Monday, July 21, 2014
Friday, July 18, 2014
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Monday, July 14, 2014
Friday, July 11, 2014
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
50 - Interlude 1
Interlude I
In a dark room in a small town listed on no map sits a cabal
of self-interested parties.
“Kim and Becky, report.”
“Our hired man has done his job well. He’s moved the target
to the Gladiator Pits.”
“Will that be sufficient? This Wandering Koala has proven
more … resourceful than anyone could have anticipated.”
“There’s no reason for concern. The greatest warriors and
fighters in history have all failed to escape. And his friends have no idea where
he is, so we won’t have to worry about their meddling.”
“What is the plan now?”
“Let him fight in the games for our amusement. Let him take
on the greatest warriors the world has to offer. And if he somehow manages to defeat
them, let Thylacine have his rematch.”
“And if the Wandering Koala defeats him?”
<Laughs> “I don’t see how. But either way we’ve
promised him to Amazat. I suppose the good doctor will just get to dissect a
fresh specimen.”
To Be Continued …
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
49 - I've Got a Special Treat for You, and You're Not Going to Like It
Kyle moves up the scaffolding with amazing speed and
agility.
You’d think he was just starting the
fight. The Cuscuses are physically and genetically superior to me, and there
are three of them, and yet he seems to be handling them with no signs of
stopping. For the first time I consider he may be beyond my ability to take
down. No, that’s nonsense. None is greater than Thylacine. But it would be wise
to reconsider my strategy. Even three Cuscuses can’t take him down. I believe a
change in venue is in order, but I know Kyle won’t go willingly.
I let them fight for another twenty minutes. I keep a close
eye on their conditions, their breathing, and their speed. I wait until they
have him cornered and there is only one path for escape, and then I make my
appearance.
Kyle recognizes me instantly and shudders. Apparently I’m
not the only one who has had nightmares about those years. He is too stunned to
even try to block the Cuscuses’ attack. He’s bound in thick iron chains and
locked in a safe before he can recover his wits.
“I’ve got a special treat for you my friend, and you’re not
going to like it. Not one little bit. But I will.”
My smile couldn’t be broader.
Monday, July 7, 2014
48 - Can't Understand a Word He is Saying
Sirens in the distance tell me the authorities may be on
their way. If so, their response time is better than most. I see the Cuscuses
hear them as well. They take the fight above the street. One of them manages to
grab Kyle around the neck and drag him up the side of a building. The other two
follow along the side delivering blows to his belly and both sides. He grabs
onto a windowsill and jerks forward pulling the first Cuscus off the building.
He breaks free of the headlock. Kyle twists his body, grabs the windowsill with
his other hand, plants his feet against the side of the building, and pushes
himself several yards in the air towards a large scaffolding. He weaves his way
up the green bars. The Cuscuses follow him up.
Two patrol cars stop next to the battered newsstand. The
officers get out of their cars and look around. One of them scratches his head.
I can’t hear what they are saying, but I’m sure it involves a lot of “I don’t
believe it” and “have you ever”. The newsstand owner tries to direct their gaze
upward, but he must be a foreigner with a thick accent, because the officers
act like they can’t understand a word he is saying.
Thursday, July 3, 2014
47 - They Struggle in the Air
They struggle in the air. Their bodies are entwined like
pretzels. Each has a hand around the other’s throat. The Cuscuses were designed
to feel little pain, but the grimace on this one makes me shiver. Kyle is able
to slip loose at the last second and flip himself over a pole and onto the
ground. But his momentum is too great. He crashes thru a newsstand with the
Cuscus.
Kyle is on all fours and tries to spring to his feet, but
the Cuscus is too quick. They grapple with the Cuscus on top, writhing and
struggling. Kyle somehow manages to flip his attacker over his back and puts
him in a headlock.
But it doesn’t last. The other two Cuscuses are behind him
and pull him off. Kyle sidekicks one and roundhouses the other, but neither go
down. The four are back at it punching, kicking, blocking, and chopping.
Kyle looks like he’s starting to breathe hard, and I think I
see what may be a drop of sweat moving down his brow. His endurance is
incredible. I wonder if he’s had any enhancements. I should collect a genetic
sample and have Amazat test it. No, not Amazat. I don’t trust him. Who knows
what he would do with that information. I’ll find another less self-interested
geneticist to analyze the sample.
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
46 - They're actually gaining on him
The Cuscuses follow. I thought they would be trailing
behind, but they’ve made up the distance rather quickly. Dr. Amazat should be
commended. Physically they’re quicker, faster, and more powerful than me.
Imagine what they could do with my training and experience. That’s a foe I
wouldn’t want to face.
All four shuffle along the ledge around the side of the
building. Kyle decides to go higher. With bare hands he’s able to scale the
side of the hotel like it was flat ground. I would have a hard time keeping up
with him, but the Cuscuses don’t. Apparently Amazat designed them to move up
and down as well to the side in the urban jungle. Kyle is as surprised as I am.
They’re actually gaining on him. He pops into a window.
I’m tempted to follow them in but hold back realizing this
is not the time to reveal myself.
I hear scuffling and women shrieking. The temptation to go
inside grows.
One of the Cuscuses comes flying out of a window head first
two stories up. The other two fly out of an adjacent window holding onto Kyle.
Or is he holding on to them? They’re at arms’ length and spinning slightly. Kyle
twists one so he hits a cornice with the side of his body and rolls down the
side of the building alone. That leaves him with only one opponent.
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
45 - Extreme Sports Style
He goes for a jog each day, sometimes in the morning and
sometimes at night. But he doesn’t use a trail in the park like a normal person.
No, he has to do it extreme sports style. He jogs across rooftops, leaping from
building to building. I couldn’t have asked for a better setting if I had planned
it myself. His four-eyed friend usually jogs on the sidewalk below, but for
some reason isn’t tonight. I wonder why.
He leaps from ledge to roof effortlessly with a smile of
pure euphoria filling his face. He really enjoys this, doesn’t he? But I can
see the quick glances he takes around, the straining of his ears in every
direction. He knows something’s up, and he’s ready for it. No reason to keep
him waiting.
The Cuscuses descend from three sides when he is in midair
and has no way of dodging them. He tries his best to block all three attacks,
but two of them hit him pretty hard. He crashes against the brick chimney so
hard it cracks. They don’t give him any chance to recover delivering a series
of kicks, punches, and elbow jabs to every part of his body. I see the smug
looks on their faces and shake my head. “Don’t get sloppy,” I whisper, but it’s
too late. He kicks one of them across the street. The other two intensify their
barrage of punches, but he somehow slips past them and is off the rooftop and
onto a ledge across the street.
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