by Marcus Sloss
I glanced down at my Gpad. Pretty much alert free, besides an indication from Jevon. He gave me a timestamp upon entering the cave with ‘get me the fuck out in an hour’ if I did not hear back from him. I swallowed the laugh wanting to escape my lips. The chair in my room was gone. I was eager to get out of my armor but had nowhere to place it. My back ached and my shoulders were sore because I was not accustomed to living in it anymore. I tried to slide my gear under the bed and it met resistance. A small pillow hammock in the corner of our partitioned section held Becca’s clothing. I piled my stuff at the end of the bed. A shirt was handed to me and comfy sweatpants. The shirt caused me to grin. It had my Captain Moostache image on the front. Perci changed into comfy clothes and let me get a nice long look. I adjusted my weapons to fit without armor before we snuck back out to the balcony.
Getting down was easy for Perci, even though I stayed under the rope, ready to catch her. I went to tour the hydro generators. I wanted to get away from the crowd of people. My Gpad pinged telling me I had a command decision to make. Slister was leading a scavenging team and one of the state troopers that joined her said to get clarification. She wanted to strip a half-built home of its raw materials. Which was stealing with no way of returning. So far we had taken stuff that we could return or replace if the world went back to normal. I replied with ‘for the crew’. I figured we would encounter more of this morality push back. I had zero qualms about stealing left behind items or homes to prevail. Times, they were a-changing.
CHAPTER 14
While I stood on the river bank not far from the hydro generators I rubbed the back of my neck. I had zero clue how the hell these turbines worked. They had ingestion covers with a small bridge to access the machines for maintenance or to clear clogs. I would need to protect these somehow later. I heard the crack of the rifle range and wondered how Willow was doing.
The reply I received back was surprising. She was on a mission for baiting pigs with Nancy. They had rolled out not long ago in a three-vehicle convoy. ETA to Xgate 9379’s roaming area was two hours. My gut tightened, knowing I would lose communication. I wanted to divert their mission to something like supplies or looting. I swallowed my fears, wished her luck, and told her I believed in her.
Perci saw my angst but said nothing. We walked to the gate where I saw Mitchell waiting up high with his sniper rifle relaxed. His brother was going through drills off a spotter. I went beyond our opening to survey the tree removal. Even the dozer was charging at the moment, so it was only trucks chaining trees, accelerating, and then dragging the trunk with roots into the gate. Which as I imagined was creating a horrible mess of our gate entry. I shifted to look at the outline of trees that were being used to make our interior berm. I saw a woodworking team measuring trees that had been de-limbed by chainsaws. Sections were being sliced off a tree with spray-painted foot long indicators. The slabs were rolled to a second team where foot tall bricks were being created.
The bricks were turning into the floor for some future building. I guess you could build a home with wood chunks. Especially if you carved out interlinking sections like these chainsaw experts were. I left the gate area to learn what was going on. The electric chainsaws tore into the trees as the men and women transitioned the logs. A gray-bearded fellow waved, recognizing Perci. His eyes lit up when he recognized me from the videos I had been putting out. We shifted away from the louder section so we could talk.
“Name is Gary Henderson. I see you approve,” Gary said cheerfully while shaking my hand. “Been woodworking my entire life. This assembly process is not perfect, I would need far more tools and hours to build something sturdier. We create these blocks for the base and then build a log home. With this many trees to work from, it should go quickly. Once we have enough barns built, I can start building more intricate work assuming we have the power, tools, and competent people.”
“This is fantastic. We can use the dust to keep trails from mudding,” I said while bending over to play with some wood chips in my hand. The ground was littered with the sawdust and bark remains. “The limbs can be used to build our internal berm or cover barn stalls, and use the bark for fires. What can I do to help?”
“Your wife said you would let us do our thing. Outside of more tools and a roof to prefabricate, we are good. A lot of people keep asking for work and I have to send most away. When it comes time to lay the exterior walls in I will need that backhoe to help lift the logs,” Gary said while pointing at the charging backhoe. “Probably tomorrow at the earliest.”
“Alright, great work. The salvage crews are on the hunt for tools. If you run into issues, let me know. Can people use the floor to camp on tonight, or you working a night crew?”
“Day only right now. As long as they clean up and move along when the sun rises, I have no problem with it,” Gary said and we shook hands.
“Take care Gary,” I said while watching them work.
My hands, darted into my pockets as I admired their craftsmanship. I watched them place, chop, and saw away. A few teenage kids were busy rushing tree branches into the barn. A group was selecting thicker branches and creating a box with the sticks. I saw the chickens were in a smaller version already. An older gentleman was stuffing discarded leafy ends inside marked lines for the berms Jevon wanted. My wrist vibrated with an alert. My arm rotated so I could read the message.
‘Bring lights’ - XO
‘How many and should I bring solar?’
‘Two lights to start and yes, charged batteries at least.’ - Duke XO
I smirked after changing his text identifier.
‘Wilco leaving soon’
“Hey Perci, want to go cave exploring or manage the Stronghold?” I asked with curious raised brows.
“The drama has died down with those seventy people leaving. They were all the troublemakers of the community. Funny thing is, we made all those allowances for that autistic boy, but his mother left with him the first chance she could,” Perci said sadly. I slung an arm around her while we watched Gary and his crew work. “What do you need at the caves?”
I showed her my wrist. A few texts later, she was heading for a storage section under a mansion balcony. The woman knew exactly where to look. I saw Sgt. Delcroy waited by an assortment of ATVs with Torrez. I waved them over.
“What can I help you with, Cap?” Delcroy asked.
“Is there a narrow trailer for the ATVs?”
Torrez twisted his head and said, “There is a wagon bed you can tow. Not a boxed in trailer. Will that work?”
“Yes. I need three lights, wiring to batteries in series, and a voltage controller.”
“You want the solar panels also?” Delcroy asked, helping Torrez connect the trailer to a four-seater buggy.
“Only a few, I am not sure what the plan is out there. Do you guys want to join us? We’re going cave exploring,” I asked the duo. Torrez declined with a head shake no.
“Maria wants to eat dinner as a family soon. We probably got an hour of daylight left. I don't even know where we are scheduled to sleep tonight,” Torrez said with a huff. “Jasmine is having the time of her life, Maria is all smiles with the constant interaction, and I am busy with work. Honestly, I am not sure why I am flustered about not having a place to call my own. I wonder if it is a man having to provide and I am missing the… the… home, I guess.”
Perci placed a friendly hand on his arm and said, “Maria knows we are trying. She is part of the solution. You could be in Denver right now in your tiny apartment with no power or water. Do not get down on yourself.”
“Aye, I even tell myself that.”
“As an officer, you’re in our room in your own small section. No bed, but with the new load of blankets and towels, you should be able to find some comfort,” Perci said, cringing. “Sorry.”
“All good Perci. I would rather sleep on the floor than in a spooky ass cave,” Torrez said while hefting a battery with a grunt. I was right behind him lifting the last battery.
The heavy hydrogen ion battery was the newer make. Could store a hundred times more juice than a lithium-ion battery but weighed ten times more.
Delcroy brought some cables he chucked into the bed and said, “Dalila was wanting to join us. Well, she asked me to go exploring. Not sure if she was actually wanting to explore or trying to spend time with me.”
“Bring her along!” Perci said, grabbing the driver’s seat in the buggy.
I plopped into the passenger seat and checked my Gpad. Xgate 232 was still quietly roaming. Our four away teams blinked into three as Willow, Nancy, and crew vanished out of range. I requested situation reports (sitreps). Slister’s team was on the way back with pre-assembled walls. Mclain was trying to extract the pump with an unknown time frame on when he would return. I said I was pulling eyes out of the sky soon. He mentioned in his reply that he would set scouts. The pump was not that deep, the main issue was getting the machine off the tractor and up the steep incline of the reservoir. Eddy was looting a community called Pinnacle Grove. They had found forty plus large homes with tons of items left behind. They were collecting food. Power had just died outside our stronghold; preserving the food was the priority. We still had space in our deep freeze. He mentioned the trailers were being jam-packed and he mentioned there were probably ten runs of stuff here. I scoffed. Not when I sent a larger convoy tomorrow morning. If the enemy was going to stay inside from fear of each other then I was going to clean the area with more risk. Which meant it was time to text Peterson while I waited for Dalila.
‘Peterson, recall drone. Be ready to launch at sunup’ - king eric
Hey, I did not set that name tag. I looked over at Perci who gave a sorry, not sorry guilty shrug.
‘Oh geez. Yes, your grace. Drone coming home now.’ - peterson
“Are you still wifey 1 or queen 1 now?”
“Queen of course!” Perci said in a chipper tone. Dalila walked by the front of the buggy, smacking Perci’s hand in a high five. “Delcroy was just looking for you.”
“That handsome man is always hunting for me. Ever since a return home party that we hooked up at. We even kept the long distant friend thing going,” Dalila said, glancing around trying to find Delcroy. “My brother hates the idea of me dating his former sergeant. So, since I am with the king, can I ask a question?” I shrugged with indifference. I doubted if I said no she would respect my wishes. “Can I be an apprentice soldier?”
“Yes.”
“Just like that?”
“Yes, you will go through training, but yes, just like that.”
“Neat, excited to see the caves where I can cling to Felix and pretend I am scared,” Dalila said dramatically right as Felix arrived.
“I heard that. Your brother warned me to stay away from you three times today,” Felix Delcroy said with a snicker.
“And yet you invite me first chance you get. You are lucky I find you so cute. I love my brother, so don’t poke the bear. I will deal with him,” Dalila said as the buggy jerked forward gaining speed. Perci was following the trail that was on her Gpad. “This valley is so pretty. Hey look, another bunny. How come we aren’t breeding bunnies?”
“Uh…” I was caught flat footed. A quick Gpad query from the Gtower database said if separated in isolation cages, rabbits were a fantastic source of protein. This valley seemed to be teeming with them. We even had pens being built over the ground with sticks. “You ever raised rabbits?”
“Breeding, no, but I had a few pet ones I let roam around. Very docile, obviously, and tough to potty train. Not the worst to pick up -”
“Dalila, you have been promoted. I retract my earlier statement. You may become a soldier after setting up a bunny farm. Before you start quibbling, realize I am the boss.”
“Ugh… Me and my big mouth. If I had -”
“What do you need to breed bunnies? Start making a list! I happen to know the officer’s assistant in charge of supplies,” Felix said and Perci rolled her eyes. “What!?”
Their conversation shifted to quiet talk when we entered the trees. Perci slowed down to bump over the roots. I watched the trailer jostle while everything was staying inside. The sun was casting really long shadows and I knew we would be driving home in the dark. I sent a message to Mitchell on the wall.
‘Eyes in the sky coming down. Assume anything not honking on approach is hostile.’
‘Roger shifting posture, adding guards.’ - earl kevin mitchell
‘Woah, I guess I am an Earl now.’ - earl kevin mitchell
I guess no pomp and ceremony led to this kind of result. I was never big on fake self-back patting. A message was sent out; that was enough for me. The woods transitioned into the rocky ground that the Perci had to carefully navigate over. At one point, I hopped out and used my arm to shift a big rock. Perci called me a show off but smirked as her small frame peeked over the dash. We found Jevon outside with Damarcus and two other teenage boys waiting for us.
“Go help the others out,” Jevon ordered. I exited the buggy as my friend led me toward a cave opening, the loose gravel crunched over our feet as we approached. I stopped to spin for a view from the opening. A few hescos and this entrance was nigh unassailable. “That was my thought, too. Even if we do not put residents in here, it would make a fantastic fallback position.
“Can never have enough of those. Assessment on the inside?”
“You know me, Eric. I rarely use the race card. Here, read this,” Jevon said, handing me a piece of paper.
I unfolded it and read aloud.
“Only crazy ass white people go exploring confined caves full of scary spiders, bats, and snakes. Congrats, you’re mostly white!” I chuckled at his levity. I bet Jevon joked with the others the whole time he wrote this. “Did you see the report of the snake people or the elephant-sized bats? I shuddered. No big spiders though. Hmm…”
“What? Those flying scorpion things were too small to pick people up and fly away with them,” Jevon said.
“Yea, but get a puroon and a behemoth bat under beast master control…”
“You’re weird sometimes, Eric,” Jevon said with a scoff.
“He is right on this one. Odd comment, hubby,” Perci said with an ass smack. “Damn, did you get a metal ass?”
“No, I run daily. Well, until this shitstorm. It helps with my terrors,” I muttered in the last line. “Enough about me, are those lights ready?’
“Yes, my king!” Dalila said with flair.
“I am going to really miss Cap.”
“Too late, and I am sticking with being a queen. Willow is probably dripping in her pants. What is she up to?” Perci asked when she couldn’t find her on the Gpad search. “Huh, that is odd?”
“She is hunting pigri, or whatever name the government used before they were disconnected,” I said while the lights were carried up the path to the mouth of the cave. Perci’s eyes flared white in shock. “Yeah, took all my control not to deviate their mission. She is with Nancy and Bonnet. They will ace any and everyone who gets in their way.”
“Wow, I am proud of you. Takes a lot of pride to swallow one’s feelings like that. I see you are nervous. You are right, they will be fine,” Perci said, hauling the wiring.
The first spotlight beamed into the tight corridor only wide enough for two people. I saw the tall narrow corridor declined steadily until it reached an opening. I went first with the others following. I may have gone slower than needed with overly cautious steps. To my left was a tiny dry stream from where incoming rain had etched a path. When I got to the opening, most of the light was blocked from those behind me. The second light hit the end of the line with a snap that caused Damarcus to tumble. I had him leave the light on the cave floor to stretch further. I angled the light up so it was able to shine into the underground cavern. The ceiling was only a dozen feet tall, littered with dangling stalactites to crack your skull on.
The floor was elevated above a small puddle of water that pooled on the left. It looked like the ra
in flowed here, collected, and then dove into deeper sections of the mountain. The opening was probably five hundred feet deep and three hundred feet wide. The issue was that almost none of it was flat. At least there were no stalagmites coming up from the cavern floor. The single light source threw lots of shadows from all the craggy structures. Sure, you toss a mattress down and light a fire in here, but you would still be in a damp spooky cave. I was certain some people would want this even with the downsides. The worst areas could store furniture for now or supplies. This was a great find, even with its limitations.
“Leave the lights. I recorded this spot on my Gpad. If people want to sleep here tonight, they can. Let them know those back crevices are unexplored and will stay that way until proper safety measures are in place. Actually, I changed my mind. We tell no one about this place tonight and have it mapped out tomorrow,” I paused, thinking it over -
“You just realized it is dark here during the day? Come on, admit it,” Jevon said with a snicker. I nodded that he was right. I was okay with being called out when I deserved it. “The night crew will have lots to do, but some might want to expand these lights and shuffle gear here. We need the extra space desperately. The stacks of items under the balconies are getting crazy.”
“Fine, but if we are going to use this for storage then no sleeping in here. I am sure people will convert under balconies into curtained homes when space opens up. I will tell Becca when she wakes up. Are you staying on a night crew or going to days?” I asked my friend as we went up the tunnel to the last of the dying daylight.
“I should stay on nights. I slept for four hours this morning. I will get proper rest tomorrow if the aliens remain passive. I am worried about our lack of constant drone coverage and the teams out,” Jevon said as our Gpads synced back in with the tower. “Looks like the teams are heading back. Time to go dig until I find the septic tank.”
I looked down at my Gpad. There was no update from Willow or Nancy but the others were coming in. We shuffled to the buggy while Jevon, Demarcus, and his friends hopped on their ATVs. The trip was slow as we bounced, jostled, and rocked over the forest floor. The LED headlights flickered in random directions due to the uneven terrain. I may have whipped my rifle up when the lights illuminated an owl’s eyes. When I realized the spooky creature was harmless, my heart rate calmed, along with my trigger finger.
