by Jason Luthor
She just stares at him for a long second before saying, “I hope you weren’t lying about those suits being remote.”
“Not at all,” Yousef replies with a smile as he starts walking away, his men and the rest of us trailing behind him. Soon, we’re standing inside the lobby of the building and watching a big screen that’s hovering above the entry. Doc Watson’s tapping his fingers on his chin as he watches the screen, and Yousef notices. “Afraid she’ll get hurt?”
“Quite the opposite,” he says plainly. “I have more reason to fear she accidentally brings the building down around us.”
That comment seems to bother the general, whose smile fades again as he speaks out loud. “On my mark, begin the exhibition. Three . . . Two . . . One . . . Mark.”
For a moment Jackie stands there, not moving, instead just watching as a line of the armored suits begin walking to her. When it all starts, I’m watching them, wondering if those suits can actually move as fast as if there were a person inside of them. It doesn’t take long for me to get an answer to the question. One just shoots off toward her, swinging its huge fist at her face. She ducks beneath it and brings a leg forward, the sole of her foot crashing through the kneecap of the thing. Its entire leg bursts sideways, leaving wires and cables sparking in the air as it crashes into the ground. A second later, she’s looking to her side as gunfire starts heading her way. I’m not sure if they’re dummy rounds or real ones, but she treats them like a real threat. The jets on her back spark to life and she goes flying sideways, but one of the suits is already taking advantage of her distraction and gliding at her.
It’s practically on her when her sword materializes into her hand, cutting a half circle that eats through the suit’s torso and sends it flying along the floor. She’s had maybe half a second to swing before she flies up and catapults backward, barely avoiding the gunfire that’s chasing her. When she’s finally rotated and staring down on the suits below her, her sword vanishes and her hands fill up with two of those sticky grenades of hers. They go launching toward the ground, homing in on two of the armored suits and latching against their backs. A second later, they explode, sending two of her targets flying forward as flames punch through their backs.
She’s barely landed when gunfire starts tearing past her, but it only takes her a second to see the wall of armored walkers rushing her from one side while an armored transport takes shots at her from the rear. Jackie takes it all in, hesitating for just one instant before the ground around her erupts in flames and she goes shooting backward. Her body’s skimming the ground as she zips right past the transport faster than the gun mounted on top of it can target her. She disappears behind it, and for a second it looks like there are too many walkers on the grounds for even her to handle.
I’m almost ready to admit she’s lost this one, that there are too many of them, when I see the carrier tilt upward. As much as I’ve seen her do, as much weight as I’ve seen her hold up, I still feel my jaw drop when I see the vehicle starting to tilt upward. From the looks of the faces in the crowd, it’s pretty clear I’m not the only one who’s shocked. General Yousef’s mouth is hanging open as we all watch the transport rising up. I mean, sure, I saw Jackie holding up thousands of pounds of weight in the lab. To see this though? To see her actually lifting an entire armored vehicle above her?
Over the sound of the screen, you can hear her screaming as she lifts the entire thing above her head, her muscles straining to push it completely up. It doesn’t stop there though. Those suits charging her start pulling their rifles as they see her standing there, tens of thousands of pounds of vehicle being held above her. Then everything behind her becomes fire, flames rising into the air as the eyes of her mask start bleeding red light into the air. With one huge scream ,she goes rising into the air, her and every pound of that vehicle she’s got above her. For just one second, it’s amazing to stare at . . . Maybe even a little bit terrifying. She’s this amazon of a woman, wings of fire shooting from her back and red trails flowing from her eyes, while she floats above the world with more weight in her hands than anyone could ever imagine holding up.
And then she’s rearing back and tossing the entire thing to the ground with enough force that it goes plowing along the concrete. It turns circles as parts of it go flying off, the entire thing crashing through the middle of the line of armored walkers. Half of them are buried underneath it or sent flying into parts when it explodes, leaving only a handful of them still standing . . . And then Jackie’s turning circles as she flies straight into the middle of them, this vortex of fire surrounding her as she explodes into the group of walkers. One turns toward her with its gun raised, and she’s already got her sword up and taking its arm off. Behind her, another is lunging for her, and suddenly that metal bat she’s had since the Tower is in her hand. She’s turning and ducking underneath the arms grabbing for her before swinging with so much force that the bat knocks the knees out from underneath the walker. It goes falling into her, and she rolls out just before it slams into the ground. Half a second later, her sword is coming down through its back.
The last few walkers are raising their guns at her, but she’s flying at the nearest one, her foot planting into its face and kicking it backward as she launches herself away and into another walker. She turns a half circle and brings her sword right down the middle of its head, its body splitting in half and detonating as she rolls between its legs and propels herself at the last one. It’s firing wildly at her as she burns through the air, her weapons vanishing into light while the fingertips of her hands suddenly extend into claws. She latches onto the side of the walker’s head, the sharpened fingers of her gloves digging into its neck as she plants her legs into its chest. With a scream, she rips her body sideways, the entire head of the walker coming away in her hands when she does. She drops to the ground in a crouching position, blooms of fire exploding from the walker behind her before it goes slamming into the floor. After a second, she stands up, her back to the wall of fire and the walker’s head in her hand. As the camera pans out, all you see are the wrecked shells of power armor crumpled along the ground, a wall of smoke and fire burning behind her. Then she looks at the Baby Boy that’s been following the fight, looking right at the camera like she’s staring directly at General Yousef himself.
“Satisfied?”
Apparently, General Yousef is, because now he’s all smiles. “Impressive. What an . . . That wasn’t just tech. She has a fighter’s instincts.”
President Branagh looks over at him. “If you’re ready to call this exhibition over . . .”
“I think that goes without saying,” the general says while almost laughing. “We’ll make sure your people are put in the best rooms we can offer. Nothing less for a diplomatic team from Central Freedom.”
“We’d appreciate it.”
The general turns and starts talking to some of his guards, and I can hear him giving them instructions to bring Jackie in and get the rooms ready. That’s when I notice the doc. He’s still staring at the screen, his lips shut tight and his forehead all tightened up, like he’s worried. I walk over to him and kind of wave in front of his face to get his attention. “Hey. Doc? You doing alright, or is something wrong?”
It takes him a long moment before he responds. “You saw she lifted that transport?”
“Yeah. We all saw it.”
“How do you think she did it?”
It’s a weird question to ask, since he’s the one who tested her in the lab. “Well, a combination of the Creep in her cells and the suit she’s wearing. At least, that’s what I thought. You’re the one who put her through her strength tests.”
His eyes dart over to me, and he looks annoyed, as if he thinks I’m stupid. “I’m not talking about her physically lifting the vehicle, Thomas. It’s already well established that she has the strength to do such a thing.”
“Uh, okay then. Mind if I ask what you’re asking me, doc?”
Watson closes his eye for
a second and shakes his head. “What I am referring to is how she lifted that transport into the air. How did she move that vehicle into the air?”
“I’m not sure what the question is. She flew it up there?”
“But how?”
“With that crazy jet pack, or whatever it is, that she’s flying around with these days.”
“Do you truly believe that pack had the thrust capacity to lift tens of thousands of weight directly into the air? That the thrusters on her pack had the sheer force to lift that much weight?”
“Uh, well, I guess I hadn’t thought about it.”
“Of course not.” He looks away, annoyed with me again, before looking back at me with what I can only call insane eyes. “What she just did, this very moment and right in front of you, violated the laws of physics.”
“And . . . how did she do that, exactly?”
“Now that is the current mystery that demands an answer. I can hypothesize that the Creep allows her bone and muscle density sufficient strength for lifting tens of thousands of pounds, although even such a notion is almost ridiculous. However, to say that she somehow imbued her jetpack with the power to lift an armored transport into the air? Do you realize how much jet fuel it would take to lift that much weight directly upward? How would such a thing be done?”
“I . . . Doc, I don’t know.”
“Neither do I, though I sense the answer is important. What we just witnessed was a violation of the laws of physics themselves.”
Personal Recording of the President, Gabriel Branagh 13
I’ll admit, it feels strange to sit down for dinner and see Jackie, her whole body encased in that armor of hers but with her mask off. Yousef was kind enough to roll out quite the feast. Of course, he took the head of the table, but he made sure to put Jackie and I to the left and right of him. We’re only sitting there a few seconds before he starts asking questions, which I expected. From what I’ve been told of him, Yousef’s got a mind like a razor, always cutting to the heart of things and trying to find out what’s important.
“So, tell me, Jackie,” he says with a smile. “How are you enjoying your food?”
She takes a break from picking at her meal and looks his way. “I’ve . . . I’ve never eaten anything like this.”
“It’s turkey.”
She frowns. “Turkey? I’ve heard a little about it.”
“Yes, it’s a kind of bird. It used to live all across the countryside, apparently, but that was hundreds of years ago. If you’ve ever had chicken, you’ve eaten something a little like turkey.”
“I have, but . . .” She shakes her head. “It was always in pretty small portions. Frozen, mostly.”
“Not these. We’ve raised them, right here in Fort Silence. Well, not in the fort itself, but on some of our farming grounds north of the fort.”
She looks sideways at him. “How did you . . . How do you raise them? With how bad everything is?”
“You mean, with the quality of land we own?”
“Yeah.”
“When my father broke with Central Freedom, he didn’t leave our knowledge behind. We still knew how to work with what was left with the land, similar to what Central continues to do with its gardens. I won’t say we’re as good at it, but we’ve done well enough to keep animals alive in this part of the Deadlands.”
I cut in. “Jackie, we haven’t taken you there yet, but we do keep animals alive in the Green Zone. We don’t kill them,” I say with a look to General Yousef, “Because we don’t know how many are left.”
Yousef smiles. “Oh, Branagh. I see your reputation is accurate. Quite the man of upstanding character.”
“I do my best.”
“You’ll be glad to know we only had these turkeys prepared because this was such a special occasion. We don’t normally go around eating the last known animals on the planet.”
Jackie interrupts. “They’re not . . . They’re not the last ones.”
“What’s that now?”
“There are . . .” She takes a deep breath as she look at the plate in front of her. “There are places out there, away from the city . . . away from the Deadlands . . . where the Creep thins out and other disasters ruined the country. Without Creep, things are still bad, but not as bad . . . and there are still animals out there.”
“You’ve . . . been, to these places?”
“Just for a little while, when I was exploring and trying to find my friends. Funny how much ground you can cover once you discover you can fly.”
“You’ll have to help us round these creatures up. If we could find a way to pen them in, to breed them, we’d be able to grow back entire populations of animals.” He leans in and looks at her. “Would you be willing to help us? To help bring back the animals that were once alive here?”
“Maybe.” She looks down and puts a fork into her food before taking a bite. “It’s . . . it’s pretty good.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. My personal chef prepared the meal.” His head shifts sideways as he looks at her. “You’re so bold in combat when the mask is on, so why are you so distant now? It’s not fear, but . . .”
“In my experience, trust isn’t something you give to just anyone who smiles and acts like they’re on your side.”
“Ah.” He leans back in his chair. “Something happened. Perhaps a friend, or a former comrade. Perhaps even someone like myself, a leader, who betrayed you.”
“Something like that.”
I motion to Yousef. “Jackie hasn’t been with us very long either, so we’re all building bridges here. As far as I understand it, she was watching Central for a little while. I’m fairly sure she would’ve been happy staying in the shadows except for the fact that her friends were in trouble.”
Yousef nods to me. “During the recent invasion. The Battle for Central Freedom.”
“That’s right.”
“We don’t have much video of what happened that night, but if she was anything like what we just saw today in the courtyard, she probably turned the course of the battle all on her own.”
“I would say that’s about right. Obviously, there’s a reason we brought her along.”
“Of course. You don’t trust me. Given what my father did, breaking from Central the way he did . . .”
“It’s not just your father, Yousef. You know my background. I did my time with the militia before my time in public service, but I wasn’t ever a military man. Not like your father and not like you. Maybe you’re not just like him, but your philosophy is still a hell of a lot different from mine.”
“Because I insist on tighter military security.”
“Because you insist on limiting the freedom of the people to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
“And expose the men who put their lives on the line to trial because someone was upset they couldn’t stay out after a certain hour? For the sake of someone who protested because our men searched their belongings?”
“We both know it’s about more than that. Start taking away the rights of the people . . .”
“A little sacrifice is necessary to protect lives, Mr. President. ”
“And sacrificing freedom is always, always a path toward tyranny, general, unless there’s something in writing and a system in place that prevents it. Your father wanted things his way and so do you, without wanting to be held accountable for any sort of civil rights violations that might come along the way.”
“Yes, how terrible that we drop the façade that civil rights actually exist without a military that keeps the Creep from wiping out the last of humanity.”
“And what’s the point of keeping humanity alive if what’s left is treated just like a caged animal?”
Yousef smiles and looks over at Jackie. “You can guess why Central Freedom and Fort Silence have been separated for a generation now. The issues between us aren’t just the kinds of problems you argue about over drinks. They’re the problems of leaders with extreme concerns ab
out how the other wants to run things.”
She nods. “Yeah. I can kind of see that.”
“And yet here we all are,” he says as he waves to the table. “Joined together like squabbling children who’ve been forced to gather at the dinner table.” He looks back my way. “We both know, even with your talented Dark Angel here, that you can’t hold back the raiders now that they’re unified under the Tank. You need our help.”
“Maybe,” I tell him with a shake of my head. “But if you ever want to be something more than some secluded fort on the edge of what’s left of civilization, you’ll need food to expand. That’s what we’ve got to offer.”
“Yes. The eternal problem of food. I think it’s quite clear that, if we want to find a way forward, we’ll have to hammer out the differences between us.”
“I’d say so.”
“He takes a deep breath and sighs before looking me in the eyes. “I know you, Gabriel. All my reports tell me you’re a lover of history. A man who quotes history.”
“I’ve been known to be a fan, yes.”
“I quote a different history, and my history tells me that ‘unquiet meals make ill digestion.’ It also tells me that ‘good wine is a good familiar creature, if it be well used.’” He smiles as he looks around the table. “In other words, I understand that we have our differences. If I might be so bold to suggest though, can tonight, at least, be about the living? Before we start our negotiations, can we at least enjoy just one meal?”
Everyone shakes their head and agrees. I can’t help but laugh at Jackie as she nods while her mouth hovers inches over her plate. The poor girl’s practically tearing through her meal. “You’ve taken a liking to the turkey?”
She nods as she swallows with a large gulp. “When I used to be out there, out in the Deadlands, the only food I ever really had was canned foods or military rations. There were a couple of times I ate better, but it was never anything like this.”
That seems to get Yousef’s interest, and he looks back at her again. “Military rations, you say?”