The Push Chronicles (Book 3): Incorruptible

by J. B. Garner

  "Fine, but you better save me some for after," Stephanya said, trying to sound cheery through the anxiety. "I think I'm going to need it!"

  By the time we were finished with the bloody operation, I was now certain to give the first aid skills responsible parenting required far more credit than I ever had thought to in the past. Despite my joke to the contrary, I didn't take any of the offered Irish whiskey, as rich as it smelled, instead relying on my own mental focus to keep me from twitching. It was pretty damn useful as a disinfectant though.

  The exact and gory details of the operation were unimportant. What I am clear on is that, despite the obvious fear and concern on Stephanya's face, she held herself together and didn't panic, simply concentrating on what needed to be done. To give even more credit where it was due, Kathy, outside of her initial shriek at the gush of blood when Stephanya dislodged the concrete shrapnel, managed to keep herself together and diligently, if shakily, did as her mother bid. It was that show of bravery that helped me keep my own focus, even when the pain threatened to push through that mental wall. If the eleven year old could do it, so could I.

  "Okay," Stephanya said as she wound a last binding of gauze, "I think that does it." Despite her show of confidence, it was obvious she was still very concerned about the end result.

  "You did great," I said through clenched teeth as my focus started to fade. "You both did."

  Kathy, though now white as a sheet, managed a weak smile at me. I gave her a slight nod and stared up at the stucco ceiling, trying to not think about my burning desire for a bottle of hydrocodone or an IV drip of morphine.

  "Kathy, why don't you go get some clean clothes and get a bath?" Before the youth could protest, Stephanya cut her off. "Now, it's been a long day for everyone, our guest could really use some rest, and, well, you may be my little Igor but you don't want to smell like it!" She held her nose playfully.

  "Aww, alright, Mom." There was a shuffling step toward the door, but it stopped and reversed. A small hand patted my own which had involuntarily clawed into the bedclothes. "I hope you get better quick, Ms. Indy. Good night!" With that, the shuffling steps turned into the rapid patter of a skipping child's feet. Past that, there was a tense silence that hung in the room.

  "Are you sure you don't want something for, well, look, that has got to hurt a lot." Stephanya was trying to keep her voice light, but the concern was obvious. "Don't say it doesn't hurt because that would be what we call in these parts 'bullshit'. I have some pain pills left over from that time Bob convinced me to try skiing. What was I thinking?" Steph shook her head at the very thought of it before snapping back to the here and now. "I know it isn't much, but they should still be good."

  Just the mention of them made me break out in a sweat. What would be the harm? I'd be using them responsibly. After all, I had just been through home surgery guided solely by an out-of-date medical guide and a home first aid kit. I needed that relief. I deserved it.

  "No!" Steph stepped back at the shout and I forced myself to regain control. "No, I -" I struggled for the right words. "I appreciate the offer. I do, I really do, but I can't accept that."

  I forced myself to keep staring at the ceiling, as if counting each speck on it would keep me sane and focused. Even so, I could feel the staring eyes and the uncertainty as Stephanya stood there, shocked for a few moments.

  "Alright." Her voice was remarkably calm. "I trust you know what you're doing." The sound of feet on carpet accompanied her voice. "Just don't hesitate to ask if you need something. I mean, call me silly but I didn't do all of this just for you to act all tough and die on us." She cleared her throat. "Or anything equally crazy like that."

  "What about your husband?" I felt suddenly guilty for everything I was putting this family through. Even occupying the couple's bed seemed a horrible crime at that moment.

  "Oh." There was a sudden sadness in her voice. "He, well, he won't be home tonight." She stepped into the hallway, though I could still clearly hear her voice. "Bob was one of the first protesters when the Crusaders announced what they had done. I was going to go with him but we realized one of us needed to watch Kathy and I lost. No matter what they tell, rock is neither good, old, nor reliable."

  "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

  Stephanya didn't need to say more. Her husband was no doubt in one of the city lockups now. For how long? Who could say.

  "It's okay. You couldn't have." The door began to close. "We'll talk later."

  As the door closed, the last light in the bedroom went with it. Between the heavy curtains and my own growing fatigue, it came as little surprise to me that, despite the agony in my leg, I passed out in short order, thoughts consumed by what I was going to do when I finally got my hands on Eric and all the Crusaders responsible for this.

  Chapter 12 Belief

  The sounds of a children's program from the other room was what woke me up out of my slumber. I stayed in the bed, still and silent, until my memory woke up as well and reminded me of where I was. Even if it could change at any moment, there was a sense of safety here, a feeling that penetrated the amazing amount of agony my leg was in. I bit my lip and wished fervently for anything to blunt it.

  The door opened half-way, letting painful shafts of light in. I threw the blanket that I didn't remember having when I passed out over my face.

  "Ah, so the beast lives!" Steph's voice penetrated through the comforter. "I thought I heard you make some noise. You are alive in there, right?"

  I forced myself to pull back the covers. It was just the usual waking-up jitters, nothing that required me to hide in this bed for the next week. I forced what I hoped was a smile at the back-lit view of my hostess.

  "Yeah, I think so," I croaked. "A little pain but nothing that I won't get over." Well, at least part of that was true. "I feel like I'm covered in five pounds of grime though." I forced myself to sit up, trying not to squint too hard as my eyes adjusted to light again. My gut twisted and raged, demanding food and demanding it now. I could hear a muffled query from the other room.

  "Alright, sweetie, why don't you pick us out some cans for Mom to cook up for us and our guest?" Stephanya glanced back into the bedroom. "Well, I've got a shower boot in the bathroom closet, so that should keep the bandages dry. Running water is at least one of the things the Crusaders have kept running, whoop-dee-doo for them." Her voice was laced with sarcastic venom as she twirled her finger in the air. As I swiveled my legs off the bed, keeping my desire to cry out in pain silent, she continued, "Clothes, well, that's a bigger problem. You a bit taller than me and, well, a bit more 'muscle'." She quirked a smile. "But I think I have some sweats that will at least make you decent and clean."

  "You- I really can't thank you and Kathy enough."

  "I'd like to say we'd do this for anyone," Steph shrugged her shoulders. "I'd even like to think it's true!"

  "Well, for now, you're batting a thousand." The moment I put weight on my leg, I instantly regretted it. I certainly tried to play off the shooting pain as no big thing, but I had this feeling I wasn't fooling anyone. To my credit, I didn't fall. In fact, I was certain I could walk unassisted, just in slow, agonizing steps.

  To my hostess' credit, she seemed to have none of that. Before I could take another step, Stephanya was by my side and gently pulled my arm over her shoulder. Taking the weight off of the offending leg helped immensely and, with minimal fuss, she helped me to the bathroom.

  Like the rest of the apartment, there was a certain comforting chaos about the room. It was clean, but obviously often saw the attention of a child. As Steph opened the closet, pulling out towels and the clear plastic boot, I could see that, much like the kitchen, first aid supplies and drugs had been organized and stockpiled. Someone was certainly prepared for whatever future problems the Crusaders were going to cause.

  "Now, I couldn't help but notice you had a bit of a freak-out when I mentioned pain medication, but I really hope you won't turn down an offer of some antibiotics," S
tephanya said as she fingered through the bottles. "Bob had a bad sinus infection a couple of months ago but, stubborn as he is, he bounced back before he finished his drug course. So, well, it's not much, but half of a bottle of cephalexin is better than nothing." She paused a moment and gave me a sly look. "Unless you're one of those 'all drugs are bad, mmkay?' folks. Because if you want your leg to rot off that's your business."

  "Sorry about that, it's just -"

  "Shush, I get enough half-mumbled excuses from my daughter. Antibiotics, yes or no?"

  "Yes, please."

  "That's better!" She plucked the pill bottle out of its place with long fingers and set it on the sink. "I'll leave you to it. If we hear a crash, we'll come check on you." She turned towards the door. "Oh, yes, clothes. I'll see what I can find and put them on the sink once you're in, alright?"

  "That's fine, thanks."

  Steph nodded with a smile and closed the door behind her, leaving me to my own devices. As I started to work off my biker boots and dust-covered uniform, my eyes kept wandering to the closet. Why was I being so stubborn? If I just took the recommended dose, I wouldn't be abusing it, would I?

  I forced my eyes shut. Those were all just the whispers of justification. I tried to tune out that needy voice in my head and listen to Rational Irene. She knew I'd take the recommended dose, but as my body had built up a resistance to those pain killers, that dose wouldn't help. I'd use that outcome to justify taking more. And more. Until either they were gone or I was feeling nice, pain-free, and probably more than a little loopy. I wasn't going to do that anymore, especially not to these people putting themselves out for me.

  Opening my eyes, I focused my gaze on the task at hand. Maybe the shower would help.

  It may have been simply ramen noodles spiced up with canned vegetables and meat, nothing compared to Quentin's fantastic cooking skills, but it was hot, it was filling, and it came with human company that wasn't focused on saving the world or fighting crime. Kathy had just finished telling us in insightful detail about the cartoon she had just finished watching and, well, I liked it. It was the first time I had felt 'normal' in months.

  "I know it's not fancy, Miss Indy," Kathy smiled, "but I like hot ramen! It makes me feel all warm inside, especially when I'm sick."

  "It's fine," I said. "I really do like it."

  "Food is another thing the Crusaders haven't run out of yet, but don't ask me how," Stephanya said. "Obviously they can't get it imported in." She stifled a laugh. "I bet you don't want to hear any of this."

  "Well, yes and no." I glanced around the room. "I'll be honest, I'd love to hide out here but that's not safe for you."

  "Besides, you've got to stop the Crusaders, right?" Kathy's eyes almost glowed with expectation.

  "Now, Kathy, you really shouldn't press our guest like that. She was pretty badly hurt, you -"

  "No, it's okay." I nodded solemnly to the girl. "Yes, I do and I will." I hoped I sounded as confident as I wanted to. Stephanya glanced between me and her daughter.

  "Kathy, now you be a good girl and clean up the plates." She got to her feet and stretched. "I want to talk to our friend here. Adult stuff, so no eavesdropping, okay?"

  The restriction was met with a fuming scowl, but Kathy reluctantly nodded before starting to gather up the plates. Stephanya offered me a hand up. Trying to act like a tough girl right now seemed a bit stupid so I didn't balk at the offer for help to get to our destination, the outdoor balcony. I thought about saying something about how that would be exposed but, really, how bad would my luck have to be that someone would be looking for me, recognize me without my uniform or mask, and see me on this one random balcony at just that moment?

  I settled against the railing and took a deep breath of fresh air as Steph closed the door behind us.

  "You don't have to worry," I preemptively said, "I should be good enough to get out of here today."

  "Well, I suppose I appreciate that but that wasn't why I wanted to talk to you..." She paused. "What do I call you anyway? I mean, I know what your 'superhero' name is but isn't that kind of silly to call someone who's hanging in your house?"

  "It might be easier for Kathy if you call me that." There wouldn't be in harm in telling her, but on the other hand, maybe there would. "Most of my friends and colleagues just shorten it to 'Indy'."

  "Okay, Indy, what I wanted to ask you." Stephanya rolled her eyes a little as she said the nickname, turning towards the muted sounds of the city below. The lust for life that had made Atlanta a cacophony of noise was mostly gone now. "Are you serious about what you said? Are you going to stop them?"

  "I'm going to do everything I can." I found my fingers clenching around the black metal railing. "Realistically though I don't know if I can promise anything."

  "Why not?" She turned to face me now. "I mean, sure, okay, I get it. You don't want to be someone who can't live up to their promises but isn't that just a little bit jerk-ass of you?" She shook her head. "Maybe you don't understand what you mean to the people out there. If you can't tell me that you're going to do it, how can I have any hope at all for my family? I mean, who else is going to save our bacon? No one else is exactly stepping up here!"

  "I -" I was confused. What was she talking about exactly? "Look, maybe I don't understand -"

  "That's obvious." Putting her hands over her mouth, she blinked in what was almost shock. "Wow, did I just snark to a Push Hero?" She laughed. "I'm sorry. Well, a little sorry." She pinched the air. "Like, that much sorry? Eight, nine percent?"

  I continued with my blank stare. There was something really important I wasn't getting and it frustrated me. With a deep breath, I counted back in my head from ten.

  "Sorry, sorry, I couldn't resist!" Stephanya got her laughter under control. "Okay, what I'm trying to tell you, Indy, is that people look up to you." She gestured out towards the city. "Everyone trapped in this town knows, deep down, who is on their side and who isn't. Face it, you're the only hope we have. No one wanted to believe you'd been captured, especially after they saw the video of you taking down Epic. Now that people know you aren't -"

  "Wait, what?" How could there be a video of that? We were alone on a rooftop or hurtling through the air for most of that fight.

  "What which?"

  "The video. What video?"

  Steph gave me an odd look then pulled out her cellphone. Tapping a few panes, she handed it to me. What I saw was a very clear video of the entirety of my last encounter with Epic, right up to the point the other Crusaders arrived. In fact, the only oddity I could tell was that the colors all appeared just a bit washed-out or bleached. The impossibility of this video was apparent. Well, I would have assumed it was impossible save for the fact I was looking at it right now.

  "How did you get this?" I played it over again, trying to find any clue in the pictures themselves of the origin.

  "I- Well, how did anyone? Maybe a day after the dome went up, people started finding that on their phones, mobile devices, whatever. Most of my friends got it and those that didn't, well, let's just say there's plenty of ways to send data even when the city itself is cut off from the main Net."

  I shook my head and handed her back the phone.

  "I don't know how that was made, but it's all true."

  "Needless to say, everyone who's seen it knows that you're the real deal, assuming they didn't before. Which you could argue required living in a cave until now but that's neither here nor there." She shrugged and put her phone back in her pocket. "You've always been someone people looked up to, you know, an answer as to how Pushed and normal people can work together. It sounds sappy but a lot of people needed that message." Stephanya looked back out to the city. "A lot of people need it now. They need that someone to believe in."

  "I'm just, I mean, I'm one person," I muttered, looking down.

  "Do I really have to start reciting history lessons from Kathy's textbooks?" I looked up at the question to catch Stephanya's smirk. "Because I will! Co
me on, how many times has the world changed because everyone rallied behind one person?"

  "Point taken but me?"

  "Face facts, Indy, no one has come close to stopping Epic these past four months. No one but you. Twice." She poked me in the meat of the shoulder. "Don't blame me because I'm the messenger. We need you. We believe in you. So are you going to fish or cut bait?"

  For all of this time, the notion that the world rode on my shoulders was nothing but painful. I had wanted it to be untrue, I had wanted it to go away, and I had grown bitter over that burden. Even in those moments of clarity where I embraced it, that bitter taste always returned. This time, though, I was coming to the realization that it was only so horrible to me because I had made it so.

  Yes, the burden was immense and perhaps it would break me in the end but it was worth it. It was worth the price to do the right thing, it was worth the price to stay true to my principles, and it was certainly worth all of that pain to know that people believed in me. I felt a smile on my lips and a new wellspring of confidence fill my heart.

  "Well, when you put it that way, Stephanya, how can I say anything other than this: I promise I'll stop them. I promise I'll find a way to put everything right again."

  Stephanya smiled warmly for a moment before devolving in a snicker.

  "What?"

  "I can't help it, I know it's true, but it still sounds a little corny."

  "It does, doesn't it?" I found myself chuckling a little myself. "I am serious though."

  "I know."

  "Hey! You said there's still ways people are passing files, right?"

  "I did indeed."

  "I don't want to put you out any more, but there is one last thing I want to ask of you and your daughter."

  "Alright, but there's one price."

  "What's that?"

  "When you put your boot in Epic's face, you tell him that it's for me, Bob, and Kathy. It would be even better if you do it three times, like 'This is for Steph!' BOOT! 'This is for -'"