January 7th, 2005
Alan woke up to a dull ache in his head, pounding in his skull. He felt like he'd been hit by a truck. All of his muscles were sore. The last thing he remembered was… Getting punched in the chest. A punch did that? He thought, before realizing something else. It was quiet. Completely silent. None of the shadows were there, and Alan didn't even feel their presence in the back of his head. He blinked, taking in his surroundings. A dim light buzzed above him, and the walls were made of solid concrete. A musty scent was present, and Alan came to the conclusion that this was a basement. He was laying on an old couch, stains scattered across the beige fabric, with a strong smell of cigarettes coming from the cushions. He started to sit up, and his whole body ached. His shoulder still hurt from that bullet, and his back felt… wrong. Like something was loose somehow. "Look who's finally awake," a voice said from across the room. The man from the alley was leaning back in an armchair, smoking. He was wearing a clean white dress shirt, loosely hanging over his frame. He was skinny, and definitely did not look strong enough to punch a man through a wall, much less five of them. He was still wearing those black sunglasses, despite how dark the basement was.
Alan stared at him for a second, and then a smirk formed on his face. "You always wear those indoors?" Solis laughed, putting out the cigarette. "You always wake up cranky?" "Not always," Alan said, swinging his legs off of the couch. "But being thrown through a wall or two tends to sour my mood a bit." He took a deep breath. "Where am I?" Solis leaned forward, pouring himself a glass of whiskey from a bottle on the table between them. "An Association facility," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "So this is… what. A holding room?" Alan looked around again, searching for exits. Solis noticed, and smiled as he picked up his glass of whiskey. "Something like that. You have two choices here, and only two. There's no getting out of this." Alan narrowed his eyes. "And what might those be?" Solis clasped his hands together. "You can join the Association. You'll train under me, and learn to control your power." He took a sip of his drink, and lowered his voice. "Or… I can kill you right now. Those are your options." Alan let out a short laugh, and winced at the pain in his ribs. "Well, that's a bit harsh." He said, trying to keep his cool. "You think so?" Solis said, and he pushed his sunglasses down, locking eyes with Alan. "You're responsible for the deaths of at least eight people. You're clearly too dangerous to be imprisoned, considering the amount of trouble you gave my other students. Even if we let you go, you'd be a wanted man, facing the death penalty or life in prison." Alan looked down, and spoke quietly. "Why am I being offered a choice in this? If I'm guilty, why are you giving me a way out?" Solis leaned back, staring at the ceiling. "Well, you've got a lot of potential. I believe that with proper training, you could be quite the force of nature, maybe even as powerful as I am." He took another sip from the glass, and then set it down. "That, and it'd be nice to have a sparring partner that can keep up." Alan smiled again, and leaned back on the couch. "Wow, you're humble too," He said sarcastically, before taking a deep breath. "Alright, say I do join you. What happens then? What do I have to do?" Solis's grin widened, and he pushed his shades back up, covering his eyes. "Now we're talking!" he said, clearly relieved. "Trained agents go out on assignments, from patrolling, which is what the Astors were doing earlier today, to specific high-stakes missions. The Association is a government organization, and we are, unfortunately, bound to the whims of our great leader, Marcus Soren." Alan looked up, eyes wide. "Awfully brave, talking about the Supreme Regent with that kind of tone," he said, surprised. "That's the great thing about this job, Alan. You get strong enough, you can get away with anything. I was explicitly ordered to execute you, not recruit you. But here we are!" Solis said, stretching. He stood up, and looked down at Alan. "So what'll it be?" He stuck out his hand. Alan stood up, and flexed, cracking his sore back. He reluctantly shook Solis's hand, and smiled. "Fine. I'm in."
In the elevator, Alan finally asked Solis the question that'd been weighing on his mind since the alley. "What are those shadows, really? I've seen them all my life, and no one's ever noticed them before." Solis, who was leaning against the side of the elevator with his arms crossed, looked over at Alan. "Demons. They're innately evil creatures, drawn to your Flux." Alan scoffed. "Demons? Really? You really expect me to believe that?" Solis shrugged, and looked up. "It doesn't really matter to me if you believe it, it's the truth. Without Flux, they're stuck as incorporeal beings, like ghosts." Alan's eyes narrowed. "And this 'Flux'... I have a lot of it?" "That's an understatement," Solis laughed. "You've got a record-breaking amount. Those demons flocked to you in droves, desperate for a taste of even a fraction of your power." Alan looked around, and was reminded of the silence in his head. "Where are they? It's been quiet since I woke up." Solis smirked, and he cracked his knuckles. "They're terrified of me. It's because I'm such a badass." Alan rolled his eyes, obviously not buying it. "For real though, I have a bit of a bad reputation among the demons. I may have manipulated a few contracts, and cheated some very powerful entities out of what they were owed. They tend to stay a healthy distance from me at all times." The elevator door opened, and he stepped out. "Not that I'm complaining or anything, they're really annoying." He added. Alan followed him, stepping into the white light of the hallway. "You're telling me."
The hallway was bright, illuminated by pure white fluorescent lights. The air was clean. Not fresh, but leagues better than the suffocating air of the basement. There were windows all the way down the hall, and more light flooded through. Alan peered through the nearest one, and was greeted with the sight of a large courtyard, with people in loose clothing sparring. They mostly had staves, with a few using bladed weapons. There was a faint red glow around them, one that felt all too familiar. As they kept walking, Solis and Alan reached a wide corridor that opened into a larger room. Ahead, Alan saw Devon and Avery waiting near a set of double doors. Devon's posture was stiff and controlled, but he flinched when he saw Alan down the hall. Avery looked tired, and she was leaning against her staff. As they approached, Devon crossed his arms. "He's alive?" Solis waved a hand. "Obviously." Avery's eyes snapped to Alan. She hadn't noticed him before, lost in thought. Instinctively, her staff began to hum, and she stood a bit straighter. Alan stopped a few feet away, his hands in his pockets. Devon spoke again, his voice low. "Solis, weren't you supposed to kill him?" Solis grinned, and looked at him with amusement. "Changed my mind. Meet your new teammate, Alan Prince!" Devon's eyes went wide. "Wait, Sol, you can't expect us to-" Solis cut him off. "Yeah, I do. You're gonna be working with him from now on, so you'd better get used to it." Devon's mouth snapped shut, and he looked away. Avery stepped forward, and put her hand out for a handshake. "I'm Avery, though I'm sure you already figured that out." Alan shook her hand, and he looked down with regret. "I… Yeah, about that." Devon turned to look at him, eyes narrowed. "Go on." Alan exhaled. "Sorry for… trying to kill you guys. I'm not a big fan of being arrested, and I might have overreacted a little." Avery snorted. "No kidding." Alan shifted his weight, uncomfortable. "So… Yeah. Sorry." A half smile formed on Avery's lips. "That's it?" Alan gave her a flat stare. "Did you want flowers?" She laughed, and seemed to relax a bit. "No. Well… Maybe." Devon didn't smile, but something in his face eased. "That's a start." Solis started to walk past them, and down the hall. "Look at that, you're already friends! You guys should get acquainted, give him the tour or something." He swore under his breath, and turned around. "I gotta go bargain with the Director again, and make sure no one tries to kill our new recruit."