The Deck's Ace

Part one, chapter 1. The Bad Ass

April 27th, 1999

Commandant Wesley Pritcher walked through the great hall of the McMannis Military Academy’s Administrative Building. The mid-morning sun pushed through the east windows, illuminating the dust particles in front of him. They gracefully drifted through the warm air, until his movements caused the them to swirl on invisible currents. He regarded the particles with the same gentle smile that he used for his staff and students. 

The military academy was for children ages twelve through eighteen with troubled pasts or enough money. Pritcher had been the Headmaster for over a decade, and because he lacked any living family, would stay at the school until the day he died. The Commandant was of the opinion that military standards were a tool to strengthen the students as adults, not turn them into mindless soldiers as some of his colleagues would have. This seemed to be a constant point of contingency between the staff.

He pushed open the large oak doors of the great hall and stepped out into the sun, not shading his eyes in the least. The grounds were free from students, save the Physical Training classes that jogged in formation to a drill sergeants barking. A group of freshman jogged in front of him, led by Dovolo and Harper. Good kids. He smiled as they waved to him, before breaking from the group in a full run.

The drill sergeant learned not to run after them, as he would never catch them. Now he simply pulled out their pre-made detention slips and handed them to Pritcher. Dovolo, in particular, had been reprimanded so many times that she now had to speak with the headmaster after each offense. But the girl seemed to enjoy her time with Pritcher, and she had found a way around his busy appointment schedule. As long as she did not cause catastrophic harm, Pritcher had no intention of expelling her any time soon.

As the remaining freshmen rounded the west corner of the building, a large black limousine slowly cruised to a stop in front. The driver parked and stepped out of his seat, straightening his expensive suit. He walked hastily to the passenger door and opened it with a crisp bow. 

“Hello Maggie,” Pritcher smiled, helping the middle aged billionaire out of her seat.

“How are you Wesley?”  Maggie Rodgens asked as she gave the Commandant a casual hug. She was a mature woman of Irish decent, and despite her stressful dealings, carried herself extremely well. Maggie was the CEO of a large pharmaceutical corporation. Aside from her corporation, she also had a hand in the dealings of Congress and the White House. Today it was her political motives that brought her to the Kentucky academy.

They left the driver with the limo and walked into the Admin. Building, making small talk as they made their way through the hall to Pritcher’s office in the rear.  Pritcher made a brief stop at his secretary’s desk, where two files were waiting for him. He told the secretary to clear his schedule for the evening, as Torrance Dovolo and Rachel Harper would have their evening appointment. The secretary rolled her eyes and chuckled because this was becoming a very common order.

The pair pushed past the secretary’s desk to Pritcher’s office. Maggie took her seat in front of Pritcher’s massive mahogany desk.  Pritcher closed the door, and felt the rooms comfortable atmosphere leave with the click of the door knob.

When he turned back to Maggie, she was all business, “I don’t have time for fluff. What have you found?” Maggie said curtly, all kind familiarity suddenly gone.

Pritcher’s smile never faltered, as if it was Botoxed into his expression, “I believe that I have Adam Laches’ replacements.”

“Replacements?” Maggie raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, a pair of girls, their names are Rachel Harper and Torrance Dovolo.” Pritcher said, handing Maggie the two folders.

She took them, but dropped the Dovolo file on the desk so that she could use both hands to search the Harper file.  She opened the file and asked, “Why two girls?”

“Both children are spectacular alone, but together, acting as one unit, I have never seen such impeccable leadership or tactical skill. The girls have been known to out maneuver their instructors in class and on field exercises.” Pritcher said, taking a seat behind his desk.

“So you have two teenage girls who each may be half of what we need. I am sure you understand the liability issues.” Maggie said, not bothering to look up from Harpers file. Her organization needed one leader, not two, and teenage girls were notorious for their emotional ups and downs as well as rocky friendships. There was too much of a risk that at one point they would cease to work well together. However, they were hurting for a new specimen, so Maggie wasn’t ruling the girls out just yet, “What makes you think that the Deck could use Harper?”

Pritcher chuckled, remembering Rachel’s quick wit, “Rae’s mind does not process her environment like yours or mine. The girl is incredibly detailed oriented and quick witted, as well as adaptive and resilient. She formulates amazing plans quickly, and she seems to be the only one that can control Dovolo.”

”Are there problems with Dovolo’s stability?” Maggie asked. She was beginning to doubt that Pritcher really had found their replacements. Perhaps he had thrown his best students together in hopes of winning the two million dollar finders fee.

“I believe we were speaking about Harper.” Pritcher said easily, cutting off the argument and guiding the negotiations.

Maggie chucked, knowing exactly what he was doing, “You’re quite right.”  She looked through the file attentively, going through every detail. She ran a tally in her head of the girl’s skills as well as the less redeeming qualities. “And what of her outside influences?” Maggie asked, coming across the child’s family and medical history page.

“Her mother is a well known criminal on the west coast. Mostly for Internet terrorism. She and the girl do not have much contact, although Rachel does idealize Mrs. Harper to an extreme extent.” Pritcher explained.

Maggie smiled. People with heroes were the easiest to manipulate, “And her father?” Maggie asked.

Pritcher noted the curl of Ms. Rodgens lips, and made a mental note of it, “Democratic Congressmen Andrew Harper. Needless to say he does not-”

“No.” Maggie snapped the file shut and tossed it across the table, “Harper was the strongest opponent against the project in Congress. He was the reason that the bill did not pass.”

“Having congressional approval has never stopped you before Maggie, and I thought you would appreciate the poetic injustice.”  Pritcher said good naturedly.

The grin was gone from Rodgens face, now replaced with a simmering rage. How dare he risk the project by offering a Congressman’s daughter?  “I will not jeopardize this project and our futures, Harper is out.” she collected herself and then turned to the Dovolo file, “ Tell me about the other girl.”

“Torrance Dovolo. Daughter of a Richard Dovolo, a predominant member of the underground crime syndicate in New Orleans. Mother is dead; I believe she was killed in front of the girl at a very young age.  The girl has seven kills to her record already, and she is working on numbers eight and nine. Intelligent, combat and technically oriented, with an ability to learn a wide array of topics rather quickly.” Pritcher explained, not faltering at Rodgen’s outburst.

“Has she been incarcerated?” Rodgens asked.

“No, there has never been enough evidence in any of the murders. The bodies are missing in many cases.” He chuckled.

Maggie smiled at this, “The child is handy with a meat grinder. How are her grades?”

“Exceptional.”

”And her physical training.” Maggie asked, flipping through the file.

“That could use work.” Pritcher said, furrowing his brow. He remembered a particular fight where Dovolo crushed the skull of a school bully with a toilet seat. He struggled with words to explain the girls combat skills, then said. “Torrance is a fighter. She is sloppy, very effective, but sloppy none the less. She is more interested in causing pain then ending a situation. She’s proficient with most weapons, and has never had a problem using her surroundings. Firearms seem to be her weapon of choice.”

Maggie saw his hesitation, and wondered exactly what he was hiding. “I wouldn’t expect less from a mafia princess. You said that Harper can control the girl. I have never known you to have issue with a student. “

“Dovolo has a tendency to become over zealous in some situations, particularly in altercations where she is at a disadvantage. In our experience, Harper has always been able to assist or interfere before there were fatalities. ”

Maggie took this into consideration, “We need a leader, not just a murderer, how is her power structure?”

“The girl has been here for 3 months. In that time she has completely toppled the school’s social structure, and her large group of close knit friends make it relatively easy for her to force her will on the students and most of the faculty.” Pritcher chuckled. He did adore Dovolo, but without Harper, she was brash, ruthless. It was as if Rachel gave the girl a conscience.

“Dovolo is popular, so was Lache, and his popularity became more important to him than our country's future. I will not place billions of dollars on this girl’s development, only to dispose of her and start over again with someone new.  We do not have the funding to start with someone new. Lache’s replacement will be the last, so they need to be perfect.” Maggie said.

“Dovolo is a unique case, as her file shows. No doubt your psychologists will run the standard evaluations.” Pritcher said.

“You lead me to believe that this child is a sociopath. Without Harper, she may be more of a complication than she is worth.” Maggie said, staring at the man behind the desk.

Pritcher leaned back in his chair and opened the desks center drawer. He removed a two inch plastic cube and slid it across the desktop. “Perhaps this will tip the scales into Dovolo’s favor. We confiscated this from her three weeks ago.  The students were using it to postpone their math midterm. This little box fried the math departments entire network, as well as every light bulb in the room.”

“An electro magnetic pulse.” Maggie’s eyes grew wide as she snatched up the cube, which was quite out of character. This told Pritcher that the little box was more important than he originally thought. Maggie turned the cube in her hand and asked, “Is the device reusable?”

“Not this one.  But I think Torrance is working on a way to shield the mechanism from its own electrical charge, she has also informed me that she is working on a small frequency jammer that takes out electronics without actually harming them. It is all very technical and I must admit that I do not understand it myself. I thought you would like to take a look at this before I sent it to the Pentagon for research.”

The child created a mechanism that the government had been working on for years. The amount of scientific understanding that was required for something such as this was amazing. This child understood higher physics, could manipulate people and situations, and use a gun? This may indeed be the prodigy that they had been searching for. Maggie had trouble hiding the excitement that ran through her body, but maintained her composer, “Alright, I will look into Dovolo. I want surveillance records, medical records, hell her term papers will be sent to our handwriting analysts. I want everything.  If she meets our requirements she will be sent to Banfoul Academy’s Fall Term.”

“Well,” Pritcher said, leaning forward a bit, “I would like to oversee her development here.”

Maggie shrugged that off, because that was an impossibility and unacceptable request. “Not an option, the infrastructure is already in place at Banfoul. A support team is already being developed, and the faculty is more than equipped to deal with someone such as Torrance Dovolo.”

“They could not control Adam Lache.” Pritcher pointed out.

“Those directly responsible for the gap in Lache’s character have been removed. James Hart has been promoted to Headmaster and we have enlisted Alastor Morris’ agency.” Maggie said, heading off the confrontation.

“I will oversee her development, or you will not get Dovolo. That is the deal Maggie.”

Maggie stood up and smiled, “Let us analyze her, and if she is what we need, then we can negotiate further. Now, if you will excuse me, I have three more meetings before my plane this afternoon.”

Pritcher did not leave his seat as she walked from his office, Dovolo’s file and her EMP still in her hand. She pushed the cube into her long jacket pocket and removed her cell phone, dialing a number as she walked through the empty great hall. It rang twice before Colonel Wilms answered.

“Pritcher’s heart seems to be giving him issue, see to it that he is taken care of. And run the standard tests on Torrance Dovolo.” Maggie said.

Wilms understood what she was implying immediately “Of course, Madam.” he smiled.

“And Wilms?” Maggie prompted as her driver opened her limousine door.

“Yes?” He asked.

“If you ruin this, I will have you, your wife, and your sons as hood ornaments.” She said, hanging up the phone pointedly.







May 27, 1998

Maggie Rodgers walked through the underground bomb shelter of Fort Campbell, Kentucky. She had been in Munich when she received the news that Dovolo’s testing had gone severely out of hand. Wilms couldn’t be more of an idiot. Yes he had killed Pritcher, and done a beautiful job in making it look like a heart attack. But he was supposed to test the girl, not put her in a place of power where she would cause a national security incident! This was supposed to be a discrete operation.

On the plus side, Dovolo had defiantly proven herself to be the leader that they were waiting for.  A fifteen year old girl had taken control of a two hundred acre military academy and staged a coup against the faculty, and then the federal government. Forty-One teenagers held the world at bay for over a week, but once Dovolo had been captured, her soldiers crumbled within thirty minutes.

Her heels clicked quickly on the bomb shelter’s concrete floor as she made her way to the second to last room. She did not bother double checking the number, the sounds of torture and interrogation were only muffled by the steel door. Stupid soldiers, if they irreversibly harmed Dovolo…

“At attention!”  Maggie yelled as she walked into the room, noting the smell of burning hair, with an almost meaty undertone. Three soldiers and a Captain stood around Torrance Dovolo. She was strapped to a metal chair, very bloody, but more importantly alive. The chair has several wires leading into a black box at the edge of the room. Rodgens mind immediately recognized the burning smell of flesh . Good god they were electrocuting her. 

As she entered the room, the soldiers stopped their assault and snapped to attention, giving their salute. The Captain was a little slower, as he did not recognize Rodgens, but she had an air of authority about here none the less.

“This girl has received a full pardon from the President himself.” Maggie said as she shoved the document into the Captain’s face.  “I should shoot you myself for this,” she snapped, but then turned to Torrance, “but I will let her decide your fates, once she’s ready. Now get the hell out of my sight.”

She snatched the pardon from the Captain and waited for them to leave. The closed the door behind them and Maggie gently walked forward, loosening the restrains that held the teen into the chair. “Do you need a doctor?”

Torrance, who was somehow conscious, removed her hands from the restraints, leaving a significant amount of skin on the arms. It was like the chair had seared itself to her.  “Couldn’t hurt.” She said, though the pain made her voice shaky. She tried to bend down to remove the leg restraints, but something on her body audibly cracked and she bit back a scream. Blood soaked through the back of her dirty shirt, dying it almost purple. Shit.

Rodgens gently lifted the girls shirt tail to discover the whipping wounds that covered her back. They looked to be about a week old. God, this girl had gone through this much torture and was still alive and coherent? Maggie had never seen someone go through so much without dieing. Quite impressive.

Rodgens stood back and read the pardon, “Torrance Dovolo, You have been pardoned of  all crimes by the President of the United States as of May twenty seventh, nineteen ninety-eight.”

“What a relief.” Dovolo sighed sarcastically while she did an injury inventory. At least they didn’t fuck up her hair.

“My name is Margaret Rodgens, I represent an organization known as the Deck. Your performance at McMannis was quite impressive. My organization works discretely under the President to create great military and political leaders. We would like to offer you a position within our organization.” Maggie explained.

Torrance either didn’t grip the situation, or she simply didn’t care, “Woopty-do. Am I going to jail or not?”

“No, your Presidential Pardon covers ever criminal act you have ever committed. In addition we would like to buy the design to the Electro Magnetic Pulse, if you can recreate your prototype of course.” Maggie said, standing before the bloody girl. If it were any other child, she would have wrapped her in her coat and called an Ambulance. But this was Torrance Dovolo, the next George Washington. She could not be coddled.

Dovolo laughed easily, as if she were with friends and not being tortured, “So you heard about the Overloader. How much are you offering.”

Maggie smiled slightly, not able to hide her amazement entirely, “Thirty million for the disposable device, and another  thirty-eight for a reusable device.”

Torrance shrugged, or at least tried to, her shoulders and back muscles never moved, so she overcompensated by using her arms instead, “Ok, I can make both.”

“Good.” Maggie nodded, “Torrance, we believe that you have the potential to be the next great American leader.  If you accept our offer, you will be enrolled into the Banfoul Boarding Academy to begin your training. Once you have completed the regiment laid out for you, you will be transferred to the advanced training facility, where you and your team will be prepared for the tasks ahead of you.  The world is changing, within the next fifteen years, we are predicting an extreme international shift in power. It would be in our country’s best interest to remain a world power.”

“And in fifteen some odd years, you want me to make sure that happens?” Dovolo raised an eyebrow, seeing where this was heading.

“ You’re very intelligent.” Maggie said.

“Yeah, I know.” Torrance said, and then paused,“Say I accept, what about my forty?” She meant her forty soldiers. She didn’t know what happened to them, specifically Logan and Rae.  She needed to make sure that they were safe, and would remain that way.

“They also received pardons. They will be freed to their parents within the hour.”

“No, we were there because our parents didn’t want us.” Torrance remembered how the feds had used their parents against them, trying to use misplaced love to end the incident. It had evidently worked, in Tori’s absence, one child faltered at his mother’s demands, and then it was over.  “They will be sent to another boarding school and you will have dozens more McMannis Massacres. I wasn’t them in this Banfoul place with me.”

Maggie scoffed, “We are not giving full scholarships to 40 students for the most prestigious school in the country.”

Torrance knew the art of negotiation. She had seen how important she was to Mrs. Rodgens. She knew that she had the power. “Then you better let those boys back in here and continue their work, because I won’t accept your offer.”

Maggie studied the girl for a moment, then decided that she was not bluffing, that she would risk torture and death for her comrades. Stupid, but extremely loyal. Interesting. “We will give them a chance to pass the enrollment tests, but they will have to pass the tests on their own, and they will be responsible for the twenty thousand dollar semesters.”

Dovolo thought for a moment then said, “That works, but eight hundred grand a semester is quite a bit, you’re gonna have to make that sixty eight million available to me now.”

Maggie nodded and Torrance laughed, “I think you’ve got yourself a deal Maggie. You know you didn’t have to torture me, you could have just asked.”

________________________________________________________________

January 15th, 2001

Rae sat in Homeroom, waiting for the morning announcements to finish up. She stood for the Pledge of Allegiance, however that is all she would do. She wouldn't play along with the propaganda, but she wouldn't openly reject it either. She knew too much, even at her young age. She knew what the government was capable of, and what it was doing.

She looked around the crowded classroom, wondering where Torrance could be.
There weren’t any paintball practices this morning, and she didn't say anything last night. Besides, she loved Mr. Harvey's classes. Maybe she was doing something for the Over Riders, or even the Deck. More than likely she overslept.

She glanced up at the security camera hung in the corner of the classroom. Most people assumed that they were for safety, and that may have been the original intention. But again, Rae knew better. They were watching, monitoring students.

As there was nothing really important on the announcements, they were done relatively quickly, and then Mr. Harvey started taking role. Shit, she was going to be late again.

"Dan Abernathy?"

"Here."

"Jenny Alamosa?"

"Here."

"Richard Donovan?"

Donovan just raised his hand and Mr. Harvey acknowledged it.

"Torrance Dovolo?" Harvey said, but when Torrance didn't answer he looked up, "Dovolo? Going once? Going twice?"

Rae heard the roll of Torrance's skateboard before she rolled into class. "I'm here," she smiled, stepping off of her board and kicking it into her hand.

If it had been any other girl, riding a skate board in the red plaid skirt of the school uniform would have been awkward at best. But Tori pulled it off flawlessly.  She was a little taller than average, 5'8'', but built like a brick house. There was very little fat on her body, instead toned tight muscles, not grotesque like a body builder, but impressive.  Rae was sure that if they had grown up in ancient Greece, Torrance would have been queen of the Amazons.

Despite her Italian name, her features screamed Arian. Her eyes were more grey than blue, and her skin was pale, but healthy. Not even she knew what her real hair color was. At this point it was a tasteful combination of red, blond, and brunette. She had it cut just above her shoulders, and was pondering going shorter.

Somewhere in her bloodline there had been Viking Kings, or possibly English Lords. It was impossible for Torrance to come from anything other than royalty. It was they way she carried herself. She didn’t think that she was better than most, she knew it.

"Made it just in time," Mr. Harvey said, flashing a smile.

Torrance smiled back before walking down the row of desks towards her seat. She took off her book bag, which she held on one shoulder, and placed it with her board on the side of the desk. The camera followed her until she settled into her chair. Rae fixed her with a mockingly annoyed look. It was well known that Harvey had favorites, and Torrance was one of them. Sometimes that made her a target from other students, but hell, what was one more thing?

Torrance Dovolo was the schools resident Bad Ass. It was a title that came with the territory. She and 11 other students had transferred from one of the most prestigious military academies in the country. Of course it lost its prestige when the truth got out about what was happening within the campus. Most knew the story about the Mcmannis Massacre, and the rumors of Tori's genius and brutality had only fueled the fire. Everyone knew that to anger Dovolo, or one of her lackies, was to play with the devil herself.

As Torrance got comfortable in her seat, she heard Lynsey Chastine speak in her general direction.

"She is 15 minutes late and he just waves her in?" she said loudly to one of her friends. There were a few snickers and it seemed to egg her on, "I bet she’s blowing him."

Torrance smiled and leaned back in her chair, "Hey Lynsey, what are you doing tomorrow morning, around 3 am?"

Lynsey sneered and then spat back, "What is that supposed to mean?"

Torrance took out her Palm Treo and went into the calendar, penciling Lynsey's name in, "I was just wondering." She turned and flashed a dangerous smile at the girl.

Lynsey was struck with a sudden moment of intelligence and shut her mouth, not wanting to really get into it with Dovolo.

Rae watched the encounter and laughed, knowing that they were going to have fun tonight. She leaned over, lowering her voice so that the cameras couldn’t hear, and asked, "Where were you?"

"I had some business to take care of before class, and I got a little caught up." She dismissed it easily. Torrance had several side businesses in the school. They usually weren’t legal, such as the massive drug cartell, but they afforded her a great deal of respect. "Hey, how many sick days do you have left?" Torrance asked.

Rae did the math in her head, "Like 6 or 7 give or take. Why?" 

"There's a huge storm brewing in the North West, and they think that it is going to hit Colorado hard."  Dovolo said as she checked the weather again.

"Snowboarding?" Rae gasped, getting excited.

Torrance nodded, pulling up the Internet on her Palm Treo, "I am going to start booking plane tickets now."

"I am so in!" Rae squealed, making most of the room turn to her. She turned a little red and slumped in her chair, only to have Torrance burst out laughing.

"I'm sorry," she said between belly laughs.

Thankfully the bell rang and everyone started filing out to get to their real classes. Torrance and Rae grabbed their things and began filtering out with the rest of the class, walking briskly towards their lockers. The cameras followed their progress, one picking up where the other left off. Rae had never seen them so blatantly follow them before.

“Why are the cameras following us?” Rae asked, not looking directly into them.

Torrance smiled, and continued walking as well, “It’s probably Joel, he and I had a little spat this morning.”

“What’s up?” Rae asked as they made their way through the crowded halls. They didn’t have to push or shove. People moved out of the way for Torrance.

“I will explain later.” She said, looking directly at a camera. She made a signal with two fingers pointing towards her eyes, and then the camera. It looked a little cheesy, but Rae knew what it meant. The person behind the cameras must have as well, because the machines stopped following them.

They had 10 minutes between periods. That wasn’t much time to get from Harvey's room, to their lockers, which were on the next floor, and then over to Mrs. Vandimeres math class, two buildings over.

"Remind me why we don't just carry that book with us?" Torrance whined as they walked into the locker bay.

"Because it’s heavy, and if we kept it in our rooms, we'd forget it." Rae laughed as she stopped at her locker.

Torrance's locker was in the same bay, but a few rows away. So she had to yell as she began fighting with the lock. “I think I am going to go on the net during 4th and just order another math book. One for class and then one for homework. There’s an empty cabinet in the back where we can hide it."

"Get me one too?" Rae yelled, pulling the 15 lb math book from her locker. Why on earth the old lady used an outdated book that weighed more than a small child was beyond Rae.

"Sure, I'll buy a box. Maybe sell the ones that we don't use." That was Torrance, always looking for a way to make money.

Rae closed her locker and made it over to Torrance as she was closing hers. Crap, they only had a few minutes to get to class, and unlike Harvey, Vandimere was not fond of either girl.

A smaller boy waved as they walked past and he ran to catch up. "Hey ladies."

Both girls rolled their eyes and laughed, "Hey Robbie," they said.

"What are we doing in PE today, Tori?" Robbie asked. He was a few years younger then the girls but he had enough gusto to fit in with the group. He was a major charmer, but his body just hadn't grown with his charisma. Rae knew that when he filled out, he wouldn't be able to keep the girls away.

Torrance was one of the Teachers Assistants for the PE department, but Mr. Jordan always had his TAs teach his classes. So, once a day, Torrance taught a freshman PE class. Robbie was one of the only kids in there that she could stand, because he had figured out her game. She was ruthless to the group, but kind and helpful when working with individuals. Robbie wasn't terrified of her like the other munchkins, and he was great at paintball. Torrance had been pushing him to try out for her Varsity Paintball team next semester.

She thought for a second and then said, "Well I don't really know yet, any requests?"

Robbie smiled, damn little Don Juan, “Football?"

"In the snow?" Torrance asked.

The boy nodded and looked hopeful.

"Alright, if you lead the warm up for me, you guys can play flag football." Torrance said. She would let them go outside anyway, but if she could get someone to start the class, it would give her more time. She already had the plane tickets booked, but she still needed a place for them to stay and a car rental.

Robbie said his goodbyes, and then headed off in the other direction as the girls hit the doors leading outside. The cold New Hampshire air hit them both, instantly chilling them to the bone. While they both had sweaters over their regular uniforms, the plaid skirts just weren't practical.

"That's it," Torrance said, “I am not wearing this damn uniform anymore! These skirts are not designed for warmth." It was snowing again, and beginning to stick to the concrete. The school maintenance had salted down the sidewalks, but it was still slippery, so they could only move at a speed that wouldn't put them in danger of falling.

"I'm with you on that. Fraaaaaaaack." Rae chattered as the made their way quickly down the walking path.

That got a chuckled out of Tori, "Watching Battlestar Galactica again?"

"Just got season 4 on DVD." Rae beamed.

"Nerd." Torrance laughed, and then said in a lower voice, "Can I come over and watch it?"

Banfoul Academy was modeled after the royal English estates, as were Banfoul’s sister schools in France and England and Austrailia. The school sat on five hundred acres and included several dormitories, school buildings, garages and cafeterias. A full service medical facility was also onsite, and the Dovolo gang took full advantage of it on an almost weekly basis.

The sports fields covered the south side of the grounds. Twelve full service tennis courts, three soccer fields, a college grade football field, two rugby fields, and of course the paintball boundaries were all in use during the daylight hours. During tournaments, hundreds of stands were erected around each field for students, teachers, and parents.

The lake, which was now frozen over, and river on the west side of the property were large enough for team rowing, as well as weekend swims. There were several Olympic sized pools, racket courts and exercise rooms located in the basement under the school. The exercise rooms were large enough for instructors and students to lead specialty workout groups at night.

As the two walked past the gap between the younger boys dorms and the math/science building, they noticed the small group of boys, mostly seniors, huddled around something. Both girls slowed, despite the cold, to see what was up.

Richard Donovan, the captain of the football team, and uber steroid user, had someone pressed against the wall. In fact, as Torrance noticed, all of the boys with him were also on the roids. Torrance knew because she supplied them. Richard pushed the kid, some nameless emo punk, against the side of the building and swore." You said they were real."

The kid whimpered, "I thought they were! I swear!"

Torrance could see the tear stains running down his face and decided it might be good to investigate. She motioned to Rae and they walked between the buildings, towards the little gathering. "Donovan, haven't seen you in a while. Rorey, Aden, Jeff, Sadler," she said, acknowledging every one of Donovan’s pack before turning back to him," I was beginning to think that you had found someone else." She pursed her lips in a mock pout.

Relief washed over Donovan's face when he saw her. He dropped his wannabe pusher and said, "Thank God Tori, do you have any on you? We could really use a fix."

Torrance smiled and said, "Of course I do, but it looks like you have another hook up." she motioned to the punk, sniveling in the middle of the boys.

Donovan could see where this was going, "Oh c'mon baby, it was a one time thing. He just had some that he needed to get off of his hands. That's all. You know you're my girl."

Torrance seemed to deeply consider this, but Rae knew the act all too well. "I'm sorry, but I always saved the best for you, and then you went and did this. I only deal with the people that I trust." Rae knew that Tori would raise the price on him, maybe even double it, and he would pay. She had seen it happen way too many times.

Torrance turned as if to leave, again this was part of the manipulation. What neither girl was expecting, however, was that Donovan would go into a roid rage.

Donovan yelled and lunged at her. Torrance heard the battle cry and was able to get out of his way before he hit her. The boy was a quarterback, but he was also one of the best football players in the country. Banfoul had a tendency to buy their players, as they had with most of the better players in the school sports, including Torrance. He was a powerhouse, and Torrance knew that if he could catch her, it would be a hell of a fight.

The world slowed around her. She could hear her heart beat, feel the breath filling her lungs, the snowflakes on her bare legs. Fights were always like this to her. It was like fate was giving her more time to react.  Many people said that they blacked out during a fight. Tori didn’t believe it;  in a way, she was in control of every one of her actions. All emotion washed away, and she was left with her cognative thoughts commanding her body into action. It was like a master unleashing an attack dog. The Beast dealt the damage, but the Master's voice controlled the leash. She chose the path and let her body take care of the rest, without fear of threat, pain, or consequence.

As Donovan turned around to face her, she was able to do a quick assessment. His anger made him clumsy, and she had to win this one, there would be no draw here. But she couldn’t kill him, or hurt him that badly. Her goal was to neutralize him.

So she had to keep him angry. "So the boy gave you some sugar pill and you bought it. Damn Ricky, how gullible are you?'

"Shut up Cunt!" he yelled and came at her again. This time she had a plan. Move, she thought. As he got to her, she stepped out of the way again, Grab him. As he stumbled by her, she seized his arm and pivoted, twisting his hand behind his back, causing him to turn. Because he had too much momentum, and Torrance had his arm, the only thing that stopped him was his forehead, which connected with the side of the building quite nicely.

Donovan crumbled, cradling his head as he rocked on the ground. End it, the Master said. But before the dog could obey, one of Donovan’s buddies came to the rescue, and in turn, so did Rae.

The two girls were outnumbered, two to four, but these were jocks. They knew how to fight on the football field, but not in a no holds barred match up. Sure they were all over 200 lbs of muscle, but they were bullies, not brawlers. Torrance and Rae fought to kill, and they wouldn't hesitate to use weapons, so they were at the advantage.

Sadler was the one to barrel into Torrance, getting her away from Donovan. She was too busy with Donovan to realize anyone else had entered the fight. He hit her hard, knocking her against the wall. She suspected that they were cronies, and they would loose their bravado when she took out Donovan.

Being caught off guard made her angry. Emotions made her Beast stronger and her Master's control weaker. It wasn't anger at the boys, but herself. She knew that she could not take it out on these boys, so she struggled to keep control. Her cognitive thoughts were telling her to simply neutralize the threat, but her body and emotions wanted to obliterate him. The Beast went rabid and blood lusty, and all the Master could do was scream from the sidelines. The symbiotic relationship failed if one party no longer responded to another. The situation had just become fatally dangerous for everyone in the alley, but only Torrance was aware.

Other than Rachel, the only thing that could shut down the Curse was a strong emotion of self loathing or doubt. The Master grabbed on to the feeling of self loathing, pulled it in, and forced her body to reassociate with the world. The beast quieted, and slipped back into Tori's subconscious. The Master followed, relinquishing control as it melded with the Beast to create Tori's normal state. She was back to herself, in total control, but she lost all the abilities that the Dovolo Curse provided. The world around her dulled, her pulse heightened and her breath became ragged. She knew the dangers before, but now she was painfully aware of them, and her limitations. By not wanting to kill these boys, she momentarily gave them the advantage.

Luckily, they weren’t smart enough to take it. Sadler brought his arm back for the punch. Typical bully, always gesturing like on television, stupid. Torrance had enough time to see it coming and react. He left his entire front open, so she went for the gonads. A hard kick to the nuts with a steal toed boot fazed him, causing him to bend over on instinct. That was when Torrance brought the heel of her hand down hard on the bridge of his nose. She heard the satisfying wet crack and watched the blood spray down his face even as he hit the ground. A hard kick to the ribs insured that he stayed down.

Rae was having her own time keeping the other three off of her friend. This was much easier said than done, as these boys outweighed her by at least 80 lbs each. The night stick, which usually sat compacted in the cell phone compartment on her backpack strap, was now out and ready. It was her weapon of choice, and Rae dealt major damage with it. Rorey rushed her, and Rae pushed her free hand in front of her, as if to push him out of the way. He took the bait and grabbed it, leaving his side open. She whacked him smartly in the ribs and felt something in his chest give. As he faltered, she spun, hitting him on his other side, this time on the temple. He didn't go down, so Rae stepped past him and hit him hard behind the knees, forcing him down to the ground.

Torrance was with her friend now, her Glock 33 pocket rocket ready in her hand. The clip of .357 bullets gave the handgun had a hell of a kick, even though it was top heavy, but the power was worth it. After seeing the gun, Aden and Jeff got smart, backing off.

Torrance was the one to speak, her calm and authoritative, while she fought to keep her beast down. "They will be fine, just have a bit of a headache when they wake up. But next time I suggest you stick with a dealer that knows what they are doing. Otherwise you are going to find yourself without the juice and without anyone to help you."

The guards came then.  Torrance hid her gun while Rae discretely put away her baton. Well shit, so much for not being late to class.

____________________________

"The Captains of the Varsity Football and Paintball Teams fighting? This is the most honorable school in the country, and you are supposed to be student body leaders. You are to be setting the example for other students, not duking it out in an alley like a couple of Hoodlums!" Dean Hart barked as he paced behind his desk, glancing at the teens before him.

Torrance and Donovan sat in the large easy chairs, doing their best to look ashamed. Donovan's large frame was hunched over, an ice back held to his forehead, trying to minimize the giant bump forming there. Torrance herself was unharmed, but was now wrapped in Donovan’s Letterman's jacket. Her hair, which was usually smooth and well maintained, was now wild and curly from the wet snow. Both sat silently and waited for the Dean to blow off some steam and decide their fate.

Dean Hart sat heavily in his chair and said, "Well, are you two going to give me some kind of explanation?"

Donovan looked to Torrance, who sighed and looked at her hands. They hadn't had time to come up with a cover story, so she prayed he would just follow her lead. "I cheated on him, with Jimmy Hathaway from St. Andrews." she said, looking up from her lap.

Jimmy Hathaway was the quarterback to their rival school in France. It was well known that Donovan and Hathaway did not see eye to eye, so it made the story credible. As long as they didn't ask Jimmy himself, Tori's story would hold up.

Thank God Donovan was intelligent enough, and conscious enough, to go along with it, "Baby how could you do that to me? I know that we wanted to keep us on the down low, but why baby?"

Torrance's face looked genuinely sorry, "I'm sorry baby, but you were out with Pam Macy, and I got jealous and-" tears were actually starting to form in her eyes.

This was just a little too much for Hart, "Ok you two, you can fix your personal life on your own time. As for right now, I am suspending you both from your next two games."

"But-" Donovan started to yell, but Hart cut him off.

"Do not make me suspend you for the season Mr. Donovan." Hart shot, watching the boy swallow his anger and settle back in his seat, "Now if I catch either of you fighting again, you will be suspended. You are both here on scholarship, so keep that in mind when you make choices in the future." The headmaster straightened in his seat and then sighed, "Mrs. Davinport will give you a pass to class Richard. Torrance stay here. I want to speak to you."

Donovan stood and gave an empathetic look to Torrance, who shrugged her shoulders as if she didn't know what was going on either. As Donovan left, Torrance leaned back in her chair and closed the door. Her demeanor immediately changed as she turned back to Hart. The girl was no longer playing a scared teenager, now she was confident, relaxed, and cocky.

She put all 4 chair legs back on the ground and crossed her own. Leaning forward a bit with a smile, she said, "What can I do you for Mr. Hart?"

Hart raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. He had seen her do it a few too many times; change her personality in a flash. But because she never seemed to camouflage her emotions when they spoke individually, he had learned to simply dismiss it.

”I am glad that you were able to maintain control of yourself this time.” He said darkly. He pulled a remote from a drawer in his desk and hit a button. A large flat panel television came down behind him. As it clicked on, the security footage of the alley began to animate.

“I always do, Headmaster.” Torrance said as she watched. She noted her mistakes, smiled at her triumphs and congratulated herself on not killing the poor boys.

“I beg to differ. Palo Moriarti.” The Headmaster said, giving her a sideways glance as he watched as well.

“He placed his hands where they shouldn’t have been and broke his fingers, I remember.”  Palo had been the star of the band department. For some reason that Torrance couldn’t grasp, in Banfoul, piano skills equaled sex appeal. Torrance was one of few that weren’t drawn into his allure. 

“He had been accepted into Julliard on a piano scholarship.” Dead Hart interjected, as if at the boy’s defense. They had not been enemies; in fact Torrance was rather unconcerned with Palo. Until his last day at Banfoul, when he slapped her ass at her locker. What had possessed him to do it, she was unsure, but he paid for it. She snapped every finger on both hands. It was a quick motion, maybe 5 seconds. But those five seconds would cost him his livelihood. Torrance had no remorse for her actions, it was what any self respecting Dovolo would have done. She had a gift for taking things that were most valuable from the people that she hurt.

“I know. But is that not what I’m being trained for? Isn’t that what you wanted? A military leader that would show no mercy on the field. Or am I interpreting the Club Kings words incorrectly?”  She said, looking to the dean. He was the King of Hearts, a member of the Deck. The Deck had 12 members, most of which were still a mystery to Torrance.

“Do not forget that great military leaders are also great politicians. A few lessons in diplomacy would do you good. Your training will be increased for these last few months. You have enough credits to graduate, yet you refuse to take your diploma, why?” Hart prodded.

“Because I have nine friends who are not able to get their papers yet, and I will stay with them as long as necessary.” She said matter of factly. Her friends had stuck by her in the military academy, and she would not abandon them now. She knew what would happen when she left. There would be a struggle for power, as there was when Alexander the Great died.  She would not leave her friends to suffer.

“I believe that you are afraid of moving forward. That you have made a home here and you are comfortable. That comfort makes you sloppy and cocky Dovolo.” He paused the tape to where Sadler barreled into her from behind.

She was still battling with her anger on that subject, “Maybe I have become comfortable. But if you ship me off too soon, without time to cultivate my team, you might as well have broken me.”

“You have 6 months. If you cannot make steadfast bonds with your support by graduation, than it will not be us that failed, but you.” The Dean said, ending the security footage, but not before Torrance noticed her figure levitating off of the ground and into a corner. Good, the OR was already working on it.

She didn’t like ultimatums, but knew that there were ways around it. “I understand. I want a Royal Meeting two weeks from now.”  A Royal Meeting was a Deck hearing. They happened every three months, because many people in the Deck did not reside in New Hampshire. A Royal Meeting required each member to appear in person.

He knew that he could not deny her request, and it was a good idea anyway. “I will arrange it. You will bring your lieutenant also.” That meant Rae.

“Thank you, Sir.” She smiled and nodded. She glanced towards the door, hoping that she could leave sooner rather than later.

He reached in his drawer and pulled out a manila folder, “We are not done yet Ms. Dovolo. We have a situation. I can’t stress the importance of this. It is a direct threat to the project, the school, and you personally. We need this problem eliminated.”

Torrance took the folder and placed it in her bag, not bothering to open it. She knew the drill. She would wait for the end of the day, when she could get some time to herself, away from students and cameras. Only then would she open the folder. 

Torrance smiled as she deposited the folder, "I will do my best sir."

"You always do Dovolo. Now have Mrs. Davinport give you a pass." Hart said, not looking up from his desk.

Torrance stood and gathered her things before walking out the door. While Harts office was quiet, almost regal, the main office was quite the opposite. Disgruntled teachers grumbled about this and that as they made their way to the smoke filled teachers lounge. Office Assistants and Secretaries ran around, answering phones, transferring calls, delivering other bureaucratic documents to various classrooms.

The buildings of Banfoul reminded Torrance of the Queen’s country estate in the UK.
Miles of tiger wood floors blanketed almost every square inch of the ground inside the schools facilities. There were no carpets, save the Persian rugs in each hallway, classroom  and students quarters. Priceless oil paintings graced the hallways, and everything was real, from the wood molding to the silver door handles.

Torrance shrugged her pack over one shoulder and carried her skateboard thought the back hall as she pushed past various members of the faculty. She made her way up to the front office, to find the Senior Secretary, Mrs. Davinport. While others ran around her frantically, Davinport seemed unphased. The jolly little woman sat at her desk, painting her fingernails a peach color that was reserved for old ladies and upholstery. Torrance wondered how she hadn't been fired, but hey, when you are with a school for 35 years, you could pretty much do what you want.

"Good morning, Mrs. Davinport."

"Well hello dear, what can I do for you?" she asked, not looking up for her nails.

"I need a pass back to class. I was with Dean Hart." Torrance explained, not bothering to get offended.

Davinport handed her the post it pad, silently motioning Torrance to write it out herself. She had done this so many times that the blanks were familiar to her, she even signed Dean Harts name for him. As she tore off the pass, she discretely took 3 more with it, for future use. If Davinport noticed, she didn't say anything, just waved the girl on through.

Torrance checked the clock as she left the office, trying to decide if she had enough time for a change and a shower before fifth period started. Fourth period was her study period, but it was already halfway over.

She sighed, knowing that her hair would have to stay like this all day, but she could at least change into some better clothes. Screw skirts, it was much too cold for skirts. They could call her a dyke all that they wanted, but she was going to wear pants, it was warmer.

She made her way out of the office and towards the Co-ed dorms. As she made it out of the main building, she noticed Donovan lingering on the sidewalks. Was he waiting for her?

He smiled as she came closer and said, "Good story back there."

She grinned and slowed her pace, but didn't stop, "I'm just glad that you went along with it. Aren't you supposed to be getting to class?"

"Pssh. What and miss Cramer’s Anatomy class? Big loss." He said sarcastically as he kept her pace, "So uh...speaking of cover story, are you going with anyone to the Masquerade?"

Was he serious? They had just gotten hauled off to the Dean after trying to bash each others brains out, and now he wanted to go on a date. Torrance laughed, but then noted the hurt look on his face and explained, "Sorry, it’s just, an hour ago I was running your head through a wall and now you are asking me on a date. You’re fuckin' crazy Donny… but I like it."

"So it’s a date?" Donovan asked as they made it up the steps to the dorm building. He opened the door and held it for her, ushering her in first.

"Thanks," she muttered as she stepped inside, "No, I'm already going with Logan. And I have a few too many significant others already."

Donovan shrugged, but took it in stride, "Well if you ever get rid of them, you know where to find me," he said as he pushed something into her hand.

She didn't need to look to know what it was; payment. She slipped it in her pocket as they made it up the stairs, "And what about Pam Macy?" she asked.

Both of their rooms were on the same floor, so it wasn't that out of place to see them walk up the stairs to the third floor together.

Donovan laughed, "Pam is nice, but a little too... ya know."

Slutty? Dim? Anorexic? "Yeah, I know, and I will keep it in mind." She said as they reached the top stair. Torrance's room was the third one down and was locked not only by a key reader, but also a deadbolt she had installed herself. While some kids thought their personal belongings were safe in their rooms, Torrance knew better. Hell, she was the one breaking in more often than not.

Most students shared a two person dorm room, complete with mahogany sleigh beds, dressers, armoires, and desks. The school had received a technical update in the mid nineties. Dorm rooms now came with flat panel televisions as well as state of the art desk top computers. They also came equipped with security cameras that monitored twenty-four hours a day.

That was why Torrance was thankful for Rae and the Over Riders. The Over Riders, or OR as they were known, were the anonymous computer gods of the school. They had access to security footage, school networks, teacher and psychiatry files, and anything else electronic in Banfoul. With one phone call, Torrance could erase any evil that she had committed.

She unlocked the deadbolt and swiped her card before entering. She had a room all to herself, thanks to her golden status with the OR and being Captain of the Paintball team. Donovan waited outside as she closed the door, threw her things on her bed, and opened her amour. It was like everyone else’s, except behind the false back was her small supply of control substances. She had small clientele which she handled personally, but the big money came from the OR. Their narcotic shipment would be coming in on Thursday.

She selected a small bottle of Andostenedione, a powerful steroid, from the top shelf and placed it in a small black box, along with half a dozen syringes. She tossed the box on the desk while she closed up her stash. It was a good thing that she was working for the Deck, otherwise the amour wouldn't hold up against the drug dogs.

Donovan was waiting patiently when she opened the door again. She handed him the box and said, "Now I gave you the same price that you were getting, but if you go behind my back again Richard, I will cut you off and take you down."

He knew that Dovolo was serious, "Yeah ok, I'm sorry. Thanks baby."

Torrance smiled as she watched him go. He was hansom, and funny, and the head of the football team. He was any high school girl’s dream. But he wasn’t right for her. She shook her head and sighed, pushing herself back into her room and closing the door. She couldn’t afford to have a normal teenage life. Besides, she already had a boyfriend, who was just as hansom and actually know about all her dealings, even if she didn’t love him. Logan was safe. But Logan couldn't keep her from playing with the idea of Donovan, if only for a few moments.

She glanced at her backpack, remembering the manila folder inside. Na, it could wait, if it were that high priority they would have called her to a meeting. Right now she had to try on her bindings and wax her snowboard.