Another day of training occurred. Liu Kang and Kung Lao excused Sonya Blade for today's training. To give Jax assistance in his own training. The first fighter was Kano. And just like yesterday? Yes. He barely made a single success. I was next. This time I would be facing Liu Kang. This training session was more difficult that I hardly managed to make a single hit, unlike yesterday. His fire powers totally knocked me from my feet. When I landed and sat up, I noticed small fire was on my scarf that I had to put it out. Finally, it was Cole's turn. As I would mentioned this phrase again... unlike yesterday. He didn't succeed either. Kung Lao used his hat right away to best Cole.
Basically, after Cole's defeat, the two monks just left. Without words, nothing. I went over to Cole and picked him up. His wound from yesterday opened up again.
"Cole, are you alright?" I was becoming concerned.
"I'm fine." he dusted himself off and covered his wound. "I'll just have my wound looked at again."
By the time he and Kano left, I was the only one alone. My doubts started to come. What if I fail training again, I may not be able to save Hazel and the others. Would I be looked down upon? Shunned? It's the first time, I've ever felt this feeling of not accomplishing anything. It was equally more worst than when I was released from the Taliban. Before I started to climb up the steps, I noticed Raiden was watching me, before he left. I somewhat figured that it would be on my fail training today. It'll be interesting to shocking if he knew about my observance of his meeting with Liu Kang and Kung Lao. I figured the three would meet again. More like the inner circle. However, I decided not to see them chat.
After leaving the pit and walked towards the hospital chamber, there was a small training chamber nearby. I entered to see Katie was training herself from what Bigwig have taught her. I was impressed of what she has accomplished. Not far from her, Jax was practicing his punches on a punching, while Sonya coaches him. I couldn't help, but notice his punches was off. More likely to see how he's not using his own arms, but prosthetic arms.
"Come on, Major. I've seen better than that." Sonya exclaimed. Jax threw his punches again, but his speed was slowing down. "Again. Again, again!" He was beginning to lose himself. "Come on, you got this."
Anger came upon Jax, as he just threw one hand punches on the bag out of rage. "These don't work!" he barely let a tear out. "These are not me." He looked at his new arms, before sitting down with pity. "I'm useless. Why did you bring me here?"
"You were rescued Jax." I answered. "Liu Kang saved you, because I have the impression feeling that you do have something in yourself."
He shook his head. "I disagree. Without my arms, I can't help."
Sonya thought of a story to tell. "My first day of training... we had to run 20 miles." she chuckled. "Thought I was gonna die." I raised my eyebrows at her. Everyone knew 20 miles of a run is never easy, especially in basic training. However, she took my expression for it, before continuing... "Basically, I wanted to quit. However, all I ever wanted was to be accepted by, Jax." I turned to him, as he nodded as it's true. She than turned back to him. "As an elite fighter. You remember what you told me... how do we keep going? And you proved to yourself that you can do this or regret it for the rest of your life."
I smiled and nodded. It was the same way, when I gone my training in the Owsla, to be accepted by Bigwig. However, also, Captain Holly.
"Are you trying to tell me something, soldier?" Jax turned to his trusted lieutenant.
"Get off your fucking ass, Major." Sonya answered.
It gave Jax a laugh and went back to his punches, while I scoffed. "Really?" Sonya, simply smiled back at me. "If I ever said like that to Bigwig... oof... I would be getting my ass kicked, before being drilled at night."
"Really?" Sonya questioned me.
"No." I answered. "Not my case though."
"What about when you were in the Army?"
I can't even remember the last time, how it was in the Army, before my capture. It seemed to be more of a vivid memory now, than knowing about it. Perhaps, I really wanted to forget about it, because it would only bring me back to my POW days. "I actually forgotten all about my Army days really. Unlike my Owsla days. Those memories with the rabbits are more to be cherished and remembered than my Army days."
In the evening, after another session, we had dinner. Cole was being attended to his wounds, while Liu Kang and Kung Lao, Kano, Katie, and myself were eating. We were being served dumplings and egg rolls, along with veggies. The scene of this dinner setting made me homesick and more alone. Even though I was sitting next to my sister, she was the only one that was present. The only ones missing were the rabbits. The feasts we had with them was more enjoyable in their company. Hazel and Fiver would eat together. Bigwig would munch on the lettuce to gain more plumpness... well Kehaar would repeatedly call him Plump Rabbit. Bluebell sitting next to Blackberry, as he would tell flayrah jokes, while annoying Blackberry. For me... it was Katie and Hyzenthlay. At sometimes, I would be seeing Captain Holly in my eyes, as he's present to watch us eat. The voices echoed in my head, as I didn't take a bite.
Sonya and Cole showed themselves up, as Liu Kang welcomed and served her food. Meanwhile, Liu Kang asked Cole about his wounded arm. Cole replied that his arm is healing up a bit. The Shaolin monk advised him to eat, as it'll help him heal faster.
I dropped my chop sticks onto the leaf like plate. I just couldn't eat anything. Liu Kang noticed that I wasn't eating. "Thomas. You're not eating."
"I'm just not really hungry." I mumbled.
"You must eat to gain your strength. You have another training session tomorrow. You must be ready." I remained silent, as I stared at my food getting cold.
"In that case, I may take some, if you don't mind-" Kano attempted to reach his hands on my food, but I stopped him with stabbing his hand with a chop stick. He removed the impaled chop stick and tossed it. "I take that back."
I sighed and started eating. While I was eating, Jax came to the table and joined us for dinner. Kano began to mock Jax. "You're fucking kidding me, aren't you?" He laughed, while Sonya and Jax stared at him. "Fucking hell. Is he on our side? Those are great, mate. They make those in men's sizes?"
I stopped eating from hearing Kano's mockery and cruel sarcastic humor. Kano thought about snatching my plate, until I glared at him. He than decided to get more food from someone else. He literally snaps his fingers, as if he was the master and demanding to have his food. "Top knot, at the end. What's his name? Kung Pao."
"Kung Lao!" I scolded Kano.
"Whatever. Kung Pao, pass us some fucking egg roll, would you?"
I shook my head and turned to see Kung Lao annoyed. However, he seemed to be very calm about it. Especially, when he and Liu Kang looked at each other. He whispered to his fellow monk, possibly in Mandarin.
"Your ear is painted on, mate? Egg roll!" Kano continued to bark orders at Kung Lao. The Shaolin monk decided to grab the egg roll. I shook my head in shame, as if he was going to give Kano the egg roll. However, instead, Kung Lao grabbed the egg roll for himself and took a bite of it. Surprised and hilarious, I chuckled. Along with Sonya and Jax.
"Maybe you should lay off the egg rolls, seeing how you wouldn't be ready to fight. If you had 100 days to train." Kung Lao rebuttal back at Kano, with an insult. "I'll dumb it down for you... fat, lazy pig."
Kano didn't take that insult too likely. As he got frustrated. "What did you say?"
"Terrible fighter." Kung Lao continued to insult Kano... "Zero skill."
I knew about Kano would grow anger inside quickly, whenever he gets insulted. "You got a death wish, mate?"
"Combat takes intelligence." An advice was given to Kano. "But you... you're like a dog. A dog who fails his training classes."
"Well, how about I take that stupid fucking sombrero you're wearing, shove it so far up your ass, you start speaking Spanish. How does that sound?!" Kano barked a threat.
Kung Lao basically shrugged his shoulders in sarcastic. "You could try."
"I just fucking might!"
"Let me ask you this..." Liu Kang took over to speak reason to Kano. "Why would you jeopardize the goodwill of the only chance of your survival?"
Kano turned to Liu Kang. "Princess, why don't you try being one of them silent monks?"
"No, no, you misunderstand." Liu Kang spoke, before pointing at his fellow monk for recognition to aid Kano. "He is here to save you because you cannot save yourself."
Kano mumbled. "Oh, fuck, here we go."
"You're like... an aggressive little bunny." Liu Kang added.
I chuckled in mind to think of Bigwig... being a Plump Rabbit.
"You think that's funny?!" Kano questioned me.
"Not at all. I just had a recollection moment." I answered.
"...soft and useless." Liu Kang continued at Kano, as others laughed. However, I found it insulting.
"That's a lie!" I barked.
Everyone turned onto me, even Kano. "What was that?" Liu Kang spoke to me.
"Hazel and his fellow rabbits... ARE NOT USELESS!" I shouted in anger, as I stood up. "WHY DON'T USE A BETTER TERMINOLOGY TO INSULT KANO! Without referring or comparing him to a rabbit!"
Liu Kang stared at me, as Kung Lao glared at me. Katie had to intervene. "Thomas, sit down." I breathed and exhaled, while accepting my sisters word.
"As I was saying..." Liu Kang continued on about Kano. "You're angry mentally, physically. You should be on your knees before this man."
As everyone else giggled, chuckled, and laughed. The hot anger flame in Kano exploded, as he burst standing tall. "I've a better idea. How about you two get on your knees and take turns sucking my sack?" It caused Kung Lao to stand up also, from Kano's outburst. "Do you have any fucking idea who you're talking to?! I've wanted in over thirty-five countries for shit, you fucking ballerinas couldn't even imagine."
In that moment... I started to feel like I was leaving the room. Completely. As if I was in a trance. I began to see flashbacks of my POW days. In Afghanistan, being tortured by the Taliban... and the worst of all by Kano. I was able to get a reveal look of him... It wasn't the same Kano that I encountered back at Watership Down and Efrafa... it's the same Kano that I'm with right now in this dinner table.
You're angry. Liu Kang's voice came from the present.
Oh! Fucking nothing gets by you, does it?! Kano's outburst continues.
Good... you should be.
You failure. Kung Lao's voice came.
I was drawn back to the present to see the dinner feud continue. "Failure?!" Kano exclaimed. "Fucking failure?! Let me educate you, motherfucker. I'm Kano! Of The Black fucking Dragon! And who are you two, huh?! You're some fucking cave-dwelling hippy, twirling his anal beads..." I looked at him to see his right eye is glowing. Another flashback came... Kano's right eye was turning red laser. Facing me, as I was tied to a robe that is on the ceiling of a cave. Shirtless. He was ready to scorch my back and my fellow prisoners. "... taking orders from this Wu Shu wanker, who wears a hubcap as a helmet. NOW, SIT DOWN!" The voice of Kano was coming from the present. "SHUT UP AND PASS ME A FUCKING EGG ROLL!" Kano's eye glow brightly red and started burning my back in pain. He would than continued on doing it to my fellow soldiers. It was total traumatic attack! It wasn't going away for nearly minutes in my eyes.
It was until I woke up to see the present of Kano's eye firing laser all over, as Kung Lao blocked the laser and it fired at dishes and a bit on a pillar. Everyone had no idea, what happened: Cole, Sonya, Jax, Liu Kang and Kung Lao. Katie looked at me, as she knew what happened and notice I was triggered. Kano realized that it was his arcana... his laser eye.
"That was it, wasn't it?" he questioned Kung Lao and Liu Kang. He began to question everyone else in the room. "You all saw that?" He than began to laugh and shouted with joy. "AH! LASER BEAM! Better than fireballs, you pussy!" Kano continued to laugh uncontrollably, while others in shock, while Liu Kang and Kung Lao were slightly impressed that he found his arcana first. "Come on, Kano! I knew I'd get mine first."
It brought Cole into shame, as he didn't discover his. Sonya and Jax were still in shock of Kano's power. I was emotionless and blank, as I began to hear the screams of my fellow soldiers suffering under Kano and the Taliban. I cannot believe it's coming back! It's coming back to haunt me again! This time, Hazel's gone! Fiver! Bigwig! Holly! Hyzenthlay! Even Bluebell! And the others are gone! It was like I was returning home all over again and started backwards on my PTSD.
"What do you think, pretty boy?" Kano's voice came to me. "You gotta say that's impressive." I than felt Kano's hand touched my shoulder. Creating a huge rage and a traumatic attack.
"Get your hands off me!" I swatted his hand away from me. Everyone stared at me, as Kano comfortably went into silent, as he hid his devilish smirk. "I know everything about you, when I was being held as an POW. You gave away my units location and orchestrated an ambush, with the Taliban's help!"
"All right, you can't get mad for the fact that I got it first-"
"Your arcana?! Are you kidding me?!" I questioned him. "I'm in no mood of hearing your self-praise, nor about me arcana!"
"Oh it is." Kano spoke. "As that monk would have said..." he than folded his hands together in mockery, as if he was a monk. "...'a fighter without his arcana, is a liability.' Maybe you were a liability, since the beginning." he came to my ear and whispered. "Especially, on how my mates, slit the throats of that bunny fucker rabbit of yours, whose their leader and the rest of his bunny fuckers... even one of them enjoyed fucking one of the does good... just remember that." I felt like I had claws on my hands, as my wolf anger began to explode. More of it let out when he fake patted my back.
In rage! I flipped the table and lunged at Kano and pressed him against the pillar. "YOU MURDERER! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU! YOU FUCKING MURDERER! MURDERER!" I was in his face and yelling at him. He didn't scream, he didn't use his arcana. He didn't do nothing, except cowering. I was ready to punch through his smirking face, before pressing my face against his. It was that moment I could recall, as if I was... preparing to strike Captain Vervain. Captain Orchis... or more specifically... Farid himself.
Kano laughed, as if I was a joke. Or if he was Tom Buchanan from The Great Gatsby. Katie in tears, but didn't let her fear took over.
ENOUGH! A roll of thunder rumbled and came down Raiden. "What in the Elder Gods is this?!"
"Nothing... nothing at all." Kano brushed himself off. "I found my arcana and this liability struck me for no reason-"
I than punched him in the face, nearly breaking his nose. Before I turned into a wolf, I clawed at his back. In haste, I ran from everyone's sight and knocking the entrances down and dashed to the outside to find a secluded area. After minutes of pacing and panting, I stopped and howled at the sky! After a second howl, I morphed back into my human form and howled in anger and hate.
"FUCK YOU!" I shouted. "FUUUUUCCCCCCKKKKKKK!" After my screams drowned my voice shallow, I burst into tears and cried.
