by C. A. Fraser
“This is it Simon!” she said the excitement and emotion making her voice waver. She slowly peeled the picture off the back of the book where it had stuck during the move from Natalie’s apartment. She grabbed the box from her bag. It opened at her touch. She placed the picture on top of the one that had been in the box and shut the lid the box resealing itself quietly. After putting the box back in her bag Wren quickly hugged Simon and pulled back.
“We have to go.” She stated a serious look on her face. Simon met her eyes and nodded understanding the urgency. She turned to the door. The wall with their mother’s belonging slowly reappeared to seal them away once more until need for them arose or their mother returned. Simon wondered what was next as the door slid open and they stepped through. They made their way to the center’s entry thanking Dr. Arnall for his assistance and quickly departed.
Wren and Simon exited the center into the night heading toward the transport. Wren stopped short when they were clear of the building the new vision surprising her again. With the light of the sun gone the true beauty of her vision became apparent. The AI and communications moving through the web danced across the night. The mixture of colors painted the sky and buildings like an ever changing canvas. She realized that Simon had stopped and was looking at her with a sliver of concern in his eyes. As she looked at him even the glow of his nanids was amplified by the dark making him look like a warrior sheathed in rusted armor.
“You ok?” He asked. The glow of the AI receded as she focused on his face allowing her to collect herself and begin moving again.
“I am fine just surprised by the chill in the air.” She replied the lie sounding empty in the night air. She saw it had fallen flat with Simon as well but he did not argue with her and they made their way to the transport.
The temperature had fallen significantly since they entered the building and Wren almost wished she had a jacket. Her thoughts turned to the weather as they made their way to the transport. The drop in temperature had surprised her indicating the onset of autumn and the coming of severe storms for the Eastern part of what was left of the United States. As she walked her thoughts turned to the weather and how the seasons had changed.
Even with the temperature across the globe much higher the seasons still cycled it was just hard to tell the difference depending on where you were. In some areas moisture was nonexistent for most of the year. Others experienced it year round now when it had been rare in the past. Across the globe the climate was different now and had forced rapid adaptation not only for humans but all the species of the planet. Entire species were gone driven extinct by humanity’s failure to stop its own self destruction. Wren felt sadness rise in her chest and clench tightly. Even though humankind had managed to adapt and survive so many others had not. She grieved for the loss. She wondered still how the world would be affected by the loss of such diversity. Shaking herself to rid herself of the chill and dark thoughts Wren stopped next to transport waiting for SIA to open it.
The windows of the machine turned transparent and the door slid silently open to allow Wren and Simon to enter. As they settled in the transport Simon turned to Wren.
“Where to next Wren?” he said his voice neutral. She knew he was curious about their destination but that it also did not matter. He would follow her wherever she asked to ensure she was safe. She leaned back closing her eyes and breathing a large sigh. She was exhausted from the events of the last two days and just wanted to curl up and sleep. She opened her eyes and turned to look at Simon.
“I don’t know about you but I could use a vacation.” She said knowing that Simon would know exactly where they were going. After that she communicated their destination to SIA and settled in trying to rest while SIA guided them.
Nathan Landis looked out the windows of his office watching the last of the light fade from the mountains as the sun set for the day. He thought through the day and his conversation with the Fore girl. Wren Fore was as stubborn as her father and as blind. He lamented not being able to get the location of her father from her but he would not let it stop him. The integration would move forward as planned. Even if Stephen Fore returned after all these years it would be too late. Landis would lead the next wave of humanity into the future.
Nathan turned his chair from the windows. The light of day was now completely gone and the night firmly gripped the facility and surrounding mountains. He moved to his desk thinking of the upcoming day. He glanced down at the chair. After all these years he would no longer need it. He would not miss it. It had become his prison in so many ways and he was glad to be rid of it.
He looked at the reports streaming by on his desk screen and stopped the flow when he saw an update on Wren Fore’s location. He smiled. He had put a tail on her travels as soon as his people caught up with her at the cryonics lab in D.C. and it had paid off. She was very close. Too close to pass up. His smile widened. There was no warmth in it just satisfaction in knowing he would win. It was inevitable. He paused deciding how to proceed. Landis flipped through the report and tried to think of an appropriate punishment for her. He looked at the name of the report’s author and an idea struck him. Perhaps he could arrange a reunion for the Fore girl after all.
Landis rolled back from the desk and summoned the head of nanotech development to meet him in the facility immediately. He rolled out of his office and headed for the elevator to the facility. There was much to be done. As he entered the elevator his smile was a tight line reflecting his confidence and determination. His victory would be assured and his revenge on Fore would be complete. The doors closed and the office lights cycled off allowing the night to fill the room.
SIX
Wren stood beside the airship thankful to be out of it. They had traveled all night after leaving Washington only stopping to switch from the ground transport to their small airship. Wren and Simon had rested for most of the trip while SIA maneuvered the vessel across the desolate interior of the country. Even with the AI guiding the ship it was still wearing. She stretched while slowly looking around the area.
It was early morning and the sun was just now casting its glow over the two mountain peaks she was gazing at. Even without the changes to her eyes it was striking. A pink aura rose from behind the peaks driving the night away with a steady ease. The peaks were still wrapped in shadow as was the land beneath them which included the Fore family’s vacation home. The home was dark but seemed to be intact and fully functional. Wren knew it was much easier to maintain buildings at this elevation now with the altered climate. The area did not receive the massive snowfall it had in the past and was accessible throughout the year.
She slowly moved toward the house enjoying the cool morning air after the steady temperature of the airship. Simon was still sleeping where she had left him in the transport. The house was as she remembered it. A large log cabin made of dead or dying pines ravaged by insect infestation and soaring temperatures. Despite its ancient look its design was fully updated with current technology to ensure Stephen Fore had everything he needed for his work. Wren knew her father had always needed to be available even when on vacation.
She smiled as she ascended the steps of the porch remembering her times with her father here. When she gained the porch landing she turned to look back from where they had come. A gravel road followed along the edge of the missing lake and wound around the high hills backing the former lake’s other side. It had been here for hundreds of years at this point and Wren could see no change coming in the future. The road was not needed by the transport but had been worn and packed for so long that little vegetation had invaded its hard surface. Her thoughts turned back to her father and the property her smile fading slowly.
Stephen had owned this property since before his time at the NDP. He was first brought here by his father and grandfather on outings to the mountains. This was prior to most areas of Colorado and the West being abandoned due to drought and crop failure brought on by the changing climate. It was the last fe
w moments of a fading America’s greatness. Wren felt like her father had clung to this property hoping to recapture some of those lost moments. What followed had been a dark time with starvation, death and anarchy marching relentlessly across the planet.
The middle of the country had been transformed. The millions of acres of farmland were now a bleak wasteland untouched by moisture or man. The west had fared little better with the moisture greatly reduced crops did not produce well and people struggled to survive. The majority of the population had been forced to move to the coasts of the country where the weather was more severe at times but at least food could be obtained or grown. Some had refused to go and scraped out an existence in the new unforgiving lands.
She looked around as the dawn touched more of the land around her. Wren knew the high mountains were an oasis compared to most areas in the West and Midwest. They did not offer any support for large populations however and thus were spared any great influx of people. Her thoughts turned back to the peak of the climate crisis.
It had been a terrible time when billions were lost across the globe and the modern world almost fell into utter chaos. Tough choices by an overwhelmed government and the emergence of ODIN were the only things that saved the United States and its few allies around the world. Recovery had been slow and a fragile equilibrium was struck with the suffering world. There was no expansion or growth except for technological improvements and enhancements. Humanity was clinging to a world that no longer welcomed it. The only things that stood between humans and extinction now were the nanids and Quantums.
Wren leaned forward on the porch railing staring at the hills in the distance as the sad history replayed in her head. She felt renewed guilt flash through her. Humanity had failed to thrive on its only home and just barely saved itself from utter annihilation. They all bore the blame for their ancestor’s sins and were living out the punishment. She buried the thoughts once more as Simon emerged from the airship looking stiff and travel worn.
He climbed the stairs giving a reproachful look for leaving him asleep in the small craft. Wren shook her head. Ever since the NDP bombing he had been her guardian rarely straying from her side. Before they had been family and friends but the explosion had made them survivors and that was a bond not easily broken. The search for her father had ensured that they were united in a common cause and had drawn them even closer. That was the farthest their relationship had ever gone. Companions and soldiers of sorts there had never been time for anything more. Simon stopped beside her looking out across the lake bed to where the sun was now shining on the tops of the hills.
“Have you gone in yet?” he asked his voice rough from sleep.
“No.” Wren said. “SIA cleared it and is ensuring everything is functional now. I was waiting for you to wake before I went in.”
Reaching his hands over his head and stretching Simon looked at her skeptically. Finishing his stretch, he cleared his throat and turned to the entrance.
“Well let’s get this over with then.” He said stepping up to the door. The door slid open and he stepped through into the house. Wren followed quietly wishing she felt as calm as he appeared.
Wren moved into the house behind Simon memories of the home ebbing through her mind. She stepped up next to Simon where he had paused scanning the house cautiously. The door led into a great room that comprised most of the house. The room was still dim in the early morning light but as they stood the house lights began to brighten illuminating the room. There were several bedrooms and bathrooms located towards the back of the house as well as her father’s office. The kitchen was part of the great room. Her father had wanted everyone to be together while they were on vacation so he had made sure the design of the house supported that. It was spacious with large couches and chairs arranged around a wood coffee table. Large windows circled the room letting the brightening light of the sun in. A dining table situated next to the kitchen was the only other furniture in the room. Simon began to slowly walk through the room toward the bedrooms. Wren let him go. She knew he would not relax until he checked the entire house for any risks or issues. She stepped toward her father’s office knowing she was wasting time reminiscing over the past.
The door to Stephen’s office stood ajar as Wren approached it. Unlike the external door to the home the doors inside were normal hinged doors. She pushed it the rest of the way open slowly stepping in and looking around. It was similar to the rest of the house with large windows and several chairs arranged along the walls. A large desk and high back chair were the focal point of the room. Wren knew the desk was an integrated workstation that Stephen had used as his connection to the NDP when he was vacationing. Several large shelves rose along the wall behind the desk holding various items of her father’s past.
She moved behind the desk to the shelves looking at the various collectibles arranged on them. She lightly touched some and moved others looking for the final piece to the puzzle that was her father’s disappearance. She looked through all the shelves and did not see anything that would link to the other pictures. Wren turned to the desk knowing it was futile and the desk would only function for Stephen but she had to try. She pressed the panel on the desktop that would activate the system and was pleased to see the NDP logo appear on the desk’s surface. She knew if she desired it would cast the image into the air in front of her but continued to look down at the image and the desk. Where was the picture?
She was looking for a picture to match the first two. It was ingenious of her father to hide the directions to find him in the images. She had not told Simon what she saw when she looked in the pictures. When she focused on the backgrounds of the pictures there was a string of numbers and symbols on them. She was not sure how she could see them or how it worked with her new vision but she could not deny they were there. She was disturbed by the fact she could see them. It meant her father knew what was going to happen prior to the attack. What was worse is that it also meant her father knew about the nanids and how they would change her years in advance. Wren felt the sharp sting of betrayal. She ignored the questions that were brought to the front of her mind by her feelings focusing on her search for the final picture instead. She had to find it.
She knew what the numbers were but they cut off before it finished so there had to be another picture. The last place she could remember seeing that picture was here in her father’s office. It was shortly after the explosion and the family had come here as a last farewell to Stephen. It was here she began her search for her father and now it looked like it would end here.
She sat in the chair and looked at the front of the desk. She tried to open one of the multiple drawers in the desk and to her surprise it opened easily. She turned the chair and looked into the drawer. There were two items in the drawer. First was the picture of her and her father. As soon as she saw it she could see the numbers begin to emerge from the background confirming her suspicion that this was the last picture and the final piece of the coordinates.
She removed the box from her bag and opened it placing the three pictures on the desk in the order she received them. The coordinates stood out boldly on them. Wren slowly repeated them over and over to herself memorizing the coordinates in case anything happened to the pictures. The nanids and neural implants allowed her to have close to a photographic memory but she wanted to make sure there was no chance of forgetting the location of her father. She knew she could have SIA store them for her but was not sure how much the AI was monitored and did not want to endanger herself or her father.
When Wren was done memorizing the coordinates she turned back to the drawer. The other item in the drawer was unfamiliar to her. It was old. She suspected it was from well before climate change had taken the world from them. She gently picked it up afraid it would break after all this time. It was small barely longer than her palm and rectangular in shape with buttons along one side and what looked like a speaker on the bottom half of the device. The back of the device had a clip on it an
d looked like it could be used as a stand for the device as well. A small screen completed the upper half and was dark.
Wren examined the buttons more closely and marveled at how little symbols had changed after all this time. There were minor differences but there were still items in use that would have a power button or would display content that would have symbols for pause or play. Wren pressed what she felt sure was the power button and the small display lit up with block letters on an orange background. She studied the screen and the options on it and instantly knew this was some sort of archaic recording device. Wren felt a surge of excitement. She pressed an arrow key on the device’s side and a bar highlighted a row on the screen. She slowly moved the bar down hoping the device would not stop functioning. She stopped the bar on the word recordings and pressed what she assumed was the select button. The device displayed a screen that would normally be a list but there was only one item. The bar highlighted her name.
Wren’s heart was pounding in her chest as she pressed the play button on the device. The device’s speaker crackled to life and then went silent. Wren felt despair fill her. Tears slowly formed in her dark eyes as she felt the failure begin to overwhelm her. Then her father’s voice drove all thoughts from her as she heard it for the first time since the explosion.
