Tensions died down at the Screaming Eagle Dojo. After Master Stefan agreed to train Riley and Dangles, the two went all out. They waltzed into the studio the next day in brightly colored, skin-tight workout gear. Riley donned sweatbands around his head and wrists. Dangles wore neon-orange leg warmers.
Stefan looked the two up and down. "My aerobics class is on Tuesdays."
Riley stretched, bending forward to touch his toes. "Aerobics? Don't be silly. We're here for the men's sport. Karate. The art form of the great Bruce Lee."
Louis scoffed from the back of the room. He and Ken had arrived at the studio earlier. "You look more like Richard Simmons than Bruce Lee."
Dangles indignantly put his hands on his hips. "This was all I had in my closet, alright?"
Riley lifted a hand loosely. "And I blew up my closet and everything in it when I detonated the building."
Stefan's eyes grew wide with concern. "You what?" He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. "You know what? It doesn't matter what you wear. What matters is that your hearts are open and your mind is clear."
Ken maneuvered in front of Riley and Dangles. He squatted down in front of Stefan and pointed a tiny camcorder up at the instructor.
Stefan glanced down. "Ken, what are you doing?"
Ken squinted, looking into the viewfinder of the camera. "You won't even know I'm here."
The rowdy bunch of students tested Stefan's patience. He bit his bottom lip. "I know you're here, Ken."
The reporter paused the recording. "Okay, hear me out. This is by far the best angle for the documentary. The most villainous man in Baltimore," Ken said before he stopped and looked over his shoulder at Riley. "No offense."
Riley nonchalantly shrugged. "None taken."
Ken continued. "The most villainous man in Baltimore wants to become a good guy. Now he and his idiotic assistant join a dojo?" He pinched his fingers together and blew a kiss. "Everyone loves redemption arcs." He gestured around the room. "I need this footage. It's one of the most important parts of the journey."
Stefan let out a heavy sigh. "Fine. Just try to stay out of my way, Ken."
The reporter resumed recording. "Who knows? Maybe after they're done with their training, these two will be bonafide members of the Demon Sect."
The thought sent chills down Louis's spine. Riley becoming a member of the Demon Sect? He didn't exactly like the sound of that. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves."
Stefan scratched the back of his neck. "So, uh, anyway. Riley and Todrick, we should start the two of you off with a series of simple movements. We call this a form. Forms help engrain the motions into your body. That way, if you ever need to execute these movements, it will be like muscle memory. This is the first form, designed for white belts just starting out."
White belts? Riley didn't like the sound of that. "No, I want to do the form for black belts."
Stefan pinched the bridge of his nose. "The levels all build upon each other. You can't begin with a more complex form. You need to master the basics."
Riley rapidly karate-chopped the air. "How was that?"
The jerky movements didn't impress Stefan. "It was horrible. Now, watch me demonstrate. Then, you can try to do it along with me and mirror my movements."
In one effortless motion, Stefan clenched his hand into a tight fist and performed a combination of moves to his left, a low block, and a punch. He turned swiftly to his right and repeated the combination, but this time, even more powerfully. His chest glimmered in the light pouring through the window. Riley watched in awe the karate master, who was clearly at the top of his game.
Ken caught every move on his camcorder. "This is cinema."
After Stefan centered himself, he bowed at Riley and Dangles. "Now, are you two ready to follow along?"
With a terrified look in his eyes, Dangles shook his head. "No."
Riley elbowed his assistant. "We were born ready."
Ken whipped his camera around to face the students.
Stefan slowly stepped forward. "Bring your right foot forward to the left."
Simultaneously, Riley and Dangles took giant, clunky steps.
Riley's lips twisted into a confident smirk. "Well, that was easy."
Stefan subtly rolled his eyes. "Keep your arms at attention. Then, swing your left down, blocking any blows to your lower abdomen. This is all about integrity, upholding your body, and protecting what's sacred to you."
Riley thrashed his arm through the air. He mumbled to himself. "I wish I knew about this when I fought Alex. Maybe I would still have my sacred laboratory."
Stefan raised an eyebrow. "Did you say something, Riley?"
Riley's eyes went wide with fear. Not wanting to give away his position, he lied to Stefan. "Uh, I, um. I said that this move is very useful."
Without uttering another word, Stefan whipped out a punch. The whoosh of his fist hurtling through the air prompted the two pupils to jump back.
"Next move is a solid punch," Stefan explained. "While it's important to keep your fist firm, it's more important to plant your feet on the ground. I always say that a wavering opponent is a weak opponent."
Riley shuffled his feet, then slammed his fist forward with a grunt. "Take that, Ambrose!"
After realizing what he said, he quickly corrected himself. "And by Ambrose, I mean Lincoln Ambrose! Not Alex!"
With a dopey smile on his face, Dangles discreetly gave his boss a thumbs-up. "Good cover," he whispered.
Growing suspicious, Stefan watched closely as the two men whispered to each other. He furrowed his brows, his expression speaking volumes, as if to say allowing these two clowns into the class was a mistake. Riley and Dangles took up all of Stefan's attention, leaving the others in the class to practice their moves on their own, without the instructor's input.
Louis bit his lower lip as he watched Stefan guide, or at least try to guide, the two newcomers to class. No doubt about it, Riley and Dangles were a couple of buffoons, and it became apparent to everyone in class that the two weren't cut out for martial arts.
Stefan demonstrated as he spoke. "Okay, now return to the center, and do the same combination on the right side."
Riley adjusted his sweatband before he executed the second half of the form. Then, he rapidly flew through the movements. Dangles attempted to keep up, stumbling the whole time.
Witnessing the sorry display, Stefan pursed his lips. "Slower."
The two men heeded his demand, executing another low block and punch.
Leisurely, Stefan stalked closer to Riley. "Why are you in such a rush, Mr. Naysmith?"
Riley tried not to scowl at his teacher. "I have a lot of plans."
Stefan puffed out his masterfully sculpted chest. "Are those plans of world domination?"
Riley shook his head. He lied through his teeth. "Not anymore."
Sitting in the back of the dojo, Louis watched as his instructor grilled the two men. An uneasy feeling washed over him. Sweat formed on his brow. He dabbed it with his shirt.
Did I make a grave mistake allowing Riley to come back into our lives? He thought. If I did, it's too late to go back now.
***
Twenty-four hours had passed since Lincoln had last heard from Dangles.
Fury, rage, and anger all bubbled up in the pit of Lincoln's stomach.
If looks could kill, he would have burnt a hole through his phone. He clutched the electronic device in his fist, unable to bring himself to put it down. "Why hasn't that little weasel returned?"
Lincoln clenched his teeth. "You go fetch them, all of them. Bring them here."
Justin squeezed his eyes shut. "I told you yesterday, I'm not carting all these idiots around the city. I refuse." The young man stood up. "I will go there, kill them, and bring them back here."
Lincoln pounded his fist into the palm of his other hand. "That is not how we do things! How many times do I have to tell you? You do it my way, or you don't do it at all."
Justin unbuttoned the collar of his dress shirt. "Fine. I won't do it, then."
Lincoln shook his fist in his grandson's face. "You'll do as I say!"
Justin chuckled. "You know I'm right. Dongle or whatever his name was the nail in the coffin. This plan is going to fail."
His body tensed, and Lincoln's cheeks turned red. "Why must you constantly disobey me?"
Justin shook his head in disbelief. "Why are you so hard on me?"
Lincoln's bottom lip trembled. "Because you're my…"
The old man hesitated. "I'm your…" He bit his lip. "I'm your grandfather. That's why I'm hard on you." His meaty hands gripped the sides of Justin's face. "You are mine, in a way that's more special than you'll ever know."
Confused by his grandfather's emotional outburst, Justin removed Lincoln's hands from his face. "I'm going to take a walk. I need to get some air"
Lincoln watched as his grandson stormed out of the bunker. His eyes filled with tears the second Justin left. "He'll never know. I'm going to die, and he'll never know."
He stumbled through the maze of hallways that made up the bunker. Pulling an ornate key out of his pocket, Lincoln unlocked a heavy, metal door located at the very end of the longest hallway.
He flipped on the light switch. The room was no bigger than a closet.
Besides a few cobwebs, the tiny room contained only a plain, wooden bookshelf. Thick photo albums sat on the shelves, their spines facing outward. A phone that looked as if it were from the 1970s was positioned in the middle of the bookshelf.
One photo album read "ALEX" on the spine, written in loopy, cursive handwriting. "JUSTIN" was written on about five separate albums. A countless number of albums were inscribed with "FLORA" on the side, some with hearts, and some with her name scribbled out.
Lincoln pulled out one of the albums that said "FLORA." As he moved the book, dust particles floated in the air. He skimmed through the pages until he found a manilla envelope. It was the same one he taunted Debbie and Mark with when they were held hostage in Enrichment.
He opened the folder to a paper that said "DNA TEST" in black, bold letters.
He drew in a deep breath. "Time is passing by. I can't live with this any longer."
He reached out and dialed a number on the old telephone. He brought the phone to his ear.