B. E. V.

by Arthur Butt

Published by Astraea Press

www.astraeapress.com

 

This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and events are fictitious in every regard. Any similarities to actual events and persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental. Any trademarks, service marks, product names, or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if any of these terms are used. Except for review purposes, the reproduction of this book in whole or part, electronically or mechanically, constitutes a copyright violation.

 

B.E.V.

Copyright © 2014
ARTHUR BUTT

ISBN
978-1-62135-383-6

Cover Art Designed by
CORA GRAPHICS

 

Stephanie Taylor – Editor

and as always, Susie my wife.

 

 

The alien eye-in-the-sky drifted across the heavens, a shining star I watched with careful interest, and some fear, from underneath the safety of a tree. Even though I knew it was more than three hundred miles above me, still . . . they probably didn't think our home was much of a threat, but you never could tell what the Greys thought, or what they would do.

"Hunter! HUN-TER!" Pop's voice boomed up from our farmhouse. "SUPPER!"

"Coming Pop," I called back. I swung my bum leg under me and stood, starting to hobble down the slope. When I entered, Pop was laying out bowls of stew to eat.

"What were you doing up on the ridge?" he asked, setting down a pan of cornbread on the kitchen table. "Waiting for the first star?" he joked. I sat, dug out a square of bread and dipped it into the stew.

"Nah – checking for the Greys' satellite. It swings by about this time every night, right after sunset. I wanted to see if they changed the orbit."

"Oh," Pop said. "You don't have to worry about the Greys," he advised, pulling up a chair and sitting opposite me. "They're not going to bother us anymore, you can be sure they won't, and their satellite has flown over this house for ten years now. I'm surprised you still pay attention to it."

I had watched it since I was five, but was afraid if anyone heard me ask, they'd think I was scared or something. Lately I'd been thinking, what if they came back?

For the last week I'd been waiting, but with the lousy weather and the black clouds blocking my view, I kept wondering if they were lurking above us, sneaking around ready to swoop down on some city or town. This was the first clear night, and I was happy to see no change. Maybe I was being stupid.

"Pop?" I took a bite of cornbread and swallowed. "What happens if they attack again?"

He glanced up from his bowl. "I told you they won't. What are they going to destroy?" He pointed around the kitchen. "This house? The town? The Greys would not waste their time; we're no threat anymore."

I shrugged and continued to eat, pretending not to care. I guess I was acting nervous for nothing, no one else thought the Greys would come back, why should I? It was just -

"Got your homework done?" Pop asked. He was strict this way. Right after dinner, weekend or not, it had to be finished. "I know it's Friday night, but I want it all polished off before you go running on your way."

"About knocked off," I replied, chasing the last bit of the gravy with my bread. "Kat and I were going to drive into town tonight to see a movie."

"Kat again?" His eyebrows shot up. "Not rebuilding the engine you were so hot for me to haul back here?"

Pop found an old gasoline motor on one of his hunting trips into the country searching for metal. The hunk of junk was so old he couldn't tell when it was made, maybe back in the thirties, he'd said. I'd bugged him to drag it back, because I wanted to mess around with the carburetor and spark plugs. I'd never seen a fossil fuel motor, except in pictures, and had delusions of starting it running. I still had to figure out where I'd find the fuel for the monster.

"Gonna work on Old Rusty his weekend," I replied, "but I promised Kat a month ago we'd scope this show."

"Well, be careful driving your scooter," he warned, collecting the dishes and dumping bowls and silverware in the sink. "Come right back when you're done. The town is protected, and we have good defenses here, but you never can tell what you'll meet on the road at night. I heard reports that scavengers were seen camping down by the river." He eyed my leg. "Understand me?"

"Yeah, sure Pop." I wasn't too worried about scavengers. Some nervous old woman probably saw skels, and wild animals didn't come near the town anymore, or at least not many of the big ones. I tapped my leg and said, "Don't worry, I could kick some scavenger backside, even with this," I bragged. I wiped my mouth and added, "I'll go do my homework now."

Before I went to my room, he said to me, "I'm going to activate the fence when you leave, so don't electrocute yourself when you come home," he cautioned. "Make sure you remember to reset the switch when you come inside, okay? You have the code in your watch if you need it?"

"Yeah, Pop, I think I remember – I've only been doing it for what, six – seven years?"

"Wise guy. Don't forget."

It took me about five minutes to finish the work I hadn't done on the ride home, geometry with a twist. I sent it off and called Kat.

I got sound but no picture. Her fault, I kept my computer clean and up-to-date.

"Hey, Kat, I can't see you – everything switched on, or are you hiding from me?" Sometimes she did this when she felt cranky, or wasn't dressed.

"Wait – maybe it's this thingamajig." The screen flashed on, but all I saw was frizzy red hair. "CAN YOU SEE ME NOW?" she screamed.

"I hear you fine," I replied, backing away from the screen. I leaned forward. "Hey, you've got dandruff."

"Humph! Some romantic you are." I heard a short laugh, and the image bobbed up and down, finally focusing on a wide mouth and over-large nose. "Better?"

"Sit back, you have to brush your teeth." She pouted, stuck her tongue out, and reclined in her chair. I said in a lower voice, "We still on for tonight?"

Kat glanced left and right and said in an equally low voice, "Did you swipe the key?"

I patted my pants pocket. "Right here. I told you Pop wouldn't miss it. I said we're going to the movies. I'll pick you up in a half hour. Okay?"

Kat nodded. "Fine, but make it forty. I have to put on makeup; I want to be glamorous for the spookies. I'll bring the flashlights."

I loved Pop, but he treated me the same as a two-year-old, I guess because of my leg. If he knew Kat and I were driving up to the lab at night by ourselves, he'd have a coronary, besides forbidding me to go in no uncertain terms. Yeah, sure, the world is a dangerous place, but it always has been. You had to watch out for skels, scavengers, and the occasional wild animal, but from the way Pop described the "Good Old Days" when he was a kid, I couldn't see how anyone back then made it to adulthood. He talked about drive-by murders, shootings in schools, and kidnappings. I'd rather live in my time, where all I had to worry about was someone trying to steal my shoes.

I went to the shed and dug out my scooter. I was proud of my ride; I'd built it using a Maxima Steam Engine. Pop had insisted he put in the fusion power pack, but the rest I'd done myself.

I wanted to sweeten it with a heavy-duty suspension system and run it off road, but Pop warned, "Break it and I don't know where we will find replacement parts." When I thought about it, I figured he was right. It took us two months to locate shocks in an old barn and cost two power packs in trade.

Pop and I were always building things. It was fun. Other guys collected insects, I collected old motors and batteries. I guess I'm a geek, a mechanical geek who played with machines instead of sports and stuff.

Kat and I still enjoyed going to the games, even though we cheered for the other team when they scored, which didn't make us popular among the sports guys.

Before I left, Pop strolled out to my shed. "You have your shotgun, right?" he asked.

Pop always became nervous when I went out at night. "Sure, right under my seat." I pointed into the scooter, "Just as you told me."

He nodded. "Good." He rubbed his chin. "Loaded?"

"Of course. Don't worry, nothing is gonna happen." I was fifteen, and he still thought I couldn't take care of myself.

"I hope not, but you never can tell these days." He spun and walked to the door. He stopped with his hand on the latch. "Remember, don't shoot it unless you need to, but if you have to, use it."

Pop cracked me up, sometimes. "Sure, Pop, I'll remember. See you tonight, don't wait up, I'll be fine."

Kat's dad, Mr. Brennan, let me in when I got to her house. Mr. Brennan and Pop were partners, "Greene and Brennan – You break it, we'll fix it." They had both been Middle Guard buddies – Pop was an engineer, Mr. Brennan was a machinist. After the Canadian War, they were discharged, set up shop near Eglin Air Force Base, and started their business. When Eglin went under water, they'd moved us, our moms, and their shop up here to Paradise Cove.

Mr. Brennan was almost an uncle, Pop and he joked they had pictures of Kat and me naked, playing on a bearskin rug when we were babies. Kat would turn red, I'd laugh, but we've never seen the pics so I think they were joking.

"Hi, Mr. Brennan," I said, and slouched down on the couch. Of course, Kat was nowhere around, still getting ready. Typical.

Mr. Brennen settled in his old, beat-up recliner opposite me and started in. I could never tell if he was serious or not. I think he enjoyed to see me squirm.

"Kat tells me you two are going to a movie?"

"Uh, yeah, just your everyday teenage Friday night." He kept staring at me. I began to fidget. Where was Kat?

"What movie?" He smoothed out his mustache and eyed me.

"Uh – I'm not sure." I had a feeling I knew what was coming. "Whatever is playing."

"You two aren't planning on sitting in the back row and making out, are you?" A faint smile crossed his lips.

I imagined trying to kiss Kat. I don't know if we'd bust out laughing, or she'd punch me in the stomach.

Kat and I hung out together, sure. She was my friend, but not my
girlfriend
. I mean she was a girl and all, my friend, but we didn't mess around. She always told me I wasn't ready for a serious relationship, and needed rebooting first.

I think I blushed. I stared down at my sneakers and mumbled, "Oh, no, sir. Kat and I are friends – you know we are. We're mucking around, nothing else."

"Hmmm . . ."

The arrival of Kat saved me from any more torture, big smirk on her face, and bigger handbag over her shoulder. She tried to do something with her hair; it almost appeared neat, and her makeup consisted of two black blotches starting as teardrops from her eyes across her cheeks. "Hey, buddy," she said, heading for the door without looking around. She called over her shoulder, "Be back by midnight, Dad."

"Be careful," he called after us. "The road can be dangerous at night." He repeated Pop's warning. "Scavengers."

Kat rolled her eyes at me. I bolted upright and yelled back, "We will, sir," and snatched the door open. Kat bustled out and I hurried after her.

As we climbed into my scooter Kat remarked, "Isn't it a shame how no one trusts anyone."

"Ain't this a bloody oath," I agreed.

The road out of the valley buckled with potholes and cracks, sticks and weeds covered the surface in places, making it impossible to drive in a straight line. I weaved in and out and only once hit a chunk of rock. We bounced into the air and slammed back down, rattling our teeth.

"Watch it!" Kat rubbed her head. "If you can't drive this thing, let's change seats and I'll take over."

"I can drive fine," I replied, annoyed, peering into the darkness. "It's just –" A man staggered into the road, waving his arms for us to stop.

"Watch out!"

I veered to the left, hit the accelerator, and my little scooter took off through the brush.

Kat twisted in her seat and scrutinized the darkness behind us, her hands clutching the headrest with a slight shake. "Is he following?" I asked. An animal broke cover, a rabbit I think. I slammed on the brakes, and punched the steam at the same time. My scooter lurched, bucked, and surged forward.

"I don't think so," Kat replied, bracing her hand against the dashboard as she turned forward. "Be careful!"

A small tree loomed out of the blackness. I slowed, cut around it, and swung toward the road. "Wow – close call."

"Who do you think it was – a scavenger?" Her eyes were wide – she huddled into her seat with arms crossed.

"Probably not," I said as we crept onto the pavement. "A skel maybe. I only saw one, scavengers run in packs." I sped up, the feeling gripping my chest released.

"Yeah," Kat said, "we
saw
one. How many didn't we see?"

"You're right," I admitted, "but sometimes skels group up into small bands. Might have been a scavenger trick, though – send one scout out pretending to ask for help. If some jerk stops, the rest swarm him."

"I would never stop for a skel in the first place," Kat remarked. She kept peeking out the windows, scanning for other danger.

I hit a smooth spot of pavement and we picked up speed. "Skels aren't too bad," I remarked, relaxing. "They're looking for a handout, maybe steal your clothes. But scavengers" – I shivered — "they'll take whatever you've wearing and slit your throat for the heck of it afterward."

"Yeah, remember what they did to –"

"Uh-huh. I hate scavengers."

"Pop gave a handout to a skel a couple of weeks ago," I said. "I talked to him. He used to be a uni teacher. When the Greys smeared his school, he lost his wife, kids, and job. He's been wandering ever since."

"So terrible," Kat said. She shivered.

"Yeah. Pop offered him a job working at the farm. He said he'd rather keep walking, didn't want to settle down yet."

We rode out of the valley and climbed the road, hitting a sharp bend, and winding higher and higher, snaking our way up to the lab. It was pitch black when we reached the parking lot, the lab itself and the outbuildings darker shadows against the night sky. I took a small access road to the back of the building and stopped as close to the side door as possible. We climbed out. "This way," I breathed, pointing.

"Gee, thanks," Kat whispered back. "You think I've never been here before?" She snagged her bag from my tiny back seat and passed out flashlights. "Here." She shoved one into my hands. "You have the key?"

"Right here." I fished around in my pocket and withdrew an odd shaped piece of flat metal.

I never learned the full story from Pop what happened the day the Greys rayed the lab. All I know is our moms worked late and died. Pop and Mr. Brennen were a hundred feet in the basement repairing the computer system, and Kat and I survived unharmed, except for my leg, I mean. The building went into automatic lockdown, the power shut off, and this was the single key to get in.