«I think your theory covers all the known facts,» said Hilvar cautiously. «Unfortunately, it still leaves wide open the biggest problem of all-the original purpose of Diaspar. Why did your people try to pretend that the outer world didn’t exist? That’s a question I’d like to see answered.»
«It’s a question I intend to answer,» replied Alvin. «But I don’t know when-or how.»
So they argued and dreamed, while hour by hour the Seven Suns drifted apart until they had filled that strange tunnel of night in which the ship was riding. Then, one by one, the six outer stars vanished at the brink of darkness and at last only the Central Sun was left. Though it could no longer be fully in their space, it still shone with the pearly light that marked it out from all other stars. Minute by minute its brilliance increased, until presently it was no longer a point but a tiny disc. And now the disc was beginning to expand before them.
There was the briefest of warnings: for a moment a deep, bell-like note vibrated through the room. Alvin clenched the arms of his chair, though it was a futile enough gesture.
Once again the great generators exploded into life, and with an abruptness that was almost blinding, the stars reappeared. The ship had dropped back into space, back into; the Universe of suns and planets, the natural world where; nothing could move more swiftly than light.
They were already within the system of the Seven Suns, for the great ring of colored globes now dominated the sky. And what a sky it was! All the stars they had known, all the: familiar constellations, had gone. The Milky Way was no longer a faint band of mist far to one side of the heavens; they were now at the center of creation, and its great circle divided the Universe in twain.
The ship was still moving very swiftly toward the Central Sun, and the six remaining stars of the system were colored beacons ranged around the sky. Not far from the nearest of them were the tiny sparks of circling planets, worlds that must have been of enormous size to be visible over such a distance.
The cause of the Central Sun’s nacreous light was now clearly visible. The great star was shrouded in an envelope of gas which softened its radiation and gave it its characteristic color. The surrounding nebula could only be seen indirectly, and it was twisted into strange shapes that eluded the eye. But it was there, and the longer one stared the more extensive it seemed to be.
«Well, Alvin,» said Hilvar, «we have a good many worlds to take our choice from. Or do you hope to explore them all?»
«It’s lucky that won’t be necessary,» admitted Alvin. «If we can make contact anywhere, we’ll get the information we need. The logical thing would be to head for the largest planet of the Central Sun.»
«Unless it’s too large. Some planets, I’ve heard, were so big that human life could not exist on them-men would be crushed under their own weight.»
«I doubt if that will be true here, since I’m sure this system is entirely artificial. In any case, we’ll be able to see from space whether there are any cities and buildings.»
Hilvar pointed to the robot.
«Our problem has been solved for us. Don’t forget-our guide has been here before. He is taking us home and I wonder what he thinks about it?»
That was something that Alvin had also wondered. But was it accurate-did it make any sense at all-to imagine that the robot felt anything resembling human emotions now that it was returning to the ancient home of the Master, after so many aeons?
In all his dealings with it, since the Central Computer had released the blocks that made it mute, the robot had -never shown any sign of feelings or emotion. It had answered his questions and obeyed his commands, but its real personality had proved utterly inaccessible to him. That it had a personality Alvin was sure; otherwise he would not have felt that obscure sense of guilt which afflicted him when he recalled the trick he had played upon it-and upon its now dormant companion.
It still believed in everything that the Master had taught it; though it had seen him fake his miracles and tell lies to his followers, these inconvenient facts did not affect its loyalty. It was able, as had many humans before it, to reconcile two conflicting sets of data. Now it was following its immemorial memories back to heir origin. Almost lost in the glare of the Central Sun was a vale spark of light, with around it the fainter gleams of yet smaller worlds. Their enormous journey was coming to it end; in a little while they would know if it had been in vain.
Twenty
The planet they were approaching was now only a few million miles away, a beautiful sphere of multicolored light. There could be no darkness anywhere upon its surface, for as it turned beneath the Central Sun, the other stars would march one by one across its skies. Alvin now saw very clearly the meaning of the Master’s dying words: «It is lovely to watch the colored shadows on the planets of eternal light.»
Now they were so close that they could see continents an oceans and a faint haze of atmosphere. Yet there was som thing puzzling about its markings, and presently they realiz that the divisions between land and water were curious regular. This planet’s continents were not as Nature had le them-but how small a task the shaping of a world mu have been to those who built its suns!
«Those aren’t oceans at all!» Hilvar exclaimed suddenly «Look-you can see markings in them!»
Not until the planet was nearer could Alvin see clear what his friend meant. Then he noticed faint bands and lines along the continental borders well inside what he had take to be the limits of the sea. The sight filled him with a sudden doubt, for he knew too well the meaning of those lines. had seen them once before in the desert beyond Diaspar, they told him that his journey had been in vain.
«This planet is as dry as Earth,» he said dully. «Its water has all gone-those markings are the salt beds where seas have evaporated.»
«They would never have let that happen,» replied Hilvar «I think that, after all, we are too late.»
His disappointment was so bitter that Alvin did not trust himself to speak again but stared silently at the great world ahead. With impressive slowness the planet turned benea the ship, and its surface rose majestically to meet them. No they could see buildings-minute white incrustations eve where save on the ocean beds themselves.
Once this world had been the center of the Universe. Now it was still, the air was empty and on the ground were no of the scurrying dots that spoke of life. Yet the ship was still sliding purposefully over the frozen sea of stone-a sea which here and there had gathered itself into great waves that challenged the sky.
Presently the ship came to rest, as if the robot had at last traced its memories to their source. Below them was a column of snow-white stone springing from the center of an immense marble amphitheater. Alvin waited for a little while; then, as the machine remained motionless, he directed it to land at the foot of the pillar.
Even until now, Alvin had half hoped to find life on this planet. That hope vanished instantly as the air lock opened. Never before in his life, even in the desolation of Shalmirane, had he been in utter silence. On Earth there was always the murmur of voices, the stir of living creatures, or the sighing of the wind. Here were none of these, nor ever would be again.
«Why did you bring us to this spot?» asked Alvin. He felt little interest in the answer, but the momentum of his quest still carried him on even when he had lost all heart to pursue it further.
«The Master left from here,» replied the robot.
«I thought that would be the explanation,» said Hilvar. «Don’t you see the irony of all this? He fled from this world in disgrace now look at the memorial they built for him!»
The great column of stone was perhaps a hundred times the height of a man, and was set in a circle of metal slightly raised above the level of the plain. It was featureless and bore no inscription. For how many thousands or millions of years, wondered Alvin, had the Master’s disciples gathered here to do him honor? And had they ever known that he died in exile on distant Earth?
It made no difference now. The Master
and his disciples alike were buried in oblivion.
«Come outside,» urged Hilvar, trying to jolt Alvin out of his mood of depression. «We have traveled halfway across the Universe to see this place. At least you can make the effort to step outdoors.»
Despite himself, Alvin smiled and followed Hilvar through the air lock. Once outside, his spirits began to revive a little. Even if this world was dead, it must contain much of interest, much that would help him to solve some of the mysteries of the past.
The air was musty, but breathable. Despite the many suns in the sky, the temperature was low. Only the white disc of the Central Sun provided any real heat, and that seemed to have lost its strength in its passage through the nebulous haze around the star. The other suns gave their quota of color, but no warmth.
It took only a few minutes to make sure that the obelisk could tell them nothing. The stubborn material of which was made showed definite signs of age; its edges were rounded, and the metal on which it was standing had bee worn away by the feet of generations of disciples and visitors. It was strange to think that they might be the last many billions of human beings ever to stand upon this spot.
Hilvar was about to suggest that they should return the ship and fly across to the nearest of the surrounding buildings when Alvin noticed a long, narrow crack in th marble floor of the amphitheater. They walked along it for a considerable distance, the crack widening all the time until presently it was too broad for a man’s legs to straddle. A moment later they stood beside its origin. The surface of the arena had been crushed and splintered into an enormous shallow depression, more than a mile long. No intelligence,no imagination was needed to picture its cause. Ages ago though certainly long after this world had been deserted immense cylindrical shape had rested here, then lift once more into space and left the planet to its memories.
Who had they been? Where had they come from? Alvin could only stare and wonder. He would never know if he had missed these earlier visitors by a thousand or a million years.
They walked in silence back to their own ship (how tiny that would have looked beside the monster which once had rested here!) and flew slowly across the arena until they came to the most impressive of the buildings flanking it. As they landed in front of the ornate entrance, Hilvar pointed out something that Alvin had noticed at the same moment.
«These buildings don’t look safe. See all that fallen stone over there-it’s a miracle they’re still standing. If there were any storms on this planet, they would have been flattened ages ago. I don’t think it would be wise to go inside anyof them.»
«I’m not going to; I’ll send the robot-it can travel far faster than we can, and it won’t make any disturbance which might bring the roof crashing down on top of it.»
Hilvar approved of this precaution, but he also insistet on one which Alvin had overlooked. Before the robot lef on its reconnaissance, Alvin made it pass on a set of instructions to the almost equally intelligent brain of the ship, so that whatever happened to their pilot they could at least return safely to Earth.
It took little time to convince both of them that this work had nothing to offer. Together they watched miles of empty dust-carpeted corridors and passageways drift across thd screen as the robot explored these empty labyrinths. All buildings designed by intelligent beings, whatever form their bodied may take, must comply with certain basic laws, and after i while even the most alien forms of architecture or design fail to evoke surprise, and the mind becomes hypnotized by sheet repetition, incapable of absorbing any more impressions. These buildings, it seemed, had been purely residential, and the beings who had lived in them had been approximately humanoid size. They, might well have been men; it was true that there were a surprising number of rooms and enclosures that could be entered only by flying creatures, but that did not mean that the builders of this city were winged. They could have used the personal antigravity devices that had once been in common use but of which there was now no trace in Diaspar.
«Alvin,» said Hilvar at last, «we could spend a million years exploring these buildings. It’s obvious that they’ve not merely been abandoned-they were carefully stripped of everything valuable that they possessed. We are wasting our time.»
«Then what do you suggest?» asked Alvin.
«We should look at two or three other areas of this planet and see if they are the same-as I expect they are. Then we should make an equally quick survey of the other planets, and only land if they seem fundamentally different or we notice something unusual. That’s all we can hope to do unless we are going to stay here for the rest of our lives.»
It was true enough; they were trying to contact intelligence, not to carry out archaeological research. The former task could be achieved in a few days, if it could be achieved at all. The latter would take centuries of labor by armies of men and robots.
They left the planet two hours later, and were thankful enough to go. Even when it had been bustling with life, Alvin decided, this world of endless buildings would have been very depressing. There were no signs of any parks, any open spaces where there could have been vegetation. It had been an utterly sterile world, and it was hard to imagine the psychology of the beings who had lived here. If the next planet was identical with this, Alvin decided, he would probably abandon the search there and then.
It was not; indeed, a greater contrast would have been impossible to imagine.
This planet was nearer the sun, and even from space it looked hot. It was partly covered with low clouds, indicating that water was plentiful, but there were no signs of any oceans. Nor was there any sign of intelligence; they circled the planet twice without glimpsing a single artifact of any kind. The entire globe, from poles down to the equator, was clothed with a blanket of virulent green.
«I think we should be very careful here,» said Hilvar. «This world is alive-and I don’t like the color of that vegetation. It would be best to stay in the ship, and not to open the air lock at all.»
«Not even to send out the robot?»
«No, not even that. You have forgotten what disease is, and though my people know how to deal with it we are a long way from home and there may be dangers here which we cannot see. I think this is a world that has run amok. once it may have been all one great garden or park, back when it was abandoned Nature took over again. It could never have been like this while the system was inhabited.»
Alvin did not doubt that Hilvar was right. There was some thing evil, something hostile to all the order and regularity on which Lys and Diaspar were based, in the biological an . archy below. Here a ceaseless battle had raged for a billion years; it would be well to be wary of the survivors.
They came cautiously down over a great level plain, so uniform that its flatness posed an immediate problem. The plain was bordered by higher ground, completely cover with trees whose height could only be guessed-they were so tightly packed, and so enmeshed with undergrowth, that their trunks were virtually buried. There were so many winged creatures flying among their upper branches, though they moved so swiftly that it was impossible to tell whether the were birds or insects-or neither.
Here and there a forest giant had managed to climb a few scores of feet above its battling neighbors, who had formed a brief alliance to tear it down and destroy the advantage it had won. Despite the fact that this was a silent war, fought, too slowly for the eye to see, the impression of merciless, im placable conflict was overwhelming.
The plain by comparison, appeared placid and uneventful. It was flat, to within a few inches, right out to the horizon; and seemed to be covered with a thin, wiry grass. Though they descended to within fifty feet of it, there was no sign of any animal life, which Hilvar found somewhat surprising. Perhaps, he decided, it had been scared underground by their approach.
They hovered just above the plain while Alvin tried to convince Hilvar that it would be safe to open the air lock, and Hilvar patiently explained such conceptions as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and microbes-ideas which
Alvin found hard to visualize, and harder still to apply to himself. The argument had been in progress for some minutes before they noticed peculiar fact. The vision screen, which a moment ago ha been showing the forest ahead of them, had now becom blank.
«Did you turn that off?» said Hilvar, his mind, as usu just one jump ahead of Alvin’s.
«No,» replied Alvin, a cold shiver running down his spin as he thought of the only other explanation. «Did you turn it off?» he asked the robot.
«No,» came the reply, echoing his own.
With a sigh of relief, Alvin dismissed the idea that t robot might have started to act on its own volition-then he might have a mechanical mutiny on his hands.
«Then why is the screen blank?» he asked.
«The image receptors have been covered.»
«I don’t understand,» said Alvin, forgetting for a m ment that the robot would only act on definite orders or questions. He recovered himself quickly and asked: «What’s covered the receptors?»
«I do not know.»
The literal-mindedness of robots could sometimes be as exasperating as the discursiveness of humans. Before Alvin could continue the interrogation Hilvar interrupted.
«Tell it to lift the ship-slowly,» he said, and there was a note of urgency in his voice.
Alvin repeated the command. There was no sense of motion; there never was. Then, slowly, the image reformed on the vision screen, though for a moment it was blurred and distorted. But it showed enough to end the argument about landing.
The level plain was level no longer. A great bulge had formed immediately below them-a bulge which was ripped open at the top where the ship had torn free. Huge pseudopods were waving sluggishly across the gap, as if trying to recapture the prey that had just escaped from their clutches. As he stared in horrified fascination, Alvin caught a glimpse of a pulsing scarlet orifice, fringed with whiplike tentacles which were beating in unison, driving anything that came into their reach down into that gaping maw.
The City and the Stars Page 21