Phase Shift (20 page)

According to the handset data link, the
Gaians were aware of the tertiary brotherhood of the Giza plateau,
the pyramids of Khafre, Khufu, Menkaure, and the Sphinx. (How could
you not know of mammoth structures towering over an otherwise
sand-worn landscape?) These remains were in better states of
preserve on Gaia—possibly due to the lack of acid rain on the
planet—though still somewhat ragged as the result of repeated
sandstorm assaults through time. The Sphinx had fared best of all.
Rumour on Earth is it was used for target practice at some point
either prior to or during World War I. On Gaia, the troop
leader—whomever he was—was never born and so the fate of the Sphinx
was changed somewhat. Efforts to restore it to its former glory
continued, even on Gaia, unabated.

Initiated by the data link, an effigy of the
Sphinx travels back in time, re-applying the thick coat of paint
which would have rendered the structure resplendent over four
thousand years ago. The current reconstruction grows larger until
it threatens to fill the room. It pauses for a moment before
rotating and then shrinks back to the same size as the statue in
the display before dematerializing. No sooner does it vanish than a
second holographic representation of what the Sphinx might have
looked like in its heyday begins its cycle, and then a third.

It's in the next gallery that Sam approaches
me again. In a small, hidden corner of The Antiquary is an entire
room devoted to Gaia's relationship with Earth. Here, the
relationship between Reyes Prefect Senior, Dr. Spencer Prescott and
others is documented on the walls and in the data link files. Most
people brought into the once secret brotherhood of the Earth/Gaia
confederacy were scientists and scholars. Few were technicians.
They bartered mostly for knowledge and foreign technology.
According to the downloads, the process for creating peanut butter
able to remain emulsified on the shelf without refrigeration is an
example of the many Gaian inventions for which Earth should give
thanks. The ballpoint pen is but one of the myriad inventions Earth
had gifted to Gaia.

Once deliberate shifting techniques were
established, a spontaneous cottage tourism industry began to
flourish in which Gaians were enticed to shift to Earth to take in
the wonders of that world: Niagara Falls, the Eiffel Tower and the
Great Wall of China, among others. Earth scientists were brought to
Gaia and regaled with similar wonders: the gardens of Setialpha
Prefecture, the statue of Zeus at Olympia, the effigy of Kronos,
and the catacombs of Xianchiu Prefecture among others.

In a lighted glass case in the centre of the
gallery is a copy of The Pact, the document drafted in an effort to
sever all relations with Earth for the greater good.

"It's here as a cautionary tale," Sam says,
startling me.

"How so?" I ask. To me it heralds a
fascinating era in the realm of exploration, space program be
damned.

"It's a story of the hubris of man. How if
people act blindly and without forethought, it could lead to the
ruin of an entire planet...or at least, so says my Lead
Prefect.

"You have an interest in ancient history, I
see."

"I do. In fact, it's what I study."

"And what is that?" Sam's gaze is intense. I
try to hold his eyes with mine, but find it awkward to continue
before long and shift my attention back to my handset display.

"My discipline," I say, trying to buy time
as I think of how to explain it in terms Sam would understand.
"Technically, I am a disciple of human culture. I study how humans
try to make sense of their environment and how they change the
environment to reflect their belief system." My understanding is
Gaians do more remote sensing, studying sites through non-invasive
techniques like satellite photography and ground penetrating radar,
than actual excavation. "Formally? My discipline is known as
Archaeology, which is a sub-discipline of another known as
Anthropology. It means I dig in the ground to uncover evidence of
ancient human settlement."

"And this 'culture' you speak of?"

"Culture's a hard thing to describe.
Generally, it concerns the belief system of a people and the
objects and rituals they use to show they're part of a common
group. It's the objects they create in doing so that I'm interested
in."

Sam barely lets me finish my last statement
before he blurts, "Rituals? Like in a religion?"

"Religious ritual is a part of it," I say,
nodding.

Sam hesitates almost imperceptibly before he
asks, "Prefect, would you be interested in experiencing the ritual
and artifacts of Gaian religion?" He looks at me, earnestly
blinking while I mull over his offer. Up until now, I was under the
impression knowledge was the basis for Gaian religion. At least,
that was what Prescott was led to believe. The way they describe
their educational institutions, the way it echoes religious lexicon
and iconography, reinforces that idea. When I ask Sam, he says, "It
is true, knowledge and education are imperative to the Gaian way of
life, but not all Gaians are privy to that way of life on the grand
scale. Most Gaians are responsible for maintaining the
infrastructure of the Prefecture Proper and its surroundings. We
use what little information we are able to forage to our advantage,
but more commonly, we barter more for goods and services—that which
will immediately enrich our lives—than for knowledge, whose value
is fleeting once it has become commonplace."

"And you're willing to leave The Prefecture
to go to where they practice this religion?"

"As I said before, Prefect, I am but a
candidate for the Prefecture. When and until I am indoctrinated as
a Prefect, I am but an Inf—a member of the Infrastructure
class—free to leave at any time." He looks at me again, as if
awaiting my response. "Will you join me?"

Do I want to join Sam to check out what type
of human religion has developed on a foreign planet? To say I'm
interested is an understatement. The only other question I have to
answer in the affirmative before beginning this leg of my magical
mystery tour is do I trust Sam enough to leave the relative safety
of both The Antiquary and The Prefecture with him? How badly do I
want to sate my curiosity?

The decision's really a no-brainer. I slip
my Gaia-link handset into my pocket. "Let's go," I tell Sam.

Reyes Prefect pounded on Goren Prefect's
chamber door with such fury it vibrated on the hinges. Goren opened
the door. It struck the wall behind it with a thud. "You have
arrived. Any longer and the sun might go super-nova."

"What is so important you must summon me in
the midst of a sermon?"

"Your Molly McBride—"

"Yet again, Goren? I have a hall full of
disciples awaiting my return—"

"It was your idea to allow her to visit The
Antiquary unattended. In her time at that building she has accessed
enough information to nearly fill the handset's store."

"How do you know this? I have yet to deliver
the reports you requested."

"I have personally taken control of the
situation."

"Was this not the purpose for the invite to
this morning's Symposium? An informational exchange? You are
searching for problems where there are none."

Goren sat on the edge of his seat behind his
work table. He used his hand to indicate he wished Reyes join him
in the seat opposite, but Reyes remained rooted to the spot, fists
clenched in aggravation. He hoped this interchange with Goren would
be brief. His disciples waited. "She has accessed information from
virtually every mass on the planet." Goren stated matter-of-factly.
"The last link she initiated concerned Gaian relations with
Earth."

Reyes had had enough of Goren's facade. The
problem rooted much deeper than a single visitor in their midst.
"Let us forget this deception, Goren, and discuss what is really of
import where Molly McBride is concerned. You are angered that I was
first to respond when Molly McBride arrived, and that I have taken
on the role of First Emissary. The event only served to remind you
that you lost that position to my father all those years ago."
Reyes paused momentarily, chiding himself for having vocalized his
last statement. Jealousy at being passed over for First Emissary
was the reason Goren seemed always at odds with him, he was sure.
When anger could not be visited on the father, surely it must be
justified when visited upon the son.

"This is not about envy—"

"Enlighten me then, Goren. Tell me what this
is about."

"You persist in reminding me it was your
father who was instrumental in drafting The Pact, thus preserving
our planet. Your take on the matter is revisionist history at
best." Goren paused to gauge the reaction on Reyes's features. "You
neglect to relay it was your father who was part of the contingent
responsible for designing the modulator which would make relations
with Earth possible. In fact, it was your father who was part of
the contingent responsible for the terraforming technology which
caused the planet to begin shifting in the first place. Your father
was no seraph, Reyes. Do not paint him as such."

Reyes forced himself to release his clenched
fists lest the nails bite through the flesh of his palms. He had to
loosen his jaw muscles as well, as his teeth had begun to ache.
"While it is true my father was responsible for developing the
terraforming technology," he began, slowly, "he could not have
anticipated the results would be life-threatening. None of the
contingency could. To repent, he spent the remainder of his life
trying to put things right. He gave his life for the preservation
of this planet. I will not remain silent while he is
disparaged."

"This is about neither your father, nor
myself,” Goren admonished. “The future of our planet is my
paramount concern."

"I concede, Goren." Reyes said, no longer in
the mood to argue. In Goren's eyes, Reyes's father was sole arbiter
of the events which would lead them to Cataclysm, and Goren was the
self-appointed saviour, determined to find the solution where
others—Reyes's father among them—had failed. After a pause, Reyes
said, "If that is all, my disciples await," and he took a step
toward the door.

"As of fifteen-twenty-three this afternoon,
your McBride woman vanished from the Geo-link grid," Goren told
him, as plainly as if he had just announced the weather
outside.

Reyes stopped midway between the door and
Goren's work table. "Vanished?" he said, the word coming out as no
more than a whisper. In spite of himself, he was drawn in to
Goren's conundrum. He approached the seat facing Goren across the
work table and allowed his body to fall into the padding.

"All is not lost. Bless serendipity, her
handset was monitored," Goren informed him.

"Monitored?" Reyes suddenly felt parched. He
swallowed and licked his lips before continuing. "How?" he asked.
It came out barely audible, so he repeated the question.

"A new technology, courtesy of our Earth
brethren. A device keyed into the Geo-link grid is placed in high
orbit around our planet. When activated, a tracking instrument
implanted in the McBride woman's handset communicates her location
to us. They call it 'Global Positioning', I believe."

"And in exchange for this Global
Positioning?"

"The Geo-link technology."

"Oh, is that all?" Reyes said with overt
sarcasm.

"Do not mock the judgment of the Cleric
Council, Reyes."

Reyes frowned. He felt numb. Goren's
admission to him had served to confirm his suspicion that some
Gaians had continued to shift willfully in spite of the drafting of
The Pact.
Reyes's father had given his life—
his life!
—to save Gaia. He
had spent long hours sequestered from his family working equations
and running scenarios to no avail. And it was all in vain. His
father's posits had relied on the cessation of all activities which
might hasten the impending Cataclysm. If people had continued to
shift at will, his work was doomed to failure. But what angered
Reyes most, is that it was with the blessing of the Cleric Council,
the governing body composed of First Prefects the planet over.

"Do not look so glum, Reyes. You should
celebrate. With this information, you have been indoctrinated into
the Inner Circle of the Clerisy."

Reyes ignored him. Molly McBride was the
subject of import. He had invited her onto the planet. She had come
with trepidation, but she had come nevertheless, because she had
trusted him, Reyes Prefect, Second Prefect of the Theran
Prefecture. He had to make sure Molly McBride was safe. "You used
this...illicit technology to track Molly McBride?"

"Illicit? Really, Reyes—"

"Answer my question," Reyes demanded.

Goren nodded. "At precisely fifteen-eleven,
Molly McBride entered a civ unit with an unidentified male. Twelve
minutes later, she exited the vehicle and headed due north toward
the Relen Sector. At fifteen-forty she entered a building in the
Relen sector believed to be Sanctuary."

Reyes shook his head in disbelief. "She
poses a threat because she entered Sanctuary?"

"She associates with Relens," Goren
pleaded.

"I told you before: she is a student of
humankind. She studies religion as part of her discipline."

"She has betrayed us. She has left The
Prefecture."

"If anyone has betrayed us, Goren, it is
you." Reyes bolted to his feet and pointed a finger at Goren as he
made his accusation. "You and your cohorts, sanctioning relations
with Earth in spite of the parameters of The Pact. I should report
you to the Theran Council—"

"You fool yourself if you believe the Theran
Council is not already aware of the matter."

"My disciples," Reyes said, deflated, though
not quite defeated. "I must return." Reyes's head seemed to spin.
Any excuse to leave was an excellent one.