Etched In Stone

Chapter Eight

Jake changes into clean clothes that Ian lends him and then walks with Chris and Claudine through the HQ to "the training room", as they called it. The two of them were exactly like eachother - excitable, friendly, full of energy - which is probably why they disagreed on every little thing. He was ready to snap at one of them by the time they'd reached the training room; they'd argued about seven consecutive times just on the journey there.

"Here it is," Claudine announces, bounding ahead of them and through the door. When he steps inside, he realises that it's the room with the shutter pulled down that you can see from the outside. Inside has a blue linoleum floor, scuffed and worn, with several heavy mats thrown in one corner. The walls are grey-white and the windows are wide and pulled open, so a cool breeze wafts through the room.

"Cheerful." He states, looking around at the bleak, worn room.

"It may not be much," Ian's voice sounds from the open doorway and he walks across the wide room, fixing Jake with a potent stare, "But it works just fine for us. And you'll be spending the next couple days or weeks or however long it takes training until you unlock those powers of yours."

"So, where do I start?"

"Here," Ian gestures to Chris and the two of them start dragging the mats into the middle of the floor, putting them side by side. "We'll start with some sparring."

"I don't think we should be so easy on him," Saren appears suddenly, wearing a smirk as she walks across the room to join Ian, resting her hand on his shoulder. She looks over Jake carefully, scrutinising him. "How can we make this more of a challenge for you?"

"Ever the ruthless one, Saren." Ian grins.

"Don't I know it." She spends a few more minutes thinking, and then her face stretches into a mischevious grin.

"What?" Jake asks, "What is it?"

"You're going to spar with me." She points a thumb at her own chest, that grin still on her face.

"Yeah, Jake, you're screwed." Claudine pipes up.

"Okay, okay, let's just teach him how to throw a basic hit, first." Ian interjects, gesturing for Jake to step over to the mats. "You can wait a few minutes to beat the shit out of him."

"Do I not have any say in this?" Jake asks incredulously, following Ian over to the mats in the middle of the room.

The four of them all exchange glances, and Chris and Claudine start giggling.

"Nope." Saren grins once more. He gulps, his stomach sinking. He really was screwed.

He faces Ian on the mat, planting his feet apart and firmly on the ground beneath him. Ian does the same, holding up his two fists like he's ready to strike.

"Ready?" He asks Jake, staring at him over his fists.

"As I'll ever be."

Ian lunges forward, bringing his clenched fist straight towards Jake's chest. He raises his arms instinctively, without thinking, and Ian's fist collides with his forearms.

"Not bad," Ian nods, drawing back, but try something different. Try retaliating, not just hiding."

"Right."

He leans forward again, bringing a closed fist towards Jake's shoulder. This time, he raises a hand and attempts to grasp it around Ian's hand, bringing his other hand up towards the other man's stomach, but he's too quick for him and blocks it before he gets the chance. Ian shifts his position so that he's gripping hold of Jake's wrist and twists it around, pinning it behind his back.

"Come on, Jake," he urges, tightening his grip on his arm, "Now's the time to act. Don't freeze up."

Jake draws his leg back and tries hooking his ankle around Ian's making him lose his balance. He teeters, forcing him to lose his grip, and he turns swiftly on his heel, bringing his fist towards his stomach. He thinks he may have won until Ian suddenly raises one arm, blocking the hit with his elbow, and brings his fist directly into Jake's chest, finally landing a successful hit. Jake loses his balance and staggers backwards, landing on his back.

"Nice try, Jake." Ian grins, leaning over him and offering him a hand, "Not bad at all, for a rookie. You know now, for next time."

"My turn!" Saren calls in a sing song voice, stepping up to the mat nearly the second Jake is on his feet again.

"Saren, are you sure you want him to do this?" Ian interjects gingerly. She turns her head and glares at him so intensely that Jake's convinced that it'll burn a hole through his skull.

"Yes." She states, turning back around to look at Jake. "He could use the practice. You ready, Jakey?"

"Don't call me that." He grimaces, raising his two hands in front of his face. "Ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

She barely waits a moment before bringing a kick flying directly towards his stomach, hitting him squarely and knocking the wind out of him. He lands on his back for the second time in about five minutes, and he sees her move over to where he's lying to take another strike, not waiting a second. He seizes hold of her ankle suddenly and pulls, forcing her to lose her balance - time enough for him to scramble back to his feet.

"You sneaky little bastard," she glowers, standing up straight once more. Saren raises her arms in a protective stance, circling him carefully. He tries taking an opening, aiming for her stomach, but she gets there first and hits him right in the shoulder. He lets out a small "oof", surprised at the intensity of the hit, and ducks to the side to move out of her way. Again, he tries for an opening, this time bringing a kick slamming into her leg, but it doesn't incapacitate her for too long. Again, her fist slams into his shoulder, then the other into his chest, wasting no time.

"Okay, Saren, I think that's enough." Ian interferes, stepping in between the two of them. They're both panting, but she's grinning, hands on her hips.

"You're rusty," she admits, "But the potential's there. But you still can't beat me." She adds, nodding her head triumphantly.

"Ooh, can I go next?" Claudine pipes up, raising her hand above her head.

"Maybe not against Jake," Ian says, glancing over at him, "I think he needs a break. But you and Chris are welcome to practice. I'll watch."

The two of them step up to the mat and face eachother, taking fighting stances.

Jake moves away, finding a place far enough away from the mats but close enough so that he can see clearly to sit, throwing himself down heavily on the scuffed floor. He sighs deeply - he aches from the exertion already. Not to mention how hard Saren can hit.

As he watches Chris and Claudine, he takes in their fighting styles, his eyes moving to follow them as they circle the makeshift ring, throwing hits and kicks every few moments. He's impressed at the agility of the two - both seem to be used to what they're doing, following instructions easily and even sometimes acting before Ian can even tell them to. Claudine is swift, dodging more hits than throwing them and practically floating circles around Chris, while Chris himself uses brute force - strong and lumbering, not much in the way of speed but more than enough accuracy to land a few good punches.

As he watches them in fascination, he hears the door of the training room creak slightly and whips his head around. He swears he sees a flash of white and a few strands of hair disappear around the doorway, closing it quickly behind them.

He smiles, running a hand through his tousled hair. Serena had been watching.