Trammel (eBook)

Chapter 5

A Whale of a Tale

08/06/2445
1:40:33 p.m.

“Isn’t mother nature a manic bitch?” Woody asked.

I pushed his wheelchair over the gravel and through the massive boneyard we discovered.

“Yes, I think her reasoning and temperament is that of a spoiled child. And pity for us; we’re all just pawns to her sadistic game.”

“Damn, Tram, you’re one cynical droid. Maybe we should tweak your programming, but honestly, I can’t say I disagree with you.” He bit his cheek and pondered my statement a little longer.

Woody and I had traveled for several hours when we spotted these petrified skeletons of beached whales lining both sides of the roadway. Hundreds of enormous rib bones made patterned arcs in the sky, casting their long shadows across the pavement. Eons ago, massive earthquakes fractured the earth’s surface, and some of the oceans traded places. The displaced water raged across continents, destroying almost everything within its path. These magnificent creatures found themselves stranded, countless miles from any seas. Millions of lifeforms perished in that tragedy, including many humans.

“Hey, Trammel, can we linger here for a moment?” Woody’s eyes jumped between the massive objects. The surface of the crystallized bones shimmered in prisms of color. I wheeled him near a fossilized whale with an unborn calf lying in the shroud of its belly—no other monument could be more profound.

Woody rubbed the smooth edge of one of the ribs. “This had to be a frightful way to die.”

“I agree, terrifying.” I surveyed the vast carnage. I couldn’t help but imagine the mother’s last moments, her violent thrashings and overwhelming exhaustion. The pain of despair as she tried to free herself and save the life of her unborn offspring. I’m sure, like most living beings, she clung to hope until the white film of death covered her once-lively eyes.

“Woody, is this the warning you were giving the Mensa leaders? Do you think this will soon happen again?” I reflected on the meeting we attended only a short time earlier. Their discussions had turned into a screaming match of the intellectual elite. They were angry over conflicting statistics predicting an impending disaster, but no one would sway from their position. Woody and I left the gathering before they came to any resolution. It seemed he’d been fighting with them for years, and he couldn’t take their inability to act any longer. I found the Council of Minds a disturbing and unusual event to witness.

“This or worse, I’m afraid.” Woody studied the relics. “Sorry, my friend, thanks for the beautiful yet painful reminder of how fragile we truly are.” His respect for the fallen creatures moved me. I envied his humanness, and I added more entries to my journals.

Woody patted the skeleton but made eye contact with me, his whiskery chin quivering. “I guess we should be on our way.”

It pleased me to resume our travels, but I watched the bones until they faded behind us. I’d always discounted the old legends, but now I had proof of their existence, making me uneasy. How can anything hope to survive here? I considered the cruel irony as helpless insects crashed into our speeding windshield—tap, splat, splat, thud, splat. I peered through their crusty remains at the distorted horizon. I had never traveled through this zone by land. The unpredictable terrain was dangerous, making it challenging to avoid displaced humans, who were still trying to exist on their own.

My apprehension only increased as we crested a steep hill and found ourselves in the environs of a crumbling city. Decaying buildings struggled against the elements to remain upright. Discolored walls with chipped advertisements bowed from the weight of their heavy roofs. These structures seemed moments from collapsing and sending plumes of rolling black dust high into the sky. The depressing visuals grew as we neared the gut of the area. My concerns were justified when we came upon a mob of nomad humans crawling about the ruins.

“Can we try to help them?” Woody asked as we got closer.

“No, we don’t have enough supplies. Assisting them would be too dangerous. Besides, if we stop now, you’ll be scratching in the dirt right along with them come sundown.”

Woody’s eyes opened wide. He glimpsed back in their direction.

“This is why I prefer to be airborne. You better buckle up. I think this might turn ugly.” I almost fired up the ghost-blades despite Woody’s apparent fear of flying. My internal systems raced as we watched the humans’ pulling boxes and crates out of broken-down tractor-trailers, searching for something to eat. A frightened scrawny cat jumped out of a truck, and the hungry throng chased him. I slowed to avoid a pothole and some debris. Unfortunately, the rumblings of our engine and my erratic maneuvers grabbed their attention, and they chose to hound us instead.

The terrifying horde clawed at our doors. They tried to pry them open with their grimy fingernails. I sped up as some of them climbed upon our craft. They beat their fists on the windows and windshield, making it difficult for me to navigate through their greasy imprints. Many of the humanoids were sick, missing patches of hair, and their few remaining teeth were black and broken. I felt their despair. They were as gray as the garments they wore. The Heli-V shimmied as we rolled over some poor soul who fell screaming under our wheels. I reached to flip on the aero switch when a cold twinge of damp fear hit my power center.

“Back off, you mothers!” Woody yelled. A fearful Woody yanked the weapon from my holster. He waved the laser around his head, threatening to shoot them. Shame the old guy didn’t realize we were in more danger now. The metals and materials of the Heli-V were resistant to a laser attack. If he engaged the firearm inside, we’d light up like an antique Christmas tree, and not for a moment, but forever.

“Dammit, Woody, no! You’ll torch our sorry asses.” I fought to seize the weapon from his hand and accidentally slammed on the brakes.

Our vehicle skidded to a screeching stop, flinging our uninvited guests to the fractured blacktop. Billows of smoke and scorched rubber arose about us, darkening the air. I stomped the gas pedal and swerved past the stunned pile of humans.

The old man and I traveled on, and neither of us spoke. My systems shook from the heightened stimulant. Woody appeared to experience the same distress from his overdose of adrenaline.

It took almost forty minutes to cross the city and find another highway. I only hoped the worst was behind us. Woody grew quieter. He stared at my dashboard hula girl. Her swaying movements hypnotized him, and his breathing became less strained and more peaceful after time. I wished I could’ve relaxed too, but I remained in full combat mode. I’d thought this contract would be easy to fulfill. Shit, was I wrong. At least, I wouldn’t need to worry about obtaining another job for several weeks. That was if we, or anyone around us, survived.

I analyzed my atomic timepiece and calculated our current pace. We wouldn’t arrive at our destination for another 168 hours, ten minutes, and fifty-four seconds. I ran my fingers through my well-placed hair and massaged my throbbing titanium temple.

Woody fell into a deep sleep orchestrated with thunderous snoring and odd human digestive noises. I figured now was a good time to relay my first report.

“How was your flight?” Meredith teasing smirked shown on the small comm-disc.

“I decided that flying might be too risky with such valuable cargo,” I lied. I whispered my deceit so as not to disturb my passenger’s slumber.

“Welcome to life with Woody.” A warm smile highlighted Meredith’s face. “However, you appear to be way off course. Why are you in Sector 7-L-162?”

I should’ve known the communication device monitored our GPS. I lowered it for a moment and growled under my breath.

“I expected you to be further along.” Meredith’s voice pierced the hermetically sealed truck. Woody flinched but didn’t awaken. I studied the faint image in the reflective disc once again.

“We experienced some displaced humans in a city. I had to detour.”

“You must not make human contact.” Meredith’s quick turn to rage stung.

“We didn’t interact,” I assured her but visualized the pile of crumbled humans. “They attacked the outside of the Heli-V, but we were never in jeopardy.”

“You be more careful here on out, Trammel. Don’t take any chances.” The glowing device dimmed until it grew dark. I considered pitching the tattletale equipment out an open window. I would have to find a way to disable the annoying tracking feature.

Woody continued to doze while I drove. On a couple of occasions, he woke and glanced around. A startled look would flood his face when focusing on me. He hadn’t come to grips with his new reality or my stunning looks. We rounded a bend to find a small, ragged village on the horizon during one of his waking moments. Woody shot up in...