SPACE OPERA TRIPLE

The Near Future

Chapter 1

Joel Carson put his finger to his lips and pointed down the hill. Tim Carson held the crossbow firmly in his twelve year old hands, as his father had taught him. For three years, he had practised daily on the straw-padded wooden targets at increasingly further distances. He was almost as good a shot as his father. Almost. But this would be his first actual kill. From this very spot on the hill, he had watched his father kill many times.

That morning had started like every other, with the long walk from the fort, crossing through the southern end of the forest, over the stream towards the River Scour, then another ten minutes steady walking, stopping well before reaching the river's bridge. All that time, Tim would be getting the words of wisdom instilled into him.

'Respect, Tim. Respect for the taking of life. If you do not have respect for what you kill, you cannot call yourself a hunter. Do you understand?'

'Yes, Dad. I know.'

As they neared their chosen place, father and son would make themselves as small as possible, using the gorse bushes for cover until they were down on their bellies, wriggling along. They wore similar jackets, camouflaged to blend in with the background. They stopped where the long tussock gave them the last of the cover, flat to the ground. All of this was as normal. What happened next was not normal. Joel Carson passed his crossbow and quiver of bolts to his son. Joel said nothing, but smiled proudly.

Tim pulled back the string and hooked it under the firing catch. From the quiver he took the nine inch bolt and carefully set the flight feathers so one sat in the channel along the stock. His hands were shaking slightly, not unnoticed by his father. Joel placed his hand on top of Tim's, and breathed in deeply, nodding as Tim did the same, regaining his composure.

Tim nodded that he was ready. From his canvas shoulder bag, Joel took the field glasses and looked down the hill. He liked what he saw. He could see them and he counted a dozen and pointed out where they were. Knowing the general direction of his prey, Tim held the stock of the bow with his left hand, his index finger on the trigger. There was a scope on the bow, and Tim adjusted the magnification to suit his younger eyes. He was ready. Taking his time, he took aim, then he fired the bow.

'Got it, Dad. I got it.'

'A clean kill. That's what I'm talking about. Respect. Come on.' Together they walked down the hill to where the dead creature lay a hundred and twenty strides away. 'He's your kill, Tim.'

Tim reached down and picked up the animal by the bolt. 'This one is so ugly. '

'Once upon a time, folks used to think they were cute. But that was in a time before the need to hunt them for food.' Joel pointed to the rabbit with the bolt clean through its chest. 'See this patch of fur along its back? The whole animal would be covered with it. But it would be all golden coloured, not this horrible grey colour.  And they sure as hell only had one head each. And this spare leg on the side, they wouldn't have that, either. Yeah. Ugly, but they have been tested to be virus free. Let's hope it tastes better than it looks.'

They stood up to return to the fort but couldn't stop themselves stare out to the city, so far away in the distance, only the morning sunlight reflecting off the windows of the taller buildings giving any clue to its existence.

'When will we know?' Tim asked.

'Maybe in a few days. Tim. Don't get building your hopes up.'

'I'm not. But I've waited for this all my life.'

Joel said, 'Me, too. Come on.'

They made their way back over the steam to the fort and walked through the small door inset into the huge wooden gates. The yard was busy with people doing a hundred different things in the name of survival. Two young men were cranking the hand-pump outside their home which drew the water up from the stream below. This ran into the irrigation channels that watered the crops at the rear of the buildings. They would pump away like that for another hour.

Two fine horses were being hitched to a cart. This would be led down to the forest so that wood for the many fires could be hauled back up. Everyone, young and old alike, had their jobs to do, so the community could survive for another day. Tim proudly held up the two headed rabbit to those they walked past, especially to the Browning sisters who were hanging up the washing to dry. Cherry whispered something to Mary, and both giggled.

Entering the last hut in the row, the hunters found Jenny Carson chopping up vegetables into a black cast iron pot. Tim put the rabbit on the table for her to see it.

'I killed it, Mom.'

Jenny poked the rabbit with the tip of her knife. 'Something this hideous would probably not complain about being put out of its misery.' She hacked the smaller spare head off with the knife, poked the tip of the blade into it and flicked it onto the fire where it hissed as the flames consumed it.

'Think we'll know soon, Mom?'

Joel said, 'He asked me the same thing.'

Jenny said nothing but skinned and gutted the rabbit then cut it into quarters, adding them to the pot of boiling water with the vegetables.

'Best not bother our heads with it until they get back.'

'Ok,' said Tim. 'I just gotta go see somebody.'

'One hour and you get back for dinner, ok?' said Jenny.

Joel said, 'Don't you be stopping Cherry doing her chores.'

'I won't.'

They watched Tim hurry outside.

'He has a serious crush on that girl,' said Jenny.

Joel wrapped his arms about his wife and he kissed her. 'I know just how he feels.'

Jenny pushed Joel away. 'Some of us are too busy for nonsense. Go get more firewood.'

Joel stole another kiss before going out for wood.

Chapter 2

Dr Norman Squires said, 'Two hours and we're out of here. And nobody goes wondering off on their own. I'm just reminding you. Accidents here can be fatal. Take great care of your bio-suit. Ok. Carl. Philip. Keep your weapons pointed at the ground and watch our backs. There's nothing been seen alive in the city for over forty years but we've seen the signs this time so don't get complacent. Animals have been around here recently, we just don't know what. We gather up the Petri dishes, make observations, then get the hell out of here. Let's go.'

Dr Squires slammed the rear door of the van shut. In the empty city streets the sound echoed off the high-rise buildings. To Squires it seemed like the city was warning him off, daring him to proceed at his own peril. Undaunted, he led his team of seven, all protected by the bio-suits, towards the first collection point. Two hundred yards on, they turned right and they stopped in their tracks. As expected as the sight before them was, the impact of it had not diminished.

Disc-shaped, it remained where it had crashed, one part of it wedged into the side of a five-floor apartment block, the rubble from the crash on top of the ship and all around it. The huge airlock was still flipped up open. Just inside the ship was the first dish, placed there four days previously. They approached the ship, still understandably nervous. Carl Tinder and Philip Malone stood either side of the ship's door, weapons still aimed at the tarmac. Squires reached inside to retrieve the dish, flinching backwards as a pigeon suddenly flapped its way out of the ship where it had made a new home. Another sign.

Malone reacted first, letting off two rounds. The second shot clipped the bird which fell to the concrete pavement, still fluttering, unable to take off. Philip went to it, picked it up and wrung its neck. Then he took it back to the others to see.

'Healthy,' Malone declared.

'Healthy for something dead,' said Tinder.

Squires took the bird in his gloved hand. 'No signs of mutation. That's a positive sign. A sample bag, Sandy.'

Sandra Miller, Squires' chief field assistant, pulled a specimen bag from her equipment satchel and opened it for Squires to drop the dead bird into it, then she sealed the satchel up and stowed the pigeon away. Squires picked up the Petri dish, attached the lid and sealed it in a bag and this was also stowed away.

'Move on,' said Squires. 'The mall next.'

The mall entrance was another two hundred yards along the street. Three more healthy looking pigeons had nested in a recess on the angled roof. Philip raised his gun to deal with them, but Squires stopped him shooting them.

'If the dishes prove to be clean, they can live. If not, we'll return to eradicate all of them. We'll give them the benefit of the doubt for now.'

Inside the Mall were two more dishes to be collected. Through the open doorway, litter trapped inside for decades pirouetted in a never ending dance on the incoming breeze. They paused at the dead dog. At least something that resembled a dog. The front end of the decomposing animal was more or less regulation mongrel. Then the belly was a mass of tumours, hanging in bunches. It had only had one back leg.

Not through some unfortunate accident, but from birth. More or less in a central position after the abdomen, was what could only be described as a paddle. No claws, just a wide flat stump. In the dog's mouth was a half-eaten rat with three of it's six legs and head poking out between the teeth. It was generally agreed that the dog had died from exertion of the chasing and catching the rat. It was common for mutated creatures, including humans, to have weak hearts.

'Carl. Are you ok?' Squires asked.

'No need to treat me any differently,' said Tinder.

'I wasn't. Sorry. I suppose I was. I was just...'

'No need.'

'This wasn't here last year,' said Squires. 'Came in from the forest.'

There was more evidence of animal activity as the team collected the other Petri dishes from around the city centre. Fresh droppings of various sizes. In one area, they heard the scurrying away of a creature and a glimpse of something like one of the big cats. They looked all around them, feeling vulnerable and exposed, even with the guns. They had no intention of staying there any longer than necessary. The only obvious good sign were the birds, healthy looking and thriving. It was time to return to the fort to analyse the findings.

Chapter 3

'Beats me why my dad took so long to trust me to shoot a rabbit,' Tim Carson was telling Cherry and Mary Browning. 'It must have been, what, a hundred and thirty, maybe a hundred and fifty yards. A tricky shot, but I just took my time, got the damn thing in my sights and let it have it. Never even knew what hit him.'

'It was a rabbit, Timmy. Not a raging lion,' said Cherry. 'Not exactly some dangerous beast.'

Tim hated it when Cherry called him Timmy. He knew she did it to wind him up and it worked every time. 'See. If it were a lion, that would have been easy. Much bigger. Hitting a rabbit from two hundred yards is much harder.'

Mary exchanged looks with Cherry and said, 'Two hundred yards was it now?'

'Give or take thirty yards,' said Tim. 'Maybe two ten. Anyway. No big deal. Dr Squires will be back soon. You think we'll be able to go live in the city?'

Cherry said, 'I heard there's still all sorts of nasty creatures living there. Dog's the size of ponies, with three heads.'

Tim said, 'Naw. All crap talk. But I'd take care of you. Both of you.'

'Ooh!' said Mary. 'I feel safer already.'

From the doorway of the Carson hut, they heard, 'Tim. If you want to eat, get in here now. And wash your hands.'

'Coming, Mom.'

Chapter 4

Dr Squires had the van parked outside the fort gates. The lookout had been watching for him and had arranged for a decontamination crew to spray the team with a disinfectant solution and then hosed off with water. The van was also cleaned off. Only then did the team remove their suits to hang them on the lines secured to nearby trees to dry off.

Wearing just their underwear now, that Carl Tinder was very different looking to the others was clearly evident. His skin was not like theirs. It was mottled, raised and lumpy, streaked with lines that gave him the appearance of a man in a lizard skin.

'No need to stare at me, Dr Squires.'

'You have.'

'I have what?'

'You've lost weight. I seem to be getting fatter by the day.'

Tinder laughed. 'Sorry. I thought...Yeah. Just more exercise. You could do with shedding a few pounds, come to think about it.'

'So Alison keeps telling me.' Squires watched the others go through the gates and held back. 'Carl. All these years you never entered the city. Today you insisted. Why?'

'Call it morbid curiosity. All this talk of us going back to the city. Hearing you say you think the virus has gone. I had to see for myself.'

'When I said that I thought the virus was gone, that was between you and I. I'm a man of science. I deal in facts only. Every year I've taken samples and the virus has been harder to trace. When you asked me about it, I believe I actually said I think this time we might not find any evidence of it at all. That's an opinion, not a scientific fact. When Alison...Dr Anderson has tested this years samples, we'll know for sure. My fault, Carl. I obviously didn't make myself understood.'

'I suppose I heard what I wanted to hear. I don't want anyone going through what I went through. What Lance has gone through. Being the local freak show.'

Squires said, 'Now that simply isn't true and you know it. You aren't treated differently to anybody else, you or Lance.'

'No? When we saw that dog for instance?'

'What? I was concerned about you because you haven't been in the city to see things like that before. I've seen a lot of it over the years. Nothing more than that. I would have been just as concerned over any other new team member going into the city and seeing something like that.'

'I'm no stranger to seeing mutations. I see one every time I look in a mirror or see my son.'

There came an awkward silence then Squires said, 'Carl. You and Lance are and always will be just one of us. Why don't you come with us and find out the results?'

'I'll pass.' Tinder started to walk away, then he stopped and turned. 'I'm sorry. It isn't easy, you know? I just needed to know what the city was like and that the virus has gone. I...I need to go see my son. Thanks for letting me come with you.'

Squires watched Tinder walk off, then entered the fort where he joined the others. Wasting no time and ignoring comments and questions from those inside hoping for news, Squires and Sandra Miller left the others and made their way around the perimeter of the fort, through the rows of huts, across the vegetable crops, towards the Big House.

The two hundred year old mansion was home to only two people, Lord and Lady Mallard. Before the event of fifty years ago, the Mallard Estate had been a well run operation, with farms of a hundred acres producing tons of food and employing scores of locals. Now it was the heart of the fort with a tall fence of pine poles all around the estate. Several of the original outbuildings and barns had been converted for other uses. One was the school and another building served several purposes. It was where records were kept. The laboratory was on the bottom floor of a barn conversion, where three suited technicians waited for the samples.

Dr Alison Anderson took the satchel with the samples from Miller, placed it in the zapper and pushed the button. It hummed and flashed for the required thirty seconds killing off any microbes on the surface of the plastic bag. Then Anderson opened the zapper door, removed the contents and placed them on the bottom of the zapper to sterilise the outside of the Petri dishes. Still with their lids on, each dish was placed in turn into the examination chamber which was vacuum sealed. Using the fixed rubber gloves to open the dishes, Anderson applied red dye to each dish before examining each one in turn with the microscope.

Finally, Anderson removed her helmet and smiled. 'Clear. All the dishes are clear.'

Anderson, her two colleagues, Squires and Miller, all cheered at the results.

'Fifty long years,' said Squires. 'Finally we can reclaim our city.'

'Let's not jump the gun,' said Anderson. 'We'll call a meeting. Let everyone have their say.'

'I'll organise it,' said Miller. 'I'll call in and see the mayor. Seven tonight?'

Squires nodded and said, 'The main conference hall. Just about squeeze most people in. Give adults priority. Children can wait outside.'

The conference room was originally the mansions ballroom, a hangover from more elegant times. Two hundred of the three hundred and seventy nine adults crammed into the room, eager to hear the truth, not their own gossip and speculation. More adults stayed outside with the youngsters and infants gathered around the blazing braziers. The buzz of anticipation filled the air with the promise of a new era. Inside the mansion, Lord and Lady Mallard sat to one side of the scientists, along with mayor Roy Sanders. It was Sanders who called for order and got it.

'We'll let the scientists have their say, then we'll open the floor to questions and debate. Dr Squires. If you would kick things off, please.'

Squires stood on the raised podium. 'Everyone hear me ok? Good. Right. For the last fifty years, we have taken an annual assessment of the virus and radiation situation in the city, both visual and the taking of test readings and samples. Over the last five years, we have been able to report small but significant incremental improvements. However, the samples taken always showed traces of the virus. This time, I'm pleased to report, as Dr Anderson will soon verify, all the samples came up negative.'

There came a huge cheer from the crowd.

Joel Carson asked, 'Does that mean we can move back into the city?'

'That's something we have to decide between us,' said Mayor Sanders. 'This isn't something we can take lightly. Sorry. Please continue, Dr Squires.'

'Thank you, Mayor Sanders. And the mayor is right. We need to debate this and vote on it.'

Tania Browning spoke up. 'What's to debate? The virus has run its course. Time to go back and make a proper life for my daughters.'

There were many calls of agreement, but Dr Anderson took the podium. 'We have to be certain. We need to be sure there is no possibility of the virus returning.'

'Can it do that?' a man asked.

'This is a virus of which we knew nothing like it on Earth before. It affects all mammals including humans. What Dr Squires and his team saw on the last trip certainly is encouraging, but I still think we need to conduct further tests and research in different parts of the city.'

A woman called out, 'We have waited over fifty years. If the tests show the virus has gone, why should we wait longer?'

Mayor Sanders stood up. 'I know we have waited fifty years. A little longer to be sure won't hurt us.'

'How long?' called a man.

From the back of room a man pushed his way to the front, a teenager by his side. Both wore hooded jerkins to cover up their faces. They stood and faced the crowd.

'How long?' said Carl Tinder, uncovering his head. 'How about long enough to make sure this never happens again.'

They all knew what Carl and his son Lance looked like. From African ancestors, their naturally dark brown skin had become more like that of a lizard, green, yellow, and lumps all over their bodies. They hadn't been the only ones born mutated by the virus. They were however, the only ones who had survived after being to adulthood. Lance at nineteen had been the last mutated human.

'Carl,' said Joel Carson. 'You know how much you and your son are respected here. But you are not contagious. Neither are we.'

Tinder said, 'But what's to say that some residual virus Dr Squires hasn't as yet discovered isn't capable of reinfecting some of us and our offspring are born with defects and deformities? I say we just let the scientists do more checks. As far as we know, we are the last of the human race. We have never been able to locate or contact any others. We have to be patient. What we have endured so far cannot be put at risk for the sake of waiting a little longer.'

Squires warned, 'We saw plenty of evidence this time round of various animals having moved into the city since the last readings one year ago. A few of the droppings we saw were fresh and from animals that were quite large. We need to assess that as being a potential threat to us. Also, let's not forget something else. The animals and the virus are only two considerations. When the ship crashed, we never found any trace of those that came here with that virus. Before anyone got to the ships, the aliens had vanished. With all these factors, moving back to the city might not be an easy undertaking.'

Mayor Sanders said, 'Thank you, Dr Squires. Ok. Go home. Talk it over with your loved ones. This time tomorrow, we'll vote on it. But remember. Regardless of how the vote goes, it still depends on any other findings Dr Squires' team can find out. This meeting is over. Go home.'

Chapter 5

'There's a little more of that rabbit stew if anyone wants it,' said Jenny Carson. 'If not, it will keep until tomorrow.'

'I'm good,' said Joel.

'No thanks, Mom. Dad. What do you think happened to the aliens?'

Joel sipped what passed for beer at the fort. It didn't taste nice enough to be drank in any quantity. 'Nobody knows. My father told me his version of events. For once, Earth was enjoying a rare war free time. We were just getting on with things.

Then the three ships landed. Slipped through any of Earth's radar like it wasn't there. We had no idea they were even there. They made no attempt to contact us. The first we knew of it was when they crashed in our city. You saw the old recording of those three in our city. Once the aliens opened up their ships, people very quickly became sick. Everywhere was in darkness with the power out. Those trying to help people in the smashed buildings were the first to be struck down, dropping like flies. People panicked of course, leaving the city on foot because none of the vehicles worked. They were spreading the virus as they went. Very few survived once infected. We assume it was the same all over the world as we have never been able to contact any others.'

'But the aliens, Dad. What about them?'

Joel contemplated another beer but decided against it and continued telling the story. 'Survivors here established this settlement. The fort. Of the things salvaged from the city at the time of the exodus, we had a few bio suits. The same ones used by our scientists today. A few people decided to go into the city and see how things were. This was forty-nine years ago, almost a year after the ships landed. All three ships were open and empty. No signs of the aliens anywhere.

We assume they were sick from the virus they brought here, but we never found a single body. We can only guess at what they looked like from the things inside the ships. Not unlike us, in most ways. About the same size as us. Very bright, judging from their technology. They had some kind of nuclear engines, which caused the cities to be contaminated with radiation after the ships crashed. The combinations of radiation and the virus caused the mutations.'

'Like the Tinder's.'

Jenny Carson said, 'Like that and much worse. My mother was a doctor and she told me what it was like. Some of those babies born from infected people...It was heartbreaking. Even if the parents seemed unaffected, the babies were hideously deformed. More than nine out of ten died; most because their parents couldn't love them. Others lived a short time, but most had defective organs and died young.'

'You know all this, Tim,' said Joel.

'Yeah. But I was too young to understand it like I can now.  If nobody knows what happened to the aliens, should we stay out of the city?'

Joel said, 'That's what we have to vote on tomorrow. We think it over tonight, then decide what we do tomorrow. Either way, Dr Squires will be taking his team in again in a few days time to have another look and gather more samples. In the meantime, we carry on as normal. Tomorrow we go fishing.'

Chapter 6

Fish had been affected in a good way during the last fifty years of not being hunted in the oceans, rivers and lakes. The rivers were cleaner than they had been in centuries, with little problem from the radiation. The water was good for drinking, watering the crops and it was a poor angler who couldn't bag a fish or two.

Both Joel and Tim worked the land between the mansion and the fort. Crops and chickens were a mainstay, fish, deer and wild pigs were often taken from the woods and rivers. Pigs had been mutated like many other mammals but that had seemed to reverse over the previous twenty years, and those canny animals instinctively stayed away from the city. Other animals had been turned around by careful breeding, such has horses, cattle and goats. Feral cats lived mostly in the forests, returning to their natural wild state. Nobody messed with the wild cats.

Dogs abandoned at the time the ships landed, faired much worse. Seeking humans to share their lives with, had ventured too near to the city, even scavenging from infected animals and suffering the consequences. A healthy population of dogs were kept communally inside the fort, fed scraps and left to come and go as they pleased.

It was an odd sense of normality which developed through familiarity. Being human meant they had the ability to adapt and to bend their environment to their will. They had a strong sense of community and equality, and nobody went without. Tim loved fishing. Not so much for the sport, but for having another activity to share with his father. There was also an element of competition as to which of them would catch the most fish.

One wide bend in the stream which flowed into the River Scour three miles downstream, ran deep and slow, and seemed to be a natural feeding hole for the fish. Healthy trout could be hooked with their home-made flies, and were fine eating, cooked in butter. If they had a good catch, there were always neighbours to share the bounty, and the infirm or elderly never went short.

On the bank of the stream, they could flick the line across the river to float across the hole, and every other cast would hook a fat trout. Anglers always carried a gun with which to scare off any of the carnivores like lions, but it was rare to see any that close to the fort during the daytime. Joel carried an old revolver in his jacket pocket, but would have been hard pushed to recall a time he had fired it.

'I guess we could stay at the fort,' said Tim, thinking allowed.

'It's an option. I think we should stick together. Either at the fort, or in the city. Safety in numbers. My fear is that we'll lose the sense of community spirit we have now if we spread ourselves out in the city and some stay here.'

Tim said, 'We could have television. I read all about that. All kinds of stuff on television.'

'Yeah. Plenty of crap from what my dad told me. You know something? Kids like you are growing up a lot healthier out of the city than they ever did in it. Kids were overweight with all the crap they'd eat. That and sitting around watching television or playing computer games. We have to live real lives out here. We eat right. Work hard. It isn't a bad life at all, really.'

Tim's rod tip dipped and he pulled in a fat one his dad scooped up in the net. 'Sounds to me like you made up your mind. You'll vote to stay in the fort.'

'That's only my opinion. You and your mom have to agree, or we go to the city. That's if the others vote to go there.'

'Me? I have a say in it?'

Joel figured they had enough fish and started putting the gear away. 'Of course you do. I'll not force us to either stay or go. I want my family to be happy, and if you two want to stay at the fort, or move out, I'll respect that.'

Tim felt very grown up hearing his father say that. 'I wouldn't mind trying the city. If it didn't work out, we could always come back here.'

'A comforting thought. Come on. Time for a feed then we'll go to the meeting.'

They carried the fishing gear along the path through the forest, smelling the wilderness around them; the smell of the earth with the layer of autumn leaves crunching beneath their feet. They shared the love of the outdoors, the forests and rivers. They were building a boat together, with the idea of sailing on the lake, three miles to the west. Another couple of weeks and it would be ready for her maiden voyage. Yes. Tim loved the life he had, and suspected like his father, he wouldn't be too disappointed if the vote went in favour of staying at the fort. That evening, they would find out how everyone would be thinking.

Chapter 7

Because the conference hall was too small to accommodate everyone comfortably and the weather was mild, the meeting was held outside on the mansion lawn. Mayor Sanders wasted no time in taking the vote.

'As per our laws, all those sixteen or older are allowed to vote. In favour of living in the city, raise a hand.' Sanders counted the hands in the air. 'At least two thirds of you are for the city. About what I expected. Dr Squires is organising another trip to the city with his team. If the findings are still good, we can take another more accurate vote and those wishing to stay at the fort may do so, and maintain the food production. But all of us will have to play a part in reclaiming the city. Any questions?'

'Allocation of homes,' said one man. 'How will that be determined?'

Sanders smiled and said, 'With a few hundred living in a city where many thousands used to live, I don't think there'll be a shortage of places to live. Probably a good idea to stay reasonably together to start with. One step at a time, hey? Let Dr Squires do what he has to do, then we'll look into the practical side of things. Anything else?'

'What about the infirm and elderly?' a woman asked.

'Same thing,' said Sanders. 'There is a case to move the infirm and elderly to the city, because the hospitals are still fully equipped. We have a few scavenged items here, but we have limited qualified people amongst us to use anything too sophisticated. In time perhaps with the better facilities the skills to use it will improve. More bridges to cross when we get to them.'

The rest of the evening continued in the same way, with Sanders replying with the wait and see response to most questions. Eventually, the meeting was wound up but at least it was clear that the majority were keen to try city living again.

Chapter 8

Joel worked on the crops, pulling out weeds; Tim taking care of the horses with Cherry and Mary Browning. They had six adults and three yearlings. With fuel for vehicles being scarce, the horses earned their keep by pulling cartloads around the fort, pulling the ploughs and hauling firewood out of the forests. The straw and dung from their stables made for rich compost and fertiliser and Tim was loading the buckets with it to add to the pile. He leaned on his shovel, admiring Cherry Browning as she groomed Dolly the mare. He wondered if she liked him as much as he liked her. He doubted it.

Without turning around, Cherry said, 'I can feel you staring at me, Timmy.'

'I wasn't. I...I was just standing here taking a break.'

Cherry said, 'Those buckets won't fill themselves.'

'I'll get it done. Will you be going to live in the city?'

Cherry stopped grooming, and said, 'Mom and Dad and Mary want to go. I'll miss the horses.'

Tim was surprised about Cherry not wanting to move to the city. This made him think about leaving her behind. But he was only twelve, a few months younger than Cherry and two years younger than Mary. If his parents decided to try the city, he would be outnumbered and have to go with them. Surely Cherry's parents wouldn't let their youngest daughter stay behind on her own? His parents were talking about the city, so maybe he would still be close to Cherry after all.

Tim said, 'I suppose it all depends on what Dr Squires says. We could still be years off living in the city.'

'Suits me,' said Cherry. 'My grandmother told me what a rat-race it was. Too many people. Traffic. Litter everywhere.'

Tim shrugged. 'There would only be a few hundred with us lot there.'

'Not for long. In the fort we have only doubled in population in fifty years. A lot of babies died in the beginning. All that radiation and the virus. People will go nuts with babies in the city.'

A little light went on inside Tim's head. 'We could be the last humans alive, you know. The preservation of mankind could depend on you and me.'

Cherry laughed. 'Fancy your chances, do you?'

Tim blushed and looked at his feet. 'I didn't mean just you and me. I meant all of us. You and me are like the future.'

'I don't know about you, Timmy Carson, but I for one aren't ready for having babies. The very idea...'

Tim said, 'I didn't mean right this minute.'

'Glad to hear it. Besides. Being a bit presumptuous, aren't you?'

'What's that mean?'

Cherry said, 'It means, you seem to be taking things for granted that I'd pick you to have babies with.'

'Why not? What's wrong with me?'

'Nothing wrong with you. For a kid. Maybe I'd be looking for a more experienced prospect.'

Tim got back to shovelling dung in the buckets, his emotions in a turmoil. 'I'm only a bit younger than you.'

'So what? We women mature faster than you boys. That's a scientific fact. I'd be needing somebody more mature. Nothing personal.'

Tim snorted. 'It's pretty damn personal you calling me a kid. Ok. If not me, who else would it be?'

Mary had been listening to everything as she groomed Maverick, in the next stall. 'Marty. That's the one she bores me to death about.'

Tim threw the shovel down. 'Marty Sanders? He's old. Gotta be at least twenty.'

'Nineteen,' said Cherry. 'Tall. Strong. And he's the son of the mayor.'

Tim said, 'And he has a girlfriend. Donna Miller. I heard they're getting married next year.'

Cherry put the grooming tack away and patted Dolly. 'I was just giving Marty as an example of the kind of man I would be interested in.'

'She's had a crush on him for ages,' said Mary, also putting her gear away.

'I have not,' snapped Cherry. 'He's cute in a way, I suppose. It doesn't matter. I'm in no hurry to be settled down. Come on, Mary. I'm hungry. And you need to get that dung cleared out, Timmy Carson.'

Tim watched the girls walk out of the stables, chattering away as if he were a child to be ignored.

'Damn Marty Sanders. Damn the lot of them.'

With that off his chest, he shovelled more dung.

Chapter 9

Carrying the crossbow and quiver of bolts, Tim didn't feel like he was a kid. When he walked through the forest and crossed the stream with his father, he felt like he was a man. Sort of. But he had a lot to learn about women. They did his head in.

'Dad. Can I ask you something?'

'Sure, son. Something on your mind?'

'Yeah. I was just wondering. You and Mom. When you first met.'

'Ah!'

There was a way to go to where the rabbits were easy picking. There was a convenient log, all dried out and off a once mighty oak. Joel sat on it and patted the place beside him and Tim sat there.

'I think I know where this might be going,' said Joel. 'But we had the birds and bees talk already.'

Tim fiddled with the quiver shoulder strap. 'Yeah. I understand all that. You know, babies and where they come from. But girls. So damn complicated.'

Joel laughed. 'You noticed. If you want to know if they get less complicated as they get older, think again. They're sort of wired differently to us. And that goes for your mother, too.'

'You and Mom seem to get along ok.'

'We love each other. That helps a lot. That doesn't mean I always understand her. When men and women were created, they left that part out of men's brains. The best thing to do is accept that and just do your best to treat your woman right.'

'Cherry said I'm just a kid.'

Joel ruffled Tim's hair. 'Yanking your chain, hey? Her mother will have been training her from a young age about the power women have over men. She knows that the world is going to be a very different one than when she was a girl.' He pointed down the hills to the city miles away. 'When we get down there, I think people will change. Not right away, but there'll be a scrambling for power. Some will want to be in charge. Some will want more things than others. Human nature.'

'Like Mayor Sanders?'

'Roy? He's a friend of mine. And he's done a good job for many years here. But you look at those around him. The clever people. When we get to the city, Roy will probably start off with good intentions and people will offer their support to him, if they get something out of it in return. Some people will get preferential treatment. Like I said. Human nature. Cherry's mother knows that, and will steer her daughter towards the powerful families. It has been that way for thousands of years.'

None of what his father said sounded very encouraging. 'I should forget about Cherry?'

'I think what you should do is catch us our dinner. Come on.'