A technomancer's journey in an apocalyptic world

Chapter 19: Returning to the Pier (Part-1)

"Chill big sis I think your voice is too low for others to wake.", was the calm reply of Ryan who tried to move but winced at the pain, 'Damn it I hope it starts working soon.'

"Michalina I do not care what you are what you could do if you disturb my patient and cause them distree I will throw you out and not even Major would stops me.", a voice thundered from near his bed as Ryan looked up he was greeted with the most intense and angry look he had ever witness on Ruby's face but she was not done, "I am a healer child and you do not anger the person who holds your life in her hands at least once a year."

Michalina turned red from the embarrassment of being chastised by Ruby who was holding a simmering hot porridge inside a pot and it might not be the best porridge but for Ryan who was famished it smelt just heavenly Ruby took a deep breath as she spoke, "Nadia go and check on the other patient where as I have a chat with the siblings."

Nadia gave a small nod as she left, Ruby then looked towards the duo with narrowed us only to give slight smile to Ryan as his stomach grumbled as she spoke with a smile, "Sorry Ryan I took some time to make your food.", she then glared at Michalina as she spoke, "Make yourself useful and get him a table.", Michalina obeyed without a protest as Ryan gawked at her, 'How did Ruby managed to reign her I never thought I would see a day when Michalina would obey someone other than our mother.'

Meanwhile Michalina's mind was running in different direction, 'Damn it that was disgraceful my baby bro is injured and I shouted at him causing him distress Ruby had every right to keep me away from him but that does not excuse her from using that tone on me even if she is right I will get even but not now not before Ryan his healed but at the same time she saved his life a few days ago, damn it what should I do.'

Ruby placed the bowl in front of Ryan as she began to feed him under protest from Ryan, "Shut up, you are injured and the less movement you make the better for yourself.", she light rebuked him before she turned her attention to Michalina as she spoke, "So why were you screaming your head off and giving Ryan unnecessary stress?"

Michalina scowled as she spoke, "Ryan is planning to leave."

Her words caused Ryan to shoot her a betrayed look he wanted to keep it in between them but she went and blabbed it to others it was not his intentions to hide they would have known about it eventually."

Ruby was stunned for a moment before she shot a look of disbelief towards Ryan before she had a look of understanding on her face as she spoke, " Ah I understand there is no need to freak out MIchalina this is hallucination caused by blood loss."

Ryan was about to protest but then he momentarily gained a mischievous glint in his eyes which disappeared as soon as it came as he stuttered, "I-I am fine and "

"And nothing", Ruby spoke in a rather forceful manner, "You are injured as such you cannot think properly as such you should spend your time thinking about healing nothing more nothing less and I hope with time the foolish notion disappears.", as she spoke she had a odd gleam in her eyes, that made Ryan agree with her more lest she incurred her wrath.

Ryan gave a tired sigh as he spoke in an unsure tone, "I suppose."

Ruby chirped happily at that as she spoke, "Good now eat like a good boy and then you can go back to sleep."

Michalina's eyes narrowed at that, 'That no good brother of mine you may convince that idiot Ruby to drop the matter but I will not.'

A few more minutes later Ryan was lying on his bed as Ruby had left to wash the dishes he was trying to sleep but the Michalina's stare was making him uncomfortable as he could not keep it up and whispered harshly, "What? Stop staring at me like that I am trying to sleep."

Michalina gritted her teeth as she replied back, "You may fool that idiot but you will never pull wool over my eyes, so tell me why?"

Ryan ran his right hand through his hair as he spoke, "Sister as long as I stay inside I cannot go stronger as fast as I want if I cannot keep up my pace then eventually another incident like the lion would happen I do not want that."

Michalina sighed as she gently touched his hands as she spoke, "Patience one should learn to be patient, no work done in a hurry is perfect if you try it you are bound to fail and you know what the cost of failure would be."

Ryan nodded as he gained a faraway look on his face as he spoke, "Sister have you wondered about others in this apocalypse how they are living and in what condition they are in, you have seen how the women of that town were."

Michalina gently caressed his hair as she spoke, "There are limitations to one's strength dear and there is no one in this world that can save each and every person you have to know your limits not chase after the impossible."

Ryan gained a sad look on his face as he spoke, "I know my limits, sis I know I cannot save everyone but if by becoming strong I can save even one more person I am happy and as for being impossible tell me do you known Darren Jennings?"

Michalina gave him a deadpanned look as she spoke, "Brother when you have someone chattering about the only person from our country to go to space you generally have the facts and what not shoved into your brain."

Ryan gave her a sheepish smile as she spoke with a frown, "Do not tell me you wish to go to search for him."

Ryan gave her a hardened look as he spoke, "You told me about impossibility right?", as Michalina nodded at that he continued, "A week before that disastrous day he went to space what do you think might have happened to him and the others who are up there in the space station?"

Michalina pursued her lips as Ryan continued, "If they had suffer the same way as us then their power will fail, and without power their life support system would fail soon after just think of it you are in a dark narrow space slowly suffocating."

Michalina grimaced as she spoke, "I get I get it but no matter what you say I will not allow you to venture out alone sorry about that."

Ryan frowned at that as he spoke, "But ."

Michalina placed a finger over his lips as she spoke with the sweetest smile she could master on her face, "Ryan you are my family, my brother we may have learned and inherited many things from our mother but there are few things that I have not inherited from her one of them being impartial and another thing that I personally believe is that the 'end justifies the means', as such brother I unlike my mother would not waste my energy and time to convince you to stay I will simply break every bone of your body and cripple you, you have seen what I have done to Amelia that was just the tip of the iceberg so do not try to work against me if I say I will help you swallow your pride and let me otherwise you will learn firsthand why others call me the 'Feral Wolf' of the 'Black Wolf' regiment", Ryan at that moment literally forgot to breath this was the big sister he had learned to fear how did he forgot about the real her so easily as he swallowed hard Michalina gently caressed his cheeks as she spoke, "Now it is late so try to sleep meanwhile I will stay by your side.

Ryan did not need to be told twice as he quickly closed his eyes as he began to count sheep and do whatever it was necessary to fall asleep he was in no mood to deal with his sister when she was showing her real face and it scared him every single time to the point he always wondered how did she manage to enter the army with such attitude.

It was difficult for him to fall asleep as such he decided to enter into the deep recess of his mind to look at a few blue prints and maybe he would try to find another upgrade for himself.

Near about a week later a grumbling Ruby gave him Ryan a clean bill of health as Ryan smirked at an awed Nikita she could not help but ask out loud, "How? How did you manage to heal so quickly normally a person would need at least a few weeks to heal and you?"

Ruby looked at her with disbelief as she spoke, "It seems you are not getting any sleep at all dear since when are we in a normal situation in fact if you ask me I am a bit disappointed I thought he would heal even faster."

Ryan shrugged at that as he spoke, "Well sorry to disappoint you but that would not be sometime in the foreseeable future, I lack the means to upgrade anymore."

Ciara looked at her son who stood up and faced her she was dreading this conversation for sometime but it was too be done, "Mom I am ready to try again to complete the water collecting system."

Ciara frowned at that as she spoke, "Are you sure Ryan if I remember correctly you are making my soldiers collect sand for another project have you finished it."

Ryan nodded as he spoke, "Of course I have finished making the greenhouses but it would not work until the water system begins to work properly."

Michalina who was standing near them spoke for the first time, "Major I know I am still suspended but you can send me down there along with Captain Zhan I can be extremely useful because of my mutations."

Ciara nodded at that as she gave her permission and thus within that hour a group much larger than before was present there, to Ryan it looked as if they had decided to take the last stand here every bit of weapon and ammunition had been piled up as they were ready for a fight with the entire world, and Ryan was only hoping it would be enough.

Captain Zhan inspected her newest weapon courtesy of Ryan, a double barrel bolt action rifle, a Tier 3 weapon which unfortunately was not only heavy but the recoil was too bad and the only one who managed to use was Zhan, and Ryan would like to give it a try now that his shoulder was healed.

"So I have decided to tweak the plan a bit, the installation of the filters are delicate process not to mention they are delicate themselves and in the future I might have to go down there to repair and every time I do not want to disturb others as such I have devised a simply change in plans, I will be making a cage like structure surrounding I know it would take some time for that I apologize."

Zhan waved him off as she spoke, "Water is very essential for us as of this morning the pond has been officially declared unfit for consumption without this water we are as good as dead."

Ryan simply gave her a grateful nod as then with Ciara's command Zhan, Michalina, Donna and Ryan were both taken down to the pier, Ryan noticed that the it was complete clean there was not even small mark left from that incident, 'It seems that the rain washed it away.

He looked up to see the members of the 'Black Wolves' had occupied both the banks of the gorge as their weapons pointed down towards the water, including a high powered sniper in Ciara's hand.

"Brother start working.", as Michalina's words came to his ears Ryan nodded before he moved swiftly in order to set the cage that would house the four filters he had planned from the start he was near about half way down when the world drowned under gunshots as a large crocodile lookalike thrashed up from the water as it dashed itself against a complete part of the cage it was first electrocuted and then Zhan's gun roared like an artillery gun as the brain of the creature splattered all around, she looked at her new gun pleased.

"Ryan, do not pay attention the water is now flowing with blood more creatures might be attracted so work fast."

Ryan nodded as he spoke, "I will be moving too close to the edge please protect me."

"Baby bro I will be by your side do not worry."

Ryan flashed a small smile towards Michalina as he leaned over the edge as many of them tensed, Zhan gripped her weapon hard, the fence began to appear when all of a sudden Ryan jumped back as Michalina dashed forward and grabbed the snout of another crocodile as massive volts passed through it, Zhan took aim and fired inside the mouth of the creature and soon it was dead.

Michalina winced at that as she spoke, "Captain please do not fire it near me its sound is horrendous."

Zhan was in cloud nine as she did not pay nay heed to her but was busy searching for her next victim, Ryan by then had managed to cover lower part of the pier with an iron fence the kind that was normally used in zoo to keep dangerous animals in and in this case the animals out, it took Ryan a little over 15 minutes to not only that but by then the duo had already put down four more creatures, Donna had already exhausted herself from trying to keep the flow of water under control not to mention the number of times they were broken by some creature but even then she manage d to hold it till the 12th minute mark before she collapsed and was promptly carried away from the top of the pier.

Ryan grinned towards his remaining two companions as he spoke with a sigh, "Well the preparation is done now I need to go and bring the materials for the next so AIR LIFT!", he raised his hand to the air as one of the soldier snooped in and took him to the sky."