Doubled Edge 7/10

• Messages sorted by: [ date ][ thread ][ subject ][ author ]
• Next message: KC Solano: "Doubled Edge 8a/10"
• Previous message: KC Solano: "Doubled Edge"

Doubled Edge by Katt Solano
Disclaimers & further hoopla in part 0; BTW, that was part 6b/10 that I just
sent... I need coffee
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
University of Hilo,
Hilo, Hawaii...

One hour and five buckets of sweat later-- most of it Tyce’s-- John and Tyce
finally arrived at the condo that the latter was house-sitting. Tyce went
through all the rooms, flipping the fans on and opening the windows to let
in some fresh air.

“Welcome to La Maison de Tyce.” He spread his arms grandly. “That is the
family room, also known as the centre of the universe.” He pointed to a
neatly arranged pile of movies. “Arranged by sub-genres in chronological
order of release dates.”

“Where should I put these?” John asked, holding up his blades.

“Anywhere. On the couch, on the floor. Depends on whether you want to watch
a movie first or go out in the field and do a bit of--“ He made some
swishing sword sounds.

John contemplated the pile of movies then the blade sin his hands. He had
never seen Tyce fight nor had he ever practiced against anyone but his dad.
“We should work up a sweat first, then get settled down.”

“And what the hell what that hike from your place to here? A promenade? No,
no, I was just kidding.” Tyce disappeared in a room for a second and
reappeared with a short sword and dagger of his own. They weren’t matched:
the tanto had a wooden tsuka and saya, while the short sword had a hilt
covered by a cloth braid and was encased in a bright blue sheath. However,
John could tell that they were well cared for: the sayas were shiny and
clean and the blades slipped easily from them.

“The field’s out this way.” Tyce nodded to the sliding glass doors near the
kitchen. “If we’re real lucky,” he added in a mock whisper, “the girl who
lives upstairs will watch. All her skirts are less than six inches long.”

John’s eyes widened into fair-sized saucers. “How do you know?”

“Well, she’s not exactly modest. And I’ve studied her a great deal.” He
winked lecherously.

“Are you gonna ask her out?”

“Can’t. She plays for the other team.” If anything young MacLeod’s eyes got
even bigger, spurring a laugh out of Tyce. “Hey, just ‘cause I can’t touch,
doesn’t mean I can’t look.” He started to stretch.

John followed. “I know what you mean. There’s this girl in my karate class,
Zilla. She helps out in the dojo, office stuff.”

Tyce smiled knowingly. “Cute?”

“She looks like that girl in ‘Dark Angel,’” John said, his voice bordering
on a sigh.

“That’s really something.”

“She’s older than me, though.”

“Hey, that never stopped anyone. It’s almost the twenty-first century.”
Easing into some leg stretches, Tyce added, “Besides, girls live seven years
longer than guys on average. It’s only fair that we get together with older
women, right?”

“Right!” John grinned and wondered if this was what having an older brother
was like. He couldn’t talk like this with Dad, and definitely not with Mom.
No wonder Dad and Uncle Duncan kept in touch for so long. “So how do you...
y’know... hook up with girls?”

Tyce stuck the tip of his tongue out between his lips, appearing to think
about the question. “You’re asking the wrong person for advice when it comes
to high school. I kind of stuck to myself back then. Didn’t appreciate girls
until I got to university.”

“No cute girls in your school?”

“There probably were but my family moved around so much it didn’t seem worth
the effort.” Tyce shrugged.

“We’ve moved around a lot, too,” John shared as he began stretching his
arms. “When I was really young, we lived in New York. Then when I turned
five, we moved to Marrakech. Then when Dad married Mom, we went to Scotland
and now we live here.”

“My life exactly. You ready?” Tyce drew his blades from their sayas.

John nodded and did the same. “Are we going to spar or do some katas first?”

“Eh, might as well spar.” Suddenly, Tyce lifted his arms above his head and
let out a yodel that would have done Tarzan proud. John barely blocked in
time. “On guard, little dude,” he said cheerfully.

*  *  *  *  *

The Montgomery home
Hilo, Hawaii...

Blue-green water lapped against the sparkling shore, a postcard perfect
picture of Hawaii’s landscape complete with swaying palm trees and bright
hibiscus blooms. The beach was free of dunes, allowing an unobstructed view
from the deck. Had anyone been on that deck, they would have seen two lumps
creep from the waters, probably stray tourists if their scanty swimwear was
any indication. As they reached the shallows, the   woman lifted her head
out of the water, looking like a selkie as she wrung the excess wetness out
of her long black ponytail. The man shook the water out of his head, making
his auburn curls bounce against his shoulders.

:~:It just occurred to me,:~: Kay told her husband as they removed their
gear, :~:We haven’t done a job together since before we got married.:~:

:~:Ah, yes, the good old days.:~: Luc’s mouth lifted into a miniscule grin
as he gathered their snorkels and flippers into a tan bag then threw that
bag back into the waters where it disappeared from sight. :~:When all we had
to worry about was killing each other, keeping other people from killing us,
and staying three steps ahead of the cops.:~:

:~:Were things more or less complicated then?:~:

:~:More, definitely. It’s so hard to keep a relationship going when one has
two dozen other personalities swimming about in one’s head.:~:

:~:True enough.:~:

Luc eyed the bungalow with a glint in his eye. :~:Shall we proceed to commit
a bit of larceny then, my love?:~:

:~:Oooh, I love it when you talk intellectual.:~:

:~:I’ll put on the glasses and the Armani suit when we get home.:~:

:~:Rowr:~:

They moved as one with the land and with each other, not even needing
telepathic speech to know what the other was about to do. Kay rolled under a
bonsai tree just as Luc left his hiding place behind an aesthetically placed
boulder. Slipping out it out from a pouch behind his back, Luc released his
bo from its retracted form and leapt over a high bamboo fence. Kay simply
went around the side then slid between the slats of the deck.

She stuck her tongue out at her husband. :~:You are such a show off.:~:

:~:When you got it, mo ‘ti cherie, you flaunt it, non?:~: He twisted to knob
a few times. It was, as expected, locked tight but one never knew. :~:I
b’lieve it’s now your turn to show off?:~:

:~:I have no need to show off,:~: Kay sent smugly as she took her tools out,
:~: My talent speaks for itself.:~:

Luc gave her a psionic raspberry. It was almost entirely lost on his wife,
who was already deep into her plan. Concentrating her energy field into a
disc under her feet, she slowly lifted off of the ground and levitated to
the roof. With a sigh, Luc followed. There was a soft _whooooosh_ and his
hands exploded into flames. By carefully controlling their strength and the
diameter of the flames, he was able to rocket to the roof just as Kay glided
down beside him.

At their feet was the smallest of the three skylights that dotted the
bungalow’s roof. It was just big enough for a child or a small woman to slip
through. Kay was five foot two and a hundred pounds stripped. After Luc had
manipulated the electronic security system with an Aerenokt toy, Kay lifted
the skylight from its frame and set aside carefully.

:~:I wish Connor was here,:~: she said as she floated down.

:~:I thought you wanted to practice breaking and entering:~:

:~:Yeah, but I hate having to trick him like this. After everything he’s
done for us, we all but kidnap his kid.:~:

:~:It was his choice, irheri,:~: Luc said, his tone comforting but firm,
:~:We tried to tell him but...:~:

:~:Yeah, stupid Scottish stubbornness. Almost as bad as Irish blarney:~:

:~:Or almost as good.:~:

:~:My sweet and darling husband, that wholly depends on who’s talking.:~:

***
Alex rolled her head as she drove down the narrow lanethat would lead home.
A virus had turned all the computers in her office wing into mush; Alex
didn’t even know if her floppy disks were safe or had been corrupted as
well. A full day’s work gone and if she hadn’t backed-up her files
yesterday, it would have been a full _week’s_ work instead. When she got her
hands on whoever made that virus up, Connor at his worst was going to look
like a kitten.

She sighed as she turned down their driveway. She hoped John hadn’t eaten
everything in sight. She had a craving for that spicy Thai eggplant dish
that Connor cooked up last night.

***
Kay switched off her power as she just delicately off of the energy
platform. :~:All righty, I’m in the kitchen. And by the smell of it, he can
still cook better than I can. The blueprints said this was one of the places
that had hollows.:~:

:~:Living room.:~: Luc knocked on the wall that separated the two rooms.
:~:Solid. This place looks too small to hide a rotunda.:~:

:~:Well, when we first met Connor, he looked like a skinny, weather-worn
victim of a fashion disaster. For that matter, I look like a bodybuilding
midget and you look like a braid-dead underwear model on crack. What’s your
point?:~: Kay started rapping the floors.

:~:Nothing, dear,:~: Pressing his fingers against the hardwood floor, Luc
set his sensitive fingers to feeling for imperfections that could mean a
trap door. :~:Just trying to rebuild the crumbled remains of my ego after
you’ve finished demolishing it yet again.:~:

:~:That was a compliment!:~:

:~:Yeah, yeah. I suppose you wouldn’t be hurt to know that that the dress
you had on a few nights ago didn’t really make you look slim..:~:

:~:!!!:~: Kay’s knuckles almost went through the wall.

:~:That was a compliment! It was spandex; everyone looks fat in spandex!
Manni looks fat in spandex.:~:

:~:DeMí, I _do_ have access to the parts of your memory that deals with
messy assassinations.:~:

:~:So you’re allowed to insult me but not vice versa? Why am I in this
relationship again?:~: Luc started picking at a loose edge with a paper-thin
blade.

:~:’Cause of that thing I can do with my tongue and the little golden
balls:~:

:~:...:~: The blade stopped. :~:oh yeah:~:

Pursing her lips into a kissy-face, Kay said, :~:If you go on all fours, wag
your bum, and bark like a dog, I’ll do it tonight.:~:

Luc snorted, working at the blade again. :~:If I bark like a dog, you’d
better be prepared to do it right now on the kitchen table!:~:

:~:Well...:~: Kay eyed the thick pine legs of the table contemplatively.
Then her back stiffened, forcing a thrill to go up Luc’s spine.

:~:Someone’s home.:~: they thought simultaneously.

***
Since she had to lug a box full of paperwork in, Alexcarried her purse in
her mouth and pressed the garage door button with her shoulder as she
mounted the three steps to the back door. It was unusually quiet; John must
be out either surfing or with his friends. So unless the virus hit the
entire campus, she had a good two hours or so of complete silence until
Connor came home.

She almost slipped on a wet patch as she went from thelaundry room to the
main hall. ::John MacLeod, how many times do I have to tell you to wipe your
feet?:: The surfboard was waxed and shined like a Porsche but the floor,
which cost about as much as a sports car to lay down and maintain, was
treated without care. Connor had money enough to refurbish the place ten
times over, of course, but Alex had to save and scrimp her way since high
school. Her economical soul couldn’t get used to lifestyles of the rich and
Immortal.

As she entered the kitchen room, Alex dropped the heavy box on the table. It
creaked slightly and held. Underneath the tabletop, pressed as flat and as
far up as possible, Kay let out a mental sigh of relief. She resisted the
urge to strengthen the energy disc that kept her up; using her power always
produced flashes of light.

“Damn, no more Thai eggplant.” Alex pushed around a few more Tupperware
containers. Her dig resulted in huevo rancheros. She popped them in the
microwave and let it nuke for two minutes as she looked for some clean
silverware. ::At least John remembered dishwashing duty; probably because
Connor threatened to suspend surfing privileges if he “forgot” to do anymore
chores.:: Then, feeling as if she didn’t have a complete meal, Alex took out
a bag of corn chips and a bowl of guacamole and sour cream rounded off by a
Corona.

She sipped the beer as she sorted out the first few files and waited for the
microwave to beep. ::Only fifty more essays to grade, whoopee-doo. What a
perfect time for my TA to disappear.:: She lifted the plate out of the
microwave, hissed a Gàidhlig curse that Connor favoured when it burnt her
fingers, got some paper towels to act as protection and got the plate out.

:~:Luc?:~:

:~:Oui, cherie?:~:

:~:This could get sticky.:~:

:~:A bit, yes.:~:

Alex slipped into a chair, still skimming one of the papers. Kay bit her lip
and slid away from her knees, blessing the soul who invented tablecloths.
The other woman, still oblivious, chewed quickly on her mouthful of chips, a
bit bored by her reading material. It seemed as though ninety percent of the
student body had chosen to write on question four and had written exactly
the same things down to certain catch phrases. She wondered if it was worth
the trouble to haul them all in on plagiarism. ::It was an in-class essay;
what did you expect?:: She took a forkful of the huevo rancheros, discarded
the essay and dug around the box for that faculty memo.

“Where is it--oh, right... living room.” Alex pushed off the chair and
headed for that room. From underneath the floorboards, Luc followed the
hushed swish of her sandals to the middle of the room, his bo at ready
position. She stopped in the middle of the room, turning around on a heel.

“I was holding it,” she muttered to herself, “then I walked...” She went to
the couch. “Answered the phone and put it... oh, there.” She grabbed them
from atop the piano, which had a mess of sheet music on it. She clicked her
teeth as she tidied the pieces of paper. “You, Mr. Jack Montgomery, are as
bad as your son.”

Luc raised a hand, his fingertips just barely touching the floorboards
overhead, and traced Alex’s steps back to the kitchen.

Giving the box of papers her best (or worst) evil eye, Alex sighed when they
didn’t burst into flames. “All right, Alexandra Johnson
MacLeod-Nash-Montgomery,” she said, wearily dragging out handfuls of paper,
“These papers aren’t going grade themselves.”

Luc thunked his head on the ball of his palm. Kay crossed her arms under her
chin and settled in for a long wait.

*  *  *

Meanwhile, over Spanish airspace...

“We should be in Morocco soon,” came Cerny’s voice over the speakers.

Duncan groaned; the Ichor Born’s voice had reverberated through his aching
head, the vibrations banging on his skull with the strength of Samson
hurling the donkey’s jawbone.

“The hormones stimulated a drastic increase in adrenaline,” Devaki said,
feeling a bit guilty, “Naturally, the effects of its decline would increase
as well. It will wear off in a few minutes.”

“Meanwhile, it will be the worst few minutes of your life,” Kala put in.

“Thanks,” Duncan moaned, “I hadn’t noticed. I should’ve just passed out.”

“I don’t know about you MacLeod, but I was highly entertained.” Methos,
apparently, could sprawl just as well in the alien bucket seats as well as
he could in a normal chesterfield. “It’s not everyday you play matador to a
jet. Where _is_ my Polaroid when I need it?”

Duncan didn’t even have the strength to throw back an insult as the jet made
sudden dip. One corner of his mind, however, the part that took care of
instincts, had just enough working neurons to pitch Duncan’s head to one
side thereby allowing him to throw up on Methos’ shoes.

_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp

• Next message: KC Solano: "Doubled Edge 8a/10"
• Previous message: KC Solano: "Doubled Edge"