“Chosen? Why? I never asked for this! I do not want it. I refuse,” Paul bluntly stated.
“Paul, what can it hurt to go to the gravity manipulation conduit?” Gretchen asked.
“We could run into the Jellies, or any number of other threats. That could hurt,” Paul snapped back. Then he caught himself, “Gretchen, I am sorry. I just am tired of being thrown around like a ricochet ball.”
Paul pulled the multiceiver from his pouch and activated the switch for the link to Brinley.
“This is the midshipman overseeing this area. You are in violation of….”
Paul shut down the multiceiver. “I want to shut down him, that is for sure. So okay, where is this gravity conduit? We go upriver? Is that against the flow of the water or with the flow?”
“Up river is against the flow of water,” The Artemis stated, while ignoring Paul’s sarcasm.
Paul stumbled down the bank and into the mud. “In this light I cannot tell which way the water is flowing.” His ankles sank into the mud again.
“Look at the river, and to your right is the direction you need to go,” The Artemis stated.
“Now you tell me, since I am back in the mud,” Paul complained as he pulled his feet out of the mud and trudged back up the embankment.
“The medallion only allows me to know your relative position. The water level must be very low in the river for you to be that far from the established water level,” The Artemis stated. “Proceed in the direction indicated, and I will let you know when it is time to alter course.”
Paul was shaking the mud off his feet as he walked in the grass. Gretchen had used a stick and cleaned her shoes as much as possible.
As they walked, the sky tube got lighter and dawn began to come to the habitat. The river was revealed in the dawn light, but it was a disappointment. The water flowing in the river was brown and foul smelling. It was low in the channel that had housed the river, with the banks of the river bed being a muddy mess. Looking out across the river they saw the other side’s bank was similar.
“Nothing can live in that,” Paul said. He pulled out a food ration bar from his backpack and ate it. “We will need to be careful about water supplies as well. How long has it been since we slept?”
“It has been a long time, and I am tired,” Gretchen replied. She looked around. “This does not look, sound, or feel like a morning in a habitat. Maybe it is different here, but no birds, no animals, nothing moving about at all, except for us.”
They continued to follow the brown, foul, river. Several small streams intersected with it, but they were just empty trenches in the ground. Their bottoms were muddy with a few stagnant pools, but there was no significant water in them. The white bellies of dead fish were seen scattered about the vacant trenches. There were no signs of other animals moving about, and still no birds.
“Paul, this might be the Jellie’s handiwork. If they drain out the habitat, the plants, animal, and eventually the people die.”
“That sounds logical and consistent. However we heard the water was rising in Oasis. Is that where the water has gone?” Paul wondered. “How would you move that amount of water from one habitat to the other? Or are the Jellies just blasting the water out into space?”
“From what we have seen, the Jellies need water, maybe worse than we do, so I doubt they are destroying it,” Gretchen answered. “It seems to me that the Jellies live in the water, much like we live in the air.”
Paul stopped walking. He yawned a huge yawn, and put the back of his hand over his mouth as he did.
“Paul and Gretchen? Now is the time to head inland. The next stream you see you will need to turn to your right and follow that,” The Artemis instructed through Paul’s medallion.
“What are we looking for? I know what a gravity conduit looks like, but will it just be located in the woods, or in a building?” Gretchen asked.
“The records and schematics I am working from show it will be in a small structure used for housing and maintenance of automacubes. It is located one kilometer from the river’s edge along the side of the stream,” The Artemis stated.
“The river is filled with brown toxic junk,” Paul reported. “The stream has no water and a lot of dead animals, fish thing, lying where the water used to be. Do you have any idea what has happened to the water here?”
“It is an act of war by the Jellies,” The Artemis replied. “They attempted to do that in Safari, but we were able to secure all the routes out of the habitat. From what you are reporting, C Habitat has been invaded by the Jellies who have set up some kind of diversion station to drain water from the habitat. That makes your mission even more important.”
“The mission to capture a Jellie alive? That mission? The one that will kill us?” Paul muttered.
Paul and Gretchen walked along the now nearly dry stream bed. Once an animal, about knee high with four legs and a tiny tail, did come darting down to the edge of the stream. It was dark brownish gray colored, had rough, sparse, and prickly hair, a wide head and snout. It squealed a bit as it saw them, then looked back to the streambed. It tried to climb down toward the bottom where the water had been, but then sniffed and shook its head. It made angry sounding noises, rutted at the ground, and then ran away into the underbrush. It was the only living animal they had seen since getting out of the sewer pipe.
“Lack of water will be an effective weapon,” Paul said. “The Jellies are cruel and ruthless.”
They walked onward, following the dead stream.
“Paul, that must be it,” Gretchen said and pointed.
A dark green colored structure was up ahead. It was box shaped and about a meter and a half high and ten meters wide on each side. It had rounded edges instead of corners, and several large evergreen trees were overshadowing it. It would have been easy to miss, had they not known to look for it.
“We have found that structure,” Paul said as he walked around it. He rubbed the short stubble of beard on his chin. “I see no doors, or control boxes, or color pads. How do we get to the gravity conduit?”
When no response came, Paul tapped on the medallion which hung around his neck. “Has this failed now too?”
The Artemis waited a moment before responding. “No, I can hear you, and I have tracked your location. As to entry, I am not sure. I do not have that minute of details on this schematic. I have general locations and indications, but those are not that precisely detailed.”
“Paul, there is an access port here. I will connect in a fusion pack and see what happens.” Gretchen pulled a fusion pack from her backpack and connected it into the access port.
Nothing happened.
“Well, that failed. If this opens, I do not see how. I suppose we could just cut our way inside, but what really is inside?” Paul asked.
“Part of it could be underground, or it could be a stairwell or ramp down. It is different from the freight elevator’s top on Inaccessible Island, but it may serve the same purpose,” Gretchen replied. She was squatting down next to the structure, but aside from the single access port, she too could not find any other mechanisms.
“Caw-wah”
Paul and Gretchen twirled in different direction looking for the source of the sound.
“Caw-wah, caoooa”
In one of the trees, perched on a thick branch was a black bird. It was larger than most birds Paul and Gretchen had seen. Its feathers shinned and shimmered. Its beak was slightly different color, being a deep gray. Its round black eyes gazed at the people. It jumped a bit on its two legs, and preened its wings with its beak.
“Not every animal has died,” Gretchen said. “We saw that animal a while back, and now this ebony bird.”
Several other birds, very similar to the first one flew in and landed on the long horizontal branch of the tree. They all stared at the people with their beady black eyes. They had a sense of anticipation and expectancy about them.
“Hey Artemis?” Paul asked as he kept his eyes on the gat
hering of black birds in that one specific tree.
“Yes, Paul. Have you gained access to the structure?” The Artemis replied.
“No. The fusion pack energy did nothing we could tell. Now some weird black colored birds are watching us from a tree. Can you open this structure remotely? It is annoying the way these bird things are watching me.”
“I do not have remote operational capacities,” The Artemis replied. “There are a few things I can try, but I doubt they will produce any effects in the Woods.”
“Gretchen, will those birds attack us?” Paul asked warily. For about a dozen birds were now gathered in that single tree. None of them were calling, whistling, or cackling. Their silence was weirder than if they had been having a chorus of cacophony. “Their beaks look sharp, and they might be toxic or poisonous. Oh I wish Tiffany were here to tell us what those birds are and how much danger they pose.”
“They have not made any threatening gestures of any kind,” Gretchen said. “But there are a lot of them now.”
With a swoosh and twang, one side of the structure folded open. The birds flew off all at once with a rustle of their wings, but no vocalizations at all. In mere seconds the birds were all missing. The entry revealed a ramp that led downward while the side of the structure had folded up to make entry possible. The interior was dark.
“You got it open!” Paul said and squeezed the medallion.
“I have done nothing to make the structure open,” The Artemis replied. “I take it the place is open to your entry now?”
“You did not open this?” Paul asked in wonder.
“No I did not,” The Artemis stated. “Please proceed to the gravity conduit.”
“Paul? The fusion pack did not activate anything, and The Artemis did not open this up. Who did?” Gretchen asked.
“It could be a time-delayed entry on automatic sensors, I guess,” Paul said as he looked at the now open entryway. “But I suspect this is a trap. How do we know we have been listening to The Artemis? Sure the messages are coming through the medallion, but what if the CPO is doing that? Or the Jellies? Brinley said the Jellies could talk to her when she was captured. What if this is a trap?”
“Paul, you and Gretchen encountered a man named Hogan who was cowardly in the face of trial. Would the Jellies know that?” The Artemis said.
Gretchen’s eyes grew wide at the revelation.
“No, but someone else, like the CPO might,” Paul whined. He then turned on the fusion pack light and marched down the ramp. “Watch your head here, Gretchen,” he said as he patted the underside of the folded up wall. “It is short for me.”
Gretchen ducked her head as she followed Paul down the ramp. The chamber was not very big, and several automacubes were parked along the sides, some green colored and some brown colored. None responded or appeared activated or even charged. Cables were running from the automacubes into the walls, yet nothing was powered.
“There is the gravity manipulation conduit,” Paul pointed to a small platform in the corner. He walked over to it, still stopped down because of the low ceiling. “There is no activity showing. Artemis? Artemis? We are at the gravity conduit, but none of the indicator lights is illuminated, nor are any of the controls functional.” Paul pushed several slide levers to the side, and depressed some of the buttons, but nothing happened.
“I am attempting to send the items,” The Artemis stated.
There was a slight glow on one of the indicator lights. It flickered red for a moment and then that faded out.
“Nothing came through,” Paul said.
Gretchen was squatting down, as that was easier for her than stooping. She squat walked over to the gravity conduit. “I will try infusing a surge of power from the fusion pack.” She pulled off her backpack and was just about to connect in the fusion pack when the lights on the platform lit up in brilliant red which then shifted to green.
“The power is on now,” Gretchen reported. “The Artemis must have activated it. This platform has the controls labeled and illuminated.”
There was a humming sound, and a smell of musty air as the flat top of the conduit platform dilated open. A hard white box rose up and then the top of the platform closed underneath it.
“Artemis?” Paul asked. “Artemis? Something just came through.”
“That is not possible,” The Artemis stated. “The estimated time of arrival for the parcel I sent is eleven minutes away.”
“Get out!” Paul yelled his eyes going very wide. “It is a trap!” He shoved at Gretchen as he put himself between her and the box on the gravity conduit. “Run!”
Gretchen dove for the ramp and crawled up and out as quickly as she could.
Paul slammed his palm onto the emergency override controls at the side of the platform. He then spun a dial toward the place marked ‘OPEN’. The indicator lights began flashing yellow rapidly. The top of the platform dilated again.
“Warning: Safety Protocols Overridden… Warning: Safety Protocols Overridden… Warning: Safety Protocols Overridden,” a very mechanical and recorded voice stated.
Paul forcefully stuffed the box down inside before the top had completely spread open. As the box fell inside, Paul felt the alteration of gravity on his arm as the gravity manipulation fields took hold just below the level of the opening. It pulled his arm down and away with surprising force. He spun the controls to ‘SHUT’ so that the top would seal over again. He barely got his arm out as the constriction clicked together. Jumping back, Paul fully expected the gravity conduit to explode. He covered his head with his hands and looked at the floor.
Nothing happened.
Paul looked over and the gravity conduit was still flashing the rapid yellow light which cast shadows about the room.
“Paul? Are you injured? What happened down there? Paul, did the trap spring?” Gretchen called from just outside the structure.
“Nothing happened,” Paul replied. “I thought for sure I had found a trap. No catastrophe this time.”
Paul crawled out and up and met with Gretchen. They both looked back down into the chamber which still glowed with its flashing yellow color.
Over the next few minutes the black birds returned. They took up roosts on the limbs of the trees, and made numerous cackling calls and noises. Paul and Gretchen just waited and watched.
The flashing yellow light stopped, and was replaced by the green glow.
“Paul?” This is The Artemis. The items I have sent should have arrived by now. Did you receive them?”
Paul looked at Gretchen who shrugged her shoulders. “I am not in the chamber with the platform. I guess I have to go down and check.”
“Paul, I will go, or we can go together.”
The black birds sitting in the trees preened and squawked a bit, but mostly watched intently. Their beady black eyes took in everything.
“I will go check it out,” Paul said with resignation. “I have the medallion, and I was chosen for this, lucky me. I am the Longinus, right? You stay here. If this thing explodes, or catches on fire, or a Roe climbs up out of the conduit after me, you have a better chance of surviving out here.”
“Paul, we are in this together,” Gretchen said and she led Paul back down the ramp and they both ducked as they entered the chamber and proceeded to the gravity conduit platform. Reaching the platform they could see that several items were on the top of it. The hard white box which had first arrived, and now a long rectangular container was also sitting on the platform. The lid was closed.
Gretchen lifted the white box and set it on the floor. Paul did the same with the rectangular one. Squatting next to the containers, they opened them.
“Well this is interesting, but not helpful,” Gretchen said as she revealed the contents of the white box. It was a carefully packaged collection of gears, sprockets, and linkage rods which were threaded and machined. “Brinley would know what these items are for and what they do, but I do not.”
Paul opened the rectangular contain
er and looked inside. “This is from The Artemis.”
Inside were a number of items. A white spearhead, and three sections of shaft which obviously fit together with the spearhead. Next to that was a red spearhead and similar three part shaft. There was a fist long squeezable tube, pale blue in color with a tapered nozzle. Lastly, there was an inflatable canister, compressed and packaged into a small clear bag. The end of the canister had an apparatus which resembled Paul’s golden medallion.
The Colony Ship Vanguard: The entire eight book series in one bundle Page 156
