We the People vol 2: Liberty or Death

Thane was only too happy to leave Windsor behind them. Though she tried to keep in mind that the townsfolk were merely a product of their time, she couldn’t summon up any sympathy for the lot of them. A black man should be free to kiss a white woman.

If Thane counted as a woman, being...whatever she was.

She glanced over at Chui, bouncing along on the back of the wagon Franklin had procured for them. Her eyes narrowed as she recalled his assessment of her condition.

“Thane, we think you might be a zom-”

That was when she’d punched him in the arm. Hard enough to bruise.

“What?” Chui said, adjusting his straw hat. “Why the dirty look?”

“I’m not a zombie,” she growled.

“Uh, ooookay.”

They were marching down a heavily rutted dirt road, ostensibly heading for New Hampshire. Having found no clues about Kass’s whereabouts, it was hoped a larger settlement might prove more fruitful. Franklin was going to meet them once they crossed the state line, as he was traveling by water. His ferocious gout outbreak was more than just inconvenient—it was potentially fatal to their mission.

The wagon was a bit of generosity from the founding father. It was meant to haul hay, meaning it had a large enough bed to carry their entire crew. Bast knew how to work the traces, and volunteered to drive.

“Isn’t that going to be strange?” James asked. “I mean, him being...y’know, black?”

“Not really,” Montel said “servants often did the driving back in the day. Especially on a bone rattling piece of junk like this.”

That ended the debate. Thane rode next to Bast on the driver’s bench, not bothered at all by the bumpy ride. Everyone else grumbled, even Creepy, about their sore bottoms.

“God, when did they invent shocks?” Montel glared over the side at the massive wooden wheels. “No wonder people didn’t travel much in these times. It freaking hurts!”

“Why don’t you try complaining?” James spat into the dirt. “Myself, I could do with a bath. I’m crawling with critters!”

“Hey, Rashemi,” Thane said “can’t you tell the fleas and lice to piss off?”

Creepy rolled her eyes, but then she squinted. A moment later, she nodded.

“Hey,” James said “that actually helps. Thanks, squirt.”

He mussed Creepy’s hair. Thane cringed, expecting an outburst, but the teen girl just beamed.

Ah-ha! Thane thought. The first thing with less than six legs she’s ever liked. It’s a start.

Thane cast her gaze skyward as James tried to teach Creepy how to do an armpit fart.

Maybe not so great, after all...

“Look,” Bast said, drawing her attention. She cast her gaze up his stout arm and saw a v-shaped formation of long-necked white birds.

“Uh, yeah, a real National Geographic moment,” she said. “Is there a point you’re trying to make?”

Her tone came across a lot more catty than she wanted, and Bast’s good eye squinted.

“Those are herons,” he said stonily “They tend to stay close to flowing fresh water. We must be getting near the Connecticut River.”

“Wait, I thought we wanted to go to New Hampshire!” Thane said in a panic. “Did we march in the wrong direction, or-”

Bast did something she’d rarely glimpsed before. He tilted his head back and had a full belly laugh. Chui and Creepy exchanged stunned glances, while Faraday seemed unconcerned.

“Ah, Thane.” He wiped his eyes and sighed. “I guess Geography was never your favorite subject?”

“Amnesia, remember?” Thane sneered. “So we ARE getting close to New Hampshire?”

“Yes, Thane. The Connecticut River acts as a border between the two states.”

“Shhh!”

Everyone turned to Faraday. She was craning her neck, her head tilted toward the south.

“Do you hear that?” she whispered.

“Hear what?” Thane strained her own hearing to the limit. She heard it then, a crackling sound akin to thunder.

“Yeah, I think I hear it now, too.” Montel was nodding.

James sniffed the air. “Don’t smell like a storm is brewing.”

“No, it’s a battle,” Bast said, peering off toward the horizon. “Probably heavy cannons.”

“They had cannons back then, I mean, back now, I mean...” Chui’s cheeks turned red “you know what I mean!”

“He can read alien languages but can’t speak English,” James said.

“Yes, they had cannons, but they were heavy and hard to deploy tactically,” Bast said, an eager light in his eye. “Also, they required twenty man teams to operate, and were prone to barrel mishaps.”

Bast glanced around at the stunned expressions of his companions.

“I study military history,” he said, arching an eyebrow.

“That’s the most semi-nice words you’ve said in a row, in...well, ever!” Chui said.

“Shut up, Chui!” Thane said, though she was snickering.

“Oh, your boyfriend has it coming,” Montel said.

Bast and Thane studiously ignored each other. Desperately, she fought for a topic to break the awkward silence. The rumble of cannon in the distance gave her the out.

“Do you think we’re in danger here, Bast?” she asked.

“No, I don’t think so.” he said. “That battle is probably a hundred miles away.

“Uh...I hear more rumbling up ahead,” Chui said fearfully.

“Calm down, Espinosa, it’s just the damn river,” James said.

The thick elm and maple framing the muddy road gave way to a rough stone beach head. The river slipped past them quickly, its banks swollen from recent rain. The bridge that was intended to forge the deep, dark waters hovered just a few scant inches above the river.

“Is this safe to take the wagon over?” Chui blew air out his lips, lifting a curly lock of hair at his forehead.

Bast halted the team and got down off the wagon. He walked a short distance onto the bridge, tromping heavily to test its mettle. He stared upstream for a while and then walked back to them. “Should be fine,” he said. “They didn’t mess around back in these days.”

“Yeah, a splinter could kill you, though,” James said.

“Not necessarily,” Chui said “you have to understand modern man’s immune systems don’t get the practice that they did in this era. Living in filthy conditions, no FDA expiration dates on food, all of those things will build up your ability to fight disease and infection.”

“You’re smart, Chui,” Faraday said.

“Really?” He turned to her, dreamy look in his eyes.

Hannah looked away, and Chui’s face fell. But Thane noted that when he turned away, Faraday was watching him.

“Here,” Thane said, patting the seat next to Bast “I’m tired of seeing the horse’s butts. Switch seats with me, Chui.”

“What? Why me?”

“Because your superior officer commands you, boy!” Thane snapped.

“Seriously?” Chui looked at Bast. “I mean, seriously?”

“You heard the Corporal. Better get up here before she court marshals you.”

“You’re just the worst sort of person,” Chui said, climbing up beside Bast with a distinct lack of grace. Thane joined Faraday at the rear. Their feet dangled over the worn but sturdy timbers of the bridge as they slowly crossed.

“So, Faraday,” Thane said “how’s it go-”

“What’s kissing like?” Faraday blurted. “How long have you wanted to kiss Bast? Is it hard to do it right?”

“Direct and to the point,” Thane said after a laugh. “Well, it’s like holding hands or hugging, only a little bit more...intense? Serious, maybe? And it’s fun, I mean, sometimes you bump teeth or drink drool but-”

“I don’t like holding hands. Or hugs.”

“Why not?”

“I just don’t.” Faraday met her gaze. The girl’s blue eyes seemed restless and haunted. “It’s...too much. I have to deal with so many signals, so many things to see and feel and smell. I can quantify energy patterns, store up power, feel it luminous in every cell of my body, and it seems natural. But when I think of Chui, my chest hurts and I can’t concentrate.”

Thane chewed her bottom lip. Once again, she felt a swell of pity for Faraday. Considering all that the slender blonde woman had to deal with on a daily basis, it was a wonder that she could function at all.

“Isn’t it easier, here in the past?” Thane said. “I mean, aren’t there less signals?”

“Yes. It does make it a little easier, but now I can see the signals from space.”

“From...space?”

“Yes. Stars being born in our galaxy, radio transmissions from...well, I’m not really sure. And the Earth itself puts off a kind of energy. You should know.”

“Why should I know? I’m not a hippie, and I certainly can’t do the fantastic things you can.”

“You should know because you’re the opposite kind of energy.”

“I’m the...” Thane sighed. “Look, Hannah, I’m trying to understand, I really am, but aren’t I made up of matter and not energy? Damn, I don’t think I was good in science before I lost my memory.”

“I can’t explain it any more than that,” Faraday said with a helpless shrug. Abruptly, she sat bolt upright in the wagon. Her blue eyes opened wide in terror and she started screaming at Bast.

“Stop! Stop! It’s ESX! It’s here!”

“Get us off the bridge, Bast,” James shouted, his eyes seemingly focused far away.

“He’s having a premonition!” Montel said.

“How long do we have?” Thane shouted.

“Seco-” said Montel before the world became a chaotic jumble of flailing limbs and splintered wood. The screams of horses and humans mingled in the summer air as the wagon exploded into a thousand fragments.

Thane regained her senses first. Once, she’d been four feet away from a 16 inch explosive round when it went off and had experienced a similar shock wave. Casting her eyes skyward, she stood up on the tattered remnants of the bridge. It was holding together—barely—but didn’t look as if it would last long.

Seeing no threat in the skies, she looked to her companions and her jaw dropped open. Their bodies were strewn about on the bridge, with Creepy groaning under the dismembered front half of a horse. Montel struggled to get to his feet, bleeding from both nose and ears. The glazed look in his eyes said he was alive but not cognizent. Bast was pulling himself together, but he cradled his left arm to his side in a way that made her cringe. James had managed to leap off the bridge into the water before the explosion, and was fighting the current for all he was worth.

“Jimmy,” she shouted “don’t fight the current! You’ll wear yourself out! Try swimming towards the bank with the flow!”

James met her gaze and rolled over on his back in the water. He floated away quickly, but was angling himself toward the opposite bank with strong strokes.

“Where’s Chui? And Faraday?” Bast asked, grimacing in pain.

Thane helped Bast stand up and joined the search. They spotted the two of them a short distance away, clinging to a submerged tree limb.

“Faraday fell in and Chui jumped in to save her,” said Bast. His eye went wide. “EVERYBODY DOWN!”

Thane pulled Montel, who was still stunned, down to the ragged timbers just as something large snapped off the safety railing of the wooden bridge. She looked up, eyes following a thirty foot maple tree, roots raining down dirt, as it spun crazily through the air. Thane’s heart sank as she realized where it was headed.

“CHUI! Look out!” she screamed.

With a gut wrenching crash, the two trees collided. Thane heard Chui’s scream somewhere amid the crackling of limbs and splashing. The force of the impact dislodged the submerged tree, and the whole mess floated with the current downstream.

“Not a direct hit, but they’ll most likely drown, don’t you think?” said a voice above her.

Thane gritted her teeth, snarling in rage at the creature who had possibly just murdered her friends. Dr. Kass hovered inches above the water, wearing a red long-tailed coat and felt hat. She wore a sword and musket at her side.

“You got some nerve working for the British, Dr. Kass,” Thane said.

“That’s not Kass,” Bast said, standing up. “Montel, get some serious firepower!”

“I...I can’t,” he said, holding his head. “Can’t...think straight.”

“Die, you murdering witch!”

James appeared, dripping water as he dashed across the timber bridge. He threw a hatchet, and then immediately dove in the water without waiting to see if it hit. Thane saw why a moment later when something small and dark flashed by and knocked a hole in the bridge where he’d been standing.

“Careful, Thane,” Bast said. He tried to slap sense—literally—into Montel. “It has cannonballs in orbit around itself.”

Thane narrowed her gaze, spotting the swiftly moving iron orbs. They darted through the air in a dance all the more disturbing for its symmetry.

“That’s how she blew up the wagon,” Thane said. “Neat trick. It won’t save you, though.”

“And what are you going to do to stop me, down there on the bridge?” Kass asked.

Thane seethed, because the alien was right. It was now hovering fifteen feet in the air above them, too far to jump even for her. Then, she had a sudden inspiration.

She seized one of the wagon wheels from where it lay atop a splintered mess and twisted like a cyclone. After a few revolutions she released her missile, which sailed into the air towards ESX.

What used to be Kass’s face smiled, stopping the wheel about ten feet away from itself.

Just like Thane intended. She leaped off of the bridge, grabbed hold of the thick spokes, and pulled herself onto the wheel. Kass’s smirk turned to a shocked gasp as Thane launched herself like a spear. Air exploded out of ESX’s lungs as Thane’s shoulder drove into her midsection.

They careened through the air, ESX’s control momentarily broken. Tree limbs snapped and leaves buffeted them as they flew through the canopy a hundred feet above the ground. Thane had little leverage for strikes, but Kass’s sword was in reach. With a snarl, she freed it of its sheath and awkwardly stabbed downward. The alien host screamed as a line of blood was drawn across its hamstring.

The pain seemed to refocus ESX. Their flight grew less erratic, and they climbed out of the trees. The landscape spread out like a green carpet beneath them as they rose higher and higher into the azure sky. Thane dropped the sword and held on with both hands as ESX went through a series of tight twists and drops in an attempt to shake her off.

“Listen, you idiot,” Thane said as they grappled a mile in the sky “you can’t change the past! All you’ll do is create another reality, and this one will be destroyed!”

“I know,” Kass said between grunts “I’ll safely be in the alternate universe before the harbingers arrive.”

“You-you know?” Thane stopped struggling. She had both arms wrapped around Kass’s legs. Sticky blood stained her sleeves from the wound on Kass’s thigh.

“Of course. The Zimmyr invented the Armonica, and I am a Zimmyr.”

Thane almost let go from shock.

“But...but Chui said you were a plague! A biological weapon meant to overwrite mankind into your own species.”

“That much is true. I am the last Zimmyr, once a political dissident who was made into our race’s last hope. I have been genetically coded to perform my task without fail. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry your world must die. It’s not really my choice.”

Thane’s lips parted. There was no reason for ESX to tell her the truth, but then again there wasn’t much cause for it to lie either.

“You’re telling the truth,” she said breathlessly. “You really don’t want to wipe us out, do you?”

In response, ESX jabbed both its thumbs into Thane’s eyes. There was no pain, but the sudden blindness made her let go of her grip. Too late, she tried to gain another handhold, but her fingers closed on empty air. ESX took flight away from the sun, and then Thane flipped over on her belly and could see only the approaching trees, wind whistling in her ears.

“Man,” she said with a sigh “I’m reaaaaally glad I can’t feel pain right about-”

Verdant leaves sliced into her cheeks, stout limbs crushed her bones, and rough bark skinned her back, but Thane was very much conscious when she hit the ground. Groaning not with pain but with exertion, she struggled to get her broken body to its feet.

“Why ain’t I healing?” She looked down at a jagged tear in her forearm. Normally, by now it would have been knitting itself shut. Her stomach gurgled, and her heart sank.

“Oh, great. I’m starving. Can this get any worse?”

As if in answer to her voice, several burly men in red coats similar to Kass’s surrounded her, pointing gleaming bayonets at her bleeding face.