by Nate Phelps
Sam applauded appreciatively as I landed.
“I got most of that on video,” she said. “Gorgeous. Frickin’ gorgeous.”
“Your turn.”
We set up more targets. She kicked off and I followed her as she passed the first target. Her missile missed, but not by much.
“You’ve got this!” I yelled as we turned.
She aimed carefully at the next one. I was about to offer advice when she pumped and hit it near the middle.
“Yes!” I shouted.
Sam whooped, pumping her fists in the air again.
“No, stop!” I yelled.
Huge globs of foam popped up into the air and rained down on us.
“Ooph!”
It felt like a giant soggy blanket as it dragged us out of the air. The foam caught the side of the building and we came to a stop, dangling upside down from what looked like two massive strands of snot.
“Curse every bleeding Sentinel…!” Sam struggled to get free as the foam expanded and hardened to its rubbery state.
“This is lovely,” I said.
“Gorgeous,” agreed Sam. “I hope you didn’t have any plans for the next hour.”
* * *
Once we got down, Sam had to rush me to the office so I could get a chance to clean up, eat lunch, and finally get my permits approved. They called it the Police Station, just like in the old world.
Johnny and Riker were going on a raid. According to Sam, a group of thieves had been evading capture for months. They would hit the markets quickly and disappear before anyone had time to respond, getting away with fortunes in merchandise. Someone had tipped the police off to their hideout. The city didn’t want to mess up this chance, so they had asked Dr. Henry to borrow Johnny for a day or two.
“Have you ever thought of dual wielding?” Sam asked me as a cheerful woman stamped my last permit.
“What do you mean?” I thanked the lady and we headed towards the exit.
“I mean, like, using two foam guns at the same time.”
“I can’t do that with my pilot glove. Not to mention, my aim would be awful.”
“There’s another reason to get rid of that jetpack. You could get one you guide with your legs, like mine. How cool would it be?” She held out her foam gun and other hand as if she were dual wielding and made some squishing sounds.
I placed a finger on her nozzle and pushed it down. “No, I could never give up Shania. She’s way more maneuverable than your pieces of junk.”
Sam shrugged and holstered her gun.
“There he is!” I turned to see Riker, Sanitatem’s Sentinel, striding down the hallways towards us with Johnny close behind.
Johnny had geared up in his full suit, but Riker was in a simple t-shirt and jeans. His dirty blond hair came to just above his shoulders. He gave me a wink as he shook my hand.
“Good to see you again. When are you joining us permanently?”
I laughed. “I don’t think you guys need me over here.”
“We do,” said Sam. “You’d do a much better job than me.”
“We could all work together.” Riker patted her on the back and she smiled appreciatively—must have been nice to have a decent relationship like that.
Johnny seemed bored with the conversation. Riker noticed and gave him a playful punch in the stomach. He grunted in surprise.
“Idiot!” Johnny shoved him.
My hand wandered to my foam gun. These games always started innocently enough, but the next thing you knew, they were throwing each other through walls.
The horseplay did not persist, thankfully, and soon we were headed outside.
“Let’s get to this mission,” said Riker. “We know where we’re going and we know the thieves were there as of an hour ago. I say we hit them hard and fast.”
“Good.” Johnny nodded in agreement.
I found it amusing that they were talking tactics when they only ever used one strategy: punch everything.
“As for you two,” said Riker to Sam and I. “The building is much older and should have been condemned by now, anyway. Your job will be to help us contain the damage there.”
“Thank you,” I said, genuinely surprised. Was Riker turning over a new leaf?
We left the office and Riker and Johnny leaped into the sky, leaving behind a sizeable crater. I sighed.
“Take a picture of that,” I told Sam before giving chase.
“Hey, wait for me!”
I hadn’t covered much of Sanitatem in the past nine months, and Shania seemed to relish the chance of exploring new territory. We drifted around a corner and passed through an alleyway, draped with lines of colorful laundry. I gave an extra squeeze of my pilot glove as we came out, causing the last few clotheslines to billow up as I passed through, like a flapping rainbow. I caught up to Riker, who gave me a grin as he kicked off the edge of a building and passed over me.
Eventually, I caught sight of Sam trailing behind us. She might be struggling with the foam gun, but she was an excellent flier.
The high risers didn’t stretch as far as they did in Midhaven, but the sprawl of businesses, homes, and markets surrounding downtown went on for miles. Riker and Johnny quit jumping so high and instead took long measured strides that sent them hurtling down the street, making it harder for us to keep up. I kept low to the ground. Shania growled excitedly and I opened up the throttle just a bit more. She shot forward and we kept up with the Sentinels nicely—I hoped Sam took notice.
In a few short minutes, we arrived in a mostly deserted area at a sprawling dilapidated warehouse.
“Really?” I asked Sam as we landed across the street. “Doesn’t anyone check these buildings? They seem super obvious.”
She shrugged. “Search me.”
Riker and Johnny wasted no time. Johnny sliced through a window on the top floor. Riker took a more direct approach and entered dead center on the roof with a loud crunch, immediately followed by screams and subsequent crashes. A few gunshots rang out.
I clicked my tongue against my teeth. “Such a waste.”
Several men were hurled out of the ground level windows.
“Yes!” Sam laughed. “I love this part.” There were more bangs and crashes from within. A door near the back opened and a handful of men rushed out. “Hey, look at that!”
“On it.” I opened up a channel to Johnny on my watch.
More crashes came from inside. Johnny didn’t answer.
“They’re getting away! Let’s get them!”
“What? Are you nuts?”
“Come on!” she pleaded. “Aren’t we supposed to contain them here? We’ll just use the foam to slow them down.”
What a stupid idea. Yet, I felt a thrill at the thought—Sam’s excitement was contagious. I imagined the shocked look on Johnny’s face when I told him that we’d stopped the thugs he’d missed. To be honest, this didn’t sound any more dangerous than what I usually did, anyway.
“Okay,” I said. “But if you see any guns, you need to promise that we’ll break off.”
“Promise,” she agreed quickly, a wide grin spreading her features.
We took off and raced around the building behind the six men that had escaped. They looked up at us and then broke into two equal groups. I saw no weapons, so I motioned for Sam to follow the group that went left as I went right.
One of the men was slower than the others and made for easy pickings. I shot him in the back. He pitched forward and stuck to the ground as I left him and closed in on the second. This one was quicker than the first and ducked out of the way of my missile.
This would be a better challenge. I fired two quick bursts. The first forced him to jump to the side and the second sailed toward where I had directed him. This worked perfectly and the foam hit his legs. He shouted as he struggled to break free.
I laughed as I passed him—this was exhilarating. No wonder Johnny got such a kick out of it.
The third guy ducked down an alleyway. I pa
ssed over the top and waited for him on the other side.
“Wazzup!” I said as he shifted sideways through the opening.
He managed to turn his head towards me and scream before I stuck him there.
I waved as I left. “See you soon.”
Now it was time to see how Sam had fared.
I directed Shania back to where we’d split up. It wasn’t hard to find out where she’d gone; the trail of splattered foam was gratuitous. I found two more criminals plastered to the sidewalk. They looked at me imploringly. The yellow goop was in their hair and stuck to their faces. She was compensating for accuracy in extreme fashion.
I rose up above the building line. Sam was a couple blocks away firing at something I couldn’t see, likely the last of our new friends. I winced and moved her way.
“Get back here!” Sam roared, pumping the trigger angrily.
“Slow down!” I called out. She didn’t hear me.
Sam held the trigger and it released a missile that expanded to the size of a large dog. This one hit the man and exploded, completely enveloping him.
“HEY!” I dived and landed hard, stumbling to the mass of yellow goo.
Sam landed behind me as I dug furiously, stretching it apart. I barely managed to open it around the man’s face before it finished hardening. He gasped for air as I kept the expanding foam from closing. I managed to secure the airway and stood back, panting in relief.
“Sorry,” grumbled Sam.
I turned and got right in her face. “You could have killed him!”
“Relax. He’s the bad guy, remember?”
“That doesn’t mean he should suffocate. Do something like that again and I’ll find a replacement.”
Her face went a deep scarlet and her eyebrows furrowed. “You’re such an idiot! You make all these incredible devices, but refuse to do anything really useful with them.”
“What are you talking about?” I rubbed my forehead.
“Do you realize what you have? Look at what we did! You should be famous.”
“I didn’t do this to be famous. I did it to help people.”
She shook her head. “It’s more than that, and you know it. We could be heroes, just like the Sentinels.”
“Or killers.” I gestured at the man I’d just saved.
The hurt look on her face made me instantly regret my statement.
“You’re a coward.” She turned and flew away.
* * *
Sam messaged me as we were leaving the next day.
“I’m sorry I got so upset,” it said. “Please don’t hate me.”
“I’m sorry too,” I wrote back. “You’ve made great progress. Keep it up.”
“Thx. We need to take time to hang out next time you’re here. Maybe grab drinks. Have a good trip. ;P”
I raised an eyebrow. Was she asking me out? That was ok with me, she was pretty cute. I tried to think of something clever to say back, but came up blank. Her words from the day before were still bugging me.
Johnny had indeed been surprised when I’d shown him and Riker the missing men trussed up and ready to be carted away. Apparently, one of the leaders had been in the group and we’d done them a big favor.
Nonetheless, Sam had made me feel like I wasn’t reaching my potential. I was only revolutionizing the educational system in Midhaven. No big deal. So, why did it bother me?
I leaned against the window in Ricky’s car. Ricky was going on about some girl he’d met at the farmers market, but I’d zoned out on his story. It had been going on for about six minutes or so and I’d lost track of the details.
As we passed through the last gate, my thoughts wandered back to my near-death experience two nights prior. Would we be taking two days to get through the forest again? I wasn’t down for that.
The door across from me opened and I sat up as Johnny swung in and plopped down next to me. He closed it and sat back, staring forward.
“Sup, bro?” said Ricky.
“Ricky.” Johnny gave him a nod before turning to me. “You may be right.”
“Pardon?”
“About the Crawlers. I think you saw what you said you did.”
“I knew it,” said Ricky.
“You did not,” I said.
“Okay, no, I didn’t.”
I turned back to Johnny. “What changed your mind?”
“I talked to someone,” Johnny explained. “Let’s keep this between us. Everyone in Midhaven will lose their minds if they hear the Crawlers are back. I’ll check it out.”
“Good.” I felt validated, and some of the oppressive feelings I’d been harboring lifted off my chest. “Can I tell anyone else?”
“Dr. Henry, and Dr. Henry only.”
“Okay.” I nodded.
Johnny opened the door of the moving vehicle, but paused. “Oh, and Ricky…?”
“Yeah man?”
“I know where you live.”
“You serious?” Ricky turned in his seat, eyes wide.
“Nah.” Johnny smiled. “I’ll just follow the taco smell.” He sprang out and the door slammed shut.
“Oh man,” Ricky said, as he turned forward once more. “He’ll totally find me.”
Chapter 6
I waited anxiously outside one of the larger boardrooms at the Agency HQ as a line of important executives filed out. Dr. Henry was one of the last ones to emerge, holding a large folder full of papers. His tie was askew and he was mumbling angrily to himself.
“Cuts, cuts, how can we do anything if we keep getting cuts?”
“Sir?”
He looked up and smiled. “Oh, hello Kleiner.”
“Can I talk to you?”
He glanced at a couple of the men who’d stopped to chat in the hallway and motioned for me to enter the now empty boardroom.
“Is this concerning what you told me earlier?” he asked, closing the door.
“Sort of.” I struggled to keep from fidgeting. “I think I saw some Crawlers.”
He sat me down and I related the experience in detail, my voice shaking with nervous excitement.
He sat back in his chair as I finished. “Are you absolutely sure of this?”
“Yeah.”
He nodded. “Did you get a good look at the device that this man was holding?”
“Not really. Do you know what it means?”
“Nothing good. You’re lucky Johnny got to you in time. Have you spoken with him today?”
I shook my head. “Haven’t seen him since yesterday. It’s my day off.”
“He’s been avoiding me. If you see him, have him call me.”
“I’ll do my best. Oh, and sir?”
Dr. Henry smiled at me. “Please stop calling me ‘sir’. It’s exhausting.”
“Sorry, sir… uh… Doctor. Do you think this is related to the guy in the garage? The one we arrested. It just seems like an odd coincidence is all.”
A look passed over Dr. Henry’s face that I couldn’t interpret. “I’m not sure.”
I should have left, but my mind was running over the conversation from that night again, the desperate plea to warn the others. Johnny and a secret weapon.
As I watched Dr. Henry, it seemed that he knew more than he was letting on.
I bit my lip. “There is a weapon, isn’t there? Something we’re not supposed to know about.”
He glanced at me and the corner of his mouth twitched. “Don’t forget to have Johnny call me.”
* * *
Despite Johnny swearing me to secrecy about the Crawlers, I couldn’t resist telling Sarah the details of the trip.
She lowered her sword, her eyes wide as I finished my story. We were sparring in the basement of the Agency. She’d been teaching me for months, ever since she’d found out how subpar my sword fighting skills were. I had more time for this than usual since Johnny had stopped taking calls that day at noon. He’d been acting a bit off ever since we’d gotten back from Sanitatem. I was curious, but not really in the mood t
o look the gift horse in the mouth. When I told him Dr. Henry’s message, he’d ignored me
“You went into the forest alone?” Sarah asked. “Everyone knows you go in pairs.”
She lifted her sword and took an offensive stance. I shuffled my body into the position she’d explained would be the best counter. My progress with sword fighting had been decent in comparison to my excursions at the shooting range. Even with fake bullets, my clumsiness with firearms seemed to know no bounds.
Sarah took a step forward and I nearly tripped over myself as I backed away.
“Watch those feet.”
We’d made a deal that she would teach me how to use a sword and I would keep her up-to-date on all the juicy Enforcer gossip I came across.
“Ricky told me to go in the forest. I’ll blame him for nearly getting me eaten.”
“I know a Ricky. Makes the best Mexican food at the market.”
“Definitely the same one. I should have figured you’d know him. You know everybody.”
Sarah feinted at me and I fell for it, lunging forward. Now that I'd committed, it was easy for her to dart around me and rap the back of my hand with the flat of her blade. I dropped my sword.
“Grip, Kleiner. Keep your grip.”
I shook my numb hand. “Yeah, yeah…”
She tapped her blade against the side of her head quizzically as I recovered my sword. “This man you mentioned, the one in the forest—he sounds like trouble. Do you really think he was controlling the creatures?”
“I don’t know.” I took the same offensive stance Sarah had just displayed. “The sounds he was making with the speakers sounded just like them. It was like he was talking to them.”
“If that’s really the case, do you realize what that means?” She attacked and forced me to parry two blows, knocking me out of my stance.
“It would change everything,” I panted.
“Exactly. Imagine if we could duplicate this technology. We could move the Crawlers out of our lands and protect the new settlements. Our defenses wouldn’t have to center around the Sentinels anymore. We could take the world back.”
This was something I couldn’t wrap my mind around. What would we do with all that space? Everything I knew was centered here between the three cities.