Eternal Winter

The next morning Lance, Angela, and Kalden sat at the table. Lance walked in from the kitchen in high spirits, presenting a plate of food in front of Angela.

“Thanks, Lance.” She grinned as she grabbed a fork. Lance set down the second plate in front of his spot, then reached up and grabbed a cable from the ceiling. Kalden held up his arm and Lance attached the cord to the inside of his elbow joint, providing power to the robot. Lance sat down and began digging in. After a moment Lance looked up at Kalden and said between bites,

“We need to go scavenge, need you to come with us Kalden. It’s a good time to experiment with those modifications I made.” Kalden whirred and looked down at his arms, and a blowtorch switched up from behind his wrist and flared to life. Angela jumped as she spit food out of the sides of her mouth.

“[Where will we go?]” Kalden asked, the blowtorch stuttering out and retracting back into his wrist as Angela sighed and looked down at her plate.

“Well last time I went ‘hunting’ if you will, I began exploring the compound at the center of the city. It’s where I found you,” Lance explained, “So we are going to explore around it.” Lance explained.

“[When will we be taking off then?]” Kalden asked, imitating Lance’s expression.

“Well, we should leave in about ten to twenty minutes,” Lance said, biting his fork and looking at the ceiling. “But I’ve got a few things to collect before we go.”

“Ok, you do what you need to do then, and Kalden and I will get ready!” Angela said with a smile, getting up.

“Alright give me about 10-ish minutes, then come get me.” Lance sighed.

“You got it, boss.” Angela teased. Lance sadly smiled at her as he stood up and moved to the door to his room. He glanced back at them as he pushed the door open to the small bedroom and stepped inside.

Lance laid on his bed, the tears finally rushing down his cheeks.

Seven years ago today was the one point that changed everything.

Seven years ago today was the day he was betrayed.

Seven years ago today was the day Lance lost the one thing that mattered more than anything.

Seven years ago today was the day he was helpless to protect.

Seven years ago today the one thing that was worth more than all the gold in the world was stripped from him in an instant.

Seven years ago today was the day that one gunshot robbed him of the only one Lance had.

Lance brought his hands up to his head, sobs rocking his body.

“Sir. Angela is coming to the door. Do you want me to lock it?” Hyrum’s voice came from far away.

Lance whimpered; gripping, he closed his hands. He roughly pulled his hands to his head, wiping the cold tears away. Pushing his feelings back into the jar, adding more to the pile. Adding more and more band-aids onto the cracks. Everything had to stay inside, and couldn’t come out. It was easier for Lance to push more and more of his pain down further. He looked to his side and saw Alloura panting there. How had she gotten in? Lance tried to put on a happy smile and petted her.

“Lance? Are you okay? It’s time!” Angela’s voice called from behind the door. Lance gruffly stood up and composed himself. He opened the door and brushed past Angela.

“Let’s go.” He stiffly sidestepped to the weapon’s locker and retrieved his guns and knives. He kicked the locker closed and walked down the stairs and into the workshop, where Kalden stood at the workbench. “Let’s move Kalden!” Lance barked as Angela followed him to the airlock. Kalden picked up the Barrett rifle lying in front of him.

“[Did you find this with me?]” He asked.

“Yeah,” Lance said, momentarily stepping back out of the airlock. “Why? How did you know?” Kalden just shook his head as he scanned the rifle.

“[Model 95 Barrett rifle. 50 caliber bolt action repeater, ten magnification scope,]” Kalden picked up one of the magazines on the table. “[Five round magazine,]” Kalden inserted the magazine into the gun near the back of the stock. He examined it, then flipped it around onto his back, where it was held in place.

“Do you know how to use that?” Lance asked.

“[I believe I do,]” He responded as he stepped inside the airlock, closing the door behind him with a hiss. Lance’s weapons clinked as he set them down and slid on his radiation suit, before holstering all his weapons on the suit. Angela looked slightly uncomfortable with all of the guns, but she pressed a button to cycle the airlock.

“Do you want a weapon?” Lance asked.

“No, no. I’m good.” Angela responded.

“You sure?” Lance asked once more.

“Yeah, I don’t need a weapon. I don’t like them.” Angela looked away.

“Ok fine,” Lance said, trying to get changed. Lance stared at the ground as they stood in uncomfortable silence until a beep told them the cycle was complete. Angela rotated the bunker door handles and the door creaked open to the snowstorm raging outside.

“During a snowstorm?” Angela shouted at Lance over the wind howling from the mountains, looking slightly annoyed.

“Weather reports it’ll clear up!” Lance yelled back, smiling.

Air hissed as Kalden’s foot crunched in the snow. He scanned the horizon as they continued, Lance and Angela trailing to his left.

“We’re almost there,” Lance called out. They trudged in silence, the sled behind Lance making the only slight white noise. They continued through the city, glass clinking beneath their feet as they weaved between the destroyed and flipped cars.

“How do we get past that?” Angela asked, looking ahead.

“Huh?” Lance glanced at her, then regarded the skyscraper laying across the road ahead of them. “That wasn’t there before,” The three of them slowed to a stop as they gazed up at it. “It must have fallen.”

“Can we go around…?” Angela glanced around at the other alleyways, which were crammed with cars. Debris lined the side, and infrastructure around them had crumbled.

“The main street we’re on is one of the only ones that wasn’t obliterated,” Lance said as Kalden stepped up to a nearby window in the skyscraper that hadn’t caved in, that had a chair wedged inside of it. “Kalden?” Lance asked. Kalden responded by gripping the head and leg of the chair. An electronic noise vibrated from Kalden as the panels on his shoulders raised and buzzed. They locked down and with a firm tear, the chair came flying out and onto the hood of a car, denting it. Kalden inspected the window, climbed inside, then turned back.

“[If we can’t go around, then we’ll go through.]” He reached out his hand. Angela’s mouth was slightly agape and she looked at Lance, who simply shrugged and gestured “I don’t know, follow him!” She stepped forward and grasped Kalden’s hand, and with no effort at all, Kalden pulled her up not-so-gracefully. She steadied herself as Lance moved behind her and batted away Kalden.

“I’m not that old.” He growled. Kalden tilted his head playfully,

“[Yes. Yes, you are.]” Lance made an obscene gesture towards him as he hiked over to the door, which was, disorientingly, sideways. He climbed over, followed by Kalden and Angela. He stepped down on top of a desk onto a printer, before stepping on the wall. He was in a large office, judging by the number of supplies scattered around the floor. It was near complete darkness, the only fading light from behind him.

“Kalden!” Lance barked. “Light!” Kalden beeped, and flashlights on either side of his head flickered to life. “Where’s the door?” Lance growled in frustration as he looked to his sides and in front of him.

“You gotta think sideways Lance,” Angela said, kneeling at the window behind him. She pointed up at the door, maybe thirty feet above them. “How are we going to get up there?” Lance looked to Kalden who was examining the doorway. Kalden raised his left arm, leaning his head to the left, lining up his arm to the doorway. With a click, a square panel on his bicep was pushed up, revealing a spike. With a pop, pressurized air shot the spike, which drove into the frame of the door, trailing a cord. Kalden grabbed the cord and pulled it from his arm, unspooling more line, which coiled on the ground. He held up his arms, presenting what he did to Lance. Lance smirked and took a hold of the line, testing its strength. With a heave, he climbed. He sweated inside his suit until he finally reached the top and with a final pull, climbed inside the door, moving into an immediate crawl. The ceiling, or wall, depending on how you thought about it, had crushed and fallen, reducing the space to a crawl. Angela clapped from the bottom.

“[Hehe. Nice.]” Kalden said. He turned and made way for Angela.

“Oh! Uh… See I’m not the most athletic of people… I think I’ll just…” Kalden’s shoulders dropped as he sighed, then took a step forward and wrapped an arm around Angela’s armpits, then raised his left hand. “What are you DO-!” She cried out as the line reeled in and pulled taunt. Kalden lifted both of them into the air, quickly ascending to the top. They stopped with a lurch, and Angela was pale, clutching Kalden’s arm and shoulder. Lance roared with laughter.

“OH MY GOSH! YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE LOOK ON YOUR FACE!” His chest heaved. Angela turned a slight shade of pink.

“Shutupandhelpmeyoujerk,” She mumbled. Lance, still chuckling, reached down and helped her up. Kalden reached up and grabbed the ledge with his right hand, his other hand twisting around and grabbing the spike embedded in the frame. He flung it free and it fell, before quickly snapping up back towards him as the line retracted away into the panel on Kalden’s arm, which lowered back into his bicep. He hauled himself up and into a crawl like Lance and Angela. Lance smirked as he glanced at Angela, then continued on the walls of the building. A square pocket of light shone ahead, providing much-needed relief from the darkness. With a click, Kalden’s lamps switched off as they rapidly approached the light.

“It’s blocked,” Lance grumbled. He inspected the hole in the wall, where it would be big enough to move through, but two pieces of rebar blocked them. Lance glanced behind him before maneuvering around the crawl space to point his feet at the bars. He kicked at the first one, which under the blow, bent. He braced himself with both arms on either side and with a shout, he slammed his feet down. The rebar exploded out of the wall with a crash, plummeting down and hitting the road with a clang. Lance peeked his head out, considering the drop before him.

“That’s… pretty far,” He said.

“[Jump,]” Kalden said. Lance looked back over his shoulder at him.

“You’re kidding… right?” He asked. Kalden blinked.

“[No,]”

“He’s right,” Angela backed Kalden up, “It looks farther than it is. As long as we land right, we should be fine.” Lance glanced back down, shaking his head.

“I hope you’re right.” Lance pushed off the wall and fell, he grunted as his feet hit the ground and he fell forward and rolled, absorbing the fall. He rolled onto his back and looked back up at them. “Huh. That wasn’t that bad!” Lance called out to them, his voice echoing around the silent buildings.

“[Coming down,]” Kalden called out. “[Move away.]” Lance stumbled to his feet and moved to the side. Kalden dropped. The ground flew up around him as he landed straight on the ground, pistons absorbing the shock. He stood up, pulled his hand off the ground, and glanced at Lance before walking forward to scan the area for threats.

“Come on Angela!” Lance called up to her. “I’ll catch you!”

“I’m coming!” She said, moving to the edge of the hole. “I’m not sure how I’m going to-” The concrete at her feet crumbled and she was suddenly off balance. She called out as she flailed her arms, falling out of the hole. Lance jumped forward, his arms wrapping around her before she hit the ground. She clutched his chest, her face pale.

“Hey,” He said, looking down at her. Angela looked up at him, small tears coming from the corners of her eyes.

“Hi,” She said in a high voice. Lance pulled her up and set her on her feet. She stood there staring into his eyes, those blue eyes she fell in love with, close to her. His arms were around her. He was intoxicatingly close.

She was so close to tasting his lips.

Once more, she could have gone back to that paradise.

Once more, she could have gone back to her better days!

Once more, and she could have him!

So close. She was so close!

“Uh, uh, t-thank you” Angela stuttered embarrassed.

“Um, no problem,” Lance responded.

Kalden made an impatient noise.

“Uh what? Oh yeah, let’s go.” Lance snapped back into reality. He turned around and started to look for somewhere they could go. But Angela just stood there, still stuck in her fantasy. She was so close to having him once more. She knew she couldn’t give him what his wife gave him, but she could have gotten close. Couldn’t she? She pondered this for a moment, and then came back to reality.

“Kalden, can you scan for anything useful around here?” Lance asked calmly. There he was. Back to normal, back to his cool, collected self. He always was good at that. He always could flick a switch from being all lovey-dovey to calm anywhere they went.

“[No I can’t from here.]” Kalden called from what sounded far away.

“Can you scan the building from here then?” Lance asked.

“[No. I would need to get higher up,]” Kalden responded.

“Like, how high do you need to go?” Lance asked.

“[Too high for you two to come with me,]” Kalden replied, gazing up.

“Alright. Do what you need to do then,” Lance commanded.

“[Understood, moving to overwatch,]” Kalden said. He raised his arm. Like before, his arm opened and a spike popped up. Kalden shot it. What felt like forever later, a small ping came from above them. Kalden looked at Lance and Angela, hand up in the air.

“[I’ll be back. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.]” One of Kalden’s headlamps quickly flashed, something that looked like a wink towards Angela. His fist closed and the cord started to retract, and in a few seconds, Kalden was gone.

“Are you ok? You didn’t look so well after you fell. It kinda scared me” Lance said, turning his head back down to Angela.

“Yeah, I’m ok. It just startled me, that’s all.” Angela said, looking away, blushing, feeling the butterflies. I knew it! He does care about me! She thought. “How long is he going to be up there?” Angela asked, confused.

“I have no idea,” Lance shrugged. “But I’m pretty sure it’ll be a while,” Lance responded, looking up. “But I’m pretty sure he’s up. Right now at least.”

“This is so confusing,” Angela said.

“Yeah,” Lance responded, looking at her with a concerned expression. “Why are you moving?”

“What? What do you mean?” Asked Angela.

“You’re swaying. Are you ok?” Lance asked.

“I am? That’s weird, it doesn’t feel like I’m swaying.” Angela said, looking down at her body.

“Yeah. How about you sit down? I’ll make sure Kalden doesn’t fall on you.” Lance teased.

“That won’t happen. Would it?” Angela asked, looking up.

“Probably not. But there’s still a small, a very small, chance it could happen.” Lance smiled. Lance grabbed her by the arms and led her to the ground.

“There we go. Now, Angela, this ground is nice, so it won’t hurt you ok?” Lance teased again, patting the ground.

“I’m not a child, Lance!” Angela yelled at him.

“I know, but just making sure you don’t have a concussion.” Lance smiled once more. Angela grinned back at him. He pads away at the snow on the ground under him, trying to make it more comfortable. “When we get back why don’t we do something fun? I think we have some games somewhere in the-” He said when he felt her hand grip his arm in a tight grasp. He looked up at her, startled. The grin that was plastered on her face quickly faded as her eyes locked onto some… one behind him, quickly.

“That’s a great idea, Lance.”