Prologue

The dark and happy star strewn skies of London, England did not reflect the horrific scenes below. Flashing lights of red and blue were scattered throughout the city and from overhead, smoke hovering over a large fire could be seen. The city seemed to be in distress mode; sirens going off, police cars on the move, helicopters patrolling the city shining their lights and people screaming and running.
One section of the city however seemed to be perfectly fine, whether no one cared to check why or because it was meant to be so. No fire touched this spot and no sirens sounded through it, no spotlights and no distressed citizens. However, two figures moved silkily through the crevices of this particular section with ease and silence. No noise was passed between the two, and the only thing that could be heard were the sirens in the distance and splashes from the puddles they happened to step in. They apparently reached their destination for they stopped and looked at each other. No words passed between them as they paused. One of the figures -the slightly taller one- bent down and picked up a shabby lid cover to an old sewer system. They both climbed in just as smooth as they moved before, no sounds spared.
"Ugh! It smells awful in here!" the shorter figure said after dropping into a puddle.
"Shut up Daniel!" the taller figure spun around and took off his hood and mouth covering, "you just cost us the mission, when we get back to HQ you're taking full blame for this!"
"Oh, I didn't know we were using names here, Scarecrow specifically said only code names..." the figure called Daniel said, his voice trailing off.
"I don't give a damn!" the other yelled his voice now rebounding off of the sewer walls and carrying down the system, "you wrecked everything! You nearly killed that woman with the fire!"
"Relax, shes okay, I made sure her baby was safe too." Daniel said, now taking off his shawl too to reveal short dirty blond and spiky hair.
"I'll make sure Scarecrow kicks you out! You have my word!"
"C'mon Tom, it didn't go that badly, we still got what we came for. " Daniel said a tinge of fear in his voice.
"We were seen Dan! And that's your fault!"
"I'm sorry mate..."
The figure named Tom walked away shaking his long jet black and curly hair, and throwing up his arms out of obvious annoyance leaving Daniel to follow in his wake.

The Runaways

"C'mon dad... Do I really have to go with you to work today, it's Saturday." Alfred Doel said as rain skidded across his window.
"Yes, you do, your mother says she doesn't want to leave you at home alone after that party you threw last week. Personally I don't care, but you know how she gets."
"I understand that, it's just you have the most boring job, dad, really a police officer."
"I'm a detective Al. Not an officer. And besides its not going to be boring today, you saw the news yesterday, right."
"You know I didn't..." Alfred said his head slumping onto the window.
They were driving in a black Buick down a rainy street in the middle of downtown London. The scene outside only expressed Alfred's attitude: gloomy and depressed. Going to work with his father was the last thing he wanted to do on his weekend off. He'd rather be at his friend's house playing Xbox, but because of his latest blunder he was sent off to do boring paperwork. His mother was the best torturer Alfred knew. But something sparked his interest, his father asked him if he saw the news, that must mean something big happened.
"Dad, you said something about the news?" Alfred said now looking out the windshield.
"Oho! You just wait, I won't be so boring in..." he looked at his watch, "two minutes!"
"But, if you tell me now, maybe you won't be so bo-"
There was a loud screech and a quick jerk and Alfred was cut off before he could finish his sentence.
"Almost missed our street." Alfred's father said with a smirk.
Alfred's heart skipped a beat and his breathing was shallow the whole rest of the way.
"This is it. " the car came to a slow halt, much to Alfred's agreement as his breath slowed.
There were two car door slams and then the two were jostling and bustling along with the other workers trying to get into the Police building. There was a large quo of angry people at the bottom of the Police HQ; all wearing raincoats. They seemed to have been standing there for a while, some were holding signs and others were chanting not so clever limericks.
"Bunch o' nutters." Alfred's dad muttered under his breath as they briskly walked passed the mob.
A woman with her hands above her head evidently trying to shield herself from the rain rushed passed them and wildly stepped into a puddle splashing Alfred's shoes.
They were now with the working quo who were all ushering up the steps and under the threshold of the Police Department and into the cozy insides of the building. Alfred was just saying to his father that he was sixteen and didn't need to be coddled like a child, and that he shouldn't be here when they passed the threshold and walked into the building. A man was standing on the far side of the lobby close to an elevator and as soon as he saw them he jerked upright and made his way swiftly toward them.
"Been waitin' Barry," he said solemnly, "And- oh! Hello, who's this?" he added when he saw Alfred.
"This is Al, he'll be sticking with me today," Barry said.
"Yes, well, anyways," he was very finicky, fidgeting with his fingers, "we've made some headway on the case, or we think, we could really use you."
"Talk to me on our way up," Barry said smoothly walking over to the elevator.
Alfred really did not want to do this, going up the elevator would seal his whole day to be at the Police Station.
There was a small "bing" noise and the elevator doors creaked open, Alfred his father and the fidgety man walked in along with more workers.
"It's seems that the crime may or may not have been committed by children," the man said, he looked at Alfred and added, "maybe the same age as your son here. "
Barry not looking at him said, "well that really narrows it down, how many sixteen year old kids are there in London?"
"I'm only a messenger Barry," he was fidgeting even more now.
"What else do you have for me?" Barry said still not looking at him.
"Well, we still don't know what they took."
"Are you kidding me?" Barry said now looking at him, his eyebrows arched, "it's a museum, how hard could it be to notice something's missing?"
"T-that's just it, nothing is missing, everything is intact, nothing's gone."
"Well, do we have any tapes of the heist? Any footage of the place?"
"Yes, and all they showed were two kids lurking through the museum, we only got one shot of them." the man said now following Alfred and his father out of the elevator as the doors opened.
They were passing cubicles occupied by other men and women who were going through papers and researching on computers.
"What were they wearing?" Alfred's dad asked.
The man didn't say anything at first.
"Any time now, Hugo." Barry said impatiently.
"I don't exactly know what to call them, they looked like robes." Hugo said now biting his index finger's nail.
"You call them robes, Hugo... That's odd though, two kids wearing robes lurking around in a museum in the dead of night. Were they male or female?" Barry said stopping at his cubicle.
"They both appeared male..." Hugo said hesitantly.
"Appeared?" Barry said turning toward Hugo.
"Well, its as I said, we only got one shot of them and they were completely shrouded in robes."
Barry was quiet for awhile sitting at his desk, Alfred took a seat next to him.
Alfred was very keen on listening to more, but it seemed his father had his fill.
"Thank you Hugo. Tell the team we will meet tomorrow and discuss."
Hugo took his leave very quickly. Alfred looked at his father who looked deep in thought. He stayed like that for another ten minutes occasionally scribbling notes on a loose sheet of paper, leaving Alfred to resort to playing with a pen.
"You're lucky!" Alfred's father said abruptly.
"Why's that?" Alfred said perking his head up.
"Because, we, are going out onto the field today!" he said getting up.
"What does that mean?" Alfred got up too.
"It means we're going to investigate. Could you take that with you," Barry said pointing at a pen and a notepad
"Umm... Sure, but why-"
"Because, you're taking notes."
The rain splattered the umbrella above Alfred's head so hard he thought it might break through. The notepad in his hand was completely empty even though they had been at this for two hours. Barry was kneeling on the soaked street that was boarded of by yellow caution tape. He was investigating every little thing it felt like. Alfred was beginning to get tired of this an hour ago, they made no headway and nothing was solved. Barry kept muttering under his breath, "these kids really knew what they were doing...". Alfred dared not speak lest he break his father's concentration and he'd have to begin all over again.
The buildings near them consisted of apartments and local businesses and they were all very tall. Alfred looked up at one particular building who's height was matched by the one next to it. Something shifted at the top of the building. At first Alfred thought its was a bird, but then it stood up and ran off. Alfred jumped. How could he get scared by something that far away, he thought to himself.
He looked back at his father, he was still looking at useless rubbish.
"Dad, I'm gonna go check out over here."
"Okay, don't go too far."
Alfred began to walk in the direction that the figure ran in. He was eventually led to a dead end street with "for sale" buildings. They must have been on sale for a long time Alfred thought. They looked shabby, and worn, like they hadn't been used for years. A musty, danky smell ran under Alfred's nose. And then he saw it. A lid covering to a sewer was askew, anyone else would have thought this normal, but because Alfred lived with a detective everyday he knew not to jump to normalcy, but to expect the unexpected.
He moved toward the sewer and saw that it was more than askew, but thrown to the side. He looked inside and saw that there was a ledge wide enough to walk comfortably without falling into sewage.
Knowing he was going to regret the smell later he jumped in. The coattails of his father's old trench coat landing last. The ledge was slippery, there seemed to be a film of dirty sewage on the top as well as the bottom of his shoes. Wishing he had a flashlight he made a movement to go deeper into the sewer system. He was approaching a right hand turn when he started to hear voices. They were a little farther ahead than he was. Alfred didn't feel scared at all, on the contrary he felt adventurous, almost like he wanted to get caught. Despite his sudden feelings he kept behind the voices, careful not to be found.
"So what did you see out there?" a deep cool voice said.
"Nothing, just a man snooping around, he has no idea, just like the others. Oh, but his assistant might have seen me." another voice said, this one more relaxed.
"You were seen?" the deep voice became louder, deeper.
"Relax, he probably just thought I was a bird or something..."
"I swear, you are the worst student, I'm surprised Scarecrow hasn't kicked you out yet, especially after your latest blunder." the deep voice went back to being cool, but a little snide.
"Your just mad." the other voice said, then laughed.
What were these two talking about? Perhaps about the heist? Had Alfred just found the culprits?
"When is Scarecrow coming back anyway?"
There was that word again. What did it mean, was it a code name? If so, what for? Alfred was falling dangerously behind while trying to deduce what was happening. He walked a little faster so as to try and catch up.
"Hey, what was that?" the deep voice said.
Alfred could tell they both came to a halt and stopped himself, behind a corner. His heart was beating faster now, he was silently taking back his former feelings about being caught.
"Perhaps the assistant you spoke of." the voice said again.
"I told you, he didn't know I was a person, just a bird."
"Hmmm... I think you're right. Let's go."
He heard more footsteps which must have meant they were on the move again, so Alfred silently crept out from his hiding spot, and turned around the corner. There was a loud "whack" noise and Alfred felt himself hit the floor of the sewer tunnel.
He woke up still on the sewer floor. From where he was positioned he could see two pairs of feet. He tried getting up and felt a shoe stand on his back repelling him back to the ground. He heard words that he couldn't make out, and looked up to see two shrouded figures. The one with his foot on his back spoke first.
"How did you find us?" his voice was deep, his words still sounded muffled but Alfred could make them out this time.
"Well, answer him," another voice said more forcefully than the last.
The figures were shrouded in black cloaks, with shawls over their faces. One of the figures was very tall while the other looked as tall as himself.
"I don't know what you mean..." Alfred said unsure that this answer would suffice.
"Don't play stupid, you followed us," the smaller of the two said.
There was a pause, no one said anything, the taller figure whispered something to his companion and in a split second Alfred was brought to his feet. Standing he could now clearly see the situation. He was outnumbered two to one, and there didn't seem to be any way out of this. The end of the sewer system was nowhere to be found.
"You're coming with us," the one closest to him said.
"Where?" Alfred asked dumbly.
"Shut up!"
And with that he was dragged off, deeper into the sewer. The smell of the place was getting worse the farther they walked. The ledge they were following was now concrete, but it still harbored a great amount of sewage film upon it. Alfred's mother would never allow him to walk in his house again. No one spoke, the two figures kept exchanging glances and nods with each other and they were constantly looking back at Alfred, who followed. He wondered what they would do if he turned around and tried to escape, tried to return to his father and tell him about the figures in the sewer. He wouldn't believe him anyways.
The smell vanished, their was no longer rotting fumes wafting under his nose. The concrete floor didn't have any dirt on it anymore either. The sewer led them into a clearing where stood a giant door that went from floor to ceiling and wall to wall. In the middle of it was placed a valve, which Alfred guessed opened it. The taller figure grabbed hold of the valve and began turning it, creaking noises erupting every time he gave it a good spin. He must have spun it to its extent for he looked at the door and found a bar. He pushed hard on the bar and the door slowly opened, scraping against the concrete and making a horrible screeching noise. The smaller cloaked person pushed Alfred through the doorway and into a blackened room.
Nothing could be seen in the room. Alfred extended his arms trying to grope or feel around for something in front of him. His eyes were now becoming accumstumed to the darkness, but even that didn't help. He couldn't even see his feet, or his own hand in front of his face. And then he screamed. What felt like a fist, drove hard into his stomach, causing him to double over. He now stood on his knees, clutching his belly, as though that would make the pain stop. A hand wrapped around the back of his father's trench coat and brought his head up.
As though a blindfold had been lifted from his face the room became visible. Lights on the ceiling were now shining bright, hurting his eyes, making them water. The room had many pillars giving the effect that it was large, it had many drapes with symbols on them that Alfred couldn't quite make out. Many other cloaked figures stood in his wake as well as in front of him, they were circled wide around him. He doubled over again, still clutching his front. The hand on his collar swiftly took the back of his head grabbing a handful of hair, and brought his head up once more, making Alfred howl with pain again. Something stirred in front of him. A man sat in a chair at the top of a set of carpeted stairs. He sat with one leg crossed over the other, his hand loosely on his chin and a sinister smile upon his face. His hair was clean, long, and dark gray. With a flick of his hand the person abusing Alfred released his grip. A deep sigh of relief escaped Alfred, and he tried to stand up. Another flick of the man in the chair's hand and Alfred was kicked back to his knees by the person standing behind him.
"I want you on your knees before I kill you," the man in the chair said.
Alfred couldn't respond, he couldn't find the words, he was scared and in shock. This man was going to kill him?
"Sir," another voice said from behind him and his aggressor, "perhaps we shouldn't kill him, Scarecrow wouldn't want another death on these grounds," it was girl's voice, it spoke calmly and smoothly.
"Are you suggesting that we let him go? So that he can run back to the city and give away our location? Do you think Scarecrow would want that?" the man at the top of the staircase left his chair.
"No, sir," her voice did not falter, "I only suggest, we don't kill him. We should find something else for him."
"You suggest what, then?"
She did not answer him, another smile crossed the man's face and he sat back down.
"Perhaps... Scarecrow himself should decide his fate," the girl said as the man took his seat.
His smile was gone, and his hand swung to his chin, giving the impression he was thinking.
"Why give him to Scarecrow, when I can just kill him myself, and be done with this?" he said after a moment.
"You wouldn't," the girl said quickly, her voice rising, "we all know you never would."
"You dare test me!" the man said at once, standing up and walking down the stairs.
The girl walked in front of Alfred, meeting the man halfway and matching his fiery eyes. They stood for a minute locked at the eyes, neither one making a move.
A door to Alfred's far left opened, and a man cloaked in red came striding into the room, followed by a dark haired girl. He strode into the middle of the circle and looked first at the two having a staring contest and then to helpless Alfred.
"What is going on here?!" the man in red bellowed, anger in his tone.
The two pairs of eyes slowly looked at the intruder, and the girl jumped and covered her mouth.
"Scarecrow," the man in black whispered.
"What is going on in here?" Scarecrow repeated, "who is this boy?"
"We do not know, he was following Deca and Iliad, and they caught him." black said.
"Who are you boy?" Scarecrow said looking down at Alfred.
"Alfred Doel," Alfred said hesitantly, "please don't kill me!"
"Kill you? Dear no!" Scarecrow gave a little chuckle, "that's not what we're about!"
This heartened Alfred up a bit, although all his hope was shunted when he saw the look that the man cloaked in black gave him. He bowed his head, although no hand came to inflict pain on him again. What was his father doing? Was he worried? Or was he burying his head in his work, and hasn't even noticed Alfred was gone.
"Then what do we do with him, sir?" the girl in front of Alfred said.
Scarecrow looked at him, deep in thought. It was some time before he answered her, he kept nodding and shaking his head, and occasionally grunting. He finally crossed his arms and nodded firmly.
"I say, we keep him around, I daresay we need the extra hands around here, especially after what happened last night," he looked over to two figures standing side by side who oddly fidgeted.
Alfred looked up, directly at Scarecrow. 'Keep him around'? What did that mean? And could he possibly be talking about the heist from last night?
"Sir, you want to keep this boy? He is the son of that detective, from what Deca tells me," black said, taken aback.
"And he should live," Scarecrow now looked directly at Alfred, "as long as he does what I say, and promises he won't go tattletale on us."
"I promise, sir," Alfred said at once, the fear of dying clouding his mind.
What kind of place was this? alfred thought to himself.
"Good, now Gray, I will need to speak with you in private, in my office. Deca, will you show this young man to his living quarters?"
"Yes sir, right away!" the figure from the sewer came out of the circle and brought Alfred onto his feet and grabbed him by the arm.
The figure called Deca led him through the door that Scarecrow entered from. This room was dimly lit, and about as large as the one before, except this one had a ring in the middle of it. A hallway to their left was their next destination, and it took them to another door. Once open, this door revealed another hallway. This corridor was also dimly lit, and in it held at least fifty other doors, these must have been the living quarters, Alfred thought. Just as he suspected the next door that Deca led him through housed three beds, three nightstands and a closet.
"This is it, home sweet home," Deca said brightly, laying down in the bed closest to the door.
Alfred didn't say anything, he made his way over to a bed that looked unused and saw that he was right when Deca made no protest. Deca had short dirty blonde and spiky hair, and his eyes were bright blue.
"So, how do you like it here?"
Alfred didn't know how to answer that question. His whole day had gone from a bad to worse in the lapse of an hour. What started out as a boring day at the office with his father had quickly turned into an exciting adventure in the underground sewer system.
"What is this place?" Alfred said slowly.
The boy called Deca sat up on his bed, his eyes averted from Alfred and staring at the floor.
"This..." he started off slowly, "this is a place for... Fugitives."
"fugitives? what do you mean?" Alfred asked.
"What, you don't know what fugitive means?" Deca asked rudely.
"I know what it means," Alfred retorted, he was getting a very bad impression of this place, "so you're all criminals, on the run from the law."
"No!" Deca said getting to his feet, "we're not criminals... We're runaways..."
"Okay, now I don't understand," Alfred said.
Deca looked at him squarely and then turned and sat back down on his bed.
"We're runaways," he repeated, "we all either ran away from home or we were abandoned. This place is like a haven."
"If it's a haven, then why was I treated like that out there?" Alfred snapped, his anger was getting the best of him.
"Because your a no good cop," a voice said from the doorway.
A hooded boy stood in shadow of the hallway light, and he stepped into it when Alfred looked at him.
"You're a cop, and you are here to ruin everything," the boy continued.
He stepped into the room and stood next to Deca, his arms crossed.
"I'm no cop," Alfred said slowly, "my father is a cop."
"Which makes you one as well," the boy said, taking off his hood to reveal long curly dark hair.
"Iliad, stop, he's new, let him be," Deca muttered.
"He doesn't deserve this place," Iliad said crossly, "he is not a runaway."
The room was silent, tense. Alfred began to feel annoyed himself, who was this boy? he thought.
"So what does that, Scarecrow man want with me anyways?" Alfred said.
"I don't know," Deca said quickly, "I expect he'll send for you. He must see something in you though."
That was cryptic, Alfred thought to himself.
"He sees something in me?" he asked aloud.
"Yes, although it's a mystery how. He's blind," Deca said firmly.
"He's blind?!" Alfred yelled, "he looked right at me, in the eyes!"
"Enough!" Iliad growled, "someone is coming, for you of course," he looked directly at Alfred.
Soon enough another person stood in the doorway, this time it was the girl who saved his life earlier. She had long wavy brown hair, and her eyes were a striking green.
"You are to come with me," she said to Alfred, "Scarecrow wants to talk to you."
Alfred got up from his bed, and strode out of the room behind the girl. Deca and Iliad stared after him, Iliad with a granite stone look upon his face, and Deca with a face full of curiosity. The girl led him back up the hallway and into the room with ring in the middle of it, except this time she took him down a different corridor which led to a door very much like the one in the sewer system. She rapped on the door with her fist and stood back while it opened. This room was dark, only lit by torches on the wall. It had a red and gold circular rug in the middle of it, where stood, the man who opened the door and the man named Scarecrow.
"I've brought him, sir," the girl said bowing.
"Thank you, Foxe," Scarecrow said beckoning them both forward.
The girl called Foxe strode into the room taking her spot next to a person Alfred did not know, while Alfred remained standing in the same place.
"Don't be scared boy, that whole killing you business was only a hoax," Scarecrow said assuringly.
Alfred did not move.
"I like it here," Alfred said.
"Very well," Scarecrow said, shrugging his shoulders, "I have called you down to talk, but first, is there anything you wish to ask me? I can imagine your mind is racing with questions."
He was right, this whole time, Alfred had been questioning everything.
"What is this place?" Alfred asked first.
Deca's answer didn't quite suffice.
"This, is a school, my dear boy." he answered remotely.
"A school? What do you teach?" Alfred asked arching his eyebrow.
"We teach, a lot of things. We are very unlike the schools on your surface. We teach children to steal, for instance."
That was the craziest thing Alfred had ever heard.
"You teach kids to steal? Why would you teach kids to be criminals?"
"Not criminals, Alfred. Heroes." Scarecrow said sagely.
"Heroes? How is stealing heroic?" Alfred said wildly.
"We are an underground justice system," Scarecrow answered flatly, "we make sure things are returned to rightful owners, and we make sure no bad deed goes unpunished."
"Isn't that what the police are for?"
"Your government is corrupt. The streets of England teem with people who believe that they can put their trust into one overpowered individual. Here at my school, we are impartial, and see that everyone in England gets a proper trial at life in just."
"So what you return stolen goods, and beat up crooks stealing purses?" Alfred said comically.
"If that's what it takes. Every bad deed deserves a punishment."
"You people are crazy!" Alfred yelled at the three people in the room.
None of their faces faltered. They all wore stony expressions, giving no sense that they were even listening to him.
"Are we, Alfred? Or are you the crazy one. You have been brought up into a world that is poverty stricken, war inflicted, and orphan infested. And not once have you stopped to question why. The world is corrupt, and we are the last resistance," Scarecrow said, he took a step closer, "you can help fight it, and return everything to the way it should be. Impartial."
It sounded good to Alfred, a world impartial. A world where good deeds were honored, and bad deeds were punished. A world where justice reigned.
"So, how does everything work, how do you all pull off the heists and punish bad deeds?" Alfred asked skeptically.
"That shall come after."
"Come after what?" Alfred asked.
"After you are done asking questions," Scarecrow said bluntly.
Alfred didn't know how to respond. He had never talked to someone with such tenacity before.
"I take it, you are done," he said, taking notice to Alfred's sudden quietness.
"Yes," Alfred answered.
"Good. So, as I told you my school deals with teaching to steal, we also teach them to hide, how to be stealth, and how to fight." Scarecrow stated, he was now pacing across the rug, "At this school we take on missions. The missions usually consisting heists and robberies, although occasionally special missions come along, those being assassinations and such. Don't fret, we haven't performed an assassination since the eighteen hundreds," he added seeing the look on Alfred's face.
"We take on these missions, and perform them to the dot, no questions asked." he continued.
"Wait! Do people give you the missions?" Alfred interrupted.
"I thought you were done asking questions," Scarecrow said, "nevertheless I will answer it. Yes people give out the missions, but not directly. We intercept police reports, and such, and watching the news does help." he added with a smile.
"Now I have a question, Alfred," he said his smile fading.
"What is it?"
"Do you want to join us?"
Alfred was stunned. He couldn't possibly choose right now, a life on the surface or a life off the grid.
"Can I have some time to think about it?" Alfred asked.
"No."
He felt the icy stare of scarecrow pierce his own eyes. He had to make the decision now.
"Yes... I want to join," he said, not believing his own words.
"Splendid, I believe you have already seem your room. You are sharing it with Daniel and Thomas I believe," Scarecrow said looking at Foxe, who nodded her head fervently.
"So what happens next?" Alfred asked.
"Next comes your initiation, but first you must show you have the aptitude," Scarecrow answered, as he put a hand on Alfred's back and led him further into the room.
Scarecrow was tall and very fit looking, he had long, jet black hair l, that he tied into a ponytail. His eyes were a pale blue, although they lacked pupils. A long scar that started at the top right corner of his forehead stretched over his eye and onto his cheekbone. Other than that, his features were perfect.
"What do you mean aptitude? Are you going to test me?" Alfred asked unsure of himself.
"You ask so many questions, do you ever let things unfold themselves?" Scarecrow said.
"I'm sorry, my father is a detective, I guess it just runs in the family."
"That is precisely what I wanted to talk to you about."
Scarecrow led him into a room that was much more brighter than the last, this one had many bookshelves and tables. Each table had on it a lamp, and every bookshelves was lined with old looking books. this must be a library, Alfred thought.
"Your father works in the Police Department downtown, correct?" Scarecrow said.
"Yes."
"And you being his son, have the opportunity to be near him at all times."
"Well, yes, except when I go to school and he goes to work."
"This is your school now," Scarecrow said assertively, "we can arrange, that you not go to school on the surface anymore, and your parents don't have to know about it. But, that's besides the point. At every opportunity you get you will go to work with your father, do you understand?"
"Yes, but can I ask why?" Alfred said, dreading going to work with his father.
"I will explain everything when you are initiated. If you are initiated," Scarecrow added not looking at Alfred, "now, go home, to your parents. This will be your home soon enough."
Alfred began to walk to the door, silently thinking of what just happened. He had just opted to join a secret society that was living in the under ground sewer system of London. What would the next day's events bring?
"Oh and Alfred, don't bother going to school on monday either, come here instead." Scarecrow said when Alfred reached the door to leave the Library, "I will send someone to fetch you, when the time is right."
Alfred nodded, and resumed his walk to the door.
What would the next day's events bring?

Induction

Alfred's thoughts reeked with anticipation. He was scarred with the image of Scarecrow's face, his eyes. Over the last few days he began to wonder if it had even happened, if he had even been put into a life or death situation, if he had even joined that secret society. His mind raced with questions, inquiries that he never asked.
He sat at the desk in his room, staring out of the rain splattered window in front of him. The weather from two days ago had not let up, but he was accustomed to this as London rarely saw sunshine. His room was darkened from the cloudy sky, his clock told him that the sun was setting behind the clouds, and it would soon be pitch black in his room. His bedroom was filled with the normal furnishings of a sixteen year old boy. A television was collecting dust across from his twin sized bed, the desk he now sat at compiled of papers and homework from his school . His closet was placed adjacent to his television, and was over encumbered with his enormous amounts of clothes. His school uniform was lying on his bed, newly washed and ironed, he would never wear it again.
Alfred's mind began to move towards his father. He started to remember what had happened when he emerged from the sewer grate two days ago. He was alone in the alley way, alone to his thoughts, much like he was now. As he walked through the newly darkened street he noticed his father had left. A single street lamp stood shining brightly in the fog, where he and his father had once investigated. The yellow tapings that read, "caution" on them were now wet from the rain, and sagging to the cobbled street below. Alfred began on his trek back to the police precinct, grabbing the collar of his father's trench coat and bringing it up closer to his face in an attempt to keep out the chill.
No cars had come his way, as the police had set up detour signs a couple of streets ahead. More streetlights had crossed his path now that he was out of the alley, and farther away from the crime scene, the crime he knew was commited by the people he had just encountered. He never got to ask if they did actually do it, though. He was now arriving at the precinct, it was coming up on his left, the stony steps; puddled and slippery. He jogged up the staircase and opened the door to the police station hastily, as the rain was beginning to pick up again. The elevator doors slid open of their own accord and a group of busy-bodied workers stepped out, all talking louder than the other. Alfred shook his head. Everything seemed so meaningless, after today's events. He thought he was apart of something much bigger than himself, and those around him.
The elevator lifted him up to his father's floor. As they slid open once more they revealed the workplace. The cubicles were all empty except for one; his father's. Barry sat alone, his hands dug into his long graying hair, the lights above him dim and flickering.
"Dad?" Alfred said abruptly.
"Al?" his father looked up, a hand still in his hair.
He stood up to look above the cubicles, and stared at Alfred in front of the elevator.
"Where have you been?!" he yelled.
"I- I was-" Alfred began.
"We've been looking every where for you!" Barry started a brisk walk toward Alfred.
He grabbed Alfred by the shoulders, as if checking to see if he was really there. His eyes scanned Alfred's, stopping over each one.
"I've been worried sick!" his father said, "I've sent a search party after you!"
"A search party?" Alfred asked dumbly.
"Yes," Barry took Alfred by the arm and dragged him over to his computer.
Alfred sat down next to his father, who leaned over to him and continued holding his shoulders.
"Are you okay? What happened?" he asked.
Alfred was silently working out a fake scenario in his head, it involved one where he was simply investigating the place he and his father attended earlier that day.
"I was still investigating..." he answered slowly.
"You were what? You don't need to do that, that's not your job," Barry replied.
"I'm sorry, I just got caught up in the moment, I guess," Alfred was avoiding his father's eye on purpose, that was the easiest way to tell that he was lying.
"Look, just don't let it happen again... and don't tell your mother, she'd go mad," he said.
He was back in his room, the memory fading away, as the street lamp outside his window flickered on, making a glare so he could see his reflection. His bright green eyes gazed back into himself, his auburn colored hair clashed greatly against his dark green shirt. His room was now completely dark, except for the little light the outside gave. He had been sitting at his desk for what seemed like four hours, thinking. When would the school send for him, the underground school. Who would fetch him, Deca? Iliad? or perhaps the girl who saved his life. Now would be as good a time as any, considering his parents were both gone, his father; still working on the case Alfred had already solved, and his mother was at a family friend's house.
The mist outside was growing, much like his overwhelming tiredness. His will to stay awake was driven by the thought that Scarecrow would send for him at any moment, but still, he crept into his warm and inviting bed. Now resting his eyes it was easier to think, although his mind was becoming more and more obscured by sleep, and before he knew it; he was dreaming.
The room was silent, dark, and... invaded. A girl stood crouched in front of the wide open window, wearing a jet black, skin-tight outfit, the rain falling behind her. Alfred lay asleep only five feet in front of her. She silently stepped forward, catlike, through the window and into Alfred's bed room. She paused only to look at her situation, this only took a few moments, for she soon proded Alfred in the stomach.
Alfred sucked in air, breathing deeply to wake himself. He turned to his intruder and nearly died at the cause of the lump in his throat.
"Who-" he started, but she cut him off.
"Quiet!" she hissed, "are your parents home?"
"No... at least, I don't think..." Alfred said, "hey your the girl who saved my life back in the sewer."
"That doesn't matter," she said quickly, "put this on."
Her voice was stern as she handed him the parcel.
"What's this?" he asked, taking the package.
"Clothes, put them on, quickly," she whispered.
He opened the small box, and inside were the same clothes that she wore now, but folded. He unraveled them and held them up to his body.
"I can't change with you in the room," Alfred said.
"Oh, for goodness sake! There's no time!" she said, then seeing his face she added, "If it'll help, I'll look the other way," she turned around and faced the window.
He quietly undressed, making sure to keep a wary eye on the girl before him. The clothes were extremely tight, but they didn't hurt him, it was more like they hugged him.
"What is this?" he asked when he was fully dressed.
"Those, are a special armor," she began, "I designed them myself, they are customized to deflect bullets."
"Deflect bullets?" Alfred blurted, "what exactly do you have planned for tonight?"
"Just stick close behind me, don't attract attention, and nothing should go wrong," she said softly, "I'll leave this note here, it says your sleeping over at a friends house."
She then leapt out of the window, making no noise at all, Alfred didn't even hear her touch the ground. He ran over to the window, and she had already taken off, running soundlessly.
"That was cool..."
They took alleyways to avoid light and cars. They stuck close to the buildings, Alfred following every move that his fellow made. They came to a part of an alley where it met with the street, and at the moment the street was busy, in fact it was packed with cars, bumper to bumper.
"It seems Deca has missed his cue for the distraction... bumbling idiot," the girl said putting up a hand to halt Alfred, "our exit is on the other side of this street."
"What distraction?" Alfred whispered.
"He was supposed to cause a distraction on the other street, over there," she pointed to the street that was left off the one before them, "so we could get to that sewer over there."
"So, what now?" he asked, a bead of sweat rolling down his brow.
"You tell me, Mr. Detective," her voice sounded almost mockingly.
"I'm... i'm not a detective," Alfred said looking directly at her.
She was very beautiful, although it was hard to tell her features due to the lack of light.
"Just think, Alfred."
He looked up, tilting his head to the sky, the raindrops hitting his face and his suit. A balcony jutted out of the brick building next to them, a ladder pulled up on the side of it, barely reaching the ground.
"We could use that," Alfred said, pointing to the ladder and balcony.
"And do what with it?" she asked skeptically.
"I'm not sure," he replied, "but shouldn't we check it out anyway?"
"It's your call," she walked towards the ladder, and grabbed it with both hands, "I'll go first, you follow."
He nodded, walking in her wake.
"So, what's your name?" Alfred asked, as the girl ahead of him was halfway up the ladder.
"Your not in the Guild yet, so I don't feel comfortable telling you," she replied.
"But, what about code names? You guys have those, right?" Alfred persisted.
"Scarecrow was right, you do ask a lot of questions," she reached the top and threw down her arm to help Alfred up the rest of the way.
He took her arm, and she lifted him up, safely onto the balcony.
"They call me Foxe," she said as she turned around to see the layout, "now what?"
"I say, we go up to the top, to get a better view," Alfred said, looking back up to the skies.
"You'd make a good detective," Foxe said, taking the next ladder that would lead to the top in both of her hands again.
The rain fell even harder at the top of the building. Alfred expected it was because of the openness, no building stood above them to catch the falling water.
"So, what do we do now?" she asked as Alfred took a step closer to the edge.
"This rain. It makes everything impossible to see..."
"Yes, but with the headlights of the cars, it makes everything easier to see." said Foxe.
"Then with the headlights reflecting off the rain, it should make a glare, making a good enough cover," Alfred said intelligently.
"Hmmm..." her hand was on her chin, "perceptive."
"You say that sewer is our exit?" she nodded her head, Alfred continued, "will it take us to your headquarters?"
"Yes."
Alfred's eyes scanned her. Her hair was matted down to her face, much like his own, except hers was the color of chocolate, her eyes a striking green color.
"These buildings look close enough to jump to the other side," he said after a minute of silence.
"They do, but are you sure you want to do it? You don't have the proper training," Foxe said, walking to the edge next to him.
"Is there any other way?" he replied.
"I suppose not. You are a daring fellow," she said, now looking at him, "I'll go first, so I can catch you."
Almost as soon as she said it, she had done it. Everything seemed to slow down as he watched her, the raindrops falling slower, Foxe stuck in the middle, between two buildings. Finally, she touched the top of the other building, only about six yards in front of Alfred. Now, it seemed so far away, but she had done it so flawlessly. It was now, or never, he either jumped, or lived the rest of his life asking, "what if?"
"Will you catch me?" he nearly had to yell over the beeps of cars and the sound of rain fall.
"I promise!" she yelled back, "just do it! We're already late!"
He stepped away from the edge, some three yards away. He felt a running start could help his case. Then he began to think of what could happen to him, what if he only made it halfway, she wouldn't be able to catch him, and what if he slipped before the ledge, he'd be a goner. He just had to grit his teeth and do it, there was no going back from here.
He jumped. Time slowed once more, this time for him. He was locked in one position, his legs extended, and his arm extended also, so Foxe could catch him. He felt his stomach lurch at the sudden free fall. His foot touched the ledge, then slipped off as quickly as it touched, sending his body backwards. He kicked out as a last resort to catch himself, but to no avail. Foxe grabbed his outstretched leg, and in one sweeping motion his back hit hard against the wall of the building. He wanted to yell out of pain, but the cars below would hear him. Foxe's head popped out from behind the rain slicked ledge, a finger to her mouth.
"Shhhh..." she whispered as she slowly hoisted him to safety.
He sat down against the ledge to catch his breath, that was one of the scariest moments he had ever experienced, he was lucky to have had Foxe there to help him, he thought.
"Thank you," Alfred said between breaths.
"No problem, now come on... the sewer is just below," she said.
"Alright," Alfred said, reluctantly getting up and following her to the ladder on the side of structure.
Alfred braced himself for the horrid smell once the sewer lid came off. Foxe had lifted the cover and slipped inside, as agile as a cat. Alfred traced her inside, his reflexes not as good. The sewer had a green glow within it. Lamps were placed on the walls and were obviously used to light one's way, although Alfred still found it difficult to walk along the sewer corridor, as there was a sticky film on top of it.
"These suits are so slippery, I can barely walk in this," Alfred cried.
"I know, I'm still working out that minor detail," she however, had no problem walking.
They walked for another five minutes in complete silence, occasionally, a dripping noise echoed through the walls. Alfred kept pace with Foxe, she wasn't really going too fast, so it was fairly easy. They came across a giant doorway, much like the one they entered through when Alfred went to see Scarecrow. Foxe spun the valve, causing a horrendous creaking noise.
"Sorry, we hardly use this entrance," she said, wiping her brow after the business was done.
"It's no problem, but... what's on the other side," Alfred asked, his apprehension getting the better of him.
She opened the door, and the creaking and whining continued.
"Go see for yourself..."
The room was dark, much like the one he walked into on his first visit. It was like being blindfolded again. He heard footsteps behind him, they must have been Foxe's, he thought. In an instant he was dropped to his knees, they hit the floor with a thud. He let out a cry of pain, and just as soon as he did a gloved hand cupped around his mouth. Lights turned on all around him, he was back in, what looked like, the same room as before, the pillers all lined in far distances. Except this time, he was not surrounded by anyone, only a man stood in front of him; Scarecrow. Foxe was the person cupping his mouth, but when the lights turned on she ceased.
"Your late... I hope you found the place okay," Scarecrow said, "now, get up."
Alfred did as he was told.
"Are you ready, for your induction?" he asked.
"Yessir!" Alfred chanted.
"Good, you already passed the first test, that was getting here. The second test... kill Foxe..."
"What?!" Alfred was appalled at the command.
"I said, kill her."
Alfred whipped around to face Foxe, who merely stood with a stony expression, emotionless.
Alfred said quietly, "I won't kill her..."
"Why not?" Scarecrow asked.
"She saved my life, I won't kill her."
"Good," Scarecrow said abruptly, "that was the second test. We never kill our own."
Alfred looked up, Scarecrow was wearing an ominous smile.
"Test?" Alfred said slowly.
"Yes, and you passed! This is good, isn't it?"
"So we don't kill our own, but we're free to kill anyone else?" Alfred shouted.
"Not free, we are limited, to the mission. We only kill in dire need. Or if the mission requires it be so." said Scarecrow, walking forward to meet Alfred, "you have passed my tests..."
Alfred's head sank, he was having second thoughts, killing people wasn't what he signed up for.
"It's like I said the other day, my dear boy," Scarecrow began, gripping Alfred's shoulder, "we haven't commited a murder since the eighteen hundreds, I believe it was Queen Elizabeth."
This made him feel better, but the thought that Queen Elizabeth was assassinated confused him more.
"You mean, you guys killed the Queen?" he asked.
"Well, not particularly us, the former us... I will explain more once you are inducted, that is, if you accept my next test."
"What if I say no?" Alfred asked.
Scarecrow gave him a sympathetic look, then said, "Then we will erase your memory, you will have no recollection of this at all, but I highly recommend that you don't choose that path."
"Yes," Alfred said quickly, "yes, I accept!"
"Good... good..." Scarecrow's blind eyes linked with Alfred's, "but, we will talk tomorrow," he slapped him hard on the back, "you need rest, you have a big day ahead of you, we will talk then, I have some things that I need to... take care of."
Alfred nodded his agreement, and Scarecrow took his arm off of him.
"Now, Foxe will take you to your room, you will be sharing it with Deca and Illiad."
Foxe took him by the arm, and had begun to walk him out of the room.
"Have a good night, you too."
"Yessir," Foxe said automatically.
They walked through a tall threshold and soon after a small red door. She then led him down the same corridor that he and Deca walked down, the living quarters hallway. She reached the door to Alfred's new room and turned around in front of it, facing Alfred.
"You did good tonight," she said, holding out a hand.
"Thanks, you were not so bad yourself," he replied, smiling and taking her hand and shaking it.
She gave him a thoughtful look then grinned and said, "I look forward being out on the field again with you."
She walked away, but she didn't get very far before Alfred blurted, "when will I see you again?"
"Tomorrow, I expect," her smile had not faded, "and thanks for not killing me, not like you could."
It was an odd thing to say, an odd way to say thank you, but nonetheless Alfred nodded and opened the door to his new home.
Alfred awoke the next morning feeling homesick and overwhelmingly tired. Two faces were staring at him from their own beds, one with a look of curiosity, the other, indifference. The room itself had a cobble stone floor, and very meticulous hangings on the walls. Red drapes hung over each bed, all bearing the same symbol, curiosity seemed to flood Alfred, much like the light coming into the room from lit candles.
"How did you sleep?" a voice sounded throughout the room.
It was Deca's voice, Alfred remembered it from the last time he sat in this room.
"I didn't, what are these beds made out of?" Alfred responded with another question as he rubbed his back
"They're stone beds," Deca said.
"Stone? why?"
"Elder Inari says that they are good for our backs, they are supposed to make us stronger, or something... I don't know I never paid attention," Deca said getting up from his bed.
Alfred's gaze turned over to the other boy in the room, his jet black hair shining next to a candle on his dresser. He was reading a book, and was nonchalantly peeking over it to look at Alfred.
"I take it you are Iliad," Alfred said, making sure his voice was clear.
"I see you've deduced that much, good work, detective," Iliad's voice was sneering, and Alfred could see a smile curl from the side of the book.
"I've told you already," Alfred said tersely, "I'm no cop."
No answer, Deca's eyes were swaying from Iliad to Alfred.
"What do you have against me?" Alfred said, rising from the bed.
Iliad set down his book, and got up from his bed too.
"I've told you already," Iliad began, "your not a runaway!"
"So what?! What does that have to do with my being here?!" Alfred countered.
"Nothing!" Deca intervened.
"Of course it does!" Iliad spat, "he's not one of us, he doesn't know what it's like to be deserted!"
"And you don't know what it's like to leave your family!" Alfred retorted.
"It's not like your family left you," Iliad's voice went soft, "you had a choice, and it didn't seem like you had a hard time deciding."
An chill ran through the room like an icy frost. Deca's eyes were on a swivel, moving back and forth so fast he had to sit back down. Iliad wore a stone-like glower, his eyes, onyx black. Alfred looked dumbfounded. Iliad was right, Alfred was so keen on joining the Guild that he never stopped to think of what he would miss, what he may never see again.
The door swung open, destroying the intense moment. Code stood under the threshold, one hand upon the door handle.
"Scarecrow would like to see you again, it's about your third test," she said urgently.
Alfred was still in a stalemate of the eyes with Iliad, who broke it as soon as Foxe said "third test."
"Third test?" Deca repeated, "Scarecrow never put any of us through a third test."
"He's probably inadequate," Iliad said, looking at Foxe.
Alfred was starting to get annoyed with Iliad, so far they hadn't had the best first impression, but as Alfred saw it, he did nothing to deserve the cold shoulder from him. Alfred started to walk to the door, making sure to ignore Iliad's glare. Foxe led the way out of the corridor, and into the circular room with the ring in the middle of it.
"This is the sparring room by the way," she said, as they took a right and started to head down another long and deserted hallway.
"What's down here," Alfred asked, his anger lowering from his last discussion.
"Down here is the main Foyer," she said.
"So what exactly is this place? I know it's a school but--" she cut him off.
"We call this place The Catacombs. We operate in the underground sewer systems of London. We have headquarters all over the city, some of them being above ground, and some being under, like this one."
"Do you have any idea what this test is going to be," Alfred's uncertainty was very evident.
"It's like Iliad said, none of us have been put through a third test," she answered.
Foxe opened another door, and soon they were standing in the same room that Alfred was first brought to and nearly killed.
"This is it," she said, allowing Alfred to walk in first.
The room wasn't dark this time, instead it was lit brightly, the pillars all completely illuminated. The carpeted stairs this time harbored a tall man with oil colored hair, slicked back into a ponytail; Scarecrow.
"Why do they call him Scarecrow?" Alfred blurted to Foxe.
"Nobody knows," she whispered back.
A silence bestowed upon the three people, Scarecrow stared deep into Alfred with his blind and unseeing eyes. Alfred knew that somehow, Scarecrow was looking directly at him. He couldn't shake the notion that the man who now stood before him was going to put him through a very strenuous trial.
"Alfred, did you sleep well?" Scarecrow asked, his voice was deep and booming.
"Yessir," Alfred lied.
"Good, so, are you ready for the last test?"
"Yes, I am," Alfred lied again.
"You sound unsure, is there something wrong?"
"No sir, I'm just nervous..."
"That is good, that means your emotions are working, that is what my last test requires... mind work," Scarecrow said, jogging down the last steps of the staircase, "Foxe, if you could take your leave."
"Of course, sir," Foxe said blankly.
After Foxe left, Scarecrow grabbed Alfred by the arm and brought him behind the staircase. It was hollow, and a door jutted out of the side of it, which he opened.
"Down here is where your test awaits," he said, "it's a simple one."
Alfred followed the man under the threshold and down long stairwell. The place smelled horrid, much like the sewer beyond the walls of The Catacombs.
"If you don't mind me asking... what exactly do you need me to do, sir?" Alfred asked hesitantly.
"Your questions never cease, but alas, I will answer... I need your help with a bit of... Detective work."
"But, I'm not a detective," Alfred was getting tired of saying that.
"You are more than you think, Alfred, or how else would you have gotten here," Scarecrow explained, "Foxe had asked you how to get across the street without being seen, did she not," Alfred nodded, "you came up with a way, but she had already figured out another way, different from yours."
This was all unknown to Alfred, had Foxe been leading him on the whole time, perhaps that's where her code name came from.
"Here we are."
They now stood in a small encompassed room with many televisions in it. They were small and hung up on the walls like the drapes of the bedrooms, and they all seemed to be showing the same thing. Two people were in the TV and they looked like they were stalking something, they were keeping close to the walls and moving smoothly.
"This is a video of Deca and Iliad," Scarecrow said, his hand on his chin, "I understand that they were caught on tape by the museum they were stealing from."
"Wait! This is the crime that happened a couple of nights ago!" Alfred exclaimed, "I was investigating this with my father!"
"Yes, that is why I need you," Scarecrow said, frowning, "I need you to tell me something."
"What is it?" Alfred asked looking intently at the video.
"What will the police do next?"
Alfred looked at Scarecrow, his eyebrows arched.
"Is that all I'm here for, this is the test, this is why you need me?" Alfred asked.
"To be honest... yes, we need someone on the inside, like I told you the day you left here to return topside."
Alfred nodded, it wasn't that he was easily swayed, it was just that Scarecrow had a certain way about him, he could explain things very well.
"Okay..." Alfred said returning back to the monitor, "I think the police will keep on this for a couple more weeks, or at least until something bigger comes up."
"Please boy, I could have said that," Scarecrow complained.
He looked harder at the screen, the crime didn't look too bad, they hadn't even succeeded.
"What happened that day," Alfred asked, he would need the whole story before he could determine anything.
"Well, Deca and Iliad set out on a mission, it seemed pretty run of the mill, but something messed them up. They said something about a masked vigilante, he stopped them in their tracks. They had to flee, and they were chased through the city, that was why there were fires and such that night. Eventually, the police got involved, and that slowed down the vigilante, so they outran him. You can guess the rest."
"So someone stopped them from stealing, whatever it was they were trying to get, then that's news to the police. There have been no reports of a masked vigilante," Alfred said, turning to face Scarecrow.
"Really," Scarecrow breathed.
"So, if nothing was stolen, then the whole police operation should shut down on it, they'll throw the case away in some file cabinet."
"Are you sure?"
"Yessir, this should blow over in a couple of weeks," Alfred confirmed.
"Then I have one final question," Scarecrow said, turning off the TVs.
"What's that?"
"Do you want to join us?"
Alfred's heart skipped a beat, he felt over joyed. The he thought back to what Iliad had said, and then all of the things he would be missing out on, his family. His thoughts then went to all the things he could be missing out on here, at the guild. He wouldn't really be leaving his family anyways, Scarecrow had told him that they needed someone on the inside, and that he was to go to work with his father at every opportunity.
"Yes, sir, I want to join," Alfred said, his mind finally made up.
"Great, you start training tomorrow."

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Tag der Veröffentlichung: 09.08.2012

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