by M. Lorrox
July sits on the far side of the plane, on the other side of the center aisle but in the same row. “Are you alright?”
Ghost shakes her head. Just wait till that little bump, then you know you’re going up... She takes a fast breath and holds it. The airplane lifts its nose and front wheels while it continues to build speed. Then the rear wheels lift off. HOLD HOLD HOLD HOLD HOLD HOLD HOLD... The airplane creaks as it thrusts forward, and then as it attains its takeoff angle, the plane settles. Ghost releases her breath and her death grip on the armrests.
July yawns and wipes her face. “I’ve always liked flying. Haven’t gone on many trips, but I think it’s really cool.”
Ghost cricks her neck in both directions, ending so she faces July. She glares for a moment. I suppose it must be hard being turned, and then having people experiment on you… I’d do whatever I could to get revenge too. She softens her face and shrugs. “I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to flying... By the way, I’m sorry for all the things you’ve gone through. And I’m sorry if I seemed bitchy back at the hospital.”
“What happened has happened, but I’m not sure what you mean—you were bitchy?”
Ghost sighs. “When you came out of the bathroom and I first met you, I was surprised and I said something rude.” She draws the corners of her lips in. “Sorry.”
July shrugs. “It’s no big deal, I understand. I look tiny and weak.”
“That makes what I said even worse.” Ghost unbuckles her seatbelt and slides across the center row, toward the port-side aisle. She sits directly across the aisle from July. “See, I’m tiny too. I should be the last person that judges someone on their size.”
July smiles. “It’s okay, I forgive you... Can I ask you a question?”
“Shoot.”
“How old are you?”
Ghost chuckles. “One hundred and twenty-four.”
“Wow, you look great.”
She holds up her arm, pulls the fabric of the ACU’s top tight at her bicep, then she flexes her muscles. “Thanks, I work out.”
July laughs.
Ghost smiles at her. “Can I ask you a question?”
July nods. “Of course.”
“Do you know why Dr. Melgaard did...what he did, to you?”
She clenches her jaw and looks away, staring into the back of the seat in front of her.
Ghost frowns and furrows her brow. “I’m sorry, forget I asked... I’m really sorry.”
July unbuckles herself and turns to face Ghost. “I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone, so I didn’t, but I think it’s safe to say now though.”
“I don’t mean to pry.”
“No, it’s okay. It’s because I was infected by both the vampire and zombie viruses. There, I said it.”
Ghost pushes her head forward a whole inch. “No way. I didn’t think that was possible... How?”
“I got infected with the zombie virus, and then Mr. Costanza turned me.”
Ghost sits back in her chair. “Far out. Well, I’m sorry Dr. Melgaard did those things to you. We’ll get him.”
July scowls. “I’ll get him.” She sits back in her seat with a sigh. “There’s no doubt there. I plan to rip him into little pieces with my wolf-claws.” She holds up a hand and tenses the muscles of her fingers to curve them like claws.
Ghost squints at her. “He’d deserve nothing less.”
July drops her hand and turns again to Ghost. “Can I ask you another question?”
She smiles. “Sure, you can ask me anything.”
“What’s your relationship with Naga?”
Ghost is taken aback. “Umm, who said I have a relationship with Naga?”
July motions with her chin. “You did. Whenever you see him, you change.”
“Change? What are you talking about?”
July sighs. “Whenever I see you when you see him, I feel a flash of heat from you... I’d like to know what it means.” It’s the same with Eddy when he sees me.
Ghost leans over the aisle and whispers, “I love him. We’re not intimate with each other really, but we’re kind of like soulmates, if you believe in such woo-woo fluffy-stuff.”
Hmm. “What’s a soulmate to you?”
Ghost finds a warm, soft smile, and puts it on with pleasure. “That words aren’t needed for our communication. We just feel...or know each other in a way that’s hard to explain.”
July thinks of Eddy, and a similarly warm smile greets her face. Then she forces it away. Maybe we were that before, but now... She shakes her head. No, he can’t love me anymore.
Ghost reaches her hand out. “Are you okay?”
July nods. “I was just thinking about...a relationship I used to have like that. It was really wonderful.”
“Used to? One thing I’ve learned, is that the people in life are the most important part.” She squeezes July’s arm. “You have to be open to relationships—you have to let them evolve.”
“I believe you…” She shakes her head quickly. “Sorry, I’m feeling really tired all of a sudden.”
Ghost hands out a canteen of blood as she stands. “Help yourself. And July, it was really nice talking to you.”
She takes the canteen and smiles up at the knight. “Thanks. You too… Oh, one more thing?” She takes a sip.
Ghost turns on leans on the seat in front of her. “What’s up?”
July can’t help but feel awkward. “Is there a chance you could teach me to use a knife or a sword? I uh—”
Ghost leaps into the air and lands alongside July’s seat. “Yes! I love bladed weapons. What kind of thing are you hoping to learn?”
July laughs, then shrugs. “I don’t even know. I’ve got this long dagger somebody…gave me, and when I was hiding out earlier, this long straight sword caught my eye. I think it’s a new one of Charlie’s.”
“A long straight sword? Oh, that’s got to be the Patton saber. That caught my eye, too, when we were switching planes. That’d be a fun one—real fast.”
July hands the canteen back. “Thanks, I’m feeling better… I’m ready to start learning if you’re ready to start—”
Ghost is running up the aisle toward the stairs to the upper deck’s lounge. She yells over her shoulder, “I’ll ask if we can use the saber! Grab that dagger of yours!”
Dr. Kazumi Oshiro’s Material Design and Manufacturing team, who work out of an area of the facility they call The Foundry, have been tasked with completing the newly designed coupling bracket by the morning. Elizabeth Parks oversees the team, and she closes a document she was working on. She checks the time. 2:38 am. Better do another round.
Outside her office, the smell of hot metal, oil, and ozone-laced air fills her lungs. Sounds of plasma cutters, metal being carved by lathes and mills, and spot welders fill her head. She pops a piece of gum into her mouth as she continues into the shop.
Elizabeth first arrives at Ryan’s station, where he is working at a CNC milling machine to carve the outer shape of the coupling device.
He watches through a small window as the computer controlled arm incrementally shaves microns of titanium from a solid block. The machine is about two-thirds to being finished with carving out the egg-like shape, and it now starts to cut a series of small channels into the inner edge of the metal.
Ryan notices her approaching. 2:45 already? Damn, this is taking longer than I thought. He turns around and frowns. “Hey Liz, I know I’m behind, but I had to modify a few sections that would have caused problems later during fusing. Also, this new alloy is a real pain to work with. After going through half a dozen carbide bits, I figured I might better just repurpose some high-speed tool-steel bits, and so far, so good.”
She waves her hand and shakes her head. “It’s alright, really. This is one piece where maintaining the highest quality supersedes timelines.” She smil
es. “But don’t screw around. That piece has a long line waiting for it.”
He nods. “I know. I’ll run it down as soon as I deburr it.”
She walks to the next area, where a team of plastics specialists are working around a large steel, precision fixture table. Holes and channels are cut into the table’s surface, where technicians can attach a variety of implements. Elizabeth peeks over the shoulders of the people working.
In the center of the table sits a different egg-shaped, cookie-cutter-like object, but this one was 3D printed from plastic as a temporary template to prototype on. It’s clamped down through the table’s peg-holes, and inside the cavity of the shape is a fine grid. Directly above, a camera. On all sides, arms are clamped to pegs in the table, each holding a small, stainless steel tube. Technicians twist dials on the arms, slowly and precisely positioning the tubes inside the void of the 3D printed shape. Elizabeth clears her throat. “What’s your status?”
Xavier glances up from a monitor where the video feed from the camera is overlaid with the design schematics. “We have six tubes roughly placed and are working on three at a time. We should be ready to pour the epoxy at four am.”
Elizabeth nods. “Excellent, keep it up.”
Xavier yawns. I’m definitely earning my million dollars, that’s for sure. These rush jobs are killer.
At the next station, Elizabeth stands beside the window to a clean room. Inside, Ytarra is soldering components on an egg-shaped circuit board while bopping her head.
While she works, Ytarra sings along with the song under her breath. “Make a fuckin’ move it would make my fuckin’ day. Got a hundred-year plan you jus’ think about today.”
Elizabeth flips a switch. It turns on the microphone beside the window, and it turns off all other media playing through the speakers inside the clean room.
“Long Live the Chief” by Jidenna is replaced by the completely less rhythmic-and-badass sound of Elizabeth’s voice. “Ytarra, I’m sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to check in.”
Ytarra continues soldering a small capacitor to the board. A large magnifying glass is positioned in front of her crisp vampire eyes. She finishes and sets the iron down. She hits a button on her belt, and the microphone on her collar turns on, picking up her voice and playing it on a small speaker outside the room, next to Elizabeth. “I finished the thread sensors, and now I’m upgrading the caps on the translation board. I’ll be done in an hour.”
Elizabeth smiles through the window. “You’re fast—that’s much faster than I allotted you.”
Ytarra sniffs. “I am the best, after all. I’m hoping to grab a shower between this and assembly. When will the others be done?”
“We’re running a little behind, so we won’t need you until five, I’d say.”
“Too bad for them, but good for me. If you don’t see me here on your next rounds, it’ll mean I’m finished. Holler before five if I’m needed.”
Elizabeth nods, then flips the switch to turn off the microphone before she walks away. Over her shoulder, Ytarra starts bopping her head again.
As Elizabeth approaches Tim, she sighs. He leads a pair of machinists who are all supposed to be working on the central spindle receiver—a piece that fits inside the ring at the very center of the design. All three of the men are drinking beer and laughing at a subtitled, Japanese game show where well-endowed contestants—of both sexes—wear break-away bikini swimsuits and run a gauntlet of foam projectiles and high-pressure air and water jets. Elizabeth clears her throat and places both hands at her hips.
The men don’t notice her.
“Hey!”
They turn, and their smiles disappear. Tim presses the power button and kills the TV. “Oh, Hi Liz.”
“Enjoying yourselves?”
Tim grins. “What’s the point otherwise?” He watches as Elizabeth’s eye twitches, then he shrugs. “Actually, we’re ahead of schedule. I allocated double the time required to mill the receiver, figuring we’d screw up the first time.” He steps over to a table, sets down his beer, and picks up a shiny piece of metal. “But we nailed it.”
Elizabeth allows a smirk and adopts a softer posture. “Excellent, but you all have more to do, don’t you? Your team is also responsible for the reinforcement brackets. They need holes to be drilled and tapped at the exact angles for the cross-pins Ryan will cut.”
He nods, glancing longingly at his half-full beer bottle. “I thought a break would help maintain morale. We’ve been making parts around the clock all week, and I just know we’re gonna get thrown back on that crazy whip project soon. That thing has so many parts…”
She sighs. “I know, you all have been working very hard. When we’re done, we’ll all be able to take vacations that last the rest of our lives… So don’t fuck this up.”
“Yeah yeah, crazy money, just don’t ask questions.” He turns to the pair of greasy men behind him. “Guys, pound ’em or pour ’em, we’ll finish first then kick off for the day.” He turns back to Elizabeth. “We can take tomorrow, or whatever, the rest of today off, I take it?” He waves the four fingers that remain on his left hand. “Overwork costs a lot in disability.”
Elizabeth chuckles. “Sounds reasonable. Now, get back to work. I want to see progress on those reinforcement brackets on my next rounds.”
Tim nods. “You got it.”
On the 747, Ghost recruits Ricochet as an assistant, and the two knights show July basic blade techniques. They first focus on moves July could use with her dagger—the one Li Chen stabbed her with—and they use plastic dinner knives they found in the flight attendants’ service area.
Ghost draws her left leg back and places her weight on it. She bends her right leg and raises her heel. “This is like a cat-stance. There’s little weight on the front leg.” Ghost lifts her right leg up, showing how her weight is supported by her back leg. “Now you’re right handed, so that’s why my right leg is forward. See?”
July tilts her head. “Huh?”
Ricochet waves his hand. “Ghost, you skipped something.” He looks at July. “So, traditional thought would say to use weapons in your non-dominant hand because that side of your body is weaker. Think about it like this: would you rather make the weaker side stronger? Or your stronger side even more strong?”
July nods. “Okay, so I hold the blade in my left hand to balance myself out.”
Ghost nods. “Right, they call that covering your weakness. So I suggest you hold your right hand up like a block, in line with your right leg. Your left hand—with the knife—is ready to strike with some of those techniques we showed you.”
July jumps out of her seat and into the aisle. “Okay, let me try. So if Rick attacks… Go ahead, but slow. I can block or redirect his first blow, step down on the front leg to advance, or step back to withdraw, then attack from the left.”
Ghost claps. “You’re surprisingly well versed in attack and defense strategy.”
July smiles. “I had a really good chess teacher.” She sniffs, picturing Beatrice’s smiling face in her mind’s eye. I’ll get him for you.
Ricochet recovers himself back. “Nice. And speaking of chess, that’s one way to think about fencing, and that Patton saber is more like a foil than an actual saber.” He glances at Ghost. “Move on up to that? Use the sheath maybe?”
She taps July on the shoulder. “What do you think, more short blade techniques? Or do you want to move on?”
July motions to her tactical dagger that sits on a plane’s seat next to her. “I actually hope to not need the dagger much, someday I want to be able to just use my hands and claws.” She holds up an empty hand and curves her tan fingers. “But the sword has greater range, kinda like a knight in chess does, so yeah, let’s move on.”
Ghost smirks and squints. “Uh, okay, sounds good. I’ll go get it.”
The Patton saber is a long, stra
ight sword, and Ghost and Ricochet demonstrate fencing techniques with its long, straight sheath in the plane’s aisle. After demonstrations of the basic moves, July takes the scabbard and repeats the moves.
Ghost chuckles to Ricochet. “We’re either the best teachers ever, or she’s a natural.”
He smirks. “Could be both.” All of a sudden, a yawn attacks his face with a sudden thrust, and he shakes his head as he recovers. “Man, I think I gotta rest now. July, you got enough to practice on your own, right?”
She nods and yawns too. “Yes, thank you both so much. I’ll practice more, but what will come next?”
As Ghost walks past, she places her hand on her shoulder. She winks. “Combinations. But you have to have all the basics down first.”
“I understand. Thank you, both of you, for helping me.”
Ricochet pops in a new toothpick. “Anytime.” He and Ghost head toward first class to recline and rest with some of the other team members.
Upstairs, Stephanie and Owen stretch out on the floor of the upper level lounge. July walks way to the back of the plane where the equipment is stored, and she finds Eddy stretched out across a row of seats.
She takes a pair of seats beside him and curls up into a ball.
Eddy is sound asleep. He’s dreaming he’s at school with his old friends. Jane, Joe, and Tomo sit and chat with him in the shade by the school steps, the way they all sat together the last day he went to school, a little over a week ago.
He looks at Joe, and Joe smiles. “So Leo, next week my dad said he’d take me into the mountains to teach me how to make an upside-down fire. Want to come?”
Jane looks at Eddy. “I’m going too, it’ll be fun. And Tomo, you want to come?”
Tomo smiles. “Only if Leo can come.”
Eddy nods at them all, then he notices June—the way she used to look—walk out of the school building with some of the girls in her class. He’s walking next to her, her shiny black hair reflecting the sunlight into his eyes.
