“You must be Gabrielle.” Adam said, as he turned away from Jonah. She eyed him suspiciously.
“You don’t know me.”
“True enough. But I know of you.” He turned to Jericho. “And you are Jericho.” He said as he approached him. Jericho took a step back, as his hand tightened on his weapon. “It’s okay.” Adam said softly, a slight smile on his face. He turned back to Jonah. “You are injured.” He said as he approached him. “Let me help.” He said, as he escorted him over to a chair and eased him into it. He stepped to a panel on the wall, opened it, and removed a metallic syringe. He walked back to Jonah. “This might hurt a bit, but it will repair your injury.”
“What is it?” Jonah asked.
“Tiny little machines that work on a nanoscopic level. They are already programmed to make the repair.” He said as he injected him near the wound. Jonah flinched from the injection, but instantly his face relaxed. “There is a mild sedative in the injection as well to help with your pain.” He looked over at Gabrielle and Jericho. “Quite remarkable aren’t they.” As he visually inspected the two of them.
“Who are you?” Jericho asked.
“I am Adam.”
“No. I know what you are called. I mean, who are you? What is this place?”
“Yes, of course. I am Adam. This is my home.” He said as he swept his hand around and indicated the large room they occupied. “And this place? This place is what we call Speros.”
“What is Speros?” Gabrielle interjected. Adam turned to her. His smile never wavered. The blondness of his hair, contrasted demurely with his tan complexion.
“Something you may call a factory, of sorts. Certainly we make things here.”
“What things?” Jonah asked, as he moved his shoulder, testing to see if the pain had really began to subside.
“My old friend. It is so good to see you again. After these many years.”
“What things.” Jericho asked again.
“Oh many things, really.” He stepped across the room and took a seat. “Please sit.” He indicated the other open chairs and couches in the center of the room. No one moved. He laughed easily. “Please sit. You are quite safe here. And all of your questions will soon be answered.” He indicated again that they should sit. Jonah moved first, and then reluctantly Jericho followed. Gabrielle remained standing. “You must be hungry.” Adam said, and waived his hand in a peculiar motion. “Jillian. Food and drink please.”
“Yes, Adam.” Responded a female voice from thin air.
“What things?” Jericho asked again, having settled into an oversized chair. Adam continued to smile easily.
“Food. And drink, for starters. We provide all of the food for New Sebastian.”
“The meats?” Jonah asked.
“And the sparkle waters. Even the liquids and foodstuffs provided in the…Village…I believe that is what you call it?” He said to Jericho, who nodded.
“But this is just a tall building. How can you provide the meats. Where do you keep the animals?” Jonah asked.
“Animals?” Adam asked, as a puzzled expression entered his face. “Oh, Jonah. There have not been any animals for hundreds of years.”
“Then what is the meat that we eat?” Jonah asked, a twinge of nervousness entered his voice.
“It is quite safe you know. And nutritious.”
“What is it?” Jonah’s voice betrayed his concern.
“It is meat.” Adam said simply.
“Meat from what?” Jonah’s voice carried a hint of animosity that Adam instantly detected, and his expression changed to one of concern. “Is it human?” Jonah asked, fearful of the answer.
“Human?” Adam replied, the confusion evident in his expression. “What ever would make you think that, Jonah.” Adam said, as his expression softened back into the slight smile. “It is of animal origin. We grow the sections of meat here on Speros, from tissue cultures harvested long ago from animal specimens before they became extinct. It truly is meat, Jonah. Animal meat. There are simply no animals.” Jonah relaxed at this answer. “We long ago introduced genetic enhancements to the tissue cultures, allowing for most of the necessary nutrients needed by humans to be absorbed or generated by the growth process. The only differences between the two types that we make, are color and a slight flavor variation. Purely for semantics, really. I little diversity in the diet, so to speak. And the sweet bread, the cakes…we had to add those as some of the needed complex sugars and carbohydrates could not reliably be introduced into the meat product. So they help round out a balanced uptake of the appropriate vitamins and minerals.”
The door slid open and a young woman entered carrying a tray. She crossed the room and set it on the low table in the center of the grouping of seats.
“Thank you, Jillian. Won’t you please join us?” Adam asked. She nodded, and took a seat next to him.
“Jonah.” She said, as she smiled at his dazed expression.
“I thought you…” He began to stammer.
“Were dead?” She asked, as the smile lingered on her face.
“Well, yes.” He replied. “Long ago.” He looked from her to Adam. “Both of you. Long ago.”
“We have developed some remarkable technologies over the years.” Adam said. “Jonah, how does your shoulder feel?”
“Better.” Jonah said, and smiled slightly. Adam gestured towards the food and drink on the tray.
“Please, help yourselves.” Jonah, reached out, his hand hovered over a piece of meat. The same meat he had eaten all of his life, yet he hesitated. Adam smiled, and nodded. Jonah picked up the piece and took a bite. Jericho shoved a sweet bun in his mouth, and snapped the top off of a bottle of sparkle water.
“What kind of technologies?” Gabrielle asked, as she did her best to ignore the food. “Do you have a village here?” She asked sarcastically.
“A village?” Asked Jillian, not understanding.
“Oh goodness, no. Nothing of the sort.” Adam replied, as he mirrored the concern in Gabrielle’s face. “Mostly biotechnologies. Some biomechanical integration. A few nanomolecular solutions, like that I have used on Jonah. But nothing like your village, I assure you.”
“What is this village you speak of?” Jillian asked Gabrielle.
“It is the place referred to as farm.” Adam said to her softly, and then spoke to the group. “I apologize for the use of the terminology. Our citizenry is well aware of the dynamics of your society in New Sebastian. It is that very reason why we are here.”
“To perpetuate it?” Jonah asked, as anger flashed in his face. “By providing the very foods we eat?”
“Oh dear, Jonah. Not in anyway have we sought to perpetuate it. Much to the opposite actually. Please let me try and explain. Individually we have come here through the years, because this is the only place we can come. There is no where else to go.”
“But why come here?” Gabrielle asked.
“Precisely.” Adam said. “We have each come here for one of two reasons. Either we did not and would not participate in the atrocities that have kept the human race alive in New Sebastian, or…” Each of them watched him, and as he paused, they waited with both fear and anticipation as to what he may say next. “…or because we were dying.”
“Dying?” Jonah asked.
“You know of Jillian’s case, do you not? She was unable to take the rejuvenation treatments, and was on the verge of death.” Jonah nodded. “And you know of my case?”
“No.” Jonah replied. “I know what I was made to believe. That you had died in the ocean. That it had been my fault.” Jonah said, the sadness entered his voice, even though he knew it was not true.
“The truth is much much simpler. I had overheard Roger and his father speaking.” He began. “The Premier was already grooming Roger, even at that early age, and was explaining to him the rejuvenation process. In that short conversation, I heard the horrors of how our society perpetuated their youth. I learned about
the farm. And of the specimens…” He paused and took a moment to compose himself. “The humans that populated the village, and of how they were indiscriminately slaughtered.” He saw the expression in Gabrielle’s face change. “Please forgive my choice of words. I do not mean to upset you. Suffice it to say, I refused to be a part of it. Afterwards Roger and I had a huge fight, and ultimately he told his farther what I had heard. The Premier had me brought to his office, and I had two options. Accept the society as it was, and pledge my undying loyalty to uphold the secrets I had heard, or…” He sat up, and looked into his lap. “Or, be ostracized from that society.” He got up, and walked to the glass wall, and looked out across the vast ocean. He could just see the ship at the edge of the horizon as it sailed away. He nodded.
“I take it, you chose the later.” Jonah said quietly. Adam nodded.
“I was the first citizen of Speros. All those years ago. When I first came here, the building we stand in now did not exist. It was just the manufacturing plants beneath us. Everything was automated. I would snatch bits of food and drink from the processing lines, just to survive. It was over a hundred years before I ever saw another human being.”
“You poor, dear.” Jillian said.
“Does Charles know that you are here?” Jonah asked Jillian. She shook her head.
“He knows I came. But I was on the verge of death then. I can’t imagine after all this time that he still thinks I might be alive.” The sadness showed clearly on her face, but no tears escaped.
“How many of you are there here?” Jericho asked.
“Not counting you of course.” Adam said, indicating the three of them. “There are three of us.”
“Just three?” Jonah asked.
“Just three. All the manufacturing and shipping processes are automated.” He crossed the room and sat back down. “We focus on research and development mostly. Doing our best to improve the chances of humanity surviving…and trying to find solutions to eliminate the need for New Sebastian’s rejuvenation philosophy.”
“And what about the Guardians?” Gabrielle asked.
“The Guardians.” Adam began. “They are manufactured and even repaired here. Again, a totally automatic process. Their base programming was written by the original programmers well before our lifetimes.”
“Why did the Guardians on the ship ignore us?” Jericho asked.
“We’ve made some changes in some of the units. Those on the ship are simply programmed to ensure the ship makes its journey safely. They have no behavior programmed into them regarding humans.”
“But the one listened to my commands.” Jonah said, and Adam nodded.
“They are all programmed to hear human speech, and the ones on the ship will respond to such, as requested. Much like the one through which I communicated with you.”
“What about the damaged ones? The ones in the crate?” Gabrielle asked.
“Oh were there damages aboard?” Adam asked. “Again much of things that happen around here are automated, so I was unaware that there were incoming repairs. They typically would be repaired, reprogrammed with the latest software version, and sent back on the next shipment.”
“And the barrel?” Jericho asked.
“You did not open it did you?” Adam asked, with a touch of concern in his voice.
“No.” Replied Jericho.
“Good.” Adam smiled again. “It contains a rare element, referred to as Promethium. In accumulated form, it can be hazardous to humans. I am thankful you did not open the barrel.”
“This element.” Jericho began. “Where does it come from?”
“Typically it is found in sediment at the bottom of the sea, but only in certain areas. One such area exists right near New Sebastian.” Jericho looked at Gabrielle.
“The factory.” He said, as he remembered his work there, and the careful process of how he had to locate and capture the elusive particles. She nodded, as did Adam.
“Yes. That was one of the purposes of the establishment of the factory in your village. Promethium was once very much needed for our research. And even for our very survival. We have since learned how to synthesize a similar element from sediments found at the bottom of the ocean here, and have even succeeded in improving upon its valuable properties as an energy storage medium. It is this element that now powers the systems here, and even the Guardians.”
“But if you no longer need it, then why is it still being shipped here.” Jonah asked.
“It is part of our trade system with New Sebastian. It was established long ago, and since we do not have frequent communication with them, it continues. We empty the barrels back into the sea, and reload the ship with needed supplies and send it back. They need not know that we don’t require the Promethium any longer. It is more important for the trade to continue.”
“But why?” Asked Jonah. “If you disagree with the entire concept of that society, why do you still help? Why are you still perpetuating it?”
“The trade is an invaluable path to the completion of our plans.” Adam said, as his smile slowly disappeared. “This trade agreement allows us to have input into many things in New Sebastian. And it is this pipeline that has allowed us to move things to the very juncture that we are now entering.” A sound emitted suddenly into the room. Adam looked to Jillian, and she nodded. “If you will? Please excuse me.” He said. “That would be your Premier, and I expect that he is very upset at us all for having duped him into believing the return sequence had been activated.” Adam stood up, gave a short bow and exited the room. Jillian stood as well, and addressed the group.
“If you will? Please follow me. We have some things that we must show you.”
Chapter 46
Immortal Page 45