Adopted

The mysterious man reassessed Shin, and after completing the tests, he was accepted and released by M4-RY to him.

He sat in the back of a large black limo as the man spoke with M4-RY on the steps outside the orphanage.

A young girl ran past the android and approached the limo. The driver looked at the mysterious man, who nodded, approving him to lower the window.

"I told you, Shin!" The young girl exclaimed happily, gripping the door and peeking into the limousine, "I knew you would get adopted!"

"I don't think it's gonna be like you think, Amelia…" Shin sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Look at how nice this car is!" Amelia smiled, "You're getting picked up by a rich family!"

"I don't think…" Shin sighed but stopped himself and shook his head, reaching out and patting her on the top of her head.

"You're not gonna forget about me, right?" The young girl asked, her eyes sparkling as she stared up at him.

"Of course not!" Shin said, rolling his eyes, as he reached out and poked her forehead, "How could I forget someone like you?!"

"Good!" Amelia grinned before exclaiming as she was pulled backward by the man in black as he removed her from his path.

She yelped in fear and quickly ran behind M4-RY, peeking out from behind the android's legs and waving as the limousine turned on and started hovering.

The young girl and other kids ran out of the orphanage, waving rapidly at the departing vehicle.

Shin turned around in his seat and looked through the rear windshield, watching the orphanage shrinking in the distance.

"Put your seatbelt on." The man said hoarsely, reaching into his coat and pulling out a small box. He pulled out a small cigarette and lighter.

He lit the cigarette as Shin turned around, reached over his shoulder, and grabbed the seatbelt, fastening it as he stared at the man blankly.

"Ya know…" The man sighed, exhaling a large puff of smoke as it passed through the slit in the window and stared at the young boy.

"You're not going to enjoy being selected, boy."

"I understand." Shin said flatly.

Compliant and non-confrontational were the two best descriptions the orphanage gave him.

The young man had been quiet and simply accepted whatever was handed to him. He did not complain nor reject whatever tasks were given to him and completed them without issue.

The man scoffed and stared out the window, inhaling deeply as he smoked his cigarette.

The vehicle flew through the skies as they left the city and headed toward the capital of the United States.

Upon arrival, the vehicle landed outside of an unsuspecting brownstone, and the driver exited, opening the door for the mysterious man.

The man stepped out and motioned for Shin to follow him as they approached the front door and entered the foyer.

They walked through the house and entered the kitchen, and Shin was introduced to John and Jane Doe, his new adoptive parents.

They both had brown hair and brown eyes and were roughly average in every way. They greeted Shin warmly and smiled softly, offering him a cookie as they showed him his room.

Shin entered the bare room, which looked more like a jail cell than a bedroom, which shocked even him as it was colder than the room he shared at the orphanage.

"You will find your instructions and rules on the tablet." The mysterious man explained, pointing to the desk beside the bed.

Shin entered the room and approached the desk. Suddenly, the door closed behind him and was locked.

He turned to stare at the door silently as he heard the departing footsteps. The young boy turned back to the desk and grabbed the tablet.

He sat down on his bed and powered up the device. He stared down as the letters 'C' and 'N' appeared and danced around the screen before spelling out CyberNexus.

After a few moments, the tablet initialized its systems and revealed the Home Screen. Only two icons were displayed.

He selected the first one, which was a document titled Introduction and Rules. Inside detailed the strict daily schedule his "parents" were to enforce.

He would rise early in the morning before sunrise and exercise before eating breakfast and heading to a private specialized educational institution.

After returning to the house from school, he would exercise again before dinner and then would be tutored in advanced educational programs before an early Curfew.

The Mysterious Man would return occasionally and bring him to another location and received tests and sparring in various martial arts with other children around his age.

Shin's eyes shot open as he sat up in his bed. He looked around the lightly decorated room. He turned toward the window and stared out at the dark early morning sky.

He had grown accustomed to waking up a few moments before his alarm and enjoying the stolen privacy over the last few years.

He lay down and stared up at the ceiling, pulling the blanket up to his chin. A few moments later, the door opened.

"Good morning." Jane said as Shin sat up, swinging his legs out of the bed, and stared as she turned around and passed by the light in the hallway.

He quickly got up and rushed to the closet, grabbing his sleeveless shirt and runners before entering the bathroom, getting dressed and ready before running downstairs.

He grabbed the bottle and went on the five-kilometer jog with his adoptive parents before eating breakfast and heading to the United Federation Grand Academy.

He adjusted his bag over his shoulder before adjusting his tie while walking past the gates of the school.

"Shin!" A voice called out behind him as he stopped and turned to see a girl with pink hair in a uniform running up.

"Good morning, Sienna!" He said, smiling and raising his hand.

"Did you hear? We're going to have a pop quiz in social studies today!" Sienna huffed, leaning over and resting against her knees.

Before Shin could reply, a loud voice roared from behind.

"SHIIIIINNNNNN!!!!!"