“Well, you know her best, and she left prepared for just about anything. I think it had a little to do with her father and his family being preppers. She, at least, picked up on doing the basic stuff, plus she is skilled and smart. So, yeah, she is probably doing just fine.”
“Thanks for that reassurance; see you in an hour.”
Greg finished getting dressed and headed down to the hotel lobby. It was a quaint little hotel with beige walls and glass exterior doors in downtown Seattle. He headed toward the doors to meet the Uber driver he had called earlier. Upon seeing his ride, he stepped out to the curb, opened the back door, and slid inside. The driver sped up and wove in and out of traffic heading to the P&G Bionics building. Greg was a bit nervous with how the driver was handling traffic, and sweat poured down his face. However, before he got into a full-blown panic, the car came to a sudden stop.
“That’ll be fifteen dollars,” the driver said dryly.
Even though Greg thought that was too much, he paid the driver and exited the car, glad to be back on solid ground. He turned and headed to the main doors of the company. He paused a moment before opening the door and stepping into the company lobby.
Susan spotted him as he walked through the doors and went over to welcome him back. “Glad to see you.”
“Likewise. That driver was crazy. Thought he was gonna kill me.”
“Sorry.”
“When is this hacker coming in again?”
“He’ll be in momentarily. I hope that once we get in, we’ll find what we need to fix the problem and bring her back.”
“Me, too. I was selfish and reckless for changing a complex and sensitive system. I hope she’s okay. It has plagued me with nightmares.”
“I hope she is, too.”
Just as they were finishing their conversation a young man wearing jeans and a t-shirt, and a pair of all-star converse shoes, walked into the lobby. He looked to be about six-foot-two with sandy-blond hair and grey-blue eyes. He had smooth hands and a sweet baby face, with just a hint of a beard growing on his pointed chin. He headed over to the desk to ask for directions, but Susan interrupted and said, “Hi, so you’re the person who can help us with our password problem?”
“Yes, I am. My name is Isaac Boward, but everyone calls me Ike.”
“Good to meet you, Isaac, I mean, Ike. If you’ll follow me to my office we can get started. Is there anything you need? Would you like a cup of coffee, soda, or water?”
“I’ll take a soda, if that’s all right. Once I see the message on the computer requesting a password, I’ll let you know what I’ll need.”
“Okay, sounds great. Hey, Greg, can you grab him a soda out of the fridge, please?”
“Sure, be right there with it.”
She led Ike into her office and motioned for him to sit down in her chair facing the computer. He brought up the menu and immediately saw the password request message. He looked at Susan, “Okay, I’ll need a pen and paper.”
“All right, here ya go.”
“Good, now I need the following information. What is your birthday, a favorite pet, pet’s name, friend’s name, parents’ names and birthdays, a favorite song; and he kept listing things he wanted Susan to tell him?”
She thought about the questions and knew she couldn’t answer some of them since the questions weren’t about her, but did her best. “Let’s see. The birth date is 7/20/2006; favorite pet is a dog; pet’s name is Danni; friend’s name is Greg; parents’ names are Mary and Richard; and favorite song is ‘I Wear My Sunglasses at Night’,” she replied. She gave him all the information she could think of, and he worked his magic. A few minutes later, Greg walked in and handed him the soda. He watched in amazement as Ike’s fingers flew around the keyboard, trying different combinations to crack the password. Susan stood off to the side, keeping an eye on the whole process, making sure that when he cracked the password, she could quickly get him away from the computer. Ike kept working and working and working. Minutes turned to hours, and they were beginning to get hungry. Finally, Susan turned to Greg and asked, “Do you mind going to Subway and getting us some lunch? Ike, do you want anything while he’s there?” she asked.
Ike paused and looked at Susan for a brief moment and replied, “No, I’m fine; thanks though.”
Greg left the office, took one of the company cars, and headed to the local Subway to grab two six-inch subs, chips, and drinks.
After Greg left, Ike looked up and motioned for Susan to come closer. “I think I almost have it. I need to try a few more combinations to see if I’m correct. I’ll have to say, this is one tough password.”
“Yeah, we need to have good passwords due to the sensitivity and nature of our work.”
“I can see that. I’ve heard all about your company’s work and how you’ve helped hundreds of soldiers, veterans, and even the public. I’m totally amazed at what you guys can do.”
A moment later, he whooped and said he was in. “Well, ma’am, I cracked the password. I’d suggest you put in a new one right away and try to remember it this time.”
“Thanks, I most definitely will.”
He stood up and gave the seat back to her, and she sat down and typed in a complete sentence, using numbers in place of the vowels.
“Wow! That is one kickass password you put in there. Heck, it’s longer than the one I just cracked. Hope you can remember it.”
“Oh, I’ll remember it. I used something I won’t ever forget and made it even more complicated, if you know what I mean.”
He smiled. “Yep, know exactly what you mean. Can’t make it easy for the likes of me and my kind to get in.”
“You’re absolutely right. Thank you so much for your help. You can drop an invoice off with the secretary on the way out, and our accountant will get a check to you promptly.”
“If you don’t mind, I deal in cash only. It’s easier that way.”
“All right, then let her know how much we agreed on, and you can wait in the lobby while the accountant gets the cash for you.”
“Sounds great, but I’ve got another job to do, so can I come back tomorrow to collect?”
“Yes, that should work fine. Again, thanks for your hard work.”
“No problem. Hope you find what you were looking for.” He turned and left Susan’s office and headed to the lobby to talk to the secretary.
Susan went to the company lounge to wait for Greg to get back with lunch. She sat down at the table and thought about how they could solve the problem if everything they needed was on the USB drive. A moment later Greg walked in, interrupting her thoughts. “Hey, got your vegan sub, with the avocado on it like you like it.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it. Did you have them put olive oil on it?”
“Yep, I did.” Greg moved over to the table, pulled out the sub sandwiches, and laid them on the table. He placed Susan’s in front of her, then placed her vegan-style chips and lemonade next to her. He then sat down with his Italian-style sub, Doritos, and Dr. Pepper. “I take it he cracked the password?”
“Yep, he got it right after you left. Then he had me put in a new password. I’ll let you know what it is later. The password I chose impressed him.”
“Well, I can imagine you made it hard so it wouldn’t be easy for him to get into again.”
“I did. Plus there won’t be a need for him to crack this one, anyway.” She took a bite of her sandwich, swallowed, and took a sip of her lemonade. After clearing her throat, she continued, “I’m really hoping we find what we need.”
“You’ve no idea how bad I’m hoping that.”
They fell into silence while they continued to eat their lunch, knowing the tough work that was head of them once they finished.
Chapter 25
Future, Day 5
The morning sun rousted Paulette, Thomas, and Bo when its rays peeked through the branches of the trees and shined its light onto their faces. Groaning, they sat up. Thomas got up first and wandered over to the
fire pit. He grabbed some kindling and laid it on the old fire, and then using his crude fire starter, started the fire. The fire would help warm everyone up and allow them to cook a hot breakfast. Once he had the fire going, he walked back over to his sleeping area and began rolling up his bedding and packing everything up. Bo was a little slower getting up, and it took him a little longer to get packed. Paulette decided not to pack up, unless they caught something, because she didn’t want to have to put it all back if they had to stay another day. A few minutes later, all three gathered at the fire, heated water for their drinks, and got food prepared for breakfast. Thomas and Bo had brought a special drink mix that his group had made. It tasted something like oatmeal but was not very good, so Paulette decided to use one of her hot chocolate packets and have hot chocolate.
They sat around the fire eating and drinking their hot drinks and discussing the plans for the day.
Thomas looked over at Paulette and said, “Today we’ll head further up the mountain and west toward old Seattle to see if we can find a deer or elk. We are hoping for something big so we’ll have enough for a while. Our group is not small but not too large, either. We’ve got about forty people living in our little village, including children.”
Paulette paused for a moment as she sipped her hot chocolate. “So, if you guys find a deer or elk, how do you two plan to get it back to your village?”
Bo interjected, “That’s easy. Once we finish dressing it, we look for a nice-sized tree limb and shave off the smaller branches; then we tie the deer’s legs to the pole and each of us lifts one end. Then we carefully walk it back to camp. Depending on how far away we are, we might have to take a few breaks, maybe even spend the night. Usually though, we get back that day or the next morning.”
“That’s pretty clever. Will we fan out while keeping each other in sight to avoid any accidents?”
Thomas took a bite of his food before answering. “Yes, we usually do that. Like you said, we don’t want any accidents.”
“Good. I take it we’ll get started as soon as we finish eating and get cleaned up here.”
“Yes, that sounds like a plan. If we get a deer, we may have to come back here for the night, or you can come back to your site, pack up, and meet us at a set location.”
“That might work, except I’m not familiar with the area, so you might have to give me some markers to follow.”
“We’ll discuss what to do when and if we find a deer.”
They finished eating and put the fire out, then they all grabbed their backpacks and strapped them on and then slung their rifles over their shoulders. They began the hike, splitting up by about a hundred feet and walking in the same general direction. They stayed in sight of each other and were able to communicate through hand signals. It was easy at first, with the three of them walking through the lightly forested area, but then it became more difficult as they ran into more downed trees and debris. They slowed down so that no one would fall or get too far behind. They constantly kept an eye out for any deer or elk.
This sure is a painful way to hunt. I prefer sitting in a tree and waiting for the deer to come to me, versus, traipsing all over the forest looking for them. Besides, hiking around looking for deer could easily spook them, she thought. She knew her companions had honed their skills on being quiet, though, because she could barely hear them as they hiked through the woods. She was also trying to be quiet but didn’t seem to be doing as good a job as Bo and Thomas. Either way, they’d have to find something before the day ended, or it would be another night at her campsite.
They continued their audacious hike through the woods for hours, spotting nothing. Thomas was just cresting a small hill when he suddenly knelt, which alerted Paulette and Bo to do the same. Apparently, he had spotted something in the near distance and was trying to figure out what it was before taking a shot. He carefully and slowly brought his rifle up to his shoulder, rested his check on the stock, and adjusted his eye to the site. He scanned the area with his rifle site; and just as he found what he was looking for, something spooked it, and it went running off. “Darn it!” Thomas yelled.
The sudden shout made Bo and Paulette turn their heads to see what was wrong. You could see the look of frustration on Thomas’s face. He stood up and signaled that they should continue moving forward for another two hours before heading back.
The forest was eerily quiet, except for the occasional bird song or chirp and rustling of some smaller animals. The threesome kept walking and stepping carefully through the woods, continuing to look for any type of game. I wonder if either of them has ever learned to track an animal, Paulette mused. Tracking was a hard job but much easier than traipsing aimlessly around a large forest looking for a needle in a haystack. Thomas was in the lead when he signaled for them to stop and regroup.
As Paulette and Bo gathered around Thomas, Bo asked, “What’s up, Thomas?”
“We aren’t finding anything,” Thomas replied.
“What was that back there?” Bo asked.
“I saw something in the trees; and by the time I could make out what it was, it got spooked. It was a nice-sized elk.”
“Man, that really sucks. We sure could’ve used that kind of meat at our village.”
“Indeed, we could have.” Thomas looked over to Paulette. “What do you think we should do?”
Paulette thought for a moment before answering. “Well, I think we should head back to the campsite but still keep our eyes open in case we find something on the way back. Also, did anyone ever show you two how to track an animal?”
Bo gave a quizzical look and deferred to Thomas. “No, we never learned how to do that. Besides, there aren’t many animals in the area, which might make tracking them difficult.”
“I can show you some basics, at least. That way, you might identify where they recently passed through and head off in the direction you think they went. It might be better than running around the forest just hoping you run into them. Another method to hunt game is to set up a tree stand in an area you know the deer come to often, like near a river or waterway.”
Thomas looked at her like she was an alien or something before saying anything. “Really? A tree stand? You’re suggesting we sit and wait for the deer to come to us?”
“Yes, but only in areas you know are populated with them.”
“I guess we’d have to figure out where that was first before we did something like that. Okay, for now, let’s do what you suggested and head back to the camp and keep our eyes open at the same time for any possible game.”
All three turned around and headed back to Paulette’s campsite. Since they were still on the lookout for wild game, they took their time. Even so, the trip back would be faster than the trek they had just made. Everyone was tired and ready to get back to the campsite. The day’s hunt had been so disappointing, and they just wanted to regroup and see where they should go next.
Paulette was discouraged with the lack of wildlife in the area. She was used to even squirrels running past pretty often; but in this new, foreign world, she had rarely seen squirrels, let alone any large animals. It was obvious that most of the wildlife had been wiped out along with the human population. She felt that was very sad, not just because humans wouldn’t have a food source, but because of the beauty of wildlife, especially since there wasn’t much to view and admire anymore. She had been so deep in thought she tripped over a downed tree and fell flat on her face. “Uppf!” she bellowed as she went down.
Bo and Thomas came running over to see if she was okay. “Hey, you okay?” Thomas asked.
“I think so. Can you help me up?”
“Sure. Hey, Bo, go help her on the other side.”
“All right, try getting up.”
She grunted while trying to stand up. Ow! I think I sprained my ankle.”
“That’s not good,” Bo said.
“No it’s not. Do either of you know how to splint an ankle?” she asked.
“I do,” Thomas
replied.
“Okay, then get at least two branches and some of my rope and help me splint this up. Also, can you hand me my first-aid kit so I can get the pain relievers? Then we can get back on our way.”
Thomas unzipped her backpack and looked inside to locate the first-aid kit. What he saw was foreign to him, and he wondered where she had gotten all the supplies he now saw in her pack. He rifled through all her things until he located a box with a cross and the words “first aid kit” and pulled it out. He handed the mysterious white box to Paulette.
“Thank you,” she said.
Thomas stared at her for some time while she was digging around looking for the pain pills she had mentioned earlier. He couldn’t stand it any longer and just had to ask.
“Paulette, I hate to be rude, but can you explain to me what all that stuff is in your backpack, and where you got it. I’ve never seen most of it before.”
Paulette stopped midway through ripping open the pill pack and looked up at Thomas. “What? You’ve never seen a first-aid kit or food before?”
“Yes I’ve seen those things before, but our first-aid kits don’t look like yours, and I’ve never seen food packaged in some weird bag before. Could you please explain where it all came from?”
“Like I said, I’m not from here; and where I come from, we’ve got these types of supplies for when we are out in the woods.”
“Okay, so you’re saying that you brought all of this stuff with you from space?”
“Something like that.”
“I didn’t know the Mars Colony still had all the old-world stuff, but I guess your answer will have to do for now.” Thomas shook his head as he continued to help bind her ankle.
A few minutes later, with her ankle splinted, they began their hike again. Thomas and Bo helped her along, so she could keep the weight off her left ankle. The trip back would now take longer than it had to get out there. Paulette felt bad for not paying attention to where she was walking and causing such a delay.
It was dark by the time they made it back to the campsite. Bo and Thomas helped Paulette to sit down on the stump while they took her bag and rifle and put it in her lean-to. All three of them were exhausted and hungry from their long day. Bo started the fire while Thomas got out something to cook for their meal. He decided that sharing their portion with Paulette would be a good thing since they had already put her pack up. Once the fire was roaring, he put water on to boil for their hot drinks and for helping to make their dinner. Dinner was mash, dried meat, and a dehydrated vegetable. He used the water for the mash and the vegetables and then placed all three items on plates and served them to everyone. Paulette was impressed with the food and was glad for a change from the camp food she had brought with her.
Beginnings (Book 1): Future Apocalypse Page 15
