This is weird.
Jason took off his new trainers and stepped onto the dark grey sparring mat. The last time he was that close to one, Saytarnia had forced him to watch her beat Satara right in front of him. His breathing quickened and he had to close his eyes until his brain stopped buzzing unpleasantly.
I've been waiting to do this as soon as I saw him but still –
He stretched out his shoulders first, pulling each of his horizontally positioned arms closer to his chest in turn, then worked on the rest of his body. Ken removed his light weight boots and followed his example on the other side of the mat opposite him.
– It's weird because it wasn't my idea.
The realisation made him frown more than the ache in his hamstrings as he leaned deep into his lateral lunges. Ken had been slightly different ever since Jason left him alone with Sinastar the day before. His smiles were noticeably delayed, his expression harder, and his gaze seemingly fixed on something far away. The combination of all three made Jason unintentionally hold his breath and get annoyed as soon as he noticed the response in himself.
It's almost like – Ken caught his eye across the mat but looked away as if he hadn't, pulling his ankle up towards his glutes while Jason twisted at the waist. – he's angry. The automated lights had just turned off and sunlight crept in through the high windows along one edge of the training hall. Of course he is. Why else would he wanna do this at six in the bloody morning? If I didn't say anything, we would've been here at five instead. He had considered himself well disciplined due to his daily sprints at half seven o'clock before school but this was another level of dedication entirely. But why though? What did Sin say to him?
“You kids warmed up yet?” asked Des from the edge of the mat on his right side.
For some reason he had agreed to referee the match Ken suggested, despite Natasha's offer to take his place. He agreed that she would take over if his attention was required elsewhere and Jason tried not to focus on the fact they were both staring at him with almost identical expressions. It's like they'd feel bad for me if they cared that much.
“Pretty much,” he replied.
“All done,” said Ken after shaking his limbs out and rolling his head counter-clockwise a final time. He moved forward until there were approximately six steps between them. “Ready when you are.”
“Don't let me stop you,” said their leader. “Go for it.”
Jason bowed and his stomach flipped as he straightened up. Ken returned the bow, though his hands remained awkwardly at his sides. The tumour-like suspicion growing in Jason's chest pressed against his breast bone and for a second he forgot how to breathe.
“One sec,” said Des without warning. He pointed a stern finger at Ken. “You'd better behave. This is just a sparring match.”
“Of course I will.” Ken's smile belonged in a freezer. “You wouldn't be needed here if it wasn't.”
“Want to run that by me again, kid?” Des raised his eyebrows but Ken spoke again before he could the older man could admonish him.
“Please don't worry, Jason,” he said. “I'd never permanently hurt a friend of Sinja. Especially not while you're here as a guest.”
“Uh huh.” Permanently hurt? Great, now I feel much better. “I don't plan on letting you hurt me at all so we're cool.”
“Such a relief.” Ken raised his fists, his elbows tucked in close to his body, feet hardly separated in a forward stance.
At first glance, his style seemed to favour a carefully managed centre of gravity and fighting in enclosed spaces. I don't know what kinda stuff he does for the Agents but, if he doesn't take up much space, does it mean he'll use his arms more than his legs? Jason swallowed. Only one way to find out.
“All right,” said Des. “Get on with it.”
Jason inched closer and his muscles hummed with energy. Ken moved forward but at a slower pace, his posture air tight. It almost reminded him of Satara's stance but she covered more space when she fought, darting in to attack and backing away before her opponent's blows could land. She preferred to open herself up to overwhelm her opponent only at the moment of striking, then shrinking into the safety of her personal boundaries.
Less like a snake and more like a dragon … Ken's leg snapped upwards without warning and Jason jerked his head back just in time. No, not in time. He pressed the back of his palm to his cheek which stung where Ken's heel had grazed it.
“It's bad manners to walk down memory lane alone when your partner's right in front of you,” said the young Agent coldly.
“Partner?” Jason lowered his right hand until it mirrored his left. There was a pale red smudge on his knuckles. Crap, is that blood? Why the heck is he kicking so hard? “What're you on about?”
“When we step onto these mats, we become sparring partners who deserve each other's undivided attention,” he murmured. “Anything less would be disrespectful.”
“Mate, this is a match, not a philosophy class.” Jason chuckled harshly. The sound hurt his vocal cords. “You need to chill out.”
“Don't you know why you bow to your opponent?” Somehow, Ken's gaze grew even icier. “Or do you just do it for fun?”
I only started doing it because Tara did it first. Jason vaguely remembered them discussing it right at the beginning of their MMA classes but she hadn't sounded half as passionate as Ken about its meaning. To be fair, she never really sounds passionate about anything.
“'course I know,” he growled. “You gonna keep talking or can we fight already?”
He expected the other guy to argue more but Ken only nodded tightly without smiling. Jason suddenly got the feeling he was going to regret everything he had done in the last five minutes. Wait 'til Tara gets here. She'll make him overdose on his own medicine. He moved towards his opponent faster than before, shifting his weight onto the balls of his feet. So he uses his feet too? Or was that just a warning?
Ken swiftly answered his thoughts, dropping into a half crouch as soon as Jason kicked out at his midriff. He withdrew his foot before Ken could grab it and the latter's shin collided painfully with the back of his knee. Fingers grazed his arm and he suddenly felt like a rat seconds away from dropping into the coils of an adder. His stomach flipped and he rolled forward, away from the danger, popping back up onto his feet.
Holy crap. His heart beat jumped up in seconds. Ken also rose, his expression utterly empty and gaze like a sniper's laser. He went straight for a take down. Jason grinned and bounced lightly on his feet but intense terror lingered like mud on his trainers.
Ken moved towards him and swung his foot up towards Jason's face again. Or at least he thought he had, until the other's fist sailed past his hasty side block and collided with his chest. He rolled with the blow and tried to catch Ken's arm but the older guy yanked his wrist out of reach and slammed his other just below Jason's collarbone.
“Whoa!” The impact drove Jason to the floor and he rolled sideways a second before Ken's heel hammered the mat where his stomach would have been.
Is he trying to kill me? Back on his feet, he stepped back and wrestled with his breathing. Des and Natasha watched in silence. A faint frown tilted her eyebrows and the leader of the Agents seemed to have moved a step closer to the mat. They wouldn't let him but what if he's faster than them? He suddenly remembered Satara's expression when she fought Saytarnia and understood it better.
“I'm sorry, Jason,” said Ken and his fake smile reached a new level of synthetic. “I didn't mean to be that rough. If you've had enough for today, I'm more than happy to stop here.”
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Wow, this little – It felt like a test he hadn't agreed to take. The smell of vending machines and cigarettes crawled beneath the skin of his thoughts. I don't do that any more.
“Hah! You wish,” he said once he caught his breath. “I'm not letting you off that easy.”
“Oh? You've made my day.” Ken's smile vanished.
“Are you guys done flirting or should we get popcorn?” said Natasha as a provocative grin broke her stoic mask.
“I had no idea you were into that, coach,” said Ken. He kept his body angled towards Jason as he looked at her.
“I'm into a lot of things you've no idea about,” she replied, sounding more scary than seductive.
“I hope that doesn't include under-aged boys,” said Des with one eyebrow tilted upwards. “Though that'd explain why you always had a thing for –”
“Aaaah, you should pay attention when there's a match going on, ref.” She waved a hand in front of his face. “Are you guys going to stare at each other all day or –?”
We're not – Jason turned to find Ken already approaching him and the breath caught in his throat. Tara didn't run even when her sister was beating the crap outta her. And this guy's got nothing on either of them. He dragged out the memory of the demon creature that had ambushed them at the flats. The crack of gunshots on the motorway and the roar of Sinastar's zai as his motorbike smashed into it. The foreigner screaming as Satara pressed the burning end of his cigarette into his eye. We've dealt with much worse.
“You're finally paying attention.” said Ken. His fist flew towards Jason's throat. “I appreciate it.”
“Why? Were you starting to get bored of me?” He grinned and side-stepped to the side, ducking the same hand as it swung backwards at his face. He ain't even pretending to be careful now.
“I would've eventually,” replied the other guy, darting back as Jason tried to land a leg sweep kick. “Why else do you think I'm going for your weak points?”
“Dunno.” He followed up with a roundhouse kick at his head. “Coz you're a psycho who wants to kill me?”
“Jason.” Ken blocked him easily with one arm and made a small noise that could have been mistaken for a genuine chuckle. “This match would've been over already if I wanted you dead.”
“All right, show off.” Jason switched his stance and his other foot crashed against Ken's hastily crossed arms, knocking him back a step. He kept his leg raised, knee drawn up towards his stomach. “Is that why you like talking so much?”
The question sounded strange in his voice instead of Satara's.
“I'm a show off?” A frown flickered briefly across Ken's features behind his guard. “You'd be the first one to think so.”
“How would you know?” said Jason, aiming a low kick at his kneecap. “I'm probably just the only one who's said it to your face.”
Ken jumped and landed with his feet on either side of Jason's leg with breath-stealing accuracy. Oh fu- He dropped to the floor impossibly fast and Jason grunted at the sensation of hands tightening around his ankle and twisting it uncomfortably. Carefully skirting the border between pain and discomfort. And Jason remembered that Satara and Sinastar had both saved him each time. It had never been the other way around. He tried to wriggle free but his leg remained stuck in Ken's grip like a loose ice lolly in a freezer. Damn it!
He hadn't planned to end the match on his stomach but had sparred enough to know when he had lost a match. The placement of the other's palms and fingers told him he was lucky they were only sparring. What the hell does this guy do everyday? He probably kills people for real and comes back here for lunch.
“Is this enough for you now?” asked Ken. “Or should we keep going?”
Of course he's gonna be a butt-hole about it. Jason squeezed his eyes shut and patted the mat. Satara would have waited until he tapped out, which he would have done instantly. She wouldn't have forced him to admit it out loud. Unless she really didn't like me. Ken released him at once and was already on his feet by the time Jason straightened up.
“The outcome of that was obvious,” said Des as he joined them on the mats. “You okay, kid?”
“Yeah.” Jason grinned and wanted to off himself. “He plays a lot nicer than the guys at school.”
Doubt any of them could've killed me though. Des shook his head and turned exasperated eyes to Ken as he spoke up, seeming curious rather than spiteful.
“At school? Were you bullied?” He caught the warning in his captain's gaze a second too late and bowed stiffly at the waist. “Sorry. You don't have to answer that.”
He says sorry way too fast. Jason ignored the spike in his pulse rate. Probably coz he never means it.
“I had to learn how to pick my friends,” he admitted. “You know, quality over quantity and all that.”
“Oh, so that's why you only have one.” Ken nodded thoughtfully as if he hadn't just insulted Jason to his face in front of his captain and mentor. “It makes sense.”
“You gonna learn how to make 'em or is that just not part of your job description?” he asked snidely.
“Friends don't last long around here,” replied Ken. “No matter how old you are.”
“You calling me old, kid?” Des huffed but didn't correct him.
He pretty much said the same thing the other day. Jason thought about the empty corridors he had walked through over the last few days. The array of apparently useless seats in the canteen and the people who either sat alone or in tiny groups. He had barely seen anyone else in the building aside from the cooks, several cleaners, and the people he met the first day he arrived. Are they really the only ones left? Is their job that dangerous? That'd explain why they're all so weird.
“That bother you?” asked Natasha as she reached them, a wide grin opening her mouth. “Since when?”
“Of course it doesn't.” Des' watch beeped and the sound echoed twice on either side of him. “Looks like Co-Jo and Toya are back.”
“They're coming back in together?” said Rich from Jason's right. “Ooh suspicious.”
“Here comes the local gossip.” Natasha's grimace faded instantly as she caught sight of the person standing beside the alleged busybody.
“Sin!” Jason hurried across the mats towards him. “You're up.”
“I heard you had a match.” Sinastar's gaze wandered past him briefly, leaning on both a single metal crutch and Rich's shoulder. “But it looks like I missed it.”
“You didn't miss much,” replied Jason. Thank God he wasn't watching. “I lost.”
“Sparring matches are chances to learn and grow,” said Sinastar. “The only people who lose them are those who haven't realised that yet.”
Someone needs to put everything he says in a book and sell it on Amazon.
“Did I ever tell you I like the way you think?” He grinned.
“I'm not sure but thank you.” Sinastar smiled back at him and tilted his head towards the rest of the team as they approached.
“You okay to be up and about?” Natasha's fist changed mid route on its way to his chest and she tapped the hand he had on Rich's shoulder instead.
“They said I should exercise if I want to recover faster,” he replied. His gaze swept the practice hall. “As long as I don't over do it.”
“It's a good thing you never go overboard then,” remarked Des. Jason wasn't sure whether he was being sarcastic or not. “Looking for something?”
“Have you seen Judy anywhere?”
“She's in her room most of the time.” Natasha's expression tightened. “And sometimes in the canteen but she eats like a pigeon that's been told it's fat.”
“I see.”
“Why? You need her for something?” asked Des, his tone vaguely protective as he shared a swift look with the woman beside him.
“I'm not sure yet,” said Sinastar. Jason wasn't sure if he had noticed it too. “But there are things we haven't spoken about yet.”
“Fair enough.” Des took the weight of his left arm. “Rich, take her straight to my office once you find her.”
“With plea- Uh, sure.” Rich gulped and seemed to remember that now was not the time to flirt with the woman who betrayed their former colleague, sliding out from beneath the latter's arm. “Back in a sec.”
“Any news about Satara?” Sinastar's voice sounded polished as if he wanted it to reflect every speck of the composure he needed them to see.
The same question hovered over Jason's head like a dark cloud waiting to shower him with cold water.
“None of the foster places in town gave us anything but apparently Co-Jo had a hard time keeping his hands to himself,” replied Des with a faint grimace. “Damon said most of them were real pieces of work. Good news is we know she went to a school and a graveyard but they didn't find anything there even in person.”
“A school and a graveyard?” Hope lit up Sinastar's gaze like sparklers on a moonlit beach. “What were they called?”
Why the heck would she go to a graveyard of all places? Jason tried to stifle the growing warmth in his chest and decipher Sinastar's expression as Des checked his watch and named each place. I guess the police wouldn't think to look there but why a school too? Was it her old school?
“I assume that's where the Cunnighams are buried,” murmured Ken. He met Jason's stare as if he expected a response but carried on when he didn't receive one. “Is Satara the type to spit on the graves of people who wrong her?”
“She wouldn't spit,” growled Jason. She'd probably set it on fire instead.
Ken raised his voice a little. “How did you find out she was there?”
Sinastar closed his mouth as if he had been about to ask the same thing and the two exchanged a fleeting yet profound look.
“Someone saw a girl who matched her description in the area so we checked the CCTV footage,” replied Des. “Seems like she went to take out some money but ran off before she used her card.”
“Did you see what she was running from?” The sparklers in Sinastar's eyes started to fade out.
Goddamnit. Jason ground his palm against his upper face. His nose stung.
“No. She was talking to someone in the queue and then she ran away.” Des jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “They knew you'd want to see the files yourself so they sent them over straight away.”
“Okay.” Sinastar smiled painfully. “I think I'll visit both sites myself.”
“Yourself?” Des frowned but didn't press him further. “You should wait until you're okay to travel though.”
“It might be too late by then,” replied Sinastar. His voice lowered. “I can't be late this time.”
Crap … His tone brought memories to the front of Jason's mind. The downward tilt of his mouth when he first brought back Satara to that abandoned flat. The tension in his brows deep into the night they spent keeping watch over her. The tremor in his arms as he released Satara right after she transformed. He still feels bad about all that. Guilt sat on the features he shared with his cousin like an introvert at a party.
“Let's talk to Co-Jo and Damon first before we go rushing off anywhere, okay?” suggested Des. “They might remember something if you ask them.”
“I don't mind asking questions,” offered Natasha, a glint in her stare.
Jason shuddered and groaned internally when he realised it hadn't been an entirely bad sensation. I've got issues. Tara needs to come back now.
“You're welcome to join us,” answered Sinastar after casting a swift confirmatory glance at Des.
At some point they had started to drift towards the entrance of the training hall.
“If our match is over and it's all right with you.” Ken held up a hand as though they were in a nursery instead. “Can I join you too? To see the footage?”
“Me too,” said Jason at once.
“We'll have to move to Surveillance then –” Des stopped, and Natasha stepped in front of him and Sinastar instantly even as she followed his gaze.
Ken mirrored her smoothly as if they had planned the whole thing. Jason's stomach flipped. What're they looking at –?
“Toya, I'm giving you ten minutes to explain what the hell is going on right now,” growled Des.
Oddly enough, none of them relaxed. Confusion flitted across both Natasha and Ken's eyes as they connected with those of their fellow Agent.
“I don't need to explain anything yet, sugar,” said Latoya with a barely muffled laugh. “I've got someone here who's more than happy to talk for me.”
A familiar blonde head popped out from behind her and blue eyes that looked more victorious than when he last saw them found Jason's straight away.
“Surprise, guys,” said Melissa. “Bet'cha thought you saw the last of me.”
“You've got five minutes to tell me why we didn't, kid,” said the captain of the Agents sternly.
“Because Satara left me a message,” she replied with a wide, self-satisfied grin. “And I'm not telling you what she said unless you let me stay here.”