Radioactive Evolution

by Richard Hummel

  Eventually you will have the understanding to manipulate the nanites to a greater degree, and rapidly, like the changes I just went through. First, you need to enhance your Mind and Intellect quite a bit to achieve a feat like that.

  “Man. I feel bad about it, but now I want to go find some other vermin to eradicate. Well, as long as it’s not rabbits and rats.” Jared shivered. He’d had enough of them to last a lifetime.

  That reminds me. Jared pulled up his available nanites. “Wow, I got a decent number of nanites from that rabbit boss. Not too bad for an easy...”

  Scarlet grunted, cutting him off.

  “Okay, maybe it wasn’t exactly easy, but it wasn’t nearly as dangerous as the rats and lizards we killed. In fact, I only got hit once when it kicked me in the back, and that’s only because it moved silently, and I thought I’d killed them all.”

  Excuses.

  “Oh, all right, miss all-powerful dragon. You get the next batch while I get to be lazy and take a nap.” Jared smirked. “Go ahead, keep on teasing. I’ll find some way to repay you!”

  Scarlet just shook her head in amusement and flared her wings, the sun’s rays reaching their position.

  “Sun’s up, let’s move!”

  Scarlet knelt down as Jared clambered aboard. He double-checked his gear, tightened the strap on his pack, and settled into the surprisingly comfortable seat Scarlet had made for him. Even though he had a seat, there was nothing securing him to her back, and he was a bit nervous about falling off.

  “Where am I supposed to hold—”

  Scarlet launched herself into the air with no provocation or warning, and Jared promptly fell off her back, smashing his shoulder into the ground.

  His arm went numb, and a throbbing ache shot through his shoulder. Rotating it in an arc, he massaged his elbow, trying to return feeling to it.

  “Maybe warn me next time so I can brace myself? There’s not exactly a harness up here, and not much to hold on to.”

  Oops. Scarlet said, chagrined and little amused.

  Jared ignored her slightly vindictive response. “Let’s try this again.” Settled back into the seat, he pressed his knees to her side and wrapped his arms around her neck. “Okay, I’m ready!”

  Scarlet tensed her legs and lunged upward. His stomach plummeted to his toes and his insides performed somersaults. The force of the acceleration pinned him to Scarlet’s neck. Her wings unfurled, and the powerful thrusts carried them higher. The bobbing motion while Scarlet gained altitude caused Jared’s equilibrium to rebound like a yo-yo. Breathing deeply to calm the churning in his gut, he closed his eyes until the jerking movement leveled out. When at last they had smoothed out, Jared opened his eyes.

  “Wow,” Jared whispered, expelling the breath he’d held. “It’s—I—”

  I told you, words cannot describe it.

  The sun stepped off the earth on its perpetual race across the sky, while early morning reds and oranges cast a shimmering veil over the landscape. From his vantage, the land almost looked beautiful. On one side, the sun shimmered and painted a picturesque landscape. On the other, a dark foreboding disquiet overshadowed a ruined and twisted, scorched earth. The two halves stood in stark contrast. One side promising a future free of desolation, while the other the harsh reality of devastation and hardship.

  “Perhaps one day,” sighed Jared. Maybe it was never meant to be, but Jared would try his best to see that future come to fruition.

  Jared?

  “Sorry Scarlet. Just lost in my own head for a moment. This…it’s overwhelming. I feel—” No matter how he tried, Jared couldn’t form words for the conflicted emotions running through him. Instead, he projected those feelings and thoughts to Scarlet over their bond, hoping he’d convey some of the conflict warring within him.

  A short time later, Scarlet replied, I understand. It is partly why I could not describe my first experience. On the one hand I felt joy and awe, but on the other side was pain and heartache at what used to be or could have been.

  “I wish there was more we could do now, but we are in no position to exact change on a scale of such magnitude. Perhaps in the future, when we are strong enough, we can lay claim to some of the land and rebuild.”

  That will be much easier to do when my family returns. My fire dragons, and the rest of dragon kind.

  “I think we could go back and forth about our desires all day, but right now we need to focus on gaining strength and allies. Let’s make a pass to see if the Daggers broke camp yet. We’ve got to start somewhere, and this is as good a place as any.”

  Scarlet banked and headed toward the last known location for the explorers. They arrived overhead right as the group finished packing up their camp and began their trek south, using the dried ocean floor of Upper and Lower Bay to avoid having to detour around the bay itself.

  Scarlet was far enough from the group to avoid detection, both from sight and sound. It was easy to track them since there was not much of anything for dozens of miles in the direction they travelled, and Jared assumed they’d follow the same path until they reached Philadelphia or follow the coast all the way down to the Carolinas. Either way, it’d be easy to pick up their trail again using his enhanced vision and their ability to fly.

  “Let’s fly ahead and see what lies in their path. When we get closer to Florida, we can try and locate their camp ahead of them as well. It might be good for us to see how the rest of the fraternity reacts upon hearing about their encounter. A dragon isn’t something you see every day, and it could be telling how they respond.” Jared knew that Scarlet was a bit irritated about letting these people go, but he shrugged it off. He’d made the decision, and they’d live with the consequences.

  It is inevitable that some people will come to harm if we continue down this path.

  “I know,” Jared said solemnly. “When the time comes, I’ll do what must be done. Until then, I’ll do everything in my power to protect innocent lives.”

  Grudgingly, Scarlet yielded to this desires.

  One small step at a time.

  Jared knew they’d need to build an army if they ever hoped to have an impact against the cities’ totalitarian control over the world. If the Daggers proved a bust, they’d head further inland, west, or northwest, and seek other like-minded people and colonies.

  They’d flown for half an hour before Jared spotted an island and some fortified installation. “Scarlet, let’s head toward those buildings.” Jared pointed in the distance, at the same time activating Magnified Vision. “It looks like some sort of abandoned military installation. If he remembered his geography lessons, they were about to fly over an island just off the coast of New Jersey called Sandy Hook. It looked like half the island was gone, the result of a direct nuclear strike, or tremors, following the shockwave.

  “Let’s make a couple passes of the island before we land. I don’t want to disturb another den of rabid beasts. This close to a nuclear strike, we’ll probably find some extreme mutations.”

  New York was much the same, only my mother drove most of them away.

  “Well, let’s make the rounds just to be sure. It’s a good chance for me to get familiar with my new abilities, and hopefully prevent us from getting into trouble.”

  Scarlet circled the island while Jared used Heat Vision to scan for any creatures. They found several life forms of average size, one bigger than the rest, but by itself and unmoving.

  “Scarlet, how far underground do you think we can see using Heat Sight?”

  Likely not far. The ground acts as a natural barrier

  “Okay, let’s circle one more time and I’ll zoom in on some of the areas I saw heat signatures. Maybe I can see what we’re up against.”

  They spent the next hour flying circles around the island to make sure they’d be safe landing to explore. Jared paid close attention to a large clu
ster of buildings off the north western coast. A mile off the shoreline, several large boats sat on the dried ocean floor, arranged in a semi-circle and perhaps previously docked near the pier.

  “Let’s head over to the cluster of buildings there,” Jared said, pointing to the location.

  Scarlet landed in a wide-open space before a large, domed structure. He jumped off her back and headed toward what appeared to be a hangar. The interior was dim, and shadows permeated the room, making it impossible to peer into the corners. Activating Heat Sight, Jared looked around for any signs of life. Thankfully, he saw nothing to pose an immediate threat save for a couple normal sized rats. Ignoring them, Jared thoroughly explored the large hangar. The ceiling was at least forty or fifty feet tall in the center, and a lattice of supports held up the dome-shaped roof. The space was empty save for some destroyed boxes and rusting equipment in the corners of the rooms. There were no rooms along the perimeter, but a doorway set into the back led down to a lower level.

  Jared recalled the view from above and found it curious that these stairs led under a small hill butting up to the large hangar. After the subway tunnels in New York, this staircase seemed much less ominous, and he barely had any reservations going down them.

  “Scarlet, I’m heading down. Let me know if you need me.”

  Cracking the door, slowly this time, Jared made sure he didn’t cause the door to scream like last time. He had no desire to disturb another horde of rats. The hinges resisted at first, but with a sharp tug and a whispered grinding, they gave way and the door swung open.

  He paused at the top of the stairs to make sure nothing charged up at him. After ensuring he was alone, Jared started down the staircase, which descended several stories into the ground. Thankfully, he saw no signs of instability in the structure. Even so, he kept a constant rotation of normal, heat, and night vision looking for any hostiles or evidence of unstable areas. His first pass of all the rooms in the basement he used Night Vision looking for anything of value to scavenge. Finding none, his second pass was with Heat Sight.

  Moving room to room, Jared ensured that no creatures lurked in the recesses of the rooms. Night Vision wasn’t always reliable, especially since there was no ambient light in the area, but it showed the most detail and was his go-to for exploring dark areas. A final pass with Heat Sight, and he nearly missed a dim glow from one of the side rooms. Cautiously, he crept to the room and drew his phase pistol. Standing to the side of the door, Jared leaned around the doorjamb, but as before, the room was empty, the glow from a moment earlier nowhere to be found.

  Furrowing his brow, Jared moved into the room, studying his surroundings. Toggling back to Night Vision, he moved from wall to wall, examining every inch.

  Maybe I’m seeing things.

  To pacify his curiosity, he flipped through his abilities again and back to Heat Sight one last time. The moment he did, the muted glow flashed into existence and abruptly winked out. Quickly, Jared swapped back to Night Vision only to see the back wall, empty.

  I wonder. Maybe there’s a hidden compartment or door to the other side.

  Jared checked the rooms on either side but saw no way to get beyond. He moved back into the center room and scrutinized the back wall.

  Stumped, with nothing to lose and no apparent creatures in sight, Jared grabbed a metal pipe leaning against the wall and started probing for weak spots or a seam to indicate it opened to a room beyond. First, he tapped where the light originated, but it sounded and felt as solid as everything else. Working out in a circular pattern, he reached the sides of the room and still found no entrance or evidence of something beyond.

  Scarlet, there’s something on the other side of a wall down here, and I can’t find a way around or through it. I’m going to see if I can break the wall down. The noise might attract attention, so stay vigilant. I didn’t see any creatures down here at least, but there could be something nearby.

  I will watch and listen.

  Testing the pipe he’d been using, Jared slammed it into the center of the wall.

  “Ouch!”

  The pipe bent in half, the impact sending sharp vibrations rampaging through his hands and arms. They instantly went numb, and he dropped the pipe to the ground with a sharp metallic clang. Jared massaged his hands as the ache receded.

  “That was stupid, you moron,” Jared berated himself.

  Wait. Where’s the light?

  The heat signature hadn’t appeared after he hit the wall. The sudden absence of the pulsating light sent a spike of alarm through him. Jared slowly backed away from the wall brandishing his pistol.

  Why would it stop after I hit the wall? Unless...

  Immediately after Jared had the thought, the light behind the wall returned and intensified. Just as swiftly, it blinked out of existence.

  What the—

  It flared again, even brighter this time accompanied by a tremor that knocked debris loose from the walls. The light winked out again and silence filled the room.

  Maybe I scared it away.

  The floor bucked and sent him sprawling back.

  Scarlet! There’s something down here. I think I made it mad.

  So that wasn’t your incredible strength shaking the ground?

  Good guess, Jared said sarcastically. He sprinted up the stairs but didn’t make it before the ground bucked again, sending him careening into the ceiling.

  “Dangit,” Jared cursed, spots appearing in his vision.

  Gathering his wits, he stumbled up the stairs and found Scarlet waiting for him at the top.

  “I don’t know what’s down there, and I don’t want to find out. Let’s get out of here!”

  Jared and Scarlet neared the hangar doors when a massive cylindrical thing shot out of a hole in the floor and barred their passage. He’d dismissed the holes before, thinking age and battle caused them. He was dead wrong.

  A giant worm blocked their only exit from the building. Jared pivoted to run around the creature, but a second tentacle blocked their path.

  Jared jumped back as the heavily-muscled cylinder swiped at him, sending drops of a slimy substance raining down on him. Whatever it was had a musty, earthy smell.

  The tentacles writhed before them, randomly swiping the air. Jared didn’t see any eyes on the creature and wondered how it sensed them.

  Sound? Or Heat? Jared’s eyes lit with an idea, and he called out to Scarlet.

  “Use your fire!”

  Scarlet sucked in her breath and let loose.

  The roar deafened Jared and was much stronger than it’d been the first time he’d heard it. A jet of blue-tinged fire burst from Scarlet’s mouth.

  Blue? It was orange last time.

  Jared pushed the thought to the back of his mind. Now was not the time to ask questions. They desperately needed to find a way out of this situation.

  The bright blue flame assaulted the first part of the creature to appear. It did not like the heat and violently thrashed around the room before receding a short distance back into the hole. Jared used the opportunity to sprint forward with Scarlet and out of the hangar. He vaulted onto Scarlet’s back and she leapt into the air. They’d made it thirty feet off the ground when, unbelievingly, the thing slapped them from the sky. Jared watched its gray flesh accelerate toward them and was powerless to do anything about it.

  “No—”

  Darkness claimed his consciousness as they fell over the edge of the cliff.

  A sharp stab of pain in his side, caused Jared to open his eyes.

  At least, he tried to open his eyes, but a splitting headache and the blinding sun made him squeeze them shut. Jared coughed, spitting blood onto the ground. He tried to wipe his mouth but found he couldn’t move his hand. Confused, disoriented, and his body throbbing in pain, Jared tried to sit up and take stock of his surroundings.

 
His mind screamed in protest, and he couldn’t formulate a coherent thought for several minutes. When he finally managed to see clearly, he found himself bound hand and foot. The grogginess vanished in an instant, and he wriggled against the bindings, trying to free himself. Unable to gain any leverage, he rolled back to his side and saw Scarlet several paces away, also bound and hurt.

  “Scarlet!” Jared yelled. Or tried to yell. It came out as a croak. Swallowing to wet his throat, he tried again. “Scarlet!”

  Jared, I...I could not stop them.

  Stop who?

  Jared looked around for the source of their imprisonment. Standing just behind him was Loch, and sitting not fifty feet away at the base of the cliff they’d fallen over, Iliana.

  Loch turned to look at someone on the other side of Jared, causing him to whip his head around. The last thing he saw was a menacing sneer on Jon’s face before he slammed Jared’s own Colt into his face.

  Jared came to several hours later, his brain addled from the fall and the blow to the head. He had enough mental fortitude to remain still as his consciousness returned. He wanted to assess his situation without the gang knowing.

  Scarlet, can you hear me? Jared’s tone had a manic edge to it, his concern for Scarlet negating anything else.

  Jared! Are you okay?

  I’m fine. Don’t move. I don’t want them to know I’m awake.

  As much as he wanted to rip free of his bonds and teach these people to leave him alone, he forced himself to remain calm and motionless.

  Can you sense them or see where they are?

  Scarlet responded by sharing her impressions through their bond. He wasn’t in physical contact with her, so she couldn’t share any images, but she sensed all five of the gang several yards away, conversing in hushed tones.

  What they are saying?

  I caught small phrases and our names mentioned multiple times. They are debating what to do with us. The big one, Jon, suggested killing me, dragging you back to their camp, and torturing information out of you. They do not believe you are an explorer. They think you came from the cities because of the phase weapons, all the boosters you carry, and because of me. They think I am some sort of creation from the cities and that you control me.