Fractured Prophecy

by P J McDermott

  The others were waiting, and Hickory briefed them on what had transpired. She looked at the sky. “Time is running out. We need to get moving. I want us out of here by dark, but we should investigate the remaining domes before then. I suggest we let Anyar enter first and she will tell us if there are more Yatzi remains.”

  Most of the buildings were derelict with parts of their structures having crumbled to rubble and dust. Anyar entered each and announced them free of Yatzi dead.

  The first building comprised a circular room, twenty feet in diameter. The floor had at one time been tiled with colored mosaics, although only fragments remained. Any wooden or fabric furnishings had long since vanished.

  Hickory stooped and lifted a carved stone doll with the remains of pigmentation on its eyes and mouth. Perhaps some child’s toy, she mused. She noted Anyar’s curiosity and handed it to her.

  Anyar stared at it a few moments then let it fall to the ground. <>

  Jess wandered over, carrying a gleaming golden artifact. “Looks like a torc, a neck decoration. Someone important lived here.” She swept her hand around. “All this, the tomb, the writing, these artifacts, suggest not all Lakedwellers on Auriga were slaves. There were some wealthy people, too. I’d be interested in spending a week researching this place. I bet we’d uncover a lot of information about the early inhabitants.”

  “Look at this,” said Gareth, swishing a sword back and forth. “I’m not sure what the blade’s made from, but it’s in great condition for its age. It must be at least a thousand years old. There’s a spear and a shield as well, all inlaid with gold.”

  “We only take what we can carry, and only items to help us survive, guys. Okay?” Hickory noted the disappointed looks, but there was little point in carrying treasure. On this mission, it would be dead weight. “Right, darkness is fast approaching. Sikona, you and Gareth check out the Bikashi jet and make sure there are no nasty surprises left behind.”

  #

  Hickory decided on a quick meal and a two-hour nap before the flight to the mainland. She wanted to be airborne as soon as the sun went down.

  Silently, she considered their discoveries. It was incredible, but there was no denying early Earth-people had prospered here at one time, priests, royalty and nobles as well as farmers, fishermen, builders, and scribes. From the condition of the remains, the Yatzi came much later, centuries later. The humans had left this island long before the Yatzi arrived. The rest was a mystery.

  Anyar, are you awake? Did you know your kind were here on the island?

  <>

  Why would their spirits rest here?

  <>

  Hickory asked the same question in several different ways hoping to spark something in Anyar’s memory, but the result was the same. Yatzi live in the fern forest. She thought of the dead family in the domed room. They had been imprisoned.

  Anyar, you remember when I came and took you from the village, you said Sikona’s people would come and hunt the Yatzi? Did they ever take anyone away, or did anyone disappear after the attacks?

  The Yatzi bobbed her head up and down. <>

  Perhaps.

  Hickory felt jubilant. Then she wondered why the hunters would bring live captives here and why there were so few. Was this some sort of macabre skin removal factory? Surely not. This has to be a transfer point. They were captured in the forest and kept here before being ferried to their ultimate destination, the city of Kaffur.

  #

  With Sikona’s help, Jess had little difficulty figuring out what she needed to do to get the jet into the air. Once she’d taken off, she gained altitude and worked out the rest by trial and error. Mostly, she guessed right. Hickory thought there were a couple of times where she deliberately went into free-fall just to see Gareth’s reaction.

  Anyar’s response was more comical. She loved it. Gurgling and clapping, she kept calling for more.

  When Jess felt confident, she took the jet fast and low over the poisoned sea, raising a spray of concentrated hydrogen sulfide from the supersonic pressure wave. After an hour, the haze lifted, and the water appeared less murky. Another six hundred miles and Sikona pointed out a school of flying fish, shining silvery under the starlight. “The sea is clean here. The toxicity doesn’t extend this far. Hopefully, for the sake of the planet, the worst is over.”

  Hickory nodded. “We’ve got this far undetected, but I don’t think we’ll escape the notice of air traffic control for much longer. How far to go, Jess?”

  “Six hundred miles and we’ll be in sight of land. I suggest we get ready to ditch. Sikona, Gareth, can you guys organize the dinghies?”

  “Roger that,” said Gareth. He tapped Sikona on the arm and signaled him to follow.

  “How busy is it likely to get out here, Sikona?”

  The Bikashi’s round eyes widened. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen the mainland from this angle. When I fled Auriga, I was in the passenger cabin of a space liner going straight up. I would guess there won’t be a lot of activity, but it’s possible we might be spotted by a fishing vessel or passenger craft.”

  “The ship’s sensors will tell us if we’re pinged,” said Gareth.

  They approached to within ten miles of the shore and Jess belly-landed the plane. They inflated the two dinghies they’d found and transferred all the emergency food packs and flares into the second lifeboat. Gareth made a six-inch incision in the side of the first and launched it through the main fuselage door. As soon as it hit the water, the emergency beacon flashed and started signaling their location. They loaded the second dinghy with their provisions, including the weapons found on the island, a spare zapper, and a dull-blue plastic cloth they’d discovered in the jet. With the distress apparatus disabled, they paddled quickly away from the plane.

  CHAPTER 14

  Squirmers

  They slid the lifeboat over the mud flat and heaved it onto the rocky ground of the mainland. Anyar turned at the engine noise of a search craft. She gesticulated and told Hickory, <>

  Jess looked through her spyglass. “They’re heading out to sea. It won’t take long to figure out something is wrong when they find the second dinghy. Then they’ll come looking for the missing crew.”

  “We’ll be long gone by then,” said Gareth. “But we should hide the lifeboat, just in case.”

  Each of the five took hold of a grab handle and ran the dinghy up the embankment. The land ahead was covered in tall pampas grass rippling in the breeze. A tall steel fence stood about two hundred yards inland, stretching into the distance parallel to the coastline.

  They covered the dinghy with the plastic sheet from the jet and heaped pampas stems over it.

  Hickory studied the fence. “We need to figure a way to get past this. Ten to one it’s electrified.”

  Gareth ran his fingers over the data prism and raised his eyebrows. “That’s not the half of it. What we’re looking at is a holographic image but with some tangible assets, electric current being one.”

  “I know about this,” said Sikona. “The original wall was built to keep the enemy out. It’s an invisible, impenetrable, force field. Later, when radiation sickness infected three-quarters of the population, tens of thousands of Aurigans made their way here hoping to be cured. Those inside extended the wall and added the holographic effect to frighten mutations away. These days it keeps sick and other wild creatures out but also serves to keep the Lakedwellers in. The complete structure is a dome shape about twenty miles high and twenty thousand miles around, give or take a mile.”

  “It encompasses the entire inhabited part of the planet?” Hickory was staggered. “That’s one incredible engineering feat.”

  “How long has it been here?” asked Jess.

  “Since
the war, at least a thousand years, perhaps more,” said Sikona.

  Gareth looked into the distance. “It seems in pretty good shape if the hologram is an indication.”

  “It is well-maintained. I doubt we can force our way through.”

  Jess shook her head in disbelief. “Your ancestors must have been sophisticated engineers to conceive of such a thing, Sikona. Even keeping it functioning would be a huge job.”

  Hickory studied the holographic fence curving over their heads. Twenty feet tall. It would be hard enough to climb over, even if it was the only obstacle. How are we to get through?

  Anyar made a tunneling motion with her hand. <>

  Hickory smiled. We can try.

  “With all due respect to the current military prowess of the Bikashi,” said Jess, “I doubt they would have retained the knowledge and skills to manage something so complex. There has to be a way through. Gareth?”

  “Sorry,” said Gareth. “I was miles away. Yes, repeater stations. It’s the only way.”

  Hickory and Jess looked at him, their eyebrows raised.

  “Just trying to work out how something as big as this would be powered. It has to be using repeater stations to keep the signal strong. That way, if one section goes down, the rest will keep working—like the fairy lights on a Christmas tree. Less maintenance is needed overall, but on something this old, I’d bet at least one section will be out. All we need to do is find it.”

  Hickory raised an eyebrow. “And how do we do that, junior?”

  He tapped his nose. “If I can connect Sikona’s data prism to the barrier, I should be able to download the status of each section. In theory.”

  Jess’s lips twisted into a wry grin. “In theory?”

  Gareth activated the data prism and input the request. It took less than a minute before it responded with a “data updated” signal. “There are two thousand, eight hundred and ten stations in total, one every seven miles or thereabouts. One hundred and fourteen have reported faults in the last twenty-four hours. Eighty-four are being attended to. I have the schedule. Our best option is pillar two-one-four-nine located twelve miles west of here. It’s been scheduled for repair in one hour, twenty minutes.” He snapped shut the data prism and handed it back to Sikona.

  “Let’s go. Grab your gear, everyone.” Hickory slung her backpack over her shoulders and set out at a fast pace, Anyar by her side.

  #

  It took an hour of quick jogging to reach pillar two-one-four-nine. “Let's hope they’re not early,” said Jess, wiping her brow. She checked her SIM. “Twenty-three minutes before they’re due to get here.”

  They sat on some rocks for a brief rest and sipped water from their flasks while Gareth interrogated the data prism. “The force field is inactive hereabouts, but we still need to avoid the electric current running through the hologram. How far down do you reckon the hologram goes?”

  Hickory examined the area where the fence met the rocky beach then took the folding shovel from her backpack and scraped at the first few inches of topsoil. Anyar looked over her shoulder and shook her head. Hickory stopped soon after. “I think they did a proper job. We won’t be able to tunnel under this. We need to turn the holo off. Can you do that, Gareth?”

  He rechecked the data prism and flicked through some screens. “Here we are. The hologram is paired with the barrier, which means it takes its operating energy from it. If the barrier is down, no holo.”

  “But I can see it,” said Jess.

  “Backup from adjoining pillars, giving the illusion of the barrier, but without the tangible assets. Theoretically,” he said, “it’s not electrified.” He disappeared, and Anyar screeched. “Come on,” he said from the other side. “We don’t have all day.”

  Sikona went first, then Hickory and Jess held Anyar by her hands and walked through to the other side. When they looked back, the reverse side of the fence was like a smoky mirror. “Which way now,” said Hickory.

  “The map shows there’s a freshwater lake about twenty miles from here. The city boundary is another ten miles further on,” said Gareth, pointing.

  Twenty miles. I hope the terrain isn’t like this all the way. Hickory’s feet made deep impressions in the squelchy ground, and before long just pulling them free was an effort. After an hour, her ankles and calves ached, and Anyar started to complain. The Yatzi’s feet were long and narrow, and her heavy weight made the going tough.

  At least there’s no sign of pursuit. She fingered her necklace and searched the sky. The sun was heading towards the horizon, but the heat was still oppressive. “Okay, let’s make camp for the night. It’s been a long day, and there’s still fifteen miles before we reach the lake. That clump of rocks will give us something to rest our backs against.”

  #

  Hickory and her grandmother, Maria, ran hard, pursued by half a dozen men in the scarlet and black uniforms of the politburo. They dodged around a corner to escape but ran into more faceless men. Two of them grabbed Maria by her arms, but Hickory fought back, kicking, punching, and chopping at her adversaries. She laughed scornfully at them, then swirled to find Maria lying on the ground, bleeding from a gun wound to her chest. Maria’s eyes were wide with shock and fixed on Hickory’s. Her mouth opened. “Leave me, Hickory! Flee!”

  Hickory woke with a start. “Wha..?” The dream had been so realistic.

  She heard Jess stir and glanced over. In a flash, she came wide awake. Anyar, Jess, Gareth! She prodded at their subconscious with her SIM, and all three jumped to their feet, instantly awake. Sikona woke at Hickory’s verbal command. “With me, on the double!”

  From a crevice high on the rock face, dozens of snakes slithered toward them. They were small, less than two feet in length, but each possessed two hooded heads and ran on thousands of tiny legs.

  Jess shivered. “I hate snakes. They’re the only creatures that give me the willies. Spiders I can take, wormy things are okay, but snakes…”

  The reptiles skittered toward them, emitting a soft coughing sound. First one head then the other swayed in their direction. As one, their jaws opened revealing sharp pointed fangs.

  “Are these for real?” said Jess. “This isn’t some nightmare generated by the holographic defense, is it?” She stepped back hastily as one of the snakes came too close for comfort.

  Anyar screeched in fright. Stay behind me, Anyar. I won’t let them hurt you. Hickory spoke to reassure the Yatzi, unsure she could keep her promise.

  “Give me a gun, a sword, anything,” said Sikona.

  Gareth lunged at the animal and removed one of its heads. Blood spurted free, and moments later the second head writhed on the ground. “I think I can pretty much guarantee these things aren’t a projection.”

  The snake creatures split into three groups, one moving straight toward them, and the others slithering to their left and right.

  “They’re pack hunters. I really don’t want to be surrounded by these guys,” said Jess. One of the attackers reared up and spat at her. She dodged to one side, and the phlegm flew harmlessly by. Another snake’s spittle fell short at her feet. “What is this,” she said, screwing up her nose.

  Sikona’s head swiveled left and right, trying to keep track of every movement the serpents made. “Bikashi call them squirmers. Their bite is deadly, and they will spit their venom to blind you. Even if it only lands on your skin, it may cause paralysis.”

  “Best not to let them get too close, then, mother,” said Gareth. The nearest snake ejected venom at him, and he ran toward it, his shield held high and his sword swinging. Both heads spun in the air.

  “You said not to get too close, what are you doing?” Hickory grasped hold of Anyar’s arm. The Yatzi trembled with anxiety. She tried to soothe her, but Anyar was too frightened.

  “I figure it takes them a minute or so to generate more poison after they attack, and I’m the one with the shield.”

  Hickory said, “Not going to help much if you’re bitte
n on the leg. And there are too many of them for you to take care of on your own.”

  “Give me a sword, and I can help.” Sikona stamped on the crown of a snake, and its second head lunged at his leg, but its fangs deflected off his leather boot.

  Hickory threw him her blade and drew a blaster from her belt. “Don’t make me regret it.”

  Jess rummaged in her backpack and produced a thermal blanket. “Get under this. It should protect us from the venom.”

  The cloak protected their eyes but also restricted their vision. This is no good, I can hardly see where they are. Hickory whipped the blanket off and took stock. The creatures had almost encircled them, but the group to her left were marginally further away. “We’re going to fight our way out through the left flank. Take out as many as you can. We need to keep together. Don’t let them get between us.” She explained to Anyar what they were about to do. “Ready, on the count of three.”

  They took off at a trot, then ran as they closed on the snakes. Gareth was in the center, using his shield as a club. Whenever a snake eluded him and slithered toward the others, Sikona and Jess slashed at them, leaving a carnage of heads and writhing bodies in their wake. When they broke through, Hickory sent the quicker Yatzi on ahead. Run like the wind, my friend. We will catch up.

  The snakes from the remaining two flanks banded together, and Hickory fired a salvo from the Bikashi blaster into the middle of them, killing at least a dozen. The remaining snakes hesitated then gave up the chase.

  They ran for the next half an hour to put distance between themselves and the reptiles.

  “I think we’re safe now,” said Gareth, panting. “If these guys are anything like the ones on Earth, they’ll be territorial and have returned to their lair by now.”

  “Don’t recall seeing too many twin-headed snakes on Earth,” said Jess, looking around her.

  Hickory searched in every direction but could see no sign of the reptiles. She called for Anyar to wait for them to catch up. “Okay, let’s keep moving. The lake is ten miles away.”