Revolution Rising- Rejects

by Sarah Snyder

  “These are the vehicles first used in exploring Flamouria. I think this baby might have been one of the originals.” Wil paused his task to look up at Zander. “Weren’t you helping Mav?”

  “Yes. I proved less than useful and was asked to leave.”

  “He asked you to leave?” Wil snickered.

  “Well, he used more vulgar words than I.” Zander pressed his lips together disapprovingly.

  “Sounds like Mav.” Wil snorted and motioned for Zander to join him. “Good, you can help me instead. I need someone to hold a light while I check these wires.”

  “Why?” Sawyer scoffed.

  “Don’t you want to see if she runs?” Wil asked excitedly.

  “We were in the middle of checking the area.” Sawyer reminded as his best friend turned back to his task.

  “Go have a look, I’ll be along.” Wil promised with a wave of his hand.

  “Okay, then.” Sawyer looked to his companions, their backs to him, their heads bowed, and ignorant to his continued presence. “Sure, I’ll just go check it out on my own.”

  In the short time Sawyer was shaded by the all-terrain’s hull, the temperatures outside rose considerably, his flesh beading with moisture to combat the quick rise of his body temperature. Whether due to their presence in the southern hemisphere or their proximity to the mines, Sawyer thought the temperatures seemed hotter than average. After a cursory look around the bunker, Sawyer circled back to better inspect his findings. A storage building attached to the bunker at the rear by a narrow tunnel structure. It stood only a story tall, nothing like the three- and four-story Administration structures in Alpha Sect. The storage shed was made with the same aluminum walls and roof as was common among the hastily constructed shelters in the early years of Flamouria; when the Administration struggled with the time, space, and weight of transporting equipment and materials from Earth. Rust and tarnish along its walls told of its age, though Sawyer saw much worse in his eighteen years of living in an Administration controlled Sect.

  The darkened interior was lit by high windows along the top of every wall panel, illuminating the few boxes scattered across the floor. The smell of dust and abandon filled his nostrils and scratched his throat. Sawyer’s boot left a print in the layer of dirt on the building’s aluminum, planked floor before placing it down again to leave another mark. Many of the boxes were empty, the few remaining were opened, and their contents scattered. Sawyer bent to pick up a sealed package of gauze strips and medical tape, seeing the box it fell from filled with the same. The next box contained antiseptic and alcohol sponges.

  “It’s all medical supplies.” Zander stated happily from behind him, startling Sawyer into drawing his pistol from its holster.

  “Hellfire and damnation, Zander. You can’t sneak up like that.” Sawyer spoke breathlessly and sheathed his weapon.

  “I did not realize I was sneaking.” Zander cocked his head to the side, visibly contemplating Sawyer’s words.

  “For someone so tall and gawky, you move like a mouse.” Sawyer mumbled, tossing the bandages back into the box from where they came. Thinner than Sawyer’s sturdy, muscled bulk, with light brown hair hanging low around his ears, Zander had a youth and innocence about him which told of his lack of experience. His browned slacks and shirt were dark, having acquired a thin film of dust from their journey. “Aren’t you helping Wil?”

  “Apparently, I am less use to him than to your brother.” Zander informed.

  “Of course.” Sawyer ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. “Well, maybe you can help out here then; these boxes seem like something you know about.”

  “Very much so. These are all wound treatment supplies.” Zander inspected the boxes. “There are bandages, suture kits, sterilization patches, medical tools; but there is a lot missing. Why would they not take it all?”

  “When you transport possessions in this heat, you take only what you need to survive. Can you tell what’s missing?” Sawyer asked, brushing dust from the label of an emptied crate.

  “This one was antibiotics.” Zander read from Sawyer’s label before moving to another. His eyes widened revealing its lacking contents. “This was painkillers; and some pretty heavy ones at that.”

  “So, they took painkillers and antibiotics, but no wound supplies?” Sawyer questioned.

  “That is concerning.” Zander nodded.

  “Why is it concerning?”

  “Well, if they were most concerned with oral medications – antibiotics and painkillers – I would assume they were fighting an illness. And, with so much missing, I would guess it was affecting much of the camp.” Zander deduced.

  “An outbreak of some sort.” Sawyer simplified.

  “That would be my assumption.”

  “An illness didn’t kill all of those people in the hole.” Sawyer shook his head.

  “No, but it would explain the missing miners. If they are ill, they might take refuge underground where the heat of the day and cold, moist nights wouldn’t worsen their conditions.” Zander moved to another crate and pulled out a handful of sealed, alcohol wipes. “These mines remain a stable fifty degrees Fahrenheit at all times.”

  “We should take this stuff with us.” Sawyer mentioned, watching Zander drop his bounty of wipe towelettes. “They didn’t need it, but we might in the future.”

  “I agree.” Zander nodded. “I will sort through the remaining supplies and set aside what is viable.”

  “I can help.”

  “I would rather if you aided in Maverick’s quest to find my missing comrades.” Zander shifted uncomfortably. “I do not mean to sound – officious – but this is a task I am quite capable of on my own, while you would only slow down my progress.”

  “That is the nicest way anyone has ever told me to fuck off.” Sawyer mumbled with a shake of his head, leaving Zander to his chore.

  Sawyer circled around the control building, noting the varying sizes of wires running current from the Anastasis into the bunker. Indented prints from his brother’s boots muddied the shaded earth at the base of the Anastasis’s cargo door, where the sun was unable to bake the soil still puddled in the ship’s shadow. A familiar bud persisted through the mud, wilted and colorless, but persevering despite the futility of its attempt.

  Sawyer recalled his first encounter with the night fire, the night he’d fled Alpha Sect, and bent to touch the bloom. It shattered in his hand, spilling its spores across the water as its dying gift to the land. The pebble-like seeds bobbed across the puddle, a few sinking to the bottom while others took longer to descend. He touched the water, scooping up several of the seeds. The ripples his fingers caused sunk what he left behind deeper into the muddy puddle. Sawyer placed those he gathered in his pocket like those Carl Morgan gifted him days earlier. He assumed those first seeds were long gone, lost in his haphazard discarding of the clothes he wore that night. Replacing them comforted him, calming some of the anxiety he felt at their presence near the clearly unstable mines.

  Sawyer entered the control room to chaos. Tables were filled with boxes of computer components and discarded electronics. Maverick was hidden from view beneath the desk to Sawyer’s right. He stepped over the tangled mess of wires and cleared his throat, remembering his own jumpiness when Zander didn’t announce his presence minutes before. “How is it coming?”

  “Almost there.” Maverick grunted. “Find anything outside?”

  “A storage building of medical supplies. Zander is thinking the miners were suffering from some sort of illness.” Sawyer informed. “The boxes of painkillers and antibiotics are empty, but they left all the bandages, sterile supplies, and tools behind.”

  “What does he think it was; like a flu or something?” Maverick asked absently.

  “He doesn’t know.” Sawyer shook his head. “He’s sorting the remaining supplies.”

  “Zander is doing it alone?” Maverick climbed from beneath the desk with a chuckle, brushing his hand on his khakis before hitt
ing a few keys on the computer’s keyboard. “That seems a stretch.”

  “The man knows his medical supplies.” Sawyer commented, watching the computer monitor blink to life. “Like you know your computers. You have it working.”

  “Of course.” Maverick scoffed, raising his brow as if to ask if there was doubt in his abilities. “Let’s see what we have here.”

  Maverick sat in the chair beside the desk, typing furiously on the keys as the monitor revealed a series of letters and numbers which made no sense to Sawyer. He watched his brother continue his quest for several minutes before speaking. “Anything?”

  “Give me one more minute.” Maverick requested.

  Sawyer stepped back, resisting the urge to count the minute Maverick asked for. He’d always been the calmer of the brothers, showing restraint and patience while Maverick preferred action. Sawyer was surprised at his lack of comfort and calm in their present situation. He wanted to give Maverick time to find answers, but the longer they remained near the mines, the more desperate Sawyer was to leave. He still wanted to know the truth of the mining incident, and to know what the Administration was so interested in, but Sawyer couldn’t shake the sensation their time was running out. He shook his concern away as the computer screen changed to something more visual. A series of schematics appeared on the monitor; flashing by with a speed which didn’t allow for adequate study. Sawyer caught glimpses of ships, buildings, and land maps.

  “Is that a map of the mine system?” Sawyer asked as a series of similar images flashed and paused on the screen.

  “These are the sections they closed down.” Maverick noted before pulling up another map. “This seems to be the only operational site, but that doesn’t make any sense.”

  “What do you mean?” Sawyer questioned.

  “These maps only go to about two hundred feet down; the original mines were much deeper.” Maverick stated with a look over his shoulder at the other men in the room. “Why would they need special equipment for drilling if they weren’t going any deeper than two hundred feet? Something isn’t adding up.”

  “I loaded the usable medical supplies.” Zander stumbled over the wires. “Did you learn where the miners were drilling?”

  Maverick pursed his lips and continued typing. “I’m not sure I can get to that information from here. This computer only shows area maps, seismograph readings, and inventory. It looks like they used portable computers for everything else.” Maverick opened a desk drawer and reached in for its contents, pulling out a five-by-seven-inch, matte black, tablet-like object. He touched a small, gray, power button on its face with no response from the unit. “They’re all dead; probably from the EMP.”

  “Can you run it through the Anastasis like the other computers?” Sawyer asked.

  “Unfortunately, no, their electronics are fried.” Maverick shook his head. “I had to rebuild most of the internal hard drive of the computer to get it running at all.”

  “That is a lot of area to cover for a search.” Sawyer exclaimed as the maps continued to flash.

  “There are miles of tunnels down there.” Maverick agreed sadly.

  “And, without knowing where to start, looking for survivors would take weeks.” Sawyer sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “We wouldn’t be able to navigate safely.”

  “I have seen something like this.” Zander took the device from Maverick’s grasp. “Yes, Dr. Charles brought one of these with him when he last returned to the village. As it was within the lab walls during the electromagnetic pulse, it should have been protected. Would that help you find the miners?”

  “It would help. At least it would show which segments of the mines they were focusing on and which might still be functional. Do you still have it?” Maverick asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Great, where is it?” Maverick held out his hand expectantly.

  “It is in my laboratory, back at my village.” Zander informed ruefully.

  “Well, so much for that.” Maverick scoffed and returned to his typing.

  “It is only a few moments of flight time in the Anastasis.” Zander reminded with a hint of desperation. “It would be nothing to return for it.”

  “If we unplug the computers from the Anastasis, I might not be able to get them linked again; they are already running on tape and positive thoughts.” Maverick denied. “We need both for any rescue attempt to be possible.”

  “And, we can’t walk five miles – over a mountain – during the heat of day.” Sawyer vetoed any additional argument before Zander could offer one.

  “What’s up?” Wil leaned on the doorframe with his arms crossed.

  “There is a device in my lab which would prove useful.” Zander informed with a downturned face.

  “So, let’s go get it.” Wil’s expression was confused, as if he didn’t understand why there was not already a plan formed.

  “We can’t unplug the Anastasis or Mav might not get the computers running again.” Sawyer informed.

  “We don’t need to take the Anastasis.” Wil’s eyes lit with a secretive gleam.

  “Are you planning on walking over that mountain?” Sawyer questioned with a chuckle.

  “Zander said the doc used a solar-powered, all-terrain to get back and forth to the village.” Wil reminded.

  “Yes, a solar-powered, all-terrain, not that solar-powered, all-terrain. We don’t even know if it will run.” Sawyer argued.

  “I got her turned on and pulled up out front.” Wil grinned. “I was going to ask if anyone wanted to take a ride, but this works too.”

  “It would take hours.” Sawyer remarked.

  “Do you have anything better to do?” Wil questioned.

  “Dr. Charles claimed the journey took the better part of three hours when he used the transports.” Zander added to the argument.

  “That puts us there late afternoon and back here close to dark.” Sawyer ran a hand through his hair, fighting the fire of anxiety in his belly. “That’s a bit risky in a solar-powered transport. We might get stuck out there overnight without power. If she doesn’t make it there, or makes it there and won’t start up again, it would mean a long walk back.”

  “The transport has a radio.” Wil shrugged and smacked Maverick hard on the shoulder, drawing an unconvincing “ow” from him before continuing. “Turd knows how to fly the Anastasis; we can radio back and have him come pick us up if necessary.”

  “You want to leave Maverick here alone?” Sawyer scoffed.

  “It’s okay, I’m used to it.” Maverick copied Wil’s shrug.

  Sawyer winced at Maverick’s comment. “We have no idea what happened here, or if it could happen again. If we go, we should all go.”

  “It makes sense to leave me as a back-up if the all-terrain fails.” Maverick crossed his arms defiantly. “Besides, I can have this whole camp up and running by the time you get back if I stay. If I go, it will take us longer to find out what happened.”

  “Then, Wil and Zander should go, and I’ll stay.” Sawyer hesitated.

  “The last time we were in the village, we had some unwanted company, remember?” Wil raised a brow. “I’d rather have some backup.”

  “I am quite capable of supporting your efforts if we run into any threat.” Zander assured, blinking curiously as the three other males stared at him with wide eyes before bursting into uproarious laughter. “I believe I should be offended.”

  “I’m sorry, Zander, but the thought of you taking down a hoard of savages is hilarious.” Wil chuckled.

  “Wil is right, you need to go with him.” Maverick cleared a final chuckle from his throat. “I’ll be fine. I’ll keep the doors closed and, if anything happens, I’ll fly the Anastasis back to the village. I give my method of transportation more confidence than some old, outdated, solar all-terrain.”

  “What do you say?” Wil asked with a tilt of his head and amusement in his eyes.

  “Alright, let’s do it.” Sawyer agreed.

  As p
romised, Wil moved the ATV to the front of the building, leaving the entrance hatch open for his return. He disappeared into the vehicle excitedly, leaving Sawyer and Zander to follow at a slower pace. The interior was the same as Sawyer remembered, except for a line of lights running overhead from the front of the transport to the rear. Wil took his place at the controls, leaving Zander and Sawyer to choose opposing seats in the passenger area.

  “Strap yourselves in.” Wil ordered from his station. “This is going to be fun.”

  “I believe Wil has a very different definition of the word fun than I.” Zander tightened his harness.

  “Wil’s version of fun is almost always different than everyone else’s.” Sawyer pursed his lips as the engine of the transport spooled to life. He shoved a hand into his pocket, the rounded seeds in its depth bringing him a moment of calm at the thought of the life they would create. Sawyer was desperate to believe life could bloom again across the charred landscape of his home world.

  Chapter 3. Adjust

  Sawyer watched the landscape shift from black, charred devastation to lush, green mountain. While the desert lay barren, cooked from years of mining the resources from the soil, the mountains offered a vastly different environment. Craters and boulders obstructed their path, adding more time to the five-mile trip than the vehicle’s speed limitation already did. Wil eventually found a narrow path, clearly cut for type of transport they currently rode, thus making their journey less treacherous and more time effective. Sawyer was grateful for the protection the vehicle offered, as traversing the wilds on foot was near suicide. Every clearing of the sparse scrub trees and brush covering the dips and valleys of the mountain offered glimpses of Flamourian wildlife. A herd of wild boar – their squat, muscular, thick-skinned bodies and sharp tusks making them dangerous if disrespected – grazed on their afternoon kill, too shredded to identify. Red lizards climbed the taller brush, making their nests in the tree tops and using their flightless wings to glide across great distances. Long, green and yellow serpents coiled on boulders, basking in the late morning sun to heat their cold-blooded bodies.