by Mark Lingane
“From what I’ve seen, few privates recognize the difference. Sergeants, on the other hand, are proud of the subtle differences.”
“So, why would a couple of privates be upgrading their rank?”
Nikola shrugged. “Best if we keep an eye on them.”
Angel mentioned to Nikola that she felt a teensy bit uncomfortable with the new soldiers in the SUV, so he did some shuffling, much to the disappointment of the two men. In their new position, Albert talked endlessly at them about the power-to-weight ratio of the SUV. Sebastian jumped in the SUV beside Angel, while Michael struggled along uncertainly on Sebastian’s bike.
Angel spent several hours sifting through her supplies before joining Sebastian in the cab. “Hi, Sebastian.”
“Nice to see you, Angel. What can I help you with?”
“Tell me about Gavin. His story seems so exciting.” She clasped her hands together.
He looked over at her with surprise and concern. She placed her hand on his knee and his mind went a little pink. As the SUV bounced down the road, his mind eventually returned to her question.
“It’s not that exciting.”
“Did you battle him in some deadly duel to the death?”
“Er, no,” he said. “He was the top boy at the tesla school, although he was totally lame. But then, so were the others, when I think about it. It turned out he had this secret deal going with the teacher, Oliver Stephenson. They both ended up joining the cyborgs—when the cyborgs were the enemy. And he betrayed Melanie, then shot her.”
“That’s so sad. I think it’s kind of Peter to go out with her at the moment, you know, to help her recover.”
Sebastian frowned. “I think it’s pretty serious.”
“Is it? Maybe not.”
“Why do you say that?”
“That’s not quite what I heard from Peter. But maybe I misunderstood.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you did.” He took a quick look at her. “Angel, where are you from?”
“Can I say I’ve fallen from the heavens?”
“No.”
As she recounted only those details from her past that she wanted him to know, he closed his eyes and let his mind unfurl, reaching out and sensing for telltale signs. There was nothing. He caught a slight blip at the very edge of his field of detection, but it was so weak and so distant he decided it was probably nothing. His suspicions eased, he brought his mind in, and relaxed his senses.
Then he caught it. Just like someone standing in the shadows, pretending to be a shadow, so expertly hidden you only knew they were there because they weren’t there. The shadows weren’t empty, and the shadow was right next to him. He glanced at Angel out of the corner of his eye.
She clapped her hands together as a butterfly fluttered past, her face full of innocence and charm.
In close proximity to the SUV, several rabbits nibbling on tufts of grass glowed from within. The yellow burst out through their fur and they were engulfed by small flames. As the SUV passed, the charred remains of the rabbits crumbled then blew away in the breeze, leaving nothing but black marks in the dirt.
“Sebastian, I need to talk to you,” Melanie whispered.
“Huh?”
“Wake up.” She poked him with a stick.
“The sun isn’t up, can’t it wait?” He stared at her with one eye open. She wasn’t going away. He groaned. “I don’t like you when you wake me up during the night.”
“It’s morning.”
“Not even when the sun rises. Maybe several hours after that.” He looked blearily into her eyes. He could see the concern. He groaned loudly. She shushed him.
He wrenched himself out of the warm bed and stepped out into the night air. His breath condensed as he exhaled. He rubbed his arms to get some warmth into them. She led him over a mound so they were out of sight of the camp.
“I’m worried about Angel. I think there’s something wrong with her.”
He yawned. “She doesn’t seem sick.”
“No. Um, it’s like she’s not … normal. I’ve seen her do things, weird stuff, similar to you. Could she be a tesla? Is it possible?”
“Yes.” Sebastian added a nod.
“You said that quickly and definitely.”
“Remember Kerry Constantine? Well, she was a tesla. In the end, I could sense her, but it took a while. It’s like she was an exact opposite. I couldn’t see her until I stopped looking. Say Angel was an ordinary tesla like … Gavin.” He looked into her face, but she didn’t wince. “What if there was a tesla who was as powerful as me?”
The morning light was spreading across the ground, covering it with a brittle yellow glow. The grass cast long shadows. A light fog hung in the air as the group sat groggily around the small fire, chewing their way through an unappetizing feed.
A mouse flitted across the sand and under Angel’s chair. She screamed, jolting them all out of their early-morning fug. Her plate toppled to the ground. “Oh silly me, I’ve spilt my breakfast.” She looked helpless.
“You can have mine,” Albert said. He offered her his plate.
“I’ve had my fill if you need more,” Michael added.
“Looks like you’ll be spoilt for choice, Angel,” Nikola said.
Melanie threw down her plate and stormed away. The others looked up in surprise.
Peter jumped up and ran after her. “Hey, what’s the matter?”
“Oh, come on. Isn’t enough enough?”
“Isn’t what enough?”
“Everyone is ‘Can I help you?’ ‘What can I do for you?’ ‘If you need any help, call me.’ The men can’t help themselves around her. Why don’t they say those things to me? What’s wrong with me? Is it because I’m not pretty enough?”
“No!”
“Then what?”
He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “You won’t let anyone help you. You push them all away. You don’t give anyone a chance to feel sorry for you.”
“I don’t need anyone’s pity.” She turned away from him.
“See? It’s not that they don’t care. Guys just like to be heroes. And nothing brings the hero out more than a damsel in distress. Possibly add a dragon to really seal the deal.”
“I can be in distress.”
“Not in the same way. Look, don’t worry about her. In the end, damsels become needy and that isn’t much fun. It starts off being, ‘Please don’t leave, I need to hug you,’ then the next thing you know, you’re moving around floral-print furniture endlessly in some isolated little cottage with no chance to go out and quaff a beer with your mates.”
He placed his arm around her and she turned into him. “But, of course, with you, you’d be the one out quaffing with your mates. And I’d be the one getting the message from the police telling me to come and pick you up from the cells.”
“You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”
“No. From the moment I first saw you, I was pretty certain you’d be trouble. The kind I like. Come on, this isn’t the way to start the day.”
She gave him a smile, but still looked away.
39
THE TWO SOLDIERS made their way over the hill to have a quiet smoke. Brian struck a match and inhaled deeply on his cigarette, flaring the end in a deep red. The smoke curled away. Alfie gave himself a philosophical scratch while pondering the great unanswerable questions.
“That young one is all right,” Alfie said. “Great curves.”
“Too right. I reckon she could be a right goer.”
“Might put up a bit of a fight at the beginning, but she’d come round.”
“I reckon she’d enjoy it. She’d be a bit of pushback at the start, but that’s always welcome before a bit of slap and tickle.”
“Or, in your case,” Alfie said, “slap, slap, and slap again.”
Both men laughed.
Alfie gave Brian a nudge. “Speak of the devil.”
“Hello, gentlemen,” Angel said in her sin
gsong voice.
“Well, fancy seeing you here,” Alfie said.
“It’s amazing where I can be found. Thank you both for talking about me in such glowing terms. It’s such a pleasure to have my talents recognized, and in such a flattering way as well. I must think of a suitable way of repaying you.”
She smiled at them. They gave her tentative smiles in return. She walked away with her bouncy gait and disappeared over the hill, giving them an emotionless glance over her shoulder as she disappeared.
“She’s a bit creepy,” Alfie said. He stubbed out the cigarette and kicked it under the sand.
“You think she’ll be still be as creepy afterwards?” Brian said.
“One way to find out. Let’s do it tonight.”
Brian nodded in agreement.
The group finally managed to get their heads into gear and got underway. Melanie watched Angel in the SUV with Albert. As they chatted, Albert kept smiling, and she kept patting his knee, and the more she touched the more he smiled, his eyes sparkling in the sun.
The soldiers in the SUV with Michael were also staring at Angel. They muttered back and forth, giving each other knowing winks and nudges.
When they stopped for lunch, people bustled around Angel, making sure her seat was secure.
Melanie tried not to stare. When Peter sat down next to her, she said, “Everyone’s quite taken with her.”
Peter laughed. “It’s amazing what reaction a pretty young thing can get from old men. She brings out their lecherous side. Oh well, if you can’t be lecherous when you’re old, what’s there to look forward to?”
“Do you still like me, even though she’s prettier?”
“Looks fade. It’s what’s on the inside that counts.”
“That was exactly the wrong answer.” She folded her arms and looked away with her grumpy face.
Peter searched his memory for the correct response in this situation. He smiled. “What I meant to say was that she doesn’t hold a candle to your eternal beauty. You look way hotter than her.”
She gave him a tiny nod. “That’s better. I’ll give you inside that counts,” she muttered.
Peter was worried. Although he had tried to keep it jovial, he could see that underneath she was being tormented by something, and it was twisting her emotions.
The day wore on. Melanie chose to ride a little away from everyone else, following at a distance. Peter noticed that during the occasional stops she would rub her temples and look distractedly into the distance.
When evening came, Nikola indicated for them to pull off the road and set up camp in an isolated spot close to a river. Tents were pitched and everyone disappeared, occupied by their activities or simply taking time out to get some respite from the constant hum of the road.
The camp was still.
Alfie and Brian watched Angel enter her tent, and a few moments later, burst in behind her.
“Blast, she’s not here,” Alfie whispered.
“Wait, wasn’t that her voice?”
The men followed the sound of gentle singing over a hill. Melanie was steadying herself, taking deep breaths in the clear air. The singing led to her, but it didn’t appear to be coming from her. She placed her hands on her temples and let out a couple of shuddering breaths. She turned angrily when she heard the approaching footsteps. Her eyes were red rimmed.
Alfie and Brian stood before her.
“You look like you’re in need of some comforting,” Alfie said.
“Leave me alone, loser.”
Brian came up behind her and gave her a squeeze. She spun around and went to slap him, but he caught her hand easily. Her head reeled against the dizziness that threatened to overcome her.
“By the looks of you, you ain’t got much time left,” muttered Brian. “Skin looks pretty bad. Poison’s getting in deep. No more than a week at the most.” He ran his hand over her face, and she slapped him away.
“How about we give you a little fun before you go,” Alfie said. “We know how to do it.”
Angel smiled from behind the bushes. She closed her eyes and visualized the scene. She could sense the men and Melanie’s sickly body. She focused on Melanie, squeezed her mind and she toppled forward, fighting against unconsciousness. The effort was draining.
She switched to the surprised soldiers and leveled her full force into their bodies. They glowed a bright yellow. Turning to each other in horror, they exploded in brilliant flames. They howled in pain, their faces contorted into demonic masks.
Melanie felt the heat. Her vision was blurred. All she could make out were the dancing yellow figures in front of her. Their screams of pain echoed through the small valley as she collapsed to the ground, folding herself onto hands and knees.
The others came running over the hill and were greeted by the sight of two burning bodies writhing in front of Melanie. While Parker ran back to camp to get blankets, Peter charged in and scooped her up.
The others could only watch helplessly as the bodies writhed on the ground until Parker returned. He threw the blankets over the burning bodies, and he and Nikola rolled the bodies until the flames went out. Peter took Melanie back to camp and the others followed, shellshocked by the horrific sight.
Nikola and Parker remained. They looked at the two blackened bodies in the blankets, one of which was still alive.
“We have a problem,” Nikola said.
“You want me to take care of it?” Parker replied.
“I invited them to join us. I should do it. I hope this isn’t symbolic of something.”
Nikola looked into the desperate, pleading eyes of the half-dead man. He took out his pistol and placed it next to the man’s head. Tears welled in the burned edges of his eyes. A low moan escaped from his lips. He tried to move his body, but his muscles were dead. Nikola momentarily closed his eyes and sighed. He opened them and they were fierce with the anger of the battlefield. He pulled the trigger.
He looked up at Parker. “He was trying to tell me something, but we’ll never know what it was.”
“I had a young lad in a similar condition a few years back,” Parker said. “He only lasted a few hours, but I still hear the screams today. In the end, I had to shoot him, and to this day I wonder whose benefit it was for. What do you want to do?”
“I’ve had enough of the killing. Death and loss is all I can remember these days. We have a mission to complete. One way or another, we’re going to end this, for good.”
“No more bad guys.”
“Except for us.”
“I’m hoping history looks back on us and judges the results rather than the methods. If I ever have children,” Parker said, “I’d like them to not hate me for what we’re about to do.”
40
PETER LAID MELANIE down on a stretcher bed and sat down next to her. She stirred and focused on him. Michael and Angel stepped into the tent. Angel busied herself folding blankets and bandages, keeping close to the conversation.
“Melanie, can you hear me?” Peter said.
She slurred a response.
“Angel, could you get me some smelling salts?”
Angel fumbled through the bottles and handed over a small vial. Peter uncorked it and waved it under Melanie’s nose. Her eyes shot open, wild with panic. Michael moved in behind Peter, observing over his shoulder. Peter held her as she shook. She calmed a little, but her pulse was racing.
“Peter, we need to ask her while it’s all still clear in her head,” Michael said.
Peter gazed into her eyes. “What happened, Melanie?”
“The men were pushing me around,” Melanie said. “Then I got this pain my head. I was a bit dizzy, I half blacked out, and then they burst into flames. In front of me.”
“Was it a pain like Sebastian gets when the cyborgs are near?” Michael said.
“Yes. No. He gets it when he does something controlling. This just happened in front of me.”
Angel tried to wipe Melanie’s face with a wet cloth. Mela
nie pushed her away. “Get away from me!”
“Calm down, she’s just trying to help.” Peter took the cloth from Angel and stroked it over Melanie’s face. “But Sebastian didn’t know that until it was explained to him.”
“Do you think it was me?” Melanie’s voice filled with anger.
“Of course not, but we need to be able to explain it somehow. Do you think there was something you missed?”
“No.”
“Even when you were dizzy and blacking out?” Michael suggested.
“No. Wait. I don’t know. The fire. Then pain.”
“That’s the opposite of the way you just described it,” Michael said. “Are you sure you’re not confusing the events?”
“Take a few breaths and think about it again,” Peter said. His voice was soothing.
Melanie swayed as waves of confusion and panic flooded over her. “No, this isn’t how it happened,” she cried.
“Calm down,” Michael said. “You’re getting overexcited.”
“I didn’t do this. You have to listen to me.” Her voice raised in pitch and intensity. She grasped for Peter, holding onto his jacket. Her eyes were distant and unfocused.
“I am listening to you,” Peter said. He maintained his even, slow tempo. “Just take a few deep breaths.”
Melanie started to hyperventilate. Sweat was pouring off her face. “You must believe me,” she pleaded.
“I do,” Peter replied calmly.
“We all do,” Michael said.
She looked into Michael’s face then Peter’s, and her breathing became ragged. She jumped up to her feet, too quickly for Peter, who lunged after her.
“No, you don’t. I can see it in your eyes. Why won’t anyone believe me?”
Her breath climaxed in a series of gasps, but fear had shut down her throat. She looked around, wild-eyed and fighting for air, panic gripping every ounce of her body. She convulsed. Her eyes rolled back in her head, exposing the whites. She stumbled forward, moaning incoherently, and then collapsed onto the dirt.