by Marty Chan
Mr. Serenity didn’t answer. Instead, he cracked a grin as the exoskeleton arm lowered and the turret whirred to life. Amina tried to make sense of what he was doing, aiming a live weapon right at her group.
Suddenly, the weapon burst into fire. Disks erupted from the gun on the machine’s metal arm. Ehrich dove out of the way, sliding behind one of the exoskeletons. Amina reacted a fraction too slowly and felt sharp searing pain across her shoulder as one of the disks slashed her. She pushed Tesla to the ground and ran for cover behind one of the other exoskeletons.
Mr. Serenity’s machine stumbled forward like a dinosaur in search of its prey. More disks flew, clanking off the armour of the parked exoskeletons.
Amina screamed, “Stop it! What are you doing?”
Behind the cockpit glass, Mr. Serenity howled with laughter as he pulled the levers to and fro and unleashed another volley at Amina and Tesla. They were safe behind one of the iron giants, but Mr. Serenity wasn’t finished yet. His machine lumbered toward them and knocked the exoskeletons over. They crashed into each other and tumbled down like dominoes. Amina and Tesla scrambled from their positions of safety to keep from being crushed. Another volley of disks screamed through the air.
Then Mr. Serenity’s machine spun around and took aim at the tunnel entrance. A volley of disks was launched at the rock overhead, followed by a whomp as a projectile fired from the back of the unit. An explosion rocked the cavern as loose debris showered the area. Rocks were tumbling down and blocking off the tunnel entrance. Amina screamed at Tesla to climb into an exoskeleton. She hauled herself into the cockpit of a nearby unit with Tesla’s help then reached down and pulled the lanky man up.
Both squeezed inside the cockpit. They tried to manipulate the controls to make the thing stand up, but nothing worked. Amina glared out the cockpit at Mr. Serenity’s machine. It lumbered toward Ehrich’s position. She frantically pushed and pulled the levers until her exoskeleton lurched forward. Tesla found the controls for the gun turret and raised the exoskeleton’s arm. Disks shot out of the gun and pinged harmlessly off the back of Mr. Serenity’s machine.
The iron behemoth swivelled around and returned fire. None of the disks penetrated the bubble. She grinned at Tesla, who pointed through the glass.
“Ehrich’s getting into one of the exoskeletons. We have to keep Mr. Serenity distracted.”
She nodded. She pressed the pedals and the unit lumbered toward Mr. Serenity’s exoskeleton. The two iron giants exchanged fire, but neither scored any hits. Meanwhile, Ehrich climbed safely into his cockpit and fumbled with the controls.
Mr. Serenity grinned at Amina and Tesla from inside his cockpit as he unleashed another volley at them. Cracks in the glass began to fracture. A few more hits and they’d be sliced up. She returned fire.
More cracks on the bubble glass appeared as the rocks from above rained down on them. Tesla gripped her arm, pulling her down as the first disk penetrated the cockpit and struck the seat just over her head. They were exposed now. Amina turned the machine to the side, letting the iron hull take the brunt of the next volley. She peered out the side.
Ehrich’s unit joined the battle. He had figured out the controls. The two iron exoskeletons clashed. One brought down an arm on top of the other, pounding it several times. That one then fired disks into the cockpit of the other. Ehrich’s machine teetered for a moment. Mr. Serenity’s exoskeleton shoved it hard and knocked it to the ground.
Amina cranked her unit around and fired at Mr. Serenity’s exoskeleton. The disks pinged off, but it was enough to drive the exoskeleton away from Ehrich’s prone unit.
Mr. Serenity’s machine lumbered toward the far end of the tunnel as rocks continued to rain down around them. The exoskeleton lowered itself into the water until it was completely submerged. He had found a way out of the tunnel. Amina realized the only way that Mr. Serenity could do all of this was if he wasn’t really her mentor. The slow realization of the truth settled upon her. Her friend had been possessed. He was now Kifo.
She gripped the controls, unsure of what to do. A few feet away, Ehrich’s unit rose to its feet. Rocks rained down on both exoskeletons. Inside the cockpit, Amina felt the reverberations.
Tesla shouted, “Follow him! Into the river. It’s our only escape!”
His voice shook her out of her daze and she applied pressure to the pedals, moving the machine ahead. She glanced to the side and spotted Ehrich in his cockpit, fumbling with the controls. She waved at him to follow. He nodded. Another rock smacked into the cockpit and the hole that the disk had made grew larger.
“We’re going to take in water,” she yelled.
Tesla shimmied out of his jacket and bundled it up. He pressed it against the hole in the glass as the unit entered the water. Amina took one last look back as the cavern collapsed on top of the remaining exoskeletons. Their only hope of defeating Ba Tian was gone.
A New Army
Charlie, Bess, and Dash kept watch over the Hudson River tunnel. The travellers were tense, watching the fence and the bustle of activity among the guards. A few moments earlier, the earth had shaken and a loud rumble had filled the night air. Now, dust rose up from the work site, choking out many of the guards and a few of the travellers. Something had happened in the tunnel.
Charlie wheeled his chair forward. “We have to get closer to the site. See what’s what.”
Bess pulled him back. “They’re not going to let us in, Charlie.”
Dash shook his head. “We can’t leave Ehrich down there. We have to help.”
“The kid’s right, Bess. We might be the only ones who can save them.”
She steeled herself, stepping in front of the two of them and holding her ground. As much as she wanted to run to the work site and help Ehrich and the others, she also had to be the reasonable one. Any attempt to storm the gate would trigger a skirmish that would most likely end poorly.
“We can’t do nothing, Bess,” Charlie said.
She put her hands on her hips. “We’re not going to be any help to them if we get ourselves tossed in jail. Right now, all we can do is keep watch.”
Dash argued, “Keep watch on what? It’s pretty clear that something has gone wrong in the tunnel. Ehrich and the others might be under attack. We have to save them.”
“With what, Dash? We don’t have any weapons and we have no army, and we don’t know for sure what’s really going on at the work site.”
Suddenly, shouts from the guards caught everyone’s attention. Shots fired in the night. Now Bess was the one to run to the fence. Dash pushed Charlie after her. The noise also attracted the travellers, who surged forward as curious onlookers to the chaos unfolding on the other side of the fence.
When Bess arrived at the fence, she craned her neck to peer over the guards clustered on the other side of the gate. They were all pointing at two exoskeletons rising from the water and shambling onto the shore. The guards took aim at the hulking machines stomping toward them and fired their Teslatron rifles. The exoskeletons continued to advance.
Some of the travellers screamed in recognition. “Ba Tian’s army. They are launching an attack. Run!”
Bess glanced around her as chaos erupted. The panicked travellers at the fence now tried to push their way through the crowd and run away. The ones further back were still surging forward to get a better look at the commotion. The guards continued to fire on the machines with no effect.
Charlie took charge. He wheeled himself around to face the travellers. “Listen up! All of you! These guards are our only line of defense. We need to be ready if they fail. Arm yourselves with whatever you can find. So far, there are only two exoskeletons. We can flank them and take them down, but only if you calm down.”
His voice carried over the crowd and a hush fell over everyone. Hexacate strode forward and motioned everyone to back away. “The boy is right. We must defend our
selves against these attackers. Those of you in the rear, find weapons.”
The travellers furthest away from the fence peeled away and scoured the streets for weapons.
“We’re going to get cut down if we all stand here by the fence,” Charlie said. “We have to clear the way. We need to sneak behind them. Far ends of the fences. Either end. First to slip through takes on the machines. Make sense?”
Hexacate nodded. “If you’re not a fighter, back away from the fence. Find shelter. The rest of you, split off left and right. Take either side of the fence. Be ready to rush ahead.”
The guards took aim at the oncoming machines. The energy bolts sizzled against the iron hulls. The exoskeletons drew even closer. Behind Charlie, the travellers organized, clearing a path as they moved to the left and right. Charlie gripped the wheels of his chair, bracing for what was to come.
The guards fired another volley of energy bolts. No effect on the iron giants, but a huge impact on the nerve of the guards. They broke ranks, dropped their weapons, and scattered. They pushed each other out of the way as they fled through the gate, running past Charlie, Bess, and Dash.
Not a soul remained within the confines of the fenced-off property. The exoskeletons advanced closer to Charlie and his friends. Then they came to a dead stop. Silence filled the air. Charlie tensed, ready for a fight.
The lead unit lowered its metal arms. Inside the cockpit sat Amina and Tesla. The other one came around to reveal that the pilot within was Ehrich.
Charlie raised his hand to the others. “Hold your fire! They’re friends!”
Hexacate motioned her travellers to stand down as she made her way to the gate. She shook her head as Ehrich, Amina, and Tesla climbed out of the cockpits.
“They certainly know how to make an entrance,” she grumbled.
Charlie beamed. “That they do. That they do.”
Bess rushed to Ehrich and wrapped her arms around him. Dash followed suit. The travellers gathered around the gate, craning their necks for a better view.
“What happened down there?” Bess asked. “What was that ruckus?”
Ehrich explained, “We tried to get the exoskeletons, but Ba Tian’s men beat us to it. They have a good number of them. The rest are buried under the tunnel.”
“What? How?”
“Hey. Where’s Mr. Serenity?” Dash asked.
Ehrich fell silent and cast a glance at Amina. She took a breath before answering. “I’m afraid that we have lost Mr. Serenity.”
“How?” Dash asked.
She lowered her voice. “Kifo.”
“He’s back?”
She nodded but could not find the words. Tesla put his arm around her.
Ehrich explained, “We think Kifo possessed Mr. Serenity. He turned on us in the tunnel and brought the rocks down. He climbed into one of the exoskeletons and slipped away into the river. He’s probably going to rendezvous with Ba Tian and the rest of the forces.”
“We’re going to have to stop them,” Tesla said.
“But we don’t have the time to dig any exoskeletons out,” Ehrich said. “We can’t face off against Ba Tian with two of these. We need an army.”
Hexacate strode forward. “I never would have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. You have his weapons.”
“Yes, but the rest are buried under the tunnel. There is no way we can recover them.”
“That is unfortunate.”
“You see that Ba Tian is here now, don’t you?”
She nodded. “But that is not our problem.”
“Yes, but when the fight comes to your doorstep, it will be,” Ehrich pointed out. He began to walk away.
As he did, a young boy rushed to Hexacate and wrapped his arms around her leg. “Momma. Are we going to have to run again?”
“Gur-Rahim, I will not let anything happen to you.”
Ehrich took a second look at the boy. Something about him seemed familiar. He couldn’t place the kid, but he knew he had seen him before. It was only when the boy lifted his hands to reveal the two eyes on his fingertips that Ehrich remembered. He was the boy he had rescued from the general store.
“Gur-Rahim,” Ehrich said. “I thought it was you.”
The boy turned to Ehrich and cocked his head to the side. “Do I know you?”
Ehrich realized he had been in disguise earlier. There would be no way the boy could recognize him unless … Ehrich reached behind the boy’s ear and pulled out a coin. The boy’s eyes widened with wonder.
“It’s not the candy I gave you in the store, but maybe you’ll be able to buy what you want.”
The boy squinted at Ehrich’s face, piecing together his memory. “It’s you. You look different.”
“I was in disguise earlier.”
“How do you know this man, Gur-Rahim?”
“Momma, you remember what I told you about the attack in the store. This is the one who rescued me.”
Hexacate straightened up. “Are you certain, my son?”
He nodded. “First, he made candy appear magically. Then when the people turned on me, he pulled me out of the store.”
“Why would you do that?” Hexacate stared at Ehrich. “You didn’t even know him.”
Ehrich shrugged. “When I see someone in need of help,
I don’t decide based on who they are or how I know them. I just help.”
Gur-Rahim tossed the coin up. “If it wasn’t for him, I don’t know what those people would have done to me.”
Hexacate took a long look at her son, then tousled his hair. “Go on and play. I have to talk to our friend here.”
The young boy smiled at Dash. “You want to see my collection of rocks?”
Dash glanced at Ehrich, who nodded. “Sure. I’d love to.”
Hexacate watched the two boys go. “That boy is the only family I have left in this or any world. He means everything to me.”
“He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“It was a good thing you were there to save him.”
“I’m not talking about the store. I’m talking about this world, Hexacate. He’s here and he’s going to witness the death of another world. Or worse, he’s going to be part of the destruction. Unless you and your people are willing to lift a hand to help.”
“We have no means to fight the exoskeletons.”
“We have two of them. It’s a start.”
“It’s not our battle,” she said.
“And it’s not his, either, but he’s a part of it whether you want him to be or not.”
“I owe nothing to these people,” she said, pursing her lips.
“I know that, but you owe your son a better life than one where you flee from one ravaged world to the next, don’t you think?”
In the distance, Gur-Rahim picked up rocks and handed them to Dash. A knot of guilt tightened in Ehrich’s stomach. He tried to ignore it as he watched his brother playing with the boy as if they were back in their home world and none of this had ever happened.
Amina regained her composure and pulled away from Tesla. “Hexacate, you do nothing and we are ruined. It’s time to act. You can’t stand on the sidelines anymore. You have to fight. You don’t and we’re all dead. All of us—”
Tesla put his arm around her again and pulled her away.
Ehrich straightened up, standing as tall as he could to meet Hexacate’s eyes. “What’s your decision?”
She looked from him to her son with Dash. Then she fixed her gaze back on Ehrich. “What do you want us to do?”
“Thank you,” Ehrich said. “We have to go to Coney Island first. If Ba Tian succeeds in getting the generals, he’ll be able to launch a full-scale assault on this city.”
Charlie piped up. “No. We have to go to Devil’s Island and warn them. We need more
bodies to fight.”
“There’s no way they’re going to listen to us, Charlie,” Ehrich said. “We’re still on their wanted list.”
“They might listen to me. I could warn the hunters if someone gets me to the island.”
“Are you sure they’ll listen to you?” Ehrich asked. “It’s been a while since you were on the force.”
“I’m pretty sure there will be a few veterans who remember me. At least they’ll be willing to give me the time of day.”
“We can’t send him alone,” Bess said.
“We can’t send any of the travellers, and Amina and I need to lead the forces against Coney Island. That only leaves you, Bess,” Ehrich said.
The slim girl scowled. “You think you’re taking me out of harm’s way. Think again.”
He shook his head. “We need the hunters on our side. It’s the only thing that will keep Ba Tian from getting everything he needs.”
Charlie pointed out, “If I could travel on my own power, I’d go on my own, but it would be nice to have a friendly face with me in case things go south.”
Bess stamped her foot down on the pavement. “There is no way you’re taking me out of this fight. I’m going with you to Coney Island to face off against this warlord. If he’s coming to destroy my city, I want to be able to stand up to him.”
“We need the firepower of the hunters,” Charlie said.
“No. Most of them will be guarding the execution site. With the sabotage Ehrich told me about, I’m pretty sure Thomas Edison isn’t going to leave anything to chance. It’s most likely that Devil’s Island will have a few hunters while the rest will be guarding the prisoners. That’s where Ba Tian is going to attack and there’s where we will have the best chance of ending this invasion.”
Ehrich began to argue, but Charlie cut him off. “You know this firebrand might just have a point. If I were in charge of Demon Watch, I would make damn sure that we had enough bodies to watch the generals. Ain’t no reason to launch an attack on Devil’s Island if all the generals are in the city.”