The settlement was bustling, and the adventures of 'Bullhead City' gave them a treasure trove of topics to last for a while. The most popular being the tales of 'Battle against Overlord', and the people with leading roles like: Leo, Dave, Aden, and Franz. They turned into folk heroes overnight.
Once outside, people circled Aden: inquiring about the battle, and requesting handshakes.
While he didn't mind all the commotion, he didn't enjoy it. Growing up mostly alone, he enjoyed the company of peace and silence.
"That's all for today. I have to go now." He left the place abruptly, his destination: the workshop.
Workshop
The workshop was unusually silent today; no metal clangs, no hum of generators—just silence.
"That's strange, he's always working on something." Aden thought, looking for Ethan.
Grrrrr!
A sudden sound of a chainsaw startled him. "Strange. I don't recall Brother Ethan having a chainsaw," he thought, as he approached the source: the pickup.
Inside, Ethan slept with no care in the world, his obnoxious snores drowning out any background noise.
"Br…." He stopped mid-way, and thought. "He must've been exhausted after working for two nights straight, I'll leave him be and return later."
Aden backtracked slowly and left, his next destination: Tom's house.
****
Tom's House
Later, he arrived at Tom's house, only to come across a locked door.
"They must have gone to the clinic," he muttered, wandering around.
"Since I've got nothing to do. I'll go sightseeing." He left through the main gate.
A couple of minutes later, he reached the top of a hill, towering over the back of the settlement.
Plop!
He sat and watched as the sun rose slowly.
"It's beautiful," he thought, admiring the vast dry land with mountains in the back. The morning sunlight danced with the desert terrain to exhibit a striking display.
"I can't believe I never thought of coming here." He murmured to himself.
Sometime later, "Oof, it's getting hot!" His immersion was cut short by the spiking temperature. "Let's hope brother Ethan is awake by now."
Creak! Creak! Thud!
Workshop
The workshop roared back to life.
"He's awake now," he thought. " Brother Ethan, do you need help?"
"Well, who do we have here?" Ethan exclaimed. "Do you know, you're the settlement's new hotshot?"
Ugh!
"Don't even get me started, brother," he replied, bugged by the experience. "They circled me, told me to recount my experience, and asked for autographs. I dislike such fanfare."
Hahaha!
"You should embrace such an opportunity, kid. Who knows? You might find a girlfriend for yourself." Ethan replied, musing about Aden's misfortune.
"Then I suppose you've never had such fanfares?" Aden made a snarky comment.
"You…" Ethan was speechless. "Come here, you rascal. Help me dismantle this pickup."
Aden helped him dismantle the 'Power Wagon', a towed pickup from yesterday.
"Brother, how do you think the hounds mutated into death hounds? Especially the 'overlord'?" he asked.
Huh?
"Why such questions, all of a sudden?" Aden's questions caught him off guard.
"I've had nightmares about them, so I'm curious about their origin," he responded.
"I don't know much about them, but I'm also curious. I don't think nuclear fallout can turn a hound into an 'overlord'," his expression hesitant, and his eyes were full of suspicion.
"Maybe those who survived on the surface know about it," he replied.
"People could survive on the surface after 'The Silence'?" Aden found it absurd, especially the fact that people could survive such intense radiation right after the nuclear fallout.
"It's not far-fetched. Just look at the death hounds," Ethan commented. "They had no place to hide. And yet, they are alive-albeit different."
Hmmm!
"You have a point, Brother." He replied.
"Oh yeah, I remember something," Ethan whispered, "I've heard that the Captain used to work inside a secret military base. Maybe he knows something about it?"
"I see," he mumbled, "Brother, can you teach me how to repair vehicles? I'm planning a journey when my sister allows it. It'll be a useful skill to have."
"Again? Didn't you escape from the jaws of death yesterday? Why are you so eager to die, kid?" Ethan retorted, livid at the answer.
"I'm not, brother. I promise, but I have to look for my parents, even if it means facing risks."
Sigh!
"Fine. You're in luck, kid. We can work on the Power Wagon." Ethan yielded. "Pay attention, okay? Watch and learn."
Creak! Creak! Creak!
The noise of screws and bolts being loosened encompassed the workshop followed by occasional thuds.
****
Aden returned to the clinic by nightfall.
"You're back. What did you do today?" Maria asked, warming dinner.
"I went to…." He detailed the event, and Maria listened intently.
"Sounds like you had an exciting day. Franz may regain his consciousness tomorrow, then you can ask him," she exclaimed. "Let's eat now."
The day ended in peace.
Aden's next day was the same: sightseeing in the morning, followed by comprehension of vehicle mechanics.
"Brother Ethan, I'll get going. I heard the Captain may regain consciousness today." He stood up, ready to leave.
"Okay, kid. Let me know if you figure something out," he responded.
"Okay, brother." Aden left with quickened footsteps.
The Clinic
He found Riku and Tom's family inside, talking to Ben and Franz.
"Maybe it's not a good time. I'll ask them later." He mumbled and left, restraining his desire for the answers.
"Brother Ethan, I'm back."
"Back already? The captain hasn't regained consciousness?" He asked.
"No! Captain was awake, but Aunt Riku was there. And I didn't want to interrupt their moment, so I left."
"Fair enough. Let's get back to work." The two resumed their work.
Aden arrived at the clinic in the evening. Fortunately, the relatives had left.
"Hello, Uncle Ben! Hello, Uncle Franz." He greeted courtly.
"Tom told me everything. I can't thank you enough, kid." Ben replied, grateful for his help.
Hahaha!
"You've got balls, kid. Most would think twice in your situation." Franz chimed in.
"Thank you, uncles. I just wanted to help." Aden replied, embarrassed, "Uncle Franz, I wanted to ask about something, if it's okay?"
"What is it, kid?" Franz commented.
"Uncle, do you know how the hounds mutated into death hounds or even the 'overlord'?"
Hoh!
"That's a peculiar question, kid. Not even I'm aware of the answers." He replied. "However, I was stationed at a secret military base, and there were some rumors about a top-secret project."
"A top secret project?" The answer stumped both Aden and Ben.
"Can you give us more details, Uncle?" Aden asked again; his curiosity piqued.
"Well, I was about to. Anyway, the oath is invalid, now the world order is gone. I might as well: the base was situated within Area 51; I don't know the details of the project, but there was a weird rumor circulating amongst top brass." He said, "According to the rumors, the project had the potential to end the world; way more sinister than the nuclear bombs we possessed. That's all I know."
Silence
"Could it be the reason behind the catastrophe of 1960?" Maria stepped out of the storage room.
"How long have you been listening to our conversation?" Franz commented.
"I heard everything. Do you think it could be the reason behind everything?" She pressed on.
"Maybe or maybe not. It's hard to conclude without prior knowledge about the contents of the project." Franz replied with a trace of suspicion. "Could the project be behind all this?"
"A top-secret project," Aden murmured. "At least I got some clues now: the location and content to look for."
"Thank you, Uncle." He was grateful for the information.
The clinic went silent again, everyone trying to digest the information and form their opinion.
****
"It's dinner time. Aden, your dinner is ready inside. I'll bring yours, wait for a moment." She went inside with Aden right behind.
"What do you think, sister?" Aden asked for her opinion.
"I don't know, Aden. However, I think it's plausible; our unrelenting pursuit of power has spawned man-made horrors beyond comprehension, like atom bombs." She had doubts about the project, but was certain about the humans' lust for ultimate power.
"Maybe we opened a Pandora's box this time. There's no going back now." She added.
"Okay, that's enough about the project. Now, eat up. I'll deliver their dinner." She left with plates in her hands: full of mashed potatoes, meat, and vegetables on the side.
Everyone had their share of food and something to think about to help with digestion.
"Sister, have you decided yet?" he asked, sleepless.
"Yeah." She replied. "But, you'll have to wait till tomorrow. Let me gather my thoughts."
"Okay, sister." He replied, waiting for her potential answer tomorrow.