Breaking Backbones

Just after midnight, the calls start coming in over the ham radio. Cy’s reclusive neighbors normally keep to themselves, but tonight, they are chattering about some type of disturbance on the river.
“Something unnatural is floating upriver, like maybe a whale. Maybe a submarine. Could even be Russian. Over,” says one of her more paranoid neighbors.
Boats traveling the river, even in daylight, are unusual given that the water is still clogged with debris from years of fires and landslides. Boats tacking upriver in the dark are unheard of, which is why the locals are sharing all types of conspiracy theories over the radio.
Alone in the computing cabin, Cy turns up the volume just as another ham operator pipes in.
“It sounded like rustling more than a motor, like dragon wings whooshing over the water. Over,” says a female voice.
“I think it’s the government coming to raid us or burn us out again,” says another.
Allure steps in just in time to catch that last communication.
“Our neighbors are reporting that something is moving upriver, something not natural,” Cy informs her.
Allure’s dark brows crease with concern. “We hadn’t planned on an assault from the waterfront. We’re not as fortified there.”
“I’m calling it,” Cy says. Then she sends an alert to everyone in the camp. “Take your stations. This is not a drill.”
Allure checks the feeds from the canine bots. “Nothing seems out of the ordinary. But I’m directing Root to the river’s edge down by the barn. And I’ll send Admin to the front gate at River Road.”
“Good, good,” Cy says as she tinkers with her own controls. “Now we need to get those drones in the air.”
“Already on it,” Adam says through the screen door. “Firing up my controllers now. Dad and Saoirse will be here shortly to help me steer them.”
A moment later, Elven and the twins pass Adam on the porch and take their seats at their control stations to keep an eye on the canine bots and perimeter camera feeds.
“Where’s Saoirse?” Allure asks.
“She’s charging R3x to maximum power in case we need the lasers,” Adam tells her.
“Good thinking,” Allure responds. “Your first version of that little doggie saved our bacon at the Watergate.”
Cy can feel the energy. Despite the late hour, everyone is wired, focused, and ready. She hopes their energy sustains them for what’s about to go down.
The radio crackles again. “This is Miley One calling, and we’ve got eyes on something strange in the water. It’s passing Guerneville now.”
“That’s too close!” Cy says. “Allure?”
“We’re sending a physical presence to the river’s edge,” Allure confirms. “Michael’s arming himself now. I’m going to join him there.” She pulls on her flak vest, grabs one off the hook to take to Michael, then slips out of the cabin.
Yet again, her youngest son, Michael, is directly in the line of fire. Allure is in charge on the physical battlefield, and the woman is right; Michael and Allure are the most skilled with weapons and warfare. But it doesn’t make it any easier for Cy to let him go.
Liam coughs and then announces, “Root is in place at the river’s edge.”
Shay adds, “And I’ve got Admin watching the front gate.”
Cy looks over Liam’s shoulder at the greenish-colored night vision image of the river’s edge just below the barn and the garden. “Can you increase visibility without turning on the floodlights?” she asks him. “And please share to the big screen so we can all see.”
A second later, Liam transfers the image to the larger screen and increases the pixel lighting until they can see the river’s edge almost as clear as day. A few minutes go by, and then Michael and Allure enter the line of vision wearing lightweight body armor, helmets, and night vision goggles. Michael takes position behind a fat tree trunk to scan the water. Allure takes position opposite him, behind a boulder that’s surrounded by squat green redwoods. She secures a heavy laser gun against the boulder and points it at the river.
It starts with a wake shaped like a V, which gets larger and more rippled as it approaches the small, sandy beach at the river’s edge.
“Are you getting this?” Michael asks into his communicator.
“Yes, we see,” Cy responds.
“Scope is picking up a small skiff approaching our beach,” Michael continues. “Switching to thermal readers. OK. I count four people on board. One of them looks like a child.”
“Just keep going. Don’t bother us, and we won’t bother you,” Allure says, as if wishing the threat away.
Drone controllers in hand, d_ArkAngl, Adam, and Saoirse step inside the cabin to watch events unfold on the screen.
The boat thuds lightly against the sandy beach, which triggers the camp’s security lights to turn on. Allure and Michael, temporarily blinded, switch off night vision as Root barrels toward the boat, flanks opening, machine guns engaging.