Radioactive Evolution

by Richard Hummel

  They immediately dropped their weapons and held up their hands, but a split second later the robots opened fire with deadly precision. A few wisps of clothing and cloud of red mist was all that remained of the two stowaways.

  Scarlet.

  Yes.

  They’d surrendered, but the lifeless machines didn’t care. They dispassionately eradicated them. A pit opened in Jared’s stomach, and his desire to bring these people to heel re-doubled. Blatant disregard for human life. It sickened him. Jared’s thoughts were in disarray, and he couldn’t believe what he’d just witnessed. Any ideals he held about keeping some of these people alive dissolved.

  His desire to see justice served, pressed upon him an urgency to build their army as fast as they could, beginning with the dragons.

  Let’s get out of here and go find your family.

  After watching the people on board the hijacked ship become nothing more than a cloud of blood and bits of bone, Jared and Scarlet had a single-minded focus. They’d find Scarlet’s family, help others become bonded, and increase their strength. These three tenets drove them forward in their quest to become harbingers of justice.

  Harbingers. Maybe that’s what we should call ourselves? Jared thought. Too melodramatic.

  He bounced other ideas around like Justicar, Enforcer, or Avenger, but these words all sounded pompous when he formed the words in his head.

  What are we trying to do here? What’s our purpose?

  The questions echoed in his mind. He wanted to bring justice to the masses that’d become nothing more than slaves. He wanted to bring justice to those that died because of false information, and the cities not lifting a finger to help. Those that lived in the cities deserved to experience what it was like to live on the surface. On the other hand, the second part of his vow was to bring about a new age of dragons, protecting and strengthening them.

  Freedom?

  Law and order?

  Maybe Freedom Fighters? Agents of Freedom? Freedom Seekers? Protectors?

  Protectors. The name struck chord in his heart and resonated with everything he wanted.

  “Hey Scarlet, what do you think about the word Protectors?” Jared asked, emphasizing the word.

  For what?

  “I’ve been thinking about what we should call ourselves. You know, like an official group name that represents our goals.”

  Scarlet didn’t answer for a time. No doubt she was going through the same process. Only, she came back with a response much faster than him.

  I like it. It fits what we are trying to do, but it also signifies that we will fight to achieve our goals.

  “Protectors it is!” Jared whooped, liking the way it sounded.

  The moment New York City came into view, Scarlet banked, heading away from it yet again.

  Scarlet?

  This is close enough. No need to draw yet more attention to ourselves.

  Fair enough.

  Secure yourself.

  Once again, Jared found himself hanging on for dear life as they rocketed through the sky.

  It may take us several hours to reach the place my mother emerged from. Once we find the tunnel, it is a very long way into the heart of the earth to reach them. You will need to stay behind when the temperatures increase.

  I’ll go as far as I can with you. I’d very much like to join you the whole way, but I understand.

  Jared wasn’t sure how hot the earth’s core was, but he knew it would be much more than he could handle.

  The den where my brothers live is at least four thousand degrees, and the temperature increases at varying stages along the way.

  Wow, okay. Yeah, that’s not going to happen. I wonder how much I can withstand?

  I doubt more than two hundred degrees. Your Natural Armor should protect you from a lot, but you do not want to risk your nanites failing, because if they run out of energy you would burn up in an instant.

  If you can endure those temperatures, do you think you’d withstand a phase round? I mean, if you can handle the heat of the earth’s core—

  I know nothing about the technology used. Nor do I know how hot the phase matter becomes. It may contain more than superheated matter. I am not about to test the theory, if that is your desire.

  Don’t worry, I won’t shoot you. It was just an idle curiosity. If you didn’t have to worry about phase weapons, we might take out a lot of the defense in the city before they realize you’re impervious to their weapons. I’m sure they have ballistic weapons, but based on what we saw in the city, it looks like their primary weapons are phase types.

  We should test it out, Scarlet said thoughtfully.

  No, I meant it. I won’t shoot you. If you’re impervious to the weapons, great, but we’ll operate under the assumption you’re not. Also, they might have much more advanced weapons than phase rifles and cannons. I can’t imagine the cities giving any current technology to those of us down here like they do with the phase pistols.

  We could try experimenting some. I know how hot my fire breath is. We can compare its effects versus the phase rounds. It will give us a baseline to work with.

  That could work. Definitely something for us to think about before we mount an assault. We already took quite a risk earlier today attacking that ship, and it’s possible we tipped our hand, but I think it was worth the effort and risk getting the intel we did.

  I agree, but they already know we exist because of Razael. It’s plausible they do not realize there are different dragons or there are more of us. Either way, I think we learned valuable insights today.

  With nothing further to discuss on the topic, Jared turned his thoughts inward, exercising his mind. Already, over the past few weeks, he’d been able to improve his mental abilities a lot, frequently splitting his thoughts into multiple threads. He could eavesdrop on telepathic communications from several hundred feet, enter a meditative state at will, and split his thoughts into four threads simultaneously. Unfortunately, he couldn’t maintain that level of thinking without entering the meditative state, but he was getting closer.

  Scarlet, can you help me with my mental abilities while you fly? I’m assuming you can split your thoughts sufficiently for me to share a space with you?

  I can, but make sure you hold tight.

  Jared’s mind exploded into action. No matter how many times they did this, it amazed him. Scarlet’s ability to split her thoughts in so many directions at once overwhelmed him. Several weeks of practice, and he still couldn’t maintain this state for long. Each time they finished a session, his mind felt numb.

  While Jared spent time in the shared space, he often had trouble separating Scarlet’s thoughts from his own as they blurred together. It was extremely disorienting since some things Scarlet did completely instinctually.

  If he followed her thought process for flying, it baffled him how she could do it with almost no effort. She had to balance her body’s weight, her breathing, and maintain enough velocity to take advantage of thermal waves. Each beat of her wings required the perfect amount of exertion and balance.

  It showcased the complex nature of her mind and the ability to effortlessly perform tasks that required his undivided attention. Thirty minutes later, Jared disengaged from their shared thought space, his mind spiraling with the information overload. He feared falling from Scarlet’s back if he kept it up any longer.

  A by-product of the constant training and sessions with Scarlet was that he could think much faster than before. It wasn’t quite like Hyper-Cognition, but he could rapidly switch between different thoughts without activating the ability or entering a meditative state. It was a slow, but gradual process of building the Mind.

  Throughout the flight, Jared managed three separate sessions with Scarlet in decreasing intervals. The last session lasted only five minutes. He’d hit his limit for now, every nerve i
n his head screaming in protest.

  We are here.

  Jared looked down, confused.

  “I don’t see—oh, yeah, I think we found the right place.”

  Within the bottom of a dried-up reservoir, a large blackened patch of ground surrounded the tunnel leading into the earth. Jared looked around the area, trying to gauge where they were on a map. When it clicked into place, he laughed out loud, startling Scarlet.

  Jared?

  “Scarlet, do you have any idea what this area is called?”

  I do not.

  “This is Lake Eerie! Even to this day, the legend of Bessie persists. I loved dinosaurs growing up and was always fascinated by folklore about sightings of them. It’s rumored that a giant serpent lives in Lake Eerie. A serpent that often looks like a dinosaur—or dragon, from the few who say they’ve seen it. Surely, this can’t be a coincidence that your family burrowed just a couple miles from the lake.”

  I do not know, but we disappeared from the earth for thousands of years. How then could sightings occur?

  “I’ve no idea. I’m just telling you the rumors I’ve heard. There’re other such instances like Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster in Scotland. There were few sightings over the years, but enough that there’s some truth to them. Even today, ninety-five percent of the oceans and lakes of the world remain unexplored, so there’s a definite possibility for creatures of legend to exist.”

  I suppose it is possible one of the water dragons took up residence in the lake. The lake is large enough it could stay hidden, and there are so many others nearby it could hide in as well.

  “I’m not saying it’s factual, but now that I know dragons exist and still roam the oceans, I’m not so sure it’s a myth anymore.”

  We can find out later. It is only two hundred miles from our makeshift home from here and does not take long to fly.

  “Let’s table that discussion for now and focus on finding your brothers,” Jared said, looking back at the scarred, gaping hole in the ground. “How long did it take her to reach the surface? If she had to re-create the tunnels like we see here, I imagine it took a long time.”

  I— Scarlet said but cut herself off. A few moments later, she responded. She took several weeks to get out.

  “Several weeks? How far is this journey? We told everyone we’d be gone a few weeks at most.”

  Our journey will progress much faster. She had a lot of clearing to do.

  Looking into the massive tunnel, Jared began to sweat, his palms becoming clammy as claustrophobia surfaced. Weeks in a cave system didn’t sound the least bit appealing. Nor did he want to encounter more hordes of creatures down there. They’d already faced a giant worm in a similar underground tunnel system, and if they encounter something like it here, then it would be a long and trying journey.

  “Let’s rest for the night, and I’ll assign the rest of my nanites. Changes should finish by morning since we still have a solid part of the day left. I was thinking about where to put them on the flight over here, and I’ve decided Natural Armor is a good choice. I need more physical protection anyway, and if it helps me endure the heat better down there, then it’ll be a good investment.”

  Investing that many nanites into the ability may allow you to shrug off gunfire and phase rounds. It might not completely protect you, and will not last indefinitely, but they at least would cause less damage.

  “That would be pretty sweet. If I can shrug off a few hits, we can stand a better chance of attacking the cities, especially if they have any automated defenses in place.”

  His decision made, Jared pushed his remaining thirty-one percent into Natural Armor.

  I will keep watch until your changes finish.

  “Thanks, Scarlet.”

  Jared fell asleep against Scarlet’s side, sleep claiming him immediately. The more he gained control over his mind, the easier it was for him to quiet it, resulting in near instantaneous sleep.

  Jared woke a short time later and patted Scarlet on the side.

  “Your turn, girl.”

  Scarlet blinked at him in confusion. Already?

  “How long was I out?”

  Three hours.

  Jared mimicked Scarlet’s confusion, but then remembered how Natural Armor worked.

  “Wait, you assigned these names to the nanites? You should know how they work, then.”

  I… Scarlet started to protest, but then paused, her eyes widening. Oh, I see. I should have spent more time examining the code. I understood their function, but not how they worked, assuming they integrated with your skin to project a type of natural barrier. I did not realize they simply project a barrier of nanites. It makes integration unnecessary. Intriguing.

  “So, what you’re actually saying is…you were wrong?” Jared smirked, earning him a playful shove from Scarlet. “I’ll forgive you just this once, but next time—” Jared mimed giving her the smackdown with fist in palm. Smiling broadly at Scarlet’s expense, he said, “I think you had the right idea about the ability from the start, and I’ve used it as such this whole time anyway. It still consumes my own energy when used by creating a barrier around my body.”

  I suppose it does not matter after all. Yet I am disappointed in myself for not seeing it sooner.

  “Don’t sweat it. Do you need to rest before we head in?”

  I do not want to, but I will sleep for a short time.

  “Good plan. Sleep well.”

  Scarlet’s breathing immediately deepened, and Jared stood. Stretching, he walked about the area for a while to get his blood flowing. While he explored, he sent his focus inward to examine the changes wrought in his body. While nothing had changed physically, he felt an extra density surrounding him. It was a strange sensation. The increased number of nanites became a part of his outer layer of skin, but at the same time were separate. The added layers felt tangible. If he pressed down with a finger, he encountered an invisible barrier that rebounded at his touch.

  Picking up a sharp rock from the ground, he tested the edge on his forearm. To his eye, the edge looked sharp enough to cut his skin if applied hard enough, but when he tested the rock, it was dull.

  Curiosity got the better of him as he pulled out his knife. The last time he’d done this, Scarlet woke to find him about to shove a pipe through his arm. Quickly glancing back at Scarlet, he made sure she was sleeping so she couldn’t make fun of him if his tests failed.

  Again, he tested the edge of the knife, and although he could feel the sharpness and the metal edge, it didn’t slice into his flesh when he ran his thumb along the edge. Pressing the point into the palm of his hand, he felt only the pressure of the point, but it failed to pierce his skin, nor did it hurt.

  With slow, deliberate motions, he steadily increased the pressure until he needed to place his hand on the floor and put his weight into it. The pressure felt uncomfortable, but the point still failed to penetrate his skin.

  “Wow,” Jared murmured to himself. His Skin Hardening combined with the Natural Armor created a solid barrier to prevent damage to his body.

  “Oh crap.”

  Jared thought about booster’s and the need to inject the nanites and wondered how it would work if he couldn’t stab into his skin. Opening his pack, Jared grabbed one of the boosters he’d stolen from the drop ship and plunged the needle down.

  “Ow! Yep, that works still.” Curious, Jared pulled the needle out of his arm and brought I closer to his skin. Before it made contact, Jared examined the area in his mind. It was as if the nanites in his Natural Armor sensed those in the booster. They parted ever so slightly to allow the needle to penetrate his flesh.

  Jared sighed in relief. At least he was still able to use them in the event Scarlet didn’t figure out how to isolate the code and prevent corruption. It was really the only needle he cared about since his nanites took care of any oth
er infections or sickness.

  I wonder if it has the same effect on ballistic pressure or something traveling at high velocity? wondered Jared.

  A bullet created a spinning vortex that might rip through the protective barrier, and a phase round might burn through.

  Okay, one more test.

  Jared felt uneasy about this one, but he reasoned that he’d recover from it quickly should the barrier fail. Placing his hand against a rock, he raised the knife above his head, sucked in a breath, and plunged the knife down.

  Jared!

  The mental shout broke his concentration, and the knife clanged harmlessly off the rock, raising a shower of sparks.

  What are you doing?

  Alarm warred through Scarlet’s words, and Jared looked at her sheepishly, a blush creeping up his cheeks.

  “Well, you see, I was testing my new enhancement.”

  By stabbing yourself?

  “No, I—It’s not the first thing I did.” The words died on his lips as he realized what he’d said.

  Scarlet chortled with that annoying huffing sound as she stood.

  “Um, shouldn’t you rest more?”

  And let you stab yourself again?

  Jared looked away from her and sheathed his knife.

  No, I am rested well enough and eager to start our journey.

  Jumping on the opportunity to change the topic, Jared started for the tunnel’s mouth. “I’ll take point. It’ll be difficult for you to move around in there.”

  I have dragon’s breath.

  “Okay, you win.”

  Besides, you might decide to impale yourself again, and I do not need to see that.

  Scarlet didn’t give Jared even a moment to respond as she climbed into the hole followed by his sputtering excuses. Sighing, Jared knew he wouldn’t live that one down for a while and climbed into the hole after her.

  Heat Sight or Night Vision? While Night Vision made it easier to see his surroundings, it was a boring color, and it’d be much harder to use the further they went because there’d be no ambient lighting. He decided to start with Night Vision and move to Heat Sight at random intervals to scan his surroundings.