by Jon F. Merz
He’s going to impale me on that thing, thought Jimmy. He backed up away from the janitor and felt the edge of the sink behind him. The hanbo! He grabbed for it.
The janitor stabbed in again with the spear and Jimmy moved, arcing the hanbo overhead and then down onto the spear shaft. With a crash, the hanbo broke the shaft in two. Without stopping, Jimmy flipped it back up into the janitor’s face.
He heard a crack as the wood impacted the bridge of the janitor’s nose. Blood shot out and the janitor dropped to the floor unconscious, crashing into the bucket of dirty water. It spilled everywhere, mixing with the blood.
Jimmy leaped over the water and blood and grabbed at the door. He had to get out of there before someone else came in.
But as he hauled the door open, he felt himself being pushed back inside as someone pushed their way in.
He saw the face.
That hard face.
No.
The assassin grinned but there was no mirth in his eyes. And Jimmy saw that he quickly surmised the situation and then edged closer to Jimmy.
"I'll make it quick, kid, I promise."
Jimmy held his hanbo out in front of him. The assassin eyed it.
"You know how to use that thing?"
Jimmy shrugged. "Ask your friend."
The assassin grinned. "He's not my friend. I don't have any friends."
"Probably because you kill them all."
The assassin chuckled. "Funny, kid." And then he moved so fast that Jimmy barely had time to react before the assassin's foot slammed into Jimmy's lower leg, sending a thunderbolt of pain lancing through him.
"There, now at least you'll be more convincing with that cane."
Jimmy leaned on the hanbo, trying to steady himself. The assassin circled him slowly. Jimmy prayed someone else would come into the restroom. Anyone. Just enough to distract the assassin.
Watch his eyes.
Jimmy forced himself to stare at the assassin's eyes and caught the flicker of movement a split-second before he threw a punch at Jimmy's head.
Jimmy ducked and flipped the tip of the hanbo into the assassin's crotch. He grunted and bent over, but recovered quick, trying to tackle Jimmy and drive him to the ground.
Jimmy leapt back and away, slamming the middle of the hanbo down on the assassin's skull as he did so. The assassin slumped to the floor and groaned. When he looked back up at Jimmy, there was a seething fury in his face. He scrambled to his feet but then slipped on the blood-slicked floor.
As he fell, Jimmy stabbed the tip of the hanbo directly between the assassin's eyes and saw the killer go unconscious, falling on top of the fake janitor.
Get out now.
Jimmy didn't need to be told twice. He yanked the door open, but as much as he wanted to run away from the bathroom, he forced himself to limp away with the hanbo. It wasn't so tough to fake it now that the assassin had kicked him so hard. His leg truly ached. He felt sick again and he wasn’t sure if he could keep from puking.
Count your breaths...
While he did, Jimmy heard an overhead PA system chime on. And then he heard the strangest sound of all. "Attention passengers, will Terrence Livingston please go to the nearest white courtesy telephone? You have a phone call."
Jimmy paused and then glanced around. Who would be paging him?
Vanessa?
That beautiful Asian girl?
In the next instant, he frowned. Something wasn't right. Why would they page him to a phone where anyone could see him? He hadn't known her for very long, but he felt pretty sure Vanessa would never compromise his security like that. Unless...
"Come with me."
The voice was low and next to his ear. Jimmy turned slowly. Had the assassin already recovered?
But the face in front of him was one he didn't recognize. The man looked like an insurance salesman. Just a plain drab suit and glasses. He was balding and had a slight paunch.
"Who are you?"
"Vanessa sent me. Come with me and do it quickly."
Jimmy followed the man down the escalator nearby. The airport seemed less busy than the one they’d left a few hours before, but as they came downstairs, Jimmy could see more crowds. The man nodded to the right and they blended with a group of tourists long enough to get close to the airport exit. Then they ducked through the automatic doors and were outside on a ramp leading to the parking lot.
The man glanced around them and up. “No cameras here. Let’s hustle.”
“Run, Jimmy.”
They broke for the parking area. As they entered the dimly lit environs, Jimmy looked around them. Any one of the parked cars could hold more teams of killers intent on finishing him off.
“Over here.”
Jimmy glanced at the man and saw he was jogging toward a cluster of cars in the area marked long-term parking.
“Don’t tell me,” he said.
"Tell you what?"
Jimmy pointed at the cars. "You're going to give me a ride?"
The man shook his head. "Are you kidding? I've got to go back and clean up the mess you made in the bathroom." he pointed. "We're in an area that isn't covered by too many cameras, so we've got a moment to talk."
"About?"
The man pulled out a map and unfolded it. "Where you're going next. You need to get to the Port of Los Angeles. Look here."
Jimmy saw what looked like a subway map. "Trains?"
"Light rail," the man nodded. "You're taking the green line to Wilmington Station. Once there, you change and get on the blue line, heading south toward Long Beach. Get off at Pacific Station." He refolded the map. "You got money?"
Jimmy nodded. "Yeah."
"Good." The man turned and started to walk away.
"Wait," said Jimmy. "Where's the station?"
The man pointed back the way they'd come. "Inside the main terminal you'll see signs." He glanced at his watch. "You'd better hustle, you've got a train to catch."
Chapter Seven
Jimmy found his way into the Los Angeles County Metro Transit Authority station at LAX and amid hundreds of travelers, managed to make his way onto the green line running east toward Norwalk. As he entered the light rail car, he sighed. At least it would be tough for anyone to tail him in this much of a crowd.
He frowned. Then again, it would be tough for him to make out anyone suspicious, there were so many people standing near him. The thought that any one of them could potentially be an attacker made his stomach hurt and his heart pound.
He took a few deep breaths and calmed down. If they chose to attack him here, they'd only expose themselves.
Jimmy sat down in the middle of the car and tried to read all of the advertisements plastered up above him. A lot of travelers departed at the ensuing stops and Jimmy found himself on the train with fewer and fewer people.
He heard the announcement for Wilmington and stood up. As the light rail entered the brightly lit station, Jimmy leaned on his hanbo cane and hefted his small bag. he glanced up and down the car, but he couldn't tell if anyone was interested in him or not.
At least not yet.
He hobbled off the train and saw signs for the connecting blue line light rail. Making his way down the concourse, he saw a number of high school kids lounging around. Jimmy nodded to himself. There had been times in his past when he'd hung around subway stations, too. And even though it might have been dinnertime, none of the kids that he passed looked like they came from homes where they served three square meals each day.
Jimmy felt a twinge in his gut as he thought about Derek and Jamal. The only true friends he'd ever known.
And now they were gone.
Jimmy continued on toward the blue line and waited for the train to slide into the station. As he stepped on, he heard the commotion behind him and saw the kids he'd passed come running into the train.
The car was crowded, and Jimmy had to stand while the doors slid shut. At the last moment, a man pushed his way onto the car. His face was sweaty
as if he'd been running hard. For an instant, his eyes seemed to show relief and then they quickly grew cold as he calmly surveyed the passengers. When his eyes passed over Jimmy, they stopped.
Jimmy stared at him and saw the flicker of recognition.
Uh oh.
Jimmy gripped his hanbo tighter and kept his eyes on the man. From where he stood, the man would have to come down the car to get at him.
They slid through Compton and Artesia stations, disgorging most of the passengers on Jimmy's car, except for the teenagers and the assassin.
And Jimmy.
Jimmy hadn't sat, preferring to stay on his feet in case the assassin made his move.
"Hey dude, why don't you sit down?"
Jimmy glanced over. One of the teens was pointing at an empty seat and then at Jimmy's leg.
"Take a load off, y'know?"
Jimmy smirked. "Thanks, I'm cool standing."
"Yeah? How'd you hurt it anyway?"
The kids were on the opposite end of the car and to look at them, Jimmy had to take his eyes off the assassin who so far hadn't moved an inch. Jimmy glanced over. "I fell."
"You broke it?"
"It was," said Jimmy. "Now it's just got a limp." He looked back and saw that the assassin had edged his way down part of the car. He'd moved so fluidly that Jimmy hadn't even noticed.
"You local?"
Jimmy didn't look at the kid talking to him this time. "No, I'm visiting my aunt." He thought quickly. "She's down in Long Beach."
The assassin smiled at Jimmy and Jimmy saw the meaning clearly. I'm going to kill you, kid.
Jimmy took another breath. The last thing he wanted was another fight, especially on a subway.
"Hey man, you okay?"
Jimmy looked at the teen that kept speaking to him. He was a year or two older than Jimmy. "I'm okay."
Were they sizing him up? Jimmy almost laughed out loud at that. They'd have to wait in line until the assassin had finished. Then they could take whatever they wanted.
Del Amo, Wardlow, and Willow stations flew past them with no one new getting on the train. The assassin hadn't moved, but Jimmy knew he'd have to make a move soon. There were only a few stations left before they reached Long Beach.
"What part of Long Beach does your aunt live in?"
Another question! Jimmy frowned. This was getting annoying. How could he be expected to keep an eye on the killer when these guys kept bothering him with questions?
Then he had a thought.
"I don't know." He glanced up at the map overhead and then looked back at the kid. "She's meeting me at Pacific station."
"By yourself?"
Jimmy shrugged. "I'm old enough."
"Yeah? With that gimp leg? Man, some of the people around here might take you for an easy jack, you know?"
Jimmy hobbled over and sat down across from the kids. "Good point, maybe I'd better hang out with you guys, huh?"
That got a laugh out of the kids and Jimmy noticed the assassin making his way closer. He paused about twenty feet away. The train whizzed through Pacific Coast Highway, Anaheim, and 5th Street stations.
The kid who kept talking to Jimmy leaned forward. "Trouble is, you never know who you can trust around this hood. I mean, we might be the bad guys, you know?"
Jimmy looked him full in the eyes, willing himself to stay calm. "I already know who the bad guy is."
"What?"
Jimmy leaned forward. "You see that dude down there?"
The kid let his eyes move without turning his head. He glanced back at Jimmy. "What about him?"
"He's here to kill me."
The kid leaned back, a smile splashing across his face. "Shit..."
But Jimmy stayed exactly where he was, and he kept his expression the same. He had to make sure the kids believed him.
"I ain't lying, man."
The kid leaned forward again. "Why's he want to do you?"
"That's what he's paid to do." Jimmy shrugged. "I'm just a job, you know."
"Yeah, but why, man? Why's he going to kill you? You just a kid with a bum leg."
Jimmy shook his head. "The man that guy works for wants my whole family dead. He's really evil. Into all sorts of crap. Killing people, poisoning water supplies, dumping toxic waste into the ocean, whatever he can do to make people like us suffer."
The kid's eyes narrowed as he processed what Jimmy was telling him.
1st Street station fell behind them and then as the train accelerated, it happened.
Jimmy caught movement out of the corner of his eye and then even as the assassin came flying at him, Jimmy was already out of his seat, bringing the hanbo around in a wide arcing motion.
If it had connected, it would have knocked the assassin out cold, but Jimmy had failed to take into account the narrow confines of the train car. Instead of hitting the assassin, the hanbo bounced off one of the poles that passengers held onto.
Jimmy smarted from the force of impact, but then the assassin had barreled into him, knocking him back across the car.
Jimmy fell back, rolling and came up on his feet as the train lurched down the tracks. He bounced his head off the side of the car and winced. His hanbo skittered away from him.
A chorus of "Damn!" echoed in the car. The kids were just coming out of the shock of seeing the sudden explosion of violence happen before them.
The assassin ignored them, focusing instead on Jimmy. "No more time for you, kid." He reached behind him and brought out what looked like a knife made out of some type of space age carbon fiber. Jimmy frowned and then realized the blade wouldn't show up on airport X-ray scanners.
The train rolled into Transit Mall station and as the doors slid open, Jimmy hoped that a wandering cop would stroll on board. The assassin froze, but when the doors slid shut again, he looked back at Jimmy and only smiled.
Jimmy steeled himself for the attack. If he'd had the hanbo, he would have been able to use it to keep the knife at a distance. But the wooden staff was out of reach. Jimmy would have to take this on completely unarmed.
The assassin moved.
And then stopped.
Utterly still.
Jimmy heard the click over the rest of the ambient train noise. He looked behind the assassin and saw the kid who'd been asking all the questions. And in his hand, Jimmy saw one very real and very mean-looking pistol.
"Don't even blink, man."
The assassin eyed Jimmy. "Friends of yours?"
Jimmy shrugged. "They are now."
The other kids took the knife from the assassin and moved him down the train. The kid who'd spoken to Jimmy kept the gun trained on the assassin, but nodded at Jimmy. "Guess you were on the level."
Jimmy smirked. "Thanks for the help."
"Yeah, well, we might not be so helpful next time. We got mouths to feed, you know?"
Jimmy reached into his back pocket and took out his wallet. He fished the rest of his cash out and handed it to the kid. "Just so you know this wasn't for nothing."
The kid took the folded bills and pocketed it. "Your stop."
Jimmy glanced out the window and saw the signs saying they'd arrived at Pacific. He gathered up his bag and his hanbo. Then with a nod to the kid, he took one final glance at the assassin and stepped off the train.
Outside, the sun was already dipping toward the horizon. Jimmy took a breath and used it to steady his nerves. That had been far too close. And to think that he'd managed to enlist the help of some random crew. He almost smiled.
So, now what?
He glanced around. He saw other passengers heading toward cars in the car park. But there was no sign that anyone was waiting for Jimmy.
Just as he was starting to get worried, he saw a black Toyota zip into the station. And one glance told him who was behind the wheel.
Vanessa.
Chapter Eight
"Jimmy!"
She was waving him over. "No time to waste! Come on!"
Jimmy ran for the sleek black
Toyota Vanessa drove. He slid in next to her.
She grinned at him. "Glad I found you. You all right?"
Jimmy took a breath. "Lessee...almost run over by a Cadillac, stalked by an assassin on the plane, another two killers in the restroom, and then another one almost took me out on the train. You know...nothing much."
She smiled. "You're still alive, I see. That's good news." She put the car back into drive and shot back out of the station parking area. "I was worried about you."
"Not enough to stay with me, apparently."
Vanessa sighed. "Jimmy, I didn't abandon you. It was necessary we split up. I tried to take most of the attention away from you. Our enemies would never expect me to leave you to your own devices like I did. So they concentrated on wherever I was, thinking you'd be with me. They let their second-stringers handle any other possibilities."
"Me."
She nodded. "Exactly. And while I'm sure the time since we parted has been difficult for you, it's nowhere near what I dealt with. Be thankful you weren't with me, otherwise we might not even be having this conversation."
"I'm glad you're back," said Jimmy after a moment.
"Me, too." Vanessa's eyes seemed to be scrutinizing everything on the road. He glanced at her and tried to see her as a normal person who didn’t know all sorts of spy techniques.
“How’d you get into this stuff?” he asked a few moments later when he had failed to think of her as ever being “normal.”
“What stuff are you referring to?”
“This,” said Jimmy spreading his hands. “The martial arts, the defensive driving, the manipulation of people…you know, pretty much everything since I met you.”
Vanessa’s smile reappeared and Jimmy grinned as well. “You’ve got to admit,” he said, “it’s pretty crazy.”
Vanessa shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know about that. From my perspective, it’s far crazier to imagine me sitting in a cubicle for ten hours a day doing mundane mindless work for some corporate machine. My life, such as it is, is anything but boring and I happen to like it that way.”
“So, how did you get into it then? Was there a job ad in the paper or something? ‘Spies wanted?’” He smirked.
