Season 1, Episode 4 - The Microwave XXVIII - "The Walls of Jericho"
----------------------------------------
Three years later.
Maxwell wiped his face, sighing in frustration. He sat behind his desk in his office, a sputtering table fan doing a lackluster job of keeping the Caribbean heat off of him, a dim candle doing a lackluster job of providing him with light. Since he was inside, at least he didn’t have to deal with the mosquitos; he felt bad for the guards stationed outside, guarding the barracks, only a shawl over their faces to protect them. And they didn’t get fans out there, either. The summer heat covered both the barracks and all of the capital city of Nassau in a heavy blanket that seemed to wrap its way around you, no matter how hard you tried to throw the covers off.
Life wasn't exactly ideal in the New York Caribbean Mandate, which covered the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Anguilla. New York got the lion's share of the French and Iberian neo-colonial empires in the Caribbean, which had been split among the victorious powers in the aftermath of the intertwined end to the First American War and the European Exchange. Gran Colombia got the second-most amount of territory, taking possession of nearly all of the Lesser Antilles. Things weren't exactly going well in Gran Colombia at the moment; the CEF had conducted several joint exercises with Colombian armies in preparation for a potential civil war if the upcoming election in February went south.
Maxwell felt hot, war loomed on the horizon, and he had made no progress in establishing that peace he talked so highly about. He was about to slam his fist into the desk when he heard a knock on the door.
“Come in,” he muttered, keeping his eyes on his work.
Dermot entered his room and shut the door behind him. “How goes the battle?” he asked, arriving next to Maxwell and looking over his shoulder.
“No good.” Maxwell groaned and leaned back in his seat. “My Rddhi power is still useless.”
“Useless?” Dermot repeated, grabbing a chair to sit down next to him.
“I don’t have any offensive abilities,” Maxwell said. “All I can do is lay down traps and set them to activate when Rddhi contacts them. But no matter what I do, I can’t make it last longer than two days.” He gestured at his notes. “I’ve tried everything – only laying down a single trap, staying awake the whole time, doing as little as possible for the whole time. Nothing. What good is a trap that can only be set for two days?”
“I can think of lots of things,” Dermot answered nonchalantly. “Set a trap down right before a trench is overrun. That could be activated in two hours, let alone two days.”
“There aren’t any trenches in Narragansett,” Maxwell retorted. He looked out his window as night descended over the barracks, rubbing his chin in dismay. “I want to kill President Pulaski. I need every ounce of help I can get. If I can lay a trap down for two months rather than two days, my options are that much better.”
Dermot rested a steady hand on Maxwell’s shoulder. “Easy there. Even General Asenov isn’t willing to move against Pulaski yet. They say their Chief of the State Police would be succeeding him – and he might be even worse. So, rather than openly blab about killing a president...”
Dermot leaned in close and spoke in a whisper. “Direct all your inquiries to me.”
Maxwell looked at Dermot in a new light. “What do you mean?”
Dermot talked quietly. “What I mean is that I’ve been waiting for someone to say that for the entire time I’ve been in the CEF. Everyone here, starting with Asenov, wants to take things slow and steady because they’re not willing to do anything too risky that could jeopardize their ability to eventually make it back home. Most people here were exiled by the government, but they still miss the homeland and hope that one day, they can return back to New York as heroes. But that’s not how wars should be fought. That’s not how life should be lived. When you make a decision-”
Dermot snapped his fingers. “You act on it, just like that. You go in with the utmost confidence yourself and leave everything else to fate. New England killed your sister and my wife. With our powers combined, we can bring that nation to its knees.”
He held out his hand. “So, what do you say? No looking back from here on out. Do you want to set things right for all those who’ve been wronged?”
Maxwell saw the possibilities offered by that outstretched hand, the justice he would find for all of New England’s victims. He gladly shook it.
“Now that I know you can truly be trusted...” Dermot reached into his pocket and pulled out an object Maxwell didn’t recognize. It looked like a rock, maybe because it was a rock, but it was pitch-black in color, shiny and radiant all over.
“Do you know what this is?” Dermot asked, handing over the rock. It felt incredibly light in Maxwell’s palm, as if could drift away as easily as a fleeting dream.
Maxwell hesitantly poked at it with a finger. It felt like he was touching something beyond a mere rock, something more like...pure energy. The boundary of a soul.
“What is this?”
“Corinthiacum. It was the material they used to build the Walls of Jericho,” Dermot explained, as if that answered anything.
“Jericho?” Maxwell repeated, arching an eyebrow. “That’s that Biblical story, right?”
Dermot nodded. “The ancient Israelites warred with the city of Jericho, whose walls were said to be impregnable. Instead, the Israelites marched around the city for six days, and on the seventh, they blew their horns and God destroyed the Walls with a snap of His finger."
Maxwell eyed the rock. “So, you mean...this came from Biblical times?”
Dermot chuckled. “Not quite. As with anything, it’s a metaphor. Corinthiacum is another name for Corinthian bronze, said to be the most valuable material in antiquity. This rock right here, this could be the most valuable material in our era. And the Walls of Jericho are a suitable analogy for where this rock came from."
Maxwell groaned. “I don’t have time to play word games. Will this really help us?”
“It can do much more than that,” Dermot answered.
Despite its otherworldly qualities, Maxwell’s interest in an admittedly esoteric rock was rapidly diminishing, so he decided to humor this man he agreed to kill a president with so he could get back to his work quicker. “Alright, so it’s a metaphor. What are the walls and what’s Jericho, then?”
Dermot stood up from his chair and ambled toward the window. He gestured for Maxwell to follow him. Tapping his foot impatiently, Maxwell rose and took a look out the window with him.
The air of a hot summer's night hit their faces, while rolling waves of cricket and cicada calls provided them with a never-ending background noise. Dermot gestured at the sky. “You see that big rock in the sky right now?”
Maxwell followed his finger. “What?”
Dermot blinked. “Oh, I was hoping it would be full for dramatic effect, but I guess you can’t have everything.” He pointed a slim crescent hanging above them. “Jericho is the moon.”
Maxwell turned around to go back to his work.
“I’m serious!” Dermot exclaimed.
“Me too,” Maxwell answered. “I have work to do. I’m not interested in moon rocks.”
“But you’re interested in changing the world,” Dermot reminded him. “Hold that rock over the candle.”
Rolling his eyes, Maxwell did as instructed, bringing the pitch-black rock above the flame. Maxwell gasped; the side of the rock facing the flame displayed a white light, while the other side let out a dazzling array of greens and blues and reds, all slowly spiraling into the air. “It’s completely black...yet it can produce something similar to a prism with its rainbow light...”
Maxwell saw the potential in this rock. “Is the moon entirely like this?”
Dermot shook his head. “Not quite. I’ll explain, but first, what do you know about the Unleashing?”
“The Unleashing?” Maxwell repeated in confusion. “Everybody knows that. It’s what ended the Golden Age and created a two-hundred year hell on earth. It’s where the Rddhi comes from.”
“And what’s the scientific explanation?”
“You should already know this, we learn it in school.” Maxwell sighed, as he recognized Dermot was building up to a point. “Two hundred years ago, an unexpected solar flare on a scale never seen before or after struck the earth. The solar flare struck several cities, but the main strike came at Louisville. Not only did the flare cause a societal breakdown in North America, but it struck with enough energy to initiate a geomagnetic reversal. All of that combined energy and movement created a metaphysical mutation in some humans, enabling them to use the Rddhi. Because the flare struck here, the Rddhi mutation only appears in North America.”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Dermot scratched his beard. “That what’s the academics say. The hill clansmen in the Appalachians have a different story. Their ancestors were the ones to see the destruction of Louisville, after all.”
Maxwell listened intently while watching the light reflect into a rainbow through the Corinthiacum. “On the day of the Unleashing,” Dermot began. “They say there was heavy thunder and lightning in a clear sky that quickly turned from a deep blue to a blood red. And then reality itself did things...imaginary numbers became real, parallel lines intersected, and you could catch a glimpse of a thousand arms and eyes trailing behind you, but they always remained just out of sight...and then, for a brief moment, the moon split in two.” He looked at the rock. “The Walls of Jericho were broken that day.”
Maxwell laughed. “That can’t be true. Do you really believe that?”
Dermot sat back down in his seat. “I’m the head researcher for the CEF. My job isn’t to prove that things are true or even to believe in them. My job is to find the military applications of them as if they were. And there’s a hell of a lot of military applications in that rock.”
Maxwell supposed he had a point. “What happened when the moon split in two?”
“That’s where the energy that struck the earth came from,” Dermot continued. “Not from a solar flare, but from energy pouring out of a collapsing moon. The moon was Jericho, and that Corinthiacum came from its Wall - the lunar surface that cracked and crumbled as the moon was torn asunder. This Corinthiacum is one of the many lunar rocks that landed here.”
“I’ve seen the moon, though,” Maxwell replied. “It looks pretty well-put together to me.”
“They have an explanation on that as well. The same day of the Unleashing, the moon was put back together by the same force that pulled it apart.” Dermot’s voice suggested he found this part particularly far-fetched as well. “And then that force spun the moon around, so the scars of the Unleashing would remain hidden on the dark side of the moon.”
Maxwell let out an amused sigh. “Well, I can’t say that I believe in all of it.” He looked back down at the spiraling lights emitted by the rock. “But I’ll believe that this thing is special. What can it do for us?”
Dermot gestured with his hand, and Maxwell returned the Corinthiacum to him. “Because it was directly exposed to the Unleashing, the Corinthiacum acts as a force multiplier. Or perhaps as training wheels. Either way, it amplifies the power of the Rddhi.” He held it between his fingers. “All we have is a small rock. The man New York calls the Upstate Demon - whom New England calls Derek Domino - is said to have an entire sword made of Corinthiacum.”
“Would explain why he’s so strong.”
Dermot grinned. “You lay a trap in this Corinthiacum, and I guarantee you it’ll last two months. Then I’ll put my golem Rddhi into it as well-”
“So when the trap activates, the golem appears,” Maxwell realized. “But how are we going to get the rock in front of Pulaski?”
“Every month, we smuggle thousands of goods into New England,” Dermot explained. “We attach the Corinthiacum to say, something like a New York Minute, it’ll appear in front of a New England Rddhi user in no time.”
“I doubt Pulaski will buy a smuggled microwave,” Maxwell said.
“Pulaski isn’t buying this first one,” Dermot countered. “The first one is a test. Our experience with Corinthiacum is still highly limited. And as of now, we only have a low supply of it, all purchased from independent explorers and frontiersmen in the Kentucky Wastes. We’re organizing an expedition for this January, but until then, we only have a limited supply. We’ll do a test run before striking the president.”
“But then...who are we striking now?”
“I just said it. We’ll get a New England Rddhi user to buy a trapped New York Minute and see how much damage we can cause.”
“But...” Maxwell thought of his sister’s grave. “Aren’t we killing innocents?”
Dermot placed a fatherly hand on Maxwell’s shoulder. “There’s something important you need to understand if you’re going to work for the CEF and Asenov.” His eyes were grim. “There are no innocent New Englanders. The First American War was a total war. The Second American War will be a total war. Every member of the population contributes to the war effort in some shape or form. All New Englanders took part in the murder of your sister and my wife. Assassinating the president?”
He threw the Corinthiacum lightly into the air; reds and blues and greens trailed behind it as it smoothly sailed upwards, then followed it as it plunged downward, back into Dermot’s hand.
“That’s just the first step in their total extermination.”
----------------------------------------
Isaac groaned and rubbed his head. He sat up, remembering that he was in Curley Park, or rather, what remained of it. Numerous fallen trees were tossed around the park, including a particularly conspicuous redwood that crushed an unfortunate slide. Benches and swing sets had been tossed here and there by sound waves, not to mention the other scars in the fields made by microwave Rddhi beams.
“Isaac, you alright?” Audrey asked, sliding into a kneel next to him.
Isaac coughed and stretched. “How long was I out for?”
“Huh?” Audrey looked at him in confusion. “You just destroyed the golem about three seconds ago. The microwave’s still in the sky.”
“Huh?” Isaac looked at her in confusion. “I could’ve sworn I was asleep...wait, what?”
Isaac stood and looked around. He found the microwave sailing away, gliding through the air in a manner more similar to planes than a microwave.
“I wonder what happened...” Isaac mumbled. “I just hit the source of the Rddhi inside of it...I gave it a simple flick, nothing too strong. It’s like my power was multiplied or something.”
He rubbed his head and tried to think.
Reed, meanwhile, sent several magnetic waves up at the microwave, but it was so far into the sky that her waves kept missing it. Gritting her teeth, she spun the sword around in her hand and gave it another shot.
“C’mon, c’mon...” Reed eyed her wave as it sailed into the sky...and it hit the microwave!
Reed sighed in relief, but then realized her gravitational waves were nowhere near as strong as her sound waves. She set it so the microwave would be attracted to her, which would’ve hopefully pulled it back down to earth, but the microwave was so far away by this point that Reed’s wave only served to slow its speed, rather than bring it back.
The microwave disappeared behind the skyline, and that was that.
Reed muttered something particularly unpleasant about herself, then sheathed her sword with a sigh. “Ain’t that just the way.”
Isaac and Audrey headed over to her. “You’re really telling me no time has passed at all?” Isaac asked, still confused. “I feel like I got an entire night’s worth of sleep. And what a good sleep it was. I even dreamed about something, too.”
Audrey put her arm around Reed, then laughed as Reed squirmed away. “What was the dream about?”
“Well, that’s the kicker,” Isaac answered. “You can never really remember your dreams. Or at least, I can’t. All I remember is that it had something to do with the Bible. And the moon. And Asian baseball.” He shrugged. “Oh, well. Sorry about the microwave, though.”
Audrey shook her head and grinned. “Aw, it’s alright, you guys! We stopped the microwave, and nobody got hurt! And think about it. We did it, we saved the park!”
Isaac and Reed gazed the remnants of Curley Park. Most of the playground equipment was uprooted and tossed around as if a hurricane had come through; oak trees were strewn about; there were large gashes in the ground; water jetted out of a busted water fountain.
“...suppose we did,” was all Reed could say.
Isaac examined his fist. “Still, I can’t believe it was the finesse thing that helped save the day. I even got to incorporate the acceleration physics thing, too.” He stretched his arms. “I guess it just goes to show you that you never know what might come in handy. And speaking of handy...” He gave Reed a sly grin. “Maybe if I used just a finger on you instead of the whole fist, I might’ve won our match.”
Reed rolled her eyes. “Isaac, that’s the third time you’ve made some sort of finger and fist joke this weekend. Its comedic value has worn off by now. Law of diminishing returns and all, you know?” But then she reflected on the way she breathed during his fight with him, that feeling of freedom that ran through her with each sidestep and dodge. “Though, if it really comes down to it, I guess I’d prefer it if you used two fingers on me instead of the one...”
Isaac crossed his arms. “Hey, how come you can make a finger joke twice and it’s okay, but when I make it three times, then it’s not alright?”
Reed kicked a rock; it clattered off the broken merry-go-round with a metallic clash. “For several reasons, chief among them being that my comedic delivery is much better than yours. But beyond that, for every fist and finger joke, I’ve been the responder, while you’ve been the initiator. As a responder, my options are limited by what you provide me. And all you’ve given me is slightly amusing sexual innuendo. How else am I supposed to respond to it? But you, on the other hand, had a blank slate all three times. You could’ve made any joke. But you went with the fist.”
Isaac shooed her off with his palm. “C’mon, it’s funny. And I’m a funny guy! Right, Audrey?”
Audrey quickly looked away and started whistling.
Isaac frowned. “Alright, maybe I’m not the funniest in a vacuum, but I’m funny when it comes to banter. Our banter is the best, Reed! I laugh so hard thinking about it.”
Reed raised an eyebrow. “Don’t get the wrong idea, I enjoy the banter, but it’s not gut-busting funny. Sometimes I might exhale in amusement through my nose, but that’s about the extent of it. What’s the word...sometimes I chortle, Isaac. That’s the most our banter gets out of me. A chortle.”
She kicked another rock and grinned. “But it’s not your fault, Isaac, except that it is. But maybe one day you can learn to keep up with me.”
Isaac joined her in kicking rocks. “I should be the one saying that. And I still think we’re funny. Right, Audrey?”
Audrey quickly looked the other way and continued whistling.
Isaac frowned. “What about you, Esther?”
Esther tapped her index fingers together. “Um...I’m not that good at figuring out when you guys are being serious and when you guys are joking, so...um, maybe if you guys used a laugh track, I would know when something is funny...”
After a moment, Isaac sighed in defeat. “I’m unappreciated in my time...”
Audrey wrapped an arm around him. “It’s alright, Isaac! The important thing here is that you learned a valuable lesson, and learning valuable lessons are the greatest thing a person can do!” Her voice grew more contemplative. “I learned that actions can have consequences, and I shouldn't automatically rely on others to bail me out all the time when the going gets tough! Yes, Audrey Adzinoki has learned to stand on her own two feet!”
Audrey put her other arm around Esther and brought her closer. “Um...” For once, Esther found the right words. “I learned that family will always look out for you, and that perhaps your preconceived notions of someone can color your judgement and make you miss what they’ve really done for you all this time...”
“Amen to that!” Audrey declared, bringing Isaac and Esther closer.
They all looked expectantly at Reed.
She frowned. “What? Am I supposed to go now? Why would I? Is this like a very special episode of a sitcom where we all sit around and talk about how we learned something today? About how drugs are bad or how the classmate you hate might actually be running into doors named dad at home? Enough of that nonsense. Life doesn’t work like that, people don’t actually learn lessons, you just keep going on and life keeps going on. Sure, maybe I kept learning about opening up to people or how people look out for you when life has you down or how even little things are big accomplishments, but I’m not gonna spell it for you guys or nothing like that.”
Audrey reached her arms out to bring Reed into the hug, nearly knocking over Isaac and Esther in the process. Reed rolled her eyes but ultimately relented.
Audrey pointed her finger. "Hey, look, that must be men from the Academy! It’s so nice of them, coming to check in on their students like that after a bout with a rampaging microwave!”
The other three followed her finger to the parking lot.
Four men jumped out of a white van. Black suits, black fedoras, Tommy Guns, fingers on their triggers.
Staties.