Radioactive Evolution

by Richard Hummel

  “I wonder what causes the corruption? What exactly is the techno-virus?”

  I do not know for certain. The only nanites coded to human DNA my mother and I came into contact with prior to you was the other explorer, Scarlet. The nanites went dormant immediately after she died, so we did not have long enough to study them. Now that mine are coded to your DNA, I am able to study it more, and believe there are cells in your body that eat away at the code little by little.

  “Why would it hurt me to examine them in my mind? You stopped me from doing it before.”

  It may not, but I do not understand the corruption sufficiently. Once yours start to deteriorate I should have a better understanding.

  Scarlet’s explanation aside, he almost injected himself with a booster to see exactly how many free nanites he’d get. He decided not to waste any and figured it’d be better to use them for recruiting others to their cause. He might not need so many of them, unless an entire colony agree to join up with him.

  Turning his thoughts back to their current predicament, Jared asked Scarlet. “Do you have any idea what we’re facing with that creature we ran from? Or, better yet, what it did to the people that used to live there? Did it eat them? Absorb their blood? That chamber down there…”

  I honestly do not know, but it looks like the creature controls every life form in the water and can use the plants as an extension of itself.

  “If it doesn’t pull back from the armory, we’ve got to find a way to kill it. We may never find anything like this place again, and we can’t afford to leave the equipment behind.”

  It is unfortunate you did not grab explosives on your way out of the armory. Perhaps, that would have been useful to kill this thing?

  “I know; there’s a lot of stuff in there that’d be useful to kill it. Well, at least I think so. We don’t know what it is yet.” Jared recalled the images of the armory and placed his hand on Scarlet’s side. Here’s what the armory looks like.”

  I do not know what most of these are.

  “Look at the shelf in the first cage. There is a row of plastic binders, and if they are like the one opened on that table, they’re all laminated instruction manuals for all the weapons and equipment in there. I can learn how to use them, if we can get back in there.”

  Jared put the boosters back inside the crate and closed it up. He’d have to lug this crate around until he found a home base where he could confidently store them without fear of someone stealing them.

  Pushing the crate out of the way, Jared dragged the safe closer and examined it from every angle. He saw no way to open it short of smashing it apart. His phase pistol might work, but he didn’t know what was inside and the energy might just destroy anything of value.

  “Scarlet, any idea how we can open this?”

  In answer, Scarlet lifted a claw and brought it down on the edge of the safe. Jared watched in shock as her claw sunk into the safe like a warm knife through butter. He blinked and looked at Scarlet, his mouth open.

  “Holy crap, Scarlet. This safe is several inches of reinforced steel and concrete, and you opened it up like a scalpel parting flesh.”

  I used body Manipulation to enhance my claws and the spikes along my back, the point and edges are imperceptible to the naked eye, although you might be able to see them if you use your Magnified Vision.

  “That’s pretty sweet.” For a moment, Jared though about doing something like that on his body, but quickly dismissed the idea. He had no need of claws or spikes.

  Curious if he could see the edge of her claws, Jared crouched closer and activated Magnified Vision. His vision swam until he managed to regain focus. Sure enough, he saw the nanometer-thin edge effortlessly creating furrows in the concrete beneath Scarlet’s feet.

  “I almost feel bad for anything that tries to attack you,” Jared said. “I think I need to find some other way for you to carry this stuff sooner rather than later. It wouldn’t take much for you to accidentally slice into the crates and spill everything to the ground.”

  He moved back to the now open safe at sat down.

  “Thanks for opening it. I bet your razor claws are much cooler than anything inside.”

  With the steel bolts that secured the door cut in two, the door opened effortlessly. Jared grew disappointed.

  He found a small pistol with no ammunition, a couple handmade items that held zero interest for him, and a stack of papers with handwritten notes on it.

  “Well that was a bust.”

  Scarlet snorted. When he looked at her, her eyes shifted to the crate behind him.

  “Yeah, yeah, I know. It was a successful hunt today, but that doesn’t mean I’m not disappointed. Someone went to such great lengths to protect and preserve this stuff, but it doesn’t seem like a great find to me.”

  Do the papers have anything useful on them?

  Shrugging, Jared picked up the pieces of paper and read. They were a personal accounting or journal of someone in the colony. It outlined day-to-day life and seemed fairly mundane until he read the final entries.

  “Scarlet, listen to this.”

  …it created a problem with living space, and we let people stay in the old military bunkers throughout the area. None of us know what this place used to be, but the entire area sits on top of a giant underground facility. We only discovered them in the last six months, but we have already uncovered a massive complex. We use the infirmary and dining hall regularly for meetings and caring for the sick.

  Again, I digress, and my words continue to scrawl across this page unbidden. I suppose I should wrap it up now and get on with the day. I’ve got to go see the Blooms and make sure everything is okay.

  YEAR OF THE COLONY - 123YC, DAY 116

  I visited the Blooms yesterday, and something is definitely off about them. They are acting strangely, and Jeff snapped at me in anger! He’s normally the nicest old man, and I’ve never once had an issue with him. He seemed feverish but insisted there was nothing wrong with him.

  I’ve asked some of his neighbors to keep an eye on him.

  After my visit, I made a tour of the area and talked to other families. My concern grew, as the Blooms weren’t the only ones exhibiting this behavior. Apparently, there are half a dozen families in the area that were acting strange of late.

  Today, I’m off to speak with these families.

  I’ve got to get an early start today with all the families I need to see, but I’ll write again tomorrow about any issues I find.

  YEAR OF THE COLONY - 123YC, DAY 117

  Something strange is afoot. I visited half a dozen families in my search for answers. They were all very terse and short with me, and I even got into a shouting match with one of Jeff’s right-hand guys. I don’t understand what I’m missing. The community is doing well, we are expanding, and there’s no shortage of anything right now.

  I’ll expand my search and venture down to the water to see if there’s something going on that has all these people stressed and jumping down other’s throats.

  Perhaps there is something wrong with the mineral harvesting for the cities and they don’t want to talk about it lest the rest of the colony get upset with them? Whatever the case, I intend to understand it.

  YEAR OF THE COLONY - 123YC, DAY 119

  The farther I ranged, the less anyone knew about the problems. Certain that the problem originated from Jeff and his crew, I went to the docks. I asked one of Bloom’s men to take me out on a boat and show me the harvesting operation. Grudgingly, he agreed, but he definitely didn’t want to.

  Again, I saw nothing amiss, but when I got back to land, I felt sick. It must’ve been the boat ride. I’ve never been fond of the water, but whatever it was, I went home and slept for an entire day!

  After a day of rest and the amazing meal from my wife, I felt much better and relaxed. I still had a headache, but
it wasn’t serious enough to keep me from seeing to my responsibilities. Today I plan to continue observing the operation down by the water to see if there’s something I missed the other day.

  YEAR OF THE COLONY - 123YC, DAY 120

  I spent the entire day sitting down by the docks, watching the crew harvest materials and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Well, I didn’t think it was out of the ordinary. I noticed they didn’t really talk all that much.

  I left just before dusk and when I got home, my headache intensified. I spent the rest of the night in bed trying to shake it off. I don’t know what’s going on with this headache, but I really hope it’s nothing serious. Ever since we received the nanite injectors, we don’t really need to worry about sickness, but something is definitely bothering me. I’ll go see doc today and get pain medication, if she can spare any.

  I think I’ll stay away from the water today, the sun on the water, or being near the water is causing these headaches to intensify.

  YEAR OF THE COLONY - 123YS, DAY 137

  I’ve been going down to the water for several weeks now and I’ve befriended the crew. They don’t talk a lot, but I feel a kinship to them and really admire their commitment to the work.

  Jeff seems like the same old man I’d always known, and I don’t know how he could’ve punched anyone; it wasn’t like him.

  The headache disappeared after a week, and the growing concern I had evaporated. Now I’ve observed the operation for a time, I think I might head back out on the boat to see how things run better. My wife questioned it, but I sternly told her I’m going, anyway. I even raised my voice but apologized after. I rarely get upset, but maybe it was just my nerves from the past few weeks.

  YEAR OF THE COLONY - 123YC, DAY 140

  I’ve been going out on the boat the last few days and even helped the crew gather materials. After we’d finished for the day I wanted to look at the material stockpile and went to the warehouse where I thought we unloaded the day’s work, but I saw nothing there.

  When I asked Jeff, he seemed edgy and stuttered out they’d moved it into long-term storage already. I didn’t question him since I know we harvested materials during the day. Where else would they be? Aside from the fish to eat, we had no use for the minerals anyway. As long as we have enough when the cities come calling, we’ll be fine.

  My wife and I had another argument today, and she said I was acting all grouchy since I started my investigation and asked me to stop going down to the water and hanging out with the crew. I yelled at her for being so obtuse and told her I’m working for the best interest of the colony.

  Why can’t she see I’m doing this for everyone? If there’s a problem around here, then it’s my job to lend a hand where needed. They need me out on the boats helping.

  YEAR OF THE COLONY - 123YC, DAY 150

  I don’t know why I’ve taken so long to write in my journal. It’s happened twice now in the last month. For the last ten years I’ve written daily notes, but now I’ve got two gaps of time. Sometime, I must go back and record my thoughts for those days.

  I guess I’ve been busy helping the crew and forgot to write in the journal. The crew accepted me as part of the team, and we have a great time even though we don’t really talk. Days fly by so fast, sometimes I don’t even think about what I’m doing and before I know it, the day’s done.

  The days have been fun and peaceful, but my wife insists that I stop working with the crew. “It’s not your job,” she says, but I shrug and turn away. If she’s got nothing nice to say or can’t realize that I’m helping everyone, then why should I talk to her?

  YEAR OF THE COLONY - 123YC, DAY 172

  Dan stopped writing in his journals, and I fear that something happened to him while spending time with the “waterfolk” as people called them. They keep to themselves, and if anyone questions them they snap out in anger.

  Poor Dan fell victim, and now he’s part of the problem. I don’t know what to do! Any time I ask about it, he gets mad and lashes out with angry words. He’s like a totally different person and he’s always walking around stuck in his own head. It’s like he’s on autopilot all the time.

  I asked doc about it, but she said they don’t seem to have any medical issues, and I don’t know what to do anymore. Well, I’ve got a plan, but I know he won’t like it.

  Year of the Colony - 125yc, Day 12

  It worked. I got my husband back, but I’m dying now.

  I asked a friend to lock us in the cellar.

  She was supposed to let us out in a week.

  I only wanted to see if time away from the waterfolk would bring the Dan I know back.

  Dan went crazy afterward and banged on the doors until he broke his hands.

  He lost strength to keep going and acted irrational, banging his head against the walls. He tried using our furniture to get out. He tried for weeks, and each day he grew weaker until finally he snapped out of his stupor. By that point, his hands, head, and body were broken.

  I tried to help get us out, but it was no use. The doors would not budge, and my friend never came.

  This is the last piece of paper we have, but I wanted someone to know what happened.

  After Dan snapped out of his stupor, he remembered nothing from the past weeks.

  I don’t think I’ll survive another night.

  Dan died several weeks ago.

  The nanites seemed to stop healing, and he got so weak. He couldn’t talk or move. I moved him to the sitting room, and he died right there in the chair.

  I’ll join him soon.

  I haven’t entered that room since he died, but I want to be next to my love when I go.

  “Holy crap, Scarlet.”

  I feel the sorrow and loss in her final words.

  “Whatever happened here started with that thing in the water. Did it infect them somehow? Can it affect us?”

  I do not believe it can affect me, but based on this journal it might be possible it could affect you.

  “Promise to get me out of here no matter what if you notice anything strange? She said Dan eventually snapped out of it, so we know it’s not permanent. Still. I’ll monitor myself for any changes, but if you notice anything, even trivial, please let me know. Clearly Dan didn’t know what was happening to him. He was in denial the whole time.”

  I will, I promise.

  “I hate to say it, but even after reading all these notes, I think it’s still worthwhile for us to get back into that bunker for the weapons. The brainwashing, or whatever infected these people, took time, and we shouldn’t be here long enough for that to happen.”

  What about the carnage you saw below? That does not look like something that took time. That looks like a mass execution chamber.

  “If you watch from the air, then you can warn me before anything could even get close.”

  That is only if it comes over the land. If something comes from below or still lives in those tunnels...

  “I know. I know, but we’ve got to try. If anything happens, grab me and force me to come with you.”

  Scarlet didn’t respond, and he knew she didn’t like the plan.

  “If we ever hope to have a chance at our goals, we need that arsenal. I very much doubt we’d get any existing colony to work with us. They created a way of life, a life in subjugation to the cities. More likely, they’re liable to report us if we even hinted at a rebellion.”

  I understand, but I do not have to like the plan.

  “You and me both, but I believe we must do this. I know that I’ll be fine with you watching my back.” Silence reigned for a time before Jared suggested, “Let’s get a little sleep, and we’ll fly back in the morning to see if there are any changes.”

  The next morning Jared woke to see Scarlet staring at him from the confines of the small space they occupied.

  “Go
od morning. Ready?” Jared asked, rising from the floor to stretch his limbs.

  I am. Scarlet sounded resigned and loath to get on with their current agenda.

  Jared reached out to caress her head. “We’ll succeed. I just know it.”

  Clambering outside, Jared dragged the crate with him and waited for Scarlet to exit the building. Once again, he positioned the crate so Scarlet could grab it in her claw and carry it with them. Jared leapt onto her back, and they ascended into the air.

  “Let’s head back to the cellar. It seems like the best place to launch this operation.”

  When they got closer, the first thing Jared noticed was the vegetation. It no longer wriggled, and it seemed as if nothing had occurred the day prior.

  “It looks like it stopped growing after I left the area. I can get all the weapons out before it starts back up,” said Jared enthusiastically. Scarlet said nothing, but Jared knew her well enough at this point to know she wasn’t as optimistic as him.

  Setting down near the cellar, Jared secured the crate inside and went back out to speak with Scarlet.

  “I’ll do this as fast as I can. My strength and speed should make this a quick endeavor. I’ll carry a stack of the crates from the room here over to the armory and fill them up as much as possible. In the meantime, please fly around and keep an eye on everything.”

  Please be careful, Scarlet said before launching herself into the air.

  Jared took a deep breath and walked back into the cellar.

  Jared grabbed the crates from the storage room and raced into the tunnel. He moved as fast as humanly possible. When he hit bends in the tunnel, he planted his feet against the wall and shoved to propel himself down the tunnel in the new direction.