by M. D. Cooper
She could have spent hours in the cavern, just studying the stunning patterns on the walls, but if she took as long as she wanted at all of Tyre’s amazing sights, it could take her years to finish her project. Instead, she left her drones to survey and record the cavern walls. She would use the extra material in appendices for her infomentary.
Another wonder lay beyond the cathedral-like cavern that she knew would appeal to potential settlers just as much. Isa skirted the edge of the lake and then slipped through a narrow crack in the rock wall on the opposite side.
To reach the next part of the cave system, Isa would have to walk down a low-ceilinged passage through the rock. The passage led even farther underground, but the incline was gentler than the previous one. The grade and the lower height meant she couldn’t employ the a-grav pack to speed her progress, so she had more than half an hour’s walk ahead of her. She had a hunch it would be worth it, though.
The air temperature grew steadily warmer. Isa could feel a breeze, which meant that the FGT had cut vents into the rock, or perhaps installed hidden fans to create an air flow, but she still began to sweat freely. Ceiling lights flicked on in response to her movement, but they were few and far between, and for short distances, she was forced to rely on her headlamp to guide her. Isa didn’t mind. She’d endured far worse conditions when she’d been under the control of the Lumins, but she made a note in her record about the problem; perhaps the Tyrian authorities could install more lights.
Partway down the tunnel, her network connection was lost and Link access went out. She began dropping relays, which would also serve other visitors who came along the route. Deeper she went into the hot, humid dimness of the tunnel. All she could hear was the echo of her boots on the floor and her breathing. Millions of tons of rock surrounded her on every side, and she was a very long way from another human being.
For the first time in her life, she began to appreciate the notion of carrying an AI in her mind. It would be good to have someone to talk to in such situations.
Finally, she was nearly at her destination. She halted.
“So,” she said to her imaginary viewer, “when I read about this cave, I knew I had to see it—especially because there are no recordings of it. All that’s generally known about it is that it’s here. All my life, I’ve wanted to visit somewhere like this, but I’ve never had the chance. Now that I’ve finally made it here, I’m a little bit worried.
“You know how hype can make something sound better than it is? Maybe it isn’t going to live up to my expectations…. I’m really hoping that isn’t the case. Anyway, before I go in, I’m going to take off everything I don’t need. I’m soaking with sweat already and, according to the description, the cave is even hotter.” She unhitched her a-grav pack and placed it on the floor, then took off her jacket, folded it and put it on top of the pack.
“Okay. Here we go. No drones this time. I want you to see this the same way I do: with my own eyes, firsthand.”
Isa checked the map she’d downloaded from the Link. She only had fifty or so meters to go. She walked on. The tunnel floor was plain, dusty rock, in total contrast to the cathedral-like cavern, which had been like something out of a fairy tale. The ground dipped sharply and curved to the left. She braced herself against the wall to keep her balance.
High humidity had made the rock’s surfaces slick. The temperature rose another notch. Isa was glad she’d made the decision to lighten her load. She slowed down to avoid slipping on the wet floor. Breaking a leg down here wouldn’t be the end of the world, but it would be highly inconvenient.
The first signs of what lay ahead appeared in short order. Bands of crystal cut across her path, luminous white against the dark grey rock. She was nearly there. Her heart thudding, Isa took another few steps. The tunnel was widening, and the rock floor was giving way entirely to crystal.
Isa rounded another sharp bend, and gasped. No vid in the galaxy could have prepared her for what she saw.
Crystals. Gigantic crystals—some dozens of meters long—jutted out at all angles from the floor, walls, and ceiling. In fact, there was no floor, ceiling, or walls. Everywhere Isa looked was a medley of angles of crystal. Technicians had fitted lights somewhere, but she couldn’t tell where the illumination originated, because it bounced and refracted throughout the cave.
Isa felt tiny, like a microorganism that had wandered into a salt cellar. She stepped forward carefully; her eyes were so wide they were almost painful. She realized her mouth was hanging open, and she shut it with a snap.
It was hard to believe that what she was seeing was only selenite. It looked like some other, far more precious substance. She ran a hand down one of the shiny, slippery surfaces. Each crystal was perfectly formed.
Isa took another few, difficult, awkward steps, then feeling overwhelmed, she sat down as well as she could on an angled surface. What words could she record for the infomentary viewers that would do justice to what she was seeing? Nothing came to mind. She swept her gaze around, recording all that she saw.
Then the weirdness began.
The cave swirled around her. Isa grabbed at the crystal she was sitting on to steady herself. She felt sick. Her heart thumped against her breastbone. Insects were crawling all over her! No. It was the beads of sweat running down her skin. She blinked.
Where am I?
She couldn’t remember.
Was she enslaved by the Lumins again? She couldn’t be. She’d escaped from them a long time ago…but now, somehow, she was back. What had happened? She had to get out.
Isa tried to move, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t breathe. Was she missing her respirator? And why was it so dark? What had happened to the lights? Had there been an accident? She had to escape. That was it. They were going to escape and finally get away from the Lumins. But where was everyone? Had they left without her?
She’d been left behind at Sirius. She would never be able to leave. She was stuck in hell forever.
AN END
STELLAR DATE: 03.17.8937 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: High Carthage Station
REGION: Carthage, New Canaan System
Erin sat on Max’s messy bed and wondered where in all of Carthage the man might have gone to hide.
In the two days since the incident at the cargo warehouse, there hadn’t been a single sign of him anywhere. She’d gone to his apartment in the hope of finding a clue the constabulary might have missed that could tell her where he might be.
She hadn’t found a thing.
Considering how bare the place was, it was surprisingly unkempt. Dirty clothes were strewn on the floor and, despite the air control, the apartment had a sour atmosphere.
Erin had checked Max’s contacts, but she’d only found bars and gaming halls. He didn’t appear to have any friends or even acquaintances from work. Given his attitude, that wasn’t unexpected, but it made Erin’s job harder.
She could have left the job of finding him to the constabulary, of course. Both Tanis and Martin had told her so. But she felt responsible for what had happened. She’d missed the clues about the sabotage right at the beginning of her investigation; if she’d paid more attention, maybe she could have figured out that the initial blast had been from antimatter. Then Max would have had less of an opportunity to cover his tracks. If she’d done her due diligence, she might have found enough evidence to arrest him aboard the Euphemia.
Erin stood up and walked to the window. Max’s apartment was close to the top floor of a downtown high-rise. As she looked out over Landfall, she mentally reviewed—for what had to be the hundredth time—the moments immediately following the disaster at the warehouse, wondering what she’d missed….
* * * * *
After she’d received the all-clear that there were no hazardous materials spilled, she’d clambered out of the warehouse and waited impatiently from the outside while the troops brought in to deal with the incident entered the building.
A medic had arri
ved in the meantime to check her over.
“So the good news is you aren’t seriously hurt,” he said. “Just some cuts.”
Walter remarked.
“Er, on the other hand,” the medic said, “maybe I should scan you again.”
Erin realized she hadn’t responded to the comment he’d made a few moments previously. “Sorry. I was just talking to my AI.”
“Ah, okay.”
“Thanks for checking me over.”
“No problem. I’m going to fix those two cuts then I’ll be done.”
“Great.”
“Are you really okay?” Anwen asked as she walked over from where another medic was checking the cuts Pippa had received when Max knocked her down during their fight.
“When we saw those racks start to fall, I was so worried about you,” Anwen said. “It sounded like the warehouse was being demolished. It’s a miracle that you managed to survive.”
“Well, only about half of the shelving collapsed,” Erin replied. “I was in the first row that went down, so there wasn’t enough weight to crush the crates that fell around me.”
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Pippa added as she approached. “Now I feel even worse for running after Max. If I hadn’t, none of this would have happened. I should have let that guard do his job.”
“What’s done is done,” said Erin. “There’s no point in beating yourself up. Let’s just hope this stops here.”
“What’s happening now?” Anwen asked.
“They’re searching the warehouse in case Max is still in there.”
“And if they find him?” asked Anwen. “What will happen then?”
“Well, the investigation—” Erin stopped.
She’d been about to tell the twins that she still had to prove that Max was the perpetrator of the mining sabotage, but officially, the twins were still suspects.
Instead, she said, “After what he did here today, Max will be arrested. It’ll be good to have him in custody while I finish investigating the sabotage.”
“It’ll be nice to never have to work with him again,” said Anwen. “But what about us? What should we do while all this is going on?”
“I’m afraid you can’t do anything until all this is sorted out,” Erin replied. “You’re to remain here in Landfall.”
“Urgh,” said Anwen. “I’ll be so bored.”
“Nevermind, sis,” Pippa said. “I’m sure we can find something to do.”
“I’m not helping you reorganize your closet again. One color-coordinating session is enough.”
Pippa laughed. “Okay. Maybe we can find something else to do.”
Erin quickly checked for reports about Max. A general bulletin had gone out, giving his appearance and warning that he was dangerous and not to be approached, and saying that if anyone sighted him, they were to contact the constabulary.
“Do you think Max might try to attack us?” Anwen asked.
“I don’t think we have to worry about that, do we?” said Pippa.
“He might,” Anwen said. “He attacked you. There’s nothing to say he’s given up yet.”
“I guess I could arrange guards for you,” Erin offered.
“No,” said Pippa. “I’d hate that. We don’t need special protection. We’ll be careful.”
Anwen’s eyes appeared troubled, but she didn’t say anything to contradict her sister.
* * * * *
Days later, Max was still at large, though no attempts had been made to attack Pippa or Anwen.
Walter replied.
Leaning her forehead on the window, Erin looked down onto the complex of offices and small shops that comprised most of Max’s neighborhood. Night had fallen, and the streetlights were coming on. Like everywhere in Landfall, the place was clean, well-kept, and pleasant to look at. Carthage and the rest of New Canaan was quickly turning into the kind of almost-paradise that had been the hope of all the colonists. Everyone seemed to be leading productive, happy lives. What had motivated Max to behave so rashly and vindictively? If his ambitions were so important to him, he had a potential eternity to achieve them.
The more Erin thought about it, the more nonsensical Max’s actions seemed. She dug further into his background, looking for a reason for his behavior, but the only thing of note was—as she already knew—that he was a Noctus, like Isa.
Although Isa wasn’t anything like Max, Erin had become aware of her partner’s difficulties with the past. Perhaps Max suffered from similar problems. Not that they excused his behavior.
Erin’s brow crinkled with her frown. She moved away from the window.
Erin slumped onto a chair.
Erin contacted Tanis to update her on the situation.
Erin nodded to herself as she pushed away from the window.