7
Paradise
The moment was interrupted by a Councilor clutching a flailing AJ at arms length.
“Excuse me Councilors Jasla, Luke… does this creature belong to you?”
“Belong to,” AJ scoffed, “I don’t belong to anyone, unhand me you great barbarian, I will have your head for this"
AJ swung his arms in a futile attempt to bring down the insolent demon.
“Ah yea that is AJ he’s with me" Luke admitted, glad that AJ only seemed to speak English so most of what he said was lost in translation.
“Very well, I would ask that you keep an eye on it. It tried to claim Tomal's spear we think it was trying to demand the entire Council face it in an honor duel all at once.”
“Yes! Submit to your robot overlord, I shall be a kind and benevolent ruler. until you get complacent then I will slowly raise taxes and prices for public services, increasing your dependency on my goodwill. I will build support and loyalty by giving those with some small power a taste of authority over those less fortunate thereby splitting the people and pitting them against one another. Finally when I have become so powerful as to be beyond any attempt at rebellion I will descend in hedonism and revel in the futile struggles of you pitiful meat piles as you beg and scrape for the barest modicum of my favor"
Everyone stared at AJ, the Councilor and Jasla in confusion, Luke in horror.
“That wasn’t supposed to be out loud, forget I said anything.”
“Right, well please take better care to restrain your… this thing.”
Luke accepted AJ from the councilor and asked, “What did you mean by calling us Councilors?”
Jasla was the one who answered, “I always was a Council member, I guess you took Tomal's place by defeating him in an honor duel.”
The Councilor nodded, “Tradition dictates any honor duel is to the death and to the victor go the spoils. That includes status as well as possessions. Tomal didn’t have many possessions, none of us do, but you get his spear and hunting trophies, as well as anything he has kept in his home. As Jasla said that also includes being a Council member yourself, for however long we have left anyway”
Jasla grew angry at that, “Like I’ve been telling you, we found food, enough for the whole tribe, more than enough.”
Luke nodded at that and the Councilor blinked in surprise.
“You weren’t lying about that? You really did find food? Tomal said you were only saying whatever you thought might get you released , but I suppose Tomal was the one lying all that time.”
Jasla nearly shouted “Fuck, yes I’m telling the truth, Luke you came through residential right? We can go back that way.”
Luke looked to AJ who understood the question in the gaze
The robot explained to the group in perfect tribal, “Yes I have remote access to many of the doors and systems, I can open the way to Hydroponics.”
Luke was stunned, “When did you learn the tribal language?”
“When we made the link, try to keep up"
That was news to Luke and suggested AJ may have pulled more from Luke's mind than he let on. Luke made a note to interrogate the robot later.
Jasla started bouncing in excitement, “There you have it, gather the Tribe, paradise awaits.”
Saying and doing were very different things however. It took most of the day to gather the Tribe from the various corners and blockaded rooms in the office. Several scavengers weren’t able to move under their own power and the hunters had to go through to collect them once Luke explained that, yes they could be saved with proper care. When the number of disabled scavengers ballooned beyond the hunters ability to carry them all a group was sent after some of the carts in the residential area.
The entire operation was well beyond the scope Luke had imagined, but they eventually made it to the doorway and AJ opened it with another wave of his hand.
“Do you really need to wave your hand to open these?” Luke asked
“Yes. How else would the peasants know their lord commanded even the walls that protected them.”
“What is that about? Since when are you a lord?”
“I’ve always been a lord, it’s right there in the name, you know this.”
“What are you talking about, aren’t you a personal assistant drone?”
“Yeah see? Right there in the name, Ass’s TANT"
Luke waited for a moment for AJ to elaborate but it didn’t seem the robot would.
“Ok, I don’t think you know what an assistant is…”
AJ sighed dramatically, “Very well minion I shall spell it out for you, Ass's, that’s you, the asses, T-A-N-T, that’s Total Absolute Natural born, True, Complete, Rightful, Ruler… Understand?”
“You added some letters there and no an assistant is someone whose job it is to aid another.”
AJ shook himself in the negative, “Poor silly meat pile, it is unfortunate that I would be stuck with an assistant so poorly educated"
“Wait you said it right there, you used the word assistant properly.”
“So you admit you are indeed my assistant?”
“That’s not what I… never mind lets go, and stop antagonizing everyone.”
“But how can I properly develop a nemesis otherwise?”
The banter continued as they made the return journey despite the moans of the hungry scavengers on the carts. Most of the Tribe kept running off, fascinated by the new surroundings which slowed progress. None of the Tribe knew anything but the Office and the frozen wasteland, so this was all new and exciting to them. The delays and the late start meant they were forced to set up camp in the Residential sector for the night.
After a short meeting where Jasla and Luke explained what to expect the next day to the other Councilors, and they all made a plan for the next day, Luke found himself walking through the corridors with Jasla.
Luke broke the silence, “Hey so, sorry about not joining you on the surface… I just couldn’t, couldn’t go back out there.”
Jasla shook her head, “No, its fine… I was disappointed but I understand. Besides if you had come you would have been taken prisoner with me and we would have been in a shit situation.”
“Still, I shouldn't have left you to face the cold alone.”
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Jasla shrugged, “It wasn’t even that cold out, you just saw the worst of it with that storm. It was actually quite sunny and nice.”
Luke chuckled, “I’ll have to take your word for it, I don’t want to face something like that ever again"
Luke held up his still wrapped hand meaningfully.
“How is it?” Jasla asked
“Don’t know, I’m afraid to look.”
Jasla stopped walking and stepped in front of Luke forcing him to stop as well
“That’s not good, you need to look even if its just to clean and check it"
Luke sighed, “I know but…”
“No buts, you can’t use fear as an excuse for everything. Maybe it’s bad, but even if it is just not looking at it won’t make it better, it will only hide how bad it is until the rot spreads and kills you, why fear looking at it when you don’t seem to fear the rot killing you?”
Luke didn’t have an answer to that and stared at the dirty shirt wrapped around his hand. Jasla grunted in dissatisfaction and grabbed his arm. Luke tried to pull away but she had an iron grip and pulled the bundle closer untying the knots. Luke quickly looked away feeling nauseous.
There was a pause and Luke felt something poke his newly uncovered hand right where it was frozen and had thawed. He gasped in a lungful of air expecting a stab of pain but it never came. Then Jasla smacked him in the side of the head with his own hand.
“Look, it’s fine, it must not have been that bad you can’t even tell there was anything wrong. You’re being a child.”
“Ow stop stop ok I’m looking" Luke managed to sputter out between smacking himself.
Sure enough the hand looked good as the day he was reborn. There wasn’t even a mark to indicate where there was anything wrong. It had been some time since the hand hurt but Luke just assumed it was either so bad he couldn’t feel it, or he had been successfully protecting it from accidental bumps. Thinking back though there was no way he hadn’t bumped it on anything the entire trip through the sectors and back.
The hand HAD been bad before though, it wasn’t totally ruined obviously but nearly his entire pinky finger and the tips of all the other fingers had been well and truly frozen. He hadn’t imagined the pain or the swelling, so how was he fine only a few days later? Something didn’t quite add up. Then he remembered the strange message, something about tissue regeneration. Had he somehow managed to heal his hand?
“Well?” Jasla broke into his thoughts, “You're welcome"
“Yeah… thanks.” Luke said absent mindedly
They continued their walk in thoughtful silence. When they made it back to the impromptu camp they were given a thoroughly unsatisfying broth from yesterdays leftovers, it seemed the Council had commandeered all the food the Tribe had left and split it amongst everyone. Luke reflected on the actions of the Council. They were putting a lot of faith in him and Jasla. If they were wrong then the Tribe was being led to their deaths right now.
Once the general commotion of a camp died down people began moving to their sleeping arrangements for the night. Luke asked around and was sent to an apartment reserved for him for the night. When he got there Jasla was busy unloading the cart that held their gear, most of which was his own from the Maintenance looting spree since hers had all been taken when she was taken prisoner.
“Hey thanks for that but… why are you unloading my stuff into my room?”
Jasla answered without stopping her work, “We may be the heroes of the hour but that wont stop people’s sticky fingers. We don’t call them scavengers for fun.”
“Ahh right, thanks then. I can handle it though, you should go get some rest, it’s been a long few days"
Jasla looked at Luke for a moment then sighed, “this room is ours to share for the night"
Luke paused, “Why? There are plenty of rooms, everyone can have their own"
“Just… don’t worry about it, I’m almost done, give me a hand"
Once they had unloaded the pair made their way into the room and awkwardly danced around the subject of sleeping arrangements for a while before giving up and both crashing on the floor. Some time later a loud banging startled them awake"
“Hey assholes, open the door, you forgot about me"
AJ had indeed been forgotten and left to his own devices for most of the trip. The tiny robot didn’t really seem bothered by that fact though as he seemed to enjoy meeting all the new people. That didn’t stop him from taking revenge on Luke by ‘sleeping' on his head and snoring loudly though.
The next day held a bit of a charged atmosphere as word of their impending arrival in the newly dubbed ‘Paradise’ sector spread. Their pace quickened and they made much better time than the day before. When AJ waved the Hydroponics door open and the Tribe saw their new home, pandemonium struck.
Luke was reminded of his first moments out of his weird vat cube when the Tribe lost their minds at seeing an outsider for the first time. The scavengers who were still mobile ran out and started eating from the various plants. Luke wasn’t sure if it was instinct or what that told them the plants were food, they hadn’t seen such things in their entire lives after all, but eat they did. The hunters were more reasonable in their reaction cautiously spreading out and checking the area. One of the weird creatures that served as livestock was quickly brought down and before long the hunters had a grand feast cooking.
Luke had explained to the Council, who had spread the information to the Tribe, that quickly changing their diet and gorging themselves on the new food could make them sick, and that they should really make soups and broth to slowly adapt and restore their strength. All that effort seemed lost though and the Tribe didn’t even wait for the food to finish cooking before tearing into the plentiful meat.
Jasla took a share for Luke and for herself and joined him in watching her people.
“What will you do now?” Jasla asked after the silence grew too long
Luke hesitated , what did he want to do now? The Tribe was safe and whole now, they wouldn’t want for food and would likely expand and grow over time to take over more of the research base. Luke however, wasn’t part of the Tribe, not really. He couldn’t see himself living out his life underground here, even if he did fear the cold nightmare that was the surface. He just hadn’t planned beyond helping Jasla and the Tribe get to their new home.
“I don’t know" Luke considered a moment before adding, “I promised AJ I would help him upgrade in the Robotics sector, and there are a few other areas I want to check out. After that though, then I will leave this place. I need to see what happened to the world.”
Jasla nodded as if that was the answer she expected
“I will stay here and help settle the Tribe, you should come visit before you leave.”
Luke nodded feeling like there was something he should do or say but didn’t know what. The moment passed and Jasla went to help feed those scavengers who were to weak too help themselves from a warm broth made from their new endless supply of food.
Luke ended up staying with the Tribe for a while after that. He explained the little he knew about farming and nutrition until AJ made him stop and used his own knowledge from various literature he had memorized as well as a connection to the Hydroponics sector itself which had information on the various crops and the chicken cows that lived there.
The Council of Hunters had a hard time understanding it all but a few of the scavengers seemed to pick it up surprising Luke again with their seemingly instinctual knowledge of plants and the food they supplied. There was something of a mystery there to be sure, but then there were so many mysteries around that Luke decided to let this one join the ranks of those that would likely never be solved.
Luke even took a break and went over how to use computers enough to teach a few of the brighter tribespeople how to watch some of AJ's movie collection that he had donated to the Tribe.
Luke and AJ were planning their route to robotics and discussing the gear they would need when AJ threw down a pen he had clearly picked up for the sole purpose of throwing down in outrage.
“Enough stalling, you clearly don’t want to leave yet but it’s time to quit procrastinating and go. You promised to upgrade my legs so I could be properly free.”
Luke was shocked at the outburst, but then thought about the past couple days. He hadn’t realized until now but he definitely had been stalling. Why was that? He wasn’t part of the Tribe and they were settling in fine now. Jasla was even becoming something of a leader to the Council and the Tribe as a whole. They didn’t need him.
It was time, even if Luke didn't want to admit it for some reason, it was time to go.
“Alright, sorry AJ let’s go get you some legs”
They made a quick trip into Maintenance to rig up a more permanent cart solution for the tools they might need to punch through whatever obstacles that might wait on their path, and headed out. Their plan was to continue into Genetics from Hydroponics, which was the last stop on this side of the tracks before Robotics, they would then have to travel down the tracks to the next stop since it was on the opposite side. According to the map the base was laid out in two rows alongside the tracks, each sector was connected to the next down the line on its own side, but if they wanted to travel to the other side of the tracks they would need to travel on the tracks themselves since the stops were staggered.
It all seemed needlessly convoluted and inconvenient to Luke, but there was nothing he could do about it.
Once again Luke said his farewells to the Tribe and Jasla, the latter was more difficult than expected. The Council requested he return with information form the areas he visited. The Tribe had seriously benefitted from spreading into the Hydroponics sector and now they had a taste of the wonders the base could offer, they wanted more. It seemed likely that the Tribe would thrive in this place in the future. It wasn’t clear what the world outside was like but none of the Tribe had met an outsider before Luke so it seemed that at least in this area people were scarce. That suggested they would be able to spread and grow uncontested for a time, becoming a fair powerful force in this area at least.
It wasn’t clear what the base was researching, perhaps many things, but some of the sector names were quite interesting. Weapons and Comms/Data promised to be interesting and Luke planned to visit them as well before striking out into the unknown. With any luck he could gear up with more than just saws and torches. The world was an unkind unforgiving place before it ended, who knows how bad it was after the apocalypse.
First they needed to visit Robotics via Genetics though, and those also seemed intriguing.