by Josh Hayes
"Lot of people in Neverland," Peter said.
"I know, but still. Are there really that many that actually want to fight on their side? The only people they protect are the bastards in the Core, and I don't see any of those stuck-up pricks volunteering to fight."
"Maybe they're not volunteering," Wendy suggested.
Ace raised an eyebrow at her. "You think they're forcing people to fight?"
Wendy shrugged. "Happens a lot where I come from. Lots of wars have been fought with slave armies."
"I hear they've been trying to recruit some of the smaller clans," Carter said.
Peter laughed. "Good luck. The clans hate Enforcement even more than they hate each other, and now that the Committee has declared martial law, it's given them even more reason to resist. You can only kick a dog so much before it bites back."
"Yeah, but it's the regular people that are getting bitten, not the clans," Carter said. "Problem is that even if the clans care enough to help them, they're all too wrapped up in their own petty turf wars."
"They're selfish," Wendy said. The words were out before she'd even realized she had something to say on the matter.
"They're protecting their own," Peter said, matter-of-factly.
"And that makes it okay?" Wendy asked. "If everybody just looks out for themselves and no one else, then what's the point? We're never going to make any progress if everyone is just looking out for their own interests."
Peter scoffed. "Progress? Ha! You think anyone in this city wants progress?"
Wendy flushed. "What's wrong with that? Why can't people want to improve their lives?"
"Look, Wendy," Peter said. He spoke like an adult explaining something to a child that wouldn't understand, no matter how deftly he put it. "There's only one thing the people of Neverland want to do, and that's survive. Everything else isn't important."
"Well, it should be," Wendy told him. She felt a strange determination build inside her, a feeling she couldn't turn away from. "If someone needs help, someone should help them."
"Yeah?" Peter said. "And who's going to do that?"
Wendy straightened. "We will."
Peter laughed.
"No," Wendy continued, ignoring him. "If someone needs help, we're going to help them. No questions asked."
Ace raised an eyebrow. "How did you become the rule maker all of a sudden?"
"Well, who else is going to do it? If we're going to change things around here, there need to be some rules, otherwise we're just contributing to the problem instead of helping to fix it."
"Wendy," Peter said, his voice low and steady. "Our little group here isn't in any shape to change the world, much less help anyone. We can barely keep ourselves out of trouble."
She locked eyes with him. "We're going to help people, Peter. The world can change, it doesn't have to be like this. One person at a time, that's how we'll change it; one person at a time."
Peter started to respond, but a shush from Ace cut him off. "Look at this," Ace said, motioning.
Wendy sighed, rolling her eyes, then joined the boys at the window.
On the street below, two squads of Enforcers were making their way carefully up the block, one on each side of the road. The two six-man teams moved in sync with each other, clearing sidestreets and alleys and covering off rooftops as they went. What little foot traffic there was on the street quickly vanished as word began to spread. Contact with an Enforcement squad was generally looked upon as a bad idea.
Wendy frowned. "What are they doing?"
Peter shrugged.
"You think maybe it's just a random patrol?" Carter suggested.
Ace gave him a look. "You ever known Enforcement to do anything at random?"
"Well, I mean, the last time I was in Baytown—"
"Since when were you in Baytown?" Ace asked, cutting him off.
"Oh, come on, don't bust my balls, all right?" Carter told him, looking away from Ace's reproachful look. "I was careful, I always am. I know these streets better than anyone else alive. And besides, they're not looking for little ol' me, they're looking for Dusters and sympathizers."
"Still a dumb move, man."
Peter nodded. "Agreed. You need to be a little more discreet, Carter. At least tell us where you're going beforehand, that way we'll know where to look for you."
"Yeah, yeah. You know, just cause you guys are a little bigger than me doesn't make me a helpless little baby, okay? I took plenty good care of myself before you guys showed up, you know? I don't need you guys becoming all parental on me and shit."
Wendy tried to hide a grin and failed. He was right after all. Even at almost three years her junior, Carter was quite adept at getting in and out of places normal people wouldn't even dream of going. He had an ear for the streets that they all envied.
"Anyway," Carter said, nodding to the soldiers. "You think they're out here looking for anyone specific, do you?"
"Oh, now you're worried, huh?" Ace said with a healthy dose of sarcasm.
Carter gave a clipped cough and pointed a finger. "No, I'm not worried at all, I'm just curious. I hadn't heard anything on a patrol coming this far east, that's all. Usually, I hear about these things."
Ace gave Wendy a sideways glance. "Ooooh, I see."
Peter shh'd them, holding a finger to his lips and nodding to the street just below their window. "Look," he whispered.
Another eight-man Enforcement squad was following the first two. This group wasn't as heavily armed as their companions, and wasn't paying too much attention to their surroundings. They crossed the intersection and stopped at the entrance to one of the tenement towers. After a few moments of discussion, the team formed up and entered the building.
"Duster sweeps?" Ace asked, his tone serious now.
"Could be," Peter said. "But it can't be a full-on sweep, they skipped all the buildings on this block."
The squad reappeared several minutes later and continued its patrol down the street. They passed several more tenements then, seemingly at random, stopped at another, formed up, and went inside.
"Come on," Peter said, stepping away from the window. "Let's go find out."
Ace raised an eyebrow at him. "What, you mean go down there after them?"
Peter nodded, already halfway across the room.
"That's crazy," Carter said.
"What are you going to do?" Ace asked, crossing his arms. "Go down there and offer them a drink and ask about their day? Come on, man, think about that for a minute. They don't have any idea we're here, why shouldn't we just take that as our lucky pass today and move on?"
Peter waved a dismissive hand through the air. "For Graft's sake, you sound like an old lady. Where's your sense of adventure and excitement?"
"Right here in this room, where it's quiet and safe."
"Aw, need someone to keep you safe?" Peter flicked his wrist, grinning. The razor-sharp shiftblade folded out from its hilt. It took less than a second for it to reach its full length of two and a half feet. It gleamed in the room's light as he turned it over. "I'll keep you safe."
Wendy felt a sudden pang of anxiety. "What about Mom and Maggie?"
Peter waved her off. "They'll be fine."
"No, Peter, we can't just leave them here by themselves."
"Well, it sounds like Mister Safe and Secure here is going to stick around and miss all the action."
"Would you stay?" Wendy asked. "Stay with and keep them safe?"
"Of course, I will," Ace told her.
Wendy moved to the doorway separating the rooms, and looked in on her family. The apartment's lone bed sat in the corner of the small room. Her mother lay on her back, eyes closed, covered in a tattered sheet. Maggie lay curled in a ball at Mary's feet, purposely squeezing her eyes shut.
Her sister still wasn't adjusting, even six weeks later. And their mother…
Mary Darling wasn't doing well at all, and hadn't spoken to anyone since she'd woken up and learned her husband had died saving
them. She slept a lot-- too much, Wendy thought--and only ate when they forced her.
In some ways, though, Wendy was glad for the distraction. It helped with the hurt that seemed to constantly eat away at her. The numbness and confusion and pain this new world had thrust upon her faded, gradually replaced by something else entirely. Anger.
She was careful, however, not to let her emotions boil out of control. She kept them locked away, as if she was storing them up, saving them for the perfect time to unleash her fury on the world. How exactly she would do that was a separate question entirely.
"Good," Peter told her as the shiftblade retracted. "With the both of you guarding them, they'll be as safe as they can be."
Wendy frowned, her anxiety turning to frustration. "What do you mean? I'm not staying here, I'm going with you."
"Absolutely not."
"Why not?"
"Because you're a—" He stopped short, his mouth open in mid-sentence.
Wendy crossed her arms. "I'm a what? A girl? Is that what you were going to say?"
Pan chuckled and grinned nervously. He gave Ace a sideways glance. "No, that's not what I was going to say. I was going to say that you're a perfect choice to stay here and protect them."
"Oh really," Wendy said, cocking her head to the side. "And why is that, exactly?"
Pan hesitated. He shot Ace an almost pleading look, then said, "Well, uh, you're, well, shit, I don't know. Damn it, come with us, then. But you'd better stay out of the way, this isn't just some stroll through the park, this is serious stuff."
"I'm not afraid."
"Yeah? Well, you remember you said that."
Chapter Six
Then
They moved along the rooftops after the squad. Fortunately for them, most of the tenement buildings in this part of town were identical. All made at the same time, with only one purpose: to house as many people as possible in as little space as possible. Most were connected by duct work that spanned the upper floor, air conditioning pumped in from a central plant somewhere else in the block. Moving between the buildings was as easy as hopping down onto the ducts, crossing the span, then climbing back up to the roof.
After the third roof, Wendy had the entire operation down to a science. Carter, however, was not enjoying the same amount of success.
At almost a full head shorter than the rest, he was having to take a running start to reach the ledge and pull himself up. Twice he'd missed, and dropped back down to the ductwork with a long metallic clang that reverberated around them. The large rifle he carried probably didn't help either.
When he'd finally managed to climb onto the fourth roof, Wendy stopped him and held out a hand. "Why don't you let me carry that for you?"
Carter hesitated, grabbing absently at the butt of the weapon. He shot Peter a worried glance, as if looking for guidance.
Peter, who already had one leg up on the wall, ready to jump, considered them both for a moment, then sighed. "Just don't shoot us, okay?"
Wendy narrowed her eyes at him and her rebuke came out before she could stop it. She felt her cheeks starting to flush before she'd even finished speaking. "For Graft sake, Peter, I'm not stupid, okay?"
"I didn't say you were stupid, just be careful, that's all." He pointed to the rifle as Carter handed it over. "It's not a toy."
Wendy gritted her teeth. He doesn't even know I'm embarrassed, she told herself, which almost made the entire episode even worse. The urge to shout at him was almost overwhelming. Instead, she took a deep breath and spoke in a low controlled tone, over-enunciating her words. "I know it's not a toy."
She took the weapon from Carter. Right away she noticed it was heavier than it looked. The long barrel stuck out from the stock almost three feet. The workings of the gun looked similar to the old rifle her father had owned back home. He'd let her fire it once, on her fourteenth birthday, and the ear-splitting blast had scared her to death. She hadn't wanted to touch one since.
She looped the sling over her head and let it hang diagonally across her back. After adjusting it once, she nodded. "Okay, let's go."
The two boys gave her curious looks, then, smiling, continued on their hunt. Two rooftops later, they came to the end of the row of identical tenements. A two-lane street separated them from a row of squat four-story warehouses that ran on for another few blocks. They waited for the Enforcers to cross the intersection, then scaled down the building's fire escape to street level and crossed to the first warehouse.
The blue sign on the corner read VATAIR and WASSEL. Wendy made a mental note to remember the names, even though she didn't have any idea where they were in the city.
Two minutes later they were moving across the wide flat roof, staying low and watching the Enforcers closely. They crouched next to the short parapet wall, and watched as the squad entered the seventh building of the evening.
"You'd think they'd've found something by now," Carter whispered.
Pan sat next to him, back against the low wall. "Well, shit, this turned out to be a huge waste of time."
"What do you mean?" Wendy asked, adjusting the rifle for the hundredth time. She was beginning to regret offering to help Carter with it. The thing was so bulky, and it had grown increasingly heavier as the night wore on. "Aren't you glad they're coming up empty-handed?"
Pan extended his hands out in front of him, palms up. "But they aren't doing anything. I was thinking we'd at least get to join in some fun and shoot a couple. Where are all the clans at? I know there's at least two near this area. Word must've reached them by now."
"Actually," Carter said, adjusting his footing, keeping his attention on the soldiers below. "There's really only one, and they're pretty low-key."
"Oh yeah? Who?"
A single muffled gunshot rang out. The sound bounced off the surrounding buildings.
"What was that?" Wendy asked.
Peter frowned. "Bet you one of those thugs popped off a round on accident."
"Maybe they were shooting lunch," Ace said.
"Doesn't matter," Peter said, then lifted his chin to Carter. "What was that you were saying?"
Carter shrugged. "No one seems to know a whole lot about them. Just that they come up every now and then and push out any rival clans that try to move into the area and take over. They don't even have a name. Leader's name is Black, that's all I've been able to find out."
Carter's penchant for gathering information continued to amaze Wendy. No matter where they ended up, the boy always managed to uncover the details on everyone and everything that went on around them. Sometimes she wondered how much was actually good information and how much he simply made up. After all, there wasn't any way any of them could prove him wrong.
Pan raised an eyebrow. "Black, huh?"
Carter nodded.
"I wonder where they are now," Wendy said.
"It doesn't matter," Peter said. "These bastards couldn't find their dicks with a map. Let's get back, it'll be dark soon."
Peter pushed himself up, careful to stay low, and moved back across the roof the way they'd come. Carter shrugged at Wendy, and followed. Wendy, who wasn't entirely sure Peter was correct, hesitated a minute, turning back to the soldiers and watching as they formed up to continue up the street.
"What if they're not looking for Dusters?" she said, to no one in particular, almost surprised that she'd spoken her thoughts aloud.
"What do you mean?" Carter asked.
"I don't know," she said, sighing, knowing how silly it sounded. She shook her head. "Forget it."
"Come on," Carter said, "Don't want to be out after the sun goes down."
She saw the explosion before she heard it, and as the red and orange fireball curled into the air she staggered back, surprised. Hands clamped down hard on her from behind and she felt herself being pulled to down to the floor of the roof.
Pan and Carter appeared next her, weapons out.
"What the hell was that?" Carter asked, scanning the surrounding building
s.
"Let me go," Wendy said, shrugging the boys off.
Down on the street, the Enforcers had scattered, taking cover behind whatever they could find: some returning fire, others shouting commands. Several blocks ahead, the two advance squads appeared to be under heavy fire. Smoke curled up from the wreckage of a car, now embedded in the side of a building.
"Someone's attacking them?" Carter wondered aloud.
They all crouched down and peered over the wall, watching the battle below. Several of the soldiers lay motionless on the ground around the burning wreckage of the car, their companions trying to pull them to safety.
A high-pitched whistle cut through the air, and Wendy just barely caught a glimpse of the rocket as it slammed into the building above the advance. A brilliant fireball erupted from the impact, rolling up the composite wall. Debris sprayed out in all directions and chunks of broken building rained down on the confused soldiers. Several escaped the deluge, while others were simply crushed. Large pillars of dust and smoke began to fill the evening sky around them.
"Whoever they are, they're well-armed," Peter noted. "Haven't ever heard of clans having that kind of firepower. How 'bout you?" He nodded at Carter.
The younger boy shook his head without looking away from the carnage below. "Been rumors of clans raiding weapon stores around town, but nothing like this. What do you want to do?"
Peter sniffed, rubbing his nose with the back of his hand, seeming to consider the situation.
The smaller sweeper team had left the cover, and were now charging down the street to join the fight. Rifles barked out rounds and several soldiers shouted out orders, pointing at various locations.
Two more soldiers in the advance team dropped. One of their companions slung his rifle over his shoulder and lunged forward to help. On his second step, his body jerked upright and a second impact sent him spinning like a top. He bounced off the back of the wrecked car, then fell motionless to the street.
Carter looked at Peter. "Well?"
