CHAPTER 36 THE WATCHER
The Watcher prepares the craft for departure as soon as his conversation with Valca is concluded. What a changed place Velchitta is, to the one where he had safely resided for so many years. He can’t help but come to the conclusion that something has forced the change on Velchitta. Surely there must have been something to trigger off the change in the people. It is something that The Watcher decides he needs to spend some value time on considering. Maybe this change was planned by someone. All he has to figure out is who planned it, how they planned it and what they hope to achieve by doing so. The obvious answer is he who was formerly known as GM3, but then how could he have got the committee to make that decision that had triggered off the riots in the first place. He slots the thoughts away for now.
‘I think we should set our course for Parlantte. I think we need to be somewhere else for the time being, while we wait and see what is going to develop.’
‘Isn’t there somewhere else that we can go’ The Wise Soul asks him. ‘I mean by that; I have concerns about Parlantte or more importantly about the people there. If that character Ricardo on Earth did get there by being stowed on one of the trailers; might there be people there who might let on we are there?’
‘I don’t believe that they are after us. I am hoping it is the other way round. It is us after where they have The Keeper. I need somewhere where I can get access to some up to date equipment to help us. The community that was set up on Parlantte has some very able brains. I would imagine that it is safe for us to go there. I very much doubt that GM3 will make that his first destination.’
The travel pods are utilised as they make the transition. The Watcher stays at his post throughout the journey. There is little chance that they will be tracked on their journey, but he wants to make sure. Parlantte is one place he is hoping that no one else knows about.
It is clear however, when they are getting relatively close to their destination, that this is not the case. The Watcher takes the decision to bring everyone out of the pods. He does this as soon as he discovers that their approach to the planet is being very closely tracked. In fact he notes that something has locked onto their craft. He suspects that this something is not going to be a healthy happening for them. This is confirmed shortly after the others have surfaced. A message appears on the console.
‘We have control of your craft. You have come within range of our automatic guiding system. Please identify yourselves with full details of everyone who is on board and your reason for coming here.’
The Watcher knows that the 300 people who had originally come here had been especially selected. It would appear that their capabilities have been underestimated somewhat. If they have achieved this sort of defence system in such a relatively short time then they are good; or they have some assistance from outside. His mind goes back to the trailers they had built. Someone must have guessed what was happening to even think of planning a stowed person. Could it be the same person who had planned the riots on Velchitta? The more he thinks about it, the more it becomes a possibility that is the case. What is worrying him now is that he has chosen to return. Will they let him go again this time, particularly as he has failed in his one and only task of protecting The Keeper?
As he had done with Valca, The Watcher declares everyone who is on board. He also states that he is returning with some people for Parlantte. That is maybe not quite true, but then he did say he was going for people and that is what he is bringing back, albeit in a different craft.
There is a gap after he gives the information until he receives the next on screen communication.
‘We have control of your craft. We will guide you in for landing. Please sit down and strap yourselves into your seats.’
The Watcher tries his controls, but there is no response. He hadn’t really expected one, but he feels he has to try. He looks around the faces of the others. The ones he expects to be looking slightly concerned are in fact the ones to be least so. George and Cassie appear to be as a calm as anything. They are not talking to each other, just sitting calmly taking it all in their stride. It is almost as if they are at home in this situation. That makes The Watcher think for a minute about them. They appeared originally as a danger signal. He had never really figured they were involved, other than being a slight danger to the craft hidden in the mound. It had been natural for him to bring them along. But thinking on it more closely now he can’t reason out why he has done that. He lets his thought pursue the subject of George and Cassie a little longer. After all there is nothing else for him to do while they are being guided in. Suddenly a thought springs into his mind.
What if they were put there on purpose? What if it was in someone’s plan for them to be on the scene and make themselves known to him? What if they are not really people from Earth? He takes a quick look at the pair of them. The answer is impossible to know just looking at them. He is going to have to dig a little deeper and see who they are and why they were really at the mound.
CHAPTER 37 VEE & BAR
Bar is digging furiously for a few minutes while Vee keeps a look out. The position where they started is reasonably well out of view of pretty much everything, but that isn‘t the point. At any time someone could come round and discover their presence. Bar is not the tidiest of diggers, but he is effective. It doesn’t take him long to dig a hole more than big enough for them both to fit in and some. The real problem being that they are going to be unable to make good the outside extremity of the hole. Vee does her best in bringing the soil to around the entrance and pulling it in behind her. That would still mean that someone would be able to see freshly dug soil on the ground. Hopefully because of the small size of the hole they have dug, it will be thought that it is a rabbit hole or some similar animal.
Once enclosed in their little cell Bar digs at a more reasonable pace. He is also more considerate about where the dug soil ends up. It is slower for sure, but Vee is not getting covered with soil. Inch by inch they dig their way towards where they hope to find the small items chute. It is only when they come in contact with the corner at the bottom of the craft, do they get any real idea how close to it they are. When they dig their way to the spot, Vee takes the forward role and locates where the edge of the chute actually is. To look at the plate one wouldn’t be able to see the gap. But to her electronic eye and touch, she locates the side that is hinged. So then she knows the side which should, if the release is pressed, flap open to allow small items to be sent in or released out. This is going to be the real test, because this action would normally be done from the inside.
Vee feels all around the plate, before asking Bar to press hard on the side that is hinged. She then put her hands on the corners opposite and closed her eyes. Nothing happens after a few seconds. In fact nothing happens at all.
‘Are you sure this is the right place?’ Bar asks her.
‘No, I am not’ she replies ‘but this is the logical place on a craft of this age for it to be here.’
‘It may be jammed. Do you think it needs power to open it from the inside?’
‘That is a good point’ she says ‘I wonder if we try sending a current through at the four points we are touching the flap; whether that will be enough to spring the flap open?’
‘I think someone somewhere will be really disappointed if that were to be the case.’
‘We’ll give it a try and see what happens.’
‘Alright’ Bar responds and takes up position.
They both send a current through their hands and fingers, but still the flap doesn’t open. They try again and again, but still have no success.
‘There is nothing for it but we will have to go back and try to gain access another way.’ Vee says rather dejectedly.
‘There won’t be another way in, as all the doorways will be jammed shut after the burn.’ Bar tells her ‘there has to be a way for us to get the door open. Are you sure that the hinges are where you say they are?’
‘No, I
am not sure of anything, but it would make sense for them to be hinged on that side’ she says pointing to the side Bar had been touching.
‘But if it was a reversed Z284RT hinge, then it wouldn’t be hinged that way. It would be hinged, now let me see’ he says as he runs an eye over the area where they believe the flap to be ‘about here I would say’ as he presses a point about an inch in from the edge of the flap and midway along one side. ‘Now press the other side gently and I’ll send a current through here.’
The flap springs open, so they waste little time going in. Their search takes them along some passageways at the bottom of the craft. The walls and ceiling are slightly out of shape. They soon realise that they are unlikely to find much beyond the area they are in. Everything further up the craft is going to have been melted by the burn, making access impossible and the contents useless. They manage to gain access to a spares room which although is damaged, most of the contents have survived. They spend several hours stripping the parts that they need, out of the spares for the craft. There is too much for them to carry and so they have to refine the priority parts and those that would be useful. This still leaves them with more than they can take in two journeys each, even with making something to carry the parts in.
Vee sends Bar out with the first batch, while she hunts round to see if there are any areas they might have missed. They are still in need of some form of transport fitting to their size. She is sure they will be able to find something outside, but she would rather find the pieces here so that she can make it with a few added extras. Added extras that she hopes they won’t need, but suspects that she might.
By the time Bar comes back for a second load, she has found an area where there are some more parts she can use. Bar tells her that he has cached the first load in the hedge covered with some loose surface materials. Bar carries the second load to the outside while Vee sets about her construction of the vehicle. By the time Bar has returned from taking the fourth load Vee is ready with the four sections she has constructed. They will have to take them out before she can finish, just to make sure they fit through the chute.
CHAPTER 38 MARIO & TZ
They stop just short of Boston and book themselves into an overnight motel. The place has definitely seen better days, but is the sort of place that doesn’t ask too many questions. More importantly it isn’t one of the places that need to swipe your credit card before you can have a room. There are no extras in this place. If you want anything you need to go to the diner next door. The diner is slightly more up to date and gets a good custom.
No one pays any attention to the young couple who walk in early in the evening and slide into one of the booths out of the main drag. They talk very little and try not to attract any more attention than they need to. The food is good and plentiful. There is too much on their plates for either of them to be able to clear them completely, but they make a good fist of it. They are not sure where and when they will get their next meal. That is going to depend on what they decide to do in the morning. They are thinking they might just go to the address and take a look at the truck, even if the guy is not going to be there until the afternoon.
They go back to their room and take in a bit of TV, before having an early night and turning in early. It is not ideal for them to be sharing the bed, but it certainly isn’t the first time they’ve done it and no doubt won’t be the last. Not that anything unsavoury goes on, they are just close.
The morning comes soon enough. They decide they will have a little bit of breakfast before they set off on the last few miles. They retrieve the car from its space well over the other side of the lot from their door. They are determined to find the address without asking for directions. Even though the guy has given them the route, they can’t find the right track to go down. They have to go back to the nearest houses and ask for directions. It appears the people are used to it, as they say to ignore what the guy has told them and take the fourth left not the third. He always does it they tell them.
Soon enough they pull down the track and two miles later it opens into a yard with some open barns. In its camouflage colours, it is easy to spot the vehicle they’ve come to look at. It looks quite wonderful. It is the same as the picture: 1981 Ford F600 Moore & Sons Armored Truck; Bullet Proof to boot.
They pull up in front of the barn and get out to look at it. The door of the porch opposite goes and a tall skinny lad comes out holding a double barrelled shotgun.
‘You aint supposed to be coming here til this afternoon. He doesn’t ever like people coming over in the morning time. You’ll have to be going now!’
The door goes behind him and another couple of equally skinny lads come out behind him. They too are armed with shotguns.
Mario & TZ’s attention is then turned, as they hear an engine start up really close to them. In fact it is so close it can only be one vehicle. It is the truck they have come to look at.
Just as they are coming to terms with that fact, another engine starts up from behind the barns. A minute later another similar truck rolls into the yard followed by a couple of ex US army jeeps. The lads on the porch step down into the yard and start to fan out.
Mario and TX look at each other and stand still. This is not what they were expecting, but it appears that is what these people were. A couple more lads appear from either end of the barns. Everyone and all the vehicles stop, making it impossible for Mario and TZ to go anywhere. The guns are held firm, but not really directed aggressively at them. But that could change at any second.
Once everything is at a standstill they hear a motorbike start up. The engine noise is deep and throaty, getting louder as it roars into the yard. The rider does a couple of spins raising clouds of dust into the air, almost making it impossible to breath. Eventually the driver brings the bike to a stop, flicks down the stand and gets off the bike. His bearded face is hard to read the expression on. Initially Mario and TZ are not quite sure how to take this welcoming performance. It has been a complete surprise.
The man stands beside his bike and looks at them both for a full minute. The air is not exactly intense, but there is a feeling that no one knows what is going to happen next.
The silence is broken soon and the air is filled with the sounds of laughter coming out of his mouth. This is quickly taken up by each and every one of the other men in the yard. Mario smiles and TZ follows suit, as they realise this is probably not the first time buyers have been greeted in a similar style.
‘You must be TZ’ the man says coming forward ‘I am Buzz’ he is now holding out his hand for her to shake. ‘These are my boys’ he says as he points each one out ‘Luke, John, John, Sly, Don, QT, Baz, Colonel, Jed, John and Sonny. Don’t think I’ve missed anyone out except for Ma. She’s inside cooking us up something to fill our bellies. Come on in.’
Mario notes that he doesn’t shake his hand with him.
CHAPTER 39 SPIRIT
The time it takes him to travel across space, is something that Spirit does not have to worry about. There is no need for him to go into a travel pod. He wonders why he has been made at this time; why it is that he was assembled before he emerged from the room. He knows that is the case. On the other hand it would appear that this craft has been ready at a moment’s notice to go on a mission. True, it has the very latest of equipment, as far as he is aware. But he knows that other than the times it was being updated, it was there underneath the floor of the launch pad; ready for action.
His thoughts then turn to who it is who is behind him being brought into use. It was obvious from the very first second, that the two Guiding Masters he met were totally surprised by his appearance. That can be said equally so about the presence of the craft he is now using. So there is no way that GM6 or GM7 are behind him. Taking a jump in conclusions, he is also fairly certain that none of the previous Guiding Masters would have known any more than these two. That also includes the rogue Master GM3. If he had been aware, surely this craft would have been used instead of th
e much slower, but bigger craft he uses.
That only leaves O to be the one. From the memory and thought banks he has been given, it would appear that O has never been seen. In fact Spirit thinks that O may not even be a person or a life form. He has nothing to say whether that is true or not true, but it does raise the question of whether they are all in fact something so microscopically small. Being microscopically small, would it be possible that this universe is only a dot on a game or whatever in something’s far far bigger being? That is too much to think about and even if that is the case, it is in this Universe that Spirit has to deal with a situation; a task he has been set.
He turns his eyes to the console, to judge how his progress is going. The deflector cone is certainly coming into use. He can see vague flashes out of the edge of his eyes, as objects are removed from his path.
He is surprised by how long he has taken to think through the stages he has gone through to get here this second. Boristal 7 will be coming close soon. Already he can see the markings of the star Sonol 22 on the console. There is no scale on the screen, but he knows instinctively that it would not be there if he wasn’t fast approaching it. His course will take him on a wide berth, as he won’t want to get drawn in too close. His craft may well be the latest technology, but the heat of Sonol 22 will still be immense.
A couple of indicator lights come on as he is thinking. He can feel the craft turn as it swings left to take a wide berth. The lights go off again and as he gets half way round Sonol 22 he sees a different chart appear on the console in front of him. At first there appear to be a line of dots leading away from the star, but as his route continues they turn out to be a line of planets. Saying it is a line is rather misleading as they are in nothing like that, the closer he gets and the further from the star he gets. These planets are at least hundreds of millions of miles apart. He also judges that his line would have to be hundreds of millions of miles wide to take in all of the planets.
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