began turning in circle, one fist holding onto the helpless Captain, the other fist pressing the gun into his neck. “Stop me! Someone stop me! How will you do it? There’s only one way. Only one way to stop me. What is it?”
They didn’t know. I knew. And I hoped no one tried it.
“This is fun. Let’s turn this into a lesson. All you kiddos need to learn this. Everyone follow me!” she called. “We need more space.”
She marched the Captain away from the firing range, past the pool, across Yorktown Avenue, through a parking lot, next to a hanger, and onto the runway tarmac. Our crowd grew the whole time, swelling to over a hundred. They were nervous, agitated, but interested. Everyone with a gun had it drawn, fifty total. She halted on the airstrip, immediately encircled by Military Police and soldiers with firearms.
“Stay behind me,” I told Katie. “I’ve seen her like this before. It’s going to get weird.”
“This is Captain Comfort,” Samantha called to her audience, turning the poor man in a circle. “He wants to stick to the old way! Just keep doing what you practiced, he said! Repetition will save you! Trouble is…the old ways won’t work anymore. You aren’t fighting Al Qaeda! You aren’t fighting Islamic radicals or any other religious zealot. This is a new animal. There’s a new beast in the jungle. And it’s faster and stronger than you.”
The captain hissed, “Who are you?”
“I’ve fought the Chosen. I’ve killed more than you ever will.”
“What are Chosen?”
“Who am I, you want to know? Who are the Chosen? I went into Compton with the FBI’s HRT. None of them walked out. Brave men. Well trained. All dead except one, and he had to be carried.”
“Alright, soldier!” the ranking MP shouted. “There’s a lot of us, and only one of you. Gun down.”
“Only one of me?” she laughed. “Who cares?! I’m more than enough for you. All of you. Why? Because you’ll fight using old methods. I will take you apart, and I’m not even the one you should be scared of.”
“Oh crap,” I muttered.
She continued, “You should worry about me, but you ought to be terrified of him!”
“Katie, back away. I have a bad feeling.”
“Because you can shoot me! I mean, you can’t. But technically I could be shot. But not him! He’s too fast! That should give you a hint about how to save Captain Comfort. Bullets won’t work. So how can you save the poor Captain? Forget bullets. There’s your hint.”
“Our bullets work just fine, lady,” a growl.
“Oh really??” She howled in laughter.
I sighed. “Oh no.”
“Watch!” She raised the gun. At me. She fired three times. Some cerebral mechanism activated, computing time and distance at hyper speed, and fired synapses independently. I saw the oncoming rounds. Saw the disturbance as they cut through air. I Moved , twisting away from the bullets, and catching the final shot. The lead hissed and spun briefly in my hand. No idea how I do that. It’s like the phenomenon happens to someone else.
The crowd shivered again and moved away from me. I stood alone, glaring at the Shooter.
There went our anonymity. Way to go, Samantha. I tossed the hot metal onto asphalt.
She had their attention now. Well, we both did. She spoke evenly and slowly. “You will barely see them. You will not have time to use a scope. You will be lucky to get off a few rounds. And you will probably miss. So I repeat myself. How will you save Captain Comfort?”
I heard the whispers. It’s the Outlaw! I saw him on the television! It’s him! I was bigger than them. Taller, broader. The presence I imputed on their emotions and their psyche was stronger than normal. I felt big.
“You feel safe behind your guns?” Samantha continued. “Put them away. Right now. Trust me. They are doing you no good. Put your guns away or the Outlaw will disarm you. And he can. And you won’t like it.”
I could. I just didn’t want to. Slowly, alternating
They didn’t know. I knew. And I hoped no one tried it.
“This is fun. Let’s turn this into a lesson. All you kiddos need to learn this. Everyone follow me!” she called. “We need more space.”
She marched the Captain away from the firing range, past the pool, across Yorktown Avenue, through a parking lot, next to a hanger, and onto the runway tarmac. Our crowd grew the whole time, swelling to over a hundred. They were nervous, agitated, but interested. Everyone with a gun had it drawn, fifty total. She halted on the airstrip, immediately encircled by Military Police and soldiers with firearms.
“Stay behind me,” I told Katie. “I’ve seen her like this before. It’s going to get weird.”
“This is Captain Comfort,” Samantha called to her audience, turning the poor man in a circle. “He wants to stick to the old way! Just keep doing what you practiced, he said! Repetition will save you! Trouble is…the old ways won’t work anymore. You aren’t fighting Al Qaeda! You aren’t fighting Islamic radicals or any other religious zealot. This is a new animal. There’s a new beast in the jungle. And it’s faster and stronger than you.”
The captain hissed, “Who are you?”
“I’ve fought the Chosen. I’ve killed more than you ever will.”
“What are Chosen?”
“Who am I, you want to know? Who are the Chosen? I went into Compton with the FBI’s HRT. None of them walked out. Brave men. Well trained. All dead except one, and he had to be carried.”
“Alright, soldier!” the ranking MP shouted. “There’s a lot of us, and only one of you. Gun down.”
“Only one of me?” she laughed. “Who cares?! I’m more than enough for you. All of you. Why? Because you’ll fight using old methods. I will take you apart, and I’m not even the one you should be scared of.”
“Oh crap,” I muttered.
She continued, “You should worry about me, but you ought to be terrified of him!”
“Katie, back away. I have a bad feeling.”
“Because you can shoot me! I mean, you can’t. But technically I could be shot. But not him! He’s too fast! That should give you a hint about how to save Captain Comfort. Bullets won’t work. So how can you save the poor Captain? Forget bullets. There’s your hint.”
“Our bullets work just fine, lady,” a growl.
“Oh really??” She howled in laughter.
I sighed. “Oh no.”
“Watch!” She raised the gun. At me. She fired three times. Some cerebral mechanism activated, computing time and distance at hyper speed, and fired synapses independently. I saw the oncoming rounds. Saw the disturbance as they cut through air. I Moved , twisting away from the bullets, and catching the final shot. The lead hissed and spun briefly in my hand. No idea how I do that. It’s like the phenomenon happens to someone else.
The crowd shivered again and moved away from me. I stood alone, glaring at the Shooter.
There went our anonymity. Way to go, Samantha. I tossed the hot metal onto asphalt.
She had their attention now. Well, we both did. She spoke evenly and slowly. “You will barely see them. You will not have time to use a scope. You will be lucky to get off a few rounds. And you will probably miss. So I repeat myself. How will you save Captain Comfort?”
I heard the whispers. It’s the Outlaw! I saw him on the television! It’s him! I was bigger than them. Taller, broader. The presence I imputed on their emotions and their psyche was stronger than normal. I felt big.
“You feel safe behind your guns?” Samantha continued. “Put them away. Right now. Trust me. They are doing you no good. Put your guns away or the Outlaw will disarm you. And he can. And you won’t like it.”
I could. I just didn’t want to. Slowly, alternating
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