Caped (Book 1): The Burdens of Fate (31 page)

Carter's even hacked their news media but there
isn't a single station reporting on it, at least not yet. Guess they don't want
anyone getting any ideas. Okay England,
your turn.

@AloneTogether -

RT @CityofLondon.
#London's Stock
Market closed Thursday due to potential terrorist attack. City officials urging
people to stay inside. Military mobilized.

@NocNocGoAway -

So now we're
bending over backwards for these assholes? Congrats, they're actually getting
what they want. #Cowards

@LonelyLittleNoc -

Has anyone
stopped to question why we haven't seen any nocs in the military step forward?
I mean if I didn't have such a shitty ability I'd definitely try to stop the
bastards! #RiseUp #WeThePeople

Nick Sharma -

Me and my mates were talking about how come,
out of all these killing machines, nobody's got a decent ability to fight back
with? I heard a mate in Spain
froze the entire Strait
of Gibraltar, where the
fuck is he? The waste of life that threw a bus into the Building in bum-fuck
Philippines, where the fuck is he? The guy who was controlling minds in India,
Japans flying man, or any one of those countless individuals who wrote their
names down on AbilityRegistry.com. Where the fuck are they?

Have we no sense of right and wrong? Are we so
worried about "me" that we're okay with letting children disappear,
people get murdered in cold blood, cities attacked, buildings crumble, and
entire fucking nations bend over to the will of people who are sick enough in
the head to dare call this "helping
"
us? ...If so then we
truly deserve whatever happens.

@OccupyUrMindz -

#Nocs reportedly helping to evacuate in
#London, #Moscow and #NewYork. Overwhelming military presence showing no signs
of slowing.

–
6/10
–

Michael Serna
-

Early morning post, I was far too tired last
night.... This must be how Santa feels on some level, or maybe closer to Noah
and his Ark. Aside from the television, papers, Twitter, Facebook, blogs,
radio, everyone else is essentially lost in a daze as these lunatics have their
way with us, and the fact that I was about to embark on a gathering of the
sheep, if you will, it's amazing that there's still that part of our minds that
keeps screaming
this isn't happening!
That tomorrow it stops and the
world goes back to the way we all remember it: Flawed and barely sustainable,
but livable.

I took off from the island just before sunset
since it was bound to be dark on the east coast by then. Six high speed zeppelin
looking craft, of Ivan’s creation, trailed behind me.

Parked high above the clouds where the air is
cold and barely breathable. I radio down to Prisca, Laurie, Carter, Ivan,
Thomas, Edward, or Kaylie before descending to a crowd of people in front of a
house, apartment, parking lot, or wherever else they've agreed to meet.

Hundreds of terrified people and their luggage,
a mixed variety of
I'll be gone a week
and
I'm never coming back.
I gave them all a quick greeting before I took them up to the zeppelin. A bunch
of faces that mean something to people that mean something to me. Nervous,
scared, angry, and just plain quiet.

Eight trips total, all the same somber routine
except for my own family who was a little more accepting of my lighthearted
antics. As the zeppelins filled up they each came back to the island where
their families spent the next couple of hours settling down in the bunkers. It
was dark and I only know of a few people, younger relatives, who dared stroll
off.

I don't blame them, I'm sure they've heard
whispers of just how awesome this place is. We've got nothing to hide. Our
island is their island now; until further notice, this is home.

Kaylie
Horn
-

Hey lady, you do realize this may be the last
week I ever write in you, right? I guess I'll never reach the final pages of
this book. A bunch of wasted paper. That said, might as well do my best to take
up as much space as possible, no?

To start, today was definitely not the day to
be a lazy teenager, but I'm not going to lie, I didn't wake up until well after
noon. Which means I missed the orientation, but mom and Brandon stood in for
me. And, considering the jet lag, I guess it isn't all that bad. We're
somewhere over the middle of the pacific. The demolition of the London Stock
Exchange was already half a day behind us; there was also another, much
broader, jolting tremor over most of southern Africa.

I don't even know what to say about that.
Whatever it is it's got Thomas worried, he's got his theories but he can't test
any of them because he's already got all pistons firing, burning himself out,
trying to come up with a solution to how we're going to kill their runner. An
almost impossible feat considering we don't even know how they caught Alvin.

Best thing for me to do is stay out of their
way, but the day was perfect for pictures, which I took in excess; of family
and strangers. I climbed trees, rolled down big grassy hills, and played tag.
For a moment I forgot about it all and just enjoyed the clear blue skies and
salty air. I let the wind blow through my hair and looked at the island for the
first time as full of life. It's what it'd been missing: People. Seemed wrong
to treat this as a vacation considering the circumstances, but this is what's
best for people. We can't mope and groan the entire time, we need to continue
living. Life is for the living!

Carter even managed to get a football game
going in the field. Juvenile, but definitely fun watching the men get all dirty
and sweaty, burning the testosterone and aggression out of their system. Don't
judge me, lady! I might die this week!

I even saw a nice group out by the pool, and I
know some kids were playing video games in the common room because I could hear
the shouting as I walked by.

Later in the day Brandon found me down by the beach
overlooking the clouds and we had our first heartfelt conversation since this
whole thing started. I've never known if he's envied, hated, or feared, me
since I got this power. I mean I've had my suspicions, but nothing solid. I
guess I was too afraid to ask. He says he's fine with it, that he'll always
love and protect me, as "all big brothers should."

Haha! If I only his fifteen year old self could
see him now. Still, I definitely cried. I'm still little Kaylie; I miss being
picked up and treated like the baby. Those days don't have to be over.

A couple hours after then sun had gone down,
while me and Brandon were still laughing under the stars, the parents dropped
by. They'd just finished a late dinner with all our aunts, uncles, and grandparents,
and had come to say a few words.

I knew what they were going to say, they never
change. They want me to "do great things," but they don't want to
watch me suffer. They tell me to explore, but be safe. It's contradictory. But
I love them soo much. I get where they're coming from, they're my parents and
they love me, there's never been a day in my life that I've doubted that.

This is my time to step up, and perhaps it's
coming at an inopportune time, but that isn't going to stop it from coming. And
I can't do this with them along side me. This is me leaving the nest.

They know that, and I could see the fear in
their eyes; afraid to lose me. The fear they already have. They didn't want a
proper goodbye, or to give one at all. It was too "final," mom said.

I grew up too fast and none of us had any
control over it. It was fate. In the beginning I was too excited and too
curious to have it any other way, and now the day has come to face my choices.
They pleaded with me to take my time, but my mind was already made many days
ago.

Ever since we watched the video in the
restaurant I've asked myself if it's worth it, if people are worth it. And it
would seem they aren't. We continually hate each other, exclude each other,
kill each other, and all for selfish reasons. But I chose to believe that one
day it'll be different. Better. And if I allow maniacs to end that possibility,
or perpetuate their twisted form of peace onto the world, then I might as well
give up on all my aspirations. And that may seem like some rather tough talk
coming from me, but honestly, lady, it scares the fricken daylights outta me.

God help me.

@AnonNubr48621 -

Hey #NYC, I've heard #Jumpers and #flyers are
helping people get out the city super fast, some are free some are taking tips,
but there's a bunch in #CentralPark!

@Renn_B_Tushinde -

Whoa, #NYC is empty. No cars left except the
ones that can't move. I hope everyone took pictures, won't look like this in a
few days. #EvacNYC

@NeverStpChangin -

OMFG! These attacks are getting bigger. In Tokyo it was just a building, in Shanghai,
a few blocks... did anyone see the size of that blast in London. God, have mercy... have mercy!

@Unseenmonument -

You can leave if
you want! Run, see if I care. This is my city, the best city, and ain't nobody
gonna tell me where to go! I wont #EvacNYC. #StandYourGround

@CoaxialTim -

Is there really a
#StandYourGround movement going on? C'mon people, are they just begging to die?
#EvacNY

Laurie Stahl
-

It's the final day with the family, the
children, in-laws, and whatnot. Can't believe I managed to convince so many to
come, definitely wasn't an easy time on the phone I'll tell you that, and I'd
be a lying man if I said this wasn't a week full of changes for all of us. But
the kids took it much better than I'd imagined, even if they are faking it for
my sake. As far as the rest of'em, I'm doing my best to keep them safe, so
regardless of what they think of me, and I can tell you I really don't much
care, I trust they'll at least see that much. We've all got a rough ride ahead,
best we can do is hope that the coming changes are in a better direction than
where we seem to be headed.

I've never seen anything like this is my life.
Even Uncle Sam is at a loss of what to do. “Ghost Town New York,” that's what the media's calling
it.
Home of the most stubborn, set in their ways, hard to
control, no bullshit taking, people on earth.
The epitome of America's
cultural melting pot. It's the Capital of the world,

Can't flip a channel without seeing a tank,
jet, sub, or G.I. Joe. I don't know if it's patriotic propaganda or misplaced
optimism, but I guess we'll see soon enough.

Something’s gonna happen, that's for sure.
These days it seems even God himself is restless. Only person I know capable of
shaking the heavens like that.

The wording just isn't there to describe it, or
maybe we've had it all wrong. You see, funny thing about the term
"earthquake," is that everybody knows what to expect. The ground
shakes a little, maybe a lot, but it lasts for a couple seconds and it's over.
You hear about them in places I've done my best not to visit for simple fact
that they happen in those places.

Perhaps we should start calling them
"groundquakes" considering it's the ground that moves beneath your
feet. Because this new thing moves everything, the air, the trees, and the ground.
Shifting strong, hard and abruptly, without warning or a sound. Just that brief
overwhelming feeling of displacement before it all comes back together again.
From pole to pole, through and through. That's an earthquake; or something, but
it sure as hell don't feel natural.

Nothing feels natural. This whole situation’s
unnatural.

You know, you flip back to page one of this
thing and you find I wrote all this for the kids, to let them know their papa
wasn't some crazy fool; that I was still myself. Considering the circumstances
I guess it's time I keep true to that intent. Hell, if I survive this, just
know I'm taking this back. It's much cheaper than a therapist, and I need one
after dealing with all of you.

Sandra, I love you. Kevin, I love you. Your
father loves you. Your grandpa loves you. And I hope you can find a way to be
as proud of me as I am of all of you.

Sincerely,

Laurie Stahl

@1984Fighterzz -

Jumpers helping
evacuate in #ByrantPark! #EvacNYC

@MakiynMartin -

Small movement to
#StandYourGround going on in NYC. Don't #EvacNYC. I'm a noc and I'm staying!

@ZapataMrCameron -

Nobodies going
anywhere. I'm staying, my family’s staying. We love this city and hate
dictators! #StandYourGround!

@Niyah_Landon -

WTF What's up
with the earthquakes?! We're leaving the goddamn city, leave us alone! #EvacNYC
#NoMoreNocs

@KekeTiTi2233 -

Military is
everywhere. Harlem's Empty. Tanks on 3rd and
2nd Ave. Do they think they'll make a difference? Where are
our
nocs?