Chapter Seven

“Hey, we just got a call. Apparently, a woman spotted two people that fit the profile of our culprits,” Madison said, stepping into the temporary office of the two FBI agents.

“Did she give any details?” Mason asked.

“As well as matching the photos that have been put out on the news and in the papers, she said that the woman had a scar on the corner of her forehead that looked very recent, maybe two weeks old. She also said that they didn’t arrive or leave the restaurant by car, they walked.”

“Put out a search to the area surrounding that restaurant, have every building, parking lot, and camp ground checked. If anything seems suspicious, call us,” Hoffman instructed, nearly jumping from his chair.

“I already have a place in mind. There is a warehouse in the middle of the woods, out just a few miles from the diner. It’s private property but no one has any idea who it belongs to, we can’t even find the ID of the owner. The only people who ever go there are delivery trucks and professional movers. But get this, I did some investigating and found that it recently began drawing a heavy electric bill, starting around the time Adrian Alexander showed up. I already talked to the ADA about the warrant.”

Mason stood up and grabbed his coat. “Come on, Hoffman, you and I will take care of this ourselves. Have the police begin their search of the surrounding area, we won’t need backup and if he is there, we don’t want to spook him into running.”

Adrian and Jenny both heard it at the same time, the sound of a car rolling up the long overgrown driveway to the warehouse. Someone was coming and they knew exactly who it was. Adrian’s cell phone was beside their chess board and carried a built in radio, letting them listen in on all police radio frequencies and track their movements, just in case someone had figured out where they were.

“Jenny, you know what to do, it’s time for us to move. Checkmate,” Adrian said calmly, moving his bishop within striking distance of her queen.

“Well at least we got to finish our game. But don’t start thinking that this means you get to weasel out of a rematch!” she said without a care in the world.

Standing up, he put on his coat and walked outside, quickly climbing into his car and moving it behind the building so that it couldn’t be identified. Standing with his back to the wall of the warehouse and its shadow hiding him, he watched as the black sedan rolled up to the warehouse and came to a stop. Cautiously, the two detectives climbed out, each with their sidearm in hand. Having seen the massacre in that pier warehouse, they both knew what Adrian was capable of, and if he really was here, they had to be careful. In their minds, they were both regretting not calling backup.

“Tch, what a bother,” Adrian muttered, reaching into his pocket and drawing a zippo lighter.

One of his inventions for personal use, the lighter actually had a small device installed in place of the fuel container, with the flint as the switch. Flipping it open, he rolled the fake flint and the electromagnetic pulse was silently released. In a fraction of a second, the black sedan that the detectives had arrived in now became useless, as well their radios, giving off a soft blip of static before becoming forever silent. This miniature EMP device had come in handy several times before, especially since Adrian built all his tools to resist such measures.

Hearing the blip sounding off from their hips, the two detectives looked down and Adrian stepped out into the light with a dart in each hand. “Good morning, gentlemen,” he said calmly, causing Hoffman and Mason to jerk and shout in surprise.

“Adrian Alexander, you are under arrest for murder,” Hoffman said, trying to keep his cool.

Adrian turned to him and cocked his head to one side. “From your voice, I’d say that you are Agent Hoffman, which makes you Agent Mason.”

He walked out in between them and the building, coming to a stop and studying them closely while preparing to make his move. There were fifteen feet of space between the three men, forming a triangle with Mason to his left and Hoffman to his right. To the two experienced agents, Adrian gave off an unusual vibe, one that they had never picked up on when encountering a perp. To them, it felt like what they were looking at wasn’t really Adrian, but a something inhuman wearing human skin. There was no malevolence or evil in his eyes, only alienation. Also, the fact that he knew who they were did nothing to quell their fear.

“How did you recognize us?” Hoffman demanded.

“Before you came up the driveway, you spoke to a detective named Madison on your radio, confirming that you had reached my position. You said, “Madison, it’s Hoffman, Mason and I just reached the place, we’ll call back if we find anything.” I also know that you have no back-up or anyone waiting for you down the road. This was purely exploratory, coming here on a hunch with no real evidence.”

A shiver was sent down the spines of the two men from how much he knew.

“Is Jenny Sinclair here with you?” Mason asked.

“Yes, she is inside packing. Unfortunately, you two interrupted our plans and now we have to move somewhere else for the time being.”

Inside, Jenny packed all the essentials while listening in and catching quick glimpses from the windows.

“The only place you’re moving to is a prison cell. Get on your knees with your hands behind your head!” Mason ordered, slowly approaching with his gun raised.

Cracking a small grin of amusement, Adrian stepped forward and brought up his hands, brandishing the two darts to bait the detectives. Appearing to be lunging for his partner, Hoffman opened fire on Adrian, firing three rounds. Using the dart in his right hand in place of his lance, Adrian deflected the trio of rounds, using his predictive abilities to plan the trajectory of each bullet before it was fired. As the three bullets crumpled off the thin spike, Mason began firing as well, but with little effort. Adrian deflected the incoming bullets with the dart in his left hand. The two agents both opened fire, emptying their clips at the same time and even changing their targets, but nothing they did could beat Adrian’s reaction speed and processing power. In just over a few seconds, their guns were empty and the ground around Adrian was littered with crumpled bullets. Both detectives were in awe, unable to believe what they had just seen. This teenager before them, this kid, had just deflected two magazines worth of bullets with a pair of pencil-sized metal spikes! It was completely inhuman!

“If you want, I can let you reload or grab your back-up pistols. After all, we have all the time in the world, and I neutralized your radios as soon as you got out of the car, so you can’t call for help. But tell you what: I’ll put away my darts if you two throw aside your guns, including your back-ups. And don’t bother trying to shoot me again, because you know what will happen, and you both know that if one attacks while the other fires… well, I think you can imagine what I am capable of. Come on, let’s solve this like men.”

Knowing that there was no other choice, the two detectives cast aside their main sidearms and then their back-ups. Content, Adrian threw his darts behind his head and lodged them in the door. “All right gentlemen, let’s see if you have what it takes to arrest me. I promise not to kill you and you can stop the fight whenever you wish.”

Knowing that they were looking death in the face, the two agents swallowed their fear and charged forward, with Hoffman throwing his fist straight towards Adrian’s face and Mason aiming low and to the side. With a confident smile, Adrian grabbed Hoffman’s fist and twisted his arm, forcing him to his knees. Simultaneously, he spun around and delivered a nose-breaking kick to Mason and tossed him back, finishing by then slamming Hoffman in the side of the head with his elbow with enough strength to nearly knock him out.

Mason slowly got up with blood pouring from his face, almost delirious and trying to stay on his feet. Always the muscle of the duo, Hoffman was on his feet first, and without thinking clearly, charged towards Adrian in an attempt to tackle him and knock him to the ground. Adrian ducked down and punched Hoffman in the gut with enough strength to make him cough blood, as well as send his feet flying out from under him. The detective hanging on his fist, Adrian hurled him off, grabbed his ankle while he was in the air, spun around for momentum, and then hurled him at his partner like a discuss.

“Who the hell is this guy?!” Mason gagged, trying to breathe with Hoffman on top of him and wondering how a teenager could just throw a 230-pound man with such ease.

“Would you like to stop this fight? I would greatly prefer to avoid further harming two FBI agents.”

“Not on your life,” Hoffman said, slowly getting to his feet with Mason.

“Keep your cool, you can’t let him anger you,” Mason said, wiping the blood off his face.

“Who says I’m angry?!” Hoffman roared, charging towards Adrian and throwing his right fist forward.

Catching Hoffman’s fist, Adrian darted to his left, almost tying the agent up with his own arm. Hoffman’s momentum threw him past Adrian, but the young genius never let go of his fist, and when he came to a stop to a tango-like spin, Adrian gave a hard pull and jerk of his arm, using Hoffman’s weight and momentum to snap his elbow. Howling in agony, Hoffman dropped to the ground and was finished with a knee to the face.

Reaching into his pocket, Adrian drew one of his darts and spun around, hurling it at Mason and piercing his hand with the strength of a crossbow as the agent reached for his discarded firearm. In excruciating pain like his partner, Mason rolled onto his back and gripped his bleeding hand while Adrian walked over.

“That’s what happens when you break the rules. Unfortunately, I can’t risk wasting anymore time, so to keep you from giving us more trouble…” Adrian began before stomping on Mason’s ankle and breaking it. “Believe me when I say that I am truly sorry for that and all the other injuries I have caused you two. Hurting men of the law is the last thing I want to do, but I must ensure Jenny’s and my safety.”

Hearing the door open, Adrian looked back at Jenny, who was watching him with a pale face.

“I… I got everything ready,” she said, trying not to look at the two agents.

“Great work. By the way, how much morphine do we have left?”

“About a bag’s worth.”

“Perfect, could you do me a favor and fill up four syringes? I just have to move these guys.”

Knowing what he meant and feeling her tension melt away, Jenny nodded with a small smile and went back inside. Humming to himself, Adrian grasped Mason by the shoulders and dragged him away from the warehouse and into the shady of a tree behind their car.

“What are you doing?” Mason asked.

“Trust me, you’re going to want to be a safe distance from the building.” Adrian said, retrieving Hoffman and dragging him over. Awake but in too much pain to move, the agent gave only the smallest struggle as Adrian pulled him over and laid him out beside his partner, checking to make sure that the car would provide good cover.

“It’s a real shame that you two showed up, I had a lot of good stuff in that warehouse. Money is no problem for me, but I had some rare pieces of tech in there.” Adrian sighed before walking away to Jenny, who had come back out with the syringes. “Thanks honey,” he said, taking the needles and walking back.

As calm as could be, he injected both agents with a dose of morphine and handed Mason two more. “Ok, that should hold you over for a while, and use the other two if you start hurting. You might have to help him with his, though. Don’t worry, backup will be here soon, but better safe than sorry. Gentlemen, have a nice day.”

He walked back over to Jenny, who was loading their stuff into the car. Once packed, they climbed in a drove off down the long overgrown driveway, leaving the two agents alone. At the end of the driveway, Adrian pulled out his cellphone and pressed a button on the screen. Instantly, every piece of machinery in the warehouse exploded as blocks of C4 were set off inside them, blowing apart everything, including the laser lathe and the Ignium kiln. At the same time, thermite bombs attached to the walls and support beams were set off, turning the warehouse into a flaming geyser and melting everything but the Demium and Ignium. Mason and Hoffman both winced from the deafening roar of the explosion and the brightness and heat of the flames, but as Adrian had predicted, no shrapnel or wreckage reached them.

“So where next?” Jenny asked.

“Well we need to get this car some new license plates since the feds are after us, then we’ll move deeper into the countryside. We need absolute seclusion in order for your training to be completed.”

“Jesus, you two are wrecks. It’s a miracle that you survived that explosion,” Detective Madison said, stepping into the hospital room of the two agents.

Fire fighters who were responding to the warehouse explosion had found them, and they were now all bandaged up and receiving more morphine. Hoffman had suffered a concussion, a broken arm, and two broken ribs, and Mason had a broken nose, a stabbed hand, a broken ankle and one broken rib. They were both lucky to not have ruptured eardrums after being so close to such a huge explosion.

“The explosion didn’t do this, Adrian did,” Hoffman said.

“And not only did we land a single punch on that punk, but be pulled us aside to protect us from the explosion and even gave us painkillers. Of all my injuries, my ego hurts the worst,” Hoffman coughed, wincing in pain from his broken ribs.

“We should just consider ourselves lucky that he holds such respect for police and federal agents. After what he did to us and all those other guys, he could have killed us both with less effort than it would take to kill two flies.”

It had been a day since they left the warehouse and they were ready to continue Jenny’s training. They were alone in the wilderness, far away from any road, house, or even a hiking trail, and with plenty of camping gear and supplies in the car, they were ready to spend a long time by themselves. Ever since leaving the warehouse, Adrian had continued to train Jenny in the car. As he drove, Jenny would solve his Sudoku Rubik’s Cubes blindfolded so that she would have to work from pure memory, solve math problems that Adrian would give her, come up with solutions to hypothetical situations, and play chess with him without a chess set. Like solving the cube while blindfolded, playing chess without a set required flawless memory, with both of them having to remember where every piece was without being able to see them, and still come up with strategies. Adrian would beat her every time, but she loved the challenge and constantly wanted to go for another round.

“Ok, our injuries have fully healed, so it’s time to resume your training. You’ve learned how to use your senses to their full potential and think with the same efficiency and power as a supercomputer. Now that our bodies are in prime condition, we can begin the next part of the training: pain tolerance, harnessing the full strength of your muscles, and logical fighting. We’re going to spend a month out here, working nonstop,” Adrian said as he cracked his knuckles and made sure for the hundredth time that they were alone.

Jenny gained a small smile. “Adrian, the night our parents were killed, I got to the pier just before you began slaying Logan and his followers. What I saw left me breathless. I looked past the blood, gore, and killing intent, and I watched the way you moved. It was one of the most incredible things I had ever seen; it was like art in motion. Are you saying that you’re going to teach me that?” she asked with her voice soft but filled with excitement.

Adrian gained a confident smile. “In reality, there is not much to teach. You will learn how to achieve the required discipline, but that is all. Now I must warn you, this part of the training will be incredibly dangerous, and often painful. I would die before causing you harm, but if you want to gain ultimate control over your body, you must be willing to take a lot of pain. I cannot teach you this discipline without being very harsh and strict and you need to learn how to operate under stress.”

Jenny straightened her posture and her expression was one of stony confidence. “I want to learn, Adrian. Please teach me.”

“Very well. The first step to this is learning to activate your body’s adrenal glands on demand. That will give you a taste of what it’s like to have full internal control. Let’s take a seat.”

They both sat down on the ground in meditative positions.

Adrian took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “I just need a minute…”

In his mind, he was preparing myself for the mental strain he would receive by being Jenny’s teacher. He would have to be cold and harsh in order to teach her. He would have to become the machine that he had forsaken to be with her. This would be the ultimate test for their relationship and their wills. Adrian would have to face guilt for what he would put Jenny through and do what must be done, and Jenny would have to accept great pain and keep coming back. Adrian took another deep breath and opened his eyes. They had gained an icy hue, and when he spoke, his voice had a cold metallic sting for the first time since Jenny and Adrian were first intimate.

“Before we begin, I must warn you. This will be one of the harshest times of your life. It’s basically going to be one-on-one boot camp. If we are going to proceed, then our roles must change. I won’t be your lover and boyfriend; I’ll be your teacher and master. You won’t be my lover and girlfriend; you’ll be my student and apprentice. If we are going to proceed, you must seal your heart and commit to this 100%. If you do not finish the training, not only will it be a complete failure, but also the rift that the training created will never close, and we will inevitably split apart.

During this training, I will say things that will make you hate me, I will do things that will make you fear me, and your view of me will never be the same. To be honest, I am completely terrified, because this training could end our relationship. You are all that I have in this world, Jenny. You are why I am still alive. If our relationship ends, so will my life. I am putting my existence in your hands, and it is yours to do with as you wish.”

Jenny stared at him wide-eyed then looked away, with her eyes filled with sadness, confidence, fear, determination, hesitance, and love. Finally, she looked into his eyes with her emotions calm. “I am ready, Master.”

Adrian took a deep breath, mentally bracing himself. “Ok, just remember that everything I do is required for this. I need to be mean and cruel in order for you to learn to work through the pain and stress. If I am kind and lenient, the training will be a failure. I must be harsh. First thing I need you to do is close your eyes, and without moving your body, raise your heart rate with pure will.”

Jenny did as she was told, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Adrian placed his hand on her chest and counted her heartbeats. She was barely able to raise it all, even after a minute. In order for her to succeed, Adrian would need to push her and be as harsh as was required.

“Come on, get it right! Are you so pathetic that you can’t even control your heart rate? It’s not that hard to figure out!”

Jenny quivered at the tone of his voice, but after only a second, she regained control, reminding herself that he had warned her about this and it was to be expected. But even after yelling at her, her heart rate had barely risen.

Gritting his teeth, Adrian worked up the courage to take drastic measures. He slapped her across the face, filling his whole body with pain from self-loathing. Jenny opened her eyes and stared at him with disbelief. A tear above her red cheek, but the confidence in her eyes was relit. She bit her lip and began taking quick breaths. Adrian looked down and could see her flexing her stomach muscles and working her diaphragm, forcing stress on her body to accelerate her heart rate.

“Good, but not good enough. You need to do it without having to rely on your muscles. You went through all of that mental training and you still can’t control your body?”

Jenny opened her eyes and gritted her teeth, glaring at him with her gaze burning with passion. Her eyes were filled with a desire to succeed and surpass instead of hatred of his training methods or him. She held absolutely no anger, only determination to show that she was strong. She closed her eyes and retook her regular breathing. Adrian could feel her muscles relax and her lungs return to their regular pace, but her heart continued to beat an accelerated rate.

“Come on, faster! If you’ve gotten this far, then you can go even farther!”

With his hand on Jenny’s chest, he could feel her heart rate skyrocket. She was doing it; she was accelerating her heart with pure will.

“Ok, now stand up.”

Jenny did as she was told and they both stood up.

“With your heart now pumping at full strength, come at me and attack.”

“What?” Jenny asked, seeking confirmation.

“Do it!”

Jenny shook her head from side to side as if trying to cast away grogginess and charged towards him with her fist pulled back. She reached out to punch him but Adrian deflected her attack with ease and retaliated with the back of his hand and struck her cheek. She staggered back, dizzy and fighting back tears from the stinging bruise.

“Come on, again!”

Jenny took a deep breath and charged forward with her fist pulled back. But just when she was about to punch him, she jumped to the side and pounced, attacking from his right flank. As she sent her fist rocketing towards him, Adrian spun around, defecting her attack with the completed rotation. As he knocked her fist out of the way, Adrian reached out and slammed his palm against her forehead with enough force to knock her back. It was as lenient as he could be.

“I love you, Jenny, and I’m holding back as much as I can, but you need to put some effort into this!”

At his words, Jenny glared at him with that same passionate determination as before and charged towards him for the third time. Like the second attempt, she attacked from the side, but this time from the left. Again Adrian deflected her attack and reached out to slam her in the forehead with his palm. Before his hand could make contact, she dodged his counterattack and reached out to punch him with her left hand. Adrian caught her fist, put his hand on her stomach, and shoved her back, ending the exchange.

“The only reason why I’ve been able to hit you is because you haven’t yet gotten into the frame of mind of fighting. In reality, it should seem like I’m moving in slow motion to you. That it is due to your processing speed, brought on by the awakening procedure. Your brain is receiving more stimuli and computing it at speeds far greater than ever in your life, making it so that you become aware of things at a faster rate. For instance, if I were to send my fist towards your head, you would be aware of every centimeter of closing space, and you would be able to react to every centimeter with the same speed of a normal person reacting to the entire punch.
When you include adrenaline, your reaction speed further increases, as well as your strength. The state you are in right now is beyond the state you would be in if you were normal and had adrenaline pumping through your veins, but when you combine them, you become invincible. Only a couple times since I woke up from my coma have I ever used adrenaline, even in a fight, because rarely have I been put in a situation where I needed it. Adrenaline is my ace in the hole, the last trick in my sleeve for if I am facing a challenge that I cannot normally overcome.

If you can work yourself up with pure will and not with stress on your body, then you can activate your adrenal glands without straining yourself. Once you learn to combine adrenaline with enlightenment, you’ll be faster and stronger than any other human, including me. Now slow your heart down and let’s try this again. If I you can get your adrenal glands working without raising your heart rate, then you’ll become fast enough where I won’t be able to hit you without using adrenalin as well.”

Adrian spoke with his smile growing and filling with pride and Jenny gained the same smile and nodded. She straightened her posture and took deep breaths.

He walked over and placed his hand on her chest, waiting for it to reach normal levels. “I had you raise your heart rate so that you could learn to charge up your body without moving around, now I need you to do the same thing but without raising your heart rate. If you can activate your adrenal glands without raising your heart rate, it will mean you’re learning to separate your body from your brain, while still being able to control it.”

She looked down as he wrapped something around her wrist, realizing it was a heart monitor.

“I have it set so that the alarm will go off if your heart rate reaches the point where you automatically start producing adrenaline. Now, try to activate your adrenal glands without raising your heart rate and attack me. I’m sure you know the cliché phrase about being able to smell fear; it’s the fight-or-flight chemicals that your body produces that create an odor. With my senses, I’ll be able to smell the adrenaline your body will produce.

Now, begin!”

For the next several hours, Jenny attacked him over and over. She would stand like a statue and then charge towards him from out the blue. With every attempt, her heart monitor would go off before she would attack, or she would attack without having willingly produced adrenaline. With every failed attack, Adrian would knock her back and order her to try again. The whole time, the only thing Jenny would say was either “hold on” or “I think I’m getting the hang of it”. The closest she would come to complaining was just drinking from her water bottle.

By five in the afternoon, Jenny was covered in bruises and gasping for air. She took a deep breath and straightened her posture. After her heart returned to its normal rhythm and her adrenaline wore off, she recharged her body, trying to activate her adrenal glands but not excite her heart. Finally, she bolted forward with her fist pulled back. Adrian could smell adrenaline rushing through her, but her heart monitor wasn’t beeping.

She’s done it, he thought to himself, barely having enough time to dodge her punch.

He countered by sending both fists forward with the greatest speed he could muster, but Jenny easily dodged the two attacks and the kick that followed.

“No regular person would have been able to dodge those attacks. Only someone who is both enlightened and flushed with adrenaline would have that ability. You’ve learned how to activate your adrenal glands without exciting your heart. Had we begun this training before you learned to use your whole brain, it would have taken you weeks instead of hours to achieve. Now I want you to practice with it, and try to hone your skills until you can flood your body with adrenaline at a moment’s notice. If you’re in a bar and a gunfight breaks out, I want you to be able to fully charge yourself before the first body can hit the floor, though once we’re finished, you won’t need to.

If you can perfect that skill, then you can augment your physical abilities at will, along with your mental abilities.”

Jenny nodded and sat down in a meditative position. As she practiced activating her adrenal glands, Adrian went to work setting up their camping gear. He pitched the tent, got a campfire going, and started making an early dinner. He doubted Jenny would be able to keep from passing out before sunset from exhaustion. Dinner was ready as the sun approached the horizon, and Jenny gave a sigh of relief when Adrian told her they were done for the day. They sat in camp chairs on opposite sides of the fire, not saying a word. She was eating with gusto, but he was barely touching his food.

“I’m sorry I had to slap you,” Adrian said softly.

Jenny looked up at him and her eyes were filled with sadness. “Don’t be. Adrian, you told me that this would be one of the most difficult times of my life. You told me to seal my heart because you would not be able to be the man I love while you were training me.” Then, to his surprise, she gave the slightest of laughs. “But I knew you were finding it impossible to not be the man I love. I could feel your pain and self-loathing every second. Ever since we started, I was worried you would put so much strain on yourself that you would start coughing blood. Adrian, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m not the weak little high school girl I used to be! Being with you has made me strong, and I’m going to show you how strong I’ve become.”

Adrian smiled and gave a sigh of relief. “Then it seems much of my warning was unneeded. If you really can handle it, this training isn’t going to be as bad as I first thought. All right, let’s finish eating and get to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.”

“Hold on, I have a little bit of energy left and I know just how I want to use it.”

Her meal finished, Jenny got up and strode over to Adrian, discarding her clothes with a sultry grin on her face. She settled on his lap, kissing him with his hands on her bare ass. As she licked the inside of his mouth, Jenny pulled off his shirt and unzipped his pants, pulling forth his hardening manhood. He thought that she was going to settle herself on it, but instead she got off him and crouched down, kissing his chest. She continued to move down, running her tongue and lips across his scars, and just as Adrian was about to ask what she was going to do, he jerked as her lips wrapped around his cock.

Jenny had his whole manhood in her mouth and was sucking on it both gently and hungrily, licking away the salt from his sweat. Even Adrian couldn’t put into the words the incredible feeling of her tongue, lips, and cheeks massaging every millimeter of his cock, soaking it in saliva. She would even playfully bite down ever so slightly, gently pressing down on the shaft with her teeth. As her head bobbed up and down, Jenny’s eyes kept flicking up to him, and she would smile as she saw the effect of her work. Adrian knew that Jenny had never done oral before, but she showed remarkable talent.

Straitlaced by nature and not usually open to new things in sex, Adrian protested for a moment or so before giving in and resting his hand on the back of her head, humming in bliss from the softness of her mouth and her diligence. He sat in his camp chair, like a king on his throne, while Jenny worked to please him. Not wanting to trigger an orgasm and drain him of his stamina, she stopped after a couple minutes and got back on his lap, guiding his saliva-coated cock into her glistening pussy. It slid in effortlessly, and with a tender smile on her face, she began to ride him like a pogo stick, moaning from the deep penetration.

As she moved, Adrian moved between her breasts, either sucking on her nipples or licking away her sweat as she had done to him. Soon enough, Adrian decided that it was his turn to put in the effort. As if reading his mind, Jenny wrapped her legs around his waist as he stood up, holding onto him without his manhood ever leaving her sleeve or his tongue ever leaving her tits. He carried her over to the air, laying her out on the hood. She was on her side, her leg across his chest, moaning in joy from the sweeping strokes of this new angle. As if splitting himself into two personalities, Adrian moved one of his hands from her jiggling tits and cupped her cheek, his lower body moving like a piston to drive her wild but his upper body projecting only a scene of tender love.

Jenny nuzzled his hand, her beautiful blue eyes never leaving his grays, her sweet smile displaying her own feelings, be they loyalty, admiration, submission, and even protection. He brushed his thumb across her lips, lips that he had spent so much time kissing. Her lips parted and she sucked on his thumb, not as a sexual act, but of simple playfulness and joy.

They soon changed positions, Jenny deciding she wanted it a little harder. She rolled over onto her stomach, inviting Adrian to mount her like an animal. Bent over the hood of the car, Jenny gave a deep moan with every powerful shove Adrian made, his hands on her shoulders as he threw his weight on her with every slam, his cock knocking on the entrance to her womb, as if threatening to breach it. Adrian leaned down and ran tender kisses across her shoulders and neck, again separating his actions between lustful force and gentle love.

Jenny came after only a minute, orgasm after orgasm rushing through her. They were alone for miles, so she felt no need to stifle her voice, her moans of ecstasy echoing through the woods. Adrian never stopped or even slowed down, continuing to fuck her through the chain of climaxes, heightening each one to the point where she thought the pleasure would render her unconscious. Once her body became limp, Adrian allowed himself to achieve his own climax, flooding her womanhood with his seed. A coy smile on her face, Jenny allowed Adrian to pull out of her with his semen running down her inner thighs, then got down on her knees and sucked him clean.

Again, Adrian felt the urge to stop her, but she dutifully worked him back up to an erection, and just as quickly caused his second ejaculation. She caught it all in her mouth, her taste buds telling her that it was disgusting but her lust and love telling her to slurp and swallow it up like chocolate syrup. She again worked his deflated cock in her mouth, vacuuming out every last glob that had yet to be fired, while Adrian brushed back her hair with a concerned look. True, the physical enjoyment had been great, that had been more sex than making love, and that loss of elegance weighed on him.

For the rest of the month, they trained nonstop. Adrian worked right alongside Jenny, strengthening every muscle in his body and making sure that all of his abilities were still razor-sharp. He was teaching Jenny how to use her body more affectively and efficiently, block pain, use her muscles to their full strength, and fight like a machine. Every meal was rich is fat, glucose, carbs, protein, fiber, and vitamins to restore the energy they were pouring out every second.

Adrian sprinted through the woods with Jenny desperately trying to keep up. They were going for a morning run before breakfast, but they were also training. Adrian was running with a crouch, while Jenny was running with a regular jogging posture. His legs were moving faster and harder than hers, but touching the ground less often.

“Don’t lean back when you run, lean forward as far as you can. Combine running with falling and use your own momentum. If you can use physics to your advantage, then you can double your speed with less effort.”

Panting with exhaustion, Jenny did as instructed and leaned forward, running as if she was carrying something large and heavy and it was falling beyond any point of being saved.

“Good, now don’t use the soles of your feet for running, use your toes and the muscles around them. It will allow you to use more of the tendons in your legs instead of the ones you use when you run like a jogger. If you can distribute the force to more tendons, then you can lessen the strain on them and increase your potential. Scientists believe that humans can’t reach thirty miles per hour without their tendons snapping, but if you can distribute the amount of strain you put on your tendons and combine it with the ability to use the full strength of your muscles, then you can reach twice that without side effects.

When you run, don’t use your legs like wheels that must touch the ground as often as possible. Instead, turn each step into a leap and combine it with your falling momentum. It will allow you to touch the ground less and use less energy, but move with greater speed. Keep your arms to your sides or your back, using your arms when you run is just wasted energy. This also allow you to move through the air easier, working with your low posture to make you more aerodynamic.”

Following his instructions, Jenny used the described form and her speed was increased until she was running as fast as Adrian was. He looked at her with a proud smile, seeing that she was running with less effort and less strain on her body. “Good, we’ve already proven those scientists wrong. Now let me show you what you can achieve once you learn to use the full strength of your muscles.”

He took a deep breath and increased his speed, shooting off ahead with Jenny staring in disbelief.

Jenny and Adrian were hanging from a tree branch, each doing chin ups. Jenny was gritting her teeth and cursing with each one, but Adrian was fine.

“The pain you are feeling is all in your head. Your muscles aren’t using anything close to their full strength, you just think they are because you’re at the limit of the strength you’ve used your whole life. Your muscles have nothing to do with your pain; it is your own subconscious that is holding you back. If you can block out the pain, then you can order your muscles to continue without any backlash.”

Jenny brought her chin up to the branch, gnashing her teeth in frustration.

“Your mind has never been more powerful than it is now, you have never been in more control than you are now, and you have never been farther than you are now! Your body belongs to you, you control what you feel and the pain you experience,” Adrian said as Jenny hung from the branch, trying to catch her breath.

“I know you can do it, Jenny. It’s why I decided to train you. Half of reality is what happens, and the other half is what you want to happen. In your own body, you are God. It’s why the placebo affect works so well. Come on, ultimate control is in your reach, just pull yourself up and grab it!”

Jenny’s whole body shook as she tried to pull herself up, but her body was telling her that it was at its limit and she believed it.

“Don’t listen to your body, listen to your heart! In your body, your will transcends the physical laws. In your body, you have ultimate control. Listen to me and repeat this in your mind: If you can stand then you shall never fall! If you can endure then you shall never die! If you can fight then you shall never fail! If you can charge then you shall never fear! Now pull yourself up and show your strength!”

Gritting her teeth, Jenny slowly pulled herself up, and as her chin was brought above the branch, Adrian almost heard the chime of a bell. Jenny’s eyes widened and she gasped. Like a massive weight being dropped, the agony and resistance surging through her muscles disappeared. It was like her whole body was as light as pillow! She had done it! She had learned to block out her pain! Now she could unleash the full strength of her muscles without being slowed down by pain that wasn’t even real.

Jenny lowered herself down and pulled herself back up, moving with new speed and without any effort. She had a wide smile on her face as she realized her accomplishment. Adrian smiled and they continued their chin-ups, strengthening their muscles for over two hours without nonexistent pain slowing them down.

Jenny and Adrian were running up the side of a nearby mountain. The trail was steep and they were each carrying a huge wooden log on their backs. Now that Jenny had learned to harness the full power of her muscles, they needed to work them into their full potential, similar to how Adrian trained her to use her entire mind after he woke it up for her. With the illusion of pain no longer clouding her control, Jenny was able to keep up with him with ease. While the log she was carrying was larger than her whole body, she was sprinting up the steep mountain trail with a competitive smile of her face, trying to outrace him.

After half an hour, the mountain summit was in sight. It was a rocky cliff that dropped off into a sea of trees, and as they got close, Adrian turned and gazed at Jenny. Just by looking into his eyes, she knew what Adrian was going to suggest. They were so in tune that they could read each other’s thoughts.

“Ok, one… two… THREE!” Adrian called as they reached the summit.

With Jenny mirroring his movements perfectly, Adrian put one hand on the back of the log he was carrying. With his other hand guiding and supporting it, he threw the log as if it was an Olympic javelin. Jenny followed, throwing hers at the same time. Both logs shot off through the air, flying like arrows. While Jenny’s was going a great distance, his was clearly in the lead.

“All right, last one back has to make dinner!” Jenny challenged before sprinting off.

“Focus…” Adrian instructed for the umpteenth time.

Jenny and Adrian were each standing tree stumps with their arms and one leg extended. On their feet, heads, and in their hands, rocks and sticks had been stacked on top of each other in a way that no ordinary person could even set up. Jenny was soaked in sweat from the tension in her muscles, having to constantly readjust to keep everything from falling.

“How is it that you can do it so easily?!” she yelled, trying to keep her head steady when she talked. True to her words, Adrian was achieving the balance without any trouble.

“Because while I’m constantly shifting, I’m doing it in the least-disruptive way possible. Every time you move in even the smallest micrometer, you try to counter it with an even greater movement. The reason why you can’t keep still is because your body has a slight tremor with every heartbeat. It’s normally so small that you can’t notice, but with how steady and balanced everything has to be for this exercise, the smallest tremor creates a whole world of problems.

Use half of your mind to balance everything and use the other half to control the tremors. If you can cancel it out with an equal or opposite tremor, you can maintain balance. This is why I had you do sit-ups while solving that cube and why I had you solve three at once. Just use what I’ve taught you.”

Jenny took a deep breath and Adrian could instantly see the tension in her muscles falling away. “I think I’ve got it,” she hummed with her eyes closed.

“Good, because we’re going to maintain this pose for another three hours and then switch legs for three more.”

“Martial arts are based on fighting with memorized stances, moves, and attacks. However, my fighting style requires little more than speed, instinct, and logic. By using my awakened mind to give me more time to process, I take advantage of openings that my enemy creates and attack with simple or complicated strikes. The only established form in his style is the principle of counterattack, meaning that I try to get my opponent to make the first move whenever possible. When someone attacks me, the number of openings they create is baffling; pressure points, vital areas, vulnerable joints, and so on.

When you first attacked me and tried to punch me, I had the time and the opportunity to dodge and then strike the pressure point in your elbow, jab your eyes, catch your fist and twist your arm, slam your throat, knee you in the stomach, or even snap your neck. Had you been a real enemy, I could have killed you ten times before you would have time to send a second punch. Now, I’m going to come at you the way a regular person would and I want you to fight. The second you begin your counterattack, I’ll begin really fighting, mostly for my own safety.”

The last part gave Jenny a confident smile.

Adrian charged forward and reached out to punch her, the same way a regular person would, but with heightened senses giving her incredible speed and reflexes, Jenny deflected his punch with the back of her hand and reached out to slam her fist against his throat. Adrian stepped to the side, grabbed her wrist, and tried to twist her arm back. Jenny purposefully fell and then lashed out with her foot to kick him. He blocked her kick and let go of her wrist as she gave a second attempt. He stepped back as she got to her feet and charged with her fist pulled back.

Jenny jumped into the air with her fist rocketing towards his face and Adrian caught her hand, but barely had time to block as she tried to slam her knee into his ribs. The punch had merely been a distraction. He blocked her attacks and then shoved her in the stomach, sending her sprawling back and knocking the wind from her. Adrian charged forward and tried to kick her, taking advantage of her curled posture. Jenny blocked his kick and then slammed her fist against his knee, striking both the joint and pressure point. Adrian bent his knee to lessen the impact and smiled with pride. Jenny then reached up with her fist and tried to punch him in the jaw, but he fell back to dodge and rolled onto his feet, catching her fist as she tried to punch him while he was distracted.

“Good, you were able to spot and use every opening I gave you. In less than a month, you’ve gained the basics of the training. We only have a few more days here, and all you have to do is master what I have taught you. That will be enough for today. Let’s eat and rest up for tomorrow.”

It was their last day in the woods and Jenny’s training was complete. Her body and mind were honed to their full potential and she stood before him as more than a human. Every ounce of fat had been burned and every muscle had been worked until it was at full strength, but with her body still retaining its slender womanly figure and without being as stocky and inflated as a female body-builder.

Jenny and Adrian both had wide smiles on their faces. She was giddy with excitement and he was filled with pride. In his hand was congratulatory gift, wrapped in fabric.

“Jenny, I am more proud of you than you could possibly imagine. By completing your training, you have transcended common limitations and have become more goddess than human. I am no longer your teacher; I am once again just the man you love and the man that loves you. For completing the training, I have a graduation gift for you…”

Adrian held up the object and pulled away the fabric, revealing the lance he had created in the warehouse. Jenny was breathless as she stared at it.

“I created this when you were unconscious. It is made with the same materials and skill as my own, it is just as powerful, and like mine it shall stand the test of time. The only difference is that I created this one with my heart.”

Jenny took the lance with shaky hands, admired everything from the perfectly straight slope, to the needle-sharp point, to the grooves in the handle. She raised it above her head, watching how it caught the light. She then brought it down and was silent for several seconds.

“You’ve practiced with the darts and my lance, so I know you are proficient with these weapons. And I think I know a good way to test it out and test your new abilities.”

He became silent when he saw that Jenny couldn’t meet his gaze.

“You know, there were countless times when I just wanted to yell at you to back off and leave me alone. There were times when I was so angry that I wanted to punch you in the nose and drive away. I was angry because I thought you were being a lot harsher than you needed to be and I wanted you to show some compassion. But every time, right when I was about to yell, I would think about the training and I would remember that you went through it too. The only difference was that you had to torture yourself to become the man you are because you were alone. You had to discard your emotions and your humanity and become coldhearted and forlorn.

I can’t even imagine being so harsh that I would treat my body the way you treated yours, being so cold and merciless that you couldn’t even show yourself any leniency. You once told me about how you wanted to be more than human and transcend your limitations. I could tell in your voice that while you admired yourself, you did not love yourself; you even hated yourself because you weren’t happy. Your nature could only let you be bitter and alone, and you were so desperate to leave the realm of humans because you wanted to be happy. You wanted to be in a place where you belonged but were still an individual. You hated yourself for any weakness you had.”

A single tear rolled down her cheek. “And when I imagined what you probably did to yourself as a result of this self-loathing and your desperation to break free from your own existence, when I think back to all of those scars, burns, and bruises across your body… I would have to fight the urge to cry. If I were to see you do these things to yourself now, I would not be able to bear it.”

Adrian’s whole body felt cold at her words, because they were absolutely true. Every injury Adrian had inflicted to his own body hadn’t just been for the search of power, but also out of frustration and self-hatred.

Jenny gained a sad smile and even gave a soft laugh. “Compared to what you probably did to yourself, my training was practically babying. I imagine it would have even been easier if you had been kind to yourself, and learned about what it meant to be merciful. Adrian, I understand now, I understand what you went through. Only through my pain could I understand your pain.” She then walked over to him and placed her hand on his chest. “I’m glad you’re not in pain anymore. I’m just sorry I couldn’t help you sooner. And Adrian, I finally understand you and agree with you on your plan. I now want to help you achieve your goal, not just because I love you, but to help this world.”

They sat parked in front of a biker bar. It was the middle of the night, but the building was dimly lit. Adrian was wearing the bulletproof outfit he always sported in dangerous situations, but he had been forced to improvise in Jenny’s case. He had already placed orders for the creation of a protective uniform just like his, but until then, they had to rely on Kevlar and steel. They had just bought several Kevlar vests at a local pawnshop, cut them up, reinforced them with metal plates, and then wrapped them around Jenny’s limbs underneath her clothes, as well as a full vest protecting her torso. She was wearing an overcoat like him and they both had their sheathed lances at their sides.

“I did some research on this community when I went out to get supplies and gear, and this biker bar is the hangout of some serious criminals. Everyone in that bar right now has a thick arrest record. For your ultimate test, you are going to help me clear this building of vermin. Killing these people will at least leave us with a clean conscience.

I need to know Jenny, are you ready for this? This will be much different than your training; you will be killing people and your life will be on the line. Are you ready for this? Are you ready to hand out judgment?”
Jenny stared at him for several seconds with a tinge of sadness in her eyes. Finally, she leaned forward and kissed him, as softly as a falling leaf. “After we left our old lives behind, I told you that I would kill for you and I would die for you. That hasn’t changed, Adrian, and it never will.”

“I love you, Jenny,” he said as he kissed her on the forehead.

They stepped out of the car and walked across the street towards the pool hall, their lances hanging from their waists. Entering the dank building, they instantly memorized their surroundings. There were six pool tables, several eating tables, a bar, and fifteen men. Thick clouds of cigarette and cigar smoke stifled the light from the lamps above the pool tables. The dregs of society turned to Adrian and Jenny.

“Hey, no kids in here!” a fat man yelled, pointing his pool cue at the teens. Two men approached them from the left and right.

Simultaneously, Jenny and Adrian drew their lances and both swung out like mirror images of each other, slashing the two men from shoulder to hip. Their strength more than made up for the lack of blades on the weapons, carving their enemies open and ripping apart their ribcages. Everyone in the bar stared at them with disbelief, but quickly retaliated as the bodies hit the floor.

As the men all pulled out their guns, Jenny and Adrian flipped two pool tables onto their short sides, turning them into towering barriers. They crouched down behind their shields as the bullets began flying, tearing through the wood and fabric. Adrian looked at Jenny and they both nodded. With every movement as the mirror image of the other, they planted their lances into the floor, reached into their pockets, and stepped out from behind their barriers with darts in their hands.

They unleashed a barrage of the deadly spikes on the bikers, stabbing them in the limbs and chests. Many of them dropped their weapons, howling in pain from their injuries. With their enemies distracted by their wounds, Jenny and Adrian retrieved their weapons and charged into the midst. They moved between them like wraiths, slashing and stabbing their opponents with inhuman speed. By using their superior speed and the dim lighting, they were able to keep their foes from getting a lock on them to fire their guns.

Adrian charged towards the fat man that had yelled at them when they entered. He had a dart lodged in his protruding gut and shoulder and his gun was empty. The man raised his pool cue and brought it down towards Adrian like a hammer, but he blocked the attack with his hand, shattering the cue as if it were made of Styrofoam. He then jumped into the air, and before the biker could retaliate, he stabbed him between the throat and ribcage with his hand. Adrian landed on the ground with just enough time to deflect a bullet coming towards him from the side. He turned around as the shooter tried to load another magazine into his pistol, pulled a dart out of his pocket, and threw it, sending it flying across the room and lodging it in the center of the man’s chest, piercing his heart.

An unharmed biker charged towards him, holding a pool cue like a baseball bat. He swung from the right side and Adrian blocked with his lance and shattered it. He then reached out and stabbed him in the gut, again using only his hand. The man gagged in pain and coughed up blood, and Adrian pulled his hand free, grabbed his lance, and then stabbed him through the jaw with the tip breaking out of the top of his skull. Adrian quickly turned around as a biker tried to stab him with a knife and then jumped back, using the superior length of his lance to slash him across the chest and tear open his ribcage.

Adrian turned his attention to Jenny to she how she was doing. She was a black and yellow blur as she moved through the bar, slashing and stabbing everyone in her path. She was as skilled with her lance as Adrian was with his and she didn’t hesitate once. Her eyes held no sadness or remorse, just dedication and confidence.

In less then a minute, it was over, and all fifteen bikers were dead. After collecting their darts, cleaning their weapons, and taking care of any footprints they left behind, Adrian and Jenny stood in the middle of the room, staring at each other with small but warm smiles on their faces.

“I said it once and I’ll say it again: I am more proud of you than you could possibly imagine.”

“That means more to me than you could possibly imagine,” Jenny replied, both sincerely and jokingly.

“Come on, darling, let’s go.”

Adrian wrapped his arm around Jenny and they made their way towards the exit, but halfway, Adrian stopped.

“What’s wrong?”

“I just forgot something.” He walked to the middle of the room and planted a dart in the center of one of the pool tables. “I just wanted to leave our calling card.”

“Holy fuck,” Hoffman said, taking off his glasses.
“This… this is a national threat,” Mason said, constantly raising his arms and then dropping them.

The two FBI agents had drove down the second they got the details, and they were trying to process the gory scene before them. The air was thick with flies, gorging themselves on blood and dead flesh. Forensic investigators were taking hundreds of photographs and putting down evidence tags.

“It’s like Rwanda in here! This is borderline genocide!” Hoffman yelled, taking it all in.

Mason walked over to take a close look at the dart lodged in the pool table. “The guy who called the police was the owner. He said he had gone down to get something in the basement and when the guns stared roaring, he decided to hide. It seems that Jenny Sinclair really did become his apprentice. She’s become just like him, even in the way she kills.”

“But he didn’t see her, right? There is no way she could have fought with him. Hell, there is no way you can teach someone to do this in less than two months; it’s just impossible. But regardless, Jenny has become a lost cause. There is no way she’ll leave him now. Even if she didn’t fight, we need to consider her as being dangerous. Like you said, this is real national news. The public needs to know what we’re dealing with. So far, he’s just attacked law-breakers and criminals, but we can’t assume that he’ll stick to that pattern. If he turns his attention to innocent people… the death count would be on par with a natural disaster.

I don’t care if this guy sees himself as a vigilante or a hero; we have to stop him!” Hoffman said as he took a close look at one of the victims’ stab wounds. The circular hole was so clean and perfect that a surgeon couldn’t match the skill.

“Yeah, but with this guy, impossible loses all meaning. The bastard beat the crap out of us, threw you like dog toy, and has killed at least fifty people as of now. We have to call this in. They’re going on the Top Ten Most Wanted list.”

“So, what now? You’re done training me and I’m begging to know what the next step of the plan is now,” Jenny said with a confident smile.

“Las Vegas,” Adrian replied with a grin.

“Vegas?!”

“Yep. I’m trying to find and get the attention of some people and Las Vegas is like the portal to the underworld. Let’s just say that I plan on leaving a few business cards there. However, I think we should also take a vacation first. After all, it is summer break. How about we tour the country a little, spend some cash, and have a good time?”

Jenny leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “That would be like heaven.”

“We’re also going to keep ending the lives of criminals wherever we go. I want to eradicate some of the vermin in this country and drive fear into the hearts of law breakers,” he said, his voice then filled with a dedication that was both burning with passion and ice cold.

“Is that the only reason?”

“When my plan is initiated, it will need a signature, someone for the people to both idolize and fear. By the time we’re ready to establish the new world order, the names Adrian Ashford and Jenny Sinclair will command power. It’s all part of the plan.”

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