Chapter 5:

Chapter 5

Millenium Cowboy


Sting of Survival

A camera zoomed into Johnny as another member of the press began holding a microphone to his face for an interview.

“This is Darren Penbur of News Channel Fridge, on the scene now with our newest winner of the Zenron Hover Race, Johnny Millenium!” Darren announced. This certainly wasn’t the way Johnny wanted to win. He pocketed the pistol he still had been holding.

“One thing that impressed me was your ability to be calm without losing that sense of adrenaline to make it to the finish line,” Darren commented.

“When do I get paid?” Johnny asked, stepping off the bike. The crowd and Darren laughed in unison.

The rest of the machines began to pass the finishing line now. First came Roxy Rocket in her pink convertible.

“Woo! Second place! Couldn’t have done it without my fans!” She screamed blowing kisses to the camera. The crowd swarmed around her and after a moment of admiration and many pictures Mondo crossed the line in third and rolled up to Johnny.

“Veteran pilot Mondo Duplantis crosses in third! Incredible!” Darren announced running up to his truck.

“I thought for sure that guy in the tank would cross before you,” Johnny said with a smirk.

“We had some tricks up our sleeves to deal with him,” Mondo said, patting his truck on the hood.

Suddenly a silence fell over the audience as a giant metal legged bodyguard dressed in a tuxedo that towered over the rest of the audience who all backed away somewhat in his presence. He was wheeling up a much smaller man in a motorized hoverchair. Johnny knew from the atmosphere surrounding this man that it had to be Diablo Riddle. Mondo quietly sat back in his truck to give Johnny and Diablo their space as he quietly observed.

“Johnny. I didn’t expect you’d be here” He said as he was wheeled up to him.

“Neither did I honestly,” Johnny answered. He was struggling not to look at the horrifying creature before him. Time had taken away more than Diablo Riddle could earn back in profits. Skin had begun to droop and sag off of his face forming a most despicable expression. Wires came out of the top of his head to connect to the motorized hoverchair he rode in everywhere he went. Despite this, his clothes were neatly pressed and no doubt very expensive and covered his sogging, doughy figure.

Diablo extended a crusted black fingernail and brushed it against Johnny’s face.

“You’ve grown up a lot. I was sorry to hear about your old man,” Diablo said in a wheezy voice.

“Not enough to stop yourself from stealing from me apparently,” Johnny said.

“A debt is a debt Johnny. Your brother stole from me,” Diablo explained.

“Just what did my brother steal? I find it hard to believe he could pull off a heist on his own,” Johnny inquired as Diablo turned his chair to him to look out at the view of the city.

“What do you expect to find by digging through all this ancient history? Your brother is gone. It’s best to forget about it and move on. Don’t make the same mistakes he did by sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong. So why don’t you go back to your bar and pretend like this never took place,” Diablo said in a threatening voice as they looked off of Diablo Tower at the Grand Plant glowing in the center of Zenron, blowing smog into the night.

“It’s too late for that,” Johnny said, resolutely.

“Nuclear power is the blood of this city. The beauty of the Grand Plant never ceases to amaze me. I’m one of the few living people left who remembers what it was like to live outside of the domes. It was a nightmare, Johnny. People can’t handle life outside. That’s why it’s incumbent upon those in Inner Zenron and the ruling class to keep both ourselves and those in Outer Zenron safe,” Diablo explained.

“Is this supposed to scare me into not following my brother?” Johnny asked.

“No, but perhaps this will,” Diablo said, snapping his fingers. Johnny turned himself to the middle of the roof where two bodyguards suddenly emerged from an ascending platform with the scorched and brutalized body of Elmer Fairtrout. The crowd backed away as the bodyguards threw him to gravel. Johnny ran to him but it was too late; Elmer had long been deceased.

“What have you done?” Johnny asked with fear in his throat.

“You should thank me, Johnny. This man was planning to scam you. No one leaves Zenron without me knowing, Johnny. Not you or your brother,” Diablo said, nonchalantly.

“Where is he?” Johnny said, with fire in his eyes.

“Your brother has been gone for a long time, Johnny. I wanted to spare you that heart ache. But I suppose you and he are ripped from the same cloth,” Diablo said in a disappointed tone. Johnny jumped up to charge at Diablo but was grabbed by both his bodyguards.

“I don’t want to be forced to do anything worse to you, Johnny. I already had to take back the money your brother stole when he couldn’t procure a legal passport. Don’t make me do to you what I had to him,” Diablo spat out, menacingly. Johnny felt an overwhelming urge to reach for the pistol residing in his breast pocket come over himself. If only he could get past the two guards holding him.

Then in the midst of the roaring crowd and tense pondering a sudden bang rang out through the still night. A small hole appeared in Diablo’s head where streams of blood began to slowly dribble down. He leaned back in his chair causing it to hover backwards off of the roof and gently float off into the city below like a neon messiah. The reporters and media leaned over the roof to capture the sight as hordes of fans and other civilians began running around in a panic. Johnny looked off to the source of the shot and saw Daisy standing with a handgun beside her hover car. Then as she looked at Johnny it almost seemed as if everything slowed down and it was just like those nights when it was just him and her in the bar again.

“Let’s go!” She shouted. As Johnny came to his senses, he was able to throw off his bodyguards into the panicking crowd and run into the open arms of Daisy. They embraced until Mondo stepped out of his machine and admired their affection which made them awkwardly backstep.

“Well, I’m glad you’re alive,” Daisy said.

“We should go,” Johnny said. Suddenly a shot blasted off the headlights on Mondo’s truck making them all duck. They looked around and saw the giant metal legged bodyguard in a tuxedo holding a shotgun walking towards them.

“You two get out of here, I’ll handle these folks,” Mondo said, sitting back in his machine.

“Thanks for everything,” Johnny said, holding out his hand. Mondo shook it and smiled.

“Don’t mention it kid,” Mondo said, taking out his flask. He tried to take a swig but then dropped it on the ground in defeat, “Bah, great timing!”

“Guess it’s a good thing we’re bartCreedence!” Daisy said, holding out a mini bottle of tequila.

“You’re a keeper, babe! Outta the way people!” Mondo shouted, ramming straight into the bodyguard, “Woops, did I do that?” Mondo said, acting drunk as he stumbled out of his truck. Darren Penbur ran over with a camera man to Mondo. Johnny and Daisy then hopped in their hover car and sped away.

“Now third place winner, Mondo Duplantis has run over a member of the crowd in a drunken stupor. But wait! As I’m delivering this to you, new Hover Race Champion, Johnny Millenium has run off with the armed gunman. Is this a kidnapping? I don’t get paid enough to be covering these jobs, Chuck!” Darren announced.

Meanwhile Johnny and Daisy started swirling down the circling road around Riddle Tower. They were heading down the tower at top speed like a huge slide, narrowly avoiding falling off into the city below. As they reached the bottom they realized they had no pursuers and were able to slow down.

“Where do we go now?” Daisy asked.

“We have to leave Zenron. There’s no way We’ll get away with killing Diablo Riddle,” Johnny answered.

“But how will we leave? You never got a passport!” Daisy told him.

“I have a feeling we’ll figure something out,” Johnny said confidently. Suddenly a loud blast erupted on the road behind him.

“Holy crap in a cola, what now?!” Daisy yelled looking backwards, “Woah, punch it Johnny!” Johnny slammed the gas as a familiar laugh sounded from behind the car.

“Hahaha, the race isn’t over Johnny!” Tyrell Vagris shouted from atop his tank.

“This guy never gives up!” Johnny said as they turned onto the highway.

“Don’t worry I’ve got this,” Daisy said, confidently. She popped her head out of the window and then pointed her gun at the pursuing tank. She aimed and then pulled the trigger in the direction of Tyrell. Tyrell laughed and then simply ducked his head into the tank. Then he shot a blast making Johnny swerve the car, bumping into a guardrail and making Daisy drop the gun.

“Did you get him?” Johnny asked.

“The man’s in a tank!” Daisy shouted back. They were almost out of Inner Zenron now and heading towards Outer Zenron.

“Give up Johnny!” Tyrell shouted with a maniacal laugh. Johnny crossed the border into Inner Zenron and got off another exit.

“Do something Johnny, he’s gonna roast us like marshmallows!” Daisy said, cowering in her seat.

“I’m trying,” Johnny answered while avoiding the blasts from his cannon. Then, almost by the hand of god, a blast shot through Tyrell’s tank. Tyrell as well as Johnny both looked around for who could have possibly done that. Then there was another. Followed by an entire gang of bikers that surrounded the tank and started throwing bombs into it. Tyrell Screamed in frustration and tried to move his cannons to take out the bikes but they were two fast and before he knew it a grenade had landed in his cockpit and then the entire tank exploded from the inside out.

“No way, I think I’ve served some of these guys!” Daisy said, looking out her window. One of the bikers rode up beside Johnny. Johnny rolled down his window to listen to him.

“We’re all rooting for you Johnny, get out of here!” He said before driving off.

“I wonder what that meant?” Johnny said, wondering why that guy was rooting for him. As he drove through Lower Zenron it started to become clear to him though. Something he did on TV must have resonated with the souls in this community because they all came out to wave to him and support him as he drove by. Old people, young people, gangsters, con artists, weirdos, clowns, prostitutes, dogs, drug dealers, black market traders, mutants, even children. Friends and foes alike came out to see him drive by and they all joined in chanting Johnny’s name.

Then as Johnny arrived at the gates of Zenron and the Zenronian guards mounted their defense against him, it was the people of lower Zenron that forced them to lower their weapons and open those gates which for so long had been closed.

As Johnny stepped up to the gates of Zenron he couldn’t help but feel he had a shadow reflected on his soul. Perhaps it was his brother. Perhaps it was Diablo Riddle. Perhaps it was Creedence Clearwater. Perhaps it was even his father. All he knew was that deep down he had a feeling that in reaching this point he had to be the bad person. It clawed at his mind that in losing his life it was really Diablo who had truly given his life to the good of Zenron.

Daisy warmly smiled at Johnny and held out her hand. He took it in his own hand and they opened the gates to the outside world together.

This fear disappeared the moment they stepped outside and admired the beauty and scope of the real open sky and lush green life stretching for miles beyond the dome. The harmony in the wildlife living in unison with what the planet gave to them. The unreachable sun washed over them and bathed him for the first time in its radiant light. Water flowed and moved to the rhythm of the planet’s natural curves and gathered in calm springs. Trees sprang forth like hair on the body reaching into the endless horizon. Flowers blew in the wind and colored the beautiful unmarked land. Clouds moved in radically unpredictable patterns, marking the sky with white fluffiness.

Johnny looked at Daisy who had a single tear forming in her eye. He grasped her hand and then reached into his breast pocket. Then at a tiny puddle beside the gates of Zenron he tossed aside both his gun and his check. After that, he and Daisy walked into the setting sun and closed the gates on Zenron forever.