Dangerous Journey

Disclaimer: Don't own iCarly

A/N:

Chapter 13 (Humanity)

Sam approached David in the park, ready and eager to sit down and play a game of chess once more. She wouldn't divulge Carly's or Spencer's presence, but she couldn't help to smirk at him from behind when thinking of the advantage she had over him.

With Spencer and Carly here, if she were to find a way to get a DNA sample from Trina, they could easily compare it to her siblings.

As she made her way to the man, he started to turn. "Well, I was wondering if you would show," David said with a slight wave. Sam smiled back and took a seat in front of him.

"I'm a woman of my word, sir. If I say I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it."

"Integrity is a good thing to have." She wouldn't question the man on his value system. Either way, she did want to know what values the man did have. As it would appear, he was controlling yet allowed his victim to have a life. In other words, he acted like a family man despite being a criminal; so was he a monster or just a villain? She had not decided.

"And you are a man of integrity, Mr. Vega." She studied her chess pieces carefully and raised her hand to her chin. Her right foot started tapping the ground and her index finger curled into the center of her chin. "So. Shall we begin?"

"You have first move."

"Then I'll move…this piece." She pushed the pawn in H1 forward two spaces and lifted her eyes to David. He nodded and hummed for a second before pushing the E7 pawn forward two. "I'd like your thoughts on something, Mr. V."

She pushed the C4 pawn up two spaces. "What question do you have?" He waited no amount of time before pushing the knight in G8 out to F6.

There was something different about the way he was playing today, as though he was more enshrined into the game. The last week, he was likely testing her to see how well she played, so was he now going to play to his full capability?

"I haven't decided what I want to study as my major in college just yet." She folded her left arm over her left knee and moved her fingers towards the rook in H1. David's eyebrows rose and Sam pulled her hand away from the rook, still unsure what she needed to move now.

"What are your thoughts?"

"Well, I have thick skin-so I was thinking something like a probation officer, or possibly parole officer." She leaned back in the wooden chair and met his eyes. "I like the thought of working in corrections. I also really enjoy learning about how people think; so psychology is a big thing for me."

"Have you thought about a career in Criminology?" She tilted her head and dropped her gaze to the board, where she casually her A2 pawn to A4. "Interesting move."

Sam clicked her tongue against her cheek and watched him move his F8 bishop to C5. Her left palm planted on her left knee and she leaned towards the right, furrowing her brow at the board.

Her eyes slid up to his and her shoulders rose. "Criminology? I feel like I'd need a doctorate to be a criminologist."

"Yes." The study of criminals and how they think was something that intrigued her. She only heard of it in passing when looking at all the possible careers in the various degrees that interested her, but now that he mentioned it, she did like the thought of it. "It is a worthwhile career, but it would be a lot of work."

"Yeah. Right now I'm taking an elective online that's related to criminal organizations."

"Oh?"

"They wanted me to do a research paper on a local crime organization." She wasn't lying about this. Trina unintentionally gave her one to research upon giving her the name of Jesse Klein; The Black Knights were disbanded. "I've stumbled across a gang that is no longer operating, so I thought maybe I could research it."

Sam eyeballed the chessboard, trying to picture what his next move may be after hers. It was crucial in the game of chess to play multiple moves out in your mind. Rather than focusing solely on the player's hand, the player must also be a step ahead of the opponent.

The pawn in B2 could move up to B4, but then he could take it with his bishop. That would open the bishop to then grab the pawn in D2, but he wouldn't take that move if he didn't want her queen to capture that piece.

Still unsure, she moved the pawn in F2 up one space. David then moved his pawn in D7 to D5. Sam then brought her rook in A1 out to A3. Her opponent then took the pawn in C4 with the pawn in D5.

"Tell me, Samantha. What is the gang you have decided to research?" Her brow relaxed and she breathed out. Her major concern was David could be skeptical of her knowing about the Black Knights, but she planned ahead for this by talking about her college paper.

"Have you heard of the Black Knights?" He raised his eyebrows and leaned back slowly.

"Yes, I've heard of them. Good organization to research for a class paper, they were small-time if I recall. At least the LAPD never had much of an issue with them. They were more or less a gang of vigilantes."

"Oh." Her lips fell into a frown and her shoulders sank. "I thought they were an actual criminal organization." David pulled back the corners of his mouth and swept his hand through his hair with a sigh.

"They were many years ago. If it helps your paper, they used to be led by a man named Ralph Klein. His son took over nearly five years ago when his father went into hiding. At that point, the organization became less focused on criminal activity and more focused on vigilante justice."

"Why did they disband?" She moved another piece on the board and David spent a moment studying the pieces carefully before moving one.

"Word is Jesse Klein moved to another location, and his final order of business was to disband the Knights."

"Boring." She scoffed. David chuckled as she moved another of her pieces on the board. He had moved his queen out, and now all of their pieces were clustered in the center. He'd cornered her quickly, and checkmate was inevitable.

"It seem boring, but it's a good opportunity for you to study the leaders and perhaps see why they acted in the way they had." David's fingers caressed the top of the queen piece and Sam watched with widening eyes as he lifted it off the board. "Could it be rivalry? Maybe he found love-as cliché as that sounds, there are a lot of criminals who stop their activity because they've decided to start a family."

David set the queen piece down in F2, then folded his hands over the board. His mouth curled into a smirk and Sam's jaw fell open.

With her surviving rook in H3, her bishops in D and G2, her queen and king were still in place and her knights were both in their starting place. She dropped her head and let out a sigh. "Checkmate. You got me, Mr. Vega, but how come you didn't play so hard last time?"

"I was testing you. I wanted to see how much you knew of the game at a beginner level." She raised her head and smiled with respect. "Care for another round?"

"I have some time, and I am willing to learn." She set up the pieces this time, making certain everything was in its proper place. "So Jesse Klein turned the Black Knights into a literal version of Robin Hood and his merry band of bandits? No wonder his dad didn't take it back." David leaned back, belting out a laugh.

"Ralph is still in hiding, I believe."

"When he headed the organization, what crimes did they commit?"

"Standard gang activity. Robbing stores, fighting over territory. They were strong enough to shake the entire LAPD. I believe Mr. Klein went into hiding because we were closing in on him thanks to an informant, and his own leaders were planning to take him out."

"So he ran because either way, he was screwed?"

"Yes." David flashed a smirk and crossed his arms over his chest. "He had the police department on his right, his own gang on the left, and no way out." She was intrigued by the story, and curious why Ralph's own gang would turn against him.

"The gang turned against him. Why?"

"Happens all the time." He shrugged. "Think back to history classes and tell me how many leaders of nations took to the throne by assassinating the last one. Criminal Organizations follow the same trend from time to time."

"You think Jesse was planning to take out his own father?"

David turned his eyes to the right and Sam looked over. She watched as a jogger passed by them, disappearing over the hill. "Before Mr. Klein went into hiding, he had his organization engaging in a number of activities that went far beyond what several of their members approved of."

The man returned his gaze to Sam. She listened with earnest. Hearing this tale was enjoyable for her, on the basis that learning about all these things was exciting. So perhaps the criminal justice field would be good for her, she was still testing the waters, though.

"Ralph's prerogative was to go so far as to assassinate key members in the city and state government. From our Chief of Police, the Mayor, and all the way to the Governor of California."

"He sounds insane."

"I believe the Knights felt he was. His son led the attack against him however by sending an informant to us and rallying the organization to try and kill his father."

"You wouldn't think Jesse be the type to take his father's life, would you? I mean, no matter how crazy the man was, this was his father."

"Right." David scratched under his chin and lifted his eyes up and to the right, squinting them as though trying to remember something. "I believe it was suggested that Jesse deciding to do this came when his father took the life of his girlfriend at the time." She threw her hand over her mouth and raised her eyebrows up.

"Why did he do that?"

"No reason was ever given that I know of. The informant simply told the police Ralph had Jesse's girlfriend gunned down in the streets. It was possible Ralph was trying to keep his son from becoming soft. That girl didn't care for all the violence that was going on, if I remember correctly."

David moved one of his chess pieces and his eyes slanted at the board. "As for Jesse, I suppose I'm thankful the man has left. Maybe he wasn't dangerous, but a gang member is still a gang member."

"Why do you say that?" She leaned forward, genuinely interested but also hopeful that he might reveal crucial information. David turned his eyes upwards and let out a small grunt.

"My daughter met the punk outside school one day, and they proceeded to start dating."

"I take it you didn't approve."

"Well, even if you cast aside the fact that he was a leader of a criminal organization, he was still too old for her." David snorted and his mouth fell into a deep frown. "She was fifteen, he was eighteen. Almost."

"You're protective of her, eh?"

"Of course." Good to know, but it didn't change things for her. She wanted to ask more questions regarding Trina, but she knew that may tip the man off. The last thing she needed to do was make it seem like she was interested in the girl's life.

"I wish I had a father as protective of me, even if the overprotective thing is annoying. My dad's in prison on a life sentence for murdering a prostitute."

"Sorry to hear that. How old were you?"

"Seven." He clicked his tongue. The skin around his eyes tensed and three lines stretched out from the corners. "I uh…" She dropped her head and closed her hands in her lap. "I witnessed that murder." Truth be told, the murder was partially responsible for her interest in the legal and criminal justice field, as was the fact that Spencer had become an attorney and she'd taken an interest in the work he was doing.

Still, of the three tracks in criminal justice: Legal, law enforcement and corrections, corrections interested her the most.

"I'm sorry you had to see such a thing." His voice quieted and he spoke under a heavy breath. "It's terrible for a child to have to witness a murder at such an early age."

"Yes. It is." She carefully moved one of her chess pieces. Her muscles relaxed and her eyebrows flattened over her eyes. "I still have nightmares. Those never go away. My father even threatened me at the time. A child. To think he might have killed his own daughter." Her lips pursed and her eyes drifted up to the man. "Could you even imagine that? Forget killing your child, killing a child period."

"Anyone that could go that far should be shot. I'll admit that's my feeling on the subject." She could sense the honesty in his voice, enough to realize this was a line even he wouldn't cross. It was a good thing, since it might explain how Trina managed to survive all these years.

"Good," Sam thought while studying the man's relaxed form, "You're not as much of a monster as my father was. Color me surprised." With their second conversation nearing its end, Sam was beginning to realize that this man was more complex than she initially thought.

All her life she felt a criminal was a criminal, not capable of humanity or rational thought. She questioned David's humanity still, since he managed to abduct a child and shoot her mother, then keep the child all these years, but he didn't appear to be as monstrous as some.

She needed to learn more. "Same time next week, Mr. Vega?" The man nodded as he made the final chess move that once more won the game. She dropped her shoulders and shook her head. "I swear I will win one of these days."

"Keep practicing and one day you may be able to defeat me."

"When that day comes, I hope it's a 'well-played' moment." She smirked and the sunlight glinted in her eyes. He smirked back and his left hand swayed outward.

"We shall see. You manage to practice enough to beat me, I will be more than happy to congratulate you."

Learning a little more about the enemy and some other things. It's a curious thought indeed, David is a criminal but is he a monster? He's given some good advice too regarding Sam's major of choice in college as well. This antagonist is much more complex than most that I have written. What are your thoughts on the chapter? What do you think of the discussion?