The Flipside

by Jake Bible

  “Okay, I get your point,” Barbara said.

  “Sorry. Not trying to bite your head off,” Raff apologized. “It’s that we’ve been surviving in the wilderness for a long time against odds that have not been in our favor. Flipside is not the time of Man, and it makes sure we are aware of that every second of every day. So we build shit fast, we build shit strong, and we hold the line.”

  “Got it,” Barbara said. “And thanks.”

  “For what?” Raff asked.

  “Coming to save our butts.”

  “Oh, that?” Raff laughed and wrapped an arm around Cash’s neck. “I couldn’t leave my buddy all unprotected here and vulnerable.”

  “Ha,” Cash said without any humor in his voice. He turned away from the building of the fence line and faced Raff. “Now, tell me what’s really going on.”

  “Nope,” Raff replied without a pause.

  “Raff…”

  “No, buddy. No. We fight the smeeks as we try to get Lakshmi and Brain Topside. Then we assess our situation after.”

  There was a beep from Raff’s wrist tab. He glanced down and swiped his palm over the device, silencing it and clearing the screen.

  “Come on,” he said. “Lakshmi is ready to go.”

  “Ready to go? Go where?” Barbara asked.

  ***

  Lakshmi and the Brain combot sat in the back of a speed roller. There was a very large box between them. Cash knew exactly what that box contained.

  “That is the real Brain,” Raff said when the three stepped up to the open rear doors of the speed roller. “Hey, babe.”

  “Don’t call me babe while I’m working, Raff,” Lakshmi said. “It undermines my authority with the operators.”

  “I doubt that,” Cash said. “I think the operators know by now that you can’t be undermined.”

  “Thank you for that, Tre, but I still prefer Raff not to call me babe,” Lakshmi said as she made some adjustments to the Brain combot.

  “Hey, Brain, you set to go?” Raff asked.

  “Where are they going?” Barbara asked.

  “Outside the bubble perimeter,” Raff said. “They have to in order to get back inside the bubble perimeter.”

  “Preferably inside when it turns to Topside,” Lakshmi said. “That is the entire purpose of us being here.”

  “I don’t believe that,” Cash said.

  Lakshmi shot a look at Raff. “You told him? Of course you told him. God forbid Raphael Bellows keeps a secret from Trevon Cash.”

  “I didn’t tell him,” Raff said harshly. “He keeps trying to guess, but I haven’t told him a damn thing.”

  “Oh,” Lakshmi said and frowned. “Good.”

  “You both know this is pissing me right the fuck off, yeah?” Cash snapped.

  “I’m getting a little annoyed too,” Barbara said.

  “Once I stabilize the bubbles then Raff can tell you the rest,” Lakshmi said. “It is need to know only.”

  “I think we need to know,” Cash said.

  Lakshmi stopped working and sighed as she looked directly at Cash. “Who is in charge?”

  “Commander Bloom seems to be,” Cash said.

  “No, Tre, I am in charge,” Lakshmi said. “Commander Bloom is in charge of military operations. He’s security and safety. I am big picture. I’m the person that is in charge of everything over and above that. I’m the one person in this group that can actually fix what is about to destroy our world. Two worlds, if I don’t do what I have to do perfectly. So, when I say that the information Raff has is need to know, then that means it is need to know.”

  “All will be revealed at its proper moment,” Raff said in a voice like an old wizard.

  “Don’t do that voice, either,” Lakshmi said.

  “No fun,” Raff replied with a grin.

  Before Cash could argue, Lakshmi smiled and held up a hand. “What I will tell you is that I am going to need someone watching my back while I do this and I want you, Tre.”

  “Hold the fuck on!” Raff nearly shouted. “If anyone watches your back, it’s me.”

  “No, Raff, you need to be here,” Lakshmi said. “No offense to Cash, but he’s never faced what this base is going to face. You need to be here holding the line.”

  “Oh, sure, throw my own saying in my face,” Raff replied. “You know how to push buttons, lady. You know how to push buttons.”

  “I want to go,” Barbara said. “I want to be there when you do whatever you’re doing to save us. I want to document that.”

  Lakshmi began to reply then closed her mouth and looked to Cash.

  “She can handle herself,” Cash said.

  “As long as the mission is the priority,” Lakshmi said. “If you have to choose between saving her and saving the mission, which will you choose, Tre?”

  “The mission,” Cash said. “Barbara understands that.”

  “I’ve covered war zones,” Barbara said. “I do understand that. Mission comes first over observers.”

  “Fine,” Lakshmi said. “You know how to shoot? Because we’ll be outside the bubble perimeter and the fauna gets a lot thicker outside the bubble. Most instinctively know that something is off and they never venture within the perimeter. But outside? You have no idea how many animals exist on this continent.”

  “No idea,” Raff echoed.

  “Great. When do we leave?” Cash asked.

  “Brain?” Lakshmi asked.

  An ATV came hurrying up to the speed roller and slid to a halt. A still-sleepy Mike stepped out and the ATV rushed off without the driver saying a word.

  “Hey,” Mike said, giving everyone a weak wave. “I have been summoned?”

  “We leave now,” Brain replied.

  “I’ll get my gear,” Cash said.

  “No, Operator Trevon Cash, we leave now,” Brain said.

  “There’s gear in the speed roller,” Raff said, somewhat bitterly.

  “Is there coffee, dude?” Mike asked as he shuffled to the rear doors. “Oh, hey, Lakshmi. Brain.”

  “Mike,” Lakshmi said.

  “I don’t have my camera,” Barbara said.

  “There’s gear in the speed roller,” Raff repeated. “Not as fancy as you are used to, but it’ll make moving pictures happen.”

  “Do I have time to pee?” Barbara asked.

  “We leave now,” Brain said.

  “Knock it off, Brain,” Lakshmi said and crawled out of the speed roller. “I gotta pee too.”

  “I’ll join that,” Mike said. “Been holding it since that driver guy woke me up. I’m about to burst.”

  Eighteen

  “He’s gone?” Tressa asked, her face red with rage as she stood next to Raff. “With Mike? And he took a civilian with him too? Without even telling any of us?”

  “Hey, boss, don’t blame me,” Raff said. “Lakshmi decided to surprise me with that little nugget last minute. I barely had time to give her a kiss goodbye, okay? My wife is about to travel through time and try to save the world and I didn’t even get any tongue, so back the fuck off.” He turned, gripped a .50 caliber Barrett rifle close to his chest, and grinned. “Boss. Back the fuck off, boss.”

  A speed roller pulled up and Raff hopped onto the running board. Ivy and Haskins came out of the armory, both fully geared, and jogged to the speed roller. Ivy hopped on next to Raff then helped Haskins up.

  “I’ll leave you to tell your father,” Raff said then patted the speed roller. It drove off before Tressa could reply.

  Olivia came running out of the armory. “Wait!”

  The speed roller was already gone around a pile of debris.

  “I wanted to ask him about Astrid,” Olivia said. “Maybe she’s back with the others on the coast.”

  “Hopefully, we can ask him later,” Tressa said.

  “You alright?” Olivia asked. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing, Liv,” Tressa said. “Everything.”

  Tressa walked back into the armory and Olivia follow
ed.

  “Hey, has anyone seen Barbara?” Zach asked as he fiddled with a camera. “She was gone when I woke—”

  “She left the base with Tre, Mike, and Lakshmi,” Tressa said.

  “She what?” Zach blinked a few times. “She what?”

  “Left the base with my son, Mr. DiCenzo, and Ms. Lawrence,” Thompson said from his cot. “Going where?”

  “Outside the bubble,” Tressa said. “Cash is security to help Lakshmi and Mike complete the mission. Ms. Chin is documenting the event for posterity.”

  “Dammit,” Zach said. “She bailed on me.”

  “You will have plenty to document here,” Thompson said.

  Five operators came into the armory.

  “We’re here to move Mr. Thompson and Dr. Raskov back to the bunker,” one said with a thick Australian accent.

  “Give us a moment,” Tressa said. “I need to speak with—”

  “Now, ma’am,” the man said. “Commander Bloom says now so it is happening now. We have smeeks incoming in T-minus thirty minutes. It is time to go. No arguments.”

  “Or what?” Olivia snapped.

  “It’s fine, Liv,” Tressa said. “Do you need help moving them?”

  “No, ma’am,” the man replied.

  Two operators rushed to pick up Thompson’s cot while the other two picked up Dr. Raskov’s.

  “This is efficient,” Thompson said then he and Dr. Raskov were carried outside the armory.

  “And the rest of us?” Tressa asked the remaining operator.

  “You three are with me,” the man said. “I’ll take you to the fence line. You’ll be given weapons and told where to go from there.”

  “Weapons?” Zach asked. “But I’m recording all this, not participating.”

  The man studied Zach up and down. “Can you hold that camera you’re messing with?”

  “Well, yeah,” Zach replied.

  “Then you can hold a rifle,” the man said.

  “I’m a horrible shot,” Zach said. “I’d waste more ammo than it’s worth.”

  “Then you run,” the man said.

  “I run?” Zach asked, but the man had turned about face and was leaving the armory.

  “We leave now!” the man yelled back.

  Olivia, Tressa, and Zach all shared confused looks then followed.

  ***

  “We’re one click out,” Lakshmi said through the hatch separating the speed roller’s small cargo hold and the cab.

  Cash was driving and Barbara was seated next to him.

  “Any specific spot we need to stop at?” Cash asked.

  “Yes,” Lakshmi said. “But Brain will tell us once we get there.”

  “How are you going to get Topside from out here?” Barbara asked. She had a small camera in her hand and turned it to face Lakshmi. “We arrived via transport drone from above. I thought that was the only way to time the turn without getting cut in half.”

  “We’re going to walk in,” Lakshmi said. “Brain is calculating and he will adjust those calculations once we are outside the perimeter depending on weather and terrain.”

  “Not a fan of this plan!” Mike called from the hold. “Not a good plan!”

  “It is the only plan, Michael,” Brain said. “Whether you like it or not is irrelevant.”

  Mike squeezed past Lakshmi and nudged her out of the way.

  “Tenth of a second intervals,” Mike said. “That hasn’t changed. And they want to walk back into the bubble. It makes no sense.”

  He shoved the barrel of a stun thumper through the hatch.

  “Did they tell you best part yet?” Mike asked. “Huh, dudes? Did they?”

  “I have a feeling you’re going to,” Barbara replied.

  “Oh, I am!” Mike snapped. “When they reach the bubble, I get to shoot them both with shockrounds! I am going to hear a little chime in my ear and then I pull the trigger, shocking Lakshmi, and the Brain combot thingy, which, by the way, will be carrying the actual Brain cube on its back. Oh, yeah, dudes, this plan is messed up. Messed. Up.”

  “But sound,” Brain said. “So please stop denigrating all of my hard work, Michael. It’s rude, dude.”

  “I’m having to listen to an AI that has been under Raff’s influence for over a year,” Mike said. “Dudes…”

  “I trust Brain,” Lakshmi said, yanking Mike out of the way. “We have been working on this for months. There is no other way that either of us can see that will work. Is it risky? Of course. But we have to take the risk. This isn’t so we can simply return Topside. This is so we can save Topside and the world back home.”

  “I agree with Mike,” Cash said. “It’s stupid to have him shoot you with a stun thumper.”

  “Thank you!” Mike exclaimed.

  “He’s a tech. I’m the shooter here,” Cash said. “If anyone is going to pull that trigger, it’s me.”

  “What? No, dude, that’s not what I meant,” Mike said.

  “Who will watch our backs while you do that?” Lakshmi asked.

  “I’ll shoot the stun thumper,” Barbara said.

  Cash side-eyed her. “You sure?”

  “Ranch girl,” Barbara said.

  “Ranch girl? What does that mean?” Mike asked.

  “You can shoot?” Lakshmi asked her.

  “Yeah,” Barbara replied.

  “What about your camera?” Lakshmi asked.

  “Saving the world is better than a scoop,” Barbara said. “God, never thought I’d say that.”

  “There we go,” Cash said. “We now have a solid plan.”

  “No, we don’t, dude!” Mike snapped then punched something in the hold. “Ow. Dammit, dudes, I think I sprained a finger.”

  “Don’t hit shit with that weak flesh hand, dumbass,” Brain said.

  “I love my husband, but one day I will kill him for teaching all of that to Brain,” Lakshmi said.

  ***

  “We have a lot of teeth heading our way!” Bloom yelled as he addressed the assembled operators and personnel that stood in a large group inside the main gates. “With the exception of our new friends, we have all been through this before! You know your roles and you know what is expected of you! If any of us are going to survive to rebuild this base, then we will all need to work together in perfect synchronicity! If you are wounded and can no longer shoot, then you cede your spot to someone that can and you become support! At no time is anyone to be standing still! Those not on the line with rifles and weapons will be running the line with ammunition to give to those that are holding the line! Also, if you are not on the line, then you are running the line with water for those holding the line!”

  Bloom looked up at the storm that was almost on them. Everyone looked with him and saw the dark line of rain that was coming from the east.

  “Although, lack of water may not be an issue!” Bloom continued. “Living on the coast, we have gotten used to the downpours! We have fought in the downpours! We know how to use the weather against the teeth! We have done it before and we will do it again! You stay on your mats! You keep your positions! Lightning will strike this wall we have built! Lightning will strike the watchtowers we have built! Stay in place, stay insulated!”

  Bloom looked about and tried to meet every eye on him.

  “Any questions, people?”

  “NO, SIR!” the group responded as one.

  “Then get to it!” Bloom ordered.

  The entire group except for Tressa and Olivia took off to take up their positions.

  “Commander? A word?” Tressa asked.

  “You can have plenty of words, Ms. Thompson,” Bloom said. “But you’ll have to follow me.” He stopped and pointed at Olivia. “Those rubber-soled boots?”

  “Uh, yeah?” Olivia replied.

  “The soles still intact? They need to be intact,” Bloom said.

  “They’re intact,” Olivia replied. “Finding extra boots hasn’t been an issue around here. People die and—”

  “N
o stories,” Bloom said. “You are going to talk to that man there. See him? He’s the one filling backpacks with ammunition. Help him finish filling those packs then do everything he says. You look like you’re in shape and can run. Can you?”

  “Yeah,” Olivia said. “But—”

  “Go,” Bloom said and Olivia closed her mouth.

  She looked at Tressa, who nodded, then shrugged and jogged over to the man filling packs. Zach was standing there too, arguing with his camera in his hands. The man grabbed the camera and threw it on the ground then stomped up and down on it. Zach gripped his head in his hands and started shouting until Olivia arrived. Then he started shouting at Olivia.

  “Follow me,” Bloom said and walked toward a ladder that rested against one part of the wall. “I’ll talk you through this.”

  Tressa watched Olivia try to calm down Zach.

  “Ms. Thompson!” Bloom barked.

  Tressa followed the commander to the ladder, up the ladder, and onto a narrow walkway that had been attached to the newly built wall. The wall was about twenty feet shorter than it originally had been, but as Tressa studied the workmanship, she realized it was just as sturdily built, if not sturdier.

  “You did a lot in only a few hours,” Tressa said.

  “That’s what we do,” Bloom replied then nudged an operator out of the way.

  Bloom pointed to the walkway and the rubber that ran up and down, covering the metal the walkway was made of. Then he pointed to where the operator had been standing and the rubber screwed to the top of the wall.

  “Lightning hits this wall, which it will, our people are mostly protected from the strike,” Bloom said. “We learned the hard way at our base on the coast. They stay in position and they don’t get electrocuted.”