Seeing Boston with Denver was quite an experience. She seemed to know her way around and she seemed to want to show Remy every inch of the city. Remy was just grateful that he was used to long walks. They went to Quincy market, Haymarket square, and the US Constitution, just to name a few. They even considered going into the aquarium, but the long lines made them change their minds.
After lunch, Denver suggested they walk around the Boston commons. They walked over there and started exploring. It was a warm day and people were taking full advantage of this oasis of nature in the middle of the city. Families, couples, children, and older people were walking talking, picnicking, riding in the swan boats and just in general, enjoying the day. A fair distance from where Remy and Denver were walking, a group of people looked to be setting up for some sort of get together, or demonstration.
"Wonder what dat is all about?" Remy asked, looking over at the people.
Denver shrugged. "Around here, who knows. Could be happy Christians wanting to spread the news, or Jews for Jesus. Maybe even a political group suggesting we all become communist."
Remy chuckled, reaching into his pocket for his cigarettes. When he pulled out the pack, he was disappointed to see it was empty. "Damn," he mumbled.
"What's wrong?" Denver asked.
"I've run out of smokes," Remy explained.
"Oh whew!" Denver grinned. "For a moment, I thought you were upset with me."
"Never, Chere," He turned, drew her close to him and kissed her softly on the lips. "You are too special to be mad at."
She returned his kiss with one equally as sweet. "Ah, my silver tongued Cajun. You mean so much to me...."
"Enough to run get me a pack of smokes?" he asked, his eyes twinkling beneath his glasses.
"Enough to let you run to get your own," she shot back, her own eyes sparkling. "I'm not going to go buy you something that will only lead you to an early grave."
He laughed. "Well, do you 'ave any objections to me goin' an' getting a pack myself? You can come with me if'n you want."
She shook her head. "Please yourself. I'll stay here and watch the people set up for their demonstration or talk or whatever it is..."
Remy pull her close again, kissing her neck. "If dat's the way it's gotta be, I'll be wit' you soon."
"Sure," She kissed his cheek. "Then we can sit quietly in the park and neck like crazy."
"That's a thought to make me run as fast as I can."
Remy only meant to be gone a fifteen minutes or so at the most, but he didn't count on a couple things, the first being that it took him about ten minutes to locate a drugstore that sold cigarettes, the second being that the lines inside the place were impossibly long. It seemed like everyone had chosen Saturday afternoon to do all their drugstore shopping for the entire year. To make it worse, this place had no express line. Sighing impatiently, Remy waited for his chance.
When there was only one person ahead of him, he heard the sound of a bullhorn. The store's air conditioning wasn't working so the door was open, which let the sound in much clearer than would have been it had been shut. Remy cocked his head and listened.
"PEOPLE OF BOSTON!" the voice on the other end of the bullhorn blared. "WE ARE BEING INVADED BY A FORCE, THE LIKES OF WHICH MANKIND HAS NEVER KNOWN BEFORE! A FORCE SO TERRIFYING AND POWERFUL THAT THEY MUST BE STOPPED NOW BEFORE THEY TAKE OVER. "
What the 'ell is this guy talkin' about? Remy wondered, for it was a male voice speaking.
"THOUGH THEY MAY LOOK LIKE US, ACT LIKE US AND EVEN TALK LIKE US, THEY ARE NOT US!" the voice continued to scream. "THEY ARE PEOPLE WITH AN INCREDIBLE POWER, AND THEY FULLY INTEND TO USE THIS POWER TO ENSLAVE MANKIND!"
"Excuse me," the woman in front of Remy said to the cashier. "I could have sworn the Dial soap was on sale. .25 off regular price!"
"No mam'," The cashier said. "Dial soap isn't on sale, it's Irish Springs."
"I AM TALKING OF COURSE, OF MUTANTS! PEOPLE BORN OF PERHAPS NORMAL PARENTS, BUT EVIL! PEOPLE WITH POWERS THE LIKE OF WHICH NO TRUE HUMAN BEING HAS EVER KNOWN!"
Sacre Bleu, even 'ere the mutant haters gather power, Remy thought. He tried to will the person in front of him to hurry up. He wanted to get his cigarettes as fast as he could, run back to Denver and get her out of there, for he had the strangest feeling this "protest" was coming from the group of people they had seen at the park. Although his glasses had protected him fairly well, Remy wasn't the type to take chances either. Their were rumors that some of these Mutant hating groups had even come up with detectors which could tell them if someone was a mutant by doing a bio scan.
"Well then, maybe I should get the Irish Springs..." The woman in front of him said, frowning as though this decision was the equivalent of deciding weather or not to press the button and vaporize all of Russia.
The clerk, a young girl, shot Remy a quick wink as though to say, I'm sorry, I don't mean this to take so long. "Mam, even without the quarter off, the Dial is a better deal than the Irish Springs. Irish Springs is .65 a bar, even with the sale, while the Dial is only .59 regular price.
"WE MUST ACT AND ACT NOW! THESE MUTANTS, THESE SO CALLED HOMO SUPERIORS WISH TO TAKE OUR JOBS, TAKE OVER OUR GOVERNMENT. SOME PROCLAIM TO BE SUPER HERO'S, BUT NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH! THEY ARE NOT THE NEXT STEP IN EVOLUTION, BUT AN INSULT IN THE FACE OF GOD ALMIGHTY WHO MADE US IN HIS IMAGE!"
"Yes, but is the Dial as good a soap as the Irish Springs?"
Remy wanted to yell at this woman, but knew it would only cause more problems. He bit his lip and tried not to fidget. Suddenly, the last place he wanted to be right now was in Boston.
"Yes Mam. Dial is just as good as Irish Springs. Better even."
"Well....."
Remy had enough. "Buy the damned soap!" he blurted out, before he could stop himself. The woman turned and looked at him with a cold, yet startled expression. "I-I'm sorry," he mumble."
"Hmf.." The woman turned and looked at the cashier. "Some people are so rude!"
The cashier shrugged, trying to remain as neutral as possible. "So, do you want to take the Dial?"
"Well, all right...."
T'ank you God! Remy silently prayed.
The cashier finished ringing up the woman's purchases, put them in a bag, took her money and gave her her change. "Have a nice day Mam."
"I'll try..." The woman turned and looked at Remy. "And maybe someday, someone will teach you some manners, young man!"
"Oui," Remy agreed. At that point he would have agreed to being the Antichrist himself if he thought it would get him out of there faster. "I am sorry, Chere. I should not have been so rude to someone as beautiful as you..."
The woman's expression suddenly softened. "Well, remember that the next time," she cooed, forgiving him.
"I will, Chere, t'ank you for reminding me. I did not mean to forget my manners." He turned to the cashier. "Two packs of Marlboro's please."
"Box or soft?"
"Box."
He handed the girl a ten dollar bill. As she rang up the order, he casually asked, "What is goin' on at the park? What is dis stuff I'm hearing' about Mutants an' all such."
"Oh, that!" She rolled her eyes as if she was disgusted. "Just the Boston division of SCAM acting up again. They do that every Saturday, come to the commons and have their little say. I wish they'd just shut up." She handed him his change. "Why? Are you a mutant? If you are, I'd suggest you stay as far away from them as you can. Those people are nuts."
"No, Chere, I am not a mutant," he lied, putting his change and cigarettes in his pocket. "But I was just curious why they're makin' all dat noise..." On an impulse, trying to look casual, he took the girls hand and kissed it. "It is such a shame that a pretty woman like you 'as to listen to such rude voices as she works."
The girl blushed. "Thanks," she whispered. "And do come back again."
He hurried towards the park. As he headed over, he noticed that the bullhorn had stopped blaring. If I'm lucky, de police or someone came to shut dem up, he thought, but in the pit of his stomach, he doubted it.
As he got closer, he realized that even though the bullhorn wasn't being used, people were still talking, and talking rather loudly. And one of the voices was Denver's. "Ah, Shit!" he cursed, listening and running even faster.
"Who the Hell do you think you are?" Denver was screaming. "What gives you the right to decide a group of people are bad? Fifty years ago, you'd be saying all black people were bad, wouldn't you?"
What in the 'ell is she doing? Remy thought. He understood her desire to stand up to these idiots, many was the time Remy wanted to tell members of SCAM exactly what he thought of them, but he knew it wouldn't help. He was just one person against so many... And somehow he doubted Denver had a large group supporting her. Stupid girl is probably in the middle of it all, shooting off her mouth. Those people don' like Mutant sympathizers either!
"Mutants are just like everyone else in most cases!" Denver continued. "They are people. They have hopes, fears, and dreams just like anyone else!"
Remy burst into the park and looked. Sure enough, Denver was right in the middle of a throng of SCAM members, all proudly wearing the SCAM logo on T-shirts. A simple logo really, a large black M with the international "no" symbol around it. Yet that simple logo made Remy shake. Dey must a've all been covering up their T-shirts till 'dey started. If I'd seen one of those logos, I never would 'ave left Denver alone!
SCAM wasn't a group to be dismissed lightly. Although it had never been proven, word on the streets was that they had killed several mutants, for doing nothing worse than existing. Most of the members, including the founder, were fanatically religious, and felt that they were doing "gods work," a little fact that made Remy sick when he thought about it.
"How the hell do you know so much about Mutants!" someone in the crowd shouted at Denver.
"Because I am one!" Denver screamed.
For a moment, there was dead silence. The impact of her words didn't even hit Remy, all that registered in his mind was that she had just signed her own death warrant as far as these people were concerned. He really started to run, wondering how in the world he was going to get her safely out of there.
The silence hung heavy in the air for a moment... you could almost see the crowd, deciding what method they should use to destroy Denver. Then someone screamed. "Mutie!"
"Mutant scum!" someone else chimed in.
They closed around her like a pack of starving dogs. Remy was close now, but there was no way this crowd was going to let him through. The crowd had decided Denver's death, they were going to rip her apart, limb to limb. Gulping, Remy reached into his pocket, watching in horror as they started leaping on Denver, kicking her, clawing at her, hitting her. He pulled out one of his packs of cigarettes... Oh God, he prayed. Let 'dis work!
He let the power flow through him, into the cigarette pack till it glowed, then carefully, he took aim and tossed it towards the group, just above their heads, enough to startle them, but not to hurt them.
The pack exploded, sending bits of paper and tobacco scattering in the breeze. Everyone jumped back. Remy quickly picked up a blue metal trash container, lifted it above his head, and started charging it as fast as he could. He looked over at Denver. She was lying on the ground, curled up in a little ball. Blood was spattered on her jeans, her T-shirt, her hair. "Leave the Girl ALONE!" he shouted.
Everyone turned to look at him. He wished he could just go over, pick Denver up and carry her out of there, but that was impossible.
"My God! He's a MUTIE too!" someone shouted.
"Damn right I am!" Remy said. "An if you t'ink dat cigarette pack made a hell of an explosion, imagine what I can do wit' this metal barrel! Back off from the girl, real slow..."
Everyone cleared away, eyeing Remy cautiously. Still holding the barrel, high above his head, he walked over to Denver. "Chere," he whispered. "Chere, are you all right?" He wished he could kneel down beside her, take her in his arms, but he didn't dare. One false move and this crowd would be all over him.
She looked up, her face puffy, blood oozing out her nose and mouth. "I...alive..." she whispered.
"Chere, can you stand?" He asked, keeping his eyes on the crowd.
Denver slowly started rising to her feet, stumbling. "Use me to pull yourself up wit," Remy suggested. "I am sorry I cannot 'elp you."
She pulled herself up to her feet, grabbing onto his jeans and shirt. "Good!" Remy whispered. "Now, hold onto my waist. I'm gonna get you out of 'ere."
She put her arms around him, getting blood on his jeans. She turned and spit, two teeth coming out of her mouth along with a pool of blood.
Slowly, still eyeing the mob, Remy backed up. Inch by inch, he made his way to an exit. The process seemed to take hours. The whole time, he held the barrel, which was by now so charged it was beginning to hurt for him to hold it. He looked into the eyes of Denver's would-be killers and what he saw sickened him. Every single one of them wanted him and Denver dead and thought they had every right to want that. I should just throw this barrel at them an' kill them all!
If someone tried to move towards them, he pretended as if he was going to throw the barrel. "Back off!" he shouted. "First person to get closer than a hundred yards to me is gonna be goin' to meet their maker in a billion bite sized pieces!"
His bluff worked. After a couple times, people just watched him, letting him back off, not even moving. Other people who had just been there to enjoy the day were watching too. Mothers were clinging to their children, frightened. Oh, I'm striking a blow for mutant kind, Remy thought, disgusted with himself. Probably no one 'ere will remember these people beatin' up on Denver. But they'll remember the mutant who almost blew dem to bits!
Denver just clung to him, the whole time, not speaking, using her strength to walk. When they finally got far enough away from the mob, from everyone, to an exit, Remy heaved the barrel throwing it into the ground, away from them. It exploded, sending up a cloud of metal shrapnel, dirt, and trash. Quickly, Remy grabbed Denver and took off, running as fast as he could, carrying her.
His first thought was safety for both of them, so he carried her to the garage where her car was parked. He took her keys from where she had them hooked on her belt loop, opened the door, and laid her down on the front seat. "Denver," he murmured. "Are you all right?"
She looked up at him. "Yeah...I'm doing a lot better now..."
He studied her face. Much to his amazement, the swelling seemed to be going down! I must a've thought she was worse off than she was, he thought to himself. Then he noticed her left eye, which had been swollen shut, start to open. "Chere!" he gasped.
She stared back at him. "Now you know."
"Know what?" he asked. "An' why is your face healing?"
"I have a healing factor," she said, as her lips started returning to a more normal condition. "Remy, I'm a mutant. And damn it, I know it was wrong to go plunging into that group and tell them off, but I...I get so sick of this shit."
He suddenly had the urge to laugh, to jump wildly up and down. No wonder she just plunged into the midst of the group! An' all dis time I've been terrified to let her see my eyes! "It's okay Denver. I understand and I'm just glad you are safe..."
"They could have killed me, you know." She looked away, wiping her face with the bottom of her T-shirt. "I may have a healing factor, but it can be beaten. It's just very difficult, but it can be done. They would have managed, I'm sure..." She pulled her T-shirt back down and looked at him. "I owe you my life."
"You owe me no'ting! " he flatly stated. "Chere, I...I am very fond of you...I couldn't let them kill you, you..." he hesitated, afraid of saying the wrong things, of scaring her. "...mean a lot to me...really..."
She gulped. "Remy, I-I love you."
She had whispered it softly, but Remy had heard. He knew it had taken a lot out of her to say that. His time on the road had taught him to be very suspicions of the word "love". People spoke it too easily and the translation often was, "At this point I am fond of you, but tomorrow, I might just as easily try to destroy you." He normally didn't like to hear the word used, especially if it was pertaining to him. But Denver's confession made his heart soar.
"Oh, Chere," he knelt down in the garage, so he was looking her in the eyes. "You're saying that made me very happy."
She gave a half snort, half laugh, almost spraying him with blood. "Yeah, but do you feel the same way?"
His hesitation was for less than a split second. "Yes, I do."
Despite the pain she was still in, Denver just beamed.