Duty

by P. S. Power

  “Al! I have what you asked for. This…” He didn’t cough, though he did sniff the smoky air. Then he looked off into the distance. “This is closer to the fire than I would have figure you on being. Anyway, here ya go!” The bag was presented, with the other man walking over to him, since Albert didn’t stop making things, pulling them out of the device and laying them out on the table. The rest of the food, the bread and what not, from earlier, went back in, to make more of the portable, better food.

  Turning, he took the canvas sack, opening it to look in. There were large bottles of various things, each marked on the outside. Instead of two types of things, there were five.

  Glancing at them, Albert nodded.

  “Domosin for discomfort? Um… This looks like… Ferro? I don’t know if they’ll need hallucinogens out here. They might not want the fire to talk to them.” Even he could see that imagining dragons or mechanical elves might not be the best idea, with people who were in real danger. It was why he didn't have any wine in the mix of drinks.

  People, these people, needed to have clear heads. Even he did, at the moment.

  Jeffery smiled at him.

  “You see, this is why I make the big sums at the club. Ferro will prevent bad emotional memories from forming, if anyone gets hurt. This isn’t war, but those are micro-doses, so it will even out. The Promean complex… Well, you get that. Take it for endurance. You might not need it. The last one is just a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement, with electrolytes, in case anyone is lacking due to excessive sweating. It’s not that high of a dose either, since that can leave you feeling ill. I’d help you pass things out, but I’m not going that close to fire. Not like this. It just isn’t my thing, you know?”

  Jeffery had never mentioned anything like that before, but oddly enough Albert did get the idea. He wasn’t going to fly without a ship, himself. Even if he could do that kind of thing in theory. The shield he had on allowed for that. Really, it allowed for space travel as well. Not far, but if you were outside in the deep black, you’d have air for about three days and the ability to move through the vacuum, with radiation and solar protection. It even handled heat and cold.

  If you were adventurous or stupid, you could go from the Moon to Earth and back using one. That took about a day each way, so only a small handful of idiots had ever done it. That would require flying though, which he wasn’t doing, for reasons he’d never mentioned to his roommate. That meant it was fair that an aversion to fire hadn’t been brought up going the other way.

  Instead he just nodded.

  “Getting the drugs for us all is your part in this. Thanks, by the way. Even if I’m the only one that takes any. Speaking of which…” He opened each container he was partaking in, then used his canned beverage from the table to swallow one of each three pills.

  He’d used a healing amulet recently, which meant he had no built-in tolerance to any of them. When they were down Jeff gave him a funny look.

  “What? They aren’t alcohol. That’s the only thing I said I wasn’t going to have.” Which was true enough. He managed to sound halfway pleasant about it.

  His best friend rolled his eyes though.

  “It isn’t that, you just took accella, promean and a vitamin. That’s basically a sports performance cocktail. Maybe combat drugs. I was surprised you skipped the others, that’s all.”

  So was he, once it was pointed out. Still, he could hallucinate later, if he wanted. It wasn’t as if drugs were hard to come by. He could get them made, by a professional, at a shop back home, even. At work as well. Eternal had pretty much anything he could ask for that way, including a lot of things that he wouldn’t bother with himself, only being health promoting like they were. He didn't eat well, but Albert also didn’t take vitamins or minerals as a rule.

  They might slow his dissipative slide into death, after all. Thinking about that got him to kind of regret having swallowed the vitamin complex, now that he thought about it. Like always, that kind of thing wasn’t mentioned. His troubles weren’t rational or good, after all. They weren’t even sane, really. He was sad, mainly because he felt useless.

  Even he could see that making himself useful was the proper way to change that. Doing it was the hard part there, naturally.

  Moving quickly, he took the Tiera food device down, the amulet going around his neck, even though the other seven were in the floating box. He snagged the hemp cord that had the control unit on it and nodded at his friend.

  “I’m going out now. I should be back… Probably when this stuff runs out. I really need to find out how to get some better fire fighting gear. I just don’t want to ask the people at the magic shop in Harmony. Most of this stuff is theirs, already.” It was hard to explain that, to an Austran.

  Almost as if trying to show that, Jeff nodded.

  “I know, even if it’s free, I always feel like I should be paying for things. Have you asked Comp about it?”

  Blinking, Al shook his head.

  “Of course not. You can’t expect me to remember simple things like that. I mean, you know how much I drink. I’m lucky when I can remember which room is mine or if the girl came home with me or you.” It was always Jeffery on the last one, which the other man didn’t mention.

  He just waved and headed toward the transport box.

  Going in, the door shutting, he didn't come out. That was how the things worked. If you wanted to use it, you walked up and pressed a star to the right of the door on the outside. If it didn’t open, that meant someone was inside of it. Even when in heavy use, Albert had rarely had that happen to him. The things were so fast and efficient that the longest time they were in use was when the person inside couldn’t find the right location indicator.

  He started off, trudging a little, since the drugs hadn’t kicked in yet, the black box, which was more like a floating platform, keeping up behind him. Shining on the sides like black polished stone and looking decently tasty on the inside, if you were used to seeing food wrapped in carry paper. Pulling his hand held again, making that morning the most he’d used the thing in one day inside the last half year, he found Comp and tabbed her name. The familiar face showed up, about half a second after doing that, since she wasn’t really a person. Though it was hard to tell. Still, the magical lady was always right there, if anyone called on her, not being as limited as the rest of them were.

  “Comp here… Hi, Albert!” She always did that. At least after you talked to her once, so she could recognize your face without it being too strange. The magical person that lived inside a complicated set of stones knew a lot, after all. About almost everyone. Really, he should have talked to her a lot more, given that. She wouldn’t tell you everything, but she wasn’t mean about parting with knowledge about a lot of things.

  “Hello, Comp. I’m in Ross right now, on Earth, in the land of Noram. There’s a really big fire. I was told to get food and drink to the people doing the fire fighting work here. Um… We need more fire fighting magics. People are mainly using shovels here, at least along this part of the line. Do you know who to go to for that?” He figured she was going to tell him to get with Trice, at the magic store, which was clearly the sensible thing to do.

  He just felt like that was too pushy.

  Instead she nodded, the image seeming suddenly serious. Her voice sounded that way, as well.

  “Farlo Ross. In the Terry system as Conserina Farlocenian Ross. She’s currently the Ancient of Afrak with eighty-five years left on her work contract there. Unmarried. She’s also the world’s premier expert in magical fire suppression techniques. I’m rather surprised that her father hasn’t contacted her yet. Though… They had a falling out, some years back. Still, she wouldn’t let her County burn over a bit of a tiff. You might have to run interference for them. Call her in. I could do it, if you… I know you have problems talking to people at times.”

  That she knew that wasn’t too shocking to him. People used handhelds in the club and some of them would be talking
to her while they did that. She was useful, after all. Intelligent wasn’t enough to describe what she was. Inhuman. In a good way.

  So, he nodded at his hand, looking down into the pretty face.

  “Worse, I’m not even drunk right now. I don’t suppose she’s ugly at least?” He smiled, since that wouldn’t help him a lot, even if she was.

  There was a soft laugh.

  “Nope. She’s passably pretty even. Still, she’s not that hard to get along with, for most people. You can do it?” It was a real question.

  The truth was that Albert really didn’t want to. Talking to people he didn't know wasn’t all that much fun and attractive women had trouble seeing him as often as not. If he said hello at the wrong time they’d glare and clutch themselves, even while wearing shields. As if he would, or even could, do anything to them. As if his very being was offensive to them.

  Less attractive women might do that, but a lot of them managed a smile for him or a nod. Men would most often just say hello back or give some other kind of greeting. Part of it was down to his looks and being so thin. The rest was probably thanks to his constant inebriation, of course. Given that, he couldn’t truly blame the women that did things like that. It wasn’t as if he cared about them at all. He liked women, of course. He simply didn’t need the prettiest one in the world to be happy with him in particular.

  “I’ll do that now, while I walk to the fire line. Thanks, Comp. Call me!” He hung up then, feeling silly for his sign off. It had just come out, as if he were talking to a personal friend, instead of a magical device. Worse, it sounded like he was planning on dating her or something.

  He blushed, turning crimson, as he moved and tried to find the right name. He was close to the first line of fire that people were desperately working on, digging and sweating hard. Men and women gasping as they fought to save their homes.

  It meant he was pointing and speaking, calling out to them as a totally different lady showed up in his hand. She was lighter haired and looked to be tall, though that could be hard to judge. She was decent as far as looks went, though she’d been oversold slightly by Comp.

  “Yes? This is Farlo, how may I help you today?”

  “Over here! We have drinks, food and drugs to keep you up and help you keep going. At least get the drugs and force fluids!” There was no way these people could stop long enough to eat, from what he could see. He moved closer, talking to the Ancient in his hand as he waved people toward him. That, being called an Ancient, didn’t mean she was old. She looked younger than he did, even.

  It just meant that she wouldn’t die. She was also in charge of Afrak. A complete continent. Basically, as their special Queen, no doubt. His Ancient was Tiera. Which probably meant he owed her presents or something, after she’d lent him eight of her incredible food units like she had.

  “I’m in County Ross. There’s a fire, a bad one. We need fire fighting gear. I was told you have the best. Also, that you and the Count might be fighting? I can’t come get things right now. I’m trying to take things to people on the fire line here. I’m late, of course.” These people should have taken the drugs half a day before, if it was possible, which it clearly wasn’t.

  There was no noise for a bit, then a sound that seemed like clattering as the woman vanished from the screen in his hand. There was the sound of footfalls. That and a sense of speed. When it stopped, the voice and face came back.

  “I’ll have this to you as soon as I can. Father can be so stubborn. Not that you need to hear it from me. I have a ship. Call it… Fifty minutes for me to get there?”

  He nodded, getting the idea. She was planning to come in her own person.

  “We have a transport pod set up. Dareg Canton came and did that for us. Um… Emergency Ross One. I’m not there right now, being a few hundred feet away…” He stopped as someone tried to take one of the Ferro. “Don’t take that one unless you get injured or really scared. Here, these three. They’ll keep you going.”

  They were taking turns, dashing to him, gulping down pills and some kind of canned beverage, then running back to the line. There were only twenty people or so in the group he was in. Before the Ancient of Afrak was ready to get off the device, he started to jog to the next line of people, calling out his instructions again.

  The fire was glowing fiercely at them, in a way that meant the people with their shovels couldn’t stop, even to take pills or drink fluids.

  Looking at the woman, fear on his face as he stood there, armed only with sandwiches as far as his ability to fight went, he took a deep breath. His shield kicking on as he did, to keep the smoke from destroying his lungs. It helped with the heat as well.

  From the slight opening of her eyes, it seemed like the woman on the handheld understood what that meant.

  “Hurry, please.” Then, for the first time that day, he ended a call first.

  He freed three pills, and opened a can of pear flavored drink, moving toward a woman who was struggling hard to keep going. She wasn’t exactly making it. Fire tried to surround her.

  “Take these and drink. Give me your shovel!” Not that he knew what he was doing. For twenty seconds though, he worked as hard as he could, gasping in pain. Even if the accella and promean were kicking in. He could tell because when the dark-haired short woman, a commoner, took the shovel back, he didn’t fall down.

  Even if he felt like he should have.

  That was repeated, again and again, with him moving from fire zone to fire zone, having to take his shield down a hundred and fifty times, in order to open cans and handle pills. It meant he was burnt, over and over again, which was a lot less than fun. He had a healing amulet though, which he used, both on himself and those fighting the fire. It meant taking more of the drugs, each time, so he needed to be careful that way, he knew. Otherwise he’d end up using all the drugs up himself.

  Which got him to hand out pain medication at the same time as the other things, from then on, including running back to the people he’d already given some things to, since they were going to need healing and pain medication as well.

  It was nearly four hours later that he found Gary, his tall friend again, standing next to a fellow who was older and even taller, if only by about four inches. The man was so soot covered that it was hard to tell anything else about him. So was everyone there, including Albert. He ran up to the men, who were both using earth moving devices to bury the fire at a speed that put the shovel wielders to shame.

  Each of them was handed a small handful of pills and a drink, opened so they could just start in on it without trying to read the instructions on the side.

  Before he could speak, a tall woman in white ran up behind them. She was wisely wearing a shield and had her own floating box behind her. It was green, looked ornate on the outside, and seemed to be regular trunk sized. Three feet by two by two deep. The taller man turned to look at her, blurrily.

  “Farlo?” He sounded tired, rather than upset.

  “Father. This man here called and ordered me to get over here with some fire fighting gear. I’ve been teaching people on the line to use it, meaning that we’re good back in that direction for now. I went up and saw that the northern line is in trouble. We should get some forces over there.” Interestingly, instead of hitting at him, she bowed.

  To Albert.

  “I was asked to let you know that the pills you handed out are working. The healing was appreciated as well. How are those, the drugs, holding out?”

  He’d asked for enough for three hundred people to be set up. So, Jeffery, being a genius, had given him a thousand or so of each of the main pills. More for those to fight pain.

  “I have about two thirds left. I should get to the northern section. They have to be…” Dying, came to mind, but no one made him say the words.

  Gary simply took a deep, rasping breath, which had a healing amulet handed over by Farlo.

  The man closed his eyes. For a long enough time that it seemed he might not open them agai
n.

  “Let’s set people up here, then go and see to that. Albert, can you go on ahead? Will you, I mean?”

  Al simply nodded. Feeling fine, really. That was mainly due to the drugs. Things that he’d had to take several doses of, since they wore off when he healed. It was something to keep in mind, since healing others needed to come first. He’d messed that up a few times, no doubt leaving tired people behind him that needed something to keep them going.

  Without asking leave, he jogged off. He wasn’t fast, and did it with his shield on, since there was a break in the fire. The world was black, but it had already been stopped in that location. Mainly. Once he stopped to stomp out some flames himself, since he was there and no one else was. Then he jogged again, finding the second line of smoke, off in the distance.

  That fight was even harder than the first one, by the time he found it. He had to literally grab people at times, and force them to drink and take drugs. The sandwiches and wraps were mainly still there, with only half a dozen having gone out at all. No one was hungry. They drank though, if they could. What they needed was more water. The northern line had nothing like that.

  Thankfully, just as he was running out of cans to hand off to people, Ancient Ross caught up to him. Floating above the smoldering grass. Not a lot, only about four inches. He was standing in it, his feet blistering, trying to get the Tiera food device filled, so he could make cans of water to leave with people.

  The woman, who looked a lot prettier suddenly, being mainly clean and seeming calm, which he certainly didn’t, held out her right hand. A small wand in it making the world go cool and the flames stop when she turned, after aiming the thing at his feet.

  It didn't stop the pain, totally. The drugs were helping with that though.

  She didn’t stop to talk to him, passing out better fire fighting equipment and shouting instructions. Normally as he ran up and passed over water and pills, doing his own yelling. From then on, they worked the whole thing as a team. He made water, putting the device up and taking it down rapidly, then got people to take things from him, even though several of them lashed out at him for stopping them, even for a moment. That meant being hit half the time, even though his shield would turn on after the first blow.