12 Douglass: The Utopians military commander

It was a devasting night for Vanessa Bloom as she had to make a hundred calls to address the family members of her security guards. The ordeal was nerve-racking; it wasn't easy, being the bearer of bad news concerning the deaths of countless men on duty that night. To add more baggage to her shoulders, the infrastructure of her house was in a dire state. It was so bad that countless doors were down, furniture was lying all around the place, and blood prints were painted all over the passages.

"Yes, I understand, mam. I will do everything possible to find the people responsible for your husband's death."

She nodded as she listened attentively to the widow who contacted her.

After dropping the call, she rubbed her face with her hands and lowered her head. She glanced at the surface of the table with despair.

Clouseau made his way to her office and carried a tray with tea and a set of biscuits.

"Madame Bloom ou' dois-je placer your tray?"

"Please place it here."

Clouseau sauntered towards her table and placed the tray of tea and biscuits in front of her.

"Thank you," she replied with a bittersweet tone.

Clouseau perceived despondence through the tone of her voice.

"Madame excuse-moi, I apologize for my weakness. If I, Clouseau the third of zhe D'Aboville family, wasn't so weak zhe enemies wouldn't have apprehended me."

She turned to face him with a smile and placed her hand on his right shoulder.

"It's not your fault Clouseau, do not concern yourself about something that was out of your control. You did what you could, and I'm proud of that."

Her words melted his heart, and he smiled back at her in response.

"Thank you, mademoiselle genuinely means a lot."

She smiled back at him and said, "It's a pleasure, Clouseau. Now if you can excuse me, I need to find someone to replace me during my absence for the next couple of days."

"Oh, of course, madame, I will be on my way."

Despite working late during a devastating night, Vanessa was adamant about uniting with her fellow Guardians. Therefore, she put her issues aside and focused on her priorities.

After basking in an indulging bath, she devoured her meal in a separate room.

Many had considered her a social misfit, and this habit stemmed from a young age when she experienced a traumatic incident. Since then, she has avoided being in contact with many people. Although she may not like surrounding herself with people, life doesn't take kindly to her reasons and often forces her to connect with some of them. An instance of this is when she needs to make strong relationships with investors and influential people so that her company can grow and evolve.

She wore a traditional Chinese purple and white royal Hanfu dress. She also adorned herself with a violet-colored lip gloss and pampered her face with makeup. She let her long, coal-black hair cascade past her shoulder regions.

She made her way toward the basement; it served as a secret port for her aircraft. As soon as she arrived, she found her fellow Guardians waiting impatiently for her.

Pete crossed his arms and tapped the floor repeatedly with his right foot.

"You are late! I told you it was a bad idea for us to stay here for the night. Though your food was delicious, however, we could have left Paris as in yesterday!"

She swung her long hair to the side and statured her right hand in a cobra-like posture.

"Oh darling, don't be such a drag. I mean, aren't I the most prominent woman in this world?"

He rolled his eyes and replied with an ingratiating smile.

"Surely you are."

She brushed the loose strands of her hair backward and inquired even further.

"And what would my name be?" He hesitantly answered her, "Madam Bloom."

She then turned her back against them. While doing so, she gazed towards her exquisite, golden jet. Pete turned his attention towards Kuhn Lau and whispered in his ear.

"Kuhn Lau, are you sure it was a good idea for her to tag along?"

Kuhn Lau smiled at him and said, "So says the one who cowers at first sight of trouble."

Pete playfully punched him on the right side of his shoulder.

Viper raised her hands like an angel that adored her majestic God.

"Gentlemen, behold! Before your very eyes, I present to you the 3X-1000. It was made of gold. This jet is a genuine representation of my likeness. How so, if you might ask? It has furniture made from diamonds and jewels. It is resistant to any heat signature and suffers minimal damage whatsoever. Thus, it has its defense system. This jet will take us anywhere in the world 100 times faster than that hunk of junk you were recently using."

Her words peered through Kuhn Lau's heart with a hot rod. She had offended him and cared not what he felt at that moment. Kuhn Lau furrowed his brows and stared daggers at her. If looks could kill, she would already be dead.

"That hunk of junk is why you're still breathing." She dismissed him and caressed her hair lobs.

"That is so kind of you, but couldn't you have chosen a much more luxurious place to set me free than that vile aircraft?"

She once more turned her back against them and continued to boast while Kuhn Lau whispered in Pete's ears.

"I guess you are right; she is a nuisance."

Once more, Indistructo succumbed to the might of his impatience. He uncrossed his arms and marched towards the aircraft.

"Alright then, that settles it. Let's get inside the plan and get the hell outta here!"

On his way there, she stood in his path and placed her finger on his chest. "And where do you think you're going, Mr. Muscles?"

He stuttered, "Eh...Eh... As you can see, I was going inside the plan."

She directed her finger towards all of them and continued.

"None of you are climbing aboard dressed like that?"

They looked down at their garments with caution. They could not identify the underlying problem that Vanessa 0had with their garments. They looked at each other with bafflement.

"What's wrong with what we're wearing?!" They said at once.

"For starters, you dress like you came from a funeral. My goodness, do you not have a sense of fashion? Dispose of this garbage immediately, and I'll order a new set of clothes."

"What?!!" They responded with disbelief.

"Look at yourselves; if you want us to leave for Singapore, you better do as I say!"

Pete looked at his fellow Guardians with frustration.

"Whose bright idea was it for her to tag along with us?"

She walked past them and answered his inquiry.

"For your information, that was all your idea. So get on with it, boys! Time waits for no man."

A few minutes later

The three Guardians came to her basement wearing Chinese attires. Pete wore a red tang shirt adorned with a mandarin collar and golden dragon embroidery. Indistructo wore a black Mao suit, while Kuhn Lau wore a traditional white chang shan shirt to complement his white hair. Vanessa applauded them with exuberance and then took a sip from a glass of wine.

"Magnificent, now you all look like a million bucks!" Pete looked at his garments and inquired.

"Remind me again why we are wearing Chinese attires?"

She answered him with a smile and made her way to the plane's staircase.

"We are going to Asia, boys. Therefore, it is of great importance that we blend in with the influence."

As soon as she reached the top of the staircase, she stood before the entrance and turned around to face them. She then took another sip from her glass.

"What would you boys do without me?" She giggled as the others sighed with draught.

***********

Singapore is one of the few countries considered a Sovereign land country. This enchanted land is the perfect embodiment of the Garden of Eden. To reinforce that fact, Singapore is well known for being a green city. A tapestry of rainbow flowers and green bush linings stands out from the overhead bridges, while a column of trees is rooted on the central dividers of the expressways.

Moreover, this concrete jungle is home to a national garden exhibiting the plant kingdom through its artistry. This national horticultural attraction is otherwise known as Gardens by the Bay. Home to the most diverse species of plants that are found all around the around. Madagascar's Grandidier's Baobab is located in the flower dome, and so is Canary Island's own El Drago, a tree with sharply pointed leaves. There is so much to explore in this blessed, green land.

In a prolific martial arts school, a martial artist named Yung Fu was sparing with his former Sensei in downtown Singapore.

Yung Fu is known worldwide as one of the greatest martial artists. He regularly holds martial arts tournaments for all those who seek to partake in the ancient art of Kung Fu. The name of his Sensei was Douglass. Douglass is one of Ken Sou's trusted subordinates and the head commander of the Utopian military.

Douglass's ethnicity is black, and he has an afro. He commonly wears black shades and has a long goatee growing from his chin.

During their duel, Douglass lowered his posture towards the floor with his right leg stretching forth. He maneuvered a spinning, sweep kick as Yung Fu instantly flipped over him.

Douglass rose to his feet and attempted to land a hook kick toward the left side of his face. Fortunately for him (Yung Fu), he slid under his right leg, which swayed above him.

Douglass was impressed by his former student's progress.

Yung Fu maneuvered an audacious somersault and landed on the ground on his feet. He then attempted to strike Douglass with a sidekick. Douglass blocked the attack by shielding his face with his right elbow. When his kick connected, he smirked while Yung Fu winced with frustration.

After that, Douglass struck Yung Fu with a hook kick. The force of his attack sent the latter flying. Instead of landing on his back, he acquired cat-like reflexes and maneuvered a split between two stacked brick towers.

Without warning, Douglass went for the attack and was about to land an audacious sidekick toward the forefront of his face. Fortunately, Yung Fu dexterously maneuvered a set of back somersaults. When his feet kissed against the ground, he clenched his fist and tried to knock Douglass out with a hook toward the mandible. Yet again, Douglass was a step ahead and swiveled to the side. In doing so, he grabbed Yung-Fu's wrist with haste.

"He is so fast!" Yung Fu pondered.

Douglass then wrenched his wrist. Before he could inflict more damage, Yung Fu flipped toward the opposite side, whereby Douglas lost a firm grip on his student's arm.

However, Douglas was a step ahead and kicked him against the ribs. Yung Fu fell on his back. Douglass pottered towards him and placed his foot on his chest while he groaned.

"Yield!"

Yung Fu smiled at him and raised his hands in surrender. Douglass reached out to him. He held onto his arm while he pulled him up.

After a satisfying duel, the two walked around the dojo while Douglass addressed him about the current crises that unfolded across the earth.

"The time has come, Yung Fu."

Yung Fu turned to him and inquired.

"Which time are you referring to, master?"

"The time for you to defend and protect the talisman."

Yung Fu delved his right hand into his pocket and took out the talisman. The talisman was draped with gold as it had the embroidment of an octagram towards the edges. And for the final touch, the amulet had the carving of an eastern dragon in the center.

"You will have to hold onto that talisman with all your might because Havoc sent one of his subordinates to retrieve it. If the Elite Force acquires all the talismans, Deathwrath will be freed, and there will be nothing but chaos and destruction. "

Unable to reply to his statement, a plague of doubts tormented him

"Then what should we do, master?" He asked in fear.

Douglass pushed his shades upward and continued.

"We are trying our best to contain much of the Elite Force's influence; however, we are limited. The only thing you can do for the time being is to protect the talisman with all your life."

Douglass then opened a portal, and he bid him farewell before his departure.

"Goodbye, Yung Fu. I wish you the best with your upcoming tournament."

Yung Fu bowed with respect.

"Thank you for everything, master."

Before leaving, he smiled at his student and entered the portal.