“He really isn’t a morning person, is he?” asked Abigail as she looked over at Marissa, who shook her head while smiling.
“Are you talking about me again?” asked Derek.
“I’d never,” answered Marissa.
“You absolutely would,” Derek retorted, sticking out his tongue as he took his own mug of tea. With a sigh of relief, he noted, “I see the rain finally stopped.”
After everyone had eaten their breakfast, and dressed for the day, Zachary and Derek then followed Abigail down to the docks. She pointed to where one of the anchor lines had snapped and lost its mooring from the flood.
Abigail then explained, “We'll have to retie it, but we have to shift the dock back to where it should be to do it. After that all we need to do is reattach the anchors below the water. It’s a floating dock so…”
They wasted no time and pulled the dock back into line.
Noon crept up on them and the dock was fully repaired.
Abigail checked over one of the barges with Zachary’s help. “Well?” asked Derek as he jogged up to the dock and then walked gingerly on it.
Marissa and Emilie came running up. Emilie grinned and said, “We found a boat… and it looks like there’s enough fuel for the motor.”
Derek and Zachary looked at each other. “How did someone miss that?” asked Derek.
Zachary shook his head. “I have no idea but I’m not turning down that gift.”
They followed the two women up to the boat.
“I have no idea how we’re going to propel it, but it can be used,” answered Abigail.
“Well, let’s get it to the water and see if it even floats,” said Derek.
They rolled it carefully into the water. As Derek let out a breath, Abigail tugged on the ropes to guide the boat to the dock.
Emilie and Marissa walked onto the dock with long paddles meant for a raft.
“Just in case,” said Marissa.
Zachary looked at Derek with his hand on the pull cord of the boat motor. “Here’s hoping what we found is not rancid.” He pulled the cord and engine rumbled. “Get the other tanks. By some miracle we have a working barge.”
“That will make things significantly easier,” said Derek, grinning.
“Lost a few days to gain one?” asked Emilie.
“No, it’s not that,” said Zachary. “All we need to do is get back here and the current and the paddles will do the rest to get us back to the farm. We have a way to transport a whole lot more supplies in fewer trips.”
“It also cuts a few days on the return,” said Derek. “We can bypass the road and just head right downriver to Sheridan’s farm. Perhaps it could even become a regular route, if we find another town or more survivors to trade with.”
“Well, then, let’s get this show on the road,” said Abigail she threw the first of what they had brought with them onto the barge.
Marissa led the horses down the hill and onto the dock and stopped as the dock shifted. Derek and the others froze and Derek held his breath. “Bring one at a time,” suggested Emilie.
Derek took the reins of the first horse and led it to the barge. “I’m amazed they’re letting you do this,” said Abigail. “They’re very brave horses.”
“There’s a reason the RCMP, and other police organizations, chose this particular breed of horse,” said Zachary. “They are bold, for a horse.”
The dock did not shift again, and soon the barge was fully loaded. “Are we good to go?” asked Zachary.
Derek nodded. “Everything is here, and the barge is still floating. I’d say we’re ready.”
* * * * *
“Well, I can admit when I’m defeated by popular opinion,” said Dr. Kaine as he followed Victoria and Niala out of the Grand Salon and into the hallways deeper within the University. “Even if you didn’t come here with the intent of taking over you just effectively did with making sure Niala ended up in charge of the university.”
“It honestly wasn’t my intention,” Victoria answered with a deep sigh as she turned to him. “I do believe we can rebuild, and we need the young and vital to do it… it had little to do with her being the former Dean’s daughter.”
“I know—that’s why I’m not upset over this recent little turn of events,” he chuckled warmly, waving his hand dismissively. “Truthfully, it does give me more time to spend with my research. So I suppose I should thank you.”
After a moment, he finally stopped and she came to a stop beside him. “I think it’s time I showed you something. If you’re determined to rebuild then I need you to truly know what it is you’re up against.”
Victoria lifted her brows and asked, “What do you know?”
He smiled and used a key to open a door. Within sat a bank of computers with data scrolling across each screen.
“Before I came to Sudbury I worked in Ottawa,” He explained as he closed the door behind him.
Victoria fought the urge to shiver and rub her arms in the room. The chill did not come from any actual feeling of being cold, but more from a sense of unease around the other man. “And?”
Kaine tipped his chin towards the computers and he moved so he could move past Victoria to sit in the chair. “See this?” Kaine asked as he pointed to one last line of code on the screen. “That was the final message I received from my old unit. It’s a code word… it basically means the worst has happened and what my unit spent years preparing for finally happened.”
“And that was?” Victoria asked.
Kaine turned to face Victoria. “Doomsday.”
For a long moment they both stood there and then Victoria threw her head back and laughed until her sides hurt. “Oh… you had me going for a second there.” Victoria stopped when she realized she was the only one laughing. “Wait, are you serious?”
“Well, if you excuse my flair for the dramatic… but yes, I am.”
“So, you what?”
He sighed and ran a hand down his face. “I make it sound all dramatic and mysterious but to be honest we simply ran virtual…” He made a humming noise as he searched for the right word. “…Well, we ran simulations where we would put in certain perimeters and run the program. It would give us time lines. What could cause the downfall of everything, and also what would give the best chance of not only survival but also rebuilding society from the ashes. You see, CSIS and the NSA knew that eventually—like all things—everything we knew as a society would eventually simply collapse out from under us and we’d find ourselves in another dark age. It was never a matter of if… but when, and why.”
“And you ran these simulations, why?” Victoria asked curiously.
“To best plan our survival, of course,” Kaine answered. “And, hopefully, our best chance of re-emergence. We called it Project Ragnarok.”
“Nice,” Victoria mentioned.
“Thank you, I must admit I had some part in picking the name,” he answered. “Anyway, we knew that eventually there could be a second Dark Ages and we formed a group… completely unofficial of course… determined to prevent it.”
“Prevent the fall of civilization?” Victoria asked incredulously.
“No, no, that we knew would happen. But a second Dark Age, well, we figured we could attempt to thwart that.” Kaine sighed. “Unfortunately, if what you say is true, we weren’t altogether successful.”
“I wouldn’t say you were unsuccessful either,” Victoria admitted as she walked closer to the computer bank, now a bit more at ease since learning what Kaine’s giant dark secret was. “The university in one piece compared to what’s around it is testament to this.”
Kaine inclined his head and nodded. “True enough.”
* * * * *
The motor was not meant for speed and the barge trundled along up the river and into the wide part that signalled the start of the lake.
If observed from a satellite it would have looked like a vein that had burst. The river formed the vein as it ran into the lake from the north weste
rn point of the lake, and then less than a few hundred meters to the immediate south, ran back out of the lake.
The lake itself then branched out on its own for another few kilometres to the east as it wound its own way through the rocky terrain.
Once it ceased having to fight the steady push of the current as they went upstream the engine seemed to run smoother.
The lake was not big enough for any real waves or swells to truly threaten the boat or any of its occupants despite its length—it was simply not wide enough—and was often mistaken for a river.
“How long will it take to get to the eastern edge?” asked Emilie.
“This lake is really long. It’s a good couple of kilometres. We’ll be there in the late afternoon if we continue at this rate,” answered Derek as he flicked the line of his fishing rod into the water. “And, hopefully, we can have something a bit different and a bit fresher by the time we get there.”
Derek spent the afternoon fishing while the others took turns, piloting the boat. He was a bit disappointed that nothing seemed to be biting. A fish or two of a good size would have been a welcome change to their diet. He had no doubt that if Terrence had still been alive, and here, he could have caught something or at least told him where he was going wrong since he had not managed to catch a single fish.
“I think the shore is in sight,” said Zachary.
Derek broke his rod down and put it back into his travel case with a sigh. “Well, that was disappointing.”
“Not even a hint, eh?” asked Zachary.
“Not one twitch.”
The lake narrowed and they could see houses on the northern shore. A thin line of smoke was spotted from somewhere in the town and they looked at each other in surprise. “That could be good news or it could be bad,” said Zachary, shaking his head. “But any sign of fire now means someone was around to light it.”
The boat gently bobbed towards the shore and Zachary cut the engine as the barge gently bobbed against the beach. Abigail drove a deep spike into the sand to tie the boat off. She then ran a second line to a metal pole sticking out of the concrete slab that formed the solid dock.
Derek looked around and turned to them. “Don’t take the horses off the boat yet.”
A short time later their caution was well served when four armed men came out of the clumping of houses. “Strange thing seeing a barge with a motor come from up the river these days,” said the first one. “Where are you from and where are you going?”
“Down river,” answered Derek. “Looking to get to Sudbury.”
The four look at each other, raising their eyebrows.
The second one asked, “Are you nuts?”
“Why? What have you heard?” asked Derek.
“Sudbury is dead, friend,” said the first one. “You don’t want to go there.”
“How do you know?” asked Zachary.
“I don’t, but I can tell you that it’s likely,” he answered. “Look around you. If we’re living like this, what is the city going to be like?”
The five from down the river looked at each other and Derek chewed his lip. He suspected that these four men were right but he still wanted to go. If they did not, there was no way they would ever find Garrett or what happened to him.
Derek said, “We’re still going.”
“All right,” the first man said, with a sigh. “I can’t stop you from something so stupid, but I can at least make sure you have a safe haven for the night. I’m Michel, this is Tony and his son Leo. The other one is François.”
“You all that survived here?” asked Zachary.
“No, but we’re the first line of defence. What has come down the road hasn’t exactly been friendly if you catch my meaning,” answered Michel.
“We heard that from a bunch of kids down the road,” said Abigail. “Any idea where they’re coming from?”
“Yeah, I do. There’s another part of Naughton just around the bend on the road. We’ve fought them off a few times over the winter and they retreat back there,” he answered. “If you’ve a way to avoid them, I’d use it. The road sure as hell isn’t going to be safe.”
They looked past them to the boat.
“Will this work?” asked Zachary.
There was a gleam in the older man’s eyes. “Yes, I believe it will. Where did you come from that had horses?”
“A farm,” answered Derek. “We rode up from the farm and picked up the boat when we saw the bridge was out.”
The four men looked at each other and nodded.
“Makes sense. You’re a resourceful bunch, you are,” he said. “Come on up, Patricia will make sure you are fed.”
“We have to take care of our horses first,” said Derek. “We’ll be up in a bit.”
“All right then. François will show you the way up when you’re done,” he said and he turned around with the other three and went back up to the houses.
Derek turned to the horses and the others. “Anyone else have a bad feeling about this?” he asked softly.
“Yeah, this is too much like that garage back when I first met you,” said Zachary.
“I think they are the ones raiding that everyone says is from ‘just up the road’,” said Abigail.
Derek nodded his agreement. “I think the same. So, how quick can we get out of here without tipping them off?”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Packing up and leaving was not an option in this case. If they did, after accepting the hospitality, it would probably cause the very confrontation Derek hoped to avoid. He sincerely hoped what he would find up in the settlement would not lead to a fire fight but he wanted to be prepared just in case.
Zachary looked past him and up the beach to where more men and women were beginning to mill about. “Reese… tell me the ropes are easily untied,” he whispered.
“We didn’t even properly tie them off… just wrapped them once,” Abigail answered.
“I’d come off that boat if I were you,” said their host. “Now, I did offer my hospitality and I was going to be nice about this; but if you make a run for it, then that hospitality is no longer in effect.”
Reese watched Derek, but he did not make the motion to let the rope go.
“We’re too exposed,” whispered Abigail.
“I know,” said Derek grimly.
There was literally nowhere for them to hide, except for maybe behind the horses but losing the horses was simply not an option either.
With a heavy sigh, he looked over at Zachary and shook his head. Zachary shrugged as they hopped off the boat.
With a smile, Derek asked, “What gave you the idea we were refusing? We’ve spent one too many days in a tent—thanks to the rain—and the tents are a bit wet. We were just discussing the best way to impose staying a few days while they dry out.”
Michel looked from Derek and back to François and back again but the younger man pointed out, “In all honesty, it did look like they were rummaging through their packs and tying things off.”
With a grunt, Michel glared at François and then his mood lightened abruptly. “All right, I think I may have overreacted a bit here. Let’s all back up and just get you warm and dry… and fed.” He clapped Derek on the shoulder. “No harm done, eh?”
Derek rubbed his shoulder and nodded. “Fantastic… I know I’m looking forward to someplace dry.”
The tense feeling was still there, but it felt like it was dissipating. Michel led the others back up the path and François came up to Derek. “Between me, you and the fencepost… I could see you were trying to leave.
Derek looked at him in surprise. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
François shrugged, “Michel is… touchy… but he’s still a good man. Saw us through the winter where others wouldn’t have been able to.”
“François, I realize this is a sensitive question—but…” Zachary thought about how to word his question. “Is Michel leading the raids?”
The long pause confirmed w
hat they knew and François was quick to answer, “But we haven’t killed anyone… really! He just huffs and puffs but if anyone pushes back, he retreats.”
“So… he wouldn’t have ordered you to shoot at us if we left?” asked Derek.
François looked down at the ground. “Look, you know what it’s like out there,” he pleaded. “If you had left… we’d have no way of knowing there were others out there.”
“Raiding it isn’t the way to do this,” shot back Zachary. “Even if the rule of law is apparently gone, we’re still civilized.”
François was looking at them with something in his eyes. “I don’t know where it is you’re from that the rule of law still applies—but out here it doesn’t,”
“We’re from further out,” ground out Derek. “Wait—if it’s this bad here… how bad is the city? Do you know?”
“So you are trying to get to the city?” asked François, shaking his head. “Michel wasn’t lying—and he managed to fight his way here, tooth and nail, in the winter to get back to his family. He was downtown when the lights went off… when it all happened.”
Derek backed away and Zachary eyed him warily. “When what happened?” asked Derek quietly.
“It was the end of oil—the government had been lying to us the whole time about these big reserves and that it would last for God knows when… and then the bubble just burst. This—” François waved his arms around as he made a motion to include their surroundings. “—All of this… it’s because of that. People went mad and the government simply stopped issuing orders. We all know the rest.”
Derek walked back to the boat and sat on the deck. Marissa came over to him and sat down beside him. “What happened up there?” she asked.
“Michel was in the city when it happened,” he answered. “He knows.”
“Knows what?” asked Abigail. “So what? We still have a different mission at hand, if I’m not mistaken. Find that engineer... get him back to Sheridan. That ringing any bells?”
Derek had no answer for her and Zachary made his to the boat and joined them. He said, “Michel is going to be looking for us shortly.”
After Oil Page 30
