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Chapter -5- Apropos

August 1, 2049 - 2am, local time Paris, France ...

Karla Loupe opened a door at the top of the stairs and peered inside of a bathroom. It was neat and clean except for a single damp towel on the sink counter.

She opened her hand and the towel appeared in her grasp. She teleported the towel to the laundry room on the first floor. Karla closed the door, and continued down the hall on a light cleaning spree.

She continued to on her mission and peered into the next room. The succubus paused, and then silently cursed herself for walking into Donovan's room. She couldn't pull herself away from her missing son's bedroom. She couldn't tear her eyes from the empty twin mattress with the superhero sheet set.

Instead, she walked further in the room and sat down on the end of the mattress. She leaned over and sniffed at the duvet. Where as many six-year-old boys' comforters would have a hint of urine scent, this one did not. The only thing she could smell was a little boy's body odor. It reminded her of one time where she had to pull him away from a video game because he didn't want to take a bath.

A weak smile found her face, remembering how she teleported him out of his bedroom and into the adjacent bathroom's tub. She recalled how he sat in the tub, arms folded, looking angry - it was too cute for words.

'Deal with it,' she remembered telling him. 'You smell like a fifty-foot-tall armpit. And remember to put all your bath toys into the cup you use for washing your hair. You don't want daddy to step on one next time he takes a shower, do you?'

She inhaled her son's scent from the blanket again. Her tears flooded her gaze like a powerful wave, all at once stinging both her eyes. Hot moisture ran down her face.

Karla rolled onto her side, splayed across the mattress. She reached for her son's pillow and pulled it to her chest, sobbing into it. She didn't care if Reno or Wilfred heard her.

She wanted to beg forgiveness but Donovan wasn't around to hear it. Eric was dead. Her family, the feeling of having a home - everything she built from scratch was now gone.

Karla fished a Bluetooth earpiece from a pocket strategically sewn into her skirt. She wedged it into her ear, thumbed a button on the side, and said, "Call Rufus."

After a moment, she heard the werewolf's voice. "Karla? What're you doing up this late? Everything a'right?"

"Rufus, I swear to God, I am so sorry I hurt you. I betrayed you. I sold you out for a pipedream. I knew better than to think a storybook fantasy family could ever exist."

"Whoa, whoa, slow down..."

"Even before that bastard killed my husband, Eric and I had problems. We couldn't figure out how to resolve our differences. We fought a lot. I've felt so lonely for so long, I don't even know where to begin to think my relationship was worth handing your life over to Aris Falcon. You could have died. I was playing Russian-Roulette with a half-loaded cylinder and I pulled the trigger right in your face. And I regret betraying you. I really do. I could have taken the pill, rescued you from his grasp, and we could have fled together. We'd still have lost, but at least I wouldn't have thrown you to the..." she trailed off, laughing through tears at the stupidity of the pun she was about to make. "You know what I mean."

After a moment to digest everything, Rufus sighed over the line. "Karla, not too long ago, someone told me that I need to look at things in a different light, from a different angle. Fact of the matter is, you DID teleport me out of Falcon's grip. You didn't leave me to die. You just got a head start on running before you pulled me outta the fire. Yeah, you betrayed our friendship 'n all that shit, but you didn't leave me to die."

She sat up a bit, teeth clamped gently over her bottom lip. She shifted her weight on the twin-mattress and asked, "You forgive me?"

"I dunno. You still ran away from a battle, Blondie. Let's face it, you ain't my favorite sex demon right now."

She snorted. "I'm the only sex demon you know."

"You know what I meant. Look, I cain't hold that shit over yer head no more. The fact you let Falcon live means that you're solely responsible for what he did to yer kids and yer husband. That's a shit-ton worse than you deserved. All I'd have done was smack ya' upside yer head, and called'ja a bitch. But you've gotta live with the fact that sumbitch came to yer house and ruined yer life. So. You won't get anymore grief from me. From now on, I'll treat you like a teammate. But don't think for a second that I'll trust you right away. You need ta' prove yourself to get my trust back. We clear on that?"

Karla swallowed. His words stung, but they were honest and made sense. She tightened her arm around the pillow, smooshing it against her bust. "Rufus, do you remember how to get to the Parker Mansion?"

"Yeah. I'd visit Topaz 'n Fox every now 'n then. Why?"

"I'm going to call Conner and let him know that I'm bringing Reno and Wilfred there. I can't ... I can't stay here, in Paris, right now. Every-damn-thing reminds me of what I lost, here. This house was paid for by Topaz, who was my lover at the time. I betrayed her trust, too. I don't deserve to stay here."

"Don't go bein' rash and sellin' the place, dammit."

"No, no. I wouldn't sell it. I just don't deserve to live here. I feel like I should earn it back. And I walked into Donovan's room just now. My chest hurts. My eyes sting. Everything I see reminds me of my fuck up. I need to leave. I need to clear my head."

"What're you proposin', Karla?"

"Let's regroup at the Parker Mansion. It's closer to Japan, just in case we have to help Sinopa. It's within reasonable distance to go to the Parker Island if necessary. Reno's car is in the showroom beneath the mansion. Conner will feel comfortable in his own house. We just need to regroup."

There was a pause. She could hear him breathing over the line. After a moment, he said, "A'ite. Kalen and I ... can be there in a day or two. Try 'n calm yer silly ass down, would'ja?"

"I'll do my best," she said with a weak smile. "Rufus, I'm sorry. I'm not asking you to trust me or even to forgive me. I'm just asking you to accept and acknowledge my apology. I respect you. I really, really do. If there is anything I can do, anything at all, to make things right again ... I'll do it."

"There is one lil' thing."

"Name it."

"Stop the waterworks 'afore I get there. Strong sense of smell, y'know? Women's tears're all sorta filled with hormones 'n shit. It messes with my head. Just get it out now, b'fore you leave Paris. No cryin', we square on that?"

"Alright, I'll do my best. It comes in waves. I hurt, I make jokes, I look into my kid's room and hurt more, I make more jokes. I'm a messed up bitch."

"Put'cher self down all ya like. You're not getting sympathy from me. People who do that shit are cryin' for attention even if they don't realize it. In the end, it's annoyin'. Don't put yerself down, it ain't productive shit to be doin' with yer time. Christ, if you want a hug or somethin', I'll give you a goddamn hug, okay?"

"I'd appreciate it."

"Yeah, yeah. So, how's Reno doin'?"

"Have you heard? He's awake now."

"Ayup. Reckon tha's the word inna grapevine. How is he? Is he outta bed, yet?"

"He's walking and talking. He's constantly in the gym beating up his body."

"Say what? How'n the hell can he even walk yet?"

"I don't know, RueBear. But it's impressive."

"Dun' call me tha'. You gotta earn that back, Blondie. I'll see you in San Fran. I gotta jet."

"Thanks, Rufus. You're a good man."

"Yeah, yeah. Try'n get some sleep before I see ya'. You get moody when you're exhausted to hell. If you dun' take care of yer body or yer head, you won't be any good to help us try 'n get your son back. You got it? I need you at yer best if you're ever gonna see him again. I need you at yer best if I'm ever gonna see Collobulous again. So get it all out, pack yer bags and get'cher ass in gear. We good?"

"Yeah," she murmured softly. "We're good. Thanks for the pep-talk, Rue."

"See you soon, sex demon." He ended the call from his end, leaving Karla alone in the dim lighting of a Transformer nightlight on the wall above the bed.

She sighed and hugged the pillow again.

X

X

August 3, 2049 - sunrise Somewhere in Europe ...

Jaye Parker switched his phone to his other ear."Forget this nonsense. I'm coming home to see you right now, Dawn."

"No, Jaye," she said over the line. "You don't get it. That woman was in my head. By the time she left, I knew everything she did. It's like a bad dream, and the longer I'm myself, the more it's starting to fade. But, like a bad dream, there are certain parts that won't go away. And I know it's all real."

"Real?"

"You have no idea what's going to happen, Jaye. You need to see this through. They're going to need all of us. Even me. I just need some time to decompress."

"What the hell did you see? I mean, Christ, who is my nephew dating that you're so damn scared of her?"

"James, I saw too much. I can't understand it because I'm not the kind of person who would make the decisions she did but she's some sort of product of what story tellers and faith has made her."

"I don't understand, Dawn."

"If the stories about her - myths and legends - made people believe that she was evil in her youth, then she was handed that life. She now struggles with her own identity, becoming what she wants to be, and not what her believers paint her to have been."

"So it's like she feels guilty about being forced to take on a role she isn't proud of?"

"Something like that."

"So you feel like you dreamed you were evil a long time ago? Is that what this is about? I need to understand, babe."

"I remember hurting people for amusment. It was awful. But I also learned firsthand experience about what it was like to die. An arrow through my heart, the pain, the emotion, the guilt, and the disappointment of not having amounted to more in life."

"Jesus, hon."

"And I ... I have these memories of sleeping with a fifteen year old Japanese Emperor in 1155AD. And ... uhm ... Conner. I know what he's like in bed. It's disturbing. She doesn't care about age. She's in love with your nephew. But now I close my eyes and I remember it as if it was me. Now I'M the one that's been given a role I didn't want - a past that doesn't feel like me. Now I'm the one struggling with my identity, just like her, but I can't..."_Her voice cracked. "_I can't handle this shit."

James paced back the other direction through the warehouse. "Conner and I tried getting into this guy's place lastnight, and we couldn't even get inside. It's not something two people can pull off. He says we need Karla Loupe's help. So we're going to pack up tonight. There's _nothing_else we can do here, Dawn. So please, I'm coming home. You need me." He paused, sighed, and then added, "What happened to you isn't fair."

"Tamamo was about to be killed in the Celestial Realm. She barely escaped. If she dies without a body, she's gone forever. It would be a waste to lose someone with three thousand years of life experience. She can help us to stop this nonsense. We need everyone we can get."

"Fine. But I don't even know what the hell I'm here for. I don't want to steal things. Conner is going to get himself killed doing it by himself. But he's dead-set on taking this Egyptian headdress thing. I don't even know what the hell it does."

_"It's for Sekhmet." _

"Who the hell is that?"

"She's a warrior with the head of a lion, and she saved Tamamo from a very bad ending. You have to get that thing for this woman - for Sekhmet. I don't know what it does, but the goddess lady seems to think she requires it when she's here, in this world."

"God, this is like a bad rip from a Marvel comic about Thor. Only it's real, and I can't follow all the details without an encyclopedia. At least comic book writers make their mythos easy to follow for the average reader like me."

"I'm sorry, Jaye. Look, I need to go. The more I talk about this stuff, the harder it is to wrap my head around what's really me and what was her. I'm going to knock back a glass or two of wine and try to sleep. I love you." She paused and, as an unsure afterthought, added, "Tell Conner I said hi." She stopped abruptly and, in a frustrated tone, said, "No. Don't say that. That's inappropriate. God I'm so goddamn confused right now. You just keep your family member alive. THAT is all he is to me - my betrothed's nephew. That's it and that's all."

"I'll tell him you said hello. There's nothing wrong with that. I'm coming home to Chicago. We have to stop by San Francisco first, then I'll be home - I promise. I love you."

"You, too." Her reply was quick, as if her response was simply a way to say 'goodbye.' The phone disconnected on her end.

"Bye, hun..." he looked down at the phone but the phone call had already ended. James sighed and walked back into the makeshift gym.

Conner was on the bench, lifting a weight bar. "Hey, can you spot me? I want to try and see if I can go heavier."

"Conner, Dawn is all messed up in the head. She, uh, said hello to you. But I need to go home to her. You already said we're done here until we get that other girl. I'm going to be marrying Dawn soon. I need to be there for her right now. She is alone, scared, and confused. Please?"

Conner hefted the weight bar up onto the bench brackets and sat up. "I already booked the tickets. We're going to hit O'Hare in Chicago first. I'll drop you off, and give you an allowance of cash, and head on to San Fran by myself. We're going to need Dawn later on. So I want you to go home to her and help her get her head back in the game."

James rubbed his face. He picked up a towel from a nearby shelf of dumbbells and handed it to his nephew. "Look, bud, I appreciate that but ... do you even hear yourself? You're acting like this is all somehow normal. It's not. Everything is screwed up, Conner. Dawn is going to need serious therapy."

"Tamamo can repress stuff for Dawn. You'll have normal Dawn back in no time. We just have to bring Tamamo to Chicago soon. And yeah, I am acting like this is normal - it's what our life is now. My family told me, my whole life, that I need to accept things as they are at face value, because the world is weirder than any one person can imagine. I argued it at first. And then I found out they were right."

"Doesn't anything_bother you? I don't know how you can be so calm about other problems, but have such a temper regarding your own. It's called _being empathetic, Conner."

"I know I have a temper," said Conner. "I got it honestly from my mother. But I can't control what happened to Dawn. I really like her. She's a hacker, she's good with making little remote control gadgets. It turns out that she has a real passion for it. We need her. And she saved Tamamo's life, so I totally owe her. But I have a whole different list of problems to stress out over. You worry about Dawn, and I'll worry about my own fucked up life."

James frowned.

Conner coughed and rubbed the towel over his face. "Sorry. I didn't mean to use that word. It's just ... my parents are fraternal twins. It's disgusting. My first relationship is with a woman who makes me feel like a mere mortal. Because, let's face it, I am one. And I apparently have this all-important destiny I never asked for."

"Conner..." James sighed.

"I'm out here trying to do my best, and let's not forget the_worst_ part of everything..."

James swallowed. Empathy crept in and he nodded in understanding. "Your family is missing, presumed dead."

"Yeah. You're all I have, Uncle Jaye. So pardon me for latching onto you. I lost everyone. Let me put it another way: I was homeschooled. I was trained to be the best master thief in the world, but I'm still too young to be at my best."

"Conner ... I'm sorry, I just..."

Conner held his hands up. "Look at my fingers. See these marks on my fingertips? I wanted to impress my mom growing up, so I volunteered to take the pocket test. You have to pick pocket a jacket covered with bells. Some pockets have coins, cell phones, or other trinkets. But most of the pockets have razor blades sewn in them. My mother can clean out a coat of ten pockets without cutting herself, in complete silence, in a matter of seconds. I'm nowhere near that good yet."

"Jesus Christ, and you think that's a normal childhood?"

"I know it's not!" Conner erupted. "I bled for this family. I volunteered to bleed for this family! I can do it silent and I can do it fast, but I bled a lot. Why? Because I'm damn good but I'm not at my best just yet. I'm only fifteen!"

"Conner, that's my point. You're just a teenager."

"Uncle Jaye, I have a role to play."

James flinched, remembering what Dawn said on the phone earlier.

Conner continued, unwavering in his tone. "...And this family is all I know. It's all I've ever known! I never went to public school. I never had friends. And now these people are gone. Not only do I feel lonely, I'm scared as hell! These people that are way better than me? They're gone - my parents are gone. They're probably not coming back. That's scary to me. How am I supposed to rescue them from the guy who was good enough to take them both down? And nobody seems to understand what I'm going through!"

James sat down on the bench, adjacent to his nephew. "I understand. My mother is missing. I haven't heard from her. My stepfather went missing just a few days before she disappeared. Now my fiancée, the only thing I have left in my life, is scared and confused. And I'm thousands of miles away from being able to help her. You're not the only one scared and frustrated, Conner. We're in this together."

"I thought so, but I'm dropping you off in Chicago. I'm going home to California. I'm losing the last family member I have, Uncle Jaye. And to make things worse, I haven't heard from Tamamo since Dawn left Japan. It's making me nervous."

James looked down in silence. He didn't know how to proceed with the conversation so he changed the topic. "What did you mean by 'an allowance' anyhow?"

Conner mirrored his uncle's unsure expression, eyes on the floor. "You don't have a trust fund set up."

"I do. My mother set one up. It's why I work on my comic. Because I don't have to pay rent. Sometimes I feel guilty about that, but if I don't pursue my passion, then I'm wasting an opportunity that other people don't have. So..."

Conner scoffed and cut a sidelong glance to his uncle. "A few thousand a month makes it so you can live in Chicago and survive. You still have to save up for things you want, like a nice computer or a car."

"I don't own a car. I don't need that kind of expense in my life."

"Uncle Jaye, you need a _proper_Parker family trust fund set up. If I need you to hop on a plane at a moment's notice, I don't want to hear some crap about having to save up for the cost."

"If it was an emergency, I could do it, Conner. I have fifteen grand in savings."

"Oh. Look at you. Good with money. Great, I'm glad you're responsible. You'll have to be," said Conner with a smirk. "I have a little over a billion in savings. It's accessible anytime I want to do something. You need that. Tamamo's friends need our help. Our ability, our finances. They can't do this without our help."

James stared at his nephew for a moment. He cracked a grin. "Just a billion huh?"

"People would scrutinize a teenaged boy with, say, fifty billion of disposable cash in the bank. They wouldn't even begin to understand if I had more, because nobody knows my family is the richest in the world."

James rubbed his face. "It's a little weird to find out I'm a trillionaire."

Conner snorted in amusement.

"Okay, maybe that was a bit high to estimate, but you know what I mean."

Conner stood up and tossed the towel down onto the weight bench. "Trillionaire - that's a joke. Lance Patterson guestimates our worth somewhere around sixteen septillion. Why so much? Because our money could topple every economy in the world, rendering it worthless, so that only gold and precious metals would have any value ... which would drive the price of platinum and gold through the roof. And you saw the underground mountain of it we have. So, theoretically, we have unlimited money. We could control the world economy any-which-way we want. Trillionaire? That's laughable. We could make everyone in the world a multi-trillionaire, but then the money wouldn't be worth anything. It's disgusting. And you know what that money has done for me? NOTHING. If anything, it's caused me to have bloody fingers at best."

"The IRS wouldn't know what to do with your family if they knew."

"Our family, Uncle Jaye. And to hell with sixteen septillion dollars. Can't spend it all without messing up the world money market - so it's useless. And let's face it, the IRS wouldn't touch someone if ya' could buy them. The IRS won't bother someone if the family already owns their bosses, the directors, the political figures, the CEOs who the politicians answer to, and the stock holders the CEOs answer to. Not that my family is involved in that kind of conspiracy crap, but it wouldn't take but a few phone calls to be irresponsible. Besides, they wouldn't come for us because they can't count that high. Oh, and our money is hidden in a part of the world that doesn't belong to any nation. Proper gifts to the proper people ensures it stays that way."

James stood up from the weight bench. "Nobody likes a bragger. C'mon. When's our flight? You have a world to save and I have a relationship to coddle."

"We have a few hours."

"We should go soon. You have to get to airports early if you're not chartering a _Gulfstream_like a proper public rich kid."

"Jesus, Uncle Jaye. And about the allowance, I'll set up something for you right away, when I get home. You need to be part of this family, too. But first, I'll give you some cash. And remember: you can't use it to _buy_Marvel, or DC, or any of those other publishing houses. I mean it."

James grinned. "That would draw attention, and this family is all about stealth, right?"

Conner smiled. "I'm glad you understand. And I'm not bragging. I'm lamenting - I have all this money I can't spend. I'm basically keeping it safe from messing up the world's economy. It's kind of a burden. Well, my family I mean. But I'm fifteen and it's all fallen to me. I can't just go and hire a financial advisor. I have to deal with this shit by myself. Lance Patterson helps but, damn, it's a lot of problems."

James opened the door to the warehouse and turned off the light to the makeshift gym. "Conner, you should have seen your face when you showed me all the stuff on that island. It was bragging. You were trying to impress me."

Conner grinned, crossing the warehouse. "Well, did it work?"

"Uh, yeah." James followed him to the main exit and turned out the light. The warehouse dimmed, illuminated by every fifth ceiling light in each row of light fixtures.

Conner opened a rolling door and froze.

James approached his nephew and the opened rolling door. He swallowed at the sight of fifteen armed men wearing suits and ties. One of the men had a thermal imaging scanner in one hand and a cellphone in the other.

Conner sighed.

James took a step closer to his nephew, protectively, and quietly whispered, "Friends of yours?"

"I think they work for our target," Conner whispered back.

"Great." James lifted his hands slowly.

Conner folded his arms loosely. "We didn't steal it. We gave up; we're going home. So what's the problem? You guys don't need to point guns at us."

The man with the phone and thermal scanner approached the two boys. "You should be ashamed bringing a boy into this line of work. You're going to get the child killed."

James blinked. "I think you have us confused."

Conner stepped out from behind his uncle. "I'm in charge. I recruited him - he's the trainee. You got a problem with us, you talk to me. Why are you guys dressed like the mafia anyhow?"

The man put the scanner into his pocket and his phone into his blazer. "We're businessmen."

Conner sighed. "Organized crime? So what does the mob want with us? I'm not pulling a heist for you clowns, if that's what this is about."

"Listen, you ignorant child ... the man whose collection you were casing? These men work for him. He's a well-respected 'made man.' You were planning to steal from him."

Conner ran his hands over his face then pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't have time to play with you guys right now. I'm leaving for America. If your idiot boss would have just sold that piece to me, I wouldn't have had to break in and case the joint. But we never took it because it's a three-person job, so what the hell is your problem?"

The man withdrew a Beretta handgun and pointed it in Conner's face. "I'm Joseph Pendleton. The man whose private collection gallery you broke into ... is my father."

Conner tilted his head, looking at the weapon. "That gun looks pretty old. American serial number. Where was it made, Maryland or Tennessee?" Parker unfolded his arms. "If you're going to point something in my face, you'd better know more about it than I do."

"Kid, I doubt you..."

Conner stepped forward, using one hand to push the gun upwards. It discharged into the warehouse above the rolling door.

Parker pulled the pistol from the man's grasp. By the time he turned the weapon about in his hand, he'd already disassembled it. Conner dropped the parts on the ground. "Mid-2000s model. Made in Maryland. This is Europe. Why didn't you just buy an Italian Beretta? Look, you can have your boys shoot at us, but I'll use you as a body shield."

Pendleton rubbed his ears. "You don't have to shout, kid."

"Gee, I'm sorry, what was that?" Conner replied in a theatrically loud tone of voice. "Some asshole shot a gun above my head and my ears are ringing. So, yes - I do have to shout. So are we going to fight or are you guys going home and telling your boss that we left before you got here?"

Pendleton stepped back a bit. "I've already been on the phone with my father. He knows we have you boys surrounded. We can do this one of three ways. One, you turn yourself over to the police for breaking and entering. Two, we kill you. Three, well ... maybe there's really only two options after all."

Conner glanced back at James then forward at Joseph and the other men. "Option three, I disarm everyone here. I break a _lot_of bones, and your father feeds you applesauce through a straw."

Joseph gestured for his men to take a few steps back. The fourteen armed men created a circle around the group.

Conner glanced at his uncle then back at Pendleton. "What's this crap?"

"Which one of you is the better fighter?" asked Joseph.

"No," said James. "Conner, I'm not going to let you go fighting this guy. You're a minor."

Conner rolled his eyes. "Sit down and watch, young Padawan." He gave a tug at the hem of his tank top and gestured to Pendleton. "You think you can fight me? This I've gotta see."

"Your mother isn't here to wipe your ass and protect you, kid." Joseph pressed his thumb against the side of his nose then tilted his head, cracking his neck. "Yeah, I know she could fight. So could her father."

"Oh, so who's casing whom? C'mon. I've got a plane to catch and I don't have all day."

Joseph made the first move. He leapt into the fight with a kick.

Conner sidestepped and held his hands out. "Are you really going to fight some sort of bullshit kung-fu? Seriously?"

James stepped in. "He's just a kid!" He threw a punch across Joseph's face.

Pendleton grunted, unprepared for the strike. "This is between me and him." He turned to James and replied with a hard jab.

Jaye deflected the fist and buried his right hand into Joseph's stomach.

Pendleton exhaled and said, "You're a natural. Most people don't get a hit in, let alone two." He brought his wrist up, caught James' inner elbow, and forced James into a grapple.

James felt ice against his back followed by boiling heat. It became hard to breathe. Everything happened so fast he could barely discern Conner shouting in the background. Jaye's legs felt tight, as if cramping up. He stumbled back several paces and looked down, unable to see any injury.

James' mind raced. Was he hit in some sort of pressure point? He stumbled against a wall by the rolling door and felt something against his back. Jaye dropped to one knee and both hands, gasping for air. He rolled onto his side. Behind him, he heard the clatter of metal on the ground. James rolled a bit, lying across a knife used to puncture his left lung from behind.

Conner's eyes widened and he balled his hands into fists. "You son of a bitch! Fight me!"

"Oh it's your turn now," said Joseph. He lunged for Conner and the two went through a series of strikes and blocks with supernatural grace. Joseph met Conner's every attack tit-for-tat. His eyes remained calm, focused.

Conner dropped into a sweep kick.

Joseph hopped over the attempt and kicked his leg up. Conner jerked his head back as he came to his feet, narrowly missing a kick to the face.

The attacks seemed almost choreographed in a way, like a Hollywood action film.

Joseph ducked a roundhouse then literally somersaulted in reverse to get space. "You're aggressive, kid. Y'know, my grandfather married one of those four thief clans. My father and I both do all the same shit you and the others did. That means we're entitled to our share of whatever mountain of money you have, wherever it is. I want what's mine."

Conner pointed at his uncle. "You fucking stabbed him! You really think you're going to walk away from this still breathing?! Shut up and fight!" He ran to the right, jumped at the wall of the warehouse and kicked off of it, using his foot to catch Joseph in the shoulder.

Pendleton grunted, turned into the strike, and closed his hands over Conner's shirt. He leaned back, burying his foot into Conner's stomach and kick-threw him backwards.

Conner landed adjacent to his uncle but scrambled to his hands and knees. "Are you okay?"

"Just hurts," said Jaye. "Will be fine." James shoved the knife into Conner's hand.

Conner closed his fingers around the handle then jumped up and dove at Pendleton. He felt a knee against his gut and dropped to the pavement, winded briefly. Conner got back to his feet and smirked.

Joseph took a step forward then fell onto the ground with a groan. His hands went to his groin, hissing air through his teeth. "You little bastard!"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Conner said with a cocky smirk. "Did you need your hamstrings? You're lucky I didn't shove this knife into your eye. But I need to know more about your family and how you're related to me. You'd better hope my uncle lives."

Two of the guards flanked Joseph and helped him up. The rest of the group kept their guns trained on Conner and James while Pendleton and his two thugs made an escape.

"When we're in the car, shoot the older one. Keep the younger one alive, but take his legs. I need him to show me where that goddamn island is." Pendleton dropped into a nearby car, which pulled off abruptly.

The two guards that helped him escape came back to the group.

Conner looked around at fourteen men armed with handguns and submachine guns.

"Jesus, Conner, get out of there," James murmured softly.

"You guys just made the biggest mistake of your life," said Conner with a cocky, yet angry tone.

One of the soldiers pulled back on the slide of a submachine gun. "You little shit, be glad the boss said not to kill ya'."

Conner ground his teeth together. "So help me God, if any of you are breathing five minutes from now, just know it's because I allowed it, and consider yourselves lucky.."

"I'm tired of this little shit's mouth," said one of the men. He pointed his handgun at Conner and fired.

Conner dove at the man. The round passed over his head and struck a wall somewhere in the distance with a thud. Conner closed his fists over the man's blazer. It felt almost as if time slowed down for him. The strange sensation of hyper-focused senses, caused by his adrenaline surge, made him ultra-aware. Conner felt his fingers curling around the man's fabric. His body was still on the rise, fighting gravity in mid-dive.

He felt the soldier topple backwards. Conner moved forward with the man. He tightened his forearms and biceps so that when the man's back met the ground, Conner was vertical, doing a handstand on the gunman's chest.

The teenaged boy followed through with momentum, bound off the man's chest and righted himself. Conner landed on his feet in a crouch. He glanced down at his right hand, having pickpocketed the armed mobster by instinct.

Conner held a small fist-sized canister. A smoke grenade. He pulled the pin, stood up and glanced around, memorizing everyone's positions. Conner threw the canister at the next closest gunman. It struck the man in the nose, causing blood to gush down over his mouth and chin. The gunman's rifle clattered on the ground.

Conner kicked it up, caught it by the barrel and swung it like a bat. The buttstock caught another man in the face, breaking his jaw. The smoke from the canister spewed upwards, clouding the immediate area.

James eased up onto his elbow, but it caused undue pressure on his lungs. He slumped back down, trying to catch his breath. He winced at the crack of a random gunshot. Another gun discharge punctuated a figurative sentence, strung together, comprised of grunts and occasional groans.

The gunshots illuminated the smoke cloud, resembling obscured lightning in a dense storm cloud.

A gun clattered across the pavement. James crawled towards it. His arms and legs cramped up to the point where it was too painful to go very far.

He closed his hands over the rifle and sat up. James leaned against the rolling door's frame. He checked the magazine, the chamber, then made sure the safety was off. He pointed the gun towards the cloud, which began to thin out.

There was another grunt, followed by the sound of someone hitting the pavement. The body of a man rolled to a stop at James' feet. His tie was splayed across his face. The man grumbled softly under his breath, "Fuckin' kid." He reached up where his nose was broken then poked his finger against his mouth to check where two teeth were missing.

The smoke dissipated.

James could only _just_make out Conner, who used a rifle, like a bat, to break a man's ribs. The boy released the magazine from the rifle, un-chambered the round, and tossed it aside. The magazine clattered across the pavement. The gun went the other direction.

Conner paused and looked around himself. A wan smile found the boy's lips. "Obviously none of the hired help has the same dexterity as that Pendleton guy."

One of the attackers eased up on his elbow and pointed a pistol at The boy.

"...Conner!" James' hoarse voice wasn't loud enough to warn the teenager, who stood proudly, basking in the victory over so many enemies.

The handgun fired.

Conner whirled around, seeing a weasel-sized fox, whose jaw was clamped down around the man's wrist. Conner approached the man and kicked him in the face. The attacker dropped back, unconscious.

Kuda scurried off, into hiding again.

"That little animal showed up again. Did you see what he did? That guy would have shot me." Conner blinked as if he somehow was able to distinguish reality again. He hurried over to his uncle and lifted the back of James' shirt. "Where did they...?" He paused and leaned down a bit. "I found the stab wound. There's a lot of blood and I don't know what I'm looking at."

James muttered in pain. "Can't breathe good." He took a labored breath and corrected himself, as if it were somehow the proper time or place to do so. "Well. Can't ... breathe well. Don't think it's from shock; my legs are cramping up."

Conner rubbed his face and fished out a cellphone. "I thought they nailed you good. Jesus. I don't know medical emergency stuff. I have to call an ambulance." He looked around but didn't see Kuda anymore. Conner's attention returned to his uncle's stab wound.

James offered a weak smile. "So you don't ... you don't have a gym exercise for this, huh?"

Conner blinked, not recognizing the joke at first. He stared at his uncle for a moment then offered a wry grin. "You got stabbed and you're making jokes? Uncle Jaye, you're certifiably badass, now."

James wanted to laugh but was in too much pain. "Let's keep this between us for now. Don't want to worry the others. Just call 9-1-1."

Conner thumbed his cellphone. "It's 9-9-9 in this country." He dialed the number and offered a weak smile. "Hang in there. You'll live to get married."

"Heh. I thought I was gonna have to shoot someone. I can't believe you took out those fourteen guys by yourself." He sat up a bit then winced and laid back down. "I hate to ask but, did you kill any of them?"

Conner glanced back over his shoulder and frowned. "I don't think so. If I did, it's self-defense."

James frowned and shook his head. "Only if you call the police, give a statement, and get yourself in the system. Guess we're not catching that plane now."

"You're hurt, Uncle Jaye. Don't worry about the plane, there will be others."

"Are the tickets refundable?"

Conner grimaced. "Stop stressing yourself. I don't care about money. I care about losing my uncle, okay? And, Jesus, it's my fault. I pushed you into the field too fast. I'm really, really sorry."

"That guy, he was faster than me. Who the hell is he and what did you do to him?"

Conner frowned and looked down with a shrug. "He might be related to us. Distant cousin or something. And you're right, he's really fast. I thought we were the last of our kind. It's stupid that he'd rather be a dick than help us in any way." He glanced around, but there was no sign of Kuda. Conner craned his neck a bit, scanning the immediate area for the little ferret-sized fox.

"So how did you take him down?"

"Wha...?" The question snapped the boy back from his reverie. Conner sat down besides his uncle and spoke into the cellphone, "Yes, my name is Conner Nevada. My uncle, James Parker, was stabbed by a man calling himself Joseph Pendleton. James can't breathe. He can't catch his breath. "Please send help - I don't have an address, can you trace my phone?"

After a moment, Conner added, "Thank you. I'll stay here with him." Conner covered the bottom of the cell, turned to his uncle, and in a soft tone, said, "I stuck that knife in the dude's hamstring. You want to make a supernatural graceful person clumsy? Attack their knee, their elbow, their spine, or their hamstring. One sec." He shifted his gaze back to the wound on his uncle's back and spoke into the phone. "He's in bad shape, miss. I'm going to go and get a gym towel to stop the bleeding. Are they on their way? I can't lose my uncle, lady, he's all I've got."

X

X

August 3, 2049 - 9pm JST Tokyo, Japan ...

Tamamo sighed, looking out across an empty balcony. A gentle wind passed through the fence and bars, surrounding the breezeway. She closed her eyes, settled in a chair and relaxed her body. Meditation made it easier to help with the disturbed mind of her new vessel.

She tuned out the world, if only for a brief moment, internalizing on herself. Tamamo opened a silent dialogue with vessel's mind. She pondered the reasoning given for the woman taking the extreme measures that lead to her hospitalization.

"I cannot help you if you lock down yourself from me," Tamamo said to the woman.

The vessel replied, "I never believed in possession until now. And as glad as I am to take a pause from reality, I cannot open up to you, kitsune-sama."

Tamamo frowned and, in her meditative vision, she looked up from a seated position on her knees. The woman knelt in a similar fashion, across from her. Tamamo reached forward and pushed a lock of the woman's hair back behind her ear. The kitsune smiled softly. "I can help you. I owe you that. You are helping me by giving me sanctuary. But you do not need to lock down and hide yourself from me. You have tremendous willpower to do such a thing, which leads me to wonder why you were in the hospital."

"I was caught. I made the conscious decision to end my life. I faltered in my judgment by not finding a quiet enough place of sanctuary to end myself. I was grabbed from behind. I struggled, and, in the scuffle, I hit my forehead. I woke up in the hospital, restrained. Then you came in. You may use my body as you wish. I have no need for it. However, I do not wish to burden you with my own anguish."

Tamamo nodded to show respect to the woman's wishes. "I am not obligated to pry, but I do feel an obligation to help you with the weight you carry on your heart. I saw brief images of immense pain when first I entered your mind. If there is anything I can do to help you..."

"No, kitsune-sama. I am beyond help. I am only grateful for a respite ... A break from reality, so to speak. I submitted my body to you because I am honored to help you. I admit, I am still in shock to learn you are real, kitsune-sama. But, please, do not ask to know of my shame. It is not something I am ready to admit to anyone ... even to myself."

Tamamo reached up and cupped either side of the woman's face in the vision. "I hope to earn your trust, to better help you." Tamamo leaned forward, easing up further on her knees, and brushed her lips against the woman's forehead. Then she stood up and bowed to the woman. "For now, take this time to rest your heart and spirit."

The woman faded from the vision, leaving Tamamo alone.

Tamamo-no-Mae opened her eyes ... she tensed up, startled. A four-tailed red-furred fox wiggled in through a small corner where the fence wasn't properly bolted into the balcony.

Sinopa dropped down onto the deck, padded across the floor then sat down on her haunches in front of Tamamo's chair. The fox's ears perked up and she opened her muzzle, speaking in eloquent Japanese. "Sensei?"

Tamamo looked down at the sleeved restraints over her arms and hands then gazed back upon the comforting sight of Sinopa in her natural form. "I cannot begin to tell you how good it is to see you. Where is Dawn Razin?"

"I am afraid she remembers everything."

"Everything?" Tamamo frowned. "Everything about my time in her mind?"

"Everything about you, sensei. Your memories. Xin Di. Konoe-tenno. Conner-san. ...My birth name. Everything."

Tamamo swallowed with a grimace. She cut her gaze to the fenced balcony window. She rubbed her face into the sleeve of her right bicep then nodded to acknowledge what Sinopa told her.

"Sensei, you saved my life. The western world has a term for such - a godmother. I wish to tell you I am grateful to have you in my life."

"I am honored by your appreciation," Tamamo said, adding, "humbled, even. At times, I felt as though I failed you. I love you as if you were my own. I know we have fought the way mothers and daughters sometimes do. But, in the end, I have always felt strongly drawn to you. I have always wanted to be there for you. I love you."

The four-tailed fox blinked away moisture in her amber eyes. "You have been, even when I was too stubborn to see it."

"You restored honor to my name, and brought peace to my heart regarding the death of Konoe. I am forever in your debt, Sinopa-chan. You are like a daughter to me. Speaking of family, have you heard from Conner-kun? And what of Dawn?"

"Conner-san is well. He is searching for the artifact you requested. I have had no contact with him, directly. I am told by Karla-san that he will soon meet with the rest of Karla's friends at the Parker Mansion in America. Dawn returned home to recover from what she learned of your past. She was not emotionally equipped to handle the life you were forced to live. She was not emotionally prepared to learn of the carnal knowledge regarding intimacy with her betrothed's young nephew. I believe she is having trouble differentiating between her memories and the ones you imprinted upon her."

Tamamo pursed her lips together and closed her eyes with a sigh. She replied with a simple nod of acknowledgement. "Perhaps I should have attempted to join with Conner-kun. His has a strong mind. While most humans his age are placated by simple ignorance, meaningless attempts at romance, games, and pleasing their peers, Conner-kun is wise beyond his years."

"He is immature, sensei."

"His immaturity regards his emotional state. He has a temper. He was unsure of himself, yet confident in his abilities. However, he is mature in comparison to other humans, even those of legal age." Tamamo opened her eyes and smiled, somewhat. "I mean to say he acts like a man ten years older than he is. He will grow out of the temper when properly humbled by what life offers. It will come with time and experience. I found a perfect man before he can be corrupted by life's temptations. I can mold him at this impressionable age."

Sinopa's ears laid back. "Oh dear. He is a child. My grandson. You see much, sensei - you see his potential. But remember that he is still a child, and you are trying to draw him into something he may not yet be mentally prepared to handle. I agree, he has a strong mind, a strong spirit, and a confident will. But he acts irrationally at times. He has no control over his emotions. He is an adolescent."

"As are you, for a kitsune. Yet you have a family. Grandchildren, even. Children having children. Children having grandchildren. So before you judge him, judge yourself, Sinopa-chan."

"do not judge me by your standards, sensei."

"Mm, is that what you think I am doing?"

The four-tailed fox sighed through her nose. "It is good to see you in love. I never saw this side of you. Is this how you felt about Konoe-tenno?"

"Hai. I finally have an outlet for my affections. I know you tricked me into my bedchambers to ensure his safety."

"I..." Sinopa laid down and rested her head on her paws. "Yes, I did. I cannot lie to you."

"I am grateful for your honesty, and I understand you wished for his safety, Sinopa-chan. However, I developed true and lasting feelings for Conner. I adore him. Help free me from this..." Tamamo lifted her restrained hands, joined together by fabric sleeves. "I can ensure his safety if I am with him."

"It took days to track you, sensei. It will also take time to determine a proper way to release you without exposing our kind to the humans. We cannot directly influence them. It is against the laws of the human protectors of this world."

Tamamo scoffed. "The Esoteric Council is all but gone. It is the deities who must now protect this world from itself - as we were born to do. We _must_protect them. From the dangerous humans, like Aris Falcon, who wish to do harm. Humans created our kind with their faith in order to protect them. That is the will of the One True Creator who creating this symbiotic relationship. I am prepared to take up that responsibility."

"They cannot know. Humans govern themselves on these rules because it is best for their modern world. We cannot solve every problem they have, especially with only the two of us here on Earth. They cannot live with such disappointment. If they learn of us, they will have expectations we cannot fulfill. If they pray to us and we do not respond, it fills them with hopelessness and despair."

"Mm, with the Celestial Realm broken and inaccessible, you are correct for the moment. We can do little to help for the moment. However, that does not mean you and I are without responsibility - we must protect this world. We must do what we can to save it - save our worshippers - from Aris Falcon. For me to help, you must find a way to free me."

"For now, you are safe, Tamamo-sama. You have time to adjust while I search for a way to help free you. But we must attempt to do things by human rules. Escape is against their law. They will hunt for you. That will inhibit your usefulness."

Tamamo frowned. "Perhaps you are right for the time being."

Sinopa blinked, surprised. "I ... I am?"

A wan grin found Tamamo's human lips. "Hai, little one. For now, I must discover more of this vessel. She has broken the laws of this world. I do not yet know what she is hiding but her shame is stronger than I anticipated. She has locked down from me. I must help her accept herself, then I must find out what she has done. At this time, I only know she has experienced immeasurable loss. In family, in love, and in hope. I must help, so that this vessel will be useful to me. Unfortunately, she is not an open book like Dawn Razin." Tamamo paused then asked, "How do you propose you can 'legally' help bring me freedom?"

"I will ponder it. I fear it comes down to the legal system."

"Tch," Tamamo murmured. "Lawyers."

"Hai, unfortunately." A grin tugged at the little fox's muzzle. "Lawyers. I will return soon. I must head to America and help organize Karla's people. I must check on Conner, then I will return."

"My kanko watches over him, Sinopa."

"Kuda has his little paws full, watching over two child Parkers. It is best I check on them. But I will return soon."

"Domo arigato, Sinopa-chan."

"Sayonara, sensei." Sinopa dashed back to the section of bent fence and wiggled down through the gap...

Moments later, the silence was broken by the opening of a door. A nurse came out with a cup of pills and a bottle of water. "It is time for your medication, great fox goddess!"

Tamamo sighed in disgust. Under her breath, she muttered, "Please hurry, Sinopa-chan. I cannot stomach this much longer. Their disrespect will force me to prove myself before long."

"Did you say something, great kitsune?"

Tamamo rolled her eyes. "You mock me with your condescending words and tone, woman."

The nurse cheerfully replied, "Oh, don't mind me. I'm just a mere mortal, jealous of your godly status! Just remember, we're here to help you with your integration into human society! We have to prepare you to live amongst our kind, peacefully!"

With a shake of her head, Tamamo opened her mouth and waited for the pills to be placed on her tongue. She wasn't sure how much longer she could stand being treated this way.

"Oh! And you'll be joined by a friend you made at the hospital! Isn't that wonderful news? Your friend has been sent here to join us!"

Tamamo furrowed her brows, swallowed the pills, and asked, "The man from the observation ward?"

"Yes, he calls himself Gozer."

A groan of frustration. The human-bound kitsune sighed aloud in irritation. "He is not a deity. He is a fanatic. He is obsessed with a cinematic presentation of an antagonist created in the mind of an American screenwriter. You should place him in with the normal idiots, who suffer from an identity crisis."

"Well that's not very nice! He accepts you. You should show him the same respect, 'Tamamo-no-Mae.' You are socially obligated to show courtesy. If you want us to help you integrate into living amongst us 'mere mortals,' you must learn how to become normal. We cannot help you if you are unwilling to help yourself."

Tamamo rolled her eyes again. "Nurse-san, please refrain from attempting to use psychology. Let us be 'socially obligated' and 'courteous' by leaving that to the so-called psychologists who earned their doctorate by completing human education. You are a nurse. They are the doctor. Do not presume to 'play doctor' with me. You cannot help me if you do not first help yourself."

The nurse set the bottle of water on a table. She took the cap, pocketed it, and said, "Good luck drinking that with your hands bound like that, mighty fox spirit." She walked off the balcony. The door opened. "Send him out for fresh air," said the nurse, who disappeared inside.

A moment later, a familiar looking human man walked out onto the balcony and smiled at Tamamo. "So we meet again. I forgive you for striking me. You are a god, like me. But do not attempt it a second time."

Tamamo stared at the bottle of water. "Why did she take the cap to that bottle?"

"So you do not attempt to swallow it. It is human protocol to take the caps."

Tamamo leaned over and closed her teeth over the mouth of the bottle. She clamped down then lifted her head and tilted it back. She swallowed as much water as she could. Some of it trickled down the corners of her lips, and ran over her cheeks, soaking the collar of her restrictive cloth body-jacket.

She leaned back over and placed the remains of the half-consumed bottle on the table. "The title of 'nurse' is wasted on that woman. Nurses help the sick. She is more of an over-grown child, antagonizing the people of this facility to feel better about herself. She enjoys feeling power over people who call themselves gods, but who are equally mortal ... like yourself."

"If cut or injured, would you bleed? If mangled, would you die?"

Tamamo turned away, glaring off the side of the balcony, through the fence. "This vessel would die. I am in the unique position that if she dies, I would die with her."

"Then that makes you as mortal as the nurse," said Gozer. "You are not worthy of the title 'deity.' You are less a demi-god than my own Vinz Clortho or Zuul. It is best you come to terms with your reality."

Tamamo ignored him, glaring out at Tokyo, glistening in the distance. What bothered her the most is that his words, just his once, made sense. She felt utterly mortal and helpless like this. The pills didn't make things easier.

She felt drowsy already. "They work fast."

"What works fast?"

"The medication." Tamamo felt herself relax. "Pills ... on an empty ... stomach."

---

Next Chapter: https://www.sofurry.com/view/736403