Date: Sat, 25 May 2002 20:32:33 -0700 (PDT)
From: Author James <authorjames2002@yahoo.com>
Subject: Chronicles of a Real Dark Knight 37

Disclaimer: This story, though maybe not in this chapter but in subsequent
chapters, will have celebrities in it.  I have no knowledge of their
sexuality and this is not intended to imply their sexuality.  This is all
from my own mind.  Scary!!  People actually get a glimpse into my mind!!!

Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Angel and all related characters created by Joss
Whedon.  Copyright 20th Century Fox.

Batman, and all related characters created by Bob Kane. Copyright DC Comics
and Warner Bros.

X-MEN, and all related characters created by Stan Lee. Copyright Marvel
Comics and 20th Century Fox.

The Vampire Chronicles and all related characters created by Anne Rice.
Copyright Anne O'Brien Rice.

Harry Potter, Hogwarts, and all related characters created by J.K. Rowling.
Copyright Scholastic Press, Inc.

I don't know for sure if I will use all the above elements, but just in
case, I have myself covered.

In this story, which has been floating around in my head most of my life,
you will find many universes merging, as the above copyrights reveal.  I
hope you all enjoy this.  I appreciate any feedback that you may want to
give.  This story doesn't deal so much with sex, sex, sex, but more of my
feelings that I struggled with and am starting to come to terms with.  Part
of his background is mine.  I do hope that you enjoy it!!!

Any emails you send, please tell me what chapter and story you are
commenting on.  Thanks.

jmsotc@yahoo.com

Chapter 37 Practice Session

	Hyppolyta and I followed Jayce around the castle grounds into a
walled area in the back.  "This is our training arena," he explained as we
entered through a heavy iron gate.  "Slayers have trained here for as long
as the Council of Watchers has been in existence.  Here we will test and
train you to your limits.  Knowing that your enemy is immortal, it is best
you know what you can and cannot withstand."
	Hyppolyta and I nodded in understanding.
	"The first thing you must do is run the obstacle course.  Which of
you will go first?"
	I turned to Hyppolyta.  "Ladies first."
	"Thank you," she replied and stepped up to the line.
	"This obstacle course is designed to test your agility.  You will
have to run, jump, climb and crawl to the end where a bell rests.  We will
listen for the bell.  Cameras monitor each obstacle on the course for us to
study.
	"On the count of three.  One...two...three."
	Hyppolyta ran up the ramp and, when she reached the top, kicked
off.  Her body flipped in the air and she came down grabbing a rope and
swinging.  As her body reached the zenith of her outward swing, she kicked
outward, releasing the rope and flipping backwards.  She landed on a bar
and perched looking around.  Then, she hopped backwards grabbing the bar as
she fell.  She twirled around like on uneven bars.  For the second time as
she reached her zenith, Hyppolyta released the bar, spun twice in the air
and landed firmly on the ground.
	Hyppolyta did not let the landing stop her.  She continued on to
the next obstacle in the course.  She ran as fast as she could and jumped
into the large pool of water.  She swam swiftly through the water.  Within
moments she came up on the other side and climbed out.  Seeing the bell at
the top of the rope she jumped instead of climbing the rope.  She reached
the bell and punched it.  The clang sounded out across the obstacle court.
	Jayce applauded enthusiastically.  "Excellent, your majesty!
Excellent!"
	Hyppolyta returned to Jayce and I.  "Thank you, Mr. Haverhill.  You
are most kind."
	"I believe it is Mr. McCoy's turn."
	I nodded.  "Of course."
	"Ready, Eric?" Jayce asked.  I gave him a quick nod."  "On three.
One...two...three."
	I ran as fast as I could up the ramp.  I jumped and grabbed the
rope.  My hands slid a little so I held tighter.  The sliding caused my
swing to be off.  I had to pump my legs and right myself as the rope
swayed.  When I reached my zenith, I released the rope.  As I plummeted, I
knew I would not land on the bar.  The only recourse I had was to grab the
bar and spin around twice, not stopping as Hyppolyta did.  I spun, released
the bar, and landed on the ground.
	I ran as fast as I could and dived into the water.  It was very
cold.  The temperature of the water put me in a temporary shock.  I
recovered and started swimming as fast as I could, something I couldn't do
very well in the first place.  I had always had a fear of water.  As a
child, I imagined being in a shipwreck and sinking to the bottom of the
ocean.  I imagined the feeling of not having oxygen to breathe and the
claustrophobic feelings that came with it.  Still I persevered on until I
reached the other side.
	When I pulled myself up, I took a deep breath and started climbing
the rope.  I finally reached the top and hit the bell.  The clang resounded
through the course a second time and I went down the rope and joined my
friends.
	"Good job, Eric," Hyppolyta praised.  "Not bad for a man."
	"Thanks," I said with mock sarcasm.  Both Jayce and Hyppolyta
smiled.
	"On to the next course," Jayce replied.
	Hyppolyta and I followed Jayce into the next arena.  The area
resembled more of a horse corral with high walls.  Several objects lined
the corral.  Jayce took us through a doorway and up to a box that
overlooked the corral.
	"Here you must perform several tasks.  The main task is to get the
dummy to the other side of the course without it sustaining any critical
injuries.  You will know of any injury it receives by little flashes on the
dummy.  If the dummy is fatally injured, the flashes will turn a steady
stream of red and a flat-line will sound.  Do you both know what a
flat-line is?"
	"Sure," I replied.  "That is when a person's heart is monitored and
the person passes away.  The heart beat sound turns into a long beep
sound."
	"Correct.  Through the obstacle course, your abilities in
decision-making and ingenuity will be assessed."
	"I surely hope this isn't a test of my abilities," Hyppolyta
replied.
	"No, your majesty, of course not.  This is so the council has an
assessment of what your strengths and weaknesses are so we can devise an
appropriate way of battling the demon Macai."
	Hyppolyta looked upon Jayce narrowly.  No matter what Jayce said to
sugarcoat the explanation, the basic meaning was still identifiable.  They
wanted to know if Hyppolyta could cut it, plain and simple.
	"I will go first," I volunteered.  "Hyppolyta went first last time.
It is only fair that we take turns."
	"Very well," Jayce replied.  "If there are no objections from your
majesty."
	"Go ahead," Hyppolyta replied.  "I would like to see you
improvise."
	I smiled at her and went back down the stairs and out the door to
the arena.  For the first time, I saw the dummy held up against the wall
with wooden pegs under its arms.  The gate to the previous obstacle course
closed with a creak behind me.
	"When you take the dummy off the pegs, the test will begin, Eric.
Good luck."
	I waved to the box and approached the dummy.  It was almost as
heavy as a human being.  Good.  They weren't going to take it easy.  I
didn't want nor need to be coddled.  I had three months of rest, the last
month nothing but coddling.  I did not need any more.
	As soon as the dummy was over my shoulder, I heard the sound of
panels opening.  I found the machine guns just before they open fire on me.
I jumped out of the way and rolled behind a stack of crates.  Bullets
riddled the wooden shield.  I made my way to the other end of the crates
and looked.  The guns still faced the other side.  That would give me a few
extra seconds to run to the next barrier, a cube.
	Taking a deep breath, I ran as fast as I could.  As I neared the
cube, I saw panels on the far wall open revealing three rockets.  "Great,"
I muttered.
	The rockets launched and headed right towards me.  I tossed the
dummy behind the cube and jumped back toward the crates as the machine gun
turned and open fire on my position.  The bullets hit the rockets and
caused them to explode prematurely.
	"Fortune favors the brave," I thought.  "Or the foolish."
	I ran back over to the dummy and checked it for any "injuries".  I
could find none and decided to go on my way.  The only way this thing would
end would be for the dummy to die, me to die, or to complete the obstacle.
The last one was the most favorable of the three outcomes.
	I picked up the dummy, placed it on my shoulders and ran from wall
to wall, shield to shield, waiting in anticipation for the next test in
this obstacle course.  As I rounded a corner, a creature swung the back of
its hand at me.  It connected with my face and I flew back trying not to
injure the dummy.
	The assault seemed cold and hard, more metallic than flesh.  "It
must be a robot," I thought, "disguised as a demon."
	I laid the dummy down and turned to face the robot-demon.  It swung
a fist at me.  I dodged to the side, grabbed the wrist and brought my leg
up, connecting with the abdomen.  It hunched over with the impact.
Grabbing it by the back of the neck, I rammed it into the wall over and
over again until the thing went "unconscious".  Thank goodness it was
programmed to take assaults with reality of a demon and not a robot.
	I turned back and saw a large spider climbing near the dummy.
	"No you don't," I replied.  Holding my hand up, a fireball formed
and I hurled it at the spider.  It burst into flames and scurried off
screeching.  I approached the dummy, assessed any new "injuries" and found
none, thank goodness.  Placing it on my shoulders, I continued on.
	For about fifteen minutes I battled obstacle after obstacle, enemy
after enemy, until I reached the end.  The dummy did not acquire any
serious injuries.  I received a satisfactory rating on my objectives.  As
long as I was returning to normal, optimal performance, I was happy.
	Next came Hyppolyta's turn.  She looked at me and smiled as we
passed on the stairs.
	"Nice work," she complimented.
	"Thanks," I replied.  I was interested in seeing her performance on
the test.  After the short battle we had the other night, I was anxious to
see her in full battle mode.
	I reached the observation box and settled into a chair next to
Jayce.
	Hyppolyta approached the dummy.  As soon as she picked it up, the
guns came out of the hiding place in the walls.  She carried the dummy over
to the cube and placed it out of firing range.  The bullets flew out of the
gun bearing down on her.  She swung her arms, deflecting the bullets with
her golden gauntlets.  Hyppolyta advanced on the guns, blocking the bullets
as she went.  Some of the bullets ricocheted back onto the gun, damaging
the weapons.  When she reached the guns, she grabbed one and ripped it out
of the wall.  Then she swung it like a baseball bat and smashed the other
ones.
	"She's very strong!" I commented.
	Jayce looked at me with a grin.  "Yes, she is."
	Hyppolyta returned to the dummy as the other wall opened and the
missiles came into view.  She wasted no time.  Pulling out her golden
lasso, she stood ready.  The missiles launched.  In no time, the lasso was
around one of the missiles on the far end.  With a jerk of her wrist, the
missile collided with the one next to it.  A domino effect ensued with
missile impacting missile, explosion after explosion.  With all the
explosives taken care of, Hyppolyta gathered up the dummy and went on her
way.
	The robot-demon and robot-spider were easy for her as well.  A
punch here and a kick there and they were in need of some major bodywork
and repairs.  Hyppolyta reached the end with a near-perfect score.  I
congratulated her and we headed back to the castle.

	As the sun set, we dined, nourishing our bodies.  Harry and
Professor Dumbledore looked tired.  Whatever they had been doing all day,
they had worked hard at it.  I believe all of us felt and looked tired with
the exception of Hyppolyta.  She seemed perfectly at ease with the day's
workout.
	The door to the dining room opened and in walked Marius, the
blonde-haired vampire I had met the night before.
	"Hello, Eric," he greeted.
	"Hello, Marius."
	"Please, have a seat," Jayce invited.
	"Thank you."
	Marius pulled up a chair at the end of the table and sat.  He
looked at the table and smiled.
	Harry leaned over and whispered to Professor Dumbledore.,
"shouldn't we offer something for him to eat?"
	"No, thank you," Marius replied to young Harry.  "I ate before I
came.  Besides, your food would do nothing for me."
	Harry looked confused for a moment. Professor Dumbledore looked
upon Marius with closer examination and realization formed on his face.  He
leaned over and whispered in Harry's ear what Marius was.  Harry's eyes
widened with fear and dread.  I had to keep from laughing.  My heart went
out to the cute little boy.  I knew what he was feeling inside.  I felt it,
too, when I faced my first vampire.  Fortunately, the species of vampire
Marius was from was not the soulless creatures the Watchers' Council was
formed to fight.
	We finished eating and retired to the sitting room.  Harry rushed
over to me and sat down.
	"Can you believe a vampire is in this castle with us?"
	"Exciting, isn't it?" I replied.
	"Exciting?  It is terrifying.  What if he decides to eat us all?"
	"I highly doubt that."
	"Why?"
	"He said he ate before he came over.  He's too full to eat any of
us."
	Marius walked into the room and Harry inched closer to me. I felt
so bad for Harry.  He was terrified.
	"Do not fear, little one," Marius said.  "I would not feed off you
even if I was hungry.  I only feed off the evildoer.  I love humanity and
feel I should protect them."
	This alleviated some of Harry's stress but not all.
	"How can you love humanity?" Harry asked.  "I'll I've ever read
about vampires was that they are demonic in nature."
	"There are many species of vampire," Marius began.  "The species I
am from retains their soul when turned.  Although there are some of my
species that do not care to protect humanity and will feed off anyone they
wish."
	"There are many other species of vampires, as well, Harry," I
added.  "Some are almost animalistic in nature.  They turn into large
bat-like creatures when they prepare to feed.  But any other time they
appear as human.  There are also the demonic kinds that lose their soul
when turned.  They retain the memories of the person turned, but a demon
inhabits their body.  When they are agitated or ready to feed, their face
turns demonic in nature."
	"There are also those infected by a vampiric disease making them
vampires," Professor Dumbledore added.  "They are human in every way,
however they still have the thirst for blood and do not like the rest of
humanity."
	Harry nodded soaking in all this information.
	"You will be ready for next year's Defense Against the Dark Arts
class," Dumbledore said.
	Harry laughed a little.  I could sense the alleviation of the fear.
It wasn't gone.  That would only come with comfort of experience.  But
knowledge always helps eliminate fear.
	"All this talk of vampires," Hyppolyta said.  "Just wait until you
have to deal with Macai.  Immortal creatures are a whole new arena.  By
immortal creature, I mean those who cannot be killed easily.  Vampires are
strong, yes, but sunlight, decapitation, stake through the heart, holy
water crosses, and silver can kill them.  With creatures like Macai,
stopping them takes courage and strength.  Working together, we will
prevail."
	"Here, here," Dumbledore said in agreement.
	Jayce entered the room and looked at Marius and I.  "Mr. Travers
would like to speak to you two.  An urgent matter has arisen that he needs
your expertise in dealing with."
	"Certainly," Marius replied.  He and I stood.  "If you will excuse
us."
	Hyppolyta, Dumbledore and Harry nodded to us.  We walked out of the
room and heard Harry ask Hyppolyta where she came from.  That would have
been an interesting story to hear.  But more pressing matters were at hand.

To Be Continued...