44
Aria smiled as she swabbed the canteen with some of her nanites and saliva. Alright little guys, it’s time to program you to spread, store energy, draw moisture from the atmosphere, and turn it into water.
She scratched the back of her head for a moment. Can I program you to keep the water cool, if not cold too? Because I hate drinking warm water. I also need to find a way to spread nanites without doing swabs.
Aria shrugged. There was only one way to find out. She dived into coding the nanites. This is really going to suck if Gunny tells me I can’t keep the canteen and use it in Southland. Maybe I should ask him before doing this. Nah, I need to make sure this works anyway.
She snapped her fingers after an idea came to her a short while later. I’ll make some general production nanites and have them spread on command so they can then build the others to store energy and whatever.
*
Aria yawned and looked at her fingers. My fingers are getting nice and prune like. She looked at the rest of her, that she could see as she relaxed in the tub. The rest of me is getting prune like as well.
She shrugged and smiled. Aria loved taking a long, relaxing bath. I need to see how long I can stay submerged under water and hold my breath. Gunny hasn’t had me do that yet. He’ll probably test me on this at some point anyway, but it could be fun.
Aria paused. Maybe I’m losing my mind because holding my breath wouldn’t have been my idea of fun before the crash.
She took a deep breath and submerged herself in the water. Aria then started to go over the nanites’ code to keep her mind off holding her breath.
*
Mother fucker! Aria cursed in her mind. She sat up and wiped the water from her eyes. How come I didn’t notice those kill commands in the nanites before? Okay, kill is not exactly true.
She idly noticed she had been submerged for 10 minutes. Me staying underwater for that long is neat but not important. What is important are those shutdown commands in the nanites’ code.
Aria got out of the tub, drained the water, and toweled off. I suppose some of my nanobots just went down the drain.
A quick check and she saw she had lost a couple hundred thousand of the little buggers and the rest were already building replacements. I should check to see if the water is recycled or if it’s dumped into the river and ocean. Because that makes me wonder what happens to my little bugs.
Aria dressed and brushed her hair. “I bet the company has those shutdown commands in the nanites’ coding so they can hold people’s health and all over their heads. It’s the ultimate subscription service.”
“And I need to stop talking to myself,” Aria muttered. She sat on her bed and picked up her guitar and started playing. I’ll take those commands out of my coding after I finish going through each line. Anything else that can harm me will have to go to. “And I thought the explosives were bad.”
*
“Hey Gunny,” Aria greeted Hauora the next morning with a smile.
“Morning,” Gunny replied. “You seem to be in a good mood. Did you talk to your folks last night?”
“No, I didn’t talk to them, but I got some stuff done and am in a good mood because of it,” Aria answered. I got rid of all those shutdown and harmful commands in my nanites and implant’s OS. There were actual kill and poison commands in the nanites! There were even commands to make people sick and to halt pregnancies. That one I left in just to be on the safe side after putting it under my control even if I haven’t done anything with anyone in a while. She sighed.
“Problems?”
“No. Just realized it’s been a long time since I’ve been on a date.”
“I’m afraid it’s going to be a lot longer unless you consider having dinner with someone in the mess hall and then going back to their room as a date,” Gunny said.
“I was afraid you were going to say something like that,” Aria replied. “Then again, unless I’m willing to go out with some guy that has an elf or fantasy fetish, I’m not sure who would date me right now.”
“I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised if you let it be known you’re looking to date,” Gunny countered. “You’re a stunning young woman even if you can’t quite see it yourself.”
“Maybe. Thanks Gunny,” Aria said. She hugged him.
“You’re welcome. And you’re still running extra laps today,” Hauora replied. “Also, talk to your parents and arrange a visit in the next couple of days.”
“Let me guess, we’re going into Southland next week.”
“Yep,” Gunny agreed. “Monday morning to be precise, so start running.”
“Yes sir,” Aria sarcastically said, while playfully saluting the sergeant.
“Get!” Gunny ordered as he playfully kicked at her backside. He missed because she dodged out of the way, but grinned. “After the eggheads get through with their testing and lunch, we’ll work on your trapping skill.”
“Alright,’ Aria said. She took off running.
45
So, that is Southland, Aria thought as the transport flew towards the wall separating Virginia from the restricted zone. The forests, hills, and creeks reminded her of the area around Charlottesville a little. The hills just weren’t as high. She turned to face the others. “Doesn’t look much different than Virginia.”
“Just wait until you get on the other side of the wall and see the wildlife,” Holder said.
“More creatures like the ferox?” Aria inquired.
“More of those and worse,” Bishop answered before Holder could.
“No spoilers you two,” Towns joked. He winked at Aria. “She needs to experience what the park offers without input from you two hucksters.”
“Guess it’s a good thing that I looked up prehistoric animals before my network access was revoked this morning,” Aria said. The others laughed. Guess SL3 is serious about no tech in Southland, but too bad for them I can turn my access back on if I want to.
“So, you think you have some idea of what awaits us?” Gunny asked.
“Saber cats, giant insects, giant sloths, cave bears, and the like,” Aria answered. She smiled. “Are there any dinosaurs?”
“Fuck. I hadn’t even considered that possibility,” Bishop said.
“Thankfully, no,” Gunny answered Aria’s question. “The eggheads haven’t been able to get the dino DNA they have to work with any birds or other reptiles like they did the other creatures yet.”
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
“So, they’re trying to recreate dinos?” Holder asked.
“I’m afraid so,” Hauora answered. “And thankfully they haven’t started enhancing the aerial creatures yet.”
“Oh, don’t be that way, Gunny. You know you want to see a bird as large as an aircar,” Aria joked.
“Only if it’s a turkey or duck,” Corporal Timmons said, entering the conversation for the first time. “That would be a lot of meat.”
“Don’t let Aria shoot it,” Bishop said. The corporal laughed though the others didn’t.
“Aria, how did you do that anyway?” Holder asked.
“Blow up the turkey?” Aria asked. Holder nodded. “I upped the kinetic energy the arrow and bow produced.”
“How?” Towns asked. “That’s impossible.”
“Magic,” Aria replied with a grin on her face and wiggling her fingers. Towns and Gunny laughed as did Holder.
“Bullshit,’ Timmons and Bishop said at the same time.
Aria laughed and pulled her guitar from her inventory. Timmons gawked while Bishop muttered something about her being a showoff. She put it away as she felt the transport stop. Guess we’re about to land.
“There’s a famous quote about any advanced technology being the same as magic to more primitive people,” Aria said.
“So, we’re the primitive people?” Towns asked, winking at her.
“Only if you mean humanity as a whole Sarge,” Aria laughed. “But I can’t tell you how I upped the kinetic energy of the arrow until my dad makes a deal with the company. That’s something I’m going to get paid for.”
The others laughed as the autopilot announced they were landing. Aria looked back out the window. Wow. It’s almost like a medieval fortress except it is made with modern materials and has guns and artillery on the top of it.
“It’s something, isn’t it?” Towns asked. Aria nodded.
“These fortresses have been built around every entrance into Southland,” Gunny added. “Drones and satellites monitor the walls 24/7 too.”
“What about the rest of the park? Is it monitored too?” Aria asked. “I know the company is letting people in or planning to.”
“Satellites every so many hours if I haven’t missed my guess,” Gunny answered. “Got to look out for the guests while giving them their privacy to be as wild as they want, so I wouldn’t doubt it it’s really 24/7 satellite coverage.”
“Makes sense,” Aria murmured. I’ll have to hack the network so I can hide from prying eyes when I want to disappear. The transport touched down.
“Alright people. Eat something, put on your armor, and check your gear,” Towns told the rest of the guard force. “Aria, you’re with Gunny.”
“No armor or camo for me?” Aria asked, gesturing to her jeans and T-shirt.
“We got something for you,” Gunny answered. “But first we’re going up on the wall.”
*
“It’s pretty,” Aria commented as she gazed out into Southland. The sky was clear and the landscape pristine. The ground was cleared from the wall to a good 500 feet, where the forest started. “Why is the ground cleared so far out?”
“The predators,” Gunny answered. “The clearing was about 100 feet when they first started releasing the inhabitants but some of the more aggressive ones liked to hide and attack the scientists and guards just as soon as they entered Southland.”
“So, it was deemed necessary to ensure a larger buffer,” Aria concluded. Gunny Hauora nodded his agreement. She saw a large shape exit the forest to the southeast. Her mouth opened in surprise. After getting over her shock, she asked, “Is that a mammoth?”
Gunny pulled out a pair of binoculars and looked. “Mastodon.”
“You know the difference” Aria asked. The large elephant relative started eating from some shrubs. A moment later three others exited the forest and started eating from the same shrubs. “It’s a herd!”
“Just the females and young like elephants. Males live alone for the most part,” Gunny said. She glanced at him in disbelief. He laughed. “I just looked it up. I have some emergency network access and files on the creatures we’re most likely to encounter on today’s trip.”
“Oh,” Aria replied. She turned her attention back to the mastodons.
They were a little smaller than elephants, about 8-10 feet tall at the shoulder with low-domed or flatter heads than mammoths and elephants. The mastodons had smaller ears than elephants and were covered with reddish-brown hair. They weren’t woolly like mammoths nor as sparsely haired as elephants. The tusks were larger and straighter than an elephant’s.
“They’re magnificent, “Gunny said. “This is only the second time I’ve seen a herd of them.”
“That they are,” Aria agreed. “I think I want one.”
Gunny barked a laugh. “Good luck with that. Come on. It’s time to get you suited up and we can’t stand here all day watching the mastodons.”
46
“I wasn’t sure what kind of armor you would like, so we have a few choices for you,” Gunny said as they entered the fort’s armory. Aria glanced around and saw all the weapons were the medieval sort, not modern. Gunny noticed. “All the modern stuff is in the back.”
“That doesn’t make a lot of sense.”
“It does when you think of this as a starting point for paying customers,” Hauora replied. “But since you already have weapons, we’re going straight to the armor.”
“Oh. Yeah, that does make sense,” Aria said as she followed him into another room. It was filled with medieval armor ranging from cloth to steel. “I guess the modern body armor is in the back as well.”
“Yep” Gunny said as he led her to a counter. The attendant greeted them and placed a few pieces of armor on the counter. “You did bring your ferox boots and cloak, right?”
“Yes,” Aria said. The attendant looked surprised and like he wanted to ask a question.
“All part of her training Perkins,” Gunny told the attendant. “So, it’s outside your need to know.”
That’s sort of impressive that Gunny knows the guy’s name, Aria mused.
“Right Gunny,” Perkins replied. “All of these were made using Miss Baird’s measurements.”
And that’s sort of creepy that my measurements have been shared even if it makes sense when looked at from a certain point of view, Aria thought. She held her tongue though.
“So, what do you have for us?” Gunny asked.
“You did just want some basic lightweight armor, correct?” the attendant asked.
“Yes,” Gunny answered.
“In that case, the first up is a gambeson,” Perkins answered while picking up a padded jacket. It was white in color. “The outer and inner layers are linen. There are two additional wool layers as well as the pads themselves, which are stuffed with linen and wool.”
“Doesn’t seem like much protection,” Aria commented doubtfully. It also reminds me of a quilt.
“Gambesons made from these materials have protected their wearers from swords, spears, and even arrows fired from a distance,” Perkins explained. “This one should save you from nearly everything you’ll encounter today.”
“What’s next?” Gunny asked as Aria nodded.
“A velvet brigandine,” Perkins said, holding up the armor in question. “As you can see it’s a vest of sorts. Attached between the velvet layers are small oblong steel plates.”
“So, this would be worn over the gambeson?” Aria asked.
“Yes,” Perkins answered. He picked up a different piece of armor. “This is a leather cuirass. This one is basically just a thick leather vest. You would wear it over the gambeson as well.”
“Does the leather weigh more?” Aria asked.
“Yes,” Gunny answered as Perkins nodded. “And I see chainmail too.”
“It’s another vest,” Perkins said as he picked up the chainmail vest. “It offers the most protection but is the heaviest and loudest if you’re worried about sneaking around. You’d also need to care for it more to make sure it doesn’t rust.”
I have a way around that, Aria thought. She nodded instead of replying as did Gunny.
“Next up are the chausses, which are leg armor,” Perkins said. He picked up a pair and unfolded them. “This pair is quilted and made from linen and wool like the gambeson. There is also a pair made of leather as well as chainmail.”
“They look like riding chaps,” Gunny said. Aria laughed.
“That’s not too far off actually,” the attendant said. “We also have a pair of gauntlets for Miss Baird though they’re just cow leather, like the rest of the armor, and not made from a ferox.”
“What about clothing? Aria can’t wear jeans and a t-shirt in there,” Gunny said.
“I could just wear the armor over my clothes,” Aria said. Gunny shook his head.
“This is stuff you’ll be wearing during all your visits to Southland and that includes the long test when you’ll be on your own and have to interact with the rest of the area’s inhabitants and guests, if there are any at that point,” Gunny countered.
Perkins reached under the counter and laid a small pile of clothes on the counter. “We have a hemp and cotton weave shirt and pants for her. We didn’t make any underwear since we figured she would be allowed to use her own.”
Aria walked over to the counter. “May I?”
“Feel free,” Gunny answered as Perkins nodded.
She started picking up and feeling the different armor. No to the chainmail. I don’t like the look and really don’t want to deal with the noise. I think it would irritate me too much. Plus, not much in the way of blunt protection.
“The chainmail is a no go for me,” Aria announced.
“Why?” Gunny asked. She told him about her thoughts on the armor. He grunted and nodded his understanding. “So that leaves you a choice of leather or quilted armor.”
“No Charmin jokes, Gunny?” Aria teased.
“No smartass,” Gunny replied even though he grinned at her. “Make your mind up before I make it up for you. We have places to be.”
“The weight isn’t that different,” Aria said after picking up the different armor. “Is there a difference in protection?”
“Quilted is better against blunt force trauma because of its padding,” Perkins answered. “Leather is more flexible and offers better protection against cuts and stabs.”
“Thanks for the info,” Aria said as she picked up the shirt and pants. The long-sleeved shirt was white, and the pants were black. They feel nice. “I’ll take the quilted gambeson along with the leather vest and pants.”
“Chausses,” Perkins corrected. Aria smiled and shrugged. He put the rest of the armor below the counter again, leaving the clothing and her choices of armor on the counter. He then pointed at a side door. “You can change in there.”
