Episode 086

                “Not fair? One wonders what your point of reference is?”
                                Goblin King, Labyrinth

                The sound of dripping water filled Marilyn's ears. Rushing air kept her constantly turning around to check behind her as her steps echoed off the concrete and steel domain that she and Morgan traversed through.

                Morgan said nothing as he stalked forward through the darkness of the subterrainian levels. Beneath the street, Marilyn felt like she was in another world, one that was about as far from friendly as they came.

                "Where are you taking me?" Marilyn asked, finally breaking the silence.

                "Back to your university." Morgan answered without turning back to her, instead letting the echo do it's job. He walked on ahead of her, making her fight to keep up.

                "Can we slow down?" She asked after a moment. "I can't keep up with you."

                "Walk faster."

                Marilyn moved to speed up, but her foot caught on a pipe and she slipped. She fell onto her hands, the rough concrete floor scraping her skin to the point of blood being drawn. "Wait." She called to Morgan. She fell back to sit down against the pipe she had tripped on. She looked down at her hands, trying to see clearly in the low light.

                "What happened?" Morgan asked, coming back over her.

                "I tripped." Marilyn answered, still looking at her hands. "I skinned the palms of my hands really bad and I . . ."

                Morgan grabbed the girl's right arm and yanked her up to her feet. "You don't need your hands to walk." He said angrily as he stalked back into the darkness.

                “Why are you being so mean?” Marilyn yelled, as she struggled to catch up with the black-clad Morgan.

                “Because I don’t like you.” Morgan sent back.

                “You don’t like me?” She said, as if surprised.

                “Yes, Marilyn.” Morgan retorted. “I don’t like you. I don’t like you, I don't like the World Alliance.”

                “Why don’t you like the World Alliance?” She asked, desperately trying to stay afloat in the flood of insults.

                “The Alliance is everything I hate about the Knights, and none of the things I like.” Morgan lamented angrily.

                “That’s not fair.” Marilyn started. But Morgan whirled around at her.

                “Shut up.” He said, jamming a finger at her. “I don’t give a damn about fair, you ungrateful spoiled brat.”

                “Ungrateful?” She said, her shock rising farther.

                “You haven’t even said thank you for me saving your life, much less for everything the knights have done for you.” Morgan glared. “And don’t give me that crap about fair. I’m not buying it.”

                “Why do you hate me?” Marilyn asked.

                “I don’t hate you.” Morgan said, turning from her. “To hate you would take effort and you’re not worth that.”

                “What?”

                “Get used to it, Marilyn.” Morgan said, looking back at her.

                “I don’t have to listen to this.” She bit back. “You’re nothing but a . . .”

                “I might be all that stuff you’re about to say.” Morgan said, continuing on through. “In fact, I almost certainly am. But I’m also the one who knows the way back to your university. So you’re going to listen to every damn word I feel like saying.”

                "We were right at an entrance." Marilyn yelled at Morgan, her voice raising to get over the sounds of the underground world. "I could find another one and find my way out."

                "Then do it." Morgan said, looking at her. "And when the Hand picks you up as they go back to Solaritec to lick their wounds, none of the Knights will save you this time."

                "But your not a knight." Marilyn prodded.

                "No, I'm not." Morgan nodded. "I'm just doing a detestable favor for a buddy of mine. That's all."

                "Buddy?" Marilyn said, looking confused. "What do you mean, buddy?"

                "Jesus, girl, you are dense." He said, turning from her and heading into the darkness.

                Aaron sat in the back of the coffee shop, directly underneath the light. Around him, his three remaining aides stared into their coffee mugs. None of them said anything. Overhead, the ambient noise of the coffee-houses bad jazz played aimlessly on while the four ignored it.

                "Maybe the fax was Ken's." Orson thought aloud. The other three looked at him. "You know, the guy who's overseeing the construction of the Fortress. Maybe he sent it so he could get power from Phillip."

                "Maybe." Aaron slightly agreed, looking back at his coffee. "But that just doesn't make sense. That would jeopardize the Brotherhood. All of that stuff would. Why would they do it? Why would any one inside the Brotherhood do that. The entire organization could be destroyed."

                "Well, maybe not." Errol stopped him. "If this hypothetical person moved fast enough, they could use the changes in the Brotherhood to completely realign the entire organization. That could go unnoticed long enough for whoever to do whatever they wanted to do."

                "But what could they want to do?" Aaron asked.

                No one could venture a guess.

                "How do you know your way around down here?" Marilyn asked.

                "The knights train in every environment they will ever possibly be exposed to." Morgan explained. he stopped and looked at the wall. Marilyn stopped with him, not understanding what he was looking at. "That includes subterrainian, cavernous, etc. You name it and most knights have trained in it."

                "That seems like a lot of work." Marilyn said.

                "It is." Morgan nodded. "Most knights focus on urban survival and the natural environment that they're in. Everything else is usually just for familiarity." Morgan looked from the wall to Marilyn. "Most survivial skills are really just learning how to keep your head and get ingenuitive."

                The former knight turned from the wall and started back into the darkness, with Marilyn closely in tow. "Ledger and I once went spelunking." Morgan explained. "It was terrible. Two city boys like us, trying to find our way around in a cave? We were doomed to failure from the get-go."

                "What happened?" Marilyn asked.

                "What didn't." Morgan chuckled. "I got bit by a snake. Ledger sprained his ankle. We got lost. Our flashlights went dead. By the end of the first night, we wanted to leave, but we couldn't find our way out."

                "What happened?" The girl asked. "How'd you two get out?"

                "We kept our heads and got ingenuitive." He answered.

                The two cars pulled up to the university parking lot, the small crowd of people piling out. Everett and Ledger went back to the trunk fot he car and popped it open, not even standing around to hear the yells and screams from Victor.

                "We still need to find Marilyn." Ledger said, as he followed Everett back to where the knights and the World Alliance had gathered.

                "I know, I know." Everett nodded. "But let's get one thing at a time."

                "Time may not be in our side, man." Ledger said, looking at Everett. he held out his hand, stopping the leader of the knights from advancing any further. "Make no mistake, Marilyn's in danger, Ev. We've got to find her or else she's not going to survive tonight."

                "We'll find her." Everett said certainly.

                "How?" Ledger asked.

                "We'll find her." Was all Everett woudl say.

                The subway landing came out just in front of the university. On the opposite end from Marilyn's dorm, the collegiate buildings seemed alien to her from this location.

                Marilyn stepped out onto the street, smiling at the feeling of the fresh, free air that swept around her. She turned back to Morgan as the former knight came back in from behind her. "That way." He said, pointing. "The university's right there."

                "Isn't there a subway entrance that's closer?" Marilyn asked. "I thought the Hand was looking for me.

                "They're going to keep an eye out for you, tonight." Morgan clarified. "But you'll be safe once you're on the university grounds."

                "Are you sure?" Marilyn asked.

                "Not really, no." Morgan said, turning to head back down into the subway.

                "Then how . . ." She started ask, but Morgan was already moving out of ear shot. "Where are you going?" She called.

                "Home." Morgan answered, still not turning back to her.

                "But . . ." She started.

                “I’m sorry, Marilyn.” Morgan said, whirling around to glare at the girl, his eyes forcing her back several steps. “You nearly got me killed tonight. I really don’t want to talk to you.” With that, he turned back down the steps and headed out of sight.