A Mirror of Home
“He’s faking,” Cy announced. Holy hell! How the frak did he know? “Someone juice him.” I heard someone rummaging around in their pockets and the click of a button being pressed. Electricity roared through my body, originating from the metal square on my chest. But what hurt the worst was my left leg; it was like being burned all over again. I tried to squirm, but the electrical current running through my body stimulated all of my muscles, causing them to lock up. “Okay, he’s had enough.” Finally it stopped. I rolled onto my side and curled up into a ball as tight as I could. Without a second thought I pushed my transporter through the cloth of my pants and the leather of my shin-guards. It sparked but worked nonetheless and soon the roaring started.
When it stopped I was in a dark room. I looked around; it looked like a metal room. If I had been at home I would have called it a small warehouse, but these were supposed to be primitive worlds. There was a small current coming from the metal plate which I figured meant they were still “juicing” me. I worked my way free of the ropes while the rest my body regained strength sapped during the jump. Next I removed one of my armguards and placed my hand on the dog tags. I refocused the electricity into the tags and shorted them out. Going to be kind of hard to track me now, isn’t it? I inspected the metal plate more closely now. It was about two inches by two inches and a centimeter in thickness. There were small on the edges of all four sides through which thread was passed through and into my skin.
I pulled myself to my feet and walked out the door. I was faced with a bustling city complete with skyscrapers and scooters. My heart nearly stopped. In fact, I think it did when I saw a policeman coming straight for me. I took a quick look around me at the people. All had hair in varying shades of neon and they wore clothes like my really old ones; jeans and t-shirts. “Hey kid! What are you doing?” The man asked me. He was staring at me. I wondered what he must think of me with my bare feet, golden earring, ripped and dusty pants, short dark hair, and bare chest. I didn’t answer, but instead tried to make my face blank. He was about to ask again when I was saved.
“Brother!” I turned around to see a young woman, probably in her mid-20s, headed straight for me. When she reached me she immediately enveloped me in a hug. Then she leaned down and started picking at me in a motherly sort of way; dusting me off, straightening my vest. Only then did she seem to notice the cop. She stood up and faced the man. “I am sorry, is something wrong, sir?”
“Uh…is this your brother?” He looked at me skeptically.
The woman placed an arm around my shoulders. “Yes sir,” She nodded emphatically. In a lower voice, like she was telling a secret, she said, “Enzo isn’t quite all there; he was in an accident as a young child. He wandered off while I wasn’t looking and he must’ve gotten lost.” I figured this was my cue to stare blankly in front of me. I let my mouth open slightly. “If you don’t mind, I’m just going to take him home and wash him off.” She led me off down the street and I kept the blank stare on until we got into an elevator. As the doors closed I allowed a smile to escape. The elevator started.
“Thank you,” I said in a quiet voice.
She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. “No prob. So what’s your deal?”
I laughed. “Depends on what you want to focus on. For basics, my name’s Zig and I’m 15 years old.” The elevator dinged and the woman stepped out. Penthouse apartment, nice.
“I’m home!” She called. To me she said, “My name’s Sasha and I’m 25. This is where I live with my mom and two siblings.” A boy about age appeared from around the corner as Sasha dropped her keys in a bowl. The boy stopped short and stared at me. “Enzo, meet Zig.”
“Did you bring home a stray?” Enzo sneered.
I ignored his comment and turned instead to Sasha. “Is there a place where I can clean up? I don’t want to get your house dirty.”
“Uh…sure. The bathroom’s down that hallway; third door on the left,” She pointed in the direction. “Do you know how to work a shower?”
I grinned a broad grin. “It’s been a while, but I think I’ll manage.” I went into the bathroom and looked around. It was beautiful. Dark tiles lined the room with a shower in the corner. The shower was a little boxed in room with a little gap in the frosted glass for an entryway. I carefully undressed and folded my clothes in a neat pile. I left on my dog tags but took off the choker. With almost a holy reverence, I turned on the water and stepped under. I used the shampoo and conditioner and scrubbed myself with soapy water. It felt heavenly. I think I stayed in too long because there was a knock on the door.
“You okay Zig?” Sasha called. I called back that I was and promised to be out soon. I turned off the water and just let myself drip dry for a few moments. I quickly found the linen closet and wrapped a towel around my waist. I opened the door a crack and leaned out.
“Sasha?” I called.
“Yeah Zig?”
“Should I just put my old clothes back on?”
“Come out here, I can’t hear you.” I hesitated for a second but I soon followed her voice. She was sitting around a table with Enzo, a girl and an older woman. When they all turned to look at me, I felt very self conscious. The mom’s mouth dropped a bit when she focused first on my burns and scratches, then on the silver square and finally on my dog tags. Go thing the towel covers my calf. I looked away and carefully studied the tiled floor. “See what you’ve done, Mom? Enzo, can he borrow some clothing?” The boy hopped up and ran down the hall.
“I-I’m just going to go back to the bathroom.” I turned to go, but Sasha’s mom stopped me.
“I’m sorry, son. You…you just look a bit unusual. Are you a military boy?” She asked.
“Uh, yeah, kind of.” Enzo reappeared and handed me a stack of clothing. I couldn’t help but smile.
“Dude, it’s just clothing,” Enzo said.
“Yeah, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen this kind. I’m going to go get changed in the bathroom.” I turned and walked off. Back in the bathroom I inspected myself in the mirror. I now had on simple gray t-shirt with what looked like a dragon on it in white, a pair of jeans with a ripped knee, and boxers. I put the armguards back on along with the choker but left off the shin-guards. I looked at my head. My hair was short again and I still had my small gold ring in my left ear. I grabbed my pile of old clothing and walked back to the kitchen where the family was still gathered. The electrical charge was still going, but now it was starting to hurt. It must be burning my skin. All eyes focused on me again. I bowed slightly. “Where should I put these?”
“Do you want to keep them, dear?” The mother said. I nodded. “We’ll just keep them in this closet then.” She led me to a small closet nearby and stowed the pile on the top shelf. We walked back to the kitchen and she offered me a seat.
“Do you-” Sasha looked at me and stopped short. “Are you ok, Zig?” I hadn’t realized that I was grimacing slightly at the pain in my chest.
“Could I get some water?” The girl popped up to get me a glass and placed it in front of me. I drained it within a second. The pain was getting worse. Someone’s hand was on my arm.
“Zig what’s wrong?” Sasha asked; her voice was full of concern.
“Could I get some scissors, gauze, some towels you don’t care about, and…and uh, some disinfectant. Like for cuts?” I panted. Enzo and the girl got up to grab the stuff. I tried to get up and walk to the bathroom, but I started to fall halfway. Sasha was quickly at my side. She helped me into the bathroom and I sunk down to the floor and leaned against the wall. The two kids appeared with the supplies. “Shirt.” Sasha helped me peel off the shirt and the teens stared at my chest. Sasha sat down next to me and watched nervously as I took the supplies from the twins. I took off the armguards and placed them next to me. Next I set the towel over my lap and picked up the scissors. Ignoring the look the others in the room gave me, I began cutting the thread which connected the plate to my chest. I had to pull each piece out individually and it made me grunt in pain, but I ignored it and continued. By the time I had removed the last piece, my chest was bloody and my neck was throbbing from the strain of looking down for so long. I don’t know who put disinfectant and gauze on my chest; it might have been me, it might have been Sasha, I just know that I felt much better afterwards. I was determined to remain conscious afterwards and not pass out, regardless of how much I wanted to.
Sasha placed her arm around me and stroked my wet hair. “Better?” I leaned my head against her shoulder and nodded.
“What is that thing?” The girl asked as she pointed to the blood soaked towel in which the metal plate was wrapped.
“Pain,” I rasped. I smiled weakly.
“Why don’t you go to sleep?” Sasha suggested.
I shook my head. “No, but could I get something to eat?” She helped me up and the three of them helped me into the family room I crashed on the couch. The girl propped up some pillows behind me and Enzo handed me something. I didn’t even bother to check what is was, I tucked into it and then I fell asleep.
When I woke up a blanket had been tossed over me and for the first time since arriving, I was able to focus on my surroundings. It looked like a normal Earthen penthouse, but I knew otherwise. I heard voices nearby, so I sat up. The voices quickly stopped when they saw my head appear above the couch back.
There was a small group of people gathered about two feet from where I sat. One of them was Sasha, another her mother and the third was someone I didn’t know. A tall man with short neon green hair and a nice looking suit. Both Sasha and her mother had deep purple hair and both wore their hair short. The man and Sasha were holding hands, but she immediately let go and came over to me. She stroked my hair over the top of the couch. “How do you feel, Zig?”
I nodded my head towards the man. “Why is the doctor here?”
She looked surprised for a second but quickly recovered. “After what happened this afternoon, Mom thought it would be good to call someone.” I nodded and got up. When I came around and the doctor zeroed in on my chest I realized I was still bare-chested. “Zig, can we talk?”
“Where do you want me to sit? I’m sure I have a lot of explaining to do.” The mom went to check on her kids and I sat at the table with the doctor, Kyle, and Sasha. Kyle took out a pen and pad and got ready to write. “Uh, will you be sharing this with anyone? Or are you going to be keeping doctor patient confidentiality?”
“This will be just between you, me, and Sasha. So may I ask the questions?” His tone wasn’t snide, simply questioning. I decided I liked him. “Okay, Zig, do you have a last name?”
“Duffy. Ziggurt Duffy, but I go by Zig for short.”
“Zig, may I see your tags?” I hesitated but eventually took them off and handed them to him. Kyle looked them over and inspected them closely. “These say Ari. Who’s Ari?”
“Zig’s my middle name. They called me Ari.”
“And 'they' is…”
I stopped and he looked up from the paper. “No.”
“What?”
“We are not making this into a psycho case. I already said that I worked for the military at one point and that’s the ‘they’. Please, can we stick to medical stuff?”
“Fine,” He stared back at me. “Where did the metal square come from and what does it do?”
I was quiet. “Maybe we should go back to the mental stuff?” I smiled slightly and so did he. “Sasha, can I go get my armguards, please…and my shirt?”
She stood up and patted my back. “I’ll get them for you, hun.”
“You wanted to get rid of her?” The doctor asked.
I smiled. “Nah, I just wanted those things. So back to the questions?”
“Where did you learn to perform surgery on yourself?”
“I wouldn’t exactly call that bloody mess surgery.”
The atmosphere was kept friendly. “But how’d you do it?”
“Your girlfriend can tell you that much; I think she remembers as much as I do.”
“So you noticed that?” Enter Sasha. She handed me my shirt and armguards which I carefully put on. She resumed her seat. “What’s that?”
“Mementos from some old friends. Please, I can’t tell you much, but can you tell me what’s going to happen to me?” Kyle looked at Sasha who nodded.
“Sasha is going to be appointed your legal guardian and you’re going to go to school.” My eyes lit up at the statement.
“School? Really?” I was almost bursting with excitement. The two exchanged glances again. “Oh, right. Calm.” School! Like a normal kid! Well, technically not a kid, but I get to act like one.
“Since tomorrow is a Saturday, I’ll take you shopping for school supplies, and then you should be able to go to school on Monday. I’ll have you put in the same classes as Enzo and Kellye,” Sasha told me. That was that; since it was late, I was sent to bed in the guest room and the next day Sasha took me shopping. I almost felt human again. I had dinner with the family and we were quickly at ease with each other. I woke up the next morning at 10:00! It was the latest I’d slept naturally. It felt strange.
“Morning Zig,” Kellye greeted me as I sat down at the breakfast table.
“Morning. Where’s Enzo?” I was digging into the food Ellen, the mom, had set in front of me.
She munched on her own food. “He went to go play with some of the neighborhood boys at the park. He said to take you when you woke up.” I nodded more to myself than her. “You done?” She asked.
I nodded and walked with her to the door. She handed me a knit hat that Sasha had given me to cover up my hair. Just as we walked out the door I shouted, “Sasha, I’m going out with Kel!” She shouted back out and Kel and I got into the elevator. The sidewalks were packed and I had stick close to Kel so I wouldn’t lose her. She had bluish purple hair, like her brother, which reached down just past her shoulders.
“Come on!” She urged me as she picked up her pace. I raced after her until we ended up in a big open grassy space. The park. There was a group of kids gathered dribbling a ball back and forth. Enzo stopped the ball with his foot and waved over to me.
“Zig,” he called. “Come play!” I walked over and the group of boys stared at me. It was soccer. I had on jeans, sneakers, a simple gray t-shirt and my arm guards. Enzo put his arm around my shoulders. “This is Zig; Sasha just took him in so I guess he’s my nephew.” He turned to me. “You know how to play?” I nodded and teams were divided. I had a blast! I scored and assisted with eight goals. I smiled and accepted the boys’ amazement with small smiles, but then again, I had been playing longer than them. I had friends. After that, the group went to a restaurant then a movie. I remained quiet the whole time. On that world, I was determined to be Zig as long as possible. I ate dinner with the family, took a shower, and went to bed after watching some TV with the other teens.
Alarm clocks, frak alarm clocks. The blaring off the clock went off in stereo in the apartment as all three of us woke up. Two sleepy headed teens ate breakfast with one overly alert one. The three of us grabbed our backpacks and stuffed ourselves in the elevator. “Why are you so perky?” Enzo groaned.
“Been a while since I’ve been to school. I miss the normality of it,” I answered excitedly. When we hit the bottom floor Enzo check his watch.
“Oh crap, we’re going to be late. Guys we have to run,” he announce as he took off. So the three of us sprinted and wove through crowds. Two bluish purple hair twins and one kid with a hat crammed down over his hair. I’m sure it was a strange sight. We were inside the school building just as the bell rang. Kel grabbed my hand and pulled me through the halls into a classroom.
The teacher immediately caught us, “Ah, the Gerno twins. And this must be your new member, Ziggurt, is it?” I nodded and kept my eyes to the ground. “I hope they’re not corrupting you already. Since this is your first day I’ll let it slip. Kellye and Enzo take your seat. Ziggurt, please hand me your hat then you may take that empty seat.” I hesitate a moment before pulling off my cap and handing it to her. I heard all the kids start gasping and oooing and ahhing like they do as I slunk into my seat and opened up the math book on my desk.
“Now who can solve this problem,” the teacher indicated the computer touch screen which served as the whiteboard. I looked it over:
1) x+3y=10
2x+4y=8
I kept my head down and studied my book. “Ziggurt,” she called on me. “Would you like to try the problem on the board?”
“The solution’s -8, 6,” I responded.
“Very good.” And that was that, she went back to the lesson. I took out a notebook Sasha had gotten for me and started doodling.
I heard one girl whisper to another, “Not just cute, but smart too.” The next class was foreign language. The teachers rotated so we got to stay in the same class. Foreign language was easier than the math, with my spell in act. The next bell rung for lunch and I stuck with Enzo and Kel.
When we sat down for lunch the boys I had played ball with joined us. Enzo kicked me lightly under the table. “Hey man, what’s wrong with you?”
I realized I was playing with my food and quickly set down my fork. “Uh, nothing, why?”
“You’re being quiet and shy. That’s not the kid who came in an-”
I cut him off, “Let’s not talk about that. This is how I am.” That was that. Next was gym, then language and finally history. I only had trouble with the last two but over time they got easier as I poured over my text books at night. Eventually I even joined the school’s soccer team, although I had a bit of an unfair advantage. Pretty soon I even added my armguards to the pile in the hall closet, but I kept my tags on at all times. That was when things started to get weird. I had dyed my hair a light blue and I was starting to be accepted by my classmates. Gym class was over and the other kids were heading back to the locker room. We had played a game of soccer and I had scored two points. Just as I turned to leave the field a voice called, “Hey charity case!” I turned around and saw the school’s former star soccer player, Brent Copley. He was your stereotypical high school jock; big muscles, pretty girlfriend, and a good family. He and his two lackeys were standing directly behind me.
In a calm even tone I said, “Yes Brent?”
He was a head taller than me and he used his height to its full advantage as he loomed over than me. “You should leave the goals to me,” He ordered more than suggested.
I shrugged. “It was just a gym game; maybe in the real ones you’ll have more opportunity to make some.” I patted his shoulder and started to walk away but he grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back.
“Or maybe I could just eliminate some obstacles,” he threatened. I shrugged off his hand, but his goons quickly had my arms. Stupid teenagers.
Hey, no fighting with civilians, Elliot.
Just bloody them up some and they’ll never mess with you again.
Where’s Zig?
You’ve been him most of the time; he’s resting.
Do I even want to know?
No. Pay attention to what’s going on.
Oh right, the beating. When I came back to myself Brent was landing his third punch. I had had enough of it. With a quick move I had the two thugs off of me and Brent and I were going mono e mono. I knew I shouldn’t hit him; as soon as I fought back I was as much at fault as he was, so I avoided him. I wove around him and kept behind his back regardless of how much he spun around. “Stay still and fight light a man!” He shouted.
“I am a man,” I whispered. “This is how I fight.” My stomach was sore and I was going to have a black eye from where he hit me. Brent spun around quicker than I expected and he jumped on me, pinning me to the ground. I tried to get him off of me, but we just ended up rolling around in the grass with no one gaining an upper hand. I still hadn’t hit him. Apparently someone had seen us fighting and had gotten the coaches. One of them pulled Brent off of me and the other pulled me up by the neck of my shirt.
Brent was still fighting to get at me, but I’d been through enough of these kinds of situations to know when to shut up and stay calm. “He started it! The charity case attacked me for no good reason!” I didn’t want to look defiant so I just looked off in the distance. The coach took a strong grip on my arm pulled me back into the school and into the principal’s office.
“Sit,” The coach pointed to a chair and I took it while Brent took the other. The principal was a lady in a neat gray suit with her dark green hair pulled up in a tight bun. She leaned back in her chair and studied the two of us for a few seconds.
“Well, Ziggurt, what do you have to say for yourself?”
I wouldn’t meet her eyes so I focused on a point on the wall a bit to the left of her. “Brent attacked me without reason, I avoided him as much as I could and didn’t throw a single punch. If he’s bruised at all it’s from the grappling we were doing when the coaches broke us up.”
“That’s a lie! He’s lying!” Brent was raving. “I was just walking off the field when he came out of no where and started wrestling with me. Of course I had to defend myself from the crazy kid. I think he’s got abandonment issues since he was just left-” I was holding my tongue and the principal interrupted him.
“That’s enough, Mr. Brent!” She said. “Go sit outside while I have a talk with Mr. Duffy.” Brent sneered at me as he walked out. The principal cleared her throat. “How well do you think you’re adjusting here?”
I shrugged. “It’s ok.”
“And you’re making friends?” I rattled of a list of the guys I sit with at lunch. “Ok, stop by the nurse on the way back to class.” I was just standing up when the secretary walked in and handed a note to the principal.
She read it then said, “Hold on, you’re dad just called. He left his work number.” She handed me the paper and directed me to a private phone. I sat down and dialed the number without a moment’s thought. It rang twice before a man picked up on the other side.
“Hello?”
“Leave me alone,” I said in a quiet voice.
“That’s not a nice way to talk to your father,” The man at the other end said, minor humor weaving in his voice.
I kept my tone strictly business. “We both know my father is dead. How did you find me?”
“You really should learn how to contain your powers.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re leaking, buddy. Like a cheap blow up pool,” the man said. I rolled my eyes at his attempted metaphor. “Anyone trained properly and completely can sense your power radiating a mile away. Those bands aren’t just for controlling our powers.”
“Why even call me then?”
“We’re making a deal with you. As long as you stay out of trouble and continue avoiding fights light you did today, we’ll stay away. but the second you fall in with the wrong crowd, we’ll be on you. Got it?”
“Yeah,” I started hesitantly, “But why not just come and get me?” They were changing the rules of the game on me and it was screwing with me.
“Because you are one of us. You won’t be able to stand this quiet life. It’ll be easier and less damaging to us if you come to us willingly.”
“You know what I was thinking?” I said with a slightly bemused smile on my face.
“No, what?” The man at the other end sounded cautious yet interested. A good combination.
“I was thinking that the best agents from the force tend to be smart asses.”
The man laughed. “True, stay in touch. We’ll send you a cell phone to do just that with. Don’t loose it, kid.”
Though I wanted to inform the man that I was old enough to be his grandfather several times over, I left it at, “Ari, off.” I hung up the phone and went back to class. I skipped the nurse because I was late enough as it was. I opened the door to my class and ignored the curious stares as I slid into my chair. I tried to focus on my lesson, but it was hard since the lesson was so boring. I realized with a sickening jolt that the agent was right. I was bored of this life already.
I waited until we were doing independent work then went up to the teacher and asked to go to the bathroom. I was only a couple of feet outside of the door when my friend Cody was in the hall with me. He called from behind me, “Where you going, Zig?”
I turned around and noticed his slightly threatening stance. I saluted him Roman style, right arm across chest, and said, “Just going to the bathroom. Seriously, if you guys want to join me you can, but I’m telling you now, I don’t swing that way.”
He made a face and pulled out a package. “Just take the phone, and enough of the wise-cracks.”
I took it and switched to Common, “So there’s a SF here?”
“Don’t talk in that,” he hissed. “But, yes, there is, but I’ll give you a history lesson some other time.” I saluted him again and went off to the bathroom. When I got home that night I told Sasha and the others that I wasn’t feeling well and I wasn’t going to have dinner.
“Do you want me to call the doctor?” Ellen asked.
“No, that’s okay. I think I just need sleep.” I kissed Sasha on the cheek and went to bed. When the door was locked behind me I sat down at my desk. I pulled out my phone and a tool kit I had gotten a few days ago. I went to work on the phone, taking it apart and rewiring it a bit so that it couldn’t be tracked. Next I added a bit of a magical touch to the phone and extended its broadcasting powers so it no longer needed a cell tower. I looked at the phone a bit more carefully as I closed up the casing. It was long and skinny, about four inches long and an inch wide. There were only two buttons on it; answer and call. I took some cloth I had gotten and made a strap for the phone and attached it right above the transporter. I shed my shirt and crawled into bed.
“What’d you do with the phone?” Cody was next to my bed. I jumped about three feet in the air when I snapped awake. I flipped backwards to put the bed between us.
In Common I said, “What the hell are you doing here?” I kept my voice to a harsh whisper so I wouldn’t wake anyone up.
“Down bird boy; I was just sent to see what you did to the phone.” I undid one of my armguards and held a small flame in my hand so I could see around the room with more ease. He was dressed in a uniform identical to what I used to wear.
“I didn’t do anything to it.” It’s very hard to seem innocent when you’re holding a fire in your hand.
“You tampered with your phone.” He held a hand out. “Let me see it.” I held up a finger in the wait sign and extinguished my flames. I could almost feel Cody tense up. I leaned down and unstrapped my phone and relit my flame. I hadn’t wanted him to see my transporter. I tossed Cody the phone over the bed. He looked at it closely and seeing nothing wrong tossed it back.
“Satisfied?” I asked. He nodded. I held out my hand towards the window. “You can leave whenever you want. I suggest now.” He nodded again and hopped out the window into the night. I closed and locked it behind him and tried to get back to sleep. The next few school days were hard on me, made even more difficult by Cody and Brent’s constant surveillance. Every chance he got Brent tried to trip me up. I was just barely holding on to my sanity. I had to do something. So at the end of the week I dressed in all black and equipped with all the gear I had accumulated over the four months I had been living here. Strapped to my left leg was my cell phone and on the left was a screwdriver. I had one of my armguards on as well as my chocker and tags. I pulled a dark hat over my head to completely hide my bright hair and set a carefully constructed screen over myself, rendering me invisible. I opened the window and slipped out. It was a long way down and I fell through the air. As I hit the ground I rolled a few feet and got back on my feet.
This was to be the first of many midnight excursions I took, yet I never let on during the day. I hate to say it, but I fell in with a bad crowd. There were night time fights that took place underground. I don’t remember how I found them, but I was soon one of the best fighters down there. After one particularly difficult bout, I sat down on the benches lining the metal fighting floor. My nose was bleeding and the guy had broken my right arm right above the armguard. Someone sat down next to me; it was Scott, he was a “friend” of mine down here. He was a little older than me, one of the coordinators of the fights, and he dealt drugs on the side. “Uh, man, you want Jay to take a look at your arm?”
People were streaming out of the room, collecting on their bets on the way out. “Nah, I’ll be okay once I get home.”
He patted me on the shoulder and said, “Man, I don’t know how you do it; you’re getting beaten on a regular basis, but whenever you come back you look like it’s your first fight.” I looked up at him and glared. He was breaking the first rule of the fights; don’t talk about the outside world. He held up his hands. “Sorry, man. I’ll see you next week.” We both stood up to walk out when we heard it; sirens. Everyone in the room ran for the doors, only to find them blocked. I stood stock still in the commotion, calmly undid my guards and replaced the invisibility charm. While cradling my arm, I wove around the cops and ran out onto the empty street. I didn’t stop running until the sirens had faded into the background noise. When I got to back to the apartment building, I climbed the wall one handed and slid in my open window. I dropped to the floor, let my shield down and healed myself. I replaced my armguards, stowed my fighting clothes and slid into bed.
My nerves were on end the next day at school. I was looking out for Cody to be acting differently, but he wasn’t at school that day. When the final bell rung, I purposely left my history book in my desk and skidded out the door with Kel and Enzo. We had just turned the corner on our block when I saw a black car parked in front of our building. “Oh crap,” I said, as I started rummaging through my backpack.
“What is it?” Kel asked.
“I left my history book at school. I’m going to run back and get it,” I said as I turned.
“We’ll come with.” They both started to head back but I stopped them.
“No; it’s ok, your mom will worry if you’re late. Here, can you take my books?” I pulled out my textbooks and handed them to the teens and took off in the direction of school. My feet pounded the pavement and my heart was beating out of my chest. What’s happened to me? Why am I so nervous? My armguard were off and stuffed in my backpack.
Get a hold of yourself!
You shouldn’t have gotten involved!
Go back and fight!
No! Calmly go back and let them take you!
Run away!
Hunt them down!
GO BACK!
HIDE!
FIGHT!
I put my hands over my ears as if it would help. I had somehow wound up in an alleyway, no where near the apartment or the school. I walked to the back corner, put my back to the wall, and slunk down, with my ears still covered. “Shut up, shut up, shut up,” I mumbled.
You’re a trained agent! You act in a dignified manner!
You’re just a civilian! You’ve been forced to all you did wrong!
You’re a brilliant killer and a master thief! Be proud of your skills and embrace them. “Leave me alone!”
That’s it; it’s my turn and I’m taking over. I lifted my head, took a deep breath and stood up. I calmly walked back to the apartment as if I had no idea what was going on inside. It took a lot of control, but I managed to look surprised when the elevator doors opened, reveling two police officers talking to Sasha and Ellen in the family room. “What’s going on?” I feigned shock.
The one of the men stood up. “Hello, Zig. I’m Agent Hudson, and this is Officer Marcourt, we were wondering if we could ask you a few questions.” He indicated a spot on the couch and I took it.
I put on a worried look. “Is something wrong?” Hudson pulled up a chair across from me.
“Maybe,” He pulled out a notebook. “Do you know what underground fights are?”
“Uh, well, I only know about them from books and movies. Are they real?”
He nodded. “Very real. Well, a couple days ago there was a big bust of a popular underground arena which we’d been working on for months. There were quiet a few arrests made, but some of the people got away.”
“Why are you telling me all this?” I strived to put as much innocence into this statement as I thought possible.
“Because, Ziggurt, one of the people arrested had named you as one of the top fighters.” My jaw dropped. I only had to fake part of it. I had never told anyone at the arena my real name; I’d been referred to as L.
“But-but…I’m not! I don’t fight!” I stuttered. Hudson scribbled something in his notebook. He nodded to Marcourt who stood up and, with Ellen and Sasha went into my room. “Wait, what’s he doing?”
“Calm down, he’s looking around your room. Now, where were you last night around midnight?”
My voice took a pleading tone, “I was here! Sleeping! I had a big history test today and I had been studying and I wanted to make sure I had enough sleep for it, ‘cause I didn’t want to fail and I’m already-”
He held up a hand. “Stop. Where did you learn to fight?”
“I don’t know how to fight.”
Hudson scribbled something down. “Then how did you avoid all the punches thrown by a Brent Colfield when the two of you had a fight three weeks ago?”
“I didn’t; I got a bloody nose, a black eye, and the wind knocked out of me!” Careful, Ari, don’t want to blow our “oh so wonderfully constructed” cover.
“Please calm down, son. I-” He was interrupted by his phone vibrating. He held up the universal “one moment” finger to me, stood up and walked over into a corner.
Just be quiet, Falcon, and our boy will get through this just fine.
Hey, I’m just saying that this isn’t exactly how it should be going. Zig and I agree that he should get the hell out of here.
When have you and Zig ever agreed on anything? You two are opposites. This whole conversation took place in about a second. And with this last conversation I started to realize something; the moments when I was dominantly malicious was when the Falcon had taken over. They weren’t separate people, simply extremes of my personality. Hudson closed his phone and sat back down. His face was very serious now. “Zig, I’m going to need to take you down to the station for further questioning. “What? Why?”
Officer Marcourt walked in with Sasha and Ellen trailing. Hudson jerked his head in Marcourt’s direction and he understood immediately.
Hudson turned me around and read me my rights as he placed the zip tie around my wrist. Hudson paused and I could feel his eyes on my wrists. I had almost forgotten about the thin white scar lines that encompassed my wrist from the numerous ropes and such I had had around them. He pulled the zip tie tight and nodded to Marcourt.
“Wait! Wait!” They both had hands on my arms and they were pulling me towards the door. Neither listened, but I did have time to make eye contact with Sasha. I sent one word towards her and projected it with all the power I had. Sorry. Her eyes got bigger for a second and I knew she had heard me. The two police pulled me and pushed me into the back of the car. The ride to the station was a quiet one. I had stopped my protests all together and was content in just staring out the window blankly. When we pulled up to the station I was placed in a holding cell. It was one of those big ones that everyone is put in. My hands were cut free and the door locked behind me. The cell was pretty packed; probably twenty-five people. I found a bench that only had one other guy sitting on it and gratefully sat down. It was in a corner so I sat with my back to one of the walls and stretched out my legs on the bench. The guy glared at me. He was a skinhead with a thick leather jacket and neon tattoos covering his arms. He got up and stood over me threateningly. I noticed that the other people in the cell must’ve been avoiding him. They were all older than me and they all looked either scared to ask or to stoned to care. I gazed up at the immense man with a bored expression. I won’t go into details of how, but by the time Agent Hudson and Officer Marcourt came back, I was stretched out on the bench, with my arms behind my head, and the rest of the prisoners crowded on the other side of the cell. Agent Hudson raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment. Officer Marcourt just gripped my arm and led me into an interrogation room where my fingerprints and mug shot were taken. I sat down in one chair and Hudson took the other across from me.
My leg bounced nervously as I waited for Hudson’s questions to start. “So, you want to rework your statement?”
“I didn’t do anything,” I whispered.
“For someone innocent you seem rather nervous,” He commented dryly.
“I’m a 15 year old in a police station and I’ve just been taken from my house. I have right to be nervous, don’t I?”
“I guess. I really suggest you revise your statement. We have five different eye witnesses who’ve fingered you as the fighter.”
“I don’t fight.”
“What about the marks on your wrists; what are they from.”
I looked away. In a quiet voice, “I used to cut. Right after my parents tossed me out, I started to cut.”
“Tell me about your parents.”
“Drunks, abusive, always were fighting. I stood up to my dad and my mom threw me out. My mom found me the next day, told me she’d left dad, and we started to traveling around the country. I got lost and separated and that’s when Sasha found me.”
“You didn’t look for your mom?”
“To be honest, I rather be with Sasha; she’s nice to me and doesn’t yell.” I stared at the “mirror” beside me. “You guys aren’t one for subtle, are you?”
Hudson laughed a bit. “What do you mean by that?”
“I’ve always wondered why there’s this mirror here; it’s obvious that it’s a two-way mirror. Anyone with half a brain could notice that. And on the other side there’s sure to be a couple more cops and a few witnesses.”
“Zig, where’s your accent from?” His question had caught me off-guard, just as he had intended it to.
But I was always quick on my feet. “My mother spoke … and my father… the accent is just a composite.” I filled in random local languages. “What does this have to do with what you dragged me down here?” I tried to keep my voice innocent, but I could feel Falcon’s cynicism slipping into my voice.
“Fair point,” He admitted as he reached into a bag he’d brought in with him and placed my guards on the table. “What are these?”
“They’re armguards. Family heirlooms on my father’s side. I only kept them ‘cause they looked cool.”
“And your dog tags?” Frak.
“Father’s as well. Army man.”
“You just have an answer for everything, don’t you?”
“Huh?”
“It seems like your answers are a little too neat.” He was about to say more but an officer came in. The officer whispered in Hudson’s ear. The two left and I stood up and started pacing. When the door opened again three people entered; man, a woman, and Cody, all in full Force regalia. The man sat down and Cody and the woman stood by the door. I stopped pacing and leaned against the back wall with my arms crossed and my left leg against the wall.
“You’ve really messed up, Falcon,” The man told me in a somber tone.
I nodded more to myself than him and felt Falcon fight for dominance over my actions. I refused to let him. I said a simple, “Yes.”
“How did you get out of the arena undetected, and away from our guards?”
“I’m not giving away my secrets. They might get me out of a tight situation later on.” Deep even breaths.
“If you want us to get you out of jail and instead transfer the hours into their military, then you’ll spill it all,” His voice was slightly threatening.
“Invisibility charm; both times,” I explained. “If I’m going to be put through basic training, is there anyway to skip the physical? I’m not exactly the standard model here.”
“What do you mean?”
I leaned down and rolled up my pant leg. All three gasped. “What the frak is that?” The man said as he rose from his seat and squatted down in front of me.
“Wow, you really haven’t been told?” I acted shocked. “Hep gave it to me.”
The next morning the police loaded me into the back of a patrol car and drove me an hour away to the training base. I waited for Officer Marcourt to open my door, grabbed my bag and stepped out into the fresh air. I was starting to look around when I spied a military personnel coming straight for me. I dropped my bag and saluted him with my right hand in my best military stance. Marcourt stepped aside as the sergeant stood directly in front of me and barked right into my face, “So you’re the trouble maker.” Not a question. “Do you think you’re going to win my favor by saluting me?”
“Sir, no, sir!” I could feel Falcon crawling under my skin.
“Then why do it, private?”
“Sir, to prove that I’m not just a criminal, sir!” Ah! Make it stop!
Shut up!
“I’ve had to deal with the S.F. a lot lately, and they are not pleasant people to deal with. And guess who was the cause of these unpleasant encounters?” He didn’t wait for an answer; we both already knew. “Grab your bag and line up with the others, private!”
“Sir, yes, sir!” I barked back, picked up my bag and ran to the line with the other grunts. Of course all were older since the legal enlistment age was 17. All stared as I dropped my bag behind me like they had and stood at the end of the line. Luckily I wasn’t the shortest one at 5’4”. I was still in my dirty, ripped jeans, and loose t-shirt I had worn to school and slept in yesterday.
Sergeant Ford walked down the line and inspected each of us closely. He stopped periodically and asked questions like, “Why are you here?” and “Where are you from?” I knew it meant trouble when he stopped in front of me. He’s going to single me out. “How old are you private?”
“Sir, sixteen, sir!”
“Then why are you here?”
“Sir, I’m here so I don’t have to do jail time, sir!”
“And why would you be doing jail time?”
“Sir, because I was involved in a series of underground fights, sir!” I could hear the scorn of the others through their gasps and grunts.
“Not only that, but this boy was the top fighter, meaning he beat grown men at hand to hand combat,” He turned and faced everyone else. “There are special steps we are taking with this boy that you will all apply to. At least three of you must have this boy in eye sight at all time, this includes using the head. There will be two guards on duty at night, each night, and he will never have a rotation in this. Remember all of you, he’s a better fighter than all of you hand to hand, but not even he can stand up to a gun. Isn’t that right, Skid?”
“Sir, yes, sir!” I shouted obediently, but I met his eyes defiantly. Skid…I could cut you now little man.
Calm, you’re letting Falcon get to you.
…Maybe that’s best for the military.
“Now get you stuff and head to building 4-A. Grunts, dismissed!” We picked up our bags and jogged to the building. I noticed that a few of the other grunts had allowed themselves to fall behind me as we ran. I ignored it and went through the bureaucratic process of becoming an enlisted private. My hair was shaved down to a buzz cut and I had to wait in a separate room while the others got their physicals. Next, I was issued two sets of army fatigues, complete with hat, some sturdy boots, two new undershirts and a new set of dog tags which I added to my old ones. The underwear I was expected to bring, and thankfully, the Force had provided it. We were shown our barracks and assigned bunks where we all quickly stored our things. We all showered, in partitioned showers. Some of the new recruits felt a little awkward by the odd gazes they gave the room, but for me it was just another shower. Nothing special about my lack of privacy. At least there was a shower. At many of the prisons I’d been holed up in we weren’t even lucky enough to have those. We changed into our sleeping outfits, and stood at the foot of our bunk beds. I was on the top bunk; I guess everyone thought it would be harder for me to get out quickly that way. The Force had also provided me with an ace bandage to wrap around my left leg. I had made sure that was securely in place while I was in the bathroom so no one would see. I stood patiently beside my bunkmate, one Arthur Ceelin, as we waited for the Sergeant to come in and inspect us. He walked past us, and eyed each one of us carefully. When he was satisfied, he barked, “Sleep tight maggots, the real training begins tomorrow at 05:00. There will be two sergeants on guard tonight. Dismissed!” We all rushed into bed and pulled the thin blankets over us before the lights were turned off. I think the rest of my group had trouble sleeping that night; all the strangeness of military life. Me? I was used to it and fell asleep within a minute.
I hate military wake ups; they’re so loud! Regardless, I rolled out off of my bunk sideways and landed on the balls of my feet. They stared. At least those who were awake enough to stare did. Some were still getting bleary eyed out of their bunks. We all got dressed in our new outfits and stood at attention by our bunks. The sergeant came in and we began our training. It was the standard stuff; obstacle courses, group runs, and learning our equipment. All that we did, I could’ve excelled in, but instead choice to be average in all but the hand to hand classes since the Sergeant had already ratted me out there. In my mediocrity, my fellows began to trust in me and no longer spited me, although they all kept close eyes on me. Then came the third week of our training; the last week. At the end of the week we had a test to determine where we were going to be assigned. It was an obstacle course. First we ran the normal course, did two miles, then disassembled our rifles and reassembled them. I thought all of it was pretty simple, but I tried not to show off too much. When everyone had completed their test, we were rounded up in front of our bunkhouse. We stood in a straight line and faced the sergeant, our hands behind our back. It was an action that will always feel odd to me unless there is a piece of rope or metal holding them there. One by one, he barked our listings. Most of us were assigned to Algernon, the latest land war going on across the sea.
We dove down and waited for the next round of fire. It was an ambush of snipers and they had us surrounded. I did a quick count and there were 23 of them hidden in the ruins. “Sir,” I whispered to Alonzo. “They have us surrounded and outnumbered 23 to six.” I heard a few profanities from down the line. “But I have a m idea sir. That is, if you are willing to follow me.”
“Lead away solider.” I drew a deep breath and threw a loose invisibility spell over the others. They’d be pretty hard to see unless you knew what to look for. I motioned for them to gather close. “When you hear me say the word ‘now’ no matter what context it is in, I want you to run like bloody hell towards base. Okay?” they nodded somberly and I stood up with my hands up. I switched to the language of the attackers. “I am private Duffy of the Tazenian army. I am willing to surrender in exchange for the lives of my comrades.” I heard small intakes of breath from my friends who understood the language beside me. I ignored them and looked at the attackers.
“Why would we want you as a captive?” An unseen voice called.
“I am one of the army’s top soldiers and a master marksman. I equal about five P.O.W.s from your side. It’s obvious that the 23 of you have us surrounded. Now, do we have a deal?” My magic was strained as my comrades disappeared the way we came. The attackers didn’t even notice.
“Hands on you head,” They called and I was quick to comply. Soon after I did so, I felt the tip of a gun pressed into the back of my skull. Another man approached and patted me down for weapons, making me hold my breath in anticipation. I breathed easier once he had passed over my transporter without noticing it. The gun nudged me and I started walking, my course only changing when I would be roughly grabbed and pushed in the right direction.