The holowindow cast a brilliant panorama of a valley dotted by billowing trees shaped like umbrellas, standing tall above thick clusters of verdant undergrowth, with a river cutting through the center of it all. She saw the river’s source: A distant waterfall crashing down a scarp, the highland thickly forested as well. Yet the geometry of what rose out of the valley, glimmering in the sunlight, stilled her heart.
“Home,” Rosa said. “Better even than Brother James promised.”
Miguel landed the Scramjet and shut down the engine before looking out from the navigation cylinder to admire the view.
“I was beginning to wonder if I’d ever experience it,” he said, also wearing anti-solar lenses.
He threw away the holowindow and took charge.
“Important reminder before we step off. The Lioness artificial grav system is eighty-seven percent of Hiebimini’s standard G. Three of us have been in space for a long time. The effect will be immediate. So,” he told the boys, “Pace yourselves. We might be immortal, but we’re not immune to pain. Do not remove your lenses until after sunset. You’ll need three days to adapt. Understood?”
The boys nodded, as did Sam, who was surprised by Miguel’s next words.
“You’re going to have the hardest transition,” he told her. “You lost considerable muscle mass during your confinement; don’t be deceived by how well you fared in space. Also, you’ve only recently adapted to artificial light. The sun’s luminosity is four percent greater than Sol. I received orders to make sure you report to your quarters upon arrival. There will be a medpod waiting. The
Admiral insists we take care of you.”
This right-angle shift from three months inside the black hole to kid-glove treatment confounded Sam. Yet she didn’t care; their purpose would reveal itself in time. She was breathing, and she was about to experience sunlight on her face.
Hope.
The holowindow did not begin to reveal the stunning detail like she witnessed when she stepped outside onto the flat, grassy mound that doubled as a landing port. For the first time, she saw a stationary cloud of mist at the waterfall’s base and a rainbow projecting outward. She saw trees full of fruit arrayed into winding orchards. She recognized the umbrella-shaped trees: Acacias. Flocks of birds with long wingspans traveled between them. They cried out like babies waiting to be fed but with a rhythm that built into a melodic symphony.
Amid it all, in domes and loaf-shaped configurations, in clusters of hemispheric mounds, a city rose in balance amid this natural beauty, the tallest structure barely surpassing the acacias. Not quite like adobe, but also not metallic, the structures shared a common, waxen luster. Only as she labored down the steps from the landing port did Sam make the connection. They were the color and texture of the land.
Even as she breathed heavily – the planet’s gravity tugged more greedily than she expected – Sam posed the obvious question.
“You couldn’t have built all this in a few months. How?”
Rosa grabbed her hand as Sam wobbled a bit and looked at Miguel, who nodded his approval to explain.
“We didn’t, Samantha,” she said. “It was made for us.”
“How? By who?”
“You know who. The Jewels of Eternity and Brother James.”
Part of the answer made sense. “I’ve seen what James can do with a touch. But that’s with living things. What about these buildings? This city is big enough for thousands of people.”
“Ten thousand, actually. There are eight more just like it around the planet, and more are growing.”
She stopped cold. “Growing?”
“Out of the planet. The Jewels started their work here thirty-eight years ago. They planted their seeds everywhere. They made the brontinium ore inert. After everyone evacuated, the terraforming began. It’s still going. Brother James said it won’t finish for another fifty years. But the Jewels knew we were coming, so they made enough of the planet sustainable for us.”
“And James told you all this?”
“Yes. Everybody. The day after we entered orbit. You didn’t know the story about what happened in 5320?”
Sam knew the official story about the “Fall of Hiebimini.” Her parents told it to her early on, using it as justification for the creation of the hybrids. History recorded that an “undetermined global event” caused the planet to cascade toward death and destroy most of the Chancellory’s supply of the vaunted brontinium extract. She knew the Admiralty evacuated the thirty million native Hiebim to other colonies. The Guard used to maintain a blockade of the Nexus point. But nothing about terraforming.
“What else did Brother James tell you?”
“Not much. Only that this was the first day of a new civilization, and we would survive a million years longer than the last.”
“Just to be clear: The Jewels of Eternity designed cities to grow out of the planet itself?”
Miguel took over. “Correct, Samantha. The Jewels put the brontinium to new use. The ore’s magnetic properties are inert, but it’s still one of the hardest substances in the universe. Every building here is constructed of it. Every structure draws from the sun to maintain a perfect temperature balance. This city will last forever.”
The irony did not escape her.
“The same brontinium that’s destroying my people will shelter and protect yours.”
The four immortals were silent. She discovered them staring at her, as if she made a great revelation.
“What?”
“We see the first day and the last day,” Rosa said.
“We rise as they fall,” Miguel added.
“We are The Promised Few,” Rikhi finished.
“That sounds well-rehearsed.” Sam realized her foolishness. She had tried to think of these immortals as individual personalities, forgetting they reported to a common master. “What have you been promised? And by who? The Jewels?”
“You’ll find out.” Miguel nodded toward the valley. “Brother James will tell us the last great secrets when he names the city and renames the planet. He’s promised a festival very soon. All the hybrids will be here as well as the immortal leadership.”
The quiet boy, Olan, started down the steps ahead of them. Miguel encouraged the others to follow.
Sam stayed close to Rosa as they drew closer. She saw life everywhere. In a clearing near the domes, a hundred immortals drilled with weapons. Other immortal children glided through the city on rifters above wide stone avenues. She didn’t see any of the hybrids, but their numbers were much fewer. She dared not think about Rayna being nearby.
“Isn’t anyone worried about an attack? If the Guard comes, you have a poor defensive position. How will you hold them off?”
Miguel stopped her and pointed across the horizon, far beyond the city’s eastern boundary. The forests extended toward higher plains. Her anti-solar prosthetic lenses deflected the sunlight well enough for her to see clearly at a great distance. A thin structure rose from the planet, extending into the clouds. It shimmered in the sunlight.
No. It can’t be.
She saw something like this once before, as she stood on the beach of New Stockholm on Earth days after crossing the fold.
Miguel turned her around and pointed behind them, beyond the Scramjet. She saw the same structure, rail thin. It didn’t have the same shimmer, but its geometry was more distinct. It resembled an obelisk.
“Some aren’t visible because of the highlands, but there are eight altogether,” he said. “Each tower is exactly one hundred five kilometers from the city center. They’ve been growing up to twenty meters a day, but the rate of growth is slowing.”
“Space elevators?”
“No. Brother James says they are a guarantee if all else fails.”
“How do they work?”
Miguel laughed. “No one knows, except Brother James, of course. If we’re fortunate, we’ll never find out.”
“And what’s your best guess, Miguel?”
“I
don’t think we’ll be fortunate.”
14
S AM DID NOT HAVE LONG TO PROCESS the miraculous city. The further she walked, the more she deteriorated. She slumped forward like a wearied grandmother with osteoporosis. Her knees buckled, and her breathing became labored. Miguel was right: Her “recovery” aboard Lioness was an illusion fed by the artificial gravity. Hiebimini was literally dragging her down. Miguel and Rosa carried her inside a small habitat dome, where soft lighting illuminated automatically and holotools emerged from a medpod. The elevated container resembled the one she recovered inside after being shot almost three years ago in Philadelphia Redux.
The holotools went to work at once, stabilizing her respiratory system and injecting her muscles with anti-grav synthetics. Miguel dismissed Rosa, who was anxious to reunite with friends, and he stayed at Sam’s side for a while. But as he began laboring, too, she told him to go rest.
“Follow the AI’s instructions,” Miguel said after thanking her. “Admiral Valentin says the only uses we have for medpods down here are adaptation for the immortals and birthing for the hybrids. So, follow the regimen. Perhaps you’ll be strong enough for the evening dine. I hear it’s quite a scene.”
As Sam felt the holotools taking effect and the drowsiness setting in, she asked, “Dinner? How will I know when it’s time?”
“Not sure myself, but I’ll send someone around.” As he turned to leave, Miguel hesitated. “I’m glad you’re here, Samantha. I don’t why you’re here, but it’s better than the alternative.”
She fell asleep before mustering a thank you.
Sam woke from the regimen feeling remarkably better but having no idea how long she’d been out of it. The soreness in her joints and the overwhelming sense of fatigue disappeared. A side compartment opened, allowing her to exit. The AI, in staccato fashion, laid out a clear set of directives. It expected her to engage in a gentle cycle of deep-breathing exercises followed by light stretching and simple calisthenics. It told her how much water to consume and how often, and to return for a new regimen every ten standard hours. Muscular accelerants would be required for the next five regimens.
“You should eat at this time,” the AI insisted.
Only then did Sam truly take in her surroundings.
This was no prison cell. In fact, it was beautifully equipped. A bed with three huge pillows and a satin spread. A tall-back, cushioned swivel chair. A small table with a bowl of fresh fruit – banana, apples, peaches. Holographic art beamed onto the sloping domed interior from pinprick-sized lasers at the apex. A cylindrical pulse shower. A portable wardrobe with a set of gray bodysuits, additional shoes, and a shelf for hairbrush and a small mirror. Actual glass. The mirrors onboard Lioness were holographic. Two round portals – one above the entrance, the other above the bed – cast filtered daylight inside the dome, which Sam estimated was twenty feet at apex.
“Eat. Yes.” Her stomach growled.
The bananas looked beautiful, their skin flawless, yet she peeled one back with hesitation. She hadn’t eaten fresh, whole food in months. Kiosk meals were reconstituted from dehydrated, compacted and/or synthetically constructed foods. Am I dreaming? Am I still in that cell on Lioness? Have I lost my mind?
Her first bite answered those questions. Sam never tasted anything like this on either Earth. The flesh contained a juicy sweetness – even an outright joy – that invited Sam to demolish the rest of it without a care then plow forward to the rest of the bowl. She did not realize how ravenous she was until she undressed the second banana and charged ahead. She might have continued unabated if not for the deep, thunderous voice behind her.
“No need to rush,” the visitor said. “We harvested two hundred pounds today. We’ll do the same tomorrow.”
Startled, Sam stumbled back against the table and caught herself in time. The immortal in front of her seemed taller than their last brief encounter – or perhaps the ceiling was lower. He wore an olive combat suit with an overgarment laced in the medals and bars of both the Unification Guard and Salvation. Auxiliary pouches housed a laser pistol on one side, a blast rifle on the other. His hair wasn’t as golden as his brother’s but close, nor was his beard as thick. Of greatest difference, and the one that set Sam at ease, were his human eyes untainted by the fire-red beacons of the hybrids.
“Valentin.”
The younger Bouchet brother winced.
“For the purposes of public consumption, you’ll refer to me as Admiral Valentin. Yes?”
“I’ll remember that.”
“Good.” He looked around. “I assume everything here is well appointed? The medpod is helping?”
“Yes. More than I could have hoped.”
He pointed to the bed. “Please, have a seat. I’m not here to cause you anxiety.” When she did as he instructed, Valentin continued, pacing her quarters. “Do you realize we have exchanged more words in the past minute than our previous encounters combined? We never spoke after you came onboard Lioness. And as for Seneca … I don’t remember much about that island. Even that day … SkyTower … seems like forever and ago. Yes?”
“It does sometimes.”
“And yet,” Valentin said, rubbing his beard, “I feel as if I know you. Or at least, I should.”
“What do you mean?”
He grabbed an apple and volleyed it between his hands.
“My brother has been obsessed with you almost from the beginning. Are you aware of this?”
“Yes, well, there were the messages he sent me. One to my admin stack. The other on Vasily Station. And then there were the Helmut twins. Yes, Valentin. Strong clues.”
“I don’t think they quite convey the depth of his obsession.”
“What are you trying to tell me?”
He tossed the apple back into the bowl.
“I have been at my brother’s side from the day he first killed me in combat and shone a new light on what my life might be. He gave me a purpose. So, I helped him slaughter two million people in pursuit of a great crusade. I watched as he nuked SkyTower. I raided supply depots with him and executed civilians – indigo or Chancellor. We stole ships and heavy weapons. We rescued all the original hybrids and liberated hundreds of immortals. We killed with merciless joy. We built an army and formed alliances throughout the colonies. We developed technology generations ahead of the Chancellory. We undid what it took the Chancellors three thousand years to build. What I spent years fighting to defend!
“We followed a dream and found a paradise for our peoples. And through it all, after every raid, every victory, every setback, even after he married Rayna and had children, my brother always came back to you. Samantha Pynn. He said you were a necessary piece to our future. Our future. The Jewels and the immortals. You.
“He promised Hiebimini was reserved for us. He said no mortal Chancellor would ever again set foot on this planet. And yet, here you are, Samantha Pynn. If left to me, you’d still be living in your estate in Boston. So, I have to ask, Samantha, why is he obsessed with you?”
She was floored. On a day of right-turns, this one was the furthest left.
“I’m sorry, Valentin. I don’t know. You’re his brother. How is it you don’t have the answer?”
He shrugged. “James is guided by a vision only he understands, and he’s made a point not to share – with his brother or even his wife. Perhaps he believes he’s protecting us. But I believe something between the two of you is blinding him. I need to know what that is before he makes a disastrous mistake.”
“Valentin, we were friends on first Earth. We grew up together. I had feelings at the time; I think he did, too. But …”
He cut her off. “No, no. If you’re implying this obsession is based in love, you couldn’t be more wrong. James despises you. His hatred of you is unrivaled by his hatred of the Chancellors. He allowed his wife to torture you for months, as long as she didn’t kill you. And trust me, Rayna took enormous pleasure. She will not be pleased to see you here. Samantha, you
see why this defies logic. Yes?”
Despite Valentin’s original promise, Sam found herself consumed by anxiety. The miracle of living another day was supplanted by a new level of terror. Why was Valentin so anxious to pursue these questions? Was he trying to corner her before his brother or sister-in-law arrived in the city? James despises you. She will not be pleased to see you here.
“The last two times I saw James, he kissed me. He showed me his light. But his words weren’t kind. Valentin, I have no answers.”
He heaved a sigh. “I had to try. Yes? Then enough of that business. I suppose we’ll know when he’s ready to tell us.
“The official purpose for my visit was to escort you to the evening dine. You’re not familiar with the city, and I thought it best our people see you at my side. Less chance for confusion or hostility. I doubt many know who you are by name, but they’ll all know you aren’t one of us. And my brother insists you be made to fit in.”
“When you say, ‘fit in,’ I sense you refer to the immortals. What about the others?”
“One step at a time. Yes? Fortunately, you won’t have to be concerned about James’s people at the dine. They eat among themselves.” Valentin must have caught her grimace. “We’re still working on a process of civic integration.”
“I don’t understand. The immortals I was with today worship Brother James. I thought you were sharing Hiebimini.”
He pointed to the door. “We are. After a fashion.”
They stepped outside into the dimming light of sunset.
“It’s a beautiful world we have here, Samantha. A paradise.” He pointed off toward the setting sun. “There’s a lake four kilometers southwest. A remarkable stock of fish. The soil here will grow virtually anything, with or without my brother’s touch. There’s wild game, if we choose to hunt it. This is a planet reserved for gods. But for the time being, Samantha, some of us are more like gods than others. Yes?”
The Impossible Future: Complete set Page 116
