Authors note: Since I've kept you waiting for so long, here's a second chapter. Two for the price of one! Happy reading. :)

Keep on breathing

A week after their return the mission buddies were sitting in Spanish class, learning how to introduce themselves. Cat wasn't with them as she was away on a mission somewhere in Ireland, Mary was with her. Sam had cursed the resurgence of the IRA in the past few years which had now led to him missing his girlfriend. As the bell sounded, the teacher gave them their assignment for next week: reading two chapters out of the textbook. Rick and Sam walked out of the classroom, readying themselves for martial arts class. The friends walked towards the dojo.

'So, you nervous?' Rick asked.

'Yes,' replied Sam. 'It like the first time since the tests that I set foot in the dojo. I always train in the gym. I'm seriously not looking forward to making a fool of myself.'

'Relax, Roads. They'll probably make you sit and watch the first training. And then the trainers will ease you into it. And besides, aren't Wendy and Liam training you until the end of their careers?'

'Not today, they're on a mission.'

'Then I have no idea what's gonna happen.'

The boys entered the dojo with a crowd of others. When Rick asked someone what all the commotion was about. Apparently the training of today would feature a sparring match between a master of the arts and a newbie. The odds were in favor of the master. Before Sam could react, Rick pulled him towards the changing rooms. Sam took out a fresh gi and a white belt and got changed. Rick helped him to tie the belt according to practice. With a last breath, the boys followed the crowd to the main room of the dojo.

The main room was larger than an Olympic swimming pool. In the center there was the tatami which was compartmentalized into smaller sections. Sam thought that those were used for sparring matches. On the right hand side there were stands on which a large group was sitting. Most of them were dressed in white gi's with black belts, but there were also some other colors in the crowd. On the left hand side there was a storage space and a large weapon rack which contained knives, swords and other weapons with or without a blade. Sam saw Kerry sitting in the crowd and the boys went to sit next to her.

'What's this thing about a master and newbie sparring against each other? 'asked Sam.

'An interesting match,' said Kerry. 'The training will be cut short by half an hour in order to have enough time for the match. Sam, you're staying here, watching the training, you'll get your piece of the action soon.' Kerry pulled her charge closer. 'Rick, off you go.'

Rick nodded and left to the tatami, where the rest of the trainees was standing, waiting for their trainer to arrive. Since Takada had retired, the martial arts lessons where given by the most skilled staff members, there were five of them, but Kerry was excused thanks to her being pregnant. As all the trainees stood on the mat, the male trainers walked in. Kerry introduced them to Sam as Kyle Blueman, Bruce Norris. The female trainers, Sam knew. He saw Amy Collins and Dana walking in, both wearing blue gi's and black belts.

'Dana's here too?'

'Yeah, you might know her as the gentle physical therapist, but Dana is one of the more skilled fighters on the campus. She wasn't such a gentle person when we were cherubs. And her training as a physical therapist has made her even more skilled. Dislocating a shoulder is child play for her.'

'Like I don't know that. Have you ever had physical therapy from Dana? That isn't gentle,' said Sam.

'She only pushes you because she knows that you can take it,' Kerry replied while pressing Sam's head against her shoulder. She tickled him when he tried to escape the headlock. Only when he could take it anymore she let go. Sam nudged her against the shoulder. 'And how are you feeling?'

'About what?'

'Yourself. Friday is your 13th birthday.'

Sam nodded. 'And why is that so special?'

'I might have found the perfect gift for you.'

'Cat said that too.'

Kerry only smiled at the comment. The lesson started when Bruce blew on a whistle. The trainees immediately formed groups according to level. The weakest group, the red belts, were on the far end of the mat, while the second Dan were closest to the stands. Sam saw Rick somewhere in the middle group, the brown belts. Dana was training the red belts and Amy the black belts. Bruce and Kyle trained the other groups. Saw watched as the trainees moved after each command of the trainers. The synchronized punches almost mesmerized Sam. After half an hour, the punches were replaced by kicks in various degrees of difficulty.

Sam looked at the trainees and then stared at his own bare feet. The happy feeling he had felt during the punches faded and a negative vibe ran down his spine. He wasn't sure if he could do what the other were doing. He even wondered if he had enough stamina to last a training.

'What do you think about martial arts?' asked Kerry. 'Wanna give it a try?'

'I don't think I belong here,' Sam replied. 'The punches seem awesome, but those kicks? I can't do that!'

'And still you're going on the mat after this class. I expect your opponent to arrive at any moment. She couldn't resist the offer.'

And with that, the door opened and a young woman of around the early 20's walked in. She wore a black gi with a black belt with white stripes. She had tied her blond hair in a ponytail. She was grinning as she looked at the trainees. She turned to the stands and scanned the crowd with her blue eyes. When she locked gazes with Sam he felt a little intimidated. She climbed the stairs.

'Hi Kerr.' The two hugged. She took a seat besides Kerry. 'And who is this young man?' she asked. Sam cleaned off his sweaty palms by rubbing them on his pants.

'This Sam, my latest charge. And Dana's. Sam this is…'

'Chloë Porter, Delta's hand-to-hand combat specialist. I recognized her from the picture in your office. She isn't my opponent, isn't she?'

'Nice to meet you, Sam 'Roadmap' Cross. I hope you haven't forgotten Mia's words?'

'Aw jeez, Chloë. Tell Francis to stop hacking into Cherub's mainframe. And stop scarring him. He learned his lesson. And yes, you're fighting her in about five minutes.'

'That's no fair fight,' said Sam. 'She's like eight years older than me. And she's a martial arts master with black belts in Judo, Karate and a bunch of other arts.'

'I never said that it would be a fair fight, and besides, we all like to see how someone gets pummeled,' replied Kerry with a grin. Chloë only smiled and shook her head. Sam only stared at the two women.

Before Sam could react, the door opened and a group of six walked in. Sam recognized his trainers among them. Wendy mouthed a sorry, as Sam stared at them with an angry face. Sam also saw Zara. The six climbed the stairs and took a seat. The sound of a whistle resonated against the walls.

'Class is over,' yelled Amy. 'Those who which to watch the fight between the master and the novice can stay, all the others, get lost. To no one's surprise, nobody left. 'All right, Chloë, Sam. The floor is yours.'

Chloë descended the stairs and shook Dana's hand. Dana only motioned Sam to get his ass on the mat. Sam reluctantly walked down the stairs and walked onto the mat. It felt cool to his bare feet. He walked over to Dana. 'You will stop this, right? You know I can't win this.'

Dana crouched to his level. 'When you want to quit, you have to submit. And Sam? It doesn't matter who wins or who loses. We only want to see you try. And you'll have an advantage.'

'How come?' Sam gained a flint of hope.

'You get to choose a weapon. Chloë only has her limbs. Now, are you ready?'

'Not yet, give me two minutes and some tape. Liam will smack me if I fight without it.'

'Sure thing.'

Sam quickly dashed out of the dojo and scurried over to the locker room. He opened his locker and pulled his IPod out of his trousers. He put in the earpieces and played some music while returning to the dojo. He ignored the puzzled looks as he received the black tape to cover his hands. While the music played, he taped in his hands. Chloë only smiled at him. The song was by A Day to Remember. It was one of Taylor's songs. After he had finished taping in his hands, Sam was invited to choose a weapon. Amy joined him at the rack.

Sam stared at the collection of martial arts weapons. He stared at the blades of katana's and other slashing weapons. He even touched the nun chucks before finding his choice. He told Amy he would like to have the brass knuckle and the metal plated left hand glove. Amy looked a bit puzzled but nonetheless have Sam what he wanted. Sam tried them on and asked for a smaller glove. Amy happily obliged.

'These will do. Would you like to hand my IPod to Rick?' Amy nodded as she left towards the bleachers. Dana was waiting besides Chloë. Before she started the fight, she made sure Sam's belt was fastened well enough. After she had given him his mouth guard, Dana walked to the middle of the ring and announced that the fight would be a single bout until one was knocked out or submitted. Chloë was standing at one end, Sam at the other. Sam breathed through his nose as he realized that Chloë was about a foot and a half bigger than him. Dana asked if both fighters were ready. Both nodded, and the bell rang.

Sam lifted his fists and slowly walked forwards. Chloë did the same thing, but she sprinted towards him. In an instant she stood in front of him and unleashed a punch with her left hand, Sam guarded and felt the punch reverberating against his arms. She quickly launched a follow up of strikes, which Sam all took. He almost cried out of sheer pain, when she backed up and launched a kick on his gut. Sam shuffled backwards, gasping for air. Chloë only waited by shifting her weight to her right leg. Sam regained his breath and opened up his defense for an attack with his left hand. He quickly moved forward and launched a punch. Chloë deflected it and struck him on the elbow. A numbing sensation spread through his arm. Sam retaliated by launching a second punch with his right hand. Chloë simply dogged and backed up, while Sam kept his arms close while breathing rather heavily. The match had reached the thirty second mark.

'How are the arms?' asked Chloë. 'I've seen what you can do with those.'

'They're fine,' retorted Sam. He advanced and launched a barrage of strikes. Chloë blocked and deflected each one. Sam backed away. He listened to the noises that the crowd made. Besides Rick, the other were cheering for Chloë. Then he heard footsteps and the rustling of fabric. It was Chloë that made the second noise. Sam focused solely on the noises made by Chloë, locking out all the rest. He looked at her stance and saw her slightly bent knees and elbows. She was ready for an attack. Sam advanced as he heard the beat of the song again. The drums and bass guitar played harmoniously. Sam readied himself. Out of nowhere, a foot hit the side of his guarding arms. The left arm followed. Sam was pushed away. Sam smiled, he figured out one of her moves. He advanced once more. Chloë launched her foot, but Sam dogged it and blocked the left arm. The pain ran through his own arm.

'Alright! Kick her ass, Sam,' screamed Rick.

Sam grinned as Chloë smiled. 'You know you have four limbs?' she asked before attacking him.

'Yeah.'

She knocked him to the floor with a leg sweep and quickly grabbed his arm and held it in a lock. Sam threw a punch with his gloved hand, but Chloë simply grabbed it and pressed down on the fist. 'Then use them.' Sam couldn't move neither of his hands. His mind raced to find a solution. He had no other choice than to use his legs. Chloë pressed all of his weight on his left leg. Sam slightly bent his right knee.

'Get off,' he grunted while fighting against the lock.

'Make me.'

'Fine.' Sam quickly bent his left leg, which caused Chloë to stretch hers to keep her balance. Sam bent his right leg and held it against his chest before pushing forward. To his surprise, he hit Chloë in the lower gut region. He quickly repeated the action and lifted Chloë off the ground. He then kicked with both legs against her body, until she let go and grabbed his legs in a lock. Sam felt his legs twitching as Chloë restrained them in a lock. Sam couldn't move.

'I submit,' he said. 'I give up.'

Chloë smiled at him and let go. Sam dropped his head on the mat and breathed heavily. Chloë sat next to him and rubbed her abdomen. 'I hope that bruises,' said Sam between breaths.

'You have spirit,' she said with a smile. She got up, while Dana knelt next to Sam.

'How are you feeling, Sam?' Dana asked while she removed the brass knuckle and glove.

'Tired,' he replied. He closed his eyes.

'He doesn't need any black belts,' said Chloë. 'Teach him the basics of any martial art and he'll be able to defeat almost any opponent. And teach him to use his legs, there's some serious force in them.'

'Thanks for the tip.' Dana rubbed Sam's hair as his breathing slowed down. Rick walked over and looked at his friend.

'Stubborn fool,' he muttered. 'Anyone else would have submitted the moment the match started.'

'The kid has some quality. You want me to help you?'

Dana shook her head as she picked up the light-weight agent. He only stirred slightly as she placed his head on her shoulder. 'I'll be in the therapy room if anyone is looking for me. Chloë, want to join me?'

'Sure.'

Amy told Dana that the diving course started at five. Dana replied that she would make sure he would be there. The three left the dojo as the rumor started spreading. Dana led her charge and Chloë to the room. While Chloë took a seat on one of the tables, Dana laid a sleeping Sam down on another. She washed her hands and took of his trousers. Sam didn't react.

'So you honestly think he can do martial arts?' Dana asked Chloë.

'You know boxing is a martial art right? But yes, I honestly think he can do martial arts. It will only require some tweaking of certain techniques to his abilities.'

'You mean his disability.' Dana opened a bottle of massage oil and rubbed it on her hands, before massaging Sam's legs.

'Nope. His abilities. I'll try to adapt the curriculum so that you or one of his other trainers can develop his skills further. I'll just include the kicks which require a short range of motion. Trust me, when he is able to do all the basics which I'll provide for, he'll be an excellent opponent. And he has some advantage.'

'What?'

'It doesn't happen to often that I actually get hit in a frontal attack, lest feel some pain during a sparring match. I think he bruised one of my lower ribs with those kicks.' Chloë opened the vest to take a look at the red foot print that was visible on her chest. 'He joined a select group of people. The last I was actually in serious pain, was when I sparred with Mia. Too bad she doesn't do much sports anymore.'

'Are you coming back to campus anytime soon?'

'We might, but we're all busy with college. And Kerry is still bugging us about it.'

Dana smiled. 'Yeah, that's Kerry alright.'

'How's he doing? We heard he went to the woods to camp to challenge Zara's authority.'

'He's actually a bright boy, but he can be a little hotheaded and stubborn. He stands out in academics, but combat and mission wise he's not really that special. But he's got some good friends. I seriously hope that he and Rick don't get in too much trouble. Two little rascals.'

Chloë grinned at the remark. 'He'll turn out just fine. Any way's, I got to get changed and head back to London, I'm meeting the others for dinner. And my baby brother cooked.' Chloë left the room as Sam was still snoozing gently.

At four thirty, Dana woke Sam from his three hour nap he had taken on the table. 'Sam, get up. You're gonna be late for Amy's course.' Sam slowly sat upright and stared at Dana who was holding a bag.

'Why am I only wearing some undies? Did you take off my trousers?'

Dana smiled. 'Yeah. When I was talking too Chloë I massaged your legs.'

Sam's face displayed utter shock. 'Chloë saw me in my undies?' Dana nodded. 'Damn.'

'Jeez, Sam. She doesn't care. Now, get going. I've prepared your bag for the course.' She held out the bag as Sam got dressed and put on some shoes. He snatched the bag from her hand and got his butt over to the pool complex.

He entered the complex and saw Amy standing in front of the doors that lead to the 25 meter pool. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. 'Did you just wake up?'

'Yes, Dana let me sleep.'

'Fine, get in and get changed. We're waiting for the last participant to arrive.' She motioned him to get in. Sam nodded. He walked into the dressing room and changed into his swimsuit. He showered before he walked into the pool area.

The space was dominated by 25 meter pool with six lanes. On the side you had some sitting spots. Against the back wall there stood some oxygen tanks and breathing masks. Sam walked towards some other people. They were a girl and boys who looked younger than him. The girl had blond hair and was pretty muscular. The boy was rather skinny and had brown hair. When he had reached them, they introduced themselves.

'Fiona Thorn,' said the girl. They shook hands.

'Jack Butcher.' The boys shook hands.

'Sam Cross.'

The two others reacted with amazed looks. 'We heard about you, you're legend with the red shirts. We only got our grey shirts a week ago. Is it true you shot Zara?'

'No,' replied Sam. 'I didn't shoot anyone, only some blanks.'

'Aw, there goes one of the rumors,' said Fiona with a pout.

'Sorry to be the one to disappoint you,' replied Sam with a shy smile.

Before one of the fresh agents could react, Amy walked in and announced that the fourth participant had cancelled, so they could start immediately. Amy quickly disappeared into one of the storage spaces and pulled out a portable rack on which a range of wetsuits was hanging. She took off several suits and laid them on the benches.

'Please, try these. If they don't fit, tell me and you'll get to try another one. They have fit snuggly around your bodies to ensure that they keep you warm in the water.'

The three agents nodded and tried on some of the suits. Fiona was lucky and found hers immediately. It took the boys a couple tries to find theirs, but eventually they managed to. Amy cleared the other suits and wrote down the sizes of the suits in a ledger.

'Alright, I assume that you all have some experience with swimming with a snorkel and palms?' They all nodded. 'Then jump in an swim two lengths with the snorkel without stopping. Crawl please.'

One after the other jumped in, secured the snorkel and swam the lengths. Amy watched them as she prepared the oxygen tanks and breathing masks. When the agents reached the shallow end, Amy collected the snorkels and gave each agent a pair of palms. She took off her shirt and trousers and joined the agents in the water. She shivered as she lowered herself into the cold water.

'I'll try to get us the heated pool for the next class. You're lucky, you're wearing suits.' The agents laughed at that and Amy retorted by splashing them with the cold water. The agents stopped laughing after that.

With the agents readied, Amy explained the next step. 'What you see here is a mouth piece. I've prepared the cylinders or tanks and mouthpieces for this course. This type of gear is called an open circuit scuba set, when you breath out, there will be air bubbles floating to the surface. You also have a closed circuit set, but that is for later. For toady we will spend time on breathing while moving our feet in the water at different speeds. If all goes well, we'll go to the deeper end of the pool next class and you'll be free diving.' Amy handed each of the agents a mouth piece which was attached to one of the small tanks. She opened up the valves and the agents took their first breaths of pressurized air. Jack was the first to try it under water. Sam and Fiona followed suit. They resurfaced and Amy told them that she would signal them to start kicking at different speeds.

Sam went back under and breathed in and out. The air bubbles flowed to the surface. He looked to his right and saw Fiona smiling at him. Jack waved. Sam waved back. He felt a gentle tap on his shoulder so he started moving his legs in crawl. He pushed against the wall to keep him from bashing his head against the edge of the pool. Soon Amy tapped two times, which signaled a fast kicking motion. Sam obliged. He kicked as hard as he could for twenty seconds after which Amy signaled to relax. After a while, Amy signaled the agents to resurface.

'So, that was the first class,' she announced. 'You can go change. And I will see you this Friday if you wish to continue. You do right?' The agents said they wanted. Amy sighed with relief as she started to clear the gear. The agents asked if she needed help, but Amy thanked them and ushered them to the showers.

Sam went into the dressing room first to get his shampoo and soap, which Dana had put in his bag. Sam joined the others and took a shower as they discussed their classes and experiences during basic training. Fiona said goodbye to the boys as they rinsed off their wetsuits. After they had done that, Sam offered to return them to Amy, to which Jack replied that he would save him a slice of pizza. Sam thanked him and returned the suits to Amy who had just put the tanks into the storage space. Sam deposited the suits and quickly walked back to the shower to grab his shampoo.

When he entered the shower area and reached for the shampoo on the rack, he slipped on a patch of soapy water. Sam felt his legs swaying and he landed on the back of his head. He let out a yelp, before everything went black.

His eyes opened and he smelled something chemical. It reminded him of a hospital. He heard some beeps. He opened his eyes and looked at the brown ceiling. He slowly turned around and saw some people watching him. They sighed with relief and some of them even smiled. There was a lady who looked kind of familiar. She had fair hair and blue eyes.

'Sam, you fell on your head. You're in the infirmary,' the lady said. Sam looked at her and wondered how she knew his name. He had the impression the other people also knew his name. He opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't.

'Water,' he croaked. The lady placed a glass against his lips and let him drink. He took a couple of sips.

'How are you feeling,' asked a nurse.

'My head hurts,' Sam admitted. 'What happened?'

'You fell on your head in the shower of the pool,' said the familiar lady. 'But you're fine now Sam.'

'Excuse me,' he said looking at the small crowd. 'But who are you and where is my mum?'

A/NII: So, next chapter will be more of a background story for Sam among others. after that, there will be more mission time for the mission buddies.