The Freezer (Genesis Endeavor Book 1)

by David Kersten

  “You’ve been living with Christine, right?” Christine was a local, one who had been cloned more than once. Her primary skill was that of a mother, so Wendy knew very little about her.

  “Yeah, for about a year now. One of the children is mine, and I wanted to be a part of his life. Marcus gave us the go ahead to have another together, so we’ve been working on that.” He said it with a hint of fatherly pride. Anton, like most of the reborn, looked to be in his middle twenties.

  “Did you have a family before you died?” There was never a graceful way to ask about someone’s previous life, but it had become commonplace to refer to everything before they were reborn as “before you died”.

  Anton nodded. “I had a wife, three kids, and two grandchildren.” He didn’t elaborate, and Wendy didn’t push it. It was depressing enough knowing she had died at a young age, but if she had already had children and even grandchildren, she didn’t know how she would have been able to cope with the knowledge that your children were long dead.

  “I hear you have been spending some time with Jack. How is that going?”

  She snorted, “You know, small talk used to be about the weather, about the wife and kids, and maybe about sports, not about who you are sleeping with.” Then she flushed, not having meant to say this out loud and feeling a little ashamed considering she had been the one to bring up relationships.

  Anton just laughed, not seeming to take it wrong. “The world is a different place, Wendy.” He didn’t say more, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to continue this line of conversation.

  “I’m not sure where that whole thing is at. Jack is a hot item right now, and frankly I don’t know if I can compete with the other women in that area.” She really had not meant to share that. Of all the things going on, she couldn’t figure out why she couldn’t let this go. Given their current circumstances, she wasn’t even sure if she would make it home to see him again, let alone to find out if they were still together.

  Now it was his turn to scoff. “Wendy, you’re like, the most attractive woman in New Hope, and you’re worried that you can’t compete with the locals?” She flushed at this comment, both flattered and embarrassed by it.

  He took her reaction wrong though and quickly said, “Not to mean that all you have going for you is your looks or your ability to seduce a man, uh, I mean, you are a strong, smart woman who should be able to get anything, or anyone, you want.” Then he winced as if he still thought he was putting his foot in his mouth.

  She smiled to relax him, “Thank you for the compliments and the reassurance. I don’t know how much I deserve them, but thank you nevertheless. Despite what you might think of me, I don’t really have it all together, and I certainly don’t feel secure in my ability to keep a man in New Hope.”

  “Frankly, I don’t think you are alone there. This situation might seem like a dream for any guy, but it is not nearly as easy or simple as it appears on the surface. I would trade it all for Christine to just be like any normal woman from our time. Any man who could have a chance at a real relationship with a woman as incredible as you who would still throw it away for some easy sex with the locals is both a fool and undeserving.”

  As uncomfortable as she was talking about this sort of thing with a man, or anyone for that matter, his words were comforting. She sat in silence just letting them sink in.

  “So what do you think we should do in the morning? I’ll be pretty much healed up, although I don’t know if I’ll be using my hand for a few days.” She absentmindedly flexed the injured hand a few times while talking.

  “I think we should head through the pass to the east and make our way to Montana. I used to vacation in this area once in a while. We are only about ten miles from what used to be West Yellowstone, a small tourist town that was a central point for some snowmobile trails in the area. We have been roughly following a pass that leads through Two Top Mountain. From there we can pick up the interstate and either head back toward where we landed, or maybe head north.”

  “What’s north?” Wendy didn’t like the idea of heading back towards the landing site. She would just as soon put some distance between her and the Mutes.

  “Nothing much for a while. We are probably a three week hike to the Freezer, but we can reach it from here without too much problem. We would not make it before the big operation though, and by then it could be swarming with Calis. If we go back, we might be able to reach a rescue team though.”

  “Or we might run into the Mutes and get captured or killed.” Neither option was good, and for the first time since the battle, she started worrying about her own future.

  “True, but they won’t expect us to head back, and quite frankly I wouldn’t mind giving them a little payback.” He was a soldier, and while Wendy had been in the military, she never considered herself a soldier. Her stomach gurgled, revealing how nervous she was. Anton noticed and said “Don’t worry, whichever way we go, I will do my best to keep us all safe.”

  Wendy smiled. For the past four months, she had been so overwhelmed by the thought of being forced to have children, she had not really considered that perhaps there were some men worth getting to know here. She had maintained the mindset that they were all just after her body, out to score points by taking her as a prize. She felt embarrassed now, realizing that she had really been a bitch to every man in New Hope. “Thanks, Anton.” She got up to get ready for sleep, and on impulse, kissed him on the cheek. He blushed then smiled.

  She carefully crawled into the small tent, favoring her injured knee. She pulled off the armor pieces, leaving her under suit on for warmth. The thin thermal blanket was not very comfortable, but it did the job of keeping her relatively warm, and soon she drifted off to sleep.

  * * *

  The sound of birds chirping woke her up. Peeking out of the tent revealed that morning had indeed come, and it was time to get up. Before attempting to remove herself from the small survival tent, she flexed her knee. It was stiff but functional. She had to pee, but hadn’t gone outdoors since her last military exercise almost three years past. Wayne was on the last watch, and turned to her as she crawled out of the tent and stood up. The morning air was brisk and chilly, and her first deep breath triggered a yawn and a shiver. After a night on the hard ground in a very small tent, it felt good to get out and stretch. Her eyes closed, arms over her head, she arched her back, letting out a little moan as the muscles throughout her body got a good shot of blood for the first time since she fell asleep.

  When she opened her eyes, Wayne was staring at her, a look on his face she was quite used to. Looking down at herself, she realized that not only did the skin tight suit reveal every curve and detail of her body, but the cold morning had turned her nipples to little stones and they were standing proud through the flexible material. Short of her shaving preference, there was absolutely nothing left to the imagination. Flushing in anger and embarrassment, she met his gaze. He quickly looked away, mumbling, “Good morning.”

  Without answering, she stalked away, heading to find a suitable tree against which to relieve herself. Along the way, it dawned on her that she had once again overreacted to the situation. It was hardly the man’s fault for staring – she knew she had a figure that was much desired by men, and here she was practically shoving it in his face, subconsciously expecting him to turn away even though it was her own lack of modesty that drew the attention in the first place. Guilt replaced the anger that had come so easily.

  She returned to the tent, climbed in and strapped on her armor, covering the very revealing undersuit. After climbing out, she sat down next to Wayne and said “I’m sorry, I guess I’m not much of a morning person. How did you sleep?” It was not exactly the truth, but he smiled and nodded, accepting it at face value.

  “Good, and you?”

  “All things considered, not too bad. It’s safe to say you won’t have to carry me today. My knee is much better.”

  “Bah... you barely weigh a hundred pounds, but
it’s good to know we can move faster if we need to today.” He didn’t meet her eyes, but she still smiled at the compliment. He handed her a pack of food.

  By the time she was done eating, the other men were awake and breaking down the camp. The air up here was thin and everyone was winded by the time they finished. Wendy marveled at how they had made it this far yesterday, especially carrying her most of the way.

  Anton spent a few minutes taking down the traps and the perimeter alarm. When he was ready, they looked to him for direction. “We’ll continue over this pass until we get to the old highway. From there we have a choice to make. We can either head north, spending a few weeks making our way toward the cryogenic facility, or we head back toward the landing area where we were ambushed. If we head north, chances are we won’t make the facility before New Hope has already cleaned it out. It will likely be swarming with scavengers from all the communities, and we can hope to meet one that is willing to call for a ride home. If we head southwest, we might be able to get within range of the rescue efforts before they stop looking for us. Unfortunately this means risking another run in with the Mutes.”

  “What about using the emergency beacon to let New Hope let us know where we are?” It was Wayne who had spoken.

  Anton shrugged. “We could try, but if they don’t have someone close, Cali could have someone here to pick us up before anyone from New Hope would be here” Nobody liked either of the options.

  Anton decided it. “I think our best chance is heading back toward the site. If the Mutes attacked the rescue party yesterday, chances are New Hope will send a large force to take them out. If not, they will have discovered by now that we were not killed in the ambush, and send more search parties for us. Either way I think we have a good chance of getting a rescue party if we head back. I say we go that way.”

  Wayne asked, “How long of a hike is it back to there?”

  Anton looked at his PDP. “It’s about ten miles to the highway, then another twenty or more to the landing site. If we move fast we can make it there by tomorrow. The only other way back is the way we came. The big hot zone we skirted yesterday is still affecting the radios in our PDPs. If we make it over the pass, we should have enough distance from the radiation and a better line of sight to New Hope. With any due luck, we can get in touch with any rescue crew long before we get close to the landing site.”

  Wayne nodded, satisfied in the answer, and nobody else had a suggestion, so they followed Anton.

  The hike up the pass was tough, the thin air causing more rest breaks. At the third stop, Anton approached Wendy and in a low voice said, “Don’t react, but I think someone is following us. I spotted movement to our left two times in the last hour. Keep your sidearm ready in case something happens.” Wendy nodded. He repeated the process two more times, approaching the two other men and quietly informing them of the situation. Wendy was nervous. She didn’t have a helmet or a rifle. Her pistol would be effective against the unarmored Mutes, but it was little comfort. She tried to keep looking into the trees as they moved on, but soon it gave her a headache, and she had to focus on the ground in front of her for a while.

  By noon, their shadow had not shown itself, and everyone began to relax. They stopped for some food and rest.

  Anton checked his PDP and announced that they were only a few miles from the highway. They ate some of the food and made small talk about nothing in particular. Wendy was going through her backpack looking for something to help with her headache when a sudden commotion startled the group. Anton already had his weapon ready, and the rest of them were only seconds behind in getting their weapons out. The noises had come from about fifty yards north of their location. There was silence for a few more seconds, followed by a shout and some gunfire. Anton moved to the nearest tree and motioned for the rest to find some cover. He scanned the forest with the aid of his helmet.

  It had gone silent again and the four of them practically held their breath as they strained to hear something new. Without warning, a largish Mute burst through the forest, running toward them. He did not appear to be paying attention to where he was going, a look that could only be described as fear on his face. When he spotted the four people in front of him with weapons trained, he paused, put a scowl on his face, and yelled a battle cry, “RAAAAAAAAGH!” as he charged them.

  They opened fire, cutting him down before he took ten steps. His corpse landed not three feet in front of them, and once again there was silence. The four of them exchanged confused glances as they waited for something equally as odd to happen.

  Another minute passed and finally she broke the silence, “What the hell is going on?” Anton only answered with a shrug. “Are there bears around here?” This time he paled, looking a little worried: all the answer she needed.

  They continued to wait, the four of them each tensely scanning the woods, expecting something to happen. It was safe to say that each of them were thinking about the stories of the horrors left in the wild after hundreds of years of radioactive fallout and the biological tampering the wars had left. Something had terrified that Mute, and none of them wanted to have to deal with whatever could do that. Another five minutes passed and finally Anton said, “I’m going to go investigate. Stay here.”

  * * *

  Jack woke around seven in the morning, but didn’t get out of bed right away. His sleep had been fitful, and he didn’t feel the least bit refreshed. In effort to find some more time to sleep, he made a quick mental list of what needed to be done today.

  He had avoided Teague the night before, and had not taken any medicine before bed. Right now that seemed like a really stupid decision, as every movement reminded him of the nearly three hundred pound Mute landing on him the day before. Part of him welcomed the pain as a reminder that he had not only failed to rescue the survivors of the salvaging team but also risked his life purely out of selfish machismo.

  Unfortunately, as soon as he thought of Wendy, there was no going back to sleep. Chin would call if anything new came up, but he just couldn’t convince his mind to settle down. He carefully got out of bed and made his way to the shower. The hot water did him a lot of good, and he was beginning to feel a little better. He decided the first order of business was to see Chin and find out today’s rescue plans.

  He stepped off the transport into the large flight deck and made his way to the makeshift command center. Chin was the only man in the massive room. His head was tilted back, his eyes closed, and a sound somewhere between air escaping a leaking tire and a ‘52 Studebaker with an exhaust leak was coming from his nose. Jack called out and Chin nearly fell from the chair. He wiped a little drool from his bottom lip and quickly composed himself.

  “Sorry, Jack, I was up all night. I guess I never made it back to my room to catch some shuteye.” He stood and stretched, eyes sunken and bloodshot, hair disheveled, and his scrubs-like outfit wrinkled and grimy. In short, he looked about how Jack felt.

  “No worries, Chin. When did the last search party get back last night?”

  “About one in the morning. The only thing showing up on the thermal scanners was a few game animals. So far there is no sign of either the crew or any more Mutes. We covered everything in a ten mile radius of the landing site. The third rescue party landed at the site and investigated before the sun went down.” He pointed to a table off to the left. “Those items were found near the wreckage. Stanley’s body was found in the old factory building. There were a total of sixteen Mute bodies, bringing the total confirmed dead to thirty Mutes, and one of ours.”

  Jack looked at the gear on the table. There was a helmet, a datapad, and a rifle. “Who’s is it?” he asked.

  “Wendy’s. We didn’t find her body or any body parts around the blast, so at least she was in one piece when the other survivors hauled her off. It seems to confirm what you overheard.”

  This wasn’t good news, but it wasn’t bad either. “When is the next party going out?”

  Chin looked at one of
the screens to check the time. “They should be here in a few minutes. I had planned to rotate two full crews for the whole day, that way we will have a team in the area in case the survivors use their beacon. I would hate for them to use it and have Cali get to them before us because of bad timing. Unfortunately, that only allows one salvage crew to work on your operation.”

  Jack liked the idea of constant coverage for a search party, but with one less medium transport, it really limited their ability to scavenge for much needed parts. “Where are we at on the list of materials we need?”

  Chin grabbed his pad and tapped a few times. “We are doing well actually. The one thing we really need is copper tubing and insulation. As far as we know, the best place for that will be the site that was attacked.”

  Jack nodded. “Tell you what, let’s send two transports there this morning. One can search and keep a lookout for more Mutes and the other can collect the materials we need. They can also try to salvage anything left of the destroyed transport.”

  Chin made some notes and said, “Sounds good, Jack. I will contact the morning salvage crew and tell them to get in here ASAP.”

  Jack turned to leave then stopped and turned back. “Chin, do you want me to bring you some breakfast?”

  Chin smiled. “Jack, that would be wonderful, thank you.”

  * * *

  The machinery hummed next to the two men, the air stinking of oil and dust. The room was not well lit, but it was the perfect place to talk and not be overheard by anyone or anything.

  “What the hell were you thinking, giving up the location of our salvage crew!” The older man was furious.

  “I was just doing what you told me to do!”

  “I told you to make Jack look incompetent, not to give away all our secrets to Cali! How exactly did you think giving up our scavenging group would accomplish that task?”