The Actions That Follow Chapter 2

	—CHAPTER 2—

	It was a beautiful autumn morning; the city of Burlington was abuzz with the daily doings. Most of the Old North End had awoken, and was on the way to their respective businesses. The bus was tightly packed with passengers of the morning commute, and the gentle sound of morning birds wafted along with the breeze. For most of the residents, it was a fine setting to start their day. But for one of them, birds and sunshine did little to ease his awakening.
	Now in his late twenties, Jack no longer sported his signature top knot. Much of his appearance gave the impression of someone who had given up—a rugged beard and long, unmanaged hair—and that's exactly what he had done. Nineteen years had passed since the day that "AKu" came into his life, and the fiend had become arguably the most prevalent figure in the nation. You couldn't watch tv, read a newspaper, or browse the internet without seeing the name AKu at least once. He wasn't a beloved figure, however; he was the man everyone loved to hate, and he thrived on negative publicity and controversy. AKu had financial ties to nearly every major company, his net worth was over fifty billion dollars.
	For a few years now, he had been building a repertoire of political allies, crooked politicians and lobbyists. AKu was going global; he already made connections with foreign businesses and dignitaries, but being in a place of political power would put him at the forefront of US foreign relations. The world was becoming far too similar to the future Samurai Jack had been sent to.
	Jack had been doing his best to fit the mold he carved for himself. Fifteen years of traveling with his uncle turned him into a noble, yet humble young man. He still wore his hair in the top knot at that point, and he was built practically identical to the wandering Samurai. He had acquired many useful skills in his travels, he had done things that most people live their entire lives without doing. Even with all the things he had done, not once did he neglect his martial arts training. He continued to study at top dojos around the country, at his uncle's behest (whose connections allowed Jack most of his experiences over the years). The sword charm his Father gave him still hung around his neck, the ideals of purity and righteousness instilled in him had not been forgotten. Truly he was a man his parents would be proud of.
	And they were. Fifteen years after he left his home, Jack and his uncle found his parents. They were living exactly where they used to. But it wasn't the same, not at all. The varied houses that once lined the streets were all gone, the trees Jack climbed when he was young had vanished. What they found instead was a three-block complex with a six by twelve layout of completely identical houses. They were all the exact same color, style, size, and had the same yards. The security guard working the entry gate of the complex was quite rude, and treated the exchange like they were entering a penitentiary.
	Apparently AKu had been buying out neighborhoods to replace them with complexes that he owns; the more people paying off their homes directly to him, the better. Jack's neighborhood was apparently the first, an act of pure spite on AKu's part. The first step of his vengeance, Jack's parents didn't have the financial means to resist the buyout, and AKu already had a hand in the town government. A carbon-copied house was given to them, but it was shoddy and claustrophobic, and with strict guidelines regarding house appearance. The complex security guards were employed by AKu, and they lorded over the residents; bullying them into complying with arbitrary rules, threatening their homes and property. It felt like a prison camp with a cell you could furnish.
	Soon after, AKu's factories became the top employer in the state, and Jack's parents had to either work in them or fail to make a living wage. But the hours were long and the labor was arduous; they would barely have time to care for Jack. After AKu first visited them, outlining what was in store, they knew they had to do something to preserve Jack's childhood. Over the next few days they spent every free moment deliberating on what they should do with Jack. They finally decided to contact Jack's uncle, his Mother's sister, whose nomadic lifestyle would never allow him to live in one of AKu's complexes. He agreed to act as Jack's guardian, and take him on a cross-country journey. This way, Jack wouldn't have to watch the years under AKu slowly destroy his parents, and he himself would be safe from AKu. And now, after all this time, their son had returned home.
	The RV parked in front of the glorified shed trying to pass itself off as a home, then Jack and his uncle got out and walked up to the front door. Jack rang the doorbell, waited about ten seconds, then rang it again. His uncle wondered aloud if they weren't home, but just as Jack rang the bell a third time, the door opened.
	There in the doorway stood Jack's Mother. He hadn't been home for fifteen years, but the way she looked made him feel like he'd been gone for fifty. Her hair had completely greyed, and she no longer kept it in a bun above her head; instead it drooped behind her and in front of her face, the vitality and bounce completely faded. Her eyes were tired, but when they met Jack's, both of theirs started to well up. They met in a long-awaited embrace, only separating when Jack's uncle stepped in; he missed his sister too!
	She led them both into the house, where a frail old man was sitting in a recliner. Jack didn't recognize the man at first, but it didn't take long for him to put two and two together. This husk of a man, who weakly stood up to shuffle over and greet them, was Jack's Father. Jack could barely contain his shock upon realizing, and his Father lowered his head somberly. But Jack quickly regained his composure and tightly hugged his Father, who could no longer hold back tears. They cried into each other for a minute or so, until his Father pulled away. He looked Jack up and down, and there was a light in his eyes that Jack's Mother hadn't seen in years. You could see his smile through his thick white beard.
	"My son..." he spoke wistfully. "How I wish I could have seen you become the man before me today." Jack shook his head, "I wouldn't be who I am today if it wasn't for you and Mother." But his smile fell apart, "You both have sacrificed so much on my behalf, and now look at you. You've been worked to the bone in that awful place, all because of him! And look at what he has done to our home! This injustice must end!" Jack held up a clenched fist, but his Father pushed it back down. "Be careful, my son. Righteous fury can be a powerful tool, but it is often confused for anger and hatred. Those things will blind you from the path." He placed his hands on Jack's shoulders, "You've grown into an honorable young man, but this world has become bereft of the principles you hold dear. You must not let yourself be corrupted by it. Do not let be led astray by vice; remember the things that are truly important."
	Jack smiled brightly; it had been too long since he had heard his Father's profound words. He gripped the charm hanging around his neck, "Father, Mother, I swear I will do whatever it takes to get you two out of this horrible place! I will find a way."
	But his Father shook his head, "You must find YOUR way, whatever it may be. Do not exhaust yourself trying to provide for us, we will persist", Jack's Mother had moved next to his Father, and they both stood hand in hand, smiling at Jack. "You will always have a place here, my son. But you must go now, and find a place you can live your life the way YOU want. That will be the place you call home." Jack's uncle put a hand on his shoulder, and nodded to him.
	Jack said goodbye to his parents once again, then he and his uncle headed back to the RV. He was about to get in the passenger seat, but his uncle stopped him, and handed him the keys. "This time, you lead. Go where the wind takes you, and I'll be there to see you off." He winked at Jack, who eagerly grabbed the keys and hopped into the driver's seat. He knew exactly where he wanted to go.
	They had visited Vermont pretty early in their adventures, since it's close to his home state of Pennsylvania. When they got to Burlington, Jack felt as though he had entered a dream world. There were large, beautiful buildings everywhere. So many cars and people, and they moved about at almost a rhythmic pace. And that night, so many lights and colors! There were musicians on many of the streets, with funky instruments that made strangely appealing noises. Jack remembered it for the remainder of his journey, and now that he was looking for a place to settle down, living there made the most sense. He didn't want to be too far from his parents, but it would still be kind of a trek to get back to them.
	And so, they drove to Burlington, found a nice little apartment in the Old North End, and Jack began to get settled. He said goodbye to his Uncle, thanking him for all he's done, and his uncle wished him luck in finding his path, and left him five hundred dollars to cover the first week's expenses.
	Immediately after, he went to get reacquainted with the city, but it wasn't quite as he remembered. There was a huge disparity between buildings that looked brand new, and buildings that were practically falling apart. The cars were reckless and noisy, and the people paid no mind to anyone unless they got in their way, where customarily they would exchange vulgar insults. Everything looked muddy and grey, and where the musicians once were, homeless people begged for loose change.
	Jack only wondered how this came to be for moment, before a bus sporting an advertisement paid for by none other than AKu rolled past, and he knew exactly what was going on.
	Suddenly, he heard a loud siren quickly approaching from the distance, and sure enough a police cruiser came barreling down the road. It seemed to take note of Jack's presence on the sidewalk, as it slammed on the brakes and made a quick maneuver to slide roughly into the curb right in front of him. The window rolled down to reveal a hulking Scottish man in uniform behind the wheel. Jack could see that he was bald underneath his police cap, and his bright orange hair was in a ponytail that connected to his thick sideburns, which met under his nose in a moustache. He spoke, and Jack barely noticed how poorly maintained the officer's teeth were over the loud, accent-heavy words coming out of his mouth; "EY LADDIE, YOU SEEN A TALL MAN WITH A BIG NOSE, DRESSED SORT OF LIKE A COWBOY?" he bellowed, "'IM AND THIS WOMAN IN A GREEN DRESS BEEN WANTED FOR DAYS NOW, AND I KNOW THEY'RE SOMEWHERE IN THIS CITY!"
	Jack thought for a moment of the people he had seen that day. Most of them looked rather unwelcoming, but he couldn't remember anyone who fit that description.  "I am sorry, officer. I have not seen the people you are looking for", he explained. The man shook his head, "ahh what am I doin' askin' some scrawny stranger anyway? I'M the cop here, HAHAHA!!" He took another look at Jack, "Say, I don't think I've seen you around here before...you new in town?"
	"Why, yes. I just moved into an apartment in the Old North End. I had visited this place many years ago as a young boy. But this city...it is not at all how I remember it."
	The Scottish officer shook his head, "Ay, a lot has changed around here. You must have been here when you were a wee lad, cause this place has been goin' to the dogs for a decade now. All because of that blasted—wait, I'm gettin' ahead of myself! What's yer name, stranger?"
	Jack had been somewhat lost in thought, but the man's question broke him out, "Uh, Jack. Jack Senshi, officer."
	"Well, Jack! Judgin' by the way you wear your hair, I'd say yer a wise fella! Maybe someday you'll grow a REAL man's ponytail, HAHA!" He hollered, as Jack inquisitively touched his top knot. "Anyway, how would you like a tour of your new home? By the time we're through you'll know all the ins and outs of this place!" Jack thought for a moment. This city was now alien to him, and apparently it had become dangerous as well; perhaps a police escort would be the best way to familiarize himself with his new place of residence? He agreed, and the officer gestured to the passenger door of his cruiser, "Hop in!". Jack went around and got into the car, which quickly sped off before he could even buckle his seatbelt.
	The man turned to Jack, who was mildly shaken, "By the way, my name's Ainsley Scott! But everyone around here calls me Scotsman!" Jack responded with an incredulous look, to which "Scotsman" replied, "What? It's clever! I AM a Scott after all!"
	"Well as long as it suits you", supposed Jack.
	And so Jack's new "friend" gave him the grand tour of Burlington, giving him some background on what had been going on since he last visited. As he predicted, AKu's influence had spread here too; infrastructure started to collapse as crime rates had gone up, it was no longer the beautiful place he once knew. Eager to fix things, Jack asked what he could do to help. Scotsman suggested he could join that he could join him as a beat cop, as the local precinct was understaffed and ill-equipped to handle the large influx of felons. He needed a new partner anyway, he told Jack his old one probably wasn't going to recover, which made Jack a little uneasy.
	Before he could accept the offer, a tricked-out vehicle with bull horns on the hood flew past them; Scotsman screeched, "THERE THEY ARE, LET'S GO PARTNER!!", and the cruiser gave chase. Looks like Jack's mind was made up for him.
After a lively chase, the two “officers” caught the couple, whom Jack had later learned went by “The Clenches”. While they were praised by the other officers for catching the criminals, Scotsman was in pretty hot water for letting a civilian assist in police business. But the commissioner changed his tune when he was told that the stranger wanted to join the force; they could really use a hand from someone like Jack, who had already proven he was fully capable of handling the job.
	Jack had no trouble getting through basic training, and for the next two years, Jack and Scotsman were a beat cop dream team. Every major criminal in the city was eventually brought in by them: The Cowboy and his wife (also known as the Clenches), a gang called the Ultra Boys, a group of rowdy bikers, a cult that called themselves the "Minions of Set", all were taken in by the duo. They once busted a famous rave DJ that was persuading teenagers to loot and riot each night. What they discovered from most of those cases was that many of the felons had ties to AKu. They even caught his top assistant, Derek "Demongo" Morgan, who had been secretly kidnapping ex-convicts for his personal workforce. But even with all the evidence piled against him, Jack and Scotsman were never able to bring AKu in himself, his clout was too great. Even though he personally visited Burlington on multiple occasions to "congratulate" the pair on cleaning up the city, they couldn't touch him.
	Even with his success on the crime front, Jack also made it a point to assist the locals whenever he could; many of which were also feeling the sting of AKu's influence. There was an Icelandic man who was stuck working in a Viking-themed restaurant, whom they helped get out of his contract. There was a little girl who called them because she thought her house was haunted, and two other kids who couldn't find their way home. They even helped reunite a baby, that had been left in the park, with its Mother. He became such a popular figure in the neighborhood for being so polite and helpful, and everyone recognized him by his top knot; they started to call him the "friendly neighborhood Samurai", then finally just "the Samurai".
	Jack also made pretty good money on the job, and every paycheck he got, he would send a portion of it to his parents. Everything was going well, and Jack felt like he was truly making a difference.
	But then a series of disasters struck. First, Jack's parents stopped receiving the money he was sending; someone had been intercepting his outgoing mail, and the money was lost. Soon after, the precinct Jack worked for had a new commissioner: a crooked man, who obviously had ties to AKu. Jack and Scotsman were no longer praised for their hard work, instead being reassigned to focus on basic traffic violations, ticketing people, and generally doing what cops are despised for. As close as he and his partner were, Jack couldn’t do it anymore, and resigned from the force; Scotsman would've done so too, if not for the family he had to support (Jack still couldn't believe he was married, and had children too!).
	But Jack hadn't given up just yet. He still wanted to help his friends and neighbors, even without a partner or badge backing him up. During the day, he worked odd jobs for people he knew, and made enough money to live off of. But at night he would dress in all black, climbing across buildings and looking out for the criminals that cops were no longer pursuing. But even though he fought for justice, now he was on the opposite side of the law, and his vigilante behavior was noticed by AKu and the city government. They immediately launched a smear campaign, TV segments were aired every night and advertisements were plastered on every corner; the vigilante became public enemy number one. Jack managed to evade the law for about a year, until one night, Jack snuck into one of AKu's research buildings; apparently AKu-funded scientists had been experimenting on animals with dangerous chemicals, and he wanted to set them free. He managed to sneak past the security booth, and carefully worked his way through the buildings surveillance grid. He came to a large steel door, with a a key card reader to the left of it. Just then, he heard a security guard coming, so he jumped behind one of the large potted plants that lined the hallway. As he walked past, Jack reached out and snatched the keycard hanging from his belt. Once the coast was clear, he swiped it against the card reader, and he was in.
	The room was a large research lab with two long tables on both sides, and each was covered with glass beakers and measuring cups. Various papers were strewn about, listing off aspects of numbers and data that Jack didn't understand. But then he noticed at the end of the room, separated by a wall of glass, three goats sleeping soundly. There was no door to access their confinement, but Jack saw a button on a pedestal near the glass. Holding his chin in contemplation, he reasoned that it was the way to open the glass wall. A little wary, he pressed the button; but instead of the glass wall opening like he had hoped, three vents opened up on the back wall behind the glass, and a strange colored gas started to pour into the goat's chamber.
	Realizing his mistake, he started pressing the button again and again to try and stop the fumes, to no avail. What he failed to notice was the three goats started to stir. They had awoken, and they clearly weren't happy. They started rampaging around inside the containment area, but they soon became aware of Jack's presence. While he was sifting through papers trying to find a way to stop what he started, the goats ran right through and shattered the glass barrier, heading right for him.
	With only a second to spare, he leapt onto the table to his right. The goats rammed the table, knocking it over, forcing Jack to leap over them to the other side of the room. He had to get out, but the heavy steel door was closed, and he could bet the raging animals weren't about to give him the chance to open it. He grabbed a handful of beakers, and tossed them all over the room, hoping to distract the creatures. When that failed, he realized he had no choice but to fight back, so he started throwing them AT the animals. One of the beakers had liquid in it, which splashed over the eyes of one of the goats. It ran around in a frenzy, knocking over another goat before ramming itself unconscious against the steel door. The third goat finally knocked over the table Jack was standing on, and he landed hard on the floor near the shattered glass barrier. The goat charged, and Jack reached for anything, and ended up grabbing a dagger-shaped shard of glass. The goat pounced, and Jack struck it with the piece of glass right in its throat. It shrieked in pain, and blood shot out from the wound. At this point, the other two were getting up, and ready to go at it again, but Jack was too quick. He slit the throat of the second that dare approach him, and tackled the last one, driving the shard into the top of its head.
	It stopped moving, so he removed his weapon and stood up, panting, covered in goat blood. He stayed like this for a good minute before he came to his senses. Jack looked down at the dead animals, and realized what he had done. He dropped the bloodied shard, and fell to his knees, staring at his red-stained hands. What had overcome him, how could he harm these innocent creatures? He didn't react when armed security started pouring into the scene, screaming at him to put his hands up. He made no attempt to resist, and was taken into custody.
	Jack was charged with breaking and entering, attempted burglary, and destruction of private property. The arrest and subsequent trial were all over the local news: the renegade ex-cop who killed animals. AKu himself backed the prosecution, citing that the "Samurai" was no longer a part of HIS police force, and that he should be considered a dangerous criminal and put away for life. But Jack was still well-known and loved by many, and he was backed by his past actions, and Scotsman gave a boisterous testimony on his behalf. It was then found out that the fumes that were released in the containment area of the lab were pheromones that propagated aggression in animal's brains, which is why the goats attacked Jack in the first place. On top of that, Jack himself had been breathing them in after the barrier was broken, and they attributed that to his violent reaction. With those factors in place, the jury found him not guilty and he was free to go.
	But the damage was done. AKu had denounced the Samurai as a menace to society, and association with him became a negative stigma. Scotsman never cared about what people thought, but everyone Jack would turn to for labor no longer wanted him working for them, for fear of their families or businesses being ostracized. The only place Jack could work was a run-down supermarket that barely paid minimum wage. The hours were long, the conditions were lackluster, and the customer base was needy and rude. And with tax hikes and an ever-inflating cost of living, bills started piling up.
	But his difficulty making ends meet barely mattered to Jack anymore. The man who arrived here four years ago, looking to make a difference, was a shell of his former self. He was no longer helping his parents, his neighbors had shunned him, and AKu continued to expand his influence. He let his hair grow out, and he neglected to shave; probably for the best though, as his old appearance would only isolate him now. He no longer wore the sword charm his Father had bestowed upon him, and now kept it with his old drawings of the fantasy he once tried to fulfill. What a foolish Samurai he had been.
	He had failed. There was no hope.
	His life now consisted of an endless cycle of eating, sleeping, and working. The days bled into each other, and the only time he would break that cycle was when Scotsman would drag him out to bars on weekends to try and cheer him up, while also chewing his ear off about his own life. Tonight was one of those nights, and everything from the point Jack woke up until now was a blur. They were sitting at a table in Jack's favorite bar, though that hardly mattered to him at this point.
	“Da Samoorai's Pad”, a moderately-sized building, run by an energetic, posturing black man. They found him initially, strutting about the neighborhood calling himself, "Da Samoorai", boasting about how tough he was. Scotsman hated how he seemed to be cutting in on his friend's reputation, but Jack found it somewhat endearing. After saving him from a gang that had threatened him, Jack talked to him about how the true path of a Samurai was not being a show-off. Soon after, he opened up the bar downtown, named after the persona he had given up. "Sam", as they grew to call him, became the bartender, and would always give Jack and Scotsman a drink on the house whenever they came in.
	Jack wasn't much of drinker; he usually preferred tea, and this was one of the only bars that still served it at the late hours. But these days, you couldn't find him at a bar without a drink in hand. He was really putting them away, and Scotsman joked that if jack kept it up he would look just like him—only less handsome, he admitted.
	Tonight, Scotsman was going on about something that happened at his family dinner that evening, and Jack was listening with general apathy. He spoke between spouts of laughter, "...and then...the haggis flew across the room, and slammed against the wall! Oh, me wife was furious, but then Flora shouted, 'Mum, do you see? Sheep don't fly...but their stomachs do!' AHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!" He wiped a tear from his eye, "HOOOOO, I swear, that girl is gonna be the death'a me one day. But I love her so much, she's a chip off the ole' block, eh!?" Jack nodded weakly, with a dismissive "hm" in response.
	That was it for Scotsman, time to let him have it. He slammed his palms on the table to make sure he had Jack's attention, which he now did.
	"ALRIGHT, LISTEN HERE YOU JAKEY DOBBER NYAFF! I'VE HAD IT WITH YER DOATY MINCE-TALKIN' SCHTICK YOU GOT GOIN'! THIS AIN'T THE MAN I WORKED WITH FOR TWO YEARS, DOIN' THE BEST DAMN POLICE WORK THIS CITY AIN'T NEVER SEEN! INSTEAD'A SITTIN' HERE, MOPIN' ABOUT LIKE A CLYTHE-DREEP-BACHLE JESSIE, LISTENIN' TO ME GO ON ABOUT ME LOVIN' FAMILY, WHY DON'T YOU GO OUT, FIND YERSELF A HEALTHY LASS, AND MAKE ONE'A YER OWN!?" He started walking towards the bathroom; "NOW, I'M GOING TO THE PISSER, AND WHEN I GET BACK, I BETTER SEE YOU ON THE ARM OF A NICE BONNIE LASS, OR I'LL RIP OF YER BAW, DRAIN IT INTO A MARTINI GLASS AND MAKE YOU DRINK IT!!" He was about to slam the bathroom door, but poked his head out first to yell, "OR A HANDSOME FELLA, I DON'T CARE! JUST FIND SOMEONE!!" and THEN he slammed the door.
	Jack sighed deeply, his friend was right. He was getting nowhere anymore, especially with how he was acting. Maybe it was time to start dating? But he wasn't very experienced in that department, the fifteen years he spent on the road made it difficult to form lasting relationships with people he met, ESPECIALLY girls. He had a hard enough time dealing with puberty, which hit him like a ton of bricks. He had zero sexual experience, at least with other people. The day he discovered masturbation was mortifying, and it made for a weird couple of days in the RV.
	Even still, Jack felt his ideals about sex and relationships were vastly different from popular opinion. He felt sex was something sacred, but most guys made it their mission to have as much of it as they could get, regardless of how they felt about the woman they did it with. And girls, too. They dressed in skimpy outfits, inviting these misogynists to ogle and woo them. Men were using them, and they were willing! Jack thought it was deplorable how promiscuous everyone was.
	He looked around the bar and saw all of the types he despised. Hyper masculine boys, chugging cheap beer and high-fiving each other. And the girls, sitting in their little cliques, yammering on about petty things with their overly-sweet cocktails...except for one.
	She sat by herself at one of the high tables, a light beer in front of her. Facing away from him, her black hair was pushed back and upwards, like she was falling straight down. She wore modest clothes, a pair of tight jeans and a leather vest over a low-cut tee.
	Jack was fixated on her. She reminded him of someone, but he couldn't quite remember who. He thought he should go talk to her, but worried his unkempt appearance might scare her off. But remembering his friend’s “motivational” words, he finally decided to go for it. Not like he had anything to lose at this point anyway.

																			—END CHAPTER 2—

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