by R. K. Sidler
With his crossbow now dangling from a string on his side, the man in the tree clutched his spear. It was a spear constructed of solid metal with a very sharp and virtually unbreakable tip. When the cat was almost on him, he thrust the spear into the beast, missing the center of its chest, but striking the bone of its front shoulder. The hunter barely kept his balance from his effort, but was able to hold himself to the tree with his weak side arm. Falling would have meant certain death. His attack was enough to encourage the beast to turn aside. He bawled once more as he retreated to the ground.
When he was once again on the ground, he was not quite ready to leave his intended meal, or the possibility of getting to his attacker. By then, two other hunters had moved within range and fired bolts from much larger bows. They struck the beast, one on each side, and this solicited a violent and angry response. The cat would eventually die from these wounds, but not soon enough to ensure their safety. It turned on the men as they quickly retreated, and gave chase. When it emerged from the corner they had rounded, another bolt let loose hitting the large cat in the chest. Immediately after the creature stopped, in reaction to this last attack, another hunter ran up from the beast’s blind side and drove a metal spear into him piercing the heart. He pinned the beast to the ground, and held him there until he no longer moved, being careful to stay out of the way of the sharp claws.
They retrieved and cleaned their homemade arrows, and prepared the cat to be moved. Nothing went to waste in the valley. It was a hard life, but one that was getting more manageable as time went by.
SIX
Keith was on his third and final checkup with Dr. Maddow. He had undergone every known, and previously to him unknown, test and examination a body could go through while still alive. He was not completely comfortable with his new condition and he was starting to wonder if in fact, he had made the right choice even though he had never felt better, physically, in his life. After satisfying his insatiable appetite through the first few days following the procedure, his eating habits had returned to normal. He at no time felt fatigued, nor tired, regardless of how many hours he was awake, or what activities he had been involved in. His mind was sharp and his senses acute. In fact, he had to learn to concentrate to keep from being drawn into conversations held across the room. Dr. Maddow had assisted him in adapting to these changes.
He only slept for about two to three hours each night, and sometimes felt like he did not even need that. This put a strain on him as he began to feel a bit alien, and not as close to his wife as he once was. He did not understand why this was happening, but Dr. Maddow had assured him it was only a naturally occurring adaptation. He did not know if he believed that, but he hoped it was true. He tried to focus on why he had agreed to this in the first place, to help his mind adjust.
After the last of the tests had been administered, he decided to ask the question that had been on his mind since his father first talked to him about the procedure. “If you had this same procedure, why do you still look old? I mean, obviously not as old as you are, but still not young either?”
Dr. Maddow turned from reading the medical charts he was holding to regard his patient, “I look the same now as I did when I was treated. It will be the same for you,” Dr. Maddow said.
“So what, we just live forever,” Keith asked.
“Forever is a long time. A lot can happen in time. And before you start to think you are invincible, keep in mind that your body is capable of repairing itself within its own limitations. Should you sustain more damage than it is capable of repairing, then you will succumb to whatever fate has in store.”
“What about Terri? What if we have children, would I pass on these characteristics to them?”
“That is an unknown. I haven’t been able to duplicate the performance of these characteristics of the planarian from treated animals. And so far, none of them have passed along any of their altered genetics. I don’t know why this is, but I am continuing to look for answers. As for humans, we will only know in time.”
It was a direct response, and one with which he could not find fault. While Dr. Maddow and his father were friends, he did not think friendship was in their future. The good doctor seemed, at most, tolerant toward others who did not exist in his same sphere of acumen. He, no doubt, made an exception with Keith because they were in a doctor-patient, or maybe a doctor-experiment, relationship.
When they were finished with his examination, Keith was shown what he was to look for when he went ‘outside,’ and where to look for it. The doctor did not tell him when he would be going, or anything else for that matter. Keith left the office and returned to work.
―
After looking through the daily log of reports, he saw a directive lying on the bottom of the pile. It was issued from the director’s office, a.k.a. his father, and signed by the three members of the board. His security forces were to begin training with real firearms; no ammunition, but rather re-familiarization and tactics. Keith assumed this was in preparation for the changes that were soon to come. He looked through the window of his office and motioned for Wallace to join him.
“Whatcha got Chief,” Wallace said when he entered.
Keith held up the paper, “Did you see this?”
“Yeah, I was gonna ask you about that.”
“I don’t really know any more than you. But I think we can both guess,” he said a little evasively.
“You really think we’ll be going out soon? I heard it wouldn’t be safe yet,” Wallace said.
“I don’t know, but keep your thoughts to yourself. We don’t need any unnecessary rumors spreading. Our ‘plate’ will be full enough as it is.”
“Yeah, ain’t that the truth,” Wallace said with a knowing grin.
Most people associate gossip with housewives, when the biggest offenders are people in the military. Nothing moves faster in the military than a good rumor.
“What do you think of selecting a few people to organize the training, then have them rotate staff through until they get everyone up to speed?” Keith asked.
“Sounds good.”
“I doubt this will be the last of the new orders coming down, so why don’t we get a little proactive,” Keith said as he held his attention. “My father said something about getting some small tracked vehicles, and possibly some four wheeled ATV’s. It looks like we will slowly evolve more and more into a military element and less of a security detail.”
Wallace nodded his head as he listened.
“What I would like you to do, and you can get Cam to help, is to select a training cadre; four of five men who have weapons, mechanical, and other skills to cover any possible aspect that will serve us best. They will be at it full time.
"Then, I need you to draw up a new table of organization enabling fifty percent of our force to become a mobilized military arm, thirty percent to cover everything we have going on inside now, and a twenty percent reserve to serve as support for both. Select the best men to head up each. Put the round pegs in the round holes.”
“Got it Chief; I get a month to get it done right?” he said in jest.
“How about by the end of the week? Pick the training staff first, let me know who, and then we’ll go from there.”
“Aye aye, Sir,” Wallace said snapping off a parade ground salute.
“Just get out of here and let me know when you have something,” Keith said ignoring the salute, and pointing towards the door.
―
He decided to place Wallace in charge of the combat team, and Gibbs in charge of the enforcement staff. He would be gone from time to time, and things were going to change. It was necessary for some of his men to assume greater roles. He was not concerned about Wallace. He was capable of handling it. Gibbs was another story. There was no doubt that what he had been doing was far beneath his qualifications, but the man unnerved him. He was like an emotionless robot. Nobody really knew much about him, and any attempt at friendship was politely but firmly rejected
. His work could not be faulted, and his men were loyal. Keith did not know if he was like this before he came here, or if it was an effect of subterranean living. Others had ‘lost it’ down here, why not him?
He had the next two weeks to prepare for what he thought would be requisite changes. After that, he was to go outside. He had mixed feelings about that prospect. It was both exciting, and a little intimidating. He saw what he was capable of from the testing with Dr. Maddow, but it was all an unknown. He did not know how he would react to visiting a world now alien to him. Would he find life? Would he find complete desolation? Would he be afraid? He was not fearful of what he might encounter outside, but what he might have to deal with in himself. It was a lot to ask to keep it from Terri. He shared everything with her and she was always supportive of him. Talking to his father was an entirely different affair. He assured Keith this would only be the case for the short term, and Keith would hold him to that.
****
Today was the day. He had not slept at all the night before. He was as much excited, as he was anxious. The story he gave Teri was the same as before, ‘he was exploring the far tunnels and wasn’t sure how long he would be gone.’ She understood, kissed him goodbye, and then went off to work. The part that bothered him most was the deception. Even though he, for the most part, believed it was necessary, he knew that at some future time she would realize he had lied to her, whether out of necessity or not. It just did not sit well with him. He picked up the metal clad suitcase, and went to meet his father’s longtime assistant. He walked into his office and set the case down.
“Hey Keith, I’ll be right with you,” Brian Lucas said as he was filing some papers.
Keith did not sense anyone else in the immediate area, which meant his father must be busy with other things. He thought for sure he would see him off. This was the biggest thing to happen to them since they had been locked inside the mountain. He shrugged it off.
“You ready to go,” Lucas asked.
“Ready as I’ll ever be, “Keith said with a smile.
Only five people knew what was taking place: his father, Dr. Maddow, Lucas, Jim Forrest, and Keith himself. Although, Keith was assured this was only a temporary arrangement as they planned to have more people involved once they had the information they needed, and Keith returned with samples for them to run tests on.
“I’ll take that for you,” Lucas said as he attempted to pick up the metal case. It weighed more than sixty pounds and the surprise registered on his face as he set it back down.
“I’ve got it. Thanks anyway,” Keith said as he effortlessly picked it up.
Ever since Dr. Maddow had practiced his ‘voodoo’ on him, as Keith would say to his father, he had been getting stronger by the day. It reached the point that he had to cut back on his exercise routine at the gym because others were starting to notice. You just do not get that strong, that fast, even if you were on steroids. He would only ‘push’ himself when nobody else was around to see him do so.
Lucas looked at him with both respect, and a little amazement. He pointed to the door and indicated they should be going. When they reached a series of other secured vault-like doors, Lucas passed them through each one while advising Keith that he could do the same with his access card and security clearance. Nobody else was authorized.
They came to a larger corridor and Lucas turned on the overhead lights. A glass walled and white paneled room was in front of them. Lucas explained the procedure. “When you go into the first room, remove every article of clothing, including any jewelry, from your body. There are undergarments, boots, and coveralls in your size, which you can put on in there. Then just pass through the next two rooms. I control entrance through this first door from the inside, all of the other doors between here and exiting the mountain are manually operated.”
Keith acknowledged his understanding with a nod of his head.
“When you return, there is a phone, with a directory, in the far room. Call me first at the office, and if I’m not there, call me at the apartment. I’ll come right away.”
“Okay,” said Keith.
“When you get into the first room, leave all of your clothes and equipment. Go into the second room and shower thoroughly, especially your hair.” He stopped for a moment and said, “I know you father said you were treated in some way to protect you from the radiation, but are you sure you don’t want a protective suit?”
“I think I’ll be okay,” Keith replied hoping he sounded more sure of himself than he really was.
“Alright, if you change your mind, we do have them.”
Keith nodded once again indicating he understood, appreciating the concern.
“Anyway,” Lucas continued, “wash thoroughly, then step into the small chamber next to the shower, close the door and follow the instructions. You will get a reading on the level of any radioactive particulates still on your person. There is a chart that will let you know when you are in a safe range. If you are above the safe level, shower again until the reading is within the safe zone. Then come into the last room and get dressed into your original clothes. If I am not here by that time, it won’t be long until I am. I can take an external reading from the room, and then let you in when it is safe.”
“What about the gear?”
“There will be others to deal with that. So don’t be surprised to see someone other than me, here, when you get back. They won’t, however, have the authority or ability to let you out of there so make sure you call me.”
“Got it.”
“Good luck,” Lucas said as he extended his hand.
“Thanks,” Keith said as he shook it and then turned to leave.
The passage leading to the outside was longer than he thought it would be. He reasoned that they must have constructed a series of control points after sealing the mountain complex, as he had to let himself through seven separate doors before he reached the final one. He somehow knew this was the one, and opened it with a little trepidation. The door gave way, but it took a significant amount of effort to break its decade old seal. The air was refreshing as it was the first noticeable sensation that greeted him when he passed the barrier established many years before. One look at the outside world was all it took to remind him that it was unnatural to live as they were living. Humans were meant to be above ground.
He stepped through the door, set his suitcase down, and inhaled a deep breath. No sense in taking any half steps now, he thought, if this is going to be the end of me… so be it. He closed the door behind him and thought about the day they first entered the mountain. It did not seem like that long ago, but that perception was impacted by where he was now. He took in another breath, and surveyed the area. It looked like some trees were showing signs of life, but they were mostly fir trees. It was quite rocky, but that stood to reason as he was on a mountainside. The sky was a heavy ominous gray with rolling clouds moving across the dim skyline. The sun appeared to be shining above the clouds it just was not able to break through with any direct light aside from the stray flash.
He picked up his case and started out. The area resembled nothing of its former self. There was no city beyond the foothills, and there was no noise beyond a slight breeze. The temperature was comfortable, but he was not sure if this was because of the time of year, or if it was always like this now. He stopped near a large boulder, and placed the metal case on top of it. He opened it and removed an array of instruments. With these, he collected samples and readings from the soil, trees, and the air. There was no water that he could see nearby, so he removed several of the smaller containers and placed them in the pockets of his overalls. This trip was going to be a one-day affair, so he decided to stay light on his feet and cover as much ground as possible.
He made a mental note of landmarks to keep track of his direction. The mountain was easy enough to find, but finding his suitcase again was another story. He half jogged, half ran as he went. The natural air felt great, even though he knew it could be de
adly. After a mile or so, he came to a small clump of tall grass. It was yellowish brown, but still appeared to be alive. He removed one of his vials, and placed some of the grass, and the dirt, which clung to it, inside. The ground appeared to be dry on the surface, but he figured there must be some water not far below. He found a sturdy stick, and began digging as best as he could. When he was about ten inches down, he discovered muddy water trickling into the hole. He collected this as well.
He ran on for another few miles, barely feeling winded, and saw no other indication of standing water. Dr. Maddow had given quite an informative lecture on where to find the worms, or planarian as he called them, and what to look for. He saw nothing promising in the distance. He thought, it might even be possible that some of the samples he already gathered might contain the little critters. He decided to call it a day, and retraced his steps. He found the case with little trouble, and looked around the area once again before returning to the mountainside. It was an exhilarating day, but the main thing that stood out to him was the quiet. There were no birds or animals that he could see and no other sounds of life. That did not mean they were not in existence, he just did not see any. And no wonder, what was there to live on? It was a desolate place.
