Jonathan Morales Caines, a boy who was no more than fourteen years old, arrived in a bustling New York City, where the sounds of life overlap and the threads of destinies intertwine. With his mother, who had a sparkle of hope in her eyes and a heart full of dreams, they moved to Brooklyn, a neighborhood vibrant with diversity and vitality.

There, in an apartment that tells stories from the past with its antique walls and floors bearing traces of time, John will begin his adventures.

At 11 p.m., under the warm Brooklyn sun, Joey, or John as he was known, was helping his mother carry heavy boxes, hoping for a long-awaited reunion with his friend Chris.

As he looked around the apartment, he noticed a corner that had not been touched by the hand of time, which ignited in his heart a curiosity to discover its secrets.

“Mom, when will I meet Chris?” Joey asked, his voice filled with longing.

“After we put the finishing touches on this place,” his mother replied, her voice carrying a tone of firmness and tenderness, “it will look as if no one has lived in it for centuries.”

“Or perhaps many centuries!” Joey laughed, examining the worn floor, "But that's okay, I'll get used to this place. Now, let me explore around Brooklyn, and I'll be back before you know it."

With a naughty smile, Joey crept toward the door, but his mother caught him tightly, holding the broom and wearing her gloves.

"Where to, Joey? We haven't finished arranging this place yet."

"Okay, ma'am!" Joey said, placing his hand on his head like a soldier's salute, a smile on his bright face.

After a day full of hard work and continuous effort, the old apartment was transformed into a residence that radiates elegance and order. The furniture is carefully arranged, and the floors shine like a new painting. Joey, lying on the couch, relaxes his tired muscles, while the smell of the delicious dinner his mother is preparing wafts through the kitchen, signaling the end of a long day.

Suddenly, the silence is interrupted by a familiar voice calling to Joey from outside. He jumps up, driven by curiosity and enthusiasm. He looks out the window to see Chris, a childhood friend he hasn't seen in years. Surprise filled his eyes and a smile appeared on his face.

"Chris! I can't believe you're here!" Joey shouts, happiness lacing his voice.

“Waiting time flies, doesn't it?” Chris responds with a warm laugh, “But it looks like you're going to make me wait longer for you to come down!”

"No, I won't be late!" "Mom, I'll be back before dinner!" Joey says, turning toward the kitchen.

With agility and agility, Joey jumps from the window to the ground, like a superhero, leaving his mother and Chris stunned. His mother calls after him in a voice that mixes concern and tenderness:

"Joey! But...dinner's ready!"

But Joey and Chris have already disappeared into the streets of Brooklyn.

Under the moonlight that sprinkles its brilliance on the streets of New York, John and Chris walk side by side, exchanging memories and conversations about the time that passed like lightning.

"Four years, Chris! It feels like yesterday," Joey says, looking at the changes in his friend and himself.

Chris laughs lightly, "Yes, but it seems that the length was not in your favor this time!" He joked, standing side by side with him, comparing their height.

“Time flies, but the memories stay,” Joey continues, recalling their last encounter at the New Jersey festival.

Chris looks at the ground for a moment, then raises his eyes to John, "The truth is, time has been slow without you. But I've found new friends, like Dave and Alex. And I've become... let's say, the crush of the girls at school!" He says it in a cheerful tone.

Joey smiles understandingly, "Me too, I've made new friends during my travels. And my mother...she needs care, so I make sure to always help her, even if she doesn't ask for it."

"Does she still have a cough?" Chris asks with hidden concern.

Joey clenched his fist, a glint of hope and determination in his eyes, "Yes, but she's strong. And I wish I could do more to help her... You know, sometimes I wish I could carry some of her burdens on my shoulders."

At that time of night, when shadows were dancing on the walls of deserted alleys, there was a person standing in the darkness, his eyes following every movement in complete silence. He was not just an observer, but rather like a hunter waiting for his prey.

Suddenly, at an unexpected moment, Joey bumped into a mysterious man wearing a robe as black as night. The impact was strong enough to knock Joey to the ground, as if an invisible force had pushed him.

The mysterious man, with his piercing eyes, looked at Joey lying on the ground and uttered strange words, as if they were incantations from another world, incomprehensible and upside down.

Chris, with confident steps, approached and extended his hand to help Joey get up, and said in a reassuring tone:

"Don't worry, are you okay?"

Joey, dusting off his clothes, answered hesitantly:

“I think so, but did you see how he spoke? It was as if the words were coming out of his mouth in reverse!”

The two continued walking, ignoring the puzzled looks following them, until they reached a drinks vending machine. Joey, involuntarily, took two drinks; One for himself and the other he gently tossed towards Chris. They drank in silence for a few moments before Chris broke the silence by saying:

"Don't let your thoughts be distracted by that strange man... Speaking of strange, there are a lot of strange things that have started happening in this city lately."

Joey, with a puzzled look, turned to Chris and asked:

"Conspiracies? What do you mean?"

Chris, throwing the juice box aside, answered in a serious tone:

"Hmm... There have been rumors of strange people and creatures roaming the city streets. At first, I thought they were just myths, but now, I'm starting to doubt it."

Joey, with wide eyes, asked excitedly:

"How...have you seen one of these things?"

Chris, with a quizzical smile, replied:

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Sometimes, I think it's just my imagination, but who knows? Maybe there's something bigger than we can imagine going on around us."

```

(In a surprising moment, the silence was pierced by the sound of a loud explosion coming from nearby, shaking the ground beneath Joey and Chris' feet.)

Joey, eyes wide: "Did you hear that? It sounded like an explosion!"

Chris, in a worried tone: “Oh my God... yeah, and I think I know where that came from.”

(They move quickly towards the site of the explosion, running from one alley to another, adrenaline pumping through their veins, until they reach the site of the explosion.)

Chris, his features mixed with anger and sadness: "Damn...it's old Uncle Jerry's store!"

Joey, looking at the burning store and people gathering around him: (grabs Chris' arm trying to stop him) "Are you crazy? How are you going to get in when this place is on fire over there?"

Chris, with unyielding determination: “I've known this old man since I first moved here, and I'm not going to stand here waiting for the firefighters.”

(Joey agrees with him and they go trying to enter the store, but they meet one of Jerry's employees in front of the store, and Chris talks to him.)

Chris, in an urgent voice: “Where is Jerry? Please, call me!”

The clerk, inhaling a lot of smoke, is almost speechless: “He's inside...” (points to the store and continues speaking with difficulty) “We were inside when the explosion happened. Jerry was there with a man... a stranger.”

(Meanwhile, a person stands in the distance, watching the situation with a sly smile, and says in a low voice: “You've made a lot of noise, Employee No. 401.”)

```

In the meantime

In the midst of the cold night, with the fire slowly consuming the store, Joey and Chris entered the place with hasty steps, their hearts beating strongly with worry for the store owner, old Jerry.

**Joey** (in a cracked voice): “You dig in that corner, and I'll search here. Don't leave an inch unsearched.”

**Chris** (in a determined tone): “Agreed. If one of us finds him, he calls the other immediately.”

The two friends split up, Chris heading to the right and Joey going to the left, but before they could get very far, a loud scream pierced the air, and the blood froze in their veins. Without thinking, they rushed towards the source of the screaming with confident and fast steps.

There, in a dark corner of the store, they found old Jerry pinned against the wall, his face pale and his eyes reflecting terror.

Even more surprising, the mysterious man that Joey had bumped into earlier was standing there firmly, grabbing Jerry by the neck tightly.

**Jerry** (in a trembling voice): “Get away... Run away from here, boys!”

With a sudden, violent movement, the man tossed Jerry aside, slowly advancing toward Joey and Chris, his eyes shining with an evil look.

**The Man in the Robe** (in a calm, scary voice): “You see, Jerry, what fate has led us to? All it took was for you to hand me the keys when the opportunity was right... And now, things have changed. I have no choice but to do what I do.” I started it, and you two inquisitive boys, your presence here is nothing but interference in my mission.”

As the tension rose, the robed man raised his right hand very slowly, as if time had stopped, and his hand turned into an advanced laser weapon, radiating an electric blue light.

**The Man in the Robe** (in a determined voice): “Nothing but the mission.”

With a lightning-fast movement, he fired a laser beam at Joey and Chris, who miraculously dodged it, their hair flying from the force of the explosion that followed the launch. As the man continued to fire the laser, Chris moved subtly, drawing the robot's attention away from Joey and old Jerry.

**Joey** (in a nervous voice): “It can't be...this guy's a robot, armed with a laser gun!”

As he tried to help Jerry up, to no avail, Joey glanced around for anything that might help them. He found an abandoned shopping cart, quickly put Old Jerry inside it, and raced towards the observation room, smashing the door with the cart while shouting for Chris to follow him.

**Chris** (in a trembling voice): “Oh my God, are we going to die here, Joey?”

**Joey** (trying to calm Chris down): "Don't worry, we'll find a way out of this."

At that moment, Jerry woke up, trying to take in the chaos around him.

**Jerry** (in a puzzled voice): "What's going on here?! Where's that bastard?"

**Joey**: "You mean the guy behind the door who's trying to blow us up with his laser gun? Yeah, he's over there."

**Jerry**: “Gun what?!”

**Chris**: "Uncle Jerry, what's going on here? Why is this guy trying to kill us? What made him mad?"

Jerry, beginning to regain his composure, got out of the shopping cart and headed toward his office.

**Jerry** (opening the desk drawer): “I don't know exactly why, but these guys were always coming to my store, trying to convince me of their ridiculous plans. They were talking about expanding their projects, and that my store was part of that expansion. They tried to tempt me to sell the land.” For a sum of money... This approach seems to have worked for some, but not for me. I refused their offers for months, and until tonight, I will continue to refuse.”

From the drawer, Jerry took out an old axe, heading towards the door.

**Jerry** (in a decisive voice): “Get out of here, things are going to get messy.”

With devastating force, the man in black rushes towards the door, smashing it into fragments that fly through the air like falling autumn leaves. He stands in the darkness of the room, his eyes scanning the shadows in search of his prey. “There is no escape, wherever you go, I will find you!” He shouts in a voice like thunder, filling the space with a terrifying threat.

Suddenly, Jerry swoops in from behind the door, armed with an ax whose blade gleams in the dim light. The man in the robe dodges the blow with the agility of a tiger, takes a step back and draws his pistol in a fluid motion as if part of a dance of death. He shoots at Jerry, who barely manages to dodge the bullet, its whistle passing by his ear like the whisper of death.

They exchange blows, the man in the robe punches Jerry in the face with earth-shaking force, but Jerry does not give up. He attacks with the ax again and again, each blow violently cutting through the air, but without hitting its target. At a crucial moment, the Man in the Robe kicks Jerry in the stomach, a powerful blow that knocks the ax out of his hand and knocks him to the ground.

Jerry rolls on the ground, trying with all his might to get up, but his body is failing him.

The robed man approaches, the laser gun in his hand radiating a blood-red light. He prepares to shoot Jerry, but at that moment, Chris appears out of nowhere and, armed with a fire extinguisher, bravely attacks but to no avail. The man in the robe manages to fend him off easily.

In a moment of desperation, Joey swoops in with his axe, cutting off the robed man's hand in a sneak attack. He continues his attack with another blow to the neck, but the man dodges it brilliantly.

He can't dodge the third strike, which hits his face with shocking accuracy. Half of the robed man's face falls off, crashing to the ground like a crumbling clay statue. He stares with one remaining eye at Joey, who stands tall, the ax in his hand dripping with the blood of victory.

In the darkness lurking between the flames, Joey's face glistened with sweat and tension as a trembling smile made its way onto his lips, "It's lucky you're a robot, otherwise I'd be a criminal by now." His voice cuts through the tense silence.

The man in the robe rises slowly, like a shadow defying the light, but Joey attacks with the ax with the force of despair. The man blocks him with one hand, as if he were messing with death. But suddenly, Chris swoops in like a storm, armed with a fire extinguisher, and smashes it into the man's head over and over again, the blows echoing through the blazing space.

After what seemed like an eternity of moments, Joey and Chris rose, carrying the old man with arms trembling under the weight of exhaustion and thick smoke surrounding them. Their goal is the same: to get out of the store succumbing to the hungry fire, leaving behind the man in the robe, half-dead, lying like a broken doll.

They head toward the exit, their breaths fighting the smoke, and their bodies stumbling with hope. Finally, after suffering that almost kills the soul, they go out into the open air, where they are greeted by the sound of police sirens and firefighters, as if they were angels of salvation.

Joey, with exhaustion mapping his face, asks in a hoarse voice, "Chris, are you okay?"

Chris, in a tone of deep pain, replies, "Yes, I'm fine. But old Jerry doesn't seem to be the same anymore."

Old Jerry got up with difficulty, his consciousness teetering on the edge of awareness, and said with anger burning like fire, “Is that bastard dead?”

Chris, his eyes glowing with triumphant pride, replies, "We smashed his head in. I guarantee you you'll never see him again."

Joey, doubt creeping into his voice, wondered, "Are... there also people like him around, or was he the only one? There seems to be a dark cloud floating around this place."

In the charged atmosphere after the disaster, Old Jerry's words echo reverently, "That crazy man was from a company called Perry, founded over three years ago... That's all I know." He takes a deep breath and adds in a grateful tone, "The most important thing is that we're okay now, and I want to sincerely thank you both. If it weren't for you, I would be dead now. Thank you again." An employee approaches, helps Jerry stand and leads him toward the silently waiting ambulance.

Joey, lying on the ground, slowly gets up and extends his hand to Chris, "Let's go, or would you rather stay here?" He smiles tiredly but comfortably.

Chris, taking Joey's hand and getting up, replies with a cracked voice, "Yes, let's go home... Tonight still feels like a dream, I can't believe what happened." He pauses for a moment, as if recalling a memory, "Oh, I forgot, tomorrow I'll introduce you to Dave and Alex, and we have a lot of other friends."

Joey, walking next to Chris, responds excitedly, "Yes, I'm excited to meet them." He was silent for a few seconds, walking in thoughtful silence, then Joey broke the silence with a pure laugh, “Just silly fantasies, right?” He laughs heartily, as if with his laugh he expels all the shadows that disturbed the peace of the night.

Chris looks at him in confusion for a moment, then smiles with understanding, and they continue their walk towards home, as if they were leaving behind chaos and fear, heading towards safety and comfort.

On the same night that seemed pitch black, where voices fade away and living things disappear, **The cyborg in black** strides steadily into one of the forgotten alleys. His electronic circuits are bleeding from a gaping wound in his left arm, and electric sparks fly from under the burning cloth covering his metal body.

An unknown silhouette follows him, flowing silently behind him like a hidden night breeze. **The cyborg** senses the danger lurking, and very quickly goes into defense mode. His right arm extends, revealing a built-in **laser gun** that glows with a pale blue light. His distorted robotic voice rang out with challenge: "Identity Reveal Required. Show Yourself, I have no mercy in my programming."

But before he can locate the danger, a devastating blow strikes him, separating his right arm from his body. Time stops for a moment, and his calculations are disrupted in an attempt to understand the sudden attack. He tries to speak again, "Who's the intruder?" But before he can complete his inquiry, he is split in half by another blow, as precise and deadly as death itself!

**The cyborg in black** collapses to the ground, his systems failing one by one. He hears a voice approaching him, the voice of the assassin who has finished his mission coldly: "You have failed, Officer 401... You are no longer welcome in the ranks. We will clean up the mess you left behind."

The cyborg attempts to analyze the sound, but its processors quickly malfunction.

He sees the killer's shadow walking away, and hears his final words as he leaves the alley:

"You were an effective tool for us, but now it's time to recycle... Goodbye.

" The killer waves his hand coldly, leaving behind silence and secrets that will be forgotten with the **Cyborg in Black**.

End chapter