Her display went blank. Suddenly she really did feel alone.
With the Rovers so far away, she had no time to waste. She had to get back to the vehicle hangar and start working. Cramming the automotive maintenance book into her bag, she donned her coat and headed out into the perpetual storm.
Chapter 14
Crouching on a stool in the vehicle hangar, H124 went over the auto book, studying the car. For one thing, the flat tires had to be inflated. She found a motorized pump against one wall and used it to fill them with air. She then threw the tarp off the car, revealing the hood. She opened it, staring down at the engine. It looked very clean. None of the wiring was corroded. She found an empty platform where the battery was supposed to be, with waiting wires running to the photovoltaic cells on the roof. She hoped the system still worked. This thing had been down here for ages.
She found the winch and a tow ring on the bottom side of the car, designed to pull the vehicle up the ramp and out into the daylight. The piece of paper described where to find a switch that would open the large double door. She flipped it, watching the sun’s rays spill down the ramp.
On a nearby rusted metal shelf, she found the batteries that were described on the sheet tucked inside the automotive book. They’d been latched up in large, rusted boxes. Unlike their containers, the batteries within were immaculate.
In metal tins to the right of the boxes, she saw containers for water, so she filled them from a little spigot in the wall. She added it to the batteries, following the instructions carefully. She hoped they weren’t too corroded. They’d been sealed and protected, and for that she was grateful. The terminals were clean.
She hauled one of the batteries over to the hood, opened it, and placed it inside. The other two she stashed in the trunk. She hoped to be able to keep one charged, or two if possible, so she wouldn’t have to stop and reload them too often.
She pulled the winch hook back and attached it to the tow ring. Leaning inside the car, she switched a lever to N, following the instructions. Standing aside, she activated the winch, watching the cable pull the vehicle up the ramp and out into the daylight. She followed it out, catching a whiff of fresh air. A light drizzle rained down, obscuring the sun, but at least some UV radiation would get through to provide a charge. She watched the rivulets wash away the thin layer of dust on the cells. Now she just had to wait. Not wanting to leave the vehicle unattended, she sat down beneath a small overhang and leaned against a ruined brick wall, watching.
Hopefully, she’d be able to start the vehicle in five hours. That would leave a few hours of daylight to make some headway. She didn’t like the thought of traveling at night, with the roads so choked with debris and laden with potholes.
She sat with the car for an hour, gazing up at the storm, listening to the rain patter on the roof. As time wore on, she decided to leave the car for a while. She had to go back to the shelter and pack up some things: few field guides, the atlas, more MREs. She thought of the opossum and felt a painful pang in her chest at the thought of leaving it. Its shoulder was healing nicely, though. It would probably be glad to be out in the world again.
She walked back to the shelter, imagining the journey ahead. She’d sleep for a couple hours, then pack up some food.
A few hours later, H124 arose from her nap and looked around groggily. She sat up, reaching for her PRD. This was it. The car had been charging for five hours. She’d read and reread the automotive book, familiarizing herself with the transmission, the pedals, giving herself a virtual driving lesson. It didn’t look too difficult. At least she hoped it wouldn’t be. She decided to take the book with her.
Then she’d filled her bag with MREs and grabbed a couple spare bottles with filters. From a hook near the door, she grabbed a warm-looking purple scarf. At the bookshelf, she selected the atlas, a couple of field guides on animals and weather. She scanned the shelves a little more and took a book with a story in it, something called Boy’s Life by Robert McCammon.
Standing in front of the weather shelter map, she selected several locations that lay in the direction she had to take. She made sure she had their whereabouts on her PRD. Then she took the old PRD with Raven’s recordings and placed it in her bag.
When she was ready, she approached the opossum, now sleeping under one of the beds. She stooped down, watching it breathe. A painful lump traveled down her throat. She looked at its cut, gently peeling away the bandage. Much better than before. She took off the bandage completely, waking up the opossum as she did so. It blinked up at her. She lifted it with care, pulling it to her chest. It didn’t struggle or play dead this time.
She walked to the door, feeling the warm fur against her. She knew it belonged out there, with others of its kind, but she was reluctant to say goodbye. Taking one long, last look at the weather shelter, she exited, entering the code to lock it behind her. She climbed the stairs back to the ground floor, carrying the opossum with her. When she was outside, she set it down. It turned and looked at her, sniffing the air. The drizzle had stopped, and the sun shone down from gaps in the clouds. The opossum caught the scent of something and shuffled off.
“Goodbye,” she whispered. “Good luck.”
It
