Jake looked at the object and then at Raines. “So what the bilge is it?”
Raines looked up at Nia. “I think you can tell him, Norman,” she said.
“Based on what I know of the symbols on the surface,” he began, “it’s called a ‘mine ship’ and it was a weapon used long before the Fall.”
“Based on what you know?” Jake asked. “I thought you were an engineer and a cook.”
Raines smiled but said nothing. “Norman Raines is a man of numerous talents,” Nia said. “We’ve been together quite a few years, looking for artifacts like this. Haven’t we, Norman?”
“Many years,” he agreed. “And this…” he said, pointing to the object, “…this could be our most important discovery.”
AJ called down from the bridge to inform Nia that they had exited the dome without incident and were setting a course to the drop-off point.
“What do you plan to do with this thing?” Jake asked. “Where are you taking it? I assume the coordinates you gave for the drop were as bogus as the pick-up point.”
Nia gently took him by the arm and guided him back to the side door. Apparently, she wanted to give Raines space to finish whatever he was doing with the object. “There is a small and well-hidden research facility two days south of here. We plan to take the device there for additional study.”
He glanced back at the object just before they went through the exit door. “He said it was a weapon,” Jake said. “A Pre-Fall weapon to be precise.”
“Yes,” she said, “although, we don’t yet know exactly what it was used for or if it is still operational. What I do know is that we need to keep it out of the council’s hands at all costs.”
He stopped her in the corridor and pointed at the object through the observation viewports. “You’re telling me that you don’t know what that thing is? What if it’s just an old bomb waiting to go off? I hear they had a lot of bombs before the Fall.”
“To be honest with you, Mr. Stone, I know very little about what the world might have been like back then, and frankly, I don’t care. However, I do have faith in Norman’s expertise in these matters, and I can assure you that he does know quite a bit about that period in our history. I trust him, and I think you should, too.” She continued down the corridor.
“Why are you doing this?” he asked.
She stopped and turned to face him. “I used to be an administrator in the second tier of the government, answering only to members of the Council. While that might sound important, what it meant is that I spent my days reading numbers off charts and keeping careful tallies of imports and exports for each of the major cities.” Her face made a sort of half-smile, half-grimace. “It was really quite a boring existence when I think back on it. Sometimes, I wonder how I could have performed that job, day after day, for so many years without going mad. I guess you could say I was a true believer in the system, in what the Council was doing for the people of our colony.”
“What usually comes next with these types of stories is, ‘then one day...’,” Jake said.
Her half-smile disappeared. “Then one day, I came across something that made me question my blind loyalty to our leaders.”
“And what was that?”
“Do you know how the Fall came about?” she asked.
“Well, there's a number of versions, of course, but the one I was taught is that our distant ancestors created a race of artificial people called “Betas” who helped them run the machines that built their cities. Then one day the Betas rebelled and tried to kill their creators. Luckily, our ancestors killed them all instead. End of story.”
“I'm afraid that’s not the end of the story,” she said.
“Please don't tell me that you are one of those people who believe there are living Betas walking among us today, seeking revenge and plotting our downfall? Those are ghost stories that kids tell each other at night.”
“It's not important what I believe. What matters is what the Council believes.”
“You're telling me that's what you found out about the Council? That they think Betas still exist?”
“The Council not only believes that Beta descendants are currently living inside the borders of Civica, but they are also hoping to use Pre-Fall technology to find and eliminate them.” She points at the mine ship through the observation port. “That's why I'm doing this.”
“But why stop them?” he asked. “I mean, if Beta descendants somehow survived from those days, they would be pretty dangerous, wouldn’t they?”
“Does that give our Council the right to kill them on sight?”
“Like I said, maybe if they were dangerous. Besides, they weren’t like us, were they? They were artificial, and they had collective brains or whatever. Like ants, they couldn’t think for themselves.”
“Many believe they were physically and mentally identical to us,” she said. “What if they were like us in other ways, too? What if they just wanted to live their lives and have families and be productive members of society?”
“Betas? You think they would just forget the past and coexist with us peacefully?”
Nia shrugged. “Perhaps. Or an even worse scenario, what if they don’t exist, but the Council just thinks they do.”
“How would that be worse?”
“What if next week someone accuses you of being a Beta, simply as retaliation for not paying your bills on time? If Betas were physically identical to us, how could you prove you’re not one of them, especially if they were shooting Betas on sight? Do you see where this could lead?”
“You mean there’s something worse than being killed for not paying your bills?”
Nia took a step closer and lowered her voice. “It could lead to civil war. A civil war that would destroy our colony from within.”
“I honestly can’t see that happening,” he said, “and besides, we can’t change the Council.”
“Perhaps not, but we can change our response to what they tell us to do. If enough of us resist the impulse to blindly follow their orders, we can change the future.”
He looked nervously around the corridor. Were these people trying to set him up? Was Nia trying to make him say something negative about the Council so she could arrest him for it? Did he really know any of these people? Suddenly, he began to question their motives for coming aboard. “The only future I care about changing is my own,” he said carefully. “I don’t mean that in a cruel or selfish way, but I’ve got my own problems to deal with. I’m sure you understand.” He headed past her toward the main part of C-deck.
“I do understand, Mr. Stone,” she said behind him. “I’m afraid I understand far too well.”
Genesis 05
Back in his quarters, Jake picked up the last pieces of dirty clothing from the floor and dropped them in his recycling drawer. He then walked over and picked up a framed photo from his desk that showed him posing with his former crew. Stacy was there too. He touched her face, then placed the frame back on his desk, before heading out the door.
When he reached the mess hall, he found Nia, Ash, Vee, and the Grange brothers sitting at the table. He started to turn away when Vee noticed him and called him into the galley. She handed him a plate filled with several types of food. He took a deep whiff, and those childhood memories came flooding back again.
“My grandfather isn’t the only cook in the family,” she said to his unspoken praise.
Her smile was so genuine that it almost hurt. It had been a long time since he had felt such warmth from another human being. “It looks really good,” he managed to get out. “So, how are the two in med bay doing?”
She put down a ladle and came closer. “Well, Jessie is almost completely healed,” she whispered, “but the more amazing news is the new girl, Jane.”
“Her name is Jane?”
“No, but, well that’s what we’re calling her. ‘Jane Doe.’ It’s what they used to call people who—”
“I know,” he interrupted. “I’ve read a b
ook or two.”
“Okay, well, anyway, after Nia and AJ cleaned all the blood off, they said they discovered that she didn’t have a single cut on her. All of that blood was from the cat.”
“AJ thought she might have had some combat training,” he added.
Vee shook her head. “I don’t think that’s possible. I went down later and ran a full diagnostic scan on her and found some odd things.”
“Odd as in...”
“Odd as in the fact that not only did she have no visible cuts on her body, her skin was perfect, as in a newborn-baby kind of perfect. Any sort of combat training would have left bruises, scars, things like that. From what the scanner said, she has never had so much as a stubbed toe in her entire life.”
Remembering his plate of food, he started to turn away, but she grabbed his arm and pulled him back into the galley, away from earshot of the others in the room. “That’s not even the interesting part,” she said. “Her brain scan came back just as perfect, which means that unless your scanner is broken, she has what could only be described as a newborn brain in her head.”
He looked at her. “You’re saying she has a baby’s brain? Is that some kind of birth defect?”
“No,” she replied, looking suddenly irritated at his lack of understanding. “Jane doesn’t have a baby’s brain. She has a full-size brain, but it looks like it has never been used before. If that’s the case, then her ability to learn should be off the charts. For instance, I think she’s starting to understand everything we are saying to her as if she’s learning our language on the fly, but she’s not quite ready to respond to us just yet. She might be the most intelligent person on this ship, while at the same time, know less than any of us. It’s exciting and pretty humbling.”
“Well,” he said because he couldn’t think of anything to say to all of that. “What do you think that means? How did she get in that dome?”
“AJ’s theory is that she was abandoned there as an infant, like maybe her parents were killed there or something a long time ago, and then she was somehow raised by wild animals. That might explain why her brain is basically like a baby’s and maybe even her ability to kill that big cat with her bare hands.”
He pondered that a moment and then added his own, more logical theory. “Either that or the scanner really is just broken.”
“Oh,” she said, and then her face turned red. “I’m so embarrassed. I got so excited by the results; I didn’t stop to think that it could simply be an equipment error.” She sighed. “Please don’t mention this to my grandfather. He is such a good researcher. He tried to teach me the scientific method, but sometimes, I just get so excited when I think I’ve uncovered something new.” She looked up at him and suddenly started to laugh. “I also think I’ve had way too much coffee. Sorry!” She turned back to her pots.
He just stood there and then realized the plate of food in his hands had grown cold. He thought about asking Vee to heat it for him, but then he realized it might ignite another twenty-minute, caffeine-induced monologue from her. Instead, he turned to leave, hoping to sneak away for a quiet dinner alone in his room, when Nia called him over to the table.
“There he is,” Ash said as he stood and reached out to Jake with his right hand. “I didn’t get a chance to thank you earlier for helping to save my sister.”
Jake put down his cold plate of food and reluctantly put out his hand. “I didn’t do that much.”
Ash shook his hand hard and smiled. “You did enough.” He then picked up his cup and addressed the rest of the crew. “In fact, I owe everybody here a debt for helping her.”
As Nia raised her drinking cup in an old ritual Jake had read about but never witnessed, she said, “Yes, everyone helped, except maybe the two men who could have prevented her attack if they had simply followed orders.”
Jake almost spit out his drink when he saw her staring at the Grange brothers. They were sitting together at the far end of the table, staring at their plates and apparently oblivious to what was just said. After a few seconds of silence, they both looked up. “Sorry, did I miss something?” the older one, Malcolm, asked.
“How about that mine ship,” Ash said as he sat back down, breaking the tension. “What do you suppose it was used for?”
“Its use has to be tied up in its name,” Vee said as she brought her plate to the table and sat down next to Jake.
Jake glanced at Nia, who was drilling holes in the man with her eyes. “I think you heard me,” she said.
Ash continued his obvious attempt to change the subject. “So, ‘mine’ could mean ‘mining,’ as in digging for precious metals.”
Vee was in on the game, Jake could see. “However, it doesn’t look like a digger, does it?”
Malcolm sucked air through his teeth and gave Nia a bored stare. “Maybe you need to repeat yourself.”
Even Jake was beginning to feel the tension between Nia and the men rising to a feverish level. He had been in the middle of enough bar fights to know what was coming next if things kept building. He looked at Ash. “Maybe it’s a sensor of some kind,” he said, joining the game. “Something to detect mineral deposits under the surface. With the antenna things covering it, that would make sense.”
“Where were you two when the cat attacked us?” Nia asked point-blank. So, Jake thought, we’ve just crossed the line. That was fast.
“Gold is still worth something,” Vee said. “Maybe it can detect gold deposits.”
Ash shook his head. “As much as I’d love it to be a gold-sensing device, Raines said it was a weapon of some sort, from before the Fall.”
“You know, ‘weapon’ can have a broad meaning,” Vee added. “Maybe they used it to locate and steal each other’s gold.”
“I like that idea,” Jake said, just as the elder Grange stood up, knocking over his chair.
“What are you saying, Moon?” Malcolm bellowed. Before Nia could respond, the younger brother, Liam, who up until then had remained silent, stood up and grabbed his older brother’s arm. “I’m sorry we weren’t there when you all needed us,” he said quite calmly. “Especially you, Mr. Fields,” he said, addressing Ash. “If your sister had died as a result of our not being there, I don’t know what I would do.”
Malcolm blinked as if he had suddenly just awakened from a dream. “Yes, what my brother said. We are both truly sorry.”
Nia stood up, her face relaxing visibly as she spoke. “I am the one who should apologize, gentlemen,” she said. “You were both just following my orders by scouting ahead.” She rubbed her forehead. “I think this has just been a long day, and we could all probably use some sleep.”
As everyone began clearing the table, Jake finished his meal and returned his plate to the galley recycler. “Are you heading downstairs, by any chance?” Vee asked. “By downstairs, I mean to the cargo bay.”
“I was, actually,” he replied. He could feel the walls closing in, which was a sign he needed time in the big room.
“Could you please ask my grandfather to put down his slate and come have some dinner? I think that mine ship, whatever it is, will understand if he doesn’t discover all of its secrets in the first few hours.”
“I'll tell him.”
When Jake reached the cargo bay, Norman Raines glanced up from his work. “My granddaughter sent you down to get me, didn’t she?”
“I was coming down anyway.”
Raines looked around the bay. “It’s a good-sized room, isn’t it?” Jake tried to give him a ‘what are you talking about?’ look, but apparently, the older man saw through it. “You’re not the first city dweller I’ve met,” he said.
“Well, that’s a nicer term than ‘wog,’ I guess. That’s what Coal’s crew called me when I first came aboard.”
“You know, wog is short for pollywog, which is just one stage of a frog’s life cycle. In other words, you can adapt to living inside a ship. All it takes is time. A lifelong shellback like me has it a bit rougher.”
“How so?” Jake asked as he sat down on a nearby cargo container. He was beginning to like Vee’s grandfather quite a bit. He reminded him of his father.
“The open-air domes of all the big cities scare the bilge out of me,” Raines said. “All of that space—it’s just not natural.” He touched the wall of the cargo bay. “Now this…this is where I belong. It’s where I feel safe. Give me four solid walls, a metal floor, and a low ceiling any day!”
“I guess you wouldn’t have done very well back in the Pre-Fall world, would you?”
“How do you mean?” Raines asked.
“I've heard Earth dome was so large that everyone in Civica could fit inside with room to spare. And the sunlight was so bright that it could burn your skin and the nights could get so cold that your breath would freeze.”
Raines frowned. “I understand why some less-enlightened people would choose to believe that we came from a world that was far worse than our own; it helps them accept the burdens of life in this colony.”
“So, you don’t think any of that is true?” He hated the “less-enlightened” remark, and one of his favorite pastimes as a kid was running through the old abandoned city gardens, pretending he was an “Earth Colony Explorer” searching for lost treasure on that fabled world.
Raines sighed. “I think Earth Colony was something beyond what most people can comprehend. However, whether it was a desolate world or garden paradise, we may never know for sure.”
“Then why study Pre-Fall at all? Who cares about the past?”
“Because our leaders fear that past, and I would like to understand why,” Raines said with a strange glint in his eyes. “They also fear any form of change, and they have taught our citizens to fear it, as well. Fear has forced us to live in decaying cities and allowed us to accept a form of government that exploits those fears.”
“Captain Coal used to talk about facing his fears. I think he was always secretly looking for a way to sneak past the colony boarders, just to see what's out there.”
Novum Chronicles: A Dystopian Undersea Saga Page 4