Page 2 of Cage
Family.It’s a common word. People say it all the time. Most of them never think twice about it. I’m not most people, though. I’ve never had anyone to call Mom or Dad. I’ve never had any siblings. The only life I know is being passed around from one foster home to another. And I still long for something, anything resembling a real family. The kind I see on TV. The ones who sit around the dinner table every night and talk or fight but stilllove each other afterward. It’s something people tend to take for granted when some of us want someone to actually love us.
I lean back and stare at the man in front of me, the weight of the world suddenly weighing me down. “So I’d be exchanging one sentence for another; only your sentence lasts forever.”
“Yes, but my sentence also gives you everything you’ve never had. Security, family, money, and the opportunity to use your abilities.”
“My abilities. There you go with that again. What does The Elite Team do exactly?”
“The short explanation is they do special operations for different organizations. It’s dark ops, meaning it’s all done in secrecy. We are who the CIA or the FBI calls when they need a problem handling that they can’t do without bringing negative attention to themselves. Most of the time, it’s all for the greater good of the world. We also take contracts with different mafia syndicates and anyone else who offers enough cash.”
That sounds like some kind of movie shit. Stuff that doesn’t actually happen in real life.
“The CIA and FBI have you do jobs for them, but you also do stuff for the mafia? So you’re a crime organization, but why would government agencies work with you, especially if they know you work with criminals?” I ask, glaring at him in disbelief.
“Believe it or not, we’re not a crime organization. We do bad things, but we have the clearance to do so. The letter agencies depend on the mafia, and the mafia depends on the agencies. All of it is meant to keep peace in the world and our country safe.”
“I’m confused. I’m only thirteen.”
Deke nods and looks down at the papers in front of him. “Yes, but on paper you’re a genius. Well beyond your years in that respect. I’ve watched you on the streets, and with training, you’d be ready to start doing missions within the next three years.”
“Wait, so I’d have to train for three years?”
“Yes. We put our guys through rigorous training. Twelve hours a day of physical, mental, and emotional conditioning, two hours of technical, an hour for each meal, and seven hours of sleep. It’s grueling but rewarding. By the time you go on your first mission, you will be a deadly trained machine able to handle any situation that could arise.”
Part of me wants to laugh, and the other part wonders if I’ve gone insane. This isn’t real. It can’t be.
“Where would I live? Would I have to kill people? Could I get killed doing these so-called missions? And what if I want to have a life of my own someday? Maybe I want a wife or kids at some point. Are you saying I couldn’t have any of that?”
“You would live in a compound, on a secure piece of land, with the young men who would become your brothers. You would train together, eat together, live together, and be a family together. As far as killing people, I think the question is, would that really sway your decision? Because the guy in the alley, who bled out from his throat, was pretty dead by the time you’d finished with him.”
My heart pounds so hard I’m afraid it might break a rib. My hand closes into a tight fist. “That piece of shit was raping a woman at knifepoint. I don’t regret killing him even if I spend the rest of my life in here. He deserved it. It’s even better that he was killed with his own fucking knife.”
Deke smiles again. He appears relaxed, but everything about him is in control. “Which is why you’d be a great asset for The Elite Team. You don’t hurt people for the sake of it. You do it because they deserve it. To answer your question, there are no rules against having a family. However, you would still be on the team, and you would still live with your brothers; your future wife and kids would live safely on the compound.”
This guy is really serious.The detention center wouldn’t have allowed him to be here if he wasn’t who he says he is.
“You’re smart enough to know if you keep living like this, you’ll be dead or in prison by the time you’re twenty-five. Statistics don’t lie. So the question you have to ask yourself is, do you want a lifetime of bouncing from place to place, prison to prison until you finally end up six feet under, or do you want to have a family while being able to help make the world a better place.”
How is it possible for someone like me to make the world a better place? Most of the time, I think it would be better if I weren’t on this earth anymore.
“You keep sayingbrothers. Are these guys already on the team?”
“Over the next six months, I’ll be recruiting agents. The Elite Team is a new unit so you would all grow together.”
I narrow my eyes. “And you? You’re on the team?”
Deke’s eyes crinkle at the corners as he lifts his mouth into a smirk. “No. I’m on The Elect Team. It’s the same format as The Elite. The Elect Team is taking a step back as we’re getting older. Once trained, The Elite Team will take over the fieldwork, but we will remain active as a resource for you guys. I would be your guardian and handler within The Agency.”
“Did you get recruited in the same way?” Now I’m curious about Deke Black.Who is he? How did he get here? How did he find me?
“I did. I was a little older than you when I was recruited. I didn’t have a family, I was pissed off at the world, and I was already committing crimes that could have put me away for a long time. I was a lot like you. Then, a man showed up at the juvenile detention center and made me an offer. The same one I’m giving you.”
“And do you regret it?”
He smiles, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Not for a second. I’d be dead by now if I’d turned him down. Either on the streets orin prison. The Agency saved my life, and I’m proud to serve for them.”
“You have a family and all that?”
“I have aLittlegirl. And my brothers. It’s all I need.”
