Boucher's World: Emergent Read online

  ******

  Ten minutes of hiking brought them to the next rest station.

  sent Tally,

  Jade shrugged and went in.

  She sniffed the air; the only thing she smelled was a fading whiff of some familiar odor she couldn’t quite place.

  It didn’t smell bad to her, but then her nose wasn’t nearly as sensitive as Tally’s. It was probably just the chemical used to disinfect the facility.

  By now, in addition to being thirsty, she was sweaty and - she sniffed herself - unfresh.

  She went straight to the water dispenser and jabbed at the regulator…and again, no water.

  Huh?

  She stood there in disbelief. This just didn’t happen.

  Okay, so maybe one could be out of order, but two?…at the same time?

  In all her time with the company, she’d never heard of that happening.

  She trudged wearily to the back of the station to check the shower for functionality but had a sinking feeling about it.

  The one at the first station hadn’t worked, but just to be sure, she went over and pushed the lever down - and no water there, either.

  She slumped and plopped her pack down, sitting down heavily on the built-in bench beside the shower. Propping her elbows on her knees, she ran a hand through her short, frizzy, sweaty hair.

  She was hot, thirsty, tired, and still no water. They had wasted their time coming here. They would have to go back to the camp anyway, and by the time they got there and reported the outages, it would be too late to do any more work today.

  She closed her eyes and leaned back against the wall. Shards. She was glad they already had their quota but she wanted more.

  For the first time since they started working this area, they were close to the number of catches needed for the bonus. Two more! Just two more were all they needed. She slapped the wall in frustration, leaning forward again. She’d been anticipating that extra pay - she’d had her eye on this new outfit…

  I’ll bet Reece would like to see me in that, she thought.

  She and Reece had a date planned for the next weekend. They were going dancing and she really loved to dance. But she needed that bonus to get the outfit, and now…

  Crap. Well, no point in sitting here staring at my dirty work boots, she thought sourly.

  She got up, maneuvered the pack onto her back, re-slung the empty water pouch and headed for the exit just as Tally slid through the door.

  “Thought you didn’t appreciate the smell in here,” she said testily. She stopped, immediately regretting being so snippy; this wasn’t Tally’s fault.

  “Sorry, didn’t mean to snap at you. It’s just that the water doesn’t work here either, and I’m thirsty, I’m tired, I’m dirty, and I’m a little…cranky,” she said, apologetically. “We’re going to have to go back to camp,” she added, with resignation.

  Tally, who was used to her being a grouch when she got frustrated, shrugged.

  He wrinkled up his nose.

  he said, snickering.

  Ignoring the “stink” jab - after all, she did smell less than…stellar - she thought: Yes!

  Puri-tabs were a part of the supplies she carried with her every day. They were standard, along with the first-aid kit that all pest catchers - well, nuisance apprehenders - carried in their packs. She’d never actually had to use the puri-tabs but she knew how, and they were one of the items that had to remain with them at all times. It was the major reason she’d lugged the pack with her.

  “All right!” she exclaimed, and strode out the door, glad that, this time, she had followed regulations. She felt much better.

  “Lead the way, partner. Maybe we can still make the bonus.” She was already visualizing how good she was going to look in that cute outfit.

  They headed briskly down the pathway leading from the station to the road.

  Within a few minutes, Tally paused. He sniffed the air.

  he said, He bounded toward the trees.

  Jade jogged heavy footed after him.

  Suddenly, he stopped short.

  Jade clomped up beside him, breathing heavily. “What’s the matter?” she asked, sucking in a breath. The pack was beginning to feel like a load of quana wood on her back. She briefly wished she’d brought the hover-cart after all, just to carry the stupid pack.

  Nah, would’ve slowed us down…should have just left the pack and stuck the first-aid kit and puri-tabs in my pockets.

  Tally swung his head slowly from side to side, eyes narrowing.

  he said, slowly.

  They saw it at the same time. A Dim Spot. The trees had a light, grainy haze, and Jade could smell a faint aroma of almonds - verifying there was, indeed, a Spot in front of them.

  Shards! We just can’t catch a break this afternoon, she thought in disgust.

  There was always a chance you would run into one of those things this close to the edge of the Dome, but this was the first one they’d seen since coming to this area six months ago. They’d always stayed as far from the edge as they could since getting too close is what brought them out. They must have ranged closer than she thought.

  The image of the cute outfit flapped away. There was no known way through a Spot, and since the water source was beyond it, they might as well turn around and head back to camp now. Before she got any thirstier. Or grubbier. And crabbier.

  Reece will just have to put up with my old green and white tunic, she thought, peevishly, though, I probably should dress down for him anyway.

  He was getting harder to hold off. She sighed. She knew what Reece wanted, and though she liked him, she just wasn’t ready to take that step yet.

  Tally was puzzled. He wanted them to get the bonus, too. He flopped down in the grass.

  “Not your fault Tally,” reassured Jade, “You couldn’t have known. Besides,” she added thoughtfully, “I think you may have been put off by the scent at the rest station. I’m impressed you could even smell the water, let alone the almonds. You know how faint that aroma is. Anyway, who knew we would find a Spot here. Come on, it’s getting late. We need to get back before we have to call for a ride.”

  She winced at that thought. That would take a bite out of their credits: she’d never be able to get that outfit.

  Tally climbed to his feet, shaking himself. He still felt as if he’d let them down, though Jade had made him feel a bit better.

  They started back to the road. Jade gave a last glance at the woods, running her eyes along the Spot fuzzed trees. She paused.

  “Hey, there’s a house over there, right at the edge,” she said with surprise, pointing to where the trees stopped looking so blurry. “I didn’t know there were any houses on this side of the fields. I don’t remember seeing it on the map. It seems to be outside the Spot, though. Let’s go see if anybody’s home. Maybe they’ll allow us to get water,” she added hopefully as she turned and headed toward the house.

  Tally squinted in the direction she was going, then trailed after her.

  He could barely see anything in the bright sunlight, but if he had the better sense of smell, Jade certainly had the better eye sight - at least in the middle of the day.