JC: William Redman Carter
Noble Savage
Chapter 18
By
Lazlo Zalezac
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2005

"Your mother and I watched your meeting with the White Buffalo 
on the news. That's how we knew to go to the ranch," said Lucy.

"Pardon?" William was not aware that there had been a television 
camera at the ranch.

"Someone filmed the whole thing with their video camera. It was 
on the television within half an hour of it happening."

"So what did you think?"

"Strange. It was like you weren't there. Your face was blank. Your 
voice was strange with an odd echoing quality to it. When the 
White Buffalo rolled over and changed colors, I thought it was all 
over. Then they explained that according to legend that after the 
White Lady changed into a Buffalo, she was first black, then 
brown, then red, and finally white. It's like she's turning back."

William tried to peer into the future, but it was blank with respect 
to the White Buffalo. He grinned and said, "At least my time in the 
spotlight will only last three months. I feel sorry for the warrior 
who is chosen. The poor guy has no idea what his life is going to 
be like afterwards." 

Lucy rolled over on the bed and looked at William. She asked, "So 
what is your time in the spotlight going to be like?"

"Well, with my picture in the news, I'm sure that our fellow 
students will be all over us trying to learn more about what 
happened. Reporters are going to be hiding in the bushes trying to 
get a news story," answered William. 

"Oh." She hadn't considered that. The announcement of their 
engagement had brought her lots of unwanted attention already. 
She had plenty of experience with dodging overly aggressive 
reporters. She'd even gotten used to reading outrageous stories 
about herself in the tabloids.

"Ling is going to send us bodyguards. There's no way to put that 
off any longer," William said with a sigh. All chance of privacy 
was effectively gone. The kooks and nutcases would emerge with 
death threats.

"You're going to have bodyguards?" 

"You'll have bodyguards too."

"Me?" Lucy asked surprised at getting a bodyguard. The idea of 
having a bodyguard was both a rush and something to dread. 

"Yes, you. As a result of this, we're going to lose all privacy. You 
won't even be able to go to the bathroom in a public place without 
your bodyguard following along," William said. 

"Surely I won't have to worry when we're apart."

William looked at the attractive young woman lying in the bed 
next to him. He knew that the upcoming months were going to be 
hard for her. It tore at his heart that this event would make her life 
more difficult. She was entering her senior year of college and 
didn't need to have any further complications added to her life. He 
sighed and said, "That will be when you are most vulnerable."

"Why?"

"It is a whole lot easier to grab one than two, particularly when one 
of the pair is a highly trained fighter."

"Grab someone? What are you talking about, grabbing someone? 
We were talking about keeping crowds and reporters away."

"The crowds and reporters are minor irritants. The dangerous ones 
are the nut cases who want to make a name for themselves by 
doing in someone famous, the fanatics who are against what I am 
doing, and the creeps that have become obsessed with me," 
William said. Shaking his head, he added, "The most dangerous 
ones will use you to get to me."

Lucy sat up and stared at William in horror. The idea that someone 
would use her to hurt William sounded like something a paranoid 
person would say. Seeing the expression on her face, William said, 
"I'm sorry that you've gotten dragged into this."

She wondered if he really meant that they were in danger. It just 
seemed so unreal to her. The idea that he was becoming paranoid 
scared her. She asked, "Are you really serious about me being in 
danger?" 

"Very serious," William answered. He took a deep breath and 
explained, "You know that my family is very high profile. I can't 
tell you how many times my fathers have been attacked. You've 
seen the scars on Ed. They weren't from accidents. John Carter had 
even more scars than that. You haven't met the bodyguard for the 
Reverend, but he's covered in scars."

The reminder of his father's scars made her reconsider his 
assessment of the situation. She hadn't realized that the Reverend 
had a bodyguard, but it made sense that a religious leader working 
towards peace among different religions would need one. It 
dawned on her that William was in much the same position as the 
Reverend. He was a very visible religious leader who was working 
for the betterment of his people. 

"I remember having to go to the safe room on a couple of 
occasions when I was much younger. Corrupt businessmen, 
criminal groups, and terrorists would try to take out the family. 
They even tried to use missiles once, but that was before I was 
born. 

"I'd stay in the safe room with my brother and sisters waiting for 
the all clear while Ling and the security team took care of the 
problem. The attacks never lasted long, but the aftermath dragged 
on forever. Sometimes, my parents would have us kids wait in our 
rooms so they could clean up the mess left behind," William said.

Lucy and William had talked about his childhood on many 
occasions. His stories were about playing games with his family, 
studying at schools, and learning about the desert from Ed. The 
way he talked, he had an ideal childhood filled with love from his 
parents and siblings. This was the first time he presented any 
negative experiences. She said, "It must have been frightening."

"Not really. We understood what was happening. I even 
understood why it was happening. My mother, Ling, always 
thought she was hiding it from us. She wanted to protect us from 
the harsh realities of the world, but I knew. John and Beth knew as 
well. We weren't scared, just disappointed in people," William 
said. 

"You were disappointed in people?"

"Yes. It is horrible to learn that there are evil people who will kill 
good people. My family has helped so many people, but there are 
those who want to hurt them. I can't get angry. The only feeling 
that I can manage is one of disappointment," William answered.

Lucy put her arms around William and hugged him. Wanting to 
comfort him, she asked, "Have I told you that I love you?"

"Yes, I think you did that about the second time you came. I 
definitely remember you screaming something to that effect. 
Maybe it was, I love this," answered William with a smile.  

"Oh, you're terrible. Here I am trying to be all sweet and nice while 
you're making jokes," she said with a smile.  

Suddenly serious, William caressed her face and said, "I love your 
body. It excites me more than I can express in words. I could spend 
all night making love to you. I love your mind. It captivates me 
and astounds me with its depth. I could spend all night talking to 
you. I love your spirit. It makes me feel as if I'm the luckiest man 
in the world that you love me. I could spend all night basking in 
your love."

His words melted Lucy's heart. Misty eyed, she said, "I'm the lucky 
one in this relationship."

"I love you so much," said William kissing her passionately. 

When they recovered from their passions, Lucy glanced at the 
clock and said, "We're supposed to meet in the dining room in 
fifteen minutes."

William grinned and said, "Thirty minutes. I told dad that we'd 
been fifteen minutes late, so he changed the time."

"You knew we'd be late?"

"Knowing that the two of us would be naked and alone in the 
room, did you think we'd be on time?" asked William with a grin. 
He'd also told his father to reserve a table with three extra seats.

"Uh, I didn't think about it," said Lucy.

"Besides, we'll need to wait for Ling to arrive. That reminds me, I 
had better call the dining room to request an extra three seats at the 
table," William said.

William and Lucy entered the dining room. The entrance was next 
to the bar where a bunch of men were lounging around drinking 
beer and talking. One of the men looked over at William and 
snorted. Pointing at William, he shouted, "Hey guys. Guess who 
just came in? It's Whines Like an Animal."

"That's not his name. It's Shits Like An Animal."

The first man barked a laugh and, making reference to an old joke, 
said, "Nope. His name is Two Dogs Fucking."

As some of the other men in the bar laughed, Lucy froze in shock 
at the insults. William turned to look at the man. Staring at the men 
around the table with narrowed eyes, William assessed the danger 
represented by the men who insulted him. The first man who had 
spoken represented the greatest threat. He dismissed the others as 
insignificant. 

William turned his attention back to the first man and knew there 
was something important about this moment. He wasn't sure what 
it would be, but the man was going to play an important role in his 
life at some point in time.

One of the other men said, "It's just another one of the red niggers 
who's getting too big for his britches."

The entire place turned quiet as Native Americans scattered around 
the dining room stopped eating and turned their attention to what 
was happening at the bar. The general mood in the restaurant went 
from happy to tense in seconds. More than one man stood to 
confront the four white men at the table.

Ed Biggers walked behind the men and looked down at them. 
Seeing his father and knowing they didn't notice the Druid 
standing behind them, William decided to address their prejudice 
directly. He asked, "So what would it take for me to earn your 
respect?"

The first man laughed at the suggestion that the kid could earn his 
respect and answered, "You could stand up for yourself like a 
man."

A look of surprise came over Ed's face. He recalled his first 
meeting with John Carter and how he'd had been put down with 
ease. It was as if history was repeating itself. Looking over at 
William, he said, "He's telling the truth."

The man turned and saw Ed standing behind him. In a low voice, 
he said, "Oh shit, it's a fucking Druid."

"Dad, are you telling me that if I fight him that he'll actually 
respect me?"

"Looks like it, son. He meant it when he said it."

Realizing that the Druid was the father of the kid he had just 
insulted, the man looked as if he had just swallowed a lemon. Even 
in the country it was well known that you didn't make a Druid 
angry. Backing off, he said, "I was just joking."

Ed grimaced as the lie grated against his truth sense. Irritated, he 
said, "Don't lie to me. You were serious."

"Is there a legal way for us to fight?" William asked with a feral 
grin. He could see how the situation would progress. The 
knowledge of the future reassured and comforted him.

"I'm sure that if you both agree to a basic set of rules and have a 
referee to enforce them, that there won't be a problem," answered 
Ed. He frowned after giving a second thought and said, "Of course, 
you'll have to warn him that you are a trained fighter and can kill 
him without breaking a sweat."

Lucy wasn't sure that William would be able to take the larger man 
and said, "This is ridiculous."

William leaned over so that his mouth was by her ear. In a 
whisper, he said, "Don't worry. Ling trained me how to fight."

Recalling what William had said about Ling and having watched 
him practice, Lucy realized that William could probably take all of 
the men at the table. She said, "Well, just don't kill anyone."

William looked at the man seated at the table and said, "As my 
father has pointed out, I have to warn you that I'm quite capable of 
killing you. If it is necessary to fight you to earn your respect, then 
I'm very willing to do that."

One of the men at the table swore. Angry, he said, "What in the 
hell is this bullshit? They're playing head games with you. Derrick, 
just kick his ass."

Derrick looked around and shrugged. He'd never met anyone who 
could take him in a fair fight, much less an unfair one. Standing up, 
he said, "What the hell. Let's have at it kid."

Pretty sure what would be the answer, Ed asked, "What about the 
rules?"

"Bare knuckles and no rules," answered Derrick.

"Okay," answered William with a grin. He gestured towards the 
door and said, "Outside. I'd hate to have to buy this hotel because 
we damaged it."

"Okay."

William slipped out of the restaurant before Derrick could even get 
close to him. He knew that the other man took no rules quite 
literally. Derrick commented, "Son of a bitch is running off."

"No, he just can't wait to begin," replied Lucy glaring at the man.

William slipped off his boots and then his socks while seated on a 
bench outside the hotel. He stood when Derrick stepped out the 
door and turned to face the much larger man. Derrick looked at 
him in his bare feet and said, "I'd have kept my boots on if I were 
you. They hurt more when you're kicked."

"I prefer to feel the ground beneath my feet when I fight." He 
looked over at Lucy and saw that she was worried. William winked 
at Lucy and said, "Don't worry about it."

Without warning, the larger man swung at William. If the blow 
had landed, it would have done some serious damage. As it was, 
William slipped under the fist and tapped the man on his chin, his 
solar plexus, and his crotch. Derrick stepped back surprised at the 
blows. Although his balls tingled, the blows had landed without 
sufficient force to hurt. He tried another blow, finding that he was 
tapped twice on the side of his rib cage.

William had slipped behind him and tapped him gently on the back 
of the neck. Derrick spun around and found William kneeling in 
front of him. After landing four soft blows to the man's crotch, 
William danced back. Derrick's hands automatically went down to 
his crotch. He froze upon feeling William's foot pressed against his 
neck. 

As William lowered his leg from what was clearly a deathblow, he 
said, "I could have killed you with that blow. Do you need to 
continue?"

"Son of a bitch!" Derrick swung at William again.

William took the larger man down with a leg sweep. Three quick 
blows were delivered with the heel, one to the center of the man's 
chest, one over the neck and one to his face. Before the man had a 
chance to react, William was standing off to the side once again. 
The blows had been light, just enough to let Derrick know that 
they were made. William said, "I could have killed you. Do you 
need to continue?"

Lying on the ground, Derrick knew that he was outclassed. It was 
clear that if the kid had hit him as hard as possible, then he would 
have not been breathing at that moment. Even if he were lucky 
enough to land a blow, all that would accomplish would be to 
anger the kid. He sighed and said, "No. I know when I've been 
beat."

William reached down to help the man stand. Derrick thought for a 
moment of using the situation to attack the kid. Instead, he took the 
offered hand and stood. Shaking his head, he said, "I've never seen 
anything like that."

"I've trained in unarmed combat since I was three," said William 
backing off and nodding at the other man.

Derrick extended his hand and, with real respect in his voice, said, 
"You're something else."

"Thank you."

Lucy had watched the fight in amazement. She'd seen William 
practice, but had never seen him spar. She couldn't believe the ease 
with which William had taken out the larger man. There were no 
doubts in her mind that William could have killed him. 

"Derrick, you're a fucking sissy. He didn't even hit you hard."

Derrick spun to face his friend who had made the comment and 
said, "Listen asshole. He could have killed me a dozen times. If 
you think you could have done better, you fight him. I'll tell you 
one thing. He can kill you without breaking a sweat."

The temperature of the hot August weather seemed to drop ten 
degrees when a voice said, "Just kill him and be done with it, 
William."

Ken recognized the voice and flinched. He had wanted to prevent 
the fight, but Linda had held him back. He would have pursued it 
anyway, but Ed had shaken his head. Eyes closed, he said, "Hello 
Ling."

"You are supposed to be keeping him out of danger," Ling said 
looking at the man with narrowed eyes.

In an easy voice intended to disarm Ling, Ed said, "I facilitated this 
particular brawl, Ling. Don't go blaming Ken for it."

"Hello, Ling. We were expecting you," William said without 
turning around to look at his mother. He wiggled his eyebrows at 
Lucy causing her to giggle. Still without turning around, he added, 
"I knew you'd only be able to get two bodyguards on such short 
notice. When can we expect the other two?"

Ling stamped her foot and said, "You're impossible!"

Derrick had seen Ken's reaction to the woman. He turned to stare 
at Ling wondering who she was. She radiated an aura of dangerous 
energy that was just barely contained. It reminded him of when he 
used to handle explosives. When she had said to just kill the man, 
there wasn't any doubt in his mind that she meant it. He glanced at 
his friend, Jim, wondering if the guy was going to do something 
stupid. The ashen expression on Jim's face was reassuring.

Turning to Derrick, William said, "You're invited to join us for 
dinner. I'm sure that we can add another chair to the table."

"Uh, I didn't reserve the three extra chairs that you had suggested," 
Ed said feeling embarrassed. 

"He called down to the dining room and asked for the extra 
chairs," Lucy said. She handed William his socks and boots. 

On learning that William had gone as far as reserving seats for her, 
Ling was about to explode from frustration. She didn't know how 
William did it, but he always knew what she was about to do. 
Derrick watched and whispered, "You better talk to her before she 
blows a gasket."

William went over to the bench and sat down to put on his socks 
and boots. As he wrestled a sock over his foot, he said, "Derrick, 
I'd like you to meet my mother and martial arts instructor, Ling. 
Ling, this is Derrick."

"Pleased to meet you," Derrick said wondering if that was actually 
a true statement. The look she gave him caused him to regret his 
words as soon as they left his mouth.

Turning back to William, Ling asked, "What were you doing 
playing with an opponent like that?"

William put on his other sock without answering her. Seeing that 
William wasn't going to answer, Ed said, "He was using as much 
force as necessary to accomplish his goal and no more force as 
necessary."

"His opponent meant to hurt him," Ling said looking darkly at 
Derrick.

"There is a vast gulf between intent and the ability to carry out that 
intent," William said. He looked down at his socks and, coming to 
a very distasteful decision, asked, "Would you like me to 
demonstrate that?"

"Just how would you do that?" Ling asked.

"I suggest a bout. However, this time I would I utilize my gifts 
without restraint," answered William looking at his mother. He'd 
never done that, but knew what the result would be. Ling wouldn't 
stand a chance.

Surprising everyone, Ling said, "We'll discuss that another time."

"Okay. So would you like to introduce my new bodyguards to 
me?" asked William glancing at the two men standing behind Ling. 
They were of the same size and shape, medium height and athletic 
build. 

The man with brown hair stepped forward and said, "I'm Rock 
Evans."

"Rock?" asked Lucy surprised by the name.

The man frowned at the all too common reaction and said, "My 
mother was a Rock Hudson fan."

"I'm Lucy. My mother is a Lucille Ball fan."

William grinned at the exchange. With a chuckle, he said, "At least 
they weren't fans of the Flintstones. I can just see it now, Pebbles 
and Bam Bam."

The second man chuckled and said, "His nickname in the business 
is Pebbles. I used to be called Bang because my name is Marcus 
Colt. Ever since I partnered with Rock, they've started calling me 
Bam Bam."

Lucy laughed. Her laughter almost became out of control when she 
saw the expression on Ling's face. Shrugging, Ling said, "They're 
two of the best in the business. I can't help that people call them 
Pebbles and Bam Bam."

William put on his boots and stood up from the bench. Rubbing his 
stomach, he said, "I'm hungry. Now that everyone is here, let's 
eat."

"Good idea."

"Are you joining us, Derrick?" asked William.

It was time to make a decision. Derrick looked at the men with 
whom he had been drinking and then over at William's party. 
Knowing that he was going to pay for his decision later, he 
answered, "Sure."

As the party headed towards the entrance of the hotel, Rock hung 
back with Colt. As soon as everyone was out of earshot, Rock 
asked, "What in the hell do they need us for?"

"I don't know. That kid is good. The only person I've ever seen 
better than him is Ling," agreed Colt. He'd never seen anything like 
it. The kid had totally dismantled the larger opponent without even 
breaking a sweat. 

"You can say that again," said Rock looking at the door. 

"She'll kill us if we let anything happen to that boy," Colt said with 
a sigh. He hadn't been sure that he wanted to accept the job from 
Ling when it had first been offered. Hearing her suggestion to just 
kill the guy had convinced him that he had made a mistake.

"We'd never get another job," Rock said shaking his head. The idea 
of having a recommendation from Ling had overruled his common 
sense. With a sigh, he admitted, "You were right, we shouldn't 
have taken this job."

"We had better get in there before we lose this one."

The pair of men went into the hotel and located the family in the 
dining room. The chairs reserved for them were at opposite ends of 
the table. William was seating in the center of the long table with 
Lucy to his right and Ling to his left. Ed was seated across from 
William while Derrick sat across from Ling. The poor man 
wondered if he was going to be able to eat.