CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE

Meet the Crew, Part 2

“As I’ve said multiple times,” Farsight’s voice sounded exasperated, “I deal in probabilities which are far easier to comprehend compared to these bits of prophetic visions Maeve and Lucille left me...”

Farsight walked over to stand beside Jackboot and pat him on his much taller shoulder.

“I don’t know how Mr. Jackboot here can help us, or if he’s even that rabbit I saw in my vision,” Farsight grumbled.

“Actually, my totem’s a hare...not a rabbit,” Jackboot pointed out. “Servant of the goddess Wenet and all...”

A short bout of awkward silence and standing around passed by while Sam wracked his brain for what to do next. Perhaps they could start with an origin story as that seemed like the proper way to go about things. However, such tales were regarded as secrets to be protected by most heroes because of the highly personal details they contained, and Sam wasn’t sure how he could coax jackboot into telling them his origins. Luckily for him, Thunder had the same idea, which she just voiced out loud.

“I’m sorry, love, but I don’t know you lot well enough to tell you about my humble beginnings,” Jackboot reasoned.

“Maybe if you hear why we might need your help… Maybe that’ll help you understand how to help us,” Thunder offered.

“Honestly, I wouldn’t mind a bit of backstory myself,” Jackboot agreed.

Both Thunder and Sam turned their gazes back on Farsight, causing the teenager to sigh exaggeratedly.

“I hate how in sync you two are sometimes,” she grumbled.

There was only one thing that would convince Jackboot of the importance of their mission, and so Farsight did her seer thing and recited the great prophecy for their new acquaintance to hear.

A shadow’s curse rises from the earth

Immortal in the land of its birth

The great horrors it shall awaken

To snuff the life of all creation

Even death shall lose its hold on life

And a hero’s choice might end in strife

But if a healing hand gathers the blessed

To face the world and finish the quest

Champions might rise to answer the call

Or to fear and pain mankind shall fall

After he heard Farsight recite this age’s great prophecy, Jackboot sat on the top step with his shoulders sagging slightly. It took a long while before he broke his silent contemplation. “This is some heady end of the world stuff, yeah?”

“Blew my mind the first time I heard it too,” Sam agreed as he sat next to Jackboot. “So, what did you think?”

“I’m not sure, to be honest. Great prophecies don’t exactly come around every day, do they?” he asked.

“Gods, I hope not,” Sam shrugged. “But you believe Farsight’s prophecy is authentic?”

Jackboot inclined his head toward Farsight who was waiting beside Thunder. “I know who she is. She’s great too.”

Sam guessed Jackboot had been spooked, which was expected considering the nuclear bomb they’d just dropped on him. However, it felt like there was more to his sudden uneasiness than just hearing about the great prophecy. Something else seemed to weigh on Jackboot’s mind.

“They say every great prophecy comes with—”

“A ride worthy of the gods?” Farsight guessed as she sat on Jackboot’s other side.

She raised her arm forward and clicked on the button of the car key in her hand. Down below, the headlights of a strangely cool-looking school bus with a black matte finish lit up.

“Is that the—”

“Argo VII,” Farsight said proudly.

“Hold on, you’re saying the Argo VII…is a school bus?” Jackboot asked in a skeptical tone.

Thunder, who sat on the other side of Sam, leaned forward and said, “It’s a lot cooler on the inside.”

Sam couldn’t see Jackboot’s eyes because of the reflectors on his mask, but he could imagine the skepticism on the hero’s face, and Sam couldn’t blame him. After all, as legendary vessels of destiny go, the Argo VII wasn’t much to look at on the outside, which according to Crow-Man was the whole point of the school bus image.

“It’s about stealth…and the school bus allows us to drive around the country incognito,” Sam repeated Crow-Man’s words to him.

Jackboot shrugged. “I guess it’s all relative. The Argo VI was a yellow submarine.”

Sam stiffened. “A yellow...”

“…submarine?” Thunder finished.

Surprise mixed with disbelief flitted across both their faces.

“Wait... No one’s supposed to know what the Argo VI looked like,” Thunder countered.

“It was never divulged to the public...even after the allies won World War II,” Sam added.

“I knew about it though,” Farsight chimed in.

The disbelief on Sam’s and Thunder’s faces morphed quickly into one of astonishment as it was far easier to believe their seer companion than a guy whose face they couldn’t even see.

“Seers are always in the know, but”—Farsight raised a thin eyebrow at Jackboot—“how do you know about the Argo VI?”

To Sam’s—and possibly everyone else’s—surprise, Jackboot’s response to Farsight’s question was something most sidekicks were warned not to do. He actually pulled off his mask and revealed his face to the trio of heroes he’d only just met.

Jackboot had short-cropped brown hair parted neatly to the side. His face was angular. He had a long, pointy nose, a pointy chin, and a pair of pointy ears, too. Thick eyebrows rose over big doe eyes whose blue irises reminded Sam of a clear afternoon sky.

“Dude...you barely know us,” Sam reminded him.

“If you three are the crew of the Argo VII then it sort of feels like we’re already connected, Herculean.” Jackboot reached into the inside of his jacket and brought out a frayed leather-bound journal for the others to see. “This belonged to my grandfather... It’s an account of his grand adventures back in World War II.”

He unclipped the lock and opened the journal to a yellowing page that had a black-and-white photo of a submarine in it. Several men and women were standing on its roof. All of them were heroes Sam recognized as members of the team responsible for leading the charge against the Nazi invasion of Western Europe.

“Holy Zeus,” Sam breathed. “It’s the Legends of Liberty!”

“Your grandfather...” Even Thunder, formerly ranked number seven in the nation, was gazing down at the picture with reverence. “Your grandfather was a member of the Legends?”

Jackboot pointed a finger at the man in the right-most position on the line of heroes. “My grandfather was Union Jack.”

Both of Sam’s eyebrows twitched upward. “You’re Union Jack’s grandson...for real?”

Jackboot nodded. “I was named after him... Jack Jarvis the second, at your service.”

Not only had Jackboot revealed his face and heritage to them, but he’d even told them his real name. He was a trusting guy; a trait Sam wasn’t sure was a good thing considering how dark their world was underneath the flashy costumes and superhero quips. Still, he couldn’t help but like this hero. And Sam felt like he needed to reciprocate Jackboot’s honesty.

He pulled off his mask too just before he offered his hand to Jackboot. “I’m Sam Shepard.”

“Glad to meet you, Sam,” Jackboot replied.

As the pair of them shook hands, a now-familiar golden notification window popped up for Sam.

Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love and Friendship, rejoices in seeing the hero establish more genuine bonds.

This came as quite a shock to Sam because he’d never formed a bond that quickly with anyone else. Not even Thunder. Sam didn’t even have one with Farsight yet despite Triple-A hinting that a bond between them would solidify eventually.

ALERT! You have gained a new [BOND]. A bond is a thread of fate intertwining with your own, enriching the path you seek to walk. With the dawn of the [GEMINI] bond, your own star grows ever brighter, lighting the way to new possibilities. ALERT! The path of the [TOTEM KNIGHT] is now open to you.

This, more than anything, convinced Sam that Jackboot was important and that he might actually be the rabbit guide they were looking for.

“Herculean’s spacing out again,” Farsight noted.

“Sam?” There was some concern in Thunder’s voice. “Are you alright?”

“I’m good,” Sam promised as he let go of Jackboot’s hand. “And now I think I know how you can help us.”

Sam pointed at Jackboot’s journal.

“Is there anything in there about the Golden Fleece?” he asked.

Jackboot’s eyes widened slightly when he replied, “How in the bloody Duat did you guess that?”

Sam smiled. He couldn’t help it. Finally, a clue they sorely needed to save Thunder was right in front of him.

“Well,” his smile widened, “Because we’re on a quest to find it...”