Radioactive Evolution

by Richard Hummel

  Relief exploded into his mind as Scarlet lifted her head to meet his gaze.

  Are you really here this time?

  I am, but I can’t move yet. My body is too weak.

  Just rest. I can finally sense your mind again. Your body needs uninterrupted rest. Now that you are free of the other entity, you can get some much-needed sleep. It has been three weeks since you—

  Three weeks? Scarlet, I—

  Please, just rest. I am here for you and will protect you for as long as you need.

  Thank you.

  The effort of the short conversation was taxing, and he felt himself begin to fade once more. Before losing consciousness, Jared sent all available nanites to Regeneration.

  His task finished, he entered a blissful slumber.

  Several days later, Jared opened his eyes and looked around. He lay in the same place, but Scarlet was nowhere in sight. Careful not to push himself too hard, Jared struggled to a seated position against the back wall. The effort made him cringe at how weak his body was.

  Scarlet? Where are you?

  Jared! I am two minutes away. I went to hunt food. You need to eat something. Your nanites stopped regenerating your body because you no longer possess enough energy. There is not enough radiation to sustain the massive amount of healing required.

  Two minutes later, Scarlet landed with a flurry of dust. Jared was about to try hobbling outside when two charred hunks of meat landed beside him. He looked up to see Scarlet peering at him through the partially collapsed roof.

  It is good to see you awake!

  “Scarlet, I’m so sorry. I know what you endured these last weeks. I heard every word you spoke, and I know the anguish and despair caused you a great deal of pain. I tried calling out to you many times but couldn’t get through the mental barrier in place. Eventually, I gained consciousness for a few moments and found nanites in body Manipulation that weren’t infected. I set them to eliminating the foreign presence before blacking out. I think it’s the only thing that saved me. The presence that had a hold of my mind was so strong.”

  Eat, sleep, and rebuild your strength. I will remain by your side no matter the trials.

  Thank you, my friend. I am truly blessed to have someone care for me like you do, said Jared. He really meant every word and tried to convey that appreciation across their bond.

  Jared weakly picked up one of the pieces of meat Scarlet tossed to him and bit into it. The tender meat melted in his mouth, and he savored the taste. He didn’t remember the last time he’d eaten anything other than a ration, and even that was so long ago. Whatever the creature this came from, it tasted amazing, albeit a little charred from Scarlet’s flames. After consuming all of the meat, more than he’d eaten in the last year, Jared’s eyes grew heavy.

  “I’ll rest now, Scarlet. Thank you...for everything.”

  You are welcome, Jared. Take as long as you need.

  Jared’s eyes fluttered shut, and his breathing deepened. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, he entered a normal sleep cycle, and the nanites feverishly went to work repairing his body.

  Just before his consciousness left him, he heard Scarlet’s whispered words.

  That creature will pay for what it did to you. It will die.

  Jared woke the next day feeling refreshed and whole. Scarlet lay next to him, eyes open, watching him. He stood up and stretched, laying a hand on her side.

  “Thank you again for taking care of me, Scarlet. I’d have died many times over if not for you, and I’m extremely thankful to have you by my side in all this.”

  The feeling is mutual; our fates are intertwined. For better or worse, as your kind say.

  “Worse seems to be the trend of late. Let’s hope that changes in the near future. I’ve had enough of these close calls. The last few weeks…” Jared shuddered. “It was a nightmare. If this thing took over the previous inhabitants in the area like it did with me, I can’t imagine the anguish they went through. I was conscious but had no control over my body. I was trapped in my own mind. This thing—whatever it is—needs to die.”

  We will kill it! The venom and ferocity in Scarlet’s response startled him and he took a step back from her. This thing almost killed you, and I will not stop until we destroy it.

  “You and I both, but first we need to retrieve the crate of supplies I left in the tunnel. Do you know how far I made it before I lost consciousness? Everything’s a bit fuzzy and Memory Recall isn’t painting a clearer picture.”

  You want to go back right now? But—

  I know. It was a terrible experience, but the sooner this thing is wiped from the face of the earth, the better. No one should experience torture like that, and I want to be the one that exacts revenge for its invasion into my body. A fire lit behind Jared’s eyes, his tone promising retribution.

  Then we hunt and kill it. As for the crate, I only know you collapsed at the mouth of the tunnel. I was so focused on getting you out, I did not think to look for anything else.

  “Well, the only way we’ve a prayer’s chance of taking that thing out is to get that crate. I’ve got lots of explosives and material in there we can use to create a bomb or some type of flame that will work underwater. There’s C-4, gunpowder, grenades, and bomb components that we can use. Even then, I’m not sure it’s enough to take it out. Let’s head over to the cellar and see if I managed to make it out with the container.”

  Jared jumped on Scarlet’s back, and they flew to the destroyed cellar. The house was in a pile of shredded rubble, most of the cellar exposed save for a small cave-in partially blocking the tunnel into the underground complex.

  “Wow, you did all this?”

  It was the only way to get to you in time.

  At first, he thought they’d need to excavate the collapsed roof, but there was enough room for him to scramble through.

  Sliding through the gap, Jared found the materials just a few feet from the entrance.

  It’s here! Help me get it out. I’ll push it through the gap. Just make sure it doesn’t fall off. I’ve no idea if the explosives in here are unstable.

  After he’d retrieved the materials, they walked back to the barn they’d used when first arriving in the small town. Once inside, Jared carefully emptied the crate and paged through the explosives manual to learn more about thermite and any other mixtures that suited his needs. After reading about the different thermite concoctions, including thermate, a military grade version, he realized there was no way he’d find all the required components.

  There was no barium nitrate, one of the required ingredients, in the armory. To synthesize it, he’d need to find barium carbonate and nitric acid. Worse, there was no synthesized barium carbonate available, and the materials where it existed were very difficult to find in any volume that made it practical. Small amounts existed in bricks and ceramic material, but he didn’t have the means to extract the powder. Further, even if he found barite, the base mineral, he’d need to break it down with a set temperature and add additional reactants just to get into any form he could use.

  Muttering to himself, Jared flipped the pages looking at various chemicals and components for making thermate. “It looks like I’ll make regular thermite.”

  What is thermite?

  Jared blinked and looked up. Absorbed in his research, he’d forgotten Scarlet and didn’t realize he’d spoken aloud. “Thermite is a mixture of iron oxide and aluminum powder that, when ignited by magnesium, will burn underwater as long as there is material available. I was looking for ways to kill that creature and wanted more than just an explosion in case it didn’t finish the job. However, I’m thinking it’d be better just to try the explosives.”

  How hot does it burn?

  “According to this, about four thousand degrees.”

  Scarlet looked alarmed. That would destroy anything.

&
nbsp; “Well, yeah. That’s kind of the point.” Jared tilted his head to the side, a sarcastic expression plastered on his face.

  Everything. Nanites included.

  “Oh. Crap. I didn’t think about that.”

  I think a large explosion would work best. Besides, we have no idea what this creature is yet. Does it have a singular body? Is it a bunch of life forms together? Or a bunch of nanites that gained a level of awareness? We don’t know enough to assume this thermite would even work. It might only burn a small portion of it or kill off a few of its…extensions.

  “All right, I get it. Thermite is off the table.”

  Jared spent the next hour reading about various explosives and their effects underwater. He learned that an underwater explosion was much stronger than on the surface, something about air pockets and pressure.

  “Boom!” Jared shouted, his eyes alight with glee at the prospect of bombing this creature. Scarlet whipped her head around, alarmed at the outburst.

  “Sorry, Scarlet. I guess I could read some of this out loud. It says an explosion is exponentially more powerful and deadly underwater, and C-4 will work for it. Okay, I think we’ve got everything we need to make this happen. Though, I only grabbed one roll of detonation cord from the armory,” Jared said while rummaging through the components until he found the spool.

  “First thing we need to do is figure out how deep we need to drop the bomb. Also, I think we should include some live bait to make sure the bomb gets to its destination.”

  Jared rattled off the steps they needed to take. As soon as he’d made a list, he set to work. He still carried rope from when the other explorers had bound Scarlet but knew it wouldn’t be enough.

  While Jared scavenged more rope and wires to use as a measuring line, Scarlet flew off in search of some creature to use as bait. He also wanted her to check on the water monster to make sure it hadn’t changed in the time they’d been away. It took Jared a few hours of searching the city outskirts to find all he needed.

  Scarlet returned a short time later with a giant rat wriggling in her grasp.

  “Ugh, I really hate these things!”

  It was all I could find close by. Scarlet gave him a toothy grin, complete with blood and bits of flesh peeking out.

  “Oh, come on, Scarlet, that’s gross. Don’t tell me you ate some of these? Even after our encounter in the subway?”

  Food is food, Scarlet said, keeping her teeth bared at him.

  The least you could do is blow some fire and get rid of the remnants in your teeth. It’s nasty.

  Shaking his head at her Jared said aloud, “You know if there’s one of these, there’s probably a whole den of them, right? Just make sure we steer clear of wherever you found this thing. I’ve no desire to take out anymore elephant-sized rodents.”

  Grimacing in disgust, Jared tied one end of the rope around the rat’s neck, looped the coil of makeshift rope around his shoulder, and climbed on Scarlet’s back.

  “All right, let’s do this.”

  They flew to the area they’d last seen the creature congregate, and Scarlet slowly dropped toward the lake. Twenty feet from the water, Jared observed the life-forms using his Heat Sight. Their mere proximity aroused the creature, as hundreds of heat signatures swam toward a point just below them. Jared dropped the rat into the water, and for a tiny instant, Jared felt bad for the creature. Then he remembered the tunnels beneath New York, and his demeanor flipped to righteous vindication as an evil smile curved from ear to ear.

  The moment the rat touched the water, it ignited a frenzy of activity. Jared watched as creatures from every corner of the lake sped to the epicenter. Most of the life forms created a shell around something at its center. All the while, the rat bucked and writhed as it dropped deeper into the water. Jared uncoiled loop after loop of the rope, counting the tick marks he’d made every ten feet.

  He felt resistance against the rope and pulled a knife from a sheath on his back. He didn’t want to get pulled into the water, but he also didn’t want to lose what little rope he had left. As the rat reached the ninety feet mark, a sharp jerk on the rope wrenched his arm down, and he quickly severed the line.

  “Let’s go, Scarlet!”

  Flapping her wings to gain altitude, they soared over the lake for a few minutes.

  Ninety feet. I can work with that, Jared thought. The spool of detonation cord contained exactly one hundred feet.

  “We’ve only got one shot at this. Let’s make it count. I need to rebuild another rope, and we need another victim as bait. Find something bigger this time. We need to make sure it survives long enough to reach this things lair.”

  It may take me some time.

  “Hold up.” Jared poked his head outside the barn and saw the sun descending. “Okay, let’s hold off until morning for the bait. I’ve got to find enough material for a new rope and then get the C-4 prepped.” Jared looked at the bricks of C-4—at least that’s what the book called them. The bricks ignited using a shock wave, which is what the detonation cord and blasting caps were for. He’d insert the silver tubes into the bricks of explosives, and a small plunger on the other side delivered a charge to the blasting cap for ignition.

  Jared spent the next few hours gathering materials for another rope while Scarlet provided overwatch, monitoring the water for evidence he’d been made. Thankfully, it didn’t seem the creature could sense them this far out. After he’d prepped the rope and explosives, they turned in for the night, planning to get up with the sun and kick off their mission.

  As soon as the sun was up, Jared sent Scarlet to fetch their bait. For good measure, he re-checked all of the knots in the rope, the measurements, and the C-4. When Scarlet came back, a massive antlered creature bucked wildly, trying to free itself. Several lacerations on the creature suggested it’d injured itself on her claws. The blood would make the bait more appealing.

  “This thing looks like a m—” He’d been about to say it looked nothing like a moose but cocked his head and looked at various body parts. “I mean, I guess I can see the resemblance, but wow.” Jared shook his head in revulsion. “I remember moose being mysterious and proud, elegant even. Not this grotesque mutation.”

  The creature stood eight feet tall on all four legs, its head was more rounded than oblong, and its teeth sported sharp canines instead of the squared teeth of an herbivore. The horns on its head boasted sharpened points stained reddish-brown, similar to the blood Jared found in the tunnels. Its body sported huge muscles, scars, and splotchy patches of fur. It was gross, and Jared had a hard time imagining its ancestors ever being something so majestic as the moose he envisioned.

  “Can you carry both of us? That thing must weigh a thousand pounds, at least.”

  I can manage it for a short time.

  Taking a deep breath, Jared picked up the rope he’d cobbled together with the detonation cord winding around the rope. He secured the rope around the body of the wriggling moose. Picking up the explosives, he placed them in a sling he’d made from scraps of cloth. There were six bricks of C-4 in the sack, with two more he’d saved as backup.

  “Are you ready?” asked Jared, a hint of fear in his voice.

  I was ready the day you got infected by this thing. Let us finish this!

  Jared reminded himself never to get on her bad side. She was quick to righteous anger, and the vehemence she portrayed frightened him.

  As soon as they reached the location of the creature, Jared carefully looped the makeshift patches over the moose’s head, making sure the blasting caps remained in place.

  “Bombs away, Scarlet!”

  She needed no further prompting and dropped to within ten feet of the lake to drop off their payload. The moose sank a lot faster, and it was all Jared could do to keep up with the unraveling rope. As it sank, Jared counted off the tick marks.

  “Ten, twent
y, thirty…seventy…” At eighty feet, there was a tug on the rope, and their bait veered to the side. “Oh no.” Jared couldn’t make out the form of the mutated moose anymore, because there was so much activity in the area, but he knew from the position of the rope that it was slightly off target.

  Jared held his breath; they only needed a few more feet. His arms were shaking from the effort of holding the moose in place. Whatever snagged their rope was strong and made Scarlet dip down slightly until with a jolt, the rope slackened, and he once again had control of its descent.

  “Almost there. Ninety.” There was no tug on the rope like before, and the moose kept sinking.

  Oh no.

  Jared panicked as their only way to kill this thing slipped through his fingers. He was out of rope. He held the end of the rope in one hand, his other over the plunger to detonate as soon as the creature took the bait. Thinking the water monster had moved to a different location, Jared was about to begin the arduous process of pulling the moose back up, when the rope went taut. He nearly lost his grip on the rope, but quickly slammed the plunger home.

  “Go!” Jared screamed.

  In the same instant, he activated Hyper-Cognition, his mind racing a thousand miles a second. He wanted to have heightened awareness to warn Scarlet about any danger from the explosion or creatures below.

  Scarlet thrust her wings as hard as she could, wanting to escape the concussive force when it rocketed from the water. Everything happened in slow motion for Jared as he sat atop Scarlet in relative safety and comfort. Curious if he could communicate with Scarlet normally while he had the ability activated, Jared reach out to her using Telepathy.

  Faster, Scarlet! We’ve got to get away from here.

  Thankfully, the mental communications moved just as fast as his thoughts and Scarlet had no trouble keeping up with the accelerated speech.

  I cannot go any faster.

  Flicking his eyes to the water, Jared flipped to Heat Sight just as the bomb detonated. A brilliant flash of light blossomed in the depths of the lake and rapidly expanded outward. It engulfed the swarming mob of life forms, wreaking havoc to anything in its path. He watched as the force wave ripped through everything; the super-heated wave expanded outward at a frightening pace. The moment it touched a life form, their body exploded into tiny bits, residual heat from the creatures fading like afterimages. Each creature popped apart in a spray of body parts like tiny fireworks exploding in rapid succession, a grand finale. Every moment passed in slow-motion as his hyper-cognitive state allowed him to watch in exquisite detail.