Other links:
Sapphire Angel, Superheroine (Book 1)
Power Play (Book 2)
Deconstruction (Book 3)
Savage Dawn (this book - Book 4)
VIOLENCE WARNING: The two stories in the Savage Gang saga, and especially the second story, involve a gang practicing extreme violence toward everyone — women, the elderly, the protagonist, etc. I am placing this warning on all chapters, including those without such violence, so you can choose whether to continue.
CHAPTER 6
Beth flew over the man's shoulder before slamming onto the mat, landing with a grunt. She lay unmoving for a few moments, before smacking her hand against the mat in frustration.
"You can't rely on brute strength," the man said, standing over her. "Or you'll end up on the ground every time. I'm not sure why you keep doing that."
Beth sighed and gave a shake of her head. She knew why she kept doing it, and why she had faced an uphill battle in her martial arts training, which had been going on for the past few months. In her superheroine guise, she had yet to face an opponent who matched her strength or quickness, and she had developed habits and a fighting style to reflect those superior traits. As Beth, though, those habits only hindered her training, since she couldn't rely upon brute strength or raw speed. Ethan once compared it to a professional baseball player learning to hit a star pitcher's fastball, but then being transported into the body of a child with lesser abilities.
She looked up at Master Dawson, who gazed down at her with impassive eyes. He wore a white Do-Gi, and the black belt around his waist was the only item to suggest his prowess. He otherwise looked like an ordinary middle-aged white male, with fair skin and a receding hairline. But she had learned his appearance didn't reflect his abilities.
Master Dawson didn't know of her secret life as Sapphire Angel, but he still pushed her hard. At times she wished she could spar with him as Sapphire Angel, so she didn't spend so much time pushing herself up off the mat. The training was a lesson in humility for her, and with it came frustration.
"And you must control your emotions," Master Dawson continued, as if reading her mind. "If your frustration controls you, you will not control your body."
"I'm just not used to struggling when I do things," Beth said, before cringing. "I'm sorry. That came out wrong. In my competitive figure skating days, I —"
"Do not apologize for believing in yourself," Dawson said. "But don't let that belief cloud your vision, either."
A bell sounded from the clock high on the wall, signifying the end of Beth's lesson. She stood, rubbing her shoulder and glad for the respite.
"I'll try to remember that," she said.
Dawson nodded, saying, "Good. Try to practice what we covered. I'll see you on Saturday, in three days."
He held his palms together in front of him and gave a quick bow, and Beth mirrored his movements. Two minutes later she was in the locker room of the dojo, gathering her keys and chastising herself. Stanley had arranged for this training, out of fear that some day Sapphire Angel might face an opponent who equaled her strength and quickness. Beth believed his fear to be overblown, as Sapphire Angel was stronger than the mightiest Olympic weightlifter, and perhaps several times as strong. She was also faster than a world-champion sprinter. But she had promised to undertake the training, mostly to assuage Stanley's worries.
She would continue, but as she looked up at the television in the corner of the locker room, she wondered if she would have the time. She lived a full life as Beth, and her activities as Sapphire Angel left her almost no time for leisure. The television reported on the Savage Gang's latest violence in California. If the gang ever came to Pennsylvania, she'd be too busy to continue her training.
Olivia Lockheed's fist smashed through the piece of wood, earning a satisfied nod from her instructor. The man, whose black belt matched his black Do-Gi, tossed the broken pieces to the side.
"Your anger remains, Olivia," Master Tan said. "I thought your training would cause it to dissipate, but it persists."
Lockheed glared at him, saying nothing. She was almost his size, with a body sculpted through hours of Crossfit training and from grueling weight training exercises. She exuded a solid strength, with hard curves and hewn muscles that weren't so large as to take away from her femininity.
"I am not criticizing you," he continued. "Yes, such an innate anger is normally a bad trait for one who wishes to master this craft. But your anger seems to fuel you, rather than distract you. I have seen such a phenomenon before, with a few other students. If you can continue to let it focus you, it could serve you well."
Lockheed stared at Master Tan, knowing he was right. In fact, she wished she had started her training sooner, not only to close the gap with her more experienced colleagues, but also as an outlet for her ferocity and anger.
Because Olivia Lockheed was indeed angry. Angry at the path her life had taken, with a father who always favored her younger brother. Angry at having to retreat from a previous state government job after a scandal. Angry at having to rely upon her father, and his limitless political connections, to help her land her dream job as an FBI agent. Nevermind that she had catapulted past others in her class, getting into the field in almost record time. She would always wonder if her father was behind that advancement, too. And now she was angry at being subordinate to men less capable than she was, solely because they possessed more experience.
"Olivia?" the man said, bringing her back from her thoughts. "Maybe your anger distracts you after all?"
"Only when I let it," she hissed, moving toward the man for the next part of the lesson. She swept a leg toward his feet, and, when he moved to parry, pulled back her leg and lashed forward with a closed first. He moved to parry that blow, too, with subtle, smooth movements. She pulled back her blow, and he wasn't ready when her other fist flashed forward, striking his shoulder and spinning him to the ground.
He hit the ground, tumbled into a sideways roll, and jumped to his feet. He stood in a ready pose, waiting for her next attack. Finally a smile, or perhaps a leer, crossed her face. This was going to get fun.
Other links:
Sapphire Angel, Superheroine (Book 1)
Power Play (Book 2)
Deconstruction (Book 3)
Savage Dawn (this book - Book 4)
At first, I didn’t particularly understand why Beth needed this kind of fight training, especially since her combat skills as Sapphire Angel are also maintained whenever she’s Beth Harper. But this chapter made me realize that, as proficient as she is, she only seems that way because almost one’s matched her in hand-to-hand combat......I think. They’ve had to defeat her through other means. Mantis was a better hand-to-hand fighter than most, but he also had a lot of hidden tricks up his sleeve to try and trip her up. Valik used craftiness and technology. And Wheldon used a freaking ROCKET LAUNCHER. But as for the Savage Gang......it really seems like they mean business, and that firearms aren’t the only part of their arsenal. Something tells me this might tie into that fighting ring that the Gang has; the one that’s headed by Mike Mitchell. Maybe she will be able to best its contenders after all, if she trains hard enough.
I do find that fascinating, however. That Beth has effectively grown “lax” and “complacent”, adopting a fighting style reminiscent of her perceived “superiority”, so to speak.....because that’s literally all she knows. She’s never been beaten in straight, raw combat yet, and this makes her it difficult for her to improve. After all, why improve when you’re already trouncing everybody, right? There’s no NEED to do so.
But there might be a need here, with the Savage Gang about to be at our doorstep. I get that Beth feels that she doesn’t need the training, but it was so nice of her to take it on Conner’s advice. Guess she can see that he really does care about her safety.
Also......what? I thought it’d still be several novels before we saw Olivia Lockheed again! Ahhh.....it feels like just yesterday when we were at severe odds with her during our investigation into StarPrime; back when we first met Conner, indirectly killed Wheldon, and saved the President from a nuclear intrusion. Guess I need to go out to the pharmacy and buy some aspirin, ‘cause I’m gonna need it if she’s in this story!
The whole “mirror”-type imagery---with both of them training under some kind of instructor in martial arts---makes me think there’s going to be a lot more that’s built on their dynamic. (gasp) Maybe Olivia will get superpowers or something! Or maybe she’ll hear about the Savage Gang’s fighting ring, and join up with them in exchange for the opportunity to take down Sapphire Angel, the woman who sunk her government job!
It’s intriguing how, despite Olivia being clouded by anger and Beth having no such complications, Olivia actually seems to be the one performing better in combat, at least at the moment. The chapter ends with her and her instructor likely about to spar, so it’s clear that they’re both at least somewhat on the same page. Anger CAN provide power, but too much of it can also blind you.
This gave “gender-flipped Karate Kid” vibes. But Beth’s going to need to bring her A-game if she wants to best the Savage Gang; those guys are strong and mean business. So much so, in fact, that Savage injected something into his butt. Maybe he’ll just subdue Sapphire by sitting on her. Or maybe that substance was an extremely effective laxative, and he defeats her by taking the greatest dump ever on her. Guess we’ll see.
But considering this is a two-part combo with Book #5......that makes me worried for what happens at the end. It’s like Infinity War --> Endgame, but with stakes that are nowhere near as high.
Just when I thought the Savage Gang was our only worry, too......freaking Olivia, I swear......