AL CLARK - Avalon -: (Book Two) Read online

  Chris was assisting Edward, and they were discussing the new legs with Tiro.

  “So…you’re saying the new legs will wire themselves to what’s left of her old legs?” Chris asked Tiro.

  The little gray hologram nodded as a human would, “It is a simple matter of rewiring the network to match the correct responses.”

  Edward explained, “The contact points in Kira’s legs can be rerouted to pick up the nerve endings needed for control of the artificial legs. Each leg has a computer integrated inside, and the two of them work together to orchestrate movement. It is quite extraordinary.”

  “Will they be permanent? I mean, can she take them off?”

  “No…they are permanent, and will in time become a part of her.”

  Chris said, “That’s gonna take some getting used to.”

  “If this works as I hope, she will not only get used to them, she will learn to love them.”

  “Will she be like Al?”

  “No no—nothing like that. The strength of her bones and the sockets of her hips will limit what she can do. She won’t be jumping thirty feet into the air like Al, but she could be the fastest native on Avalon.”

  “I hope that’s enough. People will never look at her in the same way. She’ll be the girl with the fake legs—it will make some people uncomfortable.”

  “She is a strong, intelligent girl, with a lot of support. Kira will be all right.”

  They continued working, entering data into the Caretaker computer controlling the replicator. The part human, part alien, design required some components produced from the replicator, and the chassis and coverings fabricated by 3D printers. The replicated parts they now worked on were the final components necessary for the finished product. They finished inputting the data and touched the Begin button on the replicator. This action left them with several hours to wait.

  Chris had been thinking. He and Tammy had discussed the hollow sounding floor section in the library; and in the Caretaker’s files, a mention of a ‘Seedling Room.' The information teased him and made him curious. “Tiro, there is a section of floor in the library that sounds hollow. Is there anything below the library?”

  The hologram flickered for a second and then became stable again. “No. There is nothing below the library.”

  By the expression on Tiro’s face and the hesitation displayed by his image, Chris was not convinced. He did not think Tiro would lie, but he decided he would have to research this further. He didn’t want to make a big deal out of his suspicions so when Edward told Tiro they no longer needed his assistance, and the hologram faded away, Chris asked, “Do you need me for anything Doctor Florida, I think I’m going to do a little exploring.”

  “No, I’m going to reread the surgery criteria again. Don’t be gone long, we’ll be leaving when the machine finishes these parts.”

  “Got ya Doc, I’ll be back before then.”

  Chris used the site to site transporter to get to the library. It still unnerved him, so when he emerged from the receiving cubicle he performed the customary pat-down to reassure himself. He smiled when he considered how long this technology had been in use, with generations of users perfecting it until the process was almost fool-proof.

  The lights were on in the library when he got there, with two colony scientists doing research from the collection of data cubes. “Have you seen any reference to a seedling room or anything else that seemed out of the ordinary?” he asked.

  One of the two specialists said, “We’ve only started viewing yesterday, but no, nothing like that so far.”

  Tammy remembered the reference being early in the Caretaker’s recordings. “Are you starting from the beginning or the end?”

  “We’re working our way back from the last entry.”

  “Can we look at the early entries?”

  “Sure, if you want to. I think I can find those cubes.”

  “Yeah, please do, I’m curious about the early days.” Chris pointed towards the opposite wall and said, “I’ll wait over there.”

  Chris wanted to be discrete about his investigation, so while they were busy, and their backs were to him, he took a look around the hollow sounding circle on the floor. It was as Tammy had said, a six-foot circle etched into the metal. There were no buttons or panels visible nearby, so he expanded his search. On the wall closest to the mysterious circle, he found another etched outline. It too was in the shape of a circle; only this barely discernable line was only six inches around.

  The two scientists paid him no attention, they were facing the screens and busy talking. Chris used his index finger to trace the circle, and the etched line became more pronounced. When he placed his hand in the center and pushed gently, the round door slid to the side, revealing a glowing red button. For a second, he hesitated, knowing that if anything did happen, the secret would be out. The two behind him assured that. He pushed it regardless. Without risk, there is no reward, he thought.

  Nothing happened. No response. He stood with a questioning look and thought. Everything they had discovered to this point had worked without problems so long as you were wearing one of the Caretaker badges. The badges!

  All the senior personnel had complete access badges, but Chris recalled Tiro saying something about Al’s being special. Maybe he needed that particular device to see what the red button does? When he pulled his hand back, the panel slid back to cover the opening, and for any casual exam; disappeared into the wall.

  He watched the videos with the two researchers, going back a thousand years they saw the beginning of the Caretaker’s observations of the Sansi. They found no mention of a ‘seedling’ room but learned that the early days were hard for the Sansi.

  He went back to meet Edward with a lot of new questions on his mind, and a mystery he was determined to solve. Why Tiro was acting so secretive eluded Chris, but somehow, he was going to see what happened when you push the red button.

  ****

  Al managed to stay in bed for three days. That was all he could take. It was early in the morning, the sun was shining, and he was tired of staring at the walls. He decided to go and say good luck to Kira before her operation, and she was glad to see him.

  They were outside the clinic waiting while the surgical team finished last minute details inside the operating room. Her friends surrounded her as Al was not the only one wanting to wish her luck.

  In a whisper she confided, “I am scared Mister Clark. I do not know if I can do this.”

  The man with the bandages holding his chest together could understand her fear. “These are the best doctors I know,” he assured her, “You will be okay—and up and about in no time at all.”

  “Kira, aware of Al’s missing past, wanted to know, “How many doctors do you know Mister Clark?”

  Most people in the small crowd knew Al, and there was a soft laugh. “Why I know six or seven, at least,” he replied with a straight face. He saw her smile, which was what he wanted.

  “I’m serious Kira. You have nothing to worry about.”

  “Do you think I will run again?”

  Al did not want to encourage false hope, so he only said, “We will have to wait and see. If they allow you to walk, isn’t that better than sitting in that wheelchair? I can tell you Doctor Florida is good at what he does, and Doctor Cody is a skilled surgeon. Both are excellent at what they do, so I think the chances of success are very high.”

  Kira’s eyes left Al and darted over his shoulder. The smile that Al received when she first saw him was nothing compared to the huge smile that appeared when Lieutenant Alvarado walked up to her. It was obvious she was pleased to see him. “Hello Jesse!” she exclaimed, then glanced around and amended her greeting. “I mean Lieutenant Alvarado.”

  He looked good in his pilot’s uniform, and he knew it. A tall Spanish man with shiny black hair, soft blue eyes, and a smile to match hers. The sparks were hard to miss.

  Liz looked up at Al with lowered eyebrows, her lips forming a frown
. Al said nothing.

  The two young people talked for several minutes as if there were no one else around until her friends made themselves known and added their input to the occasion. Thirty minutes later, dressed in a surgical gown, Edward opened the door and asked Kira to come in. They were ready to begin. Inside waited Doctor Cody and Tammy.

  Once the surgery started, neither doctor would move away from the patient. It was Tammy’s job to hand them whatever they requested. She was a quick study, and because it was unnecessary to learn what the devices did, she had managed to memorize the names of all the tools and how to operate the equipment.

  Kira waved as she went through the door and then disappeared inside. The crowd outside lingered, milling about and talking for a while, and then started to filter out to get some breakfast. The surgery would take some time, and there was no reason to hang around.

  “I have a question Al.”

  “What’s that, Chris?”

  “The captain and I are going to Overlook for a little while. Can I borrow your badge?”

  “Why do you need my badge, did you lose yours?”

  “Oh…no, I still have mine. I have something to check out, and I might need your badge.”

  “Do you want to expand on that?”

  “Not really, I’m kind of in a hurry. The captain is waiting for me.”

  Al glanced at Liz, who appeared noncommittal. He had learned to trust Chris and respected his judgment. Chris was young, but he was not dumb. Not only that, but he and Chris shared a special bond as first survivors. “All right, but let’s trade, in case I have to go up there for some reason.”

  ****

  The captain was already in the pilot’s seat when Chris arrived. He immediately volunteered to go with him when Chris explained his suspicions. Now he was as curious as Chris about the red button.

  “Did you get Al’s badge?” he asked.

  “Sure did. Not a problem.”

  “Think he’ll be mad if this pans out?”

  “”He just had his chest opened up three days ago. He doesn’t need to be traipsing about a mountain. Don’t you think?”

  “No, I agree. What we’re doing may well prove to be nothing anyway.”

  The captain closed up the shuttle, started the engines, and they flew to Overlook. Nothing attacked the shuttle this time; nothing even came close. Maybe their luck was improving.

  The captain canceled the lookout shift for this period, which left the entire facility without prying eyes. They were alone when they stepped out of the transporter, the lights coming on at their arrival. Within seconds Tiro appeared, “May I be of assistance?”

  Chris had thought about what he would ask the next time he saw him, “Is there anything under the library Tiro?”

  “No Mister Morris, there is nothing but rock under the library.”

  “What is the red button for next to the hollow circle on the floor?”

  “You have discovered—the button?”

  “Yes Tiro, we found the button.”

  Tiro flickered, and an empty slice spiraled up his projection, “That button requires special permission. Please do not attempt to activate it.”

  “I have special permission,” and he held up Al’s badge.

  Without warning, Tiro disappeared. They waited for a minute, but he did not return. Chris looked to the captain to see what he would do.

  “Try the button, Chris.”

  Second thoughts began slipping into Chris’ logic, and he voiced them. “What if it’s an autodestruct? What if I push this button, and we wind up blowing up the mountain? What if it floods the lower levels?”

  The captain considered what Chris said, and replied, “Any autodestruct sequence requires codes and or passwords. We have the badge, but that wouldn’t be enough. Besides, anything serious like what you’re talking about always requires, at least, two people. I think we’re okay—go ahead and push the button.”

  Tobias stepped back and while wearing Al’s badge Chris did what the captain asked. The sound of motors behind them made them turn to see silver railing rising from the floor outside the line of the circle, complete with an opening to allow someone to step inside. The purpose was clear.

  “We go together…right, Captain?”

  “What…are you kidding?”

  The gate rails slid into place as soon as they stood in the center, and the lift moved slowly downward. When they were clear, another panel slid over the hole they left behind.

  What they slowly descended into was too large to be called a room. It more closely resembled a cavern. One by one, lights flickered on in the ceiling, which was too far up to provide much light to the floor. There were lights mounted to the walls lower down, but they too seemed dim and insufficient. When they reached the bottom, they found out why. Dust covered everything, including the lenses of the fixtures; blocking out the light.

  “I guess they don’t clean down here,” ventured Chris.

  “Not in a long time it looks like.”

  “What is this place?” asked Chris.

  They were caught by surprise when Tiro suddenly appeared before them. “You have entered the heart of Visto. This cavern is where the outpost began, and contains the reason for its existence. Now that you are here, we can only hope your species is mature enough to understand the significance of what we have accomplished here.”

  The program that was Tiro had concluded the secret existence of the cave below Visto was exposed, and his assistance might minimize the damage. “Come along, I will show you.”

  They left the lift and wound their way through equipment and machines to a large round enclosure in the center of the chamber. The hologram raised no dust, but the two humans passage caused plumes to rise every step they took. The beams from their flashlights illuminated the floating dust, like lightly falling snow on Christmas day.

  Thirty feet tall and making no sound, they approached a giant metal ball with softly glowing, dust covered portholes. Through the round windows, they could see more windows, dividing the sphere into many, each one inside the other. The row of portholes allowed them to see to the very core, to a bright white dot. A tiny star harnessed to provide plentiful and virtually endless energy. “This is our Fusion Plant that provides power for the complex,” explained Tiro.

  “I don’t see any cooling system. Usually, there is an extensive water system needed to keep something like this cool,” said Chris.

  “It is a cold fusion reactor. The two large pipes you see coming from the top of the reaction chamber lead to the outside, and they are all that is needed to cool the reactor.”

  “Room temperature fusion? That’s amazing,” exclaimed Chris. “We could use that technology. Can it be adapted to spaceships?”

  “You are not yet ready for this kind of power. It must be used with reason and with forethought. Much harm can come from misuse.”

  For a moment, they were offended. Then they remembered why they left Earth. The reality was that humans have many qualities, not all of them good, and they were embarrassed.

  The captain had to speak in the colony’s defense. “We are not the same race that left Earth. We have adapted; learned to be more open and tolerant, and with good results. However, I understand your reluctance to interfere with more primitive cultures and your wish for secrecy.”

  Tiro said, “There is more. Please follow me.”

  There were pipes and ductwork of all kinds, crisscrossing the space above them and eventually reaching for the ceiling. Equipment with no discernable purpose littered the floor of the cavern, leaving only a winding pathway. They followed Tiro until he stopped before a large double door buried in the wall, as wide as it was tall. A ten-foot entrance large enough to accept almost anything.

  “When we first came here, this planet was devoid of humanoid life. This room is where human life began on Avalon.”

  Tiro stood aside, and the doors opened. Inside they found twelve coffin shaped containers standing in a corner, covered in d
ust and old beyond measure.

  “We brought six women and six men trained to live in this climate on this planet. In Earth terms, they were fourteen years old, and we released them close to the caves they still inhabit. Their progress was incredibly slow.”

  Both the captain and Chris were shocked by what Tiro said. The captain asked, “You brought the Sansi here?”

  “Yes…their ancestors at any rate. This facility was built to monitor their progress.”

  Speechless, they let this unexpected discovery sink in.

  “The Sansi were an experiment? Or what? Have you done this to other planets?” asked Chris.

  “Yes, many times. My race has dedicated itself to spreading humanoid life. It is our—how would you say it…legacy?”

  Chris stared at Tiro with wide eyes as the significance of what he was being told became clearer.

  “Did you seed Earth?” asked Chris.

  “No, we did not. Earth took care of itself. A fortunate consequence of our actions we like to believe.”

  They talked back and forth asking questions of Tiro, who committed himself to enlightening them. His conclusion was he had no choice but to trust them.

  “Christopher Morris and Doctor Edward Florida, I have provided this information to you in the hopes that you will not abuse it. The mystery of origin is a part of all cultures, and to attempt to change someone’s convictions can be very damaging. The Sansi must never have definitive proof of where they come from or the part we played in it.”

  The room was large, with a few surgical tables, some medical equipment, and a large clear cube in the center. It was similar to the transporters in the upstairs rooms, except much larger. Facing the oversized transporter was a control pedestal.

  “What’s that?” Chris inquired.

  “That is a Mass Planetary Teleport,” Tiro said matter-of-factly.