Episode 138

                “I never gamble with my money; only my life.”
                                Rick, The Mummy

                “I wonder how Roland’s doing.” Everett wondered aloud as he stood by his car, with Sydney next to him. Edgar’s car was pulled up behind his to look give the blatantly false illusion that the dame was offering assistance to the broken-down car before her. “Ledger and Armand both checked in.” He went on after a moment. “They got the guys. Where’s he?” He looked over at the dame. “You going to be okay with the two of them if you have to leave?”

                “Ah’ll be fine, deary.” Sydney said with her best southern belle accent.

                “I hope so.” Everett smiled, his humor obviously forced. “I just hope everything’s going well.”

                Roland parried the downward strike, sliding in to try and stab Roji. But the Asian man slid by the narrow blade of the katana and slashed at the knight’s head. Roland dodged around it as Roji turned full circle, spinning around his foe.

                Swinging back around, both fighters slammed their sword blades at one another, scaring Organ back under his desk. Roland slid his nimble blade around the oriental fighter’s sword, moving to cut the man’s fingers. But Roji disengaged, backing up away from the knight.

                “I see your kung fu is strong.” Roland joked, panting as he smiled at the fighter, speaking out of synch with his lips. “But my Shaolin style shall defeat you.”

                “That isn’t Shaolin.” Roji said bitterly.

                “And that wasn’t serious, either, so we’re even.”

                Roland swung at Roji, but he stopped the slash halfway to the man’s parry. With a quick redirection, Roland slid his katana underneath the man’s defense and slashed at his exposed forearm. The black suit was cut deep as blood spilled out onto Roland’s blade.

                Roji retreated again, checking his forearm’s injury. Roland smiled and winked. “As much fun as I’d love to play,” The knight said. “I need to be talking to him.” He added, glancing over at Organ.

                “The reactor’s leaving tonight.” Roji said with a smile, renewing his stance before the knight. “There’s nothing you or any of the knights can do about it.”

                “Oh. You’ve heard of the knights.” Roland said, looking at the stance. “I didn’t know they had knights back in the rice paddies.”

                Roji’s face burned and he lunged forward with an overhead chop at Roland. The knight dodged out of the way, slashing at Roji’s hand again. But Roji moved just out of step and swung at Roland. The knight blocked then riposted in, only to be blocked as well.

                But faster than Roji could respond, Roland riposted a third time, slashing the Asian man’s neck, spilling blood in waves down onto the black suit that dripped down to the floor. “One point.” Roland smiled. “So, where’s it leaving from?”

                “Go to hell.” Roji yelled, holding his neck.

                “Do I have to carve you up all night?” Roland lamented tiredly.

                “Just until the reactor leaves.” Roji countered.

                “So it’s leaving soon.” Roland nodded. He took up a permanent stance, his eyes turning serious. “It’s been fun, Mr. Math, but,”

From behind the desk Organ blinked his eye and missed all of it. For a brief second, Roland stood before Roji, the katana held up and motionless. A single breath and the knight had moved past Roji, his sword lowered and expended.

With a sudden lunge forward, Roland drove his katana down to the hilt through Roji’s chest, just left of the center. “Time dies when you’re having fun.” Roland whispered to the dying man before him.

                “Where the hell’s Roland?” Everett said, now that it was just him, Ledger, and Armand on the street. With the single car, they waited in the nighttime silence of the world.

                “I don’t know.” Armand offered, looking around the world as he checked the weapons in the trunk of the car. His brand, Ulysses, rested next to the sawed-off shotgun and the familiar ninjato. “Where’s Roland’s katana?”

                “That idiot took it with him.” Everett said shaking his head. “He said ‘if I get caught, I’ll need it’. Stupid.”

                “It’s true.” Ledger defended. “If he does get caught, the sword could make all the difference.”

                “If he gets caught, I doubt he’s going to have much say in the matter.” Everett lamented in annoyance.

                Roland got a running start up the side of the wall, taking two steps on the white tile before he jumped off it, bringing his katana down with one hand hard enough to cut from the man’s shoulder down to his opposite arm pit.

                The knight landed and spun around in front of the elevator, slicing another Hand agent’s shins, spilling blood and cartilage out onto the black marble flooring. Coming up, the knight kicked the last of the three agents in the stomach to double him over, then slammed the pommel of his katana into the back of the man’s head, leaving him unconscious on the ground.

                The knight looked around as he discarded his business jacket and red tie. He could hear the pounding of footsteps as they were rushing towards him like the tide preparing to assault the shore. And like the tide, he could feel the air pulling away from him, in anticipation for the fight.

                “Why’s the fun stuff always got to happen when I’m busy?” Roland lamented. He turned to an elevator and jammed his katana between the doors. With a quick jerk, the pushed the doors open far enough for him to get his gloved hands in between. A fast push and he opened the doors.

                The first of the Hand agents arrived, skidding to a halt and stopping his partners as he saw five of his buddies on the ground before him, all of them lying in pools of their own blood. He looked up as Roland shrugged his trench coat back onto his shoulders, his katana back in its sheath. “Bye boys.” He said with a grin.

He turned from the stunned Hand agents and whipped his belt out around the elevator ropes and jumped out, grabbing hold of the loose end. With all the strength he could muster, he pulled tight on the belt, yanking it closed to strangle the industrial cable.

Dropping like a bullet, Roland slid down the elevator shaft, his leather belt sending up smoke from its friction while the loud squeal of leather against industrial metal cable echoed painfully off the walls like the howl of a wounded banshee. “Come on!” Roland yelled. He glanced over his shoulder as the numbers on the doors counted quickly down.

                Fire.

                Roland’s head whipped around as the belt suddenly burned brilliantly, the light flashing inside the narrow space of the elevator shaft. “Oh boy.” He said just as the belt snapped.

                Letting go of the belt, Roland reached out in the limbo of the fall, grabbing hold of the cable with his hands. He gripped down as hard as he could, biting down on the pain of the cable wire digging into his skin, even through the thick gloves.

                Roland’s scream echoed down the elevator shaft, right up until he slammed into the top of the elevator. The knight hit the metal surface hard; collapsing onto his back, smoke still rising from his gloves. He fought to stay conscious, then yanked his gloves off, ignoring the blood coming from his palms. He stood up and tore open the elevator door marked ‘2’.

                “Where the hell is he?” Everett repeated for the nth time. But as he spoke, he felt a buzz. He looked down to find his cell phone going off. “About time.” He said, flipping open the phone as he looked at Ledger and Armand. “Hello?” He said.

                “GET MY ASS OUT OF HERE!!!” Came Roland’s voice over the phone so loud, the other two knights could hear it.

                Roland rushed down the stairs, jump kicking the door to the bottom floor as he vaulted over the last several steps. He rushed into the lobby; the familiar sights of the bottom floor bringing him only limited comfort.

                Four Hand agents rushed at him, each coming from out of nowhere on each side. Roland gripped the katana with his bleeding hands and slashed at the one on his left, cutting deep into the man’s throat and chest. He then jammed back the other direction and slammed the pommel of his sword into the right man’s clavicle, shattering the thin bone easily.

                With the sword held up, lunging forward to stab the forward man in the chest was easy, but Roland then stepped back, reversing his grip on the sword and slicing it back underneath his armpit to stab the man behind him in the stomach.

                The four fell away.

                Roland kept running.

                The lobby was suddenly filled with Hand agents as they came rushing out of the woodwork. The elevators chimed open as the tiny moving rooms were filled with the men as they spilled out like an infestation.

                Roland sprinted across the corporate office, leading the men behind him. He jumped over a tree in the middle of the waiting room, grabbing up one of the heavy metal ashtrays from the magazine table next to the tree.

                He leapt over the couch between him and the window, throwing the ashtray like a discus. The metal tray slammed into the window, turning it into a spider web of white glass. Roland ran full steam for the window, jumping at it with his shoulder.

                The glass exploded out as Roland hit the ground on his shoulder. But without even a breath, the knight rolled up to his feet and was still running.

                Before him, in the middle of the nighttime parking lot, the welcome sight of the side of Everett’s car was waiting with the passenger door open. “Come on!” Everett yelled.

                Roland ran as fast as he could, diving for the car. Before the door was even shut, Everett floored the gas and the car burst out over the parking lot, leaving the Hand agents staring angrily.