The Choice

Mall T is a 9-story building with an oval layout, whereby the stores were all located at the outer ring and the middle was an open space (so its layout is like an oval doughnut). The large empty space normally housed exhibitions which people would be able to view from any floor.

The spa was on the third floor, and the toddler had presumably fallen from the top floor. Within those few seconds of her fall, the toddler's outfit somehow got hooked on a decoration that was on the wall and she was hanging there, literally by the seat of her pants. She was now dangling precariously on the wall that was the foundation pillar of the Mall.

Unfortunately, she was between the sixth and seventh floor. No one could get to her and even if they could, there was no way that they could get a grip without her falling. The baby's mother was wailing and screaming at the top floor while the toddler was crying and moving about as well, understandably scared at the height she was at.

This was not good.

Kyle ran to the railings and watched all of this with his heart in a twist. He knew, without a doubt, that it was only a matter of time before the whatever hold that the wall decoration had on the toddler would break. The toddler would fall and be smashed to the ground, never to rise again. He gritted his teeth as he looked about.

His eyes darted and noticed Mall security going in a panic and making lots of calls on the walkie-talkie. He knew that this was an unprecedented accident and no one really knew what to do. If the toddler had fallen on the decorations in the middle, there was a mechanism that could bring the toddler down.

However, the toddler was stuck on a fixed decoration on the wall. Its location was right in the middle of the pillar of the wall that no one could reach. It was deliberately built that way in order to avoid vandalism. Right now, it served as a painful sight.

Kyle's eyes narrowed as he looked at the panicked toddler and the distraught mother. He studied the layout of the Mall in a second, taking into account the terrain of the wall and its height, the bumps and ridges on the wall, including all the little points of lights and decorations littered around it.

There was no way that the rescue team would be on time.

The memory that he had tucked away in the dark recess of his mind resurfaced. Of the little boy that had been sexually abused and tortured by the lowlife he had eventually killed. He had been in Zen mode when he callously decided to leave the boy behind, and he felt the full brunt of the regret after getting out of it. The fact that the boy was dying didn't mean the choice he made didn't cause Kyle any pain.

The pain of that choice never left, just was successfully suppressed.

Now, the choice was different. The toddler was not dying. The toddler could be saved ... if Kyle did something. However, if he was to do something, then his skills would be out in the open. He had already sworn an oath that his skills under Master Shifu was to remain in the dark - how was he to explain it? How could he rescue the toddler without breaking the oath?

Was his choice only either to save the life but break an oath or honour the oath but let the child die?

Was that even a choice? Kyle was frustrated and angry. He gripped the railings so tightly that his knuckles were white. How could he save the child without breaking the oath? Could he do so? How?

Kay came then and stood by Kyle silently, observing the scene in front of them and placed her hands on his. He started to calm down and turned to look at Kay, the despair in his eyes. Kay placed her hand on his cheek and said simply, while looking at his tortured eyes calmly, "Do what you need to do."

"B-b-b..." Kyle stammered.

[Calm down and think things through. I believe in you, brother. You'll figure out how to save that toddler without revealing anything]

Kyle took a deep breath and nodded. He held Kay's hand and closed his eyes as he calmed his rapidly beating heart. Then, his eyes shot open as he suddenly thought of something. He grabbed the shopping bags that he had placed on the ground and gave it to Kay. Kissing her on the forehead, he ran quickly to Rock5 Gym.

He didn't have much time.

As he rushed in, he saw Cole who was grumbling at the counter while Cathy was still berating him for something. Both of them heard the commotion outside but had chosen not to go out to see what was going on as they were both too engrossed in their own complaints.

"I'll do it on one condition," Kyle said suddenly as he ran up to them.

"Anything!" Cole said excitedly, after getting out of his shock at the suddeness of it all.

"If anyone asks ANYTHING about me, tell them that I've been training under you in secret. That I am making my debut at the competition. Okay?"

"Er, wha-"

"YES OR NO?!" Kyle demanded, his heart in his throat. He hated wasting time like this, but it was needed.

"YES, yes of course," Cole stuttered.

"Good," Kyle said as he jumped over the counter. Without asking, he simply grabbed a bag of chalk, a harness for a child and some rope.

Kyle wore the bag of chalk as normal and started securing the harness upon him - but instead of actually wearing it, he was putting it on himself like a baby carrier. As he was doing this, he explained quickly to the shocked pair, "A baby is stuck on the wall outside. I am going to rescue her."

Cole and Cathy were beyond shocked then, their brain trying to process the information. A baby? Stuck on a wall? How? Where? And Kyle is going to do WHAT?!

Before they could ask anything, Kyle had already dashed out the door. Luckily, although the interior of Rock5 Gym spanned all nine floors, the entrance to it was on the same floor as the spa so he managed to get here quickly. Time was of the essence and if Rock5 Gym had been too far away, he wouldn't have been able to think of any possible back-up story.

Kyle went to the other side of the Mall, at the same side where the toddler was hanging. He had to push himself in front to get to the railing, causing may people to curse at him but he didn't care. Each person he pushed aside was surprised at a sudden force and then finding themselves behind.

As Kyle reached the railing, he leaned forward and looked up. The crying and struggling toddler was still inconsolable, scared to death. The people around Kyle started to notice that he was wearing a harness with the logo "Rock5 Gym" on it. The thought it was strange, but shrugged it aside. Until Kyle climbed over the railing.

"NO!" one lady shouted and tried to grab Kyle, wanting to prevent him from killing himself.

Kyle easily avoided her grab as he jumped to the right. His left hand was on the top of the railing and his left leg was nestled inbetween the railings at the bottom to keep him secure.

He smiled at the lady that tried to stop him, knowing that she thought he was going to kill himself or something so he told her, "I'm going to scale the wall now. I may fall if you try to stop me."

The lady shrank back and looked at him in worry. Kyle was essentially just hanging on the railing with his left hand and leg, then he reached behind him and dusted his right hand with chalk. Some people nearby realised what he was doing and one person shouted, "He's bouldering!"

"Huh? What nonsense are you talking about?"

"He's going to climb the wall without equipment!" the guy said, half in excitement and half in fear, "See. He has Rock5 Gym gear!!"

"Do you think he can do it?"

"He's going to die!"

"SHUSH! Don't curse him like that!!"

Kyle ignored the mutterings going around him as he slowly studied the wall in front of him. Then he looked up, looking at the struggling toddler. Kyle flexed his neck, slowly rotated his shoulders and swung himself out.

On the other side of the Mall, Kay, Sarah and Beatrice watched the scene with their hearts in their mouth.

Kay knew Kyle was skilled and had done this plenty of times ... but she had never witnessed it herself. It was one thing knowing he could do it, but it was another thing to actually SEE him doing it. She had faith in him but it didn't mean she could watch the whole thing without being worried.

Sarah was gripping Beatrice's arm tightly while biting her lips, "Just what does Kyle think he's doing?! He's so high up! What if he falls! What if he slips! OMIGOD, I can't watch this!!"

Beatrice was much level headed, "Kyle would never do something he's not confident on."

"I know that," Sarah said in a whisper, "But seeing him risk his life like that is too much for me."

Beatrice patted Sarah, who had turned around, "If you can't watch, then don't. But look at Kay. I believe she would be more worried than you but she's watching. She is supporting her brother right now."

Sarah felt tears prickling her eyes and shook her head. She couldn't do it. Not yet. She didn't have the courage to watch the man she loves risk his life, and possibly fall to his death.

Could she?