By Patrick M. Fitzgerald
The rhythm of boots against the metal stairs rumbled through the complex louder than the sirens. Jake 257 covered his ears and ducked under the cafeteria table.
Demir 338 peeked down with a smirk. “That’s not the take-cover alarm.”
Lila 411 leaned next to him, pressing her headset to her ear. “Yeah, the emergency’s not nearby, anyway. It’s down at two…” Her eyes widened and glanced at Demir. “Two something. I can barely hear over that racket.”
Jake’s face grew hot. Everything in Nexus Corp. was still new to him, and he didn’t like being reminded of just how green he was. His squadmates staring down at him didn’t help the embarrassment.
He scooted back and sat across from them, sliding his tray forward. The aroma of the yogurt-fried hamburger, rich with paprika and coriander, was driving him insane. Cafeteria 338, by the gateway to Demir’s homeworld, always had the best food. The supremacy of the Ottoman Empire facilitated the spice trade across the globe, leading to some innovative cuisine.
“Blast!” Lila’s fork clattered to the ground. “They need our recon gear.” She shouldered her tactical pack and tossed Demir’s to him. “Let’s go. Jake, wait here.”
“I’m cleared for emergency response.” Jake stood with a remorseful glance at his untouched burger.
Lila shoved him back. “I know, but you need to get back to base.”
He stared at the burger. Isn’t now the time to prove myself? Not in the habit of wasting food, he wrapped his burger and stuffed it in the pack.
With his meal secured, he ran down the Central Spiral and caught up with his squad.
“We’re a team, aren’t we?” Jake said.
Lila gave a curt nod. “We are.”
Jake’s legs burned by the time they reached the response site. They’d run past dozens of identical floors. Even the numbers on the gates looked the same after a while. “They need to install an elevator.”
“Tech doesn’t work everywhere.” Lila tapped the headset. “We’re lucky we can use these things.”
The crowd of operatives filled several floors, along with flashing lights and hectic shouts.
Civilians wandered around with torn clothing, heavy burns, and confused stares. The medical and psych teams took them in clusters, escorting them upstairs to the recovery wards.
Jake grabbed Lila’s sleeve. “What happened?”
“They’re not sure.” Lila pulled away. “There shouldn’t be any hostiles. Just help get the civvies away from the site.”
Demir pushed through the crowd to the nearest unescorted civilian. He had to practically drag the young woman who kept looking behind. “They really did it,” she muttered. “Those maniacs…” Her voice cracked. “They blew it up.”
Jake and Lila moved in as the crowd dispersed. Most of the refugees didn’t need brute force, and moved along with a few words of encouragement.
When they reached the floor with the flashing lights, most of the people were already evacuated. Lila consulted with another team and started setting up her gear—air quality meter, Geiger counter, EMF detector.
Jake noticed a little girl huddled under a platform, tucked away by an access corridor.
He crouched to make eye contact. “Hey, are you okay?”
The girl sniffed. “I need to wait for Mommy.” She had the same burns as the others.
“I know, but she’d be up in the hospital. You need to go join her.”
“She didn’t come through.” She turned to the half-closed blast door.
Jake glanced at Lila. She was focused on the Geiger counter, which was ticking like crazy. He pulled out the burger and handed it to the girl. “You hungry?”
She nodded sheepishly.
“Best burger in the…” Don’t want to freak her out yet. “World.”
“Thanks, mister.” She grabbed it and started munching.
“I’ll see if your mom’s still in there.” Jake helped the girl to her feet and waved to a medic. As the lady carried her off, the girl waved at him with the burger.
Lila closed her eyes as she slipped off her headset. “That’s it. This world’s getting the orange tag.”
Jake stared at her. “But what if there are more refugees?”
“With that much radiation…” She bit her lip. “There won’t be.”
Demir slammed down the blast door, setting the maglocks. “Who’s got the spray paint?”
One of the operatives nodded and held out a can with an orange lid. “You want to do the honors?”
Demir scowled at the man as he grabbed the can. The X he sprayed across the door would eventually be covered with a more permanent warning. For now, it would suffice to keep out any unwary wanderers.
“Jake.” Lila put her hand on his back and slowly guided him away. “We need to get going. This area won’t be safe until they’ve had a chance to scrub it.”
I guess I understand their cynicism. Jake turned back to the door. It’s just one out of thousands of worlds. It took a moment to really notice the numbers emblazoned on it.
257.
“What?” Jake screamed as he pulled away.
Demir grabbed his shoulder. “Easy there.”
Lila sighed. “You’ll need time to process this. Just come with us for now.”
Jake swiveled back to them. “Process it? I’ve just lost my world! My life was in there! You don’t understand!”
Lila took his other shoulder as they walked back to the Central Spiral. “We don’t. But there are plenty of people here from Orange Worlds.” She pointed upward. “There are refugees from your own world, and they need someone who understands.”
Jake leaned against the stairwell’s railing. His stomach clenched, and he was glad he hadn’t eaten. Below, as above, the metal steps went on, presumably forever. It may just be one world among thousands. But that girl’s mommy was there. Mine was there.
There was nothing he could do for them. He turned back to Lila’s comforting smile. “They need me?”
“We all do.” She reached out to him. “We’re a team, aren’t we?”
Jake clasped her hand. “We are.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
This is a very good story. I enjoyed reading it. Keep the wonderful stories coming.
Thank you, I really appreciate it!
There will definitely be more for you to enjoy in the future! ^_^
Even though Jake 257 felt awkward as a new employee, he was able to prove himself while responding to the emergency. He worked with his team and showed compassion to the survivors and composure when he realized his world was destroyed, and he couldn’t rescue any one else.
An enjoyable story that has a timeless message.
Thank you for reading!
I’m very glad you appreciated it so much!
Nice bittersweet story! I like the theme that everyone is needed and has a role to play. Great story!
Thank you very much, Arlan!
Another powerful story, Patrick!
Thank you so much for reading, Sophia!
I’m glad you appreciated my work.
Keep an eye out for my next one. ;)