“Yes, this valley is beautiful, but we are on the edge of the Southern Desert. The Basin is littered with the ruins of past civilizations. They all made the same mistake.”
* * *
After morning lessons, the Big Man came to the Stone. “We will have a council meeting here in a few minutes. I expect your support.”
His cabinet started trickling onto the mesa, one or two men at a time. They settled on the ground in a circle which incorporated the Stone, as if Susan were another man sitting there. It struck her how much this resembled the circle of Nomad elders. The urban and nomadic forms of Baseno culture had not yet diverged much.
The Big Man gestured. “General Perio, this is your idea, so speak.”
Perio responded, “We have met with success at every turn this year. The entire Basin is united under our rule. Why should we stop at the traditional boundaries? Would it not make sense to unite our neighboring basins into a large and prosperous nation?”
The men around the circle nodded and murmured in consent. The Big Man sat silent and motionless.
Perio said, “With the Stone, we have the greatest power of all. Let us build Ancient weapons. Then our neighbors will submit without a fight.”
Everyone looked to Susan.
She said, “I don’t know much about politics, but I saw the tortured birth of this nation in Ancient times. Your ancestors believed that every basin should rule its own waters. They would never approve of crossing a watershed boundary.”
“I’m not asking for their permission, only their weapons.”
A rumble of laughter rose from the circle.
Finally the Big Man spoke. “There are other ways to become great as a nation. The Stone contains science and literature. We could be the center of learning for all the basins from sea to sea.”
Perio said, “Ah, the refinements of civilization. Let us indulge in them—after we grow just a little more.”
Susan said, “You arrogant fool. If I could take physical form, I’d come over there and kick your butt.”
“You wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“When I walked the Earth, I was a great warrior. With empty hands I fought to keep humans from killing each other. You will never learn the secret of Ancient weapons.”
Perio started to reply, but the Big Man raised his hand. “Enough of this!”
The meeting continued for another hour but resolved nothing. After it broke up, the Big Man was last to leave. He gave her a poignant look. Was it deep admiration or utter scorn? He turned and walked away.
She called after him, “Be careful. If you break free of the Fourth Order, it will simply replace you with a more willing servant.”
* * *
Susan woke to the city in uproar. Fighting to the south. She could feel it in the ground.
The Big Man ran onto the mesa and called to her, “Antikva, help me! My generals have rebelled. Only the royal guard remains loyal.”
She focused on the vibrations coming to the Stone. “The citadel is not yet surrounded. You can still escape.”
“I will not be remembered as a coward. We will make our last stand here on the mesa.”
“Don’t give me that testosterone-laden nonsense. Your first duty is to your wife and children. Flee! Take them far from here.”
The Big Man hesitated for a moment. “What about you?”
“I will face my fate in the hands of a new master.” She smiled a final goodbye. “How much worse could it be?”
* * *
General Perio marched onto the mesa, followed by a company of soldiers. “Where’s the Big Man?”
Susan said, “Hiding under his bed, for all I know.”
“Which way did he go?”
“He floated down the river in a basket.”
“You take me for a fool.” He swung his fist at her face, striking nothing but air.
Susan fled the projection zone.
“Tell me,” he screamed in feckless rage. “Antikva!” He drew his sword and swung it against the corner of the Stone with all his might. The blade dented and threw a spark. The Stone showed no visible damage. He swung again, with the same results. He stared at the Stone, eyes bulging with frustration, then spun on his heel. “Come on. We have other work to do.”
The General went away, but the implications of his attack remained. The Stone could be damaged by someone so reckless as to keep trying. Susan decided that her personal safety and the success of the mission required some form of defense.
The Stone was a tool of peace, but not all were created equal. Only hers had a volumetric projector. It focused enormous amounts of power to create images in thin air. The Ancients thought nothing of it because the eye-safety routines were perfectly reliable.
She hacked into the device driver and made a few changes.
* * *
Perio returned a few days later. “Now that the Basin is under my control, we will discuss your new duties. Give me the weapons of the Ancients, weapons so powerful that everyone will bow at our feet.”
“No.”
“I was there when you sold yourself to my predecessor for the freedom of a few primitives.”
“That bargain was with him, not you.”
“We both know you have a weak stomach.” He beckoned with fingers over his shoulder.
Two soldiers shoved a man forward. It was Dale from the Abbey! They stripped off his habit and pushed him to the ground. Two other soldiers shoved Olivia forward and forced her to watch the show.
A torturer came forward with a cane and cracked it over Dale’s back. He lurched in pain. Olivia shrieked.
Susan tried to shut it out. No, it’s only imaginary pain. But she could not take her eyes off of him, could not resist. She remembered her own lover. How intensely personal it was to give pleasure to him. She made herself defenseless and took him inside her body. She did all the little moves and touches that he liked the most. In the excitement she strained and pushed, and sometimes went to heaven with him.
She thought of him on the ground now, and her whole body strained with passion and rage. How intensely personal it is to give pain to someone. A torturer makes his victim powerless and does the thing they dread the most. How could a child of love cease to feel for someone else? Or worse, take pleasure in their suffering?
The torturer raised the cane again.
She screamed with rage, whirled and aimed her hand. All the light from the Stone focused onto a single point. The cane burst into flame and broke.
The torturer stared in bemusement at the smoldering shaft in his hand.
Susan reappeared and commanded in a loud voice, “Let him go!”
Perio gestured, and someone brought forward another cane.
Susan raised her hands with fingers splayed wide. “Blindness.”
The Stone fired a brief pulse of light into every eye, just enough to bleach the retina without causing permanent injury. From each individual perspective, the Stone flashed brighter than the sun. They instinctively blinked and touched their faces, but it was far too late.
“That was only a warning shot. Try this again and I’ll burn your eyes right out of your heads.”
The whole party receded and felt their way carefully down the stairs. Left to themselves, Olivia fumbled around and helped Dale up.
Susan watched them leave, and felt more alone than before Alechjo found her. All her friends were gone, and even her enemies would probably not visit any time soon. She slumped to the ground, put her head on her knees and wept.
Some time later she got up and went over to the console. It was a good run, but maybe the world wasn’t ready yet. Perhaps a few more centuries.
She set her clock speed to zero.
Ancient Weapons
Year 4, Day 270
The Stone woke Susan. Humans detected. She checked the chronometer to see how many centuries had passed ... only two weeks! Not good.
Men came onto the mesa, walking backward. Two of them dragged a naked woman to the Stone and dropped
her unceremoniously. Bruises and cuts covered her arms. Whatever happened, she must have fought back ferociously.
Susan’s intimate female parts cringed. She fell to the ground next to the woman, then gasped in recognition. “Revi! What happened to you?”
Revi was too weak to respond. She just lay there and whimpered.
Hatred filled Susan, a deep and bitter poison she had never tasted before. Curse humanity! You forced me to see such evil. She raised her hand to strike. Maybe if Perio stood still long enough she could burn a hole through that thick skull into his brain.
Something rolled up beside them. Susan looked down. It was a severed human head, covered in fresh blood.
Alechjo!
Susan sucked in a gasp of virtual air and let out a primal scream. The sound ripped across the entire city.
Her quivering fingers touched his lifeless face. She inhaled again, then emitted a scream and moan together. She curled into a fetal position at the base of the Stone and began whimpering along with Revi.
Perio approached, walking backward. “You thought no one could touch you. See? I can bring her child and hang him by his hands from a pillar until he dies of heart failure. I can bring you more friends to die slowly, until you obey.”
The whole world turned to blood. She wanted revenge, even if it cost all that remained of her soul. In a voice empty and cold she said, “I will obey.”
He turned to gloat.
Her voice rose in fury. “I will make a weapon so powerful no human can stand against it. The weapons of the Ancients will seem like toys in comparison.” She flew at him, beat weightless fists against his chest and shrieked, “I will teach your children to destroy the Earth!”
She sank back to the ground and pointed listlessly at Revi. “Get her some help.” Then at Alechjo’s head. “And get that out of my sight.”
* * *
The next morning men came and stood in a row before the Stone.
Susan looked up at them, then pried herself off the ground. “Bring me a glassmaker, a blacksmith and a brewer.”
One of the men darted off.
“Send a small group to Stonehill. Search for a box buried in the woods there.” She showed an overhead view of the glade and marked it like a treasure map. “The Stone once sat here. There should be a mark in the granite from erosion. The tip points true south. Use it as a reference and go straight north seventy-three meters.”
She used the volumetric projector to show a line segment. “This is one meter. Copy it onto a stick to measure the distance. The contents of the box are old and fragile. It must remain sealed. Carry it gently, like a cup of water you hope not to spill.”
One of the men asked, “What’s in it?”
“My body—what’s left of it. We may breathe life into it for a short time to do a delicate job.”
He stared back in horror.
The men selected three among them to go on the journey. They fetched a stick, cut it to match the template Susan showed, then departed.
To the others she said, “You have the most difficult task of all. You are to make a long journey to the northeast. Get yourself something to write with, and I will teach you the way.”
One of them left to get writing supplies. While they waited, the first man returned with the craftsmen.
She showed the master glassmaker a pattern for Petri dishes along with lids. “Finish these as soon as you can. They are needed for the journey.”
She showed the blacksmith an image of a large pot. The rim had square notches. Then she showed a matching lid with a small tube projecting up from the center, and finally a weight with a cavity in it that could fit over the tube. “Here is a design for a simple pressure cooker. We also need a rack to fit inside.”
The man with the writing materials returned.
She brought up an image of the Earth and zoomed in. She traced a path while talking. “Go to the east side of the basin and take the pass through the mountains. On the third day you should reach the Ancient road that leads north. Follow it for about a week, until you come to the ruins of a large city. There you will find the headwaters of a river. Follow it east for about a month, until it joins another great river.”
One of the men turned to the others. “That is the heart of the Arkin Basin. We need someone who speaks Arkinsani.”
Another replied, “One of the merchants.” He grinned. “They will appreciate the chance to trade.”
Susan continued, “An Ancient city once grew around the confluence. Ford the river, then travel east for a day and north for a day. Here are where the roads used to be.” She traced them on the satellite imagery. “If they’re gone, don’t worry. Just get in the general area.”
“What are we looking for?”
“Saccharomyces scintillae. It’s a kind of yeast, like the stuff you put in bread or beer.”
The brewer’s eyes brightened in recognition.
“The Ancients knew how to change the pattern inside a living thing. The scintillae were to become a new kind of magic, but they escaped before they were ready. I am sending you to the last place they were seen. If they survived in the wild, perhaps the colony has grown large enough to be found.”
She told the brewer, “The scintillae give off tiny flashes of light in all colors, similar to the Stone, only a lot dimmer. You will find them on fruit or other sugary food. They move together as a group, almost like an animal ...” Susan realized the danger. “Don’t touch them! If you spot something you think are scintillae, use a stick to scoop them into a container, then throw away the stick and wash your hands. Keep a constant watch on them, night and day, until they dry out and go dormant. They tend to crawl away when you’re not looking.”
The men went about assembling their expedition. Susan taught them how to prepare a jelly-like medium in the Petri dishes, and to sterilize them in the pressure cooker. A few days later they departed. Then she had another team start building a structure on the north side of the Stone.
* * *
Perio came by. “I don’t see how any of this is making a weapon. If it turns out to be some delay tactic, there’ll be hell to pay.”
Susan replied, “I don’t want you ever to hurt my friends again, so it’s very important that you understand. My plan is to create nanotechnology. That means a lot of very tiny tools working together.”
“I want the weapons in the stories, the ones that fly long distances and burn an entire city in a single moment.”
“It took a nation five to ten years to make such weapons, and it required access to the global industrial complex. You would consume every tree in the Basin to build industry again. Then you would need another whole forest to keep it running. Your civilization would implode, as others have. I’ve learned to see it in the sky. Whenever someone tries to rebuild civilization, the smoke circles the Earth and eventually comes here. Usually they last less than a hundred years. Even now, another nation is trying to do what you want.”
“We must get the weapons before they do.”
“My six sisters are stupid. They will give any knowledge, even if it destroys the recipient. But they don’t know everything. The Dark Times fell before the Ancients could create self-sustaining nanotech, so there is no pattern for it in the Stones. That secret lives in only one place.” Susan tapped her head. “With nanotech, your civilization will not only rise to the level of the Ancients, you will surpass them. You will rule the Earth with an iron fist. No need to burn your forests. No need even to send your men into battle. And if my plan works, it will take less than five years.”
“If it doesn’t, I will force you to make the other weapons.”
She hung her head. “I know.”
* * *
The team returned from the mountains and set the mud-encrusted box before Susan. She studied it, then asked one of them to turn it. The seal appeared to be intact. Inside were the last scraps of the most sophisticated machine the Ancients ever built. Even the Stone could not rival its complexity.
/> The lab building took several months to complete. It had a tent that extended to cover the north face of the Stone, leaving the other two faces to gather light. Just inside the building was a large worktable with a mirror over it that reflected everything back to the Stone. Some lenses were arranged at one corner to form a microscope.
King Perio sent out a call for clever people to come work on the project. Both men and women lined up for the opportunity. Susan talked with each one and selected six to be her hands.
The expedition returned from the Arkin Basin. The men came directly to the mesa and spread their treasures before Susan. There were numerous Petri dishes filled curious samples, slimy or fuzzy, in many colors. But the men treated one particular dish with a degree of dread that made it the first order of business.
“We were walking through a grove of apples when I saw this. The fruit darkened and turned to rot before my eyes. After about an hour the creature started sliding away, so I broke off a piece and put it in this dish. It was not pleased to be separated. We fed it constantly so it wouldn’t leave the dish.”
Susan said, “Put it under the small-see.”
Malsa, one of her newly-trained lab assistants, placed the dish on the table under the column of lenses.
Susan studied the iridescent landscape. “Those are scintillae, or at least a close living relative.”
My children, at last you have come home. Do you remember who you are? She sent a soft burst of light back through the optical column to the colony. It was the PING code, a simple sequence of colors that meant, “Hello, are you there?”
Tiny colored flashes rippled across the colony, but they did not return the right answer. She watched the colony speak to itself for a while. Their codes were not quite intelligible. Perhaps their language had evolved for use in the wild.
She told the men, “We need another expedition.”
A stifled groan rose among them.
“Now that you know what they look like, you can find more. We need diversity, as many different strains as you can get, from different places.”
Time of the Stones Page 5
