Tape EE2

Date: June 7, 2526

For my safety – so they say – I have been moved to this bunker. In the past few days, the civilian demand to get off the planet has grown exponentially. Shuttles and rockets are being mass produced, along with missiles and nuclear weapons, and are being sold to the highest bidder. But what the people do not know is that these shuttles are faulty, below the standard. I know this because I helped work on them. I warned them that they were not ready and still –

(8 second pause)

According to my calculations, only one in ten shuttles has the capability to make it out of orbit. And only three out of twenty that make it out of orbit have a slight chance of reaching the moon.

The rest will simply malfunction and fall back to the Earth. And yet, that still isn't the worst. These weapons . . . there are some things that man was meant to achieve, and some of the universe's secrets . . . we were never meant to discover.

(4 second pause)

Statues and empires were all at our hands, but as man has done time and time again throughout history, we've ruined it.

(3 second pause)

I must sign off now.

Adam spent the following day digging a proper grave for the body, as he had always done. He knew that he couldn't simply use the trowel he carried, so he found a short rod and duct taped a piece of metal to it. The substitute shovel worked very well, and Adam was able to finish in a fraction of the time he had spent previously.

As a week passed by, Adam and Jack had barely tapped into the bunker's supplies. They were, however, well nourished. Adam had started a routine of pushups and sit-ups in the morning, in order to get back in shape (even though he was never actually in shape). As his physical health improved, so did his knife skills. He was able to stick the target eight out of ten times. It was once he became proficient that he realized his knives were unbalanced. The blade was slightly heavier than the hilt. This was an easy fix, as he simply wrapped it in leather and duct tape and all was well.

The pair began to venture out father and farther from their new home, continuing to find resources, as Adam knew theirs was plentiful but still limited. They found the odd canned goods and one or two beer bottles. Jack constantly grumbled about having to carry things, but Adam simply ignored him. His tolerance, however, was being whittled away at a prodigious rate.

I just don't see why the handsome one has to carry all the weight. I'm the looks and you're the manual labor.

"Yunno, I think I should start practicing my knife throwing on a moving target," Adam said, pretending to search the area, his brow furrowed. "Oh looky here, Jack why don't you run along and I'll see if I can stick you." Jack quickly shut up after that, cautiously eying the knives thrust in Adam's belt.

Adam walked as he usually did, eyes down scanning the ground for any useful item. Jack walked beside him, panting heavily as the stifling heat battered down on them. It was as if the sun's mission was to reach across the stars and beat down on the two weary travelers.

Adam glanced up, as he did occasionally, to see a large impediment only miles away. Even if it was nothing, it would still provide shade for them. And with that thought, Adam picked up the pace with Jack close in tow. As they grew closer, Adam could see a faint trace of . . . smoke? He could smell it more than see it he realized. He also noticed that it was different from the other rockets and wreckage he had seen out in the wasteland.

Finally, he stopped a few feet away, staring at the small craft. It didn't have the sharp lines of the other ruined rockets, it was sleek, with smooth curves. It was originally white, Adam guessed, but it had a thick layer of the red dirt covering it. A thruster – at least that's what Adam suspected it was – was faintly smoking and he could see wires still sparking where the thruster had been almost torn off cleanly. The cockpit glass lay on its top a few feet away from the wreckage. Adam peered inside the cockpit were more exposed wires sparked and a few buttons were still illuminated. The general shape of the shuttle reminded him of a tear drop, with a wide cockpit in front and narrowing down to the thrusters in the back.

But this was definitely fresh. The design was like nothing he had seen before, and yet it felt familiar. . .

Whoever crashed this could come back any minute. I suggest we book it. You have a history of getting us into deep shit with people.

"I agree. We have to get out of here."

And with that, the pair turned and high-tailed it back to the bunker. They finally reached the comforting walls as the sun began dip below the horizon, turning the usually red-orange sky into a deep maroon. Adam stopped and looked out into the expansive plain. He would have stared at the sunset forever, however, movement caught his eye. As he stared, he swore he could barely make out the shape of a man walking towards them. He blinked and rubbed his eyes and the mirage disappeared.

"I think I'm going insane," Adam muttered under his breath.

Your dog talks to you. You went insane a long time ago.

Tape EE3

Date: June 17, 2526

Today at 09:36, the first fleet of the shoddy, mass produced shuttles was launched.

(5 second pause)

Twenty-four shuttles were launched.

(6 second pause)

Three-hundred and eighty-five people on those rockets.

(12 second pause)

(Sigh) There were no survivors. The USF chalked it up to a one-time deal. They fed the public some crap about overcrowded shuttles.

(7 second pause)

They're launching three more fleets tomorrow. This is the beginning of the end, I fear. I flew too close to the sun, and they melted my wings.

(23 second pause)

Signing off

Adam slept sporadically, and he tossed and turned the entire night. He didn't like the idea of somebody so close to his home. Now that he had a home. And he didn't like the possibility that they weren't from Earth. Actually, it wasn't a possibility it was an almost certainty. That ship was like nothing he'd seen before, and yet he couldn't shake the thought that he'd seen it before. As the sun began to peer over the horizon, Adam finally gave into sleep's embrace.

A few hours passed, and Adam awoke to the feeling of Jack's slobbering tongue. Adam groggily pushed the dog aside and sat upright on the little cot.

About time you feed me, don't you think?

Adam eyed the dog's probably oversized belly. "Few hours without food wouldn't kill you, yunno." But despite his statement, he relented and fed the mutt. After dumping half a can of spam into the bowl, Adam began his morning routine of pushup and sit-ups. He then proceeded with his target practice, nailing the book taped to the wall every time he threw. By now he had moved his throwing distance as far as he could in the spacious bunker and he decided it was time to move his practice outside.

Adam peeled the thrashed book off of the wall and brought a roll of duct tape with him. He climbed the stairs, extra cautiously. He taped the book to the wall and made a mark in the ground almost thirty feet away. Beginning again, Adam drew his arm back and brought it forward, casting the knife at the target. He threw the second knife then went to retrieve them and started again.

This repetitive cycle became all Adam knew throughout the greater part of what was left of the morning. Jack stayed in the bunker and slept contentedly, sleeping through the few throws that clattered blatantly against the wall.

"That dog would sleep through an entire war."

Adam finally called it quits after a few hours and headed into the bunker. He gratefully flopped into the swivel chair and began sharpening his knives. He made sure to scrub off any dirt and kept the blades razor-sharp.

After resting for a little while, Adam decided it was time to venture back out into the wasteland. He donned his trench coat and pack. Wisely, Adam decided never to take off Jack's vest, as he would never be able to get it back on. Thrusting his knives into his belt, he roamed out into the barren lands. He decided to travel the opposite direction from where he had found the strange shuttle wreckage. At all costs, he wanted to avoid a confrontation, even if the pilot of the shuttle was friendly.

The pair trekked out over the flat, barren, red-stained land. The overhead sun beat down relentlessly, soon bathing them in sweat. Adam was tired of the reds and oranges that seemed to cover every aspect of the land. The red and orange dirt, the orange sun, the red sky . . . no that one was more of a mauve, just to change it up. It felt like he had spent an eternity roaming this planet. Walking a while then stopping to sleep for the night, then walking some more, wash, rinse, repeat. Adam laughed at his choice of phrase.

But they continued onward. They passed through the shuttle debris and trash, keeping an eye out for anything useful. Jack stopped and began sniffing a small piece of metal, barely protruding above the surface of the ground. The dog sat and waited for Adam to notice. After a few moments, Adam turned to see where the dumb mutt had run off to. He saw the black, brown and white dog sitting next to a crumbling thruster and strode over to him.

"What'd you find?" With any other person, the question would have been rhetorical, but Adam expected and answer from his canine counterpart.

I'm pretty sure it's a knife. I know how you like playing with that tiny little thing.

Adam eyed the dog, wondering if the innuendo was intentional. Knowing Jack, it probably was. "Says the dog who spends an hour a day cleaning his 'tiny little thing.'"

Adam began digging before Jack could respond, which admittedly, he didn't have one. Quickly, Adam scraped away all the dirt to reveal a small flip knife. He rubbed the dog on the head as he said, "Good find, boy."

Of course it was a good find. I found it.

"If you wake up with duct tape on your paws tomorrow, you'll know who to come find," Adam glanced up at the sun, which was close to dipping below the horizon. "We'd better get back home now." As hot as the barren wasteland was during the day, the freezing cold at night was even worse.

While they pair walked back, Adam produced a water bottle and bowl. He drank some as they walked and set the bowl full of water down for the dog. Jack drank quickly and they were on their way again quickly. Adam stowed the bowl and bottle of water away as they picked up the pace to get back home.

After a while travelling, their home came into view. Adam smiled once more as he realized they had a home. As he neared, however, he noticed a second set of footprints from the direction of the crashed shuttle. They certainly weren't his and Jack's from the previous day. He began to sprint into the bunker and down the stairs.

Adam was plunged into total darkness, as he always turned off the lights when he wasn't home. He quickly flipped the switch and the lights flickered on painfully. He saw a figure standing in the secret room, examining the incomplete thruster.

Without thinking, he reached for the hilt of his knife, drew it, flipped it so that he grabbed it by the tip, and hurled it at the unsuspecting target. If he was asked if he saw the figure's movement, he could never have said yes.

In a lightning fast movement, the figure turned and caught the weapon by the hilt, the blade a mere inch from her face.

___________________________

Thank you for reading, I hope the chapter was enjoyable. As always, votes and comments are much appreciated, if you enjoyed the chapter.

Question: Who do you think the mystery woman is? A cyborg? A human with advanced reflexes? Maybe she's not even human. Who knows? (I do)