Waking up in an unknown room bound and gagged can be… disconcerting, to say the least. There are a few things you have to remember in this scenario. Stay calm, the longer you panic, the longer you’ll be trapped. Second, fear is normal, but don’t let it overtake your decisions or your actions. Parience is key to escaping a dangerous situation. Last, don’t draw extra attention from your captor until you’re ready to take them.

This is how we do things in my line of work. It’s what they drill into our heads from day one. And people who don’t follow this advice end up worse off than the ones who do. Training isn’t essential to escaping, but personal restraint is. So, i slowly start to survey the scene, not making too much movement. Just observe, no action until i have a solid plan.

There are (obviously) no weapons on the floor, and i’m handcuffed to the chair. Surprisingly though, there didn’t seem to be any cameras either. There’s nothing on my wrists, no bracelets or hairties. My hair is down so no hairpins either and my jewelry was all removed. Whoever this was, they were thorough. I decided there was nothing i could do as of now, so instead i waited for my captor to pay me a visit.

When they did they were wearing a mask, so i couldn’t tell anything about them. They brought me food, ungagged me, and watched carefully as i ate to ensure i didn’t break the utensils to escape. Afterwards i was informed of a ransom put out, that i already knew my bosses would refuse to pay. Not out of heartlessness, they just knew i would be alright on my own.

So i waited a few days, and i made small talk and tried to seem as harmless as possible, anything to make them slip up. Then, finally, they did. I managed to keep a plastic spoon without them noticing, and as soon as i was sure i wasn’t being watched, i broke it and slowly, methodically used one of the pieces to pick the handcuff lock.

Then, i waited for my captor to come back in, and i quickly took him down. I had no plan from here, but there wasn’t much opportunity to get one either, so as quietly as i could, i snuck around trying to find an exit. I quickly found one, and thankfully it didn’t require any identification to unlock.

The door opened onto a city street of some kind, and i went to the nearest store. The cashier gave me an odd look when i asked what city we were in, but i couldn’t care less about something like that right now. Thankfully, it was a sister city to where i had been. I had no money, so stopping somewhere would be necessary, and then i would finally be on my way home. This had been… eventful, in a word. But it was time for me to report back home.

I’m a thief, been stealing since i was two years old. I don’t think i steal things for the right reasons exactly. I mean when i was two i just wanted a toy another kid had. But now… there’s something about stealing that makes it justified, in my mind at least. I mean, i share the things i steal with the other kids who aren’t as adept as i am at taking things we don’t technically deserve. All the people i take from are rather wealthy too, but i’m not all moral and just. A job is a job, and if someone wants me to steal something for them, i will.

With the kingdom i live in it’s not exactly a terrible crime either. I mean the wealthy are like, SUPER wealthy. And i try not to steal heirlooms or anything like that. Still, i couldn’t help the feeling that i was begging to get caught eventually. And then i did. But they… let me go? It was so strange, it was as if they wanted me to take their things. Although they may have just been scared, i look wayyyy more aggresive than i am. At least, i think. So yeah, that’s my life, steal from the rich to give to my friends, don’t take anything sentimental, and if i get caught just intimidate my way out. That one will probably come in handy again. I don’t have much in the way of morals, but i don’t have much of anything else either, so i guess it all works out.

I grab my sister’s hand and pull her towards the cliff edge with me. She nods slowly in my direction. Then we jump. The sensation of free falling might have been thrilling if i hadn’t been so terrified. It was still only a short fall into soft mud, so it didn’t do much damage. To me at least. As soon as we fell i heard my sister scream in pain, and she started to cradle her arm. But that was it. It was over. No one would follow us over, because no one knew what we knew. That the cliif edge was an illusion, set up to let us escape. That the fall was only about four feet off the ground. Right now they were seeing our bodies on the cliff face and wondering if we were crazy. But we weren’t. Not all the way at least.

I got up quickly and tried to force her to do the same. We should hurry before they sent someone to collect our bodies and discovered we were alive. We probably still had a few hours before they sent anyone, but i wanted to put as much space between us and them as possible. My sister was still kneeling on the ground cradling her arm, but it only took her another minute to get up. After that we walked quickly and in silence back to the base. I had no idea what to tell them. We had almost gotten caught and lost what we came here for in the first place, they would definitely be mad once they saw our memories. But we had no choice. We had to get them the atlas, it was the only one left. If it was destroyed then they would be the only ones with a map of the world, and the resistance would win. We couldn’t have that.

From the moment i was put into this world (literally, i’m fictional) i knew it was wrong. Everything was so crowded, the world so divded, even for me it seemed excessive.

I was the ruler of a kingdom i have since learned is fictional in this world, and i have come to realize i was a rather bad one. However i do not believe i was nearly as bad as the scum of this world.

In my kingdom, i graciously allowed MOST people (even the ones i don’t particularly like) to exist, if only to show how foolish they are.

By far the worst thing the people of this world use though, are sporks. I don’t believe any civilized person in their right mind could combine a spoon and fork! And what’s worse, they made a movie about this infernal creation! A movie about sentient toys, and their idea of a good character is a spork! I have no clue how a society advanced enough to have moving pictures could ever, EVER, create sporks. __ __ Other parts of this society i can understand, but i truly believe sporks will be their complete undoing.

Finding a way into tricky situations has never been a problem for me - although i still haven’t learned the art of getting out of them. So now i was sitting in a cell in the castle dungeon and awaiting someone to bring me before their royal snobiness’s. I suppose getting caught was always a risk for me, i’m not exactly subtle. But i’ve usually been able to buy or force my way out. Still, I’ve been arrrested my fair share of times, i would almost think i would finally become friends with my victims, but they were devoid of any sense of humor.

I was a little ahead of myself here if i’m being honest. You see, i was trying to break into the upper floors of the castle, not land myself in the lower ones. I was here to steal a jewel one of the wealthy merchants wife’s wanted. I don’t know why she was dumb enough to think she would even be able to wear it without getting herself into trouble, but she payed well, and i don’t ask questions to stupid rich people who’ll pay me any insane amounts to add a litle adventure into my life. I mean, i’m sure if they knew i thought of it that way, they would think twice. But then again, they weren’t really the type to think.

So i was sitting in a dungeon awaiting trial because apparently for the past few days the queen had noticed something (me, scouting the area) through her window and had placed some guards near it.

What they don’t tell you about jail by the way, is how _boring it _is. I mean, i had been sitting here for almost 3 WHOLE hours. My darling rulers had never made me wait this long! Perhaps they were angry with me. I see how it is, i was getting the silent treatment! And it simply would not stand. I didn’t think i would be waiting much longer though, so i sat and attempted to entertain myself.

_Finally _i heard the door open, and the guard smiled at me. She was spinning the keys around and around in her hand as if to mock me. “Ready to get out of here?” “You have absolutely no idea.” She smiled even wider and said, “you’ll have to tell me the story later. Getting caught stealing from the queen? I’m very impressed.”

Then again, maybe i wasn’t so bad at getting out of tricky situations after all.

In the past, people were brought up by their parents, people who loved them, cared for them, had waited for months, even years to have them. Now, we all grew up in a government funded facility where they had complete control over our lives and everything they taught us. Growing up in a government facility was extra strange, because they were constantly contradicting what they taught us. It’s as if different people all shaped a cover story that they taught us for part of our education without figuring out what the others were teaching. History was the worst, it was a discombobulated mess that even instructors were confused over.

There was perfect uniformity too, hair was cut the same length, we wore the same clothes, and no matter how old you were, you had the same curfew. It’s not as if curfew was late either, starting at 8 PM and ending at 7 AM. I think this sort of schedule was similar to something they had in place for prisons 20ish years ago. Wake up at 7, role call at 7:10, breakfast at 7:20, first class at 8, lunch at 1, then more classes until 5, then chores, then dinner at 7, and finally lights out at 8.

People who broke the rules were sent to separate classes with even stricter rules. They weren’t allowed to decide what to eat, there was absolutely no flexibility in schedule, they weren’t allowed to talk, and even more rules, on and on and on.

When we got older people got sorted into these “higher education” departments and when they graduated they’d get sent to a different facility to become whatever the government told them to become. A few people had managed to escape in the transfer, but most weren’t able to. I was getting sorted later this year, my last year at this hellhole. They said they wanted me in “reasearch” but everyone knew that’s where all the useless people went. Hire people to be eternal lab assistants and they’ll stay out of the way. The labs never discovered anything anyways because we apparently “already knew all we needed to know.” It was stupid and everyone knew it but thats the way it was. The way it still is.

The week of our assignments i was packing my things and preparing for a life of eternal boredom and tedium. It went just the way i expected, they assigned me to research and said i would be spending 4 years getting a degree in becoming whatever type lab assistant they wanted me to be and then moving to my permanent assignment.

There wasn’t a lot of anticipation to get out really, but i wanted to know what the outside world was like, so i waited. There was nothing left to do here anyways, no one had any friends, and no one had ever been brave enough to want any. So we all waited patiently until the end of the week and then we got on our buses and that was that. I went on something that used to be called a subway, i think it used to be for public use, but now it was just transport for new graduates heading to their assigned jobs or colleges.

The only thing graduation did was make me eager for my next assignment so i could finally live in peace. There was only one major assignment left after this, and that was getting an arranged marriage. It didn’t mean much though, and marriages were never really romantic. Any kids you had would be taken to the education facilities and you would never see them again, and past that all you did was live in the same housing quarters. There was never any personal connection because, to put it bluntly, no one had enough freedom to get a personality.

I got off my train and walked out of the subway. And i was… shocked. This was the first time i had seen outside in real life, and it was so… dull. It was nothing like the vibrant pictures they had shown us from the 2020’s, everything looked dead, the plants all withered, everyone in a hurry to go somewhere. I walked quickly to my higher education facility and kept to myself, i did not want to draw any attention. This was fairly easy, as no one was giving me any anyways.

I got to my new facility, got my room key, and unpacked in my new room. I would have one roomate and i was curious to find out who it would be. I knew other lower education facilities had more freedom, and i was interested what someone from one would be like.

I didn’t have to wait very long though. After only about 30 minutes a girl showed up. She was pretty, with longer hair than i had ever been allowed to have, and she walked with a confidence i had never seen anyone have. Ever. When she saw me she smiled and stuck out a hand for me to shake, a traditional greeting from older times. I shook it and we introduced ourselves. What sort of facility had this girl come from? I had never imagined one so relaxed.

I slowly worked up my nerve to ask, because i was too intrigued to let this go. “So,” i said, as nonchalantly as i could, “ where are you from? What facility, i mean.” She laughed, “I didn’t grow up in a ‘facility’, i grew up at home, with my parents. I got to choose my assignment too.” “And you chose this one?” “Of course. This is the one with the most rebels, and i’m here to catch them in the act.”

She winked and walked away, and i wasn’t sure if she was serious or not. I hadn’t even known there were rebels, and now there were enough to need a secret spy? Part of me wanted to know more though. If i joined this antirebellion, would i get special privileges too? Only one thing was for sure though, she had me hooked. I was suddenly _dying _to find out.

I walked into the apartment building, still trying to brace myself for what i was about to do. I felt unsure, but i couldn’t keep lying, it just wasn’t fair. She deserved to know the truth. She deserved to make her own decisions. She deserved to be able to walk away and move on, without ever thinking of me again.

I walked into the elevator, and it felt like the longest ride of my life. I was still trying to figure out how to break the news. Should i tell her i was a hero, that i saved lives everyday. But she would see through me, straight through me, and know that as many lives as i saved, i also risked.

Fighting superheroes wasn’t easy, but being moral had long since become a second thought to them. They lorded their superiority over others, demanding things, and barely saving anyone at all. Before i had stepped in, there was talk of the superheroes slowly becoming the things they vowed to protect others from. It still wasn’t a very popular way if thinking, but i had my own following from it that loved what i did, admired it. But there were still so many more who disagreed.

I wasn’t sure what my girlfriend thought of things like that, because she never brought it up, and would change the subject when i tried. I knew she had opinions, and i couldn’t for the life of me figure out why she was hiding them. Did she already know? Or was my curiosity so off putting she just suspected something was wrong? I’ll admit, i’ve pried a lot trying to get her to tell me what she thought, and she seemed very averse to the idea. I guess soon i would find out why.

I walked across the hallway and knocked on the door. She opened it and smiled.

“Hey! You didn’t tell me you were coming by.” “I…” i’ll admit, i faltered here and i’m not proud of it, but right now all i wanted to do was run away. “We have to talk. We need to have a serious talk.” Her smile faded and she looked concerned. “About what?” “You’ll see, just… can i come in? So we can talk in private?” She let me in and shut the door. We sat down on her couch and i worked up my nerves to break the news. I was ready. I was ready. I wasn’t ready, but here we go. “What is this about?” “Do you know… i mean, have you seen those news stories about this… person. Running around in a mask, hindering the superheroes, standing up for people they try to arrest.” I took a deep breath. “That’s me.” She stared for a minute and her expression almost looked… incredulous? “You… run around… annoying superheroes? For fun?” She looked kind of disgusted with me, and i had no idea what to say. “I mean… it’s not like that… I don’t... It’s to defend people.” “Sure, i mean, i’m sure you think that way i just… i think you should go. And… i don’t think we should date anymore.” I stared at her. I had been preparing myself for this, but it still hurt.

I silently got up and left. I thought that might be the end of it at first, just two sentences to end a two year relationship. That was fine, i would get past it. Little did i know in less than two hours every cop and hero in the city would be after me. I fled, i’m still fleeing, but i had to fight one of them. I won… and he’s dead. I never thought i really would become a villain. But now there were news reports bashing my name and everyone still associated with me. When i looked back on all that had happened, and how optimistic i had tried being going to meet with her that day, i realized one thing. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I was the villain now, and everyone would have to live with that.

The sun grew weary of seeing men squander it’s light. Day in and day out, there was more pollution dampening its gift to the world. It wasn’t always like this, people used to love the daytime, respect the sun for bestowing light upon the world. The only way they could see without the sun was fire, but the sun disliked fire, due to the smoke. Those were the days the sun longed for, the days when its biggest worries were the ashes and smoke of a few fires lighting up the night.

Now, even during the day the sun was lesser, replaced with artificial lights that were always on. Around the globe, humans destroyed the sky, during day and night, with their selfish need to always have more. What the sun gave them was not enough, so they cast the sun aside.

Even when the sun began to heat the Earth as a warning, to stop polluting, to stop wasting, to stop destroying, they refused. Humanity had to be stopped, so the fires began. But the humans in charge could care less of their subjects, and so the war between humanity and its elements raged on.

Slowly, the day and night sky was blocked from the view of humans in some spaces entriely. The sun and the moon had communicated about this, but to no avail. The moon was young, and had no experience with this kind of thing. The sun was young too however, and childish compared to other stars. It begged their advice, but the stars scorned the sun. A star with whole societies that could not control its own solar system. They would not help a lowly creature like that. Rare few other planets had populations, and those civilizations were well under control.

The sun had no options. It was scared and embarrassed. It was out of help, out of options, running out of time. Soon the Earth had trapped so much heat the sun could not save it. The sun was forced to watch as the gift of humanity withered and died.

The sun carried this shame with it for the next billion years. In the last moments of its existence, before it was released from its misery its last thoughts were of the society it had failed. And, of the society that had failed it.

Nature was flourishing in the past few centuries. Where there had once been pollution and trash, it had all been cleaned and there were laws set to ensure the world never became that polluted again. There wasn’t jail time for polluting, but there were hefty fines that would put even the most wealthy into debt, and all the money gained from those fines was put toward advancing technology even more.

Other problems had been solved over the years of course, but the lack of garbage weighing down the planet helped a lot. There was more space to grow food, so no one went hungry. How could they? Once the planet had been cleaned and restored as best it could be there was near infinite space to build eco-friendly spaces for food. Other industries had suffered of course. Where there was once booming industries that produced masses of meat, those farms disrupted the environment greatly. So they had been restricted, and nearly died out. Most people lived off of plants now, and all office spaces would be equipped with at least one type of shrubbery.

Bug phobias had near disappeared as well, almost all bugs were useful for was killing each other, and once there was a type of plant to kill almost every bug they died out. That was in the cities however, in other places they were so abundant it might make your average city person faint.

There were also immense forests that were protected by law. They couldn’t be deforested and the animals and bugs that lived there could do as they pleased. The world seemed like a safe-haven, but discrimination hadn’t completely disappeared. Germaphobes who couldn’t stand being around dirt were ostracized, and they had no communities of their own. There had been talk of setting one up.

People had spoken of a place where the air would be perfumed with the pollen and scents of those plants, so they too, even if they were considered the lowest of society, could live in peace.

I stared down at the city from where i was standing. I wished they would announce the project. Everywhere i looked, all i could see was pine needles, dirt, leaves. I couldn’t stand it. My skin was crawling thinking of the bacteria that still lived in those plants. Every few decades a pandemic would begin from the bacteria hiding in the newest manufactured plant. I didn’t think my phobia was so unfounded, but most other disagreed. We were always able to get a vaccine fairly quickly, but that didn’t change the fact that it could happen. And maybe, just maybe i’d be the unlucky one who died just before they could be cured. It was just too awful to think about.

Colors are strange for me. I just don’t see the world through their lense. No matter how much i wish i did, so that i could enjoy paintings and nuance in art the way everyone else does, i don’t. For me the world is entirely made up of tones of black, white, and grey. I don’t think there’s been a time when i’ve appreciated that. I mean, i guess if i were more optimistic i could find a bright side. I suppose being able to see depth in a world seemingly so monotone should seem poetic, but i’ve always wished to see colors the way everyone else does.

I’ve heard colors described before, but what people don’t notice is that those descriptions of color only help when you already know what the color is. So i live completely unaware of the wonderful world of colors thay billions of other people get to enjoy.

Until today, when i saw a tone so subtle, it might’ve just been gray. I was walking down the street, and there were chalk drawings. The drawung the color was in was of the beach, and it represented the waves, and i can’t imagine a more perfect color for ocean waves. I can’t imagine colors at all, but this one just felt right.

The color was cold, but warm too somehow. It felt inviting, and all i wanted to do was stare at it. I don’t know what it’s called, i can’t tell the color names apart, but it was beautiful. It didn’t remind me of emotions, like how most people describe colors. It didn’t remind me of a winter day, or the sunshine, or of staying home all day while it rained.

I’m not sure exactly how to decribe it, but it felt perfect. It felt as if everything should be that same beautiful hugh, but then i suppose it would get watered down like every other color i can see.

I want to see it more though, but i haven’t noticed it since then. I haven’t noticed the muted tone in the sky, or the grass, or buildings, although i wish i did. I don’t know if i could ever get over seeing a color that gorgeous, and i hope there’s more.