The Decade Worlds

by Patrick McClafferty

  “Yes Captain.” Rather than sounding contrite, the AI sounded as if she were actually stifling her laughter.

  It could have been an airport that served any rural community on Earth, circa early twenty first century. The long runways sat between high green mountains, and the air was fresh and pleasant, smelling of new-mown summer grasses and hay ready for bailing. The small shuttle swept in after sunset had turned the sky purple, and set down without incident in what Gareth could only guess was a conventional vehicle parking lot. The light breeze whispered in the tree branches, while birds were making small noises of complaint as they prepared to roost for the night. There were no other sounds. Gareth pointed to several nearby lights, and within moments the marines had eliminated that small problem, and none too soon, as the lights in the terminal winked on, followed by the lights in the parking lot. In the shadows caused by the broken lights the small shuttle could easily have been mistaken for a parked delivery vehicle, or so Gareth hoped. They were walking toward the terminal when a low thrumming sound filled the air, and the stars were suddenly blotted out over their heads. The marines had raised their rifles when Gareth began to laugh.

  “Lower the guns.” He gasped, finally getting his laughter under control. “That is a dirigible you see.” The marines and Mairi looked at him with blank faces. “Blimp… balloon??” A light went on behind the questioning eyes. “They have small motors to push them along, but the lift is provided by lighter than air gas. It is very economical… if you aren’t in a hurry.” They turned to follow the descending dirigible. One hundred meters further down the taxiway, they watched automated arms swing out from tall gantry towers to clamp to heavy cleats on the front and back of the blimp, holding it steady as a large flatbed vehicle shot out a massive hangar and slid beneath the blimp’s gondola, which descended smoothly on cables attached to front and back, to the waiting conveyance. Gondola and flatbed rolled out of the way as a second gondola on its flatbed rolled in and was reattached to the blimp. While the cargo gondola had been detached and reattached, fuel hoses had wound out of the tall towers to refuel the waiting airship. The new cargo gondola seated with a sharp metallic clang, just as the fuel hoses released to wind sinuously back to their towers. The evening air now held the familiar scent of avgas. The blimp rose a few meters before the motors started with a low purr, and it pulled away into the night. The entire operation had taken place without one single person being in evidence, and in less than fifteen minutes.

  “We won’t find anyone inside.” Gareth admitted finally. “We need to go to a city.”

  Mairi pointed to a red light blinking in the distance. “There.” She stated, after consulting her instruments.

  This time the shuttle set down on a small landing area in what appeared to be a half kilometer square open-air park set in the upper quarter of a massive pyramidal building. Small illuminated paths led through the trees and flowers, and somewhere water tinkled in a fountain.

  Mairi stopped abruptly as soon as she saw it. “This is nice.” There was a wistful note in her voice. “Very nice.”

  “I am very glad to hear that.” An androgynous voice commented from the air above their heads. “Welcome to park three seven two nine six one in the city of Svobomovsk. We have many new additions to our park since the last time humans visited it, one hundred and eighty-two years ago. Would you like to hear them, or perhaps sample an ancient staple of civilization called corn, beans and potatoes, grown right here in our own park?”

  “Some other time.” Gareth grumbled. “Did you say that it has been one hundred and eighty-two years since this park was last visited?”

  “That is correct, Citizen.”

  “Where do the people go, then? Are there concerts, or perhaps restaurants where people gather?”

  “Concerts are broadcast over the Net, as you should know Citizen, and the many fine restaurants were all closed when they failed to draw any customers.”

  “Where are all the people, then?” Mairi asked in a very small voice. “My sensors indicate thousands in this small section of the structure alone.”

  “Why, the Citizens are all in their dwellings. Where else should they be?”

  A chill went up Gareth’s spine. “Is there a public access to the city Library or the Central Computer?”

  “Yes Citizen.” The voice replied after a moment’s pause. Take the north exit, go left for seven hundred meters and the public access terminal will be on your left.”

  Gareth stood and made a motion to the others. “Thank you. You have a very nice park here.”

  “Thank you, Citizen. We here in Svobomovsk do our best to provide you the service you deserve.”

  Outside the exit Gareth took a deep breath. “I’m getting a bad feeling about all this. Shyrrik, you go ahead of us and find what you can from the data terminal. We’ll try to find some people. Be careful.”

  “Yes Captain.” The sphere bobbed once, and shot down the long empty corridor.

  “Mairi, find us a room with people.”

  His daughter glanced at a small instrument she held in her hand, and then pointed to a plain unadorned closed door. “My instrument indicates that there are four lifeforms in there.”

  Gareth knocked on the door politely, and waited. After several minutes he hit the door several times with his fist, and waited. Finally, he kicked the door. The banging echoed down the empty corridor, but there was no response at the door. He turned to the marines. “Sergeant Major, open that door.”

  “Yes Sir!” The smiling Sergeant handed his weapon to a young Corporal, stepped back several meters and ran at the door, striking it with his meaty shoulder. The wall shook and the door shook… but did not open. Rubbing his shoulder, the marine glanced to Gareth.

  “I just said to open it. How is up to you.” Gareth pointed out with a smile, as he took his daughter’s arm and physically moved her back by several meters. The Sergeant Major took his rifle, sighted at the juncture of door and casing about midway up, and pulled the trigger.

  Gareth helped Mairi to her feet, and shook his head to try and clear the ringing sound caused by the violent explosion. A half-meter bite had been taken out of the door casing, while the door itself lay smoking across the room. Three marines entered; weapons drawn while three remained in the corridor. “Clear!” The Sergeant Major called from the smoky room.

  Gareth had just stepped into the room when a small white globe the size of his fist shot out of an adjacent room and hovered in the air before his face. “Who are you?” A tinny voice howled out of the small globe. “Get out of here this instant!!”

  Gareth wished for a baseball bat. “We’re from Maintenance.” He returned dryly. “We’re checking the security of all the doors in the facility. Yours failed.” Directly behind him Mairi snorted a laugh.

  “But… you… I…” Came from the small globe. Gareth made a motion to the Sergeant, who swatted the globe out of the air with a swing of his rifle stock. It smashed against a wall and fell to the floor in sparking pieces. Gareth drew his Colt and headed into the adjacent room. As soon as his eyes adjusted to the low light, he wished he hadn’t.

  There were four modern looking hospital beds in the oversized bedroom; all occupied. The four, small, gray skinned residents reminded Gareth somewhat of the drawings he’d seen of the Roswell aliens, and it saddened him to see what humanity had become. Totally bald, he couldn’t tell if the forms were male or female, and he didn’t have the courage to look. All four seemed to be plumbed into the bed, and all four had implants in their right temple. The lights and indicators on the beds gave the semi-dark room a horror movie feel. The air smelled vaguely like a hospital. On a small wall shelf over each individual rested a simple black base on which sat a white ball identical to the one the Sergeant had swatted into the wall. One of the bases was empty, and that individual was twitching in his, or her, or its bed. As he watched, the other three globes lifted from their bases to hang in the air, confronting the intruders.

  �
�Who are you and what do you want.” This voice was slightly less tinny, and seemed to be in control if itself.

  Gareth gave it a pitying look. “Not a thing.” He replied, slightly nauseous. Making a motion to the Sergeant, he turned for the door. Shyrrik and the other three marines were waiting for them in the corridor. “Did you find what we needed to know?” He asked the sphere.

  “I did.” In some impossible way, Shyrrik too sounded nauseous. “You won’t like it.”

  Gareth turned back toward the garden and began walking. “Let me guess. The entire race chose to plug themselves into a virtual world, and let their bodies go to hell. The Central Computer runs everything. They can only interact with the real world by using those silly white spheres.” He stopped and listened. Far down the corridor he could hear the sound of approaching sirens. “It looks as though they called the police.”

  Shyrrik tittered softly. “If you can call them that.” Gareth frowned and kept walking toward the park.

  The group had just entered the park when eight basketball sized spheres painted black and white, with blue lights flashing on top tore into the room behind them, and quickly formed a circle around them.

  “Halt! You are all under arressst.” It was Gareth’s turn to chortle at the effeminate lisping sound. “You will come wittth usss to the police ssstation.”

  “What if I don’t want to?” Gareth raised an eyebrow.

  “But… You musst.” The police unit lisped. “The Central Computer demandsss it.”

  “I don’t recognize Central Computer’s authority.”

  “Central Computer is the voice of the world.” The police unit declared plaintively.

  Gareth stepped forward and reaching out, placed a single finger on the floating police unit. “We’re not from this world.” He murmured, just before he whispered. “Ignis Pila.” The floating unit trembled for a moment before its blue light suddenly winked out and it crashed to the floor, a trickle of smoke oozing from the burned hole where Gareth’s finger had been. He reached out and touched a second unit with similar results. The third unit jerked back as he reached out with his finger. All the police units had, in fact, retreated slightly, forming a straight line at the edge of the park as they re-thought the situation. Gareth glanced at the Sergeant, and then without a word glanced to the floating police units. Like before, he pulled Mairi aside as the marines took aim and fired. The crash was deafening in the enclosed park, and remains of the floating police units peppered the far wall. “Sorry about the litter.” Gareth said to the air. “You have a nice park and I didn’t intend to leave trash hanging about.”

  “We usually don’t condone littering,” the voice of the caretaker replied, “but I haven’t had a thing to do in years. I would be glad to take out the trash. Thank you for your concern, Citizen.”

  Gareth was still chuckling as he entered the shuttle.

  “Where to now?” Shyrrik asked as she settled into her spot between the two front seats.

  “Take us to the gateway, please.” The shuttle lifted out of the park and put the city behind it. “I want to turn this gateway back on, and ensure that it never gets turned off.”

  “I’m sure you have a reason for that.” Mairi said dryly from beside him.

  He looked at her and smiled. “I do. These ‘citizens’ won’t last forever, and this world would make a nice park… for our entire race.”

  He never saw the USS Maine until the lights on the landing pad lit. Now the marines were laughing and joking as they made their way to the armory to check in their weapons, and Gareth was headed for the bridge. Mairi had opted for a quick shower first. He dropped into the command chair with a long sigh, and rubbed his aching temples.

  “Long trip?” Shaw asked by his side.

  “Long and disappointing. For the cream of humanity, they sure fell a hell of a long way.” He looked up at the view screen. “Status?”

  “Just waiting on you, Captain.” The glowing figure of the AI replied.

  “Fine.” He glanced to his right. “Shyrrik, please set a course for Trilan, best speed.”

  “As you wish Captain.” The stars swung as the frigate headed back out into her own element; deep space. “ETA in the Trilan System is fourteen hundred and forty hours. School will continue in two days, and we will debrief our findings from Ceorean tomorrow. You have the rest of the day off.”

  “Slave-driver.” He laughed. “Is my daughter still in quarters?”

  “Yes, Captain.”

  “Good.” He lowered his voice. “We may disappear from your scanners for a while.”

  Shyrrik gave him a long look before she answered. “Understood.”

  Gareth nearly bumped into Mairi as he entered their quarters. “Was that the Slipstream Drive I felt?” She asked, toweling her shoulder-length hair dry.

  “Yup.” He replied, grinning.

  “I should get back up to the…”

  “I thought that you might come with me.”

  She opened her mouth to say something and closed it, frowning. “Where are we going?”

  “Athena, are you busy?” He said into the air.

  “Never, for you.” Her voice was soft and… inviting. Gareth swallowed.

  “I throught that we might pay a call on you.”

  “That would be pleasant. Come ahead. Focus on me.”

  When Gareth took Mairi’s hand her eyes grew very wide when she realized just what her father intended to do. “Simply step when I do.” He said in what he hoped was a reassuring voice. They stepped.

  She jerked her hand out of his. “How did you do that? Where am I?”

  Athena stepped out of nothing. “You have been here before, my dear.” She murmured, looking up at the moon.

  Mairi looked up, and her gaze became distant. “I remember, kind of. I thought it was all a dream until I discovered that I had a dragon on my arm like Gareth.” She glanced at Gareth who was standing thunderstruck, staring at the moon. “Daddy?”

  He looked at Athena with fearful eyes. “I just moved my daughter and me thirty-eight thousand years into the past, and several thousand light years in distance.” He began to shake.

  “I told you that time, space and matter were all fluid. You’re a man, however, and had to see for yourself.” She waved her hand. “Ta da!” Gareth dragged his eyes to her face with an effort, to discover that her eyes were sparkling. “Now, what did you want to see me about?”

  His glanced flicked to Mairi for a bare instant. “You taught me, Athena. I would appreciate it if you would teach Mairi how to step also.”

  “Say what?” Mairi asked, her eyes huge.

  “I would be happy to.” She took a step closer to Gareth. “I’m honored that you should trust me to teach Mairi.” She was so close now that he could easily feel the heat from her body.

  He took a deep breath as he gazed into her glorious violet eyes. “I trust you implicitly.” He said with a small edge. “But don’t abuse my trust when it comes to my daughter.”

  Her returning smile was slightly sad. “I believe that I am slightly jealous of your daughter. Perhaps one day you will trust me as much as you trust and love her.”

  “Perhaps.” He replied, without a change of expression.

  Athena touched his cheek gently with her fingers, and turned to face the young woman. “Give me your hand, my dear,” she murmured, reaching out. She and Mairi were suddenly and disturbingly gone.

  Gareth looked up to the moon, and thought about going back to the ship. After a moment he took a small step, and pulled open the door to MacDonald’s, in Ensenada, Mexico. He was wearing scruffy, slightly frayed jeans, a tee shirt and a faded New York Yankees ball cap. There was a small wad of crinkled money in his pocket and he smiled as he walked in. At this time of morning the counter girl looked up, and sighed. She was surprised when the nondescript man bought a dozen burgers, half a dozen orders of French fries and two milk shakes, all to go. She looked out onto the empty parking lot and frowned. The smiling man ex
ited with the large bag of food and turned toward the parking lot. The counter girl waited for him to pass the outdoor surveillance camera, but he never did.

  Gareth set a selection of burgers on the coffee table, along with an order of fries and a milkshake. “Shyrrik, could you please digitize the items on my coffee table?” The items sparkled and vanished, to reappear a moment later.

  “What was THAT??” The AI’s voice was dubious.

  “That was a duplicate of my dinner.” He announced proudly. “From left to right, a hamburger, a cheeseburger, an Angus burger, French fries and a chocolate shake.”

  “THAT was food?” The voice of the AI dripped with disbelief. “Ewwwww!”

  “Be nice.”

  “What are you wearing, and where is your daughter?”

  “I am in mufti, and my daughter is with a friend if you have to know.” He unwrapped the first burger and took a bite, his eyes closed in bliss. “I’ll have to get a pizza next time.” He mumbled with a full mouth.

  Chapter 11

  THE INTERDICTED WORLDS PART 2

  “We are coming up on the Trilan System now, Gareth.” Shyrrik said just loud enough for all the bridge personnel to hear. “According to my data, Trilan is the furthest human world from Earth, and also significantly closer to the galactic center.”

  “Engage shields and stealth systems, Shyrrik.” Gareth said more calmly than he felt. Arriving in a new system was turning into a hazardous business.

  “Yes Captain.” The stars, that had been slightly blurry in Slipstream Drive suddenly resolved into clear hard points of light in the view screen. Gareth gripped his chair as the ship did a violent jog to starboard. “Sorry Captain. I had to dodge a large piece of debris.” Gareth stared at the screen before him, gaping at the floating junkyard in space. “It appears that there was a major battle here, and just recently if I read the sensors correctly. Many wrecks still show some signs of residual heat.”

  He leaned forward. “What’s that?” He asked, pointing at the large silver disk that was spinning slowly in space, like a flipped coin. A hole had been punched entirely through the ship, and even from this distance Gareth could see the haze of frozen gasses.