THE ONLY EASY DAY IS YESTERDAY
"The Journey of Jeremy Keller"
Part 34
It wasn't difficult to follow Gattlin, he was arrogant and was
making mistakes. Anita just set her sights on the dinosaur white van
he was driving and was able to following him from blocks away.
Gattlin must have been following MacLeod with a tracking beacon, he
spent too much time driving slowly and making sudden turns.
Anita found the van on the edge of an old industrial park. A
quarter mile down the road was MacLeod's T-Bird. She left her car in
an abandoned driveway not far from the van, then followed Gattlin's
trail through over-grown empty lots.
Just a few minutes behind Gattlin, Anita approached the old
warehouse in time to see Lieutenant Keller pick up a sword and face
Gattlin. MacLeod and someone she didn't recognize stood to the side.
MacLeod held a Japanese katana down to his side.
It was like watching a forbidden ritual in an ancient culture,
Anita knew she should stop this thing, but her curiosity made her hold
her ground. These "Immortals" were about to participate in ritual
combat, and she needed to see it through.
-------------
Mandy approached the animal to start the first lesson when she
felt the presence of another immortal. Lynx felt it too and looked
around.
"That's one of us, isn't it?" He smiled "Lance has come back,
you bitch, you won't be able to surprise him like you did me."
The door opened, revealing the silhouette of a tall, thin man in a
trench coat. He stepped forward into the dim light. "Hello Ophelia." he
said.
The woman took an on-guard position and approached the new
comer. "I don't recognize you, but you have no interest here. Leave
now or I'll deal with you next."
Lynx started thrashing in his chains. "Help me!" he cried "She's
crazy, you can't imagine what she's done to me already."
Adam stepped forward. "Actually, I know all too well what she
is capable of." he said to Lynx.
Mandy's eyes opened in recognition. "You! What are you
doing here?" she was barely able to choke the words out in shock.
Adam casually circled around Mandy, trying to get a feel for the
room. "How I trained you, was for a different place and a different
time."
A smile crossed Mandy's face. "But it's what's kept me alive this
long."
"Come, on." Lynx screamed "Cut me the hell down."
With a casual flick of her sword, Mandy slit Lynx's throat. His
screams were replaced with gurgling noises. "That'll quiet you down
for a while."
Adam stepped closer.
--------------
The two men circled, each sizing up the other's capabilities.
Keller held his sword in one hand to his side, like it was just a big
knife. Gattlin, on the other hand, had taken a classic stance, and shifted
his position in well practiced, fluid moves. Gattlin obviously had
Keller out-classed in swordsmanship, but there was something about
Jeremy's causal attitude that made him hesitate.
"Come on, Lieutenant." Peter goaded. "Don't you want a piece
of me?"
"I'm just waiting for you to me show how to use this thing."
Jeremy replied, gesturing toward the sword he held.
"Ok, if that's the way you want to play it." Gattlin suddenly
changed position and thrust out to where Jeremy had been before he
started his attack.
Muscles tightening, eyes narrowing, and other signs of sudden
concentration told Jeremy that Gattlin was about to attack. He let him
change his position, and commit his attack then Jeremy ducked and
rolled to the side, coming up next to Gattlin. As Jeremy regained his
feet, he kicked Peter in the back of his left knee, knocking him to the
ground. The men's swords clashed for the first time as Jeremy took a
swing at Gattlin.
Years of practice and experience were all that gave Peter the
speed he needed to avoid Jeremy's attack. Keller wasn't a swordsman,
but he was a trained killer, specializing in covert operations. A man
who survived by knowing how to kill swiftly and quietly. The only
chance Gattlin had, was to keep Keller in a duel.
Jeremy had other plans.
-------------------------
Mandy stepped away from the newcomer. "What are you doing
here, How did you find me?"
Adam pointed at the body dangling from the ceiling. "This isn't
how we play the game, Ophelia."
"This isn't our game I'm playing." Mandy replied, "It's his, he
started it just for his own sport. Now he's paying the price."
"This isn't the way, with your reputation, only fools would call
you out. You don't need to do this."
"Listen to yourself." Mandy laughed, "Your the one who told the
tales of how you stayed alive by your reputation. But it wasn't an empty
reputation, was it? You earned it, I could tell by the fire in your eyes as
you told me your stories."
"That was a long time ago, you were living with barbarians, you
needed a way to survive." Adam said. "Ruthlessness worked to keep a
woman alive in the game. Your not inexperienced anymore, you don't
need the reputation to keep you alive."
"Your wrong, I need it now, more then ever." With that, Mandy
drew one of her daggers and threw it at Adam.
------------------------------
The fight between Gattlin and Keller quickly deteriorated from a
duel to a brawl with swords. Keller would hit kick and even scratch at
every chance he got. Jeremy used his sword only to block Gattlin's
attacks and to make an occasional thrust when Gattlin lowered his
guard.
With bruises rising on his face, cuts opened on his hands and
arms, and exhaustion setting in, Petter Gattlin knew he had to get the
advantage soon. Keller was too well trained, the man knew how to stay
alive in fight and would fight any way he could to survive.
The fight changed, Gattlin altered his attack, putting more
power and speed into is style. He stopped conserving energy to survive
a drawn out duel, and pressed hard to break through Jeremy's
inexperienced defenses. It worked, Keller's sword was knocked from
his hands and Gattlin's sword soon slid through the left side of Keller's
abdomen.
-----------------------------
Adam had predicted Ophelia's next move and stepped away
from the dagger just in time for it to only hit his shoulder. He could feel
his body begin to heal itself immediately. The wound closed up as he
pulled the dagger from his shoulder. He dropped the knife to the
ground at his feet.
"You forget, I thought you that trick." He said with an ironic
smile. "End this now, Little Sister, this is not how your father would
have wanted his name remembered."
"What do you know of my father?" Mandy asked, adjusting her
stance.
"Only what you told me. The man you told me about was a man
of honor and pride, there is no honor in this." Adam then motioned
toward Ophelia's sword. "You had his sword buried for a long time,
the times have changed since you last did battle with it."
"Times haven't changed that much, men still do horrible things
to each other, people still carry guns on the street and can't trust the
stranger next to them."
Adam lowered his sword. "If you must kill this man, then do it.
But to do to him what you would, is not for a civilized society. Aren't
you ready to live in, and live up to, what this society demands of us?"
The woman paced the room and ended up at the pizza. She
lifted a piece of the still warm pie. "I'll think about it."
Adam met her at the table and took a piece for himself. The two
held up their food as if in a toast. "Let this hatred end here." he said in
a disturbingly quiet voice. Movement and choking sounds drew
Mandy's attention back to her victim. The strong quickening faded, and
her old teacher was gone.
------------------------------
Anita was about to interfere when Gattlin stabbed Lieutenant
Keller. Something in her held her back as she watched the possibly
fatal strike. Keller's response was not what she expected. He
screamed, not only in pain, but in attack. He grabbed Gattlin's sword
hand and pulled him forward, forcing the sword all the way through his
own body.
At the same time he pulled Gattlin forward, Keller struck
straight out with his other hand. The heal of his hand hit Peter Gattlin
across the bridge of his nose, driving the cartilage and bone behind it in
to his brain, killing him instantly. Jeremy released the body, letting it
fall onto a pile of debris. Anita recognized the move, Keller meant to
kill Gattlin but it could cost him his own life.
The others looked on with a strange look of approval. But they
didn't move toward the combatants, instead, they backed away. Keller
grabbed the sword and slowly pulled it from his gut, cutting his own
hands in the process. When he got it clear, he limped to the body.
Suddenly Anita knew what he was about to do and couldn't let
this go any further. She stepped into the open with her weapon drawn
and said "Federal Agent, your all under arrest."
Jeremy looked at MacLeod then at Ropper. He leaned on the
Gattlin's sword, his own blood dripping off the blade. Then he lifted
the weapon and said, as if in explanation, "He's not the one." Jeremy
swung and Anita fired.
To be continued.............
"The Journey of Jeremy Keller"
Part 34
It wasn't difficult to follow Gattlin, he was arrogant and was
making mistakes. Anita just set her sights on the dinosaur white van
he was driving and was able to following him from blocks away.
Gattlin must have been following MacLeod with a tracking beacon, he
spent too much time driving slowly and making sudden turns.
Anita found the van on the edge of an old industrial park. A
quarter mile down the road was MacLeod's T-Bird. She left her car in
an abandoned driveway not far from the van, then followed Gattlin's
trail through over-grown empty lots.
Just a few minutes behind Gattlin, Anita approached the old
warehouse in time to see Lieutenant Keller pick up a sword and face
Gattlin. MacLeod and someone she didn't recognize stood to the side.
MacLeod held a Japanese katana down to his side.
It was like watching a forbidden ritual in an ancient culture,
Anita knew she should stop this thing, but her curiosity made her hold
her ground. These "Immortals" were about to participate in ritual
combat, and she needed to see it through.
-------------
Mandy approached the animal to start the first lesson when she
felt the presence of another immortal. Lynx felt it too and looked
around.
"That's one of us, isn't it?" He smiled "Lance has come back,
you bitch, you won't be able to surprise him like you did me."
The door opened, revealing the silhouette of a tall, thin man in a
trench coat. He stepped forward into the dim light. "Hello Ophelia." he
said.
The woman took an on-guard position and approached the new
comer. "I don't recognize you, but you have no interest here. Leave
now or I'll deal with you next."
Lynx started thrashing in his chains. "Help me!" he cried "She's
crazy, you can't imagine what she's done to me already."
Adam stepped forward. "Actually, I know all too well what she
is capable of." he said to Lynx.
Mandy's eyes opened in recognition. "You! What are you
doing here?" she was barely able to choke the words out in shock.
Adam casually circled around Mandy, trying to get a feel for the
room. "How I trained you, was for a different place and a different
time."
A smile crossed Mandy's face. "But it's what's kept me alive this
long."
"Come, on." Lynx screamed "Cut me the hell down."
With a casual flick of her sword, Mandy slit Lynx's throat. His
screams were replaced with gurgling noises. "That'll quiet you down
for a while."
Adam stepped closer.
--------------
The two men circled, each sizing up the other's capabilities.
Keller held his sword in one hand to his side, like it was just a big
knife. Gattlin, on the other hand, had taken a classic stance, and shifted
his position in well practiced, fluid moves. Gattlin obviously had
Keller out-classed in swordsmanship, but there was something about
Jeremy's causal attitude that made him hesitate.
"Come on, Lieutenant." Peter goaded. "Don't you want a piece
of me?"
"I'm just waiting for you to me show how to use this thing."
Jeremy replied, gesturing toward the sword he held.
"Ok, if that's the way you want to play it." Gattlin suddenly
changed position and thrust out to where Jeremy had been before he
started his attack.
Muscles tightening, eyes narrowing, and other signs of sudden
concentration told Jeremy that Gattlin was about to attack. He let him
change his position, and commit his attack then Jeremy ducked and
rolled to the side, coming up next to Gattlin. As Jeremy regained his
feet, he kicked Peter in the back of his left knee, knocking him to the
ground. The men's swords clashed for the first time as Jeremy took a
swing at Gattlin.
Years of practice and experience were all that gave Peter the
speed he needed to avoid Jeremy's attack. Keller wasn't a swordsman,
but he was a trained killer, specializing in covert operations. A man
who survived by knowing how to kill swiftly and quietly. The only
chance Gattlin had, was to keep Keller in a duel.
Jeremy had other plans.
-------------------------
Mandy stepped away from the newcomer. "What are you doing
here, How did you find me?"
Adam pointed at the body dangling from the ceiling. "This isn't
how we play the game, Ophelia."
"This isn't our game I'm playing." Mandy replied, "It's his, he
started it just for his own sport. Now he's paying the price."
"This isn't the way, with your reputation, only fools would call
you out. You don't need to do this."
"Listen to yourself." Mandy laughed, "Your the one who told the
tales of how you stayed alive by your reputation. But it wasn't an empty
reputation, was it? You earned it, I could tell by the fire in your eyes as
you told me your stories."
"That was a long time ago, you were living with barbarians, you
needed a way to survive." Adam said. "Ruthlessness worked to keep a
woman alive in the game. Your not inexperienced anymore, you don't
need the reputation to keep you alive."
"Your wrong, I need it now, more then ever." With that, Mandy
drew one of her daggers and threw it at Adam.
------------------------------
The fight between Gattlin and Keller quickly deteriorated from a
duel to a brawl with swords. Keller would hit kick and even scratch at
every chance he got. Jeremy used his sword only to block Gattlin's
attacks and to make an occasional thrust when Gattlin lowered his
guard.
With bruises rising on his face, cuts opened on his hands and
arms, and exhaustion setting in, Petter Gattlin knew he had to get the
advantage soon. Keller was too well trained, the man knew how to stay
alive in fight and would fight any way he could to survive.
The fight changed, Gattlin altered his attack, putting more
power and speed into is style. He stopped conserving energy to survive
a drawn out duel, and pressed hard to break through Jeremy's
inexperienced defenses. It worked, Keller's sword was knocked from
his hands and Gattlin's sword soon slid through the left side of Keller's
abdomen.
-----------------------------
Adam had predicted Ophelia's next move and stepped away
from the dagger just in time for it to only hit his shoulder. He could feel
his body begin to heal itself immediately. The wound closed up as he
pulled the dagger from his shoulder. He dropped the knife to the
ground at his feet.
"You forget, I thought you that trick." He said with an ironic
smile. "End this now, Little Sister, this is not how your father would
have wanted his name remembered."
"What do you know of my father?" Mandy asked, adjusting her
stance.
"Only what you told me. The man you told me about was a man
of honor and pride, there is no honor in this." Adam then motioned
toward Ophelia's sword. "You had his sword buried for a long time,
the times have changed since you last did battle with it."
"Times haven't changed that much, men still do horrible things
to each other, people still carry guns on the street and can't trust the
stranger next to them."
Adam lowered his sword. "If you must kill this man, then do it.
But to do to him what you would, is not for a civilized society. Aren't
you ready to live in, and live up to, what this society demands of us?"
The woman paced the room and ended up at the pizza. She
lifted a piece of the still warm pie. "I'll think about it."
Adam met her at the table and took a piece for himself. The two
held up their food as if in a toast. "Let this hatred end here." he said in
a disturbingly quiet voice. Movement and choking sounds drew
Mandy's attention back to her victim. The strong quickening faded, and
her old teacher was gone.
------------------------------
Anita was about to interfere when Gattlin stabbed Lieutenant
Keller. Something in her held her back as she watched the possibly
fatal strike. Keller's response was not what she expected. He
screamed, not only in pain, but in attack. He grabbed Gattlin's sword
hand and pulled him forward, forcing the sword all the way through his
own body.
At the same time he pulled Gattlin forward, Keller struck
straight out with his other hand. The heal of his hand hit Peter Gattlin
across the bridge of his nose, driving the cartilage and bone behind it in
to his brain, killing him instantly. Jeremy released the body, letting it
fall onto a pile of debris. Anita recognized the move, Keller meant to
kill Gattlin but it could cost him his own life.
The others looked on with a strange look of approval. But they
didn't move toward the combatants, instead, they backed away. Keller
grabbed the sword and slowly pulled it from his gut, cutting his own
hands in the process. When he got it clear, he limped to the body.
Suddenly Anita knew what he was about to do and couldn't let
this go any further. She stepped into the open with her weapon drawn
and said "Federal Agent, your all under arrest."
Jeremy looked at MacLeod then at Ropper. He leaned on the
Gattlin's sword, his own blood dripping off the blade. Then he lifted
the weapon and said, as if in explanation, "He's not the one." Jeremy
swung and Anita fired.
To be continued.............