Hysteria

by Gordon, Christopher

  “I’m not high, I’m not crazy, but I am richer than god,” McKenzie said, “and I want to buy your uniform.”

  “Maybe you need to save your dough to redecorate,” the kid said looking at the rapid fire holes the size of a man’s head in the plasterwork and floor.

  Five minutes later McKenzie left the pizza guy in his closet. They decided to tie him up for intensity and the kid settled for an autograph claiming he could make a small fortune by reselling it. McKenzie considered the kid realized neither of them would live long enough to cash a teen million-dollar check.

  McKenzie stepped into the elevator wearing the pizza guy’s company baseball cap and shirt with a pizza box bag slung over his shoulder. He tried to adopt that familiar gate of the anonymous pizza guy. Cap pulled low to hide trademark acne, head down lost in another world on his mp3 player and a solemn look of being short changed and bullied by cheap drunk customers. having spent last summer working in exactly that role he found it all too easy and looked forward to falling off his pizza scooter at least three times a mile on every corner. That’s if he could every get it started. He smiled to himself that he remained optimistic enough to assume he would ever get out of the tower alive.

  The elevator door pinged. McKenzie stomach back flipped. Head down and push through like nothing in world can get to him, great plan.

  The door opened into the lobby. A sixty feet high empty and silent glass cage. Two armed men in combat fatigues walked into the elevator and stared at him.

  He slouched, bowed his head, took a deep breath, shoved his shaking hands into his pockets and walked at them. They parted slightly to let him by.

  “Who stiffed you, kid?” one of them said and laughed.

  McKenzie tried to remember what the standard pizza guy response would be and decided to give the men his middle finger salute.

  “Hey,” one of the armed men said. “Stop.”

  Keep walking Mackenzie, he told himself, pretend you can’t hear.

  Then he realized what got their interest. Sticking out of his pizza bag was an undelivered box. Think fast.

  One of the men caught him up and pulled off McKenzie’s baseball cap.

  “It’s him,” the guy said and raised a Glock.

  The lobby windows imploded at them and as McKenzie and the two men threw themselves to the lobby floor, a motorbike flew through the storm of shattering glass and skidded on the floor.

  “get on the back,” Angel shouted at McKenzie as she span the bike around in a full three sixty circle burning tyre smoke in the assassin’s faces and spraying glass shards at them.

  McKenzie jumped on the back of the bike sliding g into the saddle behind Angel and flushed as he wrapped his arms around the slim waist of her red leather biker suit just in time as Angel accelerated straight back towards the row of elevators as the door slid shut.

  “We’re going the wrong way,” McKenzie screamed.

  “The only way is up,” Angel shouted back, retrieved her Glock semi-automatic, and fired twice at the elevator’s control panel buttons.

  The elevator pinged and the door slid open. Angel pulled the bike into a power slide and crashed into the back of the elevator as the doors slid shut behind them. Drove her elbow into the button for the roof.

  “Why the roof?” McKenzie said.

  “I made a promise,” Angel said.

  “Too much to expect you brought a couple of base jump chutes?”

  Angel shook her head. “You ready for this?”

  “Ready for what?”

  Angel pulled a Glock from her boot. Offered it to McKenzie. “Point, shoot.”

  “At who?”

  “I’ll let you figure that out,” Angel said as the elevator came to rest and the doors pinged. “Get on the back.”

  McKenzie slid behind her on the seat. Too much killing already, he decided and carefully slipped his Glock into the pocket of Angel’s backpack.

  “Hold tight,” Angel said and revved the motor and as the doors slid open, she gunned the bike into a wheelie and sped out onto the roof.

  Damien stood waiting. Flanked by four armed men in camouflage fatigues, two on either side. Damien stood on the rooftop observation deck next to the thirty feet high square glass parapet around the edge. he held a onto a rope which McKenzie guessed was one of the cables supporting the huge shrouded antenna structure rising up from the middle of the roof and projecting a solid intense beam of light for what seemed a thousand feet straight up into the night sky.

  Angel gunned the bike towards Damien as she took aim with her Glock.

  Damien smiled and glanced up.

  McKenzie realized why he was smiling,

  Damien stepped aside to reveal the other end of the rope draped over the top of the glass parapet and down the other side. And hanging from the rope, suspended over thirteen hundred feet from the ground was Madison tied up and swaying in the breeze.

  Angel squeezed the trigger and the two assassins on the left of Damien fell. Angel aimed left and squeezed the trigger of her Glock. Bullets ripped into the two assassins on Damien’s right side and fell with their machine guns spraying the antennae above Mackenzie and ricocheting into the tower of light.

  Angel aimed dead center forward at Damien.

  “No,” McKenzie shouted and reached forward across Angel, swiped her Glock aside, and twisting the steering to a hard right he pulled hard on the brake. The bike skidded and crashed into the glass parapet. The wall shattered and glass shards cascaded down on Madison as she dropped thirty feet over the edge. The bike skidded over the edge, plummeted down, and crashed into the nearest memorial pool.

  The slack in the rope burned through Damien’s hands and flung him aside as he let go.

  McKenzie threw himself to edge as a voice inside his head screamed at him. No one must die because of his mistakes, he told himself.

  The rope juddered as his fingers tightened around it. He leaned back on his heels as he felt himself slide across the roof and pulled towards the edge. He slammed his feet into the groove that held the remnants of the glass parapet. Feeling the shards bury deep into the thin soles of his sneakers, cutting into his flesh deeper and deeper with each jerk of his tugging motion.

  Damien sat up and pointed his Glock at McKenzie.

  Angel rolled to a stop, jumping cat like up into a low crouch, and poised for attack she aimed her weapon directly at Damien’s head.

  “It’s over Damien,” she said.

  “Go ahead and kill me,” Damien said, “but you will not save your friends.”

  Stalemate, thought McKenzie. His arms began to scream at him. His tiny metallic friend s whirled around it what seemed a panic under his skin desperately reconfiguring his body to cope with the stress of supporting Madison. His fingers began to bleed with the effort of holding on. And all the while, his mind felt haunted by the ghosts of all the people that had died because of him. His selfishness and inability to stop Damien.

  “Some call this the freedom tower,” Damien said. “At its highest point seventeen hundred and seventy six feet, too symbolize the freedom enshrined in the declaration of independence in the year seventeen seventy six. Our freedoms, McKenzie, our dreams, protected forever.”

  “What do you care about freedom?” McKenzie shouted.

  “Don’t you get it, McKenzie?” Damien said. “This is all about protecting the freedoms of our world.”

  “Why Damien?” McKenzie said. “I gave you Madison that was our deal”

  “See the empire state building from here?” Damien said. “Where it all started for you and I. I spent weeks trying to reverse engineer Hysteria to produce a new source code, but it proved impossible. She has the same defense system as you, Mackenzie. So what to do about the walking time bomb virus threatening to infect and destroy everything I’ve worked for, everyone’s dreams. So I thought why not just kill her?”

  “You better make a damn good job of killing me Damien,” Madison shouted. “Or I’m coming back for you.” />
  “And that is why, Madison, I’m throwing you off the tallest building in the city, Madison,” Damien said.

  Chapter Thirty Seven: Heroes Or Villains

  “But you still don’t get a new source code to expand your fantasy fifteen product range,” McKenzie said.

  Damien laughed.” McKenzie it was never about a lousy fifteen minutes of a dream, it’s about you, the source code, a permanent dream.”

  “I don’t get it, all those billions for what?”

  “I want the upgrade McKenzie, forget fantasy fifteen. Think fantasy forever,” Damien said. “imagine an invincible source code army '''

  “Who commands this army?” Angel said shaking her head. “You?”

  “Naturally, I will be its god,” Damien said. “One McKenzie gives me his power.”

  “But you can’t access the source code.”

  “Unless I kill you,” Damien said. “That’s why McKenzie, throwing you off this tower. And I shall be waiting on the ground to scoop up the source code as it abandons your dead body and seeks another host”

  “You’ll be dead before they hit the ground, Damien,” Angel said.

  Simona Scarrow stepped out of the elevator and nodded to Damien.

  Damien laughed. “You’re running out of time. It would have been fitting to use the Empire State Building but I want to make sure you die, and with it Hysteria.” Damien said. “So here we are.”

  Madison looked up at the rain clouds. “Let him do it,” she said.

  “Are you crazy”? Mackenzie said.

  “Trust me,” she said. “I’ve figured it out, how to spread the Hysteria to anyone using fantasy fifteen.”

  “What good will that do?” McKenzie said.

  “Everyone will be like you McKenzie,” Madison said.

  “I get it,” Angel said. “Hysteria gives every fantasy fifteen user permanent powers. It frees us from tyranny by the likes of Damien.”

  “It creates an unstoppable army of terrorists,” Damien shouted. “I cannot allow that.”

  McKenzie looked the rain clouds as she mouthed the word, water.

  “Is it worth dying for?” he said.

  Scarrow checked her phone for a text and hit reply send. She walked slowly to the elevator. A shadow stepped from it. Oscar Del Amitri nodded to Scarrow and aimed his gun at Damien.

  “Trust is in short supply here,” Damien said and spat on the strengthening winds as dawn began to creep over the horizon.

  “Where’s my daughter?” Del Amitri said.

  “Daddy?” Madison shouted

  “Daddy’s coming for you, baby, hold on tight.”

  “Angel, stop him,” McKenzie said.

  “I need to cover Damien,” Angel said. “I’m sorry.”

  “You lose kid,” Del Amitri said. “All I want is my daughter safe.”

  “Back away, Del Amitri,” Damien said.

  “You don’t give teeth orders anymore,” Del Amitri said.

  “But I do,” a voice shouted.

  McKenzie looked back at Rodriguez stepping out of the elevator aiming her weapon at Del Amitri.

  “How many more gate crashers you letting into the party?” Damien said to Scarrow.

  “Sorry boss,” Scarrow said. “Just trying to deal with loose ends.”

  “Back away from the edge Del Amitri,” Rodriguez said, “I'm placing you under arrest for the murders of-”

  Del Amitri threw himself to the floor as he raised his weapon and squeezed the trigger.

  Rodriguez fell, hit in elbow of her gun arm. Her weapon spun away and slid over the edge of the roof. She reached to her ankle and drew her back up weapon. Aimed at Del Amitri and squeezed the trigger until the gun emptied.

  Del Amitri fell backwards. With the momentum of four rounds punching directly to the chest.

  McKenzie tried to block out Madison’s screaming as he hauled her back up to the roof. He loosened her bonds as she threw herself on top of Del Amitri, kissing her father’s face.

  McKenzie fought with the overwhelming sensation of joy that Del Amitri had been stopped and anger that he had been cheated of revenge. As he watched Madison crying, he felt ashamed.

  “Why didn't you go for a kill shot?” Rodriguez said as she checked Del Amitri’s pulse and tried to apply CPR

  Madison pushed Rodriguez away from her father. “Get away from us,”

  “Too much killing,” Del Amitri said gazing up at his daughter and stroking her face. “But was worth it to see you again.”

  Del Amitri coughed up blood as Madison held his hand. Small green sparks of lightning skipping across their fingers as Del Amitri died.

  “Again I hold the trump card,” Damien said and nodded to Scarrow. “She took a small caliber hand gun from her designer bag and pointed into the elevator.

  Mylo and jenny stepped out, hand cuffed together.

  “Hey McKenzie,” Mylo said. “Couldn’t let you have all the fun could I?”

  “I’m sorry Kenzie,” jenny said suddenly jerking her hands up to wipe tears and forcing Mylo to poke himself in the eye. “If I had known what you were going through I wouldn’t have said all those things.”

  “So long as you’re safe,” McKenzie said.

  “How touching,” Damien said. “You really should have used the opportunity to say your goodbyes. Never mind I’ll say them for you.

  Damien aimed at McKenzie and squeezed the trigger blasting his full magazine of bullets. “Goodbye McKenzie.”

  Angel fired at Damien, knocking him onto his back.

  A bullet tore into McKenzie’s shoulder and threw him backwards and over the edge as Mylo dragged jenny forward and together they leapt at McKenzie.

  McKenzie felt his friend’s hand squeeze his wrist tight. At this height the wind could snatch at them both, and pluck them up into the sky and just as quickly dash them hard down to the ground. They fought against the stiffening breeze tugging them over the edge.

  McKenzie felt his tiny metallic friends generate the sparks of lightning across his arms and between his fingers. A thin membrane of lightning grew across the gaps between his fingers and for the briefest moment as the same phenomenon appeared between his arms and his body and down between his legs. He realized the lightning membrane acted like a sail in the wind and if he twisted his body, he could use the wind. Change the direction of his fall.

  Mylo pulled him forward and collapsed on top of McKenzie. Their noses touching.

  “See what I mean?” Mylo said

  “No you are still not marrying Jen,” McKenzie said

  “You always got to keep the good times to yourself.” Mylo said and laughed.

  McKenzie laughed until blood trickled down Mylo’s nostrils and dripped onto McKenzie’s face.

  McKenzie hands reached around Mylo’s back and felt two holes in his friend’s back. He gently rolled Mylo off him.

  “See what kind of mess you get yourself in when I’m not around,” Mylo said choking on blood and laughing. “Ain’t that right Jen? Jen? Jenny?”

  Jenny lazy face down, motionless next to Mylo. Two bullet holes deep and wide across her back.

  McKenzie rolled her over and unblinking, dead eyes stared up and reflected the intense beam of freedom light.

  “Mylo,” McKenzie said feeling his stomach retch. “She’s, Jenny she’s-”

  Mylo seemed not to respond as if he had not heard. Angel knelt down, one hand on McKenzie’s shoulder and one hand checking Mylo’s pulse. She shook her head. Angel stood and walked over to Damien sitting up and rubbing his shattered elbow.

  “You let me live to negotiate terms?” Damien asked.

  Angel shook her head and kicked Damien’s jaw. “Means Del Amitri was right about one thing,” she said. “Too much killing.”

  Madison’s hands clenched into fists of green lightning fireballs and she ran at Damien. She screamed and hurled lightning at him.

  The lightning knocked Damien off his feet and flung him into the sky, holding him over the
edge of the roof.

  “Don’t do it, Madison,” Angel said. “Damien needs to be brought to justice.”

  “Heroes and villains, McKenzie,” Damien shouted, struggling to free hiss convulsing body from the clutches of Madison’s lightning fingers. “Are you sure you’re on the right side?”

  As the first raindrops fell, Madison turned to look at Angel and McKenzie. “I’m sorry,” she said with tears streaming down her face. “There is no justice. There is only Hysteria.”

  She swung her Damien around high up above and ran to the edge, hurling herself over the side, down towards the memorial pools.

  McKenzie knew what he must do. He looked at his arms and between his fingers and willed his metallic friends, tried to force the source code to understood d what he needed of them. He turned to Angel, “I can’t let Madison do it,” he said. “Not like this.”

  He ran to the edge and taking a deep breath he threw himself into the sky. Stretching his arms and legs out he hoped desperately he could catch the wind and glide down safely.

  His legs and arms appeared not to respond to his will and he plummeted in an uncontrollable somersault. No time to flatten out, he needed to catch Madison. He controlled the roll by leaning back and then pointing his arms above his head into a dive.

  He collided with Damien and felt himself grabbed around the throat. He kicked out punched as they tumbled toward the memorial pool.

  They caught Madison and the three of them tumbled out of control. Mackenzie calculated he had maybe five seconds before they all died.

  “Trust me?” he shouted to Madison

  She nodded.

  “Let go of Damien,” McKenzie said.

  Four seconds.

  Madison’s green lightning arms broke away from Damien.

  Damien snatched at McKenzie as if sensing this was his last moment of hope. “You know I’m right,” Damien said. “I’ll make your dreams come true.”

  Three seconds.

  “I’m sorry,” McKenzie said to Damien. “Your fifteen minutes are up.”

  He kicked Damien off him and the boy screamed as he fell away.

  With two seconds until their deaths, McKenzie felt the membranes appear between his arms and legs. “Climb on my back,” he shouted and Madison clung onto him just as the membrane sails could a gust of wind and McKenzie felt himself hurled back up into the sky.