Halfway Heroes

by Dustin Martin

One weekend afternoon, Lydia, Wren, and Aidan were lounging in the game room. Lydia had recently returned from her church service, changing into comfortable clothing. Aidan had been in the game room all morning, reading in a corner. He had politely passed on Lydia’s invitation to attend her service.

  “No, thanks. You wouldn’t drop by someone’s place when you hardly talk to them, right? No sense in it. Only makes for awkward chitchat.” According to Wren, that was better than when Jando had been offering others to attend Mass with him one weekend. She said that Aidan’s exact words were, “I would rather lick every toilet seat in the Cave than sit next to you for an hour.”

  Donny burst into the game room. Jando and he were gathering people together for a basketball game. Lydia had not yet used the courts or fields. So when Donny invited them, she and Wren both said yes.

  “How about you?” he asked Aidan.

  “I’ll pass,” Aidan said.

  “Oh don’t be a grumpy, grouchy goose,” Wren said, jumping onto her seat’s arm and squatting there. “It’ll be fun!”

  “I doubt it,” he said.

  “Suit yourself.” She hopped off the chair and joined Donny. “You coming, Lydia?”

  “I’ll catch up.” Lydia waited until Wren and Donny left. She turned to Aidan. “Why don’t you want to go?”

  He grunted and rested his head on his fist. “Because I just don’t. Why is that so hard for everyone to understand?”

  “You don’t have to be on Jando’s team or anything,” Lydia said. He didn’t answer her. “It’ll do you good to get some exercise. You’ve been sitting around on your butt all day.”

  “Are you calling me fat?”

  “I might be,” Lydia said, leaning over and poking his stomach jokingly. “Afraid that gut will slow you down?”

  “Not as much as yours,” Aidan said. He smirked when Lydia’s eyes bulged.

  She stood up, pretending to be upset. She loomed over him, conjuring up a challenging look. “Let’s go. Out on the court, if you think you can make it.”

  He sighed heavily, but came with her all the same. When they reached the basketball court, they saw five other people already there. A group of girls sat on the bleachers nearby, giggling as Jando spun a basketball on his fingertip for them. Wren was hopping up and down, urging Jando to stop stalling.

  “Come on!” she whined. “Let’s start picking! Look, Lydia and Aidan are both playing, so we have ten now!”

  Jando glanced over and smiled. He slid the basketball down his shoulder to the opposite hand and tucked it underneath his arm. Lydia heard him say to one of the girls, “I’ll make a three-pointer for you.” The girl laughed and covered her reddening cheeks.

  “Thanks for evening up the teams, Flyboy,” Jando said, bouncing the basketball and walking over to Wren. Aidan opened his mouth, but Jando cut him off. “Okay, so I’m captain and who else?” He tapped his chin and perused the selection. “How about Wren?”

  Wren skipped over to him. “Rock, paper, scissors to see who picks first?” she asked.

  “No, no, no. Ladies first,” he said, bowing aside. “I’ll win all the same.”

  “In your dreams! Okay! I want Lydia,” Wren said, pointing.

  “I’ll take you over there,” Jando said. He pointed to one of the taller teenagers and snapped his fingers. “Yeah, you, you—”

  “Josh,” the boy said.

  “Right, Josh. On this side.”

  “Then I get Donny,” Wren said.

  “Terry.”

  Lydia noticed Aidan standing a little toward the rear, staring at the ground. She caught on. All the others waiting to be chosen appeared more athletic than he did. She had promised him he wouldn’t have to be on Jando’s side. She leaned in toward Wren. “Hey, can you get Aidan?”

  Wren nodded. “Aidan! Over here!”

  He looked up quickly, appearing shocked to be chosen. He walked over and gave Lydia a small grin.

  Once Wren and Jando had picked their teams, Jando tossed her the ball. “You guys can have it first,” he said. “No using abilities, everybody.” His team immediately spread out, creating a defensive semicircle around their basket. Lydia situated herself in a loose V-formation with her team, placing Wren at the tip.

  Wren casually bounced the ball forward, beaming happily. She had a far-off gaze in her eye. One of Jando’s team members took that as an opportunity to rush her for the ball. As soon as he did, Wren threw the ball to Donny. He drilled toward the side, trying to flank the defense. However, two larger players were on him in seconds.

  Donny shoved the ball low and away. It bounced across the court to Lydia. Jando barely managed to miss intercepting the ball. He guarded her to make up for it. He ducked low, spreading himself wide in front of her. “Let’s see what you got!”

  Lydia spun around, trying to get away. She couldn’t shake him. Jando stuck to her like glue. She was near the basket. Could she make a shot from where she was?

  Wren broke free of her own pursuer. Lydia bent her knees, aiming for the basket. Jando took the bait. He jumped as Lydia threw the ball low to her teammate. Wren caught the ball. Her guard tried to get between her and the basket. Wren chomped at him like a rabid dog, scaring him away. She took a shot.

  “Alright!” Wren said, doing a little dance as the ball went in. “Two points!”

  “There’s your freebie,” Jando said, taking the ball to the edge of the court. He checked it to Wren and then rushed forward. He expertly dodged his defenders. With no one to stop him, he had an easy shot. “Whoo!” Jando shouted, clapping as the ball went in. “Nothing but net!”

  Wren took the ball outside the court, checked it to Josh, and threw it to Aidan. Smack! As soon as Aidan caught it, the ball was swatted out of his hands. Before anyone knew it, Jando had scored again. “Got to pay attention, Flyboy,” he said, laughing.

  Lydia saw Aidan curl his fists. Wren quickly brought the ball into play, deflecting his seething anger at Jando.

  The game continued in much the same way. For every basket Wren’s team made, Jando’s made three, served by a helping of taunts. Most of the trash-talking came from Jando himself. Yet nobody could object much since he racked up nearly all of the points for his team, showing off with difficult, flashy shots or placating his fan club on the bleachers. Lydia did throw in some taunts of her own, especially taking advantage of the rare times that he missed. She would grab the ball, score, and wag a finger in his face. “You’re slipping! Got to step it up!” Aidan continually received the worst verbal abuse from Jando throughout the game.

  When Jando’s side was one basket away from one hundred points, Jando called out, “Game point!” He checked the ball to Wren and ran forward. Lydia joined Wren to block him. His teammates were wide open, but Jando held onto the ball. He faked left, right, and left once more. He drove up the middle, pushing past the girls.

  Donny met the same deception as Jando spun around him. When Jando approached the basket, he ran into Aidan. Aidan stood near the hoop, set to stop him.

  “Don’t even try, Flyboy,” Jando said, spinning around him. Aidan leapt to the side, staying on Jando. He spun again. Again, Aidan stayed on him. “Getting cocky, eh?” Jando said, backing Aidan to the net. “Let me fix that.”

  Jando turned and jumped high, hitting Aidan in the jaw with his legs and knocking him down. The ball soared through the air, bounced on the rim, and rolled in. Jando landed inches from Aidan’s face. “Bam! That’s how it’s done!” He crouched down next to Aidan. “You saw that? I practically flew! I don’t get what the big deal is, Flyboy.”

  Lydia was too far away to stop what happened next. Jando was too busy high-fiving his team to see Aidan launch himself toward him, fist winding up. In a moment, they were on the ground, clobbering one another. Aidan threw one, two punches at most. Then Jando got the upper hand. He twisted Aidan’s arm, locking him in a hold. Aidan elbowed at his ribs and Jando twisted harder.

  Donny and Wren tried to stop the fight, while everyon
e else cheered them on. Only Lydia was able to drag Jando off. Even then, she had to put some strength into it. Aidan had a tight grip on Jando’s leg, as if he were trying to break it. Jando kicked his cheek. Lydia yanked harder and Jando was free. Wren and Donny hauled Aidan away. Both combatants kicked and swung, trying to break free. “Stop!” Lydia said. “Stop! Both of you!”

  Jando complied and dropped his arms. Lydia loosened her grip. “I wasn’t going to hurt Flyboy,” he said.

  “Stop calling me that!” Aidan roared.

  “Or what?” Jando said, sneering at him. To Lydia, he said, “He’s an uppity little jerk. He had to be taught a lesson. He’ll be fine.” He brushed Lydia off. She walked over to the struggling Aidan.

  “Jerk?! Let me go! I’ll knock his teeth out! Let me go!” he said, trying to wiggle from their grasp.

  “Let him go,” Lydia said.

  Wren and Donny released him and he slipped out of their arms. “I could’ve taken him.” Lydia looked skeptically at Aidan. He glared at her and stomped off the court, heading for his dormitory.

  Lydia watched for a few moments and then followed. Off to the side, she heard Jando bragging to his spectators. “Yeah, I let Lydia take me off. I think he learned his lesson. Didn’t want to bruise his ego too much by quitting. Or bruise him too much.” He laughed at his joke.

  Aidan moved fast, disappearing into the dormitories. Lydia rushed after him. She didn’t find him in the lobby or anywhere on the first floor. She assumed he’d gone to his room. Great. Where’s his room? She climbed the stairs, systematically checking each floor. On the fourth floor, she heard a door slam higher up the stairwell. She hurried through the remaining flights and came to an exit at the top. She opened the door, stepping onto the rooftop.

  There was Aidan, sitting down and leaning against a noisy vent. He couldn’t see or hear Lydia. She sat next to him.

  “You alright?” she asked.

  “Fine,” he said.

  “You don’t look fine.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” he said, turning his face away from her.

  “So what are you doing up here?”

  “Thinking,” he said tersely.

  “About what?”

  “Nothing.” He faced her. “Look, I’m fine. I simply lost it for a bit.”

  Lydia frowned. “That was more than simply losing it.”

  “I can only take so much before I have to get it out of my system,” he said, defending himself. “I’m usually better at controlling my anger.” She cocked an eyebrow. “Really, I am. I can normally handle things like that. But Jando has been here long enough that he’s learned how to get to me. Or maybe I’ve been here long enough that my rage is easier to kindle,” he said, groaning and hanging his head.

  “What I’d give to be away from this place and never see it again. To get rid of my ‘ability,’ ” he said, laughing harshly. “You want to know what I’m thinking about? Fine. I’ll indulge you.” He had a maddened gleam in his eyes. “I was thinking about how to fix myself.” Lydia thought there was a defeated bitterness to him, as if he wanted to lie down and forget all his problems.

  “How do you mean?” Lydia asked.

  He nodded at the roof’s ledge. “Throw myself over. That would be the ultimate motivation. Die or fly. Either way, all my misfortunes would be a thing of the past.”

  That was as perfect a segue as Lydia could ask for. “What if there was another way?”

  “Unless somebody up there cuts me some slack,” he said, glancing upward, “I don’t see any other way.”

  “There is one,” Lydia said. She had his attention. Scooting closer, Lydia lowered her voice. “What if we were to sneak aboard the supply trucks? Now, hear me out,” she said as he raised an objecting hand. “I’ve been studying their patterns and I think I have a route ready. All we have to do is get onboard, and then we’re home free.”

  “I still don’t see how that solves my predicament,” Aidan said.

  “Two words: Rooke Pharmaceuticals.”

  “The company that supports that terrorist group trying to recruit us? Are you mad?” Aidan hissed.

  “I have yet to see them connected to those terrorists at all. The only one who tells us that is Arthur. And what was it you said to me? ‘Don’t believe them’? That includes Arthur.”

  Aidan nodded. “Yeah.” He chuckled. “Guess I’ve been letting them spoon-feed me that nonsense.” He scratched his head. “But why would you want to leave? You seem like you’re getting along fine. Getting all chummy with Arthur, Dr. Barrett, and all the others.”

  “Because it’s the only thing I can do for now,” Lydia said. “And I am not ‘getting chummy’ with anyone. Arthur has just been making up to me. I still want to be cured as much as you do. I want to be at home, with my family. That isn’t going to happen here.”

  “You think it’s going to happen at Rooke’s?” he asked.

  “I’m hoping it does,” she said, clarifying. “Right now, I’m willing to go on that alone. Better to take the chance than stay down here, be sent home, and constantly worry about the terrorists. However, if there is a chance Rooke is connected to those guys, at least we won’t have to worry about our abilities for very long.”

  “Gee, your option sounds so wonderful. I can’t see any reason to hold back,” Aidan said, shaking his head. “Except for one thing. People have tried this little trick before. You’re strong, but the guards are armed and alert. What makes you think this will work?”

  Lydia rubbed her neck. She had to be delicate about the next part.

  But Aidan had already guessed. “It’s Jando, isn’t it? You plan to use his invisibility to help get past any security.”

  “It’s the only way,” Lydia said.

  “Seems like you’ve thought it through. In fact, it’s probably the best way to escape. Doesn’t mean it will work, but I think it’s the best plan,” he said. “Have you already asked him?”

  “Not yet,” Lydia said. “I was planning to soon. So what do you say? Want to come along?”

  She watched Aidan as he tossed the idea back and forth in his mind. She knew his pouting lips and frown meant that he was disgusted at the thought of cooperating with Jando. But she felt a faint hope when he said, “I’ll think about it. Do you have a way to get to Rooke’s when we’re out?”

  “Not quite,” Lydia said, shrugging. “We’ll have to wing it.” She laughed at his disgruntled expression.