screamed as I fell to the floor. My skin glowed gold and I felt as though I was being burned and stabbed at the same time. Suddenly the pain was replaced by a feeling of total power. I stood and smiled.
“Watch out, the warrior spirit can corrupt even the most worthy men. You will know if you are being corrupted. Stay strong, stay righteous and take your city back. At you house a chest of supplies will be waiting for you. Go home it is time.”
Then the gold spirit was gone. I stood and felt the energy drain from my body. My skin stopped glowing gold. I walked over to the spot where the case was. There were three things. A necklace with a glowing gold rock, a note that said believe and a piece of chocolate. I laughed and slipped the paper into my pocket. I ate the chocolate and but the necklace around my neck. The room showed no sign of the energy being having been there. I sat down in the corner and tried to fall asleep. It took awhile to stop feeling like I was soaked in pure energy. Eventually I fell asleep and was haunted by a different kind of dream. I was covered it gold mist like the spirit and I was running through what looked like a high tech airplane hangar. There was an army of hideous beasts surrounding me bellowing in a foreign language. i reached for my back and felt two objects strapped there. I believed they were swords but when I pulled them out they were staffs of black energy. i ran forwards and started blasting the monsters to pieces. Suddenly it felt as though my chest was going to explode. I collapsed and looked at my hands. They were dissolving into grey dust. I screamed and I woke with a start in the room. I stood and looked at my hands. They were gold. I felt a strange fabric on my face. I walked over to the corner of the room closest to the door where the mirror was.
To my horror I was dressed in some skin tight battle armor. It had a black mask that covered the top half of my face. It had two strips of cloth hanging off of it like a ninja’s mask. There was a bulky fabric that went from the top of my neck to my toes. It had metal plates on the outside. There was a blazing gold symbol on my chest. The gloves, slippers, and spiked gauntlets were the same color. there was a glowing gold belt with a dagger and a baton looking-thing attached to it. There were two blazing gold swords strapped to my back. There were two slits in the mask that glowed gold from my eyes. My skin had a goldish tint and also looked more strong. I backed up and looked around. My vision suddenly became incredibly clear. I could see every detail of everything in the room at once. I coiled my muscles and jumped. I exploded towards the roof. I braced myself but to my utter astonishment I soared right through the ceiling. I rocketed through several floors and landed on the roof. I tightened my muscles again and sank through the roof. I fell back to my room and relaxed my muscles just before I hit the floor. I hit the symbol of my chest and the energy left me. I stood back in my normal prison clothes. I nearly collapsed from exhaustion. I sank to the floor and black ink seemed to cover my eyes.
I woke up and saw sun shining through cracks in the walls. I stood and walked to the door and opened it. The lady who had been questioning me the day before walked over.
“There is a car waiting outside that door. Tell the driver where you want to go.”
“Yes ma’am, thank you,”
As I walked out I kept telling myself that the experiences the night before were false. I couldn’t convince myself.
Stay tuned for part 2
Log in to comment