The Deviant Underground (Time Bandit) (11 page)

“Whoa!” Kathryn raised her arms in instinctive defense, and the ball stopped in mid-air a few feet from her. Before she could fully comprehend what was going on, another electric ball struck her on her shoulder. “Ouch!” She griped the place where she had been hit. It actually didn't hurt as much as Kathryn thought it would, just a slight sting. Upon contact, the ball dissipated. As Kathryn was trying to process the sensation of being hit by a ball of electricity that was thrown at her by her boyfriend in an abandoned, dilapidated warehouse in the middle of nowhere Illinois, another ball struck her on the other shoulder.

“Cut that shit out!” she screamed.

“Not until you do something about it.” Charge got ready to release another one.

“Fine,” Kathryn muttered. She took a defensive stance and prepared for the next blow. Charge let the ball fly, and Kathryn froze it after it had barely left his hand. Charge sped up the intensity and the frequency of his attack, all of which Kathryn froze easily, and soon there was a flurry of white-blue orbs suspended in the air. Kathryn then stepped to the side and unfroze all of them, and the far wall crackled and hummed as it was hit simultaneously by volts of electricity.

Jonathan clapped. “Very nice my dear,” he said as the electric buzz faded away. “But now let’s try something more difficult.” He raised his arm, and a piece of sheet metal came flying at Kathryn from her left side. She barely stopped it from blindsiding her, and her heart raced. Instead of getting mad, her adrenaline took over. She moved forward, unfroze the jagged slab and sent it crashing into the opposite wall, knocking over several pipes. By the time she turned to look back at the firing squad, out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of an object flying at rapid speed toward her head. This time, instead of freezing it, a different impulse took over.

She couldn't explained how it happened, only that it did happen. Instead of concentrating on the pit of her stomach, and waiting a few seconds while that pulling sensation began in her core and spread all over her body before the room grew shaky and she ended up somewhere else, this time, the feeling, the movement, and the action were all simultaneous and instantaneous. One moment, she was standing in the middle of the room with a piece of debris inches from her head, and the next moment she was in the same spot with the debris skidding off of the ground about six inches from her feet. A slight wave of nausea passed through her but quickly dissipated. Best of all, she didn’t end up on her ass.

Charge, Susan, and Jonathan looked like the Three Stooges with their mouths open. They all had the same mix of expressions—awe, confusion, admiration, and joy. Kathryn was slightly amused. “What?”

No one spoke. The dust kicked up by the debris floated and twirled in the air. Jonathan then made a slight sound, his Adam's apple moving up and down noiselessly. Kathryn put her hands on her hips. “What?!”

Jonathan shook his head. “Wow.” The sound was more breath than word, but she understood. He was impressed.

She grinned. Her eyes met Charge's. He was smiling back at her. He winked. A tingle of lust ran up and down her spine. She bit her lower lip to control her passion, but her mind instantly raced to the day's earlier activities—activities she wanted to repeat.

“Pretty sweet,” Susan's voice echoed off the walls, “but let's see how you handle a little hand-to-hand.” In an instant, Susan took off running toward Kathryn. At first, Kathryn wasn't sure what Susan was going to do, but when she saw Susan's fist inches from her face, it quickly became clear that practice had now gone beyond just throwing things at her.

Kathryn froze Susan in mid-punch, stepped to the side, and unfroze her out of the way of Susan's follow through. She was about to feel pleased with herself for dodging Susan's attack when she felt a sharp pain at her ankles. The next thing she knew, she hit the ground hard, her head bouncing not very softly off the concrete. She lay in the dust gasping for air; her collision with the floor had knocked the wind out of her. “What. The. Fuck?” She half coughed, half gasped through each word. Susan's head blocked Kathryn's view of the ceiling. Her blue eyes looked concerned, but she was grinning. “I thought you said you were going to bring it.” Susan held out her hand to help Kathryn get up.

Kathryn just glared at her. “Well, I didn't expect for you to roundhouse kick me.”

Susan's hand remain extended, unwavering. The concern had left her eyes. “That's the point. You always have to be ready for the unexpected.” She wiggled her fingers as an invitation. Kathryn begrudgingly accepted it. Susan helped her to her feet. “Seriously, though. Are you okay?”

Kathryn slowly brushed the dust off her. The sharp pain in her head had subsided. “Yeah,” she grumbled. “I'm okay. Hey. Where'd you learn how to do that anyway?”

Susan grinned again. “Oh, I'm full of surprises.” She brushed her hands on her shorts and slowly clenched and unclenched her hands. “Now, are you ready to go again?”

“I guess so.”

“Just remember,” Susan warned, “don't ever let your guard down. I'm not pulling any punches.”

Her hand instinctively went up to the place where her head had hit the concrete. “Yes, I'm painfully aware of that.”

“Good,” Susan said. The next thing Kathryn saw was a size eight Nike coming straight toward her face. Kathryn froze her, sidestepped, unfroze her, and prepared for the next assault, which came in the form of fist. Susan's attacks were quick, fluid, and plentiful. Kathryn really had to concentrate just to stay out of the way of her skillful barrage. Kathryn’s heart thudded, and her heavy breathing resonated in her head. Fatigue was setting in, but still, Susan kept on. Kick after attempted kick, punch after attempted punch, Susan seemed unphased by the cycle of freezing and unfreezing Kathryn was putting her through. Finally, out of desperation to put an end to the attack, Kathryn froze Susan in mid strike and gave her a forceful, angry push. Susan fell over like a domino. She lay awkwardly on her back, her legs and arms stiffly extended into the air. Kathryn finally collapsed herself, sitting down on the concrete struggling to catch her breath.

The sound of clapping slowly filled the room. Kathryn looked up to see Jonathan smiling at her as he gave her a round of applause. “Excellent job, my dear. You withstood far more than I expected.”

Charge strode over to her and helped her to her feet. “Yeah. I would have shoved her ass long before you did.”

Jonathan looked down with wonder at the awkwardly positioned Susan. His gaze danced over every inch of her—the way the loop of her shoe laces remained as perfect circles in the air, the few stray hairs on her head that jutted out in impossible directions—he mentally devoured all of it. “Well,” he finally spoke. “I guess you should relieve poor Susan of this uncomfortable situation.”

“Oh, yeah.” Kathryn grinned as she wiped the sweat off of her forehead. Suddenly, Susan went limp, and her limbs came crashing down to the floor.

“Hey! What happened?”

Jonathan reached down to help her to her feet. “A freeze and a shove,” he explained.

Susan glared at Kathryn good-naturedly. “What did you do?”

Kathryn shrugged. “Sorry, but you wouldn't quit. Besides, expect the unexpected, right?”

Susan scoffed and shook her head in disbelief but said nothing. Jonathan and Charge chuckled. “She’s right, my dear,” Jonathan said. He paused, looked around the cavernous room and took a deep breath. “Well, I think that's enough practice for one day, don't you think?”

“Yeah.” Kathryn groaned. She realized that her head was still throbbing. “I'm most definitely done.”

“I'm starving,” Charge said as he threw his arm around Kathryn and pulled her into him. The affectionate gesture made her knees weak. “Let's get something to eat.”

Jonathan smiled. “That sounds like an excellent idea.”

Chapter Eleven

About 45 minutes later, the four of them were crammed into a booth at Archway. The restaurant was almost empty with the exception of a few patrons at the bar and two diners enjoying toasted ravioli in a booth across the room. Drinks were the first thing on everyone's mind, and they immediately ordered four beers. The waitress brought them their bottles, and Jonathan raised his. “A toast.” Kathryn, Susan, and Charge lifted theirs as well.

“To what?” Kathryn asked.

“To . . . “ Jonathan paused, “new friends and new adventures.”

“Amen to that,” Charge said enthusiastically as the four bottle necks clinked together. Kathryn took a large gulp, enjoying the cold carbonation as it slid down her throat. A comfortable silence spread across the table. Kathryn marveled at how at ease she felt, not just with them, but for the first time, with herself. Her leg pressed warmly against Charge's, and she reveled in the casual closeness. Jonathan was the first one to break the silence as he picked up the menu.

“So.” His eyes scanned the laminated pages. “What's good here?”

“Cheese fries,” Charge and Kathryn said in unison. Charge nudged her playfully. “Jinx.”

“Also,” she turned to Jonathan, who sat directly across the table from her, “since you are in St. Louis, you should try the local delicacy, toasted ravioli.”

“Yuck.” Susan wrinkled her nose as she set down her menu.

“I didn't say it was good,” Kathryn joked. “I just said it was a local delicacy.”

“Hmm. While I am one who usually seeks out the local cuisine, I think I may take a pass on this one.”

“Wise choice,” Susan said. The waitress came back, took their orders and their menus, and left. No one spoke as everyone continued to savor their beers. Kathryn’s mind was still reeling with the activities of the day. They were so unbelievable. It was almost as though they happened to a different person; there was no way that she just spent hours in an abandoned warehouse practicing her . . . gift . . . with others who were just like her. Jonathan looked at her with a bemused expression on his face.

“How do you feel?” he asked.

Kathryn shrugged. “I'm kind of speechless right now. I really don't know how to feel.”

Jonathan smiled. “Perfectly understandable. Give it time to sink in.” He then leaned in across the table, his light brown eyes gazing intensely at her. “However, I want you to remember this.” He paused and lowered his voice to a hushed whisper. “You are truly remarkable.” Kathryn smiled shyly and lowered her gaze. She didn't know how to respond, so she just fidgeted with the damp label on her bottle. Charge slipped his hand under the table and squeezed her leg firmly, reassuringly.

“So,” she cleared her throat awkwardly, “how long are you staying?”

Jonathan leaned back and shifted instantly into light conversation. “Just until Sunday. I have to return back to work on Monday.”

“What do you do?” Kathryn was relieved to take the focus off of her.

“I'm an analyst for the federal government,” Jonathan answered as the waitress came by and brought their food. Kathryn eagerly bit into her cheeseburger.

“Sounds interesting,” she said mid-bite.

“It's not really.” Jonathan picked up his club sandwich. “It's paper pushing, mostly, although the benefits are good. And you’re a professor?”

“Yep.” Kathryn picked up a gooey cheese fry from the basket she and Charge were sharing.

“Of . . . English?” Jonathan asked. “Did I remember that correctly?”

“Yep. With a specialization in Restoration and eighteenth-century drama, if you want to get all technical.”

“Wow.” Jonathan chuckled. “Now I have another reason to be impressed.”

Kathryn skirted over the compliment. “Nah. It just means that I have a PhD in Nerdy with an extra helping of Geeky and a side order of Boring.”

Jonathan laughed out loud this time. “What did I tell you?” Charge said proudly. “Smart, beautiful, and talented.”

Kathryn scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” She continued to devour her food.

Jonathan ignored Kathryn's response and just nodded in agreement with Charge. “I see.” He signaled the waitress and ordered another round of beers. The fresh bottles were put down in front of them, and the old ones were taken away.

“You know, “ Jonathan continued, “there is only so much we will be able to accomplish here in a few days. Isn't the semester about to be over?”

“Yeah. We only have about two more weeks left,” Kathryn replied.

“Well, when you get a break from your duties here, why don't you come out to LA for a while? Think of it as a vacation.”

“Oh, um . . . well . . .”

“That's a great idea!” Susan interjected. “We could spend a few weeks together hanging out. The beaches are beautiful.” Susan teased, “You could work on your tan.”

Kathryn snorted. “Yeah, right, like I need a tan.”

“Seriously, baby,” Charge joined in. “This is a great idea. Have you ever been to LA?”

“No, I haven't, but . . .”

“Great! Then this is the perfect opportunity.” Charge gripped her hand. “You’ll love it.”

“And, of course, you will stay at my place.” Jonathan must have read the expression on Kathryn's face because he quickly clarified. “You
all
will stay at my place. I have plenty of room to accommodate everyone.”

“Jonathan's place is so beautiful,” Susan said, her blue eyes sparkling with excitement. “It's up in the mountains, off the main road. The scenery up there is just gorgeous. It's the perfect place to relax and chill out for a while.”