Blind Hero

by Nix Whittaker

  He had known when he had crawled in here last night that this place wasn’t often visited. The intact gear told him he was probably the first person here in years.

  The two women spoke around him, but he concentrated on walking without injuring himself. He wasn’t very used to having no sight even though he had been like this for a week.

  Toa gritted his teeth and brought himself away from his memories and focused on what was happening around him. The woman, Megan had his hand in hers and it was warm to his touch.

  She tugged him along, keeping her body close to his so he could tell where to go without bumping into things. He felt fresh air and sun on his face as they moved from the building to outside.

  Megan turned to him. He knew this because her voice was clearer. “Help Natasha put things into the truck. You should be able to do that by feel.”

  She patted his arm and then she left.

  The other woman cleared her throat and asked, “You alright about this? Megan is a force to be reckoned with and when she gets something in her mind, she is liable to run over other people. If you don’t want to be here, you can head off and I’ll tell her you had other things to do.”

  Toa asked, “Do you really have food?”

  There was a pause and then the rustle of clothes. Something oblong in shape was put in his hands. He had been in the army long enough to recognise the familiar feel of an energy bar.

  He bowed his head to her in thanks and then ate the food, forcing himself to chew properly and not slurp down the first meal in days. By the time he was finished the woman asked him to shift things.

  It wasn’t difficult even with his starvation of late, he still had strength which made shifting large bulky boxes manageable. The dimension of the truck also made it easy as there wasn’t anywhere he could go.

  Toa felt the drop of the truck bed as someone jumped in.

  Megan said, “Here, let me help you strap those down.”

  Her hands laid on top of his and he stepped away from her. She brought things out of him which made him wish he wasn’t a blind fool. She was kind and he didn’t want to drag her into the mess that was his life.

  Together they secured the cargo. She then led him out of the truck. Her touch warm.

  They all sat on some rocks while they ate lunch.

  Toa sat quietly as he listened to the women. From their conversation they clearly had known each other for a while as they spoke companionably of things of little value. They laughed. Eventually they turned their attention to him and Megan asked, “So, how did you get out here? There is nothing for ages.”

  Toa hesitated. He knew things which could get people into trouble. The less they knew the better.

  He crumbled some breadcrumbs between his fingers as he thought of an appropriate answer. Eventually he said, “I’m not too sure. I had to leave where I was and I wandered for a while. I found this place yesterday. I thought I’d stay here for a while and see if there was any food around.”

  Megan answered, “Not likely. This is a server farm. Mostly it’s a large warehouse. The food would have been minimal.”

  The other woman added, “Maybe in the staff lounge, but she’s right. There isn’t anything out here and if there was, it would have rotted by now. The last time people were in this building was fifty years ago, at least.”

  Megan snorted. “Maybe more. This is a pre-war building. And the fact it’s pretty much intact means the war never came here so I doubt there were people in here, even during the war so that makes it more like seventy years. Lucky us.”

  “Yeah, lucky us,” the other woman added.

  Megan reached forward and placed her hand on his arm. “Don’t worry, you can come back with us to Edge. We can feed you up and have a look at your eyes.”

  There was a short silence and he knew the two women were communicating silently. Megan must have gained her answer as she said, “We might even be able to do something to heal your eyes.”

  His heart flipped over. They could heal him? He would go with them even though their promise seemed too good to be true. He would take any risk if he could be whole again. Toa nodded his head. He wasn’t a man of many words. He had never been.

  Chapter Two

  Edge June 2097

  The dome of the weather shield over Edge was misshaped. Where it hit the water, it curved further out into the ocean which made it more of an oblong shape compared to the city as there was more water for the plant to interact with out here than there was in the city. The shield wasn’t as large either. There wasn’t a need. Edge was a town rather than a city. The road leading into the town was opened by a large metal arch.

  Megan had studied what the bigger cities had done and knew it wouldn’t work for the smaller Edge so this also had large steel doors on it. This way they would be able to keep out raiders with a small guard. But if raiders came to Edge they might be in trouble as the Edgers were not fighters, so Megan had added a few extra surprises all the way around the Shield.

  The gates opened as they approached. And Megan thought, oh good they got the sensor thing to work. Usually they had to get out and enter the code which would open the gate. They had a sensor in the vehicle and they had activated it moments before by putting in the code in the truck.

  Josh, her main contractor had told her the sensor would be fixed today and she was pleased to see, as usual, he was spot on with the timing of a job. They had been having some trouble with the electronics which were too close to the Weather Shield as it seemed to interfere with the signals. This was the fourth time they had to fix the remote sensor on the gates. Hopefully it would be the last as they had added in shielding.

  She turned to Toa who held himself very still. Megan said, “Don’t worry. We have a Weather Shield and plenty of food.”

  Toa turned to her and asked, “A Weather Shield? How did you manage that?”

  She shrugged and didn’t mention her parents were the ones to discover the technology and spread it across the world. His ignorance also told her a bit about where he came from.

  She knew her parents’ policy when they were first setting up the shields. The places had to be stable and have power and water. If Toa came from a place which didn’t have a Shield, it meant he was probably from the war-torn areas of the island.

  Megan laid a hand on his clenched hand which rested on his knee. “It’s safe here, Toa.” She was amazed by how far he must have walked and without his sight as well. She glanced over at Natasha, who returned the look with a slight frown.

  They came to a stop outside Natasha and Warren’s mansion. The sprawling house was a nice example of late twentieth century architecture. The windows gleamed. She was still getting used to the look as only a month ago the windows were still boarded up against the weather. It had taken years to get all the glass they had needed to replace all the windows in the mansion.

  The rooms were slowly being restored and Megan could see Warren was getting ready to invite a group of like-minded people to stay and talk everyone’s ears off. She hated those. Her father had liked those, but she took after her mother who had been more of a recluse.

  Thinking of her mother was always painful. She had been just becoming a woman when her mother had been murdered. For many years she had been angry at her mother for leaving when she had needed her the most.

  Megan was the second youngest in the family and her little brother barely even noticed the absence of their mother. Her father had tried to fill the gap her mother had left, but it hadn’t been enough.

  Megan put those thoughts away. There wasn’t much she could do about the past and there was always enough to look forward to in the future anyway. She helped Toa out of the truck. “This is Natasha’s place. She’s married to my brother. Don’t worry, there is plenty of space for you to stay.”

  Natasha snorted at the understatement. “I think there are over a dozen bedrooms ready. I seriously think Warren is going to get his bloody symposium.”

  Megan chuckled. “
You could always fill them with rug rats.”

  Natasha wrinkled her nose. “I have two and that is fine for now.”

  Natasha then gave a sharp whistle and Warren came out. They would need his help to get the servers inside the large barn before it rained. It always seemed to rain in the evenings inside the dome. The small micro climate was rather predictable.

  Megan said to Warren, “Meet Toa. He is going to help us out around the place. Toa this is my brother Warren.”

  Warren frowned, but didn’t mention the man was obviously blind. He knew that wouldn’t matter and he also knew more than her about what the atramento could do.

  He had worked with Halcyon to use the ancient language. Hal had used the atramento to somehow communicate with the body to enhance the human body’s natural abilities. Megan had listened to Hal go on about it before but really didn’t understand it. Warren was more fascinated with the idea that the human race could actually be descended from a super race. Apparently they had sacrificed their super powers in order to increase their fertility.

  What she did care about was the atramento could help Toa. The atramento had helped her friends and family survive the dramas that had plagued their lives.

  ___

  Toa felt the space he was in was large as the halls echoed. When the women had said there were dozens of bedrooms, he had thought they exaggerated. Obviously they hadn’t.

  The woman Megan touched his arm again, but he had known she was there. She had a slight scent which curled around him and made him think of his island home. He couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was but it drew him to her.

  She tucked his hand into the crook of her arm. “Let’s get you all cleaned up and some food in you. Afterwards you can sleep as much as you can handle. You can stay as long as you like. We have the space.”

  It sounded like a dream, but he wasn’t sure if he could trust it. Others had offered him the same only to turn on him. Only problem was he really didn’t have a choice, then or now.

  Megan warned him of stairs and took Toa further into the house. The room he was led to wasn’t large, but there was an ensuite. All of it was more luxurious than he had ever known.

  Megan chatted as she showed him where everything was. She touched his arm and asked, “Do you need a hand washing up?” Her voice was low with concern.

  Toa thought of himself naked under the shower while she spread her soapy hands over his shoulders, his back and then to the front. He stopped the thought from going any further. He felt the blush spread quickly over his cheeks and hoped she didn’t see it on his dark skin. He cleared his throat and spoke in a rough voice. “No, I’ll be fine. Thank you.”

  She patted his arm. “I’ll be just outside if you need anything. Warren is making some sandwiches to keep you going and we’ll wake you up when dinner is ready.”

  Toa heard the door close and he missed her touch. He was cautious as he moved around the bathroom. He turned on the shower and stripped out of his filthy clothes. He was pleasantly astonished by the hot water.

  Toa hadn’t had a hot shower in years. First in the refugee camps where any heating of water was outstripped by the demand. Then when he had been in the army, they had always been using B grade equipment and it seemed the powers that be never seemed to think hot water was important to have enough to upgrade or replace faulty equipment.

  He put his head under the shower with a groan of pleasure. The water helped to hide his tears. He couldn’t imagine how he had gotten to this place. His life was so different to the one he was born to. The difference in what his parents had dreamed for him and reality moved him to tears. When had hot showers become a luxury?

  A male voice and a knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. “Hey man, the girls thought you would like some clean clothes. Here is a robe and some other things.”

  Toa held himself still. He had no idea if the man was alone or if the woman were still outside the room. But the man didn’t even come into the bathroom. The man said in a voice still muffled by the bathroom door, “I’m just going to leave them on the bed. But take your time. Mum used to tell me stories of what it was like to wander out there. Enjoy the water. We have a massive cylinder.”

  Toa heard the click of the door as the man closed it and left. The thought of clean clothes was enough for him to quickly finish his shower. He wrapped the towel around his waist. He felt through the clothes left on the bed and realised the man had given him a veritable wardrobe. Either the man was a bit of a dandy, or he really was generous. One thing was clear, these people had a lot of resources. All of them had been generous to a fault. He knew most people didn’t take a stranger into their homes.

  Toa planned to sleep soon so he pulled on some boxers and a T-shirt and pulled the robe over the top. Modesty never lasted long when you were in the military. He went to the door of the room and hesitated. He wasn’t sure he could navigate his way through the house without a guide.

  He didn’t need to consider it for long as he caught the woman’s scent and felt her hand on his arm.

  Her voice was cheery as Megan asked, “Feeling better?”

  Toa nodded his head slightly and let her guide him towards the kitchen. He could hear the others talking. They went quiet, long before he could make out their words. It was a little tense as he entered and he wondered if they had been speaking about him.

  Eventually, Megan instructed him to, “Sit, eat. Warren made some sandwiches. This is his and Natasha’s house which we are staying at.”

  There was another tense silence, then the man said, “You are welcome. You can be our test dummy. I’m planning to have a large house party next month.”

  Warren came closer and patted him on his shoulder. The tension disappeared from the room and Megan guided him to a seat. They started speaking around him about the house party.

  It seemed the women weren’t keen on it. Although Megan who sat next to him was resigned to it. Natasha was the one digging in her heels. Apparently she liked her privacy.

  Toa was chewing a bite of his sandwich when Natasha said to him, “Tell him, Toa, it’s nuts to invite a group of strangers to stay here.”

  Did she really want his opinion? Toa swallowed his mouthful before he said, “I take it you hope to gain something by having these people here? Would not the inconvenience of strangers in your house be worth what you would gain?”

  There was a short silence and Warren said, “Ha, there you go.”

  Natasha huffed. “You are the one who is going to gain something from all these scholars, not me.”

  Megan added helpfully, “Then why don’t you also invite architects.”

  They must have all turned to gaze at her because the silence was pointed.

  Megan explained to the silence. “They can tell you about all the buildings in this area. They might be able to tell you which ones are most likely to have survived and you can check out more salvage.”

  Warren laughed and the conversation turned to more mundane things. Toa barely noticed as he was tired to his bones. He didn’t notice either when the others had left him alone with the woman, until Megan put her hand on his arm. “Come, I’ll show you back to your room and you can rest. You are safe here.”

  Toa was starting to believe that.

  ___

  Warren was in his office and Natasha had just finished putting the kids to bed. Megan had waited for this moment. Natasha obviously had been expecting it as she walked into the kitchen and didn’t question why she was still up in this part of the house when she usually spent her evenings in her office with her designs and drawings.

  Megan asked, “Are you going to put the atramento on him?”

  Natasha poured herself a glass of water and drank from it before she turned to her. “Do you know his story? I mean, how many people have you found just wandering in the Wildlands, people who are innocent?”

  Megan asked in return, “Did you see something in his aura? Is he going to be dangerous?”

  Nat
asha sighed. “No, there isn’t anything in his aura which tells me he will be a danger to anyone in Edge.”

  Megan huffed. “Then you know he isn’t a bad man.”

  Natasha wasn’t too easily swayed. “But we still don’t know anything about him.”

  Megan was sure he was a good man. She had met men who hid their agendas and had secrets which hurt people. Toa didn’t feel like those people. “We know he needs help. So are you going to help him or not?”

  Natasha looked her over and asked softly, though Megan didn’t think she really wanted an answer. “You like the guy, don’t you?” Natasha shook her head belaying an answer. “He has a good aura. There are some secrets there he hides but it isn’t anything unhealthy. I just don’t like secrets.”

  Megan rolled her eyes. “Everyone has secrets, Natasha.”

  Natasha finished her drink. “What worries me is he has a protective streak so wide he might get hurt some day.”

  Megan chuckled. “And since when is that a bad thing? Misha is like that.”

  Natasha shrugged non-committal. Megan said slyly, “Hal will be pleased if you put atramento on him. She is always looking for new cases. She hasn’t had someone with these kinds of injuries before. Freya was the closest. And look how well that worked out. She was paralysed with extensive Bioware hardware which allowed her to walk. Now she doesn’t need that and she is completely healed. The atramento-built nerves around the damaged area. I wonder what it would do with someone who has chemical burns to their eyes?”

  Natasha sighed. “You’re right.”

  Megan clapped her hands sure she had convinced Natasha.

  Natasha ran a hand over her face and shook her head. They were both tired. They had worked hard that day bringing in a dozen servers. They were large and difficult to move even with the added strength of atramentos. They after all, had to get their energy from somewhere.

  Natasha moved away from the sink. “Misha was telling me last week Hal has been worried lately. The feeling in the city has been changing.”