The Final Revolution

by Anthony Thackston

  Alan takes note of the surroundings. The same bland metal walls. The same struggling to get from one place to another. Takeda takes the tiniest sip from his cup.

  “Is that the same cup from yesterday?” Alan asks.

  The old man chuckles. “It is the same cup from three days ago.” He regains his composure. “Humanity is not meant for this,” he continues with a raise of his cup, referring to the small amount of water in it. “Certainly, no one should be forced to live like this.”

  Alan stands. “I’m not a leader.”

  Takeda lets out a laugh. “Dear boy, that amuses me every time you say it. You are a walking contradiction. You make moves to oust the man in control of this ship. But you’re not a leader. And yet that is your end destiny, is it not? Your entire reason for being. If Hallet remains in power, you will be a leader. Like it or not. Regardless of how you see yourself.”

  “That’s different. You want me to lead an army. And not even a trained army.” Alan points to the people shuffling through the hallway. “Anyone doesn’t make it, that’s on my conscience.”

  “All on this ship will be on your conscience if you are unable to remove Hallet. You have trusted me for everything else. Trust me for this.”

  Alan walks to the other side of his small room. It is not a very far walk since there is hardly enough room to pace around. He leans against the wall, his back to Takeda. A small crack, formed from rust, sucks a small amount of cold air into it. Alan places his fingers around the crack and feels the chill run across the back of his hand. He stares at the crack and focuses. Part of the metal begins to fold inward, widening the gap.

  Takeda bites through the pain in his knee and limps to the wall. He watches as the metal folds further inward. “You bend steel walls, now?”

  “Not always. Sometimes I can barely move a strip of cloth.”

  “It is not consistent?”

  Alan shakes his head and points up at the ceiling.

  Takeda follows his finger and sees the screw buried into the steel above them. He raises and eyebrow. “And yet, you have grown stronger. How is it that Hallet still commands the Grand Marshall?”

  “I don’t know. Every time I’ve tried, It’s like I can’t touch him.”

  “You keep trying to use physical force. You have not tried mental?”

  “I have. It’s like…Whenever I try to use any kind of force against him, something is stopping me. Like a wall is in my way. Some kind of block.” Alan turns his back against the wall. “Could he be blocking me, somehow?”

  “If Captain Hallet had abilities such as yours, there would never be any question of his authority. No. He is not like you. But you will be like him if you do not lead us to the bridge.”

  “That won’t happen. I won’t let it.” Alan says as the cracked metal bends back into place, closing the gap, slightly.

  “You have not seen the process, have you? There is little even you could do, to stop it. On your own, Hallet still commands greater numbers. But with us at your back, victory is all but assured.”

  Alan watches members of the lower deck move back and forth. Just going about their sad lives. Many of them hoping and dreaming of a greater existence.

  “Trust me as you always have.” Takeda rests a hand on Alan’s shoulder. “It’s what they all want.”

  “What if I’m afraid I’ll lose some of them?”

  “If Hallet puts you in that chair, you will lose all of them.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Inside of a decent sized room, the only one in the lower deck, an illuminated ball rolls between Alan and Danny. Bright blue and orange colors cascade along the floor as the ball bounces back and forth between them. The inside heel of their shoes flash red each time they kick the ball.

  “Remind me what they do for fun on the upper decks,” Danny says rhetorically.

  “It will just make you mad.” Alan kicks the ball.

  “Maybe I want to be mad right now.” Danny stops the ball and leans down to pick it up. His hand passes right through the lit sphere. “Basketball. Video games. Tell me again, there’s a gym up there, right?”

  “A small gym.”

  “But it’s bigger than this room. All we get is a bunch of boxes to move around in and a holographic ball.”

  “Maybe you should tell Captain Takeda your complaints. He might make you the leader.”

  “Leader of what?”

  Alan takes the holograph emitter off his shoes. “He wants me to lead everyone—All of us to the bridge.”

  Danny immediately takes the device off his shoes. “I’m game. Let’s do it. When do we go?”

  “It’s not that simple.”

  “Of course it is.” Danny steps toward Alan. “If all of us attack at the same time, what could they do?”

  “They have the weapons.”

  Danny stares at his friend for a moment before walking to a rusted pipe connected to the wall. He takes hold of the pipe and jerks it free. “So do we,” he says holding up the blunt object. “This whole deck is so full of broken parts, I’m surprised this ship is still running. If everyone grabbed what they could, we’d have enough—”

  “They have real weapons, Danny. Flame throwers? We’d have to get close to use those.” Alan points at the pipe.

  “You don’t,” Danny tells him. “Think about it. We could pile up whatever we need and you could just…” Danny motions with his hand, feigning levitation of the pipe.

  “I’m not that strong.”

  “Remember when you were?”

  “I don’t remember much from back then.”

  “You were crying. You had things far heavier than this pipe, floating around you. I remember Takeda stepping in front of me so I wouldn’t get hit by any of it. If you could do that then, just imagine—”

  “I don’t remember doing it then. I sure can’t do it now.”

  “But if you could, those flame throwers would be useless against you. And if you’ve got all of us having your back? We’d take over the whole ship.” Danny takes a moment to think about it before laughing aloud. “I’m surprised I never thought of it before.”

  “It doesn’t matter. Next time I move on the bridge will be just like the last. Me, alone. I’ll let you all know when it’s safe to come out.”

  “You need an army. Takeda’s right, you need to lead—”

  “I’m not a leader. Takeda is. It was his ship, it should be him who takes us up. If anything, I’m a soldier. He points, I go.”

  “Then go where he’s telling you. To the front. With all of us.” Danny strikes the pipe against the wall. Flecks of dust fall to the floor as the clang echoes in the room. “At least take me. You haven’t been able to touch Hallet but I can. Whatever it is that stops you, it won’t hold me back.”

  Alan doesn’t budge on his position. “It would only take one flame thrower to end the whole thing. Whether it’s all of us or just you. One person gets hit by that thing and lights up the rest of us—”

  “We both know those things are spotty at best. Besides, I have a theory about them.” Danny hands the pipe to Alan.

  Alan tries to telekinetically throw it at the wall. It stops a few feet short. He gives Danny a glance, See? I can’t do it.

  Danny smiles. “It’s fine. I heard that the last time they used them, they were having their own distance issues.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The ship’s engines are cold. They’ve been that way for a while, right? I think they’re running out of fuel. Hallet will want to conserve what little is left for the ship. The flame throwers might even be out of fuel. Which means they’re useless for anything other than a heavy back pack.”

  “So what?”

  “So. If it’s true, they won’t have the advantage. We can take them all. With or without your…” Danny struggles to find the words but he indicates how by sticking his hand on his hand then stretching his arm out ion front of him, mimicking Alan
’s ability.

  Alan looks back at the pipe on the floor. He stretches out his own hand and the pipe rises and floats to him. He grasps the blunt instrument and stares at it for a moment. “We’ll need more of these. Or things like these.”

  Danny smiles. “I’ll handle all that.” He slams a fist into his hand. “This ship will be ours. I can’t wait to—” The sound of scuffling and panic cuts him off. Alan and Danny step out of the small recreation room and into the hallway. Four soldiers, all wearing black, push back on a small wave of lower deck passengers. Everyone is yelling as fists try to strike the soldiers. They are met with armored defenses.

  “Get back, all of you!” one of the guards orders. “This is a decree from Captain Hallet. We are taking this child for—”

  “You’re not taking my boy!” A man stands between the soldier in charge and a little boy.

  “We will go through all of you if we have to,” the soldier says.

  “We’ll go through you.” A woman charges forward and attacks one of the soldiers.

  “This is it.” Danny says. He steps forward, ready to battle but stops short when one of the soldiers cracks the woman across the face with a baton.

  Alan squeezes the pipe in his hand. It’s one pipe against four batons, each held by an armored soldier. The crowd starts to step backward, leaving the man and his son the only two left against the soldiers. Alan sees Takeda standing with the group of passengers.

  “Hold him,” the head soldier orders. Two others grab the man while a third stands at the ready, in case any more passengers decide to advance on them. The commanding soldier grabs the boy. “You’re coming with me.”

  “No!” the father cries out.

  “Carl!” Danny yells to the father then turns to Alan. “We can’t let them do this.”

  Alan extends a hand, keeping the boy in place. The soldier tries to pull the boy along. The child’s feet slide across the floor as the two forces pull him in opposite directions. Alan grits his teeth. He’s losing this battle.

  “What’s wrong?” Danny asks.

  “He’s too far. It’s too much,” Alan strains.

  “Then stop.” Takeda steps up from behind and places a hand on Alan’s shoulder. “The strain on the boy is too much, as well. You don’t want him getting hurt.”

  “I can’t let them take him.” Alan says, continuing to try and keep the child from being taken from his father.

  “He will be with us again soon.” Takeda pushes Alan’s arm down.

  A breathless sigh escapes Alan as he and the rest of the group watch the soldier carry off the boy. The child’s cries are like torture for everyone in the hallway. The father’s cries, even more-so.

  Takeda turns to Alan. “We must choose the right way to strike.”

  Alan looks at Danny. “We have one.”

  Takeda looks at Danny who smiles. Alan slams the pipe in the palm of his hand. Danny slams his fist into his hand again.

  “We’re taking the bridge. All of us.” Alan watches the soldiers disappear behind the slowly closing door to the higher decks.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Clanging and kicking sounds surround the lower deckers as they work to pry off pieces of the ship.

  “Whatever you can use.” Alan’s’s taken to the leadership role very naturally. “Anything you can carry that isn’t bolted down too much. We’ll meet their force with our own.”

  “We’ll show them what happens when they stick us down here,” Danny adds as he smashes a wooden crate. The pieces splinter to the floor. He picks up a couple of the slats and passes them out to nearby passengers. “Watch the nails,” he tells them as they reach out for the improvised weapons.

  “I would prefer it not come to this,” Takeda says.

  “Isn’t this what you want?” Alan asks.

  “As a threat, yes. Better they simply back down. The less blood shed the better.”

  “They took my boy,” the father says as he pulls a chain down from the ceiling. “I’ll shed as much of their blood as I can.”

  “Just remember, If we have to fight, we fight only the soldiers. None of the other passengers,” Alan cautions.

  “Then they’d better stay out of my way,” Danny says.

  “What is the meaning of this?” A shrill voice yells from the lower deck entrance. The lower deck passengers stop their weapons collecting and turn in the direction of the speaker. “Never have I seen such a display.”

  The crowd parts, making an aisle for a short woman in glasses and her imposing companions to walk through. She grabs a valve wheel from one of the passengers. “What is this? Where did this come from? Where did any of this come from?” She addresses the passengers. “This wanton destruction of property. This total disregard for your home—Our home. What is the plan, here, hmm? A little trick?” She smacks a pipe out of a passenger’s hand. It hits the ground and rolls to her feet. The shrill woman stares down at it then back up at the passenger. She adjusts her glasses in disbelief that this piece of dirty metal is touching her shoes. The passenger begins to mumble. “Yes? What is it? You have something to say, hmm?”

  “Sorry,” is all the passenger can get out.

  “Sorry, what?”

  “I’m sorry, Minister Jada.”

  “Sorry. Sorry? Well, sorry doesn’t really change the issue does it?”

  The passenger shakes his head and looks down at the pipe.

  “We’re waiting,” Jada says. In response the passenger kicks the pipe away from her shoe. She looks at him and smiles. One tooth is missing. “How very generous of you,” she tells him before continuing through the aisle of passengers. “I suppose, seeing the way in which many of you are holding these items, that this is all for some sort of aggression. Yes? Some act of defiance? To what end? What purpose? The last person who tried such a thing was thrown in the brig. Sadly, we do not have enough room in the brig for all of you. Which leaves only one other option.”

  One of her companions, a man in a suit, wearing a blindfold, twists a valve on a tank carried on his back. A hose reaches from the tank to a gun he has aimed at the nearest passengers. They scoot as close to the wall as they can, trying to get away from the gun. He waves it side to side, threatening to pull the trigger.

  Jada looks back a the man. “Don, stop waving that thing around. We are not in the business of empty threats.”

  Another of her companions, a woman in a leather vest and skirt, drops the head of an axe down to the floor. The metal to metal impact creates a small spark. A few passengers yelp at the sight.

  Jada looks at the axe-woman. “Yes, other options. If you cannot fit in the brig, we will simply make you more compact. Yes? Right.” Jada’s smile is slightly deranged. One of the passengers, a woman, buries her head in another passenger’s shoulder. It is as if the sight of Jada’s smile and her words are too frightening to face.

  Those furthest away mumble words of discontent. All Jada hears is whispering nonsense.

  “It is rude to speak so softly. You have something to say?”

  The mumbles stop. Jada spins around, taking in the sight of everyone standing around her.

  “I understand your plight. I sincerely do. You spend all day here in these dismal conditions. But just think of the alternative.” She turns to her companions. “Which one was it?”

  The soldier who took the boy steps from behind Don. He points at Carl.

  “This one?” Jada says. She looks Carl up and down, from his hole infested shoes to his shaggy, ratty hair. “Yes. This one.”

  The soldier and the axe woman move in and grab him. Jada looks over the heads of passengers leaning against the wall. “Where is it— Ah.” She clears her throat. “Pardon me.”

  The passengers split apart, revealing a sealed door. A small control panel rests on the wall. Jada walks to it and begins to punch in a number. She looks at the passengers closest to the door. With only an expression, she manages to make those passenge
rs look away.

  “Wouldn’t want any of you keelhauling yourselves.” She punches in the rest of the number and the door rises into the ceiling. A glass door sits closed on the other side. Through it can be seen a small room. Jada punches another number onto the control panel and the glass slides up. “The alternative to not being on the ship is to be off of the ship.”

  She signals for the soldier and axe woman. They drag the struggling Carl into the newly opened room where they chain him to the floor by one wrist. He swipes at the soldier with his free hand, just missing.

  “Quickly,” Jada says as the two rejoin her. The press of one button lowers the glass door. “And we all know that being off of the ship is not the place to be. Where is the place to be?”

  “Halletses, Halletses, Halletses!” her companions say in unison.

  “And the only way to do that is to follow Hallet’s law. Something, I understand, this fellow, did not do.”

  She presses another button and a door on the inside to the room opens. The first creak of that door is easy to hear, even through the glass. After that, all sound emanating from inside the room is cut off as the air is sucked out into the cold of space. Carl’s mouth opens, letting loose a silent scream as the chain yanks his arm, fighting with the vacuum of the open door. People watch the suffering man as his free hand grasps for his throat, all air being taken from him. Those far from the door don’t need to see to know what’s happening inside.

  Jada watches. A small, twisted, smile curls her mouth.

  A child begins to cry, taking Jada’s attention from the room. She turns toward the crying. “Captain Hallet’s law. The law that saves us. Protects us. Nurtures us. Keeps us in the place to be.” She turns back to the man in the airlock.

  Alan steps forward but Takeda raises his cane, stopping him.

  “Now is the time.” Alan whispers.

  “Not now. Not while one of our own suffers,” Takeda tells him.

  “Then we wait till she brings him back in,” Danny says.

  “We’ll have to see if he’s ok, first.” Alan relaxes. Takeda lowers his cane and steps forward.