LUCAS’S P.O.V.

  As I stood on Winter's porch, I spotted Oscar's old white truck off in the distance as it slowly found its way out of the woods and onto the gravel path towards Winter's house. The bed was laden with equipment harvested from the crash site, along with Garrett who was precariously sitting on the truck's tailgate, holding on for dear life.

  They were returning a bit sooner than expected, though the reason why was clear. Dark storm clouds loomed closely in the sky. Winter had told everyone previously that in this region, it rained heavily around this time of year. I believe it was “April” but I can't entirely remember, these people used a weird calendar system.

  Michael was eager to get his hands on his own equipment, considering he was a meteorologist. And given his fears of water, yes really, many found it ironic.

  A small plume of dust began getting kicked up as the truck drew closer to the house. I figured Garrett was likely regretting his life choices as he got covered in dust, and probably was getting pelted by small rocks as well.

  The truck came to a stop near the back of the house, finally giving Garrett a chance to jump off. As he did so, spitting out dust and all, Avera and Oscar stepped out of the truck's cab as well.

  I leaned over the porch railing, “did you happen to find my bag?” I asked. “Yes,” replied Avera, “but it was ripped open during the landing.”

  I frowned as Garrett lifted up my bag for me to grab. A fairly sized hole was ripped into the top of the bag, but weight wise it seemed that nothing had fallen out of it.

  As I unzipped the top of the bag, everything seemed fine. It was only until I pulled my computer out of the bag that I found a giant piece of metal sticking out of it. I dropped the bag in disappointment as I surveyed the damage to the computer.

  Vita, Michael, and Winter came out of the door next to me to check on all the commotion. “Good to see you all made it back.” Vita said with a small wave towards those who were unloading the truck.

  “Did you also find my stuff?” Asked Michael as he waved his crutch at the truck bed.

  Garrett picked up another bag out of the truck, “Yeah yeah, you've probably got more snacks in it, you fatso”

  He tossed it up for Vita to catch, “The fact you aren't obese is BEYOND ME. I can't even explain the physics of it, and I'm a biologist for goodness sake!” He continued.

  “That's because I work out, you ass!” Michael shot back at Garrett, “WE ALL WORK OUT YOU IDIOT!” was Garrett's quick reply.

  Before they could squabble any further, Avera intervened. “Will you both stop it? This isn't the example we should be setting for ourselves.”

  Michael and Garrett both looked at her with as innocent eyes as they could get, and simultaneously replied with “Yes commander.”

  As everyone continued to unload the equipment, the outside temperature quickly began dropping, and storm clouds made themselves rather apparent.

  A low, drawn out boom of thunder echoed throughout the air, stopping everyone in what they were doing.

  “Thunder…” Oscar sighed to himself, “Nothing to be afraid of.” He said, gesturing towards the clouds.

  “Does it get any worse than that?” Asked Vita, who was staring at the storm clouds with worry.

  Winter took a look at the clouds as well, “The forecast said it'd be over us… it will be getting much louder.”

  I groaned at the news, “Loud noises are the worst.” I grumbled, “At least when aren't expecting it.”

  Winter laughed, “Makes sense, you guys have ears the size of my head!” She said as she stepped back onto the porch.

  Most of the equipment had been unloaded by this time, though a couple metal containers still remained on the truck. Most of the contents were sampling kits, meant for sampling atmospheric conditions, soil, water and things of that such.

  Michael was already far out in the dirt trying to set up one of the kits for measuring rain and pressure, but he was struggling a great deal while doing so.

  First Vita tried to help him, but she was shooed away. Then Garrett tried, and was shooed off as well. Avera and I were about to try our luck at helping him, but apparently the weather got to him first.

  Within seconds, rain began to fall and splash against the surroundings. Michael let out a horrid yelp as he was hit by the water, almost as bad of a yelp as he did during his space walk, and immediately began to scramble for his crutches.

  “SCREW THIS!” He yelled as he hobbled back for the safety of the porch. He dove for the stairs, while talking almost incoherently to himself. “Stupid freaking' rain, stupid stupid stupid!”

  1 by 1, Winter, Garrett, Avera and Oscar joined us on the porch. The rain was accompanied by bright flashes of lightning, and the appropriate cracks of thunder.

  Everyone flinched whenever the thunder came by, much to the amusement of Oscar and Winter.

  Winter guided everyone inside, where we all made ourselves comfy on the living room furniture. It didn't take Garrett much time to have his boots kicked off and legs propped up on the coffee table. Avera was already busy noting the weather conditions on her own tablet, but this job would have gone to Michael, except he was already busy cowering under a couple towels.

  The television had already been turned on, but it was muted. An odd looking weatherman, a bird I believe it was, was busy pointing at a rectangular map behind him. Text and other tidbits of information scrolled along the bottom of the screen but I, nor any other of my crewmates could read it. We could understand and respond back to spoken language on this planet, but we couldn't understand any written text.

  Winter came by as I joined Garrett on the couch, and she picked up the TV remote and held it in our faces. “This button changes the volume, and this button turns it off. Do me a favor and don't change the channel.” She said, handing the remote to me.

  Garrett leaned forward, “What if I want to change the channel?” He asked. “If you don't like it, go outside.” Winter said, pointing at the door.

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  “But it's raining?” He said, looking out the living room window with confusion. Winter briefly had a smile, “Grab an umbrella.” she said before turning and walking off.

  I turned my focus to the remote below me. It was a small rectangular thing, not too far from the ones I was familiar with. I moved my thumb to the volume button and pressed it.

  We were finally able to hear the TV, which was still set to the weather program. “-western Kansas will likely be experiencing more rainfall on Tuesday. And moving over to the southeast, the rain will be continuing over the Hutchinson and Wichita area until around midnight. We'd recommend you stay up to date with the weather forecast, since it is that time of year for tornadoes.”

  Oscar was present, watching the broadcaster attentively.

  “And we are near that Wichita place, right?” Asked Garrett, pointing at the TV. “Well kinda, we are right outside of a small town called grenola. Wichita is about a 2 hour drive away.” Oscar said.

  Avera looked up from her tablet, “That must have been the lights we saw.” she said, lost in a thought.

  Oscar nodded, “That sounds about ri-” A sudden, bright flash of lightning flooded through the windows. Oscar only was able to say the words “Uh oh” before the violent crack of thunder shook the house.

  BANG!

  I flinched as the violent crack of thunder hit the house. Everyone's hands went to their ears, sending Averas tablet flying to the floor. The lamp behind me shut off, along with the TV. A couple moments later they both came back on.

  Garrett shook his head back and forth, he was probably suffering from the ringing as I was. “That was a loud one…” Oscar remarked as he peered out the window.

  “Have any other useful information?” Avera spat out as she slowly moved to pick up her fallen tablet.

  Winter quickly came running into the room, “You guys good? She asked, looking around at everyone. I put a weak thumbs up, “head hurts now.” I replied.

  Vita leaned her head back on the chair she was in, “Don't have anything for that, sorry…” she said as she rubbed her hand on the top of her head.

  “It will be gone soon.” Avera said. She raised herself up off the couch, “Garrett, have you and Michael had any luck getting information off the storage bank?”

  “Well,” Garrett said, looking around. “Where is Michael?”

  I turned my head back and forth, and noticed the giant towel covered lump that was crouched on the floor, right next to the couch I was on.

  I leaned over towards him, “Michael? You alright bud?” He didn't respond. I slowly worked my way off the couch and towards him. I put my hand on his shoulder and tried to turn him around.

  He still didn't react. His only movements were heavy trembles. Vita and Garrett joined me on the floor as the others watched on to see what was wrong.

  “Hey we're all here, you'll be okay…” Vita said softly to him, “it's alright.”

  Michael let out a low, unsettling grumble. After a couple of tries we were able to turn him around so he was facing us. His visor was dim and emotionless. I could sense he was confused. And scared. we all were.

  Vita fruitlessly waved her hand in front of him, to which he didn't do anything. “What did that lighting do to you?” She asked in a voice heavy with sympathy.

  I got up to get out of Vita's way, “How do we snap him out of this?” I asked.

  Garrett looked at Michael a bit longer… “I think I know.” He said. Everyone immediately looked at him, curious about his answer. “Way back when we were controlled by the Primagens… they used loud noises as a psychological trigger. It made it easier to quickly stop a protogen in whatever they were doing. A sudden loud noise stuns our brain, making it ‘trip on itself’. This causes all cognitive abilities to momentarily seize.”

  Winter and Oscar shared a look of complete confusion when Garrett finished his explanation. “Controlled by primagens?” Asked Winter, yearning for a further explanation.

  “Who's going to explain?” Garrett asked in defeat.

  “Ah, I will,” Avera said. “You see, many hundreds of years ago we were a very simple species. until at one point, we were found by a group who were called primagens. As advanced as they were, they still took us for their own needs. We received mechanical augments, such as our visors. We were upgraded into their image. We fought their wars, followed their orders, and did what they wanted. We became drones. A hivemind. It was that way for a long, long time. Nobody had a conscience. For reasons unknown, a small group of protogens became aware. They gained what they had lost, individuality. They fought back, revolted. It was our uprising. The primagens did their best to quell it, but they were pitifully outnumbered by their own creations. By the time we left Zenith, the primagen and protogen homeworld, all the primagens had been killed and along with most of the protogens. Those who had survived went off in exploration of the unknown. One of the groups of protogens found the planet Aureon. That was 100 years ago. I do hope this explanation helps.”

  “Woah… that's intense.” Winter quietly said. “And what has happened since then?” Asked Oscar.

  Avera sighed, “We devolved, to put it simply. We developed the means of natural reproduction, our life spans shortened, and we have long since lost many of our augments. We are a far cry of our ancestors who lived on Zenith, and we are proud of that. We are unique and we truly experience life.”

  Oscar and Winter were silent. I couldn't tell if they were about to cry from the information bomb, or from the fact they hadn't blinked. It's convenient that blinking is something I don't even have to worry about.

  “So, anyways,” I said, “How long is Michael going to be like this? It's not going to be permanent, is it?”

  “Oh it wont, or at least it shouldn't” Garrett replied, “If studying serves me correctly, his current mental state should only last 10 to 30 minutes.”

  I took a long look into Michael's eyes, “hang in there, you'll be out of it soon enough.” I said, patting him on the shoulder. It just was not easy seeing him in such a state, stripped of his mind.

  Winter went up to the doorway towards the kitchen and stopped, “Sooo… I could make some tea for you all while we wait for him to get back to his senses.”

  “That would be fine, thank you.” I nodded.

  Vita and Avera, with great effort, moved Michael onto one of the living room couches. Oscar fetched a blanket from one of the closets and put it over Michael. After some discussion, it was decided to leave him alone for a little bit.

  We made our way into the dining room where we all took a seat at the large table. Vita and Garrett began furiously typing away on their own computers, making sure to type every detail of Michael’s new condition. Oscar was playing with his thumbs, staring off at who knows what. As for the commander and I, we both sat deep in thought. What if we all become susceptible to any sudden loud noises? What if Michael never snaps out of it?

  The dining room continued to be briefly lit up by flashes of lightning, followed by the distance rumble of thunder. The worst of the storm was beginning to pass, so the thunder wasn't going to be as bad. Unfortunately there was still a while before the storm would end completely.

  Winter came out of the kitchen holding a large tray with glasses of dark liquid, tea, as it was called. A large pitcher and some small white cubes were also present.

  She passed a glass to everyone, and we all took an eager sip. It tasted funny in a good way. Apparently it was common to put a sweetener in these drinks as well. It was something I'd have to try.

  as I reached forward to grab a small cube of sugar on the tray, the strangest thing happened.

  A low orange flash bled through the window shutters. This was immediately followed by a distant roar and a low, deep rumbling sensation. The whole house shook as it happened.

  The orange flash stopped shortly thereafter along with the shaking. I wasn't sure if it was the lightning that had caused it. A quick, short ‘thud’ was felt as well. As if something small had also hit close by.

  “The hell was that?” Said Oscar, getting up from his seat. “Did a transformer blow up again?”

  Winter looked equally shocked, “We still have power!” She ran to the window and opened a shutter, “What the fuck?” She whispered.

  Everyone else joined her at the window, myself included. It looked misty outside, you couldn't see very far. Far in the distance, a subtle orange glow reflected off the sky. It almost looked like it was flickering. Could something have been on fire? What if the lightning lit someone's house on fire?

  We all looked Dumbfounded as we stared at the distant glow. I didn't know if we should have been going outside at that moment to check what happened. But if we went outside and were close to any lightning, we might be sent into shock like Michael.

  “Oscar, get your raincoats and boots, NOW!” Winter yelled as she ran into the living room. He followed her, with us protogens in tow behind them.

  Winter stuffed her arms in a bright yellow jacket, and Oscar followed with his own blue jacket. “Where are you all going?” Garrett asked, squinting at them.

  “Outside. I want to know what just happened.” Said Winter. “You guys stay here. I don't want you all to end up like your friend.”

  “No.” Avera said, “I'm going as well.”

  We all looked at her like she was crazy. I was beginning to think she was crazy. “Wait, you can't just be going out there.” I said to her.

  She nodded, “As my second in command, you have the right to challenge any of my decisions, Lucas.” she bent down and picked up her flight boots, “But as the first in command, I also have the authority to do what I want, whether it's a good decision or not.”

  “Alright let's go.” Avera said, painting at the front door.

  “Jesus christ, okay then.” Oscar said, “See you guys again in a minute.”

  Winter opened the door, letting in a gust of cold air. They all filed their way out onto the front porch.

  “Screw this, I want to watch.” I said as I stepped past everyone else. I followed the trio out onto the porch.

  It was very gusty outside, and a chilling wind could be felt as well. Out over the treeline, the orange glow had become much fainted, likely a result of the constant rainfall.

  The commander stepped off the porch along with the wolves, walking a course toward the treeline. They didn't even get halfway across the yard before a figure began emerging from the mist. I couldn't tell who it was, but they had a bulky figure and looked to be holding a large knife.

  Avera stopped in her tracks as the person drew closer. I noticed they were orange, kinda like Garrett. It looked like an old flight suit, including the helmet.

  Within a couple yards of the trio, the person stopped as well. They stood frozen for a couple seconds. Slowly, their hands reached up towards their helmet. It twisted and came off, revealing the outline of a protogen.

  Over the noise of distant thunder, the frantic pitch of Avera's voice could be heard.

  “...Conrad?”

  End of chapter 16

  Fun Fact: The Protogen Generation originally started life as a webtoon comic called Proto-Life. This was done in 2022 with a close friend of mine. The comic itself didn't get very far before I gave up on drawing it. The plot of the first ‘season’ was very different, and involved the teen versions of Lucas, Michael and Kyle. They basically found a little portal box that accidentally brought a wolf to their own world.

  The second ‘season’ was going to involve Lucas and Michael going to space. Things happened, and they would use that portal box to save themselves, and would be sent to wolf earth as a result. You can see where TPG got its current plot from. And out of all the characters, Michael has probably remained the least changed of all the characters from his original concept in 2022, and was based on/created by the co-author. And I'd say that Lucas is most closely based on myself.

  If you have any questions regarding the story, please let me know. I love hearing comments from readers!