The early morning sun draped the landscape of Clivilius in a soft, golden light, casting an almost ethereal glow over the settlement as Nial and I left the remnants of breakfast behind. We walked side by side, our footsteps stirring the ochre dust, leaving a trail in our wake. Our elongated shadows, distorted by the morning sun, followed us like silent companions, echoing the determination in our steps. This serene quiet was a stark contrast to the earlier bustle of the camp during breakfast preparations, a brief respite before the day's tasks engulfed us again.
Throughout the night, my mind had been in a constant state of turmoil. Sleep had been an elusive companion, chased away by the heavy weight of responsibility that settled on my shoulders. The need for enhanced protection and security for our small community was a pressing concern, one that seemed to intensify with each hour that passed. In response to this urgency, I had roused Nial in the early hours, and we had found solace in the dwindling warmth of the dying fire, our conversation a blend of ideas and strategies. The soft crackling of the embers had been a comforting backdrop to our planning, and by dawn, we had started to formulate a concrete plan.
"I'm so excited about this experiment," I shared with Nial, a surge of enthusiasm infusing my voice as we neared the outskirts of the settlement. The possibility of implementing our plan, potentially shifting the balance in our favour, sparked a cautious optimism within me.
Nial, his steps deliberate, kicked a small rock, watching it skitter across the ground. "You really think it'll work?" he asked, his voice carrying a blend of curiosity and skepticism.
I turned to look at him, feeling the full weight of our endeavour. "We need it to," I answered with conviction. "I fear the settlement won't survive if it doesn't." The stark reality of our predicament was not lost on me – our survival in Clivilius depended on the success of our plans, on our collective ability to adapt and confront the challenges of this alien world head-on.
Standing before the Portal, Nial and I were enveloped in a profound silence, the kind that heightens your senses and makes you acutely aware of even the faintest sounds. The Portal itself stood as an enigmatic figure in front of us. It was a gateway that symbolised both our greatest hopes and our deepest fears. We needed Beatrix or Luke to return soon; their roles were pivotal to the success of the experiment we had planned. The anticipation of their arrival grew with each passing second, adding to the tension that seemed to hang in the air.
Nial and I stood together, our eyes intently focused on the Portal, waiting for any sign of movement, any hint that would signal the next phase of our plan could begin.
In those moments of expectant silence, the weight of our situation in Clivilius pressed heavily upon me. Each decision, each action we had taken since our arrival, felt magnified in its importance. The entire settlement, with its amalgamation of hopes and fears, dreams and nightmares, was counting on what would happen next. It was a responsibility I had taken upon myself, a burden I bore willingly, yet with a profound sense of its gravity.
As the morning sun climbed higher, bathing us in its warmth, I clung to the hope that what we were about to undertake would mark a significant turning point. The success of our experiment was more than just a tactical move; it symbolised a step towards gaining some control in an environment that had so far been defined by uncertainty and unpredictability. In the quiet stand-off with the Portal, I found myself bracing for what was to come.
The moment I spotted Beatrix emerging from the Portal, a rush of enthusiasm surged through me, breaking the heavy lull that had gripped us. "Hey, Beatrix!" I called out, my voice carrying a relief I hadn’t felt in hours. The minutes before her arrival had been excruciating, each second dragging on interminably. It had felt like we were losing a race against time, every moment adding to the weight of anxiety that clouded my thoughts.
Beatrix spun around swiftly, her arms flaring out instinctively to maintain her balance on the uneven, ochre terrain. The cloud of dust her movement stirred up briefly captured my attention, a reminder of the vast dryness.
As she regained her footing, a rush of adrenaline propelled my words forward. "So glad you're here. We've been waiting for either you or Luke. Nial's got this incredible theory about forming a connection with Earth, enabling communication. We need your—" I started to explain, my excitement and desperation mingling in a rapid flow of words.
But my sentence faltered as I noticed Beatrix's attention wavering, her gaze flicking back to the Portal. "Beatrix!" I called out again, urgency sharpening my tone.
Her head snapped back to me, her eyes flashing with irritation. "What!?" she responded sharply, her focus clearly torn.
I instinctively recoiled, raising my arms in a defensive gesture before consciously lowering them. I had to remind myself, She's not Claire. Not every woman is out to get you. Despite this, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment and frustration at her apparent distraction. "You're not even listening, are you?" I accused, my voice reflecting my mixed emotions.
Beatrix, still half-turned towards the Portal, replied with a distracted air, "I was with Luke. He should have been..." Her voice trailed off, the underlying worry for Luke palpable in her unfinished sentence.
Luke's name had a way of commandeering the conversation, as it did now, derailing my focus momentarily. "I'm sure Luke's fine. He's always getting himself in and out of trouble," I said, trying to inject a bit of optimism into the air. My words were an attempt to push aside the concern, to steer us back to the pressing issue at hand.
"Yeah, but..." Beatrix started, her voice trailing off, mirroring the uncertainty we all felt but chose not to dwell on.
It was Nial who broke the tense silence that followed. "We need your help with our experiment," he said firmly, his intervention cutting through the lingering unease.
Beatrix hesitated, and I sensed an opening to persuade her. "As long as Luke has his Portal Key, he'll be fine," I reassured, glancing at Nial who offered a casual shrug in agreement.
"Come on, Beatrix," I urged, feeling a tinge of desperation seep into my tone. "Help us. It's for the safety of our community." I could sense the critical nature of her involvement in our plan.
Beatrix let out a sigh that seemed to blend resignation with a reluctant acceptance. "Fine," she finally said, her voice conveying her hesitance. “What do you want?”
A wave of relief and excitement washed over me. "We're going to make an internet connection," I announced, unable to hide my excitement.
I saw a flicker of confusion cross Beatrix's face, and I quickly elaborated. "Luke's given us Nial's laptop," I explained, pausing as Nial held up the laptop to lend credibility to my words. "But we can't really do much with it without an internet connection."
Beatrix's skepticism was palpable. "What do you want me to do with it?" she asked, her brow furrowed.
Nial, now stepping into the conversation with growing enthusiasm, took over. "The initial thought was that I could use the business accounts to order some fencing supplies so that we can get us some security. Honestly, the business doesn't have a lot of money, but I've got enough credit for what we'd need to give us basic protection. I've tried to put the order together, but what I really need is all web-based. There really isn't a lot I can do without an internet connection."
"Which is why we need you, Beatrix," I interjected, eager to highlight her vital role in our plan. Her involvement was not just a matter of convenience; it was an integral piece of our strategy to enhance the safety and security of our settlement.
As Beatrix contemplated our proposal, a crease of deep thought formed on her brow. In that moment, I felt a twinge of doubt, wondering if perhaps our plan was too ambitious, too far-fetched. But then, she broke the silence. "How can I help?" she asked, her tone evolving from initial reluctance to a cautious curiosity. That shift in her attitude was like a beacon of hope, an opening I was eager to seize. I prepared myself to lay out our strategy in detail, ready to harness Beatrix's unique abilities to forge a connection between Clivilius and Earth.
I didn’t allow myself a moment's pause, not even to relish the relief of Beatrix's willingness to cooperate. Eagerly, I dove into explaining our plan, my voice brimming with enthusiasm. "It's simple, really." My hand gestured towards the Portal, a structure that had become our lifeline, yet simultaneously a barrier isolating us from our former world.
"You have WiFi at home?" I asked Beatrix, expecting a positive response in this age of ubiquitous technology.
"Of course," she answered, her face assuming a slightly amused expression, as if the question was almost redundant in modern times.
The plan, while simple in concept, was based on hope more than certainty. "Go to your house and leave the Portal open. We'll get the laptop as close as we can and see if we can pick up the WiFi signal," I outlined, presenting our daring idea to bridge two vastly different worlds.
"I can do it from my room. Should give me enough privacy," Beatrix said, her commitment to our experiment now evident in her decisive tone.
"Let's do it!" I couldn't help but exclaim, feeling a surge of excitement wash over me. The possibility of establishing an internet connection, of creating a tangible link to Earth, felt like a significant breakthrough.
As the Portal's screen shimmered to life, its swirling colours casting an otherworldly glow, Nial and I positioned the laptop as close as we dared to its edge. The Portal emitted a soft, haunting murmur, a sound that seemed to resonate with the unknown. Kneeling beside Nial, I clasped my fingers together, the tension in them mirroring the churning mix of hope and anxiety in my gut. My eyes were fixed on the laptop screen, watching the spinning circle as it futilely searched for a WiFi signal.
"Try it again," I urged Nial, my voice betraying a tinge of disappointment at our initial failure to connect.
Beatrix appeared through the Portal briefly, her long silver hair fluttering in the breeze like a banner of hope. "Any luck?" she asked, her expression a mix of curiosity and concern.
I shook my head, my frustration manifesting as a furrowed brow. "It's not detecting any signal at all," Nial reported, echoing my sentiments.
A feeling of defeat began to creep in, but I wasn't ready to succumb to it. We needed to explore every possible avenue. "Can you get the Portal closer to the router?" I asked Beatrix, grasping at the possibility that proximity to a stronger WiFi signal might be our missing key.
"I can try," she responded before vanishing for a moment. When she reappeared, her face was marked with apprehension. "I don't think I'm alone," she added before the swirling colours of the Portal dissipated, and she was gone.
"Still nothing," Nial said, his voice laced with frustration as he tapped aggressively on the keyboard.
I tilted my head, observing him with a blend of curiosity and impatience. "Well, it won't work without a Portal, will it," I remarked, my patience thinning. His frustration, though understandable, was no longer sympathetic to me. Our first attempt was deflating, of course, but now is not the time for plain stupidity, I thought to myself.
As we stooped there, the tranquility of the moment was abruptly shattered. The Portal erupted into life, its colours blazing intensely. Before I could fully comprehend what was happening, a large object came hurtling through, crashing onto the ground with a deafening mix of shattering glass and splintering wood.
"Shit! Are you okay?" I reacted instinctively, leaping to my feet. Brushing off shards of glass from my clothing, I turned to check on Nial.
"Fuck!" Nial cursed, wincing as he looked at his fingers, now bleeding from several small cuts. I quickly glanced over myself, relieved to find that I hadn’t been injured.
My attention then shifted to the large, black picture frame that lay amidst the dust, its glass shattered, its contents obscured by being face down. I carefully picked it up, wary of the sharp fragments still clinging to it.
"What the hell, Beatrix!" I couldn't help but exclaim in exasperation as her head appeared through the Portal again. Relieved at my own safety but concerned for Nial, I pulled off my shirt in a swift motion and rushed over to him, who was struggling to control the bleeding.
"Sorry. I didn't think-" Beatrix began, her voice faltering as she took in the chaotic scene before her.
"There's still no WiFi signal," Nial cut in, his voice laced with frustration. He brushed off my attempt to help with my shirt, leaving a vivid handprint of blood on my chest. A frown creased my forehead as the gravity of our predicament hit me.
Ignoring the blood stains on my chest, I quickly recalibrated to the task at hand. "Bring the router through," I instructed Beatrix, trying to maintain composure despite the unexpected turn of events.
"I'm fine, really," Nial insisted, pressing his other hand against his wounds in a futile effort to stop the bleeding.
"Just take it," I urged him, grabbing his arm and wrapping my shirt around his hand as a makeshift bandage. It was a crude solution, but in the urgency of the moment, it was all I could manage. My mind was racing, trying to juggle the chaos of the situation with the pressing need to advance our plan. The Portal, our only link to Earth, had now become a source of both hope and unforeseen danger.
As Beatrix reappeared with the router in hand, I instinctively reached out to take it. However, the realisation of the mistake hit me almost immediately. I handed the router back to her, frustration mounting within me. "What the heck am I supposed to do with this?" I snapped, feeling my patience fray at the edges.
"But you just asked me for it," Beatrix shot back, clearly surprised by my reaction.
My eyes widened in bewilderment. "You need to keep it plugged in," I told her, unable to hide my disbelief at her lack of understanding.
With an exasperated huff, Beatrix disappeared back through the Portal, returning shortly with the router now connected to a cord, an essential lifeline to our makeshift plan.
I crouched beside Nial, my gaze fixed on the laptop as it searched for a WiFi signal. My heart pounded with hopeful anticipation. "We've got something!" I called out excitedly, my fingers quickly navigating the trackpad to connect to the available network.
The laptop made a strained sound as it attempted to establish a connection. I held my breath, a whirlwind of hopeful thoughts swirling through my mind. "We're connected!" I announced, triumph and disbelief mixing in my voice as I handed the laptop to Nial.
Nial, his fingers slick with blood, almost lost his grip on the laptop. "Shit," he hissed, struggling to maintain his hold.
Beatrix, ignoring my moment of elation, focused her attention on Nial. "You really need to get that cut looked at," she said firmly, her concern for his well-being apparent.
"He will once we get this order through," I asserted, acknowledging Nial's injury but emphasising the importance of completing our task.
A heavy silence enveloped us as Nial, despite the clumsiness caused by his injury, began to navigate the laptop. "How much longer do you need?" Beatrix asked, her voice laced with nervous anticipation.
Nial's response, "Nearly done," was focused and assured, capturing the full extent of his concentration. I couldn't help but raise my brow in pleasant surprise at his efficiency. You are? I thought, impressed.
"I'm using a previous order as a base," Nial explained.
Ah, good thinking, Nial, I silently commended him. "Think you can get us enough to at least make a small perimeter fence?" I asked, the hopefulness clear in my voice.
"Yeah. If we can get it all, should be enough to give us room to expand," Nial confidently affirmed.
"Expand?" Beatrix repeated, her voice tinged with concern.
Nial paused his typing and looked up, his eyes alight with a resolute fire. "I don't want to be here alone forever," he stated flatly, his determination unmistakable.
As Nial resumed his task, Beatrix leaned towards me, her voice barely a whisper. "He's not serious, is he?"
"We've all left family we love behind," I responded, my voice a blend of melancholy and firmness. The truth of our situation was stark – we were all grappling with the reality of our separation from loved ones.
"Where am I getting this all delivered to?" Nial's question pulled us back to the immediate challenge.
For a moment, panic flickered through me. Where the heck are we supposed to... But before I could voice my concern, Beatrix quickly intervened with a solution. "We can use the Owen's Collinsvale property," she suggested, crouching next to Nial to input the address.
"What timeframe are we looking at?" Beatrix inquired, assisting Nial with the details.
"I've selected all local materials and put a priority flag on it. There will likely be multiple deliveries, the first one arriving tomorrow," Nial explained, a tone of achievement in his voice.
The sense of relief and excitement was almost tangible among us. Our plan was finally in motion, a significant step towards strengthening our settlement’s defences. Despite the odds, we were making progress, a beacon of hope in our unpredictable lives.
Beatrix rose to her feet, brushing off the ochre dust from her clothes. Her movements were smooth yet carried an urgency. "I'll let Luke know, and we'll keep an eye out for the delivery," she stated, her voice steady but underscored with a hint of worry.
The sudden outburst from Nial broke through the momentary calm that had settled around us. "Fuck! We've lost it!" he exclaimed in a panicked tone, his movement so abrupt that the laptop slid from his grasp and landed in the dust.
"Lost what? The order?" I quickly asked, a rush of apprehension flooding through me. I dived towards the laptop, my fingers scrambling through the dust, desperately hoping we hadn't lost all our progress.
"The internet con-" Nial started to explain, but his words were abruptly cut off as the router, previously stable, was suddenly sucked backward into the swirling colours of the Portal. Beatrix, reacting quickly, closed the Portal, its serene translucency returning as if nothing had happened.
"What the hell just happened?" Nial gasped, his breathing heavy and uneven from the shock.
"I'm not sure," Beatrix replied, her wide eyes reflecting her own confusion and a hint of fear.
"Your parents?" I speculated, trying to find a logical explanation amidst the sudden chaos.
"No," Beatrix answered with certainty, her tone indicating she suspected something more. "It must be someone familiar with Portals."
Nial and I inhaled sharply at the same time, the implication of her words hitting us. Someone else was meddling, someone with a knowledge and mastery of Portals. This realisation added a new layer of complexity and danger to our already precarious situation.
"But you got the order through?" I turned to Nial, my eyes searching his for any glimmer of positive news amid the growing uncertainty.
Nial blinked several times, seemingly trying to process everything. "Yeah... I think... so," he responded hesitantly. His uncertain confirmation did little to dispel the heavy air of tension that now hung over us. The reality that someone else, someone unknown and potentially hostile, had the power to manipulate the Portals was a disturbing thought.
Beatrix's gaze held mine with an intensity that felt almost tangible. "When Luke returns," she began, her hand resting firmly on my shoulder, "send him straight to my bedroom." The command in her voice was clear and unequivocal, brooking no argument.
A shiver involuntarily coursed down my spine at her words. What the hell is going on? My mind churned with unspoken questions and half-formed theories about what Beatrix wasn't saying. But all I managed to say aloud was a simple, "Of course." My voice barely hid the turbulence of doubts and fears swirling within me.
As quickly as she had arrived, Beatrix vanished, her departure leaving a lingering sense of disquiet in her wake.
Turning back to the laptop lying in the dust, now marred with a mixture of dirt and Nial's blood, I grimaced in distaste. So gross, the thought flashed through my mind. For a moment, I stood still, trying to process the whirlwind of events that had just unfolded.
"Come on, Nial. Let's get you tidied up," I said, my tone shifting to one of concern as I urged him to his feet. Gently, I lifted the laptop, its marred surface a stark reminder of the lengths we were going to in our efforts to establish a connection with Earth. Despite its grimy and bloodied condition, a flicker of hope sparked within me. This device, now bearing the literal marks of our struggle, might just be our lifeline, the key to securing a future in the unpredictable world of Clivilius.
Standing alone in the vast, desolate expanse of the Drop Zone, I watched as Nial's figure blended into the horizon, leaving me in solitude with the laptop. It was a poignant moment, standing there with the device in my hands, feeling its weight as more than just a physical object. It symbolised our deepest desires for connection and communication, a tangible tether to the world we were so desperately trying to reconnect with.
As the silhouette of Nial faded away, a whirlwind of thoughts and possibilities coursed through my mind. The laptop was more than a mere technological tool; it represented a potential bridge between the enigmatic world of Clivilius and our home on Earth. My excitement at this prospect bubbled just beneath the surface, yet it was swiftly tempered by the harsh reality of our situation – the laptop's battery life was dwindling.
Turning my focus to the screen, its faint glow offered a small comfort in the vast emptiness. The display responded to my touch, a brief victory that was soon overshadowed by the ominous low battery warning that blinked back at me. It was a cruel reminder of our limitations in this alien landscape. Without a power source, this critical link to Earth, our beacon of hope, would soon be reduced to a useless shell.
I surveyed the barren landscape surrounding Bixbus, my thoughts spinning. Luke had thoughtfully provided the power cable, a necessary lifeline for our electronic devices. Yet, the glaring absence of a power outlet in this unfamiliar terrain loomed large over our efforts. A sigh of frustration mixed with determined resolve escaped me. Here I was, holding a beacon of hope, yet rendered powerless in a land where conventional sources of energy were a mere memory. The irony of our situation wasn’t lost on me – we had the means to connect, yet lacked the power to make it happen.
As I walked through the expansive Drop Zone, an idea began to take shape in my mind, infusing my steps with newfound purpose. The vast, open area, which often served as a place for quiet reflection, now felt almost too vast, emphasising my isolation. My mind churned over the feasibility of my plan. If I could just get the laptop and its power cable to Luke or Beatrix, they could recharge it back on Earth. It was a simple idea in theory, but the practicalities of aligning it with their unpredictable appearances loomed as a daunting challenge.
With every stride, the laptop symbolised two contrasting realities: it was both a burden of immense responsibility and a beacon of hope. Its weight was a tangible reminder of the crucial mission it represented. The landscape of Clivilius, sprawling and untamed before me, seemed to challenge my resolve and test my fortitude.
