"Leonard Speaking"
'Leonard Thinking'
McCall's Residence, Boston
Leonard had removed his jacket, folded his shirt to move easily, and kicked off his shoes. Now, he circled Robert McCall on the mat, looking for an opening.
Robert circled the mat, looking amused at the action. He commented, "Okay young man, here is the first lesson, forget about the movies where the attackers lose quickly to the protagonist. Things don't work like that in the real world. Initiative is the best way to end a fight quickly. Not only is the element of surprise at your side, but as you attacked first, you reduced the number of attackers by at least one."
Leonard noted the lesson before he pounced at Robert with a punch. Robert smiled before taking a step back, Leonard's punch hitting nothing but air. Robert quickly shuffled back two steps, his calm tone ringing in the room, "Lesson two, range. Always know your range. If your attack hits nothing, you leave yourself open to a counter."
Robert demonstrated that the very next second as he ducked under Leonard's punch, twisting to the left, going for Leonard's chin in an uppercut. Leonard jerked back instinctively, moving just outside Robert's range.
Robert was momentarily impressed as he smiled. The next second, he used his twisting momentum and kicked Leonard in the stomach with an agile mule kick.
Leonard gasped on the mat as McCall straightened before kicking at his ribs. Leonard felt a harsh kick to his ribs, his breath coming out in a choke. He quickly rolled back, putting some distance between the two.
Robert spoke, "You were good, but you still think of this like a game. Never expect mercy from a murderous man. People trying to hit you are nothing compared to people trying to kill you. They show no mercy, neither to you, nor to your family or friends."
Leonard quickly got his breath under control and stood up on shaky feet. His eyes looked sharply at Robert. Robert gave him a provocative look, as Leonard tried to attack again.
Leonard decided to use his physical advantages, pushing all of his strength in a punch. But before the punch could connect, Robert had kicked his shin, causing him to stumble with searing pain radiating from his shin.
Robert mocked, "Have you never thrown a punch in your life. I am supposed to teach you combat, but you should have known these basics."
Leonard got back up, his eyes sharpening in focus. He tried to remember how McCall had thrown his punches. Every punch was controlled, maximising momentum while remaining in control.
Leonard tried to put up a guard, planning to counter his next strike. McCall seemed to see through his thoughts, rolling under his guard, and swiftly holding him in a chokehold.
As Leonard gasped for air, he heard a whisper, "Lesson four, never be distracted in a fight. Fights are not like chess games. They happen in an instant. If you waste even a single second on thinking instead of reacting, you may find yourself in a morgue."
The training went on for an hour. Leonard was beaten black and blue. Robert kept finding ways to knock him down, some were straightforward, others were outright bizarre, yet Leonard always ended up on the floor, heavily breathing.
As Leonard struggled to catch his breath, Robert looked at the man with part admiration, part apprehension. Robert spoke, "You have potential young man. Your strength, stamina and agility are at the level of athletes who have trained their whole life. Your mind is sharp and the body remembers where it has been hit. In the last bout, you actively defended yourself.You were even able to fend off my attacks before getting overwhelmed."
Leonard, despite his heavy breath, beamed. Robert interrupted his train of thought, "Now, your flaws; you don't have the awareness needed for fighting; you overthink your moves; your attacks tend to fall into patterns; you use superior strength to bulldoze your way through, instead of using it to cover your weak spots. There are many others as well, but these are the main ones. The biggest one I could think of, is not using your cane in the fight. A weapon can make a huge difference."
Leonard huffed a little before contemplating. His mind kept playing his fight over and over. Every mistake he made became magnified,
Robert continued, "You are spreading yourself over many projects. You want to learn combat, but you also want to run a foundation, make scientific discoveries, and many other things. But you cannot do that if you do everything half-heartedly."
Leonard groaned at that. He sat up, stretching his muscles slightly to enhance blood circulation. He asked, "So you will teach me?"
Robert nodded, "You have a lot of potential. If your ambition matches your potential, you will do great things young man."
Leonard insisted, "Call me Leonard."
Robert said, "Very well. Now, all this exercise has left me famished. Let's go out to eat. I hope you like Italian."
Luigi's Italian Restaurant, Boston
Leonard and Robert arrived at a quaint Italian restaurant. As soon as he entered the place, a smile appeared on Robert's face. He greeted the aging owner, before ordering Spaghetti con carne. Leonard decided to try their lasagna. Previously, his lactose intolerance had prevented him from enjoying dishes like this. Based on the praise this place got from Robert, he was looking forward to his dish.
As the two waited for their food, Robert turned to Leonard and asked, "How many people are there in the restaurants, and how many weapons are there for you?"
Leonard was taken aback, but he quickly caught himself. He quickly recalled everything and answered, "There are five customers, three staff members in the front, and six in the back. There are no guns or knives, but the forks, spoons, pepper, and the napkin stand can function as weapons."
Robert nodded and asked, "Now you are thinking like a combatant. What about entrances and exits?"
Leonard answered, "There are three entrances, from the front door, the back door and rooftop entrance. To escape, we can take any one of the entrances, or break the windows to escape."
Robert smiled, "Looks like you were paying attention. Now, you can be ready against ambushes. They are one of the best ways to fight a strong or dangerous opponent. As I told you before, taking the initiative is better, and nothing says initiative like an ambush."
Robert grew quiet before asking for a teapot with hot water. He explained, "I have been in many situations. An ambush can really go ugly if the victim lacks awareness. No matter how strong a person is, he could be defeated if the ambush is perfect. An ambush is perfect when the man is completely assured of his safety. Usually the perfect time to ambush is night, and the perfect place is their home. A man never feels safer than at home. It is also the place where someone is in their strongest state."
Leonard nodded, absorbing everything like a sponge. The teapot arrived and Robert pulled out a teabag from his pocket.
Robert spoke, "Another, more subtle, way of ambush is poison. You go to your favourite place, you order your favourite food, you savour every bite. But it is the last time you get to eat anything, because someone poisoned you. You can be cautious against everything, but poison can still catch you off-guard."
Robert showed Leonard the teabag, "You should learn more about poisons and antidotes. Common poisons are easy to identify. Only desperate people poison the water, so water is usually safe to drink."
Leonard was impressed by Robert's preparation. Robert spoke, "Have you found a place in Boston? Where will you live for the month you learn from me?"
Leonard answered, "I was hoping to bring you with me to L.A. While I would love to stay here and focus completely on learning, I am preparing for a conflict that might find me in L.A."
Robert pondered on those words. While he would not have any problems even if he left Boston for a while, he really hoped to stay.
Robert answered, "In that case, I will accompany you tomorrow. Now for the terms of our agreement. You will arrange for the place where you would train, you will also arrange a residence for me while I stay there. Once the training is complete, we will not be in touch unless one of us faces a big problem."
Leonard smiled and acquiesced. He was thinking of a long term arrangement, but he respected Robert's wishes.
Robert continued, "Finally, you will not use your skills to commit crimes or harm innocent people. Now, you can consider yourself, my student."
The two shook hands, when the waitress came with their food. The food was served, the two men sat in comfortable silence, enjoying their respective dishes. While Robert had spaghetti before, this was the first time Leonard had lasagna. As he scooped some into his mouth, his eyes closed with pleasure. The food was perfectly seasoned, with crisp crust, melty cheese sauce and a bright flavor of onions and tomato.
Leonard ate his dish with relish. Robert, who had been looking at Leonard out of the corner of his eye, smiled at the genuine joy in Leonard's expression. Ever since Leonard approached him, he had been slightly wary of Leonard. He had claimed to be a scientist, but he was stronger and faster than most athletes. Then his learning speed and reflexes made his wariness stronger.
The final nail in the coffin was the bruises. Normally, someone would have to rest for days to heal from his bruises, yet Leonard was perfectly fine now. His body, which should have been screaming with exhaustion, seemed to carry enough energy to last for days. All of these issues kept Robert on the edge. Yet, watching Leonard enjoy a simple dish of lasagna seemed to humanise him.
Boston Marriott Copley Place
Leonard stepped out of the shower, the tensions of the day melting away with hot water. Wearing a bathrobe and drying his hair with a towel, he felt the ache from the fight fade away with the last of his bruises. Thankfully, the day ended at a high note. Now, he had a mentor who could train him in combat.
Leonard sat in the study chair that accompanied his room. Opening his laptop, he read through all the mails and updates from various Chaldea members. Many scientists had started cooperating on projects, some of which showed great promise.
Leonard sighed, looking at the empty room around him. While he wouldn't want to admit it, he felt a bit distant recently. His brief sabbatical and interactions with Chaldea had made him taste the joy of building something. He could interact with people just fine, but his mind yearned for that challenge.
Suddenly, he received a Skype call. He looked at the collar and a smile unconsciously bloomed on his face. It was Paige. In Chaldea, few could be considered as smart as Paige. Above all else, he had designated Paige as his Athena. Normally, Paige would discuss a call, so that he could sync his schedule, but this call was quite sudden.
Leonard thought nothing of it and picked up the call. Paige appeared on the other end, wearing a black turtleneck, with steel gray eyes shining with untold vitality.
She greeted, "Hello Leonard. I hope I didn't disturb you while you were busy."
Leonard smiled, "Not at all Paige. I was just in the shower. It is quite coincidental that your call came, just as I was on the computer. Frankly, I was surprised. Normally, we plan our calls beforehand."
Paige grinned, "True, but I was just so excited. You are living in Pasadena, right?
Leonard spoke, "I am currently staying at Burbank, but it is close enough to Pasadena."
Paige answered, "Good. I have been invited to chair a conference at Caltech. So, I will be in L.A. the day after tomorrow. I hope you can pick me up at the airport."
Leonard was dumbfounded. This was sudden. Luckily, he will be in L.A. by the time Paige arrives. He would be able to pick her up.
The two continued talking for another hour, discussing various topics, bouncing ideas against each other. For the first time in weeks, Leonard felt lighter, and freer. As the call ended, Leonard laid back in his bed, his eyes glued to the ceiling. His eyes sharpened as he thought of his upcoming troubles.
"Axe Capital is a thorn, the first of many. I cannot falter at this stage."
Suddenly, he got up and reached for his phone and dialed. Soon, a groggy voice answered in an annoyed tone, "Leonard, I really respect you, but you should respect me as well. This is the third time you have woken me up at this ungodly hour."
Leonard flashed a grin before speaking, "Mike, the only issue with my timing is that I remember important things at the end of the day. The second issue is that there are few people I can trust. While Ellie is my secretary, she is not my Inner Circle. I am in Boston right now. Tomorrow, I wish to meet you."
Mike rubbed his temple at the other end of the phone before sighing. Pushing away all the annoyance he felt at being woken up so late, he asked, "Where do you want to meet? If we are meeting in Manhattan, we can meet at McLaren's. You have met me there twice already."
Leonard refused, "No, while the bar is interesting, I have some place better than the bar. Contact Elliot through Chaldea's database. We will need his help."
Mike answered, "Ok, I will do so in the morning. Where shall we meet?"
Leonard answered, "Coney Island."
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