The Kasparov Agenda (Omega Ops Legion Book 1) (15 page)

The evening came much too quickly for Bruce. Or maybe it couldn’t come fast enough, he couldn’t decide. He was feeling extremely excited and nervous all day long. Bruce and Peter had spent a quiet day at home with their foster family. Precious moments like these were few and far between, and they cherished them dearly. They would likely be the last for a long time because today was the day they would embark upon a new life. Peter was still uncertain about his fate, but both Bruce and Chester were confident that he would be accepted. A knock on the door signalled that the time to part ways had come. Chester opened the door with Bruce and Santos standing behind him.

“Well, I see bags packed; that’s a good sign,” Mr. Moore said. He and Mr. Shyu stepped inside the Walkers’ house.

“So, Bruce, have you come to a decision?” Mr. Shyu asked.

“Yes—I would be honored to join you. And I would also like you to accept Peter for training as well.”

Chester nudged Peter forward. “Gentlemen, you met Peter yesterday—it appears he has a keen interest in joining the Legion as well.” Peter stood nervously on the spot.

“Hello again, Peter,” said Mr. Shyu. “What has made you interested in joining the Legion?”

“I want to be in a position to help people, like Bruce is going to be.”

“And you would like to train alongside Bruce, I take it?”

“Yes, sir.”

Mr. Shyu studied Peter without saying anything. The hallway was silent. Peter stared back anxiously at Mr. Shyu. “Yes, you have much to offer the world as well, Peter.”

Mr. Moore smiled. “Are you up for the challenge of training two youngsters, Master Keion?”

Mr. Shyu cleared his throat. “I believe I can handle it.”

“Yeah!” Bruce yelled out in celebration, slapping Peter hard on the back. Santos exhaled a deep sigh of relief and broke into a grin.

Mr. Shyu smiled. “Bruce Kasparov and
Peter
Santos: Welcome to the Omega Ops Legion.”

It was a bittersweet day for Peter and Bruce. Their family had gathered at the stairs to say their goodbyes. Mr. and Mrs. Walker, Matthew, Dillon, and Charlie were going to miss them both very much. Bruce knew he would return one day, but it wouldn’t be for a while. When the time came, Bruce hoped that his foster brothers overseas would be safe at home to greet him.

***

July 1968

A week had passed since Bruce left New York City. This was the first time he had left the country or even boarded a plane, for that matter. The flight over was comfortable, and despite all the fuss he had heard about airline food, he found it to be quite enjoyable.

The group had taken the scenic route from New York, stopping a few days in India to take in the sights and meet some very interesting Legion members and associates. But now, they were in the vicinity of approaching their final destination: They had arrived in Tibet. The group trekked along one of the lesser travelled mountain passes running from India through Tibet. Bruce, Peter, Alastor Moore, and Grandmaster Keion Shyu each wore a large rucksack packed with the essentials for their journey. During their stopover in India, they had purchased additional warm clothing for very cheap. But at the moment, there was no need for extra layers. Despite the dry air, the weather was pleasant. Bruce looked down at the short grass he trod upon. “You know, for a place known as ‘the land of snows’, I don’t see much snow.”

“Well, it is the summertime after all, Bruce,” Keion replied from the front of the group, as he led the way up the mountain pass. “You’d be surprised how diverse the climate in Tibet is, depending on the location and season.” Peter, on the other hand, was absolutely taken by where he was. His first and only reaction was ‘wow’. He was not attuned to such splendor and majesty. Open land that stretched as far as his eye could see, laid against a backdrop of the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas. Peter never thought himself a nature nut, but after living in the concrete jungles of New York...
the contrast was staggering.
 

They had been walking for several hours now, and darkness was falling quickly. Both Peter and Bruce were aching and tired, but continued to press forward without complaint. The group had stopped earlier in their journey for a simple pre-packed supper and to put on their sweaters. They could tell they were reaching higher altitudes as the cold began to settle in.

“So, how close are we exactly?” Bruce asked casually, trying to mask his concern.

“Do you need a break, Bruce?” Alastor asked.

Bruce scoffed. “No, not me. I’m good.”

“Good. I estimate another five hours before we reach our destination.”

“What?!” Bruce and Peter shouted in unison.

Peter sat down in the dirt. “I give up.”

Keion stopped walking and let out a chuckle. “Don’t worry, we didn’t plan on arriving tonight.” Keion surveyed the area. “We shall set up camp here—it is getting dark, after all.”

“Thank God,” Bruce muttered. He sat down beside Santos. Alastor and Keion each unloaded the components they were carrying which formed a large four-person tent. In addition to this, each of the four was travelling with a sleeping bag. Alastor and Keion began to unroll the tent fabrics and place the frame poles.

“You don’t want to help?” Alastor asked the two boys. “We can’t rest just yet!” Bruce and Peter exchanged glances. “It’s fun!” The two boys sighed and hoisted themselves off the ground.

With the tent pitched and the sleeping bags set up inside, it was time to call it a night. Bruce tossed and turned in his hoodie. Even though he was tired from all the walking, he was unable to fall asleep. He supposed it was due to all the rapid changes in his life over the past week. Just like that, he had uprooted himself and left it all behind. He glanced at Peter, who was in the adjacent sleeping bag—he was knocked out cold. Alastor and Keion were asleep as well. He slowly crawled out of his sleeping bag and unzipped the tent door. Bruce stood outside and surveyed his surroundings. The night air was cool on his face, and it seemed to wash away his physical tiredness completely. Bruce looked up at the night sky: it was clear and crisp; the stars were shining brightly. He had never seen so many. Bruce instinctively sat down on the dirt to take it all in.
It really was beautiful
. Bruce decided he would head back to the tent in a few minutes. But right now, he simply wanted to enjoy the moment.

***

The next morning, Bruce woke up to find himself alone in the tent. He scrambled to his feet and unzipped the tent door. Keion, Alastor, and Peter were seated outside on the ground, waiting for him, apparently. “Good morning, Bruce,” Keion greeted.

Alastor chuckled and got to his feet. “Well, look who’s finally up. We were considering just collapsing the tent with you inside. Now that you’re up and about, we can take it down.” Alastor waved at Keion to sit back down. “The boys and I can handle this, Keion.”

“As you wish.” Keion once again assumed a lotus position on the ground and closed his eyes.

The boys followed Alastor to the tent. “What time did everyone wake up?” Bruce whispered to Peter.

“About an hour ago. I woke up when Mr. Shyu and Mr. Moore woke up.”

“Should have woken me up too...” Bruce muttered.

“I wanted to kick you awake, but they told me to leave you be,” Peter said, grinning.

It was still early in the morning. The sun shined brightly upon Alastor and the boys as they brought down the tent. Quickly and efficiently, everything was packed up, and all their belongings were once again strapped to their backs. Sensing everyone was ready, Keion opened his eyes and stood up. “Come, let us continue on our journey. We have a lot of ground to cover, and the terrain will be far more difficult than what we traversed yesterday.”

“Of course, nothing too treacherous,” Alastor added quickly, upon seeing Peter and Bruce’s expressions.

They had begun their ascent. Higher and higher into the mountains they travelled. The path was rocky and uneven; Bruce was definitely feeling the uphill burn. He glanced at Peter, who was walking beside him: his face was tinged with red, but he saw a fiery determination in his eyes. Peter wasn’t planning on stopping anytime soon and neither was he.

One by one, the hours passed. The longer they trekked, the more anticipation Bruce felt for reaching their final destination. He couldn’t help but wonder what this place had in store for his future. Keion suddenly raised his hand, signalling a halt. He looked back at the boys and smiled. “We have arrived.”

“Just over this ridge,” Alastor added.

Peter and Bruce exchanged glances. With their weary bodies re-energized by this revelation, they pumped their legs and raced to the top. The terrain was now level—they had reached a mountain plateau. The weather was cool, and the wind-chill was minimal. Just a hoodie was enough to keep Bruce warm. Some distance away, he saw a large temple. It was a large building with a pillared courtyard entrance. It appeared to be primarily constructed from white stone bricks. It was topped with a two-tiered roof: dark red, with elegant curves and upturned eaves that were synonymous with Chinese architecture. Bruce didn’t quite know how to describe it. The building itself was of a simple construction, yet it exuded a grand magnificence. Alastor placed one hand on each of the boys’ shoulders. “Any guesses as to how old?”

Peter scratched his head. “Six hundred years?”

“Close. Try doubling that. Estimated to have been built in the seventh century by some of the first Tibetan monks.” The group began to walk towards the building.

“So, it’s a Tibetan monastery?” Bruce asked.

Keion nodded. “Originally established as one, yes. Living quarters in the monastery; meditation, prayer, and spiritual enlightenment in the temple. But there is something very special about this particular temple monastery. Over the centuries, many pilgrimages have been made to this site by extraordinary people from all over the world—most notably, a group of Shaolin monks that chose to stay and reside within the monastery. With them, they brought the Chinese martial arts, which they diligently practiced and taught here.”

Bruce scratched his head. “But why here? Why did all these people choose to travel here? I mean, it’s not very accessible...”

“It’s hard to say. These great people were naturally drawn to the area.” Keion smiled. “Maybe it was something in the air...”

The group was now standing in the monastery courtyard. Keion appeared to be in deep thought. “These walls house no ‘one religion or culture’. I’d like to think of it as a place which nurtures the human spirit in the purest sense. This building is one of the pillars the Omega Ops Legion was founded on.” Bruce and Peter gazed up at the temple in awestruck reverie. The historical significance of where they were standing was not lost on the boys.

“Come, let us go inside,” Keion instructed. Keion and Alastor led the two boys into the temple. Inside, the halls were bathed with natural light, flowing in through the many windows along the walls. There were several people walking through the halls, most of whom were wearing orange or red robes. Alastor and Keion removed their socks and shoes and left them at the entrance, where there were several pairs of shoes, sandals, and boots. Bruce and Peter did the same. The stone floor was cool on Bruce’s bare soles.

“Grandmaster Shyu has returned!” Men and women rushed towards Keion and Alastor to greet them. Keion introduced Bruce and Peter to the group as his new disciples.

“If you’ll excuse us, I’d like to show these two boys the temple.” Keion led the boys through an inner chamber within the temple. Bruce noticed there were several lit candles strategically placed where the natural light from the windows would not reach.

“Would it be a dumb question to ask if there was electricity here?” Bruce whispered to Peter.

“The dumb question is the one not asked, young Bruce,” Keion pointed out wisely. “Thank you for not asking it.” He continued to casually walk. Peter stifled his laugh. Bruce was shocked by how sharp Keion’s hearing was and even more shocked by the unprovoked dig he just received.

“You should feel honored, Bruce. Grandmaster Shyu rarely jokes,” Alastor said, smiling.

Keion, Alastor, and the two boys entered a large room that appeared to be a training dojo. An elder Shaolin monk was leading the training of five students. Bruce and Peter watched the students practice their forms in perfect synchronization. Bruce was amazed at the degree of speed and flexibility the students were demonstrating. Peter was surprised to see that two of the students were girls. Now that he thought about it, Peter recalled there were women in the entrance hall as well.

“Continue!” the elder monk instructed. He approached Keion and Alastor to greet them. He then looked to Bruce and Peter. “And I see two new students, yes?”

Keion introduced the two boys to the monk: “This is Master Benny. A Shaolin master and a Legion guardian. I will be training these two, Master Benny.”

“Oh, very good, very good.” Master Benny smiled at Bruce and Peter. “Train diligently, young ones.” Master Benny returned to his post.

Peter observed the boys and girls fall back under Master Benny’s lead without missing a beat. He scratched his head. “I thought to become a Shaolin monk you had to be male?”

“Yes, and the female counterpart to that is the Shaolin nun,” Keion explained. “But remember, even though this building was established as a monastery, it has grown into something much larger and holds no discrimination or gender bias. It is still a home to Tibetan and Shaolin monks, but also Legion members. These students are training as members of the Legion, not to become Shaolin. I’ll introduce you to one of our students. Akira, come forward!” Keion called. A lone teen who appeared to be in deep meditation was sitting in the corner of the dojo. He stood up and walked over to them. “This is Akira: my student and a Legion acolyte,” Keion stated. “He is one of the most skilled acolytes at this temple.” He was a seventeen-year-old Asian boy, with ghostly-pale skin and black hair. Keion directed his attention to Akira. “Bruce and Peter will be joining training alongside you, Akira.”