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Episode
055
“The first rule of Fight Club is, you do not talk about Fight
Club.”
“Hi.” Marilyn said, looking from Everett to Edgar and Sydney
with worry. “I . . . I didn’t mean to interrupt something.”
“No, it’s okay.” Everett said, stepping to the side of the
door, keeping his ninjato hidden. “Come in. I’m sorry I’m not in . .
. in better condition to receive you.”
Marilyn stepped hesitantly into the living room of the small
apartment, looking nervously around. But when she finally came completely
upon the two other knights, her jaw dropped. “Professor Blain?” She
nearly shrieked, staring at Edgar. The eldest knight, however simply
smiled as he stood up.
“I’m Edgar here.” He said, taking Marilyn’s hand in a
friendly and comforting shake.
“What are you doing here?” She asked daftly. The man glanced
down at his waist, at the rapier that sat patiently beside him. “Oh.”
She said. “Oh!” Suddenly, everything fit together. “You’re a
knight?!” She exclaimed.
“She catches on quick.” Sydney said, chuckling to herself as
Everett came into the circle of seats.
“Can I get you something to drink?” Everett asked, turning
Marilyn’s attention back around. The girl blinked at Everett for a
moment, as if she hadn’t understood him. “Drink.” He repeated.
“Would you like one?”
“No.” She suddenly said, as if sounding hurried. “No, I’m
fine. Thanks.”
“You must be Marilyn.” Sydney said, finally standing. “I’ve
heard a lot about you.”
“I hope some of it’s been good.” Marilyn said, shaking
Sydney’s hand, her eyes wide. Her head tilted, as she seemed to consider
Sydney.
“It depends on who was speaking.” The dame answered with a
quizzical smile.
“Are you . . .” Marilyn started to ask. “You can’t be a . .
. a . . .”
“Are you a . . . a knight?” The college student finally got
out.
“Dame, actually.” Sydney said with a bit of a sigh. “But yes.
I’m a knight.”
“I mean, a knight knight.” Marilyn asked in disbelief. “Like
Everett and Ledger and . . .”
“Yes.” Sydney repeated. “I’m a knight. Just like Everett
and Ledger and Roland and the rest of them. Just like Edgar.”
“But you can’t be a knight.” Marilyn stumbled. “You’re a
girl.” Sydney’s eyebrow went up, her smile only getting bigger. “I
didn’t think girls could be knights.” Marilyn went on.
“Who said that?” Edgar asked, his voice turning Marilyn’s
attention.
“I just thought . . .” She started. Finally, she just sighed
and stepped back from the two. But she had forgotten about Everett and in
the process of stepping back, bumped up against him.
The girl whirled around, her eyes wide with fear. But Everett
simply looked down at her, unbothered. “Sorry.” She mumbled out.
“Marilyn, why don’t you sit down?” Everett said, offering his
seat. Marilyn looked at the chair, then to the others. Slowly, almost
fearfully, she lowered down into the chair. When she did, almost in
rehearsed unison, the three knights at down. Edgar and Everett to
Marilyn’s left in the two other chairs, Sydney to Marilyn’s right, on
the couch.
“What brings you here, my dear?” Edgar asked, sitting back with
his water glass in his hand. “The last dealing of the knights and the
World Alliance was, how can I put this politely, strained as I understand
it.”
“You knew about that?” Marilyn asked, looking up with a pale
face at Edgar. He nodded. “Wow.” She said, swallowing. She looked back
at Edgar. “Have you always been a . . .”
“Since I got out of high school.” Edgar answered. “As long as
you’ve known me, Marilyn, I’ve been a knight.”
“There’s not a lot to notice.” Edgar shrugged.
“Unless you know what to look for.” Everett added, looking
first at Edgar, then at Marilyn. “If you know what separates a knight
from everyone else, then you can spot a knight from a mile away.”
“What separates a knight.” Marilyn repeated. She looked at
Everett. “What does separate a knight?”
“Mentality, largely.” Sydney said, her words turning
Marilyn’s head and attention over to her. “A knight sees the world
very differently than, say, a civilian or a police man or a soldier. A
knight’s world is a very different world.”
“What’s so different about it?” Marilyn asked.
“That’s a much longer conversation than what we have time
for.” Edgar said, standing up, his water glass empty. “I imagine
you’re here for something other than a lesson on the knights.” He
looked at Sydney and Everett. “Guys? Seconds?”
“Thanks.” Everett said, holding up his glass for Everett to
take. “But use the tap this time. I’m running out of bottled water.”
“I like the bottled water.” Edgar protested with a grin.
“It’s cleaner.”
“You’re a tough guy.” Everett said, turning back to Marilyn.
“You were saying?” He asked.
“Saying what?” She said, turning to Everett.
“Why you had come.” Sydney clarified.
“Oh.” Marilyn said, looking back at the floor. “I came about
drugs.”
Everett looked at Sydney, the dame looking wide-eyed at Everett.
“That’s a new one.” She said, reaching for her glass that waited on
the glass coffee table.
“No.” Marilyn said, waving her hands. “I mean, I found a
place that’s getting some drugs tomorrow night.”
“Oh.” Sydney said. She looked at Everett and suddenly rolled
her finger around her ear, motioning to Marilyn with her eyes.
“I think I already know where this is going.” Everett said,
with closed eyes.
“You do?” Marilyn asked, looking at the knight.
“You want the knights to act as muscle.” Everett asked
rhetorically.
“No.” Marilyn said, shaking her head with a bit of confusion.
“I hadn’t even thought of that.” She seemed to consider it for a
moment.
“What have I done?” Everett mumbled under his breath.
Marilyn’s face slowly lit up. “Would you guys . . .” She
started.
“No.” Sydney, Everett, and Edgar all said in unison. The
symphony of voices shocked Marilyn a little bit, but as she withdrew
mentally from the conversation, she seemed to laugh a bit. “Why not?”
She asked, still smiling.
“We’re not mercenaries.” Edgar said, sitting back down,
handing Everett his glass.
“I didn’t mean to insinuate that I . . .” Marilyn started.
Edgar held up his hand, a warm look on his face. “And I’m not
saying you did. And even if you did, it’s no insult. But none the less,
we do not do work like that.”
“But I thought you guys helped people? I thought you helped
people who needed help?” Marilyn said, looking at the trio.
“We do.” Everett said, his eyes facing forward, as if he was
staring out his window. He turned his head, looking at Marilyn. “But not
like that.”
“Then what do you do?” She asked, as if slowly getting offended
by their seemingly malicious indifference.
“We wait.” Sydney said, looking to Edgar and Everett, both
nodding. “We wait and we watch,” She said with a sigh. “And we
choose our battles very carefully.”
“But, what do you wait for?” Marilyn asked. “People need help
and they . . .”
“No they don’t.” Everett said politely but directly.
“People don’t need our help with a drug-trafficking problem.”
“Yes they do.” Marilyn said. “We’ve got to get drugs off
the streets.” She exclaimed. “We’ve got to stop them from getting
more drugs on the streets.”
“Why?” Everett asked. Marilyn was shocked by his question.
“Why do we need to?” He went on, looking at the girl. “Marilyn,
it’s a business. It’s a business like any other. There’s demand. And
the drug-dealers have the supply. It’s the people that buy the drugs.
It’s the dealers that sell the drugs. Simple business economics.”
“But . . .” Marilyn tried, but she couldn’t seem to manifest
her thoughts.
“If the drug-dealers were forcing the drugs down people’s
throats, then you better believe the knights would respond.” Everett
said, his eyes suddenly seeming to blaze with intensity. “But as long as
it is people making decisions to buy the drugs, nothing can be done to
stop it. You stop people A from bringing the drugs in, and that simply
means that people B will bring it in from the other side.” He looked at
her. “You can’t stop drug-dealing by getting rid of the supply. If you
want to stop it, you do it by getting rid of the demand.”
“But what about people who are addicted?” Marilyn asked.
“Help them break their addiction.” Edgar answered. “But to
stop drugs, you make it unprofitable for the dealers to deal it. Stopping
them by keeping them from getting the stuff in this week, means that the
price goes up next week. Stopping them all together, means that you’re
making it more profitable for the other guys in the long run.”
“I can’t believe you.” Marilyn said, standing up. “You guys
would sit by, with all your skills and everything, and let stuff like this
happen.”
“It’s like Sydney said,” Everett answered back, not standing
when Marilyn did. He simply looked up at her. “We choose our battles.” |