THE GATE KEEPER (14 page)

‘Well
if you say yesterday I wouldn’t know. Dude, am I a fortune teller?’

Agent
Reynold
got closer to me. He quickly produces a side
kick which unexpectedly comes in contact with my chest. Off guard, the blow
throws me off the chair and to a nearby wall. Then he says, ‘I get it, you
think that we’re dumb and stupid. Well we’re not to be taken as fools. Rule
number one is to respect the gate keepers and note that we’re very professional
where our jobs are concern. With our experience, we’ll definitely know when
you’re lying.’

Both
agents look at each other and agent
Mcneal
says, ‘The
day you fought the gang and put one of them in hospital. The day before we came
for you…..’

‘Once
again where were you on the 2
^nd
of July, 2012?’ Agent
Reynold
rudely inquired.

I
try to sit properly on the floor. I was in pain but I had to be wise by coming
up with a good answer. Agent
Reynold
close on me steadily,
monitoring and waiting for any physical action from me. My mind rush in
possibilities of escaping but I needed to know the capabilities of their
weapons.

I
would be doom if I over power them and they react to extreme force. Beside a
final unknown resort by them against me may lead to devastated consequences.
The fullest capabilities of their futuristic and powerful weapons were unknown.
For now I play the game.

‘Me
and my partner we were there because our investigation tip us to a time travel
abnormality.’ Agent
Mcneal
redress their position in
this mindless act.

Agent
Reynold
looks at me and asks, ‘do you know what a
time travel abnormality is?’

‘I
never had the chance to ask that question.’

‘Well
it means that we knew that someone from our time came to visit you but there
were holes in our investigation that needed to be filled. Witness like you was
the right candidate to start with. All we wanted to know is who came to visit
you?’ Agent
Mcneal
replies with false genteel
behaviour.

‘Is
it an order or a favour?’

‘Take
it however you want, but in the end we shall get what we came for.’ Agent
Reynold
replied with cocksure precision.

Agent
Mcneal
turn to his partner, then at me and asks, ‘how
do you want to leave this world? Pain free or slow death of agony?’

My
enemies were relaxed but mean. Through their eyes I could tell that they were
cold characters who wouldn’t hesitate to take my life. I was afraid for my life
but I couldn’t afford to drop my guard and allow them to think that I was a
weak link. I was not a coward willing to spit it out for the benefits of their
criminal purpose.

‘Maybe
if you start treating me humanly by allowing me to sit on the chair I may
consider your proposition.’

‘You’re
taking the piss. You’re must be thinking that you shall take those fools for a
ride before you’ll actually collaborate. Deep down you may have planned not to
vomit the truth but we shall make sure you do.’ Agent
Reynold
curt out and kick me in my belly.

I
took it in like a man and try to refrain from crying out loud. Unbearable pain
drives my tears to my chick. I wipe it down as agent
Reynold
scold me by the neck and hurl me to the wall. He forcefully drives me to my
feet.

He
hurls me to the wall again and says, ‘today is your unlucky day. I’m
gonna
bash your head into the wall if you do not tell us
who came to visit you from the future? It’s time for you to stop messing around
with us. We’re not playing and we don’t have time to play.’

Blood
drips from one side of my forehead to my eye lash. My nemesis crosses both of
his hands transforming it into an X across my neck. He firmly grabs my shirt at
my shoulder.  He applies more pressure. He lifts and drags me up with my
back firmly press against the wall. He tries to squeeze a bit of life out of
me. Behind him his partner lays the weapon on the table.

Agent
Mcneal
walks behind his partner look at me and smile.
Then he asks, ‘are you ready to negotiate our terms?’

The
opportunity was either now or never. I quickly lash my forehead towards my
nemesis head and caught him off guard that he releases me. He cries out in
agony while he back up with both of his hands on his forehead. I instantly
catch my breath, elbows him to the ground and run towards his partner.

‘I’m
gonna
kill you Phil!’ Agent
Mcneal
exhorted under embed wrath.

Straightaway
he runs backwards for the gun.

I
ran as fast as I could, jump on one side of the falling chair and shift to the
other side with a side kick to my opponent’s face. His hand tries to get a grip
of the table as well as the gun but it proves futile. He flies to the wall and
end up falling on the floor. I grab the smallest gun and run through the only
door. 

I
come to a halt. I could hear the door close behind me. The room was in white
and quite spacious. White martial art’s mats cover the floor. It was neither
hard nor soft. Atop at the front of the wall three big flags hang up.
Underneath it I could see three
katana
swords. With elegance it lays in
its case and rest on the wall mounted three tier’s sword stand.

In
between the wall mounting sword’s holders and the flags was a black and white
photo of a familiar face. Kneeling in the middle of the patriotic scenery was a
person with long dark hair. The dark shimmery and beautiful hair rest on the
martial artist blue
kimono.
I could not resist not notice where it ends,
lying down on his black Japanese
hakama
. I
wanted to see the face to confirm if it was a man or a woman.

‘Please
remove your shoes before stepping any further.’ A woman’s voice commanded with
offhand contempt.

Her
voice had satisfied my curiosity but it was not enough. I needed to see her
face. I stand still with the weapon facing the floor. The white flag with the
red rising sun had convinced me to respect her views. A bushido warrior must at
least have respect for his opponent. Stupid as it may sound, I remove my shoes
and socks as a sign of respect. Then I slowly march towards her.

‘Welcome
Phil, we’ve been waiting for you,’ she appealed with modesty.

‘Who
are we?’

‘I
and My employers,’ she charmingly replied.

Blunted
by the truth I felt lost. She was not a gate keeper though she was in there
headquarter. I scan for a way out as I converse, ‘your employers, who are
they?’

‘The
corporation,’

I
intended to keep her busy. I carry on, ‘which Corporation is it?’

Still
facing her front she says, ‘Sorry you’re on a need to know basis only. You have
no choice but to give us the information for the missing link. Otherwise we’re
going to have to hurt you badly and believe me we won’t stop till we get it.’

She
raises a samurai sword upward with both hands, towards the photo and the flags.
She bows to it and rest it in his right hand. I head for her while she stands
up using the force from her toes only. It produces a creaking sound.
Fascinating,
I conceived. Erect with the black sheath in her hand she turn to me.

She
slowly walks anti-clockwise while she keeps eye contact with me. A black
ninjutsu
boots lays at the front of her exact
position that she had been kneeling. She carefully takes cautious steps. I made
the same move but in the opposite direction. Her other hand went near the
handle of the sword. Only her edges and tips of her fingers reach the handle.
They lightly and nervously tap the sword’s handle.

‘Are
you going to use the gun on me? A young lady with a
katana
trying to be
tough can be overpowered easily. Using the gun on a lady is too extreme. You’ve
got the advantage of being born powerful. Unless you’re a boy who can’t even
defend his manhood by using a sword…. Why don’t you be a good boy, put the toy
away and help yourself by choosing a less harmless one from the wall?’ The
katana lady challenged.

The
katana lady was not Japanese. She was a white skinny woman with green eyes. I
stare at the clues behind her. Evidence of her past was express by the American
and Russian emblem on either side of the Japanese flag. Her lips was painted
with red lips stick. I have been told that beauty lies in the eyes of the
beholder. And I could not deny it, as she was a stunner in her own right and an
enemy at the same time.

The
challenge was there but it was up to me. I did not want to take her life. I lay
the weapon to rest at the back of my jeans and cover the part left out with my
t-shirt. We keep eye contact while I stretch one of my hands on an available
samurai sword. We carry on in the same slow circular momentum. Glaring at each
other, we patiently and cautiously close the gap between us.

I
conquer my fear and thought of my kendo training. The ancient Japanese martial
art of sword’s fighting. Except that the sword used for practise are made of
wood and split bamboos. With those secure weapons it became safer for the
teachers and students to master the art. I meditate on the training with my
sensei
.
Each moves I had made. Conception of my flaw came to life. Reconstruction of
how I turned myself invincible and fast made me feel more confident.
 
 

The
katana lady says, ‘I had a hard life. I was born and raised in a little town in
Russia until I was seven years of age. The corporation gave my dad a chance to
work abroad in Japan. Over there I learn the bushido’s way of life and improve
my education. I got a scholarship in the prestigious University in the state and
when I finish the corporation took me under their wings. I’ve rise through the
ranks and as you can see there’s no stopping. There is nothing that I won’t do
for the corporation. Some way or another you’re going to have to comply. Who
came to visit you from the future?’   

‘You’re
going to have to fight your way for the truth?’

She
stares at me with a moody face while holding the sword’s handle firmly with
both hands. She raises the sword up and says, ‘I had anticipated it.’

The
katana lady charges at me. I quickly remove the sheath and charge on him with
the blade of my sword pointing backwards. I flick the sword skywards and block
her blade. I quickly turn into a three sixty degree angle and flick it to her
belly. She reacts by putting her sword in a vertical position and blocking it.

Immediately
she runs to me with her sword still in the same position. The frictions spark
off in between the two blades. I try to quickly back off but she was too fast
and she produces a flying kick to my stomach. I flow off the ground and fall on
my back.

The
mat breaks my fall. But I and my sword depart our separate ways. She rolls the
handle the opposite way allowing the blade of her sword to face downward. With
no delay she moves stealthily ready to drive the blade through my mortal body.

A
few feet away from me I could see my sword. I roll to it and greedily grab it.
With an apace combination she drives the blade to a near miss. It struck and
went through the mat. I stand still and wait for her to make her next move.
With speedy belligerent tone she dislodges the blade from the ground. It was
not long before the lady katana flickers her sword furiously in various and
complicate directions. I try to cope with her hasten moves by blocking them.

My
attention was taken by the noise of the door. My opponent uses my weakness and
capitalise on it. Unfortunately one went unnoticed. By misjudging the rapid
flows of her sword fighting the tip of her blade slices through my t-shirt and
miss my flesh by an inch.

The
door storms open and the two gate keepers were in. The katana lady was closer,
meaner and shouts out as she drives the blade on my head. I raise my sword
horizontally towards my head.

Under
extreme force her sword promptly rest on mine. There was a pause as we glare
into each other’s eyes. I could feel her blade slowly pushing mine down. Her
coerce effort drives me to one knee. She applies more force and her blade
slides downward bringing her closer. I elbow her by her side and quickly stand
up by pushing her blade away from me. Then I react by kicking her in the same
place and slice across her waist.

I
miss,
I thought as she quickly
step
away from the blade.

Without
warning I got hit in the side expose to the gate keepers. A powerful and unknown
force had over powered me. The lady katana lost her balance to the effect of
the nearby forces and got thrown backwards. She land on one knee with her sword
driven and cutting through the mat. Once more I lost my sword. I end up with my
back on the mat viewing illusionary image.

Dizzy
with partial deafness I strive to understand my distort surroundings. I close
and open my eyes. I try to focus at the blurry image ahead. I try to make sense
out of it. Suddenly the blurry image dissipates and I see the katana lady in
the same position. Her long hair covers her face. One of her hands was stretch
to the sword.

‘You
morons could have killed me!’ she screamed to both agents. 

‘Collateral
damage that’s all.’ Agent
Mcneal
calmly insisted.

‘Yes,
just a freaky accident….’ Agent
Reynold
back-up his
partner before being interrupted.

She
rise up with the help of her sword and says, ‘Seize him you morons!’

Confuse
In fear I steadily crawl backwards. The gun in my back made it quite
uncomfortable. The consciousness and awareness of the weapon brought a sense of
fearlessness. I got to my knees and stand up while the two gate keepers rushes
for me. Dizzily, I waggle backwards and remove the gun from my back. I point
and aim it at the two agents.

Both
men come to a stop and agent
Reynold
shout, ‘he’s got
a gun!’

The
agents point their weapon at me as well. The katana lady remains in between us
and away from the line of fire. She slowly walks back and forth.

‘Phil,
Phil…. it looks as if you’ve already got the picture painted. Well I would like
to paint one especially for you. This is how it’s going to roll, sorry and so
sad to say that you’re not going to live to see the future. One way or another
you are going to have to give us what we want. To be fair you’re new to this
world and you won’t be able to survive in a world you’re not use with the
technology. You’ll be a sitting duck and frankly it’s a suicide act.’ She
convinced.

Agent
Mcneal
stares without blinking and says, ‘Why don’t
you be a good boy and put the gun down before you end up hurting yourself.’

‘It
would be wise to do as you’re told as we’re not in a mood to play.’ Agent
Reynold
ordered as he lightly taps his thumb above his
trigger.

It
made an audible click. I copy his move and my gun made a similar sound. They
both look at each other and glance at the lady with the katana. Nervousness
strike me and my thumb mistakenly tap the same place on my gun. Another audible
click caught their attentions and made them feel uneasy.

‘Let
me remind you that you’re at the sixty sixth floors. There’s no escape if you
don’t know where you’re going. Surrender is the only way out.’ The katana lady
pause and curt out, ‘curtain off!’

The
white curtain slide upwards and the light dim with the amount of lights flowing
from the outside. The traffic was furiously moving in different direction. Some
fast while some was moving at a moderate speed. Agent
Reynold
slowly lift his hands up. He wasn’t arm but I still remember how he got rid of
that same weapon in my hand. How that unexplained magnetic field from his glove
snatch the weapon from their employer.
I had to take my chance
, I
considered.

‘It’s
your last chance Phil! As you can see there’s no escape. Drop it!’ The lady
confirmed in an arrogant manner.

‘I’ll
take my chance,’ I convinced as I press the trigger.

Instantly
the weapon tries to deviate off the target as a powerful energy moves out. I
got a firm grip of the gun. Fluctuating air like pattern immediately comes out
of the muzzle, distorting and building up the surrounding air particles as it
head for the target. It hit in the middle of both men and the vacuum of air
like particles explode in colourless momentum. The agents were thrown apart.

Agent
Mcneal
hit the wall before his body comes to a rest.
His partner’s body flies to the glass and lay still on his back.  I hear
the cracks from the glass and an idea comes to mind. I quickly aim at the glass
and press the trigger. The glass burst and shattered into pieces by the same
effect. I turn away from the window while I shield my face with my hands from
the flying pieces of volatile shards.

My
third enemy was on the run while she shields her face. She was getting closer.
Hesitatingly I aim at her but the moving target becomes harder to shoot. She
quickly throws the
katana
at me. It hit the gun snatching it off my
hand. I quickly move sideways in order not to resist the strong momentum of the
sword. At a near miss, the sword carries on and come to a halt in the wall
behind me. I remind myself that she was stuck. She left her weapon unattended
and stuck in the wall. 

The
katana lady hit me with her open palm in my neck. I hold my neck and try to
breath. She follows her next move by exerting and executing a jump knee technic
in my face. Off guard I fall on my butt. She then delivers a side kick to the
side of my face. I was thrown off the ground, land on the mat and roll to the
edge of the ledge where the broken glass laid shattered and scattered.

Pieces
of shard cut through my hands, arms and feet. I glance at the scary dark bottom
fills with hovering traffics. I look at my nemesis as she shakes her head
backward allowing her hair to flow backward. She ran towards me. I try to stand
on my feet. I got hit by a flying kick to my belly and I lost my sense of
balance. I fall backward but my instincts for survival reach out for the edge
of the floor. One of my hands caught the edge of the ledge as I greedily
scrounge for support.