The Extension of Gold

"I've done a lot, but I really don't feel good about taking jewelry off of the dead, Leon. Besides, we don't even know if it's real gold."

"We can test it, Alan."

"What's the point anyways? Your transmitter is working fine; there are just no people around," Alan pleaded.

Leon, whose patience was as thin as his wiry frame, shot him a disdained glance at the question.

"I've told you several times. We need all of the gold and silver we can get our hands on to rebuild the radio. We can use the metal to electropla-"

"LEON….Please. a stronger signal won't help if there are no people on the other end."

"Well, that's why I'm making it better."

"I swear since the incinerations, your mind's been slipping. You're wasting time looking for scrap metal when we need food."

"When those things come back, we won't stand a chance. We need to find others."

"So why not just go out on foot now?"

"Alan," said Leon frustratedly, "we don't even know which direction would give us the best chance. We don't even know if all the creatures are gone."

Only a few creatures were seen on the ground. They only looked curiously at their new potential home while calibrating their machines which would begin changing the earth to suit them.

"You know they're gone; that's why these terraformers are here. They can't survive here yet. WE have the advantage right now, and WE should be trying to destroy those machines."

"Alan... we couldn't even get within 1 km of the machines. The gravity around them is at least 3 times that of earth, not to mention how thin the air is there."

Alan remained quiet

"Believe me; this is our best bet."

Leon carefully stepped over three charred bodies and recovered the ash-covered locket from the woman as well as some other smaller jewelry items.

Alan's thoughts flashed to his escape from the flames. The spray of fire coming from the massive ships roared for days in a seemingly never-ending sunset that decimated almost every kilometer of land. Then, body recoiling, he quickly looked away from the bodies strewn across the ground toward Leon.

Leon put a hand to his friend's shoulder and proclaimed, "this won't be in vain."

"At the rate these terraformers are working, we'll be dead in a month anyway," said Alan.

"Why don't you see what you can find for food, and I'll go work on the radio?"

"It'd be easier if we both looked."

"Look at me, Alan," Leon said in jest, stepping back and waving to his ribs, "I barely eat anyway. So you're basically hunting for yourself."

Alan could not force a smile this time.

"Get to your radio. But man, if you don't hear anything, you've got to give it up. We need to get out of the area. It's starting to get hard to breathe anyway."

Leon hated to hear it, but Alan was right, "I'll see you back at the university. I'm going to set up shop at the clock tower this time."

Alan nodded, and they both took off in opposite directions.

When Leon reached his workstation at the university, he mindlessly began heating the metals he had found that day. He was about to drop the heart-shaped locket in the crucible when he decided to open it up out of curiosity. He melted the clasp and opened it to find an empty interior with an engraving on the side. It read:

Once I was filled with desperation

A solitary man

You gave me hope and inspiration

Like only true love can

-Love Jean

Leon dropped it in the crucible.

He took all of his heated and assorted metals and began working on his radio. He plated the components connecting to the antenna with gold. This would help with the conductivity of the electrons and hopefully strengthen the signal.

As he was finishing, Alan walked in.

"How's that walkie-talkie, Leo?"

"We're about to find out," responded Leon, "I've upgraded everything I could. Unfortunately, since the terraforming began, there's been a lot of electromagnetic interference, but hopefully, this will help."

"Well, I've got some fish. They're small and weak, but it's still food."

"Whatever we can get our hands on, dude."

"Of course, that's your motto."

Leon sighed. "We had no choice, Alan. Besides, when I opened up that locket, it was just a generic love quote."

"What was the quote?"

"I was filled with desperation, solitary man, who gave me hope… Something like that I can't really remember. But let's not think about it."

"You gave me hope and inspiration like only true love can," crooned Alan.

Leon stared, puzzled.

"It's a song…. Lady?…. By the Commodores?" Alan asked in an attempt to jolt his memory.

Leon continued to stare.

"Nevermind," said Alan, "either way, it's a catchy song. It's not generic at all."

"So this is what you were doing when you were "studying," Leon said sarcastically.

"Whatever, man. We couldn't all be isolated electrical engineering majors. Let's just see if your glorified HAM radio works."

Leon powered the radio and turned his mic on.

"This is Leon. I am with my friend Alan. We are survivors living in Valparaíso, Chile, at the Frederico University. We are broadcasting from all AM frequencies. So if there's anybody out there, please reach out. Please."

The radio cracked and popped. The anxiety of the wait was excarbated by the similarity of the radio static. The light crackling of the radio reminding the pair of unsettling sound of the machines scorching the earth from a distance. The tension eventually gave way to disappointment as the radio silence ensued.

Alan cooked the frail fish with the few remaining cups of oil they had left. They did not speak to each other all night.

At around 3 am Alan was awoken by talking. He rolled around on the hard concrete floor and, in a daze, said, "Leon, now is not the time, man. You're going to need all your energy for this trek."

But Leon was fast asleep. Finally, he bolted up, realizing that the voice was coming from the radio.

He shook Leon awake on his way to the radio.

Tripping on their sleeping bags and backpacks, Alan pressed the mic and yelled, "WE ARE HERE. CAN YOU HEAR ME?"

Leon, shaking off the sleep, finally realized what was going on, and his mind immediately started racing.

It had been 10 months since they had heard other people's voices, and Leon was not going to lose this connection. He took control of the radio and worked his makeshift dials until he could make out the frail voice on the other end of the line asking, "Hello, can you hear me?"

Leon frantically replied, "YES. YES. We can. Where are you?"

The voice, gaining strength, responded, "Yes, I'm in Santiago, at Pontificia Universidad. What's left of it" The strength in the voice turned weak again as Leon and Alan heard the voice at the other end of the line sobbing.

"Since the fires, I haven't heard from anyone. I used to be at Frederico as a Ph.D. student. I came here after graduation, right before the ships arrived." The voice sniffled, "I've lost everyone I knew back home."

"We're here for you, friend," Leon soothed, "and we're coming to you."

"Are you safe?" exclaimed Alan.

It was quiet for what seemed like an eternity.

"The fires have died down, and I'm a good distance from the terraforming machines. I'm the only danger." The voice paused, "I lost hope."

"Listen, we're only 150 kilometers away!" shouted Leon. "Yeah, please hold on; it's only a two-day journey by foot," added Alan.

"Thank you," exhaled the voice, "but are you two alone there?"

"Unfortunately, we are. We were both lucky enough to get out before they flash incinerated the area," responded Alan.

Dejected, the voice replied, "I figured."

"I'm sorry," consoled Alan, "we know your pain."

"Once the fires started on the coast, I couldn't hear from my fiance or her friends. I wanted to go back, but my leg is injured, and I wouldn't survive the trip alone," said the voice.

"Hang tight, my friend; we'll be with you in a few days. Keep your radio close and powered," said Leon.

"We're sorry about your fiance as well," Alan comforted.

"I'm just glad to hear someone at this point," said the voice, this time with strength.

"Right back at you, friend. Also, we did not catch your name," said Leon.

"My name is Juan, but my friends and fiance called me Jean."