Refreshed from the food, the sleep and the sex, Kale had an easy time making the drive from the bed and breakfast back to Halifax. They had gotten lucky along the way and found a donation bin beside a second-hand shop that had plenty of clean clothes to choose from. They had each been able to throw together a couple of outfits to keep them until the AI was able to decrypt the Shironian device. Even in his current situation, on the run from the military, likely thought to be dead by his family, homeless, Kale couldn't help but be happy with himself. He and Kershala had finally been able to express their affection for each other even escalating to an intense physical encounter. He looked over at Kershala briefly as he drove and smiled, he seemed to be deep in thought and hadn't said much since they had gotten the clothing. Although he had reached out and taken his hand a couple of different times only to get distracted in his thoughts and pull away. They had made it to the outskirts of the city, admittedly staying away from the highway made it slightly difficult for Kale to get his bearings and decide how to get into the city.
"They have roadblocks set up at all of the major highway entrances, I will adjust the path to take. I have also found an abandoned building I believe to be a suitable hiding place," Anubis advised. Kale was slightly apprehensive now that the AI had made its intentions clear on he and Kershala's relationship. He could only hope that when the time came it would follow Kershala's orders and not act on its own accord.
"I still don't really have a good idea of where to go," said Kale. The route they had ended up on had taken them to an old road in. "Must be an abandoned building we could take advantage of."
"I have marked a building on your map. It is an abandoned building downtown with easy roof access that we should be able to go undetected in." Kale looked at the map, he was familiar with the building. It was one that had been the site of several failed restaurants and other business over the last few years he had been in the city. It was only ten minutes from their current location.
"Where should we ditch the car when we get there? Eventually the stolen vehicle reports are going to connect right?"
"We simply park it by the water and make our way back to the building," said Kershala looking at the map. "We can erase any trace we were in the vehicle when we decide to leave it."
"So, I'll head to waterfront. It should be mostly quiet at this time of the night anyway." Kale realized that he really had no idea what day it even was. Since being at the facility he had no idea what day they woke up and were never given a calendar for reference. "Anubis, any idea what calendar day it is?"
"It is a Wednesday July 13, according to your yearly calendar." The answer took Kale by surprise, even though he knew he was in the facility for at least a month. The fact that that much time had passed really put everything into perspective. He wondered what his friends and family thought happened to him or what they had been told. He decided that for now it was best to put the thought out of his head as he took the turn to the downtown area. The building he was looking for was on Gottingen Street, he couldn't help but think that it was a great place to hide there was more than enough activity in the area to keep the heat off them. He pulled into an old parking lot, there were a few other cars but no activity in the area.
"This should be a good spot to leave the car," he said as he shut it off. As the engine went quiet the AI dispelled the image of the map he had been using and floated over to Kershala dropping the device in his hand. "Did you say this building had a rooftop entrance?" he asked as they filed out of the vehicle. Kale grabbed the suitcase they had taken with their new clothing from the trunk of the vehicle.
"Yes, there is a fire escape on the back of the building."
"I will lead us to it, the directions have been synced to my implant," said Kershala walking ahead of them. They only walked a block in the empty street before they were at their destination. It was a large empty building that had once been an oddities museum. They walked around to the back of the building being careful to make sure no one seen them or followed them and there was indeed a very old fire escape that led to a sealed off top floor. "I do not see any alarm systems to worry about."
"Doesn't look too sturdy. You'll catch me if I fall right?" Kale winked at Kershala as he walked passed him and started up the ladder.
"Every time," Kershala smiled and jumped high enough to grab the side of the building and pulled himself to the roof.
"Show off," said Kale to himself as he climbed the rest of the way to the top. As he got to the top he found Kershala standing at a door waiting for him. "What are you waiting for, let's open it up." Kale walked over to the door and grabbed the handle, he gave it a shove and could feel the door give a small amount of leeway. "I can't tell if it's blocked or sealed." He gave it another shove and this time the door opened but not all the way. Kershala walked over and effortlessly pushed on the door, as it opened there was the sound of something scraping along the floor. They walked in and the AI took flight from Kershala's hand shining light into the open room. Kale shut the door behind them as they entered. Dust floated in front of the light from the AI core which showed several cardboard boxes and furniture that was covered in plastic sheets that bared a layer of dust as well. "At least there's furniture." Kale took a step in, walking around the boxes and sat the suitcase next to the couch. He could see that there was plenty of space to clear an area for them to make a bit of a living space out of. "Help me clear these boxes out of the way." Kale picked up one of the boxes and stacked it on top of another that sat in the corner. "Is there any way to get power up here?"
"My implant can see that there is energy being provided." Kershala picked up a couple of boxes and sat them in the corner. "We will need a decent amount of space if we are going to take part in the training."
"I thought you were going to use the Jadak'tora to train me," said Kale moving another couple of light boxes.
"I can use it to give you the knowledge, but we will need to spar to teach the practical application." Kershala stopped moving and began looking at the boxes that were scattered around, Kale could tell he was using the implant to scan them.
"Any floor lights in any of those?" he asked. Kershala stayed quiet and continued moving from box to box. Meanwhile Kale walked to the covered furniture and removed the plastic from it. Luckily there was no sign of mice in the vicinity and everything seemed to be relatively clean under the plastic sheaths. Kershala bent down into one of the boxes and pulled out a table light, he walked over to Kale with it in hand. "That'll have to do. Hopefully it still works," said Kale taking it in hand.
"I have analyzed the components. It will work." Kale looked the object over, it was small, and the design was a little morbid, decorated with a skull motif.
"Now just need a plug. Keep clearing a space I'll take a look around." Kale paced the area taking a good look along the wall, he'd hoped to find something close to where they were clearing so they wouldn't have to adjust their set up by much. Luckily right beside the couch there was an outlet. "This is turning out to be a pretty good set up. Needs a bit of a dust up but otherwise," Kale paused and looked around, "cozy."
"I doubt we will be here long enough to make it worth doing too much cleaning up," said Kershala as he sat the last couple of boxes out of the way. Kale plugged the light in and flicked it on. It seemed to stutter at first then turned on casting a light on most of their surroundings and casting shadows on the rest. Kale looked around at the walls, they were plastered with graffiti of all different colors and shapes. A sort of urban mural seemed to cover the length of the entire right wall. He couldn't imagine whose storage everything would belong to, but he was grateful for it. Kershala sat down on the couch and watched him intently waiting for him to join him. The AI core had reengaged with the device and hovered on the opposite end of the chair. "Join me, we should get started before you get too tired. The information you will be taking on will be a lot."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" asked Kale. He couldn't help but think of the previous experience he had with the Jadak'tora last time they engaged. Kershala passed him a comforting smile.
"Do not worry, I have done extensive research via my implant and access with Anubis. It should be much more … pleasant than last time. Though it may cause you to tire," explained Kershala. It still baffled Kale that he was able to absorb information so quickly via the implant, it was like he was able to learn almost anything just by having the AI download it first.
"I know you wouldn't do it if you weren't sure, I just needed to hear the full version." Kale walked to the couch and took a seat next to Kershala. Kershala took his hand and smiled at him, he raised Kale's hand to his mouth and kissed his palm before placing it to the implant. This time Kale could instantly tell the difference as his arm started to feel a subtle tingle instead of full on numbness. It was certainly more restrained and more comfortable to experience this time. He watched as Kershala's markings began to glow through his clothing.
"Close your eyes," Kershala said softly. The sensation traveling his arm became more intense while still not uncomfortable the feeling was strange and completely unfamiliar to him. Kershala closed his eyes and tightened his grip on Kale's hand holding it firmly to the implant. Kale closed his eyes as well and this time while there was no pain there was a strain on his mind as Kershala completed the bond between them. This time there was no void, he found himself standing in a large field. As he looked around it was clear to him that it wasn't on Earth. What he perceived as grass beneath his bare feet was blue, he could see large mountains off in the distance and the colors over the horizon were almost inexplicably alien. Everything around him was much clearer than the previous bond he had experienced he felt emotions move through him, but he seemed to be entering an almost Zen state when he heard the grass ruffle behind him. He instinctually turned to face the noise as he realized he also had control of himself and he wasn't only an observer anymore. It was of course Kershala behind him. He looked vaguely different and was dressed in a silken garb adorned with hues of blue and purple that seemed to lay on his masculine form definitively. He could only assume this was Daoran training garb. Kershala smiled at him and reached out taking his head in his hands. Kale suddenly had the feeling of falling backwards and he was in a different location. An older Daoran and what Kale could tell was a young Kershala were training, the older Daoran made eye contact and suddenly Kale was in front of him beside the younger Kershala. He no longer had control of his body as it mimicked the combat training Kershala was undertaking.
"Keep your mind clear," the elder man said loudly, "You may not always be able to beat an enemy with your strength, your mind may be your only hope." Kale felt the sudden urge to blink and as he did and reopened his eyes he was again in a different setting. He could see what he was sure a teen-age version of Kershala pinned to the ground by a Shironian soldier. Out of nowhere a man in a similar nanite suit to Kershala's appeared behind the soldier and put his fist through its chest before throwing it to the ground. The nanites peeled back and revealed another man who looked to be about forty, he reached down to help Kershala to his feet. Kale was surprised to see Kershala slap the man's hand away and jump to his feet. He could tell he was angry seemingly throwing a teenage temper tantrum of some kind.
"Why would you do that!" he screamed. Kale had never seen such anger in a young person before. Pure rage seemed to seep through every feature on Kershala's young face. "I had it under control, you ignorant pishar!" Kershala got in the older man's face as he continued to growl at him. "I was just about to finish that …" Kale felt a flush of rage come over him when suddenly the man grabbed Kershala by the neck and pinned him to the ground with great ease. Oddly as Kershala hit the ground Kale found himself looking up at the man whose eyes were intense, those of a father who had just been shown great disrespect.
"You must show modesty when faced with impossible odds, you are not the only one to suffer should you be defeated for your own stubbornness!" Kale struggled under the man's grip but could not free himself. "The battle is over." Kale felt the anger subside and the sensation of floating took him over as his surroundings changed again, his feet touched the ground and this time he was standing in a small room the elder man sat on the bed in front of Kershala. Kale seemed to be standing to the right of them. Kershala was still wearing the same clothing from the previous memory and Kale could see the sadness in his eyes as the older man spoke.
"Yailar told me of your fight… and the battle," he started. Kale felt suddenly anxious like he was as a teenager whenever one of his parents would have a disciplinary talk to him when he found himself in Kershala's place.
"Gaban, I could have saved myself if he only gave me a chance," he cried.
"You must never show disrespect such as this to someone who cares for you so. If they have proven their dedication to you, then you must trust that they have your best interest at heart. You should thank Zarai that you still have family that cares for you, so many of the children of the Daora cannot say the same right now." The elder reached out and rested a hand on his shoulder and pulled him into a fatherly embrace.
"I am sorry, Gaban…" Kale heard Kershala's voice say. Everything around him suddenly vanished, he could feel his motor control coming back to him as Kershala gently severed the bond. He opened his eyes and was sitting back in front of Kershala again on the old couch. His eyes were misty from the final memory Kershala had imparted to him and he wiped at his eyes before looking up and smiling at Kershala.
"Those were intense," he said quietly. Kershala lowered Kale's hand from the implant and the glowing had stopped, Kershala held Kale's hand on his lap.
"Those three memories," Kershala paused and looked at their hands before looking back to Kale and finishing his sentence, "were the memories that formed the foundation for my combat training."
"Wow, those men, your father and your grandfather?" said Kale, thinking of the men brought him a sinking sadness in his chest.
"Yes, my Gaban, was the wisest man I've ever known. His son, Yailar was the greatest warrior that my family had birthed in generations." Kershala smiled and almost seemed to be somewhere else, Kale could only assume him to be reliving fond memories.
"Is that the start of my training? I see the significance to you and imparting those lessons is beautiful, but is that really all you are going to show me tonight?"
"That is not how it works, stand up." Kershala pulled Kale to his feet and they stepped a couple feet away from the couch. "The first level of the combat training has been transferred to you along with my memories, we just have to wake it up." Kale watched as Kershala took up a combat stance. "Do not worry it will be like you are fighting an equally skilled human." Kale couldn't help but feel nervous after having witness how fierce a warrior Kershala could be. Without warning Kershala came at him and it was suddenly like Kale wasn't in control of his own body. As Kershala threw his fists and feet Kale almost instinctually knew how to counter it. After blocking and countering several attacks Kershala pulled back and Kale saw his opening, the training awakening. He threw a punch which Kershala blocked with one arm as he did an instinct kicked in. Kale brought his other into an uppercut catching Kershala's chin, causing him to bend his neck back.
"Oh my god, are you okay?" said Kale stopping what he was doing and walking over to Kershala. Before he knew it, a foot sweep was his answer and he fell to his back he stopped himself from landing too hard and rolled to the side as Kershala brought a knee down toward him. He jumped to his feet and swung around with a kick which Kershala dodged. After a few rounds back and forth Kale found himself winded, he knew how to fight but his endurance still left something to be desired. He bent over with his hands on his knees, he felt like he had just put in a good cardio work out, and he was almost as sweaty. "Okay, I need to stop for a bit." Kershala stood down and sat back down on the couch. "I can't believe how second nature all that was." Kale dropped on the couch beside Kershala again.
"You did very well. You even lasted longer than I thought you would," said Kershala. Kale couldn't help but notice the slight excitement in his voice. "I am so glad to be able to share my experiences with you." Kershala smiled at him. "When I first came to you, I felt so alone, now we are here. After I lost my family, Kale, I did not think I would truly ever be happy again." Kale felt his heart sink in his chest as Kershala spoke, it had been a very long time since he had this kind of feeling. A kind of infatuation.
"You're so cute." Kale smiled back and leaned in to kiss him, letting it linger for several seconds before sitting back on the couch. "Should we finish setting the place up and maybe go get some food? We're going to need to eat out pretty regularly without a proper fridge." Kale thought about the options in the area and they were numerous, café's, restaurants both fast food and fancy, and grocery stores, were all in the area. "I don't really know how to go about this…"
"What do you mean?" asked Kershala.
"Well I think even now that we have proper clothing we're going to stick out. Anubis has to devote itself to decryption I'm assuming so it won't always be able to go with us to hide your markings or eyes with holograms."
"I will just have to stay here while you go."
"You should also look into securing another communication device," said Anubis hovering over in front of them. "I can use the device to give you access to the account I have created. As well as give you the ability to wirelessly detect and deactivate surveillance if you need to."
"A limited version of my implant," said Kershala in agreement. Kale walked over to their suitcase and pulled on the zipper, he could see why it was in a donation bin as he fought to get the positioning right for the zipper. As it clicked he opened the case and pulled out the hooded black cardigan he found in the bin and pulled it on.
"I'll just go get something at the twenty-four-hour grocery story down the street. With this on they shouldn't be able to get a clear shot of my face even if there are security cameras." Kale put the hood up and it completely shrouded his face. "Anubis you'll have to come with me at least this time until we can get that phone your talking about." Kale walked toward the door and stopped at the exit. The AI core floated over to him and he took it in hand. "It's only a few minutes down the road, I'll be back soon."
"Anubis warn me if anything goes wrong," said Kershala as he got off the couch and walked over to them. Kershala leaned in and kissed Kale on the cheek. "Come back to me." Kershala whispered in Kale's ear and his breath made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.
"Don't do that right now," he laughed pulling away. "I'm leaving, that's mean." Kershala smiled at him as he pulled the door open, he gave Kershala a final glance before stepping outside and pulling the door shut behind him.
Kale stepped out on to the roof and the warm night air hit him causing him to realize how stuffy their little hide out actually was. He walked across the roof and headed down the fire escape, through the alley and out onto the sidewalk. The street was well lit and aside from one other person walking in the opposite direction on the other side of the street he was the only sign of movement. As he walked he could see the lights from the store he was going to down the road and it wasn't long before he was walking across the parking lot. There were several cars in the lot most likely he figured would be the night shift crew but also a few customers. He kept his head down as he walked into the store the brightness of the fluorescent light was blinding. He considered the fact that he hadn't been in a grocery store for well over a month. He grabbed one of the baskets and made his way through the aisles grabbing stuff he figured would be easy to keep without refrigeration or even a whole lot of storage. Notably he grabbed a couple four liters of bottled water, bread, peanut butter, and an abundance of prepackaged foods that he thought would be sustaining, canned fish and chicken, hummus and cracker snacks, and protein bars. He checked over his basket and grabbed some disposable dishes and cutlery before he made his way back to the storefront and stepped up to the self-checkout.
"Perfect." He tapped a couple of buttons on the touch screen and began scanning his items. The automated voice from the teller told him the prices of each item as he scanned it, finishing off with the water he ran it over the scanner.
"Error, please wait a teller is on the way!" The machine seemed louder this time when it spoke.
"Dammit, I don't need a teller. Shit," Kale whispered in frustration as a young woman walked over to him.
"What were you trying to scan?" she asked.
"Just the water didn't go through." Kale looked at her and felt the color leaving his face, it was his ex-fiancé.
"Kale is that you?" The women moved to get a better look at his face, he didn't want to seem like he was trying to avoid her, so he didn't stop her from seeing him. "I heard that you were killed when that thing attacked the citadel. I thought I saw an obituary." Kale was stunned, he didn't know what to say to her. It was good information that the people who captured them created a cover up story to say he was dead. It was even worse that it was the ex that he had the worst kind of break up with that would recognize him. He hadn't heard from or seen Alana in a long time, he had no idea that she was working in the area or how long she had been back in the city. The last he had heard of her was that she moved back with her family in Ontario. The worst part is that it was a terrible break up and he wouldn't consider anything to do with her amicable. Now he had no choice but to try and cover his tracks.
"Um, no. Who'd you hear that from?" he asked. He tried his best to sound normal, but he was sure he was failing. "When did you get back in the city?" He jumped to the next question hoping she would ignore his demeanor. He hoped that she was still as caught up on herself as she used to be.
"Oh, I've been back for almost a year," she answered taking Kales bait.
"A year?" Kale couldn't help but feel like he had just been slapped across the face. They were almost married, and she didn't even bother to contact him. He hadn't changed any of his contact information. "What for?"
"I came back to finish university." She smiled at him as she entered a code at the machine to scan the bottled water. Kale had paid for the first half of her university. With his nervousness and being caught so off guard he couldn't tell if she was saying this to be legitimate or if she was trying to get a dig in at him.
"Your total is eighty-three dollars and seventy-three cents." The automated voice on the machine chimed in disrupting the conversation. Kale pulled out the AI core that had already assumed it's disguise and passed it over the payment system.
"Well, I'll see you around." Kale smiled at her and quickly grabbed his stuff to leave.
"Is that it? I don't even get a hug? I know we weren't on great terms, but I still like you." Kale felt a burning feeling in his chest something he had grown all too familiar with around her.
"I'm seeing someone, he makes me pretty happy actually." Throughout the course of their relationship Alana constantly berated him over potentially leaving her or cheating on her with a man.
"Oh," she spoke rather curtly. "Well have a good night." Kale turned quickly from her and headed for the door, he could hear the familiar tone is her voice telling him she was disappointed in him. It had become something he heard regularly toward the end of their relationship and something about it still shook him to the core when he heard it. He exited the store and walked over to the side of the doorway just out of view. He sat the groceries down and bent down with his hands on his knees breathing heavily.
"Man, that was weird. Can't believe she's back in town." Kale took a couple of breaths to try and shake the anxiety she caused him.
"Kale, should I alert Kershala? You seem distressed," observed Anubis.
"No, I'm okay. She's just got an effect on me and I hate it." Kale took a deep breath and exhaled, he picked up the bags and started walking again. It wasn't long before Kale was back at the hide out. He walked in the door to see Kershala had moved several boxes back out of the way. There was a couple of blankets set up on the floor that weren't there before. The AI hovered to the device and hovered still above the couch. Kale walked in an sat the bags down on the chair. "I mainly got non-perishables won't taste the best, but it'll keep without a fridge." Kershala walked over and greeted him with a kiss.
"I'm sure it will be good enough. I found some blankets in a box to make a place for us to sleep," said Kershala beckoning to the makeshift bed. Kale followed Kershala to the bed and they sat on the floor by the couch taking the bottled water with them. Kershala gave him a strange look after taking a drink.
"Does it taste weird? Sometimes the plastic bottles may taste a little…"
"No," Kershala interrupted, "It's not the water. Are you okay? Something is different in you." Kale was caught off guard by the question. He still felt off after his encounter in the grocery store, but he didn't feel physically different as would likely show up on Kershala's implant.
"I'm okay. Just saw someone who used to mean a lot to me," said Kale, "Do you remember when I talked about the woman I shared my place with?"
"She was at the store?"
"Yeah, I…" Kale trailed off thinking over how she made him feel.
"Do you still have feelings for her?" Kale wasn't sure if Kershala was jealous or just asking.
"Not at all, she just made me feel how I used to feel around her…" he paused looking at his hands before looking back up at Kershala who was staring at him almost intently. "Small, she makes me feel small." He couldn't think of another word to express the feelings he experienced.
"You are not small, Kale." Kershala's soft smile made him feel better than he felt it should of, he couldn't help but smile back as Kershala reached out and rubbed his neck. They each had something to eat from the snacks Kale bought and decided to bed down for the night. The light went out and Kale laid with his arm firmly wrapped around Kershala's chest and pulled him in close to him. He could feel that Kershala was drifting into sleep and it wasn't long before he joined him.