Once and Future King part 2

The Dragon hovered through the tunnel and neatly glided to a stop once it arrived at the Castle. Michael Hawkwood got out, now maskless, and tiredly stretched his back before removing the rest of his armor. Now in his body stocking, he plodded through the hall leading to the exit as lights flickered on at his approach. Finally making his way up the stairs, he entered his father’s home through the secret passage. After his mission in Costa Triste, he made it back to the US just in time to help the Commission battle the IMD. He was exhausted and he needed a shower. It was early morning and he knew his father was asleep; he wouldn’t mind if he used his bathroom.

His body had quite a bit of bruising and he wasn’t sure which bruises were from which battle. The hot water helped with the aches somewhat but he knew he needed something stronger and decided to raid his dad’s medicine cabinet for Aspirin. In times like these, he was reminded of “The Hawkwood Curse”. He was potentially destined to die after a violent life, a sacrifice he made so that his father wouldn’t have to. It was a fate he was more and more accepting of. After the shower, he stood in the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist and popped some pills in his mouth before taking water. The door creaked open and he expected to see his father. – Instead, he met Mariah Jones for the first time. They gasped in unison.

Minutes later, Mariah and Arthur Hawkwood both sat in their pajamas and bathrobes on the couch in the living room. Michael, meanwhile, made up an excuse about how his workout gear (the body stocking) smelled terribly and he asked to borrow sweatpants and a t-shirt from his father. They all sat in awkward silence, sipping coffee.

“It’s nice to finally meet you,” Mariah told Michael, eventually breaking the tension.

“Sorry, guess I should’ve mentioned he likes jogging,” Arthur explained helpfully, “… Sometimes he jogs in this neighborhood and just stops in for a shower.”

“Yep,” Michael ran his hand through his hair, “Big jogger.”

“And boxer,” Mariah added.

“What’s that?”

“Well, I assume you do some kind of combat sports. Y’know, from the bruises.”

“Right… Bruises. Yeah, I do some boxing…,” Michael trailed off.

“… To relieve stress,” Arthur quickly added.

Mariah took a sip of coffee, “So Artie says that you’re a graphic designer.”

Michael nodded, “Yeah, but I guess I’m between clients at the moment. Haven’t had much work lately.”

She looked at Arthur curiously, “Really? Because Artie says that you just completed some important advertisement campaign in LA. That’s why you had to leave town real quick?”

“Oh,” Michael’s eyes widened, “Well, yeah, but… I have nothing lined up now. I kinda feel like it might be a while before I get another gig.”

“I might have some connections. I can maybe get in touch with a few people.”

“Uh, thanks.”

Then came more awkward silence.

Arthur snapped his fingers, “Hey, by the way, are you available tonight or tomorrow, Mike? The hardware store is having some issues.”

“Sure, gimmie a call and we can work it out,” Michael quickly finished his coffee, “Well, I gotta go. I’ll just uh, finish my jog and head home.”

“And just so ya know,” Mariah began, “I’m a personal trainer, so sweaty work out clothes are not a problem for me.”

Michael smiled politely as he headed for the door, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Across the city, Emily Koboshi was alone in the Metro Knights dojo. She wore a workout uniform that covered the bandage and stitches on her hip, her fists wrapped in tape. She stood in front of a large punching bag and braced herself with some breathing exercises. She started off slow, taking her time with a few quick jabs. When that seemed too easy, she delivered a few combos at medium speed. She noticed her stance was too stiff and repositioned her feet before going into faster and harder strikes. The stiffness was still there, but she ignored it, pushing herself harder. Her heart raced and sweat began to drip. Feeling confident, she went for a low kick. There was an ache in her hip that she ignored. Then came another kick. It hurt worse. Spinning around, she delivered a third kick and that was when she fell to the mat.

“Damn,” she grumbled and slapped the mat before reaching for a cane nearby. Using it to brace herself, she stood to her feet. It was then that she saw the Cavalier in the doorway, now in full armor.

“You’re getting stronger,” he told her.

Once she had balance, she let go of her cane. She seemed to want to say something, but chose a different set of words, “I’m glad you made it back. You had me worried.”

“I found Nadie just like I promised. He’s not gonna attack the city again.”

“You sure?”

“If he shows up again, it’ll be a very long time from now.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re back becuase shit’s kind hit the fan.”

“What happened?”

She dabbed the sweat from her neck, “The Triads are on the move. They’ve gotten new leadership and the guy’s a metahuman.”

“So what are we talking about? Flight? Super strength? What?”

“Going by rumors, he’s an elemental of some kind,”she took a swig from her water bottle, “He calls himself Wuxing… which makes me wonder if he has powers related to the Five Elements.”

“Five Elements?”

“It’s Taoist. In Japan, it’s called Gogyō. The Chinese call it Wuxing. The philosophies are the same. There are five elements – wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. They’re used to show the cycle of nature and energy. Traditional Chinese philosophies and studies are steeped in this idea. Some of the older forms of kung-fu also use it in their styles. Y’know, the Shaolin stuff.”

“Ah,” Cavalier nodded, “I’m a little more modern in my training, I guess.”

“Whatever this guy is, he’s dangerous. Last night, they say his goons kidnapped some women from a refugee center.”

“Damn,” Cavalier said quietly.

She smiled bitterly, “Yeah,… can’t leave New York for a second, huh?”

“Okay, I’ll talk to Reins. Get more info.”

“I’d go to City Hall. They’re still repairing the building, but they opened part of it for a Town Meeting tonight. I’m sure he’s gonna be there.”

“Thanks for the tip,” he began to leave but then turned back, “Are we… good?”

“What do ya mean?”

“I had to leave abruptly and go after Nadie. I know it worried you.”

She nodded slowly, “I’ll be honest. Part of me wishes you would’ve included me.”

“It was dangerous, even for me.”

She gave him a wink, “I’m tougher than you think. Remember that.”

As instructed, Cavalier arrived at City Hall that night, interrupting the meeting. Mayor Danny Slade and Commissioner Reins opted to speak with him in private.

“Glad you showed up,” Slade told him, “Me and the entire City Council got elected on you taking care of things now that New York’s getting back on its feet.”

“I know,” he told him, “But I had some loose ends elsewhere.”

Slade smiled, “All I know is that a lot of people were real scared but when you came into the room, they looked relieved.”

“I didn’t notice.”

“It’s like I keep tell’n ya, Cav,” Reins interrupted, “It’s your city now. People are looking to you more than ever.”

Cavalier chuckled under his helmet, “Right. King of New York, huh?”

“I meant it when I said it and I still stand by it.”

“I wouldn’t go that far… but I’ll always protect the city.”

“Let’s talk about Wuxing,” Slade sat on his desk and crossed his arms, “What can ya tell us, Charles?”

Reins placed his hands in his pocket as he explained, “He’s the new Triad leader. Seems he’s trying to restore them to their former glory by reclaiming a lot of their lost territory.”

“Tell me about the kidnapped women,” Cavalier asked.

“Near as we can tell, he’s going to use them for some of the Triads’ former business ventures… None of them are good.”

“These women are refugees,” Slade explained, “They have few connections here so they’re vulnerable and harder to find. The Triads are likely counting on their complacency.”

“I’ll interrogate some members,” Cavalier said seriously, “The Triad leaders used to go to the same restaurant all the time. The one Horseman bombed? That’s a good place to start.”

“Looks like they wanna do things differently these days, so I doubt they’ll be that predictable now,” Reins told him. “According to one of my detectives, there’s a rumor they took control of a loan company from the Mob. Triads ran it a long time ago and I guess they wanted it back. It’s a good front for money-laundering.”

“That works. Thanks.”

In the Triad Casino, a contractor carried material down a flight of stairs where his peers worked diligently. In an apartment building a few blocks away, a group of refugee women huddled together. They had been there for nearly 24 hours in the crowded apartment with barred windows and two guards outside. The first and, so far, only visitor they had was standing in the middle of the cramped living room, wearing a black suit and a red shirt with equally red sunglasses.

“Not to worry, ladies,” Wuxing assured them, “No one will touch you while you work for us. It’s gonna take some time, but we’ll get you a nice place to live and a job. I promise, it’s good pay. We’ll take better care of you than the city ever could.”

“We want to go home,” one of the women shouted.

“Hey, you chose to come to this country for the same reasons I did. It’s full of opportunity. Best if all, it’s safe…,” Wuxing lowered his red sunglasses, “… As long as you trust us and keep your mouths shut.”

The next morning, Cavalier flew the Dragon over Manhattan. “I know I basically told you I was willing to let you do the Cavalier gig,” Arthur told him over the phone, “But I had a dinner set up with Mariah and then all of a sudden, you left for Costa Triste. That’s not cool, Mike.”

He sighed, “I finally got Nadie off our backs and I think it was worth it to leave the city for a while.”

“Maybe if more of us were in the loop, it’d be easier to swallow.”

“It was a dangerous mission, Dad. Had to play it close to the chest. The important thing is, I don’t think we’ll have to worry about the Costa Tristen cartel for a long time.”

“That’s great, but you can’t go it alone. Not like before. You gotta remember, lots of people are counting on you these days.”

“That’s what I keep hearing. Listen, we can talk about it later. I have this other situation to worry about.”

The Dragon came in for a landing outside a small loan company. He got out and briskly walked through the front door, instantly getting the attention of the young receptionist.

“Uh…” she stammered as he approached the front desk, “Can I help you?”

“Let me talk to your boss.”

She regained her composure and smiled politely, “Just a moment.” She quickly picked up the phone and whispered something in Mandarin before pointing down a hallway, “He’ll be seeing you in the back room. Last door.”

Cavalier knew it was a trap. He figured Wuxing wouldn’t be there, but if they had just taken this business from the Mob, there should be enforcers to protect it. Enforcers who could provide vital information. He carefully crept down the hall and came to a back room. His helmet’s HUD picked up the heat signatures of five people – but he only needed one of them to talk.

Selecting twin broadswords from his Round Table, he held the two holographic blades in his gauntlets before kicking the door in. Two men were at either side of the door, ready to attack. They swung jians and when he raised his own blades to meet theirs, they were sliced in half. The other three men in the room likewise came at him with swords. He advanced inside, swinging his right blade down to slice a sword in half and as he spun around, he blocked a second sword-attack; the blade was chopped in half as well. The fifth man launched himself through the air with a kick that threw Cavalier on his back. From a laying position, he activated a battle axe from the Round Table and performed an upward swing as the final blade came close. Like the rest, it was destroyed and he now had five Triads preparing to engage in hand-to-hand combat.

He blocked a punch and a kick with his gauntlets and then activated a morning star. He swung the weapon into one man’s knee, dropping him. The next man tried a kick but he used the weapon to block, causing damage to the man’s shin. With two down, he flew into a kick to a man’s forehead, sending him to the opposite side of the empty room. He then turned and palm-heeled the fourth man in the face, pinning him against a wall. The fifth man advanced, but his boot snapped back, rendering him unconscious. The last Triad struggled as Cavalier placed him in an arm bar, “You’ll do.”

He marched the man out of the room and the receptionist quickly rounded the corner with a gun. “傻逼!” she shouted before firing a bullet. Cavalier held on to the captured Triad as he ducked down slightly; he activated the Round Table again and a small crossbow appeared on his wrist. He pulled the Triad behind him and fired the crossbow; when the electric arrow hit its mark, the receptionist fell unconscious.

He continued to push the Triad outside while the Dragon’s rear hatch opened in the street. Cavalier threw the man inside and it quickly closed. He took off into the air moments later.

Sometime after that, the hatch opened, sending a beam of sunlight into the Triad’s face, momentarily blinding him. He could hear waves licking the sides of the Dragon as well as the distance cawing of seagulls. As he lay still, he could feel the craft bob up and down, indicating they were on a body of water. Once his eyes adjusted, he realized he was in the ocean with New York in the distance.

“How’re your sea legs?”

He couldn’t see the Cavalier until the knight leaned onto the opened hatch and peered over. From appearances, he was standing on the top of the hovercraft as it floated on the waves but visuals were limited from his vantage point.

“What the hell you want from me?” the Triad sat up, nervously looking out over the water.

“Your boss kidnapped some women recently. Where are they? What does he want with them?”

“I don’t know anything about any women.”

He calmly looked out over the waves, “The Triads’ve been on the move recently. You guys were real dangerous back in the 70s. The Silver Age Cavalier had his hands full from what I’ve heard. Trying to get your groove back?”

“We’re just running a loan company these days. We’re legitimate.”

“And somehow all the employees at your workplace have swords and guns. Doesn’t seem so legitimate.”

“Fine, whatever,” the Triad glanced at the water again, “I still don’t know anything about these girls.”

“See, I’ve heard reports that the guys who broke into the refugee center were Triads. Your new boss wasn’t exactly subtle.”

“I told you, I don’t -”

Cavalier reached down, snatching him by the collar before pulling him up to his feet. The Triad felt his heel scrape along the edge of the hatch and he tried his best to find balance. Some water sprayed onto his legs, reminding him how close he was to deep water.

Cavalier got close and asked a peculiar question, “Do you know the world record for long-distance swimming?”

“N-no,” the Triad stammered.

“I’ll give you a hint: the distance from here to dry land is much farther than that. Now… tell me where the girls are or we’ll see if you can beat the record.”

Across the city, a group of men assembled a blackjack table. In the casino’s office, Wuxing addressed the refugee women who had been given sexy uniforms for their upcoming jobs. “When we get back to the apartment, you can try them on,” Wuxing told them. “The casino’ll be finished soon and we can get you girls to work. For now, I just wanna walk you through the particulars of your job. Not so bad, huh?” One of his men quickly entered the office, getting his attention; he approached Wuxing and whispered in his ear. Wuxing considered the news briefly before giving him a nod and speaking in Mandarin, “… Get the car ready.” He turned back to the women, “Sorry, ladies. Something just came up. We’re gonna have to keep you here for the time being.”

Cavalier made his way to a worn-down apartment with barred windows. He wasn’t sure where the casino was, but he was told where the girls were being kept and he hoped they were there. When he arrived at the unit, he spotted two Triad guards and quickly subdued them. After using a laser-pen on the lock, he entered. Searching through the apartment, he could see hastily packed bags and multiple blankets and pillows strewn about. Unfortunately, the occupants weren’t there at that time. What’s more, Cavalier was picking up heat signatures creeping up the stairs the apartment.

He generated a shield from the Round Table and raced toward the door. A moment later, three men burst in with automatic rifles and opened fire. It was loud and quick. The bullets bounced off the shield, then the Knight collided with the men. Faces were pressed against a holographic surface and the men were pushed back through the doorway. They stumbled over themselves as they tumbled into the hall and were eventually sent down the stairs. There were more men in the hall and stairwell.

Once outside the apartment, Cavalier turned and slammed one of the Triads with the shield, then shot another on the stairs with an electric arrow, sending him tumbling onto the pile of unconscious men at the foot. Another tried to open fire, but Cavalier slammed the surface of the shield into him, pinning him against the wall. He then ran the Triad along the length of the wall, finally dumping him onto the floor. Another rifle was chopped in half with a battle axe before the assailant got an elbow-strike across the temple. On the other side of the hall, two more electric arrows struck the men firing rifles. More came in from outside and attempted to climb the stairs, clumsily stepping over the unconscious men to get to him.

Above, Cavalier saw a skylight. He shot a grappling hook from his wrist launcher, latching onto the sill. A moment later, he zipped up toward the ceiling as bullets flew past. Smashing through the glass, he was launched out of the building and landed safely on the roof. A final burst shot up through the broken skylight and then there was silence. Wind blew across the quiet roof and the Cavalier instantly knew he wasn’t alone.

Across the rooftop, a figure calmly removed his sunglasses and placed them in a case. “I was wondering when you’d show up,” he slipped the case in his blazer.

“Wuxing, I presume?”

Continued…