Birth of the Alliance (6 page)

“Oh.” Peter looked downcast at this news.

“To me, though, those rules weren’t the worst. We learned that other groups of people had developed these skills and had children, and that the children were far more powerful than their parents. The concerns about what that meant were… varied. We… had a bit of a war about it. In the end, the whole group blamed the mere idea of having children, or even
thinking
about it. So they set up penalties for those crimes as well.”

There were a few muffled laughs, until they realized Will wasn't laughing. “You're serious, aren't you?” Peter asked.

Will nodded. “I wouldn't take the oaths they made everyone take, about that or any of the others. I believed then, and now, that the best thing we could do for ourselves and the rest of the world was to share those advances and that knowledge. So, either I left, or was kicked out. Either way, I doubt they're happy that I'm running around free.”

“Whoa, wait a minute.” Judith's face was lined with worry. “Are we in danger because of this?”

“Life is full of danger, no matter what you do,” Will said. “None of the people in the original group know about you, so there's no need to be concerned. You'll be in a safe location until you're strong enough to handle anything you might encounter. And you'll have a chance to do something the original group, which calls itself the Aliomenti, never did.”

“What's that?” Ruth asked.

“Make the whole world a better place. I told them when I left that I'd openly violate each of those rules, because I don't think that knowledge should remain hidden with a select few. It has the potential to do a great deal of good. Each of you will be able to live that out as you see fit, especially as you get stronger and more able to deal with any threats posed by the Aliomenti. You can go out into the world and work among the people. You can stay in our primary location and work on your version of this boat, or something else entirely. It's up to you. I'll give you the tools, but it's up to each of you to put them to use.”

There was silence for a few minutes, as each of them pondered the ramifications of this statement.

Deborah raised her head. “So, there are others like you out there, using these amazing abilities to help everyone?”

Will thought about Hope, who was doing exactly that, but wasn't quite ready to talk about his seven centuries old wife-to-be. Not yet. “The Aliomenti are only worried about helping themselves. So… no. You’ll be the first.”

Silence.

After a moment, Peter looked around. “I don't know much about the rest of you, but I was wandering the streets of Boston, trying to find work. I don't own land. I don't own anything, really. I took any odd job I could find to make enough to eat. Most days I did. Some days, I didn't. There are a lot of people like me, people who want to work hard, but can't find the opportunity. I don't know if it's because there
are
no opportunities, or because they don't know how to find them. I didn’t know how to find anything out there, that’s for sure. So… the idea that I can go back to my city, or some other city, and find people like me and help them take that next step to achieve that prosperity they're ready to work hard to achieve? To me, that's something special. So, if those lunatics come after me, so what? Will's made it pretty clear that he knows how all this magic-y stuff works. He's going to teach me how to do it. And I get to ride in a boat that talks.” He glanced at Will, grinning. “Let's do this.”

“Couldn't have said it better myself,” Aaron replied, and his comment was repeated by the others.

Deborah smiled. “An alliance of like-minded, very powerful people out to make the world a better place, one person at a time? I like that.”

Will grinned. “Exactly. You’re the first of this new group. But you won’t be the last. One day, there will be a lot us. We’ll all be aligned in our overall mission. We will be known as… the Alliance.”

IV

Learning

1715 A.D.

Aaron stood on the beach within the Cavern, watching his ambient light-generated shadow twitch on the sand. The fans they’d erected throughout the perimeter of the underground city adjusted at random, blowing a breeze at him that smelled faintly of salt, tossing his hair into his eyes. He moved the locks aside and stared at his creation. It was a sphere, built from the same clear material found in the windows of the submarine he’d ridden here for the first time five years earlier. The sphere was half-submerged in the water of the tunnel responsible for all traffic in and out of the Cavern. A rail, much like those which would be constructed with great earnestness in the outside world fifteen decades later, attached to the side wall, and the sphere’s wheel system rode on the rail. They’d put down three other tracks, as the tunnel was large enough to hold four pods travelling at once.

He glanced at the passengers inside. Judith, Pater, and newcomer Michael had volunteered for the maiden voyage of the “subway” sphere, which he’d taken to calling a pod. They’d ride the pod to the end of the tunnel, where it met the sea, and then back, and report on their experience.

If they survived.

Aaron was nervous. He’d ridden in the pod himself several times, but for the system to work as designed he couldn’t be part of every voyage. His friends were testing it out, without him there to adjust anything that went wrong. His primary interest was in seeing his three friends safely back on dry land.

He waved at them, cupped his hands, and shouted. “Are the passengers ready?”

Yes, of course
. Judith's telepathic reply was laced with good-natured sarcasm. Peter waved a jovial hand in his direction. Michael simply nodded. The newcomer looked nervous, much as Aaron suspected he himself did.

“Looks like it’s your show,” Will said. He slapped Aaron on the back. “Your passengers are ready for departure.”

Aaron took a deep breath.

“Nervous?”

Aaron nodded. “I know we used the same materials as the submarine. I’ve tested it, and it’s sound. I know it’s the same propulsion system as the submarine. I’ve tested it, and
it’s
sound. You can breathe inside without worry. There’s even lighting so that you aren’t in the dark. But… yes, I’m still nervous. What if something goes wrong?”

“What could go wrong?”

“The hull could leak.”

“They’re effectively in less than thirty feet of water. No danger that the entire thing could rupture.”

“The air could be toxic.”

Will pointed. “They look fine to me. Michael looks a bit unnerved, but Peter and Judith seem to be fine. That suggests Michael’s problem is Michael, not the pod.”

“What about the track?” The track had been a huge challenge. It had been difficult enough to create the material; mounting it to irregularly shaped walls in thirty feet of sub-zero water introduced him to a whole new level of challenge. They’d adapted, though, rigging lengths of tubing held in place near their faces so that air could travel freely. It wasn’t the best solution, but they’d figured out another. They took a pod, complete with its wheels and propulsion system, mounted it to the track, and cut the front half out. Will showed them how to build an Energy-based shield around themselves that pushed all of the water out of the way. They’d fasten a section of track to the rocky tunnel wall, slide the pod and Energy-shield forward the length of the new track, and repeat the process. The pod ensured the air inside the shielded enclosure was breathable; the shield ensured they had dry space to work in. After a few days, they added a standing platform that extended along the wall, enabling them to work with better footing.

“What
about
the track?” Will asked in reply.

“What if it becomes detached from the wall while the pod is moving?”

“Then we’ll fix the track.” Will sighed. “Aaron, things can always go wrong. There’s no point in failing to act because of that. All three people in there are well aware that there are risks. So are you. So am I. They’re willing to take those risks. Worrying about it won’t get the testing done.” He shrugged. “The best way to finish is to get started.”

Aaron nodded, and turned to the passengers, who waved again.

Safe travels.
Aaron's nervousness carried through his telepathic projection.

Will smiled. He'd quietly surrounded the three volunteers with his nanos, just in case. And he'd surround them with a small bit of Energy, just in case. But he suspected they'd be fine.

Er… how do we make it move?
Peter’s projection came back. The three passengers were looking around, confusion on their faces.

Aaron smacked his forehead, then bowed his head to the ground.
Sorry. Do you see the wheel on the side of the craft closest to the tunnel wall?

Yes, got it.

You should see something that looks a bit like a long candle wick.

They could see Judith look at the structure.
Umm… oh, there it is. Okay, I see it.

Shoot a small bit of Energy on the wick; that will start the propulsion system and move the pod.
Will chuckled inwardly. Just like a spark plug, but with an unusual type of spark.

Oh, really? That's a rather fascinating way to do it. Okay, I did that, so how long until… oof.

The craft started moving, dipping below the surface of the salty water. The displacement sloshed water higher onto the beach, and Aaron felt his feet get wet. But he didn’t care. Judith’s spark had worked.

Aaron looked at Will. “Maybe we should put a sign about starting the propulsion system right next to it?”

“That's fine. Most people won't ride alone on their first trip, or at a minimum will seek out someone who has already ridden. I don't think it's a critical item to worry about. If that's the only thing that shows up during this trip, you have to consider it a resounding success.”

Aaron nodded weakly. He could feel himself sweating; the odor reached his nose. Will, ever-tactful, said nothing.

This is actually an enjoyable way to travel
, Peter told him.
You could have a nice conversation with someone coming to or from the Cavern.

Do we need to steer this thing at all?
That was from Michael, a serious man who had arrived a year earlier. Michael was deeply concerned about the threat of detection by the Aliomenti. He told Will he wanted to figure out ways to make sure they could operate without that fear.

No. The track on the wall will move the pod safely to the end of the track. Then you can reverse the outer shell to return.

OK. How do we do that?

See the wheel by that wick? You spin the wheel as far as it will go, and that reverses the direction the pod will travel along the track.
Aaron hoped that made sense. He suspected that putting propulsion jets on both sides of the hull, and simply altering which fired, would make more sense in the long run. For now, though, this system seemed workable.

Got it.

There was silence for a few moments, the voices in his head vanishing and replaced by an empathic sense of contentment. Aaron started to relax. Will was right. Everything would be just fine.

The telepathic shouts started.

It didn't stop!

The pod never slowed down! It crashed through the end of the track!

The pod rolled off the track! We’re starting to reach the ocean!

Is the pod built to handle being in the ocean?

How do we turn it around?

We're going to die!

At Peter’s frantic words, Aaron put his hands on either side of his head and collapsed to the sand. His greatest fear had been realized. His friends had trusted his workmanship. Now they were going to die because of him.

Will quickly expanded the Energy he'd put around the three volunteers and covered the entire pod, then started using telekinesis to pull the pod back from the mouth of the tunnel. It was a lower Energy tactic for rescue than teleporting them, and provided the added advantage of salvaging the pod as well. If the pod was to sink deeply enough in the ocean, a strong possibility with the more limited propulsion system, it could certainly be crushed under the weight of the water. Will's strong telekinesis skills ensured that didn't happen.

Thanks, Will
. Judith's calm voice came through.
We're back at the end of the tunnel now. We picked up a lot of speed at the end and broke through the end of the track. The pod itself is still working.

Will thought for a moment. Aaron was prostrate on the ground, convinced he'd just killed three of his friends. He wouldn't be much help until the current situation was resolved and they were back safely. Will would need to help the trio return in safety.
Can you get the pod back on the track?

How do we do that? We can't get out of the pod
. That was true. They could each teleport, anywhere from thirty yards to five hundred, but doing so would put them in the deadly tunnel waters. He could teach them to shield themselves first, but…

Use telekinesis to lift the pod onto the track. Lift from the inside so that you can spin the wheel when you're back on the track and roll back this way.