The City that Time forgot

by Patrick McClafferty

  It was the elf’s turn to pale and swallow. “It will be as you say.” Standing on her toes, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before she turned to the two marines, taking them by the elbows. “Time to go, boys and girls.” PFC Mei Yong looked back over her shoulder once before they turned a corner and disappeared.

  Gareth let out a long breath and turned back to Thomas. “Lead us on to Launch Facility, Thomas. I’d like to get a look at what we have to do before we blast off into the unknown.”

  Thomas gave him a flat look. “You are being somewhat melodramatic, Sir.”

  “Am I?” Gareth asked acerbically, as he glared at the hologram. “I’ve never been off this planet before.”

  “And after ten thousand years, I’ve never had to face the prospect of dying before. I find the experience less than satisfying.” There was a touch of the same acid in the AI’s comment.

  A little light went off in Gareth’s head. “Ahhh. Now I see. Welcome to mortality, pal.” He thought for a few moments as they walked. “What is the current state of Shsa-Tirion?”

  Thomas blinked at the rapid change of subjects. “Ell from The Yeugate informed me that the AI there suffered deresolution when the backup power failed. Now that primary power has been restored Ell is attempting to repair basic services.”

  “Is there a way that you could transfer yourself from Jafelon to Shsa-Tirion, perhaps running a parallel bootstrap until such time that Jafelon must be abandoned?”

  Thomas stopped in the middle of the street. “Until you arrived and informed me of the status of the other cities, all I was aware of was The Yeugate. Yes, a bootstrap is possible. Thank you, Sir.”

  The Launch Facility, actually listed in Jafelon services as simply Departure Lounge, was two connected low white domes that sat in the center of what was once a lush park. As they entered Thomas waved on the lights. “Welcome to the Jafelon Departure Lounge, the only remaining functional launch facility on the planet.” Thomas threw them a thin smile. “The Yeugate has its own Departure Lounge, but no functioning travel pods, either planetary or interplanetary.”

  It was Gareth’s turn to blink, both at the statement and at the surprising room before them. In his mind he’d pictured NASA Mission Control; a cramped room filled with busy people surrounded by video and computer screens, wires and unguessable equipment racked neatly against the walls flashing multicolored lights. The Jafelon equivalent was a domed circular room thirty meters in diameter. At the far end of the domed room, through a large archway, he could see a second smaller domed room, empty but for one long curved table set against the far wall. Scattered about the big room were a number of comfortable looking recliners. All were equipped with drink holders, and the insanity of it all made Gareth chuckle. “This is Mission Control?” He observed with a disappointed tone.

  Thomas’ grin was smug as he waved Gareth and Chiu to the two closest couches. “This is the Departure Lounge. Please, sit here. May I bring you coffee?”

  They sat, marveling at the soft seats that seemed to conform to their bodies, inviting relaxation. “That would be very nice. It has been a long night already, and will probably be much longer. I’ll have mine black, and Chiu’s with cream and sugar.” His coffee appeared at his elbow. Taking a long swallow, he smiled. “Tell us about this place and our mission.”

  “You might want to set your cups down.” Thomas waved a hand when they’d done as he recommended, and the night sky opened up above and around them. Gareth heard Chiu gasp, while he merely sat with his jaw hanging open. A holographic display appeared floating in the air before him. “The displays are thought controlled, as are the controls in your transport, so you might say this briefing is doing double duty.” The sky overhead twirled as their point of view shifted. Now the moon hung in the distance. “This is your course.” A thin white line spun out from the world below their feet, arching gracefully toward the moon, where it orbited once before settling gently to the surface. Suddenly they seemed to be flying themselves, following the thin white strand of silk spun from one world to the next. Gareth knew his coffee was getting cold, but he found himself riveted to his seat by the visual journey. The screen flickered, and they found themselves standing in a much smaller version of the Jafelon Departure Lounge. The screen flickered again, returning them to the plain, chair filled room. “The return is identical to the trip out, but reversed of course.”

  “And where do we go once we reach the moon?” Gareth asked, stepping out of the couch and helping Chiu to her feet.

  “Simply follow the signs to Operations, Sir. You will be activating something called the Armageddon Device.”

  He frowned. “That doesn’t sound very promising. Do you have a map?”

  Thomas looked askance. “People going to the moon were assumed to know where they were going. Perhaps the AI there can assist you.”

  “Is it still functional?”

  “That is unknown, Sir.”

  Gareth sighed. “Perfect. Do you have space suits?”

  “Are you planning on going EVA, Sir?” The AI’s voice was testy.

  “The Lunar Base exists in a near vacuum, Thomas. Should a corridor have decompressed over time we will be unable to proceed without an EVA suit. Space, my friend, is a merciless bitch and I don’t plan on dying in a vacuum.” Two wide belts appeared on the recliner beside him.

  “Your EVA suits, Sir.”

  “One extra, please.” A third appeared. “Thank you. How do they work?”

  Thomas sighed. “Simply put the belt on, and push the button on the buckle. The suit will take care of the rest.”

  “For how long, Thomas?”

  “The manufacturer recommends no more than a month, but people have been known to survive in them for up to six months.” The AI’s face twisted into a grimace. “The suits had to be cut off.”

  Gareth shuddered. “I don’t plan on using ours at all.” He reached down and picked up the belts, tossing one casually to Chiu. “Why don’t we just take a look at our ship?”

  Thomas waved to the archway into the mostly empty room. “I’m sorry Sir. You don’t have a ship. For this journey all you have is a transport.”

  Gareth’s visions of thundering rockets and cramped space capsules evaporated as a ten meter soap bubble rose through the floor, nearly filling the smaller twenty meter room. He made a choking sound. “We are going to fly to the moon in a bloody freaking soap bubble?” He glared at the bubble.

  “Yes Sir. It’s quite safe. There have been no known fatalities using this globe design. The Ecothiax were known to have used the design for centuries.”

  “There’s always a first time.” He turned to Chiu. “What do you think?”

  Her face was the color of chalk. “I’m trying not to, thank you very much.”

  Gareth shut his eyes. “Can we make the walls of the bubble less transparent; perhaps just leaving a window or three to look out?”

  “Yes Sir, but why?” Thomas actually looked perplexed.

  “Because we’ve never been in space, Thomas. Man was not meant to go into space, or he would be able to survive in vacuum without a space suit. I am scared spit-less at the moment.” He glanced at his wife who was currently clutching his hand like a lifeline. “And so is Chiu. We are only going because we have to.”

  Thomas looked at Gareth for several long moments. “You are either an extremely brave, or an extremely foolish man, Sir.”

  “The answer to that is yes. I go because it is expected of me, and because if I don’t a lot of good people will die.”

  Thomas shook his head. “I have much to learn about humans.” He glanced at the translucent soap bubble, and the skin suddenly became battleship gray and as hard looking as steel. Four oval windows rimmed the center. “Better?”

  “Much.” Gareth replied. “How about air, food, fuel and things like that?”

  “All taken care of by the pod. The fuel cell will support ten people in the pod for a year. There is even a small facility for bathing.�
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  Gareth nodded. “How is the bootstrap coming?”

  The AI smiled. “The bootstrap was completed before we ever reached the Departure Lounge. I’m simply running a continuous backup now, should I need to, as you say, pull the plug.”

  “Good.” Gareth took a deep breath, and checked the ever-present Colt on his hip. “We should go now.”

  “You probably won’t need the weapon, Sir.”

  Gareth’s smile was flat. “Like the American Express Card, I never leave home without it.” He shook Thomas’ hand. “Goodbye Thomas. I’ll see you again in a couple or three weeks.” His foot had just entered the pod, following Chiu, when he stopped. “Ahhh, should another earthquake hit and Jafelon springs a leak, where can I set this thing down?”

  “The pod is programmed to land at any one of the five great cities.” Thomas replied thoughtfully.

  Gareth nodded. “Please let Ell know she might have visitors.”

  “I will do that.” He was silent for a second or two. “Ell wishes you a bonne route, Gareth.”

  “Yeah.” Gareth grimaced as he stepped through the solid looking wall of the pod. A large screen was attached to a central pillar in the pod, currently displaying only the empty room beyond the sphere. Thomas had already cancelled his hologram. Gareth grinned. “Departure angle on screen.” He murmured, and the screen shifted to show the smooth floor.

  “All systems now balanced.” A soft voice said out of the air. “Departure in three… two… one.” There was no vibration as they passed through the roof of the Jafelon Command building, nor when they passed through the dome far overhead. Unlike the transport coming down, the trip to the surface lasted only seconds before they shot into the night sky. They watched in wonder as the white image of the SS Spray dwindled and was gone.

  “Look.” Chiu gasped, pointing at the screen. “It really is round!” Below them the Earth dwindled.

  “Yup.” Gareth grinned at the screen. “Viewer angle forward.” The screen angle swung dizzyingly for a second, then steadied to show the black of space filled with glittering chips of stars.

  “It’s beautiful!” Chiu whispered; her eyes wide with wonder.

  Gareth removed the pistol and belt from around his waist, and set it on the seat beside him, and then let his own seat recline to the maximum. Putting his hands behind his head, he gave Chiu a direct look. “Have I ever told you about the mile-high club?”

  ~~~

  Luna Base was a sprawling complex of multicolored domes, some connected by long winding transparent tunnels, some actually touching and joining with adjacent domes. As they descended Gareth could see roads spiderwebbing out from the base like lunar interstate highways. Nearly filling the bottom of the deep Aristarchus crater, the lunar base sat like a dark spider in the center of her web as they approached. There were no lights that they could see.

  “Computer.” Gareth asked, slipping on his EVA suit belt. “Is there power in the base?”

  “Affirmative. Base is on minimum station-keeping power.”

  “How do I turn the lights on?”

  He could have sworn the computer gave a disgusted little sniff, while behind him Chiu stifled a giggle. “You just tell it to turn on.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” The computer voice was flat. “Arrival in three… two… one.” All the external cameras and windows showed black. “We have arrived at Luna Base. Gravity in the base has been adjusted to .167 g. The temperature is 18 °C with an absolute pressure of 101.325 kPa.”

  Gareth belted on his Colt, took a deep breath and stepped through the wall of the transport. Darkness swallowed him. “Computer.” He said in a loud voice. “Wake up and turn on the lights please.” He blinked owlishly as the lights flickered on. The pod was sitting in a room that could have been the duplicate of the one they’d left six days before in Jafelon, except that a light coat of dust covered the table. He heard a noise and knew that Chiu had stepped out behind him. Small hairs were rising on the back of his neck. “What is the status of the Lunar Base?”

  “Except for the central computer, which you just awoke, and this single room, all systems are in standby. One moment please.” The computer voice, coming from the air over their heads, went silent for several long seconds. “Sectors rho, sigma and tau are currently open to vacuum and have been sealed automatically. This is a level four emergency. I must ask that you get back in your transport and depart immediately for your own safety.”

  Gareth bit his tongue. “I would be happy to leave as soon as I check into Operations. Can you tell me how to get there?”

  “Operations is in sector sigma, and is currently in death vacuum. Sectors rho and tau on either side are also in vacuum.”

  “Perfectly all right.” Gareth shot back without hesitating. “We have EVA suits.”

  “But…” The computer hesitated. “Are you currently EVA qualified?”

  “Absolutely.” Gareth lied smoothly. “Both my wife and I are qualified.”

  “Can you prove that?” The soft mezzo-soprano voice of the computer asked.

  He grinned. “Certainly. Contact the AI at Jafelon Control. He will verify our competence.”

  There was a low growl from the invisible voice. “The Communication Center is in Operations.”

  “Perfect. I am a Level Omega Eight engineer. I will go to section sigma and restore power to your Com Center. Then you can call Jafelon to determine whether or not I qualify for EVA.”

  “You will have to go EVA to accomplish that.”

  Gareth smiled. “Why, I believe you’re right.”

  The computer mumbled something that sounded to Gareth like a German curse just as a glowing line appeared in the floor before them. “Follow the glowing white light. I will restore partial power as far as I can. I will monitor your suit com.”

  “You’re so kind.” Chiu said flatly in a voice that could have frozen liquid helium.

  As they entered the long dimly lit corridor outside Luna Control Gareth stopped, and knelt, using his small hand light to brighten the dusty floor. “Do these look like tracks to you?”

  He could hear Chiu swallow. “They look like fresh rat tracks.”

  He shut his eyes. “Like the infestation in The Yeugate, but with rats this time. I hate rats.” He said as he stood. With his right hand he reached down and touched the butt of his Colt.

  Chiu touched his arm. “You might want to think twice about doing that. We’re in a glass building surrounded by death vacuum. Don’t start throwing stones.”

  He gave her a long thoughtful look. “Besides us, who are the only breathing creatures on the base?”

  She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Instead, it was the Luna Base AI that spoke to him. “Please do not compromise the integrity of the base. I’ve just seen the tracks you spoke of, and I will deal with the infestation of rattus norvegicus. Please don your EVA suits immediately.”

  Gareth took off the Colt, setting it on the floor, pocketed his hand light and touched the button on his belt as he saw Chiu do the same. He stood there for a minute, waiting for something to happen, and then reached up a finger to touch his nose. His finger encountered a solid surface half an inch from his proboscis, and his eyebrows went up. “A bloody force field designed to hold my air in. That is absolutely amazing.”

  “Another gift from the Ecothiax.” The base AI commented dryly. “Control circuitry in the buckle generates the air you breathe, the water you drink, and carries away all biological waste automatically.”

  Gareth picked up his gun, not wanting to know the details of how a buckle the size of a pack of cigarettes could reach inside him to remove last night’s dinner from his colon. This particular trip was getting less fun by the moment. “Well, that was an interesting little tidbit, but shall we get cracking?” He grumbled, buckling his pistol belt over the top of his EVA suit. “What did the people on the station call you, besides computer or AI?”

  “The name I wa
s programmed to respond to was Shyrrik.”

  “Hmmm. Pretty name. Do what you need to do Shyrrik, and we’ll follow the blinking lights.”

  “As you wish. Facility will reach death pressure by the time you reach Rho sector. I will unlock the appropriate doors.” Gareth didn’t hear the hiss of air being bled down, but he did hear the high pitched dying squeals of tens of thousands of rats, in the ceilings, walls, and worse yet under his feet. The sounds faded as the atmosphere bled away, but the goosebumps remained.

  The pressure door to sector Rho was thick and heavy, everything Gareth knew that a pressure door should be. Despite what Shyrrik had told him, it took everything he and Chiu had for strength to turn the manual lock and push the heavy door open. As they walked, they noticed that sections of the solid tunnel had been scarred and pitted, and a chill swept over Gareth as he recognized the result of weapons fire charring the walls. In the dim corridor he could almost smell the gun powder. He felt like he was back on Earth, long before he’d ever heard of Eldenworld or Athena. The first body they came to was desiccated from long exposure to vacuum, and covered with dust. Reaching down, Gareth picked up the pistol that was clenched in the dead hand, studying it curiously. Shrugging, he stuck it under his pistol belt, next to the Colt. He’d have the leisure to examine it closer when they left here… if they left here. The door to Sigma sector was scarred with blast marks of weapons, and was even harder to open than the door to Rho. Gareth discovered, after some nervous thought, that fireballs worked as well when he was in an EVA suit as not. A golf-ball sized fireball blew the lock completely out of the door, and Gareth and Chiu were finally able to wedge it open enough to enter. Bodies and pieces of bodies greeted them as they walked, crunching under their boots. Finally, in the suit lights, small points of focused brightness that appeared to float in the air above their heads, they saw the small bulkhead sign that confirmed this to be Operations. Pushing the remains of bodies out of the way as they opened the door, the two explorers entered gingerly.

  “It looks like they had their last stand here.” Gareth said, walking slowly about the room, studying the scattered bodies before him. Without disturbing the body that was sprawled across what appeared to be the main control console, he carefully brushed the dust from a few of the surprisingly archaic mechanisms. Wiping the dust from a single sheet of paper left on the small writing area, he studied it for several minutes.