by David Bruno
Benny hurried to his feet and sprinted back to Giganto. The giant grabbed Vanessa. His massive hands squeezed her buttocks as she screamed, “Let me go!”
Other people observed what was going on and gave them ample space to sort the situation out. The band continued.
Benny tried to force himself between them. Again, Giganto pushed Benny aside with a firm palm to his face. That’s it! Benny threw the first punch. He swung and landed a right hook behind the giant’s ear, which was almost a foot higher than his. The sheer size of the man meant that Benny’s normal punch, as strong as he was, only served to irritate Giganto, rather than hurt him.
“Okay, boy. You need some manners.” He tossed Vanessa across the dance floor like a rag doll. She squealed as she slid to the edge of the eating area.
Vanessa hurried to her feet and shouted, “Benny, let’s get out of here!”
“Not a chance, Vanessa. Cro-Magnon here needs a lesson.” Laughter erupted around the bar at his boisterous boast.
Just then, the bartender shouted, “Okay, Ken. You made your point. I don’t want you to break the place and have to throw you out of here again!”
“I’ll leave as soon as I squash this bug,” said Ken. Benny adopted his best defensive posture. His stance widened, with his right foot behind and his body posture tilted forward. His head lowered slightly downward, and he held his hands up in front of him. He was ready for any sudden movements from the giant.
Benny knew that if he could get struck correctly, he would be powered up and the big guy wouldn’t stand a chance. But there was always the possibility that Ken could land a knock-out punch on his first swing. Even though he would power up almost instantly, he could still get a concussion and lose consciousness if he was hit hard enough. If that happened, the fight would be over. He needed to be smart.
Vanessa stood by, watching. Just in case, she pulled her sling from her purse along with a couple steel balls. If Benny couldn’t handle this guy, she would be ready.
In spite of the danger—particularly to Ken—Vanessa was interested in seeing how well Benny could fight. There was something chivalrous about him defending her. Although today’s society says displays of masculinity like this are toxic, she found it appealing—down to her bones.
She cheered for her man, accepting that it was too late to simply walk away. “Go get him, Benny!”
Benny bobbed and weaved around the dance floor.
“You think you’re some kind of fighter, boy? Stand still and take your medicine,” Ken ordered.
“Come on, big guy. Ken, was it? You should be scared. You’re about to be embarrassed—I’d give it thirty seconds.”
Ken laughed heartily. “You know what Ken is short for? Kenworth. I’m as big and strong as one. You’re dead, little boy.”
Ken swung at the air in front of Benny, who was too quick to be caught up in the flailing. Benny quickly realized that Ken might be strong, but he was not trained in fighting. He almost felt bad for him. With his new confidence, he took his eye off Ken for a moment to look toward Vanessa and smile. Just then, Ken landed a quick surprise left jab to Benny’s cheekbone. The force of the punch threw Benny backward onto the floor for a second time, and it hurt… a lot. The locals cheered as Ken put his hands in the air at his triumph.
It was not the knock-out blow that Benny had feared. But it was enough to effectively charge him.
As the giant played to the crowd, he didn’t notice Benny stand up. His cheek was sore, but he was otherwise unhurt. The pink hue his skin took was invisible in the colored lights of the dance floor.
“Hey, Giganto,” Benny called. “Ten seconds left. Nine… Eight… ”
Ken noticed Benny was on his feet and back into his stance. He charged Benny.
Benny cut loose with a rapid left, right, left. Ken stopped in his tracks. The sound of cracked ribs was heard over the background noise of the audience just like at school all those years ago. Benny had disciplined himself to intentionally hold back, only releasing bits of his amplified energy with each punch. After all, he didn’t want to kill Ken. Embarrassing him and impressing Vanessa were his intentions.
“Oooo,” groaned the crowd at the realization of Ken’s pain.
“Five… four… ” Benny leapt into the air. Had Ken been a trained fighter and not already suffering broken ribs, he might have known to move out of the way. Instead, he looked up at Benny, who was just above his eye level. As Benny came down, he unleashed his remaining amplified energy and struck the giant on the side of his head, knocking him out cold. Ken found himself facedown on the dance floor with blood trickling from his face. But he was alive.
Benny stood over his triumph, cracked his neck and scanned the shocked spectators in the bar. With his chest puffed out, he clenched his fist and beat his chest. His biceps were fully engorged with blood and pumped up, stretching his shirt. He was today’s champion.
Vanessa smirked and nodded as she mouthed the word Wow. She put her sling back in her purse. Benny didn’t kill him.
The unmistakable sound of a racking shotgun penetrated the stunned silence. It was the bartender.
She demanded, “Get out of here, you freaks. Ain’t nobody that strong without being a freak. We don’t like your kind around here. Get outta here before we call the cops.”
Benny walked over to Vanessa. “Let’s go. This is about how it went the last time. These are the people the Agency wants to control. Maybe we should let ’em.” He grabbed her arm as if taking possession of his woman.
This was a new side of Benny, a cocky side. Vanessa liked it but he went a bit too far. Maybe it was all the adrenaline. She was the property of no man. But that was a discussion for another time.
The pair dropped a hundred dollars cash on the table to pay for their meal and departed the bar.
*****
The pair drove west. When they were about five minutes outside of Barstow, Benny said, “I’m hungry again. I burned some energy and need to eat. Are you hungry?”
“No, I didn’t hammer on anyone like you did. Nor did I raise my shield. Just stop at some fast-food place. I’d like to get to the park as soon as we can to get some sleep. It’s been a very long day. Let’s see—I ran away from my dad, went away with a near stranger, and got into a bar fight. Good times. Now, I’m not a trained fighter, but do you want me to tell you what you did wrong back there at the bar?” She shot a piercing stare at Benny.
“Great. Go ahead and tell me all about it,” Benny grumbled. He was still coming down from the adrenaline rush and was not in the mood to hear her critique.
“Well, you did some good and some bad. First the bad.” She paused for a moment. He didn’t react, just looked straight ahead. “Okay, you hit him first, for crying out loud. He was a loudmouth and a brute, but you shouldn’t have hit him first.”
Benny thought for a moment. “Remember, he threw me like I was nothing before I hit him. But I guess you’re right. I swung first. Go on.”
“You took your eye off him to look at me and let him get a clean shot to your face. I know I looked hot, but when you’re fighting, look at the guy you’re fighting,” she said with a hint of jest. “Don’t underestimate your opponent. By the way, is your face okay?”
“Yeah. A little sore, but I’m fine.”
“Lastly, when you jumped in the air, you exposed yourself. If he had been a good fighter, he would have simply moved, or worse, hit your undercarriage. That could hurt, armored or not. Don’t do that either.”
“Did I do anything well?” he asked peevishly.
“Yeah. You defended me. Maybe we can work as a team. Now I know you’ll be there for me when I need you. You also showed restraint. You could easily have killed that man but didn’t.” He is not a murderer. Whew!
“That’s not easy with my abilities. Your father told you that I killed two men not long ago. He was there and saw it. It was when we were security guards. Sure, they were very bad guys. But I didn’t mean to kill them. I’m asha
med. I was too eager and caught up in the moment and lost control. That’s a constant worry for me. Knowing now what your dad did—he’s the reason I wasn’t arrested and jailed. You know, I pray for those guys each night.” Benny felt his sore cheek as he kept an eye on the dark highway ahead of them. “And now you call me a killer.” He exhaled deeply.
“I’m sorry, Benny. No, my dad didn’t tell me that detail until before we left.” She put her hand on Benny’s shoulder. “I think what happened was an accident. That’s not who you are. What do you mean you pray for them?”
“Huh? Don’t you ever pray for anyone’s soul? You forgive them and you ask for forgiveness in return.”
“Not really. My dad didn’t exactly take us to church on the weekends. It just didn’t come up.”
“Does it bother you that I go to church when I can and believe in God? Although I think He’s forgotten about me lately.”
“No, it doesn’t bother me. I just thought only old people went anymore. It seems less relevant today,” she said.
“Well, I can believe that if you listen to the news and what comes out of most media these days. You’ll go crazy if you listen to them. I hadn’t gone in a while since my family died but went back once after I tried to… ” He stopped.
“What did you try to do?”
“Nothing. Forget it.”
Benny pulled the RV into a fast-food restaurant. The vehicle was too big to go through the drive-through, so he parked it and decided to order some take-out.
“Sure you don’t want anything, Vanessa? My treat.”
“No thanks.”
“Come with me anyway. I need a second pair of hands.” He smiled.
Benny and Vanessa went inside. He ordered five double cheeseburgers, five orders of fries, two shakes, and three large sodas. Vanessa looked at him in astonishment. She ate a lot after using her powers. But this was another level of munchies. She didn’t say anything to attract unwanted attention. It was enough for the cashier to assume his order was for five people. They took the food back to the RV, and Benny began to eat.
“My power is very physical and I need energy,” Benny explained as he zealously bit into his first burger. “The only downside is the next morning. All this food needs to come out somehow. You might be sorry you came with me on this trip.”
Vanessa curled up her nose at the thought. She said, “You’re gross. We haven’t known each other long enough to talk about such things. Just let me know beforehand so I can get some fresh air, please.” They shared a laugh.
After eating, Benny used his GPS to guide the pair south to the RV park that he had called earlier in the day. He and Vanessa were fortunate that there was space available on such short notice. It was late when they arrived and parked in their space. They’d had a long day with no further communication from Max.
“Where am I going to sleep?” asked Vanessa with a clever smile.
“Hadn’t thought of that. My RV only has a single bed. Do you want it? I can sleep on the couch.”
Vanessa’s smile went away.
“We still don’t know each other very well, and we aren’t married,” Benny said.
“Oh, uh, okay.” She slowly shook her head.
“I’m gonna grab a shower. Make yourself comfortable and help yourself to anything in the fridge,” Benny told Vanessa.
She took a bottle of water and spent the time while he was in the shower doing a little snooping. There weren’t many personal effects on display in the RV. She saw a handful of pictures, presumably of his family, but little else. Then she went to his bedroom, figuring she might find something to give her a better idea of who Benny really was. She was certain now that she liked him. But there were things she wanted to know. She stumbled upon a stuffed dinosaur between the pillows of a properly made bed. She wondered why it was there, but more interestingly, why he bothered making his bed.
“Whatcha doing? Find anything interesting?” Benny asked as he stepped out of the shower wrapped in a towel from waist to knees.
He was far more muscular than she’d thought. His shirt covered up the effect of a significant amount of exercise. Perhaps the tone was the result of using his powers. Whatever the reason, she had a hard time looking at him in the eye.
“What? Huh? Sorry. Just looking around,” she said, stuttering and trying not to stare. Her heart pounded.
“Find anything interesting?” he repeated.
“Can you please put on some clothes? This is distracting,” she said sheepishly.
Benny, oblivious to her discomfort, replied, “I was going to. My clothes are in my bedroom, in the wardrobe behind you.”
“Oh. Okay. I’ll leave, then. My turn for a shower.” She left embarrassed, staring at the floor on her way out. She felt dirty after the day’s events and knew she’d feel better after a shower.
They retired to their separate spaces and tried their best to sleep.
CH 16
SWEETIE AND BABE
THREE DAYS TO GO
The California sun woke the pair from their slumber. They hoped that this day would be easier than the last. Somehow, they both doubted that would be the case.
“What should we do today?” Benny asked.
“I was thinking about that. I think we need to practice using our powers. If we’re to believe what uncle… Dr. Doe said—the Agency said—we only have three days left until something very bad happens. If we’re going to stop it, we need to train. Neither of us has used our powers to support a teammate. It would be good to know each other’s limits. Maybe we can even expand those limits.” She paused. “I don’t have fighting skills like you. Maybe you can train me a little bit.”
“So you want to actually go through with this—battling the Agency, I mean. It’s suicide.” I’m not interested in suicide. Not any longer.
“What choice do we have? Millions of people will suffer if we don’t. Like it or not, we have a responsibility.”
Benny was taken aback. “You really are a born hero, Vanessa. Or should I call you Aegis?” This kind of selflessness doesn’t come out of thin air. She had to learn it. Maybe there is good in Max after all, and it went into Vanessa.
“Only in uniform, sweetie. Seriously, though, can you teach me?” She furrowed her brow and waited patiently for Benny.
“You want me to teach you jiu-jitsu? I’m not much of a teacher.” Sweetie?
“Would that be appropriate for someone like me? Is that what you were trained in?”
“Uh-huh. Mostly. I tried boxing. That wasn’t practical, though, because it involves getting hit. Take a guess what happened.”
“Ah, I get it. Jiu-jitsu it is, then. Can you teach me, sensei?” she joked. “Anything you can show me will be helpful. Like… what is jiu-jitsu?”
Benny snorted. “I called Coach Stevens ‘sensei’ once and he leveled me. Don’t do that. Jiu-jitsu is basically a way of using the body’s leverage and balance to take down larger and stronger opponents. It means ‘the gentle art’ because it doesn’t rely on weapons or excess violence. You don’t pound someone to a pulp or shoot them. You make them submit so you can walk away. I’m not sure you’d be a natural at that, given your prowess with the slingshot. I guess neither am I, with my amped-up strength and what I’ve done recently.”
“True that… sweetie,” she affirmed with a grin.
“I can try to teach you a bit. But first, breakfast.” He pulled out a box of cereal from the cabinet and poured a bowl for each of them.
Ugh, cereal, groused Vanessa.
They stopped talking and focused on eating breakfast. Benny took the time to read a bit of the book he had started the past week while on his travels.
“Whatcha reading?” asked a bored Vanessa, leaning over his shoulder.
Benny, whose attention was on the story, became startled. He jerked his hands and sliced his finger on a page.
“Ouch.” Benny casually put a napkin on the cut to stop the bleeding.
“Oh, my God!” shout
ed Vanessa, as she jumped back. “How can the armored man possibly be cut by a simple piece of paper?”
“I’m not invincible.” Benny wondered if he knew Vanessa well enough to tell her of his weaknesses, especially since he’d just blurted out one of them. After a brief pause and the realization that she would keep asking until he clarified, he decided to trust her. “I can be cut if it’s done gently. Things like paper, knives, and needles can penetrate my skin if they approach me the right way. If you throw a knife at me, it’ll bounce off. But if you hold me down and gently drive it into me, I could die. My skin doesn’t react to gentle force like it does to hard impacts. I can even cut myself shaving.” Benny waited for a reaction from Vanessa.
Vanessa held his hand. She looked at him with her large eyes, focused on every word. “Thank you for trusting me. As you can imagine, I can be hurt in any way a normal person can. However, if I see it coming, I instinctively raise my shields and deflect anything. At least, I haven’t found anything yet that I can’t deflect. If I don’t see it coming, there’s no shield. It takes a lot of energy, which is why I get hungry like you—well, not quite like you, but you get the point. As I said before, I can’t take the fight to the enemy, just protect myself from them. That’s why I need you to teach me how to fight. Umm, can anything else hurt you?”
“Well, even though my skin armors up almost instantly, the soft tissue beneath takes a few seconds longer. My brain, heart, stomach, and other organs can be hurt if I get hit too hard during that time. Figured that out from a couple concussions and other injuries I had while learning my powers. If Giganto had hit me just right in my head when I looked away while unarmored, I could have had a concussion or worse. The fight would have been over right then. You were right to criticize me for that.” He took a second to measure Vanessa’s reaction. “How did you get so good with a slingshot, and why a slingshot?”
