The Price of Freedom (A2,B3,C10)
#10 of Twilight of the Gods Book6
I sure hope someone's reading this story. :)
Chapter -10- The Price Of Freedom...
1:05pm EST Jacksonville, Florida BHO Middle School ...
** Evan groaned. ** The afternoon sky came into view above him. He winced, temporarily blinded and deafened. Disoriented and stiff, he rolled onto his side, rubbed his eyes furiously then dropped his head back to the rooftop.
He felt something poke his cheek beneath his left eye and jerked his head back. Slowly, an EpiPen came into focus in front of his face. His eyes widened.
Pushing through the throb in his head, Evan sat up and grabbed the auto-injector. Dry mouthed and suddenly tense, he turned to find Reno strewn across the roof on his side. Nevada's arms and legs were splayed about.
"Oh my God, oh my God," Evan chanted.
With a soft grunt, he rolled Reno onto his back and put two fingers on the man's neckline. Evan took a moment to feel around until finding a weak pulse. He took the EpiPen in his right hand and pressed it against Reno's outer thigh then thumbed the trigger and counted aloud to fifteen.
Evan withdrew the injector, glanced at the pen's needle then broke the tip off on the rooftop. Tossing it aside, he took Reno's left arm and lifted it then guided it back down. He repeated the motions. With his left hand, he firmly massaged his palm into Reno's leg, trying to get the man's leg muscle to absorb the solution. With his right hand, he continued flapping Reno's left arm.
"C'mon! We need this stuff to get through you, like, yesterday!" He continued to firmly flap Reno's left arm. "Come! On!"
Nevada groaned and sat up all at once, panting softly. He jerked his left arm away and doubled over onto all fours. Reno brought his right hand up and clutched at his chest then curled into a fetal position, knees tucked to his torso. He breathlessly chanted a string of intelligible cusswords against the grainy rooftop.
"I'm sorry you had to endure all that." Evan backed away and ran his hand up over his forehead, pent up with nervous tension. "I can't believe I fainted. What kind of hero do I think I am? I have no idea how long I was out or how long..."
Reno caught his breath and gasped, then, in a hoarse voice, cried, "Stop!" After another brief pause, he reached a hand out.
Evan reached for Nevada's hand and helped the man to his feet. He looked over Reno's shoulder towards the entrance to the schoolyard and frowned. "The cop cars are there but their roof lights aren't on. I'm not sure how long it's been. But my head is killing me. Freakin' shazbot."
"I don't," Reno trailed off, took a deep breath, then continued, "I don't remember the pain this time. Just ... a loud bang." He eased up onto his knees and lifted his shirt. "Well ... there's blood on my clothes but the wounds have healed. It took a while, earlier, to get my abilities back. We have to assume it's been a while because I've got them back again."
"I don't know if that's good news or bad news. I hope those kids are alright."
Reno, continuing the self-examination, noticed that the burns on his chest and inner arms scared over. "So, uh ... microwave radiation, right? Is that going to mess me up? Change my DNA or something?" As he spoke, his hoarse voice softened.
Evan shrugged. "I don't have a way to look it up but, uh, I think it's non-ionizing radiation. I'll check later but I'm pretty sure it's not the kind of radiation that mutates you if that's what you're worried about."
"I have no idea what any of that means. Christ, you're as bad as Wilfred sometimes."
"It means I think you're going to be okay. Are those burns?"
"Yeah. I think so. Well, they're going away but ... it was bad enough to leave some blood on my shirt."
Evan helped Reno to his feet. "I am so glad you didn't die."
"I'm fine."
"Have you seen Topaz, man? We all know that she's grieving because she blames herself over her dad. First she's a mile low followed by a mile high. I was torn up when my mom died but that wasn't my fault. What I mean is, I don't think I could deal very well if I felt responsible for getting you killed. I couldn't..."
Reno stared at Evan for a moment with furrowed brows then added, "I feel hung over. I need water. I've got to piss. I could really use some aspirin."
Evan glanced back at the EMP machine. "You really shouldn't use aspirin. It's not as good for you as everyone claims it is." He approached the smoldering remains of the generator and frowned.
Reno chuckled and rubbed his face. "Yeah? Not good for me? Huh. So says the guy who gave me a double injection of Epinephrine today. I like aspirin. I saw a water fountain earlier. Will it work?"
"Yeah. I don't think it's electronically controlled."
Nevada moved to the edge of the building and held a hand up. "One sec." He unzipped his fly...
Evan headed back for the roof access hatch and peered down into it.
"You know, kiddo, I've seen a lot of people grieve. Part of my job. Topaz is going through something called the Kübler-Ross grief model. She disappeared sometime between Denial and Anger. We got to see the end of Depression going into Acceptance. Maybe that's why she's spending her father's money to make her friends happy, and gave you her father's comic collection. It's how she's dealing with the transition into the last stage." Reno zipped his fly back up.
"So she's not going through mood swings?"
Reno moved back besides Evan and shook his head. "No. Sometimes the last two stages, Depression and Acceptance, can be fairly night and day, man. Everyone transitions in his or her own way. Her way of getting over that mess was to buy friendship and surround herself with people that make her feel however it is that she wants or needs to feel."
"Wow. I didn't know about any of that stuff."
"I went through it several times."
"What?"
"I went through it when I thought I lost my brother and my fiancé. And I went through a 'diet' version again when I died and woke up with powers. But by then I was a pro at bottling my feelings."
"You seem like you're happy to have your abilities. Do these stages always happen in the same order?"
Nevada shrugged. "Typically but not always. I was revisiting the 'anger' stage the night I stormed into the Pages Lost nightclub. It was part of the depression. Next thing I know, I was killed on that rooftop. And then I was struck by lightning. I reverted back to denial, the first stage. I went home in complete denial of what happened. I destroyed my television by accident. And then I got angry again. I got fired from my job and I threatened my old boss. I flipped shit on everyone. Then I found Topaz, but I scared her off because she saw me angry. We were at this diner, and Monroe's boys tried to kill everyone in the place. I went off of them, it wasn't pretty. I stayed in the third stage a lot longer when it came to my abilities. I was ready to give my right arm just to make them go away. I pretty much skipped depression over what happened to me because I was still in that stage over the death of Nichole and Vincent."
"God. I'm so sorry, Reno. Like I said before, I couldn't imagine going through all of that."
"I was starting to accept the powers around the time I met back up with Topaz at her mansion. I was starting to accept the deaths of my loved ones. I was, uh. Nevermind."
Evan frowned. He looked back at Reno and rubbed his face. "I need a minute to get my bearings before we rush back in the school. I don't want to mess everything up. And you need to get something off your chest, apparently. So tell me."
"I reached acceptance of my loss when I was at gunpoint."
"Wait, when were you at gunpoint?"
"Your stepfather had a shotgun against my head. I figured that was it. He knew about your powers. He was roped into this mess because he thought he was saving the world from people who are walking WMDs. And he was still somewhere between 'bargaining' and 'depression' over the loss of your mother and the child she was carrying."
"Oh my God." Evan bit his lip and swallowed. "Not to make light of you being at gunpoint, but please tell me you didn't kill him. Please?"
"I didn't. He let_me_ live, Evan. He was ordered to pull the trigger. And the weird thing is, I think he and I both reached 'acceptance' at the same time. He didn't shoot me. I told him to run away from Falcon's operation and to never look back. I'm pretty sure he felt bad that he messed up his relationship with you. He said you reminded him of what he lost and he didn't know how to look at you. He blames himself for everything."
"Geeze." Evan glanced back towards the police blockade in the distance and rubbed his eyes. "Just when I thought I'd cried my last tear over everything my family has been through. I hate to think someone looks at me and instead of seeing what I'm capable of, they see what they lost."
"See? You've gone through grief before. You handled it. And you beat it. You accepted it. And you know what would make your mother and Jerry really proud?"
"What?"
"If we save these kids and stop those jerks. Jerry will eventually see you on TV. Whether it's over the bank you saved or this school. And he'll be proud. He won't think about what he's lost. He'll think, 'There's the boy I step-fathered, saving lives and doing the right thing.' He'll be proud of you."
Evan swallowed and rubbed his face again. He struggled to hold back the tears but they slipped down his cheeks anyhow. He drew in a shaky breath then turned to Reno and abruptly hugged him. "I'm glad he didn't pull the trigger. I'm glad I got to meet you, man."
"I..." Reno swallowed and hugged the kid. "Yeah, man. Me too. Thanks for letting me vent. I wanted to tell you about Jerry for a while now, but I didn't want to upset you."
Evan drew back and wiped his face. "No, he did the right thing. I'm proud of him. He just didn't know how to handle the whole grief thing. We were both upset about my mom. We both pushed each other away at the time. I actually feel better now that you told me everything."
They made their way down the ladder into the maintenance section of the school. Balmoral opened a door and peered out into the hallway of the top floor. He swiveled his head the other direction then said, "It's clear. I smell..." he trailed off then looked back at Reno. "Did you ... did you pee on yourself or something?"
"Nope." Reno sniffed at the air then said, "Could be one of the children. I smell it, too. If those bastards aren't letting the kids use the bathroom, I swear to God I'm going to rip their nuts off." He brought his right hand up and rubbed at his left shoulder. "Good God I'm sore."
"Sorry," Evan murmured.
"For what?"
"Nothing. Nevermind. Let's just get this done."
Reno stepped out into the hallway. He held his hands apart and created a bolt of lightning that gaped from the heel of his left hand over to his right. The arc of lightning danced about between his hands. Smaller arcs formed from one index finger to the other, then from his left middle finger to his right, until all of his fingers had small arcs between them.
He tensed his forearms, brightening the hallway considerably. Reno glanced over his shoulder at Evan. "All systems go, kiddo."
"I'm glad you're back in business, Reno. Let's..."
"Hey," came a voice from behind them.
Reno dispersed the lightning between his hands. Both he and Evan turned towards the voice.
A man, coming out of the bathroom, pointed his assault rifle towards the two and approached slowly. "Who are you two? How'd you get here? You two don't look like teachers. Do you have school ID badges?"
Brows furrowed, Reno approached the guy with the gun in a calm fashion. "Slow down, buddy. Save your ammo for the 'big plan,' pal. We're here to negotiate. Willie let the Principal go. Are you sure he had the balls to lead you guys into this whole mess? There's no need to shoot anyone today."
The gunman pulled his radio up and spoke into it but there was no reply. "BJ, come in?" he said two more times into the radio, again receiving no response. "Anyone?" Nothing.
"How old are you?" asked Evan. "You look pretty young. Why not just walk away from this whole thing and live your life?"
"What the hell do you know about our purpose? To walk away now is to have tolerance for all the wrongs we face in our lives."
Reno looked at Evan then back at the gunner. "How old are you, man?"
"I turn eighteen in two days. What's it matter to you?"
Reno sighed and turned back to Evan. "I don't know, man. The victims are children; the suspects are children. This isn't going to..."
"Are you two cops?!" he exclaimed. "You two are cops, aren't you?"
Evan held his hands out, gesturing with gentle hand motions. "Whoa, calm down, man, we're not cops."
"Victims? Suspects? That's damn cop-talk!"
Reno shook his head, hands also out. "Hold up. I was fired from the police department back in California, months and months ago. They said I was too cavalier. They took my badge. I'm not here to arrest anyone. Okay? This doesn't have to go badly, just stop shouting."
"No!" exclaimed the gunner. "My radio doesn't work! My brothers need to know you're in the building!" Three classroom doors opened in the hallway. Teenagers with guns stepped out and aimed their weapons towards Reno and Evan. The boy in front of the bathroom approached the two and cocked his head, aiming down the length of his rifle to appear more menacing. "How'd you get in here and where is BJ?"
"Listen," said Reno, "I'm going to tell you something that you need to know about this whole situation. He and the Principal, her name is Jennifer, came to an agreement. They left together. They're in negotiations with an arbitrator right now. They went out through the cafeteria and left the property in the tree line. They're talking about demands."
One of the other teens approached the two from behind. "Then who the hell are you two?"
Evan lifted his hands a little, to show he was unarmed. "We're, you know, journalists. My photographer refused to step foot on the property." He nodded to Reno. "This guy is also a journalist but he works for my competing paper. Look, I can talk to my constituents and get you whatever you want. You give me an exclusive and I'll tell your side before the rest of the country paints you guys as villains. Look, see? I'm unarmed and..."
"Shut him up, John," said one further up the hall.
The one near the bathroom smirked. "With pleasure." He turned the rifle about and struck Evan in the face with the shoulder stock.
Reno blinked twice. "Evan? What the...? Why'd you let him hit you like that?"
The one named John pointed his rifle in Reno's face. "You want to die, ex-pig? Show me your press shit. A reporter would have some sort of ID that proves they're press. Show it to me or I'll put a bullet through your head."
Reno patted his front pants pockets, then his back pockets. "Hold on ... now where'd I put that..." He gestured for them to stand by. "Oh, I know, hold on." He reached into the pocket on the front of his shirt. When he pulled his hand free of the pocket, he had his middle finger up. "Right here, see?"
The gunner ground his teeth together and pulled the trigger but nothing happened. The trigger tip broke away from inside the trigger guard and fell to the ground. The gunman cut his index finger on the broken glass remains of the trigger. He gasped in pain.
John pulled his hand from the weapon and looked down at the red line on his skin. "What the f...?" The teenaged gunner trailed off and looked back up at the two. "My shit's broke!"
One of the other boys said, "Shoot these losers."
Reno opened his arms, palms thrust in either direction of the hallway. A brilliant discharge lanced from his hands and linked up with the other three gunmen. It launched them back but the bolts of lightning remained connected to all three like a web. All the weapons, having been turned to glass, shattered. The three bodies flailed about on the ground momentarily.
"Reno," Evan hissed. "Stop!"
Nevada closed his hands into fists then turned to John and bared his teeth. "You think you have what it takes to kill? I saw you pull the trigger. I heard you give the order to shoot us. You were a suspect. But now you displayed intent. You came to the school with intent. That will get you first-degree attempted murder. What's the punishment for that? Eight to ten years I think? Call off the rest of your pals. This ends now."
John backed his way towards the bathroom, slowly. He licked his lips, cut his eyes to the motionless bodies strewn about the hall. An evanescence of steam rose above his comrades. "You two are ... demons from hell."
Reno tilted his head. "Oh yeah? I thought people claimed lightning was punishment directly from the hand of God? But you think I'm a demon, huh?"
"You're not God," said John.
"Nope. But right now I'm his instrument. And I'm here to punish you."
John shouted, at the top of his lungs, "We're under attack!"
Evan drew his hand back and struck the teenaged gunman as hard as he could. John flailed back, hit the door to the bathroom and stumbled to the ground. He suddenly lunged back up and buried a knife into Evan's gut.
Balmoral feigned a gasp. "Oh, Reno, he stabbed me, man! Oh, man, he got me." Evan doubled over then paused, coming face to face with the attacker. "You really are a piece of work."
"What the hell?"
Evan stood back up and dusted sand off the front of his shirt. "Not cool, 'John.' You could have stabbed me. I'm going to have to..."
Gunshots came from somewhere in the building. Sporadic off-rhythm popping noises, each creating an explosion of butterflies in Evan's stomach. The shots sounded as though they came from several directions.
Reno drew his fist back and struck John in the face. The gunner flopped back to the floor with his left foot beneath his backside. His right foot came up in front of his body then dropped back to the floor. The attacker didn't move.
Nevada threw his hands up in frustration. "They're fucking shooting people because this little dick shouted. God! C'mon! We gotta stop them."
"Your powers are back," Evan said, adding, "No time to waste. Split up." He turned right and hurried towards the sound of gunshots up the hall.
Reno kicked John in the hip, stepped over the body and headed down the hall to the left. The first door he approached, around the corner from a staircase, had shouting and shooting from within.
Nevada saw an out-of-place square window at the bottom of the door and remembered it from earlier. Reno charged his foot with electro-kinetic energy and kicked the door open. The knob became buried in the beige-painted cinderblock wall.
The gunner looked up from where he stood, his weapon still pointed at the already-dead teacher's aid on the floor. He froze, having just shot the body several more times to intimidate the children. The classroom's teacher, a man with a disheveled tie, sat in the corner favoring a flesh wound on his right bicep.
Reno tightened up both of his fists, causing a faint glowing aura to surround him. Nearby classwork pages on various desks began to tremble from charged static electricity in the paper. Nevada stormed across the classroom and approached the gunner.
The teenaged boy shouted into his radio, "We're under attack and the pipe bomb didn't go off!" He lifted his rifle and opened fire on Reno.
The rounds struck the glowing energy bubble surrounding the Nevada and disintegrated on impact. The gunman, in fear, continued to hold the trigger in until every last round was discharged. The gun went silent.
Reno drew his foot back and kicked the boy square in his chest. The gunner flew up against the wall then fell down across two desks, causing them to flip over. One of the chairs fell over, from beneath the left desk. The attacker lay silent, dazed. The other desk held the gunman's left leg aloft.
With a fizzling flash, Reno's energy bubble faded. Nevada picked up the attacker by his collar and dragged him back across the class then said, "Everyone, get by this _wall, _away from the windows, and stay down." He shoved the teen gunner through the door and pulled the door shut behind him. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?! How dare you." He shoved the boy up against a locker. "You think you and your pals can come in here and shoot up the place on my watch? I'm Reno Nevada and I do NOT like it when somebody makes a mess in MY town. And just so you know ... every town is my town, now."
"Y-your hurting me, man," said the teenager, held aloft against the row of lockers. He reached up and put his hands on Reno's wrists, squirming. "I am God's wrath! I am God's instrument, I am...!"
Reno let him down then grasped the suspect firmly by his right arm. The teen shouted in pain and dropped to the floor. Nevada shoved him down and said, "See that hand print branded on your arm, pal? Think of that the next time you act like a douchebag. The hand of God's instrument just came to kick your ass. Remember that the next time you think _you're going to _kill someone in the 'name' of God. You little punk, those are children in there!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't..."
"Shut up!" Reno took the attacker by his hair and pulled him up to a kneeling position. "I have a really low tolerance for people that attack a school. You're lucky I don't end your worthless ass right now."
"Hey!"
Reno looked up at another gunner coming out of a room further up the next hallway. He pointed his assault rifle at Nevada and approached with a confident stride. "Put him down, jack. Or I'll..."
Reno lifted his free hand and spread his fingers apart. A thick white arc of lightning raced from his palm and struck the approaching gunner. The force of the bolt threw the attacker up in the air. He glanced off a row of lockers, hit the floor and rolled onto his side. The gun skittered across the floor, glowing but un-discharged.
"Who are you?" whined the teenager on his knees.
"I told you. Reno Nevada. Don't you watch the news, dummy? I'm a superhero, you moron."
.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the school building, Evan gripped a locked knob. It turned to glass then reverted to sand and pooled on the floor. He pushed the door open and folded his arms. "Put the gun down."
The attacker, a sixteen-year-old girl with circles under her eyes, pointed her weapon at Evan and opened fire without a word. The first four rounds turned to glass. By the time they hit Evan's clothes, they turned to sand, leaving a bit of a mess on the floor tiles at his feet. "Are you deaf? Don't think that being a girl will get you any sympathy from me. You're a terrorist. You're terrorizing children in a school. Put your gun down - this is your last warning."
In a panic, she reached for the nearest child and put a little boy into a headlock. She pressed the warm barrel against the child's head, behind his left ear. "Back off, whoever you are, or I'll kill the kid."
"Really?" Evan clenched his hands into fists briefly then opened his fingers outstretched. "That gun isn't going to kill anyone, kid. Put the child down."
The girl pointed her rifle towards a group of children huddled in the corner and pulled the trigger hard. The gun cracked under the stress. The trigger shattered, the trigger guard cracked, and a fissure grew up through the center of the rifle. The shoulder stock crumbled and the gun fell from her hand. It hit the floor and shattered into pieces.
The girl's eyes widened. She reached for her knife and brought it back to the boy still in a headlock. "Back off!"
The small boy struggled with moisture trickling down his cheeks. In a flit of courage, the boy bit down on her wrist. The girl groaned then buried the knife in his arm.
Evan waved his hand upon approach. The knife handle turned to sand. The blade fell away from the wound, leaving only a bloody scrape and a tear in the child's shirtsleeve. Balmoral stormed across the room. "You tried to stab a child! What were you thinking?!" he exclaimed then grabbed her and pulled her away from the child. The little boy dashed away, holding a cut on his arm.
"I'm bleeding," he exclaimed and ran towards the teacher, a lady several feet from the gunner. The older woman opened her arms and pulled the child into her embrace.
Evan approached the girl. "I said I'd never hit a lady or a girl, no matter how much of a witch she's being." He shoved the teenage girl into the nearest chair and waved his hands. Using the sand from his backpack, a small glass prison formed around her, too small for her to stand up. He quickly crafted bars in the top then said, "Hang out in your new fortress of solitude for a while. You can think about what you've done wrong." Evan turned back to the teacher and asked, "Is he okay?"
"I don't know what you did but..." The lady used the side of her wrist to clear the tears from her eyes. "But he's okay. There might be more."
"There are. I'll be back. Don't worry, she's not getting out of there." He left the classroom and headed down the next hall then turned for the stairs. Evan took them two at a time and made his way down to the first floor. "Man ... two thousand students. These people are nuts."
.
Back on the top floor of the school, Reno was at the rear corner of the building, standing in the doorway of an art class. At the center of the room there was a child unconscious on the floor with blood on the front of his shirt.
Reno sneered, overcome with emotion at the sight. Other children were against the wall, sobbing hysterically, with another child in a tight headlock in the gunner's left arm. The boyish-faced suspect, looking older than the other attackers seen so far, had a handgun pressed against the child's face.
"One step closer," the young man started, paused briefly, then calmly added, "and I'll kill this child. I've already shot that one. I'm not afraid to shoot the rest of them, so help me God."
Nevada ground his molars together. "How old are you?"
"Twenty years old. And, no, the age of these children mean nothing to me. I've come here to do God's bidding. He is wrath and vengeance and fury for all that His world has become. His hand guides me to have the strength and the will to perform these actions as He deems necessary."
Reno's eyes shifted to the child on the floor, motionless. He stared at the boy for a moment in silence. "Don't flip out. I'm going to make sure that kid is okay."
The gunmen didn't respond.
Reno knelt down besides the eleven-year-old. He rolled the child onto their back, and put his right hand over the child's flesh wound. His palm glowed, cauterizing the injury.
Nevada brought his hand up over the child's chest but didn't feel a heartbeat. "You have a lot of nerve." He tilted the child's head somewhat, then placed his hand on the boy's chin and leaned over, breathing air into the kid's lungs. He moved his hand back to the child's chest and tensed up. A zap of electricity forced the child's heart to jolt back into beating again.
Relief washed over Reno's face. His eyes grew cold then, slowly he gazed back up at the gunner. "The kid you shot ... he's still alive. God didn't want him dead. That's proof."
The young man with the pistol side-nodded to the left. "Look at the teacher. She's dead. Her little intern is dead, too. I've shot three people. Whoever you are, you don't know me. I'm capable. If God didn't want that child to die, so be it. But you have to ask yourself, perhaps God wanted that child to suffer then die. Perhaps that child's sins, or the sins of his father, are greater than I know. How he dies is up to God to determine. I pulled the trigger because it was God's will. If you take one more step, I will put a bullet through this child's head. He won't survive a Black Talon hollow-point round through his skull. Now back out of this classroom right now."
Reno slowly rose to his feet and took a single step back. "Black Talons, huh? Those haven't been on the open market for ages. Where would someone get something like that?"
"Get the fuck out of this classroom!" He jerked the gun away and discharged it towards a group of children. The round struck a chalkboard mounted to the wall, causing a chunk of green to chip away, along with an unpainted section of cinderblock. The young man brought the gun back to the child's head. "Last chance."
"Wouldn't you rather have me as a hostage instead? Come on, you don't want to do this, man."
"Yes, I do. I enjoyed shooting them. It made me feel good. But BJ told me not to waste all my hostages too soon. But you know what? There are other classrooms. Too bad I don't have two thousand bullets or I'd shoot every least one, all by myself. I don't know who you think you are, but this situation is out of your control. I'm the one in charge here. I don't want you as my hostage, because you have probably been trained for this sort of thing. It's obvious; for you to have gotten in here, you must be a cop. I don't know how you deactivated my pipe bomb. I don't know why it didn't go off when you opened that door ... but my gun works just fine. Now get out."
"You're right, I don't have control, here. You do. You're in charge. But you shot a child and he's alive. Let me take him so I can get him help and..."
"NO! You have no idea who you're fucking with! You've got ten seconds to leave before I kill this kid!"
"No," said a feminine voice. "You're not the one in control. I am." She stepped in through the door and stood adjacent to Reno. "Go," she said, pointing to the child on the floor.
"Karla, am I ever glad to see you." Reno rushed towards the child on the floor and ripped his shirt open to examine the extent of the damage.
"Little girl, I don't know who you think you are but you just cost this child his life." He pulled the trigger.
Nothing happened. Karla lifted both of her hands, palm up. "Kind of hard to shoot someone without bullets," she scoffed. In her right palm, she held a bullet. In her left, she held the magazine with the rest of his ammunition. "So. Did I hear you right? You'd want to murder every child in this building? You enjoyed shooting people?"
Reno called back, over his shoulder to her, "He's twenty. He's legal."
Karla pressed her hands together and cracked her knuckles. "That's good to know." She stepped into the room, green eyes narrowed with rage and disgust. "But not good for him."
.
...Downstairs on the first floor, a teenaged gunner perked at the sound of screaming. He moved towards the door and listened at the distant noises. "That's Eric." He turned back from the door and pointed his rifle towards a group of children and a middle-aged woman sitting at their desks. "EVERYONE! Get up and line up against the wall! Face the wall! Do it right now."
Sobbing with fear, the children got up from their desks slowly. The gunman discharged three rounds into the ceiling. "I SAID NOW! Line up, facing the chalkboard! DO IT!"
The children skittered across the room and lined up against the chalkboard, facing away from the gunner. "You too, woman! DO IT!"
"No. You'll have to look in my eyes when you kill me," she said. Glistening tears of fear and resolve trickled down her cheeks, a testament of her willingness to protect her classroom. She stood up from her desk and put herself between the gunner and the children. "This has gone far enough."
The gunner pulled the radio off his belt and spoke into it but it was dead. He threw it on the floor and aimed the assault rifle at the line of children and their teacher. "There are other classrooms. I'm done with this one." He backed to the door, nudged the pipe bomb away then rolled it towards the children.
He used the toe of his shoe to break the small trigger taped over the gap between the door and the doorframe but the pipe bomb, over by the kids, didn't explode. He blinked then looked back at the bomb and grimaced. He reached down for the small battery operated triggering line in the doorframe and fidgeted with it. Nothing happened.
"Fine. I'll just shoot all of you."
"You don't have to do this," the teacher pleaded.
"Yes, I do. I'm ... I'm sorry. No. No, I'm not sorry. This ... this is God's will or else He would have used his Divine Glory to prove to me otherwise. Now turn around."
"No. You'll have to look in my face as I die," the teacher sobbed, trying to stay brave. Her hands trembled, held outstretched as if to use them to help protect the line of children behind her.
"So be it."
The teacher blinked and looked down at the gunner's feet. "What the...?"
"Just shut up and turn around! I told you, if God didn't want me to kill these children, He would stop me from doing it! Now turn around!" Another scream came from far off in the distance. "God, that sounds like Eric. That's definitely Eric."
The teenager's shadow rose up and engulfed his legs. Something pulled on him from the waist down. Startled, the gunner pointed his weapon at the floor, expecting to see a hand but there was nothing except darkness. Tangible darkness. A thick tendril of shadow rose up, face to face with him and a human face took shape in the cloud of tar. "No," it said, "I'm Eric."
"Jesus Christ!"
Two tendrils of shade came up on either side of the gunner's face and shifted his head from left to right. The attacker's body dropped into the enormous splotchy pillar of darkness. The gun clattered to the floor.
The large black object slinked across the classroom, opened a closet and withdrew its contents, tossing them on the floor. The gunner's motionless body pushed its way back out of the tarry mass then slumped into the closet. Eric shut the doors and wedged the backrest of a chair beneath the handles to keep it from opening.
He transitioned into his normal human appearance and said, "I'm Eric Loupe. And I promise that you're all safe. The boy with the gun was from a cult based out of Kansas. My friends and I have taken control of the building. Wait here until the police arrive."
The teacher's eyes were wide, staring at Loupe with fear and confusion. "What ... who are you? How did you just...?" She brought both of her hands together in front of her mouth and, in a softer tone, asked, "What did you do to the young man with the gun?"
"I gave him a taste of the Jonestown Flavor-Aid. He's meeting with Reverend Jim right now as a matter of fact. I want everyone to stay here and stay away from the door. I promise that the police will arrive soon. We have only a few hostiles left in the building - if that - but, for now, you're all safe."
Eric moved to the door, left the classroom and shut it behind himself. He dropped back into a shadow form and moved to the classroom across the hall. He eased beneath the door in tenebrous form then left the room. Eric began systematically moving from room to room, hunting for attackers.
.
Reno, Evan and Karla met up in front of the main office on the first floor moments later. Karla ran her fingers back through her hair. "Okay. Twenty-one accounted for. Eric got the last one. He's sweeping the building now, just incase we missed anything. Rufus and Topaz sniffed out the bomb. It was in the boiler room. Topaz disarmed it, and Kuda is guarding our friend out on the yacht." She paused with a grin and said, "That reminds me, Reno. You have to interrogate someone for us. She's waiting on the Busty Belle for us to return."
"You left that little weasel to look after a prisoner?"
"He's not a weasel, Reno. He's a mini-fox. And he's not the only one on the boat, so relax. God, you boys are so whiney when you're tired."
"Whatever."
"You boys come with me. It's time to go up to the main entrance and tell everyone that we won and the school is safe."
"I wonder how many people are up there right now," Evan mused. "I saw earlier that there was a crowd starting."
"Yeah," Reno replied. "We were on the rooftop. Was a lot of cops and people up there."
Karla smiled. "You two look tired as hell. You ready to go home or do you want to talk to the reporters? There's over a dozen TV cameras out there. You two look pretty rough."
Evan and Reno exchanged glances then nodded in unison. Evan turned to Karla and said, "We're going to talk to them. They're going to cheer for us like at the end of Ghostbusters, just you watch."
Karla shook her head with a sigh. "Yeah, yeah. Five years from now, they'll be chanting for He-Man when you two show up to perform your abilities at a children's birthday party. Don't get too cocky. Fame can disappear overnight and leave you forgotten."
Reno grinned a bit. "Good. That will make it easy to disappear when it's time to get away from it all."
"I'm pretty tired, though," Evan admitted.
"Yeah well that's too bad, hero," Reno replied. "There's more left in our day than talking to the press. The police will need to file incident reports, start an investigation, get our information and get our side of the story. Karla, it's best if you and Eric fall back and relax for a bit. Eric doesn't need the spotlight since I hear he's already had Government people looking for him or something. But thank you for the assist. That guy in the art class was nuts. I had to defib a little kid. I'm going to go back and get him. It should be safe to move'em. I'll carry the kid out to the main entrance so he'll be the first one to receive medical attention."
"Go get him, Reno. I'll teleport the two of you out there. Then just ... walk up to the crowd like two desperado cowboy types. Walk with a swagger; look calm and a little tired. Trust me. The two of you carrying a child will be on the front of every magazine across the country. And right now, we need all the support and spotlight action we can get."
"Why?" asked Evan.
"Because," she said with a smile. "Pretty soon, we're going to be attacking an underwater city. If we survive, the United States Government is going to be looking at us funny and we really, really need to have a positive image if we emerge from a giant fireball out in the Atlantic. So. Reno, go get the boy. Evan, just ... stand there and look disheveled."
"You know, maybe we should just tell the press what we know about Falcon."
"Let's consider our options later. We have a long night ahead of us. First, knowing you two bleeding hearts, you'll want to visit people in the hospital. Then, like you said, Reno, you'll have to go to the police station and give statements and pick these morons out of lineups and whatever else they do at precincts. This is going to be an all-nighter."
"Great. How about we start with some coffee?"
Karla laughed and, in a mocking tone, repeated, "How about we wah-wah-wah some coffee?"
Reno gave her a funny sort of look then headed back towards the stairs. "Karla, come with me so I don't have to carry the boy down the stairs. He might be injured worse than I can see with my eyes."
"Oh fine. I suppose I can manage to use my telekinesis one more time to help a child." Her tone abruptly changed, adding, "In all seriousness, thank you, guys. Sinopa was an emotional wreck. Jules has been holding her all morning. Kuda won't leave her side. I'll call her and let her know you two saved the day. C'mon, Reno. Let's go get that kid you resuscitated."
X
X
Friday January 26 2024, 7:40pm EST Wolfson Children's Hospital Jacksonville, FL ...
Evan stopped in the hospital lobby. His heart pounded in his chest, seeing a crowd gathered in front of the hospital's entrance. He glanced at Reno then back at the wave of people and reporters. "Oh my God."
Reno rubbed his chin and used his shoulder to push Evan forward. "C'mon hero. Look out there. I see NBC12, ABC25, News 4, 46 Action Jax, Fox 30. That's a lot of coverage, bud. I see CNN, too. I think they're based out of Atlanta or something. This is about to go viral, kiddo."
"I don't have a speech made up. You're gonna have to do the talking."
"We both will." Reno turned around and put his hands on Evan's shoulders. "You can do this, bud. You've lost people. You've seen bad things. This is the world's way of acknowledging that you made a difference."
"Or demonizing us."
"Maybe. Here's a tip, don't insult anyone. Don't express negative opinions at any time. And if they say anything negative, put a positive spin on it. Don't let them focus on the hate group. Turn the conversation back to how you're glad the children are all alive. Stuff like that."
"Sounds like you've been through this."
"I dated the little sister of the world's undocumented richest human being. After she disappeared, I was in the middle of a big case, and the focus went to me. A spokesman for the SFPD sat down with me and gave me some pointers on how to act incase I was approached. But I was only ever approached by two reporters, one at a time."
"So it was never a madhouse like that, out there, huh?"
"No, man. Nothing like this mess." Reno gave Evan a firm pat on the arm and added, "I know it's natural to be shy, but people need to see your personality. Don't let them see a scared boy because they'll judge. Let them see a shining beacon of hope."
Evan stared at Reno a moment then gave him a playful shove and laughed. "A shining beacon of hope? Maybe I better do the talking."
Reno laughed back. "Okay that was pretty hokey. Let's do this. Remember, turn anything that sounds negative into something positive. Even if you have to take the subject matter in another direction. Don't let these guys focus on the bad just because they're secretly miserable with their own lives, you got it?"
"Geeze, Reno." Evan rubbed his cheeks, took a deep breath and said, "Let's reintroduce ourselves to the world." He walked through the lobby, paused in the glass vestibule then said, "Bottom line, we were just doing a job. We're just doing our duty."
"I was a cop, kiddo. That mentality is beat into my head, no matter how much I grew up wishing I could be a famous superhero."
"Funny how wishes come true when you least expect it, huh?" Evan went through the doors first, heading into a barrage of camera flashes. "Hi everyone. I'm Evan Balmoral. And, don't laugh, this is Reno Nevada. Yes, it's really his name. I have no idea what I'm doing, here, because this is my first press conference. So go easy, okay guys? But before I answer any questions. Let me just assure all of you that everyone who is injured will actually pull through. And after this, we're going to head to the other hospital where there are staff members being treated. Does, uhm, anyone know which hospital that is?"
One of the reporters at the front of the line wore a business suit. Her microphone had a square panel at the top of the handle with "WJXX" on one side, the ABC logo on another, and "25" on the other two panels. She held her microphone towards the two and said, "Staff members injured in the attack were taken to St. Vincent just across the bridge."
"Oh. Well, thanks for that." Evan stuffed his hands into his pockets only to feel Reno's hand on his forearm, guiding his hands back out of his pockets. Evan cleared his throat and said, "Since you're so helpful, why don't you start first?"
"Great, yes, I'm Amber Dietz. We at WJXX Channel 25 want to know - are you the same 'Evan' that stopped the bank robbery in San Francisco on the twenty-first of last month?"
Evan chuckled, somewhat nervous. "Uh, yeah. I mean, yes," he glanced at the reporter's left hand, adding, "Yes, ma'am, Mrs. Dietz. That was me. Er, I mean, that was us. Reno showed up and disarmed one of the gunmen. He and I have a team of sorts. No, we don't have a name; we're actually from San Francisco."
Reno grinned and quietly spoke towards Evan's ear. "Relax. You're doing great. Don't anticipate, just react."
Another reporter barged in, asking, "Nick Davenport for Fox; tell us, gentlemen, what brings you all the way to Florida and how did you know to stop these men? And why intervene directly instead of calling police?"
Reno put his hand on Evan's elbow to gesture him to hold fast. Reno took the question instead. "We have. There will be a phone call from last night that will have been logged. Police told us there would be an officer on the premises. Unfortunately he's one of the few casualties of this tragic attack."
The Fox reporter added, "You came all the way from San Francisco to stop an attack that you called in to warn about last night? How did you know about it?"
Another reporter, who didn't identify their name, cut in, asking, "How did you find out about the hate group? Did you follow them to the school?"
"No," Reno replied, shaking his head. "We were headed for the Atlantic Ocean. We're following a man from San Francisco named Dr. Aris Falcon. I believe he is behind the ritualistic murders of three gypsies at Golden Gate Park. I lost my job trying to see that case through. I later found out my boss was working a security detail for Falcon. Once a cop always a cop, so I followed their trail to the Atlantic. Evan and I have been working with a few other people who wanted to make a difference."
The reporter from NBC asked, "How did you guys know to call in last night about the attack on the school? I have a source that says the call was traced back to a Satellite phone out in the ocean. They also said the call came in from a female."
Evan frowned. "C'mon guys. Are you grilling us? We're just doing our jobs. We have a friend who..."
Another person asked, "You guys claimed to have super powers last month. Can you give us a demonstration?"
Evan held his hands up at shoulder height. "Yes we can if you like. I was actually just getting to that. We have a friend we're working with who has dreams about people she's close to. She dreamed about the attack on the school. We were in Texas when she called us last night. She told us we had to get back on the road right away and save those kids. We arrived around ten in the morning."
"How did they manage to lock down the school?" asked another.
Karla stepped out of the hospital lobby and waved at everyone, looking exuberant. "Hey everybody! I'm the blond!"
Evan cleared his throat. "They used a home-made EMP. It wiped out everything in a quarter mile from the device. Including Reno's abilities, briefly. Karla, here, showed up at the very end. She's one of us. She also helped stop the bank robbery in December."
"God there sure are a lot of people," Karla said. "Reno, are we going to St. Vincent next?"
"Uh, yeah. Yes, Karla. We're just talking to our new friends first. We've already told them about how and why we helped at the school and that we were on our way to find Falcon when we passed through."
Karla nodded and put her arms around Reno and Evan's necks. "These two are awesome aren't they? Did you know they're legit superheroes? Powers and all? Reno controls electrical discharges. Evan can change the molecular properties of things, like turning the silica in sand into glass and back. You guys know that YouTube video of him fixing the reporter's phone? Of course you do. It went viral. Seventy-five million views in a month!"
Evan blinked. "Wait, are you serious, Karla?"
"Yeah. We kept it from you so it wouldn't distract you. You've been too busy to surf for yourself." She grinned, adding, "There's even fan-fictions and Rule thirty-four art about the three of us, Evan."
Evan's eyes widened. He swallowed. "Oh dear God."
"What's Rule thirty-four?" Reno whispered to Karla.
"I'll tell you later." She smiled brightly and said, "Next question guys? C'mon, let's hear it!"
"Ah, yes, Nick Davenport, Fox news. Karla Howard was it?"
"That's me!"
"You guys claim to have supernatural abilities. And, of course, we're all skeptical. Could you give us a display?"
"Of course!" Karla said with a boisterous smile. "I want everyone to stand extremely still! Don't move at all. I've been practicing and now's as good a time as any. Since we're blocking the main entrance, I'm going to put us on the other side of this parking circle; on the other side of the fountain. So please, again, do not move."
"Karla, I don't know if that's such a good idea," Evan said with a frown.
"Lighten up, Ev." She grinned and disappeared much to everyone's surprise.
Evan looked up at the large glass awning above their heads. "Oh boy."
"We could've handled this," Reno said with a headshake of amusement. "Now it's going to turn into a circus."
Karla, looking down on the group, waved her hand, sending half the crowd across the paved circle. Her hands glowed with a bright pink illumination beneath the skin. Her wrists, forearms, and biceps incandesced brightly from the strain. The rest of the crowd vanished and appeared opposite of the large circular fountain.
"Go on, Reno. You can do your own tricks!" she exclaimed.
"Dammit." Reno reached for Evan's hand. There was a bright light, and then...
He and Evan appeared in front of the circle of bushes that surrounded the fountain. Evan held his hands outwards, off balance. "Holy smokes, I didn't know you could take someone with you. That was a rush." He looked up, seeing everyone had their hands over their ears.
"I'm trying to learn how to do it without the thunder," Reno said.
"I didn't hear any...?"
"It happened mid-transport. They all heard it." He cleared his throat and directed his tone to the group. "Sorry everyone. I'm told it's possible to do it without the noise, but the flash is unavoidable. Still learning."
Karla reappeared, standing on the edge of the circle around the fountain. She looked down at the bushes in front of her shoes then to Evan and Reno and the crowd of people beyond them. "See, Evan? I didn't merge anyone by accident; I've been practicing, babe. So! EVERYONE else! Who has another question about these two boys and the fact they've saved every-single-one of the two thousand fifteen students at that school?"
The Fox reporter stumbled forward in the crowd and held his microphone forward. "How ... uhm, who is the leader?"
Karla vanished and reappeared in front of Evan and Reno. "A smart person once said that leadership, summed up in one word, is influence. And, of everyone in our group, Evan has the most influence because he's the one we all look to for guidance. He takes this superhero thing further than just the term. He honestly lives with that mentality. There is no leader in our group, but Evan is the group's hero."
Evan's eyes lit up. "Thank you, Karla. That really means a lot to me."
She smiled back at him. "It's true, babe. You're the heart and soul of the group."
Seizing the moment, the Fox reporter asked, "Evan, since you seem to be the only black member of the group that we've met so far, would you like to make a statement about Black History Month? It's coming up in just a few days."
Evan paused. He thought of Collobulous. He pursed his lips together for a moment then shook his head. "No, we had an Indigenous Australian member. He's also half Native American."
"So, you came from San Francisco to do a rescue attempt? But stopped to help a school?
"Collobulous is a good guy; yes, Aris Falcon captured him. And we're going to get him back. But we couldn't just let those children wind up hurt. We decided to stop what we're doing and help. Mr. Davenport was it? Why should I give a statement about Black History Month? I don't understand."
"I didn't mean anything by it, Evan. But you've made history. You and your friends are a part of history now. And while Martin Luther King isn't the first black doctor or the first black community leader, he was the most important. And while Barack Obama was not the first to run in a presidential campaign, he was the first black man to run this country. You're the first black superhero. And Black History Month is just days away, so you've made history. Did you want to make a statement?"
Evan looked back at Karla.
Reno looked at Evan. "Who was the first?"
Evan offhandedly said, "Fredrick Douglass in 1888, for the Republican ticket." He smiled at Karla for a moment then turned back to the crowd. "I'm not the first black superhero. There are people all over the world, calling themselves Real Life Super Heroes, or RLSH. And they don't care about the color of one's skin or hair. They don't care about gender. They only care about justice and doing the right thing. I've only recently learned about those guys. And they do it without any powers at all. And that kind of courage really makes them a whole lot more super than me."
"Yes, but you're going to have your own Wikipedia page today, Evan," said the one holding an NBC labeled microphone.
Amber Deitz, the first reporter to have spoken to them earlier, asked, "Who was your first superhero role model, Evan?"
"I'm from San Francisco, guys. My earliest and fondest memory of getting into superhero stuff was when I watched Batkid on TV."
The Fox reporter quietly scoffed. "He wasn't a superhero. That was just some kid with cancer who got way more attention than he deserved. Some critics even said that the kid wouldn't have gotten all that attention if he wasn't white."
Evan gawked at the reporter.
"Now that's not really fair to..." Reno found himself cut off by a gesture from Evan.
"Uh oh," Karla said. "Evan doesn't like the whole racism thing. That's a hot button issue."
"What I mean, Evan, is - doesn't it even bother you that Batkid is white and got so much more publicity than you, after you just saved a whole school?"
Balmoral approached the reporter and reached for his microphone. "Mr. Davenport, let me make something extremely clear here. WTLV 12, and WJXX 25, First Coast News, News 4, Channel 47 Action Jax, all of you. I want all of you to listen to what I'm about to say."
Nobody spoke.
Evan drew in a deep breath. "Are you serious right now? I just dealt with a group of racist people. And do I think any differently of them because of their skin color? No. I base my judgment on them for endangering children.
"Let me tell you another thing. Make A Wish was making a backyard party for this little boy. Okay? And Leukemia is not a joke. That little boy fought for his life. And let me tell you something else, Mr. Davenport.
"People came together as volunteers because what started as a backyard party ballooned into a city-wide event. That little boy wasn't receiving special attention because he's white. You sound like one of the trolls on a YouTube comment thread, right now.
"He could have been Asian, black, Latino, or anything else for that matter. And everyone involved would still have been behind this kid the same way. The event became big because the economy sucked, and people were miserable, and every day there was crappy news about the NSA and civil unrest in some other country. That event happened because the right time and place presented itself to the right people. Everyday people needed to heal. I think the city needed Batkid more than Miles Scott needed the event."
Davenport frowned. "The amount of money to put on something like that could have fed the homeless and helped more than just one child. It could have..."
Evan held his hand up, cutting the reporter off. "No. You're wrong. There's already a budget and programs for that stuff. It cost less than half of what the city spent on a World Series parade just a year earlier. And the city didn't even wind up paying for it, anyways. A couple of philanthropists picked up the check. So the city gave the whole world something moving, lifted millions of spirits, and then a couple from San Francisco cleaned up. That's how I see it.
"So, with all due respect to your ethnicity or beliefs, you can kindly take your comments and shove it, Mr. Davenport. First you guys ask about Black History Month then you're concerned that I might be offended that Batkid was white?"
Davenport tried sticking to his stance. "You don't think he got favoritism?"
Evan shook his head firmly. "I'm sorry, but I don't see in whatever shades of black and white you do. I didn't see a white kid getting too much attention, Mr. Davenport. I saw a little boy who beat Leukemia and wore a batman cowl. And in the middle of the afternoon that boy was exhausted because of three years of chemotherapy and because he was so young.
"And you know what? That little boy pushed through it and finished the day for the rest of us - the people that needed a happy ending.
"Kids like that - they're the heroes. They're the supermen of this world. And me? I'm just one of the mortal bystanders, completely in awe of what they've accomplished.
"To me, that is the definition of a hero - someone that puts his or her struggles aside and fights through each and every day they're alive. Someone who fights to make the world a better place, even if it's for only one afternoon in San Francisco. And that, to me, makes Batkid my hero. Have a great night."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Evan turned away from the group of reporters, facing Reno and Karla with exhausted eyes. "I'm tired, guys. I'm ready to sleep. Let's go get in the Chevelle and ride out of here in style."
"Wow," Reno said. "That was pretty intense, bud. I had no idea that day was your first 'superhero' awakening. I thought you were going to say the Avengers movie or something. You know I worked traffic duty that day? It was my first year on the force and I was nowhere near the main event but I was on the streets, directing overflow traffic."
Karla smiled. "That was touching, Evan."
"Evan," one of the reporters chimed in, from behind, "Would you like to add a personal message to fifteen year old Miles Scott? Did you want to thank him for being your inspiration?"
Evan turned back to the group. "I was a bit of a ham when I was five. I showed off for my parents and my friend. One day I was at a family reunion with fifty people, and my parents tried to get me to show off for the whole group. And I locked up with stage fright.
"Miles was thrust into an event, surrounded by over ten thousand people. I would have been terrified. It had to be hard on him. Being a hero is hard. Being a five year old is hard. Having Leukemia for three years is hard. He did all of that stuff, and didn't give it a second thought. That makes him my hero. I hope I can live up to the bravery that kid showed.
"Miles has already won the day. And his wish made millions of people around the world happy when they read the news. Do I have a message for him? No. I just want him to enjoy his life, heaven's knows he's more-than-earned it. That's what you don't seem to understand, you guys. Miles did his part when his calling came. He didn't question it. He rose to the occasion like a champion. Now it's my turn to do my part. So that people like him, and the children of that middle school, and people like you can enjoy their lives."
Amber Dietz held her microphone forward and said, "I can appreciate that you have such immense respect for that boy and the event that happened ten years ago, but, Evan, what do you mean when you say it's your turn to do your part? Are there more people in danger that you need to help? It sounded like you are trying to be vague when you said you want everyone to be able to enjoy our lives."
Reno eased his hand up. "Mrs. Dietz, the interview is over. He's tired. We all are. We drove across the country to get here in time. We need to rest."
"Can you get the car?" Evan asked.
"Yeah, Reno. Go get the car for us," Karla said with a grin. She waved her hand and he disappeared from where he stood near the fountain. "He's got to be tired of me doing that to him by now."
Evan turned back to the reporter and offered a weak smile. "We'll have answers for you soon. But right now we need to sit down and make sure all our facts are straight. There's no use in causing a panic over something, okay?"
He and Karla disappeared away from the group.
They appeared down by Reno's Chevelle. Karla opened the door and wiggled into the back. "I'm smaller and you're the hero, Evan, so you can have shotgun this time." She reached for a lap belt but couldn't find one "No seatbelts back here, huh? Damn historic cars. US 90 will take us towards the beaches."
"No," Reno said with a chuckle, "Saint Vincent first. I've already got the GPS loaded up in my brand new phone." He pointed to the glove box and said, "Open it, Evan." Reno eased into the accelerator.
Balmoral opened the glove compartment and blinked. "A new Apple watch. But how?"
"Topaz," Karla said with a grin. "She heard about the EMP and knew how much you liked your watch."
"Aw man she's awesome."
Reno grinned. "I know you're tired, Evan, but we're not getting back to the boat until first thing in the morning. Topaz is going to meet us at the other hospital. Watson has arranged another way to make the world stop what they're doing and pay attention to us."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. We have a press conference tonight, where we're going to tell the world about ourselves, and Falcon's plan. He thinks getting public sympathy will help keep us alive. It kind of forces the Government to play ball with us, since we don't know whose side they're on at this point."
Evan chuckled nervously and began opening the box for his new watch phone. "Great. At this point, we're not going to get back to my awesome bed on the yacht until tomorrow morning."
"Aw, you miss your room on the Busty Belle, huh?"
"Yeah." He grinned back at Karla. "It feels like home."
X
next chapter: https://www.sofurry.com/view/665541