As we walk across the dome to the all familiar central podium, I whisper to Anile and Rachel, “Did you see that figure the other side of the dome?”
Anile asks, “Figure? What do you mean Bill?”
Rachel replies, “I did, but I couldn’t see their face or any detail really, it all happened too quickly.”
“Neither did I, it was more a case of spotting vague shapes and the movement. Probably the style of movement more than anything else, that gave me the overwhelming impression that whoever or whatever it is, is biological and not a machine.”
Rachel nods, “Yes same here.”
“I wondered if Phil or Gavin had come through the tunnel and had also found themselves here.”
Rachel looks surprised, “That thought had not crossed my mind, but we have been gone for some time now, perhaps they panicked. Just how long have we been gone?”
I lift up the sleeve of my protective suit and check the time, do a quick bit of mental maths and reply, “About 24 hours. As Phil and Gavin are not expecting us back until 30 hours, it can’t be one of them. So someone else is here.”
Rachel exclaims, “Or something else!”
“If it is one of their people that they were expecting, we could be in serious trouble, although we have not said that we are the expected ones, that they have built this place for, these machines could potentially get very annoyed at us wasting their time and efforts.”
Rachel looks worried, as worried as I feel.
Anile says, “That is if they are capable of emotions?”
“Even still, they may start to take less friendly actions towards us, thus far, apart from locking us in our rooms, they have been perfect hosts.”
Rachel says, “It seems strange that the other being was surrounded by so many of the machines.”
Anile suggests, “Yes you are right there, it could either indicate that the individual is seen as a threat…”
I interrupt, “Or that they are very important.”
We arrive at the podium and the Director swings round and asks, “Food production place is good, yes?”
I reply, “It looks very efficient, but…”
The Majesty interrupts me with “What meaning efficient, is effiziente yes?”
Rachel throws me a furious look and protests, “Yes, the first part was, but the second area is inhumane!”
“Yes this unmenschliche, I do not understand as the Iol is insignificant, just food.”
“But it has feelings and can feel pain.” Rachel protests.
The Director replies, “I have noted your kill Vorschlag and will do, does this make better.”
Rachel replies, “There is no need to kill these things, we don’t like eating them anyway.”
The director replies, “They are protein, you need protein.”
Knowing Rachel, this argument will rage on if I let it, so I say, “We saw another Iol just over there.” I point in the direction that I had seen the figure.
“Yes, but not to concern, I have in control.”
Anile joins in, “The Iol, is it the same type as us?”
“Not to concern.”
Rachel replies, “We accept that you have the situation in control, we would just like to know if the iol is the same type as us.”
“Not to concern, we have unterhaltung room for you to see.”
Rachel says, “unter is under and haltung is attitude, that doesn’t make sense, under attitude.”
The Director does not reply, instead our guide says, “Follow me.” It swings round and sets off towards the back of the dome.
We obediently follow.
After a while I whisper to Rachel, “Why did you confront the Director, it could have hastened any negative actions that they will take against us for not being who we are supposed to be.”
Rachel replies, “Bill we cannot stand by and let these machines carry on in this inhumane way killing those creatures unnecessarily.”
“Well agreed, but the Majesty has now agreed to do things more humanely. We cannot afford to push them too far otherwise it will make them question more if we are who we are supposed to be.”
Rachel replies, “OK I still think the killing of those poor creatures is unnecessary. We need to know who or what that other being that we saw is and whether it is a threat to us.”
I reply, “On that front you heard the Director, they have it under control.”
Rachel pauses before replying, “Yes but in who’s favour? Is the being one of the true inheritors of this place and therefore, the Director is just playing with us, or is the being like us, someone who has stumbled upon this place, are they as much in potential danger as we could be?
Anile says, “You have a point there Rachel, should we fear the new being or should we be working together to get out of this place? I presume the plan is still to get out and return home?”
“Yes of course,” I reply and continue, “But our mission was to explore this place.”
Rachel replies, “Yes but it wasn’t to be at the risk of our lives and I think staying here any longer will be putting our lives at risk, as we are getting closer to these things finding out that we are not who they think we are. We might already be at that point now.”
“You are right, we need to figure out a way of shaking off this guide, it seems to be with us all the time unless we are locked in our rooms.”
Rachel replies, “That is a tricky one.”
~~0~~0~~
Gavin and Phil are in the office, Gavin asks, “Did you manage to get any sleep?”
Phil sighs and replies, “Some, more like small naps than a darned good sleep, at least I don’t feel as exhausted as I was. I just feel so powerless, all this kit here and we can do nothing for a whole day, until the new power supply smoother arrives.
“I know what you mean, I keep thinking up crazy schemes to try and bring this stuff to life again, but we have to face it, there is no option but to wait for this decent supply device to arrive.”
“I keep wondering if there is anything else we should be doing whilst we are waiting, to prepare for their return.”
“Same here, but I have come up with nothing. It wouldn’t be so bad if we could contact them and let them know what the delay is caused by.”
“Good point, it’s a shame that even if the comms pod got through to them, they won’t be able to use it to get in touch.”
“No doubt one day we will come up with an idea on that one, like a mini tunnel that just transports signals.”
“Hey you have something there, that might be possible.” Phil starts to search through his folders of notes.
“What are you doing?”
“You have given me an idea, we might not be able to fire up this kit for a day, but that doesn’t stop us working on other developments that will help with this and possible future trips. We young Gavin, are going to invent and build a comms device that has its own tunnel. That way we can at least get in touch with the team when the main tunnel goes down, now where are those notes on the maths behind this thing? Ah I think this is what I am looking for, pen, pen, why is it you can never find a pen when you want one?”
~~0~~0~~
The room we have arrived at is like an indoor arena, hundreds of seats towering above us and surrounding us. On the floor there are what look like painted triangles connected by circles.
Our guide asks, “Erkennen, as you enjoy?”
Rachel whispers, “Our guide is asking if we recognise it as we enjoy it? Looks like some sort of sports area.”
Anile says, “Like the international games arenas.”
I suggest “Oh the Olympic arenas.”
Rachel replies to our Guide’s question, “Yes very much so.”
The guide asks, “It is good? You want to unterhalten?”
Rachel exclaims, “Oh got it now, unterhalten is to entertain.”
“Just so, Entertain.” Our guide replies, then swings round and on the end wall we can see a display
of beings that look similar to us, but dressed in very colourful clothes, strips of coloured ribbons up and down, diagonally across and pretty much in every direction, but each with a definite sense of style and design. They are in an arena exactly like this one and there is much excitement amongst the crowd as four of the beings strut out into the centre of the arena, they are each carrying large weapons that look really ferocious, sharp blades, spikes of various shapes and projecting out at various angles. Each being’s weapon seems to be unique, but of the same principle, designed to do real damage by the looks of them. The four stand back to back facing out to the crowd, they raise their weapons and the crowd go bananas, shouting and screaming, throwing their hands into the air and waving them about as if they too were toting the weapons in the arena.
There is a loud noise and the hush following is instant, the crowd as one, place their arms across their chests and starting with low volume build to a crescendo, as they chant “Sieg, sieg, sieg!” On and on they go as the four in the centre of the arena rotate raising and lowering their weapons as they go round and round.
Another loud sound and all shouting and movements cease.
The weapons are dropped, to the beings’ sides and the crowd drop their arms to their sides also, they all bow their heads and silence reigns for quite a while. Then the roar starts again as the four in the arena separate and head off, each into their own triangle. They raise their weapons, then begins the most furious fight I have seen in an age.
Horrified as I am at the violence, I am also fascinated, trying to figure out the rules of the fight. At first it appears as if it is a free for all, then I note that none of the fighters is leaving their own circle, there seems to be no pattern as to who is fighting whom.
Anile whispers, “Reminds me of a Roman amphitheatre and the Gladiators, but those weapons are something else.”
Rachel says, “Frightening is what I call it.”
The fighter in the bottom left triangle, whilst fighting furiously, seems to be suffering the most blows from the other three, whilst they are striking blows at each other, they seem to be turning most of their attentions on the fourth fighter.
Suddenly, it happens, until now it has been weapon striking weapon, but now one of the weapons has struck the fourth fighter in the right arm. There is a horrendous scream of pain and anger. As the weapon is rocked back and forth, a dark blue stain forms on the injured fighters arm. The patch swells and looks like it is forming bubbles, just like a foam. The weapon is still being rocked back and forth, it looks horrendously painful, yet the fighter concerned, seems now to be concentrating on revenge, as its left arm swings its weapon up and over its head, swings down and engages with the head of the fighter, who has its weapon embedded in the arm. The fighter that has just been struck on the head, let’s go of its weapon, leaving it hanging from the arm, whilst it raises its arms to its head and negotiates with weapon embedded there.
I look over at Rachel, she is no longer watching the screen, neither is Anile. Rachel says, “This is barbaric, how could such a race produce intelligent machines like these.” Rachel nods in the direction of our guide.
The image on the wall fades and our guide says, “Having seen the entertainment, you need to do now?”
Rachel hesitantly says, “Er…. No, but thanks for setting this up…. It is… Er … good.”
Our guide reassures us, “We are ready.”
At that moment another machine emerges from an entrance to the left of the arena, it has clothes, just like the fighters on the screen and a similar weapon, but we can tell it is not one of the beings that we had just seen on the screen, purely by the movements it is making.
The guide asks, “Which of you would like to take on our meister?”
The fighting machine has now reached the centre of the arena and its weapon is raised, just like the stance fighters on the screen had adopted.
Anile, Rachel and I look at each other, although no words are said, we can see that we are all thinking the same, how do we get out of this one.
~~0~~0~~0~~
Chapter 12 – Escape plans
I step forward and our guide is most surprised when I say, “Sorry, but we no longer do the entertainment that we have just seen. We have stopped it altogether.” Feeling that I now need to ‘throw away the spade’ before I get us into any more trouble, I stop talking.
Rachel looks impressed, but our guide, says, “This can not be, we had instructions to make this entertainment place before we came here.”
I know I have to respond, so I simply ask, “How long ago was that?”
“What meaning is ago?”
Rachel replies, “wie lange vor”
“Just so, fünfundzwanzig Jahre.”
Rachel replies, “A lot can happen in twenty five years. Tastes change.”
We catch sight of the fighting machine, stand down and slope off back through the entrance, that it came in through earlier.
“Follow me.” Our guide announces and spins round to head back out the way we had entered.
Anile waits until our guide is far enough away and whispers, “I do not think that was very wise Bill, to tell these machines that the plans have changed What if the real people who sent these machines, manage to contact them? Our cover will be blown.”
I reply, “Yes I think you are right Anile. If the real people do get in touch our cover is blown anyway, they won’t speak any English for starters. I am forming plans as to how we are going to get out of here.”
Anile says, “Would you like to share these plans?”
“I said forming, I haven’t finished thinking them through yet, no point in going off half-cocked like I did just now. It has to be a solid argument that this lot will buy into.”
Anile replies, “Could you give us some idea of your initial thinking?”
“I suppose it won’t do any harm, you might have some better ideas than I have come up with so far. I was thinking that we could tell these machines that we have to get back to the place where we arrived as we have left our comms device there and our people will be expecting a call from on that equipment.”
Rachel says, “Sounds good to me.”
“Follow me!” Our guide reminds us, making us almost jump out of our skins.
We obey and the machine resumes its path.
I resume, “It is a good job these machines aren’t more suspicious. Anyway what was I saying?”
Rachel reminds me, “That we need to get a message back home on our communicator.”
“Ah yes, but the weakness there is…”
Anile interrupts, “They will want to know why we did not bring the equipment with us?”
“Absolutely!”
We walk in silence for a while, then Anile says, “Because we were instructed to leave it at our drop site, in-case things had gone wrong and they did not want it to fall into the wrong hands?”
“Good thinking! How do you explain that one to a machine though?”
~~0~~0~~
We thought we were going back to the big dome, instead we end up in an equally large dome, this one has a large lake and several waterfalls tumbling down into the main area. It is quite refreshing to breath in the moisture. There are some seats dotted around the dome, some are beside the tops of the waterfalls.
Glad of the interlude to actually enjoy ourselves, especially after the last close encounter, we wander around taking in the almost natural beauty of this place.
Rachel and I walk up to the top of one of the ‘hills’. Our guide whilst watching us, makes no move to restrain or stop us. We sit beside the tumbling waterfall, enjoying the peace and tranquillity. It is whilst sat up here that I catch sight of the figure that we had seen earlier. I whisper to Rachel, not wanting to draw attention to ourselves.
Rachel confirms that she can see him or it, still surrounded by an entourage of escorts. We are still unsure if the figure is an honoured guest or a prisoner. That is, until the figure turn
s to face our direction and we can clearly see that the being’s four arms are held in some sort of mechanical restraint.
At least we now know that these machines must still be unsuspecting in terms of our visit here and are still under the misapprehension that we are the advanced visiting party, of the species that sent them here in the first place. This gives more credence to our escape plans, but also complicates them somewhat. Do we factor in helping this other poor being who probably like ourselves stumbled into this situation, although in their case they just did not look the part of being an advanced scout, sent to check on progress. Or could this being, actually be harmful to us.
I come back to the Directors words, that the being’s existence here was not our concern. Was the Director saying this to keep us out of their business, or to protect us?
Rachel moves, I wonder if she is planning to go down and confront the being. She whispers, “We should find out something more about this being. It may require our help.”
I put out my hand and touch Rachel’s arm, not so much to restrain her, but more bring her attention to the fact that we need to discuss this further. I say, “I agree we should find out more about this being, but we should do it subtly, so far we have the trust of these machines, we do not want to alert them to the fact that we want to do anything against their wishes, otherwise our own safety will be put at risk.”
We decide that we will go round the back of the hill upon which we are sitting, to see if we can get a clearer view of the being. As we walk down and around the back, I suddenly notice that there is some form of maintenance hatch. The fastening is quite simple and more out of curiosity than anything else, I open the hatch, inside is a screen that is displaying some schematics and some words that I cannot understand. I whisper to Rachel, who is ahead of me, observing the machines and the being.
Rachel takes a long hard look at the screen, then starts tapping at it. The displays change at each tap. Rachel quietly but excitedly exclaims, “Ah interesting.” She taps some more then says, “This links right into their network, they are obviously so sure that their physical security is good, as they have no system security built in, no password control or anything like that. The language it is running is quite ancient according to our standards, but is quite capable of doing the job it was written for, whilst it is in a sort of German, I recognise the underlying structure it’s all kind of backwards, like Forth.”