The Stars That Beckon

by Kevin J Simington

  “Tell her you are starving,” said Keo, somewhat bemused.

  Zac returned home and said to Jaz, “Keo says I’m starving.”

  Jaz had replied, “What would you like to eat?” to which Zac had replied, “I’ll go and ask Keo.”

  The whole incident was amusing and disturbing at the same time. Zac was not the only one manifesting these strange symptoms. Almost everyone exhibited similar altered consciousness during the final recovery phase of the virus.

  It was now three weeks since the last person had been infected, and life in the settlement had returned to a semblance of normality. The days were growing warmer, reaching the mid-20s Celsius, but the night-time temperature still dropped to single digits.

  The news that Settlement City had not experienced the virus, as well as the knowledge that they had nice, warm living accommodation on board Genesis, was too much for some people. Over the past few weeks, 35 people had abandoned Seahaven and transferred to Settlement City. The two colonies were now approaching equilibrium: 288 at Seahaven and 276 at Settlement City.

  Not all was going smoothly at Settlement City, however. Shuttle crews returning from “migration runs” reported speaking with colonists who were increasingly unhappy with Wisecroft’s leadership. No efforts had been made to establish a sustainable food supply. No crops had been planted and no agricultural development had occurred. Instead, all the effort had gone into constructing buildings. Wisecroft was directing every available resource into logging and milling timber for the construction of an elaborate City Council Chambers. His philosophy was that the Chambers would give the citizens a point of focus and identity, and he reasoned that food production was not urgent while they had Genesis to provide them with meals from their robotic food production facilities. Some hunting had been attempted, but so far, the largest native animals that had been located in Southland were the size of a possum. Even then, the occasional meat from these small creatures was apparently exclusively reserved for Wisecroft and his leadership team.

  The two colonies, therefore, had different challenges. Seahaven residents were well fed but cold, whereas those at Settlement City were warm but unsatisfied with their yeast steak diet. Leadership styles in both settlements were also vastly different. Settlement City’s leadership was autocratic and aloof, whereas Seahaven’s leadership was collaborative, consultative and approachable. In recent weeks, Seahaven’s City Council had made several overtures to Wisecroft to settle their differences and establish free interchange of people and resources between the two colonies, but Wisecroft was having none of it. He was convinced that all of Seahaven’s citizens would eventually migrate to Settlement City if he stuck to his guns, and the steady trickle of refugees from Seahaven only strengthened his resolve.

  It was early afternoon on ND172 when Jaz asked Zac, “Have you seen Melody? She hasn’t come home for lunch yet.”

  Zac was sitting outside their hut, preoccupied with his portable network interface. The science department had set up a wi-fi network for the few people who possessed tablets and other digital devices that they had brought from the old world.

  “Er ... no, I haven’t. She’s probably scabbed lunch off someone else. Or else she has found something interesting to explore and has forgotten about lunch entirely.”

  “Well, if you see her, tell her she needs to get back here and do some more work on her math thesis. She hasn’t touched it for weeks, and she promised to work on it today.”

  “Yeah, sure,” said Zac, absently.

  By late afternoon, Jaz was getting concerned. No one she had spoken to had seen Melody. When she bumped into Zac outside the city hall at 1630, she insisted that he drop whatever he was doing and look for her. By 1730 the sun was setting, and there was still no sign of her. Zac was now worried, too. Friends and neighbours began searching the immediate area, calling her name. By 1800 it was growing dark, and the whole community were mobilised in the search. Jasmine was frantic and Zac wasn’t far behind her. Using battery-powered lights, the community searched until well after midnight, venturing further and further afield, but no trace of her was found.

  Finally, around 0230, a halt was called to the search. Batteries were fading and the searchers were overcome with fatigue and cold. “Besides,” said one person, “we could walk straight past her in the dark and not find her—if she’s ... you know ... unresponsive.”

  The majority of people returned to their huts to catch a few hours’ rest before resuming the search at first light. However, Zac, Jaz, and their immediate circle of friends refused to quit.

  “If we’re cold,” said Zac, “imagine how cold she is! Every minute is vital! We have to find her!”

  The friends searched all night fruitlessly, and as the first rays of the dawning sun lit the eastern horizon, the dispirited group of friends met back outside their cluster of huts. They were tired and drawn, with dark circles under their eyes. Nothing specific was said, but everyone was thinking the same thing; Melody could not have survived the cold overnight temperature in her thin daytime clothes—not unless she had found some form of cover. And the fact that she was not answering their calls did not bode well.

  As the settlement roused itself, hot drinks and food were quickly consumed and then the community gathered in the open-air amphitheatre. Lance coordinated the search. A grid pattern was established, and groups were assigned to each grid. Once a grid was searched, the searchers were to return to base and be given a new grid. Now that it was daylight, the quad bikes could be utilised, and these were assigned wide-ranging areas beyond the outskirts of the town. Martinez and her crew set off on the quads, with rifles slung over their shoulders. As they departed, the grim possibility grew in many people’s minds that the girl had been taken by a howler.

  Throughout the early morning, Melody’s name could be heard being called from all around, as search groups spread out in ever-increasing circles. By 0900, search groups were onto their second or third grid, and the faces of the searchers were beginning to look resigned. Many people now believed they were searching for a body, not a living girl.

  Zac and Jaz were heading out to search their third grid for the day when Keo intercepted them.

  “Come with me,” he said. “You need a break”

  “We’ve got to keep looking for Mel!” said Jaz.

  Keo noted the black circles under her eyes and her stumbling gait.

  “Yes, but you also need to fuel your body, or you’ll eventually just shut down.”

  He handed them cups of tea and led them onto the concourse, where the warm morning sun was beaming down. They sat with their backs leaning against one of the domes, letting the sun soak into their bones and sipping their tea and eating some energy bars.

  “I’m worried sick, Keo,” said Jaz.

  “We’re all worried, little one. But I haven’t given up hope, and neither should you.”

  They sat for a while longer, not saying much. All around them they heard the sounds of people calling Melody’s name. After a while, Jaz stood up and said, “I need to go and freshen up. Zac, meet me back at the tent in ten minutes.”

  She had only been gone a couple of minutes when Zac heard footsteps behind him.

  “Are you guys looking for me?” asked Melody.

  55

  Keo and Zac leapt to their feet, and Zac swept Melody off her feet into a bear hug and kissed the top of her head, saying “You’re safe! You’re safe!”

  Keo was standing beside them saying, “Little missy ... little missy...” as tears of joy streamed down his face. After giving Melody a hug, too, he said to Zac, “I’ll go and tell everyone.” He began running down the grass slope towards the huts and the amphitheatre, yelling, “We found her! We found her!”

  Meanwhile, Zac was completely stunned and speechless. He blinked several times, not quite believing his eyes.

  “What ... how did you ... I don’t understand.”

  “Why are you guys crying?” asked Melody.

  “What
do you mean?” replied Zac, wiping a tear trail from his right cheek. “We’ve been worried sick! Where have you been?”

  “In there,” she said, pointing over his shoulder. “I didn’t think I was gone very long. What time is it?”

  “In where?” asked Zac, perplexed.

  Before Melody could answer, Jaz came sprinting across the concourse, sobbing and calling, “Melody! Melody! Melody!” She swept Melody into her arms and broke down completely. She held Melody tightly to her, stroking the back of her head, saying, “Thank you, God! Thank you, God! You’re safe, you’re safe. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

  In the background, whistles were being blown, calling off the search. People were gazing towards them with looks of surprise and relief, allowing them to enjoy their family reunion in privacy. The sounds of the quad bikes grew louder as their riders returned to base, having received the all-clear on their comms.

  The girl seemed truly perplexed. “Am I in trouble?”

  “No, you’re not, sweetheart,” said Zac, kneeling beside her, “but where have you been?”

  “I told you. In there,” she said, pointing to the large white dome directly behind them. “And anyway, I was only in there for a little while. I was coming back out to tell you. You’ve gotta check it out! It’s so cool!”

  Zac looked back at the dome. “Hang on. How did you get in there?”

  Jaz gripped Zac’s arm and shook her head. “Let’s not worry about that now, Zac. Let’s just get her home.” She brushed a lock of hair out of Melody’s eyes. “You must be famished, sweetie. Let’s get you something to eat.”

  “Yeh, I am a bit hungry. I skipped lunch.”

  They walked across the concourse towards their zip-hut, receiving expressions of heartfelt relief from everyone they met. Back at their camp, their circle of friends was overjoyed, and there were more tears from several of them. Melody was smothered in hugs and kisses, but instead of comforting her, all the attention made her increasingly confused.

  “Why are you all so upset? How long was I gone? What time is it?”

  “It’s 9:40 in the morning,” said Kit.

  “In the morning?”

  “Yes,” said Jaz. “We’ve been searching for you all night.”

  “But ... I don’t understand ... I was only in there for a few minutes ...”

  “In where?” asked Lance, who had just turned up.

  “We’ll get to that in a moment,” said Zac. “What time did you go in there, Mel?”

  “I don’t know exactly. I came back from the beach at lunchtime—about ten minutes ago. I’d promised Jaz that I would work on my theorem after lunch. I was just walking past the dome wishing that I could go in there, and the door opened.”

  “What door?” asked Lance.

  “Just let the girl finish!” said Grizzle. “Go on, lassie.”

  “I walked in and the door closed behind me, but I wasn’t afraid because I could still see out. I guess I looked around for a few minutes, and then I thought I’d better tell someone. I went back to the door and was trying to work out how to get out and—it just opened. And when I walked out, I saw Zac and Keo sitting on the ground next to the door.”

  “How do we explain the missing hours?” asked Regina. “It’s almost a full day unaccounted for.”

  “Are you sure you didn’t fall asleep, Mel?” asked Zac.

  “Uh-huh,” she said, nodding her head as she sat eating a piece of fruit that Jaz had brought her. She swallowed and said, “But there was one weird thing. I was sitting on this ... um ... kind of a bench thing, and I couldn’t remember sitting down on it. I felt a bit strange. That was when I decided to leave and tell someone what I’d found.”

  “We need to go and check it out,” said Kit.

  “Agreed,” said Lance.

  Looking at Mel, Kit said, “Are you happy to go back in there with us, kiddo? We need you to show us exactly where you went and what you did.”

  “Sure! Wait till you see it. It’s way cool!”

  “I don’t want her going back in there!” said Jaz.

  “She’ll be fine,” Zac assured her. “I won’t let her out of my sight.”

  “And we’ll be fully armed,” added Kit.

  “OK,” said Jaz. “But I’m coming too, because I’m not letting her out of my sight again.”

  Ten minutes later, a small group consisting of Zac, Jaz, Kit, Martinez, Lance, Carla, and Melody approached the central dome, with Kit and Martinez both carrying sidearms. As chief science officer, Carla had insisted on being part of the team, arguing, “I’m your best chance of understanding whatever technology you find in there.” No one had disagreed.

  The group stood several metres from the doorway—a vague outline in the otherwise smoothly sloping exterior of the white dome. Zac approached the door while everyone else stayed back. He stood in front of it and nothing happened. “Did you touch anything, Mel?” he asked, running his hands around the door frame.

  “Nope.”

  “Zac, I want you to try something,” said Carla.

  “What?”

  “I want you to think about opening the door.”

  She had hardly finished speaking when the door slid silently to the left, disappearing into the wall cavity.

  “Holy crap!” said Kit.

  “Now think about closing it,” Carla instructed.

  Almost immediately, the door slid shut, blending almost seamlessly with the exterior wall again.

  “What the—?” said Zac, turning to face the others. “How did you know?”

  “I didn’t. But I’ve been beginning to suspect something. Over the last few weeks, our team has identified the location in our genome where the viral DNA has inserted itself. It’s a gene called NOTCH2NL, which has long been thought to be responsible for the development of neural stem cells in the cerebral cortex and several other key areas of the brain responsible for higher order processing. The alien DNA has inserted itself into that gene and substantially altered it.”

  “And how does that relate to ...?”

  “The science team has been mapping each other’s brain wave patterns, and our patterns have all changed. There are new, complex patterns interwoven with the old. It’s as if our brains have suddenly started broadcasting in high-fidelity FM.”

  “So that would explain why we haven’t been able to access any of these structures until now,” said Lance.

  “Yes. The previous civilisation obviously progressed beyond primitive door handles and keypads. The viral DNA seems to have activated or enhanced the function of our brains and tuned them to the right frequency, so that this alien technology now recognises and responds to us, probably in the same way that it responded to the original inhabitants.”

  “I gotta try this!” said Kit, walking forward. She stood alongside Zac and concentrated for a moment. The door opened and closed, opened and closed. “Holy crap, I’ve got a new superpower!”

  “It’s a shame it hasn’t broadened your vocabulary,” said Zac, who received a thump on his arm from Kit in return.

  The others moved forward to stand beside them, and Lance said, “OK. We’ve figured out how to open the door. Now let’s see what’s inside.”

  56

  The interior of the dome lit up as they entered, and the door closed behind them. Looking back, however, the entire dome appeared transparent, as if made of glass.

  “One-way transparency,” said Kit. “At least that much is familiar technology.”

  There were bench seats all the way around the transparent external walls, at least as far as they could see. Their view of the far side was blocked by a central cylindrical structure extending from floor to ceiling.

  “I’m getting deja vu,” said Lance. “Does this look familiar to anyone else?”

  “The tether lift terminal,” said Zac.

  “Precisely.”

  At the base of the column was a series of small, individual booths. The group did a complete circuit of the dome and arrived
back at their starting point.

  “Twenty-four booths,” said Kit.

  “Wow!” said Zac. “That virus really has improved your brain function. You can count past ten now without taking your shoes off. Ow!!” He rubbed his arm and grimaced.

  “Now, now, children. Play nice,” said Regina.

  “I think I know what this is,” said Lance.

  “It’s a terminal,” said Carla.

  “Yes,” said Lance. “With bench seating in the waiting area around the perimeter.”

  “So, the booths in the middle are ...?” asked Zac.

  “Transfer booths,” replied Carla.

  “Holy crap!” said Kit.

  “I’m gonna buy you a thesaurus for your birthday,” said Zac, and immediately regretted it, rubbing his arm again.

  They walked to the nearest booth and stood outside. It was about the size of a small lift, big enough to hold perhaps six people. Every second booth around the pillar had an open door with a small, green light glowing above it. The alternating booths had their doors closed, with a small red light glowing above them.

  “Arrival and departure booths?” asked Lance.

  “That’s what I’m thinking,” said Carla.

  The interior of the booth in front of them revealed four blank, black walls, with the two side walls sloping inwards towards the slightly smaller back wall. The floor and ceiling, however, were more interesting, composed of a silvery, glass-like substance that glowed with a soft white light.