Jack Strong: Dark Matter

by Heys Wolfenden

  Chapter Forty-Six: Space Burial

  Jack looked at Ros’ coffin. It was shaped like a silver torpedo.

  “He belongs,” he said in a loud, clear voice. “Not in the ground or in some dusty vault, but out there, in the cosmos. It’s what he would have wanted. He was the first friend I ever had, and the only one I needed. In many ways, he was more human than I, for he gave his life so that others could live. But tonight, there is a new star in the heavens; may it light the way for others when all other routes turn dark. We will remember you Ros.”

  Jack pressed a switch on the control panel and Ros’ coffin was propelled through a thin slit in the side of the spaceship. He watched the silver tube get smaller and smaller, until it was lost amid the stars.

  He looked at the tear-like device that Ros had left him. He still hadn’t opened it and listened to his message. He couldn’t, not now, not whilst the wound was still open, still fresh. Later, he thought, rubbing his eyes, when I’m stronger…

  He looked up at Gaz, Vyleria and Jorge. Gaz looked like he might have been crying. Vyleria and Jorge’s faces were like stones, blank and passive. They were still holding hands. I don’t need her anyway, he thought. Not now, not with the war against the Scourge. It would only complicate matters.

  “You requested an update on the Scourge,” he said, trying to look at no one in particular. “Well here it is, if you can stomach it. They control most of the galaxy now, and they have a foothold in umpteen others. And their numbers are growing. Only the outer rim of planets like Earth and Elaria remain, plus a few other civilisations that are barely beyond the use of tools. A veil of darkness is being drawn over the galaxy and our planets. We have to take the fight to them now, whatever the cost, and give Earth and the Asvari time to recover and rebuild. Vyleria, can you visit Elaria and get them to help us? We are going to need all the aid we can get if we are to persevere. The alternative is an eternity of darkness, of evil.”

  “Sure,” she said, looking more at Jorge than at Jack. “But I doubt they’ll listen, besides we don’t have any weapons…”

  “But you have to try,” he said. “We stand more of a chance with Elaria behind us and all our worlds together than if we stand apart.”

  “Fine, I’ll try, but what about Padget, Kat and Grunt? Why aren’t they responding to our messages? Why haven’t they returned?”

  “I don’t know,” he said. “I’m still trying to find out, but that will have to wait. The Scourge are our priority now, they’ll have to look after themselves. They have their own spaceships and they can find us at any time with their locator beacons.”

  “But what if…”

  “Vyleria, that’s enough,” said Jack, rubbing his eye again. “I’ve made my decision. If we go looking for the others it will give the Scourge the chance they need to attack Earth and Asvar. We have to give them more time.”

  “But what can we do? We only have one ship.”

  “We attack. Even if it’s hopeless, even if the odds are stacked against us. Each day we give our people is a small victory in a longer war.”

  “When do we attack then? Now?”

  “No.”

  “But you just said…”

  “Look Vyleria, we are going to be at war for a long time, maybe forever. That’s why it’s important to have some time to ourselves, a few hours of peace before the storm.”

  “He has a point, Vyleria,” said Gaz.

  “I suppose he does,” said Vyleria after a brief pause, before gazing into Jorge’s eyes for the umpteenth time that day. She’s addicted… “How long do we have?”

  “It’s nine p.m. now. We’ll attack at dawn.”

  “Where?” asked Jorge.

  “Anywhere they are. I’ll draw up a list of potential targets. For now, get some sleep and eat plenty of food; war stops for nobody, especially us. I’ll meet you back here at six o’clock sharp. Come fully armed, we may have to participate in some ground combat.”

  “Aye aye captain,” said Vyleria, storming away from him, Jorge following. What have I done to deserve her spite, her loathing?

  “Never mind, forget her,” said Gaz. Forget her? How can I? “She’ll come round eventually. I think she’s just angry at your change of roles. She used to call the shots, now you do. She knows you’re right, she just doesn’t want to admit it.”

  “Yes, I suppose so,” said Jack. “Get some sleep Gaz. You might not get some for a long time.”

  “Sure,” said Gaz, yawning. “What about you?’

  “I’m just going to finish up here first. I’ll get to work on those targets.”

  “Okay, see you tomorrow,” said Gaz, leaving the control room.

  Jack looked out one last time into the star-filled expanse. He couldn’t see Ros’ coffin anywhere. The galaxy felt a lonelier place without him.

  Chapter Forty-Seven: Adversaries

  Jack stared at the ceiling, eyes blank, mind a storm.

  He couldn’t sleep. How could he? Not now, not with everything that had happened. How would the war go? What could he do to beat the Scourge? His mind flicked through his options like the pages of a book. It was senseless, pointless. They couldn’t win. They were outgunned, outmatched and outnumbered by about a gazillion to one. But they had to fight, they had to. Everyone was counting on them, relying on their ability to hold back the night. His thoughts turned to Ros for a brief moment. I can’t do this. Not now, not with the world in my hands…

  He wished he had Vyleria back, the old one. The one whom he could count on, the one who would give a damn, about him, about the galaxy, about the rest of them. What had happened to her? Why had she changed? Why…

  Jack stared at the ceiling again. It was as blank and as non-descript as ever. He wasn’t going to sleep. Not now. Not ever. I may as well do something useful, he thought, jumping out of bed and walking through the door and out into the corridor.

  He paused outside a room a few doors further down. Someone else was in there. Playing a simulation, by the looks of it. For a second, he hoped that it would be Vyleria, but then he dismissed the idea. She was a few doors further down. With him. Jealousy fluttered its wings inside his chest, but he brushed it away like a wayward moth. Love? What use was that in a war?

  Jack walked through the door and out onto a field of grass. It was the greenest green he’d ever seen and up above was a tranquil blue sky, a few marauding clouds obscuring the sun like clumps of sheep. A hill rose ahead of him like a huge green wave, half of its face covered by a tree-lined beard. Then he heard the birds, singing loud and clear: starlings, chaffinches, sparrows and lapwings.

  Home.

  He hadn’t been here since… the attack… on Nevada… when my parents… but who?

  “Hey Jack, wanna play footie?”

  Jack spun round at once.

  “I couldn’t sleep either,” said Gaz. “Not with everything that’s goin’ on, if you know what I mean?”

  Jack glared at the boy who had made so much of his life so utterly worthless. Despite all that had happened, it was still strange to think of him as a friend. He still remembered beating him to death half a dozen times in his dreams. Was I really that angry? Yes… I was…

  “Jack, you look as if you’re ‘arf asleep. Are you sure you don’t wanna to go back to bed?”

  “I… err… no. I’m fine thanks. What are you doing here? This is my…”

  “It’s my home too, you know. You can’t hog all of Rockingdale.”

  “No… no, I suppose not,” said Jack. He did feel as if he was still in a dream. This was where they had fought, just over a year ago now, before he’d ran away bruised, battered and bloody. That was when the spaceship came for him, when everything changed, when he met Vyleria, Ros…

  And now what was going to happen? For half a heartbeat, a flicker of the old animosity surged in Jack’s veins and the temptation came upon him to brutally and mercilessly batter Gaz down, to make him feel weak, pathetic, vulnerable. To do to Gaz what he had so often d
one to him.

  He breathed.

  In. Out. In. Out.

  “Blimey you do look tired,” said Gaz, gawping at him.

  “No, no I’m fine,” said Jack, emerging from his fever dream. “Fancy a game of footie?”

  “Yeah sure, that’s just what I was askin’ you.”

  “You never used to let me play. Back on Earth, I mean. Think you can beat me?”

  “Course,” said Gaz. “I played for the school team, remember?”

  “How could I forget? I always wanted to get onto that team, but Mr. Davies, the P.E teacher never let me attend practice. Said I was no good. Guess we can finally see whether he was right or not.”

  “There’s just one problem,” said Gaz.

  “What’s that?”

  “We don’t have a football and I haven’t seen any on the spaceship.”

  “Oh yeah,” said Jack, as a brand-new football appeared in his hands. He twirled it on his finger. “First to three,” he said, as the field transformed into a gigantic football stadium, tens of thousands of football fans screaming with delight all around them.

  “What the?”

  “Here, we are the masters,” said Jack. “We write our own stories, construct our own worlds.”

  “But how?”

  “The spaceship does it, I don’t quite know how. Nobody does. But that doesn’t matter now, what matters is your skill, or lack of it. Come on, let’s see who is the best!”

  “How did you get this good?” asked Gaz as Jack put another volley past him and into the bulging net.

  “Practice,” he said, smiling. “Wait till you see Vyleria…”

  “But she’s a girl!”

  “That doesn’t stop her being better than us two put together and then some! She could probably play for Liverpool or Arsenal.”

  “The Champions? She’s really that good?”

  “Yup.”

  “I’d love to see her play one day.”

  “So would I, but since…”

  “Jorge?”

  “Yeah, him.”

  “Sorry about that, by the way. It sucks.”

  “Don’t worry about it, can’t be helped, it’s all in the past now anyway.”

  “Maybe she’ll come back to you, leave Jorge.”

  “Nah… if she was going to do that she would’ve done so already. No, she’s his now, and his alone, and there’s nothing that I can do about it. Nothing at all…”

  “Soz about being bad to you before, you know back when we were at school.”

  “When you bullied me, you mean?”

  “Err… yeah.”

  “Forget about it,” said Jack. “It’s over now; like a lot of things.”

  “Sure?”

  “Look Gaz, I can’t forget what happened. You bullied me, made me feel weak, pathetic, vulnerable. Because of you no one would be my friend at school; I grew up lonely and afraid. I had to leave Earth just to make some friends. Part of me forgives you for what happened, part of me doesn’t, but at the end of the day its irrelevant. We are on the same side now, the same team. It’s us against the Scourge and all else besides. If I was to fight you and beat you and hate you then I’d be little better than the Scourge, no I’d be worse because I have a choice. Forget the past, Gaz. Let’s embrace the present and fight for the future… for all our futures.”

  “Cor, Jack, you could be Prime Minister some day speaking like that. You almost make me believe you.”

  “What?”

  “Just pullin’ yer chain you silly idiot. Come on, let’s have another game of footie, I can’t sleep now.”

  “Same here,” said Jack, forcing back a yawn. “So, Gaz are you sure you want to stay on the ship, what with the war coming and all?”

  “Sure, it’s my duty and all that, both to you and to Earth. But I want to go back to Earth eventually, to see my mum, well if I survive that is. She’s gone through a lot because of me, I need to make up for it.”

  “And what about General Stormborn?”

  “What about him? He’s in prison now and likely will be for a long time.”

  “You don’t feel like you owe him anything?” asked Jack.

  “No, why would I?”

  “Just a thought. He helped you get out of prison, set you up at Area-52. Some people in your place might think differently.”

  “Nah, he’d sell me out the first chance he got. I’m just bones in the desert to him; I’m through with him now, reckon we all are.”

  “Good to hear,” said Jack, eyeing him closely. Do I trust him? Can I afford to? “Well, in the meantime, enjoy your time on the ship. I’ll try to not get you killed.”

  “No, I can look after myself Jack. I don’t need anyone to look out for me. My Dad taught me that.”

  “Oh, I didn’t know…”

  “When he ran out on us. It was only a few years ago, but it still hurts, I’ve been looking out for my Mum ever since. She’s not been the same, she has these episodes, panic attacks she calls them… God knows how she’s doin’ without me…”

  “You can call her if you want?”

  “What, from here?”

  “Sure, this is the most advanced spaceship in the universe, after all. I’ll patch you through. Do you have her number?”

  “I… err…”

  “Doesn’t matter. What’s her name?”

  “Sharon… Sharon Finch.”

  “Address?” asked Jack.

  “10 Ulseberry Road, Rockingdale.”

  “Got it. Right, I’ll leave you in peace. I’ve got someone else to talk to, I’ve put it off for too long,” said Jack.

  “But what do I?”

  “GAZ! Is that you?” croaked a woman’s voice.

  “Mum!” gasped Gaz, looking at a small woman with blonde, grey hair.

  “She’s not actually here,” said Jack. “It’s a holographic representation of what the ship is observing in the U.K.”

  “What? You can… you can do that?”

  “Of course. This ship can do a lot of things.”

  “And can she see me?”

  “Of course I can,” said his Mum. “Come over ‘ere and give us a hug.”

  “Aww leave off Mum, get off it. Stop embarrassing me. I’m with friends you know.”

  “I’ll leave you two alone,” said Jack, looking at the small tear-shaped device in his hand. “I’ll be… I’ll be a little while.”

  What a strange universe this is, thought Jack as he left the simulation and walked down the corridor. Me, friends with Gaz Finch, school bully and all round ASBO. What was the world coming to?

  Chapter Forty-Eight: Revelations

  Jack looked at the silver, tear-shaped device. Ros…

  He realised that he hadn’t asked Number One how to open it. How stupid of me…

  He was about to go back to the football pitch when suddenly the room faded away, replaced by an infinite sea of stars. They shimmered like a shoal of fish or a necklace of diamonds. Where am I?

  Jack…

  A voice. Where had it come from? It seemed to come from everywhere at once, like the tolling of a bell.

  Jack…

  There it was again. Louder now, closer.

  Several of the stars started to dance and swirl around, getting larger and larger, sharper, more concrete. A figure was forming, like a ghost in the night.

  “Ros!” shouted Jack at the thin, translucent form in front of him. He was like a band of mist, a wraith. “I thought you were dead.”

  “I am.” He was smiling. How could he smile at a time like this?

  “But I don’t understand.”

  “This is my last will and testament. I recorded it shortly before my death. Jack, there’s so much left to say, if only…”

  “Ros, it’s okay.”

  “No, it isn’t,” said Ros, walking, no gliding closer. “I…”

  Ros took Jack by the hand and kissed him gently on the lips. To the end of his days Jack would always remember that kiss. It felt cold, yet
warm, hard, but smooth. Less like a flower and more like a stone. The love that it bore was like a thousand hearts all crushed up into one.

  “What was that for?” asked Jack, Ros releasing him.

  “Just showing you how I feel about you,” said Ros. “I love you. Totally and absolutely, to the end of my days, which is now I guess.”

  “But I thought…”

  “That my people are asexual?”

  “Yes.”

  “We are. Or at least we used to be. I don’t understand myself really, it doesn’t make sense. It’s not supposed to happen. Perhaps it’s you, Jack.”

  “Me?”

  “Your kindness, your humanity. It’s infected me, saturated me. I’ve changed Jack. And thanks to my link with the other Asvari it’s infected all of us.”

  “You mean you’re all gay?”

  “No,” he laughed. “I mean it’s up to us. We have a choice. We all do. WE can decide who we want to be, who we want to fall in love with! Some may even remain the same, I guess it will all depend on humanity.”

  “Humanity?”

  Ros nodded. “Humanity is now the deciding factor in our future heritage. Where you lead, we follow. The possibilities are endless.”

  “I see,” said Jack, touching his lips. They felt rougher somehow. “Listen Ros…”

  “It’s okay, I don’t mind.”

  “About what?”

  “Vyleria. I know you love her. Even now. Even in rejection.”

  “I’m sorry, I can’t help it. She’s everything to me. My stars, my moon, my Earth, I can’t live this life without her. But there’s nothing I can do now, Jorge…”

  “Just be patient Jack.”

  “Patient? She hates me.”

  “Okay let me put it another way, can you love someone else?”

  “I…”

  “Thought so. You will love her to the end of your days and even after that. You’re hooked. For better or for worse. You may as well get used to it.”

  “But what can I do? How can I win her back?”