“That is—what have you saved?” Andi asked, each word urgent.
“You’ll get to see, but suffice it to say there are things from your world and the time well past American history. There have been dozens of empires over the years, rising and falling like the tides, and always leaving something behind in their ashes. They almost always end in fire, but we save what we can. As to the other reasons why we leave here, there are scientific considerations. We bring animals in, and plants, and we continue to release augmented species that may help humanity, but always quietly, and in the dark of night,” Aristine explained.
“Like the Indricothere and the giant snakes?” I asked. If that was the policy of the Chain, then we needed to have a serious discussion about their concept of helping.
“Indricothere? You mean the giant—well, it was a rhino, was it not? I confess, biology is not my strong suit, though I recognize the term from our museum. We have many of the fossils from collections across the world, but we would never release an animal of that size. Why would we?” Aristine asked, bewildered.
“Why, indeed, and yet they’re roaming free in The Empty, after not having been alive for tens of millions of years. It’s not just them, it’s a massive array of species, all deadly in some sense or another, though some are simply giant herbivores. As to humanity, the ogres are evidence enough for me that the virus did a lot of dirty work, and continues to do so,” I said.
“The human genome is a broken ladder now. There are as many examples of devolution as there are evolution, and we’re seeing things that are completely new to the saltiest people working in The Empty,” Andi said.
“New animals,” Aristine mused, turning away to a cabinet. She withdrew a gray scroll and rolled it out on an artist’s table. “Come, look at this.”
She tapped the inert gray paper and it flickered to life. It was neither scroll nor paper, but a screen.
“Holy shit,” Andi said. “You did it. We barely had this working, but you—you never stopped developing things down here, did you?”
“We did not, and we have no intention of doing so. Our lives are made simpler by the most complex technology that has ever existed, but in our limited area, discoveries come slowly. We improved upon some ideas, went in new directions. We even dove into exotic math, taking our time to explore every detail of a problem until we had a solution that would make something better, not just different.” Aristine hefted her rifle, holding it out for me.
“It’s almost weightless,” I said in wonder. It couldn’t have weighed a full kilo, and yet I knew it was loaded.
“Composite extrusions from our printers. A ceramic wafer stronger than steel, capable of dispersing any shock, and durable enough to use as a club. It fires almost frictionless rounds accurate to a range of a kilometer, given a fair wind and low humidity. We do not take pride in killing, but it’s a job, and thus, we will do it well,” Aristine said.
Andi looked at the rifle with new respect. “If that rifle could tell me I have pretty hair, I’d marry it.”
“We’ll see what we can do,” Aristine said with a laugh. “Our Daymares carry these, and so does the high command. As to weapons, we’re all armed, but the long range isn’t as necessary down here.”
“Daymares?” I asked.
“At any time, we have a squad of six soldiers living topside for an extended period of time. They—ah, harden to the conditions up there, and are ready to fight or carry out longer missions at a moment’s notice,” Aristine said.
“Hence the goggles,” Andi said. “I noticed they have multiple settings.”
“You are a true engineer, Andi. They do have settings, and over time, the Daymares work to normalize their sight for daytime work, although we obviously prefer working at night. When a night mission is required, we use soldiers who are not acclimated to the sun. Their natural—do you know the word rhodopsin?” Aristine asked.
“No, sorry,” Andi said. I stayed quiet as well. The term was Greek to me.
“It’s a protein in the eye. We have selected for it over the years, and now, our vision in low light is superb. When it comes to night fighting on the surface, we are without equal, which is one of the reasons no one know of our existence. We aren’t seen, or heard, and we never leave anything behind. We work during the dead hours, when the mind of a topsider is tired and sleep is deepest. We are wraiths, and we use this ability only when the situation calls for violence,” Aristine said.
“And you don’t want to be tracked back here,” I added.
“Exactly. It’s difficult enough varying the Daymares’ paths when they return from a mission, and we consider any attention to be a negative,” Aristine emphasized.
“What about us? This is attention,” I said.
“Yes, but you saw us from a powered flight. We have seen nothing of that for centuries, and there are other issues that must be seen to, lest we drift farther away from the planet that made us. I am human, and a woman. I am also a general trying to make peace with the needs of my people, and I must tell you, it isn’t easy. We’ve been self-sufficient for so long, I find the idea of alliances to be unsettling,” Aristine admitted.
“Alliances. An interesting choice of words,” I remarked drily.
“Is it?” Aristine asked, watching us both carefully.
“Open ended. It implies further help and working together on something that you need as much as we do. Since we need everything, the work could be anything. Sound about right?” I asked.
“It does,” Aristine said in a tone so neutral, it seemed like she was a robot. She was cagey.
“Ordinarily, I’d jump at the chance to form an alliance, especially with someone who hasn’t begun to show us her cards, in the parlance of my time,” I said.
“I’m familiar with the term. Poker lives on down here, you’ll be happy to know,” Aristine said.
That did make me happy, if only because it conjured nights with my buddies a long time ago. I cleared the memory and refocused on Aristine. “The issue is something you said a moment ago. You called people who live up there topsiders, and it’s my idea that I don’t trust anyone who uses a word that means ‘not like me’. That make sense to you?” I asked.
Aristine grew quiet, then nodded. “It does. I mean no harm, but—we are different. Are we not?”
“Yes,” Andi interjected. “How different?”
“Think of our science, war, natural loss, and medicines. Two thousand years down here in what you might think is paradise, but it’s a daily fight to survive because the system, while stable, can be toppled. Jack, nothing would please me more than to rebuild something I only know from vids and lost objects. Now, we have you, and Andi, and a direct line to something that is far more important than our differences,” Aristine said.
“Which is?” I asked.
“Our mission. It was always about establishing a city, then a zone, then a nation, and then dragging humanity out of the blackness left over from the virus. I think you want the same thing, but the difference is this place was built for it.” Aristine stood, walked to the porch, and waved us out to survey the expanse of air and forest. “Look up. See those tubes? Those aren’t just light. They’re water. That is how we established the Eden above us. That’s how it was done. With nanotech, intended to carve a landscape where we could eventually survive topside, just like you.”
I flicked a glance to Andi, who stood listening, watching Aristine speak. When I turned to the beautiful, pale woman, I held out my hand. “I accept your offer, and you have The Oasis as an ally. Let’s begin with a gesture of good faith. What do you need?”
She took my hand. Her fingers were long, warm, and firm. They were hands of a woman who is an athlete—and feminine to the point of elegance. She stared at me with a curious, open gaze. “I accept your offer. Before we discuss trade, let me show you who we are, and how we live.”
26
We descended to the floor level, and the enormity of Eden became apparent. Paths followed o
pen spaces, and small, silent carts pulled other carts or wagons in a dizzying mishmash of engineering styles that seemed to favor both function and form. The scent of the trees was intense, as was the unmistakable sound of running water.
“Come with me. We’ll walk for now, because I want you to understand our system. It begins with water, as anywhere else, but that’s where our similarities with your environment end.”
At a brisk pace, we walked to the nearest wall, but were stopped forty meters from it by a series of terraces. I could hear water burbling, as well as the distinct smell of fish and moss. Farther away, the terraces lowered in stair steps, vanishing into the distance behind trees and homes.
“Fish ponds?” I asked.
“Trout and Salmon here, then walleye and sauger in E2. In E3, there are white bass and other derivatives, then E4, with the warmest water, has catfish, shrimp, and crayfish, all in separate runs. The water comes in cold and warms through the system, serving as a breeding trough with almost no input on our part. We have water lilies and other plants that live freely, though not here. Too cold in this section, so it’s mosses and watercress,” Aristine said.
“Is this your primary protein?” Andi asked.
“No, but it’s close. Eggs from our rookeries are number one, followed by turkeys, an augmented guinea fowl, and ostrich,” Aristine said, waving to the northern reaches of the Chain.
“Ostrich? How?” I asked.
“They have room to run along the walls, and their eggs are superb. As to their use, they’re both a meat animal and a source of feathers. We don’t have many mammals for the simple fact that it isn’t necessary, but there are two kinds of squirrels that terrorize the trees,” Aristine said with a rueful grin.
“Ugh. Mean little bastards, even if they are cute,” Andi said, earning a nod of approval from Aristine.
“They are, but there’s a lot more to the Chain than squirrels. Which brings me to the next stage of our introduction. My seconds,” Aristine said, then spoke with her head tilted toward the silver necklace she wore. It emitted a soft gold light for a second, then went inert. “They’ll be right here.”
“Is that—” Andi asked, unsure what she was looking at.
“Comms down here are line of sight, unless you have relays. We have them along the walls; a sort of internal network that’s completely separated from our topside system,” Aristine said.
“How extensive is your network? Up top, that is?” I asked.
“We can only place antenna in areas with trees, so we’re limited that way, but with your assistance, I would think we can cover three hundred klicks in any direction, and more to the north and east. The river has ample opportunity for connection, given it’s one of the nearest places with wild forests. Frankly, we’re not sure what’s out there now, though we have our suspicions,” Aristine said. “They’re here.”
She greeted two people who drove up the path on one of those silent carts. The man was middle years and a seasoned fighter if I made any kind of guess; the woman could have been Aristine’s twin. “My seconds, Generals Noble and Yulin. Noble is a distant uncle, and Yulin is my sister. They’re who run the show while I’m topside waving to friendly drones from a bygone era.”
“Jack Bowman, and this is Dr. Andrea Greer, my second,” I said, stepping forward to shake hands. Noble was taller than me, well built, and surrounded by an air of competence. Yulin was the same, but warmer and less rigid.
“Andi will do. Engineer, not bonecutter,” she said, and Noble’s eyes lit up. “You were trained in the time before the virus?” he asked, his voice deep and precise.
“I was. Still am, given my role at our place, but I’m curious as to what I missed. Combat and mechanics seem to have changed, given the design elements I’m seeing here,” Andi said.
“I was an engineer before Aristine dragged me away from the table to serve as her glorified show ostrich,” Noble said with some dignity, but his smile was fast to appear, and genuine.
“I was water division, then soils. I dabble in wiring and hard circuitry for the printers now, when I’m not shuttling up and down the line chasing wisps,” Yulin said.
“Wisps?” I asked, confused.
“Mysterious power issues that come and go. I find them after irritating searches, and it’s always something like a—”
“Squirrel chewing through a cable?” I interrupted. Yulin laughed, and I nudged Andi. “See? I told you they were bad.”
“We have an armory as well, and the our stealthed tech. Both are housed in E4, and the main printers are there, too, with some smaller printers in E5,” Aristine said. Her revelation about their weapons meant she was all in on trusting us, but given the fact we were underground, outnumbered, and in need of their help, it wasn’t too big a gamble.
“I’m most interested in your power and your printers. Three dimensional, I take it?” Andi asked.
“Not exactly. We think of ours as four dimensional, with the inclusion of layered tech. I’m happy to show you, because we’re not entirely sure what you may have had in your time. Despite out best efforts at preservation, things have become lost, or translated over the years,” Noble said.
“I’d like that. When?” Andi asked.
“We could go . . . now?” Noble queried Aristine with a raised brow.
I felt myself bristle, but Aristine put a hand on my arm, and then so did Andi. “You will continue to see our secrets, Jack. We will have no secrets, given your mission and ours, and there are thousands of people here who will fight to the last to keep Andi safe,” Aristine said.
“Andi?” There was a lot in that one word, and then Andi nodded reassuringly. “Okay. Noble, show us how to reclaim the world, then. We have some ideas, but we’re here to learn.”
“It will be my pleasure. We’ll be on network should you need to reach her,” Noble said, hanging a silver necklace over Andi’s head. The oval rested between her breasts, gleaming in the low light. Then he put a necklace on me and indicated I should speak.
“Can you hear me?” I said.
“Like you’re in my head. Astonishing clarity,” Andi said. “We’re good. Noble, to your steed.”
“We will return in a day, no more than two if she wishes,” Noble said. Aristine shifted next to me, and I could sense her gaze.
“Don’t do anyone I wouldn’t do,” Andi said with a campy wink.
“I do not mean to—” Aristine began, but Andi reached out and put a sisterly hand on her face, smiling kindly.
“I am a woman too, Aristine. I know things,” Andi said. “It’s okay. Jack is a rare man, and I am a rare woman. We have a lot to do yet, and I’ll be there with him. Now, I suspect you need him for the things you haven’t mentioned yet.” She shrugged, beautiful with her facts.
All I could do was have the good sense not to blush as Andi kissed me, looking up at me for a long moment. Then she waved to Noble, who was busy studying a fascinating piece of the floor.
“Shall we?” Andi asked, and they left, walking to the waiting cart, the lights on and casting a soft glow forward. They pulled away, and I saw Andi smile and nod, giving me her benediction for a life that neither of us chose, but we were both choosing to live.
“I have to arrange for the dinner,” Yulin said, as if she was off to collect dung from a horse barn.
“Dinner? Not for me. Please. Let’s just ease into the whole meeting of two worlds, if we can, okay? We can eat, but just us, and I have one simple request,” I said.
“Name it,” Aristine said as Yulin listened.
“Do you guys know how to make crawdad gumbo?”
27
There was no gumbo, but there was food, and a lot of it. I didn’t realize how hard we’d been living until I saw the table set with plates of things other than roasted pig, roasted snake, or roasted tubers and blood chicken. Pacing myself, I exchanged stories with Yulin and Aristine of my insertion into the tube, my rescue, and the following low-level war that was breaking out over control
of The Empty.
“This Wetterick is a simple strongman, then? What’s his combat capability?” Aristine asked.
“About three hundred fighters at most, but little to no discipline. They’re tough, but they don’t fight as a unit, which creates extra problems for me and my people,” I said.
“How? Show us.” Yulin rolled out the flexible tablet, pulling up an overhead image of The Outpost. The clarity was superb.
“Is this a drone?” I asked.
“In a sense. Low level satellite imaging, taken last week. We have birds in the sky that can show you how many pores are on a person’s nose, if that’s what you want to see,” Yulin said.
“Incredible. Did you know about us?” I asked.
Aristine shook her head. “No, you slipped through the cracks. There was nothing to the south for some distance, so we didn’t retask the bird to look in your area.”
“I’d like to see us now, from the air. For posterity, so that someday we can see where we came from,” I said. It wasn’t critical, but something in me wanted to be able to say look what we’ve done in spite of The Empty.
“Consider it done. You’re an ally now, so it only makes sense,” Yulin said, calling up a menu that was all vectors, azimuths, and orbital mechanics. “I sent a request to our recon division. They’ll confirm with Aristine before moving.”
“Thank you,” I said, feeling like that wasn’t enough.
“Why do you want Wetterick gone?” Yulin asked.
“He’s a slaver, and a thief, and a road block to real civilization in the area. He feeds off the people and rewards his men with their hard work, and their daughters. And sons,” I said darkly. “The time for his kind is past.”
“Good enough for me,” Aristine said. “Three hundred fighters,” she mused, looking at the screen with eyes that missed nothing. I knew what I wanted to do; whether or not she agreed was her call as the commander of her forces.
Future Reborn Box Set Page 56