“What’s the status here, Scarlet?”
“The rest of the water folk are ready to bond.”
“Everyone found someone? Just like that?”
“Remember, it does not take long for a dragon to root through your human minds. Compatibility would not take long to achieve. Most of those left want air dragon companions. It makes sense, given their ability to fly and willingness to engage in our fight. Also, Damien finished bonding yesterday.”
“Is it too fast? It took a few days to figure out who your brothers would bond with.”
“I do not think so. The dragons scrutinized the bond and how it works with my brothers. That is precisely why they are ready so soon.”
“All right then, let’s get this done. There’s really no reason to delay any further.”
Jared called everyone over and announced he had boosters ready to hand out. Twenty of the remaining water folk would bond with air dragons, five with water dragons, and four with earth dragons. After handing out the boosters, Jared walked everyone through the process again. He also advised them to spend any available nanites immediately, pushing as much as possible into Mind for the humans and Body for the dragons. He amended his earlier instructions slightly and encouraged everyone to put a small portion into Body Manipulation so they could revert to their old human forms. They may end up joining another colony, but they couldn’t do it without explaining the mutations. Jared wasn’t ready to reveal the nanite capabilities just yet.
While Jared instructed the water folk, Scarlet formed a mind meld with all the dragons and showed them how everything worked. The moment everyone was ready, Jared motioned for them to proceed. Just like before, several people immediately passed out, some remained awake for a time, but thankfully no one screamed in obvious pain like Jax and Ballog.
Everything moved so fast, and he had learned none of the new dragons’ names, save for the matriarchs. Every one of the air dragons was white as snow, and their spikes and claws glittered like diamonds. The only clear differences were the shape and sizes of the horns adorning their heads and backs. Jared tried to listen to the various conversations taking place, but there were so many whispers of telepathy and verbal conversations it was nearly impossible to absorb it all. The dragons not bonding mingled with their kin. Thousands of years was a long time to remain apart, and they had much to catch up about.
Seeing everything under control, Jared called Scarlet over.
“I’d like to go find Attis while we’re waiting for this to finish up.”
“I thought you wanted me to go solo?”
“I think it would be more efficient if we both went. Especially if I need to go the rest of the way on foot. We’ll get as close as we dare. If we can’t find Attis, I’ll hike for half a day to find him. With any luck, we can be there and back in a day if you travel at top speed.”
“You must find something to bind yourself to my back first. We will be flying faster than we have in the past and I do not think the seat I made is sufficient to keep you on.”
“Can I put a chain or rope around your neck?”
“If it does not impede my movements, yes.”
“Okay, let me see what I can dig up. Oh, actually, you remember those big machines where we found the cables? There were chains inside them. We didn’t need them when we built the wall, but they might work. Let’s head over there and grab some. I’ll let Vanessa know what’s up.”
Jared quickly informed Vanessa of their plans and they set off to collect the chains. It turned out to be more than he needed, and it took a couple phase rounds to separate the chain into the proper length. That done, Scarlet blew on the chain with her fire to fuse it together.
Scarlet ducked her head, and Jared placed the length over her horns where it settled at the base of her neck, right in front of the bone seat he used.
“How’s that? It’s not too heavy or restricting?”
“No, it works.”
“Perfect, let’s head back. I want to let Carla know we’re heading out to get Attis. She’s been pining after him ever since we left.”
Jared found Carla sitting on a rock, removed from the group and looking out at the mountain pass despondently.
“Hey, Carla.”
She looked up at him, her eyes dull. Seeing Jared’s broad smile, she jumped up in anticipation.
“It’s time? You’re leaving to get him now? Can I come? Please?”
She pleaded with him and Jared heard the hope and pain in her voice.
“Sorry, Carla, I wish you could, but we’re planning to move fast, and it’ll be hard enough for me to stay on Scarlet’s back. I don’t want to risk a second person.”
“Okay.” Her crestfallen face saddened him, but it was in her best interest to stay put so they could get back faster.
“We’ll be back in about a day, maybe two. It depends on how long it takes to find him. If I have to journey on foot, it’ll take longer.”
“Please find him, Jared!”
“You have my word; we’ll do everything we can.”
“Thank you.” She gave him a hug before returning to her seated position to brood.
He hoped it wasn’t an empty promise, but everyone needed a little hope these days. If he could give that hope with a few words, for even just a couple more days, he’d do so. If Attis was no more, they’d address that when the time came.
Deep in thought, Jared walked back to Vanessa to say goodbye and make sure she had things in order. If Attis was, in fact, dead, Jared didn’t know what he’d tell her. He thought it was unfair that a bonded creature could die with little side-effect on the human companion; but if the human died, the nanites would break down and turn the creature into a rabid, mindless beast. He’d spent time talking to Scarlet about this, but there was no way around it. The upside of bonding with a dragon is that they could shield their minds and then isolate the nanites to prevent it like Alestrialia had done when sharing her essence with Jared. Carla and Attis didn’t have the luxury, and probably never would.
Jared wondered if Igor had programmed it so that massively overpowering creatures didn’t run rampant if their companion died. He likely hadn’t known dragons existed or that they could defeat the programming.
“Jared, are you okay? You seem distracted.”
“Hey, Vanessa. Yeah, I’m good. I was just thinking through some things. I don’t exactly want to talk about it though. It’s kind of morbid, and I’d prefer to keep the thoughts to myself for now.”
“If you ever need to vent, I’m here for you…husband.” Vanessa gave him a deep kiss, his cheeks turning the lightest shade of pink.
A smile stretched across Jared’s face. He’d never tire of hearing her say it, nor of kissing his new bride. “Thank you, wife. I gotta say, it sounds amazing. I’m the luckiest man in the world and surrounded by some amazing women. I’m not sure that Scarlet counts as a woman. Dragonnette? Is there a female form of the word dragon?”
“There is.”
The voice surprised Jared, and he looked around for its source. It sounded like Layonia, but she was far away, and he didn’t think she could hear so far.
“You guessed correctly. I may not hear your voice, but I can hear your thoughts when you forget to shield your mind.”
“Oh, sorry about that. Then you heard…”
“I did. It is something we must explore in greater detail, but you are correct, now is not the time. To answer your question, though, the ancient form of the word dragon, or drakon, has a female derivative, drakaina. We have not gone by that name in ages, but it was the name given at our creation.”
“Do you know who, or what, created you?”
“Yes and no. As with your previous thoughts, now is not the time for such discussions. We will speak of this more another time. Go, rescue your friend’s companion. Your people will remain safe with us.”
“Thank you, Layonia.” Jared bowed in her direction and turned back to Vanessa. “Did you catch all that?”
“I did. These dragons are remarkable. I’m constantly amazed at what they can do. Have you seen how fast the air dragons move? Or when Gayana and her kin pushed all our gear up through the earth like that? Seeing so many impossible things just makes me realize how small we really are in the grand scheme things.”
“As small as we might seem, you’re one of the best parts of the world.” Jared grabbed her around the waist and pulled her in for another deep kiss. Reluctantly, he released her and stepped back. “Okay, we’ve gotta get going. I want to be back before everyone finishes bonding in case there’s any difficulty. Also, if Corey and Max are right, there will be a drop ship visiting soon and this could be our chance to capture one. We’ll wait until after it does its business in the colony and then ambush it.”
“What if it’s different from the ones in the other city?”
“We’ll tackle that when the time comes. For now, this is our best bet. Can you make sure that Pete and Kirgor are ready to go? If the ship comes by while we’re gone, it’s up to you all to capture it.”
“Jared, I don’t—”
“You’ll succeed, Vanessa. I know you’ve got it in you. Between you and Malsour, you can handle a single ship. Just make sure Pete gets on board as soon as possible and that he has all of his equipment ready to intercept any signals. We’re just lucky the parts from the robots survived the avalanche. Otherwise, we’d have to collect more before attempting this.”
“We’ll try, but if it looks hopeless, I’ll call it off.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ve got to get going now.” Jared turned to leave but turned back to Vanessa and kissed her one last time for good measure. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. Please be safe.”
Jared jumped on Scarlet’s back and grabbed the chain around her neck. “Let’s go, Scarlet.”
His heart skipped into his throat as Scarlet launched into the air and rocketed forward. It was all he could do to hold on to the chain and keep from falling off.
Scarlet’s estimations proved accurate, and they reached a point close to their old home in a little over nine hours. It was the middle of the night, and they heard nothing to suggest drop ships flew around. Scarlet slowed her approach to a lazy float, and they scanned the area looking for signs of Attis. The first thing they did was trace back both paths they’d taken in the underground tunnel. When neither of them turned up Attis, Jared thought the bird had returned to their old home.
“Let’s fly as low as you can. The moment the city comes into view, we stop. If we can’t reach Attis by then, I’ll go the rest of the way on foot.”
“You will have about four hours of darkness left. I suggest you spend only two hours walking in that direction before returning. I do not want to remain exposed this close to the city during daylight hours.”
“That should be plenty long enough. I’ll run to cover as much distance as possible.”
They didn’t find Attis when the looming spires of the city peeked over the horizon.
Scarlet set down amongst a cloister of bare trees and Jared hopped off, his limbs sore from the tense hours traveling at top speeds.
“Be careful.”
“I won’t take chances.”
He maintained a fast, steady pace just short of a sprint as he made his way back along the route they’d traveled. His mental clock ticked away the seconds rapidly and before he knew it, an hour passed. Periodically, he called out to Attis. Though he didn’t expect a response, the silence made him uneasy.
Jared ran up the creek bed toward their old home. When he got close, his pace slowed to a walk. He had only a few minutes remaining before he needed to turn tail and run back. A commotion coming from the cliffs where they used to live made him pause. He slunk through the trees, careful to avoid a direct line of sight. Once the cliff came into view, he found a dozen robots and several dozen sensor probes ranging over the area. A drop ship sat in the clearing next to the tunnel they’d burned into the underground cavern.
Holding his breath lest the slight sound or movement show up on a sensor somewhere, Jared reached out again.
“Attis?”
A squawk and gentle flapping of wings announced his arrival as he shot up from the hole Scarlet’s brothers had made into the earth. The machines in the area glanced at the griffon, but otherwise ignored it and continued their patrol.
Why are they ignoring it?
He’d need to figure it out later, because right now they needed to get out of there. If one of the sensor probes turned in his direction that’d be the end of the line. He couldn’t outrun a drop ship. This close to the city, they’d have more of them converge on him before he got to Scarlet. That wouldn’t do at all. He needed to move.
“Attis, fly west. Just keep flying west and don’t stop.”
There was nothing else he could do here, and ever so slowly Jared backed away, careful not to turn his back on the machines in the area. When he confirmed they couldn’t see or hear him, he turned around and sprinted back the way he’d come. The pause and slow retreat put him behind scheduled and he needed to make up ground.
Scarlet would see Attis approaching and call him down. Even if she missed him, they could catch up. Jared just hoped the bird understood him enough to travel directly west. When they’d fled the first time, Carla told the creature to do something similar, so he hoped that it knew what the words meant.
Making it back with only a few minutes to spare, Jared vaulted unto Scarlet’s back and they rocketed through the sky.
“Attis?”
“He follows.”
Jared trusted Scarlet rather than look behind him at these speeds.
“Did you check him over?”
“No, why?”
“There were a lot of robots, sensors, and even a drop ship right by him when he heard my call. They ignored him entirely when he took off.”
Scarlet slowed her speed and craned her head back to find Attis. They couldn’t see him, but Scarlet said he wasn’t far. Sure enough, a short time later, the griffon flew into view. Scarlet waited until he drew alongside them and matched his pace. Jared looked the creature over.
It didn’t take long for him to understand why the robots let him go so easily. Strapped around one of his legs, a slim black box nestled against his feathers.
Jarod’s heart sank. “He’s being tracked, Scarlet. I see no cameras or anything, but no doubt they can follow his location.”
“We can use it to our advantage. We should lure a drop ship with Attis and leave New Denver alone.”
“Agreed. We won’t have to worry about the ships being different, either. We can fly ahead to get Pete and Kirgor so they have their jamming equipment ready to go. Can you give Attis enough information to fly to a place between here and Colorado?”
“Done. I chose the clearing where we had the first bonding ceremony.”
“How far away is that?”
“For me? Only a few hours. I instructed Attis to land there at sunset. We should make it back with Pete in plenty of time.”
“Excellent, let’s head back.”
Once again, Jared found himself plastered to Scarlet’s neck, clinging to the makeshift bridle. Many tense hours later, they made it back to the ravine. It was nearing evening, and they’d needed to skirt around the side of the mountains to avoid flying over the colonies along the way.
Jared informed Carla and Vanessa of the plan, collected Pete and Kirgor, and set out for the rendezvous. They couldn’t move as fast with Kirgor trailing Scarlet, but they’d still make it ahead of Attis to get everything into place before the ship came into view. The jamming equipment needed to be in place before the ship’s occupants radioed for help.
Droppi
ng Jared and Pete at the houses next to the empty field, Scarlet and Kirgor flew a short distance away, found a depression in the forest, and tucked themselves between the decaying branches.
“What do you need me to do, Pete?”
“Take the sensors and p-place them around the c-clearing.”
“Okay, can we bury them so they don’t see them right away? Will they already be transmitting when the ship gets here?”
“Yes and n-no, I will turn them on remotely with this.”
Pete held a circuit board in his hand with a tiny switch fashioned on one side. It looked like a child threw a bunch of random parts together, fused a few wires by accident, and put a little lever on it thinking it might look cool.
Jared eyed the electronics skeptically. “You sure that’ll work?”
“Yes.”
The unwavering confidence in Pete’s voice set Jared at ease, and he buried the sensor probes around the area. Finished, Jared retreated to one of the nearby buildings and rebuilt one of the fire pits they’d used on their initial pass through here. He started the fire and quickly snuffed it out. He wanted to show signs of a recent vacancy to lure the ship in for a landing.
It took Attis several more hours before he showed up in the clearing. Pete removed the tracker from the griffon’s leg and tossed it into some trees next to the clearing. Jared directed the bird to fly over to Scarlet and hide. Several hours passed, and no drop ships arrived to investigate. The waiting pained him, and he wondered if the tracking device on Attis couldn’t transmit far enough. Thinking they wouldn’t show, Jared stood up to go outside.
Before he cracked the door, the telltale whine of a drop ship’s engine announced their arrival. Based on the sounds, it was only one ship.
Perfect!
“Pete, it’s here. Get ready. The moment that thing lands, if it lands, I want your jammers online. Can you send them a signal to stand down from here as well?”
“N-no. I n-need to change their p-programming. The p-probes are only for jamming.”
Radioactive Revolution: A Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic Adventure Page 40
