‘As much as we can win,’ said Reims.
‘I don’t think I’ll be keeping my job at the data centre,’ said Josie.
‘And I’ve just retired from ColPol,’ said Reims.
‘I know a nice little hut you can move into,’ said Connie. ‘It has a great view of the lake.’
Josie’s face lit up with excitement. ‘A lake? Are you serious? What you waiting for? Let’s go!’
CHAPTER 37
In the months since Connie, Reims and Josie had returned from their mission on Mars, the Box had been used to bring more people from Earth to the settlement on Kevs. It had not taken long for people to shorten the name ‘Kev’s world’ to Kevs, and this had now become the official name for their new home. Kevin was glad, he had inwardly cringed every time anyone had used the name ‘Kev’s world’.
Although their farms could now produce enough food for everyone, they were still using the Box to fabricate electronics. Their own workshops were limited by a lack of raw materials. Some new arrivals had worked in the mining trade on Earth and were surveying for copper, silver, tin and other metals used in the manufacture of electronics. One site had been identified, and they were setting up operations there using equipment scavenged from Earth.
Kevin was here for a multimeter. He banged on the side of the Box in frustration. ‘Let me in, dammit.’
Kevin had been trying for five minutes to get the circular ‘door’ to open in the side of the Box so he could fabricate the multimeter for Dimitri. He tried one more time. ‘Box, open the door.’
Nothing. He gave the recalcitrant thing a good hard kick. Then hopped around on one foot swearing. He sat down, removed his boot and inspected his toes for damage.
‘Morning, Kev. You got the multimeter?’
‘No, I do not have the bloody multimeter.’ Kevin jammed his foot back into his boot. ‘Because this bloody box won’t let me in.’
‘Really? Let me try.’
Simone had instructed the Box to do what Dimitri said when she had reached the eighth month of her pregnancy. This had saved her having to hike out to the Box fetching supplies.
‘Box, open the door,’ said Dimitri confidently.
Nothing happened.
Dimitri tried again, shouting the instruction several times before giving up.
‘I’m going to get Sim,’ said Kevin.
As he approached Simone’s hut, Kevin could hear the unmistakable crying of a baby. He broke into a jog, quickly arriving at his destination.
He rapped his knuckles on the door. ‘Sim?’
The door was opened by Diane, the settlement’s midwife.
‘Hello, Kevin.’ She was smiling.
‘Is she okay?’ asked Kevin.
‘Mother and baby are both fine,’ said Diane.
The settlement huts all followed a similar design; a main living area and one or more connected bedrooms. Simone was in one of the single person dwellings.
Kevin knocked on the bedroom door. ‘Sim?’
‘Come in, Kev.’
Simone was sat up in her bed holding her baby. Kevin almost couldn’t believe it. His sister was a mother. He was an uncle.
‘Say hello to your nephew.’
‘Shit. I mean, hello nephew.’
Simone held out the tiny baby. ‘Come hold him.’
Kevin hesitantly took the baby into his arms and looked down at his wrinkled face. He jumped as the child’s mouth opened and he started to cry loudly.
‘You’d better have him back.’ Kevin passed the precious charge back to his mother.
Simone comforted her son, gently cooing at him and rocking him until he settled down and was quiet.
‘Have you chosen a name for him?’ asked Kevin.
‘Not yet. I wish he could meet his father,’ said Simone.
Kevin didn’t know what to say, so he said nothing.
Simone looked up at Kevin. ‘I miss him Kev.’
Kevin sat on the edge of the bed and put an arm around her shoulders. ‘I know, Sim.’
Simone looked down at her son and smiled. ‘But this little guy. Oh, this little guy.’
Kevin couldn’t help smiling along. ‘He’s a little miracle, Sim.’
‘The second born Kevsian. Maybe he’ll marry little Nadia when he grows up,’ said Simone.
Nadia had been born a couple of months earlier, the child of one of the women rescued from Earth.
‘We should have a big party, like we did for Nadia.’
‘That’s a great idea! Maybe we could start a new Kevsian tradition.’
‘I’ll get started now.’ Kevin stood up. ‘Oh. I almost forgot. We’re having trouble getting into the Box. I was going to ask you to come and try, but it can wait.’
‘Trouble?’
‘It’s not opening for me or Dimitri.’
‘That’s worrying. Give me half an hour and I’ll be with you.’
‘Should you be moving around?’ asked Kevin.
‘Kevin. Let me be the judge of if or if not I can do anything.’
‘Sorry, Sim. I’ll get back and let Dimitri know.’
Kevin was relieved when Simone showed up at the Box forty minutes later. Dimitri had started swearing and throwing rocks at the Box. So far it hadn’t retaliated.
‘Bastard.’ Dimitri bounced another rock off the side without making a mark.
‘That’s not going to help,’ said Simone.
Dimitri stepped to one side with an exaggerated bow. ‘Please. Get the damn thing to open.’
Simone ignored him. ‘Box, open the door.’
Nothing happened.
Simone tried again. ‘Box, open the door.’
Nothing happened again.
‘Oh shit,’ said Kevin.
‘I agree,’ said Simone.
‘I suppose we should get the alien-tech team to take a look,’ said Kevin.
‘That bunch of idiots?’ asked Dimitri. ‘They’ve been messing around at the alien facility for months and got nowhere.’
‘They may have some insight,’ said Simone. ‘I’ll talk to Philip.’
* * *
Philip Hargreaves had moved most of the research camp from outside the alien facility to outside the Box. That had been a week ago.
Simone and Kevin were sitting on the grass while they watched Philip and another man taking pictures of the Box with thermal imaging cameras. Kevin wondered what they expected to see that they hadn’t seen already.
‘Well, I guess that’s it then,’ said Simone.
‘What’s what?’ asked Kevin.
‘We’re stranded here. No more trips to Earth or Mars.’
‘Oh. Yes.’
He’d come to that conclusion himself after Philip and his team had replicated their success with the alien facility by making zero progress with getting back into the Box. To all intents and purposes it was now a giant, inert grey cube.
‘We’ll have to tell the others,’ said Simone.
‘I think they already know,’ said Kevin.
‘You’re probably right.’ Simone stood up and brushed grass from the seat of her trousers. ‘Dimitri is holding a soy-burger barbecue to celebrate the naming of the settlement. You coming?’
‘Is Connie going?’ asked Kevin.
‘I think so. After all, the name was her idea.’ Simone smiled.
‘Good. Let’s go eat,’ said Kevin.
Epilogue
Raphael left Nadia behind as he sprinted through the winding streets of New Akpoort.
He streaked past his aunt and uncle’s house, hurdling the plastic bins at the end of a gravel path that led to the porch.
He heard his aunt Connie call after him. ‘Hello, Raphael!’
He waved an arm above his head in acknowledgement and continued his run towards the centre of the town. He slowed as he reached the large grey cube that dominated the central square. He wasn’t even breathing heavily after the run from the lakeside. Physical activity came very easily to him; his mother told him it
was his special heritage.
He tried to decide where he should stand for maximum nonchalance while he waited for Nadia to catch up with him. He walked over to the monument and put his hand on the smooth grey surface, intending to adopt a cool looking pose like one of the actors in the movies he watched with his grandfather.
Raphael snatched his hand back in shock as a circular opening flicked into existence with a high pitched ‘ting’. The interior was brightly lit, and he could see a table, chairs, a sofa and even the shiny black surface of a wall screen. This was beyond weird.
‘Raph, what are you doing?’ Nadia had arrived.
‘It just opened. Come on, let’s go inside.’
‘Are you sure it’s safe?’ asked Nadia.
‘No. But how dangerous can it be? It’s got a comfy sofa.’
‘Shouldn’t we go and tell our parents?’
‘Maybe you’re right. It opened quickly. I suppose it could close as fast.’ As soon as he thought about the hole closing, the opening swiftly shrank until it disappeared, leaving the featureless surface as it was before.
‘Oh!’ exclaimed Nadia.
‘That was weird,’ said Raphael.
He wished it had stayed open so he could take a look inside.
The ‘ting’ sounded again, and the hole was back.
Smiling, Raphael held his hand out to Nadia. ‘You coming to explore?’
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Box Page 19