MARLIN STOOD IN A BUSY STREET CORNER in Washington, wearing a hooded jacket. His eyes peered at all of the passing faces of women — and he was especially wary, of any Intersexuals' presence. Finally, he saw who he had waited for — seeing a blond-dyed haired, Japanese girl who was running towards him. She was also delighted to see her boyfriend, and she called out to him in Japanese. They hugged and kissed...

"Hey Marlin, you came! It has been a long time since we both went out together. Come, let's take a cab now, and go to the arcade in Kenzu Plaza — my friends say that they have got new arrivals of game machines from Japan."

"No Suki, it is too risky."

"Why not?" she replied while they both stepped into the busy pedestrian crossing, Marlin looked out back at the oncoming faces, which were crossing them...

"Too many Asians hang out at Kenzu — and somebody will recognize us both, and inform Ken."

Suki was disgruntled. "It is always Ken with you — why are you so afraid of him? I know you can kick his ass."

He raised his voice, reminded her again like the many times before — to that rich and naive girl — that it was not safe to be spotted together in public...

"Hey, you stupid cousin is the son of the Ambassador — and he can do lots of dirty things behind my back to get me in trouble. Now, even my guardian Dr Morris knows about us both — and I have to lie low and play things by her book for a while — here, wear my cap."

Suki was also aware that her boyfriend was being very cautious lately — and also, he had lots of discreet secrets that he did not speak about to her — like the phone calls he occasionally received, where he spoke in English — to someone, whom he addressed the caller as Mother.

Suki tugged her blond hair into the baseball cap — and she rested her head on Marlin's arm while they stroll...

"You are right, dear, we lie low then — so, where are we going now?"

"Anywhere that is safe," Marlin then pointed at a building, "How about that mall?"

"What's interesting there?"

"I don't know, never been there too — we can walk around a bit, eat some pizza and then catch a movie or something that suits your fancy." He laughed — but his suggestions were not galvanizing enough, for Suki's canty, extrovert-self — she pestered...

"Boring! I can stream movies at home, I am here to be with you — let's do something really fun like we always used to do in Kenzu."

Marlin teased by whispering into her ears. "Guess what is fun, we can kiss inside the dark cinema, and I know you will like that, yes, yes?" She bashfully laughed aloud. "Yes, but don't eat any stinky Italian Gorgonzola cheese pizza — or else, I will throw up inside your mouth."

*

Shorty the Japanese boy was following them from across the street, and his cell phone rang...

"You are right, Saturo — they are so sneaky. He is with Suki now, and they are heading towards a White-man's mall. Come quick, guys — we can corner him there."

*

Suki removed the cap in an upmarket-teen department store, and placed a dress from a hanger on herself and looked at the long mirror. Marlin stood behind, gambolling at her in Japanese. Two teenage, White girls who were nearby, kept gawking at them — and one of them bitched...

"Look at that hot freak, he is going out with a Jappie — what's wrong with that dick, can't he get a better skank elsewhere?"

"The bitch even dyed her hair blond to bait her fish. Hey, see that look — they both are speaking in Japanese — it is like an anime cartoon!"

Marlin's cell phone then beeped — he inserted both his hands in his jean pockets — and pulled out two cell phones.

He had not disposed of the older phone as Dr Morris had instructed him.

He excused himself, left Suki behind and he stood by the store window. "Mother! Yes, what is it?" Sonia was prattling back in a distressed tone, on the other end...

"Where have you been, Marlin? Why have you not picked up my call for the past 2 days?"

"I was busy with school, Mother."

"It is not safe to stay in this country, Son," Sonia then continued by speaking in Russian before Marlin interrupted her. "Please Mother, speak English. My Russian is not that good any more — I stopped speaking it since I was 6, when I started attending school here, you remember?"

"It's President Rosewood, Son — she is no longer in power, and it is not safe for us both to be in America. We must both now leave for Russia!"

Marlin shook his head in disbelief. He knew his mother was constantly in the state of paranoia, over slight changes in any consequences around her — it was her price of living as a fugitive.

"Calm down, Mother — Dr Morris did not give any of us, such instructions to leave the country."

"Where is she? I have been trying to get in touch with Jane Morris for the past few days too — and even she is not answering her phone — has she called you?" The distraught woman roused.

"No, but she visited me in school last week. Mother — but, she told me that you should focus on your work with Prof Yankoff." Marlin said truthfully — repeating what Morris had instructed.

"Something is not right, Marlin — we cannot stay here, and we should run now." The boy reasoned with her, but she kept interjecting. Suki stood behind him and she overheard her distressful boyfriend in conversation...

"No Mother, listen to me, we will not be doing such a thing unless Dr Morris — (no Mother), But she knows what is best for us both, and we should listen to her (please Mother) — okay, I will try to call Dr Morris, okay Mother — I got to go, bye!"

He respired and turned to find Suki behind him. She then held his hand, and she asked in English. "Marlin, are you okay?" He nodded after sighing...

"Phew! Can we go and walk around — I need to breathe."

They both stepped out of the warm halogen lighted departmental store and took a short walk before Marlin looked up — thoughts of his contentious mother vanished — when he exclaimed aloud...

"Oh, shit — look there!"

They saw their three Japanese schoolmates pacing forward towards them. Both Marlin and Suki next started to run towards the escalator — and the Intersexual boys were closing in on their tail. The couple ran up brushing people aside, some were annoyed and nark back at them.

On the next level, they continued to ascend to another escalator to the highest floor of the mall. The Japanese boys were nearing them. The blonde couple raced on the corridor-walk to a foyer — and they both entered a free, public exhibition hall with the banner...

'ANCIENT WARRIORS'

The exhibits were wax mannequins of feted masculine per-Medusa men standing in display — with real-life weapons, of different tribes of continents from different eras. The hall was not crowded, Marlin and the girl hid behind wax mannequins — while they were trying to snake to the exit door, at the other end of the hall. The Japanese Intersexual trio fanned out — and they swept the area, looking for them.

Marlin discovered that the exit door was locked — then, Shorty spotted them from afar...

"There they are!"

The two bigger boys went over and seized an African spear from a Zulu warrior, and an axe from a Hun barbarian display — they charged over, cornered the escaping couple. Marlin pushed Suki out of harm's way...

"Run, Suki!"

After a second of hesitation, Suki started running, and the boy with the spear came swinging in — and he tried to stab Marlin. The blond boy dodged and overpowered him before he grabbed control of the spear. The other Japanese with the axe charged at him, with raging barbaric cry.

*

Suki stepped out of an elevator — and wanted to run towards the main entrance of the hall to get security help — but, someone grabbed her from behind — it was her cousin Kenaki Kimura, with some other adult Japanese women with tattoos. Suki remonstrated aloud in Japanese...

"Ken, what is the meaning of this?"

Ken ignored her and instructed his faction. "Take her away!" Suki was kicking and screaming when they dragged her away. Ken signalled the rest of the women present with him to stay back, and he now entered the elevator alone ...

*

Marlin avoided the swinging axe that swooshed above that missed him — it beheaded a Roman gladiator wearing a helmet. Several other wax mannequins beside dropped...

Ken walked out of the elevator, He paced on the aisle towards the two fighting opponents ahead — he glanced at a Ninja mannequin with a katana sword — and seized the glittering blade...

Marlin rammed the butt of the spear on the axe boy's jaw — and he fell, out cold. The blond boy heard pique of angry words in Japanese, growling from his back...

"You're a disobedient mongrel! I told you to keep away from my cousin — and yet you defy me!" Ken charged forward with the katana — the blond Intersexual skillfully dodged the swinging blade. He used the spear to ward Ken away to a distance — but, Ken hacked off the spearhead with his razor-sharp blade...

Ken struck the short sword onto the middle of Marlin's spear, splitting the wooden pole into half — Marlin used the two poles as cudgels and he fought back with aggression. The Adonis managed to disarm the katana off Ken's hand, ablated with a hard blow — that also fractured his opponent's fingers.

Several security guards soon swarmed in from the rear, and they tasered them both. The deadlock between the two rivalling Intersexuals halted, when both of them collapsed on the floor, screaming, as their bodies jolted in neuromuscular spasm from the current shock. The female, mall guards then stepped over and cuffed them both.

*

A limo with the Japanese diplomatic license-plate halted at the mall front — a huge tattooed female of the Japanese Yakuza syndicate was dragging the crying Suki out from the mall — and then threw her into the backseat. The limo drove off before the WPD siren, police cars reached the mall.