Page 22 of Vapor (BSC #32)

I shake my head and refocus on the stage that has fog rolling across it.

I’m not breathing wetter or humid air so it’s virtual.

Teller laughs. Whatever. I have the baby and take a big step away from the intrusive reader.

He isn’t complaining so I get the kid. He laughs at me again, but I got the kid that smells like a baby air freshener.

I love that about babies, they always smell of lotion or powder like an air freshener.

When they lose the aerator ability and work the sewage one, the parents take them. It’s a good racket for single people.

Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch start singing, “ Good Vibration .” It’s an odd and old song but it’s fun and funny.

Music plays and kids pop up from the fog like they’re rising from the dead.

It looks eerie as hell but we’re all smiling and my baby boy kicks his feet like he wants to play too.

Julius takes the baby from me. I glare at him and miss the change of voices from Marky Marks low to the woman’s high that got the crowd mumbling.

Leaning in, I take the other baby boy from a smiling Teller.

He doesn’t care. I love that and smile right back then take a quick step away from the flashing green eyes. That’s just weird.

Nash rises out of the fog and lip-syncs the girl part again making me laugh.

His eyes take on what looks like a brain freeze, changing his surprised eyes to wincing, as if in pain trying to reach the high notes.

His brows don’t stop moving, keeping the drama building as the Alpha-Bits float in and out of the fog to answer him.

It’s all lip-syncing but looks so real and not easy in the least. I got to hand it to them all for entertaining what can’t be easily entertained bikers where legendary and magic are daily occurrences.

“Alpha-Bits are amazing Brothers. Seren said they danced but this is like a professionally choreographed number.” Julius makes me laugh as the music changes.

Four kids from Rescue float out of the fog and the lyrics shows floating above them.

This is, “ What about us ,” by Pink. They sing the first verse before more of the Rescue Club kids float up around the field of fog.

They must roll into position quickly to make it look like they appeared out of the fog to sing the second verse.

“ What about us? What about all the plans that end in disaster ?” Has tears leaking from my eyes.

The baby boy holds my arm sending little ripples of heat spreading up it.

Why I keep watching the kids and don’t give the little alien boy back to his equally weird dad is something to look at tomorrow.

Right now, kids with cuts on stand and answer the questions with Hootie and the Blowfish’s, “ Hold my Hand. ” They switch back and forth asking and answering in a way that I know lyrics were changed for the kids but I don’t know either song well enough to know what’s different.

The Alpha-Bits aren’t center stage but they might as well be, the boys can dance and move as if their last name is Jackson.

The rescue kids seem to be having fun with it.

I haven’t seen many smiles from them and know this is the reason the Alpha-Bits are not spotlighted and the kids are included.

They fit together perfectly, if it weren’t for the different singers and different songs, or like Julius, those imperfections are what makes it perfect.

The songs answer in a way that comforts and we all can see it working its way into the kids, they started with sad questions coming from slumped shouldered kids and end with louder, confident, open kids standing tall with a more relaxed air about them.

I touch Susie’s hand as she walks by. Her smile says it all.

The girl has been crying almost constantly so I asked Sarah to talk with her.

She cries whenever anyone looks sad, I think she feels it like Sarah does.

The colonel said Sarah was too emotional, I didn’t agree and took her for the Specter Team without hesitation.

The girl stops and takes the baby from me. I get a hug and she stands between me and Teller but I lost my little air freshener.

Julius laughs and hands me the first boy I was holding. “You look happy to hold them.”

I nod. “They’re like little air fresheners. I love the lotion or powder smell.”

“Until they need a change.” He laughs and bends for Greg to climb on his back.

He’s right so I give him that in the form of a quick kiss, then look up at Cort and the other Presidents.

The fog is just gone. “Brothers, your entertainment started with the Alpha-Bits to loosen you up then the Little Brothers with Tyson and his crews finding a way to welcome the rescue kids into Badass. They all did a great job. Show them we mean it when we say we’ve got a hand for you.

” Cort waits for the cheers to die down.

“I am impressed with our newest Club. They’ve run two rescues for adults and used the money to rescue kids trafficked to other countries by people taking advantage of no adult protection in their homes.

” He shakes his head. “The new SOAR Club at Veritable Rising are Night Stalkers and what our newest President, Vapor, calls strays. They’re elite operatives that did the classified jobs all around the world.

We seem to have quite a few of those. The reason I bring up Vapor is she said something that struck me.

Julius Ross told her his mom stole an old Badass Bible and gave him lessons she overheard his dad, the president of Michigan, give in Church.

I never met Tito but these words are ones I’d have stolen from him. ” He pauses for the Brothers laughing.

“She repeated his words, ‘Badass isn’t about the best shot, the fastest runner, strongest weightlifter or leader that makes no mistakes. Badass is about the Brother that teaches patience, practice and the wisdom they’ve learned while spotting, logging or timing your practices.

It’s about owning your mistakes in a way that teaches you to remember them just as much as the battles you won.

Badass is about ‘Being Legendary .’ I wish I had heard that before today.

I would have gotten Jack and Rangers’ honor quicker; Ben Knights need to share his mistakes and Justices absolute belief that every life is worth as much as his.

Be Legendary are words Julius has going down his leg in ink.

He said it’s about being remembered for the right you choose over the millions of options out there in the world.

Badass makes it easier for him to believe it.

He never knew his dad. If you see him at the pool, you’ll see his ink is in the Badass script.

He thought it was a comic book thing his mom gave him.

Alder looked it up and showed Vapor the grainy video of Michigan’s Church while they were on a rescue Op in the new jet.

If I know Alder, Tito will be on a hologram board at Julius’ new Club so he’ll get the chance to know what kind of man his dad was. ”

We all turn when Alder stands on his chair. “Roger, Pres Cort. Tape boxed to storage, ABSZ IT upload. One, two day they finish. Boss Natalia give me two day build hologram to SOAR.” Alder sits.

Cort shakes his head. “Julius, Ranger and Jack will like that, thank you, Brother.”

Alder stands again. “VP Jack, Boss Ranger have father to kid lessons same to Pres Crow, Boss Reed. Add Pres Tito make easy job to Boss Natalia.”

Cort nods looking at the Officers. Justice steps up. “VA Vapor and Officers, step on up, Brothers. President Vapor is now Vapor Ross and the new cut shows that name. Her original was Kwolek and yes, her mom invented Kevlar.”

Mucimi appears and takes the baby I’m holding. I’m surprised by how many people showed up while I was busy holding babies and watching the kids. I know they all didn’t just appear. I should have seen all this. Scanning faces, I see many that are familiar and relax.

“Parade form, double,” I tell the SOAR members softly. We make the stage center together and stop together.

Cort smiles but Justice is still the voice of Badass today.

He does a whole ceremony that has Presidents putting cuts on us as he talks reminding me of the oaths and creeds we pledge, the ones Julius reminded me of.

Badass deserves my fidelity and I’m touched by the confidence I hear in my Club as they repeat the Brothers pledge. They feel it too.

“Do you have words for the kids you’ve rescued.” Justice surprises me.

I nod and step out of formation. “My words are not just for kids but for any who may need them. I went from high school into the military. I’ve spent my adult life fighting for the idea of democracy for a nation built as an experiment.

I came home to people who hate me for being a soldier, for being a woman.

Neighbors who tried threats to get my property so they could have a shortcut they never asked for, but stole.

Driving across the country, I saw so many angry unhappy people, it made me reevaluate what that fight was for.

So many of my team and fellow enlisted Brothers are falling in wars because of corruption and greed.

The same can be said for the communities we think we’re fighting and dying for.

Too many here at home are losing their battle to be free in the land of the free.

Apparently, it is free only if you are white, male and moneyed.

I was reminded of our oaths and creeds today; we need those more than ever in this theater of America that has forgotten that politicians serve the people.

Like here in Badass, the military serve the country, the community and our families.

I have two groups of kids that may not believe it but those words are in our oaths and creeds.

We have women and kids brought up in slavery, the constitution has an amendment abolishing that.

Women got the right to autonomy and to own property because of Rowe V Wade but it has been repealed.

I heard a man on the radio say the amendment giving me the right to vote should be repealed too.

I looked him up. He never served a day in the military, never did more than get rich as a Senator.

He forgot that his purpose is to serve the people of his state, this state.

I will be sure to show up come Election Day.

We fight for the constitution preserving freedom for all.

We fight for the truth and justice being upheld by our courts and we fight for our country, community and families to live free and equal.

I did not fight for a man to take away my rights while I defend his.

I did not fight so the majority of the civil servants we call congressmen and senators corrupt a system meant to protect the very people they’re stealing from.

Today, SOAR wears their new uniforms proudly, pledging that our newest oath is the most important one we have ever given and we will defend it as if your lives depend on it.

If you need us, we will show up. In the community, we will be present.

In a battle, we will be ferocious. Because Badass, as with the military, reminds us that our Brothers always come before ourselves, we will be Legendary! ”

The kids and Brothers get so loud, I don’t hear my Club get the order to salute.

I see them at attention holding that salute when I turn to get back in formation.

Back in position, I hear Jones order ease and stand at ease with my Club.

They weren’t saluting me, they were saluting Badass, the kids and the slaves. Our new oath is righteous.

Cort stands in front of us. “I think the new SOAR Club understands Badass well. It is with honor that we celebrate their opening this weekend. I’m so fuckin’ proud of our new Club being Badass before they knew we were waiting for them.” Cort knew?

Keeping my head straight, my eyes flick over and stop on Julius.

He nods and bends toward Teller, getting words I can’t read.

Julius stands tall and nods for me holding a finger up.

He’ll tell me when we’re done here. I give a long blink getting a smile from him.

I love the boy next door hottie that understands looks without words.