Still Falling: Book 1: Solstice 31 Saga (20 page)

“Here in the diagram, the stairs go directly into the water. Do you have any real time imaging of this area?”

“I’m sending a BUG there now.” Another window opened of a flying view moving toward the tower and then down the spiral stairs. Six and a half steps were drying; there was a glaze of stain on them.

“The water is receding. Repairing the wall has stopped the flooding. Where is Ash right now?”

“Ash is currently rearranging salvage with Po and Olias.”

“When he is done there, I want him to take a little swim.”

“You know the suit is not designed for long-term exposure to water.”

“Yes, I know. He will have to tie off a micro cable before he goes in. That will give him 600 meters of movement, even if he does sink like a stone.”

“Do you have any insight on what the layout might be?”

“Layouts could vary and could have been programmed locally,” Em said.

“How is it draining?”

“It probably has natural gravity feed drains based on what I've seen from the other plumbing systems here. Assuming all this is true, I have dispatched a swarm of BUGs to search the surrounding area for period-appropriate solar collection systems. A Redoubt of this period would have been equipped with ten solar collectors that provided all the Redoubt power needs.”

“So this bowl might go down 50 meters? Or more?” Barcus asked.

“If I had to speculate, I would say, yes. Probably ten to thirty levels. I would certainly consider them 'catacombs' if the Mad Monk was, in fact, a true story and based here.”

“Something doesn't seem right, though. I have been on lots of blast repair crews, and the damage I see here didn't originate below. This exploded and blew down as hard as it blew up and to the sides.”

“I have also run many simulations based on the observed damage.” A window opened in his HUD that was a simulation of The Abbey when it was intact. It had a globe marked “point of origin.” The point was on the roof of the cathedral, just above the gutters on the east side, near the corner in the center of The Abbey. Slowly, the globe expanded showing the pattern of destruction that intimately matched their known reality.

“Em, I swear, that looks like a dropped bomb to me.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

The Drowned Redoubt

“The Emergency Module knew it was a colony redoubt.”

--Solstice 31 Incident Investigation Testimony Transcript: Emergency Module Digital Forensics Report. Independent Tech Analysis Team.

<<<>>>

It was almost dusk when Ash was done moving the tons of items around for Po and Olias. The blacksmith shop that had previously been used to store items was now clear of them. Tools now hung on its walls. It was not a full complement of smithing tools, but Barcus would not recognize most of them even if there were.

Goats were still exploring the paddock outside the blacksmith shop and a door had been re-hung to contain them, thanks to the new hinges Stu had fabricated and Barcus had brought back from Foxden.

Dinner that night was better still. It was soup and flavorful flatbreads with large potatoes stuffed with spices, onions, meat and cheese. There was even a dessert. It was like a biscuit, filled with a thick whipped cream and drizzled with stewed dried fruits of some kind. Po made two for Olias.

Barcus no longer had to nag Po to eat. He could see that she was benefiting from it already. He realized that her face was filling in. Before, her skull was too evident. She spoke freely in front of him more easily as well.

Barcus didn't protest or force her to allow him to help clean up. He simply let her do it without a word. It seemed to make her happy, that small concession.

He went up to the loft later. Po had cleaned up in short order and climbed into bed with her Plate and was studying quietly.

Barcus sat in one of the loft’s overstuffed chairs and seemed to stare into the darkness. His entire view was full HUD mode with Ash, seeing everything Ash saw.

Ash was in the tower and had driven a piton into the stone of the tower and attached a carabineer. After hooking a thin cable through it, he began to descend the stairs slowly into the water.

A seventh step was now exposed. He had descended about fifteen meters into the chilly dark waters before he came to an open arch. All his bright work lights were now deployed. Infrared was of no use because everything was the same uniform cool temperature. Other night vision systems were useless as well, seeing only the murk in front of them. So the work lights were his sole technological support.

Ash was in a corridor with white walls and a ceiling that was completely filled with water. As he moved, albeit slowly, his footsteps disturbed the sediment on the floor, sending up small clouds of it.

Ash’s voice asked simply, “Left or right?”

“Go to the right, Ash. Is there any way to minimize the silt disruption?”

“I will do my best, sir.” The status window indicated “Ice Spikes Deployed,” and he began moving again, a series of spikes the only thing entering the silt.

Moving with the spikes helped some, but it was really the wake that was disrupting the silt. Ash continued around the curve of the bend in the hallway. A 3D map tactical display was filling in as he moved.

“
So far, this fits the parameters of the IDR, Inverted Dome Redoubt,”
Em said.

A doorway opened to the right that led down a wide corridor to a black opening about twenty meters away. Ash moved smoothly to minimize the silt.

“Do we have any amphibious BUGs Em?” asked Barcus quietly.

“
No, Barcus. Chen never anticipated the need for an underwater probe. We are already looking into potential options with what we have on hand,”
Em answered.

Ash cleared the end of the corridor and came out onto a wide balcony that had a railing that clearly had doubled as a planter structure. A void of black was beyond the railing. Lights barely touched the far side. This balcony continued all the way around a perfectly circular level. Over the edge, another level could be seen about five meters below. This level extended about five meters, as well as the one above. They moved in as the levels descended, following the contour of the bowl.

As Ash focused lights on various areas, the 3D map continued to expand in Barcus’s HUD.

“
I'd like to descend to the Redoubt’s floor. I have a good connection, and I can go over right here,”
Ash said.

“Before you do that I want you to try something. Turn all the lights off,” Barcus said.

Ash did it and, once the image adjusted, it was clear that there was an opening above the center that was about ten meters across. Starlight faintly glinted in. A giant beam and other debris had some kind of water weeds growing on them. It was the only place that got enough light during the day to allow for growth.

That opening was added to the diagram in Barcus’s HUD. Barcus noticed that Po's quiet murmurs of the lessons had stopped. He realized he had been speaking out loud.

She stood there watching him from the doorway to the stairs.

Their eyes met.

“They say Keepers can sometimes see ghosts of the dead. Can you?” It was a serious question. He could tell she already believed it. He decided it would be simpler to let her believe it.

“
Barcus, tell her yes.
” It was Em in his head. “
It's the easiest thing for her to understand.”

“They are speaking to you now,” she stated simply.

“Yes. Please don't be afraid.” He tried to sound comforting.

“I know they won't harm me,” Po said.

“I meant afraid of me. I am not insane.”

“I know that.” She was thoughtful for a moment and said softly with her eyes downcast, “This is the first time in my life that I have not been afraid.”

“Po, I'm glad.”

“If you need privacy, you can tell me,” Po said.

“It's all right if you don't mind me talking to myself.”

“It's like talking to you on the Plate. I don't mind. I will leave you to it. It's already late for me,” Po said.

She turned and went down the stairs.

“I am ready, sir, to descend if you are, sir.”
It was Ash. He was standing on the railing about to climb down.

“Yes,” was all Barcus said. All of Ash’s work lights were back on.

He closed his eyes for the best image. Full Point of View Augmented Reality (POVAR) was enabled now. It was like he was there, climbing down and then hanging and then slowly descending. There were balcony rings after balcony rings, together defining a central shaft. Ash stepped down level after level.

After passing the last balcony, Ash stopped about ten meters from the floor. It was covered with debris from the destroyed cathedral above. Blocks and rubble were piled about a meter deep. It looked like the debris fell onto a large pile that stood in the center of a wide circular fountain.

After a detailed view, Ash lowered himself to the floor. Silt immediately rose from his feet but, unlike the silt above, these clouds were being drawn in down through the rubble.

“That must be where the water drains out. If it's like the courtyard fountain, it is designed to handle the overflow if the center pool becomes too full. See if you can clear some of the rubble, Ash.”

Ash began to carefully shift the rubble. The increasing speed with which the cloud of silt vanished was proof positive that his work was helping. It was slow work. By about two in the morning, the area was cleared from the stone grates all the way around.

“Let's call it a night. It will take a while to get back out of there.”

The line slowly drew Ash back up. By the time he reached the balcony, Barcus could see that the water level had dropped noticeably already. For the first time they could see larger timbers floating in the water. They must have been beams from the cathedral. 

Ash climbed over the edge of the last balcony, and only then did Barcus notice the hundreds of wooden crates stacked against the back wall. Some of the wooden crates were floating against the ceiling. The others clearly held enough weight or were deeply water logged to keep them from floating.

Without a word, Ash picked one up and walked back up the main corridor. He then turned down the smaller one, towards the stairs. He automatically wound in the cable as he went.

He went up the stairs slowly. The water was still lower, only a few centimeters, but noticeable. He finally reached the piton and unhooked his cable. He left the piton.

Leaving the box in the outdoor kitchen, he returned to his scheduled priority tasks, disappearing into the darkness.

Barcus went down to the bedroom to find that Po was already asleep. She was completely under the heavy quilts and was only visible as a small bump with just a bit of hair sticking out from the edge of a pillow.

Barcus added another log to the fire, undressed and put on his nightshirt. He climbed into bed as quietly as he could. As soon as she detected his warmth, she burrowed next him, tangled her legs with his and buried her freezing cold feet under each of his calves, all without totally waking up.

Barcus lay there watching the dancing firelight on the stone vaulted ceiling. A window opened, floating in a fixed position. He selected the “Silent Status Update” option with his eyes. Em began to speak to him inside his head.

“We are ready for another salvage run. I am uncomfortable with leaving you alone, but I will save you the comment. I'll get over it.

“Po is progressing nicely with the reading. Po is very bright and is picking it up easily. I think she has a very high IQ. Olias is having a hard time of it. He has the language challenge on top of the reading. It will take much longer for him. He is a physical boy, not cerebral. On these salvage runs, I will work on his English during his waking hours while traveling. After a winter of this level of dedication, Po will be quite advanced.

“The draining of the Redoubt has accelerated. Clearing the debris from the storm drain has increased the flow of water. This increased flow seems to have flushed some additional blockages somewhere. The level is dropping at a noticeable rate. The pool at the bottom of the crater has already dropped to the lip of the original Redoubt. We will have to decide how we’re going to secure the hole. A 52-meter drop will be dangerous.

“Ash brought out one of the crates he found stored down there. You will need to check that out tomorrow.”

“Analyzing the imagery from Ash’s visit shows that there may be some sealed compartments still closed after decades. The seals were precision designed for protecting against vacuum so there may be a chance.

“Analysis has also detected human remains.

“At present pace, the draining of the Redoubt will take about seventeen weeks. I recommend cleaning each level as it's exposed. The silt will be washed away as it drains. Water will also be handy as well, for power washing. Ash will be busy.

“Yet another status log has been added for your daily review. It is unfortunate that the opening isn't larger. The STU could have fit in the main chamber.”

Po stirred slightly and gave a big twitch. Amused, Barcus just smiled and kept listening.

“Provisions after this salvage run will see us through the winter and well into next year. Fresh meat is the main concern. I will encourage Olias to collect more livestock. Plus we can supplement with hunting and trapping now and then. Task lists are getting longer though. We will soon have to make priority decisions.

“Stu is running all quantum processors to brute-force the encryption on the comm’s traffic. Stu has also been able to triangulate the geo-synchronous sats in this hemisphere with the help of Ash and me when we had decent separation during the last salvage runs. Based on their distribution, he believes there are 32 deployed stationary, geo-synchronous SATs in orbit. Exodus class colony ships had a standard complement of sixteen SATs. I believe we are looking at a colony made up of two Exodus class ships - the biggest ships in the fleet at the time of their use.”

Po turned in her sleep, placing her back to his side, using his warm bicep for a pillow.

“Those are all the priority updates for tonight. Good night, Barcus.”

All the windows closed, and he was back to the here and now. He moved a bit to get comfortable, spooning Po as she arched into him. His hand gently rested on her hip, and her hand slid to rest on top of his. A few minutes later, just before he was about to drift off, she drew his arm around her until his hand cupped her left breast. She was so wrapped up in him. She was asleep so deeply. He remembered watching her try to sleep in Greenwarren. She never did really. Always keeping fires going, always alert to sounds, never seeming to rest. He even saw her wake from nightmares a few times.

Barcus fell asleep holding her close, realizing he never slept this well either. Maybe it was the smell of her hair. He lightly kissed her on the head and breathed deep the scent of her.

He couldn't see her smile or that her eyes were open.