Carnival of Time

by Alan MacRaffen

  “Caleb,” Carlos said, leaning over the boy and waving at the agitated insects. “What is it? What do you see?”

  Caleb said nothing, still holding his breath as he stepped back from the body, clutching a large, heavy object in his hand. He turned away from the carcass, coughing and resisting the urge to vomit. When he had caught his breath, he held the object up for Carlos to see.

  It was a large, curved tooth, covered in a thick coating of crusted blood. Caleb picked at the layer of gore, flicking away dried chunks to reveal the smooth white enamel beneath. The tooth was over seven inches long, looking even larger in Caleb’s small hand. The tip of the tooth was somewhat worn and rounded from wear, but the edges were still lethally serrated—sharp enough that Caleb had to take care not to slice his fingers.

  Caleb just stood there for a moment, staring at the tooth as he cradled it in both hands. A cold chill seemed to have settled in the pit of his stomach, as he recalled the day he had watched wild turkeys from the boulder pile a few short miles from where he now stood. In his mind, the memory played back with crystal clarity. The mysterious rumbling and rhythmic thumping of unseen footsteps. The gigantic shadow that had swept past his hiding place. The distant roar after the beast had gone. And the footprints—just like the ones in his book.

  “Caleb?” Carlos said, patting the boy’s shoulder. “Caleb, what’s wrong?”

  Caleb looked up at Carlos, as if suddenly recalling the old man’s presence.

  “I think there’s more to worry about than just ceratosaurs,” Caleb said quietly.

  Carlos cast a frightened glance at the hulking corpse behind Caleb.

  “What? What’s worse than that thing? What kind of tooth is that, anyway?”

  Caleb hefted the tooth, looking at it with a mix of awe and fear. “This came from something much bigger, and much more dangerous than that,” he said, pointing at the body. “This belonged to a Tyrannosaurus rex.”

  “THIS DOESN’T FEEL RIGHT. WHY HASN’T anyone spotted us yet?” Garner scowled nervously at the gargantuan structure looming over the small, wave-tossed dinghies.

  Tess said nothing, hauling steadily on the oars with her slender but powerful arms. Caleb shook his head silently, unsure of the answer. He cast a quick look behind him, scanning the star-filled sky for Ne Shaazi ships. There were none of the telltale red glows in the sky, only the soft white shapes of the Freewind’s sails as it raced away toward the dark horizon. Caleb patted the small flare gun tucked in his belt. He hoped that Captain Chaney’s sharp eyes would spot the emergency signal if they needed him.

  Caleb pushed these troubling thoughts from his mind for the moment, looking over at the other dinghy. The boat was crewed by four old-bloods of Garner’s original caravan—Hank, Eric, Gabe and Rebecca. The old-bloods there seemed nervous and excited, but not panicked. Good, Caleb thought. Maybe we’ll get out of this alive after all.

  A deep snort and soft splashing drew Caleb’s gaze to the other side of the small boat. Chuck was there, treading water and occasionally snorting a spray of irritating seawater from her nostrils. She moved easily in the water, buoyed by her large lungs and propelled by her long, powerful tail and hind legs. Even though Chuck was almost completely submerged, the silhouette of her body was clearly visible, lit by a mysterious green glow emanating from numerous unknown sources in the depths.

  Garner shot a brief, skeptical glance at the beast, then shook his head in resignation. Most of the others doubted the wisdom of bringing the huge animal with them, but they could do nothing about it now. Chuck had become increasingly agitated when Caleb had boarded the dinghy. When the boat was finally lowered into the water, she had smashed open the doors to the cargo deck and come crashing up onto the main deck, rocking the ship dangerously before diving into the water with a tremendous splash. There was nothing Caleb could do at that point to discourage the powerful swimmer from following them, so Caleb had done what he could to keep her as quiet as possible.

  Caleb turned to look again at the massive structure rising up out of the water in front of them. The original features of the Empire State Building were barely recognizable this close. Walls that had once been smooth, sculpted steel and gleaming glass were now chaotic patchworks of rusted metal. Most of the large glass windows had either been broken or removed. On the lower floors, close to the water, the gaping holes were patched with layers of mismatched metal plates and panels. Here and there, the waterproof armor was pierced by large, heavy metal doors with locking wheel mechanisms—the sort found on ships and submarines. These led out onto wide platforms and walkways, which in turn led down to the various piers and floating docks that skirted the towers. Above the armored lower levels, most of the windows simply stood open, some still edged with the cracked remnants of their old glass panes. Beyond these gaping portals, a random scattering of dim lights cast crooked, angular shadows across the buildings’ internal structures.

  As they neared the silent tower with its broken, gaping side, Caleb peered up into the shadows of the inner structure, searching for movement and any hints as to the building’s current function. Although nothing seemed to be moving, he was able to make out some sort of tubular inner structure contained within the outer rectangular frame. He was certain that tube wasn’t part of the original structure, but he could only guess what purpose it might serve.

  Tess shot Caleb a concerned look as she slowed the dinghy to a near stop only a couple of yards from the closest dock.

  “Garner’s right,” she whispered. “I’m glad no one’s spotted us yet, but on the other hand, don’t you think they should have by now?”

  Caleb looked uncertainly at the empty docks and silent windows. “Well, I… uh…”

  “Do not have worry,” Krezahu said softly from the back of the boat. “Two things bring us comfort tonight. First: The Ne Shaazi are arrogant, and do not fear anything here in their secret place of strength. They can barely conceive that anyone or anything could harm them in the midst of their hollow glory. Second: I am a Kmuuvkuuz, a Sleep-Seer of some skill. For one who feels the World Tree, it is an easy enough thing to turn others’ minds away from one’s presence. Aiding us is the fact that the minds of the Ne Shaazi are cluttered, noisy and turned inward upon themselves. As long as we do not do anything drastic to alert their physical senses, they will not see through the mask of stillness that I have drawn over our minds.”

  “Oh,” Tess whispered uncertainly. “Okay, well, I think I feel better now.” Garner grunted something unintelligible under his breath.

  With a silent hand signal, Caleb beckoned the second dinghy to join them at the small floating dock. Caleb got out first, tying the boat to a metal railing and lending a steadying hand to the others as they got out. The four old-bloods in the other dinghy joined Caleb and the others just as Chuck reached the dock. The larger old-bloods swore in harsh whispers and teetered precariously as the eager dinosaur attempted to climb up onto the wobbling dock. With a combination of glaring looks and stern body language, Caleb convinced her to climb up onto the solid stairs to which the dock was attached.

  The group proceeded silently up the metal stairs and across the cement pier to one of the large metal doors near the corner of the building. Caleb turned around at the door and took a deep breath, casting a nervous look back at the others.

  “Well, let’s hope they’re cocky enough not to have locks,” he whispered.

  The entire group held their collective breath as Caleb tugged at the latch mechanism. With only a little resistance, the wheel spun under Caleb’s hands. With a dull metallic clunk and a low groan, the door slowly swung open. The dim lights within revealed a short, wide hall with high ceilings, patched together from mismatched metal plates. After about fifteen feet, the hall ended at a broad descending staircase.

  With a nod of encouragement from the others, Caleb led the small group through the hall and down the staircase. His heart pounded in his chest, blending with the sound of distant rumbling engines and machin
ery. At each step, Caleb half-expected the entire building to ring with alarms, but he pressed on, reminding himself of Krezahu’s psychic shield.

  The staircase ended at the next level down, opening into a roughly constructed, steam-filled corridor that extended further into the building. Through the drifting vapor, Caleb thought he could see the corridor curve and open up into a large chamber to the right. Deep, reverberating echoes could be heard, and the metallic grind of machinery grew more distinct. The group slowed as they approached the end of the tunnel, not sure what to expect in the chamber beyond. When they were only ten feet away from the opening, Caleb suddenly froze.

  Garner tensed and Tess gasped in surprise as a flickering red glow filled the chamber beyond, shining dimly through the billowing steam. Caleb shuffled backwards as quickly and quietly as possible, pushing the others back behind him. Chuck groaned softly as the dark shape of a Ne Shaazi scout ship drifted down past the opening, temporarily eclipsing the light before continuing downward.

  Caleb stood in panicked silence for a moment, then slowly began edging back toward the opening as curiosity won out over fear. Through the obscuring clouds of steam, he could make out a large, dark opening in the far wall—the other side of the giant hole visible from the building’s exterior. Taking care to watch for any other signs of movement, Caleb leaned out over the ledge and peered down. The corridor opened into a gigantic circular shaft, the same tubular structure Caleb had seen from outside the tower. The Ne Shaazi ship was already several stories below them and still descending steadily.

  The others slowly crept forward to watch as well. By the time they were all gathered at the opening, the ship had reached the bottom of the shaft more than a thousand feet below them. From such a dizzying height, the craft looked like nothing more than a small toy.

  Caleb glanced to the side as Garner reached into a pocket on his vest and withdrew the small trilobite fossil Caleb had left him after their first meeting. The hulking old-blood held the fossil in his stocky, outstretched hand and eyed the tiny craft below, noting their identical shape and seemingly similar size. As Garner tucked the trilobite back in his pocket, a low, grating rumble echoed up the immense shaft.

  Caleb could see a line of light shine across the front of the ship, then spread wider as a pair of gigantic doors slid open in the side of the shaft. The group watched silently as the vessel drifted forward and vanished into the opening. With another rumble of distant machinery, the doors closed, leaving the great shaft dark and empty once more.

  Garner shot Caleb a quick glance. “Well, there’s definitely something down there,” he said warily. “But this is practically a bottomless pit. We’ve got to find some other way down unless we want to hop onto the next passing ship.”

  “How about this?” Tess called from midway down the hallway. She was barely visible through the billowing vapors, leaning out of some sort of side door. “We walked right past it before—you can hardly find it through all the steam,” she said as the others approached. “It’s some sort of door, but I don’t know how to open it. It might be an elevator or something.”

  Caleb, Garner and Krezahu leaned close, inspecting the door. It was large, roughly eight feet tall, and made of reinforced metal. There was no sign of any kind of handle or latch mechanism. Caleb scanned the doorframe, expecting to see some sort of security keypad or lock. He was surprised to find a simple pair of buttons marked with “up” and “down” arrows.

  “Well,” Caleb whispered, “I suppose if there weren’t any alarms when we came in, this won’t set anything off…”

  Before Caleb could finish the thought, Krezahu reached up and pressed the “down” button. With a quiet hiss, the door slid open smoothly, revealing a very large, dimly lit elevator car.

  “Hoo-hoo,” Krezahu chuckled quietly as he hopped inside. “No alarms. We are fortunate, yes?”

  Caleb shook his head silently as he followed the Awaru into the elevator. “I hope you don’t make a habit of pushing every button we find,” he grumbled.

  Krezahu simply chuckled in response.

  Chuck quickly slipped in through the large doorway, hovering protectively next to Caleb. Garner, Tess and the other old-bloods hurried in after her. Once the others were inside, Caleb scanned the interior controls and pushed a button marked “Hangar.”

  “Let’s hope no one’s expecting us,” he mumbled under his breath.

  Chuck groaned pitifully as the elevator lurched into motion. Caleb and the others leaned on the walls to steady themselves as the car rushed down its shaft at dizzying speed.

  In the back of the elevator, Eric craned his long neck down and whispered nervously. “Has anyone else noticed that it was past midnight when we came in here?”

  The others simply nodded silently.

  “I was just thinking that that means it’s the thirty-first,” he continued. “You know, Halloween? Kind of an ironic time to go barging into the realm of evil, don’t you think?”

  Tess turned around to glare up at the tall old-blood. “Thanks for pointing that out. I’m sure that makes us all feel much better.” Caleb stifled a nervous chuckle.

  “Be nice, Tess,” Garner said. “We’re all on edge right now. Let’s not start snapping at each other.”

  “Sorry, Eric,” Tess muttered.

  “It’s okay,” he said. “It just occurred to me, that’s all.”

  The group fell silent as the elevator began to slow, then came to a stop. Everyone moved to the sides of the car as the door slid open, unsure of what was waiting for them on the other side.

  Caleb and Krezahu peered out together. The door opened into a large concrete corridor. Distant noises echoed within the stony walls—the sounds of machines and faint voices.

  Sensing no movement, Caleb stepped out into the corridor. It was quite large, roughly thirty feet wide and twenty feet high, and extended about a hundred feet out. The walls were smooth, but the floor was rough and worn from frequent use. A bundle of heavy cables was suspended along the ceiling, with small, dim lights hanging every five feet or so. A faint breeze blew through the passage, carrying a mingled scent of old machinery and organic decay. About halfway down, the smooth walls were interrupted by an intersecting tunnel, making a four-way intersection. At the far end of the main corridor was a set of wide metal doors, fifteen feet high. Caleb could see a security keypad set into the wall, and a small glass window in the center of the right door. Flickering red light shone out through the dusty glass, and a low rumbling hum could be heard.

  “That must be the hangar,” Caleb said.

  Garner nodded, his powerful jaw clenched nervously.

  “We’re underground,” Tess whispered. “Under the ocean floor…”

  “Yeah, but it wasn’t always the ocean floor,” Caleb reminded her. “This is New York City. We’re somewhere under the foundations of the Empire State Building. There could be miles and miles of tunnels that the Ne Shaazi have sealed off to use as a fortress. Subway stations, sewers, parking garages—there’s no telling what we’ll find down here.”

  “Well, we’d better start looking around then,” Garner said.

  Caleb nodded, looking up and down the corridor. “I don’t think we should mess around with the hangar yet; better to get a good look around before anyone realizes we’re here.”

  Garner nodded. “Which way, then?”

  “This way,” Caleb said, pointing to the right-hand passage. “We should be headed south. If I remember my maps right, the Empire State Building is close to the middle of Manhattan. There was a larger concentration of big buildings at the south end of the island. If I was going to set up an underwater base here, I would put it somewhere to the south of us.”

  Garner grunted an agreement, and the others followed into the side tunnel.

  The tunnel branched off at a right angle for about thirty feet before sloping upward in a shallow ramp. After a couple of hundred feet, the ramp leveled out and turned sharply right before opening into a large, dim
ly lit chamber.

  Before he had even reached the opening, Caleb could clearly identify the chamber beyond as an old subway station. As he passed out of the tunnel onto the station’s main platform, Caleb noted the rough edges of the doorway. It looked as though this access tunnel had been added later as a means of direct entry from the tower.

  The rest of the group followed Caleb out onto the tiled floor, looking all around the cavernous room for any signs of movement. There was no sign of any activity, other than the gentle breeze that blew by carrying the sounds and smells of old machinery. Caleb moved to the edge of the platform and peered down at the tracks. The main rails were clean and well maintained, but the third rail was what really drew his attention.

  “Hey,” he said, gesturing for the others to come over. “Look at this.” He pointed to the third rail. It seemed to be made of something other than metal—a strange plastic-like material that gleamed with dark, reddish-purple highlights.

  “Isn’t that the stuff they had on the ships?” Garner asked.

  “Ouk, yes,” Krezahu clucked. He reached into a small pouch tucked under his poncho and withdrew a bundle of wires made of the same material. “From the Destroyer-ship,” he said. “This is what carries the power you once had.”

  “You mean electricity,” Caleb clarified.

  “Kuu-kuu! Yes—electricity.”

  “So after the Shard-Mind warped the earth’s magnetic field, this weird plastic is the only stuff that will carry a steady electrical charge, right?”

  “Yes,” Krezahu answered happily. “You understand well.”

  Caleb nodded and turned to the others. “Okay, here’s the deal. We’re going to have to go down the tunnel if we want to get anywhere, but it looks like the Ne Shaazi are still using the subways, so don’t touch the third rail, and keep an ear out for any noises.”

  The others nodded in agreement. Caleb, Tess and Krezahu leapt down onto the tracks, while the larger old-bloods helped lower each other down one at a time. Chuck came last, whining and snorting pitifully before finally hopping down with an echoing thump. Caleb looked at Chuck and the larger old-bloods, then at the small alcoves on the sides of the tunnel.