Recalling Destiny

by Michael Blinkhoff

  “Ja, bloody warned you didn’t I!” Sousa yelled at him accusingly, “Bloody idiot ja!”

  “Sousa, who the hell was that?” Catlin asked, before being answered by another voice.

  “He is Iegar, one of the seven.” Fahwad suddenly appeared on the street, rising from a hiding spot.

  “What the … I thought you said you were going to away hey?” Sousa was surprised to see Fahwad join them in the street. “You were watching this all the time?”

  “And what a treat it was Sousa, now we have three of them!” Fahwad quickly pulled some chains from a bag he carried and moved straight for the body of Iegar. “Come, quickly, help me secure him.”

  “What the hell is going on?” Catlin called this time, drawing a sharp look from Fahwad.

  “What is she doing here?” Fahwad lowered his gaze.

  “She’s with me.” Sousa defended her, coming over to help Fahwad.

  “Get rid of her.”

  “No.”

  “Sousa!”

  “Hey, I said she’s with me ja.” Sousa pointed his finger into Fahwad’s chest.

  Fahwad slapped him away impatiently, “I don’t have time for this shit Sousa! Get the Smith, quickly before he …”

  But he was too late, Smith had already risen.

  - -

  Showdown

  “Stop!” A booming voice calls out in the street.

  In a deserted city street, in between high-rise apartment blocks, Fahwad and Sousa are busy trying to secure their captives.

  Smith, who’s taken a beaten earlier, recovers himself and rises, defiantly standing himself up in the street and calling out a challenge to Sousa and Fahwad.

  “There is choice here Fahwad.” Smith breaks the silence in the uneasy standoff.

  “Oh my, somebody called the useless prick,” Fahwad remarked, barely even looking behind him at Smith as he tried to secure chains to Iegar.

  Sousa laughed, “Ja, good one. Useless prick.”

  “Choice here … have spoke many time … in past,” Smith says calmly.

  “Anything that can be created, can be destroyed,” Fahwad responded. “Do you remember telling me that the last time, and do you remember what happened after?”

  Smith considers it for a moment, for he doesn’t immediately recall any such conversation. “No.”

  “Well it means that you were created, just as I was. Therefore, you can die, just as I can.” He stared threateningly at Smith.

  Smith ignores the threat and presses on. “Leave here, forever. Take problems with too … do not belong here.”

  “How about we make a deal huh?” Fahwad reasoned, turning around to face him. “Just like last time, we be reasonable. I don’t want to have to kill you.”

  “Cannot make good deal with bad man.” Smith stands fast, hands resting comfortably by his side.

  “Whatever,” he responded. “You have no choice here, as you didn’t have any choice back then. You cannot harm … man of Earth. So how about we start our deal again, just as we did all those years ago?”

  Smith stares back, his fists clenching at the side. “Make choice ... can harm, choose not to.”

  “Bullshit,” Fahwad called back. “There were a thousand times you could have used violence against me or any other, I see no difference now.”

  Smith levelled his gaze at Fahwad, menacingly.

  Fahwad responded rather nonchalantly. “Well I tell you what, I can sweeten the deal for you a bit too … help me to gather up these two men here first and then we can go get the rest. When I have them all I promise to leave, to leave you and your land forever. What do you say to that?”

  “What have done … Yonas?” Smith looks angrily at the impaled, headless body, his fists still clenched at the side.

  “Oh, never mind the details, I needed to secure him. Look, just you worry about helping me, then you can have your beloved Earth back. Easy deal my old friend, I suggest you take it.”

  “This no fine … Fahwad bad man.”

  “C’mon, this is a good deal, no? I get what I want and you get to see us all leave your planet, that’s what you wanted isn’t it?”

  “Not same like before … man not same … Fahwad mix genes.” Smith takes a step forward, his gaze still fixed on Fahwad.

  “You cannot harm me, man of the Earth.” Fahwad seethed, seeing him come forward rather deliberately. “You cannot harm anyone, it is not in your nature.”

  “Make choice … but Fahwad make bad.” He steps forward again, his gaze now moves to the body of Yonas.

  Clearly what Smith has seen disturbed him and added to that Fahwad seemed to want to secure Iegar in the same fashion. If Fahwad wasn’t so fearless of any reproach from Smith he might’ve taken note that Smith’s eyes changed colour as he moved towards him.

  Sousa though, was acutely aware of the change. “Hey Fahwad, maybe you should listen hey?”

  “Sousa, how many times have you battled with Smith?”

  “Ja, ja … a few times ja!”

  “And how many times has he tried to hit you?”

  The Viper considered the question for a moment as it confused him, initially he was tempted to counter that nobody was good enough to attack him, but then he realised Fahwad was right, Smith had never actually tried to strike him once in all of their encounters.

  “Hey, so what does that mean huh?”

  Fahwad sniggered, a smile creeping up one side of his face. “So don’t worry about him, he is harmless. Smith, don’t try to act tough here … I will end you.”

  “Nothing real can be threatened, nothing unreal exists,” Smith replies, still coming forward. “A state of being exists.”

  “Huh?” Sousa spat, still eying Smith warily as he approached.

  “Ignore him, he talks shit all the time.” Fahwad replied dismissively.

  “Yonas, Iegar … go free.”

  Fahwad stood now, impatiently. “I said no!” He screamed with fury. “What the hell is wrong with you man!”

  “Sousa, take cover, now.” Smith looks him in the eye.

  “What?” Sousa asked.

  “Sousa is the key, take cover.”

  Fahwad’s patience had worn thin and he rose with a spear in his hand, poised and ready to launch it at Smith.

  But Smith wasn’t playing, he meant business, something about the scene had set something off inside him and now, his usual calm demeanour had been replaced. As he stared Fahwad down he slowly raised both his hands, in unison, raising them high up towards the sky like a preacher.

  His actions seemed to have an impact on the world around him, as the skies began to darken and the ground started to rumble. Vibrations began thumping and the very air seemed to reverberate with a powerful force. The vibrations grew stronger, pulsating so powerfully that Fahwad could sense them inside himself.

  Fahwad looked about warily, “Smith?”

  Sousa too could feel the impact of Smith’s actions and he paced back slowly towards the body of Yonas, a rumbling noise vibrating in the air causing him to worry.

  “Smith, what are you doing?” Fahwad stammered, unsure of himself and what was happening around him. The vibrations were literally shaking his body, forcing him to his knees.

  But Smith’s eyes had shut tight, his concentration gone elsewhere. With his hands fully raised, he held them high, seemingly as if he was summoning some sort of energy, some sort of mystical power. His hands shook noticeably, as if he was holding some great weight under pressure.

  He held it suspended for a moment, until he released the pressure, dropping his hands rapidly in an arching movement towards the ground.

  It looked like he was holding two invisible whips in each hand and had just brought them to the ground in a whip-cracking movement, his wrists cocking as he knelt to the ground.


  The buildings that dwarfed them began to shake in response.

  Feeling power, energy under his control, Smith brought his hands together, just like a clap.

  On both sides of the street his actions took effect on their surrounds. The apartment complexes on both sides of the streets, laden with glass windows, suddenly exploded. The windows blew outwards, as if some invisible force had simultaneously caused them to shatter. The resulting boom sent a cascade of glass into the air, which in turn began falling in great heaps, towards the street below.

  Nobody was spared as the glass plummeted menacingly down into the street. Sousa had been the quickest to react, sliding underneath the body of Yonas and using it as a shield. Fahwad could do nothing but cover his face and Catlin tried desperately to dive for cover off to the side of the street.

  Smith was the only person who didn’t move, kneeling with both hands out to the side, he absorbed the impact from a ton of glass, just as everyone else in its path did.

  And what a sea of glass it was, shard upon shard fell, some pieces big, others as fine as dust. It layered the street as an intense rain storm would, no section of the street spared.

  It happened in an instant and was over just as quickly, a lengthy silenced ensued following the downpour.

  The entire street was now covered in a heavy layer of glass, in some areas over a foot deep. It looked strangely beautiful, as if the street had been transformed into some kind of crystal dreamland, something you would take the family to see on the holidays.

  It was truly stunning to behold, a magical transformation heightened by the sun’s rays beaming off the reflective panes. Because the street had already been cleared of vehicles and obstructions, it left a beautiful, almost even layer of glass. But this was no wonderland, it was intended carnage.

  Smith was the first to move in the ensemble, standing slowly and shaking his body as he rose to get the glass off his body. He took his time plucking glass shards from his skin, oblivious to any pain it might have inflicted.

  The next to move was Catlin, who had avoided most of the carnage by taking refuge to the side of the building. Shards of glass covered her body too and she stood, plucking them out of her skin cautiously with a sickened look on her face.

  Soon other shapes began moving in the sea of glass and Smith directs Catlin over to them, “Better help.”

  “What?” She looked at him rather bewildered.

  “Help others.” Smith inclines his head.

  Nearby, Iegar and Fahwad had stood themselves up and were dusting the glass off themselves dazedly. Sousa, who had taken refuge under Yonas’ body, stuck his head out from underneath a mountain of glass.

  “Safe to come out?” he called, his head the only visible sign of his body.

  Catlin came to his aid first, brushing away at the glass with a cloth wrapped hand, but Sousa pushed her away not wanting her assistance. “Get off woman!”

  “Just trying to help,” she stood back as he crawled out.

  “What the hell Smith,” Sousa called, surprised. “Did you do that hey? Bloody epic man!”

  “Smith!” Fahwad screamed, glass shards fixed all over his body. “What the hell did you do … you can’t harm anyone?”

  “No harm … all survive … all alive.”

  “What?”

  Iegar had now risen from the glass and he too, stunned, began plucking glass from his body as he tried to fathom what the hell had just happened.

  “Everyone alive … Smith not harm.” Smith smiles as everyone looks at him quizzically.

  “I don’t get it,” Sousa spat. “Why do it then?”

  “Need time … distraction ...”

  “What? Distraction from what …”

  Fahwad was staring Smith down as he was slowly removing the glass, but turned his attention when Smith mentioned the word distraction.

  But it was too late, nearby a sharp hiss could be heard, Fahwad didn’t know where the noise had come from, but when it hit, he certainly knew what was going on.

  A spear plunged into Fahwad, piercing his chest, severing his spine instantly and passing through the rest of his body. The spear itself had barbs running along its side and were enough to stop the spear from passing through him completely, leaving it lodged in his mid-section, protruding from the back.

  Fahwad looked around to see where the spear had come from, to whom had deigned launch a spear at him, but could make out no assailant.

  The propulsion from the impact thrust Fahwad backward and he was pummelled into the glass covered ground. He lay there motionless, half buried. His presence instantly negated, writhing in the glass, Fahwad found he could not move. He was paralysed.

  The Viper reacted swiftly, pulling a revolver from his side and immediately taking aim at the person nearest him, Iegar. He was quick, but not quick enough. Iegar reacted by reaching for Sousa’s wrist, easily taking a hold of it and snapping the arm in a clean jerk.

  Sousa cried out in anguish, dropping the weapon and falling to the ground. Iegar allowed his flopping hand to fall alongside him before he gave Sousa a shove to the ground. Satisfied he was no longer a threat, he brushed himself off and headed in the direction of Yonas.

  “Hey!” Catlin screamed at him, running to Sousa’s aid. “What’d you do that for?”

  “Over confident prick,” Iegar replied.

  Smith comes forward, moving in on Sousa too. He ignores the inert figure of Fahwad, who lays impaled on the ground, and walks right up to Sousa as he stands back up. Smith looks at him plainly as if nothing is going on, as if he’s waiting for something to happen.

  Sousa didn’t wait for an invitation, he took the revolver with his good arm and squeezed the trigger. The first shot hit its mark, right in the centre of Smith’s chest, a spout of blood erupting where the bullet pierced the skin.

  A slight smile crept on Smith’s lips slowly as this happened, Sousa’s confused for a moment until he understands the reason for the smile. But it’s too late for him to be able to do anything about it as a second spear is launched from afar, piercing Sousa, exactly as it had Fahwad moments before.

  Smith has distracted him enough for the spear gun to be reloaded and relaunched from someone in the background.

  And similarly like Fahwad, it pierced Sousa’s chest and lodged itself there. The gun in his hand fired, reflexes causing his finger to pull the trigger. But Sousa had no aim, his arm was limp and consequently the bullets pinged off safely to the side. The gun kept firing until the bullets depleted and the gun clicked, seconds later that too stopped and Sousa’s eyes went blank.

  Catlin during this exchange remained still, as if transfixed in the moment of when she first saw her decapitated friend. All manner of things were happening and she hadn’t the slightest inclination to move, to think or try and make sense of anything. She could see everything happening but seemed powerless to stop it.

  Somebody else had planned this and she was just witness to it.

  From behind her the mystery man who’d fired the two spears showed himself on the scene for the first time, coming out onto the street behind Catlin and calling out.

  “Everyone ok?” a voice calls.

  She recognised him, but wasn’t sure from where. Her mind was a mess but she knew she’d seen him somewhere before, something about his face tugged at her memory.

  Smith stood patiently in the street above Sousa but the bullet wound to his heart caused him to fall to his knees and eventually crash to the glass ground.

  Iegar, formerly known as Truck, quickly moved over to the impaled body of Yonas and pulled the spear from his back. Discarding the spear to one side he quickly set about severing the bonds that Sousa had used to secure him.

  The mystery man who fired the spears now moved in next to Catlin and slowly rested his hand on her shoulder, it gave her the fright of her life and she snapped
out of her temporary delirium. Her heart briefly in her mouth, she turned, half expecting a monster to be there, ready to take her out as well. But she was surprised when a young, nerdy looking boy stood there, brandishing an oversized spear gun.

  “Are ok?” He asks of Catlin. “Are hurt?”

  “What?” she racked her brain, trying to remember his face.

  “Ok?”

  “Who are you?”

  “Should get out of here, go, that way!” he points back down the street.

  She looked at Sousa spread eagled on the street with a spear between his shoulder blades. Nearby she saw Fahwad in a similar position, with a spear impaling him too. Unsure of what she was meant to do, she did the only other thing she could think of, and that was to flee the scene.

  As she fled and disappeared from the street Fahwad started moving where he lay, and the young man reacted quickly by sending another spear into him, this time into his stomach.

  Smith recovered himself and stood up again, dusting himself off as he did so. He looked up and saw the person with the spear gun, and for the first time he smiled, a proper full blown beaming smile.

  “Harrison,” he smiles as he says the name.

  Harrison thinks it’s quite an odd sight, as it’s a rare event seeing a smile on Smith’s face. Ordinarily this would cause anyone to smile back, but Harrison has spent a lot of time with Smith and he feels like he knows him in and out. It makes him feel slightly unnerved at Smith’s affectionate display.

  “Time to go Harrison,” he says calmly as he turns and stands over the impaled body of Sousa.

  “But …” comes the objection.

  “No but, stick to plan.”

  “Will see again?”

  “Go now, the rest … will know when happen.”

  Harrison’s about to let go of some emotion, but he held it back and resolved himself quickly. He pressed on past Smith, pulling a duffel bag from his waist as he moved over to a small glass mound. He plunged a gloved hand inside the sea of glass and felt around, finding what he was looking for he plucked it from the glass, revealing the severed head of Yonas.

  Shaking the glass from the head, he awkwardly lifted and placed it into the duffel bag, zipping it up quickly.