“Hurry up! There’s a crosswind coming from the north, and if we don’t move, we’re gonna get caught in the middle of it.”
Jeff looked up and saw that Juan was right. The smoke had changed directions. He looked where they needed to go and saw a horrifying fact. They were already too late. The area they could have escaped through to get to safety had caught some sparks and already ignited.
“We’re already too late! We can’t try the shake and bake either,” Jeff said. “The plan's gonna work, we just can’t get out before they get here. I'm sorry, Juan.”
Silence stretched between Jeff and Juan, thick and heavy. A new crosswind threatened to push the wildfire toward populated areas, putting thousands of lives at risk.
“We have to radio in the all clear,” Jeff somberly told Juan.
Jeff had a desperate plan. In 1998, Phanawatnan Kaimart invented a firefighting ball that exploded upon heating, releasing a fire suppressant. Traditionally, wildfires were fought by clearing fuel and letting them burn out, with support from water bombers and chemical drops. However, these methods were slow and often ineffective, leaving fires vulnerable to reignition.
Jeff came up with the idea of filling large containers of the suppression chemicals, then dropping them continuously from multiple aircraft with a tiny explosive device attached to each of the containers. Releasing all the chemicals at the exact right time to blanket the entire area at once was the only way to extinguish it fast enough. This would allow larger areas to be covered by the suppression chemicals and hopefully extinguish all the flames at the same time by removing the oxygen.
The problem with this approach was that the area had to be absolutely clear. Anyone caught within the deployment zone, including animals, would effectively suffocate. Jeff and Juan had cleared the final area, but the flames were moving much faster than anticipated. They were in the drop zone without any means of escape. They each had an oxygen tank but were running on the reserves already. If it was just the heat, the shake and bake method could have worked, but neither of them had enough oxygen to survive.
They both looked at each other, and Juan reluctantly gave him a single nod.
“All clear,” Jeff said through the radio. “Go for drop.”
Juan and Jeff continued to look at each other as the return call came back,
“Understood, all zones clear. Proceeding with deployment.”
They each gave a small smile and prepared to accept their fate. All of a sudden, they both heard a loud ding.
“Congratulations, you have been recognized for your heroic efforts and have been granted salvation. Please accept this reward.”
The next thing they knew, the hummer appeared in front of them. Both front doors opened, and a voice from inside called for them.
“Hello, Jeff. Hello, Juan. Please enter and close the doors.”
Jeff and Juan looked at each other in utter disbelief. After a second, they slowly crept up to the door.
“Please hurry. There are exactly 13 seconds before this area is blanketed.” They both took their oxygen tanks off and jumped in. Once inside, they took their masks off and couldn’t believe what they were seeing. It was a crisp 65 degrees Fahrenheit, and the air smelled fresh without a hint of smoke. The inside looked like a futuristic spaceship made from a material not from Earth.
“This vehicle has been designed specifically for you, Jeff,” Sim explained. “It is your reward for the plan that will effectively save thousands of lives. The admin of the system has seen fit to not only reward you for your idea but your bravery in the face of certain destruction. The onboard A.I. will explain the capabilities upon request. Do not share any vehicle details with those you do not fully trust, as even in the new world, this vehicle and its capabilities will be priceless.”
“Juan, for your bravery in the face of danger and willingness to sacrifice your life to save those around you, you have been granted the following rewards: 10 million US dollars, which has already been deposited into your account, one free teleportation to return home, and because you were willing to put others' needs before your own, you have also been rewarded with an instant heal of any and all ailments. Staying within your true desires, would you like to use this on Isabel immediately?”
“What? Heal my wife? Yes, of course. But what do you mean by instant heal?”
“Isabel has been healed of all her ailments, including all chemical and physical imperfections. Her body is now in its optimal state.
“The admin recognizes that in the new world, people like you will be needed, and he thanks you both for your efforts. He will also be contacting you soon to discuss an alternative path available to you once the system activates.”
All of a sudden, they heard explosion after explosion. They could then see a white powder blanketing everything and watched as the plan worked perfectly.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
“Due to the extreme situation in the surrounding area, auto-drive will be enabled for the remainder of this trip,” the onboard A.I. said. “Please select a destination.”
Jeff just sat there staring at the console in complete bewilderment. He slowly glanced up at Juan. Juan looked more confused than he did. “What’s going on?” Juan asked.
“Um, I’m not positive, but remember that message we got a while back right before all those people died? It said something about helping humanity and you’ll be rewarded. I’m pretty sure we just got our first reward.”
“But it said my wife was healed. There’s no way it fixed her burns.” Juan sat there shaking his head. “Do you think it did? And a free teleport? Like, I can teleport home?”
...
Back in Houston, Juan’s wife Isabel was making dinner for their two children. This had been just like any other day. She took the kids to school, worked on a few household chores, went shopping for groceries, and stopped by the treatment center to make a payment. Isabel was receiving a new experimental treatment to treat PTSD. She was fairly happy overall but had a dark past that affected her in ways she couldn’t explain. This new treatment tried to curb certain chemical reactions in the brain that were linked to the traumatic memories.
Before she had met Juan, she lived in Phoenix. This is where she had been kidnapped at the age of 15. They had taken her to New Mexico in an attempt to force her to become a sex slave. When they kidnapped her, she had made the choice to fight and die instead of letting herself be used like that. Beating after beating had almost broken her will, until one morning when her guard had forgotten to fully latch her door. She snuck out and was wandering around looking for an exit when she happened to find a knife in the kitchen. She knew this was her only chance to escape. She crept from room to room, hoping to find the exit before anyone noticed she was missing. Right before she made it into the stairwell leading to her salvation, she was grabbed from behind. She moved like lightning, slashing at everything she could see. She managed to cut her assailant across the cheek and forehead before attempting to stab him in the chest. Unfortunately, she was nowhere near strong enough and was thrown to the floor before she knew what happened. After a severe beating where she was kicked repeatedly in the face and chest, the kidnapper bent down.
“Fine, you’re not worth the trouble. We were just pitying you anyway. You’re not worth hardly anything, you're too ugly.”
He then pulled out a can of lighter fluid and sprayed her from head to toe. When he got up to walk away, he pulled out a match and struck it. As he threw it at her, he said, “Burn, you might look better afterwards,” then started walking away.
The next thing she knew, she was waking up in a hospital. Apparently, they had taken her and thrown her in an alley, thinking she was dead after the flames went out.
The doctors had informed her that a young man had found her in the alley and carried her the 10 blocks to the hospital. She had been unconscious for three days, and her rescuer had not left the hospital since arriving. When she noticed someone in the hallway talking with her doctor, she called out with a barely audible groan. Both the doctor and the young man came into the room.
“Isabel, this is Juan. He’s the one that found you and brought you to us.”
Tears streamed down Isabel's face as she stared at him, the silence stretching into what felt like hours. Finally, the only question that formed on her trembling lips was, "Why? Why did you save me?”
The following hour was a blur of conversation. He confessed his dream of becoming a firefighter, a dream born from the ashes of the fire that claimed his own parents just a year ago. He explained that he was on his way to school when a strange, acrid smell hit his nose, the lingering scent of burnt clothes. Finding her, he described how she was lost in a haze of delirium, not screaming in pain or calling for help, but inexplicably laughing.
Juan, orphaned by the fire that swept through their Mexico home, had crossed the border and found himself in Las Cruces, awaiting his immigration hearing while attending a local school. One morning, that same scent snagged his attention, leading him on a desperate search for its source. When he saw her, a wave of determination washed over him. He knew waiting for an ambulance wasn't an option. She needed help, and she needed it now.
That’s when he decided to pick her up and carry her to the hospital instead of waiting for an ambulance that probably wouldn’t make it on time.
She continued to cry the entire time they talked. She explained what had happened and that she doesn’t remember him or anything after the fire. The laughing would make sense because she wished for death instead of the life she had almost been forced into.
This led to ongoing visitation while she spent the next 57 days recovering in the hospital. When she was finally released, they had already fallen in love. Ten years later, they were married with two kids, and Juan was out helping to save a city in Brazil from a wildfire.
Her burns had been a part of her life for so long now that she was used to the way they felt. While being used, they stretched a little differently—the tightness and almost leathery feel when being touched. So when they all of a sudden started healing, she screamed. Not because it hurt, but because of utter disbelief. Both kids watched in amazement as her entire body started to glow. After a couple of seconds, the light disappeared. What was left was the most beautifully smooth, soft skin they had ever seen. Every scar, every graft, all the wrinkles, and disfigured muscle fibers were all perfect.
Everyone all at once heard a ding and then a voice…
“You have been healed of all ailments. This reward was granted due to your husband's selfless act while in mortal danger. Due to Juan’s bravery, thousands of people will now survive from certain death. Juan has also received one free teleportation to return home, as well as other rewards. Please be patient while he finalizes his work efforts before teleportation is enacted.”
Isabel dropped to the floor sobbing. Both kids ran up to her and wrapped their arms around her neck.
……
A blanket of white smothered the forest as Jeff and Juan sat gazing out the window. "Base camp." "Affirmative," the A.I. immediately replied. "Estimated time of arrival: 38 seconds." "WHAT?" Jeff and Juan exploded in unison. "We're ten miles out!" Juan exclaimed. "There's no way that's correct."
Dumbfounded, they stared out the window. Wings sprouted from the sides, and an eerie blue glow emanated from underneath. Then, without any sensation at all, they were airborne. The window showed a breathtaking ascent toward the camp, yet they felt nothing. "Is this... a simulation?" Jeff asked. "Are we even moving? Because I don't feel anything."
"Inertia dampers," the A.I. explained. "Active at all times to eliminate any sensation of movement."
"The what?!" Jeff and Juan asked simultaneously.