by Chris Hechtl
“So …”
“It was in the sky. At first I thought it was a bird or something, but it was always there no matter which direction I faced.”
“Um …”
“So,” he stirred the fire with the stick again. “I looked around trying to memorize what was around, then back. Then I turned my head fast when I saw the flicker again.”
“And what did you see?” Terri asked when he didn't say the answer right away.
“You're not going to believe me but … pixels.”
“Pixels?”
“Yeah. You know, what images are made up out of?”
“Where?”
“In the sky,” he said, pointing. They followed his finger to the heavens then frowned.
“No way,” Miguel was the first to say. He turned back to Bret with a frown.
“Pretty much my reaction. It didn't last more than a half a second. Too fast to really get a good look, but I'm pretty sure of what I saw.”
“And you didn't tell me?” Hayden asked.
“What would be the point? Besides, like I said, you'd think I was crazy,” he said with an uncomfortable shrug.
“No, I just don't know what it means,” she said with a frown.
“A holodeck?” Gisel asked softly. They turned to the pilot. “We had big screens for a simulator. The flight simulators I mean. I dated a guy briefly who was into them. He talked on and on about Trek holodecks,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I barely remember much of it.”
“Huh.”
“Or something like that Truman Show movie. Or that Hunger movie,” Bret said. “That was my initial thought.”
“Hmm,” Terri murmured, rubbing her chin. She looked over to Gisel who rubbed her nose then pinched it.
“My head hurts just thinking about it,” Gisel said.
“I know. The engineering involved …,” Miguel frowned thoughtfully. “We're talking a couple of square miles? Maybe more? I don't know.”
“More than that. The engineering involved to make a dome of that size is beyond anything we can do,” Bret said. Miguel nodded unhappily.
“Huh,” Terri said.
“And now you get to think about it all night.”
“Gee thanks,” Gisel said dryly.
He snorted. “Well, it beats your Matrix theory.”
“No, it supports it in a way. I'm just not sure how,” she said with a stubborn scowl. He shook his head.
“Whatever.”
“Either way, we're trapped. Captives. Like rats in a maze for someone's amusement or database.”
“What, a long-term social interaction experiment?”
“I don't know,” Gisel said.
“Whatever,” Bret said again. She looked at him.
“You don't care about being a captive?”
He looked at her and then to the others. “It matters sure, but what can we do about it? We're trapped. They aren't malicious; we're surviving. They could be mean and nasty or sadistic. I don't know what is going on. I don't know if we'll ever know.”
“But we're captives,” Hayden insisted.
“I've been a captive since you showed up. I've gotten used to it,” he said softly, directly to her. She blushed.
“Good answer,” she murmured, tucking her arm in his. She hugged herself to it.
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Over the next three weeks, he taught them how to make as much stuff as possible as well as pass on any survival skills he could think of. The rain kept them indoors for two days, which allowed him to go into lecture mode, though he hadn't had much to use to demonstrate what he had been talking about at the time.
They left with packs loaded with gear. They met their friends at the shore and returned to their base camp, while Hayden returned with him. He was smart enough not to protest when she ducked under his arm and wrapped it around her.
They entered the compound in each other's arms. She was amused as he hugged her. They looked around with quiet satisfaction. “Alone at last,” she murmured happily. He smiled. He knew what that meant.
With the extra hands they had managed to get three walls of the cabin up and framed in. He'd even managed to make some crude furniture and they had a good two cords of wood drying for the fireplace and chimney that was half built. All in all it was quite wonderful progress.
Chickens were clucking in the cages around the perimeter. They even had a couple of turkey chicks and a broody hen sitting on some eggs. Rabbits were in a rock and clay pit with a lid made out of wood. He had to check it daily to make sure the little bucktoothed bastards didn't chew through the wood or dig themselves out and escape.
Coils of rope hung in strategic places. There was even a couple of nets near the gate and a half-finished one hanging from a frame. Leather skins were hanging from frames in the trees as well or on convenient rocks.
He rubbed at her belly and felt it was a little firmer, a little rounded. “I hesitate to ask since I don't want to get my ass kicked, but um … are you getting fat?” he teased. She poked him in the flanks, mock scowling at him.
“Oh? Can't you guess?” she asked. He stared down at her. She gave him a catlike smile and moved out of reach. She looked over her shoulder and grinned at his surprised expression. “Well?” she asked huskily, eyes glittering with mischief and news. There was something else there, excitement … he frowned thoughtfully.
“Um … it's not like we had a lot of together time this past month.”
She giggled softly. “No, we haven’t,” she turned, dropping her ruck and hugging him. “Finally. Alone at last.” She rested her arms on each of his shoulders. She sighed contented when his arms slowly encircled her waist.
“Pregnant?” he murmured, kissing her hair.
“Ah, the light dawns,” she teased. He chuckled, still in a state of shock. Her arms dropped to wrap around his chest. Her long fingers played with his tunic front. It was a bit frayed; she made a mental note to do something about it later … if she could get the thing off of him. Which, she smiled again, wouldn't be a problem.
“Are you okay with this?” he asked softly, nuzzling her hair. She squeezed him tighter.
“I'll take that as a yes,” he gasped. She giggled. He snorted. “You'll make a wonderful mother or drill sergeant.”
“I found out from my mom they are pretty much the same thing,” she laughed, head back, eyes twinkling with mirth. He smiled at her, and they kissed.
They turned at a sudden noise. There was an oink and then another. He scowled and leaned around the corner of the three-foot fence to find a sow and piglets rooting through their compost heap. Hayden did as well and then grinned in delight. “Shit! Catch them!” she yelled springing into action. Together they cornered the animals against the perimeter fence and then caught the squealing piglets and sow with a net. One piglet squirmed out from the net before they could grab it and got away, squealing and running for the open gate. They hogtied the others and then laughed at the sight of each other, covered in muck but happy. She blew hay out of her hair and then smudged her cheek with something or other. She wrinkled her nose but grinned at him, sticking the tip of her tongue out to her teeth as she pulled a knot taut with a couple expert jerks.
“We so need a pen,” she said with a sigh.
“Yeah, that we do, cowgirl,” he laughed shaking his head. He turned to admire the squirming bundles. “And we'll need food for them,” he said. She nodded, tucking her arm around his waist once more. “But for now something tells me they can wait.”
“Smart man,” she murmured huskily, kissing him again.
----------
At what Bret judged was the midsummer equinox, they had half of the cabin done. One third of all of their meat was smoked. They had the beginnings of a proper farm with pigs, chickens, and turkeys. They were still having a hard time without nails though; metal was a becoming increasingly a priority.
Terri and Jenise decided to come to stay with them permanently. Jenise was new to the camp; she had been a s
ecretary and personal assistant before the trip. Toshi, her gamer boyfriend, had died from dysentery after drinking the water weeks ago. He'd been sick off and on since they had arrived. “He kept getting the runs and just stopped. He shut down. He couldn't live without his damn computer,” she tearfully said to Hayden.
Hayden nodded and took her in her arms. But the girl stiffened when she felt the baby bump. She stared, shocked at the other woman's pregnancy. “Are you serious? Here?”
“No better place,” Hayden said.
“But now?” Jenise demanded, eying her. She turned a black scowl on Bret. He spread his hands apart.
“It takes two to tango, Jenise. Besides, what's done is done,” Terri said quietly, still shooting dark looks at Bret. “Come on, let's go,” she urged.
“Yeah, like my swollen feet could use more walking,” Hayden grumped, rubbing the small of her back. She smiled her thanks when Bret insisted on taking her pack. She'd trained him in the evenings to rub her feet and shoulders, to give her other attention when she wanted it. He was still learning though and stubbornly clinging to his ignorance of her mood swings and some of her habits. But he was getting there, she judged in approval. Slowly, she thought. Oh so slowly, but worth the domesticating, she thought with a small smug smile.
“What?” he asked, eying her warily.
“Oh … nothing,” she said with a slight hint of mischief in her tone and eyes. That made him even more wary. She smiled slightly then nodded her head to the path ahead. He nodded and followed along.
She eyed the other women as they walked. She wasn't sure about having them around. On the one hand it was nice, but again, they were a distraction. They were also potential competition she thought, fighting a mood swing. She didn't need or want jealousy at this point she thought, doing her best to tamp it down and get it under control. “Amazing,” she said over and over.
“So um, how long um …,” Bret waved.
“Not that you're not welcome or anything but …,” Hayden put a restraining hand on his arm gently as she looked at Terri.
“I want to stay a month. I'll stay in there or hell, under a tree or something,” Terri said, waving to the teepee. “Jenise …,” she turned to the other woman.
Jenise rubbed her arm. It was clear she didn't like being the center of attention. “I don't know,” she finally said, voice rising a bit defensively. “I'll work hard, honest. I just … I can't stay there. Everyone's all sympathetic, and I just can't handle it,” she said, ending nearly in a wail.
“Okay.”
“I just want to forget,” Jenise whispered.
“It's okay. We understand. You want to move on. Okay,” Hayden said to her softly. The girl looked at her and then nodded before she looked away.
Terri looked at Jenise for a moment then away, aware her stare was making the girl more uncomfortable. “We'll work for our supper. But if we can get a percentage of the truck harvest and grain as payment, that'd be good too,” Terri said. “Like we talked about,” she said, looking at Hayden expectantly.
Hayden bit her lip and shot Bret a guilty look. He raised his eyebrows at her. “Something I missed apparently?” he asked mildly.
“We, um, talked about it. About her or Miguel or whoever staying on to learn more and get a percentage. I'm not sure about …,” she waved to her belly. He froze. “I mean, I'll be able to do stuff,” she said hastily, “Just … not as much as I'd like. I don't want to risk the baby,” she said.
“Okay,” he said quietly. She rubbed his arm.
“Thanks, honey,” she murmured to him.
“I like the chicken coop,” Terri said, nodding her chin to the small building. They turned to it. Bret nodded. “I see you found a way around nails. Crude joints? Dove tails?”
“Whatever works. Notches in this case. It's the best I can come up with,” Bret said.
“Well, it'll match the cabin when you finish it,” Jenise said with a nod of approval to the cabin.
Hayden smiled and rubbed Bret's back as she hugged his side. The cabin was simple, scaled back from his original overblown intentions. He'd finally come to realize he'd been a mite too ambitious. The new version was now a one-room affair with a sleeping loft. He had designed it so they could expand it next year though.
“Okay, let's get started then,” Hayden said. She looked expectantly up to him as he looked down to her. Her rubbing hand drifted to his waist and then rump. “Kiss?” she demanded.
“Yes, ma'am,” he said with a smile as he leaned over to kiss her. She gave him a squeeze then a pat and a push.
“Good boy,” she said, praising him. He chuckled. “Now, go get to work. Dinner is just before sundown, so don't be late or you'll be doing dishes the rest of the week,” she ordered.
“Yes, ma'am,” he sighed in resignation.
“Terri, go ahead and toss your stuff and Jenise of course,” he nodded to the other woman. “Your stuff too in the guest teepee. We're not quite finished with the main one just yet. Not until that place has a roof,” he said, indicating the cabin.
“And that will be ….”
“Soon hopefully,” Hayden said from over by the fire. She blew on it gently to get the embers going again, feeding it kindling to get the fire going once more.
----------
For the first couple of days, he didn't show them anything he hadn't shown them before. He knew Terri was disappointed but sometimes they just had to do the same task over and over. Stuff like digging or hauling wood were mind numbingly boring but necessary tasks. Her peppering him with questions in passing didn't help either; it just served as a distraction. When she finally understood his grunts and short answers for the not-now message he intended, she backed off.
Hayden had a chat with him so he decided to do something later. What he settled on surprised them.
Bret taught them about making a drum out of skin and shell of a log. How to make simple pan pipes out of reeds as well as other improvised musical instruments. Terri knew how to use grass to make a whistle. One evening they played improvised music by the fire.
Bret joked about needing a cat to make a violin or guitar. Terri glared at him then turned away, clearly suddenly upset and then sad. Her shoulders shook a bit. She wiped at her mouth as Jenise patted her shoulder in sympathy.
“What?” Bret asked. “What'd I say?”
“She left her cat, Mister Nibbler, behind, with her sister,” Hayden said, glaring at the miscreant.
“Sorry,” Bret murmured, feeling like a heel. Terri sniffled then looked away rubbing at the tip of her nose. Finally she nodded.
----------
When the summer heat became terrible and he was certain they had a couple days of sun, he took Hayden and Jenise with him to the wreck. The girls picked over the area, but it hadn't had a long enough time to bounce back from the recent human occupation. They did find some berries and fruit that they used to supplement their diet. Bret's whole attention was on the wreck. He stripped to his boxers and then waded into the water and used his multitool on everything that he could reach. The girls at first thought it would be good fun to play and cool off, but he was more interested in getting what he had come after.
Unfortunately, the easily accessible parts of the wreck had already been picked over by Bret and Dwayne's group. And with the plane slowly sinking and moving off shore, it was trying to get anything else. Diving was a problem, though the girls enjoyed climbing the wing and jumping off of it.
He did his best to pick at the parts. Getting the damn bolts out was a pain; they were put on by a torque wrench or air hammer or something. He lashed a stick to his multitool but twice he had to stop due to concerns that he was going to break something.
He also dropped the tool once, which had led to an anxiety attack. Jenise had helped him find it with her feet, then dive for it. When he got it to shore, he used a shoe lace to fashion a safety strap to go through the handle and around his wrist so that wouldn't happen again. The strap was a pain in the ass,
especially when he needed to change hands, but it kept the precious tool from being lost permanently.
He had been after one of the porthole windows but he found that it was just too hard to get around the seal and caulk under water to pull one out. He gave up after a couple of dives and worked on other things.
He found bits to get out, just about anything he could salvage he did. The hinges were big finds, very precious. As was every bolt, nut, and screw he could get out of the plane. He lost a few of the nuts in the mud but he had to accept that.
They camped out in the evening in their old site, then went back to work the next morning. The girls chattered, but he was tired. “Can you get at the interior?” Hayden asked.
“I wouldn't want to. I mean with the bodies still inside …” Jenise shivered.
“True,” Hayden said, now shivering herself.
“I'm not sure it's worth the risk. I mean, I don't want to be trapped inside,” Bret mused. That got a look of fear from Hayden. “I wish I had some goggles.”
“Well, do what you can with what you've got. Don't push it,” Hayden said.
“I'm trying,” he said tiredly. She gave him a look then looked away. He caught Jenise's look but ignored it.
The girls didn't like his short temper as he worked so they did their best to avoid him when he got snippy. When they tired of being in the water, they went looking for wood or fire material or food, he thought; the pemmican they had wasn't going to last forever.
After the second night, he looked over the pile of pieces and judged it was enough to carry back. He had tried to get a couple of the piano hinges but hadn't managed it. With what he had he should be able to make a couple hinges. Maybe. He hoped so. A bolt and a couple bent pieces of metal hammered into shape might work he thought.
He had gotten a hydraulic cylinder out, though he wasn't certain what it would do for them. The wiring, hoses, fittings, and other bits were great. So were the bits of insulation and other things. Small wheels, it was a nice haul. They strung bits together with the rope he had brought along, and made a litter to carry the rest. Hayden nervously played guard as he and Jenise carried the litter back to their cabin.