Underground Boxed Set: parts 1-3

Can a man disappear forever and build himself a new life, or will his past catch up with him?

Off the Grid, Underground 1- The seemingly impossible has happened. The unthinkable. Those I trusted most have betrayed me. I’m a hockey player, and gave control of my finances to my parents so I could concentrate on my game. Big mistake. They stole from me, bankrupted me, in fact. And then someone came looking for money I don’t have and I made a terrible mistake; one that will haunt me forever.

But now someone has found me and offered a new start. I would no longer be a hockey player, I wouldn’t even be an actual person, totally off the grid. 

I’d be a shadow, fighting crime for an organization that’s underground, literally. Do I want that life?

If I go back, what kind of life would I have? Probably one in prison orange. The choice to join Underground is painful, but necessary. As my hockey coach always said, though, pain is weakness leaving the body. I will not be powerless ever again.

Creating Slapshot, Underground 2- I’ve left my old life behind and officially joined Underground. It appears no one knows where I am or even if I’m still alive. I don’t know how I feel about that. My friends thinking I’m dead leaves a hole in my heart, but I’ll drive myself crazy if I obsess about it. So rather than allowing myself to wallow in self-pity or anger about what’s happened, I’m throwing all my energy into training. You would think that whole “elite athlete” thing would make everything easier, but all these new techniques I need to master—hand-to-hand combat, weapons training, surveillance procedures—are kicking my ass.

For my whole life, I’ve only had one identity. Ethan, hockey player. Now that sense of self is gone forever, slowly being replaced by my new identity, Slapshot. Surreal doesn’t even begin to describe this transformation. But the more I find out about the world around me, the problems I ignored for the most part as I played a game for an obscene amount of money, the more I want to make a difference. This is not a game. It’s real life, and I have the chance to be a hero. It’s going to take everything I have—or have left, to do it.

Initiation by Fire, Underground 3- I have my first assignment--helping track down a man targeting Cuban bodegas and then using an automatic rifle to massacre all those inside after they're attacked by a Cuban gang and his wife is killed. Underground is tasked with figuring out who this dangerous man is and stopping him before he goes on another rampage. It's the first time I've seen Underground in action, and I have to admit, it's exciting. I feel that adrenaline rush I used to get right before I hit the ice. And I loved that satisfied feeling of knowing I helped find justice for all the innocent people the man has murdered.