Had to split the original plan for this chapter in two as this ‘first’ part rounded off so nicely. n.n
<.< Little peek at the civilian side of the colony before things go boom the first time.
Chapter Twelve:
An odd shutter of the building had the young teen jarred out of the odd state she had been in. Somewhere between hyper fixation and a stupor, the girl blinked around her, recognizing the botany lab 58. Her favorite place at the moment, that was not the near private area that her dads had and shared. Mostly her step-dad’s rank was the reason they had such a big space.
Here it was large just because it was a green building, tied to several runners. Long buildings to be added green houses. As big as it was, there were not nearly as many people as other areas of the colony. So it was quiet but for the ambient sounds recorded, as well as the soft sounds of the quail that were finally getting established in their set areas of the growing space. In the day there was humming and buzzes of mason bees and some other smaller pollinators.
Thankfully, this was not one of the isolated sewage recycling buildings for breeding soldier flies. Between those places and the scattered smaller areas for meal worms and crickets, the quail, and areas that had chickens, all the birds had good protein.
The girl debated checking in on the rabbit colonies… warrens? There were a few set up in this building including her own group. She saw the time, it was so late, it was very early in the morning now.
Lana Deegan stretched her back, wincing not just at what she would imagine her dad saying, but also tossing her arms up as she saw the dimmed lights past her work station. A little cubby she had been allowed to take over with a table and a big yam plant to her right side. Mostly this was her spot to study and do her work program with the overall hydroponics and greenhouses. And twenty percent yam space. She had been working through reading a fascinating book on mycelium back on earth when the shaking happened.
The girl got up, checked to see if VEGA had left any messages on her terminal. Some older and semi new message from her professor on the Phobos base- he had noticed she was logged in at a weird hour. Basically it was a go to bed message. The latest was an air breach code for the outside?
That had the teen sitting up and paying attention, looking at the code itself and then sighed in relief. Not the code VEGA used for breaches, Lana was not sure she was grateful for figuring out about that herself or not.
The green domes, buildings and labs all had extra redundancies for breaches. Lana was safe here as she got up and padded to the main entrance. Noticing someone in the recreation room sleeping on the way down to the surface level reception. The doors were definitely locked, she was not getting past VEGA’s lockdown until one of dad's men came by to lift it. That did not stop the teen from automatically typing in her code, the one her dad gave her. To lock down almost everything in her building from the inside as well as the overall lock down. The clear windows were starting to tint as well as the dim lights to conserve energy and ‘camouflage’ from the main central colony.
Lana was still not fully sure why her dad had phrased it like that. She had promised to do that in any breach lockdown though, so she did before the young teen padded in slippers to the small recreation area of the building she was in.
She missed the large movement in a window, something dark and about human shaped crawling up the frame. Looking away as Lana scanned the reception area itself for any unattended goodies left while leaving the area. With her blanket and its colors the teen blended into the mural of sunflowers on the back wall. The computer said the underground tunnels were locked down as well as this upper section contracted to a warehouse-like bay that stored the outside tractors, and for anyone traveling by rollers. If needed someone could get into that pressurized area to be safe, just not into the green building or botany labs.
Lana was relieved as she saw that it was her uncle Richard, adopted father inside. She would not be alone, he was stretched out on the couch really, with a low table pulled over with several drinks of caffeine that did not work. She picked up a book and tablet off her dad's front, then took off his boots. They had been hanging off the couch but now rested beside it. One of the semi donated blankets from those that worked in the agriculture spiral. Each had a name on it, but anyone in the room could use them as the temps could fluctuate being on Mars. Lana spread the brown and blank blanket over her Uncle, finding another in green and yellow tones to wrap around herself as the girl started to get one of the other couches ready for her to get some sleep on.
She was just reaching for a second blanket when looking out through the clear windows all the way to one of the outer windows. Lana frowned, and got back up, padding quietly back out and over to the Eastern side of the building. The windows were still tinted but she could see out from the light from the moons. Not very bright but… there was a group walking?
Lana squinted, realizing they were coming from between the agriculture sprawl and the edge of the once mining track. Even from a distance she could recognize a formation like the drills dad would do, but who would be training this late? There were also at least three people in the bulkier armor compared to what her dad and his men normally wore. It took a second for Lana to recognize the ‘older’ generation armor of the space marines before the Elite Guards like her step dad.
What had them out at this hour? Without a transport? It looked like they were dragging a sled behind the last two.
The teen hoped everything was okay, they seemed to be heading to the RnD sprawl though.
Dad told Lana and her uncle to stay away from that area as much as possible last week.
Tired, not sure what to do, Lana retreated back to reception, sitting behind the desk to type out a message to VEGA. He should be able to respond, or one of his subsystems dedicated to the green areas. There was an automatic message, and the teen winced as she saw the string of misspellings she did.
Lana was about to go back to where she left her adopted father, when the computer made a notable chirp as it was taken over by the colony AI.
“Lana? Are you still there?” VEGA spoke from the small speaker at the desk.
The teen leaned over and turned the speaker on. “I’m here Vega.”
“Is your building still secured in lockdown?” VEGA asked, his voice the same calm and steady, almost warm that Lana always knew it was since she was a toddler.
“Yea…aah,” Lana started and then squeaked as she yawned, “Yes, it is. I used that code dad told me too. All the outer windows tinted, and… and dad..uh, uncle Richy is sleeping.”
“Is it just you two in the building?” VEGA asked, even as he was reaching out to the green building. Checking through every code and automatic system report from the sensors to his created subsystem. It seemed there was no attempts from anything to get in.
“I think it’s just me and daddy, um, uncle Richy.” Lana was tired now and it was showing as she slipped back to how she phrased things. It was so much easier to think of her uncle as daddy, and his husband as dad. Even though she had learned some people in the colony still got weird about it. “Vega what’s happening in the main colony?”
There was a full two second pause before VEGA spoke again. He was still calm and used a subtly different tone that he found helped keep panic down. “There has been a breach between the supply sector and the old mining area. Livestock buildings six and two are compromised as well to the local atmosphere. There is a chance that something has come through one of the rifts in the canyon below the research sector.”
The AI watched as the teen tilted her head and looked in the general direction of the livestock buildings. There was no panic he could see but a bit more attention was swung back to Lana as she asked, “Is that why there’s people outside of the local sprawl? I saw a group by the livestock buildings dragging things. Are they trying to do repairs?”
“There are crews that are on their way from the main colony and the mining area.” VEGA reassured, “Some of my cameras are down from the wind storm last evening. Would you tell me what you saw Lana?”
The young teen leaned back, kicking her legs in the chair to try and use the movement to stay awake. “It looked like some of the older space marine armor… I think it was LS building two? That’s the closest to us here. But they were pulling a sled?”
“That sounds like things are keeping on track.” VEGA noted and then added, “But, because there is a possible rift event, Commander Deegan, your dad has asked that you and your father go into the botany lab’s vault until he’s sure you’re safe. Would you start bringing some blankets and the couch cushions in there Lana? If you could also wake your father so I can let him know what’s happening?”
The colony AI watched from the computer’s camera and a security one as there was a delay before the young teen nodded. Starting to get up, “I can get dad… yeah can do.”
Lana was starting to move away from the reception desk before turning back. Blinking a few times before slowly asking. “Um… if we got to go to the vault room… can… you unlock the vending machines vega? The food rations in there aren't that good.”
“Of course Lana,” VEGA sounded more amused. He was more than willing to indulge the child as the machines in question were right along the path to the secured vault room of the building. Before adding in a lower voice. “Just do not tell maintenance and resupply it was me?”
“Oh no, it opened in the lockdown.” Lana giggled tiredly as she stumbled a bit, but like many teens of different ages, food was a wonderful motivator. She wavered a little before sidetracking to grab an empty two tier rolling cart. Using it to help stay up while yawning and trying to cling to her blanket.
She parked the cart between the vending machines and couches. Padding over to pat and poke her adopted father. “Dad? Daddy? Daaaaaad, wake up.”
The man snorted and blinked owlishly in the dim lights, realizing that he had a blanket and his boots were off. “Wassit? What’s going on?”
“Lockdown,” Lana started, yawned and then poked the man in the shoulder again until the Dr. Deegan sat up. Ruffling his hair. “Vega wants to talk to you, there’s a link in reception. Livestock buildings… um… two and…uuhh… two and siiix had failures.”
“Fuck,” the man paused and winced as his daughter giggled at the slip, but looked down. “Chickens and goats new buildings… vega’s link is where?”
“Reception.” Lana nodded, feeling something sink as she remembered what were in those buildings. She did know that the risks of breaches were the reason there were several buildings of the different types of farmed animals, even the small ones. She scooted back and padded over to the vending machines as her father got up.
“Where are you going, butter cup?” Richard Deegan asked bemused as he pulled his boots back on, though did not tie them.
“Oh nooo,” Lana giggled as she looked back and opened the first vending machine. Reaching in and grabbing the fruit cups first, then sweet Skeetles as she looked back. “No credits needed in lockdown. Oh no…”
“You goober.” The man shook his head as Lana giggled again and started to fill her arms, then used her blanket to hold things as he got up. “Get me some Honey comb?”
“Oooh, honey combs…” Lana almost dropped her loot going back to the cart, watching her adopted father heading to the other room. She had to maneuver to get the blanket on the cart, making it a nice cradle before going back. Pulling the cart with her and reaching for some more goodies. With basic permission from VEGA she was happy to grab what looked tasty and what were treats. Hesitating for a moment as she was not sure if her father wanted the real honeycomb in clear containers, or the honeycomb candy.
Shrugging, Lana grabbed both. Making a nice stash for her and her adopted father, even some drinks. Carefully put the blankets on the top and then wedged the couch cushions into the lower section of the cart.
Lana had a nice nest made in the large vault area when her dad came in, looking far, far too awake as he put some more things in the area Lana was setting up. Including some larger things of water containers. Lana tilted her head, confused as she was about to sit down. “Lot of water?”
“Vega told me you’ve been reading since yesterday afternoon.” Dr. Deegan said, her dad leaning over to give Lana a kiss on the head. “It’s drinking water. Hydrate my little hooligan. Can’t escape it. Want to watch a movie while we wait?”
“Vega did not need to tell on me,” the teen made a face, paused and then looked at the door, catching her father’s hand. “Dad? Can… can we get Lacy and Stitches? If we’re going to be stuck in the vault for a day.”
“Yeah, I can get your rabbits, buttercup,” her father assured, passing one of the larger, personal tablets to the teen that had a lot of entertainment data on it. “I need to check a camera for Vega, so he can see the damage of the breach in the livestock building. You sit and pick something for us to watch.”
The teen plopped down in her nest, yawning as Lana hugged an able juice bottle, trying to balance the tablet. “Okay… get some of their food?”
“I will,” the older man promised as he made sure the teen was laying down. After a long moment or two, he realized that Lana had fallen asleep just about as fast as she had gone horizontal.
Thank the gods for that weird talent of the young, and Lana was still young enough to do this. The man looked around, hesitated and put a blanket over his adopted daughter before getting up to make sure they would have enough supplies for several days and an active link he could use to watch the building itself. The few animals were fed some extra food, and the man brought Lana’s two favorite rabbits in with a pen and some dry food that should be more than enough.
The doctor stood by the same window Lana had wondered to, setting up a camera from another section of the building and paused. Seeing movement as the camera was starting to focus, tied to the building systems, and thus, VEGA.
But he could see… What looked like a fight?
Bulky armored men mixed with some streamlined one, set up outside and… something skittering and almost blending into the nighttime landscape. Richard swallowed thickly, almost forgetting the last thing before locking himself and his teen in the vault. Taking VEGA’s recommendation to close the lines for the liquid energy. With the batteries in the Green building and labs, everything would be running for a month under normal use.
With everything running at a minimum level it could be longer.
Just in case.
But with guardsmen in an active fight outside?
Dr. Deegan prayed for his husband's safe return, as he closed the vault. Thankful that Lana might sleep through the worst part to come, and his Edward knew where they were.
