....................
“I can't believe the professor chose us to deliver the test results to the council?” said Anya.
“Who better than the one who developed it and the first four to be succesfully converted into terrestrials,” said Leo. “Besides, he's far too busy working on his other projects.”
“Are we going to ride in the submarine?” asked Anthony. “Will we finally get to see your world?”
“Yes,” said Anya. “I can hardly wait myself. I haven't been home in years.”
“Has the sub had the new equipment installed?” asked Destiny.
“Just as you suggested,” said Leo. “I hope we don't have to use it.”
“Better to be safe than sorry,” said Destiny. “You never know.”
....................
“We're directly over the city now,” said Leo. “Ready to begin our descent.”
“This is where it gets dangerous,” said Anya. “The really big ones usually remain in the deeper darker waters.”
“Look at all the luminescence,” said Anthony. “This is truly beautiful.”
“What was that?” asked Destiny. “Have we stopped?”
“Look,” said Anthony pointing to one of the glass portals. “Suckers. It's a giant octopus.”
“Electrify the hull,” said Destiny. “Let's see how the new equipment works.”
“It seems to have tightened its grip,” said Anya.
“Probably an involuntary reaction to the DC voltage,” said Destiny. “Switch to AC. Half power.”
“It released us,” said Leo. “It seems to be having convulsions.”
“It's heart is in fibulation,” said Destiny. “Remind me to change the frequency unless you want to kill them.”
“It serves it right,” said Leo. “Go pick on something your own size.”
“Look,” said Anthony. “Those lighted domes. Is that your city?”
“That's it,” said Anya. “Isn't it beautiful?”
“How many people?”asked Destiny.
“Ten million,” said Anya. “This is the largest of the five cities. It's called New Aqua. Nearly all of the government is here.”
“Is there air inside the domes?” asked Destiny. “Are the domes made of glass?”
“Mostly ozone, created by the ionizing effect of the force fields that create the domes,” said Anya.
“If the water can't get in, how do we?” asked Anthony.
“Underground tunnels with pressure locks,” said Leo. “We're entering the first one now. Once its pressure is reduced, we'll move on to the next one, then the next. Finally we'll dock the submarine and enter the dome. It will take about 30 minutes to reach the inside of the dome.”
“Use your gills to breathe,” said Anya. “The ozone will not be breathable with your lungs.”
“And no flames of any kind except in specially marked locations,” said Leo.
“There are small domes inside the larger one,” said Destiny. “Are these homes?”
“And businesses, hospitals, stores, etc.” said Anya.
“How do you get around?” asked Anthony.
“Monorails,” said Leo. “There's a station over there. Let's go.”
....................
“That's Central Lake below us now,” said Leo. “You can go for a swim without leaving the dome.”
“Why would you ever leave the dome?” asked Anthony. “You've got everything right here.”
“New frontiers,” said Leo. “Exploration of the unknown.”
“You shouldn't place all of your caviar in one basket,” said Anya. “Some natural disaster could wipe out our entire civilization.”
“Or an unnatural disaster,” said Anthony, “like a megagiant octopus.”
“Exactly,” said Anya. “Tell that to the council.”
....................
“Well, that went well,” said Anya. “The concil has given us ten volunteers. Tomorrow we'll head back to the lab and begin the conversions. We'll build that floating ship and begin our explorations next week.”
“Which way should we travel?” asked Leo.
“Towards where the driftwood is coming from,” said Destiny. “There has to be an much larger island with trees somewhere in that direction. Maybe even the mainland.”
“Are you sure the giant octopus won't bother us on the surface?” asked Anthony. “Spearguns may not be enough protection.”
“I think we'll be fine,” said Leo. “They certainly can't spare one of the submarines for such a long journey.”
“Let me get this straight,” said Anya. “We're going to use these things you call sails that are pushed by the wind to manuever the boat into the wind. That is what you said, isn't it?”
“We have to zigzag,” said Destiny. “We can't go directly into the wind.”
“That could make for a long trip,” said Leo. “Why don't we go in the direction of the wind?”
“We would still have to get back home,” said Anthony. “And we don't know if there are any islands in that direction.”
“If the world is round, we just keep sailing,” said Leo. “We would get home eventually.”
“In four or five years maybe,” said Anthony.
“Just how slow is this boat?” asked Leo. “I could swim faster than that.”
“You don't realize how big the world is,” said Destiny. “The boat is fast enough.”
“You have quite an imagination, Destiny,” said Leo. “But you haven't been wrong yet.”
“Then you believe me,” asked Destiny. “about the seasons, I mean?”
“I've already talked to the professor,” said Leo. “I think I've convinced him.”
“You've got to make him understand how important this is,” said Destiny.
“We should be back before they do anything,” said Leo. “You can help me persuade him.”
“Let's go out and celebrate,” said Anya.
....................
“Coming about!” yelled Leo. “Watch your heads.”
“How much farther can it be?” asked Anya. “We've been zigzaging for 2 weeks now. Two of the crew are suffering severe sunburn and most of the others are constantly seasick.”
“They're not taking their pills,” said Destiny. “I don't care how bad it tastes, it's better than being seasick.”
“Some of them believe the pills make them sick,” said Anya. “They will eventually learn to trust you, as Leo and I have.”
“Land ahoy!” yelled Anthony from his perch high above the deck. “Land ahoy!”
“What does that mean?” asked Anya. “What's he yelling about?”
“There's land within sight,” said Destiny. “We're almost there.”
....................
“Lower the sails and drop anchor,” said Leo. “We'll swim ashore from here.”
“Is it an island or the mainland?” asked Destiny.
“I think it's the mainland,” said Anthony. “Either way, it's pretty big. There's lots of vegetation. No signs yet of land animals.”
“Land animals?” asked Anya. “What sort of animals could live on land?”
“We'll find out soon enough,” said Destiny as she dove into the water.
....................
“It's getting late,” said Anthony. “We should wait until sunrise tomorrow before we do any exploring. Let's make camp right here on the beach.”
“We'll gather some firewood,” said Destiny. “In case we want to cook something.”
“Most of us have our spearguns in case of trouble,” said Leo. “But all of our food in on the boat.”
“Maybe you could do some fishing before it gets too dark,” said Anthony.
“I'll get right on it,” said Leo. “Guys, girls, come with me. Bring your spearguns.”
....................
“Are you sure you guys don't want to cook your food?” asked Destiny. “You should try it at least once.”
“We'r
e going to try it,” said Anya. “We're adverturers.”
The others sat back and watched as Anya and Leo took their first bites. “Um,” said Anya. “Not bad. Not bad at all.”
“I burned my toungue,” said Leo.
“You should let it cool down just a little before you bite into it,” said Destiny.
“Now you tell me,” said Leo. “You guys have got to try this.”
As the other five couples gathered around the fire, Leo took another bite. “I could really learn to like this,” said Leo.
....................
“The fire's dying down,” said Leo. “I'm going to activate the force field. Everybody try to get a good nights rest. We've got a lot of exploring to do tomorrow.”
....................
“We should climb that mountain and see what's on the other side,” said Anthony. “We should be able to get an excellent view from up there. If this is an island, we'll be able to determine just how large it is.”
“I want to get a closer look at those trees,” said Anya. “They look fascinating.”
“If there are animals here, I hope the nanites haven't entered the food chain,” said Anthony.
“If they're mammals, their digestive systems would probably destroy the nanites.” said Destiny.
“But what about insects and reptiles?” asked Anthony. “or birds?”
“What are you guys talking about?” asked Anya. “I've never heard of these creatures.”
“Just some theoretical lifeforms that may or may not exist in this world,” said Destiny.
“You guys think about the strangest things,” said Anya. “I wish I had your imaginations.”
“No you don't,” said Leo. “We have enough to worry about.”
“Leo's afraid of the vegetation,” said Anya. “Tell him it's not dangerous.”
“It's usually not dangerous,” said Destiny. “But there are exceptions. We should all be cautious until we know more about it.”
“See, I told you,” said Leo.
“Follow me and don't wonder off from the group,” said Anthony. “Don't load the spearguns. We'll be going through some thick brush and we don't want to shoot each other by accident.”
....................
“My ankles are itching,” said Anya.
“Mine too,” said Destiny.
“Me too,” said Leo and Anthony.
“Let's go back to the beach and check this out,” said Anthony. “It feels like chiggers or fleas.”
“I can't stop scratching,” said Leo. “Don't you guys itch?”
“No,” said the others in unison. “We're fine.”
“It a tiny mite that's burrowed under our skin,” said Anya. “But why weren't they affected?”
“Let me examine one of you,” said Anya. “That smell. You're wearing sun block. Destiny, didn't you tell them they wouldn't need it in the forest.”
“I thought you were going to tell them,” said Destiny. “Maybe we all need it, but not to prevent sunburn. It's also an insect repellant.”
“Give me some,” said Leo. “Oh, that feels better already.”
....................
“It's getting colder and more difficult to breathe,” said Anya.
“It's the higher altitude,” said Destiny. “The air is thinner. We'll need to slow down a bit. We're almost there.”
“And it's almost dark,” said Anya. “We should make camp and set up the force field to protect us from the wind chill.”
“I'm a little disappointed that we haven't seen any larger animals,” said Destiny. “and not a single fruit tree.”
“Tomorrow's another day,” said Anya. “Leo, activate the force field. We're making camp.”
....................
“Well, it's not an island,” said Anthony. “Leo, hand me the binoculars.”
“What do you see?” asked Leo. “Any animals?”
“Take a look,” said Leo. “There's thousands of them. Over there by that river and around that small lake.”
“They're tiny,” said Leo.
“They're far away,” said Anthony. “Have a look, Destiny. Aren't those dinosaurs?”
“I think so,” said Destiny. “But they do seem small next to the trees. They all seem to be grazing.”
“Vegetarians,” said Anthony. “That's good. And small vegetarians are even better.”
“Land as far as the eye can see,” said Destiny. “There's no need to lower the sea level. There's more than enough land for their entire race.”
“Let's get a closer look,” said Anya. “It looks warm down there.”
“What are we waiting far,” said Destiny. “Let's go.”
....................
“We're about to enter the woods,” said Anya. “Should we put on some insect repellant?”
“Not unless we have to,” said Destiny. “The underbrush isn't as thick and it's much drier here. Maybe we won't need it.”
“That would be nice,” said Anthony. “The animals won't smell us coming from a mile away.”
“These trees are different than the ferns near the sea,” said Anya. “What type are these?”
“These are evergreens,” said Destiny. “But I think the ones we saw in the valley below are hardwood.”
“They seem to be getting bigger as we get deeper into the forest,” said Anya. “Look how small we look beside one of these trees.”
“Anthony, those dinosaurs may not be as small as we thought,” said Destiny. “I think the trees are just larger than we expected.”
“I can hear them,” said Anthony. “That one sounds like a moose.”
“That one sounds like an elephant,” said Destiny. “I can't wait to get a closer look.”
“There's a clearing up ahead,” said Leo. “Should we stay in the shadows of the forest?”
“The clearing looks empty,” said Destiny. “Let's climb to the top of that small hill. That should give us a clear view of the river.”
....................
“Stay low,” said Destiny. “We don't want to spook them.”
“What's that sound,” asked Anthony. “Is it an earthquake?”
“It's a stampede,” said Destiny. “Activate the force field, Leo.”
“Did we frighten them?” asked Anthony. “Maybe they smelled our scent.”
“But some of them are heading this way,” said Destiny. “Anthony, look at that shadow moving across the valley.”
“Okay,” said Anthony. “What about it?”
“Now look at the sky,” said Destiny. “There's not a cloud in sight.”
“So what's making the shadow?” asked Anthony. “Wait a minute, that's not a shadow.”
“That's what spooked the animals,” said Destiny. “The bigger ones have made a run for the river.”
“And the smaller ones are trying to outrun the shadow,” said Anthony.
“They're not all that small,” said Destiny. “Can we move while the force field is on?”
“Sure,” said Leo. “Where do you want to go?”
“We should make a run for the river,” said Destiny. “But without the force field, we could get trampled.”
“Let's go,” said Leo. “I'll set the pace. Try to keep up.”
“The shadow is getting closer,” said Anya. “We'll never make it to the river.”
“Those look like army ants,” said Destiny. “They've cut off our path to the water. Stop.”
“They can't penetrate the force field,” said Leo. “But we can't move while the shield is touching the ground.”
“Look,” said Anthony. “The ants are carrying leaves to the river's edge. They're using them to float out to where the dinosaurs are.”
“Wow,” said Destiny. “Did you see that. That dinosaur used its tail to create a tsunami. Ants overboard!”
“The ants are tunneling under the force field,” said Leo. “What do we do?”
SCIENCE FICTION SHORT STORIES VOLUME IX Page 13