Page 11 of The Explorer
Indiana cleared his throat. “That might be, but you won’t see Aubri’s.”
I was already walking to the bathroom. When I got out, Indiana had changed into the green uniform and turned to me.
It was like a second layer of skin on him, displaying all his muscles through the fabric, and leaving no doubt that he was large in all areas.
“You can’t wear that, Aubri.” Indiana’s face was twisted as he picked up his shirt and walked over to cover me.
“Stop that. I’m wearing the uniform.”
Whisper-shouting, he hissed, “I told you to wear a bra.”
“I am wearing a bra.” I pushed him back and took a strong stance. There was distress on his face as his gaze roamed over my body.
“That uniform shows off everything.”
“So does yours.” With an arched brow I looked down to his crotch.
“What’s the problem?” Banni asked.
“Do we have to wear these suits?”
“Yes. They are high-tech temperature regulated outfits that are designed to get us through everything.”
“Indiana thinks they’re too revealing.”
Banni laughed. “Nonsense. They look good on you. The green compliments your red hair color, Aubri. I mean the green looks even better on me and Val but that’s because we’re blessed with dark skin.
“Here, let me get you the toolbelts.”
Indiana seemed relieved to have something covering his front as the belts had bags with testing equipment and tools. I was more excited about the large knives that we got to strap to our right thighs.
He still looked stressed when we got on board the drone and strapped on our seatbelts.
“Why do you keep sending me those side-glances? You don’t believe me, do you? Do I need to show you my bra?” I asked him as the other three buckled up as well. These drones were similar to military drones in the Northlands with six seats in two rows of three. The difference was that these were older and severely rugged and beat up.
“We have several tasks to perform on this expedition,” Banni told us as the drone took flight. “We’ll start in the red zones, which represent areas that are still too dangerous for us to be in. We take soil samples and spread seeds of plants that help absorb the radiation. We also check the radiotropic fungus on the ruins and buildings and plant the newest generation that’s optimized to work faster.”
“What plants are we talking about?” I asked over the worrisome clicking noise from the drone.
“We use a super plant that we call Nuclea. It’s gene-modified from sunflowers, field mustard, Amaranthus, cockscomb, cactus, aloe vera, and the rubber plant, which all have the ability to absorb radiation. Nuclea just does it a hundred times faster.”
The drone, which Banni, Alex, and Val calledMerle Noir, meaning blackbird, was a slow, old machine compared to what we were used to in the Northlands. The seats weren’t comfortable, but none of that mattered when we reached the first destination on our journey. As the drone descended, I saw ruins of a once-bustling city. Trees and plants had reclaimed the land, but a few buildings reached up high enough to be visible from the sky.
“Wow, I wish my mom could be here.”
Alex shot Indiana a look. “Why? Are you scared?”
Indiana laughed. “No, of course I'm not scared. My mom is an archeologist. If she could walk among ruins of former civilizations like those below us, she would be as excited as a kid on Christmas morning.”
We were all looking down as Val lowered the robot to the ground and controlled the testing remotely. With a high level of concentration, he had it collect leaves, soil, and grass, and scrape matter from the surfaces of walls.
“Your mom will have to wait a while because this area isn’t safe,” Banni said. “We used to gear up with hazmat suits to work in the red areas, and sometimes if the robots break down, we still do. We have other areas that are clean enough to explore but not live in. I’ll take you to my favorite place where you can make a video for your mom, if you want.”
“I’d love that,” Indiana said and lit up when Val waved us closer. We worked for about an hour, with Banni and Val teaching Indiana and me how to use the testing robot. I was eager and the three French men laughed at my excitement.
“Are they making fun of me?” I asked Banni.
“No, they’re saying it’s a nice change from Colette, who was no help at all.”
