Floor 21- Dark Angel

by Jason Luthor

  Four people, two who I’ll never forget. Sally and Judge, from when they were human. But I also recognize the other two people in the picture, from when I was having massive hallucinations in the Tower. It’s Oliver Andrew Judge and Emma Victoria Evans-Judge. Two people I knew as my parents when I shared Sally’s mind in the hallucinations. It’s the Judge family, including their mom and dad. Their mother became part of something important here after escaping the Tower. She must have joined the people investigating this Pocket Space engine.

  The second I see the picture, I can’t help but look down and whisper their names. “Sally. Judge.” The instant their names are out of my mouth, I can feel them behind me. Judge announces himself first.

  “You can see the fire in her,” he says.

  “You’re absolutely radiant,” she says.

  “Stop it,” I tell them as I turn around, lifting the photo up to them. “I’m sorry, it’s just this is serious. Here. This is for you. I get that you two aren’t really here, at least, not in the same sense that I am. But, I mean, you’re still here in some sense. So, you should probably see this.”

  Sally reaches out and takes the picture. When she does, it takes her a second to process what she’s looking at. When she does, her hand shoots to cover her mouth as she hands the picture off to Judge. When he sees it, he takes a step back, his hand shaking as he looks for Sally. He goes over to her and warps his arm around her as she braces against the wall, his huge cloak hiding her as they hold onto each other.

  “I get that you guys are a little . . . not all there, from swimming in the Creep,” I tell them. “But I know you two still love your parents. We knew what happened to your dad, but we never found out what happened to your mom. I remember from Sally’s memories that she got out, and I figured it was to get here. The Green Zone was the fallback point for Carthage’s forces. This was also the place where humanity started to push back against the Creep.”

  I take a deep breath as I hear Sally crying, Judge still holding tight to her. “I just wanted to let you know, she made it. And I can’t say anything for certain, but from what I can tell, she started manning things down here, at this Pocket Space engine. There’s a whole new mystery to be solved here, but I wanted you to know she survived.

  Sally’s eyes look past Judge’s huge arms around her and just whispers, “Why did you want us to know this?”

  I look away for a second to compose myself. “I’m about to go looking for my family, too. To go find my mom and dad. And honestly . . . I’m different now. You can tell that. I’m just not sure how often we’ll talk in the future, just because I’m confident about where I’m going now. But . . . your blood is still in me. I wouldn’t have made it this far without you. So, I wanted you two to know about this. I know you loved your mom, and I just . . . I wanted to give you some closure on this before I go.”

  She rests her head on the wall and manages a smile. “Thank you.”

  It’s all she says, and after a second of standing there quietly, I just nod my head and walk past them. I’m at the door when I hear Judge’s voice call out to me. “Jackie,” he says, and I look back to where he’s still holding Sally. “On last thanks. We cannot express our full gratitude. You may not need us any longer, because you are now confident in your abilities. However, we look forward to the time when you call upon us again. If you ever need us for anything, we will be waiting.”

  “I know,” I tell him with one last smile. “I’m not sure how soon it’s going to be, but I’m sure we’ll see each other again. Until then . . . take care of yourselves, you two.”

  Jackie’s Recording 49

  I’m standing on the observation deck of a building that’s recently come back to life. Centuries ago, it was visited by thousands of people, every day, just to stand at the top. It hasn’t been the biggest tower in the city for centuries, but it’s gigantic, with its old radio antenna shooting into the sky. If all the old records are right, then once upon a time, the building was going to be used by rich people who’d dock alongside it in airships. Blimps, actually. The place hasn’t been used in hundreds of years, but with the power back on, it’s all come back to life. There may not be much inside, but the elevators still work. I guess I’m not completely surprised then, when I hear the glass doors opening up behind me. It turns out to be Tommy standing there, his hands stuffed down his pockets as he walks across the sunlit rooftop, his thick jacket protecting him from the winds whipping through the air. He gestures around the roof and smiles. “The sun’s out? Someone must have struck up a dark ritual or something. You never see the sun this bright, not even in Central.”

  “The clouds have to break sometime, Tommy,” I tell him with a smile.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever heard a sentence with more double meaning.” He glances out past me and into the city. “I guess I don’t have to ask you what you’re doing.”

  I shrug. “You know.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “But I won’t be gone as long as I was before. I swear.”

  “I know you told us what you have to do. I just wish I could’ve gotten it done myself. Dodger’s been dying to see her parents. Gabriel says he’s already got some places lined up to take in the refugees once you get back.” His hands come out of his pockets and sit on his hips as he stands there, staring at me. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed you wearing the mantle around town.”

  “Maybe I lied about thinking it was cheesy,” she says with a smile, her white armored hands tugging at the material. “Mandy likes it anyway, and I can’t let her down.”

  He looks me right in the eyes. “I’ve never met someone so damned insistent on being humble. It’s okay to like wearing something that recognizes what you got done. I mean, here I am, face to face with the girl who saved the world . . .”

  “Okay there, Mr. President,” I laugh at him. “Let’s not oversell things.”

  “Well, you certainly saved the world as we know it. There’s not another city like Central Freedom, at least not for a few thousand mile in any direction.”

  “I know.”

  “You’re never going to like getting praised, are you?”

  I fold a curl of my hair behind my ear and smile. “You say it like it’s a bad thing or something.”

  “I guess it’s not. We’ve got enough people out there killing for glory. Sometimes it’s nice to have someone fighting for the little guy.”

  “Like you.”

  “Like us. You’re not going to pawn off everything you’ve done by trying to butter me up.”

  “Alright, alright. Like us.”

  He motions out to the city. “You said your goodbyes?”

  “Kind of. I didn’t come out and say it to most people, but I think they knew. The only person I came out and said it to was Kali, because she would have run the Vanguard halfway across the Deadlands to find me if I hadn’t told her I’d be back.”

  “The troops are going to miss you.”

  “You’re their leader, Tommy. You and the councils. I’m glad I could inspire them, and I know what it means to them for me to fight with them. It’s just, you’re the one that’s going to make the hard calls about where they should go and when they should fight.” I take a deep breath as I look out to the horizon, staring down on this huge city that stretches out to the river. “You’re going to decide the future for more almost a million people now and make decisions that affect people living from Zone Delaware to Fort Silence. I’m not going to have to worry about any of that being on my conscience.”

  “Maybe not for a while. But if this big war you’re worried about does break out . . .”

  “Yeah. Well, like I said, I’m going to be back. And soon, since all I’m doing is leaving to bring home our families. After I’m back in town, we can get together and, you know, do one of your rallies and whatever.”

  “Oh, you’re actually up for a rally now?” he asks with a laugh.

  “Not really, but again, I get why it’s important.
I might not like it, but the Angel means something to the city.”

  “You actually care about keeping up some appearances now. You’ve grown a lot the last few months.”

  I chuckle a little as I look back at him. “In this completely abstract way . . . I love the people of this city. I just plain love the city, Tommy. I’d fight for them against anything.”

  “I would too. That was the crazy part about coming out into the Deadlands. I wasn’t expecting to find much out here, and then it turned out that I learned what it means to sacrifice for something bigger than yourself. When you talk about the people around here . . .” He shrugs his shoulder and grins. “I feel like I sound like Gabriel saying this, but I’ve served on the walls with the men and women around here. I’ve defended the city along with them and done as much as I could to help with the government.”

  “They saw all of that. You mean something to them.”

  “You mean something to them, too. You’re the Angel to them. You inspire them in ways I can’t.”

  “But you’ll still be the one who’s inspiring them day by day, making sure they have enough food to eat and a safe place to sleep.”

  He rubs the back of his head and grins. “Come to think of it, I don’t think I like getting praise, either.”

  “See? What did I tell you?”

  “Yeah, alright, alright,” he says with another laugh. A second later, his face goes stony. “Seriously though . . . Do you know how long you’ll be gone?”

  “I don’t. It won’t be too long though. There are a few things I need to take care of back at High Point Waystation, plus some other things I need to get done. But . . . I’ll be back, Tommy. And when I come back, it’ll be with all the people we left behind. I promise.”

  “Just don’t keep us waiting a year again. Alright?”

  “I won’t. I can’t. I mean, we do have another war to be thinking about.”

  “And what if something happens here while you’re gone? What if we need your help?”

  “You’ve got the militia, the weapons from Fort Silence, and the help of the Sha’b now, not to mention a flying ship. Plus, if you ever get that Panzer working again, I’m not sure what will be able to stop you out here. So, I think you’ll be alright.”

  “I’m serious, Jackie. What if it’s something big? Something with the Creep or even the Angels?”

  “Then I’ll be here, Tommy. I promise.”

  “How will we know you’re back?”

  “You’ll know, Tommy,” I tell him as the white fire erupts around me, igniting the ground in two large streaks that flow out and back behind me. Tommy looks down at the ground for a second before laughing.

  “Look for the fire, huh?”

  “Tommy,” I say with a smile. “I am the fire.”

  “Well, you’ll always be Jackie to me. But I also know you’re a hero, and I guess it’s time for me to let go of you for a little while. You’ve got to get back to saving the world.”

  I give him one last smile as I walk to the ledge of the observation deck, taking a high step onto the railing so that I’m staring into the maze of streets that lead to the water in the distance. For a long second, I just stand, holding my breath as I look at a city I’ve just really fallen in love with. And just like that, I take a step forward and fall off the edge, the world screaming past me as I plunge story after story. I can see the street below rushing at me, getting larger and larger as I’m streaking toward it. To my left and right, I can see people all along the sidewalks looking up at pointing, staring at me as I rocket toward the ground. Then I breath and look up, my body leveling out until I’m flying above the street again, white fire trailing behind me. I can’t help but smile as people point and wave while I go zooming overhead.

  Then, I’m tilting upward, rocketing back into the skies. The world is rushing by again, this time becoming smaller beneath me as I climb into the air. The tallest skyscrapers zip by as I’m flying by them, the skies getting closer and closer as I punch above the city skyline. I clear the tallest buildings, my body pushing higher than I’ve ever traveled before, until even the clouds are passing me by. The world starts to vanish behind me, getting so small that it’s like I’m staring at a miniature model of the city.

  To be honest, I can’t help but think about everything that’s happened and everything that’s still going to happen. We defeated one enemy but there are still lots more left to fight. Central Freedom’s safe, but there are still people back in my Tower who need saving. Plus, the Stranger was right. There’s a whole universe out there that doesn’t care whether we exist or not, and there are forces out there that I’m not sure I can completely wrap my mind around yet.

  But I care, and I’m willing to fight for the future, and that’s all that matters. And there’s no doubt in my mind that one day, we’ll have to fight. Me, and the Vanguard, at the head of an army of more than a hundred thousand men and women, with the Dynamis to carry us and the Panzer to protect us. I finally get that I’m at the front of this fight, whether I like it or not.

  That’s the thing about getting older, I guess. Realizing you have responsibilities not just to yourself but everybody around you. I’m different from when I first climbed down the Tower, from when I first went exploring beneath Floor 21. But, what makes me want to fight for the future is how amazing the world is and just how incredible the universe can be. I know, because I’ve seen it. In a world like ours, people are still carrying on their culture and their traditions. They still love each other and fight and die for one another. Humanity’s just incredible, when it wants to be.

  I’m streaking toward the sun when the skies in front of me start to skip, like I’m flying hundreds of feet through the air in seconds. In those instants, when I skip through reality and through Pocket Space, I see stars, like a thousand points of light across the universe. It’s like I’m seeing past all the limits that used to weigh on me, past all the limits the world used to weigh me down with. Then I blink, and that’s all it takes. I’m hundreds of miles from where I started in an instant, with only a single familiar Tower rising in the distance.

  I’m going home.