The Organization (Jiskastya X ChelseaCutie)

[Jiskastya]

The Organization

Inland New York, hidden deep underground, The Organization built their base. At first the base started simple, but as the money flowed in and technology has improved, the tunnels and rooms of the organization have expanded into a massive network of passages. They are confusing at first, but an able recruit will be able to quickly memorize the intricate network of tunnels, to find their way to any room they should need. Training rooms, weapon rooms, target rooms, sleeping rooms. The list of rooms is as limitless as the base itself is.

To most recruits, there is no reason to delve deeper than the initial rooms used for their trainings, but many of the full assassins have learned their way through the interconnected tunnels so perfectly that it is almost impossible to catch them, or prevent them from getting where they want to go.

Like the rooms, the tunnels themselves vary. Some are neat, white, and brightly lit. Some are dark, coated in shadows. Some are short, requiring you to progress on hands and knees. Some seem like little more than an animal burrow, while others are frequently traveled and made to be comfortable.

Master runs the organization, and to him you owe complete loyalty. Master is the reason you live, the reason you have purpose, and his word is law. But Master is kind. He will care for you, and he will teach you. He will help you to grow to your full potential, and to become a reliable and useful member of the Organization, serving its purposes and completing its tasks.

Your training begins here. This is now your home. We are now your family.

Welcome.

The training room was small and spare, with a clean and well waxed wooden floor, tan walls, and a white ceiling. In one corner, a pile of mats was stacked evenly, their dark color contrasting with the pale paint on the wall. On one side of the room, the wall stopped five feet up, to open to the corridor. A metal railing separated the hall from the room, and on the far right a short staircase gave entry to the room

Fourteen recruits were spread out around the room, clustering into groups. One cluster leaned against the wall, keeping a careful eye on the hall so that they would be forewarned of their instructor’s approach and could promptly step away from the wall. Best not to be seen as tired or unwilling when Ray showed up, or they were sure to be put through their paces.

On the far side of the room, away from the staircase a young black man and a small black-haired girl sparred lightly. A small crowd had gathered around them, and were watching enthusiastically.

“Clint’s got her this time,” one boy whispered.

“Not a chance,” replied another. “He’s still too slow. Angela’ll trip him up, watch.”

“Nah, he’s been practicing.”

“She’ll still get him.”

Angela suddenly sank down, one leg darting out in a spin. Clint jumped over her leg, but stumbled when her other leg darted out and he almost landed on it. Angela darted to the side as he kicked at her, then she twisted around, lept, and put Clint into a chokehold. He tried to break her hold, but a sudden knee to his back put him on the ground, and in a couple seconds he tapped the ground, conceding.

Angela stood up, dusted herself off, and received the congratulations of the observers.

“Alright,” shouted a sudden voice, and everyone whirled about. “Line up guys.”

Every recruit darted into line, facing the balcony where a woman leaned casually against the railing, light ginger hair flowing over her shoulders and blue eyes sparkling merrily.

She hopped over the railing, landing lightly, then stood, looking over her students.

“Today we’re heading to the Hall of Pillars. Pair up, we’re going to race. Time to see how well you have memorized the pathways. No two groups can take the same route. And, yes, today you can pick your partner.”

There was a small cheer, and after a brief scramble as everyone tried to choose the same few students who had the tunnels of Base best memorised, everyone was paired.

“Alright,” Ray said. “On your marks... Get set...”

“Hold off for a minute, Ray.”

Everyone looked to the left, where a tall man in a white shirt, with short black hair was stepping into view.

“Rook,” Ray said, slight surprise in her voice. “What’s up?”

“Our newest recruit has decided she is ready to join general training.”

There was a murmur of excitement among the students. It had been several months since the last new recruit, and after the disastrous results of the last recruit mission, the ranks were small. New blood would be welcomed.

Behind Rook walked a small girl, looking no older than thirteen, but carrying herself with the confidence of someone twice her age.

“This,” Rook said, “is Anya. And, I warn you now, for the rest of the week you will treat her fairly to give her a chance to learn. Anyone who decides they wish to do otherwise will be answering to me.”

Any students who had begun planning practical jokes immediately discarded them, or at the very least postponed them.

Anya walked down the stairs and into the group of students, trying to look as though she didn’t feel out of place. Everyone in the room was taller than her, except for one black haired girl.

Rook leaned against the railing, staring at the students. “You’ve got an odd number, so who wants a group of three.

There was a general shifting. A group of three would be a disadvantage in this situation, especially when no one knew whether or not this new girl would be any good at racing. But someone would have to take her...

[ChelseaCutie]

Nathan stood away from the other groups, watching the spar with mild disinterest. He would see areas where Angela could have taken Clint, or vice versa. His arms were crossed over his chest, and his legs slightly spread apart. The black shirt he wore was fitted against his form as well as his dark blue jeans. Angela finally took Clint down with ease it seemed, and was congratulated by the other recruits. Nathan simply stood his ground, his eyes focusing on the woman entering the room. Ray hopped over the railing and told the recruits there was going to be a race today, to pick their partners. Nathan and Clint were normally always partners, and that's how things went this time. Nathan's eyes shifted in Clint's direction, then back at Ray. He uncrossed his arms and readied himself for the race ahead of them, until Rook came in. There was a small girl behind him who carried herself like the most confident woman in the world. Rook explained to them that they were to treat her as any other recruit, or answer to him. Nathan knew that he would make a terrible instructor or teacher, but he knew that Clint would make an excellent one. He was friendly, loved to joke, and was always nice. Nathan was the opposite. The other groups of two muttered amongst themselves, no one really wanting someone new on their team. Nathan rolled his eyes and held his arm up.
"Come over here Anya."
Nathan had no problem having an extra person, so long as she kept up.

Scarlet was alone in a seperate training room. She had her hair braided behind her, and it swayed each time she threw a punch or twisted her body. Her tight gray shirt had dark spots from her sweat, and her skin glistened with it. Scarlet wore tight black shorts to allow easy movement of her legs. Her feet were bare, and on her hands were fist guards. She was beating a punching bag for everything it was worth. Scarlet was fast, but there was always room to improve, and thats what she was doing. She had just graduated from being a recruit, and she was stoked. Slowly but surely she was moving up. Scarlet kicked and jabbed the bag with precise and quick movements. Her face was expressionless and her jaw was set. She strived to please the higher ups, and thats exactly what she would do.

[Jiskastya]

Anya glanced in the direction of the voice. He was a tall boy, burgeoning onto manhood, at least 18. His eyes were hard. She thought she liked him, for at least he had enough confidence in himself to not be afraid of an unknown third member. She offered a small smile, and walked over to his group. There was a tiny sigh from the rest of the people in the room when the boy volunteered himself, and now they were looking at her curiously, wondering about her. Anya forced herself to ignore their stares, and walk up to the boy. Behind her 'savior' another boy stood. He was tall and dark skinned. An easy smile played on his lips, and he offered his hand. Anya took it, every muscle in her forearm stiff. His hands were warm and well callused, but the fingers only squeezed gently on her hand, offering just enough contact to seem harmless and welcoming.

"Name's Clint. And this grump next to me is Nathan. Welcome to the club."

"Thanks," Anya said softly, glad to release his hand.

"Right!" Ray shouted. "Three pairs on one side, four on the other. Every time you reach an intersection you must go different ways from another group, unless you know that the only one left is a dead end. So, whoever runs fastest will get to pick their corridor first. Pick a side!"


Master stood quietly at the edge of the room, watching his newest full assassin whale on the heavy bag. Her technique was good, movements powerful, and she had progressed well since she has entered his ranks. There was a small bit of satisfaction in knowing that someone you picked out would be able to serve. If she had made it this far she wasn't likely to die any time soon. And her loyalty was top notch. She would never betray. Master knew this for sure, for he had put her through one of the hardest loyalty tests that a recruit could face. And she had passed, as Master had known she would.

"I think that punching bag has given you as much as it is able to, at the moment."

[ChelseaCutie]

Nathans eyes roamed over the smaller girl as she approached them. She ignored the stares of the other students as if they weren't even there. He watched as Clint introduced himself to her and he mentioned him, as being a grump. Nathan rolled his eyes and nodded once at Anya in greeting. Ray then started talking again, speaking the rules of the race. "I hope you're fast and can keep up, Anya." Nathan looked down at her with seriousness in his eyes. He wasn't trying to be mean, it was just who he was. The teams all got to their sides, Nathan, Clint, and Anya on the right side. Nathan hated races, but he was good at them, so he didn't complain. Thing is though, some of the other recruits, were damn good as well.

Scarlet continued her onslaught of the punching bag until she heard someone speak to her. She stopped and looked over in the direction the voice came from and smiled softly. Scarlet's chest was heaving and she was breathing heavily. "Oh, I actually planned on going until it came off the hook or it busted," she joked with a shrug. "There's always room to improve, so that's what I plan on doing." Scarlet took her fist guards off and tossed them onto a table as she passed it. She wiped sweat from her brow with the back of her arm and sunk into her right hip. "What's a man like you doing down here?"

[Jiskastya]

Anya nodded seriously. She had never been particularly fast, but she was stubborn, and not willing to let her new comrades down. She followed Nathan and Clint up to the right side of the corridor, along with two other groups. Clint bent forward, stretching out a little, then braced himself at the starting line. Anya positioned herself behind him, not wanting to get in the way. She had no clue where they were going, or where the many twisting passages of the Base led. Thus, she would follow.

Ray hopped up to the corridor. "Ready, set, GO!" she shouted, and 15 pairs of feet tore down their respective hallways.


Master smiled a little. "Am I not welcome here? I came to check up on my newest assassin, but if she would rather I leave..."

[ChelseaCutie]

Scarlet held her hands up and smiled. "I'm sorry. Just kind of threw me off." She looked around then back at Master, an eyebrow raised. "Were you watching long? I mean, I wasn't doing anything wrong was I?"

As everyone took off running, the sound of stomping feet was almost deafening. Some teams went left, others right. Nathan and his team went right. They raced through the hall with another team behind them. No two teams could go the same way, unless one hall ended in a dead end. The words echoed in Nathan's head. As they approached the 'T', Nathan led his team through the left hall, leaving the right open for the team behind them.

[Jiskastya]

The hallway was long and poorly lit, and no doors nor corridors split off for quite a while. Anya's lugs were starting to burn, a polite request to slow down and allow them to absorb some oxygen, but she ignored them, lengthening her stride, desperately trying to keep up with the boys' long stride. Part of her was wondering, as the corridor stretched on longer and longer, if they were even going the right way, but who was she to comment when she didn't know anything. Best to conserve breath. Suddenly, the corridor made a sharp right, and before them were five different tunnels. Two looked remarkably similar to the one they had been traveling down. One looked like nothing so much as a burrow. One was gleaming white, and the last, directly in front of them, was richly furnished and warmly lit.

Master stepped into the room, head sideways approaching his new recruit. "No need to panic, I wasn't there for very long. And you were doing good." He suddenly threw a punch, aiming for her temple. It was neither as strong nor as fast as he could, but Scarlet would need to react quickly to block it. Should it connect she would be dazed for a few seconds. It would be a good lesson for her.

[ChelseaCutie]

As the trio came upon the five tunnels, Nathan didn't even stop. He lead them down the fourth corridor, the gleaming white one. The light sort of hurt Nathans eyes for a moment, but he adjusted quickly. "Clint, are we still on the right path?" Nathan asked as he looked over at the man beside him. He had been through these tunnels before, several times, but they were still confusing as hell. Nathan then looked back at Anya, who had surprised him. He figured she would have lagged or asked them to slow down. She was keeping up quite well, though he could tell she was hurting and out of breath.

Scarlet watched as Master stepped into the training room, approaching her. She was proud to hear him say that she was doing good. A smile broke across her lips, but it quickly disappeared as Master threw a punch at her. Scarlet responded by throwing her arm up and catching his wrist in her hand, inches from her temple. It took everything she had not to react and attack him back.

[Jiskastya]

Clint nodded shortly, eyes focused ahead. "There should be a door not to far ahead on the left. There is a passage hidden in there that will get us closer." When they reached the door, Clint threw it open. In some respects, the room looked like a forest, with small pillars and extending branches. Anya gaped for a second. This was certainly the last thing she had expected to find behind this door. Suddenly, a shadow flitted suddenly overhead, and Anya flinched.
"Ignore them," Clint advised. "They'll leave us alone so long as we don't approach the nest." He took a fer steps forward, and lifted up a section of floor near the first 'tree'.

Master gave her less than a second to start a counter, leaving a small gap in his defenses near the lowest of his ribs on the left side of his torso. When she didn't take it however, his hand twisted suddenly, locking her into his grip. He pulled shifting his weight into it, throwing her just slightly off balance, but using the movement to give momentum to his kick. His back leg came up suddenly, blindingly fast, and connected with her shoulder. During the several seconds it would take her to recover he disengaged. A smile played across his lips, and his eyes gleamed.
"Do you think you are going to hurt me?"