Friday, April 1, 2011

Chapter 41 Showdown




Without even a backwards glance at the rest of us, Jimmy leaps at the other man called Killer. Their bodies connect with a sickening thud.



The telepath hops back into the corner of the room with her eyes on the vicious fight in front of her. Her fingers slide up to her mouth as her eyes go wide and from my position not too far away I can almost hear her knees knocking together. This fight makes Alex's fight in the city look amateur.


Jimmy moves too fast for my eyes to really track. He's not much more than a blur. Killer tries to grab hold of him a few times, but Jimmy won't stay still long enough to be held. Each time Killer gets him, Jimmy slips out of his grip and delivers another blow. This is Jimmy cutting loose, really loose. This is probably him using his power, whatever it is, fighting with everything he's got. Jimmy manages to pull out a knife from somewhere on his person that's so smooth it looks as if it just appears in his hands. But his knife never cuts Killer's skin though Jimmy gives him no room to maneuver and keeps driving him around the room.


Beside me there's a soft grunt. I turn and Kyrene is struggling to keep the door closed. She holds it shut using her power, the exertion making beads of sweat appear on her brow.

"Kyrene?" My voice echos in the room, shaking with each reverberation back to me.

"The people-- the telepath is calling them. Alex, help."

But Alex has his hands full. I hear him speaking in a low voice to her with words I hardly understand. "Odessa," he says to her as he pats her and tries to pry her from his neck, but she won't let go. She cries when he tries to pull her off. Each loud whump from the fight and each grunt make her tighten her hold on Alex's neck until she's hanging off his neck and trying to climb up him into his arms.


There is a silence from the corner of the room where the telepath stands just past the fight. The woman with the clear eyes is watching Jimmy and the man closely with wide eyes though she stands at full height. She can't even be my age. She's so tiny, and with her short hair cut it makes her look no older than 13 or 14, but she's dangerous. Her age doesn't prevent her from calling all the people in the underground city on us. Her age doesn't matter.

Jimmy manages to swipe his knife along Killer's chest in a wide arc. The telepath winces. But no blood drips from Killer's chest, and I wonder if Jimmy actually missed. The fight isn't going well. These two could easily be at it forever.

I bite my lip hard. The bag we traveled with is still in my hands, not incredibly heavy, but enough. There is no thought to it when I toss the bag at her to distract her. She looks up at me, surprised, just as I'd hoped, and turned away from the fight and the door. I hope it's enough of a distraction, but something tells me that it isn't.


I've never attacked anyone before, and I'm sure that I won't be able to hit her hard enough to actually knock her out. Her mouth opens in a gasp as she raises a hand to defend herself. I throw my fists out hitting her in the arms and shoulders, each thump of my fist against her flesh making me sick. I'm not hurting her, I know I'm not, but she's at least too distracted to cause trouble. Unless she causes some trouble for me.

My arms get tired, but I still keep hitting her across the arms, driving her back towards the wall. I have no idea how much time passes, but I stop. We all stop as a quiet seems to fall across the entire room.


Near the center of the room, Jimmy has him. Some lucky shot must have sent Killer to the ground, and now he's completely at Jimmy's mercy. With the large knife that the man had been using, Jimmy slices him from hip to hip, sinking the large knife in deep enough that the blade disappears into the soft flesh of his belly.

I gasp, my hand rising to my mouth. Past them, Kyrene does the same, lifting her hand to her mouth though she doesn't make a sound, and Alex grabs his daughter. The girl next to me gasps and hides behind one of the columns, seeming less of a danger now.

Killer doesn't move. Jimmy stands over him. He spits on him. "That's for Mary."



Next Chapter -->

17 comments:

  1. Wow, I don't know who I feel worst for in this chapter. Probably Jimmy right now, if only because of his last line :(

    Now I just hope they have relatively little trouble getting back :S

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  2. Oddly enough, I had forgotten that Killer had taken Mary. I had thought it was Aaron for some reason. Anyway, I love how all these different stories are interconnecting at different points. :3

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  3. Wow!

    Just...wow!

    There was no posturing, no talking, nothing--just fighting to the death. Jimmy has been furious for such a long time--I think that's what comes to the surface immediately when he delivers that line. It's easy to forget that when we see him elsewhere, because he seems so cool and composed--unruffled.

    I wonder if the telepath was somehow helping Killer? It wasn't until she was distracted that Jimmy was able to get the upper hand. I still want to know who she is!

    I'm happy that Paula managed to do something to help out, even though it bothered her.

    Awesome climax to this story! I can't wait to see what follows!

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  4. Wow indeed!

    I'm really, really glad Jimmy was finally able to exact his revenge on Killer. It's been such a long time coming and I can imagine how much rage had built up inside Jimmy since then.

    And go Paula! I definitely wasn't expecting her to get physically involved in a fight (and I don't think she was expecting it of herself either) but it looks like her contribution was what finally let Jimmy get the upper hand.

    Really, really loved this!

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  5. Ahh, I figured that Mary's death may have had something to do with Jimmy's appearance, all that hate he's had festering over the years, and he finally gets to enact his revenge (or justice, which ever you prefer ;)

    And way to go Paula, showing her who's boss, although part of me was hoping we might get a taste of what her powers are...

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  6. This moment between Jimmy and Killer has been a long time coming - not surprised there were no false pleasantries before the first punch was swung.

    Was the telepath consciously calling the others to come and help or was she broadcasting her fear subconsciously and they were reacting?

    She obviously had a part in Jimmy's defence - a connection on a high level where she even felt his pain, perhaps, or was she just wincing at his mental pain? I can't imagine his psyche would be overly comfortable with not being able to best Jimmy.

    She must be very powerful if she can do that and call for help whilst being scared out of her mind. Although there seem to have been little slips in her concentration, gaps that allowed Jimmy to land a punch.

    My annoyance with Alex is over and I actually feel for him here. He not only has to deal with his terrified daughter, but because of her he is unable to help his friends and for a man like Alex that would not sit well.

    Even Paula was able to help in her own way, an effort that seems to have tipped the balance in their favour.

    Of course, now they have to get past the angry people outside!

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  7. Van, aw. True. With Jimmy it's always lost potential of the man he could have been.

    Thank you. We'll get to that next week.


    Migy, ha, well that was a while ago. :o Thank you! I'm glad you mention it. Always been my intent. As more stories are told, more things will hopefully connect. :D


    Rachel, heh thank you.

    No, I couldn't see Jimmy bothering with posturing. Killer actually might have just to buy time, so Jimmy was not going to give that time to him. I think he knows him very well.

    Oh yes, what a good point. So true! Jimmy is always very controlled. And I think there are reasons for that other than just what's happened in his past. I think control is all part of his power, so it's embedded in his mental make up. I think someone mentioned back on Mary's story that Jimmy might even fear himself, and I still think that's true.

    A very good question. :) Also, a very good observation. :))

    Aww, thank you again.


    Carla, oh yes, it has been a long long time coming!

    Haha, no I don't think she was expecting to get physically involved either, but it does seem like her actions helped Jimmy get the upper hand.

    Thank you!


    poida, Vengeful justice? :D

    If she has powers. Though some powers are very subtle, so maybe we've possibly seen her powers already in some form?


    Judi, Ooo insightful as ever. You pose a good question that Paula probably won't be able to answer, but there might be some clues next chapter?

    Ah, you caught that. Yes, there was definitely something there between the telepath and Killer and regarding his defense.

    Another interesting observation too. :)

    Haha, I'm glad your annoyance at Alex is over, though it wasn't unwarranted. I think there's a lot about this mission that won't sit well with him...

    Thank you, Judi!

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  8. Paula is a fighter, I knew it! And she's such a cute fighter too, lol! :)

    Poor Jimmy though! Awww, I just want to hug him (and not in a dirty way, lol!) I imagine that kind of revenge/justice probably couldn't make him feel very much better - maybe for a minute, but it doesn't change that Mary is gone or what happened to her :(

    But at least now Killer won't be able to hurt anyone anymore.

    Also, Odessa! I love that name! :)

    I'm also still worried about how they'll get out of there!

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  10. Very action-packed and exciting chapter. I was looking forward to this one and I'm not disappointed. I too had forgotten the bit about Mary, Killer's death and Jimmy's reaction to it are very apropriate.

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  11. Laura, I know, poor kid, her fighting was probably so lame, but it was just enough, lol.

    Not in a dirty way? Aw, that's sweet! But no, it doesn't change anything. Ah I so want to play these two again in the save game file. :( I'm still sad about their daughter disappearing.

    Hehe, yes Odessa is her name. I forgot what I'd named her until I was in the game.


    Ocelotekatl, thank you! I'm glad this update didn't disappoint. Action scenes are not my strong point! I've been waiting for Jimmy to get his revenge for over a year. Ah, finally!

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  12. The bloodthirstiness in me cheered when Jimmy slashed killer. I was hoping he'd get the upper hand and I love that he was able to exact his revenge after all this time. Mary didn't deserve what happened to her and I am glad Jimmy made Killer pay.

    I was wondering if Paula was going to do something. I was yelling at her to slug the telepath. Hehehe. Yeah, my bloodthirsty flaw is on overdrive today.

    I feel sorry for Alex's kid though having to witness such terrifying events at her age. And that Kyrene seemed surprised at what Jimmy did to Killer, it wasn't planned then. Maybe they were supposed to subdue and contain Killer.

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  13. Carnaxa, lol! You were a little blood thirsty! But it was necessary.

    Maybe it's not that it was unplanned, though you did catch Kyrene's reaction. I'm sure she knew that Killer was not going to make it out alive this time, but still was shocked to see Jimmy let loose in this way.

    There probably is no containing Killer.

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  14. Oh my. Wow.

    For Jimmy to be able to just take Killer out like that... interesting.

    And a new side of Paula emerges...

    Wonderful chapter.

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  15. Everything that could be said probably has been but still - Killer Chapter!! No pun intended ;).

    So now I'm wondering where do the go from here and how? Will the guy who met Paula and Alex have some role to play in their escape? How will Paula react to Alex's apparent intentions of trading her off? What's going to happen Lunar? Hunh? Please tell me - pweeease? LOL

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  16. I'm at a loss for words, seriously, it may be because I have a fever, but this fight made my blood pump.

    So, Jimmy's plan then, not Alex's? Or a colaboration, who went to whom? Did Alex ask Jimmy for help? Was Paula's involvement Jimmy's idea or Alex? This just raises more questions!

    I was actually not surprised when Paula went for the telepath, I can so imagine the awkward fighting, both of them used to being scared and keeping out of it. Paula's really come a long way, she's growing into an impressive young woman.

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  17. Rad, this has been such a long time coming for both of them I think.

    Thank you.


    Velvet, lol! Hopefully I will get to all of these questions by the end, though the next part seems to have brought up even more questions. Oops!


    Willow Weeds, aww are you sick? I hope you feel better soon!

    Oh, good questions. First off, yes, you're right. This was mostly Jimmy's plan. It's possible that Alex approached him first, but Jimmy definitely took over.

    Paula is growing. She'll learn to adapt if she wants to survive, and I think she does want to survive. It's stronger than she knows.

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