It hurt. It felt like fire. Pain stabbed deeply into every nerve. I wanted it to stop. Why wouldn't it stop? All I could feel was agony. The rest of my mind went blank. Pain. So much pain. Take it away. Somebody, take it away.

There was crying. I could hear it. It was distant, and faint, but I could hear it. There was something else too... a voice... familiar and low. It sounded like it was trying to calm someone. I couldn't focus. The pain was spreading. Make it stop. Please... someone... help...

I woke covered in sweat and lying on my stomach. Somehow, I had come to be sprawled across a cot in a small, windowless room. With blurry vision, I could make out a small desk, covered in odds and ends. I saw no one else. The night before was a hazy, but I remembered fear. Pure, unbridled terror. Thinking hard, I caught a memory of falling, death sure to come. How had I gotten here? Where was "here"? I didn't have to wait long for my answer.

The metal door creaked open. Through it, I could see steps leading up. I was underground, probably in some sort o cellar. A man also appeared in the doorway, blocking out the light. He caught my eye and immediately looked away.

"Do you remember anything?" His voice was unnatural, like he was altering it somehow.

My mouth didn't work, so I tried shaking my head. I managed, but it took all my strength.

"You were attacked by an unknown assailant on a rooftop after you blew up a street." He sounded almost amused as he said this last part. "You were shot and you fell." I'd have winced if I could. His words explained a lot. "I managed to catch you, after which, I brought you here and stitched you up." My eyes flicked toward my shoulder. I could see a white bandage under the strap of my shirt. I glanced back at the man who was hiding in the shadows. "It'll probably hurt like crazy when the drugs wear off. I nearly had to tranquilize you before you calmed down." This time, I really did find the strength to wince. We waited in an awkward silence for a moment before he moved toward the door. "You should get some sleep. I'll check on you later." Without another word, he was gone.

The strange man was right. I woke to a throbbing shoulder and a head to match. This time, I managed to sit up, and found a sandwich, a glass of water, and two pills beside me. Careful not to move my right arm, I reached for the meds and liquid. Downing both, I decided to try standing. My failure was not quite as grand as expected. Legs shaking, I managed to hold myself up. The desk had caught my interest the first time I was awake, and I wanted to examine it, so, like the idiot I was, I walked over to it. I say "Walked", but really it was more of a stumble and a miracle that got me there. What had appeared to be large piles of nothing in particular actually turned out to be electronics. the table was littered with devices I didn't recognize, computers, and game systems all in various stages of incompleteness. They were either being built or torn apart, of which I assumed a bit of both. Off to the side lay some things of a very different sort, all deep red. A spool of thread, some bandages, and a single bullet seemed out of place among all the tech. They sat like a reminder of life among the wires and circuit boards. My next discovery startled me even more. Back in the corner, in the deepest shadows, was a neat stack of clothes. Dark pants, complete with holsters and pockets filled to the brim with who-knows-what, were accompanied by a black, high neck jacket and a set of tall boots. Lying atop it all, was a leather mask, shiny and imposing. I reached up to touch my own, only just realizing I was still wearing it. Whoever had saved me had left my secret to me, and, considering I wasn't in a jail cell, he must not care that I was a criminal. I shuddered to think what kind of person that made him. As if my thoughts had called him, the door screeched open. The sound was followed by the man's odd voice, so cold it seemed to freeze the room.

"What are you doing?"