“Why didn’t we speak of this before?”
“It never came up before. You asked of my fire breathing, and you got an answer. After you witnessed the changes to my body on our journey to find my brothers, you saw the fire coursing through my veins and behind my eyes. Was any explanation necessary?”
“Good point. Are there any other hidden talents I should know about?”
“None I can think of. Though, like my own brothers, there are those of my kind here of earth, water, and air with their own special interests in the sciences or philosophy. Once Kirgor catches up on modern technology, and Ashazad on modern medicine, we will not lack for sufficient knowledge to speed up humankind’s development.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We’ve still got a city to take over, and that’s just the start. No one knows how many of these things exist. First, though, we need to get everyone bonded.”
“Patience.”
“Easy for you to say. You live for thousands of years.”
“Your point?”
“What do you mean, my point? Humans don’t live that long. I’ll die in mere decades from now.”
“I do not think so.”
“You think these nanites can sustain us that long?”
“I do. Perhaps not indefinitely, but centuries, yes.”
It seemed unfair to him. So many people in his life died around him. He’d killed others barely older than himself. What right did he have to live centuries? It never occurred to him he’d live that long, given the technovirus and no cure, but that no longer plagued them so why not? The idea appealed to him. The main question was if he’d survive long enough to live for centuries. His future was unclear, but now he knew it possible, he added it to his goals. If he could live with Vanessa for centuries, he’d be the luckiest man alive.
“A few hundred years is nothing to a dragon, but I am only centuries old so I understand your thoughts better than you might think.”
Jared said nothing. He sat watching Gayana work. As if the last day wasn’t enough to wrap his head around, Scarlet dropped another world-changing idea on him like this. If anything else happened in the same day, Jared might have a heart attack from the sheer ludicrousness of everything.
Several hours passed before Jared realized that Elle and Carla had joined him. They sat with their eyes closed and expressions of wonder on their faces. Watching their heads move in tandem, Jared knew they also watched the choreographed vibrations beneath the surface.
Finally, around midday, the rubble on the surface shifted as tons of material poked through. Another hour passed before anything not of the earth lay on the surface. All the earth dragons dropped to their bellies and fell asleep immediately.
“Are they okay, Scarlet?”
“Yes, they must rest.”
“Is it safe to walk on the ground?”
Scarlet showed it was by walking out, herself, to sift through the collapsed apartment building.
Jared jogged over to the water folk and asked everyone to go help find anything worth salvaging. Weapons and medical supplies were the priority, but if there was anything else they could take, they should do so.
“Jared, over here.”
Running over to Scarlet, Jared saw part of the crate they’d used to store the boosters. All around the ground, the blue liquid seeped from beneath a partially collapsed wall.
Please, no.
Scarlet lifted the wall and Jared gingerly levered the mangled crate from the wreckage. Fingers shaking, Jared ripped off the lid and promptly fell back against a fallen support beam.
“Shattered.” They were all shattered to pieces.
“We will find more.”
Vanessa ran over to him, pausing when she saw the ruined crate.
“Oh no.”
She carefully reached inside, moving broken vials out of the way. She pulled her hand back and held one intact syringe. They’d had over one hundred boosters, and now they held but one.
“Give it to Damien.” Jared didn’t hesitate. He and Gayana already knew they wanted to bond. It was a non-decision for him.
“Are you certain?”
“I am. We’ve not spent enough time with the others for anyone to find a companion and Gayana made this her one request to join our cause. I don’t care how much of a headache it’ll give me. If it means we get the support of all the dragons, it’s worth it.”
“I’ll do it now.” Vanessa squeezed his shoulder. “We’ll survive this, Jared. We’ll survive and come out stronger than ever before.”
She was right. They would survive. As much as it pained him to lose so much yet again, they were all alive, united with all the remaining dragons, and of one purpose to create a better world for man and dragon. It was a time to rejoice, not wallow in despair. Dragging himself to his feet, Jared forced himself to move on, taking a page out of his own book and leaving the past in the past.
To take his mind off of the loss, Jared threw himself into the work, digging through the destroyed building for equipment and weapons. After a full day searching, they salvaged half a dozen phase rifles, a dozen phase pistols, and two dozen of the handguns. He found his pack almost untouched, except for the few boosters he kept inside, which had broken like the others. Miraculously, all the phase batteries remained intact. He wondered if that was an intentional design of their manufacturer, so they didn’t accidentally explode. It made sense. One of those blowing up in someone’s face was a sure death sentence.
The crate of medical supplies was mostly salvageable, as were all the manuals for the various weapons. The gunpowder and other supplies they’d collected for bomb-making weren’t among the rubble. Jared guessed because the bulk of the materials were natural and the dragons hadn’t known to levitate them to the surface.
Johan assured him it wouldn’t be an issue. With the earth dragons on their side, they could easily produce all the materials they needed from the earth, and Scarlet could refine the materials in fire. He’d mumbled something about ice and the air dragons, but his voice became faint as he turned away to find Midri.
Whatever it took, Jared would definitely see that Johan and Midri had all the help they needed. Those bombs could be the difference they needed for a surprise attack against the city. They could use the air dragons to deliver the payloads since they’d easily blend in against the sky and clouds. They only needed an overcast day and they could bombard the city into submission. The thought gave him pause as he thought about the innocent life they might take out. It’s possible many in the city didn’t know what transpired on the earth. He wasn’t sure it was a decision he could make without violating his vow to protect the innocent, but how could they not know? He definitely wouldn’t lose any sleep over it, no matter what they decided.
A stealthy infiltration appealed to him more and more, and it would allow him to assess the situation before committing many people and dragons to the fight. It was risky and, if discovered, it could be the end of a thing before it ever got started. However, he had Vanessa to take up the fight in his stead if that happened. Elle could easily get lost in the city and evade capture until help arrived, if he brought her with them. Overall, it was the least risky plan he could come up with and would risk the fewest lives. It was a worthy gamble to protect those he loved.
Pete had figured out the signal for the robot and believed he could use it to lure a ship in while also preventing it from communicating with the city. First, they needed to get more boosters, and everyone bonded. While he worked, Jared came up with a plan. It made him slightly queasy to think about it, but it was their best bet.
He’d hike with Vanessa, Elle, and Kitty to one of the nearby colonies at the base of the mountain. They’d travel to the city like normal explorers, Kitty with camouflage on, and see what kind of reception they received. If the city welcomed them, and helped them out, then they’d ask for boost
ers. If they refused, they’d trade one of their phase rifles for them. Jared also had credits in his pack. If everything else failed, then Elle and Kitty would go into stealth mode and steal the boosters.
Jared couldn’t risk the colony finding out about the water folk and dragons and wouldn’t be able to bring anyone else to the city as proof of those that traveled with him. If the colony was anything like his own back home, they likely wouldn’t give any up without something in return. He only hoped a phase rifle was sufficient compensation for twenty-nine boosters. That’s how many they needed after Damien and Gayana finished bonding.
That was a tall ask for most colonies, but considering how large these were, he hoped they’d have the resources on hand to help.
He outlined his plans to Scarlet and informed everyone they’d set out at first light. They planned to travel quickly, so Scarlet and Malsour would accompany them part of the way to carry him and Vanessa.
“It’ll take us a couple days. Everyone else, please take the time to get to know our new allies. If possible, I’d like everyone to get acquainted and find a dragon you’d like to bond with. If there are some that don’t want to bond, I’ll not force it upon anyone. After you’ve bonded, please work with Ashazad to understand the changes to your body and how to enhance yourselves. We should be back before that happens, but if not, then you’ll have something to keep you busy.”
The next morning, Jared, Vanessa, and Elle mounted up and took off for the larger of the two colonies. They made it through the mountains and passes in half a day. Scarlet and Malsour promised to wait for them there, and the four continued on foot. They took half the day to reach the city as the sun set over the horizon. Those on the wall called out for them to stop when they were within a few dozen yards of the gate.
Jared looked around and didn’t see Kitty. Thankfully, the feline knew how to evade detection well. Jared swept his gaze back to the wall and caught a slight movement out of the corner of his eye. Kitty scaled the side of the wall, right below the person who called for them to stop.
Jared smiled, knowing Kitty could easily decapitate the man if he intended to harm them. A few minutes later, the gate opened, and a retinue of armed guards marched up. They didn’t point their weapons threateningly, so that was a good sign. Jared had wisely kept his phase pistols back in the ravine with the others, and only sported a couple long knives and his Colt. The phase rifle and spare battery were in his pack. He had no intention of revealing them if he didn’t need to.
“What is your business here?”
The man’s voice brooked no nonsense. He was a burly, older man with a white beard, shaved head, and skin the shade of night. His body armor looked military grade, and he wore clean pressed fatigues.
“We’re just explorers passing through. We hoped to take shelter for the night. There are some rather vicious creatures up there and we barely made it through the mountains.”
The man eyed him suspiciously, not believing his story for a second.
“How did you survive in there? There’s no way you made it through the mountains in a day, and we’ve seen what lurks in there.”
“We have explored most of the western parts of the country for almost a decade and know how to become invisible to the creatures around here. We can also see in the dark. It makes it a lot easier to go unnoticed.”
After a long, intense scrutiny, the man finally relaxed and held out his hand. “Sergeant First Class Johnston. This is my command post. Welcome to New Denver.”
“Johnston, nice to meet you. I’m Jared Cartwright, this is my family, Vanessa and Elle. It’s nice to meet someone who knows what they’re doing out here. We’ve been across many other settlements and just walked right through their small fences and gates without so much as a sideways glance.”
Jared cringed. It sounded much like his own home colony. They’d been so naïve to the world and it’s a wonder they’d lasted so long. Looking around New Denver made Jared realize just how much they’d limped along. In the years he lived there and as far back as he knew, their colony had never grown. This New Denver was clear evidence it was possible to enjoy a normal life. Normal was subjective. He knew the truth now, so no matter how nice it would be just to settle down here and live out their days, he couldn’t ignore the cities. They needed eradication for the world to prosper once again.
“Carlo?” Johnston turned to look at a man standing at the open gate. “I’ll take our new friends into town. Stand in my post until I return.”
“Roger that, Sergeant.”
After they’d passed through the gate and it shut behind them, Jared found an entire platoon of soldiers drilling in the yard. They worked with bayonets, hand-to-hand combat, and even had medieval training pits set up for swordplay, spears, throwing daggers, axes, and an archery lane. Jared eyed everything in wonder.
“Impressive ain’t it?” Johnston nudged him with a brilliant white smile painted on his face. “We ain’t brought no one through these gates before and never had an excuse to show this off. Don’t let these sorry louts fool you, though.” Johnston raised his voice, ensuring it carried over the group of men practicing. “They jumped up to practice after they heard you approach the gate. We’re just about to change over duty to the night rotation. They insisted it was worth staying to put on a good show.”
Jared smiled back at Johnston’s casual demeanor. He’d initially presented a strong, stoic front, then, he’d greeted him like long-lost friends, and now treated him like his drinking buddy. The man was clearly a people person and adept at making him feel at ease.
“This is just the rear garrison. We’ve got another two battalions stationed on the east gate, and one each on the north and south. We should probably have two battalions back here, but with these walls we ain’t had nothing get passed them or even try in a long time.”
“I’ve got to hand it to you, this is one impressive fortification. I’ve not seen anything like it in all the time we’ve been out here exploring. Although, we’ve never been this far east.”
“There’s another colony close by, but they aren’t as big. We split this city up decades ago when it expanded into higher radiation zones. I suppose it doesn’t matter now with nanites, but the split happened so long ago no one cares to merge the two up again. Maybe someday the colonies will naturally grow large enough to become one big settlement.
“I can take you to some place to rest for the night, somewhere to get grub, or if you’d like to see the mayor I can see if he’s got any visiting hours?”
“You all have an elected official here?”
“Of course! We ain’t barbarians. We’ve got schools, police, emergency responders, you name it. There’s electricity from our solar and wind farms. Our vehicles are all battery operated. We ration electricity, but we get by just fine. Our farms produce livestock, fruits, and vegetables of all kinds. We even get fish from the lakes in foothills of the mountains.”
“Do you still get help from the cities if you can sustain yourself here?”
“We got to get nanite injectors somehow, don’t we? We could just stay in the safe zone boundaries, but even then, folks got sick with radiation poisoning. Now, we all got to take them by order of the boss man.”
“I’m assuming you all produce materials for the cities then?”
“Yep, gotta give them something for the little buggers. Circle of life and all that. So, what’ll it be?”
“Maybe someplace to eat, rest, and time with the mayor tomorrow?”
“Priorities. Good choice my man. Yes, I’ve got just the place in mind. Serves the best chicken dumplings and beef stew.”
“Lead on.”
Jared smiled at the thought of a fine home-cooked meal. Marie’s food was good, but it paled compared to the meals his mother used to make.
Johnston led them to a plain two-story building with a wooden sign out front that announced i
t as “Marie’s Inn & Tavern.” Jared nearly burst out laughing. He caught himself at the last moment, remembering his cover story they’d been exploring for almost a decade. It could get a little awkward if he needed to explain the outburst.
This Marie proved to be quite the opposite of their own. She was a spindly old woman with a shock of white hair tied neatly behind her head. She wore a red-checkered apron around her waist and greeted them warmly. Her smile was genuine and touched her eyes, making him feel warm and welcomed. Permanent crow’s feet adorned the dimples on her cheeks and the corners of her eyes, clearing showing this was a woman who enjoyed life and serving others.
Jared treated her with utmost respect and asked about room and board for the night.
“We have little to offer for the hospitality. I’ve got a few munitions credits, but that’s about it. We’ve been traveling for so long, we carry only essentials and live off the land.”
“Your payment ain’t good here, anyway. Johnny boy, you stick around for some dumplings, you hear?”
“Ah, Ma, I wish I could, but the missus ain’t gonna forgive me if I miss another meal for your kitchen.”
“Now, listen here. You tell that girl if I gotta come over there and give her a what for—”
“Now, now, she didn’t mean nothing by it. I miss mealtime often on account of my shift change. It ain’t your cookin’ she’s jealous of. It’s just my time.”
“Well, then whatcha waitin’ fer? Get ya gone from my inn, boy.”
Jared watched the exchange with a broad grin on his face. Before Johnston ducked out of the room, he glanced at Jared, winked, and shut the door.
Jared’s face fell as his mind ticked back to the reason for their visit here. He hated the fact they may end up stealing from these people. He really hoped the mayor obliged his request.
Radioactive Revolution: A Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic Adventure Page 37
