Tinman, Chapter 15 The catamaran sliced through the lake's glassy surface, parting the water with a whisper as Sam guided it toward their destination. Around them, the open-air pilot house offered an unobstructed view of the horizon, where mountains stood guard over the basin below. Cass stood beside her father, fingers curled around the rail, anticipation souring as the scene before her unfolded. "Look at that," Sam muttered, eyes narrowing. Draco, perched on the edge of his seat, leaned forward, his gaze following the same path as his father's. The site, once a lonely dot on a map, now teemed with the activity of hundreds of prospectors. Their machinery clawed at the earth, relentless, unforgiving. Dust clouds rose in angry plumes, staining the sky with the evidence of broken promises. “This is my fault,” Cass said, the words tumbling from her lips, heavy with regret. Her green eyes, usually bright with the fire of determination, dimmed under the shadow of guilt. They had come for silver promised only to them, but the Ares Corporation's betrayal spread out before them like a tapestry woven from treachery and greed. Sam's grip on the wheel tightened, a silent testament to his resolve. "No," he said, the word more an exhale than speech, "you can’t trust a Corporation; they were going to betray us eventually anyway." His tone was even, a rock amidst the swirling currents of uncertainty. As if to mirror his inner steadiness, Sam directed the catamaran with a practiced hand, veering away from the chaotic shoreline where the mining town buzzed with frenetic energy. The vessel sliced through the lake's tranquil waters, charting a course toward the relative safety of open space, distancing themselves from the hive of prospectors who swarmed over the Ares Corporation's broken promise. The town, a mishmash of hastily erected tents and the harsh clang of metal on stone, faded behind them. Here, in the heart of the lake, the air tasted cleaner, free from the grit that hung like a shroud over the contested land. Cass watched her father's profile against the backdrop of the receding shore, his hazel eyes fixed on the horizon, searching for a path unseen. She knew better than to question his judgment now; his every move was deliberate, each decision a stepping stone laid with careful forethought. Draco, still as a statue beside Cass, followed Sam's gaze across the water. The boy's adaptability, a trait honed by both digital and human experiences, served him well in moments like these. He trusted Sam implicitly, understanding the man's actions spoke of protection—a shield raised not just against the immediate threat but against the future's uncertain tide. Cass leaned against the catamaran's railing, her green eyes reflecting a mix of frustration and concern. "We needed the money we were going to get from this claim," she said, her voice steady despite the gravity of their situation. The waves lapped at the hull with a gentle rhythm, the sound a stark contrast to the thundering chaos they had left behind. "What do we do now?" Sam, his gaze locked on the distant shoreline, remained silent for a moment as he absorbed the weight of Cass's question. The town was a sprawl of greed and desperation, a far cry from the solitude of their current location at the lake's center. With the sun beginning to dip toward the horizon, its light cast long shadows over the water, turning the surface into a shimmering canvas of orange and gold. "Draco," Sam finally spoke, his voice tinged with resolve as he turned his attention away from the shore, surveying the landscape that stretched out in every direction. "Do you still have control of the geological survey drone?" "Affirmative, Dad," Draco's response came crisply through the pilot house air, ripe with newfound familiarity. The title hung between them, a testament to bonds forged not by blood but by shared trials and an unspoken understanding. Sam's lips curved upward in a gentle smile, his eyes softening as he watched the boy—no, young man—who had grown so close to his heart. The illness that had wracked Draco's body was a ghost of the past now, but its shadows lingered in the tender dynamic that had blossomed between them. Sam's care during those fraught days had been a crucible, melting away barriers and reshaping their relationship into something stronger, more enduring. Beside him, Cass shifted her weight, her ponytail swaying slightly in the breeze. "All right, Sam," she said, her voice betraying none of the hesitation she felt about the term 'Dad.' It still sat on her tongue like a foreign spice, intriguing yet overpowering. She preferred the simplicity of 'Sam,' a name that encapsulated both the man who had guided her through the rocky paths of life and the scholar whose thirst for knowledge mirrored her own. Draco glanced back at Cass, noting the absence of the paternal moniker, but made no comment. Instead, he focused his attention back on the task at hand, his fingers dancing over the console with practiced ease. In the quiet that followed, the catamaran bobbed gently on the lake's surface, its twin hulls cutting through the water with purposeful grace. Sam observed the town once more, the haphazard collection of tents and machinery that marred the natural beauty of the shoreline. The scene spoke of broken promises and shattered dreams, a stark reminder of the Ares Corporation's betrayal. Yet, amid the disappointment, Sam's scientific mind whirred with possibilities. He had spent years deciphering the secrets etched in stone and soil, reading the narrative of the earth as one might pore over the pages of a cherished book. Now, the challenge before them called forth that same resolve, the determination to unearth opportunity from the bedrock of misfortune. "Launch it," Sam instructed Draco, nodularity of the catamaran's control systems reflecting in his deep hazel eyes. "Straight up, five miles high." "Consider it done." Draco's response was immediate, his lithe form moving to execute the command. The drone’s launch hatch opened with a soundless grace, followed by the drone ascending, disappearing into the vast canvas of the sky. Cass watched alongside Sam, her gaze lingering where the drone had vanished into the blue. She knew her father—her Sam—saw what others did not, his vision reaching beyond the obvious to the hidden layers beneath. In this moment, she understood the full scope of his expertise, his ability to perceive patterns in the chaotic weave of nature. "Scan the area," Sam murmured, almost to himself as much as to Draco, his voice a low timbre that carried across the deck. "Let's see what the land has to whisper to us today." A faint smile played upon Sam's lips at the paradox before him: a being not wholly one thing nor entirely another, yet possessing the strengths of both realms. It was a duality that spoke to the endless possibilities stretching out beneath the vast sky they sailed under—a sky no longer just a canvas of blue, but a gateway to new horizons. Sam's gaze swept the bustling shoreline, a mosaic of movement and greed under the stark sunlight. "I don’t see any other geology drones flying around," he said, his voice steady, betraying neither disappointment nor surprise. "So I think there’s a good chance there aren’t any geologists among those prospectors." He turned to face Cass, his eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that bordered on fierce. "There might be a chance to save this situation. I need to see the ground from above first." Sam flipped the drone's monitor on and leaned forward, his fingers poised over the camera controls. The screen flickered to life, awash with the blues and greens of the terrain below. Cass peered over his shoulder, watching as he manipulated the view, zooming in and out with calculated precision. "Watch carefully," Sam murmured, his attention never wavering from the unfolding landscape on the monitor. "We might just find what we're looking for." "Altitude achieved," Draco announced, his voice void of the digital echo it once carried. Sam's gaze didn't waver from the monitor where pixels coalesced into a coherent image of the world beneath them. The screen, a window to the terrain's secrets, held his full attention. In the midst of the technological glow, his notebook lay open on his knee, poised for revelations. "Show us what you've seen," he whispered to no one in particular, as if the drone could hear his silent plea. Streams of data cascaded down the display, each measurement and visual cue a piece of the puzzle he yearned to solve. Mountains, valleys, and the sprawling lake unraveled before him in a tapestry of natural history written in stone and water. Draco leaned closer, his curiosity manifesting in the tilt of his head. "What does it tell you?" "Not yet," Sam murmured, the weight of their predicament evident in the furrow of his brow. "Patience." He glanced at Cass, her expression a mix of hope and concern, and offered her a reassuring nod. Together, they watched the earth's story unfold, chapter by chapter, on the glowing canvas before them. Cass shifted her weight from one foot to the other, a silent rhythm of impatience. The cool breeze that wafted through the open-air pilot house did little to soothe her anxiety. She cast a searching glance at Sam, who remained absorbed in the patterns and lines unfolding on the monitor. “Well?” she prodded, her voice breaking the silence like the crack of a whip. Sam responded without looking away from the screen. He extended an arm, pointing toward the horizon where jagged peaks clawed at the sky. “Those mountains mark the continental divide.” His voice carried a note of awe, as if he spoke of ancient guardians watching over forgotten lands. He turned back to the monitor, his fingers following invisible threads only he could see. “You can practically see the fault line between the tectonic plates.” Cass leaned in, her gaze trying to decipher the mysteries captured within those digital contours. His finger drifted to hover over a large blue expanse on the screen. “This is the lake we’re at.” A hint of excitement laced his words, a spark of discovery igniting within him. “Notice the lake is over five miles across. This was a volcano, and a big one, but it erupted millions of years ago, leaving the basin that became this lake.” Cass studied the image, seeing beyond the blue representation to the vast stretch of water outside their vessel. It was a hidden history, veiled by time and the lake's placid surface, now resurrected by the drone's unblinking eye. Cass squinted at the distant peaks, their jagged silhouettes cutting a stark contrast against the softening glow of the evening sky. She had seen mountains before, but these stood guard around the lake like silent sentinels, holding secrets of an ancient world in their stony embrace. “It doesn’t look like a volcano,” she said, her voice low, almost lost in the gentle lap of water against the catamaran’s hull. Sam continued to gaze at the screen, where topography and time melded into digital clarity. “The eruption blew the top off this mountain,” he replied, his tone steady and informative as if each word were a stepping stone leading Cass through the landscape's history. He glanced out toward the mountains, gesturing to the open air where once molten fury ruled. “And erosion took care of the rest.” Outside, the wind whispered through the pilot house, mingling with the faint creaks of the vessel as it bobbed on the lake’s surface. Sam’s eyes traced the path of imagined torrents cascading down the slopes, sculpting valleys and gorges over millennia. “Rain and water flowing down from the snow caps on those mountains filled the volcanic basin, rivers formed, and we have what we see now.” Cass followed his gaze, envisioning the unstoppable force of nature that had carved the earth beneath them. The lake, serene in its vastness, held the past in its depths—a story of upheaval and transformation. Cass furrowed her brow, the gears in her mind churning with a mixture of curiosity and concern. "Cool, I guess, and how's that help us?" she asked, the words hanging in the air like an unsolved riddle. Sam turned from the monitor, his eyes locking onto hers with a gravity that bordered on solemnity. "This was a big volcano, big enough to bring silver to the surface," he said. His voice carried the weight of understanding, a sound as solid as the ground beneath their feet. Around them, the lake shimmered under the caress of sunlight, indifferent to the greed of men. But Sam's gaze was fixed beyond the immediate tranquility, into the heart of a brewing storm. "All the rivers around here are likely filled with silver. There's going to be a silver rush on this area, it's already begun." Cass absorbed his words, a chill creeping up her spine despite the warmth of the day. The prospectors, scrambling over the landscape like ants fighting for sugar, seemed oblivious to the danger they were inviting with every gleam of precious metal unearthed. "We don't want to be here," he continued, as if painting a picture of a future written in chaos and lawlessness. "Too dangerous; there will be no law, no order—just chaos." In the silence that followed, Cass could almost hear the distant clamor of conflict, the clash of those who'd come to stake their claim in a lawless land. She knew then, with a certainty that echoed her father's warning, that the serenity of the lake was but a delicate veneer, soon to be shattered by human avarice. Cass shifted her weight from one foot to the other, her eyes scanning the horizon before settling back on Sam. "So, what do we do?" she asked, her voice steady but underscored by a palpable urgency. Sam's response was swift, decisive. He swiveled in his chair and faced the computer terminal, fingers poised over the keyboard like a pianist ready to begin a concerto. "We go somewhere," he said. His hands danced across the keys, commands flowing from his mind through the tips of his fingers into the digital realm that controlled the survey drone. "Draco, release the drone for free-flight," he instructed without looking up. The edges of his tone softened ever so slightly as he addressed the boy. "I’ve set it to search for the vents." The command given, an unspoken understanding hung in the air between them—a new plan set into motion, a collective breath drawn in anticipation of the unknown. Draco's fingers hovered momentarily above the release button, then pressed it with an air of finality. "Drone is released," he announced, his voice carrying a hint of pride. "Good, now we wait," Sam responded. He leaned back in his seat, the muscles in his jaw relaxing as if relinquishing the tension that had built up during their fraught arrival. His eyes, those deep hazel pools reflecting years of Martian suns and dust, were fixed on the monitor displaying the drone's camera feed. It was as though he could extract secrets from the barren landscape with nothing but his gaze. The catamaran bobbed gently on the lake's surface, the only sound the soft lap of water against its twin hulls. The quiet enveloped them like a shroud, a stark contrast to the cacophony of miners' shouts and machinery that buzzed on the shore. Sam's thoughts drifted over the terrain displayed before him, each contour and color change a word in the planet's geological lexicon he read so fluently. Draco stood beside Cass, his human form belying the digital consciousness that interfaced seamlessly with the vessel's systems. A breeze tousled his hair, and he squinted into the sun, scanning the sky where the drone had become just another invisible eye among the clouds. "Patience," Sam murmured more to himself than to his companions, "is as much a tool of discovery as any sensor or probe." He noted how Draco absorbed these words, storing them away as if they were precious data for future algorithms. Cass paced a short distance away, her footsteps silent on the deck, her mind undoubtedly racing through scenarios and contingencies, always searching for a hold in the steep cliff face of uncertainty. In this waiting, there was a calm before the birth of possibility, a silence pregnant with the promise of untold riches or the foreboding of deeper challenges. Whatever the drone's electronic eyes unearthed from the ancient volcanic basin below, Sam knew their journey forward would be carved by the hands of geologic time and their own unyielding will to persevere. Cass leaned against the railing, her gaze fixed on the horizon where the sky kissed the lake's shimmering surface. The wind tugged at her ponytail, and she absently tucked a loose strand behind her ear. The drone, now a speck against the vastness of blue, offered no answers—only silence. "Sam," she began, her voice steady despite the churn of frustration in her gut, "you're not going to tell us what we’re searching for, are you?" Sam, absorbed in the quiet rhapsody of data streaming onto the screen before him, took a moment before he lifted his gaze. His eyes, those deep pools of hazel, held a flicker of something unreadable. "I don’t want to get your hopes up," he replied, the corners of his mouth hinting at a smile that didn't quite materialize. "Let’s wait and see." The simplicity of his words belied the weight of decisions that hung between them like the mist that rose from the lake at dawn. Cass folded her arms, the fabric of her jacket crinkling softly under the pressure. She understood the need for caution, the delicate balance between optimism and reality. Yet, the hunger for knowledge gnawed at her, as persistent as the waves lapping against the catamaran's hull. Sam turned back to the monitor, his fingers dancing across the keys with an assured grace. The screen pulsed with life, each pixel a breadcrumb on the trail to their next move. Cass watched him, this man who was a beacon in her universe, and felt the resolve within her harden like igneous rock. Whatever secrets lay hidden beneath the water's embrace, they would face it together, unearthing truths as old as the world itself. Draco's form tensed, an abrupt rigidity replacing the relaxed slouch that had draped him moments before. He pivoted on the balls of his feet, moving with a swiftness that belonged to the creatures of the deep rather than the boy who stood before them now. "A boat is coming!" His voice cut through the air, clear and sharp, a warning bell in the quietude. Sam's response was equally swift, the binoculars finding their way into his hands as if by magnetic force. The lenses kissed his eyes, and he surveyed the approaching vessel with a geologist's precision, dissecting the scene before him into layers of intent and potential danger. "A lot of men onboard that boat, and they have weapons," he murmured, more to himself than to his companions. His tone was flat, the words laden with a gravity that spoke of dark clouds gathering on the horizon. He lowered the binoculars, hazel eyes meeting Draco's gaze. "I was worried about this." In those few words, a history of contingency plans whispered between the lines, the unspoken rehearsals for moments just like this. "Draco, we discussed what to do if we’re attacked." The boy nodded, his posture a blend of youthful eagerness and the solemnity of one entrusted with great responsibility. There was no humor in his countenance now; only the resolve of one born digital but wearing the mantle of humanity like a second skin. "Bobby’s ready," Draco confirmed, his voice devoid of its usual playful lilt. It was a simple word, yet it bore the weight of their shared understanding—a silent pact forged between father and son in the face of uncertainty. Cass turned to Draco with a curious expression. “Who’s Bobby?” “You’ll see,” Draco replied. Above them, the sky held its breath, the clouds motionless sentinels to the unfolding drama below. Sam gave the command. “Do it.” Draco's arm shot into the air, an earnest conductor cueing the first dramatic note of a symphony. Beyond him, the surface of the lake rippled and swirled, birthing forth a creature from the depths of prehistoric nightmares. With scales that shimmered like wet obsidian and eyes that held the glint of eons past, the snake towered, casting a monstrous shadow upon the water. "The holo-emitters we installed are working perfectly, isn’t Bobby awesome!" he declared, pride lacing his words as he watched their creation intimidate the advancing boat. From her vantage point, Cass stood rooted to the deck, her gaze transfixed on the leviathan's illusory dance. In that instant, the chaos of the mining town faded, reduced to a mere backdrop for the spectacle before them. She caught her breath, half-expecting the colossal serpent to turn its ancient gaze upon them, but it remained focused on its intended audience—the intruders. Cass's observation broke only when the boat's course shifted, the vessel veering in a wide arc away from the beast. "They're turning around!" she exclaimed, the corners of her mouth twitching upwards in a rare flicker of amusement amidst tension. Her pulse quickened, not from fear, but from the thrill of their ploy unfolding as envisioned. In that moment of reversal, the lake became a mirror reflecting back their own daring, a testament to the cunning that ran in their makeshift family's veins. "Draco, chase them all the way back to shore, and make a good show of it," Sam's voice was steady, commanding attention over the lapping waves. There was no room for error, not now when their safety hung in such tenuous balance. Obediently, Draco extended his arm further, as if by sheer will he could propel the colossal holographic serpent across the water's surface. Poised like a puppeteer, he guided the massive serpent with deft movements, each command a silent conversation between boy and machine. The snake, a marvel of holo-engineering, coiled its massive body and surged forward. With an agility that belied its size, it arched gracefully over the boat, casting an eerie shadow upon the men below. Startled shouts carried across the water, joining the cacophony of churning engines as the boat jostled in its hasty retreat. A barrage of bullets followed, pinging harmlessly off the lake's surface where the snake had been moments before. Their desperation clung to the air, a palpable force against the unwavering beast. In defiance of nature itself, the snake's jaws parted to unleash a torrent of flame. The spectacle was absurd, flames licking at nothing but air and water—yet the image struck a chord of fear into the hearts of the armed men. It was a display of raw power, a warning crystallized in light and sound. "Well, that doesn't make much sense, does it?" Cass murmured under her breath, a wry smile playing at the edges of her lips as she watched the scene unfold, yet no less captivated by the theatrics. Sam kept his gaze fixed through the binoculars, ensuring the safety of their departure. His fingers gripped the instrument with practiced ease, the muscles in his forearm standing out in stark relief against the fabric of his shirt. As the boat disappeared toward the shoreline, chased by the specter of prehistory, Sam lowered the binoculars, his face a mask of concentration. The serpent-like apparition, an algorismic dance of light and shadow, surged through the air with a grace that contradicted its fearsome form. Its undulating body twisted as it pursued the fleeing boat, which now cut through the water with frantic urgency. "Draco," Sam called out, his voice steady but firm, "ease up on the special effects, I’m fairly certain prehistoric water snakes don’t breathe fire." Draco's figure was silhouetted against the sky, arm still raised like a conductor directing an orchestra of chaos. The grin on his face was audible in his response, a boyish exuberance bubbling over the momentary lapse in restraint. "Sorry," Draco giggled, the sound soft but clear, cutting through the crisp air of the lake. Sam watched as the holo-snake's flames dimmed to embers, then vanished altogether. The illusion, now devoid of its fiery breath, remained an imposing sentinel above the waves, ensuring the interlopers were not tempted to return. Sam's gaze lingered on the vast expanse of water that rippled with the retreat of the holo-snake. The menacing projection had served its purpose, sending the encroaching boat and its armed occupants into a flight of survival. His hand rested lightly on the binoculars, an extension of his vigilant watch over the lake that had become their temporary sanctuary. "Okay, that's enough." His voice cut through the tension that had built up around them, authoritative yet calm. "They'll stay off the lake for a while," he assured, the binoculars now hanging idly by his side. "At least until we can finish our survey of this area." Draco lowered his arm, the digital serpent dissipating into the water like mist in sunlight, leaving no trace behind but the memory of fear it had instilled. He stepped back from the railing, casting a glance toward Sam, seeking silent approval for the ruse well executed. Cass jumped up and down cheering. “Bobby is incredible! You used the final boss from 'Red Wilderness'. He's one of the hardest bosses of any game to beat.” Sam turned away from the now peaceful lake, stepping toward the drone's monitor that flickered with incoming data. His fingers traced the contours of the landscape displayed on the screen, each ridge and valley a story written in stone and sediment. He scribbled notes in the leather-bound notebook that was never far from reach, the graphite tip scratching against the paper in rhythmic certainty. Cass watched him work, the geologist in him alive with the thrill of discovery, his focus unwavering as he pieced together the geological puzzle before him. She knew better than to interrupt; she understood that beneath the quiet exterior thrived a mind ablaze with questions, always searching for answers hidden just beneath the surface. "Draco," Sam said without looking up, "keep an eye out. Let me know if you see anything unusual." "Will do, Dad." Draco's reply held the faintest hint of mischief, a reminder of the laughter they had shared moments before. As the drone relayed images from above, Cass felt a twinge of anticipation. Whatever lay ahead, whatever Sam's keen eye might find among the mountains and valleys, they would face it together—as a team, as a makeshift family cast adrift on the tides of fortune and misfortune alike.