Free Second Earth by Stephen A. Fender Page A

point. I’ve only got basic medical training; I’m not
qualified to study these remains even if I did have the equipment to do so.”
       “And where exactly are we heading?” Raven
asked without turning to face Melissa.
       “I’m not really sure.”
       Shawn turned to her in disbelief.
       “Really,” she whispered in defense of her
words. “I have no idea where that address will lead us.”
       “Uh-huh,” Shawn nodded.
       Adams spoke up from the front seat and broke
the momentary staring contest the two were holding.
       “So we need to take some samples back to the
ship?” he asked cautiously.
       Melissa stoically nodded. “Precisely,
Sergeant Adams.”
       Pushing down thoughts of disrespecting the
dead, Shawn visibly shuddered. “I volunteer you for that task, Agent Graves.
There’s no way I’m touching those bodies.”
       Melissa frowned at him and then faced the
Sergeant again. “Once we get to our destination, I’ll need you and Private
Montoya to collect some bone samples for analysis back on the Rhea .”
       Adams shifted his eyes to Shawn nervously.
       “Don’t look at me, man. She’s the one in
charge, or so she likes to keep reminding everyone.”
       Resigned to his task, Adams looked back to
Melissa. “Yes, ma’am.”
       “Roslyn, do you think you could assist them?
I need samples from both male and female bodies, as well as…any children or
animals you come across.”
       At the mention of the word “children,” Raven
turned and looked at the OSI agent sadly. In fact, the word cast an even more
somber cloud over the entire team. It was one thing to think of the bodies as
merely free-thinking adults, but to realize there would have been innocent
children involved as well seemed to sadden the already dark mood the group was
experiencing. “Of course,” she replied softly with a nod.
       Sergeant Adams spoke up from the controls as
the carrier began to slow. “We’ll be at the coordinates in about five minutes.
It’s just up here on the right.” He pointed a thick, dark finger at a rather
unspectacular-looking intersection.
       “Very well,” Melissa took out her map once
more and began tapping commands into the computer screen. Within seconds, a
list of schools, parks, and pet stores came into focus. There were several of
each nearby, but none seemed to be close to one another. She plotted the
directions from their current coordinates and handed the map to Raven. “Meet us
back here when you’ve…found everything you need.”
       Roslyn inspected the map for a few moments
before she addressed Adams. She inputted a series of commands, and the latest
sensor readings from the Rhea were
overlaid on the map. Several of the most direct routes were blocked, so she
knew they’d have to take the long way around. “We’ll need the skimmer to get to
a few of these locations.” She then turned to Melissa. “Will you two be all
right on your own for about an hour or so?”
       Shawn turned to Melissa. “Oh, I think we can
handle ourselves.”
       “Agent Graves?” Roslyn asked, seemingly
unconvinced by her commanding officer’s remark.
       Melissa looked to Shawn, then pursed her
lips and nodded. “I’m sure we’ll be fine.”
       Roslyn gave the unlikely pair a furtive
glance and then turned her attention back to the slowly narrowing road before
them.

 
       Once they had arrived at their destination,
Adams parked the personnel carrier in a clearing near an undisturbed patch of
sidewalk. Shawn climbed out of the back, offering Melissa a hand and helping
her out of the craft. As her boots landed on the pavement, she could feel the
years of dust and neglect being crushed under her diminutive weight. She was
instantly reminded that the last people to set foot on this soil were probably
dead, and that they were now treading through a perilous graveyard of
dilapidated buildings and occasional corpses. Even the dust itself