Bounty Hunter

Chapter 9

"Are you kidding me? I am not having a nerf fight with you! I thought you were going teach me how to fight!" I yell. "I am!" I hear his voice respond. "But we can't use real guns. You need to be ready for an attack at any moment. Take the nerf gun!" "What am I supposed to do with it?" I yell. "Shoot me!" "Wait!" "Just relax, pretend you're on a run." I listen to his words and start running forward through the dark trees. The small nerf gun in my hand feels a bit ridiculous. It's as if I'm seven again, and I'm playing tag. The rough material of leather covers my mouth and the fog clears returning the room to its previous normalcy. The cleared mist uncovers Kai's disapproving face conveying my need for improvement/lack of skill. "I just knocked you out," Kai says plainly. "That is not fair! You didn't even give me a chance to react!" I protest. "The knockout gas takes three seconds until effective. Thereby you had three seconds to retaliate," he counters. Once again the lights dim and the simulation ensues. "Again!" Kai barks, all traces of his usual humor are absent.

I proceed to run ahead through the fake park, this time with increased fervor. A soft object flies through the air smacking me right in the head. It falls to the floor and I realize it's a pillow. "Really?! A pillow!!?" I cry exasperated. "Knocked out again!" Kai booms. I angrily groan in frustration. "You're not giving me a chance to fight back!" "My dad isn't going to give you a fighting chance," Kai says frankly. I hurl the pillow somewhere into the miss, and Kai melts away. I keep up my pace and I brace myself for another attack. The sound of a bullet whistles through the air and a nerf bullet hits above my collarbone. "How the hell am I supposed to defend against your game of rapid fire!" I shout throwing my hands up. Kai answers by darting behind me and tapping my shoulder. Then before I can turn around his thick arm is wrapped around my neck.

"I just theoretically broke your neck," Kai says. He darts away with the rapid speed of a snake. "I'm just preparing you for all the possibilities!" I hear him call out. "Yeah well I can see that they're just endless!" I reply. Kai's leather clad hand muffles my mouth. I reach up desperately trying to pry his hand away. He releases me from his tight grip and I throw my hands up in surrender. "I surrender!" "There's no surrendering! Unless you want to surrender to your death!" Kai yells. The onslaught of white light dismisses the fogginess and I drop to the floor and onto my back. Kai stares at me scornfully shaking his head. "Will you just admit you need my mad ninja skills?" Kai asks. "I admit I might need a little of your ninja skills," I say. "So you're asking for my help?" "Yes," I confess reluctantly. He turns his head away and purses his lips. "I don't know...you don't sound so sure," Kai says. I lift myself off the floor so that I'm sitting upright. I raise a suspicious eyebrow at him. "I'm going to need a little persuasion." I look at him dubiously still unsure of what he wants. "You want me to beg?!" I ask angrily. "Fine, please Kai teach me how to defend myself from your psychotic father, who's chasing me because of the mess you made!" He shrugs his shoulders appearing satisfied. "All right!" I shake my head with a disbelieving scoff. "You're obnoxious," I huff.

He removes his shirt with remarkable speed and spreads his arms out eagle like, and his armor flies off before attaching to the wall. "I'm evening the playing field," he explains. "What exactly is that bulky vest you wear?" I ask standing up. "First of all it's not bulky. It's practically skin tight. It's a special alien tech I developed myself. It's my secret weapon. It makes me invulnerable. Unfortunately for us my dad has his porcupine armor, so hand to hand combat would be ineffective. Your best method of defense is your gun. A good bounty hunter is always aware of their surroundings. You have to spot your enemy before they've revealed themselves. I call it the sixth sense." "First of all, I'm not a bounty hunter. This is temporary. Second of all, I guess my sixth sense just hasn't developed." "You're dad used to be part of the alliance. The sixth sense is in your blood," he enunciates. He approaches me until he's standing behind my back. He locks his arms around my mouth pulling me against him. My nerves cause a slight hitch in my breath, and I jerk out of reflex. He leans in closer and begins instructing me. "As soon as this cloth covers your mouth you hold your breath. Then you jerk backward and head butt the attacker." Then he lowers his hands in a tight grip which encircles my arms. "Let's say your arms are constrained, then you use your legs. Kick up then thrust out. Don't let them drag you away. Pull your entire weight down then attack any vulnerable points. Then once you're free you pull out the gun and shoot. Shoot to kill." He adds the last point coldly.

Kai releases me from his grip and I pathetically cover my edginess. Skittishly, I brush back my hair. "You don't shoot to kill," I assert. "That's because I'm collecting a bounty. But this isn't about a bounty; this is about your life." "He's your dad," I say carefully. "He was never a father to me," he replies stiffly. In an attempt to dissolve the awkwardness I change the subject. "Why don't we practice that move you just explained," I suggest. "Should we practice that here or in my bedroom," he says goofily. "How about..here!" I exclaim. "Run the simulation," I command. I start running ahead and this time I tune my ears to detect even the slightest whisper. I think about Kai and his uncharacteristically light footsteps, and I think of his body in close range to mine. Suddenly, it's as if I can feel his body heat next to mine and I whip around with my gun cocked. Kai responds with a rapid movement that knocks the gun away. But my response is faster this time as I deliver a swift kick to his groin. I twist away before he can recover and grab the gun, releasing a foam bullet to his head. He grunts in pain, but not from the bullet. A new found surge of confidence pulsates through my body. "Bam!" I shout victoriously.

The sight of Kai doubled over and clutching himself interrupts my self revere. "You just murdered my balls," he moans. "I might have gotten a little caught up in the moment," I admit. "Yeah well try to get a little less caught up next time. Remember I'm not actually kidnaping you!" "Turn off the simulation!" he calls to Gizmo. "That's enough training for today," he issues with a pant.