The Push Chronicles (Book 1): Indomitable (14 page)

“Then we need to go.  I must be at the site of the -”

“Hold it!”  Extinguisher shouted from the door flap.  “No one’s going anywhere.”

I could see, as the flap fluttered close, that Hexagon was on Extinguisher's heels and beyond that I could feel the amazing throb of unreality that had to be Epic.  I felt stupid for not paying attention to the signals my body was sending me.

Right then and there, I had a vital choice to make.  My first option would be to stand down and see where this went, which meant trying to reason with Eric, if not also try to turn Extinguisher and Hexagon around to my side.  There was so little time left for that.  The other option was incredibly stupid and quite possibly fatal.  It was much more expedient though.

“Guys, scram!” I shouted.  “Do what you need to.  Find the truth.”

I didn’t stop to see if they listened to me.  I flipped the switch in my mind and felt that supreme rush as everything went into overdrive.

“I’ll keep them busy!  Brooks, you better help them.  Remember, you’re a cop, dammit.”  Extinguisher looked surprised as I leaped straight at him; he didn’t even try to move as I crashed into him, leading with an outstretched knee.  The impact hurled both of us through the pavilion wall with the sound of tearing cloth.  As the firefighter crashed into the ground, my weight drove the air out of him with a painful wheeze.  In a second, I rolled off of him and was on my feet, just in time to realize I had a shocked six-armed brute on one side and a furious demigod on another.

“If you live through this, Doc, I’m going to kill you personally,” Brooks sputtered.  I heard something slam and a car engine start up over the com.  I made no reply because I was extremely busy with more immediate threats.

“Hexagon, restrain her!”  Epic commanded.  “She is working for the government against us.  We cannot let her run free right now!”  What surprised me was that Eric wasn’t immediately rushing to restrain me personally.  Maybe that cracked rib had made him finally realize that I wasn’t just a toy for him to play with or a trophy to keep.

“Hex, buddy, don’t do this,”  I raised my hands defensively, trying to keep the surprisingly fast six-armed man to my front.  “I’m just trying to keep this from exploding.”  The Southerner hesitated for a moment, then rushed forward.

“Don’t resist, jes lemme grab ya and we can sort it all out, okay?” he pleaded.

I contemplated it in my accelerated mind for a fraction of a moment.  Surrender would probably be less painful, but it wouldn’t buy everyone the time they needed.  I did feel a pang of guilt as I faked lowering my guard.  The big man continued forward and lunged in with all six arms.

At the last minute, I ducked down, amazed once more at how quickly and smoothly I moved as every bit of muscle and tissue in my body worked as a single unit.  Hexagon’s bottom four arms, immaterial to me, passed through my body as his lunge threw him off balance.  As Hexagon loomed overhead, I planted my feet and pushed up, catching him straight in the gut on my shoulder.  I felt every muscle fire off as one as I continued to push up with my legs and shoved with my arms at the same time, flinging the Push hero back and away with dizzying speed.  He crashed into Epic and slid off, falling to the ground in a daze.  I was starting not only to get the hang of this ‘unlocked human potential’ thing, I was afraid that I was starting to enjoy it.

Eric did not look pleased as he was suddenly ‘there’, right in front of me, moving so fast that even my accelerated mind couldn’t comprehend the movement.  Only a faint hesitation on his part let me get my head out of the way of his sudden swing.  The fact that the rush of displaced air from his tremendous strength didn’t bowl me over let me know he was pulling his punches.  I realized I had to do the same.  As bizarre as it sounded in my head, I didn’t really want to hurt Epic, not right now, and I couldn’t afford to hurt myself any more than I already had that day.

I took advantage of Eric’s missed blow and my own accelerated reflexes to slide around him to his overextended side and grabbed the fluttering half-cape behind him.  My self-defense instructor always said that loose clothing was a liability in a dangerous situation, so what kind of student would I be to not take advantage of that liability?  I made sure to have a good double handful of the shiny red material, planted my feet and yanked with all the strength I felt safe to muster without pulling another tendon or ligament.  It was very weird to feel resistance from an individual who seemed to defy gravity; there certainly was some, but not as much as I imagined Epic would bring to bear planted on the ground.

As it was, it was nowhere near enough resistance to have stopped me.  I sent Eric flying ungracefully on top of where Hexagon was already picking himself up.  If only I had a camera at the time, I told myself, this picture would be priceless.  I let that mental image distract me for a moment, far too long a time to let down your guard in the middle of a Push Battle.  I didn’t notice that ice was starting to coat my boots until I felt my toes starting to get very cold.

By the time I noticed, a thick layer of ice was already covering my boots and freezing them to the earth below.  Extinguisher was on one knee, both hands pointed at my legs, visible waves of cold washing off of him.  I didn’t feel whatever energy he was putting out, but the ice that was forming from it, well, it was real, natural ice.  Real cold was numbing my feet as I was pinned to the ground.

It was only a matter of seconds before I would be totally encased in ice.  I would have thought an emergency professional would realize how insanely dangerous encasing a human in ice was; he must have been desperate to put an end to the fight.  I left a fraction of my mind to ponder his motives and put the rest to getting free and away.

My senses were sending warning signals ... the ruckus we were causing would attract more Push heroes to help quell it.  It was only by the element of surprise and my unusual nature that I wasn’t already caught.  I could only hope that these few seconds had been enough time for Tank to get the other two out of here.  If they even left.  I hoped they did as I threw my body weight forward.

Though there was a crust of ice on my boots and shins down to the sheet of ice on the ground, the earth itself was only partly frozen.  The force of my sudden forward push ripped up the ice mooring from the rest of the soft grass and earth.  I carried the motion through into a full forward roll, ending with slamming both of my feet on the ground.  The ice didn’t completely crack away, but I did manage to separate my two feet.  I could move at least, if not perfectly.

“Sorry about this, really, but I can’t stay,” I said as I pushed up into a run.  Extinguisher raised his hands and projected a swirling cone of frost and ice straight at me as I ran towards him.  It was a bizarre sensation: some of it was real, generated by the cold he was creating that I didn’t feel and some of it, the more extreme manifestations, passed through me as the unreality they were.  Though a big, beefy guy, he definitely wasn’t prepared.  I forearm shoved him aside like a pro football player and ran with all my might towards the edge of the Mall.  I ducked, pushed, and jumped people, not even watching who it was I was running into or past.

I was pretty sure I had almost made it as I hurdled the table in an aid station.  I could see the Lincoln Memorial through the mass of people.  That was good, because I could register my lungs burning, muscles screaming with the pain of exertion, and bones rattling.  I could ignore the pain, but I wasn’t sure how much longer I could force my body to continue at this full potential before it simply refused to keep working.

I slowed, ducked behind someone’s makeshift tent, and tried to catch my breath.  As I felt time to start to shift back to normal and my body relax, the pain and exhaustion washed in like a tidal wave.  I really needed to find a way to deal with that crash, I told myself as I slumped all the way down to a sitting position, legs splayed out.  With the time they would waste finding me, which I was certain they would, the rest of them could do their job.

“Hold it!  For real this time!”  It was Extinguisher.  Well crap, I thought, I was hoping that would take longer.  Maybe it did, I found it hard to gauge time well for a bit after I pushed myself like that.  I raised my hands weakly over my head.

“Okay, you got me,”  I said as I got to my feet.  “Take me to Epic or whatever it is you’re going to do.  I won’t resist anymore.”

Chapter 16 Speeches

“Why do you keep doing this, Irene?”  Eric asked as he hovered back and forth.  “There is going to come a time when I will have no choice but to really hurt you to keep you from interfering.  We are at such a delicate time right now.”  He gestured out to the expanse of people on the Mall outside the freshly repaired pavilion.  “There are thousands of them and they are looking to me for guidance through the storm.  I cannot continue to have these distractions.”

I shook my head wearily.  If Mind’s Eye had succeeded in discovering the truth and if Medusa, Tank, and Brooks had kept her safe, I had no way of knowing.  I had been quite thoroughly searched and all the communications gear torn out of my suit.  At least Eric was nice enough to repair the damage with a wave of his hand before he gave it back to me.  I was becoming hard pressed to figure out what abilities he didn’t have at his disposal.

“They’re looking to the wrong person then,” I retorted.  “God, Eric, just admit you’re in over your head.  This whole thing has gone wrong and we’re about to be at the center of ground zero if you don’t admit that.”  I fidgeted my arms, trying to keep circulation in my hands.  Ironically, I was now bound by the very same zip-tie handcuffs I carried in my hip bag along with police-style leg manacles wrapped around the main support pole.  “You have to know about the FBI bombing by now.  They are pegging you as the prime suspect.”

“I know and I have already pleaded my innocence through my government contact,”  Eric said.  “He will deal with it, I am quite sure.  Besides, I have dozens of eyewitnesses to verify my presence here.”

“Great,” I rolled my eyes, “I’m sure the fact that they are scared to death of you and everyone here will make them all the more eager to listen to your alibi instead of using this as an excuse to shoot first and ask questions later.  You made them this way, you know.  It’s just like your damn comic books.”

Eric spun to face me, eyes alight with inhuman light.

“Again, you lay this all at my feet,” he barked.  “I adjusted every variable when I made this happen.  It will make itself right if people like you would just let it!”

“Just like your parents will suddenly come back to life, right?”  That was low and I regretted it the moment I said it, but it was true.  “Face it, Eric, you can’t do it because whatever insane chain reaction you started won’t let you.  It can’t deprive the hero of his motivation after all!”

I braced myself.  I was ready for whatever he was going to hit me with.  Just because I probably deserved it didn’t mean I was going to let myself get splatted like a bug.  He did, for a moment, rear back one of those gigantic fists.

To my surprise, he relaxed after a moment and slumped, actually touching the ground for the first time I had personally seen since the Whiteout.  Even his god-like features seemed to deflate somewhat.  Grief was etched on his inner face, something I had only seen once or twice during our entire relationship.

“I do not understand, Irene, all the numbers are right,” he mumbled.  “I triple-checked, then again after the event.  I thought of everything.”  Eric was on the verge of tears again and, again to my surprise, so was I.  I couldn’t help but feel sorry for all the grief he still carried with him.

“Eric, sweetie,” I said, “you forgot the first and most important factor.  You.  Whatever numbers you had, if this thing feeds on belief, it’s feeding on all of you, not just what’s in your brain.”

I looked down; what I was about to say would hurt him once again and I found the idea pained me.  I didn’t have a choice though.  I had to try to get through to him.

“It felt what was in your heart and some of what’s in there is very dark.  Nothing outside made this all go wrong, it was what was inside you.”

“A-are you saying ... saying I want my parents to still be dead?”  he asked, that dual voice sounding more and more like just a normal man.  “That I, that I want people to be hurt and killed?  I didn’t want any of that!”

“Not directly, no,”  I looked up and met his eyes, which were haunted now.  “But we all have dark sides.  We all have things we want that would hurt other people.  That’s why this is so dangerous.  We need to fix it.”  I took a deep breath.  “I need you, Eric.  You’re the only one who can fix this.”

Eric was standing there in silence.  That phantasmal other-self had diminished, it was only a little larger and more impressive than the actual man.  I could only think that the shaking of his personal faith had caused him to loose much of the power he had.  Tears rolled down his face freely as his mind tried to deal with my request.  For the first time since this all began, I had a real hope that he would see reason and help me reverse the Whiteout, even if there was a strange part of me arguing for it.

All these past few years spent in the lab, so focused on that one project, I had lost my own sense of adventure.  I didn’t ‘do’ anymore.  That part of me pleaded for things to stay like this, no matter the cost.  After what had to be minutes, each of us arguing with our own feelings, he finally spoke.

“It is too late, Irene,” he said, slowly regaining that double voice, his demigod form returning.  “The dice have been thrown.  Even if I wanted to, it can’t be stopped now.”  Epic rose back up into the air.  “I am sorry.  The tidal wave has been let loose and the flood waters are rising.  Nothing can dam it back up.”

“Eric!”  I shouted, the last of my tears rolling down my masked face.  “Nothing’s impossible!  Please, we have to try.”  He turned towards the tent flap.

“No, we do not have to.”  He cast a glance over his shoulder.  “You will remain here, where it will be safe, until after the rally is over.  After that, I will set you free to do as you will.  You will not be able to do any more harm then.”

“Eric!”  There wasn’t any sympathy or sadness left in my voice; I was furious now.  He didn’t seem to notice as he floated out of the pavilion.

I was running out of options as I stared at my cuffed hands.  I was so hungry and drained from my last exertion; I didn’t think I could summon my strength again to try to brute force my way out.  Even if I could, I wasn’t sure if it was possible.  I was still human, after all.  The amount of force I would have to apply to free my hands would almost certainly tear my flesh and break my wrists, making it pointless to try.  My hands had been tied crossed at the wrist; getting a good grip on anything was hard.  The main support pole had to be sunk very deep so the idea of ripping it up was insane.

Even if I did get loose, how far could I expect to get before one of Eric’s cadre saw me.  I’m sure I wasn’t just another anonymous Push hero anymore.  I tried to force myself to think, but my body’s demands and complaints ate at my attention.  I thumped my head against the pole, desperate to jog even a single useful thought out of it.

“I, uh, don’t think brains work like that,” came the voice from behind me.  I turned around to see Extinguisher, still a good distance away from me.  So much for the faint hope of a rescue.

“Finally, room service,” I muttered.  “I made that call an hour ago.”  He looked a bit baffled.  I shook my head.  “Never mind.  What do you want?”

“Well,” he began.  There was a pause.  He had that little bit of stutter most people do when they are unsure of their words.  “I just got pinged by Mind’s Eye.   They, uh, they say they’re okay.  Something about finding a lead.  Object reading, that’s what she said.”  There was a little bit of hope at the center of the current crap sandwich after all.  I forced myself up straight, eying the Push Hero carefully.

“Why are you telling me?”  I said.  “More to the point, why aren’t you telling Epic?”  His square-jawed face looked startled and he ran his hands through his short stubble of a haircut.

“Look.  I know Epic is the big guy right now.  I mean, he was the first one of us and he seems to know so much about what’s happened.”  He let out a puff of freezing breath.  “But, as much as I believe in him, there’s something going on that just doesn’t feel right.  I can’t even put my finger on it, but,” he gestured at me in my restraints, “that for sure isn’t right.  On top of that, well, everyone else on the team trusts you.  I’ve just got to accept that maybe you know something that can help.”  His expression twisted and he put his hands to his brow.  “Stupid headaches.”

“Extinguisher.”  I tried to speak low, carefully enunciating every word.  “I know you’ve got conflicting thoughts and feelings right now but, please, follow that trust.  Let me go.”

“Wait now,” he put his hands out, “what’s to stop you from starting another brawl like the last time?  We don’t need that right now, regardless of how wrong I think it is that you’re treated like this.”

“Okay, you say your team trusts me.  Give me the benefit of the doubt.  I promise that I will not start another fight with anyone.”  I looked past him towards the tent flap.  “I just want a chance to present my points at the rally.  I want to be able to speak the truth so everyone knows what’s on the line.” The look in his ice-blue eyes wavered.  I raised my cuffs at him.  “Please.  Lives are at stake.”

“Alright.”  His voice was flat and neutral; he had lost a debate with himself and wasn’t happy about it.  “I don’t entirely like it, but ... lives are at stake.  Hold the cuffs up.”

I responded dutifully, turning my face away to be safe. Extinguisher pointed his finger like a pistol, eying his intended target carefully.  A ice-blue beam of solid energy lanced out with pin-point precision and flash-froze the center joint of the cuffs.  I twisted once, hard, and the brittle plastic and metal shattered apart.  As he freed my legs the same way, I started massaging feeling back into my hands and fingers.

“You can see the speaker’s stage from the door flap here,”  he said, pointing at the exit.  “I have to be up on stage with Epic for his proposal, he wants us all to be there.  I guess he’s letting Eye, Tank, and Medusa off light or something.”  Extinguisher shook his head again and turned to leave.

“I’d suggest staying out of sight until he’s near the end of his speech, then try to interject.  If you’re lucky, you’ll have enough surprise on your side that the crowd won’t instantly think you’re a threat, even if Epic has spread the word about you.  To be honest, most people aren’t sure if they believe his story on that, not after the train attack.”  He lowered his head.  “Man, just this morning, this was all so cut and dry.”

“Hey,” I said, stopping him just as he was about to leave.  “I’m sorry this is getting messy.  You’re a good guy, just remember that and go with what you think is right.  Thanks.”

Extinguisher glanced back, gave a faint smile, and headed out onto the Mall.  While I couldn’t say that things were going according to plan, at least the team had managed to get some kind of evidence to Brooks.  Maybe the truth would help Duane shake off that paranoia and anger and focus on the truth.  If he could clear the Pushed and I could sway them, we had a shot at stopping a whole lot of bloodshed.

I sneaked a peek out of the pavilion.  There was at most a half hour before Epic’s opening speech by the look of the sun.  With that in mind, I rummaged through my little prison, praying that someone had left something to eat around.  I was lucky.  I found a box of protein energy bars some volunteer had left behind and something just as important: a bullhorn.

I had to admit that it was an impressive set up.  The red, white, and blue stage design with the flowing ‘Push For A Better America’ banner had just the right mix of patriotism and professionalism.  The slogan was quite catchy.  Considering how many people were here, I wouldn’t be surprised if Eric had picked up some serious public relations talent.  If we lived through this, I expected commercials by the end of the week.

Epic was flanked on both sides by the rest of my friends, smiling and waving to the crowd.  Television cameras were mounted in strategic places around the stage, broadcasting  not only to the networks and cable news affiliates, but also to massive monitors set up at off angles, allowing expansive exposure to the breadth of the National Mall.  It was perfect, everyone would get to hear what I had to say.

As Epic approached the podium, the Push Heroes in attendance let loose a roar of applause and cheers.  I could feel a case of nerves coming on; I would be up against that kind of popularity when I tried to make my own case.   What the hell was I doing?  I was a scientist, not a politician.  I clenched my hands as he quieted the crowd, trying to get myself psyched up.  This was a one-shot deal; I would have to be as charismatic as I could manage and that meant I had to be confident.

“Greetings and salutations, my friends!”  Cue applause, again quieted.  “You know who I am, I have tried to meet as many of you as I can in person, but for those that I have not, let me introduce myself.  I am called Epic and I have gathered you here today, in our beloved nation’s capitol, to let our voices combine together and reassure everyone, here in the United States and abroad, that we are not to be feared.”  Another cheer.  “We are not to be demonized.”  Louder this time.  “We are men and women, just like all of those unchanged by this bizarre Whiteout, and we ask only for those same rights and liberties!”

I had to cap my ears for a moment; there were too many unnatural voices for my sensitive ears to handle.

“Even though what we ask is no different than what every man and woman is owed by birth, we offer something in exchange for these things!  A gift to every man, woman, and child alive.  A gift of a better, safer tomorrow.  Between us, we have the power to cure the incurable, make fertile what is barren, make the poor rich, and stop the crimes man wages upon man.”  Another huge roar; they were eating this up like candy.