Chapter Three: Test Your Might
Author's Note: Hi everyone! MooNTeARZ is back…again…wow I use that line waaaayy too much…but what else can I say? Oh well, welcome to another installment of Ties That Bind…hope it's not sucking…anyway, this chapter will feature Jamie's latest encounter…and put Jamie in somewhat of a :ahem: compromising situation…well…read on! Oh…and this chapter takes place at night…like, two hours after Mina's encounter at the dojo! Oh, and I'm trying to find a way to cheat the system (because I love responding to reviews!) Okay…Devil Billy, thanks for your support and I'm glad you found your disk! Draconia 89, thanks again for all your reviews…yes, Jamie as an Abercrombie person is hilarious and just wait until you find out what they have him do! Thee Slushee, sorry…looking back on it, I have no idea why I compared Mina to Zelda or whatever…just pretend I didn't say anything…hope you like this chappie! Shadowsin…hope to hear from you soon buddy! AKMDS…I'll try my hardest to pair Grey with someone…actually, I had someone in mind, but I'm gonna wait a bit…pairing him w/ Asuka might be good, but it might not happen until a bit later if you don't mind…sorry…
"Jamie, are you ready yet!" Chris Patterson called from behind one of the changing rooms at his Abercrombie and Fitch.
"Um…" Jamie began from behind the wooden door. "There aren't any clothes for me to change into…there's just a pair of…" Jamie allowed himself a collective shudder. "…black boxer briefs…"
"Uh huh…" Chris began, his patience wearing thin. "You're point?"
"WAIT! WHAT!" Jamie shouted from behind the door.
"Look…just get dressed okay? You're scaring away the customers!" Chris muttered from behind a traffic stopping smile and movie star white teeth as several female customers walked by.
"Get dressed in WHAT! You told me I was just coming here to sell some clothes Chris! You didn't tell me that I was going to be parading around naked!"
"I know…but if I didn't tell you then you wouldn't have done it would you?"
"Most likely not! I swear to God Chris I am going to KILL YOU!" Jamie whispered harshly.
"Well it's going to have to wait until this is over…people are waiting and you're embarrassing me!"
Jamie sighed in the cramped dressing room and stared with disdain and disgust at the one article of clothing he was to wear…from the little bench, adjacent to the door, they stared at him…mocking him.
I don't even wear boxer briefs…I wear regular boxers…
Still, Jamie sighed and knew what must be done…people who knew of his sacred calling had always praised him as a person who "always did what had to be done"…still, he had faced vampires and demons…he had saved the world from total annihilation more times then he could count…he had trekked through sewage…blood…actually been set on fire…flung from rooftops…electrocuted…and still…none of it compared to this.
Grudgingly, he slipped the underwear on…and slowly…ever so slowly opened the door…
"The last time I was this naked in any place that didn't involve a bedroom, a locker room, or a bathroom I was coming out of a uterus okay!" Jamie whispered harshly to Chris.
"Well," He said optimistically. "There's a first time for everything…now," He turned and faced Jamie…Chris too was wearing a pair of boxer briefs. "Let's go over some rules…stick to the shady corner, don't speak unless spoken to…don't try to 'out hot me'…don't talk about anything boring and lame like skateboarding or demon killing…or whatever you and your little undead playgroup talk about-"
"But-"
"Don't interrupt…and finally, above all else," Chris raked a hand through his stylized shaggy hair, and broke into his trademark, movie star grin. "Have some fun man." He finished by patting Jamie on the back as he made his way to the front of the store to network.
"Great…" Jamie nervously tucked a strand of blonde hair out of his eyes. "I'll just hang out here…in...my…underwear..."
(Two hours later)
Maybe it was the throbbing techno…or the nasty looks from the other snooty models…or perhaps it was the underlying self diluted vibe…but Jamie Parker was restless and ready to leave. He sighed and felt the beginnings of a tension headache start in between his eyebrows.
Before this experience, Jamie actually kind of liked techno…but he was a person who could only listen to it in small doses…briefly, he wondered if the people who worked at Abercrombie just grew accustomed to the throbbing music…or maybe their ears actually do become permanently damaged?
His already sensitive Nephilim ears began to feel like they were going to burst!
Jamie half heartedly greeted a group of people who walked in, then took in the surroundings again. He knew that on occasion, Abercrombie employees did dress only in underwear…at back to school time, and during the holidays…but seriously, Chris didn't say a word about this!
Then again, that was a typical, Chris Patterson thing to do…he'd bend the rules…"forget" certain things to make sure that he got what he wanted…and it had been that way since he and Jamie were nine…looking back on it, Jamie couldn't believe that the two had known eachother for ten years!
The most popular boy when the two were in highschool, Chris had model good looks, and an excellent physique from being the captain of the basketball team.
Back when they were little, Chris was Jamie's chief bully…he always teased and tormented him. Back before he became a Nephilim, Jamie was scrawny, shy, wore glasses, and hid behind baggy jeans, Hawaiian t-shirts, and his hair…he was a straight A student, and while his perfect GPA went down a few points after his calling, he still maintained at least an A average.
Still though, there were days when Chris and his cronies went to far to embarrass their favorite target…and there were times when Jamie would go home and be in tears…he'd never forget those dark times…but once he became the Nephilim, outside his circle of friends, Chris found out.
He never actively participated…most of the time, Jamie wound up saving his life…even when he became a Successor, Chris didn't show much of an interest in training.
At the time, an ancient evil was trying to kill the Successor's off one by one, and it was up to Jamie, the VDA, and his friends to find and protect them. Chris had been…difficult, but fortunately, he followed Devon's example and at least learned how to defend himself.
Of course Jamie wasn't giving Chris enough credit…he did survive several all out wars with the forces of darkness…he even managed to (in his own unique way) save Jamie's life once and awhile.
Being the Nephilim, meant coming with an expiration date…and because of this, Jamie had long since buried whatever grudges he had against Chris…what's past is past…but still…
Jamie knew that he could pull off this whole "underwear chic" look…a combination of a high metabolism, a jacked up Nephilim physiology, and countless hours of surfing and martial arts training had attested to that...but he still felt a tad uncomfortable.
In fact, the only thing that could possibly be worse would be…
"AAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!"
The piercing cry echoed through the store, and it immediately snapped Jamie out of his day dreams. He had been leaning against one of the pillars, but he immediately leapt into action.
A female vampire had grabbed one of the other employees and pulled him into her deadly embrace.
"Hey!" Jamie called as he jumped.
Using his Nephilim speed and strength in the jump, he had managed to cross half the store…while in the air, he launched his feet out in a series of snap kicks…they found their home in the vampire's face, and he, and the demon landed in a heap against a shelf…meticulously folded, eighty dollar "vintage-chic" t-shirts landed all over them.
"You're gonna have to pay for that sweetie." Jamie said as he leapt up.
"Finally," She said with a smile and a flash of her fangs. "Something I can finally sink my teeth into!"
She landed a punch, and a small spin kick on the Nephilim.
"WHY DOES EVERYTHING HAVE TO BE ABOUT VAMPIRES WITH YOU!" Chris wailed.
As Jamie staggered back, he found his hands brush up against a metal rod with a hook on the end…it was used by employees to get shirt's down from hard to reach areas…and now, it would be used to maim this demon.
Jamie grabbed at it, and swung it in an arc, the hook was dull, but at the velocity that Jamie swung it, it embedded itself in her chest like a knife through butter…Jamie gave the hook a final wrench and a pull.
The creature screamed in agony and exploded in blue flames.
"Dead…it's a good look for you!" Jamie said as he finished her.
Judging by the snarls and screams throughout the mall there were more here tonight…and it was Jamie's job to finish them...
Quickly, he turned to Chris.
"Get everyone inside the back room, and pull the gate down!" He commanded.
Suddenly, the power shut down with deafening force…an old vampire favorite…
Okay, this is nothing new…first I've gotta turn the power back on and get these people out…
"Chris, where's the power station?" Jamie asked as he tossed the makeshift weapon to the Successor.
"I don't know-"
"DAMMIT CHRIS!" Jamie said exasperatingly.
"Hey, WATCH YOURSELF OKAY!" Chris shouted back (he wasn't used to getting yelled at).
"Um…I think it's in the parking garage…" Some guy stated…Jamie had only met him today…his name was Billy…or was it Ben?
"Thanks," Jamie nodded. "Don't come out until I get you guys okay?"
They nodded as Jamie jogged out of the store and into the suffocating blackness of the mall…
(New Scene…god I really wish I could use symbols…)
CCCRRAAAACCCCKKKK
With that deafening sound, another blood sucker bit the dust…its neck snapped in two, it turned to flame before it hit the marble floor.
"You…you saved my life…oh God you saved…our lives…"
The tearful reply of a mother clutching her two children touched the Nephilim's spirit…he had heard it many times in the past but he never grew tired of hearing it.
"I think you dropped this." Jamie said as he handed the little girl her new Build-a-Bear.
"Thank you…" She muttered.
"Are those…things…still around sir?" The terror stricken mother asked.
"For the moment ma'am," Jamie said with a reassuring smile. "But sit tight and I'll see what I can do…" He said with as much dignity as he could muster.
After all, he was standing there, killing demons clad in nothing but the black "manties" (as Maureen jokingly referred to them).
Before they could say anything else, Jamie jogged away, and headed down the east concourse. He needed a weapon and fast…right now, that mattered much more then clothing.
So far, he had managed to kill about nine vampires…that qualified as enough for a gang…but his senses were still tingling…and while there weren't any more vampires around he did sense another presence…something slightly more sinister…something that carried a Mishima vibe…and needed to be feared…he also sensed something else…something with a power to match his own…yet it was also ancient…timeless…sort of like the Nephilim line but somehow…different…
He knew that the parking garage wasn't going to happen right away…after all, the doors were locked, so how was he going to get down there? He also needed a weapon, and the only place that he could think of to find one would be at that "Official" Oriental Knife store.
Being a Nephilim made Jamie somewhat of an expert with blade weapons…the knives and swords on display at this store were for display mostly…owned by people who bought them because they were sure that they could become some kind of weird samurai like on the anime that they emulated.
These weapons, in reality, were gaudy, cheaply made, and served absolutely no practical purpose.
And Jamie Parker, the Nephilim was going to steal one.
Or possibly two…
He walked into the shop, and was greeted by a rather portly man…he held a crossbow in his hands and aimed it at Jamie.
"WHO ARE YOU! WHAT'RE YA DOIN' HERE! YOU AIN'T GETTING ANY OF MY STUFF!"
"Sir, please, I just need to borrow some weapons…I'll bring them right back and-"
It didn't work, despite Jamie's efforts to calm him down, he was running on pure fear…and he pulled the trigger. The shot went wide, and Jamie leapt across the counter, and decked the main in the face…not hard enough to break anything, but hard enough to knock him out.
He'd wake up in a few hours with a helluva headache but otherwise, he'd be fine. The Nephilim grabbed the cross bow, and slung it across his bare chest, he grabbed a couple of the bolts and placed them in a plastic shopping bag…next, he grabbed a kitana, followed immediately by a short sword.
"Dull…just as I thought…great…might as well be fighting with a butter knife."
Quickly, Jamie walked out of the store and down the concourse…he was on the second floor now, and the mall was relatively quiet…the people sought refuge in the department stores because those were where the exits resided. His bare feet padded along the cold tile floor, and the air gave him shivers…
Still, he pressed on, his instincts were telling him that they (whoever they were) were waiting for him in the food court…best get moving, Jamie was never late for an apocalypse…
He turned a corner and headed to the food court…the only sounds came from the trickling fountain in the center. The water poured out of open lion's mouths, and a beautiful skylight let pale moon beams glisten off the rippling water's surface.
The Food Court itself was on the second floor, with a balcony overlooking the first floor…escalators and an elevator led to it…the food court itself was a circular area, with various food stands all around…two hallways led to another section of the mall, while another, led to the arcade/movie theatre.
"The same movie theatre we're supposed to see Dukes of Hazzard in…bummer, I kinda wanted to see that…" Jamie mused.
"Aaaawww I'm sorry, did I ruin your plans?" A voice cut through the darkness.
"Maybe…" Jamie replied evenly…he still couldn't see who was speaking, but it was a low voice…one laced with cigarettes… "Depends on your definition of fun…I do have better things to do then kick your ass, but at this point, nothing more enjoyable!"
From the darkened shadows, Jamie saw a pair of scuffed and well worn combat boots…then came a pair of red flannel pants, a skin tight band t-shirt, and a rather radical hair style. His skin tone was slightly dark…maybe he was native American? While he was scrawny, Jamie could tell that he had definite muscle tone…Jamie noticed that the veins were popping up from his arms…which were covered in dozens of black, cheap bracelets…his fingers had chipped, black nail polish on them.
One side of his face was covered by black hair, with red streaks at the tips…his mahogany colored eyes were tinged with eyeliner, while his eyebrow and lip were both pierced.
"Oh god…you mean to tell me that this whole attack was started by some newly risen vampire?" Jamie said with mock exasperation. "I know you guys take this whole fetish-goth scene a little too seriously but let me tell yo-"
"I'm not a vampire you asshole…but I'm more powerful then you'll ever be!" Grey retorted.
"Really?" Jamie asked. "Well, the bigger they are, the harder they fall!"
He smiled, and whipped out the crossbow; he pulled the trigger and let an arrow fly…the arrow flew in mid air, and at the last second Grey snatched it from the air, and through it back with equal velocity! Jamie managed to dodge it…but only by a millisecond…the piercing arrow managed to graze against his exposed side.
"You were saying?" Grey asked.
Okay…a bit more powerful then I thought…time to step it up…
The two lunged at each other, Grey managed to connect a side kick to Jamie's exposed chest, but the Nephilim did score a hit in his rib cage with a shuddering punch.
"Augh!" Jamie yelped, as the kick landed.
It wouldn't have hurt so bad if it wasn't for the fact that the boots were steel toed.
"Guess it was too much for me to ask that you would've worn other goth kid shoes…like some converse or something?" Jamie muttered as he landed a reverse spin punch.
"WOOF!" Grey grunted.
The two engaged in fierce hand to hand, punching, blocking, and kicking. Jamie was having trouble keeping up, but he kept pace as best he could.
"God you really are stupid! What's the matter Nephilim forget to get dressed this morning?"
"Sort of…I'm helping a friend," Jamie countered with a jumping spinning kick…the blow connected, and sent Grey reeling. "But you wouldn't know anything about that would you? You people tend to be anti-everything!"
"Helping huh? Does that help include a bottle red wine, and some K-Y Lubrication?" Grey asked as he flung Jamie.
The Nephilim jettisoned into the fountain, with Grey in hot pursuit. Jamie managed to stand, but Grey was on him, and a punishing punch to the gut, involuntarily made the Nephilim stoop down.
Several ribs were broken…he knew that…but before he could retaliate, Grey grabbed him by the neck.
"Seriously, next time you decide to 'help' a friend…invite me over, we could have some fun!"
With that said, Grey dunked Jamie's head into the water…Jamie struggled but couldn't move…he was just too strong! Finally, desperately, with all his strength, Jamie jerked his head up…the force surprised his attacker, and left him open.
Jamie whirled around, grabbed Grey's right fist the one with rings on each finger…and the one that hurt like hell everytime Jamie was on the receiving end of it…and twisted…he twisted it as hard as he could.
A sound like dry twigs permeated the desolate hall followed by Grey's agonizing screams.
"I hate it when they try to drown me." He said coolly, as he leapt out of the water, and threw Grey into a pillar…it cracked.
"I'm not the one who's wearing nothing but underwear buddy!" Grey said through clenched teeth.
"Okay…it's time we end this so this is how it's going to go-" He said as he walked over to Grey's crouched form.
Jamie didn't finish before he felt something incredibly sharp pierce his stomach…reflexively, Jamie staggered back and clutched at his abdomen…he looked down to see a switchblade buried hilt deep in his intestines…
"You were saying?" Grey asked sweetly. "You hurt me, I hurt you…it's just that I'm a little better at it!"
Grey rushed Jamie, and tackled the Nephilim against the railing…quickly, Grey smashed his forearm against Jamie's windpipe, while Jamie wrapped his hands around Grey's neck…both trying to choke each other out.
"I'll never forgive you for what you did!" Grey shouted through clenched teeth.
Suddenly, just as he was going to pass out, he felt light…and Grey's supernatural weight lifted off him…as quickly as he could (with a knife sticking out of his stomach) Jamie stood up, and pulled it out.
He looked to the right and saw Robbie, his best friend, holding Grey down, and attempting to pummel him in the face.
"Jamie…c'mon, let's get you out of here!" Maureen said soothingly, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"What…who…" Jamie began.
With gritted teeth he stood up and pulled the knife out.
"Oh…this looks bad…we gotta stop the bleeding…" Maureen said…typical Maureen, always thinking of others in a crisis.
"GET OFF ME!" Grey barked angrily.
To his credit, Robbie managed to punch Grey square in the jaw before the young man flipped him off.
"Robbie!" Maureen called.
Against Jamie's better judgment, he half limped, half hobbled over and helped his friend up.
"We gotta get outta here! Mina told us to find you and we got the power on but this old Japanese man is coming and-"
"What Japanese man?" Jamie asked.
Just then, the skylight exploded raining shards of broken glass everywhere…standing in the center, was an old man…probably in his 70's…at first, Jamie thought that it was Jinpachi, they both had similar hairstyles…but then again, this man looked (only slightly) younger.
"Who…" Jamie began.
"JAMIE!" A voice called.
Jamie, Robbie, and Maureen turned, and saw someone barreling up the escalator.
Kazuya Mishima…
"That's the guy who helped us get the power back…" Robbie informed.
Jamie looked around, and indeed did notice the power turned on again…he must not have noticed it before on the account of he almost died at least twice in the last ten minutes.
Quickly, Kazuya got himself between Jamie and his friends, and Heihachi and Grey.
"Hello son…I'm sad to say that this isn't really a social visit."
"Get out now…before I really commit to my original idea of patricide." Kazuya snarled.
"Oh you couldn't kill me, you've tried before and you failed miserably!" Heihachi shot back.
"You know what they say….third times the charm."
"Sir," Grey said. "He pissed me off…can't I kill him?" He asked looking in Jamie's direction.
"Now Grey…remember, we can't kill him…yet…here," Heihachi threw two manila envelopes on the ground. "Hope to see you there!"
Suddenly, the sounds of whirring helicopter blades filled the air, and two rope ladders tumbled down. Jamie wanted to fight, but Kazuya still stood stoically…and Kazuya knew Heihachi better then Jamie did…and besides, Jamie wasn't exactly in the best physical state right now.
He watched Grey grab the ladder easily…and unfortunately, he also noticed that the hand that he had broken only minutes ago now seemed to be functioning normally.
At best, Jamie wouldn't be completely healed until tomorrow morning…give him another half an hour and he'd be well enough to function and fight again…
Jamie wordlessly watched as they began to ascend…and realized that his nice, normal summer that he had been enjoying less then eight hours ago had been shattered like the skylight above them.
Looking down, he recognized the manila envelope all too well…inside was a packet…a packet about as big as the ones that come with a college admissions letter…he had received one before…and it had ushered him into the Iron Fist Tournament…
"C'mon you guys…" He began, disappointment tinged in his voice.
Soundlessly, he picked up the envelopes and glanced at the address.
Mr. James Brandon Parker
12636 Morganside Way
Treasure Island Florida, 35192
He clutched it to his stomach and sighed…outside, he heard sirens, they couldn't stay long…
"We've got some serious homework to do," He addressed his friends. "And you're here, so that can't be good either." He finished, glancing at Kazuya.
"I wish it was." Kazuya stated.
"Yeah well…let's head over to the Karate Place and figure some of this shit out…I've got a feeling I know who came to visit Mina…"
Author's Note: Okay, sorry but this chapter was soooo long and hard to write that I had to take some breaks…I hope you liked it and sorry if it was a little rushed…MUCH LOVE TO EVERYONE PLZ READ AND REVIEW! Oh, and to shadowsin, of course Kaori's in the tournament! So is Kyo, and thanks for the polite way for asking…of course, I wouldn't have had a prob if you DEMANDED it either LOL! It may be my story, but they're your characters and in the end you've got more authority then me! Anyway, hope you enjoy!