Ready Player None

Chapter 9.2 - Kate "Signed, Sealed, Delivered"

Whoa, whoa, slow down, world. Whoa, there. Good boy. I often got physically ill when someone opened my pod, but this time it was just a woozy feeling that passed fairly quickly. Maybe I was getting used to it.

Alex loomed over me, and was smiling. It looked weird. It looked crazy, to be honest. Perhaps he had finally snapped. He didn't have a knife in either hand, which was a relief, but being strangled was still an option. I can't say I wasn't warned this might happen, he's been sinking into a dark place for days, and nothing I tried seemed to help.

I might get strangled, but I'm still going to fight him, though. Katerina never goes down without a fight.

"It's here, Kate! It's all here!" he said, sounding even crazier, but with good news, so, fine, go bananas, big bro. My stuff had finally arrived, all thanks to speedy Shipping Jesus. Alex had dipped pretty low, personality-wise. This seemed to help make this a positive experience for the both of us, as long as I could keep his rational side at bay for just a little bit longer.

Explaining the next part of my plan.. well, I'll jump that chasm when I come to it.

"The delivery guy says everything on the entire Trak is for us. What in the world did you order? And where did you get the credits for a shipment this big?" he asked, rapid-fire, sounding like his old self much more quickly than I would have preferred.

Oh, hi there, chasm.

"We'll talk. I promise. For now, how do we get the stuff inside?"

"Oh, yeah, that's why I came to get you," he replied, remembering. "They want to tunnel into the storage room from the outside. They say they'll cover it back up when they're done, so it shouldn't affect the cooling of the house too much, but it still seems risky. Dad would kill me if I let them damage the place."

"No, no, they can't cover it back up. I need that tunnel."

"For what?"

"Trust me," I said, not really ready to get to that part of our conversation.

He was just about out of "trust" and "waiting" and "promises to talk", but not quite there yet. "House, reconnect." We headed to the storage room.

"Hey there," a remote voice said. "We're just getting started. Should we aim at the left or right storage door?"

I took over. "From your view, the left one. The whole bay is cleared out, and ready to go. One thing, though, I don't want the tunnel you make to be covered back in."

"Well, that makes it easier on us, but I have to ask, why? You going somewhere?"

Alex laughed, and said "Yeah, we're heading down to the beach for the weekend." A quick chuckle was the response. I kept my mouth shut and kept walking.

"Ok, fine, I'll add a note that the tunnel was left open. I'll have any future deliveries with excavators in this area check with you, and see if you're ready for them to fill it in."

"That sounds great." I said, as we stepped through the kitchen and onto the concrete floor. Once the weight of the earth mound outside was lessened, I would be able to unlock the right door and raise it upwards along tracks in the ceiling. this would clear a path for their delivery, and for my departure.

We had some time to kill while waiting. Always better to volunteer information than wait to be asked a question you weren't ready for.

"So, Alex," I said, marshaling the arguments I had been playing over in my mind for a week. "You wanted to know how I paid for this stuff. I never like talking about it, because it bothers you, but I have ways of earning credits online. Buying low, selling high, doing work for friends, that sort of stuff. Sometimes getting gifts from appreciative people." Like those people who run competitive tournaments. "I just kept adding anything I got to savings, and soon it was a lot. And then, it was more than a lot. I knew we'd need it some day, so I almost never spent any of it." Maybe he'd like the frugal aspect enough not to delve further.

"We need credits, I can't argue against that," he replied. "But they aren't delivering credits. They're delivering.. I have no idea what they're delivering. Why do we need whatever this is?"

The sound of Traks digging and pushing dirt was noticeably louder. I had hoped to let him see my plan before he made me talk about it, but any further delay was probably just going to make him angry. It was finally time to say the whole thing out loud.

"I'm going to Community One," I said, standing as firm as I could muster.

His eyes widened, but he didn't respond. "The large crate is a small personnel mover. The smaller crates have supplies for a ten-day overland trip, including everything I'll need in both directions. It's 187 miles from here to there, following recognized delivery routes. I can travel during the night, spend the day sleeping under cover, and get there in 2, possibly 3 days without ever leaving the Trak."

His eyes somehow got wider. Still no response. I kept going. "I won't have enough left in my account to pay off the fines, but we should be able to work out a loan for the remainder once I'm onsite. I've converted what was left of my balance to hard metals that will stay with you. We'll sort that part out after I get there."

And if for some reason I don't get there, you will still have the palladium.

Alex wasn't looking at me anymore. I wouldn't have blamed him if he went ballistic. The room really didn't need any more tension, but the thrumming sounds of excavation just a few yards away were even getting on my nerves, and I was the one who was trying to remain calm.

He said, "You've put me in such a bad position. I am supposed to be an adult. I am supposed to say what they would say if they were here, and protect you, and never let anything happen to you. Say 'No'. Protect the family."

He sighed. "But I don't know what that means anymore."

House chimed twice. Alex didn't seem as though he heard it, so I answered for him.

The remote voice said, "We've got everything cleared away. Can you open the storage door?"

I had to guide Alex to the other side of the room, where I had stacked all the collected boxes that were previously stored on both sides. There was a solid chance he wouldn't notice a five-ton Trak dropping a two-ton crate on him. The storage door was very hard to lift, but finally rolled up along the ceiling, with a wave of early-evening heat rolling in from outside. I quickly closed the kitchen door, just to keep from disrupting the house temperature. I wasn't used to dealing with the outside, a weakness that had better get corrected very soon.

The deliveries slid off the slanted deck of the Trak, and took up most of the empty space I had cleared. The remote driver quickly moved back away from the door, so I could close it once again. It was no real match for the temperature outside, but at least made you feel like you weren't staring into an oven.

"Thanks, folks. Enjoy your toys. It will probably be three or four weeks before someone checks in about covering in this tunnel. I'd suggest piling something against the door on your side. Take care!"

"Thank you! Goodbye!" I said, cancelling the connection.

The large crate was taller than I was, with three others that came up to my waist. Opening them should be simple, as I had included an order for a pry bar when I bought everything, but just now as I look at the sealed crates, I'm realizing there's a problem with that logic. I leaned against the largest crate, looking as nonchalant as I could, and asked "So, what do you think of my plan?"

"Kate, I can't let you go out there by yourself. It sounds like you've thought of everything, but I'll need to confirm that after we get these crates open." Yeah, let's not talk about that right now, k?

He continued, "Every part of me is screaming 'Stop her' in Mom's voice. Dad's eyes are glaring at me. But I'm not them. I'm a kid that's going absolutely crazy without anything to do. I feel useless and weak, and I know I'm letting them down, but if I push them away and focus on the two of us.." He shrugged away the heavy weight of responsibility, and turned to me as brother to sister, just like the old days.

With a mischievous look in his eye, he asked, "How many seats does this personnel Trak have, anyway?"

YES!!!!!