“What are they?” Adam 359 asked. “There’s so many of them.”
“I’ve no idea,” Eve 359 replied. “I wonder if they were around when our ancestors were alive?”
They arrived at the base of the tor, looking up towards the summit. They knew the signal was coming from inside, but they saw no sign of an entrance. “There must be a door or an opening,” Orlac 552 suggested. “Do you think it’ll be down here or on top?”
“Let’s start down here,” Eve 221 replied. “If we walk around the base of the hill, maybe we’ll find something.”
Eve 221 led the way, clockwise around the base of the tor. The sun continued to shine down on them, warming their skin. After almost ten minutes, Eve 221 stopped at the sight of five large stone monoliths, the strange symbols carved into their surface almost washed away by four thousand years of weathering. As she ran her fingers along the remaining grooves which littered their surfaces, a sudden sound startled her, drawing her attention back to the base of the hill.
“What’s that?” she asked, reaching for her plasma rifle.
“I think that’s our way in,” Adam 359 replied, pointing towards the slowly opening sliding doors.
Chapter 6
The Sword
28th September 5981
“Fine, fine work,” Merlin said to himself. “Even if I do say so myself!”
Merlin had spent a month working with pieces of alien technology the drones had scavenged, trying to understand how they worked and adapting them to suit his needs. He used the large mechanical arms to cut and shape a piece of the alien alloy into a lightweight and durable sword, more than a match for the original Excalibur in his not so humble opinion.
Merlin switched his attention to one of the drones, high above the British countryside. He swooped and hovered, flew low behind a herd of deer as they ran ahead of a pack of hungry wolves, and climbed high above the clouds, gliding on the warm currents as the solar panels recharged.
“I should have done this years ago!” Merlin exclaimed. “Maybe I did, I can’t seem to remember. Part of the process of transferring my memories I expect. I wonder if one of those graves near the entrance is mine? No matter, I’m sure I had a good reason. A Wizard of my calibre wouldn’t transfer his mind into an infernal machine otherwise! I suppose even a Wizard such as I would have to die some time, and what better way to live on in this modern age.”
Merlin enjoyed being merged with the computer, or the computational machine as he referred to it. He had access to the library of the Ark, and the myriad of cameras and mechanical devices he was connected too allowed him to do so many things at once. His only concern was his lack of magic. He’d had it before the joining, he was sure of it, and the evidence in the Ark seemed to support his assumption. He just wasn’t able to summon it anymore.
It bothered him occasionally, especially during the moments when his mind seemed to drift, to focus on a past he couldn’t quite remember. He no longer slept, or dreamt, but he would have the occasional flash, an image or a fragment of sound. Names would come to him, Caruthers, Milford, though sometimes others. He would access the Ark, try find out whose names they belonged to, but just as he seemed close to identifying them, the memory would disappear and he’d struggle to recall what he was looking for.
He’d put it down to senility, a manifestation of his age. From what he had gleamed form the Ark, he had to be several thousand years old, and even for a mind such as his that would take its toll. Even so, there was lingering doubt. It was something he couldn’t identify, more of a feeling that he was being lied to somehow, a truth just beyond his grasp.
Merlin returned the drone to the hangar bay at the top of the installation. He used the cameras to watch as one of the mobile mechanical arms brought the replacement Excalibur down to the main computer laboratory. Just as he was about to have the sword placed upon one of the desks, a sudden thought struck him.
“Of course!” Merlin said aloud. “The true King will need to prove himself.”
He instructed the mechanical arm to return the sword to the maintenance hangar, before driving it out into the world in search of a suitable stone.
*****
30th September 5981
Merlin admired the large boulder, given pride of place within the maintenance bay. The shiny black hilt of the replacement Excalibur rose from the top of it, lit from above by one of the bright lamps attached to rollers on the ceiling.
“Perfect,” Merlin said. “Now, if only the King would arrive. Doesn’t he realise that Wizards of my calibre do not like to be kept waiting? I’ll be having words when he finally bothers to make an appearance.”
*****
10th July 6238
Merlin spotted the movement on one of the external cameras. He dismissed it at first, long since reacting with excitement every time a bird or cow triggered the motion sensors. If he’d been capable, he would have done a double take as he saw the image of the human woman bend down and run her hands over the large gravestones that lay before the tor.
The cameras focussed on each of the figures, two human and one, something else. He compared the image to those of the alien bodies in storage within the base. The appearance was very different, and the figure appeared to be friendly towards the humans.
As Merlin focussed on the human male, he knew the time had finally come. He was everything King Arthur would be. Tall with the build of a mighty warrior, his face handsome, betraying his noble bloodline.
His King, reborn at last.
“Finally!” Merlin exclaimed, opening the doors to the maintenance hangar.
Chapter 7
Reunion
Earth year 6238
Adam 359 was the first to cross the threshold, stepping into the enormous hangar hidden beneath Glastonbury Tor. Lights flickered on above him, illuminating the twelve large drone aircraft, arranged in two lines of six to his left and right. At the back of the hangar, the four large mechanical arms lay still, awaiting instructions from below. The focus of the hangar though was the large boulder in its centre, the hilt of the sword Excalibur glinting beneath the spotlights.
“What is this place?” Eve 221 asked from behind him.
“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Adam 359 said. “What do you think it’s all for?”
“Those look like aerial craft of some kind,” Orlac 552 suggested. “Perhaps your ancestors used them to fly?”
Adam 359 stepped closer to the nearest drone, running his hand along the composite carbon fibre wing. As he touched it, the speakers began emitting a mixture of sounds and tones that made no sense to them, putting them all on edge.
Merlin paused. He’d tried speaking to them in English but they didn’t seem to understand. He analysed their speech patterns and compared it to the Ark. Though it didn’t correlate with any known Earth language, it did match some of the data he’d managed to retrieve from one of the fallen alien vessels. He changed his language accordingly and tried again.
“My King!” Merlin announced. “At last you have returned!”
Adam 359, Orlac 552 and Eve 221 raised their plasma rifles, scouring the hangar for the source of the sound. “Who are you?” Eve 221 demanded. “Show yourself!”
“Arthur, my King,” Merlin continued. “It is I, Merlin. I trust you haven’t forgotten me?”Adam 359 looked to Eve 221 and Orlac 552 for inspiration, but none of them understood what the voice meant.
“I’m Adam 359,” Adam 359 said. “Are you human, like me? Is this truly our home world?”
“My King, surely you jest,” Merlin replied. “You are King Arthur, heir to the throne of Great Britain. It was I who brought you to Avalon, that you may restore yourself and return to save humanity. I would recognise you anywhere! Was your rebirth so traumatic that you forget your own name?”
Adam 359 remembered his emergence from the incubation pod, the fear and confusion as he fought for breath, only to be deposited on the cold hard floor to be inspected by one of the Mori guards. “I, I d
on’t know,” Adam 359 said honestly.
“We were slaves of the Mori,” Eve 221 said. “Please, are you human, like us?”
“Lady Guinevere,” Merlin said. “You are more beautiful than I remember. I am so pleased you were able to return with your King, he would be heartbroken without you.”
“No, wait,” Adam 359 protested. “That’s Eve 221, and we’re not, whatever you were talking about. She got us away from the asteroid and flew us here.”
“You’ve learned to fly, Arthur?” Merlin asked. “It was my magic, no doubt. Come forth and claim Excalibur!”
“What is it talking about?” Orlac 552 whispered.
“It? IT!” Merlin exclaimed. “I am not an it! I am Merlin, the greatest Wizard who ever lived! And you, Lancelot, I remember you. Raised by the Lady of the Lake, part fae and part man, you always had an otherworldly look about you.
“I remember when you took your place as a Knight of the Round Table, the oath you swore to your King. I know also of your pursuit of Lady Guinevere. Beware, Lancelot, I will be keeping a close eye on you.”
“I’m sorry, Adam 359” Orlac 552 said. “There’s clearly something wrong here. We should return to the ship.”
“Be silent, knave,” Merlin demanded. “This is a matter for the King! Step forth and claim your sword and, by right, your throne.”
“Just keep an eye on the door,” Adam 359 whispered. “If it starts to close, we all run. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” Eve 221 replied.
“If I do as you ask,” Adam 359 continued, “will you tell us what’s going on?”
“Claim the sword,” Merlin replied. “Prove to me who I know you to be, and I will forever be your guide and mentor.”
“Okay,” Adam 359 said. “What is it you want me to do?”
“The sword, man!” Merlin said exasperatedly. “Retrieve the sword from the stone, as only the rightful King can!”
Adam 359 stepped to the stone and placed his hands around the grip. The metal of the hilt looked to be the same as the Mori ships, a deep black which reflected the light all around him. It had a coarse feel to it, roughened to prevent his hand slipping. The guard was curved and had intricate ornate carvings, while the blade was buried deep within the rock.
As his fingers closed around the blade, it seemed to vibrate slightly in his grip, humming almost as he drew it back effortlessly from the stone in which it was placed. The blade was almost a metre in length with more decorative swirls near the hilt, and shaped with curves before it narrowed to a finely honed point. The sword was almost weightless as he lifted it.
“I knew it,” Merlin said, his voice full of happiness. “King Arthur, I knew it was you.”
*****
“I did as you asked,” Adam 359 said. “Come out and show yourself, tell us what’s going on.”
“Ah,” Merlin said. “A slight problem there, my King. It appears my body must have perished at some point as I waited, and I transferred myself to this computational machine. I am here, but I cannot step forth.”
“It’s a computer?” Orlac 552 asked.
“I am a Wizard!” Merlin replied. “Do not mistake my lack of physical form for weakness, Lancelot.” To demonstrate his point, the mechanical arms at the end of the hangar sprang to life, advancing towards them, grips opening and closing menacingly.
“Sorry, Wizard,” Orlac 552 replied.
“I have waited centuries for you to return, Arthur,” Merlin continued. “What has taken so long? Did Avalon not sustain you as I’d hoped?”
“We were slaves of the Mori,” Adam 359 explained.
“The Mori,” Merlin said. “Demons from the foulest of realms no doubt. Yet you managed to escape and free your companions too? Without Excalibur? Truly the stuff of legend.”
“Just hold on there,” Eve 221 objected. “The escape was down to me I’ll have you know.”
“Arthur, noble in all things,” Merlin replied.
Adam 359 chuckled before saying, “You still haven’t told us what’s going on? What happened to all the humans? The ship said this is our home world?”
Merlin switched on one of the large screens in the maintenance bay and began to stream footage from the alien invasion. He first showed them images from the attack at Sydney, followed by footage from elsewhere in the world.
“That’s the Mori hive ship,” Orlac 552 said. “They took you from your home world and turned you into slaves, just as we thought.”
“It was all lies,” Eve 221 said. “Why would Gar-Wan lie to me like that? I thought he was trying to help.”
“So those are the same demons who enslaved you?” Merlin asked. “Their treachery is more widespread than I imagined. And yet, the people they took still live? There is hope for them yet!”
“Hope?” Adam 359 asked.
“Why, to free them, Arthur,” Merlin replied. “To break the shackles of slavery and return them to their homes.”
“Just the three of us?” Adam 359 asked.
“Four,” Merlin reminded him.
“Okay, the four of us,” Adam 359 said. “You think the four of us can defeat the Mori hive ship and free all the slaves?”
“My magic is greater than any army,” Merlin insisted. “And now that you wield Excalibur once more, none may defeat you.”
Adam 359 stood, swinging Excalibur before him. “I suppose it’s a good sword,” he agreed, “but what good is it against a plasma rifle? This is crazy.”
“While I’ll admit it is not the original Excalibur, it is still no simple sword,” Merlin explained. “The Mori, as you call them, have many ingenious devices. Their metals are so light and yet so strong, and their vessels manipulate gravity in ways I still do not fully understand. Within the sword is part of that technology, for the edge will never dull nor break.”
Adam 359 swung the sword at one of the steel supports, cutting through it as easily as air. “Okay,” he remarked. “That’s pretty amazing.”
“Once the people see that their King has returned,” Merlin continued, “they will rally behind you.”
“Okay, yes, I can see that,” Adam 359 replied, tentatively taking a few well-timed steps towards the door. “Erm, Guinevere, Lancelot, maybe we should have a discussion, come up with a plan to free the slaves?”
“Ah, yes,” Orlac 552 replied. “Ada-, I mean Arthur. Let’s do that right now.”
“Time is of the essence,” Eve 221 agreed, following them out into the sunshine.
*****
As soon as they were out of the door they broke into a sprint, only stopping when they were almost back to the ship. “Just so we’re agreed,” Adam 359 said in between deep breaths, “this is all crazy, right? We’re not whoever that machine thinks we are? That’s impossible.”
“No way,” Orlac 552 agreed. “How could it remember me? This isn’t even my home planet!”
“Guinevere,” Eve 221 said, testing the name. “Gwen. I suppose it’s better than Eve.”
“You’re not thinking we should go along with this, are you?” Adam 359 asked with surprise.
“Oh no,” Eve 221 replied. “Whatever’s going on with that computer in there, we’re best out of it.”
They walked back to the ship at a more leisurely pace, climbing the gangway and taking their seats in the cockpit. “What now?” Eve 221 asked sombrely. “When we found Earth, when it was real, I thought this was it. I thought we could actually free the slaves just as Gar-Wan wanted.”
“What of the Dorgan home world?” Adam 359 suggested.
“If the Mori laid waste to your species,” Orlac 552 said. “it’s likely they did the same on my home world too. It may be a wasted journey.”
“Where else do we go?” Eve 221 asked. “We can’t free the slaves by ourselves, no matter what that crazy computer thinks.”
“Is the Dorgan home world in the navigation system?” Adam 359 asked.
Eve 221 pulled one of the screens towards her and began to tap icons as she searched. “It is,
” she said at last. “Seven jumps.”
“Then plot a course,” Adam 359 replied.
“Yes, my King,” Eve said with a smirk.
Eve 221 closed the gangway and prepared the ship to take off. As it began to climb, a burst of static through the intercom was followed by a sudden appearance of an elderly man standing in the middle of the cockpit. They had never seen anything like it before. He stood at a little over five feet, with long white hair and a long white beard. He was dressed in floor length pale blue robes and was resting on a gnarled wooden cane.
“What’s that?” Adam 359 exclaimed, trying to climb out of his chair despite the harness securing him.
“Do you not recognise me, Arthur?” Merlin asked.
“It’s that messed up machine,” Orlac 552 remarked. “How did it get here?”
“I’ve made extensive studies of the alien technology left behind after the attack,” Merlin explained, ignoring Orlac 552’s derogatory comment. “Their computational devices aren’t too dissimilar to mine. It was a simple matter of transferring my mind from Avalon to here.”
“Why would you do that?” Adam 359 demanded.
“Arthur?” Merlin asked. “Have I done something to offend you?”
“Eve 221?” Adam 359 asked.
“It’s everywhere,” Eve 221 said, frantically swiping at readouts on the various displays. “It’s in every system, it’s taken over the whole ship.”
“A remarkable vessel,” Merlin said admiringly. “In your haste to begin the quest, I fear you almost forgot to take me with you. It was fortuitous I was able to join you so easily.”
“We didn’t forget,” Adam 359 replied. “Look, we’re not who you think we are. There’s something wrong with you.”
“King Arthur!” Merlin bellowed, his voice echoing throughout the ship. “I have waited centuries for your return, sacrificed my magic that I may preserve my mind inside this infernal machine, and all so you may achieve your destiny. How dare you speak to me this way!” Adam 359 and the others were stunned, unsure how to respond.
X-Calibur: The Return Page 7