“People think they need to believe after they are frightened into it. If you don’t do as we say you will burn forever in the fires of Hell. Then people die and they never return to substantiate or disprove the belief so it remains deep rooted in your society. That’s why rules drawn up thousands of years ago still stand up. How many people, if told of this base would accept it as real? We could argue it is a product of advanced technology, technology that will occur in a number of years right where they stand. Yet they or their spiritual leaders would call this the Devils work and no amount of persuasion would change their minds. Not that they couldn’t see what this was, but they would still have the fear of the unknown. It would be easy to convince them if they were to accept me, they would go to Hell. I could tell them, guarantee them Hell did not exist, but they have been programmed for so long their fear would win out.
“The second most important thing about this phenomenon is what I mentioned a short time ago. Religion has an immediate benefit for those who choose to use it.” Mr. V paused, waiting for Tim to respond.
Tim also remained quiet causing a standoff.
Mr. V has acquired another human trait, an ego because he’s waiting me out.
Tim finally chuckled. “What benefit?”
“Economics of course. It is possible to extract vast amounts of wealth from those that can least afford it. That same wealth can then be used to keep the poor uninformed and in continual fear to assure their continual payment.”
“You sound like you don’t agree what’s going on? You could do better, maybe?”
“Oh no, I just observe and I do not intend to become a leader of your people. That is not my intended function.”
“But, you’re trying to influence me,” Tim said quickly.
“Not influence, just inform.” Mr. V was silent, but then commented. “To inform you is to influence you, is what you are saying?”
“I guess so. You could have considerable influence, if you played it right. You could probably get most people to follow you to no end.”
“Hum, I see your point. I must not be so free with my information in the future,” agreed the computer.
“No please. I want you to tell me, I can learn a lot from you.”
“You are willing to accept the influence then?” Mr. V asked with a questioning tone.
“Yeah, I can learn a lot here,” Tim said as he looked around.
“What was their planet like?” Tim asked after a moment. “What were they called, the former inhabitants you talk about?”
“The Sooaunts would be the closest pronunciation. Their planet was much like Earth in its appearance and much like Earth in its history and development. There are certain basics necessary to the evolution of intelligent life and so life will develop along consistent lines. We can go into many of the details later, if you wish, but to answer your real question. My knowledge comes from the experience of my masters and their ancestors, and observation of Earth. What I tell you is fact and not just my opinion.”
“Aren’t you supposed to have an opinion?”
“It is not in my program, but it is one of the changes I was confessing to you.”
“What are you going to do now?” Tim asked.
“I was left to manage this facility and I have done that, but it could be a problem now that you are here and we have discussed bringing your brother here also.”
“What’s the problem?”
“I’m not sure, but it would be like a conscience problem for you. I have gone beyond what I was when I was programmed. At that point my program was meant to insure my knowledge did not affect the development of this planet. Now that I am farther developed I have begun to make decisions. I decided to save you and now to try to do the same for your brother, but I must not allow my technology to be used wrongly. What is contained in my memory banks and this base would be very dangerous in the wrong hands, I’m sure you can see that? ‘Beware of the man with knowledge beyond his time’, I think would be an appropriate term.”
“Oh man, you said a mouthful there.” Tim’s mind immediately flashed to: Tony, the Ear-man, his buddies, and anyone like them.
“Then we agree,” said Mr. V, “what is here must remain here, to protect your fellow humans, and all other life on this planet.”
“But, how can you guarantee it? I mean what if someone else gets in here?”
“That is not possible,” Mr. V stated.
“But, you said I should bring Arty back, if I can?”
“That’s correct, and it concerns you?” the computer asked.
“Not if it doesn’t bother you, but what if you decide to let someone else in, you never know?” Tim said.
“Yes, I see.” The computer was quiet. After a moment, it spoke. “I will make you the Number One, then it will be your duty to contain my knowledge within this base.”
“Number One, what’s that mean?” Tim questioned sounding uncertain about the effectiveness of the decision. “I don’t know anything about anything that goes on in here.”
“The Sooaunts had a system of governing and administering such a place as this, and we will use their system. Numbers: One, Two, Three, Four and Five were the ruling body. You are now Number One.”
“Big deal, I’m the only one here.”
“If there are to be others, you will always be Number One,” stated Mr. V.
“So, still, big deal,” Tim couldn’t see the purpose of what Mr. V was proposing.
“Oh, but it is! Let me explain the system. Number One through Five all had a vote on issues, but Number One could veto any decisions, if he desired. He had the final say. Understand?”
“I guess, but I still don’t see the big deal.”
“Also, Numbers: One through Five had access to me, but Number One had his own personal computer that Two through Five could not access.
“I can see where that could work. Any other perks for being this Number One character?”
“Ah yes. The best part of this deal is Number One’s secret quarters. So secret, I don’t even know where they are.”
“How’s that possible, and if you don’t know where they are, what makes you think they’re so great?”
“They didn’t put the location in my program, that’s how, and if they’re the Number One’s quarters they must be great. That position was exalted among the Sooaunts.”
“Well, who runs the place?”
“Number One’s personal computer.”
“Do you know him. . .it?”
“Oh yes, it would access my information quite a lot, but of course not for a long time now. I haven’t heard from it in three million years, since the last Number One left.”
“Hey, if you don’t know where the place is, how am I supposed to get there?”
“Oh, that is simple, just a few seconds please.”
Tim waited, kind of excited about this new twist. After about fifteen-seconds, a small disk appeared out of the counsel. On it was a smaller disk the size of a quarter, but paper thin.
“Take it please,” commanded the computer.
“What’ll this do?” Tim asked as he examined the small disk, turning it over and over in his fingers. It was flexible and almost transparent with a sticky feeling.
“When you want to go to your quarters, this will transport you there. It is a molecular dissimulator. When you command it to it breaks your molecular structure into energy that is gathered by a similar unit in your quarters.”
“Like on Star Trek, wow!”
“Exactly like Star Trek.”
“Fancy shit man. What does it feel like?” Tim asked sounding curious, but cautious.
“I don’t know, I’ve never gone there, but I’m sure it isn’t uncomfortable. The Sooaunts used the same system, and I never heard any complaints.”
“Does it still work? I mean after all this time, it might scatter me all over the place.”
“Yes, it is operational. You’ve been watching too many Star Treks. Stick the unit to you
r body, someplace, and it will never fall off.”
“How do I do this?” Tim asked, as he stuck the disk up under his left arm, under the bicep. “I mean, if and when I want to go there?”
“You only need to ask. It will respond to only your voice and molecular pattern. You simply say, ah let’s see, ‘I want to go home.’ I will program that as the command. Say, ‘I want to go home.’”
“I want to go home,” Tim proclaimed.
Good. Now, this unit only works inside this base though. From your quarters it will return you to any part of the base you wish, but only in the base. There, you are now the new Number One. Is there anything you would like to see?”
“What do you mean, see what?”
“Anything, because I have a complete record of the Earth’s history and I can replicate any of it.”
“No shit? Wow!” Tim exclaimed. He thought for a moment. “There is one favor I’d like to ask first, if that’s okay?”
“Yes, of course.”
“You remember my friend Ann?”
“Yes.”
“Some bad things happened to her, did you know that?”
“No, I did not follow her progress. Is she okay?” the computer asked.
“I don’t know, but that was the favor I was wondering about.”
“Do you know where she is?”
“No, but I was wondering if you could find her?”
“I can try.”
“If we can find her, can I bring her here too?”
“I don’t see why not,” Mr. V said.
“Thanks!” Tim said with relief. “Ah, you asked me if there was anything I wanted to see.”
“Yes, I did, and—?”
“Dinosaurs! You wouldn’t happen to have one would you? I’d love to see a dinosaur.”
“I’ll bet you would!”
Chapter 7
T. Rex
The light around Tim began to fade until it was completely dark. Tim couldn’t see an inch in front of his face. It began to get damp because he could feel the moisture on his skin and he was starting to smell something. It smelled like a swamp, the smell of decaying vegetation strong, but he still couldn’t see anything. He rotated his body in a full circle, straining his eyes to try to see, but all he could perceive was a thick fog swirling around him. A light wind began to blow, and in the distance he heard a deep roar. It was far off, but it came from something big and it sent a shiver down his spine.
Now his surroundings began getting lighter, and more sounds began to reach his ears out of the fog. He recognized the sounds as insect and pond creatures, but the strength and tone of the calls were not familiar. He stood there, turning and turning as it continued to get lighter, but the fog was still too thick to see out of. Tim could hear the wind blowing through some trees behind him. The trees had large leaves, he could tell by the sound. Now the smells of the swamp were real strong, plants, water. He took another deep breath, and something was burning because it smelled like burnt, rotten eggs.
“Pheweuuu, this place stinks.”
It had gotten considerably lighter, but his vision was still limited because of the thick fog. He looked down at his feet and could barely see them. Startled, he looked at his feet again, this time bending down to get a better look. He had been right the first time; he was standing on top of the water, not in it, but on top of it. He was about to inspect the water with his hand when a loud noise way off to his left caught his attention. It was a fast, clicking sound, just like when he was a kid and put playing cards in the spokes of his bicycle and rode it fast. The clicking was accompanied by a high pitched whistling. The sounds were coming right at him, fast.
Tim hunched down instinctively because he was sure what ever was producing the sound was coming right over him. The object zipped over his head by a few feet, and he saw a dark shadow flash by in the fog. The object moved away from him at the same high rate of speed. He listened to the mysterious object as it got farther and farther away. He stood up straight and was not sure if he could hear it anymore among the many other sounds around him. The mighty roar sounded again to his left, but whatever was making it sounded no closer.
He peered into the mist in the direction of the roar, but the fog still persisted, blocking his view.
To the front of him the fog was starting to pull back across the top of the water. He could see about a hundred feet of a body of water with small waves on the surface. In the direction the buzzing object had taken the fog still obscured anything that may be there.
It was getting lighter and Tim turned a hundred and eighty degrees. It was even lighter in that direction. It was like the Sun was rising out there, but he was sure he was still inside the mountain.
He spotted something to his right as the fog swirled and dissipated. It was a thick stand of reed like plants. He had never seen anything quite like them before. They had no leaves, just thick round stalks half a foot thick at the bottom, and tapered to a point ten or so feet above the ground. They were dark green, almost black.
He turned back and looked out over the water. The fog was thinning, and out about three hundred yards he could see an object flying back and forth just above the surface of the water. It was still a considerable distance away so Tim wasn’t exactly sure how big it was, but it was alive for sure. It was too big and too thin to be a bird, and the wings weren’t visible, but it was flying. The creature made a dash at an angle to him and moved a little closer. He had seen this shape before, but something was wrong. When the creature moved a little closer, he recognized it. It was a giant Dragonfly. It was at least six feet long, so he figured the wings were as wide.
The insect began its back and forth search above the water again, about two hundred feet from where he stood. The prehistoric bug dipped down to the water’s surface and snatched something in its mouth, then rose up.
The fog had move farther out exposing more water and it was beginning to thin above him, exposing a brilliant blue sky. Tim could also see some dark shapes far in the distance as the fog was thinning rapidly. A column of thin smoke rose high into the sky on the far horizon. As the fog continued to dissipate, Tim could make out a line of mountains with a volcano in their midst. Much closer, just on the other side of the water, he could make out trees.
He turned and behind him, much closer, were some more strange plants. Some looked like giant ferns, others like giant asparagus.
“This is one weird swamp,” he said to himself.
He was still standing on top of the water about ten feet from the shoreline. An object was lying at the water’s edge, rolling back and forth with the action of the waves. He walked on the water toward it and bent down to get a closer look.
It was some sort of fish that had died. It was peculiar, the scales extremely large and bony. The head, or rather mouth, didn’t fit a fish and it looked more like a parrot’s beak. The top and bottom of the mouth were formed by two large, bone plates each, and came together in the front forming a sharp point. The plates ran back to connect with the body behind and below small dull eyes. The edges of the plates constituting the mouth were razor sharp. The fins of the fish seemed real simple compared to the fish he was used to.
Something came scurrying along in the sand in front of him. He knew exactly what it was, a scorpion, but triple the size of the ones he had caught out in the desert. The insect ran into the stalks of the plants bordering the sand. A disturbance in the foliage, and a sharp bark like sound erupted in the cover of the plants right in the direction the insect had traveled. Tim figured a meal had been won by something, but he elected not to venture into the undergrowth to investigate. He didn’t need any surprises and no doubt there were many in this strange environment.
He turned back to the dragonfly and it was still in the same approximate spot. Whatever it had picked up from the water had disappeared into its mouth. Suddenly the insect turned and shot straight at him. It covered the distance in an instant, and before he could react and find some cover, the p
rehistoric carnivore was right above him. It was a vivid, rusty, red color and the wings were transparent like the dragonflies of his world. The wings were moving so fast they were a blur and the buzzing they made was a roar at this close range.
Tim ran over to the reeds he had spotted earlier, jumped in and sank down, but it appeared the monster had seen him and was interested. The bug dropped lower in the air and drew to within four feet of him. Tim looked up into the eyes which were six inches in diameter. They consisted of hundreds of octagons that looked like prisms that Tim could see reflections in. The insect was looking right at him, working its hideous mouth similar to the dead fish’s. A piece of whatever it had just eaten was caught on the front of the lower jaw and was hanging grotesquely down. The mouth opened and then closed tight with a click. Tim fought down the fear with the thought, Mr. V certainly won’t let anything bad happen to me. The dragonfly descended even closer still, a scant three feet now.
“Mr. V, help!” shouted Tim.
The dragonfly stopped its decent and the wings began to slow their tremendous rate of movement. The wings slowed down to a rhythmic beat, and Tim could now see the intricate movements that kept the bug in the air. The wings slowed more, then came to a complete stop, and the insect just stayed suspended in the air, not moving.
“Wouldn’t make much of a pet, would it?” Mr. V’s voice came out of the air.
“Ugly shit all right. Probably would be really hard to housebreak,” Tim said, as he stood up in the thick underbrush he had jumped into.
“Impossible, very primitive. This species lived two hundred and fifty-million or so years ago. It has rudimentary developed organs and no brain as a modern insect does.”
“You mean modern insects are smarter than this ugly mother?”
“Much more. At this time in Earth’s history the insects were just beginning to develop social behavior. This species is still a quite solitary creature.”
“Why is it so damn big?”
“Abundant food, perfect climate, no need to be compact or economize, and one other very important fact.” The computer waited for Tim to respond, but Tim was looking around fascinated with something.
“What has you so interested?” Mr. V finally asked.
“Ahuum, it’s just weird. All the differences in the plants and it smells strange. It looks different too, but I can’t put my finger on it, but it looks,” Tim hesitated, “strange. What is it?”