ISSUE 1- Enter the G!
Chapter 4- The Ace of Swords
Dazed and confused, no memory of who or what I am and how I got here. Frightened and nervous I looked upon the faces of three total strangers. They all gave me a wide berth, as if I would strike them down.
I wouldn't do that. Had I ever done that?
I can almost remember something about hurting… about pain.
It is… my friend?
The bound figure caught sight of the arsenal on the computer desk and jerked violently against his restraints.
"What are you going to do with that"
He looked absolutely terrified; his voice had lost its edge of control and lost its metropolitan accent. His accent seemed to be a mixture of Canadian and Russian.
Nikki stepped forward and looked the captive in the eye.
"We pulled them off you. The question is, what were you going to do with them"
The confusion of the seated man was evident as his eyes scanned the large pile of weapons. His gaze rested on the laser-sighted pistol he had held only moments before, some sort of recognition flickered in his eyes. He tried desperately to keep onto that slither of a memory, but it slipped away like smoke.
The three saw this conflict play out on his face and looked at each. Suddenly the man whispered something almost inaudible.
"Point forty five centimetre long-slide pistol… With a laser sight"
The three looked back at him, the memory resurged. Ken glanced at Cathy and raised an eyebrow.
"I think I have an idea." He then looked back at the assassin and said, "Just chill for a minute, try and remember your own name."
He walked to Nikki, and whispered in her ear.
"Keep an eye out, if he tries something, just imagine it's good old Melville sitting in that chair"
Ken felt a wave of warmth come from her, confirming that Nikki had things well under control. He gestured Cathie away for a private chat.
The pair walked to the computer and began muttering inaudibly. Nikki kept watching Joel who looked around himself in a child like manner. Although when he looked up at Nikki, he turned away from her stare nervously. He had turned from being a ferocious pit bull, teeth bared. To a small wide eyed puppy, at the bottom of the food chain.
Cathie sat at the computer, typing constantly. Ken returned to the prisoner.
"While my associate puts something together to help you remember who you might have been, perhaps you would care to take a break to use the facilities"
Joel took a minute to comprehend, and nodded slowly.
"There is a way to the men's room from here, isn't there?" Ken asked Cathie at the computer.
Cathie, without lifting her gaze, slowly moved her left hand to a drawer next to her leg, she opened it and pulled out what looked to be a small remote, her right hand kept up it's avid typing. She pressed a small button with a door on it, and in the gloom a set of LED's illuminated the way to what looked like an old service elevator a few metres away.
"Cheers." Said Ken, continuing to untie the stranger.
When he finished, the orange haired man stood confidently and walked side by side with Ken to the elevator.
Nikki watched him suspiciously, the wave of warmth causing her own bright red hair to sway slightly on her shoulders.
"I think I should come." She said almost forcefully.
Ken turned around for a second to reply.
"We'll be right. After all, if anything happens, I still got my lifeline." He grinned, pointing at his pocket.
The elevator lead to the Reference section in the main library, Ken had been to the South Australia State Library quite a few times, so he knew his way around. Ken showed him to the stall door and stood outside, as whistling resounded from within. Besides the whistling, wheels were turning in the man's head. He peered around the stall, noting that there were three items that could be used as makeshift weapons…
When they returned, Cathie had printed off a lot of cards, divided into five sections. Ken helped the stranger to his seat, and Nikki picked up the first stack and approached the man. "This is a little memory exercise. I'm going to show you a few cards with pictures on them. What I want you to do is tell me what you see on the picture. Got it"
The amnesiac nodded slowly. As Nikki brought out the first card, it was a picture of a baby, wrapped up in blankets.
"A baby." He said simply, Cathie nodded.
"That's r-right," she said "just l-like t-that"
The next card was a little girl, not any older than five. She was wearing a pink nightgown and smiling at the camera.
"A girl"
The third card was of a little boy, same age as the girl. He wore blue pyjamas and had a head of red hair, not as bright as Nikki's. About the same shade as the Assassins.
"Joel… Someone called Joel. Wait, it's not someone, it's Joel Kruze. It's me."
The three smiled at each other. Cathie stepped forward. "Hello Joel K-Kruze. I-I'm Cathie D-Dixon, and t-this is N-Nikki Winstanley a-and Ken Castle." Cathie gave Joel a warm smile and Joel returned it.
"Ok…" Said Nikki, interrupting the moment. "Let's carry on with the cards."
Joel kept returning satisfactory replies to all the questions.
"House"
"Car"
"Plane"
"Computer"
"Cat"
"Dog"
"Russian Infantry Kalishnikov Rifle. Commonly called the AK-47. Heavily distributed throughout the world as a standard issue combat weapon. Cheap, heavy recoil, discharges its entire magazine in approximately five seconds on full automatic."
Nikki looked at the card.
"I would have also accepted 'gun'. But that will do"
She was about to bring out the next card when Ken stopped her.
"Whoa!" He started. "Hold on a second, where did that come from"
Joel sat there for a moment.
"I don't know…" Was all he could manage.
Cathie picked up the second set of cards.
"I w-was hoping w-we would u-use these"
She motioned to Nikki to put her cards down and began showing the cards to Joel, instead of general knowledge, these were pictures of military equipment, and vehicles. To everyone's astonishment, not only did he get them all correct. But he went into very deep detail on every card. This basically confirmed in their minds that Joel had been a weapons and military hardware enthusiast. Or some form of government agent.
By the time Nikki had shown the last card, a photograph of an armoured personnel carrier, Ken and Nikki were sitting on the edge of the desk, a bit bored. When they heard the silence. Ken stepped forward "I'll take the next round." He said, and Cathie turned around and pointed at the fourth stack.
Joel didn't recognize all the next cards. These were photographs of locations. From scenic countrysides, to capital cities. Joel did recognize quite a lot of Canada, and much of the northern hemisphere in general. However, he knew Melbourne fairly well, and some of southern Asia.
Cathie picked up the last stack of cards, and approached Joel, giving him another warm smile. These cards merely showed symbols and number patterns.
Joel only really recognized a few of them. Most of the cards were types of coding keys, or organizations that most of them had never even heard of.
After being showed a picture of a hammer and a sickle, which he easily recognized. Cathie pulled out a card of a picture of a winged lion and a snake warped around its middle. Joel stared at this picture suddenly, his eyes locked onto it, and his forehead broke out into a sweat.
"Twelve." He said to Cathie, who looked at the card in puzzlement.
"No actually." Said Ken in reply to Joel. "That's what we in the profession call Snakes on a Lion."
Nikki gave him a glare.
"It's a symbol from ancient zodiac worship. It represents"
Joel suddenly cut her off.
"No your wrong!" He said angrily, taking the three by surprise with his forceful yell.
"It's The Twelve. They're ancient. They know everything"
Joel suddenly gripped his head in his hands, as if struck with a large migraine. He started to rock back and forth while mumbling.
"They sent for me… They needed me… For something"
He suddenly began to jerk, and fell out of the chair. Muttering something under his breath. Cathie kneeled next to him, and started to rub his shoulder, whispering inaudible words that soothed him.
He slowly looked up at her, tears in his eyes.
"I can't remember." He said. Cathie merely smiled at him.
"It's o-ok." She replied.
"I think I know someone who might." Said Ken, breaking the silence. "Nikki, maybe we should take him to a tarot reading"
Cathie looked at Ken in surprise.
"Don't t-tell me y-your s-starting to turn?" She said with a half smile.
"Of course not." Said Ken knowingly. "But I think we should take him to Nikki's psychic"
He picked up from the table the Ace of Swords card that had Madam Frenchy's stamp on the back.
Cathie helped Joel up from the floor; her and Nikki gave each other a nod. It was official; they were going to see Madame Frenchy.
"I feel, that for this momentous occasion." Said Ken loudly, drawing himself to his full height. "That we should head out under a common banner"
He slipped the ring on his right hand and continued.
"Since you are all now so dear to me. I proclaim us to be"
He paused for effect.
"THE G-SQUAD!"
As he punched his right fist into the air, his form flickered to one of six feet, muscle bound. His street clothes changed into a leather jacket, and jeans. A few pieces of gold glittering around his body.
"Uh… Is he always like this?" Asked Joel with an eyebrow raised.
"Oh," responded Nikki, "you have no idea."