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From: El Sol <munster@eden.rutgers.edu>
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Subject: {ASSM} A Master's Ring by ElSol (32/?) 
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        This email address is NOT read. If you wish to contact me please
do so ONLY at munster(at)remus(dot)rutgers(dot)edu.

	Thank you
	ElSol

<1st attachment, "Ring32.txt" begin>

Chapter 32

	I folded my hands behind me when I could no longer cover the door
of the bar without turning around. I halted my steps a few feet from the
mouth of the alley. I stepped into the light and crossed the street to
re-enter the alley on the next block. While I made the crossing, slight
turns of my head extended my peripheral vision enough that I could see
there was no one around.
 	Before Jason died, I was the excitable kind when bullets were
flying around. My body filled with manic energy as if I had been born to
combat. Jason's death changed that; my heart barely registered the two
murdered men I left behind. I walked in complete control of myself waiting
for the scream of discovery that would shatter the silence.
	The car was five blocks away; three down the alley and then two to
the right. I stopped before I had to make the right turn out of the alley
towards the car. I holstered the nines and stepped purposefully out of the
darkness. There were only a couple of people around but they did not
notice me. There was no one around when I arrived at the car. I leaned
against it and waited for the Siblings. I had keys but being inside the
car would make it too easy if I was already being hunted.
	It was an unexpectedly long wait. Finally, the Siblings came from
my left; my right hand tugged its nine free when I noticed they were not
alone. I moved the gun slightly behind me to keep it out of their line of
sight.
	"Brother," Krista said meaningfully when the three of them stopped
a few feet from me.
	The Siblings stood between us as I studied their companion. He was
at least six inches taller than me. He nodded as my eyes passed over him.
He had the military's stamp of wide shoulders and chest that cut down to a
lean waist and long legs. The buzz-cut with the diamond of hair at his
widow's peak was a dead giveaway.
	"Ranger," I said.
	He nodded looking between the Siblings and me. He studied me but
had a more difficult time deciphering the danger he felt in the air. The
military was unable to carve me in its image; the two years away removed
the other telltale signs. He looked at the Siblings again with some
confusion in his eyes. I turned to study them also.
	Their bodies vibrated like compasses between two norths. I
wondered if it was actually Siblings that located new Brothers; except for
Melisa every Sibling I met seemed to come with built-in Brother-dar.
	"I'm sorry," I told the stranger. "We have to go so I can't give
you the time to make a well-informed decision."
	I moved the nine to where he could see it. The Siblings stopped
vibrating as every muscle in their bodies strained. They made a choice,
but their candidate was the one that had to live up to it. He took a step
back and put his hand behind his back.
	"Get in the car and live," I told him.
	He drew a Beretta 9mm out and pressed it against his thigh in
warning.
	"I don't think so," he replied softly.
	"You're not listening," I informed him. "I did not say 'Get in the
car or die'; I said 'Get in the car and live'."
	"There's a difference?" he asked in a hard tone of voice.
	"You won't be dead when this car pulls away," I assured him. "But
I wouldn't call what you do now living, and I would die before I went back
to it."
	I turned my head as a siren approached from the distance; seconds
later, the Sibling's candidate cocked his head at the sound.
	"I can only give you thirty seconds," I told the three of them.
	Leeann, not being the type to waste time, grabbed his face and
pulled him into a kiss that promised everything. I unlocked the car doors
and opened the rear driver side. Leeann released him into Krista's
embrace. Leeann was a good kisser but Krista was better able to explain
clearly with her lips that when a Sibling promised everything she meant
EVERYTHING.
	I settled into the back seat and closed the door. Krista got into
the driver's seat. The other doors opened. Leeann got into the backseat
and the Ranger climbed into the front passenger seat.
	"Are the cops looking for us?" he asked opening the window.
	I almost smiled at what a pair of Siblings could accomplish in
fifteen seconds; cock-logic is not always a bad thing to base a decision
on. I waited for him to turn and look at me. I nodded to confirm his
suspicions.
	"Why?" he asked me.
	"I just killed two rapists," I said pointing the nine at his back.
	"Oh... yeah," he said. "They'd be looking for us after that."
	He turned around and faced forward.
	Men who have never worn it sometimes ask what it is about the
uniform that turns a woman on. It is the look; a cut to it that screams
male. A much larger part though is that a uniform is a statement of
commitment; the ones who died for it far outweigh those that could not
live up to it. Women find firm statements of commitment attractive. Leeann
and Krista's warm smiles to their Ranger after his statement certainly
illustrated their attraction for him.
	I pointed the nine between Krista and the Ranger.
	We were quiet as Krista took the scenic route to the funeral home.
A beeline was my preference but it would have been a straight line for the
cops to follow: the bodies, the car, and then the funeral home. Twenty
minutes passed before Krista parked the car behind the funeral home.
	The Ranger followed the girls inside while I stood by the building
watching the street. The Siblings had their instructions. Krista opened
the backdoor to signal they were ready ten minutes later. I walked inside
and to the windows that let me see out to the street in front of the home.
They had set up the oak box with Jason's gifts on a stand; next to it was
a metal tray. I unholstered the other nine and put both on the tray. I
felt the Ranger's curiosity when Krista picked it up and walked into the
next room.
	Leeann picked up the oak box and walked through a door opposite
the one Krista used. I followed her until she entered a large office. She
nodded towards a shower after sitting on the toilet with the box on her
lap. I stripped and placed each item of clothing into a bin that had been
provided. I scrubbed thoroughly before stepping out of the shower. The
Ranger was in the doorway staying appraised of the action around him. I
dried off carelessly and picked up the bin. Leeann led the way to the
crematorium. I dumped the contents in and slid the panel shut. I walked
backed into the shower and cleaned the bin off. I stood under the stream
again just in case. I dried off more carefully this time. I carried the
towels into the crematorium and dumped them in with my clothes. Leeann
handed me a bag with a change of clothing. I dressed while she turned the
burners on. I took the oak box from her and made my way back to the
windows. The Ranger stayed with Leeann for a few minutes.
	He walked up behind me as I was inserting the magazines into their
slots on the holsters. The muffled scream of metal being sheared
penetrated from the room Krista had entered. The Ranger nodded towards it.
	"Destroying the guns," I said setting the box down in front of me.
	I disliked taking the forty-fives from their resting place without
an immediate use for them; Jason had carved the box himself. I crossed my
arms and stared out the window. The only thing left was the wait for the
lights and sirens.
	"It's not easy to completely destroy guns," the Ranger said
curiously.
	"It's impossible to state 'this is the weapon that committed the
murder' when you only have metal shavings," I pointed out. He nodded while
looking around the room. His eyes settled on the forty-fives.
	"Very nice," he said not quite sure how to phrase what he really
wanted to say.
	I nodded.
	"Isn't this a bit complicated for a pair of ass-wipe rapists?" he
asked. "I would have done them with a knife or a small pistol in a dark
alley."
	"Anna would like you," I said with a smirk.
	He looked questioningly at me but I shrugged off my remark.
	"I didn't do it this way for those two assholes," I said.
	"Don't tell me you're so well trained, you always have to
perfectly cover your tracks," he said with a smirk of his own. "It's not
that hard to get away with murder."
	"I didn't do it this way so I could get away with it either," I
said quietly. "It was worth my life to kill them. It is worth my life and
it will always be worth my life."
	"Then?" he asked.
	"Only two men had to die tonight; I did it for the cop that has to
walk through that door first," I said nodding towards the front door.
"He's dead, so is the next one, and the one after that, and the one after
that."
	He stared into the street for a minute before looking back at me
to continue.
	"Military police have a combat mission. They protect bases and
supply lines. Basically, they give grunts a safe place to sleep and eat,"
I reminded him. "I can't help but think of a cop like that; you know, like
their soldiers. They deserve every opportunity I can give them not to face
me. If they have to though, I'd like them to know that they should kiss
their wife and babies goodbye first. I'm 'too well trained' for those
kisses to be treated as a just-in-case thing if they come for me."
	"You don't have to go that route," he said. "That's what lawyers
are for, especially if you've left nothing behind."
	"There isn't going to be a trial if they find me," I told him. "I
had an eighteen year run-in with their system; it left me unfaithful to
it."
	He grunted.
	"How are they going to know what's waiting for them if they come
through that door?" he asked.
	"Let's say you're a cop," I posed to him. "You come up on the two
bodies I left behind in that alley. One got shot in the right eye, the
other in the left eye. Two taps an inch apart to the victims' hearts. What
do you do?"
	"I pull my piece out, and call for all the fucking backup I can
get to cover me," he said fervently.
	I nodded.
	"You don't find me, but now you have the forensics report," I
continued. "Different guns were used on each guy meaning two shooters or
one shooter with two guns. No shooter is switching guns in that situation
so we're talking perfectly placed shots, left and right handed."
	His eyebrows went up at that detail.
	"You somehow get really fucking lucky and there's enough to lead
you to me," I said. "One shooter. How do you come at me?"
	"I kiss my wife and babies," he said with a sigh. "And I pray my
card isn't up to be the first one through your door."
	I nodded.
	"Cops are just soldiers. They even have the same arrogance," I
said. "It's not their fault I'm the enemy tonight. Those two assholes
declared a war, and they paid the piper. A lot of people might let it end
there, but soldiers don't get to choose when a war ends. I'm not built to
die alone under those circumstances."
	"Are you that good with those?" he said nodding at the
forty-fives.
	I looked down at them and smiled at Jason's curse; he hated
science fiction.
	"What's your name?" I asked the Ranger.
	"Leon," he said.
	"My name's David," I said. "Hopefully, Leeann and Krista
introduced themselves."
	He looked towards the rooms where the girls were.
	"You could say that," he said.
	"Do you read any sci-fi, Leon?" I asked.
	He shrugged.
	"I read this book when I was younger, 'The Man Who Never Missed',"
I told him with a small smile. "I wanted to be that good."
	"It's impossible to never miss," he pointed put.
	"He missed," I corrected. "Eight times out of two thousand if I
remember correctly."
	"That's obscene," he said with a shake of his head.
	"Possible and impossible at the same time," I said. "I read the
passage where the main character admitted he missed and the fact that he
was fallible made it an even greater achievement."
	"It's fucking impossible to be that good," Leon insisted.
	"Mommas shouldn't worry about porn," I said with a wider smile.
"They should take away their little boy's sci-fi books. Combine the
'Matador' series with the politics of 'Starship Troopers' and you've got a
very dangerous door to have to come through."
	"It's still fucking impossible," he repeated.
	"Yeah, but I didn't know that," I pointed out.
	"You're not that good, are you?" he asked after a long pause.
	"I don't know two thousand people I want to put a bullet in," I
said honestly.
	There was another pause before we broke out into laughter.
	"He didn't kill two thousand people, did he?" he asked.
	"No," I said with a shake. "He tranqued them with a drug that
knocked them out for six months. He was creating a legend; trying to show
that the mighty are human, and the human are mighty. You see why I say
mommies should take their impressionable sons' sci-fi away. It makes for
men who think the world can be a better place... even if it's only better
inside the doors of their home."
	"It's not that bad out there," he said nodding towards the street.
"I also don't think sci-fi writers advocate murder."
	"It's not and they don't," I replied. "But there's a woman who
will sleep better because I'm the bad guy tonight."
	"Did you do it for her?" he asked curiously.
	I turned to look at him; it was a more insightful question than I
expected.
	"No," I told him honestly. "I stopped doing things for other
people a little over two years ago."
	He did not need to know I did not tolerate monsters in my home. We
were quiet after that until Leeann came out with an urn. She put it down
next to me and took a step back.
	"Who was raped?" Leon asked us.
	"Someone like me," Leeann answered with a hint of challenge to her
voice. "And like Krista."
	"Death is a little excessive for rape, isn't it?" he probed her
with.
	"No, it's not," Leeann replied adding steel to the challenge.
	In high school, they told us one out of four women is sexually
abused. The number seemed as obscene as eight out of two thousand. Sadly,
it was my experience that twenty-five percent actually panned out.
	"Well, today is as good a day as any other to die," he said to me.
	I raised an eyebrow.
	"Samurai books were my favorite," he explained pulling out his
9mm.
	"That's not going to be your job," I told him.
	"Oh?"
	"Make sure the girls get out," I said. "They are going to have
some explaining to do if they're caught here. It's better if they're not
available for questioning."
	"Is there a way out?" he asked.
	"It's all been planned for," Leeann told him. "David doesn't know
our way out though."
	"Are you sure this isn't too complicated to off some rapists?"
Leon asked me again.
	"Aren't two funerals enough?" I asked.
	He nodded slowly and put the 9mm away.
	"It's been almost an hour," I said to no one in particular.
"Either they're really setting themselves to come through the door or
they're not coming tonight."
	"They could find you at home," Leon said.
	I nodded.
	"A lot of soldiers would die that day," I said. "They probably
wouldn't sell me a farm either."
	I looked at him and thought there was one thing he needed to know.
	"It's forever," I told him. "There's no way out for one of us."
	He stared out the window. Leeann moved closer to him and snuck her
hand into his. He turned his head to look down at her.
	"I'll take my chances," he said to her more than me.
	Leeann rewarded him with a smile and a long kiss. Krista came out
carrying the tray. She pouted at the kissing couple. Setting the tray
down, she shoved her face between them. Leon smiled widely as the Siblings
kissed each other before Krista got her piece of Leon's attention.
	"You should find a quiet corner," I said. "It's going to be a
while yet."
	Each Sibling grabbed an arm. They turned Leon towards the room
with the shower and led him into it.
			
						-----

	They came out a several hours later. Everyone was freshly
scrubbed, and the Siblings had changed clothing. Leon looked satisfied,
especially with the way the Siblings revolved around him.
	Krista picked up the tray with the remains of the guns. Leeann
picked up the urn. I led our troupe out to the car. We got inside and
Krista pulled out slowly.
	She drove leisurely towards the dumpsite. The river was not deep
but it moved fast enough for what I needed. The Siblings dumped out the
contents of their containers. Krista knelt down to let the river wash the
tray. We got back into the car without saying a word. Krista stopped at
the first public trashcan she found and discarded the tray.
	Finally, she parked the car in front of the train station.
Everyone turned to look at me.
	"You're going to have to go away for a couple of years," I told
Leon.
	"Because of what you did?" he asked.
	I shook my head.
	"There's a period of isolation required," I informed him.
	"Basic training," he said with a snort.
	Leeann and Krista nodded enthusiastically.
	"I don't know if you want to go back to the hotel," I told them.
	"Anna is making the arrangements for a house," Leeann said.
	"Anna?" I asked.
	"I called her from the funeral home about Leon. I also told her
you approved of him," Krista said. "She said the Brotherhood could use
Leon and she was the best mentor for the job he could do for us. Did I
misspeak, Brother?"
	"No," I said comfortingly. "How long will acquiring the house
take?"
	"Not long, we can stay at the hotel in the meantime," Leeann
replied.
	"You have it until Friday," I told her.
	I turned to look at Leon.
	"Good luck, Brother," I said seriously.
	Even if we had to kill him later, he deserved the title now.
	He nodded as I stepped out of the car. Krista and Leeann waved as
the car pulled away. I looked after them for a long time. I shook my head
before I turned around. I almost felt sorry for Leon; two Firsts, as if
one was not creative enough in the trouble they kicked up.
	I paid cash for my train ticket and got on board the one getting
ready to leave. It was a long ride home so I settled into a seat with the
oak box on my lap.

						------

	I decided against calling anyone, instead choosing to walk home
from the train station. Even though it was mid-morning, the house was
quiet. I opened the doors to my bedroom and stepped inside.
	Doris Alex raised her head to look at me. She nodded and cuddled
closer to Rachel. Melisa was wrapped around one of my pillows as far away
from the other two girls as the bed allowed. She kicked and punched in her
sleep so it was no surprise the girls had exiled her to the far reaches of
my bed.
	The fact that all of the girls were naked was a surprise. After
that, the obvious signs of a passionate threesome seemed barely enough to
raise an eyebrow over.
	I changed clothes and walked out to the backyard with the box of
forty-fives. Michael had bought a metal patio dining set and placed it in
one of the corners. I put the oak box on the table within easy reach. I
sat down and rested my head back for a second.
	Doris Alex, Rachel and Melisa; even Jason had to whistle in
appreciation of the mayhem possible if those three had found a common
ground.
	I checked the firing lanes from the spot I chose for my stand. The
high and double-thick brick wall that Michael chose for a fence would make
it difficult for someone to come in behind me. They had to come straight
at me from the front making the entire backyard a dying field. I doubted
anyone would come but I did not know for sure.
	I opened the box, stroked the guns with my fingertips, and waited.

<1st attachment end>


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