There was darkness.

Jason jolted upright, gasping. Pain ebbed along his entire body. Apparently, he had survived the twenty-story fall... somehow. He winced and grimaced as he could feel the pain on his arm returning. Dark blood still seeped from his wound, his leather jacket dirtied and partly ripped in the area he had been cut. If it had not been for the jacket, he probably would've been cut even deeper by his opponent. As if he had been hit with divine revelation, he quickly turned to look for his attacker. Jason did not have to look too far, for there the man lay a few yards away. Jason nearly gagged.

He was tattered and bloodied, but that wasn't the defining feature that caused Jason the most discomfort. His entire lower jaw was missing, with nothing more than a bloody mass of a lower face.

I did this.

Instead of rejoicing that he had won, Jason felt a pang of horror in the place of victory. He inflicted this much pain on another person. Regardless of his feeling toward how this man, Plague, attempted to kill him... Jason had mauled another being beyond the point of recognition. It made his stomach churn.

The pavement felt cold beneath him, as he noticed for the first time the buildings that surrounded him. Vehicles shot passed on the road nearby. Jason noticed the chill of the night as a breeze swept passed him. The light from the buildings barely touched this side of the street, and Jason noticed for the first time, that there were bystanders that stood nearby.

It then dawned on Jason that he had been sitting for thirty seconds while people stood around, gaping at the sight before them. A group of women stood with their mouths open, while a father and his child stood stunned at the horror of Plague's face. The child cried, as more people gasped and gathered.

Jason did his best to stand on his feet. He felt weak, and extremely sore. He figured that while Plague broke his fall, there was still nothing he could do to stop the pain. I guess I'm more durable than I thought. That fall alone could've killed someone. He needed to get out of there. There were too many witnesses, and Jason couldn't afford to have one of the citizens call the authorities. Jason nearly collapsed to the ground had it not been for his arm to prop him up as he knelt on one knee. A gargled, choking sound emitted directly from Jason's right. Some of the people that stood gawking screamed. Jason spun around just in time to glimpse Plague's broken body lunging at him... with nanobots covering his form. Where his mouth should have been, sickly toothed mandibles of nanobots opened and emitted a gargled screeching sound.

Jason cursed. With adrenaline surging through his system, Jason tried to make a run for it. Each step felt as if it was his last, for as he turned, he saw a, now, animalistic version of Plague leaping at him while on all fours. The nanobots propelled his movements and created a visage of a deranged creature of rage. With Jason's weakened state, he collapsed onto the ground with the enraged Plague leaping upon him. Even with his strength, Jason couldn't throw Plague off him. Plague's four-pronged mandibles snapped. Blood spilled from his mouth, as he strove to bite Jason's head off. Jason grunted and squirmed. He was using every ounce of strength he had left to keep Plague from decapitating him.

There was an explosion to Jason's left, followed by the sounds of gun shots. Plague launched himself off Jason and scurried, narrowly avoiding a barrage of machine-gun fire. Jason just managed to see a cargo truck tearing down the road, with a man in the passenger seat shooting at a, now, retreating Plague. The gunner's fire suppressed Plague from nearing Jason, as the truck sped to an abrupt stop. Plague screamed one last time, before disappearing behind an alley. Jason would never forget the final glare that Plague gave him, before fleeing. The poison, that poured through those eyes, gave Jason enough reason to shudder as he watched him disappear into the night.

"Get in!" Jason snapped to, when he heard a filtered voice call for him to get into the truck. The trailer's doors slid opened as two armed men briskly walked down the trailer's ramp, their guns searching for any more targets. A third man stood in the trailer. He was wearing advanced armor, nothing that Jason had seen prior. A helmet concealed his face, but Jason could tell by his posture that he had a commanding aura about him. "I'm not going to tell you again. Get. In."

Jason's body finally caught up to his mind and he moved toward the vehicle. After ascending the ramp, Jason could hear the two men coming up behind him as the vehicle's doors slid shut. The interior of trailer was surprisingly spacious with assorted computer consoles lining the walls. The armored man stood in the middle of room, his arms crossed. As the vehicle lurched forward, Jason noticed for the first time the man sitting at the center console. He appeared to be in his mid-forties, with well-kept, silver hair. The mobile earpiece resembled the same one that Jason possessed. As the man spoke, there was a sense of familiarity to it, minus the digitized effect.

"Hello, Jason. I've been looking forward to meeting you... in person."

Feedback.

For nearly ten minutes, silence permeated through the vehicle's interior, the exception being Feedback's subordinates hovering busily at their consoles. Apparently, the authorities weren't too far behind. Luckily for them, Feedback had said that the cargo truck was designed blend in to the local traffic. Because they had left the hotel scene quickly, the witnesses weren't able to notify the authorities in time to stop them. Or so Jason hoped.

He had been offered a chair along with some refreshments... it was some sort of beverage that he had never tried before. It was slightly tangy, but refreshing nonetheless. Aside from the flaring of the large computer screens surrounding the interior, there were no visible windows that Jason could see. He guessed that this was a mobile command center of some kind. Jason couldn't keep his mind off Feedback's eyes boring into him. The man had been looking at him for a good hour without speaking. Talk about first impressions.

At last, Feedback finally spoke. "Your arm, let me see it."

Jason had forgotten about his arm's laceration. The bleeding had stopped, but there was a nasty, blackened wound left by one of Plague's knives. He held out his arm, just as Feedback had instructed. Feedback didn't even get out of his seat, as he made a waving motion with his hand. It glowed a fluorescent blue as energy emanated toward Jason. All Jason could do is stare in bewilderment as he watched the energy swirl around his arm. His wound began to seal itself closed, along with his jacket's sleeve following suit. In less than a few seconds, there was no evidence that a wound had been inflicted in the first place.

"You're a— "

"Deltarian, yes. However, my particular skill-set is of little relevance at the moment. I'm sure you have questions," He sat back in his seat while putting his hand under his chin. "But before you ask anything, I want to shed some light on... 'questionable' reasoning on our part. After we rescued you from one of Continuum's labs, we put you in that hotel. The whole thing was a setup. We knew that Continuum would come for you if we left a trail of bread crumbs for them to follow, which they did. Rest assure that we had everything under control. If anything would have gone wrong, we would have intervened."

"But why?" Jason cut in. "Why go through all that trouble to get me out in the first place if you were just going to put me in harm's way again?"

"I wanted confirmation that you could do what Continuum believed you could do. Your abilities far surpassed any expectations that I had prior. You passed the test."

"Great... what do I get?" Sarcasm oozed from Jason's mouth as he spoke.

Feedback blankly stared for a brief second, then erupted into laughter. "I see that fight didn't take your humor away. Speaking of which, you did remarkably well. Plague just wishes he could actually fight. He was always weak for relying solely on nanobots. In addition, he's a pansy."

Jason set his glass down and crossed his arms. "Now, my turn," he was attempting to not let his impatience show, but it was futile in the presence of Feedback. "What is Continuum, and how did I end up in one of their labs?"

Feedback leaned forward in his chair. "Son, let me tell you something. You have not experienced true hell until you've faced a Continuum delterian in combat. Plague is just a mere whisper compared to one of them." Feedback placed his hands together has he continued. "Years ago, a number of deltarians rebelled against DACTIC. They broke off from the company's task force, known as BLADE. No one really knows how extensive the revolt was, but the rogue deltarians managed to deal a severe blow to DACITC. For years there has been unrest. Splinter factions of deltarians, being created illegally, have spread across Elaria. Where there is conflict, Continuum is always there to take the blame. They're nothing but terrorists."

Feedback paused at this point, apparently expecting a response from Jason.

"And?"

"As far as you're concerned, we don't know how you got into one of their laboratories. We found you in a stasis pod of some kind. There were other pods like yours around, with nothing but corpses inside. Most likely other failed "experiments". Continuum was working with dark choetsu, and you were the only successful candidate... that we could initially tell, anyway."

Jason let out a small breath. This wasn't making any sense. "Feedback, I don't even remember who I was before the lab. Could you find any records of my past life?"

Feedback's face grew stern. "No, Jason. Aside from charts describing your potential capabilities, there was nothing we could find about your past life, not even the procedures that you underwent in that place. The only thing personal we found in your file was the name, Jason."

Jason could feel his jaw clenching. So, it was true. These people had taken everything from him. Everything except his name. Suddenly he grew curious. "Why were you so interested in me? What was the reason you took me out of that place?"

"Well," Feedback almost chuckled roughly. "Aside from the fact that I would be stealing something precious from my adversary, I was genuinely curious to see what you were capable of. Continuum is a threat to both my organization and my cliental. Sabotaging their efforts to make a dark choetsu-based deltarian is in my best interest. Trust me... if dark choetsu was a common variant, then I wouldn't have bothered in the first place."

"Dark choetsu?"

Feedback clasped his hands together. "Choetsu is the substance that gives us deltarians our powers. Most deltarians use a more common variant of the element. Dark choetsu is rare, and its users haven't been seen since the old wars." Feedback smile. "I don't know how Continuum got a hold on that substance, but as of now you're among one of the most powerful deltarians... theoretically speaking of course. You have so much potential with your abilities to command the darkness."

"So, what do you want from me?" Jason inquired. "Let's not beat around the bush here... you probably want me to work for you now because of my 'unique' traits?"

"In a way, yes," Feedback stood up from his chair abruptly. "But no, Jason, unlike Continuum I would give you the choice." The tremors from the vehicle slowly began to stop, as Jason could feel the truck's momentum slow. The trailer doors slid open revealing the light from the rising sun. It nearly blinded Jason, as he turned his head to peer at the opening. Feedback stood by the door, as the truck came to a complete stop. "Stand with me." Jason did as he was told, as he stood next to Feedback to watch the sunrise.

They were on a suspended highway, far above the ground below. The city of Direx loomed in the background now, distant but still ever present with the sun shining from behind. "We're nearly 5 minutes away from a mag-tram, which will take you to the next nearest city. You'll be safe from Continuum there. Their forces are less present there."

Jason turned to Feedback. "Why are you telling me this?"

Because, Jason, I'm giving you the choice." Feedback's head turned to face Jason's. "Get out of this trailer right now, and you have the opportunity to start your new life. We've checked the DACTIC database, and there is no trace that you ever existed. You have no need for new identity, which is a good start to a new life."

"And what's my alternative?"

"Join me and my organization, Absolution. With my help, I can help you learn to control your powers, and help you find yourself. Together, we can take down Continuum, and uncover the truth behind your past." He put his hand on Jason's shoulder. Even though he was older, he was slightly taller than the dark deltarian. "Joining Absolution is the key to your future."

Up until this point. Jason had been at cross-roads. Would he be willing to serve another? There were no other viable options. Starting a new life was useless, if he didn't know where to begin. And if he was going to learn how to control his new powers, he would need guidance. Feedback seemed to be a powerful deltarian himself. I need to learn from the best. When I am ready, I will track down the people that stole my old life, and bring them to justice.

His path was made clear.

"I accept your proposal to join you. When do we start?"

Despite his professional demeanor, Feedback couldn't help but devilishly smile. "Now."

_________________________________________

Hope you guys enjoyed! Be sure to vote and leave a comment if you haven't already!! :D