Will
November 26th, 2007. 10:21 p.m. I’ve been chatting with Janelle in her room throughout the evening. I helped her move her stuff back in and she treated me to some of her leftovers. The turkey she cooked was quite good, but it could have used some more spice and a little more brining. Regardless, I still wanted to fall asleep after eating it, so it still gets an A in my book. I’ve been sitting at her desk catching up on some reading while she’s lying on her bed listening to some music. It’s quiet. It’s nice.
“So…” I glance at Janelle. “Did you have a good break?”
“It was fine.” She smiles at me. “Would’ve been way better with you though. I at least managed to practice a lot of baking.”
“Tha-”
“What about you?” Janelle interrupts me. “Did you go anywhere cool? Did you miss me?”
“Course I missed ya.” I lightly poke her head. “I just sat back at the ranch and ate. Didn’t talk much. Saw no one. Just hung out with cows and rode some horses. It was perfect.”
“I see…” Janelle’s eyes look crestfallen for a moment while her smile remains. “I would love to visit your ranch sometime.”
“I could arrange that.” I lean back and stretch my arms over my head. “Alright… I need to get going. It’s too late.”
“You could always sleep here, ya know.” Janelle takes her headphones off and looks up at me.
“Thank you,” I slip my book into my pocket and head for the door. “but I couldn’t impose on you like that.” I reach for the doorknob, but feel Janelle hug me from behind - hard. She presses her chest against my back and wraps her arms around my stomach. Her hands are so warm and soft… and… keep your head on straight.
“Please, Will?” Janelle somehow manages to hug even harder. “Sleep with me, just this once? I promise I won’t try anything that would make you uncomfortable.”
My arm lowers and my breath slows down. Despite this, my body’s going crazy. Begone, accursed hormones! “You don’t want to sleep with me. Trust me.”
“Why? Do you snore?”
“No.”
“Do you fart in your sleep?”
“Not to my knowledge…”
“Then why don’t you want to sleep with me?” Janelle gently rocks herself back and forward, pressing her chest against my back repeatedly. “Do you not like me? You can tell me.”
“I… toss and turn a lot. I’d probably punch you by accident.”
“You don’t gotta worry about that.” Janelle rests her cheek against my shoulder. “I’ll hold onto you tight and keep you warm.”
That does sound nice… My legs do get cold at night. “Alright… but no funny business, alright?”
“Yaaaay!” Janelle hugs me even tighter. It’s actually getting hard to breathe. “Thank you so so so much! Go get your pjs, I’ll get ready!” She lets me go and sits back in her bed.
I leave her dorm, head back to mine, and get into my pjs. “Dammit… the hell am I thinking… No no… It should be fine… I haven’t had any nightmares in a while. Maybe having her around would help me sleep better too… I hope.” I finish buttoning my shirt up and head back to her dorm. “Not like I can say no to her anyway… Stupid sinful curves.”
I knock on the door and Janelle opens it immediately after the first knock. She has this pink nightgown on that leaves almost nothing to the imagination. I didn’t even know she owned something like that. “Welcome back.” She smiles, pulls me in and leads me back to her room. “You’re the best, you know that?”
“Yeah… you too.” As I follow behind her, my eyes keep wandering down to her thighs no matter how much I try. Relax, Will. Relax. She wouldn’t try anything. She’s a good woman.
Janelle opens the door to her room to reveal a bunch of rose petals on her bed in the shape of a heart. Now it’s really too late to back out. “That’s… rather cute.”
“Glad you think so.” Janelle gently pushes me into her room and closes the door behind her. “Make yourself comfy.”
“Alright…” I pull her blanket and get into her bed. “Wait, where’s Angela? Won’t she be mad over this?”
“Naaaah, she’s sleeping over in Josh’s room.” Janelle turns off the lights and approaches her bed. “We’ll be all alone.” I see her smile wider than I ever have before sliding into bed with me and pulling the covers over us. “Thank you…” She buries her face in my chest and hugs me.
“Don’t mention it…” I yawn and feel my eyelids get heavy.
Janelle takes a deep breath and her body temperature increases. She now feels like a soft heater… I feel like a cat sleeping on a radiator. She’s just the perfect temperature too. I don’t feel cold or hot anywhere and even my legs start to feel loose. “Dang… Janelle, that feels great…”
“You’re welcome, darling.” Janelle slides her fingertips around my back.
She smells faintly like green apples and fresh bread. I could get used to this… “That also feels… wonderful…” I can’t help but wrap an arm around her and begin nodding off. I barely manage to count to three before falling asleep.
Janelle
November 27th, 2007. 3:09 a.m. My room. I’m still cradled in Will’s big strong arms. I’ve never felt so safe or warm before… I rub my cheek against his chest. And this is just divine… Maybe next time I could convince him to ravage me. He’s sleeping so soundly and he hasn’t made a peep the whole night. He still smells good and isn’t sweaty in the slightest. What was he so worried about?
“Nnngh…” Will’s eyelids begin to clamp down a little harder.
“Yes, Will?” I look up at him.
His limbs start trembling and his breathing grows erratic within the next five seconds. “S-sorry…” He groans like a wounded animal for a little bit before his speech devolves into an incomprehensible mix of English and Spanish.
“Will? Will! What’s wrong?” I shake his arm.
Will’s arms push me off of him as he starts wailing like a banshee. His eyes are still closed, but his body looks as tense as a brick.
I’m still half asleep. My body moves on its own. “Will! Wake up!” I touch his chest again.
“NOT AGAIN!!!” Will slashes his hand across me. Pain and hot blood erupts from under my left collarbone to just right of my belly button.
My body falls off the bed and onto the floor. I stare up at the ceiling and press my hands to my torso. It hurts so much. I feel hot blood spread across my palms and off my sides onto the carpet around me. “Will! WILL! STOP!” I begin to cry along with him. It hurts, but it’s far from the worst pain I’ve felt. I could still stand up, but I fear Will would just slice me down…
Will
November 27th, 2007. 3:11 a.m. Janelle’s room. It’s all coming back to me. The boys… the Tsukijin… Fallujah… Everything’s playing on repeat again. Images of trisected soldiers and the sounds of blood and guts sloshing against pavement flood my mind. Luke’s hollow stare won’t leave me alone… No matter where I look, no matter how hard I try to lunge myself awake, I can’t… but I’ve earned this.
“WILL! STOP!” Janelle’s voice pierces through my mind and wakes me up. My eyes shoot open and my entire body is shaking. I’m covered head to toe in cold sweat and some blood. My left hand is clutched over my right breast. No matter how hard I try, my hand won’t stop shaking and my nails won’t pry themselves from my skin. My right arm’s no better. I can barely feel it… but my fingertips are drenched in wet blood. It takes me a while to realize that I’m still in Janelle’s bed, but she’s nowhere to be found. “J-janelle!? Where are you!?”
No response.
I take some deep breaths, peek over the bed, and find Janelle lying against the floor with blood-stained hands clutched to her torso. “Janelle… No… Please tell me you’re alive.”
“Will…” She smiles then grunts. “You’re awake. Can you carry me to the student hospital?”
“ABSOLUTELY!” I pick Janelle up and begin rushing over to the student hospital. The evening air is chilly, but Janelle keeps me warm. Despite all the blood, she doesn’t seem to be in that much pain… but that could just be the endorphins kicking in. “Don’t die on me… Please…” Even while running, I still can’t stop crying.
“I won’t. Relax.” Janelle rests her head against my shoulder. “It’s not that deep…” Despite Janelle’s insistence, her lips continue to quiver. “I should’ve known better.”
“It’s not your fault.” I sprint across the campus park as fast as I can. “I shouldn’t have accepted in the first place.”
“If night terrors were a problem… why didn’t you tell me?”
“I wanted to make you happy.” I climb the stairs out of the park and approach the student hospital. The neon logo flickers and illuminates the path before me.
“You’re sweet…” Janelle goes limp.
“Don’t go… Please…” I rush into the lobby and deliver Janelle to the hospital staff. They take her away on a stretcher within a minute and are incredibly attentive and swift despite the current time. I follow the staff and Janelle to one of the E.R. rooms, but I’m made to sit outside on a bench in the hallway while they operate.
A little while later, one of the campus police officers sits beside me. “Mind if I ask you a few questions about your friend’s ‘accident’?”
I put my elbows on my knees and press my hands against the back of my head. “My Tech lets me sharpen my body. We were sleeping together, I got a nightmare, and accidentally sliced her.”
“Are you certain?” The tired officer writes all that in his notebook with ink spouting from his fingertip. “Do you want to add anything to your testimony?”
“No. That’s the whole and honest truth.”
“Alright.” The officer puts his notebook back in his jacket. “Hope you don’t mind waiting here till we can interview your friend.”
“Not at all.” I shake my head. “Whatever makes your job easier.”
“Thanks.” The officer leaves me alone and stands by the exit with some other officers.
I wait for Janelle to leave the room before my body gives up and I fall asleep again.
Janelle
November 27th, 2007. 5:02 a.m. I awaken in a hospital bed with all the blood cleaned off of me and my chest wound stitched up. Beside me is a med student with thick glasses cleaning off her tools.
“Ah, you’re awake.” She smiles. “How are you feeling?”
“Fine…” I look down at all the stitches and feel my spine recoil. “Did you put anything in me?”
“Just some local anesthetic. The numbness should wear off within the hour.” She takes her gloves off and chucks them over her shoulder and into a trash can across the room.
“Thanks…” I look away from the stitches and towards her. “How bad is it going to hurt when it wears off? And I assume the stitches will stay in for thirteen days?”
“Right on the money.” The doc snaps and gives me a thumbs-up. “And it shouldn’t be too bad. You were pretty lucky. Your collarbone got hit pretty bad, but your wound was really shallow around your chest. None of your organs were in danger and the cut was really clean too.” She grabs an empty mason jar from her table and exhales a violet gas into it.
“That’s a relief…”
“Mmhm.” The doctor puts a cork on the jar and hands it to me. “If the pain gets bad, just take a huff of this. Just one huff, alright?” she narrows her gaze. “I ain’t giving you anymore.”
“R-right…” I clutch the jar to my side. “Got it. Do I owe you anything?”
“Nah.” She shakes her head. “All covered by your tuition. Can you walk alright? Do you need a cane?”
“I should be fine.” I rub the back of my head. “Must’ve passed out from exhaustion I guess…”
“Good to hear.” The doc leans back on her stool and points to my left. “That man’s got some questions for you.”
I look to my left and see a tired school officer sitting on a chair beside my bed. “Mind answering a few questions about your incident?”
“Not at all.” I shake my head and give a detailed account of what happened between Will and I.
“Uh huh…” His eyes narrow as he writes in his book with his finger. “And you’re certain that’s what happened?”
“Absolutely.” I nod.
He leans in closer to me. “You know you can tell us if he’s abusing you. We’ll keep you safe.”
I almost smacked this man. “It really was an accident. I don’t know what else to tell you.”
“Alright, alright. I gotcha.” The officer puts his notebook back into his jacket then presents a card to me. “Just let the campus police know if you ever change your mind.”
“Mm.” I look back at the doctor. “Can I go?”
“Sure thing.” The doc offers me her hand.
I take it and manage to stand just fine. Oooh… yeah… Chest feels tingly, but my shoulder’s already starting to ache. Won’t be sleeping on my left anytime soon… but it’s plenty manageable. I’d rate it a 5 on the pain scale. I open the door and see Will lying asleep on the bench outside the E.R. room. I feel better already. “Hey, Will.” I keep my distance and look down at him.
Will’s eyes shoot open as he leans up to face me. “Hey… How are you feeling?”
“Fine.” I smile and offer him my hand. “Don’t you worry.”
He accepts my hand and helps himself up. “Yeah… so… If you want to break up over that, I completely understand.”
“Oh come here you dummy.” I give him a big hug and rest my head against his shoulder.
Will freezes for a moment before reciprocating my hug. “Sorry…”
“Hey hey.” I look up at him. “I should have been more considerate… I didn’t know you had night terrors like that. Do you want to talk about it sometime? I was 75% of the way to becoming a licensed therapist.”
“I couldn’t do that to you.” Will keeps hugging me, but just looks forward at the wall.
“Will, please. Let me help you. You don’t deserve whatever’s haunting you.”
Will sighs then smiles down at me. “You’re so persistent, you know that?”
“So… that’s a yes?”
Will’s frown slowly melts into a smile. “Fine… I suppose we can discuss it over breakfast…”
A.D.
November 27th, 2007. 4:57 p.m. Dorm Room. Just returned from class. Got myself a good shower and ate a nutritious snack. Blast… we’re out of protein powder, fruits, and all vegetables. All that remains is soda, alcohol, and ice cream. All of the bottles have ‘Yuko’ written on them in thick black marker. We really need to impose a limit on how much fridge space Yuko can take up. This is becoming a problem.
“Yo.” Yuko pokes my back.
“Aiyee!” I spin around and fail to parry her poke. “Oh, it’s you. What’s up?”
Yuko looks more ragged than usual. I don’t think she went to class today. “Can I talk to you about something? I need to get crap off my chest.”
“Why me?”
“With Vivian and Josh gone, you’re the only one around here I tolerate.” Yuko sighs. “Please?”
“Uh-”
The dorm door opens and Will walks in. “Oh, hello you two. What’s going on?”
“Oh,” My eyes shift over to Will. “Was just about to make a grocery run. Wanna come with?”
“Absolutely. I’ve been in desperate need of more shaving cream.” Will nods and begins adjusting his shoes. “We can depart now if you want.”
“Wanna come with us?” I ask Yuko.
“Nah. Not really.” Yuko refuses.
“Come on. Please?”
“Why do you care if I go out with you two?”
“Because you need to go outside. It’ll make you feel better.”
“Mmmmm no.” Yuko yawns.
“I’ll buy you a pack if you come with us.”
Yuko instantly perks up. “Let’s go.”
We head out for the grocery store across the street. Weather’s starting to get chilly. I really should consider wearing pants now… but I can’t give up shorts. They’re too comfy and easy to wear.
Upon entry, Will takes a hard left and books it for the hygiene and shaving aisle while Yuko leads me over to the pharmacy.
“Sooo…” I follow behind her. “What did you want to talk to me about?”
Yuko sighs, but keeps on moving. “Do you ever feel like you don’t deserve something? Like something is just too good to be true, that there has to be some kind of catch?”
“Is this something a thing or is it a person?”
“... A person.”
I can’t help but chuckle a bit. “Yuko, you don’t earn people. Who you meet and who you befriend is completely random.”
“I know that but… just. Agh.” Yuko lightly kicks a nearby stand. “You ever been used?”
“Can’t say I have.” I stretch my arms over my head. “Least I don’t think so.”
“Then you don’t get it…”
“Suppose not.” I shrug. “Doesn’t mean everyone’s out to use you.”
“I know that.” Yuko nods and turns a corner and starts browsing the cig collection behind the pharmacy counter. “Is there any way to know someone’s not going to use you?”
“Bad vibes?” I start looking at the selection. Holy crap these things are expensive. I could get two tacos and a small fry for a box of those. No wonder Yuko’s always short on cash. Wait. She never actually buys any of these herself. What the hell is she spending her money on? Is the alcohol she’s buying that premium? “I mean you just gotta roll the dice. If they turn out bad, just shoot them to the moon with your voice.”
“Gotcha…” her eyes wander around the counter as she taps her chin. “Is it weird to be afraid to be close?”
“Yuko, we fought an exploding corgi and aliens. There’s way weirder stuff.”
“You know what? Fair.” Even though her eyes are tired, Yuko’s lips curl into a small smile. “I want tho-”
Before she could point - and I really wish I was making this up - a train blasts clean through the pharmacy in front of us. It’s about thirty cars long and going… I wanna say fifty mph? It’s hard to tell. Just comes in through our right and leaves through our left, leaving nothing but chaos and destruction in its wake. It blows a hole in the wall to the left of us and leaves as quickly as it entered. The train’s not on any kind of railing, but is riding along just fine.
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For a moment, I can see someone standing inside one of the train cars. It’s some dude dressed in conductor garb. Big mustache. Huge fancy hat. Suspenders. Looks straight out of a children’s book about trains. He’s sitting on a bunch of huge sacks. That could be anything. Drugs, money, gems, rare comic books. Anything.
“Yuko!” I call out. “Blast me up onto that train!”
“Kay!” Yuko yells and propels me atop one of the train cars. She then blasts herself upward shortly after and lands two cars behind me.
“Attagirl! That’s what I like to see!” I turn behind to face Yuko and start clapping.
She’s lying on her stomach hugging the train car. “Duck, you idiot!”
“Got it!” I follow her instructions and lie flat on my back. Two seconds later, I watch what remains of the grocery store wall fly right over my head. Could’ve sworn I felt some drywall graze against my nose. “Thank you!” I yell. “You’re really considerate when you want to be!”
“Thanks?” Yuko yells back.
Will
November 27th, 2007. 5:11 p.m. Grocery store. Oh no no no… They ran out of my favorite cream. No other brand can care for my sensitive pores and provide that wondrous aroma… Should I ask if they have more in the back? What if the brand got bought out? What if it was recalled? Oh gosh… I sincerely hope that isn’t the ca-
Two hands cover my eyes. “Guess who!”
“Hey… Janelle?”
“Yaay. you guessed right.” She lets go of my face and pulls me in for a tight hug.
I look down at her hands and see a small box labeled ‘Performance Enhancing’. Good to know she’s serious about working out and improving herself. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh, you know.” She lets go of me and puts her hands behind her back. “Just some shopping. Getting some more cake ingredients, some cereal, some more lean meat for you.”
I love lean meats… “Why thank you.” I turn around to face her. “So… um… how’s your chest doing?
“The wound itches like crazy, but only my shoulder’s in real pain.” She grunts, hugs me again, and draws the stares of nearby shoppers. “That gas the nurse gave me works wonders.”
“Tha-”
“What about you? How are you feeling?” She looks up at me with motherly eyes.
“... Awful. Beyond awful.”
“It’s not your fault, honey.” Janelle rubs my back. “Want me to set you up an appointment with the school counselor?”
Before I can respond-
CHOO CHOO
A few aisle down, a train bursts through the walls of the store. It has no track. Seems like a commercial train, but I can’t find any logo or familiar designs on it. What the heck is this thing running on? Shelves and people go flying out of its way, but some aren’t so fortunate… I see the mangled bodies of two adults and three children spin in between the train’s wheels. Despite looking straight out of a children’s book about trains, the front is littered with blood and debris. Seeing the corpses’ empty eyes stare at me makes memories come flooding back into my mind. I get dizzy for a moment and lean on a nearby shelf for support. My stomach starts to flip and my throat begins to tighten. No. Not again. Why now!? I was doing so good!
Janelle catches me and shields her face from the debris with her arm. “Will! Are you okay!?”
I manage enough strength to look back up at the car. Through the car windows, I can just barely see someone sitting in one of them. That has to be the one responsible for this… I’ll get him. I’ll bring justice to the families of the slain.
I take a deep breath and look down at Janelle. “Are you well enough to help?
“Yes.” She nods, but holds her chest.
“Good.” I brandish my sword, gently push her away, and start running after the train. “Stay back and help people. I’m going after the train!”
“Will! You stay here!” Janelle demands. “You can’t catch up to the train!”
“Of course I can! Just gotta rendezvous with Yuko and she can shoot us up!”
“You dummy!” I feel Janelle swoop in from behind me, hoist me up from my armpits, and carry me up onto the train.
“What!?” I look behind me and see Janelle propelling herself by shooting concentrated flame out the soles of her feet. “When did you learn to do that!?”
“Over break.” She giggles and rests her chin on my forehead. “Did you think I was just resting all vacation?”
“Impressive…” I feel my heart going crazy. “But you need to go back and help people after dropping me off. It isn’t safe for you here.”
“I’m not letting anyone hurt you.” Janelle insists.
“No-” I look up at her before sighing and resigning to my fate. “Fine… Just do what I tell you. I don’t want you getting hurt.”
“You’re very sweet.” Janelle hums and kisses the top of my head.
Half a minute later, she manages to catch up to the train and lands us on the last car. We’re now outside and the train is speeding down the congested streets of L.A. The train is pushing cars out of the way like they’re nothing. I can see A.D. and Yuko about twenty cars down trying to maintain their balance. “There we go.” Janelle takes a deep breath and holds onto the bars on the top of the car. “Any plans, darling?”
“Yeah.” I run my hand over my sword, plunge it into the roof, and carve out a nice hole. “Voila.” I jump in the hole and begin running down the cars to reach the person trapped inside while Janelle follows close behind me. Each car I race through is completely empty. They all look immaculate. No spots, stains, or any signs of age anywhere. Looks like it came fresh from the production line. No time to admire the cleanliness. I need to stop this thing.
Yuko
November 27th, 2007. 5:13 p.m. On the train. This wind’s killing my face.
I can barely keep my eyes open. “A.D.! Got any plans on how to get in!?”
“Working on that!” A.D. looks around and peers over to the other end of the train. “Looks like there’s a little compartment between two cars up ahead.” He starts trudging forward towards the center of the train.
I follow and keep looking around for any obstacles, supporting villains, or good burger joints. Unfortunately, I find none.
We move through the top of the train uninterrupted until-
CHOO CHOO
Another train of equal size, design, and speed comes out of a portal a good distance away from us. The space between the two trains quickly disappears as the second train speeds perpendicular towards the long side of the train we’re on. Goddamnit. I can’t move a train with my voice… I’d propel us onto the other train, but I can’t move fast enough.
“A.D.! TRAIN!”
“I KNOW!” A.D. looks back at me and flashes a smile. “IT’S A VERY NICE TRAIN!”
“NO, YOU IDIOT!” I point to my left. “ANOTHER TRAIN!”
“Wha?” A.D. looks to my left just in time to watch the second train plow through our train. “NONONONO!”
The car we’re on tumbles and begins to spin. We’re thrown from it and go flying like soggy chicken nuggets, so I just start screaming. Sure I knock over some pedestrians, but I break my fall and land gently on the crusty-ass sidewalk. I look around for where A.D. landed, but can’t find him. When I look up, I see him spinning forward towards the second train. Guess I managed to hit him with my voice. “Wooo.” I lazily raise my arm. “Go A.D. Yeah. Fight.” I help an old lady stand up, help blast some cars off of people, then retreat inside the Jack in the Box I landed by. I did all I can. This ain’t worth dying over.
Will
November 27th, 2007. 5:12 p.m. In the train. Still running through… Geez… Just how long is this thing? I cut open the door to the central car and finally see a man inside along the other end of the car. He’s got a rather fashionable mustache and is lying upon a veritable throne of burlap sacks.
“Sir!” I draw my blade and sprint at him. “Are you okay? Are you harmed? Did someone trap you here?
“Are you joking, lad?” The man laughs and slaps one of the sacks. Sounds like there’s paper inside, but I can’t be sure. “I feel the best I ever have! What are you doing here on my fine train?”
“Your train!?” I get a better look at him. He looks familiar. Wait a second… those eyes, those cheekbones. That tattoo… He’s from David’s list. “Jeffrey Kissinger.”
The man’s demeanor changes instantly. His smile fades and his eyes narrow.
I wind up a swing and leap at him.
“WILL!” Janelle tries to catch up with me. “STOP!”
“Heh.” The man smirks, revealing that he’s missing a tooth. “Begone, you whippersnapper. You don’t need to die today.”
“What!?”
CHOO CHOO
I look to my left and see another train speeding towards our car.
“Toodaloo.” The man waves at me.
“Wait!” I swing my sword towards his neck, but two arms wrap around my stomach.
“Will! Get back!” Janelle propels us back into the car behind us with her fire.
“Let go!” I toss and turn, but it’s no use. I can’t get her off me without slicing her. “I CAN FINISH THIS!”
“No, you dummy!” Janelle holds me tighter.
The second train collides with the car in front of us, but instead of colliding, it seems to phase through the car and even the man. Him and his throne of sacks sink into the second train and speed off to our right. Once the second train finishes passing through the car, it leaves a massive hole and separates the train in two. The cars in front of us begin to tumble and roll out of balance while the cars we’re on begin to slow down.
“Oh…” I stare out at the other half of the train car. “That was too close… Thank you, Janelle. Glad you’re here.”
“That’s what I thought.” Janelle smirks.
I take a deep breath, pat her hand, and point over to the other train. “Think you can get us over onto that train?”
“Absolutely.” She gives me a little peck on the neck and starts flying us over to the other train.
As we fly over, I see A.D. get propelled through the air by some force and land on the caboose. He steadies himself before descending the ladder on the back, and entering the cart through the back entrance.
“Janelle! Can you fly us over to the far side of the train? With A.D.’s help, we can pincer him!”
“You got it, darling!” Janelle cheers and starts flying faster and faster. Her skin starts to grow cold… very cold. It hurts to even touch her hands. Don’t die on me… The mission’s not over yet.
A.D.
November 27th, 2007. 5:15 p.m. Inside Train #2. Woo boy this train goes on forever… at least it’s a good workout. Been sprinting down car after car, kicking down the car doors like a cool dude as I go. Soon enough, I come across the door of the center car. Through the door window, I can see the back of a man’s head. There’s been no one else in the cars and he doesn’t seem in duress, so it’s safe to assume that he’s hostile. Gotta be careful. Gotta be sneaky. Just open the door and grapple him in one clean motion… I duck under the door window, wrap my hand around the door handle, and take some deep breaths. NOW! I push open the door, sprint in, tackle the man to the floor, pull his arms behind him, and sit on top of him. One clean motion. No mis-inputs. No room for counters. Perfect execution.
“I don’t know who you are,” I speak calmly. “but please stop these trains. I’m begging you.”
“Ow… oooh… man you young’ins are tough these days…” The man groans under me, but doesn’t seem to resist at all. Sure hope I didn’t break anything.
“Sir,” I twist his wrists a little bit, “please stop the train.”
“Of course… of course… I know when I’m beaten…” The man sighs and relaxes his body. The train we’re on begins to slow down considerably.
I peek inside one of the nearby burlap sacks and see stacks upon stacks of financial documents and bills. “What bank did you lift these from?”
“All of the ones downtown.” The man chuckles like my grandpa. “Vault robbery is quite easy with an armored train at your disposal.”
“Why did you take the money? Don’t you know people worked really hard for that?”
“People?” The man shakes his head. “No, no listen to me! I only stole $250,000 from each account. The FDIC has to give everyone back the money I stole. I didn’t steal anything, I generated free money!”
“Stealing is stealing.” I shake my head as blood splatters across the train window. “Plus think of all the people you’ve run over today. I cannot just let that slide.”
“Oh come now… I tried to warn them… I mailed out a physical and digital calling card to everyone in the area not to take the roads today, but did they listen? Noooo. Nobody ever listens to me.”
“What are you going to do with that money?”
“Make some homeless vet shelters, donate to some failing schools, get some kids through college, pay off some strangers’ medical expenses… pretty much donate to anyone who needs it.”
“I see…” I look down at his withered forearm and see a little military tattoo. My grip on him begins to loosen just a little bit. By now, the train has completely stopped.
“Not like that money’s doing any good just being locked away, huh?” he sighs. “If it wasn’t for me, the money would probably just be spent on crime, trafficking, or legal fees.”
“I mean… you aren’t wro-”
Ga-shunk
The car door in front of us opens and Will and Janelle storm in. No words, no hesitation, Will just runs his hand over his blade and thrusts it at the old man’s head.
“Whoa!” I pull the man up off the ground and behind me then put myself between him and Will. “Will! What are you doing!?”
“Trying to solve the problem.” Will points his blade at me. “Either kill him yourself or let me do it.”
“I’m not letting you kill someone’s grandpa!” I bark. “Heroes don’t kill old people!”
“He’s not a grandpa!” Will lowers his blade, shoves me aside, and tears the Conductor’s mustache off. “He’s a Federal agent! He’s working for the government!”
I blink. I look at Will, then the Conductor. Then back to Will. “Ah… I… Why would a Federal agent be doing this?! And how do you know he’s a Federal agent?!”
“Long story.” Will raises his blade.
I hold his wrist. “I’m not letting you do this.”
“A.D.!” Will tries to kick me off him, but I manage to parry it. “Let go of me! You don’t know what you’re doing!”
“I won’t let you kill him.” I shake my head. “We need him to provide testimony. We’re heroes. We don’t kill people. We’re supposed to do things by the book.”
“DO YOU REALIZE HOW MANY PEOPLE HE’S TRAFFICKED?!” Will yells.
“Do you have any proof of that?!” I yell back.
The man grunts and tilts his head upward. “Young man, are all youth so bloodthirsty nowadays?”
“LET GO OF ME!!!” Will shakes his hand. “DON’T MAKE ME KILL YOU TOO!”
“YOU WOULDN’T DARE!” I bark back at him.
“Sorry, sonny.” The man shakes his head.
“What-?”
CHOO CHOO
The old man headbutts me and pushes me away towards Will.
A train breaks through the street beneath us and phases through the man and his sacks of cash and documents. The train continues riding higher and farther away from us. Will tries to cut and slice at the ascending train, but it’s no use. After half a minute, the train’s completely out of our range. It’s speeding away faster than the nearby news helicopters and only appears to be going faster. Before long, the train is nothing more than a speck in the far-off clouds.
The three of us are standing in a pile of broken train parts and wrecked automobiles.
Will keeps slicing at the air and yelling like I’ve never heard him yell before. “COME ON!” He punches his sword handle. “WORK! DO IT AGAIN!” He keeps slicing at the air like a kid throwing a tantrum, but nothing happens. “GET BACK HERE! I’M NOT DONE WITH YOU!”
Janelle is on her knees, hunched over, and hugging herself. I can see frosty air leave her mouth with every wavering breath. Her face is abnormally pale and bits and pieces of flame she left behind on the streets start slithering back into her.
“JANELLE!” Will turns to her and barks. “GET UP! WE CAN CATCH HIM!”
“R-right…” Janelle’s teeth clack and she starts to stand.
“Hold up.” I put my arm between Will and Janelle. “Are you kidding? She’s in no condition to fly!”
“DON’T TELL HER WHAT TO DO!” Will yells.
“DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!” Janelle shrieks in unison.
“Attagirl.” Will smirks and reaches out to her. “Pick me up. We need to stop him.”
“Mhm.” Janelle nods, but doesn’t walk forward. Her entire body looks like it’ll shatter if I flick her. She’s shaking like mad too.
“HURRY!” Will yells again.
“S-sorry…” Janelle takes a deep breath as a stream of fire flows into her spine. She wraps her arms around Will’s waist, grunts, and fire starts to sputter out of her feet in rapid, irregular bursts.
“COME ON!” Will yells again to the sky. “HURRY! I’M GOING TO LOSE HIM!”
“I’m… trying…” Janelle lets go and crumples up onto the ground. The fire around her slithers back into her stomach
Will turns to Janelle and opens his mouth to say something before shutting it and picking her up. “Come. Let’s get you some help…” He fastens her cold body to his chest and starts jogging south towards the hospital.
Suzy
November 27th, 2007. 7:47 p.m. It’s fairly late. I’ve switched into my bunny slippers. I’m just about to clock in for the night when Will, A.D., Janelle, and Yuko waltz into my office. Will’s quiet, but looks ready to fight at the drop of a hat. A.D. has hollow eyes and a lifeless smile. Janelle’s bundled up more than usual and won’t take her hand off Will’s back. Yuko’s slurping on a big gulp looking like she just watched a solid 6/10 movie.
“This better be good.” I yawn and rub my temples. “Is this about the train thing?”
“Yes.” A.D. nods. “He regrettably got away.”
“All thanks to you.” Will claps his hands. “Because you wanted to be a hero, a bunch of people are dead and the guy got away. Congratulations.”
“I didn’t sign up to kill.” A.D. bows his head as a blue aura starts emanating off his hands.
“Then resign.” Will raises his voice and shoves A.D. “You haven’t had the balls to stop one villain ever since we got here.”
A.D. stumbles and begins doing something with his arms. Looks like there’s a little fireball brewing in his hands.
“Now hold on.” I point to both of the boys and freeze them in place. “What was the name of this train man?”
“Jeffrey Kissinger.” Will replies.
“That Jeffrey Kissinger?” I ask.
“Yes.” Will nods.
I relinquish control of Will and turn to A.D. “You IDIOT.”
A.D. flinches as if to brace for impact. “What did I do?!”
“Jeffrey Kissinger is a Fed who has been trying to screw you, me, and this entire country over for the past two decades. We finally have a chance to get him after he kills over 1,000 Americans in broad daylight and you just let him go?”
“I didn’t know!” A.D. protests. “I just thought he was a crazy old man! Besides, how do I know you’re right? Why would a Federal employee kill over 1,000 Americans? For fun?!”
“It’s a false flag operation, you idiot.” I hover a collection of magazine and newspaper articles around A.D. “It’s one of the many operations committed over the past decade to drum up support for the Hero Act.”
A.D.’s eyes dart around the articles. “This is insane… You’re operating off a conspiracy theory?!”
sluuuuuuuuuuuurp
All eyes in the room turn to Yuko as she desperately tries to suck out the last droplets of soda from her cup.
“What?” Yuko pries her lips from the straw. “I’ve got nothing to say.” She throws the cup into a nearby trash can. “Keep doing what you’re doing.”
“Yesterday’s conspiracy theory is tomorrow’s tragedy.” Will folds his arms and shakes his head.
“Heroboy’s right.” I raise my cup of coffee to Will before pointing it at A.D. “In case you don’t believe us, I have a collection of materials you can review.”
A.D. falls silent as he reads more and more of the clippings.
I relinquish control of A.D. and turn back to Will, Janelle, and Yuko. “You all have full authorization to hunt down Jeffrey Kissinger instead of going to class. Either kill him or bring him back here.
“Wouldn’t hunting a Fed get us in trouble?” Yuko asks.
“Let me worry about that.” I take a sip of coffee.
“I appreciate the opportunity.” Janelle smiles at me before turning to Will. “Why don’t we do that? We can do some research, then go find him and stop him for real. Doesn’t that sound nice?”
“Sure.” Will smiles. “Just as long as you let me kill him.”
Janelle’s face starts contorting.
Yuko stretches her arms over her head. “Hey, Janelle. Can you like, suck him off or something? That dude’s gonna have an aneurysm by the time he hits thirty.”
Janelle’s and Will’s faces glow beet red.
A few seconds pass. Nobody says anything else, but no one’s leaving my office either.
“Please give me any intel on the Conductor that you may have.” A.D. nods.
“Thank you, A.D.” I take a deep breath and toss him a file. “Here’s everything on the man. History, operations he’s had a hand in, possible hideout locations. If you have any questions, let me know, alright?”
Will intercepts the file. “Thank you, Headmaster. I’ll have this menace put down by the end of the week. Janelle, let’s go.”
“Right.” She nods and follows Will out of the office.
“Oooooh a little race.” I chuckle and toss A.D. another file. “My money’s on Will.”
A.D. catches the file and gives me a short bow. “Thank you, Headmaster. I’ll be on my way. I shall do my best to apprehend him. Sorry for taking up your time. Have a good night.”
Will
November 27th, 2007. 8:09 p.m. Walking through the campus park with Janelle. Need to clear my mind… If I was stronger, I could have stopped the Conductor. I could have saved everyone. Why didn’t that shockwave come out? I was focused. I wanted to cut him so badly… Why didn’t it work!? I need power… but I don’t know how… Training with Janelle and A.D. has been fruitless. Maybe training with Vivian could spark something. I glance down at Janelle. She’s got her arms wrapped around mine and hasn’t said a word since we left the office. Her hands are still so cold. Weird. She’d usually say something by this point. “Are you okay?” I ask.
“Wha? Y-yeah… Just trying to conserve my strength…” She takes a deep breath and I see some embers from a nearby student’s cigarette flow into her. Her skin grows just a little warmer.
“Are you well enough to chase the Conductor with me? It’s okay if you aren’t.”
“Not yet… Janelle’s arm shakes a little. I can see some blood trickle down her stomach onto her pants. “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize.” I shake my head. “It’s all my fault. Again.” I give her a swift hug before letting go. “Can you head back to the dorm by yourself?”
“Yes. I should be fine.” Janelle smiles.
“Good.” I give her a little peck on the forehead before letting go and running towards the training facility. “Take care. I’m off to catch that bastard.”
“Wait! Will!” Janelle tries to catch up with me, but stops and clutches her chest. “Don’t go alone! I need to protect you!”
“Call me when you’re feeling better! It’s too dangerous for you right now!” I keep running.
“Will!” Janelle starts wheezing.
… I stop running, close my eyes, and clench my teeth before taking a deep breath. I relax my face, turn around, and jog back over to Janelle. “I suppose my training can wait.” I place one hand on her back and help her stand upright. “I need to make sure you’re in tiptop condition first.”
Janelle says nothing. She just looks up at me with moist eyes and a sincere smile. Her smile says more than I could with a million words.
Jimmy
November 27th, 2007. 10:21 p.m. Hideout. Finally back from saving a bunch of people in Chicago, stopped by Vegas for a little bit on the way home, and here we are. Wait. We also made a quick stop to help some people in the area. Apparently several trains went off the tracks and wrecked all sorts of havoc. It looked metal as hell. Doc even got to heal some people, so that’s nice. Dudes had the gnarliest injuries I’ve ever seen. It’s always amazing what kind of trauma the human body can recover from. About 200 died, but hey we did what we could.
Man… I miss Vegas… The drinks are so good and the bunny waitresses are so nice… I wanna be back. I’m lying on the couch as Oliver and Sejong watch some bizarre drama show again. I can’t tell which series they’re watching. All the stuff those two watch just kinda blends together. What to do… what to do… Wait! I got it! I’ll pull a sick prank on Will! I just need to get permission from Doc!
I rush over to the kitchen and see Doc sifting through a pile of thank you letters and little gifts she received in Chicago.
knock knock
I knock on the door frame. “Heya, Doc. Mind if I ask you something?”
“Of course, dear.”
“You remember that sword we stole from that museum a while ago? I think it was called the ‘Dad’.”
“The Adad?” Doc asks.
“Yeah that’s the one.”
“Indeed I do remember. What about it?”
“Can I borrow it? I wanna pull a sick prank on Will.”
“Giving the Adad to Will…” Doc’s lips curl into a weird smile. Not a fan of that smile. It’s creeping me the hell out. “Now that could yield some intriguing results… Suzy may even perish if things go well.” She looks at me. “You may loan the Adad to Will. Just ensure you leave it in its wrapping. It’s under my bed in the red box.”
“Thank you so much.” I give her a little bow and run off to Doc’s room. Aw man this prank is gonna be so epic.
November 28th, 2007. 6:27 a.m. A.E.G.I.S. mail room.
I’ve got this. I’m awake. I’ve got my customer service face on. I’ve even got my old mailman outfit on from my minor league days. Complete with short shorts, a lovely strong bag full of bricks, a stylish mail hat, and a button-up shirt that can barely stay on. I kinda miss being a face… It was fun.
I approach the delivery counter with the sword in hand. I’ve kept it in its sheath, wrapped tightly in a thick blanket, and stored snuggly inside the red box. I’ve even wrapped it in some nice white wrapping paper and tied a little red bow around it. Please don’t ask how many attempts it took for me to do that. I totally did not need Junko’s help. I even wrote out a little name tag saying it's for Will and included a little thank you card from a ‘fan’ in Chicago. One last check… Hmmm. Okay, good. I have the right amount of postage on the box. I place the box on the counter. “Hello, sir. I’m here to make a delivery for a…” I read the nametag on the box. “Will Lloyd Cruz. Room 1139.”
The mailroom worker looks down at my package, runs a scanner over it, and slides it onto a conveyor belt. “Thank you very much for your delivery service…” he yawns before resting his head on the counter. “Have a good rest of the day…”
“Um… sir, could you tell me when it will be delivered?” I tap my fingers together. Wow, I’m really getting into character.
“When it gets delivered… I dunno. Later today? Maybe? We’ll…” The worker yawns. “We’ll call him to pick it up. Anything else?”
“No sir.” I give a military salute. “Just doing my noble American duty of delivering mail no matter snow, sleet, or rain.”
The worker doesn’t respond.
“Sir?”
The worker starts snoring.
Mission accomplished. Aw man, I can’t wait to tell Sejong about this. He’s gonna freak.