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3012: The Artifact

Page 23

by John M Grier


  Jack’s Castle

  Paul said, “I have actually heard of chocolate before. I read about it in a trade journal sometime ago. Apparently, it was a sweet concoction designed to drive millions of people to sugar addiction.”

  Jack said “Once again, I am constantly amazed at the distorted view of things that you have been taught. For the record, chocolate was merely a snack food that happened to have sugar in it. And if you think beef is good, you should try chocolate!”

  “Any chocolate we find here will be hundreds of years old, Jack.”

  “Paul, sometimes, you just don’t get it” Jack said with a smile, thinking of fond memories regarding chocolate bars. “But, what I don’t get is why the government would put an access point to their secret underground lair in a factory that makes candy. I would be crushed to discover you are actually right about this.”

  Unsure of which way to go to get the convoy of vehicles out of the massive building, they set out on foot to explore. Since Jack was the only one of the group with any experience handling a gun, at least for the moment, they stuck together.

  They walked down the widest passages, knowing the vehicles would have to pass through as well. After a short exploration, they found two things. One, the warehouse had its own ramp to the street level, and two, and far more important in Jack’s view was a cache of chocolate bars designed for long term storage.

  “Hey Paul, check this out. Candy bars! Try one.”

  “I don’t know, Jack. That candy is hundreds of years old.”

  “I know, but it was designed for long term storage” he said while biting into one.

  “Mmmmmmm! I’d forgotten how delicious it was. Ten years in exile does things to you.”

  Paul took a nibble and decided it was not the worst thing he ever tasted, but refused to eat any more. “Okay, it doesn’t completely gross me out. And, I don’t know how you can call the modern world ‘exile.’ Anything else would certainly be less advanced.”

  Shrugging his shoulders, Jack said “All the more for me. And I’ll let that comment pass about the modern world we’re in. To comment would take way too long and I’m getting tired.” Jack loaded his box of chocolate into the camper and they made their way to the road, stopping just inside the warehouse.

  “Let’s camp here and see what, if anything is out here before we head out in this illegal vehicle” said Jack.

  Paul said “Maybe we can hook the trailer to the hovercraft and just use it. We can’t be that far now, can we?”

  “With the trailer attached, we’ll have to stick to the surface and it’ll take a day or two. If we were able to fly a bit higher, we could be there in a few hours. But, you’re right. It’s probably safer on the ground.”

  They set up camp and Jack fixed a few steaks for an early dinner. After dinner, they settled down for a well needed rest. They had been running on almost no sleep since the day before and desperately needed some time to 'recharge.' They both slept great while Suzie stood watch since she required no sleep.

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