Separation

by James Axler

  “All ours.”

  RYAN OPTED to wait a few days before they made a mattrans jump. Rather than keep traveling across open country for who knew how long, he figured that they could take their chances with the random setting of the mattrans, and find out where it took them. But first he wanted them to rest. As the redoubt was still well-stocked and in good working order, it would be an opportunity to rest and recuperate before taking their chances with fate once more. Showering, changing and finding the dorms in good order, they rested, leaving everything to the morrow.

  And there was something left that had to be tackled soon. Sharona had been distancing herself from the rest of the companions while they traveled with the Pilatans, only really associating with Dean. If she was going to travel with them, then it was important that this rift be healed. And if not…

  But there would be time to deal with that the following day, the one-eyed man thought as he lay awake, trying to figure out what the shocking return of Dean’s mother meant.

  The next day brought no solutions. Ryan awakened to find the others had already risen. After showering, he walked to the kitchen where he found Mildred, Krysty, Doc and Jak.

  “Where are the others?” he asked as he prepared his breakfast from an array of self-heats.

  “John’s gone to check out the armory,” Mildred said with an indulgent expression crossing her face. “You know what he’s like.”

  Ryan returned the expression. “Yeah, he must’ve been worn out last night, because he didn’t go straight to it.” Then, after a pause, he added, “What about Dean and Sharona?”

  Krysty grimaced. “I don’t know—anyone else?” she queried, but was met with blank looks from Mildred, Jak and Doc. “They were up before either of us, but where they are…”

  Ryan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I suppose she can’t be doing any harm.”

  Doc was bemused. “My dear boy, why would the woman want to do harm? She thought she would perish and sent her son away. Then, when she recovered, he was gone from her. Is it not natural that she should want to spend time with the boy? And, vice versa, as it were? That is, that he should wish to spend time with her,” he added by way of explanation when he saw that the old Latin term meant nothing to Krysty, Jak or Ryan.

  “That’s a fair enough point, but it’s not so much the time…” Ryan began, petering out with a shrug as he found he couldn’t exactly explain what he meant.

  Krysty finished for him, “It’s more a matter of her attitude about things.”

  Mildred looked at Krysty closely. “You sure it’s her that’s the problem? I mean, are you certain that you don’t just feel a little put out because she’s suddenly appeared?”

  Krysty frowned and looked at Mildred. The question could almost be insulting, if not for the depth of expression in the black woman’s brown eyes, eyes that showed her understanding.

  “Yeah, mebbe a little,” Krysty admitted. “But I’ve thought about that, and there’s more.”

  “Get bad feeling,” Jak chipped in, breaking his silence. “Pulling Dean away from us. His choice, but not good when we fight or stand together.”

  “Exactly,” Ryan agreed. “Before we leave here, we have to sort out what’s going on between us all. We have to pull in the same direction or else—”

  “Or else all strength is dissipated,” Doc said sadly.

  Oblivious to all this, Dean and Sharona were on a lower level of the redoubt. The woman had awakened her son early and, after making him breakfast—a rare treat for Dean, who had to fend for himself along with the other companions—had asked him to show her around the redoubt and had listened carefully while he told her all he knew about them.

  “It’s incredible to believe that there are so many of these old predark places across the land, and that despite that so few have found them,” she said to him.

  “Yeah, but most of them are so well hidden or disguised that you have to know that they’re there,” Dean told her, pleased to see his mother attentive to his every word. “The only reason we’re using them is that Doc, Dad and J.B. found one. And unlike most people who ever found them, they don’t just loot them. They’re interested in working out how to use the mat-trans.”

  “The what?”

  Dean smiled. “That’s the really great part. The mattrans is how we travel. It’s an old comp system that kind of breaks you up into little bits, then shoots you across Deathlands to another chamber where you get put back together again. Of course, it’s a bit more complex than that.”

  Sharona shook her head. “Those whitecoats before the nukecaust sure were sick bastards.”

  “I don’t know,” Dean said, his face falling. “It’s not so bad.”

  Seeing how her son was crestfallen, Sharona added quickly, “Well, I guess it depends how you use it. I mean, if you can use it to go where you want…”

  Dean grimaced. “I didn’t exactly say that.” And when she gave him a questioning gaze, he continued. “The thing is, it’s kind of random. We know how to trigger it, but there aren’t any manuals or instructions for how to get past the sec codes in the comps to programme a destination, and they have this random setting where every time you trigger the chamber, it’ll send you a different place. If I could work out the sec fail-safe, then we’d really be able to use it for wherever we want. But now it’s kind of wherever it sends us.”

  “So you don’t actually know where you’re going.”

  “No,” he admitted.

  “And you couldn’t replicate a jump from here?”

  “No,” he said, a little puzzled. “But why would you want to?”

  “I didn’t say you would. I was just pointing out that mebbe you need to do a little more work on this old tech. And mebbe your dad doesn’t really give you that time.”

  “What do you mean?” Dean queried.

  Sharona shrugged. “Well, it seems like he’s always keen to move on all the time. Mebbe it wouldn’t hurt just to stand still for a while. That’s what I’d like—a chance to stay and just get to know you again.”

  “But you’ll get to know me the longer you stay with us,” Dean said in a tone of voice that indicated he thought it was obvious.

  Sharona grimaced. “I really don’t know if I can travel with you.”

  Dean was shocked. “But you said—”

  “I know what I said, but the truth of the matter is that I just can’t see me getting on with your father or with Krysty. They’re suspicious of me, and mebbe they’re right to be. After all, they’ve been looking after you for one hell of a time, and where have I been?”

  “But that wasn’t your fault!”

  “Doesn’t matter. It’s not a question of fault. It’s just a fact that they’ve been there and I haven’t. Which means that I resent them for that, even though it’s not something they did on purpose, and they resent me for suddenly appearing, even though I didn’t plan it this way. That’s just the way it is.”

  “Yeah, I guess so,” Dean said softly. “I just figured everyone would be as pleased as I was.”

  “Never mind.” Sharona ruffled his hair. “Sometimes things just don’t go as you planned them. You should know that by now!”

  “Guess not. So what do you want to see next?” he added in a bright voice, trying to change the subject.

  “I don’t know. You decide,” his mother replied.

  Dean took Sharona by the hand and led her out of the mat-trans control room, not noticing the way she looked back over her shoulder with a thoughtful expression.

  “IT DOESN’T MATTER what you say, we have to move sooner or later,” Ryan said in an exasperated voice. “Fireblast and fuck it, haven’t you listened to a thing anyone has said?”

  “Yeah, I’ve listened, and it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, if you ask me,” Sharona snapped. “For someone who’s a leader, you don’t have much in the way of ideas, do you?”

  The companions and Sharona were gathered in one of the old briefing rooms. By J.B. and Ryan�
��s chrons as well as those in the redoubt, it was midafternoon, but in the disorienting environment of the redoubt, where light was controlled by the flick of a switch, it could have been any time. And it felt like any time as once again Ryan’s attempts to marshal forces and move on were being interrupted by Sharona.

  The redoubt had been thoroughly investigated, and although the air conditioning and electrical plant were in good order, and would keep going indefinitely, there was little doubt that the supplies were limited. Food and self-heats were in sufficient quantity to sustain the companions for a couple of weeks and then leave nothing to carry away with them, or they could be used as traveling supplies if the companions began their journey immediately. The med bay had been stripped of anything useful by Mildred and deposited in a satchel she had found, and the armory used by J.B. to replenish their supplies of ammo, plas ex and grens. Beyond that, there was nothing left in the redoubt that was of much use. Old vid machines could have taught them something about the redoubt base and the surrounding area, if not for the fact that all the tapes remaining were sec camera recordings, showing nothing but an empty base.

  So it wasn’t just the pressing matter of the supplies that prompted Ryan to suggest a move from the redoubt—boredom was also a factor. And, if he was truly honest with himself, he didn’t feel comfortable about how much Dean was sticking to Sharona. It felt as if he were losing his son again, and the longer they rested in the redoubt, the more of the boy she could steal. At least if they were on the move, they would be operating as a unit.

  But when he had called them together and suggested the move, Sharona had been immediately divisive. Of course there was no plan beyond making a jump; how could there be? Everyone knew that you couldn’t plan for what you didn’t know, simply from experience. But Sharona wouldn’t allow for that.

  The thing Ryan couldn’t decide was whether she was doing it to be deliberately destructive or whether she just didn’t understand. He looked around at the others, hoping someone else would take up his argument, so that it wouldn’t seem to be a mother-father divide to Dean, which he suspected was part of her point.

  His glance around the room spurred Mildred to speak.

  “I think it’s really unfair of you to say that about Ryan’s abilities as leader,” she began, picking her words carefully so as not to appear hostile. “There can never be an advanced plan when making a mat-trans jump, and the proof of a leader is in the ability to marshal forces and think on your feet when problems arise. And I guess the proof of Ryan’s ability to do that is that we’re all still here, aren’t we?”

  There was a murmur of agreement.

  “But why do we have to put ourselves in that situation?” Sharona continued. “Why didn’t we just go along with the Pilatans?”

  “Because we have to follow our star, somewhere over the rainbow,” Doc said sagely, giving a glimmer of meaning to words that had Sharona looking puzzled. He continued. “Until we find our dream, that is.”

  “Crazy words, but right,” Jak agreed. “Look for something never find with Pilatans.”

  “But there must be a better way of doing it than risking our lives every time you use that damn machine,” Sharona said in exasperation.

  “How?” J.B. asked reasonably. “How else can we cover such distances with such speed?”

  “Well, who says you have to cover the distances at all, especially when you don’t know where you’re going. And it’s not just your lives you’re risking, it’s my son’s,” she added, storming out of the room.

  Dean shot an accusatory glance at the rest of them as he followed, to calm his mother.

  Krysty screwed up her face. “Well, that went well. You know, I really don’t think she wants to get along with us.”

  Mildred shook her head. “I’d figure it’s more definite than that—and we should keep an eye on the bitch.”

  “DEAN, WAKE UP. Quickly.”

  The words were urgently whispered and accompanied by a shake on the shoulder that jolted the youth from slumber. Blearily he looked up and saw his mother standing over him and looking scared.

  “Wha…what’s the matter?” he asked in a sleep-slurred voice as he sat upright.

  “I think we’ve got a problem,” she whispered urgently by way of reply. “I don’t think you’re the only ones who’ve managed to work out how to use the mattrans. I was down there, and I heard it in operation.”

  “Hot pipe! I know we’ve come across others who can, but what were you doing down there?” he asked suddenly, realizing the strangeness of the situation.

  “I couldn’t sleep. I was just wandering. I think I went down there because I could feel there was something wrong, I don’t know.”

  Thoughts raced through Dean’s mind. Maybe she did go down there because she could feel something. And there were others, as they well knew, who could use the mat-trans. The odds against two sets of travelers ending up in the same redoubt were huge, but not impossible. So if that had happened, then he’d better get the others.

  Dean struggled out of bed, flung on his clothes and checked his Browning Hi-Power.

  “Come on, hurry up,” Sharona whispered from the doorway.

  “Better wake up the others,” Dean said, still not completely awake—otherwise he would have wondered why his mother was whispering when she could have awakened the others with a shout. They were on another level to the mat-trans and there was little chance of alerting any intruders to their presence from here.

  “Do you really need them?” Sharona asked. “By the time we’ve roused them all it could be too late. Besides, I’m sure you don’t need them. We’ve got the element of surprise.”

  Dean furrowed his brow. That was true, he guessed. They should be able to outfight any opposing forces if they got them trapped in the mat-trans chamber.

  And it would give him a chance to prove himself to his mother.

  Dean followed Sharona to the elevator, waiting beside her in silence until it reached the level of the mattrans chamber. He could think of nothing to say, still trying to clear his head of sleep.

  They came out of the elevator and made their way to the comp room swiftly, using the buttresses on the corridor walls for cover. Dean could hear nothing that would indicate any intruders, but he just figured that whoever they were, they had not, as yet, left the anteroom. If they were anything like the companions, they would be taking this slowly.

  That would mean time for Sharona and himself to mount an attack.

  They reached the door to the comp room, which was open. Sharona made to move forward and recce the room, but was stayed by a gesture from Dean.

  “I’ll check—cover me,” he mouthed.

  Heart thumping as the adrenaline kicked into his system, Dean moved across to the doorway and risked a look inside the room. It was quiet and seemingly empty—but he could see through to the anteroom and noted the door of the chamber was ajar. It was possible that the intruders were still in the chamber itself.

  He backed away so that he could speak to Sharona. He took command, and was glad to do so, as it was a way of showing his mother how much he had developed since they were last together.

  “There’s no one visible in the comp room or anteroom—they must still be in the chamber. We’ll move in, me first, and use the comp consoles for cover. Make our way around so that we flank the chamber. Then you cover me while I take it.”

  “You sure about this?” Sharona asked.

  Dean wasn’t sure how to answer. He could see a mixture of emotions in her eyes. On the one hand, she didn’t want him to risk his life, but on the other she was proud of the man, and the warrior, that he had become.

  “Yeah, I’m sure. Let’s do it,” he said firmly.

  Dean entered the room first, using a comp terminal to shield himself while his mother covered him from the door. Then she entered, covered by the Browning Hi-Power. In this way, they made their way toward the chamber and its open door.

  Now flanking the chamber, Dean
looked across at his mother, nodding curtly as he made the last move. While she covered him, he kicked the door fully open, so that the backswing would immobilize anyone behind the door, and entered the chamber, finger poised on the trigger.

  The chamber was empty.

  “There’s no one—” he began, turning as Sharona entered the chamber.

  She swung the door shut before he had a chance to register what was going on. The lock clicked softly, triggering the mat-trans process. The disks on the floor began to glow and a mist rose in vaporous streamers around them.

  “What are you—” he began, but was cut short by Sharona.

  “I’m sorry, baby. It’s the only way I can do this,” she said, shaking her head, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Forgive me. It’ll be for the best, you’ll see.”

  Dean didn’t have time to fully assimilate what was happening before the rapidly accelerating mat-trans process made him feel light-headed and sick.

  His last thought as he began to black out was that there had to have been another way.

  “RYAN!” KRYSTY YELLED as she jolted awake. Her dreams had become nightmares and she had a sense of foreboding.

  The one-eyed man sat bolt upright, and looked at her.

  “What?” he snapped, concerned.

  Krysty looked at him. “It’s Dean. And it’s something bad,” she said quickly. “I don’t know what, but—”

  “Nothing would surprise me about Sharona,” Ryan said curtly as he got out of bed and pulled on his clothes. “I’m going to check on them.”

  Krysty was dressed by the time he returned and his expression did little to allay her sense of dread.

  “They’re not in their room. I’ll wake the others.”

  Ryan roused the rest of the companions and, in varying states of wakefulness, they turned out from their dorms. He explained briefly, as Krysty emerged into the corridor, and was about to split them into pairs for a search, when the woman broke into his instructions.

  “No need. I think I know.”

  In truth, Ryan had already guessed but didn’t want to admit it to himself as the companions followed Krysty to the gateway.