by Alex Siegel
"Are you good at picking locks?" he whispered.
"Marina has been teaching me, but she's a thousand times better at it. She's a thousand times better at everything."
Katie went to work. She struggled with the thin picks, and it took ten long minutes for her to open the lock, but he was still impressed. He couldn't pick a lock if his life depended on it. Marina had been teaching him knife and gun skills instead.
Katie drew her gun and silently pushed open the door. Liam drew his own gun and followed her inside.
They entered a small living room. The television and chair were still there, but the man was gone. There was no other furniture.
Where the hell did he go? Liam thought.
Strong hands grabbed him and threw him violently into a coat closet. The door slammed closed, and suddenly, he was in darkness. The hard impact against the wall stunned him.
He heard a commotion outside the closet. Katie squealed in pain, and the sound spurred him to action.
Liam got up and reached for the door handle, but nothing was there. He felt around and realized the handle had been removed. He would have to break down the door to escape.
The tiny closet made it difficult for him to get into a good ramming position. After working up his courage, he slammed his body against the door. The wood cracked but didn't break. He tried again and again, and on the fifth try, he broke through.
His gun was immediately kicked out of his hand. Then a second kick to the face sent him sprawling onto the floor like a rag doll.
Liam's head was spinning as he looked up at his attacker. Freeland was tall, big, and very muscular. He had straight, brown hair and remarkably thick eyebrows. Darkness seemed to pool in his eye sockets, making it difficult to judge the color of his eyes. He was a very handsome man with a strong jaw line. He cracked his knuckles in a menacing manner.
Katie was lying on the floor on her belly. Handcuffs were on her wrists and ankles, and the chains were looped together to force her into an uncomfortable hogtie position. She wouldn't be much help, but at least, she was still alive.
"Get him," she yelled.
Liam remembered he had another gun in an ankle holster. He reached for it, but his enemy was too quick. The second weapon was kicked out of Liam's hand just like the first. He scrambled backwards and stood up.
Freeland winked. "Come on. Let's see what you got."
Liam realized the guy wanted a straight-up fight, and Liam was happy to oblige him. He had beaten bigger, tougher, and scarier men in the ring many times.
Liam attacked with a tricky combination of punches and kicks that blended together seamlessly. It was a sequence he had used many times with great success. Freeland dodged or blocked every attack perfectly as if he knew what was coming. His ability to anticipate was uncanny. On the last technique, he punched Liam in the face with enough force to make him see stars.
Liam was still trying to gather his wits when Freeland threw him to the floor. Liam's wrists and ankles were cuffed, and a few seconds later, he was in the same awkward hogtie position as Katie. He wriggled uselessly on the floor.
"Your technique is fine," Freeland said, "but those combinations were pretty standard. Be more creative. Adapt to your opposition."
"Ipo!" Liam yelled. "Help! We're in trouble!"
Freeland glanced towards the back of the house. He rolled his shoulders and neck to loosen the joints.
This guy may be good, Liam thought, but Ipo is much better.
Freeland abruptly went to the front door, opened it, and ran outside. He seemed to be fleeing.
Liam smirked. Not so tough after all.
Ipo entered the living room through another door and looked around. "What happened?"
"He gave us a lot more fight than we expected," Liam said.
"Are you OK?" Ipo crouched down over Katie and examined the handcuffs.
"Just shaken up." She blushed with embarrassment.
"I'm still a little woozy," Liam added.
Ipo snorted. "He made you guys look like fools."
"Thanks for pointing that out."
Freeland entered the room using the same door that Ipo had used. The enemy's footsteps were dead silent. Liam barely had time to yelp a warning before Freeland attacked Ipo from behind.
Freeland knocked Ipo to the floor with a vicious kick to the back. Then Freeland grabbed the gun out of Ipo's hand and tossed it aside. Ipo rolled to his feet using a nifty leg technique, and the two men faced each other.
"You're a big man," Freeland said. "This will be interesting."
Ipo had two inches of height and fifty pounds of mass over his opponent, and he also had masterful martial arts skills. Liam didn't see how he could lose.
"If you're smart," Ipo said, "you'll give up now before I have to really hurt you."
Freeland smiled. "Do you know who I am?"
"Angilo Freeland."
"Never make assumptions."
He came in low and fast. Ipo tried to dodge out of the way, but Freeland caught him in the belly with a kick that had an impressive amount of power behind it. Ipo wheezed and fell back.
The legionnaire recovered quickly and responded with an aggressive flurry of hand attacks. As before, Freeland blocked every attack as if the whole sequence were choreographed. His technique wasn't better than Ipo's, but Freeland was a quicker and smarter fighter.
"You're relying too much on brute strength."
"What?" Ipo raised his eyebrows. "You're teaching me a lesson?"
"Sure."
Freeland jumped straight into the air and tried to kick Ipo in the face. Ipo grabbed Freeland's ankle before the attack could connect. Freeland dived towards the floor. Ipo held on, and the two men went down together. There was a quick skirmish on the floor, and somehow, Freeland came out on top. He dropped an elbow onto Ipo's chest that sounded like a hammer hitting a drum.
Freeland hopped to his feet and backed away. "This is fun. Let's go again."
"I don't think so." Ipo got up more slowly and drew a gun from a holster under his shirt.
Freeland spat a glob of yellow, sticky goop at the gun. The liquid bubbled on contact with the metal and produced a cloud of greasy smoke. The gun fell to pieces in Ipo's hand.
"I do think so. Come." Freeland made a beckoning gesture with his finger.
Ipo narrowed his eyes. "You have a gift."
"Are you going to do something about it?"
Ipo launched himself across the room. He was obviously using his own gift to make himself lighter and quicker. Freeland dodged underneath the attack, demonstrating extraordinary agility. Ipo skidded to a stop and turned. Freeland performed an acrobatic technique which seemed to defy gravity, and it ended with his foot in Ipo's face. Ipo went down again like a felled tree.
"Arrogance," Freeland said. "That's your weakness. You assume your great strength and skill are enough. Hasty assumptions will get you killed in this business."
Ipo was staring at his opponent with wide eyes. "I know only one other person who uses that technique: my commander. You must've trained with her."
"Oh?"
"And you didn't kill my friends when you had the chance." Ipo got up and bowed deeply. "Marina told us you would visit someday. You must be Aaron. I am properly humbled, sir. Thank you for the lesson. I won't forget."
"What's going on?" Liam said. "Who the hell is Aaron?"
Marina entered the room in casual, normal clothes. She walked over to Aaron, put her arms around him, and gave him a passionate kiss on the lips. He responded with equal affection. The lovers clasped each other for such a long time, Liam actually felt embarrassed.
"Did you have a nice flight, dear?" Marina said softly.
"It was fine," Aaron said without letting go of her. "Travelling on a commercial flight was strange though. It's been a long time. I don't have any weapons."
Liam now remembered hearing about Aaron in passing. He was the commander of Chicago. This whole assignment had been a setup from the beginni
ng.
"I have some in the car for you," Marina said.
"How thoughtful." Aaron smiled and kissed her again.
She finally stepped away from him and walked over to her two legionnaires on the floor. She stared down at Liam and Katie with expressions of disapproval.
Liam pulled on the cuffs that held his wrists and ankles. "He cheated, ma'am. It wasn't fair."
"Cheated?" Marina raised her eyebrows. "How?"
"He knew we were coming. He ambushed us."
"Our enemies won't? You need to start learning there are no rules in this game."
"And you told us this would be an easy assignment," he complained.
"Poor intelligence is no excuse for sloppy tactics. Take every assignment very seriously no matter what you think about it. You never know who you'll run into. It could be an ordinary thug, a master assassin, or somebody working directly for an enemy of God. If Aaron had been playing for the other side, all of you would be dead, and I'd have to recruit three new legionnaires."
Liam looked down at the floor. "Yes, ma'am."
"That's not the worst part," Aaron said. "He broke a cardinal rule."
"Which one?" Marina said.
"Let's see if he can figure it out."
Liam strained his brain as he tried to recall his mistake. What did I do? he thought. He grimaced.
"He used Ipo's real name in front of me," Aaron said.
"Oh." Liam's face grew warm.
Marina sighed angrily. "Really? I thought you knew better. For that you get to ride back to headquarters with the cuffs on. I hope it's an uncomfortable trip."
"Yes, ma'am." His shoulders and hips were already feeling the strain.
"What about me, ma'am?" Katie asked.
Marina took a set of lock picks out of her pocket, selected one, and put it in Katie's hand.
"But I can't see what I'm doing."
"That shouldn't matter," Marina said. "You have one minute to free yourself. If you fail, you'll ride back all tied up just like Liam. Go." She checked her watch.
Katie squirmed as she tried to get the pick into the keyholes. Her face was tight in an expression of concentration. After half a minute, she managed to unlock the cuffs on her legs, which allowed her to move her arms more freely. She was having trouble getting the right angle for the cuffs on her wrists.
Come on, Liam thought. You can do it.
"Ten seconds," Marina said.
He counted down silently. Katie freed her hands with just a couple of seconds to spare. She stood up with a proud smile.
"Well done," Marina said. "That skill may save your life one day. Let's go home. Aaron and Ipo, please, carry the luggage out."
Aaron grabbed Liam's arms, and Ipo grabbed his legs. The big men lifted Liam and carried him off. He was rushed across the street and tossed onto the back seat of the sedan with a distinct lack of gentleness. He tried to find a comfortable position, but he was lying on his belly with his hands and feet bound together, and there was no way to make it better.
Ipo took the driver's seat, and Katie sat across from him. It seemed Aaron would ride home with Marina in her car.
Ipo started the car and drove smoothly away.
"Who is Aaron?" Liam said. "What do we know about him?"
"He's Marina's boyfriend, obviously," Ipo said, "and he's the commander of Chicago. We all owe him a big debt for identifying Xavier as a traitor and killing him. Otherwise, I don't know much about Aaron."
Liam tried again to find a more comfortable position. There was a lot of strain on his shoulders and hips. He hoped the drive home would be quick.
"He's certainly a great fighter," Katie said.
Ipo nodded. "He made me look like a punk. He's supposed to be some kind of tactical genius, and I could see it in the way he fought. No matter what I tried, he was two steps ahead of me."
Liam had to agree. Even Marina wasn't quite as clever a fighter as her boyfriend.
"That spitting trick was something else," Liam said. "Did the acid burn your hand?"
"No," Ipo said. "It didn't affect my skin at all, but it certainly shredded the gun."
"Well, how are we going to deal with him?"
"What do you mean?"
"We need a game plan," Liam said, "don't we? This guy will be hanging out with us."
He lifted his head and tried to look out a window, but he couldn't get his eyes high enough. It sounded like they were on a highway.
"The plan is simple," Ipo said. "Be extremely respectful. I expect Marina won't get in the way if Aaron decides your ass needs another thorough kicking. You certainly haven't looked good so far."
Liam sighed uneasily. He was having enough trouble dealing with one commander who could kill him in a heartbeat. Now there were two in his life.
Chapter Two
Marina couldn't stop smiling. She was driving the car, and every few seconds, she glanced at Aaron in the passenger seat just to see his handsome face again. Long months of painful separation were finally over. For the next few days, they could be lovers again. Her heart kept fluttering with excitement.
"I love the ocean," he said.
Marina quickly checked the view on her right. They were cruising down Highway 1 which ran along the shore of the Pacific Ocean. Bright sunlight made the blue waters sparkle, and there were a few boats out today. She caught occasional glimpses of the sandy beaches. The Pacific was too cold for swimming without a wet suit, but people liked to walk along the edge of the water. There was always somebody building a sandcastle or playing catch with a dog. Crashing waves were audible even inside the car.
"I'm taking you out on a boat this afternoon," Marina said.
"Sounds great." Aaron leaned back in his seat. "I'm so tired. I really need this vacation."
"It was a rough mission?"
"Horrendous. The bad guys were sending a subliminal signal through the television cable system. It was driving the citizens of Chicago insane. There were violent riots in the streets, and several buildings were burned to the ground. The enemy also had a big research facility which was like something from a horror movie. Naked, filthy humans were being kept in tiny cages. Hideous experiments were being performed on their bodies and minds." He shuddered. "And that's not all."
"It gets worse?"
"I have a new female legionnaire."
"That's right," Marina said. "You mentioned her the last time we talked over the video conference system. Her name is Tawni, and she's a pain in the ass. Why did you recruit her?"
"I like how she fights. She has a nasty streak that reminds me of you."
She smiled.
"And let's not forget the Voice of Truth," Aaron said. "Wesley was in town, and his disruptive behavior made a difficult situation ten times worse."
"How is the kid doing?"
"He's confused about what he wants to be when he grows up. Unfortunately, I didn't have much advice to offer. What do you tell a ten year-old prophet who can rip the truth out of your head just by staring at you? Half the time you don't know what he's talking about, and the other half, you wish you didn't. Where he goes, chaos follows. Just pray he doesn't come here. Nobody needs that kind of stress."
Marina had strong memories of Wesley even though a year had passed since she had seen him. The boy had a frighteningly powerful gift. She didn't want to meet him again until after he was grown up and fully in control of his abilities.
She turned off the highway and onto Reina Del Mar Avenue.
"Are we getting close?" Aaron said. "Where are we?"
"Just a few minutes from home. This is Pacifica."
He looked around. "Nice. A little rustic."
Marina glanced at the small houses on either side. They were packed close together with trees crammed into the spaces in between. Steep mountain slopes limited the town to a narrow valley, and every square inch of that land was in use.
"You never told me what you thought of my legionnaires?"
"Ipo is impressive, but I can see
how his size might get in the way," Aaron said. "He's not inconspicuous. Liam is a polished fighter, but very predictable. He failed to inspire me."
She sighed. "He's definitely a work in progress. I recruited him a month ago after I saw him fight in the ring. He's a master of mixed martial arts. In terms of physical skills, there's no question he has what it takes."
"Being a legionnaire is a lot more than just physical skills."
"I know. I assumed a prize fighter would have plenty of courage and street smarts, and now I'm realizing I might've made a mistake. His stage persona fooled me. I should've done more homework before reaching out to him." She frowned.
"Katie seemed nice but a little soft."
"She's been in the Society for four months," Marina said. "Her training is progressing slowly, but it is progressing. At least she doesn't have Liam's deficiencies. Katie is very smart and brave, and she's a natural when it comes to undercover work."
Aaron nodded. "And Hanley is working out?"
"He's a star performer. I wish every legionnaire had his dedication and talent."
"Great. Sounds like you have a pretty good team overall."
Marina drove past the small sign for Perpetual Energy Technology. She turned off the road onto a private driveway, continued past a few trees, and parked in the big, white tent in back. She and Aaron got out.
He looked at the cars all around. "This is your garage?"
"I'm afraid so. At least the cars aren't in the open."
They held hands as they walked to the front of the building. It felt so good to be with Aaron, Marina wanted to skip like a girl. She had missed him desperately. They had talked many times on the phone and over a secure video conference system, but virtual contact wasn't the same as physical contact. She tried not to think about how short the visit would be.
They walked into the white entry chamber, and Jia was in the security booth behind the bulletproof glass. The Chinese girl had a petit body which made her look younger and more childish than she actually was. In comparison, her head seemed a little too big. Plastic barrettes held back her long, black hair. She was wearing an orange vest over a dress covered with a peacock feather pattern.