Radioactive Evolution

by Richard Hummel

  Maybe this is why the cities remain isolated? thought Jared. It’s infinitely more peaceful up here. They don’t have to fear mutations, and there’s much less radiation to contend with.

  While understanding started to take hold, it also irritated him that those in power could be so selfish and keep the rest of the world from experiencing the same.

  Someday that will change.

  Jared returned his thoughts to their current situation to watch the landscape pass below.

  Occasionally they witnessed small creatures darting about, but nothing they cared to confront. The small gains they’d get from these creatures wouldn’t propel them forward and Scarlet didn’t need to eat yet.

  Plus, Jared didn’t want to stop flying. It was exhilarating. The moment they were on the ground again, it was like entering a prison. At least up here, they were completely and utterly free.

  They flew for hours, headed northwest toward upstate New York. Most of the earth was scorched from the war, the radiation, or the acidic rains that followed. The only plant life they saw was near larger bodies of water, which he tried to avoid. Some nasty creatures lurked in the depths. The one time he’d wandered out to the ocean helped him learn he never wanted to venture there again. At least, not until he was much stronger and could face the terrors beneath the surface.

  After five or six hours, Jared spotted a long body of water surrounded by more green than he’d ever seen, and it piqued his interest.

  “Let’s take a closer look at these lakes,” suggested Jared.

  Scarlet banked and they dropped closer to the ground. From up high they resembled massive blue claw marks in the earth. When they drew near, Jared’s eyes widened at the view before him. Thick green vines and creeping plants pushed outward from the lake in every direction.

  “Wow, look at that.” Jared’s intrigue grew, and anticipation ran through his body. This was the first time he’d seen anything like it. Excited, he said, “We’ve got to stop here for a while. Just don’t land too close to the water. We have no idea what lives in there.”

  Jared switched to Heat Sight and looked back to the water where an even more incredible view greeted him.

  “Wow, those lakes are teeming with creatures.”

  Jared watched all sizes and shapes of aquatic creatures darting about the lake. Although it was difficult to make out individual creatures, he saw long, angular bodies that looked like crocodiles. There were schools of small fish darting about. One area in particular showed a massive ball of writhing bodies, but he couldn’t pick out individual creatures. Further north, Jared caught glimpses of some truly massive creatures as big as Scarlet. At first, he wondered if they were sharks, or just really big fish that’d mutated over the years, but then recalled fish were cold-blooded and they wouldn’t register on his Heat Vision. Whatever they were, Jared wanted to steer clear until he had a better grasp on the situation.

  Most of the areas he’d visited during his exploration bore evidence of nuclear attacks, bombs, craters, and often had an absence of any kind of plant life. This area not only had a massive amount of vegetation, there was also no evidence of the destruction prevalent in other parts of the continent. Surprisingly, the buildings he saw appeared abandoned.

  Where are the survivors? Jared wondered. This area looks very habitable, but I see no signs of human life.

  Warning bells went off in Jared’s mind. There had to be a reason why no one lived here anymore. Perhaps it was simply an excess amount of radioactive waste in the air and people couldn’t survive here prior to the nanites being released a decade ago. There weren’t a whole lot of explorers. Most people preferred to reside safely within the boundaries of their colonies. Jared hoped it were that simple, but exercised caution by asking Scarlet to land safely away from the water, and the abundant life therein.

  Scarlet circled a few more times.

  “We should check out some of these buildings.” Jared paused and looked at the sun’s position. “On second thought, let’s find someplace that we can rest for the night.”

  There is a large building just to the west of us.

  Jared looked to his left and spotted the building she’d referenced. “All right, let’s land over there. We can do some exploring tomorrow.”

  The building they landed in front of resembled a barn, but he’d never seen one made of metal. Jared started toward the building and switched to Heat Sight. The ability was becoming second nature to him.

  “Scarlet, something’s moving around in there, and it looks big. It shouldn’t be a problem for us, but be ready just in case. Who knows, maybe we can roast it for dinner. I’ve not had a fresh meal in a long time. Though if it’s another nasty creature like those dogs or worm, you can take it somewhere else to whet your appetite. I can still taste the bile from last time you made me retch.” Jared smirked and glanced back at Scarlet.

  “Ouch!” Jared’s foot caught, and he fell to the ground, Scarlet’s tail quickly vacating the scene of the crime. Chuckling, he stood up and brushed himself off.

  “Well played, Scarlet. Well played,” Jared said, feeling amusement flutter across their connection.

  Jared and Scarlet meandered closer to the building. Whatever was inside must’ve heard them as it ambled toward the door. Jared stopped and waited for the creature to come to them. He pulled his revolver and prepared to kill whatever lurked inside.

  The hinges on the door screeched as a large, furry head poked out, making Jared freeze in fear.

  A bear.

  Even though he had nothing to fear from this bear given his weapons and Scarlet standing next to him, he had an irrational fear after what happened to his dad. He couldn’t move, couldn’t think, and the bear just stared at them. Jared tried to move his body, but it betrayed him; his mind experiencing the situation in the third person. It was like a waking nightmare where he knew of his surroundings but couldn’t do anything to assuage his fears.

  The bear rushed him. Jared’s memories flashed back to his father lying lifeless on the ground, and the dead bear next to him with a gaping bullet wound in its head.

  Why was I working so close to the boundary? Why didn’t I move faster?

  “No!” Jared roared, pain and anguish ripping through him. His paralysis evaporated. He raised the Colt and squeezed the trigger again and again and again. Long after the chamber clicked empty, Jared continued pulling the trigger, delirious and in a state of catatonia from the pain and hate.

  Jared. Jared! JARED!

  He blinked and looked around. What remained of the bear was a bloodied, headless corpse. He’d obliterated its head in his vengeance-fueled rage. Jared dropped to his knees, scalding tears leaving tracks down his face.

  In his state of emotional turmoil, the events of the past few years slammed into his mind in a kaleidoscope of memories.

  His father’s death haunted him; the bear’s lifeless eyes staring at him gave him nightmares from time to time. The sight of his mother’s frail body as it wasted away wracked him with grief. The last few days ran through his mind on repeat as he watched himself kill Jon, Rob, and Lee.

  “What have I done?” Jared shuddered, his shoulders trembling from the uncontrollable sobs that shook his body.

  He thought back to the event Scarlet observed when she rooted through his mind during their bonding. Himself as a boy standing next to Tiny, taking the assault stoically and refusing to stoop to the level of the juvenile thug by hitting back. Jared’s parents were so proud of him for standing up to him, and his refusal to stoop to petty violence as a quick solution.

  Now I’ve killed three people.

  The adrenaline-fueled, emotionless state he’d been in the past couple days was utterly and completely gone. He felt only a deep sense of loss and conflict about taking their lives. One half of his mind refused to believe it necessary, and he couldn’t reconcile with the other half th
at believed it warranted.

  Jared felt Scarlet nuzzle him and absentmindedly reached up to touch her. The moment his hand made contact, images of the prior days flashed through his mind. Images and events that transpired after the worm knocked them from the sky.

  Watching through Scarlet’s eyes, he saw the worm smash into Scarlet’s side and send him falling from her back.

  Jared watched Scarlet dive for him, but he was too close to the cliff wall, and in the process of catching him, she smashed her wing into the wall. A great snapping noise reverberated through him and he knew how her wing broke.

  “Scarlet, I—”

  Watch.

  Jared watched, his admiration for Scarlet growing. She tried to arrest her fall by pushing off the wall and gliding, but it caused her to spin in a circle and spiral to the ground in an uncontrollable arc. While Jared watched, he saw the other explorers within sight as they stood and watched the events play out.

  Just before Scarlet impacted the earth, he witnessed Loch and Iliana sprinting toward them as the other three hung back pumping their fists, broad grins splitting their faces. The scene ended when Scarlet lost consciousness. When she woke a short time later, she’d reached out her senses and heard the other explorers talking.

  “I think we should kill them,” Jon had suggested. “That dragon is evil, putting things in our head like it did.”

  “I agree with Jon ‘ere. We tell a story in my family about dragons an’ how they used to terrorize the world. I thought it be a myth growin’ up, but now I ain’t so sure ‘o that.”

  Iliana had come to their defense. “Even if that were true, Rob, that had to be thousands of years ago. Why do you think this dragon is bad? She hasn’t even done anything to harm us.”

  “Plus, we need to find out how Jared found her. If we had a dragon on our side...” Loch let his voice trail off.

  Another voice Jared hadn’t heard yet joined the mix. The accent was hard to place, and it had a strange halting quality to it. Jared surmised that was Lee’s voice, since he was the only one he hadn’t heard speak.

  “My people have stories in our family about giant beasts. Beasts able to breathe fire and fly. We held them as celebrated legends of mythology, but all the best legends have some truth to them. I’ve heard tales about these creatures destroying whole cities, and just as many about the creatures standing next to humans in a fight for their lives. Still, I agree with Jon. We should kill it rather than risk it growing bigger. The world already has enough problems without adding a dragon to the mix.”

  Once again Loch had interjected, his voice turned menacing, “We will not kill them. We need them; it could change everything!”

  Immediately after, Jared heard his own voice shout with rage, “I will kill you! Every one of—”

  The scene ended, and Jared realized he’d stopped sobbing. He no longer felt conflicted about the men he’d killed. He was also extremely relieved he’d left the other two alive.

  Curious, Jared asked, “Scarlet, why did you want to kill Iliana and Loch? They wanted to keep us alive.”

  Alive for what? They would take us to their camp and extract information from us no matter the cost. Then, if their leaders believed as Jon and these other two, they would kill us anyway. Three out of five wanted us dead. Do you think the people at their camp would be any different?

  Jared bowed his head in acquiescence. “I see your point and although a part of me agrees with you, I don’t think I could’ve lived with myself for hurting someone that meant no harm to us.”

  You...you are right. I will try to see humans the way you do. I sense the truth to your words and realize now what it would have cost you to kill them, and I am sorry for goading you.

  “It’s okay, Scarlet. I know you want what’s best for us, and I promise to make better choices about people. I was much too trusting of them, and we nearly paid the penalty with our lives. For that, please forgive me.”

  Scarlet accepted his apology, and they put the incident behind them once and for all. They knew where each of them stood, and they no longer needed to worry about crossing a boundary either of them would regret.

  Collecting his wits, Jared drew in a deep breath to expunge the negative emotions and murkiness lingering in his mind. He stood and glanced dispassionately at the destroyed lump of bear.

  “Eat the rest if you’re hungry,” he called over his shoulder. “I’ll finish checking out this building and make sure there are no other creatures inside.”

  Replacing his spent revolver, Jared pulled out a phase pistol and slipped through the door the bear had vacated. It was mostly one large room, but there appeared to be stalls off to the side. He quickly opened each one and found all but the last one empty. The last one had all kinds of debris, fur remnants, and bones scattered around. It was a curious place to find a bear. It was possible they’d just happened upon it by chance as it was out looking for food. Or it’d chosen this place for a den. It didn’t matter now, since it was dead, and he’d claimed the place for him and Scarlet.

  Jared kicked the stall door closed and searched the rest of the room. The only other area within the building was a small alcove, or loft, with a ladder leading up. Jared climbed to the top, made sure it was devoid of creatures, and called out an all clear to Scarlet.

  Scarlet, the building is empty. Let me get these doors open so you can come inside.

  Jared dropped to the ground and made his way to the doors. He had to excavate the ground around the door before he could swing it open enough for Scarlet to enter. The opening was at least two stories high, and Scarlet had no problem walking in with her head down.

  Shutting the doors, Jared barred them from within using a heavy metal beam leaning against the wall. The building wasn’t entirely untouched by decay, and portions of the ceiling had caved in, but it had four walls and, as far as Jared saw, only the one door to enter. Safe for the night, Jared climbed up to the loft once more and dropped his gear next to some discarded plastic crates.

  Scarlet settled on her haunches, her head level with the loft.

  “All right, Scarlet, let’s figure out where to put these nanites!” While Jared looked at his status screen and abilities, he remembered Scarlet hadn’t told him about their abilities from the worm.

  “Hey, did you figure out how these new abilities work?” As Jared scanned the growing list of skills, he noted two additional entries called Thermoregulation and Aestivation.

  “You couldn’t make them any easier to understand? What the heck are they supposed to do?”

  I only received the Aestivation ability while you have both. Thermoregulation doesn’t work with dragon physiology since I have fire roiling around inside. I cannot decrease the temperature of my body. With the ability, you can alter your body temperature, though it is not an instantaneous process. The nanites increase or decrease your heart rate and blood flow to regulate temperature, similar to the ability you had before our bonding. Only now, you can control when that happens.

  Scarlet paused to make sure Jared understood before continuing. Aestivation is the ability to slow your heart rate down and enter a state of dormancy. This slows metabolic processes to a crawl. Your brain will continue to function normally, but the body will enter a state of inactivity.

  “I think both will come in handy at some point,” responded Jared, but he paused while trying to sift through the lines of information on his display. “Reading through this status screen is getting complicated. Can you, I don’t know, rearrange them maybe?”

  I could; it is simple enough to modify the nanite code that displays it, but I think you should invest your nanites into Mind first. You have more than enough nanites to upgrade your mind sufficiently to understand and rearrange them yourself. You may not even need it anymore once you do.

  Jared went through all of his options and eventually decided to follow Scarlet’s advice.
He already had major physical enhancements, and with Scarlet around, she’d augment any deficiencies in that regard.

  “Okay, I’ll sink half of my nanites into Intelligence Enhancement, the rest I’ll put into Hyper-cognition, Memory Recall, Telepathy, and Natural Armor. I was going to just go with all Mind, but I think adding in some defensive measures is a good idea. These rags I’m wearing won’t stop a bullet, but maybe between Skin Hardening and Natural Armor I can build up enough defense to stop one.” Jared’s selections looked like the following:

  Jared - Nanites Available: 95%

  MIND

  Brain Augmentation

  Intelligence Enhancement - 45%

  Hyper-Cognition - 15%

  Memory Recall - 15%

  Telepathy - 15%

  body

  Physical Augmentation

  Physical Defense

  Natural Armor - 5%

  Excellent choices. The improvement to your Intelligence should suffice for you to understand the nanites and how they work. Hopefully, you will also understand the various areas in your body you may improve.

  “It’ll be great to understand what is happening to my body and be able to interface directly with the nanites. I feel like there’s so much I’m missing.”

  I’ve done as much as I can to facilitate the process, but the rest is up to you.

  “Do you think the addition to Telepathy will allow us to communicate better? You said eventually we’ll be able to share thought spaces and instantaneous communication, right?”

  It may take many years until you can communicate as effectively as a dragon. Also, you should know you are not using Telepathy in the same way. Instead, you are using the nanites to mimic it. When you want to project your thoughts and senses, you are instructing your nanites to send them to mine.

  Jared finished making his selections and turned to Scarlet. “What enhancements do you want to make?”

  Defenses. Specifically, Physical Defense, Physical Attack, and Regeneration. Breaking my wing the other day showed me the importance of fast healing. Please make these selections: