by Nate Phelps
“Shut up.” Johnny yanked me forward again.
“Well, it’s your mistake.” Dr. Henry turned and left.
“Go back,” said Johnny to Sarah. “They need you here.”
I watched her as we left. She was staring at the back of Johnny’s head. With a loud growl, she spun, kicked a trash can, and walked back towards her office.
* * *
The trip to Lutosa was much faster than the one to Sanitatem. I flew the whole way there, soaring high above the trees. Shania tended to perform better during long flights. It gave her a chance to settle into a reliable rhythm.
We ignored the road and followed a more direct course. I would have been completely lost, but Johnny had been exploring the terrain for decades and knew his way around. Lutosa lay south of Midhaven and in a much drier climate than Sanitatem, which was Northeast of us. The beautiful hills and trees gave way to sagebrush and dust.
Two hours after leaving, we could see Lutosa’s walls glinting in the afternoon sun. Massive smoke stacks of various hues rose steadily above the city, evidence of its many factories and refineries. The Lutosians were known for the processing of wood and ore to create a variety of items such as weapons, furniture, and building materials.
All of our swords came from Lutosa. They also fixed guns and manufactured bullets. For years, they’d been trying to make their own firearms with mixed success. For the most part, the three cities relied on the armories accumulated over the years left over from the United States’ military. Maintaining them wasn’t easy.
What weirded me out about Lutosians was their disregard for any technology not utilized in weapons. They didn’t have electricity anywhere except the factories, and their plumbing system was something of a joke compared to the other two cities. They just didn’t seem worried about anything comfortable. It was no wonder that we got caravans of them begging to get into Midhaven all the time.
As we drew closer, I began to worry. They were stingy enough about visitors when they had the proper paperwork. I didn’t have a single permit. How would we get in?
My question was answered as I watched Johnny sail over the top of their wall and land in the main courtyard just beyond the gate. I followed him cautiously, reluctant to enter unwelcomed, but also afraid to be alone without protection. When I landed next to him, I immediately raised my hands high in the air as I realized we were surrounded by soldiers with their guns trained on us.
“Put your hands down,” Johnny said. “You look ridiculous.”
“Not all of us are bulletproof,” I murmured.
“I’m just getting their attention.”
No kidding, I thought. My hands stayed up.
The soldiers held their weapons ready, but made no attempt to speak to us. Johnny stared at them, his arms folded. What was he waiting for? As the minutes passed, my arms started to ache. I tried to lower them slowly. There were several clicks as the soldiers released the safeties on their weapons. My hands shot back up.
More time passed, and then a shape descended towards us from the city. It glinted in the sunlight, and I used one of my hands to block out the glare. Radon, Sentinel of Lutosa, crashed into the ground ten or so feet from Johnny, causing a rush of air and dust to wash over us. The soldiers braced for the impact and I yelped as I was bowled off my feet. Johnny gave no visible reaction, not even adjusting his posture.
Radon stood up straight, wearing full metal armor, including a red cape and medieval helmet. He took this off, revealing his auburn, shoulder-length hair. His thick beard could not hide the angry scowl.
“Why do you come to my city without warning?” he asked.
I pointed at Johnny, who took a step forward. “We need to talk Radon.”
Radon considered him for a moment and then nodded. They walked away, leaving me alone with six grumpy soldiers. I smiled weakly. “Sorry about the permits.”
Most of them lowered their weapons and left, but one remained. He pulled me off my butt and led me to the side of the courtyard where he gave me a place to sit and cup of water. I took a swig, noticing several grains of sand at the bottom. I swished the remainder of the liquid around and looked at the man who had stayed to watch over me. “You making sure I don’t cause any trouble?”
“Yes.”
I nodded. “Cool, cool, makes sense.” He didn’t reply, but proceeded to check his weapon. This was awkward. “How long have you…?”
“I do not wish to speak.”
“Yup, got it.”
We sat there for a while. I tapped my legs impatiently and looked at the building where Johnny had disappeared, hoping to catch a glance of him. There was nothing to see through the windows.
I sighed and turned back to the soldier. “You kill any Crawlers back in the day? Oops, sorry. Forgot.”
He glanced at me. “Two.”
“Wow! How’d you do it?”
“I shot them. Many times.”
“Nice.”
He said nothing else. I continued to tap on my legs. More silence. I glanced at him again as he cleaned the barrel of his rifle. “Can I hold your gun?”
His response was interrupted by a loud crash and the grinding of metal. Johnny and Radon launched through the roof of the building and into the air, grappling with one another.
“Betrayal!” shouted the soldier.
“What the…?” I pulled my pilot glove on and took to the air in pursuit of the Sentinels.
They descended towards the city. Radon was wielding a huge battle hammer, which he used to knock Johnny away from him. Johnny hurtled through the air and slammed against a building with a crunch, leaving a sizeable dent. He pulled free and leaped up to meet Radon who was falling towards him. Radon swung. Johnny knocked the hammer aside and landed a thunderous blow against Radon’s helmet that echoed down the streets. It spun off his head, the front completely crushed. They fell towards a rooftop. Johnny landed on his feet, Radon on his back. The building shuddered under the force of the impact.
Radon sat up, roared, and pushed off, catching Johnny around the waist. They tumbled towards an adjacent building. I whipped out my foam gun and fired. My aim was good and they collided with my foam right as it hardened, bouncing off.
They hit the ground, but immediately kicked off again, rocketing back up towards me. I had to bank sharply to avoid them. They pounded against each other landing blow after blow. Radon hit Johnny in the gut, but Johnny retaliated by twisting his arm and dragging his face against a row of widows, shattering them as they passed. I caught a fair amount of the glass as it fell with several well-placed shots, trying to keep it off the people down on the streets.
The Sentinels hit the peak of their arc and fell once more. They hit the street, causing it to rip open, large cracks running from the impact. Johnny grabbed Radon by his backplate and tossed him. He rolled into a large water tank and snapped off the valve at its base. Water gushed out of the opening. Men and women screamed as they fled the area. That would have to be fixed—water was valuable in Lutosa.
I dipped closer to Johnny. “What are you doing?”
He ignored me.
Radon stood and straightened, pointing his war hammer at him. “For LUTOSA!”
They rushed one another. I landed near the tank as they clashed once more. The stream of water hadn’t slowed. I covered it with a large blob of foam. It stuck for a moment before the water pushed it off, a good portion of it spraying up into my face. The pressure was too high. I shook my head and thought for a moment before pulling out an ice pick. These were meant for stopping up pipes much smaller than this, but maybe it would slow it enough.
I stood to the side of the stream, inserted the metal tip of the ice pick, and pressed the button on the blue handle. A burst of liquid nitrogen was released into the water. There was a loud hiss as mist rushed out of the broken nozzle, forcing me to turn away. The stream of water slowed as ice formed around the opening. I gave it another dose of nitrogen before slapping a nice blob of foam over the top, stop
ping the leak.
I took to the air to find Johnny, water trailing off my boots. The battle had moved to the rooftops. I saw them jumping from one to the next, intercepting and trading blows as they did. They tore through the city, disregarding the chaos they left in their wake. Trying to minimize the damage from their battle was like trying to lasso a hurricane, but I couldn’t just stand back and watch.
Johnny dodged a hit from Radon’s hammer and pulled it from his hands. He landed, spun the weapon around his back, and cracked it against Radon’s chest, which sent him tumbling back across the top of the building. It rumbled and swayed slightly. Radon recovered slowly. When Johnny came after him, he sprang up and landed a hard kick to his side.
Johnny tumbled, but then righted himself and skidded to a halt, rushing back in once more. He dodged Radon’s next attack and backhanded him across the face. Radon tumbled backwards over the edge of the roof.
I winced and flew closer, watching as he hit the ground hard, rolling several times before coming to a stop on his back. Johnny landed a moment later. Radon tried to ward him off, but Johnny slapped his hands aside, removing the gauntlets and sleeves. He took the chest plate in both hands, slamming Radon against the ground, and bellowing at the top of his voice as he tore the metal into two pieces and cast both aside.
“TELL ME WHERE IT IS!”
Radon sat up, swinging his fist. Johnny pulled back, avoiding the blow, and then brought his own fist crashing into Radon’s nose. There was a vicious cracking sound. The Sentinel slumped onto the street.
Johnny shook him by his shirt. “TELL ME!”
He stopped and Radon turned his head, spitting blood onto the street. There was some quiet muttering I couldn’t understand. Johnny leaned closer to listen. After a moment, he stood and walked away.
“Let’s go,” he said when he noticed me hovering nearby. “Before they start shooting.”
I stared at Radon’s limp form, mesmerized.
“He’s fine,” growled Johnny.
“What did he do?”
Johnny didn’t answer. We left the city just as quickly as we had arrived.
Chapter 8
Hundreds of trees passed beneath me, almost close enough to touch. I checked Shania’s battery for the twelfth time—the last thing I wanted was to be stuck in the forest with no power. I’d already switched to my spare shortly after leaving Lutosa. Johnny hadn’t said a word to me on our way back to Midhaven, but had altered our course. We were heading due west. If he didn’t stop soon, I wouldn’t have enough of a charge to get home.
I was about to give up and leave him, when he descended into a clearing and waited for me to catch up.
“We’re here,” he said as I landed.
“Where?” I considered the trees around us nervously.
“There’s a Crawler nest nearby.”
My gaze snapped back to him. He wasn’t grinning—his expression was grim and determined. I squeezed my pilot glove, but he caught me by the ankle before I could escape and pulled me back down.
“No, no…!”
He held tight as I continued to flex Shania’s boosters.
“Kleiner!” He grabbed my wrist and forced me to look at him. “We don’t have time for this. I have to get rid of it now, and I need your help. Pull it together.”
I looked away and scanned the tree line. Could we see the nest from here?
“This is why I brought you,” Johnny was saying. “Your foam is unique. Bullets are mostly useless against these things, but you— you could slow them down. It could give me time to catch up and slaughter every one of them.”
“Johnny, I can’t.” I tried to pry his hand off. “I’m not a soldier, I’m not an Enforcer. Let go.”
Johnny rubbed his eyes angrily. His grip loosened slightly, but I still couldn’t pull free.
“I dealt with a full-sized nest once,” he said. “It nearly killed me. We don’t have time to go get help. They multiply too fast. We have to do this… tonight… or else it’ll be too late.”
I heard him and understood, but I couldn’t stop struggling. Every instinct in my body told me to get out, to fly away and never come back. White faces and sharp teeth flashed through my mind.
I tried to squeeze the pilot glove again. Johnny slipped it off my hand.
“NO!” I howled.
“Stay here,” he said, holding it out of my reach as I snatched at it. “If any of them get past me, they will have to go through this clearing. Stop them, or this will start all over again. In a few minutes, it’ll be done.”
My eyes burned as I struggled to hold back tears. “LET ME GO!”
Johnny shrugged me off and pocketed the glove. “I’m sorry, Kleiner.”
Then he was gone, disappearing into the dark woods as the sun faded into the distance. I didn’t make a sound as my limbs trembled. Eventually, I moved to the very top of the hill and sat. I let out a wavering breath and a few hot tears escaped before I wiped them away with my sleeve.
Slowly, I regained control of my faculties. The shaking subsided. There was a job to do; the safety of the city depended on it.
A slight breeze moved through the clearing and I tensed as the fallen leaves rustled together. It was too quiet—I needed to hear someone else’s voice. I pulled up the hologram on my watch. There was only one person I could think of calling.
“Hello?”
“Sarah?” My voice came out weaker than intended.
“Kleiner? You okay? You sound kinda sick.”
“I’m fine,” I lied. “Just wanted to say hi.”
“Well, hi! Are you in Lutosa? Is everything okay? Johnny break anything?”
I chuckled quietly. “You could say that. It’s a crazy story.”
“You don’t sound like yourself. What’s happening?”
“No, I’m good.” I struggled to change my tone back to normal. Hearing her voice was helping. “I’ve had a day.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Well…”
A chorus of unholy screeches rent the air. I stood up and looked into the trees where Johnny had disappeared.
I didn’t hear Sarah for a moment. “What was that?” she was yelling.
“I’ve… I gotta go…” I managed to say before hanging up.
More screeches followed and I pulled out my new sword, holding it in my left hand and foam gun in my right. The screeches descended into snarls and growls. Howls of pain followed. In the distance, I could see the trees swaying back and forth.
Terrible minutes passed as I waited for the sounds to cease. Eventually, they did. Johnny did not emerge. Was he dead? Would I have to find my way through the forest and try to find his corpse so I could retrieve my glove?
The brush shifted at the edge of the clearing, and a white shape sprang into view. My insides went cold. The long limbs identified it immediately. I lifted my gun and fired. The creature saw the missiles coming and skittered out of the way like a giant spider. My arm was shaking and my aim was horrible.
It rose to its full height, humanoid in form, pale grey in color, with deep dark eyes, gaping mouth, and long, slender fingers. The bones on its spine stuck out sharply and a sour stench preceded it. My body tensed like a spring. It took all I had not to turn and run. I fired again.
The Crawler snarled and dropped to all fours, rushing forward. It closed the distance between us rapidly and sprang forward. I screamed and fired one more shot. This hit the Crawler’s torso, dropping it to the ground. I dodged out of the way as it rolled past. Purple ooze expanded around it as it struggled to break free.
My chest heaving, I retreated to the other side of the clearing where I had a decent vantage point as it struggled. The foam hardened and its snarls were muffled. Maybe it would suffocate? If not, I’d wait till Johnny got there to kill it.
Shivers ran up and down my back and I shook myself. I looked over my shoulder, making sure nothing was behind me. No more creatures came. Hesitantly, I slid the sword through my belt. Where was J
ohnny?
I checked on the monster and stiffened when I saw that it was struggling harder than before—it almost seemed as if it was making its way out of its bonds. I should have buried it the first time. Now I had to go back and foam it again.
There was nowhere to go. Running into the forest would be worse than staying here. After another moment of quiet desperation, I forced myself to go back across the clearing.
The Crawler was indeed working its way out of the foam. Its head was pushing out steadily as the restraints loosened. My heart stopped as it turned and locked its eyes on me. The howl that came from its mouth split the night air. I lifted my foam gun, trembling.
Then, before I could fire, there was a snap and its arms burst out. It startled me so badly that my shot sailed over its head. To my horror, the arms split, forming two new limbs. I’d heard of their quick mutation before, but never dreamed I’d witness it. It dodged as I fired again and came at me.
I turned to run, but it caught my legs and we tumbled down the side of the hill. It snapped at my foot and I kicked wildly, breaking free and rolling away. The world spun around me as I came to a stop. My foam gun was tangled somehow and I couldn’t pull it free as the creature snarled nearby. I shifted my weight and pulled the sword from my belt.
The Crawler rose up. I swung with the sword and it screeched. One of the limbs dropped to the ground. I was shocked. No sword should have been able to pierce Crawler skin that easily. I stood and swung again as it backed away. The blade got caught in the foam on its back. As it spun, the hilt was yanked from my hands.
Weapon, I needed a weapon.
The creature writhed in pain and then focused on me once more, advancing quickly. I tried to get the foam gun, but the cord was caught in my belt. My hands searched for anything else. They came away with an ice pick. I brought it up and sprayed the beast in the face right as it reached me.
What happened next caught me completely off guard. My foam solution, BTX, had an immediate reaction to the hissing liquid nitrogen. It expanded further and formed sharp, jagged edges. This reaction spread quickly across all the foam on the Crawler’s body. I dived away as it screamed and rolled on the ground, scratching in a desperate attempt to get the solution off. Its attempts were in vain as the jagged edges bit into it and pressed until the struggling stopped and it went silent.
