Everwinter: The Forerunner Archives (23 page)

"And what makes the Fringes, um,
the Fringes
?" I ask, trying to say something that I haven't already. I shift on the plush couch on one side of the caboose, accidentally kicking Traylor as he sleeps at the other end.

"Knock it off," he grumbles, but his eyes never open.

Altair and Ursa are sitting on a similar seat across from me, a low stone table between us laden with a decent variety of meats, cheeses, and bread.

Dura had bribed the Engie men exceedingly well.

"The sun," Altair replies finally, staring out the window. "The sun touches the horizon at the Fringes. People live there because it’s halfway between Everwinter and Eversummer, and therefore won't be bothered by the problems of either."

"Why not?" I ask, feeling like I'm
getting a history lesson. I guess I am, in a way.

"Because the people of Eversummer are afraid to see a sky
without
the sun," Altair replies. "While the people of Everwinter are afraid of seeing one
with
it." Altair hesitates, as if deciding whether or not to say something more. "Mutants in Everwinter have very sensitive eyes," he finally explains. "They can only take a certain amount of sunlight without covering them."

I nod, recalling the mutant boys back at the Manse. Tien had
had brown eyes tinged with red. "That's why the boys had reddish eyes, isn't it?" I ask, directing the question more at Ursa. "They came from Everwinter, but were brought to a place where there was plenty of sunlight, so their eyes never got as sensitive."

Ursa smiles at me. "Very observant!" she answers. "I'll make a scientist of you yet!" Her expression becomes more serious. "Night vision was often a subject of study when I worked at the Manse, though I never engaged in it myself." She sighs, lost in remembrance. I'm impressed she's so forthcoming about her past.
 

The caboose goes silent again and my eyes fall to the windows. The landscape hasn't changed; cliffs on one side, trees on
the other. We pass through a Bleakpatch, indicated by three sharp whistle blasts from the Engie. I nearly panic, but Altair waves me down, getting up and opening a panel on the wall. He flips a switch and a distinct hum can be heard all over the car.

"I sealed in our air," Altair explains, sitting back down. "Just don't let me forget to turn it back off
later. We could technically suffocate if we leave it on long enough."

"Yeah, technically," I say. "Sometimes I think that would be better."

Ursa gasps but Altair just rolls his eyes. "What's gotten into you?" he asks, doubt permeating his voice. "You've been all melancholy ever since we left the Manse." I shrug, not really knowing what to say. I'd grieved for Tien in the two weeks since his death and, while the hurt is still fresh, I'm pretty much over it. I mean, I liked the guy and all, but I barely knew him. 

I didn't love him.
 

I've never loved anybody
, I realize with a start.

My eyes meet Altair's. "I'm just in a bit of a funk is all," I finally reply, turning to gaze out the window once more. I can tell Altair wants to say something else, but he doesn't.

We travel in silence again a while longer, and then the Engie blasts its horn again, three times, indicating that the Bleakpatch has ended. Altair unseals the air in the room. Outside, the first signs of civilization appear: a few rundown, ramshackle buildings, sagging by the Engie tracks. 

A ghost town.

Even more depressing.

I'm about to turn away from the bleak view, when something out there catches my eye.

A shadow?

We're coming up on a large building
–the largest in this abandoned village–and I swear I see something moving up on the roof. I keep my eyes peeled. The caboose is about to pass...

There!

A section of the collapsed roof juts out, creating a plank that actually hangs over the tracks a bit. Something now bounds along that plank, leaping off of it in a swan dive, headed directly for the roof of our–

"Oh hells!" I say.

"What?" Altair bounds to his feet.

THWUMP
!

We all look upward.

"Something just leaped from that building," I say, pointing back.

"Not again," Ursa mumbles, clearly recalling our last little adventure aboard an Engie.

Throwing stars appear in Altair's hands. "Stay here," he orders, dashing for the door. He slips onto the little patio at the back of the caboose. There's a window set in the door, and so Ursa and I can see everything. Altair reaches for the lip of the car's roof and slowly pulls himself up using just his arms, his muscle control incredible. He peeks his head over then lets himself drop back down. He meets our eyes and signals that we should stay put. Then he takes a running step, grabbing the lip of the roof again, swinging his legs up and over, landing on his feet on the roof.

We can't see him anymore.

We hear two distinct sets of footsteps above, followed by muffled shouting. We can't make out what's being said.

I move for the door.
 

"Don't, Juno!" Ursa begs.

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere," I say with a smirk. "I just want to be here to open it in case Altair needs it." Ursa nods, but looks nervous. More thumps ensue, followed by even louder shouts. 

I look at Ursa, eyes wide. "Did that sound like '
last human
' to you?" I ask. Ursa just nods. "Bloody hells and ashes!" I curse. "How did they find us now? I thought we were done being hunted by mutants!"

"I don't know," Ursa simply shrugs.

THWUMP!

Something hits the roof.
Hard
. 

"Altair must have got him," I say, trying to sound hopeful. "He must have
–"

Movement.

Ursa screams.

A humanoid shape falls into view outside one of the car's side windows, grasping at the lip of the roof for dear life.
 

It's Altair.

"NO!" I scream, but there's nothing either of us can do about it. Altair is as good as–

A hand appears from above, grasping Altair by the wrist.

The hand is huge, but looks human.

Altair is pulled upward, finding footing against the side of the car. There's a soft thump, followed by footsteps running toward the back of the caboose. A body suddenly swings down from the roof, crashing with a thud outside the door.
 

Again, it's Altair. "Open the bloody door!" he screams.

I do, just as Altair bolts to his feet and another form swings down from the roof, crashing into my protector and sending them both tumbling into the car.

The thing on top of Altair is massive.

At first, the size makes me mistake it for an Everwinter mutant. 

Had one of the boys from the Manse followed us?
 

But as the bulky mass rolls off of Altair, I catch glimpses of normal colored skin and hair
–tan and black, not powdery white. The creature literally seems to fold upward as it stands, its head brushing the eight foot ceiling. It's body appears to be all muscle, but as I look closer, I realize that that is not entirely the case. Yes, this mutant is certainly well built, but it looks bulkier because of massive growths all over its body.
Tumors
. Even its head is misshapen, beady dark eyes peering out from caves created by twisted tissue.

"Apologizings I am!" the massive thing suddenly croaks in a surprisingly normal tone of voice. It lends a hand to Altair, still recovering on the floor,
the wind knocked completely out of him.

Altair hesitates
but finally accepts a hand big enough to envelop his. "Thanks," he groans as he is pulled to his feet. He still has his trusty throwing stars, but his grip is relaxed, easy. He coughs. "Now, who are you and just what the hells do you want?" Altair's gaze falls on me.

The massive mutant finally seems to relax, his eyes also finding me. He stares, saying noth
ing for an uncomfortable moment. Then he smiles broadly. "It is being true!" the big brute stammers, lumbering over to me. He bends down and brushes rough fingers against my smooth face.

"Hey!" I protest. "Easy!"
 

Altair gets between us. "Back off!" he orders

The mutant shakes his head, seeming embarrassed. "You are being the last humans!" he exclaims, excited. "And I must find the last humans!"

I see Altair tense a bit at this proclamation, but I sense no malice from this cre
ature. "Well, you've found me," I say, smiling warmly.

"Found
us
," a new voice cuts in. I turn to see Traylor sitting awake on the sofa, yawning widely. 

"Us?" The mutant shakes his head in disbelief. He stomps over to Traylor. "Gods!" He exclaims. "More than a singles you are being!"

"Um, yeah," I reply, thinking I'd understood what he'd said. "This is Traylor, my brother. I'm Juno.
We
are the last humans."

"This is even more positive!" the lumbering beast pronounces. "With two pure humans, chances are twice for finding cure!"

"Cure?" Altair butts in, finally easing up on our intruder. "A cure for what?"

The mutant laughs, almost hysterically. "Why, for mutations, of course, silly man
s! Doctors Agoma and Ragyle sends me for searchings you! And I find you! Two of yous!"

Ursa, who had been frozen with fear up until now, suddenly thaws, practically pushing herself between myself and the mutant. "A cure, you say?" she asks, her eyes as bright as I've ever seen them. "Who did you say you worked for again?"

"Doctors Agoma and Ragyle," the mutant repeats. "They sends Glamis after last human. Need pure blood for cure. They have cure, but they have no pure blood to synthesize. I find though!"

"Yes, you did," Ursa agrees, seeming deep in thought.
 

"How did you find us?" Altair interrupts, getting all tense again. He turns toward me. "If this
thing
could find us..." He looks at me worriedly.

"My names is Glamis," the creature pipes up, sounding offended. "And I
’se is not stupids, despite outward appearances."

Altair looks abashed, his face going redder than it already is. He's still got a pretty virulent rash on his cheek and neck, but that's the worst of his mutations, as far as I can tell.
The man got off lucky during the Final Judgment. 

"Whole planet knows about you now, I thinks," Glamis replies, ignoring Altair's comment. "Rumors all over Venecici. Children of Mutanity looking for you. I follow their leads. I find you take ride on Engie in Venecici, but you no get
s off in Fringes. I go back, retracing steps. I talk to man who know about you at Engie Station. He say you got off for a while, but getting back ons. I can no afford to ride Engies more than once, so I find shortcut ahead and jump on. No big deals."

I laugh. I'm liking this Glamis more and more all the time. "You've literally been one step behind us since Venecici," I say, smiling up at the mutant. The mutant smiles back, clearly proud.

"Where are these Doctors you work for?" Ursa comes in, directing the conversation back on track.

"We heading there now!" Glamis informs us.
"Fringes. First city. Takay. Not pretty city, but where Doctors keep lab. Away from prying eyes in Eversummer."

I turn to Ursa. "These
'Doctors' aren't friends of yours, are they?" I ask. It seems they are very much in the same line of business as Ursa.

Ursa shakes her head. "No, but that's not unusual. I am hardly the only scientist in Eversummer to have c
onducted experiments on mutants." Ursa turns back toward Glamis. "This cure... Is it fully tested? It works?"

Glamis nods. "Yes, it work. But need pure blood to finish."

"So, it's
not
fully tested then," Ursa accuses.

Glamis sags. "Well, yesses. Cure only tested with mutant bloods. Results promising though. Need pure bloods to finish. Theory of cure nearly infallible."

"But it's still just a theory," Ursa sighs. She turns back to me and Altair.

"What you thinking?" I ask.

Ursa shrugs. "If what, um,
Glamis
here says is true, and a cure has been successfully synthesized... What have we got to lose? This lab he came from is on our way to Everwinter anyway. If a working cure is already there, it'll save me months, possibly even years of work."

I gasp mentally. It hadn't occ
urred to me that Ursa’s cure for the mutations would take that much time to produce. I'd simply assumed that the woman would just take some blood samples, culture them up, then
POOF! 
Instant mutant cure.

Altair pulls Ursa aside, including me in a brief huddle. "What if this is a trap?" he asks, still suspicious of Glamis.