-Amber and Kyle on their fire joint patrol of The Marketplace.
Amber avoided having a conversation with Kyle with a series of polite verbal stoppers like “You don’t say,” or “Is that so?” It was much like what Jinx had done on the wall with her earlier. She could tell that he was getting a little miffed with her. He twirled his club over and around his shoulder as if casually practicing some kind of fancy maneuver with it to impress her.
Amber ignored it. He offered to buy her a drink when they stopped at a stand, but the vendor offered it to her for free. She declined on both accounts. At each booth, bits and morsels were offered to the both of them. Amber thought it unprofessional to accept free food, but Kyle had no problem with it and helped himself at every booth at which they stopped. All the while, Kyle seemed to be getting even more and more agitated at Amber’s ignoring him. His stabs at conversation became more and more hostile and direct. It was if her ignoring him was motivating him to try harder.
“You don’t say much do you, Red?”
“My name is not Red.”
Kyle and Amber had been patrolling the food district like this for nearly two hours when a wild-eyed young man dressed in rigid jeans and a hooded sweatshirt ran up on them.
“What’s up, Shorty?” Kyle asked the child. “Shorty’s dad owns the Green Plumb, one of the best pubs on the bridge. His cider is literally to die for.” He added for Amber’s benefit.
“Is that so?”
“It’s Billy Hannigan! He says he’s going to cut off daddy’s jewels if he doesn’t let him back in the pub!”
“Oh he did, did he? Is he drunk?”
“Yeah, and he’s with three of his boys! They’re threatenin’ Daddy!”
“Well, we’ll see what we can do about that.”
Kyle and Amber followed Shorty to the entrance of The Green Plumb. Several people were scurrying out. When they stepped inside, the huge six-and-a–half-foot hulking frame of Billy Hannigan, Amber assumed, was hovering over a small barkeep.
“My coin is as good as anyone’s! Pour me a cider, you little—”
“Billy! How you doin’? Long time no see!” Kyle spoke loudly.
Amber surveyed the room. She began planning movements and counter movements based on the position and posture of the suspect. Several strategies, counter strategies, and alternatives to those began to form in her mind. Three of Billy’s cohorts, who were equal in his stature and probably just as drunk, shifted their attention to Amber and Kyle standing there. In her mind, she factored in a contingency should they rush them. Kyle planted the thick end of his club firmly on the floor, scaring up a small puff of dust and a loud clunk. He leaned on the knobby end like a cane.
Billy slowly turned. Both Kyle and Amber saw the large knife he had drawn at the same time. In Amber’s mind, the knife became a part of her plan as well. Defense moves against a blade factored in, height and weight of a larger opponent and so on. She did all this as she had been trained and in the space of a few seconds.
“Billy, you know you’re not supposed to carry a blade in the marketplace,” Kyle said.
“Oh this? It’s a tooth pick.” Billy planted the blade into the finished wooden surface of the bar. “There, happy?”
“Billy, you’ve been barred from here. You can either hit the road or sleep it off in a cell. Your choice.”
Billy smiled and shot an evil smile at the other three members of his crew.
“Oh, I don’t think I’m gonna let you arrest me today, Kyle.”
“Oh, I’m not gonna arrest you. She is.”
Despite her surprise to the statement Amber remained calm and showed no reaction. Billy was a full foot taller than Amber and probably outweighed her easily by 100 pounds. Amber turned to Kyle and simply smiled.
“Thanks a lot.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Amber turned back to Billy. She hadn’t formed a plan in her mind for this contingency. She was used to having Jinx back her up. Jinx thought along the same lines as she did. Amber could often see the Jinx’s moves in her mind before she even made them. Amber had no idea what Kyle’s next move, if any, would be.
“Turn around, place your hands on the bar, and spread your legs.”
Amber took a pair of wrist binders off of her belt.
“Whatever you say, Red.”
Billy smiled at his crew once more and turned around and placed his hands on the bar. Amber cautiously approached behind him. As she stepped up behind him, Billy whirled around and planted both of his hands on each cheek of Amber’s firm butt and pulled her into him.
“How ‘bout a kiss, Red?”
Amber was not amused. She quickly reached down and took Billy by the thumb and twisted his wrist around using the reverse angle of his joints to force him off balance. With her other hand she drew out one of her retractable batons and with a flick of her wrist quickly extended it. By the time it made contact with the upper angle of Billy’s jaw at the ganglia, it was at full length. Billy’s eyes rolled back in his head, and he fell to the floor unconscious.
“Nobody calls me Red.” Amber said calmly.
Good to know, Kyle thought. He suddenly regretted calling her that earlier.
The three of Billy’s friends stood up, each drawing knives. Kyle just watched calmly as they moved out from around the table.
“You boys sure you want to do this?”
The one Uptowner who seemed to be in charge of the group eyed Kyle then Amber. What was left of the few patrons of the bar quickly scurried toward the door. The Uptowner smiled as his gaze fell on Amber.
“Oh, we’re gonna just gut you and have a party with Red over there. What do you think of that?”
“I don’t think she’d like it much.”
Amber discreetly drew her second retractable baton when the Uptowners shifted their look back to Kyle.
“Well, are you gonna just stand there trying to convince me you have a big pecker, or are you gonna do something?” Kyle asked.
This seemed to anger the Uptowner who advanced on Kyle, brandishing the big knife. Kyle didn’t move from his spot. He gripped his club off-center, spinning it once, cracking the Uptowner on the back of the hand with the thick end, and in one motion, connecting with his jaw with the knob of the handle. Kyle struck him in almost the exact spot in which Amber had Billy only a few seconds earlier. The Uptowner dropped to the floor.
Amber didn’t waste any time crossing the floor to one of the other Uptowners who turned on her holding an equally large knife. She flicked her wrist, extending the second of her batons. In one smooth motion, Amber struck the second Uptowner’s blade so hard that it snapped off at the hilt, leaving him standing there with a blank look on his face, holding a useless knife hilt.
Using the batons in unison in a circular pattern, she struck him six times starting at the kneecaps and working up before he even knew what was going on. He sank to his knees in pain.
“Okay! Okay! I give up,” he screamed through a bloody lip as he spit out a tooth on the floor of The Green Plumb.
Seeing this, the final Uptowner, now demoralized, dropped his knife and held up his hands.
“I… I don’t want no trouble.”
“It’s too late for that,” Kyle said.
“You two pick up your buddies. You’re coming with us.”
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