JASON STEED Absolutely Nothing

by Mark A. Cooper

  Kissinger made his first mistake; he attempted to grab Jason by his collar. Jason blocked his move and twisted Kissinger’s arm behind his back and bent back his fingers. Kissinger screamed out in pain and fell to his knees. Out of the corner of his eye, Jason noticed Spencer coming towards him.

  Jason span on his left foot as his right foot catapulted towards the man catching him square on his nose. The blow broke the man's nose and sent him back against the wall. Denise screamed and ran back behind the bed.

  Jason ran down the stairs, jumping two at a time. He dodged Betty as she headed up the stairs, then he ran into the room he recognized from earlier as Betty's office. He picked up the phone and called SYUI. While it was ringing Kissinger entered, holding his injured fingers.

  “Who are you calling?” he demanded, striding towards Jason.

  “Nosey,” Jason said tapping his nose. He ducked as Kissinger swung a fist at him and came back with a kick to Kissinger’s throat. It knocked Kissinger down, temporarily stunning him. Kissinger held his throat and coughed trying to breath. Jason heard a voice coming from the phone.

  “I need to speak to George Young or Barbara Inkpen, this is Jason Steed.” He panted.

  “The Jason Steed? We’ve been looking for you,” the operator replied.

  “Yes.” Jason noticed Kissinger was getting to his feet again and heard footsteps coming down the stairs. “I’m at 243 Mews Gardens. I need assistance ASAP, and you may want to send an ambulance.”

  “I got that. It may take longer for SYUI. Do you want the regular police as well?”

  “Yes, anyone. Get them here fast,” Jason said. He stood back as Betty and Spencer entered the office.

  “Okay, help is on its way, Jason. Are you in danger?” the SYUI operator asked.

  “No, they are,” Jason replied before dropping the phone.

  Kissinger picked up a chair. Jason stood on the balls of his feet in a fighting stance. His eyes darkened as his pupils dilated. He forced adrenaline into his system. His body started trembling. He blocked out all distractions and focused completely on Kissinger, Betty, and Spencer.

  “This isn’t my fight; I’m off. And Kissinger, you owe me.” As Spencer tried to leave Jason attacked. He leapt forward and elbowed Betty out of the way. Spencer tried to defend himself, but Jason threw two punches into the man's rib cage at terrific speed. For good measure Jason brought his knee up into his victim's groin.

  Kissinger swung the chair at Jason. Jason tried to duck back but was caught on the side of the face with the foot of the chair. Jason cursed at Kissinger and attacked. What followed was an onslaught of rapid punches to Kissinger’s face. Jason’s disadvantage of height and weight was well compensated by his speed and accuracy. Betty attacked Jason with a rolling pin. He blocked it with his foreman, but the weight and momentum sent Jason down on the ground. The blow was painful, and it sent a bolt of pain through Jason’s body.

  He would never normally hit a woman, but when high adrenaline and in pain, he moved into protection mode. The full roundhouse kick to her stomach sent her across the room and partially through a window. Doctors later told her that it was a miracle that she didn't die of blood lose as the glass almost severed a main artery.

  Kissinger staggered to his feet, pulled out a knife, and waved it at Jason. With a move Jason had learnt in Judo class, Kissinger was disarmed. For good measure, Jason broke his arm at the elbow.

  Kissinger’s chilling scream set panic into the children. Some ran upstairs, some into the street, and some just cowered in a corner. Spencer tried again to get to his feet, but as he did, he looked up and his eyes met Jason’s.

  “Stay down,” Jason growled. The man lay back down on the ground. It was if he could see death in the boy’s eyes.

  Jason touched the side of his face, it was tender from the foot of the chair, and he was bleeding. Denise and another girl ran screaming into the street as the first police car arrived. She told them that Jason had gone crazy and had hurt her Uncle Kelvin and had thrown Betty through a window.

  Two police officers burst into the hallway and came face to face with Jason. One was a tall thin male policeman and the other a policewoman. Jason stood in a stance, ready to protect himself. For a few tense moments nothing happened. Jason panted, his dark eyes staring at the police.

  “You need to come outside and tell us what happened son,” The policeman suggested. He gently tried to take Jason’s arm and escort him outside.

  Jason mistook the move as an attack and blocked, taking a step back as he fought to control his temper. Okay, calm down. These are the good guys, he told himself.

  The stunned policeman rubbed his forearm that had just been hit by Jason’s block. “Now, you don’t want to do that son if you know what’s good for you.” He removed his truncheon and waved the ten-inch long heavy weapon at Jason.

  Jason took a deep breath and relaxed. For a few years he had been trying to calm himself down after a high adrenaline fight. He knew he had a terrible temper.

  “Yes officer. I’m sorry. I thought you were attacking me. I was the one that called you,” Jason said softly. He relaxed and leant against a wall. The adrenaline rush had exhausted him. The policeman went to help Betty who was hanging out the window and screaming for help.

  Spencer climbed to his feet. “I was just dropping something off. I have to leave.” He made his way to the hallway.

  “Sir, I'll need a statement first,” The policewoman said.

  “Eh, my names John Smith,” he stuttered. “I have to leave.” He tried to make his way to the door.

  “Ma'am, I work for SYUI. I called them and they alerted you as first response. No one is leaving until they get here. This guy is called Spencer he works for some guy called the doctor,” Jason told her.

  She looked at Jason, her mouth opened as if she was going to say something; she was puzzled and made her way to the front door.

  “No one is leaving until we find out what happened here,” she ordered.

  Spencer cursed and made his way back down the hall and sat on the stairs. “I’m not saying anything until I see my lawyer.”

  The policewoman never spoke to Jason again, she was unsure if he was telling the truth and was not sure what to think of the situation, she decided to wait for back up to arrive and let her seniors take over. More police arrived, Mew Gardens lit up with blue flashing lights and sirens. Police cars, two ambulances, and four black unmarked SYUI cars arrived.

  George Young arrived with Barbara Inkpen. The police stepped aside when George and his staff waved their ID cards. George walked past the police and entered the home. He found Jason sat on the floor in the hallway with his head down, resting on his knees.

  “Are you okay Jason?” he asked. Jason looked up and forced a smiled. He lifted his hand up, and George pulled him to his feet. Jason took George and Barbara into the kitchen and explained everything to them. George was pleased with the results; Kissinger was arrested although like Betty, was taken to hospital first.

  The children were collected by social services. They would all later be given counselling. Many would return home, some would be sent into foster care. Jason gave his statements, the cut on his face was treated, and George personally drove him home.

  “Well Jason, here we are again. Another case solved by Jason Steed.” George grinned.

  “Not exactly, George. We never found Abigail.” Jason sighed.

  “Oh, she was picked up the same night you disappeared. The Salvation Army reunited her with her parents. She was cold and hungry and very lucky not to have been picked up by Kissinger and his gang.

  “So I did this for absolutely nothing?”

  “On the contrary. Kissinger was selling some children to a horrid man they called the doctor. Kissinger will tell us everything, that’s the type of weasel he is. He'll try and get a smaller prison sentence for information. This Doctor guy has been selling young body organs to the highest bidder. That Spencer is a low life scumbag who works for
him. A real nasty piece of work.”

  “I don’t want to think about it. It’s sick. They was going to take a pretty girl called Denise. By tomorrow she could have been cut up and killed,” Jason said ,screwing up his face like he was about to vomit.

  “I know. At least now he won’t be able to hurt anyone again, and those kids will all be better off, thanks to you. This is why we preach to children do not talk to strangers. You never know what people are like or what they intend.”

  Chapter Five

  Two days later, Jason walked across the schoolyard, surrounded by hundreds of boys close to his own age. They were all heading in the same direction, all wearing the same black jackets, white shirts, and mauve tie, all of them thinking probably the same thoughts.

  Jason’s tie was purposefully crooked. His long, blond bangs fell over his face. So why did he feel so out of it, as if he were watching from someone else’s eyes? He had missed school for a week and was working hard to catch up. His teachers had not been sympathetic. None said much, even when he handed them a note from a doctor. (SYUI had invented the story that he'd been sick with stomach cramps and diarrhoea.) They smiled and nodded and secretly thought of him as a little spoilt and pampered.

  And he couldn’t tell the truth. He was never allowed to tell anyone what had really happened, apart from Scott of course.

  It had been nearly two years since he had started St Joseph's. He had used his Martial Arts skills just once in his first year when some older boys were trying to put a fellow first-year boy's head down a toilet. Jason intervened and saved Scott Turner. Since that day, Scott had been his best friend they were almost like brothers.

  As time passed however, memories had faded. More and more boys had purposely bumped into Jason in a corridor. One boy made a remark about Scott and Jason being a little too close for just friends. Each time, Jason had turned the other cheek, but his frustration with school life was causing his patience to run thin.

  This morning was a Wednesday, which meant gym class. The boys all had to go and play soccer. All the boys that was, except for Jason. He took an extra language class. The school agreed that he could count his karate and Judo lessons he did outside of school as his physical education. As lunchtime rolled around, Jason met up with Scott in the canteen.

  “You look frozen,” Jason said.

  “It was bloody cold out on the pitch today. I hate football. It’s not fair you get to miss it.” Scott shivered.

  “I do enough sports. You have to do something, Scott; you can’t just exercise your brain. Your body needs to work out as well.”

  “Work out? I was so blue with cold when I came in and went to take a shower, when I looked in the mirror I saw a Smurf looking back at me!”

  Jason roared with laughter. He had trouble keeping the food in his mouth. A bread roll hit him on the back of the head he turned and looked. Malcolm Vango was grinning at him, his group of friends laughed as well.

  Vango had been tormenting Scott for some time and had been getting more brazen regarding pushing Jason. Most people avoided Vango. His father was a wealthy man. Rumours circulated that his father was a crook. He never worked but had a large home, always had new cars, and when he paid for Malcolm’s school fees, he brought cash in a briefcase.

  Vango was well built, with a turned-up nose and black, slightly greasy hair that hung down to his collar. He made a point of ensuring his tie was never straight and slouched around with his hands in his pockets and an attitude that warned everyone, even staff, to keep his distance. There was arrogance to him that Jason and Scott could feel a hundred feet away. The fact that Jason wasn’t scared of him only angered him all the more.

  “What are you staring at, Steed? Fancy me, do ya? Getting tired of your boyfriend?” Vango joked.

  Jason turned away and faced his food again.

  “See I told you he’s yella. I bet he don’t really know karate and Judo. He’s a wimp just like his nerd boyfriend. Just look at Steed's hair, what boy has their hair that long in the front you can’t see his eyes half the time? I bet he wears a dress at home.” Vango laughed.

  “Come on Jason, let’s go. I’m not hungry. He’s not worth it,” Scott said. He could tell that Vango was getting to his friend. Jason had gone quiet. He was worried what Jason would do to the kid.

  Jason looked up though his long blond bangs at Scott. “Yeah, your right,” Jason said quietly. Both he and Scott got up and started to leave.

  “Brawk, buk, buk, buk, buk,” Vango crowed like a chicken. Scott was about to put his tray back, but instead he turned and walked over to Vango. To everyone’s surprise, he smashed Vango across the face with it.

  Jason watched open mouthed. He had never seen Scott so much as hurt a fly before, and now he had just smashed a tray over the schools biggest loud mouth and bully in front of the entire school.

  The blow knocked Vango of his chair, his lunch spilling over him. A few laughed at the incident, more just gasped. Vango leapt to his feet, cursing at the top of his voice. Scott ran to Jason for protection. The usual chatter and hum of so many voices that normally echoed all around went silent.

  “That was awesome.” Jason laughed. “Way to go, Scott. You do have some guts in you. Now what’s your plan? Vango and three of his goons are coming.”

  Scott was turning white and visibly shaking. “Um. Jase mate, help me out here,” Scott stuttered, trying to hide behind his friend.

  Jason stepped forward, still laughing. That made matters worse. Vango stood a foot away from Jason and pointed at Scott.

  “That little nerd is going down, and if you don’t move I’ll go through you,” Vango growled at Jason.

  Jason slightly raised himself on the soles of his feet. He twisted his body at an angle to reduce his size as a target.

  Don’t hurt them. They’re just schoolboys, Jason told himself.

  “And what do we have here? Fighting is it?” Mr. Griffiths, the headmaster, bellowed from down the corridor. “Vango, Steed my office now.”

  Jason sulked on his way home. The sun was already dipping behind his home, but daylight still lingered in the air as if accidently left behind. As he slammed the large black iron gates hard enough that they bounced open again. Jason hesitated, debating whether to go back and close them, then gave up on the idea. As he walked up the long gravel drive towards his stately white house surround by acres of grass and mature Oaks he grew angry. He knew he would be in trouble with his father.

  Jason was always in a bad mood unless Scott was with him, but today was much worse. His father normally put it down to his age and expected it may get a little worse when he became a teenager. Today, he was so angry he was physically shaking. It would be the first time his father had heard his son curse.

  The front door slammed shut behind him. The usual pattern of throwing his school bag across the floor and kicking his shoes off in all directions was followed up with a loud sigh.

  “Hi Jason, how was school?” his father asked.

  Jason marched up to his father and pulled out a letter from his pocket and threw it at is father. “I have been suspended from that dump for a week.” He cursed.

  Ray was surprised by Jason’s language. He knew Jason disliked school, but wasn't going to let him get away with cursing.

  “What did you say?”

  “Read the note.” He cursed again.

  “Get to your room,” Ray shouted.

  Jason turned and walked up to his room. He watched his father out of the corner of his eye. He knew the routine. His father would follow him up, removing his belt, and he would get spanked. Jason paused at the top of the stairs. When he looked down at his father, Ray stood at the bottom of the stairs just watching his son.

  Jason gave the same look he gets from his father when he is asked a question; he raised his eyebrows and stared. It was what Scott called the ‘Steed asking a question look.’

  “You know Jason, maybe you're too old to be spanked now. We seem to do much better just talking
about your problems. Let’s start with the first problem. Why are you suspended from school?”

  Jason sighed and sat on the top step, looking down at his father. “Okay, don’t get mad. I never so much as touched anyone, but I was suspended for fighting.”

  “Who?” His father asked. He walked up the stairs and sat next to his son on the top stair.

  “That idiot with the motor mouth, Malcolm Vango.”

  “Vango as in Mick Vango’s boy, the mobster?” Ray asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “How bad did you hurt him?” Ray sighed, dreading the worst.

  “I never laid a finger on him. I know better than to fight in school. It was Scott. He smashed a tray into his face. You should have seen it, it was awesome. Then he ran behind me for protection.” Jason laughed. “Just as Vango was coming to kill Scott, Taffy Griffiths came around the corner, saw us standing toe to toe, Vango’s got blood, snot, and food all over his face, and Taffy thinks we were fighting. Vango is suspended too.”

  “Well why didn’t you explain that to Mr. Griffiths?”

  “Derrr. Scott’s my best friend. I can’t grass him up,” Jason rudely replied. Ray attempted to smack Jason across the back of the head, but Jason instinctively and rapidly reacted and blocked it.

  “Gosh, you're fast son,” Ray said. “But less of your cheek. I’m your father, not a kid from school. Don’t derrr me again. So because you don’t want to grass on Scott, you get suspended and a bad school record?”

  “Well actually, Scott was saving me too. Vango was taunting me, throwing bread at me, calling me yellow, and saying crude stuff about mine and Scott's friendship. Scott knew it was only a matter of time before I cracked and busted Vango’s head open, so he did it with a tray. Let’s face it, if I had touched him I would get an assault charge.” Jason grinned. “I’m quite proud of Scott. He’s grown some balls at last. Before today I always thought Scott in a fight would be about as useful as a woodpecker with a rubber beak.”

  Ray said nothing as he watched his son smile. He still had the same adorable cheeky grin. His white teeth glistened, and his sapphire blue eyes sparkled.