Unfortunate Rendezvous

Posted on Sun Feb 2nd, 2025 @ 21:29 by Effigy & Andrew Hallows

Chapter: Besieged
Location: Avalon Institute, Main Courtyard
Timeline: Late evening, Friday, February 5th, 1993
3296 words - 6.6 OF Standard Post Measure

The evenings got dark fast, and the frigid water cold did nothing to make the evenings more pleasant. None of that was of any concern to the operative currently swimming across the Loch trying to get to the rendezvous point on the small fortified island. The high walls were built all around the main structure, but there were plenty of spots outside the walls, because with the keep protected there was no immediate threat from the water side. She emerged from the frigid water, which didn't seem to bother her, and dragged the large pack she had been towing behind her onto the shoreline. She tried to keep a low profile as she looked around for the person she'd be asked to retrieve.

It was a typical evening for Andrew after a day of teaching students, even teaching faculty who wished to learn more advanced defense tactics. To end his day, he was in the courtyard of the institute working through several Hapkido katas. The evening and the early mornings were the times that Andrew had time to himself. They were the times when he worked out, ran or practiced his martial katas. At the moment Andrew was unaware of any intruders, he had been informed of the barricade though and such he had taken it upon himself to check the institute grounds on a fairly regular basis. Granted with his powers it was easy to do such things without being seen.

The 'other English teacher' was about as non-descript as they came. Especially next to the blue haired fire starter the stuffy fourty-something year old Winifred Pocklington was wholly forgettable as a teacher and a colleague. If not for his penchant of correcting his colleagues as much as his students on grammar and spelling annoying the less academic of the residents, people probably wouldn't even notice him leaving. It was by design, though. The instructions from his handler had been clear. Don't stand out. Something easily done in a location such as this. He almost cussed himself when he stepped into the courtyard and found the new P.E. teacher going through his weird yoga poses again. It gave him a hesitant step, and immediate cold sweat in the small of his back.

Andrew heard the footsteps of another before he saw the somewhat annoying grammar jackass, he was in the midst of a high kick which ended with an open palm strike to the ground and a roll back up to his feet as he landed. It was a much more advanced technique then he had shown his fellow faculty, he was after all a 4th Dan Hapkido Master. What was Mr. Pocklington doing here? His cop senses itched at his mind, since he had come to this school, this was the first time he had seen the other English Teacher out at this hour. "Good evening, Mr. Pocklington. It is a bit of a chilly evening, isn't it?" Andrew stood in a relaxed stance as he turned to look at the other person now in the courtyard.

Winifred shrugged a bit, "That's Scotland in February for you." He continued his walk towards the designated spot, hoping that he'd just be left alone. It had been a bit of a pain leaving behind all of his possessions but now he was glad he wasn't lugging a large bag along, it would've surely raised suspicions. "Have a nice evening, Mister Hallows."

"This is true, Mr. Pocklington, I blame the ocean air. Enjoy your walk." Andrew's suspicions had already been peaked, however from his training in the SIB(Special Investigation Branch), he kept a calm exterior and having spoken to Winifred went back to the techniques and body movements of his Hapkido training, while keeping the English teacher just inside his peripherals. Something was definitely going on and once Winifred was out of view, he would follow in the silent ways that he could from training and with his mutant abilities. Only a few in the school had even seen or knew about his unique skills.

Happy and slightly confident that he had successfully navigated that interaction Winifred continued walking in the direction of the Loch. He had left the P.E. teacher behind him before he gave it much of a second thought. The English teacher figured that before Andrew knew to raise concerns he'd be long gone. When he came to the agreed upon location he stood for a moment looking about himself. Wondering if he had gotten his timing, or the location, wrong.

True to his initial plan, once Winifred was out of view, Andrew stopped his training and shifted his density as he seemed to melt into the ground. From there he followed about 2 feet below the man he was following now, the ground remained undisturbed where he was and would in theory keep any who were near unaware of his presence. Once Andrew caught up with Winifred he kept his position 3 feet from where he stood waiting for someone to meet him there it seemed. What was the English Teacher waiting for, though he supposed the better question would be who he was waiting for.

The wind was especially cutting in the open space beyond the courtyard. Winifred hugged his long wintercoat close as he slowly paced back and forth. Wondering once or twice if he had been in the right spot.

Effigy had posted up a couple of metres away. Laying low and away from sight as she made sure he was alone. Observing the nervous pacing and his uncomfortable glances back in the direction of the castle.

Winifred came to a stand still and sighed. He was sure this was the location and he had arrived exactly on the agreed upon time. They should realise that simply standing out here, doing nothing, would actually attract attention. "Come on then. Where in the bloody hell are you." He hissed to the winded which responded in kind.

Five minutes had passed, with him simply standing there. Effigy still waiting to test his nerve and patience.

Thankfully, Andrew could hold his breathe for a total of 5 minutes while submerged in a solid object, it was part of the reason he rigorously trained his body to increase that time, it seemed that Winifred was beginning to become frustrated with waiting, which caused Andrew to wonder if he had been stood up or if this was some sort of practical joke by the students for the man who seemed to be the least favorite teacher by many.

Still he waited, as long as Andrew could hold his concentration and his breath, he could hold this position for another 3 minutes before he would have to pop his head out from where he was. His powers were more meant for passing through something and not holding an unmoving position.

Effigy emerged from her hidden position, her movements fluid but deliberate as she approached the G.O.U. asset embedded within Avalon Institute. She let her eyes drift over the man, his sharp, no-nonsense appearance fitting the reputation she'd heard of. "Red Pen," she said, her tone clipped and matter-of-fact. "What is the best thing to come out of Oxford?"

Winifred Pocklington turned slowly, adjusting his glasses with deliberate precision, as though her arrival was of no surprise at all. "The comma," he replied dryly, a faint twitch of amusement tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Andrew's wait was over, he used an old snooping trick he concocted during one of his missions on the border of Iraq. It was one of the reasons the soldiers he worked with called him Revenant, as there were times he seemed like a ghost and just appeared. He was several feet from Winifred and Effigy when he pushed just his nose and eyes up through the ground. Who was this mysterious woman that Winifred was meeting, what was going on.

Pushing himself upward he seemed to leap from the ground out of thin air, and landing in a relaxed fighting stance. "Ma'am, this is a closed campus, there is also a curfew, so I hope you aren't a student." Andrew already knew she wasn't a student, much like it seemed the feeling he had gotten from the way Winifred had been acting was true. "I'm going to need you to leave now, or be detained by me, Mr. Pocklington and Mystery Woman." His stance was anything but a joking one.

Effigy immediately grabbed Winifred and pushed him in the direction where she had set up the escape raft. "Extract." She commanded at him.

Winifred was not a graceful man, and being handled like that by Effigy was not something he had been prepared for. He stumbled, a foot caught on something in the grass, and he faceplanted hard. Pushing himself from the ground he was just in time to see Effigy launch herself towards the P.E. teacher that had seemingly stalked him there.

Launch was definitely not the right word. Unguided rockets launched. Predators pounced. And it was clear that Effigy was an Apex Predator. All she wanted to accomplish was a moment of respite for the asset to get himself in the raft and escape. She'd easily catch up with him. The chemicals pumped in her veins and even in the dark night she could see everything crystal clear.

It was obvious to Andrew very quickly that this mystery woman was some form of a seasoned fighter, something that had been lacking in his life since he left the military. This mystery woman had pushed Winifred away, towards, what he assumed was an escape route, which put a time limit on this tussle.

Andrew dropped into a low stance as Effigy pounced at him, almost faster than he was expecting, but from years of training and competitions, he reacted automatically. As Effigy would pounce, she would find a closed palm strike to the sternum followed by an attempt at an elbow grip and throw.

Now was not for talk, now was combat.

As she was met with the open palm strike in her sternum, she immediately leapt back to create some distance between them, avoiding being grabbed. She took a second to look at her opponent, "Revenant." It was cold, calculating, analytical. Several indicators around her face lit up, and her stance changed. Becoming more defensive, waiting for the man to make his move. She'd have to take advantage of her superior reflexes and dexterity.

Andrew watched the movements of his opponent; it would seem that she at least knew the name which he had been given by his team in the SIB(Special Investigation Branch) and he later kept as his mutant persona, so obviously whoever this woman was working for had some level of information about him. He wondered what they knew about him, much of his military record was somewhat heavily redacted. He watched her face and saw that she was gauging him, this led him to believe that she at least knew something of his skills and level of training. He dropped back into a relaxed combat stance as he moved forward, almost like he was stalking an enemy.

Effigy knew that all she was doing is stall for time, and his cautious waiting approach played right into her hand. Every moment he wasted scoping her out, not engaging, and not pursuing Winifred was a moment won. She simply stared him down, muscles tense, ready to react, ready to strike. So long as he wouldn't make the first move she would just keep waiting.

Andrew had finished his gauging of his opponent and knew she was battle-trained and tested much like himself, it was in her movements and in her eyes. That being said, he put on a bit of speed while increasing his density by 136kg, turning himself into a large pickup truck rushing forward, and striking first with a feint utilizing a left-handed open-palm strike to the left shoulder of Effigy, quickly followed by an actual strike to her right elbow, transitioning into a grab and throw. He was done playing around, as a soldier he knew she was trying to play for extra time.

As his strike landed on her elbow she got off balance for just a second having tried to avoid the one to the shoulder. Seemingly enough for him to grab her and attempt to throw her to the ground. As she was lifted into the air she stretched out her entire body and pushed off his shoulder. Her reaction speed a lot quicker than humanly possible. With some effort she had been able to break his hold on her and finishing her momentum to land on her feet behind him.

Immediately after landing she jumped into a spinning kick aimed at his head. He was dome biding his time, which meant she had to ramp up herself. She figured it would take at least another two minutes for Winifred to figure everything out and get himself into the boat to make his escape, after that she could plan for an exit herself.

Teaching PE to teenager's was as different as him instructing people at the institute on self-defense and the faculty in basic tactics. Fighting this unknown woman was on par with the hapkido tournaments he had taken a step back from since becoming a teacher, the way she moved and reacted told him that she had trained and was a practiced fighter.

The way she reacted to his grab and attempted throw, told him quite a bit about the composure of her body. She may be faster than average, but he had been training since he was 6, the military had honed his senses and reaction time, which is likely what saved him from a full-on kick to the head. The spinning kick she aimed at his head would have connected more than it did, if he hadn't begun to sink into the ground. She did connect with the crown of his head, which rocked him a bit. Using his density manipulation, he went solid again and burst from the ground aiming to slam his shoulder into her jaw, though having been rocked the shoulder was aimed for her collarbone instead. Andrew then went into a series of two open-palmed punches to the stomach. If he could take her down, they could get answers.

Effigy took a step back from the strikes to her body before recomposing herself and launching into a flurry of strikes. This wasn't a fight to be won with brute force, but regardless of someone's body mass of muscle density hits wore someone down. She was striking with closed fists. It didn't matter to her too much whether it was hitting his defenses or his body. She swung for his head with jabs, hooks, and uppercuts. Using his shifting defenses to land hits on his body.

As she hit her fists against his bulk it was as if punching into a wall, and she could know because it wasn't the first time she had hit a brick wall. One of the hits dislodged something in her hand, a knuckle or a phalanx. It didn't slow her down, she barely seemed to register. She kept throwing punches relentlessly, but far from recklessly. The strikes were precise. Every one poking at an exposed bit of torso, or trying for his head.

This wasn't a competition fight, this was survival, this was akin to a street brawl or even a bar fight, which Andrew had been a part of during his time in the military. There was no medal or trophy, simply a winner and a loser. His blood was flowing now as they traded blows. This mystery woman was a true fighter, and it was obvious to Andrew that he wouldn't need to hold back, not like with his teaching or competitions. She rocked him good in the jaw and he spit a stream of blood onto the cold ground.

Andrew let loose with first a strike to her sternum, followed by another strike to her kidney, a solid low kick to her left knee, and an elbow to the right side of her jaw. This fight couldn't keep going on, Winifred would escape and either the mystery woman or Andrew would run out of steam. Action movies never told the truth about how grueling actual fights were be they competition or just straight up brawls, there was a reason why competitions had very specific rules. Through her relentless hits, Andrew was able to catch her fist and twisted her arm.

As Effigy's arm was twisted she turned almost automatically to avoid the stress on her shoulder. A second hand pushed into her upper arm. It would force her to the ground if she wasn't going to be able to get free of it. Once she was on the ground and Andrew on top of her there was no way she'd be able to get away. The chemicals burned in her veins, pumping her muscle strength. She stepped back, into him to get some range of motion and with a hammer fist thrown backwards she hit on his upper left leg, where the file on him had said he had undergone extensive repairs.

Andrew was able to shift his left leg enough that even though she still connected with the lower part of his old injury as opposed to up towards his hip. The fist to his lower thigh was enough to cut like a scalpel through his composure and concentration, he grunted as his grip would loosen enough for her to escape.

Effigy felt the grip on her arm weaken and used it to spin free. She could step back and go for another bout of strikes and kicks, but a better idea popped in her head. She jumped up, flipped herself around and landed behind Andrew. Moving quickly she threw her arm around his neck and locked it in place. The muscles in her arms tensed up. Blood, adrenaline, and chemicals pumping through them to make the choke hold like an iron vice around the man's neck. The strain on her body was enormous, but she hoped his body would give out before hers.

As Effigy spun and flipped behind him and locked in around his neck, unless he could break her grip he would be done in this fight. Andrew fished around for her hand to twist her fingers and attempt to break free, he could feel the beginnings of that hazy feeling when someone was choking you out. The last thing he was able to do before slumping like a sack of potatoes, was slam an elbow hard into her left and right side.

An elbow dug in her side, then another in the other. It took her all her strength to keep a hold tight enough to constrict the airflow, but she felt the body go limp under her choke hold. She was smart enough to hold on a little bit more, in case the man was faking it. The mission parameters hadn't allowed for casualties, so she released before any permanent damage could be done. As she released him and allowed the body to fall to the ground she gave the old war wound another kick with her heel, really digging it in, to make sure that if he did wake he'd think twice about chasing.

And just like that the shadow in the night disappeared as quickly as she had appeared. Back out towards the loch where Winifred was in a rubber raft, making his way to the far side. Ready to be debriefed. Ready to give the G.O.U. whatever he had been able to gather on the residents and the layout of Avalon Institute.