Blackjack Messiah

by Ben Bequer

  “She’s tagged,” Dixie said. “This is going to feel uncomfortable.”

  I had felt Dixie’s powers on a couple of levels, and regardless of whether it was a help or a hindrance, it was always unsettling. This was no different as the world around me narrowed and lost detail. Stranger still was the way it regained substance at certain points, small blips of clarity on the surreal canvas until a swell of reality coalesced on the tall L shaped light mounted on the “Free Faller” ride. She stood there for a couple of seconds, taking stock of the fight.

  “I got her,” Invictus said.

  “Everyone play it cool,” I said.

  “Dixie, Nina, go to Roy, act like he’s dead,” Powermaster said. “Shadowshaft, be ready.”

  I got ready by looking around like an idiot. I was incapable of losing sight of Whisper because Dixie’s power rendered every place she wasn’t standing a fuzzy mess. Dixie and Nina were beside Roy who gasped into his comms while babbling a mixture of English and Filipino curse words. My eyes drifted back to Whisper’s position. She knelt low, and my zoom caught her vicious little smile. Powermaster must have seen it too because he fired a dual handed blast at her.

  The light exploded and though Whisper was dazed, she managed to hit the ground gracefully. I had another explosive arrow nocked, but I also had an easy kill shot. I could put the arrow through her eye and save the rest of the world a lot of trouble, but I was pretty sure the others wouldn’t appreciate that. Well, Bajeera might, which was all the more reason I put the arrow two feet from her. The explosion tore up more huge chunks of concrete and dirt and buckled the “Free Faller’s” metal supports. I heard some dangerous metal creaking before it settled.

  The world went fuzzy again as Dixie’s power kept a hold on my eyes, but my vision only cleared as I peered back towards the midway. Invictus cleared the space between us and the “Free Faller” fast, but the zoom on my goggles already told me what he’d find. “No blood, no guts, no limbs. She got away without a bruise.”

  “It’ll have to do,” Powermaster said. “Come on back, Invictus.”

  Dixie’s effect receded and the world was normal again. We took quick stock of our situation. Roy sat patiently as Dixie used her power to knit his wound. Her fingers probed the slashed leather, looking for more signs of injury, and satisfied, she nodded. He got to his feet without help but was still wobbly. I looked at the copious amounts of blood. “Roy, you ok?”

  He was bent over, hands resting on his thighs. Sweat dripped through his close-shaven hair and his breathing was still ragged. He stayed like that another minute, and I was about to speak again, but Nina shook her and I kept quiet. He picked up the bow and stood. “I’m fine. Let’s see you get stabbed and look half as good.”

  He joined Powermaster, who drew the rest of us in with a nod. I had to peel my eyes from the large spot of blood baking in the late day sun. Dixie’s power healed the wound, but Red Quiver was at least one pint under suggested operating levels. He was probably tired and dizzy, along with the residual pain of being gutted. That didn’t just go away.

  "She's over there, boss," Invictus said, pointing further into the fairgrounds. "I see her chilling."

  "Take it easy," Powermaster said.

  "Easy my ass," Invictus said. "She's hurt a ton of people here and you want me to be considerate? Fuck that, boss. I get close; she's going to need busted-head surgery."

  "Invictus, don't be such a guy," Nina chided.

  "She tried to kill Roy, dammit! Someone fucks with your team, you fuck with them. Am I right, Shadowshaft?"

  "Everything alright?" Powermaster said, noting my concentration.

  “No way she did this by herself,” I said. “She rabbited to the end of the midway. I can’t zoom that far, but my gear is picking up multiple infrared hits.”

  “How many?” Dixie said.

  I shook my head and shrugged, hoping that would be answer enough.

  "Let's move in slowly," Powermaster said, leading the team down the arcades. "Keep an eye out for her, or anyone else she's with.”

  We continued through the midway, passing the carnival games. Here and there, we stopped by someone lying on the floor. Most were dead, but the few Dixie was able to help stumbled towards the exit or found places to bunker down and wait. By the time we reached the ramp leading to the big rides, the count was thirty-seven.

  The All-Stars were a quiet bunch as we left the midway behind. In front of us was a bridge over a small flowing river, and a long ramp that led to the backside of the fair, where the large roller coasters were located. As we reached the top of the ramp, we saw the rest of the Kansas City Fair. Framed against the massive Ferris wheel, the fair’s signature ride, was a 15-meter mecha with multiple weapon sponsons aimed in our direction. I identified it instantly, my brain working faster than the suit’s recognition software.

  It was Ausführung.

  Made by a neo-Nazi high-school dropout in his garage, Ausführung was originally designed as a personal suit of armor with the intention of protecting the wearer as he robbed local Boise, Idaho banks. Now in its twentieth or thirtieth iteration, Ausführung sported the latest tech and weapons and was a lumbering juggernaut of death and mayhem, powerful enough to take on top-tier super-groups like Battle and the Revolution.

  “Oh holy fuck,” I said.

  I've fought mecha robot things before, but never one quite like this one. The straked armor plates, large with raw, sharp edges, and the old, weathered paint was more reminiscent of a WW2 German tank, ugly and jagged. The weapons, though, were another thing entirely, modern and glistening. On the right wrist was a M-134 minigun, capable of sending 6,000 rounds down range at 2,800 meters per second. On the left wrist, it sported a chainsaw-weapon that spun so fast the links glowed. On the shoulders, though, were the heavy hitters; a rack of TOW missiles, set 4x4 on the left, and a full-sized GAU-8/A Avenger mini-gun like the one on the A-10 Thunderbolt, with 30mm depleted uranium rounds that could pierce a couple of inches of modern armor at this range.

  Things slowed as if someone had stopped time, and I could see the barrels of the Avenger starting to spin. Ausführung was bringing up its fists, aiming them at us and a second later I saw sparks light up along the backside of the TOW missile stack. A barrage of missiles and small bits of flying metal bore down on us, and all I could think to do was to grab the two closest people, Nina and Roy, and shield them with my back. I could take a couple of those shots, but it was silly to think we weren’t all about to die.

  The air screamed behind me and I was sure it was Ausführung’s artillery killing my team, but Nina wrapped tight against my chest, pushed her way out of my grip, a blue-white glow reflected in her eyes. “Terry, I never knew. Holy shit.”

  I looked over my own shoulder and was nearly blinded. Powermaster stood in front of us, outstretched arms looking faintly like a football referee signaling a good field goal. He normally focused blasts through his hands, but his entire body was the conduit, creating a wide area that destroyed everything in its path. We all huddled behind him as rockets and bullets flew around him unscathed. Not a single one touched us.

  It was hard to see past Powermaster’s blast, but I did see a portion of Ausführung’s armor explode and the firing halted. Powermaster stopped firing, falling to one knee wreathed in waves of power that looked ready to strike if we got too close. He turned to us, energy drowning out his eye plates and said, “Get to work.”

  Roy had an arrow nocked and ready to fire, but I held out a hand. “Let me. I can take a couple of shots from that arsenal. I’ll distract him while you guys work out the next move.”

  His frown cut deep lines along the edges of his face, but he was pale from blood loss and not looking much better than when he was bleeding out. I thought he might pull rank on me, but he handed me a bundle of arrows with bulbed tips. “Those are all my boomers. Show that bastard how we do things.”

  I nodded and took off at a run holding Roy’s arrows in the same hand as the
bow, firing one for each step I took until they were gone. I didn’t differentiate based on payload size, so the first arrow barely scratched the armor, while the second peeled a section of shoulder pad away with a blast I felt across the pond. Explosions pounded Ausführung, and though it didn’t react to any of the blasts visibly, those jagged shoulder pads opened a nice gash along the armor as they scraped their way down.

  “I pissed him off,” I said as it swiveled at the waist and brought weapons to bear on me. “Mission accomplished.”

  "Ready here," Invictus chimed on comms. He and Nina had gotten close to the edge of the bridge where the pond was narrowest. I was reaching for another arrow when I saw her get a hold of his costume and I knew what was coming. I barked a laugh into comms.

  "Go! We'll provide covering fire," Powermaster said.

  Nina chucked Invictus off the bridge across the pond. He landed far from Ausführung, but he ran at the giant mech howling at the top of his lungs, and it was clear that while he didn’t have super speed, he was faster than any normal human. Nina landed within feet of him, hitting the ground at a run. Invictus lapped her with ease, but she made up the distance with a super leap that put her a few feet ahead until he passed her.

  I powered the rocket boots, rising into the air. Instead of angling toward Ausführung, I went straight up, giving him another target. Powermaster’s first probing blasts peppered Ausführung’s back and shoulders as Invictus swung into the exposed joints along its lower legs. Nina took another big leap and landed near the swivel joint in the midsection and started swinging. I drew back my bow and let loose with a couple of impact arrows, and Roy joined in, using chaff arrows to obscure Ausführung's sensors.

  Ausführung froze for a moment, unsure which threat to address. His first instinct was to turn the GAU-8/A Avenger mini-guns in my direction. The sound of grinding metal pierced the air as a chainsword powered to life. Mounted on the underside of the mech’s right arm, it looked to swat at Invictus while keeping the mini-guns trained on me with the left arm. I fired all of my explosive arrows in rapid succession, desperate to keep its attention on me.

  "Oh, fuck," I managed as it opened up, sending a whirling hail of 30mm rounds in my direction. I powered my boots to fly defensively, but the thing tracked me and round after round tagged me full bore.

  My arrows struck at the most opportune time, as Invictus and Powermaster worked the same leg at different joints and Nina made headway through the armor in the middle. My arrows exploded high along Ausführung’s back, causing it to rock forward. Our combined efforts made staying upright impossible, and the robot tipped off balance. Unfortunately, several rounds caught me, destroying my boots and I fell out of the sky like a clumsy fool.

  "Shadowshaft!" I heard on comms. It was Nina's voice, crackled and spotty. I had no time to prepare. I waited for the dark earth to swallow me whole. Before I hit, there was a click, and my quiver exploded.

  I screamed, alive with flames, surrounded by them, unsure of what to do or where to go. Something in my rig had gone up and was burning me. The phosphorous arrow? I didn't have time to check. I was in agony. I rolled on the ground, patted my bum and lower back. My hand returned alight, also in pain.

  The small river was a few steps away, and I threw myself down the embankment. As I rolled into the cooling waters, I knew full well that phosphorus burns wouldn't be slaked by water, or by anything I had nearby. It was going to keep burning until it went out. The water was enough, though, calming the flames altogether. Not the phosphorous arrow, then.

  My rig was trashed, but I couldn't tell what was on fire and what was about to go up. I reached for my quiver but where it had been was a mass of melted plastic and aluminum. I tore it off, throwing the smoking pieces aside and moved to the edge of the embankment. I climbed up slowly as the rest of my gear went up, exploding at the bottom of the river and throwing a fifty-foot tall column of water all around me. I wiped my face and peeked out in the direction where I had seen Ausführung last. The big mech was trying to get up, down on both knees, with the whole of the All-Stars beating on it.

  Nina Haze pounded at one of the arms, bending and shredding metal plates. Powermaster was still on the bridge, peeling weapon systems off the mech with surgical application of his energy blasts. Dixie stood behind him, hand on his shoulder, and I knew he was seeing every weld and rivet with blinding clarity. Invictus was bathed in grease and hydraulic fluids as he worked his way up Ausführung’s joint structure, destroying every point of articulation he encountered. Roy knelt close to Powermaster and Dixie, watching their backs with a bulb-tipped arrow.

  By the time I ran over there, Nina had ripped apart the main compartment, revealing the pilot. It was some pasty-white guy, maybe thirty. "I have a bomb strapped to me!" he shouted, freeing himself from the harness and standing. He was tall and skinny, head shaved and bare arms loaded with tattoos of Nazi symbols. The All-Stars backed up reflexively, but I walked past them. I must've looked like Hell itself because the kid's mouth dropped.

  "Blow it," I said, squeezing my fists so hard the crack of my knuckles was audible.

  "Huh?" he said, his bravado faded. "I'll do it, you cuck!"

  "Go ahead," I said. "I want your body parts and blood all over me."

  The guy held up the detonator switch in his hand.

  “Do it,” I said. “I’m fucking begging you.”

  The kid's eyes opened wide with realization. He'd put a thousand rounds into me - bullets that would shred a modern tank - and I was standing in front of him slightly burned but otherwise unharmed. Realization lit his face, followed by fear.

  "Oh fuck," he whispered.

  I smiled, "Jail or do I have to wipe your brains off my face?"

  He handed me the detonator, but as he did a cold smile crossed his face. "You're so fucked," he whispered.

  I ripped the bomb rig off his body with as much pain as possible, then threw him off the demolished robot into Invictus’ waiting arms. Powermaster came over the embankment as I climbed off the mech. "Are you okay?"

  I leaned against one of the legs as Dixie gave me a bottle of water. "Tweaked the leg in the fall," I admitted. Dixie checked me out as the others caught their breath.

  “Not much I can do about the burns, but I dulled the pain. The leg feels fine. It shouldn’t be causing you any discomfort.”

  “It was caused by a weapon blessed by the gods,” I said with a raised eyebrow.

  “I hate magic,” Dixie replied, taking a sip from her own bottle.

  “Least your mask is still on,” Invictus said.

  “I don’t think that matters anymore,” Roy said. “See the way little Hitler looked at you?

  I nodded as the team gathered in a little semi-circle. “Should we ask him some questions?

  Powermaster shook his head. “There are still civilians trapped in here. That’s the priority. We’ll figure out the rest.”

  “Shit, it’s almost better if they do know who he is,” Invictus said. “No bow, no arrows, what the fuck is Shadowshaft going to do? Now, Blackjack? That guy’d fuck these posers right the fuck up.”

  Nina and Red Quiver nodded, and even Dixie shrugged as Invictus held out a closed fist that I bumped. Powermaster shook his head again, but I could tell his heart wasn’t in it. He was worried, and he was right to be.

  We handcuffed the kid to a large post and left him behind - we didn't have the manpower to leave someone to watch over him. He bitched and whined, which made it even funnier. Powermaster led us on, Invictus out front, his tetsubo ready. Beyond, we could see something obstructing the lights of the tall roller coasters that were in the final section of the fair. We had another bridge to cross, rising over the river which had snaked back in front of us. I didn't have my rig anymore, nor a shirt or most of my pants or boots. Red Quiver gave us the best view we could manage, firing a drone arrow that arced high into the next section.

  "There's a crowd over there," he said, viewing the signal through his eye reticle
. "A bunch of people on their knees, and some villains standing around them...and something huge. I can't ID it."

  "We should call for backup," Dixie said, sounding worried. Two villains had almost beat us silly.

  "I already did," Powermaster said. "But they won't be here for hours, so it's up to us."

  "How many civilians?" Invictus asked.

  "At least twenty people were on their knees."

  "Hate when villains use human shields," Nina said. "What's the play?"

  Powermaster patted my shoulder and walked past me, "We go see what they want."

  As we came closer to the bridge, we got a closer view of the huge thing, though it was still so far, and occluded by the night sky that we couldn't properly identify it. It was big and dark.

  "Could that be Shadowdream?" Nina said, but we all knew it wasn’t. Shadowdream was a shadow manipulator who could conjure large, nebulous objects. Whatever was back there was mechanical, with tightly defined lines and if anything, it looked like a huge UFO, blocking the way. It had a strange coloring or texture which absorbed the light in an unnatural fashion.

  "Want me to reconnoiter?" Red Quiver said, but as soon as he did, we saw Whisper, sitting on a tall curved light about a hundred feet from us with her leg swaying playfully. He drew an arrow and fired, but she easily avoided it and backflipped from one light to another. If any of us went ahead, she was going to tag them.

  "Let me," I said, knowing the only thing she could do was pester me.

  "Scared?" she shouted. "I'd be scared..."

  Whisper dropped to the floor and strolled away without a care in the world. She looked back and beckoned me with one finger.