Crossroads Highschool Gym
3/8/00
The
casualty report had finally come in. Los Angeles alone had suffered over
a million deaths and just as many wounded. Of the few hundred thousand
that remained, there was little or no place to go. The only surviving buildings
were a hospital, a water distillation center, and several office buildings
that were built to withstand the strongest of quakes. Most of the buildings
still standing were doing so only barely.
The radio towers were the first things up and running and radio messages from newly repaired stations in San Francisco and Sacramento reported the same dreary thing: millions dead and the infrastructure destroyed.
The power grid had been somewhat repaired before most of the workers quit to gather their belongings and families to head eastward. Leaving most of the city in the dark. A few buildings had power and one of these was Crossroad’s gym.
Amazingly, there was a sincere, though pathetic relief effort still going. There were many setbacks, however. No refrigeration meant no milk, fresh meat, or refrigerated medicine, though they were trying to find an industrial refrigerator in the rubble. Also, the gym was becoming overcrowded and it was becoming increasingly difficult to feed the hundreds of people who had shown up.
It was already a nightmare to get in, Serena remembered, when she and the Scouts had shown up. Tired and hungry, they had been forced to register. Amy had been the one to do that, and it was no easier for her since she still had not found her mother and had only two days before learned Greg’s fate.
“May I help you?” the woman had asked.
“Yes, I’d like to register my friends and for shelter.” Amy replied, teary-eyed.
“How old are you?”
“Sixteen.”
“I’m sorry.” The woman shook her head, “You must have a parent with you, then.”
“I don’t have any parents.” Amy said, “My mother is missing and my dad lives in Miami.”
“Do you have any other relations?”
“No.”
“Well, I’m sorry then, there’s nothing I can do.” The two stared at each other a moment. The woman’s glare contrasted sharply with Amy’s pleading gaze. That was when Amy did something she hardly ever did: her temper broke.
“Look,” she snapped, “I’m tired, I’m hungry, and I’m filthy. My friends and I have been sleeping outdoors on benches for the past...er...week or so. We have no place to go, no where to get food, and one of us may be coming down with pneumonia from being in the frikkin’ rain. We need shelter. Now I am begging you to let us in.” With that, Amy straightened up and cocked her shoulders, tears welling in her eyes.
The woman gazed at her and gave in, “What’s your name?”
“Anderson,” the blue-eyed genius replied, “Amy Anderson.”
“And I’m assuming they’re your friends.”
“Yes ma’am. There are six of us and two cats.”
“I’m sorry, the cats can’t stay.”
“They might better,” Amy forced a small smile, “I saw a rather large rat on the way in here.”
The woman brightened. “We have had trouble with pests, now that you mention it. Okay, they can stay.”
So Amy had gone through the registration process, negotiating a lot of it. Lita had volunteered to work in the kitchen and Amy, who had been the one coming down sick, was given treatment. They were each given a pillow, sleeping bag, and put together in a corner of the gym.
They had been there for two weeks, waiting. Serena had become completely tired of waiting. So had Rei, and they were both fidgety. At least Serena had Darien to comfort her. Chad had stayed at the temple to keep the fire lit.
Luna and Artemis originally tried to keep spirits up by competing for who could kill the largest rat, but after failing miserably, the cats stopped trying.
Mina was perhaps the quietest. She spent most of her time laying on her sleeping bag, stroking Artemis or sniffling to herself. The group had long stopped looking to her for an optimistic comment or whitty remark. Right now she was sitting against the wall with Artemis in her lap, tying the red hair bow in different knots.
“I’m hungry.” Serena said.
“You’re always hungry.” Rei groaned.
“More than usual.”
“We’re all hungry.” Amy looked up from her palm computer, “They don’t have enough food for all of us in this blasted place.”
“If it’s any consolation,” Artemis spoke up, “Luna and I both caught big ones tonight. We’ll have food for at least two days.”
“Good job, Arts.” Mina scratched him behind the ears. The girl smiled briefly, but it faded faster than it should have even in these circumstances.
“Why didn’t we see this coming?” Serena said.
“We did, meatball-head!” Rei growled.
“The why didn’t we do anything about it?”
“What could we do, Serena?” Darien said, “It happened so fast.” That silenced her for a moment. She huffed, then refocused her argument. “Well let’s go do something about it now.”
“Do what?” Amy asked, still typing, “We have no idea who did this, much less how to find them. And I have no way how to find out because all my samples are under thirty feet of water.”
“Yeah, Serena.” Rei agreed, “Even if we could do anything, we have nothing left to fight for. Besides, their work may be finished.”
“But...” Serena sputtered, “well...Ah, screw it. You’re right. They probably left us here to rot and die and kill each other off.”
“Hey, guys.” Lita said after coming out of the kitchen, “What’s going on?”
“Serena just lost a whole lot of her steam.” Amy reported, “And we had a nice little discussion about futility.”
“Oh,” the tall brunette smirked, “Well, we have dinner almost cooked, okay.”
“What kind of gruel are they feeding us this time?” Serena asked.
“Actually, it would be a great vegetable beef stew if the vegetables were fresher and the beef were really beef.”
“Sounds good.” Mina forced a sarcastic smile, “what’s the ‘beef’ this time? Rat, cat, or basset hound?”
Lita followed with a quip that would have brought laughs a month ago, “Actually, I think it’s a mix of cocker spaniel and German shepherd.” The group shrugged or gave some other form of acknowledgment. Lita patted Mina comfortingly on the shoulder and returned to the kitchen.
“Meredith, I am impressed.” Flute smiled widely, clutching the wand-like device Jekter had made to improve the Pluto Star Crystal’s power. With this device and this army he would build his empire of terror.
“There is one more thing, sir.”
“Yes?” he looked up from admiring his forces. Meredith motioned to two more figures.
“These are your generals.” She said, “Jigsaw Man and Electrichead.” The Jigsaw Man looked as if he were made of a pile of puzzle pieces. His head was a single large piece with an eye in the middle. Electrichead looked a little more normal, but he had a pair of antennae on his head that were constantly exchanging jolts of static.
“Indeed, I am pleased.” Flute felt a smile crawl across his face.
“When shall we go forth, sir?” Jekter asked.
“Soon, boy.” Flute reassured him, “Very soon.”
“Excuse me, sir, but if you would like our services...” the woman who was in charge of registration was silenced when one of them fired his shotgun into the air.
“Boss says ‘get out!’” the man leaned over her, “This place is ours.”
Amy could not take this sitting down. Instantly she shot up from her seat, “This is nuts! This place is for everyone who needs help. So why don’t you go downtown, shoot some pigeons, and eat them. Go crawl back into your bloody box!”
The leader pulled the trigger of his machine pistol and let it chatter for a moment. “How ‘bout I shoot and eat you? Now you all clear outta here before we start makin’ bodies.” For a brief moment, it looked as if the people were going to make a stand, but slowly they began trickling out the doors. One woman tried to leave with her bowl and blanket. The man with the shotgun took them from her. “Supplies stay!” Finally, there were only the Scouts left, and they were already grabbing their backpacks and leaving.
“Hey, girl.” The leader called, “You with the skirt and big mouth.” Amy turned around, glaring. The man sneered at her, “See ya ‘round, kid.” Amy gave him a deep blue glare before turning to leave.
“I got it.” Lita said, “We could hot-wire a car and head eastward. Maybe we’ll find someplace out there.”
“All the cars have probably been siphoned of gas.” Amy told her, “And even so, we wouldn’t get far. What are the odds any of the interstates are still open?”
“I heard highway two was still open.” Rei shrugged, “We could try leaving. Everyone else is.”
“That’s right.” Amy pointed out, “Everyone.”
“Hey,” Darien spoke up, “I wonder if the naval base in Sosolito has anything we could use. You know, distillation, rations, stuff like that.”
“It might, but how are we going to get there?” Amy asked. “We don’t have a vehicle or the strength to walk that far.”
“Wine country is between here and there.”
“Feed off grapes for a month?” Amy smirked, “It’ll fill our bellies but it’s not healthy.” At the top of the hill, she turned and looked back toward the waterfront. She was amazed at how far ashore the water had come and that it had yet to recede any further. Then, something else caught her eye. “Oh my lord.”
“What is it Amy?” Rei turned and looked to where she pointed. Yanked out of it’s moorings from the quake, a small cargo freighter had capsized on top of an office building. The building was underwater but it was close enough to the surface to hold the ship in place. Also, the freighter was far enough from dry land to discourage anyone. Why the Scouts hadn’t noticed it before was a mystery.
“Wow, Amy.” Serena smiled.
“It’s got to have a water distiller on it.” Amy said, “And probably food. I bet the crew wasn’t on board when the disaster hit.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Lita asked, “Let’s go!”
“Oh, how I hate the water.” Luna tensed as she was lowered into the wooden hull. Artemis, too, had his back arched and hair raised. Who could blame them? They were cats, after all.
“Okay, Serena, Darien, and I will go check it out,” Amy said, “We’ll try to find a way on board and then I’ll come back to get the rest of you.” With that, Darien began rowing Serena, Amy, and the two screeching cats to the boat. It took about fifteen minutes to approach the capsized vessel. As soon as they were in range, Amy began scanning for a gangdoor or weak spot in the hull they could bust through.
“Okay,” she said, “steer us around to the port side. I think there may be a place where we can get inside.” Darien rowed and Serena steered them around the bow of the cargo ship.
For a cargo hauler, it was very modern looking. The hull was painted black and was so new it had yet to rust or carry barnacles. The cranes looked similar to the Canada robotic arm on the space shuttle. Even the superstructure over the deck carried a sleek cut to it. Serena looked up at the hull and read the lettering: Starlight Asylum.
“There it is.” Amy pointed. A gangdoor hung open on the side of the hull just above the water. Amy looked over the side of the boat to find the roof of the building just three feet under them. Even though the Starlight Asylum was partially lodged in the roof, she still had a low draw and Amy realized how lucky they were to have found her. Maybe six or seven feet more flooding and the ship would have gone over the building entirely.
“Okay, I’m jumping out.” And Amy did so. She stood waist deep in the water and waded over to the open door, hauling herself up inside the boat. She was immediately inside the cargo hold, where she found another pleasant surprise: crates full of a dozen different types of food ready to be exported. She also found a small water distilling unit and there was even a little sickbay where a crewman could find medicine and first aid equipment. She rushed back to the door and waved Darien to bring the dingy closer.
“They have everything we’ll need,” the blue-haired girl reported excitedly, “food, fresh water, medical supplies, everything.” Serena handed Amy her backpack and then stepped aboard with her own. Darien delivered Luna and Artemis to the girls before going back to retrieve Rei, Mina, and Lita.
“Quite a find, Ams.” Serena commented, letting the cats stroll around by themselves.
“Yes,” the Catholic agreed, “I think people were discouraged from coming here because of how long it would take to get to it and there were no garuntees they could get on board.”
“Well, it’s ours.” the meatball-head smiled, “We got ourselves a home.”
“For just the eight of us, the food should last a long time. Two or three years at least.”
“But won’t it spoil after a while.”
“No,” Amy shook her head, “Most of it is dry and canned goods. The ship has a refridgerated cargo deck too, but it’s not working. I could try to fix it, though.”
“Doesn’t refrigeration require electricity?”
“Apparently the ship’s batteries are charged by solar cells.”
“I’m still waiting for the ‘but,’ Amy.”
“Well,” Amy tried to find some bad news she could make important. “The drive train is shot and she’s thoroughly lodged in the roof, so she’s not going anywhere.”
“That’s it?” Serena looked at her suspiciously.
“Well...” Amy blushed, “yes.”
“Wow, what are the chances?” Serena truly put her grief away for a moment and awed.
“You won’t believe our luck.” Amy told them, “We have at least three years of food and an indefinite supply of water.”
“Wow.” Lita said.
“This thing couldn’t have been launched more than a month ago.” Darien touched the brand new wall. The ship still smelled like sealant and caulking.
“Yeah, great.” Mina remarked sarcastically. As the others explored, she stood near the door looking miserable. Her hair was disheveled and the school uniform she had been wearing for almost a month now was filthy, as were the clothes the others had. She slung her backpack of personal belongings against the a bulkhead. It was pathetically empty compared to the others’ packs, holding only her star wand, any valuables she had in her purse, and a few items she found in the charred remains of her burned out house.
“Are you alright, Mina?” Amy asked the stupid question.
“Yeah.” Mina said flatly, “I’m fine.” she was silent a moment more before asking, “Hey, where are the crew quarters?” Amy pointed her in a direction and she picked up her bag and followed.
The picture in it was of a grizzled commercial sailor with his wife and two boys. They were all smiling. On of the boys, a six-year-old, held a model boat similar to Starlight Asylum. Mina couldn’t help but wonder if any of the family where still alive. Did the parent’s die to leave their children alone in a world rapidly becoming more brutal? Did what happen to Mina happen to them?
It was not the fact that her parents were dead that disturbed her so much. It wasn’t that she knew the crisis was coming and couldn’t do anything about it. No, it was the that she was still alive and maybe even prospering while her parents had been killed.
It had happened once already to all of them, though only Luna and Artemis remembered. A thousand years ago, at the end of the Silver Millennium, they had all lost their families or had been separated from them somehow. Not all of the Moon Kingdom refugees remembered their past life. Maybe that was a good thing.
Mina shrugged. She was too tired to think about it now. All she wanted was a shower and some new clothes. She hadn’t eaten all day and a hot meal would be nice too. If the freighter had a galley, Lita was sure to be already at work. She cooked almost as good as Mina’s own mother.
The blonde girl smirked. She couldn’t get away from thinking about her family even if she tried. All she had left of them was a partially charred picture and a memory. She sighed heavily before hiding her face in her pillow and crying.
“Here.” Serena took a large wrench from the tool kit they had found, “Let me try adjusting this.” As Serena pulled the screw, applying torque to the bolt, Amy sat up and whiped her face. Suddenly, there was a gush of gas that made Serena shriek. She withdrew from the cramped compartment and managed to bump her head in the retreat.
“Amy, this sucks.” She whined, grasping her sore forehead.
“Tell me about it. I don’t know anything about refrigerating equipment.” She let her oil soaked rag of a fuku fall back into place. There was now a large brown blot on the front of it. She looked down at it in disgust. “That is it.” she said, wrinkling her nose, “We have got to go find ourselves some new clothes. Yours and mine are completely defiled. You can’t tell what color Lita’s uniform used to be. Mina’s ought to be burned, it’s so dirty, and Rei’s clothes are so torn up they’re barely hanging on to her.”
“Right.” Serena agreed, “After we set up, we need to go and loot what we can out of one of the malls.”
Amy was quiet for a second. “I can’t believe we’re actually going to steal something. That’s against my religion.”
“Let me put it to you this way,” Serena smirked, “is surviving against your religion?”
“No.”
“Exactly.”