SUPPLIES
1013 Words
JAKE
The day started quiet. The air shimmered with heat; the sea below the cliffs looked like glass. Rin was working near the solar panels, Sammy was in the garden patch they’d managed to carve out of the sandy soil and they were trying to make it fertile to grow some garden vegetables. Then came the sound. A low rumble from the beach ,where they had docked when they first landed on the island.
Jake froze mid-step. He knew that sound. He walked toward the beach, heart already lifting. The shape grew clearer through the haze — a transport skimmer, engines whining as it descended.
Rin shaded her eyes. “That better be who I think it is.”
Jake’s lips twitched. “It is.”
The skimmer touched down in a spray of saltwater. The hatch swung open, and out stepped Dax — wearing that impossible grin he’d somehow kept even through gunfire and chaos.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” he called over the noise. “You’re alive, Commander. Starting to think you were hiding from me.”
Jake couldn’t stop the laugh that broke out of him. He met Dax halfway down the sand and clasped his shoulder hard. “You’re late.”
“Traffic,” Dax said easily, jerking a thumb toward the horizon. “Brought what you asked for and then some.”
Rin jogged up behind Jake, already eyeing the supply crates rolling off the skimmer. “If that ‘then some’ doesn’t include coffee, you’re walking home.”
Dax chuckled. “Wouldn’t dream of showing up empty-handed.”
Sammy appeared next. The last time he’d seen Dax had been through smoke and chaos — the night they’d fled the tunnels. Dax noticed the uncertainty and softened his tone.
“Hey, kid. Good to see you in one piece.”
Sammy nodded. “Thanks to you.”
Dax waved it off. “Nah, thanks to him.” He jerked his chin toward Jake. “I just flew the ship.”
They unloaded supplies together — tins of food, fuel cells, blankets, and an old radio that might still pick up a signal.When they were done, the four of them sat on the sand, passing around bottles of water that tasted faintly of metal but still felt like luxury.
“So,” Dax said, leaning back on his elbows, eyes on the horizon. “You planning to stay buried out here forever, or just until the world forgets your names?”
Jake glanced at Sammy, who was watching the waves. “For now,” he said. “Here’s enough.”
Dax smiled knowingly. “Didn’t think I’d ever hear you say that.”
Jake didn’t answer. He just watched the sea glint against the sunlight, felt Sammy’s shoulder brush his, and let the silence speak for him.
By dusk, the crates were stacked and the sun had dropped low enough to turn the sea copper.For a long while, no one spoke. It almost felt normal — like they were just old friends catching up after a long trip.Then Dax cleared his throat.
“I didn’t just come here for a supply run.”
Jake looked up. “I figured.”
Rin, who’d been busy poking at the fire, didn’t glance away. “You brought that tone. That’s the bad-news tone.”
Dax gave a small, tired laugh. “Yeah. You always were too sharp for my comfort.” He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “Things are shifting back there. The Order’s fractured, but not dead. The old cities are trying to rebuild—half of them under new flags, the other half under smoke.”
Sammy’s fingers stilled where they were tracing patterns in the sand. “And the people?”
Dax hesitated before answering. “Scattered. Scared. There are whispers about a new branch of control units. They’re cleaning up what’s left — anyone connected to the old ops. Names are resurfacing.”
Jake’s stomach tightened. “Our names?”
“Not yours yet,” Dax said carefully. “But the handler network’s been compromised. Someone’s been digging through old files. Rin, you’re probably on a list. Sammy…” He trailed off, glancing at him. “If anyone finds out he’s alive, it won’t stay quiet for long.”
The air around the fire seemed to shrink. Rin’s expression hardened. “So you’re saying we’re not safe here.”
“I’m saying you bought time,” Dax replied. “Not forever. The sea keeps you hidden, but not invisible. Sooner or later, someone will come looking for what they lost.”
Jake sat back, staring at the flames. For weeks, he’d let himself believe the island was enough — that the world could stay out there, broken but distant. Hearing Dax’s words was like a cold hand on his chest, reminding him that peace here was only borrowed.
Sammy’s voice broke the silence. “We’ll deal with it when it comes. We’ve done it before.”
Jake looked at him — the faint tremor in his hands that never quite went away, the resilience in his voice.
He nodded once. “Yeah. We will.”
Dax sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I’ll keep checking in when I can. I’ve got friends in the ports who still owe me favors. If something moves your way, you’ll know before they do.”
“Thanks,” Jake said.
Dax gave a lopsided smile. “You’d do the same.”
The night deepened around them, the fire snapping softly. Beyond the dark horizon, the world was still burning and rebuilding — a thousand miles away yet close enough to touch. But for now, on this little scrap of sand, they still had quiet and each other.
Jake looked at Sammy, who was watching the stars like he could read something in them.Whatever came next, he’d fight for this small peace — and for him — for as long as the world allowed.
"Funny how you're ready to die for me cause you of that particular night."
- Writer
