ORDER DOWNFALL

Order Downfall

Chapter One
The Knight
       
My story starts with a town in Texas. I was born in the early 90’s, I met my best friend when I was five years old. His name was...his code name was Jiggs. He was this short athletic looking kid with dirty blond hair. We grew up together in the suburbs of Dallas and we went to the same college. After college, we got an apartment together and we needed jobs.
"Hey, Ging! Check this out.", he said with a satisfying grin on his face.
"What?" I replied from the kitchen, making a sandwich.
"I found us some jobs!"
"What are they?"
"Volunteer Work"
"For who?"
"CareTech."
"Alright, cool.”
         We went into their offices the next day. The interview was really quick they just asked our name, age, and sex on an application, and signed a few wavers. They hired us on the spot. The moment we came in, they slammed us in what was basically an insane asylum, with the metal trays, sponge rooms, and everything.
Whenever it would be time for a subjects testing the guards would drag them away.  Every other week a new ‘volunteer’ was taken for testing at lunch. As soon the double door leading out of the cafeteria slammed shut, they were never seen again.
"I hear that they sell them to the highest bidder," said Shark-face, he was one of the inmates that really deserved to be in this hell hole. He was a big bruiser with shoulders that went as wide as the cell door. The reason they called him shark-face was because he had been one of the doctor's first experiments at human-animal hybrids. It had failed, of course, so he only had the many rows of teeth and gills of a shark, which meant he had been held as an example of progress in testing, but with the downside that he can't breath normal air.
"That's a load of bull!" said Jiggs
“I'm not lying, I heard the doc' say it while I was still groggy from the laughing gas."
"That does debunk your story a little bit.” I spoke with a shit eating grin.
"I swear!"
Jiggs got up to go get some water when Fat Slim brushed past, but when he brushes it's like a steamroller.
"Watch it! What, is there a special at McDonalds?"
Fat Slim turned on his heel, wobbling trying to balance himself.
"What did you say to me punk?" said Fat Slim.
"I said, where are you going so fast?"
With that, Fat Slim threw a punch at Jiggs, he dodged, then threw an uppercut  sending him wobbling back. When he regained his balance, he swung again, but Jiggs wasn't ready so it connected with his left cheek. Now, you see, the thing about energy and weight is that if you have more of both, that your punches will be stronger, so the punch sent Jiggs spinning. At this point, I had enough so I stood up grabbed Slim's hand, slammed it on the table, and pinned it there with a knife. Slim screamed out in pain, gasping from the sudden shock of blood loss.
At this point, the guards stepped in and held Jiggs and I back.
"Doc, what do want us to do with them?" yelled one of the guards to the Walkie Talkie that was strapped to his shoulder.
"Bring in the short one his testing has been moved up," said the doc in that smooth slick voice that got us to work here.
"No!" I heard someone say behind us. It was Shark-face. "Doc you can't do that!"
"I can do whatever I damn well please, Jerome."
That comment, no not the comment the name sent Shark-face into a fury, I never got to see the end of it but I heard it took five guards to restrain him.
"Bring the tall one too."
With that order, Jiggs and I were knocked out. I woke up strapped to a table.
"Little kinky, a doc? At least buy me dinner first", I said in a sarcastic tone.
As I looked around the small room I noticed Jiggs was on the table beside me, with a medical table beside the metal pans we were strapped to, the table had all your typical medical instruments like, a meat clever, scalpel, scissors, stapler, and two small crystals, one red the other multicolored.
"Funny, I think for that I'll operate on you last, so you can watch your friend suffer", said the doc with an unkind grin.
The Doc was a tall man with greased back black hair, surgeon's fingers, and spindly legs. He got to work on Jiggs he wasn't under laughing gas, like shark said he was, so he screamed like a banshee. The doc just worked on his left hand implanting the small red crystal into his bare flesh. What I saw next I can't explain, Jiggs whole body went up in flames but when the flames died out...he was still there not a burn or mark on him. The Doc just smiled that horrible smile.
Then he went work on me. The agony I felt can't be described, but I'll  try, imagine being torn apart, then being reformed over and over again. He cut into my chest opening my pectoral muscles, then the went to work on the rib cage. He took a power saw and cut into the bones, slicing each one with delicate strokes. I screamed in agony. When he was able to remove the...bone he reached for the orb. He twirled the thing around in his hands a few times, he slammed the orb into my exposed heart, I should have died. He leaned close to my ear and whispered something in tongues didn't understand.
Then my vision blurred and I passed out, finally. I woke up by hearing a voice, it sound like my dad. "Hey kid, get up." the voice said in my ear, as I stood, my vision was still blurred.
"Dad?"I questioned my arms outstretched look for the end of the room.
"I sound like your dad to you, hm, look in the mirror" the voice commanded.
"Sound like?"I thought.
When the voice said this my vision cleared and I was able to see straight again. The room was a cold, gray room with a bed chained above the floor, the door was steel, there was a knocked over IV drip with the bag almost empty. I read the drips label it said exmacinia, a drug known for helping people stay awake while under tremendous amounts of pain, explains why I didn't pass out earlier. Then I found the mirror. What I saw in the mirror wasn't my reflection. Where I was five, eleven, the thing that stood was, at least, seven.
Where I had been pale and pasty this thing was a deep olive tone, with black marking on its skin. Where I had deep blue eyes this thing had pale yellow eyes with black slits for pupils. Where I had ginger hair this monstrousness creature had a bright orange spiky hair with black on the tips of each spike, and yet it stood where I should've, it breathed when I breathed and blinked when I blinked. This creature...was me.
"No! No! That can't be me!"
"That's us kid." the voice said to me.
"What do mean us?!"
“You know that little ball Connor put into you? That was me.”
“Connor? The little marble looking thing”
"The Doctor, and it wasn’t a marble, it was a spirit crystal, I'm a Spirit, the great spirit of the tiger, the doctor put in you, got it?"
"Sort of...okay whatever just get me out of here."
"Punch the door."
"No way, that's three inches of solid steel!"
"I said punch it!"
"Fine!"
My punch left a dent in the door, I kept thinking hitting it till it flew off its hinges, slamming into the wall across from my cell. I sprinted, with the Tiger guiding me.
"I need to find my Friend!" I said frantically.
"No, kid we need weapons and a suit.", the spirit commanded.
"No! I need to get my friend."
"Kid listen, your friend is probably heavily guarded, so we need weapons."
"Ok, fine, I see your point."
I wiggled the doorknob and the door opened. I stepped inside the room, feeling a chill run down my spine. As if instinctive I went to the back of the cold room. I saw many things that I can't explain, but I was pulled to this one suit. Trying it on it seemed to fit. It was a slick black suit with a red tie and a black bartenders vest. I walked around the room trying to find a weapon. My attention was drawn to a pair of dual curved swords with tiger engravings at the ends, they were sheathed in a twin belt.
"Those look cool to pick them up," said the voice.
The moment after he said that I lost control of my body. My arms grabbed the swords strapped them to the lower part of the suit and unsheathed them, inspecting them as if they were a nuclear bomb that I had to disarm. Then we got to the gun closet, I wasn't a gunman myself but I knew how to use one, so I grabbed two Remington.65 hand cannons, and found the holster and put them in it.
"Now let's go find my friend"
With that we charged out of the weapons room, barreling down the hallway knocking down scientists left and right. We made a sharp turn slamming into a metal door, looking at the door, I saw that the metal had been burned and melted.
"I've got an idea,"I said to the spirit,"Be ready."
I backed up the hallway, turned on one heel and spirited full speed at the door, jumping right as I was about to hit it, collapsing in on myself. I shot through the door like a cannonball, the metal covering my body, but there were no gunshots. I stood what I saw rocked me to my core. There were guards body's scattered across the floors, the smell of gunpowder was still fresh,something landed with a thud behind me, I turned, this thing stood at six feet tall. Half of its face was rotting flesh and bone, the other half was pure darkness, not black but like the night sky. One of its arms was a piece of flesh hanging on to a four-fingered piece of bone, that it called a hand. It's leg looked like a mixture of a grasshopper and a rake. The rest of its body was the same black color as its face.
The thing charged at with his arms behind its back, when it got close to me it swung its disfigured arm, I ducked out of the way pulling the gun and shooting the thing in the thing in the chest, it stumbled back. The bullets fell out of its chest and hit the ground.
"Well this will be interesting.", I said with a confused look.
The creature charged, swing with such fury that I had little time to duck, it swung, I block, I swung, it ducked. I pulled my blade sliced at the creature's arm right arm it was the one that was black, it cut through it like warm butter. The arm fell off. I expected the thing to reel in pain from the loss of its right arm, instead, it charged me the nub outstretched, swinging and hitting my chest, leaving three long gashes. I looked down at my chest it was ripped to shreds there was no way I could have survived, my body started to heal.
Not missing a beat I charged the beast taking the sword that was left on the belt I swung at the creature's head, the sword hitting the side of his face that was a skull shattering it. My eyes widened when I saw what was under that mask. It was Jiggs, oh god, Jiggs I dropped my sword, picked him up and hugged him.
"Oh my god, Jiggs," I said relieved a little.
"Ging...is that you?",he said with a raspy voice.
"Yeah, buddy it's me, what happened to you?"
"It was a reaction to this," he held up his left hand the red crystal still there,"this thing warped my body, changing me into this. I went on a rampage killing everything in my sight, the doc sedated me and said that if I killed the man with the stripes I would return to normal. I didn't know that was you!"
"Just tell us where the doctor is," said the voice, it spoke from my mouth.
"He's in the middle of the building, the office."
"Thanks, Jiggs. I'll get you to safety."
I ran down the hall, heading to the center of the building, running past doctors, soldiers, and prisoners. Running, running, running, so much running, gunfire, gunfire, I made it to the door I kicked it down.
"Hello Doctor didn't think you would see me again," the spirit spoke from my mouth.
"No, how are you speaking I put a spell on the host number 146, so he wouldn't talk, HOW!?"
I walked forward trying to scare the doctor, he pulled a gun on me, the moment this happened I lost control of my body, my body walking forward.
"Don't move, I'll shoot," the doctor said gun shaking in his hands.
My body kept moving forward the doctor just kept shaking, say that clichè line over and over again. When my body reached the doctor all that happened was he covered, I wanted to let him go, but after all, he'd done to me, this is where the spirit and I agreed.        
        I rushed him, he fired twice. The bullets whizzed by my head, one scraping the side of my cheek. I grabbed his gun pressing it under his jaw as he pulled the trigger a third time. I jogged out of the room, bashing through walls to get to the exit.
Two guards I passed ran after me as I made it through the door, panting, I had forgotten Jiggs. I made my way back into the building, walking slower this time, the two guards I had passed ran towards me, firing twice. I dodged the bullets, firing back at the guards, dropping them. I made my way back to the room where Jiggs was, he wasn’t there. I searched for Jiggs, but it was like he had disappeared from the face of the earth. I never want to see that building again, so I ran to the weapons closet again grabbing to containers of gasoline and dosed the place then burnt it to the ground. I desired to make some money of my skills so I became a hired hit. I've been using the money to look for Jiggs.
Chapter Two
The Pawn
It’s cold. Everything hurts and all I can see is darkness. The door creaks open slowly, and I know he is coming. His footsteps echo on the marble floor. step...Step...STep...STEp…STEP...STEP...STEP. He messed with the belts restraining me, tightening them. Panic set in. He shuffled around, and made some noise. Some clangs, a few more footsteps. I look over in the direction of the noises, but I still can't see anything. He steps forward, approaching me again. He starts by putting a cold cloth over my arm, and wiped away the grime. A sharp pain suddenly hit me. I opened my mouth to scream, or call out, or….something. But nothing came out. Don't know why I try, it hasn't worked before, so I don't know why I keep trying.
        Natural response I guess. Call out loudly to warn the herd, or pack. Danger! Danger! But I guess I don’t have vocal chords anymore. It was futile effort. I heard rattling chains, from somewhere to the left of me. Shudder, clunk, shudder clunk. He stopped for a moment. I think he’s either making the noise or he’s looking at whatever is. He goes back to my arm, a stream of pain seeps down it as he cuts deeper into it. I feel him push things around in my arm. That’s painful. Thanks. Totally wanted this. He starts cutting again inside my arm. It’s probably more painful than something you can imagine.
I hear liquid start to drip down from the table-thing I’m on. My blood. I wish I could just pass out from pain. I wish I could still do that, but I think my body it trying to grow a tolerance to it. He starts to pull on the skin. I think he’s getting ready to stitch it back up. This is one of the faster surgeries I’ve had. He picks something up, I know because it makes a small “clink” on the table. It was probably the needle. He took a moment to tread it, and then probably wiped it down to sterilise it.
I felt a pinch, then another, and another, and another. It kept going until my arm felt numb. He picked up something from the table and started stepping away. His footsteps echoes grew quieter, now, I’m left in science like before. Shudder, clunk, shudder, clang. I tried to ignore the sounds. I don't know what they are or who, so I tried to tune them out. More noises. Clang! Clang! Clunk! The noise of chains, that’s what it was. They’re really loud. I look in their direction, but I can still only see darkness. This is stupid. The chains are quieter now that I’ve looked at them. They seem to make small sounds, like they’re being moved around carefully. I let out a small gasping sound and mouthed “stop” at them.
“But I can get you out.” A voice said quietly.
I tried to look at them with a baffled face. We can’t break out. It’s impossible. Is it? Do they have a way to?
I nodded “yes” to them. I mouthed “Break me out” with all the energy I had.
“Okay” they whispered back. I waited patiently, the person took their time. I don't know how long I’ve waited, I’ve just been laying here listening to the clinks and clanks of their chains. The chains finally stopped, and I heard a click, like the opening of a door. Footsteps started approaching me, but they were quieter than his and they made little noises against the marble. They stopped and I could hear their breathing over me. It was heavy and scared. They messed with my straps and shuffled around for a bit. All my straps are loosened until it was easy to slip out of them. They helped me up. I haven't stood for a while, it felt weird, but really rewarding. They took a blindfold off me, that explains why it was so dark. I didn't even know I was wearing it. I looked at my rescuer, it’s a boy, maybe around 9 years old.
“My name’s Marco.” He said in a hushed voice.
I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out except horse breaths. I really wish I could talk. Then, I had a idea. I turned to a table behind me and found an old computer, I typed in the code B-13 to the files bar. The man called me this before, so I tried it. My picture popped up. It said my name, birthday, gender, all the need-to-knows for a doctor. “Champwon. Okay, let’s go then Champ” Marco whispered. “Wait, why is the M crossed out under gender and a F is there instead?” I shrugged, really confused as well. I am a guy, so why is there an F? “Oh, then never mind.”
Marco grabbed my hand and dragged me down the hall, it was long and dull. All the colors were neutral and blended together, he pulled my hand so hard that one of the stitches came loose. I started making screechy noises to explain my discomfort with this. Marco turned and looked back at me and down at my hand, I pointed out that I had gotten a stitch broken. Then I noticed my entire body was covered in stitches. Every finger segment lined with a red fleshy scar and black treads tracing over each line. It looked kinda cool, but mostly scary. I really don't know what I would be expecting though, I’ve been taken apart practically everyday that I’ve been here, only to be sewn back together again later.
“Come on, we need to go.” Marco usurped me along as I looked dumbfounded at my hands. How does he know where he’s going? He pulled me to the left, and again, then a right, right into a dead end. Marco looked back at me really confused. I gave him a thumbs up and a bored expression to sarcastically tell him “good job”.
Marco glanced around the corner and gestured me forward. We ran toward another door, he opened it hesitantly. Do you even know where you’re going? They walked in, it was a mostly empty room with only a small window, and a few scattered papers on the floor. “It’s abandoned, just like the rest of the building. But do you think you can squeeze through that window? I'm pretty sure I can, but I don't know about you.” I am quite taller than him. I shrugged to say, let's try.
We approached the window and looked out it, it looks like we’re on the second floor of a building. Marco opened up the window. “Okay, it looks like we can climb down if you put your foot there and hold on here, and then jump onto the trash bags there.” I nodded in approval, and glanced back around the room. Oh, no.
I tap Marco’s arm furiously. “What?” I point. There’s a security camera, pointed directly at us. “Oh.” He hesitates, “Well, now we gotta go faster, go, go, go!” Marco gestures for me to go first. I squeeze out of the narrow window, and try to put my feet where he told me to. He climbs out right when he has enough room above me. I think he closed the window, from the outside? I climbed as fast as I could and, crap. I lost my footing and fell backwards. Luckily, I wasn't too far off the ground.
“Are you okay?!” Marco said quite loud. I nodded “yes”. I waited for Marco, as he jumped down. “What time is it even?” The sun was low in the sky, but not quite to the point where there was color from the sunset. I motioned towards him, I mimed out eating something. “We need food?” I nodded. “Okay, I kinda need to use the restroom too.” I motioned my fingers to say money. “Oh, we do need money don't we… We’ll get money and eat in the morning, we should get away for now.” I give him a thumbs up.
We start down the street, and try to distance ourselves from the building. I don't know what city we’re in. I wonder if Marco does. What did the Man do to Marco while he was in there? Why was Marco given chains, and I straps? Why was I blindfolded? Is the man going to hunt us down? What would he do if he did find us? How did Marco even get me out? Questions fill my mind, I wish I could ask him. Instead, I distract myself with, well, myself. I examine my stitches. My clothes, I’m wearing an old t-shirt and some sweat pants. I look inside the shirt to see if I have stitches on my chest.
What….. I stick my head in my shirt. WHAT. I think I just found out why the M was changed to a F. I look in my pants. I close them. I feel dirty. I shouldn't of looked, that probably just violated someone. That is definitely not my body. But, these are my hands. So… I have the head and hands of a man, and the rest of my body is………. A girl…..? I'm kind of freaking out now. I never wanted to be girl. Why am I a girl? What was the point of this Mr. Man? Why?!?
Marcus notices my freaking out. “What’s wrong?” I give him the most uncomfortable-looking face I can muster. “What?” I pull on the back of the shirt to reveal the slight curves I have on my body. Marcus gives me a confused look. I don't think this boy has been to a sex-Ed class yet. Okay, great. I stand there awkwardly for a second, not really knowing how to tell him. After a moment or two, I wave my hand to say “it's nothing”, and continue walking.
We walk down these giant streets between the skyscrapers. We turn every now and then just to throw anyone who might be following us off our trail. After walking for a while, I question how long it's actually been. It doesn't seem to matter.
“So… How did you get to that lab?” Marco asks meekly.
I realize. I….Don't know. I don't remember going there, or meeting the man who experimented on me. Questions suddenly flood my mind. How did I get there? Who was I before that even? I don't remember anything other than the things that were on my file. The list of information on their races through my mind. Name: Champwon, Age: 14, Sex: m/f. That's it. That is all that was there. I have no in memories, but yet somehow I have knowledge on the world. I don't understand. Where did I come from? Did I have a family?
“Champ?! Snap out of it!” I hear Marco’s faint voice, but he's not far away at all. I look up at him. Suddenly he yelps in pain. Frantically I go over to see what's wrong, he has a burn mark on his left arm. “Why did you do that?!” I did that? I did that. I hurt him. I try to communicate that I’m sorry, but I don't think he understands. It's really hard to only talk in charades.
Marco’s face melts from confusion to terror. He grabs onto my arm pulling me toward a small shop. He pulls his hand back as if something hurt him, then grabs me again. Two stitches come undone. Screeching in confusion isn't making him stop. We go in, the shop’s dim lights show that's it's a clothing store. Marco pulls me into the very back, where we find dressing rooms. He shoves me into one then closes the door behind him. His feet disappear into the direction of the rest of the rooms. Some clothes left from customers is scattered around the floor. I pick up a grey hoodie and put it on, not caring about the size. It's soft though. I then look around at the rest of the clothes, nothing is appealing.
I realize we don't have any money. We can't pay for the hoodie. Why are we in here then? A soft bell rings as the shop to the door opens. I put the hood over my head and peek through a crack in the door. I don't recognize the man that came in. He's tall, and dressed in what people call “Sunday formal”. There is no noise other than his footsteps. I know those footsteps. It's the man. The one who took me apart.
Panic now over comes me. I feel a tingling sensation start to come around my body. As the steps grow louder, the tingle grows stronger. I hear a slight chuckle.
“I didn't know you two would think to escape. Heh, but I’m not done with either of you. Neither of you are complete.” The tingling makes my body feel numb.
“Tsk, tsk, Champwon. This is why you need to come back with me you're unstable. Very, unstable.” I can hear by his tone that he's smiling.
“What? No response? How sad, are your vocal cords still not healed? I thought that they'd of healed by now, but then again your stitches aren't really healing either…” Suddenly I hear Marco scream. I throw open the door of my dressing room to same Marco. What is the man doing to him? I follow the screams, and know the door down. Marco is on the floor, his skin coursing with a sort of glow around him. It's burning him.
“See? This is what you're doing to him. You're unstable.”
I'm doing this to him? I get closer to Marco, he's stopped screaming and is now twitching from the light around him. The light around him becomes stronger, he lets out one more scream.
“Fear. I do wish I had my notebook right now…” I frantically pull him up, his skin sizzles when I touch him. I pull back. Where I touched him… It's black. I charred his skin away. I put my hand over my mouth.
“See? Now come with me, we must fix you.” No. You've done enough. I think. My skin tingles more, it feels like a thousand needles prickling my skin.
“Fear, sadness, and anger. Understandable.” Tears start dropping from my cheeks. I drop to the floor, and start to sob. I let out a loud moan, suddenly I hear a grunt, and cracks. The man, he's dropped to the ground. The paint on the walls chips away, the building starts to crumble, and crack. Panic is now undeniable. The man catches fire, and soon everything begins to fall and collapse in on itself. I run. I get out of there. The lights are shooting out, and I hear screams.
Sirens then come to the scene, their lights take over the dark. I run farther. I run until I find my way to the edge of town. There's a road that leads away from the city, and into the woods. I follow it. This is my only escape now. Once I’m about a mile into the woods I melt into a pile and cry. I cry and I cry. I killed the one person I could trust and the one person that could fix me.
Guilt. That’s all I can feel. Regret. I overreacted. No I didn't. I killed two people. The only two people who I have ever known. I don't understand. I’ve broken myself.
Chapter Three
The Knight takes The Pawn
                Champ scurried around some campsites in the area. They looked through leftover coolers and trash cans, pulling out a few half empty bags of chips and hot dogs. Champ had been in the woods long enough to know what campgrounds get more visitors and more food. Mostly the ones by the bathrooms. Once Champ had gathered enough rations for the next few days, they hurried back to their own little camp site.
                When they made it back, they saw a man kneeling in the bushes a few yards away from there site. Maybe he was burying a body, they were far enough out in woods she wouldn’t doubt it. She set down her food and approach cautiously, curiosity getting the best of them. Champ was about 10 feet away, peering at the man from his left side.
                He wasn’t burring anything, but instead placing a photo of another man into the ground, shifting dirt over it, placing his thumb over his lips in some sort of sign. Champ shifted a bit, realized they were too close. They started to move away stealthily on all fours.
                SNAP. A small twig was broken beneath their feet. The man’s head whipped around. Champ stiffened, and started to get closer to the ground and moving much slower. The man didn’t make a single noise, but he appeared just two feet away. His eyes narrowed, Champ didn’t move. He was very tall, intimidating. A knife seemed to appear in his hand, he pointed at them, his mouth a line, “Who are you?”, his voice was deep and scratchy, like he wasn’t used to using it.  Champ stood still, not answering… Just staring like a feral animal. Champ moved their hand forward, about to take another step. His hand was blurr as a knife logged itself into the ground between her fingers, “I asked a question kid. Who are you? You’re not Government, to sloppy. Free agent? Another bounty hunter?”, he growls softly as he had another knife in his hand.
                “Uhhh….” Champ said, extremely rough. Champ was getting uncomfortable, their skin started to tingle. A small look of panic spread across Champ’s face. They looked at the man, and growled a little as a warning. They still had a fearful look on their face. It was a warning sign.
                “Answer me kid or the next one won’t miss.”, he says, his grip tightening on the knife. Electricity started to come off of Champ’s body, but the man’s face didn’t change. “Ggghho…” Came out. Champ tried to say “go”, but their voice still wasn’t really back yet. Just a raspy noise.
                He squinted his eyes at her as he pulled his knifes back, even the one between their fingers. He chuckles softly as he sat back down, crossing his legs and he rests his hands on his knees, “Let me guess, run away? Parents didn’t accept you?” Champ shifted looking at the knife between their fingers. The electricity started becoming visible, and getting stronger. Champ backed a little very carefully, “I-i…?” Champ shook their head very hard back and forth, their hood came off a little. More electricity, it started getting closer to the man, until it touched him. He flinched, dodging the next time the electricity tried to touch him, he smiles, “You can’t control it, can you?” Champ looked at him fearfully, then backed up a little more. They wanted to get back to their camp, they wanted to get to their food before the ants. This man made them uncomfortable.
                “Think about Happy Memories. Picture you mom or your dad, that should calm it down.”, he hadn’t moved since dodging, looking at them, smiling warmly. Champ’s electricity spazzed for a minute, flailing, but avoiding the man. Champ sat back holding their head, breathing heavily. Something happy…? Something happy. Champ thought. HAPPY. HAPPY. Champ thought of Marco, calmed a bit, then pictured him charred and black. HAPPY. Champ thought of their camp site, they thought of birds. The electricity calmed and shrank back down to only tingles on their skin.
                “Good. Now you got a name kid?”, he says as he looks over at her, his smile still warm. Champ stared, “Uhh….Ch-Champ-won” They said slowly. It was a quiet answer, that sounded gross, like someone coughing and speaking at the same time.
“Champ? That’s some power you got. Born or given?”, he says as he shifted to be facing them, the blood red vest he wore stuck out like a sore thumb.
“G-given…. Maybe..” Champ looked at the man, he was strange. He talked to them, he was even okay with the electricity.
“Now, you don’t have to answer this one but...forced or you volunteered?”, He says as his face turned serious.
“Don’t, uhh, d-don’t know?” Champ looked down at their feet.
“Now the stitches, from the operation?”, he asked.
“Operations.”
“I’m Ging, you can’t control that power can you?”
“N-no…” Champ messed with their feet a little, touching the stitches.
“Would you like me to train you? I know a little about controlling power.”
Champ looked up and tilted their head. “Train?” They thought for a moment. “I-” Have nothing to lose. Champ thought. “Sure”
“Good.”, he stood up, dusting off his pants as he looks down at her, “I have a place in the city, gym owner downstairs doesn't question anything.” He dusted off his clothes, looking at them, “You coming?”
Champ became nervous again. The city, will you be okay? Champ looked at their hands. “M-mayb- Yes.” Champ watched him, feeling a little more confident. He nodded, looking at her, “You wanna grab anything from your campsite?” Champ thought. “No.” They looked at their pile of food, then in the direction of the old camp, and finally back at Ging.
        “Alright, then let’s get goin’.” he walked towards the city, making sure they were following him.  Champ followed on all fours, then looked up at him on two legs, and got up. They walked behind him, a little awkwardly. He hailed a cab as the reached the edge of the forest, getting into it as he pats the set next to him, “Corner of Morrison and Reyes please.”, he tells the cab driver as he slouched in the car. Champ got in and sat down. She looked around at the car, it was smaller than they thought. The cab drove and bumped on the road, throwing them up as Ging swore under his breath as his head hit the ceiling. The cab stopped a while later and they both got out. On the corner stood a gym, it was at the bottom of an apartment complex, the sign overhead read ‘Tonic Gym’, Ging opened the door as they walked in.
        The gym was the typical boxing gym, ring in the center with hanging and punching bag littered around the ring. There was a set of green iron stairs leading up to a door, the door open as a woman walked out. She had her dirty blond hair tied up in a messy bun as she wore a coffee stained white shirt and black gym shorts, the woman held a mug of coffee, she had black eyes that focused on them and Ging. Her eyes darted between Ging and the coffee mug. She chucked the mug at Ging as it slammed into his face. He didn’t flinch as he looked up at her, raising an eyebrow at her.
        “I was in softball in college what were you expecting?!”, the woman screamed at him.
“Good to see you too Tonic.”, he smiled back.
“You leave not even a note!”
“You know my job!”
Champ looked between them as they tilted her head, “Are you t-two…”
“God no!”, Tonic said as she snarled at Ging, “He pays good money to stay here.”
“I wouldn’t say good money…”, He shrugged as he was hit with a flip-flop, he rubbed his forehead where it hit. Champ looked at Ging, wondering why he was rubbing his forehead. He pulled out a wad of cash as he balls it at Tonic. She catches it and flips through it, “Three months rent, that good?”
“Yeah...wait you brought a kid...to an inner city boxing gym…”
“Hey...uh, Champ, cover your ears.”
Champ slowly put their hands over their ears as they looked at them. Ging looked like they were yelling as Tonic did the same. They looked at Ging as he mouthed something about a doctor. Tonic left there mouth open as they closed it. He tapped champ, telling them to remove their hands from their ears.
“So, Champ...This is Tonic, she’ll be working with you on control and fighting.”, Ging said as he fixed his tie, walking towards tonic as he climbed the steps, rests his hand on Tonic shoulder, whispering something into her ear as he walked into the room. Tonic looked down at Champ as she walked down the steps.
“So...Champ, what made the big guy so....interested in you?”, Tonic asked as she let her hair down and moved it to a pony tail. Champ unzipped their jacket and took it off. Tonic gazed in realization the stitches going up and down Champs arms. “Oh…” Tonic didn't say anything for a minute while Champ put their jacket back on.
        The steps creaked as Ging walks down them, his whole demeanor changing from earlier, in place for his dressed up suit and tie he now wore a white tank top and grey sweat pants, and flip-flops. His spiked hair was down and held back by a sports band. Champ hadn’t noticed it before but he had bags under his eyes.
“Alright Ton, we’re out of cereal and alcohol. Kid, you’re coming with me, you need new pants.”, He fished out his keys as he walked out of the gym. Champ follows and walked towards the mustang and the mid-day sun was reflecting off of, “Hey Champ, where are you going?”, Ging unlocked the sky blue VW Bug.
“I-Is this Tonics car?”, Champ questioned.
“No, her’s is the mustang.”
Ging got into the car as he clicked his seatbelt, “Alright kid, buckle your seatbelt, we’re in for a ride.”, he tries to start it, it fails. He tries to start it again and it fails. “Come on McBeth, come on.”, he rubs the dashboard and tries again, and it finally works, he smiles softly as he leans back, pulling up a bag of eight tracks, “So, kid...you wanna to some Metallica, or Pink Flyod, or…”, he goes silent as he pulls out a track, “This ‘ill work.”, he pushed in the eight track as he back up, Champ noticed that lining his back window were plushies, and his rearview mirror hung a peace sign, a dreamcatcher, and photo of a guy with red hair and dirty blonde hair. The eight track finally started playing and Champ noticed that it had something to do with holding hands. They pulled up to a superstore as Ging got out of the car, locking it as Champ got out, he walked inside, “So, Champ, go get new pants, I’ll get the cereal.”, he walks towards a different aiel, leaving Champ alone.
Champ walked around for a little while, looking aimlessly at signs hoping to find something showing where to find pants. They pulled their hood over their head and walked around a small area with different kinds of pants. Champ picked up a pair of jeans, and went to try them on. There was a large mirror, and a few other people going into rooms. Champ followed their lead and went into the closest one. The jeans were a little large on them, not falling off, but baggy. Champ decided they fit.
They walked back to where Ging left them and waited for about a minute. Ging walked bag with three dog food sized bags of sugary cereal and in the other hand a basket of booze, looked down at Champ as he nods, “Alright kid, now let go.”, he walked to the cash register, setting down the items on the conveyor belt, letting the cashier scan them. He paid in cash as he nodded, moving the bag of food and drink into the car outside.
“G-ging?”
“Yes?”
“Who are th-the guys in-th,in the picture?”
“Old friends.”, he drove  back to the gym, looking at the road.
“Why arn't you in-in there?”
“I am, you just can’t see me.”, he got out of the car as it stopped, carrying the bags of food into the gym. Champ looked at the photo one more time, then got out and trailed along behind Ging.
Rench Chapter Four