Gym, Saturday night

[tyler-gone.livejournal.com]

Tyler hadn't done much all day -- just read and given the cat back to that girl -- but he decided to sneak in a workout before bed. A gentle one, so he wouldn't strain anything before practice tomorrow.

He could not believe he worried about that, but he did.

He got some free weights and started stretching on the mats, working through some of the poses he had learned in karate.

Comments

[multi-madrox.livejournal.com]

Jamie walks in and notices that the mats for the sparring section isn't in use.

"Hey Tyler. Mind if I use the sparring mats? I need to try out something."

[tyler-gone.livejournal.com]

"Go for it," Tyler nodded. "Rehearsing another play?"

[multi-madrox.livejournal.com]

Jamie took up a stance at the end of the mat and shot Tyler a grin. "Not quite."

He took a running start and went down the mat doing a series of handsprings and flips before ending with a perfect 10 point landing on his feet at the other end of the mat.

"Yes!"

[tyler-gone.livejournal.com]

Tyler applauded. "You sure you want to play basketball? You look more like a cheerleader when you do that."

[multi-madrox.livejournal.com]

Jamie somehow resisted the urge to say "Ready?! Okay!"

"Yeah. Funny how that looks right?" Jamie said testing doing a backflip successfully.

"Just had a dupe come back this afternoon who's been working on some gymnastic kind of stuff."

[tyler-gone.livejournal.com]

"So he did the work, but you get the payoff?" Tyler asked, eyes appraising Jamie. "God, that's cool. And it'd be really good in a fight if you didn't want to get hit."

[multi-madrox.livejournal.com]

"Yeah well technically it was me doing the work, just in a different place is all," Jamie said with a chuckle. "I just spent the afternoon sorting through everything he- I mean I went through."

[tyler-gone.livejournal.com]

"Yeah?" Tyler asked. "He do anything interesting, other than the flipping around shit?"

[multi-madrox.livejournal.com]

Jamie smiled. "Well there was this one cheerleader in the back of a bus..."

[tyler-gone.livejournal.com]

"Was she cute?" Tyler asked, moving into a hamstring stretch. "I mean, yeah, cheerleader. But you know what I mean."

[multi-madrox.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," Jamie said dreamily. "She was pretty special all right. And I mean that in a way that yes she was cute and spunky and not in the special where you need additional help after school with your studies."

[tyler-gone.livejournal.com]

"Tyler grinned his approval. "I'm sure you'd only go for the good type of special. So are you going to write to her?"

[multi-madrox.livejournal.com]

"Considering she would kick my ass? It's a probably a good idea to keep in contact with her. How are things going with you and River?"

[tyler-gone.livejournal.com]

"Really good," Tyler said. "We went to the movies last night. And don't make a cheerleader come kick your ass, Madrox. Bad for the manly image."

[multi-madrox.livejournal.com]

"Hey isn't River a cheerleader?" Jamie asked. "Because no offense man, but when push comes to shove I'd probably have to put money down on her."

[tyler-gone.livejournal.com]

"She is and well, yeah," Tyler said, sounding vaguely insulted. "I don't. Hit. Girls. Even when they deserve it."

[multi-madrox.livejournal.com]

"Well, I don't either," Jamie said apologetically. "Just saying hypothetically of course."

[tyler-gone.livejournal.com]

"You didn't seem the type," Tyler said. He finished his sit-ups. "I'm gonna call it a night. Later."

[like-a-sponge.livejournal.com]

Greg was bored, so he wandered down to the gym.

"Hi!" he said cheerfully, carrying a slightly battered tennis racket and a ball.

[tyler-gone.livejournal.com]

"Hey Greg," Tyler said. He was in a pangolin defensive posture that looked like a cross between a plié and an attempt to scratch the back of his neck with his right foot. "You play tennis?"

[like-a-sponge.livejournal.com]

"Kind of," Greg replied, selecting a wall and lazily tossing the ball at it to whack with his racket. "Are you a contortionist?"

[tyler-gone.livejournal.com]

Tyler tried to shake his head and the posture collapsed. "Karate class. Dr. Oliver taught us some weird stuff."

[like-a-sponge.livejournal.com]

"You could probably bundle up really small and hide places with that kind of flexibility," Greg pointed out.

[tyler-gone.livejournal.com]

"I never thought about that," Tyler said. "I guess I could. Maybe I learned something useful in that class."

[like-a-sponge.livejournal.com]

"It would be useful if you wanted to like, hide in a cupboard and then jump out and scare people," Greg suggested.

[tyler-gone.livejournal.com]

"Or if I wanted to hide somewhere and spy on people," Tyler suggested. "Espionage."

He frowned. "But I need to get better. If I move, I fall down. Not good."

[like-a-sponge.livejournal.com]

"You could build aids to keep you in the weird position and not falling down," he replied. "Like crutches, kind of, but not."

[tyler-gone.livejournal.com]

"Could," Tyler said, lifting himself into a backbend. "Or I could just install tiny video cameras. Which is probably easier."

[like-a-sponge.livejournal.com]

"But then you couldn't leap out and startle people."

Greg looked very saddened by his little idea not working out.

[tyler-gone.livejournal.com]

"That's true," Tyler said, as his backbend collapsed. "But sometimes you need to make sacrifices for the greater good."

[like-a-sponge.livejournal.com]

"Who would you spy on?" Greg wondered.

[tyler-gone.livejournal.com]

Tyler thought about it. "The government," he decided. "No, banks. Niog financial insitutions. The people who really rule the world."

He turned to Greg. "You?"

[like-a-sponge.livejournal.com]

"I would spy on cute girls and not tell Isabel about it," Greg confessed. "And possibly on the people in genetic engineering labs."

[tyler-gone.livejournal.com]

"I forgot about the locker room option," Tyler said approvingly. "Have to do that."

He started stretching his arms over his head. "What would you be looking for in labs?"

[like-a-sponge.livejournal.com]

"Technique, formulas...stuff to start my own lab, really," Greg told him, catching the ball and idly bouncing it off the racket for the moment. "Why would you go with banks, though? Just to see how everything works?"

[tyler-gone.livejournal.com]

"That, and to try to take them down," Tyler said. "Dismantle the financial system, you throw the nation into anarchy. Maybe even the world. It's kind of a pet theory of mine."

[like-a-sponge.livejournal.com]

"But what would you do once there was anarchy? Don't you have to rebuild from that?" Greg pointed out.

[tyler-gone.livejournal.com]

Tyler paused. "I never thought that far ahead," he said, under his breath, then resumed his confidence. "I mean, no. I think if people would adjust to anarchy if it came to be. The strong ones would, anyhow."

[like-a-sponge.livejournal.com]

"Human nature dictates that there needs to be a central government or else even the strong ones would find capitalistic gain and attempt to overthrow each other," Greg replied. "It's why communism doesn't work, either."

[tyler-gone.livejournal.com]

"Maybe," Tyler said, shurgging it off. "Might be fun to find out for sure, though."

[like-a-sponge.livejournal.com]

"After this revolution thingy, I could build labs and help create super-humans," Greg said thoughtfully.

[tyler-gone.livejournal.com]

"That's how Alec came into this wonderful world, kind of," Tyler said.

And stood, stretching all his muscles. "I'm calling it a night. See you later, Greg."