© Becca, Dana Simmons and Starbright 2001 The Young Riders is an Ogiens/Kane Production, created by Ed Spielman.
We only borrow his characters for fun. No infringement of copyright intended. There is absolutely no financial gain for the authors. We survive on the feedback, and we need plenty of it.

2313
Chapter 1

Louise McCloud stared into the microscope, her heart pounding in her chest as she witnessed the rapid growth of the ancient bacteria they had been cultivating for so long. Without ever getting the expected results. The bacteria was growing all right, multiplying, but very slowly and always only up to a point. When it reached a certain population per cubic-cm it died out, only a few strains seemed to survive. And then they had to restart everything again, slowly trying to modulate the ambient, shutting down the CO2 to it's minimum, waiting and seeing. Increasing the CO2-level, and more waiting. There was so little room to play in, the atmosphere outside had its own limits, and they had to stay within them in order to get the bacteria to multiply outside. In the brave new world they had been carefully trying to let develop outside the cupolas. They had been elaborating the nutrient, the ambiance, the gene's, everything. Until yesterday when Philip in his deep frustration went all the way to the outer limits of the cupola, opening the gateway he had thrown the latest cultivation out onto the grass. The grass they weren't supposed to thread, ever. In the early morning hours Louise had snuck out to get the dying bacteria back, she somehow felt oddly responsible for it. It wasn't until she snuck the glass back under the microscope to see if any of her protégés had made it she realized the bacteria had not only survived, it thrived!

"Oh brother" She exhaled jerkily as the tiny spirals under her eyes busted with energy, multiplying rapidly. Producing vitamin-K, natural vitamin-K, the elixir they had been trying to naturalize for 2 years. Ever since she was assigned to this Biotech-lab in the Mideast cupola, this was what she had been doing. "Oh brother!" She repeated, not able to divert her eyes from the beautiful sight.

"Lou?"

"Huh," she replied without even glancing at the speaker, she knew full well who it was. Celinda was totally unaware about what a break-trough this was. Her voice was toneless, sounding disinterested.

"Oh brother," Lou said for the third time.

"Something wrong?"

"Look!"

Celinda threw her a tired glance as Lou finally jerked her eyes from the spectacles, "just look!"

Lou had to sit down, her legs were shaking and her palms were sweaty. This was the best thing that had ever happened in this lab, and she was there to witness it.

"Oh brother!" Celinda echoed.

The EA called for Lou's attention, it had to buzz her three times before she lifted her eyes and let the message enter. When HuRec's official sign appeared Lou closed her eyes to gather herself. If she had been let down today it wouldn't matter, she had been part of molding the future anyway. If she hadn't been approved to the taskforce today, she wouldn't mind. She had breathed fresh air and she had seen the result of their hard work. Whatever HuRec had decided, she was ready.

"Louise McCloud?"

She opened her eyes and an officer of the HuRec appeared on the screen in front of her. He was smiling and Lou felt her heart pound anew. When their eyes met over the distance the man's smile widened. "Congratulations, you're a member of the 41st HuRec taskforce, headed out in two weeks. Destination, the old state of Nebraska, former US-territory."

Lou was dumbstruck.

"I'll give you a day to think it over, we've discussed the perils of the mission. If you accept I expect you at the Physicians Center at HuRec tomorrow, 900 sharp."

Lou's lips moved but not a sound came out. And she knew that the man on the other side couldn't possibly catch her thoughts as they flew around in her brain, bouncing off each other. Mingling into a thousand pictures and fragments of what was to come. With an amused smirk the Officer shut down the connection. Lou remain staring into the blank screen, not one straight thought in her still whirling mind.

Lou noticed Celinda handing her a tray of prepared sections for sequencing. Automatically she switched on the SRE, moves she had so well imprinted in her body that her mind didn't actually have to follow. Out to the free, feeling the wind, all those smells you've only read about. Rain! Dew in the morning. Sand beneath your feet and wind in your face. It's actually happening Lou, it's really happening. You're going out!

Celinda rushed over to the SRE and pushed Lou to the side, muttering at the strange daze her colleague seemed to have drifted into. It wasn't like Lou but she had no time to ponder on the behavior right now. She had history to write. And yes they did, that day, on the 11th of April 2313 their team found the answer to a whole lot of questions. One tiny mutation, brought on by life in the open had altered the course of the dying bacteria. It had sprung to life, producing the vitamin that would save a whole lot of human, and animal, lives. "Oh Lou, we have one answer, we really do. I think we can finally start wandering freely out into the open, this was one big step on the road." Looking at the noppo she had to moderate her breathing not to hyperventilate and faint. "Lou, it's ready for trial implants. We did it!"

Lou stood leaned up against the counter, a silly smile on her face, where her mind was, Celinda had no idea. "Lou?"

"Huh?"

"All it took was a T-T-A sequence in the third chromosome, that's all it took!"

"Oh yes," Lou answered, still looking totally out of it.

"Lou?" Celinda placed an elbow in the waist of her colleague, waking her up, returning her to this lab from where ever she was right now.

Lou turned to her, "oh so what did you find out?"

Celinda wrinkled her nose at the question, what had she been explaining for the last five minutes?"I told you, the third chro..."

Suddenly Lou burst out; "They picked me Celinda, they picked me! I'm going out with team 41, I'm going out there!" She felt like screaming, like exploding of triumph. Her colleague's mouth fell open.

"You're going too?"

"Yeahyeahyeah," Lou squealed and performed a dance on the floor. "You bet your ass I'm goin', it's bye-bye ol' stuffed lab and hello brave new world."

"Lou!" Celinda's arms enfolded her neck, squeezing the air out of Lou. "My brother's on that team. You're going with Jimmy and the Monk!"

Lou coughed violently and freed herself from the hold. She's heard a lot about Jimmy from Celinda, not all good things, to be truthful. But the Monk? Who the hell was the Monk?

"The Monk?" Lou asked the grinning colleague. "They're sending a monk? To do what, start a monastery? What the hell do we need a monk for?"

Celinda bent over double at Lou's disgusted face;"No, see... he's called the monk! Dates rarely, seems straight but nobody's exactly sure. Good-looking, they say, but God how reserved. Aren't you two kin? Kid you know, John 'The Kid' McCloud?"

"Never heard about him! Not one of ours I assure you. 'The monk', jeez what kind of company are they sending out?"

"He's a vet, specialized in general veterinarian medicine and has a degree in ecomedicine too, a real WiLRa. He'll be coming to reinstate animal life. That's probably all the life he will ever procreate!" Hysterically giggling Celinda sank to her knees. "I mean one that doesn't do it with Doritha has to have something wrong with him, right? She practically begged him and the tale is he just walked away." Celinda had to wipe her tears at the thought. "That's the Monk all right," she panted.

Lou shook her head and extended an arm to help Celinda get to her feet. "Know what, bet you anything he's butt-ugly!"

Celinda laughed, "let my pal Angeline have a date with your boyfriend? Up to that girl?"

Lou rolled her eyes.

"Kid! Hey Kid!" Jimmy walked into the enormous stables at the end of the long pedway. Of course he was assigned to give this man the news. Since the vet always forgot to put on his EA there were rarely other ways to communicate with this man than the old-fashioned audible verbalization technique. Irritated the hell outta Jimmy for the most part, in fact the whole man did. They always stood on opposite sides of any issue. Now he would be part of his, Jimmy's team. Of all the names that were likely to pop up, The Kid's did. "Of all the despicable softies left in this world they throw the worst one in my group, it just ain't fair!"

"Huh?"

Jimmy watched the man step outside the stall. He had a green cover-up on, CaNud in his hair. Been talking to his horses again, Jimmy gathered. "Why the hell don't you ever keep your EA on?" he growled in the Kid's direction.

"Somebody wanted something?" Kid asked calmly while rolling down his sleeves, not even looking at Jimmy.

The fact that the Kid showed nothing of the usual respect Jimmy was accustomed to, being a Protor with an excellent track record, made Jimmy mad. He was used to fear in people, that was when they usually needed him. But Kid wasn't showing any signs of the respect Jimmy felt he deserved, and worst thing was that Jimmy knew why too. He hated the fact that they seemed to cross paths so frequently. And now this! This young man looked at him like he was totally useless. "Put your goddam EA on right now!"

Kid looked at him calmly and turned to walk away.

"Okay then, actually it suits me just fine. Better that way."

"What are you rambling about Jimmy? Been fighting again, ears humming, vision blurred? Or is this your usual delirious state?" Kid shot over his shoulder while he walked to the next stall.

So I've been in some fights, at least I'm not known as 'the monk', Jimmy thought. "HuRec's been trying to get your attention."

The transition from superior calm into nervous curiosity was instantaneous. The Kid turned back to him, waiting for him to spill the beans. Jimmy said nothing, they just stood there, glaring at each other.

"Why?" Kid finally asked, walking up to him.

Jimmy leered at him, finally he had gotten him under his thumb, and he loved squeezing just a little.

"James," Kid warned, "spit it out or I'll forget my pledge of non violence and sweep the floor with you!"

"Just be at HuRec's Physician Center tomorrow at 11 central time and you'll know."

"You mean...?"

Jimmy nodded, "you and me both. Team 41, Nebraska."

"The same..."

"Yup, life throws you strange deals don't it. I swear those psychs always screw up. One way or another."

"Crap, I was actually looking forward to this. Never thought I'd end up with you on my team."

"Your team, what'ya mean your team?"

"I just meant the team....."

"You ain't calling the shots here, Kid." Jimmy wheezed at the man in front of him, the man who always thought he had all the answers, "just don't ever forget that." He walked away, leaving the Kid standing there. Glad to have gotten the final word. He had done what had been asked and reported, he didn't like it but he had done it. Maybe Kid would give up out in the free and return to his beloved stables. Jimmy could only hope he would. Fighting him was tiresome.

Noah Dixon sank back in his chair and stared at the wall, repeating the message he had gotten over and over again. But it seemed so true, the woman informing him to report at HuRec's seemed authentic. But if somebody was pulling a prank on him, he'd inoculate them forever from their needs. He willed the message to the beginning again.

"Noah Dixon, this is HuRec calling. You are among the chosen. Please report at HuRec's Physicians Center at 13 00 tomorrow. And no, being a physician yourself will not free you from the tests. You are going through them, just like everybody else! And you will be a member of team 41, destination - former Nebraska territory. Welcome."

Noah closed his eyes and leaned back, he would not let himself believe this. Not until tomorrow and the final confirmation, the final medical examination. Then he would believe, but only then. Noah opened his fists that had been clenched around the armrests. His palms were sweaty of excitement. A trembling smile formed on his lips, how ever he tried he couldn't stop the sensation of adventure beyond anything mankind had seen since the colonization of the New World beginning in the late 1400. And he would be among them, the men and women re-inhabitating the planet they all destroyed in their ignorance so long ago. He had been given a new chance. And he for one would take it.

He went through the list of names once again.

Aloysius "Teaspoon" Hunter, anthropologist *2259 - TL
Oh he would definitely call this one Teaspoon, what the hell kind of name was Aloysius?

Sam Cain, Technical reconstructionist/SolarEngineer *2275 - 2nd in command

Emma Shannon, bionutritionist/agronomist *2276
Well, hope she knows what she's getting into, it'll be hard keeping us all fit.

Rachel Dunne, behavioral scientist/CeTE *2279
What the hell is she doing there?

Noah Dixon, physician/chemist *2283
Oh yeah, that's me all right!

James B Hickok, protor/SecAD *2286
This poor bloke's parents had a real sick sense of humor!

John "Kid" McCloud, vet.med/EcoM-WiRLa *2287

Buck Cross, geotracker, mineralogist *2287

Ike McSwain, communicationsexpert/ComDE *2287

Louise "Lou" McCloud, microbiologist, ME *2288
Wonder what made them two marry at such an early age? Never heard about married people being allowed to enter a task force before? Maybe kin?

William F Cody, Cultural historian/logger *2289
This last one he knew was a hoax, he chuckled at the thought of which of his friends had gotten this name into the messagesource. It was popular to give historical names to the Gen 0'ers, but this was ridiculous. Wild Bill Hickok and William Cody on his team. No way! He wondered which of his friends' were laughing their heads off at their ingenuity? But then, he'd have the last laugh, none of them had been chosen at this early stage. Reason enough for them to act out in jealousy. He'd forgive them their childish prank, they had all applied and only he was chosen. He'd miss them all, ok so not their occasional childish antics, but he'd miss them. Wonder what all these people are like?

Well, I'll see tomorrow won't I? He smiled as the MCD faded at his command, he'd meet all these people tomorrow and he couldn't wait too see William F. Cody and James B. Hickok, if either of them actually existed. This will be a blast.

Buck threw a glance at his friend, wondering if this meant that they couldn't play backgammon together, without having to invite the whole team. Activating the EA he called out to him. Ike smiled and responded "What's up?" He did never talk if he was able to use the thoughtbeared EA-mode, communicationsexpert as he was.

Buck chuckled. "Just wondering Ike, what's this all about? Not favor or disregard? Sounds like some rule that won't ever work when it comes to mankind. Does this mean that our private Backgammon tournament is over?"

"You're hoping coz' you're losin'! Don't worry, this is just a heap of mumbo jumbo, they're trying to dazzle us with grandiose words, as usual. Trust HuRec to do their best at joggling with your mind."

"I ain't losing, you're dreaming Ike, just been a slight drawback on my part."

"Three to six? Buck, ever since you looked to deep into those eyes you've been lost. Infatuation does strange things to you Buck, I'd stay clear of it if I was you!"

"I went on two dates! A tad jealous are we?"

"You have two different socks on today Buck."

Buck looked down on his feet and realized Ike was right. "I hate it when you do that!" Buck walked up to his friend and jerked the EA from behind his ear. "I hate when you do that, stay behind that EA, saying all those thing and denying it later. Man, you're the worst."

Ike laughed at his friend, Buck never could take it when he used the EA to taunt him mercilessly. "So how is Jennifer, ready to let you go?" Ike spoke in his low pleasant voice, chuckling at the thought of how easily Buck got irritated these days. Trust Buck to go fall in love and two weeks later get the word he was chosen. As usual Buck stood between two worlds, having a hard time choosing. This time it wasn't his Indian heritage that caused the ambivalence, but the girl.

"Readier than Em will ever be, I can assure you that!" Buck shot back, glaring at Ike for poking into his business. Ike just answered his outburst with a superior grin. Signing "yeah yeah" with his right hand, flapping it at his side. Ike, the communication expert had developed skill in many languages, including different sign languages. Due to the deafness of his mother he too found it natural to sign instead of talking. Seemed more true than the words people spoke.

"Still comin', right?" Ike continued, watching Buck stare at the pledge on the wall. "Or are you gonna let yourself be domesticated?"

"I just don't like all these words, you know how I feel about it all. Words come cheap, but you know that already. I just sense that somewhere in those lines there's trouble."

Ike turned to look at the text Buck projected on the screen. "There's always trouble Buck."

"I can't stand people that study linguistics up close, they mark all my words!" Buck tried desperately to get the last word in the debate. Fearing that as usual Ike would.

"Go make your mark on Jennifer, I guess there'll be a lot of phoneme's expressed tonight." Ike waved his hand at Buck and placed the EA back behind his left ear. An amused smile on his face.

"I hate it when you talk shop!" Buck muttered in feigned disgust before turning to pay a last visit in a very long time to the one he loved expressing phoneme's along with. For a brief moment he considered using the AMD, but needing the exercise he ran instead. Hardly able to wait for the moment he would be able to run like this out in the free.

Sam Cain put his long legs up on the desk in front of him. Chewing on a cherry MeGlu he let his EA do his thinking. The names on the list appeared with a pic attached. They were so very young most of them, he'd have a hard time keeping them in track out in the wilderness. He knew Teaspoon and wondered how his philosophical ramblings would be received by this bunch. He had been one of the many engaged in forming this group that would be sent out in one of the most demanding areas. All remains of civilizations long gone, roads, houses and infrastructures washed away by the violent climatological changes in the 2100, due to the greenhouse-effect. Fires, hailstorms and hurricanes a magnitude that had never seen before efficiently destroyed all signs of humans ever inhabiting the area. The ozone-layer finally cracking up had given way to the UV-C rays that finally burned all living entities with its fierceness. Almost all anyways. For the last fifty years the permafrost on the poles had been stable, as had the atmosphere. Now it was time to get out again, and try to do it anew. Before the last human being closed the eyes in one of the well sheltered cupolas on this beautiful planet. Would they be able to?

Emma Shannon. He smiled watching the picture of the lovely young woman. Her hair unruly. They had met on several occasions and Sam had a hard time keeping his thoughts on a tight leash. There was something about her that made his mind go in certain directions. A direction he couldn't go, due to his solemn oath to HuRec. But, truth be told, he was all but convinced he would be able to keep his word.

He looked again at the young ones in the group. Wondering what made them all leave loved ones behind to step into the harsh unsheltered nature. What drove them?

Louise McCloud? A very young, merely 25 years old, beautiful woman. Known for her expertise in microbiology. Known to climb walls in her spare time, both proverbial and real walls. A fighter, known to be dependable under all circumstances. A true asset to the team.

Jimmy Hickok, the hothead. Sam knew why he had signed up, he loved adventure, he loved being the leader. He was the kind of man that frightened the living daylight out of many, namely those that wouldn't stay in line. Maybe because occasionally he had stepped over the line himself? Jimmy would be irreplaceable, his experience, at least as much as you can gather in 27 years and his personality would thrive in the wild. Facing harsh times and danger was what Jimmy lived for.

And Buck Cross, a native American descendant. Returning to his roots?

Ike McSwain, the communicator that rarely spoke with words. Sam had to smile, of course, when Ike spoke, what he said was of utmost importance. But his communication skills were not only restricted to the one between humans. He also read what nature communicated, and very well so. Buck Cross and Ike McSwain would be their finely tuned sensors. Sensors that no technical equipment, even ever so refined could compete with. Intuition had never been technically reproduced. Intuition was reserved to living entities.

Kid McCloud. The vet with the firm belief that equality was not an issue between humans only. He included the animals too. He claimed that the saying 'all man are created equal' was wrong. Stubbornly he stood by his beliefs. Regarding him it should say 'all life'. The likes of him were not accepted, regarded as revolutionists, heredicts. He would never have been chosen if he wasn't the reserved man he was. He never stood on the barricades, he worked in silence. Would he fit into the group? Sam studied the man closer. Handsome the women called him. Handsome and polite, but no girlfriends, not any stable ones, at least. There was something about him that Sam couldn't lay his finger on. He seemed the good average man, but still..... Maybe it was just his notion about the animal rights that disturbed Sam, and he had to wonder if it would cause problems in the group. If Kid would truly protect his teammates in a situation where he had to choose between lives. If it ever came to that, which would he choose? The seriousness in the man's eyes calmed Sam, he was dependable, he wouldn't cause troubles. That would not be the case, Sam was sure about that. Maybe he was too serious? Would his reflective nature cause slower decision making processes? Sam knew reflecting instead of reacting would be dangerous out in the unshielded world, but then reflecting might also be safer than reacting on occasions. It was so hard to tell. And he didn't know the young man well enough to make assumptions, nobody knew the man well enough. Only time would tell if he was cut out for it or not.

Sam recalled the picture of young William Cody. Here was a man that was everything but reserved! He was everywhere at once, soaking up information like a sponge. Hell, he even looked like his namesake, as did Jimmy, a fact that had Sam wonder at first. But then he realized his folks must have gotten a GeFa, and named him after his looks. That was the only explanation, surely the register would have picked up on the stunning resemblance and reported it. It happened a lot lately, newborns being GeFa'ed and finding historic look-a-likes. It seemed to be some kind of a trend. Or was it just renewed interest? Cody was a fun bloke to be around, something always happened. He was the joker with a depth. Capable of human interaction as few, he'd be their lifeline in times when the morale got low. And that would probably happen a lot. When these youngsters got out there and realized all the hard work that lay before them, there would be squabbles, irritation and foul moods. Cody would be the remedy. Sam chuckled at the memory of all the pranks the lad had allegedly pulled, he knew he would continue. There was nothing stopping him.

Still chuckling he browsed through the files of Noah Dixon and Rachel Dunne, he knew next to nothing about them, except what he had found out during the interviews. Then he nodded to himself, they had made a good choice, the group would with all probabilities work out just fine. And by this time tomorrow he would stand face to face with all of them. He looked specially forward to see Emma Shannon again. There I go, promptly showing special treatment! Sam, keep your head cool, you just can't fail at this!

The EA called for his attention and he sighed. Subconsciously he opened the channel but stayed silent. Of course the caller knew that, she had some kind of direct communication with him that no modern device came close to. The woman could read his mind, if he wanted it or not.

"Sam Cain, you're doing it again. We've been waiting on you for dinner. You promised to be here an hour ago, Pa's getting starved. Get your act together and scoot over here, pronto!"

"Ma!" Sam Cain moaned.

Rachel Dunne watched the clean-cut team she was about to join in a day. She watched the two women she was joining. One of them, Emma Shannon was about her age, red-haired like her. Louise was younger, her short dark hair framing a tiny heart shaped face. And the men, so young most of them. She smiled as she realized what that would mean. Glands acting up in the middle of nowhere, hormones stirring, needs unfulfilled. Unbridled youthfulness in an unknown ambiance. Was she really ready for this? She looked around her small chambers. Her short marriage was over, and it had left her with bad memories only. Bad memories altogether. Yes, she was ready for this, she was ready to change everything in her life right now just to get away from herself. Flicking through the research protocol she relaxed. She was good at her job and she would see it through. Closely monitoring what the new milieu brought on to the CNS and the mesolimbic system, if any. Checking the norepinephrine and the epinephrine levels, the hormonal and transmittor balance. Avoid being dragged into it was the safest course. Observing but not participating, keeping her distance. She looked at the stack of phenylalanine-patches, no, not tonight, tonight she wouldn't escape reality. Tonight she would savor the loneliness and remember it, to keep homesickness away if it ever assaulted her out there in the wild.

Lou tossed and turned in bed, a mixture of anticipation, nervousness and good old-fashioned fluttering in her stomach keeping her awake at this ungodly hour. Watching the screen she wondered what time it was exactly, the exact time was automatically shown on the white wall before her. Irritated she removed the EA, she kept forgetting to turn it off. With a sigh she sank back into bed and stared up into the ceiling. It had been so hard to say good-bye to Sean. Partly because she felt guilty for not feeling the same he did. Oh, she liked being around him, talking to him and goofing around with him. She even liked the sex but there was something missing. She didn't know what, but she sensed there should be more. When she was younger she had read all these great novels about love, the sensation that swept you off your feet. She had never been swept off her feet like that. But then again, it was just fiction. Some things science had yet to explain, and she yet to experience. Oh, she had been infatuated a number of times, but never felt enough trust in anybody to the extent that she lost her wits and walked around with that silly smile on her face. That silly smile she noticed everytime Nathaniel called on Celinda. Or maybe she just wasn't capable of those kinds of feelings. Maybe something was wrong with her? Sean was sweat and handsome, so why wouldn't she tie the knot? Why did she always have that uncanny feeling that there was somebody else out there, somebody made just for her? Maybe love was just what she had with Sean, camaraderie with a twist? Maybe that was all there was to it and she kept fooling herself that there was something grander? Something she would never find?

"Louise McCloud! You're going out on the adventure of your life tomorrow and you're lying here contemplating love's mysteries? What's wrong with you?" She scolded herself, sometimes she was unbelievably shallow. "I guarantee you - you won't find him in the midst of the wilderness, you fool!"

TBC

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