The Gaia Project

by Claire Buss

  It was a short walk down a dimly lit hallway before they came out into a kitchen. A large scarred wooden table dominated the middle of the room with various mismatched chairs arranged around the outside. There were real books, scraps of paper and pens scattered across the table top. A saucepan rack hung above their heads with shiny copper pans glinting in the electric lights. An old-fashioned range cooker filled one wall. It was like stepping into a history book. Then Martha noticed the plexiglass surrounding the entire scene. The man had laughter in his eyes as he beckoned them to follow him to the left. A small doorway led them into what looked like a communal restroom. There was a less interesting set up of table and chairs in here but at least they had found the source of the aroma, and it was real coffee.

  'Perk of the job,' the man explained as he poured them each a cup. 'This is the city's museum, hence the impressive kitchen. But the replicators here are second to none and designed to provide the average punter with a realistic experience for their entry fee.' Martha put a hand to her pocket for tokens but the man shook his head. 'No need.' He passed them a cup of coffee each.

  Both women wrapped their hands around the hot mugs and inhaled the aroma. It felt wonderful to indulge.

  Finally Martha spoke. 'Do we stand out a lot then?'

  'You've done a good job but for those used to looking out for non-conformers, you stick out. You're lucky you ran into me and not a security patrol. They wouldn't be giving you coffee. Where you from?'

  'City 42,' Dina announced. Martha blinked at her in surprise.

  'Ah. The rebel city. Although that's all finished with now. They executed quite a few dissenters up there, if you believe the sweeps of course.' He passed them a handheld.

  NEWCORP: News from City 42.

  Ben Jenkins has been terminated for crimes against the authority.

  Nick Sedgwick has been terminated for crimes against the authority.

  Dana Chrystal has been terminated for crimes against the authority.

  Zavier Duparre, also known as ANON17, has been terminated for crimes against the authority.

  Martha paled and sat down heavily on a nearby chair while Dina stifled a gasp.

  'Hey, I'm sure it wasn't your fault.' The man looked worriedly at his guests. 'Look, I'm Zac. I curate the museum and I'm nosy but whatever you're doing here you don't have to worry about me reporting you to Corp Security. I keep my head down and my nose clean. I thought you looked interesting and it broke my heart to think of you drinking that synth-sludge.' He was smiling encouragingly at them.

  'Thank you, Zac. I'm Martha and this is Dina. It's true we have come from City 42. We're looking for a way off the island. We had hoped that City 9 would hold the answer.'

  Zac's face fell. 'I'm sorry. There's no travel out of here. The docks used to be open and we traded with some of the coastal cities across the water but when New Corp cracked down, everything stopped. We can't even get comms over there anymore. The docks have been dismantled, every boat destroyed and the water is too poisonous to risk swimming in, although our forefathers used to enjoy a dip in the ocean - can you believe that?'

  But Martha and Dina weren't listening. They had pinned their hopes on being able to get a boat and try their luck across the sea. Then Martha recalled something Zac had said.

  'You said when New Corp cracked down - when was that?'

  'Oof, about six months ago? I think. Things started to change, gradually at first, more in line with all things Corp. I guess we didn't notice at first and then by the time we started to question things a bit, they'd already got all their infrastructure in place and it was too late to do anything about it.' He looked at their worried faces. 'Oh, it's okay. Toe the line and you're fine. More or less the same as the previous incarnation.'

  'Except for the neural implants.' Dina pointed out.

  'Well yeah, they suck but there are ways to get around them - as you know.'

  Max looked around with interest as he walked towards the docks. City 9 was different from City 42. It had more integrated tech and definitely had less personality. As he grew closer to the ocean, Max realised there was no way he would get to stand on the beach or obtain a sample of seawater. The area bristled with New Corp Security and there were stiff security measures along the entire length. There was also a lack of civilians in the area making him stand out. He tried to make it look as though he were looking for a person rather than access to the sea shore and back tracked slightly looking for somewhere to sit and rethink his plan of action.

  The food hydrators were out of the question. He'd been more observant than Martha and Dina and noticed people using the retinal scan to pay for their beverages. Instead he looked for a slightly more old fashioned establishment, somewhere that would still take the tokens he had in his pocket. At last he found one, a small, dingy looking café with a peeling sign in the window announcing tokens still taken. Max headed in and was welcomed with the delicious odour of bread baking. Things were looking up.

  It turned out they weren't quite as optimistic as he first thought, the bread aroma was fake but he was able to buy a synth-caf and a packet of rehydrated oatmeal with his tokens. As he sat by the window Max looked out and considered his options. He hadn't seen any boats in the harbour. There was clearly no citizen access to the beach which was a cordoned off area. One reason could be that New Corp didn't want anyone leaving City 9 via the docks because it wasn't safe to travel on the water or maybe they didn't have the transportation anymore. Alternatively they just didn't want anyone leaving City 9.

  There was no sign of any fresh food available, no dock trade or fishing opportunities. It didn't even smell fishy. Max sipped his synth-caf thinking about what high levels of HER would have done to the ocean.

  It may be that the acidity of the water was too much for the material boats are made of and that was why they could not make the journey across the ocean. If high levels of radiation existed within the marine life left in the ocean they wouldn't be safe to consume so New Corp could be trying to protect their citizens by not letting them fish. It would certainly be counter-productive to allow people to slowly poison themselves.

  Realising that he'd finished both his drink and breakfast, Max stood up to leave. Time to go back to the room and wait for the others. He may have disappointing news but he hoped the rest of them had been more fortunate.

  Jed tried to look as inconspicuous as possible as he walked through the city. Luckily it seemed that the citizens in City 9 did still actually walk so at least that behaviour wasn't unusual. However, everyone seemed to be highly motivated with a pre-determined purpose and Jed couldn't help wondering whether he stuck out like a sore thumb. He tried to walk with as much purpose and confidence as he could muster. It didn't help that he was feeling hungry and there didn't seem to be any shops selling food, let alone street vendors. There was the odd replicator on a street corner but Jed didn't want to give away his ignorance by attempting to use one, especially as they all seemed busy.

  City 9 was laid out in much the same grid pattern as 15 and 42 except that one edge ended in a bristling cordon, clearly the ocean lay that way. Jed continued to loop round the city, noting the walls and the power generators for the force-field. The same set up as 42. There seemed to be more a mixture of buildings here than in his city though. Corp buildings intermingled with living accommodations and it was difficult to tell whether there was a dedicated Archive or Academy presence. Jed realised that each block was a self-contained unit. So the citizens of 9 lived, worked and learnt all in one area, never needing to travel elsewhere. Clearly they were still free to walk around the city at the moment, to use the food hydrators for example, but Jed wondered how long that would last for.

  The only positive thing he noticed as he walked the city's circuit were evidence of sky skimmers. There were skimmer pads located at regular intervals and some of them appeared to be citizen driven, they weren't all New Corp Security but whether any of them had clearance to leave the force-field or indeed the
capability to cross the ocean from this island to the next, he did not know. Somehow they'd have to try and find out. Hopefully there would be an info point somewhere Dina could hack.

  Jed finished his circuit, feeling a little defeated that there was no obvious solution to their problem. He hoped their presence here had gone unnoticed. He had no desire to tangle with the power behind the destruction of City 15. All he wanted to do was find a safe place for himself, his family and his friends. He spotted Max walking towards him and lifted a hand in greeting. Judging by his face, he'd had as much luck as Jed.

  Chapter 25

  'I think we should have taken the tour,' Dina said as the two of them walked back to their room.

  'Maybe, but at least this way we have an excuse to come back with Jed and Max and see if we can get a bit more information out of Zac.'

  'You think he's hiding something?' Dina asked.

  'I think he knows more than he's letting on and who knows, he might be able to help us in some other way.'

  'You don't think he's going to report us to New Corp, do you?'

  'No, I think we are safe on that front.' They arrived shortly after Max and Jed. It didn't take long for them each to share their fact finding missions.

  'We found out something else as well,' said Martha. 'It's about Ben. Jed, I'm so sorry but... he's been terminated.'

  'What? How do you know that?' Jed darted his gaze between Martha and Dina.

  'When we were in the museum, with Zac, he showed us the sweeps from City 42. Apparently they've rounded up four dissenters and had them all terminated. Ben was on the list. I'm sorry, Jed.' Martha reached out an arm but Jed flinched away from it.

  'I can't... this is unreal.' He looked up at Dina in disbelief. 'He said he was going to be careful. He said.'

  Dina gave him a hug murmuring words of comfort. Max and Martha looked on uncomfortably until Jed recovered. With a parting squeeze he extracted himself from Dina's arms and cleared his throat loudly.

  'We ought to try and let Kira know what we've found out. Dina, can you get another message out to them?' he asked.

  'Their comms have been down, but now that we know they're heading back, I should be able to get through to them,' Dina replied.

  Martha felt the familiar tug on her heart when they spoke about the other team. She missed Lucas.

  'Send the message Dina, but keep it brief,' Jed was back to business. 'Outline the facts - no ships, high level of New Corp presence. Try to break the news about Ben as gently as you can, please.' Then he addressed the others. 'We need to come up with a different plan.'

  'What about Zac?' asked Martha.

  'Well, if you think he has something to hide, I'm not sure all of us heading down there will encourage him to talk,' Jed replied honestly.

  'I don't think he's necessarily hiding a bad thing. I think he might be able to help us,' said Martha.

  'He should certainly be able to fill in some of the blanks on the history of this city. He runs a museum for goodness' sake. The closest thing they have to Archive here. All we've found are the sweeps,' commented Max, waving a hand at the vid screen in the room. It was displaying City 9 sweeps only.

  'You're both right. Shall we go back tomorrow? Try and find out more?' asked Jed.

  'I think that is a great idea.' Martha was pleased, she wanted to talk to Zac again.

  There wasn't much to do other than wait for tomorrow to come. Dina had a scrambler channel running on one of their handhelds in case they heard anything from Corp Security about them or anyone matching their description. But there was nothing. And the sweeps were full of City 9 news, the usual new tech sales and gossipy pieces. In the end it lulled Martha to sleep. She was exhausted. She hadn't had any time to herself since everything had happened. She didn't feel like she'd said goodbye to Lucas properly and she missed him. She hoped it wouldn't be long before the two groups could come back together.

  The next morning they all woke early, eager to get out and do something productive. So far, coming to City 9 had only confirmed their fears and not provided them with any new ideas on what to do next.

  'Do you think you'll be able to find the museum?' Jed asked.

  Dina flashed her handheld at him, she'd downloaded the visitors guide from the museum yesterday. They were going primarily to talk to Zac and try and get a feel for his loyalties but at the same time she was excited to have a proper look around the museum. Kira would be so jealous.

  They set off as soon as they could, there was no point in arriving too early and hanging around outside drawing attention to themselves. But when they got there, things were different from how Martha and Dina remembered them. For one the door was boarded up and the entire building had an air of neglect about it. Which not only didn't fit in with the general demeanour of the rest of the city but it certainly wasn't what the building had looked like yesterday.

  'Is this the place?' Jed asked.

  Martha nodded but something was definitely wrong here. She walked up to the front of the building and felt a slight resistance. She smiled then pushed her body forwards through the glamour shield that had been erected. This was old tech at its best. She supposed that Zac would only want serious visitors to his museum. Obviously he had lowered the shield yesterday for some other reason. Either way it was ingenious. He wouldn't get bothered with people who weren't all that interested and he knew that anyone who made it through the glamour wanted to view the museum.

  The others had been surprised when Martha disappeared, then Dina clapped her hands delightedly and followed before Jed or Max had chance to issue any kind of warning. The two men shrugged and followed suit. They might as well walk into the unknown together.

  Past the glamour shield the building looked as it had yesterday, the front door was ajar and an open sign could just be seen. Martha pushed the door wider and went in eagerly.

  'Martha! Dina! Good to see you again.' Zac was there, standing in the atrium, arms wide in welcome. His smile slipped slightly when he clocked Max and Jed but a warm handshake from Max seemed to settle his nerves somewhat. 'I had no idea you'd be back so soon! Welcome to my little museum, guys. Tell me you're going to take the tour this time?'

  'We are. Four please,' Dina said, taking charge.

  'For you - no fee. Enjoy. I'll see you for coffee on the other side,' replied Zac and with a flourish he whipped back a nearby red curtain and pointed the start of the tour out to the group. With trepidation they walked through the curtain. After all, they could be walking into anything, anything at all.

  It turned out to be a harmless museum of twenty-first century styled housing. Martha and Dina marvelled at how households managed with so little technology, Jed was staggered by the huge discrepancy in wages and lifestyles throughout the various echelons of society. Kira had often tried to interest him in things like this but to actually see it so vividly, in this unique setting, was much more interesting. Max walked along contentedly, it wasn't field science so it wasn't quite his thing but Dina was happy and they seemed to be in no danger so that was his priority right now.

  All too soon they came to the end of the tour and a door led them onto a small sitting area where the delicious aroma of coffee was wafting towards them.

  'Is that actual coffee?' asked Jed.

  Martha and Dina nodded excitedly. They had neglected to tell the others about this particular perk. Soon there was nothing but contented sighs.

  'So did you enjoy my little museum, then?' Zac reappeared with a plate of biscuits that he deposited on their table, gesturing for them to help themselves. No-one needed to be asked twice. Good biscuits were like gold dust in the freeze dried food supply world.

  'Fascinating,' said Jed, spraying crumbs across the table. 'Sorry.'

  'Really? I'm glad you think so. You don't think the front door glamour is too much, do you?'

  'No, I think it's a brilliant idea - you're showing off old tech and dissuading those who aren't interested in the museum from coming in. I should imagine i
t's pretty difficult to keep these displays fresh and stop people from vandalising or stealing things,' replied Dina.

  'It's not so bad, I have pretty good security here.'

  'How much do we owe you for the entry?' asked Max, feeling in his pockets for the remainder of his tokens.

  'Oh, the museum is free. They used to be free in the old world so I figured why not.'

  'How do you make any money?' pondered Martha aloud.

  'Ha ha! That's easy - the wondrous gift shop. But don't worry I won't make you go in there. I get the impression you came back for more than the museum tour.' Zac's intelligent eyes swept up and down the group as he waited for someone to come clean and tell him why they were really there.

  'Okay, fair enough.' Jed put down his mug. 'We want to know if you know a way out of City 9, across the ocean to the other side.'

  'What makes you think the other side is better than this one?' asked Zac carefully.

  'We don't. We know we can't stay here, though.'

  'Four people can disappear easily enough,' countered Zac.

  'There are more than four of us.'

  'But you already know that,' said Martha softly. 'You know who we are, don't you. Are you going to report us?'

  Zac looked at each of them in turn before slowly shaking his head. 'Yes I know who you are but I have no love for New Corp and I don't agree with what they did to City 15.'

  'I had no idea that the citizens here even knew about 15,' Dina commented in surprise.

  'It's not common knowledge so don't expect the average drone off the street to know anything about it but there's a small group of us. Disconnected from the neural network. Not loyal to New Corp and just trying to keep our heads above water. We don't have weapons or a way of fighting back but we do have information and we help where we can.'

  'So you'll help us, then?' Jed wanted to make sure this guy was on the same page. He didn't know why exactly, but he didn't trust Zac yet. There might be an answer to their problems here, there might not.