The Terminus (22 page)

“Uhuh! So
Beetie came to be! God loved her dearly, but as she grew up she became more
like Belinda in every way… looks
and
temperament. He’d hoped to take her
back to live with him when old enough to leave the Hatcheries, but found he
couldn’t. He realised he’d only think of her as Belinda, and that would’ve been
wrong. It broke the girl’s heart when she had to remain in the Hatcheries. Poor
little Beetie never fully understood why God seemed to have abandoned her.”

“What about
her name? Beetie? Did that come from God?”

“All TTB’s had
a number and colour, but many, at least in God’s time, also had a name folk
could remember more easily, usually related to their colour or number. So
‘B32968’ became ‘Beetie’.”

“Cool! Arthry,
Redfor, sure… but what about Blinker?”

“Oh, it’s just
a nick-name that stuck!”

“Same colour,
same father?”

“No. Didn’t
work like that. Colour depended on the day of the week on which the child got
delivered. When old enough he or she had their own room in a building of
similar colour.”

“After Beetie
and Blinker, no more children. Right?”

“The
Hatcheries kept the name, but its purpose changed when God got kicked out.
Became a power-house for Life-Force and a grooming hostel for the Atlanteans’
girls. Where the other kids ended up… Beetie’s childhood friends… is a
mystery.”

Gary
kept quiet about his own suspicions.

“So how
did
God get kicked out? How come Teeth now runs the show?”

“Great
inventor and wonderful guy, God, but no politician!”

“What
happened?”

“About two
years back, when Beetie reached fourteen and God realised he ought to leave her
at the Hatcheries until… erm... that’s another thing... well, Zaman and a bunch
of heavies – huge muscular dudes specially chosen by himself – turned up
unexpectedly in the Terminus where The Agenda Committee would meet regularly
with God to sort out the affairs of London and learn about his latest
scientific developments. He’d been working flat out on his most important
discovery of all time.”

“Explain!”

“God had to
admit that London would one day
face ultimate annihilation like Atlantis… because of the tremors. The impact
from the large asteroid had shifted the earth’s tectonic plates. New fault
lines had developed, and London was
bang on top of one of these. Only a matter of time before the growing
super-volcano beneath London blew
its top. Years earlier, Zaman had suggested they use Life-Force to take them
into space… power a giant spacecraft to take human-kind to another planet. At
first God refused to agree. Exterminate people for the use of others? Not God’s
way! However, he hadn’t forgotten the amazing power of ‘Life-Force’. In his own
methodical way, he’d been working away, in the past, until he came up with a
breakthrough… a way of extracting ‘Life-Force’ from the ubiquitous dark energy
of the universe… just before Zaman reappeared in his life.”

“And he
still
didn’t kill the bastard?”

“Oh, Zaman’s
clever. His big head, whatever! He’d spent years behind the scenes drumming up
support, training those dumb heavies, building up an army supplied with spears
and mag-stunners… an invention of God’s to immobilise his genetically-modified
rats, the gee-rats, and never intended for use against people. No guns in
future London, as you’ll have
noticed. God reckoned the heat generated by a single bullet hitting the
defences might, in theory, unwind the SAME process. Destroy London.”

“Guess that
figures!”

“Zaman began
spreading lies concerning God. Said he planned to kill everyone else and take
off alone with his wife’s daughter. Oh yes, his spies in the Hatcheries
had
kept him informed about Beetie… told him she was the spitting image of Belinda.
Next thing, he stormed into the Terminus with his little army. God was no
fighter. Not in the physical sense. And he was hopelessly outnumbered. Lucky to
escape with his life!”

“Poor bugger!”

“He and a few
followers had heard of a group of drop-outs hidden away in the old London
Underground system. He joined them and formed the Retreat. With God’s genius,
the place became more habitable and the Retreat grew in strength. He often
returned to the past and had a second pair of time-specs made for ‘someone
special’. Beetie, of course. Some of us knew. Things seemed to be going well
for a while. Retreaters hoped to make a comeback, take over the Terminus and
allow God to continue his vital research and direct the city once more, for it
became clear that Zaman, the new Chairman, was up to no good. All civilians had
to wear the same dress, a tracksuit made from material they used to use in
Atlantis. They were forced to take Atlantean dope. People began to disappear.
Some returned as zombies… the ones we now call ‘the surfacers’. Others never
came back. No one grew old. God could do nothing! Security cameras were stuck
to the sides of buildings, and… well, you’ll have seen the Hatcheries for
yourself. Surfacers get recycled for Life-Force energy and gee-rat food… but
only Zaman knows the whole truth.”

“From friend
to fiend, ay? So, what about the Pentatron tablet?”

“Something
designed by a brilliant Atlantean scientist all those years ago. He used to be
a pal of Zaman. It’s made from an unknown material…”

“
Unknown
?”

“…and because
of unique properties the tablet focuses Life-Force energy. Allows this to be
concentrated and directed, and… well...”

“Like power a
spaceship?”

“More of a
flying saucer. Circular. God took the design from an ancient Atlantean
prototype. Began working on this in the hopes of discovering an alternative to
Life-Force from dark energy… but the Pentatron tablet turning up in the
present? Nothing short of a miracle! God had seen it during one his
time-travels, though no one else, apart from Zaman, had any real idea of its
importance. The Atlanteans have been working away on God’s space-craft using
his design. God found out and sent for you … and none too soon! He was
terrified they’d get hold of the tablet.”

Gary’s
face clouded with embarrassment.

“So Mike and I
have changed everything by handing the tablet over to The Agenda?”

“Yes and no,
Gary
!
God’s harnessing of dark energy to replace Life-Force
opens up a whole new dimension in space travel. The sheer size of the
Belindaron, as God named his flying saucer when he designed her years back,
would make Life-Force useless, but using his latest discovery mankind could
start all over again somewhere else. He’s already designed a programme for her
to reach the beautiful uninhabited planet of a young star an easy cosmic hop
from here in the Belindaron… by his calculations. And God
never
gets his
calculations wrong! He called the planet ‘Planeta Paradisa’.
An
earth-like paradise waiting to be colonised.”

“Bit naff, eh?
Paradise
Planet?”

“No room for
cynicism in the future! Anyway, God’s not a ‘words’ guy.”

“So the whole
programme’s been hijacked by Teeth for his own filthy purpose! To set up an
Atlantean breeding colony using the likes of Beetie. Jesus Christ!” Gary’s
eyes burned with fury.

“Well and truly a mess, eh?
Zaman won’t go without Beetie
whom he insists on calling Belinda. Seems to regard her as a reincarnation of
her mother. She’s a right to know everything, Gary,
and God’ll be telling her now.
All that I’ve told you… and
more.”

“I don’t wanna
hear any more! Let God carry out his own crazy plan, sure, but not with Beetie!
I’ll never let her go back to the future.
Never
! They’ll only get her
over my dead body!”

“Shhh!”

Gary
seemed unaware he’d raised his voice to a level clearly audible in the sitting
room.

“Your dead body?
Pretty easy for
them
to arrange,
Gary
.
No, we must come up with a better plan. Beetie will be
hearing this from God right now. She…” Redfor stopped, mid-sentence... checking
himself. “We have Mike as well, remember,” he continued. “God’s got great faith
in Mike.”

“He knows damn
all about Mike! Anyway, those freaks have got him now!” Redfor shrugged his
shoulders but said nothing. “What about
you
, Redfor? You seem kinda
different.”

“Well-spotted,
my astute little friend. A ‘people person’ like Mike after all perhaps... if
you’d only let yourself be! I come from the present.
This
present.
I’m
alive somewhere in Birmingham this
very minute, as a boy of… er… three! I work with God in the future, see?
In the Stanmore Scientific Laboratories.
Got
the shock of my life when my boss vanished and reappeared grey-haired and
bearded.
He needed me, he said. Guess I’d always been like his right
hand man in the laboratories. Whisked me away to the future, and… well, with my
wife having left me I jumped at the idea of adventure.”

“Redfor?
Surely not your real name?”

“Roderick… or
Roddy.
Roddy
Anniston
.”

“Nothing will
ever surprise me again, Redfor... Roddy... whatever!”

“Redfor,
please. No one calls me Roddy any longer. I can tell you, a lot more’s yet to
happen that’ll surprise even you, Gary. This is only the beginning.”

“How can I
trust you? Like I thought I trusted Arthry and that Blinker was with The
Agenda… until I found out the truth.”

Redfor leaned
forward, rocking to-and-fro uneasily… an odd habit of his that had caused Gary
to think of him as shifty and untrustworthy.

“
Found out
the truth
? What truth? Arthry’s God’s greatest ally.
All
our hopes
would collapse without him.”

“In the
Retreat, when Mike and I returned with the Pentatron Tablet. Arthry was with
Teeth… Zaman or whatever you like to call the turd! Arthry made damned sure we
gave the tablet to Teeth. Said all he needed now was Belinda. He’s with
them
,
Redfor! Up to his bloody neck. Probably hoping for a free trip to Paradise
Planet plus some poor, unsuspecting dolly-bird thrown in for good measure. Mike
and I’d be a collection of gnawed bones in the underground system of the future
but for Blinker. The softer bits minced into rat shit by those ruddy great
rodent teeth. I tell you, one was about to chew me to bits. Blinker’s okay...
but Arthry? A flipping traitor, mate!”

Redfor carried
on rocking back and forth without saying a word. Gary
found this intensely irritating.

“Some of what
you say
may
be true,” the boy continued, “but for me
you’re
enemy
till you prove yourself. So, for that matter, is the silly old bearded fart who
calls himself God and messes up everyone he comes into contact with.”

“Like I said, Gary,
I can’t tell you everything because…”

“Because you’re bloody enemy!”

“Because I’ve
a good reason. As for Arthry, you must be wrong. He’d never betray God. They’re
like brothers those two, apart from the age gap. Arthry’s a hard man, but
that’s because he’s had to be to keep us Retreaters alive these past few years.
He’s no reason to go over to Zaman and his bunch. He’d never be that stupid.”

“Like you said
yourself, Redfor, this is only the beginning. Still room for surprises... and
that includes you!”

“No! Not
Arthry! He’s not capable of such a thing… unless… no... it can’t be!”

“What?”

“Beetie!”

“For God’s
sake, what is it with all those old codgers and Beetie?”

Gary’s
felt his cool slipping. His muscles tensed as the urge to hit someone or
something, get Beetie and run, swelled inside him like an inflating balloon.

“The
relationship between Arthry and Beetie is pretty special, too, but only because
God asked him to guard her for all he’s worth. The man’s been like a father to
the girl but he’d never want her for himself. He’s not that kind of a person.
Tough but not deceitful. You’re wrong, Gary.”

“Why did he
stab and kill her?”

“What are you
talking about? Have you gone mad?”

“The first
time I went to the Retreat. Arthry accused me of being with The Agenda. Thought
I’d been sent to kill God.”

“Sounds like
Arthry. Forever over-cautious.”

“Beetie ran between
us and he stabbed her to death.”

“Gary,
she’s alive!”

“Went back,
didn’t I? With the time-specs! Relived that bit, but changed my approach.
Pretended to be in with God.”

“And the girl
lived? She must have somehow got in the way the first time.
An
accident,
Gary
!”

Gary
hung his head in shame. The ‘
somehow
’ had been his fault, as were all
the other bad things happening to the girl.

“He still
stabbed her. Comes to the same thing. I don’t trust him an inch.
Or
you…
or God for that matter!”

The door opened.
Beetie stood staring at Gary, her
face wet with tears. She wiped the back of her hand a few times across both
cheeks to dry them, as if those tears were unspoken words to be kept hidden
from him. Redfor got up, evidently feeling he would be in the way. Held by the
girl’s gaze, Gary had no idea what
to say or do. He suddenly felt hollow and worthless confronted by such beauty.

“I’ll leave
you two,” said Redfor, “but Gary,
if you won’t believe me I
beg
you to believe Beetie.”

He brushed
past Beetie and disappeared into the living room without another word.

“Beetie?”

The girl
turned briefly to check the door was closed.