WALKING DISASTERS | Jack Thompson

55.

"JACK ESTIMATES THEY HAVE a ninety minute lead on us," Daniel said over the radio.

"Oh, well if Jack estimates it then it must be true," Sera muttered sarcastically, before she grinned. "I'm kidding."

"Copy," Peggy replied. She lowered the radio and turned to Jarvis. "Mr Jarvis, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he replied curtly.

Sera raised an eyebrow. "I don't think so."

They were driving along a road into the middle of the desert when a sudden explosion caused Jarvis to slam the brakes on as a cloud of sand ripped across the desert and blinded them for a moment. When the sand cleared, Sera leaned forwards between Jarvis and Peggy's heads before eyeing the black lightning bolt that was forming in the sky.

"Holy Jesus," she murmured.

"Good Lord," Jarvis whispered.

"We're too late," Peggy said.

"No, we still have time to stop this," Sera said. "Ed, go."

They drove to a ridge a mile or so away from the bomb site and set about unloading the gamma cannon. Jack, Daniel and Samberly were working on it as Sera and Peggy looked out across the horizon at the Zero Matter wormhole that had appeared in the sky.

"Do you think that gamma pulse can reach that far?" Peggy asked.

"I suppose," Samberly replied.

"Suppose or yes?" Sera asked.

"Yes," he replied. "Maybe."

"Who is this guy?" Jack asked.

"And if it hits the rift?" Peggy asked.

"Great," Samberly said.

"Will it close the rift?" she asked.

"Yes. Maybe. I don't know."

"Did you hire him?" Jack asked Daniel.

"Unfortunately," he replied.

"You're asking me to judge what will happen when something I've never fired miraculously manages to hit something I never knew existed?" Samberly asked in exasperation.

"Guys, come on," Sera said. "Howard invented this machine, and I have... I was going to say I have faith in his genius but honestly, I don't. This could go horribly wrong."

"Well, I guess this is where we find out," Peggy said.

"What about Miss Frost?" Jarvis asked.

"She'll have to wait," Peggy said. "We will get her, but first we need to close the rift before any Zero Matter gets out."

"He doesn't even know if Mr Stark's gamma cannon will work!"

"It's my cannon," Samberly snapped. "And you should know you only get one shot."

"At what?" Daniel asked.

"At all," he answered. "I had just enough time to manufacture one battery charge."

"Whitney Frost will get away," Jarvis said, making a break for the car.

"We need to close the rift," Sera said.

"Mr Jarvis, stop!" Peggy shouted, turning to the men. "Would you just shoot the thing, for God's sake? And I'll try and prevent him from killing himself."

Peggy got into the van and drove away, chasing after Jarvis. Samberly asked, "Chief? Chief, what do we do?"

"Do as Peggy says!" Jack, Daniel and Sera yelled.