Fic: Chase the Morning {21/37}
Book Two
Part One: Rebels’ Cause
Chapter One: Plans
Date: June 19, 7. A.I. [2007]
Location: Old City Sanctuary, Old City, B.C., Canada
They moved stealthily through the rubble of Old City, darting from cover to cover, the only noise the sounds of the occasional piece of debris shifting or the muted expelling of breath as they clambered over a particularly rough area of terrain. The object of their foray stood towering over them, looking remarkably intact given the amount of devastation around it. The occasional late-night avian flew overhead, though whether or not they were owls was an entirely different story. Things had changed ever since the Wraith had come; more and more Abnormals, especially those who were gifted with the power of flight, had appeared all over the world, though they tended to congregate in places where the Wraith had all but culled the former human population. Oddly enough, the Wraith didn’t seem to mind the Abnormals, but then again, most Abnormals stayed well clear of the Wraith in any case, preferring to make their homes underground in the sewers, tunnels, and catacombs of the once-thriving cities.
Will looked up at the Sanctuary, remembering how long it had been since he’d seen it. He, Tesla, and Henry had been on a mission in South America- in the south-east portion of Argentina, to be exact- when the Wraith had attacked. The Abnormal they’d been tracking had been captured when an errant Dart had scooped it up just after the three men had made it to the safety of a cave, and they’d stayed there for the next few days while the world went to hell around them. When they’d been able to get back to the Buenos Aires Sanctuary a few weeks later, it was to find total chaos. Abnormals had escaped from the Sanctuary and were wreaking even more havoc than the Wraith, or so it seemed. Will, Tesla, and Henry had been hard pressed to find anyone who knew what was going on, as well as anything that could be used to contact the other Sanctuaries around the world.
Eventually, though, Tesla and Henry had managed to get something jerry-rigged and set up. Moscow, Beijing, Tokyo, New York, New Delhi, and London were all gone; there was nothing but static when they’d tried to contact them. Some of the more minor Sanctuaries- Nairobi, Denver, and Mexico City, along with a few more- had escaped relatively unscathed, though there would need to be massive rebuilding all around. When they’d tried to contact the main Sanctuary in Old City, it had taken some time and multiple attempts before the Big Guy had picked up, looking battered and bruised. He’d reported that Magnus had been captured by the Wraith; what they wanted with her was a mystery, but Will had a feeling that her extended lifespan probably had something to do with it. He’d shared his theory that once the Wraith found out about Magnus’ Abnormality, it wouldn’t be a long time before the Wraith would be using her to feed on. How long she’d survive was an entirely different story, one that none of the men wanted to speculate on.
It had taken them the past seven years to get to Old City; travelling across two continents by foot and keeping off of the Wraith’s radar was hard going. Now that they were here, though, their goal was to get to the Sanctuary and see what they could salvage. The Big Guy was supposed to be waiting for them, safe and secure somewhere in the main lab of the Sanctuary- or at least, that’s what he’d said he’d be doing when they’d contacted him from the Mexico City Sanctuary a few months ago.
‘We’re almost there, gentlemen.’ Tesla said, giving his companions a wan smile. He had long ago abandoned his once-customary suit for some more practical clothing he’d picked up in Buenos Aires, knowing that it would be more useful to travel in. All of them wore a mishmash of clothing, keeping the spares in their packs, along with what medical supplies and ammunition for the weapons they’d been able to scavenge in their travels. They’d managed to survive by living off the land and occasionally going into some of the smaller cities that still had human populations and trading for supplies that they needed that they couldn’t get otherwise.
‘Good.’ Henry replied, navigating over a large block of concrete with rebar jutting out of it, grimacing slightly as he got stuck halfway over and had to extricate himself, ripping his shirt a bit in the process. ‘’Cause I really need a shower.’
‘Yeah, we all do.’ Will said with a wry smile. ‘Then again, that’s presuming there’s still running water.’
‘Well, there’s always the river.’ Tesla suggested. ‘We’ve done it before.’
‘I’d prefer to avoid that if at all possible.’ Henry muttered as they reached the main gate of the Sanctuary. Will noticed a security camera overhead whirr and track their movements. He pointed it out to the others, and then waved to the camera. It took a moment, but the gate soon opened inwards, moving ponderously as it did so. The three travelers entered the grounds, the gate swinging shut once they’d cleared its path. There were additional checkpoints they had to navigate; it seemed like the Big Guy hadn’t wanted the Wraith to get far, even if they’d been able to get past the EM shield. Something about the varying frequencies of the shield disrupted their culling beam technology, which had proved beneficial to the Sanctuaries that had survived the initial onslaught. Unfortunately, the ballistic weaponry on the Wraith cruisers had proved more than a match for the Sanctuaries’ defenses; not even the EM shields could hold off that sort of bombardment, no matter how enhanced they were. The Old City Sanctuary had survived simply because it wasn’t in a dense population center, like New York or London.
Once they reached the main labs, Will, Henry, and Tesla spread out, looking for the Big Guy. Tesla eventually found him waiting in what used to be Henry’s old lab and called the others over. Henry and Will were recipients of what felt like over-enthusiastic hugs, while Tesla was merely greeted by a nod and a short bark from the Big Guy.
‘It’s been too long.’ The Abnormal said, settling back in a nest of what looked to be every available linen that had once been stocked in the closets of the Sanctuary. ‘I’ve been watching for you ever since you called the first time.’
‘Yes, well, traversing two continents by foot isn’t done in one day, unfortunately.’ Tesla replied, taking a seat on a nearby chair. ‘We’ve been moving as fast as we could, but have so far managed to stay off the Wraith’s radar, which is no mean feat in itself.’
‘Have there been any other Abnormals here recently?’ Will asked.
‘One, a few months ago. He said he was going to try to get to Colorado.’
Henry blinked, frowning slightly. ‘Colorado. Why does that seem so important?’
Will wasn’t sure, but it was ringing faint bells in his head as well. Rumors about a safe haven there, perhaps? ‘I don’t know, Henry. I think I heard someone talking about it the last time we were in a camp, but I don’t remember what the context was.’
‘Sanctuary, ironically.’ Tesla said quietly. ‘Apparently, there’s some sort of safe haven there, but no one knows where. Colorado’s a pretty big place to start looking on a rumor, though, and one of the major routes the Wraith take to move prey’ he spat the word as if it were poisonous. ‘up into Canada and elsewhere. We had to take the long way around, remember?’
‘Oh, yes, because I remember going through the Dakotas ever so fondly.’ Henry snarked, making the Big Guy chuff in amusement.
‘Perhaps exploring this rumor of a safe place in Colorado wouldn’t be such a bad thing,’ he said. ‘If both Abnormals and humans are talking about it, then maybe there is some merit to the rumor.’
‘Maybe, but we wouldn’t even know where to start, let alone find someone who’d be willing to take us there. If it’s such a well-hidden place, then obviously the Wraith don’t know about it.’ Will pointed out. ‘Or they do, and it’s a trap to lure people in.’
‘Why would the Wraith need a trap? They’ve already got plenty of humans to work for them, not to mention to feed on.’ Tesla leaned back in his chair. ‘From what I gathered when we stopped in Montana, there’ve been less and less Wraith parties coming up from Colorado, and no one knows why. Maybe there is some credence to this idea of rebel fighters who snatch people from the jaws of death. God knows we could use some help, especially if we want to get rid of the Wraith once and for all.’
‘Does anyone besides me remember how well the whole rebellion thing went down in Germany? Not to put a damper on your plans or anything, but there’re probably at least four hive ships in orbit, not to mention who knows how many cruisers and whatnot as well. If we’re actually going to try and make this work, we’re going to need a hell of a lot more than a couple of people. We’re going to need an army at the very least, or maybe some sort of super-weapon, if one exists.’ Henry said. ‘I know that we’ve got the Sanctuaries on our side, but honestly, if there’s a chance we can actually pull something off, I don’t think it’s going to be with what we can scrape up from around here. I know you’re a genius and all,’ here he looked at Tesla, who shrugged. ‘but if no one else in the world has come up with something by now, I don’t think there’s going to be much chance that we’re going to be able to pull something off.’
There was silence after Henry’s small speech as each of the four males in the room digested what he had said. Will ran a hand over his face, trying to think. What could they use to at least tip the fight in their favor? Sure, they had their handguns, and ten-to-one Magnus had some of her more esoteric weapons stashed around the Sanctuary, but Henry was right. They lacked the numbers and the technological superiority to go face-to-face with the Wraith and win outright. He sighed, suddenly feeling very tired indeed. God. What they really, truly needed was a miracle, and Will had stopped believing in those when the Wraith had come and Earth had been unable to defend itself. Even the few large weapons the Tok’ra had been able to come up with hadn’t worked for long, which had been disappointing. The Wraith had adapted marvelously, reconfiguring their shields to adjust for the Tok’ra weapons and mowing down any who stood in their way, not even bothering to stop and feed on the fallen but not yet dead.
‘So, we’re basically screwed, then?’ he said finally, breaking the silence. ‘I mean, we can sit here until the end of the world-’
‘Too late.’ Tesla muttered.
‘Or, we can try and find out what’s going on in Colorado.’ Will caught the Big Guy’s look and shrugged. ‘Look, I’d rather not abandon the Sanctuary either, but we have to be reasonable here. What’s worth more to us, our lives or a building? Buildings can always be replaced, lives can’t.’
‘Yes, but going off somewhere on little more than a rumor?’ the Big Guy asked. ‘It doesn’t seem like such a good idea to me.’
‘We’ve gone places for less when the Sanctuary was still active,’ Henry said with a soft chuckle. ‘Remember that time in Malaysia when we were out hunting for that Kellseth that Magnus had heard was supposed to be there? Ten days of hunting, and all we got for it were bug bites and mud in places I never thought I’d get clean again.’
‘Yeah, and Ashley was complaining about how she’d gotten her coat entirely covered in mud. It never did lose that odd smell.’ Will laughed as the memories rushed back.
‘Not to be the mood killer and everything, but one or more of us should probably stay here and keep in contact with the other Sanctuaries.’ Tesla said, breaking into the conversation. ‘It wouldn’t hurt to be ready, not to mention that two would travel faster than three.’
‘No, you’re probably right.’ Will said, sighing.
‘I’ll stay,’ the Big Guy said. ‘It’ll attract less attention if I don’t travel with you.’
‘True,’ Henry replied, stretching gently. ‘Though I’ve gotta say, I’ve missed seeing your hairy mug around.’
‘Hunh. Same for you, Henry.’ The Big Guy said, gently cuffing Henry upside the back of the head. ‘This time, though, you should take the long-distance radios. That way, we can keep in touch and I can keep track of where you are.’
‘It won’t be much help if they’re a few thousand miles away, but it’s a good idea. I’ll stay as well,’ Tesla said. ‘I can help get this place back up and running, and maybe get some of our old contacts found once that’s done.
‘Anyways, back to the plan.’ Tesla continued on, getting to his feet. ‘Depending on when you want to start out, I suggest we go through our supplies, pack what you’ll need, and then get some sleep. It wouldn’t be a good idea if you started out right away, and who knows if you’re even going to find wherever this safe haven is. You should also have a plan and a time limit on how long you’re going to be looking for this place. I say if you don’t find it within four months, you should head back here.’
‘Why four months?’
‘It allows for travelling time and search time.’ Tesla said in response to Will’s question. ‘If you’d rather be gone for a longer period of time, now’s the time to say so.’
‘Let’s talk about this in the morning.’ Henry yawned, only belatedly covering his mouth with a hand. ‘I’m beat, and I don’t want to have to deal with any planning right now.’
‘Good idea.’ Will got to his feet as well. ‘We can bunk on some of the old beds in the main house, right?’ he directed his question to the Big Guy, who nodded.
‘They’re safe enough. Just don’t put any lights too close to the windows; the Wraith still do flybys occasionally.’
‘Got it. No lights near the windows. Anything else?’
The Big Guy shook his head. ‘Sleep well. I’ll be down here if you need me.’
Will, Henry, and Tesla all trooped upstairs, not wanting to bother with the elevator at the moment, and then went to their respective beds, choosing bedrooms that either didn’t have windows or that still had heavy draperies that could be drawn across the windows. Will shook out his blankets the best he could -apparently the Big Guy hadn’t absconded with all the linens, though it had seemed like it at first glance, turned off his light, and then took a seat in a chair near his window, not feeling tired enough to chance the creaky-looking bed.
It was good to be back home, even if for only a short while. Will looked out the window, picking out the familiar patterns of stars in the night sky. With the arrival of the Wraith, the glow of the city that had once nearly obscured the view of the sky save for from the rooftop of the Sanctuary was muted, leaving Will an unparalleled view of the constellations. He had to wonder if there were other civilizations out there that didn’t know the oppression of the Wraith, and if they even knew of Earth’s plight. He chuckled softly to himself. Wishful thinking never got him anywhere; if it had, everything would be right in the world: there’d be no Wraith, Magnus would still be here, and the Sanctuary would be alive and filled with the wonders of the unseen world.
Sighing softly, Will got up from his chair and curled up on the bed, wrapping his blanket around him. The feel of the mattress beneath him was so odd that it took him a while to adjust to its support, but once he did, he could feel himself relaxing. As he lay there in the dark, Will glanced out of the window one more time, the distant lights of the stars lulling him to sleep.