Radioactive Evolution

by Richard Hummel

  Scarlet rested a few paces away, just beyond the tree line, and the entire colony showed up to wish him luck and safe travels. Vanessa lingered a moment longer, and just as Jared was about to turn and walk to Scarlet, she rushed into his arms and gave him a fierce hug. Just as quickly, she planted a timid peck on his lips and dashed off to follow the others.

  Stunned, Jared absentmindedly touched his fingers to his lips, feeling her lingering presence. Her cool skin left a prickle of electricity dancing across his lips, and he nearly ran after her to return the gesture. Barely restraining himself, Jared grinned like an idiot. Vanessa cast a furtive glance over her shoulder and blushed crimson. She blew him a kiss before darting around a tree and out of sight.

  Now you have another reason to return quickly, teased Scarlet.

  I like her, Scarlet. A lot. But I just—I’d very much like to be more than friends, but I just don’t know. Does she like me because we rescued her? Is it some kind of Stockholm syndrome? Does she genuinely like me for me? And, what if something happens and one of us doesn’t make it? Is it worth it?

  You are asking questions that have been asked countless times through the ages, but until you make the leap of faith you will never know.

  I know. Jared sighed. I’m going to give it a lot of thought while we’re gone and will hopefully make a decision when we return.

  Are you ready to find my family?

  Absolutely, let’s go!

  With a powerful thrust, Scarlet launched herself into the air and glided out of the ravine.

  We must head back to the city where you found me, so I can trace my mother’s path. I could find it based on the angle and speed she travelled, but it will be easier if we retrace her journey.

  Okay, let’s try to stay airborne as long as possible. The sooner we find your family, the better.

  Hang on!

  Glad Scarlet warned him, Jared wrapped his arms around her neck just in time as she rocketed through the air. She moved so fast, he had to squint and duck his head just to see where they flew. It’d taken them five hours to lazily fly to the lakeside town, but it only took just over an hour to fly the two hundred miles back to New York City.

  The entire flight back, Jared fiercely clung to her back. He didn’t even think to speak with her, and he didn’t dare ask to share a thought space. He focused only on not falling from her back to a gruesome end.

  When the city came into focus, Scarlet slowed her pace, allowing Jared to relax his grip and sit up. The city looked unchanged from the last time he visited, but as they drew closer, Jared realized they weren’t alone. A drop ship sat close to the home he’d made by the Statue of Liberty.

  Go down, Scarlet!

  Scarlet immediately dropped to the ground, and Jared crept to the top of a small hill. Activating Magnified Vision, he zoomed in on the drop ship. He didn’t see any people wandering about, but a few weird mechanical spheres rolled around, lights blinking on their bodies.

  All at once, every sphere jerked to a stop, rotated toward the drop ship, and moved in one accord back to its ramp. Then, it launched into the air and headed toward the city itself. The ship landed and disgorged more of the mechanical objects.

  I think they’re scanning for something. I wonder if they’re looking for you and your mother? Unless they’re monitoring things down on the ground, how would they know to look here?

  They might have some kind of scanner in the cities that alerted them? Remember, my mother took down several buildings, and she was the size of a small skyscraper.

  Right, but why would it take so long for them to realize what happened here? Something doesn’t add up. They must be here for another reason.

  I do not know.

  They watched the drop ship for some time but again saw no people leave the ship. More of the strange balls disgorged from the ship heading into the city itself. He noticed that the scanners—at least that’s what he decided to call them—traversed the same path he’d taken that led him to Scarlet.

  I think they’ve got a way to track the path I took through the city. Those things are following my every footstep.

  Let us hope they have no way of tracking us through the air. Their search will only lead them to the places we walked.

  Yeah, and a giant Godzilla worm that we managed to kill. If they make it that far, that doesn’t bode well for us, and it’ll put them on guard.

  We did fly part of the way there.

  Again, they’ll know something is off when all of a sudden they can’t follow us on the ground.

  Should we attempt to destroy it?

  I don’t know. Let’s observe it for a time and see what happens.

  Lying on his belly, head barely visible over the rise in the land, they watched and waited. Jared hoped for a glimpse of the ship’s pilot or whoever controlled it and its scanners. To Jared’s knowledge, no one he knew, including himself, had seen someone from the cities in a very long time.

  A moment later, they saw flashes of light and small echoing retorts from within the city. His eyes darted back and forth trying to find the source of the activity. They watched as half a dozen people emerged from the city, firing on the rolling spheres and the ship itself. The ship rotated in place, and a massive bolt from a phase canon pulverized a slab of concrete, the person hiding behind it disappearing in a flash of light. They didn’t even have time to scream. It was a near instantaneous death.

  Dang. Did you—

  Yes.

  The barrage of rounds from the humans destroyed all the remaining spheres on the ground, but not before another beam of phase matter snuffed out two more people. A smaller group of three ran from cover toward the ships open ramp. Just before they started up the ramp, it closed and lifted from the ground. The three people, along with two others, roared in frustration as the ship took off. Just when Jared thought the ship was leaving the area, the phase canon swiveled once more and eradicated two more of the people firing upon it.

  Scarlet, we need to help them.

  It is probably the Daggers again. Maybe they came back to finish the job they started.

  Even if it is, I can’t stand by and let them get decimated like that. I swore a vow to protect mankind. What if they’re nothing like the Daggers and we’re watching potential allies get massacred?

  Jared bit his lip in thought. Do you think you can take down the ship? You’re at least twice its size.

  I can take it down, but it may reveal my presence to the cities and our ability to fly.

  Dang. We don’t want that. Though, they already know dragons exist, and they are probably in this city because they detected your mother. So, would it really be revealing our presence? If we can take the ship down, gather more intelligence, and find out who these people are, it might be worth the risk.

  I do not disagree with your logic. Additionally, we will disappear soon for many days or weeks to find my family and it would allow us to evade further scrutiny.

  Jared darted his gaze to the ship, looking for any cameras, view ports, or panels that might hide scanning abilities. While Jared worked on a plan of attack, a few more people came running from the city. Without warning, another phase round sizzled through the air, and an anguished cry echoed off the buildings.

  Screw it. Let’s go, Scarlet! Fly high into the air. We’ll drop on this thing from directly above. I’m taking a gamble that they don’t have any scanning abilities for directly above themselves. All the pictures I’ve seen of aircraft have the cameras mounted underneath. Even if they are in constant communication with their city, if they can’t see what’s attacking them, we can hopefully avoid them learning more information.

  Scarlet jumped into the air and rapidly climbed into the sky. She flew high enough she’d merely appear as a speck to someone’s naked eye. Once satisfied she was high enough, she nose-dived right on top of the ship. They landed with a jarr
ing impact, and the ship immediately sank.

  It fired its thrusters and sped away.

  With her razor-sharp claws, Scarlet clamped down around the ship and flared her wings, slowing the ship down.

  Jared jumped from her back and landed with a metallic thump on top of the ship. He located a hatch and crawled over to it, clinging for dear life, as the ship bucked and tried to break free.

  Scarlet’s claws sunk into the metal, tearing large gashes and making her scramble to maintain her grip.

  Jared, my claws are ripping right through this thing. Whatever you want to do, do it fast.

  Panicking, Jared grunted as he ripped open the hatch on top of the ship. A piercing shriek of rending metal punctuated the roar of the engines as the hatch peeled away. Saying a quick prayer, Jared dropped into the ship, pistol in hand.

  He landed in a crouch and brought the phase pistol up, ready to defend himself against any assailants inside. Except nothing happened. Confused, nerves on edge, Jared was flabbergasted.

  Scarlet, there’s no one in here.

  Can you stop the acceleration at least? This ship is about to break free, and I will not be able to keep up at full speed.

  Everything inside the ship was alien to him. It might as well have been from outer space. He saw translucent panels and screens all over the interior. Dozens of lights blinked around the space and images from below flitted across the forward display. In front of him, a humanoid machine sat in a chair adjusting dials and controls on a console.

  It’s driving the ship?

  Jared creeped over to the machine, aligned the pistol to its head, and pulled the trigger. Just before he fired, its head swiveled in his direction, and he saw a glowing mechanical eye pulse before the head exploded in a shower of sparks.

  The instant its head exploded the ship came to an abrupt halt, throwing Jared against the front viewing screen. One display cracked, and a stab of pain pierced his skull as his head rebounded against the metal bulkhead.

  “Ugh, that hurt!” Reaching up to grab his head, it came away slick with blood as stars danced in his eyes.

  Jared, are you okay?

  Yes, I’m fine. The sudden stop threw me against the wall, but I’ll manage.

  The ship is hovering in place, just outside the city. I think we are far enough from the city and the people down there. They will not reach us before we can leave.

  Good! I’ll see if I can figure out how to land this thing.

  Land? Why would you do that?

  I want to give it to the people that tried to capture it.

  What? Why?

  You heard me. I want to give it to them. Well, not directly. We’ll bring it down, and they can come out here to get it.

  Jared, why would you give them technology like this?

  I want to see if they even know how to use it, and if they are Daggers, then perhaps it will protect innocents if they still plan to hijack a ship at one of the colonies down south. As Jared spoke, more ideas came to mind. He voiced them, making them up as he went, but feeling more confident in his decision.

  Also, I’d like to see what the response is from the cities and the Daggers. Will the city send out a rescue party? Will the Daggers attack the cities, or use it steal from more people?

  Oh, that’s—

  I know, I know. It’s not like me, but if these people are Daggers, then I won’t be super disappointed if they don’t survive the attempt. If they can test the defenses and response time of the cities, it’ll give us valuable information to fight back. I’ve thought about scouting the cities a few times, and I don’t think we’re going to get a better opportunity than this.

  I like that plan.

  Jared smiled at Scarlet’s response, not revealing that he’d pulled some of those justifications out of thin air. Still, he was impressed with himself for improvising on the fly. Although, it did make him pause.

  Is this because of my increased Intelligence perhaps?

  Jared had no way to gauge small effects like that, but it was an intriguing prospect and one he’d keep in mind from now on. Setting his ego aside, he examined the ship.

  It was a small area, with the one chair in front of the console where he’d killed the machine. Dozens of compartments and hatches decorated the walls, and Jared darted over to them, ripping them open and stripping out the contents.

  He found boosters, a couple of phase pistols, several cases of phase ammunition, medical supplies, and a few changes of something that looked like a uniform. In several of the larger compartments he found minerals and metals similar to what they’d harvested back in his home colony. What the cities used the raw materials for, he didn’t know, but judging by the full compartments, it appeared this ship had been out collecting them.

  Stuffing all the items he could in his pack and satchel, including the uniforms, Jared had to leave the medical supplies. They had enough already, so it wasn’t a huge loss, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave any of the other items behind. After scavenging all he could, Jared crossed over to the console to bring the ship down. The humanoid robot sat in front of a console with hundreds of buttons and a half dozen levers, several of which had arrows next to them.

  Easing the left lever forward, he felt a slight pressure that made him scoot backward a few inches.

  Forward, check.

  The lever next to it had arrows in the same direction and when pressing the stick forward, the ship dropped a few meters, and his stomach climbed into his chest.

  Jared!

  Yep, got it, Jared said wryly. Slower this time, he eased forward on the lever, and the ship descended to the ground. He could see the earth rise to meet them in the screen, and the ship thumped into the terrain. There was probably a button to extend some landing gear, but he didn’t want to spend the time to find out.

  Not wasting time, Jared spun on his heel and rocketed down the ramp. Scarlet was already waiting for him, and he jumped on her back before she launched into the sky. They gained altitude quickly and disappeared into the distance.

  Let’s put some distance between us and the ship. Stay close enough so we can watch with Magnified Vision, but far enough not to attract attention from them or any response from the cities.

  It took a while for the people to reach the ship, and they cautiously approached, guns at the ready. When nothing happened, three of the five tentatively walked inside. Without warning, the ship suddenly launched straight up, and the ramp closed with a hiss. The two guys on the ground gestured manically, but the roar of the thrusters kicking in drowned them out. A moment later, a head popped out of the hatch he’d used, and they gestured to the men below.

  Jared didn’t know what they said, but it seemed like the ship had a mind of its own as it shot forward.

  Suddenly, the ship dipped, and the man standing in the hatch popped out and fell into nothingness. He plummeted to the ground where he landed in a broken heap. Jared felt a pang of remorse for these people and wished they wouldn’t have attacked the ship.

  Scarlet.

  I know. Even I feel pity for them. They had no chance against that thing.

  Can you follow that ship? I know it’s faster than us, but it doesn’t appear to be at full speed.

  I will try.

  If it looks like any other ships are coming, let’s make a beeline for the ground and find some cover. Once we’ve gathered some intelligence, we’ll return here and go find your family. I think this chance to scout is too important to pass up.

  Agreed. We may learn critical information about the cities, how they respond, and how to combat them.

  Scarlet answered him by shooting forward after the ship, which she managed to keep in sight. Jared was curious if the ship had some sort of autopilot, or if someone was controlling it remotely. Either way, he was thankful it wasn’t going at full speed or they’d never keep up.
Even now, they must be flying just shy of two hundred miles an hour.

  They flew away from New York City out over the ocean. The sight no longer sent revulsion or fear through him like it used to. He knew there were creatures of all sorts in its depths, but he also knew deep beneath the surface rested some of the most majestic beings to roam the earth.

  Someday, he hoped to meet Scarlet’s extended family, the water dragons. First, they’d find her fire brothers and then look for the rest.

  The ship flew for an hour before a dot in the sky announced its destination. The city grew larger, and towering spires came into focus.

  Wow.

  Jared, this—how can we hope to go against that?

  Because we must. Let’s learn what we can and leave this place. We have much growing to do before we attempt a coup.

  Sweeping arcs and terraces punctuated by massive towers that rose in a staccato of steel and glass throughout the city. It glimmered even from this distance.

  Scarlet, fly higher. I don’t want to take any chances of them seeing us. If they have scanners, no doubt they already know something’s here, but hopefully they’ll discount us as a harmless creature.

  They kept pace with the ship, close enough Jared could watch with his enhanced vision, but far enough they’d show up as merely a spec in the sky. The closer they flew to the city; the more impressed Jared became. Not only were the buildings magnificent, the floating island looked like paradise. Trees, green grass, and flowers covered every open area.

  Scarlet, it’s—

  Beautiful.

  How could they do this to the rest of the world when they have all this?

  Scarlet didn’t answer, and he didn’t expect one. Neither of them had any idea why they’d keep these advancements from the rest of the world. He saw no people, but that didn’t surprise him with the massive scale of this floating metropolis.

  The ship approached the floating city and swiveled around so the ramp pointed at the city. Lined up to greet the ship, a row of humanoid machines held phase rifles. They looked like the same thing he’d killed inside the ship, and once again, he saw no humans present. The ramp touched down and the two remaining people tumbled out of the ship, standing face to face with the robots.