Oasis- Containment Protocol-Part 24
Bedrock Coffee Co. Fiction. 2200 words, 11-minute read.
Across the sandy wastes.
The rest of the Containment Protocol saga can be found here: https://raytabler.substack.com/s/containment-protocol-serial
Part 1 (the beginning), ... Part 23 (last episode), Part 25
Oasis- Containment Protocol-Part 24
By Ray Tabler
The expedition trooped across the drawbridge and turned left, Zunta in the lead.
It was a somber trek this morning. The rude awakening via hungry velociraptors, and the discovery of a missing, no doubt treacherous, Bunzo cast a pall over the group. Each seemed wrapped in a fog of uncertainty. The hot, morning sun in their faces didn’t help.
Muñoz urged his swahldet forward until he rode next to Booker. “Truce?”
Booker sighed. He already regretted his accusatory tone, and suspicious words to Muñoz. “Truce.”
“I’ll blame it on a lack of coffee.” Muñoz smiled.
“Coffee. That would explain it.” Booker rode in silence for a minute. “How are you going to survive around here without coffee?”
“You know, I hadn’t considered that. It’s almost enough to change my mind, now that you point it out.”
“Almost?”
“Almost. I guess I’ll just have to sleep until noon every day in compensation.”
“Not a good trade, in my opinion.”
“No, it’s not. But I’m prepared to make sacrifices. Besides, there might be coffee growing in this universe. I just have to find it, harvest the beans, roast them, and brew it up. Only Starbucks in this world.”
“You’re going to start a Starbucks franchise?”
“No franchise! I’ll just steal the logo and everything. Good luck to their legal beagles trying to sue me.”
Booker laughed in spite of himself, and the events of the morning. “Looking for investors?”
“Nah. I’m going to keep the Bedrock Coffee Company privately held until I’m ready to sell out to some evil, private equity firm. Then, I’ll buy a private island, and live in luxury. Oh, wait a minute. They’re likely private islands free for the taking out in that sea, or big lake, behind us. Forget the whole thing. I’ll just go straight to a lazy retirement.”
Pinsky, a few paces behind them, didn’t understand all of what was said, but chuckled at Muñoz’s soliloquy.
Booker sobered as reality barged back into his thoughts like an unwelcome visitor. “What was that about the draw bridge being permanently ruined? These people aren’t stupid. They could probably figure out how to lift those counterweights back into place.”
“You’re right. They probably could. But they won’t.” Muñoz answered.
“I don’t understand. A safe place like that platform is a... strategic asset in this world. Why wouldn’t they work to restore it?”
“Oh, they realize the importance. That’s most of the reason Zunta’s so pissed at Bunzo. The witch doctor didn’t just try to kill us. He robbed the tribe of a needed refuge.”
“That doesn’t explain why it can’t be fixed.”
Muñoz pursed his lips. “Okay. A lot of this is speculation, because none of the locals are anxious to talk about this part of their culture. Use of the Holtha’s home was a compromise of sorts. It came with strings and restrictions. Can’t stay long. Can’t stray from that one platform. The Holtha became too clever, and displeased the gods.”
Booker stared at Muñoz. “And fixing the draw bridge might be seen as becoming too clever?”
“It’s a step down the clever road. How far down that road can the people of Bedrock go before they go too far?”
“So, you think Bunzo was religiously motivated?” Booker voiced a new question.
Muñoz shrugged. “Maybe. Or at least, he might’ve talked himself into that opinion.”
“Of course, religious justifications and self-serving reasons aren’t mutually exclusive. He could’ve started off not liking us, and rolled the will of the gods into the mix.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time something like that happened.”
“Yeah, like most of human history.”
“Prehistory too. Or so it seems.”
“Another question on the list for the gods, when we get to their place.” Booker frowned.
Vegetation on the plateau grew more and more sparse as they traveled awa from the water and the valley with the grove of giant trees. Pines disappeared, replaced with thorny clumps of bushes. The bushes became smaller, petering out to stubborn patches of grass clinging to sandy soil. Eventually, the grass was left behind and the ground became rocky and strewn with gravel.
The sun rose higher, and the day got hotter. Booker sipped sparingly from his canteen with grim discipline. The sound of gulping caused him to glance back at Pinsky.
“Go easy on that water, Pinsky. Not sure how far it is to the next fill up.”
“Yes sir.” Pinsky capped his canteen and stowed it away.
Farther back along the line of march, Coffman took a bite from a ration bar, and chewed laboriously. Lumfa rode not far away, eyeing the bar. Coffman noticed and broke off a piece of his snack to offer. Lumfa took the morsel and popped it into his mouth. After a bit of mastication, Lumfa spit it out on the ground. He nade a face and spoke before spurring his mount along.
“He said it tastes like shit.” Muñoz raised his voice.
“Well, he’s not wrong.” Coffman agreed, before biting off another mouthful and chewing dutifully.
“I don’t like the looks of that volcano.” Booker pointed at a smoking cone dead ahead. Distant lava flows trickled down its flanks. “Will we pass near it?”
Muñoz inquired. Zunta laughed, and replied.
“Uh, that’s the mountain of the gods, our destination.”
“The mountain of the gods is an active volcano?”
“Of course it is.” Pinsky muttered.
“That’s what the man said.” Muñoz shrugged.
“Good thing the witch doctor ran off.” Olmer quipped. “He probably would’ve tried to throw one of into the volcano as a sacrifice.”
“Don’t you need a virgin for that?” DeWiess asked.
“Yeah, none of us are virgins anymore after night before last.” Hudson chuckled.
The soldiers all laughed. Some tribesmen joined in, even though they didn’t get the joke. That was no reason not to share in the merriment.
“Can the chatter back there!” Booker barked. He pointed at Zunta. “Ask him if we need to worry about the lava and such.”
Muñoz engaged in a long conversation with Zunta, with Nohfa interjecting what sounded like snide comments as they all rode along.
“Hmm.” Muñoz said eventually. “Most of the mountain is uh, active I guess you’d call it. That is, hot vents spouting, lava flows, solidified lava fields still too hot or dangerous to walk on. But, the gods keep the part they live in stable and safe.”
“The gods can do that?” Booker was skeptical.
“Gods are gods.” Nohfa called back over her shoulder, as if that explained everything.
“That’s what he said.” Muñoz nodded to Zunta.
“Have they been here before?” Booker asked.
“They have. Every few years there’s a ceremony, and all of the elders, and a bunch of other people have to sacrifice to the gods.” He glanced back at DeWiess. “No virgins involved, just certain animals and rare flowers. Nohfa understood that comment about virgins, and thought it very poor taste, by the way.”
“Oh, sorry.” DeWiess looked properly chastised.
“Yeah, stop insulting the indigs, DeWiess.” Olmer rolled his eyes.
“Hmm” Nohfa tossed her head in feminine disapproval.
“Said I was sorry.” DeWiess muttered.
“There’s some kind of city. The city of the gods.” Muñoz continued. “It’s built into the mountain side.”
“A city, built into the mountain?” Booker arched an eyebrow.
“Well, the phrase they used is something like really big huts. So, I’m thinking it’s a city, or something like that.”
“So, they go into this city for the ceremony?”
“No. Only the witch doctor enters. He talks with the gods. While he’s in there, the rest of the tribesmen pile up the sacrificial offerings on a stone altar by the front door, and light them on fire. Then the witch doctor comes out and passes on to everybody what the gods told him.”
Booker rode in thought for a few paces. “Except, our witch doctor ran off, after he tried to feed us to dinos.”
“Yeah, we’re short a witch doctor.” Muñoz grinned. “I guess that means you get to do the job.”
“Be all you can be.” Booker joked.
“I’ll come along.” Muñoz offered. “Curious what these gods look like.”
“Better you than me.” Pinsky muttered.
“You’re coming too, Pinsky.” Booker said. “I need someone to run the camera.”
“Do gods show up on film?” Muñoz wondered.
“Guess we’ll find out.” Booker shrugged. “Besides, it’s not a film camera. There’s a memory stick.”
“Oh man!” Pinsky lamented.
“That’s what you get for being the A/V guy.” Olmer teased.
As the sun reached it peak, they came upon an oasis in the blasted, volcanic landscape. A fountain of water gushed from a rock face to collect in a pool about fifty yards wide. Some hardy plant clung to the gravelly soil at the water’s edge, silently defying the world’s determination to eliminate them. The Swahldets scented the water half a mile away, and galumphed forward to drink deep from the pool.
Booker slid to the earth and knelt down to dip a handful of clear water. ‘Smells like sulfur. It’s hot too.”
Nohfa shrugged. “Good water.” She waded int the pool, and submerged. She resurfaced a moment later, whipping water from her long, blonde hair with a whoop.
Most of the tribesmen followed suit, leaping in and splashing. Zoop sat atop his water-guzzling mount, keeping an eye on the surrounding lava field. Olmer cast a questioning look at Booker.
“Don’t get your gear wet.” Booker gave permission for his men to enter the pool.
The soldiers peeled off packs and boots, eager to get wet. The water was hot, almost as hot as the air. But the pool offered soe relief from the baking day. Eventually, the swahldets had drank their fill and waded into the water as well. It was a bit crowded, humans and domesticated dinos jostling for spots.
Booker satisfied himself with soaking his bare feet, pantlegs rolled up and sitting on the bank. His carbine lay next to him. Lumfa relieved Zoop from guard duty, allowing the man some aquatic abandon.
“Booker to Bedrock...Booker to Bedrock...” Static was the only reply.
Not really surprised, Booker tried a few more times. Then, he transmitted an update. Maybe Mulroney could hear him. He hoped that was the case. Bunzo was no doubt headed back to Bedrock, and who knows what kind of bullshit story the treacherous witch doctor was spreading. Mulroney needed the truth.
A few steps away, Muñoz washed and rebandaged Krilno’s head wound.
“How’s he doing?’ Booker nodded at Krilno.
Muñoz finished securing the gauze of the bandaged and gave some doctor’s orders to Krilno before releasing him from his care. “Told him not to get that bandage wet. I think he’s okay. Says he only sees one of me now, instead of two.”
“That’s progress, I suppose.”
“Krilno probably had a concussion this morning. Looks like he shook it off before noon. I think this place toughens these people up by the time they reach adulthood.”
“That or kills them.” Booker tossed a pebble into the water.
“Yeah.”
“And you really want to spend the rest of your life here?”
“Different strokes for different folks, lieutenant.”
Zunta and Nohfa splashed each other at the far end of the pool. She squealed in delight as her mate snatched her up bodily and dunked them both under.
“Plenty of room around here for more than just me, if you, or anybody else cares to join me.”
Booker turned his head slowly. “Exactly what are you suggesting?”
“Just pointing out options.”
“That would be desertion, since I’m still in the army. As are the rest of the men in the platoon.”
Muñoz held up his hands to forestall a lecture. “What happens if the gate don’t open, when you press the transmit button?”
“What? Why wouldn’t it? It opened for you.”
“Yeah, it did. Good thing too. That giant dino was hot on my tail.”
“So, what makes you think it won’t open next time?”
Muñoz sighed. “There are a lot of weird things going on. All this evidence of previous visits from Earth that didn’t have anything to do with the project. The gate wouldn’t close properly after I came through. Now, it looks like these gods might be a lot more real that we thought.” Muñoz re-packed the med kit. “My gut tells me that getting back home isn’t going to be as easy as we expect, detour to check out the gods or not.”
Booker pulled his feet from the water. “I have duties and responsibilities. I intend to carry them out.”
“I’m sure you’ll try to. But maybe you should have some contingency plans in place, just in case things go sideways. Because, if they do, your duties and responsibilities will be a world away.”
Zunta, wet and dripping, waded out of the water a few paces from them. He raised his deep voice and issued some commands.
Nohfa followed, brief, saturated clothing clinging to her slim, curvy form. “We move on.”
“You heard the lady, lieutenant.” Muñoz grinned with ill-concealed impudence. “We move on.”
The mountain of the gods, looming closer now, rumbled, smoked, and bled lava.
END.
Tune in next time for Part 25 – City of the Gods
The rest of the Containment Protocol saga can be found here: https://raytabler.substack.com/s/containment-protocol-serial
Part 1 (the beginning), ... Part 23 (last episode), Part 25
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Great setup and lots of irons in the fire. Time for the gods to create mischief or the shooting to start in the next episode.