Memory and Sacrifice: Fulcrum: Season One, #7

By J.J. Vega

It's time to fight. The only way that Jack and Corva are going to be able to survive this is if they embrace their pasts. However, that might mean forfeiting their futures.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Giant Coffee Blunderbuss
• Release date: Jul 11, 2022
• ISBN: 9781943474110

Book preview

Memory and Sacrifice

Fulcrum: Season One, Episode Seven

J.J. Vega

The Giant Coffee Blunderbuss

© 2022 Jason van Gumster, All rights reserved

1

Plans

Jack. That’s a stupid plan.

Corva watches Jack sigh in frustration. Why did she even bother asking him what his plan would be? She redirects her attention, putting her focus on keeping the roof clear. She has two grunts roaming the perimeter knocking back any new ones that want to crest over the edge. In her mind’s eye, she can sense the world around them and control their limbs as if they are her own. It takes some effort, but not nearly as much as she would’ve thought.

As far as anyone else can tell, though, she’s just standing there, glaring at Jack. Yeah, like anyone else would be crazy enough to be out here and see this.

What’s so stupid about it? Jack kneels at his pack and starts rummaging in it some more. Apparently he’s not deterred by her criticism of his plan and there’s something else that he thinks is useful in that bag of his.

For a moment, Corva wonders what kind of madness Jack has packed in her bag. And how much damage that stuff has taken in her last few minutes of falling through the sky and partially caving in a rooftop.

Jack. Jack! Despite her efforts to get his attention, Jack ignores her and continues burying himself in his pack.

Enough of this. She puts both batons in a single hand so she can grab his shoulder with her free one and pull his attention to her. "Stop that! What are you looking for now? Para! It’s a stupid plan because it’s not even a plan, even by your standards. You want us to play the part of blunt instrument here. Brute force. Corva forces Jack to face her. It’s easy given the small size of his frame. You’re not built for brute force."

Jack rips away from Corva’s grip, but keeps his face pointed at her. Defiant. I don’t need muscles, I’ve got—

You’ve got what? It takes everything in her to resist laughing at his naivety. You’ve got tech? Magic? This is Death. He’s been defeating the best of those weapons for over a century. You think you’ve got something he hasn’t seen?

Finally, Jack looks away. Starts digging in his bag again. He’s still scowling, but his shoulders have dropped, more like he’s pouting. It’s not magic.

Magic, fixins … whatever you call it. The Old Beard has seen it and beat it.

The Touch worked on him pretty good.

Corva grabs Jack’s chin and directs his attention across to the other rooftop. Thegn is still sitting there with that rat on his shoulder, untouchable. Yeah. How’d that work out?

He jerks his face out of her hands. It was my first time really usin’ it! I just need to get close enough. I’ll finish him right this time.

Take a good look over there. Look at him! Look at Death. Corva points at the Old Beard with the two batons in one hand.

Moodily, Jack complies.

Corva continues, Have you noticed that none of these grunts can get near him? He’s just sitting there, but do you see bodies piled up around him? Kind of a perfect ring. Anyone, grunt or otherwise, collapses if they so much as step on that rooftop. Even me. I was there. That rat of his can put anyone to sleep if they get too close. I was only able to get away because of Zeke. Even the grunts have gotten the message and aren’t trying to get closer. There’s no way you can get close enough to use the Touch.

Jack stares across at Thegn and Caffiel, but his face is different. He’s still wearing a scowl, but he’s not pouting. It’s something else.

There’s no time for this.

Zeke adjusts his position on her shoulder. Give him a chance.

Now you want to stay and fight? Make up your mind, Zeke!

Don’t discount the boy entirely. The situation is different now compared to when I thought he and Lyia had made it down to Cliff City. At this point, I’m not sure that they’d be safe even there. So we have to improvise. If there’s anything Jack’s good at, it’s adjusting in the moment. Otherwise, he would’ve died years ago.

There’s no reasoning with either of you! She turns her head away from the monkey and settles her view on Thegn. She locks her mind on her grunt puppets, still diligently keeping their rooftop clear. Although their proportions are all messed up, there’s a certain rhythm in their movement. It’s too much to call it graceful, but there’s an easiness there. An almost pure lack of resistance. She thinks. They act. Natural extensions of herself, just like when she had extra arms. Comfortable. It’s as easy as breathing.

Finally, Jack speaks up.

When you say that rat puts everyone to sleep, do you mean actual sleep, or do you mean that as a fanciful way of saying ‘dead’?

Corva checks with Zeke on her shoulder.

It’s the former. Though I suppose if Caffiel concentrated, he could put someone in a coma.

She looks back to Jack. Zeke says it’s just sleep, but it’s probably not a good idea to test it out.

And you’re sure it’s the rat doing that?

Corva faces Jack. Yeah. Caffiel. The sleepytime sigil.

Jack tilts his head. What’s a sig—never mind. Doesn’t matter. New plan.

She crosses her arms and waits for him to explain himself. Jack doesn’t seem to notice. Apparently his next harebrained idea has him fully engrossed.

He crosses the rooftop so he’s at the edge closest to Thegn’s building and puts one foot on the low wall there. Corva maneuvers her grunts to keep the area around her and Jack clear.

Jack points in the direction of the other rooftop. We start by taking out the rat. Slim, you still there?

He pauses a beat, apparently waiting for Slim to respond on the other side of his comms.

It’s not a long pause, because almost immediately, Jack nods. The tinkerer apparently has been listening to them this whole time. "Good. I’m gonna need you to pilot your nanobots again. Break up the swarm into as many smaller groups as you can control. Position them around that rooftop. When I give the go-ahead, you get that rat. My guess is that the