Joe slid to the ground on shaky legs, bending over at the waist and vomiting his dinner. Joe was the oldest of all the water folk and also one of the most reserved. Based on the man’s temperament, it didn’t surprise Jared at all. He helped him stand back up and checked to make sure he was okay.
Wheezing and on shaky legs, Joe rasped, “Heights. Don’t like heights.”
“It’s okay, man. I’m sure you’ll get used to it.”
The look of abject terror Joe flashed at him almost made Jared lose his composure. He tried in vain to hide a smile and turned around after patting the man on the back. He rushed away to avoid shaming the man. Some people just didn’t like heights. Jared didn’t understand it personally, but he’d try to respect Joe’s wishes.
Joe wasn’t the only one who displayed an aversion to flying afterward, but he was the only one to throw up. A couple more people took time to recover and voiced they wouldn’t try flying again until their eyesight was whole. Not being able to see the ground or very far around them scared them, and they had no wish to do it again as they were.
Several hours later, everyone sat around the campfire, talking animatedly about their experiences. Those that had their eyesight back spoke feverishly, describing the scene to those who couldn’t see for themselves.
Jared watched carefully and noticed people forcing smiles, but he saw the pain behind their eyes. They too wanted to experience this new world, but they had many weeks, perhaps months before they’d get there.
“Vanessa?” Jared grabbed her hand and pushed his thoughts over. “I think we may want to spend time with those not bonded and encourage them. I know it seems like everyone is happy, but…”
“See? We’ll make a leader out of you, yet. I picked up on their mood too, and I’m making a list of those I can see. You do the same, and we’ll compare lists later.”
Turning back to the rest of the water folk, Jared reminded them he wanted to move out the following day and that they should try to get a good night’s sleep. It would be a while before they stopped for longer than a night again.
The next day brought with it hope and eagerness to get moving. They quickly broke camp and arranged themselves into a column two people wide.
“Let’s move out—”
“Jared!”
Pete and Kirgor bounded up to them, scaring the pants off everyone in the group. Pete shrieked like a banshee and showed none of his usual restraint.
“We. Did. It,” he panted in between large gulps of air.
“Did what?”
“We cracked the code!”
He proved his success by showcasing two robots he’s cobbled together. Pressing a few buttons on a keypad, both robots came to life and stood staring at them with the glowing red orbs.
A few more taps on the device, and one robot walked ten paces away, spinning to face them. The one that walked away looked directly at the other, raised its hand, and issued a series of beeps and warbles. Immediately, the stationary robot turned around and walked into the trees on the side of the road.
“I f-figured out how to control them. I can c-capture the signal b-between them.”
“Pete, Kirgor—this is amazing!”
Jared asked a lot of questions about the robots, the likelihood was of the cities taking control, and how likely it was to capture any signals sent to the cities.
“I don’t want to rely on these things if the city can just issue a command and turn them against us. You know what’s at risk here as well as anyone. If we can’t rely on these completely, I’d just as soon not use them at all.”
Pete looked somewhat offended by the words, and Kirgor snorted in agreement.
“Hey, I didn’t mean you don’t know what you’re doing. I just have to be careful. So many times, I’ve been careless and not thought about the consequences of my actions. I can’t afford to do that anymore; there are too many lives under my care now.”
Chagrined, Pete apologized and assured him that couldn’t happen since he’d hard-wired the robot and removed the ability for it to communicate freely. It now required manual responses and input from the controller he held.
Jared gestured between the two robots. “How far does the signal extend for this control?”
“The signal b-between the robots extends at least t-ten miles. Kirgor and Zavret helped with the experiment.”
Jared thanked Pete for the information, motioned for everyone to start walking, and turned his thoughts inward.
He had no delusions. People would get hurt, and people would likely die. Everyone knew the risks, and Jared repeated them all the time. The idea of using the cities’ technology against them thrilled him, but also sent shivers of icy fear down his back. If they used the robots to infiltrate the city or capture drop ships, and if the city somehow overrode the changes made by Pete, it could mean the death of everyone here.
The trip to Colorado took a little longer than he’d estimated. They stopped twice more to rest for a day or two, giving everyone plenty of time to recuperate. Scarlet’s brothers hadn’t returned yet, but it could be weeks before they made it back.
For the past two days, they’d seen imposing mountain ranges in the distance. Now, they were close enough to make out the snow-capped peaks. Jared called a halt to their progress when Scarlet let him know there were a couple large colonies at the base of that mountain range. He and Scarlet made plans to fly out after dark and scout the area. Thanks to their combined abilities to see at night, they’d have no trouble locating a place to stay. He established a watch rotation and checked all his gear before heading out with Scarlet.
“We’ll be back before the sun is up, but make sure you stick to the watch rotations.”
“We got it,” Vanessa said and waved him goodbye.
“Ready?”
“Let’s do it.”
After so many weeks walking, it felt liberating to once again soar through the sky. He could’ve flown with Scarlet over the intervening weeks, but after that first week he’d let others take turns riding on her back. He was already familiar with it, and flying almost felt second nature to him. He wanted others to reach the same level of comfort.
Several minutes into their flight they passed over one of the large colonies Scarlet had viewed from a distance. With a simple thought, Jared activated his vision enhancements. Instantly, the world came into focus.
“Stay high enough they won’t hear the beating of your wings. No need to draw too much attention to us. I doubt they’ll be able to see us, but then the flames in your eyes and wings might be visible below.”
“Jared, look west.”
“What are those?”
Something stalked through the mountains many miles away. He couldn’t make out many details from the distance, but massive bodies moved against the backdrop of the mountains. They weren’t as big as Scarlet’s brothers and they also ambled slowly.
“I do not know, but this appears to be a good hunting ground for my kin.”
“Can you fly closer to the mountains?”
Scarlet shot forward, and Jared noticed a large wall running parallel to the mountain and the colonies. It was likely the only thing keeping those monstrous creatures from attacking the residents. Based on their size, it seemed like they could climb right over, but upon closer inspection Jared found a dozen people patrolling the top of the wall. They carried an assortment of weapons, and many large caliber weapon emplacements lined the wall.
“It looks like they’re prepared for anything that might come out of the mountains. If these people are friendly to outsiders, they could make great allies.”
“Or we find another group like the Daggers.”
“Let’s hope that isn’t the case, but I won’t take any chances this time. Once we’ve settled down, I can make a trip back here to see if they’re friendly. We need to stock up on some essentials an
d new clothes for everyone.”
“If we use this as a hunting ground, they might get suspicious if the creatures disappear.”
“Maybe. I suppose it depends on how often they get attacked. We can observe them for a time to see what their reactions are, or if any of these creatures even go near the colony.”
The walled city was massive, many times the size of any colony he’d ever seen. It was easily twice that of a floating city and looked well-organized. They had a variety of crops growing both inside and outside the walls. They had at least one hundred people patrolling the entire wall. They circled the largest town several times before Jared suggested they move on and find a place to live.
Roughly seventy miles farther south, there was another town, though not as large. Both towns boasted many people. The buildings were in good repair, the crops full, and those patrolling the walls armed to the teeth.
“This is impressive, Scarlet.”
“There are so many people and weapons.”
“It’s nothing like where I grew up. Our colony was small, and you could easily walk around the whole thing several times in a day. These settlements are massive. I hope that doesn’t mean they get more frequent trips from the cities. If we settle close by, we’ll always be on the lookout for drop ships.”
“What about Pete’s research?”
“It’s promising, but until we can capture more of the robots and ships, I don’t want to rely on it yet. I think his research will help, but we don’t want to tip our hand too soon by taking out a ship. None of the ship parts we scavenged are available to us and I’d like it if he experiments with them before we commit to a course of action. Once we’re settled, we can scout for more ships. I’d imagine these cities see their fair share of drop ships so that shouldn’t be difficult. It might take us a few months, but perhaps we can find a lookout position that affords us a view of the colony. We’ll keep a constant watch, which will allow us to plan our actions.”
“I do not think that will be difficult with these huge mountains shielding us from sight.”
“We aren’t in a rush to attack the cities, so I’m okay if we take our time in this phase. Plus, we’ve got to wait for your brothers to get back. Then we have the honeymoon phase where the water folk will court your kin for bonding. Further, they’ve all got to upgrade themselves. I think we should also send the weakest out to hunt these creatures in the mountains, so they grow stronger.”
“We should also return for Attis soon. He has the best chance of scouting this area without raising suspicion. Look to the north.”
Jared followed Scarlet’s gaze and watched several massive birds fly over the mountains. It looked like they’d made their home in a perch high on the mountain’s face. They looked like eagles, but of massive proportions. They were as large, if not larger, than Attis and there were quite a few.
“That looks dangerous for him.”
“Observe. Attis is much faster and nimbler. It will be dangerous for those birds with him around.”
Scarlet was right. The birds floated around the mountains, but they were all ponderous, and Attis could easily fly circles around them all.
“Maybe once we’ve settled in, you can fly back and get him. If you do it though, you’ve got to promise you won’t get too close to the city. Go as far as you need and reach out telepathically. I know you’re fast, but you can’t outrun the ships and we don’t need them tracking you back here.”
Scarlet agreed and they let the topic rest. There was much to do yet, but first they needed to find a new home.
They flew for several hours, exploring the mountain passes. The eagles Scarlet had observed earlier came to investigate, but after getting a good look at Scarlet, they kept their distance. It would have been super easy for Scarlet to snatch a few from the sky for dinner, but she left them alone. She and Jared had decided that having them around was good cover for anything the colonies or drop ships might observe. Especially if they stuck to flying around at night.
The night passed swiftly while they searched. It wasn’t until they’d returned the following night when Jared found a couple large clusters of buildings nestled deep into a ravine. He wanted to stop and investigate, but it was nearing sunrise, so he marked it in his mind and returned the following night.
It wasn’t a city, but a small cluster of buildings isolated at the base of some of the tallest mountains in the range. One building looked decrepit and falling apart, but there were two other large brick apartments mostly intact.
“I’ll check out these buildings to see if they’re safe for people to live in.”
“I will look around the area and keep an eye out for those large creatures we observed yesterday.”
Jared paused at the door and looked around. If this ended up being the place they hunkered down, it was a superb location. Everywhere he looked, mountains pierced into the sky. There was no direct view to anything beyond. The only way to get here besides over the mountains was a very windy road. The road was mostly useless, since most of the bridges had collapsed a long time ago, and the only viable way to get here was on foot. It was a perfect place to escape the clutches of the city that pursued them.
Jared walked up to the first building and whipped out his pistols. Kneeling down, he placed his bare hand on the ground and closed his eyes. Small vibrations of the building settling and a slight wind whipping through the valley created a three-dimensional replica in his mind. It wasn’t perfect, but enough to confirm there was nothing large and dangerous inside.
Standing back up, Jared walked into the four-story brick building. Along the hallway, dozens of doors lined the passage. Most of them stood ajar with garbage strewn about. One by one, Jared cleared all the rooms. Every room had basic furniture and would make a great place for them to live if the integrity of the building checked out. On impulse, Jared checked the sink to see if there was any water, or water pressure.
Twisting the handle, nothing happened. Jared shrugged and left the room. If there was a septic tank and reservoir around, they might figure out how to get it working, but it wasn’t the end of world. It shouldn’t be too difficult to find drinkable water up in the mountains. Even if some rain was caustic, he had a hard time believing they wouldn’t find fresh water springs to use.
The first two floors were entirely devoid of life. On the third floor, he killed a few normal rats. He’d almost finished the fourth floor when something jumped out at him and latched onto his arm. Jared panicked until he realized the small rat’s teeth couldn’t penetrate his skin. It screeched and clawed to no avail. It tore his clothes a little, which irked Jared, but at least it couldn’t hurt him. If it’d been one of the large, dog-sized rats he’d encountered so many times, the teeth would likely penetrate even through his defenses.
Grabbing the rat behind its head, Jared yanked it from his arm and launched it out the door into the hallway. The rat hit the wall and slumped to the ground. Jared didn’t think he’d killed it, but a closer investigation revealed he’d snapped its neck. He picked up the rat and tossed it out of a window so it wouldn’t rot or attract other creatures to the building.
Jared fingered the new rips in his shirt and cast an angry glance at the window. “Stupid rats.”
“Scarlet, how’s it going out there?”
“I killed a few rats, but otherwise nothing in the immediate area. There are some larger creatures at a distance, but nothing we cannot handle later.”
“I’ve got three more buildings to clear. There are a few less rats in the world, but that’s it so far.”
“I will expand my search radius while you clear out the buildings.”
“Sounds good.”
Jared cleared the next building quickly. The third building didn’t look like an apartment building. It was larger, but only one story and included large open areas with lots of tables and chairs. One corridor revealed several rooms
with metal grates covering them. He decided to explore them later since it didn’t look like anything could get inside.
The buildings cleared, Jared moved to the last apartment. The moment he opened the door, a pungent smell punched him in the face. Jared knew immediately what waited for him in this building. It was the same smell that had assaulted his senses beneath New York City.
Rats.
“Scarlet, I think I found where all the rats are coming from.”
“On my way.”
Scarlet thumped down beside him, and they stared into the darkened building. All desire to clear this building evaporated. He’d rather just burn it down, but it was nighttime, and the fire would attract way too much attention from everyone and everything in the area. The best way to clear it was Jared to walk the corridor and take out anything that got in his way.
Four floors, nearly a hundred rooms, thought Jared. That’s a lot of places for rats to hide.
“This will take me a while, Scarlet.”
“Lure them out.”
“Good idea.”
Jared found a piece of pipe lying nearby and banged it on the side of the building.
“I’ve got this. You pick up any stragglers, or if it looks like they’ll overwhelm me. I want to try something.”
“Jared?”
“Don’t worry I’m not planning to stab myself.”
Scarlet snorted. She didn’t say anything further, but stepped back to give him space.
Jared secured his phase pistols, dropped his pack a few yards away, and drew his knives. The overwhelming dread he’d felt last time was gone. In its place was a confidence in his abilities and a desire to test himself in battle. One on one, these rats were nothing, and he had little to fear, but if a horde of them overwhelmed him, well, thousands of claws and teeth could still take him out. His main concern was finding another rat king. If there was another, he’d bow out to Scarlet. His legs still twitched when he remembered how they’d shattered to pieces. Scarlet was more than a match for any rat, no matter the size. She could make mincemeat of the smaller ones too, but Jared needed to hone his combat skills.
Radioactive Revolution: A Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic Adventure Page 31