While most people were at the evening’s explosion-filled movie, he headed down the central spiralling stairs to the quieter Sub-1 level. The further down he went, the more isolated he began to feel, until he was left only in the company of his thoughts.
Just before the exiling event, he’d spoken with Kate Walker as she stood on the rough ground outside the Node. Among other things, she’d asked him to look after Cassidy and the evidence she possessed; evidence that linked Alfred Barnes to the murder to General Napier.
Following the exiles’ departure, Alfred had approached him about becoming his personal assistant. Scott’s initial thought had been to punch him in the face, but after discussing it with Roy, Gail and Cassidy, he realised that the presidential assistant role could work to their advantage. In the days that followed, Alfred had given him permission to access both Kate’s and Beck’s apartments; the brief being to investigate any potential connections between them, Danny and Exordi Nova. By this time of course, Scott knew the idea was either ridiculous or, at worst, part of a continued attempt to retrospectively vilify Kate and Danny.
Scott had made a very thorough investigation and ensured the results contained no connections to Cassidy or the others. Although President Barnes had publicly brought the inquiry to a close, Scott’s own investigations had never ended. The one problem he’d never reported, or been able to solve, was the fact that Colonel Beck’s Biomag had never been found.
Scott left the stairs and walked clockwise two segments until he reached the Beta section. After checking which concentric section he was supposed to be heading for, he moved away from the centre. As he approached the relevant door, a tiny green light near the handle told him that his presence had been registered. He took a steadying breath and entered the subterranean space.
Presumably to save power, the whole segment was currently deactivated and dark. Turning on his flashlight, he cast it around the open space.
In a rectangular room, the walls on either side would appear parallel to each other. However, this room was effectively a segment of a large circle; the walls diverged as they receded into the distance. The visual consequence of the peculiar radial geometry was that the curving far wall looked much shorter than it should be.
Suppressing a slight shiver, he set off walking.
According to the original plans, this segment was under sea level and should have been used as a submarine dock. The plan had been to permit sea exploration after the Node’s leap through time was complete. In reality, the premature departure had disrupted that plan; no subs had arrived in time. The narrow channel he was walking alongside contained nothing but dark water.
Scott reached the far wall and directed his flashlight into the water where it met the outside floodgate. It was still intact and closed. He could now report back that the space was at least serviceable; it would be someone else’s headache to follow President Barnes’ grand plan and convert this segment into a recreational space.
With his official duty finished, he turned his attention back to his own motives for being here. It was a well-known adage within the Node that nothing could be thrown away; the sealed nature of their environment made it impossible. Hiding things though, was a different matter entirely.
There were several rows of storage crates that had been stacked at the side of the walls, but a methodical check of their contents revealed nothing out of the ordinary. With a sigh he realised that he’d have to remain patient. There were still other locations on his list.
He was just turning away from the crates when his flashlight beam picked out a detail at the edge of the water-filled channel. Approaching it slowly, he could see that a rope had been tied to a mooring fixture. The nylon rope led down into the water below.
Feeling a distinct sense of unease, he turned his flashlight back towards the far entrance door. Breathing slowly and straining his ears to listen for movement, he remained motionless. He could hear the low background rumble of the Node’s systems but nothing else. Every slight tremble of his hand was magnified a hundredfold by the distance that the light beam had travelled. He forced it to remain steady and panned the beam around the room, but ultimately he saw no-one. He turned away and focussed on the rope.
It was taut.
Whatever was tied to the other end was not resting at the bottom of the water.
Moving swiftly, he put the flashlight on the floor, placed his hands either side of the rope and hauled it up. As it rose through the water, he began to see details; the rope had been tied to the handle of a large crate. As it breached the surface, the water began to run off its flat top and curved corners. Straining against its awkward bulk, he levered it over the channel’s edge and walked backwards. Immediately the water began draining noisily off the flat sides of the box and splashing out over the floor. The box cleared the edge and he lowered it to the ground.
Shaking the cold water and icy ache from his hands, he picked up his flashlight and pointed it at the box. It was just a standard, grey packing crate; a rubber seal defining the position of a hinged lid.
He unfastened the two clasps and levered it open. Inside was a large collection of Biomag components, casings and circuit boards in zip-locked plastic bags. Most of the casings displayed signs of being opened; their rims stained with a black powdery residue. Others showed signs of being blown apart; the cases themselves had been damaged.
One of the units was different.
Scott raised the bag up into the flashlight to see it more clearly. The plastic bag contained a Biomag caked with dried blood and hair. The implication was clear; someone had buried this evidence.
Without thinking twice, he opened the bloodied bag and prised open the sticky Biomag case. Inside he saw a small, precise, black powdery mark, positioned over a single damaged component; a component that should have been replaced during the Node-wide Biomag repair schedule. Or, the horrifying thought now struck him, the component had been replaced in every Biomag and this was evidence of a discreet detonation.
He suddenly realised what the other charred Biomag cases were: they were practice. Someone had been refining the process to make sure there were no outward signs of sabotage.
A cold thought dawned on him.
Somehow, Biomags could be selectively sabotaged. Everyone aboard had been living in blissful ignorance: the device keeping them anchored within the Field was also a noose around their necks.
He had to find a way to let the others know. He clutched the bloodstained bag and was about to depart, when the situation’s logic stopped him. Someone had gone to significant lengths to hide this evidence. His first thought was that Alfred Barnes himself had hidden the crate, but he quickly discounted it; Alfred wouldn’t undertake such a menial task and it was highly unlikely that he would have permitted Scott to enter the area that held such damning evidence. The safest course of action would be to inform the others but leave the evidence where it was for now. After returning the crate to its watery depths, he departed from Sub-1 Beta at speed.
•
Cassidy could hear the climbing footsteps were accompanied by Alfred Barnes’ half-sung birthday tune. Neither of them had expected Alfred, especially as Roy was supposed to be with him down on the walkway level. She saw Gail react in an instant; pushing the memory stick inside the front of her trousers.
Adapting equally quickly, Cassidy improvised around a discussion they’d had before Roy had left. As the tune continued to get louder, she turned to Gail and mouthed the words ‘play along’.
“I know, Gail, but don’t you think it would mean so much to the people that are interested in seeing how Neil’s growing up?”
“I’m useless in front of a camera,” Gail now joined in, “Roy’s much better at it than me.”
“Come on,” Cassidy cajoled, “I’ll come down with you. We can…”
She broke off in order to offer a faked reaction to Alfred’s arrival. She turned to face the stairs and found that she suddenly had no idea how to react at all.
>
Alfred was holding Neil, whose familiar orange Biomag was missing. Behind Alfred, Roy’s face was a picture of dread.
“Happy Birthday to you!” Alfred concluded his song and, still smiling, turned to face them, “And many more, I hope!”
“Mr. President,” Gail began, “Cassidy’s just persuaded me to come down. Are the camera -”
“Don’t worry about it,” he replied, crossing the circular space, “The important thing is that we’re all here now. I’ve brought Neil’s present and hopefully something that you happy parents will appreciate too.”
He continued to walk past the telescope base and out towards the balcony that overlooked the whole Node. One of his CPO bodyguards followed him, carrying a coloured paper bag. When Cassidy was out of his direct sight, she risked a glance at Roy, who gave a minuscule shake of his head. Gail was protectively moving towards her son, if only to place her own Biomag near him.
Roy arrived at Alfred’s side and, seeing the constructive interference pattern that he was trying to establish with their combined Biomags, Cassidy moved casually towards them too.
“I know how difficult family life can be,” Alfred looked between them and the surrounding room, “The accommodation facilities up here are OK for a couple, but not for a family. Especially a family as important as yours.”
Cassidy heard both Roy and Gail begin to make faint noises of embarrassment but Alfred continued.
“No, I won’t hear a word of it,” he shook his head, “Your family’s become a symbol of hope to everyone. You’ve already inspired others to begin having children of their own. One day, Neil and others like him will be the basis for humanity’s future…”
Cassidy suddenly found herself imagining the space explosion that Gail had shown her a minute ago and hoped that there would be a future to return to.
“… I think it’s so important to give him the best start,” Alfred gave them a look that appeared to be sincerity, “I’ve arranged more spacious living quarters for your growing family, you’ll have every convenience placed at your disposal.”
“Thank you,” Roy now spoke, his eyes glancing between Neil, Alfred and the Civil Protection Officers, “That’s very kind -”
“Not at all,” Alfred shook his head, “There are several people aboard with teaching qualifications, we’re going to make sure Neil receives a full and free education. As my birthday gift to you, how does all of that sound?”
“I don’t know what to say,” Gail’s response seemed genuine.
Cassidy saw Roy put his arm around Gail.
“We say yes,” he said, earning him a tight smile from Gail.
“I’m so glad!” Alfred smiled and glanced towards the door, “I’ll get Scott to stay behind and work out your relocation needs.”
Cassidy hadn’t heard him arrive, but he appeared to be flushed in his cheeks. Evidently he’d been running.
“Of course,” said Scott, not sounding out of breath, “I’m all ears.”
“Excellent,” said Alfred and was about to hand Neil back to Gail, when he apparently remembered the colourful bag and gestured for it to be brought closer. Reaching into it, he pulled out a standard Biomag and turned it on. While it began booting up, he spoke casually, “I forgot how long they take to start. There was one other thing.”
It seemed that the true negotiations hadn’t begun. Alfred had shown them an incentive, now would come the favour.
“Trevor Pike and I have been looking at the energy requirements throughout the Node,” he began, “We need to do what’s right for everyone aboard. We also need to ensure there’s enough power for future community projects.”
“Anything we can do to help,” Roy nodded, stealing a glance at the rebooting Biomag.
“The Observatory,” he looked at the wide, glazed ceiling, “takes a disproportionate amount of power to run…”
Cassidy knew where this was heading, but couldn’t intervene.
“… We need to be realistic about the value it brings to the community. I’m not saying that we close the Observatory…”
Cassidy knew that was exactly what he was saying.
“… I’m saying that we scale back the operating time. The stars are still turning over our head, so let’s keep a check on them every few months.”
Cassidy saw Roy’s hand gently squeeze at Gail’s arm.
“Let’s do what we can for the community,” Roy spoke but Gail offered nothing more than her forced smile.
Alfred raised the Biomag over Neil’s head and lowered it into position.
“There. All set,” he said, “I can’t promise anything, but if it’s not too disruptive to the community entertainment, we could even look at ways of deactivating some of the upper panels in the observation window.”
Gail reached out her hands towards her son, “I’d like that.”
Alfred appeared to give her a moment’s study then handed him over. Within a few moments Alfred had covered the distance to the stairs, pausing only to wish Neil a happy birthday again.
As the footsteps retreated, Cassidy turned to see Roy and Gail huddled around their son. Gail had him tightly held to her chest and her face was awash with silent tears. Staring at the discarded gift bag on the floor, Roy’s jaw clenched in fury.
“This ends,” he quietly vowed.
When Scott finally spoke and explained what he’d found, they realised the situation was far worse than they’d thought.
SIGN
21st December 2112
Less than twenty-four hours had passed since the Node’s window had become opaque. Although it seemed an eternity to Danny, he worked out that only half a minute could have gone by inside. Free of a potentially rebellious element, those inside were just beginning day one of their presumably more utopian journey.
He looked away and levelled his digital recording binoculars at the incongruous craft that was parked on the far shore. Although he’d been speaking with its occupants, they hadn’t yet emerged. All conversations so far, conducted via a hovering drone, had been brief and covered little more than the basics of establishing a new rope bridge.
A large shape blurred his field of view and he dropped the binoculars to his side. The drone was returning again, having made another successful loop around the twisted metalwork remains of the old bridge at the far side. The drone came to a stop and Tyler reached up toward the lightweight rope hanging from its metal rod.
“A little lower,” Tyler beckoned the drone down.
The drone dropped slightly and Tyler unhooked the rope.
“Thanks,” he called out and began feeding the end through the rusted metalwork on the island.
Danny stared down at the brown, wrecked metal. One of the other exiles had remembered seeing a date before leaving the Node. If it truly was 2110, then this degradation had taken less than a century. When he considered the length of journey the Node was still making, this place would be unrecognisable by the time they emerged.
“I think Cassy might’ve done it,” said Tyler as he worked.
Danny knew that sometimes Tyler did this; he was continuing an internal thought but out loud.
“Done what?”
“Well, last night, when we were stood by the stone,” Tyler explained, “she sent me our sign…”
“Your sign?”
“Yeah. You know…” Tyler stopped work and mimicked Cassidy’s actions.
He pointed to himself, “I.”
He made an ‘x’ shape by crossing his arms over his chest, “Love.”
He pointed outwards, “You. It was me and Cass’s special thing, you know? It was somethin’ she used to do when she wanted me to know that everything was gonna be alright.”
“Sorry Ty,” Danny felt a little lost, “You said that Cassy might have done it. Done what?”
“Blanked the window,” Tyler looked at him askew, then resumed his rope work, “We never got to say a proper goodbye, but I think she was just letting me know that it was gonna be fine, before
she did it.”
“OK,” Danny spoke hesitantly, “But what makes you think she did it?”
“It was slow, but I saw her running off,” he then shrugged, “Colonel Beck always used to walk off that way when he changed the window shade.”
Danny suddenly had an unaccountable feeling of nausea. When he looked over at Tyler, he seemed to be steadying himself against the bridge’s old ironwork.
The rotor noise of the nearby drone suddenly rose in pitch and it shot upwards out of sight.
•
Anna looked at the bridge’s progress. Without the Discovery’s arrival she seriously doubted that the island’s occupants would have had the means to cross the moat of icy water.
She also doubted that the newly activated exo-limb framework around her legs would be stable enough to deal with crossing a swaying collection of ropes. But she knew she’d have to try. She had to get over there and work out a way of signalling Douglas and Kate who were hopefully still inside. By her calculations, the maximum time that could have elapsed inside would have been thirty days and yet, in that time, something had triggered the need for people to leave. It would be easier to get answers when they were talking face to face with those on the island.
Through the window of the Discovery she looked at the Node’s wide dome. The opaqued window made no sense to her; the most incredible architectural feature, one that allowed the long-term study of science and the elements, had been disabled. She then mentally chastised herself; for those inside, the tinting was only a temporary measure. The thought spurred her on. She had to be there waiting when the tinting deactivated. She smiled at the thought that Douglas would see her standing there with a Space Shuttle parked in the background.
“A little lower,” came a voice relayed from the drone.
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