Jackson Ford - Random Sh*t Flying Through the Air

We move slowly around the stadium, trying to find a way in through the thick crowds, looking for a gap. Africa’s craning his neck so hard that I’m half-convinced his head is going to pop off his shoulders. And all we see is chaos: a maddening crush of confused, angry people, fights breaking out, sullen faces and shouted words.

And you know what the worst thing is? We are three quarters of the way round the stadium before I realise we still have our earpieces.

Actually, that’s not the worst. The worst is that Africa realises before I do. He starts, hand flying to his ear. “Hey,” he says, way too loudly. “Anybody there?”

Mia gives him a confused look. Fortunately, I’m quicker on the uptake. “Reggie, Annie, come in.”

Nothing. Not even static.

“OK,” I say to Africa. “We just need to get closer. Can you—?”

He’s already on it, bellowing at the crowd to make way, shouting Reggie’s name on the comms, pushing for the nearest entrance. The big letters above it read GATE D, and high above that is a giant Coke ad, the witless model grinning down at us. There are soldiers too, National Guard, scared and exhausted and holding big guns.

Too late, I realise our mistake. One of them – a kid not much older than me, with a shitty goatee and wild, bugged-out eyes – sees Africa coming.

Put yourself in his shoes for a second.

You’re a minimally trained National Guard soldier, deployed right in the middle of the biggest earthquake to ever hit the mainland United States, which means the biggest relief operation in our nation’s history. You’ve been going for twelve hours straight. Maybe longer. You are currently between two groups of very pissed off people: one trying to get inside the place you’ve been told to guard, the other trying to get out – or at the very least, getting mightily pissed off at not having enough food and water. You are almost certainly hopped up on whatever energy drinks they dished out to keep you awake, and the last time you spoke to your loved ones was so long ago you can’t even remember it.

And now, here comes a seven-foot-tall gentleman with arms the size of tree trunks, pushing his way through the crowd towards you and shouting something about Come in .

“ Africa! ” My words are lost in the din of the crowd. “ Stop! ”

Africa doesn’t hear me, which means I need to use my PK to save him.

But I can already tell that it’s not going to be fast enough. I’ve got the range, my PK is working fine… but I don’t have the reflexes. The guardsman’s gun is already coming, his finger tightening on the trigger.

And at that second, a crackle in my ear. “—this is Reg—come in, over?”

Africa lets out a whoop of joy, clutches his ear. And then, like an ocean liner steering away from an iceberg, he does an about-face.

There’s a horrible moment where I think the guardsman with the goatee is going to shoot him anyway. But then the gun drops, ever so slightly.

I almost collapse to the ground. I get as far resting my hands on my knees, shoulders shaking, like I just ran a marathon. Africa’s voice, thundering in my ear. “Boss! We are here!”

“—Africa we—where are you?”

By this time, Africa’s made his way back over to me. I interrupt his reply to Reggie by punching him very hard in the chest. He’s tall enough that I have to stand on tiptoe to do it. He’s lucky I didn’t decide to go for his balls.

He goggles at me. “Hey, wha—?”

“Don’t you ever, ever, ever almost get yourself almost shot again. I swear to God…”

Then I hug him. Wrap my arms around his torso, and squeeze as hard as I can.

“Not to interrupt or anything,” Mia says, pointing at her ear, “but aren’t you talking to someone?”

“Oh, yeah. Shit. Right. Reggie, are you there?”

It takes us a while to find them. They’re at the edge of the east parking lot, out of the crowds. Annie is carrying Reggie, and that horrible blank expression is still on her face

“Hello!” Africa says, waving the second we spot them.

“They wouldn’t listen to me,” Reggie says, the moment we get within earshot. “They kicked everyone out of the medical tent – all but the worst of the wounded. It’s gone to hell and back in there – we can’t even get near the command tent let alone find somebody who’ll let us talk to Moira.”

I do my best to wade through the flood of her words. “You haven’t been able to get hold of Tanner?”

“Not for lack of trying. Apparently being a government employee counts for nothing in modern-day America. Africa, who is this?”

It takes me a second to realise she’s referring to Mia.

I take a deep breath. “Reggie, this is Mia. Mia, Reggie. Mia works down at the Meitzen Museum, and Reggie is my boss at China Shop. Mia knows about my PK, by the way, and I’m really sorry but I’m not sorry that I showed her, because she knows about the boy – whose name is Matthew, by the way – and she knows where he’s going.”

Give Reggie this: she is much better at dealing with a stream of consciousness than I am. She absorbs it all, pauses for a second, then says, “Tell me everything.”

By the time we’re done, her mouth is set in a thin line. It must be my imagination, but it’s gotten quieter outside the stadium, as if everyone out there has suddenly realised what’s at stake.

“You’re sure?” Reggie asks Mia. “About the ETS zones?”

“Yes. Absolutely.”

“And you don’t know which zone he’d target.”

“We need more information about what the roads are like up there. My guess is, it’ll be the one he can most easily access. I mean, if he’s just a kid…”

“All right.” Reggie’s voice is way too calm. “You need to do that, and quickly. Teagan, Africa. It is imperative you get us a way to call Washington.”

“What is Tanner gonna do when we tell her?” I ask.

“Moira has more resources than we do, and she’ll understand the gravity of the situation. She can get manpower, set up road blocks, get troops to every one of these places if need be.”

“This is really happening,” Mia says in wonder. “All of it.”

What is Tanner doing right now? Knowing her, nothing. If she thinks we’re alive, she knows she won’t be able to do anything for us that the federal government aren’t doing already. She’ll be sitting back, waiting for us to make contact as and when we get a chance, unaware that Matthew the world-wrecker is already on his way to do even more damage. If she thinks we’re dead… Well, if she thinks that, she’ll still be sitting back and doing nothing.

“Reggie,” I say. “Is there any other option here? What if we got you a computer? Could you—?”

She gives a hollow laugh. “With what network, darling?”

“Then we’ll take you back to the museum. They might—”

“Might what? They didn’t listen to me in there, so they sure as hell won’t listen to me at the museum.”

“But if you tell them—”

“I’m not running China Shop any more, Teagan. I’m just a crazy lady yelling about the government. No goddamn use to anyone.”

“Oh come on. That’s bullshit, and you know it. Annie – back me up here.” But Annie isn’t backing anyone up. Annie is off in her own little world. She’s still supporting Reggie, but she’s staring at nothing.

“Mia – could you get us a phone?” I ask. “If we go back?”

She bites her lip. But she doesn’t have to answer, because I can already see how this is going to go. One of the volunteers shows up with four random people who no one knows, demanding access to a phone. Maybe we get it – maybe I don’t have to show off my powers to convince people. But it’ll take time, which we are rapidly running out of, and there’s no guarantee of success. We may as well—