Solomon's Private File #128
These stories about Stephen and Solomon take place starting in
1950's. Stephen wrote about his life in letters to a penpal, and then
in a secure blog, in case he lost his memory again, in the master
computer in his school for gifted students, which he started attending
in 2016 in a new incarnation, until his death. Now his son Solomon is
attending the same school, and is writing in his own secure blog for
his future incarnations.
All characters are fictitious, even if some of them might have names
that belong to some actual people, or act like people we know.
Solomon is 19 in this story, in the Summer of 2045.
Solomon's Private File #128 "Nimbol's Martial Arts"
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There was a call waiting for me in my office at the Bureau. I waited
for the Iron Lady to be available. She said, "Got a recruit here who's
a martial artist." I said, "A know it all?" She said, "To the max." I
said, "And you want me to give that a little trim." She said, "Yes.
Isn't right for my position." I said, "True. That needs a boost. I'll
include if I mess with him in public." She said, "He's causing trouble.
Public is good. Not just because staff really wants all you can give us
of you." I said, "Already noticed. Pick the best time." She did, and I
ported to her office. We walked out to the field where they were
practicing basic moves. The instructor was NOT in love with one of the
students. They noticed us approach with interest. Word was passed, and
a lot of people showed up, even from in session classes. I said as an
aside to her, "Warned?" She said, "Right." We watched for a while, then
she called the student over. She said, "This is Dr. Nimbol, the head of
our Psychological Assessment Department." The student was Harold Hamm.
I said, "Well, Mr. Hamm, I hear you've had some disagreements with some
of what is taught here. Tell me about them." He said in a low voice,
"In front of them?" I said, "In front of them, sure! But if you really
need them to, we could ask them to turn around." He looked a little
confused, and there were chuckles from the crowd. I said, "Your
disagreements were very public, so a discussion of them the same way,
shouldn't trouble you, should it?"
It really did, but he couldn't say that. He said, "Some of the
martial arts moves are wrong." I said, "Oh, that's bad. We should fix
that. It would help to know what art you've studied, and how far you
went in it." He said, proudly, "Second degree black belt in Brazilian
Jujutsu, and third degree Tang Soo Do." I said, "Oh, that's too bad."
He was stunned. When he could, he said, "Why!" I said, "We don't need
any of that here. Not a mixed martial arts competition. This is the
Academy of the elite of law enforcement, not a training camp for
brutality in a cage." He said, "Is that so? I can beat any person
here!" I said, "Why do we need somebody who can do what you said?" He
looked confused. I said, "We investigate crimes and apprehend
criminals. Nowhere in that is it necessary, desirable, or permitted,
that we damage them in any way." He said, "But I can do things better
that don't damage them." I said, "If that's true, we would really like
to know about that, after you finish learning ALL of what we already
know, so you can intelligently compare it. But there is still something
incorrect about something you said." He said, "What was that?" I said,
"There are people here, and on the job elsewhere, you can't even come
close to beating." He said, "I don't believe you!" I said, "On the
force, we have two 6th degree black belts, Masters, one fifth, eleven
4th, and many more of lower ranks. And a Senior Master martial artist
who is above belt ranking. I know of these things, because this subject
is one of my hobbies."
His eyes almost popped out in amazement. He said, "What's a Senior
Master?" I said, "A Master is one of the Sixth degree or higher. A
Senior Master is one who has full control of Ki, who, among other
things, can strike with it, even light fires." He said, "Like one of
Solomon's people?" I said, "They can do that, yes. It's included in
their Adept abilities because they can actually SEE Ki. But I'm not
talking about them, but of people who are not psionic. True dedicated
martial artists who have reached the highest levels in the art." He
said, "Well, alright, but I can still beat YOU." I said, "Why is that
important to you?" He said, "You talk big, but can you back up what you
say?" I said, "I don't have to. There are two here now who I described
who you couldn't beat." He said, "You one of them?" I said, "I didn't
include myself in the list." He said, "So you're only talk, and no
action." I said, "Talk is action, which you sure do a lot of. How about
we make a deal? I'll do the martial dance with you, and you agree to
keep your mouth as shut as the rest of the recruits, and get with the
program or be kicked out?" He said, "No punishment if I hurt you?" I
said, "On my honor, yes." I looked to the Iron Lady, who said, "I
advise against it, but for a Department Head, I have to agree. Are you
sure you want to do this?" He said, "I am. I agree to the conditions."
I said, "Alright. Go ahead." He just stood there. Then he said,
"Right here and now?" I said, "Yes. On the job, which you are supposed
to be training for, you don't get to choose. We do REAL work, not fancy
dancing in pajamas on featherbeds." He said, "Then I'll warm up." He
started to. I said, "You don't get to do that, either, in a real
situation. Perps do NOT wait for you, no matter what. You need to be
ready at all times to defend yourself and others, at a moment's notice.
We don't like to give our families bad news." He looked a little
strange. He said, "At least, you can take off your coat." I said, "Our
Special Agents, when not required for undercover work, always dress
professionally. That means if they have to fight, it's in a suit. But
since I'm not a Special Agent, I'll take off my coat and tie." I did. I
said, "But not my shirt. Reaction to that could be a little
embarrassing." He laughed. Iron Lady almost did that, too, but for a
different reason. He said, "Would you please take off your shoes?" I
said, "Why?" He said, "If you accidentally kick me, I could be
scratched." I said, "Do you expect me to actually care about not
injuring you, after all you've said to me?" He looked really strange.
and my socks, too. I said to Iron Lady, "Two black marker pens and a
hand mirror." She told another, who ran to get them. Back in a hurry, I
put the pens in a pocket. She held the mirror.
We moved away from the people. I said, "You may attack when you
will." He said, "But you aren't in a stance." I said, "Doing that, you
tell your opponent that you are a martial artist, and something of your
art and level of ability in it. Doing that all in advance of a fight,
is suicidally stupid. Surprise is often your most effective weapon.
Don't give that up to play macho games. We work in REAL life or death
situations." He was gaining some respect for me. He attacked with a
high side kick to my head. I sidestepped inside and tapped his groin,
and pushed his chest. He fell, and grabbed himself. I said, "That was
just a tap to get your attention. Shove your balls at your opponent,
you could go home with a different voice." Some chuckles. He tried a
high wheel kick. I ducked and tapped him in the same place. While he
was getting up, I said, "There goes the other one. Are you learning now
why we don't teach our people to kick high?" He nodded. Then he tried a
front kick to my stomach. I took it to the side, and took him to the
ground with my hand on his throat. I said, "One wrong twitch and you're
dead. While we're here, you should know that if we had done this on a
hard surface, I could have bashed your head into it, smashing your
brains to goo." I got up and backed away.
He said, "You can't kick?" I put an uncapped marker between my right
toes. Then I stepped toward him, and jumped and did a flying twist
kick, and did a plant landing. Then immediately a spinning hook kick
past his throat. I backed away, and nodded to Iron Lady. She handed him
the mirror. I said, "Forehead mark is from the first kick. Mark on the
throat is from the second." There were a lot of wows in the air. My
opponent gulped loudly. He said, "But can you punch?" I put a marker in
my hand so it protruded from my fist. I said, "Take ready stance. Try
to block." I did a snap back fist to the side of his face, too fast for
him to block it. She gave him the mirror. He said, "But all no power."
I said to him, "With the speed of what I did to you, any real contact
would have made you unable to ask that question, permanently. THAT is
power." Murmurs of agreement. I said to Iron Lady, "Got things to
break?" She said, trying not to grin, "We do." We went a short way to
where there were some interesting setups. I took a double-thick
breaking board and tossed it into the air and shattered it with a
straight punch. Then I did the same with a snap backhand, and then with
a fancy kick. I went to the pile of bricks and asked her, "Should I?"
She said, "I ask." We bowed to each other. I said to the man, "Pick a
brick." He knew what that meant. Trying to be crafty, he said, "That
one. And that one." They were inside the pile, and not on the same
level. I indicated a question to her if she could do one, and she
indicated yes.
I said, "That's different. I've never tried more than one. I don't
know if it's even possible. Only a true Senior Master can do even one.
Do you REALLY want me to do it in front of all these people?" He said,
"Yes. I'm sure you can't. Not even one." I said, "Can you?" He said, "I
can't." I said, "To show the breaking of a single brick with Dim Moc,
your senior instructor will demonstrate it first, to show you we really
do have the best here." She took a position, and did a palm strike to
the pile. The chosen brick in the middle, exploded. I bowed to her, and
said, "Another test." I piled the bricks high. I said, "Please knock
them over, from five meters away." She nodded and went to take a
stance, and with a palm strike in the air, she practically blew them
away. I said, "Nice knocking." She had to grin. I announced, "We have
here as your senior fighting instructor, one of the very few Senior
Masters in all of history, who can do this, who is not a Psionic Adept.
All of the Bureau is honored to have such a distinguished and
accomplished Master among us for us to learn from." I bowed to her, and
those who understood my lead, did the same. The bad student did, too,
but a little late. I went to him and said quietly, "I can do what she
did, but I would rather not steal even a little of her thunder at this
time. Understand?" He said, "I should believe it?" I said, "Would she
have that here for me, if SHE didn't know I could?" He said, "Right. I
agree. Been played." I said, "Happens out there in real life, too, and
always on the job. Get used to it."
He said, "I was a fool. I should have been kicked out." I said,
"True. She used you and me to teach. But a fool wouldn't have said what
you just said. Worthy now?" He said, "I don't know, but I'll sure try
to be, sir!" I said, "With your abilities, you can be a leader and
really help your fellows and society. To try is not an option. You WILL
do it!" He had a tear, when he said, "Yes sir!" I said, "Right." I
offered to shake his hand. He did, and looked a question at me. I
nodded slightly. He tried to crush it, and I more than equaled his
pressure a little. I whispered, "The no shirt embarrassment is for my
high definition build, not the lack of it. I train hard at least two
hours a day. My wife doesn't mind that at all." He grinned and we let
go.
Iron Lady said to me, "Please, before you go, can you do a form?
We've never seen you do that." I said, "And you had to ask for that in
public." She grinned and motioned to the crowd. They made a lot of
noise in favor of it. I held up my hand, and said, "On one condition.
It doesn't leave the Bureau. Some outsider actually found out I was
good at this, and applied just so he could try to kill me for an end of
life act. I do NOT want that to ever happen again. This, and even the
fact that I can do this, is for US only. Understand?" They indicated
they did. I said to Iron Lady, "Could you look mean at them, for
emphasis?" She tried not to laugh, which everybody could see, and tried
to look mean. I said, "You call that mean?" She laughed, along with the
rest of them. I said, "Oh well. Traditional or competition style?" It
was obvious which one they wanted. Then she pulled a tarp back and
brought out two Japanese style swords. I said, "You want me to Musashi
them, or just sushi?" She just grinned. I took one of the swords and
drew it. I said, "This is REAL. 17th century." I put the sword back in
the scabbard and shoved it through my belt, resting it there Samurai
style. I picked up my tie and tossed it into the air. With the sword
drawn Iaido style, and using different cutting techniques, I sliced it
into little bits and sheathed the sword before it all hit the ground.
There were murmurs of shock and appreciation.
I said to the group, "These are real swords. Antique. Very valuable,
and extremely sharp. Don't do this at home unless you're a surgeon, or
want to see one professionally right after. Or two of them. They should
come in pairs. A lot more fun." Laughter. I said, "But not so much for
that fruit." More laughter. I said, "I wasn't expecting to, but my
shirt isn't right for this." I took it off, and there were murmurs of
appreciation. I said, "Hey, I'm married!" Chuckles. I moved to an
outdoor mat nearby, for more traction. I stood in the ready position,
and bowed. Iron Lady signaled me to begin. I packed that performance
with everything I could think of, for fifteen minutes. I did
gymnastics, acrobatics, with fancy kicks, including full split scissors
and 1080 degree aerial twist kicks. I twirled and threw the swords
around, and caught them very dangerously without looking. Often it
looked like I would be cut or stabbed, but avoided that at the last
fraction of a second, casually, as it was part of the set. I yelled in
the right places. I ended it in a spectacular way, catching both swords
at the same time, as I snapped to attention facing the audience. I
bowed to them, and then to Iron Lady, who returned it.
My muscles were larger and even more defined when I was finished.
There was an excess of lust in the air. I looked with appraisal at my
reason for being there, and he bowed and said, "Impossible, sir!" Iron
Lady said, "Not anymore. Well done." I bowed again. I sheathed the
swords and moved to put my short back on, and she said, "Oh, you don't
need to do that right away." Laughter. Good move, showing them she was
a real woman, and not just their Iron Lady. She picked up a brick and
said, "With Ki?" I said, "Alright. How about something nobody's seen
before?" She said, "How do you know that?" I said, "Just thought of it,
and never heard of it before. Don't know for sure if I can do it with
Ki. Theoretically possible, though." She said, "Please! Last thing
today."
I took the brick and pulled the man's hand out straight and palm up.
I put the brick on it, upright. I said, "Just a little danger.
Explosion isn't my goal." He nodded. I made some moves like I was
concentrating my Ki. I was, so some who could, could detect it, but it
wasn't necessary. I already had more than enough for the task. I let it
flow. My muscles expanded even more. Then I cupped my palms around the
brick, about 4cms from touching it. Then I nodded, and it crumbled, and
dribbled from his hand. I said, "Oh, so it worked. And speaking of
that, shouldn't all of you be doing some work yourselves?" They took
that as dismissal, and started to leave. I said to the man, "I chose
that one not for the audience." He said, "Yes sir. I test of trust and
nerve." I said, "Passed well." We bowed. He went back to class. Staff
started cleaning up. I went back with the Iron lady to her office, with
my things.
I said to her, "Shirt was a good move for you." She grinned, and
said, "And not just for that." I gave her a rude noise, and she
laughed. I said, "After all this, I don't suppose you want another
lesson." She said with a grin, "Please follow me." In an empty gym, I
ported in some different hight elevated platforms. I said, "You can use
Ki externally. You can manage it internally. You can protect with it.
You can enhance what you do with it. Ki is life energy. Judiciously
added in the right way in the right places in your body, you can
increase your physical abilities tremendously. So much, you need to be
very cautious in experimenting with it or you could injure or kill
yourself. I would be very disappointed in losing such a er, grinning
student." Chuckles. I jumped over my head to a platform, like it was
nothing. I said, "Gather your Ki, and will it into your legs,
visualizing it coursing through your muscles, tendons, ligaments and
bones. Crouch and then jump. Mind the angle, so you arc over the
platform." She did, but I had to catch her. I said, "Good first try for
a ground gripper. I guess flying isn't your thing, yet." She said,
"Right. Didn't know I had a fear of heights." I said, "Just new, is
all. Jumping down is more scary, actually. You don't use Ki to help,
you could smash your teeth out with a knee." She said, "Almost did that
as a kid." I said, "I'll port you down, and you can try again when
you're ready." That's what we did.
She said, "I think I'm ready to try an assisted landing." I said,
"You won't die, but if you get injured, I'll heal you so I can spank
you." She grinned. She jumped, and landed a little roughly, but rolled
out of it. She said, "I think I've got it." I said, "Right. Confidence
builder. When you practice alone, you can call me, and I'll spot you
remotely, if you want to." I jumped down. I said, "Before I was
psionic, when I was 10, I could lift myself off of my chair with Ki."
She said, "Wow!" I said, "Right. We all said that." Chuckles. I said,
"You can enhance your strikes with Ki, but if you miss, you could
severely injure yourself." She nodded. I said, "You can enhance almost
any activity, internal and external with Ki." I ported in some arrows
and a target. I said, "You could do this with knives, but this is much
easier. Lighter and aerodynamic." I held one in my palm, pointing at
the target, and then it jumped out of my hand and embedded itself in
the center of the bull's eye. She motioned to try it. I said, "Wait!
Aim is a little tricky. I'll be behind you, the only safe place."
Chuckles. She tried it, and the arrow just fell out of her hand. Again,
and it just jumped. Again, and it flew nowhere the target. A few more
tries, and she did hit the target, but not with enough force to make it
stick. I said, "Enough for now. Your Ki is uneven. This can work with
any reasonable object, depending on your level of power. Arrow is best
to practice with, because you can see it, and where it ends up, and
it's very light in weight. Marbles are more difficult, but are a lot
less obvious as weapons. Just don't lose yours, trying." She grinned.
I said, "These platforms have lockable wheels, and are hight
adjustable. I can leave them here, or port them anywhere it won't give
people heart attacks." She said, "Here is fine." I said, "Next lesson
is a review. And last. Progression after that is all on you, and your
creativity." She said, "Wow!" I said, "Right, full Senior Master." We
bowed to each other. Then we hugged with love. I ported away so I
wouldn't see her tears, which she knew and appreciated. Back at the
office, it was just closing. Reception said, "We had one needing to see
you. Rescheduled for tomorrow." I said, "Thanks. Been busy. When you
find out, we're gonna need a boat load of pickles." Greta came out of
her office, and said, "And he'll have to beat his lustful admirers off
with a hundred sticks." I said, "No, they can beat themselves off. Oh,
that didn't sound right." But they were already laughing, and Hawk the
most, in my mind.
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Grant
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