Radioactive Evolution

by Richard Hummel

  She didn’t respond, but Jared heard her forcing air through her lungs as she tried to tell him something. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she struggled to articulate something to him.

  “It’s okay. Please don’t push too hard. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  Jared’s words sparked determination in her and she increased her efforts to make a sound. After an entire minute of forced breathing, a soft, feminine moan escaped her lips.

  A triumphant grin lit up her face. Jared was equal parts enthralled and appalled. Her face morphed from a depressed frown carrying all the weight of the world into a happy, carefree spirit. If he overlooked the sharp needle teeth, she was even more beautiful when she smiled, but those teeth made her look evil. Creepy though it was, Jared smiled in return, happy she’d managed to make a sound. When most of her people were already passed out in exhaustion, she’d pushed herself, once again showing that strength of will Jared found alluring.

  She tried again, but the most she could manage was a few vowel sounds.

  A look of disappointment passed across her face, and Jared quickly said, “Please don’t get upset! I really want to help you, but if you force your body to use a muscle that is too weak, it could cause more damage than if you wait for it to regain its strength.”

  Sighing, a look of disappointment passed her features, but she stopped trying and retreated to one of the stalls along the wall. Jared climbed back to the loft and sat against his pack. He glanced over to see Scarlet staring at him.

  You should not get too attached to them just yet.

  I understand, Scarlet. I’ll not let my personal feelings come between us or our safety ever again. That lesson remains fresh in my mind. Still, I’m hoping that we can help them, and they can join our cause. I may not talk about it much, but I miss human companionship. It is nothing against you at all, it’s just…

  I too long for my own kind in much the same way. It is natural for us to seek acceptance and belonging with our fellows.

  I’ll be careful, promised Jared.

  Also, keep in mind the discoveries we have made so far. If this facility functioned as a science lab, someone in this group may know something and may not have the best intentions.

  We know from Jeff’s journals they knew about portions of the facility, but if they had a hand in scientific experiments, it seems odd he’d write about the problems in the colony like he did. I doubt they had anything to do with the experiments. Otherwise, how did they end up a slave to the very same experiments that they may have had a hand in?

  Yes, but also recall they received an influx of new colonists shortly before the waterfolk incidents occurred. Jeff said it himself; he did not know everyone well by the time everything kicked off.

  Good point. I hadn’t thought about it. I assumed that this complex predated the wars, but I suppose it could’ve functioned as a lab later.

  My point is we need to make sure we do not get too attached or let our emotions cloud good judgment.

  Duly noted. Thanks, Scarlet. That won’t happen again. I promise.

  Jared thought about the implications surrounding the military complex. There were so many unanswered questions swirling around in his mind. He wondered what horrors awaited him beneath the earth. A part of him relished the new discoveries and freedom to roam, but the more he learned of the cities and mankind in general, the more he longed for simpler times when he could walk for days and weeks with nothing to concern him but the occasional wild animal. Jared’s world had flipped upside down in less than a month. The world was much harsher than he’d known, but he also had innumerable paths before him, needing only to choose which to travel.

  Jared slept little that night, curious about the people he now presided over and cautious to the point he refused to let his guard down. He hadn’t even explored his status screen after the massive influx of nanites the previous day. He used every spare moment he had to study these people and glean any insight that could lend him some information on what to do with them—and how to begin their rehabilitation.

  Scarlet hadn’t slept a wink either, and their senses remained on high alert. Not just for the people inside the building, but also in the event something came from without. The number of creatures that poured from the lake had to be in the tens of thousands, and they’d scattered like leaves in the wind.

  Their escape into the wild was a two-edged sword. They posed a significant risk to him and those now under his care, but they also served as fodder to increase his and Scarlet’s strength.

  Jared lay in the loft, mentally flipping images in his head of all the creatures that emerged from the water. Every one of them represented a threat to those around him. Out of all the creatures that emerged from the lake, the mutated crocodiles—twice the size of any he’d ever seen in pictures—resembled their predecessors the most.

  The terrifying badger-like creatures were clearly man-made abominations. He focused on an image of one and magnified it in his mind. Matted brown fur coated its body, and its tail looked like large, flat pieces of black rubber honed to points on either side. It looked like a large machete ending in twin points. Fangs jutted from the creature’s upper lip, curving down over the bottom portion of the jaw. Its legs shared similarities with that of the rabbits Jared had killed a few weeks ago, and they allowed the creature to bound across the ground in great galloping strides. Oddly, he saw no sign they could breathe underwater and assumed they had to surface for air periodically.

  It amazed him that he’d ever gotten along without Memory Recall. The ability worked amazingly, and he’d never need to worry about forgetting something again. If he did, a few seconds concentration allowed him to recall and reflect on a memory. He used the memories from the lake to categorize all of the creatures and put them into assumed threat levels. Obviously, the Frankenstein badgers were at the top after they’d not only survived an encounter with a trio of twenty-foot crocs and seemed no worse for wear. Dozens of other creatures went on his list, including sleek-bodied bears with webbed feet, giant frogs sporting shiny neon colors, huge sea serpents with clawed legs and horns on their heads, multiple types of worms, and rats.

  Always with the rats, Jared sighed. Thank God I’ve not seen any giant cockroaches yet!

  His body stiff from lying on the ground so long, Jared rolled to his feet and stretched. When he got to his feet, he felt a tug at the injury to his leg, but no stabbing pain. With slow, deliberate moves, Jared tested his weight on the injured leg. It felt sore, but well on its way toward recovery. Still, he planned to take it easy until examining it further.

  Jared descended the ladder and turned around.

  “Ah!” cried Jared.

  The leader of the waterfolk stood right behind him, flinching away from his outburst.

  “Sorry, it’s my fault. I didn’t realize you were there and hadn’t heard you walk up. Did you sleep well?”

  The questioned earned him a nod. Then she placed her hand on her chest, right between...

  No, stop it! Get your head straight! Jared chided himself. She didn’t deserve his ogling or ill-begotten thoughts. No, they needed a protector, someone that wouldn’t take advantage of their precarious state of mind.

  Jerking his gaze to her eyes, she opened her mouth, and a soft voice whispered, “Nessa.”

  Jared’s eyes opened wide, and he grinned like a fool to cover his obvious shame from ogling her naked body.

  Relieved to move the conversation forward to cover his embarrassment and shame, Jared said, “Nessa? That’s your name?”

  Shaking her head, she too wore a grin and said, “Va...nessa.”

  “Vanessa?”

  Nodding enthusiastically, she grinned, the predatory smile on full display.

  “I honestly didn’t think you’d be able to talk so soon. Can anyone else speak yet?”

  Vanessa shook her head and frowned.


  “Really, it’s okay. I mean it. Scarlet and I thought it would take you a while to regain the ability and that you’d need to relearn how to speak.”

  She snatched his hand and pulled him along.

  Jared felt like a little kid with his first crush as her touch sent butterflies through his stomach.

  Check yourself, Jared. You don’t know her. You don’t know these people, or what they’re going through. Why can’t I get my thoughts under control? Am I that desperate for human companionship?

  Jared closed his eyes, exhaling slowly and deliberately to expel the flighty emotions. Time was the healer of wounds, and they’d only just left behind a decade of torment. It could take years for them to recover. Vanessa didn’t need the added complexity of emotional attachment as she reestablished herself and her psyche.

  He allowed himself to be led over to a cluster of her people.

  One by one, she introduced each of them. He lost track after a dozen names, the process taking a long time as Vanessa struggled to speak the words.

  After twenty introductions, Jared suggested she rest and let her voice recover.

  Nodding in agreement, she followed Jared to the ladder.

  “I’d rather you not come up here right now, Vanessa. I’ve got a lot of very dangerous equipment up here, and it’s safer if we keep everyone away.”

  Nodding, she tugged his sleeve and pointed to Scarlet.

  Puzzled, Jared stepped back from the ladder and asked, “You want to talk to her?”

  Again, she nodded.

  “I thought she terrified you?”

  Jared received another nod, which puzzled him more.

  Her hand on his sleeve, she tugged again, imploring him to bring her over to Scarlet.

  “Okay, I’ll take you over and introduce you, but Scarlet only uses Telepathy to speak.”

  Her forehead crinkled in confusion and she looked at him askance.

  “Mental communication? She—she speaks with her thoughts?”

  Understanding dawned in her eyes which quickly morphed into fear.

  “Hey, hey…it’s okay!” Jared soothed her. “I speak with her like this all the time. We—well, my connection to Scarlet is unique, and we can speak without touching. If you’d like to speak with her, you need to place your hand on her. Like this.”

  Jared walked over to Scarlet and showed Vanessa.

  Holding out his hand, he beckoned for her to grab it and come forward.

  She eyed his hand like a coiled snake, clearly afraid of touching Scarlet. Finally, she relented and grabbed his hand. Jared did his best to ignore the flutters in his stomach and the shivers racing up his spine. Turning back to Scarlet, Jared paused before placing her hand on Scarlet’s side.

  I guess I should’ve asked you first, Scarlet. Are you okay with this?

  I—yes. I want to help them. I feel only sympathy for them. They went through so much.

  Jared guided Vanessa’s hand to Scarlet’s side, and the moment she made contact, pandemonium ensued as Scarlet bellowed in rage, causing all the waterfolk to cower in fear.

  Vanessa and Scarlet both yelled in outrage, violently jerking away from each other. Vanessa crumpled into a ball on the floor, while Scarlet launched to her feet.

  No! It cannot be.

  Scarlet? What’s wrong?

  Scarlet didn’t respond and instead crashed through the door and leapt into the sky. Vanessa curled into a ball on the floor, great sobs ripping from her tiny form. Jared gestured to some other waterfolk to look after Vanessa and sprinted out the door after Scarlet.

  Scarlet? Scarlet!?

  Jared, I—we—killed him.

  Killed who?

  The creature. The one in the water controlling all of this. It was a dragon. We killed him!

  The anguish Jared felt through the bond rendered him speechless.

  How could we have killed a dragon? I thought dragons were peaceful? Wait, that means humanity knew of their existence all along? The military complex, the likely experiments, and the mutated creatures.

  It all clicked into place for Jared, and no doubt Scarlet had already connected the dots the instant she sensed the presence of the other dragon.

  Scarlet, I’m so sorry. Please come back. Let’s talk this through. We didn’t know.

  I need time to think, to process this. It should not be possible.

  Please be careful, Scarlet! I’m here for you if you need to talk.

  I will. How could he do this? Why would he attack? Scarlet’s thoughts trailed off as she broke off their connection.

  The tension that left after they killed the creature returned tenfold; the heavy burden made his shoulders sag and he dropped to his knees.

  Heartbroken at Scarlet’s loss, Jared sat forlornly in the field for a time before going back inside. When he got back inside, Jared found the entire group huddled around one stall in the back corner, Vanessa whimpering within.

  Jared didn’t know how or why a dragon had done all of this, nor who had done it, but it was exactly the kind of despicable, immoral actions committed by the cities above for centuries. Frustration threatened to overwhelm him and an uncontrollable desire to eradicate the cities clouded his mind.

  They’ll get what’s coming to them! he vowed.

  Jared marched to the ladder and climbed up with jerking movements, betraying his anger and frustration. He lay against his pack, evil thoughts of destruction churning as he imagined the cities blown to smithereens.

  We need to get stronger as soon as possible!

  Jared almost made a trek down to the water right then and absorbed even more nanites, but he knew it’d be an idiotic move without Scarlet there to keep an eye on him. Still, he felt little rationality at the moment, and he almost threw caution to the wind and made the trek.

  Scarlet, when you’ve had time to think things through, we need to get down to business. We’ve a base of operations. We have an armory replete with weapons and munitions. And, we now have a giant lake filled with nanites. It’s time we lay out our plans and create a blueprint for how we plan to fight the cities. I suspect that these experiments on your brother stem from the source of most of the world’s current problems.

  I will return soon.

  Thoughts of vengeance raced through his head. It wasn’t until a gentle tapping on the ladder below drew his attention that he snapped out of his funk.

  Vanessa, surrounded by her people, waved her hand at him to come down.

  Jared centered himself before climbing down the ladder. He didn’t know what she wanted, or if they’d be able to communicate effectively enough to find out, but he needed to try.

  “Vanessa, I’m so sorry. We didn’t know one of Scarlet’s kind kept you prisoner. She’s a dragon, if you didn’t already know.” Her eyes widened in realization and she gestured wildly, pantomiming fire shooting from her mouth.

  Nodding, Jared said, “Yes, she can breathe fire.”

  Vanessa tried explaining something else, but the communication challenges were just too great to overcome, and Jared couldn’t figure out what she wanted to tell him.

  “I’m sorry, Vanessa, I don’t understand.”

  Vanessa paused and tentatively reached her hand out for him. Her cool hand touched his arm, raising goosebumps along his skin.

  A soft, gentle voice brushed against his mind.

  Can you hear me?

  Jared’s eyes widened. Yes! I can. For some reason I didn’t think to try this even though Scarlet said you could speak this way.

  Jared, I saw you react, but you aren’t saying anything. Can you hear me? Vanessa asked again.

  “I can hear you, Vanessa. I tried to send a thought back, but I guess my Telepathy isn’t strong enough yet. Scarlet says it will get there in time, but it’s new for me.”

  But…you
communicate with Scarlet?

  “Yes, but...well, as I said before, Scarlet and I have a unique connection, a bond of sorts. I’m not ready to go into detail, but it’s probably similar to the connection you had with the dragon that enslaved you,” explained Jared.

  When I touched Scarlet, I felt the same mental presence from the water devil.

  “Water devil?”

  It is what we called the—the dragon that controlled us.

  “Can you tell me anything about this water devil?” Jared asked, testing the words and finding they fit surprisingly well after his experience. “How did it control all of you? We thought only a human had the capability to control nanites based on information from their creator, a professor named Igor Janovich. The nanites specifically code to human DNA, and only a human can command them. Or so we thought.”

  I… Vanessa started, but trailed off, pain evident in her tone. I know nothing of the nanites, but I am not ready to speak of my—of our—time under the water yet. Vanessa waved a hand around to encompass the group.

  “I understand. Rest and recover, and we’ll speak of it later. It’s only been a day for you, and I don’t expect you are ready to talk about it yet.”

  Thank you.

  “So, all of you can use Telepathy?”

  Vanessa nodded and motioned for her group to come closer, gesturing for everyone to introduce themselves using telepathy.

  One by one, they each placed their hand into Jared’s and spoke their name.

  He remembered half their names from the original introductions and snickered at some names he’d thought he heard only to find out he’d been way off. After each introduction, Jared responded out loud, repeating their names.

  He saw tears well up in many eyes and a few wept outright at hearing their own name after so long. He did his best to comfort them, but often it wasn’t enough, and Vanessa spent a few moments in silent communication before they recovered.

  The last to introduce themselves were the two skeptics that kept throwing scowls at him.

  At first, they refused to touch him, but a gentle nudge from Vanessa and they reluctantly placed their hand in his to speak their name.