Becoming Zodiak Page 14

  “Oh, it’s nothing. In fact, Brian, Shane needs an adult to take him to see whatever he wants, so I guess that’s for you too.”

  Brian put out his hand. “We appreciate the presents, for sure. But I meant what I said about your support for Jimmy. I know it meant a great deal to him, so it means a great deal to us.”

  “Now, now, that was my pleasure,” Walsh said, shaking Brian’s hand with both of his. “He is a worthy winner. Where is he, by the way?”

  Brian gestured towards the bedroom. “He’s in there. I think Lord Crabbe is just confirming that Jimmy is sure about this.”

  Walsh nodded with assurance. “He’ll be well looked after, of that I have no doubt.”

  Lord Crabbe pushed his wheelchair into the living room and Jimmy followed along behind.

  “Good to see you, William,” Crabbe said as he was met with a deferential nod from Walsh. “Now Brian and Claire...if I could just have a few moments of your time...” The three of them disappeared into the bedroom.

  “Bro, you’ve got to watch this,” Shane called from across the room just as Jimmy was about to start talking to Walsh.

  “Make the most of the time with your brother,” Walsh whispered, and Jimmy joined Shane on the sofa.

  “Watch what?” he asked.

  “Varsha! She was amazing. She knocked Libra, Aries and Aquarius down before she realized she was supposed to be fighting with Zodiak and not against them. By that point, the robot was out and nailed her with its first shot. Game over!”

  Jimmy elbowed his brother. “Hey, she hammered me on ‘Bull Ring,’ so let’s not forget that.”

  “He’s right, Shane,” Brian said softly as he and Claire came back into the room. “I’m glad he hasn’t forgotten the important things, like how we celebrate our own successes and not the failure of others.”

  “And I promise I won’t forget.”

  “I know, kid,” Brian said, messing up Jimmy’s blond hair.

  Jimmy noticed Crabbe and Walsh chatting—the media king laughed loudly, patted Crabbe on the shoulder, and crossed the room to Jimmy.

  “Sorry this is a hasty visit,” he said, “but our friendship does not come to an end now. Far from it. Anything you ever need, you call me. Promise?”

  “I promise,” Jimmy confirmed. “Thanks—”

  “Enough,” Walsh interrupted. “You deserve everything you have in front of you.” With that, he dismissed himself.

  Lord Crabbe was the next to leave.

  “Jimmy, we depart in one hour. I’ll send Leo to collect you.”

  “Certainly, Sir.”

  “So just an hour?” Claire asked. She looked distraught.

  “But he’ll be home in two weeks to visit just as soon as his basic training is complete,” Brian added, and he rubbed her back comfortingly. “Lord Crabbe explained all that. He understands this is a transition for us as a family.”

  The time then sped by far too quickly for any of them, and with just ten minutes remaining, Brian encouraged Shane and Claire to say their farewells.

  “I just want a few minutes alone with Jimmy,” he explained.

  After they had gone and Jimmy had dried away his tears, Brian sat him down on the sofa.

  “This is what you want?” he asked.

  “Definitely.”

  “You change your mind and I’ll be there in a second to bring you home. You know that, don’t you?”

  “I do, but I—”

  “I know.” Brian grinned. “But I just needed you to know that there’s no harm in taking a step backwards if you need to.”

  “Thanks, Brian.”

  “Look, there’s something I really need to say,” Brian continued. “I’m not saying this to upset you, but I think your mother would have been very proud of you, Jimmy.”

  Jimmy’s gaze fell to his feet.

  “And I think that being with Zodiak, with all these other young people who’ve suffered losses like you have? I think it’s the best thing in the world for you. You’ll be helping them physically, but I truly believe they’ll be able to help you much more than that.”

  “Thanks, Brian,” Jimmy said again. Then he paused and looked up. “Do you think…my father…?”

  “I don’t have all the answers, Jimmy. I wish I did. But maybe, being part of Zodiak…one day…” He shrugged.

  Silence settled over the room until Leo bounded in from the corridor.

  “It’s time for you to become part of a very special team,” she told Jimmy.

  “Can I have one more minute?” he asked, and without waiting for an answer, he hugged Brian for a few seconds. And then his foster father left, not attempting to hide the tears that fell.

  “You going to be okay?” Leo asked when they were alone.

  “I am…” Aside from the fact that he suddenly felt more alone than ever before.

  36

  Three days later, and Jimmy actually was starting to feel like part of the team. His room at the Zodiak base was almost identical to his space at the Dome, and waiting there for him had been a whole new array of clothing and lightweight body armor. Lord Crabbe and Libra had led his induction and orientation, but Leo had been a constant companion throughout, making sure that he didn’t get lost or even sat alone at mealtimes.

  He had received a mixed reception from the other members of Zodiak. He found Scorpio and Gemini to be quite cold, but then they were much older than he was and had the reputation for being the tough guys in the team. The actual toughest, he discovered, was Aries. He’d tried talking with her a few times, but her answers were monosyllabic at best and a single indifferent word at worst, if she answered at all. Finally, his persistence caused her to snap at him.

  “Don’t expect us to be best friends overnight, all right, kid?” she’d boomed. “This is as much of a change for us as it is for you!”

  “I’m not trying to replace—”

  “Don’t even say his name,” Aries spat, and the conversation was ended.

  He was not looking forward to his first unarmed combat session, but he was pleasantly surprised with how his skill set matched up to the rest of Zodiak. He’d held his own over a five minute kickboxing bout with Emma ‘Pisces’ Sease.

  “Great defence,” she told him. “I didn’t get one clean hit and I was Aussie junior champion three years in a row!”

  Jimmy’s confidence soared, and he was still riding on the high as he watched Aries take on Sagittarius.

  “Ariel Smith will win,” Aquarius whispered in his ear, pointing at Aries. “Unless Miss Amanda Bowe is not quick on her… Ah, I speak to soon.”

  Aries had stepped in, faked an uppercut, and then had taken Sagittarius down at the knees, pinning her to the floor with a chokehold.

  “Come on, Jimmy,” Aquarius said. “Let’s you and I show them how this is done, no?”

  “All right,” called Leo. “Here we go… Jimmy Taurus versus the rumble from the jungle, Jose Fernandez!”

  Jimmy circled Jose, trying to keep his distance by maintaining a barrage of jabs and snap kicks as he tried to spot Aquarius’ strength and tactics. By the way he was looking to snare Jimmy’s clothing, Jimmy guessed Aquarius was a judo expert. He backed off, gathering his thoughts and developing a strategy in his mind—that was when he felt his back leg get swept out from under him, and he tumbled to the floor. In a second, Aquarius was on him and had Jimmy in an arm lock that only grew tighter as Jimmy fought to free himself.

  “Jose, release him,” Scorpio ordered.

  Jimmy jumped to his feet. “That wasn’t fair! Someone tripped me.”

  “That someone was me,” Scorpio replied. “It is my way of telling you to strike when you can, no matter how tough or how good your opponent is. If you wait for your perfect takedown, maybe your enemy’s friend will take you down first!”

  Aries laughed as Jimmy’s face flushed with embarrassment.

  “Hey, you will learn something new every day. We still do,” Scorpio said, patting him on the shoulder. �
��Now we must go to the firing range. Lord Crabbe wishes to see us.”

  The security to enter the gun room required retinal scanners, and once inside Jimmy could understand why. Every weapon imaginable was stacked in there, and quite a few beyond imagination.

  “What does that one fire?” he asked, pointing at what looked appeared to be a five foot wine bottle.

  “Don’t ask,” Leo advised, and she guided him through a further door to the firing range itself. The room was over eighty metres long and the walls were lined with sandbags. At the far end were a number of different sized targets, and positioned along the length of the room were dozens of mannequins, each in its own state of disrepair. Lord Crabbe was waiting for them inside.

  “I’m glad you all came,” he told them. “Today, we are going to formally welcome our new member to the team by presenting him with his own weapon. We were all impressed with his performance on ‘Bull’s Eye,’ and I think this is going to be his area of expertise.”

  Crabbe reached down to the floor beside him and lifted up a stocky rifle. It didn’t look much different from a paintball gun, but it was wider, heavier, and had a telescopic laser sight along the top of multiple barrels of different diameters. Every part of it was painted a dull black. When Crabbe held it out to him, Jimmy felt himself tremble with excitement. He bounced it in his hands to judge its balance and then, keeping the barrels aimed at the floor, swung it from side to side until he felt comfortable with it. Making sure no one was in front of him, he lofted it to his shoulder and aimed at the nearest mannequin.

  “Fire away, Jimmy,” Crabbe told him. “It’s set on paintball mode.”

  Jimmy depressed the trigger and the face of the mannequin became a slather of red. Some of Zodiak applauded and he heard Leo let out a supportive whoop.

  “Okay, now Jimmy,” Crabbe instructed, “just on the shoulder rest? Can you feel the concealed keypad? Good. Select 002... The paintball option is 001… Now fire again, same target.”

  Jimmy did as ordered. The butt of the gun vibrated as something turned within the weapon. He fired, and this time the gun gave more of a kick. In an instant, the mannequin was covered in a capture net.

  “That’s amazing!” he said.

  “That’s just the start of it,” Crabbe explained. “There’s a gas canister option, a beacon, a stun dart, a plastic bullet. I can’t remember every one of its assets, but I’ve emailed you a manual. Twenty options so far, but we can add or subtract them as you get more comfortable with the gun. Now finally, select 007.”

  Jimmy did.

  “Aim at the centre of the furthest target.”

  He looked through the telescopic sights, and it seemed like the centre of the target was just inches away. It would be harder to miss it than to hit it.

  “And fire when ready.”

  Jimmy took a deep breath, held it, ignored the distractions around him and squeezed the trigger as he exhaled. The centre of the target evaporated as his shot hit home.

  “Great shot!” Crabbe commended. “007 is the ‘assassin’s bullet’ option, and only to be used when directed by me and by me alone.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “And, Jimmy, I believe I have a call sign that will suit you very well.”

  Jimmy’s eyes grew wide with anticipation.

  “I think we will call you ‘Bull’s Eye.’”

  It suited his skills both in his accuracy with the gun and the precision of his martial arts. He loved it.

  He engaged the safety catch on his gun and turned to the rest of Zodiak, most of who were smiling back at him.

  “Perfect name,” said Leo.

  “I like it,” agreed Libra.

  Aries, however, glanced around at her teammates. “Really? Really? So who do I work with now on building entry and bomb disposal?”

  “You will become part of a new team with Scorpio and Leo. That seemed to work well at the bank siege,” Crabbe suggested. “And Bull’s Eye will forge a partnership with Sagittarius and Gemini.”

  “That’s cool,” Amanda Bowe said, and she high-fived Jimmy.

  “Slap each other’s’ hands all you like,” Aries snapped before heading for the exit. “I’m just happy I don’t have to work with this second-rate replacement.”

  “I thought she said she was going to try?” Leo asked quietly.

  “This has nothing to do with Jimmy,” Crabbe tried to explain. “Ariel is dealing with some demons of her own right now.”

  “She needs to deal with them more quickly,” Libra countered. “If we get a call out and we’re not on the same wavelength, anything could happen.”

  Jimmy kept his mouth shut, but he was slowly getting desperate—desperate to prove his worth to the whole team, Aries included.

  37

  Jimmy drove his left arm across his face, parrying Scorpio’s blow, and stepped sideways, bringing his knee up towards his opponent’s groin. He connected with only fresh air as Scorpio danced away, sweat dripping from his shaved head and down his face. Both of them were bright red from the exertion of their sparring session.

  “Thirty seconds to go,” Aquarius called from outside the boxing ring. All of Zodiak except for Virgo and Aries sat and watched the contest. Most were impressed with Jimmy’s progress, and even Aries, once she peered out from behind her façade of bored indifference, could see the skills on display.

  Keeping his jab working like a piston, Jimmy advanced at every opportunity, forcing Scorpio to keep moving not giving him a moment to achieve any semblance of poise. He wanted to show his older teammate that he had listened to his advice and was prepared to learn whenever he was offered any new knowledge.

  “Ten seconds!” Aquarius shouted, and Jimmy decided there was no harm in giving it everything he had if he was about to go down anyway. He stood toe-to-toe with his taller, heavier, stronger partner, and the two of them bobbed and weaved, throwing punches and kicks as quickly and as powerfully as they could. Only glancing blows connected, and by the time Leo finally rang the bell signaling the end of the bout, both of them were readily exhausted.

  The two combatants doubled over, sucking air into their hot lungs, small pools of sweat forming at their feet as the rest of the Zodiak applauded. Even Aries joined in, although her hands came together in slow, almost sarcastic, slaps.

  “Jolly good effort,” Lord Crabbe commended as he pushed his way out of the gym. “Very good indeed.”

  Scorpio was the first to straighten up, and when Jimmy looked up, a smile and a handshake were waiting for him.

  “Very good. Very good,” Scorpio told him. “Fast, aggressive. If I am the bad guy, I am on the floor right now. If I am in a scrape, I want you by my side.”

  “Wow,” Jimmy said as he filled with pride. “That means so—”

  A loud klaxon began to blare out without a warning, and the walls of the gym pulsed a bloody red.

  “What—?” The words died on Jimmy’s lips as organized pandemonium overtook the room. The rest of Zodiak cast aside their boxing gear and ran for the door.

  Leo appeared at his side.

  “Stick next to me,” she instructed. “Head for the hangar. Let’s go!”

  As they ran, the siren and the flashing walls kept them company. Scorpio appeared from a side door and sprinted past them.

  “Leo, you stay with Jimmy, yes?” he called back over his shoulder as he pulled his motorcycle jacket on.

  “Got it!”

  “Wait,” Jimmy blurted, not slowing a step. “Stay with me? I don’t get to come?”

  “You think we ran a competition to find the new Taurus just to leave you behind?” Leo explained as they ran. “He means if you get killed, it’s my fault.”

  “Oh,” was all Jimmy could say as they turned onto the final long corridor up to the hangar.

  Each of the automatic doors was already open and Jimmy could hear the dull roar of the hovership powering up. As he and Leo ran into the massive room, it was what he saw, and not the exercise, that finally to
ok his breath away.

  For the first time, he saw Zodiak as the slick team of crime-fighters they were. Scorpio spun his bike in a tight arc and sped up the ramp onto the ship, narrowly missing Capricorn as she removed the electrical hose that charged the amphibian. Sagittarius and Gemini checked each other’s body armor and weapons before helping Aries carry on board her kit and helmet. With a growl that echoed off each and every wall, the amphibian tore up the ramp. Jimmy followed Leo to her car.

  “Get in!” she said, already gunning the engine, and before he’d closed the door, Jimmy was thrust back in his seat as she sped up and into the hovership. Once the car was in place and secure, she directed him through to the equipment room where Aquarius was waiting for him. He was stood next Jimmy’s green body armor.

  “Okay,” Leo said as she and Jose helped Jimmy into the kit. “This may seem no better than what they had you wearing in the competition, but what Lord Crabbe has made here will take the most powerful bullet from close range, so trust it.”

  Jimmy could not believe how light the armor felt. It overlapped at his knees, hips, and elbows. It felt like nothing he had ever touched before, and he wondered whether he would ever truly get used to the webby texture of it. There were moments when Jimmy thought it actually moved a little by itself.

  Jose pulled a tight-fitting helmet down over his head. “You remember how to use this, no?”

  “No… I mean, uh, yes.”

  “Okay, you talk me through it.”

  Jimmy touched the helmet over his left ear. “This is to speak, and this is to increase the volume when I’m listening. But I tap here twice to confirm I’m in my set position.” He touched over his right ear. “If Libra wants to show us any 3D overlay of a building, or anything, the goggle things will drop down over my eyes automatically.”

  “Call them lenses or Lord Crabbe will flay you alive,” Leo said.

  “Yeah, lenses,” he corrected. “And my microphone is built into my helmet so I don’t need to move that mini arm into place like I’ve seen Libra do.”

  “Ah, he just wants to be the pop star,” Aquarius mocked as the hovership lifted off the ground. Finally, he handed Jimmy his multifunctioning rifle. “You all set? Now we go to the bridge and get our orders.”