A Gift with Cold Eyes (JaK)

The thief stood with his back against the wall. It was after 1 AM and the streets were barren. Anyone out at this hour was either in the wrong place, or looking for people in the wrong place. This thief was one of the later.

He heard steps approaching and smiled. He had very good vision, and he could see that it was a girl coming his way. A teenage girl, at that. The thief fingered his knife. Just a little bit closer and he would jump out and grab her.

That was when he noticed her sword. The girl was carrying a sword on her hip. The thief's eyes opened a little wider. Normal people didn't carry swords. Was this girl one of those meta-human freaks? He thought they were all gone.

The girl looked at him. Her eyes were cold blue, filled with no emotion, and seemed to stare into the thief's soul. Her steps became more precise, more calculated. The thief realized that this girl wasn't someone he wanted to mess with. The thief thanked his eyes for saving his life as she walked past him.

Grace Morgan passed by the thief. She suspected that he would attack her, but had been incorrect. Grace didn't care either way. It wouldn't be an efficient use of her time to get into a fight right now.

She arrived at the address that Seth had given her. She had been surprised when he told her that he was no longer her master. Seth had gifted her to a new hero. Seth said that he would need her help to make the world a safer place. Grace was honored to be the first of the soldiers to be sent out, but she wondered what this new master would be like. Perhaps he would be kind.

It didn't matter.

Grace knocked on the door to JaK Sage's apartment. She waited.

A man who had been sitting nearby asked Grace who she was. She was surprised that someone outside of the building wanted to know such a thing. If this man was a resident, then surely he would be inside his home instead of sitting by a dumpster.

Grace turned to look at the man more closely. She pondered why he was bothering her. As the man leaned forward, his face was caught in the moon's rays, revealing his face. And what a unique, memorable face it was.

The man demanded to know why she was here.

"My name is Grace Morgan." Her eyes stayed cold and emotionless as she met the man's gaze. Her words were also cold and unfeeling, almost robotic. "And what I want is to talk to you, JaK Sage. You have drawn the attention of a very powerful man named Seth. This is not a bad thing. Seth believes that you have a bright future ahead of you, and that you will be a benefit to society. For this reason, Seth has gifted me to you for your protection and assistance. You are my new owner, JaK Sage. Now then, what is it that you want, Master?"

JaK Sage said that he didn't want or need a bodyguard. He was refusing to become her master, and even told her to go back to tell Seth his decision. JaK said that she could find a rich man to take care of her.

As JaK stood up, Grace noticed how well built he was. He certainly didn't seem like someone who needed a bodyguard. But her orders still stood.

"Until you accept ownership I don't have to do anything you say," Grace said. She didn't say it in a spiteful way, just in a matter-of-fact voice. Going back to Seth wouldn't accomplish anything. He would probably just send her back here, along with another agent to beat some sense into JaK.

Grace could understand what JaK must be thinking, however. He was correct. By sending Grace as a gift to JaK, Seth would someday expect something in return. Something big.

"I should warn you, Seth isn't somebody that you want to cross." She couldn't believe how cheesy that sounded. Oh well. She narrowed her eyes, insulted that he was questioning her usefulness. "His specialty is training people like me to kill. I'm very good at killing people, JaK Sage. And despite the fact that I am a girl, I can be very useful to you. The world is going to become a dangerous place soon, and you will need protection from people. Maybe even people like Seth."

Would Grace be willing to fight Seth if JaK Sage commanded her? She thought of all the times that Seth had beaten and humiliated her. For the last ten years, Seth had run her life. He had taken away her very free will. Or, as Seth himself had said, he had "killed her soul."

Grace nodded. "If you ordered me to, I would kill Seth." It seemed unlikely that she could succeed in such a mission, or that she would survive. Seth had eyes everywhere, as well as a small army of trained assassins. Still, she if her master commanded it, then she would give it her best effort.

If he accepted her.

JaK told her to pierce her own hand. He said that he was accepting her terms and officially becoming her master. All she had to do was stab her sword through her hand. For those agents trained by Seth, it was a common test of determination.

Without hesitating, Grace unsheathed her rapier. It flashed in the moonlight as she put the hilt in her left hand and the tip in her right palm. "Of course, Master." Without blinking, Grace stabbed the sword through her right hand. She put the blade through all the way, until the hilt was covered in blood. She pulled the sword out. Blood was dripping to the floor and forming a puddle.

Grace did feel the pain. It was intense. However, this was a necessary step: proving her loyalty to her new master.

Her blade flashed again as she swung it. The blood on the sword splattered onto the ground, leaving the sword clean. Well, cleaner. Grace was still locking eyes with JaK. She showed no emotion or pain. This was what a life of Seth's training did to a person.

JaK Sage, Grace's new master, seemed shaken. Grace didn't understand. He had ordered her to pierce her own hand, so she had done it. Had she done something wrong? Had he honestly thought that she wouldn't do it?

JaK walked up to her and slapped her in the face. It left a bruise and a sting, although not nearly as bad as the pain from her hand. It surprised her, however. Why was she being punished?

JaK ordered her to never harm herself at his command again, except when lives were at stake. He was giving her the authority to refuse his orders. Granted, it was only for a very specific event, it was still power over herself that Grace had never had before. She decided that she should express gratitude and smiled. Well, her lips smiled, her eyes stayed cold. "I understand, Master. Thank you. I will no longer obey orders to harm myself, with the exception of dire need."

JaK pulled her inside the apartment. It was sparse, dirty, and disorganized. Grace was already thinking of ways to most efficiently use the space. JaK tore his shirt off and started bandaging Grace's hand. He also said that she could sleep on the bed, and that he would sleep on the floor. Odd, Grace thought. Why was he treating her so kindly? He even said that he was going to get medical supplies in order to better treat her injury. She decided already that JaK Sage was a better master than Seth. Well, at least a kinder one.

Girly stuff?

When JaK returned, Grace looked exactly the same as when he had left. Grace was well trained in the application of makeup for infiltration purposes, and good hygiene was important for blending into society. But right now, Grace had no mission or directive, so what would be the point of applying makeup or taking a bath? She didn't have any of the supplies needed to perform either task, but JaK said that she could get whatever she needed tomorrow.

She greeted JaK as he walked in the door after going out. "Welcome back, Master."

Grace caught the bag and fished the donut out of it. A donut? Grace couldn't remember if she had ever eaten such a thing. JaK said that it was the only thing he had been able to 'lift' that night. Did he mean steal? Grace stared at the stolen donut. She took a bite. It was sweet. Sugary. While its nutritional value was sure to be low, Grace decided that it was worth eating. Besides, JaK had gone through the trouble to obtain it.

It occurred to Grace that her new master might be in financial duress. If that was the case, then she didn't want to be a burden to him.

JaK called her over to him. She stood and walked over to JaK and presented her injured hand. It was still wrapped in his shirt from earlier. The bleeding had stopped, but she still had a big hole where her flesh should be. As JaK went about cleaning and caring for the wound, Grace considered her words carefully.

"Master, in order to limit the financial burden my presence places upon you, I can obtain local employment on a part or full time basis." If she could make some money to contribute to their cost of living, then it should help remove any money problems associated with her living here.

JaK asked if she was made of sugar. She stared at him blankly. "No."

'The Ropes' as JaK called them were very generous. Grace had permission to come and go as she pleased and find a job if she wanted to. This was a lot of leeway. Grace hadn't had this much freedom in a long time. JaK also demanded that he either call her JaK or Sage instead of Master. She decided that Sage would be more respectful.

"Understood, Sage." JaK smiled at her. Grace smiled back at him, although only superficially.

As he cleaned her wound, it stung. Grace kept her hand completely still and didn't react to any of the pain. She wondered how many days it would take before she could effectively fight with her right hand again. She could always fight left-handed, but that was far less efficient.

"Sage, is it true that you have advanced regenerative abilities?" Seth's files on the meta-human were not complete, but they did hold certain information about JaK's abilities. Seth really did have eyes everywhere.

JaK confirmed that he had healing powers, and asked why Grace was bringing it up. Hadn't Seth already told her everything about him?

Grace looked at her hand. Now that JaK had dressed it, it would heal in a few weeks. If what she had read from JaK's file was correct, it would only take him a few seconds. "Seth's information was incomplete. He was unable to confirm your maximum potential. But still, to be able to heal like that is...incredible." Grace wasn't jealous. She simply found it amazing to imagine. Being able to heal from nearly any injury in a very short amount of time was like something out of a dream. It was actually difficult to believe.

In any case, his healing factor would make her job of keeping him alive much easier.

JaK asked if she had any powers. "I have no meta or superhuman abilities. However, I am trained extensively in unarmed, melee weapon, and firearm combat. I am also more agile than most people. This too, is due to my training. I don't have any powers, Sage, but I find you to be an interesting person."

Grace removed her trench coat, folded it, and set it neatly on the ground. She removed her black combat boots and set them next to the bed JaK had instructed her to sleep in. Next, she pulled up her shirt in a smooth motion, revealing her slender, attractive frame. A few moments later, Grace was in nothing but her underwear. She pulled the blanket over herself and closed her eyes. She needed to sleep well in order to best serve her new master.