Mere Immortal: Chapter Thirty-Four - The Festival

Joe Halili and the Solace group brings Zella to the festival to let her hair down

Chapter Thirty-Four

Zella Mills - Solaria Del Sur, Naguela

The sun beamed down on the vibrant streets of Solaria Del Sur, casting a warm glow over the Independence Day parade. Zella, Joe, Khloe, Elias and Lola weaved through the packed crowds on the walkways while adorned floats rode by on the roads. The air was alive with the sound of rhythmic drums and the strumming of guitars, blending seamlessly with the laughter and chatter of the thronging masses.

Zella sensed the joy and happiness in the air. It made her uneasy. How can everyone be so carefree when the threat of war is prevalent? She thought.

Joe had given into the moment. Shuffling his shoulders to the rhythms as they walked through thousands of attendees, singing along to the songs he recognized on passing floats. “Come on, Z. Let loose, yeah?” he said, noticing her lack of expression.

“I’m as loose as can be,” Zella told him. She was too alert and too overwhelmed to let go like he did. Every person they passed caught her attention. Every brush of the shoulder could be the moment that someone came for them. They were still enemies of America, after all.

Because of the strike on Costaluna, both the Naguelean military and the freedom fighters were patrolling the skies. Balloons, air carts and trucks hovered over the parade, watching for any sign of Estrean interference. Zella knew it wouldn’t stop an enemy from trying something. Sure, the Naguelean defence force was equipped to respond to an attack, but they couldn’t proactively prevent the attack from happening in the first place.

Someone kicked the back of Zella’s sneakers. She turned to find Khloe’s apologetic expression. “Sorry, Z,” Khloe said, walking behind her. “Misjudged my step.”

“All good,” Zella replied. She halted for a moment, stepping to Khloe’s side, conscious that she was walking too slow. She realized quickly that her pace of walking wasn’t the problem. Khloe had her head turned, only half paying attention to where she stepped. At first, Zella assumed her to be watching the floats, until she noticed that Khloe’s gaze followed none of the floats as they passed. Instead, her focus was on someone in the crowd on the opposite side of the street. Khloe confirmed this by raising her arm and waving at someone.

“Do you recongize someone over there?” Zella asked. She searched for who Khloe waved at, looking for a sign of someone waving back in acknowledgment, but there were too many bodies to tell.

Khloe turned to Zella, startled. “I think an old colleague of mine from the agency is over there,” she said.

Joe, who was leading them through the crowd, stopped in his tracks. “You what?”

“It’s my ex-colleague, Niel,” she replied. “He has on a white wristband, too. That used to be our signal to talk immediately.”

“We spoke about this already,” Joe said. “We’re supposed to be off duty, remember?”

“But if Niel wants to contact me, it could spell trouble,” Khloe said. “It could be a warning. I should see what he even knows about us.”

“I agree,” Lola said, joining the conversation. “If there’s an EIA agent here that we can trust, then learning what they know will be super valuable to us.”

Joe’s eyes shifted to Elias, requesting his opinion on the matter. “I’m in agreement,” Elias said, hands tucked in his pockets.

Joe took Khloe by the hand and pecked her on the cheek. “Go ahead, babe,” he said. “Call me if you need me. Don’t take too long or I’ll worry.”

Khloe raised her head up to him and pouted. Joe followed up with another peck on her lips before Khloe parted ways. They watched her as she waited for a significant gap between the floats. When she found her gap, she jogged across the street and merged into the flow of bodies on the opposite side.

“I don’t know about you, but I could do with some ice cream,” Elias said, pointing to a stall on the far side of the beach.

*

Zella and Joe stood by a steel barrier to the side of a kart racing track on the beach. They both held tubs of ice cream in one hand, and a small plastic scooper in the other. Joe had ordered three scoops, while Zella settled for two scoops of the strawberry cheesecake flavor. Lola and Elias waited in the kart racing line that stretched across the beach footpath, enjoying their own ice cream scoops as they did so.

The queue discouraged Zella from having a go on the track.

Even after Joe teased her about being the better driver. Guilt burned within her the moment Joe stood by the sidelines with her instead of queuing up to race with Lola and Elias. She knew he wanted to race, too. The option to stand with them while they were queuing was there, but Zella felt overwhelmed by the waves of people and needed space. Joe seemed to understand this. It made her wonder how much he’d caught onto her awkwardness in social situations. If Zella wasn’t fighting for something, she felt useless during times like these. The uncertainty of what to say, how to react, was the bane of her distress. Being around hundreds or thousands of happy people only intensified her anxiety.

“Enjoying yourself, Z?” Joe asked, before sucking in a scoop of ice cream.

The sounds coming from Joe’s mouth made her cringe. “You want my honest answer?”

Joe screwed up his face for a moment, as if recovering from a brain freeze. “Come on, Z. You can’t tell me this isn’t fun. Being out here in the sun, around all these people living their best life. Isn’t this what it’s all about? This is what we’re fighting to protect. Giving people the right to work hard and play hard on their own terms.”

“How can everyone be so happy?” Zella asked. “Knowing that there’s an army on the other side of Naguela’s border waiting for the green light to bomb them all? Don’t they know that an event like this is the perfect opportunity for an attack?”

“Of course they know,” Joe said. “Everyone knows they can be attacked at any moment, Z. But that’s not the point. President Secada just died in front of everyone’s eyes. And regardless of what anyone thinks of the man, he died believing in his country. The people know his death was shady, and they’re going to honor him to show that they can’t be broken. They wanna show that even with their problems, they stand united against anyone who wants to mess with them. Celebrating the country’s independence is how they show the strength of this nation.” Joe dug his spoon into his remaining ball of ice cream, getting his next scoop ready. “None of us are immortal. We’re all going to die someday. That means we’ve got more balls that even the Seers do. Because we won’t shut ourselves away, cowering in some fortress. We’re coming outside, enjoying the life god granted us.”

Zella spooned a small amount of ice cream into her mouth. “I like how you put it,” she said. “Regardless of how vulnerable everyone is, they’re outside tempting fate. While the ones with the ability to live forever cower behind COG’s shoulder. When you put it like that, I can understand it.”

Joe nodded and smiled. “Truthfully, I believe living forever only leads to wickedness, anyway. Having the ability to live forever is like playing God. It puts them in a position where they can manipulate every generation following our own. We know what they are, but the next generations will see them as the gods of earth. Heck, people do already.”

“Don’t you think it was ever a possibility that the Star Serum babies could have turned out good?” Zella asked him.

Joe swallowed more ice cream as he pondered her question. “You know, even though my mom was a scientist, I think that level of experimentation rarely turns out well. No disrespect to your foster father and all. I just feel like those babies were all a risk to this world the moment they received that serum.”

Zella no longer had any desire to finish her ice cream. She tossed the half-eaten tub into the nearby waste bin. She turned back to Joe with haste. “Why do you think that? They were all babies back then. None of them had developed ideas or principles. They could have grown to be decent people under the right supervision.”

“Nah. I doubt it,” Joe said. “Remember, they all developed some freakish ability. When you gain that level of power, it’s only natural to want to use it. That’s why they’re so happy to be COG’s covert weapons. They enjoy the power trip that comes from dominating regular humans with their abilities.”

Zella opened her mouth to respond, but then closed it; unsure of what to say. “I think I should tell you something,” she said. “There’s something I should have told you all a while ago.” Rapid footsteps on the footpath caught her attention.

Zella shifted her body away from Joe to get a better look at who was approaching. She soon noticed the steps were coming from the body of a child. A child who was now yelling her name. “Zella!” Marco called. “Do you remember me?”

Zella knelt, allowing Marco to run into her arms. “How could I forget you? That day in Costaluna was one I’ll never forget.”

“Oh. It’s that kid you and Khloe saved,” Joe said.

Zella parted away from Marco, looking behind him. “Where’s your uncle?”

“Uncle Edson is with a special needs group. They’re all on a carriage right now,” Marco replied. He turned and pointed back to the kart racing barriers. “Your other friend let me drive the karts with him.”

“My other friend? You mean Elias and Lola?”

Marco shook his head. “Look,” he said, pointing to a man who was trailing along the barrier’s outskirts, heading their way.

Zella set her eyes on him, recognizing him as the leader of the Los Tenaz mercenary group. “Tay, right?” she said.

“Yea! I thought you knew him well,” Marco said. “The Los Tenaz gave my orphanage a free coach to the festival.”

Zella stood as Tay reached them and took him by the hand. “Good of you to treat the children,” she said.

Tay nodded, giving her a gentle squeeze of the hand. “They deserve a good time after what they went through.” Tay acknowledged Joe, offering him his hand. “Glad to see Solace cares about our country’s independence, too.”

“If it wasn’t for Joe, I wouldn’t be here.” Zella said. “The country I care for. I just don’t get the idea of celebrating hostile times.”

“We’re celebrating our freedom, not hostility,” Tay said.

Joe nodded. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell her.”

Marco tugged on Zella’s wrist. “Are you gonna race too, Zella? I bet you can’t beat me.”

Zella shook her head. “Not today.”

“Ow. Come on. I wanna race again.”

With her free hand, she pointed over at the long queue for the karts. “You really wanna get back in that line just to race again? There’s a lot more to see around here than just the karts.”

“I can pull some strings and get y’all ahead of the line if you want to race,” Tay said.

“For real?!” Joe exclaimed. “Come on, Z. Are you going to deny a child his fun?”

Zella rolled her eyes. “At this point, you’re the child.”

Joe beamed at the retort while Marco shook on Zella’s wrist. “Please,” he chanted repeatedly.

“Alright. Fine. Let’s go,” She said, defeated.

“Way to go, Marco,” Joe said, reaching his palm down to the boy to give him five.

They followed Tay back to the tracks. Zella didn’t realize how cut he was last time she saw him. His bicep bulged from his arms like boulders. She continued to watch him as he spoke with one of the staff members at the barriers. Tay clearly had pull in Naguela. She supposed that in hostile times, mercenaries held importance. Joe pointed out that Lola and Elias were still in line, and Tay arranged it so that they’d all get in on the next session together.

*

Twenty minutes later, the group of them were sitting around a dining table. Zella bit into one of her arepas, trying not to smile at the group's reaction to her kart driving.

“Z, you didn’t tell me you were a professional kart driver when we met,” Joe joked. “You held that one close to your chest.”

Elias chuckled. “Khloe always said Zella had quick reactions, but the reflexes she just displayed are out of this world.”

Marco pulled the straw from his mouth and set his cup down on the table. “I knew Zella was the best after she saved me.”

Tay laughed; his eyes set on her. “You didn’t care nothing about letting the kid win. You blacked out and left us all behind.”

Zella wiped her mouth with a napkin. “I’m sorry. Adrenaline kicked in and I just couldn’t help myself. I’m reactionary by nature. It’s hard to hold back.”

“From now on, you do the driving,” Joe sneered.

A part of Zella felt horrible for hiding the truth. The time would come when she’d have to be honest about her nature. She spent enough time with her Solace comrades to trust them. They’d shed blood together. They’d escaped several tight jams. Solace’s bond was deeper than it had ever been, and so she had to trust them with her secret.

Joe’s phone blared, and he answered it before the second ring. “Khloe, where are you? We’re eating now.” The legs of his chair scraped across the stone as he excused himself from the table. Silence fell upon them all. Zella felt a sense of abandonment. Joe had left her with the responsibility of carrying the conversation. He had a gift of filling awkward silences, even if he had to become the butt of a joke to achieve it. She filled her mouth with food, excusing herself from speaking.

“Tay,” Lola said. “What kind of contracts does your organization typically take on? I’m always curious about how mercenary groups function.”

Thank you, Lola! Zella thought. Happy that the focus was no longer on herself.

Tay swallowed his stewed beans before speaking. “As you can imagine, this conflict with Estrea puts a strain on the military. Lately, they’ve been subcontracting us to deal with trade issues. For example, a lot of the cargo coming into Naguela follows the same routes as the ones going to Estrea. Sometimes we’re hired to escort cargo into the country. Other times we’re standing watch over trade deals.”

“Sounds like exciting work,” Elias said.

Tay chuckled. “That’s rich coming from Solace.”

“Thanks to the propaganda machine, our work comes across as more adventurous than it is,” Lola chewed. “The exciting outings that Zella, Joe and Khloe go out on are few and far between.”

“But are you really proud of the work you do?” Tay asked, his eyes set on Zella.

“Of course,” Zella said. “Because of our work, internet communities exist where people document the atrocities that COG and the immortals have committed. On forums, people dive deeper into the exposés that we leak. That’s enough to plant the seed of doubt into the public’s consciousness. In time, the truth will break through COG’s propaganda.”

“What does prop-ganda mean?” Marco asked.

Tay, who was sat beside him, tapped him on the shoulder. “It means lies.”

“Oh.” Marco’s attention returned to his burger.

“It’s good to know you’re fighting for a cause like that,” Tay said. “Someone has to be the one to fight for truth. I mean, running a merc group, I do question what the end goal is. When your employer is someone new each day, you lose a sense of purpose. But this Estrean war has fueled me. It gives me and my boys a focus. Now we feel like we’re changing things for the better.”

“And that’s how it should be,” Elias said.

Just like that, Zella’s objectives popped into her consciousness. Tomorrow, she was tasked with the responsibility of returning Raul’s prototype. This brought a question to mind. “Where’s Chi today?” she asked Tay.

Tay shrugged, returning her gaze. “I haven’t spoken with her in a while now. She said she had important matters to deal with.”

“She’s not lying,” Zella said. Tay shot her a curious look.

A lady’s voice called out to them from the distance. “Eli, Lola, Zella!” Their heads shot across the food court in unison. Elaine Rowe waved at them. Heath was to her side, carrying a tripod.

“Elaine!” Elias called. “Come join us.”

A series of greetings ensued. Elaine Rowe surprised them by knowing exactly who Tay was. Tay himself was shocked. “I wouldn’t be good at what I do if I didn’t know who the leader of the Los Tenaz was,” she said. “What’s interesting to me is seeing Solace dining with the Los Tenaz leader. Could this be a coalition forming?”

“I hope you’re asking that off the record,” Lola smiled.

Elaine graced them with her broadcaster’s smile. “Speaking of which, Zella, mind if I have a word with you? I’m hearing things about the upcoming election, and I had an idea to shoot by you.”

Zella nodded, happy for a reason to leave the table. She turned her head, searching for Joe as she stood. He was standing under a parasol, speaking hands free to Khloe over the phone still. The curiosity over what they were discussing engulfed her. She followed Elaine Rowe over to the outskirts of the beach nearby. “Naguela is beautiful, isn’t it?” she said.

“It is.”

“I never imagined that I’d be so happy in Latin America,” Elaine said. “I’m used to the hustle and bustle of Chicago, but I’m really considering settling here for good.”

“You’d stay here even if it was safe to go back to America?” Zella asked.

“I’d at least consider it,” Elaine replied. “That sort of relates to what I wanted to mention. Recently, my sources have informed me about a growing shift in COG acceptance.”

“Publicly or behind the scenes?”

“Both. You see, a new candidate for the U.S. presidency has made himself known. Declan Holmes. And in the wave of negative press about the Seers, he’s vowed to campaign on COG regulation. He wants COG and the Seers to be put under stricter rules. He wants to ensure their actions can no longer reflect poorly on the American people.”

“And how do the people feel about that?” Zella asked. Politicians had a knack for promising things. But Zella believed that the power always rested within the people. All they needed to do was stand united on an issue.

“The people are split, but that’s actually a good thing. In the past, the people universally loved the immortals. But thanks to our leaks, more and more people are opening their eyes to the facts.”

Zella nodded. “I’m happy our work is paying off.”

Elaine shot her a shifty look, as if a devious thought had come to mind. “I had an idea, Zella. With the tides shifting, I think it presents an opportunity for Solace to flip its image, too. The propaganda frames you as terrorists. However, I think if we were to shoot an interview with you, explaining the purpose of Solace and its goals, maybe you can drum up more public support.”

“You’re not serious. Me? Speaking to people on camera?”

“Why on earth not? I don’t know your full story, but I’m intrigued, just like the world is, to know what you’re fighting for. Zip’s death is tied to you. You fought Jade, rescued Heath and I, and lived to tell the tale. You must use these experiences to turn the tides on COG and their lies. Let the world know how the Seers wronged us, and why the world needs Solace.”

Zella remained silent, lost in thought. The idea wasn’t a bad one. It was the thought of opening up on camera that terrified her. “Does it have to be me?”

“Don’t you see who you are, Zella?”

“What?”

“As you know, I communicate with Elias and Lola often because they handle your admin work. And just from how they speak of you, I can see that you’re the heart of Solace. Without you, your group wouldn’t have accomplished so much in such a short amount of time. You may not like to hear it, Zella, but you are the leader. I’m sure even Joe and Khloe would agree.”

Zella shook her head. “No way. They think I’m reckless. I wasn’t even supposed to kill Zip. I put them in danger for my own selfish reasons. There’s no way I’m the heart of anything. I’m the reason people call us terrorists.”

Elaine smiled. It was the smile a parent gave to a child when the child didn’t know any better. “What’s happened has happened. Maybe it rattled everyone when it happened, but your actions caused all the chips to fall into place. And now here we are. COG and the Seers have their backs against the wall. Now it’s time to put pressure on them.” Zella’s mouth opened and closed. “Think about it, Zella. No obligation. You know how to find me if you want to go ahead.”

Zella half nodded.

“Hey!” Joe called from across the court. “How’s the world’s best reporter?”

Elaine pressed her index finger against her lips as a sign for Joe to be quiet. “Come,” Zella said, urging her to follow her on the way back to the dining table.

*

Night time had shifted the atmosphere on the beach. The bustling family-friendly festivities of the day were now replaced by a ferocious and unregulated nightlife. A DJ booth had taken up the central part of the beach. Thousands of intoxicated adults surrounded it. People were dancing and yelling conversations over the music. Some were grinding up on one another, kissing and touching.

Zella watched people from the sidelines, joined by Joe, Elias and Lola. She checked the time on her phone again. It was almost midnight. She wished they could leave, so she had time to rest for tomorrow, but they were waiting for Khloe to call them. Khloe had asked them to wait for her to return. Joe blew air through his mouth and sucked on his beer bottle. He was clearly uptight about the situation.

A strong breeze swept through the area, swaying the party lights hung above them. Zella stirred. It wasn’t long ago that they went to their rental van to retrieve their outer garments. She pulled her stitched mango cardigan snug over her body.

“Why don’t we dance?” Lola said, turning to face the waves of festival attendees. “It will keep us warm, at least.”

Elias stepped around her, holding out his hand. “May I have this dance?”

Lola smiled, looking around at Zella and Joe playfully. She gave Elias her hand and focused her gaze on Joe. “How about you two? Gonna join us?”

Joe shook his head. “I need to talk to Zella about something. We’ll go for a walk. You two stay reachable on your phones, alright?”

They watched Lola and Elias step away, hand-in-hand. For a moment, Zella felt something in her gut. It was a cocktail of jealousy and longing. How does it feel like to be chosen like that?

Joe downed the remains of his beer and tossed the bottle effortlessly in the nearby waste bin. He dug into his pockets and retrieved a box of cigarettes. “Everything okay?” she asked him.

“How about we take a stroll along the pier, Z?” he replied.

“Sure.”

They strolled along the beach, venturing away from the heart of the party, following the path toward the long, elevated pier. As part of the Independence Day festivities, a gigantic Ferris wheel had been built onto the pier. The wheel was closed at this hour, leaving the peer mostly empty. A few couples walked along the outskirts of the peer, retreating away from the party for a quiet moment alone. Zella followed Joe right to the far end of the peer. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the handrails, the butt of a cigarette between his fingers. 

“I’ve never seen you this bothered,” Zella said.

“My mom used to always ask me when I was going to get married and have kids,” Joe said, staring out at the dark waters as he spoke. “It always made me uncomfortable when she brought it up. Back then, the thought of being with someone felt hopeless. I was chubbier than I am now, ya know? I wasn’t working out. And girls always seemed so unattainable. So, her bringing it up made me feel hopeless. Like I was a loser destined for loneliness.”

“But you turned things around,” Zella said. “You’ve worked on yourself and now you’re in a relationship.”

Joe tossed away the cigarette and bowed his head. “Sure. I think.”

“What’s going on? Is something up with Khloe?”

“That guy she’s been spending the day with is an ex-lover of hers,” he said.

Zella eased her lumbar against the railing, leaning against it. “She said that?”

“She made it seem like they’d just be catching up on some work shit. But she’s been gone all day long. And we’re supposed to just wait here? Can’t she at least keep us updated on what she’s doing?”

“Are you worried about what they might be doing?” Zella asked. Part of her was curious about the intricacies of relationships.

For a few moments, Joe stared out at the sea. Zella got the impression he wanted to choose his words carefully. “The way she explained it is that COG and the EIA are coming down hard on potential traitors. They’re aware that Khloe, a previous intelligence agent, is working with Solace. And they’re investigating anyone who had a close connection with her. This guy came to warn her. And the reason they had to disappear is to be away from the limelight while they make plans.”

Zella thought over the implications of this. “Khloe still has family State-side, right?”

Joe nodded. “Yeah. Part of what they’re planning is extraction strategies. Maybe we’ll have to help with that.”

Such worrying circumstances were sure to cause Khloe stress. Zella had a feeling that despite the getaway with her ex-lover, Joe couldn’t put aside the fact there might be more to the story. “But…” Zella started, thinking how best to approach the topic. “Well. Do you know anything about their prior relationship at all?”

Joe raised himself up off the railing, turning to face Zella. “She always says he was a nice guy, and they left it on good terms. Makes it seem like the reason for their split is different principles. But my thing is, if you see the man as a nice guy, that leaves the door open for there to be another spark.”

Zella bit her lip, wracking her brain for a considerate response. Joe took the pause as a cue to keep talking. “I dunno. Maybe I’m just reading into it too much, you know? But it’s irresponsible for them to be staying out this late together while we’re here waiting for them.”

“I guess she could help things by communicating with us more effectively,” Zella said.

Joe ran his palm down his face. “Let’s talk about something else. She’ll call when she’s ready. Until then, distract me, Z.”

Zella pushed herself off the barrier, swinging her weight back on her two feet, now standing inches away from Joe. “Wanna get another beer or something?”

“Sure. As long as you’re gonna drive home,” he smirked. The smile, mixed with the sharp wit, looked good on him. “I guess you can’t drink too much, either. You’ve got the thing with Chi tomorrow.”

Zella nodded, wanting to forget about the burden. As she turned to walk back up the deck, Joe grabbed her by the wrist. She looked up at him, and something like a bolt of energy rippled through her body. Blood rushed through her southern blood vessels, her breathing intensifying. All of a sudden, his strong masculine scent stood out against the salty aroma of the ocean. “Weren’t you going to tell me something earlier?

Unable to bring her mind back to earlier thoughts, Zella acted purely on impulse, feeling as though his touch was an invitation. She stepped into his space, raised her chin and pressed her lips against his.

There was no prior kissing experience to compare it to. Zella had no idea what she was doing as she wrestled his lips between her own, feeling tongue and tasting a mix of beer and tobacco. Their teeth knocked together and Joe chose that moment to push her away. “Zel!” he said. His eyes bulged; his mouth hung open.

Shit Shit Shit! What have I done? For a moment, she had lost herself in her first kiss. Now that they were apart, she regretted the moment.

At the exact same moment, they realized they were not alone. “Would you look at that,” Khloe said, watching them from up the pier with her arms folded. Stood next to her could only be her ex-boyfriend Niel. Both of them watched Zella and Joe with judging eyes.

Mere Immortal Season One has returned after an extensive break. Sorry for the delay. Please show your support by subscribing to the story to keep this story going.