Jaci's Experiment (24 page)

BURTIN led them to the hot springs that were the source of the facility’s hot water. He also explained how the temperature was held steady by a geothermal heating system. Electricity was generated underground by a clever combination of hidden wind tunnels equipped with turbines that rotated when the wind whipped through the specially designed channels in the rocks near the top of the mountain. As power was generated, it was stored for future use in a series of batteries that were maintained by a fleet of specially designed robotic caretakers directed by one of BURTIN’s many subsystems. It was ingenious. Renewable, clean, sustainable, and totally self-contained.

Air was purified through charcoal filtration units in the upper chambers and piped in through the tunnels, and there was a vast underground lake that supplied fresh, cold water for many different areas of the complex. The lake was one of the few places where BURTIN’s speakers couldn’t reach, so they explored it on their own, without their computer guide. They had flashlights from the facility’s store room and a big hand-held spotlight that had been left in a water-tight locker near the edge of the lake. Dave shone the spotlight across the black surface of the lake, but they couldn’t see the farthest edge. The cavern was enormous.

“The rock is different here,” Bill noted, drawing their attention.

“Limestone,” Dave said, taking a close look at the wet walls. “It’s really porous. Rainwater must drip in here constantly, purified by its journey through the rock. Brilliant, really, to use this water for the place.

It’s pure and cold and as long as it rains up top, it’ll never run out.”

Bill took off his shirt and spread his wings. It was the first time the cousins had actually seen his wings and Mike marveled at both the wingspan and thickness of those feathery appendages. It was one of the strangest things he’d ever seen. It also reminded him eerily of descriptions of angels he’d heard in his youth.

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“If that don’t beat all.”Dave’s words came directly to Mike’s mind.
“Any human sees him, they’ll
think we’ve got a divine messenger on our hands. Dude looks like an angel right out of the Bible.”

“I was just thinking the same thing.”

“You remember what Caleb O’Hara wrote, don’t you?”

“You mean the bit about the angel in disguise?”

“I believe his words were something like, ‘a blond giant named for Hickok, who’s an angel in disguise.’ I think that fits our boy, don’t you?”

“No shit. They call him Wild Bill. And he’s supposed to lead the resistance?”

“Caleb called him the ‘father of the revolution’.”

“I wonder if he has any idea.”Mike looked at the giant alien and his equally alien wings.
Wings
, for cripes sake!

“I don’t think he has a clue. The man is still coming to terms with his past. He’s got a boatload of guilt in him and still needs to integrate a lot of emotion. He’s probably been in denial since the emotions started kicking in.”

“Funny how he wound up here, with a mind healer ready and able to help him.”Mike shot his cousin a knowing look.

“I’ve never believed in coincidences.”

While the cousins conjectured silently, Bill took one of the high-powered flashlights and stepped to the water’s edge. “I want to see how far across it is and how high this cavern goes.”

“Be careful,” Jaci warned him. “There may be obstacles in the darknes
s. Don’t run into anything. And
there could also be creatures in the water.”

“Yeah,” Dave agreed. “The Loch Ness Monster could be waiting below for a giant bird to fly across so he can eat you.”

Mike laughed but the two Alvians had apparently never heard of Nessie. He’d have to enlighten them sometime, but Bill took to the air a second later and their attention was diverted by the amazing sight of a man with wings, flying across the mirror surface of a black lake.

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They followed his progress with the spotlight, but soon all they could see was the pinpoint of Bill’s flashlight in the distance. Jaci sidled over to Mike and took his hand, fearing for her friend. He tried to reassure her, bending to give her a kiss to take her mind off Bill’s solo flight into the unknown.

Much to his surprise, the light level suddenly increased. Mike looked up to see flecks of crystal embedded in the walls, glowing as he kissed his resonance mate.

“Hot damn.” Dave glanced around. “Kiss her again, Mike. I can just make out Bill in the distance. If we can get more light out of the crystals, we might be able to see the far walls of the cavern.”

Mike didn’t need any more encouragement. He pulled Jaci into his arms and laid one on her. The light level jumped again as he deepened the embrace.

“That’s handy.” Mike came up for air, looking around at the lit chamber. “We’ll need to keep you around so we can see where we’re going.”

Jaci pushed at him, laughing. “It’s the resonance.” She glanced around in wonder. “The small remnants of crystal here respond to the resonance of our embrace. I’ve never seen the like before, except in news reports of Davin’s interactions with his mate before the High Council.”

“We’ve seen it first hand.” Dave took her other hand. “Callie and her mates can light up a room with just a touch. As can we, apparently.” Dave nodded to the glowing walls. “There’s not a lot of crystal here. I bet if we find larger deposits, we’ll be able to achieve daylight down here.”

They put their theory to the test when they found a small crystal-studded hot spring cavern back near the main entrance to the complex, just outside the fortified doors. They’d debated before leaving the comparative safety of the blast doors that sealed the tunnel entrance to the complex, but the men wanted to explore the outside tunnels a little farther. As long as they didn’t actually go outside the cave network, they reasoned, it should be reasonably safe with good ol’ Burt on guard.

When BURTIN mentioned this spot, he’d assured them the spring that fed this small pool wasn’t hooked into the water supply. He’d also said the former inhabitants of the 217

facility used the small grotto for recreation—bathing and soaking in the revitalizing mineral water.

After a long day of exploring, that sounded like just the thing. Jaci, Mike and Dave left Bill behind on watch with the computer and took off for some splash therapy in the hot spring. They frolicked there for an hour before heading back into the safety of the blast doors, welcomed by BURTIN who was monitoring everything in the facility on a heightened basis.

The trio made love long into the night and rose the next day for another round of discovery in their new home. They couldn’t perceive day or night while underground, of course, but BURTIN kept the clocks working and on the second day they discovered the true extent of BURTIN’s very advanced and well-camouflaged security system. It came complete with cameras that kept track of what went on above ground. A monitoring station with multiple camera angles covered miles of territory all around the complex, though there were a few blind spots where cameras had malfunctioned over time.

“Why didn’t we see the cameras?” Dave asked as they monitored the landscape above, marveling at the views.

“Most of the cameras were made to look like rocks,” BURTIN answered in his androgynous voice. “A few have become irreparably damaged over the years. I have small robots I dispatch to perform routine maintenance on the systems and was programmed to run diagnostics once every year even while powered down. Some of the cameras look like tree limbs or sticks, but all are very small and well hidden so as to avoid detection.”

“No kidding,” Dave agreed with the machine as he leaned in to look at another row of monitors.

“What’s this?”

“Heat sensor,” BURTIN replied. “There are also motion, radiation and infrared detectors.”

“Amazing.” Dave flicked a few switches, bringing up different views. Mike had to bite back a laugh at his cousin’s interest. In the old world, Dave had left all the tech stuff up to Mike. Now it seemed he couldn’t get enough. How things had changed.

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“What’s this?” Jaci pointed to a monitor that showed a long, empty room with strange equipment inside.

“This is an interior view, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” BURTIN agreed. “This is the hydroponics sector. There were plans to use the water from the cavern you saw yesterday to grow crops hydroponically. All the equipment is there and ready for use, but the last inhabitants never stocked any seeds. There were—”

“—budget cuts,” Mike finished for the computer. “Right?”

“Yes, Mike,” BURTIN replied. “But there are many ration packs here. Some of the stored food might still be fit for consumption.”

“We brought supplies,” Dave said. “And we may even be able to get seeds if that hydroponics setup is still viable.”

“It is indeed viable,” the computer replied.

“That could come in very handy,” Dave said, looking to Mike for agreement. If their little community grew, it would indeed be useful to be able to grow some of their own food.

“Let’s think about setting up a small test run for now,” Mike said. “Maybe the O’Haras can give us some pointers and seeds to get started.”

“Which reminds me,” Dave turned back to the monitors, flicking through the channels until he found the view of the main entrance to the tunnels. “Burt, we are expecting a friend to join us here today or tomorrow. He’s coming over land and will probably have a horse or mule. Maybe two. His name is Sam and he’s human. Could you let us know if you spot anyone?”

“Yes, Dave. I will alert you to approach by any humanoids or machines within my active scanning area.

That’s what my former commanders elected. Will that suit you as well?”

“Definitely,” Dave agreed with a huge smile. “It’s a pleasure to work with you, Burt. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome, Dave.”

Oh yes, their computer friend was very polite.

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A few hours later, BURTIN alerted them to an approaching visitor. They all crowded around the monitors until they recognized Sam’s stealthy approach.

“I’ll go out and meet him,” Bill volunteered.

Bill brought Sam and two pack mules through the main entrance a few minutes later. Sam seemed glad to see them all and wasn’t very surprised to meet Dave and Mike. The O’Haras had warned him that their arrival was a possibility.

“Damned if I know what we’re going to do with the mules,” Dave mused as the cousins stood back and watched the reunion of Sam with his two friends.

“There are facilities for livestock on the fourth level,” BURTIN chimed in, startling Sam until they explained about the intelligent computer.

They filled him in on their discoveries about the place as they took the animals down a series of wide, gently sloping tunnels that corkscrewed through the complex. They unpacked the animals, rubbed them down and left them with water and some of the grain Sam had brought with him. He explained that the mules were a loan and could be returned anytime or used for as long as they needed them. Justin O’Hara had thought some extra
horsepower
might come in handy depending on what they found inside the mine.

Sam had also packed some gifts from the O’Haras and he gave them out as he sorted through the packs. There were baked goods from Jane for them to share, other food items and perishable goods as well. Lengths of rope from Justin and medical supplies from Mick. All the things they might need for living on their own for a while. It was a treasure trove for them, considering everything in the complex was decades out of date. A few items could be salvaged, of course, and the physical plant seemed to be in good working order, but things like food and medicines were at a premium.

Sam handed one particular burlap sack to Bill, much to his surprise. “Caleb O’Hara sent very specific instructions to his brothers before I left. I was supposed to give this to you, Bill. Caleb says you need to nurture life, whatever that means.”

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Intrigued, they all watched Bill open the bag. It was full of seeds. Mike recognized corn, cucumber, melon and other kinds as well as smaller ones, packaged in paper with handwritten instructions on the side. Once again, the Oracle had foreseen their needs.

“What is this?” Bill asked, his expression nothing short of confused. Jaci was just as confused and it brought home how far the Alvians had gone from living off the land.

“Those are seeds, Bill,” Mike said as gently as possible. “From those, food crops will grow. Caleb just sent us the beginnings of our little hydroponics experiment.”

“But why did he send them to me?” Bill still looked confused. “I’ve never created life or nurtured it in any way. I have no idea how to make things grow.”

“Maybe that’s why,” Dave said, understanding in his voice. Mike recognized that tone. This was Doctor Dave, counseling a patient who needed him. Mike stood back and let Dave work his magic. “A garden can be therapeutic. It can teach us things about ourselves and our world. I think it’s important for you to take charge of the hydroponics experiment, Bill. Caleb O’Hara must have foreseen something that made him bother his brothers, Sam and us with this special request and that man hasn’t been wrong yet. We’ve done well taking his advice and I think you would benefit from it too.”

“If you’re sure.” Bill still looked uncertain.

“I’m sure,” Dave’s tone was reassuring. “Gardening is often a very solitary occupation. It allows time for the soul to commune with nature and is said to bring peace. I think you need that now, Bill. Even more, I think you’ll enjoy it.” Mike had noticed how quiet and introspective Bill was most of the time and he knew Dave had picked up on it too.