Dawn of the Void

After what felt like an idyllic week of preparations, it suddenly felt as 3-Day was upon them. With only four days remaining, every moment felt precious. Jessica set to work marshaling military staff and volunteer civilians to create her envisioned assembly lines. Cindy and Captain O’Shea, the S1, worked on coordinating the different platoons and companies depending on their Benediction strengths, while Duffy, Hackworth, and his XO, Major Baker, spent countless hours trying to determine the optimal way to prepare for Nem3.

To James’s consternation, President Murphy called him out by name in his televised address a day after their visit to DC, and James found his position as the face of Blue Light cemented into public opinion.

Which meant travel. Once Olaf reached Novitiate 1 and selected Communal Benediction, James had no more excuses to avoid the duty, and Major Baker presented him with a three-day dash across the country with six stops in hot spots in dire need of his presence.

“What the fuck am I supposed to do in Jacksonville?” asked James, leafing through his itinerary. “Or San Antonio?”

Major Baker’s smile was utterly humorless. “What you did here in New York, Kelly. Get up in front of people and make them believe in Blue Light.”

James’s scowl didn’t abate. “I’m only coming back the night before 3-Day? How the fuck am I supposed to prepare?”

“Language, Sergeant Major,” snapped Baker. “You’re owed no explanation. This is your duty, and if you have any issues with executing it, I advise you take it to Colonel Hackworth, and explain precisely why you’re too busy to oversee the implementation of the national plan you personally asked the President to sponsor.”

James sighed and dropped the paperwork on the table. “Fine. Who’s going with me.”

Baker raised an eyebrow. “You need a babysitter?”

“Major, I was homeless three weeks ago. You want me to show up to all of these flights on time and look semi-respectable while doing so? You’d better believe I could use some help keeping things straight.”

Baker narrowed his eyes. “I don’t appreciate your tone.”

“Sorry Major. How would you like me to phrase it?”

“You serve as the commanding officer of Hydra Platoon, do you not? Your first sergeant should be your right-hand man. Why not ask him to travel with you?”

James thought of Bjørn. Considered. “Actually, sure. Good idea. Thanks, Major.”

Baker frowned again. “You leave in two hours. I suggest you get ready. Dismissed, Sergeant Major.”

James gave the man a two-finger salute, which, obviously, was unnecessary indoors, but he just liked to see Baker splutter. He left the conference room, made his way to the lobby, and there called Bjørn. The man was up in his room relaxing, but he agreed to descend and a few minutes later emerged from the elevator banks, dressed in army fatigues and looking somehow predatory and rumpled at the same time.

“Sarge, take a seat.” James gestured to one of the ornamental armchairs set around a lobby coffee table.

Bjørn arched an eyebrow and did so.

“Orders from the colonel. I’m to do a six-city tour over the next three days to inspire morale and help get Blue Light forces shipshape. I want you to come with me and help out.”

Bjørn narrowed his eyes. “Me.”

“You’re my First Sergeant. Baker pointed out that it’s customary for Lieutenants to rely on their sergeants for support in all things. Seeing as I don’t have an XO, it makes sense.”

“I see.” Bjørn sat back and crossed one leg over the other. “And this has nothing to do with your being hesitant about leaving me behind unsupervised.”

James smiled politely. “Why would I be worried about that?”

Bjørn smiled back. “I’ve no idea. A hunch.”

“Foolish of you. Of everyone I know, you’ve got the most experience navigating airports and have probably been to all the cities we’re visiting. That and your Benedictions will prove useful if we run into any particularly thorny problems. You’re my second-in-command, Bjørn. It makes sense that you accompany me.”

Bjørn considered James. “You have a copy of our itinerary?”

James handed him the paperwork, then watched as Bjørn flipped through it.

“Why these six cities?”

“They’re B-tier in terms of preparation,” said James. “According to Hackworth they’ve made sufficient progress to warrant assistance. A visit can help be the push they need to be ready for 3-Day. C-tier are just too disorganized to warrant our attention, while A-tier don’t need it.”

“Makes sense.” Bjørn set the papers on the coffee tables. “We have the data on the local authorities? Rankers? Their state of progress.”

“Star Boy’s going to send us a file on each city,” said James. “Their CO’s have been notified that we’re coming, and’ll probably roll out the red carpet for us.”

“And we’re to do what, exactly?”

James shrugged. “Improvise, most likely. Give a speech, meet with the officers, maybe mingle with the enlisted. Help review their plans, raise morale. I don’t know.”

“All right. I’ll come. It’ll be interesting to see how the rest of the country’s doing. When do we leave?”

James checked his new watch. “Car picks us up in an hour forty-five.”

Bjørn stood up. “Well, if you’ll excuse me. Becca’s waiting for my return upstairs, and suddenly I need to make it count.”

James grimaced politely. “Don’t be late.”

“I’ll try, Kelly. But her appetite? Fucking voracious.” Bjørn grinned darkly and strode away.

James watched him go, then sighed. Maybe they were breaking some military rule by shagging every chance they got, but James couldn’t be bothered to find out. He dug out his phone and texted Serenity: lobby?

She replied with an eggplant, which he wasn’t sure how to take, then a Ferris wheel emoji, then a wolf head.

Sorry, he wrote back. I’m not fifteen. Don’t understand.

Old man, she wrote back, but five minutes later she stepped out through the same elevator Bjørn had used, hair freshly washed, her Adidas tracksuit looking the worse for wear but better, in her opinion, than military fatigues.

“Hey boss,” she said as she dropped into the armchair beside him. “What’s up?”

“I’m starting to understand why the army doesn’t use hotels for barracks,” said James. “Calling everyone down from their rooms is a pain.”

“Boo hoo.” Serenity gazed past him at a group of operators who entered through the glass doors, then back to him. “This a work call or pleasure?”

“Work, unfortunately.” James pinched the bridge of his nose and told her his orders. “So I’m going to need you to run things while we’re gone. Keep folk moving, keep them busy. The more they sit around, the more nervous they’ll get.”

“Sure.” Serenity frowned at him. “You sure Bjørn won’t shank you while you’re flying over Idaho?”

“Be pretty suspicious if he did.”

“So you’re not sure.”

“I’m pretty sure he won’t.”

“Great. You know he’s still a megalomaniac and a complete psychopath?”

“Yeah.”

“And you want to spend three straight days with him?”

“Did I say that? No. But I also don’t want him here unsupervised, just like he guessed. The man’s got a way with people. He’s appeals to their worst instincts. I don’t want him whispering in Yadriel and Denzel’s ears.”

“Last time I say it: you should lock him up or something. This is literally like keeping a supervillain at arm’s length. He’s gonna wait for a moment of weakness and then he’ll kill you.”

“Yeah, maybe.” James sighed. “But I’m old fashioned, Serenity, for better or worse. He fucked up once. I believe in second chances. Shit, didn’t you and I get them? But I’ll tell you this, he crosses the line again, I won’t hesitate.”

“If you’re still alive to not hesitate.”

“If I am, sure. I know he sees me as weak for not getting rid of him. He’d have probably killed me, if our roles were reserved. But I don’t think putting faith and trust in other people is weak.” He frowned. “I think it gives people a chance to rise to the occasion.”

“Unless you’re a psychopath.”

“Unless you’re a psychopath, true.”

Serenity threw up her hands. “There’s no getting through to you.”

“Old dog, tricks.”

“You’re not even speaking in full sentences anymore.”

“Old man, tired.”

“Old man my ass.” Serenity looked away, but James saw the subtle tension sweep through her.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“C’mon Bonnie. What’s up?”

She turned abruptly to fix him with her stare. “You got the hots for Jessica?”

James felt his eyes widen and the blood drain from his face. “What?”

Outrage, or excitement, or incredulity, or all of the above flooded Serenity’s face and she leaned in. “You do!”

“I do not!” He made a face. “Jesus Christ, she’s like, twenty-one.”

“Twenty-eight.”

“How do you know that?”

“She and Star Boy were in the same class in college.”

“Yeah, he told me.”

“And he got drunk one night and made a pass at me. I asked him if his mother knew he was still out, and he told me he was a grown-ass man, twenty-eight years old.”

“So?” James felt flustered so he just glowered at her. “Twenty-one, twenty-eight, doesn’t matter. She’s just a kid. No.”

“She’s not just a kid.” Serenity sat back now, her gaze turning speculative. “She’s closing in on thirty, and she’s a real looker. If you’re into that buttoned-up, straight-edge, Sorority girl sweet-ass perfect type.”

James snorted. “Something tells me she wasn’t in a sorority.”

Serenity shrugged one shoulder. “So you are.”

James just glared at her.

“Don’t get mad.” Her smile turned complex. “Given what you’ve been through, it’s… good… to feel something like that. Right?”

“I don’t know what I’m feeling. But I do know it ain’t going anywhere.”

“I didn’t say it had to. Just… that I’m happy for you. That you’re feeling something. That’s progress, right?”

“I don’t know.” James hunched forward and rubbed his eyes. “If feeling like a damn fool is progress, sure. That and I’m completely confident that she sees me like an uncle. Which she should. Fucking hell, why we even talking about this?”

“Because,” said Serenity, leaning forward as well so that their heads were only inches apart. “For a while there I thought you and I might become a thing. Remember? Back at my place? I thought it was the natural evolution of what we had going. Bonnie and Clyde on the streets, sexylumberhobo-action in the sheets.”

“You didn’t just say that out loud.”

“But…” She trailed off, shrugged, jutted her chin forward. “I don’t think that’s in the cards for us. The idea of doing you with a strap-on now just feels… weird.”

James let out a bark of laughter. “That’s how you roll?”

Her grin was wicked. “That’s my buy-in. You should see my raise.”

“Maybe not.” They smiled at each other, and James realized he was feeling something akin to relief. “But thanks for telling me. I think… yeah. I was wondering the same thing. But it never felt in the cards.”

“We’re just killing this poker metaphor.” Her expression turned sad for a moment. “I kind of wanted it. Kind of still do. But this fucking Arete is like a Maglite. I can see now that I just want to keep you in my life, would use that as a way to tie you to me. So… maybe we can skip the latex gimp-suits and just agree to be friends.”

“Friends,” said James. “Yeah. More than that.” His throat grew tight. “You’re as close to family as I’ve got, woman.”

“Aw.” She tried to tease him, but he saw the pain and raw vulnerability in her eyes. “I’ve always wanted a better a new grandpa.”

“Grandpa my ass,” he said, giving her a playful push.

“No, we’d do different things back there.” She sat back with a laugh. “But if that kind of roleplaying is your thing, I’m game.”

“Damn, woman. You’re light years more advanced than I am. I still think kissing after dinner is exciting.”

Her smile turned fond. “Yeah, it can be.”

For a moment they just sat there, then she dug out her phone. “Hold up. Let me text Jessica.”

His heart lurched in his chest. “What?”

“Honesty is the best policy,” she said, then dropped her phone. “God, I’m kidding! You should see your face.”

He dragged his fingers down his cheeks. “I should never have told you.”

“You didn’t, I fucking deduced it.”

“For real, Serenity.” He fixed her with his stare. “There’s nothing there but a stupid… I don’t know, thought. That I’m working on crushing. I’m not going to say or do anything. It’s ridiculous and inappropriate.”

“Hey, chill out. I get it. You’ve been a bitter, single, broken man for almost a decade, then along comes 55 points of Arete and a brilliant, beautiful, young, single woman. Doesn’t take a genius to figure out what would happen.” Her smile was warm. “I’m just teasing you. And will continue to. But I get it.”

“OK, good.” He sat back. “Why do I feel exhausted?”

“Because somebody didn’t raise their Stamina enough? I don’t know, wild guess.”

They sat in silence again, and then he smiled. “You’ll keep an eye on things while I’m gone?”

“Yeah.” She smirked. “I guess I can do that.”

“OK. I get back the night before 3-Day.”

“If Bjørn doesn’t shank you.”

“If I don’t get shanked.”

“Work on that. I’d be pissed if we had this heart-to-heart only for you to get your dumb ass killed.”

“Got it.” He groaned and stood. “Speaking of. I should probably pack. Got myself a national tour in an hour.”

Serenity rose lithely to her feet. “Send me a postcard from each city?”

“Sure.”

They stared at each other for another moment, and then Serenity stepped in and wrapped her arms around him. He hugged her back, and when she pulled away her eyes glistened with tears.

“For real. I’ve never had such ridiculously health conversations and breakthroughs with anybody else. You’d best get your ass back.”

He winked at her. “Scout’s honor.”

“Good.” She stepped back, sniffed, grinned. “I’ll work on Jessica while you’re gone.”

James lunged for her, but she danced aside, laughing, and skipped back to the elevators. “Safe travels! Don’t worry, I’m on the case!”

James watched her go, unable to maintain his scowl, and once the elevator doors closed, sighed and shook his head ruefully. He stared at nothing for a moment, considering, then smiled.

Everything might be about to end in four days, but this was probably the best he’d felt since Laney and the girls had died.

What a world.

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