The day after Flora had been kidnapped, Riley was back at the Screaming Eagle Dojo, practicing the white belt forms with Dangles. They both had standard white martial arts uniforms now, although Riley had to admit he had a soft spot for the brightly colored Richard Simmons gear.
They were supposed to go through the forms, then go into a bout of practice fighting, at their own pace. They were in a class with a few younger men and women, all of whom were getting adjustments and attention from Stefan.
Just such a chance presented itself. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dangles go into the final movements of the form. Riley sped up so they were at an even pace. Then, they turned to each other, and bowed.
This is going to be so good, Riley thought, gearing up for their practice round.
Riley kicked things off with a kick, aiming squarely for Dangles's midsection. Dangles yelped as he dodged, then fell into a defensive stance. He hurriedly tried to throw a punch, but Riley was ready with a block. He pulled Dangles forward, then swept his legs out from under him with a kick. Dangles got back up, unsteady on his feet. He had never quite adjusted to having an eyepatch.
It had only been a few days since Riley had started martial arts training, but he had found a new purpose. He had put aside his old, childish dream of ending the world. Was that really going to work, anyway? No, it wasn't, but he had wanted the power that would have come with being the savior of mankind.
Coming back from the dead really alters your perspective, Riley thought as he ducked Dangles's kick.
Dangles rushed at Riley, but Riley ducked to Dangles's blind side and dropped him again, this time pinning him to the ground.
Dangles had to be more cautious and focused, Stefan had told them, because of his eyepatch. That didn't stop Riley from taking advantage of his handicap whenever he had the chance. All was fair when you were trying to win.
Besides, if Riley was going to move up in the ranks in martial arts, he had to show his prowess. No matter what Stefan said, Riley would earn a black belt in record time.
"Hey!" Dangles said, writhing beneath Riley's hold. "Watch it, bro!"
Riley stood up, throwing his hands out to the sides. "I am watching it!"
Dangles pushed himself up from the mat and dusted himself off, then glared at Riley.
"You were attacking me!" Dangles said. "We're just supposed to be going through the forms and have a practice bout. You did me dirty!" He pointed an accusatory finger at Riley. "You went straight for the kill!"
"The early bird gets the worm," Riley said. "And this bird wants to catch as many worms as he can!"
Just then, Stefan took notice of them, and came over. He crossed his arms, looking between the two of them for a long, silent moment. Riley found himself looking away under Stefan's disapproving gaze.
"Riley," he said in his calm voice. "Do you remember how we talked about the levels all building up on each other?"
Riley nodded; his head still turned away. He could feel the eyes of his classmates on him.
"Look at me," Stefan said.
Compelled, Riley turned to Stefan.
"Good," Stefan continued. "You remember, at least, that you are a white belt, correct?"
"Yes, master," Riley said. "I got carried away."
Stefan nodded. "I'm sure you did," he said. "However, this is a white belt class. You are both brand new to martial arts in general. Until you have both cultivated the proper respect for the belt - whether it's white or black - there is no point in brawling like a pair of stuck pigs. Do you understand?"
Abashed, Riley and Dangles nodded.
"Good," Stefan said. "Now, show me your forms." He looked at them sternly. "The white belt forms."
Reluctantly, both Riley and Dangles fell into the white belt forms, beginning with the punch, then falling into the block. Stefan rounded them as the class returned to normal. He watched them for a short time, particularly Riley, who felt like he was being assessed.
Then, he felt a pair of hands pressing down on his shoulders, and he jumped, shouting with surprise. He rounded on Stefan.
"What was that?" he asked, breathless.
Stefan eyed him with a cool expression. "Your shoulders were up to your ears," he explained. "I was trying to lower them."
"I'm good, thanks," Riley said, holding up his hands and stepping away. He didn't want anybody touching him while he was in the zone.
Stefan closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Feel free to take a short break," he said, looking up at Riley. "Both of you. Our private session will commence after this class. I do not want either of you fatigued."
They both nodded their understanding, then made their way to the male changing room, where Riley fell down onto a bench and sighed. Martial arts were hard. Harder than he had anticipated it being.
[SFX: phone buzzing]
Riley's head shot up and he went to his locker, digging out his phone. He checked the screen and saw the last name he expected to see: "Lincoln Ambrose."
Dangles looked over his shoulder. "What does he want?" he asked, sounding surprised.
Riley shrugged. "I have no idea," he said. He looked at Dangles. "Want to make yourself scarce while I take the call?"
Dangles gave him a grateful look. "You read my mind," he said, then dashed out of the changing room.
Riley answered the call, which turned out to be a Facetime. He was startled to see Lincoln's serious expression on his screen.
"Uh," Riley said, struggling to find the words. "Good morning, I guess?"
Lincoln took note of Riley's uniform. "Exploring a new hobby?"
"Yeah," Riley said, sniffing and putting his free hand on his hip. "Found a community that respects me and sees my worth. Can't say the same about my previous employer."
He had been hoping that Lincoln would feel the sting from his words, but the older man remained completely impassive.
"Are you in a changing room? You need to find somewhere private," Lincoln ordered. "What we're about to discuss had best not be overheard by prying ears."
Riley didn't see the point in arguing. "Give me a sec," he said.
He put himself and Lincoln on mute, then poked his head out of the changing room. There was nobody around. He found a supply closet which stank of cleaning fluids and hid in there for the duration of the call. He switched on the overhead light, then unmuted himself and Lincoln.
"Okay," Riley said sarcastically. "I'm somewhere private. Can you hear me?"
"Unfortunately I can," Lincoln said. He didn't give Riley time to protest. "Listen," Lincoln said, "while you were busy playing Karate Kid or whatever it is you're doing, I was doing men's work."
"You were trekking ten miles up a hill in the snow to shoot a deer so your family could eat for a week?" Riley said in a snide tone. "Or were you ripping the feathers off a duck you killed five minutes ago so you could make a coat for the winter?"
"Are you done?" Lincoln asked.
"I'm just getting started," Riley said, raising both eyebrows and feeling strangely excited. He had never liked being Lincoln's underling. Riley found it remarkably freeing to be able to finally say what he had always wanted to say. Unfortunately, Lincoln wasn't interested in hearing anything more.
"Save it," he snapped. "While you were karate chopping blocks of balsa wood, I took the next logical step in bringing down Alex."
"I'm not interested in hearing it," Riley said definitively. "I have a new purpose in life now! And that purpose is to become a martial arts grand master!"
Lincoln smiled. "I'm sure you believe that," he said. "But to return to my previous statement, I successfully kidnapped Flora."
Riley's face fell. "You did what?"
"I knew that would get your attention," Lincoln said, the hint of a laugh in his voice. "No matter how much you insist that you've moved beyond me, there's still a part of you that wants Alex out of the picture."
Lincoln hung up before Riley could reply. Riley turned off his phone and buried his head in his knees. He felt like an idiot. A very noble idiot, he had told a lot of people he was trying to be a good person after all, but there was a large part of him that missed the scheming.
The door to the supply closet opened and a shadow fell over Riley. He looked up to see Stefan looming over him.
"I said a quick break," Stefan said, grabbing Riley by the collar. "If you're going to waste my time, why are you even here?" He hoisted Riley up into the air so his feet were dangling inches off the ground.
"I can explain!" Riley protested.
But Stefan didn't give him time to explain. He marched Riley through the dojo, grabbing Dangles along the way, and tossed them both out into the street. They landed face first on the hard, rocky asphalt of the car park.
"And don't come back," Stefan yelled at them, "unless you're absolutely serious about your training!"
The door slammed closed as Riley and Dangles got to their feet. A few moments later, their bags and clothes landed in the street. They turned around and gathered their things, then they looked at each other, not quite sure what to make of it.
Finally, Dangles asked, "So, what did Lincoln want?"
Riley thought about his answer. "He kidnapped Flora Ambrose," he said.
Dangles let out a long, low whistle, clearly impressed.
"I know," Riley said. Then, after a moment of consideration, he said, "I think we'd better try to get her."
"Are you sure about that?" Dangles asked.
"Positive," Riley said. "It's going to be one hell of a Hail Mary, but we'll need a team."
"Riley Naysmith," Dangles said, grinning, "trying to be the good guy. Who would have thought?"
Nobody would have thought it possible. As they made their way out of the parking lot of the Screaming Eagle Dojo, Riley realized that Lincoln was right about one thing: Riley did indeed want Alex out of the picture.