Twisted City (11 page)

Pan,
Bruno, and Mongoose stand waiting down the hall when Jizell comes walking
through. She immediately notices Max sitting obediently next to Mongoose’s leg.

“What a beautiful dog,” Jizell says,
eyes aglow, kneeling down to rub Max’s head.
“What’s his name?”

Mongoose
is stunned stupid. First of all, she is the prettiest woman with the prettiest
pair of knockers he’s ever seen. Second, she pets Max with no hesitation at
all. And third, Max allows her to do so with not one tiny growl of protest. Wow
to it all. Even Pan and Bruno are stunned.

Jizell
glances up at Mongoose expectantly, captioning him with honey brown eyes.

“
Wha
’?”
Mongoose is able to say.

“I
asked what his name is.”

“Oh.
Uh, Mongoose.”

“A
dog named Mongoose?”

“Yeah.
I mean, no. My name is Mongoose. His
name is Max.”

“Hello,
Max. It’s nice to meet you.” She fluffs the dog’s ears and then lets him lick
her on the chin. She giggles. “Nice dog.” Rising to her feet she faces the boy
who is an inch shorter than herself. “I just heard about you, the things you’ve
done.
Impressive.
My name is Madam Jizell, or Doctor
Jizell. Whichever’s your
need.
My brothel and office
is just down the street. Everyone knows me. Come see me sometime. ‘Kay?”

“Okay.”
Mongoose nods dumbly.

Jizell
peeps
Pan and Bruno’s unstrung situation. Pan’s left
hand is taped to Bruno’s right hand, making it appear as if the two are holding
hands. She then averts her eyes from Bruno to Max, realizing something.

“
Ahh
,”
she
says,
eyes aglow. “So this is the vicious dog that
did that.” Pointing at Bruno’s mangled mug. She takes a moment to soak this in,
and then says, “I guess I better go. It seems that you’ve got some things that
you need to take care of.
Hope to see you soon, cutie.”

They
watch her leave, that little round butt swaying side to side.

“Ahem,”
Jacko clears his throat, getting the
trio’s attention. “He is waiting.”

“So
you are the great Mongoose,” Vincent says with mild spirit. He is beginning to feel
the relaxing and numbing effects of the pills. All is well in Vincent Maddick’s
world.

“And
you are Vincent Maddick.”

A
smug smile curves Vincent’s lips.

“I
am he.”

“So
what do you want?”

Vincent
is about to respond but something peculiar catches his eye. He focuses on Pan
and Bruno’s hands. “Would you two like a private room?”

Pan
speaks up in their defense. “He made us tape our hands together. If we had not
agreed to it he would not have come with us. We had no choice.”

“Uh-huh.
And now that you are here, why are they still taped together?”

The
two brutes regard each other as if asking themselves that same question.

Annoyed,
Vincent excuses the two and after they’ve left he says, “I trust they were good
company on your way here?”

“Where
do you get these idiots?”

“There’s
an endless supply of them, if you haven’t noticed.”

“I’ve
noticed. Now what do you want?”

Vincent
inhales deeply and exhales long and slow, as if the very act is orgasmic.

“What
do I want?” he says to himself. “I want that which all men want.
None other than peace, love, and happiness.”
Vincent’s
blithe suddenly turns cold as he gazes directly into the boy’s eyes. “No. I
want it all.
Everything.
The whole
shebang.”

“The
Pinnacle,” Mongoose says.

“Exactly.”

“Impossible.”

“Do
you think? Is it so hard to believe that The Pinnacle cannot be taken? That’s
exactly what the world thought about the city of Troy.
It’s
walls could not be breached. But in their ignorance they let their guard down,
opened their gates, and unknowingly allowed the enemy to enter the city in the
form of a huge, wooden Trojan horse, never suspecting that at that very moment
was the moment of their demise. And later in the night, when all the good
people of Troy were nestled safely in their beds, believing they were safe from
all the bad things in the world outside their walls, their enemy came crawling
out of that Trojan horse, slaying the guards and opening the gates of Troy to
let in the rest of their soldiers and then they took the city.”

“That’s
a great story,” Mongoose says bluntly. “Especially with all the dramatics you
added to it. Nice touch. But what the hell do you want with me?”

“At
first, I wasn’t sure I would need you. Yesterday I believed that today we would
already be well into the thick of battle at The Pinnacle. Oh but how we were
surprised. So now plans have changed. From what I’m told you’re an excellent
fighter and you have no qualms about killing. Talents I am very fond of. You
are also very young, your age can be a deceptive tool, and because of that you
are able to do things most of us cannot. I can give you a life plentiful of
many things. But first I need you to do only one thing for me.”

“And
what is that?”

Vincent
crooks a mean grin and says, “I want you to become a Trojan horse.”

He
opens a closet door, reaches inside, and takes out twin swords, shorter than
the katana but longer than a conventional dagger. He places one aside and
unsheathes the other. It’s been too long since he’s unsheathed them.
Too long since he’s used them.
He twirls the short sword,
thrusts, strikes, familiarizing himself with it all over again. Life has now
been reinvigorated with new ambitions.
An
exhilarance
shoots through him like he hasn’t felt in ages.
Finally
someone worthy enough to hold their own, and of all things, in the way of the
ancients.

The
dark swordsman will be his.

33

Many
think there will be another wave of Maddick’s to storm The Pinnacle’s gate, but
two weeks pass since the short lived battle without further incident. Word
buzzes that Vincent was blown to bits by the explosions, leaving the remaining
Maddick’s without someone to lead them and are currently in hiatus. Other
rumors are that Vincent’s hand or arm was cut off in the ensuing battle and
before he was able to make it back to Maddick he died from blood
loss,
and the most optimistic rumor is that Vincent did in
fact make it out alive but was so distraught with humility that he left the
city entirely. Optimistic thinking indeed, trying to dispel through avid rumor
something so frightening out of existence in order to more easily carry on
through one’s day without the mental burden of worry or conflict. Whatever
works.

Although
many Pinnacle civilians were hesitant to venture from their homes so soon after
what occurred at the gate – typical aftermath fear trying to burrow itself to
the bone – it only took a few days for things to pick back up to how they were
before. The markets bustle with life once again as everyone moves forward.

The
day Dr. John released Lathan from his care was a prime day in The Pinnacle.
Everyone hailed him with flowers and gifts. Three women at different intervals,
in their obvious joy and infatuation, proposed marriage to him and one of them
even grabbed him and shot her lips to his, to which Taya instantly responded by
clinching her teeth and politely pulling  the overzealous woman away.

All
he wanted to do was go back to his place, let Taya ride him like a bull for a
while, and then fall into a calm quiet state of meditation for the rest of the
evening. But what he wanted and what he got were two different things.

He
walked into a surprise party festooned with a WELCOME BACK, LATHAN banner. The
place was packed with people, all smiles and cheers and food and gifts galore.
Although it was all done in good spirits and gratitude he could have done
without it. They
labeled
him as something he is not,
nor did he desire or deserve to be. They have no idea that what he’s done thus
far has been only for himself. Or, rather more to the point, to keep a promise
he made to someone else. And the longer he stays here the harder it is going to
be to accomplish. Every day he wills his shoulder and leg to heal faster. The
bullet to the leg nicked the femur bone so he is hobbling around on a crutch.
Only the one crutch because he can’t put any stress on his left shoulder. Now
he is forced to wait it out before he is able to sneak back to the
Harrington
International.

Taya
keeps him company as the days crawl by. With her unwavering spirit, good humor,
and insatiable libido she is making it difficult for him to stay dispassionate
and he often finds himself lured into thought patterns of “what if’s?
”.
Especially during the times they lie sexually spent in
bed, their arms and legs entangled, listening to her tell him about her life
prior to The Pinnacle and what filled the days thereafter. Everyone has their own
horrific story, each different in its own way, but the one similarity everyone
shares is the exact day their old life ended and their new life began. Those
are the stories that resonate, capturing the listening ear and never become
tiresome to hear.

James
often drops by to see how he is doing. Conversations with James are interesting
to say the least. Obviously intelligent, James is a man of many facets, his
mind working in vast areas, and has a well thought-out plan and natural
instinct for leadership. It was once brought up.

“People
instinctively desire to be led,” James said. “Although there are many who
possess that take-charge quality, most people want and need to feel dependently
secure with another person who is comfortable and confident to carry the weight
of responsibility of others’ lives, their futures, and tasks at hand on their
own shoulders. If you can effectively sell that idea to the people then they
will not only follow you but they will vehemently support and defend your own
personal causes. The political leaders of yesteryears did it all the time. And
even though it was politics that initially ended us, it will be a new form of
politics that rebuilds us. Lathan, not only have you saved lives, but you have
also assured people of their wellbeing, and whether you like it or not you are
now immortalized as a hero and for that reason alone they will follow you in
whatever cause you may seek. You can be a great leader, Lathan.”

Lathan
was shaking his head side to side, rejecting the idea, before James finished
speaking.

“No
way is that
who
I am. I am not a leader. And I have
absolutely no desire to be one. I admire what you’ve done here and
are
continuing to do, but James, we are cut from two
completely different cloths. Everyone seems to hold on to this wonderful idea
of who I am, having come out of nowhere just to save this place, when
realistically all it’s ever been is circumstance. I am here for completely
different reasons.”

James
nods in agreement. “Yes, I understand. Truly I do. But I refuse to believe that
circumstance is why we ever met. It is much more than that. And do you know why
I believe that? Because I feel it, right here,” James rapidly taps the tip of
his finger into his chest. “That’s why I believe it, because every time I’ve felt
something right here, I’ve never been wrong. But let me say just one more thing
and I will be finished with it. Maybe you’ll stay, maybe you’ll go, only you
can decide, but which ever it is you choose to do I truly believe that you are
destined for great things no matter where you may be.”

That
is the last time they spoke on that particular matter, which suits Lathan just
fine. Trying his damnedest to keep from being the humble hero is one thing, but
playing with the idea of him building a life among these people, with James’
insinuations of leadership, is another. The word “preposterous” comes to mind.

Other
than Taya and James no one else drops by. James advises everyone that Lathan
isn’t to be disturbed; their hero deserves to be left alone to insure a speedy
recovery. Many well-wishers are sent with respects and prayers.
All very kind and thoughtful, if you dig those sort of things.
Lathan understands the sincerity of them all but tries to stay numb against
their caregiving. Within himself, that is. After all, he doesn’t want to appear
to be ungrateful, that would make him an asshole. Difficult and set in his ways
he may be but he’s not an asshole.
At least not a deliberate
asshole.
So when Taya and James
comes
with the
messages and homemade Hallmark’s he smiles and nods his appreciation.

He
intended not to show his face to the world again until he is fully recovered,
and then soon after
do
a disappearing act in the
middle of the night. But there are other things to consider, like his SUV in
the parking garage with his goods, gear, and weapons. He does not intend to
leave that behind. The trip ahead is a long one and is sure to have its fair
share of obstacles. There are many things that can be done with his SUV but why
be inconspicuous. It only makes
sense,
the vehicle can
use a few adjustments and reinforcements. He asks James for help and James
happily says that he will have everything taken care of.

Maybe
it’s time to make a local appearance after all.