Ivy

by William Dickstein

  “Looks like it must have been pretty bad,” I replied. “You run into big stuff often? The GHS officials made this place sound a little… Uh…”

  “Low-effort,” Frikshen finished for me. “They’re not wrong. It normally is.”

  “So…?” I began, trying to draw the narrative from them.

  Gil and Frikshen looked at each other for a moment.

  “Screw it,” Gil said. “We deserved the beat down. It didn’t happen on a mission, it came from attacking an Agent.”

  “From The Control?” I asked, my eyes going wide.

  “Yes.”

  “Why was there an Agent nearby? Someone’s gene activate or something? What did I walk into here?”

  “It’s a long story,” Gil said with a sigh. “To sum it up, this place is awful and we messed up pretty badly. There was this device that was supposed to make everything better, and then our old teammate ran off with it, and then these Agents came around and we had the Chief of Police calling us every five seconds to make sure the Agents were kept in the dark. It was just a mess, and I sort of snapped. Not one of my finer moments, or one of the wiser decisions I’ve ever made.”

  “Yeah, attacking an Agent is a terrible idea,” I said. “Looks like you’ve already learned that lesson, though.” Gil and Frikshen sat in silence then, long enough that I was given the impression they were waiting for me to finish speaking. “What?” I asked.

  “Are you… going to turn us in?” Frikshen asked.

  “Oh! Uh… I mean, I guess I figured if it was really that bad, the Agent you fought with would have already done something about it.”

  “Wait, why hasn’t this already been called in?” Frikshen asked Gil. “Our communicators probably should have gone off by now.”

  “Maybe… we aren’t going to get in trouble?” Gil asked, looking from her to me.

  “Hey, if you guys are done with whatever was going on, I’m cool with that. They sent me down here to lead. If you commit to working under me, I’m not going to try and get rid of you. Especially not if you were able to walk away from a fight with an Agent. There aren’t many people who could.”

  Gil sighed and leaned back. “I’m good with that. To be honest, the stress of the last few days was really getting to me. Sorry about the dirt, by the way. It’s not always this bad. Frik, what do you think?”

  “Good with me. I’m not here to try and lead anybody. You seem nice, which would be a welcome change, honestly. Especially if there’s more aspirin coming my way.”

  “You both need to do some healing, that’s for sure. We should all get to bed. They’re sending my stuff down in a day or so. I’m good on this recliner tonight, and then tomorrow, Gil, maybe you can show me where to get some clothes? Is it just your hands that are busted? Can you walk alright?”

  “Yeah, that’d be alright—I can walk just fine.” Gil smiled.

  “Well great. I’m feeling really good about being here. I’ve wanted to be a Cape for a long time, and—”

  A massive explosion shook the walls of the house, the recliner I was sitting on vibrating as the ground rumbled. I looked at Gil and Frikshen.

  “That wasn’t us!” Frikshen said quickly.

  Gil stood up, then walked over to look out the back door. “Oh man. I think the circus blew up.”

  “Circus?” I asked.

  “Midnight Circus. Basically a traveling tease at this point.”

  “Well, you guys go ahead and get to bed. I’ll go check it out.”

  “Alone?” Gil asked. “You don’t want me to come with you?” He hobbled back over, trying to grab his communication device with his mud-encrusted hands, but failing miserably over and over as he continued to be unable to get a proper grip.

  “You know, I think it’d be best if you both stayed here. I’ll come back when I can.”

  “Here, take my communicator,” Frikshen said. “At least you can call us if you’re going to die.”

  “Uh, sure,” I said. “Thanks.”

  “I mean, don’t die,” Frikshen added. “That’d be bad.”

  Gil sighed. “Just go, and then come back.”

  I walked out through the back door, stepping around huge piles of dirt and boulders to get to the back fence. I climbed over it easily enough. On the other side, the street was completely deserted, and the heat of the evening struck me anew.

  “Gonna sweat all the way there,” I said to myself, taking a big breath as I started walking in the direction the blast had come from.

  Just like that, my first mission as a Cape had begun.

  Most of the tent was still intact as I saw when I arrived. A portion of the top was missing, some of it smoking and possibly on fire, but there were no raging flames. The mouth of the structure was still propped open, and many of the poles and ropes were still fixed firmly into the ground. I saw an elderly policewoman standing near the entrance, one hand on her hip, her head shaking back and forth. First time I’d ever been that close to a police officer.

  “Hello,” I said as I approached. Her remained face unchanged as she turned to acknowledge me.

  “Who’re you?”

  “Ivy,” I said. “I’m new. Just got here.”

  “Cape?”

  “Yup.”

  “Chief Rainch,” the woman said, holding out her hand. “Best that you let these two finish, young lady. Ain’t neither of us got no business getting’ in the way, and unless you’re one of them Strongmen, ain’t nothin’ you can do to help, either.”

  Look out, Little One!

  What?

  A piece of concrete flew over our heads as Chief Rainch and I managed to duck, the slab cracking as it landed behind us. I peered inside of the tent, finally getting a good look at what was happening.

  It was the two Agents the other Capes had mentioned. They were all over the place, robotic legs and hands flying toward each other one moment, only for their enhancements to carry them to another part of the tent in the next. The older agent, a dark-skinned man with salt-and-pepper hair, picked up a metal folding chair and ripped it in half, flinging the pieces at the other Agent who ate the hits without bothering to block. I got a clear look at the older Agent as he turned, and realized I recognized him.

  “Is that Khard?” I asked Chief Rainch.

  “You know him?”

  “I mean, he’s a big deal to people like me, yeah. What is he doing here?”

  Chief Rainch laughed a little. “Long story, young lady. Too long for a moment like this.”

  “You know, people keep saying that tonight.”

  “S’probably true, then. They send you down for cleanup or replacement?”

  “Replacement. Somebody named O-Rell?”

  “Word finally got back, eh?” the old woman replied. “I suppose you’re here to take my badge…” she started, taking a few steps back to unstrap her belt.

  “What? No! I mean, I don’t think so. I wasn’t given a lot of direction, I guess? I was over at the GHS housing talking with the other Capes, and then heard that explosion.”

  “And you just came running?”

  “I walked. I don’t really run that well, but yeah, I came to see what was up.”

  “Well look at you!” Chief Rainch said loudly, pulling me close as another projectile flew by. The smile on her face seemed genuine, her face a mess of wrinkles. “How about that, them sending us somebody like you. If we weren’t just about finished circling the drain down here, I might even be gettin’ some hope in my belly right ‘bout now. You got a bad beat comin’ down here, young lady. What did you say your name was?”

  “Ivy. So, why are these Agents fighting?” I looked back inside as I asked the question to see the younger Agent leap over a piece of concrete that Khard had thrown. He ran along the surface of the slab as it passed under him before jumping off into a flying punch. Khard easily swatted away the hit, and the two Agents settled into the familiar dance that fighters do. I started to wonder if Khard had retained any of the power his Ch0
5En gene had given him, many of his exploits as a Cape well known to me. He was one of the first straight-up Fighters ever identified, incapable of being truly classified as anything else. I knew that Agents in The Control lost a lot of themselves as they went through the transformation, so he probably didn’t even have much human blood left inside of him, if there was any at all, but I wondered if keeping his brain meant that he retained the same skill.

  It was hard to tell as the two of them continued to fight. The younger Agent was a flurry of punches and kicks, pushing Khard back and around the ring in the middle of the circus tent, some of the blows connecting so hard that it sounded more like swordplay than hand-to-hand combat. The metal inside of their bodies rung out loudly with each deflection or parry. Eventually, Khard managed to land two solid hits to the younger Agent’s midsection, allowing Khard the opportunity to press an advantage.

  Chief Rainch and I were both in awe of the display.

  “Sorry, what did you say?” she asked.

  “I think I asked why they were fighting,” I replied.

  “Hard to say,” she said. “I don’t think it’s on purpose, since they showed up as partners, or were at least working the mission together. That younger Agent though, Lokluhn, he was very reserved when I talked with him. More robotic, you know, like those mood chips they have in him was workin’ overtime. Thinkin’ maybe it broke. I got here after Khard, but when I showed up the poor fella was saying he didn’t know what he was doin’.”

  “Really? How strange.”

  Anything you guys can do to help the situation?

  It is hard for us to perceive what is happening. Those power tools are very angry.

  So, no?

  Sorry, Little One. Please be safe until the machines calm down.

  “Well, we’ve got to try something,” I said. “These two could go for hours. This is going to spill out of this tent pretty soon.” As if on cue, the younger Agent threw Khard through the thick tarp of the tent, ripping some heavy nylon stitches as the older Agent landed on the street. The younger Agent leapt from his position, flying an incredible distance to land on top of Khard and straddle his older foe. The younger Agent was going for the ground-and-pound. Khard managed to bring his arms up before the bombardment began, the sound of metal hitting metal ringing out once more as the younger Agent’s fists cracked against Khard’s forearms.

  “Pin his arm!” I called out. “Reach around on the right and grab his right hand!” To my surprise, Khard acknowledged the advice, twisting at precisely the right moment to come under the younger Agent’s left arm and grab onto the man’s right wrist. It pinned the young Agent’s right wrist to Khard’s stomach, tying up both of the young Agent’s hands while only giving up one of his own arms in the process. “Now hit him in the face!”

  Khard landed four solid hits to the younger Agent’s nose, threatening to crack the metal underneath. The younger Agent swayed back in response, managing to dig his heels into the ground and stand up. He spun quickly in a circle, dislodging the hold that Khard had on him, which caused the older Agent to fly back and crack up against the sidewalk in the gutter. Khard bounced back from the throw in an instant, touching a place on his hip before delivering a kick to the younger Agent that sent the man careening through the same hole in the tent, the younger Agent swirling as he flew through the air and crashed into one of the huge pillars holding the tent up. A cloud of dust shot up and the younger Agent landed back inside the big ring.

  Any reservations I had about stepping in fully washed away as the crowd that had dispersed after the explosion began to taper back in. A large portion of the city’s residents began to shuffle out of alleyways and back into my field of vision, some of them scurrying along the sidewalk while others planted themselves at what they thought was a safe distance away. I could see that some of them had gone up to a nearby roof, a sentiment I wished others had shared. I tried to think of some way to help, but as two small children ran by, I realized I was out of time. They looked too young to be by themselves, especially at that time of night, the both of them oblivious to the incredible fight between the two Agents. One of them even managed to trip when he ran through the spot in the asphalt where Khard had landed, the ground dipping in just slightly and causing the child’s sandal to get caught in the crack. The boy skinned his knee, but continued on as if nothing had happened, screaming as he chased his peer.

  Don’t do it, Little One. It isn’t safe.

  This is my job now.

  I ran inside of the tent, calling out to both of the Agents, screaming that they needed to stop. The younger one made a move to run at me, but Khard tripped him before he could take a single step. The older Agent latched on as his foe fell to the ground.

  “You need to go!” Khard called out. “He’s out of control. You can’t—”

  The younger Agent threw two quick elbows behind himself, hitting Khard hard enough on both sides to get enough distance between them to weasel his way out of the hold. Focused again on Khard, the younger Agent fell back into trying to break through Khard’s superior defenses, taking shots to the chin or stomach for being the lesser fighter. If the two of them hadn’t been more robot than human, many of the blows Khard landed would have easily knocked the younger Agent unconscious, more than one fist landing directly on the man’s temple.

  “You guys have to stop!” I called out. “Someone else is going to get hurt!”

  “Look, I’m doing my—oof—best here, alright? He’s—” Khard had to duck under a right hook, then bob out of the way of the following uppercut. “He’s just as strong as I am!”

  “Well you guys are going to seriously hurt someone else.”

  “Yes, I believe you are correct,” Khard looked over to see who I was, eating a shot to the chin for the loss of concentration. I winced at the blow.

  “Ivy,” I called out. “I’m O-Rell’s replacement. Agent Khard, whatever you have to do, you need to do it!”

  “I’m… trying… to…” Khard called out as he threw three hard kicks, one of them connecting with the younger Agent’s neck, tossing Khard’s foe nearly off of his feet. “Fine, you’re right. I’m going for the Hail Mary!”

  “The what?” I asked, but Khard was already busy.

  The older Agent rushed his enemy, spearing him and bringing them both to the ground. The younger Agent tried to wiggle free, and his face rolled through a visual display of a myriad of emotions, looking happy and sad and angry one after the other. It looked like the younger Agent had started to cry, though I couldn’t actually see any tears.

  Khard reached back on the side of his own neck, pulling free a small device that had been installed just behind his ear. A small burst of liquid spurt from the hole in Khard’s neck, but the wound began to close before any more could fall out, showing me for a brief moment that I had been right about the lack of blood in his body. Khard grabbed the younger Agent’s forehead with one arm and pulled the man’s head to the side, plunging the device into a similar spot behind the younger Agent’s ear. The younger Agent’s body accepted the device much easier than I thought it would have, suggesting that there was a canal inside ready for the insertion.

  The younger Agent calmed instantaneously, his eyes no longer wild and his face no longer switching between numerous displays of emotion. He and Khard breathed hard for a moment, and the older Agent seemed reluctant to move.

  “It’s alright,” the younger Agent said. “It’s alright now. It’s an older model than what I had, but it’s working. I’m fine.”

  Khard rolled off of the younger Agent and sat down, crossing his legs. He closed his eyes and started breathing deeply, dipping into a meditative state and apparently believing the younger Agent’s promise. Khard’s former foe walked over to me, sticking out his hand.

  “Sorry about that. I’m Lochlan. Nice to…” but Lochlan trailed off as he spoke.

  “What?” I asked, taking his hand. “I’m Ivy. Is something wrong? Is the device still working?!”
>
  “Uh, sorry. Yes, it’s working. Actually, it’s a lot more comfortable than the other one, heh. Oh man! Hahaha!”

  “Are you… sure?” I asked.

  Lochlan finally started to calm, “Yes, sorry. I… I haven’t even been able to laugh for a long time. Okay, let’s try again. I’m Lochlan, and you’re Ivy, and you don’t remember me?”

  “Should I?”

  “We met a long time ago,” he said, his tone turning more serious. “You were eight.”

  My eyes went wide. “Woah.”

  “So, did I hear you right? You’re here to replace O-Rell?”

  Khard blew out a long sigh, opening his eyes as he brought himself to his feet. He walked over and held out his hand, which I shook happily. “That’s what she said. Already doing a damn fine job, too.”

  “Thanks, I guess. So, is everything alright now?”

  “Did they send you down in our replacement vehicle?” Khard asked.

  “I guess so? I came in an automated car, if that’s what you mean. It’s parked in front of the GHS housing, where the other Capes are.”

  “Did you talk to them?” Lochlan asked. “Are they okay?”

  “They seem like they’ll be alright. Looked like you roughed one of them up real good.”

  “I feel terrible about that,” Lochlan said. “I kept asking them to stop, but they just wouldn’t. I guess Gil melted the mood module off my neck. He hit me with a lot of fire.”

  “Well, we’re not quite done here, but there’s some stuff in the car that will help,” Khard said. “Come on, let’s all go have a chat back with Frikshen and Gil. We can talk about where to go from here. Ivy, do you have an active gene?”

  “I do,” I said as we started walking. “I’m a Communicator.”

  “Wonderful!” Khard said. “Machines or animals?”

  “Uh… it’s complicated,” I replied.

  “I’m pulling up the notes now,” Lochlan said as he accessed what remained of his electronic notebook. “Looks like you hear voices?”

  “Pretty much. We tried before I left the academy to see what they were. No dice.”