colonelgibson (colonelgibson) wrote in thefield, @ 2009-05-28 22:34:00 |
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Entry tags: | aaron, kenneth, z - 1st tribe - day 21 |
Trudging along and chatting
Who: Kenneth and Aaron
Where: In the sweet grind fields
When: Noonish
What: Talk.
Kenneth was taking his turn pulling the cart again, his gun slung around his neck and over his shoulder on top of the makeshift straps for the cart so that he could pull it into play easily enough if the situation warranted. Even though it was harder to pull, he was glad that Flora had taken a chance to ride for a bit. He tried not to let on too much that he worried about her, but he couldn't help that pregnant women were a soft spot for him. At least they hadn't had any real young children around, or that soft spot would have been revealed a long time ago. As he pulled he considered the problem of Clay and Payne. More Payne he figured, Clay wasn't the smart one in that pair. If and when they found Helena, he was going to have a talk with her about that one.
Despite being deep in his own thoughts, Kenneth still had an awareness of the world around him. His eyes scanned the horizon for anything that might be a problem as well as the ground for holes that might damage the cart or mud that might bog it down. If one of the carts broke, they'd be screwed. When Aaron appeared beside him, Kenneth looked over and shook the rain from his eyes. At least it was better than the sunburns and heat stroke of yesterday, even if the rain did taste a little odd. "How you doing?"
Aaron shook his head mournfully. "Think I ripped all the meat off my hands yesterday pulling these things." His fingers were loosely curled to prevent any painful tension in his palms. "I think i can still take my turn pulling though. I'm going to use my belt as a chest strap." He patted the simple brown leather belt at the waist of his jeans. He'd considered the best way to contribute and really he had to admit, his size was likely it. The rain, while comfortably cool, hadn't brought spirits or energy too high up off the ground today. He wasn't feeling up to cheering people up and moving them on. More than anything, he just wanted this exhausting walk to be over. "Next time we stop I'll try to rig it up." He glanced at the older man, deciding that Kenneth was holding his own. He was in great shape for his age and he reminded Aaron a little bit of his dad, who was an ex-military man himself. "How about you?"
Kenneth would have objected that he was in great shape for a man of any age, but it was good enough. He nodded slightly, "Kinda reminds me of more than a few special ops I've been in," he grinned and tugged the cart over a small bump, leaning into the strips of blanket that were harnessing him to the cart. "You can use these," he offered, looking at Aaron again. "Think we're close enough to the same size, then you won't have to sacrifice the belt." Kenneth took a few more steps, "We haven't had much of a chance to talk, what is it you did back home?" If he had to guess, Aaron must at least have been some kind of outdoors man based on how he was dressed. Other than that though, Kenneth hadn't bothered trying to guess. Didn't make sense when he could just ask.
"I was researching the effects of climate change on ground cover south of the frost line in the Yukon." He flashed a quick grin at the older man. "I'm technically still a student but that fancy slip of paper was pretty much in sight. Could have almost been Dr. Ackles, not just Aaron." He dropped his sheepish grin down to the damp dirt in front of them. It was a defense mechanism. He'd never been able to hide feelings like helpless disappointment when there was eye contact involved. When he lifted his blue eyes up again, he'd put those feelings away for now. "So I've got this theory that someone is really messing with us now," the people he'd spoken to who had been there for much longer than Aaron himself had, all pointed out the man they'd called 'the colonel' as their leader. At least, while a woman named Helena was away. If he was going to test his theory on anyone, he thought it should be the man in charge. "Since that girl showed up this morning." Showed up here, and not back at that strange field in the woods, where everyone else had shown up. "What do you think?"
"Never know," Kenneth grunted softly, "Might still get back and get that Doctor tacked on there, although, speaking from experience it's not that huge. I use that and the next thing I know I'm hearing about bunions. Nah, I'll stick with military rank instead." Kenneth wiped the rain off his forehead as they walked along. When Aaron mentioned someone messing with them, Kenneth went quiet and thoughtful. If there was something he knew about it was how to fuck with an enemy. Some of it made sense, but not the rest. For one thing, if they really wanted to fuck with the earth, people back there would need to know what was going on. If this was about the Americans, why were there Canadians here? If someone wanted to just experiment, well, that would make sense. "Why don't you fill me in on the details of your theory?"
Aaron shrugged uncomfortably, his sunburned shoulders stretching painfully. "I think I proved nearly conclusively how the northern shipping lane has effected the ground cover below the frost line in Canada. I guess it effects Alaska as well. For the past four months I'd been coring trees in the Yukon," he gave a sardonic smile to the colonel. "Which some people in the environmental community have likened to reading tea leaves." He chuckled. "But if you know what you're looking at, you can see clearly marked trends in the weather written in the rings of a tree." He shook his head. "I guess all of my work isn't very applicable here." He tilted his face up, letting a pattering of rain speckle his face. "If this place really is untouched ecologically, then it really is something special."
Kenneth blinked for a moment as he listened. Really, Aaron could have been speaking Greek for all that he could follow along. What did shipping lanes have to do with ground cover? "You never know," Kenneth admitted, "I'm not sure anything here can be disregarded as inapplicable." He paused for a moment, then laughed softly, "For all that that was interesting, what I could follow at least since it's nothing I'm that familiar with. I was asking about your theory on someone messing with us. How do you tie that to the girl's arrival? Or what other evidence do you have that this is a grand scheme of some sort?"
Aaron's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Oh! Yeah, I'm sorry. I guess I haven't got much to support the theory at this time except that, to date, no one has mentioned meeting anyone who didn't arrive at the field where I woke up." He shrugged. "It's completely unsupported to make that assumption though. Since there are four directions to wander in, there's every possibility that other groups have formed and gone further east or south or north. Her arrival out here on the grasslands might not be anything notable at all." He paused to consider what he was saying. "I guess it's just a feeling." He was not typically the type of guy who followed hunches. Aaron liked facts and known variables.
Kenneth knew Aaron's type, those that were ruled by science. A bit like Bazzer he figured. It wasn't a bad thing, just a different way of thinking. Kenneth actually found that both ways had their strengths and weaknesses. "Well, we have found evidence of other groups, but nothing showing where they were from or where they had arrived. The group of us that found the Laugher lair reported that there were any number of belongings there from the people they'd dragged back." Kenneth twisted to avoid a rut in the ground, "Even if people arrive near groups though, I'm not entirely sure that means malevolent intent behind the appearances and if it does...well, if they have that much power, I'm not sure how to even begin to go after them."
It made sense to Kenneth that if it was someone or thing bringing them here, they should fight against it. Someone had to stop them from fucking people's lives over and he was more than happy to lead that charge even against the kind of odds it would be. He sighed softly, "Although if a scientist has a strong enough gut feeling to listen to it? I'm going to listen."
Aaron shook his head emphatically. "I'd trust your instincts over mine in these matters, believe me. I think I'm just unsettled after Delilah and I found all those stairs yesterday." He couldn't even think about it without goosebumps racing over his reddened skin. "Or maybe just unsettled, period. I'm still having a hard time banking on the reality of all of this." Even with the laughers and the stairs and nice woman who taught Russian part time. "Just a bunch of sets of stairs, all of them leading to nothing. No ruins other than that. Did you see them?" He cast a curious look at the colonel but he was pretty sure he hadn't wandered away from the group other than to relieve himself for this entire walk. Aaron appreciated that the marine took his job so seriously that even free of his accustomed infrastructure, country and realms of familiarity, he was adhering to his training. He supposed that was the point, and the reason all of that training existed.
Pausing, Kenneth looked over at Aaron, "Stairs? I hate to admit, but I have no idea what you're talking about." Of course, he'd been so busy trying to keep an eye on the group that he hadn't really taken the time to explore on either trip over here. Maybe he should make that more of a point, but when each day was coming down to how much food they had and protection, it was hard to put reconnaissance ahead of basic survival. Food, shelter and safety first, then Kenneth would start worrying about escape. Until this group, his people were safe, he couldn't look outside of that. Even if he didn't broadcast it to everyone, he still felt like he was responsible for them. Too many years in command wouldn't allow him to see things any other way. "What kind of stairs and where?"
Aaron gestured back over his shoulder. "Maybe ten to twelve kilometers back, about a half kilometer south of our trail." Squinting, he tried to recall any other landmarks but couldn't. "Delilah and I fell behind, investigating a stream and then took a wander a little bit further. We were hoping to find some of those salt hives," he explained, realizing that Ken probably wouldn't enjoy the fact that they had taken a walk without telling anyone. "We crossed the stream to the south side, walked a little bit more and there they were. These blue stone stairs. They stood out because," He gestured to a large whitish grey rockfall nearby to the north. All of the rock they'd seen out here had been that same white grey, very warm to the touch like it sucked in the sunlight. "The creepy thing about them, other than the fact that there were about a baker's dozen stone steps that lead to nowhere, was that the stone was cold. Like, almost frosty cold. Maybe even a little bit of condensation."
Aaron was right, the announcement that they'd left to go scouting without a word did earn him a soft frown of disapproval. "Exploring's all well and good, but next time, at least let someone know, right? You disappear and valuable resources would be spent looking for you, putting everyone here at risk." It wasn't said harshly, just with a sort of tired resignation over the fact that Kenneth was used to people thinking before acting. "However...cold stone? In this heat?" Kenneth stopped and slipped out of the cart's "harness". Taking out his knife, he took three steps away and cut the heads off the stalks of sweetgrind in a very specific pattern, at least to him. Kenneth reached into his pocket for a handful of small stones then bent and arranged them at the base of the stalks. "Ten to Twelve back and half south, across a stream?" He glanced up at Aaron for confirmation before standing again, apparently content with his markers.
Kenneth slipped the harness back on and started pulling again, he couldn't go back and check it out now, but a stone with the ability to stay cool? That would enable them to keep meat longer as well as help with other food storage issues. If the stones were movable. "How large were the stones? How many were there?"
Probably chastised, Aaron just nodded at the gentle reprimand. He didn't feel up to explaining that he had more experience in the wilderness than most people here. Especially after explaining that he was a scientist. Most people didn't connect the two. They thought researchers lived in labs, even environmental ones. That was ok. He knew he'd prove his ability in time. "Yeah, the place was really eerie. The steps looked solid. They certainly outlasted the buildings they were attached to." He'd paced out what he thought would have been the wall lines of the first building and there had been nothing. No collapsed walls or even any depressions in the earth. The ground had seemed incredibly level which now that he thought about it, seemed odd in and of itself. "They were large. The risers were really tall. Maybe a little over a foot tall, each. The stairs were obviously cut though, the stones fit together nearly perfectly with almost no wear."
It really wasn't about having experience, it was about communication and knowing where people were and it so far had been the bane of Kenneth's attempts to protect the people in their group. Like the four girls that had wandered off and gotten killed by that plant. Kenneth hated the feeling that all of his experience was for naught. Would he have been able to avoid such a trap? He didn't know, but he wasn't sure. This land was nothing like where he'd come from and by that he meant Earth since he'd tramped over a good portion of it. "Stairs with very tall risers, no other ruins? A race of tall people?" He was just guessing because really he had no clue. "Would you guess that two men could lift one of the stones and move it?"
Aaron shrugged at the speculation of who built it. Could have been a race of tall people. There had been such tribes in Europe at one time, and in Africa. Skeletons found to be seven feet tall, and female. He was no anthropologist but that fact had stuck in his mind ever since. "Taller than me, anyways." At six foot, three inches, that was an impressive height. "Not sure about lifting the stones. It'll depend on how solid they are. They didn't appear porous, more like as smooth as glass. Or maybe polished granite is closer. Marble." He shook his head. "I'd say we'd need one of the carts for sure. And maybe some sort of pry-bar." Ropes and pulleys would be best as well.
"Well, we haven't found anything to lead us to believe that there has been anyone here but indigenous animals and other humans. At least not yet, but we've barely begun to explore. It's possible that there are races from other planets being brought here." That was a whole new can of worms to worry about, but for the moment, Kenneth stowed it away for later thought. He nodded as he thought about how heavy such a stone could be. "Carts are easy enough. The climber vines float once dried out. We should be able to get them across the lake easily enough, but getting something that heavy across? That would be a challenge. It's not that deep, we might be able to rig ropes long enough to drag it along the bottom and pull it...or maybe find some way to make floats." His mind turned the challenge over in his head. "We might ask some of the others, but I think first we'd need to know if it will retain that property once it's been removed from the staircase."
Nodding along, Aaron felt a galaxy of possibilities and things to worry about swell inside of his mind. The idea of bumping into aliens. The idea that a man as cool headed as the colonel seemed to be believing they'd been secreted here by aliens, the conundrum of getting the stones across the lake and, last but not least, Delilah's warning of we don't belong here on the site of the stairs. If it was a trespass just to walk around them, how much would they be violating by dismantling the stones and taking them away with them. He felt the need to bring this up. "Before we make any big plans for the stones, I think maybe you should see them first," he said with a touch of wariness. Maybe his own gut reaction hadn't been as strong as Delilah's, but he certainly hadn't felt alright in the presence of the stairs.
Kenneth nodded, "Carrying through with the plans is contingent on seeing the stones, but it's not exactly efficient to get to the island, go back and look at the stones, go back to the island and get a plan to remove one and then go back to the stones. It's smarter to have everything planned for and with us so that if we can take them back, we do. I'd rather be prepared and scrap it, then have to make two trips." There was something about the way Aaron had said it though, like there was bad news or a nasty booby trap waiting that got Kenneth's attention. He slowed just a bit, "Is there something you think might be up with them?"
Aaron shook his head. "I couldn't say for sure." Especially since things like radiation couldn't been seen or tasted or even felt right away. "Another one of those feelings, I guess. The place is eerie and I wasn't the only one to notice." Delilah hadn't gone to pieces or anything but he could tell, even before her cryptic statement, that had noticed the ambiance of the place. "I do think another visit is warranted though." He nodded. If the stones really did stay radiantly cool, even in the baking heat of the grassland afternoons, it could mean a lot for their ability to preserve foods or medicines.
"Given you couldn't have spent much time or I would have noticed you gone, pretty sure there isn't much you could have noticed other than feelings and an eerie feeling." He smiled at Aaron and tugged the cart carefully over a bump, "However, knowing that, we'll be a bit more careful. If you'd like, you and I can be the two that go take a look. Maybe bring one other person in case the stones are as heavy as I fear, but if they do stay cold? I don't really think we can afford to pass that up. Too many ways that would be able to help us out. You know...if we roped a grazer to it, I bet they'd pull one of them slick as can be and if we can ride them? Hell, we'll get here and back in under a day and not have to worry about Laughers." He smacked himself on the forehead, "Or we could damn well harness the grazers and devise something like a pulley and have them pull the damn thing across the lake. I have to remember that resource..."
Aaron laughed at that. They'd seen these grazers that the colonel had mentioned that morning. A small family herd grazing happily together, wandering the prairie. They were definitely enormous animals. They had tiny little ankles but thick muscle in the back, chest and thigh. Their necks were long and graceful and he could entirely see how the comparison to both horses and giraffes were made. It was unsettling, as well, to see an animal that he knew didn't exist on earth. Hearing the laughers in the dark was one thing, seeing the pesks was another because one could imagine some corner of the world where they might hide. The grazers? No, there were no open grasslands or anywhere else on earth something so large would be overlooked. "That would probably work. They look strong."
"Doc says they're pretty easily tamed, no fear of humans, which is not really surprising. I mean they probably don't have any experience with humans, so not much to fear." Which would make their job easier..and harder. It would have been great if someone had come through before them and domesticated the grazers. "Maybe that's what's taken Sprite so long. Taming the wild critters to her will," he grinned, his face creasing at the corners of his eyes, which hurt from the sunburn of the previous day. Hard to believe he could still burn after years in the Middle East, but this place had proved him wrong. What did Baz call it? Wonderland.
"You think she might be grazer breaking?" Aaron didn't manage to keep every last ounce of uncertainty out of his voice. He hadn't met this fabled Helena yet. Plenty of people had speculated as to why she might have been delayed. Eaten by laughers was the leading theory, that maybe she and her bodyguard hadn't even made it to the island. Another whispered theory was that the bodyguard, supposedly a large and scary looking scarred man, had killed her and kept on going. There were hopes that they'd found actual civilization as well, or that maybe one of them got injured and the other was tending them.
He took a deep breath and shook his head. "My kingdom for a cellphone, huh? That's the worst part, isn't it? Not knowing what we're walking in to." Hell, Cross and Helena might have turned into fucking zombies for all they knew.
"I doubt it, but it's better than the alternatives. Helena's a smart woman and Cross is capable, but we just don't know this world well enough to know what all is out there." Kenneth was actually pretty used to walking into unknown situations. Sure, they did recon and surveillance prior to running into any situation, but that didn't always prepare you and anyone that relied solely on provided intel was just stupid or inexperienced. "I'm a bit worried about it, we're going to make the edge of the lake just after dusk at this point, which may mean crossing with laughers snapping at our heels. I hope not, but it's possible. We'll find what we find when we get there." That was Kenneth's major dilemma at that moment, should he go across first in case of trouble on the island, or stay behind to guard the rear of the group from the known danger? Hopefully their people would be there and Kenneth would be able to call out to them at least enough to know if it was okay to come across, otherwise it was going to be another very uncomfortable night, but at least they had the water at their backs.
Aaron merely nodded grimly at that thought - arriving with laughers on their heels. "How reliable is the information that they don't swim?" he asked. It was a valid concern. To the best of his knowledge, they were all banking their lives on a passing observation, not solid statistical fact. Or even a round of professional recon. He was learning to have an appreciation for gut instincts, though. It seemed to factor heavily in this kind of living. "I can certainly see the appeal of living someplace without that threat. Sort of makes things a lot easier."
"The grazers survive by going to that island, so the information is pretty reliable. I'd trust an animals instincts on that." Kenneth nodded, mostly to himself. It was going to be a lot easier to get things done for sure. "Maslow's hierarchy. No way we can really get on with attaining a standard of living when we have to live in fear every day and every night. A bit of security will help morale and hopefully help pull people together so they function as a community instead of random individuals." Kenneth was of the firm opinion that this was vital to the survival of all of them, the ability to form a community and pull together. Divided forces failed, it was a matter of history. "Get there, get some food sources set up, get someone working with the grazers so we can get some muscle and range wider for food, get shelter," he exhaled slowly, "Do those things and then we can worry about the rest like clothing for those without." He couldn't help glancing at Delilah or thinking of Rook.
Aaron blew out a breath as he considered what the colonel said. "What's that popular phrase right now? Live together, die alone?" One of his profs had used it a few years back in reference to a large group study they'd had to do. The entire debacle of a project had been so intense and epic that the rather cavalier statement had stuck in his head ever since. It made a certain sense here now though. He'd heard stories about people who hadn't made it. About one or two or three bodies found huddled in places that seemed inhospitable to life. "We certainly do have access to items that could help us set up a permanent home if this island turns out to be good for that. Just wish he had a few more refined tools. Axes and hammers. Nails would be nice, right?"
"Saws," Kenneth snorted in agreement then stopped to stretch out his back. "Tools in general would be good, but a saw, axe, nails." Sliding out of the makeshift harness, he reached up to the sky and felt his spine pop in several places. "I think it's about time I traded off. Need to go scout ahead and see if we're where I think we are." Pausing, he looked at Aaron, "Going to circulate amongst people and assign them jobs so we can get over safely with as much of our stuff as possible. I need two other people to take carts across. Are you a pretty decent swimmer? The cart itself will float with some light weight stuff on it . The clay pots I've already got some people that think they can get across with them."
Aaron nodded. "Yeah, I can swim. My folks live in 1000 Islands Gananoque in Ontario? Dunno if you've ever heard of it. Anyways, they have one of those islands all to themselves so there's water all over the place. I'm familiar with lake swimming." Lake swimming was very much different from pool swimming and most people didn't realize that. Most of the time you couldn't see the bottom, had no idea where the seaweed might be growing or what debris might be under the water. You could run in to alarming or dangerous things. He reached for the harness once Ken shrugged out of it, fully willing to step into his shoes. "As far as splitting logs go, I know a trick for that. I can demonstrate it once we get settled. Don't need an axe at all."
"If we're heading into winter...we'll definitely need that." He nodded and made a mental note. "Not to mention a source of wood..." Of course, they could always burn grazer dung in ovens. Making another mental note and wishing he had a damn notebook of some sort, he helped Aaron get the harness situated the nodded and patted the kid on the shoulder. "Take care, I need to make the rounds. Holler if you need anything." Kenneth headed off toward one of the other carts to check on Alex and see if he needed to switch off, but his mind was already on the night ahead.