Reanimated_Terminal Misery Page 10

  The two men escorted Stefa down.

  Sammis presumed they hit the vine out of sheer luck. They'd been too far from the invading vine plus; he had little experience with firearms. Looking at his fellow shooter—a cosmologist—he realized that the man probably had less experience than he did when it came to weapons. He decided to let luck have its day.

  “You two saved my life,” she said, hugging Sammis and the Dreamer once they were down. “Those vines usually stay away from the rocks.”

  Sammis inhaled. “Apparently, this one didn’t play by the rules.”

  The others met with them, relieved to see Stefa safe. It was more than relief. The premonitions somehow made them feel responsible for what happened to those in their visions.

  These two saved me from a deadly vine,” Stefa said to Mira.

  “In truth, these others did, too.” Malica pointed at the other Dreamers, who waved and nodded.

  “I don’t understand. How did you know I’d be in danger?”

  “We’ll let Sally and Mirra explain. Malica and I have work to do,” Dr. Spencer said.

  “Can I walk with you,” Sammis asked.

  “Sure, what’s on your mind?”

  Sammis looked back at the group and waved to Mirra. “Have they told you about Mother?” he murmured.

  “No. What is Mother?” Malica said, remaining one step behind them.

  "In their dreams, they hear a voice that calls itself Mother. The female voice never comes from a woman, though. In each dream she beseeches us to stay where we are,” Sammis said, lowering his voice even more.

  Dr. Spencer digested that in silence.

  Malica stared ahead. Those last words were echoing in her head—Stay where we are.

  Chapter 24

  Errand

  Manta, Ecuador, Rosa Mountains

  May 6, 4067

  "At this altitude, it would be tough for a flying reptile to make a morsel out of ol' Buzz," Mathew said, as giddy as a child with a new toy. He cradled the control station on his flabby abdomen. Virtual gaming was one thing but flying a top of the line drone, entirely another. This smart machine contained sensors to read ambient conditions, it could emit a high pitch whine to scare off predators, capture super-high-def footage up to two miles, and even parachute to safety in the event of an emergency, not to mention it was a submersible.

  “Why Buzz?” Malica asked, crinkling her nose.

  “Apollo 11, he was the second man to walk on the moon?”

  “Oh. But the drone flies,” Malica said, rolling her eyes.

  Mathew gave a noticeable sigh, “He was a great explorer, and the drone’s a great explorer.” He saw the blank look on Malica’s pretty face. Never mind,” he said, turning back to the feed running on a ten inch 3D screen.

  Ben, Dr. Spencer, and Malica shared a smile.

  Their eyes turned to the shifting tree line, spanning as far as their eyes could see. The lurid site left them unhinged and weary as usual. Nothing could explain this magnificent, yet terrifying land. Evolution had taken billions of years to create the previous world. This Earth had been established in an infinitesimal fraction of that. None of the scientists had a plausible explanation, and this rattled what they thought they understood concerning evolutionary schemes.

  “Am I too late?” Mirra said, stepping up to meet them. She’d been tied up examining the flying reptile’s DNA.

  The doctor turned to her. “No. We can make space for you,” he said, placing a hand on Malica’s back.

  Just as everyone shuffled aside, Sammis arrived.

  "Sorry, studying the walking mechanics of these plants is intense," he said, nodding at the trio. He smiled and bowed to Mirra last.

  “I think this whole thing is fascinating. I could add, disturbing, too, at a whole new level.” Malica commented.

  “Yes it is, but we have the amazing chance to live again in a new world. I am excited for the human race,” Sammis said.

  "I agree," Ben said, glaring at Malica for her sensationalism.

  Dr. Spencer stepped closer to Sammis, “We’re not trying to lessen what we have here, but we’re as baffled as we’ve ever been as we study this complex world. It’s like grade school all over. We have to learn how things work from scratch again.”

  “At the same time,” Malica nodded at Dr. Spencer, “the situation we are all faced with makes us ask the same thing, will we learn in time to survive this arcane world?” she said, searching Ben’s face.

  “I have a feeling it will be fine, Dr. Malica,” Sammis said, joining the semicircle.

  Malica, admired his resolve, but his shoulders slouched a bit, her psychological analysis involuntarily dissecting his psyche.

  Mathew used his forefinger and thumb to widen the screen so they could all witness the fantastic view. That action minimized most side readings.

  The lively feed revealed gaps in the landscape. The vegetation behaved more like herds of animals than plants, moving from pasture to pasture. Mathew hovered Buzz and zoomed in on a conglomeration of green spider-like shrubs that used their root extremities to pry the dirt.

  “What are they consuming, ants, earthworms, or the soil?” the doctor said squinting.

  “Perhaps they are consuming plant excretions or shallow soil dwellers,” Mirra suggested.

  “Mathew, what is that?” Malica pointed at the screen.

  "I see it." Mathew targeted the place and dove the drone closer. The screen blurred as it refocused. There, to everyone's dismay, stood a massive insect-like creature, with eyes attached to antennas like feelers and mandibles as big as bullhorns, it rose thirty or so feet along the tree ridge. The monster's colors shifted, matching that of the tree line. From its exoskeleton-like skin hung what looked like mock branches.

  “What is that?”

  “It’s a beetle that has adapted itself to live among the trees. Look at its size, amazing,” Sammis said.

  Mathew turned his fingers and Buzz circled the beast.

  “Let’s move on,” Dr. Spencer said.

  Buzz covered as many beasts and plants as time permitted. The habitat seemed as lush with vegetation as with animals, but the whole thing felt more like watching a movie. These were not mutated creatures kept in a lab in formaldehyde. They were real. The humans were the oddity here, trapped in a labyrinth of caves. The drone had to outmaneuver feathered birds that resembled anything but birds. Some flying creatures had oily skin, others scaly skin. Large insects sometimes attacked the mechanical wonder, too. The sounds of screaming birds filled the speakers.

  “They’re pretty noisy, huh?” Ben pointed out.

  “We can hear some sounds from here, but they’re nothing compared to what the drone is capturing,” Dr. Spencer added.

  "There, a river." Ben signaled. He had seen the steam rising from a great distance, but at first, he mistook it for mist.

  "We're close to the point of no return, so this is our last peak ahead, folks." Mathew banked Buzz in a full arch around the river. The massive body of water wound away in the distance like an enormous snake. Thundering waterfalls belched white clouds of moisture. The vegetation on one side of the river was noticeably different than its counterpart.

  "Why does it seem we're looking at substantially different landscapes on either side of the river?" Dr. Spencer asked. "I don't recall a river that size anywhere close to Manta, Ecuador.

  “The vegetation is very different, but I’ll need closer images, Mathew,” Sammis said.

  “Sorry ladies and gents. Buzz needs to head home. He’s been a busy boy and is running low on juice.” There was a common groan from the five scientists. Why do I feel I’m on a field trip with teenagers,” Mathew thought and smiled to himself.

  “When can we try again,” Mirra asked, unable to keep a hint of thrill from showing on her face.

  “I say we go in another direction next time,” Sammis said.

  “Dr. Sammis, I think we should go back and take a look at the river,” Ben said, hardening hi
s tone.

  “Buzz takes two hours to recharge and then we can try again,” Mathew shrugged.

  Malica waved her hand. “Let’s study what we have first and then determine a direction change.”

  Everyone nodded reluctantly.

  Ben looked at Dr. Spencer and Malica. “We need to talk.”

  ***************************

  "There's a storm approaching, and we need fresh water," Ben said.

  “We can have buckets placed in areas where the water flows,” Malica said.

  “If it’s a big downpour perhaps a chain can be formed to fill as many buckets as possible,” the doctor suggested.

  "Good idea, but according to our weather AI, this is some multi-cell storm. I'm not sure if buckets will survive this if it's as bad as they say, and I know we don't want anyone out here when it hits," Ben said, his eyes shifting from Dr. Spencer to Malica.

  “We can secure the buckets and hope we get lucky,” Malica said.

  “Sounds like a plan,” Dr. Spencer said. “I’ll have maintenance come up with a way to secure the buckets.

  “Good, then let’s get started.” Ben stood to leave.

  “Is there a possibility of flooding?” Malica asked.

  Ben glanced at Dr. Spencer, who paused as well. “I’ll get the engineers to check it out.”

  Chapter 25

  Careless

  Manta, Ecuador, Rosa Mountains

  May 9, 4067

  “I think it’s too soon to send scouting parties, Ben. There’s too much we don’t know. People can get hurt,” Dr. Spencer said, holding up his hands and shaking his head.

  “We didn’t get consensus when we spoke after the drone flight last time, and I… We need this done. Those massive storms left two caverns uninhabitable, and we lost a lot of good equipment. Thankfully, we didn’t set up the cafeteria or the food storage area there,” Ben said, leaning back in his chair and dabbing sweat from his forehead.

  “At least, let’s wait until we have enough drone footage? Dr. Spencer’s temples rose as he clamped his teeth defiantly.

  “It’s not like I’m making the sole decision. I’m putting it out there for a vote.”

  “You know they’ll vote in favor because they’re not the ones going out there to face possible death!”

  “Am I hearing you right? Do you mean to tell me the representatives are unjust and cowards.” Ben glared at the doctor in disbelief.

  “You know that’s not what I meant.” The doctor paced to the back of the tent, working his way around boxes, trying to find a calm response. “Malica gave up trying to convince you to wait. You didn't bring us here to discuss your idea of sending out a team to reach the river. You've already made up your mind about it. These people are scared because, from the start, they expected to awaken in a better place, where things would progress until we established a community that would extend throughout Earth like before. Nothing has turned out that way, and they want this nightmare to end. This is life, and we have to be bigger than our problems and be reasonable about the chances we take. Sadly, I’m starting to get to know the real you, Ben. I found out about the two teams originally chosen to go to the surface when we were underground…” He paused long enough to see Ben’s jaw stiffen, "I know two of the delegates were chosen to go to the surface because they had recovered better than most, but you arranged for them to get off the list to gain favors. You convinced everyone involved that security personnel would fare far better than civilians. Malica and I were secretly excluded from this deliberation, as were those representatives you knew would challenge this logic because the two scientists had plenty of field experience. "They would've been able to assess the conditions, pathogens, or any number of ecological considerations. The smell alone would've alerted a field scientist to the presence of communal dwellers, like the bat-birds," Dr. Spencer said, his lips becoming a hard line.

  Ben straightened and smiled like a child caught eating snacks before a meal. "Spence, I did change the ruling but only because I…" He turned away, hiding what his face reflected. "They chose Alice, and we'd gotten close during those firsts days. Sure, she was healthier, but I know her, and she would not have fared well on such a task, men are stronger and braver, but if I got her off the hook, I would have to get the other representative off as well. Either way, I am not proud of it, but everyone made it, right?" Ben shrugged as if peace would ensue after his impeccable argument.

  "Corporal Stevens, who has contracted an unidentified bacterial disease, would like to know why you chose him instead of a biologist or naturalist. The boy is National Guard and inexperienced. The disease is aggressive, I have yet to understand a thing about it," Dr. Spencer said, his face implacable.

  "I'm sorry. I didn't know. I thought Stevens had recovered. Will he be alright?"

  "Time will tell, and I'm wasting my time here when I should be finding a cure because I'm not even sure if this thing's airborne."

  “I’ll give Mathew’s drone two more days, for the sake of Corporal Steven. If a disease breaks out under these humid, unsanitary conditions then, God save us.” Ben stood and started pacing, too.

  “God? That’s funny coming from you. I wonder if the Bisonon killed God in 2055, and now this remarkable and inexplicable world brought him back.” Dr. Spencer grinned snidely at Ben.

  “I doubt that. There has to be—”

  “A logical explanation,” Dr. Spencer happily interrupted. “I suppose you are too close to those that represent the people to hear from those they serve individually.” He looked at Ben’s puzzled expression.

  “What are you getting at?”

  The doctor moved towards the entrance, but something made him turn back, his eyes drifting to a faraway place. He sighed, “Have you heard about the dreams, or better yet, have you had one?”

  “No.” Something seemed to cross his eyes. “Come to think of it, I haven’t had a single dream since I awoke, but that doesn’t mean a damn thing. I’ve been crazy busy and too tired to remember any, that’s all.” Ben sat again and turned to a 4-D platform as if to dismiss the doctor. An image rose from the base as Ben pressed some light symbols. The aerial photography of the river Buzz had discovered spun ever so slowly on the pedestal. The image made Ben's eyes glow green.

  "Oh, I doubt that. The ones having dreams are very busy, tired, and restless people. Some prefer to stay awake because they are too afraid to sleep. Do you know why?" He noticed that Ben's eyes remained downcast. Does he know? the doctor thought. “Right, then let me enlighten you. They are visited by dreams which will come to pass. Some are visited by a woman’s voice who calls herself Mother—”

  “Pure nonsense from frightened people,” Ben interrupted.

  "Is it now? Then how can you contend that they all hear and see the same things? And, their dreams come true. Hell, they wrote them down to prove it to me. I watched as they slept, and I saw them separately write their dreams out, and each paper described the same dream, if only with some minor differences." The doctor gave an airy-nasal laugh. "I saw the fruition of the dreams myself, two of them at least. They saved Stefa from being attacked by a murderous vine, and they stopped a possible epidemic. The dream detailed a high perch, the sun's setting, and Stefa screaming. She was supposed to place a Blue-repeater as high as possible because of all the signal issues we've been having. Just as she'd tied down the casing, a vine appeared from a crack in the wall. Stefa's reaction, the perch, and vine were identical to the ones on the slips I held. Once I saw the first dream realized, I listened and…” He nearly laughed, as if the whole thing made him question his sanity. “We saved Stefa.”

  “Why didn’t you come to me with this?”

  “Why? Do you believe me now?” He saw the deadpan expression on Ben’s face. “Let me make you privy to a little tidbit, my friend—it doesn’t matter if you believe me or not.” He leaned closer to Ben’s unsorted eyes. “They believe, and at this point, that’s all that matters.”

  “What are you saying
?” Ben said, leaning in as well.

  “You think things like these are not going to leak. Most Dreamers, as their being called, are reputable members of our community. Some of these people probably chuckled as they passed churches and saw the deluded worshipers. Observation and experimentation are what we do as scientists. Ten out of ten dreams are nearly identical. Something is going on here that's a lot bigger than us."

  “What do you suggest—we bow every hour to this Mother character. Perhaps a sacrifice would be in order,” Ben said, his voice as sharp as a razor.

  "Mock all you like, but others believe the Dreamers. As for sending people out there so early in our learning stage, that's pretty presumptuous."

  “I said I’d wait two days and you have two days.” Ben came up so fast his chair toppled over. He straightened it brashly. “Now, if there isn’t any other pending matter?”

  The doctor sniffed. "Why, are you going to be open-minded to other situations, which don't meet your logical expectations?"

  Ben grunted but said nothing.

  Chapter 26

  Excursion

  Manta, Ecuador, Rosa Mountains

  May 11, 4067

  “You guys feeling okay about this? I mean, the last time you took a beating,” Dr. Spencer said, staring into Lt. Pierce’s eyes. He sensed Ben’s hot gaze upon him and turned, only to see the man skulking away.

  “We were starting to get restless. Standing around without a mission is not our thing, Doctor.”

  "Just checking." Dr. Spencer smiled at the four-man team. They replaced Corporal Stevens for Efrem Channel. Efrem held no rank but had been a Ranger who preferred his name rather than a rank designation. His tall, broad frame dwarfed the others. His eyes were a steel-silvery color that made people, including the doctor, uncomfortable.

  "Ready for some action, Efrem?" Lt. Pierce said as he tossed his backpack over his shoulder.