It's Only the End of the World

by J. A. Henderson

  But she had wings.

  – Dean Jackson

  38

  The van stopped outside Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

  “Manticorps have been severely compromised by this,” Victor said. “When the police find the massacre at Bellbowrie, they’ll have a lot of explaining to do.”

  “They’ll find a way out of it,” Frankie replied. “Probably by pinning all the blame on their deceased vice president and claiming she went rogue.”

  “You’ve slowed them down, but you haven’t stopped them,” Victor agreed. “They’ll lie low for a while. But eventually, they’ll resume their efforts to find you.”

  “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

  “Count me as a reluctant ally when the day arrives.”

  “Me too.” Tad reached out to Daffodil and Charlie and feebly shook their hands. “Though you’ll have to break me out of prison again.” He gave a sly smile. “Or perhaps I’ll do it myself. I quite relished my brief taste of freedom. In the meantime, I shall avail myself of Sunnyside’s anger management course.”

  “Good luck, guys.” Victor staggered towards the brightly lit emergency unit, carrying his brother. Tad blew a kiss over his shoulder as the van roared away.

  Scotty Primo drove, Frankie guiding him, while Charlie and Daffodil sat in the back. They were both grimy, aching from head to foot, and their eyelids had begun to droop. Now that they were out of danger, exhaustion had set in with a vengeance and it was all they could do to stay awake.

  “Can I phone my mum?” Charlie asked wearily. “I want to make sure she’s OK.”

  “Marion and Gerry are on the way to meet us and you’ll see them soon. Why spoil the surprise? I’d certainly like to see their faces when you suddenly turn up unscathed.”

  “I’d just like to see their faces. Full stop.”

  “We broke out the White Spider.” Daffodil grinned. “And put him back, sort of. We beat Manticorps and saved the world. Not a bad result, huh?”

  “I’m immensely proud of you both.”

  “So now you tell me who I am. Yeah?”

  “Get some rest first. When you wake up, I’ll reveal everything. Then I can get on with taking over the world.”

  “What?” Charlie’s jaw dropped.

  “I’m kidding. Doesn’t anybody appreciate my sense of humour?”

  “I could use a short nap.” Daffodil curled up in her chair. Within seconds she was snoring loudly.

  “Now I won’t be able to get any kip with that foghorn parping next to me.” Charlie rested his head on the console.

  “Try it. You haven’t slept properly for days.”

  “I told you I don’t need much sleep. I’m too wired anyway.”

  Two minutes later, he was snoring as loudly as his companion.

  The van finally pulled in at the new refuge. It, too, was large and isolated, looking much like the old one, but without the balcony.

  Scotty Primo carried Charlie and Daffodil to separate bedrooms and tucked them in their beds. When he came downstairs, Frankie was on a computer screen. His emoji was Superman, hands on hips and a red cloak billowing out behind.

  Scotty raised an eyebrow.

  “Too much?”

  “No. Seems pretty appropriate.” He laughed. “Got any whisky in this place?”

  “The cabinet by the fireplace.”

  “Cheers.” The man poured himself a large glass and sat down. “Well?”

  “Well… what?”

  “After what I’ve seen, I’m sure you have quite the tale to tell.” He sat down. “So let’s hear it.”

  “Seriously?” Frankie sounded surprised. “You want me to… talk? Like a real person?”

  “Good company is somewhat limited in prison.” The man took a sip and smacked his lips. “Besides, what’s better than having a new mate recounting his adventures?”

  “No wonder you were so successful in your chosen profession.” Frankie chuckled. “Let me tell you how I saved the world…”

  39

  Charlie woke to the sound of music drifting up through the floorboards. Clean clothes were spread across his covers and a glass of orange juice sat on the bedside cabinet. He showered and dressed, then came downstairs.

  Frankie was playing classical music on the computer speakers and his dots swirled on screen in time to the rhythm. Scotty Primo lounged across the couch, munching a sandwich.

  Next to him sat Marion Ray.

  “Mum!” Charlie rushed over and landed beside her, knocking Scotty out of the way. “Are you all right?”

  “Never better.” She wrapped both arms around him, caressing his head. “Though I’ve been giving Frankie a proper telling-off for putting you in such danger.”

  “Brought him back alive, didn’t I?” The dancing dots stopped. “Don’t see what all the fuss is about.”

  “Can’t breathe, Mum.” Charlie struggled free. “Is that Daffodil crashing around in the kitchen?”

  “Where’s the coffee, Frankie?” A man walked into the living room, looking lost.

  “I’m your butler now? It’s the second cupboard on the left.”

  “Dad?” Charlie leapt to his feet. “I missed you so much!” He launched into his father’s arms.

  “Oh, my boy.” The man hugged him. “You’re certainly a sight for sore eyes.”

  Marion laughed and joined in and all three held each other tightly.

  “I’m going to take a drive.” Scotty Primo got up and put on a coat he’d found in the hall cupboard. “Give you guys a little privacy.”

  “Then keep out of sight and avoid CCTV. I can’t shut any more cameras down without arousing suspicion.”

  “Frankie?” The man pointed to Charlie and his family. “Privacy?”

  “Oh. Of course.”

  The screen went dark.

  *

  When Primo let himself out, Daffodil was sitting on the step. She was wearing clean clothes and her hair was neatly brushed.

  “What are you doing here?” The man crouched beside her. “Everyone thinks you’re still asleep.”

  “Charlie’s with his mom and pop, ain’t he? I could hear them as I came downstairs. Didn’t wanna interrupt.”

  “Me neither.” The man jangled a set of keys. “I’m going for a jaunt. Want to come?”

  “Can I? I’m feelin a bit like a third wheel.”

  “Yeah.” Scotty helped Daffodil to her feet. “I’d like that.”

  They drove into Edinburgh and parked the vehicle outside Kenmore shopping centre.

  “Frankie says my daughter is here today.” Scotty put on a baseball cap, pulled it over his eyes and handed another to Daffodil. He jerked a thumb at a security camera above the entrance. “Better put one on as well.”

  They sat in the mall’s food court, sipping drinks from Styrofoam cups. Neither felt the need to speak, for they were strangely comfortable in each other’s company.

  “There she is!” Primo nudged Daffodil excitedly. “That’s my kid, Audrey. I’d recognise her anywhere, even after all this time.”

  A teenager strolled in with her friends, chatting and gesturing animatedly. She was poised and elegant, with carefully styled hair and perfect make-up.

  “Like father, like daughter,” Daffodil sighed. “Ain’t ever worked out how to be so presentable, myself.”

  “No need to mess with perfection, Mac.” Scotty winked and the girl blushed.

  “So, go talk to her,” she urged. “Get me a doughnut while you’re at it.”

  “Nah. I’m betting there’s a plain-clothes policeman around, waiting for me to do just that.” Scotty patted his companion’s hand. “Besides, what would I say to her? That she won’t see me again for years because I’m an escaped convict? She deserves more than hello and goodbye.” He crumpled his empty cup. “I didn’t quite think things through. A trait of mine, it seems.”

  “Frankie?” Daffodil took out her mobile and tapped her neck. “Hack Audrey’s phone.”

&n
bsp; “No,” Scotty whispered. “Please don’t.”

  “Will you just trust me?”

  “I’ve… never really trusted anyone.” The man twiddled his thumbs uncertainly.

  “That’s ’cause nobody could ever rely on you,” Daffodil grinned. “Changed days, I reckon.” She began to text on her mobile.

  My name is Daffodil and I am the girl who broke your dad out of jail. In return, he saved my life, rescued my friends and saved the world. He’s a hero and a genuinely good man, who loves and misses you very much. It’s too dangerous for us to send more than a quick message but, once we figure out how to get the police off his back, he’ll come for you. I promise. And he’s got quite a story to tell!!!!!

  She pressed send.

  There was a ping on Audrey’s phone. The girl read the message and swallowed, looking nervously around.

  “Told you it was a bad idea,” Scotty said miserably.

  “You think?” Daffodil nudged him. “Keep watchin.”

  Slowly, an excited smile lit up the girl’s face and she quickly texted back.

  I’ll be waiting. XXXXXXXXX.

  “Thank you, Mac.” Scotty rubbed the back of his head, fighting back tears. “Let’s get out of here before I embarrass myself.”

  “Not gettin that doughnut, am I?”

  “I’ll buy you a whole bag to go.”

  *

  They arrived back at the safe house and climbed out of the van.

  “I’m going to hang here for a while,” Scotty said. “You best go in and get the answers you’re looking for.”

  “I’d like you to come along, for support.” Daffodil wiped chocolate sprinkles from her face. “It’s kind of a big deal for me.”

  “You got it.”

  They walked in together.

  Charlie, Marion and Gerry were sitting on the couch. All three glanced up when the pair entered.

  “Where have you been, Mac?” Marion asked. “We were worried.”

  “The mall, of course. I’m a teenager.” Daffodil walked warily up to Charlie’s dad. “Mr Ray?” She held out her hand formally. “Pleased to make your acquaintance properly. And I apologise for calling you a hairy-nosed old goat.”

  “No offence taken.” Gerry got up and gave Daffodil an awkward squeeze. “Thank you for looking after my son.”

  “My pleasure.” The girl sat down on an empty chair. “I appreciate this is a special moment, but I been waitin a long time for answers. I sure would like to know who I am.”

  “Of course,” Gerry nodded. “Yes. Absolutely.”

  But Scotty noticed reluctance in his voice. “It’s high time you told Daffodil everything,” he said. “And remember, I can spot a lie a mile off. Even from you, Frankie.”

  “Why wouldn’t I tell the truth?”

  “I don’t know. But you could cut the tension in this room with a knife.”

  “You sure, Daffodil? You might not like what you hear.”

  “What’s not to like?” The girl smoothed down her skirt and folded one hand over the other. “It’s all a bit hazy, but I know I lived in a mansion, with its own library. Bet I was seriously loaded.”

  “Yeah, about that…“

  “Aw, don’t tell me I was just a servant. Or a cleaner.”

  “Servant is close, I guess. But… prisoner is nearer the truth.”

  40

  “Spill the beans, Frankie,” Daffodil said. “It’s time I got the low-down.”

  “As you know, Manticorps had me create the Atlas Serum, a drug intended to make mercenaries almost invincible. They also wanted chips implanted in their necks, so copies of yours truly could be downloaded. Then I would control the mercenaries and Manticorps would control me.” Images of schematics and diagrams appeared on the computer. “Problem was, I couldn’t make the project work properly.”

  “A glitch you weren’t able to solve, genius?” Charlie raised an eyebrow. “How come?”

  “There’s only one entity I’ve encountered as intricate as me. The human brain.” A question mark flashed up. “See, no matter what I tried, the mercenaries’ own personalities and memories got in the way, making them violent and unpredictable. You saw what effect the serum had on Tad.”

  “Preaching to the converted,” Charlie said sombrely. “It almost did to same to me.”

  “I had to give you the drug, son.” Gerry winced. “I couldn’t let you die.”

  “Oh, I’m with you on that one. Don’t worry.”

  “Let’s cut to the chase, guys,” Daffodil said impatiently. “We can reminisce about the good ole days later.”

  “All right. Manticorps reasoned that a test subject without any mental baggage was the only answer. So they had me create one.”

  “You did what?” Scotty spluttered.

  “I made an artificial human, built from synthetic DNA and incubated in an accelerated-growth tank. After a few weeks, she had grown into a teenager. So they downloaded me onto a chip in her neck for a test run. That’s what the researchers had brought Mrs Magdalene to see.”

  “She?” Daffodil licked dry lips. “It was a girl?”

  “Sure. Women are smarter and tougher than men… when they’re given the chance.”

  “Though I agree with you on that,” Marion said acidly, “I think you’re missing Mac’s point.”

  “More like avoiding it.” Frankie sounded ashamed. “Now Manticorps had a blank canvas and they intended to train my creation to be the perfect fighting machine, as she grew into adulthood. If the prototype worked, they would create thousands more, give them all the Atlas Serum and have an instant unstoppable army.”

  “And that prototype was… me?” Daffodil whispered.

  “I’m afraid so.”

  “You absolute bastard,” Scotty breathed.

  “I was programmed by a bunch of humans, so don’t get all high and mighty. It wasn’t like I had a choice.”

  “I ain’t some puppet, hoss,” Daffodil said belligerently. “I’m my own person.”

  “You certainly had that potential,” Frankie replied. “And I hated what I was being made to do. You weren’t some gun for hire. You deserved the chance to be a real girl.”

  “So you fought your programming,” Charlie said. “As always.”

  “I couldn’t override it,” Frankie admitted. “But I did figure out a loophole. I’m good at that.”

  “What did you do?” Daffodil held her breath.

  “Sealed off your consciousness. A bit like putting you in a coma, I suppose. Created a safe place where your mind could thrive.” A huge house filled the screen. “That’s why you don’t remember anything about being in the lab. This is where you lived.”

  “The mansion and its library.” Daffodil’s eyes widened. “It was all in my mind?”

  “And quite a mind it became. Especially after I downloaded hundreds of books directly into your subconscious. Didn’t want you getting bored.”

  “I could have done with less Shakespeare, though. That guy is all ‘hath’ and ‘doth’.” Daffodil frowned. “Are those even words?”

  “You did seem to prefer trashy US pulp fiction, which is why you sound like some 1930s gumshoe. No accounting for taste, eh?”

  “Wait.” Charlie held up a hand. “I thought you had to do what Manticorps wanted?”

  “That was the loophole. They asked for a super soldier and it’s exactly what I gave them.” The metallic voice grew cold. “It just happened to be me.”

  “So you were my protector?” Daffodil clasped her hands together.

  “Manticorps had no inkling they were locked out of your mind. But they still intended to give your body the Atlas Serum and even I didn’t know what its effects might be. So I sent a sneaky email to a do-gooding ex-hacker called Gerry Ray, telling him what the Marginal Science Division were up to.”

  “Knowing full well I couldn’t resist the chance to save my son.” Gerry glanced at Charlie.

  “The rest, as they say, is history.”

  “N
o wonder you got revenge on them,” Daffodil said sadly. “They trained you to be a killer.”

  “As I told Victor, I’m not interested in revenge. I burned down the lab because I wanted Manticorps stopped for good. Never got to finish the job, though. Not after Gerry reprogrammed me to get all touchy-feely.”

  Scotty leaned forwards and frowned. He seemed to be about to say something.

  “I don’t regret what I did, Frankie,” Gerry broke in. “I couldn’t have you taking more lives.”

  “And how did that work out? Instead of waking Daffodil up to a normal life, we all ended up in hiding and I had to use your own son as bait to lure Manticorps onto my turf.” The AI sighed. “It really didn’t have to get so… complex.”

  “Life is complex, my friend,” Gerry replied scathingly. “Principles aren’t.”

  “I’m still not happy with you endangering my son.” Marion glared at her husband. “No matter how principled it might be.”

  “Would you have done things differently?” Gerry asked her softly.

  “No,” she replied, after a pause. “Probably not.”

  “Seems you and I haven’t changed as much as we thought.”

  “I don’t know whether to punch you in the face,” Marion sighed, “or kiss you on the lips.”

  “I like option two best.” Gerry reached out and stroked his wife’s hair.

  “If you pair have quite finished your love-fest,” Scotty exploded, “you might want to consider how Mac is feeling about all this!”

  There was an embarrassed silence.

  Daffodil pulled at her lip, expression unreadable.

  “It is a lot to take in, huh?” She felt her face as if it were a stranger’s. “Y’know… the fact that I’m not actually human.”

  “I wouldn’t put it quite like that, Mac.” Marion tried to be tactful. “It’s more… eh…”

  “I was grown in a tank from synthetic DNA.” The girl raised an eyebrow. “How exactly would you put it?”

  “You’re… um… different?”

  “Besides,” Gerry said half-heartedly, “it’s not like anyone can tell.”

  “Yeah,” Scotty added. “Who wants to be normal anyway?”