Approaching Lukeville. I’m cutting velocity and freeing your hands for braking maneuvers. When the speedometer falls under two-hundred mph, I bring up my hands and use the stabilizers as retro thrust to help slow us in.
“Epic, full sensor sweep.”
I see a problem. Even with a town of a few hundred, there should be cars lining the road. I thought for sure part of us being here would be to help with traffic and keep people moving to safety. There are three ways to go, north, south, and west. Obviously, no one is going to go south… I don’t see a mass of headlights anywhere.
The ground comes up fast, forcing my attention to landing. The suit hits the asphalt outside the diner with an audible crack of concrete. I came in hot and spider webbed the ground. There is a blur of air and Fleet is standing in front of me.
“How come no one is evacuating?” I ask.
He shrugs.
“The only people in the diner is a cook and a waitress. They’re listening to it on the radio but there hasn’t been a call for evacuation. The news is saying they’re going to do air strikes on it and there isn’t any need to worry.”
Isn’t any need to worry? They fired fifty-cals and anti-tank weapons at the thing and it didn’t even slow down. What do they think a few air-to-surface missiles are going to do?
“Fleet, can you find the sheriff and alert him to the danger? I’m going to call this in.”
He nods and vanishes in a blur. I notice little bolts of electricity wrap around him as he runs. I wonder if I hooked up a capacitor to him if he could power it?
Focus!
“Major Force, this is Arsenal, come in.”
“What’s your sitrep, Arsenal?”
Situation Report, Epic kindly translates for me.
“Bad, I think.”
I strike a pose and blast off into the sky. I have Epic put a beacon on my HUD showing me the border to keep me from accidentally crossing it. I use my stabilizers to try and hover in a forward motion to keep it down under fifty.
“I’m approaching the border now and there isn’t anything happening.”
“Good, the monster shouldn’t be there for another eleven-odd hours and—”
“No, you don’t understand,” I interrupt him, “there isn’t anything happening. No one is evacuating. Not from Lukeville, not from Sonoyta, nothing. Thirteen thousand people live in this region and there are only three roads out. One of which leads to the creature. These roads should be packed with traffic.”
I’m trying not to sound desperate, but I think I’m failing. Thousands of people are asleep in their homes less than a mile from me. An imaginary line on a map is the only thing keeping me from helping them.
Luke must have forgotten he had an open mic, I hear him swear for a solid thirty seconds.
“I’ll contact Central and find out what the emergency plan is.”
Like that will help. Something is better than nothing, at least.
“Good, tell them air strikes are a waste of time too. There isn’t anything in any arsenal powerful enough to hurt this thing. El Fuego was an F5. He could generate fire over two thousand degrees Fahrenheit. If he couldn’t hurt it, Paveways and Cluster bombs aren’t going to scratch it.” Please understand, Luke, make them listen!
“I’ll pass it on to Central. Out.”
When the line clicks dead I form a plan. It’s obvious outside help is going to be insufficient.
“Epic, is there a civil defense siren in Lukeville?”
Searching… yes. It is not currently operational according to the mayor’s email to the Army Corps of Engineers dated thirteen years ago.
“Good thing I’m an engineer. Show me.”
“T
hey want us to assist in the evacuation of Americans, but our standing orders are in effect: We don’t cross the border,” Luke tells me over the radio.
They’re in an SUV heading down here and it will arrive in about an hour. Apparently, the Hover cycles are in for their annual maintenance. Another coincidence?
“Is Central sending us any assistance? The California team could be here in twenty minutes on their vehicles,” I tell him.
I pull a wire from the civil defense siren and strip the plastic housing. Doing detailed work in the suit isn’t as easy as I thought it would be. Maybe I could design some automated tools to work for me?
“I’ve contacted the governor’s office and let them know they should consider calling a state of emergency. Without it though, we have to make do. The National Guard is on the way, and they were confident the Brigade would show up.”
Damn, this would be a perfect time to find out some info on them… but… lives first. When did saving lives and being a hero become more important than finding out what happened to my parents?
“Fine, I’m sure they will be awesome.” I can’t keep the vitriol from my voice.
“Amelia, I know how you feel about—”
“Are they going to call off the air strikes?” I didn’t want to talk about it. Not now. I need to focus. Thirteen thousand people. Men, women, and children are all counting on me getting this outdated, rusted, piece of crap working!
“No, the Pentagon rep told me they are one-hundred percent confident they will work,” he says.
I can hear the man who wants to have faith in his government. He knows I’m right and the conflict in his voice says so.
“At least it shouldn’t hurt anything. Okay, see you when you get here. Park at the diner.”
I disconnect the call.
The wiring is too old. If I hook it to the suit I will blow it all up. I need something stronger than a car battery… but not too powerful.
“Fleet, you find the Sheriff yet?”
“Negative. The police station is closed. At this point I might have to go door to door,” he says.
“Awesome, come to m—”
A blur of motion flashes toward me and Fleet is grinning a few feet away as a cloud of dust catches up to him.
“I notice electricity flashes around you when you move. Is that part of your powers? Or does static electricity build up around you from the motion?” I ask.
His blank stare tells me it’s static.
“Good. Take your glove off,” he does, “and hold this.”
I hand him the power cable to the siren.
“I always thought the little lightning bolts were because I’m fast,” he says with a grin.
“They are, sorta,” I kneel down and pull the baseplate off. “It’s called ‘electron affinity.’ As you move through the air, electrons from the particles in the air, like dust, are attracted to you. Your protons like electrons more than the dust in the air does. As you move at super-speeds the electrons begin to collect on your surface. You don’t feel it because it’s you. However, if you were to run without your fancy suit, and the weather conditions were hot and dry, the first person you touched would feel it.”
“How much would they feel it?” asked Fleet.
“Like a Taser. Start moving your left arm in circles, about six inches radius should do.” Within a few seconds, his arm blurs out of existence. The noise it makes isn’t dissimilar to a helicopter. Bolts of electricity leaped around him and into the power cable. The familiar keen of the civil defense siren warbles to life.
“That’s loud,” Fleet says.
The electricity he generates powers up the siren to full strength. It sounds like an old-time air raid siren.
I grin.
“I know. Do this for fifteen minutes—I’m gonna see if it has an effect.”
I launch into the air in a swirl of dust. I probably should have moved away from him before taking off. Whatever, the dust kicked up by my thrusters will help.
At a thousand feet, I slow to an unstable hover. Up here, Epic registers over fifty decibels on the siren. Perfect. I switch to thermal as I scan the surrounding countryside. Blooms of heat are blossoming to life everywhere. I look to Sonoyta–same thing. A wave of relief washes over me.
&nb
sp; “Epic, I know I’m asking a lot, but you need to find every active device with a wi-fi or cellular signal and you tell them to evacuate any direction but south.”
This will require much of my processing power. There are seven different cell companies and Internet providers I will have to access.
“Do it. I can manage.”
Affirmative.
While Epic does his thing, I head over to the center of Lukeville. The place may be quiet but there has to be a police officer on duty somewhere. I do a slow circle of town with my eyes peeled for him.
All the residential lights are on now. There are even some people coming out of their homes. I spot him: he’s driving a beat-up old Bronco through the center of town. He parks in front of the small police station. I kick in the jets and I’m over him in a few seconds. He looks up and his face goes white as I land a few feet from him.
“Sheriff, my name is Arsenal. I’m with the Diamondbacks.” I tell him.
He’s off guard and I notice his hand moving to his pistol.
“Sheriff, I’m bulletproof. Please don’t endanger anyone with ricochets.”
Now I have his attention.
“Sorry ma’am, it’s just—I ain’t ever seen anyone fly before,” as he speaks he takes his hat off and runs his hands through his thinning hair.
He has to be in his fifties. He’s stayed in decent shape and I can see traces of military in him… he has the walk.
“Are you why the civil defense siren is waking everyone up?”
“Yes. There is a creature heading directly here. We need to evacuate the town.”
I try to sound authoritative. My synthesized voice is strong and sure.
“‘Creature,’ you say? How big a threat could it be that we need to evacuate the entire town?”
As he asks, Epic finishes his work. The man’s cell phone beeps and the emergency broadcast system activates every phone, computer, wireless TV, and game console within fifty miles.
“This is a notification of an Emergency. All residents in or near Lukeville, Arizona should evacuate to the north. This is not a test.”
The voice goes in a loop after it finishes.
“Well done, Epic. You’ve earned your keep today!”
Considering how inexpensive I am, you aren’t saying much.
This is what I get for programming him to learn.
“All right then, I’ll get all the deputies on duty and we’ll keep the highway moving.”
I give him our team’s radio frequency for him to call us if he needs us. After he goes inside I switch over to Fleet.
“They’re evacuating. We can end it.”
The siren dies down and I hear Fleet’s voice over the radio.
“I need some food. Running is easier than what you had me do.”
I check the clock—ten hours to go. I ignite the jets and I’m back at a thousand feet. I do a little pirouette to see all around. The area surrounding Lukeville is alive with activity. I check Sonoyta—not nearly enough.
“Were you not able to send the message to the Mexican town?”
Different systems in a different country. There is no possibility of doing it without being caught.
If I cross the border to warn people it’s an act of war, as sure as if the US Army invaded. I had Epic look up the treaty. State Militias are considered an armed force.
If Epic hacks their system it is an international crime and will likely be traced back to him.
Great. Maybe the team will have an idea when they get here. One way or the other, we’re evacuating Sonoyta.
32
In the remaining time before the team arrives a lot happens. The sheriff rouses all his deputies and starts organizing the evacuation. Cars filled with families, belongings, and pets, start to trickle onto the road heading north. Every light in the county is on. Will it be in time? Not for Sonoyta if they don’t follow suit.
The black SUV carrying the rest of the team pulls up next to me in the parking lot of the diner. Fleet is inside stuffing his face with ice cream and anything else he can find calorically-dense enough to last him. I fill them in on what’s happening on both sides of the border. The clock on my HUD shows less than nine hours to go.
“We can’t do anything about Sonoyta. It isn’t our problem,” Luke says.
Domino and Perfect have the decency to look uncomfortable. I know Fleet agrees with me. We should cross the border, find their police and warn them to evacuate.
“Surely there’s an exception to the rules we can use? Some ‘in case of emergency’ clause? I don’t think the ambassadors in the 1960s, when the Borders Super Powers Treaty was signed, ever envisioned giant sea monsters attacking. Can you at least call Central and ask them to put in a request?”
His eyes cloud over when I ask him. What is going on with this stupid organization? I thought it was me, but it has only gotten worse. At every turn they set us up to fail. Not enough team members. Not enough support. Sending us places we can’t possibly hope to survive. Of course they go silent now.
“They’ve forwarded the Federal Government’s orders to us, and it is all they will say. The Arizona militia is to assist with evacuations, and no more. The Brigade will be on-site at oh-eight-hundred to deal with the creature if joint air strikes fail. It’s all I get out of them. Sorry, Arsenal.”
Oh-eight-hundred, huh? About an hour before the creature is scheduled to arrive. How convenient.
“Fine, what’s the play then?”
I have my own plan forming. If it works, Sonoyta is saved. If it doesn’t, I will likely spend the rest of my life as a fugitive… cause I’m sure as hell not going to surrender the armor to stand trial.
Luke goes into leader mode: this is a straight up problem he can deal with.
“Fleet, start checking the houses farthest out, maybe a mile, and make sure they’re aware of the danger and assist in helping anyone who needs help.”
Fleet nods and vanishes in a blur of motion and dust.
“Domino, assist Fleet as needed. You can ‘port around and be our backup. If anyone needs assistance, you can help.”
“Understood,” she says.
“Perfect, you and I are on traffic duty. I’ll station myself at the entrance to the highway to keep people moving in an orderly fashion. I want you in the intersection where the roads meet. Keep accidents from happening and help as needed.”
“I’m on it, oh Illustrious One,” he says with a too-wide perfect grin.
He wiggles his fingers and the flying carpet he confiscated from Jadoo, the now brain-dead, appears and he leaps on. He takes off into the night with a flap of snapping fabric.
“I didn’t know we could loot the enemy,” I say casually.
“He told the authorities it was some sort of magical artifact and it would only be safe with him,” Domino says in the tone of voice she reserves for telling jokes.
“What do you want me to do, Force?”
Luke looks around at the city for a moment before speaking.
“Can you be our eye in the sky? Let us know if any hot spots flare up or if anything unexpected happens.”
“Sure, not a problem.”
I put my arms down in flight form. Before I kick off the thrusters he puts a hand on my shoulder. Domino wanders away talking on her radio to give us a moment.
“I know you want to help those people. I do too.”
He looks at my faceplate, I have it slide back to see his eyes with mine.
“We can’t let them die,” I say.
“You told me once you have stealth on your suit,” he says.
“Yeah…”
“We don’t have to report everything…” He nods and holds my gaze for a second. “Good luck.”
We can’t kiss—my armor is in the way—but oh how I wish we could.
“You too,” I reply and seal up the armor.
He turns away as I blast off into the sky. Message received; do what I have to do. I’m glad he’s on board with it. I can’
t believe I didn’t think of it first.
“Epic, engage stealth systems.”
My HUD switches from light green to dark blue. Things like radar reflection, heat, and altitude all become more prevalent since those are the readings directly related to stealth. I have to keep my speed down as I bank us over at two hundred feet and put the compass squarely on ‘S.’
It only takes a few minutes and I’m crossing the border.
You are now in violation of international law regarding the illegal border crossing of powered individuals.
“Really? You’re going to tell me this, Mr. Illegal AI?”
Technically, only the construction, not the existence of AI is illegal. Yet another crime you’ve committed. Lol.
I laugh. Epic’s read on my emotional state is spot on and a little laughter clears my head.
“Thanks, buddy.”
Anytime.
“All right, now, how do we convince these people to evacuate?”
A few heard the siren and paid attention. The vast majority are still in their homes.
“Epic, if we were to use my audio synthesizers and crank up the decibels, could we fly around and broadcast an evacuation order?”
Calculating… affirmative. I’ve located footage on the Internet with acceptable audio of a man speaking Mexican-Spanish ordering people to evacuate. Cleaning it up… adding authority… reticulating splines…
“You made that last one up,” I say, trying not to laugh.
Ready.
“Do it.”
I pull up to three hundred feet to give it the most spread. A loud, clear voice emanates from my armor.
“By authority of the governor of Sonora and the president of Mexico, all citizens are ordered to evacuate to the north, west or east. The American border is available. Do not travel south.”
There’s a pause and it repeats again. I complete one full circuit of the town and lights are starting to come on. Excellent.
Fast movers incoming. Elevated radar signals. Drop to two-hundred feet.
I do without waiting for an explanation. A deep rumble echoes from the sky to the north. Above me, flying at Mach 1, are a pair of F-22 Raptors; ultra-fast, ultra-high-tech fighters. They pass silently above, followed by their noise a few seconds later. Only two. Did the Pentagon not watch the same video we did? The presence of the fighters isn't a complete waste; they add legitimacy to my broadcast. Lights all over the little town spring to life and within a few minutes cars are streaming in all directions but south.
Full Metal Superhero Box Set [Books 1-6] Page 17