Ordinary Hero

by Ellis Michaels

  “Like, what kind of fighting skills are you talking about?” Krystal asked.

  I thought about it for a moment. The first thing I considered were guns. I had two handguns in my backpack at Melissa's condo: one from my encounter with Paul when I first met Amber and the other from when the four goons broke into my apartment. There's no question that guns were effective and easy to use. But there were two problems. First of all, we didn't have much ammo and it wouldn't have been easy to buy more on such short notice – certainly not in liberal Massachusetts with all the strict gun laws. But, more importantly, I simply didn't like guns. If I never saw another gun in my entire life, it would be too soon.

  After I dismissed the idea of having the girls learn to use guns, I thought about what other weapons they could learn to use. I'd always liked the weapons in fantasy role-playing games and considered several of them: swords, bows, spears – stuff like that. A smile grew across my face as I pictured me and my four beautiful women kicking some serious ass with a bunch of medieval weapons.

  “Each of you is going to learn how to use a weapon,” I said, confidently. “Once we get back to Melissa's condo and regroup with the others, we'll all go somewhere together where we can learn how to use different things. That way, you'll all be able to help me defeat Carter and his guys.”

  “Uh, okay,” Amber replied and shrugged her shoulders.

  “Yeah, absolutely,” Krystal said. “Anything I can do to help. I am, after all, your sidekick!”

  I was starting to notice that, whenever I talked about anything related to being in a game or simulation, anyone other than Krystal just kind of went along with it. When I mentioned having skills and stats, Amber didn't say anything. And when I mentioned that Krystal was my sidekick, Amber didn't question what I meant by that. The same had been true with Melissa. When I tried to explain to her about the scroll, the professor, and his research, she didn't have nearly as many questions as I would've expected her to have. The only one who seemed interested and asked a few questions that wasn't in my philosophy class was Kasie. But even she didn't ask nearly as many questions as I would've expected.

  “Seriously,” Krystal continued. “Anything I can do to help. I've always wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself, to be part of something important. To do something that matters. Anything I can do to help you defeat Carter, I'll do it.”

  “Excellent,” I replied. “I'm going to need all the help I can get.”

  We got back to Melissa's condo a little while later. Her and Kasie were already back from the hospital. When we walked in, they were sitting on the couch watching TV, talking, and laughing.

  “How'd it go?” Melissa asked.

  “Good,” I replied. “We got a good look at the bank, inside and out. You get your hands on some nox... nalone... nonola...”

  “Naloxone,” Melissa corrected with a smile. “And, yes. We got plenty of it.”

  “Perfect. You two look like you're getting along good. And you look very comfortable.”

  “We are,” both Kasie and Melissa said at the same time.

  “That's too bad,” I replied. “Because you're going to spend the next several hours on your feet learning how to kick some serious butt.”

  “What are you talking about?” Kasie asked.

  “I'll explain on the way,” I replied. “Put something on that you can move around in.”

  “Sneakers and sweats work?” Melissa asked.

  “Yup. That'll be fine.”

  “Good, cause I've got several pairs of each. Come on,” Melissa said to the girls, “let's see if I can find something for each of you.”

  The girls went into Melissa's bedroom and came out a few minutes later. Each of them were wearing sweatpants, tank tops, and a pair of sneakers. Of course, they all looked incredibly cute. I didn't know how three women of different heights could all fit into whatever size sneakers Melissa wore but they all seemed to and I didn't question it.

  “Well?” Amber asked. “How do we look?”

  “Like you're ready to learn how to whoop some ass,” I replied. “Let's go.”

  While the girls were getting dressed, I Googled some nearby places where the girls could learn how to use different weapons. Conveniently, there was a martial arts school just two blocks away that gave lessons in all kinds of weaponry. We got there a few minutes later and my face lit up the second I walked in the door.

  The walls were lined with all kinds of cool weapons. Swords, knives, guns, and anything else you could imagine was there. I approached the man sitting behind a small glass counter. Inside it were a variety of throwing stars, knives, brass knuckles, and other small weapons.

  “Welcome to Boston Combat Skills Training – BCST, for short. Can I help you?” he asked.

  “I have what you'll probably find to be an odd request,” I replied.

  “Shoot.”

  “These four lovely ladies here would each like to learn how to use a different weapon. But here's where things get tricky: They need to learn how to use those weapons as proficiently as possible by the end of the day.”

  “Well,” the man said, “I can't promise that they'll leave here as experts. But I can teach them the basics of how to use a few different weapons. Normally, I wouldn't be able to help you on such short notice. But today's your lucky day because I just happen to have a clear schedule for the next few hours and so does the other trainer here right now. Do you know what weapons you want them to learn to use?”

  “I do,” I replied, looking at all the weapons on the wall. “I'd like one of them to learn how to use a crossbow. Another, throwing stars and knives. It might not be the most practical weapon, but I love the idea of one of them with a sword. And then, for the last one, how about...”

  Before I could finish my sentence, Melissa interrupted me.

  “I'm sorry, James,” she said. “I want to help you however I can but I'm not going to learn how to hurt people. I'm a doctor, a healer. I took an oath to never do any harm.”

  “Okay. I understand,” I replied, then returned my attention to the man behind the counter. “Just the three weapons then: A crossbow, throwing weapons, and a long sword, like that katana there.”

  “Alright,” the man said. “Let's get started!”

  21.

  Melissa and I left the three other girls at BCST for a few hours to learn their new skills. We ran some errands and returned to see how they were progressing. Melissa stayed in the Tahoe while I went inside. The first one I saw in action was Kasie and I was blown away by how much progress she'd made in just a few short hours.

  “Ya!” Kasie yelled as she threw a ninja star.

  It flew across the room and stuck right in the center of the target she was aiming for. Then she threw a second and a third, each one hitting the target. I was blown away by how good she'd gotten in such a short amount of time. Kasie was so focused that she didn't seem to notice me enter the room behind her.

  “Good,” the instructor said to her.

  “Good?” I replied. “That was amazing!”

  Kasie spun around and her face lit up when she saw me.

  “You saw that?” she asked. “I'm really making a lot of progress!”

  “I'll say!” I replied. “That was incredible. I'd say you're ready for our mission tomorrow.”

  The instructor looked from me to Kasie curiously but didn't say anything. Neither did Kasie. She just smiled and I smiled back.

  “I'm gonna go check on the others,” I said. “If they've made as much progress as you have, I'd say we're good to go.”

  I went into the next room where Krystal was practicing with a katana. Of the three girls, I was most looking forward to seeing her progress. She was the only one from my philosophy class and I wanted to ask her if her new skill had appeared with her others.

  Like Kasie a minute earlier, Krystal didn't see me enter the room at first. Her back was toward me and she was sparring with the inst
ructor who'd been behind the counter when we first got there. I stood in the doorway and watched them for a minute. Krystal swung the katana like she'd been practicing with it her whole life. I was just as impressed with her progress as I was with Kasie's. The instructor backed off and put down the sword he was using.

  “Excellent,” he said to Krystal. “Just keep practicing. I'll be back in a minute. I need to go check on your friend with the crossbow.”

  “James, you're back!” Krystal said as she turned around, noticing me in the doorway. “Did you see any of that?”

  “Yes, I did,” I replied, walking over to her. “Very impressive. Did you see if you gained a new skill?”

  “I gained a couple, actually,” she replied. “I learned swordsmanship and I've already gotten it from a one out of ten up to a six. I've also gained a point in assertiveness.”

  “Awesome,” I said. “Looks like you and Kasie are good to go. That just leaves Amber. Keep practicing. I'm going to go check on her and, if she's made as much progress as you and Kasie, I'd say we can call it a day.”

  Krystal smiled and went back to practicing with her katana. I walked into the next room where the instructor had gone to check on Amber. Three for three, she was facing away from me like the others and didn't notice that I'd walked in. I watched her fire bolt after bolt into the target on the other side of the room. The instructor stood there watching her with a look on his face that was probably similar to the one on mine. Amber was so in the zone that she didn't seem to notice that either of us were there.

  “That was amazing,” the instructor said after Amber fired her last bolt. “In all my years of being an instructor, I don't know that I've ever met anyone with so much natural talent.”

  “I second that,” I said. “Not the years of being an instructor part but the part about Amber being amazing.”

  “Thank you!” Amber replied. “Both of you. Did you see all of that, James? I'm really starting to get pretty good!”

  “I don't think you're starting to get anything – I'd say you're there. All of you have progressed further than I ever expected,” I said, then turned toward the instructor. “And you: Thank you! You've certainly delivered what I asked for. I think we're all set. We just need one more thing from you.”

  “And what's that?” the instructor asked.

  “We need to buy some weapons.”

  The instructor smiled and we all went out to the front counter. Since I was in some sort of fake reality – or at least I hoped I was – I didn't see any harm in maxing out my credit card. I told the girls to pick out whatever they wanted and they did after looking through the selection of weapons. Amber picked out a black crossbow with a matching sixteen-bolt case. Kasie picked out several throwing stars and knives in a variety of sizes. And Krystal picked out a katana with a beautifully-decorated handle. They put everything on the counter and the lead instructor rang everything up.

  As it turned out, the weapons were a lot more expensive than I'd expected. Like, a lot more. Maxing out my credit card only took care of a little more than half the bill. Fortunately, Melissa agreed to cover the rest. Her code of ethics wouldn't allow Melissa to do any harm herself, but it didn't prevent her from paying for others to do a lot of potential harm.

  I thanked the instructor – we all did – and left BCST. All the hardware fit fine in the back of Melissa's Tahoe with room to spare. It was getting dark and we went back to her condo for the night after making a quick stop at the grocery store. I wanted to cook a special dinner for the girls after everything they'd done for me. It probably would've been a little more special if I didn't have to borrow Melissa's credit card again to pay for the groceries, but she was happy to offer it.

  We got back to her condo and everyone settled in and got comfortable. The girls took showers, got changed, and hung out in the living room while I got to work in the kitchen. After getting cleaned up, Kasie came into the kitchen and joined me.

  “You want any help?” she asked.

  “I wanted to do something nice for the four of you while you relax,” I answered. “But, if you're offering, I'm not going to say no.”

  “I don't mind,” Kasie said.

  We didn't say much to each other while we were in the kitchen. It was just nice to spend time with her, even if it wasn't the real Kasie. The more I paid attention to her – the way she moved, talked, etc. – the more impressed I became with how similar she was to the Kasie I knew and loved. If she was just a projection of my thoughts and memories, she certainly was an accurate one.

  Kasie and I put all the food out on the dinning room table when it was done. We made chicken and broccoli Alfredo, something everyone said they liked and that I knew how to make really well. Between that, the big garden salad, and the loaf of Italian bread I'd put out, the table was pretty full.

  I called everyone over to join us and we all sat down. Melissa surprised us with a bottle of champagne that she pulled out of a kitchen cabinet. She took out five glasses and, after popping the cork, poured a little bit into each one. Melissa handed them out one-by-one, going around the dinning room table, then sat down with the rest of us. She raised her glass and we all did, too.

  “I know that I just met everyone,” Melissa said, looking around the table, “but it's been an absolute pleasure getting to know each of you. James, you're the most amazing, heroic man I've ever met. You saved my life and I'll forever be in debt to you. And the three of you are all wonderful women. This comes as no surprise, as it only makes sense that a man of James' caliber would attract only the most exceptional of women. I feel honored to have had the opportunity to get to know all of you.

  “None of us know what tomorrow will bring. The only thing we know for sure is that we're doing the right thing. I still don't fully understand the situation, especially the part about thinking you're in some sort of simulation or whatever, but I don't need to understand it all. All I know is that you, James, are trying to – are going to – stop an evil man from hurting a lot of people. Even though I've taken an oath to do no harm and can't help you fight, you've got my support one-hundred percent. I'll be right there with you guys to support you in any other way that I can.

  “So, I offer this long-winded toast to say that, no matter what happens tomorrow, I'm proud of all of you and consider it an honor to have gotten to know each of you. We're going to give it our all and we're going to put a stop to that evil classmate of yours once and for all!”

  “Yes!”

  “Here here!”

  “Yeah!”

  “All right!”

  All five of us raised our champagne glasses and took a sip. We chowed down and talked throughout the entire dinner, having a good time and enjoying each other's company. All of the girls seemed to be getting along well – even Kasie. While she hadn't been rude or disrespectful to the others, there was something a little unfriendly about the way she had been interacting with them. During dinner, though, she was the friendly Kasie that I was accustomed to. It made me very happy to see all the women in my life getting along with each other.

  Even though we were all laughing and having a good time, there was an unspoken anxiety in the air. I think all of us were nervous about what was going to happen the next day. There was a lot of uncertainty and I knew that I was feeling a bit anxious, though I did my best not to show it. I needed to project a confident attitude for my beautiful women.

  We finished eating and Melissa, Amber, and Krystal insisted that they clean up since Kasie and I cooked. Neither of us protested and had a seat on the couch in the living room while they washed the dishes and put everything away. She sat right next to me so our legs were touching. Kasie was wearing a large tee shirt of Melissa's with some tight black leggings. She pulled her knees up, resting her bare feet on the edge of the seat.

  “No matter what happens tomorrow,” Kasie said, soft enough that the others couldn't hear her, “I want you to know how much you mean to me. We've been through a l
ot together over the years and you've always been there for me when I needed you the most. You mean the world to me, James. I want you to know that. Actually, it's only been these last few days that I've really started to understand and accept exactly how much you mean to me. I've seen you in a new light over the past few days, a side of you I never knew existed. You're not just the sweetest man I've ever known, you're also a tough, masculine ass kicker! You're the perfect catch, James. You really are. I've never met a man who has as many good qualities as you.”

  As amazing as it was to hear Kasie tell me what I'd always wanted to hear her say, I knew it wasn't real. It certainly seemed real at the time, but I knew that she was nothing more than a simulation created from my thoughts and memories. If it had been the real Kasie saying all that to me, I probably would've jumped up from my seat and yelled at the top of my lungs. But all I did was smile and give her a hug.

  “Thank you, Kasie,” I whispered in her ear as we hugged.

  “Thank you...” she parroted, pulling back slowly. “I pour my heart out and all you have to say is 'thank you?'”

  “There are a lot of things I'd like to say to you, too,” I replied. “But, right now, all I can think about is defeating Carter. Once that's all taken care of and things go back to normal, we'll talk. There are some things I've wanted to say to you for a long time.”

  “Okay,” Kasie said and smiled, her mood turning back around instantly. “I'm sorry – I didn't mean to come at you like that. I understand.”

  She put her head on my shoulder and gave me a long hug. When the other girls finished cleaning up, they joined us in the living room. We all got comfortable and watched TV for a while. None of us said much. I think part of it was the massive meal we'd just eaten but mostly because we were all anxious about what was going to happen the next day. A couple hours went by and we all started getting tired.

  “I'm going to turn in soon,” Melissa said. “James, you're welcome to join me in my bed. I have an air mattress that should sleep two of you comfortably. And then one of you can sleep on the couch.”