The Tempest by A.J. Scudiere (story read aloud .txt) 📗

The three of them reached the tent, handing off the samples to Izzy and Melinda. They all knew by now to help sort the specimens and wait while everything was properly checked in. Though Cage often liked to be quiet and focus on his work, Melinda seemed more than capable of multitasking. “Everybody good today?”

“Sure,” he replied, as did the others, though he felt his shoulder shrug as if to ask, Why today?

“Did you see the protesters on the way in? They’re back.” So Melinda had caught that he didn't understand why she was asking.

“I saw them, but they didn't block the road or anything. They sure seemed extra angry,” he added.

They'd come back with a vengeance, three days after the tornado. Maybe they needed to get their houses repaired or their insurance claims filed, he didn't know. But they had returned in record numbers. Though they stayed on their side of the property line, this time the signs suggested that the tornado was the wrath of God rather than just a weather system. The protesters also seemed to think that God was emphatically anti-solar energy and emphatically pro-strip mining.

Cage wasn't sure if he was right with God or not, but he had a hard time finding a belief in his heart that could match the signs.

Itching to turn around and leave because Chithra had given them a full load today, he looked to Melinda. “Are we good to go?”

“Yeah,” she said, not looking at them as she pulled the first samples from their containers. But even as he stepped from the shade of the tent into the full sun, he heard her behind him saying, “Well, this is weird.”

17

“We’re off for the next three days. I’m not unhappy about it,” Joule said as she passed the bowl of broccoli to Deveron.

“That's what I heard, too.”

“It’s official. Radnor emailed everyone.” Cage let some of the bowls pass him by as he dug into what was already on his plate.

Three days off work meant five days in a row completely off, Joule thought.

“Yeah, but it's not vacation,” Sarah interrupted her happy thoughts.

Joule looked around the table to see if any of the others were having the same response. “I'm off off. I don't have any assignments.”

This wasn't a work-from-home job. Radnor had simply said, stay in and stay safe.

“But we likely won't have power for part of it,” Sarah said, only this time Joule understood, and she was prepared.

The days off were because a storm system was coming through. Between the field and the local infrastructure, it wasn't going to be safe to be driving into work most days—if it was as bad as predicted.

This time, they all knew where the candles were. They knew where the radio was and where the hand crank flashlights were. There were now energy bars waiting in the bathroom closet.

One of the baskets in the closet held toilet paper while a second held laundry detergent and supplies. But the third now contained all their emergency backups, including the radio.

“Are there fresh batteries in the radio?” Sarah asked around a bite of broccoli. The radio had a hand crank backup, just like the lights, but batteries were the preferred option.

“Already done,” Joule said. Her lesson had been learned. Despite the coming storm and the predicted high levels of rain, she found she was feeling better. She always felt better once she had a plan in place.

This wouldn't be like Stanford. She repeated that to herself enough times to calm down, and she reminded herself that the jitters were from the high of the tornado. She was still coming down from it.

Last night had been the first night this week that the train hadn't awakened her or driven her to tornado-like nightmares. So she could handle the power going out and the incessant sound of rain. It had been a number of years, and she'd weathered a number of storms since the Stanford disaster.

The next morning, she woke late to the pattering on the roof and a growling stomach. Grateful the stove was gas, which would still work even if the power went out, Joule made breakfast.

They’d checked and double-checked the gas lines and outlets. They’d walked the property and looked for failure points. She and Dev were engineers, after all. Everything tested fine and she had a plan.

She had hot food, a good book, and a full fridge. So she told herself not to worry that the rain was picking up steam. Though it took a little bit of conscious effort, she managed to get lost in a mystery novel. When her eggs were gone, she transferred herself to the couch and watched an action flick on one of the cable channels.

By the time the movie ended, Sarah and then Deveron had rolled out. Her brother had the ability to sleep all day when given the opportunity. It would be at least noon before he was up.

Sure enough, Sarah had made them all grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup from a can by the time Cage appeared in the main area, his hair sticking up on one side.

“Oh, thanks!” He grabbed his plate from the breakfast bar as he headed to the table. While the rest of them were lazing about, he was alert and chattering. “So, Melinda found this bizarre plant yesterday.”

Across the table, Joule felt her eyes narrow. “What was it?”

“We're still trying to figure it out. She's pretty impressive. She can identify most of the animals, down to specific species, just with a glance.” He dipped the sandwich into the soup and took a bite.

“But she couldn't identify this one?” Sarah asked. Sarah was also part of the environmental team, and Joule wondered if maybe this strange plant wasn't a big enough deal for the news to travel yet.

“No, she couldn't identify it at all.” He paused a moment. “It might be invasive, or lone, or endangered. We don't know.”

“Damn. Invasive or