Chrysalis

by Brendan Reichs

  Leighton ran a hand over his face. “Min, the surface is ten feet lower than earlier this morning. That’s not natural. It’s . . . You can’t . . . This is a big freaking lake!”

  Great. What did it mean? I had enough problems already, and now even the island was turning on me.

  The ground beneath my feet bucked suddenly. Began to vibrate.

  I glanced down, then at a wide-eyed Noah beside me. His mouth opened, but to say what I’d never know.

  Air bubbles sizzled from the lake.

  I watched in astonishment as the water began to swirl.

  “Oh my God,” Leighton whispered. “Oh no.”

  I gripped his forearm, my eyes never straying from the gathering whirlpool. “The water’s running out!”

  “But how?” Leighton dug his fingers into his scalp. “Running where?”

  “It’s draining.” I felt the blood leach from my face. “Something just pulled the plug on Fire Lake.”

  4

  NOAH

  My mouth hung open.

  I stood next to Min and watched the disaster unfold. The sun dipped in the western sky as the water circled, frothed, and disappeared into its own depths. A few people left to check on other things, but Min and I stood like statues, unable to move an inch. By dinnertime it was all over.

  Fire Lake was gone. And we were in big, big trouble.

  Eventually, I felt a hand on my shoulder. Derrick. He nudged Min as well, and she turned as if waking from a dream. Neither of us had spoken in an hour, our tongues stolen along with all that liquid. The magnitude of what had just occurred was hard for me to grasp.

  “The lake’s cashed,” Derrick said matter-of-factly. “That’s so bad I don’t even want to discuss it. But the good news is, Akio and I checked the catch pond and it’s full. So we’ve got some water, just not . . . you know . . . a lake.”

  I blinked. Nodded. “Okay. But where did it all go?”

  “That’s the bad news.” Derrick chuckled without humor. “You’re not going to believe it.”

  “Tell me,” Min said.

  “Somehow, a lot drained into the silo.” Derrick sighed and rubbed his eyes. “Zach and Leah were up by the smashed tunnel, hauling rocks, when sludge started seeping from where we’ve been digging. Then a whole stream bubbled out through the cracks and down the hill. Which means the entire shaft below door level must be flooded.”

  “Which means the alcoves are underwater.” Min squeezed her eyes shut. “All our supplies, ruined.”

  I wrapped her in a hug, but couldn’t offer any real solace. The silo had been our storehouse, holding everything that separated us from an honest-to-God pioneer settlement. The cave-ins were tragic and horrible, but I’d felt sure we could dig back inside eventually, and recover our gear. Now? Game over.

  “We still have a lot in the storage buildings,” Min said quietly, chewing her lip. “And some of the things in there can survive being submerged.”

  “Maybe,” Derrick conceded, but he kicked at a mound of loose pebbles. “But not dehydrated food, not seed crates, and not most machines. Anything we could eat, grow, or plug in is probably toast, and that’s the stuff that matters.”

  “The MegaCom!” I blurted, then spat a series of four-letter words. “That equipment won’t survive a flood.”

  We all fell silent. We’d survived for millennia as lines of code inside the supercomputer, until it regenerated us back into living bodies using lab machines. The MegaCom had been our entire universe, and still ran the nuclear power plant and life support systems that kept the silo functional. It was our ultimate fail-safe.

  My breathing quickened. Our last link to advanced human civilization was likely dead and dust. Without it, we were reduced to highly educated cave people with some fancy tools. I felt like lying down in the mud.

  Finally, Min cleared her throat. “Sarah said she sealed the lab complex.” Her eyebrows rose hopefully. “If she closed the blast doors, they should be airtight. The MegaCom might be okay even under all that water.”

  Derrick scratched his dark, stubbly chin. “All right. Say we dig in and drain enough water to reach some goodies. We can probably salvage the building supplies and camping stuff. Maybe even a few vehicles. But what about food, you guys? We knew eventually we’d have to farm, but that day is right now, and the seeds are probably ruined.”

  Min started, her eyes darting to meet mine. “Not all of them.”

  “The Outpost.” I actually snapped my fingers. “Corbin ferried dozens of crates across when they found arable soil.”

  Derrick winced as if in physical pain. “I only gave them a limited supply. We thought the silo was the safest place in the world, so I didn’t want to risk moving too much without seeing results first. And now we’re screwed.”

  The Outpost was our only true colony. Corbin O’Brien and his summer-camp crew from the Program now occupied a narrow plateau roughly a day’s motor away. No one was sure if it was another island or the edge of something bigger, but Corbin didn’t care. Scouts had found better dirt there, and he wanted to grow things.

  Fire Lake Island had the silo and its supplies, but no good farmland. For some reason crops wouldn’t take hold, not even around the lake. Which was maddening, given the healthy forest and other nonedible plants blanketing the island. It meant that one day we’d all have to move away, but few were ready to abandon our only source of modern technology.

  Now, however . . .

  “Just hold on.” I chewed my thumb as ideas began slotting into place. “First, we have decent food stores in Home Town and at Ridgeline, and everything else ready-to-eat was inside the lab complex with Sarah, so it might be fine. Second, some of the seed crates could be waterproof. I don’t know how we’ll get to them, but we can try. It’s not a guaranteed loss. Third, we can radio the Outpost and see if they’re growing crops yet. Maybe Corbin’s ahead of the game already, and hasn’t bothered to tell us.”

  “Except they aren’t answering,” Derrick pointed out. “Which is now officially suspicious as hell.”

  Min’s expression clouded. I thought of what Sarah said to me after the back tunnel collapsed. Had she spoken to Min as well? In all the craziness, I hadn’t had a moment alone with either of them since getting back to the village.

  “The storm must’ve smacked them, too,” I said. “They could’ve lost their antenna, maybe even their boats.”

  Derrick crossed his arms. “We lose contact with the Outpost on the same day the silo goes down? Tell me that’s not shady as hell. They’re supposed to stay in regular communication, but nobody’s shown up here with a report, and who knows what Tack is doing.”

  Tack had gone to live with Corbin’s team, but had zero interest in farming. He wanted to explore whatever else was out there. He also wanted away from the cabin Min and I shared, even though they’d been best friends before Nemesis. Tack had made clear during the Program that he wanted more than that. When Min chose me, it cut him deep. So deep that he’d packed up and left for the wilds instead.

  I knew Min hated how things had played out, and missed him terribly, but there was no one alive more stubborn than Thomas Russo. He’d never even come back to visit. Not once.

  Real talk: I didn’t miss him too much.

  “We have to get in touch somehow,” Min said. “Even if just to make sure they’re okay.”

  Derrick nodded. “We need the Outpost more than ever now. We’re not going to starve this month or anything, but the clock’s started. We’re gonna have to grow crops to survive.”

  Tension radiated from Min’s slender frame. “It’s still too risky to relocate lots of people. We don’t know what’s out there, and can’t lose any more—”

  She cut off abruptly. I searched for something helpful to say.

  Min worried constantly about how we’d survive in the long run, but that had always be
en a problem for later. After we got the basics organized. Now the timetable had accelerated radically, and we weren’t even close to ready. She’d make herself sick stressing about how to keep everyone safe.

  I was still trying to come up with a good first step when Sarah appeared from the woods. For some reason I felt guilty, like we’d been caught doing something naughty. Sarah always made me feel that way.

  She stepped confidently into our circle. “Impromptu council? I assume you’re planning a scuba expedition.”

  “So you heard.” Then I stopped short. “We don’t actually have scuba gear, do we?”

  Derrick barked a laugh. “Black Suit didn’t think of everything.”

  I hid a shiver, thinking of my longtime executioner. We’d left him inside the Program, but I still had nightmares about the man who’d stalked me on my birthdays, apologizing softly each time he murdered me.

  Sarah failed to see the humor. “So what’s the plan? Because right now it appears to be staring at the new hole in the center of our island. And in case you haven’t noticed, there’s another storm moving in. It looks as bad as the last one.”

  My gaze darted to the clouds. I hadn’t noticed, but she was right—a shimmering purple bruise writhed in the eastern sky. I glanced at Min, saw her teeth grind as she glared at the maelstrom. Disturbingly, she looked to Sarah. I wanted to nudge her out of whatever funk she’d fallen into, but didn’t want Sarah to see.

  Sarah, however, missed nothing. “Since it’s clear no one’s in charge at the moment, I’ll keep this simple. I’ll coordinate the silo dig. That’s my bedroom down there, and I left my favorite sweater behind. Plus I’m the best at actually doing things. Derrick, you come with me. Min, go see what needs to be done in the village. It’s a mess. Noah, be useful and check in with Sam. Then inventory everything we have, anywhere on this island.”

  I glanced at Min, whose head was bowed. Say something. But she merely nodded and began trudging up the path. I hurried after her, a pit opening in my stomach.

  There’d been three elections since the Program ended, and Min had been unanimously chosen in the first two, running unopposed. Then she’d won a tense third vote against write-ins for Sam, Ethan, and others immediately after the accident. But regardless of her weakening support, Min was still in charge.

  Sarah had never offered herself as a candidate, yet here she was, dishing out orders after the situation went to crap. Did she want to run things? Was she already? Derrick hadn’t spoken out just now, and neither had I.

  I caught up to Min but couldn’t find the right words to express my concern. We climbed a small hill in silence. The approaching storm was more obvious here, spreading out in a flickering disc of coiled energy. There was nothing like these in the old world. This one looked hungry. Eager to finish the job its twin had started.

  Min stared at the unsettled horizon. She hadn’t spoken since Sarah appeared, and I was starting to worry. “She doesn’t know everything,” I began, but a sharp shake of Min’s head stopped me cold.

  “She knows better than me. Sarah’s right. I sat there staring at a problem while she was figuring out solutions. I’m screwing up. When things are okay, I feel like I can handle the responsibility, but the minute something goes bad . . .” Her shoulders shook, and I realized she was crying. I reached out and gently eased her close. She melted into my side. “Nine more people, Noah. And I couldn’t do anything.”

  I moved to stand in front of her, forcing her eyes to meet mine. “Last night was a superstorm like none we’ve ever seen. You’re not responsible for acts of God.”

  She pulled away, pawing stray hairs from her face. “Then who is? Sarah’s able to operate in a crisis. She thrives in them.”

  “Sarah’s also a sociopath,” I joked, trying to lighten the mood. “No one trusts her. She actively tried to kill everyone inside the Program, and that’s not something people have forgotten.”

  Thunder boomed in the distance. The hairs on my arms danced.

  Min seemed to come out of her fog. “I’m being petty. Her instructions make sense. I’ll check on the cabins and make sure everyone is settled for the storm. You find Sam and figure out what he’s thinking. They took a lot of stuff up to Ridgeline, and we didn’t keep great records. Maybe he thought further ahead than I did. And I’ll tell you later what Sarah said to me about the cave-ins. It’s . . . weird.”

  I nodded. I wanted to tell her what Sarah had said outside the back tunnel, but thought better of it. Min seemed back on her game. I didn’t want to knock her off it with her rival’s paranoid theories. “I’ll see you tonight.”

  She stepped close and our lips met. A whole new kind of electricity swarmed my body, but Min slipped away and hurried toward the village. I blew out a sigh in disappointment, then took a different path. Sam and his crew had set up near the woods beyond the creek. When I arrived, I was distressed to see them packing their things.

  Sam was kneeling beside Floyd and Hamza as they folded a field tent. Floyd spotted me first and gave a head nod, while Hamza went as far as to smile. But Sam ignored me.

  “Need help getting settled in town?” I offered. “Sheltering in cabins is the right call.”

  Sam rose, and our eyes met. There was no friendliness in his gaze. There hadn’t been since his cousin died.

  We’d sent Carl and three others to scout the northern bluffs. Carl had radioed back that the weather was getting bad, and he thought the mission was pointless—there was nothing up there but shattered rock. But we didn’t have a good map of that area yet, so Min told him to finish the job. Minutes later a cliff crumbled beneath their feet, dropping Carl, Zoë, Trent, and Jun Son into the sea. We never found their bodies.

  Sam spoke before I could. “If we leave now, we’ll beat the weather.”

  I shifted, one hand tugging the back of my neck. “Safer to wait. Ride out the storm with us. Plus, we might need your help digging out the silo. You guys need the stuff in there as much as we do.”

  Sam shook his head. “That’s all gone.”

  My gaze slid to Floyd, whose mouth was a tight line. Hamza frowned down at nothing, making curlicues in the dirt with his foot. The other Ridgeliners kept packing their gear. Greg. Jacob. Kharisma. Maggie and Cenisa. But I could tell they were all listening.

  “Sam, come on.” I stepped closer, trying to get him to understand. “For a few nights at least, we need all hands on deck. Big decisions are coming. We have to figure out how we’re going to survive.”

  “Make whatever decisions you want,” Sam said bitterly. “You guys always do. We both know I only agreed to stay connected to Home Town because the village controlled all the supplies. But now you’ve lost them, and we have our own problems. I can’t waste time in another stupid council that won’t help my crew.”

  “We lost them?” I shot back, my anger rising to match his. “Sam, the mountain caved in. Give me a damn break.”

  Sam waved a dismissive hand. “Doesn’t matter. Done is done. We’re going.”

  My jaw tightened. I bit back a furious retort. I had to make him see reason. “Then I’m going with you.”

  Sam’s dark eyes bored into me. “You weren’t invited, Noah.”

  “Are you quitting the group or not?” I demanded. “Make the call right now. Because we will dig into the silo, and we will figure out how to salvage what’s down there. If you bail like this, you forfeit a right to any of it. Is that what you want?”

  Sam slammed the bag in his hands to the ground. He seemed ready to trade punches, and I can’t say I didn’t welcome the idea. The frustrations of the past twenty-four hours were bubbling up inside me, and the savage release of a fight had enormous appeal. It wasn’t right, but there it was anyway.

  “Fine,” Sam growled. “Cut us off. Or follow me like a puppy, Noah. I don’t care.”

  He picked up his bag and strode into the forest, igno
ring the path and everyone around us. The other Ridgeliners began hefting their things to follow. I felt the anger drain out of me. Sam and I had never been close, but we’d survived the Program together. I’d trusted him with my life more than once, and he’d always come through. We couldn’t leave things like this.

  I jogged into the woods, slipping on wet pine needles as I tried to pick up his trail. The sun dipped behind the peaks and I quickly lost my way, cursing my impulsive nature. It’d be perfect for me to get lost like a dope and miss him completely.

  Shielding my face with one hand, I headed in the general direction of the creek. Worst case, I’d follow it up the mountain. But my route intersected a deep, dark gully and I got turned around trying to maneuver past the gap. I heard babbling water to my left and angled toward it.

  My next step met nothing. I plunged forward, tumbling downhill until my side slammed into the base of an oak tree.

  “Oof.” My ribs were on fire and a gash had opened on my arm. “Ouch.”

  Branches snapped above me. A voice called down. “Jesus, Noah. That you?”

  “Yes.” I wheezed, then spat. “Halp.”

  Snark tinged Sam’s voice. “Hold on, Magellan. I’ll get Floyd. We’ll drag your sorry ass out.” A flashlight blazed to life, then dropped to land near my legs.

  I was about to yell something clever back at him—which, in truth, I hadn’t worked out yet—when my eyes began to adjust. I was at the bottom of an overgrown ditch, maybe a dried-out creek bed. Odd shapes poked up in the gloom. I was lucky I hadn’t broken my neck.

  I twisted and grabbed the flashlight, then swung its beam in a slow arc, halting on something large across from me. Eyes widening, I realized it was a bundle of green fabric. I crawled over to investigate and found a dozen more just like it, stacked in a pile next to a wooden crate half covered by a beige tarp. Its side was labeled PROJECT NEMESIS.

  I scrambled into a crouch, questions dogpiling inside my head. What was this stuff? How’d it get here? Why had someone hidden it at the bottom of a gully?