Second Chances (67 page)

“There is a plateau above the graphite deposit,” Jim offered. “I can see if Jacklynn can fly it up there with the skycrane.”

“It's a thought,” Mitch said, nodding. “I'm not thrilled about risking it but...”

“It will not have the range and will only see in a 190 degree arch,” Piotr said scowling as he crossed his arms. “Even worse than what it is doing now.”

“Okay, so not there. Model a location further out then. Ask Adrian to model it. Get that architect to help if Vance is busy.”

“She's here brushing up on her Chinese. Angie flew her in,” Mitch said waving a hand.

“She is?” Jim asked, now surprised. “Jessica's here?”

“Yes,” Mitch said. Jessica Walker was one of the few people they had on record that knew Chinese or at least some Chinese. She had come from Hong Kong, but she had learned to speak passable Cantonese and knew a smattering of Mandarin, the most common dialect. Jack had brought back a paper someone had written on in their native dialect. Jessica had identified it as Wu or possibly Jin or some mix of the two.

“She's good,” Jim said, looking at the Russian. “I know she worked on a couple towers. I think creating a tower should be a piece of cake for her. She'll definitely understand the elevation maps,” he said. Piotr frowned and made a face.

“It's a start. Do what you can with what we've got fellas. I've got too many people screaming for priority right now, right this second. Everyone has to wait their turn,” Mitch said, sounding a bit put upon. Jim nodded. He hustled Piotr out of the office without a backward wave.

------*------

Under Bob's directions they moved the chemical works, splitting the modules up even further than he had initially insisted upon. The more dangerous pods were spread out across the base for safety, pushed back to the perimeter. Brian and Vance grumbled about rigging power lines for everything. Pouring the pads was easy once they had a proper base but digging the trenches for the wiring was a hassle.

“Why don't you just run power lines?” the gunny asked, pointing upward. “We can cut some trees for poles, do the rigging and be done with it, right?”

“Do you want power lines hanging over your head when it snows? Or a good wind storm?” Vance asked, shaking his head.

“Besides, Mitch brought a pile driver but it's for a compact track loader. We'd have a hell of a time rigging it on the crane or some other device to get it high enough to drive a pole into the ground,” Sam said.

The gunny frowned thoughtfully. “Oh.”

“Trust me, we've thought of it. I actually thought of it for pilings for bridges and other stuff,” Sam said, shaking his head. “That's when I found out about the limits of the driver.” He made a wry face.

“I'm not thrilled about having power lines all over the place. Icicles and stuff hanging from it...or having those terrasaurs come by to sit on it like pigeons,” Vance said.

“Okay, okay, I got it. No power lines. I guess that's a good thing; it won't spoil the view,” the gunny said, moving off.

While they worked on moving and setting up each module Arby and Adrian took some time off to work on the robotic vehicles. Arby had mostly recovered from his ordeal, though he still had some permanent nerve damage in his leg. He walked with a limp, and Doc was still concerned over seizures. Still, working on the project got him out of the bed and feeling sorry for himself.

Setting up the pumps and control modules was easy; they were built into each module. Getting each extended pipeline constructed and in the ground was a project for Sam and Vance. But the more distant modules required a tanker to get to them. The two computer geeks worked with Lisa to rig up automated tanker trucks to move fluids from point A to point B between chemical modules as needed. Hookup was still a pain however.

“Automating that is next to impossible,” Mitch warned them. “I had a team trying to figure that out. They couldn't get the bots to manhandle a hose up to a fitting, get it positioned right, then turn the fitting to get the threads right, then lock it down. Even telepresence didn't work. There are limits fellas,” he said, shaking his head.

“Well, we'll come up with something. Or we'll have someone go there and do it by hand,” Adrian said.

“Any progress on the map?”

“No. You'd think they'd give us some sort of...I don't know, an index or something.”

“They aren't interested in making it easy. If they even care,” Mitch said.

“I love puzzles, but this one is a headache,” Arby said, agreeing with Adrian.

“Try a word association method. If we know one thing, see what they have written near it and then compare it to what they've written elsewhere.”

“Is it writing at all?” Adrian asked, wrinkling his nose. The kid's eyes were red, he'd lost sleep working on both projects. “I mean, do energy beings even need to write?”

“Everyone needs to record information and transmit it in one way or another,” Mitch said slowly. “It may not even be their language; it could be their programming code or their maker's language.” He shrugged. “We may have to wait and ask them or wait for a larger sample.”

Arby made a face. “I've had enough of waiting,” he grumbled.

“Even with the pretty nurses?” Adrian teased knowingly.

Arby sniffed. “Yeah, they are lookers, but Tina's well...and Cassie you know...and....” He shrugged helplessly.

“Ah, the love life of youth,” Mitch said, patting the kid on the arm. “I'm glad I'm no longer single,” he said. Arby snorted. “Good luck kid, I've got to go check on Ivan. He's got all the existing fields plowed and planted. He's reworking the new fields now.”

“Um, about that, can we um, borrow the farm trucks? The sprayer truck would be great...”

Mitch shook his head. “No, for fertilizer it's okay, but you'd have to clean it with every chemical. Not going to happen. Ivan put his foot down.”

“But he only uses it what, a couple times a month?”

Mitch shrugged. “We'll figure it out. We'll make more tankers if we have to.”

“Electronics...”

“Are going to be on the list. Once we get fabrication working smoothly...which means getting our supply line ironed out. Which brings us back to you two,” he said, grabbing each of their shoulders with a hand then squeezing a few times.

“Right, no pressure,” Adrian said. “This and breaking alien...code,” he said. He tossed a stylus onto the tablet in front of him in disgust.

“Hell, beats sitting around playing Call of Duty,” Arby said. Adrian snorted as Mitch made his escape.

------*------

The chief and some of the other survivors of their abandoned village planned and executed a southeast road trip. They had to stop for a series of spring storms, but got past the rivers before they swelled up again. Sam cursed on the other side of the river. He'd followed along at his own pace, planning to smooth out the roads a bit more between Copper and the base. He wanted to shave hours off the trip if possible. He also wanted to get a small start on the roads they were planning to run west to the Mongols and north from Copper Town to the proposed gold village.

Evan and his people met them at the abandoned village. Together they dug up as much gear as possible; even trash was bundled up and packed in the trucks for recycling. Only rotten wood was left behind.

“So, you are definitely not going to rebuild?” Evan asked. “I can't see you taking all this and then bringing it back,” he said, indicating the tarp covered bundles on the trucks and other vehicles.

Chief Roberts looked at the trucks and then snorted. Over the winter Lisa and a couple of the other mechanically-inclined folks had gotten a couple of the old vehicles running again. This was a sort of field test for them and the ethanol fuel the chemical works was churning out. So far so good, he thought.

“No,” Chief Roberts said, shaking his head, one hand resting on his Mp-5. “It's an idea though, but no. We've got other plans.”

“Think about it, staging area,” Evan suggested.

The chief cocked his head and then shook his head no again. “No, I think we'll try the mountains and off the beaten path thank you. I don't want to be here when the herds return,” he said.

Evan nodded. “I can't blame you,” he admitted. He paused, facing the wind as it ruffled his short curly hair. He was getting older; there was a bit more gray in his locks since they'd last crossed paths. “Any word on the herds? Why they are late?” he asked anxiously.

The chief shrugged, watching his people lounge about after lunch. “You'd know more about that than us. Since they'll pass you first,” he said.

“True,” Evan said. He'd obviously been making conversation, Travis thought. “I just wondered if Mitch knew anything.”

“Not much. I don't think he's thought about them other than to worry about their return. He's pushing everyone hard to expand as fast as possible. Base is going through growing pains like the kids,” he said, shaking his head. Security on the base had quadrupled in complexity with the larger perimeter. Fortunately, they had lasers on towers near the gates to give some coverage there. They could even traverse to cover a good part of that wall. But most of the other walls didn't have any coverage in between gates. Roving patrols by the CAT robots and security patrols could only do so much, be in so many places at once. And it didn't help that he was off gallivanting he thought.

“Sam radioed,” Pete said coming over. He grinned at Evan. “Hi, professor,” he said.

“Good to see you lad,” Evan said.

“Are you going to come back to base and teach?”

“Not this trip,” Evan said, clearing his throat. “Possibly during the summer,” he said. Pete nodded.

“What did Sam say?” The chief asked patiently.

“Oh um, he said to tell you he crossed the river. The big one.”

“We need names for these things,” Evan said.

“Eventually,” Pete said with a shrug. “But anyway, he got to the river where he built the bridge and crossed it. He's almost to the pass.”

“Roger,” the chief replied with a curt nod. “Good report.”

“Thanks,” Pete smiled, ducking his head. “Still no sign of the herds from Copper Town or Iron Village,” he said. “And Paul wants the trucks back,” he said, indicating the convoy. “He said, and I quote ‘quite burning daylight and get your ass in gear,’” the teen said with a grin.

The chief snorted in response. He turned to Evan. “Be seeing you, professor,” he said holding out his hand. Evan took it and shook it firmly.

“I hope to see you soon, Chief Roberts,” he said solemnly. “If not here than back at base,” he said.

“I'll have Mitch supply the beers, and we'll have a barbeque,” the chief said, nodding as they disengaged their handshake. “Which reminds me,” he said, turning to his truck. He opened the door and pulled the seat forward. Then he pulled out a twelve pack in a plastic container. “These are for you, compliments of Ivan,” he said, handing the pack over. “We need the bottles back next time,” he said.

“Well, thank you kindly,” Evan said with a grin as he took the package. Tell Selma to show me some of those textiles she's working on with the flax we sent,” he said.

“We will,” Pete said. “I'll see if we can upload a picture,” he said, indicating the tower nearby. He'd come along to set up a radio tower on a hill nearby. Its ham radio would allow them to relay information more easily between the remote communities.

“Good lad,” Evan said with a nod as he turned about. He waved as he walked to his truck and people. When a few saw the beer he was holding they cheered and clapped.

Evan returned to East Village in time to report the returning of the herds. Paul and the chief returned a few days ahead of the herds.

------*------

Angie used a medium drone to keep an eye out for the herds. When she spotted them on the horizon she immediately called it in. Jolie announced it over the intercom. Anne frowned, but then waved the kids on impatiently out. They rushed the doors happily.

Maggie let the riders sign out horses and dinosaurs to ride to the perimeter. The struthomimous were popular for those who were light and wanted something different to ride. The strutting theropods took off like a jet, running towards the wall with the teens and kids hanging on for dear life.

“They'll be fine,” Walter said, swinging up onto the saddle of a theropod. “I'll keep an eye on them,” he said, taking off. She snorted and then followed on a gelding at a more sedate pace.

“We need some bleachers here. And some shades,” Angie said, shaking her head as she looked about. A few of the animals had churned up some mud. A few of the kids were avoiding the grass, either because something was there or some other reason. She frowned as she watched one of the little ones look at a flower then shirk back in fear. That picnic, she thought. The kids were scared of flowers! She sighed. That was terrible.

“Here they come!” Someone said eagerly as she opened her mouth to say something to Anne. The woman turned, shielding her eyes with her hand muttering something about sunglasses.

“Oh my,” Janet said. Anne grinned. The twins were in a stroller Brian had rigged up for her. They had been awake, but apparently the sun had made them drowsy enough to fall asleep. The sounds of approaching animals woke them however. They looked up and then fearfully squalled. She chuckled and cooed to them that it was okay.