by Jack Castle
He lowered his eyes to the chest plate of his harness and saw a round, red knob fastened to his left pocket. It almost looked like an e-stop button from back in The Factory. When he raised up his hand toward it, Maddie quickly stepped forward and slapped it back down.
“No! Don’t touch it, now.”
While rubbing the sting out of his hand, he asked, “Why, what does it do?”
This time, Traxx, who was donning his own gear, was the one to explain.
“If you get into trouble, you smack that button with the palm of your hand as hard as you can.”
“And then?” Traxx spun him around and patted his back.
“You feel that thing attached to your back?” Henry flexed his shoulders like someone feeling for back pain and felt a metal disc about the size of a Frisbee sewn into the inside of his jumpsuit. When he acknowledged that he did feel it, Traxx continued.
“You hit that rubber button on your chest plate and a disc will come shooting out of its launcher and go straight up into the air.”
Maddie finished clipping more gear to her belt. Without even looking at him she added, “It comes out pretty fast so make sure you keep your head tilted forward slightly.”
Unsure he wanted to know the answer, he asked, “Why, what if I don’t lean my head forward, slightly?”
Maddie punched in a few buttons on her gauntlet. When she didn’t get the information she wanted from her wrist computer, she slapped it a few times with the palm of her hand.
“Most likely the buoy will shave off the back of your skull.”
Henry swallowed, “And I want to carry around something that will take off my head off, why?”
Maddie blew some errant strands of hair out of her face. “It doesn’t take your head off, just the back of your head. Gosh, you are such a baby.”
Traxx, who had nearly finished getting dressed, offered, “It’s an E.L.T.” when he saw Henry still didn’t understand he added, “An Emergency-Locator-Transponder.”
Maddie sighed. “He doesn’t know what that is, you’re just confusing him.”
Henry’s pride wanted to disagree, but Maddie was right, he was totally lost. He should have stayed on The Dauntless. He didn’t belong out here in the…The Madlands?
Maddie stepped up in front of him and began checking over his uniform and harness. When her hair brushed his face, he smelled an aroma of fresh raspberries that wasn’t entirely unpleasant. She tightened his gear straps in some places and loosened it in others. As she did this she explained, “Look, all you need to know is, after you hit the red button, a disc shoots up into to the air and hovers high over your head. It serves as a distress beacon to let rescuers know where you are.”
Maddie held up some leather gloves. When he didn’t grab them quick enough, she lifted his hands and smacked them into his palms. “Okay, now these are you gloves. Don’t take them off, ever. There are a lot of bugs, contagions, and broken glass out there that you don’t want to get inside you.” She paused for a moment and then asked, “That reminds me, did Dr. Bob give you your inoculations?” Before he could answer her, she said, “No, wait, of course he didn’t. You haven’t been to the Sanctuary yet.”
The Sanctuary, Henry wondered. Is that where the Dauntless was headed? Up until now, nobody had told him anything other than that he was safe and they were taking him to a safe place.
Mistaking his silence for panic, Maddie offered in a tone that would almost pass for concern, “Don’t worry, Henry. The gloves will protect you. Just don’t take them off.” She studied his uniform once more and began rattling off each item as she inspected it.
“Survival suit… check. E.L.T. …check. Gloves… check.” Catching his eyes staring at the Skull-Shaving-Death Button she added, “Remember, don’t hit the red button until I tell you to or you get separated from us. And, whatever you do, don’t get separated from us.”
“Oh, and in each pocket, you’ll find some form of survival gear: warm packs for your hands and feet, matches, a needle-and-thread, a knife, and a nice warm hat. In the cargo pocket of your,” she had to think about this for a moment, “Uh, left leg I think, there’s some energy bars if you get hungry. These suits were designed by my dad. George was a survival expert. There’s even a compass sewn into the cuff.” She flipped his wrist over to show him where a compass spun loosely.
Henry began tapping the glass of the spinning compass with his finger and heard himself say, “Hey, that’s pretty neat.”
Maddie smacked his tapping finger away from the compass with another painful slap.
“Stop that.” She pointed to the goggles mounted on his soft leather helmet. “Those are your goggles. Once we step outside, keep them down over your eyes at all times. I don’t want to be plucking micro-bots out of your eyeballs.”
Henry wasn’t sure what a micro-bot was, but the thought of Maddie, with her spectacular bedside manner, plucking them out of his eyeballs sounded about as unpleasant as having the back of his skull shaved off. He reached up to pull the goggles down over his eyes and…
SLAP!
Henry began rubbing the sting out of his hand for the third time.
“Not now. I said when we step out of the Hopper to go outside. If you’re going to survive you really need to pay more attention.”
He nodded, feeling as though he had just been told he was demoted back at The Factory.
“Any questions?”
He had several, but when he meekly raised his hand, Maddie had already turned away and slammed a gloved fist onto a dull-yellow button next to the door.
A sharp decompressing sound made him jump slightly, and he was glad Maddie had already turned around. This time, it was the back door that opened. Instead of sliding open like the side door did, this one lowered down all the way to the ground to form a ramp.
Maddie and Traxx exited out the rear payload door; their boots clanged on the metal incline.
As Henry tentatively walked down the ramp to join them, Maddie warned, “Watch your step on the ice. You don’t want to slip and fall out here.” Seeing Henry had forgotten to don his gloves she barked, “Henry, put on your gloves. You cut yourself outside the parks and a tetanus shot will be the least of your worries.”
He wasn’t entirely sure what a tetanus shot was, but it didn’t sound like something he would enjoy. He reached the bottom of the ramp unscathed, and his eyes filled with wonder.
“Henry, gloves.”
Mouth agape, he only nodded in response. The lower parts of the mall were submerged in debris and ice, but he’d never seen buildings so tall, or so numerous!
When he didn’t don the gloves fast enough she barked once more, “Henry, gloves!”
The Leftenant
Henry finished donning his gloves… and nearly jumped out of his survival suit when The Leftenant suddenly appeared beside him.
The Leftenant, hands clasped behind her back, opened with a cheery, “Hello children, where are we off to today?” Not waiting for answer she began to take in their surroundings.
Traxx gave her a friendly wave. “Oh hi, Leftenant.”
The Leftenant nodded to him and responded with a curt, “Mr. Traxx.”
Maddie on the other hand, was obviously not pleased to see The Leftenant. She sighed and said, “First of all, we are not children. And second, no one invited you. We were cleared to do this expedition all by ourselves.”
“No. You were cleared to take out an expedition provisionally.”
Henry found himself backing up toward the lowered ramp of the Hopper. She’s onto us. He was pretty sure he saw Traxx gulp too.
The Leftenant continued. “That provision was conditional upon the fact that you were escorted by Mr. Cheeves.” The Leftenant feigned looking around for the pesky gargoyle. “I don’t see him anywhere, do you?” She lifted a palm to her mouth and called out half-heartedly, “Mister Cheeves, I say, Mr. Cheeves, are you there?”
The Leftenant turned back toward Maddie and fixed an icy gaze upon her.
“Hmmm… not here. Perhaps that’s because he’s still back in his quarters, hunting for a non-existent feline.”
Traxx lifted a quaking finger toward Maddie, “It was her idea.”
Maddie growled, “Shut it, Traxx.”
Traxx’s eyes went wide. “Sorry Maddie, but we’re in unexplored territory, the Madlands no less.
The Leftenant piped in, “Proper jammy, Mr. Traxx. I always did think you were a good bloke.”
Traxx continued, “Maybe it’s not a bad idea to have The Leftenant along.”
Maddie shook her head and grumped to Traxx, “Don’t say that. Don’t encourage her.” Then to The Leftenant, Maddie explained, “Leftenant, you’re not coming with us, and that’s final.”
The hologram woman fizzled out for a second and then raised her eyebrows at Maddie and replied, “Oh my being here suggests that in point-of-fact, I most certainly am.”
“Leftenant, we don’t need a babysitter, okay? This expedition was sanctioned by Uncle Rick,” she stammered, “Er… I mean, Chief Engineer Rick.”
“Oh, how nice,” she cooed softly. “Chief Engineer Rick sanctioned this expedition.” Her tone changed, and she said more harshly, “When I need a Chief Engineer’s permission, which I don’t as it is a lower rank to myself, I’ll ask for it. Good to know though. Thank you.” She practically sang the words thank you.
To Henry, The Leftenant didn’t sound the least bit thankful.
Maddie squinted her eyes, scrunched up her nose and asked, “How’d you even get here anyway? I shut down your hologram emitter on the Hopper the moment we left The Dauntless.”
The Leftenant continued to scan the immediate area like a sentry whilst answering, “For me to know and you to never know.”
Maddie checked her clothes and appeared to be searching for something. “Guys, check your clothes. She must’ve planted a hologram emitter on one of us.”
Henry was barely aware of what a hologram emitter’s purpose was; let alone what one looked like. Nevertheless, he reluctantly began patting down his clothes to comply with Her Madness.
Maddie first scanned his clothes and then focused on Traxx’s. Judging by her harsh stare, she seemed to have found something on the youngest of them. When Henry turned toward Traxx too, he saw the briefest flickering of light coming from the corner of Traxx’s goggles.
Maddie confirmed this by saying, “Darn it, Traxx. She’s on your goggles.” She stomped over to him in her big clunky boots and pinched the emitter off his spectacles.
The emitter couldn’t compensate fast enough, and this caused The Leftenant to appear first sideways and then upside down.
By the time The Leftenant righted herself, Maddie held the emitter out to her and spat, “You’re not coming with us. Not today!” She dropped the emitter onto the ground and crunched it beneath her boot.
Henry was aghast. “You killed her,” he heard himself say. “Why would you do that? Is she okay?”
Traxx, looking about as happy about as he felt, explained, “The Leftenant’s fine. The remotes are just an extension of the true Leftenant.”
Henry didn’t have the foggiest idea of what Traxx was talking about, and he doubted he ever would. Not in a million years.
While Maddie twisted the ball of her foot for good measure she added, “It’s just another way for her to spy on us.”
“Hello,” The Leftenant’s voice sang when she reappeared unharmed. “Yes indeed, I am quite alright Mr. Henry. Although, I certainly do appreciate your obvious and heartfelt concern.”
Maddie shook her head. “Everyone check your clothes. She must’ve put an emitter on each one of us.”
As the three of them began patting down their clothes, Henry with the least amount of fervor, The Leftenant said, “You can check as much as you like, but I have placed no less than 126 holograms emitters on your personage.”
“You didn’t,” Maddie spat venomously. Composing herself, Maddie said, “Leftenant, Traxx and I are both well-armed. We don’t need you always watching over us.”
“Ohhhh… I’m certain your parents would disagree.”
“But my parents aren’t here anymore, are they?” Maddie then stuck her finger in The Leftenant’s face. It was another mannerism that seemed far beyond her age. “My dad might’ve thought of you as a daughter, but that doesn’t make us sisters, okay?”
The Leftenant’s face softened dramatically. “Your father said that?”
Maddie Harrumphed. “Yeah, like you didn’t know.”
To Henry, it was very apparent she didn’t know. This was the first time Henry had ever seen The Leftenant display any kind of emotion other than righteous indignation. He was kinda feeling sorry for her.
Great, now I’m feeling sorry for a hologram.
Maddie placed her gloved hands on her hips. “I didn’t want to have to do this but,” she called out over her shoulder, “Traxx. Do it.”
Standing on a pile of debris behind her, Traxx appeared sheepish. “I don’t know Maddie, maybe it’s a good idea to have her along. Another pair of eyes can’t hurt anything.”
Maddie cut him off. “Traxx, nobody is ever going to trust us do missions by ourselves if we can’t even do a simple mapping expedition.”
Reluctantly, Traxx opened a panel on the computer he wore on his thigh. He punched in several keys on the keypad within.
The Leftenant took a keen interest in this. “Mr. Traxx, whatever are you doing?”
Traxx finished punching in a sequence of numbers and hesitated before pressing the last button. “Sorry about this Leftenant,” he said, and punched in the final key.
The Leftenant fizzled for a moment, “Oh, bother,” and then was gone.
Each one listened, but all they heard now was the sound of the escalating wind.
Henry was the first to speak. “I know I’m the new guy here and all, but I’m not sure that was such a good idea.”
Maddie stomped past him and headed toward the mall. “Aw, suck it up, Buttercup.”
Chapter 17
The Mall
“Door won’t budge.”
Traxx released his grip on the bottom of a rollup, galvanized door. The three of them had wasted nearly thirty minutes walking around the outside of the mall searching for an entry point. Every other entrance was either locked or blocked by debris.
Finally, just as they were about to give up and head back to the Hopper, they discovered a loading dock on the back side of the mall. It was marked by a heavily stained sign that read, DELIVERY ENTRANCE ONLY. They found the rollup door only slightly ajar. Traxx had been the first to grab the bottom and started tugging, but thus far, no effect.
Maddie checked their six before taunting him. “C’mon, Traxx. Ya gotta pull on it like a man.”
Traxx grunted as he tried again. “Nothing. I’m telling you, it’s stuck fast.”
Maddie stepped forward and shoved Traxx out of the way. She clutched the bottom of the door with both hands and began yanking. When it still didn’t budge, with a single look, she urged for Traxx to help pull at the same time.
The first two attempts were a no go and Traxx said, “See, I told you, it’s jammed or something.”
Maddie caught her breath and then over her shoulder she called, “C’mon, Henry, you get in here too. Let’s all try, one more time, together.”
Henry joined them and they pulled as one. Just as they were about to give up, they heard the sound of metal snapping and the rollup door rumbled upwards on its tracks.
All three fell inwards.
Henry immediately noticed the floor was checkered tile, and heavily stained with time.
Maddie was the first to her feet, she dusted herself off, smiled and said, “Alright boys, let’s see what treasures await.” She cracked a flare, its red glow illuminating the darkened interior with a red haze.
Henry wasn’t sure leaving the daylight behind was a good idea. After all, he had been nervous enough outside the mall with the rustling of garbage blowing in th
e wind and rocks sliding down the piles of debris surrounding them. But the inside of the mall seemed worse; it was as though the air had the silence and the stillness of an ancient tomb.
Before following, he glanced back at the angry sky outside. It was still shrouded in an ominous gray. For the first time since he was rescued, he wondered, Maybe I should have stayed in The Factory, at least there I knew where the dangers lie.
Both Maddie and Traxx had their weapons drawn. Henry became even more aware that he didn’t have a gun and followed them as quietly as possible. To guide himself, he slid his gloved hand against the wall.
Maddie, still carrying the red phosphorous flare out in front of her like a torch, barked at him in a tense whisper, “Hey Henry, check those lockers for anything useful.”
Henry hoped she hadn’t seen him jump slightly. He stared over at where she was pointing and saw a large bank of lockers against a cream-colored wall. Totally unhappy with the present situation, as he was fairly certain he would be dead within the hour, he asked grumpily, “Search them for what?”
Maddie immediately answered, “Medicines, food, ammo. Survivors like to hide stuff. You have to think like them.”
Traxx walked past him shining his own flashlight. “Watch out for booby-traps.”
Henry felt himself blanch at this, but he summoned his courage anyway and opened the first locker with the trepidation of a member of the bomb squad. Nothing was inside. Opening several more, each one about as tall as he was, he also found nothing, that is, unless you count all the vermin that skittered away the moment the light from his flashlight was upon them. “We’re never going to find anything.”
Hearing this, Maddie’s voice said from the darkness, “Not with that attitude we’re not. Keep looking.”
Henry was mockingly miming Maddie’s words under his breath when he opened the next locker and a not-so-fresh corpse tumbled out at him.
Henry shrieked as he jumped back and immediately regretted doing so. To his surprise, neither Traxx nor Maddie laughed at him. The body, now lying at his feet, was dressed in coveralls, with most of his flesh eaten away by rats and insects. Henry found himself wondering what had happened to the man. Was he stuffed in the locker or was he hiding from something? If the latter, what would be so bad that he’d never want to come out?
