Episode 088

                “Eighty-eight miles per hour!”
                                ‘Doc’ Emmett Brown, Back to the Future

                "Well now." Roland said, looking at the large crowd of protesters and anti-protest protesters. "This is a delightful little event." As he spoke, a roaring crowd of over-weight vegitarians went chanting by. The knight turned around looked at them go by. He stared at them for a moment as they disappeared into the faceless crowd. "I want to go home." He whimpered patheticaly.

                "I just wanted to come and check on Marilyn." Everett answered, looking around also. "And besides, this isn't that bad. This is for a good cause."

                "Oh yeah?" Sydney asked. "What's that?"

                "Animal rights." Everett answered. He looked arund, then found the stage far drowned in protesters. "Look, I'm going to go find the Alliance. "I'll be right back." In an instant, the knight disappeared into the crowd. The four remaining knights stood in the crowd, standing out as they looked around.

                "Hey you!"

                Ledger looked at his cohorts in the tight circle of red and black, an exhausted expression on his face. "If that's for me, guys, I swear I'm going to take my shotgun and do some very terrible things to these 'I'm-an-Oscar-Meyer-Weiner' singing hippies." He turned around as a redneck with a riding mower cap and overalls came stalking up. "Hey, bubba." The black knight nodded politely. "What's shaking? Other than your gut."

                "You tryin' ta look like one dem 'Matrix' boys?" The redneck asked with a trite laugh.

                "Oh, very good." Aramand said to the redneck from behind Ledger. "You can pronounce a two-sylabyll word properly."

                "Urge. To kill. Rising." Ledger said, staring at the redneck.

                Sydney started to smile, then she looked at Roland, her smile gone. "He's not kidding, is he?"

                "Oh good god no." Roland said fast as he lunged towards Ledger to keep him from reaching inside his jacket.

                Everett appeared in the crowd, standing amongst the protesters. Marilyn's eyes went wide in momentary shock, but she quickly turned from him as the crowd parted for the darkly dressed knight, pretending to find something to keep her attention focus. Everett stepped back into the crowd quietly and watched.

                "I'm with the World Alliance." She started to say to a group of protesters, but before she could finish her sentence, they moved on past her, continuing their almost-clever chant. Without a second thought, she turned to another group of watchers, nearly forcing her buisness cards into their hands. "Hi." She started cheerfully. "I'm with . . ." They walked off.

                "It never goes the way it's supposed to."

                She turned around to find Everett standing right behind her. He smiled, then looked down at the flyers. "How's the recruiting going?" He asked as he took a flyer from her.

                "What are you doing here?" She asked with an unamused expression.

                "Oh, you know me." He shrugged. "I like to take in a protest every now and then."

                "Well, this one must be a favorite." Marilyn smiled a tight-lipped smile, looking at the cages of animals that the protesters were using to demonstrate their point. "I bet the knights just love animal rights, don't they?"

                "We do what we can." Everett shrugged again.

                "And that included last week?" She asked coyly.

                "I'm sorry." Everett said, his aloof tone suddenly gone. "I'm afraidn I'm not understanding."

                "You roughed Victor up pretty bad." Marilyn said, her body going rigid.

                "WE roughed Victor up?" Everett said, almost laughing. He stood up straight, finally laughing. "Are you kidding me?" His smile disappeared in a  heartbeat. "We saved his sorry ass!"

                The girl was painted like a tiger, her nails long while on a thin bikini stayed present for clothing. Sitting in a cage as other animal rights protesters chanted, she glared at the crowd with anger and resentment.

                “Man, you don’t know how to get a girl.” Ledger said, as Roland retreated to the back of the crowd.

                "I'm just warming up." The knight said confidently, his back to the cage and the girl inside.

                "You're not going to get another chance, Roland." Sydney laughed. "That girl hates you now. What'd you use? 'Did you wash your pants in windex?' That was always one of my favorites that you used to try." She turned away from the two boys, looking for Armand and her food.

                "I can get her." Roland objected.

                "A bet's a bet, man." Ledger said, holding out his hand. "Pay up."

                "No." Roland exclaimed. "I'm not done."

                "Yes you are." Ledger said clearly. "She's not going to go out with you. And you don't have a chance."

                "Okay. "Prove it. You do it.” Roland said, gesturing back to the cage.

                “With pleasure.” The black knight said, walking to the front of the crowd. Roland looked at Sydney and grinned. The dame just shook her head.

                Ledger came to stand just a few feet in front of the cage. He stood straight, his head cocked slightly to the side as he looked down into the cage at the girl. He said nothing.

                “What’s he doing?” Roland asked.

                “Melting her.” Sydney said, her face looking a bit flustered already.

                “What?” Armand said, glancing over at the girl. "What's going on?"

                "Ledger's showing up Roland." Sydney said, accepting her gyro from Armand. She took a healthy bite from the wrap and chuckled to herself. “Just watch.” The dame said, motioning to the cage.

                Ledger stared down. He said nothing.

                The girl began to shift a bit, looking uncomfortable.

                Ledger stared down. He said nothing.

                The girl looked away, watching the demonstration go by.

                Ledger stared down. He said nothing.

                “He blew it.” Roland said. “She’s creeped out, not impressed.”

                “Oh, trust me.” Sydney said. “He hasn’t blown anything.”

                The girl glanced up nervously at Ledger.

                The knight tilted his head to the other side.

                The girl’s eyes went wide, her jaw dropping. Ledger turned slowly away from her, his eyes never breaking their hold until the last minute. But when he finally turned away, the girl almost lunged forward in the cage, her hand shooting out as if to call to him.

                “Don’t ever, EVER bet a black man that he can’t pick up a girl.” Sydney said, almost laughing at Roland.

                "That's ridiculous." Everett said cooly. "I will not."

                "Promise me, Everett." Marilyn said as the two stood in the middle of the crowd of people, both ignoring the crowd around them. "Swear you'll never hurt him."

                "I never did." Everett nearly yelled back.

                "All of the knights." Marilyn shouted back just as loud.

                "None of us did." Everett protested.

                "Then promise me." She said. "Promise you won't hurt him."

                "No." Everett said.

                Marilyn retreated back from him, her mouth held tightly shut. "Fine." She said adamantly. She turned and pushed her way through the crowd.

                "Where's Everett?" Ledger said, checking his watch. "I'm hungry." He turned to Sydney. "Were those gryo's any good?"

                Sydney turned to Ledger, then hit her own stomach witht he top of her hand. A slight burp came out. "No." She said, grimicing.

                "Very lady-like, dame." Roland chuckled.

                “Hey baby.” Came a voice from behind Sydney. The dame and the other knights all turned to find a wino in a tan trench coat and a black hat standing before her. “What’s this look like?” He opened his tan trench coat, showing that he was only wearing socks.

                “Half a pencil with a pimply eraser.” Sydney answered before the other knights could respond. The wino froze, his eyes wide. He stumbled out some half-drunk response, then, looking indignified shut the coat and walked off.

                Sydney looked back at the shocked knights and smiled. “It must be cold.” She said, going back to the matter at hand. As she spoke, Everett pushed his way through the crowds, his head low as he walked. "Oh no." Sydney said. "You like you just got dumped."

                "Worse." Everett said, with a sad chuckle.

                "What's worse?" Roland asked.

                "She wants me to make a promise to her." He said, his eyes still cast down. He smiled, then looked up at the group. "She wants me to promise that I, and no knight, will ever harm Victor. Ever."

                Silence.

                "Is she kidding?" Roland asked after a moment. "That pencil-dick put her up to this. I'm sure of it."

                "Yeah, well." Everett shrugged. "That 'pencil-dick' is her boyfriend. And she thinks that he got injured because of us."

                "You didn't promise, did you?" Ledger asked. Everett thought about the question, then shook his head, certain of the harmlessness of answering. "Good." He said, reaching into his jacket.

                "NO!" Roland said, grabbing Ledger's arm as Armand attached himself to the black knight's shoulders to imped his movement. "There are people, man. People!"

                "I can make it look like suicide." Ledger nearly yelled.

                "Right." Sydeny said, turning away fromt he three boys, back to Everett. "Is that all she said?"

                "Pretty much." He nodded. "Why?"

                "No 'thank you for saving your dick boyfriend' or anything like that?" She clarified.

                "Nope." Everett shrugged. He chuckled, then looked off into the crowd. "Maybe Morgan was right."

                "Wouldn't be the first time." Sydney agreed with a sympathetic smile.