Disclaimer: The name Ken McKay belongs to Robert Frezza. The name Kane Fletcher belongs to Johanna Linsay. The name John Hawk belongs to Simon Green. The character of Roger McClintock and the Bronze Battalion belong to David Weber and John Ringo. All Sailor Moon references and characters belong to Naoko Takeuchi, TOEI, Kodansha & Pioneer.
"Give up, Andeis. I do not want to do this." The flame held in his outstretched hand cast a demonic shadow across his features.
"I will not!" Andeis climbed to her feet. "I told you once that I could help you. That I could free you of this obligation you feel you must endure."
"Stop acting like you're my savior!"
"I am your savior! There's no one else! And if this is the only way I can save you, then so be it!" Andeis struck.
"Damien, wake up. They're calling you." Damien opened his eyes. It was Andeis Frusendrake. She pulled back the hand that had been resting on Damien's arm, as if it had been seared. "To the auditorium," was her only other explanation, before turning back the book on her desk.
Damien stood, stretched, and then casually strolled out of the classroom. The auditorium? What could anyone possibly need this early in the morning in the auditorium?
He stepped through the double doors of the red upholstered room to find seven staff members standing-off the leaders of the school's gangs. The teachers were quiet, unlike the preachy loudmouths they usually tended to be.
Ken McKay, leader of the Rodents, Kane Fletcher, leader of the Smoking Guns, John Hawk, leader of the local chapter of Axe and Roger McClintock, leader of the Bronze Battalion. It was a nice little party, especially with his addition as the leader of Satan's Saints, but it still didn't explain what the hell was going on.
"Yo!" said Damien interrupting the dispute. "What in Hell's name is going on here?"
"Beat it, Hellspawn," spat Kane. "We're about to settle a long-standing argument."
"A long standing argument?" If Damien's nap was interrupted because of something as stupid as what he thought was going on here, he was going to be really pissed. "An argument with the teachers? They do their jobs and you try to steer clear of their sight. You do your job and there's no argument. How difficult is that to understand?" During his speech Damien had managed to move within arm's reach of Kane.
"You don't know what's going on, Damien, so back off." This was from Ken, who currently had a knife firmly gripped in his fist.
"Enlighten me." He spread his hands to show that he was unarmed and harmless. "I just want to know what the hell is going on in the auditorium of my school and eight o'clock in the fucking morning."
Roger combed a hand through his long golden tresses. "Your gang was never a part of this, Damien. It's not your responsibility. Turn around and return to class. Forget what you saw here."
"I can't do that. Everyone in my class knows I came down here. If these teachers end up dead, I get blamed for it thanks to that little announcement earlier."
"Damien?" squeaked the English Lit. teacher, a pretty blonde by the name of Artisa. "I know you're not a bad kid. Help us."
"Don't listen to her!" Ken slashed toward the whimpering mass of teachers. "They're monsters!"
Roger placed a hand on Ken's trembling shoulder. "Get a hold of yourself, man."
"These pieces of shit killed my brother! I will not calm down!" Ken jerked out of Roger's hold and advanced on the teachers. He was stopped by Hawk's fist.
Roger looked to Damien again. "Damien, please, step out. You're not a part of this. There's no reason for you to be a part of this, but if you stay any longer, you will be involved and there's nothing I can do to stop it."
"Don't leave," begged Ms. Artisa. "Please, please help us. Please don't leave."
Damien closed his eyes for a moment. "It looks like I'm already involved. I'm not walking away. Satan doesn't fear the flames of hell and I don't fear much of anything."
Damien held Roger's gaze for a moment. He saw real regret in those silver-blue eyes. "Then, I'm sorry," the Bronze Battalion leader whispered, before turning on the staff. "You heard him! You can quit your act. Stop playing the victims. One kid will not turn the tide of this battle in your favor."
A sudden calm spread through the staff members. Ms. Artisa stepped to a leadership position ahead of the rest of the teachers. She scowled.
Now, he was confused. The teachers weren't the mice they'd appeared to be?
"Hawk, get Ken out of here," ordered Roger without haste.
"You're gonna need me."
"Just put him outside and come back in. Quickly."
"Right." Hawk manhandled Ken up the short stairs and out the closest door. He came back in, pulling the door closed firmly behind him.
"You'll never win, if you have to protect an innocent." Ms. Artisa's voice had gone cold. Damien took an involuntary step back simply because of the power behind that cold voice.
"He had his chance to leave," Roger said without looking away from the teacher.
A gravelly laugh erupted from Ms. Artisa's slight figure. "So be it. We'll end this once and for all."
A light engulfed the huge room, blinding Damien to what was occuring around him.
His vision returned with a heightened clarity. Chair!
He ducked, the chair gliding harmlessly above him. "Shi-it!"
Chaos surrounded him. To the left Hawk fought the principal and another teacher Damien didn't recognize. To the right Kane had toppled two teachers and was working on a third. On the stage, Roger and Artisa had found themselves a nice little space to work out their own aggressions. That just left-
Someone grabbed Damien's ankle, sending him to the floor. He kicked to counter, but met only air. Then, something, or rather someone, landed on his back, grabbing his hair, pinning one arm to the ground with a knee and twisting the other painfully behind his back.
"Bet you wished you'd stayed home today," his attacker hissed in his ear, just before introducing his forehead into the concrete.