Beyond the Crystal City

by Logan Brookfield

  He opened a nearby scroll, using both hands to flatten it on the table. It was a map of the ancients’ world. There were large expanses of land divided up into continents, and blue oceans that surrounded everything. In an area called Europe there were small red shapes that looked like missiles drawn in pen. Near each one was a handwritten number, giving the population of the nearest city or town. It was either a plan for attack or a defensive map showing missile launch sites. Everything inside this room seemed to be a record of mankind’s attempt to destroy itself, with detailed books on techniques and maps showing how and where it all started…and ended.

  Carl jumped at the sound of footsteps walking across the marble floor outside. He let go of the map and let it roll back up, then darted out of the secure area, just managing to close the gate as Joshua pushed the main gate open.

  ‘Still here, young Carl, I hope you’ve found something interesting,’ Joshua said, placing the book he had brought back with him on the shelf. ‘You seem out of breath, are you OK?’

  Carl walked back to the desk and closed the book he’d been reading and placed it back on the shelf. His heart was beating fast and he couldn’t be sure if Joshua had spotted him closing the gate. ‘I was just having a look around at some of the other book categories,’ he said wiping the dust from his hands onto his shirt.

  The curator looked at the gate of the secure area, then back at the dust on Carl’s clothing. ‘Just be careful where your inquisitive mind takes you. It’s OK to be interested in things, but sometimes it’s better not to know too much, if that makes sense. Knowledge is power and ignorance is bliss as they say.’

  Carl nodded and walked towards the main gate. ‘Thanks for the advice; I’ve got to get back now.’

  He closed the gate behind him and walked quickly down the hallway without looking back. That was a close call and getting caught would have had severe consequences. Even though he felt a connection with Joshua, he still didn’t trust him fully. Although he was a very easy person to talk to, everyone from within the city seemed blind to what was going on outside. But Carl couldn’t deny that life was easier now that he was in the Crystal City. There was no daily search for food or water, no need to barter and no chance of being killed by the druggies. He slept in a clean bed every night in a private pod with air conditioning and was always offered more food than he could eat. Life was comfortable and less dangerous than it had been before.

  It was easy to forget where he came from and natural to want to maintain a comfortable existence. Maybe if he worked hard, kept his nose clean and let time pass he could one day become part of the city dwellers’ grand plan. But each time he daydreamed about life in the city he was yanked back to reality with thoughts of his mother and friends. If only he could be sure that they were OK, that they were being taken care of. It played on his mind like a recurring bad dream and it tainted everything that was good about his new life.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Edmond pushed open the oak double doors that led into the Sanctuary, a room with a large vaulted ceiling adorned with statues of men and women who had helped build the city. Black and grey marble was everywhere and oak-timbered beams lined the roof like some kind of medieval banqueting suite. Each wall was filled with paintings and tapestries salvaged from the chaos and now displayed for the viewing of a select few. Floor-to-ceiling windows gave a panoramic view onto the dying world outside. In the middle of the room was a long oak table with eleven high back chairs. In ten of the chairs were seated members of the Council of Eleven, men and women over the age of 50 who ruled over and controlled everything that happened inside the city and out. They wore black clothing to signify their position in the hierarchy and all the men had short hair or balding heads while the women had their hair tied up to give a businesslike appearance.

  Edmond closed the double doors behind him and the ten chairs scraped along the marble floor as the occupants stood up. Their leader commanded the respect of everyone and his small professor-like demeanour and ordinary doctor’s white coat belied the power and influence he had. Today was different; it was an important meeting and he wore his black uniform and knee-length boots.

  ‘Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats,’ he said as the chairs scraped again across the marble floor.

  Edmond sat in the eleventh seat, a much larger and grander chair, which was Jacobean in style and made from a dark oak with red and gold padding. He leaned on his elbows with his hands clasped together and peered over his spectacles. ‘My friends, we will very soon be embarking on our new adventure, one that will see us leave this planet and return home in the distant future when the earth has once again become the Garden of Eden. It’s imperative that during these last few days your subordinates and their departments are clear about the roles they play. We can have no mistakes or delays. The Lasell will begin its journey on time and the cleansing weapon will find its home at the agreed time.’

  Edmond sat back in his chair and poured himself a glass of water. ‘We have come so very far, my friends. Look at what we’ve done,’ he said looking around the room. ‘We’ve created a utopia, a sanctuary for humanity. We’ve created a place where the very best of what’s left of the planet’s inhabitants have been brought together to form a community to absolutely ensure the survival of the human race.’

  The occupant of chair number four, Councillor Bennet, a slim man around sixty years old with a thin face and thick grey swept-back hair leaned forward. ‘May I ask, Edmond, we still have many prisoners to process, are we going to leave them where they are or let them go?’

  ‘Thank you for your question, Councillor,’ Edmond said. ‘I’ve given this a lot of thought and I feel the kindest thing we can do is terminate them in the most humane way. Therefore the night before we leave we will fill their cells with gas and they’ll slip away peacefully. They certainly don’t deserve a place with us and it would be too risky to take a large group of criminals on our journey.’

  Councillor Gordon in chair two leaned forward and hit the desk with her hand. ‘But that’s murder. We should let them go and they can take their chances outside.’ The grey bun on her head almost unravelled as her head shook in anger.

  Edmond frowned. ‘Don’t let your warped sense of morality affect your judgement, Councillor. You seem happy to wipe out millions of underprivileged souls and escape this hell with us but the fate of a few prisoners seems to disturb you? Our job is to save the human race not all of humanity. I’ve made my decision and the plan is in place. But if you really are so concerned, feel free to remain here with them.’

  Councillor Gordon sat back in her seat and exhaled heavily.

  Edmond jabbed a finger onto the table. ‘We have to be united, we have to be in full agreement. We cannot have confusion and disagreement at this late stage. Do I make myself clear?’

  The seated 10 nodded in agreement, some more enthusiastically than others.

  Edmond got up and walked over towards the window. ‘Please follow me,’ he said as he pushed a button on the wall. The large glass windows slowly slid to the left like a giant door on rollers. Outside was a balcony with a small wall and silver-coloured waist-high rail. He stepped onto the balcony as the councillors followed him one by one.

  The strong winds whipped across destroying their neat hairstyles and ruffling their clothes. Sand and dust swirled around as they squinted and rubbed their eyes. Everyone started to cough as the pollution started to affect their delicate lungs which had only ever breathed the freshest of air.

  ‘Look at it with your own eyes for one last time,’ Edmond said pointing out towards the masses of tents and cardboard dwellings nestled amongst the old city ruins and just visible through the thick haze. ‘One day we will return here and make a new life. We’ll rebuild everything our ancestors worked so hard to destroy and put a new civilisation on track, one that will thrive on order and harmony. Councillor Gordon, please step forward,’ he said beckoning with his hand.

  She hesitat
ed while trying to cover her mouth with her hand, then stepped forward.

  Edmond placed a hand on her shoulder while pointing out towards the horizon with the other. ‘You see why we need unity, Councillor? Why we need to leave this place and create a situation where the Wretches die out so that we can return and recolonise the planet in the future? We either save ourselves, and in doing so the human race, or we all die here soon. Does that make sense?’

  The councillor choked as the dust began to take its toll and she could barely see through her eyes which now streamed water.

  Edmond took out a syringe from his pocket and removed the protective cap then plunged it into her neck, holding her still as the liquid entered her arteries. The councillor’s knees buckled as the incapacitating liquid surged through her veins. She held onto the rail as he withdrew the syringe and placed it back into his pocket. ‘I’m sorry, Councillor, but at every opportunity you try and block our progress and it ends here,’ he said while supporting her weight.

  Councillor Gordon tried to speak as Edmond lifted her back to her feet, bent her torso over the railing and threw her over the side. She disappeared into the cloud of dust forever.

  He turned to the remaining nine who stood there silent, mouths gaping open. ‘Please, ladies and gentlemen, shall we go back inside. It’s rather inhospitable out here,’ he said holding his hand out.

  Edmond was the last one in and hit the button to close the window onto the harsh world outside. The cleansed air and cooler temperature was immediately refreshing for everyone as they coughed and tried to clear their lungs.

  He looked at the thin layer of red particles on the floor. ‘And now I’ve filled our wonderful meeting place with sand and dust,’ he said moving the grains of sand around with his shoe. ‘Did anyone else want to express any concerns?’

  The group looked at each other and slowly shook their heads in unison.

  ‘Good, now Councillor Bennet, please arrange for a ballot to choose someone to fill our vacant chair. The Council of Eleven must be up and running and fully operational by the time we leave.’

  Bennet nodded. ‘Do you have a preference, Edmond?’

  ‘My only preference is that we choose someone loyal, someone who fully understands and appreciates the task at hand. It’s not for me to influence a democratic vote but I think Jacob Rees would be an excellent candidate.’

  ‘Yes I understand, I’ll ensure that the democratic vote results in the most suitable appointment of Rees,’ Bennet said.

  ‘Excellent,’ Edmond said locking his hands together. ‘Now, I don’t know about you but clearing out the old and bringing in the new makes me hungry. We have an eighteen-course banquet waiting for us in the banqueting suite and I hope you’ll all join me there in thirty minutes.’

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Edmond buckled himself into the flight seat of his personal shuttle. The small one-man spherical craft glistened on the launch pad. Its glass-domed front gave a wide 180-degree viewing angle and made the craft look more like a one-man deep-sea exploration vessel. He scanned the screens and dials in front of him and checked the fuel level, engine temperature and coolant tanks, then punched in a six-digit code that instructed the craft to plot a course for the Lasell, currently in orbit around Earth.

  ‘Atmosphere and weather check, please,’ Edmond requested.

  The on-board computer calculated the route and conditions. Lower atmosphere dense and dusty, upper atmosphere fairly clear with a 65 per cent chance of rain within the next two hours.

  The single engine of the ship ignited, bursting into life as the ship slowly lifted and left the launch pad. Edmond flicked open the protective cover of the secondary booster ignition switch and turned it clockwise. Smaller support thrusters ignited and propelled the craft to its maximum velocity in order to break away from the earth’s gravity. He gripped the arms of his seat and kept his eyes on the instrument panel as violent shaking and vibration gave way to calm and peace. The craft broke through the atmosphere and into a low orbit where it drifted gently towards the mother ship.

  Edmond adjusted the position of the microphone attached to his headset. ‘This is Eagle One to the Lasell, please respond.’

  The loudspeaker crackled into life. ‘Good day, Eagle One, this is Captain O’Connor. We are very much looking forward to your visit today and we are ready for your inspection and engine test.’

  ‘Thank you, Captain, I shall be docking very shortly,’ Edmond said as the shuttle craft continued on its course.

  ‘We are ready, sir, and I hope you will be impressed by a handful of minor improvements we have instigated.’

  Edmond slowed the shuttle down and entered the codes into the computer to prepare for docking. A graphical representation of the docking ring on the Lasell presented itself on screen, and the shuttle slowly tilted backwards to reveal its own hatch on its underbelly.

  The on-board computer counted down the distance. 100 meters…75 meters…50 meters.

  Edmond checked that the docking crosshairs were perfectly overlapped signalling the correct angle. As both crafts joined, three locking clamps engaged and locked the shuttle into place as the main engines and secondary boosters were automatically shut down.

  Edmond stepped into the airlock and Captain O’Connor opened the inner doors to allow entry to the ship. O’Connor was a tall well-built man with grey hair and a grey beard. He resembled an old maritime sea captain with his peak cap and officer’s insignia on his blue overalls.

  ‘Sir, it’s a pleasure as always,’ he said holding out a hand and giving a firm handshake. ‘May I get you a cup of tea?’

  Edmond shook his hand. ‘Thank you, Captain, a pot of tea would be most agreeable. I take it we are on schedule and the previous problems have been resolved?’

  ‘Everything is working as it should. We still have some minor coolant loss when the engines run over fifty per cent. This is within agreed tolerances so it’s not an issue for us.’

  Edmond and O’Connor walked down the corridor towards the bridge.

  ‘Good, and hydroponics? How’s that coming along?’ Edmond asked.

  ‘Hydroponics is fully stocked and everything is growing very well,’ O’Connor said. ‘We’re using a new root solution and the vegetation seems to thrive on it. We just need to balance our water reserves depending on how long we’ll be away.’

  ‘Sounds good, Captain, you and your men must be commended for getting the ship in such a good place, but everything from this point forward is time-critical,’ Edmond said. ‘If we are to launch the Lasell and put the cleansing into place, there can be no misunderstandings or mistakes. The ship must be fully loaded and ready to go as soon as detonation occurs. Once that happens there will be nothing down there for us to return to for a very long time.’

  They entered the bridge which was the ship’s nerve centre and control room. A small crew of eight manned their stations, viewing large flat screens embedded into the walls, keeping an eye on the million bits of data that the ship’s computers were calculating and reporting on.

  O’Connor poured some tea and handed a cup to Edmond. ‘I understand we may have extra cargo,’ the captain said sipping from a china cup.

  Edmond placed his cup down. ‘One girl, a Wretch from the projects. She’s very special as she’s naturally pregnant, the first for many years and we need to take her with us. We’ll study and learn from her so we can try and reverse our own reproduction problems. Her DNA sequence will be most useful. We’ll also be bringing along the father. Her fertility could have been kick-started by his genes so it’s important that we use them wisely.’

  O’Connor nodded. ‘But is there much point? Will two Wretches really make a difference? We have our own females who are in good health and once they leave the toxic earth behind we may find their reproductive skills return naturally.’

  Edmond nodded. ‘It’s true that the recent studies on the young girls look promising, but it’s too great a risk. If we can’t reproduce we
will very quickly die out so it’s imperative that we find the key to her immunity.’

  ‘OK, Edmond, as captain of the ship all I ask is that they are quarantined for a period of time. I can’t risk any more sick Wretches infecting the crew.’

  ‘I appreciate your concerns, Captain, and assure you they have been checked and inoculated and will pose no risk.’

  ‘Thank you,’ the captain said. ‘Now, would you follow me to the engine room, please, I’d like to show you a test.’

  O’Connor and Edmond walked down the corridor and entered the lift that travelled down to the lower decks. ‘I’m impressed with what you’ve done with the old girl, she really is looking like new,’ Edmond said.

  O’Connor smiled. ‘Thank you, it’s been many months of hard work by everyone, but I really do feel she’s ready for the challenge ahead. She won’t let us down.’

  As they entered the viewing area for the engine room, O’Connor walked over to a large display screen. ‘As you’ll see, the gravity drive is stable and is currently idling at five per cent. Increase the thrust to twenty-five per cent,’ he said nodding to a nearby operative.

  The bulkheads creaked and a gentle vibration passed through the ship. ‘Fifty per cent, please, keep a holding position,’ O’Connor said.

  Edmond glared at the many bits of data on the display screen. ‘Good, good,’ he whispered.

  The small number of technicians inside the engine area itself wore white overalls, hats and surgical masks. The powerful gravity drive was also a delicate mechanism and as such kept in a dust-free secure area.