›Thought so,‹ Arkroid nodded. ›Wants to bring us to the Looter’s habitats.‹
»When we reach the ice-barrier, you’ll need to be extremely cautious and alert,« Ray-Tor warned. »It’s a dangerous place and you’ll have to be ready to fight for your lives!«
»He’s not lying, Toiber,« Voit Masgur emphasized. »It is very dangerous, and there’s something really strange there!«
»Yes,« Ray-Tor acknowledged, adding in a mysterious tone, »Something really strange …!«
He turned and ordered his men to descend. They walked down a makeshift path. Arkroid and his team followed. Paafnas seemed to be enjoying the hike into the underground station. He disdained the spiraling path, moving downward along the walls, using his feet like suction cups. The warriors watching him made surprised but not unfriendly grunting noises.
»Paaf’s really having fun!« Pi joked and waved at Paafnas from the distance. The underground became darker and darker as they descended.
Maya Ivanova observed some old ornaments and mosaic pictures on the walls. They were mostly eradicated by the moist climate but were still visible. The pictures showed Neo-Sapiens in their day-to-day life; she couldn’t, though, decipher the inscriptions.
»It sounds strange, but I think these pictures are ads, like the ones in our subways,« she commented.
Arkroid nodded and grinned.
»Why is that strange, Maya? There was probably a lot of pedestrian traffic, maybe a hundred thousand people a day, on their way to work or pleasure. I’m pretty sure these are ads.«
›This is like an episode of an “End of Time” movie,‹ Arkroid thought. ›Scenes of a great, intact world, surrounded by ruins. But it’s reality here on Equinox.‹
As they advanced deeper into the underground, it became more and more evident that the modern Neo-Sapiens had repaired the station where necessary. New pillars supported the ceiling structures and new lighting fixtures illuminated the scene with a dim light. A musty smell prevailed inside the station – the ventilation system wasn’t working properly.
»People shouldn’t be down here – it’s way too dangerous. The ceilings could come down any minute!« Voit Masgur remarked.
»You’re probably right, Voit,« Pi replied mutedly. »The decay is far advanced; the building static has become unreliable. I hope the Neo-Sapiens know that.«
» They know that very well, but they’ve no choice,« Arkroid commented. »If this is the only functioning subway line, then it’s a strategically important building. We’d do the same.«
They came to another level through a long, tight pedestrian tunnel and suddenly reached a great hall which was flooded with bright light. Toiber Arkroid shielded his sensitive eyes with his right hand.
The hall seemed fully intact. The walls and the ceiling were covered with mosaics and frescos. The actual platform was located in the hall’s center where a long gravo-train hovered about a meter above the ground. The train had seen better days, but it seemed fully functional. A steel-like grid closed the upper section of the tube at the top, a reinforcement to prevent ceiling parts from falling onto the train.
A couple of train doors were open, allowing Arkroid to take a quick look inside.
›They’ve invested a lot of energy and resources to maintain this section of the building,‹ Arkroid considered. ›It’s a beehive of activity down here, and heavily guarded!‹
Arkroid observed warriors securing the station, especially toward the dark tunnel. Some Neo-Sapiens wore differently colored coveralls, distinguishing themselves from the warriors. A construction crew was cutting a new tunnel section into the rock, while another group was working on the gravo-train front car. The streamlined train was pointing in the direction of the dark tunnel section, and guarded by some warriors.
»We used to able to reach any other city from here, riding in comfort. With our defeat , the infrastructure was mostly destroyed and the gravo-tunnels plugged up by debris; the strong roots of the lango plant have taken over the tunnels. We’re trying as best we can to repair and maintain this one line, because it is our important connection to the North,« Ray-Tor explained with pride in his eyes.
»Sorry, but I’m a little confused,« Pi put in. »You live in a modern underground city with advanced technologies ... why are you using this type of transportation? Don’t you have any surface vehicles?«
Ray-Tor frowned and knit his eyebrows, indicating the construction team cutting the new tunnel into the rock.
»When this tunnel is finished, it will connect our underground city with this station. Until then, we still need to walk over the surface. We must use our disguise shield to remain undetectable from space and to prevent the Looters from finding us – as long as they exist,« Ray-Tor replied, not exactly answering Pi’s question.
›The fall of their old civilization has really traumatized the contemporary Neo-Sapiens,‹ Arkroid considered. ›They have all the technology they need to rebuild a surface infrastructure, but they stay underground because that’s what worked for them. That’s their sole justification for living underground!‹
»We will rest and then board the gravo-train. We will talk more on the way, and then you’ll learn why I asked you to come with us,« he quickly declared.
»Uhh … asked us?« Pi whispered sarcastically. »That’s not what it sounded like!«
Inconspicuously, he nodded at Kuster~Laap and his companions.
»Laap hasn’t said much, and his ZyClonians seem really depressed. I think they miss their nanopods. The interdependence between the pods and the ZyClonians must be deeper than we thought. It’s almost like they’re physically ill!«
Arkroid squinted. He also had noticed the ZyClonians’ mood. Now he began to worry.
»I’ll see if I can get Ray-Tor to return the nanopods to them!«
Evil is coming our way
Riding the gravo-train was surprisingly calm and pleasant, even if the cabin wasn’t overly comfortable and lacked the bare necessities. Still, they had ample leg room and space for the troops’ equipment.
Arkroid was sitting on a bench, trying in vain to estimate the train’s speed. He had to take Ray-Tor’s word that the trip to the ice-barrier wouldn’t last long.
›He still hasn’t told us why we’re making this trip,‹ Arkroid pondered. He glanced at Voit Masgur, sitting across him on the opposite bench, staring at Arkroid but not really seeing him. He seemed to be deep in thought.
Masgur felt an underlying threat, something he couldn’t define.
As if Ray-Tor could read Arkroid’s mind, he got up and addressed his men in a strong voice.
»Once again, I’m bringing new troops to replace those at the barrier. I wish you all the best, and a safe watch!« he announced.
While his men responded with a battle cry, he looked at Vasina and Arkroid.
»After all these years and generations of scientists, we haven’t solved the ice-barrier’s greatest riddle. All our attempts to penetrate the Temporal Vector have failed!« he told them.
Arkroid listened attentively. Temporal Vector? That was a new term.
»The Looters are trying to push us back from the southern foothills of the equatorial ice-barrier. So far, they haven’t succeeded! Don’t fail us – the Temporal Vector must not fall into their hands. Watch out for them and their drones!«
An angry battle cry sounded out when the train began gradually slowing down.
Arkroid winked at Vasina, Pai and Ivanova.
Kuster~Laap was staring defiantly at the cabin’s ceiling. Nood and Naad slumped beside him. They looked worse than ever!
»Ray-Tor – you have to return the nanopods to the ZyClonians! They’re not well! There’s interdependency between them and the nanopods. Nood and Naad will die without them. Don’t you see that?« Arkroid intervened.
»They feel like they’ve lost a limb,« Voit Masgur explained mutedly. »Their auras are ill and weak!«
Ray-Tor threw a doubtful glance at the two ZyClonians, then si
gnaled to two of his men, who quickly retrieved two urn-shaped containers and placed them in front of the ZyClonians.
»We’re far enough away from Ray-Mainai that I am willing to take a chance, but if your companions attempt to use the nanoparticles against us, I will take drastic measures. The nanopods are very dangerous!«
»They seem dangerous, but they can be used to good effect. I’ll vouch for Nood and Naad!« Arkroid assured him. »They’ve never used their nanopods against us. The ZyClonians be a big help, and they won’t act on their own unless we’re in danger. Kuster~Laap can attest to that.«
Kuster~Laap leaned forward, thanking Arkroid with the gesture.
Ray-Tor ordered his men to remove the energy shields and open the containers. At once, a fog of particles escaped, flying directly toward the ZyClonians. Like insects they settled on their chests, taking their usual armor form.
Only seconds passed before Nood and Naad straightened up, their eyes already clearer. Arkroid even thought he heard a slight sighing from the usually silent ZyClonians.
»Thank you, Ray-Tor,« Arkroid nodded. He looked worriedly at Voit Masgur – the man seemed to be getting worse as the ZyClonians got better. The more they advanced to the North, the more reserved and reticent he had become.
»We’ve arrived!« Masgur announced abruptly. Moments later the gravo-train stopped. The doors opened and a breath of ice-cold air swirled into the cabin. The Neo-Sapiens’ breath condensed, steaming from their mouths, while the cabin seats coated with a thin layer of frost. Arkroid’s team was immune to the cold under their personal protective shields, which had activated at once.
The troops left the train with swift, disciplined movements and assembled on the platform, where they were divided into smaller groups by a team that was already in place. A blue-dressed scientific foreman led one group away while the rest were assigned to different duties by a wild-looking, loud-voiced officer.
›The military tone seems to be universal among all civilizations,‹ Arkroid thought amusedly. Ray-Tor walked over to Arkroid’s team and slipped into a set of red thermo-coveralls.
»We’re 200 meters below a gigantic glacier,« Ray-Tor explained. »The phenomenon I was talking about is located close to the surface directly above us. That’s why we have troops here. The Temporal Vector is an energy structure we don’t yet understand, but it acts like a magnet for the Looters. It could even be a natural phenomenon for all we know. The Looters are trying to use it to breech the barrier by the thousands and penetrate our sphere of interest. That danger is reason enough to explore this phenomenon and learn what about it is.«
»We didn’t detect any extraordinary energy signatures on our approach to Equinox,« Lai Pi mentioned. »The Techno-Ferry should’ve noticed it.«
»That’s probably because the Temporal Vector is undetectable by conventional methods,« Ray-Tor grumbled. »We only discovered it by chance when we were trying to find the passage through the ice-barrier which the Looters used to invade our territory.«
Suddenly, Voit Masgur held his belly and vomited. Arkroid looked at him in alarm.
»Are you not well?« Vasina inquired, supporting him under his arms.
»I ... just need ... to get used to the interference from the planetary aura. The dissonances are overwhelming,« Masgur explained with a grimace. »Proximity to the Temporal Vector causes me a lot of pain – nearly more than I can bear … Evil is coming our way!«
Ray-Tor displayed yellow teeth in acknowledgement.
»Whatever he senses or feels; we’ll be ready for it!« he swore.
Arkroid frowned. A cold shower ran down his back.
›Everything’s going to be fine, Toiber … just keep your head!‹ he told himself.
For the good of science
A makeshift mechanical elevator brought them to the surface. The shaft ended at the base of a 50 meter snow bank, where a small tent village had been set up. It was cold enough that the Neo-Sapiens used personal protection fields as well as their thermo suits. This interfered with their disguise fields – they glowed slightly in the heavy snowfall. They looked enviously at Arkroid’s tea, whose shields – thanks to Nautilus’ design – were unaffected. Ray-Tor noted this fact with a loud, spiteful snarl.
More mysterious than the ice-cold weather was the object that protruded through the ice 100 meters away, surrounded and secured by staggered energy fields.
Ray-Tor led Arkroid’s team to an observation platform, fitted with sensors.
»An energy sphere!« Pi remarked surprised as he saw the bluish sphere through the digital binoculars Ray-Tor handed him.
Vasina looked at the readout in her shield and commented, »It doesn’t look like a solid body, its contours are sort of drifting!«
»It doesn’t belong here. It’s damaging the planetary aura!« Voit Masgur grunted through waves of pain. He seemed to be coping a little better now.
»It looks eerie,« Paafnas added unscientifically; Pi gave a brief smile.
Arkroid contacted Nautilus and looked into the sky, as if hoping to see the ship above him.
»I assume, Nautilus, that you’ve followed us. Is that correct?« he inquired.
»I am 2,000 meters above you, maintaining my anti-detection shield,« Nautilus responded. »I can see the object, but cannot detect an energy signature. My scans have been absorbed with no results. Since I cannot be of use obtaining data on the object, I will remain at a safe distance.«
»Whatever a safe distance is …,« Pi put in sarcastically. »If it’s a bomb we’re already too close!«
»It’s not a bomb!« Ray-Tor growled. »We think may be an interdimensional bridge or a portal into a different timeline.«
»Who named it a Temporal Vector, and why?« Vasina demanded, while she was watching the inner surface of her shield and running more tests … with no better results.
»Let’s go to the main tent and talk to Herimos. He’s the leading scientist of the Frost Station and our main authority on the Temporal Vector,« Ray-Tor suggested.
He led the way.
Arkroid paused briefly and looked back. He had never seen such an object before, but he was sure it was no natural phenomenon. Pi’s look reflected the same opinion.
›What could it be?‹ Arkroid pondered. ›More of the Dark Brotherhood’s evil work, no doubt‹
On their way to the tent they were flanked by a group of armed Neo-Sapiens.
»What’s wrong, Ray-Tor?« Arkroid asked. »Still don’t trust us? You think we could run away?«
Ray-Tor laughed out loud.
»No, Arkroid. These warriors are here for your protection. We’re in no man’s land near enemy territory. Did you forget that already?«
Arkroid understood, although he didn’t see how the enemy could survive here, at least not without the proper equipment – or did the Looters possess body shields like the Globusters to protect them from the cold?
›Hmm … wouldn’t they overrun the Neo-Sapiens’ territory then? Globusters were engineered to live in free space, but the Languins have always been on this planet. Maybe the degenerated technology affects them differently …‹
Arkroid glanced at his wrist display and checked the ambient temperature outside his personal field. It read minus 45 degrees centigrade – which on Earth could only be encountered on Antarctica, near the North Pole, Siberia or on the Canadian Prairies in the winter.
When they arrived at the tent village, he had to revise his opinion. The tents were really pressurized bubbles that looked more like igloos than ordinary canvas tents. Each of the 10 bubbles had a diameter of at least 20 meters. They were painted white and invisible at a distance. Ray-Tor told them that a large disguise field enveloped the bubble village. A slightly taller bubble at the center displayed a holographic seal, depicting the Ray-Mainai City emblem. A glowing energy field isolated the bubble from the elements. Arkroid and his team entered with no trouble. A staircase led to the floor of the bubble 15 meters below ground level.
›It m
ust have been some job to dig through the perma-frost!‹ Arkroid thought.
A circular catwalk surrounded the inner wall. Several stairs led to the lower section, which was subdivided into small cubicles. Several large monitoring holos, as well as scientific stations and laboratories, were located inside the cubicles.
From his vantage point, Arkroid heard a couple of scientists discussing their projects in loud voices. Lai Pi took in the internal layout and activities with great interest. They stood on the catwalk for some time before they were noticed. Surprised calls went through the bubble; some of the scientists pointed fingers at Arkroid and his team recognizing that the team was made up of alien sentiences. Some of their assistants looked scared and retreated into the background. The initial shock, subsided when they saw that the aliens were accompanied by Ray-Tor. Slowly, the scientists and lab operators returned to their work.
»Scientists!« Ray-Tor remarked mockingly, although to Arkroid it almost sounded like an apology.
›Didn’t he announce us in advance?‹ Arkroid thought. ›Or were the scientists so immersed in their work that they ignored him?‹
»Look at what the icy equator winds blew into my bubble!« a loud voice greeted them from below.
Arkroid peered in the direction the voice had come from and saw a hairy Neo-Sapien standing, legs akimbo, near the bottom of the stair, looking up at him.
»That’s Herimos!« Ray-Tor introduced him and yelled, »Meet our guests! They’re from far away and they want to know more about the Temporal Vector!«
»Far away, eh? They look like full-blown aliens to me,« Herimos replied, chuckling. »You’re making me curious, Ray-Tor. You want me to examine them with my scalpel for the good of science? What do you think?«
Both Neo-Sapiens were laughing hard over Herimos’ joke, while Voit Masgur looked down warily.
»Let’s go down,« Ray-Tor suggested, stifling the tears of laughter in his eyes.
NEBULAR Collection 4 - Second Reserve: Episodes 17 - 21 Page 16
