by Richard Lord
Tina doesn’t blink and replies, “Okay. Well, I have a lot of work to do, so you have a few hours. Just be gone by the time I get back.”
Venetia feels the sting of the casual phrasing. She grabs Phillip by the wrist and leans in to his ear. “I don’t care. I do want you. Just for a while is more than I thought I would ever want from you again, but it will do.”
Phillip replies, “Wait here then.” He walks over leans into the cockpit and kisses Tina. “Give us some extra time, deal?”
She kisses Phillip back. “You’re an idiot, but if you get yourself back into it, it’s up to you to deal with. I’m not getting involved.” She looks up at the sun. “I’ll give you until one tick up of the moon with no sun. Then I really am going to be tired and I don’t want to come back and have to deal with the way the two of you are going to be. No offense, but I don’t see how you can’t understand it’s not going to go the way either of you expect, deal?”
Phillip nods and turns to walk back over to Venetia. “Are you sure we should do this?”
“It was your brilliant idea, fly boy. Although you were right. It really doesn’t bother her. Hard to believe, but I guess dealing with James long enough makes her accepting of anything besides James.” Venetia turned and began walking towards his quarters. Then she slowed and waved her hand down at him from her hip. He caught the gesture he knew all too well and stepped up his pace to hold her hand.
As they walked, Phillip thought to himself, “Tina’s right. This isn’t going to go well. And why did I choose now?” He looks at Venetia as she turns to look at him and smiles. He twists and grabs her hand with the other waling backwards and blowing a kiss to Tina.
Venetia asks, “Did you do that to make me angrier or because you are gleeful that she’s so good to you?”
Phillip notes the last part of her sentence and remains quiet. He hears Venetia huff, but she doesn’t break her stride.
CHAPTER 12
“People are resilient. In almost any situation they adapt, improvise and overcome. Some are better trained to do so than others.” -- from the Book of Tomorrow
“I like bear! Very scary though! And very hard to kill, even with what we can do. It was sad though. They seem kind of cute in a cuddly way. Like you!” Tomorrow laughed as she said it.
“Very funny.” Adam replied chewing the last bite of his portion for the evening. “We have to get this up high in the trees or we’ll end up fending off scavengers instead of sleeping. Also we don’t’ want to sleep near it. They can smell it. We can eat the rest in the morning if we scorch the meat first, but after that…”
“I know.” Tomorrow said, waving her hand for him to stop. “I do like the deer better, by the way. When do we find a cow? You keep saying that’s the best.”
“Cows are domesticated. We won’t find any here. However, with the lack of people around to raise them now, I can only think of a few places we might find them in the wild, these days.” Then it’s his turn to raise his hand in a gesture meaning stop. “Domesticated means they are dependent on humans, like the synths were dependent on the implants to decide what to do next and when to eat and what they would be fed, etc.”
“What are you looking at?” Tomorrow asks him seeing his attention wander from her.
His hand moves quickly and all that Tomorrow sees is a bright flash of fire and a very loud boom. Then it happens again and it comes from his hand. She drops to the ground as Adam stands. She hears the thump of something fall behind her.
Tomorrow looks in his hand and sees a piece of metal with a tunnel on the end. “What is that?”
“Last resort”
“How did it...?” Tomorrow tries to find words for what she has just seen.
Adam simplifies the questions by answering the one she is staring at, “That's how it works.”
Tomorrow clicked to his side and held the weapon. “It's heavy. How did you pull it so fast? Where did you have it? I’ve seen you many times without clothes.”
He looked at her with extreme anger and yet control at the same time and then he grabbed the weapon in a snap of his fist and pushed the end to the ground. It fired again and her arm buckled with the recourse
“Don't ever do that again, and now I am down to three!” Her face went white and she stared at her hand. Adam said, “This is not a toy and it’s the beginning of a lot of bad stuff. That’s why I don’t resupply it. Don’t ask about it.”
“What in the lords is that?” Tomorrow pointed at the body laying on the ground.
“I assumed all the Hunters were gone. I was wrong. We need a new camp now. Even if we dragged that body away the blood would still be an attractant.” Adam walks to the back and begins packing it.
“Is that what used to bring the people to the city?” Tomorrow asks.
“Yes, but this is only one of the many. This one was acting without orders. That’s troublesome. It’s dead, let’s move.” Adam replied.
As the night came he laid down and as every night she grasped him and held on tight. Adam asked her, “Didn’t you have any friends down there?”
Tomorrow strokes her face across his chest as she answers, “Yes, Valerie. She and I watched each others backs. She uh...”
Adam looked at Tomorrow, “Your face tells me she mean a lot to you.”
Tomorrow puts her head down on his chest and answers, “She was like a sister, not that I’ve ever had one of those, but...”
Adam strokes at a lock of her long hair, “I understand. I'm sorry. What happened?”
“Lift job. I told her not to do it, but...” Tomorrow’s tone changes.
“What do you mean lift job, like boobs or stealing?” Adam asks not sure of the reference.
“You’re kind of dumb for an old guy. She used her boobs for stealing idiot.” Tomorrow looked at Adam’s face.
“Oh, I see.” Adam rolled his eyes.
“No you don't. You just want to pretend you’re intelligent enough to keep up in a world you didn't understand.” Tomorrow shot back.
“If you liked it so much, why don't you go back?” Adam slipped the phrase but regretted it immediately.
“Are you threatening me again?” Tomorrow sat up, fully in awake mode.
“It was never a threat, it is always an option.” Adam tried to counter his own words.
Tomorrow let him off the hook. She decided to push the real issue, but one she knew would make him uncomfortable. “I'm fine. I could use more water, you know, back there…”
“Back where?” Adam looked around, dumfounded.
“By the lords, you’re so stupid!” Tomorrow slapped at her own forehead and pushed her hand into his chest.
“If that’s an issue just get into the river!” Adam finally realized her reference.
“By myself? I like the way they taste, but I don’t want them to know how I taste!” Tomorrow rolled her eyes at Adam.
“The snakes?” They aren’t hunting you, their just around. Just be aware.” Then Adam says, “Okay, I’ll make a trip and bring back baby wipes.”
“What are those?” Tomorrow pauses to consider what he is referring to, then she attacks with, “I’m not a baby, Adam! Just because you know things I don’t!” Tomorrow was red with embarrassment and anger.
Adam holds up his hands in defense, “Unfair, that’s not what I meant. How about we watch the sky together?”
Tomorrow’s eyes light up and her arms curled around him again. I’d like that.”
The two lay back and look through the break in the trees they have found and sleep under for the view.
Then she turns to him and asks, “What are those?”
Adam traces her finger movement to gauge what she is looking at. “Oh, bats. Don't bother. Hard to catch and not very good eating. The basic equivalent to a rat with wings, but they eat insects, so for now they are our friends. Less bites to contend with.”
“Why do they move like that?”
“They use sonar. Hmm, echolocation.” Adam realizes
she doesn’t know either word or it’s meaning and continues, “Bah, they scream and listen to what bounces back. They aren't blind, but they use the sound to their advantage. Since they swoop so quickly they need a faster method of zooming in on their prey. Sight isn't so great at locking in on things like mosquitos.”
“What if they poop on us?” Tomorrow asks.
Adam looks down at her with her fingers in her mouth as if that is some defense. He chuckles and replies, “They move fast enough that I never thought of that. I suppose we would then be shat upon. I don't know of too many incidents of that. Are you afraid?”
“Do they work like hawks?
Adam notes that in the face of fear, her inquisitive nature still takes over, “Hawks are avian in nature. These are mammalian. So they think differently. Three quarters of all mammalian life is based around, to avoid a long explanation, either a bat or a rat. Again, neither is good eating. They are fun to watch though.”
“Have you eaten one?” Tomorrow’s curiosity over why some living things are good to eat and some are not shines through.
Adam begins to chuckle, “No, I suppose you would have to ask Sir Osbourne how they taste.”
“Who?” Tomorrow looked at him thoroughly confused.
Adam grinned, “It’s a joke. He was a rock star. Someone threw one on stage while he performed. In the light and noise, Sir Osbourne assumed it was rubber and thought it would look particularly cool if he bit the head off of it. It wasn’t rubber, much to his chagrin, but it did make the history books!”
“You said stars were made up of mostly gasses.” She looked confused.
“Yeah, like you.” His hand went over his nose as he wafted his other hand while looking at her bottom.
Tomorrow laughed at his ridiculous gesture but said, “That’s not funny!”
Renfield replied, “I’ve stepped into this one. A rock star is a person who makes music and does well enough to become recognized. Rock being a specific style of music.” Adam explained.
“Do they have teeth?” Her face became serious.
Adam realizes Tomorrow is grasping at reasons to be afraid of the things that fly over them at night. “Rock stars? Not all of them. The bats, yeah. Some have larger teeth than others, but it's not likely the would bother us. I suppose now is a good time to explain rabies. Although it's not likely to transfer via a bat. They pretty much eat insects. Insects can't get rabies, therefore, it's rare a bat would actually get rabies unless it was, never mind…avoid rabies.”
“What's that?” Tomorrow looked at him even more confused.
Adam thinks of a short response, “It’s something that takes over your mind and makes you spread it. Because nature fools us into thinking we are in control until it takes control” Adam was searching his own mind for a way out of explaining all of this.
“I don't understand.” She knew there was more, but she knew what was coming next.
“I do.” Adam realizes this is a longer conversation for another time. “We are not what and who we think we are. So, how about we stop talking and you go to sleep?”
Tomorrow’s eyes look up at his and she says, “I like having you next to me.”
Adam replies, “It gets cold. It makes sense.”
Tomorrow corrects him, “Even when it's morning.”
Noting the look in her eyes Adam fumbles for a response that would not be hurtful nor would it encourage where she is going in her line of commentary. “Watch the bats, I'm going to sleep.”
“Okay. Tell me about this place. Can you teach me about this fishing thing? I’ve yet to taste a fish and we’ve been here a while. You said it was an important skill to learn.” Tomorrow points out.
“Yes, it is. Deal. Tomorrow I teach you stream fishing. The next day, lake fishing. After that we change locations and I will teach you sea fishing from shore and then if we are lucky, I can find an old craft and perhaps get us out to sea so you can learn to fish from within the sea.” Adam ticks off the schedule for the next few days.
“Are they all different?” Tomorrow asks.
“The fish are different and even taste different. The tactics change depending on the way the water moves and the type of fish you want to catch.” Adam picks up the meat and says, “If you aren’t going to sleep, help me get this impaled, so we can scorch it.” He looks at her as she slowly rises. “You look tired. You did a great job today. You stayed focused and didn’t let the fear cloud you’re clicking. I was very impressed.”
“I wasn’t that impressed by you! You kept losing your focus watching my front side and backside jiggle. I can hear your thoughts clearer now, Adam. Not very Gentlemanly.” She laughed at him as she walked over and held the meat up while he thrust the poker into the meat and then she grabbed onto the poker and helped him push it as deep in as they could. Then she changed positions and held it off the ground while he finished. She smiled at him with satisfaction as they both picked it up and put it over the fire. “It’s dripping. That’s going to smell.”
“Which is why we need to store it somewhere other than here and then ourselves other than either place.” Adam remarked.
“So we have to build another hut?” Tomorrow asked.
“No, tonight we’ll sleep on the ground. When you wake up move very slowly. Watch me first. When I spring up, do the same.”
“Snakes?” She asked.
Adam nodded.
Tomorrow said, “But they won’t bite us while we’re asleep?”
“Usually no, they just curl up under us for the heat. Just try not to toss and turn while you sleep. As long as they don’t perceive a threat they are usually fine with just taking advantage of the chance to heat themselves and restore energy.”
“Right, because they can’t make heat themselves. I get it, but it still seems creepy to me.” Tomorrow said as she watched him spin the meat around on the fire and she fed it with bark and other incendiary items to raise the flame level.
“You dealt with it the first few nights. Before we built the hut.” Adam noted.
“But you know I was scared out of my mind those first few nights here. I know you think the desert is harsher, but this place is very scary.” She gestures at the trees. “Plus, I had to get used to not seeing the sun. Which is odd, since I spent most of my life not seeing it.” Tomorrow pondered while feeding the fire. She heard him think it was time to take the meat off of the fire so she stopped throwing things into the fire and gathered a pile of leaves then helped him pull the bear meat off of the fire and lay it down on the leaves to cool. “So tell me one of your stories while we wait.”
Adam said, “It will cool down fast. I’m thinking a tree far from the river is a good spot. Someplace already high, terrain-wise.”
“Didn’t you say that there are big powerful cats in the higher areas?” Tomorrow squinted her eyes at Adam trying to get clarification.
“Yes, but not much else. Then we come back here and get the smell of the bear fat off us and then we find a new area to sleep in for the night.”
“It’s already dark. You told me never to get in the water when it is dark.” Tomorrow again squinted at him. He was going against all the rules he had taught her.
Adam replied. “There is risk in anything. We balance the risk.”
Tomorrow pondered and then nodded.
Adam then said, “Personally I am happy we have a meal waiting for us.”
“You don’t like the foods I gather in the morning?” Tomorrow looked at him wondering if she was meeting his approval.
“You choose well. I am always happy that you do that while I scout. But some days a guy just wants to wake up with some meat.” Adam replied.
“Okay. There are things a girl wants too, you know?” Tomorrow looked at him briefly, but turned to gather a few of the things she had carved into weapons before beginning to follow him.
The next day Adam showed her how to make a good hook out of hardwood. Then she showed her how to gather things to put on the hook as bait.
He gave her several examples and then begins digging in the soil for grubs and worms. Then he looks up and sees her repeatedly clicking into the water and back out with tiny minnows in her hands each time. Adam laughed to himself and Tomorrow, hearing his joy in her head looked over to him and smiled.
Eventually Adam said, “That’s enough. They will know something is up if the minnows are all dried out. Fish are very smart!” He began explain how to cast a line and demonstrated several times, reminding her often that the hooks could be painful to them if she wasn’t sure to cast safely. He also explained the usual errors such as getting the line caught in a tree, dredging the bottom and ending up pulling in muck, etc. She listened very intently and then he let her try.
Tomorrow looked at him, “How as that?”
Adam replied, “Not bad for the first time. Pull it in slowly. Then keep working on your cast.”
After a while she looked back at Adam who was simply sitting there watching her. “Aren’t you going to help?”
“Nah, I have faith in you, Tomorrow.”
“This seems like a lot of work. It’s becoming boring.” She announced.
“That’s part of the joy of it. You know you are working on your survival and not wasting time. But you start to do it automatically and it becomes a great time to just think about the beauty of the world around you.”
Tomorrow thought about that. She shrugged and continued. Then she felt something pull on the line. She yelled, “Something is tugging at it, hard.”
Adam stood and said, “Okay, pull hard now and then let go.” She did that. Adam continued with a play by play. Now slowly pull in the line, but if it gets too tight let a little bit out. This is the hard part. You have to feel what it’s doing and try to wear it down so it doesn’t break the line.”
Tomorrow then saw it leap out of the water. In an instant she was gone and back next to Adam, her pole laying on the ground with the line slack and she tossed the fish that was struggling, in her arms, up further away from the water. She tuned to Adam excited and asked, “How’d I do?”
Adam rubbed his neck and thought. He wasn’t quite sure how to answer, but he tried anyway, “Well, not exactly what I intended to teach you, but your clicking skills are coming along well.”
