Benny Washington, unable to relate to his distant father, and wracked with guilt over the recent death of his mother, seeks solace in best friend Peter Hall, comic books, and ballet-a passion he and Peter share. When Benny learns on the Internet tha...
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CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Benny vs The Creature
Benny ignores the throbbing in his biceps as he carries the cumbersome God Machine through the Music Concourse area of Golden Gate Park. Small rocks and twigs dig into his bare feet, but he ignores the pain. His focus is on saving Peter. Nothing else matters.
Fremond and Emma stride along beside him, both glancing with anxious eyes at the surrounding darkness. The path is lit, but the expansive park is shrouded in deep shadow.
Fremond breaks the thick silence. "This place is pretty dangerous at night, Benny. I mean from people, not monsters."
Benny sees the performance area just ahead. "You take care of Emma. Anybody tries to mess with me, I'm gonna go all Black Panther on 'em."
Fremond scoots a bit closer. "Uh, you sure you don't want me to carry that? It looks heav—"
"I said I got it!" Benny doesn't mean to be rude, but all of this is his fault, so lugging the machine is his responsibility—his penance, almost. He marches between rows of bench seats where his mom once watched him and Peter perform their first ballet recital. Just ahead, steps ascend to the performance stage, set within a hollowed-out egg-shaped chamber and flanked on both sides by tall colonnades.
He stops at the first landing and lowers the God Machine to the concrete by his feet. His arms ache, but he shrugs it off. Glancing around, he spots a square-shaped trash receptacle that doesn't look heavy.
As Fremond and Emma eye their surroundings with trepidation, Benny points to the can. "Fremond, bring me that trash can, please. It's too big to get my arms around."
Fremond releases Emma's hand and jogs to the trash receptacle. He squats and wraps his arms around it, testing the weight. Then he raises it off the ground and waddles to where Benny stands, setting it beside the machine.
A gentle breeze cools Benny's face as he lifts the God Machine and places it atop the trash receptacle, making sure the dark, circular opening faces inward toward the stage. While the others watch, he slips off his backpack and unzips it. Pulling out a long extension cord, he plugs one end into the power cord he soldered to the machine and then hurries up the steps to the stage and plugs the other end into an outlet embedded in the wall.
Returning to the machine, he bends down to his backpack and pulls out the bottled water and ice pick, placing the pick next to the machine. He twists the cap off the water and pours it out near his feet, just in front of the trash receptacle.
Emma stares at the ice pick with dread. "Benny, please tell me why you have that ice pick."
Benny meets her worried look with a steely gaze. Inside, he's shaking with fear, but he can't allow it to control him. He has to be T'Challa and save Cap. Period. "Just get behind me and don't move, no matter what happens."
