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had gone under. He ran at the bench. It was backed to
another bench, where people leaned back, trying to stay away from
the man who had suddenly flown from underneath.
    The Sergeant thumbed a tiny pellet from his
belt. He didn’t want to use tek. He wanted to go combat primitive,
perhaps out of respect for LuvRay. But it was creating too much
attention. He leapt, low, to place one foot on the back of both
benches, then to leverage that into maximum height, or change of
direction, depending on whether he could see LuvRay in the crowd or
not. He did, and opted for the change in direction toward
LuvRay.
    He turned it into a dive, intending to land
on top of him with a strike to the temple. Severe disorientation if
successful, possibly unconsciousness. But it required total
commitment to the maneuver. He flipped the pellet, which struck
LuvRay on the left buttock and dispelled its charge. His sciatic
nerve flared into pain, visible by the jerking response. His left
leg should be without motive power.
    LuvRay twisted, turning to a fighting crouch
as the Sergeant landed. He overshot, having expected LuvRay to keep
going after the pellet hit him. He landed to LuvRay’s right, forced
into a last minute roll, but managed to put a knee strike on
LuvRay’s hand, forcing it into his face. The Sergeant rolled
through, putting a few feet between the two of them so that LuvRay
could not be on him from behind. He was up, in neutral martial arts
stance as LuvRay slammed into him. LuvRay bit off the end of his
right pinky, just as the Sergeant brought a left elbow strike into
an acupressure point behind his ear, knocking him unconscious.
    The Sergeant stood. “Est-ce que quellqu’un as une serviette?” People were mostly fleeing the scene, but a few
hardy souls stayed to watch. The French were so polite. Somebody
would surely give him a handkerchief to stop the blood.
aloneliness
    Karl disappeared, and Martha couldn’t find
him. It had been eight years since she left him in Grenoble. She
kept track of his life, watching from a distance, as he grew,
became a man, went to college in Lyons. Now he was gone without a
trace, leaving her desperate to know where. She didn’t cultivate
many sources, and dropped them after a few meetings. She kept
meetings years apart, as well. She had a few contacts she had only
used once. Valuable, and they had no idea who she was.
    She burned them all up looking for Karl, and
found nothing.
    Never giving a name, in small, prefurnished
apartments with the blinds drawn, without acquaintances, she lived
on the fringe. She owned only enough to carry in a small suitcase
and relocated frequently. Sometimes she felt free and unattached,
but happiness was not a thing she thought of anymore. She hungered
for contact, but eschewed it to protect Karl.
    She sat on the bed and read the poem given
to her eight years ago, just before she left Karl in Grenoble. For
the thousandth time she read it.
    aloneliness
    one will come who has been stripped of
everything
    the darkly favored will find her way
home
    the deeply named who can gather love the
furthest
    who will harvest herself into horror for the
sake of another
    we want nothing in this world, but to be a
part
    but a part of us would claim her as our
own
    we will find you when your hour is
darkest
    bring you home before our dying hour
    when all that we see of what lives will
breathe in sharply in fear,
    not knowing you are there
    what part does the deeply named play as the
drama unfolds
    Our hidden, beautiful best, our jewel
without a flaw
    a diamond appears which needs no cut,
perfect already
    a special treasure found in fields of
hate
    we cannot hope but you find us alive
    we have been put to this, you and I
    to wander desolate through parched lands
    longing for each other
    for as you remain hidden from all
    so, i have chosen to not find you
    i honor your wish, deeply named and darkly
favored
    what do these, your names, mean to you
    have you hidden yourself so