Chapter 5

Exactly what it says on the tin.  Nothing new to report.  I did manage to win NaNoWriMo though, I just now have to finish this story.  Likely will be a sequel in the future but that's a long ways off yet.

Chapter 5:

Cody had to get his shoes before he could freely walk around, but after he did he was free to explore.  He walked the hallways and saw various doorways but didn’t open any of them.  While curious about things he just didn’t feel like learning about what lied within the walls.

After walking down the halls he finally came to a door where he heard a woman scream.  Fearing something was wrong he burst into the room to see a rather disturbing sight of several dozen mannequins standing all around several not wearing anything and others wearing very odd looking fashions.

Looking around he saw the woman that had screamed.  She was wearing a very formal black dress that had no sleeves but had sleeves that hung nearly over her hands on her forearms.  It had a silver trim around the edges of the sleeves and shoulders and a dark yellow lace around the neck line and the bottom that hung just to her ankles.  The dress looked very beautiful on her and the man that was kneeling before her with pins and needles in his hands looked much more casual in plain jeans and a stylized t-shirt.  It seemed like he was trying to draw the dress in a bit to better fit her figure.

“Geeze, girl, I’m sorry but you gotta relax some,” the young man spoke in a slightly effeminate voice as he looked up at the woman. 

“I sweat Vince if you poke me one more time I’m going to take one of those high heel shoes you’ve designed and stab you in the throat with it!”  She glared at the man called Vince and rubbed at a spot on her leg that it seemed she had been poked by a pin, “And quit talking with that voice, you know how I hate it.”

“Oh you enjoy it, Marci my love, just like you enjoy wearing and modeling my works.”  Vince spoke with a slightly deeper voice but still on the higher side than most.

“Just hurry Vince, I’ve been standing here for far to long now and- Hello, who are you now?”

“Huh?”  Vince looked back and smiled at seeing Cody standing in the doorway, “Ah, another model I hope?  I need a guy to try some of my new clothes as well.  Please come in and get comfortable I’ll be with you in a minute as soon as I’m done with Marci here.”

“Uhh… I’m not here to model for anything or try on clothes, I just heard someone scream and I guess I just barged in here without thinking… That’s a very nice dress though.”

“Thank you,” both people said at once before Vince scoffed up at Marci.

“Please, Marci, I’m the one who designed this dress.  I’m the one who worked with the scribes for over a month inlaying all the runes and words to make this, and I spent three more months working on the mechanisms for how all the knives would be placed and how you could easily throw them.”

“Yes, but you can’t wear it and it looks far better on me than it would on you, so I think he was talking to me, after all I’m the one who’ll be wearing it and testing out all of it’s special features.  You just make it.”

“Well aren’t we being a bit bitter, is this because of your birthday last week?”

“Oh let’s not get started on that again.

“I already told you though-“

“I don’t want to hear it, Vince, you always-“

The two started to bicker and argue amongst themselves for a few moments before Cody coughed loudly to get their attention and stop the awkward fighting he had gotten in the middle of.

“Acutally I just thought the dress looked nice and so I guess I was complimenting both of you.”  He looked from one to the other before he blinked, “Did you say knives?”

“Yes I did, there are approximately 58 knives hidden in various places within the dress that can be accessed and thrown, stabbed, or slashed at people or things.  If you could the hidden daggers in the high heels that’s 62 and if she wore that special bit of-“

“OK VINCE!”  Marci interrupted as a great flush of red came to her face, “He doesn’t need to hear any more, and 62 knives is more than enough.”

“What the hell… You’ve got knives hidden in that dress?  Why?!”  Cody looked at the outfit and stared trying hard to imagine where someone could hide a dozen knives let alone nearly sixty.

“To fight the Silent of course.  This is my art, making armor for the fighters to wear.  People think fashion is not as useful a physical art as say sculpture or metal work or something, but with the use of the scribe art I can put all sorts of abilities in my work making it light as a feather, breath like Egyptian cotton, and yet strong enough to withstand a bullet at point blank range, YEAH!”  Vince pumped his fist into the air and shouted with enthusiasm.

“You’ll have to forgive him, he gets very excited when he starts talking about his art and skills, not that we all don’t but he gets a bit more so than most others do.”  Marci smiled and looked Cody over.

“I take it you’re new here though and to everything huh?  Are you the guy they brought in earlier?”

“Heh, that obvious that I’m new and have no clue about anything?”  Cody rubbed the back of his head feeling slightly self conscious now.

“Please, we’re a small community and anyone who’s new is spotted in an instant, and besides everyone that comes here learns from day one that we’re warriors as much as we are artists.  We all have skills that we use to fight.  My skills are used to make armor and Marci… well…”  Vince pulled back for a moment and allowed the young woman to spin around and throw out a small dagger from her sleeve that flew through the air and embedded itself right in the middle of a mannequin’s forehead, “She’s a dancer.  Her choreographed movements are indeed quite beautiful, but if you add a weapon to her or if she gets a little more daring her moves look like they came from a martial arts kung-fu movie only her moves will leave you broken, bruised, and more than likely dead.”

“Wow…”  Cody gulped at seeing the deadly accuracy she had thrown the knife without having to actually aim.

“You think this is good you should see what she can do with knitting needles.” 

“Ahh… no thanks I’m good.”  Cody turned away before he could think more about how someone could use knitting needles, “Ah it was nice meeting you two.”

“Oh wait!”  Marci called out, “If you’re new here we can show you around.  Just give me a second to get into something easier to move around in and we’ll be right with you.”

“Oh that’s alright I’m doing fine just looking around on my own.”

“Nonsense, if you’re just wondering around aimlessly you might as well have some guides.”  Marci got down from the podium she had been on and left Vince to put his stuff up.

“No sense arguing, man, she’s a very pushy lady and when she wants to do something she does it…”  He sighed and looked after her smiling, “Just one of the many reasons I love her.”

“You’re a couple?”

“What, you seemed surprised by that?  What did you think a guy like me couldn’t be with a girl like that?”  The angry tone of Vince’s voice told Cody that he had likely just seriously insulter him or implied something bad.

“No-no!  I wasn’t thinking-“  Cody started to say but was suddenly interrupted by the man before him laughing.

“Ease up, man, I was only joking.  Yeah we’ve been together for a few years now, she’s my inspiration and I love to make things for her.”

“Yeah, though I wish he’d keep in mind that I prefer looser and freer feeling clothes.  Tight clothes may look good but it’s SO hard to move in and it makes hiding weapons a lot harder as well.”  Marci came out wearing a baggy pair of jeans and a grey-pink sweat shirt.  Her long brown hair was left hanging loose around her shoulders and she had a red scarf around her neck.

“Maybe so, but baggy clothes do not look good in high end society and especially do not look on women most times.  They have to be fitting, clothes, and accentuate your figure.  Besides I’ve left plenty of places for you to hide knives so I don’t see why you’re complaining.”

“It just doesn’t feel like me, Vince, that’s all, but we can talk about that later we’ve got to show our new friend here around.”  She walked over to Cody and nodded her head, “Now have you seen the scribes yet or the other aesthetics or musicians?  You’re currently in the aesthetics’ section of the compound but we can show you more here or one of the other sections if you like.”

Cody cocked his head to the side in confusion, “Ok, musicians I understand, scribes though… that’s like writers, right?  And what do you mean by aesthetics?”

Both Marci and Vince stared at the man before him with extreme surprise written across their faces, “You mean you don’t even know about the three types of art?  Are you really that ignorant of The Order that you don’t even know that?”

“Lady, up until like 20 minutes ago I didn’t know a thing about this place, you people, or anything relating to it.  I’ve just been pushed into this and I’m beyond lost already with it all.”

“Oh dear…” Vince sighed and shook his head, “Then I suppose we should start in the main hall to explain everything.  Follow us.”

They started to walk ahead of Cody, not saying anything as they passed various doors.  Everything was so silent that it felt more like walking through a crypt than anything.  The only thing that made it feel like it wasn’t supposed to be some cold and lifeless passageway inside a mountain was the warm lights that hung above them, the various sculptures, paintings, and photographs that decorated the walls, the occasional set of chairs and table in what seemed to be a lounge area, and nonagons on doors.

“Hey what’s with those nine sided shapes on the doors?”  Cody pointed towards one that had a vase inside it.

“The nonagons?”  Vince looked to where Cody had pointed, “ It represents the original nine muses of Greek myth and has been our symbol for centuries.  What’s inside it tells what a person specializes in.  That’s a vase so that room is for ceramics.  If it was for music it would have a music note inside it, armor and fashion arts have fabric inside them, scribes have letters, and each art has something to distinguish it from the others.”

“Huh, I guess that makes sense.  And speaking of, what are these three types of art you mentioned before?”

“That one is easy,” Marci chuckled amused, “Our art is aesthetic, that is it is purely visual and we use that for our purpose.  Dancing, design, painting, sculpting, even topiary all fall under the aesthetic style of art and is symbolized by the eye.  Scribes use words, symbols, kanji, hieroglyphics, and even brail.  Their art is based on communication and could be described at its base as being similar to spells and enchantments that most people see preformed by witches and magic types in movies, books, and so on.  They can use words to do anything from melting a stone, freezing water, inflicting pain, or even healing.  The art of the scribe is symbolized by the mouth because before words were written they were spoken.”

Cody reached up to feel the area the gauze under his shirt was.  He remembered seeing all those strange symbols and wondered if it was from those things that had made him feel better.

“The last basic form of art is music and that is all things sound based.  Music, sound, singing, rhythms and beats are all musical and are used for the widest range of effects here.  They can attack long rang easily, melee, and even cast illusions and affect a person’s state of mind.  They are symbolized by the ear.”

“Interestingly enough…”  Vince smiled, “Talking is considered an art of the scribe, but singing is still considered musical.  I guess because for talking you need actual words but for singing you just need to make a sound in a certain key.”  To illustrate his point Vince cleared his throat and sang in a very off key, “LaaaaAaaAAAaaaaAaAaAAa~”

Marci and Cody both cringed at the sour note the young man was trying to hit before he stopped much to the satisfaction of both.

“Heh, sorry, guess I got carried away, but hey look we’re here now.”  He smiled and pointed ahead at a large open room at the end of the hall.

As they walked into the open area Cody saw a small garden growing in the center of it with a large tree growing in the middle of it with various flowers and plants growing around it.  A small pond was also featured with one of those bamboo fountains where the bamboo would fill with water before it lowered and made a noise as it dumped the water out before going back up to do it again.  At the top of the ceiling was a glass dome that let in a great deal of light and to the left was a series of steps leading down the mountain Cody guessed.  To the right were other hallways with those same nine-sided shapes above each path; inside one was an ear and a mouth in the other, and if Cody looked above the hallway they were exiting he would see the same shape above it but with an eye inside.

In between the passageways were carvings of women holding various items.  Masks that were smiling and frowning like he had seen around old time theaters, some kind of instruments, a scroll, a tablet, a veil, and a globe were each held by each of the nine women he saw.  Each woman had her hair up in some kind of bun like shape and they were all dressed in togas.

“These are the muses, huh?  Do you guys like… worship them or something?”  Cody looked back as both of his companions looked shocked at him before they looked at each other and burst out laughing.

“Hahahaha-heavens no… I’m actually Jewish and Vince here is a practicing Buddhist though he still eats meat.”

“Hey meat is good!”

“ANY-way… No… we don’t worship the ancient Greek goddesses, we only use them as an icon of what we are.  Guardians of the arts, ones who give great inspiration, defenders against those that stifle creativity; we are all these things and more but we are still people with our own beliefs and ideals.”

“So you guys just use art to train to fight these Silent people?”  Cody walked out into the area and took in all the sights that he could.  The beauty of the carvings, the light coming from the ceiling and coming through the leaves on the tree, everything was beyond his understanding.  This place seemed so peaceful and beautiful, it was nearly impossible for him to think that this place could be used to train people to fight and even kill someone.  The fact these Silent people were the ones to try to kill them and so they had to defend themselves and if that meant kill them as well didn’t bother him, but the fact they made it their life’s mission just to fight off these people made him feel like all this fragile beauty around him was wasted.

“Cody…”  Marci put a comforting hand on his shoulder and looked at him concerned, “We do so much more than just train to fight against the Silent.  We train to become the best artists we can so that we can inspire other people who will in turn change the world.”

“Yeah.  My great-great-great-great…”  Vince looked to the side for a moment in thought, “Great-great, I think, grandmother designed the American flag that the soldier fought under.  What no one knew though is that it was thanks to the inspirational power she put into that flag that drove the men to fight for their freedom and it was that same flag that later inspired the national anthem.”

“You mean you’re a descendent of Betsy Ross?!”  Cody’s eyes went wide at the admition that this man was related to someone so famous.

“Yep, though not all of us ever become that famous some of us do.  We tend to keep in the background most of the time, but there are instances when we have to use our most basic and powerful ability to help give the world a slight…push so to speak.”

“You see, Cody, we don’t just train to fight, we train to inspire others.  Art can be a very powerful thing.  It can remind us of pain, of joy, it shows us great beauty and shows us the evils in the world.  Art can be made to inspire any type of emotion and drive, and with the proper combination a person can go quite far and it’s all because of us.”

“So… You really are like the muses for humanity.  Like when someone says ‘You’re my muse’ in a way… it’s you guys they’re talking about?”

“Ehh not always, after all we just help inspire we’re not the source of it.  Even if we did nothing people would still occasionally be inspired by things and to go far, but it would likely take longer as people tend to stagnant when nothing happens.  And let’s not forget something else either,” Marci chuckled and pushed her finger into Cody’s chest, “You’re one of us too.  You have a great power inside you and with the right training you’re going to do great things.”

“I… I just don’t know… this is all still really strange to me.  Not to mention confusing.”

“Don’t fret, man, you’ll get used to it, but for now walk around some more and maybe meet a few people.  You want us to come with?”

“Nah,” Cody turned to vince and gave him a small smile, “I think I’ll just walk around a bit and see what all you guys can really do.”

The couple nodded and started to head down the stairs leaving Cody alone.  He thought about how he had played before and how people seemed to feel better when he played.  He once recalled a young girl who had been watching him play in a restaurant and had asked him several questions about the instrument.  Cody had shown her how to strum the strings and push down on them between the frets and she had told him that she wanted to learn how to play too.

Was that really because of him or was it just her idle and young mind wanting to do something ‘neat’?  He thought more about how people just enjoyed themselves around him and looked back at the so called ‘aesthetics’ section.  He figured he might have missed some things before and maybe seeing some more from the artists here would maybe inspire him on what to do next.

Dear God,

I'd just like you too know that of all the evils in the world, the cold is one of the most annoying.  It is a sickness that isn't enough to actually keep you bed ridden, but it is just sick enough that people don't want you around.  Also the coughs and sniffles are just that annoying.  I don't blame you for this and all but I do have to applaud the design to it, quite annoying. 

Anyway for the rest of you who aren't Him but still reading this, here's chapter 4 of my story for this year's NaNoWriMo, and I am getting better I think, slowly but surely.

Chapter 4:

Time meant nothing when one was unconscious.  Had it been hours, days, or even weeks Cody didn’t know, but when he woke up he was confused and had to blink several times to clear his vision.  He could feel warm sheets around his body and a soft mattress under him, but other than that he couldn’t tell much about his surroundings other than a soft glow coming from the side of the room he was in.

He threw off his covers and stumbled out of bed towards the light.  He felt stiff and sore but the shock of being in an unfamiliar place left him wanting answers and spurring him on.  He reached the light and found that curtains were covering up the source of light coming in from a window.  Pulling the curtains back quickly, Cody became blinded by the sudden bright light streaming into the previously dark room.

After his vision cleared Cody looked out at the scenery from the window of his room.  Looking out he saw a wide range of mountains and fields covered in trees.  From what he could tell his window was coming out from the side of a mountain.  Looking down from the window he saw the rocky precipice that lead down to more jagged edges until they reached the foot of the mountain and the flatter lands below.

“Just where the hell am I…?”  Cody looked around the rather barren room he was in and noticed other beds with curtains that could be drawn between them to offer some privacy to each.  Cold end tables and some trays that carried gauze, vials, and various other medical supplies lead the man to figure that he was in some kind of hospital ward.  The one next to the bed he had been sleeping in had his shirt that he reached for before he noticed he felt something around his body.

Looking down he saw that his body had been wrapped in a strange feeling gauze that had strange patterns written all over it.  It was an odd series of symbols that he had never seen before and they were written on every inch of the gauze.  What was particularly strange was that when he was last awake his ribs and head had still been hurting but now he felt almost completely fine.

A sudden sound of a door opening up behind him made him jerk and look back to see the strange Howard Nickles walking in with a cart of food and bottles of water.

“Ah, awake at last are we?  How are you feeling?”

“That a rhetorical question, you, ass?  What the hell did you do to me, where are we and give me one good reason why I shouldn’t punch your face in?”  Cody pulled his shirt on and  clenched his fist in anger.  He had been drugged, kidnapped, beaten up, and robbed in a very short amount of time and his patience and good nature had effectively been lost at last.

“Well I was hoping that you were feeling better at this point.  Our medical abilities are far beyond what most people can imagine so you should be almost completely healed by now if not totally.  You can tell, can’t you?”

Cody blinked in surprise, he had just been realizing that very thing when Howard had came in.

“Yeah… I feel great actually, just how long have I been out and again where am I and why?”

“All very good questions and all I shall answer in time but first if you will please follow me, I think you could use some exercise.  You’ve been asleep for almost 18 hours after all.”

Cody looked at him for a moment and looked into those eyes again.  They were the same color and held the same warmth as before, and despite all his better judgment he walked up to the man and looked at the food.  His stomach rumbled from hunger and his mouth felt dry with thirst.  He picked up a bottle of water and examined it carefully.

“There’s nothing in this is there?”

“Haha, no, and I am terribly sorry about having to drug you like that but it was for your own safety that I knock you out and bring you here I hope you’ll come to understand.”

Cody looked at the bottle once again before he twisted the cap and opened it.  Taking a sniff of the bottle once to make sure it was fine before just going for it and taking a few deep gulps of the water.

“Ok, so start talkin’ then.  Are you with that guy that attacked me?”

A sudden sad look came across the man’s face, “I’m not with that man, and it is by sheer luck that he didn’t outright kill you.  That man was sent to assassinate you and likely take your music book.”

“WHAT?!  Assassinate me?  Wha- Like assassinate, assassinate like what John Booth did to Lincoln?”

“Oh is that what they’re telling you kids in school these days?”  Howard chuckled seemingly amused, “Next thing you’ll be telling me is that they still think Kennedy was killed by Lee Harvey Oswald.”  He laughed amused as he turned to walk into the hallway motioning for the now very confused Cody to follow.

“John Booth was not the man to kill Lincoln, he was a scapegoat set up by the real assassins who wanted to put a stop to Lincoln’s plans for the country and while they did succeed in stopping several of the things he had planned at the very least the transcontinental railroad was started and slavery was abolished so it wasn’t so bad.  But that is not the matter at hand, my boy.  The fact of the matter is that yes that man had been sent to kill you and based on your injuries it was going to be made to look like a mugging gone bad.  It’s not that untypical of their style, but that’s not important either.”

“WILL YOU JUST STOP!”  Cody screamed in frustration, “You’re talking in God-damned riddles and I just want a straight answer that’s not frickin’ crazy!”

The older man turned and looked into Cody’s frustrated face and nodded before he put his hand on the wall and pushed on it to open a path to a small sitting room.  On the one side of the room were books set upon shelves, and a small repurposed window box garden with flowers of various colors growing set on the other side which faced more mountains and fields with a town miles away.

“Very well.  I will answer your questions honestly then.  To start with, yes, someone wanted to assassinate you just like your parents were assassinated.”  Cody’s eyes went wide in shock hearing this.  His parents were killed in car accidents from what he had been told, he had never even thought that their deaths could have been more than mere accidents.

“I see this comes as a shock to you, I guess your father really didn’t tell you anything about your heritage or purpose in this life.”  He sighed and shook his head, “Did that fool really think you’d be safe being blindly ignorant of everything…”

“Yes your parents were assassinated and it was made to look like an accident.  They were a part of this organization that I am a part of called The Order of the Muse as you are also a part of rather you like it or not.  We protect the arts and help humanity progress.  We inspire others with our various powers and abilities and from that inspiration people accomplish great things.  The creation of society, the exploration of the world, all inventions and progresses can all be traced back to what we’ve done.”

“And what exactly is it that you and your… organization… does?”

“We use special arts to inspire humanity like I said.  While many people can draw, write, and play music we have an innate ability where what we do actually has a greater affect on the hearts of others.  If someone else was to play a sad song it might make people around them feel a bit melancholy, but when you play a sad song it will actually make everyone around you feel that sorrow.  You will bring people to tears and make them feel such sorrow that it would be as if they were experiencing it for themselves.  People like us can sway the heart and still the soul and if we work in conjecture with other arts and use our full abilities we can perform feats of legend that many would call miracles or magic.”

Cody scoffed at that and snorted out his nose, “Magic?  You expect me to believe that you can do ‘magic’ and have power over people’s hearts and all that other crap?”

“Oh?  Perhaps a demonstration is in order then?”  Howard stood up and went to his shelves and pulled out a glass, a flask, and a violin case.  He set the glass and flask down and opened the violin case and picked up a strange looking violin that had various patterns and symbols written all over it.

“These symbols and runes were made by our scribes to imbue my instrument with various powers.  Add to that an ancient song and a peaceful state of mind and watch what I can do.”

Howard readied the violin on his shoulder and rested his chin on the chinrest before he pulled the bow across the waist and tested the sounds.  After a slight twist of the tuning pegs to tune it he placed his bow on the strings and pulled it across the waist to let out a melodious sound that made Cody feel much calmer and relaxed than he had since he woke up.

A few notes were quickly played in succession that changed the mood of the song to a more intense melody.  While slow and spirited it made Cody feel calm and almost like he was floating.  A few more notes were played and the flask that Howard had set out started to rise into the air and the cap unscrewed itself.  Cody stared stupefied as the levitating flask was opened and the gently poured into the glass that had also started to float in mid air.

“Is this a good enough demonstration for you, boy?”  Howard smirked.

“It’s… it’s just a trick, something with magnets or something.”

“Heh, so cynical despite how strong a spirit you process… interesting, but let’s see if this helps prove my point.”

A quicker series of notes started to be strung across the waist and the liquid that had been poured out started to rise out of the glass and form shapes.  Musical notes formed and moved through the air before they formed stars that shot out all around.  The water caught the light and refracted it across the room casting colors all around the walls.  It was an impressive sight that left Cody completely speechless and unable to think of anything else that this could be other than ‘magic’.

“Okay… I honestly have no explanation for that so I’m going to just shut up and go along with this, because you’re either telling me the truth and this IS magic or those pain pills the doctors gave me were REALLY good and this is just some crazy dream.”  Cody pinched his arm and flinched, “Nope, not a dream…so this is real… Now… how did you just do… THIS?”

A soft chuckle came from Howard as he started to play a bit more slowly and let the liquid fall back into the glass, “As I said before that was a very special song that was written well over 200 years ago.  Its capable of levitating objects and manipulating things on a small scale.  If played with more ferocity and passion with a different intent it can be used to lift heavier things and attack.  Of course there’s a better song for attacks and such,” a dissonant shrill rang from the F-holes and the glass that had held the liquid suddenly was split in half from the top to the base.

“That is what I like to call the ‘song of slicing’ it’s very useful in cutting things like stone, glass, and the occasional ham.”

Cody chuckled at his joke and looked at the glass, “Okay, that I will admit is really cool and all, but what was that about assassinations now?”

The happy look on Howard’s face turned sour at the mention of something so depressing, “It is not something any of us like to talk about, but I suppose the story should be told to you now.”

Howard got out another glass and poured himself a drink from a bottle of whisky before he took a sip, “This is not something new.  The man who attacked you, the people responsible for your parents’ deaths, this has been happening since the mankind started to record history.  You could say they are our polar opposites, the darkness to our light, the yin to our yang, the death to our life.  We call them the Silent, they are a group of assassins who serve to stop the progress of mankind and to drag us all back into a new dark age.”

“Why would they want to do that?”

“Mankind was easier to rule when they were stupid, scared, and ignorant.  The Silent want to create a new dark age, eliminating all the knowledge and progress mankind has made over the millennium so that they can rule with an iron fist.  The best way to do this is to first destroy us, those that can inspire hope and emotions for people to act on.  They seek the destruction of our lineage as well as the destruction of those who oppose the tyrants in power who stifle the freedom and souls of others.  Destroy their passion and thirst for life and they can be controlled like meek little sheep.”

Cody nodded softly, “Okay… and these Silent people want to kill me because I’ve got some special ability inside me?”

“Exactly,” The old man nodded and threw back the rest of his drink, “And even if you never discovered your abilities you’d still be a threat to them.  Your most basic songs hold great power over others and that most simple of an ability makes you as great a threat to them as if you had a bomb hanging over their heads.”

“Wow… so what happens to me now?”

“Well for your own safety we’ve collected your things and moved them here where you are free to stay for as long as you wish, though you will be taking some “classes” to learn how to defend yourself and use your powers.  I don’t think it will be a good idea for you to leave here for awhile, but when you learn some of the basic abilities I think it will be safe for you to go out on your own.  Until then I think it’d be better if you were with someone.  They really wanted something from you and I don’t think they are going to stop looking for it until they get it.”

“So, what I’m going to be a prisoner in this place until I can learn how to beat up people with my guitar or something?”

“Not as eloquent as I’d say it, but even so not really.  You can come and go as you like, it would just be safer for you to be with someone until you could defend yourself against the Silent’s assassins.”

“Hey I think I can hold my own against people, I’m not some wimp or kid after all.”

“Oh?  So what happened with that man who attacked you was…?”  Howard leaned forward and rested his chin on his hand as his elbow was placed on his leg waiting for an answer.

“He just… Surprised me is all.”  Cody drummed his fingers on his arm as he looked away, his argument completely put down.

“These are assassins, Cody, now that they know what you look like they won’t ask questions first.  They will use poisons, bullets, bombs, and more.  The next time they find you, if you do not learn how to stop them, they will kill you and anyone around you and associated with you.  Friends, companions, even strangers on the same bus as you will mean nothing to them, they will kill anyone to get to you.”

Cody looked ahead at what he had just been told.  He could either stay here and work to make himself stronger, or he could risk going out into the world, being found again, and then being killed along with anyone around him.  It was either his freedom or his life and while he longed to not be cooped up here in some strange area he had never been to he did not want to die.

“Okay… fine I’ll stay here and do what I need to do…”  Cody said the words and while he knew it had to be done the emotion and tone in his voice said that he regretted his decision as soon as he had made it.

“I know it’s hard, Cody, but it’s for the best.”  Howard stood up and put his hand on Cody’s shoulder.  “It’s not forever and I think you’ll enjoy it here.  Think of it as a vacation.  Why don’t you go explore our little home for awhile and after dinner we’ll get you settled into your room.”

Cody nodded and stood up.  He felt a great deal of confliction stirring inside him but he decided not to let that deter him from this new challenge in his life.  He felt things starting to overwhelm him, but as he walked out of the door he thought that maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, and hoped he was right.

What is this, three now?

So... many... words... gah... also votin' time tomorra so gotta go cast a vote that won't matter in the slightest.  So here's more of that story, enjoy it or don't that's up to you.  Uhhhg is it December yet?

Chapter 3

It seemed like the universe had a twisted sense of humor for Cody today.  Being attacked by a random stranger and then coming home to find his apartment torn to shreds was one thing that he could handle well enough, but having to fill out the paperwork, sign forms, and figure out what to say on some forms was enough to make him want to throw his head through the table.  Each form asked for the same things in different parts, his name, his address, the date of the crime, all things that he had to fill out so that he’d be able to file an insurance claim later.  It was a wonder anything could get done with society these days with all the paper work that had to be done to do anything.

“Uhhg…”  Cody let his head fall onto the table he was writing on and stretched out his arms, “I don’t need this sort of junk in my life…”

“Problems, son?”  Cody lifted his head to see a strange man with well trimmed grey hair swept back and dressed in a finely tailored black and white suit standing next to him.

“Ehh just this paper work is all, sir, I’ve had a long day and I really don’t want to fill all this out but I need to if I want my insurance to pay for anything that was broken.”

“Hmm… that is a tough situation for a lad like yourself seems to me like you’ve got better things to do than to fill out paper work.  I think you look like the type of man who would much rather be picking strings on his guitar than sitting around worrying about insurance policies.”

Cody jerked at hearing this, “How’d you know-“

“I saw your left hand when you were stretching there, you have calluses on your finger tips that only a dedicated musician has.  You must have a real passion for your art, right?”

“Yeah I guess so,” Cody looked at the man closer.  He seemed friendly and all and looking at his steel blue eyes Cody saw a bit of his fatherly in him.  Against his better judgment something deep inside told him that this man could be trusted.

“My dad taught me to play from a young age and I try and play at bars and places sometimes for some extra cash on the side.  It doesn’t get me a lot of extra cash or anything but it’s fun and people really seem to enjoy my playing style for some reason.  Seems that when I play people just are happier and it makes me happy to see them happy.”

“Ahh… you have the soul of an true artist, son.  Here, come by here tomorrow and I’ll help you with your insurance problems and maybe be able to help you out some more.”

The man pulled out a card from his pocket and offered it to Cody.  Before he took it he noticed a strange cuff link on the man’s sleeve.  It appeared to be a golden nine sided shape with a music note inside of it, but Cody thought nothing of it as he took the card and looked it over.

“Howard Nickles, musician, artist, motivational speaker.  Hmm… well you do seem like a good talker, sir, in fact-“ Cody looked up and saw that the man had already left without a trace.  The only evidence that he had even been there being the card Cody held in his hand.

Upon looking at it he saw an address on the other side of the city that he could easily get to with a few bus rides.  It would take maybe an hour at the most to get there but since he was off for the next few days it didn’t really matter how long it took.  If nothing else if this man could help him then it would be worth the trip.

After finishing his paperwork an officer drove him to Bart’s place where he was crashing for awhile.  It was late when he walked in and as soon as Cody saw the made up couch with his dog laying there he sat himself down and fell over letting his head hit the pillow.  Covering himself up he let Bella lay on his legs as he faded into sleep letting the warm blanket soothe away the pain of the day.

The next day Cody told Bart about the man he met and said that it wasn’t a good idea to go and meet him.  Cody however said that the man seemed like he was ok and on the level so Bart left it at that.

Around midday Cody boarded a bus and set out to the address on the other side of town.  The only thing to keep him company on the trip was the music he played inside his head.  The melodies and rhythms were a pleasant distraction against the monotony of the surroundings.  With each transfer he continued to think about the strange occurrences and the strange men that he had come across.  The man at the police station was the one who particularly stood out in his mind.  Him and that off nonagon cufflink, it was strange but Cody felt like he had seen something like that before but for the life of him couldn’t remember.

After an hour of riding busses and walking towards the address on the card Cody eventually found himself right outside a small music store.  It looked fairly high end with lots of room for large pianos and to show off grand ballroom class instruments.  Large brass instruments that could shake a person’s body, small woodwinds capable of producing a full range of octaves, even large drums and pianos were inside the store all set about in ways that a person could try an instrument without having to worry about knocking something over.  It seemed like a great place for musicians as Cody walked around and examined the store’s items when he came to a section of string instruments and found a very fine acoustic guitar like the one he had had before it had been smashed.

He felt along the sides of the fine instrument and admired the fine dark finish given to the wood.  Cody picked it up and felt the body before he noticed a strong sweet scent coming from the body.  Upon laying his fingers upon the frets along the neck he gently strummed the strings and was pleased to hear the note resonate from it. 

Unable to help himself Cody plucked a few chords and let the soft sounds flow around him like a soft spring wind.  Each note that he played sounded better than any he had ever heard before making him wonder about his old guitar.  The sounds were so different and each twang was like a sweet wine to his ears; intoxicating, haunting, and in perfectly harmony.  Even the strings seemed to be strong but soft enough that he didn’t have to bear down to hard and hurt his fingers with too much pressure.

Cody became so enthralled with his playing that he never even noticed Howard Nickles walk up behind him until he stopped playing and heard applause.

“That was very well done, son.  The best playing I’ve heard in a long while I’m sad to say.  At least on a guitar that is, I’ve heard other great musicians on other instruments but you have a fine gift for the six-string.”

Cody chuckled embarrassed for a moment as he put the guitar back on its stand, “Yeah, thanks I’ve been playing a long time, but I gotta say that this is the best guitar I’ve ever heard.  What’s this thing made from, and why’s it smell so sweet?”

“All very good questions, my young friend, but follow me to the back and I’ll answer them.”  He bowed to Cody and waved his arm towards the back room.

“To answer your questions though,” Howard smiled as they walked to the back, “The guitar is made from various woods such as spruce, willow, and maple.  The principal is similar to what the Stradivari used to make violins but my family has created ways to make wooden instruments just as good if not better than theirs.  The varnish though is made from honey, emu egg white, and tara gum.  It has a very pleasing aroma that tends to last for a few weeks.  That guitar you were playing was just finished the other day.  The strings are made from a special alloy wound around a strong polymer.  It has taken generations of experimentations, countless trials with innumerable combinations, and dozens or formulas before we came to what we currently use, but as they say all good things take time.”  Howard laughed as they walked into the back where there were several work stations with unfinished instruments laying about.

 “You make instruments?  Your card said you were just a musician and an artist.”

“Don’t forget inspirational speaker, kid, but hey making these instruments and playing them is an art.  Maybe one day I’ll teach you a few things and you can make your own too.”

“Ehh I don’t have the time, patience, skill, or money to actually try to make my own guitar like that.”

“Heheh, don’t sell yourself so short, my boy, you’ve got a lot of talent and quite a legacy in you if you said your father taught you how to play.  Please sit down, though, and let me get you a drink before we discuss your financial and insurance problems.”  Howard motioned towards a small dinner table with a few chairs about before he went to the side where there was a small sink and fridge.

Cody sat down and looked around the workshop some more as he waited.  Various tools that he had no idea what were for were sitting near blocks of wood and sheets of metal.  He could almost see this man moving about this place, making the instruments that he sold out front.  It would be an amazing thing to see him at work and he wondered if he would be able to see that for himself today.

“Here’s your drink, hope you like tea” Howard smiled as he set the glass of tea in front of Cody before he sat down in an opposing chair.  He brushed his hair back and looked around to see what Cody was looking at, “You like my workshop?”

“It’s pretty impressive, I can’t believe you make all those instruments out there in here.  Do you have any help or do you do it all alone?”

“Well to be honest I do get a bit of help making several of the instruments out there and some I have to have shipped in from someone else.  The pianos, cellos, and the drums are brought in from friends of mine who make them for me to sell, but I make things like the varnishes, polishes, and the oils here in my workshop.”

“Wow, you must have been real good at chemistry in school then huh?”  Cody chuckled as he drank down the rest of his tea and shook his head feeling like it was suddenly a bit cloudy.

“Indeed, I was very good in chemistry and even earned a masters degree in chemistry and music in college to better my art.  In fact I’m so good at chemistry that I can make my own knock out drugs that I can slip into a person’s drink with no after taste for them to detect.”

“Whaaaa…”  Cody looked up at the man but had to blink as everything started to go fuzzy.  He looked around and tried to get up from the table but stumbled and fell to his knees before he fell completely over looking around and trying to focus on anything.

“Don’t worry, you won’t be harmed…”  Those were the last things that Cody could hear before the world around him faded to black and all noise faded to nothing.