Resolutions

Chapter 2-2

“You’re not Andrew James Murdock? Sorry, but you look exactly like him!”

“Andrew James Murdock was my father,” Murdock said.

The old man smiled. “That explains it! I’m Zeke. Zeke Jakes. I guess you’d call me a good friend and confidant of Andrew’s.” He stepped back and offered his hand again to Murdock.

He warily shook Zeke’s hand. “You knew Andrew well?”

Zeke leaned in. “I knew him better than you did, and I know things you will want to know. When this all calms down, find me and we’ll talk.”

“Give Declan here your name, get checked out medically, and then come find me.”

“Sure, I can do that. It’ll be nice to sit and talk to someone that knew Andrew toward the end.”

“Mei Lee, please keep track of an old guy. Name is Zeke.” Murdock flashed. I need to ask all kinds of questions, and I hope Zeke has the answers.

Declan ran into several snags while scribing the names. More than once, he ran out of clay and had to collect more. He had to take several breaks to wait for the scribed tablets to dry enough to remove the frames and not have the tablets fall apart.

By the end of the first day, he had only gotten through half the newcomers, having to stop because of the failing light. Murdock had gotten the ten initial leaders picked. There were ten new arrivals that did not revive, in the ninth and tenth pods, and he got them buried, away from the pods and the stream.

“I’m whupped.” Declan sat close to the fire. “I haven’t written for that long in years. I must be getting old.”

Everyone laughed.

“You certainly look much older than you did this morning,” Murdock said.

“Is there more pork left?” Declan flexed his fingers. “I sure could eat more of that!”

Emily got up to cut some pork for Declan, and gave it to him.

“Thanks, Em. You’re the best.”

“Is this a bad time to bring up my group’s request?” Kathy Watkins said, in a surly tone.

“I think it should wait until we know the skills available, don’t you?” Murdock replied. “We don’t even have all their names yet. Is there something so pressing you can’t wait another day or two? Even if you find replacements, those meeting your requirements, you will have to take it slow going home, or give them another day to build up their strength. Besides, once we find them, you have to convince them to join you. I’ll not force anyone to go where I or anyone else thinks they need to go.”

Even though Murdock had slept hard until Declan woke him, he greeted the day tired and testy. Declan—feeling the same—Andy, and Curtis managed to get more clay and get things set for finishing the lists of newcomers after breakfast.

Declan was looking forward to finishing the list. I don’t know why I want to be done with it. I’ll be home, but then I must fire all the tablets and hope none break. It’ll take weeks to fire them all, even with Curtis’ help. I know I have to talk to him and try to convince him to come home with me and Emily. I can’t lose him again.

Murdock spent his time trying to get everyone outfitted. The leaders he’d selected had failed to outfit anyone properly. He also had to teach them how to collect water without getting dirt into their waterskins and without muddying the water in the process. He only had limited success in his instructions.

By late afternoon, Declan had just started the list from the last pod. As soon as he had the leader’s name, Murdock called all the leaders to a meeting away from the rest. Declan kept working.

“Name?” he asked, with impatience.

He had asked the same thing, the same way, for almost two days. He glanced up at the cue and figured he was in the last fifty.

“Angelica Griffen,” a deep, sultry voice replied.

“I need you to go over there and get checked out by Annie, and then come directly back here,” Declan said, without looking up.

He was glad for the mental training Beron and Murdock had given, so his thoughts were his own. He wanted to surprise everyone at their camp with yet another family member.

When Angelica returned, he was almost finished creating the lists.

“Have a seat on the other side of this cart. I’m almost finished,” He watched her surreptitiously while she complied. I need to calm myself. I’m getting too anxious.

“So, why did you pick us to lead?” Johann Spitzer said, once all the leaders had gathered away from the rest.

“Mostly, because you don’t want it,” Murdock said. “The previous pods held elections for their leaders, and those elections led to tyrannies with a lot of pain for everyone. I’m trying to prevent that from happening to you.”

“Well, you know we’ll be replaced as soon as they hold an election,” Parker Sheetzen said, “either by pod or as a complete group.”

“Possible,” Murdock said, “even probable, but that won’t change anything. I will still seek you all out and hold you accountable. In the last two landings, we had several rapes, bullying, and murders, with no one stopping any of it. They all thought it wasn’t any of their concern, so they stayed out of it. However, if all you want is to behave like a pack of wolves, then go ahead, but don’t be surprised if someone treats you as such. I had in mind something… more. Something with some semblance of being civilized.”

“How come the others acted that way with their fellows?” Georgia Nyree said.

“Some were spoiled brats, some were bullies, and some were just power hungry. Out here, it doesn’t matter what you did before. What matters is what you do now. I don’t expect anyone to know everything. I do expect humans to behave better than the animals they claim to be superior to.”

“So what are we to do now?” Sanittie Laust said.

“Gee… I don’t know,” Murdock said sarcastically. “It’s now late spring or early summer and you have until winter begins to get sheltered, warm, and fed, you and your charges. So what do you think you should be doing?”

When no one answered, Murdock said, “Don’t you think you should figure out who amongst your people are hunters, builders, farmers, and a thousand other occupations? If you have no experts, would hobbyists work? Are you going to need weapons? You need to keep one thing in mind, always. There are animals here that would love a human for a meal, four-legged and two-legged animals. I want all of you, at your first opportunity, to walk to the river. It’s that way.” He pointed toward the river. “And when you see the speed and volume of the water, keep in mind it freezes solid each winter.”

The entity had been awake a short time and was reluctant to exert control over its host. It had sensed its enemy nearby, along with its fellow entities. There were fewer of its fellows than it had expected, but it was unconcerned with the losses.

It opened a passive connection to the host’s visual cortex, allowing it to receive the images the host saw. As the host turned its head to take in all within view, the entity stimulated the second-sight part of the host’s visual perceptions and saw the two figures, cloaked in black robes, invisible to the host’s usual visual perception. It also saw the red-tinted psychic barrier that closed off the pods and the humans from the greater local environment. This action lasted only a fraction of a second, but it risked the entity being perceived by its enemy and its host. As a precaution, the entity erased any memory of what the host saw.

The entity had decided to seek its fellows when the hosts were resting, during their period of inactivity and low luminosity, when the hosts were the most unaware of the entity’s presence.

Murdock had dismissed the meeting of the leaders about an hour before sundown. He was irritable and tired from a lack of sleep and from dealing with these intruders. I know I’m not a people-person. He splashed water from the stream onto his face to wash away the strange taint he felt from dealing with the newcomers.

“Kevin, I have someone for you to meet,” Declan said, from behind him.

Once Murdock stood and turned to face Declan, he saw a familiar female.

Angelica saw the expression on Murdock’s face go from startled confusion, to hurt, and then to anger in a fraction of a second as the stream water ran down his face.

Declan, this is a mistake, she thought. I don’t know why, but I know this is a mistake.

“This is my sister, Angelica,” Declan said, in an upbeat tone.

Angelica could see the anger directed at Declan, and then she saw Murdock’s lower lip quiver, a burning glare in his eyes. He turned and strode to his lodge and shut the flap.

As Murdock passed her, Mei Lee stood with a puzzled look.

She turned toward Declan. “Declan, what—”

Standing before her was the spitting image of Rose. Not the Rose she knew with the scars, but the one she’d briefly met when she’d first arrived. Her mouth hung agape.

“Mei Lee, this is my little sister, Angelica,” Declan said. “Angelica, this is Mei Lee Murdock.”

Angelica smiled sweetly and extended her hand to the small Asian woman. “Nice to meet you, Mei Lee.”

Oh, my god. She looks and sounds just like her. “Nice to meet you, Angelica.” Mei Lee took the offered hand and shook it, and flashed a brief smile.

Declan received a cold glare.

Declan looked back, confusion on his face.

“I don’t think Murdock likes me,” Angelica said to Declan.

“Sorry about that. It wasn’t you, Angel. I’m certain of that. He’s probably just tired.”

“You know, you owe her an apology,” flashed to Murdock’s mind, from Mei Lee.

“I know. I was taken by surprise when I was tired. I thought I was losing my hold on reality when I turned and saw her.”

“I understand. I, too, was taken aback when I saw her. She is the spitting image of Rose. She even sounds like her.”

“I thought I was seeing a ghost. She looked the way Rose did when we first arrived. I knew about finding his brother, but not his sister.”

“No one did. Declan, thinking he was being clever, hid it well.” Mei Lee’s anger came through her thought transmissions.

“Don’t be too cross with him. He was just excited.”

“He’s shared with us enough to know our feelings for Rose. He should’ve given us a heads-up at least, so we would be prepared.”

“She is his sister. I think he doesn’t notice the similarities since he hadn’t seen Rose in several years. I think he’s missed his brother and sister for a long time. Having them both here now brings out his excitement.”

“Are you making excuses for him?”

Heather Stevens and Kathy Watkins were sitting together close to the fire when Murdock stormed past.

“This looks interesting.” Kathy smirked.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Heather said.

“Looks to be trouble in paradise, to me.” Watkins was still smirking.

Heather shook her head. “You disgust me. You’re just looking for grist to feed your rumor mill. These people are my friends. I’ve lived with them for some time before coming to your group. They all have their issues, but they’re good people and don’t deserve your innuendos and lies.”

“Sounds like you’re more comfortable with their company than ours.” Watkins glared at her. “Keep in mind, we took you in, gave you a place with us. Should I take this conversation into account when it comes time to dole out the flour and grain?”

“You’ve reminded us of that at every opportunity. Maybe I need to keep your threats in mind when you come around looking for my and Alvin’s help, or when you want to borrow one of our animals.” Heather glared back at Watkins as she stood. “You have a right to your opinion, but you needn’t be such a b***h about it. We also have the right to ignore you and your requests.”

She stepped over to the fire, turning her back to Watkins.

Murdock exited the tipi two hours after sunset. As he approached the fire, he clapped twice to get everyone’s attention.

“I would like Curtis and Angelica to come forward,” he said, once he reached the fire.

It didn’t take them long to join him.

“As most of you know, our brother Declan has found his Earth brother and sister. As Declan is my brother, so is Curtis. And Angelica is my sister. I was married to their sister Rose. As she was family, so are they. I look forward to the day they are fully trusted and accepted as family to all of us.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” flashed to Murdock’s mind, from Declan.

“You know what it means. When you first arrived, I accepted you as a brother-in-law. Now you are more than that. You’re one of the most trusted people here. They both need to prove themselves to be worthy of joining our tribe.”

“But I wanted to bring them home and keep them safe from the abuses that are sure to be inflicted by the other new arrivals,” Declan flashed.

Murdock marveled at how even Declan’s thoughts came across as whiney at times.

“You can’t keep them safe, as you well know. This planet isn’t safe. You’re free to take them home with you, as long as you take responsibility for their conduct and their training. In the future, should they join our tribe, they will become full members, just as Irene, Annie, you, and Em did, and will, thus, be held accountable for their own actions.”

Ted Wagner was lying just inside the tree line, close to the river. He had been watching the granite building that was against the ridge to the next level up. Twenty-foot walls of granite he thought as he lay watching for signs of life, narrow doorway into the compound, two-story house, possibly a water filtration system on the roof. It had to have been built by Murdock or with his help. It needs to be conquered or destroyed.

“What do you think, Ted?” Harvey Stoddard whispered.

“I think we need to wait and see who’s inside. It would be foolish to take over the building if Murdock is in there.”

“Before the wall that confined us was constructed, that wasn’t there. Murdock has been operating longer than that building has existed. You’re not scared of Murdock, are you?” Stoddard looked at Wagner sideways.

“I wouldn’t say I fear him,” Wagner said, with more conviction than he felt. “What does it gain us if we die trying to improve our situation? Imprisoning us was wrong. We’re just trying to survive any way we can. Besides, you didn’t feel the effects of Murdock’s anger.” Wagner rubbed his chest absentmindedly, as he always did when he remembered the confrontation with Murdock.

Stoddard snickered. “Maybe you shoulda made sure Murdock was dead before you took his stuff and the women.”

Wagner shot a glare at Stoddard. “If I would’ve hit you in the head like I did him, what little brains you have would be splattered all over the place.”