The Penumbra Paradox - ONC 2023

Chapter -8 Like it's your last day simp.

Fiana took in one last glance at the valley she called home, before taking the last curve that was visible from the valley's top.

"Come on. We got to get to the vehicle before dawn. That is if it still exists." Benji hassled and huffed in between his steps as he walked uphill.

"What do you mean, 'if it still exists'? Arya commanded to know.

"Raid." Fiana replied, as she did her religious hand gesture of circling her index at her heart and touching her forehead. The tribe members who waited for her departure on the tops of the valleys reciprocated the gesture to bid her well-wishes.

"Yep. Raids. Although I doubt there's any sign of slums or savages near by, but we never know. Raiders raid, ruthlessly. That's what savages are made for."

Arya mentally agreed with Benji on this matter. Herself and Fiana picked up with their pace to catch up with Benji, behind followed AVAH projecting herself holographically.

After several hours of tedious hiking through the desert land and shrubbery, they reached the location that AVAH confirmed as the place where they had abandoned the graphine caravan vehicle.

Amidst the sandy heaps, the black metallic sheen of the graphine alloy reflected the setting Sun's rays.

"There!" Arya pointed. "I guess that's our vehicle. But it's submerged in heaps and heaps of sand. What do we do?"

"One of you should dig your way in. Activate the gyro handle and command the sync with me." AVAH announced. "I will divert the momentum to bore the vehicle's way through sand to the surface. I can assure you 66 percent success rate with this manoeuvre."

"66 percent?!" Arya cried. "I should bet my life on 66%?"

"I'll take that chance. Help me get in." Benji undid his back pack and searched for a multi-tool. He selected the shovel button. A thin metallic projection opened from the top of a cylindrical bar in his hand and origami-ed itself into a shovel. He then pulled on the cylinder to extend its length.

Arya understood the assignment and undid her own multi-tool.

"Me help?" Fiana walked over to them.

Benji squeezed his eyes saying, "um. Uh. Guard us, I think?"

If Arya was any nearer, Benji would've had another jolting elbow to his chest for his insensitivity. But she calmed down as Fiana nodded in agreement.

While Benji and Arya incessantly dug at the fore-end of the vehicle where they imagined the door to the driver's cabin was stuck, AVAH scanned the remainder of the vehicle above the surface level to get physics in place for the task at hand.

The other end of the sky was darker, almost gloomy with the humongous unforgettable face of the moon, its craters larger than the valleys and water bodies they had ever witnessed.

"In T-minus 50 minutes, the moon is expected to move south-east, the gravitational conundrum may help our pursuit." AVAH concluded.

"But sandstorms might increase too, right?" Arya looked up at AVAH as they had dug around three feet into the heap.

"Possible." AVAH buzzed down toward Arya, "but as Silas says, Snap into the slim, like it's your last day simp."

Arya let her jaw drop. Since when had AVAH been quoting things that were not there in books? She was way too intelligent, even for an AI, Arya always thought.

"Water, fetch us some water." Benji slumped down, sweat drenching him, even the thermal suit didn't help to cool him down.

Fiana walked over and lent them her leather pitcher to drink from. "Water."

"Thanks, thanks very much." Benji struggled to thank her in between his lappings for water like a dying dog.

As Benji shoveled at the vehicle door rather in frustration, there was a clanking sound. He hastily cleared the remaining sand and pulled open the vehicle door using his key card.

Some of the dry sand seeped in as he stepped into the leaning vehicle. He revved the gyro on and commanded a sync as per AVAH's instructions. He chuckled hysterically as the lights blinked on over the deck. "Yes! Yess! Atta girl."

After several futile attempts at resurfacing the vehicle, Benji hit the gyro and threw his hands in the air. "Dammit!"

"AVAH, how long for that fucking sandstorm yet?" Benji stabilized his hands on the gyro handle with firm intentions.

"About 20 minutes, doctor."

Even before the countdown, Benji witnessed the blowing of sand all over the windshield. While Arya and Fiana took cover under a small tarpaulin spread made by multi-tool, Benji put his full efforts to move the vehicle.

"Storm is unpredictable, it is changing directions. Sync is jagged." Benji screamed over to AVAH using comms.

"75% power redirected to the sync, working on survival mode." AVAH announced, which reverberated within the Vehicle cabin with disturbance.

"Alright, let's give it all."

The vehicle jerked ahead as the sand storm blew in the pull's direction, then rolled back as the storm's direction changed. After several push and pulls, the vehicle rumbled up and landed on surface.

Arya retrieved the multi-tool and got herself and Fiana into the vehicle through rear end. AVAH buzzed back in to the driver's cabin and commanded door locks through sync.

"Battery depleted. Vital functions critical. Battery depleted. Please check the connection."

Benji placed AVAH's orb into the charging plate on the dashboard and heaved a long huff. "So much for 66% success rate. Huh?"

Arya held Fiana's hands as the vehicle started to move in order to comfort her senses.

"AVAH, Benji! you guys almost killed us." Arya mocked over the comms as the vehicle moved further away from the moonlit storm skies.

'Snap into the slim, like it's your last day simp. Sink so deep, but loose no grip. And blink once, you're no less a dunce.'

Wc-977