Heir Ascendant

by Matthew S. Cox

  “Chill,” said the sword-man. “We ain’t gonna touch you… or the kid. All we want is stuff to sell. Drop the shit and get outta here.”

  “No.” Genna took another step. “For one thing, you’re not going to want to attract all the Frags within a half mile by firing that. For another, a gunshot will also draw Authority drones. They scan that ten-mil of yours, and they’ll blast you into salsa.”

  Spittle foamed between his teeth; his quaking intensified. “B-back off. I ain’t gonna warn you again.”

  Genna kept creeping up on them. “The third and best reason you’re not going to shoot me is that there’s no ammo in that thing. No magazine, and that little dot of firing pin at the end of yo’ barrel tells me the chamber’s empty.”

  Before the man could react, Genna swung her arm in a sideways motion that ripped the handgun out of his grip. Maya grinned with exhilaration. She dropped in place, squatting with her hands on the ground for balance.

  “Damn bitch,” the sword guy yelled.

  He drew his arm back to swing. Genna hurled the pistol at his head, making him duck, and pounced. She seized his wrist, torqueing it over until he lost his grip on the blade. Mr. Sunglasses ran at her and caught a sidekick in the gut for his trouble, which knocked him over backward. He crumpled onto his ass and wheezed.

  Genna swung the former swordsman around by his arm and threw him face-first into the wall of the high-rise near the alley where they’d emerged. He bounced away and stumbled in a disoriented circle. Once he recovered his balance, he lurched at Genna, throwing a poorly aimed punch. She caught his arm, flipped him to the ground on his chest, and wrenched the limb up, breaking the elbow backwards with a splintering crunch.

  He howled.

  Sunglasses raised his hands, still curled in a ball on the ground. “Stop.” He gasped. “You win. I give up.”

  The other man rolled on his side, cradling his right arm and moaning.

  Wearing a broad grin, Maya marched up to Genna’s side. She shook her head at Sunglasses. “My mom was in the 494th Night Terrors. You’re lucky you’re alive.”

  Genna started to smile, but forced herself to look menacing. She pointed at them, thrust her finger out like a dagger, and turned away. Once the men could no longer see her face, she grinned.

  Soon, the scuff of Maya’s sneakers on the pavement overpowered the whimpers and groans from the two desperate dosers. Genna clasped her hand and led her along a series of side streets and alleys to an open lot next to a strange ornate building that looked like a poor attempt to recreate a fantasy castle. Multicolored glass chips gathered in piles underneath pointed arch-shaped window holes, where only a tangle of black metal wiring remained.

  The lot held several rows of small white stones covered in ash and dust. Near the front left corner, a handful looked more recent. These appeared to be made of concrete debris from surrounding buildings rather than neat carved stone. Genna slowed to a trudge, scanning the stones. She stopped at the fifth one and took a knee.

  Maya stood at her side, hands clasped the same way as at Binks’ cremation. Genna traced her fingers over crude lettering chipped into the hunk: “Sam.”

  A few minutes of silence passed. Genna rolled back to sit on the ground and wiped tears from her face. “Guess you gotta wait a bit longer ta see me again, baby.” She sniffled. “You got a little sister now.”

  Shards of broken glass clinging to dark wire sang disharmonic chimes in a breeze that blew over the shattered windows of the strange building. The hollow structure resonated in the wind, a giant creature drawing breath. Maya shied away, leaning closer to Genna. She stared at the gaping arches, into shadows that seemed to look back at her. It hit her that every stone here marked a spot where someone had been buried. She quivered, wondering if ghosts were real or if her mind had run away with itself.

  Genna put an arm around her back and pulled her close. “Nothing to be afraid of here, baby.”

  Maya slipped down to kneel, touching her fingers to the stone. “Hi, Sam. I’m Maya.”

  Though she knew no one would blame her for Fade, making commercials for Xenodril felt the same as if she’d helped Vanessa kill him.

  “They’re wrong. You did love him.” The lines she had to recite made her burst into tears. In her mind, the blond boy in the bed beside her turned into Sam.

  When Maya started sobbing, Genna’s outward calm broke apart. Only a trace of the sun’s glow remained on the horizon by the time the tears stopped.

  “Who said I didn’t love my son?” Genna scowled at the fence.

  Maya explained the commercial for Xenodril she’d made. Genna threw a deadly glare in the direction of the Sanctuary Zone. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that… they made me say it. I understand why you were so angry with me at first. I deserved it.”

  “It’s all right, baby.” Genna pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. “And no, you didn’t. You’re just a kid doin’ what you was told.”

  She sniffled.

  “He was a lot like you. Smart. Liked to read. He had hope. Sam thought the world would rebuild itself and be better.” Genna wiped her eyes again, crying despite smiling. “He used to do these drawings with green plants growin’ outta buildings and happy people. He’d be thirteen now.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Genna stood, picking Maya up. “Stop. It ain’t your fault. Come on. Let’s get you home.”

  Maya threw her arms up around Genna’s neck and watched her older brother’s grave recede farther and farther away. When the churchyard fence blocked her view, she leaned her head against Genna’s and closed her eyes.

  tiny voice echoed in the air far above. Maya looked up, squinting from the sunset glare where a band of light painted the building from the seventh floor to the tenth. At the center of a huge gash in the wall one story down from the roof, Sarah jumped up and down, hair fluttering to the side in the wind. She waved her hands back and forth over her head. Emily appeared next to her, followed by Pick and the twins.

  “She’s going to fall,” said Maya, squirming. “They’re too close to the edge.”

  Genna set her down, holding her hand as they crossed the walkway to the little stoop. Sarah’s excited shouting echoed from the main stairwell inside the area full of mailboxes. Maya pulled Genna over to wait by the nonworking elevators.

  Sarah came flying down the stairs a short while later, and raced into a hug. A minute or so later, the joyous crying wound down. “You’re in so much trouble!”

  Maya sniffled and squeezed her friend. “I’m sorry for scaring you.”

  “Everyone was bummed.” Sarah laughed and cried more. “The cards―they’re still set up. I didn’t put ‘em away ‘cause I thought if I did then you wouldn’t come back.”

  Such guilt hit Maya that she couldn’t talk, and stood there sniveling.

  Emily, still in her costume dress, zoomed in and grabbed on to Maya’s arm. “She’s back!” The seven-year-old bounced up and down, cheering. “I tol’ you! I tol’ you the faeries said she’d be back.”

  Pick ran out from the stairwell, but stopped at the front doors. He smiled and waved. “Hi.”

  Genna set her hands on her hips. “That was damn foolish of her to run off. She won’t do it again, right?”

  “No,” said Maya, staring at the floor.

  “But she did some incredible things.” Genna gestured at the building. “Come on. I miss my damn bed.”

  Sarah’s perma-smile emerged from the somber gloom. “You wanna finish the game?”

  The twins hurried out into the hallway. They flanked the Maya-Sarah-Emily group, and added themselves to the hug. Maya kept her head down, muttering “sorry” a few more times in Sarah’s general direction. Marcus attempted (poorly) to conceal that he cried.

  Genna ushered them upstairs.

  Maya set her heels on the sixth. “Mom. I need to talk to Doctor Chang.” She pointed at the other kids. “And you all need to come.”

  “All right.” Genn
a held the door as the children spilled through.

  Maya hurried down the corridor to the apartment where Zoe, Emily, and Doctor Chang lived. She knocked and walked in without waiting. Zoe looked up from a chair by one of the worktables where she tinkered with the guts of a laptop computer.

  “Maya!” Zoe looked to the back hallway. “Mike, get out here.” She got up and ran over.

  “Hi, Mrs. Chang. I’m sorry for scaring everyone.”

  Genna leaned on the doorjamb and folded her arms.

  Zoe smiled at her. “Holy shit! We heard you got bagged.”

  “Almost.” Genna shook her head.

  Doctor Chang swept in wearing only boxers. He halted at the crowd, made a funny face, and ran to the back. The kids giggled. A moment later, he returned with pants, shirt, and a white lab coat on.

  “Doctor.” Maya set her nylon bag on the corner of the nearest table. “I got some medicine.” She took out the box of vaccination shots and handed it to him.

  “This…” He gawked.

  “Is for my friends.” She gestured at the kids. “And you should take one ‘cause you’re a doctor and it would be silly for a doctor to get sick.”

  “Is that a needle?” asked Emily. Her exuberance died an instant death.

  “What’s that?” asked Marcus.

  “It’s going in the ass,” said Pick, preparing to drop his pants.

  “No, Ruben.” Doctor Chang shook his head. “This is not a tetanus vaccine. This is…”

  “A shitload of money,” said Genna. “And peace of mind don’t have no price tag. Is the shit still good?”

  Doctor Chang opened the box and studied the plastic cartridges inside. “Seems like it.”

  “Is it safe to give to children?” asked Zoe.

  “Yes.” Maya nodded. “They gave it to me before I was even one year old.”

  The doctor nodded. Emily began to cry, so Zoe pulled her into her lap. The twins shifted with unease.

  “This is Fade vaccine. After this shot, you can never get sick from it.” Doctor Chang went over to the area with all the medical equipment and unearthed a pressure-jet injector.

  Marcus and Anton rushed up, both shaking.

  “Really? No Fade?” Sarah pulled a strip of her curtain-dress off her upper arm. “Please…”

  Emily whined.

  “Where was that shit when our parents died?” asked Anton.

  Marcus gave him a shove. “Ain’t her fault. She coulda got her ass killed for stealin’ that. Be nice.”

  Maya thought of Ashley and took the girl’s hand. “Em. It won’t hurt. It’s not technically a needle. It’s only liquid pressure.”

  She patted Emily’s hand. The girl screamed when the jet injector touched her arm―and kept screaming for several seconds after the shot finished. Seeing it done, she sniffled.

  One by one, Doctor Chang swapped out cartridges and vaccinated Sarah, the twins, and Pick. He administered one to himself last.

  Zoe stared at the four remaining shots.

  “You can give one to Zoe too.” Maya grinned. “Save the others for if anyone has babies.” Maya pulled the two bottles of Xenodril out of the bag. “I got this too. You might wanna keep it hidden or locked up.”

  “What the hell did you do, rob an Ascendant warehouse?” asked Doctor Chang.

  “Well…” Maya tapped the toe of her sneaker on the rug.

  Genna looked sad for all of two seconds before a grin took over. “Actually, we did. But that little stash she got on her own. I got a carton for you as well.”

  Doctor Chang gave a brief lecture on the importance that none of the kids told anyone about the Fade medicine, because people might come here to steal it. “Of course, if you find someone sick, it’s okay to tell them to see me. There’s no reason to let anyone die. We just don’t want druggies to steal it for money. This stuff is so valuable people will hurt you to get it, even if you are small.”

  All the children nodded.

  Naida’s voice echoed in from the windows, calling for Ruben.

  Pick smirked. “I gotta go.” He meandered to the door, hesitated, and ambush-hugged Maya before sprinting out.

  A knock at the door preceded Brian walking in. He looked at Genna. “I can’t think of anything to say.” His gaze fell to the floor. “Ain’t got an excuse aside from being a moron. Whatever you gotta do, do it.”

  “Huh?” asked Zoe.

  Brian sighed. “I’m… I wanted the reward for Maya. Thought she was kidnapped. Didn’t know she wanted to be here. It’s my fault the Authority came.”

  Doctor Chang glared.

  Marcus and Anton contributed some naughty words.

  Sarah shivered and rubbed the side of her head. “Why? They gave me a concussion. They could’ve killed me.”

  “Brian didn’t make you sass off ta the blueberries,” muttered Marcus.

  Sarah raised a fist, but grumbled and dropped it.

  “I’d shoot or stab you,” said Genna. “But I don’t wanna waste Doc’s supplies. For what you put my daughter through, I oughta feed you your balls. You know no one here will ever trust you again, right?”

  He grimaced. “Ain’t like I’ma make the same mistake twice. I thought… money, baby…”

  “And the next time you think you got some line on an easy way, who you gonna fuck over to do it?” Genna tromped over to him.

  “I didn’t think I was fuckin’ anyone over… thought she’d been abducted.” Brian fidgeted. “Tell me you wouldn’t do the same for her?”

  Genna exhaled. “To save her life? I’d do anything. To maybe make her a little more comfortable, I ain’t never sell out my people. There will be consequences, but not right now. I ain’t gonna kill you. Only ‘cause I don’t wanna do that to Arlene an’ your as-yet-to-be kid.”

  His lips flickered to a halfhearted smile. “She’s kinda upset with me right now. I told her.”

  “Good.” Genna pointed. “G’won back ta her. I’ll find ya when the time’s right.”

  He trudged off.

  “Can I go to Sarah’s for a little while?” asked Maya.

  Genna looked at her bare wrist and grumbled. She found a clock on Zoe’s table, and smiled. “It’s almost eight. I want you home before ten.”

  Maya nodded. “Okay.”

  She ran out and chased Sarah to the stairwell with the twins close behind. Since Sarah’s place didn’t have a clock, ten would have to be a guess.

  aya opened her eyes and yawned. The slow up-and-down motion of Genna’s breathing kept her hovering at the precipice between sleep and consciousness for a little while. She stretched, her body quivering, yawned again, and went limp. It had gotten warmer over the past three days, so she’d taken to sleeping in her underpants instead of the silk nightie. Her sneakers remained safely hidden under the bed unless she planned to leave the building. She only half worried about them being stolen; rather, she felt bad that none of the other kids had shoes.

  Over the past two days, Zoe had installed a new fridge that didn’t cause instant asphyxiation if the door opened. Genna had taken Maya a couple of blocks deeper into the Habitation District to buy what passed for groceries out here from an open air market where a bunch of different farmers collected to sell produce outside a store that had a random variety of boxed and canned goods.

  She’d asked Genna about it, and didn’t much like the answer that when given a choice between food or comfort, everyone out here opted to eat. Even someone like The Dad who had a regular (albeit weak) source of income hesitated at using money on clothing his daughter would outgrow. Before the war, huge companies existed that manufactured more stuff than anyone needed, most of it made overseas since it cost less. Now, all the manufacturing happened within the Sanctuary Zones, and as capitalism tended to do―rarity begat high prices. Citizens, able to get decent-paying work, bought whatever they wanted while everyone else had to make crappy choices.

  Maya had countered that The Dad buying beer instead of clothing for his daughter
constituted a crappy choice.

  After a third yawn, she sat up. Today was the day. She hopped off the bed and shook Genna awake. Genna ruffled her hair, kissed her cheek, and stumbled to the bathroom while scratching her butt. Maya giggled and walked to the kitchen where she hopped on a chair, swinging her feet back and forth while waiting. Soon, Genna emerged from the back, having put on a pair of black fatigue pants. She cooked up some spray can eggs and toast, and sat at the table across from her.

  “You sure you’re all right with what they gonna do?” asked Genna.

  “Mmm.” Maya nodded with a mouthful of spongy yellow saltiness. “Yepf.”

  Genna reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “Things will get better. They prob’ly gonna get worse first, but we’ll get there.”

  Maya plucked bits of egg from her stomach and legs. “I know.”

  They finished eating in silence, though Maya didn’t let go of Genna’s hand. She helped gather the plates and pots, and dried dishes while her mother washed. After, Maya scurried to the bedroom and pulled on her black tee shirt and a clean pair of leggings from the bag. She flattened herself out on the floor and stretched to grab the sneakers from their hiding place under the bed. Even though she didn’t expect to leave the building, she’d need them for her ‘mission.’

  Genna met her in the living room, catching her by the shoulders. “Be careful. I’ll be up in a bit, need to get my ass in the tub.”

  Maya nodded, hugged her mother, and darted out the door. She ran down the hall to 137 and knocked.

  Mr. Barnes appeared in a few minutes. “Last chance, kid. You sure you want to do this?”

  Maya frowned. “I’m already on the shit list. That drone was gonna kill me if I moved. Besides, Vanessa doesn’t do revenge. It costs too much for no tangible benefit.”

  “All right then. Hang on.” He walked inside, leaving the door open. He returned soon and handed her a rectangular aluminum frame an inch thick and about the size of a book. Green printed circuit boards on either side still smelled like fresh soldering. “Remember the process?”

  “Yep. Unload the driver, install the card, update the driver, and open the door for Brennan back at the Hangar.”