Just Cause Universe 3: Day of the Destroyer (30 page)

The cop sighed. “All right, you can have him. Less paperwork for us at any rate.”

“Thanks so much,” said Faith with a sweet smile. She turned to Irlene. “Can you shrink down both him and the Soldier so we can bring them both back to headquarters?”

The girl nodded. “I need to go tell Momma what happened.”

Faith shook her head. “Not yet. I’m sorry, but this is too important for you to run home when we need your shrinking ability. I promise, as soon as we’ve got Harlan and the Soldier squared away, we’ll cut you loose.”

More tears tracked down Irlene’s face but she nodded.

The heroes crossed town to reconvene at headquarters. Irlene had shrunk down the Soldier and her brother to make it easier to transport them. Once they arrived and she restored them to their original size, Bobby cleared her to notify her mother of Harlan’s arrest by Just Cause. Like a magenta hummingbird, she flitted out of the building toward the war zone that was Harlem.

Faith’s heartbeat rose when she saw Agents Simmons and Stull were back in headquarters again, sipping coffee and discussing their investigation while poring over a large map of the city. She pulled Bobby aside to speak with him.

“Where are they?” She made a point not to mention Gretchen or Shane’s names, just to be safe.

“They’re out,” said Bobby. A dark blush colored his cheeks.

“Out?” repeated Faith. “Out where?”

“Out. Fighting fires,” he said. “I inducted them onto the team.”

Faith’s mouth dropped open. “You what?”

Bobby shrugged. “She wanted to help, and she can put out fires with her power. I wasn’t going to let her go, but those two assholes came back and I didn’t want them to know we’re holding out on them.”

“So you let two federal fugitives just walk away?” Faith couldn’t believe her own ears. This wasn’t the responsible Bobby she knew. “I mean, I don’t want to turn her over to them either, but this could mean your job. It could get you sent to prison yourself.”

Bobby folded his arms. Faith could tell he felt conflicted. “These aren’t normal circumstances,” he said at last. “City-wide power failure, riots, goddamn children torching tenements with giant robots.” His face grew hard. “I need to use whatever resources I have available in this crisis, and if that means I deputize a fugitive, so be it.”

Faith threw her arms around him and kissed him. She knew how worried he’d been about her in the battle with Harlan’s tank; being unable to participate in parahuman combat meant Bobby spent a lot of time worrying about her and the others.

“Any word from Rick or John?” she asked.

“John’s working through the subways, helping stranded riders to get out of the tunnels. Rick’s somewhere here in Manhattan. Last he checked in, he was tying a looter to a street light.”

Faith burst out laughing.

“Tell me about Gloria and the Soldier.”

“Gloria’s got some second- and third-degree burns on her face and chest from her own power reflecting back at her. She was in shock but the hospital got her stabilized. We’ll know more by morning.”

“It’s already morning,” said Bobby.

“Christ, don’t I know it.” Faith yawned. “As far as the Soldier goes, Javier thinks he’s dead. The kid says he can fix him.”

“Do you think he can?”

Faith shuddered. “You should have seen that thing he built. It’s all burned up now, but besides the Soldier it was the most advanced thing I’ve ever seen. And it looked like he built it out of spare parts and junk,” she added. “If anyone can fix the Soldier, I’d put my money on that kid. He must be some kind of engineering savant.”

Bobby shot her a sharp look. “Do you think he’s a parahuman?”

“Like superhuman engineering skill?”

“More like superhuman intelligence.”

“That would make him really dangerous,” said Faith. “I hope it’s not true.”

“H-hello?” A hoarse, nervous voice came over the radio. “P-Pony Girl? Anyone?”

“Who is that?” asked Bobby.

“Sounds like Irlene.” Faith picked up her radio. “Pony Girl here. Go ahead.”

“It’s my momma,” said the girl. “She been killed dead.”

#

The Steel Soldier was like nothing Harlan had ever seen, or even imagined before. The android was complex all the way down to a microscopic level, filled with components for purposes Harlan couldn’t begin to comprehend.

The mechanical lab in which the Soldier’s remains sat was a marvel of engineering. As Javelin watched him like a hawk, Harlan familiarized himself with some of the high-tech tools and devices. His brain soaked up data like a sponge, taking mental snapshots of everything he saw, redrawing schematics, and gaining deeper understanding.

He saw with pride how much damage his bolt gun had done to the Soldier’s torso. He was a force to be reckoned with, he thought. Wearing a device like a bicycle helmet with multiple magnification lenses and articulated lights, he worked to disconnect the Soldier’s weapons systems before tackling the damaged torso section.

A hand encased in bronze armor closed around his arm. Harlan looked to see Javelin glaring at him. “Hey, what the fuck are you doing?”

“Disconnecting the weapons,” explained Harlan as if to a child. “Then the boot jets. You want one of them to accidentally fire while I’m working?”

“Ain’t never happened before.”

“Has your android ever been this damaged before?”

Javelin didn’t have a response for that.

Harlan adjusted his lights and lenses and bent over the Soldier’s arm. As he disconnected the cannon, he began to understand the basic construction method. The Soldier hadn’t been built like a machine, but like an organic being. It had a steel skeleton, hydraulic muscles, a circulatory system to deliver power where it was needed, and a nervous system to transmit data and instructions to and from the central brain.

“Amazing,” he whispered. He could build a new Destroyer suit with this kind of technology. It could take years, but in the end, he’d have a suit that was like a second skin.

“That the kid?” asked a rough voice.

“Yeah that’s the little prick,” said Javelin. “Burned down half of Harlem.”

Harlan looked up to see Javier speaking with a white guy in a dark gray suit who stank of coffee and cigarettes.

“Christ,” said the man as if commenting on the weather. “How old are you?”

Harlan looked back at the Soldier. “Thirteen. What do you want? I’m busy.”

“Special Agent Simmons, FBI.” The agent extended a hand to Harlan, who looked at it with disinterest. “I understand your sister is part of Just Cause.”

“So?”

Agent Simmons cleared his throat. “You’re in a lot of trouble, kid, make no mistake about it. On the other hand, the government might be able to intervene on your behalf. If, say, you were to cooperate with us.”

“Hold on,” said Javelin. “You’re not thinking about cutting a deal with this little punk, are you?”

“Stay out of this, hero. This isn’t your concern.”

“The fuck it isn’t,” said Javelin. “He could have killed Sundancer. He might have killed the Steel Soldier. How many civilians died under his guns tonight? How many people has he left homeless?” Javelin grabbed hold of Harlan’s shoulder and spun him around to hiss in his face. “What’s your death toll,
cabron
?”

Harlan spat in the Puerto Rican man’s face.

Javelin raised his gauntlet, ready to blast the smirk off Harlan’s face.

The sound of a hammer cocking was loud in the tense silence. “Back away from the boy.” Agent Simmons had his nine millimeter clutched in both hands and aimed at Javelin’s head. “Give me a reason.”

“I didn’t mean nothing by it,” said Javelin with a forced laugh. He shoved Harlan as he stalked away. “Get back to work fixing my teammate.”

Harlan returned to the Soldier and began isolating circuits and rerouting conduits as he surveyed the damage. He had an idea for a component he could install. It wouldn’t be complex or difficult to build from the tools at hand.

It would ensure that in the future, Harlan would never have trouble with the Soldier again.

“You’re out of control, Javelin. This will be in my report.”

“Ah, fuck it. I’m just the team babysitter,” said Javelin. “First that girl, and now this little shit.”

Agent Simmons took a step toward him. “What girl?”

Javelin shrugged, but Harlan noticed a vein throbbing in his temple. He’d said something he wasn’t supposed to and the agent had seen it as well. “Just some kid,” mumbled the hero.

“Was it Gretchen Gumm? Did you find her and not report to us?” Agent Simmons’ face turned thunderous.

“Hey, I know a Gretchen,” said Harlan. “I got her passes to get in here from my sister.”

Simmons’ eyes widened. He yanked a piece of paper from within his coat and shoved it in Harlan’s face. “Is this her?”

Harlan nodded. “She’s nice. Why are you looking for her?”

Simmons grinned in triumph at Javelin, who wouldn’t meet his gaze. “She’s wanted for murder.”

Harlan’s heart leaped and swelled. He and Gretchen had far more in common than he’d ever realized.

Truly, they belonged together.

“Maybe I can help you find her,” said Harlan. “She knows me.”

“Maybe so,” said Simmons. He turned to point at Javelin. “You guys, though, are in a shitload of trouble.”

Javelin sighed. “So what else is new?”

Pony Girl burst into the lab. “I need to speak to Harlan.”

Agent Simmons folded his arms and set his jaw. “So talk.”

“Privately,” she said. Harlan could tell she was upset about something. He suspected perhaps they’d found Momma at last. He wasn’t worried; he had his story straight.

“So you can let this one slip through your fingers too? I don’t think so. As soon as I can get a court order, this kid is going to be in my custody.” He shook his head. “I can’t trust Just Cause with a prisoner anymore. Not that I ever did.”

Pony Girl rounded on Javelin, furious. “What did you tell him, you addled son of a bitch?”

Javelin tried to stammer an excuse but Pony Girl shook her head. “No, I don’t have time for your bullshit now.” She turned to Harlan. “Harlan, I’m sorry. There’s been an accident. Your mother is dead and your younger sister is missing.”

As he made his lip quiver and tears spill forth, Harlan thought how proud Gretchen would be if she knew.

#

Sporadic fires and headlights in the shadows below looked like the city dwellers were trying to recreate the majesty of the skies above. It was beautiful and terrible at the same time.

Dark New York spread out beneath Tommy as he cruised back toward Queens, where Miranda lived. He felt guilty that he hadn’t been able to check on her since the catastrophe started and he hoped that she was all right.

“
Tornado, come in
.” The crackle of Bobby’s voice on his radio disturbed his reverie. He halted his flight to float a couple hundred feet in the air. His cape fluttered gently in a warm breeze.

“Go ahead, Bobby.”

“
Listen, uh…
”

Tommy blinked at Bobby’s hesitancy. One thing the man had always been was definitive in his decision-making. It made him a strong administrator and coordinator for a team generally filled with self-important hotheads.

“What is it?”

“
We’ve had some bad luck. Irlene found her mother murdered in their apartment
.”

“Jesus. Do you think that kid did it?”

“
We don’t know, but the younger sister is missing to boot. Irlene’s a mess. She needs someone with a cool head to help her out right now, and that’s you
.”

Tommy shut his eyes. “You can’t send Faith? I was going to check in on someone.”

“
No, I really can’t. We’ve got those Federal agents breathing down our necks after something Javelin said and Faith is the only one who can help me with this
.”

“Shit. All right, what’s the address?” Miranda would have to wait once more.

Bobby relayed the address. Tommy realized it wasn’t far from where they’d battled Harlan’s tank. He acknowledged, turned, and headed for Harlem.

Although it galled him to do so, Tommy ignored the looters as he flew past them, making a beeline for the Washingtons’ apartment.

He found Irlene on the roof of the tenement. She stank of smoke, sweat, and vomit, and her face was puffy from crying. He floated down beside her. “Hey,” he said in as soothing a tone as possible.

She looked back at him with eyes far too old for a face so young. It broke Tommy’s heart that she’d lost her innocence her first day on the job. “I got here and the door was open,” she whispered. “I thought Momma was asleep in the chair, but when I lit a candle I saw.” She retched.

Tommy touched her shoulder. She flung herself into his arms and sobbed against his chest, pouring out all the unfairness of the world against him. “God, I’m sorry, so sorry,” he whispered into her hair.