Locksley, Potter, and Athos 2

David bent over and laid the blanket over Sara's sleeping form. She had finally fallen asleep, the events of the morning dragging her into unconsciousness. Her sleep was peaceful at the moment, but he wondered how long that would last. He knew she occasionally had nightmares before this morning's incident, and now they would probably only get worse.

The door behind him opened and he turned to see their fellow co-worker, Lucian, poking his head in. David straightened and exited the room, making sure to shut the door as quietly as possible. Once outside the room, he noticed that another co-worker, Alice, was also outside, her face a mask of worry.

"How is she?" Alice asked.

David sighed and answered, "She's sleeping. Peacefully, for now, but that probably won't last." He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

"Why did he call her 'Robin'?" Lucian asked.

"What are you talking about?" David replied.

"That guy, he kept calling her 'Robin', which is not her name; but he acted like he knew her."

"Yeah," Alice chimed in, "and she kept calling him 'Potter'. I thought his name was Harry."

David looked at them incredulously, "You two heard all of that?"

"Yeah. Sorry, boss, but we had to know what was going on in there." Lucian replied.

David sighed again, closed his eyes, and leaned his head back against the wall. He stayed that way, for a moment, not uttering a word. Lucian and Alice stayed quiet as they waited for him to answer. Finally without opening his eyes said, "What I'm about to tell you never leaves this hallway. Under no circumstances is anyone to know what I tell you, even Sara. Got it?"

The two replied in unison, "Got it."

"Before Sara came to work for us, she was a student and Patton Academy. She, along with two other students became friends. They did everything they could together. They were the top of their individual classes, but they were even better as a team. Any team exercise they dominated. They were unstoppable.

Subsequently, a government agency took note of them and offered a job as agents. Each of them shared a love for ancient literature, and that was reflected in their code names. Sara, a fan of the tales of Robin Hood, was named Locksley; but the other two just called her Robin. Harry, as joke, was named Potter, after a children series that had a character with that name. And the third member, the leader, was named Athos. His name came from the tale, The Three Musketeers, and the brooding character suited him.

Years went by and they did a great service for the Alliance; but something happened. During a mission that went south, Athos was killed in an explosion. At least, that's what everyone thought. Potter refused to believe it. He was convinced that Athos was still alive; and that the mission had been rigged from the start. He went of the reservation. Eventually he was branded a criminal. Sara, now without her two best friends, was discharged from her contract and hired soon afterwards by Mr. Reynolds. The rest you know."

He opened his eyes and stared at Alice and Lucian for a moment, gauging their reactions. They were both staring at him. Lucian, he could tell, was still processing the story. Alice, on the other hand, was staring at him with a look of comprehension and horror.

"You're him. That guy was telling the truth. It all makes sense now." she muttered.

Lucian looked at questioningly, "What are you babbling about?"

Alice pointed at David, "He is Athos. He must have had reconstructive surgery or something."

Lucian glanced at David. "What makes you say that? You don't have any proof. You didn't even know the guy."

"You didn't see them when Sara first met him." Alice countered, turning to face Lucian, "She acted like she didn't know him, because as far as she is concerned, she doesn't; but he had this look of concealed recognition and relief on his face. I always thought it was odd, and now I know why."

Lucian pondered this for moment. Then they both looked at David, who had stood quietly the entire time. He was staring at the floor and looked very tired.

Lucian spoke, "Is she right, boss?"

"Yes." was the whispered reply. "and heaven help you if I ever find out you tell her."

Locksley, Potter, and Athos 1

"Robin, you have to listen to me." the man before her insisted.  His gun was pointed at the floor, but she knew from experience that he could have in pointed anywhere in seconds.

"I am listening, Potter." she replied. "I just don't believe you. I was there when he died. No one could have survived that kind of explosion. Please, put the gun down." She had to get him to surrender. The authorities outside had only given her five minutes to convince him to surrender peacefully. If he didn't surrender by then, he would end up dead. She would be alone.

"I can't." he responded. "Not unless you come with me. I can prove what I'm saying. I can prove they lied to us. Please, Robin."

The pleading look in his eyes almost convinced her to go. He must really believe Athos is still alive. But that was impossible, Athos was dead. She had seen the body. There was no way it had still been alive. Going with him would only add to the charges against him. She could only help him if he surrendered to her. "Potter, I'll make you a deal. You put the gun down and come with me. You can show me everything, and I'll promise I'll listen. No more running. No more hiding."

He let out a exasperated sigh, "You don't get it. The people we used to work for, they're part of the system you work for. They wanted us dead and I can prove it, but they'll never let me show you the proof. They'll kill me first. They-"

At that moment there was the sound of breaking glass, and Potter's voice cut off. He dropped gun, fell to his knees and then pitched onto his back.

Sara dashed over to him. "Potter!?!"  She knelt beside him and pulled his jacked open. The bullet had missed his heart, but only just. She pushed her hands onto the wound.

"Robin," he gasped, coughing up blood. "my left pocket - take the key." He grimaced in pain and coughed again as she she situated her hands to free one to get the key. She heard the doors behind her open and the sound of footsteps.

"Athos is alive." He gasped between more coughs. "I wouldn't lie to you about this." He coughed again and then lay still.

"Potter?" She started CPR. "Potter, please, hang on. You don't get to die too." He had to live.

She had barely started when she felt strong hands around her arms, pulling her away. She fought against them, but they were too strong. The owner of the hands pulled her into his chest. Some subconscious part of her brain recognized the person as her co-worker, David, and she let her self be pulled into his arms. She stayed there, curled in his arms until she couldn't cry anymore.

A Washed Key

 a key. He pulled it out of the clothes. It was small with a rounded top. It didn't appear to be anything special; but he did not remember where it came from. It didn't look like any keys he owned. He would probably have to take it to a locksmith to figure out what it went to. Then he might be able to figure out where it had come from.

A Crossing

The bridge before her swayed with the breeze. It was old, but appeared stable. She started across. The boards under her feet creaked and the ropes supporting them groaned. Many of the boards cracked when she put her weight in them. A few, rotted by age and time, broke under the strain. Eventually, with patience and careful precision, she made it across.

Dead Bodies. For Real.

Now there were two in the middle of her living room floor. She stared at them in horrified fascination, not really sure whether to scream or give in to her curiosity and move closer. There was an obscene amount of blood. It was pooling on her carpet and being seeped up into her couch through the blanket that had fallen half to the floor.

Finally, against her better judgment, she decided to embrace her curiosity. Careful not to step on or disturb anything, she loved watching cop shows, she moved closer to the nearest body. There was a hole in the middle of his forehead. What she could only guess was brain matter was splattered with the blood around his head. His face was frozen in a look of shock, eyes wide open and unfocused.  She moved to the other body. This one's eyes were closed. Staring at the body, it's eyes closed and the haphazard placing of the limbs, she reasoned that he had been wounded before the struggle in her apartment. Apparently, after struggling with and shooting the other man, he passed out and bleed to death.

After staring at the bodies for a few more moments, she called the police. Then, she went down to the building's coffee shop to wait. As she waited, she pondered all the reasons of why and how as she sipped her coffee. In her mind, of all the questions these two bodies proposed, the most disturbing one was, "Why were they in her apartment?"

A Summons from Mother

The doors to the hall burst open and man-like beasts poured in. Behind them came there leader, a dark mage. He strode in and stopped just inside the entrance, blocking the doorway, while the beasts encircled the room.

The prince had been watching his little sister's fencing lessons when it happened. As the beasts entered, she dropped her sword and dashed to him. She hid herself in the folds of his cloak, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. Her instructor, a member of the palace guard, positioned himself between the siblings and the mage.

The dark mage glanced at him and sneered. With a flick of his wrist, he flung the guardsman aside. The garden and landed in the heat but one of the beast, proceeded to tear him apart. It happened so fast that the guard didn't even scream. The prince could feel his sister bury her face deeper into his leg as the room echoed with the sound of breaking bones and tearing flesh.

The mage turned his gaze to the pair, and looked the prince in the eye. The prince stiffened as an evil smile spread across the mage's lips. The mage spoke,  "Sorry to barge in like this, boy; but your mother wants to see you."

Hello and Goodbye

The boy pushed the boulder off of the girl trapped beneath. Her left leg was bent at an awkward angle, and her shirt was covered in blood. He checked her pulse. It was there, but only faintly. Her breathing was shallow and pained. He put his hands over the hole in her shirt, applying pressure to the wound underneath. She let out a weak groan and her eyelids fluttered. A moment later she opened her eyes. She focused on him and opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

"Shhh, don't try to talk." he said to her. "Everything's going to be okay."

As the last word left his lips, she gave a weak cough which was followed by a deeper one, this one bringing up blood. He shifted so he could prop her head up on his legs and still put pressure on the wound. He know he was fighting a losing battle, but he had to try.

"Who are you?" asked a weak voice.

He glanced down at her, "My name is Romio." he replied. "Can you tell me yours?"

She closed her eyes, as if she was trying to remember, and took a shuddering breath. "Juliyett."

He smiled, "I like that name."

She coughed, more blood coming up. "I like yours too." she responded, her voice barely audible. Then her body seemed to relax, her head leaning into his legs more. He checked her pulse. She was gone.

The Hidden Cave

a cave up ahead, but all he saw was a rock wall. He checked his compass and and did a mental walk through of his trek thus far. He hadn't taken a wrong turn. Great. The cave had to be here. He couldn't go back home empty handed. It had been a uphill battle just to get the funds and permits to go on this trip. So many people had tried to stop or discourage him from going. He had to come back with something. He  sat down on a nearby boulder and pulled out the worn journal that paired with the map. As he read, the sun shifted the shadows. He looked at the rock wall and noticed a shadow that shouldn't have been there. He walked over to the wall and took a closer look at the shadow and a moment later let out a shout of relief and excitement. The cave was hidden behind a boulder that blended in seamlessly with the wall behind it, unless viewed from the right angle or the right time of day.

The Infiltration

He stared at the 3-D display before him. The subtlest path to the tower was highlighted for him. As he stared at the path he ran through scenarios that could arise. He also contemplated, briefly, bringing someone else in. No, it would be best if he did this alone. Infiltrating the citadel alone would be hard, but not impossible. Adding another person would add more opportunities for things to go wrong. Most importantly, it would open him up to betrayal; something he had experienced before and never wanted to experience again. Ever.

He sighed and leaned a little more on his hands. On the other hand, having another person could speed things up. The timing had to be perfect. The High Protector would only be gone from the tower for an hour at most, and he had to be in and out of the citadel before then. If the journey to the tower was off by even a minute, he would be captured and killed. The Protector had an uncanny ability of knowing everything that was going on in the citadel while he was in it.

This was not going to be easy, but it had to be done. The outcome would be worth it. Well, it would be if he was successful.

The Cursed Chest

 The men stared at the chest. The lid was covered in an archaic script, but every man knew what the script said. They had been taught "The Cursed Chest" poem since childhood. It was meant to deter men such as themselves from opening the chest. It translated:

"Beware, ye fools, who open this chest.
Beware, ye fools, of what happens next.

Open this chest and you invite strife.
Beware, ye fools, you'll forfeit your life.

Open this chest and death you invite.
Beware, ye fools, you won't last the night."

One of them spoke up, "So, Captain, do we open it?"

Supervillain "Honey Do"

To Do:

1. Feed dragon
2. Repair evil robots
3. Practice monologing
4. Practice evil laugh
5. Finish evil potion from yesterday
6. Torture prisoners
7. Work on dark magic spellbook
8. Fine-tune plans for global domination and destruction
9. Write manifesto and demands
10. Publish threats
11. Look through henchman applications
12. Prep tomorrow's menacing outfit
13. Pick up:
1. eye if newt
2. toe of giant
3. wing of bat
4. graveyard dirt
5. bundle of human hair
6. quart of blood
7. milk
8. cookies

A Heavy Choice

I stared at the list of names. All of these people, every single one, was a stranger. Most importantly, every single one was dead; and they were dead because of me. I was my fault, and yet.... it wasn't. I'd had decision to make. No matter what I did, people were going to die. The question had been, "How many?" I tried not to make the decision, be all "smart-alek" and going with "no one;" but people had died anyway. The one forcing the decision on me had reminded me that the question was "How many? Would it be a  small handful of unknown, but no less important, people? Or, a larger group, who's size was the equivalent of a small nation? How many people would die?" Finally, I chose. Heaven help me, I chose. "The needs of the many..." and all that. What else was I supposed to do? Let a millions of people die, or only a couple hundred? I am not proud of my choice, but I wouldn't change it. The decision was made, and I have to live with it. You judge me, but if the choice had been yours, what would you have done?