Yes, I know all about denial, why do you ask?
After I disentangle, I join Beau and the others. He explains our roles while driving to the camp. I’ll be in vehicle three, which Elese is driving. She gives me a wide, slightly manic grin. This ought to be fun.
We insert our communicators in our ears just in case there’s an emergency.
Stowing my ruck in the bed, I hop into the back seat. Elese takes her position. Besides us there are three techs and the medic—two in the front and two with me. The large doors of the port roll up. The metal rattles and the wheels squeal as they run up the track. Beau gets into the first truck, which my father is driving. Mom is behind the wheel of the second one with Niall. He also sits in the back.
The engines start up with a roar and we drive out into the cool darkness. Once we clear the port, the door clanks, shutting behind us. The strong peppery scent of Yulin’s air fills my lungs. This is the first time I’ve been outside the base since we arrived. I marvel at the gorgeous night sky before I remember my duty. Standing up, I hold onto the roll bar and use my binoculars to scan the area for any signs of intruders—basically lights. Just ahead, both Niall and Beau are doing the same thing.
The vehicles trundle over the dunes. They’re not moving very fast, but they still kick up clouds of sand, which coats the binoculars’ lenses, gets into my eyes, nose, and mouth. Ugh. Now I know why Beau picked the first vehicle. We arrive just as the sun is rising.
Securing the camp actually means walking around a large empty area and confirming that yes, it is indeed empty. We also scan for footprints. None, although Niall finds small tracks from what looks like a lizard. Dad takes a picture of them for the biologists.
Then we stand guard as the techs unpack the supplies. I notice Niall has his cap and sunglasses on. Good idea. I dig for mine. Enjoying the fresh air and sunlight, I’m content to just soak it all in. A slight early morning breeze fans my face. Underneath the peppery scent is the dry aroma of anise. While I’m supposed to be focused on the surrounding desert, I sneak glances at the activity in the camp. Techs assemble tents, unload the equipment, and sweat. Between shouting orders and directing the techs, my mom preps the Ground Penetrating Radar. My dad arranges everything, breaking the camp into three specific areas—sleeping, working, and eating. The portable washroom is constructed near the tents.
As the sun creeps toward its zenith, the breeze dies and the air thickens with heat. I scan the horizon with my binoculars and confirm the nothingness out there. Not even another team from the base is nearby.
What I don’t do, is think about the Q-net. I can rest easy out here well away from the base and all its terminals. The scientists carry portables that just run the standard plug and chug programming. You can’t entangle with a portable because the device is not connected to the Q-net the same way as a terminal. Information can still be exchanged between the Q-net and a portable so all the data collected in Pit 21 will be uploaded to the Q-net when we return to the base. And messages can still be sent from one portable to another.
When Jarren had attacked, I created a worm hole between a portable and the Q-net so I could keep track of the looters through the base’s camera feeds. I can’t do that out here, which is beneficial. My brain can take a break and I’ll be good as new when I return.
When the camp is complete, the techs carry the GPR over to where the pit is supposed to be. The initial scans of the desert marked the long narrow strip of the sixty-four underground pits—think of the planet as a ball and the pits are like a rubber band around its middle—but the accuracy is not always…er…accurate.
Mom uses the GPR to find the edges of the pit. It’s square and each side is exactly sixty-four meters wide. Our camp is located to the left of the pit. A smart move. Otherwise, if the roof of the pit collapses, then the entire camp will fall in. Dad marks the edges with flags, and then my parents gather with the techs.