by Anh Do
Amber looked up at the sky. Night would fall soon, and she would pay Woodville another visit.
Amber watched the moon slowly rise amid a dazzling sea of stars until the time was right. She then turned to a distant tree, the entire trunk of which seemed to be crawling with life.
All right, everyone. Let’s go.
Locusts poured off the tree and up into the sky, whirling together to form into a single mass in the shape of a dragon – the same shape the beetles had formed at the dance. The mass swooped towards Amber, who was waiting by the edge of the stream.
Amber took a deep breath, and as the mass zoomed across the water, she leapt onto its back!
The insects beating wings created a cushion of air that kept Amber afloat. It was always a bumpy ride at the start and it gave her a rush of adrenaline every time, knowing that the only thing that stood between her and a rapid plunge back to earth was the power of her concentration. But then, as always, the whirring bodies beneath her levelled out and she found a stable kneeling position.
Up.
They rose together past the trees and into the night sky. In the distance lay the twinkling lights of the town.
It didn’t take long to reach the outskirts of Woodville. She often set down here to scout outlying houses, then sent insects inside to raid cupboards. But tonight she had her mask. Tonight, she would try for a bigger target.
In the centre of town was Clyde’s supermarket. There were only a few cars on the road below – typical at this hour – so even if anyone looked up, she doubted they would see her.
There.
They circled down towards the roof of Clyde’s.
Amber had learnt the hard way that locusts couldn’t hover, so as they swooped down, she jumped off. She hit the concrete and rolled, came up into a crouch, and directed the locusts to set down nearby.
‘Time to go to work.’
The roof door was fitted with a sturdy lock, so she reached into her pocket and pulled out a fistful of carpenter ants.
Dinner time, she said, setting them on the wood around the lock. They started eating with vigour, and a minute later the timber was so damaged Amber could simply pull the lock out.
Come.
Her bugs swarmed over the walls behind her as she descended the fire-escape stairs.
Don’t eat each other.
When she entered the main space of the supermarket, she immediately saw the red dots of motion sensors in the corners.
Fly.
The locusts whirred up and began to chew through the wires in the sensors. One by one the red lights went out.
Cover.
Locusts swarmed the security cameras and clustered over the lenses to block them before Amber strolled in, sack in hand. It was time to go shopping.
Amber walked the aisles, grabbing whatever took her fancy. In the cosmetics section, she found a hand mirror. Perfect. She headed for the food aisles but was distracted by flashes of light coming from the other side of the store.
Following the light, she ended up in the electronics section. Someone had forgotten to turn off one of the TVs, which was playing soundlessly.
Amber gazed at it curiously. It had been a long time since she’d watched TV. The local news was on. The story showed a man in a strange kind of firefighter suit that covered his entire body, including a helm with a dark visor.
The captions were on, so Amber read the report as it happened.
BARBARA COOK, NEWS ANCHOR: Tonight on WLN, ‘the Firefighter’ – saviour or superhero? Freak or government puppet? These images caught earlier today add fuel to public speculation.
The Firefighter turned towards a burning building when, suddenly, his backpack shot out steam – it was a jet pack!
Amber’s eyes widened at the sight of the Firefighter hurtling through the air. Incredible!
As he neared the burning building, he reached out a hand, and a stream of water sprang from his palm to smash in a window!
The report cut to an academic-looking man talking to an off-screen interviewer.
RICH WATKINS, GENETICS PROFESSOR: How the Firefighter is able to create fire and water from his own body remains a complete mystery. Until he is studied, I cannot recommend he be allowed to roam free.
The camera cut back to the Firefighter descending from the burning building with a little girl in his arms. He handed the girl to a distraught woman. The camera then cut to the woman being interviewed.
WENDY FRANKLIN, MOTHER: Thank god for the Firefighter! Without him, who knows if I’d still have my Sarah? (indecipherable sobbing)
BARBARA COOK, NEWS ANCHOR: Meanwhile, other members of the public are less convinced.
The news cut to people out on the street.
PAUL SMITH, ACCOUNTANT: I mean, where did this guy even come from? We need to get that mask off and make sure he’s not an alien!
Amber’s hand involuntarily went to her own mask.
JO GARLAND, NURSE: Did you hear they sent him after that gang and most of them ended up in hospital? They’re criminals, sure, but we have a system for dealing with them!
ANNE MATHESON, JUDGE: No one should have special permissions beyond our usual law enforcement. Who will hold him accountable?
BARBARA COOK, NEWS ANCHOR: The Firefighter joins a host of recent reports of people all over the world with unexplained powers, including one in our very own Woodville. Though we have no footage to show you, there are several eyewitness reports of a local girl said to have gained dominion over the world of insects …
Amber’s heart quickened. She rushed to the TV and turned the sound on.
CHARLIE PILCHER, POOL SALESMAN: It was weird. The bugs flew into the kitchen through the top floor window, then took Cheerios out of the box one by one!
JIM DONATI, GROCER: I saw her flying on a cloud of insects! I tell no lie!
JENNY JACKSON, HOUSEWIFE: This black mist of insects rose up out of the trees like a huge black dragon.
Amber felt sick. She thought she’d gone completely unnoticed!
Just then she saw a locust walk across the top of the TV. What are you doing down here? Amber glanced up at the security cameras.
The locusts were crawling everywhere. The news report had made her lose concentration!
Quickly, she turned away from the camera.
BARBARA COOK, NEWS ANCHOR: Local legend, or unbelievable reality? If you have any further information, please call the National Service hotline on …
Amber slung her sack over her shoulder and raced back up the stairs.
That night Amber lay in bed, restless. She had considered herself an exile, forgotten, but she was not as isolated from the world as she’d believed. She’d also thought that Justin’s warnings were silly, that he was being paranoid … but now she wished she’d listened.
If the government really wanted to find her, how long would it take? A week? A day? Amber decided she’d abandon the cabin. Move deeper into the woods. Or perhaps another forest entirely, far from civilisation … She didn’t want to leave her home, but what was the alternative? Being locked up in some lab?
She would have to go and see Irene. To say goodbye. A real goodbye, this time – for good.
What would Irene say? Would she be angry? Hurt? Surely she’d forgive … Surely …
The following night, Amber rode her insect dragon to the edge of Irene’s property. She felt suddenly self-conscious in her mask, worried Irene would see it and think of her as nothing more than a kid playing dress-up.
With a deep breath Amber headed for the house, but she stopped short in front of the kitchen window. Is this a bad idea?
‘Amber?!’
Irene emerged from the dark, dropping sprigs of basil she must have just picked from the herb garden. For a moment the old woman simply stared at Amber, then started running towards her.
Amber braced herself – for what, she wasn’t sure – but she found herself caught up in a fierce hug.
Amber had not felt a human touch in a long time, a
nd she was sobbing before she knew it.
‘I’ve been so worried,’ said Irene, stroking Amber’s hair a little too hard.
Amber’s fears melted away. She wondered how she ever could have doubted her only family’s love.
‘Come inside,’ said Irene, in a tone that brooked no argument.
Soon Amber was sitting on the comfy couch with a mug of hot chocolate, something she had not tasted in a long time. It was very sweet.
She hadn’t intended to tell Irene much, but it turned out that news reports of police being chased out of the woods by hornets had verified Irene’s own suspicions – Amber’s early experiments with bugs in the backyard hadn’t escaped her notice.
‘You could have told me, you know,’ said Irene. ‘Though I understand why you didn’t.’
Irene seemed even more troubled as she handed Amber a newspaper.
‘It isn’t safe for you around here anymore,’ she said.
Amber gasped at the headline – ‘Skydragon’ Sighting at Clyde’s. Under the headline was a grainy CCTV image of Amber standing in front of the TVs. Thankfully her mask obscured her face, but Amber was still worried.
Amber felt her blood momentarily chill when she saw the image.
‘That’s what the papers call you,’ said Irene. ‘It seems my little Butterfly is now a Skydragon.’
Amber didn’t know what to say.
‘Most people think it’s complete nonsense, thank goodness,’ Irene continued. ‘An urban myth. But they aren’t the ones you have to worry about. I’d hoped you’d left Woodville by now, even though I … well … I’ve missed you terribly.’
As they talked well into the night, Irene coaxed details from Amber about how she’d been living. She insisted on filling up Amber’s old school backpack with things that might help her in the wild. A pair of kitchen scissors, a sharp knife, seeds for the garden …
Irene had nothing but love for her, and Amber wished she’d come to visit ages ago.
‘That boy came asking after you,’ said Irene. ‘Justin. Days after you disappeared. He wanted to know if I’d seen you.’
Amber had been certain Justin would want to forget her after what she’d done to him. ‘How … was he?’
‘Sad,’ said Irene. ‘Seemed like a nice boy.’
Amber pondered that. Maybe Justin hadn’t been angry with her after all? Still, that was in the past. No need to dig it all up again.
By midnight Amber had refused the offer of ‘one night in a normal bed’ for the tenth time and said her goodbye – she knew it would probably be her last.
‘Take care, Butterfl—’ Irene stopped herself, smiling softly. ‘Skydragon.’ Tears formed in her eyes. ‘I’m so sorry,’ Irene finally said. ‘For everything.’
‘You have nothing to be sorry for,’ said Amber. ‘Nothing at all.’
It was even harder to walk away than it had been to arrive, and though Irene was the one crying, Amber’s eyes stung with tears too. It was with a truly heavy heart that she rose above the trees on her insect friends.
But as Amber sped off through the night, something else, unseen by her, began to move. Glinting metallic in the moonlight, a drone swivelled its lens and followed her soundlessly through the night.
Reggie sped along above the red sports car that was weaving dangerously through traffic. He was using his jet pack – an ingenious device powered by steam generated from thin streams of fire and water flowing from the pores on his shoulder blades.
Since he’d woken, Reggie had learnt there was more to his powers than simply shooting from his hands. He could produce fire from pretty much anywhere on his right side, and water from anywhere on his left.
His every move was reported, and the news troubled him. It seemed no matter how hard he worked to help people, some would never accept his existence. Even now, as he risked his life to bring a criminal to justice, he knew there would be some news interview with a slob on the street moaning, ‘The Firefighter must be stopped!’
Reggie tried to put the news out of his mind and focus on the job. Michael Casey was the criminal’s name, and Agent Ferris had instructed Reggie that he be taken down with ‘extreme force’. Reggie was wary, however – there were a lot of cars on the road and he didn’t want to hurt anyone by mistake, including Casey. Instead, he watched for an opening.
Below, Casey drove recklessly, forcing cars off the road. The other cars screeched and spun to avoid colliding with each other – not always successfully. Far behind the cops were in pursuit, but Casey had taken a complicated route and done a good job throwing them off. Reggie might be their only hope to stop him.
When Casey turned down a side street Reggie angled into a dive, closing the gap, and reached out to send a stream of flame whooshing into the side of the car. With a whumpf the car did a full flip and crashed back down onto its tyres.
As Reggie landed in front of the car, Casey looked stunned.
‘Get out of the car!’ shouted Reggie. ‘I don’t want to hurt you.’
A look of defiance crossed Casey’s face. This guy isn’t coming quietly, Reggie thought.
Suddenly, Casey slammed on the accelerator and sped towards him.
Reggie simply sighed, then shot flame at the ground. A carpet of fire spread out before him and under the oncoming car. The tyres melted almost instantly, and the axles scraped against the road with a horrible grating sound. Reggie grimaced as the car ground slowly to a stop in front of him.
Casey fumbled with the door and burst out, making a dash for it. Reggie shook his head and raised his left hand. This is almost too easy, he thought. A stream of water burst across Casey’s back, knocking him to the ground. Reggie strode over and seized him by the neck, hauling him to his feet.
‘I tried to warn you,’ Reggie said. ‘You’re going away for a long time, but it’s still a better fate than that of your poor victims.’
Casey blinked at him, frowning. ‘Victims?’
‘The two guys you killed.’ Just saying the words made Reggie angry. ‘All for what, a few hundred bucks?’
Casey chuckled, even as he coughed up water. ‘Is that what they told you? I didn’t kill anyone, you fool. I was trying to blow the whistle on the masters you so mindlessly serve.’
Reggie frowned. ‘What are you talking—’
‘Ah!’ came a loud voice from behind them. ‘Excellent work, Firefighter!’
Reggie turned to see Agent Ferris approaching with a couple of agents in dark suits.
‘If you let them take me away,’ said Casey urgently, ‘I’ll never be heard from again. If you really are the hero they say you are, you’d fly me away right now. Listen to what I have to say.’
‘We’ll take it from here,’ said Agent Ferris firmly.
The other two agents pulled Casey away from Reggie, forcing Casey’s hands behind his back.
‘No!’ shouted Casey. ‘You don’t know what they’ll do to me! I didn’t—’
One of the agents backhanded him heavily across the face, silencing him. They shoved him into the back of a dark car.
Ferris looked at Reggie. ‘Everyone will sleep safer with that guy behind bars.’
‘He said he didn’t do it,’ said Reggie, his mind suddenly loud with different thoughts.
Ferris laughed. ‘Of course that’s what he said. Dear boy, do you think the courts are full of criminals proclaiming their own guilt?’
‘So, he’ll be handed to the police?’ Reggie asked. ‘He’ll go to court?’
Though Reggie wasn’t a big fan of the news media – especially the way they talked about him – he had recently been watching stories about people who had been ‘disappeared’ by the government under strange circumstances.
‘Of course!’ said Ferris, though his eyes flicked away briefly.
Reggie nodded, trying to push his doubts away. But Reggie hadn’t trusted Ferris the first time he’d met him, and his feelings hadn’t changed over time …
‘Great work, once again,’ Ferris sai
d. ‘Now, you head home and rest up. Who knows when crime will strike next? All too soon, I’m sure!’
The doors of the transport tube opened and Reggie stepped out into his basement.
The tube ran between his house and the city’s National Service HQ. He had been told it was important to travel between them unseen, because he needed to be able to disappear as the Firefighter and re-emerge as Reggie – but he wasn’t sure the system was only about protecting his identity.
Still, Reggie’s doubts about the Service’s motives had only popped up recently. It had only been a few months since he’d woken up from a six-year coma, and he couldn’t remember the specific details of his life before, but Reggie had a lot to be grateful for. He knew that not many eighteen-year-olds were given a luxurious bachelor pad, with a state-of-the-art home theatre system, unlimited internet access, and a brand-new sports car in the driveway. He’d even been given a credit card, the limit of which he hadn’t yet reached at the local supermarket. But the longer time went on, the less his place felt like home and the more it felt like a solo dormitory. One with invisible bars, and ever-watchful eyes.
Reggie went upstairs, trying to ignore the many sensors and security cameras that had been installed for ‘his own protection’.
He sat down and turned on the TV for some background noise. He faced away from the nearest cam, closed his eyes and thought about Michael Casey.
Ferris had called him ‘highly dangerous’. Sure, Casey seemed desperate, but ‘highly dangerous’? More like scared. But wouldn’t anyone on the run be scared? And why had Ferris basically ordered a lethal force? Did he want Casey silenced?