Jer Patch
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Chapter 58: Secrets never stay hidden
🕑 Added 2025-04-23 14:00:07 +0000 UTC“Not the finest of foods, but it will be tasty,” I said as I passed a plate to Lenna, who sat next to me in front of the fire.
She smiled as she took the wooden plate, discretely sniffing at the food.
Dinner was simple; roasted steaks and some potatoes that Benny had stored away. Not that many, since he wanted to get some into the ground to grow ASAP.
The fence was as complete as we could make it, since we’d all chipped in to help. We’d finished digging the holes faster than John could get poles in place, so then we all started attaching fencing from the other side of the camp near the water. It took us longer, since we didn’t have exosuits to help, but everyone's strength was much higher than a normal human.
By early evening, we only had 3 openings. One to the north, which was human-sized, along with the one to the east, and then one to the south that was much bigger. Bigger than anyone wanted, but we ran out of fencing, so it’d have to do.
“The shuttle is amazing,” said Lenna. “I wish we’d had one when we needed to go visit the shore to see my sister.”
John stuttered beside her. “Well, I’m heading north after Alex’s side trip. I could always take you with me to the drop ship.”
“I don’t think I’m ready to return to my people’s jungle just yet, but I appreciate the offer. As things are, you should be prepared to move quickly while there. I don’t know how friendly my people will be if they find you.”
Hammy and John were sure they could figure out how to make more fencing, but we needed metal for that. That meant that John needed to go back to the dropship, where the raw ore had been unloaded to fit all the crystals and prefab housing and fence inside.
“Fun here,” said Dengu, from behind Lenna. He’d returned from the north, talking about his new friend Grizzle. He rested, lying down, his stomach already full.
“You’re not going to sneak off this evening, are you?” asked Mary, taking a seat beside me.
“Nope, I plan on getting a full night of sleep.” I cut into my steak, using silverware this time. “I want to be well rested before we face whatever’s up north and hopefully the dungeon tomorrow.”
Eyes landed on me as I mentioned the last word. Everyone now knew who I was going in with, and mostly everyone approved.
“You know what we could use?” asked Doc, breaking the mood. “Some booze. I miss Greg.”
Jimmy patted him on the back. “You could always learn how to make your own.”
Hawk glared at Jimmy, but Doc’s mood improved.
“That’s a great idea! John, can you make me a still?”
John rolled his eyes, but then I noticed he tilted it to one side, thinking.
No one on the dungeon team had patrol duty tonight. In fact, we’d limited our guard rotation to 3 people, one at each opening. Plus, an extra crystal was placed in the center of each of the gaps. Hopefully we wouldn’t be bothered.
“Tomorrow, I want to get that area planted near the eastern opening,” said Benny, cutting his steak into tiny pieces. “Fruit trees and a vegetable patch. I’ll get to test that Bloomstone out.”
“Any fruit would be awesome,” said Cass, almost moaning. “I miss good food, and sweet things.”
Everyone quickly started talking about food from Earth. Lenna leaned closer to me with a grin.
“Your people really like food,” she whispered. “It isn’t just you.”
“On Earth, we needed to eat way more than anyone eats here. Think about how much I eat.”
Her head tilted to one side, trying to imagine it. “We like food, and our meals are longer events, but usually only once per day. In the morning we have a simple meal to wake up. For those that need to sleep, anyway.”
“Does that go away?”
“Yes, eventually. My parents still sleep, but the next rank up doesn’t need to. Though, I heard most nap every couple of days.”
I couldn’t imagine going without sleep, though in the dungeon it felt like I’d gone without a lot of sleep.
“Well, Jimmy and I cleaned up the cavern,” said Abby, handing off the last plate of steak and potatoes. “So everyone can set up in there for tonight. It won’t be a super soft surface, but we’ll be protected from rain.”
“Do we get rain here?” asked Hammy, glancing at Lenna. “It hasn’t rained for me.”
“It rained in the Sanctuary,” I said with a frown. “Sheets of rain, that made everything a mess, and so freaking muggy.”
“Once the season changes it will rain up north,” said Lenna. “Down here, I’ve only heard rumors. My people usually don’t like the wide spaces between the trees, but I’ve heard of thunderstorms with lightning.”
I loved thunderstorms, but lighting I wasn’t as thrilled with. Back on Earth, lightning could cause giant forest fires in the areas that didn’t get enough rain.
“All we're missing is music,” I said under my breath, before asking louder. “Dad, did you pack your music collection?”
“It’s in the shuttle,” said Benny with a grin. “I made sure all of our personal items were in my inventory crystal before we left the compound.”
“You packed my music collection?” My father’s eyes grew wide, looking at Benny.
“I might be able to make a player for the recordings with those air crystals,” added Sang. “I might need some help from John.”
“Uh, I have way too much on my plate,” said John. “But that’d be worth it. I miss music. Maybe I can kidnap Felix and his fiddle.”
Everyone chuckled at that.
“I need help!” Denver's voice echoed out of the cavern. “Healing, quick!”
Everyone froze as Sang and my dad launched themselves up. Plates flew as both of them raced to the cavern entrance.
I quickly followed, along with Hawk. I snagged my knife as I raced to the cavern entrance, prepared to defend the group if necessary.
Denver had guarded the dungeon doorway during dinner, swearing to not go inside yet, but the coppery scent of blood drifted out of the opening to the deeper tunnel.
He’d sworn not to go in!
My speed surpassed everyone, and I reached him first.
A person lay on the ground, and Denver’s hand pressed hard on a bloody wound.
Blond hair, blue eyes, and shaking. It was a woman.
I knew her.
Somehow, I knew her.
My father and Sang pushed past me as I struggled inside my head.
Sang pulled the healing crystal out of the bag she carried. The blue light filled the space as she pressed the woman’s hand on it.
The woman wore the same blue uniform as the rest of us, and torn white strips covered various areas. She clutched a staff in one hand, and a crystal hung around her neck. A fire crystal.
Why couldn’t I remember her name?
“Jennifer!” My father’s voice filled the cavern, he checked her eyes as she slowly focused on everyone surrounding her. “What are you doing here?”
That’s right, Jennifer. The woman’s name was Jennifer.
Things clicked into place from before the drop ships crashed.
She was my mother's best friend. They’d worked together in the lab with the rest of the scientists.
I almost stumbled, swaying, and I placed my hand on the stone wall to steady myself.
My mother had been on the colony ship, just not with us. Not after the divorce. Memories flickered through my mind of her and Dad fighting. Over her spending every hour possible in the lab, preparing for something, from even before the divorce. Of Dad carrying me crying out of the cold room, with her not even paying attention to me. Her eyes were glued to the computer screen as I screamed, being carried away.
“Jennifer, can you hear me?” he asked.
I snapped back to the present.
She nodded, her eyes darting around to everyone. They flickered to me in shock, then back to my dad.
“Alex?” Her eyes widened, then she flayed about panicking. “Hellion, there’s a beast, it's in the cavern! You have to get out before it comes back!”
“Shh…” he whispered to her, lowering his voice. “We killed the beast, it’s okay. Take a deep breath with me.”
Jennifer took several breaths, looking less out of control.
“Jennifer, are there others in the dungeon?”
“No,” she shook her head, sitting up and touching her side. “We got separated when it attacked us after we left Sanctuary. I… I was the unlucky one that it chased.”
“Where are the other scientists?” My father’s question felt so loud, so heavy.
She shook her head. “I don’t know. Catherine and the others, they went a different way.”
Catherine, that was her name. My mother's name. She was out there somewhere.
I must have made a sound, since my father’s eyes snapped to me.
Someone looped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me away from the scene as he gave them a nod.
“Are you with me?” asked Abby, as she led me back down the tunnel toward the cavern.
“She’s alive? How is she alive?” I asked in a whisper.
“Abby, what’s going on?” asked Benny, at the tunnel entrance. A concerned look covered his face as he glanced beyond us.
My eyes snapped to him. He knew. He had to have known.
“Mother’s alive?” I accused him. If she’d been with the scientists, that meant I would have seen her on my trip with John. Benny had to be in on it as well, since he’d gone to visit the scientists more than once.
Benny’s face went white as he glanced at Abby, who shook her head.
“What? All the scientists are missing, their dropship was abandoned…”
“Jennifer came out of the dungeon,” I hissed as my chest tightened.. “She said the others got away.”
“Deep breaths, Alex…”
I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. Everyone knew. Everyone in the colony knew she was with the scientists, then, or at least everyone here. They’d kept it from me. How dare they keep this from me?
“There are things you don’t remember about mom. We just didn’t know how to explain them until you remembered on your own.” His eyes pleaded with me to understand. “What do you remember?”
Anger boiled inside of me, but I tried to focus on Benny’s words. I closed my eyes taking another deep breath. I knew they loved me, the people here, my dad, my brothers… but how dare they?
“I remember the divorce, her working all the time…”
“From before that,” he whispered. His voice was so low I almost missed it.
My eyes snapped open.
What did she do?
“I don’t…”
“Now’s not the time,” whispered Abby, her arm still around me.
Others gathered near the cavern opening, a few with weapons drawn, staring at us. One stood out. John’s face was completely white.
Footsteps came from the tunnel, and I turned.
Denver and my dad helped Jennifer into the opening. She still looked like shit, but at least blood wasn’t dripping from the wound across her side.
Sang trailed behind them, the healing crystal dark.
My father's eyes searched me out as they helped Jennifer to the campfire.
“We’ll get you fed, and then you can sleep,” said Denver, trying to comfort the injured woman.
Jennifer didn’t respond, but nodded, her gaze going from one person to the next in shock.
“You all left the colony…” Then they landed on me. “But you died in the crash.”
What?
I turned to face my father as they walked past, but he didn’t say anything to me.
Denver jumped in. “We’ll fill you in… A lot has happened.”
Understatement of the century. And they were damn well going to fill me in, too, and right damn now.
Comments
ivyiblack
heavy load
