Chapter 3
A staff landed, hard, against Gabriel’s temple and interrupted his tormented thoughts. The blow sent him tumbling to the ground. He immediately scrambled to his feet, refocused and intended to answer the hit with a counterattack.
“Ha! I got you!” Yoshi celebrated. “And landed you on your, well, ass, as they say in America.”
His training partner, Yoshi, was a dexterous and skilled fighter. Though small in stature, Yoshi was renowned in his village as one of its elite martial artists. Their numbers were few, but Yoshi was counted among them. He had earned the respect of his peers. Gabriel had learned a lot from his diminutive instructor.
“Don’t get too excited. My ass never touched the ground. Yours, however, will be dropped in about two seconds!” Gabriel warned.
“Talk, talk, talk!” Yoshi taunted as he lunged forward with his weapon. “Why don’t you shut up and focus?”
“What makes you think I wasn’t focused?” Gabriel replied as he sidestepped the jab.
“Lately, the only time I can drop you is when you’re distracted,” Yoshi conceded verbally but continued his onslaught.
“So you admit I’m the better fighter!”
“Yeah right! You wish!”
“I don’t know. That’s some tough talk for the number-three man in the county.”
Incensed, Yoshi attacked wielding his weapon ferociously, unrelentingly. Gabriel was impressed as always. Their armaments clashed again and again, neither man willing to surrender to fatigue after hours of training in frosty conditions. Yoshi, accustomed to the volatility of the climate, was expertly trained in the ancient art of Kalarippayattu and wielded an otta, a curved, wooden stick, lethally if need be. Gabriel knew that his friend exercised restraint when they sparred, that if he so chose, their match could turn deadly. Save for his instructors, Yoshi had never been bested in a sparring match; until Gabriel arrived.
Five months earlier, Gabriel had arrived in Motuo County, a small community in the Tibetan Autonomous Region. After researching the area, he found that it was one of the few places in Asia still untouched by the modern world, that Motuo was one of the remotest areas on the planet and therefore perfectly suited for the purpose of his disappearance.
After a grueling trek through frozen portions of the Himalayans that included crossing a six hundred and fifty-five-foot-long suspension bridge, Gabriel reached Motuo located in the Nyingchi area of southeastern Tibet, on the lower reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo River and found it to be all that it was renowned for.
During his first moments in Motuo, he had found himself submerged in clouds and mist, surrounded by imposing peaks and steep ravines superimposed against a paradisiac backdrop. Before long, however, birds had begun to sing in the forest. Sunshine had pored through the fog and woods and created rainbows. The golden light had sliced through the condensation and revealed azaleas and vanilla orchids along with large white lilies that blossomed in vast fields.
When Gabriel had arrived, he had been fully convinced that Motuo County was a mirage, a figment of his exhausted imagination. His conviction had transformed, however, when a man appeared from the veils of vapor. Clad in a felt hat, trousers, sheepskin robe and leather boots, the man had loomed in the mist a threatening presence. Gabriel had hesitated at first when it appeared as though the man had disappeared. Then, without warning, the man had reappeared, as if he had been a manifestation of the fog, and attacked him. He had wielded a short, wooden weapon and struck Gabriel several times. It wasn’t until Gabriel had been in a prone position, that Yoshi had addressed him. Gabriel had realized in that moment that he had neither experienced a mirage nor stumbled into an unexplored paradise. He had, instead, met the first villager of Motuo County.
Yoshi struck him again, interrupted his recollection of their first run-in. He attempted to strike Gabriel a third time. He could not allow his sparring partner the moral victory of hitting him again.
As Yoshi thrust his otta forward, Gabriel twisted and dodged the blow. He then lunged forward, extended his arm to his side then swept his weapon at Yoshi’s feet. Though his weapon did not achieve what he’d intended it to, it did catch one of Yoshi’s feet and offset his balance. He stumbled backward, nearly fell but quickly recovered and was distracted from further engagement by a sound in the distance.
The faint tolling of a gong resonated through the trees, shivered off leaves and brush. They both immediately recognized the sound and its purpose and lowered their weapons; their training session had come to a conclusion. Neither Yoshi nor Gabriel ever lowered his weapon otherwise.
They began gathering their apparatus and moved from the small clearing to its edge and began their trek across the frozen landscape. Where vanilla orchids once bloomed in abundance and had infused the air with their sugary-sweet aroma and had reminded him of Melissa, dried and tangled vines now stood. He had been thankful for the dramatic change of season, of plant-life. Passing through fields of fragrant flowers that bore the same scent as the girl he loved but was forced to leave had been more challenging than he’d imagined. It had been unbearable. He preferred to avoid things that reminded him of her; Thinking of her, of his time spent in Harbingers Falls, was imprudent. Geography, weather and open investigations conspired and prevented him from being with her. Remembrances merely reinforced his worry, his frustration. He needed to protect her from what he believed to be the inevitable return of Terzini but he could not. He tried to drown out the frustrated voice inside of him that screamed for his return to America, to Melissa, by focusing on the sound of his boots crunching on frozen soil. Watching his feet offered little in the way of reprieve.
Ahead of him, Yoshi travelled, seemingly free of the burden of worry. He envied his friend briefly, was snapped from envious thoughts as a slender frozen branch whipped him in his face. Gabriel cried out.
“What the hell! Ouch!” he spat.
Yoshi spun around and laughed. “Oh man, that must have hurt! Guess we’ve got to work on those reflexes, huh, Gabriel?” He turned back around and continued toward the village, laughing most of the way.
Yoshi had a robust sense of humor. Born and raised in Mutuo County, he had experienced hardship and the wrath of highly unpredictable weather conditions, yet still managed to find humor in whatever situation he was in, even if it meant laughing at someone else’s expense. He also considered himself an expert on American culture and surprised Gabriel by being fluent in English. Yoshi traveled to a distant village when weather conditions permitted and submerged himself in countless books about America in the local library. There, he had utilized instructional cassette tapes accompanied by workbooks and mastered the English language, determined to someday visit the United States. When Gabriel had arrived speaking English and with intentions of returning to America, Yoshi was fascinated. They became friends almost instantly; Yoshi had welcomed him to their community as soon as he had been sure Gabriel did not intend to harm them.
Trust had been established between Gabriel and Yoshi rapidly. Yoshi’s family took him in much as they would a family member. He became a relative of sorts to Yoshi, lived with him, trained with him and worked the family farm with him. He had been adopted into a group of veritable strangers and offered food, shelter and friendship. Gabriel had never experienced friendship with another; he hadn’t been afforded the time to do so in Harbingers Falls. He had also never experienced what it was like to be part of a family unit. He had read about families and was well-versed in the various roles each member played, but had never been a part of one. He had welcomed the warmth and hospitality of Yoshi’s family and cherished his function within their group. Yoshi became his brother and for that reason, he had confided in him the secret of his origins, had admitted his reason for arriving in Motuo County. Gabriel had told him about Terzini and Eugene and about Melissa.
“You look pretty miserable. I’m guessing the whole br
anch to the face incident is not the reason,” Yoshi guessed.
“My mind is elsewhere,” Gabriel admitted.
“You’ll go back soon. You’ll be there to look out for her again.”
Gabriel couldn’t help but notice that Yoshi emphasized the word “you” slightly. He wondered if he were hinting at something. He decided to find out.
“Geez, do you think I’ll be capable of protecting her all by myself?” he mocked.
“Well, you should be. I trained you, so you’ll be fine.”
“Of course I will. My skills are all a result of your hard work and dedication not mine,” Gabriel joked. “And since you’re the real talent here, you’ll come with me when I return.”
“Naturally,” Yoshi said quickly then appeared to realize Gabriel was inviting him to visit America.
Yoshi snapped his head to look at Gabriel, hesitated initially and looked away then looked to him again, as if, for a fraction of a second, he did not trust that his ears really heard what he thought they did. When he faced Gabriel a second time, his expression was one of complete astonishment.
“Are you serious, man? America?” Yoshi gaped.
“Yes Yoshi, America. You’re kind of slow for an expert, aren’t you?”
“I can live with you being the brains I guess as long as you admit I’m the talented one of us–which you have–and know your place. Master,” he pointed to himself. “Student,” he pointed to Gabriel.
“Whatever you need to make you feel important,” Gabriel said sarcastically.
Yoshi ignored him and began chattering about his future trip to America.
“I can’t begin to imagine how amazing it’ll be; all of the skyscrapers, the streets of gold.”
“There are no streets of gold, I assure you; none that I know of at least.”
“But there are skyscrapers, right?”
“Yep, there are skyscrapers. I’m not sure if we’ll necessarily see any, but they’re there.”
“I know, I know. The only sight you want to see is Melissa,” he taunted.
“That’s right,” Gabriel said and placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “No worries. You won’t be disappointed. Melissa’s more impressive than a tall building.”
“To you maybe, you big girl! I’ll have to meet her then see a skyscraper before I can make an informed decision.”
Gabriel laughed and clapped Yoshi on the back.
“You are quite a character, Yoshi, quite a character.”
“So I’m told time and time again.”
Gabriel and Yoshi resumed their journey back to the small village they resided in. Each home in the hamlet was made exclusively of wood and was situated on nearly two hundred acres of land.
As they walked, Gabriel’s mind returned to his earlier days in Motuo County, how he had come to learn the art of Kalarippayattu.
While most students of Kalarippayattu began training at approximately seven years old, Gabriel was invited to begin his at Yoshi’s recommendation as a teenager. Exceptions had been made for him at Yoshi’s request. It helped that Yoshi’s father, Anil, was both the gurukkal and a master in the martial art of Kalarippayttu. As the supreme spiritual leader of the village and their fiercest warrior, Anil performed an initiation ritual at which time Gabriel was admitted into the kalari, the school where the martial art was taught. The sacred ceremony included Gabriel placing his right hand then forehead to the ground as a sign of respect, submission and complete acceptance of the master, the deva, and the kalari itself. Anil then placed his hand on Gabriel’s head, blessed him and prayed for him.
Though Gabriel did not subscribe to the particular doctrine of thought Yoshi and his people did, he respected the sincerity of it, valued the honor and virtues it encompassed.
As a novice in Kalarippayattu, he had much to learn but little concentration. His thoughts continually drifted to Melissa; he could not harness in his rage and redirect it. He had struggled with his inability to protect her, to seek retribution for the attempt made on her life. He could not reign over the worry that plagued him; worry that his creator, Dr. Franklin Terzini had reneged on their agreement and pursued Melissa directly or indirectly. Gabriel fully understood that he was of no use to Melissa if he returned to America too soon and was arrested for the murders of three of his classmates, but felt he needed to do something, nevertheless.
Feelings of helplessness had fueled his anger and apprehension and did little to facilitate his training with Yoshi during his initial time in Motuo County.
But quickly, Gabriel learned to push his emotions to profounder areas of his mind and readdress them when not training. Once he released himself from the bounds of anger and surrendered completely to his instruction, he advanced. He entered at the first stage, Meithari, and rapidly progressed through the remaining three until he reached the same level of proficiency as Yoshi. Yoshi was second in the village only to his father and had been Gabriel’s mentor, had counseled him in each rigorous sequence of exercises and complex jumps, fostered his discipline through balance–both physical and mental.
The Monpa people had never seen a student move through the stages of Kalarippayattu as quickly as Gabriel had; they were not privy to the secret of his origins. Only one member of their clan knew that Gabriel had not lived on Earth for seventeen years as his peers had, that he was created with superior genes in a laboratory in the Russian Far East by Dr. Franklin Terzini. Yoshi was the sole protector of his confidence in the village and the second person on the planet with whom Gabriel shared it. Yoshi knew about his augmented DNA, about Terzini, and why he left the United States.
Yoshi’s father, Anil, was not informed of Gabriel’s beginning. He regretted not being able to share the most key piece of information about himself with the sage. Instead, he cringed inwardly each time Anil admired his skill, celebrated his remarkable improvement and distinguished him with praise. Anil regarded him with such reverence that Gabriel feared he viewed him as champion of sorts, sent to defend the great mysteries of their region.
Gabriel knew that in Tibetan, the word “Motuo” meant hidden and mysterious lotus. Anil and his people held that theirs was the most mysterious land in Tibet. After all, one need only look around to confirm such an assumption. Like the land, Gabriel was a mystery. He had singly survived the adversity of the landscape, the elements and the climate. He had become proficient in their ancient and nearly extinct language of ‘Olekha in a matter of days as opposed to years. He also had the necessary skills and control to improve at an unprecedented rate in the art of Kalarippayattu.
Under Yoshi and Anil’s tutelage, Gabriel had acquired stamina, mental alertness and poise to complement his genetic endowment of strength. It took him several weeks to be a comparable match for Yoshi when training, an unparalleled feat. When the moment did arrive and he was a not merely suitable match for his mentor, but had surpassed him, Yoshi did not begrudge Gabriel outright. He grumbled from time to time but, for the most part, was gracious in his acceptance of his reduced ranking within the colony; his fierce competitiveness ended beyond the walls of the kalari.
Reflecting on Yoshi’s diplomacy, Gabriel could not help but smile.
Gabriel walked beside Yoshi for several miles in silence passing women in home-spun wool gowns carrying baskets containing various vegetables and fruits. Each greeted him and Yoshi deferentially, reverently.
When they finally reached Yoshi’s home that he shared with his father, mother, siblings and Gabriel, Anil waited for them. With no roads in Motuo whatsoever, Anil stood, knee deep in brush wearing a sleeveless fur vest that hung nearly to the top of his leather boots. With a fur hat perched atop his head, Anil appeared royal, impressive.
“Hello Yoshi, Gabriel,” Anil addressed them. “How was your training today?”
“Excellent father, I landed Gabriel on his backside,” Yoshi bragged.
“Technically, sir, I landed on my side,” Gabriel offe
red.
“He dropped you, huh? It appears you are less able to control you feelings these days. You are distracted,” Anil said sagely. “Soon you will be able to check on her and be less distracted. Your questions will be answered and your curiosity satisfied.”
“Sir?” Gabriel asked genuinely confused.
“You will be contacting her sooner than you thought,” Anil announced.
Excitement bubbled in his belly.
“Sir, are you serious?”
“Do I look like I’m joking?” Anil asked with a deadpan expression then continued. “The weather will be favorable in the coming weeks. It would be wise to take advantage of nature’s gift. The days forthcoming will be the best suited for travel. We will be blessed with unseasonable warmth. You will be able to go to Pai Village and contact her, find out if all is well. I suggest you leave at dawn. Take Yoshi. The four-day trip to Pai will be without difficulty.”
Gabriel was familiar with Pai Village, had traveled there often over the last five months to contact Melissa. But harsh weather conditions between his arrival in November and the current month of April had severely limited his visits to the area. Even still, the pathways were covered in ice and snow with another month of unpredictable conditions on the horizon would make travel difficult. Anil’s prediction for milder weather was unexpected but welcome. Anil was rarely wrong in his estimation of upcoming weather.
“You are happier already, Gabriel. It is evidenced in your posture,” Anil observed.
Gabriel’s spirit was buoyed.
“Father, Gabriel has asked me to accompany him to America, when he is finally able to return,” Yoshi blurted out excitedly.
“He did, did he?” Anil asked staring directly at Gabriel. “Funny, he did not discuss such a matter with me.”
“Sir, I was going to speak with you about it, but I assumed there would be ample time for us to discuss it with you. I don’t anticipate my return to America to be anytime in the near future.
“Yoshi, do you want to go to America?”
“Yes, father. Absolutely.”
“You do realize it is very different there than it is here,” Anil warned.
“Yes father, I know it is different. But I want to see different things, cars, skyscrapers, roads paved in gold,” Yoshi began.
“Yoshi, there are no roads paved in gold. I told you that earlier, remember?” Gabriel interrupted.
“Whatever, maybe you’ve just never seen them. I can believe what I want. Anyway father, I want to see the world, eat the fast food.”
“You are seventeen years old, a grown man now. I trust in your judgment and training; I know you can take care of yourself. I would not stop you from experiencing anything that you would want to in life. I can only hope that when you’re through eating fast food while driving on streets of gold you will want to return to us.”
Anil stepped back and began to turn from Gabriel and Yoshi but paused to add, “Eat and then rest. You will leave at dawn.”
Gabriel did not consider the hour he’d be waking at or the conditions he would face. Personal inconvenience was of no consequence to him. He would speak with Melissa, be given proof of her safety. Confirmation of her well-being granted him peace of mind, quieted the unrest that raged within him. He would hear her voice and be pained and reassured simultaneously but it would be sufficient to calm his inner turbulence; at least for a while, until he could return.