He decided to climb the dune. It was hard work, as the sand was soft and his feet went deep with each step. His weight pushed the sand downslope and with each step up gravity pulled him down a half step.
Still, he did make progress. The fog grew thicker and less gray. He had the sensation of climbing into a cloud. Continuing on for several more minutes, he finally had to stop to take a break. Catching his breath, he considered giving up and heading back down, maybe try to walk the base of the dune, see where that took him.
He finally decided to give it another couple of minutes, to see if he could get to the top of this thing. He had some faint hope that it might get him above the fog and shadows.
A few more steps then and all of a sudden there was no more up. He was at the top. There was no panoramic view. Looking straight out, there was only the fog. It was whiter and brighter than down below, but there were still the dark shadows swirling within the mist, drifting along in a breeze that Asher couldn’t feel.
He was about to start down the other side when a voice came from out of the fog.
“Professor Asher, it is so good to see you.”
A shadow formed in the fog to his left along the ridgeline. It drew nearer, and as it did it took on the shape of a man.
Asher was certain it was the Adversary’s acolyte, though it was difficult to tell by looking at him. His guise was always different; this time he had long, flowing gray hair and beard, wore a loose robe with numerous folds, and he carried a tall staff.
But with each appearance there was always something familiar about the Acolyte’s face, particularly the eyes. It was the same, no matter the persona.
“It’s been a long time,” said Asher. They hadn’t come across the Acolyte for several floors. “Love the new look.”
“Thank you. I put a lot into it.”
“And it shows.” The niceties were out of the way. “So… I don’t imagine the visit is a social call.”
“My dear friend,” said the Acolyte, taking a step nearer Asher. “I come bearing… opportunity.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, Professor.” The Acolyte rested his free hand on his chest. “It pleases me very much to bring this gift to you.”
“I am intrigued.” And he was. He was also very wary. Interactions with the Acolyte seldom ended well. “What might this gift be? This opportunity?”
The Acolyte lifted his hand, two fingers raised. Behind him the fog brushed aside, forming a tunnel seven feet high and three feet wide. Sunlight shone through the tunnel. Asher could see people beyond the tunnel, walking about, going about their activities, unaware of the portal. Some wore military uniforms, some were dressed in civilian clothes.
“The opportunity to go home, my friend,” said the Acolyte.
“Home,” mumbled Asher. “So I see.”
“A few steps, and there you are. What do you say?”
Oh, to be home again… three meals a day, regular showers, clean clothes and a bed.
“If I say no?”
“It is your choice, Professor Asher. Stay or leave. But why would you not avail yourself of the chance to go home?”
“I’m not quite finished here, Acolyte. We have a few floors yet to go.”
“Many. Many floors, and then many more.” The Acolyte leaned forward onto his staff. “I tell you true, Professor. Not all will make it to the Great Hall.”
“And so you give me this chance to get out alive?”
The Acolyte answered only with a smile, a slight shrug.
“Why?” asked Asher.
“Because I like you.” Another bright grin.
“Uh, huh.” Asher frowned. “Banister and Private Carmody. You didn’t give them a choice. You made them leave.”
“Different circumstances, different times.”
“Uh, huh. Well, thanks all the same. I think I’ll hang around a bit longer.”
“This is a onetime offer, as they say. That is what they say, is it not?”
“That’s what they say.” Asher looked away from the Acolyte, turned away and looked downslope. He could see nothing. “Are we done here?”
The tunnel behind the Acolyte vanished.
“Yes, Professor Asher.” The Acolyte sounded disappointed. “We are done here.”
§
Working his way down the other side of the dune was a clumsy and awkward affair, and more than once Asher had to lean back and fall on his butt to stop from falling forward and tumbling down the slope.
The fog slowly dissipated as he descended, and by the time he reached the bottom it was clear enough that he was able see across the depression that he had come down into.
Dozens of trees stood in a handful of clusters a hundred yards ahead. He realized as he approached that it was an oasis. The clusters of trees surrounded a pool of water some forty feet across. Another dune rose up beyond the oasis, the ridge disappearing into a cloud.
There were a number of shrubs scattered about, and as he entered the perimeter of the oasis he found the sand beneath his feet had turned to soil. He stepped up to the edge of the pool and knelt down at the bank. Cupping water in his hand, Asher took a sip.
It tasted good, much better than what remained in his canteen.
He stood again, looked across the pool to the opposite side. He saw what looked like a campsite. There was a fire pit, and beside this what looked from this distance to be palm leaf fronds laid out to form a bed. There were piles of neatly stacked kindling… and a backpack.
Just beyond the campsite, near the base of the far dune, were large shrubs clustered near a couple of date trees.
Lieutenant Quinn came around from behind the bushes carrying an armful of twigs and branches.
Episode Six / Chapter Four
Quinn had been at the oasis for four days, this after traveling three days to get there. Asher was certain that he hadn’t been walking for seven days; this had him wondering about time flow differences within the different variations of the floor. He hoped these differences weren’t too extreme; who knew how that would affect the rest of the team arriving at the oasis?
The lieutenant had been busy. He had decided to operate under the assumption that the portal was there at the oasis, and hoped that it would also be the location of the threshold that would bring his team back together.
While waiting for the others, he had conducted an initial survey of the area, and then followed that with a more extensive one. He also had time to establish a campsite, gather what kindling and firewood there was to be had, collected fruit and nuts from the trees and bushes.
He couldn’t lose the nagging feeling that if he went too far from the oasis that when turning back it would be gone. He didn’t really think so, as the oasis was clear of fog, but the concern was there nonetheless. So on the second day he defined a perimeter of the oasis. For the most part this followed the border where soil transitioned to sand. There was an outlying tree all by itself at one point, and there was the base of the far dune. He planted fallen palm fronds stem down in the ground along one empty stretch, forming a fence line of sorts, and another single frond midway between a garden of stones and a large berry bush.
He also decided that while walking this perimeter he would never turn his back completely to the oasis. He would always remain in direct line of sight with some object well within the perimeter.
Hearing this, Asher said they were probably safe so long as they stayed out of the fog, which was well beyond the perimeter, but agreed that it was best not to take any chances.
“I’ll not be making that mistake again,” said Quinn. “We’ll not get separated again.”
“I don’t think you really had a choice in the matter,” said Asher. “What happened is exactly what was meant to happen.”
“The Adversary’s game plan for this floor?”
“That and what happened up on the ridge.”
“So you saw him too; the Acolyte.” Quinn nodded. “I suspected as much; had to be a test of some ki
nd, to see if we’d abandon one another.”
Though the whole affair concerning Banister and Carmody had long been settled between Quinn and Asher, the comment nonetheless brought it all back. Asher had taken a lot of heat from Quinn as well as from Dr. Church, and it had also affected his relationship with most of the others. It said something about Asher that he had known what the fallout would be and had accepted it.
Given the perspective of time and several floors distance, Quinn had eventually been able to understand what Banister had done. To have told everyone that he and Private Carmody were going to have to stay behind would have risked everything. Church and Dr. Bautista at the very least would not have gone on without him. And what would Lieutenant Quinn have done? Certainly he would have tried up to the last possible moment to find an alternative, but then what? Would he have forced the others onto the train and then left Church and Carmody to their fate? How could he do such a thing? And if not, then what? They couldn’t all stay behind. Could they?
Quinn would have done whatever it took to keep to the mission. That had priority over everything and everyone.
Dr. Banister had no doubt reasoned all this out. And wanting the others to know what happened, but only after the fact, he had chosen Professor Asher to bear the burden.
It had taken a while, but Quinn finally got that as well. Poor Asher had been the obvious choice.
“He was probably looking to assess our spirit, our resolve,” said Asher. “We’ve been through a lot these seventeen floors, Lieutenant. Looking ahead, we still have a very long way to go.”
“That’s no exaggeration.” Quinn studied the young professor a moment. “Did you consider it? Going home?”
“No. A tantalizing offer to be sure, but no. I did not.”
The lieutenant smiled. “I thank you kindly for sticking around.”
“My pleasure, sir.” Asher munched on a date. At least, he thought it was a date. He had never seen one before, much less eaten one. “What about you? Did you think about leaving?”
Quinn tapped the lieutenant’s bar on his collar. “Nope.”
“Right.”
“How many do you think are going to take him up on it?” Quinn assumed everyone would have to face the Acolyte’s test.
Asher was looking past Quinn, at something behind the lieutenant. “I believe one less than you’re probably thinking,” he said, standing.
Quinn stood and turned, couldn’t help but grin and shake his head.
Reaching the two men, Elizabeth Owen stopped and put her hands on her hips. She breathed out a heavy, tired groan. “You won’t believe the crap I had to go through to get here. Why the hell didn’t I walk around that damned dune? Are those dates any good?”
§
The three of them were sitting around a small campfire. The clear day had turned to dusk and dusk was slowly turning to night. This was something they hadn’t seen since coming onto the floor, and it had them feeling positive about the oasis. The oasis was key to getting them to the next floor.
Quinn was pulling apart dry branches that he’d brought in from a cluster of berry bushes and was stacking them into piles according to size.
“I’ve found nothing so far,” he said. “And yet everything tells me the portal is here.”
Owen shook her head. “Not necessarily. To be sure, everything tells us this location is important; it’s the threshold that will bring us back together, after all. That doesn’t mean the portal is here.”
“If not the portal, a sign as to where we go next,” said Asher.
“No portal, no path,” said Quinn. “Not yet.”
“Still, I do love what you’ve done with the place,” said Owen. “And the change in diet is a nice touch.”
“Your own contribution is most welcome, Doctor Owen.”
“Yes, love the plums,” agreed Asher. He had brought a supply of oranges, Quinn had brought apricots, and Owen had brought plums. With this and what had been found at the oasis, they were a lot better off than they had been. Their existing meager supplies would only have lasted a few more days, even at half rations.
“Just doing my part,” said Owen. “Considerate of the Adversary to provide us with such variety.”
“Most curious,” said Asher. “Each variation of the floor with its own variety of tree.”
“Be great if one of the others comes in with the fruit of the ‘steak and eggs’ tree.”
“I’ll take whatever we get,” said Quinn.
And with that the conversation shifted again to their individual journeys in getting to the oasis. At one point along the way Owen was certain she had seen the command center in the fog, someone standing in front of the Quonset hut waving at her. Later, arriving at the tree, she had considered planting herself beneath its branches and waiting for others to show up. In the end, she had continued on.
“I spent the night there,” said Asher. “What about the fence? What made you decide to follow it and not climb over?”
“A no-brainer. I didn’t want to climb over a fence.”
“And from such, worlds are changed,” said Asher.
“And yet you climbed the dune,” said Quinn.
“Yes, and I don’t know why. It is so not like me.”
“You were drawn to the top.”
She frowned and shrugged one shoulder. “You’re probably right, Lieutenant. The bridge, the tree, the fence, the dune, and here to the oasis. Gotta be more than chance.”
“You turned down the Acolyte’s offer,” Quinn stated.
“Hell, not turning back now. I’m just gettin’ started.” Owen stood up with a groan that was half growl. “I’m tired. Where’s my room?”
§
Lisa stood before the Acolyte, the tunnel leading home several paces behind him, its walls swirling and shadowy, the image of those beyond the portal sharp and clear.
“I’d like to be on my way, please,” she said.
“Come now, Miss Powell. Where do you think you can do the most good? Tagging along with the others, struggling from floor to floor with barely enough to eat? Or back home, assisting those working hard each and every day to help the team survive? Be honest.”
“If it’s all the same to you, I think I’ll continue to tag along with the others,” said Lisa, trying her best to sound sure and decisive. She wasn’t completely successful, but she believed she was making her point. “The choice is mine to make, is it not?”
“As I said. I leave it to you.”
“Then I choose to stay.”
The Acolyte bowed his head and slowly dissolved into the mist. Fog drifted into the tunnel, shadows formed and faded. After a few moments the shadows took on a new shape. It looked at first to Lisa like someone walking. He stopped, looked in her direction. He started to raise a hand, and the image dissolved. It formed into a new image…
§
Quinn and Ramos were at the radio, the lieutenant talking with command. Nearby, Costa was working her way up a tree, Owen standing below. Beyond, Susan and Church walked along the oasis perimeter.
Asher, kneeling at the bank of the pond as he filled canteens, stood when he saw Lisa approach.
“Miss Powell, it’s great to see you.”
“Thank you, Professor,” said Lisa. “It’s not here.”
“Excuse me?”
“It’s not here. The portal. It’s not here.” She half turned and pointed back the way she had come. “It’s up there.”
Asher immediately took her meaning. “Come on. You need to speak with the Lieutenant.
§
General Wong absently handed the headset back to Johansen.
“I believe they’re on their way,” he said. “They’re at an oasis of some kind, but they’re on their way to the next floor.”
“That’s great news,” said Captain Adamson.
“Wonderful, just wonderful,” said Banister.
“Yes,” said the general. “Miss Powell found it. Apparently it’s a grape vineyard.”
“A vineyard?” asked Lake. “But how could they know that?”
“A well-manicured vineyard. I believe she could see it.”
§
The team stood at the edge of an expansive vineyard, row after row of vines, heavy with ripening grapes. The vineyard was set on a sunny, gently sloping hillside.
“This… this I can handle,” said Owen.
~ end of episode six
Episode Seven
The Tunnels of Hades
Prolog
Sgt. Costa led the way into the narrow tunnel, moving out ahead far enough to make room for the others of the team to come through the portal behind her.
The rough rock walls were the color of rust; the floor was worn smooth from millennia of dragging footfalls. The low ceiling hung oppressively above them.
There was a bend in the tunnel about twenty feet ahead. From around the bend came an orange-red glow that shimmered along the reddish walls.
Church stepped around Costa. “What do you suppose?”
Costa held out an arm and barred his way. “Let me, Doctor.” She glanced back at Lt. Quinn, who gave her a silent go-ahead.
Costa moved cautiously forward, her right hand resting on the hilt of the knife sheathed on her belt. Church gave her a few steps before starting forward again. Quinn had to reach out and gently take hold of his arm.
“Give her a sec, Doctor.”
Sgt. Costa stopped just before the bend, took another half step and stopped again. She was silhouetted in the orange-red glow. The light shimmered, creating shadows across her face.
“Oh, boy,” she mumbled.
“What is it, Sergeant?” asked Quinn.
“I’m not sure, Lieutenant.” She hesitated. “I think it’s the Ferryman.”
“You mean—”
“Shall we?” Church pulled away from Quinn, followed after Costa as the sergeant disappeared around the bend.
The tunnel opened into a great cavern, the ceiling so high above them there were hints of wispy cloud in the air. The walls stretched out for a thousand feet in both directions before gradually curving around and reaching to the distant far side of the cavern.
The Black Tower: The Complete Series Page 20