Excelsior

by George Sirois

  “You have the most delicious lips, fair Elizabeth,” he said.

  “Oh, please, moon lover, get on with it!” groused Grannik.

  “We are moving on.” Zorribis pointed with his index finger on his right hand behind Betty’s toward Jason.

  “What?” asked Betty dreamily.

  “Lovely Elizabeth, I will wait here while you fetch Dr. Hesselback.” He glanced down at Jason, then gently turned Betty and gave her a little push toward the door.

  “I will be waiting here,” he repeated.

  Betty nodded and wandered down the hall as if in a trance. Halfway down, she stopped and looked back at him. Zorribis waved and she continued through the door.

  Jason nodded. His heart started beating faster. He had to do something now.

  He swept up the gray-haired woman. She startled at first then seemed to melt into his arms. Despite her girth, she felt like a feather. He started crooning.

  “Younger than springtime are you…” His voice echoed through the hall. “Younger than springtime, are we. Gayer than laughter brighter than sunshine are the lovely lips you’ve brought me.” The Rodgers and Hammerstein number played loudly in his head and suddenly he saw himself back in high school, in the chorus of “South Pacific.” He dipped the woman while supporting her firmly with his other hand and kissed her. He could taste her lipstick as he set her back on her feet. She looked dazed.

  “And when your youth and joy invade my heart…” he danced between the now delighted women and pulled Leora close for a peck on the lips. “As now they do!” He ran and jumped on a bench, the women and the tour guide followed him. He filled his lungs with air and belted. “Younger than springtime are we, gayer than laughter…”

  The women were pulling him down off the bench, covering him with kisses.

  “Now! This is your chance!” howled Grannik in his ear. Zorribis watched Betty walk through the door then checked the position of the guards. One had gone to Jason’s aid and the other was intently watching and trying not to laugh. He leapt onto the balcony rail and sent the flip sailing toward the sword.

  Downstairs, Jason, the guard and the tour guide were begging, “Ladies, ladies!”

  “Now!” Zorribis hissed.

  Grannik pressed the button on his device, there was a crackle of static electricity and for a second the infrared sensors were visible around the “Ritgen Sword.”

  “Frank!” yelled the guard next to the sword to his partner. Frank waded away from the women and Jason and returned to his partner.

  “What happened?”

  “I don’t know. I just heard something. We’d better radio upstairs and have someone check the alarms. There might be some sort of short.” He pulled the mouthpiece from his shoulder and spoke into it. Suddenly there were guards heading in their direction.

  A door opened on the balcony. Zorribis looked down and spotted the back of a display of a knight mannequin on a horse in the adjacent Crusader exhibit.

  Zorribis grabbed the edge of the balcony and pushed himself off, leaping into the air and flipping right before he landed with catlike precision behind the armor.

  Upstairs, Betty stood in the corridor looking dazed. A large, balding man with glasses stood next to her. “I don’t understand it. He was right here. If he’d left we would have seen him.”

  “Well obviously he’s not here, Betty. I’m sure if he’s just off enjoying the exhibits. If he comes back, bring him to HR before you bother me again.”

  Downstairs, the older women were pushing at the security guards as the guards tried to extricate Jason. Selma had her arms around Jason’s waist and the gray-haired woman was trying to reach his lips. A third woman had her nose buried in his shirt and was inhaling happily. Others wrestled with the guards.

  Zorribis pretended to be fascinated by the display of early horse armor as he watched.

  “Ladies, LADIES! Don’t make me call NYPD,” shouted the chief security guard as he waded into the melee. The women reluctantly withdrew. The gray-haired woman pressed something into Jason’s hand.

  “Call me!” she mouthed as her friends drew her away.

  “You’ve had enough fun for one day, young man. Leave now and I won’t have you arrested for disturbing the peace.”

  “But I didn’t finish my number!” Jason insisted.

  From across the vast hall the ladies nodded eagerly. “Victorio! Victorio!” they chanted.

  “What is he doing?” Grannik spoke in Zorribis’ ear. “We have the sword. Get out of there.”

  Zorribis spotted a small button on the floor. He scooped it up and, with a flick of his fingers, tossed it at the back of Jason’s head.

  “Ow!” Jason plucked the thing out of the air then quickly dropped his arms. “I’m going, I’m going. Thank you for a lovely afternoon, ladies.” Jason bowed in their direction. He headed for the entrance, Zorribis strolling nonchalantly behind him.

  “Victorio!” called the women.

  “My public,” he told the guards who were following closely behind him to make sure he left. “Please go easy on them, officers. They couldn’t help themselves.”

  Zorribis coughed loudly.

  Jason gave a final bow. “Good day all!”

  On the steps, Zorribis took a threatening step toward Jason, who was whistling. Jason scurried down the steps.

  “The love god and I are on our way,” he spoke out loud.

  “Good. I'll let Radifen know.”

  He turned toward Jason. “Seems like you’ve inherited ‘the Denarian Factor.’” A smile played across his features. “That was a unique and creative solution and no one was harmed. In fact, I believe those mothers are happier than they’ve been in a long while. Good work, very Denarian.” He clapped Jason on the back. Jason nodded quietly.

  * * *

  Radifen stepped into his fighting stance once again as Matthew pushed himself off the floor. The first round of fighting had not gone to his liking; despite the armor, the Denarian gave him such a hard kick that if he weren't wearing his helmet, his lip would have split open. As he struggled to his feet and felt his equilibrium returning, a leg sweep knocked him to the floor. “You can’t take that much time to get back on your feet,” said Radifen towering over him. Matthew nodded and spit out blood. How strong was this old man? He forced himself to stand up.

  Karini ran a warm light over his lip, closing it and reducing the swelling. He stepped back. “Slowly, Radifen. He’s had no training of any kind. Not even the indigenous martial arts.”

  “You worry too much. Let’s try that again,” Radifen said and whirled at him, a dervish of flying hands and feet. Matthew began to parry and block the blows. He could feel something begin to guide his body. Within two more rounds, Matthew began to block everything that his instructor was throwing at him.

  “Very good.” Radifen broke a sweat despite no signs of being winded. “Now, it’s time to strike back as I showed you.”

  Matthew lunged forward with a right hand to the head, followed by a roundhouse kick to the stomach. Radifen blocked the punch and evaded the kick.

  “MORE!” he bellowed, dancing around Matthew.

  Matthew threw combinations. Sidekick, backhand, elbow jab. Radifen evaded him. The slow, awkward feeling had begun leaving his body. Center punch, grab the back of the head, knee strike.

  There was a grunt as Matthew made contact with Radifen’s rockhard midsection. “Not bad,” Radifen admitted as he doubled over. “Just wait until the mission team returns. Grannik just relayed that Jason and Zorribis are leaving the museum.” Radifen stepped back into his fighting stance and beckoned Matthew to come closer. “Again.” They continued sparring.

  “They have the sword? How did they do that without being detected?”

  Radifen smiled. “I don’t think I have to tell you now how advanced our technology is. Don’t worry. The people at the museum don’t even know it’s gone. They still have a perfectly suitable sword from a distant planet in their possession, but th
e one they have is just a sword.”

  “And we have the lifeforce of Excelsior,” Matthew concluded. As they continued to jab and parry it dawned on Matthew to pull his punches. He could feel power and muscular memory racing into his limbs, and suddenly realized a well-placed blow could irreparably harm his mentor.

  “And the jewel that houses it,” Radifen said.

  Matthew dropped his arms. Radifen used the opening to hit his diaphragm with a roundhouse kick, reverse center punch combination. To both their surprise, Matthew brushed it off. “I don’t understand. Does the jewel do more than look pretty and hold Excelsior’s lifeforce?”

  “Whenever you’ve had a vision or an idea about Nocterar, did you ever see him using a jewel to harness destructive energy to use against you or someone else?” Matthew nodded, thinking back to the very vivid dream he had of Nocterar holding him down and holding his hand up against his chest. “From what we understand, after Nocterar fell to Excelsior, Danaak stepped in as the commander of the Krunation Empire and literally ripped the jewel from Nocterar’s hand. Danaak was using that jewel when he and Excelsior traveled through the Leap of Faith and came here to this planet. So if there is a chance that Danaak is to be revived, then there is an even better chance that the jewel that was in his possession is still with him.”

  “So all we have to do after I get the sword is hunt down Danaak and make sure that he doesn’t have access to that jewel?”

  Radifen came at him with a jumping, spinning back kick with surprising height, forcing Matthew to retreat. He spoke as he landed. “That’s the first part of the plan, to make sure that nobody from this planet could ever be harmed by that jewel. After that, we can focus on how we’re going to get back home.”

  Matthew ducked a roundhouse kick and, with a speed that surprised both of them, caught Radifen’s leg. There was a moment when even the dust motes seemed to stop floating through the room then Matthew used the leg like a lever to flip Radifen onto his back, hard. Then he pulled all of his power into a killing blow that came smashing downward and stopped at the last second a millimeter from Radifen’s bloody nose.

  “Whoa!” Matthew screamed as he pulled his power back.

  Radifen blinked up at his student then gingerly felt his nose. “Consider me impressed.”

  “I also consider you injured. You okay?” Matthew offered him an open hand.

  Radifen waved it away and tried to seem casual as he struggled to his feet. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. It looks like your muscle memory has returned. What do you think, Karini?”

  Karini came over with a sensor and was frowning as he scanned. “You need a treatment and rest, Radifen. At 300 your body takes longer to heal, and we need you for the battle ahead.”

  Radifen brushed him off. “Please, Mother Karini, I know if I’m well and I say that I’m well.” He turned to Matthew. “All that’s left is for you to remember how to use the sword.” Karini ignored Radifen’s protests and started shining the blue light on his almost comically swollen nose.

  “That’s it? That’s all I have to do?”

  “That will be easier said than done.” Radifen got to his feet, hiding a wince from Karini. He crossed the room to a long black case and took out two silver and black swords. He sighted down one blade then the other, and then spun both in intricate arcs. A crystalline note sang in the air.

  “These will do. Have a training sword. It’s time to see what you’ve got.”

  Klierra walked into the room with a bowl of salad and a platter of grilled chicken. The apron now off, Matthew could see she was dressed in a basic gray sweat suit and white sneakers. The clothes were almost skin-tight and the young man felt immediately distracted from everything that he had learned when he saw her slim figure.

  “I will train him. You and Karini should eat. When Matthew and I are done, we’ll join you.”

  Radifen handed Klierra the swords, and then looked over the food Klierra had prepared. “You prepared this, Elder Klierra?”

  “I am a woman of many talents. The birds are cooked over the fire in the style of my clan. I’m sure you will find it to your liking."

  Klierra had put together a very appetizing spread that included two side dishes of green vegetables and even though neither Denarian was familiar with the food on Earth – other than pizza, of course – they were tempted by the aroma. They grabbed fists full of salad, then unsheathed small, sharp knives and speared pieces of chicken and set them on their plates. “I did not have time to make our bread to eat with so I used a food indigenous to this continent called the tortilla. You will find it works very similarly.” Karini gingerly opened a steaming dishtowel and helped himself to two soft tortillas. He tore off a piece and took a bite.

  “Umm, this is good, Elder Klierra!”

  “Of course it is.” She turned to Matthew. “I am the sword mistress of my Clan. You are very fortunate to have me as your instructor. We'll start slowly."

  Matthew nodded and Klierra began by showing him a series of holds and stances. As his muscles came alive, she increased the complexity and speed of her movements, swinging the sword in graceful arcs and parrying and thrusting.

  As Klierra taught, Radifen and Karini sniffed curiously at the bowls and platters on the table. Karini even snuck out a device to try to decode the food before them. Finally, Radifen boldly shaved off some meat from the chicken thigh before him and lifted it to his mouth. They looked at each other and then Karini copied Radifen.

  “Ready?” Karini asked his partner.

  “Why not?” Radifen responded. They took big bites of their chicken and chewed for a moment.

  “Not bad,” Radifen said after swallowing. “Much better than peet-za.” He inspected it for shrapnel or crushed bones. “It must be a domesticated fowl, there is no sign there was a struggle when you killed it, Elder Klierra.”

  “It came already killed,” Klierra answered as she turned her attention to Matthew. “Now, block and counter,” she instructed.

  Matthew kept his eyes on hers as he blocked an attack, and then swung his sword at her. Klierra blocked his swing and Matthew paused, awaiting instructions.

  “Don’t stop. Keep trying to find ways to get through my defenses. Improvise.”

  Matthew nodded, and then went back to his original position as Klierra swung at him, this time a little faster. Matthew blocked it and picked up his pace as he swung back at Klierra. That attack was blocked, so Matthew swung up his sword for another attack, and Klierra blocked that one as well. Matthew kept swinging this time, both to block and attack as Klierra’s pace started to increase, forcing Matthew to keep up with her.

  “Go get ‘er, Matthew,” Radifen yelled out. Matthew looked over at him and Klierra quickly knocked his sword away and gently poked him in the chest. “Never lose your focus,” she instructed. “Now pick up the sword and we’ll try again.”

  Matthew retrieved his sword. “Let’s try it one more time, only a little faster, and keep your focus. Don’t let anything distract you.”

  “Maybe Radifen should just shut up,” Matthew grumbled.

  “You don’t get that luxury in a real fight. No matter what goes on around you, all that matters is what is in front of you. Got it?” Matthew nodded, and Klierra held up her sword, ready for attack.

  “Good, now let’s go. And remember to keep your feet planted firmly so you’re not off-balance and vulnerable to attack.” Klierra quickly brought her sword down, and Matthew blocked, then countered and was blocked in return. Matthew kept charging forward, making sure that his feet were planted firmly on the floor, and also kept himself mindful not to over-extend his attack.

  “Very good,” Klierra said approvingly as she switched from being on the defensive to going on the offensive and forcing Matthew back. But as Klierra’s movements went faster and her sword came at the young man harder, Matthew started to see flashes of himself as Excelsior being attacked by Krunations. One of them had a sword and was swinging away, trying to get a piece
of the Denarian savior while other Krunations were advancing on him. The distractions barely fazed Excelsior as he pushed away the Krunations around him and kept his eye squarely on his main attacker.

  As these flashes became more and more visible to Matthew, his intensity increased as he sparred with Klierra. He started to feel another force guiding his hand and his sword as he continued blocking Klierra’s thrusts and then swiped at her, almost knocking her onto her back.

  She held up her hand. “Good. Stop.” Matthew squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and then stepped back.

  Klierra put her sword down and then placed her hands on her knees to catch her breath. Karini dropped a piece of chicken wrapped in a tortilla and dashed to her side. She made no move to stop him. “Good work, Matthew. For a moment there I felt as though I were taking on Excelsior himself.”

  The words sunk into Matthew's brain: “…taking on Excelsior himself.” He dropped his sword and staggered back.

  Klierra exchanged looks with Karini. “Matthew, what's wrong?”

  “I, uh..... “ Matthew struggled to get the words out, but had no idea what to say. “I.... I'll..... be outside.” He abruptly yanked the front door open and ran outside. The door slammed shut with a violent shudder.

  After a long awkward silence, Karini spoke up. “What was that all about?”

  “I will go talk to him.” Klierra followed Matthew.

  As she stepped outside, Klierra saw Matthew sitting on the bottom step, looking up at the sky. She slowly descended the concrete steps and sat down next to him. “Matthew?”

  He didn’t look at her. “I… I had this dream last night. I was finishing up some sketches for an issue and I just started getting smaller and smaller, just shrinking into the size of… I don’t know, a coin or something. And I saw Excelsior standing over me and he was…” The words caught in his throat. “He was going to crush me.”

  Klierra nodded. “Matthew, I know what you’re going through.”

  “No you don’t!” he snapped at her. “I mean, it sounded great on paper, turning into this super hero from a distant planet, saving the universe and all that, but with every hour that passes, I feel like I’m… like I’m losing myself. Excelsior is taking over and when he’s done, Matthew Peters – I – won't exist anymore. I'll be as... as dead as my parents.” Matt’s voice and body began to tremble.