Diamond City Trilogy

Chapter 7: The Men In The Blue Coveralls

Fresco faded in. His neck felt uncomfortable, cramped. His head bobbed with motion. He opened his eyes in the dark to a dead streetlight going past and heard the crunch of broken glass. Unable to raise his head despite his best effort, he managed to roll his face to the side. His cheek came to rest against coarse, dark fabric and his eyes settled on an embroidered patch. The shape of a white diamond winked at him.

Fresco's head flipped back as he was bounced lightly. His view gently adjusted enough he could tell the man was a stranger. Fresco was surrounded it seemed by people in dark blue ball caps and coveralls, all with the same logo. Fresco's eyes drifted back to the diamond as the man who carried him laid him out on a gurney in the back of a van of the same navy blue. His father's voice spoke dispassionately about what happened. Fresco fought exhaustion and confusion to find the strength to call out.

"Tell him this is the last one we'll take," Ray was saying. "We're done doing his dirty work. Either the plan works on what he's accomplished, or it fails."

Fresco's desperate need to reach his father froze as he registered those words with shock.

"He won't like it," one of the men said. "But I'll tell him. Do you have everything under control here?"

Ray muttered something Fresco missed, turning away so he couldn't hear him clearly. He searched the back of the van with his eyes, the only mobile part of himself, terrified and knowing now he was very much alone. His inability to move or speak brought back the panic and, with it, the fire. But it burned itself out instantly. Fresco had nothing left to give it.

The man who carried him bent over him from a seat next to his gurney and set one hand on his arm, smiling a charming smile.

"No worries, kid," the man's eyes shone impossible blue, glowing from within. The blue of the sky in the City, Fresco thought. "You're on your way to a better place now."

Fresco wanted to protest, to call out to his mother. Surely she still cared for him! But he only managed a low moan. The man nodded.

"I know, believe me. You'll be fine. Just hang in there."

Fresco heard the sounds of the others piling into the van, feeling it rock with their weight.

"I hope it was worth it," Ray said bitterly. No one answered him.

Fresco managed the monumental effort of lifting his head enough to see his father standing at the back of the vehicle. His last view of Ray was a flat, unfriendly stare, chilling him to the core as the man beside him leaned forward to slam the back doors shut. Fresco, his energy wasted on his father, dropped his head back to the gurney.

The van rocked one last time as the driver's door closed. With a rumble, it started up.

"You got that kid out yet, Strom?" The driver's voice was harsh. Fresco felt the van begin to move and found he was finally able to move himself a little, if he struggled. He had no desire to move. Hopelessness filled him. The one named Strom watched impassively as he bent over Fresco, loading a syringe.

"Sorry, kid," he said as he inserted the needle in Fresco's arm. "It'll all be over before you know it."

He moaned in protest as the blackness returned.

***

Fresco opened his eyes in the Diamond City. Relief flooded him, followed by calm. This time was different. He was lying down, for some reason. He felt the bump and vibration of wheels beneath him as the City flashed around him. The song was so powerful he felt deaf from the pressure of it. But, his relief at being home settled him deep into peace and he stopped fighting.

He looked up with little interest at the man pushing his gurney and realized with a slight shock that for the first time he was seeing another person in the City. Fresco smiled at the glowing, sparkling man in faceted white who gazed kindly down on him.

"Welcome," the man said in a voice much like the familiar song. "We're so happy to have you back, Fresco."

Fresco's smile widened. "Thank you," he said, marveling at the sound of his own voice. He never noticed before how beautiful it was, melodic and exactly a match to the harmonies flooding him. Nothing in his life ever felt so right. Tears welled in his eyes. He absently reached up to touch them. When he pulled his hand away, he was delighted to see he, too was a creature of gemstones and light. The moisture balanced on his fingertip was a perfect puddle of shimmering beauty.

They seemed to travel forever and yet the time went by quickly. Everything appeared slung at a different angle. He usually saw the City from his own two feet. The experience of being pushed through on his back was both surreal and relaxing at the same time. He found himself immersed for long intervals in the song itself, losing his awareness in it.

Finally, they reached the tall, castle-like core. Fresco felt the melody swell to welcome him. For the first time since he could remember, the gate to the castle was closed and dark. They waited as the beautiful doors eased open, the light shining through growing brighter and brighter. Fresco's heart overflowed with joy, so much he was sure it would stop at any moment and he would die content. He let out a soft sigh of happiness.

"Almost there," his companion said. "Soon you will be home again and we will love you and care for you forever."

The man pushed. Fresco watched as the light of the castle gate drew nearer and nearer until the threshold pressed like a thin barrier of force against his feet.

As he passed through the film and was pushed into the light, he faintly heard Daniel's voice crying, "NO!"

The light engulfed Fresco, so bright he needed to shield his eyes, although he didn't want to miss a thing. For the first time he would know what was beyond the gate. He and Daniel tried many times to pass through into the castle but never succeeded, always waking up as they neared its light. Fresco remembered he passed through that night. Or the night before. Or was it a week ago? Did his old life really happen? Time was so different in the City. He had no memory of what was on the other side.

When his vision returned, he blinked away tears brought on by the brightness and gaped in awe at the towering splendor of the castle's interior. The entire building was one single room of spun crystal, reaching up to the impossibly blue sky. Gemstone birds swooped and played far above and even some clouds of silver dust floated within the delicate arches of the ceiling. The song of the City was the loudest here and sang in his very bones. He felt himself floating and looked down to see himself settling in a reclining throne made of one giant gem. He slid his hands down its polished arms, marveling at the silky smoothness, pulsing with warmth and light. The throne seemed to engulf him in a loving embrace and he fell into it joyfully.

He laughed out loud in happiness when he saw there were other people there as well, beautiful women, tall and elegant in shimmering white dresses of gauze and handsome, charming men with perfect teeth glittering when they smiled at him. And they were all smiling at him. Their love for him touched deep, and their voices whispered, whispered at him, welcomed him, embraced him as did the song. Fresco wept at the welcome in which they engulfed him and found heaven.

A small, sweet-faced man with lovely sparkling glasses bent over Fresco, his smile a drink of honey. Fresco grinned at him, wanting to touch his glasses and the halo of shining silver hair, but the man gently set Fresco's hands aside.

"Soon," he said. "Soon, my Fresco. Do you know how special you are?"

He nodded. Of course he knew. He'd always known. No wonder he and Daniel played those games of make-believe. They were right all along. They were princes of the Diamond City and Fresco finally found his way back again. He would stay here forever and ever. The only thing blunting his all-consuming joy was the fact Daniel wasn't with him.

"You are a great gift," the man told him. "My gift to the world."

Fresco didn't understand, but he also didn't care.

The man turned and gestured to the others. When his hand moved, a dusting of shimmering stars fell from him to land on Fresco. Delighted, he moved his own hand and saw he too had stars on his skin. He looked up to ask where they came from to find all of the smiling men and woman circled around him.

"It's time," the sweetly bespectacled man said. "Are you ready?"

Fresco nodded, love and peace overcoming everything. He was born for this. He was absolutely ready.

With his same gentle smile lighting his eyes behind the sparkling glass lenses, the man lifted a shard of diamond in his hand and drove it into Fresco's heart.

***

pain pain pain pain pain... PAINPAINPAINPAIN-

did he have a voice? what was a voice again? a sound drove through everything and made his face ache (he had a face?) screaming? (what was screaming?) ...endless, endless pain and pain and pain and pain...

images flashing, bright and sharp edged and PAINFUL and it wouldn't stop, didn't stop, he couldn't couldn't couldn't... endure couldn't too much painandpainand...

shadows, floating above the pain but so little time, so brief, long enough to twitch his hands (are for holding and have fingers) and feet (are for walking and have toes) and always the dagger of diamond in his heart and the song, the terrible song, too much, so much, too much...

and the minds in his mind, pulling him apart... who was he who are you who are they... stabbing and ripping and grinding and peeling, severing him from everything he was (just let me die!) and putting him back together again only to rip and shred and slice...

And.

Then.

Stillness.

Until the fire came and burned him up.

***