Liberty
Page 18
‘No,’ Andrea snapped. ‘You’re here to face me. You’re not going to mess with her again.’ She walked closer to the preacher, stopping at arm’s length from him. ‘Come on, I’m the Avatar of Shadows. I’m the best example of something demonic you’ll ever lay eyes on. That won’t just break you in half and eat you anyway. Cast the demon out of me, Jonas Harrison. Every crook in Churchton is praying for you to succeed. Do it.’
He did not look entirely confident as he reached out his hand and laid it on Andrea’s head. ‘Brothers and sisters, join me,’ he intoned. ‘Join me in my hardest trial. Pray to the Lord Almighty that this, our sister, might be cleansed of evil. Amen!’
‘Amen!’ chorused the audience.
Andrea’s eyes widened and she took a step back. Harrison’s face split into a grin of triumph. ‘See! See how the Lord–’
‘Only kidding,’ Andrea said, and the central portion of the stage fell into complete darkness. A shriek came out of that darkness, and then the big spots were back, showing Andrea smiling at an open-mouthed, shocked Harrison. He shook his head as though clearing it and stepped away from Andrea, still looking confused. ‘I think it’s time you met someone else who wants to talk to you,’ Andrea said. Then she closed her eyes.
A few feet away, Heather did the same, and she covered Jolene’s eyes just in case the girl had forgotten. Light blazed from above and Cygnus came down from the lighting rig, a shimmering silver goddess, or maybe an angel in human form. About half the audience fell back into their seats, some slipping to the floor or their knees. They were all wearing stupid smiles as the awe of seeing a Guardian hit them. Others fell to their knees too, but their faces showed something more akin to devotion.
Harrison abased himself before Cygnus as she finally landed and the glow backed off to something more like a shimmering aura tight against her body. ‘Get up, idiot,’ Cygnus said. ‘I don’t want your worship.’ Her speaking was a signal and Andrea opened her eyes. She had to admit, Cygnus in full-on Guardian mode was pretty impressive.
‘Oh, wow,’ Jolene said, her voice low, as she saw Cygnus standing there beside the preacher.
Harrison looked up and Cygnus went on. ‘If God gave you your powers, preacher, then he gave every Ultra their powers. You’re just another Ultrahuman with no more right to spread God’s word than I do, or Twilight has. For what you’ve done, I’d happily take your powers away, but you could actually be useful. There are Ultras who would be better off without their powers, even if temporarily. And you can heal. Because of that, you get to keep what you have. But this…’ She waved her arms out, encompassing the hall and the people. ‘This self-aggrandisement ends now. You were just a con man before you got your gifts, and you’re just a con man now. The difference is that you actually believe your own lies. If I ever hear of you spreading those lies again, I’ll come find you, and I’ll show everyone that you are no servant of God, Jonas Harrison. Do you understand me?’
‘Yes,’ Harrison said, bowing his head. ‘I do understand. Yes.’
‘Good.’ Cygnus’s gaze swept over the crowd, most of whom were still lying on the floor having some sort of ecstatic episode. ‘Let’s get out of here. I need a shower.’ She swept upward without another word.
Andrea stepped up to put a hand on each of Heather’s and Jolene’s shoulders. ‘Couldn’t have put it better myself,’ she said. Then darkness enveloped them, and when the light returned, the only person on the stage was Jonas Harrison.
1st May.
Jolene was back on duty at the restaurant in Eddyville, and she still had her telepathy. She was giving some thought to her future and had promised to call soon, once she had decided on what to do. Cygnus was walking in from delivering the girl back to her current home town when Denny piped up.
‘You have been receiving a number of messages on UltraNet since last night, Cygnus,’ the computer said. ‘It would appear that your performance at Mister Harrison’s event has had some lasting effect.’
Cygnus sagged a little as she walked into the lounge. ‘Oh.’
‘It was pretty amazing,’ June said. ‘Even watching on TV, it was pretty amazing. And that dress really does work for you, Andrea.’
‘Thanks,’ Andrea replied. ‘So what do these messages say, Denny?’
‘It would appear that a statistically significant portion of the audience last night now considers Cygnus to be an angel,’ Denny replied.
Cygnus let out a groan. ‘This is why I don’t use that aura much.’
‘Most are simply stating that they believed her words and are going to live better lives from now on, whatever that means. I have noted a small proportion as being especially fanatical in their devotion and will be keeping an eye on any future communications.’
June was grinning. ‘They just found out what I’ve always known. You’re a goddess in human form.’
‘Just be thankful you didn’t get the full effect of that aura,’ Cygnus replied. ‘You might really think I’m a goddess.’
‘I do, love,’ June replied, still smiling. ‘You’re my goddess. The rest of them can go take a number.’
Part Four: Iron Cap
Charleston, WV, 3rd May 2017.
Weston Carter had woken up in a field just west of Winchester, Kentucky. That had been four nights ago. As usual, he had had nothing with him. The clothes he was wearing barely fit since he had stolen the best he could find from washing lines. The sneakers he was wearing had come from a charity bin and they pinched his toes. But he was almost at his destination, for a given value of almost. If he kept pushing east, he could be in New Millennium City inside of two weeks, and that was fast enough. He would have four or five days to find Cygnus before there was another episode.
Right now, West was walking along the I-79 just east of Charleston with his thumb out. He was not especially hopeful, but someone might stop. Every lift cut time off his journey. Trucks were the best. Truck drivers seemed happy to have some conversation. West had got pretty good at talking without saying anything, which seemed to suit the drivers perfectly well. He was a little surprised when a sedan pulled to the side of the road just ahead of him. Not a truck, but maybe they could get him a few more miles down the road.
The passenger-side window rolled down as West approached it and he looked in to see an attractive woman in a white, kind of sheer blouse smiling from the driver’s seat. ‘You looked kind of forlorn walking along there,’ she said. ‘Where’re you headed?’
‘New Millennium City,’ West replied hopefully.
‘Well, I can get you as far as Andrews Field, or just outside. I think there are buses from there.’
West had no money for bus fair, but he knew Andrews Field was practically on the doorstep of New Millennium City. This would cut days off his journey! ‘That’d be great,’ he said. He heard the car’s locks disengage, opened the door, and stepped in. The locks clunked shut as soon as he closed the door. ‘Really, I can’t thank you enough.’
‘Don’t sweat it. You’re not a serial killer or anything, are you?’ She pulled out onto the freeway and the car rapidly picked up pace.
West thought about the people who had died in his episodes so far. He focused his attention on the road ahead. ‘No, ma’am. I’m West.’
‘I know you are,’ she said. There was a soft ‘thup’ sound and West felt an impact in his side. He looked down at the dart now sticking out of his abdomen, then up at the weird-looking handgun the woman was holding. ‘Just go to sleep, kid. It’s nothing personal.’
‘What…’ West began, but his vision was already narrowing. Before he could even focus his thoughts, he was asleep.
The woman pressed a button on her steering column with one thumb. ‘This is unit three to control. Over.’ She released the button and waited.
‘Unit three, report. Over,’ the voice issued from speakers in the car. It was, as usual, toneless and efficient.
‘Subject identified as codename Overpressure. Subject is subdued. Over.’
‘Understood, control. Unit three out.’ Demeter’s Temple was the codename for Andrews Field. It was six hours away. At least she had not lied to the kid when she had said she would get him there. It was just his final destination that would be changing.
Andrews Field, MD, 5th May.
Andrea seemed rather comfortable with meeting the President of the United States. There was a hint of rebellious youth about the confident way she sat on the sofa in the not-oval office, legs casually crossed and a cup of coffee in her hands. There was more Twilight there than Andrea, or some of Twilight’s lack of regard for authority had worked its way into Andrea’s personality. Cygnus was beside her, also confident but not in the same way. Cygnus just knew President Hart well enough to be confident in her presence.
‘When they build the new place,’ Andrea asked, ‘is there going to be an office which is oval? Or are they just going to call the main office the Oval Office no matter what shape it is?’
Hart gave a grimace. ‘I have no idea. They’re still working on the designs. They’re supposed to start construction at the end of July and we don’t have designs yet. Maybe the plan was a little too ambitious.’
‘Maybe, but we’re already building homes for the construction workers in Churchton, so I hope you’re not going to delay too much.’
‘Oh, we can’t delay. It’s a little like military contracts. We have to start on time, even if we have to demolish things and rebuild because the plans had to be changed part way through. I have absolutely no doubt we’ll end up having to make on-the-fly changes which will come back to bite us, and retrofit a load of things. It’ll be a mess, but this temporary solution can’t continue. Government needs to be seen to be operating, and a military base is not the place for that to happen.’
The president paused to sip her coffee and then went on. ‘Now, I asked Cygnus to bring you along for two reasons. Thank you both for dealing with the Jonas Harrison situation in a relatively subtle manner.’
‘On live TV is not subtle,’ Cygnus countered.
‘There was no violence. You showed him for what he was. Most importantly, I didn’t have to do anything. When he was finished with New Millennium, he would have come after me. It’s not really a secret that I’m not as religious as many of my predecessors in this position.’
‘The impression I get,’ Andrea said, ‘is that you don’t pretend as much as some of them. Or you’re less hypocritical. Whichever suits you.’
‘Perhaps. The noise over Kilmer’s crazier ideas and Captain Freedom’s betrayal stopped anyone from pushing the religious agenda in the last election. There has been more muttering about my level of faith since, and it’ll be a big talking point next election, I’m sure. If I’d had to intervene with Harrison, it would’ve been used against me. So, thank you. Second thing, China. You’ve been there. I’m not saying I don’t trust what the CIA analysts are saying, but I’d like to hear your impressions.’
Andrea paused, sipping coffee for a second and thinking. ‘It’s still chaotic, but the Republic is reasserting itself to some extent. I have, well, friends there. People I care about anyway. I drop by and check on them once in a while. Tibet is basically free of Chinese control now. The People’s Republic of China is now a band down the coast from Shandong province down to Guangdong province. That includes Hong Kong. The capital is now established in Shanghai and they have enough military power to hold what they’ve got, but nowhere near enough to re-establish their old territories. Most of the rest of the country is either independent and chaotic, or it’s been taken over by whatever authority can establish some level of control. Several areas are controlled by Ultrahumans with enough power to set themselves up as warlords, though some of them are fairly beneficent warlords. The region’s more stable than it was, but it’s still in flux.’
Hart nodded slowly. ‘That’s about what I’ve been told. China will be retaking their seat at the UN in the next few weeks. The analysts say they may put forward a case for UN intervention to stabilise the country under their control.’
‘I doubt that. If the UN goes in, it’s unlikely they’ll ever get out. Or the conditions the UN would set wouldn’t sit well with the surviving party members. They may ask for help with the Soviets. Rumour has it that there are Russian forces massing on the Siberian border.’
‘There are. We have evidence from satellite overflights.’
‘We probably don’t want that happening.’
‘No, we probably don’t. Is there anything the Union of Ultrahumans liaison would like to bring up?’ It was something of a formulaic question: Hart generally asked whether there was anything official Cygnus needed to say, and Cygnus generally did not.
‘Actually, yes,’ Cygnus said. ‘The Union wishes to express concern over the current handling of Ultrahuman criminals within the USA. Basically, no one knows where the inmates of the Fortress were sent, and no one knows where new convicted Ultras are going. There’s no oversight of how they’re being treated.’
Hart opened her mouth to reply and then closed it, frowning. She turned to the ever-present Delphine, standing by the door at parade rest. ‘Delphine? Do you know where they’re keeping them?’
‘No one has briefed me on the matter, Madame President,’ Delphine replied.
‘No, they haven’t briefed me either. I’ll look into it and get back to you, Cygnus. I’ll be political and suggest you let the Union Council know that the President of the United States shares their concern in the matter. Which I do personally as well. I haven’t had time to think about it. First hundred days was up on Sunday and I still don’t think I’ve got a handle on everything.’
‘That’s not uncommon, ma’am,’ Delphine stated.
‘Besides,’ Andrea said, ‘we’re talking about criminals. Whatever else a prison is for, we put them in there so we don’t have to think about them. Out of sight, out of mind.’
‘Perhaps,’ Hart said, ‘but in this case, “out of sight” has been taken to too much of an extreme.’
Iron Cap Black Site, WA, 6th May.
West blinked a couple of times and tried to make his vision focus. It was not easy. He was awake, but he felt fuzzy, disoriented. He was awake, but he still felt half-asleep. Still, he managed to resolve a white ceiling, and then he managed to sit up and take in his surroundings. There were blank, white walls to go with the ceiling, except where one wall had a mirror on it and door in it. There was a narrow bed, a washbasin, and a toilet. This was some sort of cell. How had he ended up in a cell? He could remember hiking out of Charleston, and then…
‘I am sure your memory is a little fragmented,’ a voice said. West looked up to see that the mirror was now a window and there was an old man behind it. ‘That will be the effect of the drugs.’
‘Who are you?’ West asked, his voice sounding thick in his ears. ‘Where am I?’
‘My name is Kopf. Where you are is… This place is very secret, Mister Carter. No one knows you are here and there is no way out. You will answer my questions, please. How do you trigger the explosive effect?’
West blinked once and tried the obvious reply. ‘I don’t know what–’
‘Please, Mister Carter. We know what you can do. We know the names of all the people you have killed with your Ultrahuman ability. How is it triggered?’
Curling up on the bed, West hid his face. ‘I don’t know.’
‘Come now–’
‘I don’t!’ West snapped. ‘The first time, I think that was anger. Or fear. So I avoided getting stressed or angry. It just happened anyway.’
Kopf nodded, even if West could not see him doing it. ‘I had concluded that stress might be a factor. You are being sedated to avoid triggering an explosion in this way.’ That explained the fuzzy feeling. ‘Your description may explain some of the data from your examination.’ Kopf seemed to be thinking alou
d more than talking to West now. ‘A build-up of cosmic energy over the course of several days… Yes, that might explain… I will return with more questions, Mister Carter. Get some rest. You will probably need it.’
The window turned silver again and Kopf was gone. West lay back down and closed his eyes. He had been so close! Another few days and he could have put an end to this entirely. At least, that had been the plan. Now… Now, he was not sure exactly what was going on, but he really doubted it was good.
Union of Ultrahumans HQ, Antarctica.
‘I’m a little worried about Brian.’
June glanced at Josie briefly. They were taking a break at the side of the training room having spent the last hour being tossed around the mats by various people. Josie had made something of a point of joining June. ‘Oh?’
‘He hasn’t been home, his home, in a while. He had a falling out with his father over Ultras. He’s been staying with me the whole time. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind waking up beside him every morning. He helps around the apartment. He’s started looking for a part-time job so he can help with rent and things. Which he doesn’t need to since my parents think he’s great.’
‘But?’ June prompted.
Josie grimaced a little. ‘He’s not really happy. I don’t think he misses his father much, but his mother and sister are different. He really misses his sister. I mean, I think the real reason he wanted to take on bad guys to begin with was to protect her. She’s a sweet kid. I just don’t know what to do.’
June frowned thoughtfully and sucked isotonic fluids in while she could. Master Niigaki was probably going to make sure she sweated it all out again soon enough. ‘The first thing to do is recon. I’ll talk to Twilight. She can watch them and see how they’re doing for a few nights. We’ll make a plan based on the results of the research.’
That prompted a giggle. ‘That sounds like a military campaign. Why are you in these classes again?’