Earth Rising (The Planets)
Page 16
“Good? You’ve been swallowed by the ocean.”
“Amy, do you not recall that we have Iggy’s children with us? They have matured considerably and are learning to communicate with us through sign language and crude transmitters. They can spend considerable time outside of the ship conducting repairs. The problem is that we need to completely refabricate the thruster, which will take at least two months given our lack of supplies.”
“That means we won’t see you until spring.”
“Correct. Can you hold out until then?”
“Well, most of us, with the exception of Iggy. And then there’s Gorian. She’s with child.”
Etch whoops and whirs. “That is some wonderful news. I will tell Grey. He has something to hope for.”
The cheer suddenly drains. A third presence joins us – one that I recognize too well. “So, Amy Marksman, we’re reunited. Who’s this here with you? We haven’t met face to face. I’m Thresh.”
“It is always useful to meet one’s adversary on the field of battle.” Etch growls. “You will find that I am a relentless and merciless enemy.”
“So relentless that you had to hide in the water with your tail between your legs,” Thresh taunts. “Amy, I know that you’re in the mountains. My scouts are headed for you. The fog’s also creeping across the range from the portal. We’ll be there before your friend – Etch is it? – can reach you. Once I fetch you, we can travel to the opening together.”
Etch turns to me in the void. “Amy, please hold tight. We will see you soon.” He seems to be reaching for something in the pilot house and vanishes. I wish I had the ability to do the same.
Thresh floats before me in the timeless emptiness. “You can still join me and Eliza. Eliza’s looking more like you every day. She’s also showing abilities. I’ve been trying to hone them. Before long, she’ll be able to meet the others. I’m so very excited, aren’t you, Amy?”
I’m seething and then something unusual happens. A bluish glow expands and washes over Thresh. Thresh looks surprised and dims. I feel a pull and all goes blank. I open my eyes and find myself in our garden at home. I’ve managed to escape the void and settle back into a regular dream. I hope I sleep for weeks.
CHAPTER 13 – MORNING’S LIGHT
The sun’s perched high in the frigid sky when I awake. I look out the frosty window at the snow-laden mountain peaks, the stately spruces, and tiny tits darting through the brush. It’s hard to believe that somewhere out there, a battalion of corpses shuffles through the snow. Once they find us, Thresh and her monsters won’t be far behind.
I wander downstairs to the main room. Theo’s got the fire blazing and Bets is skinning a couple of pocket gophers – not my favorite meat but I’ve no grounds to complain. Bets looks up at me and then over to Theo. She goes back to her work with renewed vigor.
I pad over to the back door and fetch a cup of water. I steep a pinch of tea in it over the fire. Settling down next to Theo with fragrant steam curling around me, I decide I might as well tell them about my meeting with Etch and altercation with Thresh.
“How’d she find us?” Bets asks, exasperated.
“I don’t know,” I respond.
Gorian busily taps at her pad. “If they left from the coast two weeks ago, it should take them at least another two weeks to reach us. I’m assuming that they’re able to crawl quickly through the snow, which isn’t likely. Of course, it’s hard to estimate how fast dead people can move. The cold will reduce the decay, so it’s likely they’ll be pretty intact when they get here. And who knows if they’ll be picking up new recruits along the way.”
Iggy real voice rasps, although his mechanical voice sounds fine. “Gorian, do you realize how silly and macabre you sound right now? It’s a strange mix.”
“Silly maybe. But we need to know how much time we have. I can’t do anything about any poor villagers that might be in their path.”
Theo stretches. “I suppose we’ll need to sit continuous watches. I enjoyed getting sleep there for a while. Amy and Bets, it looks like it’ll be us.”
“I may be pregnant but I can still keep watch and yell.” Gorian stands, her hands propping up her back.
Bets wipes her knife. “What are we going to do if they attack? Iggy’s wasting away and Gorian can’t even walk straight. The three of us can’t hold back an army of bodies, let alone Thresh’s monsters. We need to retreat.”
“Where do you reckon we go, Bets?” Theo seems strangely calm. “We can’t move in the snow. It’ll kill Iggy for sure and Gorian’s in no shape to travel. We’ll need to make our stand here.”
“We may be alright,” Gorian muses. “The shuttle was loaded with munitions and additional supplies- far more than what we were able to bring uphill. We could rig the perimeter of the lodge with defensive weapons. It might not stop those grubs. But it’d put a dent in the dead people – live people too. I’d bet that Thresh would explode real good. If we could just get one good shot into her, the whole battle would end.”
“It’s settled. I’m heading down to the shuttle to get materials.” Theo starts pulling on his fur leggings.
“Not so fast,” Gorian responds. “I need to show you what to get. Also, some of the munitions are pretty touchy. If you hit the wrong button, whoosh.” She lifts her arms and shakes them.
Theo sits down next to her.
After several hours of tutoring, we all have a better idea of Gorian’s tactics. Given the snowpack, it’ll take Theo, Bets, and me three days of hard toil to bring the necessary materials to us. The trickiest maneuver will require Theo removing the shuttle’s fuel core, which is unstable but very necessary for us to have a chance against our assailants. It’ll have an added bonus of powering the lodge’s ancient circuits, if they still work. We may be able to light the old lamps and heaters in the building. Gorian suggests that the lodge’s machine interface may still be operational. The rest of us are not so sure we want to fire that thing back up.
The next morning Theo and Bets head downhill into the trees, a light snow falling. None of us want to consider what will happen if the flakes intensify into another storm. When the duo returns, I’ll relieve one of them. That way, one of us will always be fairly fresh. Theo’s the strongest and knows we all depend on him to carry the most heavy – and critical – materials up the grueling mountain face. Luckily, we’ve all adjusted to the thin air. Our regular sojourns into the wilderness, struggling through the ubiquitous snow, have prepared us for this effort.
It’s early afternoon and the sun’s returned. If all went well, Bets and Theo should arrive with the first load of supplies within the hour. Gorian’s standing watch, gazing out the front window for any sign of their return. I found some parchment in a desk and have been drawing pictures, a pastime I abandoned years ago when the gardens consumed me. I’m sketching a picture of Eliza – the way I imagine she’d look now - when Gorian whoops. “They’re back and loaded.”
Bets and Theo pull off their coverings and set them to dry by the fire. Theo carefully removes a small cylinder from his sack. “That’s it,” Gorian exclaims. “Iggy, do you feel up to helping me harness the power cell?”
“I’ll do what I can Gorian.” Iggy slogs over to the table.
“Marksman, you and I are next,” Bets mutters while eating a piece of bread.
I’m dreading this trip. The discomfort of the physical exhaustion will be no match to the cold chill coming from that woman. Our job will be to collect all of the charges in the shuttle. They’re similar to Troll’s concussion grenades but far more powerful. Gorian will be able to detonate them from her tablet computer. We’ll set them in strategic locations along the perimeter. If Thresh’s forces attack, the charges should corral them in open areas, allowing us to attack the creatures more efficiently.
Gorian’s finishes her meager lunch and suits up for another excursion. I’m wearing one of Gorian’s uniforms, with fur layered above. My favorite waxed, leather cloak from Flip’s mother is wr
apped over all of my ensemble to keep back the wind and moisture. I follow Gorian out the door.
Late afternoon shadows appear. “We’ll have to move fast to beat the dark,” Bets mutters dejectedly, almost as if she’s speaking to herself. She clearly resents me for having to trudge back out into the cold air.
A twig deep within me snaps. My skin warms with rage, suppressed for too long. “Bets, enough of this. Your brooding has got to stop, for all of our sakes. Just leave us. We can fare on our own. If you travel lightly, you’ll be back to the coast in a week’s time.”
She stops, drops her sack, and turns to me, her eyes blazing. “You ungrateful wench. All that I’ve done for you and you tell me to leave. I have nothing to go back to because of you.”
“This is really about Theo, isn’t it? Bets, I’m married. I love Wenn and will never betray him, even if we never set eyes on each other again.”
“You may think you feel that way, but I see you two. Theo loves you Amy. And you love him too. It’s more upsetting to see you lying to each other than to have you get it over with.”
“It’ll never happen Bets. I know you fancy him and he’s not responding. What can I do about that?”
Bets picks up her sack. “Come on. We’re losing daylight.”
Theo and Bets have beaten an impressive trail down to the shuttle. Travel goes easily, although it’s spent in sullen silence. The shuttle’s barely visible under a gargantuan drift – a small tunnel carved by Theo and Bets leads to the hatch. Bets pauses before crawling in. “Be careful. That tree’s still overhead and may fall.”
“Thanks Bets.” I say cautiously. It would be awful to freeze to death, trapped in that cramped, artificial space.
The interior of the shuttle's nearly unrecognizable. Some animal used it as a nest- leaves, twigs, fur, and scat are littered everywhere. A musky, cloying funk clings to us. "You don't get used to the smell, Amy. I think something died here, but I can't find it. Let's gather the goods and get out."
I think of the magnificent cities of our ancestors, overtaken by nature. I imagined it'd take years for decay to set in. The shuttle’s dilapidated condition shows me that earth can consume even the most foreign and formidable things in no time at all.
We gather the explosives from small crates in the back half of the broken vessel. I’m careful about sticking my hands into the dark recesses without shining a light there first. There’s no telling what might bite off a chunk of my finger. I wonder whether the shuttle harbors pests from other worlds – not just from earth.
With our packs brimming with deadly munitions, we crawl out into the bitter night, dark moths emerging from a white cocoon. We illuminate our path with tiny head lamps. Even with the bright bluish-white light, the path's difficult to differentiate from the pale snow and ice reflecting back at us. I slip and Bets stoops down to help me. "Thanks" I say. "About earlier-"
"You're right Marksman. It's my problem and I've no business dragging you into it. Theo saved me many years ago. At first, it was loyalty and then it turned into something else. I'm a strong girl - way past time for me to shake it off. I respect your position."
We struggle up the path, our breath escaping in billows of steam. Sweat sops my skin under my cloak. I want to shed my wrap, but know that I'd freeze for certain. We've only a mile to go when I sense a caribou watching us from the trees. I'm most certainly conscious, but I see us from its vantage. "That's odd," I huff.
"What?" Bets stops and sets down her pack. She's exhausted.
"See that caribou over in the distance?"
She squints and then shines her light into the forest. "Barely." The beast doesn't move, but the light blinds me.
"Ow, stop shining that light at us."
"Are you telling me that you can occupy that buck?"
"Yes, and this may be helpful." I coax the creature to us. He stops, calm as the winter air. The heat and musk radiating from his body's intoxicating. "Here, put your sack on him."
"Gladly."
I do the same and the three of us make good time up the remainder of the path.
As we crest the ridge, our lights are no longer needed. Two lamps glow on the sign outside the lodge. A few of the building's windows burn with cold, artificial light. "Looks as if Gorian's tapped into the power source," Bets says.
Neither of us is overjoyed.
Gorian's belly seems to have expanded in the last few hours. "Welcome back ladies. What do you have for me?"
We unload our sacks to Gorian's mounting joy. The building's warm, with hot air blowing out of holes in the floor. Iggy's sitting in the corner, very still. His skin's slicker than usual. Gorian notices our concerned looks. "Iggy's gone into a torpor - a deep sleep. I wore him out today. We just need to keep him moist and he'll survive. Iggy doesn't need to eat in that condition. However, he's quite worthless to us, except maybe as a footstool."
Theo appears from the lodge's kitchen. "Hey you two. You seem hearty - what's your secret?"
Bets and I exchange knowing glances. We'll tell him tomorrow. My bond with the buck is different than that with the magpie. I feel him constantly - the sensation is not one of dominance but of collaboration. He's willing to help us and I am grateful.
Morning arrives too quickly. Theo wakes me with a shove. I dread the trip, although the buck will help us. I have but to search for a moment with my mind and find the beast in the woods nearby chewing happily on leaves. Gorian and Bets are still sleeping as Theo and I tumble outside. The temperature's dropped since last night. My joints ache in protest.
The caribou appears out of the woods. Theo grabs his rifle and aims.
"No," I shout.
"Amy?" He lowers the weapon, staring in disbelief as the animal walks to me.
"Add caribou to my list of creatures I can live in." I rub the buck's snout and feel a wave of pleasure. The caribou lowers his head, his considerable antlers nearly whacking me in the face.
The walk to the shuttle's mercifully short. As we approach the wreckage, the caribou snorts and goes no further. Theo sniffs the air and lowers his rifle. He motions for me to be silent. We crawl through the snow and see a large, furry mass near the entrance of the shuttle. A massive bear roots silently through the underbrush - strange given that it should be sleeping deep in its den. I try to penetrate its mind like I can do so easily with the buck, with no success.
"Amy, look at its fur. Have you ever seen anything like it?"
The brown fur seems wet, dripping with thick mucilage. My stomach turns - the animal's dead and its been turned by the alien fog. Apparently, humans are not the only creatures that can be animated by Thresh’s maligned power.
I whisper, "Theo, its the fog. This is how Thresh found us. She's using dead forest creatures as advanced scouts. The bear probably found the shuttle weeks ago and tipped her off."
He mouths a profanity and takes aim at the beast. He fires and it turns, apparently unscathed, but very angry. I lower my weapon and we both begin firing rapidly. The animal tries to rush at us, but our volleys are too much. It falls back, torn to twitching shreds by shrapnel. Brown muck stains the snow - no blood.
"Holy hell," Theo exclaims. "How many you suppose she's got out here?"
"No telling. I'm guessing very few, given that we've not been attacked before. Still, we need to be careful. We know all too well that the human corpses are on their way."
The interior of the shuttle's particularly oppressive as the sunlight warms it. I fight to suppress my gags. We gather all the rifles and small arms. Etch seems like a peaceful being, but he made sure to load his shuttle to the gunnels with firepower. We've fashioned saddlebags to the caribou and load him up. With his help, we'll only have one more trip to make. Once we're back in fresh air, Theo breathes deeply. "Do you think the bear's responsible for the stink in there?"
"Of course. I just realized that Thresh probably had the thing take inventory of all the weapons. I sure hope she isn't smart enough to anticipate all of our actions."
The trip up the hill's uneventful. That afternoon, Bets, Theo, the buck, and I complete the final scavenge run in record time and we're done. I never want to see the ravaged shuttle or the dead bear again. We spend the evening warming our frozen feet by the fire. Gorian's working on her computer intently. She shouts in triumph as a gentle hum vibrates the room.
The thrum coalesces and then we hear an artificial voice. "Hello?"
Theo leaps. "Gorian, this is wrong. What're you thinking, bringing another one of those things to life?"
The voice responds. "Gorian, thank you for reviving me. My chronometer tells me that I've been deactivated for more than a thousand years. Is this true?"
Gorian bites her thumbnail, looking guilty. "Well, yes. I couldn't resist talking with you. Do you know what happened?"
"My power source became disconnected. I was operational on low power for nearly a century but eventually powered down. This was called Yosemite Resort. My keepers left and never returned."
Gorian looks at us. "See, this unit's quite harmless. Let's explore whether it has any security options for the lodge."
"Please call me Sam," the human machine interface responds. "My primary protocol was service and outside communications. I can see that most of my conduits are degraded beyond repair. I do have some rudimentary security systems. I can shutter the windows and detect intruders."
Theo chimes in. "Um, Sam? Can you still do those things?"
With a loud clacking throughout the building, all the windows and doorways become encased in metal. "Apparently, I can."
Gorian rubs her belly. "Sam, please provide me with a list of your functions on my computer here. I'd like to see what kinds of tricks you might still have. Most importantly, can you synthesize vanilla ice cream?"
"Yes, I still have that capacity."