Hacking the Sun - The Re-Remake

Chapter 18 "Listen, Cyberwhore!" 2/3

Under the evening rim, at long last, Jessica, her friends, and the Woodsmen arrived at their destination. They found a shabby, old ranger outpost surrounded by cedars and draped in leaves. Little more than a series of dilapidated beams and old towers. Closer inspection revealed a network of metal barricades and trench networks. 

Indescribably, a sensation of an invisible presence motioned toward the greater labyrinth of the forest.

Gideon strolled up to the ruin, Danielle still slumped over his shoulder. With the tip of his foot, he tapped around a leaf patch until the hollow drum of metal resonated. Scattering the leaves revealed a cellar door; he stood silently by as two woodsmen lifted the handles. A series of concrete steps disappeared into a hollow space.

"I'm noticing recurring abstract imagery here," said Shannon.

Gideon stared over his shoulder. "Are you noticing hospitality?" With the golden hour done, the leader of the Woodsmen led the way down. His men stood guard, waiting for their guests to step below.

Shannon paused. "It's as if the darkness just keeps landing in front of us, this ominous representation of personal fate: indomitable, impalpable, and we are impassive to it. Like Yin without Yang."

Silence.

Hand on her chin, Jessica placed Shannon into her contemplative crosshairs. Thinking about it, her girlfriend's sixth sense never steered them awry. For the most part, Shannon was a premonitory cookie.

"Hmmm..."

"Don't let vague signs tell you how to live your life, girl," said Valerie. "If you don't go with the flow, you get blown away, and we're being blown away."

"Hmmm..."

Jessica entered the cellar, then Dexter, then Valerie, then Raptor, and Shannon last. Their entry preceded candle auras in the pitch black. With a flicker, Gideon lit another, then another, and another. In no time, the furnishings of an antiquated lounge shaped before them.

Newfound visibility landed everyone on a hardwood floorboard furnished with tables. Some stools lined a bar countertop, behind which rested a marvelous rack decorated by shot glasses and bottles in every shape and size. Two adjacent sofas lay within reach—one of which comforted Danielle's splayed body as she slept. This half of the interior was reserved for leisure. The other half, the back, housed several crates, and gallons of water. Jessica found it exceedingly unremarkable until her eyes wandered to the scattered Christmas decorations. "How very Anglo," she remarked.

Gideon unfurled a map and pinned it to the center of the round table with a knife. He offered a chair to Raptor, and as the operative approached, he gestured for everyone else to sit on the available couch. He tossed Jessica's gravity board to her. "Skater girl!"

Jessica caught the board. "Ja?"

"You seem to be the brains. Have a seat."

"How formal and abnormal." She looked back, noted Woodsmen guarding the entrance, then casually accepted one of three seats. Scrunching between Raptor and the vacant seat, theirr knees nearly touched his. Meanwhile, Gideon strolled over to the bar and procured a bottle and three glasses, which made Jessica wince.

"Y'all can take a seat and park it," Gideon reiterated, staring at Jessica's friends. The three of them casually waited by the sofa, hesitant.

Awkwardly, Jessica's gaze meandered to the animal heads on display behind the counter. She then turned to her friends on the sofa. Anxious mugs, albeit Dexter had a twinkle in his eyes. A thud later, she found Gideon parked next to her. Lazily, he eyed the lot of them before starting.