Bunker 31

The Big Discovery

  The fleet rumbled on through the barren landscape, although Kaylen could've sworn he was just passing through the same terrain again and again. Every powder-covered hill looked the same, the flat, rustic sepia debris sands had almost no variation in altitude, texture, or geological content. It was like a torture chamber for the eyes! He felt like his brain was nearly dying, drifting into a state of unaware consciousness, slowing down to nothingness. The darkness covering his vision seemed welcoming against the blinding waves of reddish-brown that he'd seen for hours....

    Kaylen woke up with a jolt. Where was he? What was he doing? He glanced around the  hoverspeeder, everything of the past few hours creeping back to his memory. They were still moving, the engines monotonously  humming along as if no time had passed at all. How long had he been asleep? Beside him Collin also slept, not noticing that he was sandwiched between Kaylen and Sgt. Hank.  He slowly inched out of his small s eat, Colin slumping over to fill the new space that he left. 

   When Kaylen got over to the windows, he saw a much different sight than before. Instead of endless ashes and powder, there were twisted shards of metal frequently poking up out of the ground, which consisted of a lot less of grains of rubble and debris sand and more actual ground and actual rubble. Metal in itself was fairly valuable in the bunkers because most of it had been vaporized into a fine powder and what remained was usually far away from them. 

  Kaylen stared google-eyed at the elaborate formations of twisted, melted beams, each one like a piece of art. As he admired the structures, the booming voice of Lt. Harkszskold broke the fragile silence. 

" Awright sissies, we're approaching our destination!" His voice thundered throughout the cramped hoverspeeder like a microphone on steroids. 

"When we get there, we'll have to pitch camp quickly before night falls! I want everyone on their feet at attention in 30 seconds! " 

"That shouldn't be difficult, his voice could frighten a dragon into attention", Kaylen thought, quickly getting his gear at the ready. Surprisingly, he found Collin sleeping soundly next to his backpack. He glanced at Lt. Harkszkold the second the Lt. noticed Colin sleeping. 

   Whatever dream Collin was enjoying was immediately  shattered by a giant muscled arm yanking him out of his seat and an angry Lieutenant furiously screaming two inches from his face. 

  "Whaz happ'nin?" Collin  droned groggily as he slowly came back to Earth. His eyes grew to the size of dinner plates when he saw the Lt.'s angry glare less than one centimeter away, then the audio started. 

  Kaylen couldn't hear exactly all the Lt. barked at poor Collin's terrified body, and he probably didn't want to know. After several minutes of eardrum-bursting drama, Cptn. Van Styke and Hank finally pried apart Lt. Harkszkold from poor Collin's shaken mess of a body.

  "Lt., behave yourself!" Cptn. Van Styke commanded. "Don't forget who's really in control here! Now go finish what you were saying!"

    Lt. Harkszkold muttered an angry growl of defeat and stormed up to the front. "So anyways, " he said hurriedly, as if now he just wanted to get it over with. "We'll arrive in about five minutes and we'll need to get settled fast before night falls. No dallying or admiring the scenery! Am I understood? " 

  "Yes, Sir!" was the unanimous reply, some more enthusiastic than others. It wasn't enthusiastic enough for Lt. Harkszkold. "What? I'm afraid I can't hear you!!!" he yelled. 

  "Obviously, when you're yelling like that," Kaylen thought, obviously not daring to mention it out loud, nor thinking of the consequences if he had. He didn't want the same fate as poor Colin.