In the Depths of the Black Dragon Facility...     

     Deep inside the Black Dragon's facility, the same facility that had kept Desmond and Olivia hostage, a lone soldier hurriedly scurried through a hallway. He stopped before a large iron door with two guards on either side.

     "I am here with the status report," the heavy-breathing soldier gasped in English.

     The two soldiers nodded their heads and unhinged the iron door. It swung inwards with a groan and revealed a pitch-black interior lit only by candles. The soldier walked in, his heart beating fast in the presence of his master. Behind him the door closed, sending an echo through the candle-lit chamber.

     The soldier knelt and murmured, "My master, whom I pledge allegiance to, I have come with the prisoner status report."

     In the shadows, there sat a man with his back to the soldier. The master was dressed in a pitch-black robe and all that was visible to the soldier was his combed-back black hair. He breathed deeply, not turning to face his follower.

     "The prisoners..." the soldier paused, sweat dripping down his forehead, "escaped."

     The master breathed deeply, not responding to his soldier.

     "How do you wish us to proceed?" the soldier asked nervously.

     The master shifted as he stood up, and then he walked to the far corner of the room. Nervously, and still while kneeling, the soldier craned his neck to see what the master was retrieving.

     "My disciple..." the master finally spoke in a deep, unwavering tone that sent shivers through the soldier, "...when you pledged your allegiance to the Black Dragon, you swore to devote your life to it correct?"

     "Yes my master," the soldier answered.

     "You swore never to fail the Black Dragon, correct?" the master continued.

     "Yes...my master," the soldier immediately replied.

     "But," the master said in a pitying tone, "you swore, most of all, to never fail me. Is this correct?"

     "Yes my master," the soldier said.

     "Today," the master said as he turned, his features obscured by the shadows, "you have failed me."

     He held up a silver gun and fired it at the soldier's head, killing him instantly. The master took in a deep breath, feeling a wave of sorrow for his disciple.

     "It is a pity," the master murmured, watching the guards come in to take the body away. "It always pains me to lose a devoted follower; one who has sworn his life to the immortal Black Dragon. Soldier?"

     One of the soldiers carrying away the dead man stopped and stood erect, "Yes, my lord."

     "Send out the enforcements," the master replied, setting the gun on the nearby table and sitting back down. "I want these escaped prisoners to be killed. Bring their heads to me."

     "Yes, master," the soldier replied.

     The master closed his eyes and continued to meditate as if nothing had ever happened.

**

Desmond & Olivia

     "It's so cold," Olivia muttered, leaning against a pine tree. "I don't know if I can make it."

     "Olivia," Desmond answered, "for the two hours that I've known you, you seem to me like somebody who doesn't give up easily."

     The two had escaped the Black Dragon's facility and were wandering through a forest of pine trees caked in snow. Around them the scenery was beautiful; it was like it was ripped right out of an expensive painting. Desmond's breath was taken away by the beauty of nature, almost distracting him from his situation. They had descended in altitude, making it slightly warmer and a little easier to breathe, but nevertheless they still struggled onward.

     While they walked, Desmond looked down at his body and shook his head. He had gone into the facility a normal man but had come out...a monster. Even he felt a slight tinge of fear as he looked at his well-built forearms and legs. He remembered what he had done to the soldiers in the facility. Desmond remembered how he had killed...

     Desmond and Olivia continued to walk through the wilderness until she stopped. 

     "Why did you save me?" Olivia asked abruptly. "You unstrapped me from the chair and carried me out of the facility. Why did you do it?"

     Desmond paused for a moment, breathing heavily due to exertion, "I don't know...it just seemed like the right thing to do."

     "But we just met, and from your track record with women..." Olivia trailed off, brushing her hair out of her face as she stepped over a root. "It just doesn't add up."

     Desmond shook his head, "Nothing adds up right now. For awhile, I thought that I had a decent grip on reality but now..." it was Desmond's turn to trail off.

     The two walked in silence for a bit with nothing but the crunching of snow being the only sound. Desmond shivered, it really was getting cold.

     "In the cell," Desmond said, "you mentioned I had angered someone who hated America."

     "Yeah," Olivia replied, "I remember that."

     "Who is he?" asked Desmond.

     "He has no official name," explained Olivia, "but he does have many. He has a tendency to blend in with the shadows, so many refer to him simply as the 'Shadow'."

     "The Shadow?" Desmond asked. "That's kind of a daunting name."

     They walked in silence for a few more moments before Olivia decided to pry.

     "I read about your parents," she said out of nowhere. "I know how they died. I'm curious, how did that affect you?"

     Desmond stopped, "What do you mean?"

     "Well it seems like nothing matters to you," Olivia continued. "The women you sleep with, the parties you crash, the people you shut out of your life—"

     "They mattered," Desmond interrupted.

     "But how?" Olivia pried even further. "Did you go to their funeral? Did you ever even cry? Has there ever been a time...are you alright?"

     Desmond had stopped walking and was leaning against a pine tree, breathing raggedly.

     "Pierce?" Olivia asked. "What's happening?"

     Explosions, screams, dust curling in the air.

     "Hey!" Olivia raised her voice. "Are you having some kind of a moment?"

     Desmond looked through the forest and saw nothing but burning rubble.

     "Pierce?"

**

19 Years Previously

     "Get down!" a firefighter yelled, throwing himself over Desmond.

     The building in front of them completely collapsed, sending dust plumes the size of cars in every direction. Desmond's eyes and mouth were instantly clouded with dust but a breathing mask, the firefighter's breathing mask, had been thrust over his face.

     Running, screaming, yelling.

**

Present Day

     Desmond was shaking, his teeth chattering, but not because of the cold. He remembered the figure walking into the lobby of Pierce Enterprises and the tattoo snaking around his hand.

     The Black Dragon...

     "Desmond Pierce!" Olivia practically yelled.

     "SHUT UP!" Desmond screamed, continuing to shake.

     "Are you..." Olivia started, seemingly unaffected by Desmond's sudden outburst. "Are you crying?"

     Desmond slowly reached up and touched his face, feeling the glistening hot tears rolling down his cheeks.

     "My parents..." he whispered.

     "I'm...sorry," Olivia said, almost with a touch of sympathy. "I forgot that you suffer from PTSD."

     "Every time someone mentions them, or their deaths," Desmond mumbled, "I get...terrible flashbacks. They're so terrible..."

     He looked into Olivia's eyes, into the eyes of a stranger he had only just met. Desmond admitted something deeper than anything he had ever admitted to anyone since the accident. Perhaps it was because of the circumstances, or maybe it was because Desmond felt that he could trust Olivia.

     "I'm scared," Desmond admitted, more tears rolling down his face. "But most of all, I miss them."

     Desmond was dressed in a suit and tie, watching his parents get lowered into the ground.

     "Not a day goes by that I don't think about them," Desmond continued.

     Desmond was visiting their gravestones every day, leaving flowers on both of their gravestones.

     "I was sad," Desmond said.

     Desmond was seeing therapist after therapist, trying to cope with the things he saw on the day they were murdered.

     "I was guilt-ridden," Desmond added.

     Desmond was flipping the tables during one of his therapy sessions, screaming and crying at the therapist that it was all his fault.

     "I was angry," Desmond concluded.

     Desmond was standing at the top of Platinum Tower, the only place he felt safe.

     "But the question is," Desmond said as he regained his composure, "how did you know I have PTSD?"

Before Olivia could respond the tree dividing them exploded as a bullet penetrated the bark.

     "Get down!" she yelled, both of them dropping like sandbags.

     "Is it them?" Desmond asked with worry.

     "Yeah," Olivia said, "I can see their colors."

     "What?" Desmond asked.

     Olivia shook her head, "Never mind."

     They waited a moment but heard nothing.

     "I think I'll check," Desmond craned his neck but several more bullets hit the tree. "They're still there."

     "Follow my lead," Olivia commanded, crawling away.

     "What? Do you even know what your doing?!" Desmond exclaimed. "How do you know how to fight off terrorists?"

     "Since we're giving secrets here," Olivia said, peering around a tree. "I'm not a reporter."

     "Then what are you?" Desmond asked.

     "You'll see," Olivia said, raising her eyebrows.

     Desmond could only watch as she sprang to her feet and took down a soldier, barely ten feet away, with a single kick. She whirled around and smacked another upside the head, making him drop his machine gun.

     "Whoa," Desmond whispered.

     Olivia hit another and did a flip, kicking two others in the process. One more punch and the final one fell in a heap.

     "There are more coming," she said while she picked up one of their weapons. "We've got to move now!"

     Desmond sprang to his feet as Olivia tossed him a machine gun. Desmond, surprised by the fact he had been tossed a gun, dropped the weapon and jumped when it fired against a tree.

     "Now you've just alerted them to our presence," Olivia muttered, annoyed. 

     Desmond's heart started to beat quickly, "What do we do?" 

     There were shouts and Olivia furrowed her brow in thought, "Well then, retake the mentality you had when you took down all of those guards at the facility."

     "What, you mean when I was mad?" Desmond asked.

     "Yes!" Olivia answered. "Do exactly that!"

     Desmond closed his eyes and tried to summon the anger he had felt...but could not.

     "Run!" Olivia hissed, more soldiers storming down the snowy slope.

     Desmond took off right on Olivia's heels. They passed and dodged dozens of pine trees, Desmond tripping on several exposed roots, and stopped to catch their breaths when they thought they had lost the men.

     "I think we lost them," Desmond gasped, but lurched forward when a searing pain erupted in his side.

     "Pierce!" Olivia hollered as Desmond crumpled to the ground. "You're shot!"

     Desmond looked at his side and cringed when he saw blood pouring from the wound, "Aw God, come on!" he groaned.

     Olivia bent down and put Desmond's arm around her shoulder, "You idiot!" she whispered between gritted teeth, dragging him behind a tree.

     "I'm shot," Desmond mumbled, the world spinning. "I'm shot..."

     "You saved me," Olivia said, firing bullets into the forest. "So now I'm going to save you. Hang on!"

     Desmond lay on his side, the cold snow stinging his cheek and turning red as his blood seeped onto the ground. All he heard were the loud gunshots and Olivia's grunting.

     "Okay, we need to keep moving," Olivia said while she crouched next to Desmond. "Put your arm around my neck."

     Desmond did so and was painfully brought up to his feet. The two tripped their way through the forest and Olivia dropped the gun. She kept going but stopped by a tree.

     "I..." she gasped, sweat dripping down her face. "I can't..."

     Desmond looked at her and felt remorse: she would die because he was being a burden. He dropped his arm and crumpled at the base of a tree.

     "Go..." Desmond whispered, the colors around him growing brighter. "Go on."

      "But..." Olivia protested.

     Desmond rolled onto his back and stared up into the sky. He heard the shouts and the screams of the terrorist men coming closer, but he did not care. There was a feeling of peacefulness spreading through him like a warm blanket, making the problems of getting killed by soldiers a distant memory. Everything seemed to be getting farther away as Desmond drifted toward, what felt like, a deep sleep. The sleep made his eyes droop and the reality around him slowed. He also must have been experiencing hallucinations because a hooded man appeared to be grabbing at him and slinging him over his shoulders. Desmond faintly saw the trees passing by as he lost consciousness...

**

In the Depths of the Black Dragon Facility...

     There was a gunshot and a soldier fell to the ground. Other soldiers ran around their fallen comrade and dragged him away. As requested, one stayed and knelt on one knee.

     "I am saddened by the fact that none of my disciples can uphold their promise to the Black Dragon," the master said in a menacing tone that echoed throughout the chamber. "Perhaps you can redeem my perception soldier. As it appears that these prisoners have escaped, let us be comforted by the fact that they will die in the harsh weather of the mountains. Do you agree with my opinion?"

     "Yes my lord," the soldier said, kneeling.

     "But," the master continued, "we are not an organization based on probabilities. In the case that our prisoners do survive the climate, I want a squadron of my disciples out on maneuvers checking every corner and crevice of our region, looking for their bodies. Tell them not to rest until their heads are brought to me."

     "Yes, my master," the soldier answered.

     "Thank you," the master said. "You are dismissed."

     The soldier left and the master relaxed. It would only be a matter of time before Desmond Pierce was killed, ridding the world of his presence.

     "Soldier," he called. "Bring me the late Dr. Harrison's assistant."

     A man was brought forward dressed in a doctor's uniform. The surgical mask he wore obscured most of his face, making it hard to distinguish any characteristics.

     "Yes, my lord," the doctor said as he knelt.

     "I understand that the trials on Mr. Pierce were successful," the master explained. "Has Project Bellator been a success?"

     The assistant nodded, "It was sir, it was how Mr. Pierce was able to escape."

     The master smiled, "Then everything is going perfectly."

     "With your permission," the assistant said nervously, "I can administer them to your...er...disciples. However, it will take much time to manufacture enough to administer to everyone. Perhaps," the doctor paused in fear. "It may take as much as four months to stabilize, manufacture, and administer the treatment to all of your followers."

     The master sat back and nodded his head, "I will give you anything you need doctor. Anything you need to make the Black Dragon invincible will be yours. You are dismissed."

     The doctor was lead out, feeling much relief that he would have ample time to administer the serum, and another soldier was brought in. He displayed a look of unease as he knelt before his master.

     "What is it you come for?" the master asked, his features obscured by an overcasting shadow.

     "I thought it appropriate to give you an update on...the artifact," the soldier said.

     His master sat forward, "Tell me."

     "So far, the expedition has turned up nothing," the soldier responded. "But, in this hour of uncertainty, there is hope."

     "Hope?" the master questioned. "Hope is a dangerous thing soldier. It is a kindle to a much larger flame, and one that does not always burn."

     "Yes, my lord," the soldier said. "The expedition has found what appears to be ruins, dedicated to worshiping several deities."

     "Gods..." the master repeated, the word resting on his lips. "It can certainly mean only one thing."

     "Yes," the soldier replied.

     "A new age is dawning, my disciple," the master echoed. "It will be an age of...revelation."

     "I am sure my lord," the soldier said.

     "You are dismissed," the master said, sitting back.

     "Thank you, my lord," and the soldier left, hurrying away from the black void that was his master.