The Girl from the Gamma Zone

By Michael Wardner

Starting immediately after The Boy Who Went Boom, The Girl from the Gamma Zone follows Daniel Cotton as he ventures into the Gamma Zone to start a new life-- but it is not so easy to escape the past. And his actions may just change the future. Commander Freedom is dead and the Alliance shattered, but the Age of Champions is not over.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jan 13, 2017
• ISBN: 9781483591704

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PROLOGUE

Two hundred years ago, a visitor from another world came to earth. As future generations would say, it gifted humanity with technology to advance the species. But greed interfered, and the brilliant scientist Doctor Martin Kilraven refused to share his discoveries with the United States government.

The superhero Agent Freedom was dispatched to retrieve the alien technology, but the ensuing battle released a nuclear apocalypse that destroyed civilization. Agent Freedom gathered as many survivors as he could in protective Fortresses forged from the alien’s technology, and a two hundred year battle began between Freedom’s Champions and Doctor Kilraven’s robotic forces. It seemed that this battle would last forever despite Freedom’s failed attempts at peace.

But everything changed because of a young boy named Daniel Cotton. Daniel was a student hoping to join Agent Freedom’s elite superhero squad called the Champions. But he flunked an important test and in his anger discovered a hidden superpower—a mutation passed on to him by his grandfather. Daniel pointed at a passing hover-car and blew it out of the sky in an explosive outburst. Believing he had killed the superhero Ultra, he ended up on the run with the fugitive Champion, Crusher.

They escaped the Territory Five Fortress and ventured out into the Gamma Zone—the wasteland left of the earth after the nuclear attack initiated by Doctor Kill. After a series of adventures, Daniel found seeming rescue by Ultra, who revealed that he was not in fact dead. The superhero told Daniel that he believed that a conspiracy was afoot and that Commander Freedom was in danger. In fact, Ultra was lying to Daniel and manipulated Daniel’s grandfather into killing Commander Freedom and destroying the Super Fortress, the center of the Alliance efforts.

And then Ultra tricked Daniel into killing Doctor Kill and becoming the new Doctor Kill. Ultra launched an assault on Territory Five making it seem that Daniel was in control of Kill’s army of Dreadknights. Daniel was trapped in armor that he could not control that channeled his explosive power and he was forced to confront Ultra on the battlefield while the citizens of the Territory watched–– convinced that the boy was betraying them.

Fortunately, the Champion Striker intervened, and with the aid of Crusher, they managed to reveal Ultra’s treachery. Sensing defeat, Ultra teleported away, but Daniel followed and destroyed the secret satellite headquarters of Ultra and his robotic ally, Professor Mechanique. The satellite exploded and Daniel was launched into space, facing certain death. But the mysterious alien Quadju rescued him and altered Kill’s armor to contain Daniel’s still developing power. The alien asked where he could teleport Daniel, and the boy–– still stinging from the hatred of the Alliance–– chose to find a life for himself in the hostile environment of the Gamma Zone. Crusher and Striker also chose to leave the Alliance, but the wounds from battle were too much for Crusher and he died, leaving Striker to venture out into the Gamma Zone alone.

The Alliance struggled to survive without the Champions to defend it. The Metamorphosis Chamber—the technological cauldron that created new Champions—was destroyed. Refugees fled the smoldering remains of the SuperFortress. And the few remaining citizens of the Alliance were filled with dread and despair. Commander Freedom was dead and the Alliance betrayed but the aftershocks of that catastrophe had only just started.

CHAPTER ONE

They were almost out of power but they had to push on—they had no choice. The Champion named Menace knew this well but was too distracted by the whine of a failing hover-car. She wrestled with the controls and stared out the shattered glass of her windshield at a growing white dot. That whiteness was the Territory Five Fortress— their destination and last hope after all they had been through. But now it seemed that they weren’t going to make it.

We have to land, Menace growled. She was still dressed in her ceremonial Champions uniform that she wore to the execution of the traitor Adam Cotton. Her green hair was a tangle and covered in dust; the delicate paint was wearing off her claws as she piloted the hover-car through the turbulent winds.

We must make it to the Territory— we must press on, shouted Caliban Graves. He was a large bearded man, muscular but weak from a broken arm, and seated too close behind her.

We can’t! hissed Menace. She didn’t want to explain. She didn’t have to. She was a Champion and he was only a Territorial Commander. 

If we land here, we’ll be lost in the Maze, Caliban shouted, wincing in pain as the hover-car bounced with the wind.

No power! Menace shouted back. She would eviscerate this fool and feast on his entrails. Yes, that would make it all right, she thought as she wrestled with the controls.

If my daughter says we must land, then we must land, came the voice of an elderly woman.

Caliban was silent. Damn this old woman. If she had not saved my life….

Of course, he muttered, swallowing his anger. I don’t want to die now. Not after all that.

Maybe there can be an accident and his head will be lopped off, thought Menace, licking her lips as she smiled and a dribble of saliva welled up in her mouth. The inhibitor-collar around her neck flashed, quelling her bloodlust and she brought the hover-car down, switching to glide mode to conserve the last bit of energy. It would be a bumpy landing and she would need all the reserves to diminish the impact. 

The older woman strapped herself in— she had done this before. Caliban had only ridden in hover-cars on a few occasions but knew this would not be easy. Menace just stared ahead intently; she was going to land this thing no matter what happened— maybe the strange hairy man would die, maybe not. But she was going to get her mother to safety. 

As the land zoomed forward, Menace engaged the braking flaps and put her hand over the trigger for the retro rockets. The ground approached. Her hazel cat eyes scanned for a suitable landing place. She watched the power bars diminishing— there was next to nothing left and no real landing strips. This would be a challenge. And then she saw a place— a tiny patch of green. She steered that way. The hover-car darted forward. 

Brace yourselves, she snarled.

She grabbed the trigger and fired. The hover-car lurched as it decreased its speed. The straps of the seats cut into Caliban and he gritted his teeth in pain; he would not let these Champions hear him shriek. The old woman with the shock of white hair somehow avoided the impact. But Menace felt it and let out a roar— her snarl cut through the thudding of the wind and Caliban looked up in primal fright; she was a true monster. The cabin shook as Menace deployed three parachutes to slow their fall. Everything she had been taught about crash-landing was racing through her brain and she concentrated to rein in her inner beast that demanded she eject into the sky. She held on and piloted the vibrating craft toward the green.

Branches shattered against the windshield but they also slowed the careening hover-car as the three passengers were thrown back and forth inside the craft. Menace looked down at the control panel; they were out of power. She wrestled the steering wheel to keep them on course. The green spot was a lake, contaminated and likely toxic— but a lake. The water would absorb their impact— better than a tree— and they may have a chance.

She aimed the craft and held on as branch after branch crashed against the ship. In a moment, they were in the water. The dark green liquid splashed against the windows and all three felt the sudden stop and then the drift as the water enveloped them. The craft turned over and sank. They were upside down now and hung from their seat belts. Caliban lost his breath for a moment and then Menace reached for him— her claws out and slashing. She ripped across his chest and he braced for pain but instead fell from his chair on to the ceiling of the overturned craft—his tattered seatbelt dangling overhead.

He watched as the beast grabbed the frail old woman, hoisted her over her shoulder, and opened a lock. The main door flew open and a rush of green brackish water flowed in. Caliban gasped for air and dove into the green liquid. His eyes burned under the water as he watched air bubbles drift upward. It seemed that they had plunged far, far below. His lungs were going to burst but he kept swimming and soon saw a glimmer of light above. He swam for it. The surface was impossibly far off but he watched as the beast-woman broke the surface and he forced himself to follow. With a last push he got there and gasped for air.

He swam to the shore and pulled himself next to the coughing bodies of Menace and the old woman. They lay there for a long time catching breath.

Caliban forced himself up. They were in a small oasis of green surrounded by ruins. Menace was also up and about. She was holding a gun. Caliban thought for a moment that she was going to point it at him but instead she ambled up a tree and climbed to the top like a monkey. Caliban watched in awe. Menace stopped for a moment. In the distance was the Force Wall, which surrounded Territory Five. Small black dots floated in mid-air around it.

Menace raised the gun and fired. A flare burst in the air. They had made it. She clutched on to the tree for a moment longer to savor this small victory. Then she leapt off back into the green water. Caliban’s eyes popped open in surprise.

She was under the water for a long time.

Had she drowned? He could only be so lucky. He waited a bit longer. And then, the surface broke and she pulled herself up. She was holding a case and dropped it on the shore. Caliban sat and then rolled over on his back, exhausted.

*

Hundreds of miles away outside the safe confines of the Territory Five Fortress, a young girl stood in the bombed-out ruin of an ancient street contemplating a scent. It smelled like paper. Clean paper. She had a nose for it. In the wildness of the Gamma Zone that was peculiar but it came in handy– and she had a whiff of something.

Her name was Widget. She was short and skinny– about fifteen (she didn’t really know her age.) An aviator’s cap covered her head and a shock of hair burst out from under it. She wore a men’s leather jacket far too big for her and a small backpack and messenger’s bag, which contained everything she owned, but it didn’t slow her down. She leapt from rock to rock, skipping her way through the bumpy outcropping of crumbling buildings, navigating the never-ending garbage heap, which reeked of sulfur, chlorine, and rotting vegetation. She was a collector— a very good one– and the scent of paper grew stronger.

She came upon a shattered doorway. It was dark inside. Her flashlight was two weeks dead and there was no way she was going to waste a match. But she knew it was in there. Above the broken arch of the door was a faded sign: BOOKS.

She muscled her way through the tiny opening in the crumpled doorframe. She squeezed through and slid to the ground. The room was dim and filled with shadows. Her eyes adjusted and she could see it was pretty well picked over. Not much here, she thought. But her nose was rarely wrong and after some searching, she found something hidden beneath an overturned shelf. She pushed the shelf back and found a rectangular object. Yes, it was a book.

The cover was damaged.  But that’s what a cover is for: to protect its contents. Widget picked it out of the rubble, dusted it off, and tried to read the title. Impossible. Obscured under layers and layers of thick mud and dirt. More than likely, all the ink had worn away. The book was heavy— probably a textbook. Widget allowed herself a slight smile at that: treasure! She crawled out of the room and sat down to examine it.

It was late afternoon. The sun was about to set and the rubble was bathed in a golden hue, casting long shadows across the debris. Light reflected from the broken shards of glass in the ruins of tall buildings that surrounded her. She and her cousin Badger had ventured out but it would be night soon and they wouldn’t want to be wandering. Too many predators— clankers and wolves. But she had a few minutes while Badger foraged. And, besides, this was important.

The side of the book had warped around the pages and sealed itself with layers of mud. It probably had soaked through and she would find a block of yellowed pulp inside. She was ready to toss it but spied a tiny crack through which a flash of pure vanilla white peeked out. She reached for her knife and cut through the crusted cardboard, which fell off in flakey layers. It was delicate work but she was careful and patient. She sliced through the cardboard shell and applied slight pressure. It burst open and the pages fanned out— still stuck to their binding. It was remarkably white— hardly damaged at all. Widget smiled and pored over the text. Math! It was a math book. Maybe Calculus. She didn’t recognize it— which was good. The Librarians would definitely be interested in this. She opened her backpack and tucked her new find safely away behind her flashlight and notebook. She heaved it on her back— it added about three pounds to her load but it was worth it.

Widget!! Badger called to her. A tall, lean figure leaped down from the rusting carcass of a dead bus.       Her cousin was slightly older than her (nineteen to her fifteen) and he treated her with the care of an impatient older brother. Come on— we’ve gotta move it!

Then hurry up! she yelled, adjusting her backpack.

Widget, really–– there’s a wolf!

A wolf? That was serious. She knew not to ask how far away; if Badger was running then they needed to move, not talk.

She picked up her pace. "Which