Order 27: Pushing the Limits
Training Room. 8:00 P.M.
Anderson and Skey stood in the middle of the training room. Dr. Fiels and another scientist stood off to the side, clipboards in hand, pens in the other. The lights had been turned up full shine. Skey was worried about the kind of tests they needed. From the look in Anderson's eyes, something told her it was not going to be any kind of fun.
" Anderson, you know what to do. Grab her arm and lets get this over with."
That didn't sound very good. Anderson sighed.
" Tak yer coat aff. Ye dinna want tae damage it, dae ye?"
Skey nodded and shrugged her shoulders, wriggling out of the coat then letting it slide the rest of the way. It fell into a heap behind her. Her bare arms were exposed and the chill of the room caught her. A slight shiver went through her nervous system.
" Skey...Ah'm nae gaun tae lie...this will hurt ae lot. For the first time. Aif ye prefer, shut yer eyes."
Anderson took hold of her upper arm, being able to feel the muscles behind the skin. Even through his gloves, her could feel the fear glowing off her. He saw the conflict in her eyes. The sheer will to fight her fear. The grip on her upper arm softened, the fabric of the gentle glove smoothed its way down her arm, down her forearm but he took his time. Once his hand came to her wrist, he took hold firmly and looked her in the eyes. Dr. Fiels became very concerned with this show of hidden affection. Father Anderson was very protective of his student...a bit too protective. He alone was trying to shelter her against everything he had gone through, the evils and sins of the world, and the pain and suffering of changing oneself for the greater good. For once, Anderson was breaking away from his own selfishness. It was admirable and amusingly cute, but he had to quit viewing her as a mere child. Anderson drew an eighteen inch long bayonet blade. Light reflected off the shiny, perfected blade. His hand was held upside down, the blade gripped tightly as the point faced inwards. Skey looked down. The blade was stabbed through quickly. Muscles tightened throughout Skey's body, her heart skipped a beat as burning, searing pain wrecked her nerves within her forearm. The blade came out the other side of her arm. Skey groaned loudly, tears starting to stream down her face in the pain. Even her toes were curling up from suppressing her urge to scream bloody murder. Anderson pulled the blade out carefully. Blood dripped heavily out of her but the skin quickly stopped it from doing so. The skin was burning, smoke coming from the wound as the top layer of skin and the muscles themselves were building back together rapidly. It was a numbing sensation. The pain disappeared quickly and when her skin healed, the doctor came to inspect her.
" Well, there's a few more tests. Anderson, you don't mind do you?"
" Actually...Ah dae. Skey, Ah dinna want tae hurt ye jus for this."
A hurt look cast its sight on Anderson.
" I want you to. You think I would let someone who hates me have the joy of stabbing me? Even knowing I'll just recover? I don't trust anyone to do this to me but you. Don't wuss out on me!"
Skey punched him in the arm at a half strength hit. There was a smile broad on her face and the childish light of innocence was shining through yet again. Anderson couldn't see how she did it. For the most part of her life, she had endured, suffered, been humilated, beaten physically, pained and broken over and over. for her, it was was the same old song playing endlessly. After one usually is saved from such a crisis, whether religiously or not, the person is known to become withdrawn, pessimistic and suicidal. Sometimes even so deeply disturbed that they prove to be a threat even to innocent people. There had been many murderers out there who have suffered even less than Skey, yet they have claimed to snapped and be insane. Out of all the heathens he's read about, and even all the saints and martyrs, he's never known someone to be as strong willed in life as Skey. Such shameful living that only got worse with the elapsed years that were brought forth...and till this day, she kept such an attitude comparable to childish innocence.
" Aye, yer sooo hypocritical. (grins) Come on, we'll dae some training and satisfy the doctors need tae get their results."
" Father Anderson, I strongly protest--"
" NAE! Ah dinna ask ye aif ye wanted tae train, noo did Ah? Stay oot O' this. This is between Skey and Ah."
Dr. Fiels frowned and retreated his objections against Anderson's tendencies. Though it was perfectly clear Anderson mellowed out of the year, he still had his violent propensities. The doctor and his scientist friend stepped back and let the two conduct their own training lesson. Skey kicked her jacket to the side. The eyes locked onto one another and a frenzying smile was plastered onto their lips. Both loved getting into fights and both loved to come out on top. Skey drew her sword and held it out at a diagonal angle. Anderson met her sword. He drew out a large dueling bayonet and crossed it with her own katana sword. Their blades sung against one another, they scoured in the melody of the calm before the storm. Dr. Fiels thought about reporting this unscheduled occurence to Maxwell...but even he was curious to see which regenerator would win the fight. The aged and experienced generator verus the young upstart regenerator. Then momentus silence was all too deafening to them all.
Skey grinned and waited, felt through the connection of the weapons to see if he would move to encounter. He did. his bayonet pressed her sword down, sliding off then swung back around to slash her. Skey felt something different about the elements between Anderson and herself. Each time, she found herself always on the defensive, blocking the quick and dizzying attacks Anderson lashed out at her. The element was...this was no training. Skey had engulfed herself with a real duel with her own teacher and friend. This fight was for real! This realization helped Skey summon up her strength and learn not to hold back. She drove some untapped strength into her muscles, the adrenaline pumping through her body faster each time. Skey didn't realize he was fighting her against the wall. Once she did, it was too late. Two bayonets flew through her upper arms, slamming her and pinning her to the wall. Two more through her thighs and pinning her. Anderson had aimed the blades right so they wouldn't damage the bones. e grinned and walked casually towards her. Skey was in the state of shock. Pain was enveloping her in a closed in panic. The pain was scorching through her body. She tugged her arm forward, widening the wound. The blades were in the wall pretty deep.
" Skey...yer ae regenerator noo! Noo get loose and COME FOR ME! Ah didnae lecture ye and scolded ye for NAETHING! Whit aif ae vampire had ye in this same situation? Aif so, ye would hae tae find ae way tae get FREE! SHOW ME YER STRENGTH! DINNA HOLD BACK! FREE YERSELF NOO! YE GUID FOR NAETHING, LACKING, CRYING CHILD! Ae hypocritic child who cries O'ER and O'ER! Suck it up, woman! Stop WASTING MA TIME! "
The did it. Skey's teeth grinded and her eyes were set aflame with such fury and anger. The fact of Anderson being her friend was gone. The idea of him caring for her was gone. From this point on, Skey viewed him only as the enemy. Animalistic rage pumped through her, such raw energy surging and mixing with adrenaline. First objective: get out of being pinned. Skey didn't think beforehand when she tore her arm forward, tearing her arm almost off getting it free. The same blazing pain hindered her for the second, but her anger wouldn't let her fail. This time she wouldn't cry. She reached down and pulled the bayonet out of her left thigh. The second to come out was the one in her other leg. The last was the one in her arm. The pain was near unbearable but like he wanted her to, she sucked it up and bared fangs at him. Dangerous fangs. She took the four bayonets and expertedly threw them at Anderson, one just grazing across his cheek. He chuckled at her. The beast within her heart had been unchained. All this while of knowing her, he knew something had been reserved. Some kind of hidden drive. He pushed the right buttons and now he was getting it. Skey drew the second sword and charged him. Anderson blocked her sword with both bayonets crossed in front of his body. the bayonets shattered!
" Shit!"
The sword slashed down the front of his body from the sternum down to just above his privates. Anderson fell back, vastly amazed at her strength. Her feet spread, gaining a sturdy stance as she swun the katana back down. Anderson rolled, sprung back up and threw a bayonet through her stomach. Skey stopped, gagging. Her knees buckled but she only gripped the handle tightly, pulled it out and gifted upon Anderson such rigid, dangerous and hellish eyes. The blue was that of the icy heart, the uncaring and coldness that was unconsciously her true feelings for most. The darker side of Skey had been revealed. Thrown daggers graced his chest, stomach and arms. One had been thrown hard enough to puncture his lung. His eyes flew open in alarm. As much as he showed he would kill her in the beginning, now she was showing the same exact resentments. Skey came at him in a hurry. Anderson continued to stand, waiting for her. She came close. He sidestepped, grabbed her by the back of the neck and slammed her hard into a wall. He pressed his weight against her back, forcing her to stay there. She writhed and growled like some kind of animal.
" Yer jus so colorful, ye know tha'? Ah cannae tell who ye are. Jus last night ye were cuddled in ma arms like some kaind O' lost child. Afor tha', ye were crazed wi' the slaying O' the vampire and his ghouls. Afore tha', ye confessed in ma arms wha' ye went through in yer life. And most O' the time around ethers, ye act so spunky and ignorant. And noo...yer a fury infected, crazed maniac wi' a' the instincts O' ae common ANIMAL. Ae wolf or lion e'en. Skey...in order tae win any fight, ye mus learn tae control yer emotions. E'en when insults are flung at ye, it's a' richt tae get angry and pissed...but ye STILL mus stay rational and attack wi' ae coordinated mind. Ah lose maself at times as weel...but wha' ye learn fae yer teacher is tae nae mak their same mistakes. Skey, ye hearing me...?"
" Yes...I'm fine now...um...let me go? Please?"
Anderson backed away and saw her turn around. Cuts were still visible where he had pinned her to the wall usually in the fashion he would usually use on a vampire. But all his insults, his yelling to hurt her ego into a frenzy, it all worked. Skey smiled up to him and finally noticed how bad she hurt him. Her hand laid flat against the front of his body among the knives she had thrown into him.
" Sorry..."
" Ahh, dinna worry. They dinna hurt tha' much."
She removed her hand and nodded to him silently before walking away, getting her swords and sheathing them. Dr. Fiels only stood at the sidelines, amazed at the fight. Apparently Anderson had won but he had to really dig his heels in and fight fiercely for it. Rubbing her anger the wrong way reallt set off the drive to attack an opponent blindly. Was there really a lesson learned in all of this? Dr. Fiels found two. Never challenge Anderson and never, EVER cross Skey bad enough unless you want all the hell's punishments set upon you. The young and now frightened scientist tapped Dr. Fiels's shoulder.
" Concluded?"
" Yes, let's get back and put these records into the computer. Hussle now!"
Both hurried off. Anderson stood where he was and pulled out a dagger. The one in his lung. As he pulled it out, drips of blood fell off the blade onto the floor. He smiled proudly. Two weeks had gone by and Anderson could swear that within the length of the two weeks, Skey had grown the most then she ever did within the year. Maturity was settling in. Clouds still impaired her judgement, but Anderson felt real soon, that storm would clear up. And when it did, he could imagine her traveling the road uncluttered of regrets.
