Order of Magnitude

II. Home

      Turner slipped through the entrance of his home, tired and dirty. His partner Miller came in after him, too weak to stand. A crowd of people in the dirt-packed dwelling gathered around them.

      "You're back!" a fifteen-year-old named Thom shouted. "We were so worried."

     "Where is everybody else?" Scarlet shoved the kid aside and stood front and center.

      Turner took a deep breath and stared at the faces staring back at him. He couldn't imagine feeling any worse than he did right now. Not only was his hunt unsuccessful, but he lost most of the men that came out with him. And he was going to have to explain that to almost fifty parvs.

      "Everybody," Turner croaked. "Everybody; I need your attention." He already had their attention, but he just needed a moment to collect himself before he told them his story. He hoped that the words would come to him as soon as he started. "I have some bad news."

      There was a murmur from the crowd. They had apparently already feared the worst. "Is it about Jacques?" Thom asked.

      "I'm afraid so."

      "He's not dead, is he?"

      Turner was at a loss for words. He cleared his throat and found it to be as dry as chalk. Thankfully, Miller stepped in for him. "We don't know," he said. "We're hoping he's not."

      "Well, what do you know?" Scarlet asked.

      Turner took another deep breath. "We were out on our hunt. We tried a different path, and went further than we usually do. It was nice; there were more things to find out there, and creatures that hadn't migrated away yet. Jacques and a few others were checking out a stretch of grass away from the group. Suddenly, they were trapped in this... sticky gel or something. I have no idea what it was. A few minutes later, some scientist came out and collected them."

      "Did he kill them?" Thom asked.

      "Again, we simply do not know. At any rate, we're hoping they're still alive; that scientist tried to be careful when he was grabbing them. He obviously doesn't want to hurt them. But, who knows what happened after he took them back to his lab."

      Scarlet grimaced. "How many of us were caught?"

      "12 altogether."

      "12?" She muttered some figures under her breath, the said out loud, "Where are the rest of you, then?"

      "A lot of us are dead," Miller said. "We tried to get out while we could, but things became chaotic pretty quickly. We scattered around and some parvs were caught underfoot. A lot more just ran off in the wrong direction. Turner and I were lost for a day or so before we found the trail back here. But Lyonal, Grete, Phillipe, they were killed. Carlisle is missing, and a few others; we were hoping they were back by now."

      "Are they?" Turner asked. Scarlet shook her head.

      "So, that's it," Miller said. "We lost a lot of people, most of them hunters."

      "What do we do now?" Thom asked.

      Turner cleared his throat. He dreaded this part the most. He was going to have to sell them on the craziest idea they had ever heard. "Listen... I know we don't put much stock into rank or anything like that in our community. But, none of us here can deny that Jacques is more or less our leader. Most of us wouldn't be here without him." The crowd nodded their agreement. "That's why... that's why I'm suggesting that we go and get him."

      The group turned ugly in a heartbeat. No parv had ever intentionally gone against a human before. He didn't need them to tell him how they felt—he knew what he was suggesting was suicide.

      "I know how this sounds," he yelled over the din. "But I think it's something we can pull off if we go prepared."

      "You were prepared for the hunt," Scarlet hissed. "Look how that turned out."

      "Do you really think we should risk more people for just one guy?" Travis asked from the back.

      "Yes," he replied. "Because I believe we can do it. Look, the fact is parvs are no match for humans. We avoid them every chance we get, and they know that. But it's also why they will never expect a rescue like this."

      "I don't know..." Scarlet said.

      "I do," another voice bellowed from the crowd. It was Jean. "That's my brother in there. If Turner wants to lead an expedition to find him, I'm in. And even if he doesn't, I'll do it anyway."

      Turner smiled. "Thank you, Jean. We're going to need enthusiasm like yours if we're going to pull this off."

      "Right," Miller joined in. "Don't think of this as 'we can't' and start thinking of it as 'we will'."

      There was silence from the parvs. Finally Thom spoke up, "I'll do it," he said. "I'll go with you."

      "I don't know..." Turner said. "You might be too young."

      "I can handle myself. I've gone out on hunts before. This is important, I can do it."

      "Alright." Miller smiled. "I like the kid's energy; I do. Thom is only fifteen, and he's ready to fight for us. Are you guys no braver than a fifteen-year-old boy?" The crowd looked down at their collective feet.

      "We have four already," Turner said. "Who else is in?"

      One at a time, the parvs raised their hand, until everyone had his or her hand up. Even Scarlet seemed to get swept up in the moment and volunteered, albeit with her eyes rolling around in her head.

      "Thanks," he said. "The lab is a day away. Miller and I will select the groups tonight, and in the morning we all head out. Get your rest; tomorrow we attempt the impossible."