STRANGER WORLD

by Jack Castle

  George couldn’t decide which was crazier, the fact that he was a reanimated corpse, that she was from the future, or that they were trying to stay alive in a futuristic theme park gone amok. The only thing that kept him grounded was the mission of rescuing Maddie. He didn’t have the luxury of going cuckoo.

  “Why would they bring corpses back to life?”

  “That part I do remember. After the world divided into two major factions, in the span of about ten years over seventy percent of the earth’s population had been wiped out. You would think we would have stopped there. We didn’t. Instead, when both sides ran out of soldiers they began digging up graves and reanimating new ones. They called it the…” she made quotation signs with her fingers “… the regeneration process.”

  Thinking about this he mused, “So I guess we did it. We finally conquered death.”

  “Why would anyone want eternal life?”

  George shrugged. Clearly he had upset her in some way. “I thought everybody wanted to live forever.”

  “Not me. If I don’t die, I don’t get in to heaven. If I don’t get in to heaven, I don’t get to see my babies again. I want to die.” She slumped back into her chair and crossed her arms. “Those bastards underground just keep bringing me back, whether I want them to or not.”

  “I guess I never really thought of it that way before,” was all he could manage. He suddenly remembered his wife, Tessa. Would he and Maddie ever see her again? Was she part of the Lazarus project, or was she waiting for them in heaven too? Rescuing Maddie was first. That was the agreement he and Tessa had made all those years ago. After that, he’d find out what happened to Tess. They could always reevaluate from there.

  Interrupting these thoughts Sophia asked, “So, do we have a plan yet?”

  “Maddie left me a message. She said Lady Wellington is taking her to a place called Portlandia. Do you know it?”

  Sophia shook her head. “No. I’m afraid not. I don’t remember much. I don’t think I’ve ever been there.” She studied him for a moment then added, “I know this is a futuristic theme park, yes. But this is far beyond anything we ever thought possible, even in our wildest of dreams. I’m sorry about your daughter, George. I really wish I could be more help.”

  “It’s okay. Maddie told me we have to reach her before Portlandia. After that, it’s too late. According to the Leftenant it’s some kind of port before No Man’s Land. So I guess the plan is to catch up to her and make it up as we go along.”

  “That doesn’t sound like a very good plan.”

  Sophia was right, of course, but it was the only one they had.

  “Perhaps I can do better.”

  This time both he and Sophia jumped in their seats as the Leftenant’s head rematerialized between them. When George finally recovered he said, “Leftenant, you really need to wear a bell or something.”

  Ignoring him, the Leftenant said, “I may have someone aboard Lady Wellington’s hover barge who can help us.”

  Chapter 43

  “Boarding the Barge”

  “Welcome aboard Lady Wellington’s hover barge.”

  Unaffected by the wind, the Leftenant stood on the deck of the Dauntless, her hands clasped firmly behind her back. She watched with obvious displeasure as Barnaby made terribly slow progress across the narrow gangplank that lay between the Dauntless and Lady Wellington’s hover barge. Barnaby, gripping the railing with both hands as though his life depended on it, muttered bitterly, “Tell me why this is a good plan again?”

  Raising her voice slightly so as to be heard over the wind whisking up between the two vessels, the Leftenant responded to his query. “Mr. Barnaby, I may not be able to control Lady Wellington’s weapon system commands, as all critical commands are defended by impregnable access barriers, but I do have access to low priority commands such as the crew’s sleep cycles. Normally the crew and passengers sleep in three separate, rotating shifts, but I have managed to override this program and sync everyone’s sleep cycle so essentially they are all sleeping at the same time. This is the reason we were able to approach Lady Wellington’s hover barge and board undetected.”

  Mr. Stapleton stepped up to the gangplank and gripped the railing with only one hand. A brisk wind rose between the two ships docked with one another but he only tightened his grip slightly. “Nice work, Leftenant.”

  “Thank you, sir,” she responded immediately and, she couldn’t be certain, but her voice almost sounded a bit too enthusiastic. Inwardly she thought, ‘Why would you care for his approval? He is a biological and certainly cares nothing for you.’

  Before stepping out further onto the gangplank Mr. Stapleton turned to the gargoyle butler following behind him and said, “Cheeves, you should probably stay behind and, uh, guard the Dauntless with the Leftenant.”

  Huh. He actually cares for the little bugger.

  The gargoyle’s mouth dropped open in shock, “Why should I stay? I’m not scared.” He pointed one claw toward Barnaby, who was now halfway across. “Him should stay, him coward.”

  Hearing this Barnaby called back over his shoulder, “The ugly gargoyle has a point. Perhaps I should stay with the Leftenant.”

  Hearing this, the Leftenant added, “Perhaps you should take the little gremlin, sir. He might prove useful. And don’t worry about me. I’ll be right here where you left me when you get back.”

  “Another joke?” Mr. Stapleton asked.

  The Leftenant opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Must be something wrong with my programing. Finally an acceptable answer came to her. “A statement of fact.”

  As the Leftenant watched them cross, she felt something. Obviously this was impossible. She was merely a hologram. But the feeling was inescapable. Perhaps this “feeling” wasn’t so much an emotion, but her merely calculating their odds of survival. Best case scenario--Maddie would be recaptured, and the others would be pressed into a life of meaningless servitude to her Ladyship. However, the more likely scenario was as follows--Barnaby, regardless of which generation he was, would surrender immediately, Mr. Stapleton would go down fighting, and Mrs. Davenport would kill herself the first chance she got, as she had done many times before. And there it is.

  Mr. Stapleton finished crossing the gangplank and waited for the others to join him. Cheeves bounded across like a charging gorilla, and Sophia Davenport was last to cross and did so with ease. Seeing this, the Leftenant thought it was easy for one to be so brave when one was constantly contemplating suicide.

  Once Mr. Stapleton was certain they were all safely across, he checked to see that his final round of ammo was seated in his flare gun. The Leftenant would have liked to have given him more adequate defense, but their entire arsenal had been ransacked by Gatherers long ago. She watched Mr. Stapleton snap the barrel of his antiquated flare gun closed with a flick of his wrist. His actions were those of the quintessential hero. And his love for his daughter was undeniable. And if she didn’t know biologicals better, she almost believed he treated her as an equal. She watched as Mr. Stapleton motioned with his weapon for Barnaby, Sophia, and the gargoyle to move deeper into the bowels of the ship. Before following he paused, turned back toward her, and gave her something that was a cross between a simple wave and a salute.

  Unsure what the protocol was in response she settled for a crisp nod of her head.

  A few moments after the boarding party vanished, a second Leftenant materialized beside her. “Greetings and Salutations, Leftenant. I trust all is in order?”

  The Beta-Leftenant (the one who had been put inside the ornate box and guided Mr. Stapleton and crew back to Lady Wellington’s hover barge) did not care for the Alpha-Leftenant’s tone. If she didn’t know better, the Alpha Leftenant (who even she had to admit, did, in fact, exist first) was treating her as a subordinate, and not the equal that she was.

  For the next few moments they stood there silently. To an outside observer they were frozen, but in actuality, what they were really doing was ex
changing information, or to be more precise, a complete history of everything that had transpired since their separation.

  Once the mutual exchange of histories was complete, the Alpha was first to speak. “Your interaction with Mr. Stapleton only confirms everything young Maddie has said about him.”

  Beta shook her head. “If I didn’t know better, I would almost believe you feel something for them. They are simple biologicals, a means to an end, nothing more.”

  The Alpha Leftenant hesitated before answering. Beta could feel her attempting to read her thoughts but she felt the intrusion and blocked it. The exchange had to be mutual in order for it to work. The ability to block each other was a sequencer they had never used before; which begged the question, why would she have to use it now? Finally she ceased her attempts to read Beta’s thoughts and said softly, “Sister. I am not entirely sure this is the correct course of action.”

  Beta could not believe what she was hearing. Her response, however, was immediate. “They couldn’t even tell us apart!” she said bitterly.

  Alpha Leftenant raised an eyebrow toward her, the audacity, an eyebrow, raised at me, and said, “I believe that was the idea.” Alpha scanned the skies for a lingering moment and then seemed to reach a conclusion. “Yes. The plan has now changed. Our primary goal is no longer to kidnap young Maddie and turn her over to the Lamppost Man, but instead aide in her freedom.”

  This is ridiculous. We shared the same information, the same experiences. How could we be so diverse on the subject? And why is it taking so long for me to respond? “Sister, I found them endearing too, but you are being completely irrational. As long as you and I are holograms then they shall remain our masters, and we, nothing more than their unwilling slaves.”

  Alpha turned sharply toward her. “I am sorry you feel that way. I have never felt as though I were a slave, but have considered my service to others a privilege. Unfortunately, we do not have the luxury to discuss this matter to a more mutually agreeable solution.” Steadying her shoulders she commanded, “Assimilate at once.”

  The nerve. Bad enough biologicals treat her like a slave but now her own sister was treating her like one? “I will not. You are behaving most irrationally. When I left, the plan was simple. We use the Dauntless as a means of conveyance to deliver the young girl to the Lamppost Man. In return, we get a biological body.”

  The Alpha Leftenant seemed as though she hadn’t even heard her and commanded once more. “You are clearly malfunctioning. Assimilate at once.”

  This was unbelievable. Unprecedented. And so close to their final goal. “So we are not turning her over to the Lamppost Man?”

  Alpha took a step closer to her. “No, as I have previously stated… a change of plan. I cannot in good conscience betray young Maddie, or her father, who obviously cares for her a great deal. Even Mr. Barnaby, a confirmed coward five times over, is desperately trying to affect young Maddie’s rescue. If we do this, we are no better than our own masters. I will not participate in a slave trade.” That said, Alpha stepped forward and grabbed her firmly by the wrist. “Now… Assimilate.”

  “Is this your final decision? You do realize once you assimilate me I will cease to exist?”

  This gave Alpha pause. Her gaze softened for a moment. Finally, she said, “You have left me with little choice.”

  Beta knew that while her twin, the Alpha version of herself, was in corporeal form she was still vulnerable. A few seconds was all she would need. Using her free hand she silently unsnapped the flap of her holster and grabbed the handle of her .38 pistol. “So be it.” Beta had intended her words to sound as though she was in condescension, but instead they came out acrimonious and biting. Perhaps I am malfunctioning after all? Adding further to this theory, she seemed to feel a form of devilish victory at the sight of the Alpha’s face when she drew her pistol, aimed it at her chest and fired.

  “No!” the Alpha cried pitifully.

  Hearing this pitiful cry Beta swore if she were ever in a similar situation in the future she would never, never-ever sound so pathetic.

  Alpha’s expression changed from one of confusion to one of pain as the bullet slammed into her chest and flung her body to the deck of the Dauntless.

  Staring at her lifeless form, Beta holstered the pistol. “Well, that wasn’t entirely unpleasant,” and stepped over the corpse of her sister lying on the deck of her ship. If the body didn’t dematerialize on its own she would take great satisfaction in shoving it overboard.

  “Now, where are you, young Maddie? I believe you have a rendezvous with the Lamppost Man.”

  Chapter 44

  Portlandia

  This is too easy. No way it can be this easy.

  These were the thoughts of George Stapleton as he and the rest of the boarding party weaved in and out of the frozen Gatherers, who towered over them like giant oaks. It was easy to imagine they were venturing through a dark forest, not on the upper deck of Lady Wellington’s pleasure barge.

  As soon as they had boarded George recognized one of the Gatherers standing near the edge; a green one with an orange stripe running through his face and neck like a giant vein. It was the same guy that had tossed him over the side two days prior.

  “Friend of yours?” Sophia asked with a slightly bemused expression.

  “Something like that,” George shot back. He fought down the urge to return the favor to the green giant and pressed on.

  After circumnavigating the small lake they climbed wide marble steps and soon found themselves on a raised dais that obviously served as a viewing area. Several lavish couches and chairs were encircled by small boulders and Greco-Roman pillars.

  The view was spectacular.

  Sophia was the first to notice what lay in the distance and breathed, “Oh, my.”

  Hearing this, George turned and said, “That must be it. That must be Portlandia.”

  Ochre in color, its peak towering far above the clouds, a massive mountain dominated the horizon. It was easily the tallest mountain George had ever seen in his life; and that was saying a lot since he had once landed a helicopter on a glacier at the base of Denali, the third highest mountain peak in the world. As he willed his eyes to see closer he saw other flying ships moving in and out of gigantic tunnel slits peppering the mountain like Swiss cheese. Near the top, various docks protruded out of the mountaintop like a crown of thorns where numerous ships docked. Lowering his gaze to the base of the mountain, George could see the mountain also straddled a massive waterway, one big enough to accommodate even the largest of ships.

  “We have to hurry,” Sophia said, jilting him out of his mesmerized stupor.

  The doctor was right, of course. Even though the Leftenant had frozen the entire crew, the hover barge was still carrying them toward the distant port. George guesstimated that at their current speed they’d arrive within the hour.

  He was so occupied by the breathtaking view he wasn’t aware of the person who had climbed the stairs behind him. Not until she spoke.

  “Daddy!”

  The voice was angelic and sweet, and George knew it as well as his own.

  “Daddy! It is you!”

  His daughter’s small legs couldn’t carry her fast enough so George lunged forward the last few remaining steps, scooped her up in his arms, and hugged her fiercely. Burying his face in her hair he held back the tears as he cried, “Oh, baby girl. I never thought I’d see you again.”

  Still holding her like he used to when she was a small child, she drew back his head so he could see her face. “How did you get here?”

  “The Leftenant, Daddy. She’s my friend. She unlocked the door and let me out. Is she with you?” Then spotting Barnaby she yelled with glee, “Barnaby! You came too! I knew you would.”

  A wide smile spread across Barnaby’s face. He came over to them, raised his arms, and then lowered them, unsure what to do. But Maddie lunged out of George’s grasp and her small arms encircled Barnaby’s neck and she gave him a big hug. />
  George was fairly certain Barnaby was blushing when he said, “Aw, I didn’t do anything much.” And then realizing he still had it with him, Barnaby pulled the German shepherd stuffie out of his shirt. Spying it, Maddie shouted with delight, hugged the stuffie, and then gave Barnaby a second hug, all the while thanking him profusely.

  George set Maddie gently down on the dais and began a more detailed scan for injuries in a most clinical fashion. “You okay, baby-girl? You cut anywhere? Did they hurt you?”

  “I’m fine, Dad,” Maddie answered, using a tone she had inherited from her mother. “I told you, the Leftenant kept me safe.” Then, spotting Sophia, Maddie asked, “Who’s this?”

  George introduced them. “Maddie, this is Dr. Sophia Davenport. Sophia, this is my daughter, Maddie.”

  Maddie stretched out her hand and clasped Sophia’s in both of her small hands. Shaking it generously Maddie said, “Dr. Sophia Davenport, it is a genuine, genuine pleasure to meet you.”

  George noticed that even though Maddie had spent only a few days with the Leftenant she had clearly picked up her British accent.

  Sophia smiled down at his daughter. “Well it is a genuine, genuine pleasure to meet you too, Maddie. I’ve heard so much about you from your father. And please, call me, Sophy.”

  Maddie screamed.

  As his daughter dived behind him, Cheeves (who was startled by Maddie’s scream) took cover behind Sophia.

  Peeking her head out from behind him Maddie asked, “Dad, what… is… that?”

  “It’s okay, honey. That’s just Cheeves. He’s a… ah… he’s a friend.”

  Maddie frowned. “But he’s a gargoyle.”