by G J Ogden
“A few more days?” Ethan was horrified by the answer.
“Don’t worry,” Maria tried to sound reassuring. “If needs be, I can ration some from the others.”
Ethan was about to protest when the console on the crawler’s dashboard bleeped again, and Maria turned her attention away from him to check it.
“Looks like we’ve found our guy,” she said. “I’ll punch it up here on the windshield and you can tell me if it’s him.”
Maria tapped a small series of commands into the console and the large glass screen in front of them suddenly turned opaque. A crystal clear image of an old man appeared; he was wearing an enormous coat that reached down to his ankles and was slashing directly at them with a cane. It was so lifelike that both of them tried to duck and dodge the incoming blows.
“Accursed technological tyrant, be gone, shoo!” came the cry from the old man, through the speakers in the cabin. Maria and Ethan relaxed and sat back up. Ethan was grinning broadly.
“I take it that’s the hermit?”
“That’s him alright.”
“The guy looks about a hundred years old.” Maria leaned forward to check the display in the center console again. “He’s just over the next hill. Hold on.”
The image of the man vanished and the windshield became transparent again, but not before Maria had already begun to accelerate. Ethan wondered if she had some kind of secondary sight, because she seemed to care little for actually looking where she was going.
They broke over the crest of the hill and saw the hermit standing over the downed probe, pulverizing it with a wooden cane. The probe fizzed and sparked as each blow landed, and the hermit seemed so engrossed in the task that he didn’t notice the crawler approaching until it was almost alongside. Suddenly, the old man spun around with the agility of a cat and then bolted down the hill like he was being chased by a swarm of hornets.
“He’s fast for an old guy!” said Maria, impressed at the hermit’s nimbleness. She adjusted course and tried to move level with the old man, which proved to be surprisingly difficult as the hermit zigged and zagged in a desperate attempt to avoid them. Then he stopped abruptly, decelerating even more rapidly than the crawler could achieve, and shot off again in the opposite direction. Maria jerked the control column hard right and picked up the pursuit again.
“Just stop this thing, or we’ll be at it all day!” shouted Ethan.
The crawler halted and Ethan leaped out, charging after the hermit, but he could barely close the gap between them.
“Hey, stop!” Ethan shouted as the distance between them finally reduced, and this time the hermit seemed to hear him; he dug in his heels and stopped suddenly. Ethan was traveling so fast that he barely managed to stop in time, and he was immediately knocked smartly on to his back by a sharp strike from the hermit’s cane.
“Ow! Hey!” shouted Ethan. The hermit appeared above him, wielding the cane above his head like a sword. Ethan braced, ready for the pain, but the hermit saw his face and lowered the cane.
“Oh, it’s you!” the hermit exclaimed, and then he rested forward on the stick, wheezing and coughing so heavily that Ethan could feel droplets of spit splattering on his face.
“Yes, it’s me.” Ethan wiped his face with his sleeve.
“What are you playing at, lad?” said the Hermit, after he had recovered enough to speak normally. “I suppose that infernal probe was your doing too?”
“Sorry, but I needed to find you quickly,” Ethan replied, pushing himself upright and brushing the dirt off his trousers. “How did you know it’s a probe?”
“I told you before, lad, when you’ve been around for as long as I have, you know things,” the hermit answered, cryptically. “And that transport over there, that’s as much of a relic as I am!” he added, gesturing to the crawler, which Maria had slowly driven up beside them. She climbed out and stood alongside the vehicle, trying to work out whether it was safe to approach the old man.
“Now who have we here?” said the hermit squinting in the direction of Maria. “That’s not your usual flame-haired companion.”
“No. It’s… complicated,” said Ethan, as he climbed to his feet and gestured for Maria to come over, which she did with some reticence. The hermit regarded her suspiciously as she approached, still resting forward on his wooden cane.
Maria arrived and held out her hand to the old man. “Hello, I’m Maria. My friends call me Sal.”
The hermit’s eyes widened, and his eyes flicked across to Ethan. “Sal, eh?” The hermit clearly recognized the name, and Maria began to feel suddenly defensive.
The old man grabbed Maria’s outstretched hand, but instead of shaking it as Maria had expected, he gently pulled her arm forward, straightening the fabric of her tunic to more clearly reveal the UEC patch stitched onto the shoulder and the rank insignia. He glanced up at Maria’s face, with a look of consternation, and then let her hand fall.
“So, you have finally done it then,” the hermit said. “First you condemn this world to a slow death and, finally, GPS has now succumbed to the mighty UEC too.”
“Wait… I didn’t do this…” said Maria, but the hermit had unsettled her and this broken reply was all she could manage. Maria felt suddenly exposed and threatened. Not only did this strange hermit seem to know something of the history of the UEC and GPS conflict, but he also knew her name, which suggested that he and Ethan had talked about Maria before.
The hermit raised his cane and used it to indicate to the encroaching haze, seeping out around the column of smoke that was still rising from the city. “Are you now here to conquer what’s left of this desolate world, Commander?”
“I’m not the enemy,” said Maria, frostily. “Despite what you think this emblem represents, it doesn’t represent me. At least not anymore.”
The hermit straightened up and took a sharp intake of breath, letting it escape his wrinkled lips slowly and deliberately, almost meditatively. “It was only ever a matter of time. Everyone born on that infernal moon base after the Fall was grown from the seeds of rotten fruit. It is in your nature to destroy, Commander.”
Maria was tired of explaining herself to others. Not only did she not enjoy re-living the events in her mind, over and over again, but she was weary of the implied accusations that everything was somehow her fault. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, old man,” she said, feeling the anger and bitterness swell inside her. “I didn’t do this; I was trying to end the war! I saved as many as I could before the UEC destroyed the space station, and brought them here. I hate the murderous bastard who did this more than anyone!”
“She’s right…” Ethan began, feeling the need to support Maria’s statements, but Maria cut across him.
“I don’t need you to defend me,” Maria snapped at Ethan, and then to the hermit added, “and I don’t need your condemnation, either. I know my role in all this and you can’t judge me any more severely than I have already judged myself. But this isn’t about me.”
The hermit cocked an eyebrow, glanced briefly at Ethan, and then took a swift step closer to Maria; it was so unexpected that Maria nearly raised her guard, ready for a fight. But the hermit did not threaten; instead he just peered into Maria’s eyes. Several seconds passed in this way, with only the sound of the wind whistling past the barren tree branches cutting through the silence.
“You claim that this new struggle is not about you, but are you sure, lass?” the hermit said, breaking the silence. “There is a dark fire burning behind your eyes, Commander. I’ve seen it before, and it’ll destroy you. I wonder if you want it to, hmm?”
“I… don’t…” said Maria, stumbling over her words. This old hermit had somehow found a way to get under her skin and she had no defense against it.
The hermit let the cane sink to the ground, and he rested forward on it, letting out another elaborate sigh. “I’ll help you lass, but on one condition. First I want you to answer a question, honestly. Do you accept?”<
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Maria was certain that she did not want to answer any questions the hermit put to her, but other than walking away, which she was strongly considering doing, she had no other choice, and so she shrugged hesitantly and nodded.
“Good! As I often like to tell your young friend here, there is always hope. So, tell me, what do you hope for, lass?”
Maria was glad that the question was not another probe into her past as a UEC officer, but it was still not an easy question to answer. She had lost all hope when Diana had died and the GPS station had exploded, and since then she had just been trying to survive. Then she remembered the children, hidden away at the edge of the old forest, fully exposed to the poisonous atmosphere of this toxic planet, and with no future unless she could find a way to help them.
“I hope I did the right thing by bringing the survivors here,” she said, looking down at the scraggy yellow-green turf beneath her feet. “I hope I haven’t condemned these children to a fate worse than death. I want them to have a future, free from all the old hatreds and violence.”
Then the hermit again did something that neither Maria nor Ethan expected; he smiled. “Ah, so you wish to plant a seed for the future?” he asked. “One that this time is not rotten, hmm?”
Maria looked into the old man’s eyes, which glistened with the sparkle of a far younger man. “Yes, I suppose so. If I can.”
The hermit chuckled and leaned in closer to Maria so that only she could hear him. “I can see why he likes you.”
Maria was again stunned by the hermit’s understanding of her past with Ethan, but before she could answer, the old man lifted his weight off the cane, trotted over to a cluster of rocks a few meters away and sat down heavily, letting out a long, extravagant groan. Maria and Ethan looked at each other, shrugged almost in perfect synchronization, and followed him.
“I’m not much of a gardener, young lass, but if I can help you I will,” said the hermit. He raised the cane and jabbed it towards Maria’s chest. “Just remember, the seed starts from within you. If you want to grow something good, you have to clear out everything that’s rotten. Are you with me?”
“I think so,” said Maria, managing a smile, though in truth she wasn’t entirely sure that she did follow his meaning.
“Righty ho then!” said the hermit joyfully, switching up the mood. “Now, tell me how I can help.”
“It’s a long shot,” said Maria, “but we’re taking a chance on you knowing of a place where we can take the survivors, a place where the toxic effects of this planet will be minimized. They won’t survive on the surface, not for long.”
“I know more places than there are lights in the sky,” said the hermit, smiling attentively. “But, you’ll need to be a tad more specific, lass.”
“Ethan tells me you’ve wandered these lands for a long time,” Maria continued. “We’re hoping that, along the way, you saw a tunnel, something leading deep underground? It would have been quite distinctive; something that was built before the Fall?”
“Aye, I know of such a place,” said the hermit, without the slightest hesitation.
“You do?” said Ethan, feeling a surge of excitement. “Can you help us to locate it?”
“Of course!” said the hermit, cheerily. “There’s a tunnel just like the one you described leading down into a mountain. I found it years ago; it’s a great place to hide from roamers, or shelter from a storm. I helped a fellow traveler take refuge there a few years back; though the lad was already on the turn.” Then the hermit shuddered flamboyantly. “Just don’t go too deep; I don’t know what’s down there, but it didn’t sound friendly!” He laughed heartily and Ethan couldn’t help but laugh along with him; he really liked this old hermit.
“Wait just a moment,” said Maria, and she ran over in the direction of the crawler.
The hermit waited for her to be out of earshot and then reached into his coat and fumbled through the innumerable pockets, until he finally removed a small, round disc. He twisted the disc and it split in two; one half he slid back into his coat, and the other he held out to Ethan.
“What’s this?” Ethan said, taking the object, which was similar in size to his ranger seal.
“Just something in case you ever need to find me again, lad,” said the hermit. “Your fancy friend over there will know what to do with it.”
Ethan frowned, and slipped the disc into his tunic pocket. “You love being mysterious, don’t you?”
The hermit smiled a toothless smile and then glanced over to Maria, who was busy checking through the myriad different compartments and cubby holes in the crawler. “So that’s her then is it, eh?”
Ethan smiled, “Yes, that’s her.”
“And how do you feel about that, lad?” said the hermit, probing subtly. “Her being back, I mean?”
Ethan shrugged. “I’m glad she’s alive. I’m happy to see her again,” he said, evasively.
The hermit rubbed the thick stubble on his face, keeping an eager eye on Ethan. Then he stopped and looked over at Maria, who was still half inside the crawler, working on something. “You know, it’s easy to take for granted the things we see all the time,” he said, leaning back against the rock. “I sometimes walk for weeks just to reach somewhere new; it’s exciting! But, you know what, lad? I always end up back here.”
“It’s okay, old man,” said Ethan, “I know what you’re trying to tell me. I’m not the same man you found all those years ago.”
“You mean the one I found on his knees, blabbing into his hands about that young lass over there?” asked the hermit with a wicked smirk.
“I wasn’t blabbing,” said Ethan, folding his arms.
The hermit laughed out loud again and held up both hands. “Okay, lad, okay! Do you want to hear a story?”
“No, but I’m sure you’re going to tell me one anyway…”
“Every year, there’s a flower that grows up near the foot of a mountain a long way from here,” the hermit began. “It only hangs around for a few days and then it’s gone. I go every year, and every year it’s just as beautiful as the last.”
“Sounds lovely,” said Ethan, sarcastically. He was still smarting from the remark about him ‘blabbing’.
“Then one year, I took a wrong turn and arrived at a different place, and there wasn’t just that one flower, there were dozens!” the hermit went on, ignoring Ethan’s quip. “Different shapes and colors and in numbers I’d never seen before, not in fifty years!”
“Just how old are you, anyway?” queried Ethan, but the hermit shushed him and continued.
“But I didn’t note the way back. I thought I’d be able to find it again, or find other places like it, but in all the time since, I’ve never found it again. Not once.” He closed his eyes, seemingly reminiscing about the experience.
“So what are you saying?” said Ethan. “That I need look for more flowers?”
“No, you great dimwit!” The hermit opened his eyes and glowered at Ethan. “I’m saying that sometimes when you find something special, you don’t realize just how special it is, until it’s lost, forever.”
“It’s okay, old man, I get it,” said Ethan, “I really do. I nearly lost Summer once; I won’t let it happen again.”
“Grand!” said the hermit. “Because I like that fiery-haired lass, even if she does scare me a bit!” and then he laughed again.
Ethan shook his head, but was smiling too.
“I like that one as well,” said the hermit, looking at Maria, who was now walking back towards them. “I hope she manages to make peace with her troubles.”
“Me too,” said Ethan softly, so as not to be overheard.
“What are you two gossiping about?” said Maria once she realized they had stopped talking as soon as she’d got closer.
“Nothing,” said the two men, simultaneously. Then they looked at each other and laughed.
“You know what, I don’t want to know,” said Maria. Then she pressed a button on a small control pa
d in her hand and a holo map appeared beside them, projecting out from the crawler. “I compiled the data from the probes that have been circling around this area and rigged the crawler to project it through its internal holo. Forest Gate, Ethan’s settlement, is marked in the middle. Can you point out where we need to go on this?”
The hermit got up and did a little jig to loosen his joints. Then he picked up his cane and stepped slightly into the holo. He did not seem even remotely surprised by the technology. “Can you expand it a bit more, lass, and go that way,” he asked, scrunching up his eyes and indicating to an area of the map with his cane.
Maria tapped the control pad and the image zoomed out and scrolled across to show a mountain with a smashed, flat-topped summit.
“Over near that mountain, there. Zoom in a bit… that’s it, stop there!” said the hermit. Then he walked further into the display and pointed to an area near the base of the mountain. “That’s it. I call it ‘Bloody Mountain’, because every time I have to pass through it, I say, Oh no, not this bloody mountain again!” He burst out laughing.
Ethan smiled and looked at Maria, who was chuckling. It was impossible not to be affected by the charismatic and eccentric old man.
“It’s difficult to reach, mind you,” said the hermit. “There are some treacherous marshlands around the foot of the mountain, and a dense forest too, so take care. But on the bright side, it means you don’t see many roamers up there.”
“Thank you,” said Maria. “I really mean it; you could have helped to save a lot of lives.”
“Well, life is precious planetside young Sal,” said the hermit, and his use of ‘Sal’ instead of ‘Maria’ was noticed by both Maria and Ethan. “That includes your life just as much as any other. Remember that, eh?”
Ethan stepped forward, removed a small wooden box from his jacket pocket, and handed it to the hermit. The old man smiled a knowing smile and then prized open the lid of the box with such care that Maria wondered what priceless, fragile treasures could possibly be contained inside.
“I hoped you might have some of these!” he cheered, peering into the box and seeing a batch of Katie’s honey cookies.
