Chapter 15
The morning came with a chill in the air but without any wind. They enjoyed their cup of tea together and talked of the funeral ceremony. Lina thought it was important for the children to attend and Floyd did not argue. Figuring out how to keep them warm was going to be an issue and how to keep them quiet during the ceremony was another issue. Lina was gathering up whatever blankets she could when the knock on the dome door came. The Fixers were ready and were lined up for the long procession up to the hill of the dead. Floyd waited, not so patiently, for Lina to get each of the young ones bundled up to her satisfaction. Fixers stepped up to carry the young ones wrapped in their blankets. Lina was wearing the parka with the fur lined hood but had to be careful that she didn't let the back drag against the ground for it was huge on her small frame.
Floyd led the long procession and was breathing heavily by the time they crested the hill of the dead. Mr. Watson began to play the recordings of Lina singing and, as before, they formed a circle around the dead Fixer with the case he had always carried in the center. When the music stopped Floyd stepped forward and began his eulogy. "Today we lay to rest both a Fixer and the Ancient One. They joined together to become something much greater than they were as individuals with each contributing to the whole. It is a lesson for us that we must also come together to create a future for you as a people." He had little more to say and closed with a prayer he remembered from his wife's funeral. When he was finished Mr. Watson began playing Floyd's simple song over and over. The Fixers again filed by Floyd and Lina, bowing, before each dropped a handful of dirt on the body of the Fixer and his case. The young Fixers insisted that they would do likewise and the little one went further and laid her hand on the Fixer's shoulder. This brought tears to Floyd's eyes and Lina's tail was quivering. They followed the little ones and said their goodbyes with a handful of soil. The ceremony was over and everyone began the long trek back to the dome.
Floyd stopped at the ship before joining the others and Mr. Watson said, "A nice ceremony but I do not understand why the case has to be left to the elements. It is most certainly a powerful computer and I may have been able to adapt it for our use."
Floyd thought of telling Mr. Watson the truth but instead just said, "Because that is what the Ancient One wanted." His tone must have been authoritative enough because Mr. Watson quit complaining and did not bring up the subject again. Mr. Watson did say, "It is very quiet here now and I wish you could spend more time with me."
Floyd did not know how to answer other than to say, "I hope things settle down and we can have discussions like we used to. For now, it is what it is."
Floyd picked up the treats that Lina had made and headed back out to the dome. The lighting inside the dome was dim at best but the fire was warm. The young Fixers were happy because there were all kinds of new things to look at. They had learned their lessons about the fireplace being hot but there were many other things for them to hurt themselves with. Lina could not help but be anxious despite Floyd telling her several times that the Fixers were watching them. This seemed to work until the little one started singing her version of the simple song from the loft which did not have a railing. Lina's tail was pointed straight back and did not relax until a Fixer scampered up the ladder and picked the little one up. Lina said, "I want a railing on the loft."
All of the Fixers were nodding and one closed off the ladder with a pad of woven straw. This only slightly decreased Lina's anxiety but she did her best to hide it until they were safely back in their own dome. The little Fixers were all quieter than normal until Lina's tail finally settled down. Soon they were all busy building things or taking things apart or just fighting with each other. Floyd sat back in his makeshift chair and was thinking how nice it would be to have a rocking chair. Out came his very much diminished pad of paper and he started sketching chairs. When he was done he told Lina, "I am going up to the ship and work with Mr. Watson on plans for a couple of real chairs."
Lina thought that mostly he was escaping the noise and confusion of their children but also knew he needed his time alone. Mr. Watson needed to do detailed stress calculations which meant that Floyd had to use the computer input to transfer his design. Mr. Watson asked, "This form of chair is customarily made from wood which we do not have. What is your material for the construction?"
"I think the Fixers could make it out of that black cloth they are producing. It seems strong enough."
Numbers were flashing across the screen as Mr. Watson computed the ideal characteristics for the chair construction. He said, "The cloth would work if only the rockers were fully impregnated with the resin. All other parts need to have a little give to match the character of a wood chair. Light use of the resin should work but a more resilient resin would be preferred."
"I don't want to invent a new resin; all I want is a couple of chairs."
Mr. Watson had already sent the plans over to the Fixers but replied, "I will work on the chemistry. We may be able to change the ratios in the resin manufacture and come up with a workable solution."
Three days later just after they finished feeding the small Fixers there was a knock on their door. Lina opened the door and all the Fixers were lined up. She called Floyd and together they watched as two black rocking chairs were brought forward and presented to them. The cushions were made of woven fibers from their straw and the arms and back glistened in the weak sunshine of winter. Floyd accepted the gifts and bowed to the Fixers in thanks. This resulted in a mass of bouncing Fixers all nodding their heads. Floyd helped Lina sit in her chair and then he sat in his chair. The little ones had been standing in the door and as soon as Lina and Floyd sat down they started climbing all over them wanting to rock. The cold was chilling Lina and she said, "We thank you for the gifts but I must go inside for the cold bothers me."
They needed to shoo the little ones back inside before they could get out of the chairs. Several Fixers stepped forward to help bring the chairs in. Lina pointed to where she thought the chairs should go and before the Fixers were done positioning them the little one had climbed up in the big chair and claimed it for her own. The Fixers were nodding and Lina figured that six more chairs would be showing up. Floyd added a little more coal to the fireplace to warm Lina up and then lifted the little one up and sat in his chair. She stood there pouting that Floyd took her chair but was willing to sit in his lap as a compromise. Lina opened the door on the side of the fireplace and checked the bread she was making. It was not yet browned the way Floyd liked it so she closed the door on the oven saying, "A few more minutes and your bread will be ready. I have another surprise for you but you must close your eyes."
Floyd did as he was told and the little Fixers were all giggling with excitement. Lina added the dark powder to a small piece of cloth and then poured boiling water over it. Before the coffee had a chance to brew Floyd had to shout out, "I smell coffee!"
She brought Floyd the coffee in the cup the Fixers had made for him back in the Sanctuary. Floyd held the cup and just enjoyed the aroma before carefully taking a small sip. The little ones were surrounding him and when he broke out in a big smile and gave Lina a "thumbs up" sign, they started clapping and joyfully bouncing for all they were worth. Lina said, "I was only able to harvest a few of the beans. It will be some time before you can have coffee every morning. Mr. Watson helped us figure out how to process and roast the beans."
Floyd took another sip of the coffee before saying, "A truly wonderful gift."
This made Lina's tail twitch excitedly and the little Fixers started clapping and bouncing all over again. Lina sat in her chair with her weak tea and at first all of the little Fixers had to sit in their laps at the same time. They soon became bored and went off to build stuff and fight with each other. Lina said, "I worry that they fight with each other so much."
Floyd finished his last sip of coffee savoring the flavor before he responded, "Seems normal enough to m
e. Didn't you fight amongst yourselves growing up?"
Lina was quiet for a long time as she sipped her tea. She then told Floyd, "We were raised in a special institution and the chips were put in as soon as we were taken from the incubator. There was never an opportunity to play and fight like these little Fixers. Mostly our time was spent with the neuro-stimulator helmet on, having the memories of our predecessors instilled into our minds." Floyd did not say anything and Lina spoke again saying, "Their freedom seems to bring much happiness mixed with the tears and even though I worry about them, I am also a little jealous."
"I think we need to share in their happiness and just make sure they do not really hurt each other. The rule in my house on Earth was 'No blood' and that seemed to work."
Lina had to ask what that meant and Floyd explained, "Children need limits and that was a firm limit. You could not cause another kid to bleed or break anything. If you did whether intentional or not, you were punished."
Lina said, "I would rather the limit be that you could not make each other cry."
Floyd laughed and explained, "I suppose that would be nice but much too easy for them to get the other in trouble by initiating trouble and then crying when the expected response occurs. We tried that with my first family and it did not work. The younger one would start the fight and then win by starting to cry, because my wife would punish the older kid." He added, "Seems to work best if you punish one, you punish both or in this case all of them."
Lina finished sipping her tea and said, "I will try but it will be hard; when they cry my heart feels like it is going to break."
By the time winter had finally worn away and the crops were planted the young Fixers were already learning to read. For once Mr. Watson was helpful and provided them challenging reading games on the small screen they had in the dome. Floyd tried to help with the teaching but had trouble keeping up with the steep learning curve of the little Fixers. They were at least twice as mature as his first kids were at the same age. The Fixers provided them with bicycles based on the design of Floyd's motor bike and they began to explore much more than Lina was comfortable with. Floyd again set limits saying they needed to always have a grown up with them if they went outside the compound and no going in the lake. The airplane project had not yet reached completion and was at the 90% done with 50% left to go stage. It looked like it was ready to fly but the control systems had not yet been built.
It was after the planting of their fourth crop that Floyd and the Fixers finally finished the airplane to Floyd's satisfaction. Mr. Watson had imposed his own structural testing regimen and the plane was sound. Floyd picked a morning without wind and headed to the tie down area. They had created a runway of sorts by picking up all of the rocks along a flat stretch and marking the edge with flags made of their primitive cloth. Floyd had planned on doing the first flight without an audience but somehow everyone knew and was watching. He did his pre-flight inspection and donned the helmet before climbing aboard and strapping in. Lina was holding hands with two of the young Fixers and looked very worried. Floyd gave her a wave and completed the short checklist. He powered up the engine and saw a full battery reading. He taxied to his proposed takeoff point and applied full power before releasing the primitive brakes. The airplane started down the runway and was airborne before he reached the 30% marker. He kept the airplane straight and gained altitude before turning over the runway, circling slowly overhead as he tested the flight envelope. The plane flew well and the controls felt much like his fighter. He was at home.
All too soon the battery indicator was at the 50% mark and he started his landing approach. He really wanted to do a military overhead approach but deferred to the standard pattern to reduce Lina's worry. When he stopped the plane and gave the thumbs up sign, everyone was bouncing and nodding, even Lina. As he was walking back to the ship, the Fixer with the broken hip came up to him with a drawing on the coarse paper the Fixers were making from the straw. He kept pointing to the drawing and pretending to fly. Floyd was getting frustrated and Lina said, "He wants you to fly him to the spot on the picture."
The angst on the Fixers face convinced Floyd that he needed to pay attention so he told the Fixer, "Let's have Mr. Watson look at your picture to see if he can figure out where it is." He asked Lina, "Can you find Tesla and bring him to the ship? I might need both of you to figure this out." Mr. Watson scanned the image and tried to superimpose it on the map information they had but nothing seemed to align. Tesla was as confused as everyone until he turned the drawing upside down. Now it was a fairly accurate map of the mountain to the north of the Sanctuary. Floyd asked, "You want me to fly you to this mountain to the north of the Sanctuary?"
The Fixer nodded and tried to bounce but his one leg did not work well and the bounce was more of a rocking. When Floyd asked him when he wanted to go the Fixer seemed ready to depart immediately. Floyd told him, "I need to do the calculations but I do not think we can make it on our battery power."
The Fixer looked forlorn until Tesla started sketching a circuit where they added the battery and the fuel cell from the electric bike to the airplane. Mr. Watson calculated the flying distance and the energy reserve and said, "If you use the fuel cell to recharge for three hours you might have enough power for the trip but no reserve."
Floyd told Tesla, "I'm not sure why this is so important but it seems to be. I want you to take the transport device up the valley so I can land and recharge if needed. Can you have the power modifications done by early morning?"
Tesla spent a moment drawing his small sketches before nodding in the affirmative. Lina spoke up asking the Fixer why this was so important. The Fixer got so excited that even Lina could not follow other than something about the Council. She gave up but had a hope that the Fixer knew where some of her people may have survived. She told Floyd, "It is something important and has something to do with the Council. I think you should go, if it is safe."
In the morning Floyd tried to sneak out but the little one was already awake and was insisting that Floyd take her with. Lina did her best to explain why she could not go but in the end Floyd had to just tell her, "No."
The Fixers must have worked all night because the additional battery and the fuel cell were well mounted and the wiring looked secure. Floyd did his preflight and helped the Fixer into the back seat. Tesla said, "I will move the transport device back to where we found it."
Floyd loaded his backpack with the emergency supplies into the back and donned the helmet after climbing in. Communication with Mr. Watson was established and Floyd completed the short checklist. Lina was watching from the top of the hill and he waved to her before taking off to the north. He was tempted to fly directly over the collapsed mountain but was still unsure of the airplane's ability so they stayed in the valley to the west. There was still smoke or steam coming out of the mountain with a fresh lava flow evident. The terrain was barren and lifeless before the great earthquake, and looked little different now. He had some trouble communicating in the valleys but whenever he crossed a ridge he could get an update from Mr. Watson. It was rugged country and Floyd saw few places where he could land; this was always a worry but more so with an untested airplane. The chart Mr. Watson had printed on their precious paper seemed pretty accurate. He marked their position and time as they progressed and was happy the flight was progressing well according to his flight plan. The poor Fixer was concentrating so hard on looking for something that he got airsick over the side of the cockpit. This did not deter him from looking.
Floyd said, "We are coming up to the location." The Fixer just kept looking and then started tapping Floyd on the shoulder and pointing. Floyd circled to the right and finally saw what the Fixer was looking at: a small valley with some green color. As he circled lower a creature started waving at them and it took Floyd a moment to realize it was a Fixer. Floyd made several low passes making sure he could not only land but also take off
again. The landing was a bit bumpy but otherwise OK. The Fixer in the back of the plane was in a great hurry to get out and as soon as Floyd set him on the ground, he did his best to run to the Fixer that was crawling towards them.
Floyd gave them a moment together before walking over. The bowing business started which Floyd just ignored and said, "Let's get you in the plane and back to the ship for some medical care."
The Fixers were both shaking their heads and the Fixer with the bad hip took Floyd's hand leading him to the cave. It smelled like a barn and as Floyd's eyes adapted to the light he realized it was a barn but without any critters. Inside the entrance was a small pallet holding several containers of eggs of different sizes. The Fixer pointed at the containers and then at the airplane. Floyd lifted one of the containers and started to estimate the weight and balance issues for the airplane. It looked like he was going to be exceeding the design criteria he had established, even before he finished testing. The air was quiet enough and if he could just get into the air they should be OK.
Floyd did as he was told loading the containers but made the starving Fixer eat some of their emergency rations. He then loaded the Fixer with the bad hip before setting the starving Fixer in his lap. He didn't weigh much more than some of his kids. He would have liked to explore more but wanted to be over the mountains before the afternoon winds picked up. The preflight was completed and Floyd taxied as far back as he could to give himself as much room as possible for the takeoff. He took a deep breath and advanced the throttle. The little airplane lurched across the field and was reaching takeoff speed when something that looked like a cross between a cow and a lizard appeared in front of them. Floyd pulled back on the stick forcing the airplane into the air and they skimmed over the top of the creature. He had to push the nose down to prevent the airplane from stalling and flew just above the ground until the speed finally improved and he could begin his climb. They climbed over a south facing hillside which had rows of what looked like grape vines which had died.
His primary battery was getting low and he switched to the backup battery. As the airplane climbed he made the decision to try and fly directly over the mountain of the Sanctuary. They had not stayed the full three hours that Mr. Watson had recommended, and he did not trust the well-used battery from the bike. The air was quiet enough until they crested the ridge of the mountain and then the turbulence started. The hot rocks created enough of an updraft to make their own mountain wave. Floyd did not fight the wave but let it lift his airplane higher and higher much like a glider. He knew the downdraft on the far side would be just as great and his plan was to power through it and return to the still air. His plan worked but not without both Fixers getting airsick and the containers bouncing around. He now had enough altitude to reach the transport device if the engine would quit. He checked again the power level, and he had to look a second time for it was on the edge of the red zone.
Floyd cut the power way back and started a long glide to the transport device location hoping that Tesla had been able to arrive. He soon had to switch to the primary battery which was showing about 10% power. He did not regain communication until he was nearing the rendezvous point. He told Mr. Watson of his load and the need for the Fixer doctor. Mr. Watson replied, "Tesla should be arriving shortly and has the doctor with him." He wanted to know more about the load but Floyd was too busy to talk because the winds were still rolling off the mountain and he needed to maintain his glide slope. He thought he saw a reflection from the transport device and made a minor correction in his flight path to intercept it. He cut the power, keeping what little he had left for the landing flare, just in case he needed to control their sink rate.
They landed far short of the transport device approaching them and could do nothing but wait. He unloaded the Fixers and positioned them in the shade under the wing. Now he had more time to look at the eggs in the container. Their shells were leather like which may be the only thing that kept them intact during the turbulence. They varied in size from a robin egg size to something bigger than a softball. He picked up one of the larger eggs and something inside started to move. He quickly set it down and asked the Fixer, "Are these eggs about to hatch?"
The Fixer was nodding his reply and Floyd asked, "Is this why we had to go today?" Again the Fixer was nodding. Floyd used the time to try and get a little rest but was disturbed by a scratching sound. He got up and followed the sound to one of the cases. He unloaded the cases until he found a baby critter trying to scratch its way out of the container. He carefully grabbed the little guy and brought him to the Fixers. The starved Fixer held the little critter, which looked like a baby bird as much as anything, and stroked it gently. This quieted the critter down and it seemed to sleep. Floyd couldn't really imagine what might be in the other eggs and decided to try and get back to his nap. About the time he was falling asleep, the Fixer with the broken hip was touching his shoulder and pointing off in the distance. It took Floyd a moment but he was able to make out the dust cloud.
When Tesla arrived in the transport device, he immediately hooked up his charging system. The Fixers onboard carried the containers of eggs and the starved Fixer into the transport device. It took the better part of an hour for the charge to reach the 60% level Floyd needed. When it was ready the Fixers carried the starved one and the doctor to the airplane. Floyd put them in back. He noticed that the little critter was still cupped in the starved Fixer's hands. Floyd headed back to the ship and as soon as radio contact was made began to explain to Mr. Watson what had transpired.
He was met by everyone and the little Fixers could not keep their eyes or hands off of the baby critter. The starved Fixer smiled as he let the youngsters touch the critter. Then they were taken to the dome so the doctor could examine him more closely.
Lina helped Floyd secure the airplane and Floyd asked, "Do you know anything about this farm in the valley?"
Lina's tail drooped as she responded, "Nothing official. There were always rumors of the smell of meat coming from the Council chambers after their meetings."
"So everyone was equal but some ate meat and drank wine while the rest ate the mush you called food. Just like the old book where some were more equal than others." They walked back to their small dome hand in hand to wait for Tesla. Lina insisted Floyd have something to eat and he obliged by eating most of one of her bread loaves. He couldn't resist saying, "A beer sure would go good with this bread."
Lina had been waiting for that and disappeared only to return carrying a glass of amber colored fluid with froth on the top. Floyd just stared at the glass before asking, "Is it really beer?"
Lina said, "We followed the recipe that Mr. Watson gave us. I did not have any special yeast so I used a little of the yeast from my bread. It might not be as cold as you would like but we have no ice."
Floyd took the glass and gently smelled of the brew. It smelled like beer. He took a tiny sip and it tasted like beer. He then took a large drink and savored the flavor and it tasted like real beer. His smile was all the more huge because of the white foam on his upper lip. He took another drink before asking, "Where did you get the hops?"
"The seeds were in the seed bank, but only one seed sprouted so we only harvested a few flowers."
Floyd sat back in his rocking chair and let the flavor soak in. It was a small beer and he savored every drop of it. Lina did not even ask if he was happy with the result, but her tail was held high and twitching. Floyd finished the beer and licked the last of the foam from the edge of the glass before saying, "A wonderful gift." It may have been the alcohol or maybe having Lina snuggle in his lap but they found themselves in bed. They were enjoying the afterglow when the crying of one of the kids broke the spell. Lina gave him a kiss as she dressed and responded to the repeated calls of, "Mama! Mama!"