VOLITION (Perception Trilogy, book 2)

by Strauss, Lee

  I wasn’t sure I knew the difference.

  As if reading my mind, she said, “Boxing is a sport and you usually don’t die from it. Self-defense, if you’re good at it, can be deadly.”

  I frowned. As much as I would’ve liked to beat the tar out of that guy who’d attacked me in the alley, I didn’t want to kill him.

  “Don’t worry,” Mary said, smirking. “You’ll only kill them if you want to. Just remember, they started it.”

  Her statement made me wonder if she’d ever killed someone. I didn’t doubt she had the skills to do it.

  “Now with kicking, it’s the same principle. You spring your leg out and back again. That’s where the energy comes from.”

  Mary demonstrated a side kick on the bag, the kind where your body ends up in the shape of a T. She wasn’t a big person, but if the bag were a man, he wouldn’t have known what hit him.

  She proceeded to show me front kicks, back kicks, and round-house kicks, the ones that swing in from the side.

  I tried to copy her, but my legs felt like spaghetti.

  “It just takes practice,” she said, and I knew I’d be coming in to work on these on my own time.

  We stopped for a water break, and I wiped sweat off my face with a small towel.

  “Here’s the secret to self-defense,” Mary said. “You have to fight your natural impulses to pull back.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You have to step into it, approach the enemy.” She stepped in front of me. “Pretend you’re attacking me. Reach for my shirt.”

  I did as she said. She stepped toward me and raised her left arm to block my reach.

  “See what I did here? I moved toward you. Now I have two options. Strike the throat, or the solar plexus.” She performed a slow-motion strike to the spot right under the ribcage, where the muscles didn’t protect.

  “Not the groin?” I asked. “I thought that was the usual point of attack.”

  “And guys know that. Groin attacks can be effective, but not usually on the first strike. A blow to the neck will collapse their esophagus.”

  Ouch.

  “I strike your solar plexus or esophagus and what will you do?”

  “Bend over in agony?”

  “Right. Good opportunity to finish it with a karate chop to the back of the neck.”

  Okay. I bend over, and Mary moves one step behind me and comes down on the back of my neck with the edge of a flattened hand.

  The imaginary guy was toast.

  “Another move is to use your elbow to strike his kidney.” I stood so she could slow-motion beat me up again. I grabbed at her, and she stepped in, blocking my reach with her left arm, and struck the side of my gut with her elbow. I faked a forward bend in response.

  “Then you make a fist and hammer-strike him in his back, same kidney area.”

  She made me practice the front elbow strike and back hammer punch on the bag, with both arms.

  Before too long I was breathing hard with sweat beads sprinkling from my forehead onto the mat.

  “That’s enough to get you going,” Mary said. She grabbed a towel and headed for the shower. “Practice on your own time and when you want more, let me know.”

  The next day my arms and shoulders felt like heavy weights. Even the smallest motion was painful. I groaned as I lifted my coffee cup to my mouth.

  “What’s the matter?” Noah said.

  “My first work-out with Mary yesterday.”

  “Ah,” he said with a knowing look.

  Jabez and Mary joined us. Jabez instructed the news to come on.

  I stared at the large red banner which read “Breaking News.”

  —with political riots in every major city, President Vanderveen calls for martial law—

  “What?” I spit out.

  —10:00 curfew…concerns that President Vanderveen has turned the USA into a police state—

  Jabez curled his fists. “Ten p.m. curfew? Damn. The fights are just getting going by then.”

  —President Vanderveen at a press conference where he ensures the American people that emergency measures are temporary—

  “I don’t believe that for a second,” Noah said through tight lips. “This was his plan all along.”

  Mary blanched at the report. I was speechless. Grandpa V had reached down my throat and clenched my vocal cords.

  “The guy’s a maniac,” Jabez said. “People would’ve adapted to the idea of cyborg technology. He just sprung it on us all at once. Too fast.”

  “He’s not after new technology,” Noah said. “He wants war.”

  “Why does new technology have to lead to war?” Jabez countered.

  “It doesn’t,” Noah said, flicking hair off his face. “Only it will with this man in charge.”

  “It’ll pass,” Mary squeaked out. “We just have to stay out of sight and out of trouble until it blows over. I’m sure it’s only temporary, like the President says.”

  I wished I could side with Mary on this one, but I knew Noah was right.

  Jabez’s legs jumped and he sprung to a standing position. That guy was a bag of nerves.

  “I’ll be in the gym,” he said.

  “I’m coming,” Noah said to his back. He reached for a hair tie on the coffee table and pulled his hair into a low pony. It was weird that he was the one with long hair now, and mine was too short for anything but a barrette.

  I for one was glad to take a day off from the gym. I took Noah’s spot on the couch and lay there, willing the achiness to go away.

  The next days were spent with the four of us holing up in the factory and training in the gym. Mary instructed me on the floor mat while Jabez and Noah used the ring. Only two weeks until Noah’s next fight, and everyone was feeling the nerves. Especially with the curfew. Noah’s next opponent was from the Midwest, so Jabez was able to schedule the fight for earlier in the evening. Spectators should be out of the factory and home before the authorities cleared the streets.

  “So, a guy comes at you from behind,” Mary said. She wore a tank top and shorts similar to mine. Her dark skin glistened with sweat from beating the crap out of the punching bag. Her muscles were toned and defined, unlike my stick-like limbs. “He wraps his arm around your neck in a choke hold.” She reaches around my neck to demonstrate and I feel like I’m choking. My hands automatically grab at her arm.

  “No. Again, you have to resist your natural impulses. Don’t reach for your attackers arm. You will not get free that way. Your immediate response must be to lift your shoulders up as high as possible to prevent him from gaining a good grip. This strangle hold from behind is one of the hardest to break free from and so a quick impulse is important.”

  Mary released me, and I rubbed my neck, staring hard at her. I had a feeling she was enjoying this demonstration a little too much.

  “Okay, I’m going to do it again. This time squeeze your shoulders up.”

  She grabbed me from behind, over and over, until a high shoulder shrug from me was immediate and second nature. “What do I do next?” I asked.

  “Whip your right arm up and behind like a windmill, striking him in the head. Twist your body at the same time. This should at least loosen the hold. You need every second up front to get loose enough to get your breath back.

  “Then, depending on your stance, you perform your other strikes. If your back is still to his chest you can use your foot to strike his. The top of the foot is very sensitive. Don’t forget a left-handed hammer strike to the groin. This is a good opportunity to shoot for that area since his arms are high and he’s unable to protect himself there.

  “The main thing is to do whatever you can to get your breath and to get away.”

  We ran through the moves several times. I tried not to be distracted by Noah and Jabez, running through their own paces. Noah had filled out and grown stronger over the last weeks and I could see the difference in the contours of his back muscles.

  “Okay,” Mary said. “Im
agine a guy has you pinned to the ground.”

  I didn’t have to imagine it. I knew what it was like. My pulse spiked as I remembered the helpless feeling of having a strange man pin me to the asphalt. I still shuddered at the thought of what could’ve happened.

  Mary told me to lie on the mat. I thought she was going to play the part of the attacker, even though she was smaller and lighter than any guy. Instead she called Noah over.

  “Go on,” Jabez said. “I have to run anyway.” He disappeared into the shower and Noah approached us. It was difficult keeping my eyes from dropping to his glistening bare chest.

  “Pin her down,” Mary said. She was clueless as to how uncomfortable this was for both of us. “Come on,” she coached Noah. “She’s just your cousin.”

  Noah obeyed and my heart thumped as he straddled me with his knees and grasped my arms with his hands. His face was only inches from mine, faint bruising still visible on his cheeks. His jaw was firmly set, lips pressed together. My gaze rested on them longingly before settling on his dark, brooding eyes.

  He was as nervous as I was. I could tell by the way his lashes flickered. The last time we were this close was in a motel room, another life time ago. Only it was me accosting him while wearing a stupid pink wig.

  “Okay, so the guy has you pinned. Chloe?”

  I snapped to attention. “Yeah?”

  “He might start out with his knees on the outside of your legs, but he’s going to end up with them in between your legs. If he starts like this,” she motioned to how Noah’s legs straddled mine, thrust your hips up sharply. This won’t get rid of him, but it will cause him to lose his balance, forcing him to loosen hold of your arms.”

  I did as she said, and Noah’s torso shifted up.

  “Then you can make the next strike. An elbow to the neck, fist to the crotch or knee to the backside, depending on how his weight shifts. He should crumble enough so that you can weave your arm between his legs and shimmy out from underneath. It should give you a chance to get back into an upright fighting stance. Better yet, he’s down and you can get away.”

  I stuck Noah’s jaw in slow motion. His bristles scratched against my skin, sending shots of electricity through my arm. He feigned pain shifting sideways and I wormed out from between his legs. It was a lot of close touching in personal places. I felt my face flush, annoyed that his touch, his nearness, had this effect on me.

  “Okay, again,” Mary instructed. “This time, he has his knees between your legs, and his hands are around your throat.

  I gulped and lay back down on the mat. Noah exhaled deeply, pinching his eyes shut before following Mary’s orders.

  “This is the more likely scenario,” she said. “Your attacker doesn’t want you to scream out, so he’s trying to force you into submission. Chloe, since his hands are on your throat, both of your hands are free. Again, your impulse will be to grab at his hands which will not free you. You only have seconds to respond before serious damage is done.”

  Noah’s warm palms were on my neck, and he locked eyes with me again, his gaze intense and serious. I couldn’t tell if he was struggling with our closeness like I was or if he was remembering the horrible time in the alley.

  “Chloe,” Mary said, breaking my wandering thoughts. “Put your hands together like you’re praying.”

  My gaze flew to her face. She was serious. I palmed my hands together.

  “Fish them up between Noah’s arms, putting pressure on his elbows. This will loosen his grip on your neck. Then reach for his head and pull it to your chest. At the same time, wrap your legs around his back. Remember what I told you about moving into your attacker. It’s the same whether you’re standing or on your back.”

  Was she serious? She wanted me to pull Noah’s head to my chest? And wrap my legs around his body. I gulped again.

  “Just do it,” Noah whispered.

  I reached for his head and pulled it down, his nose resting between my breasts, and wrapped my legs around his body. I almost died.

  “Move your thumbs to his eyeballs and plunge. You want to do real damage here, so in a live situation, you don’t hold back.”

  I lay the pads of my thumbs on Noah’s eyes. I could feel my pulse beat rapidly against his lids. He had to feel this, how my heart was skipping out of control with his nearness. It was excruciatingly hard to hide it from Mary. Good thing she was all business.

  “What’s the attacker going to do?”

  “Pull back to save his eyes,” Noah said.

  “Yes. Now Chloe, flip him over with your legs until you are on top. If your attacker still grabs for you, strike his throat. As soon as you can escape him, run.”

  She waited for me to perform the rest of the moves. I flipped Noah over and now I was on top. He had his arms over his face, but I could see the vein in his neck pulse. I made a quick jab to his neck, skimming his skin with my knuckles then jumped off.

  “Good,” Mary said, grabbing her towel. “I gotta get going. You guys can practice without me.”

  Noah sat up and I sat beside him, mostly because my knees were shaking and it was either sit or fall. Noah waved to the mat, indicating that I should lie down. He resumed his position, knees straddling me, his hands pressing my arms to the mat.

  A force field sizzled between our hot bodies. Noah’s close position over me was like a torch to my minefield. Any moment now I was going to explode. I was glad Mary had exited. There was no way I could keep hiding this.

  Noah’s gaze moved from my eyes to my mouth. His face lowered to mine, and I felt my lips part. I desperately wanted to kiss him. The energy between us crackled. He bent lower, and his lips brushed against my ear.

  “What are you waiting for,” he whispered.

  I swallowed hard.

  “I think I’m done for the day.” My voice sounded hoarse. I hoped he couldn’t tell how he was affecting me. It was embarrassing.

  “Are you sure?” he asked, leaning up to catch my eyes.

  I nodded feebly.

  “Okay.” He shifted off and collapsed to the mat beside me. He was still close, but far enough away that I could get my senses back. I placed a hand over my heart, willing it to slow.

  I could sense Noah’s chest heaving. Then he sprung to his feet. “I need a shower,” he said as he jogged away. “A cold one.”

  A little smile tugged at my lips.

  Chapter 27

  Noah kept his distance after that, avoiding being alone with me, to the point that he’d become Jabez’s shadow.

  Fine. I had some dignity, and I wasn’t going to beg for attention.

  We spent most evenings scrounging up food for dinner and watching the latest news. Grandpa was tightening his fist on the nation, and riots were breaking out after curfew. The army was called in to suppress the uprisings, spraying crowds with power hoses and shooting off pepper gas. Curfew was changed to eight p.m.

  “I can’t stand being shut up like an animal,” Jabez said one night, jumping out of his chair. “I’m going out.”

  “Jabez, no,” Mary said. “It’s not safe.”

  “I won’t be rounded up like a criminal. This is a free country, last I heard.”

  Noah moved to follow him, and I reached for his arm. “Not a good idea,” I said.

  He took a breath and nodded before sitting down again.

  Everyone was antsy. Mary stared at the door after her brother before darting to the bedroom. I wasn’t about to disturb her.

  “It’s getting scary out there,” I said.

  “Yup.”

  “Grandpa V is outdoing himself.”

  Noah’s eyes darted to Mary’s door.

  “She didn’t hear that.”

  “I know. You just can’t be too careful.” He shifted and drew a hand through his hair. “We’ve been in one place too long. Again. As soon as the fight is over, we’re leaving.”

  Assuming he won. Assuming he wasn’t terribly injured.

  Or worse.

  Tired of t
he seriousness, Noah flicked the old-style remote until the channel landed on a syndicated sitcom.

  Mary joined us after awhile, having made a pot of herbal tea. I figured we all needed something to calm our nerves, and accepted a cup.

  Just when I was about to call it a night and get ready for bed, we heard the front door slam. Jabez blew into the living area.

  “Mary!” His face was a bloody mess and he cradled his left arm. “It’s busted!” he said. “My arm is busted.”

  Mary almost spilled her tea. She set the cup down and rushed to his side. “Oh my God. What happened?”

  “Riots, Mary,” he said sounding delirious. “Riots. St. Louis has gone crazy!”

  The piercing sound of sirens filtered in through the high windows. I couldn’t imagine what was going on out there.

  Mary guided Jabez to a chair and then left for the kitchen. Jabez’s eyes glazed over and his head fell back. Mary returned with a cold cloth, first aid-kit and pain-killers. She dabbed the blood off his face, rousing him.

  “Take this,” she said handing him a glass of water and a couple pills. Then she helped him to ease out of his coat. He screamed and I felt my knees go weak.

  Mary laid his forearm gently on the armrest of the chair. It had an unnatural bend. “We need to get you to a doctor,” she said. “This needs to be set.”

  “We don’t have any money.”

  Mary’s gaze scanned the room, landing on me. My heart skipped. Did she know who I was? Did she know about the reward?

  She looked back at Jabez. “I have some. Enough.”

  Jabez scowled at her. “You’re hiding cash?”

  “An emergency fund. It’s okay. You’ll get your cast. But we’ll have to wait until morning.”

  Noah helped Jabez to his room. I could hear him groaning while I got ready for bed and well into the night. By the time I got up in the morning, he and Mary were gone.

  Noah and I were awkwardly alone as we ate our breakfast of toast and jam. Our eyes drifted from our meal to the TV to each other. It seemed like we’d forgotten how to talk together. “This sucks,” Noah finally said, breaking the tension.

  “I know. Poor Jabez.”