The snow wasn’t too deep, they managed to keep to the first track and avoid the worst pitfalls. It was slow going, taking nearly the entire morning.
At the village gate it appeared deserted, definitely not a good sign. Janet called in over the radio when they reported their arrival to base, “Their is a storm rapidly approaching.” They pulled into the main square, which was littered with snow covered debris, and a fallen body.
“Damn, not good,” Paul muttered. Doc rushed out and checked her over, reporting she was frozen almost solid. Mitch got back to his truck and went through the center console and came up with a thermal imaging system. He checked the area, finding only eight heat sources, and two cooling rapidly. They rushed to a covered vehicle, and dug it out.
Inside they found a couple of terrified teens half frozen with the dead. Doc and Piotr carried them to the trucks. Mitch took a different route, checking the second heat source. He found a teenage girl and woman huddling near the fallen bodies of the dominatrix Tabitha and another woman. He shook his head. “Come with me if you want to live,” he said, gloved hand outstretched. The women muttered to each other. He held his hand out again; tentatively they take reached out and took it.
Piotr loaded them into a truck with the others. He looked up as another woman came staggering out of a nearby car. She fell in the snow; he checked her over and carried her to the truck. Mitch checked the way she came, finding the rapidly cooling bodies of the priestess and a huntress. Four more huntresses were alive, but out and blue from the cold. He carried one to the others. Doc swore at him but he ignored her.
Piotr went to help, dragging them to the truck. One struggled, hysterically thinking he was a predator, until Doc told her it is okay. Brian called out that he found a girl. He brought her to Doc, but Doc looked her over, checked for a pulse, and then sadly shook her head to Brian. “I am sorry,” she murmured. He nodded glumly and gently set the body down with the others.
They got back to base and checked over the wounded. Doc was forced to amputate many toes and fingers, unhappy about the massive frostbite. One of the huntresses huddled under a blanket, shuddering while clutching a mug of soup. Her eyes were lost. Piotr gently patted her on the back; she started, but calmed down.
Mitch dug out crates of vacuum packed bedding. He had Anne save the vacuum bags, they could be used again. He also brought out a box of Mylar blankets. The Mylar was thin and shiny, but highly effective at retaining heat. He regretted not remembering them earlier.
Days later the survivors met in the cavernous Great hall with the residents. They didn't even look around, just huddled together in misery under the blankets. Doc was a bit concerned about their health, hovering over them with Dora and Cassie.
The women recounted what happened, the slow starvation, hysterical sermons, prayer sessions, and attacks by dire wolves. “When you played pied piper the first time, we were all pissed. Tabitha and Diane went stark raving mad,” the lead surviving huntress said. She shuddered a little.
“When things were really bad, we were talking about coming to you,” she said and sighed. “Diane started talking about some of what happened with the other men and to Lisa, and we stopped. When you picked up Doc it was a surprise.” She gave Doc and Cassie a look, then looked back to Mitch. “Diane and Tabitha wanted us to track you and take this place from you. A storm blocked us in before anyone could go anywhere though.” She shivered and huddled down under the blankets.
Two of the other huntresses shook their heads, telling of how they had almost given up hope. Doc patted one on the shoulder; she reached out and hugged her, crying softly.
Mitch quietly told Doc to let her get it out. Henry asked why they were so unprepared. Janet gave him a dirty look. “You weren’t doing so hot either me’buck’O.” One of the huntress’s bristled. Mitch quietly cleared his throat and then went into a lecture.
“Each of us were informed a year in advance of our transport,” he said. One of the girls asked how he could afford all this, waving her hand. He smiled. “I am a psychic. I won the lotto a few times,” he said and shrugged at her expression. He sighed at the usual round of disbelief and concern made its way through the room.
“A few times?” The groups reaction of disbelief, awe, revulsion made him smile bitterly.
“Yes, twenty two times actually, but I only used the disbursements of eighteen, leaving the rest to try to help people we left behind. I also invested in the stock market, and used the seed money from my lotto winnings to start several businesses,” he explained. There were murmurs of disbelief and skepticism from the women. “Anyway, I planned ahead. Ten thousand of us were transported, five thousand of each gender. The problem is we are not suited for this, had we been Eskimo’s, Native Americans, or lower tech civilizations it would have been different,” he explained and sighed.
He blew his cheeks out in annoyance. “The computer estimates one fifth or twenty percent of our transported population have survived up to now. Less the two thousand, most outside these walls are probably male.”
The girls looked among each other uneasily. “What about inbreeding, how are we to carry on the race?” Doc asked.
Mitch snorted. “Well Doc, I set up a contingency plan. I figured something like this would happen, so my last act other then jumping through hoops to get the weapons and explosives, was to buy a clinic.” He nodded in the direction of the medical wing.
“Clinic?” she asked.
“Fertilization clinic. One of the containers has a full bank of over ten thousand people, sperm, ova, and even some embryos,” he explained. Doc nodded at this.
“Wait, wait, and back up, why will all the men survive?” one of the girls asked, wrinkling her nose.
He turned to her smiling sadly. “Oh, not all will, and not all women will die either. Some who are in villages or groups will survive,” he replied.
“We are built for this, ask them.” He pointed to Doc and to the huntress group.
Doc nodded. “See Hanna, men are built differently than us.”
Hanna muttered an, “I hadn’t noticed.” Making the group all laugh. “Is this going to be a birds and the bee’s story?” she asked with a wane smile. “If it is you're a few years too late doc,” she said. That drew chuckles and titters of amusement.
Doc smiled. “No, men have more upper body strength, and are more violent. They have more endurance than women as well. Sure we could out run them, we can have babies, but we can’t hunt as well, carry goods as well, or farm as well.”
Phyllis one of the surviving huntresses nodded. “Just look at what we just went though, it didn’t turn out too well did it?” Hanna shook her head.
“Lifting took upper body strength. Cutting wood took a strong back and arms,” Doc continued her lecture. The girls nodded. They had experience trying to do these things on their own. “Hunting took luck and strategy, but for a bowman, it took again, upper body strength.”
Cassie looked at Brian, “Nice pecks,” she teased. He blushed. “So what we are reduced to farm wives? Slaves?” Angry muttering started up at that idea. A few dark looks were shot at the men.
Mitch raised his hand and stood. “No, not on my watch.” They grew silent. “In these halls everyone’s contribution is valued. There is plenty to do, and the tech I have carried over will aid us.” Doc nodded, murmured of thanks resound around the group. “Janet and Anne,” He waved a hand to them, “are the domestic managers,” Janet flicked her hand in dismissal.
“Henry is in charge of our plumbing, with Miguel as his assistant. Maggie here is our vet with Jeff and Sean as her assistants.” He waved to them, they wave to the group. “Roserita is our tannery expert.” He pointed to her. “Piotr is in charge of weather and astronomy. Doc, well, y’all know Doc,” he said disarmingly. The chuckles went around the room.
“So you’re the local lord?” One of the huntresses’s asked. He looked to her. She waved her hand, “No argument.”
He shrugged. “For want of a be
tter term, I guess so. My stuff, my plan. Anne and Janet have better organizational skills then I do, but with them and the others handling the day to day stuff I can focus on the overall view,” he explained. Piotr nodded.
“No one is going to be kicked out; we will set up a system of government and justice system over time,” Mitch added. More of the ladies nodded. “But, someone has to be in charge, and as I said, it is my dime.” He gave them a sheepish smile as he thumped his chest with his good hand. “When the snows melt you are more than welcome to return to your village if you choose.” Reluctantly the survivors shook their heads at this idea. He chuckled.
“You spoiled us rotten, so you’re stuck with us,” Doc commented with a sly smile.
Mitch blushed and squirmed. “We have the spring planting to prep for, animal care, plus base expansion. Right now I brought a tech basis to set up our entire civilization, with some modern twists, but the first two years are all about survival.” He gave each of them a stern look until they nodded.
“Vance here is in charge of general construction, following the blueprints in the computers. Right now he is focusing on the perimeter wall.” Vance nodded and gave a thumbs up.
“This year we will focus on expanding, growing more food, expanding the herds, mining, and mapping.” Mitch waved a hand to Brian. “Brian and I have begun setting up our factories and machine shops, and even started expanding them.” There were a few people who murmured at this.
“It is slow going though, and we are low on our stockpiles.” One girl got nervous. “Not food, no, we are a bit low on energy, we are down to the hydrogen generators, the small and the two giant wind turbines, and the hydro-electrics. The solar panels, and sodium solar heater are all down, either covered in snow, or frozen,” he sighed in annoyance. “Well, the two biggest wind turbines are not frozen...Yet.” He paused as this sank in.
“The waterfalls have not completely stopped, but they are carrying a lot of ice crystals, so they form ice. Also the water flow is low, so we are at less than twenty percent with them.” He shrugged. “Most of the lakes up North have frozen over. Water that stands still tends to freeze,” he explained as he gave Brian a nod.
“We have enough energy for basics that is why I am not pushing anything right now,” Mitch finished. Doc nodded. “We have plenty of wood for the boilers and fireplaces as well.” More people nodded. “I brought along a thermal exchange generator, heat water in a boiler turned a steam turbine. It is inefficient though, and a last resort. I also set up the hydrogen tanks, but they are half full. We can make biodiesel to fuel the two small diesel generators, but I would prefer not to,” Mitch sighed.
“So what do we do?” one of the huntresses asked.
He looked at her. “You are, Phyllis?” he asked. She nodded. “What did you do before coming here?”
She smiled. “I hunted.”
“Okay, what about before?”
She shook her head. “I was an army sergeant.”
“Okay sergeant, you and Brian are in charge of security and hunting,” Mitch said. She nodded. Brian didn’t look to happy at this.
Mitch ignored the distress and pointed to the next girl. “What about you?”
She started, “Me?”
“Yes ma’am, what about you?”
She tried to stand but he waved her down. “My name is Natalie, I was a secretary.”
“Okay, you can assist Janet. We need someone who can set up our records,” he said. She nodded.
He pointed to another woman. “You?”
“My name is Selma,” she said, pointing to herself. In broken English she explained she was a seamstress in a factory. He nodded when she finished.
“Okay, you are in charge of clothes,” Mitch said. She nodded, smiling. “I have two textile looms; both of them are power looms and are packed. We have a limited supply of wool, alpaca fleece, leather, feathers, and cotton, and not much cotton from the hot house.” He paused as a woman interrupted.
“Hot house?” she asked in confusion.
He turned to a black woman and cocked an eyebrow at her. “Yes and you are?”
“Hejira, I was a botany student, I worked in greenhouses in Chicago,” she replied with dignity by way of introduction. She wiped lint from her lap.
Mitch nodded. “All right, you’re in charge of the greenhouses, and possibly the entire farming program.” She looked alarmed. He waved the look off. “We have computers for support, and plenty of people to draw off of.”
She still looked dubious. Jolene piped up, “I am in charge of communications, and I get to run the radio station with Pete,” she said with a grin. Pete smiled and nodded.
“You’re also our roving reporter,” Mitch added, bowing slightly to the young woman.
“I am a pilot,” an Australian woman piped up.
Mitch looked at her. “Fixed wing or helicopter?”
She smiled, “Anything that can fly.”
He nodded. “Okay, you’re our pilot. Once Doc gives you a clean bill of health you can check the plane and helicopters out.”
Her smile turned into a grin. “When I get well you’re going to get your brains screwed out of you.” One of the other girls agreed.
He blushed. “No need,” he mumbled, squirming. She looked to him, giving him a catty look. Vanessa glared. He turned to Doc. “Help help?” he said weakly, getting a laugh from everyone.
“You’re on your own bud; I think there is a long line though. I might be in it too,” doc murmured wickedly. He shook his head, cheeks flaming as the women tittered again.
“Can we still hunt?” Vanessa asked.
He looked at her. “Can you handle a bow or rifle?”
“Yes, I used to hunt and fish with my dad.”
Mitch nodded thoughtfully. He was secretly glad the women were responding so well. “Okay, you can be a games woman then,” he said appointing her to her new position with a nod. She nodded in return.
She poked the girl next to her. “This is Lisa; she helped out her dad in the garage,” she said. Mitch nodded,
“Lisa?” She looked up slowly. “Do you want to be in charge of the motor pool? We have a machine shop.” She ducked her head and nodded quietly.
“She was raped when we first got here,” Doc murmured in his ear.
“Rape trauma,” he muttered darkly. He nodded quietly and sighed. “Okay we are going to need trauma counseling,” he responded quietly to Doc and then sighed.
Maggie asked how much fuel they had. He nodded to her. “When we crossed over I brought a bunch of gear. I set up the basics of the chemical plant early on; if you go to the South wing you can smell some of it.” A few muttered at this. “We filled a couple giant basement caverns with biodiesel, methane, and liquid hydrogen tanks. We have enough for two more months at present power levels, and we can scavenge with reduced levels for more if necessary. We have had three months of hard winter, I suspect at least another one to two more if this is anything like Earth, or as much as three months more. Piotr has been measuring our distance from the sun,” he turned to the Russian.
Piotr stood. “Accor’di’ng to calculations we are moving away from star.” He pointed. “I tink in elliptical orbit? Da?” Henry and Mitch nodded. “Don’t mean we were at perigee close to sun, hot then long apogee cool. Know more soon.” He used his hands to describe the motion, and then sat with a nod.
“No one is stuck in one profession, if you want to learn something else there are classes,” Mitch announced and waved his hand to Kathy, who blushed. “Y’all know Kathy here.” The new ladies looked over to her and then back and forth between him and her. “She is teaching classes for general schooling, and on the job training for other things right now. Doc here has two apprentices as well, though I expect anyone who doesn’t know basic first aid to apply for a training course,” he said. He gave the group the evil eye.
“We all divvy up the chores, and those are rotated by Janet here,” he said after a moment.
Jan
et nodded. Smacking her hands together she stood, “Speaking of which, we have some work to do. Wayne I believe you have to check the chickens?” He groaned and nodded as he got up. Billy and Miguel got up and said they were off to check the plumbing with Henry.
“Cassie you have homework,” her mom said. Vanessa smirked.
Mitch noted this and smiled. “Sarge you think you could run a visual recognition class?”
Phyllis looked up and over to him. “Sure but why?”
“Well we need to get Vanessa tuned into better hunting skills since she will be going out soon.”
Vanessa smirk ended abruptly. “You have a week or two before Doc clears you for light duty, but since you're going to be sitting around bored, you might as well do it going over hunting material, basic first aid, and help Janet and Mags out with the culling and butchering,” Mitch said. Vanessa shrugged. Sarge looked thoughtful. After a moment she nodded, hiding a small smile of approval.
“It is a whole lot better than sitting around watching re-ran of Gilmore girls and Charmed,” Mitch growled. He gave some of the resident women dirty looks. “Also, try to keep power use down to a minimum.” He shrugged. “That goes for showers and general water use too.”
“We do have two cases of toothpaste and general bathroom supplies in storage. Ration them carefully and try to reuse what you can. Hopefully we will be able to produce more next year.” He looked over to Anne who nodded.
“Unfortunately I could not get any birth control pills, so we are SOL there, so be careful.” He shrugged. “There are rubbers though, if you need one ask Doc.” He gave Brian a nod. “Both parties better be consenting, and of age too,” Mitch growled. Brian and Dora blushed, clearly embarrassed about being singled out.
The computer piped up, stating that the snow had stopped. Mitch nodded. Sergeant Phyllis looked startled. He shrugged. “Like I said, I plan ahead.” She nodded slowly. “Most of the robots are offline and stored till spring.”
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