09-22-2022, 01:43 PM
Jay was immediately awake when Nox nudged him. It had been only a short doze, but a soldier was an expert at napping on the spot. Ten minutes here and there could sustain him for days when necessary.
He accepted some of the food that was offered, but couldn’t help but notice that Nox continually went back to the stash for more. It was like he was ravenous with a hunger that couldn’t be filled. Jay didn’t think much of it – he yearned for a cheeseburger and a whole pie first chance they got – but as the hours passed, Nox’s mood continued to darken. They’d won? Was it just exhaustion? Maybe it was all in Jay’s head. A trick of the atmosphere. They joked and taunted one another. Lude mixed with gross comments: a way to cope with the shit in their heads. Must just be exhaustion. Jay didn’t comment on it.
As soon as they reached a signal, Nox was responding to an endless string of messages. Jay looked blankly upon his own device. There was nothing. Nobody to check on him or wonder why he’d not responded in days. It made sense. The only people he knew were the other Rods – and they all knew what was going on – and Natalie. It was a little disheartening to find her cue blank, but he’d no reason to expect otherwise.
When they reached the surface, they were immediately extracted by the Ascendancy’s military representatives. They'd go their separate ways once cleared of infection and other contaminants. Jay turned in all of his technological devices. Their data was likely to be examined by analysts for anything useful, whatever that meant. And then the debriefing would follow.
It was rote movement on Jay's part. He went where told and explained what he knew. When it was time to say goodbye to Nox, he left him with assurance that he would be there when needed and to stay in touch.
He accepted some of the food that was offered, but couldn’t help but notice that Nox continually went back to the stash for more. It was like he was ravenous with a hunger that couldn’t be filled. Jay didn’t think much of it – he yearned for a cheeseburger and a whole pie first chance they got – but as the hours passed, Nox’s mood continued to darken. They’d won? Was it just exhaustion? Maybe it was all in Jay’s head. A trick of the atmosphere. They joked and taunted one another. Lude mixed with gross comments: a way to cope with the shit in their heads. Must just be exhaustion. Jay didn’t comment on it.
As soon as they reached a signal, Nox was responding to an endless string of messages. Jay looked blankly upon his own device. There was nothing. Nobody to check on him or wonder why he’d not responded in days. It made sense. The only people he knew were the other Rods – and they all knew what was going on – and Natalie. It was a little disheartening to find her cue blank, but he’d no reason to expect otherwise.
When they reached the surface, they were immediately extracted by the Ascendancy’s military representatives. They'd go their separate ways once cleared of infection and other contaminants. Jay turned in all of his technological devices. Their data was likely to be examined by analysts for anything useful, whatever that meant. And then the debriefing would follow.
It was rote movement on Jay's part. He went where told and explained what he knew. When it was time to say goodbye to Nox, he left him with assurance that he would be there when needed and to stay in touch.
Only darkness shows you the light.