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Subject: {ASSM} Marcus' Power 9-15 (MC m/f teen rom)
Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2000 23:10:12 -0400
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<1st attachment, "Marcus' Power 9-15.txt" begin>
Marcus' Power
by Matrix
Author's Note: Please excuse the grammar. I'll have it fixed someday
. . . Really. :)
Chapter 9
After a few hours, Marcus and Jesse's *nap* ended. Jesse ended up
taking a real nap afterwards. Marcus just lied there staring at his love's
peaceful face. He could not really understand his feelings. He knew that
he still loved Mouse... But he also knew that he was deeply in love with
the lovely creature beside him. Marcus just lye there thinking that he
would do absolutely anything for this blonde haired beauty.
Then he smiled at himself for thinking about mush ball stuff like love.
He was turning soft.... And that really did not appeal to him. With a
sigh he rolled out of bed as quietly as possible, so as not to disturb the
beautiful Shadow Knight beside him. Her words about a couple of swords
being under the bed came back to him. He could not help himself... It was
almost like the steal was calling him.
After he was fully dressed in his usually attire, including his shades,
he knelt down to look under the bed. Sure enough, there were two swords
under there, still in their sheaths. Marcus just looked at them for the
longest moment, his faced adorned with curiosity. Both of the swords had
white ivory handles with what looked to have a raven's head at the end.
Marcus finally reached out and grabbed one of them.
Marcus then stood up with the sword in hand. He lowered his shades with
his free hand to expose his piercing blue eyes. The sword was amazingly
light. He lifted it up and down a few times to measure it's weight. It
looked like a sword a ninja might carry, save the white ivory handle. With
gentle ease and slowness, Marcus slowly pulled the sword out of it's
sheath. The scraping sound was barely audible.
Marcus had pulled it half way out when he noticed that the blade was
very shiny, almost like a mirror. The with one quick movement, he jerked
the sword out with ease. Marcus did not know it, but his icy blue eyes
looked like that of a warrior. The sword felt so right in his hand that it
was almost scaring him. Almost. He could feel the deadliness of the
weapon as he held it. It felt good for some reason.
That same strange instinct made it feel so natural for him to hold it.
Marcus layed the sheath on the bed by the still sleeping Jesse. Then he
examined the sword more closely, running his finger across the blade. It
almost seemed to exude power. 'My power' he thought with a slow smile.
Then Marcus did something without really thinking of it. He widened his
stance, bending his knees slightly and raised his left forearm above his
head; Resting the sword upon it. It was at that time that Jesse opened her
eyes to see him standing like that. She saw the deadliness his cold blue
eyes had taken on. She also immediately noticed that he took the stance of
a Shadow Knight ready to defend.
"Were did you learn that stance?" Jesse asked, somewhat confused since
she had not taught him. And his eyes.... They had a look of sheer...
Power. There was no other word for it. Marcus immediately dropped out of
the stance when he heard her lovely voice and his face took on a very
boyish look... The exact opposite of what it did look like. He smiled
graciously and said, "I don't know... Is that how you're supposed to
stand? It just felt... Natural."
"That's exactly how your supposed to stand.... I hope you don't guess
all the moves! It will take the fun out of teaching you!" She said with a
small chuckle.
"I seriously doubt I could come up with what you learned in a life time,
love," Marcus didn't even realize that he called Jesse love as he
continued, "But in any case, would you please get off your sleepy ass so we
can get started.... Not that I am not enjoying the stunning view." Marcus
said with a impish grin. Jesse's bottom half was under the covers but her
top half was fully exposed.
"OH! Your incorrigible!" She said with a rather loud laugh and slipped
out of bed and got dressed.
"So what is my favorite teacher going to start me out with?" Marcus
asked, running his fingers across the blade of the sword he was carrying.
"I would be careful with that. It's acid edged titanium. Best ever
made..." She said with a sigh. The memories of all the bloody battles she
went through came flooding back. The sword he was holding was not
special... Just standard issue for Shadow Knights.
"Ohhh... I think I can handle myself." He said with a mischievous grin.
"OK, smart ass, but we are not starting with swords. We have to work on
your telekinetic reflexes first. Then on synchronizing them with your
body. Then we will go to the sword." She said the last as she was fully
dressed.
"How long do you think that will take, oh masterful one??" Marcus asked
with a bit of sarcasm but his face was lit with a faint smile.
"Depends on you. If you learn quick I should be able to run you through
the basics in a few days. But don't get cocky!" She said lowering her
shades to show she was indeed serious. That was enough for Marcus.
"I'll do my best... Can I carry this with me? I like it." Marcus said
with a smile as he raised his sword. The sheath had a strap on it that
would tighten to his form so that it would fit snuggly against his back.
"Yea, I was going to ask you to anyway. I want you to get used to it.
In fact....." Jesse trailed of as she reached under the bed and retrieved
the remaining sword. She slid it out from the sheath a little to make sure
the blade was intact and said, "I think I'm going to pack one myself. I've
felt naked since I forgot mine at the Zone." She said with a wicked grin
that made Marcus wonder how many fights she has been in.
"What ever you say Jess. Let's get to it, I'm bored." Marcus said and
walked out the door.
'He's going to have a taste for battle... I seen that in his eyes
before'. She thought this a little sadly. She liked battle, but she hated
it when someone fell under her sword. With that thought she strapped her
sword to her back and followed him out.
"So what should we do to build my reflexes?" Marcus asked, his curiosity
peaking once again.
"You do know that I'm only teaching you the basics don't you? Shain
will be the one that will really push your skills." she said with a smile.
"Well, I don't want to look like a complete idiot when I get to New
Orleans, so I'm not complaining one bit." He smiled and thought, 'Plus I
like being with you'.
"Well, then let's go outside and get the show on the road." She said
with a look of mischief.
"After you, my fair lady." Marcus said with a smile that showed he was
up to a challenge. They both walked outside and looked up at the sky.
They noticed that they only had a few hours of daylight. Marcus was
suddenly praying to what ever Gods there was that he would live up to her
expectations. She had such high hopes for him. He followed her to the
edge of the woods and was curious as to what she had in mind. Jesse
suddenly bent over and picked up a pecan.
Then tossed it up in the air and caught it. She was not even looking at
Marcus. Marcus was about to say something when all of the sudden, with the
speed of a cat, Jesse chucked the pecan at his head. Marcus raised his
hand and caught it even though it came at amazing speed. He smiled at his
reflexes, but Jesse didn't.
"A trained Shadow Knight would not have bothered with using his hand,"
Jesse stated, lowering her shades to look at him with loving and stern
eyes. "Shall we try again.. Son Of Dakrin?" She said this with mischief in
her eyes.
"Absolutely." Was all Marcus said and tossed the pecan back to her.
"This time you will see it coming... Use your mind to stop it this
time." She said with a quark of a smile.
"Go for it." Marcus said, trying to focus.
Then Jesse looked him dead in the face and threw the pecan right at his
head. She was not at all surprised when the thing hit him right in the
forehead. Marcus reached up and rubbed his head for a second. His pride
hurt a hell of a lot worse than his head did. He should have been able to
catch it.
"Don't feel bad. Everyone misses their first time." Jesse said with a
smile. "Let's try again, this time a little slower." She said as she
raised her hand and the pecan shot back into her palm.
"I'm not everyone... I should have caught it..." Marcus said, then he
made himself dummy up. He was determined to master this. "Go for it." He
said again.
Jesse gave him a smile and tossed the pecan instead of throwing it.
Marcus caught the slow thrown pecan easily before it got to him. He then
made it float back to her waiting hand.
'That's better' he thought with a smile. That was when he started to
believe that he could master this. "A little harder this time." He said
with a smile.
"Alright... A little harder." Jesse repeated.
Then she threw it just like an adult might throw a baseball to a kid.
It was a very soft throw, but harder than the last. Marcus caught it with
his mind before it was even a half foot out of her hand. He let it hover
there for a moment, until Jesse reached out and took a hold on it, a smile
was across her lips as she did so.
As soon as Jesse had a hold of the pecan again, she threw it with half
of her strength. She did this quickly in hopes of catching Marcus off
guard. But to her surprise the pecan stopped about six inches from his
head. It just hovered there and she could see Marcus' eyes take on a
wicked look as the nut just exploded. She let out a rather loud laugh when
she seen that. 'Quick learner' she thought.
"Shall we try again, favorite teacher of mine?" He asked with mock
sarcasm and a smile the size of Texas.
'How I do love him!' she thought and then said. "Ok, smart ass, let's
try it again. This time I'll throw full strength!" She said with a smile
that matched his.
"Gimme your best shot." Marcus said with a cocky glare.
Using her telekinetic ability she made another nut float up to her
grasp. She arched an eye brow at Marcus just to make sure that he was sure.
He just smiled at her with those crystal blue eyes of his. So, she drew
back her arm and threw it full force at him. The pecan never stopped but
it DID explode into almost dust about a foot away from his head.
Afterwards, he just gave her a wink and pushed up his shades. His attitude
was not exactly cocky but it was the kind that said I'm better than you
thought I'd be, huh?
"Not bad, not bad at all." She said with an approving nod.
"Not bad? I'd say I have that trick nailed." He said in a low and
musing voice. His earlier enthusiasm was gone for some reason. Marcus was
his quiet self now. But he still wanted to learn more. He was just not
going to act like a kid anymore about it. That's what he realized he was
doing and he put a stop to it.
"What's wrong Marcus? You're not beaming with good mood like you were."
She asked, her face set in curiosity.
"Darlin', everything is fine. I just took myself down a notch is all."
He said with a slow but warm smile.
"Alright then. Would you like to see a pretty neat trick?" She asked
with a cock of the head as if she was examining him.
"Sure." He said in his typical low voice.
Jesse closed her eyes and focused. Then she walked over to a tree that
was about as big around as she was. She reached out slowly and placed her
hands on both sides of the tree. She turned her head to Marcus and gave
him a look that said she was a hell of a lot more than a cute blonde. It
said that she was a warrior. She then turned back to the tree and pulled
with only a bit of strain and the tree came up roots and all out of the
ground. She then held it above her head and threw it about thirty yards.
Marcus had a look of shock on his face for the barest of seconds. Then
regained composure before she looked back. Marcus knew that a full grown
man that could bench press four hundred pounds could not have done what she
just did. He gave her a warm but curious look.
"Not the look I was expecting... You're a tough audience." She said
with a smile. "Oh, I'd say I'm surprised. How did you accomplish that
little feat?" He asked with an arch of an eye brow.
"I know it sounds crazy... But you have to bind your kinetic ability
with your body. How long a Knight can keep it there varies. It's rumored
that Dakrin could keep it there 24/7. But it is a little difficult to do.
You have to have extreme concentration. Do you think your up to it?" Jesse
asked with a solemn face.
"I can sure give it a try." Marcus said with a slight bow of the head.
"Well, I'm gonna go back inside so that you can keep your
concentration.." She said with a smile.
"I have to admit... You are one hell of a nice distraction though."
Marcus said with a low voice and gave her a wink.
"It should come natural if you can focus hard enough. You will most
likely be surprised by it's effects." Jesse said as she stepped back in the
cabin.
Marcus sat back down on the porch. His mind was racing. He could feel
the pressure of the sword strapped to his back and it felt real natural and
good to him. He then started to focus then. He focused his very
hardest... Blocking out all thoughts. Making his mind a complete void of
darkness. It was only him and his Kinetics now. He could feel it grow
like a ball inside. It felt like it wanted to explode, but he just kept
making it build and build. He wanted this to be a real show of power for
Jesse.
Then he let that growing ball of power inside of him, just explode and
the feeling was cataclysmic. He felt it wash over him in a title wave.
His muscle jerked and twitched and then just gave a tingling sensation.
His vision and hearing seemed to increase by 3 fold and he did feel, oh, so
powerful. He could feel the power racing down his spine and the burst of
adrenalin was so powerful that he had to stand.
"Let's test this out shall we?" Marcus said to himself with a small
smile. He looked over at the 68 mustang. He started over there. What
Marcus did not know was that he had no clue of his strength or speed. He
remembered taking the first step towards the Mustang that was about thirty
yards away... But then it was like he just appeared in front of it by will
alone. His body was not even close to exhaustion from this little feat.
That little feat of speed both enthralled and scared him. 'Should one
person have that much speed?' He asked himself. But then he figured it
would come in severely handy when the troubles arose. Marcus looked at the
front of the Mustang then and remembered his goal. He reached under the
bumper and took a semi-strong hold, since he figured a full strength hold
would tear the bumper off, and lifted slowly. The Mustang elevated with
such ease that it did scare Marcus more than a little.
He then lowed the front end of the car with gentle care. After he let
loose, Marcus took a deep breath. This breath was not from over exertion,
but rather from deep seated nervousness. He thought with a scared mind 'I
know that weighed over 800 pounds and I picked it up like it was one of my
book satchels for school'. Marcus reminded himself that all of this would
come in handy later... During the battles. He also reminded himself to be
very careful when he wasn't in battle... With this strength, he could
crush someone's hand to powder if he shook to hard.
But then his thoughts were distracted by a sound. This sound was about
fifty yards away. His instincts told him that it was not human. He also
reeled at his senses. His sense of smell had more than quadrupled. So had
his sight and hearing. They were better than most to begin with, they were
now almost supernatural though. The small sound he heard was that of a
squirrel chewing on a nut. Marcus' eye sight, even with the shades on,
could almost count the hairs on the small animal.
He started to compose his nervousness. Telling himself that he would
get used to it. He turned towards the cabin, making sure to take slow
steps. Well, what he considered slow was the normal pace for a regular
person. So he walked slowly to cabin, to Jesse, to find out some answers.
But then he stopped in his tracks. He wanted to check how fast he was on
purpose now.
He spotted a tree on the side of the road about two hundred yards up.
Contemplated what he was about to do and he knew damn well that it may
break his hand. But with a sigh he decided to go ahead with the
experiment. He focused on the tree and then willed himself to move. There
was a brief gust of wind and then his hand smashed into the tree, snapping
it in half very efficiently.
"I'll be damned.." He mumbled under his breath as he looked at his hand
and he knew for a fact that he moved faster than the normal human eye could
detect. This should have made him feel happy. But all of the sudden the
weight and knowledge of the battle that must be fought and the Knights who
must be led bore down upon him.
He walked back at a normal pace. Noting that his shirt was tore by the
speed he achieved. The right sleave was ripped at the shoulders along the
seam. He hoped that Jesse could give some answers. He then remembered
that Jesse said it varied on how long a Knight could hold Kinetics in his
body. Marcus then tried to make it go away. But it did not so much as
budge. He could still feel the power pumping through his veins.
He also noted something else. He could since a Knight in the cabin. He
knew that it was Jesse, but that was not the point. He could since his own
kind if they were in his vicinity. That was an attribute that he thought
would come in quite handy. The closer he got the stronger the sense was.
He walked slowly and with light steps. So as to think as much as possible
about the questions he wanted to ask.
He walked through the door with casual ease. Jesse was sitting on the
couch and she immediately knew that there was something different about
Marcus, aside from his ripped shirt. She could feel a power coming off him
and even though he had not went through the art of the sword yet, she could
feel a leadership quality that she rarely saw. She could not explain what
that meant. She was as confused as hell.
"We have a lot to talk about.... And I would really appreciate it if
you answered all the questions that you can." Marcus said in a low voice
and there was no smile on his face. He was not angry though, he just
wanted answers.
"Sure love, I'll answer what I can. There are some things I don't know
and others that are considered rumors. But go ahead and ask." This
transformation in Marcus both surprised and pleased her. Since he almost
exuded power, the Knights would surely follow him.
"You said that when a Knight binds himself with Kinetics that it varies
on how long he can stay that way. From the way it sounded, I can turn it
off when I want. But I found out that I can't. It seems stuck like it
is.... And I feel powerful as hell. Why can't I shut it off?" He asked in
a low and serious voice.
Jesse had a look of shock on her face at first, but tried to recover
quickly. "I haven't a clue! Most of us have to try like hell to maintain
it. There are a few of us that can make it last for six to seven hours.
Those are the Shadow Masters." She said, her face still one of confusion.
"Can they move faster than the normal eye can see? Can they lift over 800
pounds with ease?" Marcus asked with an arch of an eye brow.
"You can do that!? Yes, there are a few... Shain is one of them." She
said with a sigh. She thought with dismay and pleasure that Marcus had
surpassed her in everything, save the sword.
Marcus seen a brief look of dismay on his love's face and gave her a
warm smile. "Let's sit on the couch. I'm sorry for being so serious with
you... But I want to be prepared for what ever I may meet." He said in a
gentle, loving and low voice. Then leaned in and kissed her gently on the
lips.
"I guess I know what you mean.... Ask me your next question." She said
as she snuggled up and layed her head on his shoulder with a sigh.
"As I was walking back to this cabin. I could sense you. I mean... I
could sense your power. It was strange." Marcus said with a sigh.
"Most Shadow Knights can do that when they bind themselves with their
Kinetics.... Since you said that you can not get rid of the binding you
did to yourself, then I guess that means that you have an upper hand on a
lot of us Knights." She said with a smile and poked Marcus in the ribs
playfully. Which earned her a smile from him.
"Are you hungry?" Marcus ask, completely changing the subject.
"Yea, I guess I am a little. I forgot to pick up some food on the way
here though." Jesse said with a slight frown.
"Well, let's go to the nearest town and pick up some then." Marcus said
with a bright smile. He wanted to ease some of this seriousness that he
was throwing at Jesse. "Ok, let's go." She said and slapped his thigh
lightly before standing up.
"What about these swords?" Marcus asked, not really wanting to let go of
the blade for some cause. He had to take it off for a moment to put on a
new shirt, but then slipped it back on. Jesse seen this in his face and
said, "Well, we can leave them in the car when we get there... Or we could
use persuasion on the people around us to ignore them. It's your choice."
She said with an impish grin. She knew Marcus was becoming more and more
like a Knight. No Knight liked leaving his or her sword.
"I think I will go with the latter." He said with a very gracious smile
and then started heading for the door. Jesse noticed that his footsteps
were as light as a ghost. Marcus was defiantly good at being silent. That
would come in handy a well.
Marcus got in the car and started it up, then they started out on the
dirt road. Marcus was thinking about how much he enjoyed the quiet
solitude of the cabin... When suddenly he spotted a lone figure walking on
the side of the road about 500 yards up. He did not know if Jesse seen her
or not. But even at that distance, Marcus knew that it was a Shadow
Knight. Marcus drove the car at the same speed towards her.
"Do you see her? It's a Knight." Marcus asked Jesse and as soon as he
mentioned the word Knight he could almost feel Jesse's anxiety.
Jesse bound her Kinetics so that her senses and strength went up and she
discovered that Marcus was right. This figure was indeed a Knight. They
got closer and closer to her. Marcus slowed the car a little to study the
girl Knight. She looked to be fifteen or sixteen years old. She was not
an ordinary Knight though. Marcus knew that this Knight was one of the
rogues that Jesse had talked about.
He knew this because the girl had shoulder length black hair and Knights
from New Mexico all had blonde hair. What he was not sure of was if she
was with the Dark Knights in New Orleans. Marcus was a little scared and a
little excited as they got closer to the Knight. He wished he knew how to
use the sword on his back at that moment.
"I know her... She's with Shain's group. I wonder what she's doing
here though." Jesse said with a light and relieved voice.
"What's her name?" Marcus asked, never taking his eyes off the Knight.
"It slips my mind." Jesse said with a slight frown.
They were now about fifty yards from the girl and Marcus pulled over to
the side of the road. "I guess we should see what she wants, huh?" Marcus
said with a smile and got out of the car.
Jesse followed suit but Marcus slowed and let her pass him. the reason
being that Jesse might be a little less intimidating than he was. He
stayed about three paces behind Jesse. Marcus looked at the Knight with
appreciation. She wore all black just like Jesse did and she also wore
mirror shades like his. If the girl Knight meant them harm, her face did
not show it. Marcus seriously did not think she did though.
Marcus also noticed the sword that was strapped to her back. The handle
was at an angle so that she could reach it with ease. This Knight looked
to be a couple of years younger than Marcus. The closer he got the more
his curiosity peaked. For some reason Marcus could feel the power coming
off this girl. He could tell that she was a little bit stronger than
Jesse. This confused him since Jesse was older.
When they were about five yards away, Jesse stopped and put her feet
together, then placed her fist over her heart. Marcus' instincts told him
that this was a greeting and a show of respect. Marcus did not do this
though. The reason being that he had no clue as to who this girl was. He
learned long ago to not put that much trust to someone you don't know.
Jesse then closed the gap a little.
The Knight stepped forward and said, "My name is Kait. Shain sent me.
He said that if you were not at any of the motels, check the cabin." She
said this in a low but serious voice. Marcus could tell that this girl had
discipline.
"Why did my brother send you? Is there something wrong?" She asked with
a touch of worry to her voice.
"No... Well... Yea. Shain thinks that the Dark Knights won't follow
the treaty and he wanted me to make sure that you were good enough in the
Arts to come. He's afraid there may be war." Kait said in a low and deadly
voice.
Jesse made a face of mild annoyance. She hated being tested on her
skills. She looked back to Marcus then. She noticed that there was not a
speck of emotion on his face. He had a complete look of concentration on
his face. She was pretty sure that Marcus was thinking about if he should
trust Kait or not.
Kait dragged her eyes over Marcus and Jesse could also tell that Kait
was thinking the same thing. Marcus wanted to get the introductions over
with as soon as possible. He could see Kait studying him. So, he gave her
something else to study. He reached up and unbuttoned his shirt part way.
He lifted the black smoked crystal that proved his heritage and looked
dead at Kait. He moved Jesse to the side a little and asked Kait, "Do you
know what this is?" Marcus asked in a voice that was low and commanding.
It was a voice he rarely used.
"It can't be.... You're... You're..." Then she fell to one knee and
pulled her sword in one swift motion, laying it on the ground before her.
Then she placed her fist over her heart and said with a bowed head, "My
sword and soul are yours my Lord." Her heart was pumping quite fast, Marcus
could here the dim beat.
Jesse looked over to Marcus and saw Marcus had a shocked face. <'Better
get used to that lover boy... Because soon there might be quite a few
dozen doing that'> Jesse sent that thought to him telepathically, then
added, <'Accept her offer. That's what she expects'> She said
telepathically with a very gracious smile.
Marcus regained his composure and said, "You may rise. I'm glad you
offered me your sword.... I haven't had a chance to learn mine. I am who
you think I am though. Just bear with me until Jesse here can show me the
Arts of the sword." Marcus said reaching out with his hand to Kait, helping
the girl with a very surprised look on her face, to her feet.
"What about your other abilities my Lord?" She asked with a curious
face.
"Marcus here has pretty much Mastered those. All he lacks is his sword
technique and if I know him at all, he will learn that VERY quickly just as
he has the rest." Jesse said in a low and proud voice.
"Marcus? Why do you disrespect the Son Of Dakrin by calling him by
name?" Kait asked, her face a little annoyed
"I asked her to not call me Lord... Although, you may call me what you
will, the choice is yours. Jesse said that I will have to get used to the
name Lord Marcus." Marcus said with voice that seemed to exude power.
Jesse was indeed proud of him.
"I think I will call you Lord Marcus." She said with a smile and a bow
of the head. Marcus thought she looked quite cute in the leather jacket
and black tank top.
"What ever gets your kicks." Marcus said with a smile as he watched her
put away her sword.
"Kait, I heard that you are one of Shain's best Blade Runner's. What's
the real reason he would send someone so good here?" Jesse asked, sending
Marcus a message telepathically, telling him a Blade Runner was sort of
like special forces.
Kait sort of blushed a little, "He told me not to say." Kait said in
almost a whisper.
Marcus stepped in and said "And now I'M telling to say. This could
effect my training." Marcus said in a low and commanding voice.
"The Dark Knights learned of your exit from the Zone and sent scouts to
find you. Shain does not want you to worry though." She said with a low
but steady voice.
"Let's talk about it over dinner. I'm about to starve. Please join us,
Kait." Marcus said with a warm smile. Then they all got back in the car,
Kait in the back, Jesse in the front and started for town. Marcus' Power
Chapter 10
"So.... Do you mind telling me a little more about the Dark Knights,
Kait?" Marcus asked as he drove the car. Jesse would point out were he
should turn since he really did not know the area.
"Sure. They have four High Council members. They are all Masters, but
the good news is that there are only about sixty of them. We are pretty
much even on that score. It's always nice to have even or better odds."
Kait said and could not wipe a silly grin that had came to her face off.
"So what are you smiling about so much?" Jesse asked, which in turn made
Kait blush more. "I just can't believe that I'm going to have dinner with
the Son Of Dakrin." she said in a low voice.
"You're not only having dinner with him, he's also going to let you pick
the place." Marcus said in a low and charming voice. He still wasn't very
comfortable with people making such a fuss over him. But he guessed that
he would get used to it.
"How does pizza sound, my Lord?" She asked in a very low but sweet
voice. "Sounds great. So, your pretty good with a blade, huh? Maybe we
could spar after Jesse teaches me a few things." Marcus usually wasn't so
open with people but he wanted her to loosen up.
"That would be an honor, my Lord." She said with a radiant smile that
almost made Marcus blush. 'Oh yea, she really likes me' Marcus thought
with a twitch of a smile. He supposed, that with time, he could get used
to being called Lord.
Marcus drove in relative silence and contemplation after that. He had a
lot on his mind. Jesse would look over at him every now and the with a
warm smile. That did not go unnoticed by Kait either. Marcus took the
appropriate turns at Jesse's request because he really did not know the
area. Marcus would ever so gently glance in the rear view mirror to catch
Kait smiling at him with that same hero worship grin.
"Kait, how good is Shain with a blade?" Marcus asked, the words slipped
out before he could catch them.
Kait took on a proud smile at the mention of Shain. "He's the best I've
ever seen. He can move a sword so fast that you question yourself if it
moved at all." She said with a low and firm voice. but she still had a
touch of a smile.
"Does he talk about Dakrin or the Son Of Dakrin much?" Marcus asked this
with a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.
"All the time. He calls it the second coming. Like in the bible, only
this is to do with our kind. Shain says that you will end all the civil
wars between us. That YOU are the only one that can." She said this with a
smile so bright that Marcus had to do a double take on her cute face.
"Well.... I guess I have a lot to live up to then, huh?" Marcus said as
he lowered his shades and gave Jesse a wink. "You better teach me good."
he then added, making Jesse blush rather deeply.
Marcus was partly joking, but he was also a little serious. He did not
know if he could cut the mustard with a Master or not. He has not even
learned the art of the sword yet and this young Knight was ready to follow
him blindly? If that was the case then Marcus wanted to be the best
possible. The idea of people following him blindly was a little
overwhelming. He drove and thought of that.... And the Kinetics he still
felt.
The Kinetics he bound himself with were still flowing nice and strong.
Marcus was starting to get used to them. His sight was at the point were
he really did not need the headlights of the car. But he decided to use
them because he figured that it would freak people out if he didn't. He
could also smell the womanly scent of Knights that were with him. The
scent seemed to comfort him for some cause.
"Right there's the Pizza Place, Love." Jesse said as she pointed her
finger towards it. Judging from the knowing grin of Kait, the fact that
Jesse called Marcus 'Love' did not go unnoticed. Marcus gave her a smile
as he pulled in, but that smile was quickly erased. There was a black van
pulling in behind them. Marcus could tell that the girls could not sense
them because their Kinetics were not raised. But Marcus' were and alarm
bells started to go off in his head. Judging from his senses there were
three Knights in that black van.
Marcus did not slow down until he was ready to park though. When he
neared a parking space, he turned to Jesse and said, "You want to have a
little fun?" He asked with a wicked grin but a tight steady voice.
Even though his voice was steady Marcus felt her Kinetics go up full
blast. At first Kait thought she was looking at her until she raised her
Kinetics and felt the presence behind them. "I'd say that there is about
three of them... What would you say Kait?" Jesse asked in a small but
deadly voice.
"I'd say you're about right. What do you wish to do, my Lord?" She
asked, her senses were telling her to serve and protect at all costs.
"Your LORD is going to stay behind me. Isn't that right? Don't argue
with me on this Marcus. You're skill with a sword is Nonexistent, so let
us handle this, please?" Jesse asked lowering her shades and batting her
baby blues at him.
Marcus said nothing as he pulled into the parking place. But then he
turned towards her and said, "As you wish, Love. But I still want to talk
to them." He said as he opened the door and stepped out before she could
say anything.
"Shit! Hurry up.." She mumbled to Kait as she stepped out to see the
black van parked behind them, effectively cutting them off if the wanted to
back out.
Both girls hurried in front of Marcus when the men in the black van
opened there doors. Two of them had black hair and the third had brown.
They stepped out with swords in hand. The blades reflected the light of
the restaurant behind them. They walked up to them slowly. Their face was
a complete mask, showing no emotion.
"Well, if it isn't the famous Jesse Budroux. The prodigy sister that
Shain is so proud of. You know John," he said turning to his friend with a
simple smile. "I heard that she did not know a sword from a butcher
knife." That got a low chuckle from his friends.
"I'm sorry to say this Jess, but you have a reward out on you. Anyone
that can bring in your head get's promoted to captain." He then added with
a rather large smile.
"I'm sorry to tell YOU this, Brian, but if you come near her I'll cut
you into." Kait said with a quiet quirk of the lips. But her voice had
venom in it.
"This is none of your business Blade Runner. I suggest you go home
before you get hurt. You too outsider." He said pointing his sword at
Marcus. Marcus could not resist, he just had to say something.
"So you want to take HER head?" Marcus said stepping in front of Jesse
while jutting a thumb at her. Jesse gave him a look that asked 'What the
hell are you doing?!' Marcus ignored it though and stepped in striking
range of the Dark Knights.
"Marcus! Step off! You promised." Jesse hissed at him to no avail.
"So, Brian is it? Why would you want to take such a pretty head as
hers? I have to say that three on one is not good odds. Are you careful or
just gutless?" Marcus said in a voice that was just as sweet as honey. His
face was animate with a smile... It even stayed that way when the Dark
Knight pressed the tip of his blade to Marcus' neck.
"You are a daring little fucker aren't you? And just who in the HELL do
you think you are?" The Dark Knight asked with a chuckle.
Marcus sudden lowered his shades, so that the Dark Knight could see the
icy blue coldness of them and let his hands fall to his sides. "I am the
Son Of Dakrin." Marcus said in a low and deadly voice.
But before the Dark Knight came up with a reply, Marcus shot his hands
out in a scissor motion that struck his opponents sword and shattered the
titanium blade to pieces and then reaching with deadly quickness, Marcus
snapped the Dark Knights neck with one fluid motion, letting his lifeless
body fall to the ground.
One of the other Dark knights were about to react when Marcus just
seemed to vanish. This wasn't the case though. Marcus just moved faster
than the Knight could see. The last thing that Knight saw was Marcus' hand
coming from behind and grabbing his face, then pulling his neck back until
it snapped. Marcus just let the lifeless body slip down the front of his
with ease. Marcus stepped over the body to look at the one remaining
Knight. He watched with quiet satisfaction as the Knight dropped his
sword.
Marcus was dimly aware that he had just killed to Knights, with his bare
hands, faster than it takes most people to blink. The only surviving Dark
Knight was trembling noticeably. Marcus walked up very slowly and got
close enough to kiss him on the cheek if he wished and said in a low but
very, very deadly voice, "I am Marcus. Son Of Dakrin. If I was you... I
would not forget that." Marcus said this and looked the Knight in the eyes
with a cold blue fierceness that made the Knight shake more.
"Tell your Master that I am coming.... And I'm bringing HELL along with
me." Marcus said, as he took a few steps back, so that he was standing
beside Jesse and Kait again. "Also, tell him if he ever tries to harm my
friend again, I'll introduce him to the pleasures of being skinned." Marcus
said that last in a fierce voice.
The very scared looking Dark Knight looked at Marcus then at Jesse and
Kait, who were still baring swords, then took about three very slow steps
back and bolted for the van at top speed. He was in that van fast that it
made Marcus have a genuine smile despite himself. The tires squealed as
the Knight pulled out.
"I apologize my Lord, I should have reacted quicker.." Kait started but
Marcus held up his hand to cut her off and looked at Jesse.
"I want to say I'm sorry, my Love. But I also want to say that if I had
to break that promise again... I would. Nobody and I mean NOBODY,
threatens my family or loved ones.Without getting away with it. But I am
sorry that I lied." Marcus said and then pushed up his shades and gave a
little shrug.
"No, it's me who should apologize, for doubting the Son Of Dakrin's
abilities." She said with a smile and sheathed her sword.
Then Marcus turned his gaze on Kait. "As for you," He started with a
rueful smile. "I'm sure you would have done just fine if I hadn't got in
your way." He added with a chuckle as he seen Kait blush.
"I think we should get out of here before people start noticing the
bodies here..." Jesse said motioning to the corpses on the ground.
"I do think your right about that." Marcus replied and walked back to
the car and got in. The girls followed suit.
Marcus noticed that Kait was staring at him quite intently. "What is
it, OH sweet protector of mine?" Marcus asked with a sort of embarrassed
grin.
"You're the real deal... Don't get me wrong, I didn't doubt you before.
It's just that I never in my life seen anyone move that fast. I could
barely keep my eyes focused on you and... Don't get me wrong, I'm not
bragging but my eyes can move fairly quick in a battle. That was amazing
my Lord." she said with a quiet blush.
"Why, thank you Kait. I just wished I could have used my sword. Is it
a wrong think that I'm glad there their dead? I don't know what came over
me." Marcus said as he started up the car.
"No... Shain sometimes said that he thinks that we're embedded with
warrior instincts. They always surface sooner or later. But it's up to
you on how to control them." Jesse said in a low voice as they pulled out
of the parking lot.
"They were just Dark Knight scum anyway, Marcus. Don't worry about it."
Jesse added, as she patted his leg.
"Well, we still need to get food. We can get some sandwich stuff at the
market. I'd rather eat at the cabin anyway. How do you think they found
us anyway?" Marcus asked as he pulled out onto the road.
"I think they just lucked out, because I did not feel their presence at
the cabin." Jesse said in a low voice.
"Good, then we can get some food and head back there.... I was thinking
that you could teach me how to use my blade tonight and we could start for
New Orleans in the morning." Marcus said waiting for protest, but none
came.
"I think your right, Love. Shain would be better for a sparing partner
than me anyway. You would be to fast for me even to compare with, judging
by the speed you showed with the Dark Knights." She said with a quiet
smile.Marcus just smiled a little and started driving down the road towards
the market. There was a lot on his mind. He wondered just how in the hell
he could move so fast in a deadly manor like that. When he killed those
Knights, he knew for a fact that he had started a war. Marcus also knew
that those Knights were not Masters, not even close. Marcus wondered how
he would fair against a Master.
What he did to those Knights had boosted his self-confidence somewhat
but he still held it in check. Marcus really hoped that Shain would ally
with him like the two girls in this car think he will. Marcus looked
forward to the sword training that Jesse could teach him. He had a strong
feeling that if she just taught him the basics, that he could go self-teach
himself from there.
They went to the market and picked up some lunch meat and a twelve pack
of soda. Kait got herself a carton of Camel non-filters. All this stuff
was free with a little PERSUASION from Jesse. Then they started off back
to the cabin. Marcus let Jesse drive because he wanted think about what
might happen in New Orleans. Marcus wanted to think about how he should
act and what he should say.
The thought of leading all of those Shadow Knights into battle made him
a little nervous. Marcus was the type that knew that power implies
responsibility. He wondered if the other Knights would be so quick to
follow him as Kait was. Then he scolded himself for being such a worry
wart. He knew it was not his style. But a lot has happened in the last
few days. He was still amazed at his power.
On the way to the cabin Jesse turned to Marcus and asked, "Penny for
your thoughts?" She asked this in a sweet manor.
Marcus did not want to say that he was doubting himself, so he said, "I
was just wondering how fast I would learn the sword." He said this with a
small grin.
"Oh, I think you will do just fine. You will probably do the same as
the rest of the stuff I taught you. And since Kait here is probably a
little better with a blade than I am, she could probably show you a few
moves as well." Jesse and patted him on the leg while watching the road.
"I hope you're right Jess, I really hope you're right." Marcus said with
a sigh and then turned his attention to Kait. "So what do you think? You
think Shain will want my help?" He asked her with a grin.
"Are you kidding? He is going to flip when you get there!" She said
with a small chuckle.
*************************************
After dinner in the cabin, the three of them was out in the cool night
air. Kait was sitting on the porch watching Jesse explain things about the
art of the sword. Marcus had his shades lowered and watched her very
intently. Jesse went through a few of the basic sword blocks and counter
strikes. They did this very slowly at first. Marcus was very patient when
it came to learning something that he wanted to know.
"There are three main area's in the art of the sword," Jesse commented
to Marcus. "The lower part of your body, the middle part and the upper
part. You have to watch all of these carefully. I'm going to show you
three drills that I want you to remember and practice." She said in a very
serious tone.
"Ok, show me." Marcus said with a serious tone. This was not play time.
The stuff he was learning here might save his life one day.
Jesse then started in with the drill. She was swinging the sword with
expert skill. Then she would thrust and block with the imaginary enemy
with deadly skill. It impressed Marcus allot. His eyes never left the
drill she was preforming. He soaked in everything. His memory absorbed
everything like a sponge. He loved the way she moved, it was most
definitely an art. So he definitely wanted to master it
"Ok, did you get that? Or should I do it again?" Jesse asked with a
look of proudness.
"No... I think I got it the first time." Marcus said with a rueful
smile. "Let me give it a go and you tell me what you think." he added.
Marcus then stepped a few paces back and loosened his grip on his sword
just a little so the moves would flow better, then he started. At first he
went a little slow. Then he started to pick up speed, thrusting and
spinning the sword as Jesse taught him. He started to pick up speed after
a minute or so. Then something amazing happened. Well, at least to Marcus
it seemed amazing. He felt at one with the sword.
Marcus' speed began to pick up rapidly. He was going at the same speed
Jesse was going at for about ten seconds and then his speed doubled. Then
tripled. The sword in his hand started to go so fast that it was almost
just a blur... And then it became a blur. It was moving like a high
powered fan, but only in all directions. Both girls mouth dropped when he
was going that fast. Then he jumped in mid air, still spinning the sword,
did a flip and landing gracefully on his feet, bringing the sword to a
stop.
"Jeez Marcus! You make me look horrible!" Jesse said with a chuckle.
"That was the best I've ever seen my Lord!" Kait said while clapping her
hands slowly.
"Thanks Kait." Marcus said and then turned to Jesse. "And you... Could
NEVER look horrible." Marcus said and winked at her.
"Ok, you big flirt, let's spar a little." Jesse said with a quark of a
smile. "I'm game." He said as he stepped towards her.
"Don't go to fast though... I don't want you to cut off my arm by
accident." She said and Kait laughed a little at that.
"Ok... Let's do it." Marcus said, getting in a defensive stance.
Jesse came in with an overhead strike and Marcus blocked that easily and
jumped backwards, out of her striking range with a smile. Jesse's next try
was an inward thrust and quite a few other moves which Marcus blocked with
allot of ease. They went on like that for quite a while until Marcus
struck her sword at the base and it flew in the air landing neatly in his
free hand.
"So, favorite teacher of mine. Do I get an "A"?" Marcus asked with a
rueful smile.
"Yea... You get an 'A'." She said as Marcus handed her back her sword.
She also had a very proud look on her face.
"I'd say you get an A+, my Lord." Kait said with a very warm and kind
smile.
"I think we should get some rest now.." Jesse said as she sheathed her
sword and pulled Marcus by the shirt towards her and gave him a light kiss
on the lips.
"MMM, I think your right. Let's go 'REST'." Marcus said in a low voice
as they turned and started for the cabin door.
"We're gonna go rest." Jesse said to Kait as the approached the door.
"Uh huh, I bet." Kait said with a very knowing smile as she watched them
walk into the cabin.
The walked in the bedroom and Jesse used her Kinetics to shut the door
behind them. "Do you have any clue as to how hot you make me when I watch
you in action?" Jesse said in a low and husky voice as she pushed Marcus on
the bed.
Marcus watched her as she unstrapped her sword and let it fall to the
ground. She then kick off her shoes and pulled her shirt over her head in
one swift motion. Exposing her bare breasts and very erect nipple. Her
shades were lowered so Marcus could see the look of pure animal lust there
in her eyes. Jesse then unbuttoned her jeans and slid them down and
stepped out of them.
That left her only with a pair of black lacy underwear she had on. She
was about to reach for them when Marcus used his Kinetics and completely
ripped them from her body so that she was fully naked. He then made her
raised about a foot off the ground and float to the bed. Jesse did not
seem to mind this. In fact, by the look on her face she down right enjoyed
it. They locked in a passionate kiss when she landed on the bed. She
whimpered a little Marcus caressed her breast in a gentle motion. That's
when he used his Kinetics vibrate her clit back and forth. "OOOH" she
moaned out and pushed him down on his back and went straight down his body
to undo his pants.
She unfastened his pants and slid them down to his knees and exposing
his very hard manhood. She the started to lick his shaft up and down,
making him breath a little shallow himself. He used his kinetics again and
swung her body up so that they were in the 69 position. He looked up and
seen that she was already very wet.
"OOOOHHHHH GOD!" She moaned out as he started to gently suck on her
clit. But then she started with vigor on sucking his cock.
Marcus ran his tongue then up and down her wet pussy until she was
writhing all over the place and moaning his name rather loudly. The she
sat up and rolled over on her back. "you better fuck me now, or else." She
said in a very husky voice
"Oh, you bet I will!" He said with a smile and positioned his dick right
at her opening and slid it in with one smooth motion.
"OOOOHHHHH, Marcus!" She moaned loudly and bit down on his shoulder as
her legs wrapped tightly around him.
He then started to pump in and out of her quickly since he knew that she
was on the verge of an orgasm and a big one at that. She moaned loudly and
started to buck her hips against his. Her face was flushed and her body
had already broken out in sweat. Marcus looked at her eyes and seen they
was that of pure lust. Marcus knew that he couldn't hold back much longer
so he speeded up so she would reach orgasm first.
"Ohhh I'm cuuummmminng!" She moaned and bit down on his shoulder hard as
her body went through convulsions her orgasm was so strong.
Marcus reached his point as well and shot his seed deep within her.
This seemed to further her orgasm and she shook all over the bed and
finally just went still. She had passed out from the pleasure. Marcus
just rolled over on his back somewhat out of breath and smile rather
widely. He took another look at his Love then rolled out of bed.
He pulled up his pants fastened them again. 'If she gets like that when
she see's me fight... I'll be sure to pick quite a few in the future' he
thought with a chuckle.
He then walked out of the room into the main part of the cabin. He seen
that the front door was open and he seen that Kait was going through sword
drills. These were a little more complicated than the ones Jesse had
showed him. She was doing back flips and front flips, all the while she
was thrusting and swinging the sword. Marcus thought that she was quite
good. He stood in the door in complete silence and watched.
Finally she stopped when she noticed her audience. "Do you need
something my Lord?" she asked with a bright smile.
"Yea, I was wondering if we could talk." He said in a low but kind voice
as he sat down on the porch.
"Sure my Lord. What would you like to talk about?" She said as she took
a seat next to him. "What exactly does a Blade Runner do?" Marcus asked
with a curious expression. "We're the bottom line. We do the stuff the
regular Knights can't." She said with a proud expression.
"How many Blade Runner's does Shain have?"
"Ten. He really should not have made me leave, since there are only ten
of us. But he wanted his sister to be safe. I fear for his safety without
me there." She said with a slightly sad expression.
"Well, we will be leaving at daylight so you won't have to worry much
longer," He said with a smile. "What is the leader of the Dark Knights
name?" he added.
"Jacob Taylor. Some people say that he can match Shain with a sword.
Go cut for cut with him. But them are just rumors. The truth is that no
one has seen him fight... And lived to tell about it that is." She said
with a worried face.
"Can Shain match me in speed?"
"I think he can come close... But i think that you are just a little
faster, my Lord." she said with a smile, then added, "But with both of you
in New Orleans, beating the Dark Knights will be a cake walk." She said
this with a proud look.
"Don't you think that Shain will be a little irritated at having someone
lead him, after he's been leading the Knights this long?" Marcus asked with
a look of concentration.
"No my Lord! he has been waiting for years for you to take over. He's
going to flip when he see's you." She said, with a smile that showed most
over her pretty teeth.
"Well, you better get some rest. We leave out at daylight. I hope your
right about Shain not minding me coming." Marcus said and stood, then
reached out and took Kait's hand, helping her up.
"Shain won't mind. Don't worry. I guess I should rest.." She said and
started in the house. Marcus watched her walk in then he sat back down on
the porch to wait for dawn.
He knew that he had a rather large fight against the Dark Knights in New
Orleans. The two Dark Knights he fraught were amateurs. Sooner or later
he would have to go up against a Master and he did not know if he was ready
or not. Marcus really did hope that Shain could teach him a few more
things. Marcus knew that if he could fined someone that he trusted to spar
with that could also match his speed, he would be the best. But he did not
want to put faith in someone he has never met though.
Marcus had fears of leading that many Knights. He hated to be
responsible for other peoples actions, but he also knew that it had to be
done. He had to take down that Dark Knights and the Shadow Knights in New
Mexico. Yes, he was most definitely in for a long fight. He also knew
that he had to come up with a plan of how to act so that people would trust
him for who he was and not his heritage.
All of these thoughts ran through his head as he sat there in silence.
Marcus wished that there could be a way of doing all of this without
killing anyone, but there was none that he could see. It made him a little
worried that he was happy to kill the two Knights in the parking lot and
that worried him. 'But the end will justify the means' he thought to
himself with a sigh. Marcus then stood up, deciding to do sword drills
till dawn to hone his skills....
Marcus' Power
Chapter 11
It was just before dawn that Marcus realized that he recovered quickly
from being tired. he had done sword drills for ten straight hours. He
mimicked the ones Jesse done, then he did the ones he seen Kait do. Then
just for sport, he made up a few of his own. His speed still amazed him.
But what amazed Marcus more was the fact that all he had to do when he was
a little tired, was to sit still for about five minutes and he was fully
restored.
It was just about an hour before dawn. He had told the girls to leave
him alone with his thoughts for awhile. The girls had only slept for about
half an hour, so they just watch him through the door and talked to each
other. Marcus was still having trouble believing that he was going to be
leading sixty or seventy Knights into battle.
The idea of that much power was just a little intimidating to Marcus,
Son Of Dakrin or not. He had to figure out just what exactly he should say
to them. this was not like a school yard scrape, this was going to be a
war. Marcus did not take that lightly. A lot of people could die if he
made the wrong choice. So Marcus had to come up with battle strategies as
well as good technique.
With these thoughts in mind, he stood up. It was still very dark but he
wanted to see how much he improved with a sword since he trained all night.
Just training a little had made him as good as Jesse, he wanted to know
what ten straight hours of training did for his reflexes. With that, he
called Kait out.
"Kait, could you come out here for a sec?" He asked, as he looked
through the door way.
"Sure my Lord." She said and jumped to her feet. She was sitting on the
sofa.
"You in the mood to spar with me a bit? Before you say yes... I want
you to come at me full speed ahead, Ok? I want everything you have."
Marcus said with a warm smile.
"Ok... If you really want me to." She said with a slight frown. She
really did not want to try her best to hurt the future leader of The Zone.
She noticed that Jesse was watching from the doorway.
Marcus took a defensive stance and motioned to Kait to start the battle.
Kait came in full force and with deadly speed. Marcus blocked all of the
strikes she threw but never countered. He knew after the first blow that
he could cut her in half if he wished to do so. She kept up the full
frontal assault until Marcus did a full front flip over her head and landed
softly on the ground, laying the blade of his sword on her shoulder.
Kait got the picture. She knew that if it were a real fight that she
would be dead. "You are VERY good, my Lord. I think you should ask Shain
to spar with you when we get there." She said with a warm smile as she
sheathed her blade.
"Oh, I think my brother will probably ask that before Marcus does. He
likes fighting people that give him a challenge." Jesse said with a chuckle
in the doorway.
"Great. I wanted to see how I stack up against a Master." Marcus said
as he sheathed his sword.
"My Lord... Can I ask you a favor? You don't have to do it if you do
not wish to." Kait asked in a low voice, with her head bowed down. Marcus
could tell that she hated asking for favors. He never did like that
either.
"Sure, what do you need. If it's in my power, I'll do it." Marcus said,
as he sat down on the porch.
"On the way to New Orleans, there is a small town called Cater. I have
some friends there. They are very handy with a sword, probably better than
I. They dropped out of the fighting though. They just said it would never
stop, so they quit.... If they saw you... Maybe they would come back.
Can we see?" Kait asked with a sad face that Marcus just couldn't say no to
in a million years.
"I don't see why not. The Knights in New Orleans might think it would
be pretty cool if I showed up with four people already under my command."
Marcus said and patted Kait's knee since she sat down beside him.
"Marcus, we have about twenty minutes to day break. You want to go
ahead and move out. The sooner we leave the sooner we get there." Jesse
said sitting down on the other side of him.
"Yea... Besides if i sit here any longer i might talk my self out of
it," Marcus seen the shocked look on both of there faces. "Just kidding."
He said with a chuckle and then stood up.
"I'll go get our clothes." Jesse said and went back into the cabin.
"So what are your friends like?" Marcus asked as he started towards the
car.
"Their about my age. Their brother and sister. Tomas and Sara Mitchell
are their names. Their good Knights, don't worry." She said with a smile.
"Oh, I'm not worried. I just wanted to know what to expect, that's
all." Marcus said as he popped the trunk with his telekinesis.
"They are going to flip when they find out who you are, my Lord." She
said this with a radiant smile that made Marcus blush a little.
"Well, go help Jesse with the bags, I'm going to check the oil real
quick." Marcus told her. He gave her an order to sort of get used to it.
Marcus knew that in the near future he would have to give allot of them.
"Yes, my Lord" Kait said and turned on her heel and went back to cabin.
Marcus checked the oil and put a quart in. He was sort of curious about
the new Shadow Knights he was going to meet. They quit fighting because
they thought it was a lost cause? That did not make sense to Marcus. A
lost cause would make Marcus fight all the harder. But that was him and he
learned long ago to not compare himself to others
Jesse and Kait came out then. Jesse was carrying her bag and Kait was
carrying Marcus'. Jesse had changed clothes, much to Marcus' enjoyment.
She was wearing an out fit like Kait's. A leather jacket and a black
sports bra. Her toned stomach showed in the moon light and Marcus thought
that she was beautiful.
"Close your mouth, your drawing flies." Jesse said with a giggle.
"Throw the clothes in the back and get in, smart ass!" Marcus said with
a small chuckle.
Jesse and Kait did as they were told and put the bags away and slipped
in the car. Marcus guessed they discussed would ride in front because
Jesse rode in the back seat without question. Marcus slipped behind the
driver's seat and started up the car. Not only the car, but their
adventure as well.
*****************************
It took them a few hours to get to Cater, but the drive was pleasant
enough. they made small talk but no real serious conversation took place.
Marcus was to busy going over plans in his head. Plans to take down the
Dark Knights once and for all. All of his plans revolved around the Shadow
Knights in New Orleans following his lead though. He hoped they would be
as enthusiastic as Kait.
Kait directed to the rougher part of town, or at least that's what
Marcus thought it was. They up to an old white small house. The paint was
chipped and judging by the size of it It couldn't hold more than two
people. The house was definitely in poor condition. But Marcus attention
was drastically changed to a different direction
There was a small park on the other side of the road. It only consisted
of a basketball court and a swing set. What did catch his attention was
the seven figures standing on the basket ball court. Five of them were
wearing black trench coats that had a strange insignia on the shoulder.
All five of them also had blonde hair. They was facing two Other Knights
that had their swords drawn. They both had black hair and looked the age
of Kait.
"Look over at the court. Are those your friends, Kait?" Marcus asked in
a low but firm voice.
"Yea and those other five.... They are not Dark Knights. Their from
the Zone. You can tell by the insignia on their shoulder." Kait's face was
set in concern when she asked, "May I help the, my Lord?" She asked in a
low voice.
"Oh yea and I'm coming with you." Marcus said and stepped out of the
car, pulling his sword in one swift motion.
Kait and Jesse stepped out also, taking their sword in hand. "Be
careful Marcus." Jesse said in a low voice as they started to walk up to
the five Shadow Knights and Kait's friends. The Knights in the black
trench coats finally noticed them when they were about thirty yards away.
That told Marcus two things. That they had no discipline and none of them
were Masters. Marcus kept his stride strong never slowing. He knew that
would show weakness. Marcus was about five yards away when he could see
his reflection in their mirror plated shades. He supposed that they could
see their in his as well.
"Tomas I can't leave you alone for one second can I?" Kait said in mock
exasperation.
"Hey Kait, nice to see you again... Seems like you brought some friends
to this little party."
Tomas said with a low voice, never taking his eyes off the five Knights.
His black bangs gently sloped over his shades.
"What do you want with these two?" Marcus asked the Knights. He was in
no mood to play word games, like Kait and Tomas were doing.
"Well, outsider, if you're not with us you're against us. They turned
us down... So they must die, to keep the order. If you swear allegiance
now, I promise i won't cut you into." The night said in a soft voice.
Even though the Knights voice was calm, Marcus could feel the
nervousness in it. The made him do a half smile. <'Stay out of it. Kait
and I will handle it'> Marcus told Jesse with telepathy. She didn't like
it, but she took note of how serious he looked.
<'You take the two on the left and I'll take the three on the right'>
Marcus told Kait telepathically. She nodded her agreement with a smile.
The Knights they were facing knew that they were talking to one another
but could not tell what was being said. They was getting a little restless
when Marcus finally took two big steps towards them, so that he was in
striking range and said, "Are you guys gonna stands their with your thumb
up your ass... Or are you going to attack." Marcus said this with a grin,
but there was no humor in it.
"You arrogant little fuck!" The Knight in front yelled and came down
with an over head strike.
Marcus blocked with ease and spun one time bringing his blade to the
back of the Knights leg, severing it with one fluid motion. The Knight
started to fall forward and Marcus spun his sword so that the sharp side
was pointing skyward. Marcus brought it up as the Knight was coming down.
He brought it up with tremendous speed, turning the Knight into a headless
corpse.
Then by pure reflex alone he blocked a sword was being swung at his
neck. When Marcus did the side block, he also spun. Swinging the sword
with murderous force on the completion of the spin. his sword the Knight
on the side of the neck severing his head. A gush of blood spurted forward
before the Knight hit the ground. All the time Marcus was doing this his
shades were lowered and Jesse could see the murderous thunder in them.
The third Knight started to run away. Marcus came to the conclusion
that he did not want the regular Shadow Knights in New Mexico to know of
him yet. The Knight was about 30 yards away when Marcus came to the
decision. Marcus took mental note of how fast the knight was running and
how many times the sword would spin. Then he reared back his arm and threw
his sword. It went through the Knights back and out his chest, piercing
his hard along the way.
Marcus turned just in time to see Kait stick her sword clean through her
second opponent's chest. He fell to the ground with a thud and Kait had
this really wicked looking grin on her face. She took the sword and wiped
the blood off of it on the trench coat the dead Knight was wearing.
"I'm a little disappointed. I thought that would be much more
difficult. How long did the fight last? I counted to six seconds." Kait
said this with a shit eating grin.
"I think it was more like four." Kait's friend Sara said. "You are one
hell of a warrior! I didn't catch your name though." She added with a
flirtatious smile.
"That's because I didn't through it," Marcus said this with a chuckle.
"My name is Marcus... If you will excuse me, I have to retrieve my sword."
He said this with a wink and pushed up his shades.
Marcus mentally took note of what Sara looked like. She had long black
hair that went to the middle of her shoulders. She also had sea green eyes
that were beautiful. She was wearing an over sized black t-shirt and tight
blue jeans. Kait had said that they were about her age, but she looked to
be about 14 to Marcus. Marcus walked the thirty yards to retrieve the
sword that was still stuck in the corpse. When he got there, he thought
himself stupid. If he used Kinetics the sword would have came to him.
Even though Marcus was about thirty yards out, he could still hear what
Kait and Sara were saying. He smiled as he listened to their conversation.
Jesse was not partaking in the conversation though. She was heading
straight for Marcus at a slow face. by the look on her face, she was not
happy. Marcus made an educated guess that it was because he did not let
her fight.
He listened closer to the conversation that Kait and Sara were having.
"Were did you find him?! He's cute as hell and fights like a Master!" Sara
said a little excited.
"Master? That's an understatement."
"What do you mean?"
Kait lowered her shades and said, "It is time for the uprising. Marcus
is the Son Of Dakrin."
She said this in a low and very serious voice. "So you have to decide
if you want to stay here or fight by his side."
"T-T-The Son Of Dakrin...." She looked at her brother, exchanged
something silently. Then said. "There is no choice. His my sword is
his." She said in a low voice
"Mine is as well." Tomas said in a low and firm voice.
Jesse strolled up beside Marcus then. "Why didn't you let me fight?!
I'm as good as Kait with a sword!" She hissed at him in a low voice.
"I know you are love. I just wanted to see if Kait could take two on
one. Don't take it so personally." Marcus said as he sheathed his sword.
"Here they come, do I look like a Son Of Dakrin?" Marcus asked a low
voice that was followed by a chuckle from both him and Jesse.
They waited until they were about five feet away then Sara and Tomas
dropped one knee and laid there sword down in front of then, then said in
unison, "My sword and skill are yours my Lord." They said this in a dead
serious manor
"Go ahead and get up," He said with a chuckle. "I think you will find
me less serious than you think." He added.
"It's going to be an honor to follow you. I'm sure my sister will
agree. When should we leave, my Lord?" Tomas said with low and very firm
voice. For some reason Marcus knew that this Knight was better with a
blade than even Kait.
"We'll leave now." The sooner we get rid of the Dark Knights, the sooner
we can take the Zone. Any objections?" Marcus asked with a very serious
voice. He knew there would be no objections but he wanted to ask anyway.
"Do you think Shain will let you take over his little Zone in New
Orleans, my Lord?" Sara asked in a small voice.
"I sure hope so. I don't know if the five of us could take seventy Dark
Knights alone." Marcus said and winked at her. Let's get going before we
have the hassle of dealing with the men in blue." Marcus said and started
for the car.
They were really going to do it. Marcus thought. he was going to go to
war with people he never knew and he was going to slaughter them just as he
did the three in the park. Whether he liked it or not, Marcus was getting
a taste for battle. He loved to test his reflexes. He loved the clashing
of steal. And he was going to make himself rightful ruler if it killed
him. Which was a very likely possibility
His four faithful followers followed behind him. He wondered if Shain
would be willing to give up the right of his small army to him. People
like having power, that was the one thing Marcus learned in foster care.
Everyday of life is a power struggle. If you don't have it, someone else
will.
Marcus' Power
Chapter 12
The five of them rode in relative silence for most of the way to New
Orleans. The girls did do a little chit chat, but not much. Marcus' mind
was on the battle he just went through. Well, he didn't exactly think it
was a battle. It was more of a slaughter, or at least that's what he
thought. Marcus thought of the cool, precise and even deadly moves he
used. He was not shook up once during the battle. That worried him a
little.
Every now and then he would look over at Jesse and see her smile at him.
She, who had got mad because Marcus told her to stay out of it. He told a
white lie about why he did it. Marcus was a little guilty about that. The
reason he told her to stay out of it, was because he did not want her to
get hurt. Marcus knew Jesse well enough that she would have been extremely
mad if she found that out.
Jesse had informed him on the way over here that the base that Shain had
control over was not completely in New Orleans. It was more on the
outskirts, away from the main part of city. It consisted of a very large
mansion and behind the mansion was a bunker that most of the Knights slept
in. This made since to Marcus. They did not want to take over the town.
Jesse also informed him that they only used mind control when necessary and
they were only allowed one follower, but the High Council and Blade Runners
were allowed two.
Jesse and Kait kept insisting that Shain would be more than happy to
receive Marcus. But Marcus came from a long line of disappointments and
did not get his hopes up. They were about ten miles from the base when
Kait spoke up. "It's about ten miles from here, we're close. Oh, it does
feel good to be close to home!" She said with a very wide smile and a small
giggle.
"Well, the sooner we get there the better, if that's what makes you
happy Kait." Marcus said and winked in the rear view mirror so he knew she
caught it. She did and blushed a little to Marcus' amusement.
<'Shain responds better to the silent, take charge kind of Knights.
Keep that look you had in your eye in the battle today and you will do
fine'> Jesse said to Marcus telepathically.
<'What do you mean, the look in my eyes?'> Marcus sent back with a mild
smile.
<'You know damn well what I mean. Think of yourself as a cold killing
machine and you will do fine'> She sent back with a very serious look.
<'You got it'>
<'Shain just don't have much of a sense of a humor, that's all. You and
him will get along fine. Just be yourself'> She sent with a smile.
"Jesse, I'll try my best. Is that it?" Marcus said and pointed to a
mansion that was a ways off the highway.
"Yea, that's it. Don't drive up to quick. See those four
guard-Knights? They will feel threatened." Kait said with a cheerful voice.
Marcus just gave her a nod and started to pull into the long driveway.
It was about two hundred yards long and there were four guards at the end
of it and a big metal gate that was about ten feet tall with an insignia in
the middle of it. The insignia had two swords crossed in a burning moon
and in small but very distinguishing letters the words "Shadow Zone" were
written below the insignia.
Marcus had a strange feeling. He did not feel danger in driving up to
the gate. He started to feel dangerous though. Just like Jesse told him
to do, only he was doing it without trying. 'This must be what a Master
feels like' he thought with a quark of the lips. He pulled up to the
gates. The three of the guards stood stock still, full of discipline. The
fourth guard-Knight approached the Mustang. He leaned in and tapped on the
passenger window and Jesse rolled the window down.
<'Don't tell them who I am yet'> Marcus shot to Jesse. "This is a
restricted area, Knight, and I've never seen you before." The guard said
with his hand on the hilt of the sword that was on his hip.
"My name is Jesse Budroux. I am Shain Budroux's sister." Jesse said in
a low but firm voice. "Prove it. Open your mind." The guard said simply.
"I don't-" Jesse started to decline but Kait butted in, leaning forward
to look at the guard. "You might not know her, but you know me. So open
up the damn gate." Kait said in an annoyed voice. She was anxious to be
home.
"Right away Mrs. Carson," The guard said and motioned another guard to
flip the switch in the small booth by the gate. "It's good to see you back
Mrs. Carson." He added as the gate slowly opened.
"It's good to be back." She said before Marcus started to move the car
down the drive way.
He looked in his rear view mirror to see the guard calling to the house
from the booth. Marcus took note of the large mansion they was pulling up
to it. It was huge. The lawn was well kept and there was guards on the
balcony. The mansion was mostly white and gray. Shain most definitely had
money. That was know doubt a result from mind control. Marcus was still a
little nervous as he pulled up. But that was rapidly diminishing. The
cold precise manor he had in battle was falling over him. This was not
because he felt danger though. It was mostly because he wanted to be
prepared.
They pulled into the very large driveway, in front of the house.
Someone then emerged from the front door. He was about Marcus' age and
height. The Knight was wearing a black baseball cap and a pair of small,
round and mirror plated sunglasses that was almost exactly like Marcus'.
The Knight also had a collarless black button up shirt that was completely
unbuttoned. Marcus took quick notice of the muscles the Knight had in his
upper body. Marcus knew that this Knight was as strong if not stronger
than him.
Marcus also took quick not of the sword and sheath that the Knight had
in his left hand.
"That's Shain. Don't worry, he isn't as bad as he looks." Jesse said
with a small laugh. Marcus brought the car to a stop. Then he just sat
there a moment and looked at Shain. Marcus thought it a little strange
that he could almost feel the power coming off Shain. Shain was just
standing stock still. Marcus knew why he did it. The first reason was
that he did not know Marcus. The second was an old rule of Marcus'. Never
go them, let them come to you. That way you know were you stand.
"Are we going to get out, my Lord?" Kait asked with an expectant face.
"Yea Kait. Let's go." Marcus said in a low and firm voice and stepping
out of the car. He noticed that when he did, two Knights stepped in front
of Shain, in an obvious gesture to protect him. Marcus was dimly aware
that his four passengers were staying behind him. Marcus got about seven
feet away from Shain when one of the Knights pulled a sword with wicked
speed and put the tip over Marcus' chest, right over his heart. "What
business do you have Outsider?" The Knight said and pressed the sword a
little harder.
Marcus look over at Shain with an arch of an eyebrow. "You know, I
really hate it when people do this to me." He said in a low, firm and
deadly voice. Then his hands shot with lighting speed in a scissor motion,
shattering the sword to the hilt. The second Knight reached for his sword
but Kait interjected. "Master, tell them to back off! They will be dead
before they hit the ground if they don't." Kait said a little loudly.
"He means no harm Shain. And if your 'Body Guards' knew who he was they
would show him a little more respect." Jesse said with a smile. "Step off
boys. Who are you and what do you want with the Zone?" Shain asked in a
low but very, very firm voice.
"My name is Marcus Williams and I'm here to see what I can do for YOU. I
want nothing in return." Marcus said in his trade mark low voice.
"What could you possibly do for the Zone?" Shain asked with a small
smile.
"Shain he's the Son Of Dakrin! Show a little respect at least." Jesse
said with a little exasperation in her voice.
"You're... The Son Of Dakrin? Forgive if I'm doubtful, but I think
I'll need a little proof." Shain said in a low voice, ignoring the
exasperated look of his sister.
Marcus undid his shirt enough so that Shain could see the smoked crystal
with the golden claw hanging around his neck. He saw the comprehension
dawn on Shain's face. Shain pulled his sword out in a fluid motion and
prepared to kneel when Marcus stopped him. "Please don't... I don't want
you to kneel. I don't want you to be a follower. I want you to be an
ally." Marcus said in a lowered voice. "And please call me Marcus." he
added.
"As you wish, come in, please. I'm sure your trip was a long one."
Shain said to Marcus, then walked over to Jesse. "I'm glad you're finally
come home. I hope you like what you see." He said with a smile.
Marcus followed him into the rather large mansion. There was at least
two guards at every entrance. This told Marcus that Shain was very
careful. "I'm glad you're here Marcus. I must say that you have impeccable
timing. I have a meeting with the Dark Knights in about an hour. For some
reason they are very eager for peace. You would not know why they are
being flexible all of the sudden, would you?" He asked with an almost
knowing smile.
"Could be he wasted to of their Knights in less time than It takes to
blink... Without using a blade I might add." Jesse said and slid an arm
around Marcus' waist.
"You should see him with a blade Shain, the only person that I've seen
that comes close is you." Kait side with a second proud smile.
"Is that so... Let's go to my den. I'll introduce you to my first in
command. You might appreciate his skill." Shain said with a slight grin
and led the way.
<'I know the first in command... He is going to challenge you by Right
Of Steel. It's a test to prove yourself. Please don't be angry with
Shain... He's just careful and he wants to make sure you are who you say
you are'> Jesse sent to Marcus telepathically.
<'Are you telling me that I have traveled seven hundred miles to be
tested?! What the fuck, Jesse? Angry? No, I'm not angry. I'm severely
pissed!'> He shot back the thought to Jesse so hard that she had to stop
walking because her head was dizzy.
"Jesse, are you alright?" Shain asked with a concerned look on his face.
"I'm fine. Really." <'Shain, don't push him. He'll snap, I know he will'>
She sent to Shain with a worried face.
<'Relax'> "Here we are." Shain said as he opened up a door to reveal a
rather large room that had a pool table and three Knights in it.
Marcus knew right away that two of them were Masters. He could tell
which one was Shain's first in command right away as well. He was a young
man about the age of 24. He had long black bangs that somewhat covered
part of his shades. Marcus could see the ripples in his forearm when he
hit the cue ball. Marcus was curious despite himself. He wanted to know
how good a Master was and apparently he was to find out.
"Johnny, come over here for a minute. I want you to meet someone."
Shain said as he lowered his shades a little.
"So who is it?" Johnny asked, Marcus could tell that Shain already had
told him and he was just going through some protocol.
"This is Marcus Williams, Son Of Dakrin." Shain said in a low but firm
voice and watched Marcus lower his shades. What he seen in those eyes
almost made him have second thoughts. Almost.
"Son Of Dakrin, huh? Well If you're really the Son Of Dakrin, then you
won't mind a small test, will ya?" Johnny asked with sarcasm in his voice.
"What kind of guest would I be if I declined? Ready when you are,
sport." Marcus said, pulling his sword with a swift motion.
"Marcus, don't fight him. Not like this. Not when you're angry. I
seen what you did to the Dark Knights just because they threatened me.
Please." Jesse said with pleading eyes.
"Relax Love. I'm in full control. I think I will like this... What
did you call it? Trial by Steel. It may be fun." He said with absolutely
no humor in his voice.
"You told him on the way here what I would do?" Shain asked in an amused
voice.
"No, I told him in the hall. Shain, if Johnny dies it's you're fault.
Marcus has only been using a sword two days." She said with a stern voice
Shain was not used to, coming from his sister anyway.
"Well if that's the case, Son Of Dakrin or not, Johnny will disarm him
quick. Nobody can Master a sword that quick." Shain said with a quark of a
grin.
Marcus reflected on what he felt for a brief moment. His anger seemed
to almost fuel his Kinetics. It felt like he was running on jet fuel. It
was hard for him to stay still. "Well,
"Johnny, are we gonna do this or are you just gonna stare at me?" Marcus
said with a wicked smile.
"You're awful cocky for someone that has only used a sword for two
days." Johnny said as he rolled up his sleeves and pulled his blade.
That was when Kait popped in the conversation. "Watch it Johnny. You
would be wise not to underestimate him. He's the real deal." Kait quipped.
And Marcus seen the first signs of doubt start to creep into Johnny's face.
"Come on big boy, let's see what you got." Marcus said and spun his
sword once.
Johnny looked at Shain for final conformation and bounced into attack.
His sword was quick, Marcus noticed. Johnny had ten times more skill than
those foolish Knights he fought before. Marcus' fascination was quickly
being replaced by amusement. Johnny tried several attacks, but they were
to no avail. Marcus stayed purely on defense and tested Johnny's attack
form. Then without notice Marcus quit using his sword. Johnny would
strike and Marcus would move with unnatural speed, avoiding the blade by
mere inches. Marcus could not help but smile at Johnny's efforts. The boy
was good.
Marcus caught a brief look at Shain's face in between dodging the blade.
It was one of amusement. Shain thought Marcus was putting all he had into
this fight. He thought Marcus did not know how to shift from defense to
offense. His sister, Jesse, knew better though. She just had a shit
eating grin on her face. Shain looked over at her and became a little
confused. So he sent her a thought.
<'What's so funny sis? You obviously found the wrong Son Of Dakrin'>
The thought said. Jesse did not bother with a reply. Instead she laughed
and said rather loudly. "Quit playing with him and take his damn sword,
you big show off." And that was followed by a wave of warm laughter.
With that, Marcus raised his sword and went on the offense. With full
speed. Johnny actually kept up for a few seconds, which surprised Marcus.
But Marcus hit the hilt of his sword and it flew out of his hand, right
across the room and Jesse caught it in mid-air. Marcus then swung his
sword with lighting speed and stopped it centimeters from Johnny's neck.
Johnny had a look of almost comic surprise on his face.
Marcus never moved his blade from Johnny's neck when he spoke. "I
thought a Shadow Master would know rule number one." He said with a slight
grin.
"Which is?" Johnny asked nervously since the blade was beside his neck.
"Never, under any circumstances, underestimate an opponent. You would
be wise to remember that." He said this in barely a whisper.
Then Marcus' attention was drawn back to the slow clapping hands of
Shain. "I'm sorry I put you through that Marcus, but it was necessary.
You don't know how many Knights claim to be the Son Of Dakrin. You do
understand don't you?" Shain asked with an apologetic look.
Marcus caught on all to quick and understood perfectly. "I don't only
understand, but I respect you more now than I did before." Marcus said and
removed the sword from Johnny's neck and sheathed it in one motion.
"Why would you respect me more?" Shain asked, his curiosity peaking.
"I don't really like the idea of people following me blindly. I want to
get one thing straight, before we go any further." Marcus said in a low
voice with his shades lowered so that Shain could see his icy blue eyes.
"And that would be?" Shain asked taking a seat on the sofa that was
against the wall. Marcus noticed that it was very expensive leather sofa
at that.
"I'm not going to lie to you, Shain. I really am a novice to this game.
But even as a novice I have been unmatched in every fight I've been in. I
take it though, that I am better than most since I beat your first in
command fairly easily," Marcus started as he took a seat on the arm of the
sofa. "I still have a lot to learn before I take my father's place in New
Mexico and from what I've heard of you, you're just the person to teach
me." He said in a low, low voice. He hated asking for favors. "You want
me to teach you, the Son Of Dakrin, the ways of Shadow?" Shain said with a
faint smile as if it were almost preposterous and out of the question to
train someone that is destined for such greatness as Marcus.
"Look Shain, your sister taught me everything I know about a sword and I
have this sneaking feeling that you know a hell of a lot more than she does
when it comes to battle,"
He looked over at Jesse then and said, "No offense, Love." Then he
turned back to Shain and said, "Besides, when I pulled up here, I could
tell that you were probably better than I was with a sword. Just imagine
how good I could be as your student."
"I'll do it if you wish Marcus. But you are destined to lead us. Not
me to lead you. It's sort of like the student teaching the Master." Shain
said with a hint of a real smile.
"I give you my word, that when I feel I'm ready for New Mexico and the
Real Zone, I will lead you in a glorious battle and win with as little
causalities as possible... And I know you don't know me well, but I don't
give my word lightly." He said this with a low voice and his eyes showed a
serious glare that Shain rarely seen.
"It would be my Honer to teach you what I know.... And since you so
easily beat my best Knight, I guess I'll have to be your sparing partner,"
He said, and Marcus seen the small blush of Johnny. "So what do you want
to do first?"
"Well, if you have a spare room I'd like to get settled in before the
meeting with the Dark Knights. Then I want to have a serious conversation.
They put a hit on Jesse. I'm still a little pissed about that." Marcus
said, and Shain could see the fire in Marcus' eyes.
"That can be done and I agree with a you on the fact that they made a
very stupid move putting a hit on my sister... But remember this, this
meeting is a peaceful one. When we call peaceful meetings we try to keep
our words.. Unless they make the first move." Shain said, his face turned
red with anger that they tried that.
"I'm going to give you some advice that you might have heard before.
There is only peace on the other side of war. I plan to annihilate them."
Marcus said with a deadly voice that almost made Jesse flinch.
"I was sort of hoping you would say that. The first reason is for my
sister. The second is because the Dark Knights are not famous for keeping
there words." He said with a slight bow of the head that said he agreed
with Marcus.
"One other thing, about the sleeping arrangements. I want Jess in my
room and Kait in the closest room near mine... Yea, I sort of grown a
little attached to your sister. And Kait is one hell of a good sword
fighter, that I trust completely, for some reason." Marcus said and noticed
Kait's slight blush. He knew that she thought it would be a great honer to
be the body guard of the Son Of Dakrin.
"As far as my sister is concerned, I'm pretty sure that she would have
asked if you hadn't. Plus, I think she could do a lot worse than you
Marcus... But about Kait, are you sure? I have better Blade Runners that
could guard you." Shain said with a slight bit of amusement in his voice.
"Yea, I know. But I've seen her fight and I know her. I trust her and
above all she is very loyal, plus she knows me a little better. So that
leaves less chance that she will annoy me. The latter is the main reason."
He said this with a smile as he stood up.
"Oh, Johnny, I apologize for showing off with you. I just don't like
being tested. You are the best I've been up against so far, if that makes
you feel better." Marcus said and looked at him with a face of a genuine
apologetic look.
"No, I apologize for doubting you. I wish we did not have to go through
them tests... But can you imagine the havoc an impersonator would cause?"
He said and placed his fist over his heart to show that he meant the
apology.
Marcus nodded his acceptance. Then turned back to Shain. "So how many
Dark Masters will be here later?" He asked with a serious expression.
"There will be two Masters and six Knights. Their high Council never
comes to see us. The think as badly of us as we do of them." Shain said
with a small chuckle.
"Well, if it's alright with you, I would like to get settled into my
room... Oh yea, were are you putting Sara and Tomas?" Marcus asked as he
pushed up his shades
"They will be sleeping in the bunker with the rest of the Knights. If
that's alright with you," Shain said as he buttoned up his shirt. I'll
have Kait pick you out a couple of rooms from upstairs and if you're not
down I'll call you when the Darkies arrive. " Shain added, talking about
the Dark Knights.
"Sound's like a plan to me." Marcus said, putting an arm around Jesse
and motioning for Kait to lead the way.
"See you in about a half hour." Shain said, then placed his fist over
his heart to show respect. Marcus did the same in return.
"Follow me, my Lord. I'll take to you're room..." She said as she
tugged on his sleeve gently, a smile adorning her face that was most
beautiful.
"Ok, pretty lady, lead the way." Marcus said as he poked her in the ribs
and she giggled and blushed. Marcus caught a moment of jealousy in Jesse's
face when he done that. But it disappeared quickly though.
Marcus had a remedy for this though. He just reached out and wrapped a
arm around Jesse and pulled her close as they followed Kait out of the den.
She snuggled in close as they walked. They passed two or three female
Knights on the way up the stairs. The look on Jesse's face said that
Marcus belonged to her, so back off!
After they made their way up the long stair case and ran into a hall
that was full of rooms. There rooms were at the end of it. Kait opened up
the last door on the right, and they walked in. Marcus really did not care
about fancy things, but if he did, that room would have been perfect.
there was a king sized bed that had bed posts rising six feet in the air
with veils hanging on them. This was so the bed was barely visible.
"Is the room to your liking, my Lord?" Kait asked with and expectant
look on her face. "The room is perfect Kait. Can you have someone send up
our clothes?" Marcus would have asked for a computer to put his notes on.
But there was a computer that was sitting in the corner of the room on a
big oak desk. For some reason, Marcus' mind was starting to make new
Shadow Law in his head.
"Right away my Lord. If you need me, I'll be straight across the hall.
Some Knights will have your things here shortly." She said. Kait had sent
a telepathic signal to the Knights to bring their cloths.
"Well, my Love," Marcus said and took Jesse into a warm embrace. "I
guess this is home for now." He said and kissed her lightly on the lips as
Kait closed their door.
"You look worried Marcus. What's up?" Jesse asked with a concerned
look.
"I'm I that transparent?" Marcus asked with a weak smile.
"Only to me, Love. Tell me what's wrong." She said and traced his jaw
line with tender finger tips.
"Do I look like a person that should lead an army?" He asked in almost a
whisper. "If you would have asked me that two days ago, I would have said
no.... But now... Marcus, your skill is unmatched and you're as sharp as
a razor. Yes, you could run an army." Jesse said with a warm smile and
kissed his lips gently.
Marcus pulled away from her then, gently and with a smile. "I'm glad
you said that, because I'm about to start a war. Every Dark Knight that
does not lay down his sword will be slaughtered. I'm doing this for two
reasons. The first is, I don't like the way the Dark Knights think and the
second is, I want to see how good we are before we go up against the Zone."
He said this in a low but deadly voice. His confidence had returned.
"You said so yourself, there is only peace on the other side of war.
Marcus, with you here, they have no chance." Jesse said and put an arm
around his shoulder.
"I hope you're right, Jess. I really hope you're right." He said in a
mumble.
Marcus was having a little doubt, but not much. He knew that he was
doing this partly because they tried to kill Jesse, but another part of him
was doing this because he knew that it had to be done. There are very few
things that Marcus held dear in this world. He wanted to build something
that was good. He wanted an empire that would keep the majority of his
kind safe. A place that he could truly call home...
Chapter 13
"Promise me you won't lose your cool with the Dark Knights. Please
Marcus? Like Shain said, this is a peaceful meeting." Jesse said as she
leaned her head against Marcus' shoulder. She knew that Marcus had a taste
for battle and that he needed to get a handle on it.
"You have my word. I won't make a move, unless they do it first."
Marcus said in a low voice, his face adorned with a look of contemplation.
Jesse and Marcus were still waiting in the room that Shain gave them.
If the Dark Knights were good to their word, then they would be there
shortly for negotiations. Marcus knew that it was a moot point though.
They would want part of New Orleans and Marcus would not allow that. If
they had any honor at all, they would stick up for their beliefs, no matter
if Marcus was the Son Of Dakrin or not. Marcus knew that they had battle
spirit. The way Jesse talked about it, all Knights did.
"What are you going to tell them?" Jesse asked, her head still laying on
the side of Marcus' shoulder. They were both sitting on the edge of the
bed.
"You'll see, Love. Just be patient." Marcus said and kissed the tip of
her nose.
"You know that Shain might want to have some say in these negotiations.
You would be wise to listen to what he says... He's played this game a
little longer than you." She said with a impish grin.
"I was hoping that he might give a little advice. Like I said before, I
don't want him to be a follower, I want him to be an ally." Marcus said,
breaking himself away from Jesse. He did this because he felt a presence
of a Knight approaching the door.
"What is it?" Jesse asked, a worried look on her face.
"Knock, knock." Marcus said with a smile. Then there came a knock at
the door.
"Show off! If I could keep my Kinetics up all the time, I would be able
to do that." She said as she went for the door and opened it. Kait walked
in with a serious expression on her face and if Marcus could see her eyes
through her shades, he would see worry.
"Their here. Shain is with them in the den. There's two Masters and
six Knights. One of them is the Knight that you let live in the parking
lot of Pizza Hut..." Kait said looking at Marcus very intensely.
"Well, let's get the show on the road. I have little to say and bigger
things to do." Marcus said with a wry smile.
"You better keep your promise to me Marcus." Jesse said in a low voice
as they walked out the door.
"If I don't, are you going to kick my ass?" Marcus asked and then gave a
small chuckle. "You're not afraid of anything, are you?" Jesse asked with
a quizzical look as they walked down the stairs.
"Of you? Sorry Love, that's a little hard to be." He said with a smile.
"No! I mean of the two Masters and six Knights we are about to meet!"
She said in a low but harsh voice.
"The only thing I'm afraid of is when they threaten the people I love.
That is inexcusable." Marcus said as he stopped at the doors of the den.
On the other side, Shain was waiting for him, with his guests.
"Are you ready, my Lord?" Kait asked, with her hand on the door knob.
"Go for it." Marcus said with a look of coldness on his face that made
Jesse worry a little. She really did want him to keep his promise.
Kait opened the doors and they walked in. All of the Dark Knights were
dressed very well. Marcus walked over and leaned against the pool table,
folding his arms. His face was emotionless. He looked over at the Knight
that he let live in the parking lot. That Knight would not even attempt to
make eye contact with Marcus.
"Well, I guess we're all here now," Shain said as he took a seat on the
sofa. His sword was in his hand, but it was sheathed. "You may start,
Jonathan." Shain said nodding his head towards one of the Masters of the
Dark Knights.
"We are willing to back off... If you give us the southern part of New
Orleans..." He said this with confidence in his voice, something that
Marcus did not think that he possessed. "What in the HELL makes you think
that we're going to do that??" Marcus asked with a his voice a little
higher than usual, but humorous.
"You're name is Marcus, Son Of Dakrin," The Dark Master asked as he took
a few steps towards him. "You're to cocky to be so new to the game.
You're just one Master in a game of many... So there is a chance that we
will crush you!" The Master said in a very harsh voice.
<'Was I the one that made you a promise Jesse?? You owe me big...
Cause if I hadn't made it, this so called Master would be dead on the
floor'> Marcus sent the thought to Jesse with a quirk of the lips when she
flinched.
"So you think that your forces can match our's?" Marcus asked in a low
but firm voice and walked towards the Master.
"Easily, so don't be so cocky." The Master said with a grin that said he
thought of Marcus as a lower life form.
"Are you a man of honor, Jonathan?" Marcus asked with a wicked grin.
"Always." Was his simple answer.
"Then agree to this," Marcus said and walked to stand by Jesse. "An all
out battle in exactly one month. Everything is on the table. If you win,
you get all of New Orleans. Take that to you're High Council and see if
they have the balls for that bet." Marcus said as he crossed his arms
again, ignoring the look of shock on Jesse's face.
"You are Cocky.... If I have anything to say about it, the Masters will
pressure high Council into this little venture of yours. I take it this is
the end of negotiations? You will regret this, Son Of Dakrin." He said and
motioned to his Knights to follow him out. They left with a confused look.
Marcus looked over at Shain to gauge his reaction. He was not for sure
if he did the right thing. But by the look on Shain's face, Shain was
pleased. "That was perfect. I liked how you made them wait a month..." He
said in a low and musing voice.
"Why did you like that part?" Marcus asked, already knowing the answer.
"That gives us, and you, time to train. And train hard. The down side
is that they will do the same thing. But Ohhh, it is going to be a good
fight!" Shain said this with a bright smile that would have told him he WAS
related to Jesse even if he had not known it before.
"Tonight... Do you think we could go over strategy for this little
venture? We will have to come up with training captains and a few other
things." Marcus asked with a small smile.
"Absolutely. In fact, if you hadn't asked, I would have." Shain said as
he walked to the door. Then added, before he walked out, "This is gonna
get pretty bloody. With the exception of you, we're evenly matched," Shain
said with a serious voice.
"I know. But there is only peace on the other side of war. This is for
the best I think."
"I know, this will be the last of the Dark Knights and then we can turn
I eyes on New Mexico again." Shain said and walked out the door.
Most of everyone else left behind Shain as well. That only left Jesse,
Kait and Marcus standing in the room. Marcus knew that Jesse wanted to ask
him something. The reason Kait was there, was because he asked her
telepathically. Marcus looked over at Jesse, her beautiful features looked
worried. He wondered what the problem was. After all, hadn't he kept his
promise?
Jesse then moved closer to Marcus, until she was only about a foot away.
"Marcus are you sure you know what you're doing? I'm not doubting your
ability, far from it. But you're just one Knight. Shain's army is not as
good as you and him." She said in a low voice, with an almost apologetic
look on her face.
"I know. I've thought of that, Love. But there is know other way.
This war would have came about sooner or later anyway. It's better to get
it over with and I think between me and Shain, we'll win. No, I KNOW we
will win." Marcus said with a wry smile, that warmed Jesse's insides. When
he smiled at her like that, she thought anything was possible.
"Do you want me to leave you two alone?" Kait said with a slight smile,
standing with her arms crossed.
"No, on the contrary, my dear Kait, I want you to stay." Marcus said
with a warm smile and sat down on the sofa.
"You said that you had something you wanted to ask me, my Lord?" She
asked as she sat on the sofa next to Marcus.
"The Zone, the one we're at now I mean, does it have it's own code and
law?" Marcus asked with a curious expression.
"Yes, we go by the teachings of Dakrin. He wrote all the laws in a
small book. It's called The Book Of Shadows. It's like half diary and
half manual," She said with a frown, then added, "Shain is the only one
that has read it though."
"You mean he has something of my father's and didn't tell me?" Marcus
was a little annoyed. "Why would he hold that from me?"
"He was going to show you when you started your training, my Lord." Kait
said hurriedly.
"Go and tell him I want to read the book NOW and I don't want to be
disturbed until I finish reading it." Marcus said, Kait could see the
annoyed lines on her Lord's face and stood rather quickly.
"Right away my Lord." She said and rushed out the door.
"Marcus, don't take it so personally. Shain was saving it as a surprise
for you. He really did not want to keep it from you." Jesse said, sitting
so close there hips were touching. She placed an arm around him.
"I know. I guess I'm a little keyed up from the 'negotiations'. I
really did not mean to get mad. Tell Shain that I'm not mad at him. Kait
will most likely tell him I was annoyed." Just about that time Kait rushed
back into the room.
In her hand she held a small, black leather bound book. It was about
the size of a paper back westerns that only have about 250 pages. Marcus
just looked at the book. He did not reach out for it for a very long
moment. This was a something that tied him to his heritage. This was
something that would answer questions on what his father thought was right.
But above all, it was a part of Marcus.
"Shain said he's sorry... he did not know keeping it from you would
make you angry." Kait said as Marcus tentatively reached out and gently
took the small black book.
"Will the two of you go tell Shain that I'm not angry.... And... Don't
take it personally, but I would like to be alone while I read this. I will
contact you through thought when I have finished." Marcus said in a low
voice, never looking up from the book.
"Of course, Love. After I talk to Shain I will be in our room. If you
need anything and I mean ANYTHING, just call for me." Jesse said and gave
Marcus a hug and a light kiss on the forehead. she knew how important this
was for him.
"That goes the same for me, my Lord." Kait said with a very serious
voice
Jesse then turned to go and started to walk out. Kait followed her,
leaving Marcus with the book... And his thoughts, which were racing. He
ran his fingers over the smooth black leather of the book. It looked old.
It was well worn in some places. Marcus could imagine Dakrin leaning over
it as he wrote. Marcus sat back down on the sofa with a sigh. He knew
that what ever was in this book, MIGHT change his way of thinking.
Marcus was almost afraid to open the book. What if there were things in
there that would disgust or repulse him. What if his father wasn't the way
everyone thought and Shain kept that fact away from the Knights. His
worries and inhibitions were starting to be out weighed by his curiosity
though. Marcus ran his finger tips over the soft leather and the words on
the cover. "Shadow Law" they said.
"To each his own, and this is mine..." Marcus said out loud and opened
the book and started to read the thoughts and philosophies of Dakrin.....
*******************************
The words were hand written in very neat print. Marcus read his
father's words very slowly, almost soaking up the knowledge. Marcus was
surprised to see the first lines in the book were addressed to him. He
knew that they had to have been written well after the book was finished.
They told him that if he was reading this, that he was most likely dead and
gone. Dakrin had written his apologies, telling Marcus that he wished that
he could be there with him. He did not know his name though. Dakrin just
called him Son.
The first pages were written law. They went by numbered rules. Marcus
read all of them with appreciation. The page started off with what Dakrin
called The Five Commandments.
(1) Never abuse your power. The mortals of this land are inevitably
weaker than we are. You may have followers, but you must take
responsibility and protect them. So choose wisely who you take under your
wing.
(2) Do not underestimate the bad element of our kind. Like Normal
people, we too have a bad element in our midst. Always try to keep them at
bay and do what you must to prevent them from harming one another.
(3) Watch the back of your brothers and sisters of the Zone. Always put
them above yourself. We are each others life. Without our pact, the
Shadow Knight nation would be in chaos. There should always be kindness in
your heart for the weaker of our kind.
(4) If the Zone is threatened, do everything in your power to stop the
threat. The life of one is not worth that of many.
(5) Even a Master is still a student. Never let the power of Shadow go
to your head. If it does, it will be your down fall. Take every day with
zeal and hone your skills to the highest level. Perfection is the goal.
Never forget that.
Marcus read these words with a quiet smile on his lips. His father was
wise. He knew that now. Marcus read some other rules that made complete
since. His fingers tracing the paper, trying to imagine his father writing
with a look of concentration. The book went on to explain things that
Marcus already knew. Like building your Kinetics for battle. He also said
that there were those who could keep there Kinetics up. Dakrin said that
he was one of them, but he did not say who else could do it.
That was until towards the end... In the notes... Dakrin said that he
had met a strange man by the name of Kalib. He was a Knight of the highest
order. Dakrin went on to tell that he was not for sure if he could beat
this man in battle. This man called Kalib was a perfect Killing machine
said Dakrin. Five of the Knights in the Zone at the time were foolish
enough to pick a fight with him... They were slaughtered like sheep.
Dakrin said in the book, that if this man were to have children, they
would start a race as strong as the Knights. Marcus thought of this for a
moment. There was a possibility that this man called Kalib had offspring.
The idea could be good or bad. It depends on how you looked at it. If it
was good, then they might be able to find them and make powerful allies.
If it were bad, they would have powerful enemies.
Marcus took a deep breath and wondered if he would ever run into Kalib
or any of his family. If Kalib had a son; and he was a powerful as Dakrin
was, then the Son would be as powerful as Marcus. This did not worry
Marcus though. Marcus reread the book several times before laying it down.
For some unknown reason his thoughts drifted to Mouse. His beautiful
adopted sister.
When he thought of her, all thoughts of the war he was starting seemed
to disappear. Suddenly he wished she was there. Her outlandish behavior
was well missed with Marcus. He loved her unpredictable nature. 'I could
call her?' he thought with a smile.
With that thought in mind, he walked to the phone. He had a big smile
on his face at the anticipation of hearing her voice. He dialed the
numbers with a shaky hand, which was odd for Marcus. He let the phone ring
about three times before someone actually picked it up. It was Kathy.
"Marcus!" It's so good to here from you!"
"Hello Kathy, how are you doing?" He asked trying to imagine her smile.
"Well, I'm doing pretty good, considering.."
"Considering what?" Marcus asked, a little curious.
"Well this house is a little big to be all alone in. Without you and
Mouse here... I guess I'm a little lonely." She said in a sad voice.
"Where did Mouse go?" Marcus asked, his throat felt like it was closing
off. He could almost feel the answer.
"What do you mean, 'Were did she go?'. You sent one of your friends,
and they said you needed her for something." She said, sounding a little
worried.
Marcus had to grip the side of the table that the phone was sitting on
for support. His head was spinning. "What were they wearing?" Marcus
asked in a weak voice.
"He had on a black button up shirt like you wear, and jeans. He was
wearing shades to.... Marcus is there something wrong?" Kathy asked, her
voice tight.
"Kathy I have to go, I'll call you back." Marcus said, not waiting for
her reply.
Marcus just stood stalk still for a moment. There was no emotion in his
face. But that image was shattered when a single tear rolled out from
under his shades. Marcus brought his fist down VERY hard on the large oak
table and split the table clean into with the blow. His mind was a blaze
of murderous thoughts. He was just about to run full speed out the door
and straight for any Dark Knight he seen. (Because he knew that if they
were Knights from New Mexico, they would have worn black trench coats.)
Marcus planned on killing every one that he saw.
He started for the door but it flew open before he could reach it.
Jesse blew in like a whirl wind. Marcus' first thought was that she heard
the table break. But he seen her face and knew it was something else.
"Mouse is here!" She said with a pale face. "Marcus, she's hurt... It's
pretty bad." She said in a low voice as Shain appeared behind her.
Shain was carrying Marcus' beloved Mouse through the door. Jesse moved
to one side, so he could get through. Shain seen the rage on Marcus' face.
"Marcus, she's alive but I don't know for how long... We have to do
something... NOW. And you have to have focus." Shain said calmly.
He then walked over and laid Mouse on the soft sofa. Marcus looked at
his beloved Mouse and his blood seem to boil. Her smooth beautiful face
was adorned with many bruises. Her eye was swollen shut and Marcus could
see a cut of her scalp at her hairline. He knew that she would be in great
pain if she were conscious. He pulled out his sword and slipped it under
her shirt, effectively cutting it away from her. He had to see what kind
of damage he was up against. His heart sank.
He could tell that she had several broke ribs and possibly a broke
sternum. Her mid-section was dark purple. It was almost like her whole
body was a bruise. "I'll help you heal her Marcus, but you have to focus."
He heard Shain say.
"Alright.." Marcus said with gritted teethe. "I'll try to focus my
hardest... Are you ready?" He asked Shain. Shain then got on his knee's
beside Marcus and Mouse.
"I'm ready... This is going to be draining Marcus... Jesse, get five
Knights to stand guard at the door. Me and Marcus are going to be pretty
drained after this and I don't want to be caught off guard." Shain said in
a thin voice.
Even though Marcus' Kinetics were already built up, he decided to build
them up further. His anger seemed to force his Kinetics higher. He had
his eyes closed and his hand lying gently on Mouse's stomach. He felt like
he was a solid ball of energy after only building it for thirty seconds.
But he kept building because he knew that Shain had also laid his hand on
her. He mumbled to Shain to build his Kinetics for at least five minutes.
So that's how it was. Marcus and Shain was stalk still with there hand
on Mouse for at least five minute. Marcus began to think he was going to
explode if he did not let the Kinetics loose. His heart rate was about 180
beats a second. But he held fast. Marcus wanted to be sure that this
worked. Marcus was still angry as hell but at the moment he was channeling
the anger through Kinetics.
Marcus could hold the Kinetics for no longer. He mumbled to Shain to
release. Marcus felt the power shoot through his arm and into Mouse. It
almost felt like pure fire. He thought his hand was actually burning for a
second. He opened his eyes to watch the process at that point and what he
seen, he could hardly believe.
The bruises on Mouse began to quickly fade. The swelling in her eye and
jaw began to go down rather rapidly. The split on her scalp also healed
it's self quite quickly. Pretty soon Mouse looked like her old self again.
That's not what surprised Marcus though. What surprised him was her muscle
tone. The little fat that she did have started to disappear. Her muscles
were toning themselves.... It was almost as if she had the body of a
Knight.
Shain suddenly sunk back exhausted, laying on the floor, unable to sit
up. Marcus could feel that exhaustion start to come to him as well. But
the power just kept flowing out of him and into Mouse. Marcus finally
could not take any more and fell back. The exhaustion felt bone deep...
But he stayed awake to make sure Mouse was OK.
Marcus looked at her with quiet awe. Mouse now had the muscle tone of a
Knight, even though she was not one. The little fat that the girl did have
was now gone. The firmness of toned sleek muscle had replaced it. She did
not have bulking muscle, only very firm, toned muscle. Her face was still
the same, still quite beautiful to Marcus.
Marcus was using all of his strength to stay in a sitting position.
Then the moment came. Mouse slowly opened her eye lids to reveal those
deep blue eyes. Marcus had expected to see fear, considering what she went
through... But what he seen had surprised him. It was an icy cold rage
that sent a chill down even his spine. Her eyes then focused on Marcus
though and immediately warmed at the sight. Marcus was a little surprised
when he saw that her eyes had worry in them... Worry for him.
"Jesus Marcus! You look like hell!" Mouse said and came to Marcus' side
with such grace and speed that it surprised him a little.
She might not be able to give a Knight a run for his money... But she
sure as hell could a Normal. He thought wryly. "Good to see you too
short-stuff." Marcus said with a tired smile. She sat down right beside
him and started to guide his head so that it rested on her shoulder. Under
ordinary circumstances, Marcus would have argued such coddling... But he
was really tired. "I'm sorry... I should have been..." He started.
"Shhh, It's my fault. I should have known better than to go off with
strangers... They said that you needed my help... How stupid can I be..
You never ask for help." She spoke as she slowly stroked his hair with
gentle care and an enormous amount of love in her eyes.
"If you keep doing that... I'm gonna fall asleep..." He mumbled into
her shoulder. Then there was a cold fury that slipped over him... Mouse
felt it and her muscles tensed. "I swear by whatever God is out there...
I'm gonna kill every fuckin' one of them." His voice was ice cold when he
spoke.
"Shhh, not right now... What ever you did to help me... It took a lot
out of you. Please try to sleep... For me? You need it." Mouse said in a
tone that Marcus never could resist.
"For you, short-stuff...." He said and retreated to the dream world
Mouse must have sat there for a good five minutes just absorbed in
thoughts. She didn't know if it was wise or not to tell her Love that the
Dark Knights did far worse things than beat her. Mouse knew that would
send him into a rage that she might not be able to get him out of. That
prospect scared her. She knew that emotions ran deep in him. He never did
show them to most people... To her knowledge, she was the only one. But
that girl Jesse... Mouse had a sneaking suspicion that Marcus had opened
up to her a little more than usual.
Well, I guess I'll just have to try harder to keep his attention on me.
She thought smugly. She was very protective of Marcus. It was not that
she minded him sleeping with other people... She just did not like the
idea of him giving a piece of his heart to another... And she was pretty
sure, he did just that.
Mouse remembered the small dark room, with no windows, all to well. She
remembered the older man called Dillon. He had came in and gave her a
beating at least seven or eight times while she was there. He had told the
purpose of this. It was to insure that she did not get any smart ideas.
She remembered the guards at the door had came in and... She quit thinking
at that point. The memories were just to painful and humiliating.
Mouse gently moved Marcus around until he was lying down with his head
in her lap. She looked at his sleeping, peaceful face and let a tear roll
down her cheek. The knowledge that she might one day get to see him again
had been the only thing that kept her going in that horrid place... She
loved the boy that lay in her lap more than life it self. She came to that
conclusion when she was being beat with the assorted objects the Dark
Knights had handy. She really did hope that Marcus would kill them... She
did not know if that was right or wrong.. But it was the way she felt.
Oh, my sweet Marcus, through life and death I will follow you... I
swear it. She thought with a with deep sadness.
Just about that time the doors to the room opened. Mouse flinched
noticeably when they did. She was still real edgy, which was
understandable considering what she had been through. It was Jesse. She
had a black t-shirt in one hand and a glass of water in the other. She
strolled over to where Marcus and Mouse were on the floor. To Mouse, she
looked a bit nervous.
"I thought you might want a drink and a shirt to put on." She said as
she looked down at Mouse.
Mouse looked down, and for the first time, noticed that she was naked
from the waist up. This, of course, made her blush deeply. She gently
lifted Marcus' head and laid it down on the floor with as much ease as
possible. "Thanks, I never even..." She just let the sentence hang as she
reached for the shirt and put it on. After the shirt was on, she looked
straight into Jesse's mirror-plated shades and asked, "Is he gonna be all
right?" She said this as she looked back down at a peaceful looking Marcus.
"Yeah... Healing just sorta... Drains a Knight. Marcus just needs
rest. I think I should get him to a more comfortable place though... I'll
put my brother, Shain, on the sofa first though." She said with only a
slight smile.
"I'll help-" Mouse started but was cut short.
"No, that's OK.... I think I can handle it... Thanks for the offer
though." She said and walked over to where Shain was laying and picked him
up as if he weighed no more than a child would.
Mouse was a little surprised at Jesse's strength, but she did not say
anything. She watched as Jesse layed him on the sofa and walked back
towards Marcus. She reached down and gently picked him up so that his head
rested against her shoulder. She carried him as a husband would a bride
over the threshold. Mouse could see the love in Jesse's eyes when she
looked at Marcus. It hurt a little.
"Where are you taking him?" Mouse asked in a small voice. She was
afraid that if she talked normal, her voice would crack.
"Back to our room... I'll send someone in to show you where your
sleeping quarters are." She said and turned and walked out the door.
When she said OUR room, it hurt Mouse a lot more for some cause. She
always thought that she was above childish jealousy.... But apparently she
was not.
_____________________________
When Jesse made it out the door, she noticed that Kait was leaning
against the wall in the hall with a nervous look on her face. She wondered
why she was still there. She out ranked many of Shain's Blade Runners.
She could have just ordered someone else to stand watch.
"Kait you need to get some rest, why don't you just let them watch the
door?" She asked, nodding her head towards five other Knights standing
beside the door.
"I wanted to make sure that everything was OK. Besides, I'm anything
but tired." Which was the truth. In fact, she felt restless.
"Ok, if you want to help, maybe you should go try to make a friend of
Marcus' sister in there." She said, looking at the closed door.
"That was his sister?! I... shit... When he gets back on his feet
he's gonna-" She was cut off by Jesse then.
"Yes, I know. He's gonna be livid. And yes, that is his sister...
Well, foster sister anyway... She could probably use a friend right now."
She said in a very friendly, but sad voice.
"Yeah, I know. I did a scan on her memories when she was brought in...
BASTARDS!" Kait said with venom.
"So, go make a friend of her. Marcus feels very deeply for her... So
she can't be all that bad. He don't give his trust lightly." Then she
turned and started down the hall with her Love in her arms, towards their
room.
"That I shall.." Kait mumbled and opened the door.
____________________________
Mouse heard the turn of the door knob and jumped a little. She mentally
cursed herself for being so damned spooked. She really wished that Jesse
had not taken Marcus out of her sight... It made her feel better just to
be in his presence. She watched as a young girl that looked to be a year
younger than her pop her head through the door.
After the girl seen that she did not frighten Mouse, she walked through
the doorway. Her smile was one of open friendliness that put Mouse
somewhat at ease. In fact, for some reason beyond her knowledge, she was
somewhat attracted to the girl. She was quite beautiful with shoulder
length black hair and she had the stride of a warrior. The sword on her
back... By the comfortable way she carried herself, Mouse bet she could
use it quite well.
Mouse was leaning against the wall when the girl approached. "Hello, my
name is Kait." She said, putting her fist over her heart and bowing her
head slightly.
Mouse decided to follow suit and did the same. "Mouse." She said and
mimicked Kait's motions.
"I know this is really, really forward, but... Would you like to take a
walk with me? We have to give the boys a chance to rest anyway...." She
asked and thought, My God, but she's pretty. I didn't really get a chance
to see her beauty before, because of the bruises... But now... Damn.
Mouse was a little apprehensive of the request. But for some reason she
was very tempted. "Where would we walk? I don't want to go to far from
here." Mouse said in a low voice. Not far from Marcus... Not again.
"Oh, there's a stretch of woods behind this Base. I like to walk it
sometimes... I like it out there. It's peaceful... And you look like you
could use some peace." Kait said, it slipped out before she could stop it.
She braced herself for the reaction... But was surprised.
"Sure, that sounds OK. But I feel a little nervous without a weapon."
Mouse said. This was more of a test than anything else. She knew that if
Kait meant to harm her that she would not let her have one.
"That's quite understandable," She started and reached behind her back.
There was a dagger clipped to her belt. The blade was about seven inches
long and it had a leather wrapped handle. She unhooked the sheath and all,
then handed it to her. "It's razor sharp, I'd be careful." She said with
slight amusement to her voice.
"I'll do that. I guess I could use a walk. Whatever Marcus did put a
whole lot of energy in me. I feel the need to burn it off." She said with
a quiet smile.
"What he did.... Was save your life. You would have died." Kait said
with a sad voice.
"I figured that. Well, let's get walking." She said with a small
chuckle. God, how I'm glad to be near him again.
With that they walked out the door...
______________________________________________________________________
It was dark. Much to dark. The coldness of the closet almost went bone
deep. Marcus was seven. He could feel the welts on his back almost pulse,
from were he was whipped with the metal end of a fly swatter. But worst
yet was the pounding in his head.
He had not taken out the garbage on time. His foster father had decided
to punish him. He took after him with the metal end of the fly swatter...
But no tears came to Marcus' eyes when he had done that. So... He decided
on the baseball bat. Marcus was struck over the back with that... Still
he did not cry out. That was when his foster father struck him in the head
with the bat, knocking him unconscious.
There was enormous fear in Marcus' heart. It was not of getting hurt
though. It was the fear that he might live the rest of his life like this.
Marcus wished that the blow to the head had killed him. He wished that
with his whole being.
He could feel his heart pounding extremely hard... But even at that
age, he knew it would start to slow if he did not get stitches in his head.
The dark, cold, cramped closet bothered him more than a lot. He felt
like he could not breath. He felt as if he may die. He would welcome
death... But not here. Not in the dark. Not like this....
______________________________________________________________________
Jesse was watching Marcus intently as he slept. She was snuggled up
next to him, her head laying on his chest. She could feel his heart
pounding hard. Sweat had started to break out on his forehead. She knew
that he was having a nightmare. Jesse also knew that Marcus feared almost
nothing... She wanted to see what frightened him this much, so she dove
into his mind. What she found made her escape just as fast.
Hell's Outhouse... That's what he called it and from what I just
seen... That is a pretty accurate fuckin' description... Fuckin' Bastards!
Jesse thought with ice cold rage. She suddenly wanted to track down who
ever did that and send them to hell.
Jesse could not watch him suffer anymore. She reached up and stroked
his cheek gently, trying to coax him out of the nightmare as gently as
possible. She would have seen his eyes shoot open with lighting speed if
his shades were not on. All of his muscles tensed... She did feel that.
"Shhh, take it easy. I'm here, Love." She said with such emotion in her
voice that it touched Marcus' heart.
Marcus could feel her worry. "I'm fine... Old stuff... I'd rather
forget." He said with such a calm voice... It was a good act. He knew,
because it took him years to perfect. To teach himself not to show
emotion.
"Love, it might be old stuff, but it still hurts. It's gonna keep
hurting until you deal with it." She said as she rubbed gentle circles on
his chest.
"I don't... How long was I asleep?" He asked, effectively changing the
subject. Jesse knew he was avoiding the subject and she decided to let him
off the hook this time.
"About two in a half hours..... Marcus?"
"Hmm?"
"I want you to know something." Jesse said, her voice was like velvet.
"Yes?"
"I love you more than the world itself... I would do anything for you.
So if ever need anything and I mean anything.... I'll try my best to
provide it, my love... I swear on all that I hold sacred." A single tear
rolled down her cheek as she said the last.
Marcus leaned in and kissed her forehead... The look on his face spoke
volumes of how grateful he was. "I love you." He said.
She was about to say something back but was interrupted by rapid
approaching footsteps. And a loud knock at the door. "I'll get it." She
said and rolled out of bed
Marcus' Kinetics were up and he could sense fear on the other side of
that door. He rolled out of bed and grabbed his sword that was leaning
against the bed post. He strapped to his back even fast than Jesse could
get to the door. Marcus did not know why, but all his instincts were
screaming trouble.
Jesse opened the door and a Knight walked in looking very nervous. He
looked over to Marcus. "My Lord, there is a Knight from the Zone in New
Mexico that wishes to speak with you. He has two other Knights with him."
"Do you know what he wants?" Marcus asked in a tone that worried Jesse a
little. The Marcus that was talking now... Was not the same one that she
was in bed with. She could feel danger and menace radiating from him.
This was the Marcus that had a taste for battle and blood... This was The
Son Of Dakrin.
"My Lord, his exact words were "I want to meet this so called Son Of
Dakrin." My senses tell me this one is dangerous, my Lord." The Knight said
with a worried look to his face.
"Well..." He started and a smile twitched at the corner of his lips. "I
guess if he's willing to travel all the way from New Mexico, I would be
rood to turn him down." He finished, walking towards the door. Jesse put a
hand on his shoulder to stop him though.
"Did he say what his name was?" She asked the Knight in a tight voice.
"Talon. John Talon." The Knight said.
"Marcus, be careful with him. He's ranked the fourth best Shadow Knight
in New Mexico. I've seen him fight.... He's deadly." She said in a scared
voice. Saying she seen him fight was an understatement. She watched him
cut down eight Knights like they were nothing.
"Relax, I won't do nothing unless he makes the first move." Marcus said
in a reassuring voice and walked out the door.
As Marcus was walking towards the front door, he realized that he was
not one hundred percent recovered from healing Mouse. He was more like
seventy percent recovered. That worried him... But only for a moment.
After all, I haven't met anyone yet that I couldn't take. He thought.
Jesse was only steps behind him, her worry still evident on her face.
Marcus was a little annoyed at her lack of confidence in him.
He made it to the front door and stopped. He turned to Jesse and
lowered his shades. Marcus gave her a little wink... To try and perk her
up a little. It did work a little. Her face relaxed noticeably. "Just a
walk in the park Jess. Just a walk in the park." He said with an amused
voice and opened the front door, stepping into a cool night breeze.
About twenty yards down the drive way, Marcus noticed the three Knights.
He guessed the one called Talon was the one in front and the two behind him
was back up. Marcus wanted to know why the hell they were there though.
He took very confident strides towards his adversaries. Marcus felt no
fear at all as he did it either.
Marcus looked Talon over the closer he got. The Knight had short blonde
hair and his shades were lowered, so Marcus could see the coldness in his
blue eyes. Talon was wearing the trade mark trench coat that the New
Mexican Knights always wore and his sword was strapped to his back at an
angle for easy access. Marcus could sense that this Knight was
dangerous... But he still was not intimidated.
He stopped about ten feet away from the three Knights. Were the hell is
Shain? He wondered. He asked the Knight that told him to come out here
telepathically, and got the answer that Shain was still wiped out from
helping with Mouse.
"So what brings you boys all the way out here?" Marcus asked with an
amused voice.
"So you're the GREAT Son Of Dakrin??" Talon asked with a little chuckle
and stepped forward. "We want that bitch standing behind you.... She's
wanted for High Treason in The Zone. She killed a captain.... you can
hand her over... Or... There can be War." He said, his voice was a little
to damned cocky for Marcus' liking.
"Then there will be War... Because, you sure as HELL ain't taking her
back." Marcus said in a low, yet all to deadly voice.
"You think you're hot shit, don't you?" Talon asked, taking a step back
so that he was standing by his Knights.
"I can hold my own." Marcus stated. And then some. He thought wryly.
"Care for a little challenge then?" Talon asked in a mock innocent
voice.
"What didja have in mind?" Marcus drawled.
"These two Knights here... Against you. If you're as good as the
rumors say... It should not be to difficult." Talan said with a wicked low
voice.
"You're on." Marcus said simply.
<What the hell are you doing?!> Jesse asked him telepathically.
<Just having a little fun.. Relax, Darlin.> He sent back with a smile,
as he drew his sword in a fluid motion.
"Ready when you are." He told the two Knights that were advancing on
him.
The first came in with a pathetically slow overhead strike. Marcus side
stepped and brought his sword down with great speed across the Knights
sword arm, severing it from the elbow down. When the Knight bent over in
pain, Marcus brought the sword across the back of his neck, efficiently
taking his head. He watched only for a second as the corpse hit the
ground.... Because the second Knight came in.
This one came in with a lunge, trying to drive the sword through Marcus'
heart. Marcus side stepped yet again and did a full spin that brought the
sword across the pathetic Knights neck. He didn't watch that body hit the
ground.... He kept his eyes on Talon. He noted that Talon looked like he
wasn't the least bit impressed.
"They were rookies. That's why I brought them. I wanted to see how you
did against rookies.... If it were a real fighter you probably would not
do so hot." Talon said with a twitch of a smile.
"Are you a real fighter?" Marcus asked in an even, though low voice
"Yes, I am. but I'm not going to fight you." Talon said in a voice that
matched Marcus'. "Why ever not?" Marcus asked with a smirk. "Even if I
win... The whole base will be on me. I'm good, but I know my limit." He
said in an even voice. The voice had no fear in it what so ever. Marcus
did not know what came over him. He felt a coldness ever since that stupid
dream. He just felt reckless... And then he done something very reckless.
"Jesse... This isn't something you can argue, so don't try... I want your
word of honor... That if I fight this pathetic life form over here and
lose.. There won't be one Knight that will lift a finger against him...
At least not tonight anyway." He said without taking his eyes off Talon.
Jesse was about to argue anyway, but she seen something in Marcus' face.
He wasn't in the mood to argue... So she went against her better
judgement. "You have my word." She said in a low voice. "There... That's
out of the way... you still want to fight." Marcus said, a smile was
adorning his face. It was anything but pleasant though. "I would be more
than happy to," Talon said, as he pulled his sword from it's sheath.
"You're going to regret this, Son Of Dakrin." He said and closed the
distance. He surprised Marcus to say the least. Talon came in with an
overhead strike with such speed that Marcus barely got the block up.
Marcus countered with a side strike going for the ribs, but Talon blocked
that easily. They went stroke for stroke for a good five minutes... Talon
slipped passed Marcus' defenses after that. Marcus made the mistake of
loosening his grip on his sword so he could shift it easier and Talon
struck his sword with enough strength to send it flying. Then he done a
spinning move that brought the hilt of his sword right across Marcus'
temple. Making him hit the ground with a thud. Marcus started to see
stars. Everything was swimming in and out of focus. "The great Son Of
Dakrin! Laying on his back like a bitch." He looked right at Jesse. "That
will teach you to believe in foolish prophecy. Because if he dies now...
It proves that the legends are wrong... And he is going to die." Talon
said with a smirk and lifted his sword for the death blow. Then something
strange happened. His eyes suddenly grew very wide and Jesse seen the
light go out of them. Talon fell to the ground with a thump... Landing
just beside Marcus. Very much dead. Marcus looked up and seen Mouse
there..... An icy blue, murderous look in her eyes as she looked at Talon.
"If a Knight can't touch you... I sure as hell can." She said in a low and
deadly voice and spat at the corpse. She then dropped down to a knee
beside Marcus. Marcus seen the knife that was in Mouse's hand. He didn't
know that Kait gave it to her though. All seven inches of that blade went
into the back of Talon's neck, cutting his brain stem into. "Nice timing
short-stuff." Marcus said with a tired smile. "I owe you one-" He got cut
off. "Haven't you figured out that we do things for each other without
having stupid debts." She said, a warm smile replacing that the deadly look
she had moments ago. Marcus was very glad of that. That look spooked him.
Marcus then scrambled to his feet slowly. "I guess I should learn
something from this-" He was cut short by a voice that came from behind
Jesse. "Rule number one: Never underestimate an opponent," Shain said with
a deep even voice. "You're training starts in the morning... Be ready...
We have a lot to do." Then he just turned and started to head back to the
house. Marcus felt remarkably stupid for letting himself get that
reckless. He knew better. But he also swore to the gods that it would
never happen again. From now on... No more reckless chances. He thought.
War was coming... And if he would be damned if he would make the same
mistake with Knights that followed him. He was very curious as to what
Shain would teach him in the morning. After the stupidity he just
showed.... He was fully prepared to accept any knowledge he got.
Chapter 14
Marcus opened his eyes slowly, the memories of the night before invading
his memory. He remembered almost getting himself killed over stupid
arrogance. He vowed that would never be the case. He told himself to shut
up, put up, and start some serious training. Today was the day that
training would start, and Marcus had sworn that he was going to put all of
his heart into it, holding nothing back.
He slept on the sofa in Shain's den when they came back inside the
house. The reason being, he didn't know whether to sleep with Mouse or
Jesse. Marcus did not know if either would be jealous of the other... But
he didn't want to take the chance. He loved them both and wanted to hurt
neither... So, he thought it was a safe bet to sleep alone.
'I wonder what today will bring' he thought as he looked at the
approaching dawn through the window. Then he sensed he was not alone...
It was the way one could feel eyes on them. Marcus turned his head to look
through the dimness of the room and seen two forms on the floor, leaning
against the wall. Through the dimness of the room he saw who it was. It
was Mouse and Kait.
Mouse had both knee's tucked up against her chest, with her arms wrapped
loosely around them. A funny looking grin was on her face. Kait had one
knee bent, with her right hand resting on it. Her sword was lying on the
floor beside her. What surprised Marcus was the fact that they were both
donning steel. Mouse still had the knife from the night before in her
hand. It was in a sheath though.
"Do you ladies see anything interesting?" Marcus asked, sitting up.
"I apologize, my Lord. I've been assigned as your guard and Mouse..."
Kait's voice trailed off.
"And *I* insisted on them letting me watch you.... So don't get mad at
Kait." Mouse said, a small grin forming on her lovely face.
"Well, Kait... It appears that Mouse is looking out for both of us...
Should I be jealous?," Marcus asked with an inward grin. He gave a chuckle
when he seen the blush rise up to Kait's face. "Relax Kait, I was just
playing." he finished.
"Marcus.... You're not mad at me about last night, are you? I'm really
sorry, but I couldn't let that dumb ass do that to you..." Mouse said, a
look of sadness was on her face.
"Why should I be? And you're wrong... Talon was not the dumb ass... I
was. I can't believe I could be so stupid," Marcus spat. "So, no Mouse,
I'm not mad at you.. After all, you did save my dumb ass from getting
killed."
"My Lord, may I say something?" Kait asked with a kind smile.
"Sure."
"You're not dumb, my Lord. All Knights make the mistake that you made
last night. Most learn from it. I think you should just chalk this one up
to experience... I don't think you will make the same mistake twice...
That's just my opinion, my Lord." she said in a very soft and gentle voice.
"Yeah, Marcus... So cut out this self-pitting shit before I puke!"
Mouse said wryly, giving her best self righteous look. But busted out
laughing.
"You always did know how to get through my thick skull, Mouse," he said,
giving her an appreciative look. "Ya know, maybe you should go into
psychology when you grow up..." he said with a chuckle, ignoring the fact
that Mouse flipped him off. "Hey, Kait... Did Shain, by any chance, tell
you when we were to start training?"
"Yes, my Lord. He said that he would be in here at seven sharp."
"What time is it now?"
Kait looked over at the large grandfather clock and said, "Six O'clock
on the button, my Lord."
"Ok, I hate to be rude, but could you guys leave me alone for awhile. I
would like to warm up before he gets here... And I need all the
concentration I can get." he said in an apologetic tone.
"But... My Lord, Shain told me-" she got cut off.
"Relax, I'll just tell him I sent you away... You won't get into
trouble.. I promise." Marcus said in a reassuring tone. He really did not
want to get the Knight in trouble.
"C'mon Kait. When he gets his mind set on something... There is no
talking him out of it. I should know." Mouse said, rising to her feet.
She stuck her hand out to Kait, fully aware of the fact that the Knight
could probably jump clean over her head from that sitting position. But
Kait took the hand with a smile and allowed herself to be hauled to her
feet.
"Hey, I heard there was a nice pool table in this big ass house... Ya
wanna find it and shoot a few games?" Mouse asked Kait when she was on her
feet.
"Sure, why not," Kait replied, then turned to Marcus. "My Lord, Will
you call-" she was cut off.
"Yes I'll call if I need anything." Marcus said, guessing at what Kait
was asking. " Kait, you really should lighten up." he added, then thought,
'Why don't you take your own advice, huh, Marky boy?'
"I'll see what I can do, My Lord." she replied with a deep throated
chuckle.
"I'll see you later Marcus, try to stay out of trouble, huh?" she said
as she made her way to the door, Kait a step behind, they could both hear
Marcus' chuckle as they closed the door behind them
Marcus got up off the sofa and walked to the center of the room. He had
left his sword attached to his back when he went to sleep that night. He
reached up, behind his back, and pulled it out with one fluid motion. He
stood in the center of that room, his mind going over the events of the
previous night. He gave a grim smile, promising once again, that it would
never happen again.
"From this moment on... I will treat every opponent as if they was they
best I've ever encountered," he said out loud to the empty room. It felt
like he was sealing the promise when he spoke it out loud. "Well, back to
the basics." he said and then started doing the very first moves that Jesse
taught him and the ones he learned on his own.
He did them at only half speed, so as to get the exactness from the
moves. Perfection was his goal and that would be all he would except...
***************
"So, you any good at pool." Mouse asked as they were headed to the
supposed game room that she had heard about.
"That depends... If I use kinetics, I'm great at it." Kait replied,
looking Mouse over. She loaned Mouse an out fit of hers, and needless to
say, the girl filled it out quite nicely. Mouse was wearing a pair of
tight black jeans and a black sports bra, that was probably a size to
small, and that was it. Well, besides the belt that she wore... Mouse
mainly wore that because she could fasten the sheath of the knife on it.
Kait had to talk Mouse into wearing the sports bra though. For some
reason Mouse was sort of shy about her body... And that puzzled Kait,
since Mouse was drop dead gorgeous. But she had talked her into it, after
reassuring Mouse that she definitely did the outfit justice. She was
surprised at the strong attraction she felt towards Mouse. And by the way
that Mouse blushed when she complimented her... She was pretty sure she
felt the same. Kait would have read her thoughts... But she thought it
would be rude. She might have if it were any other Normal, but Mouse was
very special to her Lord.... And Kait most definitely did not want to
disrespect him.
"Aw, ya wouldn't cheat me now would you?" Mouse said, a soft laugh
escaping her lips. "Na, it's a rule in the pool hall anyway. *NO USING
KINETICS*. That's what the sign says. Most everybody follows it. If they
don't... Nobody much wants to shoot with them. I mean, what's the fun, if
you know that you can make every shot?" Kait replied, more than a bit of
charm in her voice. 'She is beautiful' Kait thought with a sigh.
They made it to a set of double doors and Mouse was surprised when they
walked in. It was a very large room that had five sets of pool tables and
a juke box against the wall. She could see 15" speakers high in each
corner of the room. The pool tables were the expensive kind, she could
tell, they were not the type one would find in a common bar.
"Cool, this place is awesome." Mouse said in a very appreciative voice.
"Glad you like," Kait piped in with a chuckle, then added, "Do you have
a particular kind of music you like?" she asked, curiosity brimming.
"Yeah, AC/DC. But it's ok if ya don't have'em. You can pick out what
you like."
"Ah, a girl after my own heart! Are you kidding?? I had them put the
entire album of BACK IN BLACK in that juke box! I really did! Their my
favorite." Kait said with enthusiasm as she walked over to the Box and
selected a few songs.
After a song started to play, Kait walked over to a pool table. "How
about, I rack and you break?" she asked. Kait usually hated racking....
But she liked Mouse. It was a hard admission, but it was the truth and she
had know clue as to what to do about it.
"Sound's great to me... It's not the first time I've been a ball
breaker, but it is the first time someone ask me to do it!" she said with a
smile, listening to Kait laugh at the comment. 'She has such a wonderful
laugh... What the fuck! Why am I turned on by her?? She's a girl.. But
still, she is pretty....' Mouse was really confused at that moment. It
must have shown on her face, because Kait called her on it.
"Something wrong? You had the oddest expression on your face?" she
asked with a quirk of a smile.
"Na, just thinking about stuff... So what exactly is a Blade Runner
anyway? You never told me yesterday." Mouse said, changing the subject.
Kait noticed the subject change, but let it slide. "Well, it's sort of
like the military's special forces. We do all kinds of different things...
Anything from gathering information to S&D." Kait said carefully.
Mouse struck the que ball with quite a bit of force and broke the neat
triangle of balls.
"S&D? What's that stand for?" she said, obviously interested.
"Sort of like what you did to that New Mexican scum last night." she
said, watching as Mouse sunk the two ball.
"Ah, you're an assassin some of the time... Can I ask you something
stupid?" she asked, leaning on her que stick.
"Sure, Fire away." Kait replied evenly.
"Is it bad that I feel reeeeaaaallly good about what I did to that
Knight last night?" she asked, her face was full of mixed emotions.
"I don't know... You might be asking the wrong person... Because I get
a *rush* when I take out one of the bad guys. So, if it is bad... Then
I'm just as guilty." she said, a sparkle in her eyes. 'She has a battle
spirit! We like the same music, she has a battle spirit and... Shit I
don't know what to do... C'mon Kait, you're a god be damned Blade Runner!
You can handle one normal girl!' she thought... But was still just as
nervous. She wanted to know if Mouse felt the same way and it was driving
her nuts.
"Thanks, I was hoping I wasn't the only one." she said in a quiet voice.
"Look, Mouse... Almost every Shadow Knight in this place feels the way
we do about battle... So, no, you're no where close to being the only
one." Kait replied with a gentleness she hardly used with anyone in her
voice.
Kait must have said the right thing, because Mouse perked up. "Alright,
you're shot," Mouse said, then noticed how fondly Kait was looking at her.
"Do you think I'm pretty?" The words slipped out before Mouse could stop
them and she felt like slapping herself upside the head. She knew they
caught Kait off guard because she completely missed the que ball. Mouse
had the decency not to laugh... She could not keep from blushing however.
'Shit... Should I go with the truth? Or go with evasion?' Kait
thought, deeply aware of the blush that was rushing to her face. 'What the
hell' she thought. "Yes, I think... You're.. Um... Very pretty." she
said, barely getting the words out.
Mouse didn't know what came over her, but a coy smile spread across her
face. She felt a little frisky. "You don't look so bad yourself," she
replied and then gave a seductive wink. 'What the hell, the worst she
could do is stop hanging around me. ' she thought. "I'll let you have a
re-shot... I think I threw your focus a little." she said with that same
coy smile.
That wink Mouse gave her, made Kait's stomach flutter. 'Whoa, I guess
she does feel the same way' she thought, smiling broadly. "Thanks, and
yeah, my concentration did stray somewhat." She said with a chuckle and
took her shot.
'This should be interesting' Mouse thought.
***************
Marcus was going full speed now. Making his sword look like a blur. He
was killing imaginary enemies left and right. He was so involved in the
exercise that he didn't even realize that he had an audience. His eyes
were lit with excitement behind his shades, and his heart was pounding. He
even added a couple of new moves into the exercises. They included flips
and mid-air sword assaults.
Shain stood in the doorway and watched Marcus with a warrior's eye,
looking at the high points and low points of his technique. It was not to
Shain's surprise that Marcus was quite good. Besides himself, Marcus was
probably the best on the base. But Shain knew, at the moment anyway, that
he was better. He was almost positive though, that after the training,
Marcus would be the best.
When Marcus finished the exercise, he finally noticed Shain's presence.
He felt stupid for not seeing him before. He could see the reflection of
his face in Shain's shades. His face was flushed and even though he had
been going full speed for close to 45 minutes, he was hardly sweating.
"Good show," Shain said in an amused voice. "But would you care to go
up against something that... Would hit back?"
"What did ya have in mind?" Marcus asked, holding his sword lightly in
his hand.
"Sparring.... That is, if you're up to it." Shain said with a chuckle.
"Is this your nice way of evaluating my skill, before we begin
training?" Marcus asked, taking a few steps back and stretching his arms.
"I think that would be safe to say... Are ya up to it?" Shain asked,
sliding his sword out of the sheath.
"Sure..." Marcus replied taking a defensive position. That was all that
was needed apparently, because Shain flew into attack mode.
Shain flew with speed that almost caught Marcus off guard. Shain
started out with an over head attack. Marcus met the attack and counted
with a diagonal slash, which Shain, of course, blocked. The speed at which
Shain moved made Marcus very envious. He found out quick that he would
probably lose the little sparring match.
Neither could see the other's eyes, but if they could, they would have
seen a wild fire that only warriors understood. They went cut for cut
almost for half an hour. Marcus had the sneaky suspicion that Shain was
holding back, though. That little fact did not help his ego much, but he
continued the fight.
Then Shain took on a crooked grin that just made Marcus flat out
nervous. Shain then took on a speed that Marcus really envied. Shain
struck his sword with severe strength. It was all Marcus could do to keep
up. His mind was looking for the weaknesses in Shain's defense, but Shain
was going so fast... That when he found them, Shain had already moved onto
another tactic.
With a series of rapid movements, Marcus' sword flew out of his hand and
across the room. Shain's blade was now resting against his neck. "How did
I beat you?" Shain asked as he removed his sword from against Marcus' neck.
Marcus used his Kinetics and made his sword fly back into his hand.
"You move faster than I can think." Marcus said in a small frown.
"That's the problem." Shain stated.
"What is?"
"You need to work off instinct and reflex in a sword fight.... Not
thought." Shain replied as he sheathed his sword, walking over to the sofa
to take a seat.
Marcus was a little confused by what Shain had said. He walked over and
took a seat as well. "I may not know much Shain, but I do know that it
takes time to build instinct and reflex... And time is something we don't
have." Marcus said, sitting down on the sofa with an explosive sigh.
"You're right about that... We don't have the time to build instinct.
Or at least we wouldn't if we were Normals." he finished with a wicked
grin.
That confused Marcus more... It must have shown, because Shain went on
to explain. "There are certain things, as you can imagine, that we can do
and Normals can't... What I am saying is, you might be able to program
instinct in your own mind. The key word is *might*, not all Knights can do
it. And only Masters can even attempt it." Shain finished.
"That sounds sort of dangerous Shain... You sure about that?" Marcus
asked with a worried look on his face.
"Any thing you do to your mind can be dangerous, Marcus... It's just an
option. But remember. If it did work... It would not give you an upper
hand with all the Rogue Knights of the world... It would possibly put you
on equal footing though.... But if you do not wish to go through with
it... We can always do it the old fashioned way." he explained.
Marcus sat quiet for a few moments, as if in thought, before he spoke
up. "No, I want to do it this way... We don't have time for the latter."
he said carefully.
"I would have to guide you through the process, that means you would
have to let me inside your head..." Shain said, his face had a mildly
worried look on it.
"And?"
"Do you trust me to do that? I could do damage on a whim, if I chose to
do so." Shain said in a low voice.
"Your sister trusts you... So, yeah, I trust you." Marcus said with a
small grin.
"Marcus, if I didn't know how much you loved my sister... I do now,"
Shain said with a chuckle." Shall we begin?"
"Lead the way."
"That's exactly what I'm going to do. You're going to have to close
your eyes and concentrate. hen you do, you will feel mental extension
reach out to you.... All you have to do is follow it. You are going to be
the one doing the programming, not me. When you reach the destination...
Just put everything you've learned about fighting there... And only
fighting. Don't mess with your emotions.. I've watched Master's go crazy
from that." he explained.
"All right, I'm ready." Marcus said as he closed his eyes.
And so it started. Marcus found out that Shain was true to his word and
felt the mental extension reach out to him. It was like a tug at his mind,
only they were going the opposite direction. Marcus followed the extension
into his mind, ignoring the memories of Hell's Outhouse. Then stopped at a
strange place... But yet, familiar.
<'This is it, my friend. You do your programming here'> Shain's
thoughts told him. And that is just what he started to do. Marcus took
every sword technique he knew and started to burn them into the part of the
mind that Shain told him. He also knew some Martial Arts, but he didn't
really have the reflex for the moves.... So, he burned them in as well.
Marcus must have pounded and burned those reflexes for at least five
minutes.
Then he withdrew himself from his own mind. "Shit!" he said. Sweat
covered his body and his muscles burned, as if they were put through
strenuous exercise. "Jesus Shain! Why do I feel like I just ran a
marathon??" Marcus asked, a chuckle rose behind the words. But he looked
over at Shain, and noticed that he was a little pale.
"Marcus... You... You, do know what you just done, right?"
"What you told me to do?" Marcus said, he also noticed a sort of edgy
energy, that wasn't there before.
"Marcus, you burned those things into your mind so hard... You can't
remove them even if you wanted to..." he explained in a worried voice.
"What's wrong with that?? I only put in sword techniques and a few
Martial Arts moves I know." Marcus said, then added. "Hey, you think we
could get something to drink? I'm thirsty as hell."
"Are you feeling a little edgy energy? Like you want to do something?"
Shain asked.
"Yeah... Hey, is that one of the side effects?," he waited for Shain's
nod. "That's alright... I sort of like it." he said, a smile playing on
his lips.
"Alright, if you're not upset about it... Neither am I," Shain sent a
quick telepathic message to a Knight, asking them to bring something to
drink. "A drink is on it's way... After the drink, do you want to test
out your reflexes? A little more sparring maybe?" Shain asked, he was more
than curious as to how good Marcus was now. Because the only thing that he
thought was holding him back was thought... Now Marcus had instinct and
reflexes burned into him... He wouldn't have to think much in a fight.
"Sound's great to me.... After training, I want to meet the Knights
that I supposed to lead." Marcus said in a low voice. he wanted to get the
show on the road now... He almost regretted having to wait a month for the
war.
"Alright, they usually start their training sessions at about seven in
the evening. You could go and join them... Most of them are dying to meet
you anyway." Shain replied, 'I think the Son Of Dakrin is ready to go kick
some teeth in' he thought, a chuckle slipping out on it's own accord.
******************
11: 35 AM
After several games of pool and conversations of what it was like being
a Blade Runner, Kait and Mouse found themselves in the kitchen. "I think
I'm going to make you my favorite snack." Kait said with a twinkle in her
eye. She had to admit, she LOVED spending time with Mouse.
"Oh, and what would that be?"
"Chili Dogs. It's the best food that anyone ever came up with." Kait
said, laughing a little. She got out a pot and a couple of cans of chili.
"I disagree, I think PIZZA is the best food anyone has ever came up
with." Mouse replied, an impish grin on her face.
"Aw, you can keep your pizza... It's kid food." Kait said, she loved
egging Mouse on. "Watch it, Blade Runner... I might have to kick your
ass!" Mouse said taking a step towards Kait, a playful, yet wild look was
in her eyes. "Nobody... And I mean NOBODY, dog's my pizza!"
"Oh, you think you can kick my ass?? Hell, I'd pay to see that!" Kait
said with a chuckle. "If you didn't use Kinetics? Yeah, I think I could
stomp ya." she replied with a look of playful challenge.
"Be careful what you ask for Sprout!" Kait said, pushing Mouse's
shoulder with one hand.
"Ohhh, you asked for it lady!" Mouse said and moved like lightning,
moving her arm around Kait's neck and putting her in a head lock. "Member,
no kinetics!" she shouted and squeezed her arm a little.
"Mouse! You better let me go." Kait said, struggling under Mouse's arm.
"Oh, what are you gonna do, you big, BAD Blade Run- YOW!" Mouse squealed
as Kait began... Tickling her. Mouse started to squirm then.
She let go of her head lock and started to try and push Kait's hands
away. "C'mon Kait, that ain't..." She couldn't finish what she was saying,
because she could not stop laughing. Her knee's buckled and they both went
to the floor, Mouse because her knee's buckled and Kait because she just
wanted to.
"Oh, I bet you thought it was funny to put me in a head-lock, huh?" Kait
asked, chuckling the whole while she was tickling Mouse. Mouse was
squirming so much that it was sort of hard for her to keep up with her.
"C'mon Kait... I'll.. Do... Anything.. Just stop... Tickling me!"
she shouted between laughs. Kait's hands stopped, dead cold. "Anything?"
she asked in a thoughtful voice.
"Anything..." Mouse replied in a quiet voice, fully aware of what the
implication meant.
Kait leaned in and brushed her lips gently against Mouse's. The kiss
was oh so light... Yet it started a fire for both of them that was huge.
Mouse reached her hand behind Kait's neck and pulled her in for a deeper
kiss. Which Kait followed very willfully. Their bodies just seemed to
meld together, hidden behind the kitchen counter. Then they both heard a
voice. A voice in the door way.
"Is anybody in here?" Jesse asked from the doorway, she had heard wild
laughter and decided to investigate.
Both Kait and Mouse made the mistake of jumping to their feet at the
same time. "Um.. Hi... Jesse." Mouse stumbled the words out, her face
very red, do to both desire and embarrassment.
Jesse looked from Mouse to Kait and from Kait to Mouse. "What were you
girls doing??? Never mind, I don't want to know.. So, don't tell me."
Jesse said, then turned, laughing her ass off as she walked out the door.
"Aw, shit!" Mouse mumbled as she watched Jesse leave.
"Was that 'Aw, shit' for her catching us, or because you wished it never
happened?" Kait asked. A gentle smile tugging and her lips. She thought
she already knew the answer.
"Don't be dense," Mouse said and reached out, hooking the top edge of
Kait's sports bra with two fingers, pulling her close, so that they were
nose to nose. "I want a rain check." she added, a fire was in her eyes
that she didn't see, but Kait did.
"You got it," Kait said, giving Mouse one last light kiss. She then
pulled away and said, "I think I better feed you first though." a light
laugh followed that. Mouse blushed some more, when she thought about what
the rain check would be like.
***************
Chapter 15
Jesse walked through the rather large house with the scene of Mouse and
Kait both jumping out from behind the kitchen counter and had to laugh.
Again. 'Mouse and Kait... Who would have thought it?' she thought. She
wasn't at all against it... She just wondered what Marcus would think of
it. That was a couple of hours ago.
Jesse was, for lack of a better word, bored. It was only almost two O
clock and she was ashamed to say, that she already missed Marcus. She knew
that him and Shain had been training for close to seven hours. 'I
Shouldn't bother them' Jesse thought as she walked through the house. 'It
wouldn't be right' her thoughts added
Then she stopped walking and sent a telepathic message. <'Shain, you
guys have been at it for seven hours! Can I take him to New Orleans to get
some lunch??'> the message asked. Then she just cocked her head slightly
and awaited an answer.
<'Yeah, in truth, I could use a break. Don't you dare tell him that
though!'> she heard the reply say. A ghost of a chuckle followed it.
<'I'll send him to you... Where are you at?'> Shain then asked.
<'Near the game room.... I'll meet him half way'> her thoughts replied.
<'Ohhh, you're so cute when you're impatient'> Shain replied, Jesse
could almost see her brother smirk.
<'Just send him, will ya??'> she replied, her face a little red from
embarrassment from her brother's comment.
<'He's on his way'>
Jesse started to make her way towards the den. Her mind was a little
worried though. Marcus did not sleep with her the night before. That
worried her quite a bit. At first she thought that Marcus had chosen Mouse
over her. Then she found out that Kait had been assigned his personal
guard and asked her. She told her that he had chose to sleep on the couch.
That worried her even more.
'He just has a lot on his mind, Jesse' she told herself as she walked.
But she was a little insecure about the way he felt about her. She thought
that she was being a little silly, but she had never felt this way about a
boy before... And it was a little intimidating. But she kept her chin up
as she walked to her love.
She turned the corner and seen Marcus coming her way. His shades were
lowered somewhat and she could see a wild look in his eyes. Jesse could
tell immediately that Marcus was in a good mood. The light seemed to
almost dance in his eyes as a smile crossed his face when he seen her.
'See, Jesse?? He's glad to see you... So quit being such a worry wart!'
Jesse thought with a light laugh.
"What's so funny?" Marcus asked, he looked a little confused but still
cheerful.
"Aw, it's nothing, just thinking about stuff. Hey, you up for a little
lunch in the city?" she asked as she leaned forward and gave him a light
kiss on the lips.
"Hmm, give me another kiss I might be," he replied and waited for
another kiss. Marcus got his wish. "Yeah, lets go... If we keep doing
that I won't get any further than the bedroom for lunch." he added with a
devilish smile.
Jesse blushed a little bit and said, "And what would be wrong with
that??"
"Not a damn thing! But I would like to see New Orleans."
"Alright, let's go."
"I think that we should walk. I don't feel like taking the car. What
do you think?"
Jesse looked at him adoringly and said, "Yeah, a walk would be good."
And then they started for the door and New Orleans.
********************
New Orleans was not what Marcus had expected. It wasn't the fact that
every one looked at him because he had a sword on his back, because Marcus
and Jesse had both sent out a command that people should ignore the swords.
No, what was out of place was... Jesse. She had to be the only person
that he knew that came to New Orleans and picked hamburgers over cajun
food. That was... Surprising.
They had chosen a little outdoor cafe to eat at. It was nice, Marcus
liked the accent of the natives. They had a small booth and looked like to
teenagers in love. In fact, there were two or three couples doing the same
thing. All seemed to be all right in the cafe. But Marcus kept his guard
up anyway. They were both seated and talking, like always, Marcus loved
Jesse's company.
"So, how did the training go?" Jesse asked, she already had a good idea,
because Shain said he needed a break and he never said that.
"I think it went alright. I didn't know a person could *program*
themselves... At first Shain was kicking my ass when we were sparring.
After he showed me that mind trick though...." he let the sentence hand and
a smirk appear on his face.
"After he showed you that, you started to kick HIS ass." Jesse said, an
appreciative look on her face.
"Yeah... He said that I could meet the Knights I was going to lead
tonight on the training grounds. At seven. I'm a little nervous about
that..." he said, the nervousness showed just a little on his face.
"Marcus, I'm not going to bullshit you... Some of those Knights aren't
as willing to follow you as blindly as Kait is. You might have to.... Put
on a show. Accept a few challenges. There's something else though..." she
said, she was looking at the worry on Marcus' face.
"Yeah, and what would that be?"
"Well, most of the Knights have at least one *follower*. I think they
would appreciate it if you did too. I don't know for sure, mind you, but
it's just a thought." Jesse finished, glad it was over. She really didn't
know how Marcus felt about slaves.
'Slaves? Think about the responsibility Marky my boy. Casey did not
work out that well... But... I bet I could do it differently this time
around, I know more than I did' he thought, then looked into Jesse's mirror
shades. "All right, I'll get one before we go back today," he said in a
calm and even voice. "Where would you suggest I look for one at?"
'Whoa, that was easier than I thought!' "Well, believe it or not Marcus,
New Orleans does have a mall. We could find one there just as good as
anywhere else.... Just be a little more careful this time, huh?" she said,
lowering her shades to give him a wink.
Marcus decided to say something that he knew would catch Jesse
completely off guard. "Ok, but if I get me a follower, that means you have
to get one too!" he said, laughing out loud at the expression on her face.
"I-I-I guess I could. I didn't know if you wanted me too. I guess it
would be nice. The last one I had... Well she... Aw, never mind, I never
thought you would say that." she said with a nervous chuckle. She wasn't
about to tell him the last one she had died for her being insubordinate.
The Zone in New Mexico killed her.
Marcus seen that he was missing something by the way Jesse was acting.
But he chose to let it go for the moment. "All right, let's finished up
lunch and walk down to the mall.... I bet Kait is having a fit I didn't
tell her where I was going. She thought it was a real *honer* to become my
personal guard." Marcus said with a chuckle as he sipped his milk shake.
"You don't get it, do you Marcus? After the wars are over, you will rule
all the Knights in the Zone. You already are going to rule the ones here.
Your going to be like a King. What you say, *goes*. So, yeah, she is
honored, as she should be." Jesse replied, the warmth of her smile was
radiating charm.
"Yeah, well, it just takes some getting used to. I mean, it wasn't that
long ago I was going to fuckin' high school and my biggest worry was people
talking to me. Now I have to lead a band of Shadow Knights into a war...
That's a big step in a short time." Marcus said, his voice low and serious.
"I know, but you can handle it. It's prophecy, we'll win. I know it."
Jesse said, the sheer conviction of her voice made Marcus feel better.
After lunch, the walk through New Orleans was an interesting one, to say
the least. For some reason, Marcus decide to take the scenic route to the
mall. The scenic route he had in mind was the worst part of New Orleans.
This didn't worry Jesse. It just made her curious. She had no idea why he
would want to go through this part of the neighborhood on foot. They were
walking by a district that had a few abandon buildings and those that
weren't... People was living in them anyway. Jesse felt pretty bad when
she seen the dirty malnutrition kids, but said nothing.
What Marcus did not tell Jesse, was that they were going to an illegal
fighting tournament. As they were walking along, Marcus was reading
people's thoughts at random. One of the thoughts he read had told him of a
all-girl street fighting competition. They could only win by two ways.
They either had to knock there opponent out or they had to make them
submit. He had also read deeper about a regular fighter that went by the
name of Sam "Special K" Wilson. From what he could read, she was the
favorite for the competition.
Marcus stopped dead in his tracks in from of an old abandoned warehouse.
Jesse couldn't take it no more. "Ok, I give. Why the hell are we here??"
she asked in a good natured voice.
"You wanted me to find a follower... I'll find her here... Maybe." he
said evenly.
"What is this place. I would say that there is nothing here, but I did
a scan on it. There is about 20 teenagers and ten adults in there," she
let her scan roam there thoughts. "Hey! There watching a fight.... Ya
know, this is just like you to pick a fighter!" she said with a laugh.
"Yeah, I know. But I have someone specific in mind." he said and
started walking for the entrance.
"You want me to handle the guard that is on the other side of that
door?" Jesse asked in a nonchalant voice as she followed him.
"Go ahead... Just don't kill him." Marcus replied jokingly.
"Alright."
When they made it to the metal door, Jesse used her Kinetics and
unlocked it. The door opened at her will and a guard rushed out which
Jesse handled very efficiently with a spinning back fist. The guard was an
over-muscled man in his late thirties and had a mustache. When Jesse's
Kinetic charged fist landed against his temple, he fell to the ground
completely unconscious.
"Nice," Marcus said with an appreciative look. "But why didn't you use
mind control?" he asked with a chuckle.
"What's the fun in that?" Jesse replied with a smirk as she hopped over
the unconscious body. She walked into the building with Marcus right
behind her.
The floor was made of cement, Marcus noticed. He also noticed the
circle of people in the center of the room. Most were cheering on the
fighting that was going on in the center of the ring. Marcus nudged his
way through the circle of people so that he could see the fight better.
And he seen that Sam Wilson, his pick for a follower, was fighting. She
looked to be about 20 years old.
She was wearing cut-off blue jeans and a red tank top. Marcus admired
her long muscular looking legs. They were very tanned. They were not
overly muscular, just very toned, as were her arms. She had dark red hair
and an ample sized chest. Marcus wanted to do an in depth scan on her but
didn't want to throw her concentration. The girl she was fighting was
about two or more inches taller than she was.
People were yelling all around Marcus. Most of the bets were placed on
Sam. She was circling her opponent with a.... Smirk. She knew that she
would win. Her opponent stepped in and threw all her weight into a punch.
Sam merely sidestepped and kicked out with her foot. Marcus watched as the
foot landed squarely against the other girl's knee. The audible crunching
sound was heard by everyone in the circle. The girl fell like a rock,
screaming...
Until Sam kicked her again, this time in the jaw. That kick made the
girl slip into unconsciousness.
Sam stood in the middle of the circle of people, but she was not
smiling. Marcus did a scan on her to see why. He found out that she did
not like fighting. She fought so she would have money to eat. She was a
fifth degree black belt in Kenpo, so, these fights were like a cake walk
for her. She still didn't like hurting people, though.
Sam walked up to a very large, fat man and held out her hand. The man
placed five crisp one hundred dollar bills in her hand. They exchange a
few words and from what Marcus could see, they were not very friendly words
either. Marcus lowered his mirror shades a little so that he could see Sam
a little better. That was when she just happened to look over at Marcus.
She gave him a small smile.
<'Follow me outside and meet me at the back of the building> Marcus sent
the command to Sam. He watched as a confused look came over her face for a
few seconds, then she gave him a bright smile and nodded.
Marcus then turned to Jesse. "Give me about ten minutes... I'll
reprogram her behind this building.... And you still have to pick YOU a
follower!" he said with a smirk.
"Alright, get outta here. I already have one in mind. Ten minutes,
then I'm coming back there Marcus. Don't forget, this town is crawling
with Dark Knights." she said, pushing him a little towards the door.
Marcus started for the door, he could sense that Sam was about five feet
behind him. The day light hit him like a ton of bricks when he made it
outside. He walked slowly to the back of the building. Marcus was
planning on being a little more careful with this one. He didn't want her
to be totally dependant on him. He wanted to leave her personality intact.
That was, if she had a personality that he liked.
When he made it around the corner of the building he turned around. He
could hear and sense Sam coming. He was a little anxious. Well, that
didn't quite describe it. He was nervous as hell, he didn't want to screw
this up like he did with Casey. He was barely able to fix her and it
drained the hell out of him when he did. Marcus spared a brief moment to
wonder how she was doing and then he seen Sam turn the corner.
"Who the fuck are ya and why did you want to talk to me?" she asked, she
was a little annoyed at not knowing why she even came out behind the
building.
Marcus looked into her sparkling green eyes and thought, 'Well, she's a
little rude, but I think I can fix that' "Hello Sam, my name is Marcus
Williams, also known as the Son Of Dakrin." he didn't know why he threw in
that last bit, but it sounded good. She didn't get a chance to reply
though. He reached inside her head with an extension and made her immobile
for the moment, so that he could do his reprogramming.
The first thing he did was look through her memories. This girl had a
hard knock life. She was orphaned at fourteen and went through some tough
shit in foster care. Marcus knew what that was like. Her personality was
fine if she wasn't mad at you though. She had a bad temper and when she
lost it, people got hurt. Her temper sort of reminded him of Mouse a
little... But this girl was way more violent.
Marcus started off with simple stuff. She would be totally in love with
him and would always obey him. Things like that. But he threw in the
command that she would always call him Master. He did that mostly for the
Knights he was going to meet later. Like he did Casey, he made it so that
her nipples were easily aroused and that she would always have an orgasm at
the beginning, middle and end of sex when they had it. He did all those
things, but... He also threw in that she would not miss him if he had to
leave and he said the words
"I'll be right back." that way he didn't have to worry about fucking up
her head if something happened to him.
He implied more rules, mostly ones that would make her completely loyal
to him. Making it so that she would never try to hurt him, or letting her
let anyone else hurt him. And above all, she would never lie to him. If
there was on thing that Marcus hated, it was a liar. Sam would never do
that to him. Marcus did manage to keep most of her personality intact,
just like he wanted to.
The hole process took about seven minutes. It took that long because he
wanted to make sure everything went right. There was no need to rush and
make mistakes on the way. He had learned this the hard way. Sam was more
like a very, very, very loyal girlfriend. Or at least that's how she would
act... Save the fact that she would call him Master.
Marcus pulled his extension out of her mind and took a look at his new
*follower*. Sam's eyes held a dazed look for a about twenty seconds. She
shook her head once or twice, as if to clear the cob webs, then her gaze
made a direct line to Marcus and her green eyes sparkled when she seen him.
She just looked at him for the longest time. She was looking at him like
he was a long lost love that she had just found.
"How do you feel Sammy?" he asked, he had decided that name sounded
better.
"I feel.... Wonderful, Master. I can't believe I finally found someone
that finally understands me and that I'm in love with him." Sammy said in a
calm and even voice. This was how she supposed to act. She was not
supposed to be a die-hard slave. She was just to think of him in the
highest regards and be helplessly in love with him.
"Master, is there anything I can do for you??" she said with a touch of
mischief in her eyes.
Marcus looked up and down her body several times, then sighed. "There
could be plenty of things you could do for me Sammy. But this isn't the
right place or time." Marcus said, genuine disappointment in his voice.
"You just let me know the time and I'll be there, Master." she said with
a small giggle.
Just about the time she said that, Jesse walked around the corner of the
building. A smile covered her face that seemed to almost radiate charm.
Following slightly behind was a girl that looked to be about Sammy's age.
She was wearing a pair of tight fitting jeans and a t-shirt that left a
piece of her mid-rift exposed. She was very pretty and Marcus could see
why Jesse was smiling so broadly.
"What's her name?" Marcus asked Jesse, a look of amusement on his face.
He would have sworn that Jesse would have picked a guy.
"Terri. Apparently, your follow and mine were best friends. I left it
like that in case you wanted to keep yours half way normal," she stated
with a proud look, then added, "May I?" she was talking about having a look
at what kind of job that Marcus did on Sammy.
"By all means, what ever get's your kicks," he said with that same
amused expression. "That is, as long as I get to look at your work." he
added ruefully.
Jesse shrugged her consent and sat about to look into Sammy's head.
Sammy had no clue as to what was going on. She did feel the confusion when
her Master's friend entered her head though. Sammy was still content. If
her Master trusted this kid, so did she. She went along with the confusion
for her Master's sake. She had no clue she didn't have a choice. But that
was alright, because her Master wanted it to be so.
"Damn Marcus, I think you did a great job!" Jesse said as she pulled out
her extension. Marcus had just pulled his extension out of Terri's mind as
well. "You didn't do that bad yourself, Love. You would think we're
becoming Pro's at this!" he said with a lighted hearted laugh. Marcus
noticed when he laughed, it seemed to make Sammy smile wider. He also
noticed that Jesse had made Terri into more of a *slave* than Sammy. She
was a lot more submissive... At least to Jesse. She was her regular self
with everyone else.
"Well, Marcus, I think we should get back. You're supposed to meet the
Knights in the training yard in three hours." Jesse said, a frown adorning
her face.
"You feel up to walking a few miles, Sammy?" he asked his new follower.
He hoped that she would tell the truth, he was monitoring her thoughts just
in case.
"Sure. I love walking, Master." she said, and hooked her arm through
his.
"Well, Jess, lets hit the road before Shain has a shit fit about us
being gone so long." He said with a chuckle and started walking. Jesse was
on one side of him, Sammy on the other, and Terri walking beside, but
slightly behind Jesse.
They started their walk back to the base.
***************************
They were about ninety percent of the way home and it was a couple of
hours before dark. They all walked in silence for most of the way. Marcus
was in deep thought most of the way. Both Jesse and Sammy could see that.
So, they did not want to disturb his thoughts. He was thinking of the Dark
Knights... He was thinking of breaking his word and starting the war
early. The old saying, all is fair in love and war was ringing in his
thoughts.
Waiting a month was a little tough for Marcus to understand, even though
it was his idea. He wanted to get this little war over with as soon as
possible, So that he could move on to bigger fish. Mainly The Zone in New
Mexico. But what could he do? They were pretty evenly matched and that
meant that there would be quite a bit of blood shed if they didn't train
properly... There would be blood shed regardless.
As luck would have it... Fate would decide for him. Jesse and Marcus
both got a telepathic message from Shain. <'Where the hell are you guys??
You won't believe this.... But I have 75 Knights at the main gate and they
say they will only talk to you... Their not from the Zone and I sure as
hell have never seen them'> the message said.
<'I'll be right there'> Marcus sent back. Then he looked over at Jesse.
Then at Sammy and said, "Do you see that big ass house about a mile down
the road?" she nodded. "That's where I'm going to be... Get there when
you can." Marcus said, in a hurried voice. Then took one more look at
Jesse and she knew what he was going to do.
They both took off in a dead run, at supernatural speed. Neither sure
what they would find when the got there. Marcus was moving so fast that
the world around him almost seemed a blur. He could sense that Jesse was
barely keeping up. Marcus was not going top speed. He knew if he did
that, he would end up needing new clothes when he got there. All sorts of
possibilities were racing through his head about what he would see when he
got there. None of them were the actual truth.
Marcus rounded the bend in the driveway and slowed his pace to a walk.
There were three busses parked in front of the big iron gate. They were
all very shiny. The windows were tinted so dark that a person could not
see inside them. There was about five Knights standing and facing the
gate.... And about 15 of Marcus' Knights.
There was one lone girl standing in front of the five mysterious
Knights. Her hair was such a light blonde that it was almost white. It was
cut short, save the bangs which covered half her eyes. That was when
Marcus realized none of the mysterious Knights were wearing shades. The
girl's eyes were a pale, pale blue and she was dressed in all black.
All of them, even the girl, stood at such a disciplined attention that
they almost looked like statues. Marcus and Jesse moved around the knights
to where his were standing. They were looking a little nervous. Marcus
came to stand by Shain. "I guess we have some guests." Marcus said, there
was no humor in his voice, though.
"She said that she would only talk to you. I told her you wasn't
here... She said they would wait." Shain said calmly. He didn't feel calm
though. He felt nervous, real nervous. There were 69 Knights, not
counting the ones standing in front of him, on them buses.
The girl with the pale blue eyes stepped forward until she was only
about three feet from Marcus. She knew who he was. She pulled out the
sword that was on her back slowly, her eyes never leaving his. She did a
twirling motion with it so that the hilt was pointed skyward and the tip
was pointing at the ground. She was fast to notice that Marcus did not
even blink. She then fell to one knee, driving the sword through the
asphalt at the same time.
Her eyes never left his when she started to speak. "I am Kamren.
Daughter of Kalib. I offer my blade and skill in hopes of an alliance."
she said in a soft but firm voice and Marcus could have sworn he saw a
ghost of a smile in those pale eyes...
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