Chapter 8: Abduction

In the middle of the night,

Ricky laid peacefully on his cheap bed, dead asleep as not even the popping noises sounding off in the distance could break this tranquil sleep of his.

*BAM*

"HUH?" Ricky snorted himself awake after hearing the loud banging of doors which woke up, not only him, but everyone in the orphanage.

"FIND HIM!" A demanding tone sounded as the three of Ricky, Bucky, and Steve rubbed their eyes in confusion.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" The screams of children rang out as doors were continuously being kicked in one after the other.

*BAM*

Instantly, Ricky was jarred awake as their door was kicked in as two gangsters walked in before turning on the light.

"Found ya." A man with two front teeth missing smiled widely while gazing at the confused Ricky at the top bunk.

"Shiiiiiiiiii-" Ricky quickly realized that his situation was about to get complicated and without further ado, the man reached up, grabbed his collar, and jerked him out of bed.

*THUMP*

"F*ck." Ricky cussed as the man didn't even try to cusion his fall but dragged him towards the ground.

"LET HIM GO!" Steve was the first of the two to react, rushing forward with the intention of freeing him.

*THWACK*

The man without second thought, hit Steve square across the face with the butt of his gun causing Steve to be immediately knocked out.

His body fell lifelessly to the ground as Ricky and Bucky froze before their eyes filled to the brim in anger.

"YOU BASTARD-"

*BAM*

*COUGH* 

Before Bucky could lunge at the culprit, the other gangster buried his fist square into Bucky's sternum while knocking out all of the air that was contained within his lungs.

"Stupid kid-AHHHHH!" The toothless man sneered before Ricky punched his nether regions.

*TWACK*

*SPLAT*

Without hesitation, the other gangster pistol whipped Ricky causing a trail of blood to be forced from his mouth and strung across the floor.

"This little." The toothless man's eyes were bloodshot, facing the muzzle of his gun at the now barely conscious Ricky.

"Wait James, we need him alive." The other gangster, Edward, stopped James before he could cock back the muzzle as he gritted his teeth.

"Fine, but I get first go if we have to beat information out of him." James scoffed but didn't simply leave it be, kicking Ricky in the stomach with an aggressive force.

*COUGH*

"That's for my ball's boy." James then grabbed Ricky's collar and jerked him to the side while dragging him out the door.

Bucky could only watch with an exasperated face as Ricky's weak figure was forcefully dragged out of their room and out of their lives.

After the gangsters got what they came for, they put a bag over his head and threw him into a trunk before driving to a discreet location in brooklyn.

15 minutes later,

The bag that was blinding Ricky's vision had become released to reveal him tied up to a chair in front of five gentlemen.

"Ello Ricky, or should I say as of yesterday, Slick." A man with a mustache twirling at its ends greeted the beaten Ricky.

Ricky swirled something in his mouth but before the man could ask something else, he suddenly pursed his lip.

*PHEW*

Ricky spit a loogie mixed with his own blood into the man's face as he instinctively closed his eyes.

The man froze for a second but slowly stood up before reaching into his coat, pulling out a handkerchief he started wiping his face before opening his eyes which revealed one emotion, rage.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The man let out a maniacal laughter as the four men behind him shook their heads.

*BAM*

*BAM*

*BAM*

Then, as if making a complete one-eighty, the man began to relentlessly punch Ricky. 

Each blow was deliberate and forceful, his fists connecting with Ricky's face and torso with brutal precision. 

The man only slightly pulled back his punches, ensuring maximum impact without knocking Ricky unconscious too quickly. 

Ricky's head snapped back with each hit, his vision blurring and ears ringing as the pain radiated through his body. 

Blood trickled from his nose and mouth, mixing with the sweat streaming down his face from the strain of the pain. 

The room spun around him, the walls and ceiling blurring together as the relentless assault continued. 

Ricky's body convulsed with each punch, his breath coming in ragged gasps, struggling to remain conscious under the onslaught.

*Splat*

*Splat*

*Splat*

*Splat*

Blood splattered with each punch as the man's relentless blows forced mouthfuls of Ricky's blood to spill. 

Every impact sent a spray of crimson droplets into the air while staining the hardwood floors. 

Ricky's lip split open, and his teeth rattled with each strike, the metallic taste of blood overwhelming his senses. 

The man's knuckles, now slick with blood, continued their brutal assault, leaving Ricky gasping and choking on the blood pooling in his mouth. 

The room filled with the sickening sound of flesh meeting flesh, each punch a resounding thud that echoed through the small space. 

Ricky's vision darkened at the edges, the pain and blood loss threatening to pull him into unconsciousness, but the man's onslaught showed no signs of stopping.

*Huff*

*Huff*

*Huff*

"Forgive me, but I am usually a very clean man." The man apologized after his horrifying assault on Ricky, wiping the handkerchief he used previously on his face to clean his now bloodied fist.

Ricky's face was bludgeoned as it slowly started to swell and turn purple as even one eye had fully swelled up.

"Your-"

*Huff*

*Huff*

Ricky was struggling, trying to get out a seam of words that seemed to be cut short by the pain instilled by the man before him.

"Robert Cornweld, one of the leaders of the five point gang-"

"You're wiping my snot onto your fist." Ricky interrupted Robert's misinterpretation of his words, laughing hysterically once his words halted Robert's movements.

"Robert, why don't you let me talk to the laddie?" A red haired man patted his shoulder after seeing Robert show a deadly expression as if wanting another round.

"Aye Ricky, names Patty O'neil but you can call me Patty." Patty tipped his hat before bending down to Ricky's eye level but keeping a suitable distance

"What do you want, fire crotch?" Ricky didn't even show a lick of respect for these people, spitting next to him as if not giving a regard for these men who now held his fate.

'Man, I am so f*cked for no reason.' Ricky was internally in disbelief at what was happening in the first place, trying to recount what he did to these guys only to come up short in his thoughts.

"Is this rascal drunk or something?" The other leader, Charlie Phillips, asked the others in a thick southern accent which Ricky started laughing.

'Then while I think, I guess I'll play the crazy card.' Ricky was trying to get into character since this move had saved him multiple times

"Ten points to the cousin f*cker~" Ricky let out a slightly drunken tone, trying to look as uncaring as possible which made all of them scrunch their eyebrows.

"This bloke is really off his knocker." The fourth leader, Gavin Uren, shook his head in a thick welsh accent.

"Let's just leave the boy and demand a sit down from Lucky." Tony finally said as it was revealed he was the last leader of the five point gang.

'Damn.' Ricky thought, looking at Tony who definitely hated him after he took all of his stuff.

"If it isn't my number one schmuck." Ricky showed himself to recognize Tony who immediately started growling.

"That's it." Tony disregarded his old words and rushed to grab Ricky while pulling on his collar.

"You act tough boy but everyone fears death!" Tony threatened while jamming a pistol into a crevasse of his neck.

"Listen Tony, I've looked the grim reaper straight in the eyes and complained, so I think I won't be afraid of a mere rat." Ricky rolled his eyes, not even a little bit scared at this guy who wears his ego on his sleeve.

"And what, he let you go?" Patty humored Ricky as the beaten-up kid's smile grew wider, a drop of blood falling from his mouth.

"No, he sighed." Ricky then started laughing at his own bad joke Tony frowned before releasing his collar.

"Your just some corny little sh*t." Tony scoffed before stepping back a couple steps.

"And yet, I'm still not a rat-"

*BAM*

*Thump*

As if almost on instinct, Tony turned around and hit Ricky right square in the face before he could finish his words.

"I DID WHAT I NEEDED TO MAKE A LIVING ON THESE F*CKING STREETS! IF LUCKY WASN'T GOING TO TAKE ME SERIOUSLY THEN I'D FIND PEOPLE WHO WOULD!" Tony roared his own insecurities at Ricky who weakly chuckled.

"That's exactly what a rat would say to justify himself, but in reality, you just scurried to another sh*t heap." Ricky huffed out weakly as Tony lifted up his shoe to stomp his face in only for Patty to pull him back.

"Whoa there Tony, we need the feller." Patty grabbed Tony's shoulder as his shoe just barely missed Ricky's head.

"Yeah rodent, your boss needs me alive." Ricky taunted some more as Tony's eyes were bloodshot.

"Look at this smart little rascal, do you think your death will be easier if you taunt us like this?" Gavin bent down with a slight smile as Ricky frowned.

There wasn't anything Ricky loathed more about living in New York in his past life than getting involved with the mafia. 

The one thing he always wanted to avoid was being tortured by them, knowing they could make you wish for death a hundred times over before throwing you into the river with a block of cement tied around your ankle.

But above all, he knew that if he showed any fear to these guys they would swarm him like sharks.

You can't be afraid or show fear to these guys in the least, it gives them an upper hand, and the only way to counter these guys is to act crazy.

Nobody likes dealing with crazy people because of how much of a hassle they are to deal with and Ricky knew that if he acted like this either they'd kill him fast, or let him ice while he got some time to think.

Ricky clicked his tongue, a sound that seemed almost casual. 

The others, slightly surprised, couldn't help but finally notice how unafraid this nine-year-old appeared in front of them with his composure, especially at his age, was a little unnerving.

"Laddie, all we want to know is why you and Lucky are so close?" Patty smiled while pulling the chair back to its legs.

"Seriously?" Ricky leaned back in his chair as Patty suddenly started to untie his bindings to let him breathe better.

"Of course, that's all we want to know." Patty put a hand on his shoulder while showing a soft smile.

Wiping his mouth that continuously drooled blood, Ricky wasn't buying this nice guy act in the least.

"No, I'm asking if you seriously believed I'd tell you anything?" Ricky let out a dry scoff as Patty froze before grabbing his shoulder tightly.

"Laddie, you don't owe Lucky nothing-"

"Yeah, but I also don't owe you jack yet here you are, beating my ass." Ricky showed a weird expression as Patty nodded his hand.

"Then I guess we're going to have to do this the hard way." Patty nodded while grabbing a bandage to wrap his knuckles.

Ricky looked at this before looking at the blue screen next to him as he got an idea before his smile widened a little.

"I guess we are."

"LUCKY!" Meyer rushed into Lucky's office as the mobster looked up from his papers with a raised eyebrow.

"The five point gang has kidnapped Slick and are holding him hostage!" Meyer quickly informed as Lucky jolted to his feet.

"What!" Lucky was dumbfounded before Meyer handed him a letter.

Lucky snatched it out of Meyer's hand and started reading it before a baffled expression formed on his face.

Lucky,

I know that Ricky is your bastard.

The Five Points Gang requests a sit-down to discuss the terms for his release, currently held by me.

Tony,

'My bastard-WAIT TONY!'

"THAT RAT!" Lucky crumpled the paper as his hand convulsed in anger as he read Tony's name.

"What should we do-"

"Gather the family, tonight we settled things." Lucky's eyes gleamed with a dangerous intensity, fully aware that only one of them would be able to drive away after this confrontation. 

It wasn't so much about Ricky himself; it was the fact that someone had dared to step on his authority and worse still, it was one of the very men he had started out with.

"And about Slick." Meyer asked as Lucky bit his lip before some old memories resurfaced.

"We'll have to hope he's alive after it's all said and done."

*BAM*

*BAM*

*BAM*

*SPALT*

Ricky's face was completely covered in bruises as he was barely breathing at this point as his vision had been confined to a slit.

Gazing out, he saw the madness ensue as the five leaders were suddenly informed of something before they scrambled to do something.

The ringing in his ears made listening hard, however after focusing it started to slowly quell until he could hear the conversation.

"They want to end it here? Tell them to bring it!" Gavin took out a pistol as Charlie stopped.

"Shouldn't we leverage the kid first? I mean, he's obviously a soft spot for Lucky." Charlie weighed his thoughts as Tony stared menacingly at Ricky.

"I say we shoot the bugger here and get it over with." Tony's words carried extreme murderous intent as Ricky bit his lip.

Although Ricky put up a tough front, deep down he desperately wanted to live. 

Hell, he was the kind of guy who would sell his firstborn to the devil if it meant escaping death's doorstep for one more day. 

In his moment of desperation, he turned to the one thing that could change his fate: the blue screen materialized before him. 

Until now, he had mostly ignored the system, using it only for gambling but with no other options left, he decided to take one final gamble.

'Mutant Gene Multiplier Coupon'

Uncertain about what a Mutant truly was, Ricky hesitated to use it; however, facing a near-death situation, he saw no other choice.

The golden ticket materialized in his clenched fist as he prayed, not to any gods, but to the system itself.

'Please don't be a scam.' Ricky thought as he tore the ticket.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Ricky screeched out in an ear-defining scream that resonated unfathomable levels of pain.

The five leaders all flinched at this while instinctively drawing their guns and pointing them at Ricky.

"What's wrong with the blok?" Gavin asked in confusion though Robert and Tony seemed to be delighted at this sadistic display.

"Let the cheeky brat suffer before he meets his end." Robert spit on Ricky with a sneer as the kid's words had clearly injured his ego.

Ricky writhed on the floor, his body contorting in spasms of agony as his muscles tensed and twitched uncontrollably, each movement sending a new wave of pain through him.

Sweat poured from his brow, mixing with the blood trickling from his nose as the veins in his neck bulged, pulsing with the strain of his convulsions.

His screams were guttural and raw, filling the room with a sound of pure torment like the sounds of nails scratching against a chalkboard. 

His eyes, wide with pain, seemed to bulge from their sockets while the blood vessels in his eyes burst, leaving streaks of red across the whites, and each breath showed itself to be a struggle, each gasp for air a sharp intake of pain.

Robert watched, and couldn't help but feel horrified, as Ricky's body seemed to fight against itself. It was a scene of utter agony, a body pushed beyond its limits. 

"Let's just put him out of his misery." Robert walked up right as Ricky stopped moving as he laid on the floor in a battered breath.

*Click*

"Live well in hell and inform the devil of my arrival, I won't be too long." Robert said his goodbye to Ricky while clicking the revolver in his hand.

*BANG*

The room reverberated with the echo of a gunshot, but instead of the bullet piercing Ricky's skull, it appeared to freeze in mid-air.

To the astonishment of the five men, a translucent force field materialized around Ricky, barely visible but undeniably present, protecting him from harm. 

Ricky, barely breathing but smiling, looked at his newfound abilities with a mix of surprise and satisfaction.

"I bet that sounded better in your head." Ricky snickered at Robert, laughing out of his mind at that corny line.

"WHAT ARE YOU ALL STANDING AROUND FOR? LET'S KILL THIS FREAK!" Tony screamed anxiously as he pulled out a gun before pointing it at Ricky.

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

Tony relentlessly pulled the trigger but the bullets all seemed to stop once they hit the barrier as the other four started to follow in Tony's footsteps.

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

Bullet flew with a mad velocity towards Ricky yet no damage was ever taken as he weakly laid there before they all ran out of ammo.

Ricky let out a sigh of relief as he looked at the ability that had saved him in this tiring moment.

Psionic Force Fields: While the cells of the user's body produce a certain energy manifestation, the cells of his brain produce a different, more potent manifestation. Through concentration, Ricky is able to project an invisible field of psionic force drawn from Ricky's own mind. He can shape these fields into various forms, limited only by his imagination and mental focus, ranging from small objects like marbles to large domes with a diameter of about 100 feet. These force fields can be solid or hollow, and he can manipulate their size, shape, and movement at will. Ricky can use these fields to travel in the air, reaching speeds of about 25 miles per hour for up to 4 hours before becoming fatigued. His force fields are also capable of blocking telekinesis and preventing mental intrusion, making him highly versatile in combat situations.

Before gazing at this next ability that paired with another newly awoken ability that made him hesitate before gazing at the five men.

Then his eyes turned deadly as although he had never been one to kill in his previous life, this time he felt no remorse as he locked onto their vulnerabilities. 

He grabbed the broken axe from his inventory and swung it with determination at the bullets hovering across his barrier.

"Full Counter."