TROA) Things Are Changing

While I did not like to think about it that way, Jen was right. If she did not have food, she would have died of hunger. While she had learned martial arts when she was younger, things changed when her parents changed. While she would still stand up for herself when she needed to, she did not like to get close to others. This was all due to her parents in how they acted. 

“Well, now you are here and alive and well. No matter what happens in the future, I will be there with you.” I will protect those I care about. I now have the ability to do so. 

As we walked, the sun beamed down on us, causing me to reach up and wipe the sweat from my brow. “Is it just me, or is it getting hotter?” 

“It is quite hot.” Jen pulled on her shirt. I looked at her and saw that she was sweating pretty badly. “Ai, did the weather change during your first life?”

“No….. This might just be a hot day.” Scratched my head as I said this. After all, winter was right around the corner….

We stopped off in some shade, and I took out a thermometer from my inventory and took a look at the temperature. I frowned when I saw that it was ninety eight degrees (36c). “I was in a lab for two years, so maybe we did have a late heat wave.” 

“Should we head back?” Jen asked as she took a drink of water. Seeing her suffering, I could only nod my head. I did want to try to find more people, but it seemed we would need to wait for now. But before I did, I decided to take a peek at the sky. It was a clear day, and the skies were blue. The tear in space that was slowly getting bigger seemed to be different somehow. 

“Jen, I am not sure if my eyes are playing tricks on me, but is there a red beam coming out of the tear?” I asked. I had to be sure. From what I could see, there was a small red line coming out of the tear going into the sky. What it was doing, I did not know, but it was definitely happening.

“It’s barely visible, but it’s there. Ai, we should head back.” Jen’s voice trembled slightly. I nodded and quickly opened a portal. We both stepped through and entered the base, which was like night and day compared to the outside world. 

“Your back, good ti…. Why are you both wet!?” My mother cried out as we walked into the living area. 

“The temperature outside has skyrocketed. Earlier, the temperature was fine, but now it is ninety eight. It might even go higher. It’s strange, though, since it was so cool earlier.” I explained as I walked towards the stairs leading up to the entrance. 

“Did we get a sudden heat wave?” My mother asked. I could tell she was confused.

“I am not sure. But Jen and I saw a red beam of light coming out of the tear shooting up into the sky. Although it might just be something they do on a regular basis.” I answered as I began walking up the stairs. I wanted to check the temperature outside the base. I did not dare teleport out, so I could only check things at the door by sticking my hand through the entrance.

“Ai, I did not see such things on the cameras. I have been watching them all day.” My mother had followed me up the stairs. I think she was starting to get worried.

“It’s fine. Even if the sudden heat has something to do with them, it’s fine. But what I do not get is why did things change since, from what I know there was never any heat wave. Although I was in the lab for two years, so I could be wrong but if I remember correctly, no one ever mentioned anything. But then again it could just be a sudden heat wave.” I might be overreacting, but this was such a huge spike in temperature. When matched with the fact that I saw that beam of light, I just had a strange feeling.

At the smooth, rocky face in front of me, I made a hole and was about to step out when I was hit by a wave of heat. I stuck the thermometer out to test to see how hot it was to see if the temperature was a few degrees higher. “It’s one hundred out now(37c).” 

“Will we be fine?” My mother asked worriedly.

“Yeah, even if the temperature does rise more, we will be fine since we are underground, but what makes me worry is the people who have survived. I think I will need to make more drones and send them out. One to monitor the weather outside and a few to search for people. I will have a two way radio on the new ones so I can communicate with them.” I will decide if people were good or not when they came. I can always lock up or kill those who cause trouble. But if I started bringing in more people, I would also need to start expanding the base. The new sections would need to be in another place.