FLOOR 21: Judgement (The Tower Legacy Book 3)

by Jason Luthor

  But, that is neither here, nor there. A brief description of the body is in order, after all. I will not go into all the details and will instead append the medical scans taken of the body. Suffice to say, there has been systemic trauma to all the vital organs of the victim, multiple instances of internal hemorrhaging, body wide lacerations, and multiple broken bones. Although it is doubtful anyone shall ever read this report, I would venture to say that any learned mind would not be surprised to learn that the cumulative injuries present led to the death of this individual. I doubt it hardly matters whether her death is more heavily owed to blood loss or organ failure.

  Which is not to say that all cellular function has ceased, although any individual experienced with Creep cellular processes will understand this instinctively. Again, the appended medical scan will reveal lingering activity much as is found throughout the Tower. The typical Creep host often demonstrates this form of activity. Although, I should pause to say that we have here the only instance I am aware of in which the cellular activity overtaking the host is of a Type-2 cell. I believe the scientists currently inhabiting the upper floors refer to these as Sally Cells. Important to note, I believe, is that Sally Cells are notoriously voracious. They leave no time for host bonding, rendering any form of long term symbiotic bond impossible. The host is consumed, not possessed. The fact that the girl’s body remains intact is, of itself, notable.

  That, of course, is helped by the stasis field. Wouldn’t want the old girl jumping off the bed in a violent fit of induced cannibalism, would we? Oh, I joke, but in all seriousness, such an occurrence would be highly unlikely. Hm, though, it would put the start to this old heart of mine. No, considering that, with a doorway open and Judge removed, I am planning to leave the Tower, I simply thought it best to allow these Creep cells to remain active. After all, this has actually never occurred before. It would be a violation of my interest as a scientist to terminate this cell line. The field surrounding the laboratory will also act to guard against any further typical, human cellular degradation . . . And, of course, the special, ah, protective clothing I have dressed her in will certainly protect her body.

  Now, I hate to whisper so low into the recorder, so do forgive me, but her friends would most likely be furious to know that I consider this a bit of a scientific experiment. It would be simply fascinating to see Sally Cells behaving in a previously unobserved manner. You take what surprises you can after five hundred years of being alive.

  Her friends seem inclined to agree with allowing me to preserve the body. For them, it’s a sort of grave, I suppose. A tribute in aeternum, to their hero. I don’t wish to sound cruel. I do hope that this memorial, as it were, does bring them some measure of peace. The entire Tower owes a debt to the girl, after all. But, I really should be done with this recording, and soon. Her friends are a bit on the edgy side, although I cannot blame them. The world outside is not peaceful, as they’ll soon find out. Still, there’s nothing quite like Judge out there. At least, not nearby. Oh, this is quite the intriguing turn of events. It almost seems sad to me that, after making observations of the Tower for so many centuries, that this will be my last. Although, I look forward to documenting the state of affairs in the wider world. It will be a truly fascinating experience.

  Dodger’s Recording 29

  I couldn’t explain what I’m feeling like if you locked me up in a room for a weekend and told me to write in a diary the whole time. I just, I keep going back over it in my head. How everything unraveled. Seeing Jackie there in the grass and just losing my mind over it. Then, out of nowhere, we get this complete stranger that just waltzes out of the Tower like he’s been watching us the whole time. Which, apparently, he pretty much has been.

  You know, right before all this started, before Jackie jumped down that hole, we found a station with all these monitors. Turns out they used to use them to watch all these different parts of the Tower. I mean, that makes sense. Why else would they have that sort of equipment all set up? If I understood it all, then it looks like this new guy’s been using a beefed-up version of a monitoring station the whole time we were down in the Deep Creep. Now, up until we ran into Judge, if you would have told me someone could live five hundred years, I wouldn’t have believed you. Judge did it, obviously, through the Creep. We kind of got that out of listening to Jackie’s recordings.

  This guy though—oh, his name’s Joseph Watson, by the way—isn’t infected with the Creep. I’m not sure if Tommy and Mike got what he was saying. I’m not even sure I completely understood it. Still, I think I got the gist. It’s Pocket Space. Everyone who knows about Pocket Space knows that what you put inside of it doesn’t get old. It’s almost as if it’s frozen, for like, forever. Well, this guy knows how to use Pocket Space, and not just to store food. He knows how to apply it to humans apparently, because he says he’s been watching stuff around the Tower since the day everyone got shut in.

  The problem is that, just because his body and mind physically survived, doesn’t mean he actually stayed sane. Plus, he’s got huge gaps in his memory. I don’t know if that’s what naturally happens when you live for centuries or what, probably because this is the first time I’ve ever even heard of someone living that long. Maybe you just start to forget things, or maybe seeing all the craziness around the Tower really did drive him insane. Don’t get me wrong, he’s incredibly intelligent. There’s no doubting that. He starts talking about the Creep and DNA replication and all of a sudden, you’re lost. He’s probably the smartest person I’ve ever met. Still, this is the same guy who, one second, is talking to you about theoretical physics, and the next minute is spending half an hour talking about how delicious cherry flavored shaved ice is. I’d never even heard of shaved ice until we ran into him.

  What’s frustrating is how little he can actually tell us about what happened to the Tower. We understand some of it. Jackie’s recordings . . . She was having visions or something. That girl, Anna, was talking to her the whole time she was down here and just telling her about how all of this happened. So, we do get the general story. It’d just be nice to have the holes filled in by a living human who was actually there, and this guy can’t even remember why he was assigned to watch the Tower in the first place.

  It’s whatever. If he can’t remember then it’s not anything I can worry about. I’m keeping an eye on him though, don’t get me wrong. I just don’t think he’s a bad guy, necessarily. It helps that he’s brought along some of his equipment, which he claims can help keep the Creep away. That’s good, because every time I look in the distance, I get goosebumps down my skin. There are tendrils there bigger than anything I’ve ever seen, and Jackie recorded at least one Creeper the size of a building. I think that might be what tore the head off that robot we saw in front of the Tower.

  Speaking of, I feel like there’s something I want to say about Jackie before I click off. It’s just, I don’t feel like we won anything, you know? We’re outside of the Tower, and I’m glad, but everything out here’s a disaster. We still can’t go back up top because who knows what Edward Pygmalion would do to Mike. At the same time, we don’t exactly know where we’re going either. I just feel lost. Jackie . . . Jackie just always made it seem like she knew what to do. I mean, she didn’t, but she made us believe like she did, and now she’s . . . she’s gone, you know? Oh God, I wouldn’t . . . It’s just, I keep seeing her there, in the grass. She looked like she was so peaceful. That’s the way I want to remember her, is just her being at peace. It’s just, I’d rather she was here, right now, going out to see the world with us.

  I want it to be the four of us again. I want us to be laughing and having Jackie keep the whole team together. I want to see her kicking ass again, but it’s not going to happen. I can see what it’s done to Tommy. He keeps saying he’ll get over it, but right now, he’s just not on his game. He’s not acting like the Tommy I know, but that’s okay. I know he’s the commander and all, but he’s still . . . We’re not in the Tower anym
ore, and I’m either going to commit to what I think I’m feeling, or I’m going to walk away. And Tommy’s earned my respect. He’s just shown us over and over that he might not be Jackie, but that’s okay. He’s himself, and that’s . . . that’s amazing. Tommy would do anything for the rest of us, so I really . . . I’m going to commit to it, you know? See if we can make things work between us. Maybe that’s a terrible idea out here, but this isn’t a world where everything’s ever going to be perfect. There’s always going to be more reasons to doubt yourself and say no, so at some point, you either go for something, or you lose your chance. And, I don’t know, I kind of like to think Jackie’s watching me from somewhere and just telling me to shoot for it. Yeah. I think that’s what she’d say.

  Thanks, Jackie.

  Mike’s Recording 11

  Doc gave me something for these powers of mine. Said it’d basically make it impossible for me to use the Creep the way I used to, but that I’d be able to focus a lot more. Feel less crazy. Pretty sure I’m okay with that. Don’t know a lot of people cut out for this type of power. Just look at Johnny and Anna. Maybe Jackie had it in her to control it. Honestly? I just want to be the best person I can be, but that’ll be impossible if I’m always on the verge of flipping out or feeling like I’ve got someone speaking into my skull. Told Tommy and Dodger about it, but they said they’d support whatever I did. Not everyone’s meant to be a super hero.

  Think maybe that’s the funniest part about the whole Tower thing though. Me and Jackie didn’t get close because of powers or ‘cause we were good at fighting. We got close because we both liked finding out about the truth. I was curious. She was too. It was a good enough match. At first, anyway. Thing is, I’m kinda realizing that, yeah, I might’ve been older than her, but I’ve got some, dunno, issues to put away. Never really dealt with . . . well, I still feel like I’m the reason my old team got killed, but I feel like I’m ready to let go of it. Jackie wouldn’t want me thinking like that, anyway. She thought I was inspirational. Nobody’s ever called me that, but I like to think it’s the best gift she could’ve left me with.

  More than anyone else, I think I knew what Jackie was going through. Truth is, back on the upper floors, people liked me. I could play music, had decent looks, plus I was athletic enough. Girls liked me. It’s not like I felt completely alone. Not like Jackie. Can’t imagine what it’s like to feel as if no one loves you. That made her a tough nut to crack. I could’ve hooked up with anyone I wanted, done anything I wanted with my life, but I wanted to be a Scavenger, and I wanted Jackie. So, basically, I chose the two hardest options possible. Still, after everything I went though, I really felt like I got to understand her. Guilt can eat your heart up, and depression can leave you hopeless. She got out of that place. Took me a while, but I think I’m almost out, too. Jackie started that.

  She talked to me when I didn’t think anyone else would. When she disappeared, Tommy, man, that guy really picked up the slack. For a while, I thought Dodger hated me. Now, we’re friends. It’s not a best friendship, and we’re not ever going to be as close as I was with Jackie, but we’re there for each other. Just wish, you know, that I’d gotten it together before all this happened. Maybe things would’ve been different. Maybe Jackie wouldn’t be dead. Maybe. But, see, I’m blaming myself again. Just started loving to do that at some point. Jackie wouldn’t want that, especially since I’ve got friends to protect now. I know I can’t keep killing myself over the past. Right here, right now, I’m with Tommy and Dodger. They’ve been real friends, so I didn’t come out of the Tower empty handed, you know? I’ve got them. Plus, Doctor Watson. At least talking to him makes me feel like I’m not as crazy as I think.

  You know, the best memory I’ll ever have of Jackie isn’t of her trying to talk me down or keeping me from crying. It’s not of the time we were in the Deep. Thing I’ll always remember about Jackie is me and her hanging in the library, just chilling, and her talking about everything she wanted to do when she got out of the Tower. Always going to feel like I’m missing something without her around. Thing is, I know she got what she wanted in the end. She got out. Was always her dream, the one thing she ever talked about. About seeing ground floor and seeing the world outside. I’m just glad she got to go after making her dream come true. Wish she could’ve seen more of this world. But, since she can’t, I guess it’s my job to do the exploring for her.

  I’ll make you proud, Jackie.

  Tommy’s Recording 25

  I miss you, Jackie.

  It’s been a couple of days since we got out of the Tower. You wouldn’t believe the crazy old kook we’re traveling with right now. Then again, I listened to those recordings of yours. Even shared a lot of it with the team. Not all of it. I don’t think you would have wanted me sharing everything. Some of that stuff, I know you wanted to keep it secret. It was the sort of thing you only think about when you’re leading a team like you did. Kind of like I’m having to do now.

  My point is that you met some interesting people. Hell, Johnny and Anna alone are enough to write a book about. This guy we met though, Jackie? You’d just love him. He’s a scientist, completely off his rocker, but smarter than anyone I know. He’s probably smarter than your dad, and that’s saying something. I’m not sure if it’s the right move bringing him along, but he swears that he thinks he can remember some of his old life if he just gets out and sees more of the world. He thinks it’ll jog his memory. I hope so. I’d really like to know more about how it all came to this. Busted up tanks, gigantic robot heads, and Creep as big as towers? Hell, that sounds like your kind of holiday.

  You’d know what to do. You’d know the call to make. At least, I keep telling myself that. The weirdest part about listening to your recordings was realizing how much you actually doubted yourself. I mean, I saw the crying. I held onto you when it happened. If anyone knew you weren’t as confident as you came across sometimes, it was me. Listening to those recording though . . . I don’t know, it just made it so real. I guess it made me realize how often you just tried your best and made the best decision you thought you could. Then, you had to trust yourself. I guess that’s something I still have to do. I’ve got to learn to trust myself.

  Mike and Dodger are helping. Man, Jackie. Really. Ever since we got out here, I mean, everyone’s torn up about you, but they’re really coming together. Whatever the doc’s been giving Mike, it’s blocked out most of his connection to the Creep, but that’s probably a good thing. All I know is, ever since then, I’ve seen the old Mike I used to know. He’s becoming the guy I used to be jealous of again. I worked out so hard to be the popular athletic guy, and Mike always looked like he could just flash a smile and have himself a bunch of fans. I can see that coming back. Honestly, I’m happy for him.

  I’m glad that he’s been getting closer with Dodger. That’s probably more important than ever, now that we’re out of the Tower. It makes me feel better, knowing that everyone’s more of a team. More of a family. We haven’t run into anything violent out here yet, but we see Creep in the distance, so I know it’s not going to be long before we have something new to face off against. I know there’s something better out there though. I just wish you were there to see it with us.

  I told you I didn’t let Mike and Dodger hear all the recordings. There’s one in particular that keeps burning into my head. I . . . well, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about it. I know we were just friends, but . . . but we loved each other, right? Like, brother and sister, or whatever. I don’t know. All I know is, I loved you, and there’s this recording of yours, when you’re talking about a fight with some geneticist. Geller, I think. And the fight goes to Hell, and for a second, you don’t know if you’ll make it. What gets me is, you say this thing. You say I’m the last guy you’re going to think about before you die. Not including your family, obviously, but still. Me? Why would I be the last guy you think about? Because I keep running through that last second of us together in the rose patch. I was t
he last person you ever talked to. My name was the last name you ever said. And that last thing you told me about how you loved it when I called you by your nickname?

  What am I supposed to do with that, Jackie? How do I keep going when I keep thinking about it? How am I supposed to carry that? Because I miss you. I go to sleep, and I miss you. I keep wanting to wake up to finding you getting us all rolled out for the day. I keep wanting to see you near my shoulder on the firing line. Damn it. I just . . . I just want to see you smile and hear you talk, and I keep wishing I could have seen more of you with the helmet off and your hair down. You never got that chance. You were always, always just out there for us. But you never got the chances in life to do a lot of things you wanted to.

  I’m always going to carry you, Jackie. As long as I’m alive, you will be too. Because you’re in my heart, Jackie Coleman. Jacko. Nothing’s going to change that.

  Tommy out.

  A Recording of a Memory

  The day they took us, the day we found ourselves back in the labs, is the day hope died. You could already see what was happening to the Tower. The disease, the Creep, infected the walls. It wasn’t much, but it had a foothold. You could see it shimmering in the light. In the remote corners of the Tower, it was already beginning to grow into clusters, away from anyone’s notice. The Builders were anxious to stop it.

  The walls that sealed the Tower from the outside world were meant to keep the disease and war away. The fact that the Tower was already infested was the reason the walls were never lifted once they came down. The Builders tried to reclaim the lower floors, but the Creep kept coming, seeking out the engine that kept the Tower running. Every day, the scientists were a little more desperate, and every day was another day they pushed Johnny a little harder. They placed their last hope of controlling the infection on him.