Roachia 04 Under the Cover of Darkness

by Cindy Combs

  "Thanks, Dr. Mac!" Casey dashed over the makeshift bridge Jeff and Frank had put together with help from a couple of the boys. She joined Mullway, Colton, and the other teens who were roping up to enter one of the cave entrances on the other side. Jane carefully formed a harness from a thin white synthetic rope, then helped Casey step into it. The extra strong rope was one of the safety measures Jeff had devised. It was to keep the spelunkers from getting lost, while the small communicators helped the support team keep tabs on the explorations. Jeff figured the radio signals wouldn't reach the surface above, yet provided a safety net in case the exploring became dangerous. Jane gave the rope a jerk to test the knots, then signaled for Steve to start. The gangling teen sent a high sign to Jeff across the river, then stepped into the passage.

  Once the last teen had disappeared from view, Jeff leaned back and rubbed his eyes with the palms of each hand. For some reason, he had been strangely tense lately. Feelings of fear and guilt seemed to flow and ebb through him without cause. Even his sleep had been restless as a small headache had plagued his waking hours. He had briefly wondered if some of Sam's emotions were somehow getting through to him, but he couldn't break through the barrier to know for sure. It was probably just his imagination. Hopefully, that was it and he wasn't getting sick.

  "Bro, go get something to eat."

  Jeff reluctantly raised his eyes to meet Frank's stern gaze. "I'm not hungry."

  "I didn't ask if you were hungry," Frank pointed out. "I said go get something to eat. We have everything under control here. In fact, go take a nap."

  "Frank..."

  "Go. I know you haven't been sleeping lately and you need the rest."

  Studying Frank's scowl, Jeff sighed and slowly stood up. That was the drawback of sharing a tent -- there were few secrets in the cramped quarters. By the time Jeff had hiked up the sloped trail to the main cavern, he had to admit he was tired. Perhaps a nap was a good idea.

  "Dr. MacGregor!" Jeff turned to see Gail rushing over to him. "Is Lisa with the spelunking group?"

  Jeff blinked in surprise. "No, I haven't seen her all day."

  "As far as I can tell, no one has seen her since breakfast. She didn't go with Dianne's supply run, nor did she leave with the plane repair group, nor was she in the class I taught this morning. Yet she doesn't seem to be anywhere in the main cavern. Normally, she's the first one to help with the cooking. It isn't like her to disappear."

  Jeff felt his tension rise. He was becoming quite fond of the young teen. Trying to reassure himself as much as the instructor, he replied, "I'm sure she's around somewhere. Why don't you go back to the lunch crew and I'll look around." Gail thanked him profusely, then turned back to the center area. Taking a deep breath, Jeff pulled his thoughts together. If anyone knew where the teen had gone, Cassie would. His fatigue forgotten, he strode over to the Fraisers' tent.

  Cassie sat outside, playing with a ball and the oddly shaped jacks that Dalton had made for her. However, Lisa was nowhere in sight. Jeff knelt down beside her. "How're you doing, Cassie?"

  Shrugging, the girl bounced the ball against her hand. "I still have trouble getting sixsies." The dejection in her voice was easy to hear.

  "That's because your hand isn't big enough yet." Jeff gently spread the fingers on her other hand, then scooped up six jacks to place in the palm. Cassie giggled when a jack fell out. "See, once your hand grows a little bit bigger, it'll be easier."

  "But it just seems to take so long to grow."

  "It does now, but pretty soon you'll get so big, you'll wonder where all the time went." Jeff shared a smile with the girl, shoving thoughts of his own grown boys out of his mind. "Honey, have you seen Lisa lately?"

  Cassie's face immediately turned glum. Bouncing the ball again, she looked away. "Lisa yelled at me."

  "Why did she yell at you?" Jeff asked nonchalantly, not wanting to transmit his concern to the girl.

  "She just yelled at me." Cassie paused for another bounce of the ball. "She went in a cave passage and wouldn't let me go with her."

  Jeff felt his stomach sink to his toes. Calmly, he asked, "Could you show me the passage?"

  Cassie frowned up at him. "Is Lisa in trouble?"

  "Nah," Jeff denied. "I just want to make sure she doesn't miss lunch."

  "Oh," Cassie replied. Jeff wasn't sure from her tone whether she was sorry or not. "Okay."

  Jeff walked alongside the girl as she led him towards the southern end of the cavern. She pointed to the dark opening, tucked behind an offshoot of the wall. Jeff pulled a light from a loop on his pant leg. Switching it on, he aimed it into the passage. It wasn't quite high enough for his full height, but more than enough so he could travel without crawling. He turned to the girl. "Cassie, I want you to go back to Miss Gail and tell her I'm looking for Lisa. Okay?"

  "Yes, Dr. Mac," Cassie replied, picking up on the nickname Casey and JD had given him. She turned back, her step lighter having been given such an important assignment.

  Jeff took a deep breath, released it, then entered the passage.

  Lisa had found a dry spot to sit up off the muddy floor. Curling up on the raised platform, she absently scraped at the mud on the wall, trying to sort out her emotions. Finally, the tears ran down her face as the grief became overwhelming. She cried for her tall, brave father. She cried for the mother she barely remembered. She cried for her Nanny who had died a year ago. She cried for her friends who had not escaped before the Roaches invaded. Then she cried for herself. Misery sank her deeper into despair, being dragged down with feelings of abandonment and loss. Why was she still here, when everyone she had loved was gone? It didn't seem very fair to be left alone.

  Jeff heard the heart-wrenching sobs as he followed the footprints in the clay mud. Swinging his light in the direction of the sounds, he walked around a bend and found their source. Any thought of scolding the girl fled in the face of such misery. He softly walked over to her, then laid his hand on her shoulder. "Lisa?"

  Tear-drenched eyes raised to meet his. "Dr. Mac?" she hiccuped.

  "I'm right here, Honey." Laying his light to the side, Jeff then gently drew her into his arms, comforting her as she continued to cry on his shoulder.

  Once her sobs had quieted into an occasional hiccup, Jeff pulled her back far enough to look into her red and swollen eyes. Gently cupping her face with his hand, he asked, "Do you want to tell me about it?"

  Lisa sniffed, then hoarsely explained. "I miss my Dad. He was all the family I had, and I'm all alone now."

  Jeff draped an arm around her shoulder, giving her as much comfort as he could. "I know how hard it is, Honey." He drew her closer, Lisa tucking her head under his chin. Jeff quietly searched his mind for a way to comfort her. "It is overwhelming, being left alone. There was this boy I knew once who felt overwhelmed by it, too. His parents had died in a flash flood when he was younger than Cassie."

  "What ha-happened to him?" Lisa hiccuped.

  "He went to live with his grandfather. At first, it was really strange, because the grandfather was old and grouchy sometimes. There were a lot of strict rules he had to learn, a lot more than with his parents. But after a while it wasn't so bad. The grandfather was always there for him, going to school functions and sticking up for him when someone treated the boy unfairly. He would tell the boy wonderful stories that always made him feel good."

  "Just like you do?"

  A sad smile full of bittersweet memories crossed Jeff's lips. "Just like me. But then one day, when the boy was only a little older than you, the grandfather died. It was really hard on him, because the grandfather was all he had. Or that was what he thought."

  "What happened then?"

  "He finished school, then he traveled to a far away island, hoping to get away from his sadness. He met many different sorts of people and learned a lot. Then he went on to get more schooling in another far away place. But do you know what he found out?"

  "What?"

  "That while his grandfa
ther and parents were gone, their legacy still lived on inside him. It was up to him to make the most of his life, so that they would have been proud of him. He also discovered that while he had no family, he still had lots of friends who worried and cared about him. Some even became like family, so he didn't feel so alone. He went back to his grandfather's house, married a wonderful woman, and made his own family." Jeff gave Lisa a squeeze. "So see, no matter how bad things seem right now, your life will get better. You just have to keep doing the best you can, and continue to grow into the woman your father would have been proud of. You are his best legacy. Okay?"

  "Okay." Lisa wiped her face with the back of her hand. "Is there really a boy?"

  "Yes, there really was a boy. In fact, that boy was me."

  Lisa pulled back and looked at him. "You?"

  "Yep, me. So see, it does get better. I won't say it's always easy or ever stops hurting, but it will get better."

  "Thanks, Dr. Mac."

  "You're welcome." Jeff stood up and brushed his hands against the mud on his knees. "The laundry detail is going to love us."

  Lisa giggled at the sarcasm and accepted his hand so she could rise to her feet. Then she remembered something she had seen. "Dr. Mac, what is a 'Venturer'?"

  "A Venturer?" Jeff asked, puzzled. "A venture is a risky project or undertaking. Or do you mean an adventurer?"

  "I don't know." Lisa turned to the wall next to the platform. "I saw it here on the wall." She pointed her light at the word she had seen.

  Jeff spotted the block letters, VENTURER. A feeling of destiny lifted his hand to the wall, where he rubbed off the mud before the 'V'. His efforts revealed two more letters.

  "I guess it is 'adventurer'," Lisa commented.

  "More than that," Jeff whispered reverently. He pulled his shirt sleeve over his fist, and began to brush off the mud on the platform Lisa had sat on.

  "You know, you are not going to win any more favors from the laundry crew by doing that," Lisa pointed out, trying to remember when she was up for that detail.

  "This is much bigger than laundry," Jeff absently explained, his excitement growing. He pulled out a screwdriver from a pants pocket, using it to chip at the mud.

  "What is it?" Lisa asked, mystified.

  "Our ancestors first came to this world in five shuttles," Jeff softly recited as he continued to chip off the hardened mud. "Two crashed out on the Leesborough plain, one was used for housing equipment until it was destroyed in a fire, and the fourth sank in the sea. The fifth one was used until the first skirmish."

  "The War between the Techs and the Naturalists," Lisa remembered from history.

  "Right. The Techs were afraid the Naturalists would destroy the craft, so they hid it away in a sanctuary for future use. However, the ones who hid it were killed, so no one knew where it was. Its name was Adventurer."

  "So you think it's here?" Lisa asked in surprise.

  Removing the last of the mud, Jeff's face broke out in a wide grin. "I know it is now." With his knife, he managed to release the lock. Lifting the hard plastic lid that had protected a panel of controls, Jeff then pushed a button.

  A loud creak echoed along the passageway. Jeff and Lisa turned in time to see a section of wall slowly move forward, scraping centuries of mud ahead of it. Cautiously, Jeff crept to the opening and shone his light inside, Lisa on his heels.

  The light revealed a large, curved wall. Swinging the light around, Jeff realized the white wall was the hull of a huge craft, similar to the ancient designs he had studied.

  "Is it....?" Lisa's voice trailed off as she tried to comprehend how large the thing in front of her was.

  "It is," Jeff replied with a reverent tone.

  Lisa pointed her light along the right side, eyes wide as she took in the length. "If this was just a shuttle, just how big was the ship that brought the ancestors here?"

  "Gigantic." Jeff shone his light to the left and up. He could barely make out the pilot's window.

  "JEFF! LISA! Can you hear me?"

  Jeff turned back towards Frank's voice, eager to share their new discovery.

  two days later, Gillard

  Steve Hiller surveyed the debris before kneeling next to the broken box. As one of the older kids, he felt responsible for his group's safety. So far they had managed to avoid the Roaches on the supply runs, but as Mr. Colton had said, there was always a first time. Though they had enough stashed in the caverns to last at least a month, it only made sense to pick up more while they could. The demolished grocery store had been a treasure throve.

  Pulling away the soggy cardboard, the teen drew out a can. He gingerly turned the can around so he wouldn't damage the soaked label. Red Peas. Yuck. Oh well, guess it's food. Steve untied the sack on his belt and began tossing the cans into it.

  About half-way through, he again stood and checked the group. To the right, Harry was helping little Caro lift some boards. In front of him, Eric was shoving something into his sack, though Steve couldn't tell what. To his left, Jill was struggling to roll a hunk of concrete away, her red braids swinging with the effort. Steve made a mental note to help her once he'd picked up all the red pea cans. Then he turned his head to check the slope behind him. Nothing there. Steve folded his gangling body back down to the ground, a feeling of unease still pricking at his conscious. He again dismissed it, telling himself that he was just disappointed that he wasn't on the spelunking or the shuttle details. He had had fun exploring the passages and was just as curious as the rest about the shuttle Dr. Mac and Lisa had found.

  Yet the unease continued to plague him. Once all the cans were in the sack, Steve again stood up and surveyed the area. Only this time his eye caught movement. Squinting, Steve was just able to distinguish a bit of brown in the debris field. Roaches.

  Thinking fast, Steve realized that they were too far away from the caverns to make a run for it. Nor did he want to lead the natives to their hideout. They had only one other option left. Casually, he swung his sack over his shoulder and picked his way over to Jill. "Head slowly for the school," he whispered in her ear.

  "But..." Jill began.

  "Roaches." Jill looked up into his eyes, fear draining her face of color. "Just get to the tunnel. Grab Eric on the way."

  As Jill worked her way over to Eric, Steve caught Harry's eye. He flashed the signal for Roaches. Harry glanced at Jill, then began to usher Caro in the direction of the school.

  Steve picked his way after them, then risked another glance behind him. The sight of ten drones storming up the hill froze him for a moment. Then the adrenaline kicked in. Turning back, he shouted, "RUN!"

  Plane shed

  Josiah had been trying to figure out whether the manifold in his hands was replaceable when Casey slid into the shed. "Roaches!" she managed to say breathlessly.

  "Where?" JD asked as he and Dalton turned from the propeller they were repairing.

  "Down ~gasp~ by the ~gasp~ store."

  "Harry's group?" Bella asked sharply, her wrench dropping unnoticed to the floor.

  "R ~gasp~ Running ~gasp~ to the school."

  Josiah felt his stomach sink. That was a long run with Roaches on their tail. He grabbed a rifle resting against the wall. "JD, get the rest of the lookouts and head for the foothills. You, too, Casey. The Ridger bushes should provide you enough cover to get to the caverns."

  "Where are you going?" JD asked as he picked up two more weapons from the workbench and handed the rifle to Bella.

  "Give the kids some cover?" Jack suggested as he checked the slugs in his own weapon.

  "Exactly." Josiah turned back to JD and Casey. "MOVE!" Both kids dashed out of the shed, Josiah, Bella and Dalton right behind them then turning towards Gillard.

  They raced to a high point overlooking the town. They quickly spotted Harry and his group running towards the school, Roaches only a hundred yards behind them. Suddenly, the lanky teen at the rear of the group stumbled, grabbing his upper arm. In unison, the three swung their
weapons down to aim at the natives. Josiah dropped the lead drone while Bella nicked the one who had fired on the teen. The other drones were forced to take cover.

  Once Josiah was certain they had the drones pinned down, he searched for the students. Harry was ushering the teens through an alley. The teen who had been hit was last, but he appeared to be keeping up with the rest. Then Josiah spotted another patrol of drones on an intercept course with the group. "Can you two keep them pinned down for about 15 minutes?"

  "No problem," Bella calmly replied, reloading her weapon.

  "Good, we have more Roaches after Harry's group so I'm going to help them." Josiah turned to Jack. "Let's switch."

  Jack eagerly traded his shorter range weapon for Josiah's rifle. "Good luck."

  "You, too." Then Josiah was gone, slipping back down the ridge.

  "Boy, for such a big man, he can move," Jack commented as he took aim at a drone poking his head over a boulder.

  inside the caverns

  Jeff awoke with a jerk, his head shooting up from his arms resting on the table. For a moment, the sudden rush of fear that had wakened him continued to vibrate through his body. Then it swirled to an end, leaving Jeff breathless.

  "You okay, bro?"

  Jeff raised his eyes to meet his friend's concerned brown eyes across the table. Taking another deep breath to calm his pounding heart, he released it and replied, "Yeah, I'm okay."

  Both Frank and Lisa were still studying him, unconvinced. "Who's Jim?" Lisa asked.

  Jeff blinked at her in confusion. "Jim?"

  "You muttered 'Jim' just before you shot up off that table," Frank explained, his scowl deepening.

  "I don't know any Jim, at least not since grade school." Jeff slowly rubbed his face with his hands, trying to wake up. "How long have I been out?"

  "About an hour," Lisa replied worriedly. "Maybe you shouldn't be spending so much time with both the spelunking and the shuttle."

  "Sounds like good advice to me," Frank added, still studying his friend. He turned to the teen. "Why don't you get a glass of juice for him?"