“This is my home.”

At 12, Giovanni was put under the care of federal agent, Ryder Shaw. Ryder’s house was huge but had a homely feeling. While Giovanni was looking around, he spotted a woman walking towards him.

“This is my wife, Gina.”

“It’s so nice to meet you.”

Gina greeted Giovanni with a smile. He flashed her a smile in return.

“We won’t ask you to think of us as your parents, but I want you to think of this home as your own.”

Ryder placed his hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t worry, just relax and be yourself.”

Giovanni’s life with the Shaws was peaceful and uneventful. Ryder and Gina tried their best to make Giovanni feel at home. They showered him in love every chance they got. As for Giovanni, he was well-behaved and showed no signs of being affected by his past traumas.

“Gio is exercising again.”

The couple watched Giovanni doing push ups in their backyard. His physique was nothing like a 14-year old’s.

“To be honest, he’s already stronger than me, faster too. In fact, I don’t think the average adult can compete.”

Ryder watched Giovanni with concern.

“His father taught him a lot of things and he continues to practice them. At first, I thought it was because of habit, but I think he genuinely enjoys it.”

“A little exercise isn’t a bad thing. It helps keep him focused. He doesn’t get into fights either despite his physique. It’s just….”

“You don’t think he’s truly happy?”

Gina nodded.

“I know what you mean. I didn’t notice it at first, but that child is always wearing a fake smile. He doesn’t cause trouble but he doesn’t seem to be enjoying life.”

“Could his trauma be deeper rooted than we thought?”

Ryder didn’t answer immediately. He watched as Giovanni punched and kicked a sandbag. He wore a grin that grew wider with every strike.

“That’s a genuine smile. After seeing that kind of smile, I realized he’s faking it most of the time.”

He turned and looked at Gina.

“I don’t know if it’s trauma. We made him get psychiatric evaluations before we took him in. They found nothing wrong with him. We put him in therapy with some of the best therapists and none of them found anything off….I’m going to visit his father to see if he knows anything.”

Ryder visited Rafael in the mental facility. They met in a room with guards watching them.

“You want to know why Gio wears a fake smile all the time?”

Rafael smiled.

“That’s because the boy’s a psychopath.”

Ryder frowned.

“How can you say that about your son when you’re the reason he’s like this?”

“I’m the reason? Ryder, my friend, I put that boy through a lot of things and I own up to that. I’m a terrible father and a worse human being. However, I did not make that child into how he is.”

Rafael leaned over on the table.

“Listen to me, Ryder. That child was broken from the start. He didn’t shed a tear when his mother died, despite her dying in front of him. It’s because he’s like this that I tried to turn him into the perfect soldier. He didn’t complain no matter how hard the training or how cruel I was. Those years I trained him I learnt what kind of being I was dealing with, and honestly I was afraid of him.”

“Afraid? Despite you being the abuser?”

“You don’t get it, you just don’t get it.”

Rafael sighed and leaned back.

“Let me guess, he’s obedient, well-mannered, and an easy child to manage.”

Ryder nodded.

“He’s not doing it to trick you or anything, that too is the real him. It’s just that he gets bored.”

“Bored? Everybody gets bored.”

“Yes, everybody does. But that boy’s boredom can only be satisfied by death and mutilation. Violence is the only thing he truly craves. I don’t why he’s like that, but that’s just how it is.”

Ryder remembered Giovanni only truly smiling when committing violent acts in training.

“….I can fix him. We can fix him. You’re his father, you owe it to fix him.”

“You want a broken person to fix someone who was never whole?”

Rafael laughed.

“Listen, Ryder. My advice is this, he’ll eventually get bored, so bored everyday life will mean nothing to him. It will reach a point where he’ll lash out, not at you or Gina though. Strangely enough, the boy values family. He won’t mourn you but, he will never hurt or disobey you. However, that’s just family. Everybody else is fair game.”

Stolen story; please report.

“….Then what do you think we should do?”

“Turn him into a soldier.”

“What? You’re still—”

“Now, calm down. Gio craves violence; unless you sedated him he probably always will. If that’s the case, we should try to control his violence and use it for good. Otherwise, he’ll just turn into a serial killer. Put him into the army and have the government control him while he’s still human. The boy’s very talented and blessed with a unusual physique, which was further strengthened artificially by me. If he’s left to his own devices, a lot of innocent people will die. At least if he’s under our control, his violence will result in lives being saved.”

Rafael paused for a bit.

“There is another option.”

“What is it?”

“Put a bullet in his head.”

Ryder’s eyes widened. Rafael continued.

“Just so you know, if you take that option you’ll have to put one in my head too.”

He showed a bright smile.

“After all, I still love my son enough to kill for him.”

“….I see that you won’t be coming out here for a long time. You’re still batshit crazy.”

“I know, right? I still dream about killing every cartel out there. The guards say I even giggle in my sleep.”

Ryder stood up.

“So, are you going to take advice from a madman?”

“No, I’m taking the advice of a father. But in moderation. I’m going to ask Gio if he wants to go to military school and see how he reacts. Then I’ll act from there.”

“Good idea. I’m sure he’ll love it.”

Rafael started to clap while Ryder frowned.

After he went home, Ryder spoke with Gina and told her everything Rafael told him. After thinking about it for a while, she agreed to try out the Military school idea. Once Giovanni returned home and ate dinner with them, they brought it up.

“Military school?”

“Yes, we were wondering if you’re interested. I mean you’re always training so we thought you would be more comfortab—”

Ryder swallowed his words after seeing Giovanni’s face. He wore the widest smile he’d ever seen. The smile was so genuinely happy it sent a chill down his spine.

He frowned.

“Looks like a father will know his son the best.”

He mumbled.

Less than a year later, Giovanni was enrolled into military school.

“Remember, Gio. If you ever feel like you want to come home just give us a call and we’ll come pick you up.”

Ryder said while holding his shoulders.

“I’ll be fine.”

Gina walked up to him and kissed his cheek.

“Please be careful and remember to call.”

“I will.”

After they said their goodbyes, they left Giovanni and drove off. Giovanni watched them drive away before picking up his suitcase and walking into the school.

“Military school huh? Father must’ve given them the idea.”

He grinned.

“Father, you know me so well.”

Giovanni’s first year in the school was far from peaceful. On his first day, he broke the arms of his seniors because they harassed him. By the time he had finished his first week, he had complete control of the classroom. He ruled his grade two months later. By six months he was told to train alone because no one could compete. Soon he was training with the instructors.

“Mr and Mrs Shaw, I believe your son is beyond what our school is capable of teaching.”

Ryder and Gina were meeting the principal in an annual parent-teacher meeting.

“To be honest, I’ve never seen someone like Giovanni before. I’ve fought him myself and it felt like I was dancing with death. That’s why after some thought I believe it’s best for everyone if he leaves this school and waits a year to join the real military when he’s 17.”

“….I understand.”

Ryder spoke after much thought.

“We’ll talk to him and decide his future togethe--”

“Sir, we have a problem!”

One of the instructors burst into the office.

“Giovanni Delgado stole a truck and left the compound!”

“What?!”

Ryder, Gina, and the principal screamed in unison.

After much confusion, Ryder and Gina drove to the place they believed Giovanni would go. The mental facility housing Rafael. They immediately asked if anyone visited Rafael before they arrived and confirmed someone did. They met with Rafael using Ryder’s authority.

“Rafael, you bastard!”

Ryder punched Rafael the moment he walked into the room Rafael hit the ground and lay motionlessly.

“You fucker! You knew this would happen and yet you convinced me to send Giovanni there!”

He grabbed Rafael by the collar ignoring his wife and the guards trying to calm him down.

“Tell me where he is!”

“……”

Rafael looked at him with unfocused eye.

“Talk to me, Rafael!”

Ryder shook him vigorously. Rafael showed a small smile.

“….I was wrong. I should’ve never raised that boy how I did.”

“Rafael, please tell us where Giovanni is.”

Gina made Ryder release him before pleading with him.

“Giovanni?”

He burst out laughing.

“You!”

Ryder became enraged again and had to be restrained by the guards.

“Giovanni? Giovanni’s dead.”

“What?”

Ryder and Gina froze after hearing what he said. Rafael continued while laughing.

“Someone did visit me before you…”

An hour before Ryder and Gina arrived, Rafael had a visitor. To his surprise, it was his son.

“Hello, Rafael.”

Giovanni sat at the table wore a grin on his face. This grin made Rafael’s skin crawl as he sat down across from him.

“How did you come here? You aren’t supposed to be in contact with me.”

Giovanni nodded.

“What you said is the truth, but did you know? A lot of the children sent to military school are troublemakers who have broken the law or are too much for their parents to handle. A lot of those kids come from wealthy backgrounds and have a lot of connections in the right places.”

“…So you used these connections to get you in here?”

Giovanni shook his head.

“That’s too small-minded, Rafael. You taught me better than that.”

He pulled out an ID.

“I used them to create a new identity for me. Giovanni Delgado doesn’t exist anymore.”

Rafael’s eyes widened.

“Looks like you want to know how. You’ll be surprised how effective blackmailing powerful people can be. Especially when you can expose how they sexually assaulted their children before sending them away to hide their guilt. Oh, don’t worry. I know you hate people like that, so I’ll bring them to justice in the future.”

Rafael’s body was trembling. He was reading the name on the ID.

“Gustav Fernandez…”

“Yup, do you like it?”

Rafael slammed the table.

“You bastard! How dare you take the name of your mother’s killer?!”

Giovanni lifted his hand to stop the guards from approaching them.

“I took it because it’s the name of the person who had the most impression on me. After all, he killed my mother in front of me and killed the kind man who used to be my father.”

Rafael’s body froze. He gritted his teeth.

“Is this your way of getting back at me? Are you here to just punish me?!”

“Punish you? For what?”

Giovanni wore a confused expression.

“If anything I’m grateful. You made me into who I am right now. The perfect soldier.”

He stood up and patted Rafael’s shoulder.

“Thanks for raising me, Father.”

He playfully pats his cheek.

“Anyway, I got to get going before Ryder and Gina get here.”

“…Where are going?”

“I’m going to spend a year in Mexico and then join the army when I’m 17.”

Giovanni, no, Gustav Fernandez walked away from the table.

“Don’t worry, I’m gonna avenge my mother. In fact, I’m planning on making you proud and do what you’ve trained me to do.”

Gustav looked back at the shaking Rafael with a bloodthirsty smile.

“I’m gonna kill my namesake and every other cartel I come across.”

He turned his back and waved.

“Adios, Papa.”

Ryder and Gina were frozen in shock after hearing Rafael’s story.

“I should’ve never trained him.”

Rafael spoke with a trembling voice.

“I should’ve never created that devil!”

“Gustav Fernandez formerly known as Giovanni Delgado went on to join the Great Cartel War where he was instrumental to the destruction of all of the major cartels by slaughtering an undisclosed amount of people. His true identity was revealed after his arrest, but he still insisted on calling himself Gustav Fernandez.”

Julius sat inside Feng’s lab reading a file. He looked at the giant glass tank with someone floating. The person looked identical to a picture of an 18-year-old Giovanni.

“You were really a menace back then. I just hope Feng knows what he’s doing bringing you back.”