“Pip!” he said, kneeling down as his long-lost dog bounded up to him, wagging her tail and licking his face, all the while shaking and whimpering.
“She’s back!” Mai said.
“I wondered where she’d got to,” Mike added as he stepped over to Denver and made a fuss of the dog.
Denver stood up, lifting the dog to his chest. With a kick, he closed the door and returned to the others.
“I suppose the scion won’t have room for a dog,” he said as Pip went from person to person, sniffing them, her tail constantly wagging. To Mike’s eyes, she looked in good condition. She must have survived all this time in the woods, hunting for rabbits and other small creatures.
Mai looked up to Mike with a smile. “I guess we’re back together after all,” she said.
Charlie broke away from the reunion to join Mike and Mai. “I almost forgot,” he said, bringing out a small satchel that he had brought back with him from Tredeya. “Mike, Mai, since I was on vacation, I thought I should bring you back some souvenirs.”
Mike’s eyes grew wide as Charlie emptied the satchel onto the desk, spilling dozens of trinkets and old items onto the surface, some human, some alien, all of them precious. Mike leaned in, unable to speak as he picked up one object after another.
“I… don’t believe this,” he said. “Some of these things are just myths, thought not to actually exist. They’re… priceless. How?”
Charlie shrugged. “Some rich tredeyan bastard’s curio cabinet. Apparently the tredeyans have a thing for kidnapping and theft. Thought you might get a kick out of them.”
For the next few hours, they discussed the objects, Tredeya, the scion, all the while knowing it would soon be too late for Denver to delay his departure any longer, but Mike just focused on the moment, enjoying having his friends back and in one piece as he pondered on what the future might hold for Denver, and those on Earth.
Whatever it held, Mike knew one thing: he was invigorated unlike any other time in his life as he returned to the role he had before the croatoans arrived: archeologist.
Chapter 40
CHARLIE STOOD in the middle of a root field on the edge of Unity’s basin and shielded his eyes from the setting sun. He left Mike’s chalet early to visit Gregor’s grave and to take a look at the scion ship that would be transporting Denver away.
It appeared much like the fighters that pounded Tredeya. Sleek and black, in the shape of a swallow with circular engines at the back. This kind of technology gave him confidence that one day his son would return.
Denver, Layla, Mike, Mai, Maria and a black prism crossed the field. Pip bounded around them and barked at the scion drone. The drone maintained its steady course next to Mike’s head. They hadn’t stopped talking since meeting and discussing plans around the future development of Earth and the search for artifacts.
The souvenirs from Tredeya reignited Mike’s passion for archeology and he threw his weight behind assisting in the search for scion artifacts stolen by the croatoans.
Charlie scanned the scorch-marked remains of the city and thought about his future role in society. He decided to kick the root habit tomorrow and see out his days in the local militia. If they needed him, he would rise again, but he suspected his fighting days were over.
“We thought we’d lost you,” Denver said.
“Just inspecting your ride,” Charlie said and slapped the side of the ship, although the truth was that he hated long goodbyes.
Denver felt the same, but Charlie knew he couldn’t avoid taking part. Maria and Layla both had feelings for him, but had accepted his decision. Mike and Mai wouldn’t let him go quietly either. They were like his adopted uncle and aunt and fussed over him in the cavern, stuffing gadgets into his pockets and asking to be kept updated. The drone told them to expect no communications until the first Earth was found, as anything before that might compromise the mission.
Pip sprinted over to Charlie. He knelt down and stroked her. She jumped up and enthusiastically licked his face. Denver hugged each person in turn, holding short conversations, promising they hadn’t seen the last of him and he’d be back before they knew it.
Approaching Charlie by the side of the ship’s ramp, Denver extended his hand.
Charlie shook it and they exchanged a firm nod.
Nothing needed to be said. They talked the mission dry during their return from Tredeya. Even Layla accepted it was the right thing to do. Charlie knew Denver would want to board at this point and get on with it. His mind didn’t need to be clouded with emotional statements.
Denver turned and gazed at the surrounding area. Maria and Layla both had tears in their eyes. Mike cuddled Mai and she buried her face in the armpit of his brown and yellow striped sweater.
The ship’s engines rumbled to life, throwing out red heat haze. Denver trudged up the ramp and didn’t look back. The ramp folded into the starboard side of the ship and its solid metal door slid down.
Charlie backed away to join the rest of the group. The ship’s engines tilted down and grew in sound. Sunshine reflected off the dark tinted window in front of the cockpit. The ship thrust into the air and shot forward, banking around Unity in a matter of seconds and heading upward, roaring through the sky.
A chilly wind blew across the field. Everyone silently watched as the engine’s blue glow disappeared, leaving a thin trail of vapor behind.
MIKE AND MAI sat opposite Charlie, Maria, and Layla at Aimee’s dining table. The prism balanced at the far end, emitting a purple cone of light with a holographic face inside.
Charlie lit a root cigar and took a deep drag, enjoying the feeling it gave him for one last time. He puffed a smoke ring into the air, enjoying a feeling of freedom that he hadn’t experienced in thirty years.
Steam drifted from Mike and Mai’s herbal tea. Layla and Maria decided to drown their sorrows with root wine.
“How’s your elbow?” Charlie said to Mike.
“The scion are repairing it tomorrow with nanomachines. They wanted to put me under for the operation, but I insisted on having a numbing injection to watch the process.”
Mai rolled her eyes, raised a hand and gave him a mock slap on his shoulder. After hearing about her poor health, Charlie was pleased to see her about on her feet. They really were the post-apocalyptic odd couple, but Charlie would have them no other way.
“We’re project managing the infrastructure rebuild next week,” Mai said. “The scion are sending down a million worker drones to build wireless electricity, housing, sanitary sewers and networked communications.”
“Don’t forget the technology school,” Mike added. “We’re going to build the best city the world has ever seen and teach others how to replicate it.”
The hologram nodded. “Replication builds strength. We will also attempt to recover old data. This will be mutually beneficial in terms of our quest and your restoration.”
Charlie couldn’t help feeling impressed. Most of the preinvasion data would be useless now. Governments had fallen, armies were destroyed, and the population decimated. Dirty little secrets, old plans, and classified databases were useless to the current world.
Croatoans stripped the planet’s dignity and they had nothing to hide. The scion gave them a chance to increase their standard of living under protection, in exchange for searching for information that had little consequence to the population, as far as he could see.
“Maria and I are continuing with our reintegration work,” Layla said. “There’s thousands of humans who need our help. Mike’s making it a priority to build accommodations to house former captives. The scion are already reconfiguring some of the farms as education centers.”