The Return of the Man In Black Pt.III
Earth, the present day.
A small bar somewhere in Hong Kong. The evening’s patrons are being treated to some good, old fashioned jazz. The band leader addresses the crowd.
"Thank you, thank you! You're a wonderful audience. Now, I don't usually do this...but we have a friend here tonight. Maybe with the proper encouragement we can get him up here for a song. Mr. Sons, would you come up here and grace us with your crooning?"
All eyes turn to the bar where a tall man in a black suit is enjoying a drink.
He's startled at the applause from the crowd. He feigns embarrassment.
"Now, Tommy, you know I can't sing." he says waving it off.
"Oh nonsense, sir!" replies the band leader. "Come on up here!"
The crowd cheers and begins pounding the tables rhythmically.
"Man-in-black, man-in-black!" they cheer.
The man shoots an accusatory look at the bartender. "This is your doing isn't it, Jimmy?"
Jimmy the bartender is all innocence. "Who me?" he grins.
"Sigh. All right, all right." He places his sword on the bar.
"You stay right there," he says to it. "And don't get into any trouble."
You could swear the sword began whistling a tuneless tune.
"Hmph. Smartass." he mutters.
He walks up the stage, grasping the old fashioned mike.
A brief consultation with the band, they all nod and smile. They know this song well.
The man in black addresses the crowd. "Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Here's an oldie but a goodie. Its one of my favorites...And a one and a two..."
"Oh, the shark, babe, has such teeth, dear
And it shows them pearly white
Just a jackknife has old MacHeath, babe
And he keeps it … ah … out of sight."
"Ya know when that shark bites, with his teeth, babe
Scarlet billows start to spread
Fancy gloves, though, wears old MacHeath, babe
So there’s nevah, nevah a trace of red."
"Now on the sidewalk … uuh, huh … whoo … sunny mornin’ … uuh, huh
Lies a body just oozin' life … eeek!
And someone’s sneakin' ‘round the corner
Could that someone be Mack the Knife?"
"A-there's a tugboat … huh, huh, huh … down by the river don’tcha know
Where a cement bag’s just a'droopin' on down
Oh, that cement is just, it's there for the weight, dear
Five'll get ya ten old Macky’s back in town."
"Now, d'ja hear ‘bout Louie Miller? He disappeared, babe
After drawin' out all his hard-earned cash
And now MacHeath spends just like a sailor
Could it be our boy's done somethin' rash?"
"Now … Jenny Diver … ho, ho … yeah … Sukey Tawdry
Ooh … Miss Lotte Lenya and old Lucy Brown
Oh, the line forms on the right, babe
Now that Macky’s back in town."
"Aah … I said Jenny Diver … whoa … Sukey Tawdry
Look out to Miss Lotte Lenya and old Lucy Brown
Yes, that line forms on the right, babe
Now that Macky’s...back in toooooown …!"
"Look out … old Macky is back!! "
The crowd cheers and applauds. The man in black bows with a florish.
He walks back to the bar and his drink. There is a man there nattily dressed in a cream colored suit with an orange tie, wearing a cream colored panama hat.
"Bravo, Thousand Sons! Bravo! Will you be doing an encore?" he asks.
The man in black sips his drink, not looking. "Hello, Fred."
"I suppose you want to know how I found you?" Fred asks.
"A six foot tall man in a black suit carrying a sword can't be all that hard to find in Hong Kong, Fred." the man replies flatly.
"Touché. Dry as a martini, Thousand Sons. As always." says Fred, smiling.
The man pulls an ornate cigarette case from his jacket. He takes one for himself and offers another. "Smoke?"
"Got my own, thanks." replies the man in black, lighting one up.
The sword on the bar glows and grumbles.
"Hello, Thread-Killer blade. How are you?" asks Fred.
The sword profoundly ignores him.
Fred turns to Thousand Sons.
"So, I suppose you want to know why I'm here."
"Nope." replies the man in black without looking. "By the way, I thought you were a woman.
Fred shrugs. "I can assume different forms at will."
He shimmers for a moment and in his place a ravishing beauty appears wearing a light cream colored dress with an orange sash tied at the waist.
"Is this more pleasing to you?" she croons.
"Not really." the man in black replies with great indifference.
She leans in. "Look, I know you don’t like me..."
"'Hate' is the word that springs to my mind, Fred."
"Indeed. But I'm here because I need your help. And you need mine."
The man takes a drag, exhales. "Really? How amusing."
"Dammit, man! Listen!" she exlaims angrily. "Certain things have been brought to my attention! I know that the Empire has activated a sleeper assassin via Strobe! He's on his way here!"
This piqued the mans interest. "Hmph. Who? The Butcher, the Baker, or the Candle-stick Maker?"
"The Baker, blast it! The Frenchman!"
"That’s too bad." shrugged Mr. Sons. "Rene was always a better baker than he ever was an assassin. Why tell me?"
"There's more." she leans in and whispers. "I've found out through my off world contacts that an Inquisitor is coming to Earth."
The man crushes his cigarette out angrily.
"Bullshit. They wouldn't dare. Non-interference treaty, remember?"
"The Inquisition makes their own rules, Mr. Sons. You know that."
"Do you know who it is?"
"Streck."
The man sips his drink. "Streck, eh? That’s a problem. Who's his target?"
"Me, you idiot! I'm a zombie, remember?!"
"Ahh, yes. Good luck with that."
"I need your help!" she cries.
"Not my problem."
"I can pay you!"
"Don't need your money, Fred."
"Will you do it...for Sojourner?"
The mans hand creeps to his sword. "What have you done?" he asks flatly.
"Nothing, nothing at all." she replies smiling. "She's a guest on my island. And you know what the Inquisition will do if they find her there."
The man in black frowns. "No witnesses."
"Exactly."
The man finishes his drink.
"So what do you say? she asks smiling. "A...partnership? A limited partnership?"
The man ponders for a moment.
"Very limited." he frowns.
She strikes the bar with her hand. "Excellent!"
The man in black shakes her hand, to seal the deal.
"I thought it was customary for a gentleman to kiss the hand of a lady?" she asks, batting her eyelashes.
"I'd sooner kiss this ashtray. Its far more charming than you'll ever be."
"Poo. You're no fun." she pouts.
The man in black shakes his head. "Sigh. This is going to be interesting."
The woman laughs. "An old Chinese fortune cookie once said "May you live in interesting times!"
"That was no fortune," replies the man in black. "That was a curse."
--------
Earth, somewhere in China, a long time ago.
An old man dressed in black robes sits beneath a banyan tree, lotus style.
His eyes are closed, contemplating.
A man dressed in black walks out from the trail, weary from his journey. He has traveled far and wide learning of this world that is not his own.
The old man beneath the banyan tree doesn’t bother to open his eyes. “So. You have found me”
The man in black asks in a commanding voice ”You are Master Zhu Yuanzhang, yes?”
The old man smiles. “Sometimes.”
The man in black clears his throat. “I've been sent here to learn about this world…”
The old man in black robes waves him off. ”Spare me, boy. I’ve heard it all before.”
The man in black frowns. “You’ve led a merry chase, old man. My contacts in Asia had a hard time finding you, but…”
”Yes, yes. Quite. Tell me…have you learned this world yet?”
The man in black is brought up short, startled. ”Excuse me?”
“I asked you a question. Have you learned all of this world?”
”Well…I…be quiet! I don't have time to learn everything about this world!”
"Who does?" asks the old man.
The man in black frowns.
”Heh. You think you are unique in your pursuit, yes?” says the old man to the man in black. “That you're the only one trying to learn about this world?”
”What are you talking about?” he asks.
"My boy, we've all been sent to this world to learn about it. Every one of us."
The man in black is thunderstruck.
”What do you think of it, so far?”
The man in black shakes his head. ”This world is full of wars and fighting. Its people are savages, killing each other for no reason."
The man in black robes nods. “That’s true. I cannot deny that. There’s more to it than that though. There is great violence in this world, but great beauty as well.”
”What does that have anything to do with…”
”Be silent, ignorant child!” The man in black robes snaps at him. “I know why you think you’re here,” he says, pointing his wizened finger. “Everyone thinks they know everything. But they don’t. Neither do I.”
“I've studied with great masters.” he continues. “Men who could perform great feats. Feats of strength, or power. Men who could bend steel or crush a rock with bare palm. And yet in all my travels, they never answered that one simple question."
The man in black snorts. “What question is that?”
The old man looks at him with childlike eyes.
"Why am I here?" he asks softly.
The man in black ponders this for a moment.
”You’re here because you’ve been searching for me.” says old Black Robes. “Desperately trying to find me, you were told I had some secret knowledge for you. You're right, I do, but you didn’t have to go to such lengths. You’re me, after all.”
A feeling of horror crept up inside the man in black. “What…what are you babbling about old man?”
”There are worlds within worlds, my boy. Anything can happen, you know? A man may find that he is too big for one world, existing in many. A man can spend his whole life searching…seeking himself. Now you’ve found me. Here I am.”
The man in black starts to back away, the old man stands up and follows, hands spread.
The man in black stumbles. He falls backwards in the grass, trying to push away. “Get away! Stay away from me you crazy old man!"
”What? After all this time? What do you truly fear, warrior? It’s okay to be afraid. Only fools and children are truly fearless.”
”Stay away!”
“You’re simply another part of myself. Another…aspect, if you will. A character in a story, just as we all are. Just as I was when I found my master.”
”This is madness!”
Master Zhu laughs out loud. “Hah! Yes! Madness. I thought so too when I heard it.”
The man in black is in daze, reeling from this bizarre turn of events.
”But if this is true…then…who am I?”
The man in black shrugs, smiling.
“Ahhh…now that is a question you must discover for yourself.”
The old man comes to kneel by the man in black seated in the grass.
"You're...you're just an Earth man." he says. "How can you know...about space? The Empire?"
Zhu Yuanzhang shrugs. "How does it go? 'There are more things in heaven and earth...' Never mind. I can’t remember the rest."
The man in black sighs.
The old man leans in next to him.
"I come with a warning too, my boy: This world must remain isolated from outside interference. Its people have a special role in the fate of the entire universe."
The man in black laughs. "These backwater savages? What role is that?"
The old man shrugs, smoothing his robes.
"I cannot tell you. I have to...show you."
The old mans hands reach out, grasping the man in black’s temples.
“What...what are you doing?!” he cried in alarm.
"Shhh. Watch...and listen."
There is light in the old mans eyes.
The man in blacks eyes become unfocused, staring at the sky. His mouth is slightly agape.
"What...But...but...I...they...."
"Shhh. Open your mind."
The man in black continues to stare aimlessly at the sky. Slowly a smile reaches his lips. Tears burn in his eyes.
He grasps at words. "It's... its..."
"Wonderful. Yes, I know."
Master Zhu releases him.
The man in black sits back in the grass and rubs his eyes. "And no one else knows this? No one at all?"
"You do, my young friend. And your masters must know too. They must not interfere with this world."
"I...I'll go. Go and tell them." says the man in black, rising to his feet. "I'll try my best."
The old man smiles ambiguously.
"That’s all anyone can ask, my boy."
A small bar somewhere in Hong Kong. The evening’s patrons are being treated to some good, old fashioned jazz. The band leader addresses the crowd.
"Thank you, thank you! You're a wonderful audience. Now, I don't usually do this...but we have a friend here tonight. Maybe with the proper encouragement we can get him up here for a song. Mr. Sons, would you come up here and grace us with your crooning?"
All eyes turn to the bar where a tall man in a black suit is enjoying a drink.
He's startled at the applause from the crowd. He feigns embarrassment.
"Now, Tommy, you know I can't sing." he says waving it off.
"Oh nonsense, sir!" replies the band leader. "Come on up here!"
The crowd cheers and begins pounding the tables rhythmically.
"Man-in-black, man-in-black!" they cheer.
The man shoots an accusatory look at the bartender. "This is your doing isn't it, Jimmy?"
Jimmy the bartender is all innocence. "Who me?" he grins.
"Sigh. All right, all right." He places his sword on the bar.
"You stay right there," he says to it. "And don't get into any trouble."
You could swear the sword began whistling a tuneless tune.
"Hmph. Smartass." he mutters.
He walks up the stage, grasping the old fashioned mike.
A brief consultation with the band, they all nod and smile. They know this song well.
The man in black addresses the crowd. "Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Here's an oldie but a goodie. Its one of my favorites...And a one and a two..."
"Oh, the shark, babe, has such teeth, dear
And it shows them pearly white
Just a jackknife has old MacHeath, babe
And he keeps it … ah … out of sight."
"Ya know when that shark bites, with his teeth, babe
Scarlet billows start to spread
Fancy gloves, though, wears old MacHeath, babe
So there’s nevah, nevah a trace of red."
"Now on the sidewalk … uuh, huh … whoo … sunny mornin’ … uuh, huh
Lies a body just oozin' life … eeek!
And someone’s sneakin' ‘round the corner
Could that someone be Mack the Knife?"
"A-there's a tugboat … huh, huh, huh … down by the river don’tcha know
Where a cement bag’s just a'droopin' on down
Oh, that cement is just, it's there for the weight, dear
Five'll get ya ten old Macky’s back in town."
"Now, d'ja hear ‘bout Louie Miller? He disappeared, babe
After drawin' out all his hard-earned cash
And now MacHeath spends just like a sailor
Could it be our boy's done somethin' rash?"
"Now … Jenny Diver … ho, ho … yeah … Sukey Tawdry
Ooh … Miss Lotte Lenya and old Lucy Brown
Oh, the line forms on the right, babe
Now that Macky’s back in town."
"Aah … I said Jenny Diver … whoa … Sukey Tawdry
Look out to Miss Lotte Lenya and old Lucy Brown
Yes, that line forms on the right, babe
Now that Macky’s...back in toooooown …!"
"Look out … old Macky is back!! "
The crowd cheers and applauds. The man in black bows with a florish.
He walks back to the bar and his drink. There is a man there nattily dressed in a cream colored suit with an orange tie, wearing a cream colored panama hat.
"Bravo, Thousand Sons! Bravo! Will you be doing an encore?" he asks.
The man in black sips his drink, not looking. "Hello, Fred."
"I suppose you want to know how I found you?" Fred asks.
"A six foot tall man in a black suit carrying a sword can't be all that hard to find in Hong Kong, Fred." the man replies flatly.
"Touché. Dry as a martini, Thousand Sons. As always." says Fred, smiling.
The man pulls an ornate cigarette case from his jacket. He takes one for himself and offers another. "Smoke?"
"Got my own, thanks." replies the man in black, lighting one up.
The sword on the bar glows and grumbles.
"Hello, Thread-Killer blade. How are you?" asks Fred.
The sword profoundly ignores him.
Fred turns to Thousand Sons.
"So, I suppose you want to know why I'm here."
"Nope." replies the man in black without looking. "By the way, I thought you were a woman.
Fred shrugs. "I can assume different forms at will."
He shimmers for a moment and in his place a ravishing beauty appears wearing a light cream colored dress with an orange sash tied at the waist.
"Is this more pleasing to you?" she croons.
"Not really." the man in black replies with great indifference.
She leans in. "Look, I know you don’t like me..."
"'Hate' is the word that springs to my mind, Fred."
"Indeed. But I'm here because I need your help. And you need mine."
The man takes a drag, exhales. "Really? How amusing."
"Dammit, man! Listen!" she exlaims angrily. "Certain things have been brought to my attention! I know that the Empire has activated a sleeper assassin via Strobe! He's on his way here!"
This piqued the mans interest. "Hmph. Who? The Butcher, the Baker, or the Candle-stick Maker?"
"The Baker, blast it! The Frenchman!"
"That’s too bad." shrugged Mr. Sons. "Rene was always a better baker than he ever was an assassin. Why tell me?"
"There's more." she leans in and whispers. "I've found out through my off world contacts that an Inquisitor is coming to Earth."
The man crushes his cigarette out angrily.
"Bullshit. They wouldn't dare. Non-interference treaty, remember?"
"The Inquisition makes their own rules, Mr. Sons. You know that."
"Do you know who it is?"
"Streck."
The man sips his drink. "Streck, eh? That’s a problem. Who's his target?"
"Me, you idiot! I'm a zombie, remember?!"
"Ahh, yes. Good luck with that."
"I need your help!" she cries.
"Not my problem."
"I can pay you!"
"Don't need your money, Fred."
"Will you do it...for Sojourner?"
The mans hand creeps to his sword. "What have you done?" he asks flatly.
"Nothing, nothing at all." she replies smiling. "She's a guest on my island. And you know what the Inquisition will do if they find her there."
The man in black frowns. "No witnesses."
"Exactly."
The man finishes his drink.
"So what do you say? she asks smiling. "A...partnership? A limited partnership?"
The man ponders for a moment.
"Very limited." he frowns.
She strikes the bar with her hand. "Excellent!"
The man in black shakes her hand, to seal the deal.
"I thought it was customary for a gentleman to kiss the hand of a lady?" she asks, batting her eyelashes.
"I'd sooner kiss this ashtray. Its far more charming than you'll ever be."
"Poo. You're no fun." she pouts.
The man in black shakes his head. "Sigh. This is going to be interesting."
The woman laughs. "An old Chinese fortune cookie once said "May you live in interesting times!"
"That was no fortune," replies the man in black. "That was a curse."
--------
Earth, somewhere in China, a long time ago.
An old man dressed in black robes sits beneath a banyan tree, lotus style.
His eyes are closed, contemplating.
A man dressed in black walks out from the trail, weary from his journey. He has traveled far and wide learning of this world that is not his own.
The old man beneath the banyan tree doesn’t bother to open his eyes. “So. You have found me”
The man in black asks in a commanding voice ”You are Master Zhu Yuanzhang, yes?”
The old man smiles. “Sometimes.”
The man in black clears his throat. “I've been sent here to learn about this world…”
The old man in black robes waves him off. ”Spare me, boy. I’ve heard it all before.”
The man in black frowns. “You’ve led a merry chase, old man. My contacts in Asia had a hard time finding you, but…”
”Yes, yes. Quite. Tell me…have you learned this world yet?”
The man in black is brought up short, startled. ”Excuse me?”
“I asked you a question. Have you learned all of this world?”
”Well…I…be quiet! I don't have time to learn everything about this world!”
"Who does?" asks the old man.
The man in black frowns.
”Heh. You think you are unique in your pursuit, yes?” says the old man to the man in black. “That you're the only one trying to learn about this world?”
”What are you talking about?” he asks.
"My boy, we've all been sent to this world to learn about it. Every one of us."
The man in black is thunderstruck.
”What do you think of it, so far?”
The man in black shakes his head. ”This world is full of wars and fighting. Its people are savages, killing each other for no reason."
The man in black robes nods. “That’s true. I cannot deny that. There’s more to it than that though. There is great violence in this world, but great beauty as well.”
”What does that have anything to do with…”
”Be silent, ignorant child!” The man in black robes snaps at him. “I know why you think you’re here,” he says, pointing his wizened finger. “Everyone thinks they know everything. But they don’t. Neither do I.”
“I've studied with great masters.” he continues. “Men who could perform great feats. Feats of strength, or power. Men who could bend steel or crush a rock with bare palm. And yet in all my travels, they never answered that one simple question."
The man in black snorts. “What question is that?”
The old man looks at him with childlike eyes.
"Why am I here?" he asks softly.
The man in black ponders this for a moment.
”You’re here because you’ve been searching for me.” says old Black Robes. “Desperately trying to find me, you were told I had some secret knowledge for you. You're right, I do, but you didn’t have to go to such lengths. You’re me, after all.”
A feeling of horror crept up inside the man in black. “What…what are you babbling about old man?”
”There are worlds within worlds, my boy. Anything can happen, you know? A man may find that he is too big for one world, existing in many. A man can spend his whole life searching…seeking himself. Now you’ve found me. Here I am.”
The man in black starts to back away, the old man stands up and follows, hands spread.
The man in black stumbles. He falls backwards in the grass, trying to push away. “Get away! Stay away from me you crazy old man!"
”What? After all this time? What do you truly fear, warrior? It’s okay to be afraid. Only fools and children are truly fearless.”
”Stay away!”
“You’re simply another part of myself. Another…aspect, if you will. A character in a story, just as we all are. Just as I was when I found my master.”
”This is madness!”
Master Zhu laughs out loud. “Hah! Yes! Madness. I thought so too when I heard it.”
The man in black is in daze, reeling from this bizarre turn of events.
”But if this is true…then…who am I?”
The man in black shrugs, smiling.
“Ahhh…now that is a question you must discover for yourself.”
The old man comes to kneel by the man in black seated in the grass.
"You're...you're just an Earth man." he says. "How can you know...about space? The Empire?"
Zhu Yuanzhang shrugs. "How does it go? 'There are more things in heaven and earth...' Never mind. I can’t remember the rest."
The man in black sighs.
The old man leans in next to him.
"I come with a warning too, my boy: This world must remain isolated from outside interference. Its people have a special role in the fate of the entire universe."
The man in black laughs. "These backwater savages? What role is that?"
The old man shrugs, smoothing his robes.
"I cannot tell you. I have to...show you."
The old mans hands reach out, grasping the man in black’s temples.
“What...what are you doing?!” he cried in alarm.
"Shhh. Watch...and listen."
There is light in the old mans eyes.
The man in blacks eyes become unfocused, staring at the sky. His mouth is slightly agape.
"What...But...but...I...they...."
"Shhh. Open your mind."
The man in black continues to stare aimlessly at the sky. Slowly a smile reaches his lips. Tears burn in his eyes.
He grasps at words. "It's... its..."
"Wonderful. Yes, I know."
Master Zhu releases him.
The man in black sits back in the grass and rubs his eyes. "And no one else knows this? No one at all?"
"You do, my young friend. And your masters must know too. They must not interfere with this world."
"I...I'll go. Go and tell them." says the man in black, rising to his feet. "I'll try my best."
The old man smiles ambiguously.
"That’s all anyone can ask, my boy."
posted by Thousand Sons at 10:52 PM
1 Comments:
Fascinating.
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