The Secret to Flying - An MCYT Cyberpunk/Dystopian AU

14: Bdubs

Life isn't the same without Impulse and Cleo, and I only feel that more at work with Tango. He doesn't mention Impulse. I try not to, but he handled the supplies of sand and gunpowder from The Watchers. Without him, our business doesn't work. There's a hole in more than just our hearts.

'I think Jimmy's going to graduate to a full Hawk in a couple days,' Tango tries to cheer us up with after another failed message to the Watchers about our supplier being dead. If we could say how he died, this would be over by now. But we can't.

'Good for him.'

'And Etho survived unscathed.'

'What?' Now this does get my attention. 'Why hasn't he been in contact?'

'He's hiding with Beef. Scared of the Watchers.'

'Where is he?'

'As I said, hiding. Becoming a bit of a hermit... somewhere. He sent me a note. Wanted me to tell you he's doing alright.'

'So... The Watchers are after him?' Tango shrugs.

'He doesn't know. But he's decided to play if safe... How's Scar doing?'

'Apparently he made up with Grian...' my hope about Etho falls quickly into annoyance again. 'And now they're best friends again because 'No! Grian didn't mean it!' He thought they were working with the stupid Listeners who killed his stupid idol who he just ASSUMES is...' I take a deep breath. 'I'm sorry. It's a sore subject.'

'It's alright. He'll realise eventually that the Watchers aren't good, right?'

'Who knows. Scar believes what Scar believes. And I can't change that whatever I do.'

'Jimmy's in denial that Grian even did it. He says that snitch would never do anything violent. Something to do with their history together.'

'Jimmy knows Grian?'

'He doesn't talk about it. But him and Martyn knew Grian.'

'What does Martyn say about it?'

'I think it's all exactly what we should've expected from the Watchers.'

I jump as Martyn himself enters through the main shop entrance, Jimmy just behind.

'Notch- you couldn't knock first?!'

'I've been standing outside for ages! It's your fault you didn't notice me! Anyway, the Watchers are s*** and I'm not afraid to say that.'

'Martyn, you should really be more careful...' Jimmy insists. 'It's not going to end up well for you if you keep shouting your ideas in the streets.'

'No one here is a snitch like Grian. Right? No snitches here?' asks Martyn. We all shake our heads.

'Absolutely not,' Tango replies.

'Tango, aren't you... one of them?'

'Being All-Creating gives me a license to blow stuff up and nothing else. I'm not 'one of them' in that way. Not after they killed Impulse.'

'Who controlled out stock.' I add.

'Wait... Doesn't that mean your shop's now... Illegal? If you don't have the permit for it?'

'That's our problem.' Tango replies to Martyn. 'Those stupid Watchers deciding that we can't possibly just get a new licence for me or Bdubs without knowing why Impy...' Jimmy puts a hand on his shoulder.

'If... If you want, I can try and get a new...'

'You're already a Hawk, Jimmy. You can't just get us a licence and work with me and Bdubs. And I'm not getting you arrested for passing it on illegally to us.'

'And I'm not just replacing Impulse,' I add. 'I'm not letting him just be forgotten.'

'That's fair.' Martyn shrugs. 'Anyway... Bdubs, can I... talk with you?' A glance at Tango. 'Alone?'

'Yeah? Why?'

'I just want to talk,'

'Well... there's an area out the back here?' I lead Martyn behind the shop with an uneasy glance at Tango. Out the back, there's boxes of stuff and a constantly smell of gunpowder. Martyn sits on one. I just lean on one of the shelves.

'What do you want? And why can't Tango listen too?'

'If you knew which Watcher killed Cleo, and you could confront them without consequences or anyone judging you, what would you do?'

I don't reply, trying to understand.

'What?'

'Would you get revenge for Cleo if you knew which Watcher killed her?'

'It was 2 Watchers that killed Cleo,' I reply as evenly as I can. 'And there were the ones stopping me and Scar from saving her. 4 of them.'

'Right. What would you do to them?'

'I don't know.'

'You could do anything. Literally anything, no limits. What would you do?'

'We'll... I'd probably beat them up. Or... I'd torture them for information and find whoever told them to attack and kill innocent people. And I'd find them. And... and I'd blow THEM up...' Now I've started down this train of thought, I can't stop. 'And I'll blow up their home. And I'd make these people watch as their leaders are killed in front of them. I'll make everyone watch.' Martyn stands, holding out something in his hand.

'What if I told you that could happen?'

I don't speak, looking down at the item - a shining green and silver pin of a bird in flight. A symbol, some kind of spiral lies under the translucent green. My eyes widen. Martyn's expression is unreadable. 

'You're a Listener.'

'Yes.'

'You... live with a Watcher...'

'Jimmy doesn't know.' Martyn pauses. Some anger, or sadness flashes in his blue eyes. 'He still blames the Listeners for Evo. Just like Grian, who got to live a life of privilege with the Watchers, becoming a Hawk, listening to their lies about the evil revolution...'

'Evo?' I pick up on.

'Our home. The Watchers blew it up. Me and Jimmy barely escaped with our lives, but the Listeners helped us and gave us another home in Southern Tower. When Jimmy woke up, he didn't believe me about the Listeners. But I kept working with them. Searching for new recruits.'

'No.' I stand. 

'No?'

'I'm not putting myself and Scar in any more danger. He's already mixed up in too much with the Hawks, and Grian... I'm not just going to join a revolution.'

'You said you wanted the Watchers dead, and justice for Cleo and Impulse.'

'If it didn't cause any problems for me.'

'You'll let the Watchers keep causing problems for everyone here instead of helping us? Just because you might get yourself in danger?' I recoil from Martyn's accusing tone. 

'I didn't mean it like that.'

'We need help. There's a Hawk ceremony coming up that Jimmy knows nothing about because he was too excited about becoming a Hawk Fighter to listen. You join us, and you get revenge.'

'I'm not joining the Listeners!'

'376 people died in the Blindfold Massacre. Even more than that were lost, even more than that injured, and even more than that are suffering with other consequences. Just like you. Join us.'

I stare down at the pin, shaking my head. Martyn puts a hand on my shoulder.

'Do it for Cleo, Bdubs.' 

I take the pin.

'I will.'

:)