by David Bruno
“Totally agree,” said Benny. “But I have something to add. When I was in the foundry biz, we used magnesium, which, as you know, burns really hot. I figure we could add some to the jelly beans to enhance their power.” Benny handed the coffee can of ferro-mag to Max.
“Hmm,” said Max as he scrunched his face. “How do we use it?”
“We carefully blend it into the jelly of each jelly bean.” They had to take care not to cause a spark, which could ignite the material while they were handling it. “This’ll do nicely. Let’s first put a couple tablespoons of it in two jelly beans and give it a shot.”
Max carefully removed the igniters from two jelly beans. He placed a measured amount of ferro-mag into each and mixed it slightly with a stick.
“Done,” Max said. “Don’t you think we should try a baseline jelly bean before testing with your additive?”
“Ordinarily, I would agree. We only have twelve. If we test two, Vanessa and I only have five each.” Benny was practical in his thinking. They didn’t have time or materials to make any more. They’d better get it right the first time.
“Alright. Let’s do it. We need a fire extinguisher and a place with nothing flammable away from roaming eyes. Can you get Vanessa? She’ll need to see this too.”
Benny called, “Hey, Vanessa, we’re going to test a couple of the super jelly beans! Want to check it out with us?”
Vanessa was hidden in the bedroom. “No thanks. I’m working on your uniform. You guys have fun. I know how to use them. Simple, really. Push the button, look for a spark, throw it and run like crazy.”
“Well, okay then. Thanks for taking the chrome off the uniform, babe.”
Vanessa stuck out her tongue. “Bite me, you scooter-riding jerk. Have fun.”
Benny grinned as he left the RV. He appreciated what Vanessa was doing. She cared.
Benny and Max found a secluded spot away from the other campers. They carried a fire extinguisher for the all-too-real possibility that things could get out of hand. Their chosen spot had virtually no vegetation, just rocks and dirt. It was a perfect test ground.
“This is it,” said Max. “Here’s what you do. Pay attention. Push the button. When you do, a spark will be generated. It’ll ignite the jelly but not explode. It’ll start to burn quickly though. When you see the spark, throw it—fast. The glass will shatter, and the flaming jelly will go all over. If you’re correct in your thinking, the magnesium will make the fire extra hot. I’ll throw the first one, then you get to throw the other. Man the fire extinguisher.”
“You got it. Go for it, Max.” Benny tingled with excitement.
Max examined the enhanced blue jelly bean before testing it. The craftsmanship was beautiful, and it was almost a shame to detonate it. But it needed to be done. He smoothly pushed the button. A spark lit up the inside of the glass and the fire jelly ignited. An ominous smile flashed across Max’s face at his success. I still got it. He launched the jelly bean at the stones on the ground about thirty feet away. The glass shattered, and the fluid washed over the stones like a thin wave of fire. After the initial surge, the magnesium did its part. The luminescence was blinding. The excess heat nearly scorched their skin, even from a distance. Black smoke billowed from the flames.
Benny jumped up and down and burst into raucous laughter. Even the more sedate Max cracked a smile. “Yes! That was awesome, Max. My turn. I get to throw it this time,” Benny insisted, grinning like a Cheshire cat.
“How about letting this one burn out first?” counseled Max. They watched the fire burn until the fuel ran out. “It looks like these will burn for a few minutes. The magnesium seems to go for about thirty seconds. That should be long enough. The mixture seems about right. Okay, Benny. Your turn.” Benny pointed the extinguisher at the fire and put out the last lingering flames. He then grabbed his jelly bean—a green one.
Benny examined the green ball, almost caressing it with his right hand. With his thumb, he pushed the button. A reliable spark came from the igniter, and the fire jelly responded. Benny’s eyes widened, and he whipped the incendiary device at the target on the ground. As before, the glass shattered and the fuel sprayed in the direction of its momentum. The fire burned like a small sun until the magnesium was consumed. Just like the first one, the fire took a few minutes to die down.
Max quenched the remaining embers. “Two for two.” The pair were satisfied that they had an effective tool for the assault. They could hardly wait to see how these would work inside the laboratory.
Back at the RV, Vanessa asked, “How’d it go? Did they burn?”
Benny glowed with their success. Shaking and trying not to stutter he replied, “They sure did. You should have seen it. They burned white-hot and scorched everything. The heat was so intense. Those things are awesome!”
“Told ya. It makes all the sense in the world now, knowing that my dad is capable of making such a devastating weapon. Don’t forget, he made us too.”
“That’s not fair, Vanessa,” Max said, frowning. “I told you what happened and why I did what I did.”
“Yeah. Now we have to kill and probably get killed trying to clean up your mess. Bravo, Dad. I can’t wait.”
Benny looked on at Vanessa. He certainly understood her point. But he was trying to put it behind them so they could get the job done without all that baggage.
“Vanessa, can you put that aside for now? We need to focus—we can resolve all this afterward.”
“Assuming we live,” Vanessa retorted.
“Who can stop us?” Benny asked in an attempt to boost her confidence. “Can we get some dinner now?”
“Sure, if you cook something,” Vanessa said to Benny, with her scowl turning into a slight grin.
Maybe she’s hungry. Benny wasn’t in the mood to cook. Besides, Max and Vanessa had little food in their kitchenette. It was unlikely that he could prepare anything decent anyway. He called a local Chinese restaurant and ordered delivery.
As they ate, they reiterated the reasons for the assault and why there was nobody else who could take down the Agency. Deep down, they were worried about a culture that, should they fail, just might accept the vision of the Agency out of convenience over the ideals of freedom and individuality. Some of those same ideals had once convinced Max to join the Agency. Yet one detail was always left out: tyranny.
The citizenry was so far unaware of the Agency and what it had on its agenda for the next day. They were also unaware of the forces being mobilized to defend them. If all went as planned, they never would.
After dinner, Vanessa wiped traces of lo mein from her mouth. Her mood had improved. “Benny, I almost forgot. I fixed your uniform. It’s in the bedroom. Why don’t you go try it on for us? While you’re at it, think of a hero name. We can’t call you ‘Benny’ when you’re all suited up. ‘Aegis and Benny’ just doesn’t sound right.” She smirked, having given herself top billing.
“Can I eat my fortune cookie first?” He read his fortune. “Check this out, Vanessa. It says ‘Your girl has an awesome superhero suit for you.’”
“No way! You made that up!” She smirked, trying to grab the paper. Benny crumpled the fortune and put it in his pocket. “I guess you’ll never know, babe.”
Benny went to the bedroom and shut the door behind him. He glanced at the uniform. As promised, Vanessa had removed most of the chrome, leaving only the belt.
“Oh, well,” Benny sighed. It was better than before. Alongside the uniform lay a pair of gloves and wraparound goggles. On the floor was a pair of aggressive black-leather boots. A one-sided smile came over Benny’s face as he changed into his new uniform.
As he changed, Benny thought of what he should call himself. It needed to be special, maybe something deep-rooted in him. Maybe something family related—steel or iron, perhaps. But what?
As if a light had come on in his head, he knew the answer.
Benny looked in the mirror, examining the uniform. He put on the gloves and glasses, pre
sumably designed to slightly hide his identity. The gray-and-black contrast suited his tastes. Even the chrome belt wasn’t as bad as he’d thought. Satisfied with his serious and menacing façade, he was ready.
“Here I come!” he shouted out to Vanessa and Max.
“Just a second! You need entrance music. Hold on!” Vanessa laughed to herself as she pushed the play button on the stereo to start appropriate music for the world’s newest superhero—
AC/DC’s “Back in Black.”
At the sound of the opening riff, Benny eased into the main living area in what seemed like slow motion. His lean and muscular physique fit his new suit perfectly. Benny hammed it up and struck his best superhero poses for his audience.
“Woooo!” Vanessa whooped. “Lookin’ good, Benny! So hot! I thought of a name. How about Armor Man?” Vanessa whistled and clapped. Max simply shook his head at their youthful enthusiasm.
Benny curled his nose. “No way. That won’t do.”
“Okay, then, what do you suggest, sweetie?”
Benny puffed out his chest, beheld Vanessa, and thought of his family history. He folded his arms. The suit stretched over his muscle. “I’m one part iron and one part battleship. This is for the Brown family.” He paused for a moment and then proclaimed, “I am Ironside.”
CH 19
FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT
D-DAY
Another near-sleepless night for the fledgling heroes as they pondered what series of events would take place during the coming day. They didn’t set an alarm, instead choosing to wake up on their own in a vain attempt to get as much sleep as possible. After rubbing the crust from their eyes, they were greeted with a mundane morning routine hiding the terror ahead of them—exercise, shower, breakfast. Benny and Vanessa had sometimes talked tough about what they had to do. Other times, they’d considered running away. Now that their mission was to begin in mere hours, their thoughts were different. Nervous tension and doubt filled their minds. They knew in their hearts the mission was just. That much was clear. But could they actually make the split-second decisions needed for a successful mission? Could they actually kill someone? Could they kill a lot of people?
“Vanessa, are you still okay with this? I’m not going to lie, I’m having doubts. When I killed those guys before, it was instinctive. I hate that I did it, and didn’t intend to do it. Today, part of our objective is to kill people intentionally. I don’t know if I’m okay with that.” His eyes lowered.
Vanessa sighed heavily. “We have to trust that the information we have is the truth. Don’t you think it would be wrong for us to let them succeed with their mission? Too many innocent lives are at stake. A whole way of life is in jeopardy, and we have to be okay with what we need to do. I won’t kill if I don’t have to but if we hesitate, they’ll kill us.”
Benny knew she was right. He wondered if what they needed to do was simply killing bad people—or was it murder? The distinction was clear. If it was murder, he couldn’t go through with it, as it would be an affront to all that he knew was right. The former required guilt of intolerable crimes, for which termination might be just. The latter implied innocence. Destruction of innocent life was abhorrent, especially when caused by heroes trying to right certain wrongs. Benny was determined to hold himself to higher standards and be better than the enemy, the Agency.
“I’ve been thinking about what your dad said. Those people. He said they’re brainwashed and many don’t even know what they’re doing. I’m not okay with killing people like that. Besides, when I’m armored, they can’t hurt me. With your bubble shield you can’t be hurt either.” Vanessa looked into his eyes. She saw his pain—the pain of killing those men at the bank. It haunted him. His soul was stained by their blood. How much more torment would he have to endure if it was also stained with innocent blood?
She put her hand on his cheek. “You’re right. Let’s do this our way. We stop them and not kill anyone unless one of us is in mortal danger. Agreed?”
“Agreed.” He kissed her on the cheek and smiled. “Thanks, babe.”
A knock on the door interrupted their discussion. It was Max, dressed in battle fatigues and ready for the day.
“Hey in there. Wake up and let me in. We have work to do.” Benny opened the door to let Max limp inside. They had already been awake for a while and had finished breakfast. Perhaps it was actually brunch, given the time of day.
“Fatigues? Really, Dad? Come on in. We’re getting ready to discuss the plan of attack.”
“It’s about time. You’re cutting it a little close. You need to be on-site by 8:00 p.m. If they’re going to do what I think they’re going to do, it will happen under cover of darkness, and it won’t be completely dark until then. Once you’re there, you won’t have much time. I have a map of the facility with me, so I can show you the entrance and exit points as well as where all the key stuff is located that must be destroyed.” Max spread out the floor plan of the main complex on the kitchen table. “Look here and memorize this. The entire facility has a perimeter fence with razor wire up top. It will be electrified. I suggest using insulated wire cutters to make a hole and get inside. I have a pair that I’ll give you. Cut just enough area away so you can shimmy through.”
“Hey, sweetie, are those little scooters big enough for us to carry a pair of wire cutters?” Vanessa quipped. God, I hate those things.
“Ha, ha. Very funny,” Benny replied mockingly. “Don’t worry about the scooters. Just worry about slipping through the fence without getting shocked before our mission begins.” She doesn’t recognize genius when she sees it.
“Okay, you two, knock it off. There will be guards.” Max pointed to the guard stations. “Vanessa, you’ll have to lead the assault. You have more range. The first thing to do is take out the water tank.”
“Water tank?” Benny asked, confused.
“You want to burn the place down, right? We don’t need sprinklers going off and keeping the fire from spreading.”
“Makes sense. How do we do that?”
“Hmm,” Max pondered. His eyes lit up. “Vanessa, project that shield at the tank. All you need to do is buckle the steel enough to cause a leak. It’s a massive, ground-level steel container. Break it and get out fast or you’ll be caught in a tsunami. I think the jelly beans are waterproof, but no sense in testing that theory.”
“The guards will be caught flat-footed if you’re fast. Face them and rapidly fire arrows, shot, and that shield again if you can. Lay down cover and take out as many as possible. Be ready for return fire and get that shield raised. Benny, let’s hope they shoot you.”
“Dad!” Vanessa yelped.
“What? He needs to armor up and amplify his energy levels. Let’s just hope it isn’t a head shot. We don’t want him knocked out before the fight starts and his body adapts to his armor. He probably should have a bullet-resistant battle helmet.”
Benny agreed. “He’s right, Vanessa. I’m next to useless until I’m powered up.” Benny wasn’t concerned about the second, third, or thirtieth shots, since the pain would be less than a bee sting. It was the first one that concerned him. A good head shot and he’d be knocked out just like the incident a couple weeks back. Even a shot to the chest could be of concern; if properly located with the right caliber, it could potentially cause a heart attack. He just needed a shot to the arm or leg and he’d be fine. His skills at holding the armor and amplified energy had improved with each use of his powers. No longer did he need to immediately release energy. But there were limits, and he couldn’t hold it forever.
“So you take out the guards and enter here. The element of surprise will be gone.” Max pointed to a side door on the map. “These doors are closer to the labs. You need to be lightning quick because as soon as you take out the tank, sirens and lights will go off and security will swarm in your direction. Enter this door and run from room to room. Unload a jelly bean in each, here and here.” He pointed. “Take out any of their goons that dare confro
nt you. Get that place burning! If you see Dr. Doe, take him out with extreme prejudice! He’s enemy number one. Without him, the Agency dies. Okay?” Max asked. Benny and Vanessa nodded. “That’s half of the mission. The second half is even more important, and more dangerous.”
Vanessa exhaled deeply, a bead of sweat forming on her brow, and looked at Benny. “Okay, if I estimate this correctly, this first phase will take place in under five minutes. We’ll be under a hail of gunfire, and we have a whole second mission to complete before getting out of there. This is impossible. We’re dead.”
Max cut in. “I figure phase one needs to be done in two minutes or less. You will fail if it extends much beyond that, since you’ll be overwhelmed by their goons. I wish I could be there to support you, but I can’t run. And without powers I wouldn’t survive long. You must stop their plans by any means necessary. I don’t care if you have to jump onto the helicopters and pull the pilots out of the seats with your bare hands. Do not let them get off the base! Do you understand?” Without giving time for a response, he shouted again, “Do you understand!”
“Yes, Dad.”
“Yes, Max.”
“When the choppers are down, try to retrieve any of the meteoric alloy you can find. We need to take ownership of it so it can be destroyed, hidden, or neutralized. Only after that can you get out of there.” Max knew it was a lot to ask of them, especially when one was his daughter. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing her, his only family. “There is one other rule you must comply with.”
“What’s that?” asked Benny, seemingly drowning in the details of the plan.
“Stick together. They will try to separate you. You know, the old divide-and-conquer routine. You’re stronger together than apart. I want both of you to return.” Max went to Benny and put his arm around his shoulder. In a low voice, he said, “Benny, if Vanessa gets hurt because you separated from her, it would be better for the Agency to kill you rather than for you to survive and come back—even if you’re eventually successful in your mission. After that, there is nowhere on Earth for you to hide from me.”