Remainers

True Bonds, Part 3

The three of them set off for their destination immediately. Kyle and Ella already had the destination logged into their systems, but for Caleb, who had no such abilities, they gave him a hand-drawn map local surveyors had previously made of the area. Caleb received a quick lesson in reading maps, and Kyle pointed out some of the nearby landmarks.

After a quick scan of the map, Caleb noted that their destination was about 50 miles from where they currently were. In a car, that sort of distance could have been covered in no time, but the remainers made it a rule to not use any of humanity's technology to get around. It was overuse of that technology that caused civilization's ruin in the first place, so there was an agreement that Computer would make sure the remainers avoid doing just that.

Because of that, a simple 50 mile trip became a trek that took multiple days to cover. Along the way, Caleb would have to take multiple rests to avoid exhaustion or heatstroke, as well as recover his energy by eating and drinking water. Thankfully, Caleb had spent the last few years training for this kind of survivalist life, so the first day showed him taking on the trek with little trouble, and the group was able to cover 20 miles of the journey easily.

The next two days were no different; Caleb diligently made the trek with no complaints while making sure to pay attention to his stamina and water levels. Kyle was particularly impressed. He was certain that Caleb would at least have a little trouble his first time around, but so far, Kyle hadn't needed to step in at all. His growth left Kyle with conflicted feelings; he was proud of Caleb's growth, but there was a hint of loneliness as well knowing that their separation would happen sooner rather than later.

The trio made it to their destination in the middle of the third day, with the sun still high up in the sky. Caleb thrust his hands up into the air victoriously once he caught sight of the designated zone marked on the map. "All right! We made it here in good time! Now we can get started right away!"

"Hold your horses," Kyle said as he grabbed on to Caleb's shoulder. "You should rest for today. You skipped lunch just so you could get here faster, didn't you?"

"But it'd be a waste if we spent the whole day resting!"

"There's no rush," Kyle sighed. "Computer isn't looking at how quickly you finish the job, but how well. Besides, look at this place. If you don't keep your stamina up, you'll have an accident."

Kyle wasn't exaggerating. They had already heard about how treacherous this former flatland had become, but the image did not do the place justice. Jagged rocks jutted fiercely out of the ground, and giant fissures in the ground left hazardous and unstable areas all throughout. Even a strong breeze would cause the new rock formations to crumble and shift slightly.

"Damn that blue egghead," Ella grumbled. "What's he doing sending Caleb to a place like this?"

"Well, his main job is to survey," Kyle mused. "It's not like he doesn't have experience maneuvering across this kind of terrain either. Besides, we're here to take care of the more dangerous parts of the job, right?"

Ella sighed, but she didn't complain any further. Instead, the three of them immediately started making camp, building a makeshift shelter in a place safe from wind and sand. Caleb spent his time checking the area for a water source while also procuring food for the night. He'd had the food he'd taken from the relay tower, of course, but he wanted to make sure he had an emergency supply just in case things went wrong.

By the time he was done with that, night had fallen. Caleb started a fire, cooked up the rabbit he had hunted, and went to bed early. He wanted to wake up as early as possible so he could get started on his first job already. He didn't care that the job was dangerous. He had been working towards this for five years now, and he couldn't stop his excitement from taking over.