Prologue

Rule one.

Be willing to hurt your opponent more than they are willing to hurt you.

Rule two.

Don’t just learn your techniques.

Rule three.

You can fight. That doesn’t mean it’s always necessary.

Rule four.

Never lose.

I’m a Defender. No fear. No weakness.

No mercy.

My first job was doubtless the hardest. That’s how it is for everyone, I guess. Someone’s first go at an assignment of any kind is daunting to them.

But I promptly squelched and nervousness the instant it reared its head. That’s part of my job.

My first location was a nice place called East Los Angeles, right in the middle of the slimy podunk. I had pre-rented a room in some local gang family’s big house. It had been made clear that I was not to be trifled with, under pain of a real nice beatdown. They didn’t believe that I could serve such a described beating, but chose to let me stay anyway. Since they were being paid to offer me room and board, best not bite the hand that feeds you.

My first assignment is what I’m telling you about here.

There’s lots to explain, but I’ll cross those bridges when I get to them.

But here I am, taking to the streets for the first time. I’ve decked out in some loose jeans, a jacket that must have been several sizes too big, and some slightly used sneakers. With that getup, I looked like one of the local punks, which was the image I hoped to cultivate. I’m out here for most of the day, as well as most of the night to try and accomplish my assignment: bring down the newest gang family. It had sprung up a few months before they made their terrifying debut, in which they kidnapped several members of a rival gang and held them hostage before running off with the ransom and killing the hostages, the video of which was shared to stream online. The feat got them to the national level, the story being yelled through every news station on both television and radio, columns written on them from both headlines and stories in the middle of the paper. What they did was a bit imposing, but nothing I hadn’t been trained to handle. But they were willing to kill to get their way. I’d best do the same. That’s part of rule one.

*Author's notes

Alright, it's horrible, I know. But it's not my worst.