Dial H for Heroics

Jack spent some time in his ready room working as Mister Warner and the survivors

wrote down what they wanted out of their new village. He had ordered the Enterprise

to find a place close to their criteria of needs so the machine had started picking out

places to place the new village.

Jack had also told them to pick someone to be the mayor and answer to the local

government when the new place went up. There might be a question of taxes.

The Low Kings claimed the land and everyone worked for them. They paid the High

King until he died, or was deposed, and then they paid the new guy. The Low Kings

in the south tended to be on the war-ready side of things with a lot of their forces

being directed at the Picket constructed to keep the humans and goblin clans separate.

That didn’t always work out from what some of the things were being said during

dinner in the lounge.

Jack didn’t imagine a mixed parentage from any of those unions had a good time on

either side of the wall.

“Jack?,” asked Mister Warner over the intercom system. “I think we’re ready to go.”

“All right,” said Jack. “I will be right down and then we can pick out the spot at the

lounge. Then we can build everything tonight and get everyone settled in.”

“They will need supplies,” said Mister Warner.

“I will magic some stuff up for them while I am building the village,” said Jack. He

checked his watch. “Do you have the list ready?”

“Yep,” said Mister Warner. “All we need is to do it.”

“All right,” said Jack. “I will be right down.”

He picked up two cases sitting on his desk and headed down to the lounge. The

Enterprise was too big for one man, but it was so useful to do some of the things that

he needed to do.

He walked into the lounge and looked at the people waiting on him. They all had

name tags now. He supposed Mister Warner had tired of going hey you to everyone.

He paused when he saw the little girl’s name was Elena. He kicked back in gear and

walked to the bar.

“All right,” said Jack. He placed the cases on the bar. “I am going to set up a screen.

The Enterprise will show you all the places it has picked out based on what you

wanted, unless you want to rebuild where your villages were destroyed.”

“I think we want a fresh start for all of us,” said the burned man, Ropel. He looked

at the crowd. They all gave him gestures of agreement.

“All right,” said Jack. “Let me set up the screen. Then I have some things for you to

drink and take. Who’s going to be the mayor?”

“I am,” said Ropel.

“Who’s going to be your second?,” said Jack. He looked the crowd over.

“I was asked to do that,” said the bitter woman, Dorotea.

“Excellent,” said Jack. “You two come here. Elena, come here too.”

The three approached the bar. Jack took three potions out of one case, and three tiny

boxes out of the other. He handed one each over to his test subjects.

“What are these?,” asked Dorotea.

“Either they are the best thing I can do for you, or they kill you,” said Jack. He

reached into the box of boxes and pulled out a collar. He handed that to Elena. “Either

way, it’s a wild card that depends on your mind.”

“This looks like Yoff’s collar,” said Elena. She examined the hoop in her hands.

“Where did you get this?”

“I built it in my ready room,” said Jack. He had stolen the look of the collar and the

dog from her mind. She didn’t need to know that, and he didn’t think the others

would like knowing he could violate their privacy any time he wanted.

“Take the pills, then drink the drink,” said Jack. “If you don’t blow up, then

everything should be okay. I’m going to get the screen and bring it in to set up so we

can look at what the Enterprise found.”

“You’re asking us to trust you to take some alchemy you mixed together,” said

Dorotea.

“There may be some side effects,” said Jack. “I’m not going to lie about that. I have

to go get that screen.”

Jack left the lounge. He went into the room next to it. He turned into Magik and

formed a screen from a piece of carbon from the room’s replicator. He turned back

and lugged the thing back into the lounge. Mister Warner turned into a big guy in a

robe and yamaka and helped him set it up on the bar.

The girl chased a dog around the lounge. It looked like a corgi mixed with a scotty.

It barked quietly as it ran around.

“You gave us spells,” said Dorotea. She hung on the bar with both hands.

“No,” said Jack. “I gave you a power ran by your mind. Are you okay with that? I can

take it back.”

“I think this is what we need to hold an edge,” said Ropel. His eyes glowed softly.

“My arm itches. When I look, it will be completely healed. How do you know we

won’t misuse this?”

“I don’t,” said Jack. “I would appreciate if you didn’t, but I know that will be a tough

call.”

Ropel looked at the sixteen other survivors. His vision lit them up when he touched

certain boxes. He nodded to himself. He was seeing a version of the future showing

him a good way to advance. A lot of the crowd didn’t have a reason to trust him, but

he thought they would once he made a few good decisions.

“You are a mad man,” said Dorotea. “No one sane would give us a way to get

revenge.”

“Your revenge is done, Dot,” said Jack. She frowned at his nonchalance. “What I

have given you is a way to move forward, heal wounds, and look after Elena. I gave

you an ability that will expand your skill set to improve your life and those around

you. I know that you can go after the surviving goblins over the picket line. I also

know that your comrades need your gift more, and they will help build your blanket

of people.”

“We do need you more, Dot,” said Ropel. “You can mother hen us while we are going

about our daily lives.”

“I will stab you,” said Dorotea. “In the face.”

“Everyone, gather around,” said Ropel. “I am going to match you with the boxes.

Then Dorotea will give you the elixir. There will be a moment of vertigo. Just ride it

out. Everything will settle down in a few minutes.”

“Do you know what you are doing?,” asked Mister Warner in a whisper. He had given

up Samson to frown at the younger man.

“Nope,” said Jack. He grinned at his mentor. “I have one bottle for you too.”

“I already have my watch,” said Mister Warner. He held up his arm to emphasize his

point.

“Just drink it,” said Jack. “It might fix your arthritis.”

Mister Warner took the bottle and drank it one gulp. He gagged at the taste. Then he

noticed his fingers changing in front of him. He held up a hand for a closer look.

“What have you done?,” asked Mister Warner. He turned the hand in front of his face.

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” said Jack. He turned on the screen and

made sure it could read the scans from the Enterprise. He looked at the survivors.

Some of them looked overwhelmed by what they had been given.

“All right,” said Jack. “I am going to show you guys some pictures of where I can set

up a new village for you. I want you guys to think about each of them, and when you

have agreed on which one you want, I will build the village there. Don’t worry about

clearing the land, or anything like that. I will do that in the process.”

“We are going to need a wall at the very least,” said Ropel.

“I will add that in the process,” said Jack. “Let me start the slide show. Once you have

a spot, I will be able to put it up in a few minutes. The rest will be getting you

supplies to live off of and tools to do what you need to do. Everyone ready?”

“Show us what you have,” said Barnie, the skinny man stabbed in the side by his

goblin captors.

“Enterprise, show us the spots you picked out on the screen in the lounge,” said Jack.

“Affirmative,” said the machine. A picture of a meadow surrounded by woods

appeared. The crowd went through the ten images slowly. Ropel stood back, and

watched everything. He nodded when he saw one picture in particular. He waited to

see the rest before asking the Enterprise to go back to that one image. Jack confirmed

the request.

“Where is this?,” asked Ropel.

“It is here,” said the machine. It displayed a picture of the lower part of the continent

with a diamond to mark the site. They could see the picket line close, but not too

close to the site.

“Where were our old villages?,” asked Ropel.

The three diamonds marked burned areas within a few days travel south of the

proposed site.

“You said you could build a village in this?,” said Ropel. He gestured at the trees

blocking the sky from the ground.

“Sure,” said Jack. “I can put you on the ground right now, and you will have beds and

your own places a few minutes after that.”

“We will need some things,” said Ropel. He looked at his group. “Can you give us

those things?”

“Have you got a list of what you need?,” asked Jack. “I can drop the gear with you.”

Mister Warner pulled out a pad and pen. He handed the paper over after showing

Ropel how to use the pen.

“Come down to the hangar and we will make your stuff down there,” said Jack. “Then

we will do the rest so I can be with my beloved before the night is over.”

“What did you do to me?,” Mister Warner whispered to Jack as he stored the empty

boxes down under the lounge’s bar.

“Nothing,” said Jack. “I am going down to the cargo bay. Can you sheep dog these

guys when they are ready? Good job with the name tags.”

“I thought so,” said Mister Warner.

“You look younger,” said Elena. She and Yoff looked up at the two men. “Can I walk

down with you? I don’t really know what I should get. I think Dorotea will look out

for me as far as that goes.”

“Come along,” said Jack. “I can get you a wardrobe as far as that goes. How do you

like the dog?”

“I love him,” said Elena. “He’s perfect.”

Jack led the way out of the lounge. He waited for the odd couple to follow him to the

lift. Yoff sniffed the halls as they went.

“What do you think of Dot taking you in?,” asked Jack. He triggered the lift as he

waited for an answer.

“I don’t know,” said Elena. She pushed back the strands of blond hair from her face.

“It’s been a long time since I lived with someone else. I just don’t see her as a

mother.”

“She might see you as a daughter,” said Jack. “Don’t hold it against her.”

“I’ll try,” said Elena. “I don’t understand why you and Master Warner are helping

us.”

“Part of it is because it is our job,” said Jack. “Some of it is because we can. Some of

it is because it makes us happy inside and flatters our ego.”

“But you have all this power,” said Elena. “The powerful never help the weak.”

“Some people with power never help the weak,” said Jack. He headed down the hall

to the entrance to the cargo bay. “Some people say with great power comes great

responsibility. You have a power now too, even though you need to practice with it.”

“What power?,” said Elena. She hurried to keep up with him.

“Yoff is a creation of your mind,” said Jack. “He will be able to do things like you

would never believe when you get older.”

“That’s a power?,” asked Elena.

“Think of Yoff as big, bigger than you,” said Jack. “You’ll see.”

Elena closed her eyes. She imagined her dog as big as a horse. She kept that idea in

mind. He was big enough to ride around on. She opened her eyes. Yoff stared into

them with a tilted head. He licked her face with a tongue like a bath towel.

“Down,” said Elena, stepping back with a wet face. She looked at Jack. He grinned

at her. She smiled. “Lick Jack.”

She laughed as the giant dog chased after the human with its disproportionate legs.

He barked as loud as a cannon as he tried to chase his quarry down. The champion

of order doubled back to keep her between him and the dog.

“Down, Yoff,” said Elena. She continued to laugh on the floor. The dog settled next

to her.

Jack got her a towel from the replicator to wipe her face. He grinned at the dog as it

seemed to grin at him.

“Now do you believe me?,” asked Jack.

“Yes,” said Elena. She wiped her face before burrowing into the fur of her beast.

“Thank you for this.”

“It seemed like something you needed,” said Jack. “Can you make him small again

so you don’t scare everyone else?”

“I think so,” said Elena. She held out her arms and compressed her companion into

his familiar size in her arms, against her chest. “When we get down to the village, we

will run all day and night.”

Mister Warner led the villagers into the hangar. He had five sheets of paper in hand.

He handed the list over and stepped back.

Jack looked the list over. He looked at the crowd. They looked back expectantly.

“Is this all you need?,” he asked.

“Our abilities should help with the rest,” said Ropel. “Can you help us?”

“Sure,” said Jack. He read the list to the Enterprise and instructed that everything

should be put in cases for protection and packing. Ten pallets appeared with a variety

of supply boxes on them. He made sure the boxes were strapped in for the long drop

to the ground.

“Everybody ready?,” Jack asked. “Elena, hold on to Yoff. I don’t know if I can carry

him as Gravity.”

“We can beam down,” said Mister Warner. “And what did you do to me? My teeth

grew back in.”

“Who wants to do something as boring as that?,” said Jack. He grinned. Then he

called for the group to surround the care packages. “Enterprise, open the hangar door.

Let’s fly.”

He pulled on Gravity and tried to yank everyone and their new belongings out of the

hangar. He didn’t have the strength to carry the weight. So he tossed the gear out first

and then pulled the people behind him as he sped toward the ground.

Jack juggled the boxes and people so he could put them down gently instead of letting

them crash to a stop. He let Gravity go as he did a quick check on everyone.

“That was great, wasn’t it?,” he said to Mister Warner.

“I would rather be taken apart and put back together atom by atom,” said Warner. He

brushed his graying hair back. “Next time, we use the transporter.”

“Nag, nag, nag,” said Jack. “All I hear is nagging. The dog loved it.”

Yoff ran around in a circle. He fell over on his back, and kicked his feet in the air.

“I don’t know what that is,” said Jack.

“I think we need shelter before the moons start coming up,” said Ropel, cutting into

the debate. “Then we need to think about how we are going to do things for the next

few days.”

“All right,” said Jack. “Let me see what I can do.”

He checked his watch as he went to the center of the target zone. He started humming

to himself as he looked around. He had the packages around him. He could do things

with this.

“Don’t unpack anything,” said Ropel. “We’ll do that ourselves in the day time. Just

make sure they are safe here until we can get to it.”

“Just don’t move until I’m done,” said Jack. He started humming again, checking his

watch. He pulled on Magik, smiling as the formulae of his body shifted with his

intent. “I am the color of boom that is never arriving. You are the pay raise that stays

just a touch out of view. I am the color of BOOM!”

The grass at his feet formed an iron ring around him. It expanded outwards,

destroying grass and trees, flattening the ground into a plain of dirt. It stopped when

he judged he had enough room for the rest of the plan.

The ring spun in place. A wall went up inside the ring, a gate forming on either side

of where the town would stand to allow travelers to pass through. Fields of vegetables

and fruit trees sprang up in sections inside the wall. It would be a while before they

were able to supply the town with food but they were there for anybody with a

farming talent. Houses sprang up inside the inner fruit ring to surround a clock tower

on top of the town’s official center. A small market and inn for travelers took up

space in front of the town hall.

“That was incredible,” said Ropel. He looked at the buildings around his group.

Jack let his persona go. He looked around and nodded. The magic had done what it

wanted outside of the general list he had been given. He hoped the survivors liked it.

“If you want to expand, you are going to have to build a new wall beyond the ring,”

said Jack. “I’m going to put a gate down, and then I will put the other end down when

I get back to Hawk Ridge. If you have problems, just use that to get out of town if you

have to.”