by Adam Moon
Hank said, “Thanks. What the hell are you doing here?”
Delacourt considered fabricating a story but he couldn’t come up with anything on the spot. He said, “I ingested the same blue stuff that affected both of you. I had to escape from the base after that.” That was all true. He just omitted the part where he stole the blue contagion and murdered a man.
Hank turned on Sally and said, “I told you they tried to kill us.” Then he turned back to Delacourt and asked, “Did they try to kill you too?”
“Yep,” he lied.
“Do you have an ability?”
“I do. Do you?”
Hank said, “Those sirens are coming because of my ability. I don’t have any control over it. It blew our hotel room apart. What’s yours?”
“I can telepathically influence people. What ability does she have?” He was staring at Sally.
Sally sneered at him. “Hank doesn’t speak for me.”
“I apologize, young lady. I meant no harm.”
She said, “I just woke up so I haven’t discovered mine yet.”
“Well when you do, make sure to let us know.”
The sirens ceased meaning that the responders had arrived. Hank asked, “What should we do? We need to get out of here. They’ll find out about the destruction to the room back at base and probably figure out that one of us did it.”
Delacourt said, “Let me find you some clothes and then we’ll decide what to do next.” He looked to Hank and then to Sally. “You don’t need to fear the military anymore. Nothing they do can stop us now.”
Intercepted Intel
The First Mate said to Shaylo, “Sir, I’ve translated an encrypted communiqué sent from a human military base. Apparently a so-called alien contagion is responsible for a select few humans enhanced abilities. It seems that while we waited in orbit, three more humans have now been infused with the enhancer.” She knew better than to mention that as they stalled, the earthlings were becoming better equipped to fight back, but she was infuriated by the lack of decisiveness from her General. Now she understood why so many of his First Mates chose death rather than continue to work directly under him. His tactics went against her natural instincts.
He eyed her coolly. “How many enhanced humans do they have?”
“From the intercepted communiqué, there are a total of five known humans who have advanced abilities.”
“What is this alien contagion they speak of?”
“I have no idea but it would seem that it has somehow fused with their DNA, altering it in beneficial ways.”
“Can we deduce in which ways they’ve been altered?”
“Not from out here.”
“Do they have access to any more of that contagion?”
“No. They used up the last of it.”
Shaylo smiled. “Five superhumans is hardly anything to worry about, no matter how advanced they are. Try to pinpoint their whereabouts just to be sure they’re not a threat to the invasion.” He paused and locked her in a vicious stare. “Don’t ever question my decisions again. You’re lucky I haven’t killed you for your insolence.”
“Yes sir. I apologize sir. I’m a warrior at heart. I hate to strategize when there’s a fight out there just waiting for us.”
“The first invasion was defeated because they went in blind. I’m the best at what I do for good reasons. Just do what’s asked of you and I might let you live for awhile.”
“Yes sir.”
Formulating a Plan
Delacourt got Hank and Sally some clothes from a store down the street. Then they moved to the next closest hotel just to be safe.
Delacourt would have a small army if he could just get the other two to side with him. He barely knew what he would even do with such an army, but the egomaniacal part of him was already formulating a crude plan to take over the world. The human population was thinned out so it was ripe for the picking if he only had the guts to try.
But first, he had to see how formidable his little army really was. To test them, he would attack the mountain bunker. If that fell easily, any fortified installation in the world would fall to him. He knew in his heart that they had to kill those punk kids or else they’d always be looking over their shoulders. Killing Watson would just be the cherry on top.
He just had to convince Hank and Sally to join him. He tried to influence them via telepathic thoughts but there was a mental blockage of some sort, either from him or from them. Maybe they were immune to it because they were similarly affected.
But it turned out he didn’t need to trick them.
Hank said, “I’m going back there as soon as I get my strength back. Those assholes tried to kill us and they’re going to pay. I’m going to kick the shit out of them.”
Sally wavered so Delacourt weighed in, if only to convince her that she was the odd one out. “Watson imprisoned us and tried to kill you both. That entire base has gone rogue. It’s my duty to take them down by any means.”
Hank smiled like an imp. “You could send for your troops, right? I like our chances if we can get some muscle behind us.”
Delacourt shook his head. “We don’t have time for that and I doubt we’ll need them.”
Sally said, “I can’t believe you two are talking about this. It’s treasonous.” She stared at her feet in deep contemplation and then went on. “I’ll join you but only if you let me take out the aliens.”
Delacourt tried to stifle the laugh that erupted from him, but he was too late. These two troops were as bloodthirsty as he could’ve ever hoped for even without his influence.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing. You’re right, of course. They wronged us more than Watson ever could. They’re all yours, young lady.”
“When do we move out?” Sally asked, suddenly eager.
“I know what I bring to a fight. I sort of get what Hank can do, but we have no clue if you can even contribute.” He let the words hang in the air accusatorially until Sally took the hint and started to attempt to bring forth whatever power she’d acquired.
They watched in silence as she squinted and knotted her face up in concentration. Her hands started to shake and her breathing became shallow. But nothing happened. Her eyes teared up as she turned back towards them.
Delacourt wanted nothing more than to mock her but he held his tongue.
Hank said quickly, “When I exploded, she was right next to me and she didn’t sustain injury. Maybe she’s impenetrable or immortal or something.”
Delacourt was getting sick of her. He said, “Prove it and we’ll start preparing for the attack.”
Sally shrugged her shoulders. “How do I do that?”
Delacourt rolled his eyes and then quickly pulled the handgun that he’d confiscated from the truck driver out.
Hank yelled, “No. Don’t,” and then he lunged at Delacourt, but he was too late. The boom was ear-shattering in the enclosed space.
Sally buckled over from the gut shot but she righted herself when she realized the bullet hadn’t penetrated her skin.
She laughed as she stabbed a forefinger through the hole in her new shirt.
But the levity was going to be short-lived because Hank was losing control of his powers again. Clearly his ability was governed by his own anger or fear.
His skin seemed to bubble from some unseen force beneath it trying to break free, looking like bugs under a blanket. His eyes became engorged with blood and his mouth fell open as he screamed like a trapped animal.
Delacourt hit the deck just in time.
Hank went off like a bomb, blowing up with an almost invisible energy that ferociously tore through everything in the room except for the three human occupants. In fact, Sally didn’t even bother to shield herself from the onslaught. She stood stock still as her hair whipped around and her brand new clothes were ripped into confetti by the blast.
Hank fell to one knee, panting, with eyes unfocused and hands quivering.
Delacourt
jumped to his feet and helped pick him up. “If we can help you control that power nothing can stop us.”
Sally shielded her nudity with her hands. She said, “I need another set of clothes. We need to move again. The cops will be here any minute.”
Delacourt nodded. “We need to acquire some firepower too. Let’s get going.”
Friends?
Jack was alone with Melanie in the cafeteria. He was getting restless. “We need to look for them. When I was first infected, I was weak and lost. We can help them come to terms with what’s happening to them.”
“Who’s to say they won’t kill you?”
“Why would they? They don’t hate me. Plus I’m not easy to hurt.”
“If they wanted to, they’re probably the only people on Earth who could.”
Jack took her hand and said in mock exaggeration, “I didn’t know you cared.”
She slowly pulled her hand away. “Of course I do. You’re my best friend.”
Jack felt his heart stop, and then wither and die. They were more than friends, weren’t they? They hadn’t exactly made their relationship official or anything but he had just assumed they were together. They’d kissed. But they hadn’t done anything beyond that and now that he was thinking about it objectively, he realized that the first time they’d kissed was soon after she’d buried Scott, her boyfriend. And he’d initiated that kiss like an insensitive jerk. He’d initiated every kiss since then and at the same time, avoided discussing Scott with her in any way. She must secretly hate him while feeling sorry for him at once. He had to clear the air or he risked losing his only friend.
He cleared his throat but he couldn’t bring himself to look into her eyes. “I’m sorry that I tried to force you into being more than a friend.”
She interrupted before he got carried away. “You didn’t force me to do anything. I’m a big girl. But I’m just not ready for a new boyfriend yet. I cry for Scott every single night. I still love him.”
Hearing her say that was like a punch in the chest. He missed Scott too but he was too self-centered to even consider that Melanie felt the same way.
He wanted to vanish. He even thought about teleporting away just to be alone for awhile but that would appear cowardly and a little over the top considering the situation.
She started to tear up so he did what a good friend should do, and hugged her. She sobbed, her body quaking with convulsions.
He felt like the biggest, most insensitive jerk on the planet.
He’d worry about how to handle Delacourt and the two troops after he took care of Melanie.
Control
Hank and Sally were starting to waver. The anger they’d felt had subsided a little bit and soon enough, they were questioning the merits of Delacourt’s planned invasion. They were tweaking the plan to allow for the least amount of lost lives, even going so far as to say they should wait and see how things would shake out. They were young, so their feelings were fleeting. He could not let them give up. He needed their support for the battles to come.
But he soon made a breakthrough. He’d had no luck the first few times he’d tried to manipulate them with his mind, but because he never gave up, he kept at it and it eventually paid off. He didn’t have the totalitarian authority over their thoughts the way he had back at the bunker with the other soldiers, but he was making tiny strides in the right direction.
He’d tried to implant the exact same thought into Hank over and over again: to get him to untie his left shoe.
It was an insidious task meant only to convey to Delacourt that he was winning the mental battle.
Hank had crossed his legs at one point and started to fidget with the lace on his left shoe. Then, later, he started to stare at it intently like he wondered what was so important about it, but he refrained from touching it like it might be dangerous.
Then, out of the blue he said to Sally, “I can’t take my eyes off of this shoelace. Is there something on it? It feels all wrong. A part of me wants to just kick the shoe off into the trash so I can stop thinking about it.”
Sally felt his forehead and suggested he take a quick nap to get his mind right.
Then, just a few minutes ago, Hank reached down and yanked on the lace so hard that he ripped it clean off. He threw it against the wall and then let out a sigh of relief.
Sally stared at him like he had ten heads but her gaze didn’t penetrate his feeling of newfound bliss.
So Delacourt could influence them, but not easily. There was something within them that fought off his influence like it was the enemy. Maybe, if he kept at it, they’d become so used to his nudging they’d start to ignore it. At that point, he’d have them.
It didn’t hurt that they already sort of wanted the same things he did, at least in the short term. They wanted to right the perceived wrongs done to them at the bunker. Since that was his first priority too, it bought him some time to convince them to join him in taking over the military, and then the country, and finally the world.
Hank was formidable and so was he, but he felt like Sally didn’t bring enough to their side. She was indestructible, but Hank had been shot point blank by a rifle and it didn’t even leave a mark. Delacourt hadn’t been affected when Hank had exploded at the last hotel room. That was partly because he’d ducked down but the back of his shirt and pants had been obliterated and yet his skin was intact, without so much as a blemish. What all of that meant, as far as he could deduce, was that they were all indestructible. So, by that token, Sally’s powers were decidedly underwhelming. But he was confident they had enough to take the bunker down, even with those two brats tucked away in there.
They’d stockpiled enough firepower from the local gun shops to take down God himself. Getting the weaponry was as easy as walking in the door, holding their arms out and letting the owners fill them up, with some help from Delacourt’s mind manipulation of course. Delacourt forced the owners to spill the beans on who in town might be holding some military grade weaponry. Then they gathered the illegal, high-caliber rifles and automatic weapons up with no resistance.
Hank and Sally had both insisted on Army issued camouflage so Delacourt hit up an Army surplus store just to appease them. He learned more about them during that shopping excursion than he’d learned all day, and it made him hesitant to use them in the coming battle. They immediately gravitated toward the winter camo meant for frozen terrain. Even after Delacourt insisted that the uniforms would do them no good since they’d be traveling up a mountain side in the middle of summer in Wyoming, they were dead set on getting them. He got it for them even though he knew they only wanted it because it looked cool. As much as the concession angered him, he kept his mouth shut in order to further lure them in.
They were rested and they were focused. The time to attack was drawing near.
Delacourt planted a thought seed within Hank and Sally that he would caress and nurture until it was time to attack, and it was this: hate the base. Hate the people. Kill them all without remorse. Do everything I tell you to do. I am your master.
Awaiting Orders
Melanie kissed Jack on the cheek. “Thanks for being there for me.”
He looked at her tear streaked face and was about to reply when Watson walked in, saying, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.” He was about to turn and walk back out when Melanie sniffed and said, “It’s okay. You’re not interrupting anything. What’s going on?”
Watson said, “I’ve reported our situation up the chain so they’re trying to figure out the next course of action. What that really means is that it’ll be awhile before our orders come through.”
Melanie walked to the buffet and grabbed a handful of chips, partly to give her trembling hands something to do and partly because she was hungry. “I might as well stick around here indefinitely. There’s no school, I don’t have a job, and my only friend is already here.”
That put Jack in a bind. If he wanted to leave, he was compelled to stay now that she’
d said that. He said the only thing he could under the circumstances. “Me too. Let us know what you need us to do.”
Watson let out a sigh. “It’s a waiting game now. If they send us a bunch of aerial drones, we’ll find them all pretty quickly. But they’ll only do that if they think we’re worth it or if the threat is deemed credible. With most of the country in utter turmoil, it’s hard to say how we’ll fare in their eyes.”
Melanie guffawed. “We haven’t had a lot of luck getting the military to see things from our perspective.”
Jack agreed with a wry smile and a nod.
Melanie said, “I don’t know if the other two are dangerous but we already know Commander Delacourt is a murderer and I know for a fact he hates me.”
Watson whispered, “He hates me too. I don’t know how he got out or why he didn’t try to kill me already, but I have a feeling it won’t be the last we see of him. Somehow I doubt he’ll use whatever powers he attained from the contagion to better the world.”
Jack laughed aloud. “In that case, we might not have to try and find him. If he really hates everyone here so much, he might come back on his own, if only to kill us.”
A shudder went through Watson. He hoped more than ever for reinforcements to arrive. He was ill-prepared for an attack on the base from a super villain.
Sally’s Power
The news showed riots on the streets of Philadelphia and looting all across the country. Bands of roving nut-jobs with rifles and handguns meted out their own brand of justice as the depleted lawmen stood idly by. A fire in Chicago was still raging from a week earlier. The world was a mess. It had been that way for a month.
