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Better Days: Chapter 2

Thirty-two years old, male, average height, average build. This description would have made Ryan very unnoticeable in the crowd, if he weren't more that.

The crowd was a large combination of people in various states of Morph. Cute cat or dog ears, sometimes even the showings of antlers all occupied the space above their heads, really quite the sight, though entirely normal now. Ryan, again was quite normal in that regard. He had his own pair of pointed feline like ears that twitched and swerved towards any noise around him. Faces varied from very human to a little changed from the animal DNA. Slightly protruded noses, canines that didn't quite fit in the mouths they occupied, small changes. This is where Ryan was different. He had a lot more changed in him than ninety-nine percent of the population. He was what the government and people called, Blooded, as in his blood was almost more animal than human. It was a rare condition that affected about one in every two million. The effects were mostly cosmetic with Ryan sporting a very canine/feline face, sharing a blend of both. He had a nose that quivered, an elongated muzzle and below, where people could see due to the crowded nature of the room and his baggy clothes, was what would have been a body that would have looked like a dog that was standing upright.

Being Blooded was difficult at times as people always tried to find new ways to be prejudice against anyone who was more different than themselves. Most of society was accepting, but there were always a few who enjoyed singling him out. He had been forced out a taxi, refused service at a restaurant, chided and scrutinized more times than he cared to count and recently stared at for an entire flight from San Diego to here, the Kennedy Space Center where for once he wasn't the center of attention. The other people around him gave him sideways glances, a curiosity that one couldn't help but look at, but no one said anything. Even though no one cared, or openly cared about him, they all saw him, everyone but one person.

James hadn't even shown the slightest reaction to him being there. He should have stuck out like a sore thumb in the crowd of comparably normal looking people. A flaming beacon, screaming to be looked at, and yet, James didn't even seem to notice him.

Ryan wanted to elicit some kind of reaction. A pause, a quick stutter, something to tell Ryan that he had been seen, but there was nothing. James kept talking, answering questions politely. He was always to kind and courteous to others in public. Ryan wanted to laugh at their ignorance, the person James was in public was so much different than what he was in private. He knew that all to well, it was what drove them apart, but it had been that kindness in public that brought them together. Ryan remembered that as well.

---

Ryan huddled in the corner of the concrete room. It was cold and dark, so dark. The electricity had gone out a long time ago. He didn't remember when, he had just been in the dark for a while. He wasn't alone however. There were others there. The other staff, those unlucky few who had some sort of work had come in bright and early so that they could finish their work quickly and then go home for the rest of the weekend.

Ryan had come in to finish grading some homework that had been turned in. He needed it done by Monday so he could hand it back. He had been about a quarter of the way through the stack of fifty science exams. It was over basic physics and should have been a gimme for most of the class. How hard is it to remember gravitational constant of each planet? He had learned that in a day when he was in school, and yet most children didn't have any idea. Not so long story, even shorter, there was a lot of red ink on each page, minus a few from students who actually tried. How many of those students were actually still alive? The eruption hit so fast, everyone was caught by surprise. He had no idea how many escaped, all he knew was that he was probably going to die.

It was quiet except for the sobs of a few. They held onto each other for comfort, waiting for whatever end might be coming. He himself didn't, he sat on the edge of the group. He had his knees up to his chest and held onto that. Not that anyone would notice that he was alone, he was sure that most of the group didn't quite realize he was there. He had always been a bit of a loner. The students loved him, he made witty jokes and engaged with them, but outside of that, he didn't talk much. This town was old school and very prejudice, the only reason he had this job was because the principal was an old friend from high school. He wondered if he got out.

The dark silence was all consuming, it took what little sense of time Ryan had and twisted it. Had it been an hour or a minute, Ryan didn't have the means to tell and he didn't want to look at his watch. He wanted to be home in his bed or out in the town at the bar, watching the grav ball tournament happening on Venus. No, he was spending his day in this hell hole as the world turned to dust just on the other side of the concrete wall.

That concrete wall began to crumble. No one could see it, but they heard it, the sound of the wall cracking. Someone cried out, thinking that the weight of the dust above was breaking down the room around them. Then the sound of the cracking was drowned out, not by the flow of deadly choking dust, but by a drill. It was music to their ears.

The darkness was replace with a bright beam of light that blinded everyone. It was a ray of light that came from the newly formed hole and it swept the room like some holy gaze.

Ryan blinked when the light passed over him, he could make out some figures. They filed into the far end of the room. Ryan and the rest of the group slowly stood up. It hadn't quite hit them that they were being saved.

"We've got survivors." A muffled voice called out and the single beam of light split into many as the rest of the figures turned on their headlamps on.

"Copy that." Another voice, this one filled with static, from a radio replied. "We're sending down the extraction tube. Injured first."

It all happened really fast from there. The soldiers who had come down had to rappel down and then a tube was sent after them.

The survivors were given a quick look over by a medic that accompanied them and then, one by one, they were sent up the tube. Ryan was the last one and was being checked by the medic when the first survivor, an overweight man who was suffering from high blood pressure and hypertension.

The medic, a man who looked as if he had deer genes in him and maybe a bit of lion due to the way his hair was growing and the small nubs of antlers from the top of his head, shined his pocket flashlight in each of Ryan's eyes.

"You know, I've never met a Blooded before." He said neutrally, showing none of the hate or suspicion that Ryan had grown used to over the years. The military was big on full integration, especially since the were more than a couple Blooded in high ranking positions.

"Most people haven't" Ryan kept his eyes open even though, after spending several hours in the dark, it was physically painful to keep them open.

The medic put away the light into a side pouch on his belt and leaned over to his right to grab a pressure cuff. "If you don't mind, what's it like?" He opened the cuff and put it on Ryan's outstretched arm. He took a moment to look at the fur there. "I've seen some people that are very animal like, but.." He didn't know how to continue without sounding judgmental.

"It's fine." Ryan said, tensing up as the cuff began to squeeze his arm, counting his heartbeats. "Other than some physical things, such as this fur, I'm the same as everyone else, though people don't seem to realize that."

The medic looked at his hand held monitor. "People are afraid of anything that seems different." He nodded as the cuff reached its desired setting and began taking readings. "It's human nature."

"You seem to be talking from some sort of experience." Ryan said, trying his hardest to ignore the pain in his arm now from having the cuff cut off the blood flow to his lower arm.

The cuff beeped, its readings complete and decompressed. "Not really, I was bullied as a kid." He pulled the cuff off. "I read a lot of history books and that made me different." He tossed the cuff onto the ground next to the other supplies he brought with him. He could take blood samples and run quick checks for infections or provided medication if anyone needed first aid through a gun like device that used compressed air to force medication through the pores of the skin. "Nothing compared to what I imagine you go through."

"It's not all bad." Ryan lied. He didn't need his pity, he had gone through life without pity and he would keep going. "I manage."

"I see that." The medic leaned back. "Well, you're all good to go." He looked over to the tunnel. The tube hadn't come back down for the second person yet. "Once everyone else is up, you'll be brought up to the surface. From there, you'll probably get a second look over before you're taken to a hospital."

Ryan nodded and looked around. He looked from the dusty old wrestling mats the were probably never going to see the light of day again. Nothing here was going to see daylight again. The mood was somber. The survivors made nice, quiet conversation with each other and the soldiers. Several were crying and holding onto each other as they were told just how few made it out.

"How did you get to us?" Ryan asked and looked back at the medic who was putting his supplies into a bag that had a prominent red cross on it. There was also the same red cross on his shoulder and his helmet that he had taken off.

"I shouldn't be telling you this." He looked at the other soldiers who were too preoccupied with their own duties and conversations to pay attention to the two. "We were originally ordered to abandon you."

"Abandon us?" Ryan said and the medic put a finger up to his lips. "Abandon us?" Ryan said again in a hushed tone.

"Yeah." The medic nodded. "The volcano was sent down another plume of ash before we could get the drill working and we were told to pull out."

"But you're here now."

"One of us disobeyed orders and stayed behind." Finished putting his tools away, the medic gave Ryan his full attention. "He got the drill working and command had no choice but to go back since it would be bad publicity if the media figured this out, especially with PlanNet always there."

Ryan looked around, expecting to see this person.

"He's not here." The medic said. "Got hurt during the process. Had to airlift him out to a hospital where..." He checked his PlanNet connection to verify the status of his fellow soldier. "He just got out of surgery. He's actually at the same hospital that you're going to be going to."

Ryan tried his own PlanNet connection, but was met with silence. It had cut out shortly after he and the rest of the staff had taken shelter. It was odd, but acceptable with the volcano and all. He felt a bit naked without the presence of the one thing that he had almost since birth. He couldn't see what was going on outside of the little concrete box he was in.

"What about my PlanNet connection?" Ryan asked now that he was very conscious of the quiet in his head.

"I can't say anything on that." The medic scratched his head. "There will probably be someone above that will talk to you, but that's not my area of expertise."

It was another four hours before Ryan got his chance to be brought up to the surface.

The tube was nothing more than a cylindrical cage that was slid down the glass tunnel with wheels to reduce friction. It was low tech, but it worked and could be set up much faster than a grav lift system. Once inside, Ryan was strapped down with a harness and told to keep his hands inside to avoid getting anything caught on the outside on his ascent up. There were a pair of handholds which Ryan took a tight grip on.

The medic who Ryan didn't forgot to get the name of was there the entire time.

"It's going to take a bit to get all the way up." The medic said. He checked the straps that laced around Ryan's chest a second time, pulling on them to ensure they were seated properly. "Just stay still and you'll be fine."

Ryan nodded and looked up. He could see the tiny pinprick of light above that was the surface. It was like a single star in the sky.

"Ready?" A burly soldier said, his long fang like canines gleaming in the light of his flashlight.

Ryan nodded. Now that he was in the cage, his legs felt like they were made of clay. He tightened his grip on the hand holds.

"Last one ready." The soldier said out loud, using his PlanNet to transmit it up to the surface.

"Rodger." The reply came across the radio. It could have just come across PlanNet, but hearing that everything was good was for Ryan's benefit. "Starting lift now."

There was a slight tug at the cage as the cables that connected it to what Ryan imagined was some sort of crane or pulley became taunt. Metal groaned as stress built up and the cart began its ascent.

Ryan caught a glimpse of the medic who waved. He waved back and then there was darkness, the light from the flashlights cut off.

It was stuffy in the cage. The air was thick, clinging to his throat and it was also very loud. The cage made all sorts of noises as it rolled its way up to the surface.

It was during this time that Ryan began to think about his future. He had put everything into this job, this life, this town, now it was gone. He had insurance which would help with the financial part, but what about everything else. He didn't know how many of his friends had gotten out, if any at all. Olympus Mons was the largest mountain in the entire solar system, therefor, by default it was the largest volcano as well. There was nothing left and by the amount of time it was taking to get up to the surface, it had completely buried the town like Pompeii. They would dig it up in a millennium and turn it into a tourist site.

Ryan's gut churned. He had nothing now. This job had been a handout and only just barely due to him knowing the man with the final say. There wouldn't be another opportunity. He could go live with his parents on Earth. They would surely take him. They weren't the richest, heck, they were barely middle class. No. Ryan couldn't put that burden on them. He had no idea how he would move on from this disaster.

Any more troubling thoughts were cut out as the sound changed. He could hear people talking, yelling and a very loud motor. Looking up, the star had turned into a blazing sun. Ryan hadn't even noticed, the increase in light had been so slow that his eyes and brain adjusted unconsciously.

"Here he comes." Someone shouted out as the top of the cage breached the ground.

"It's a Blooded." That was the first thing Ryan heard. It wasn't a soldier but one of the people from the many news crews that had gathered. They all crowded at the edge of the security perimeter that was set up, all vying for a shot of the last survivor to be pulled out of the ground. This was being broadcasted across all of human space. Billions were watching at this very moment and that was the first thing they were all going to hear about him.

Another person also heard this. "Back it up, back it up." Captain Helsing used his large form to physically move the cameras away. "Give him some room."

The news crews had no choice but to comply as they grudgingly moved back, grumbling the entire time.

"You'll get your chance to talk to him soon enough." Captain Helsing promised them, though he had no intention of going through with that promise. He hated how these leeches were always there to bug the victims even though they could get all the information they needed from PlanNet.

"To preserve the old art." Was their excuse.

"Vultures." Helsing said to himself as he walked away. He went to a guard he had posted near the perimeter. "Make sure no one crosses that line."

"Yessir." The guard replied smartly.

The big man went over to check on the last victim as he was unhooked from his harness and slowly led out of the cage. The small figure was grimy, his fur matted and his legs shaky as tears streamed down their faces. They were all like that, each of the people that they pulled out either cried or had the thousand yard stare.

"Let me help you." He took over helping the man walk over to a table where a pair of doctors were checking on the others. There was water and snacks set up as well. He set the man down on a foldable chair and handed him a cup of water.

"Thank you." Ryan said and took the cup into his shaky hands. He was thirsty, very thirsty and quickly gulped down the small amount of water. He graciously then took another from the very military looking man who towered over him and watched his every move. Ryan didn't mind, he had driven away the cameras and their judging eyes.

Helsing didn't say anything. He wanted the man to settle down before trying to talk. The last thing he needed was for him to break down into hysteria when he needed him to stay calm for his transfer to Watney Memorial Hospital.

Only once he was done drinking did Ryan finally thank the officer. "What happens now?" He asked, trying to not stare at the man's solitary cat eye.

"Once you've been cleared, you'll be taken to Watney Memorial in Iron City to the north of here." Helsing answered, glad that the man was talking now. He didn't care that the man was Blooded. That was one thing that had been drilled into the military ever since the whole mixing human genes with animals began. Just like when all restrictions on females was lifted over two hundred years ago and every single service member went through sexual harassment classes, every single service member now went through similar classes. It was quite effective, not perfect, but effective at making most soldiers look at each other as just another person.

"What about my PlanNet connection?" Ryan tapped the side of his head. "I can't get one." He had tried again when he got out of the cage, but was still getting nothing.

"The others were experiencing similar problems, but I don't know the cause. Once you get to the hospital, I'm sure someone there will answer that question."

Ryan was a little disappointed that he had to wait. He added it to his long list of other disappointments. "Oh, OK." He looked away at the bleak landscape. There was no sign of the city anymore, just rolling dunes of dust that went on to the horizon. Everything was all gone.

Helsing saw the shoulders slump. He didn't know what the man was feeling, there was no way he could even imagine the pain of losing everything like this so all he could do was comfort him for the time being now that his job of overseeing the rescue was largely done.

"I'm sure you don't want to stare at this any longer." Helsing said and sat in the chair next to the man who Helsing was just getting confirmed as Ryan Morrison, the son of two middle class parents that were currently residing on Earth. Lucky parents, he thought. Not many people still lived on Earth. "I can get you out of here now if you want."

"I thought I needed to get checked again." Ryan said as a doctor walked past him with a digipad filled with medical information.

Helsing's eyes followed the doctor until he was out of sight. "Not really, it's just a small precaution, but I can override it."

Ryan didn't have to think about it. "Yeah, I'd like that."

"Alright then." Helsing clapped and got the attention of the two doctors. He pulled them off to the side and told them that he wanted them to be moved to the hospital immediately. The doctors protested in their usual fashion, but a hand silenced them. Of course, he then gave an explanation about how the scenery, or more of the lack of their home town could cause mental stress and that made the doctors more agreeable.

"It's all good to go." Helsing said, returning to Ryan. "You can ride with me."

Ten minutes later and the two were flying off to Iron City. The rest would show up in a carrier transport. Ryan would have ridden with them if Helsing didn't get the feeling that he was an outcast even among them since the entire time they talked, Ryan had tried to avoid eye contact with each of his fellow survivors.

*How are they doing?* Helsing was startled at the message from James which caused the vehicle, another carrier transport that soared high above the ground, to swerve violently. Helsing brought the vehicle under control quickly and looked over at Ryan who had a frightened look on his face.

"Turbulence." Helsing quickly explained and Ryan calmed down.

*I wasn't expecting anything from you for some time.* Helsing sent the message without any emotion to keep his driving under control since it required some extra focus to send anything other than just words. *You should still be out cold.*

*Hyper-efficient liver. So did my stunt work?*

*All twelve made it out alive and are fine. One is suffering some minor blood pressure issues, but that's taken care of.*

*That's good to hear. Where are you now?"*

*Heading over to your hospital now with one of them. I'll drop him off and we can chat.*

*Bring him... her... the person with you. I'd like to talk to them all eventually.*

*You just had surgery. And it's a him, name's Ryan.*

*They set the bone and filled me with nanos... Ryan, huh. C'mon, I bet he'd want to meet me.*

*Alright, I'll ask him.*

*Thank you, sir.*

*Now you decide to follow military protocol?*

*Yessir.*

Helsing felt the contact get cut. He looked at Ryan. He was gazing out the window into the redness. The ash was covering the entire planet, painting everything red due to the high level of iron oxide. He seemed lost in thought. "Ryan." Helsing said. He let go of the control that he wasn't really using. Auto pilot was doing all of the work, he was just there as a manual override if something went electronically wrong.

"Yeah." Ryan said, not looking away from the outside.

"How would you feel about meeting the man who saved you?"