Unison (The Spheral) (9 page)

When we reached the top of the high ridge, we had a breathtaking view of Unity. The dome glistened like a diamond but seemed small in comparison to the bordering land.

“This is why I break the rules.” Wade stared at the outer-patrol station. “What gives them the authority to deny us a view like this?” Wade tugged his climbing cable, which he secured around a large tree trunk.

“I’m going first.” I tossed my already secured cable over the precipice.

Navigating beyond the beacons was hazardous. We had to climb down a treacherous escarpment to maneuver around the eroded rock that separated the two faces of the mountain. Once we made it over to the other side, we had to climb back up to continue along the trail. When we finally touched ground on the eastern side of the ridge, Wade’s enthusiasm was washed away by another mountain that loomed on the eastern side of the valley. Whatever lay beyond the peak was invisible to us. Wade picked up a stone and pelted it over the edge.

“Master Franklin once told me that life is a perpetual test," I said. "When one obstacle ends, another one presents itself.”

“Everything has an—”

A wild boar charged ahead of us with an Outsider in pursuit. “I claim that boar!”

The Outsider took aim with his longbow and shot the boar on its side. He laughed and ran over to his catch. “She’s a real beauty, isn’t she?” He clumped the boar’s legs together and tied them.

Wade smiled and approached the Outsider. “She’s attractive…for a boar.”

“Can’t wait to take her home and skin her.” The Outsider swept his tongue across his top lip.

I stared at the boar and then at the Outsider in disgust.

“Makes me feel like God peeking into His creation.” The Outsider stood and gazed at the carcass. “It’s the most purest gift of all—to witness your next meal in its rawest and most unspoiled form.”

I was repulsed by his blasphemous words and rotting teeth even a purple sleeve dentist couldn’t hope to salvage.

“You boys from Dome Dungeon?” he asked.

Wade laughed. “I’ve called it similar names.”

I slapped the side of Wade’s arm.

“Loosen your sleeves. We never met an Outsider before,” Wade whispered. “This could be a lot of fun.”

The Outsider flung the carcass over his shoulder. “Got nothing to say to you then.” He walked away.

“Why not?” Wade asked.

The Outsider turned to face us, probing us from top to bottom. “You all talk weird.”

“In what way?” Wade asked.

“Let him go,” I said.

“You all sound the same. It’s creepy,” said the Outsider.

“Creepy? What does that mean?” Wade asked.

The Outsider shook his head. “Exactly what I mean. Normal folk don’t get confused so easy.” He walked off.

“I’m not confused!” shouted Wade. “Just curious.”

The Outsider stopped and hesitated for a moment. He then turned around to face us with a stare as deadly as the arrow that pierced the boar. He dropped the carcass, retrieved his bow and snatched an arrow from his quiver. “Curious, huh?” He pulled back the cable and aimed the arrow towards Wade. “Your…curiosity is rare to your kind. You don’t even know how things out here work.”

“I’m willing to learn.” Wade crept closer to the Outsider.

“Don’t go any further!” I whispered loudly. “He’s got the scourge!”

Wade continued walking, and the Outsider kept his aim. Wade continued towards him, stopping inches away from the arrow’s tip. The Outsider retracted the drawstring further. I believed Wade was about to meet the same fate as the wild boar. After a few tense moments, the Outsider relaxed his aim and eased his bow. He laughed. “None of you ever came this close.” He picked up the boar and tossed  it over his shoulder. “You’re either brave or out of your mind. Either way’s okay with me.”

“What now?” Wade asked in anticipation.

The Outsider crinkled his forehead.

“What do I do next?” Wade asked.

The Outsider cleared his throat and spit. “Get it?” He smiled.

Wade cleared his throat and spit. He squinted his eyes. “I’m not getting anything.”

The Outsider chuckled and shook his head. “Leave Dome Dungeon. Being scared and curious is a hell of a lot more fun.” He walked off.

If Wade yearned to die, I refused to watch him live out my vision. I headed back towards Unity.

“Everything okay?” Wade asked when he caught up.

“That diseased Outsider had his arrow pointed at you, and you were talking to him as if you were one of his proteges.”

“He was harmless.”

“How can you be sure?”

“Don’t see an arrow in your chest.” Wade laughed.

Still agitated from our encounter with the Outsider, I went to punch Wade. He jerked sideways, scarcely escaping my fist.

“You’re slocking crazy!” I yelled. “We could’ve gotten killed!” A blast of pain ripped through my head, and I winced.

““Thought they were going to remove the stun alarm,” Wade said.

“They kept it in for newly formed emotions.” It was another lie. Kai told me the stun would be disabled with the upgrade, but on the first day of transmission, the Overseer announced it wouldn’t be removed until every Unitian received Harmony’s signal.

Wade shook his head. “I didn’t notice it while we were out on the bay, but it’s all so obvious now. You can’t see beyond the dome.” He walked in the opposite direction.

“I can see way beyond your limited imagination!” I ran towards him. “And my vision of your death will become reality if you continue these crazy stunts.”

“That Outsider was friendly.”

“He’s got the scourge.”

“How do you know?” Wade asked.

“He thinks he’s God. Delusional thinking shows up in the late stage.”

“He said he felt like God.”

“Same difference.” I can’t recall why I was so angry. Maybe Wade was right and the Outsider wasn’t a threat, but I never witnessed anyone take such pleasure in killing.

Our debate continued while we set up camp, and it carried on throughout dinner. When the sky darkened, we extinguished the campfire to get a clear view of the meteor shower.

“It’s good to be out of Dome Dungeon and connected to a true intelligence,” Wade said.

“Are you referring to the trees, wild boars, or the psychotic Outsider with the rotting teeth?”

“Don’t you ever wonder what’s up there?” Wade pointed to the heavens.

“I sometimes have these vivid dreams about traveling in space. It’s so real that when I wake up, I’m disappointed that I’m still on Earth.” I sipped my drink.

“And confining. We’re stuck here, and there’s no escape. It’s as though we’re trapped inside a room…even though the door is open.”

“Is this about Nasia?”

While I waited for Wade’s typical response, he picked up his portable telescope and pointed it to the sky. “I want to forget about life on Earth for a while.”

“Me too.” I lay with my hands crossed behind my head and gazed at the night sky, wishing I could be a part of it, as I was in my dreams.

OLD WOMAN

W
ade and I hiked along the bank to the top of the high ridge where we came upon a waterfall that spilled into a river. On the eastern side was a small cabin with solar panels on the roof.

“I had no idea Outsiders had access to modern technology,” I said.

“I’m heading down,” Wade said.

“What if the Outsider who lives there is dangerous?”

“After facing that boar hunter’s arrow, I’m feeling brave.”

“Better rethink your assertion. Stupidity can sometimes be confused for bravery.”

“Loosen your sleeves. Once we make it down, there won’t be a ridge for me to fall off of.” Wade smiled and walked ahead.

We made it to the valley two hours later. Wade knocked on the door, and an old woman answered with the barrel of her plazer pointed at us. Her long gray hair was held back by a scarf wrapped around her forehead.

“Passenger or loyalist?” she asked.

I clasped the grip of my plazer, and Old Woman shifted her aim towards me.

“Answer the question or go back. I want no trouble.”

“We mean you no harm,” Wade said. He lifted his hands up slowly. “Put down your plazer,” Wade said to me.

“Are you out of your—”

“We’ll be out here all day because I’m not leaving.”

Old Woman smiled at Wade and sneered at me.

I clutched the grip of my plazer and took it out of my holster.

“Slowly,” said Old Woman.

I placed my plazer on the floor and kicked it aside.

Old Woman inspected us for a few moments and holstered her weapon. “You sound like a reasonable Unitian,” she said to Wade and laughed. “Don’t think I ever said that before.” She pointed her finger towards me. “Don’t confuse my good cheer for camaraderie. If either of you start preaching the Sacred Oath, you won’t be welcome any longer.”

A large dog with long golden hair ran out, almost knocking us over.

“Don’t be afraid. My Shisa wouldn’t hurt even the tiniest ant,” Old Woman placed her thumb and pointer finger as close together without touching.

Wade entered the cabin. I wanted to leave, but my vision kept me its prisoner.

Old Woman and Wade went through their introductions, but I was more interested in the living space. On the eastern side of the main room was a large open panoramic window with a stunning view of the mountain we first spotted on the forbidden side of the ridge. As I admired the scenery, the shutter closed.

“Impressive.” Wade said.

I turned around, and Old Woman had a remote control in her hands. “A good way to get attention.” She reopened the shutter.

I pointed towards a large opening in the back wall. “What is that for?”

“It’s a fireplace. I use it when I don’t have enough power stored to run the electric.” She looked at it solemnly. “That happened only once…and it was so many years ago.”

The wall opposite the window had shelves filled with sculptures of strange creatures. I picked up a figure of a human with an elephant head. The body had four arms and a prominent belly.

Old Woman touched the trunk with her wrinkled pointer finger. “Ganesha.”

“What does that mean?”

“The Ancients that worshipped him believed all the universes of past, present, and future existed in him.”

“At the same time?” I asked, intrigued over how that would affect my precognition.

Old Woman seemed confused by my comment.

“Did they believe past, present, and future happened all at once…within the same space?”

“The builder of this cabin would’ve laughed at your question,” she said. “I inherited this cabin from him.”

Old Woman surveyed the room as though admiring a palace. She fixed her gaze on a picture of an older man and young woman, standing in front of the cabin. “Torrin was a brilliant engineer. He never concerned himself with unearthly conjectures.” She laughed. “Typical scientist.”

Torrin seemed familiar; I’ve seen him before but had trouble discerning from where.

“A trip to New Athenia might hold the answers you seek,” Old Woman said.

“Where is New Athenia?” Wade asked.

“Across the old tunnel. The journey is long but well worth the effort.” Old Woman opened a drawer in her desk and removed a folded sheet of paper. She handed it to Wade. “I can transport you over…if you’d like.”

Wade unfolded the sheet. “It’s a map!” He held it out towards me. “I knew Nasia wasn’t hallucinating.”

I walked over and examined the map that showed territories on the eastern side of the tunnel.

“Before the Great Cataclysm, people lived in different parts of the world and had their own languages and customs,” Old Woman said.

Wade pointed to a highlighted spot on the map that read, New Athenia. “What would I see here?”

“The heart of New Athenia is the Alexandrian Repository. It preserves the histories of all known Ancient races. My first visit profoundly affected me. It expressed a reality greater than Unity.”

“I want to go,” Wade said. “When can you take me?”

“Go there, and you’ll end up dead like Nasia.” I tried to seize the map, and Wade pulled it away.

“You’ll be fine,” Old Woman said. “The scourge is a lie.”

“Master Tyrus was right,” Wade said.