Chapter 10
Floyd was awakened just before dawn by a call from Mr. Watson summoning him to the bridge. Floyd took but a second to shake the cobwebs out of his head and was on his feet heading to the cockpit. Before he could even sit down, Mr. Watson was telling him that the drone had become active and was sending them a message. Floyd complained, "I haven't had my coffee yet. What do they want?"
"It would seem that those of the Sanctuary are demanding that you return their property to them."
"What the hell are they talking about? I didn’t take any of their property!"
Mr. Watson responded in a subdued voice, "They are referring to the Fixer."
"They want me to give them Tesla? Tell them to go to hell!"
"That may be unwise. They say they have the right to destroy our ship if you do not return their property."
"Well, tell them I haven’t had my coffee and I will consider their request when I finish my coffee. I need some time to think. Is it safe to talk?"
"I have disconnected all external transmissions and verbal communication should be safe. You really want me to tell them they need to wait for you to finish your coffee?
"Do you play poker, Mr. Watson?"
"I know the rules but have not played the game. Why do you ask?"
"Seems like we are about to play the biggest game of our lives. Tell them I need to finish my coffee; they know how important to me it is."
Lina and Tesla were waiting for Floyd with his coffee already heated. Floyd accepted the coffee and was over half done with it before he said anything. Lina and Tesla just sat and watched him. Floyd finally said, "I think they are bluffing."
Before Lina could ask what that meant Mr. Watson was relaying the message that they needed a response. Floyd said, "Ask them why they think we have one of their Fixers."
Mr. Watson put the communication on the speaker system and the voice was a bit garbled but Floyd was pretty sure it was the Councilor he did not like. She said, "Our drone picked up a signal from chip number 45684921 but the chip was not responding to our commands."
Floyd looked at Tesla who was quivering and may have collapsed if Lina had not been holding him up. Floyd did not delay in his response saying, "As an officer in the United States Navy I have taken an oath to protect those who have requested asylum and the Fixer has requested asylum."
A long pause occurred before the voice replied, "Your oath is of no importance to us and the Fixer is not a person."
Floyd was ready and responded, "As a sentient being, the Fixer has the right to request asylum and I have a moral obligation to protect that right."
The pause was not as long this time before the voice responded, "Our right to our property must outweigh your moral obligation and if our property is not returned in one hour we will be forced to destroy your ship and all that are within."
Lina waited until Mr. Watson said it was safe to talk and said, "Tesla has saved both of our lives. We can't just turn him out."
Floyd squeezed her shoulder saying, "I have no intention of turning him over to be extinguished. I am afraid the bidding is going to get pretty intense and I need you to keep quiet so they cannot identify you."
Floyd paced up and down the small space for several minutes before telling Mr. Watson, "Start broadcasting a low strength signal with a random pattern that might represent a code. We need to pretend that we have relays scattered in several directions."
Mr. Watson asked, "What purpose will this serve?"
"I'll explain later. Just do it."
"What pattern would you prefer?"
"I don't care. It can be 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' or anything they cannot recognize."
After the radio transmissions were started Floyd finished the last bit of now cold coffee and told Mr. Watson, "Now we need to wait to see how they respond."
"I can connect you to them now if you want."
"Nope. We need to see who will blink first."
Over half of their allotted time expired before the voice returned, questioning the radio transmissions. Floyd gave Lina thumbs up and replied, "After you destroyed our orbital relay we needed to rely on our quantum communicator for contact with Earth. The transmitters are programmed to send a brief message telling of your act of war if the signal from our ship is terminated without the proper code. The message will arrive instantly on Earth but any response will be delayed by the transit time of rocket travel. As you know my people value honor greatly but also have a militant streak which has caused much destruction." Floyd paused momentarily before saying, "It may be wise to ask the Ancient One about the destructive power of nuclear bombs. I doubt the Sanctuary or any of The People would survive."
There was a long pause before the voice asked, "You would destroy our world over a Fixer?"
Floyd responded, "You would have me choose between my honor and death over the same Fixer." He added, "I was expulsed from the Sanctuary to live as a freeman for as long as my food lasted. The Fixer has asked for the same freedom. We are both mortal and have limited life spans. Rather than the destruction of your world I would prefer to continue my meager existence for what little time is left."
"I will need to take this to the Council."
The voice was gone and Mr. Watson assured him the contact was severed. He asked Floyd, "Is this what you call a bluff?"
"In poker it’s not always the one with the best cards who wins. If a person is able to make others think he has a better hand, they will quit, when they could have won. The secret to poker is knowing when someone is bluffing and then calling them on it. I just hope nobody on the Council plays poker."
Lina tried to work on her sewing and Tesla kept polishing his little hammer but Floyd just sat and waited. Mr. Watson wanted to talk about strategy but Floyd just wanted to think. The hour was up and still no response. Floyd was so quiet it looked like he might have fallen asleep but when the radio transmissions returned he was immediately alert. It was a different voice and he was unsure of who it was. The voice said, "The Ancient One has confirmed your statement about the power of nuclear weapons and our physicists say your quantum communicator is possible. We have no desire for the conflict you call war. The Council has agreed to transfer the ownership of the Fixer to you for the remaining time you have left, but we reserve the option of reclaiming the Fixer upon your death. The malfunction of the chip needs to be investigated."
Floyd decided to push his luck a little further by saying, "My ship could be repaired enough for terrestrial flight and I would travel back over the mountains and be forever isolated from those of the Sanctuary."
After a long pause the voice replied, "We, The People, wish you no harm but also want no further contact with you or your ideas. We will provide no further assistance." With that the communication link was broken.
Mr. Watson spoke up saying, "I am significantly impressed with this game you call poker and will need to explore it further."
Floyd responded, "We have won the first hand. The game will go on and I doubt that our bluff can be used again. We may need to think about relocating far from the Sanctuary."
"How would you move the ship?"
"Don't know but if the baby Fixers are going to have a chance we’re going to have to figure out a way." Floyd then changed the discussion completely by asking, "What's for the breaking of the fast?"
Lina replied, "We do not have enough of the goo yet for another pancake so it is whatever the machine has left."
Floyd punched buttons until a couple of tubes of something came out. He almost inhaled them and when Lina asked why he ate so quickly replied, "Don't have to taste it that way." They were now drinking well water and Floyd washed down the food with a large container of water.
He looked at Tesla and asked, "Ready to go to work? Looks like we need to spend more time harvesting the green goo."
Tesla was shaking his head and pretending to stack rocks. Floyd asked, "You want to work on the dome?"
; Tesla responded with a nodding of his head and headed out of the airlock. Floyd asked Mr. Watson, "Any idea why Tesla is so intent on working on the dome?"
Mr. Watson replied, "No definite ideas, but I have documented that every time we have had an earthquake the Fixer gets quiet just before my inertia sensors detect the movement. He may have some intrinsic sensory ability that we do not understand."
"Would make sense that Tesla was preparing for a bigger event. Wonder how he senses the change? Some animals back on earth apparently have the ability to a limited extent."
Mr. Watson started a long lecture on the changes in the electromagnetic field associated with earthquakes but Floyd got lost quickly and interrupted him saying, "I had better help Tesla. We can go over this later." As he was exiting the airlock he said to himself, "Much, much later like maybe never."
Because Tesla had built the internal support, their supply of rocks was used up and Floyd was back to moving rocks with the drone as a wheelbarrow. The one advantage of the internal cross was that it worked like a stone stairway allowing them to move the rocks up one step at a time. Each rock had to be trial fitted and then trimmed by Tesla before it was actually placed. Hard, time-consuming work and they seemed to have accomplished little by the time of the midday break. Lina surprised them with a few small fresh bean pods as a side dish for their tubes of whatever from the supplier. Floyd's comment was, "Now we’re getting somewhere. This is real food."
Mr. Watson retorted, "The nutritional value is actually 34.87% less than the food available from the ship's stores or the alternative from the green goo as you call it."
"Maybe so but it’s real food and a delight." He then asked Mr. Watson, "If Tesla is so intent on finishing the dome how long can we go without harvesting any more of the green goo?"
Mr. Watson gave a detailed explanation of the time sequence for the processing of the green goo and of the remaining food inventory. He finally summarized saying, "If you wish to avoid the sensation you call hunger, then harvesting needs to resume in forty-eight hours."
Floyd told Tesla, "I can help for two more days and then must return to working in the muck and harvesting the green goo."
Tesla just nodded in agreement and took one last drink of water before heading back to the rock work. Lina told Floyd, "I think you are working too hard."
Floyd replied, "I agree with you. I trust Tesla and if he feels so strongly about getting the dome done I’ll do my best."
"Is there anything else I can do?"
Floyd smiled at the thought of Lina trying to lift the heavy rocks and said, "Probably best if you tend to your plants. We are depending on them producing to survive."
The rock work continued for two more days and at the midday break everything was complete except for the capstone. Floyd had moved the large, flat stone but now Tesla needed to do the final shaping. Floyd did his best to wash his callused hands but the rocks had roughened his skin to the point that the effort was futile. He let Lina pick out some food for him because it all tasted the same anyway. She was carefully thinning her beans to get maximum production and they each had a couple of pods every day.
Mr. Watson said, "It should be obvious to you that you must resume harvesting the green goo or you will have to experience the sensation you call hunger."
"I'll get to work at the lake after I eat." Turning toward Tesla he said, "I must admit that I am hoping your pump system works. Being waist deep in the mucky water is no fun now, but come winter it would be really tough."
Tesla simply nodded and headed back to work. Floyd collected his seine and buckets and headed down the hill to the lake. Mr. Watson told Lina, "When Floyd and Tesla go out without a camera or radio I feel like I have been shut in a dark room."
Lina tried to defend Floyd saying, "He is working in the water and does not want to ruin any equipment." She admitted, "I worry whenever they are gone. What would we do without them?"
Mr. Watson decided not to answer and went back to working on whatever it was he was doing. This left Lina alone to her thoughts and she could not help rubbing her pregnant belly.
The green was responding well to the warmer weather and the goo accumulated in his bucket much faster. He was using the ice ax to scrape the seine free of the goo before again dragging it through the water. His bucket was almost full and he was making one last pass along the shore in about three feet of water when something grabbed his leg just below the knee. If it had not been for the resistance of the seine he would have been swept off his feet. As he struggled to free himself from the force which was trying to drag him underwater he grabbed his only weapon, the ice ax and began chopping at whatever held him. He worried about hitting his own leg but he was losing the battle and had to do something. Finally, a direct hit freed him from the tentacle which had latched onto him. An arm which must have been fifteen feet long rose above the water and blood ran from the severed tip. It undulated back and forth spurting blood as if searching for what it had lost. Floyd staggered ashore remembering the seine only because it was tied to the shoulder harness. As he looked down eighteen inches of tentacle was hanging from his leg writhing almost snakelike. Floyd tried to pull it free but it would not release. He was starting to feel funny and figured he better get back to the ship ASAP. He wrapped up the seine and picked up the bucket heading up the hill.
Floyd was about 2/3 of the way back and got this strong urge to turn back to the lake and to the critter that had attacked him. Then he looked at the bucket and decided he first needed to get the food back for Lina. Tesla must have seen him coming because before he got to the ship the Fixer was helping him walk. Floyd was so dizzy he could barely stand and when he tried to tell Tesla that he needed to return to the lake his words were all slurred. The last thing he remembered was Lina screaming and yanking at the thing attached to his leg. He had no idea she was so strong. Then the colors took over and he was no longer aware.
Mr. Watson had detected the brain wave changes but the distance was too great for him to figure out what was going on. He told Lina that Floyd needed help and she sent Tesla. When Lina saw the creature attached to Floyd's leg she started screaming about the hectopus and only with the help of Tesla was she able to pull the creature off of Floyd. They helped him into his berth and Lina held him until his anxious movement subsided. Mr. Watson was asking about the hectopus but until Floyd settled down she could not talk. Tesla did as Mr. Watson asked placing the severed tentacle in a large storage box and filling it with water before sealing the lid. The close-up photos revealed multiple sucker-like disks as well as a bird-like beak at the very tip of the tentacle. Mr. Watson compared this photo to the images of Floyd's leg which showed where the suckers had attached and multiple puncture wounds from the beak.
When Lina felt it was safe she left Tesla in the berth with Floyd and went forward to work with Mr. Watson. He had many questions but her knowledge of the hectopus was limited to the stories she had read about the "mythical" creature. It was almost worshipped by The People who had lived in the area. They did not offer sacrifices to it but if it chose to attack someone and they were dragged to the depths it was considered to be a most honorable death. Usually it tasted of the person it attacked and would release them immediately if they were not suitable. Occasionally it would grab and bite someone and inject its mind juice into them before letting them go. This person would have a period of intense visions and was considered a prophet. "We in the Sanctuary thought this was a simple story and have always dismissed it. It appears we were wrong." She asked, "What are we going to do?"
Mr. Watson replied, "I am analyzing the fluids Tesla captured from the creature and will compare it to any toxins I find in the blood sample from Floyd. It sounds like the creature concentrates the toxins from the green goo and chemically transforms them into a strong hallucinogenic. If I am correct, Floyd will be on the wildest trip of his life but should recover."
"How can we help?" r />
"His body temperature seems to be dropping and we need to keep him warm. I doubt he will take any fluids until the toxin begins to wear off. If he is not recovering in twenty-four hours IV fluids will be required. Not much else can be done. I will monitor his brain waves and do my best to soothe his thoughts."
Floyd was immersed in a world of colors that swirled around him like the cotton candy at the county fair. The colors were welcoming and soothing and the joy of floating in the sea of color was immense. Gradually the colors coalesced into bands of even more vivid colors and he floated between the layers being first immersed in red followed by all of the other colors of a rainbow. He was at peace with the colors and then saw an image of a small boy carrying a fishing pole with an older man. The image was of himself fishing with his father. This image faded and was replaced by others showing scenes from his childhood as he gradually aged. Tears flowed when the image of his grandfather's funeral intruded on the colors. Soon images of football and wrestling events were visible as well as his first date with his future bride. The angst of basic training was followed by the excitement of his first flight. He could smell the aviation gas as he climbed aboard for his solo flight.
The images were mostly pleasant until the attack on his airplane. Now he saw images of broken bones and felt the pain more acutely than he had at the time. These images went on much too long only to be replaced by images of his wife lying in the hospital bed following her surgery. Again the tears came. Relief arrived with images of his children on one of their many camping trips. The relief continued with images of Christmas celebrations in their home. All too soon the relief was gone and he was at his wife's funeral and the tears flowed again. Partial relief came with the images of his kids' weddings but then grayness seemed to develop. The colors faded as the grayness became more complete and the image of him sitting in the dialysis chair would not go away. His mind was clouded by the kidney fog he had hated so much.
The colors returned but much dimmer and he had an image of himself at home hooking up to the dialysis machine. He longed for the bright colors but the dimness just continued. The meeting with the Admiral was followed by more tears as he said goodbye to his family. The image of his wife's grave brought on even more tears and was followed by blackness. The blackness went on for some time and then shimmerings of color began to appear. The next real image was of him trimming his hair and beard on the space ship. The colors came back in their brilliance and he was again floating in bands of color.
Their landing and time on the planet was recalled almost as a motion picture. The image of Lina as she removed her hazmat suit brought a smile to his face and the colors seemed to almost dance. There was an image of Tesla with his small hammer and an image of an Einstein like face which he had mentally used to identify with Mr. Watson. His wedding to Lina brought a rare smile. The near past went by quickly and he then had an image of several little Fixers climbing around the space ship. He tried to cry out in surprise when they turned around and looked at him for they all had his face. This was followed by images of a large farm with multiple buildings and Fixers everywhere. They had all sorts of funny looking machinery and critters.
More colors but less intense and Floyd could sense the grayness returning. The Fixers were now riding motorcycles of some sort and flying airplanes. Soon the grayness was total, only to be replaced by nothingness except when he looked hard enough he could still see the Fixers. Soon Lina was no longer in any of the images but Mr. Watson was still there. His last image was of a rocket blasting off with three Fixers aboard. Then the images were gone and Floyd was as tired as he had ever been, so he slept.
Lina was at first relieved that Floyd had closed his eyes and was no longer crying and groaning but worried something else was wrong. Mr. Watson told her, "Floyd is sleeping now. The worst appears to be over." Lina finally relaxed enough to fall asleep. She had been awake watching over Floyd for over twenty hours except for some short naps when Tesla would take the watch. Lying next to Floyd she began to dream of an ancient time long before The People. The seas were barren and still hot from the heat of formation of their world. An awareness left the confines of a small container and began to explore. Volcanoes kept erupting creating land which was laced with tunnels some of which connected to the great sea. Simple life forms were released both on land and throughout the sea. As the planet cooled the life forms multiplied and evolved. The awareness continued throughout time regenerating itself from severed tentacles. As more advanced life developed, it continued to search for the one who had sent it. Through time this question was what gave meaning to its existence. The People of the hill had a belief in a creator and the awareness would navigate the labyrinth of caves and tunnels to occasionally sample one of The People. Their belief in a creator was strong but not proof and the awareness kept searching.
Always alone and confined to the deep the search continued. When the asteroid strike occurred the awareness hid in the depths of the ocean and waited. The end did not come so the search was resumed. Always searching for the answer to the question of who had sent it. The search for the answer is what gave meaning to its existence. When Floyd fell through the sky the awareness sensed it and began the long journey to the lake. It meant Floyd no harm but needed to sample him to see if the answer was in him. Floyd brought much that was new but still no answer and the question of who had sent it remained.
Lina awoke and began describing the dream to Mr. Watson. Mr. Watson listened and asked some questions to clarify things as she told the story of her dream. He told Lina, "Your dream is much like and probably identical to the dream Floyd had. It is almost as if the creature is telepathic. Lina looked down at the tub where the severed arm was and saw the creature was now curled up tightly in the corner with its beak hidden.
Tesla did not seem to be listening and when he finished eating went back out and started hammering on some metal. Lina said, "What is Tesla doing? He is going to wake Floyd up."
Mr. Watson almost sounded like he was smiling when he said, "Tesla is building the pump we need to provide carbon fuels for those of us who need them. Floyd could sleep through an earthquake under his feet, so the hammering will not awaken him until he is ready."
"When will that be? He needs to eat."
"Floyd has adequate energy stores. You are the one that needs to eat."
Lina did as she was told, and she ate. She asked Mr. Watson, "Can you watch over Floyd while I check the beans?"
"I watched over him on the journey from Earth and I can do it now. I will sound the siren if he needs you."
Lina checked her garden of beans but there was little pruning to do. Even the watering seemed unnecessary, because the pods were full and starting to dry. She picked a few of the smallest green ones for Floyd just in case we awoke and was hungry. She hurried back to the ship to check on Floyd, stopping only a moment to watch Tesla patiently hammering pieces of metal into the shape he wanted. Tesla looked up and waved with his small hammer before returning to his work. Lina found Floyd sleeping soundly with his mild snoring occasionally interrupted by a snorting sound. She inspected Floyd's baby coffee plants and rotated the pots so they had a slightly different angle to the light. She had done little actual work, but her fatigue seemed ever more severe so she lay down next to Floyd for a nap. After sleeping for an hour or so she carefully crawled out of the berth, but the movement was enough to awaken Floyd. He got up to drain his bladder and immediately lay back down and fell asleep again without saying a word.
Floyd awoke again just as darkness was setting in and sat up rubbing his temples. Lina asked, "Are you all right?"
Floyd, at first, did not say anything but sort of grunted a reply. He finally said, "I have never been so hung over in my life." Lina and Mr. Watson both tried to explain what had happened but Floyd just covered his ears saying, "Not yet. Maybe, after I have something to eat and some water."
Lina
hurriedly fixed him one of the pancakes made from the green goo and filled a container with water. Floyd dragged himself to the small eating area and sat silently while Lina prepared the food. He ate automatically and drank two containers of water. Lina asked him, "Do you want some of your coffee?"
Floyd responded, "No, I am going back to bed." He stumbled his way back to the berth like a drunk trying to find his car. Lina was trying to ask him if there was anything she could do, but he was asleep as soon as his head hit the small pillow.
The darkness was almost complete before Tesla came in. Lina was going to ask what Tesla wanted to eat but since the machine was empty the only choice was one of their green goo cakes. Tesla sat and ate it and listened while Lina told of Floyd's awakening. Tesla became much more interested when Lina described the dream she had shared with Floyd but only nodded his head before starting to work with Mr. Watson on his pump design. Lina joined Floyd in the small berth and spent a restless night dealing with the images she had seen. In the morning she arose this time without waking Floyd. After doing her best to clean up, she made herself and Tesla a pancake. Tesla ate quickly and scurried out to begin hammering on his project. Lina asked Mr. Watson, "Is the awareness seeking the God Floyd talks about?"
Mr. Watson responded, "I have spent many CPU cycles exploring this issue and the entities in question are so poorly defined, I cannot say. It does seem to be a common quest this search for the meaning of life."
Lina thought about his non-answer for a while before asking, "How can this awareness have such abilities when it is just the end of a tentacle?"
"That question is of great interest and I have reasoned that the basis of its intelligence is separate from its body. I am unable to detect any electromagnetic radiation emanating from the organism. Yet, is somehow has communicated with you and Floyd."
Lina replied, "That doesn't make any sense."
Mr. Watson replied, "It would only make sense if another dimension was involved which is theoretically possible if you accept string theory."
"Are you saying this thing is in two places at once?"
Mr. Watson explained, "Maybe not physically in two places at once but physics does allow for some strange possibilities. Information is not constrained by the rules that apply to ordinary matter and it appears that this organism is capable of transmitting the information somehow."
"You are making my head hurt. I am going to check the beans and let you watch over Floyd."
When Lina finished checking her plot of beans she again watched Tesla working on some tubes with his hammer. He seemed to know she was there but just kept turning and hammering on the metal with his small hammer. When she re-entered the ship she found Floyd sitting on the edge of the berth and asked, "Are you alright?"
Floyd said, "I think I'm going to live but could use some coffee."
Lina's tail was twitching and held high as she heated Floyd's coffee. She made him a pancake with the last of their green goo flour and a little bit of butter substitute. Nobody said anything until Floyd was almost done with his coffee and asked, "How long was I out?"
Mr. Watson reported, "You were hallucinating for 23.56 hours and then have slept for an additional 44.78 hours with only minimal arousals."
"So I lost 3 days, huh? That was one hell of a trip."
Floyd looked down at the hectopus tentacle which was curled up in the corner of the storage container and said, "It needs freshwater and something to eat."
Lina asked, "How do you know that?"
Floyd shrugged his shoulders and said, "Because it said it does."
Mr. Watson asked, "How does this awareness communicate with you?"
Floyd sat rubbing his temples before saying, "I hear it in my head. It can get by with some of the green goo before we process it."
Lina asked, "Should we let it go back into the lake?"
Floyd replied, "No, it wants to stay with us for a while. I think we should let it."
Mr. Watson asked, "Is there any way I can communicate with it?"
Floyd was quiet for a while before replying, "No, not yet anyway. Seems like it is inside my head and knows what I’m thinking. I guess that it is telepathic and maybe you can sense the presence with the electrodes."
"If you would quit picking at the electrodes maybe I could filter out the signal. I was able to monitor the dream it instilled in you as was Lina."
Floyd looked at Lina who said, "I was lying next to you and I had this vivid dream of the Fixers who all looked like you." She was quiet for a moment before adding with her tail drooped almost to the floor, "I saw the grayness."
Floyd looked at her and squeezed her hand saying, "What will be, will be. For now we need to survive." He asked Lina who was now wearing Floyd's clothes because hers no longer fit over her very pregnant abdomen, how she was feeling.
Lina replied, "I get very tired and cannot help as much as I should." She then added, "I am afraid that I will not know what to do when the babies want to be born."
Floyd thought back to the birth of his children and had to smile as he said, "Nature will take care of that, but maybe Mr. Watson can help us do some planning. On Earth women traditionally gave birth in their homes but society gradually moved the process to the hospitals. We have no choice and will have to be traditional."
Lina said, "I have tried to recall the writings of The People that dealt with birthing but the knowledge seems to have been pretty much lost. Mostly the writings tell of the pain and danger of childbirth. There are only a few poems by people such as those that lived on this hill about the joy of birthing."
"When my wife gave birth to our children it was both painful and joyful at the same time. Over time she forgot the pain and remembered only the joy. I expect that you as my new wife will share that experience."
Lina squeezed Floyd's hand and her tail was held high with the tip twitching in joy when Floyd referred to her as his wife. She said, "I will do my best to be a good wife and mother. Mr. Watson can help me learn of the customs of your Earth and we will try and plan."
Floyd stood up to get back to work because they were out of the green goo but felt dizzy and had to sit back down. Lina asked what was wrong and Mr. Watson spoke up telling Floyd, "You are not yet recovered enough to be working. Lina has picked enough of her beans to supply adequate nutrition for the next 48 hours. As officer in charge of personnel I am confining you to quarters for at least one more day."
"Can you do that?"
Mr. Watson responded, "You are the one that gave me my commission and if I had the authority to marry you then I have the authority to confine you to quarters."
Floyd did not argue but asked, "What am I going to do all day?"
Mr. Watson replied, "Rest. If you get tired of resting I would suggest that you take the time and record your experience while it is fresh in your mind."
Floyd did as he was told and started to record the experience. Tesla came in long before the normal midday break and changed the water in the tub without being asked. He carefully dipped out the water watching the hectopus for any sign of movement and then filled it with a bucket of water from the lake which had some green goo in it. Only after the cover was closed did the creature unfold and extend its beak to siphon the green goo out of the water. Tesla then went and sat on his sleeping pad holding his knees. He was quietly rocking himself.
Floyd asked Lina, "What do you think is wrong with Tesla? He is acting strange."
Before Lina had a chance to answer the rumbling started. It was at first like the rumble of a distant waterfall but seemed to increase in both intensity and duration. Soon it was almost constant and the ground started to quiver. Floyd took Lina's hand and said, "Another earthquake. Seems a bit stronger than the last one."
Lina squeezed Floyd's hand but her tail was drooping and she was trembling. Floyd said, "It’ll be over in a minute or so."
But it wasn't and soon the ground was shaking and the ship was boun
cing around with stuff crashing to the floor. Floyd asked Mr. Watson, "Should we go outside?"
Mr. Watson replied, "The ship was built to withstand the forces of re-entry and you are safe enough inside. I worry about the dome Tesla built."
Tesla looked up when he heard his name but seemed to ignore everyone otherwise and just sat holding his knees. It was not over in a minute like Floyd had expected and the intensity seemed to vary in waves but always increasing. After about an hour the shaking finally seemed to stop and Floyd began to relax saying, "Looks like the worst is over."
Tesla looked up at him and had fear in his eyes and the calm before the storm broke. The ship was tossed about banging up against the dome which sat several feet away. Floyd and Lina were both tossed to the floor and bounced around like ping pong balls. The roaring sound buffeted them through the walls of the ship and Floyd tried to cover his ears and hang onto Lina at the same time. He gave up and concentrated on trying to protect Lina. Tesla was hanging onto a wall panel for all he was worth and still got bounced around. After the great wave passed, the sound changed to a groaning sound as if the planet itself was responding to the quake.
As soon as they quit bouncing Tesla headed for the airlock. Floyd did not try to stop him but said, "Tesla, if you must go out wear the helmet so Mr. Watson can know what is going on."
Tesla grabbed the helmet and left them. Lina could not stop the tears and Floyd held her tight saying, "The People should have had enough time to get out."
Lina said simply, "They would never leave the Sanctuary."
Floyd did not know how to respond so he simply sat on the floor and held her.