“You guys are finally here,” he said.
Zaneta and Eli stopped when he spoke. They stood before him ready to follow any order he gave. He looked at Zaneta.
“I suppose your mother told you who I am?”
“Yes,” she said emotionlessly, “Captain Joseph Halsey.”
“That’s right. Neeson told me about what happened. How is she, your mother?”
“She’s…gone. I told her where I was going. I told her I’m done waiting. She didn’t say anything back.”
“I’m sorry you had to see your father like that, kid.”
“Don’t be. Because of it I now know I’m going to fight to the end no matter what. With or without your help.”
Halsey smiled. She is her mother incarnate.
“It’d be a horrible waste not to make you two one of us. Welcome to the ranks of the Crimson Angels!”
Every soldier there, even the Captain, saluted Zaneta and Eli. The pair saluted back.
“We’re honored, sir!” Eli said.
“Go ahead and relax. Tonight’s an easy night for you both. All you have to do is enjoy the feature presentation.”
Ruby approached them with a large tablet which she handed to Eli. He grabbed it, and everyone gathered around to watch the screen. On it was a bird’s eye view of a metropolis. Eli quickly recognized it: Austin. The camera was still very high up, but they could make out the landmarks. They were looking at an aerial view of the Texas Capitol Building just up the street from their current position.
Zaneta broke off from the rest when she saw Halsey walking toward the edge of the parking garage. He was seemingly observing Austin, resting his arms on the wall that kept him from falling over. He’s not looking at the city. Zaneta saw it now too: a tiny speck of light way up in the air. The way it hovered and bounded around slowly told her it was no star. Looks like a firefly from here.
“What is that?” she asked.
“What, that? Your mom never buy you one of those Izoom drones? Only cost a hundred bucks in any electronics store. Hi-def camera and capable of altitudes of a thousand feet.”
“Yeah, yeah, I had one way back.”
“I read the reports Jesse sent me thoroughly. You know your history pretty damn good. Tell me, what’s right across the street from the Texas capitol building?”
“The governor’s mansion, Captain.”
“Please, call me Joe.”
Zaneta cleared her throat. “Okay.”
“Your boy, Dwight Terry, used to live there himself back when Howard was in office. And now he’s not only proved himself a coward, but he’s full-on defected.”
“I saw his speech, but do you think he believes what he says?”
“Doesn’t matter. He chose a side, and in war once you pick a side it’s a done deal. He’s a spokesman for the Chancellor, and I’m going to congratulate him on his promotion.”
Eli and the others watched the camera angle shift until it hovered over the governor’s mansion. Around the building were cranes.
“To prepare for his return to prominence, the Chancellor decided to renovate the historic building. Give it a bit of the UNR flare so to speak. I could see it now. The bastard is giving speeches there just like the old days.”
On the tablet, Eli and all the rest of them watched as suddenly the governor’s mansion burst into flames. The explosion overtook the cranes sitting in front of the old building in spectacular fashion. Halsey and Zaneta could see the glow from where they stood. Everyone there heard the rumble of the manmade thunder competing with God’s thunder up above.
Not long after came the sirens as citizens began to fill the streets. Everyone started to head for their cars. Eli did not, and Ruby stood beside him. We’re finally in all right, he thought. The captain and Zaneta were the only others not yet in a vehicle. All four of them watched as smoke now billowed high into the air.
That yellow glow…it’s beautiful. Zaneta wished her mother was there along with her. A perverse longing, but she couldn’t deny its existence.
“I guess we should head out. Visiting hours are almost up,” Halsey said.
***
Elsa, Texas
“The unusual summer storm is poised to last all week, which experts point to the year’s El Niño. Many places in the world have been turned on their head because of it. Droughts in the Southern Hemisphere have been catastrophic while floods elsewhere have been just as devastating. Of course, there are some who theorize these climate shifts are more the cause of global warming. Here with us is Fabio Miller, climatologist, with his opinion on the matter.”
The camera panned back to a wide-shot to reveal a middle-aged man seated next to the anchorwoman.
“To call all these weather anomalies, the byproduct of an El Niño is a sick joke. We have been living in denial for half a century!”
Julissa gulped from the bottle and switched the channel. The couch no longer had that soft feeling to it. It felt lumpy and tough. The only solution was to press onward for half the bottle. As she drank, Julissa set the remote down after having picked another channel at random.
“Today the Battle of Isla de la Juventud came to an end as the enemy forces were brought into submission. In a moment that defined a new era, the Presidio Modelo Prison was laid to waste in a bombing run by a UNR airstrike. Locals lauded the move in the community.”
Julissa switched the channel again, keeping the bottle held firmly in her left hand. She flipped past cartoons and movies and wasn’t sure why. She scrolled past favorites and the unknown alike. So many thousands of channels and yet none satiated her.
“The New Dawn will premiere on the eighteenth and at a price that will threaten Primetech’s hold on the phone market—”
“Vanzetti’s Jegudiel Homes found their way into Burundi and Liberia today. This marks—”
“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him’—”
“How long are you gonna keep this up?”
What the fuck?! That voice hadn’t come from the telescreen. It had come from behind. Julissa leaped off the couch. She let the bottle drop to the carpet where the remainder of the wine poured out. She grabbed her Colt Python off the coffee table in front of the couch. She aimed it at the darkness all around her.
“Who the hell is there?! Come out now before I blow you away!”
The telescreen kept going behind her, but she could no longer hear it. It was then she accepted how decrepit she’d allowed her home to become. Stinking dishes still sat in the sink from days ago, and rotten fruit sat in a bowl on the counter beside it.
“You’ve been running all this time. Don’t you think it’s time you stopped cowering like a child?”
Julissa kept her gun straight as she could, walking closer to the kitchen. The only light she had was from the telescreen. On that table were the sections of the portfolio she’d kept for herself. The stairs creaked, and the woman pointed the weapon in that direction. It’s a trick. You’re not there.
“You pretend that you can see, but anyone can tell that’s a lie. Just look at you.”
Julissa faced the sliding glass door now, a door she hadn’t approached in years. The voice had come from outside, she was sure of it. Out there in the backyard, she saw the phantom tormenting her.
It had the shape of a man, but it was inhumanly slender and had red glowing eyes that were wide open. At first, it said nothing. The two had only glass between them and feared kept her from confronting the creature. Thunder growled as she observed the silhouette. Its skin was dark yet sleek.
She heard it utter words and in a voice far too tantalizing.
“Come to me.”
The backyard door slid open with the touch of Julissa’s hand. Outside was not like the comfort of the living room. There was no light from a telescreen now. Wind and rain battered her face incessantly. Her nightgown and robe were drenched in less than a minute. The concrete
patio was slippery, but she held her balance. She ventured farther. Her bare feet touched down on the muddy earth, ignoring the weeds she stepped on in the process.
The old tree still stood where it had since they’d first moved to the house years ago. All its leaves were gone. She recounted Bryan is telling her back then it was a dead tree, and she’d let it rot all the same. The creature awaited her under those branches. She cut her soles on twigs or rocks; she couldn’t tell which.
Show me! Show me what you are! The Colt Python found its target again as a lightning strike lit up the night sky. The phantasm revealed itself to be a man with irises not of red, but brown.
You’re not Will. You’re not!
It was S.S.C Unit 21 before her in the storm. Its coat billowed around it in the downpour. She shivered for warmth as he stood stoically. Even though she was cold, wet and lost, she did not plead with him. She never would. She didn’t lower the gun, either. She brought it up to the demon’s head, right between the eyes.
The demon didn’t flinch at all.
“I thought you were gone forever, but here you stand.”
As Julissa kept her focus on his face, her eyes began to adjust in that darkness. She saw red on Unit 21’s head. A red bandanna. She began to lower her gun.
Once she did, the demon knelt on one knee. It detached the sheath from its belt and held it up to her. Julissa had never seen the sword of a cyborg before. She clutched onto it and felt the deepest of warmth. It surged all throughout her body. She shivered in the rain no more.
Chapter 10 – Prices
September 16, 2050 – Elsa, Texas
Zaneta came home to a house she didn’t quite recognize. It was cleaner than she’d seen it in the past…well, years. The table and countertop were clear of any dishes or leftovers. The smell of air freshener was apparent and open curtains allowed actual daylight inside.
There at the table was her mother, wide awake and sipping on coffee. The coffee could be smelled the moment one walked into the house. The only thing that hadn’t changed was the telescreen. It was on at almost full volume and was broadcasting the news.
“Good morning, baby,” her mother said.
Zaneta was a little freaked out by the cold formality of it. Especially considering when she’d seen her last she’d been wailing uncontrollably.
“Hey, Mom. You doing better?”
Julissa tore her eyes away from the news.
“Yeah, yeah, I am. I needed some time to gather my thoughts, but I feel the best I have in years.”
The curtain for the backyard door was open, allowing Zaneta to see the tree back there had been chopped down. The ax was still embedded in the leftover stump.
“Do you want some of the coffee I made?” Julissa offered.
“Uh, yeah, that’d be great, Mom. Thank you.”
Julissa poured a steaming mug full, French roast just like herself. Zaneta went harder on the sugar, but just as little cream. For a few minutes, they both stood in the kitchen watching the report.
“I saw the governor’s mansion got a renovation the other night. I’m guessing your new friends were behind it,” Julissa said while going for a second cup.
“Yes, Mom. Me and Eli are one of them now.”
Zaneta expected rage or disappointment, something. The woman only enjoyed her brew. What she finally said shocked her even more:
“I want in.”
“You? Are you sure?”
“Isn’t that what I promised?”
“Yes, you did,” Zaneta recalled. She felt stupid for forgetting that day, but her mother didn’t chastise her. She brought her in close.
“Lately, my promises haven’t been worth shit but this one is one you can count on. We’re not going to stop. Ever. They took your father from us, and now we’re going to take everything from them.”
Zaneta took it all in slowly. She had faith in her mother. Unshakable faith despite the years since ’45, namely because she’d remembered her mother before her Daddy had gone away. Underneath all, she’d endured was a woman capable of dishing out all she’d taken and then some. Now she would finally do just that.
“I’m ready, ma’am.”
“No, you’re not. I’ll train you before we go through with this. Before all of that, you and I must see your brother.”
***
Windsor Heights, Iowa
Jacob sat on the kitchen island. Instead of eating breakfast, he was staring out the window. Out on the porch and front lawn were UNR soldiers in full combat gear. From the outside, he assumed it must’ve looked like the safest place in the world with all that security. They were far from secure. His sister and father ate as if nothing had changed. His cereal, on the other hand, had grown soggy.
“How long are we going to be held captive, Father?” he asked bluntly.
Robert ignored the question, taking in another spoonful.
“Father, how long?!”
“Jacob, stop!” Gabriella said, slamming down her utensil. “Leave Daddy alone!”
“You serious? No more pretending. We’re old enough to know what the hell is going on around here. We deserve some answers!”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“Children, enough!” Robert commanded.
The siblings stopped their argument immediately. He didn’t have the stomach to face either of them, but he still felt the need to speak.
“Don’t be scared that anything is going to happen to us. We’re going to be okay, I promise. They wouldn’t dare hurt any of us.”
“And how do you know for sure? How?!” Jacob roared back.
Even Gabby didn’t look as enthusiastic now. Robert saw the terror hidden within his youngest, and his appetite slipped.
“Daddy?” Gabriella said.
“Yes, dear?”
“I just want to know when we’re going to get our stuff back. They took all our movies, phones, and books.”
“Soon, I’ll ask about it for you,” was all he could offer. Jacob didn’t bother talking anymore. He was repulsed. He pushed his bowl away from him.
Silence overtook the family, but not for long. The front door opened without warning as a squad of soldiers stormed in. Even though they were inside a personal residence, their helmets were on and their guns were at the ready. All three of the Neesons put their heads down and their hands on the counter.
The soldiers piled in, taking positions by the doorway, the living room, stairs and around the kitchen as well. Once they were all in place, a man in a suit walked in. Though the suit was no doubt an expensive one, it was exposed his frail wrist. He sat at the counter as if he were a part of the family.
“You may all be at ease,” he encouraged.
The Neesons kept their hands where the soldiers could see them, but they lifted their heads.
“How are you all doing this morning?” the man asked.
“Fine, sir,” Gabby said politely.
“We’re doing as best we can, sir,” Robert answered.
The man stared at Jacob. The young man didn’t even acknowledge him at the table. It was now of all times he went to his soggy cereal. Robert tensed.
“What was your name, sir? I don’t believe we got it.”
Robert breathed a little easier seeing his attention being diverted from his son.
“Ken Flass, a detective for the PSID.”
“Mr. Flass, what happens now?” his daughter asked.
“Well, Ms. Neeson, you will have to stay with your father for a few days more while we sort all this out. Once we’re sure there’s nothing more to worry about, we can get to the trial itself.”
Gabby didn’t speak anymore, returning to her bowl. She wanted to eat, but couldn’t. Robert’s heart emptied.
“Are you here for more questions, Detective?” the doctor asked.
“No. We have all we need really. Everything now is just a formality. To maintain some normalcy for your children, Venloran ordered us to take them to school today. Wo
uld you agree to that?”
Gabby thought of seeing Alex and all her other friends in class. It would be amazing to see them after three days of being locked up.
“Yes, they’d love that. Tell Venloran it is much appreciated, thank you,” Robert said.
Gabby looked at her father with a big smile and took her bowl to the sink. She began to wash her dishes, but a sole remark sullied that joy:
“I’m not going anywhere with you people.”
Robert and Gabby both stared at Jacob, stunned to have heard the declaration. Thankfully the UNR soldiers had not acted yet, but Mr. Flass homed in now.
“What did you say?”
I can’t tell you everything, Jacob, not yet, but believe me, your father is trying to change the world as we speak. He’s not here right now because he’s trying to do the right thing. He’s risking a lot, and we could all learn from it. Even me. Jacob decided this was the course to take.
“I said I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying right here with my father.”
“Jacob, STOP IT! Enough!” Robert yelled.
“Now, now, let him speak his mind,” defended Flass. “After all, I hear not too long ago he made sergeant amongst his classmen. I was impressed when I read that. You swore an oath to obey your commander, Chancellor Carl Venloran. Jacob Neeson, will you comply?”
“No, sir, I will not.”
Flass laughed hard. “Good gracious, look at the balls on this one! Go on, take him.”
“No!” Gabby yelled.
She ran to her brother, but Robert grabbed hold of her tight and wouldn’t let go. The UNR soldiers in the living room, in turn, snatched up his son by his arms. The young Neeson did not resist.
“Sir, please! He doesn’t know what he’s doing!” the father pleaded.
“Then he has a lot to learn. We’ll be glad to be his teachers.”
“Daddy, no! Don’t let them do this!” Gabby sobbed.
Robert saw the soldiers finally take an interest in him. There was nothing he could do. Nothing but hold his remaining child back. She writhed to get free, but he had more than enough strength to stop her.
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