New Atlantis Bundle, Books1-3

by Glover, Nhys

  ‘That is an excellent idea, Faith. You go. It has been a long and traumatic day for you. I can only imagine what it feels like to have lost your partner that way. Maybe now you will change your mind about this mission of yours. Admit that the cost is too high.’

  ‘Karl, please, not now. I am tired, and yes, a little traumatised. It is no longer up to me whether the mission goes ahead. I will do my part if the committee decides to continue. It is still important to me.’

  ‘More important than assisting me?’

  Faith glanced over at Luke, her eyes filled with pain. Then she returned her gaze to the older man, and her chin came up. ‘This is important, Karl. I do not know why I feel this strongly about it, but I do. Once it is finished, I may return… I do not know.’

  With a disgruntled humph, the man turned on his heel and left. And without another word, Faith nodded her farewell and left the room too.

  He couldn’t remember ever feeling as alone as he felt, at that moment, when the last glimpse of her soft flowing robe disappeared from sight.

  Chapter Eight

  The day Luke was released from the medical centre was the happiest since his arrival in this new world. Enforced bed rest for four long days had nearly driven him crazy. Added to which, Faith had been keeping a low profile, only coming in to see him for a few minutes each day, just to check on his progress.

  In those minutes, there had been no time to talk about the kisses. Nor to repeat them. The healthier he got, the more his sexual arousal simmered. It would have taken just one look, and he would have had her under him in a second. But no such look was forthcoming, and so he waited in impatient confusion, knowing that all of that passionate insanity awaited him as soon as they chose to open that door again.

  And today he was leaving his sick bed, and Faith was taking him to his own quarters in the dormitory precinct of the city. He had no expectations of the world beyond his room. He had forcible refrained from trying to think about all he’d been told. She’d told him she didn’t lie. And in that moment, he’d believed her.

  But if she didn’t lie, then all the nonsense about the future, about being two hundred years old, about being a ‘clone’ – whatever that was, and time travelling to rescue a train load of kids from a death camp, would have to be true. And he couldn’t accept that. It was easier to believe she had been drugged or tricked into believing what she did.

  But the cracks in his disbelief were starting. The strange wheelchair was the first. She directed the chair into his room, and shockingly, he realised it was hovering several inches above the ground. When he eased himself off the bed to lean down to inspect the mechanism, he saw for himself that it definitely had no wheels. And yet it moved across the floor as if it did.

  ‘It is a hoverchair. Most vehicles operate from the same principal here,’ Faith informed him, watching his fascination with hopeful eyes.

  ‘How does it work?’ he asked, as he moved the chair backwards and forwards.

  ‘Something about reversed gravitational force and magnetism. I am not sure. There is so much we rely on here that most of us have no real understanding of. Come on, sit down. I am taking you to your new home.’

  He did as he was told; enjoying the ride, as she expertly maneuvered the chair out of the room and down the corridor to the entrance foyer. It was the most clean cut, functional building he had ever seen, and the more he saw of it, the more the strange ‘otherness’ of it impinged.

  That strangeness only increased as they passed through glass doors, which opened on their own, and began to travel along a pathway between a collection of classically beautiful buildings that shone pristinely beneath the bright sun. Everywhere he looked there were flowers and trees. It was like no city he’d ever heard of before. And the weirdness continued, as Faith turned onto a moving pathway that ran across a canal. As she continued walking, the ground moved past them twice as fast as it should have. It gave him vertigo just watching it.

  ‘This city is built on the site of the original Atlantis, which rose out of the ocean at the same time the west coast of America sank.’

  ‘What?’ he cried, suddenly galvanised by what she was telling him.

  ‘It rose from…’

  ‘Not that. The West Coast sank?’

  ‘Oh yes, sorry. You have to understand that there was a great deal of upheaval in the Second Dark Age of the mid to late Twenty First and early Twenty Second Century. The earth’s poles reversed; there was massive geothermal activity, changed weather patterns, not to mention wars, pandemics – sorry plagues – that swept the planet. The human population was close to ten billion at the start of the Dark Age. Over fifty or sixty years, that number was reduced to one tenth. So, nine out of every ten people died. And during that period, the Americas lost about a third of their land mass.’

  ‘How do you know this? Who told you?’ He was careful not to accuse her of lying. He had learned his lesson with that one.

  ‘I know it because I lived through part of it. I was twenty when the Last Great Plague, which marked the end of the Dark Age, occurred. I lived in a small fishing village on the east coast of England, where my family had lived for centuries. We were lucky, for the most part. The devastation seemed to miss us. And while we could fish, we had food. Of course, it was not easy. Nothing was, back then. But we survived…’ Her voice petered out, and he could hear the pain in her voice. There was something she wasn’t telling him.

  As the hoverchair scooted along the moving pathway, Luke paid only partial attention to the changing scene as they cross one canal after another. His mind was too busy chewing over the possibility of such world disaster. And wondering what else had happened to put that awful sadness into Faith’s voice.

  ‘Here we are. This is the dormitory precinct. Here, the three storied buildings are as tall as they get in our world. All the apartment blocks here are built in a square formation. There is a green space at the centre of each. All the apartments in a block open onto that garden.

  ‘As you can see, the architecture is modelled as closely as possible on the original Atlantis. At first, it was just guesswork, based on what was left of the ruins. Later, researchers travelled back to Atlantis, and were able to document the culture fully.

  ‘These “dresses”, as you referred to them, are the standard costume of that period. It suits the climate and is comfortable. And, as we are no longer driven by consumerism, we have no need for variety in clothing. You do not know about consumerism yet. It started after the war.’

  ‘I feel like an idjit in this get up.’ Luke looked down at the white tunic he wore. He’d been pulling at its hem ever since he was seated in the chair, trying to cover more of his bare legs. Feeling the cool air on his naked skin made him feel oddly vulnerable.

  ‘You’ll get used to it. It is extremely comfortable and efficient.’

  ‘I’ll take your word for it.’

  Faith laughed for the first time since the day he met her. The sound reminded him of a tinkling bell, and it made him want to make her laugh some more.

  ‘You would deny me my “eye candy”, as the people of the early twenty first century called it,’ she asked cheekily.

  ‘Eye candy?’

  ‘Yes, something sweet for the eyes to feast on.’

  ‘You want to ogle my legs?’ He nearly choked on the laughter that bubbled up from deep inside him.

  ‘They are exceptionally fine legs.’ She said it as if they were discussing the weather. It rocked him.

  ‘You seem to have nice pins too, from what I’ve seen of ‘em.’

  They were heading into an apartment block to the right of the moving walkway. A lift took them to the top floor.

  ‘Oh no, my legs are too short. I am a bit of a midget around here.’ Her tone told him she didn’t much care.

  ‘You seem in proportion to me. Petite. But back to the subject of my legs. You like um, huh?’

  Faith laughed again, but lowered her voice as they moved down the corridor. ‘
We value peace and quiet. You will hear no loud music or raised voices here. All the apartments are soundproofed.’

  ‘It’s as quiet as a tomb in this place. How do you stand it?’

  Faith sounded astonishment. ‘How do you stand all the noise and chaos of your world?’

  ‘It’s lively. I like lively.’

  Something in that response made her sad. He could sense it, even though she was out of view. He felt like cutting out his tongue.

  ‘So where do you live?’ he asked to change the subject.

  ‘Next door to you. It just so happened, my next door neighbour took a post on one of the other communities a few weeks ago. His apartment has been empty since then.’

  ‘Do we have adjoining doors?’ he couldn’t help stirring it up a bit. He could imagine her blushing madly behind him.

  ‘No. Now, here we are. This is your new home.’ She pressed a spot on the wall and the door slid open soundlessly.

  ‘Which is your door?’

  ‘The next one along.’

  ‘So you don’t have noisy parties I’ll have to come over and complain about?’

  ‘No noisy parties. You will not know I am there.’

  ‘Oh, don’t kid yourself, Angel. I’ll always know when you’re there.’

  The funny little noise she made at his words gave him a sense of satisfaction.

  The hoverchair came to a standstill in the middle of the living room, and Luke had a chance to take in the space for the first time. He had to admit, it was comfortable and attractive. The large open French windows, which led out onto a small balcony, allowed warm sunshine to filter in. The over-stuffed sofa and chair, upholstered in Mediterranean blue leather, looked more than comfortable. A table with two chairs, made of a light wood he didn’t recognise, occupied the corner nearest the kitchenette. The whole back wall was occupied by a large, dark window.

  ‘What is that?’ he pointed at the window that seemed to look out into darkness. Was it her room? The thought made him chuckle.

  ‘Entertainment Screen,’ she announced as she picked up a small gadget. Suddenly the window lit up like a movie theatre screen, and a scene of waves pounded an isolated beach came into view. Soft, hauntingly beautiful, Celtic music filled the air; the sound of the waves creating a harmonious background rhythm for the melody.

  ‘Hot damn! I’ve never seen anything like that!’ He climbed to his feet and walked unsteadily over to the screen, touching it experimentally.

  ‘You can surf the channels later to see what suits you. But this is my favourite. I love the sea. As I said, my family were fishermen. I have always lived near the ocean.’

  ‘How far to the ocean from here?’

  ‘About half an hour’s walking distance. I will take you there when you are stronger.’

  ‘I’m not much for water. I get sea sick just looking at it. Although I have done some underwater ops training.’

  ‘So you could come ashore from a submarine?’ she asked with interest.

  His alarm bells rang loudly, and he shut his mouth. Although he trusted her, he didn’t trust the people around her. She could tell them anything he said.

  ‘Sorry, top secret. I do not wish to intrude on confidential matters.’ Without a touch of disappointment, she moved off into the kitchenette to show him its features.

  ‘This is the Kitchen Chef.’ Faith pointed at a box standing on the bench next to the sink. ‘And this is your pantry filled with meals for one.’

  She opened a door to a cupboard behind the box, and inside he could see packages that looked like K rations lined up in rows, each neatly labelled.

  ‘Feel like lunch?’ she asked, her hand hovering over the rows.

  ‘Sure. What’ve we got?’ he asked, coming to stand behind her, intentionally a little too close. He noticed how she shifted restlessly, but made no move to distance herself from him.

  ‘Let us go French. Chicken Chasseur, Pommes Dauphinoise, and spring vegetables.’ She selected two number 12 packages. One of these she slipped onto a dinner plate, and then put into the ‘Kitchen Chief’ box. Then she pressed a button on the top of the box, and a soft buzz filled the room. Within moments, the buzzing had stopped, and Faith opened the door. On the plate was a gourmet meal, beautifully set out and piping hot. There was no sign of the packaging.

  She handed him the plate and watched him with a twinkle in her eye. ‘Now you see why our medical centre food is so good.’

  As Luke sniffed suspiciously at his meal, Faith repeated the procedure for her package. Then she removed another large package from something that looked like an ice box and brought both her plate and the package to the table.

  She opened a draw under the table, and removed cutlery. Next came paper serviettes that felt like the real thing. Then two wine glasses came off a shelf behind the table.

  With practised ease, Faith twisted a small top of the side of the cold packet and poured white wine into the glasses. He stared at her in astonishment.

  ‘Are you starting to get it yet?’ she asked, with a grin.

  ‘Get what?’ He didn’t care what “it” was, as long as it made her smile like that. Her grey eyes had turned silver with amusement. He loved to see them shine that way.

  ‘That you are not in Kansas anymore?’ The quote from The Wizard of Oz sounded odd with her accent, but he got it. She was showing him in small, obvious ways that this was not a trick or a delusion. He actually was in a different world.

  ‘What if I click my red slippers and asked to go home?’

  The sadness in her eyes made his chest hurt. ‘This is your new home, Lukas. Is that such a terrible thought?’

  The idea that this could be his home felt as foreign as all the things she had shown him. The only part in all this that felt familiar was her. She felt like home. But that was the strangest thought of all. How could she be? He had known her only a few days. She was a stranger to him. And she was nothing like the women he had known all his life.

  But the fact remained, while Faith was in his life, he felt oddly content. There was no place he’d rather be than at her side. But, unfortunately, the US government owned him right now, and, no matter how much it grieved him, he would soon have to start making his preparation to leave her.

  So he answered her honestly, letting his gaze meet hers. ‘Not a terrible thought, Angel, just not one I can entertain.’

  ‘Maybe in time you’ll come to accept us. It is all so new to you at the moment.’ She smiled hopefully at him.

  Faith seemed to want him to be happy here. How could he tell her that his mission was everything? His personal wants and desires had to come second to that. Duty had been his driving force for the last twelve years. All his adult life. That couldn’t be brushed under the carpet like ash from a cigarette.

  A soldier was who he was. A soldier was all he was. And to a soldier; duty was everything.

  Chapter Nine

  ‘How are you feeling?’

  He knew she was referring to his wound, as she’d motioned with her head toward his chest. It was only when his attention was drawn to it, that he realised there was anything wrong with him. He’d healed so quickly it was miraculous. If it kept on at this speed, he’d be fully functioning within another week.

  ‘It’s good. Healing quickly. If I hadn’t felt the bullet go in, I would swear I hadn’t been shot at all.’

  ‘Just a gigantic hoax we are playing on you, huh?’

  ‘Not you. I don’t think you’re being anything but honest with me. The others I don’t know about.’

  ‘How could I not be part of the hoax, if that is what this is? It does not make sense Lukas. Either you believe me, and all this is real. Or you think I am lying to you, and all of this is somehow not happening.’

  He took a swallow of wine to wet his dry mouth, as the logic of what she was saying hit home. She was right. He couldn’t have it both ways. Either she was for real, and all of this was too. Or she was a fraud, and just part of this grand, inexplica
ble hoax being played on him.

  As they ate their delicious meals in silence, Luke suddenly wondered about the packaging. What had happened to it?

  ‘This food was wrapped in cellophane, or something, when it went into that Chef thing. When it came out, the packaging was gone.’

  ‘The packaging is made of edible materials. It dissolves during the Reprep process.’

  He nodded his head, and decided it was a pretty good idea. No waste to dispose of.

  While they ate, Faith regaled him with stories of her attempts at cooking. For those with the interest, fresh ingredients could be obtained. A would-be chef could then prepare her own meals. But Faith was not one of those, she assured him. And the disaster stories she told of her experiments made him ache with laughter.

  ‘Now I’ll stick these in the washer, and we can finish the tour of your new place,’ she said after the last of the food and wine was finished.

  While she showed him how to wash his dishes instantly, he watched her with hungry eyes. The wine had taken the edge of his inhibitions. The red hot desire throbbing through his system was now in control. Only her innocence kept his darker urges at bay.

  The next room she showed him was the bathroom where she demonstrated the extraordinary shower and drying cubicle. Up to now he had been given sponge baths because of his bandaging. But this morning they had applied a waterproof seal over the bandage and told him he could shower. But he was not to use the drier yet. An old fashioned towel would have to do the job until the bandage came off, he’d been told.

  Now the shower cubicle had him thinking all manner of fascinating, erotic thoughts. And those thoughts only grew more potent as she led him into the bedroom where a king size bed dominated the space.

  Before he thought better of it, he reached across the small distance between them, and took her face in his hands, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs as he confessed. ‘I’ve wanted to kiss you again every waking moment since that first day.’

  Faith blushed and looked down, but she made no move to escape his caress.