Swan Song (Book Three of the Icarus Trilogy) (40 page)

"You're quite good at this persuasion thing," Darius said sarcastically before pushing past Jenkins and shaking his head.  He stopped at the door when he heard Ryan speaking again.

"Hey, Darius.  One more thing," he said, causing the revolutionary to turn.  Ryan had shoved his hands in his pockets and was walking to the doorway.

"What?  You already convinced me," Templeton said, but he knew that Jenkins had more on his mind.

"If.... if I don't .... make it.  Take care of Carver for me.  You know...." Jenkins started, but Templeton put his hand on Ryan's shoulder this time.  He smiled inwardly at the turn in conversation.

"Don't worry, Jenkins.  Pretty sure none of us are making it anyway," Templeton said with a bitter smile before heading out of his teacher's bedroom.

It was time to end it all.

-

"I.... I'm afraid that today's broadcast will be a little different than what you might be used to," Douglas said, his voice faltering as tears ran down his face.  He just kept imagining what Eric must have looked like in those last moments before Jasper sent a bullet through his brain.  Douglas sniffed as he tried to push away the images from his mind. 

"Usually I'm one for the heroics of normal men and women; usually these broadcasts are for boosting morale or trying to recruit more members to the EFI.  That's... that's not what's going to happen today," Douglas said as he recalled the celebrity's plastic smile and how he had used to hate Eric for it.  Now all he wanted was to see it one more time.  "I have lost too many friends."

"Zachary Goldstein was one of the Crows.  And although some might have thought him cruel or narcissistic, he is responsible for these broadcasts.  He is the one who thought up some use for a cripple like me and gave me a new purpose in my life.  Goldstein brought me out of the darkness and gave me something to live for.  For that I will be eternally grateful and I will never,
ever
, forget that man from Zion," Douglas said, his voice shaking from the emotions he was feeling.  He really never could thank Goldstein enough, and he would never have a chance to do it again.

"And of course we all remember Atlas.  He was demonized so often by Jasper Montgomery and his thugs, but most knew that gentle man to be a foundation of the resistance and a pillar of humanity.  His real name was Thomas Xavier, but after the bloody Riots of St. Louis, another massacre perpetrated by the Trade Union, Thomas took the name Atlas so that he might support the revolution.  He was a kind man, a teacher, and his entire philosophy was devoted to a lasting peace.  He went to negotiate a cease-fire yesterday, and was betrayed.  We grieve for Thomas, but we know that he was doing what he had to.  We will never forget him," Douglas said to the darkness, remembering the Tom's gentle voice and how he had pushed Douglas around in a wheelchair just three months ago.

"But I am telling you right now, my friends, that I am selfish.  The loss of these two great men is a blow to the EFI and I grieve for them as well, but my thoughts are on another," Douglas said as a new trail of tears ran down from his ruined eyes.  "Today I lost a good friend of mine, a man I have known for years.  Eric Jones was killed today.  He was
murdered,"
Douglas screamed out the words, his anger getting the better of him.  "Murdered by a tyrant who was merely
frustrated
that no one was killing Eric fast enough."

"To say that Eric Jones has always been a good man is a false statement.  I knew him far too long to say that he was always a virtuous man.  When he was the lead anchor of
War World,
Eric had taken full advantage of his celebrity.  He indulged himself in women and drugs and hedonism to an extent that I was disgusted with him.  To be honest," Douglas said with a slight smile, "I used to hate him."

"But that all changed when he lost his brother.  Whether it was some misplaced vengeance or frustration, Eric joined the Eris Freedom Initiative.  He became a willing martyr to the resistance movement that would become our Earth Freedom Initiative.  And on that fateful day just three months ago he issued our declaration," Douglas said, his memories falling back to the day everything changed.

Douglas leaned back in his chair and gathered his thoughts.  He was getting too far into this speech; he was losing his way.  At some point he would need to bring it back to the task at hand; he was only permitted so much time to wander through his memories.  The blind man breathed out deeply before leaning forward in the chair, his thoughts clear.

"He and I were imprisoned for two months, my friends.  And while they took their time with me, they left Eric alone for the most part.  All they wanted from him was for Eric to recant.  They wanted him to change his mind.  But he didn't.  Eric never wavered from his path, and when we were rescued by the EFI, he was treated with honor."

"My friend was aimless for a time.  He could have given up right there and then.  He held no real purpose anymore.  He came to see me one day, the day of my first broadcast, and I could tell that he was envious.  I could tell that he wanted more from himself when he saw me in my current state.  I couldn't tell him what he was supposed to do with his life, but I wanted him to find his purpose."

"And it.... it hurts me to know that this was the purpose meant for him.  It hurts me to know that a man who wanted so desperately to mean something finally
does
mean something, but only after his death.  Eric Jones could have run away, and I know, I
KNOW
, that he was given the same deal.  He could have recanted again.  But he didn't.  He chose to be the voice of the revolution once more.  He chose to give his life
again
so that everyone out there, so that every single one of you could know what was at stake."

"This time.... this time he had to pay the price.  My friend lost his life today along with so many others.  And I want.... I want to avenge him.  I want to go out there and let the world know that
this will not stand
.  I want to stand beside Ryan Jenkins and all these other modern heroes and tell the Trade Union that
they have crossed the line
!" Douglas shouted, his heart aching at his inadequacy.  He wanted to switch places with any other person in the base; he wanted to go out and hurt someone, make someone experience the same kind of pain.  He stood on his artificial leg and curled his maimed hands into fists, shouting at the receiver on the table in front of him.

"I WANT TO FIGHT WITH THEM!  I WANT THE CHANCE TO DESTROY THAT TOWER!" Douglas shouted at the top of his lungs, but soon the fight left him.  The pain enveloped his heart and he had to sit back down.  "But I can't," he said weakly, his bravado leaving him in an instant.  "The blind storyteller has to stay behind."

"So fight for them.  Fight for all of the people who have lost their lives so that you could have freedom.  Fight for all the men and women who died in pain for the chance at taking down the Trade Union.  Fight for Atlas, for Goldstein, for Eric Jones.  Men who died for a chance at peace." 

"Fight in my stead, my friends, and the story I tell will make the gods weep."

-

"Jessica."

The former warrior turned around, her extended belly almost knocking into the revolutionary beside her, but all thoughts about manners left her as she recognized the gangly Englishman looking at her from the doorway.

"What?" she asked, her voice low and filled with violence.  She didn't owe this man a thing, and he had a hell of a lot to make up for.  The sniper walked forward, the other revolutionaries backing away from the two former lovers.  They knew that it was far too dangerous to get in the way.

"I need to... turn back time, maybe.  Seems to be the only way I can make up for being such a bastard," Norris said as he pursed his lips.  He hadn't expected a laugh from the woman, but it still hurt his spirits to see the woman's face hard as stone.  He sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Look, Jess, there really isn't anything I can do to make up for what I did to you.  I was more than just an asshole.  I deserve everything you throw at me, physically and verbally.  But I'm letting you know right now that I'm not leaving you alone.  I'm not gonna abandon you again," Edward said, stepping closer to the pregnant woman with each statement, but what he saw almost made him gulp in fear.

"It's not your place anymore, Ed.  You're lucky I don't cut out your guts and show them to you.  You betrayed the resistance, you idiot.  That's worse than anything you did to me," Jessica said as she glared at the red-headed killer.  Norris sniffed at that before shifting his weight to his right leg.

"I'm gonna make up for that, for certain.  Ryan doesn't know it yet, but I'll be right there with him, whether he wants it or not.  But right now, before I head out there, I am going to tell you something," Edward said as he brought out his hands and walked within striking distance of the woman.  He knew that if she had anything sharp he could be a dead man within seconds.

"Get the fuck away from me, Ed.  I'm warning you," Abrams said, but her voice started to falter as her former lover came closer.

"I'm not going to even try to fix us, yet.  Whatever happens between us is going to be down the road.  But I'm telling you right now that the little bugger inside you has a father.  Someone is going to take care of it, for sure, but if I live through this, which .... I mean, really, why wouldn't I? .... when I get back I'm going to do everything I can, Jess," Edward said as he started to raise his hands, hoping that he could eventually put them on Jessica's shoulders.

"Shut the fuck up, you English bastard.  You don't get to fucking say that," Abrams said, the stubborn tears falling from her eyes even though she had no use for them.

"I'm telling you that no matter what happens between us, that kid has a father.  I'm not gonna run away from that, I'm not gonna abandon the two of you again," Norris said as he placed his hands on the Jessica's shoulders.  He prayed that the woman wouldn't lash out, but after a moment he could see the woman looking up at him with her hate-filled green eyes.

"You bastard.  Throwing this at me right before you could go fucking die out there.  What use does that do me, Ed?  What use do I have for an idiot, dead father for my child?"

"I guess I'll just have to live through it, girlie," Norris said with a smile.  He knew he had a long, long way to go before Abrams would accept him again, but he knew that she heard him.  He knew that she didn't feel alone anymore.

"What the hell are you doing back here?" a voice asked from the doorway.  Norris turned to see Ryan Jenkins in his battle armor, the crimson crow painted on the shoulder plate.  The smile disappeared from the jester's face as he turned to plead with his friend.

"I'm going to suit up and cover your ass while you storm that tower, mate," Edward said as he prepared for the messiah figure's coming assault.  Jenkins wouldn't catch Norris flat-footed again.

"I'm not your mate, Ed.  And I told you, I need people I trust.  Not people who get trigger-happy off-du-" Ryan started, but Norris just threw up a hand and interrupted his former teammate.

"You are my mate, Ryan, even if you deny it.  I will always,
always
, think of you as a friend and brother in arms.  I made a mistake, alright?  I don't want to ignore it; I don't want to forget it.  I will always remember that there were more than a few times where I was weak.  But I want to be the kind of man that a child would be proud of, Ryan.  If I'm going to be that kid's father I'm gonna have to get my act together, and that starts today."

"Ed," Ryan said, shaking his head, but Norris interrupted again with a deeper tone of voice.

"No, Ryan!  There's no bloody way you're going into that tower without my help.  There's no way that we're going to finish this revolution and I'm going to stay behind.  This is my fight, too, Ryan.  You don't get to deny that.  Those Crows that died back on Eris?  Tom and Zachary?  They were my friends, too.  I'm going to help make sure that Jasper pays for all of them."

"You won't," Jenkins said as he stepped forward, determined to stop the Englishman from his speech.

"I will!"

"No, Ed, you won't!" Jenkins shouted, but Norris stepped forward and stood over his fellow Crow, making Ryan balk at the motion.

"Yes, I will, rookie!  You might think I'm a goddamned killer, and for a good part of my life you'd be right.  I
fucked
up, Ryan, and I know it.  But if you think I'm going to stay behind during this last fight then you are just absolutely delusional," Norris shouted before he stepped back, seeing that Ryan's stubbornness had finally subsided.

"I envy you, Ryan.  You got all your mistakes out of the way right off.  You did your petty little crimes, had your little crisis of existence and killed yourself in the first twenty-four years.  After that you were able to be the hero you were always meant to be.  And goddamn you, you bloody savior, I envy you for that.  Since you came back you've been our golden boy; our fucking mascot.  I'm begging you right now, Ryan, let this be my turning point.  Starting now, let me spend the rest of my life making up for the fuck-ups from my past."