Regenerate

by Emily Goldthwaite

  The smell nearly makes me throw up, but I manage not to.

  Lander puts his arm around my waist. “We’ll leave here pretty quick. I just need to see if I can figure out what happened.”

  We duck into several tents until we find one that looks the most official. There on the fancy desk is an actual paper with handwritten data scribbled on it. The words at the top grab my attention.

  Solar Flare: Information and Protocol

  “That explains it,” says Lander, lifting the paper from the table.

  “Explains what?” I ask.

  He looks at me, his expression thoughtful. “The evacuation wasn’t supposed to happen till the end of the school year. It caught us operatives completely by surprise the other night. I’ve been trying to work out why the impromptu change.” He motions to the paper in his hand. “If they realized a flare was about to hit, they needed to get all of you out fast.” He scans the paper again and nods to himself. “A solar flare would also explain all the weird power glitches lately and our burns. Here, read for yourself.” He hands me the paper and proceeds to gather some of their supplies.

  The light outside must be fading, because it’s getting too dark to read. I skim the document for terms I actually understand rather than the science-y garble. It mentions lights and signal disruptions, and then power surges. But as I continue, one particular line makes my blood cold.

  “Lander, listen to this.” I read it out loud. “If and when any such events occur, all tech will be rendered permanently disabled, and may be temporarily hazardous or fatal if handled.”

  The last lines speak of aborting any present mission and reporting back to base.

  I hand the paper over to Lander, and for a long moment we stare at each other.

  My lips move numbly as I try to wrap my head around this. “No more tech. At all.” We talked about this in astronomy, but that seemed so far removed from reality I didn’t let myself imagine it. I feel hollow, like someone scooped out my innards. Our whole world, everything I’ve ever known, just flipped on its head.

  Lander puts his hands on my shoulders, and it comforts some of the loss I feel. “It’ll be all right. We’ll head to Jo’s and she can teach us how to live like her, off grid.”

  The mention of her name draws me out of my stupor. “Jo. Do you think she’s ok?” My voice cracks betraying my emotion.

  His blue eyes hold mine. In his gaze I see reassurance mingled with a concern that counters his next words. “She doesn’t do much tech. I bet she’s fine.” He swallows then finishes. “Truthfully, she’s not the one I’m most concerned about.” He bites his inner cheek and continues staring at me until it’s like I read his thoughts.

  I gasp and feel like someone just stabbed me. “Mom! Our parents. They’re going to die. They can’t even get out of their houses without their chairs!”

  I make for the tent door, ready to run home right now, but Lander catches my wrist and gently pulls me back. “Hold on, Averi. Two things. First, we need to get Rax and Jett. Second…” He trails off.

  “Yes? What?” I demand, tapping a pensive rhythm with my foot.

  His bright blue eyes burn and his shoulders are rigid. “Averielle, what we saw here is pretty gruesome. What we’ll find there, well, it’s going to be a lot worse, I think. And it’ll be faces and people you personally know. Are you sure you can handle that? They wouldn’t come back for any of you. You know that, right?”

  I blink several times, digesting his words. I picture my older brother as an infant, withering away in his crib, slowly dying, as he cried out for a mom who would never come. His tragic image is replaced by my own. If it weren’t for others, I would have suffered Abraham’s fate. Lander’s right. Mom wouldn’t—no, didn’t save me or my brother. And with so much more tech around, it will be a lot worse than this. Is saving her worth carrying the memories of seeing her burnt up like these soldiers?

  In my mind, I see that skull cap plant growing defiantly through the synthetic lawn, like Jo pushing through everything despite the odds. Then there’s the image of Dad, racing after me with all his might. Despite no hope of catching up to me, he still ran, and even now he searches. Strength, courage and will. That is my true heritage.

  My resolve hardens. “You’re right,” I say. “They abandoned us to die as children. But I am not a child anymore, and I won’t abandon them.”

  His eyes shine as he looks at me and nods. “Ok. Let’s go get the others.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  We move as fast as we can. Jett’s injured ankle is slowing our progress, but I’m glad we didn’t leave him behind. It just wouldn’t have felt right, or safe. It’s early morning now and the sun is finally all the way up, but the hill where the bunker was still seems as close as ever.

  When we have to stop and rest, I can’t help watching the stack of smoke on the horizon. It seems to grow bigger by the minute, but that could just be anxiety messing with me. Still, it makes my chest sink. I hope we won’t be too late.

  As we stand up to keep going, Lander’s hand touches my shoulder. “Averi, I think you should take a look.”

  I turn the direction he’s pointing. “What? What’s wro—” My words end unfinished in my gaping mouth.

  Far off in the distance is another plume of smoke, this one coming from where I would think Jo’s house is. I clasp my hand over my mouth. “Jo.” I shake my head, my mind racing and my eyes glued to the black line of smoke. “I have to help her.”

  Lander’s hand on my shoulder tightens. “Don’t worry, Averi, she’s a very tenacious lady; I’m sure she got out right away.”

  I turn towards him. The nausea in my stomach at the thought of Jo burning to death makes my words come out rushed. “No, she hurt her foot. Last I saw her, she could barely walk. What if she’s trapped?”

  “What about your mom, Averi?” asks Jett, who’s on his feet with Rax’s assistance. “I’m not sure what you should do, but I can tell you our parents are going to be non-functioning without their tech.”

  Rax chimes in without looking at me. “When my dad’s chair broke he couldn’t even get himself out of it. I don’t think any of them can.”

  Lander takes a step away from me and slides the pack off his back. He unzips it and riffles through its contents. “Averi, I’m going to go check on Jo. You may be right; she might need help. If she is, time is of the essence. The three of you keep going and save your parents if you can.” He pulls out the two small com devices and places batteries inside. When he presses their buttons, they crackle to life. “I’ll use these to let you know once Jo is safe, and then I’ll come help at the village.”

  The nausea in my gut eases. “Thank you, Lander. This means the world to me. But how are these coms still working? Don’t they use electricity?” I ask as he hands one to me.

  He presses the button on his, answering through the device. I can hear him almost as clearly as a Chat through a Pocket Palm. “That thick box these coms were in blocked out the radiation, I think, so it saved them.”

  He turns to the other two guys. “Raxtin, Jett, are you both in agreement with this plan? Can the three of you manage?”

  “We’ll manage,” says Rax with a curt nod.

  “Yeah,” says Jett. “Just make sure Jo is all right.”

  Lander walks over to me and slides his arm around my waist. “It’s all right, Averi. She’s going to be ok.”

  I guess I didn’t realize I had tears brimming, because at his reassurance the moisture in my eyes spills onto my cheek, and my emotion catches in my throat. I nod. “Ok. Thank you. I’ll try not to worry.”

  He offers a gentle smile, brushing away the last of my tears, and then gives me one final kiss. The sweet warmth of it gives my resolve the fortitude I needed. He’s right, everything will be ok. Jo is going to be fine.

  As he pulls away, I swear his hands tremble slightly. He winks and grins at me. “See you soon, Shrieker.”

  I watch him disappear, and it’s killing me not t
o go with him. Once he’s out of sight, I turn towards my friends. “Let’s go. We have our parents to save.”

  We travel for nearly an hour, Rax and me each under one of Jett’s shoulders so most of the weight is off his injured foot. Our progress is even slower than before, and my shoulders are exhausted. The columns of black smoke on the horizon feel like a harbinger of death, taunting me about what it’s doing.

  Using the com, Lander checks in to test the connection every now and then, and assures me he’s getting closer. Just hearing his voice and reassurance keeps me focused and able to push forward.

  When we stop to rest for a while, I sit at the base of an old thick aspen and brace my hands over my knees, watching the rising smoke. Jett and Rax quietly discuss something nearby, but I’m too much in my own head to listen. I feel like everyone will be dead by the time we get there, and knowing they might still be alive right now is torturous.

  Raxtin comes over and leans against the aspen, casting a tall shadow across me. “Averi,” he says, his tone low and quiet. “Jett and I think you should take the com and go on without us. We’ll catch up as fast as we can.”

  I draw my legs in tighter to me. “Raxtin, I can’t just leave you two. It would make you guys take longer and you might not get there fast enough to save your parents. Besides, what if you need help out here? Without the com there’ll be no way to reach anybody.” Without thinking, my eyes drift back to the dark plumes on the horizon and I bite my lip.

  Raxtin hangs his head and sighs, kicking absently at the grass beside me. “Averi, I think you need to save your mom. Don’t worry about our parents; that’s for us to take care of. Your mom needs you, and I don’t think there’s much time. Jett and I will catch up to you once everyone is safe. Since you’re going solo, it’s best if you take the com; that way you’ll know when Jo is safe.”

  Why is he doing this? Does he feel like he owes me? Or does he not want to be around me more than he has too? “But Rax, time could mean the life and death difference for either of our parents, so—”

  “Exactly,” he says. “So hurry.” I stare up at him, but his scowl and stormy hazel eyes are unreadable.

  Pushing off the ground, I stand and dust off. I feel like hugging him, but I’m not sure if he’d want me to, so I fold my arms around myself. “Thank you, Rax.”

  He nods and offers a quick smile without looking at me. “Of course.”

  We all say a quick goodbye, then I take off running.

  Within an hour I’ve already covered half the remaining distance to the village. I’m keeping a pretty good pace, and my asthma is surprisingly staying at bay.

  I’ve just crossed another section of the stream and am putting my shoes back on when the com crackles to life. “Averi,” says Lander. “Are you there?”

  I scoop the device up in both hands and hold it up to my lips. “I’m here. Where are you?”

  “I’m coming up to Jo’s,” he says. “There are a few military vehicles I can see from here, and there’s fire, but I can’t tell from what yet.”

  “Do you see Jo?”

  “No, not yet. It looks like her shed burnt down and parts of the fencing and—” Lander curses, still holding down the com button.

  “What. What is it?” I ask. But since I can still hear him I know he can’t hear me.

  “Jo!” he says. “Jo, your house is burning down. We need to get you out.”

  There’s a garble of words that sounds like Jo’s voice. She’s saying something about tinctures and flames, but I can’t really tell what.

  It goes quiet.

  “Lander? Lander?” I say into the com. “Are you there? Is everything all right?”

  Silence.

  Don’t freak out, Averi. If he’s answering you he can’t help Jo. Just chill out and wait. He’ll let you know once he’s safe. Stay calm. I try to focus on the birds chirping and the rustling of the bare branches in the trees above me as the breeze whistles through them. I force myself to finish putting on my shoes.

  BOOM!

  A sound like distant thunder shatters the peaceful air. I jump to my feet and stand on tip toe trying to see what the sound was. I’m pretty sure it came from Jo’s direction.

  “Lander?” I say into the com again.

  Static.

  I try to adjust the station it broadcasts on, but it makes a vacant, whiny, whistling noise. What could have caused that sound? It sounded like an explosion. But where on earth would a bomb have come from? As if in answer, Jo’s reason for never crossing her property line hits my memory like an air tram. I grip my forehead to stop the instant, shooting pain.

  I flip the com back to the original frequency. “Lander?” I try again.

  Nothing but crackling static.

  A huge, dark column of fresh smoke billows up from Jo’s. My hand flies over my mouth “No,” I whisper, shaking my head. I step that direction. This can’t be happening. This isn’t real. I haphazardly climb the nearest tree and gaze out across the fall-colored forest, but all I can see is a clearer view of the massive cloud of smoke billowing up from Jo’s.

  “Lander! Jo!” I scream. My hands are trembling and my grip is starting to slip, but I can’t hold on.

  The air rushes out of me as my back makes contact with the forest floor. I curl into a ball, hugging my scraped hands around my scuffed knees as uncontrollable sobs rack my shoulders. My chest aches so bad I think I might die just sitting here. Is there any way they could’ve survived that? Are they really gone?

  My whole body shakes and my face feels like it crumples as I sob aloud. Not them. Please not them. They got out in time. They had to. But why won’t he answer the com? He knows I’m waiting for the all-clear. Or maybe they’re hurt and needing help. That thought makes my gut drop and my stomach churn. I feel sick. I’ve got to go check on them. If they need help, I can’t just leave them to die.

  I rise to my feet, preparing to book it to Jo’s, but the thick smoke from the nearby village smacks my conscience. Mom. She needs me. She’s counting on me. If I don’t save her, I know that no one will, not even her.

  I look back to the dark, vertical line in the distance marking Jo’s. It’s like my heart is tearing in two directions. Lander went to Jo’s so I could get my mom out. Jo and Lander have each other, no matter what condition they’re in. Mom is all alone because I left her. No. Mom is alone because she chose to leave reality and everything that really mattered. I look back to the village and then to Jo’s again.

  My choice might be a mistake, but I won’t repeat hers.

  I swallow the knot in my throat, ignore the pain in my chest, and start running.

  Chapter Thirty

  It’s mid-morning as I finally reach the hole beneath the wall and slip down through it, into the village.

  Once inside, I take in the terrible scene more clearly. Half the residence columns are either engulfed in flames or have collapsed and are now a smoking pile of ash and rubble. Even from the wall, the screams of those still trapped inside reach me. It’s horrific.

  I swallow hard. Give me strength! I have to help them, no matter how awful it is.

  As I race through the village, the streets are not as busy as I would’ve hoped, but there are at least some people. A few safety officers, Grands, and mostly tubers are doing what they can to help. Most are dragging the Lost on blankets out the front doors of the buildings before their column goes up in flames like the others.

  I race to the back of the A building. Flames are pouring out of the windows of the first three floors, but above that still looks clear. I wrap my sweater around my face and test the collection pipe with the back of my hand. It’s still cool. I wrap my hands around the pole, and the scrapes on my palms from climbing the tree sting. As fast as I can, I shimmy up the slick pole. Fire licks at my arms and legs from the nearest open window, but I keep going, ignoring the heat.

  After what seems like forever, I reach the fifth floor and slide along its edge to my window. Thank goodness I left it s
lightly open. I slip inside my pod. Everything has been rummaged through, and my re-router is smashed on the floor. They must have come looking for me.

  Heart pounding, I head towards my open door and step into the hall.

  “Mom?” I call out. It’s so dim I can hardly see. No response. “Mom?” I call again, heading down the hall to her pod. Oh, please don’t be dead. Please.

  I stop short at the computer room, and there in her air chair is Mom’s limp, lumpy form. I bite my lip to keep from crying. With fingers trembling, I reach out and touch her arm. “Mom?”

  Her skin is warm to the touch and she stirs. I gasp and jump back.

  “Averi?” she says, squinting as if to try and see me. “Is that you?”

  I exhale my lungs full of air in one gust. “Yes, it’s me. I came back to get you out.”

  “Out? No, it’s not mandatory outside time today. They said you were lost.”

  I bite back a smile. “They’ve said the same thing about you for a long time.”

  Her expression is vacant and still. “Honey, my chair hasn’t been working since last night and I’m very thirsty. Get me a drink, dear,” she says, rubbing the charred mark on her left arm.

  I glance around the room. “No, we have to get you out of here, Mom. The building is on fire.” How the heck I’m supposed to do that, I don’t know.

  She shakes her head in a strange, disorderly way. “Don’t be silly. It’s just a little outage. I’m sure they’ll have it fixed soon. Besides, my vSpecs come today! Just get me that drink and I’ll be fine.”

  I scrub my hands over my face. “No. We’re getting out.” I march away and rip the sheet off her bed, ignoring her protests behind me.