Caped (Book 1): The Burdens of Fate (30 page)

Job security, people. Shit. It took months to
find a job I actually enjoyed going to every day. And now this mess. Honestly,
what the fuck?

First I'm getting shot, then I’m getting shot
at with laser eyes, and now I'm asked to uproot my entire fucking life and stay
on a floating island. Really?! Just look at that last sentence and try to not
find the absurdity in it. Gah! Why can't the world just be? Live and let live,
ya know? Yeah, the world needs changing but we'll figure it out, we don't need
the help of a fucking loon.

If it were just me I could understand, I
volunteered for this. It was my curiosity that pushed me here, and I'd lose no
sleep if I were to renege on those responsibilities. But this is bigger than
me. I have a family to think of, if I do nothing and they get hurt I'll never
forgive myself.

It's too much. Too much, too soon. No time to
adjust, to acclimate, to grieve. We were given limited options from which to
make our choices, and we'll worry about or regret the consequences tomorrow.
But only if we're lucky enough to see it.

Nothing to be done, hmm?

Definitely something to be done; parents get
"sick,"
jobs understand that. That should give me enough time to
sort through this mess.

Laurie
Stahl
-

My mind was in a dark place when I started
writing in this, few genuinely happy thoughts managed to bubble to the surface
and even those were a sick frothy mix of pain and despair. I was lonely, damn
near friendless, and with nothing to look forward to.

To the rest of the world Laurie Stahl never
died, he took a lone trip to New York
to spread his wife's ashes and returned ready to continue his life. To me,
Laurie died when he hit the pavement, the cold concrete splintering and caving
in around his face, his chest cavity slightly, violently, and quickly, imploded
as he went from 30mph to 0 in the space of a couple inches.

To me, Laurie never got up. The police and
ambulance arrived with nothing to do but cover the body and alert his
relatives. They cried, wept, and wondered why, but eventually put him in ground
alongside his beloved.

Who returned, you wonder? What creature has
taken the form of this old, decrepit, being and renewed him with the strength
and vigor of his youth? I'm not sure. But he's kind enough to care for his
kids, spoil his grandchildren, and continue the illusion that nothing has
changed. But when I, being this strange creature, am alone and safe within the
comforts of a familiar setting, I renounce that man. All that is left of him is
the name.

Laurie didn't take risks like this. Laurie
didn't bother playing the hero for anyone except family. Laurie couldn't bend
steel or leap tall buildings, but I can. I have the strength to do almost
anything except make these two beings one in the same; to admit to my children
that their father is among the new devils of the world. Because they're just as
afraid and cautious as everyone else; they'll worry and call and do a hundred
other things that don't need to be done simply because I'm old and lonely.

Then how do I present this creature and his new
life to them? Something so far removed from anything they've ever known me to
be or ever want to be. Shallow, when given the brief amount of time given to
fully blossom, but complex in terms of his greater purpose and what he's helped
accomplish as part of a group. A life full of fantastical islands worthy of the
stories of legends, a modern temple that make you feel as if you're walking
amongst the breathtaking ruins of antiquity, science fiction gadgets... and
complete with a polar opposition; just as anonymous as we are to the public,
and bent on our destruction.

Oh happy day! Let’s call the children, daddy's
got one for the records.

–
6/8
–

@LifesAParty -

#OMG wow! First #ATL is shaking, then #Tokyo goes up in flames,
and now they're being jostled about in the land down under. #Crazy #Sydney #Earthshake!

Qing Parker -

Silly Americans, thinking they're the only ones
dealing with this rubbish. Hell, we might not have it as bad, but we've got our
noc problems too. Petty thieves and the like always ruining a good day. I've
even been unlucky enough to come across one of those mutating ones, bout scared
the living piss out of me. And now the city's shaking too? Especially when
you've got terrorists blowing buildings up every day. Almost had to go chasing
after my heart it leaped so far out my chest. Yeah, nowhere is safe. Except Africa, it's not like anyone's got a grudge against the
desert and the jungle.

@LandLineLarry -

#NYC closes many
inbound routes to be used for gas trucks and military personnel.

@EdFreelies -

No word from
China if they're taking threats of violence seriously, all PRC officials have
gone silent.

@NYCGov -

Government to
reimburse all taxi and airline company expenses for #EvacNYC

@ThatOtherGuy5 -

New York City is my city. I'm Staying. I'll
leave when they kill me! #StubbornAndStaying

Laurie Stahl -

Sometimes you get talked into something you
don't want to do and spend all day wondering why the hell you agreed to it in
the first place. Maybe it's because of my age, I'm pretty sure that's the main
reason. Just because we're old doesn't make the news any easier to hear, or any
easier to give. When I lost Marilyn I about cried for twelve hours straight.
I'd known her since college; she was as much a part of me as my right arm. I
just didn't know what to do. And yet there I was telling these strangers their
son was dead. Losing a spouse is one thing, a child is a whole other batch of
sour grapes. Don't know what I'd do in the same condition, probably knock'em
clean in the jaw just for having the gall to speak such words.

Luckily they were a bit more understanding than
I'd have been, and since we didn't have much else to speak about, I didn't
bother wasting too much of their time. Though I did tell’em that we had a safe
place for them if they wanted, what with all the craziness going on and
whatnot. Left out the fact it was a floating island though, just didn't seem
appropriate, especially since I haven't figure out a way to tell my own flesh
and blood yet.

Speaking of, I got home too late to call the
kids, guess I'm saving that one for tomorrow. Wish me luck because I'm
definitely going to need it.

Michael Serna
-

Okay, so I've been a little talkative lately,
sue me. I have far too much on my plate these days, but with all this drama
going on around me I don't know if I should be spending more or less of my time
writing. Sure it relieves stress but at some point I'm just running away from
my problems. Or maybe that's just Iris speaking, these days I'm all
topsy-turvey.

More or less, that is the question. However,
today definitely calls for more...of the latter. Iris wants cuddles when she
gets out the shower so that's exactly what she's going to get. Maybe a little
more but I'm not getting my hopes up too high on that one.

While I do have time though, there was a
another sharp jolt in Sydney Australia today, lasted for a half a second. No
damage, nothing on the seismographs, just a bunch of confusion. Could just be a
noc testing his powers, we might never know, but it'd sure be nice if they
stopped scaring the living daylights out of people. It's got a lot of people shaken
considering all the
demolitions
going on, and I don't blame them.

Everyone in Washington is on edge; it's definitely not a
friendly environment. In fact, Iris and I are heading to the island tomorrow
since everyone's going to end up there anyway. It's been tough as rock trying
to get time out of the office, lucky enough for me I can telecommute. As far as
Iris goes, I guess we're just gonna wing it.

Welp, that didn't take long, just heard the
water stop. Time to ditch the clothes, they only get in the way of
cuddling.
Mwahaha!

@ScaredGrlBigWrld -

Stuck in traffic,
not going to use my phone too much. Gotta conserve my battery. OMW to #Maine.
Be safe everyone! #EvacNYC

@InnanosheAwesome -

Just what does
the #military expect to do? They couldn't stop #Chicago, and could only help in #LA. They
need to #EvacNYC too.

@OscosObobo -

Anyone else
surprised the govt is helping? Thank God it's not every man for himself!
#EvacNYC!

–
6/9
–

Michael
Serna
-

Do you remember the last time you had a genuine
"Oh shit" moment? When you realize that something you've taken as
inevitable is finally upon you. No longer a foggy image on the horizon or vague
distant thought you occasionally revisit, but a fully realized titan of a
chore, so large that it extends from one edge of your periphery to the other.
Your mouth hanging agape in awe, fully aware it is your sole task to complete;
and rising from your extensive, well educated vocabulary, through the raging
flood of emotions, bubble two simple words: "Oh shit."

Yeah, that's a genuine "Oh shit"
moment.

The sun just came up over the mid Pacific,
don't ask me why but it doesn't feel the same as the Atlantic.
Perhaps it's a slightly different shade of blue, or it could all be in my head.
There's water for miles in every direction, Hawaii's only a couple hundred miles south.
Me and Iris didn't waste any time moving in, we've been here since just after
noon. I'm picking up the rest of my family later tonight. Now that Alvin's gone I'm the
fastest means of transportation around here. Not the only, but I don't mind.
Everyone has their part to play.

And the accommodations are amazing. I say that
to comfort myself, I've seen them a dozen times, always with the hope they'd
never be used. They're basically a resort hotel for every family, mainly to
ease the shock that we may be here for months on end. We get to 'save' about a
hundred people each, and there are supplies for them all, escape plans,
survival tips, entertainment, and activities. Thomas’ definitely thought this
out. We had our say of course, but there was no need for revision.

On top of that, Carter's been sitting at his
computer and talking on the phone all day, every now and then you can hear him
yelling. His immediate family's refusing to come to the island. He's had to hack
their phones just so he could speak with them because they refuse to talk with
a
devil
. He came out earlier but he looked both mentally and physically
drained. I can't blame him, on one hands he's got the task of trying to save
his family and on the other he's got to make sure the navy seals don't come
swinging in from the roof.

He's been monitoring at least six different
agencies. Otep said they'd find us so he's been working around the clock to
keep them off our trail. Normally it'd be a side-project but apparently they've
got someone just like him pulling in data from everywhere. So far we're in the
clear but the good times never last.

So that's a bright note, Otep finally able to
give us some usable information. Let's hope he can keep it up. However, we
still we have four days until a massive attack on New York, a lot can still happen. Every
moment's a gift.

All we can do is prepare, keep our families
safe, and hope we're ready for whatever comes next.

Prisca Amin
-

This isn't right, this feels all sorts of
wrong. I've never, and I mean never, been one to back down just cause things
looked bad. So how am I supposed to stomach an entire week of burnt bodies and
ash clouds?

What do they expect me to do, turn off the TV?
Just quickly and quietly pack away my precious little life and take refuge
while the world burns down around us? What's heroic about that; better yet,
where's the respect for human life? I'm not comfortable with this. Not at all.

@Mihyun_Ladybug -

I was just on
Skype with my brother in #China,
the line went dead, can't get a connection. #wtf?

@NASAFreak154 -

@NASA reporting
the ISS spotted smoke billowing from eastern China. Chinese Officials not
commenting on reports of terrorist attack.

@MiEmmyJihariH -

Is this really
happening. Seriously? Is this actually our lives? #EndOfTheWorld.

@TooMuchTooSoon -

#Shanghai under
attack? No way man, no fuckin way!

@Nancy_OutThere -

#Terrorists
blowin up #China?
Who's gonna make our toys now? #ChildLabor #TooSoon?

Michael Serna
-

Media shutdown! I know, It's my second post
today, I couldn't help it! ...Don't worry folks nothing is happening in Shanghai right now, the mighty People's Republic of China was
not
just hit by a terrorist attack! Move along, move along. Haha! Riiight. It is
amazing how fast they were able to shut down any negative press; hell, we
wouldn't even know about this if it were for the I.S.S. (International Space
Station) spotting the smoke clouds. Most we have to go on are satellite picture
and eye witness reports. All social media website have been taken offline, as
well as many popular picture sharing websites. I guess we're not going to know
the extent of the damage until they release the info to the media or some
flyers grab some pictures and post them for the world to see, but I've heard
they're quick to open fire. Crazy commies.