Flash Fiction #495 -- Earth Bound (Catchin)/8

 

The shuttle swept over them a couple times, close enough to make their hidden hole tremble. By the end of the third time, they cleaned up from the meal.

"She's trying to decide which part of the city to flatten to land that thing," Tana said as she looked up at the trembling ceiling.

"Actually, she's probably just waiting for them to clear enough space at the landing pad," Tom replied.

Tana turned on him with a snarl, and he took a step backward in surprise.

"Are you telling me we could have flown up here instead of that interminable historical drive with Sally?"

"Oh. Well, maybe -- though there was the storm, and we try not to fly through the mountains in such weather. Too easy to run into high, pointed, rocky things."

"Huh. We should have brought our fighter."

"So you could have some fun piloting through mountain passes?" Krisin asked. "I don't think that's a good idea at any time, let alone in a storm."

"I fly through moving asteroid belts," She reminded them. "Mountains just sitting there, don't worry me."

"And that's why we're worried," Lisel replied, and Krisin nodded with more enthusiasm than was needed.

Tom grinned but wisely turned away and pretended to be busy. Ret was packing up some supplies. The shuttle did not fly over again, so Tana sat back down in the comfy chair and waited. She even napped, comfortable and well-fed. Krisin seemed to be okay. The Captain would help them out. And with luck, they'd be back fighting were soon.

She tried not to think about the new Catchin-like mutants these fools were making, but they turned up in her nightmare --

She came instantly awake at a double beep, long buzz, and another beep from her pocket comp. It was echoed with Lisel and Krisin's comps. They were all three already standing and moving toward the door.

"What is going on?" Ret asked, looking both confused and worried.

"Oh, sorry," Krisin said. "That was the ship's call for all fighters to return to the bay. Captain Dundas wants us in."

"Time to go," Ret agreed. He passed packs out to all of them. "That has protein bars, first aid kits, socks, gloves, hats -- things you could need if you have to run again. Remember where this place is. I'm going to leave the door unlocked. Even if someone follows you here, they'd have a hellish time digging you out once you lock it from the inside."

"Thank you, Ret," Krisin said. "I don't know where we would be if it wasn't for you."

"Listening to Sally lecture us on the historical cell we were in," Tana suggested.

They left laughing and hiked back into the trees rather than down into the open ground. There was no snowstorm today, but it felt far colder. The sky looked like a sheet of blue ice over them, and the snow reflected so much light it made Tana's eyes water.

Ret and Tom led the way, and she just followed their shadows and footsteps.

It was a lot farther back to the hotel from this direction. She could hear people on the slopes, and they were not throwing themselves down on skies, either.

"The Captain hasn't told anyone that we're coming in," Lisel observed as they watched a distant group scanning the snow and looking for their bodies. "What do we say when we show up?"

"That we hid out in the trees," Tom answered, and Ret grunted agreement. "They have no way of knowing Ret only just gave us these packs. It is what we would need to survive."

"Then mess up what's inside there," Lisel said and stopped to do just that.

The others did as well, Tana nervous again at every sound. She wished they were back in the bunker, safe within the windowless walls with trusty tech equipment keeping watch. That had almost felt like being home on the ship. At least in space, she knew the enemy was the aliens. Well, except for the crew sometimes, who also had gone after Krisin.

Damn humans.

When the call came in again, Tana dared one quick buzz of an answer, hoping everyone but the Captain would think it was background noise. At any rate, they changed direction just to be safe and headed away from the hotel for the next hour.

There were others out looking for them, and not for good reasons. If they wanted to find the fighter crew, they would have been calling for them, not running scanners in every direction -- except right behind them by a few yards. If any of them had looked back, Tana and Lisel would have had to take them on. Instead, after half an hour, the scouts headed toward a parking lot, so Ret led his people down behind a hill and some boulders. They rested there for a bit.

"We have an open corridor now," Tom said with a wave back at the trees. "They checked it, and we can get closer to the hotel before we go out of cover."

"I don't know if they intend to search the area again," Ret said. Then he stopped and shook his head. "No, never mind. These aren't even regular forces. Local policing force and they're good for finding lost hikers, but given all the shooting and bombs -- I suspect they're not happy, even if they side with the terrorists."

"Then let's get to the Captain," Krisin said. "I'm tired of hiking."

No one argued. Tana and her companions headed into the trees, keeping watch for anyone behind them and for any movement ahead.

They didn't expect five figures to step out from behind a set of pines, laser rifles in hand. They were dressed in such puffy coats, oversized hoods, and knitted masks with protective goggles that Tana wasn't sure they could move very fast or see at all.

That proved wrong as the lasers all turned their way.

Flash Fiction #494 -- Earth Bound (Catchin)/7

 The place had comfortable chairs.

And hot chocolate. Tana had only had hot chocolate once in her life, and she stared into the cup with the kind of reverence another might have given to a holy relic.

Yeah, she needed rest.

After a small sip  -- she intended this to last -- and she looked at the others. Lisel and Ret were passing around cups to Krisin and Tom, both of whom looked spent.

Then they sat down as well. Ret looked more relieved than the rest of them.  

"I never thought I'd need this for more than a nice getaway from the world," he admitted. "And while this is not what my grandfather planned for it, I'm glad the place has found some good use."

"Will the snow cover our prints?" Tom asked with a worried glance at the door.

"Not well," Ret admitted and drew out his pocketcomp, jabbing at a few buttons. "Good, no one on the slope."

He ran his fingers over a quick code. A heartbeat later, Tana felt an odd slight tremble and a sound like something sliding past the building.

"Avalanche?" Tom asked, shocked and dismayed.

"A small, controlled one," Ret assured him. "And on a slope that is known for such snow slips. I have scanners in place. There wasn't even an elk out there tonight, but now the prints are buried. They might think they lost us in the avalanche, too, and they won't be looking under a tree that fell over a century ago."

Tana wondered if she should be worried, which was a stupid thought. Of course, she should. But Ret seemed to be doing an excellent job of getting them clear of the danger.

"Why did all of this happen? Lisel asked.

There was a question Tana had not thought to ask. They were earthers. They were crazy. That seemed answer enough, at least while they were on the run.

But that was too easy of an answer, and Tana knew it now that she had a chance to sit still.

"It makes no sense," she said aloud, and Lisel nodded. "No matter how much fighting we've done, we're no one important --"

But that wasn't true. Tana looked at Krisin.

So did the others.

"No, no, no," Krisin said, his ears going back. "Just no. I am not any more important than the rest of you."

"I think you are the only Catchin known by name on Earth," Tom offered.

That didn't help Krisin's mood. He started to stand and then changed his mind before Ret could say anything.

"Okay, so why?" Lisel asked. "Catchins have done nothing to draw attention. Not even Krisin, despite how hard he tries."

"Ha," Krisin said.

Tom looked uncomfortable, and Tana didn't think it was his asthma, either. She sipped more of the cocoa and then leaned closer to him. Tana figured he might get up and walk away, but he sighed and nodded to her instead.

"My mother mentioned something a few weeks ago. She'd heard a rumor that the military's science department was considering creating new Catchin -- bigger, stronger, and wilder -- to turn loose on the older mutant style."

Silence.

"It can't be true," Lisel said. "They just wouldn't be that stupid, would they?"

"Why not?" Krisin said and sounded more bitter than even Tana had expected. "They created us. But how do they expect to keep the new ones in control if they feared that from us?"

"Damn."  Ret sat down. "I was a medtech in the Earth Force. I saw a couple cases of people who went crazy, killed others, and then died. Both had had some sort of brain operation, and there may have been a bio device, but I never got that far before they were taken away. I'm not the only medtech who saw them, too."

"You aren't here by chance," Krisin said to Ret.

"That's not true."  He stopped and stared at the wall. "Or maybe it is. The offer of this job came unexpectedly. My name was on a list of medtechs looking for a position. I really thought I was lucky to get a position in a posh spot like this, and so near my grandfather's hidden retreat."

"Someone brought us all here, and I'm betting on your mother, Tom," Tana said. She didn't like the idea, though. "What are we supposed to do? And are those idiots who shot at us in on it?"

"I think they're just a sideshow," Tom admitted. He looked more assured now and thoughtful. "We didn't try to hide the fact you were coming to earth. That's why we kept changing the location ... but this last choice came from my mother. I wish she had let me in on this. I would have been far more watchful of Sally."

"So, what do we do now?" Lisel asked. He didn't look inclined to jump up and do anything.

"Rest here for now," Tana said. Ret nodded in agreement. "As far as I can tell, no one can locate this place with sensors, and I'm the last person alive who knows about this place ... except, apparently, Councilor Jakeville, though even she might not know the exact location."

"But she wanted us together," Tana said with a look at Tom.

He shrugged.

She wanted to demand answers, or at least talk it out -- but Krisin had fallen asleep already, and she didn't want to wake the Catchin. The others agreed. So they leaned back in their chairs. Ret stayed awake at the monitoring equipment, and Tana decided she trusted him.

She slept well and awoke to the scent of food and soft voices. Tom and Lisel were cooking breakfast, and it smelled delicious.

Krisin was awake as well. She went to clean up and came back to a table sat for a meal. She settled by Krisin, and the others spread around.

Something huge flew overhead.

"Captain Dundas is here," Krisin said.

The others nodded. They finished their meal.

Flash Fiction #493 -- Earth Bound (Catchin)/6

 Of course, the Earthers didn't trust their own army, and Tana wasn't sure why that hadn't occurred to her before now. Why would any Earther trust another at all? Look where it led!

Ret had taken them hiking up the mountain in the snow. They'd left behind any sign of other humans, though creatures startled Tana sometimes. The first time she let out a girlish scream that startled animals (Ret said they were elk), her companions, and something up in a tree that shrieked in protest.

Tana had landed on her ass in the snow.  So had Krisin and Lisel.

"As good a place as any to rest," Ret decided. "We have trees between the hotel and us. We won't stay long."

Tana had started to stand. She sat back down.

"Why don't you trust your Earth Guard?" Lisel asked.

"I might have trusted them if I weren't with you three," he admitted. "But even before I left the force, the ranks were infested with people like those idiot wannabe terrorists down below. You simply cannot trust them to be reasonable."

"We should warn Captain Dundas," Tana suggested, a hand on her pocket comp.

"She already knows there is trouble," Krisin pointed out. "Don't risk giving us away. The military will have equipment listening in."

"True," Ret agreed. "Best that we just get out of sight for now."

"I want my fighter," Tana mumbled, but she stood when the others did.

She did not expect Tom to make a slight sound of surprise and fall face down in the snow.

They all threw themselves down and listened intently to anything that wasn't a breeze through the trees. The snow didn't fall quite so hard now, at least. Tana heard nothing, though.

"No one around," Krisin announced. He even sniffed the air. "Whatever is wrong --"

"Breathing problem," Ret said with a wave of his scanner. "Fool. The air is thin up here, and all this rushing around -- come on, Tom. Wake up. I've got something that will help. You should have stayed --"

"No," Tom said, his voice shaky as he forced himself to sit up. "No. Didn't dare let Sally or her ... her companions ..."

"Hold on," Ret replied, one hand on the man's shoulder and the other rooting through his bag again.

"They didn't dare get you any more than they should catch us," Lisel said, his head tilted slightly as he looked Tom over. "Who are you?"

"Councilor Jakeville's son," he replied. He gave a shaking wave of his hand. "You won't know --"

"That she is one of the top twenty influential people on Earth?" Lisel replied and startled Tom and Ret. "We fight to keep Earth safe, you know. It doesn't hurt to know what we're fighting for in those battles. The colonies still look to Earth for direction, if not for instruction. The attitudes of a few people shouting and throwing explosives is not all there is to this world."

Tom blinked a couple times. "Thank you. And don't worry. My condition is not that serious and more an annoyance."

Ret nodded agreement, but Tana still kept an eye on him as they began to stand again. She did not understand the whole meaning behind Lisel's words, but she did recognize Jakeville's name. The woman was one of the few people openly supportive of the colonies and had good relationships with them.

The Councilor had also led the front on the fight to stop the military from killing off the Catchin they had already created and decided they didn't want or trust after all.

Tana helped Krisin to his feet. The Catchin watched Tom with a look of near adoration.

"I met you once when we were both very young," Krisin said.

Tom grinned with delight. "I didn't think you would remember, but when I saw your name, I got myself a place on the Greeting Community just to see how you were doing."

"Why did none of you use your full names?" Tana asked.

"That was part of our instructions," Tom explained. They were moving again, and he spoke quieter. "Someone setting this up decided that because none of you use more than one name -- in fact, it is common with colonists -- that it would sound rude and pretentious as if we were using titles."

"Huh. And yet these people sent Sally along."

"There is no logic in committees."

"It must be a human thing," Lisel added. " They certainly haven't helped us at any point out in the colonies."

"Or maybe it's just dealing with colonial fighters that worries everyone," Krisin added. "Or, more likely, it's just dealing with Tana."

Ret made a sound of amusement. Before Tana could say anything, he veered off to the right and began to move a bit faster. Tana thought they must be near somewhere, and she certainly didn't see anything.

He headed straight for a huge downed tree covered by a large dune of snow. Tanathought they would have to climb over it, and Tana really didn't think she had the energy --

A line of light appeared, and then a door. The air around it filled with steam, promising warmth on the other side. Ret didn't have to warn them to hurry. In a moment, they were gathered into the warm interior, a small room lined with shelves and stacked with equipment, papers, books -- a crowded room with nowhere to even sit down.

"Just hang your coats on the hooks," Ret said with a nod toward the door.

Then he pushed a spot on the opposite wall, and a door opened into a vast, submerged room with furniture, light, and the promise of places to sit down.

She hung up her coat and cautiously crossed to the opening.

"Places like this don't suddenly appear out of nowhere," she said, looking back at Ret.

"It was a survival camp for a group of people who feared the end of the world." Something exploded far down the mountainside. "Let's get inside."

Flash Fiction # 492 -- Earthbound (Catchin)/5

 (Happy New Year!  And a confession: somewhere in my many stories about these three characters, I got Lisel (or Lisil as he was in the first story) mixed up with Krisin. I also forgot to check what my Catchin character looked like. I am just going to let it go for now. I'll get it all sorted out when I put them together in a book. Sorry!  Now on with the adventure!)

"Stopping by the woods on a snowy evening," Krisin suddenly mumbled, shaking snow from his fur.

"He's delirious," Tana decided.

"Barbarian," Krisin countered. "It's a famous poem by Frost written in the early 1900s. It suits us."

"Why? Was he lost in a frozen hell, too?" Tana asked.

"We're not lost," Ret replied.

"You may not be lost," Lisel countered, looking back at Tom, who still followed behind them. Tana wasn't sure if she wanted him there or not. "Tana and I are lost, though I don't know where Krisin thinks he is --"

"Ha. I am not lost," the Catchin replied. Then he lifted his head. "I think."

Tom spoke from behind them.  

"The sun that brief December day
Rose cheerless over hills of gray,
And, darkly circled, gave at noon
A sadder light than waning moon."

"Ah! Snow-Bound, John Greenleaf Whittier!" Krisin said with delight.

"They've both gone crazy," Lisel decided.

Tana didn't argue. She stumbled on through the snow that sometimes came up to her knees. Chaos continued to spread behind them, and she didn't think it came any closer, though anyone with half a brain would be able to track them --

Or maybe not. Tana was aware of others, most of them panicked and yelling, charging through the snow nearby. Medtech Ret would stop them with a lifted hand sometimes. Tana began to realize that he'd spent a reasonable amount of time in the military. She recognized the signs, and she trusted him all the more for it.

They'd clamored over some huge boulders, and Ret stopped. "Sit down here. We'll let people get ahead of us and follow in their footprints, making it harder to tell us from them. We'll have to try to obscure any prints from Krisin."

The Catchin nodded. He didn't wear boots, but at least he had on sandals. Tana would follow and make certain she covered his tracks.

"Don't these people have DNA trackers?" Lisel asked. "I would think they wouldn't have trouble following Krisin with one."

"They don't work well in the cold, and especially not with snow and other people in the same area. They're going to be checking every footprint they find, which will slow them down. They might get lucky -- but I'm betting even if they find a track, they'll lose it. I purposely took us in different directions and followed more than one set of people. From here, though, where we won't leave tracks over the rock and where they won't expect us to go, we are going to head away from everyone else."

"You have done this before," Tana said.

"Something like it," he agreed. "I was in the Earth Force for fifteen long years. I don't think a lot of colonists realize how much trouble we can find right here on Mother Earth."

"I'm starting to get an idea of it," Tana admitted.

He gave a little bark of a laugh and then signaled them to silence. A few people were coming far too close.

"Zealots," a woman said in disgust.

A man grunted in agreement. Tana could see shadows moving through the fall of snow, but no one came any closer to them.

Somewhere behind them, she could hear more sounds of trouble, but even it moved away. They stayed where they were with the snow blowing over them and the day growing colder.

Ret checked Krisin and gave a nod. "No problem.    "We'll keep med pads on it so you aren't slowed down by pain, but don't believe that means you can be careless."

"Keep Tana from landing on me, and I should be alright," he replied.

If he hadn't been shot, she would have tackled him.    He knew it, too, and gave one of those big-teeth grins that scared the hell out of others. Even Ret looked worried.

And Lisel threw a snowball that hit Tana in the side of the head. She yelped, but at least not very loudly. She thought about escalating the war, but Ret already looked like he might abandon them for being so crazy. He might be right.

"Nothing personal, Ret, but I really didn't want to come to earth," Lisel admitted. "We've met Earthers before, and too many of them are more like Sally than like you and Tom."

"Just so you know, Sally and people like her drive most Earthers crazy, too," Tom admitted. "We send them off-world whenever we can. Unfortunately, you guys keep sending them back."

"They don't seem worth starting a war over," Krisin replied, shifting slightly to ease an ache. "Ret --"

"I know. Time to move. I've marked out our path."

"I wish the storm would move on," Tana said, pulling the coat up around her.

"No, you really don't," Ret replied. "If those clouds disappear, the temperature is going to take a dramatic drop."

"Drop as in colder," she said with a disbelieving shake of her head.  

"Much colder. We're holding at about 20f right now, and if those clouds disappear, negative 20 would not be out of the question."

"Forty degrees colder? Are you people crazy? Why does anyone live here?"

"Most of them like to ski."

"Throw themselves down the sides of mountains and hope to survive to reach the bottom," Tana replied.

"More or less."

"That's crazy."

"Why are you three a fighter crew?"

Tana started to say something, stopped, and then sighed as she went to help Krisin.

"I suspected you would understand," Ret said and looked over the rocks. It had been quiet. "Let's go. The military will be here soon, and we need to be under some cover by then."