The Autumn Aircraft: Avery's Recruits

J.M. Barber

Avery’s Recruits

May 2016

1

You can’t bring a gun to school. 

              Well, of course he couldn’t. Guns were the kind of things concealed in the backpacks of the hopeless losers who couldn’t accept the fact that there were other, wiser ways of getting a message across. The message he wanted to send would only require what most considered a bit of magic. But what it was really was a bit of beautiful science.  After all, Avery Johnston was here to save people, not kill them, which a large piece of rock promised to do to everyone within a decade.

              Avery Johnston kept his hands clasped under his chin, looking out at everyone in the cafeteria.  He had dropped out of school for the sake of the world, literally, a few months ago, without any intention of coming back.  Plus, he wasn’t wanted here by the staff either. And cops had some questions for him to answer.  But he’d walked into the cafeteria nonetheless, and took a seat, knowing the potential consequences, but understanding one thing for certain. 
The time had come to spread the word.
As for the ones who responded positively to this truth, he and the others could sift through to see who was a snitch, a spy, genuine, or along to sabotage all he was and all that he fought for.

             
Your intention can no longer remain a secret.

              “Mind if I sit here?”

              Avery Johnston hadn’t seen the chubby boy with a torn shirt and glasses approach, had missed the overloaded tray of food—extra helpings you had to pay for—held in his fat hands.  But he’d seen this guy many times before, sitting in the cafeteria alone when he’d last attended high school.  Even when this boy sat at a table with someone he was still alone. 
Poor kid.
  Avery Johnston looked silently at him for a moment.  Normally Avery would’ve been seated with Alan and Danny—they were involved in their own business at the moment—and this chubby boy with the glasses would’ve gone somewhere else.

              “No, I don’t mind at all,” Avery said.  “Go ahead.”

              The boy sat down. Began shoving fries into his mouth in a manner that solved the riddle as to why he was overweight in the first place. Avery waited a few moments, then pushed his chair back and stood up from the table, his backpack slung over one shoulder.  Avery moved to the center of the cafeteria.  In all directions, students talked, laughed, and ate their food. Maybe it was Avery’s imagination, but he had always felt that toward the end of the year, the vibe in a school, whether middle-school or high school, was far more easy-going.  He liked this.

              “Okay,” Avery said, stopping when he reached the center of the room.He was now surrounded by students eating their lunches. He put his backpack of personal items on the on the floor. It was filled with a number of things meant to take back to where everything was headquartered and was only brought out of necessity. A number of students cocked their heads over their shoulders to look at him. Some chuckled and some looked simply bemused. Then they turned back to their food, shaking their heads.

             
“Motherfucker’s off.”             

              “Yeah, probably going to start jerking off in front of everyone for no reason.  Better watch your back.  Remember that Dave Chappelle standup?”

             
Chuckles followed this but Avery ignored them.  He started rubbing his hands together, looking from table to table, and glancing in the direction of several school security officials leaned against the wall just outside the eating area.

              Avery clapped his hands together three hard times to bring everyone to attention. 

              “I need everyone’s eyes over here,” Avery called out, making sure to keep his voice loud and steady.  “Yeah, you heard me right, I need everyone’s attention over here!  The sooner I can get it, the sooner I can be out of here!”

             
“Hey…I have an idea!  How about getting out of here now!”
someone shouted from a far off, safer corner of the room.  The person got what they were looking for, because a number of students burst into laughter at this comment.

              “Come on now!” Avery said, clapping his hands together a few more times.  He was starting to get irritated, but didn’t let it show.  Boy, these seniors and juniors loved to rag on the lowerclassmen, and Avery had left school a sophomore so he qualified as such.

              Soon, it seemed like everyone in the area was cracking jokes.  But Avery kept his cool.

              “Come on,” Avery said, clapping his hands together, yet again.  “I have some information you’re going to want to hear.  Trust me, this shit’s exciting.”

              “Like what?” someone shouted from far off to the left, almost angrily.  A few snickers followed this.  Avery let out a sigh.

             
“Like information about how this world is coming to an end!”
Avery shouted, realizing that trying to remain calm was accomplishing nothing.  This quieted some of the students.  The drumming on the tables and ceaseless chuckles had finally come to a halt.  Now, at least for the moment, Avery had their attention.  And the attention he did have, he knew, was tentative at best.  He’d have to make this good.

              “Now, you probably think I’m crazy!” Avery said, casting his eyes on the men with the yellow shirts, the school security.  They were the ones he needed to watch, if any of the rumors about the government were true.  “Fact is, I’m the sanest person in this school!  Sane enough to know that there’s no point in getting an education here and that there’s more of a point in joining the cause, my cause!  The cause of the—”

             
“Grab your bag Mr. Johnston, and come with me!”

             
He’d taken his eyes off the school officials for one second and what happens next?  One of the school officials proves that the rumors are indeed true. 

So the lying extends to the school,
Avery thought. 
Well, that’s good to know.

He turned back toward the hall, saw that a school official with tied back red hair had moved forward, her walkie-talkie held firmly in one hand.

              “All right,” Avery said, ignoring her and instead continuing to speak to many students around him.  They were all silent now.  All looking stone-faced, in his direction.  “Don’t get scared, okay?”

             
“Mr. Johnston,”
the lady said again, her voice louder now. 
“I’m not going to ask you again!  Get your—”

             
And without a great flash or even a wide wave of Avery’s arm, with only the smallest flick of Avery’s hand, the woman was still.  As still as one of the cafeteria tables or the school statue out front.  He’d actually planned a demonstration, filled with a bunch of projected, virtual effects that would make the students feel like they were out in space, but it didn’t look like that was going to happen.  It looked like he’d be on a time crunch.  He had everyone’s full attention though, that was for sure.  The students had their eyes all fixed on the lady with the walkie-talkie, the slight folds that developed in her clothes from her natural movement as frozen as the rest of her.

             
“Ms. Emery?”
asked a female student nearby.

              “Don’t worry about her,” Avery said.  “No, you listen to me.  I don’t have much time and trust me, you’re going to want to hear everything I have to say.”  He turned around slowly as he spoke, making sure to make eye contact with as many students as possible in this short space of time.  “I’m not going to be out in the open after today!  Any connections you want to make to me are going to have to be made through a third party.”  He paused for a second.  “The end of the world is going to be here in ten years and the—”

              Avery didn’t need to look, he already knew.  He reached in his pocket, grabbed what looked like the slick steel handle of a knife, turned, and threw it, hard and fast.  It spun like a Chinese star, headed out of the cafeteria and into the hall, directly toward a bulky, white, male security guard.  It connected with his neck, and instead of falling back as expected, he fell forward on his stomach.  The next instant the man rolled over, and was grabbing at the handle of the weapon, as if meaning to pull it free but being unable.  He gurgled.  He kicked.

              “He’ll live,” Avery said.  “There’s not even a blade on that knife, it’s only meant to simulate the effect of a real one.  It’s all done with electrical currents.  He’s going to think he’s dying until I pull it free or he passes out.  Anyway, for the students who think I’m crazy, notice the taser that man’s holding.  Since when does school security bring tasers to school!  Now—” Avery looked at the security guards watching him from the hall, flicked his wrist, and like Ms. Emery, they became immediately still, as if turning to statues.  Avery beckoned to them with one hand and all of them flew in his direction, up in the air, still like the most realistic looking mannequins you’ve ever seen.  Avery brought them to a halt in the center of the cafeteria, right above Ms. Emery.  He let them drop on top of her. After a moment of consideration, he decided to leave the security guard with the taser on the ground.

              Gasps now rolled from table to table, almost like a chorus line.  Students were finally understanding that Avery wasn’t just a run of the mill student, and Avery was glad.

             
“Oh, you devil motherfucker you,”
another student, conveniently out of sight, murmured.

              “They’re okay,” Avery said.  “Just, well…frozen.”  He chuckled.  “All right, I need to make this quick because before long the whole world is going to be on my ass.  Now, there are meteors headed toward Earth.  It’s fucking true, don’t act confused, take it like it’s the word of God.  First one hits in three years and is due to wipe out South America.  A mix of dirt and waves that seem as tall as the sky will blot out the sun like the devil’s most desired wet dream.  Second one is due to arrive a year later and will likely wipe out China, you staying with me?  The most populated country on Earth will be left in fire and ashes.  Now, I don’t want to get into the socioeconomic reasons of why there will be a heavy residual effect, just know that there
will,
in fact, be a heavy residual effect.  The U.S. will be fucked long before the meteor of 2021 hits and takes out half the country, and long before that meteor comes, hopefully, you guys can be a part of the bigger picture.”  Avery paused and looked silently at everyone.  This part was for effect.  He listened.  It was quiet enough to hear a piece of lead drop. 

“I’m working on a project.  And it’s a project that I can’t promise will save your lives.  But it’ll give you the opportunity to save lives at the very least, it will give you the opportunity to give your life meaning, and perhaps, if you prove yourself as would be needed, it might just save your life as well.  That is why I am here now.  That’s why I am speaking to the most packed room in this school.  Spread the word, baby.  That’s what I need you to do.  Spread the motherfucking word.”