Floor 21- Dark Angel

by Jason Luthor

  “That’s what I’m trying to tell you,” I say as I heave out a breath. “I’m not arguing that the Creep doesn’t work the way you say it does. I know it uses local colonies to stay in control of all of the Creepers it spits out. But there is a mind in the Creep, bigger than all of it. Bigger than Judge, bigger than the Northwest Creep Colony. It’s a mind that knows me.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “It’s seen me.”

  “Seen you?”

  “Sometimes, in the dark, I see it, too. A thousand eyes and a thousand tendrils coming out of the sky, with one huge eye in the center of it all. The city, the Deadlands, all of it wiped out. Creep falling from the sky and destroying everything. The whole world bathed in dead light.” I take another deep breath. “But it’s not what I see that scares me. It’s not even the Creep that scares me. It hasn’t scared me since the day I died to it.

  “What scares me is that mind I’ve felt in the Creep. I’ve felt it here in Central. I’ve felt it around the Tower. I’ve felt it further west, and hundreds of miles to the north. It’s everywhere. It’s not always active, not always present, but it always finds me no matter where I go. Everyone keeps wondering why I’m trying so hard to hold things together between Central and Fort Silence . . . I wasn’t lying about believing there has to be a system in place. I wasn’t lying when I said that I didn’t trust my own power. But the truth, the honest truth, is that I think all this fighting between human beings is distracting us from something bigger out there.”

  “Jackie, I . . .”

  “You want to know the real reason I think the Angels are out here scavenging technology?”

  He rests his hand on my knee, maybe the only real human gesture I’ve ever seen him make. “Why, Jackie?”

  “Because I think they know it’s coming too, and they’re getting ready for it. And if there’s something out there that scares the Angels themselves, then it should scare the hell out of the rest of us.”

  Jackie’s Recording 17

  Me and Mike hug each other for a long time before letting go of each other. After we break away, he snaps his fingers, a spark of blue energy shooting from his palm. I laugh as my eyes flare red, the two of us smiling at each other from just a foot away from each other.

  He looks at me, almost shyly as he runs his hand through his hair. “Dang. I missed you, Jacko.”

  “I missed you too, Mike.”

  “You’re going to be okay out there, right?”

  “I feel like I’m the one that’s supposed to be asking you that.”

  “Hey, I put a dent in the Dark Angel. Apparently, I can hold my own or something.”

  “Yeah, you actually, really can,” I say as I laugh. “Your punches actually hurt. I can count on my hand the number of people who can actually hurt me when they land a hit.”

  “Hey, speaking of, how’d you know you could throw me around like you did without, you know, killing me?”

  “You’ve got psionic power, just like Judge. The reason he was able to take hits the way he could wasn’t just because of the Creep. He also created a field around himself of psionic energy. Like a biological energy shield. I could tell when we were fighting that you were doing the same thing, so I knew I could go rough on you.”

  “Wow. Not gonna lie, that’s pretty cool.”

  “The doc’s going to want to run a lot of experiments on you when you get back.”

  “Pretty sure the president’s going to want to have a talk with me, too.”

  “He’s a good man. You don’t have to worry about him.”

  “Doesn’t mean I have to look forward to it, either,” he says with a smile. For a second, he just stands there, staring at me with that grin. “Hate the fact we’re saying goodbye right when we’re back to normal.”

  “We’ll see each other in a couple of day. We get our jobs done, get back home, and wrap up this whole thing with the raiders by the end of the week. Then we get things back to normal here, in your home. In Central.”

  “I’m really glad you think of this place that way now, Jackie. Kinda means a lot to me. I love this place.”

  “Yeah. I think I do, too.” I see him standing there, his fingers fiddling with that cross Cynthia gave him. “So, is that supposed to protect you or something?”

  “Nah. It’s not a good luck symbol or anything.”

  “But you . . . you believe it does something. Right? Isn’t that how it works?”

  “It just means I believe, period. I’ve got faith this is all going to work out.”

  I shrug and scratch at the back of my head. “I’m sorry, Mike. I don’t get it. Where we grew up, everyone basically worshipped the Builders, and we know what a dumpster fire that religion turned out to be.”

  He laughs. “You know we don’t have to believe the same things, Jackie.”

  “You just seem to be so into it. I don’t know. I feel like I should at least hear why you believe in it, because I really don’t understand how it works.”

  “I don’t really know, either. But maybe that’s a part of faith. You just keep staying confident that things are going to work out for the best.”

  “So, tell me for real, Mr. Chapman. You have . . . faith . . . that something good is going to come out of everything we’ve been through?”

  “Yeah. Just believe there’s a reason for the things that happen. Everything, even the bad stuff.”

  “What was the reason for the world getting swamped in a planet killing disease that nearly wiped out mankind?”

  “Not sure how it went down exactly, but I’m pretty sure we’re the reason that happened. Not God.”

  “Yeah. If I’m being fair, then it’s not like I think anyone else but humans could have created this kind of mess.” I shake my head. “I’m sorry. Here I am being this terrible friend and debating your beliefs with you before we both put our lives on the line on some tough as nails missions.”

  He pats me on the shoulder. “You don’t have to say sorry for thinking differently. We’re good now, Jackie. That’s what’s important. Jackie and Mike. Buds, like old times. We’ll have plenty of time later to argue about the world and, you know, all the philosophical stuff.”

  “You put it so eloquently.”

  “We’re not all as good at public speaking as you,” he says with a wink.

  “Ouch. That’s a real low blow, even for you.”

  “You can think up a good response and hit me with it when we see each other again.” I smile as we come back for one more hug. “Love you, Jackie.”

  “Love you too, Mike. Come back home safe.”

  “Be counting the days until we see each other again.”

  I squeeze him just a little tighter, one last time. “Me too.”

  Watson’s Recording 05

  After the rather intense discussions with Ms. Coleman, I decided to relax by devising a few new methods of reinforcing her armor to make it even more resistant to gunfire. So, consider it my surprise when I arrive at my laboratory, only to find Dodger tinkering with some device at one of the tables inside. She’s got a set of tools and has my vision enhancing headset on, so I’m not surprised that she doesn’t even hear me when I step inside. I’m forced to clear my throat loudly as I shout, “Tiffany Anne! Dodger!”

  The girl whirls around at the sound of my voice, her hand whipping the headset from her eyes. “Doctor Watson,” she spits out, surprised. “Uh, I’m really, really sorry. I had some stuff I wanted to work on, and . . .” I’ve already chosen to ignore her words, my eyes peering at the table behind her. She must notice because she then asks, “Did you . . . want to help?”

  “I had intended to work on devising new compounds for reinforcing the Dark Angel armor set. However, such a thing can wait,” I tell her as I approach her workstation. “What exactly is it you are working on?”

  “This?” She waves behind her. “Well, it kind of feels like . . . I don’t know, like everyone’s getting stronger. Jackie is who she is, Tommy’s beco
me tons better at fighting, and now Mike’s moving things with his mind. I don’t know. I think I felt left behind.”

  “So, what was your proposed solution?”

  “Nothing too fancy. It’s just, back in the Tower, we had all this Scavenger gear we used to use to get around. I thought I’d work on it a little bit and see if I could upgrade it. You know, maybe give myself a little bit of an advantage if things ever got hairy around here again.”

  My eyes look to the table, where the girl’s adapted part of the gear into a sort of gauntlet. “This is the climbing gear you once used in the Tower.”

  “Right. It’s a hydraulic piston that’s strong enough to bury into concrete. We’d used them to set a pin down that we could rope down from into deep holes around the building.”

  “What was your thought?”

  She frowns a little. “Well, I thought that maybe I could create a version of that where the rope loaded into a gauntlet and shot a piston into a wall from a distance. Like a grappling hook type of thing.”

  “I’m assuming how quickly you realized such a plan was utterly insane.”

  “Unfortunately . . . yeah.” She points to an open display on the computer in front of her. “I ran some simulations. I’d never be able to generate the kind of force I’d need to fire a piston into a wall. Even if I did, I’d never be able to get it out again. If I were to fall, I’d be left swinging back and forth with no way of detaching the piston. I’d be dangling there, just waiting for someone to shoot me.”

  My frown is so deep I can feel it set within my lips. “Why in this world would you choose such an extraordinarily ill-conceived means of trying to create a grappling hook?”

  “It was just . . . it was just an idea. I mean, maybe I was being stupid thinking it would work.”

  I shake my head. “The idea is not stupid. The mode of transportation is what is ill conceived. We live in a world where Jackie Coleman quite literally has grenades that stick to any surface, and here you are playing with an outdated hydraulic piston?”

  “Jackie’s grenades? I don’t understand. Aren’t they magnetic?”

  “Of course not. They use an inverse principal to the repulsors that lift aircraft off the ground. Now, tell me, what is the opposite of repulse?”

  “Uh. Attract?”

  “Well, we are most certainly not going to call it an attraction field, but yes. When you invert the energy field generated by a repulsor it functions essentially as a tractor field, creating an attraction to surfaces. That is the basis of how Jackie’s sticky grenades work.”

  “So, what you’re telling me is that we could switch out the piston for a pad, kind of like what Jackie has on the back of her grenades, and create something that attaches to surfaces? So basically, some kind of tractor pad instead?”

  “Precisely.”

  “But that’s just one part of the problem. You’d still have to think about storage for the cables, how to launch the tractor pad, how to fit it to a gauntlet . . .”

  “Well, I am certainly not going to stand here and solve every aspect of this technology for you.” At the same time that I say it, I cannot help but admit that a small smile crosses my lips. “However, if you would like to work on this project together, then I must at least confess to a small bit of enthusiasm toward working on something that is not related to the Dark Angel for once.”

  “Tommy does have to stay here overnight to be with President Branagh. He was going to bunk down here in Primary, so maybe me and you could work on this for most of the night, and then I’d be able to go to bed in Tommy’s room later.” She smiles. “That actually sounds like the perfect plan.”

  “Good,” I tell her as my smile widens. “Then let us perform science.”

  Mike’s Recording 20

  General Suliman hands a case over to me. Doesn’t look like much, just a steel box with a handle on it. Still, when he passes it over, he treats it like a baby. “This is highly tuned equipment. Doctor Watson has spent weeks adjusting this to just the right frequency. When triggered, it will act like a massive Pocket Space bomb, emitting signals along similar frequencies that our repulsion poles do. Even the smallest change in that frequency could cause a massive disaster.”

  “Yeah. I’m not stupid. I can carry a case.”

  “You don’t like me.”

  “I want you off the island,” I tell him with a shrug. “So yeah. Maybe I don’t like you.”

  “After this week, I doubt you will ever have to worry about seeing me again, so I would focus on your mission. This device will set the future of Central Freedom into motion. It’s a job that carries such incredible importance that, well, few other people have ever had the chance to change of course of history with a single action.”

  I eye him as I test the weight of the box. “You’re leaving Central?”

  “I didn’t say that. But, yes.”

  “When?”

  “As soon as we’ve finished off the raiders. Whether by stopping them from activating the Panzer or by destroying the Panzer itself. Either way, you have my word that I will be leaving. I don’t seem to have the gift for running a city.”

  “You got that right.”

  He smiles. “A shame, that this is the first time we’ve ever formally met.”

  “Personally, I could’ve done without ever meeting you.”

  “Well. If those are your final words to me, then so be it. Good luck, Lieutenant Chapman. You carry Central Freedom’s future in your hands. I hope nothing gets between you and the heart of the Creep.”

  After that, he salutes me and walks away. For a second, I just stare after him as he vanishes into the hall outside. Then I look behind me, where some of his soldiers are waiting to take me by transport out into the Deadlands. Honestly, the one thing I’m thinking is that I wish I was saying my goodbyes to anyone else but Yousef. That’s when I feel the little cross dangling around my neck and remember Cynthia. At least that makes me smile. Even as I’m climbing into the transport, surrounded by soldiers from Fort Silence, I can at least be happy that I’ve got her to come back to.

  Personal Recording of the President, Gabriel Branagh 23

  Tommy and Martin are both with me on the roof. Martin’s got a glass of whisky in his hand, something I wish I could indulge but feel would be inappropriate at that specific moment, of all times. With both Mike and Judge already on their way outbound, all I can think about are all of the responsibilities that I need to fulfill. “We’ll all head down to the war room in a second. I just really want to take a moment out right now to catch our breaths. The calm before the storm, if you will.”

  Tommy laughs. “More like the calm between the storms.”

  “At least you finally worked out everything you needed to with Jackie.”

  Martin chuckles. “You’re damn right. Knowing that girl’s on our side puts my mind at ease.”

  “That’s quite the change of heart you’ve had since she first got here. Anyway, I still want those plans you drew up for pushing Fort Silence off the island distributed to every building leader.”

  “It’s already done. We’ve got every weapon stash and back route in the city mapped to make things as smooth on us as possible while making life hell for Fort Silence.”

  Tommy takes in a deep breath. “Do we still think that’s going to be necessary? A resistance, I mean.”

  “No,” I tell him. “This is just in case things go badly between Yousef and the rest of us, though the general has . . . suggested . . . he may be stepping down.” The two of them turn their eyes to me, and I hold up my hands. “I know. I know. I find it hard to believe myself. I’m only repeating what he told me. All he said was that after we finished off the raiders, he was going to be leaving the city and putting aside any attempts to control things here.”

  “I’ll believe it when it happens.”

  “I’m not stupid. I’ll believe it when I see it, too. Still, we can hope for a peaceful outcome while planning for the worst, which is why Martin di
stributed those battle plans.”

  Martin looks at me from the corner of his eye. “Speaking of which, your girlfriend downstairs never checked the plans I sent her way. Isn’t she the designated leader for your building?”

  “Uh, yeah,” he says. “She’s just working with the doc right now on some new invention.”

  “Just make sure she gives it a once over.”

  “I will.” Tommy says as he looks back my way. “And Mike’s got the package he’ll need to take out the Creep?”

  “That’s the word from Doctor Watson. It should open an energy wave out of Pocket Space that causes the Creep to collapse, just as long as Mike’s gotten into the heart of that colony. Yousef delivered the package when he briefed Mike on his orders. He’s getting an escort halfway out of the city, until the point the Creep gets too thick and only Mike can keep going.”

  “Well, at least he won’t be walking the whole way.”

  “No. We need him conserving that rather impressive level of energy he has. You didn’t tell me he could do all of that, by the way.”

  “Because I didn’t know. Mikey’s full of surprises. I’m just glad he’s on our side, same as Jackie.”

  “So am I.” I hesitate as I look between the two of them. “There is one more thing. Something I’ve had cooking on the side. I wasn’t sure when to bring this up. Honestly, I don’t think there’s any other time I’ll get the chance.”

  “What is it?”

  I look at Martin. “I know you don’t think I’ve been a great president.”

  Martin shifts around uncomfortably as he sips at his whisky. “A little naïve, maybe. If you want the God’s honest truth, I’ve actually been thinking I underestimated you. Working with the Advisory Council has made me realize what a viper pit they are.”

  “Agreed. Well, I’m not as naïve as you think. That’s why I’ve been making plans outside of all of these discussions.”

  His eye cocks upward as he looks at me. “You’re tiptoeing, Mr. President. Is this something I won’t be happy about?”