The Face of Earth (9 page)

“I don’t know; there seems to be something . . .” He trailed off, trying to determine if the diffuse violet mist in the container meant anything.

Megg checked her console. It showed that there was indeed something in the container.

“Yes!” Salgon exclaimed excitedly. “It’s a soul!”

Megg watched the readout scroll across her screen. “It’s from the female on the end.”

Salgon pressed his nose against the container in excitement. “I can’t believe it! The experiment is a success!”

“I wouldn’t count on that just yet,” Megg said calmly. As they watched the mist, its color drained and it slowly dissipated.

“What happened?” Salgon asked.

“The same thing that’s been happening since the first time it happened three thousand years ago. A soul survives the death of the body only to disperse after realizing its former confines are deceased.” Megg sighed in frustration. “I was excited the first time too, but after all these years, the soul should have progressed to the point of survival outside the body. Since it hasn’t, this experiment is a failure.”

Salgon’s shoulders drooped in dejection. For a moment he had hoped that he would be involved in a successful experiment, but at least he could show Megg his full support by helping to clean up a failed one. He began removing the bodies, taking them outside one by one and depositing them in a heap on the ground.

Megg left the lab and returned to her quarters to write up the results. It took her several hours to complete the report and forward it to the Stelairian government. When she finally went to the bridge, Salgon had already taken them into space and initiated the lasso to search for an appropriate comet. The lasso chirped as Megg sat down in the captain’s chair. It had found a comet that closely fit the specifications. Salgon checked the data. It was more dense than he had calculated was necessary, but it mostly matched the parameters needed for extinction. He looked up at Megg.

“It’s a little bigger and heavier than what I specified, but it’s still very close to what’s needed,” he told her.

Megg shrugged. “It should do the job. Lasso it.”

Salgon lassoed the comet and dragged it to Earth. He tapped some commands into the lasso and had it sling the comet toward the planet as they passed the moon. The angle was off slightly and the comet skimmed the atmosphere before entering it. They watched as it sped through the sky over the planet, losing altitude as it progressed.

Megg and Salgon sat silently on the bridge, observing the end of Megg’s experiment. She felt a twinge of sadness; she had hoped that the Earthlings would become viable contributors to the universe. There were already many species, but too few of them had immortal souls. The Stelairians had hoped to remedy that by creating new species that could evolve immortal souls, but as of yet they had not succeeded. Megg had wanted to be the one whose experiment was a success. Well, she still had other worlds on the right path; maybe something would come of them.

They watched the comet descend to Earth. It looked as if it would hit land rather than an ocean. Megg nodded, satisfied. A quick death for the bulk of the population would be best. Megg didn’t want the Earthlings to suffer. She was a scientist, after all, not a monster.

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Below on the planet, Daniel sat at his desk, going over the reports that had been coming in for weeks. The people were restless, and protests occurred daily. The government, because it had no real power, couldn’t control the people. Daniel sighed. When he had taken over the Lazarus League he thought controlling an entire country would be intoxicating, even if that control had to be from behind the scenes. But it turned out to be nothing but work and a giant headache. Just as he turned the page to read about another protest gone wrong and many more deaths, his aide burst into the office.

“Mr. White!” Sam panted, out of breath from running. “Mr. White! There’s a comet headed for Earth! It appeared out of nowhere, and the president just came on TV to tell everyone to take cover underground if they can!”

Daniel remained calm, even though his heart hammered at the news. “Go down into the cryonic room. Wait for me there.”

Sam ran across the foyer and slammed open the door to the hallway that led into the underground room. He disappeared into the darkness. Once he was gone, Daniel unlocked the bottom right drawer of his desk. He pulled out the bag of diamonds that a courier had just dropped off, payment from a businessman who wished to curry favor with the League. He turned around and pulled on the ornate light fixture on the back wall. With a grinding of gears a section of the wall opened up at arm level, revealing a safe. Daniel input a nine digit code using the keypad and the safe clicked. He pulled the door open. The interior of the safe contained many bags similar to the one Daniel threw into it, as well as his father’s gun. He grabbed the gun before shutting the door. The nine asterisks on the screen disappeared, resetting the lock. Daniel pushed back the light fixture and the wall closed, not even leaving a crack to show where the opening had been. Daniel checked the gun to ensure it was loaded before placing it under his belt in the small of his back. Bullet guns had been outlawed years before, but Daniel had kept his father’s gun out of sheer sentimentality. He was glad he had, since he didn’t know what kind of world he would wake up to in the future.

Daniel left the room and entered the foyer. He pulled on another light fixture and the wall closed over the office door, hiding it from view. He turned to the main entry door, and heard screaming. He cautiously stepped outside and looked around. People were standing and staring at the sky or running aimlessly through the streets. He looked up and saw a giant flaming ball tearing across the sky. He looked back at the panicking people. Fools. That comet was way too high to land here. Chances were it would crash on the other side of the world. He went back inside and locked the doors, bringing down the steel door and sealing the building. The windowless building was designed to be a fortress if necessary, and Daniel felt it was necessary now. After he secured the foyer, he entered the hallway to the underground room. He turned and closed the door behind him.

He followed the spiraling hallway down under the main building. Once through the cryonic room’s sliding door, he pulled it closed and locked it. He looked around the dimly lit room that was situated directly beneath the building’s courtyard. There was another exit in the ceiling in case the building exit became blocked. Daniel made his way past the cryogenic pods to a steel ladder welded to the wall. He climbed the ladder and checked the hatch door, making sure it was secure. Then he climbed down and looked around for his aide.

Sam huddled in a corner, looking up at the ceiling every time a noise was loud enough to penetrate the thick concrete roof. He shivered in fear.

“Sam!” Daniel shouted.

Sam looked up at Daniel, then stood and ran over to him. “What do we do? Are we going to die? How do we get out of this? What do we do?” he babbled.

Daniel slapped him across the face to stop him from raving. Sam shut up and stared at Daniel. “We get into the cryogenic pods, and hope that when this is over, someone will wake us,” Daniel explained calmly.

“Yes!” Sam said, “That’s a brilliant idea!” He went over to an empty pod and began to climb in. Daniel realized that it was the only empty pod left.

“Hold on, Sam. There’s only one pod left.”

Sam looked around at the other pods in the room and saw it was true. He narrowed his eyes at Daniel and continued getting into the pod.

“Now, Sam,” Daniel cajoled, “you know the League will need me in the future. I’m the leader, and you’re just an aide. Letting me take the pod would be in the best interest of the League.”

Sam looked up resentfully. “Your father is already cryogenically frozen. He can be our leader again in the future. It’s you who aren’t needed.”

Daniel sighed in resignation, pulled out his gun, and shot Sam in the chest. Sam looked down in surprise as blood gushed out of the wound. He looked back up at Daniel as he died, falling out of the pod and onto the floor.

Daniel felt dizzy, and wondered if he should check his blood sugar. Then he thought that it really wasn’t necessary, as all his body functions would be in cryonic stasis in a few minutes. He hoped there would be a cure for diabetes when they woke him. He was tired of giving himself insulin shots.

Daniel went across the room to the control console and initiated the cryonic sequence for his pod. Then he rushed back to the pod and climbed in as the lid slowly closed. By the time he had settled himself, the pod sealed and the cryonic sequence began. He felt himself losing consciousness. Karina had told him time in stasis seemed instantaneous, but he wasn’t sure if it would be the same for everyone. He wondered if he would dream.

Earth shuddered as the comet hit the planet with just enough force to nudge it out of its orbit, but Daniel wasn’t aware of the impact. The cryonic sequence was complete, and Daniel began his dreamless sleep. Days passed and Earth froze as the sun was blocked out by particles of dust and moisture thrown up into the atmosphere. Within months the few millions of humans that had survived the immediate impact settled into bomb shelters and caves, unaware of the change in orbit. They waited for the day when the dust would disperse and temperatures would rise again, but Earth slowly moved farther from the sun and became locked in eternal winter.

As the years lengthened and summers shortened, people realized that with each orbit around the sun, Earth was traveling farther away from it. With increasing desperation they searched the ruins of cities for a way to survive this new threat. Food was becoming increasingly scarce as more and more animals succumbed to the harsh winters. Man turned on man as the only food source left. Within thirty years the human race was extinct. Earth became a lifeless, frozen rock; its orbit continuing to widen, until it came to rest in an orbit as the fourth planet from the sun.

CHAPTER 6

Tresar watched the viewscreen as Flavoi steered the ship toward a white and blue planet in the newly discovered solar system. With eight planets orbiting a sun similar to their own, Yalsan scientists hoped to discover intelligent life here. Tresar hoped to discover intelligent life before the Yalsan scientists, so he had set out for the alien solar system the minute he heard there could be planets there capable of supporting life. They had passed by the four outer planets, dismissing them as too cold, and were approaching the fifth planet.

“Steady, Flavoi,” Tresar cautioned as they prepared to enter the thin atmosphere. “The forward shields still aren’t responding after that last rock hit the emitter.”

“Relax, Tresar. You don’t have the best pilot on Yalsa for nothing, you know.” Flavoi grinned at his friend’s serious expression. “You worry too much.”

Tresar raised his eyebrows mockingly. “And you have quite a swelled head for someone who was discharged from the Yalsan military for failing to bring their ships back in one piece.”

“Eh. Maybe so. But every soldier I rescued from the Bitowans I brought back in one piece. And everyone survived my crash landings.”

“And that, Flavoi, is what makes you the best pilot on Yalsa. You can land a ship even if half the systems on it are no longer functioning.”

Flavoi smiled and turned his attention back to the viewscreen. He was thankful Tresar had invited him on this illicit trip. Adventure had always been in his blood, and when he was thrown out of the Yalsan military a couple of years ago, he thought he’d never get to fly a ship through space again. This was a chance to discover something new, and beating those crusty old scientists to the punch thrilled him even more.

Flavoi felt lucky to have a friend like Tresar. Granted, the man’s genius could be a little irritating sometimes, but his inventions and his personality more than made up for his lack of social skills. Oh, the toys they had on board! Flavoi didn’t know what half the stuff did, but some of those inventions made it possible for just the two of them to handle the ship without a crew. Heck, he could probably handle the entire ship himself if he had to!

Tresar scanned the planet as they neared the surface. “I’m getting faint life readings from that landmass,” Tresar said, pointing to one of the continents growing on the viewscreen. Flavoi checked the readings on his console and steered toward them. Ice covered the majority of the landmass, and Tresar looked at the land skeptically. “Do you think you could land the ship on it?” he asked.

Flavoi snorted. “Do I think I could land on it? What kind of question is that?” He changed course and flew down at a steep angle. “Wheee!”

Tresar shook his head and fastened himself into his seat. “Please remember that this is the only ship we have, and I’d like to be able to fly out of here.”

Flavoi laughed maniacally. “Of course I’ll be careful! But nothing’s wrong with a little fun when you have gravity helping you out!” With that he rolled the ship around.

Tresar’s stomach lurched as Flavoi rolled the ship again. It sure didn’t feel like that when they rolled in space. He sighed, letting Flavoi have his fun. The last thing he wanted was an argument. The ship was too lonely when Flavoi was peeved and ignoring him. As they neared the ground Flavoi leveled out the ship. He set it down on a plateau of ice that overlooked a cluttered set of ruins.

Tresar checked his instruments. “It looks like there might have been some kind of civilization here, and the life readings are coming from the northern edge of these ruins.”

Flavoi shivered. “Looks cold out there. And the air is composed of mostly nitrogen and carbon dioxide. We’d better suit up if we’re going exploring.” He grinned in anticipation and jumped up out of his chair. “Last one to the air lock repairs the forward shields!” Flavoi took off running.

Tresar stretched as he stood up, taking his time. He knew he would end up fixing the shields anyway. Flavoi was a pilot, and as such, knew very little about the inner workings of the craft he flew. But he was the best, and Tresar needed the best on a trip like this. He yawned as he made his way toward the suit room, idly imagining what they might find in the ruined city below. Once he was suited up, he went to the air lock.

Flavoi waited impatiently at the door. He had even thought to bring along climbing gear to tackle the ice cliff separating them from the city. Tresar smiled at him as he juggled the bulky equipment. “What are we, Flavoi, barbarians? Wouldn’t it be easier and quicker to just use the arm air packs?” Laughing, he handed Flavoi two long metal bracelets with complex ducting and wiring on them. The look on Flavoi’s face was priceless as he watched Tresar fit two identical ones on his forearms.

“But . . . but those things were only rumored to exist, and only for the military,” he managed to sputter. “Tresar, those are top secret and not even tested!”

Tresar laughed again. “Yes, and they stole the design from me. I’ve had these perfected for years now. That’s why I was such a recluse. The military was constantly sending spies to the crazy scientist’s house to see what they could ‘borrow.’ I couldn’t trust anyone. Fortunately they were only able to get my prototype for these. It will take them years to work out the bugs!”

Still chuckling, he showed Flavoi how to use the packs, laughing harder as Flavoi managed to propel himself into the wall. Tresar handed him his helmet. “Let’s go outside before you pin yourself to the ceiling.” He put his own helmet on, locking it into place. Once Flavoi’s helmet was on as well, Tresar opened the air lock. The air outside chilled him to the bone. Tresar adjusted the internal temperature on his suit and then did the same for Flavoi. Flavoi’s eyes widened in surprise and he stopped shivering. Tresar shook his head in disgust. The Yalsan military spared no expense on their gadgets, but wouldn’t spend the money to install temperature adjusts on their space suits. Sighing, he stepped out of the ship into the ankle deep, shifting snow. Below the snow the ground was slick, and he slid a little on the ice. Starting up his air packs, he hovered a foot above the ground. He motioned to Flavoi to join him.

Flavoi excitedly started up his packs, applying too much thrust and launching himself into the ceiling. Tresar could hear him cussing through the communicator in his helmet, and couldn’t resist throwing a barb his way. “You’re the best pilot on Yalsa, hmmm? It’s a shame we’re not on Yalsa.”

Flavoi glared at him and managed to float himself out the air lock without further incident. Tresar chuckled and led the way to the edge of the glacier, resisting looking back when he heard Flavoi muttering to himself and occasionally uttering an obscenity.

Within moments he could see the entire city. Still ignoring Flavoi’s clumsy attempts to steer, he glided down the cliff, settling gently on the frozen ground. A few seconds later Flavoi crash-landed next to him. “The landing is a little rougher without a ship, eh, Flavoi?” he teased. Flavoi only sniffed as he stood up and pretended to brush off the dust.

Tresar examined the glacier’s foot. It appeared that the city was here before the glacier, since the glacier was pushing a huge pile of building wreckage as it progressed down the valley. Tresar looked around the city, trying to determine the most likely place to start an investigation. He tried to picture how the buildings might have appeared when they were whole.

“Most of these buildings were made of glass.” Flavoi gestured at the giant metal skeletons surrounded by piles of broken glass, then pointed to a building with metal walls. “Why is that one different?”

Tresar looked at him in surprise. He hadn’t expected his friend to be so observant. “That’s a good question. Why don’t we go check?”

They made their way through the rubble, sometimes hovering to get over the larger obstacles. Here and there were the remains of people who had died horribly, bones jutting out of the debris at the most unlikely places, some with bits of frozen flesh still attached. Tresar grimaced with distaste as Flavoi examined one such body, lifting a bone and inspecting it before dropping it back onto the ground. Tresar didn’t like death; to see it was a reminder that they all would experience it one day. He noticed something interesting about the corpses, though. Tresar nudged Flavoi, whose immunity to the carnage around him was probably due to the years he spent in the Bitowan wars.

“Flavoi, don’t these bones look similar to ours?”

Flavoi looked up from his inspection of what appeared to be a table. “Similar? No. They look exactly like ours.” He turned back to the table, running his hand over its damaged surface. “And they have wood, so they must have had trees. I don’t know what happened here, but it must have happened swiftly to freeze the entire planet. Maybe their sun shrunk.”

“No, that couldn’t have happened. That star is still in its mid-life stage. Besides, the planets closest to it would have been destroyed if something like that had happened.”

Flavoi snorted. This was the irritating part of having an intelligent friend. He hoped he wasn’t headed for a lecture on the life cycle of stars. He breathed a sigh of relief as they finally reached the metal building. Now Tresar wouldn’t have time to educate him. “Well, here we are. Which of these many openings would you like to make our entrance?” he asked.

Tresar glanced at the numerous punctures in the metal walls. “I guess one is as good as another. Let’s go in here.” He led the way through the nearest hole and into a large room. Sunlight streamed through the tears in the walls and ceiling. “Interesting. Before whatever occurred here happened, these walls were windowless. I wonder what they were trying to keep out.”

“Or what they were trying to keep in,” Flavoi intoned.

Tresar grinned at his friend’s dire posturing. “Why don’t we go find out? After you, sir.” He gestured for Flavoi to take the lead. Flavoi swept past him with his nose in the air, toward the only door in the room. He stopped play-acting when the door opened into darkness.

“Now what?” he asked in exasperation. Tresar only smiled and whipped out two light sticks from somewhere on his suit. Flavoi gave him an odd look and frisked himself. “I didn’t know these things had pockets.” Tresar laughed and handed him a light.

They spiraled their way down a long sloping hallway to another door with red lettering on it and no handle. Flavoi looked at Tresar. “Can you read alien?”

Tresar shook his head and put his shoulder to the door. It tore off its frame and fell into the room with a groan and shower of rust. Inside the ceiling had caved in, supplying enough light for the men to see twenty pods set into both sides of the narrow room along the entire length of the walls. An intact skeleton rested at the foot of the last pod on the right. Its sternum showed damage that was probably the cause of death.

Tresar inspected the closest pod. It was made of mostly metal, but the entire front was clear and he could see through it to the form inside. He wiped off some of the dust with his gloved hand and peered inside the pod into the open eyes of a man who was very definitely like them. He gasped and took a quick step back.

Flavoi looked at him in surprise. “What is it?” Tresar just pointed. Flavoi looked at the man in the pod and shrugged. “Yup. It’s a man.”

Tresar stared at him. “He looks just like us!”

“Why does that shock you? Did you expect all aliens to look alien? It’s a big universe. Maybe we share ancestors who managed to populate more than one galaxy. You of all people should concede that.” Flavoi tried not to look too smug for outthinking his friend.

Tresar managed a small smile. “I guess you’re right. I just wasn’t expecting it, that’s all.” He pulled an instrument out of another hidden pocket and scanned the alien. Flavoi furrowed his brow in consternation and began frisking himself again.

“Hmmm, that’s odd. This man has an anti-immunity virus in his body.”

Flavoi looked up from his searching. “Why didn’t they just cure him, then? It’s a simple tonic to make.”

“Maybe they didn’t know how. Or didn’t have the proper plant.”

Flavoi grinned eagerly. “Can we wake him?”

“Not here. If he’s as like us as he looks, he’ll die in this atmosphere. No sense opening his pod or curing him if he dies from exposure to the air. Let’s see if we can take the pod back to the ship.”

They examined the back of the pod where it connected to the wall with a myriad of hoses and wiring. Flavoi shook his head in confusion. “This is your area of expertise. Let me have your scanner. I’ll check the other aliens.” Tresar handed it to him and went back to examining the maze of ducts set into the wall. Flavoi went from pod to pod, humming to himself as he worked.