Death's Twilight

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Slade's Bunker, Palmyra, Eastern UT, December 9, 2308, 10:47:34 (T-Minus 03:19:12:26)

  Slade woke with a start. It was pitch black where he was, except for the soft glow of his Tablet. It took him a moment to remember he was in the bunker. He groggily rose to his feet, and shuffled over to the table where his Tablet was. His movement activated the sensors that turned on the lights, and he squeezed his eyes tight against the harsh light. He stuck his hand out, and found the chair by the desk. Carefully lowering himself into it, he slowly began to open his eyes, alternating left then right in an effort to acclimatize his eyes to the new light.

  After a few minutes, Slade was fully awake, and he reached forward, grabbing his Tablet. His chronometer indicated that he had slept nearly thirteen hours, and it was mid-morning of the next day. So far, so good. He thought. The transcription program had finished, and the file had been saved to the Tablet's home screen. He grabbed the oranges and water from the day before, and ate. As he finished the last slice of orange, his stomach let out a loud rumble as if to say, "That was a good appetizer, what's the main course?" Lacking an MKIII here in the bunker, Slade would have to go topside and stock up on some non-perishable goods.

  Pushing his Tablet aside for the moment, he pulled the wireless keyboard toward him, and booted up his computer. One of the things that made this bunker ideal was that it was outfitted with copper wire transmission lines. In the ancient history of the nineteen fifties, citizens of the State of New York built bunkers like this one for protection from the A-bomb. Copper wire provided power to the bunker, but technology proved that internet signals could be transmitted through copper phone wires also. It was a lot slower than the traditional fiber optic cables in circulation these days, but copper wires did not run on the same network, allowing Slade to get information without having to log in through the iCorps firewalls, flying under the radar as it were.

  A beep from the terminal indicated its readiness. Slade logged in, and accessed the internet. He scanned the newswires quickly, and was pleased to find that there was no mention of him or of his exploits in Crimea. Next, Slade accessed his accounts at the bank. He was not shocked at all to see his accounts frozen. That was the sole reason he kept the bulk of his funds here in the bunker.

  Satisfied, he quickly accessed the roster of Radius II Alphas, pulling their pictures up onto the screen, and transferring them to his Tablet for later review. On impulse, he selected an Alpha by the name of Dwight Jones, pulling his picture to the forefront of the others, and making it full screen.

  Minutes later, he had finished, and he stood up, walking to the washroom to examine his handiwork. It was a perfect match, as always. He paused by the racks of supplies, grabbed some smaller bills from the stacks of Royals sorted by denomination, and headed out to buy some groceries.

  The sunlight was very bright in the midday sky, and Slade cursed himself for not remembering sunglasses on his way out of the bunker. He shielded his eyes as he unlocked Sarah, activating her for use. Deciding the sun was too bright, he ducked back into the bunker, grabbing his sunglasses. Belting himself into the driver's seat, he drove to the closest grocery store, nearly five kilometers away.

  Palmyra, formed over five hundred years ago, had grown from a small hamlet to a large city surrounded by lush farmland that provided all manner of fresh vegetables to the territory. This was an integral fact in Slade's choice of bunker, as it allowed him the option of having fresh vegetables should the stores run out. Having a city close by was equally a factor as it allowed him to get lost in the crowds when the heat and pressure became too intense.

  Sarah's voice cut in over Get Back:

  "Slade, I have a new message from Control. They are wondering why you haven't turned yourself in. 

  "Tell them I'm investigating something. I'll head back to The College when I'm done."

  "Acknowledged."

  He arrived at the grocer's, a local Safeway store. Walking in, he saw many people at the tills, paying for their goods. He walked up to an empty terminal, and punched in his order. The total came up, and Slade inserted bills, paying for the groceries, and receiving coin in return as change. A printer spit out his receipt, and he walked back to Sarah thinking: I haven't actually paid for groceries in over twenty years. Driving the hover to the loading area, he found his order was already boxed and ready to be loaded. He backed up to his assigned dock, showed his receipt, and waited for Sarah to be loaded before he tipped the young lady a ten. She smiled her thanks, and he drove off. He had one more stop to make before he headed back to the bunker.