William Redman Carter: Chapter 18

Posted: November 27, 2005 - 11:12:33 am



"Your mother and I watched your meeting with the White Buffalo on the news.

That's how we knew to go to the ranch," said Lucy.

"Pardon?" William was not aware that there had been a television camera at the

ranch.

"Someone filmed the whole thing with their video camera. It was on the

television within half an hour of it happening."

"So what did you think?"

"Strange. It was like you weren't there. Your face was blank. Your voice was

strange with an odd echoing quality to it. When the White Buffalo rolled over

and changed colors, I thought it was all over. Then they explained that

according to legend that after the White Lady changed into a Buffalo, she was

first black, then brown, then red, and finally white. It's like she's turning

back."

William tried to peer into the future, but it was blank with respect to the

White Buffalo. He grinned and said, "At least my time in the spotlight will only

last three months. I feel sorry for the warrior who is chosen. The poor guy has

no idea what his life is going to be like afterwards."

Lucy rolled over on the bed and looked at William. She asked, "So what is your

time in the spotlight going to be like?"

"Well, with my picture in the news, I'm sure that our fellow students will be

all over us trying to learn more about what happened. Reporters are going to be

hiding in the bushes trying to get a news story," answered William.

"Oh." She hadn't considered that. The announcement of their engagement had

brought her lots of unwanted attention already. She had plenty of experience

with dodging overly aggressive reporters. She'd even gotten used to reading

outrageous stories about herself in the tabloids.

"Ling is going to send us bodyguards. There's no way to put that off any

longer," William said with a sigh. All chance of privacy was effectively gone.

The kooks and nutcases would emerge with death threats.

"You're going to have bodyguards?"

"You'll have bodyguards too."

"Me?" Lucy asked surprised at getting a bodyguard. The idea of having a

bodyguard was both a rush and something to dread.

"Yes, you. As a result of this, we're going to lose all privacy. You won't even

be able to go to the bathroom in a public place without your bodyguard following

along," William said.

"Surely I won't have to worry when we're apart."

William looked at the attractive young woman lying in the bed next to him. He

knew that the upcoming months were going to be hard for her. It tore at his

heart that this event would make her life more difficult. She was entering her

senior year of college and didn't need to have any further complications added

to her life. He sighed and said, "That will be when you are most vulnerable."

"Why?"

"It is a whole lot easier to grab one than two, particularly when one of the

pair is a highly trained fighter."

"Grab someone? What are you talking about, grabbing someone? We were talking

about keeping crowds and reporters away."

"The crowds and reporters are minor irritants. The dangerous ones are the nut

cases who want to make a name for themselves by doing in someone famous, the

fanatics who are against what I am doing, and the creeps that have become

obsessed with me," William said. Shaking his head, he added, "The most dangerous

ones will use you to get to me."

Lucy sat up and stared at William in horror. The idea that someone would use her

to hurt William sounded like something a paranoid person would say. Seeing the

expression on her face, William said, "I'm sorry that you've gotten dragged into

this."

She wondered if he really meant that they were in danger. It just seemed so

unreal to her. The idea that he was becoming paranoid scared her. She asked,

"Are you really serious about me being in danger?"

"Very serious," William answered. He took a deep breath and explained, "You know

that my family is very high profile. I can't tell you how many times my fathers

have been attacked. You've seen the scars on Ed. They weren't from accidents.

John Carter had even more scars than that. You haven't met the bodyguard for the

Reverend, but he's covered in scars."

The reminder of his father's scars made her reconsider his assessment of the

situation. She hadn't realized that the Reverend had a bodyguard, but it made

sense that a religious leader working towards peace among different religions

would need one. It dawned on her that William was in much the same position as

the Reverend. He was a very visible religious leader who was working for the

betterment of his people.

"I remember having to go to the safe room on a couple of occasions when I was

much younger. Corrupt businessmen, criminal groups, and terrorists would try to

take out the family. They even tried to use missiles once, but that was before I

was born.

"I'd stay in the safe room with my brother and sisters waiting for the all clear

while Ling and the security team took care of the problem. The attacks never

lasted long, but the aftermath dragged on forever. Sometimes, my parents would

have us kids wait in our rooms so they could clean up the mess left behind,"

William said.

Lucy and William had talked about his childhood on many occasions. His stories

were about playing games with his family, studying at schools, and learning

about the desert from Ed. The way he talked, he had an ideal childhood filled

with love from his parents and siblings. This was the first time he presented

any negative experiences. She said, "It must have been frightening."

"Not really. We understood what was happening. I even understood why it was

happening. My mother, Ling, always thought she was hiding it from us. She wanted

to protect us from the harsh realities of the world, but I knew. John and Beth

knew as well. We weren't scared, just disappointed in people," William said.

"You were disappointed in people?"

"Yes. It is horrible to learn that there are evil people who will kill good

people. My family has helped so many people, but there are those who want to

hurt them. I can't get angry. The only feeling that I can manage is one of

disappointment," William answered.

Lucy put her arms around William and hugged him. Wanting to comfort him, she

asked, "Have I told you that I love you?"

"Yes, I think you did that about the second time you came. I definitely remember

you screaming something to that effect. Maybe it was, I love this," answered

William with a smile.

"Oh, you're terrible. Here I am trying to be all sweet and nice while you're

making jokes," she said with a smile.

Suddenly serious, William caressed her face and said, "I love your body. It

excites me more than I can express in words. I could spend all night making love

to you. I love your mind. It captivates me and astounds me with its depth. I

could spend all night talking to you. I love your spirit. It makes me feel as if

I'm the luckiest man in the world that you love me. I could spend all night

basking in your love."

His words melted Lucy's heart. Misty eyed, she said, "I'm the lucky one in this

relationship."

"I love you so much," said William kissing her passionately.

When they recovered from their passions, Lucy glanced at the clock and said,

"We're supposed to meet in the dining room in fifteen minutes."

William grinned and said, "Thirty minutes. I told dad that we'd been fifteen

minutes late, so he changed the time."

"You knew we'd be late?"

"Knowing that the two of us would be naked and alone in the room, did you think

we'd be on time?" asked William with a grin. He'd also told his father to

reserve a table with three extra seats.

"Uh, I didn't think about it," said Lucy.

"Besides, we'll need to wait for Ling to arrive. That reminds me, I had better

call the dining room to request an extra three seats at the table," William

said.

William and Lucy entered the dining room. The entrance was next to the bar where

a bunch of men were lounging around drinking beer and talking. One of the men

looked over at William and snorted. Pointing at William, he shouted, "Hey guys.

Guess who just came in? It's Whines Like an Animal."

"That's not his name. It's Shits Like An Animal."

The first man barked a laugh and, making reference to an old joke, said, "Nope.

His name is Two Dogs Fucking."

As some of the other men in the bar laughed, Lucy froze in shock at the insults.

William turned to look at the man. Staring at the men around the table with

narrowed eyes, William assessed the danger represented by the men who insulted

him. The first man who had spoken represented the greatest threat. He dismissed

the others as insignificant.

William turned his attention back to the first man and knew there was something

important about this moment. He wasn't sure what it would be, but the man was

going to play an important role in his life at some point in time.

One of the other men said, "It's just another one of the red niggers who's

getting too big for his britches."

The entire place turned quiet as Native Americans scattered around the dining

room stopped eating and turned their attention to what was happening at the bar.

The general mood in the restaurant went from happy to tense in seconds. More

than one man stood to confront the four white men at the table.

Ed Biggers walked behind the men and looked down at them. Seeing his father and

knowing they didn't notice the Druid standing behind them, William decided to

address their prejudice directly. He asked, "So what would it take for me to

earn your respect?"

The first man laughed at the suggestion that the kid could earn his respect and

answered, "You could stand up for yourself like a man."

A look of surprise came over Ed's face. He recalled his first meeting with John

Carter and how he'd had been put down with ease. It was as if history was

repeating itself. Looking over at William, he said, "He's telling the truth."

The man turned and saw Ed standing behind him. In a low voice, he said, "Oh

shit, it's a fucking Druid."

"Dad, are you telling me that if I fight him that he'll actually respect me?"

"Looks like it, son. He meant it when he said it."

Realizing that the Druid was the father of the kid he had just insulted, the man

looked as if he had just swallowed a lemon. Even in the country it was well

known that you didn't make a Druid angry. Backing off, he said, "I was just

joking."

Ed grimaced as the lie grated against his truth sense. Irritated, he said,

"Don't lie to me. You were serious."

"Is there a legal way for us to fight?" William asked with a feral grin. He

could see how the situation would progress. The knowledge of the future

reassured and comforted him.

"I'm sure that if you both agree to a basic set of rules and have a referee to

enforce them, that there won't be a problem," answered Ed. He frowned after

giving a second thought and said, "Of course, you'll have to warn him that you

are a trained fighter and can kill him without breaking a sweat."

Lucy wasn't sure that William would be able to take the larger man and said,

"This is ridiculous."

William leaned over so that his mouth was by her ear. In a whisper, he said,

"Don't worry. Ling trained me how to fight."

Recalling what William had said about Ling and having watched him practice, Lucy

realized that William could probably take all of the men at the table. She said,

"Well, just don't kill anyone."

William looked at the man seated at the table and said, "As my father has

pointed out, I have to warn you that I'm quite capable of killing you. If it is

necessary to fight you to earn your respect, then I'm very willing to do that."

One of the men at the table swore. Angry, he said, "What in the hell is this

bullshit? They're playing head games with you. Derrick, just kick his ass."

Derrick looked around and shrugged. He'd never met anyone who could take him in

a fair fight, much less an unfair one. Standing up, he said, "What the hell.

Let's have at it kid."

Pretty sure what would be the answer, Ed asked, "What about the rules?"

"Bare knuckles and no rules," answered Derrick.

"Okay," answered William with a grin. He gestured towards the door and said,

"Outside. I'd hate to have to buy this hotel because we damaged it."

"Okay."

William slipped out of the restaurant before Derrick could even get close to

him. He knew that the other man took no rules quite literally. Derrick

commented, "Son of a bitch is running off."

"No, he just can't wait to begin," replied Lucy glaring at the man.

William slipped off his boots and then his socks while seated on a bench outside

the hotel. He stood when Derrick stepped out the door and turned to face the

much larger man. Derrick looked at him in his bare feet and said, "I'd have kept

my boots on if I were you. They hurt more when you're kicked."

"I prefer to feel the ground beneath my feet when I fight." He looked over at

Lucy and saw that she was worried. William winked at Lucy and said, "Don't worry

about it."

Without warning, the larger man swung at William. If the blow had landed, it

would have done some serious damage. As it was, William slipped under the fist

and tapped the man on his chin, his solar plexus, and his crotch. Derrick

stepped back surprised at the blows. Although his balls tingled, the blows had

landed without sufficient force to hurt. He tried another blow, finding that he

was tapped twice on the side of his rib cage.

William had slipped behind him and tapped him gently on the back of the neck.

Derrick spun around and found William kneeling in front of him. After landing

four soft blows to the man's crotch, William danced back. Derrick's hands

automatically went down to his crotch. He froze upon feeling William's foot

pressed against his neck.

As William lowered his leg from what was clearly a deathblow, he said, "I could

have killed you with that blow. Do you need to continue?"

"Son of a bitch!" Derrick swung at William again.

William took the larger man down with a leg sweep. Three quick blows were

delivered with the heel, one to the center of the man's chest, one over the neck

and one to his face. Before the man had a chance to react, William was standing

off to the side once again. The blows had been light, just enough to let Derrick

know that they were made. William said, "I could have killed you. Do you need to

continue?"

Lying on the ground, Derrick knew that he was outclassed. It was clear that if

the kid had hit him as hard as possible, then he would have not been breathing

at that moment. Even if he were lucky enough to land a blow, all that would

accomplish would be to anger the kid. He sighed and said, "No. I know when I've

been beat."

William reached down to help the man stand. Derrick thought for a moment of

using the situation to attack the kid. Instead, he took the offered hand and

stood. Shaking his head, he said, "I've never seen anything like that."

"I've trained in unarmed combat since I was three," said William backing off and

nodding at the other man.

Derrick extended his hand and, with real respect in his voice, said, "You're

something else."

"Thank you."

Lucy had watched the fight in amazement. She'd seen William practice, but had

never seen him spar. She couldn't believe the ease with which William had taken

out the larger man. There were no doubts in her mind that William could have

killed him.

"Derrick, you're a fucking sissy. He didn't even hit you hard."

Derrick spun to face his friend who had made the comment and said, "Listen

asshole. He could have killed me a dozen times. If you think you could have done

better, you fight him. I'll tell you one thing. He can kill you without breaking

a sweat."

The temperature of the hot August weather seemed to drop ten degrees when a

voice said, "Just kill him and be done with it, William."

Ken recognized the voice and flinched. He had wanted to prevent the fight, but

Linda had held him back. He would have pursued it anyway, but Ed had shaken his

head. Eyes closed, he said, "Hello Ling."

"You are supposed to be keeping him out of danger," Ling said looking at the man

with narrowed eyes.

In an easy voice intended to disarm Ling, Ed said, "I facilitated this

particular brawl, Ling. Don't go blaming Ken for it."

"Hello, Ling. We were expecting you," William said without turning around to

look at his mother. He wiggled his eyebrows at Lucy causing her to giggle. Still

without turning around, he added, "I knew you'd only be able to get two

bodyguards on such short notice. When can we expect the other two?"

Ling stamped her foot and said, "You're impossible!"

Derrick had seen Ken's reaction to the woman. He turned to stare at Ling

wondering who she was. She radiated an aura of dangerous energy that was just

barely contained. It reminded him of when he used to handle explosives. When she

had said to just kill the man, there wasn't any doubt in his mind that she meant

it. He glanced at his friend, Jim, wondering if the guy was going to do

something stupid. The ashen expression on Jim's face was reassuring.

Turning to Derrick, William said, "You're invited to join us for dinner. I'm

sure that we can add another chair to the table."

"Uh, I didn't reserve the three extra chairs that you had suggested," Ed said

feeling embarrassed.

"He called down to the dining room and asked for the extra chairs," Lucy said.

She handed William his socks and boots.

On learning that William had gone as far as reserving seats for her, Ling was

about to explode from frustration. She didn't know how William did it, but he

always knew what she was about to do. Derrick watched and whispered, "You better

talk to her before she blows a gasket."

William went over to the bench and sat down to put on his socks and boots. As he

wrestled a sock over his foot, he said, "Derrick, I'd like you to meet my mother

and martial arts instructor, Ling. Ling, this is Derrick."

"Pleased to meet you," Derrick said wondering if that was actually a true

statement. The look she gave him caused him to regret his words as soon as they

left his mouth.

Turning back to William, Ling asked, "What were you doing playing with an

opponent like that?"

William put on his other sock without answering her. Seeing that William wasn't

going to answer, Ed said, "He was using as much force as necessary to accomplish

his goal and no more force as necessary."

"His opponent meant to hurt him," Ling said looking darkly at Derrick.

"There is a vast gulf between intent and the ability to carry out that intent,"

William said. He looked down at his socks and, coming to a very distasteful

decision, asked, "Would you like me to demonstrate that?"

"Just how would you do that?" Ling asked.

"I suggest a bout. However, this time I would I utilize my gifts without

restraint," answered William looking at his mother. He'd never done that, but

knew what the result would be. Ling wouldn't stand a chance.

Surprising everyone, Ling said, "We'll discuss that another time."

"Okay. So would you like to introduce my new bodyguards to me?" asked William

glancing at the two men standing behind Ling. They were of the same size and

shape, medium height and athletic build.

The man with brown hair stepped forward and said, "I'm Rock Evans."

"Rock?" asked Lucy surprised by the name.

The man frowned at the all too common reaction and said, "My mother was a Rock

Hudson fan."

"I'm Lucy. My mother is a Lucille Ball fan."

William grinned at the exchange. With a chuckle, he said, "At least they weren't

fans of the Flintstones. I can just see it now, Pebbles and Bam Bam."

The second man chuckled and said, "His nickname in the business is Pebbles. I

used to be called Bang because my name is Marcus Colt. Ever since I partnered

with Rock, they've started calling me Bam Bam."

Lucy laughed. Her laughter almost became out of control when she saw the

expression on Ling's face. Shrugging, Ling said, "They're two of the best in the

business. I can't help that people call them Pebbles and Bam Bam."

William put on his boots and stood up from the bench. Rubbing his stomach, he

said, "I'm hungry. Now that everyone is here, let's eat."

"Good idea."

"Are you joining us, Derrick?" asked William.

It was time to make a decision. Derrick looked at the men with whom he had been

drinking and then over at William's party. Knowing that he was going to pay for

his decision later, he answered, "Sure."

As the party headed towards the entrance of the hotel, Rock hung back with Colt.

As soon as everyone was out of earshot, Rock asked, "What in the hell do they

need us for?"

"I don't know. That kid is good. The only person I've ever seen better than him

is Ling," agreed Colt. He'd never seen anything like it. The kid had totally

dismantled the larger opponent without even breaking a sweat.

"You can say that again," said Rock looking at the door.

"She'll kill us if we let anything happen to that boy," Colt said with a sigh.

He hadn't been sure that he wanted to accept the job from Ling when it had first

been offered. Hearing her suggestion to just kill the guy had convinced him that

he had made a mistake.

"We'd never get another job," Rock said shaking his head. The idea of having a

recommendation from Ling had overruled his common sense. With a sigh, he

admitted, "You were right, we shouldn't have taken this job."

"We had better get in there before we lose this one."

The pair of men went into the hotel and located the family in the dining room.

The chairs reserved for them were at opposite ends of the table. William was

seating in the center of the long table with Lucy to his right and Ling to his

left. Ed was seated across from William while Derrick sat across from Ling. The

poor man wondered if he was going to be able to eat.