Search for the Golden Arch, Part 2

The rays of the sun pierced through the tent, waking Caleb up from his rest. He looked around and noticed that Hope was not inside. She must have woken up before he did. He climbed out of the tent and looked around.

It was only sunrise, yet the remainers were already up and partying. More correctly, the remainers were continuing to party after celebrating all night. It was a wonder that Caleb had gotten any sleep in the middle of all that. He stretched for a moment, then pulled out some leftover jerky from his pack for breakfast. As he ate, he noticed a friendly man with a chiseled visage come up to him.

“Jerry!” Caleb called out when he recognized his face. Jerry responded with a large grin and a strong pat on Caleb's back. Caleb had met Jerry before when he was just learning the ropes as a surveyor, and he was one of the few remainers who did not treat Caleb like a child.

“How're you doing, Caleb? Heard you got an interesting new partner recently.”

“Yeah, sounds like everyone's curious about her. She's not here right now, though. Don't know where she wandered off to.”

“Well, I'm not that desperate to see her,” Jerry said with a laugh. “More importantly, how have things been? I hear you've been trying to do more work lately.”

“Well, you know how it is. Computer always tries not to give me any work, so I have to put in some effort if I want to keep busy. My partner Hope's always pestering me for jobs too.”

“Sounds like you've got a lot on your plate.” Jerry scratched his chin. “Then, did you hear about the open job Computer posted up recently?”

“An open job?” Caleb was surprised. An open job meant a job that wasn't assigned to a particular team, but one that any remainer could take if they were in the area. Obviously, these weren't common, as many tasks preferred smaller teams and gentler approaches.

“That's right. It's one specifically for surveyors too. You interested?”

“Sure.”

“It's not too complicated on paper; just a search for a new species of butterfly in a forest region west of here.”

“A new species?” That was certainly a rare occurrence, and one that would merit an open job like the one Computer had just put out. “What characteristics does it have?”

“You can check the report later, but the most distinguishing trait is the golden arch that runs along the top of the butterfly's wings,” Jerry explained. “That's what caught Computer's attention when it was reviewing the drone footage.”

“I see,” Caleb murmured as he mused over this news. “That explains why I don't see that many surveyors at the party this year. But why aren't you there too?”

“Ah, sounds like too much work for me. I've already got enough business on my plate as it is. Besides, the reward sounds like another pile of work. I'd rather not.”

“There's a reward?” Caleb was surprised, since most jobs remainers undertook obviously did not have one. After all, what kind of reward could they possibly get in a world with no civilization?

“Oh, just the usual one that comes with these new species discoveries. Anyone who can confirm and properly capture a specimen of a new species gets to name it and gets priority on any tasks involved with studying them.”

“That's a reward?”

“Some remainers from the past lobbied for it, I believe. Great for the more sciency folks, but I personally couldn't be bothered. What about you, Caleb?”

Caleb's brow furrowed as he thought on it. Sure enough, he was certainly curious to see the new species, but he wasn't all that interested in actually doing all that research. Even so, an open job like this didn't come often, and in any case, he wasn't guaranteed to be the one who found the butterfly in the first place.

“Well, for now, I might just take a look. It sounds interesting anyway, and I bet Hope would appreciate the experience. Thanks for the info, Jerry.”

“No problem, Caleb. Well, best of luck. I'm going to enjoy myself at the party for the next few days.”

As Jerry walked away, Caleb glanced back at his tent. He recalled that he had promised Hope that they'd only be staying at the party for a day at most, and he had already met up with all of the remainers he had wanted to see again. It was a good time for him to get going, all things considered.

Caleb started picking up the tent as Hope soon returned from wherever she had been. He looked up as she approached and gave her a quick greeting. “Morning! You go for a walk?”

“Uh... Sort of,” Hope replied in a bashful tone Caleb had never heard from her before. He glanced at her in confusion and noticed a few crumbs in the corner of her mouth. A smirk appeared on his face as realization struck him.

“Getting breakfast, I see,” he smiled as he continued packing away the tent. Hope blushed and wiped off the crumbs on her mouth, glaring at Caleb all the while.

“So?” Hope asked once Caleb finished packing things up. “Where are we going to next?”

“We're going to head west,” Caleb explained. “There's an open job to hunt down a new species of butterfly. You wanted work, right?”

Hope nodded. “I did, but... searching for a species of butterfly? That sounds tedious, honestly.”

“Don't gripe now,” Caleb smirked. “Come on. The location's a few days out, so we better get started if we want to get there soon.”

Caleb and Hope began walking away from the party at headquarters, waving goodbye to remainers they recognized as they did. After about ten to fifteen minutes of walking, the sounds of the party had started to fade away, and wouldn't be long before the two of them could only hear the sounds of nature around them.

“That job's already been out for a few days, hasn't it?” Hope asked after they had been walking for some time. “Who's to say if the butterfly doesn't get found before we even get there?”

“It's not that easy to find a new species nowadays,” Caleb replied. “Hell, Computer couldn't pin down the butterfly's exact location even with drone footage. That should tell you how hard it's going to be to begin with.”

“If that's the case, won't we end up wasting our time there? I mean, do you even want the reward that comes with the job?”

“I suppose I don't. But to be honest, I'm not all against that either. Studying a new species is something I've never done before, after all.”

“Why is a new species so important to Computer, anyway?” Hope was complaining a whole lot more than she usually was. Caleb wondered whether it was due to a lack of interest in the job or if there was another reason she was so irritated. “Is it really a task that requires multiple surveyors to drop whatever they're doing just to look for it?”

“Of course it's important. A new species needs to be documented and studied to ensure that it doesn't have a negative impact on the environment. Furthermore, we need to confirm what affect it might have on humans if they ever return to planet Earth. Even scientists from the old world used to search for new species whenever they could.”

“How much could a butterfly honestly impact the environment? And aside from being poisonous, I doubt humans would have much to worry about.”

“...You're being awfully snippy. It couldn't be because you're upset about having to leave the party early, is it?”

“What?” Hope looked shocked. “Of course not! I didn't even want to go in the first place!”

“Probably why you're not being honest about it. You were so gung-ho about getting work, but now you're acting like it's the last thing in the world you'd want to be doing.”

“O-Of course not! It's just that the job isn't appealing to me, that's all!” Hope huffed and stormed ahead of him. “I just have to stop complaining, right? Let's get going already!”

Caleb smiled a little as he watched Hope stomp off. He felt a little bit like he was watching a rebellious child wrestle with their emotions. He supposed that it would be a long while before Hope could finally be honest with him, but these little moments were better than nothing.