Royal Shadow

[Hellfire]

The year is 2065. World War 3 has left much of the world inhabitable. The small territories that are habitable are ruled over by a class commonly refered to as the royals. A royal family rules over a territory, which can be as small as island or as large as a country. The royals impose high rent on the lower classes, and often the lower classes try to resist. The royals use their personal militaries to keep them in line, but some rebel factions or single rebels do exist. One of these rebels goes by the code name Shadow.


A infamous theif, Shadow is know as the Robin Hood of the future. He steals from th royals and gives out most of his bounties to the poorer families that struggle to get by. Shadow has never done anything major, simply raiding banks, arsonals, and houses. On this night though, he was acting out a plan much more dangerous than any before. The kidnapping and ransoming of Isabella, the first born daughter of the head of a royal family.

 

[Hellfire]

Shadow crounched on the rooftop. He pulled out binoculars and examined the window across from him. He took in the sleeping form, two guards, and security system. He gave a low whistle, which was quickly silenced by the sound of thunder.


He put the binoculars away and activated the cloak. He stealthily jump onto the small balcony that led into the room where his prize laid sleeping. He quickly hacked into the security system, warily watching the gaurds as they kept an eye on things. He removed the security measures and quickly opened the window. He slide inside as the guards startled and raised their weapons.


"Go check it out." One said to the other. The guard nervously shuffled his feet then quickly came over and closed the window. He went to look outside, then went rigid as Shadow jabbed a stun baton into his side. Before the other guard could react Shadow through a small ball. The ball exploded into a electrical cloud that removed the guard from Shadow's worries.


Shadow retrieved the device and went to the side of the lone bed in the room.

 

[RavenMist]

Isabella had been sleeping peacefully, knowing her guards were guarding her. She hadn't had to worry about anything for weeks now. There'd been no threat of rebels and the place had been peaceful. The only thing they had to worry about was people not paying their rents in time.


She stirred as the explosion but didn't wake, just turning over and breathing out a sigh. She didn't even feel the presence of the man in her room, used to guards watching over her. In bed her long hair lay messily on the pillow her head lay.

 

[Hellfire]

Shadow watched her for a moment, he was still deciding if he would do this. He wasn't the type to kidnap, it was just not his style. He almost turned to leave, then the faces of his parents and all those counting on him entered into his head. His resolve hardened and he quietly reached out and covered the girl's mouth with his hand. In his other hand he held the stun baton.


"Come quietly or else." he said, deepening his voice and adding a slight accent to it so that she could recognize it later. "

 

[RavenMist]

Isabella's eyes shot out open is he covers her mouth. She stares at him and almost whimpering. She nods though, not daring to scream. She'd seen enough of the stun baton's to know how powerful they were. She looks at him, her breath shallow now, waiting for him to make her move. She didn't know how to react other than to be scared of this man. She'd never expected such a thing to happen, this been a reason she has guards.

 

[Hellfire]

He quickly leads her to the balcony. He press a button on an oval device and a hover bike comes into view. Quickly looking back to make sure no one has seen anything, he gestures for Isabella to get on the bike. He quickly removes his device from the security system and sets it back to normal. He turns and jumps onto the bike, driving it away from the building towards the slums of the city.

 

[RavenMist]

Isabella climbs on, it was that or jump off the balcony but she wasn't that brave or stupid. She gulps, shivering from the cold. She didn't dare to say anything yet, not knowing to mans intentions. She looks out into the city below. She'd never been on a hover bike, though it was understandable why she wasn't allowed now. It moved quickly through the air, dangerously quick.

 

[Hellfire]

Shadow steered the bike almost recklessly as they descended into the slums. The surrounding buildings rushed by in a blur as he set his eyes on their destination. He quickly slowed the bike down and took them through the large broken window of an old factory. He settled the bike down on the ground and shut it off.


The factory was in shambles, a rat scurried a distance away as Shadow dismounted. He seemed distracted by a glass screen on the inside of his right forearm. He furiously typed away.

 

[RavenMist]

Isabella watches him carefully, climbing off the back and stepping further away from him. She wanted to run, faster than she'd ever attempted to. The more her mind processes the thought, the more she steps backwards until she's running. She had no idea where to run, her body moving, trying to find a door. She looks around, not able to find an exit she hides behind some boxes. She breathes heavily, her heart pounding. She falls quiet, tears beginning to run down her face.

 

[Hellfire]

Shadow looks up from the screen. His eyes scan the darkness, and he almost lazily walks in the direction she had went. " You do know I'm not going to hurt you?" He calls out as he makes his way. After a short search he finds her. He feels slight sympathy as he realizes that she is crying. He takes a few steps back from her and sits down indian style, his now black cloak around him.


" I just sent your father a ransom notice." He pauses a moment to let that sink in. "I have no intention of harming you, but I also will not allow you to go home till this ransom is paid." he looks the girl over, she was not what he had expected. He had expected her to act like she ruled over him and demand that he return her. He felt a slight pang of guilt as he looked at the fearful girl.

 

[RavenMist]

Isabella stares at him, her face becoming blank, "He won't pay it." She says with a slight shrug, "Even if he did consider, he'll have men come straight down to the city and search the whole place til he found me." She says. She looks around, "You hurt my guards." She points out, crossing her legs and narrowing her eyes, "What do you even want? Money?" She asks, her rudeness starting to show.

 

[Hellfire]

Shadow chuckles at the mention of money. "The money isn't for me." he says, noticing that she is becoming more bold. "I hurt your guards out of nessecity, not because I enjoy such things." He gets up and brusshes his cloak off. He walks over and kneels down in front of her, his cold blue eyes locking with her eyes. "I don't doubt for a second that your father will try to find you, if fact I am counting on such a thing." He smiles slowly. "He is free to try to get you, but I doubt his men will be able to get past me." he stands back up and looks down at her.

 

[RavenMist]

Isabella looks at him now, "The guards have done nothing wrong. Hurt them and- and I'll.." She trails off, angry but not sure if it were possible to hold a threat. She'd never fought before so she had no hope of fighting with the man. She stands up, dusting off her nightgown, ignoring him, she turns away walking in a different direction. She wipes her face and clears her eyes from tears, "I'll escape, I'll keep trying to run." She murmurs, shaking her head and looking up at a window.

 

[Hellfire]

"I would expect nothing less." Shadow said, following behind her. "Just let me warn you that people like me don't like royals, and if you escape I can't promise that I will be there to protect you when someone sees you all alone in the slums." Shadow looks at their surroundings. "And although this is not a five-star hotel, at least it is a safe place in the slums."

 

[RavenMist]

Isabella scoffs, "Like you care either way." She mumbles not facing him, "You envy the rich, so you steal." She mutters, her fingers running through her hair, her nightgown dirty already from sitting on the floor. She turns now to look at him, noting his appearance. Her green eyes look at him carefully, looking at his clothes.

 

[Hellfire]

"If I stole for that reason, don't you think we would be staying in a more well suited place." He says, gesturing around them. "Being poor makes me wiser and stronger than any rich can be." His eyes narrow behind the mask. "Riches are for fools who want power, I on the other hand only want justice." He sighs, believeing that she cant understand.

 

[RavenMist]

Isabella narrows her eyes and moves closer, raising her hand to slap him. As moves her hand across his face, "We don't all get a choice you ignorant idiot. I grew up like it. I've known nothing else. How dare you look upon us all the same." She says, turning away again, to the other side of the room. She sat on on the floor now, her head resting against her knees. She tried not to let his words hurt her but they did.

 

[Hellfire]

He looks at her wordlessly for a moment. "I don't look at you all as the same." He had never been good at apologizing. "I do apologize if I have offended you, but people like you tend to treat those like me as if they were trash." He realized that he was not doing well but he continued. "You have surprised me honestly, I gues I'm just not used to actually talking to a.... Royal." He smiles hesitantly.

 

[RavenMist]

She turns away, "It's people like you that make us seem so bad." She mumbles, "The heroes to poor, make them feel like they are worthy. Maybe they are, but it was my family who built up this region after the war. What would be left if the rich hadn't have made something?" She says. She blinks and begins to stare at the wall. She lefts out a small yawn, "You'd see it different if you were in my shoes."

 

[Hellfire]

"Everything is different through another's eyes." He agrees with her. "But if your family is truly noble, then why do they charge such high rent? It is not as if you need it." He shows honest curiousity, then realizes that he has been rude. "Sorry, there is a bed upstairs if you are still tired." He gestures towards a small spiral staircase that leads into a small room. "It isn't the best of acommodations, but it is better than most."

 

[RavenMist]

Isabella shrugs, "I'm not going to be able to sleep anyway." She mumbles, sighing.


"I'm not in charge of the rent prices, my father controls it." She says lightly, "Some money does get used for good, there's been minor improvements to places of the city." She adds quietly.

 

[Hellfire]

Shadow sighs. "Fair enough I guess." He shrugs slightly. "But a majority of people still live in poverty, so it does make one wander were all that money goes." He walks over to the bike and lifts a small compartment door. He begins tinkering with the mechanics of the machine. He takes off his gloves so that he doesn't ruin them. His hands are covered in scars both big and small as he dives back into the machinary.

 

[RavenMist]

Isabella sighs again and falls silent. She doesn't know what to say to him, she didn't know how long she'd even be here for. She hums lightly, trying to take her mind off everything. She wanted to go home and she hadn't even been there long. She closes her eyes, her head still against her knees.

 

[Hellfire]

Shadow cursed silently as something in the bike sparked. He messed with it a moment longer then used a rag to clean his hands. He quickly looked over at Isabella to make sure she wasn't looking. He turned his back towards her and took of his mask. A web of bio-tech on the inside of the mask held his attention. He adjusted it slightly. "You can call me shadow by the way." He said as he worked. "I can't give you my real name of course, but Shadow is better than nothing."

 

[RavenMist]

Isabella keep her head on her knees, "Well I'm sure you already know my name." She mumbles, her eyes closed. She didn't want to sleep again, so she continues to hum lightly. She opens her eyes now and looks up, noticing he had the mask off though she still couldn't see him as he had his back to her.