Supplies

“Stay here and don’t cause any trouble.”

A week after recruiting Bell, Veronica and Esperanza are preparing to leave and search for supplies. They’ll take action as information of the fated comes, working to prevent delays. As the world is now, a single day could be enough to bring about extinction.

“Can I come with you?” Bell asked.

Bell sits at a table under a large tent inside the settlement. The area is the cafeteria of the settlement, food is rationed and distributed by an old maid robot with defective AI that gives disproportional rations to those it likes.

“Can you hold a gun?”

“A gun?”

“Yes, can you hold a gun and shoot if you need to?”

“No. I’ve never had to.”

“And your results suffer because of it. Just stay here. And don’t do anything that would make one of my people shoot you, you’re a guest here.”

“Fine.”

Before leaving, Veronica and Esperanza visit the settlement’s school. Nothing more than a shed made of metal sheet, tape, and screws, but the technology inside allows for students to enjoy learning.

Most of all, holographic technology excels in being a tool to aid for student learning. It can display information, videos, images, and draws the attention of every student. A more advanced use of the technology requires components found by Veronica, 3d holographic zones.

The zone engulfs an entire area to create a virtual reality. During its inception it was used for entertainment, the settlement uses it to transform the room into a modern class.

“Esperanza!” The children rush to Esperanza. Most have been brought to the settlement by her.

As Esperanza fights off the hoard gathering at her legs, Veronica speaks with the teacher, Mr. Saul.

“Leaving?”

“Yes, you’re in charge until I’m back. If the scientist does anything, shoot him.”

“That’s rash, you should be more trusting… or do you still think it was one of them?”

“Who else could create that damn bomb.”

“And if he did?”

“Then I’ll kill him after I’m done with him. But I will admit, he’s too much of a coward to do something like that. For now, he’s the one I suspect least.”

“Fine. Be safe out there, I hear raids and killings are increasing.”

“Don’t worry, it’s me after all.”

“That’s why I’m scared. Who else is going?”

“Loki and Lily.”

“Oh dear, I shouldn’t worry after all.”

After delegating most of her roles to Saul, Veronica and Esperanza gather the rest of their group. The first, and most troublesome, Lily.

Deep in the outskirts of the settlement lies a round pile of trash with a well-known secret, it’s the dome of technology, and home to Lily. Anyone who dares come close is subject to penalty. If Veronica is away, the penalty is death. Accidental, of course.

The duo approaches the dome. Made of metal sheet stuck together with whatever adhesive Lily could find. A small robot standing at the front of the dome waves at the duo, their cheerful personality is always a trick to fool others into a sense of safety. About 4 foot tall, it holds a weapon inside both arms ready to deploy on command.

“Hey there scraps, we’re here to see Lily.”

“Have you been summoned?” The squawking voice of the robot responds. Veronica places her taser against their temple. “Right… once second.”

After a signal sent by the robot is delivered, a small hole appears in the dome. That part was a hologram, though no one is brave enough to try and find it as the dome rotates.

“Good.”

“Sorry about that.” Esperanza said as she follows Veronica inside.

Past the opening is a long flight of stairs leading to Lily’s bunker. It’s large enough to fit the entire settlement and then some, but now it is full of any technology Lily can find. Holographic tech, transportation tech such as hoverboards, robots, weapons, surveillance tech such as drones, and, her proudest procession, a piece of an exoskeleton used in the Tear in History.

“Must you threaten Olivia every time you visit.” A short woman mutters as she stares into a wall of screens.

Lily’s purple pigtails stick out from the sides of her chair she slouches in. The clicking of her keyboard the main noise in the room, most of her body hidden by her oversized sweater and boots. On her ear is a small antenna, a piece of technology she has been working on after discovering the prototype two years ago.

The wall of screens in front of her are the settlements greatest resource, a wall of information; most of which comes from surveilling the train stations. It allows them to supply the settlement with everything they need as well as keeping them safe.

“You’re coming with us.”

“I prefer not to.”

“We need you. Who else is going to know what we’re looking for.”

“Take the scientist. Mr. Fusion himself, surprised he can still show his face after plunging us into this hell.”

“Well, it’s good for us, come on.”

“On one condition.”

“What is it?”

Lily turns around and holds up a blueprint. It details a prototype satellite that was never made, one powerful enough to allow connection at greater distances than that of the network in place. The current network used for transfer of information and data are ground antennas, the information revolution was weeks away before the war.

“Where’d you find this?”

“I don’t spend all my time here.”

“Fine. We’ll help you make this. But keep it a secret.”

“Deal!”

“Loki’s coming as well.”

“No deal!”

The final member is a towering man named Loki. From deep in old South America, he led many away from the continent due to an outburst of crime. It has become the most violent area on earth, one that he thrived in as a combat expert.

The girls find him near the trash site of the settlement. Most trash is burned using a small furnace that converts its smoke into energy, one of the first inventions focused on helping the environment. Loki searches through for anything that can be turned into a weapon before tossing it away.

The girls duck as Loki slams a large box with a bat he made. The loud boom of the impact is followed by his cackles. “What a find!”

“Bringing him is a mistake.” Lily mutters.

“What’d you find?” Veronica asked.

“Repulsion tech, rare and probably going to blow up.” Attaching it to the bat gives it increased levels of impact. Most similar weapons were lost during the war.

“Well, put it to good use today. We’re off to gather supplies.”

“Supplies? Alright, but only for a date with Esperanza.”

“Esperanza?”

“Only his dreams.”

“Hmm, that’s still a date! Let’s go!”

The group takes a single robot to pull a floating cart for their supplies, it uses the same technology as light trains.

As for supplies, Veronica and Lily have compiled a list of areas teeming in supplies. Most have been touched, but many have no idea what to do with dormant tech so it is left behind. Furthermore, most are in war zones that are often avoided due to fear.

Their journey is successful, using the light trains makes traveling from supply destination to another simple. Most supplies gathered help reverse engineer technology of old, or stockpile them until they can be used.

“You should focus on yourself; you’ve done enough for us.” Veronica said to Esperanza as they ride the light train.

The light train’s effectiveness comes from its ability that makes its name misleading. While it does travel faster than light, it also burst into a different dimension when moving. This allows it to avoid colliding with anything else, safety its highest priority. It still allows for views into their world, though with a tint of color.

“What we’re doing is more important.”

“But I’m making that for you all. I’d like for children to enjoy it; you’d make a wonderful mother as well.”

Esperanza smiles. “I told you I wanted children once five years ago.”

“And I’m making a word where you can… you shouldn’t give Loki such a hard time.”

“I love him, but you know why I can’t.”

“That’s why I won’t ask of you two anymore, be happy.”

“Do you really think we’d be happy leaving you alone?” Veronica hesitates to respond. “Don’t worry, Veronica, I’m just as happy helping you. Once we’re done, I’ll focus on starting a family.”

“Fine.”

“Veronica!” Lily bursts into their train car. “You won’t believe what I found!”

“What do you think?” Veronica leads Bell into a room that stands despite the rest of the building having collapsed. Inside is an old fusion reactor, one not made by the fated.

“I think they were lucky they didn’t cause a disaster. But we can use some of these parts. How unfortunate, I really hoped this was going to be breakthrough.”

“Don’t lose hope, I also have more news for you.”