Graham Heights
Rainier
Journal Entry - June 14th 2095
Julia Scott
Julia Scott
Our routine is somewhat normal now. We get up about 4 am and start walking, by the time we’ve broken camp it’s light enough to see without the goggles, half of them don’t work anymore, so it’s better to walk by daylight. Two of the six mules have broken and the others need maintenance. Three days ago, we have made it to the train yard of a town call Yakima. This place is beastly. It’s dry and hot, too hot for my taste, but the heat and dryness is why it’s still here.
Jordy found an old truck that can ride the railroad tracks. He then spent the next three days modifying the truck and by that I mean almost reducing it to a frame with wheels. Jordy devised a way to have two mules power the rear wheels.
While he was doing that we made a platform and loaded all our belongings on it. Each time a SAT com went over we had to hide our work; this won’t be as easy out on the desert. So, we will trade our slow grind East for a faster one, but will increase our chances of being discovered. To that end we took some tarp material that we found in a warehouse and coated it with sand. Then we made a tent over our vehicle. It would stand out on the rails, but if we tucked into the shrubs next to the tracks, we should be all but invisible.
I would make more of a description of this place if it had more to offer, but either climate change or by its own nature, the town did not offer much in details. The terrain was flat and everything else was either bleached out tan or dark brown with rust. So at 4 am we set out South East rail. The SAT com was scheduled at about 10:30 am, and we hid along a dry river. We managed to pull off the rails at 9:15, found a suitable hiding place under an old bridge and then resumed our journey. By the heat of the day we had put thirty five kilometers behind us. Not bad, but just two hundred to go. Bad news was that we still did not have any signs of water. Jordy did not seem to be worried, but why should he be; all he needs is sunshine and there was plenty of that. At six pm we stopped, found a suitable hiding place for our vehicle and set up the solar chargers. The eyes in the sky won’t be back for another four hours so we rested and reflected. That was probably the biggest downside to this mode of travel, lots of time to think.
Day two was not as profitable, we had several sections of damaged rail and one washed out bridge. At one point we were all out pushing the vehicle as the mules could not provide enough power to motivate our transport up the hill. By the time SAT com came by we were ready to stop and the mules needed to be recharged.
Jordy was spending less time with us and more time scouting the area. Said he would need to send a report soon and that required something to report. During the times that Jordy was gone, Buster was our guard. He was different from the other mules, he actually had a personality. And with little else out here to focus on, we started focusing on the little things.
Luke and Tommy were picking on each other more and Freyja was eyeing both of them. The rest of the company was beginning to partner up, the down side was that we were uneven. One more male than female, not including herself. She was… someone else’s. God that sounds weird. That’s when the weight of all this effort and trouble hit Julia; all this to get her off this planet. Julia went over the past month and all that had changed. Was it worth it? Was all this worth… hell, she could not even conceive how it would end. On the wild side, she would be in the Captain’s attentive arms while looking out the front windows of a ship careening across the galaxy and the alternative would be their bleached out bones lying in the desert on a dying world.
Julia attention was drawn to a commotion coming from the south. Jordy was coming, but he was moving fast. As soon as he was in earshot she yelled, “Pack it up, we have to leave now.”
That didn’t sound good, but without hesitations everyone jumped to the task of packing up camp and putting it on the truck. In less than five minute they were back on the rails and moving North East. Once they were moving they rearranged things like they should be and started settling in.
Julia asked, “What was that about?”
Jordy was looking back from where they came. “I spotted some nomads and they were headed in our direction.”
Julia, “We might have been able to help each other.”
Jordy looked at her, “We cannot be discovered by anyone.”
“Why, it’s not like they have radios and can report us.” Julia was upset, “They don’t even know who we are.”
Jordy kept watch to the rear. “That’s where you’re wrong.”
Julia was having a bad feeling again.
Without looking at anyone in particular, “Mr. Monroe has put out a bounty on you.” A slight pause, “All of you.”
“Apparently their search of you on the Western side of the mountain has come up empty and they have expanded their area of interest to include the Eastern side of the Mountains.” Jordy informed them.
“And just when were you going to let us know?” Julia asked.
“When you needed to know.” Was all Jordy would say.
We kept going until the mules ran out of juice. It was dark and we only had two goggles that worked. So we set out to find a place to settle for the night and where we would be hidden while the mules recharged in the morning. Just two clicks down the tracks we found an old bridge that was half collapsed. It would make a great shelter. With Jordy’s help they managed to push the vehicle down the tracks and under the bridge. The concrete was still radiating the heat from the day.
Bart found evidence that others had used this place for shelter in the past, so it was decided to keep a watch. Jordy would have the South approach and the humans would take turns on the North side. Once Julia’s turn was over she joined Jordy. He seemed very distant even for a machine. Julia had a lot of time to think and a certain question was bothering her and in the still of this evening, it seemed like the right time to ask. “Jordy, why are you doing this?”
Jordy did not divert his attention from his duty but answer anyway, “I told you, Captain Hanson is my friend.”
“Am I your friend?” Julia asked.
“I have become accustomed to your…presence.” Jordy allowed.
Julia continued, “Do you really think you’re going to find a plane that is airworthy?”
“Of course not.” Responded Jordy.
“Then why aren’t we headed South on the tracks?” Julia asked.
“Because that would be suicide.” Jordy said with no emotion.
“So going to a place in the middle of nowhere to find something that can fly after sitting for almost a hundred years is…what…logical?” Julia bit back trying to get this machine to give up a little more information.
“You know that won’t work.” Jordy said, not rising to the bait.
“So, how are you going to do that, build something?” Julia asked.
“If I have to, yes.” Jordy said.
Julia decided to change tactics, “So, was… Matherson a good mechanic?”
“Not really.” Jordy admitted.
Julia was not quite sure how to respond and just sat in silence.
“It’s the fact that he was not good that I exist.” Jordy finally gave up.
“That sounds like an interesting story.” Julia invited further detail.
“He was ordered into a hold with a fire team.” Jordy said, “They were to push back a fire while he repaired a valve that was feeding fuel to a breach in the next compartment over.”
“And.” Julia said.
“And it didn’t hold. The entire fire team died and Matherson was so badly damaged that his organs could barely sustain his brain.” Jordy was showing signs of being annoyed.
“So how does that lead to you?” Julia was going to dig until she got it all.
“Captain Hansen, then only a lieutenant, ordered Matherson into that hold.” Jordy admitted.
“So?” Julia pushed
“They didn’t have to die, there was another station that could have turned the fuel off and the fire would have suffocated itself.” Jordy said.
“So you’re a product of guilt?” Julia asked.
“No, I’m a product of losing a precious commodity called humans.” Jordy said with an edge on his voice. With less of an edge, Jordy continued, “Our ships were old and we were pushing them and the crews too far. One World was determined to keep peace in population areas so they could… glean people to man the ships and eventually be placed on the colony ships, but the price was very high and our human population was diminishing. We were becoming more dependent on machines, but they lacked the ability to innovate.” Jordy paused to let Julia catch up.
“Mr. Monroe wants machines to be sentient?” Julia half said half asked.
“Yes.” Jordy admitted.
“Then he succeeded.” Julia indicated Jordy.
“Actually, I’m considered a failure.” Jordy said as a statement of fact then he continued, “Which is why I happened to be the only one.”
“Failure?” Julia was surprised, “How are you a failure?”
“I do not possess creative thought, just millions of memories and more processing power than six mainframe computers.” Jordy said, “I can only mimic what I have seen or information that I have been exposed to.”
“I hate to break it to you, but we are not that much different.” Julia was trying to make light of the saturation.
“Have you ever had an inspired thought?” Jordy asked
“Well yeah, almost everyone has.” Julia admitted.
“I mean one that came out of left field and something you had no prior experience with and yet it was exactly what you needed?” Jordy clarified.
“Oh, I guess so.” Julia thought harder about it, “Yeah, that’s happened a time or two.”
“I have never…felt that.” Jordy said, again as if he was just stating fact. “Everything I do has some basis in fact, experience or physical theory.” Jordy paused, “And it’s only through Matherson’s memories that I have learned to mimic humans so well, but it’s only an act.”
Julia was not sure, but it almost sounded as if Jordy was feeling inferior to humans. What could Julia add, say or do to change the facts? Jordy was not human, nor was he entirely a machine. He was a juxtaposition between the two and yet neither. Julia wondered if that is why Jordy seemed to prefer to be alone; wandering the wilderness looking for something or someone that didn’t exist. Maybe, someone like himself.
Jordy answered her question, “I’m out here, so I don’t have to stare at the differences all day long.” Jordy pause, “Out here, there is only me. Usually.”
As you know this blog contains two books of the Remnant Series. Graham Heights is book 3 of the series. Below is more.
Book 4: Obsidian Arrows
Book 1 is now available in paperback or kindle The Grey Abyss
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R. A. Legg
R. A. Legg
R.A. Legg © 2016. All Rights Reserved.
