Joseph "Peppi" Vecchio

How to write a techno thriller from another posted science article

Dikika snuggled to the warmth of her mother’s body where she was cradled tightly during the rainstorm. Flashes of light and loud cracks in the sky were followed by a low rumbling sound that shook the surrounding woodland. It put her whole family on edge. Water dropped from the sky and pelted the family of three as they ascended a hill moving away from the rushing blue river. Her mother pulled the two of them up by grabbing big leafy, green bushes that reminded her of an elephant’s ear. Her father picked the path ahead of them looking for the easier route to the top.

Just a few moments ago they had been down by the river picking through the plants for something to eat. The small, sweet green leaves they gathered by the water were always a tasty treat, although she still drank from mother’s breast. She loved the river and the smooth flowing sound always relaxed her.

But the bright afternoon forage had been quickly replaced with a darkness that swallowed the vision of her forest home. The strong smell of the plants that typically rose from every available spot on the ground was now consumed by the smell of rain. A watery scent lighter than the pungent aroma of the river when it was low and slow was part of every breath she took.

The onset of this storm came fast and father, as always, raced them to safety whenever the sound and lights came. There was a tree not far from here where they would gather with others of their kind. The leaves in that tree were not good eating – she had tried them. But the long, wide branches hung low to the ground and made a nice canopy that would keep most of the rain off their backs until the warm bright sun could replace the rumbling grey giants that hung in the sky above them.

She didn’t like storms that came with sound and lights. It was as if the sky above were barking and growling at them between the blinding flashes of bright light that made her look away.

The last storm was the worst she could remember. A wave of sound and lights had come through and destroyed the biggest tree, the one they used to gather under. A crack louder than she had ever heard cut through the rain followed with instant cries from others who were in the branches. The enormous growth split in two crashing to the ground. One of the others who she liked to play with lay on the ground after that and never moved again. That time she was thankful they had gotten to the tree late.

Her father picked up the pace as the sound and lights came more frequently. Her mother’s footing slipped and she was dropped to the muddy ground. She started to slide down the slope, but mother quickly retrieved her. She looked up to see father and he continued his ascent without looking back. Mother’s eyes were wide open and she could actually feel the strong, quick beat of her mother’s heart against her skin when she was tucked in tight against her body.

The rain came down harder. Her mother continued to slip and slide and Dikika was swung wildly about, sometimes only by her arm as her mother worked hard keeping a firm grasp on her. She was scared. They had done this many times, but this one was different. There was so much water falling from the sky. The usual path they had taken to the large tree was washed out and they were struggling to find some way up the hill.

Another giant crack overhead. Mother slipped again and fell on her back. Dikika bounced off her mother’s chest and flew in the air escaping mom’s hold. She hit the ground and slid fast and far this time. It was almost fun.

She heard a quick cry from her mother and looked up the hill as she continued to slip away. Her mother’s outstretched hand pointing toward her. She slid and tumbled faster and faster as she rolled all the way back to the river. The slide only stopped when she crashed into a bush that sprang up from the edge of the shore. The sound of rushing water was louder than she had ever heard.

She looked up the hill where she had last seen mother. Water smashed into her eyes and she blinked hard. Another sound crackled loudly above her. It was much like the boom that had taken down their biggest tree. She blinked again quickly and was able to see for just a moment. A nearby tree was falling her way. She sunk into the muddy bed of pebbles beneath her and they began to envelope her waist. She tried to push up and move but the earth was claiming her. The tree dropped down in one giant crash.

There was no pain. Only pressure. Branches had pushed down on her arms and legs. She could only swing her head a little to the right, back up the hill where mother was. Mother would come and pull her from this mess. The fear of the moment had kept her mind off the cold water that was now racing against her body.

Water continued to push more pebbles and now sand on top of her. Mother had to come soon. A flash of light blinked in the distance and she could see the area clearly for a moment. Mother was close. But she wasn’t coming for her. She was frantically looking all around. Did she not see her?

Dikika took in a lung full of air and was about to let out the only sound she knew how to make. Surely mother would find her and untangle her from the limbs and stones. During the quick flashes of light she could see her still stamping around the area lifting up branches and sticks looking for her baby. Dikika began her howl when suddenly a large wave of water rushed over her and swallowed the sound. She choked and gurgled on the water and fought to get up. But the weight of the tree and the grasp of the stones would not relent. Finally she was able to lift her head enough to spit out the water from her throat and suck in a deep breath.

One more flash of light and now she saw father. He was down here too. Dikika coughed more water out of her lungs and took a sharp gasp of air craning her neck above river. Please, mommy. Help me. She didn’t want to be in this mess. She wanted mother’s warm body again and to be under father’s protective gaze watching over the area keeping them safe.

But the sound of the river, the soothing sound she so much enjoyed turned up a notch. It was louder than the rain and now made more of a crashing sound. She could see mother and father both looking up stream and then suddenly rushing back up the hill. No! They couldn’t leave her. They had always taken care of her. They were always there. Where were they going?

The river rushed over her with a cold, deep wave that blurred her vision as she tried to see through several feet of water that had now begun to bury her. She coughed and choked when she could no longer hold her breath. She made the only sound she knew, a howling sound that was engulfed in the watery tomb. It was her only sound because people like her would not learn to talk for another three million years. The once-loved river was taking her. Her body jerked several times. She thought of mother and father and tasty green leaves. Slowly, everything succumbed to complete darkness.

Dikika would never know what she had accomplished. Not only had her species survived for 900,000 years – four times longer than any other bipedal human-ancestral species that lived on the planet, but they were a huge step into the direction of a modern species that could talk, use tools to build their own shelters and propel themselves into the sky. She did not know that buried in the pebbles and sand, she would hold one of the keys to the future of a race that she could not imagine. That others would die protecting her bones and all that had made her. She only knew that mother and father did not save her.