Noah's Brick

by Piers Anthony

  “I don't know,” Noah said. “We'll need to check with the other kids of our Ark, and with the kids of the other Arks, because it's their secret too.”

  “Yes, we expect to do a crash course of specific education for forty nine young folk,” Lyris said. “Rather than make a school out here, it will be more efficient if the tutors go there, where they can see you in action, and appreciate the limits of the alien technology. So I think you should take the first one with you to the Ark and introduce him as I was introduced, and see where it goes. If your verdict is negative, we will shop for another; it really is your show.”

  Noah exchanged an uncertain look with Si. Lyris was one thing, but a strange man? That was awkward.

  There was the sound of a car pulling into their drive. “Ah, here he is now,” Lyris said. “I'll bring him in.” She got up and went out.

  Noah shook his head. “What are we in for?”

  “I wish I'd let you kiss me.”

  Because maybe their world was ending? Yet they were stuck for it.

  Future

  Lyris returned with the tutor. Both Noah and Si were taken aback.

  He looked like Santa Claus.

  “Yes, I have earned pocket change playing the role of a department store Santa,” he said, patting his paunch. “Taking advantage of my otherwise unwelcome girth. Fortunately I love children. I am a retired veterinarian specializing in large animals. I worked in a zoo for decades, and I love them more than the people. You may simply call me Vet, as I value anonymity much as you do, for similar reason. If even a fraction of what your mother has hinted is true, your project must be kept seriously secret. I have sworn to keep that secret. Now shall we get down to business?”

  Lyris smiled in the background, knowing that Vet had demolished their reticence at the outset. How could they turn away Santa? “Uh, sure,” Noah said. “I'm Noah, and this is Si.”

  “What did Lyris tell you?” Si asked.

  Vet's Santa persona faded as he became serious. “That you have a special project to save animals from the degrading condition of the world. That you have access to a secluded fair sized garden where they can survive healthy indefinitely. That your primary interest is in mammals, including the largest. I must say I'm doubtful, but she paid me a generous fee to consider the matter. So you have a day of my time. Then we will go our separate ways, unless there is reason to associate longer.” He was clearly skeptical, expecting to encounter only childish fantasies.

  Noah shared a glance with Si. Obviously Lyris had not given the man much detail, or told what she had seen. Vet seemed knowledgeable, the kind of authority they needed. But he was patronizing them, and that was annoying.

  “If we want to save an elephant, how do we get it?” Noah asked. “From a zoo, or the wild?”

  “Are you thinking of a pet to ride, or one to breed in the wild?”

  “Breed in the wild.”

  “Then you will need at least two, male and female. Preferably a dozen, so that they can form a larger family with some genetic diversity. Zoo animals won't do, as they are not equipped to survive in the wild. You will need to get them from the wild. That will also spare you from making headlines by stealing from a zoo. But it has its own challenges.”

  “Challenges?” Noah asked.

  “You can't just go to Africa and take a wild elephant, quite apart from the legalities of the case. Not unless you're an illegal poacher after the tusks, ready to be executed if caught. Getting a single elephant from a herd would be complicated and dangerous, as they are social animals who will look out for each other. If you manage to get a male-female pair, but they are from different herds, they may not get along with each other and won't breed, any more than two randomly selected human beings would. You have to consider the social aspect.”

  “A random boy and girl can get along,” Si said. “Even if they have issues.”

  “Issues can be deadly, in humans or animals.”

  Noah and Si shared another glance. The man was scoring.

  “We'll need to ask our—our associates,” Noah said. “That means you'll have to meet them. And say nothing to anyone outside.”

  Vet nodded. “Kids, I suspect we are wasting each other's time. But I am sworn to secrecy about this entire matter. Show me what you have to show me. I will say nothing about anything, regardless of my private opinion.”

  Noah couldn't help relishing the man's reaction when he boarded the Ark. There would be no further talk of time wasting.

  “Then let's go,” Si said. “You too, Lyris, so you can explain things to him as we go.”

  “Gladly,” Lyris said, plainly relieved.

  But Noah worried. Would the others accept this tutor?

  They set out for the tree. “There's some hi-tech involved,” Lyris told Vet as they followed the children through the forest. “They have access to a space vessel.”

  “This is humor?”

  “No. This is secret information I am now free to repeat.”

  “I'll believe it when I see it.”

  Si squeezed Noah's hand. There was a heavy dose of believing coming.

  They reached the tree. “We need to touch each other,” Noah said. “Put your hands on me.”

  “He has the passkey,” Lyris explained. The subject of Bricks had never come up.

  The others put their hands on Noah's shoulders. Then he touched the trunk.

  The group of them stood inside the Ark.

  “Oh, my,” Vet said as he looked around.

  “It's just the beginning,” Lyris assured him. “This is the Ark, as in Noah's Ark, but it's not a boat but an orbiting spacecraft.”

  “I am becoming a believer,” Vet said, amazed. “But you know the Buddhist proverb: To every man is given the key to the gates of heaven. The same key opens the gates of hell.”

  “Oh, yes,” Noah breathed. The powers they were discovering in the Ark excited and scared him.

  “The serpent gave Adam and Eve that key,” Lyris said. “God was annoyed.”

  Noah and Si had to smile at the understatement.

  “Hey, folks!” Si called. “We've got visitors.”

  The others appeared, emerging from their rooms. They stared at Vet.

  “This is our first tutor,” Lyris announced. “He is a retired veterinarian we are calling Vet. He specializes in large animals. We want to show him a wild elephant.”

  “Reconsidering,” Vet said. “It had better be a rhinoceros. They are more solitary, less social, but in just as much danger from poachers. In fact, you could take a rhino that's about to be slaughtered for its horn and not only would you save its life, no one would miss it, not even its own kind. It would happily graze alone. That's the kind of animal to practice on.”

  “Now all we need to do is get in touch with the Afro Ark,” Noah said.

  “Sven knows how,” Beryl said. “Crank up the bubble and I'll tell him.”

  “This will be strange,” Lyris murmured to Vet.

  The seven children gathered and put their Bricks together. The central blob formed, then the sparkling sphere, responsive to their will. There was Sven, glad to welcome Beryl.

  She extended her hand to him, beckoning. They touched, and he appeared in her Ark.

  “Sven, this is our den mother Lyris,” Beryl said. “And our tutor, Vet. We want to go save a rhino. Can you get us to the Afro ark?”

  “The Afro Ark!” he exclaimed. “I thought you came to see me.”

  She kissed him. “That too.”

  “How can I say no?” he asked, pretending to be dazed. “Come on.” He took her hand and approached the sphere, where another member of his group stood. They touched hands, and Sven and Beryl were inside. She turned and waved to the home team. Then two two of them faded out.

  “This is amazing,” Vet said.

  “It is alien technology, well beyond what we can manage,” Lyris said. “Sit down and I'll tell you about it.” She glanced around. “The rest of you should listen in, because if yo
u approve him, Vet will be one of your tutors.”

  They sat in a circle, listening in. Within an hour they were satisfied that Vet was worth it; he did know about animals.

  Then Beryl reappeared. “We contacted the Afro Ark,” she reported. “They're hot to go.”

  “I fear this is premature,” Vet said. “You have satisfied me that you have a viable way to save many animals that will otherwise be lost to poaching, habitat destruction, and climatic change, but having the facility is only a small part of the job. You need to know a lot more if you are to become the guardians of the Garden of Eden.”

  “They won't wait,” Beryl said. “Now they've got the notion to save a rhino, they’ll do it with us or without us.”

  “Ah, the follies of youth,” Vet said. “Then we had better join them.”

  “They'll send word when they locate a rhino. That might be a few hours.”

  “A few hours is better than nothing,” Vet said. “You need to organize a plan for fetching animals. For example, do you want to choose the finest individual specimens available, for superior breeding stock, or simply take small communities of animals and their environment so that they already know each other? You will need to agree on a general plan before there are unexpected problems to handle.”

  “Individuals,” Noah said.

  “Community, of course,” Si said. “So they will get along.”

  “But that may include some bad stock,” Noah said. “We should save only the best.”

  “Take a vote,” Lyris said, smiling.

  The three boys voted with Noah. Three girls voted with Si. Beryl abstained.

  “How can be settle this?” Rex asked. “We need to be together.”

  “You have your first substantial issue,” Lyris said. “You need to work out not only an answer, but a process for settling future disputes. That process will be vital to your long-range success, more important than any particular issue.”

  “Let Noah represent the boys,” Gypsy said. “And Si can represent the girls. Put them in a room together and don't let them out until they come to an agreement.”

  Rex, Jay, and Solita nodded.

  Thus suddenly Noah and Si found themselves isolated together. “Darn,” Noah said. “I'd rather be kissing you than arguing with you.”

  “So would I. But it's a real issue. We have to have rules to get along, not just with our group, but with the other groups we'll be interacting with.”

  “We could argue for hours, and just get more set in our sides. We need another way.”

  She quirked a smile. “Change sides, and I'll let you kiss me.”

  “Damn it, Si, that's not funny! We have to decide on the merits of the case.”

  Her face crumpled. “I'm sorry. It's not a good joke. I couldn't deliver anyway.”

  His flash of anger dissipated. “Oh, Si, no! I'm sorry too. I never want to hurt you, either in argument or by touching you.”

  Her eyes were streaming with tears. “Kiss me now. Please.”

  Was she serious? He wanted so much to ease her pain.

  Before he fully realized what he was doing, he kissed her on the mouth. It was the only place their bodies touched.

  She flung her arms about him and kissed him back, hungrily.

  They broke, mutually stunned. “We did it,” he said.

  “We compromised. You kissed me and I held you. I didn't freak out.”

  “Compromise!” he exclaimed. “There's the answer.”

  Now she smiled. “I suppose you could hold me and I could kiss you. Just so long as we meet halfway.”

  He laughed. ”That too. I mean, the argument. Compromise. Maybe select the best groups of animals, or some individuals and some groups. We can work it out, case by case.”

  “I knew that. Compromise works both ways.”

  “I guess it does. So do we tell the others how we came up with this?”

  “About the kissing? We won't need to. They'll know. Why do you think they shut us in here? They knew we had more than one issue to tackle.”

  “I guess so. So now we'd better go out and tell them we've settled.”

  “Do you want to try it the other way?”

  “Oh, I'd love to. But can you handle it?”

  “Let's find out.”

  He reached slowly for her, and she didn't flinch. He put his hands gently on her shoulders. He drew her in to him, and she yielded gracefully. Then she moved forward the last inch and kissed him. But he did not put his arms all the way around her, not pushing his luck. There were still limits.

  “Thanks,” she breathed.

  They went out to tell the others.

  “Hey, you missed the best part,” Gypsy said. “Vet's been telling us about large animals, mating habits and all.”

  “We're figuring that out for ourselves,” Si said, blushing.

  “We got the answer,” Noah said quickly. “Compromise. We look for the best individual and the best groups, and take what's best, considering the situation.”

  “A good answer,” Vet said. “Always consider the larger picture.”

  Beryl appeared. “Sven says they've found a rhino. We have to act fast. This way.”

  They followed her to the sphere, where one of Sven's group touched them in. Then they touched the hand of a black boy, and were in the Afro Ark. “I am Longo,” he said. “I am contact man because I speak English.”

  “Hello, Longo!” they chorused, then introduced themselves individually, concluding with the two adults.

  “I am Lyris, the NA Ark den mother.” She drew Longo in for a quick hug, and Noah saw how he melted. All the children were lonely for families. The same thing that made them able to leave their places on Earth left them empty, and bonding with others their own age in the Arks didn't make them whole. Not quite.

  “And I am Vet, biology tutor, large animals,” Vet said, shaking Longo's hand.

  “We need that,” Longo said. “We really don't know anything.”

  “I am available to all the Arks, at need.” Vet's reservations about the project had been abolished. “Meanwhile, it is good that you know how much you don't know. Science is good, even alien science, but doubt is better. Without knowledge of your ignorance you would be locked into the same foolish certainties as we adults are, and not be able to embrace impossible concepts. You may be the ones to dispel the mystery of existence itself, in time.”

  Noah realized that the man was making sense. He would be a good tutor.

  “We have to hurry,” Longo said.

  They stepped out of the Sphere and met the other members of Longo's group, two boys and four girls. Two of the girls were developed like Solita, and one was quite pretty. Noah saw her eying not the boys, but Vet, and not with grand-daughterly interest. She might be the odd one out.

  He also saw that there were two floating bikes by the wall, ready for when they wanted to explore the veldt.

  The Sphere changed, now showing the African savanna, with course grasses and scattered trees. There was a rhinoceros—and there was a battered truck crossing the plain toward the rhino.

  “We've been watching that truck,” Longo said. “We think it's a poacher.”

  “Damn right it's a poacher,” Vet said angrily. “Vehicles are banned in the preserves. They don't care about any part of the law.”

  “We need to save that rhino before the poacher gets it,” Si said urgently.

  “We'll orient on it,” Longo agreed. The focus of the Sphere shifted, centering on the animal. The Afro Ark group had evidently learned how to handle it.

  The truck slewed to a stop and a man jumped out. He had a rifle.

  “Damn! Too late,” Longo swore.

  “The hell it is,” Si cried. “Orient on that poacher.”

  “That wouldn't be smart,” Vet warned. “They're exceedingly dangerous men, and wild rhinos are not to be fooled with either.”

  “Do it!” Si shouted.

  The focus moved to the poacher as he was kneeling and aiming his
rifle. The fringe of the sphere was visible just over his head. “But--” Longo started.

  Si charged to the edge and leaped through the sparkling shell while the others stared, horrified. She landed on the poacher's shoulders, spoiling his aim. The rifle fired into the air.

  The man quickly recovered from his surprise and the shock of impact. He grabbed Si, realizing that she was a girl. She struck at him with her knife, but he smacked it out of her hand. He obviously didn't care where she had come from or how she had landed on him; she was a prize to ravish. He started tearing off her clothing while she flailed and struggled ineffectively. He was going to rape her before killing her and the rhino.

  “Put me in there too!” Noah yelled, rushing to grab a bike.

  “We'd have to take in the whole scene,” Longo said. “Incorporate it into the Garden.”

  “Do it,” he shouted, exactly as Si had. He mounted the bike and headed toward the action. He flew toward the boundary, but it expanded before him, and he was in the veldt of the Garden. He knew, because the grass was thicker and taller here, not having been eaten down, and the trees were more plentiful. There were the others: Si, the poacher, and the rhino.

  So they were all here in the same scene. But what could he do? The poacher massed about as much as Noah and Si combined, and it was all muscle and meanness.

  Noah saw a fallen sapling, a long hard pole. He reached down, picked it up, and aimed it to point forward like a lance. Then he oriented the bike and charged the poacher, who was now struggling to hold Si down while he got his own clothing open. She was still fighting, but losing. They hadn't even noticed the change in the terrain.

  The point of the lance struck the man on the back. The impact knocked it out of Noah's hands, but it also knocked the poacher over and distracted him so that he let go of Si. She scrambled to her feet, getting clear.

  Meanwhile the rhino had become aware of the activity. Instead of running away, the animal charged toward them, horn leading.

  Noah looped about and went after the man again. Who needed a lance? He'd make his own body a missile. He wasn't going to let the poacher catch Si again.