Necrotic Earth

by SW Matthews

  “I was told all of the dents that have been mysteriously appearing on my new Rangers were from space debris,” said Locke.

  “Umm, well, sir…” mumbled Nightshade.

  “In our defense,” said Gill, “technically I would consider Gordo here space debris.”

  “Fuck yourself!” Nightshade snapped.

  Gill laughed.

  “Commander?” Locke said.

  Nightshade composed himself. “Sorry, sir.”

  Locke looked at the two pilots. Gill was smirking, and Nightshade was glaring at his rival. Locke shook his head. “Okay. I know it gets boring up here, but I need you to stick to the approved training programs and only during scheduled times. No more of this cowboy stuff, understand?”

  “Yes, sir,” said Nightshade

  “Gill?” Locke asked.

  “You know I’m older than you, right, Ori?”

  Now it was time for Locke to smirk. It was true that Gill was a few years older, though he looked like a seven-year-old. “I know, Gill, but I outrank you.”

  “Only because you’re a brown-nosing ass-kisser.”

  “Gilly!”

  The small dark man smiled broadly, showing his bright white teeth. He turned to look at his fellow pilot and partner in crime. Nightshade stifled a laugh.

  Suddenly a voice came over the speakers. “Reactor four is overheating!”

  “Come again, Tong?” said Locke, activating his microphone.

  “It’s reactor four. I’ve activated the control rods, but the water flow seems to be minimal. The temperature continues to rise.”

  “Do we need to head over?”

  “Yes, go check it out. I’m getting ready to activate the backup generator to dispense coolant. If that doesn’t work, I’ll have to eject the core.”

  “Locke looked at his colleagues. “Go.”

  The two Rangers sped away, back toward the base. Locke turned his Scout and began the long trek back as well. “Send the VOs,” he said.

  “They’re at shift change. It’ll be a few minutes before they’re ready.”

  Locke grumbled under his breath, then called out to his pilots. “You guys there yet?”

  “Almost,” replied Gill, then: “Gordo, you head to the reactor. I’m going to the cistern.”

  “Roger that,” replied Nightshade.

  “The cistern? What are you doing, Gill?” asked Locke.

  “I’m going to find out what’s wrong, and fix it.”

  “Wait,” said Tong. “I’m going to send a drone over to check the water line.”

  “No time for that, I’m almost there. Release the pressure in the cistern.”

  “What?”

  “Release the pressure so I can open the hatch.”

  “Open the hatch?”

  “What are you planning, cowboy?” asked Locke.

  “I’m going in.”

  “Generator just shut down. I repeat, generator has become nonfunctional. Temperatures are spiking. I’m ejecting the core,” said Tong.

  “No!” yelled Gill. “I’m here! Release the pressure, we can’t lose this reactor!”

  Gill leaped from his vessel before it came to a complete stop and jettisoned toward the cistern.

  “Pressure released,” said Tong. “But this is not a good idea, Gill. The main line is only two feet in diameter—”

  “I can fit once I get out of this bullshit uniform. When I’m in, restart the pressure.” Gill reached the hatch and pulled it open. Water flowed out, but slowly, due to the low gravity. Gil started pulling his suit off.

  “Gilly! What the hell are you doing?” Locke was close enough now to see what was happening.

  “We’re already way behind schedule, Ori. I’m not going to let this damn thing slow us down even more.” He removed his helmet, climbed into the water tank, and closed the hatch behind him.

  “What’s happening out there?” Tong asked.

  “He’s in the cistern,” said Locke.

  “He’s crazy! The temperatures are still rising. I need to eject!”

  “Give him some time, Tong.”

  “We don’t have time, Ori. If that reactor melts down, it’ll contaminate everything around it. We need to launch it into the sun.”

  “Just wait!”

  “Temperatures have stopped rising, sir,” came another voice on Tong’s end.

  “Still too high, though. The rods will melt,” said Tong.

  “Wait, Tong!” pleaded Locke.

  “No! I can’t risk the other reactors! I’m ejecting!”

  Reactor four shuddered, then slowly lifted from the surface of the moon. As soon as the entire structure was clear of the surrounding complex, jets on its sides came to life, and it sped directly toward the sun.

  “Shit,” said Locke. “Gordo, follow that thing. If Gilly is in there he’ll need a ride back. I’m going to check down here.”

  “Aye, sir,” came Nightshade’s response.

  Locke took his craft down to the concrete crater where the reactor had been. Water was shooting out of the main, and debris was floating by and bouncing off of his canopy. “Turn the water off,” he said as he used the exterior lights to inspect the foundation in search for his friend.

  The water stopped flowing and began floating around. “No signs of Gill here,” he said. “Tong, once the VOs are awake, send them over to search, and have that drone go up the water main to make sure he’s not stuck in there. I’m going to launch some VO-nots to help Gordo. They can land on the reactor and start tearing that thing apart to get Gilly out of there.”

  “Will do,” came Tong’s reply.

  Locke turned his craft and headed for the hangar. “I’m going to get a Ranger and come help you, Gordo. We’ll follow as long as we can. If anyone can claw their way out of a melting reactor as it flies into the sun, it’s that crazy son of a bitch.”

  Lakeland Transit: a novella

  Tuck unbuttoned his long-sleeved faded plaid shirt and removed it, exposing the gray tee shirt underneath. He knelt down on the pavement beside Piper and draped the shirt over her bare shoulders. Her arms were crossed over her chest, trying to hide her nakedness, and her hair blew over her blood-spattered face. Tuck buttoned two buttons to keep the shirt from flying away in the wind.

  Piper kept her arms crossed and her eyes straight ahead as Tuck gently helped her to her feet and guided her to the passenger seat of the old four-door pickup. She continued to stare blankly into the distance as he fastened her seat belt and closed the door.

  Tuck walked to the front of the vehicle and looked up and down the highway, but there was no sign of life in either direction—just clear blue sky and the sun beating down relentlessly on the barren landscape. Only the wind kept the temperature bearable. Confident that no one would be upon them anytime soon, he bent down and studied the motorcycle lying in front of the truck. He then stood again, walked to the driver’s side, opened the door, and turned toward the back of the truck.

  “Scout. Come,” he said.

  A large black and tan dog appeared and came to stand next to his master.

  “Get in here with her,” he said.

  The dog jumped into the truck and sat in the middle of the bench seat, next to Piper. Tuck leaned in and started the truck without getting in. He turned the air conditioner to low and the fan to high, then closed the door and walked once more to the front of the truck. He rummaged through the saddlebags on the old motorcycle, pulling out anything of value. When he was satisfied he had taken everything he could easily barter, he lifted the bike upright and rolled it into a ditch on the side of the highway. He placed the valuables in the truck bed before repeating the process on the two motorcycles behind the truck.

  When the motorcycles were stripped and dumped, Tuck set to work on the three bodies. Again he removed everything of value, including guns and knives, jackets, belts, and boots, and he put most of it in the truck bed. The bodies joined the motorcycles in the ditch.

  He opened the door an
d laid three wallets on the seat. “Put these in the glove compartment.” he said before closing the door again.

  He walked farther back this time. Past the blood-stained pavement and the ditch full of dead men, to the one motorcycle that was still upright. His motorcycle. He spent more time stripping this one—removing all identifying items and retrieving all of his weapons and personal gear. He put his bike in the ditch with the others, then gathered his things and headed to the truck.

  This time he opened the rear driver’s side door and placed everything on the floor. Andy was lying on the back seat, with his head by the door, so Tuck felt his forehead. It was hot and wet. Andy moaned at the touch and started shivering.

  Tuck closed the door and got in the driver’s seat. Piper was still staring blankly into space. The dog had lain down with his head in her lap. Piper had one hand resting on the dog’s head, the other still crossed over her body.

  Tuck fastened his seatbelt and drove away as fast as the old truck would go.

  ***

  “This is North Platte coming up, but I think it would be better to wait until we get past Kearney to stop. Can you make it?”

  Piper was silent.

  Tuck looked at the gas gauge. He figured they had about a hundred miles before it hit empty, which would get them to Kearney. He kept driving.

  Thirty minutes after passing the North Platte exit they finally encountered another vehicle. It was an old car driven by an old man, traveling in the same direction as they were, but at about half the speed. They flew past him.

  After another thirty minutes they passed another car, then a truck, and as they approached Kearney, the traffic continued to increase.

  Tuck pulled into a gas station, set the gas pump, and walked into the store. A few minutes later he came out with a large bottle of water and a blue tee shirt. He opened the passenger door.

  “They didn’t have much in there,” he said to Piper, opening the bottle. He took a drink, then handed the bottle to her. “Take a drink, and put this on,” he instructed, holding out the shirt.

  She took a quick drink, then removed Tuck’s shirt from her shoulders and slipped on the tee shirt.

  Tuck poured a little of the water onto his own plaid shirt, then used it to wipe the blood from Piper’s face. She just stared blankly while he cleaned her.

  When he finished, he smoothed her hair from her face. “Do you need to go to the bathroom?” he asked.

  She shook her head, so he closed the door and walked around the truck. The pump had clicked off, so he replaced the nozzle and opened the back door to check on Andy. Andy was still sweating and shivering.

  “How long has he been like this?” he asked Piper.

  “Couple days,” she whispered.

  “Withdrawal?”

  Piper nodded.

  “Worst may be over.”

  She nodded again.

  Tuck pulled the truck onto the highway and headed for Omaha.

  After a few miles, Piper spoke. “Those men,” she said quietly. “They were going to…”

  “Rape you and kill you. Then kill Skipper. Then steal everything you had. And they would have laughed about it with their friends later. They got what they deserved.” Tuck looked straight ahead while he spoke.

  “How did you…”

  “I got your message,” Tuck answered.

  “But I sent it to you over a month ago,” Piper said. She seemed to finally be getting over her shock. “You never replied.”

  “I don’t have email at home, Sparky. We don’t even have electricity up in the mountains. Whenever we go to Kalispell for supplies I stop at the library and check messages, usually once a month or so. I just got it a few days ago. I didn’t respond because I figured you had already left. I headed south and followed your most likely path. I was lucky to find you.”

  “Just in time,” said Piper.

  Tuck nodded.

  “So you just dropped everything and came to find us?”

  “I owe him my life,” said Tuck, nodding toward the back seat. “And I thought he was dead. Now that I know he’s alive, I’ll do whatever I can to keep him that way.”

  They drove in silence for a few more minutes, then Tuck asked, “What’s the plan in Lakeland?”

  “Disappear,” answered Piper. “Get healthy, stay safe.”

  “What was he on?”

  Piper shook her head. “Everything. Alcohol, meth, fent, weed, plus several I had never heard of. It was bad, Tuck. I didn’t recognize him at first. Then I had a hard time getting him out of there.”

  “What was he doing out there?”

  “Pirate. Stealing shipments to get drug money.”

  Tuck shook his head. “Oh, Skipper.”

  They stopped at a one-story motel on the north side of Des Moines. There was a gas station across the street, so Tuck pulled in to fill up.

  “Hand me those wallets,” he said.

  Piper opened the glove compartment and handed him the three wallets.

  “Hmm. Big spenders,” Tuck said as he removed the cash from all three. “Thirteen hundred dollars total.”

  He pocketed the cash and tossed the wallets in the trash. When the tank was full, he replaced the nozzle and entered the store.

  While he was gone, Piper turned around and reached a hand out to Andy, still lying in the back seat. He didn’t feet hot, and he moaned a little at her touch. She gently patted his arm, then turned back around and rubbed the dog’s head and continued to wait for Tuck.

  He returned carrying two large bags, which he placed on the floorboard behind his seat. They drove across the street, and Tuck checked them in while once again Piper waited in the truck. He came back and drove them to the corner of the building.

  Two beds,” he said. He went in to inspect the room before coming back for Piper. “Come on. Let’s get you inside. You too, Scout. Come.”

  “The dog obediently hopped out of the truck, and Tuck led them all inside.

  “You lie down, Sparky. I’ll get Andy and everything else. Scout, stay.”

  After a couple of trips to bring in all of their stuff, Tuck lifted Andy from the truck and carried him directly to the bathroom. I’ll get him cleaned up a little and in bed,” he said to Piper, “then you can take your time in here.”

  Thirty minutes later, Tuck helped his friend into bed. Andy was awake, but groggy.

  “You need to drink some water, and eat, if you can,” said Tuck.

  Andy nodded and accepted some water from his friend. “I don’t understand…” he managed to say. “How did you find me?”

  Tuck nodded toward Piper. “She found you, Skipper.”

  Andy looked past his friend to the woman on the other bed. Piper raised her face and smiled at him.

  “Piper?” he whispered.

  She smiled wider.

  “Why?” he asked.

  “I thought you were dead, Andy. We all did.”

  “I wish I were…”

  “Don’t say that! You’re better than this.”

  Andy shook his head. “No, I’m not. You don’t know…and if you found me, then Bash…”

  “Drink, Skipper,” said Tuck, pushing the water toward him. Andy took a drink, and Tuck turned to Piper. “Sparky, why don’t you go get yourself cleaned up.”

  ***

  When Piper exited the bathroom, feeling clean again, she felt a little better, and she felt safe with Tuck here.

  An apple, water, and some jerky waited on her nightstand. “They didn’t have a lot to choose from,” said Tuck, still sitting on Andy’s bed. Andy was asleep. “I’ve got some pemmican in my gear if you want some.”

  “What’s pemmican?” she asked as she sat on her bed and picked up the apple.

  “Dried meat and berries. Keeps for a long time. Mine is elk and huckleberry.”

  “I’ll stick with this for now, thanks.”

  While she ate and drank, Tuck cleaned up in the bathroom. But when he started to lay his blanket on the floor bet
ween the two beds, Piper spoke up.

  “You can sleep in the bed,” she said.

  I prefer the floor, Sparky. It’s what I’m used to.” He poured some more water into the bowl he had set out for Scout, and gave the beast some jerky. “Scout, guard,” he said, and the dog positioned itself by the outer door. Tuck then returned to his spot, turned off the lamp, and laid down.

  After they had all rested in the dark for a few minutes, Piper said, “Thank you for coming.” Her voice was quiet. “Thank you for helping me.”

  “I’m just glad I wasn’t too late.”

  “Me too. I’m sorry you had to kill those men.”

  “I don’t mind killing bad men.”

  Silence hung over them for a moment, then Piper spoke again.

  “You really want to come to Lakeland with us?”

  “Sure,” Tuck said. “I heard Sasquatch was spotted there. I’m going to find him.”

  Piper smiled in the dark and drifted to sleep.