~1~
Chapter 1 The concrete walls stood high and mighty, attempting to scrap the underbellies of the patrolling helicopters. Undar City claimed victory within its fortress. For every few miles a checkpoint had been set in place. Escape was hardly an option. The city was on Lockdown. Night ventures by citizens were prohibited and anyone found breaking the law was imprisoned. This was a time where the law was enforced with an iron fist. Crime was a memory of the past. Peace was an outlook for the future. Hence, the streets were empty, the people quiet, and the area serene. Then… Crash! A bald man burst through a glass window. He landed in a crouched position, a burlap sack in hand. An alarm blared from inside the bank he had just exited. The pale, well-built figure glanced down the alley from left to right. A cop car skid to a stop at one end of the alley, and at the other end another approached. The brute bolted towards the parked car. A grin slid across his face as he stormed through the alley. He neared the vehicle as two police officers commenced to exit. Just as the officer on the passenger side stood, the bald man leapt into the air and threw a jump kick that slammed the car door with great force into the cop’s body. The policeman staggered and toppled. The other officer drew his gun and aimed. Baldy landed upon the car and lashed out with a sweep, knocking the weapon from the man’s clutches. Then the rugged burglar grasped the cop by his shirt and yanked him clear off the ground. The bald brute glared directly at the police officer. Rage and anger filled eyes of melancholy. Then the bald guy’s expression became blissful and pleasurable. “If I had the time I would end your miserable life. I hate you! I hate you all!” he drew in a deep breath. “The name’s Val… remember it!” With ease Val hurled the officer into the side of a brick building. He whipped his head to the right as he heard more sirens down the street, approaching fast. Val vaulted from his perch and raced off down the street. He ran down an empty boulevard, police cars coming out of every nook and cranny. But as Val ran he appeared to move at super speed. He wasn’t moving faster than a car, but he was moving nonetheless. His speed was surreal. However, his pursuers were slowly gaining and they’d soon have the criminal in custody. Val glanced back and noticed all of the police vehicles and sped up. He cut around a corner. To his amazement a single cop car was before him. It was moving too fast, approaching him head-on. The car was only inches from Val. The matter did not deter the crazed man. Val focused… and time seemed to slowdown. The car rushed at him slowly, almost as if it was barely moving at all. He leapt, placed his free hand on the hood of the car and somersaulted over the moving vehicle. Val landed gracefully and darted down the street, cutting into a smallenclosed alleyway. The cop car swerved to avoid the other nearing cop cars and came to a halt. An African American cop quickly stepped out of the driver seat and onto the street. His aged eyes narrowed taking in his surrounding area. His trench coat swept out behind him as the wind took a hold of him. Detective Lucius was a veteran cop past his prime, but he more than made up for his lack in physical peak with years of experience. From the passenger side leapt a younger Asian cop, Jon Lockhart. The rookie hurtled the car and raced off down the street after the criminal, his short black hair bouncing with every stride.
~2~
“Jon! Stop! What are you doing? He’s trapped, it’s a dead end!” the older cop yelled after his partner. As usual, the rookie ignored the words of his superior officer and raced into the alley, gun drawn and pointed. “Freeze! This is the police!” Val came to a stop as he realized that he had reached a brick wall and turned around, hands raised. The veteran detective finally caught up to his partner. “Good work Jon, but next time wait before you run off.” “Gotcha!” Jon exclaimed. “Cover me.” Jon reached for his radio. “Unit 12 has apprehended the thief! Detective Lucius has him at gunpoint. We are located in the alley off of Apple Springs Avenue.” “Ten-Four, roger that! Backup is on the way!” the officer over the radio responded. “Now slowly put down the bag and place your hands behind your head,” Jon commanded as he neared Val, finger on the trigger. Val lowered, “As… you… WISH!” Suddenly Val propelled himself skyward. Blam! Jon fired but missed. The bald burglar landed on the top of a five-story building and saluted his pursuers before vanishing from sight. “I’m going after him!” Jon wailed as he took a hold of the fire escape. He worked his way up the ladder nimbly and motored up the stairs. Lucius gazed at the young flamboyant boy and shook his head in dismay. Jon hurtled three or four steps at a time. His heel burned with pain as he made every sharp turn to the next flight of stairs. He stormed to the top and sprung up onto the roof, gun at the ready. Val stood with bag in hand. He looked back to see Jon with the gun pointed upon him. Val’s eyes narrowed and a question zipped through his head. How had he gotten up those stairs so quickly? “Drop the money Baldy! I don’t wanna have to shoot you!” “Really? Your colleagues had no problem doing it.” “What are you talking about?” Jon asked, puzzled. Val’s face steamed with anger. His eyes were frozen with grim dissatisfaction. Sadness peeked out, and then hatred rid the glimmer. “Five years ago two people were shot to death. A man and a woman. They say they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. But how can a stroll through the park be the wrong place? It was daylight out, you could see everything. Yet that was the wrong time? You pigs are nothin’ more than frauds and liars.” Jon gazed intently, compassion almost overtaking him. “I’m sorry to hear that about your family. But that gives you no right to commit random acts of crime. As an officer I have sworn to uphold the law.” “You all stand for the same thing!” Val snapped. “But you have to understand…” “No! I don’t have to understand shit!” Val sneered. “The police killed two innocent people in the name of justice. That is all I need to know.” “Well that still doesn’t explain why you’re robbing banks,” Jon wailed as he crept towards the deranged criminal. “Or for that matter, how the hell you jumped 50 feet into the air.”
~3~
“There are a lot of things in this world that we don’t understand or even have an answer for. My matters happen to be one of’em in your case. If you can keep up, then maybe you’ll just find out. See ya!” Suddenly Val made a dash for the edge of the rooftop. Jon couldn’t believe the speed of the criminal. He pursued the villain. Val reached the edge of the rooftop and leapt. He sailed through the sky and landed gently upon another rooftop. Glancing back, he grinned and ran on. With no intentions of letting this one get away, Jon pushed himself to the limit. He made it to the roof’s edge with great haste. He took in a deep breath and launched himself forward. The gap between rooftops wasn’t very wide. The athletic cop landed heavily, tumbled and was back on his feet. Looking ahead, he noticed Val take another leap of fate. This jump was longer, yet the criminal landed with ease. Jon now nearly exhausted, but still raging with fire followed. He reached the ledge and vaulted once more. The stone footing under his feet vanished in the distance and his new footing lie yards below. Jon soared through the air. The feeling was exhilarating, but the sight terrifying. Val was just about to leap again. He stopped to glance back and saw Jon in midair. Val seemed impressed. Jon flew through the air; however, he’d bitten off more than he could chew. Shock took hold of Jon as he realized that his forward motion was beginning to descend and digress. Instinctively, he reached out with his hands and miraculously, his grip found cement. He had made it to the rooftop, barely. He clung on at the edge by the tips of his fingers. With a grunt he began to pull himself up. Val had watched the entire scene and had been overwhelmed by admiration. “You do well, kid,” he laughed. Jon continued to pull his way to the top, “Thanks, I guess.” Suddenly out of the sky dropped another figure. He landed next to Val with barely a sound. The newcomer looked over at Jon who was just climbing up onto level ground. Then he glanced back at Val, making eye contact. The rambunctious rebel sort of tilted his head, the thrill in his expression fading from his face. “I got cha! Yea, yea, I know. Catch ya back at the hideout Tron.” With that said, Val leapt off of the roof. He plummeted to the road below. The bald male crashed down on the ground causing the space around to bulge out then pull back in. Val stood and raced off down the street with the loot still in his possession. Jon rushed forward in an attempt to follow. Tron reached out with a mere hand, placing it on his chest, and stopped the boy’s movement. “Hey! This is police business!” Jon exulted. This Tron guy stood only four feet and a few inches. His frame was average and his head bald. His eyes were unorthodox; of a bright green color, rare for Asian decent. Furthermore his image was dumbfounding; at times it would seem as if the area around him was shifting. His body was giving off immense energy and the space around him wasn’t completely stable. Jon began to point his gun. Tron slapped the weapon aside. The feat was so quick that Jon barely saw it take place. “What in the world? Who are you?” Jon cried as he went into his fighting stance. “What? Can’t speak? Cat got your tongue?” Tron gave a sideways look at the youth. Jon squint his eyes wondering if the guy even understood. “Either you move or I go through,” Jon growled. Tron said nothing, nor did he attempt to step aside.
~4~
“I ain’t got time for this!” Jon threw a punch. The strike was aimed right for the other’s face. The fist neared Tron. The green-eyed male just stood there. He stood there. The fist neared. Then suddenly, only inches away from his face the fist seemed to decrease in speed. The attack appeared to move at a snail’s pace. Tron instantly reached up and caught Jon’s hand. Jon was taken aback. How did he do that? That was his fastest punch and the dude had simply caught it in one hand. Sweat began to bead from his brow. Jon backpedaled and lashed out with a roundhouse. Tron easily ducked avoiding the swift kick. Attempting to seize the moment Jon went into another, then into a series of vicious kicks. Tron evaded all of the strikes. Then he lashed out with a closed fist that sent Jon flying back and sliding across the ground. The rookie pounced back to his feet and brought on another attack. Jon rushed in with a jump kick, which was sidestepped, and then his sweep was easily hopped over. A barrage of kicks to the side were blocked and thrown aside. Jon couldn’t lay a finger on the beast. His punches were dodged with simple head jerks. However, Jon kept trying. Until Tron took hold of Jon’s arm. Tron slammed a fist into Jon’s chest, another into his stomach, released the boy’s arm, and sent combos flying. Tron’s strikes struck like lightning. Then Jon was brought to his knee by a kick to the stomach. Tron looked at the rookie police officer as he gasped for air. Jon glanced up at the greeneyed interloper. He could hardly breathe, but he had to keep trying. Jon commenced to stand. Just as Tron drew back his fist voices could be heard approaching. “He has to be up this way,” it was Detective Lucius. Tron halted his attack and leapt into the sky, vanishing from sight. From the stairs came Lucius and a police squadron. The detective raced over to his downed partner and offered a hand. Jon pushed Lucius away. “I’m fine. I can handle myself.” Jon stood, a little wobbly and staggered off. “What happened?” Detective Lucius demanded. ● ● ●
~5~
Chapter 3 Brutally beaten and driven to the brink of frustration, Ken found a minuscule moment of reprieve sitting upon the roof of the Breaker’s hideout. The sun was beginning to set, its rays reached high over the horizon. The vehicles below were quickly dispersing and the teens were saying goodbye to there friends as they scrambled to the subway, ensuring not to miss the train’s final evening departure. Once eight o’clock would hit the police officers would start checking IDs to guarantee the right for nightly passages. With it being rare for anyone under the age of eighteen to even have clearance for after hour ventures, most cops would simply arrest any loitering teenagers. Night activity amongst the younger generation was quite infrequent. The club scene vanished least for special holiday attempts brought on by the city which was monitored by the law and limited to only those ages twenty-four and up. The nightlife was pretty much nonexistent. Ken sighed as he noticed a couple kissing in a dark alley suddenly get robbed by a bum pretending to be asleep. The dirty old man raced through the city streets with the boyfriend hot on his trail. The female was left behind screaming at the top of her lungs for her significant other to come back. Then the police showed up. There were two officers. They leapt from their vehicle and the driver immediately tackled the bum and wrestled the boyfriend’s wallet from his clutches. His partner handcuffed the bum and tossed him in the back of their vehicle. In the process of thanking the officers the boyfriend was suddenly rushed and taken to the ground like the bum before him. With no questions asked the guy was hulled into the cop car alongside the bum and carried away as the officers sped off. The female finally made her appearance and realized what had happened for the only thing left behind was her boyfriend’s empty wallet which she took into her hands and began to weep. That’s how Lockdown worked. It insinuated peace, yet provided fear; all intended to teach a tacit lesson. “Taking it kinda hard aren’t you?” Ken glanced back over his shoulder, his attention diverted away from the barren streets below. Taya laid a hand along his backside and sat down beside him. She dangled her legs over the roof’s edge. “What are you talking about?” he replied, a look of annoyance surfacing across his face. “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it. It wouldn’t be anything new anyhow. Around here a lot of things go unspoken.” Ken peered at Taya from the corner of his eye. She continued to dangle her legs over the edge of the roof. Her breathing heavier than normal. The still setting sun allowed its rays to dapple over Taya’s face and skin in a way that the sun itself restricted from dallying over everything else. It was almost a picturesque moment; however, her eyes never lingered in Ken’s direction. “Did you know that sometimes I wish I could fly?” Taya gave a nervous giggle, ashamed after saying something so silly. “I know it sounds crazy, but sometimes I try to configure a way for me to contort time, in such a manner that I could soar high above the clouds!” Taya gazed off into the sky. “But I know it will never happen. Please, just let me imagine and dream.”
~6~
“Who can be the judge of that? If you believe hard enough, you just might. I’m certainly not the one that can limit your possibilities.” Suddenly a smile etched along Taya’s face. She looked at Ken with eyes of relief and joy. “You’re different,” she speculated. Ken did not return Taya’s yearning grin. “If at any time you compare two people who have their own personal goals they’ll always appear different. It is only those dependent souls who rely on fulfilling another’s dream that can be viewed as the same.” Taya laughed to herself. “You are a tough one. I just can’t seem to figure you out. You cease to amaze me.” “And why do you say that?” “I mean look at you,” Taya turned her head towards Ken as a gesture, but immediately found her gaze locked with his’. She froze in mid-speech. Ken too was entranced. Seconds later he pulled his glare away, a smile masking his face. Taya blushed, her hands tucking themselves neatly under her chin. Taya continued, “Because of things like that. I mean at first glance I thought you were some sort of rift raft, but after only a few minutes around you I begin to feel as if you’re some grand general ready to lead us off to freedom. Then when I thought I’d figured you out I realized that you were nothing more than a stubborn amateur much like I was so long ago. And finally now you sound like some kind of old wizened philosopher.” Then Taya peered directly in Ken’s eyes again. “And for some unearthly reason that draws me to you.” The two leaned closer towards one another until their faces met, until their eyes locked, until their lips embraced. Ken’s hand traveled up along the side of Taya’s face. Her hand fell across the backside of his hand. Ken and Taya’s kiss lasted for only a minute before Taya pulled herself away. Shame enveloped her face. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. Lady X would not find this tasteful.” “Huh?” Ken’s eyebrows furrowed in reverence. Then his face hardened as he once again accepted the radical ideals of Lady X’s entourage. “I know you are thinking about Dragon and Isyss’s relationship, but Lady X said that their bond should be so. She says that everyone in the circle of time has to play their role if time is to unfold as she has seen fit. She says that Dragon and Isyss must procreate to ensure the next generation of Breakers. However, mine is not as a harbinger, but as a motivator and trainer to bring the ultimate…” “Taya!” the commanding voice of Dragon drove her to silence. “That is enough. I think I would like to talk with Ken…alone.” Standing obediently, Taya nodded and left, giving Ken a glance then focusing on Dragon in an attempt to determine his motives. Ken peered intently at the dark male as he approached him. Ken began to eye the sheathed katana in Dragon’s grasp. The red handle was lined with black thread. Metal dragons circled amongst themselves, forming a majestic hand guard. And within a crimson saya slept a razor edged blade. Dragon carried the weapon gracefully in his right hand. Clearly the katana was an extension of him, and he could draw the weapon at a moment’s notice. Ken eyed the weapon and then the man; he noted that the ebony samurai was left-handed. Ken was unsure of
~7~
what to expect, he braced for the worst. He had been told how quick and precise Dragon was with the weapon. “Do not be alarmed,” Dragon stated flatly. The dark male did not sit; he positioned himself at the right of Ken and stood before the edge of the building. He gazed off into the sunset, his katana perched within the cross of his arms. The two were silent for awhile, their gazes reaching far and wide; yet lingering in their view was one common idea. Both warriors knew that out there beyond the buildings, beyond the cops, beyond the Lockdown, beyond the horizon, was something better. That was all they could ask for of their pitiful and tiresome lives. Dragon was the first to break the silence. “Dreams are a beautiful thing aren’t they?” Dragon asked rhetorically. “But they rarely ever come true.” That statement made Ken reel. He had never heard such a pessimistic avowal. Dragon’s façade showed no indication of incredulity or humor. His face was stoic. “Have you never wondered why so many others cling to aiding another in fulfilling a dream rather than their own? It is because people fear that their dream, their one hope and desire, shall never be accomplished. They fear being crushed by the failure. So they turn to someone who believes so strongly in their dreams, their destiny, that he or she will die a thousand deaths to see it come true. These people will give their greatest efforts and even their lives in pursuit of one man’s reverie. And these people are content simply knowing that they were just apart of…a dream.” Ken looked up at Dragon. The dark male stood with sword in hand, determination in his eyes, and a heart of steel. Ken could hardly conceive the immense amount of courage and pride this one welled inside of his frame. He could not help to wonder was Dragon now living out his dream. At that moment all he knew was that Dragon was what you would call a true warrior. A samurai in his own writ.
~8~