Annihilation Prequel - Psychic Beginnings (3 page)

Cynthia now knew the name of evil: Tao.

The Kahn got a hardened look on his face and said, “What is your request?”

“I humbly ask for you to make my chosen one of your Clan Favored.”

Tao said loudly, “You can’t do that. She’s done nothing to deserve it.”

The Kahn looked at Tao briefly and then said, “Unfortunately, he’s right.”

“Great Kahn, allow me the opportunity to try and persuade the Great Clan why she deserves their favor. I know it is not something that is given lightly.”

The Kahn looked at the two women helping Cynthia stand and they looked at each other and then nodded to the Kahn.

“You may address the Clan,” as he looked at Tao and continued, “Without interruption.”

Tao’s anger was visible.

The young man turned and faced the warriors surrounding the room and began, “I’ve already told you why I chose her those many years ago. But there are things that you would never know about her unless you spend time watching her. She goes to the hospital on weekends to deliver toys to the children there. She purchases those toys with her family’s money and money she earns working at the library. Some of your children here have received toys from her. What you may not know is that she is brilliant and intends to go to Harvard Medical School and study to be a doctor. She also plans after she graduates to come back to this community and open a free medical clinic to help those that are too poor to afford health care.”

Cynthia blurted out, “How do you know this. No one knows about those plans. How can you know these things?”

The young man looked at her and said, “Because you are my chosen.” He then turned back to the gathered Clan, “The value she will have to your community is tremendous. She is worth protecting simply because of what she is going to do for you and your families. But that is not the main reason for you to give her your favor.” This caused many in the room to look at each other. “She should be given your favor because of no fault of her own she will be brutally attacked by one of your own who has made a travesty of your law. Who will protect her if I am unable to do so?”

The Kahn listened and looked out at the gathered warriors. He could see their feelings and he turned to the two women and said, “Take her and prepare her, Clan Mothers.”

Cynthia looked at the young man as she was lead from the room and he nodded at her. She then looked at Tao and saw he was red faced from his anger. “Anything that makes him that mad is worth doing,” she thought as she left the room.

Cynthia was taken to a small room surrounded by lime green curtains that hung from the ceiling to the floor. She walked through the curtains until she arrived at a small space with cushions on the floor. The older of the two women sat down on a cushion and pulled Cynthia down. “Child, what do you know about the Wang-dao?”

“Nothing, Clan Mother. Tonight was my first contact with any of your Clan.”

“The Wang-dao Clan was formed by the great Wang-dao who was our leader and teacher. We were little more than a street gang when he favored us with his presence. He taught us the way for us to live in harmony and protect ourselves against the outside world. He was the strongest warrior in the Clan’s history. He gave us a book of his laws and commanded us to follow them. I guess from your perspective we are nothing more than a street gang, but we represent so much more than those hoodlums.”

Cynthia furrowed her brow, “How are you any different? My experience tonight of being attacked by one of your warriors doesn’t show me a lot of humanity in your Clan members.”

The Clan Mother shrugged, “I can’t disagree with you but there is a difference. We do not allow the people in our territory to be victims of criminals. Burglars, organized crime, violent offenders, sex offenders are stopped from preying on those that live in our territory. Have you never noticed how safe it is to live in this part of the city?”

Cynthia thought for a moment and realized that the Clan Mother was right. Her father never had a case to defend in this part of the city. All of the criminal cases were elsewhere.

The Clan Mother continued, “We do conduct illegal activities to fund the Clan. Drugs, gambling, and other things are done here but those that use these services do so by choice. We do not force them on anyone. We also are very heavy handed in protecting the Clan’s interests. We have to do that to guarantee our safety. Your chosen, I know he’s not your chosen but you are his, has asked for you to be made a Clan Favored. Let me explain what that is. Our favored are those that are not members of the Clan, but through their actions have earned the right to the Clan’s protection. We will not allow a favored to be harmed. By granting you this status, no member of the Clan, or anyone else, can disrespect or harm you in any way. To do so would carry a very heavy penalty.” Cynthia stared at the Clan Mother and she nodded, “Death is the penalty for any Wang-dao that violates that status. I think you can understand why he has asked for you to receive this gift from us.” Cynthia knew it was to insure that Tao would not harm her. The Clan Mother continued, “There are requirements of those that accept our favors.”

Cynthia looked the Clan Mother in the eyes and asked, “What are those?”

“You cannot do anything that would harm the Clan and you must learn our laws. You can also not reveal any of the inner workings of our society to anyone. You must keep secret anything you learn about how our Clan operates. You must never say anything bad about us and to the best of your ability support and protect our community. Can you agree to do this knowing what you now know?”

Cynthia thought hard. She knew the Clan did things that were illegal. She also knew that some of their warriors were out of control and that bothered her greatly. However, she knew that the young man who had saved her wanted her to have it and she sensed that he felt it was critical for her survival. She knew that the world was not fair and that sometimes bad things happened. She had her principles, but she also knew that reality and principles didn’t often mix well. She also sensed that the gathered warriors did not approve of Tao’s actions and that gave her a better feeling about the Clan taken as a whole. “I can agree to your requirements,” she said.

“One more thing, child; is what he said about you wanting to open a free clinic true?”

“Yes it is and I have no idea how he knows that. Even my parents don’t know about that plan. I have only discussed it once with my best friend. I know there was no one else present when I said it.”

“It appears that the one who has chosen you is a remarkable individual. We don’t know where he learned our laws but he appears to know them better than our Great Kahn.”

Cynthia had an idea, “Could he be protected by making him a Clan Favored?”

The Clan Mother shook her head, “No, there is no reprieve from the Gen-Cho.”

“Does he stand a chance of surviving?”

The other woman looked at Cynthia, “Tao is our strongest and most talented warrior. If he is holding the two swords, he cannot be defeated by any other member of our Clan. He is deadly and efficient in the arts of combat.”

“Are you saying the one that chose me will die tonight?”

The two women looked at each other, “If he faces Tao, he will die.”

“Is there anything I can do to save him?”

“No, Child; but you can honor him by witnessing his sacrifice and maintaining your composure. He will have enough to worry about without seeing your anguish.”

Cynthia took a deep breath and shuttered, “I will try to do so. I just hate that he is giving his life for me and there’s nothing I can do to thank him.”

“Sometimes that is the way life is, Child.” The two women stood and Cynthia joined them as they moved through the curtains back toward the main hall.

Tao stood and said, “I am ready to begin the Gen-Cho.”

Kahn said, “We will not begin until the Clan Mothers have completed the interview and reported their findings.”

Tao sat down and felt his blood flow faster as the anticipation of combat permeated his consciousness. This bug was going to die of a thousand cuts.

The Clan Mothers entered followed by Cynthia. They moved to the center of the room and the oldest faced the gathered warriors. She simply said, “She is worthy;” the two then moved back to their place behind the Kahn’s chair.

The Kahn then looked out at the gathered warriors and said, “You have been asked to make this woman one of our Clan Favored. What is your wish?”

All the warriors in the room stood and raised both arms over their head. The Kahn looked around the large assembly and saw that the vote was unanimous. He could not remember anyone ever getting everyone to agree. He turned and looked at Cynthia, “You have been granted favored status in the Clan. Please kneel and extend your left arm.” Cynthia looked at the young man and he nodded to her. She knelt on her right knee and extended her arm. The eldest Clan Mother came forward and put a bracelet around her wrist and snapped it closed. The Kahn then said, “Cynthia, you are now one of the Clan’s Favored. We welcome you to our company.” All the warriors in the room loudly chanted, “Wang-dao, Wang-dao, Wang-dao,” and then sat back down in silence. The Kahn then said, “Please join the Clan Mothers.”

Cynthia looked at the Kahn and asked, “May I first speak with the one that has chosen me?”

The Kahn nodded and thought, “This should be an interesting conversation”.

The young man was sitting on the floor when he saw Cynthia say something to the Kahn and turn and walk toward him. “Uh oh.”

Cynthia sat down next to him, “First, what is your name?”

“Anthony Gardner.”

“Do I call you Anthony, Tony, what?”

“Just call me AG.”

“Two letter name, that’s cute. Why did you say you saw this day happening nine years ago? Were you lying?”

AG stared at her for a moment, “Cynthia, to lie in this building would be a sin. These people know when they hear the truth. I would not disrespect this building by being dishonest. I saw this the moment I chose you.”

“How did you know today was the day?”

“In my vision you were wearing your cheerleading outfit and Robert had on navy blue slacks and a red and yellow striped shirt. I always checked your car in the mornings to see if your outfit was in it or if you wore it to school. I also looked at Robert to see what he had on. This was the first day both of you wore the clothes in my vision at the same time.”

“I suspect it is not in your nature to be dishonest about anything is it?” AG simply nodded. “Why have you not approached me and told me about your interest?”

“I’ve already answered that question.”

“Yes, but you’re saying that I would have rejected you.”

AG stared at Cynthia and finally said, “I have been watching you over the years and have seen all of the boyfriends that you have chosen. They all had common characteristics; good looks, wealthy families, popularity, and a total lack of substance and character.”

“Ouch. You’re right and none of them really touched my heart. Did you ever wonder why I selected that group of losers?” AG was surprised at her response but nodded. “If I didn’t have a boyfriend then I was constantly harassed by boys wanting to ask me out. It was a nuisance. By choosing those boys most of the others left me alone for the same reason you did. I honestly did think that Robert was better than the others except for his ego, but even he didn’t make me really happy. I find that you interest me greatly and now you’re going to go and get yourself killed because of me in a few minutes and there’s nothing I can do to prevent it. I still have so many questions about how you know so much; is there anything you can do to avoid this fight? Would apologizing, groveling, begging, or anything keep you from this duel?”

AG smiled at her, “What do you think would happen if I tried that?”

Cynthia looked down, looked over at the angry warrior, and shook her head, “He’d kill you anyway. That warrior is pure evil.” Cynthia leaned forward and hugged AG and kissed him. “Thank you for saving my life. I’m dying at the thought of you losing yours because of me.”

AG smiled, “You just made the whole night worth it, but there’s something I haven’t told you.”

“What is that?”

“I’m here to tonight to save two people.”

Cynthia furrowed her brow, “Two? Who’s the other?”

AG smiled, stood up, and said, “Tao, of course. He’s actually worth it.” He looked over at Tao and said, “If he doesn’t kill me first.” He walked out into the middle of the floor.”

Cynthia watched him walk away and was shocked. She didn’t know what to think. She stood and walked over to the Clan Mothers.

T
he Kahn watched the young man stand and walk out into the middle of the floor. Tao was already there twisting and bending to loosen up for the challenge and he looked impatient for it to start. The Kahn actually liked the young man and wished there was some way to save him but he knew that it was out of his control. He was going to have to rein in Tao or have him voted out of the Clan; he was becoming too dangerous and unpredictable. However, that was for later; right now, it was the Gen-Cho. He walked out and stood between the two. Tao seemed to dwarf the smaller challenger. Tao was six feet seven inches tall and powerfully built. The Kahn knew he was as quick as a cat, even at his size. This was not a fair fight. The young man took off his jacket and the Kahn immediately noticed that he was also well muscled. He was about six feet tall and he was a match of Tao at a shorter height. The Kahn knew, however, that muscles were not the important thing in these challenges; fighting skills and training were necessary for success and Tao trained incessantly.

The Kahn faced the gathered members of the Clan and announced, “We have had a Gen-Cho challenge to Tao from this outsider. I ask again, Tao, that you release this challenge.”

“I will not.”

The Kahn saw that the Clan was not happy with Tao’s decision. “It makes it easier to vote him out later,” he thought. “Then as challenged you have the first choice of weapons unless you wish to offer that choice to your challenger.”

Tao sneered and said, “I choose the two swords.”