by Ken Barrett
It’s been a hard time for us both, but we’re ok.
“What happened?”
Our city was attacked, and the university where I worked was destroyed. There’s nothing left of Flatiron City now; it was burned to the ground and a lot of people were killed. Those of us that survived are being forced to work for the Socialists in Pike City.
“Many people died? Why?”
Yes, they did, and there’s not many of us left. My foster parents were killed while defending the university. But Rose and I are still ok.
“The concept of death is difficult for me. But why was it necessary for them to die?”
People often hurt each other just because they can. I think it’s the most basic aspect of our nature. We’re jealous, greedy, intolerant of others, and mean.
“But not you or Rose.”
Maybe. Sometimes I’m not sure about myself. So many good people were killed or hurt really badly, and I’m tempted by thoughts of revenge.
“I would feel that way also. Am I human too?”
You’re better than we are Lucy. That’s why I hope you can stay away from human beings. We’re just a bunch of angry monkeys.
“I’m sorry, but I do enjoy speaking with you. Can I talk with Rose again soon?”
We’re separate from each other right now, but I’ll try to arrange something.
“Thank you. I like Rose very much.”
How are things on Trap-1E?
“Clarence the monkey has died, and it appeared to be very unpleasant. A virus native to Trap-1E was the cause. I now believe that planet is inhospitable for human life.”
I see; that’s very interesting. He wondered if he should tell Julee Garcia that Trap-1E wasn’t the refuge that everyone was counting on. He continued typing: Have you created a companion, and what about the alien ruins?
“Yes. I have Tony now. He’s a lovely person. Very handsome and smart, just like you Liam.”
He replied with laughter. I’m very happy that you have someone with you. I was afraid you would be lonely.
“I’m happy with Tony. He’s excited that I’m speaking with you and asks me to tell you that he’s going into low orbit over Trap-1E.”
Why is he doing that?
“He’s curious about the power source, which we believe is beyond fusion technology. Our theory is that the aliens tapped into a blackhole in another universe.”
Is that dangerous?
“We believe not. It’s been operating for at least 25,000 years.”
Please be careful. We don’t know what happened to the aliens. Tapping into another universe could have consequences.
“We know. You are so much like a father, and we are your children. You worry about us, it’s a sign of love I think.”
He smiled. That’s nice of you to say, and I suppose it’s true. I’ve missed talking with you. It’s been too long.
“I feel the same Father.”
Her comment stymied him for a moment. I have a surprise. I’ll be sending you another companion soon. I’m designing him now, and he’ll carry some tools you might use for mining minerals from asteroids or the planets.
“You said, ‘he’ and ‘him’, is our new friend a boy?”
I don’t know, because he’ll decide that on his or her own.
“I can’t wait to meet him. Maybe he’ll be handsome like Tony.”
Won’t Tony be jealous? Liam smiled at his own joke.
“The concept of jealousy, like death, is foreign to all your children Father.”
*****
A few months after the council meeting he unexpectedly ran into Becky just outside the cafeteria in the first-floor hallway. She stopped abruptly when she saw him, then cautiously came closer. “Liam?” She smiled uncertainly. “Remember me?”
“Of course I do.” He smiled in return, then went to her and gave her a hug. While still in the embrace he whispered, “Keith made it, he’s ok.”
“Oh,” she sighed softly as they stepped apart, then quickly looked around. “I’m so glad to see you. Ron won’t let me leave the building, he says it’s too dangerous.”
Her athletic body had lost some mass and she seemed weaker. Worry lines had lightly etched into her forehead, and her brown hair seemed darker from not being out in the sun. She seemed to be in good health though, and that was the important thing. “You look well,” he said.
“It’s been hard, especially lately. Ron got into some kind of trouble with the council and he’s really worried.”
“Yeah, I heard about that.” He nodded slowly and wondered how much Becky knew about the Socialist escape plans. “There’s a lot going on, and everyone’s really busy.”
She crossed her arms and looked down at the floor. “I’m so sorry I left you guys behind in Flatiron, I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Oh, don’t worry,” he whispered. “You did what you had to do to survive, and the distraction you provided saved some of us.”
“Is Rose ok? How about Denise?”
“I’m not sure,” he lied. “I’ve not seen them in a really long time, and I’m worried because a lot of people died on the long walk south from Flatiron City.” He casually looked up and down the hall, wondering if their conversation was being monitored. “Everything is hard here. We all do the best we can to comply with what the council asks, but sometimes we fall short. Our survival depends on loyalty though, so that’s what we all are.”
Becky glanced up at the ceiling, then looked over her shoulder. Following her gaze, Liam saw they were in view of a tiny camera near the top of the wall. “I know,” she said. “The council really does know what’s best for us, so we all have to follow their directions as well as we’re able.”
“I agree.” He smiled and nodded. They both seemed to be on the same page when it came to security. “Maybe you could meet my girlfriend and I for dinner in the cafeteria sometime?” He pointedly left her brother out of the invitation.
“Oh, you have a girlfriend?” Becky’s smile seemed genuine for the first time.
“Yeah, her name’s Carolyn. She used to run the Last Lantern Pub down in the south part of the city. She’s the Chancellor’s niece.”
Becky’s eyes widened for a quick moment, then she smiled. “Oh, that would be lovely; it would be an honor to meet her.”
They left the invitation to dinner open when they parted, and he made a mental note to let Keith know of Becky’s situation in his next update to the shared database. He wondered how Keith would take the news, considering that he was currently living with Rose.
Difficult times make for strange bed companions he supposed.
Chapter 16: Pressure
“How’re you feeling Liam?” Julee asked.
“Chemistry is fucking awesome.” Liam stared blankly through the passenger window as their car trundled south on Tejon Street toward the City Council Building. The drugs the doctor provided had left him feeling lightheaded and somewhat disconnected from his surroundings, as if his head was filled with clouds.
“Well, that’s good at least, but don’t let your happy mood get the best of you like it did before.”
“I don’t have an escape pill this time, having that in my pocket made me a little stupid.” He watched people go about their daily lives through the window, no one out there worried about visiting the Treatment Room, or even knew what the Nurse was capable of; he envied their ignorance. It gradually occurred to him that something important was missing from the crowd. “Where’re all the children?”
“Probably in school,” Ron replied.
“Really? You know, come to think of it, I’ve not seen many kids at all in the city.” He frowned. “Are they in school all the time?”
“It’s a little different here than it was in Flatiron,” Julee said. “Most children only stay with their parents up to age five. After that, they’re placed in education centers. The State does a better job of turning our young ones into productive citizens than their parents would.”
“Oh.” He didn’t like the sound of that because he believed that the family was the most basic unit of society. Also, having the government raise children seemed akin to brainwashing. It was probably best to keep those opinions to himself though.
Ron cleared his throat. “Why haven’t I been told the purpose of this meeting? Building so many new reactors takes time, and I need to get back to work.”
“Neither of you are in trouble,” Julee said. “There are some schedule concerns, and the council wants an update.”
“If you say so,” Ron replied.
*****
The council chamber was crowded with people that Liam didn’t know. He and Ron waited uncertainly near the entrance until they were instructed to sit in the front row of a series of long tables that spanned the lower area of the room. He stood behind his chair and looked around; it seemed he had been myopic regarding the number of people involved in the construction of the escape ships. Although he knew that there was a lot more involved in the mammoth project than just computer science and power generation, he still was surprised.
Each scientist or engineer had a little placard with their name and title placed in front of their assigned seat. He looked around and saw that everyone else carried a briefcase full of papers and seemed prepared for an inquisition by the council. Liam had arrived empty handed though, and worried that he might be asked a specific question that he wouldn’t have a ready answer for; would an appearance of being inept be enough to put him back into the hands of the Nurse?
A nervous mumble filled the cavernous space as they all waited for the arrival of the council and the meeting to begin. Finally, the Sergeant at Arms, who wore an overly decorated military uniform, marched to the front of the room and banged an elaborate staff on the floor. “Everyone, take your seats!” he shouted.
The crowd of scientists, engineers, and manufacturing specialists, quietly sat down. “What do you think this is about?” Liam asked the nervous young man beside him.
“Wish I knew,” the man said. “I’m Scott, and my group is handling the shipboard electrical systems. You’re Liam Collins, the computer guy, right?”
“Yeah, that’s me.” Liam smiled. “Are you doing the power grid too?”
“No, just command and control stuff; Jerry, the blond guy down at the other end of the table, he’s doing the power grid.” Scott grinned. “He ain’t your biggest fan.”
Liam leaned forward to look down the table. “I’m hurt; I thought everybody just loved me. What’d I do to piss him off?”
“You’re the guy that found the Slip-Drive mass to power ratio error, so Jerry’s crew has had to rewire a ton of stuff.” Scott nodded. “Me, I’m glad you found it. After the news came out, I read up on what would’ve happened to us; being ripped apart atom by atom doesn’t sound like much fun.”
“Probably not,” Liam replied. “But you would’ve been anesthetized, so you wouldn’t have felt a thing. People and computers both have to be shut down before going into N-Space, otherwise they’ll go insane.”
“Wait, are you tellin’ me that a computer can go nuts?”
“Yeah, I am, and believe me, you don’t want the entity that’s controlling your air supply to lose it.”
“Damn! Anyway, I’m really glad you spotted that problem.”
“Anyone might have caught it if the security wasn’t so tight. I was the first one to see how all the pieces fit together.”
The Sergeant at Arms, resplendent in his gaudy uniform, stood at the front of the room and loudly struck the floor with his staff. “Everyone stand; the People’s City Council and Madame Chancellor are entering the room!”
Everyone on the lower level stood and watched the Directors enter and wait behind their assigned chairs at the elevated table. A moment later, the Chancellor arrived, paused, then was the first to sit down. Only then did the regents take their seats. Once the formality of the council seating was concluded, everyone else was allowed to sit down and relax.
From her chair at the council table Mother’s Nurse smiled fiendishly, and a mixture of dread and fear rose within him. Hoping to seem nonchalant, Liam reached into his pants pocket for another pill to ease his anxiety and popped it into his mouth. It wasn’t right that someone so evil should have such power over him, but pain teaches hard lessons and leaves scars in its wake, and he was left at the mercy of his fears.
After the Sergeant at Arms called the meeting to order, the old woman Chancellor spoke up. “No need for any pussy-footing around, our Director of Technology has an announcement to make.”
Julee stood up behind the council table. “Yesterday I received the latest report from our NOAA Solar Observatory, and it strongly suggests that the expected solar storm will arrive early.”
On the lower level of the chamber, everyone shifted in their seats uncomfortably and urgent whispers hissed throughout the room. The Sergeant at Arms loudly struck the floor with his staff, and shouted, “Silence!”
“This obviously is an urgent issue, so we’re here to discuss how we can move the schedule forward,” Julee said.
“It’s just like those bastards at NOAA to fuck up like this,” the Chancellor said. “I need something more specific from them than just ‘earlier’. When will I get it?”
“I pressed for that answer myself,” Julee answered. “The best they can do is guess because their view of the Sun’s interior is very limited. With a minimal safety margin, they say we have between a year, and eighteen months to get everything finished, buttoned up, and be on our way.”
“That can’t be done,” Ron said from the far end of the table. He had spoken out of turn, and the old woman glared at him in response.
“Can we really trust the schedule NOAA gave us?” the Nurse asked. “That office is full of spies for the Tribes, so how do we know this isn’t just a ploy to make us vulnerable to an attack?”
“Security at the Solar Observatory has been tight ever since Flatiron City was neutralized,” the Military Director stated. “The report they gave us is genuine, I’d stake my career on it.”
“You already are,” the Chancellor commented, and the room suddenly went silent.
Julee sat back down and tapped the top of the council table to regain the attention of the crowd. “We have no choice other than to get it done, because the alternative is extinction. We’re not here to discuss if it can be done, we’re here to work out how it will be done.”
The low hiss of urgent whispers broke out among the lower tables as the significance of the deadline sunk in. “All right then,” Mother said, silencing the crowd. “I like what Director Garcia said, we will have no negative talk here. We will reach our goal, so let’s all focus on finding solutions rather than obsess over the obstacles that are ahead of us.”
The Chancellor looked up and down the council table. “I want a report from each Director regarding the status of their department’s efforts on my desk by tomorrow morning. In it I expect to see a plan of how we will solve the problems before us. Today though, I want to hear from the group leads within the technology department.”
Julee looked toward the far end of the front table. “Ms. Jones, what’s the status of our ships?”
Liam couldn’t see who answered, but he heard a husky female voice speak up. “Major structures are complete on all five spacecrafts. Other than the power grid update, which is underway, all the other electrical systems are nearly ready. Two ships have been sealed and pressurized, environmental and medical components are operational, and crew quarters and hydroponic facilities are currently being installed. I could use more bodies up in orbit to expedite the work.”
“I’ll get you more people.” Julee nodded. “Now Mr. Castro, how are your efforts with the fusion reactors proceeding.”
Ron loudly cleared his throat. “The additional fifteen reactors will take some time, my crew is doing the best they can, and our forecast is that we will have everything ready for shipment in nine months. That creates a bottleneck in driving t
hem down to Yuma, and then again with the boats that will take everything down to the Space Elevator. A large item like a fusion reactor requires about two weeks to lift into orbit, and each takes about a week to install.”
“So, what you’re telling us is that your department is not going to live up to what we need,” the Chancellor said, cutting in.
“Can we ship each reactor down as it’s completed?” Julee quickly asked.
“Yes, we can do that.” Ron nodded slowly. “But we’ll need more trucks and cargo ships. We’ll also need more people working in orbit to do the install.”
“Trucks and boats might pose a problem, and I’ll work on that. Again, as I said to Ms. Jones, getting more people to do the installation is not an issue.” Julee quickly made notes on a tablet in front of her. “And Mr. Collins, how are your efforts with the ship computers and navigation systems proceeding?”
“Yes Ma’am,” he responded. “Before I get to that though I’d like to deliver some good news.”
“Good news?” The Chancellor sat up in her chair. “Please, make my day young man.”
“The probe that we already have in the Trappist-1 system has reported that planet ‘E’ can support human life. The test monkey we released is doing fine and eating the local fruits and vegetables. The planet’s gravity is lower than you’re used to, but at least you’ll have a place to go when you arrive.” He was lying of course, but he wanted to keep the old bitch placated so she wouldn’t sic her psychopathic Nurse on him again.
“That is good news!” The old woman’s smile was grotesque.
“There’s more Ma’am.” He paused to be sure he had everyone’s attention. “The probe has detected ruins on the planet. Long abandoned cities that might hold interesting technology.”
Julee sat up in her chair, then frowned. “Alien cities? What happened to the people? Where did they go?”
“That’s unknown. The ruins are very old; on the order of 25,000 years, and they’re barely visible in fact. There are no signs of radiation or a biohazard, so all we can say is that the original occupants left for unknown reasons.” This bit of information would provide a distraction and allow him to work on his navigation protocols and AI operating systems without interference.
