Alex Archer - Polar Quest

The first guy looked Zach up and down. As he studied Zach, Annja sized him up. He stood about six feet and weighed maybe two hundred pounds. It was a little more difficult to tell since he wore a thick turtleneck sweater that bulked him up some.

But the most telling thing about him were the calluses on his hands. Specifically, on the edge of his hands.

Annja pointed at them. “You study karate?”

He barely moved. “Uechi-ryu.”

Annja whistled. “Hard style. How long?”

“I’ve got a black belt.”

Annja shook her head. “Didn’t ask what your rank was. I asked how long you’ve been studying.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

She smiled. “Not really. See, any two-bit jerk can go to a seminar these days and find a sham of a teacher willing to hand them a black belt. But only the people who have been around for years and years are worth a damn.”

He looked at her now, eyeing her carefully. “Fifteen years,” he said.

She nodded. “That would account for the calluses. Lots of makiwara training, huh?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll bet you’ve got one in your house, too, wherever that might be.”

“I train constantly.”

Annja glanced around. “Anything good to hit here in Mac Town? I only just got in, so I’m asking.”

His eyes betrayed the disdain. “You study?”

“Sure do. Not any specific style—I’m too busy to devote a lot of time to any one form—but a lot of varied ones.”

“Like?”

Annja took a breath. “Oh, wow, let’s see. Shotokan, tae kwon do, some judo, boxing, a little Krav Maga, old-style jujitsu, and even some ninjitsu on occasion.”

“Ninjitsu?” He smirked. “You must be joking.”

Annja narrowed her eyes. “Not at all.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve known plenty of supposed ninja guys and they all sucked.”

“What about ninja girls? You ever known any of them?”

He frowned. “No.”

“Well, then, there you go. Everyone knows ninja guys are horrible fighters. It’s the women who are the deadliest of the species. But no one ever talks about it, so we just let them carry on. It’s good for their ego and all.”

“Who exactly are you?” the man asked.

Annja smiled and took a sip of her drink. “I’m the woman who asked you what was good to hit around here.”

The man pointed at Zach. “I’m thinking he might be a good place to start. Looks like he could use a good beating.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t like him. I don’t like how he looks and I don’t much like what he stands for.”

Annja laughed. “You’re kidding, right? What’s not to love about Zach? He’s the life of the party. I’ll just bet if you and your friend there had a shindig, old Zach here would bring the house down.”

“He’s not invited.”

“So you’re going to just beat him up, is that it?”

The first guy cracked his knuckles. “Yep.”

Annja shook her head. “No. That’s not what you’re going to do. You’re not going to touch a hair on that guy. Not one single strand.”

He eyed her again. “I don’t like the manner you’re taking with me, little lady.”

“Lady?” Annja shook her head. “And I’m supposed to believe you’re some kind of gentleman, is that it?”

He shook his head. “I don’t really care what you think.”

“Good, because it’s not pretty. Really. Now, why don’t you and your pal go on back to the bar and you can continue giving us the evil eye or whatever it was you were doing over there before you so rudely interrupted our conversation. I just had a long flight and I’m really in no mood for this kind of silliness.”

“You just flew in?” the man asked.

“That’s right,” Annja said. “And, boy, are my arms tired.” She smirked. “Or did you hear that one before?”

“If you just flew in, that means you’re with him, right?”

“He hasn’t proposed yet, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Zach cracked a smile. “Yeah, she’s with me. What about it?” he asked.

The first guy leaned on their table. “I don’t like either one of you people. So you’d better just watch yourselves. Or there might be trouble.”

Annja cleared her throat. “Well, how come Dave here gets a pass? I mean, after all, he’s sitting with us. Aren’t you mad at him, too?”

“I got no problem with him,” the man said.

Annja sighed. “See, that’s just like the world, isn’t it? I have to be friends with the trouble magnet. And Dave here gets off free.”

Dave shrugged. “Maybe I’m just more lovable.”

Annja looked back at the first man. “Well, thanks for coming by. I know I certainly appreciate it. And I think Zach does, too, in his own peculiar way. It’s always nice to know who the assholes are in any town you travel through.”

He leaned closer to Annja. “You keep your tongue wagging and I just might forget about my previous hard-line stance against beating the crap out of women.”

“Something tells me you might have already broken that position,” Annja said. “You look like just the type of jerk who would beat up a woman for kicks.”

He smirked. “Maybe you’re right.”

“Oh, I know I am,” she said. “And that’s fine. Because there’s nothing I like better than taking an idiot like you to task. It will be my tremendous pleasure to redefine the meaning of the words smack down in your precious little stegosaurian noodle.”

Annja could see his fists clench. The vein in his forehead seemed to jut out a little farther now that she’d riled him up. She glanced around. The music had gone quiet and people were paying close attention.

“Whoopsie, looks like you’ve got yourself that audience you didn’t want. Might be a good time to pack up this snake oil and peddle it elsewhere,” she said fiercely.

The first man glanced around and then nodded to his friend. He looked back at Annja. “We’ll be seeing you again. Real soon.”

“Great. I appreciate the welcoming committee making me feel so comfortable,” she said loudly.

Both men wandered back to the bar, downed their drinks and then stalked off into the cold night. Once the door closed behind them, the music came back up and people returned to their tables and friends. Annja could feel more eyes giving her a once-over.

“So much for keeping a relatively low profile,” she said.

Dave smiled and polished off his second beer. “Anyone for a refill?”

Zach nodded. “I’ll take one.”

“Annja?”

“May as well.”

Dave got up from the booth and headed for the bar. Annja leaned closer to Zach. “Okay, pal, just what in the hell have you got me mixed up in here?”

“What do you mean?”

“What do I mean? I mean, why the hell are you getting hassled by two professional thugs?”

Zach shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Annja leaned back. “You don’t know. Of all the places in this town, they just happened to wander in here and didn’t like you much. Yeah, that makes sense. Especially when it’s the height of tourist season.”

Zach smiled. “I never could put one over on you, huh?”

“Never could. Never will.”

Zach looked at her, his eyes gleaming in the dim light. “I’m glad you’re here, Annja. Seriously. Not just because you always know how to handle guys like that, but just because I’m genuinely glad to see you. It’s been too long. Too much time has passed between us.”

“I won’t argue that,” Annja said. “But the next time you get all sentimental about seeing me, how about not sending the men-in-black goon squad to my house?”

“Sorry about that. It wasn’t my idea. When you didn’t respond to the letter, the people in charge decided a more aggressive approach was needed.”