1 Chapter 1: Jamie Wellston

"Are you an extremely dangerous individual with no care for your life? Do you want to get rich? Very rich? Come find me."

~Jamie Wellston.

Jamie was surprised his business card had been denied by the Boss. It would have made his job easier. It would save him the countless walks around the more dangerous parts of the world. Even now, as he was taking a walk to a nearby homeless shelter, he could feel eyes on him. Jamie was unsure whether it was because of the dangerously violent area he was in or the way he was dressed. His suit was custom tailored and neatly pressed with no wrinkles to be seen, Jamie was wearing more money around his wrist than most people in this area had ever seen. His navy blue suit almost seemed like it shined in this dirty street, the howling winds forcing him to keep a hand on his hat. Jamie had heard from one of his contacts in the area that there was a newcomer. The new arrival was a special one from what he had heard, this person was a former MI6 agent from the UK who moved here after being mysteriously kicked from the agency for insubordination. In other words, there was a military trained man in dire need of money just waiting for him, Jamie had hit the jackpot. Jamie is responsible for recruiting 10 people to The Darwin Experiment and depending on how well they do, he would receive a hefty paycheck. Usually Jamie would try and find 2 or 3 people who had a chance of making the top 20 survivors, maybe some gang member or ex-convict, but this time around Jamie needed the money badly. He needed some winners. As he reached the entrance of the homeless shelter, he was surprised to find that it was mostly intact. The homeless shelter only had 3 broken windows which was far better than Jamie had anticipated. As he walked inside the smell finally hit him,

"It smells like shit in here" Jamie said as he walked up to the counter.

"Don't forget the tobacco and socks too, it makes a delightful combination" the shelter receptionist replied. "How can I help you today sir."

Jamie looked around to see lines of sorry beds and even worse people. These men looked defeated, their eyes were void of hope.

"I'm looking for a Mason Jackson, tall white man, should be a newer addition." Jamie told the lady at the counter.

"He's at the end of the hallway to your right dear, he should be wearing a blue shirt if I remember correct." She replied.

Jamie turned to walk towards the hallway and out of no where some smelly kid just ran into him. He felt the kid's hand move to his back pocket as the kid pulled the wallet out.

"I'm sorry sir." The kid said as he tried to scurry away.

"Hey! Hold on." Jamie yelled at the kid, "You interested in making some quick money? You got some fast hands."

The kid looked shocked as he stepped back. Jamie took this moment to get a good look at him, he looked no older than 25, but he had horrible scratches all over him. His wild wavy hair was all tangled and dirty and he had hairs all over his cheeks. He was a lanky kid, clearly capable of deceptive speeds and his pickpocketing skills were good. But most importantly, his eyes still had a fire. These streets had clearly had an impact on him but it wasn't enough to completely make him lose faith. Jamie could see him surviving the first half of the games. After that, he wasn't too sure.

"Hey man, I don't know what your talking about." The kid said as he tried to leave again.

"Two million dollars. Minimum, if you come with me." Jamie said, and as he expected the kid turned around. "Look at me, this suit is easily 10 grand. Isn't it better to trust me and take a risk than to stay in this shit hole. My name is Jamie"

"I'm Alberto and listen, if you're playing some dumbass trick on me, I'm gonna make sure you regret it man." Alberto replied.

Jamie tried hard not to laugh, before he met the boss and turned his life around, he was a bum just like these guys. He had been in his fair share of fights. This scrawny kid would not give him much of an issue.

"Yes and we can talk more about it after you give me my wallet back." Jamie stretched out his hand waiting for his wallet.

Alberto quietly returned the wallet. Jamie could see the shock on his face, it must have been the first time someone caught him.

"I just need to talk to another person while I'm here, meet me outside this shit hole around 8 o clock. Do not be late." Jamie told him as he walked towards the end of the hallway trying to find Mason.

As he neared the bed towards the end of the hallway, he made a stark realization. In a rush of embarrassment, he realized his 40 thousand dollar watch was gone. The wallet was just a decoy to get his attention away from his wrist Jamie realized.

"I just got played by some 20 year old homeless kid" Jamie said to himself with a smile.

Maybe he did have a winner on his hands.