Chapter 13

"I want to see just how rusty you are, Jackie, and exactly how skilled the boys are. Would you do some sparring for me?"

"Sure," Jackie said, and turned towards the hanger. "Boys?"

Martin came out of the hangar in answer to his mother's call, but Mathew was MIA.

"Where is your brother?" asked Jackie.

Martins face changed from a questioning look, to one of hate and disgust.

"Where do you think he is? He's with that bit of..."

Martin stopped before completing the last word and looked askance at Flint, and altered what he was about to say.

"He's with that girl. They went off, somewhere."

Flint turned and made as if he didn't notice the hatred on the boys face.

"What is Martin's problem with Amelia? Do you know?" Flint asked Jackie softly. "That boy hates my Granddaughter!"

"I don't know what has gotten into him. He's usually a sweet boy. This is as new to me, as it is to you."

"I'm starting to get worried for Amelia's well-being, Jackie. He is getting more and more belligerent towards her. How can I count on him, when we really get into it?"

"He'll be all right," Jackie said, but Flint noticed that her voice lacked conviction.

Right then and there, Flint decided to exclude Martin from as much of the operation as was humanly possible.

"When Mathew and Amelia turn up, let me know. I need to do some thinking," said Flint.

He walked off toward the end of the runway. Jackie stared after her former partner, remembering all of the times that Flint had done the same thing. He needed to walk, to think. The runway was an excellent place to do just that. In fact, now that she thought of it, he always walked a runway if one was available.

An hour later, Flint strode back into the hangar.

"They're not back yet?"

"No, and I'm beginning to worry," said Jackie.

Flint went to the refrigerator, and grabbed a Coke. Rubbing the can back and forth on his forehead, Flint went and sat at the table. He popped the top and took a huge drink. Then he set the can down, and put his head in his hands and began to concentrate on Amelia.

Within seconds, Amelia answered her Grandfather, in his head.

"Yes, Gramps?"

"Where are you two? We're getting worried."

"We went for a walk and found a small clearing in the woods. We decided to do some sparring. I wanted to see if I really did pick up your skills. Mathew hasn't been able to pin me, yet!"

"I should hope not!"

"Oh, Gramps! We haven't done anything like that!" she said telepathically with a little giggle.

"Please come back right away, sweetheart. I need to see what you can do, and I want you to do some shooting, too."

"Ok, Gramps. Be right there."

Flint opened his eyes and blinked. Then he looked at Jackie, who had joined him at the table.

"They'll be right here. They were in a clearing, out in the woods, somewhere."

"How can you ... Oh. OH! You called her didn't you?"

"Yes."

Jackie's eyes went wide. "You're not..."

"Nah, but she is always aware of me. All I have to do is think at her, and she answers."

"Oh..."

"Anyway, girl. I'm going to change into sweats, so that we can do some sparring."

"Sure," said Jackie pensively.

As Flint was leaving Martin came back into the hangar. Seeing Flint he stopped and waited for the big man to go into the sleeping area behind the partition. Martin then went quickly over to his mother and sat down next to her.

"Mom, we don't need these people! Why don't you send them away? Then things will be like they should be."

Alarm bells sounded in Jackie's head! Martin didn't sound right. She looked at her son, and saw the look in his eyes. For the first time, she felt fear for her boy.

Martin had always been the weaker of the twins, in every way. Where Mathew was physically quick and strong, Martin was slow and weak. Where Mathew had grace, Martin was clumsy. Mathew learned easily, while Martin had a difficult time with anything but the simplest concepts.

They were Yin and Yang.

"I should have seen it, sooner! Martin is slow, maybe even retarded. I should have seen it!" she thought with sadness.

"Martin? Don't you understand? Your Dad brought killers into our lives! Things will never be the same! I can't protect you the way Flint can! Please, baby, try to understand!"

"If you hadn't thrown Daddy out, he would have protected us!" yelled a red faced Martin in the way a small angry child would.

"Sweetheart, your Dad was a drunk and an addict. He couldn't even protect himself! He sold us all out, just to get more drugs and booze, and now he's dead because of it! They killed him!"

Martin began to pound on the table and yell at the top of his lungs, "That bitch lied! My Daddy isn't dead! He isn't dead! He isn't dead! Do you hear me? He isn't! That bitch lied just so she could take Mathew AWAY from ME!"

Jackie was absolutely shaken! Martin was having a melt down right in front of her.

"Martin! MARTIN! Stop this!"

"NO! You're just as bad! You love Flint more than my Daddy!" he said as he rose and threw the table over and raised his fist to strike his mother. Jackie, shocked into paralysis, didn't even put a hand up to defend herself.

Martin punched Jackie with such force that her nose exploded! She collapsed onto the floor, unconscious.

"It's ALL YOUR FAULT!" screamed Martin as he drew back his foot to kick his mother in the face.

He never knew what hit him!

Flint, hearing the commotion, rushed to Jackie's defense. He had moved so quickly and quietly, that Martin never heard a thing. Flint smashed a massive fist into the side of the young man's head, dropping him like a stone.

Martin fell across his mother and Flint, enraged, grabbed him by the neck and tossed him a good ten feet.

"Jackie? JACKIE?" Flint called, terrified by all of the blood.

Amelia and Mathew, walking slowly back to the hangar just talking as lovers have done since the beginning of time, heard Martin screaming and looked up to see the whole thing. However, being too far away from the action they were unable to do anything.

Flint checked Jackie out, and found that her only visible injury was a broken and split nose. However, because of the impact area Flint was sure that Jackie would have two black eyes as well. It was the fact that Martin had knocked his mother unconscious that concerned him most.

By now Amelia and Mathew arrived to render assistance.

"Mathew! Tie that crazy brother of yours up, and then for extra measure, tie him to his cot. We can't take ANY chances with him."

Having witnessed his brother's melt down, Mathew had no compunction in obeying Flint.

"Yes, Sir!"

"Amelia, get the First Aid kit, and some damp cloths to wash the blood off. I need to set Jackie's nose before she wakes up."

"Ok, Gramps," she said as she rushed off.

Jackie awoke just as her old partner was setting her nose. She cussed loud and long at Flint.

"Well, now. That sounds a lot like a girl I used to know in Angola! Except that she didn't yell half as much, even with a bullet in her shoulder."

"Oh, shut up, you old bastard! I was awake, then, and could brace myself for the pain. Why didn't you wait to do this?" asked Jackie.

Suddenly she went white as a sheet and grabbed the front of Flint's shirt.

"Where's Martin? Did you hurt him?"

Flint sat back on his heels and looked at his old partner. She still had not released his shirt. He grabbed her wrists, and squeezed, breaking her grip.

"I stopped him from killing you! He was about to kick your head in! You would not have survived! I thumped him on the side of his head and his brother tied him up and secured him to his cot!"

Flint emphasized each phrase, but spoke in a flat monotone.

Jackie looked up into his eyes and said, "I haven't heard you talk like that, since Columbia. Is he THAT bad?"

Flint simply nodded.

Jackie said with menace in her voice, "You will not terminate him! I won't let you hurt my son!"

"The boy is nuts, Jackie! He is a risk to all of us!"

"I DON'T CARE! HE'S MY SON!"

Noticing a new trickle of blood running from Jackie's nose, and wanting to break the tension, Flint said, "Now there you go, you're bleeding again."

He squeezed out the washcloth, and applied it to Jackie's face and used just a bit more pressure than was necessary. That started the woman cussing again.

Flint held the cloth to Jackie's nose, and bent her head back. The blood flow was sufficient enough to cause the woman to gag as it backed up into her sinuses and began dripping down her throat.