by Marcus Sloss
“We are managing. Eventually, we will be doing better. Tree removal has slowed down since all the vehicles are out harvesting loot. They have just started recovering more trucks. Well, do you want to view longhouse twenty-six or go to where twenty-seven is going?”
“Twenty-seven, please,” I said with a smile. “Daphne, how crowded are the towers?”
“Full capacity at all times. The kids are using buckets for waste. It is not pleasant. Tower three is under construction as we speak. Once we get a network going, our angst at being in the open will fade. Our teams are already building bridges to cross the tower gaps,” Daphne said while looking up at the single bridge between our two towers.
The exterior held a rope ladder we walked by. I poked my head in the base of the nearest tower. The structures were forty feet tall with interior wrapping ramps. That must be a pain to walk up with all those turns. The ramps were only two boards wide. If you ran into someone going the opposite way you had to leap across to get by them. Crixxi children were hopping back and forth for fun, an inevitable fall would probably result in broken bones at a minimum. Then again, the crixxi grew up in the tops of trees. The ramps were crowded and I decided to avoid going up until they were less jammed.
“On to the site for twenty-seven it is,” I said.
The gravel crunched under our feet on our way to the mansion. The drizzling light rain had stopped for the moment, giving us a short reprieve. Mary asked to be picked up again so I put her over my shoulder. The mansion was crowded. TVs were blaring shows or movies to help families cope with the rainy day since the bouncy houses were deflated. I could see the crowded kitchen through the glass. The new kitchen structure between the mansion and the guesthouse was almost finished construction.
My Gpad pinged while we enjoyed the rainless walk.
“After your lunch with Norm, you have a meeting with the animal managers. I guess they are livestock experts, a duo team of crixxi male and a human female.
“Jill plopped out her stones. We stuck them back in for now and she is resting in her new room in the mansion. Entertain Mary until I can get her from you,” - Perci the Amazing
We walked around the mansion exterior. Dressers, nightstands, and other furniture were under the balconies. Most drawers were labeled. A few had a FFA tag, with crixxi sorting for new clothing. The colder weather of Earth had them seeking warmth on this chilly spring morning. The crixxi children seemed oblivious to the temperature change while the adults went from almost ribbon clothing to shorts and shirts.
The backside of the mansion opened up to two pebbled walkways. One southwest that led to the hydro pumps and then the wall, and the other straight west that went to the trees. I had slept in the west field not long ago. Now there were stakes in the mushy wet grass with string outlines. Trees before the river were being tugged out to make room for expansion.
A crew of tree markers were putting a big X on trunks with red spray paint. I realized this was our no-further zone to keep the tavers safe in their own habitat. They were getting a large chunk of pine forest so I felt we were sparing enough. To the northeast there was still ample space to tear down trees and clear for housing.
“Our issue is the lack of boards. Hindsight is I should have bought three of these tree processors. Even with Aspen sending us framing chunks from mid-construction projects, we need more. While I do not groan and moan about doing work, there are some rumblings that all this is wasted effort. We should have been building in stone or steel,” Gary said, pointing to the outlines. “Hopefully they can find some cement mixer down in Denver so we can get to work on this building.”
“I am sure they will, Gary. We will build in stone and steel. But not at the expense of the wood. Not for a long time, I am afraid,” I said, crossing my arms. I grunted before I sighed. I could understand the concern of people putting effort in they thought was a waste.
“I will tell them you are proud of their work and to rest assured we will be building new before tearing down,” Gary said with a pat on my shoulder. “That is all I have for you, boss.”
“Thank you, Gary. Mary, how about you show me the bouncy houses? I am showing no more rain for today. Maybe we can turn them on ourselves!” I said in an excited tone. “Again, thanks, Gary, keep up the good work and keep pestering us for the resources you need. You too, Daphne.”
They left as I followed Mary to the bouncy house play area behind the barn. There was a giant switch Braxton wired all the buried cable lines into. I flipped the lever and the hum of the air blowers gave that unique sound. Kids flocked from everywhere, joyfully cheering at seeing their jumping toys inflating. Parents watched with smiles. I applied a slight shove to Mary when she gave pleading eyes to go play.
Moments like these made the struggles, sacrifices, and effort all worth it.
CHAPTER 17
“Eric, I am telling you I need Clive,” Jevon said with frustration. He was rubbing his head to ease his agitation. “I get his wife doesn’t want him outside the wire. This is different.”
“I need a convoy back first. Come pick him up, and then take him with an armed escort. I will deal with the fallout. Okay?” I said, looking at the video screen of my friend at a table with a bunch of Aspen leaders. We were having a conference call to figure how best to proceed forward with the two strongholds under one leadership. “What is the plan for fixing the problem?”
“Digging down, bursting pipes, and sticking the pumps before the clog point. The screens are covered in who knows what. I have no desire or know how to fix them. So we pump the shit and everything with it. We have spare alien water pumps that can handle a turtle going through the intake. The sewage won’t be treated, but screw it—we are dumping it downhill. Not like we are going to start living closer to Denver. The southern Denver gate literally shifts through the city,” Jevon said with a sigh. “No, thank you. Maybe the smell of sewage will keep them from coming up the mountain. Really, Eric, I am surprised no one killed Reinhardt. Aspen is filled with sewage. Cleaning the overflow that is backfilling all these fine buildings is beyond disgusting.”
“How is Aspen handling Reinhardt’s demise?” Perci asked.
Ulanda fielded this question. “He is missed only because we are changing things. People who earned Aspen citizenry were used to not working. To be fair to them, we had no tasks for them. Aspen has housing galore. We are adapting your rules. I think it's, what, rule two or three? You have to work to improve the community. Over a hundred left last night while screaming we were all going to die under the rule of a tyrant. They are heading for Colorado Springs, which has a few standing strongholds. I know this because we get refugees from there complaining of all sorts of things. Dictatorships are a standard, really. Funny how the grass is always greener somewhere else.”
“Chance of a rebellion?”
“Zero from the military,” Ulanda said with a scoff. Her video feed was some quality stuff. She sat beside Jevon and some council members from Aspen. “Reinhardt may have won over privilege with the rich populace by giving them freedoms. His forces were a tool he abused and us enacting everyone working to share the burden pleases the military but upsets the citizenry. We are doing one shift military, one shift regular work. So far, it seems to be going well. Once we fix our sewage problem for good we will be able to start the cleanup. It was the absolute worst when Reinhardt declared our plumbing issues fixed only to have a worse backflow than before.”
“Okay, I got this task folder. I have my own teams begging for resources too. We will get it done, though. I am getting amazing reports from our combined efforts looting Denver. I see a much brighter future on our horizon. Our cave is overflowing to the point I have started stacking electronics in the field. We are getting more vehicles and trailers every hour. How are you doing with extra storage space?”
Jevon put a finger in the air to answer. “There are plenty of open parking lots here. With Perci’s overrides, I am able to get into most of the vehicles. We are lining the
gas drinkers up for removal. If you want to store valuables for the golden gate in Aspen, we have the room.”
I scratched my beard. Well, that was not what I meant, but it was also good news.
“I talked to Norm yesterday during lunch. Then had a sit-down with our new animal officers. Do you have planting space?”
A new voice cut in. “I am Dr. Isador. The mountains are not great for crops. There are some lush lawns on top of soil that can be converted, but the rest of the landscape between our structures is the rocky terrain with shrubs and grass,” Dr. Isador said. The man was wearing a lab coat and appeared to be sixteen. I bet this guy got carded into his thirties. “What did you have in mind?”
“We need to segregate our predators from our prey. At least some of them. It would also help with our crowding livestock issues. We are having to manually remove feces. How are the yexin doing? And what is your dog population like?” Willow asked.
“Our dog population has been… interesting. When we were starving, the strays were disappearing. Now that we have food again, they are everywhere. If you want us to take dogs, we certainly can. The yexin herd is roaming around a lake. Right now they are extremely content. We stuck the looted food in that area. They sleep a lot. We think it is because of the colder climate here. Oh, I’m a biologist. Dr. O’Reilly,” a blond woman with heavy freckles said. “They should survive the summer. Come winter, we should harvest. I also advised against adding more.”
“We have the slaughterhouse operational but not enough freezer space. Thoughts on taking livestock to Aspen?” Nancy asked. My side of the conference call had pre-discussed this meeting, so we were fairly on the same page.
“The ramoths make the most sense to bring over. We can haul a yexin inside to them once a week. Toss the carcass out when done. Were you wanting to bring more?” O’Reilly asked.
“The cats the crixxi brought are assholes. I am not sure what to do. The mozala have been model citizens. The jungle cats have killed half our bunny stock already. It leaves—”
“How about we take over the bunnies. It would be a lot of work, but we have a lot of idle hands. The protein will be amazing, though, if done right,” O’Reilly said, cutting to the chase. Her eyes lit up and she stuck a finger in the air. “Oh, and we have a lot of nice grass we can use if we don’t convert it all into garden beds.”
“Excellent. Next order of business: Xgate 232 and the Xgate between Denver and Boulder known as Xgate 201. 232 has been silent. The squibbles have been removed. They aggravated the divine-apes one too many times. The report Lilith gave was, I quote, ‘If you want all the squid you can eat, sail west for ten miles. Entire settlement destroyed,’ end quote,” I said with a shiver. Charming allies. “Xgate 201 is off limits. Then Lilith handed us another interesting note.”
“I saw that. The castle report, correct? That one is crazy!” Jevon said with sincere surprise when I nodded to confirm.
“That a high-tech species layered a hundred types of defense so intense Lilith avoids them. Spooky to the extreme when she is frightened of something. Then they create a digital universe with the same limitations of our universe that they suicide into. That is certainly one way to get around the expansion restrictions. Do it in your own private universe where everything feels and interacts as if it were legit,” I said, leaning back in the booth and letting out a long whistle.
Everly raised a hand to speak. I nodded.
“We have crixxi wishing to live higher, can we send thirty or so to Aspen to alleviate some of our crowding?”
“If they don’t mind shitting in a bucket, then sure, send them over. After the next golden portal, we should be able to get from Aspen to Mansion in minutes. Assuming the rest of this cycle goes smoothly,” Ulanda said. Her eyebrows rose when she remembered something. “We are sending a field trip for the kids to play on bouncy houses today. Forgot to ask, they were insistent.”
“Of course. We want to integrate our communities. Thank you for sending the extra work teams this morning. The clearing of pines has never been quicker,” Perci said with a smile.
I cleared my throat for attention.
“We have a lot to do to prepare for the next golden portals and then the blue rotation. We need to continue looting, building, and improving our communities. Let us not forget how we got to this point: diplomacy, sacrifices, and hard work. There will not always be some amazing divine-apes to save the day. That means we must prepare as thoroughly as we can. We have an infinite number of tasks ahead of us. Our time is better served working at this point instead of talking. I have faith that when the next rotation of blue portals open, we will greet our foes with spilled blood, and friends with open arms.”
THE END
Epilogue
DAY 10—FIRST GOLDEN PORTAL—FOURTEEN MILES WEST OF NEW ZEALAND
“I feel like a champion,” Jarod said. He inspected his aqua-suit. His body was encased in thick crystal armor that Bubbles said was stronger than diamond. Water jets were built into his feet to propel him across the water. A shield system sat on top of the armor around his hips as a central covering point. His body casing had dart turrets on his shoulders and thighs. “Maybe more than a champion, but I would not risk angering actual gods. How are the upgrades coming?”
Jarod and his team were inside the storage locker of the golden portal. While he waited for a reply, he thought about how well things were going. Bubbles was a godsend, literally and figuratively. She and Coral were everything he could have hoped for in a partner. Strong, confident, knowledgeable, sturdy, sexy, and more. The duo had quickly converted three boats into materials. An hour later they transferred the souls they had blessed with the salvation of the gods. They were taken around a market so majestic Jarod scolded himself. He openly cursed for not being a believer earlier in his life. Now, his devotion was absolute. Bubbles and Coral were tweaking the sailing yacht in a warehouse. Jarod would have never thought they could bring their boat inside.
Bubbles insisted if it fits in the fifty-foot width, then it could go into storage. Everything that came in could be broken down, sold as-is, or removed. In this case, Bubbles and Coral were adding upgrades before they removed the Pearly Dream. Jarod had seen some angry baboon creatures helping with the conversions. They were apparently expert mechanics. A squad of five female sirens were waiting beside him. Bubbles forbade him from getting male siren warriors. There was a ripped wolfman that Bubbles got given as a gift for her flirting with the dealer. Jarod was always impressed with the skills she had.
Coral poked her head out of the sailboat elevated by imaginary skids. “Did you say something, my king?” Coral asked with an inquisitive tone.
“Are we almost ready? I was curious about the upgrades,” Jarod asked. He was feeling useless just standing waiting for others to finish working. Bubbles sang a song from the deck of the ship. The new sirens carried the melody until Jarod sat on the floor with his legs crossed. He was content now, their melody swooning him into compliance.
“The batteries have been replaced with power generators. Then the front and bow turrets have to be wired in separately from the flying turbines. Lastly, we need to assemble the water propellers on their own generator. Earth is high in carbon. Our carbon generators will be more than enough power for what we need. Not much longer,” Bubbles said with a wave before dipping below the deck.
Jarod’s head twitched. His memories of his past life were fading as he built up an immunity to the sirens’ songs. He stood to walk the hull of the boat, his fingers tracing the smooth underside. He was a champion now. A man worthy of the gods’ attention. If only Jane could see how powerful he had become. His head shook again, trying to remember what she looked like. Yes, Jane would be impressed. Maybe she would give him children. He had an inkling she had wanted some before, but he had been hesitant. His old home was crystal clear in his memory. A large yellow house with a green door. He hated that green. He could not remember more than Marble Heights near Aspen. His jagged broken memory
gave him that, at least. That and Jane… No, her name was Jill. His hand stopped stroking the hull of the sailboat when he realized something was very wrong.
A euphoric feeling washed over Jarod when he thought of the gods guiding his way. So wonderful this new world was. He would be the king of it all. None would stand in his way. Even though he was slipping from a past he hardly remembered, there was still a drive to get home. He stared at the nothingness for hours. Eventually, Coral shook him from his daze. It was time to go. He climbed onto the ship from the rear ladder. The wolfman he had named Roscoe was on the front turret ready for potential threats. A siren named Chorus was on the back turret on the stern’s landing pad.
“Come, champion, sit at the helm for your humble servant,” Bubbles sang, patting the captain’s chair.
Jarod backhanded her with a force that sent her staggering. Bubbles stared defiantly at Jarod. She went to rise and he smacked her with his palm this time. Her eyes converted to fright.
Jarod smiled when she whimpered, “My king, why?”
“Sing to me again and I will abandon you. Leave you to fend for yourself before you return to your waters where you can be a fitting slave to an uncaring master. I am a champion of the gods, not your play toy. I am sick of forgetting. I am sick of my brain feeling like mush,” Jarod said with a clenched jaw. Jarod thought of the being he had conversed with while he was in his daze earlier. “Little mouse on the motorcycle, take us out of this place of the gods.”
The sailboat swooshed back before Bubbles could say a reply. The golden light engulfed the crew, blinding them. There was a splash of the boat returning to the Tasman Sea on Earth.
The bright sunlight reflected off a small, metallic vessel rocking in the waves near an adjacent portal.
Roscoe whipped the turret around. A trailing orange laser sizzled the water until it scored the boat in twain.
