A Touch of Evil...
The mirror was showing him the same face.
It hadn't changed in the last few weeks, save for the bandages becoming thicker. His gold eyes narrowed in anger as he gazed into the reflective surface. His defeat at the hands of Andy Bogard had come with a terrible price. Hauer shook his head; that one man was responsible for destroying something that had taken much time and effort in cultivating.
It would not go unpunished.
"Bastard… When I finally find you again, I'll take great pleasure in ripping those lovely looks from you," he vowed aloud in solitude - not that the object of his anger would ever hear it. That was how it had always been. The German had always been alone. Well, not always. There was a time, a few years ago, when he'd had someone who looked up to him.
But she was gone; her chapter in his life over. He thought about the girl who had spent so many years training with him. 'Jessica,' Hauer thought idly, 'What are you doing now? Are you using the skills I taught you? Have you become all you wanted to be?'
She'd been, perhaps, the only thing in his life that he'd cared about. Now she was gone and he was alone again. It seemed that loneliness would be forever a part of his life. Hauer finally tore himself away from the mirror and went out into his living room. His manservant, Stewart, stood by and nodded to him as he entered. Once Hauer had settled comfortably onto his couch, the man offered him a cup of tea.
"You were thinking about her again, weren't you, Master," he said as the German took the proffered china.
"Yes," Hauer nodded. He stared down into the cup, "I was also wishing her well." Stewart was the only one allowed to discuss any details about the girl's tenure. He'd wanted no other reminders of her than that.
"You miss her," Stewart said as he turned to leave the room. "In all that time, you could never admit that you cared for her… Perhaps she was the child you would never have?"
Hauer snorted in derision, "Who would be woman enough to help me sire them?" He took a sip and set the cup back down on its saucer, "She… she was the finest student anyone could wish for." A swell of pride uncoiled within his chest, "There was not a single person better than she when it came to learning how to be an Elementalist."
A soft breeze wafted through the living room and Hauer's head snapped around, "Stewart… did you leave a window open?"
"Nay, Master, they're all shut."
The white-haired man shot to his feet, "Then that would mean…"
"That the student has returned to find her master," finished a feminine voice. Hauer turned around and spotted his former student as she stood looking out the window. She turned to face him; older, but not necessarily wiser, "I thought I would come and tell you what I've been up to."
The German moved towards Jessica and was knocked back by an unseen barrier, "Not too close, Hauer. Things have changed since I left."
He stared at her, wondering just what had made her so distant to him, "What's changed, Jessica?" Hauer noticed that her eyes had taken on a strange gleam and that unsettled him. Just what had happened to his student while she was gone?
"I serve a powerful man… no… he's not a man anymore. Once, he might have been, but no longer." Jessica looked at him, her lovely features darkening with some foreign emotion, "I work for your former lord, Hauer…"
'No… She can't…'
"I serve Laocorn Gaudeamus."
A young woman looked down at a fairly new gravestone. "Panni Smythe - Loved and remembered by all who knew her…"
With an irritated sigh, she brushed a lock of pinkish hair from her red eyes. Panni had been her sister - her twin sister. And now she was gone. Gone because of some damned fool-hardy quest for some stupid armor that wasn't even going to do her any good.
Pheobe shook her head.
"I'll find the ones responsible, Panni," she vowed softly. "I'll make them pay for what they've done. You and I, we were inseparable until you started working for Laocorn. I'm sure he'll hire me the same as he did you."
Her hand came up, palm flat, and a small tornado of water appeared there. She closed it with a snap, dispersing the liquid and cancelling the power.
"I won't rest until your death is avenged."
He was young. He was handsome. And… He had a very bad temper.
Johnny had been one of the finest martial arts students in all of California. He'd worked and struggled, despite his sensei's lack of attention, to gather enough discipline to learn how to use his own [I]ki[/I]. He'd shown them all just how foolish it was to overlook him.
Even now, he stood over his former teacher, hand raised in triumph, "I told you that you'd regret not showing me the techniques. See?"
He brushed a few strands of blonde from his eyes, "Now - I'm the Master and you…"
Johnny's smile twisted in a darkly sinister manner.
"You are dead."
With not even a glance back at the carnage, Johnny Matthias stalked out of the dojo that had once been home to his fondest memories.
"I have a new trio of generals now… And I won't stop until the world is MINE!"
Maniacal laughter filled the chamber. On a dais, a young man stood. Short, lavender hair strayed all around his head. The gleam of madness shined very brightly in his oddly colored eyes - one gold while the other was violet.
"No one can stop me now… Not even Terry Bogard."
Laocorn threw his head back and started laughing all the more. "I have become the ultimate power in the world. I will take over this world and all who oppose me shall be crushed by my divine hand."
He turned around and started to pace back and forth, "How shall I remake this planet? What shall I do with it? Should I destroy it totally and just start from scratch?"
Even as his first general entered the chamber, Laocorn didn't break from his thoughts. Jessica watched the way he paced and smiled softly. It didn't matter what he was - he could help her attain that which she desired most. Long ago, she'd risen from the huddle masses - the 'have nots' - and attained the step just above that.
Jessica had been one of the 'gotta gets'.
Now, she was one of the ones in control. It was just a pity that her lord and master wasn't in more control of his senses. He'd be a damned fine leader if he could just get a grip on his sanity. In time, he might become accustomed to the levels of power he now held.
In time, he may even be able to rule the few kingdoms he'd taken so far. Jessica held on to hope. With no hesitation, she reached out to her dark lord, "My former teacher is no longer a threat."
Time was something she had plenty of at the moment.
It's short, but it gets the point across, neh?
~Rei.