C.R. Daems - Kazak 2 - The Unthinkable Read online

  "Kazak life isn't for everyone. I've already lost forty-one women and many of the remaining ones won't return to begin the training. I'll be happy if I can bring five women to the Hill. Most will be unwilling to make the sacrifice and many others aren't suitable."

  "Don't you want as many women as possible to make Kazak?" Gabe asked looking surprised. "Otherwise, why help them with special training?"

  "No. We want Kazaks. This special training will merely give them a fighting chance. On the Hill there are no men or women, just candidates. We look for reasons to send them home. Kazaks are the ones we can't break." Gabe shook his head in disbelief. Jianyu nodded agreement. Before I left, we discussed class times and schedules. I encouraged Gabe to bring his wife, Lauretta, and told him I would pay for a baby sitter for his son, Daro. The Kazaks were providing him a salary for teaching.

  ***

  The next day, I decided to look up my old roommates. Four had married and had either left the state or lived well out of town. Since I hadn't been a close friend with any of the four, I decided a visit wasn't warranted. My friend, Sally, had been married but divorced a couple of years ago. Ironically, she still worked at the Golden Nugget as a waitress. Since she now worked the day shift, I decided to have lunch there. I recognized her immediately although she had thinned down, giving her a nice shapely figure. I didn't say anything, as I sat waiting to be served. Several minutes later, Sally came over to my table.

  "Can I start you out with something to... LYNN is that you?" Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed me around the shoulders and gave me a big hug. "I can't believe it's you. Gabe told me you're a Kazak now. That's great. I followed your example and pursued my dream. A year of singing lessons and I'm now part of a small band. Gabe managed to get us a gig at the new Cosmopolitan Casino. We perform in one of the small bars, in the early hours of the morning. It's a start." Sally bubbled with excitement. Just like the old Sally I remembered from our days waitressing together on the night shift in this very cafe. "We're playing tonight. Will you come?" She stood holding her breath, looking like a teenager asking for her own cell phone.

  "Tell me when and I'll be there." The cafe was bustling and Sally was too busy to talk, so I finished my Tortilla wrap and left.

  ***

  I spent the rest of the day back at the complex going over the tentative schedule I had prepared for the next twelve months. I wondered how many of the fifty-four would return, now that they realized this wasn't a college, with its few hours of classes each week and parties every night. Like Gabe, many saw only the prestige of being a Kazak. Unfortunately, if recognition came, it would be after years of hard punishing work. After a short nap, I dressed casually in a flared skirt, loose fitting blouse, and for accessories a Glock and two throwing knives. Although Nevada's gun law was very lax, it wouldn't have mattered. Kazak's have diplomatic immunity and can carry a gun or any weapon anywhere-without restrictions.

  I arrived at the Cosmopolitan Casino just after 1:00 p.m. Sally and her crew had just finished setting up, and she began with Because You Love Me. I was pleasantly surprised. She sounded a lot like Jo Dee Messina. I bought myself a Shirley Temple, after a ten-dollar bribe. Bars frown on serving non-alcoholic drinks. After that, I expected to see the waitress back at my table every ten minutes. I had to admit she was very discrete. I had been listening for about an hour when some semi-drunk and his friend sat down at my table.

  "It's red hot Charlie to rescue you. Can I buy you a drink, sweet thing? You look lonely," he said leaning towards me, which I wish he hadn't. If he brushed his teeth in the last week, it must have been with whiskey mixed in a spittoon. His buddy stood behind his chair with a toothy grin plastered onto his face.

  "No, thank you," I said as nicely as I could. I'm not use to being nice to idiots, but I didn't want to cause a scene, which would detract from Sally's performance.

  "Oh, come on. I won big at the tables and got lots of money to spend." His friend nodded, I think. It was kind of like trying to decide if the bobble-head doll on your dash was agreeing with you or just looking you up and down.

  "No. I'm waiting for someone. Please leave." It took all my will power to be civil. Deep down I knew it wasn't going to work, but for Sally's sake, I had to try.

  "He ain't here but we are. Two real men." As he reached for me, I slid sideways out of my chair and headed for the exit. His attempted grab for my arm missed and knocked over my drink.

  "Damn, Samie, the little lady's playing hard to get. Let go before she disappears." Charlie rose and the two lurched after me. I weaved my way through the casino and out the back door into the parking lot and waited. They came running out a few minutes later. They weren't smiling and didn't look even a little drunk. I wondered how many times that little act worked: pretend to be drunk with lots of money to throw around, lure the sweet thing someplace, and get ugly. Since I wasn't protecting a client, I guessed I couldn't justify killing them. The Committee that is the sole judge of a Kazak's conduct probably wouldn't see it as self-defense. And if I just beat them up, the idiots might come back for more. So...

  "You're lucky sweet thing. Charlie and I are free tonight to show you a real good time," Samie said, while his eyes undressed me. Charlie reached me first and grabbed my arm. When he did, I clamped my hand over his, rotated my wrist so that I grabbed his wrist, and twisted. When I had his arm totally extended, I drove my forearm into his elbow and at the same time executed a sidekick into his knee. His elbow and knee joint dislocated simultaneously. I stepped back, as he collapsed onto the pavement screaming. Samie had reacted to the situation faster than I expected. He advanced slowly waving a six-inch knife back and forth. He wasn't smiling anymore. I stood waiting. He hesitated for a moment, probably because he wasn't getting the response he expected. Then he lunged at my stomach. I twisted ninety degrees, letting my right hand guide the knife by me as my left arm snaked around his neck. As I rotated into him, my arm at his neck forced him to bend backward. I felt his vertebrae snap as he fell onto my bended knee. I doubted he would ever be the same again. I made my way back to the lounge and stayed until Sally finished. Afterward, we went back to the Golden Nugget for an early breakfast and talked until late into the morning. Like me, Sally had found a life she loved. I would have liked to visit longer, but I needed to get back to my training facility, to prepare for the returning women. I lied, telling Sally I was scheduled to leave town. I reached the facility around noon.

  ***

  Around three p.m. the women began arriving in ones and two. By eight fifty-five, twenty-two had returned. I walked out to the fence that enclosed the three buildings and exactly at nine p.m., closed and locked the gate. No one was in sight. When I returned, the room became silent.

  "You shouldn't have locked the gate, Nora's on her way back," a tall, young girl with long red hair said.

  "She has been eliminated from the competition along with the other thirty-one who failed to return."

  "But...she'll only be ten or fifteen minutes late." The redhead again.

  "Nora has provided you with a valuable lesson. If I or any Kazak on the Hill tells you to do something, you either do it or you will be told to leave. Some of you are thinking that isn't fair. Maybe not, but if you don't like the rules, you are free to leave. If you don't like me... that's all right. There's no rule about liking your instructor." That elicited a few smiles and a snort or two. I led them on a tour of the dining facility and then their sleeping quarters. "Tomorrow, I will ring this bell at 8:00 o'clock. You will have one hour to eat, wash, dress, and get to the main building. There's a stack of clothes over there. Find two sets that fit. Place you current clothes and personal articles-all of them including cell phones-in one of the bags on the beds and write your name on it. They will be returned to you if you choose or are told to leave. There's also a bag of toiletries on each bed. Write your name on it. We'll provide everything you need this year. If you feel we haven't, tell me. As of now, you are no longer women. You are object
s for me to test and determine your value or lack thereof. Get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day."

  ***

  I grabbed the bell's cord and banged it back and forth until everyone seemed to be awake. "For your information, a Kazak would have heard me open the door." I turned and walked back to the dining hall.

  "Hi, Fredric. What have we got on the menu today?"

  "Scrambled eggs, bacon, French toast, pancakes, toast, and assorted juices. I can cook you something special." A big smile pushed his chubby cheeks up into two bright twinkling eyes.

  "No, but thanks for the offer. What you prepared today looks delicious. It would be a feast for me. Just throw together something I can eat standing up, like an egg or bacon sandwich and a glass of milk or juice. Make it as bland as you can bring yourself to make it," I said. He frowned and looked hurt. "These women need to understand what it means to be a Kazak. I can only do that by showing them. Telling them won't get their attention." I waited while he made me an egg sandwich and poured a glass of milk. I took it and walked over to one wall where I stood munching on my sandwich as the first of my students filed into the room. I don't think they realized how much you can tell about a person from their time of arrival, appearance, what they eat, and where and with whom they sit. So while they thought I merely watched, I did what a Kazak does while protecting a client-evaluate the people in the area.

  ***

  Ten minutes before nine, they had all arrived in the main building. Nora had been a good lesson.

  "Good morning. I'll warn you not to eat too much at breakfast, since your first activity will be stretching and light exercise." I spent the next hour going through a series of warm up exercises and stretches designed to improve flexibility. As expected, the women's fitness varied considerably. At ten a.m. on the dot, Gabe entered the gym. I waved him over.

  "Students, this is Gabe, your self-defense instructor. You will address him as Sifu, which means instructor." I smiled at Gabe, who looked a bit intimidated by the horde of women staring at him. "They're warmed up, ready, and yours for the next two hours." That elicited a few smiles.

  "What if we have to use the ladies' room?" the blond beauty, Diana, asked.

  "For now, you'll either have to grin and bear it until the break at noon, or piss in your pants. Eventually, you will learn to control it or tolerate wet pants and the smell." I climbed to the top of the bleachers and sat, as Gabe got them organized and began with simple stances, blocks, and punches. When he finished, he explained the bowing procedure, which began and ended each class. I joined him shortly afterward.

  "Students, you have the next hour free. You will be back here at 1:00 o'clock." I had no sooner finished and there was a mad rush for the door to the barracks. "Well, Gabe, what do you think?"

  "I have to admit, I almost panicked facing so many women at one time. My classes are usually small and mixed. You were a little hard on them, though. I wouldn't mind if one needed to be excused to use the bathroom. When you need to go..."

  "I'd mind. They want to be Kazaks. This is the inglorious part of being one."

  "Touche. Jianyu was right. I saw only the glory of being a Kazak. I'm looking forward to watching the change over the year. Well, I'm off to my day job. See you tomorrow."

  A few minutes to 1:00 p.m., everyone had assembled. "Now that you are all rested, we are going to spend the next hour exercising." Sighs and groans followed. Without further comment, I led them through a series of strength exercises, stopping about ten minutes to the hour.

  At 2:00, Jianyu entered the room and we bowed to each other.

  "Welcome, Master Jianyu. Students!" At that, everyone stood and turned their attention to me. "This is Master Jianyu. You will refer to him as Master Jianyu. If you succeed in becoming a Kazak, it will be because of what this man will teach you." I bowed to Jianyu and returned to the bleachers.

  "Master Lynn is very generous. I will teach you how to protect yourself against stronger and more aggressive opponents. However, if you want to be a Kazak, she is your model. Master Lynn is the embodiment of the old Samurai-honor unto death-an old custom brought to life in the Kazaks." He then began with a few simple Tai Ji moves. When the two hours were up, I came back down to stand beside him.

  "You have two hours to eat and do whatever you want until 6:00, when you will assemble back here. Dismissed." It sounded like a cattle stampede as they rushed towards the door leading to the dining room and barracks. I smiled at Jianyu. "Wait until they find out that today was a light workout."

  "It will be interesting to see the swords take shape from the raw metal these students represent today." Jianyu bowed and left.

  ***

  They were all in place by 6:00. Jody, the girl I thought had been in gangs judging by her tattoos and mannerisms, raised her hand more to be recognized than requesting permission.

  "Why do you stand and eat. And why do you watch us during meals. Can't you give us a rest?" Several of the others nodded. They obviously had the same thought.

  "The hour right after diner will be a critique session. Your opportunity to get your questions answered and my time to comment on the day or give you advice. So, to answer your question, I am a Kazak. Someday, that will explain everything. Until then..." I paused before continuing. "You are in a sense my clients; therefore, you see a Kazak in action. I stand and eat so I can evaluate my environment. In this case, that includes each of you. I eat only things I can hold in one hand leaving the other one free. If something were to happen, I would be in action before you knew it was happening."

  "How do you survive the tension?" Megan, the redhead, asked, followed immediately by Carla.

  "Don't you care what you eat?"

  "It would be very tense for you to do that today," I admitted. "To me it's the normal state of awareness that I need to protect my client. Assassins and even thugs normally will know you are a Kazak and wait for you to drop your guard. That is why I'm forcing you to control your trips to the ladies' room. And right now, you are feasting on gourmet dinners. I know you don't think so, but Fredric has instructions to make the meals bland over time. Tasty food can distract you on the job. You can eat whatever you like on your time, but it would be best if food weren't important to you. Yes, the life of a Kazak appears hard, even cruel. But I love the life. I have more money than I need or want, free room and board in a luxury environment, fly on private planes, get to watch powerful people in action, help protect people from thugs and assassins, and get to help protect our nations interest. Furthermore, each assignment is different and exciting. There is no one in the world I would trade places with," I said, realizing they needed some encourage for the sacrifice that would be required over the months to follow. Silence followed my little speech. "All right, my advice for today, form no strong relationships with your fellow students here or on the Hill."

  "Why?" Several said simultaneously.

  "The Kazak school has no quotas. It may graduate as many as three or four, or no one. And although it isn't a competition in the sense of an elimination contest, you are being evaluated based on your performance against each other. If you hold back against a close friend, you will both be eliminated-you for not performing at your best and your friend because he or she required your help. There are other factors involved but that is the simple answer." When no questions followed, I continued. "Your next two hours will be spent meditating. You may want to review what you have leaned today, or if this life feels right for you; however, I want you to spend at very least one hour trying to empty your mind of all thoughts. If you can learn to do that, it may be the difference between becoming a Kazak or be eliminated. I'll go into more details over the months to come." With that, I got them settled in a sitting position on the floor, spaced well apart, and turned off the lights. "Absolutely no talking during this period."

  ***

  The next seven months went by reasonably smooth. I missed having clients, but watching the women's individual progress was interesting, i
nformative and necessary if this program was to be conducted again in the future. I had lost three women. Although I knew I would terminate at least four or five more, the classes' performance had been far better than I expected at the beginning. Even the ones who would be terminated had done well and will have learned a lot about themselves. I was just getting ready to begin our critique session after their dinner break, when I heard the bikes. They were close to the building so they had obviously broken the lock on the gate into the compound.

  "Stay put," I said as I moved away from them and closer to the door. A few minutes later the door burst open and a young man with a goatee, shaved head, and head, neck, and arms full of tattoos entered, closely followed by five other tattooed youths in leather vests, jeans, and boots. They were all smiling like kids entering a candy store. Like kids, they didn't seem to realize the candy wasn't free.

  "Yo crew. I told you da place was full of nooky. Da bitch's mine first," the apparent leader said, pointing to Megan. "Snake, keep an eye on da door. Don't want any of da bitches to miss a turn." He laughed.

  "Hey, Sapphire or is it Ruby? You're mine," I said, remembering my days on the street. Ruby would make him the gang's whore. His face turned red and his mouth twisted in rage. Then his lips turned into an evil smile.

  "I heard dat some bitch here thought she's a gang banger. Wildman, I think they meant she liked being gang banged." He laughed again but his eyes flared with hate. "You first Wildman. Put da bitch in the right mood for the rest of the crew."

  "Sure thing, Spider," he said taking a step towards me, the cruelty of his nature evident in his expression.

  "Yo, Wildman. Is that wannabe your leader? Looks afraid. If it were me, I'd check to see if he had any balls." That elicited the proper response. Spider grabbed Wildman to stop him and pulled out an eight-inch serrated knife. He approached slowly expecting me to run screaming. He intended to make me an example of what happens to people who question his leadership. In preparation for an upcoming confrontation, I had folded a knife back against my forearm and out of sight. My other hand remained free to draw my gun.