Anthology of Ichor III: Gears of Damnation

by Breaux, Kevin

  "What are you smiling about now?" Joshua asked him. He was looking into George's face intently. His silver eyes glowed slightly in the moonlight.

  "Nanna," he simply replied. No more was needed. Joshua began smiling just as hard as George upon hearing that name.

  Keisha Thompson may have been the name their foster mother was born with, but to everyone who knew her, she was Nanna. She was old and in her eighties now, but always she was a source of warmth and love. To an orphan like George, she was the mother he never had. To Joshua, she had been his savior. George remembered the nights he would creep to her room to peek in and see her humming gospel hymns while rocking Joshua to sleep. Both he and Joshy had come to her as kids. George had been bounced around from home to home until finding her. Joshua had come from an abusive home and luckily Nanna's was the first foster home he came to. Neither had ever left and a few years later she adopted both of them. She had been married when George's papers went through, so George was a Williams. Her husband died shortly after, so the maiden name Thompson was what Joshy had. When Joshua was taken to the psychic facility he and Nanna went as well. After they went into military service she returned home and waited for her sons. Now she lived across the street from George so he and his wife could keep an eye on her.

  "When did you see her last?" He asked Joshua critically. Joshua made a thoughtful look.

  "About three weeks ago I went by. She kept complaining about me needing a wife so I could get her some grand babies. I made a joke saying she should get married herself and do you know what she said? She might! She's been seeing some old guy at the retirement center. Can you imagine it George? Our Nanna in a wedding gown walking down the aisle." They both laughed hard until tears sprang up in Joshua's eyes. "She would be beautiful though. Wouldn't she?" George nodded his head in agreement. His wife, Kary, already told him about Nanna's little romance. He had thought to put an end to it, but Kary forbid him from interfering. His wife could be a tyrant at times. She already made Joshua submissive to her. It was bad enough she liked to take command, but did Joshua really have to stand behind her co-signing her words like a trained dog.

  "Are you staying for supper? I think its steaks tonight." His mouth watered at that thought. He loved steaks. Joshua shook his head.

  "No, I got some business at home. Imma pick up a cheese steak then head back to D.C." Joshua's mouth drooled then. Joshua loved Philly Cheese steaks.

  "Business huh...Like a pretty little redhead?" He smirked at Joshua's shocked expression. "What? Did you think I didn't know? That girl has been after you since she was six. She asked you to marry her almost every day while growing up. Did you think she wouldn't tell everyone that her conquest was over? I'm pretty sure most of the AWC knows by now. She told me the next day after. Jenny is going to go crazy making wedding plans. Ashley and her mother have been planning your union into their family for almost twenty years." Joshua scowled hard.

  "How do you feel about it? Do you think I was wrong? I tried my best to keep her away. When she was little, she used to blackmail me into spending time with her. I didn't know what to do anymore George. A couple months ago I walked into my apartment and there she was." Joshua blushed for a moment. “Lingerie Georgy! She had on Lingerie! I tried to hustle her out of the apartment, but she wouldn't budge. She started talking about how she was ready to end her adventure and wanted her knight. Whatever that meant. Before I knew it she was kissing me..." He looked hard into George's face as if trying to will George into believing him. "I tried fending her off. I did...But that girl moves quickly.. And.. And.." Joshua's head sagged down and he looked sheepishly through his eyelashes. "She... She smelt so good...And after a while I couldn't fight anymore."

  George burst out laughing. He could almost see in his mind how it went down. Joshy saying no, Ashley saying yes and flinging herself into his arms. Joshy trying to concentrate on handz to move her, Ashley kissing him and breaking all concentration. Joshua trying to use his own hands that could only hold a spoon, Ashley undressing him. Joshua giving up and submitting to his desires, Ashley's complete victory. That girl knew Joshua almost better than George. Joshua stood no chance against her. Joshua claimed that being with a non-psychic would be to cruel to the woman since he would outlive her. Ashley Maulberg claimed Joshua was an idiot who couldn't find any other woman let alone a psychic woman to be with him. She had also ran off two potential suitors of Joshua's. She would not allow anyone to interfere with her fairytale she had said. Not even George after she pointedly told him to his face. George had stayed out of it after that. He knew women could get dangerous when it came to the men they loved. His own Kary was a good example.

  "Well, Kary says late spring is best for weddings. I will let Jenny know I'm available." He smiled at Joshua's second shocked face. "What? Did you think I wouldn't approve? As far as I'm concerned you have been her's for twenty years. You just didn't know it yet." He chuckled at Joshua's second scowl. "Besides. Maybe a family will get you to move back home." Joshua looked away at that statement. George knew he stayed in D.C. so he could be close to the Whitehouse. Joshua had made himself John Angels secret protector and on call psychic. Both of them loved John very much so George never made it an issue. "So how far have you extended it? I tried stretching my arm out to touch it, but got nothing but air." Changing the topic would get Joshua smiling again, especially this one. Joshua looked at him with a smug expression.

  "Five feet and I have thinned the air funnel to about six inches in circumference. I also reinforce the bubble. Only something like a 50.cal could get through." A touch of excitement entered his voice. Joshua loved talking about his creations. So did George.

  George stretched his arm out past the Flying Hand to see if he could touch the invisible barrier surrounding it. The Mirror Bubble Joshy called it. During his training in the military, they had found out that Joshua could make substances like glass. He could also make mirrors. Using a theory he had gotten from a Green Lantern comic, Joshy had made a bubble of glass around a Flying Hand. George had thought it stupid until Joshua turned the glass into a two-way mirror. From the outside it was all reflections. On the inside you could see the world around the bubble. Joshy immediately began using the new Mirror Bubble on night based missions. At night the bubble couldn't be seen. During the day it could be seen at low altitudes. It had worked perfectly until a problem arose. The bubble had kept out oxygen.

  "Is that wise making the funnel smaller? Have you had any lightheadedness?" George had came up with a solution to the problem. At the back of the bubble a pipe extended out for about three feet. Made of the two-way glass substance, it allowed the bubble to function perfectly. Joshua argued that it destroyed the sphere image of the bubble. George had told him it was invisible anyway so who cared. The bubble went from reflective sphere to a reflective eyeball looking thing.

  "I don't fly much these days George," Joshua said sadly, "Besides, not much air is need for one or two people. You forget the original design was for a squad of troops." Joshua rubbed his chin. He had never been able to grow facial hair. Added to his slow aging he looked like a college kid at times. "Actually I have been working on adding two-way glass to all my handz. The Ghost Handz already work well with it and now that I have learned how to reinforce the glass I may add it to the Kombat and Greedy Handz."

  Joshua had so many names for his handz. Ghost, Watchful, Helpful, Kombat, Greedy, Remote, Talkative, and Deadly Handz were the tools of the American psychic Mr. Handz. Mr. Handz had been Joshua's codename on missions. Nearly everyone in the world had heard of him. A psychic who would look at you with hands with eyeballs in them, who could talk to you with a hand with a mouth in the palm, who rode around on a giant flying hand, was someone people talked about. Unfortunately, being a famous psychic put a target on your back. George thought another reason Joshua didn't stay in Philly was to protect George's family from anti-psychic groups. George reached behind his head and fingered the burnt, blue scrunchie holding his ponytail.

>   "Have you gone to her grave lately?" Joshua was looking at George with concern on his face. He knew asking a question like that would get a reaction from George.

  "No.......Kary has been trying to get me to go...but..I..." He couldn't finish the words. He wouldn't bring himself to think about it. An image of a blood soaked black woman with her arm outstretched flashed in his mind. He ruthlessly squashed it. He wouldn't think about Japan. Japan had driven George insane. He had spent years in a veteran mental hospital. Joshua had been frantic those years because he couldn't help George. George had lost all love of life. He would scream out in his sleep at thoughts of the crusade. Nightmares still plagued him. He had thought it was all over until he met a nurse named Kary.

  Kary had saved George Williams from a life in a mental institute. She had listened to him and felt his pain. She had filled a void that the Japan Campaign took from him. She was beautiful and smart. She hadn't asked George to get better she had commanded him like a drill sergeant. She was exactly what George had needed at the time. She knew that she could never be George's great love in life. But she decided a life with battered and broken Mr. Georgy would suit her just fine. They got married twelve years ago and she had bore him two sons, Nathan and Jim. He loved her with all his heart and was grateful everyday she was in his life. Joshua thanked her every time he thought George wasn't around. Joshua hadn't learned yet that some hurts could only be cured by women. His beautiful nurse Kary had patched him up and took him home to cure his.

  The flying hand began to descend toward a suburban sub-division. Most people were already inside their homes for the night. Driveways were filled with Minivans and SUV's. All the houses resembled each other except for the paint jobs. George saw his two story house getting bigger as they descended toward the backyard. The swimming pool was covered with a tarp. The boys wouldn't swim until summer was in and school was out. The barbeque grill stood untouched and a childish sadness entered George knowing that Kary had decided against steaks. He looked across the street and saw that the house across from theirs was without lights. It was strange. Nanna hated sleeping at this time. She had always been a night owl. The hand slowed its descent until reaching five feet off the ground.

  "Come in and say hi to Kary and the boys. I think Nanna may be over," said George as he climbed down off the hand. He had to stretch as soon as his feet hit the concrete patio. Flying always made him cramp up.

  "No, I can't...I was told to be home before a certain time." Joshua scowled hard and blushed at the same time. George laughed hard while pulling his luggage down to the patio.

  "Welcome to married life little brother." He laughed even harder at Joshua's horrified look. "Will you think about what I said?" He didn't need to say what as Joshy nodded quickly. George knew he would think about it then dismiss leaving the country.

  "Tell Kary and the boys I love them. And tell Nanna...tell Nanna to make sure he wears condoms. I couldn't handle a little brother." They both laughed hard at that.

  "Me neither," George said and laughed even harder as the fingers of the Flying Hand curled up except the middle one.

  George watched his brother fly off into the night. He knew Ashley was at Joshua's apartment waiting on him. Grabbing his luggage he opened the patio door and went into his kitchen. The house had the feeling of a home with toys on the floor and kitchen table. To George's surprise, he didn't smell any food cooked in the kitchen. The stove was empty and he didn't see any take-out on the kitchen counter. He set his luggage over by the kitchen closet and went looking for his family. Being a former Major in the U.S. Army had given George certain instincts. Those instincts were telling him that something was very wrong. Kary always had a meal waiting. Always.

  He walked slowly through the hallway that led to the front door not hearing a sound. Each step sent his mind reeling thinking something bad had happened. He stopped next to the staircase and tilted his head to listen. No sounds from upstairs. Like a candle flickering, something flickered inside George. In the blink of an eye he stood as a different person. He felt like a different person. He felt in tune with his surroundings. He felt the temperature of the room and realized that no warm body had passed through the hallway for some time. He smelt no blood inside or outside of the house. No sent of gunpowder on the air. No killing intent. Perfect Mr. Georgy sighed with relief. He felt strong emotions coming from somewhere in the house. The flicker of perfection vanished and George was once again his shameful shell of himself again. He continued his search for his family.

  Stopping at the front door, he took a look into the dark dining room. He saw no one and no food on the wooden table. He passed through it with his heart racing. Beyond the dining room was the living room and if no one was there he would know something was wrong. The boys always watched cartoons at this time. Always. He walked up to the doorway and let out another sigh of relief. The boys were sitting on the couch with an elderly black woman between them. She wore a nightgown and seemed to be trying to comfort the crying eight and six year old. She was crying as well.

  "What’s going on in here," he said loudly announcing his presence. A woman appeared in a doorway opposite to his. She was plump but pretty. Her blue tank top and jeans matched her blue sneakers. Her black hair was tied back in a ponytail. Her face had nice full lips made for kissing. Blue eyes sparkled with tears and some were running down her cheeks.

  "Oh George," she cried and ran across the room into his arms. She started sobbing into his chest. The boys ran from the couch over to him and did the same as their mother. The old woman gathered herself up and began to hobble over to him.

  "What’s going on Nanna? What happened?" He asked his adoptive mother. She looked at him with tears dripping from her eyes. George’s heart ached at seeing it.

  "You haven't heard about L.A.?" Her voice so motherly echoed in his head. He shook his head. She told him what happened. He gathered his mother and family into his arms and they all cried together.

  Psy Chapter 7

  Year 35 A.M.

  Joshy-Poo:

  The clouds thinned as he flew through the night sky. Joshua knew that he had to keep out of sight, but every now and then he would drop lower to the ground. He was a celebrity and camera shots of him were worth a lot of money. The Keepers had been after him for weeks about the rumors of his love life. The fact that George had given the okay made everything alright in Joshua's mind. Thoughts of his brother were always happy and sad. He was alive and yet the Georgy he had grown up with was dead. Perfect Mr. Georgy he had been. The charismatic leader of the black ops unit codenamed The Misters. The first assassins known to the American public. Perfect Mr. Georgy was the reason the public accepted the fact that some dirty things needed to be done to keep them safe. No one ever thought that black ops killers would be praised for their wet work. That was until the American people met Pistol Perfect Mr. Georgy and fell in love with him.

  Joshua mused over the names the public had given his brother. It was said only great men were known by many names. His brother was undoubtedly one of the greatest men in history. Entire books were written about Pistol George. Magazines devoted photo after photo to the Killer of Killers. Posters decorated the cities in Korea and China of HE Who Can Kill You With The Reflection Off An Eyeball. Videos of Two Clipz Georgy were watched daily. Women went to sleep at night dreaming of the perfection of Perfect Mr. Georgy. Now his brother was known only as The Mad One. His big brother earned that one after the crusade after the symptoms began to show. Joshua prayed everyday that Jesus would watch over and protect his Perfect Knight. He himself had a few of the symptoms but he couldn't afford to let the madness take over.

  Just like his big brother he was a hero and the public loved and adored him. At least most of them anyway. He had a few names in which they called him. Here in the U.S. he was always Mr. Handz or Joshua Handz. In Japan they called him the Death God. In East Asia he was The Beast With A Thousand Hands. The Muslims gave a name to him, but he could never pronounce it. Roughly
translated it meant Jesus’s Monster. He loved his names, but one name was given to him that the public didn't know. It was a name he hated at first. Now he loved it and after forty years it was his favorite of all. A name that was given to him by his closest friend.

  Cheese dripped off his chin as he took another bite of the cheese steak. Joshua had an almost addictive like craving for the sloppy sandwich in his hands. With the little strength he had in his hands, he could barely grip the sandwich, but he didn't care. He would eat a cheese steak off the floor of the dirtiest gas station bathroom. Well, maybe not the dirtiest. A Helpful Hand floated to his mouth with napkins. He wiped away the dripping cheese trying not to get any on the expensive suit George had gotten for him. At that moment he hoped nothing spoiled his good mood. He had a cheese steak in his hand. He had spent the day with his big brother. His Nanna was getting some. And he was on the way home to get some 'Bed Magic' he liked to called it. It was time to do some tricks.

  He finished his second cheese steak by the time he reached D.C. The Flying Hand could reach speeds that passed the sound barrier. George never liked going that fast so the trip to Philly was longer than even a normal airplane flight. The time spent with his brother equaled out the long flight. Joshua looked down as night arrived in D.C. He could make out the Whitehouse, but didn't dare go closer. They had special equipment that could alert them of anything flying toward the seat of power. Joshua had gotten in trouble twice already for just showing up to talk with his old friend. Tonight he wasn't in the mood for John Angels. He had a destination to get to. Ashley was waiting and he wanted to get home quickly. He sped up the Flying Hand and headed towards his home.