‘Uh-huh, I can get behind that. Have we seen any weapons down there at all? I’ve seen a few agricultural implements. A pitchfork can be a nasty weapon.’
Ella paused for a second and then said, ‘I’ve seen something that could have been a hunting rifle. One of the people going out to the north was carrying it on their back. It was a bag, but it looked rifle shaped.’
‘Al, could you review the footage and find that?’ Aloud she added, ‘So they have firearms… Why take them out on a trip to the fields?’
‘Hunting? Hang on… Ground team to Garnet Hyde…’
‘Aneka? Shannon here.’ The response was almost instant; clearly Shannon was on the flight deck.
‘Have you guys done the high-def scans of this area?’
‘We made the local area a priority.’
‘Have you got anything suggesting either dangerous animals or something worth hunting?’
‘In your region? No. We’ve catalogued some larger animals in the far north. Scotland, right? Big things with branching horns. There are some large herds in the south-west too.’
‘Deer,’ Aneka replied. ‘There were herds of them in those areas in my time. So, no wolves or anything else that might eat sheep?’
‘I’m not sure what a wolf is, exactly. I mean, I know the word and the association, but I’m not sure what an Earth one looked like.’
‘Big dogs, basically. Grey fur.’
‘Nothing remotely like that. Nothing predatory. Not there anyway. There’s some evidence of predation down in the ruins to the south, but nothing much outside that area.’
‘Huh… Okay, thanks.’ The ‘ruins to the south.’ They had seen them on the low-definition maps and Aneka had known exactly what she was looking at. London, perhaps a little expanded over her time, had been reduced to a radioactive hole surrounded by a wide ring of blasted buildings.
‘So it’s not hunting, and it’s not protecting the flocks?’ Ella mused. ‘What does that leave?’
‘Target practice?’
‘I believe this is the weapon case Ella was talking about,’ Al said, displaying a still showing a man with what did certainly look like a rifle case slung over his back. ‘I found four other firearms while searching for this one. They appeared to be double-barrelled shotguns.’
‘Al spotted some shotguns too,’ Aneka said aloud. ‘Doesn’t make sense. Not properly. People didn’t routinely carry guns in my time. There was no need.’
‘Maybe there’s something we haven’t seen.’
‘Huh, yeah… Aneka to team. We’re seeing people carrying firearms. Not many, but a few. I can’t think of a reason for it which may mean there’s something dangerous out there.’
Monkey’s voice came back over the radio. ‘We’ve seen someone with a double-barrelled firearm slung over his shoulder. One of a party heading out towards the flocks on the north-west side. None of them looked very worried though.’
‘Take precautions anyway,’ Bashford put in.
‘We’re being pretty cautious as it is,’ Delta said. ‘Right now we’re stuck because there’s a group of farmers about forty metres away having a snack. They don’t seem worried either. There’s some joking around. Well, there’s laughter so I guess there are jokes.’
‘Right. Watch yourselves,’ Bashford told them.
‘We will,’ Monkey replied.
Aneka thought for a few seconds and then activated her radio again. ‘Shannon, you still there?’
‘I am,’ came the response.
‘Could you talk to Drake about scheduling a detailed scan for life signs in this area after dark?’
‘Hold on…’ She was silent for a minute or so before the connection reopened. ‘Yeah, we’ll run that tonight. We should have the global maps complete by then.’
‘Thanks. I’d like to solve this mystery if possible.’
‘Well, that’s what we’re all about, right? Solving mysteries.’
‘Yeah, we’re a regular bunch of Scoobies.’
‘Uh…’
‘Don’t worry about it. But Ella is definitely our Daphne.’
~~~
Gillian was replaying video footage they had recorded late in the evening as the sun was starting to go down. ‘We spotted them walking up from the south,’ she said. ‘We didn’t think too much about it until we got a closer look…’
There were four figures walking along the southern road, a woman and three men. The men were carrying guns fairly openly. Two had assault rifles of some sort; the third carried a three-barrelled weapon that appeared to be a small Gatling machine gun. They were loaded for a heavy fight. The woman was different, noticeably more attractive, but more frail, and wearing clothes closer to those worn by Federation Jenlay than the people they had seen on Earth. Her short dress and leggings looked like they were made of a form of bioplastic. The dress, or tunic maybe, was white with a pair of black tramlines marked down the long sleeves. The leggings were black and she had white boots on. She walked with her head held high, but she also looked nervous.
‘We saw them when they walked into the town,’ Ella said. ‘Aneka remarked on the guns.’
‘A lot more advanced than the stuff the townspeople are carrying,’ Aneka commented.
‘It gets more interesting,’ Gillian said. ‘We scanned them and there’s significant electrical activity in the woman’s head. We’re fairly certain she’s a cyborg. Probably nothing more than the same sort of computer implant Ella has, but…’
‘Where would someone from this kind of society get an implant computer from?’ Aneka said, her brow knitting. ‘This place makes no sense.’
‘Quite.’
‘That group was well received in town,’ Ella said. ‘There seems to be a mayor or something. He was spending a lot of time at the party they had making sure everything went well, and that everyone saw he was making sure it went well. Anyway, he came out to greet them.’
‘I would have said “deferentially,”’ Aneka said. ‘He acted like he was greeting royalty.’
‘The fabrics, weapons, and cybernetics suggest a group from a higher technology society,’ Bashford said.
‘And this society isn’t totally lacking,’ Monkey put in.
Aneka frowned at him. ‘How so?’
‘We found a dead sheep,’ Delta replied, grimacing. ‘He insisted on getting some tissue samples.’
‘His mother’s son,’ Bashford said, grinning.
‘And while the tissues were degraded,’ Gillian went on, ‘the analysis showed up some interesting information. There is evidence of genetic manipulation in the animal. Without a full genome analysis we can’t be sure what for, Aggy is working on that now, but there are certain telltales which indicate that someone, at some point, altered these “sheep” artificially.’
‘The soil samples,’ Bashford said. ‘We found isotopes of barium and zirconium in the soil suggesting radioactive decay. Maybe someone was modifying them to be more resilient to radiation.’
Aneka had pulled some stills Monkey and Delta had taken of the dead sheep. ‘I’m more interested in how it died,’ she said.
‘There was a lot of damage to the skull,’ Monkey said.
‘No kidding. The head looks like it was hit with a truck.’
‘It was pretty badly bashed in,’ Monkey agreed. ‘Maybe a heavy, blunt weapon and a lot of muscle.’
‘Okay… Drake, you online?’
‘We’re here, Aneka,’ Drake replied from the speakers. ‘Your hunch was right. We’re seeing several bands of Humans moving around the hills. Some are associated with the animals and we think those are night guards, but there are definitely some others moving around who aren’t townspeople.’
‘Bandits of some sort? That would explain the guns the visitors were packing, and the ones being taken out to the fields.’
‘Maybe, but they move more like hunting packs.’
‘But you say they’re Human.’
‘As far as the scanners are able to determine,
’ Shannon said. ‘They’re roughly the right shape and mass. From here that’s about as good as it gets.’
‘Huh. You know, if this was Star Trek you’d be able to tell me the species, sex, and what colour their underwear was.’
‘Most of them are wearing black thongs,’ Drake said flatly.
‘One has a matching pink set,’ Shannon added, ‘but he really needs a better-fitting bra.’
‘Ha ha, yeah, make fun of the Earth girl.’
When the laughter had died away, Gillian said, ‘I think we’ve learned all we’re likely to from distant observation. I think we send in Ella and Aneka tomorrow.’
Aneka nodded. ‘Yeah, but we want to be sure those visitors have moved on first.’
‘Why?’ Ella asked, frowning.
‘Because I have an idea.’
13.9.526 FSC.
‘I was kind of looking forward to wearing some of those jeans,’ Ella said as they walked up the road towards the town. They had had to go a fair way down the cliff edge before dropping down to the road on one of the ropes Aneka had got from Extreme Measures. A simple command and it had dropped down after them. They had been walking for a while.
‘Yes, but the group we saw had one of the higher-tech people and the rest looked like local bodyguards given some better weapons.’
Ella grinned. ‘So… You’re my bodyguard…’
‘Let’s go with guardian. That sounds good.’
‘My guardian then, and I’m from a high-tech town somewhere, and everyone was very deferential towards that other one…’
Aneka shook her head, grinning. ‘Yes, I’ll have to defer to you.’ Ella giggled. ‘Don’t push it.’
‘I won’t. Promise. How much further?’
‘About a kilometre and a half. Don’t tell me you’re tired.’
‘Of course not. I’m Jenlay, enhanced by years of genetic engineering. Plus you’ve been training me and I’ve been lifting Dillon’s weights.’
‘Is that a euphemism?’
‘You know full well I prefer to have you there when I’m doing anything else with Dillon. I like sharing.’
‘You’re a very sharing person.’
‘Anyway, no I’m not tired, but you’ve got the inertial navigation system and I was wondering how far we had to walk.’
‘Around a klick and a half.’
‘Around?’
‘One-point-three kilometres?’
‘Okay.’ Ella gave a nod. ‘Around a klick and a half.’
‘That’s what I said.’
‘And then that mayor-type will come out and say hello, and presumably feed us. What’s the food like?’
‘Uh… I guess we’ll be eating a lot of mutton. That’s… I have no idea how to describe what that tastes like. There’ll likely be potatoes, carrots. Lancashire Hotpot should be local dish, I think. It’ll be an experience.’
‘I can’t wait.’
~~~
The locals might have been deferential to the other group’s leader, but they looked nervous to Aneka. As they walked into town and saw more of the people still there, there was an obvious tendency for people to avoid looking directly at them. It did not bode particularly well.
‘They look like they’re scared,’ Ella said, her voice relaying over Aneka’s radio. With her implant and Aneka’s entire body, they really were the best people for an operation like this. They could talk without being overheard and Aneka could relay video and audio back to the shuttle.
‘Yes,’ Aneka replied, ‘they do. Keep your back straighter.’
‘I’m really not the haughty type.’
‘Pretend, Ella,’ Gillian told her.
‘Haven’t you ever played at being a princess?’ Aneka asked.
‘No,’ came the reply, but she straightened her back more and lifted her chin.
The mayor, or whatever his title was, appeared ahead of them at a fast walk as they approached the square. He was late middle-aged, balding, and a little overweight. He limped on the right side, badly enough to need a cane. It was actually refreshing to meet someone who was not a specimen of perfect physical form. He was accompanied by a much younger woman who was also a lot more attractive. Both were dressed in shirt and jeans, though his clothes were baggier, probably to try to hide the overhang above his belt.
Aneka and Ella stopped at the edge of the square and he rushed over, smiling in a manner which said he was not pleased to see them, but he was trying hard to make them think he was. Close up he looked worse. His cheeks were thickening, and he had a rather bulbous nose, but he did look very cheerful, if nervous.
‘Good morning, Citizen,’ he said, ignoring Aneka entirely. ‘I trust your journey has not been too arduous. I am Daniel Linden, Reeve of Matlock.’
‘Reeve was an old medieval title,’ Aneka commented silently. ‘Nice to know the town still has the same name.’
‘Good morning, Reeve Linden,’ Ella replied after she had deciphered his accent. ‘I am Ella Narrows, this is my guardian, Aneka. I am conducting a survey in this area and I’ve come here to continue it.’
Linden did his best to avoid showing any of the fear he was feeling and, to his credit, he did a good job of it. ‘A… survey?’
‘He’s scared shitless,’ Aneka said. ‘Hiding it well, but that did not go down well.’
‘It’s nothing to worry about,’ Ella said, trying not to hurry her words. ‘I just want to talk to some of your people, look at their farming practices, check their health. It’s possible that we may be able to improve things for you in the future.’
‘I see…’
‘He doesn’t believe a word,’ Aneka said.
‘I’m starting to wonder what kind of society has developed here,’ Ella replied.
‘I’m starting to get worried about it,’ Aneka agreed.
‘You must be tired after your travels,’ Linden went on. ‘This is my daughter, Abigail. She will take you up to one of the guest houses where you can refresh yourselves. I’ll have lunch brought to you immediately.’
Abigail bobbed them a curtsey. She looked to be in her late teens, pretty, fit, and a little flat-chested. She had to have got her looks from her mother. ‘If you’ll come this way, Citizen,’ she said. Aneka thought she recognised the voice. Her father was already hurrying away, presumably to organise their lunch. Anything was going to be better than the rations they had been eating on the shuttle.
They went out to the east, towards the larger houses. Not too surprising really. They were soon off the main roads, which were tarmacked, and onto narrower lanes with cobbles.
‘This is a crazy way to make a road surface,’ Ella commented.
‘It’s a very old way,’ Aneka replied. ‘It’s very hardwearing, but obviously pretty labour intensive. On the other hand it doesn’t need the heavy machinery that the tarmac does, or something like a Plascrete surface would.’
‘Huh. And the tarmac started, what? Half a kilometre from the town?’
‘Roughly.’
‘That bonded surface you’re discussing,’ Bashford said, ‘isn’t used too much, but there are longer stretches of it further south, according to the maps Drake and Shannon have done.’
Abigail turned off the cobbles, opened a gate into a hedged garden, and made her way up a paved path to the front door of one of the larger cottages. The garden was well kept, the lawn manicured, and there were climbing roses scaling the stone walls of the house. It looked idyllic, almost like a postcard photograph. The door was not locked either.
The door led into a small porch with coat hangers on the wall, and then into a lounge with bright wallpaper keeping up the roses theme. The decoration looked almost new, the furniture, a large couch, one big armchair, and a coffee table, was less new, but well maintained and clean. There was no dust anywhere.
Abigail turned and gave them a smile which actually touched her eyes, but did not remove the hint of nervousness. ‘I hope this is to your liking. I’m afraid our very best guest house was in use l
ast night and I haven’t had a chance to clean it thoroughly.’
‘This appears to be quite suitable,’ Ella replied, smiling back.
Looking a little surprised, as though she had expected a rebuke, Abigail went on. ‘There is a small kitchen at the back with fresh water and tea. Upstairs are the bedrooms and bathroom. We have running water, hot and cold. The master bedroom is ready for use.’ She looked uncertain. ‘I could make up another room if you need one. Citizens usually travel with a, uh, sleeping companion, I…’
‘One bed will be sufficient,’ Ella assured her. ‘For my survey to be accurate I need to disrupt your town as little as possible, Abigail. That means that I don’t want to take you away from any other duties taking care of me.’
Again the surprise showed briefly. ‘Oh, it’s no trouble. Keeping up the houses and taking care of visitors is my duty. I’ll let you settle in and go to get your food.’
Aneka took off the rucksack she was carrying and her rifle case, placing both in the space under the stairs which led up off the right-hand side of the room, and then removed her gun belt before heading into the kitchen. It was a slim room leading from the lounge to the back door, with one inner door which, on inspection, led to a utility room. Given that the utility room, with its washing machine, drier, and cleaning implements, was undecorated she got the feeling that the guests were not meant to use it. The kitchen on the other hand was light and airy, with white cupboards, a refrigerator, and a small cooker. There was an old-fashioned, stove-top kettle on the worktop beside the cooker and Aneka smiled, eagerly searching the cupboards.
‘They really have tea!’ she enthused over the radio.
‘Tea? Well, we have tea,’ Ella replied.
‘No you don’t. Pretty soon you’re going to realise that. I’m making some.’ She was busy filling the kettle as she spoke. ‘It does beg the question of where they got it from though.’
‘Another import?’
‘Tea grows in India, Ceylon, China, certainly not in the English countryside.’
Aneka Jansen 3: Steel Heart Page 25
