Cataclysmic Evolution - 12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Barron took a deep breath and coughed. “Oh damn, you weren’t kidding about the smell! What is that?” Rotting plants? Animals?

“Funky, huh? You get used to it pretty quick, though.”

“Ugh. Don’t know if it’s really a matter of getting used to it or my ability to smell burning out from toxic fumes.”

Revi bumped his shoulder. “Poor Barron.”

“Damn straight.” He fumbled with the latches on his seat. He grit his teeth, but finally managed to get them undone. “Lead on, McDuff. Your dad was quite insistent I not be a burden down here.”

Revi made a noise in his throat. “You know you’re misquoting a hundreds-of-years-old guy who is still famous, right?”

Barron shrugged. “You think we’re not going to have to fight to keep me down here?”

“No. I do.” Revi sighed. “It’s my fault he doesn’t like you, unfortunately. Well, really it’s still your fault—but not all the way.”

Okay. Barron blinked. “That made no sense.” They sat, waiting for the people to shuffle past on the shuttle so Barron could get out safely. “Explain.” They had time. The shuttle carried four hundred people who were going to start building the habitats to house the new colony.

“You know you were an ass when we met, right?”

Barron’s face warmed. “Yeah. Sorry,” he muttered.

“It’s good. I had a talk with Thavin last week, and he explained about your dad. Guess yours wasn’t a very nice guy, either.”

“He wasn’t a bad dad, but he was very rigid.” Barron wasn’t mad that Thavin had told Revi about his dad’s expectations, though he hadn’t really realized Thavin had known how bad it was. Out of his friends, though, Thavin was probably his best friend and spent the most time at his house.

“Yeah. My dad would probably really like you, actually. You fit his ideal son benchmark more than I ever will—or want to—but I told him about the shit you used to say and do. He hates bullies. I know what you did wasn’t that bad, more juvenile teasing because you liked me—”

“Wait!” Barron interrupted. “You knew that?”

Revi snickered. “You stared at me, a lot. It wasn’t hard to figure out.”

Barron’s face felt like it was on fire. He shuffled his feet. “Damn, that’s embarrassing.”

“Yes, it should be, you dork. I thought you were a weird asshole for a long time, until Thavin and I talked.” Okay, Barron really had to thank Thavin. He smiled. “But I’m pretty capable of looking after myself. I’m smart, plus I run and swim. I can fit in to some groups. My cousin didn’t fit in anywhere.”

That didn’t sound good.

Revi’s voice got thick. “He had Gaoschevin syndrome. They couldn’t fix it genetically in utero, and when he was born it was too late. He had brain damage, plus some deformities to his face. The kicker was that my aunt and uncle put him in real school instead of letting him stay home or going to a special academy. My uncle was real old-school about being a man.” That sounded really familiar. Barron swallowed.

“Bullies tormented Castillo for years. It broke him. He was usually happy around me, and we had a lot of fun growing up, but he hated school days. One day his dad made him go when all he wanted to do was stay home.

“Turned out, they started swimming in gym that day. He couldn’t stay up in the water, so Cas had to wear floats. Some fucker took them away, and when Cas tried to get them back from him and his loser friends they shoved him around. Then one of them missed catching him, and he slammed his head into the side of the pool.”

“Oh God, did he die?”

Revi sighed. “No. He ended up a vegetable. Cas would’ve been better off dead, but my uncle couldn’t let him go—not after it was his fault Cas was in school that day. He died when the gamma ray hit.”

He stopped talking. Barron shook his head. “I don’t know how you can’t hate me.”

“I kinda did. But that was before I realized you were just an idiot who wanted my attention but hated wanting it.” Revi slid his hand down Barron’s arm and then intertwined their fingers.

“I didn’t hate wanting you. I was afraid,” Barron said quietly. “Not as afraid as your cousin, but my dad would’ve gone apeshit if he knew I even liked you, much less tried asking you out. I’m sorry I was a coward. I’m really sorry.” He sniffed.

“Hey, I didn’t tell you all that to make you feel guilty. You weren’t like those guys. You didn’t go out of your way to torment me physically—you just said a bunch of stupid shit. Besides, why do you think I let those girls go ahead of me on the bus that day? I wanted to see what you’d do.”

“I hated that you ignored me. And I did hurt you, remember?”

Revi squeezed his hands. “Yeah, but then you had to help me to the first aid station. I liked that.”

Barron lifted his head, staring toward Revi in shock. “What now?”

“Well, I’m much better at hiding things than you are, obviously, but I might’ve had a thing for you too. I like the brooding jerk type. What can I say?” He laughed.

“Thanks. Thanks a lot,” Barron said drily. “Is it clear yet?”

“Yeah, our area’s empty.”

Barron stood and felt his way down the row of chairs and into the aisle. “So your dad’s coming down on me hard because he thinks I’m an asshole. Why’d he pair us up, though, if he was that worried about me bullying you?”

“Well…” Revi muttered under his breath.

“What?”

“He saw me. I tripped ‘a blind cripple’. I didn’t really mean to. I’d planned to catch you and then make a smartass comment, but he came around the corridor right then, and I froze.”

Barron stopped dead in his tracks. “Oh, fuck no. You did not just call me a cripple.”

Revi sighed. “Those were his words, not mine. I knew you’d get stuck on that part of what I said. I know you’re not crippled. You’re just temporarily unable to stare at my handsome face.” His joke fell flat. Barron was angry, and he wasn’t hiding it behind any fake laugh.

“My dad thought Cas should’ve been in a special school—not to keep him safe, but to keep him out of the way. He respects a person who works hard and is useful. Cas couldn’t do much for very long, or he got headaches. He was quiet. You’re not him, but you’d been on medical leave. Dad considered you useless.”

Barron clenched his hands into fists. He winced when the motion pulled on the healing wound on his palm. “Then I hurt my hand sorting, proving him right.”

“No. He’s wrong, and we both know it. I’m sorry he’s been acting like a jerk.” Revi put his hands on Barron’s shoulders and squeezed them. “You can help out. I talked with Mikelos. He’s in charge of the building. Someone has to man the delivery system. You’ll have a communicator and when the loaders finish filling a cart with parts, they’ll signal you. You’ll send it down to the build site. Apparently something went wrong with the wiring and it can’t be done automatically.”

“Sounds fun.”

Barron was right. It was a real hoot. He sat in a small, freezing cold booth erected from hastily connected spare panels. Revi didn’t tell him, but once when he was bored, Barron felt over the walls. There were no windows, and the whole thing was maybe four foot square.

It was like an upright, metal coffin.

His job consisted taking a call on a handheld communicator, pushing a button and pulling a lever, and then making a call to the crew at the build site. Then he did it in reverse once they’d emptied the cart.

By the end of the first day, Barron was tired, his hands ached with the cold, and he was stiff from not being able to move around much.

The metal wall shook when Revi jerked the door open. Damn thing kept sticking. “Early dinner down here. Ready to eat?” Barron was starving too.

“I could eat a horse.”

“It’s the cold. Makes your body work harder to stay warm.”

Someone had fixed hot stew, and Barron went back for two bowls. He didn’t care how he looked when he ate it by picking up the bowl in his hands and drinking it down instead of using the spoon. He got more of it, he didn’t spill, and it warmed his hands through his gloves. He could practically feel the heat returning to his body.

He sighed when he finished his second helping. “I could eat more, but I’m not sure it’d fit.”

“Me too.” Revi burped and laughed. “We need to give up our seats, anyway.” Everyone was eating in shifts in the assembled mess hall. “Want to go for a walk? We can take a detour on the way back to the shuttle.” Lucky them, they got to sleep in their chairs.

“Yeah.” Moving would work out some of the kinks in Barron’s body from sitting so long.

The chilly wind slapped at them as soon as they stepped outside. Barron grunted, then pulled up the scarf he’d requisitioned. “Damn, I hope it gets warmer than this here.”

“It should. I overheard some of the scientist guys scurrying around say that it’s winter right now. Apparently there’s still some seasonal effect in the areas around the water.”

“Then why the hell didn’t we go where it was summer?” Barron growled.

“I wanted to know that too. There’s more vegetation and open water here, even though it’s colder, apparently.”

“Well, this is an alien planet. Maybe the plants need cold to grow, not warmth.”

Revi slid his hand into Barron’s. “Or light. The main sun’s going down right now, and the sky’s all yellowy gold, but I can already see the stars. The sun is so much farther away than Earth’s. It’s dim here.”

“So you’re trying to say I’m not missing all that much?”

Barron knew he was. They were on an alien planet, and he felt like there was so much he was missing because he couldn’t see. They were the first people to travel so far beyond Earth, and this was his new home.

Would he ever get to see what it looked like? He covered his maudlin moment by hip-checking Revi. “You can wax poetic over the sunset enough for both of us, Mr. You Quoted Shakespeare Wrong.”

“Oh, whatever.” Revi pushed him back, and it was on. Barron grunted and tried to block, but not being able to see made up for their size difference. Revi caught him by surprise as they goofed around a few times, but whenever he got close Barron managed to get hold of him to push him back.

Their laughter drowned out the sound of the waves hitting the rocks. “You’re not going to win,” Barron taunted. “I am the immovable object!” He tried to plant his feet, but a rock rolled under his heel. Just then, Revi darted in for another shove. Barron toppled over backward.

“Holy fuck nuts!” Barron landed on the ground with one arm all the way into the water. It soaked his sleeve and glove. “Shit. Cold. Cold, cold, cold.”

He scrambled to his feet, holding his arm out to his side.

“I’m sorry! Are you okay?”

“I’ll b-be fine,” Barron said through gritted teeth. The wind, which had died down, picked right then to gust. It felt like his entire arm was encased in a slab of ice. Every part of his arm ached.

“You need to get inside before your coat freezes.” Revi grabbed Barron’s dry hand. “We’ll run. Just make sure to plant your feet so you don’t roll a rock under you again.” They ran carefully to the shuttle. Barron hissed when they made it inside and started to get his jacket off. Some of the fabric had frozen to his arm.

“We need some help. I don’t want to tear your skin.”

“I d-d-don’t want to go to medical again,” Barron objected. “Your dad will use it against me. You kn-now he will.”

“Fine.” Revi heaved a sigh. “Just, grit your teeth. This might hurt.”

“What—”

Revi yanked his sleeve off his arm in one swift jerk. Barron clenched his jaw shut around the yelp trying to escape. He breathed hard through his nose. Revi grabbed Barron’s hand and squeezed it.

“Oh damn.”

“Now what?” Barron held his breath, trying to prepare for… whatever.

“Your hand is so damn cold. I’m trying to warm it up before I get this glove off,” Revi said. “I stuck it in my armpit.”

“Now my hand’s gonna reek. Th-thanks!”

“Hey, eau de Revi. Every guy should be so lucky.”

Barron shook his head. “Feels warm enough.”

“Let’s see.” Revi slid his fingers under the edge of the glove around his wrist. “I’m just going to peel it down inside out. Hold your fingers out.” Barron stiffened his fingers.

The glove slid over his palm. “Fuck.”

“What?”

“Your hand. The bandage is soaked. Does it hurt?”

“No. It’s cold but doesn’t hurt. Maybe the water made it numb. Just finish getting the glove off. Dr. Samuels gave me more material to bandage it. I have it in my pack.”

“Seriously? You need to have this looked at, Barron.” Revi finished getting the glove off. “Hold still. I’ll get the bandages so you can cover it. You don’t need to get dust in the wound.”

“I don’t need to go see the doctor. It’s even colder out there now and my jacket’s soaked. Is the wound bleeding?”

“A little.”

“Well, there you go. Blood will flush out any dirt and shit. It’ll be fine. I’m not going.”

Revi sighed. “Fine.”

They bandaged his hand and laid his coat across the top of his chair. “At least these recline, but it sucks we don’t have bunks.” He’d miss sleeping with Revi tucked in close to him.

“It could be worse. My dad used to make me go camping with him, just what we could pack in. We slept on the ground with a bed roll and our packs for pillows.”

Barron snorted. “No way would my dad have done that. Five-star all the way was his motto. He traveled executive class—round-the-clock room service and a full bar. Always.”

“You don’t seem that stuck up.” Revi handed Barron an extra blanket. He’d changed into dry clothes, but the shuttle’s temperature controls were set cooler than the ship, and Barron was still half-frozen. “I mean, you just do okay outside of a city.”

“William’s brother, Harvey, used to take us camping all the time. They lived near the edge of Doestrin Park. We’d hike into this big meadow about forty-five minutes from their house by this little creek. It even had fish. Nothing big enough to eat or anything, but they were fun to catch.” Barron smiled, remembering their last trip. They’d planned another one before everyone went off to college. They hadn’t needed Harvey to keep an eye on them for a few years, so they were able to sneak out some drinks and other party supplies.

“Maybe we can fish here. At least once the scientists figure out what everything is and all that.” Revi yawned. More and more people were returning to the shuttle from the late dinner shift. “I’m beat. The panels for the sides of the habitats are heavy, even if all we’re doing is guiding and holding them in place for sealing.”

“Go to sleep, then. I’m not going anywhere.”

Barron still hadn’t gone anywhere over a week later. Dr. Samuels had come down to the planet, along with everyone but the essential ship personnel and the families with young children. Barron missed talking to Marya, but he was glad when Thavin, William, and Creed were dropped on the planet to freeze along with him and Revi. By that point, they were staying in one section of the habitat already finished and sealed off.

Of course they were sleeping on the floor in blankets just like Revi predicted. Outside structures had to come before creature comforts. The daily work schedule was accompanied by all sorts of ‘work for a better life for all’ propaganda.

How much of a reminder did the head honchos think they needed that the fraction of humanity they saved were all necessary for survival?

It was mind-numbingly boring, but Barron kept his job. His hand was feeling better, but since he wouldn’t take time off from pushing a damn button to see the doctor, he couldn’t do anything else. They weren’t even allowed to walk down by the water anymore. The security guys had cordoned it off for everyone’s safety so no one fell in.

Barron and his friends put their heads together and figured there was something they weren’t being told. Creed overheard some guys talking about the life in the oceans being unique—something or other unlike anything the scientists had ever seen—and the possible ramifications could be dangerous. They’d clammed right up when the sealer in his hand banged against the panel he was securing until they passed him.

They’d stayed up late the night before, whispering in a huddle in the corner they’d claimed. Creed and William were insistent that there was something big that could come out of the water to chomp on human flesh, but Thavin pointed out the lack of prints of any kind or any sightings.

Revi backed him up. He hadn’t seen any when they walked along the waterline, and they’d been so close Barron actually fell in.

Barron had no freaking idea. He was consumed by other thoughts and had only paid half-attention to the conversation.

“What?” Revi rolled over in his arms and faced Barron. “You’re thinking so hard it woke me up.” They’d combined their sleeping rolls so they could sleep together again. There hadn’t been much touching below the waist. Working out in the cold from morning until dinner exhausted them both. If Barron wasn’t so distracted he’d probably be far more frustrated than he was.

“I can see you.” Barron reached up and ran his finger from Revi’s forehead to the tip of his nose. “Not perfect, everything looks wavy, but I can see you.”

Revi grinned. “Really? That’s great!”

“Is it? I’d be happy if it was just my eyes, but look at my hand.” A week before he’d still had an open gash on his palm from the thick chunk of metal that had actually stuck in his hand. Barron held his hand up so Revi could see it.

“It’s healed! Not even a mark.”

“Tell me, shouldn’t that wound have left a scar? Plus, I itch all over, all the time. It’s getting worse, Revi.” Barron swallowed. “What’s happening to me?”