Time Salvager (Time Salvager #1)(82)
“And then what?” he said quietly, surprising most here who had never heard him say two words. “What are you going to do once the ten of you eat the food, burn the kindling, and use up the power packs? Where will you go? What next?”
Chawr looked surprised. “It doesn’t matter. We’ll figure something. Maybe head south where it’s warmer or north where more plentiful game runs.”
“So you’re going to just survive then.”
“That’s all there is to life.”
A feeling of déjà vu swept over James. He knew what Chawr was saying; he had lived that way most of his life. In a way, he wanted to be just like these savages and look out only for himself and Elise. He wasn’t any better than any of them. Ever since Sasha’s disappearance, surviving for himself was all he knew. It was all he’d ever fought for. Then he thought of Elise, how she was different, because she didn’t do things only for herself.
James thought about the planet and how Elise might be able to cure it. He didn’t for a second believe her, but what if he could use that to keep the people together? She was right about one thing: there was no way they could live without a community of people. He didn’t know how to survive for a prolonged period of time without his bands. Using his bands wasn’t really surviving anyway. Before, ChronoCom was his tribe. Now, he was alone. As much as he hated to admit it, he needed this tribe.
James powered his exo and launched himself onto the guard column so everyone could see his face. He spoke in a strong, assured voice. “What if I offer you a new purpose?” He pointed at Elise. “My companion and I are on a mission to save the planet. We know how to cure the sickness. We need your help.”
“There is no cure for a dying planet,” someone shouted.
“You lie!” a girl behind Chawr said, shaking her fist at James.
“The sickness has been this way since before I was born,” an old woman said. “It has always been this way.”
“That’s not true.” Elise’s voice rang across open space, even louder than James’s. All eyes turned to her, and for a second, she shrank from the attention. Then her eyes met his, and he nodded. Elise hesitated, gave a small cough, and after a couple of false starts, began speaking. “It didn’t use to be like this. I know. I come from the past.”
There was a chorus of gasps, though most just responded with blank stares. Though mostly isolated from the civilized world, some in this wasteland tribe must have been aware of the Time Laws, because they looked horrified. Others just seemed puzzled.
A little girl clinging to her mother piped up. “So what is it supposed to be like, then?”
Elise smiled. “Earth was beautiful. The sun was a brilliant yellow, the ocean a sparkling blue. The air was pure, and on a clear day, you could see for miles.”
The little girl gasped. “That’s impossible. It’s like a magic land.”
Elise walked over to the girl and picked her up. “It’s not. Let me tell you about Earth the way I remember it.”
For the next hour, James listened with the others as Elise talked about the beauty of the twenty-first century. The entire tribe hung onto every word she said. Her voice quivered with a passion and conviction so strong that those listening could not help but be entranced. Like them, he fell under her spell as she described rolling hills, lush forests, and the thousands upon thousands of animals that roamed the planet. He heard oohs from the crowds as she described the ocean and drew murmurs of disbelief when she told them about the many spectrums of the sky and how the clouds never looked as angry as they do now. Finally, she told them about the changing seasons and how every spring, the landscape turned green with life.
When she was done telling her story, the air around them was quiet except for the crackling flames of the bonfire. James had traveled to the periods she spoke of but had never taken the time or effort to notice the beauty she described. Now something had awoken in him that he didn’t even realize was dead. He wanted that Earth she spoke of and he wanted to believe that it could happen.
James noticed a change in Elise as well. When she spoke about the past, it seemed as if a weight lifted off her shoulders. Over the weeks, she had struggled to maintain a brave front, but James could tell she was hurting. He pretended not to notice when she cried at night, or looked sad. Yet now, when she spoke of the Earth from her time, something in her blossomed, a spark that he had seen only glimpses of since she had first arrived. Now that twinkle in her eyes had returned, and that luminance that had so attracted him to her back at the Nutris Platform was there once more.
It was the little girl who spoke first. “And you can bring it back?”
Elise nodded. “I think so, but I’ll need your help.” She looked up at James.
Chawr, who was pacing back and forth in the back of the group, barked out, “It’s all just fairy tales. You’re just telling us this so we wouldn’t leave with the supplies.”
James looked at him with contempt. “You think that sad pile of shit is worth fighting over? Take it.” Chawr hesitated, his eyes moving from James to Qawol then back to the people around him. James turned to the rest of the Elfreth. “Help us and you will have a new purpose in your lives. You can cure the planet for your children and their children. In return, I will do everything in my powers for the Elfreth and see that you are all cared for with food, shelter, clothing. I am a chronman. You all know what I am capable of. What my powers are.” He turned back to the Chawr. “You saw the food I brought. I can salvage more supplies than you could ever use in a lifetime. You will never go cold or hungry again. What do you say?”