Chapter Five: Five months ago.... Home Ground:
Definition of Home Ground: The remains of the Mother Ship, Nebulous, and the surrounding area within The Thorns.
It made Blade a little mad, but Anthony had been right. A party inside Home Ground to get everyone together had been a great idea. It gave them all a chance to have showers, change their clothing, to eat something half decent and to swap stories.
A few of the younger children had banded together and were eager to tell everyone how they'd found a small escape pod, which had been uncovered by the last Grit Storm. It was only about a kilometre, South Side, outside the Thorns, in tact and still packed with much needed provisions. The sudden collapse and destruction of a much larger life capsule a few months before, which had been entangled in The Thorns since the beginning and had given everyone a safe passage through, had been disastrous, and meant they could no longer bring in larger finds.
Sitting outside around a campfire to keep warm from the evening chill, everyone told of their ideas of how larger things could be brought in, to catapulting things across, to digging a tunnel but they all knew nothing would work; so as the night drew in, they retold their stories of how they'd managed to get back through the capsule just moments before The Thorns had crushed it like an egg.
Kendon said he'd never seen a real egg. Mikko tried to describe one, but then asked, "If the capsule was made to withstand the power generated from a supernova, how come The Thorns were able to crush it so easily and why wait so long to do it?"
Blade told them, their faces sharp and eager to listen, that the taltalium, which the capsule was mostly made from, was created for space flight, exceptionally light and designed to actually change it's structure, so the faster it travelled, the stronger it would become but after crashing the capsule could have fractured and over time The Thorns would have weakened it. "And it didn't help," he added, "that over the years we've all but striped it bare, there really wasn't much holding it together and anyway, the concentrated power generated by such an event as a supernova, is so immense that just a few grains, would be so heavy it could crush a small planet, I doubt any capsule could ever withstand such a force."
Suzi still looked worried. She felt it strange that a thorn hedge could destroy the capsule so easily. 'It just suddenly crumbled like tissue paper," she said. "we were lucky to get out with our lives! Where did The Thorns come from? How could it do this? And why now?" No one answered. Blade noticed Anthony's uneasiness, his eyes suddenly looking away from the group and made a mental note to talk to him later.
Meanwhile Keyon was eager to talk about the time he'd been Thorned. He couldn't believe the universe contained such pain and it was a miracle Anthony had ever found an antidote. Everyone clapped, whistled and cheered to which Anthony, blushing, flourished a theatrical hand and bowed.
This led to Blade telling them he was going out to the City and while he was away no one was to leave the boundaries of Home Ground; no one, under any circumstance was to go out through The Thorns without permission or without an antidote. He'd made sure there would be enough provisions for them all and promised everyone would have at least one hot meal a day. But even with this promise and their fear of dying a horrible death by being Thorned, or being caught by the Manboti, didn't stop virtually everyone asking to go with him. Blade had shaken his head and told them he would be going alone; then added in a hushed voice, as though it was a secret, he hoped to have some good news on his return but in the meantime, Commander Anthony Hesster would be in charge to which they all cheered again, as they all knew Anthony would let them get away with almost anything.
This time Anthony grinned and called out, "Listen up everyone, Captain Blade has just informed me, Home Ground will be open the entire time he's away, so you can all sleep inside tonight and every night if you wish!" Blade glared at him, Anthony smiled and under his breath whispered. "The ship likes the company. Gell packs are up ten percent just on tonights recycling."
With that Blade allowed them some watered down alcohol and sweet biscuits, then told them all to find their allotted rooms and get a good nights sleep. A few preferred to sleep outside where the large fire was still blazing strongly. Younger children chatted excitedly at the thought of clean beds and a chance to stay up all night talking, while The Olders, as they were known, had already begun to drift off in pairs, stealing kisses when they thought no one was looking. Anthony announced loudly, that if any one was thinking of 'making sunshine' there were the usual patches, pills, jabs and those old fashions things known as condoms, available in the foyer.
Blade had given Anthony another fierce glare, "Their just kids, what are you saying!?"
"They're not always going to fill them with Grit and use them as bombs Blade. Look around you there's only four of them under the age of consent, everyone's growing up, paring off. We can't help it, it's part of our K.i. Chips. There's bound to be some... curiosity. It's something you need to address."
"When I get back."
"Hmmm... I'll look forward to that speech, Captain," grinned Anthony.
*******
Blade decided he liked waking up in a bed--he liked the feel of the sheets on his skin, so much better than his dirt dugout and he liked it even more waking up next to Kesti. She had wound herself around him so tightly he was wondering how to untangle himself without waking her. He smiled. Did he really want to get up? Did he really want a near three day trek through the Wasted Forest across the Grey Desert to the Ruined City to hunt out something that may come to nothing, a waste of time? Could even get him killed. No... not really.
He gently smoothed his fingernails over Kesti's shoulder and down her arm, her skin was so soft, the artificial light made it shimmer a little. Trouble with waking up this early in the morning and lying so close to some one this beautiful, did weird things to him. Probably did weird things to every guy. He couldn't go back to sleep but then, he didn't want to.
He nuzzled his face into Kesti's hair, it smelt so good and then very gently rolled her over so he could kiss her awake. He had to wake her, she'd get really mad with him if he started without her. Understandable. But finding himself in the right position and already almost past the point of no return, he begun without her anyway. Slowly in his head he counted down the seconds... twenty was the longest he could get away with this. Sometimes he was sure she pretended to be a sleep. He slipped inside her so easily. "Kesti," he whispered. "Oh my god you're so beautiful. Hmmm. "
"Hey Captain, your six o'clock alarm went off half an hour ago!"
"Anthony! Private moment!"
"Aw, sorry!" he grinned, "but I've got stuff to go over with you before you set off. Plus you two made enough sun shine last night to put the Gamma Shrine to shame!"
"I'll be there!"
"Want tea Kesti?" called Anthony a little louder.
She rolled away from Blade taking sheets with her "No, I'm sleeping..." she gritted into her pillow. Blade threw his pillow at the door just as Anthony stepped back and it automatically closed. "Have you changed your mind?" said Kesti from under the sheets.
"No.... no, I haven't ." Blade answered knowing what was coming next.
Turning and moving herself into a kneeling position while pulling the sheets around her, she glared at him. "You're talking your dog, but not me!"
"It's too dangerous Kesti. We haven't been out to the city in months, loads could've changed and--"
"Oh I see--in spite of that you're still taking a dog and not me!"
"Yes, we've been over this. It's too dangerous!"
Kesti huffed out an annoyed "Arrgh!!" then buried herself in the sheets again. As Blade stood up, looking for his clothes she asked. "How many seconds this time big boy?"
Blade grinned and shook his head. "fifteen."
"You're never going to beat your record, never in a million years! It's weird wanting to make love to someone who's sleeping!"
"Aw... you weren't asleep. Anyway, it's good practise! And you loved every second of it."
With that she threw her pillow at him. "I hate you!"
"Hey Kesti." He came back down onto the bed and put his arm around her. "I won't be long. Promise. Three, four maybe five weeks tops. It's just this thing in my head, it's as though my mum is calling to me. I have to see if I can find her."
"You know she's dead."
"I don't know that, not for sure. I have nothing of her's in my head, nothing. I barely remember what she looks like. There's this kind of feeling... I have to go." He kissed her very gently, letting his tongue just briefly touch her lips. She leaned in wanting more.
"I love you Blade," she whispered. Those three little words sent a shiver through his body. They were so unexpected and caught him completely off guard. She'd never said them before. He'd never said them either. He was going off into certain danger, with a possibility of never coming back. Now was a good time to say them. He imagined Kesti's smile and he knew she would pull him down on to her and they would make love again, but instead, he found himself looking for his clothing, pecking her briefly on her forehead and saying,
"Anthony's waiting, I'd better go. Bring you some tea later..." and with that he quickly left still pulling on his clothing.
Anthony was in his make shift Astrophysics lab. It doubled up as a kitchen, medical centre, store room, workshop and anything else that was needed. There was one side where it looked very much how you'd expect it to look with clean lines of controls and a wide screen that curved the wall and part of the ceiling. The rest was a jumble of relay wires, connection hubs, USB ports, some that looked as if they'd been lifted from the sinking Ark, while others appeared to come from the set of a Frankenstein's laboratory or some futuristic fantasy. There was an assortment of different sized viewers all in different stages of disrepair but flashing up images of places obviously outside Home Ground. This was were Anthony could always be found when they spent time inside the actual remains of the Nebulous. He was rubbish at building dugouts, his were always collapsing, so these meetings inside the mother-ship, were always welcomed by him. He gave Blade a look that clearly meant, 'We should've done this an hour ago'.
"What?" said Blade annoyed.
"You should set an example you know. I could hear you two making sunshine all bloody night, bet the others could too."
"Jealous?"
"Huh. Neither of you were wearing patches. You'll get her pregnant."
"How do you know, we could be."
"Near the groin is where they should be, didn't see one on you and being a gentleman didn't notice one on Kesti."
"They don't work, they melt as soon as..." Blade lowered his voice. "...as soon as, I get a bit... y'know...hot..."
"No...I don't know."
"What?" frowned Blade, "I thought you and Suzi were..."
"No... Evidently I'm not her type."
"Uh, sorry... anyway, I pull out... it'll be fine."
"Famous last words."
"Like you'd know."
"I said I wasn't making sunshine with Suzi, not that I hadn't... or wasn't with someone." Anthony smiled and quickly turned away as his face flushed.
"Who? Malcolm?" Blade laughed as he checked on computer scenes around the room. "Well, it's what we were sent out to do, wasn't it, some kind of Birthing Pool? Seek out New World and colonised the planet." He said loudly to the room and then pointed to an artist's impression still attached to the far wall, of how The Nebulous, if she had landed on New World without crashing and with all her life capsules, pods and ISP's in tact, would have looked. An enormous area in the shape of a massive wheel, with 'Home Ground' in the centre and the rest stretching out hundreds of acres on a green and very fertile landscape. An instant City. "That's why they lowered the age of consent to thirteen before we left Earth."
"My mum disapproved of that."
"Yeah, so did mine." sighed Blade.
"Okay... it's your deal, but I'm telling you, if you don't come back - and I've already put qwizzy lizard pee in your Thorn antidote by the way, so if you die - horribly - I'll be making sun shine with Kesti, okay?"
"You're a true mate. But I'll kill you if you do."
"Well if it's not me, I'll be Decker or even Skylar. Come on Blade take her with you! In fact we should get a small unit together, virtually everyone wants to go, we haven't done anything in months, it'll be a good morale booster. "
"What? So, half a dozen of us go out and, if we're lucky, what, two or three of us come back? No! I've told you, I go alone!"
"Well it's your bad."
"So, what's up? SkyCam come back?"
"One and Five have... Nothing much going on. No repairs done to the Razor Wire, so the same gap should be okay... but there's another one... here, if it's not, but watch out for new traps just in case, and the alarms are set to go if anything bigger than a mealiworm touches them. The noise must be deafening when the Grit storms hit and speaking of Grit, none forecast until next..." Anthony swiped another screen... "a week next Tuesday... coming out from the north... of course, I have new evidence that some of these storms are artificial. There's been a few just lately lasting exactly one hour, two minutes and thirty nine seconds. If they can make them happened Blade, you're a dead man if you're caught out there in the desert."
"They won't do that."
"Why so sure?"
"Not sure," shrugged Blade, "it's just this feeling I have... it's not normal....They want me alive."
"So it is a trap. Then that's even more reason for more of us to go!"
"No!"
Anthony shook his head. "You're the boss. You should be well within the Northern end of the City by the time the next storm hits anyway... pretty sure that's the area you'll find her in. Well, it's what the readout's come up with from your K.i. Chip and Malcom's confirmed it. That's weird too, y'know, I'm sure they were never designed to do that but, as Daniel keeps saying, we're all guineapigs. Oh, by the way, you'd better go up and see him before you go, okay?"
"He's talking?"
"Well....if you can call saying the same word over and over again talking, then I guess he is."
"Where is he?"
"Crows nest, thinks he can fix it. The senors and tagports are better than they ever were, so he's doing something right. That's where the Skycams are docking when they come back now, then sending everything down here to Malcolm. Perfect pictures," Anthony swiped another screen. "Look, great aerial photo's of Home Ground... here's last months and three months ago.... and last years... notice anything?"
"Run it again... Looks like The Thorns are getting closer. So that's why the capsule was crushed? The Thorns are moving..."
"Looks that way." nodded Anthony. "I haven't told anyone yet, but at this rate by this time next year, it'll be trying to crush what's left of Home Ground. Blade, if you don't find The Flyer soon, we're all dead meat."
"You believe The Thorns could crush Home Ground?"
Anthony shrugged again. "If she's still damaged below Blade, who knows. We have no idea what the plax and nanos have done down there, Malcolm thinks - "
"Malcolm doesn't think, Anthony!"
"Well he surmises a full recovery, even better than before but still has no link with Down Below. We need Home Ground in orbit Blade. There's not enough of us left to navigate it but... we need it to at least set the Stream. We have to check Down Below."
"We'll look into it when I get back."
Anthony tried not to roll his eyes, "It won't be a tomb Blade, I know that's what you think it is, we had to shut it down and those down there were already dead."
"The only thing I'm thinking about right now, is finding The Flyer; we can set The Stream from there. Don't tell the others about The Thorns or what I'm going to the city for. What else have you got?"
"There's some kind of factory... out on the Edge, just before the Northern most Rim, plenty of ruins to give you cover. Most of it's covered in Grit. Looks like it was once some kind of shopping arcade, there's some kind of underground storage... some weird read-outs coming from a clear area there, pretty sure it's The Flyer's doing. If it is, you should be able to get a link, I'll give you a readout map."
"No, no map, I'll memorise it."
"Okay, not wise but suit yourself. I've got you a contact."
"How? Who?"
"This guy here. He signaled the Skycam when he saw it." Anthony pointed to his eye, made the letter's C and then U with his fingers "Eye... C...U."
" And that makes him a contact?"
"Sure does. Anyone else would've shot it down. Look, here's a closer picture..." Anthony pulled down another screen and zoomed in. "He's setting markers about, all you have to do is follow them, they have tiny holes punched in them. Ten is high, one is low... you have to get to one. That could be anywhere, the other side of the city, the mountain side, below. We need a tracker on you Blade."
"No!"
Anthony heaved another impatient sigh. "Okay. The marker looks like a black bird... its beak is the way ahead, its tail the way back. We talked about this the last time we met the Chinaman, remember?"
"Yeah. Don't remember that guy though. Can we trust him?"
Anthony shrugged, "Who knows? But your story to them is that you're looking for your mother, your K.i. Chip, and the lack of knowledge from her is all you need to say. Don't mention The Flyer, not even to the Chinaman. Do you think she'll accept you?"
That ISP I found did... It sparked off something in me, the feeling's so strong. No other ISP unit I've found has done that to me. I just know I'll find The Flyer this time but you're not to tell anyone, not even Kesti, even she thinks I'm looking for my mother."
"And she bought that, did she? Blade, have you considered the possibility that the Manboti could have your mother even after all this time, or even these guys here." He gestured to the higher screen again. "Either one of them could've found a way of playing with her K.i.Chip to get to you and that would make sense with this readout I'm getting."
"I'm pretty sure what I'm feeling is coming from The Flyer, not my mother. No one can tamper with The Flyer."
Anthony shrugged, "Again, famous last words. It could be either, there's no way to know for sure."
"If she was dead, I would know what she knew but I don't, so she must be still alive, somewhere. I will look for her while I'm there but finding The Flyer comes first."
Anthony nodded and shut down some of the screens. "Okay. On the brighter side, If The Flyer is good to go, are we off back home to Earth?"
"No, we'll go on to New World, that was our mission, that's what we'll do. Continue with Operation Merry-go-round."
"I've calculated we're about half way, same distance back to Earth as it is to New World."
"Good. What have we got to go back to Earth for anyway? Everything and everyone we ever knew came with us. We go on."
Anthony shook his head, "I can't see how we can colonise a country let alone a whole planet now, so, no vote?"
"No." said Blade firmly.
"That's what I like to hear, the moc in democracy. If I can get us straight into The Steam at three then five and level seven should be easy enough and after that, with any luck, nine is just a jump away... we could be there in weeks."
"Weeks? Anthony that's unbelievable. And the Flyer can take that?"
"Sure! She's all Tryniphtrili. I'd like to see the Thorns try and crush that."
"Some of that capsule had a little of that too."
"Yeah, maybe in its inner struture but not the same grade as the Flyer, a money saving thing I'm guessing. The melictrical structure would have changed much the same way out in space even better in The Stream, the faster we move, the stronger it gets, but down here?" He shrugged, "it's a wonder it lasted as long as it did covered with the Thorns the way is was..."
"I said all that eariler."
"Near enough, I was well impressed... think the kids were too. They enjoyed tonight Blade, we need more of them, we need...we need to be more of a team, no more secrets, no more sitting in our dugouts on our own. They loved sharing and talking about what they'd found. You can't be their big brother any more, or their father, we have to become an army... soldiers and you have to be their captain."
Blade rolled his eyes. "We need some secrets. How's those codes coming along?"
"I'll get there."
"Good. Keep working on them, we need that speed."
"Okay boss! So you're definitely not taking Kesti with you to the City?"
"I'll be faster on my own. I'm taking Tricket because she'll act as my compass and she's good at catching stuff..."
"So's a harpoon gun... or tie some string to your arrow..." He made out he was shooting something with a cross bow and then pulling it back. "Don't eat anything with metal in it will ya. I've made a tracker so we'll know where you are and some proper fire power."
"No! No weapons, other than my crossbow and my knife. No tracker, no radio contact, nothing."
"Is that thing in your head telling you this? You're a bloody fool Blade! How the Hell are we going to know if you're okay or keep track of you? And when you get back, how will we know it's you?"
"I've thought of that... You'll have to shoot first... and ask questions later."
"What?! That won't work, we have to have some kind of code, a plan, some kind of signal that wouldn't make any sense to them but would to us. Even that's going to be hard because if they eat you, they'll know just what we've planned, or worse, they'll eat you anyway then send a gang of Manboti out here to annihilate us all."
"They can't get through the Thorns."
"We've found an antidote, it won't take them long to do the same, they probably have by now."
"It pierces their armour, kills them just as it kills us. Crushes them. They won't think of an antidote."
"Might do if they eat you!"
"Which is why I have no idea what's in your antidote, right? See, you keep secrets too."
"Huh! Well, that's different, anyway, you wouldn't want to know what's in that antidote!"
"They're not interested in us Anthony; they think we're a bunch of kids. What's this? What are you doing here?" Blade was looking into a small glass window. Whatever was inside the large incubator was glowing, its cells dividing rapidly. He looked up at Anthony who seemed suddenly uneasy, running his hand through his wavy hair. He came and stood next to Blade and looked in through the window too.
"I'm cooking something."
"It's a genetic programme, what are you doing?"
"Spot of...cloning..."
"Cloning is forbidden."
"Was, on Earth, yes..."
"I never gave you permission!"
"I never asked. You would've said no. I've done it before. It's what I used to test the Thorn antidote on, what else can I use?"
"Who is it?"
"Me of course! It's not truly alive, it's just an organic carbon and water based cellular string of DNA and traces of Milo rays....and, umm... tomato ketchup."
"I'm serious Anthony! What stage is it at?"
"Three."
"Destroy it before it reaches five."
"Blade, that's not necessary, it's really not --"
"I said, destroy it before it reaches five or I'll do it now!"
"It can never truly be alive. The captain would have to add in his authorisation code just before stage nine... and seeing you're the captain..." Anthony shrugged his shoulders.
"That'll never happen."
"I guess not."
So it'll die?"
"Yes!"
"Destroy it at stage five, it's inhuman to destroy it so late in its creation...anyway, what are you going to do with it?"
"I had this theory... doesn't matter."
Blade smiled. "Maybe Suzi'll find she fancies your clone more than you!"
"Ha! Just my luck... no it's just something I thought I'd try."
"While I was away?"
"Yeah..."
"You want to experiment on a living humanoid--"
"It's not officially alive until the last code goes in."
"It has a heart beat, stick it with a pin it feels pain and moves away. We'll be no better than the Manboti Anthony. What is it you want to do?"
"It's just something I have in my head, something I want to, no, need to check."
"From your father's K.i. Chip?"
"Yeah, I guess it is. I can't tell you, mainly because I don't really know myself. The more it grows the more I realise what I have to do and, just in case you get eaten because, then they''ll know too, so I'm not saying anything even when I do know what I'm doing... I've discussed it with Malcolm. He agrees."
"Malcolm? Malcolm's a bloody computer Anthony!"
"Really? I hadn't noticed!"
"Malcolm?" Called Blade to the room. "What's Commander Anthony Hesster up to?"
"Don't tell him Malcolm."
"My Cer-Lips are sealed Anthony." answered the computer. "My apologies Captain Blade."
""There's nothing I hate more than a smart arse computer! I'll over ride you Malcolm."
"Can't!" grinned Anthony, "Not on medical matters until your mother's chip kicks in, and even then I have full authority and discretion on anything concerning the welfare of my captain, that's you, and the crew, that's that lot out there." Anthony beamed the biggest smile. "I love being me!"
"A medical matter? Just make sure it's not here when I get back. I'd better go and get changed."
"Go up and see Daniel first. Here, I've sorted you out some clothing so you'll look like a C.O.P."
"I'm wearing my uniform."
"You can't be serious! It'll be like waving a red flag at a bull! The Manboti will see you before you're anywhere near The Rim. They'll cut you down for sure Blade. This isn't like the Old World Wars on Earth, shot as a spy for being out of uniform on enemy territory, they'll tear you to pieices!!
"I'm wearing my uniform. If it is Manboti sending out this signal," Blade tapped his head, "They won't kill me, they need me."
"You stuffed headed moron! There may even be a few C.O.P fractions out there who wouldn't think twice about shooting you! There's some who think we caused this war you know. Okay, that'll be the code! Yes! If you come back wearing anything other than your uniform, I'll shoot you!"
"Good," nodded Blade, "make sure you don't hit any vital organs."
"Hmm... I'll try not to. Depends what you call vital, doesn't it?" He said lowering his eyes. "A few weeks away from Kesti and you'll be--"
"Okay, where's Tricket?"
"She's over there in her basket... here, girl come on, walkies time. She's already had her breakfast. I've a bag somewhere, you'll need one to put her in to get through the Thorns. I'm going to miss her, she's a great listener, and agrees with nearly everything I say. She's helped me work out some of my biggest problems."
"Anthony, she's a dog... Okay, if that's it... I'll have something to eat, then head on out to the East Side. Meet you there in about an hour...or two?"
"Where you going now?"
"I'm going to have breakfast... in bed." grinned Blade.
"Oh yeah...sunny side up? No you're not. You're going to see Daniel and if you've forgotten where The Crows nest is... it's through this J.K Tube, here, take the second left and then, straight up." Anthony opened a pannel in the wall and pointed upwards. "Don't say the words pain, green or fire and don't touch anything up there, including Daniel... or he'll start screaming."