Radioactive Evolution

by Richard Hummel

  Speaking of…

  Hey, Scarlet? I know you can see in the dark, but will you be able to tell if they make a move during the night?

  Yes. I can also get closer in the night. Even if they hear me, they will not see me.

  It was only late morning and Jared assumed they wouldn’t wait long before attempting to leave. After spending six months in that little room, he knew with certainty there was only one way out, and it could get extremely hot during the day.

  With nothing but time on his hands, Jared rummaged through the gear taken from the Daggers. He’d picked up three boxes of ammo for his Colt, along with two first aid kits.

  At this rate, I’ll need to get a bigger pack soon.

  The box for the phase pistol took up a lot of space, so he ditched it. It wasn’t like he needed to protect the weapons, and he only had the half-spent power pack in addition to those already loaded in the pistols.

  Jared, I see movement. It looks like they are trying to get out already.

  Already? I thought they’d at least wait a another few hours, Jared grunted. Apparently he hadn’t been scary enough to deter them further. Keep watching and let me know when they move out.

  Whatever could be said of this group, they were brave, accustomed to battle, and had a much larger force backing them. If Jared persuaded them to do things without endangering the lives of innocent bystanders, they could be a real asset to him, and to the dragons.

  Jared didn’t particularly hate these explorers. They were humans struggling for survival and stuck in the same predicament he was. Except they still believed in the lie. Thanks to Igor, he knew the truth, but as far as Jared knew, he was the only one. He hoped their story panned out and he could count on them as allies, but it was too early to tell, and they could yet end up on opposing sides.

  Jared, they are moving.

  On my way!

  Jared set out toward the other explorers.

  Let me know when I get within two miles. I don’t want to be any closer than that especially when we are walking across these wide-open areas.

  It looks like you were right. They are bypassing the city and heading south.

  They followed the group for several hours before he heard Scarlet’s flapping as she came in for a landing.

  I must rest. They have a large, open area to traverse next and I should have no difficulty picking up their trail again.

  “Thanks Scarlet. So…flying?” Jared asked, a knowing smile playing across his lips. “Judging by your emotions across our bond, it seems pretty amazing, right?”

  It...I. Scarlet paused to collect her thoughts. It is hard to put into words, but it feels like freedom? Scarlet tested the word, before confirming. Yes, freedom.

  “How long do you think it will be before you can carry me?” Jared asked excitedly. “Wait, can you carry me? I guess I just assumed you’d be able to after you got stronger.”

  I could carry you now, but only for a short time. Perhaps after we assign the nanites I have available.

  “Oh, right! Sorry, Scarlet.” Jared admonished himself. “I got so caught up in all the activity I totally forgot you needed rest after our ordeal in the subway. You’re probably exhausted after everything we’ve been through. We can forget about these Daggers and go our own way if you need to sleep.”

  I will be fine until they stop for the night. Also, I would like for you to adjust my nanite assignments.

  “What’re you thinking?”

  I must fortify my defenses, grow in size, and increase the only ranged attack I have available, fire breathing, Scarlet explained, craning her head to look at him. Touch my side.

  Jared obliged, and an image of her selections expanded into his view. He saw no issues with her choices and was in no place to question a several-hundred-year-old dragon.

  “I’m guessing by the number of available nanites, you barely had any the last time we did this.”

  Compared to what my mother transferred? Yes, it was a tiny amount.

  Jared couldn’t wait to see what these enhancements did for her. She’d grown so much last time, but he didn’t know if that was the result of her mother’s essence or the nanites themselves.

  He pulled up her actual status window and made the selections requested.

  Scarlet – Nanites Available: 99%

  body

  Physical Augmentation

  Muscle Mass - 20%

  body Manipulation

  Regeneration - 10%

  Remodeling - 10%

  Physical Defense/Attack

  Skin Hardening - 10%

  Scale Hardening - 10%

  Bone Hardening - 10%

  Fire Breathing - 20%

  MIND

  Brain Enhancement

  Senses - 10%

  Curious about one of her choices, Jared asked, “What do you plan to use Remodeling for?”

  Because I am increasing my muscle mass significantly, I need to ensure that my skeletal frame can support the change.

  “How do you choose what to remodel?”

  It requires a deep understanding of the nanites and their coding. Once you have that, you can manipulate individual changes instead of the categories I created for you.

  “Maybe I should assign all the nanites I get from now on into Mind. It seems like there are a lot of things I’m missing out on because I’m not smart enough,” Jared said wryly.

  Your physical body may be strong, but you could always use more defense. However, I do believe it wise to increase your mental prowess next.

  Jared made up his mind and declared, “Any more nanites I get will go into Mind and defenses. Tell me more about the changes you can make with Remodeling. It seems a bit impractical for a human, but maybe I just don’t know enough about it yet.”

  Any physical change you desire.

  “Any?” Jared’s mind spun with the idea. He didn’t know enough about his own anatomy to effect the changes, but if he learned, the possibilities were endless.

  Your Night Vision is a good example. The muscles behind your eye contract allowing your pupil to expand beyond normal human limits. The nanites also built additional rods in your eyes for much greater visibility at night.

  “Wow, I had no idea.” He was eager to learn more about himself and truly understand the tiny machines inside him.

  A benefit of increasing your Mind, it will allow you to understand the nanites at the molecular level. From there, it is just a matter of time before you understand your body thoroughly.

  “I’ll take your word for it. I imagine I’m quite far from reaching that point. It sounds cool, but also impossible at the moment.”

  You will learn in time. In the meantime, I must find something to eat.

  “Eat?” The concept startled him. “Why do you need to eat? Besides, what could you even eat around here?”

  Ever since nanites first entered the picture, he barely needed to eat any food. The little bio-machines lived off the nuclear waste saturating the air.

  I need to eat before I add so much mass to my body. The nanites can sustain me for now, but they cannot break down the nuclear waste fast enough for rapid size increases.

  “What about my changes? I didn’t eat before.”

  You increased muscle mass, but it did not alter your physical dimensions significantly. The changes I’ll undergo will be much greater and will expend a lot more energy.

  “All right, I’ll keep heading south while you go find something to eat. Just keep an eye on me and the other group and make sure I don’t get too close.”

  Very well.

  With that, Scarlet launched herself into the air, showing much more grace than her first attempt. Jared admired Scarlet’s form as she flew, the sun reflecting off her body making her look like a giant phoenix clothed in fire. He watched until she dis
appeared from view, and then resumed his trek.

  Jared couldn’t wait to experience the same freedom Scarlet spoke of. It was something he’d never really felt in his entire life. He had everything a kid could want growing up, but confined to their small colony, it wasn’t freedom. After his parents died, the cage closed in around him, stifling him until he could take it no longer. He’d left without a backward glance, hoping to find that freedom elsewhere. Unfortunately, it wasn’t freedom either. There were no physical walls, but the desolate world was a prison all on its own.

  What would it be like to experience true freedom? The wind whipping through my hair—

  Jared! Scarlet yelled, interrupting his thoughts.

  What is it? Are you okay? Where are you?

  The explorers—they are being attacked! There is a pack of...um, I don’t know what they are, but there are a lot of them. They are hopping strangely, have enormous, floppy ears, and covered in white fur.

  Jared guffawed, trying to relay his thoughts to Scarlet through bouts of laughter.

  Scarlet, those are just rabbits; they should be able to handle them. We took out an entire horde of rats by ourselves, and those are much more dangerous. You can swoop in and grab some of them to eat. It helps them out and gets you what you need.

  Jared waited for a response, but after a full minute with no reply he grew concerned.

  Scarlet? What’s going on? Scarlet? Again, no answer. Come on Scarlet, I didn’t mean to tease. It sounded silly—

  “Whoa! What...Hey!” A large blob of fur collided with Jared’s face, knocking him to the ground. He also heard a thud as Scarlet landed a few yards away.

  Batting the ball of fur away, Jared jumped to his feet and backed away. The huge, white cotton ball launched itself fifteen feet into the air to land on his head again.

  “Get off!”

  Jared dove to the side and pulled his phase pistol. He shot at the creature, but it reacted too fast and jumped at him again.

  “Fine, have it your way,” growled Jared.

  Jared cocked his arm back, and as the creature’s momentum carried it toward him, he punched right through it.

  “Ugh.”

  His arm plunged straight through its body, but its bloody corpse continued its forward momentum directly into his face.

  Not again.

  Hot blood and bits of fur shot into his mouth causing him to retch. He flung the creature off his arm and used his clean arm to wipe bits of the rabbit from his eyes and mouth.

  Scarlet stamped her foot and laughed at him with that strange huffing noise.

  “What the heck, Scarlet?”

  Just rabbits? Scarlet teased, mirth flitting across the bond as Scarlet radiated extreme satisfaction at his predicament.

  “That was disgusting.”

  A new round of huffing ensued, and Jared glared at Scarlet while blood dripped from his hair and brow.

  “If that was payback for teasing you, I think it was a little overkill.”

  Although he tried to sound stern, a small tick at the corner of his mouth betrayed his amusement at her antics. Jared busied himself cleaning the blood off and then examined the eviscerated rabbit.

  You are an ugly little bugger.

  The rabbit was about two feet by two feet and resembled a rabbit only from the fur and ears. Its face looked more like a pug, squashed flat and sporting oversized incisors. Its legs were long and well-muscled, which explained its fifteen-foot leap at him. Other than its teeth, it had no other attack ability.

  “I bet these things only survive because of their agility. They are...squishy,” Jared said as he examined the hole he’d punched clean through it. “I don’t think those explorers will need help killing them.”

  I would not be so sure. There were at least fifty of them, and they were gaining ground.

  “Show me.”

  Jared moved over to Scarlet and placed his hand on her side. Jared’s vision grew fuzzy before it materialized into an aerial view. He looked on as the horde of rabbits bounced and surged at the five explorers. They looked like a wave of fluffy popcorn bounding toward the group. Jared nearly laughed at the absurdity of the scene but held himself in check.

  “Please go check on them.” Jared sighed and started walking in their direction in case he needed to intervene.

  A few moments later, Scarlet reported in. You were right. They killed over half of them, and the rest are retreating.

  Are they all okay?

  It looks like there are superficial wounds, but they are otherwise whole.

  “Too bad,” Jared muttered. Would serve them right for how they treated him.

  You should pursue the rabbits and eat your fill. This will probably be one of the easiest and tastiest meals you can find.

  Scarlet flew off after the retreating rabbits. Several minutes passed when Jared heard a roar in the distance.

  Scarlet? Is everything okay?

  Just cooking my meal before consuming.

  Why would you cook them first? Can’t you eat them whole?

  Why would I want to eat all that fur?

  “Oh, um.” Jared had imagined she’d just grab them up in her mouth and chomp them down wholesale.

  Shaking his head, Jared thought back to just a few weeks ago. If someone told him he’d be sitting next to a rabbit he punched a hole through while his dragon companion roasted them for a midday snack, he’d have questioned their sanity.

  After she’d eaten her fill, Scarlet tracked and followed the group until she observed them come upon a burned-out building. Based on Scarlet’s description, it looked like they’d stayed there before, and judging by the sun’s position, they’d use it as a camp once again.

  They are moving through the building now. It looks like they are making sure it is empty.

  See if you can find someplace for us to sleep. Preferably something with walls, Jared added. He’d had enough close calls and wildlife encounters for a while and just wanted a peaceful night.

  There is a long metal box with lots of little openings along the side, a half-destroyed building, and a crater with some ruins on one side.

  Let’s head for the partially downed building. It’ll be easier to defend if something decides to attack us. It’s too bad you can’t set up a psionic barrier like your mother. That would be extremely useful in situations like this.

  Keep in mind my mother was thousands of years old. It may yet be years before I develop a similar ability. Once I do, it will be much weaker, allowing creatures with mental resistance to shrug it off.

  I guess I shouldn’t assume or take anything for granted. We’ll make do with what we’ve got, and defeat anything that comes our way.

  Jared followed Scarlet’s instructions to the building and found it exactly as described. The ruined wall allowed Scarlet to fit inside, and hopefully to get back out once she’d gone through her changes.

  “All right, it’s your turn to sleep while I keep watch. Did you see any indications of creatures in the area when you flew in?”

  No, the area looks abandoned.

  “Thank you, Scarlet. Rest. I’ll keep you safe.” Jared stepped outside the small building as Scarlet found a mostly clear section of floor and settled in to sleep. The moment her head touched the ground, her breathing deepened, sleep instantly taking hold.

  I wonder if I can learn how she does it? Near instantaneous sleep on command would be pretty nice.

  Jared sat for several hours thinking about the possibilities open to them. There were so many ways in which he could enhance himself and grow stronger, including absorbing abilities from other creatures. His future looked brighter than ever and—

  Jared’s musing cut off abruptly when he heard the scraping of rocks, like something being dragged. He jumped to his feet and whipped out his phase pistol. Looking around for some othe
r threat, but he saw nothing. He heard it again and looked behind him.

  “Whoa,” Jared whispered and quietly approached Scarlet.

  A translucent wave of energy pulsed from within her as she increased in size. At the same time the scales on her body thickened, overlapping each other to create an impenetrable barrier. The vibrant red of her skin and scales darkened, growing thicker.

  Jared stood dumbstruck, entranced by her beauty. He felt small and inadequate next to her and couldn’t believe she was his companion. He lost track of time, lulled into a state of catatonia as he watched the dancing lights pulsate over her body. It wasn’t until he felt something nudge his foot he snapped out of his reverie. Looking down, he realized she’d grown several more feet in just a few hours. He took a step back and noticed for the first time the row of spikes developing along her back.

  Jared squinted and looked closer at the nape of her neck. Instead of the spikes continuing along her neck and to the crown of her head like Alestrialia’s, it ended as a bony indentation formed. At first, it looked like a small flat disk, but gradually curved, the back getting taller.

  “It’s a seat!” Jared said excitedly. The back of the seat was just high enough to protect him from the spikes down her spine, but not so large that it’d restrict her movements.

  How in the world is she growing so fast? It took me days! Jared needed to find out how she managed to accelerate the process so much. Maybe it’s because she can control them and understands them more? Shrugging, Jared resolved to ask her later. Walking over to a broken portion of wall, Jared sat down facing Scarlet.

  A noise outside the building startled him. Ducking below the partition, he peeked around the corner looking for the source of the noise.

  There was nothing directly in front of him, but he heard it again and knew something lurked in the shadows. Rounding the corner Jared ran directly into a rabbit.

  Dang, not again. What is it with these things?

  He’d only just finished cleaning his clothes and gear from the last gruesome encounter.

  Maybe I can scare it off.

  Jared tried shooing the fur ball away by throwing rocks, but it just sat there staring at him. He didn’t want to fire any weapons and wake Scarlet, so he prepared to grapple with the irritating fur ball. As soon as he approached, it hopped away. He turned to follow and stopped in his tracks.