Thera (5 page)

An elaborate crown covered his head, but under the crown was greasy black hair that fell to his shoulders over an overstuffed red and white robe. He was not tall, nor commanding, or in the least bit royal, but he was clearly comfortable in his role. Al did not like him instantly, and there were very few people that affected him this way.

The tiny clock in his visual display told him it would soon be light and time to go, so he backed to the intersection and made his way out. He was surprised to see the power indicator in the periphery of his vision displayed a reading of ninety-five percent. He knew he used more energy when enhanced, but it always surprised him. When he arrived at Thera, it was at ninety-nine percent. He would need to be more careful in the future if he wanted his power pack to last.

His exit went unnoticed until he wound his way through the scaffolding and stepped out into the open to make his getaway. From behind him, a man yelled, “Stop!”

Freezing, he slowly raised his hands.

There was a screech from above, and the startled thump of someone receiving a blow. The voiced yelled, “What the—.”

While his antagonist was distracted, Al took off. Within seconds, there was nobody to see. When he approached the door to the Forman’s home Falkor materialized, his tail wagging and by all appearances someone expecting praise.

“So that was you back there wasn’t it?” asked Al.

The little dragon’s head bobbed up and down as if he knew what Al was saying.

“I think maybe you understand more than you let on. Thank you Falkor—good dragon.”

Al opened the door and went inside, the lizard with wings bouncing happily as it followed him inside.

“I don’t think I like your King,” declared Al. “He seems way too comfortable.”

Dusty and his father sat at the table with questions in their eyes. “What did you see?” asked Darius.

“I saw they were well armed and sure of their superiority. Did you know your king sits on his throne and watches the goings on in your town?”

“He can see us?” asked the boy.

“Yes, Dusty, he has something called a camera, and he has several of them somewhere on the mountain. He can look at the entire town or zoom in to view a single house.”

For a moment there was disbelief, then what Al meant became apparent. Darius nodded and said, “That must be how he knew when we were gathering together or not working fast enough.”

“He has no more right to the temple than anyone else. Your people are being taken advantage of by a man no better than any of you. There are machines inside that can create whatever you desire. The extra food you pay for and Dusty’s flashlight that cost you so dearly is produced in a matter of minutes and cost him nothing.”

They talked for a while more, going over the indiscretions of King Agenor and his disciples until Darius dared to ask this question.

“I have a friend who is very keen on matters of science and lives only four houses down. Can I introduce him to you? He too thinks the king is not what he proclaims to be, and this man can be trusted.”

This island was the last, most viable place to bring his people. Al needed this to work and believed there was enough room for all three cultures to co-exist if conditions were improved. There was also the rest of the planet. He thought it possible there might be another landmass across the ocean.

The beginnings of a plan began to form in Al’s mind, and he decided he needed allies. “Okay. Have him come by tomorrow for dinner. Tell him you are cooking up something special, but say no more. We will need to explain this carefully.”

Al thought more co-conspirators were required. “Do you have other friends that think like you?”

“Yes, there are some. But very few will speak aloud their concerns. We thought the king had spies everywhere, but if he has a window over our town, he would not need many.”

The neighbor came as requested and on time. Darius greeted his friend at the door. He stuck his head out, looked around and ushered him inside. The man was shorter and heavier than their host and looked to be around forty. As soon as he spotted Al sitting at the table and facing the door, he stopped; frozen.

The new arrival was not expecting more guests, and this one he did not recognize. “Um—hello?”

Darius intervened and made the introductions, “Timothy Reiler, this is Al Clark. He has come to us through the sacred chamber.”

Timothy took a step backward and stared open-eyed at his friend, then at Al, and back to Darius. Darius tilted his head and smiled.

“That is not possible! No one comes from inside the chamber but the Traveler—you saw him come from inside?”

“Dusty and I both witnessed it.”

Timothy fell to the floor, and Al stood up to say, “Whoa, wait a minute! I am not what you think. Here, take a seat in this chair and we’ll explain it to you.”

Al told the story again, this time, assisted by Dusty and his father. Timothy listened intently and occasionally asked a question. In time, he was introduced to Falkor and was appropriately amazed.

Timothy joked with Darius later in the evening, “An alien visits and brings his pet dragon. If you would have told me this casually, say at the shop, I would have believed you were not right in the head.”

When the conversation slowed down, and it became late, Al expressed his problem. “I need to go back to my planet and bring back some help. We will have to break into the temple again, where I can show Darius how to work the controls. When I come back, I’ll bring four or five people with me to help—and believe me; they can be quite helpful. To do what I have in mind, we need more people and firepower.”

Timothy asked Al, “You have access to weapons?”

“Yes, more than enough. We will avoid using them, of course, but we must have something to show we mean business. While I am gone, I need you three to very quietly and selectively recruit more people to our cause.”

“How many do we need?” asked Darius.

“Not many initially, three or four maybe, but you must be certain the king doesn’t discover what you are up to.”

“How long will you be gone?”

“Only a few days.”

Timothy asked the question foremost on all their minds. “What are we going to do upon your return?”

“First, I need to know one thing. Have you ever seen or heard of there being any large dinosaurs on the island?”

“Dinosaurs?”

“Yes, big scaly monsters that walk on their back legs and eat people.”

They thought it a funny question to ask but shook their heads in the negative.

“Good—in that case, we are going to dethrone the king, open the temple to all, and set you free!”

There was one more excursion he needed to make before he returned to Avalon. A trip out to the remote side of Thera to see how livable it was. After Timothy had left, and Dusty and his father went to bed, Al and Falkor went to investigate.

They cleared the town without incident. With Falkor flying invisibly overhead, and Al following the shadows, they made their way to the other end of the island. They found it was remote, well forested, and beautiful; with a clear freshwater lake smack in the middle.

We could live here
, thought Al. The moonlight illuminated the waving grass in the open areas and sent beams of light through the trees to the uncluttered forest floor. The wildlife chirped, clicked, and howled, but Al saw nothing he would label as dangerous.
Yes, this could work.

“What do you think Falkor, could you live here?”

“The little dragon had only a dry, deserted desert for comparison, but he expressed his consent by flapping his wings and bouncing up and down. They were taking in the scenery, with the dragon perched next to him on a fallen tree, and Al laughed.

He sat on the log with his senses heightened, taking in the wonderland around him. A slightly perfumed breeze gently wound past. The smell of ripe berries ten yards away and the fluttering of insect wings as they went about their business. When he was enhanced, he was alive. A new chapter was about to begin, and he looked forward to it. This magnificent landscape would make a perfect place to call home.

Yes, I think this will do nicely.

The next day, when it became late enough, Al would attempt his escape from Thera. But first, Darius insisted on a going away party. He and Dusty wanted Al to leave in style.

Just before sunset Timothy arrived, carrying a musical instrument that was older than anything in town which he handled as if made of glass. Similar in size and design to a violin, it was crafted of a highly polished blonde wood, had five strings played with the fingers, and reminded Al of a high pitched guitar. Timothy played the instrument beautifully, and the house filled with music written by and for a civilization far from Earth. Still, the music was hauntingly familiar.

The four conspirators had a good dinner and washed it down with the local wine. Falkor received plenty of attention and food and drink of his own. There were gifts for Al.

Darius contributed a white hat, a bright colored shirt, and a pair of tan shorts to replace the drab outfit Al was wearing when he arrived. Dusty gave him a pair of big blue sunglasses. Glasses from the temple is what he said. Timothy topped them all and produced a tiny vial of alcohol and a stemmed glass complete with a little stick umbrella.

He put on the shirt and shorts and stored the hat, sunglasses, and drink in his backpack. When they believed it was late enough, they made their way to the temple, and the teleporter. Al decided to forgo taking the trip to Avalon while enhanced; the memory of the last experience still fresh on his mind. Normal mode would do just fine.

The door they used when he arrived was the entrance to a stone foyer, constructed outside the actual Caretaker door, and allowed the occupants to block open the original door that required an access badge.

Dusty acted as a diversion. He told the guards posted at the front doors he heard something around the corner, and they followed, literally taken off guard.

They found the doors locked, and a disappointed Al whispered, “I guess we’ll have to find another way in.”

“Mr. Clark. I am not only a blacksmith, but a locksmith, and I am the one that made this lock.” Darius took two small metal rods from his pocket and said, “Give me but a moment.”

Falkor could be heard squawking not far away, leading the hapless guards on a wild dragon chase.

As Darius promised, the entrance was opened, and they rushed inside, closing the doors gently behind them. For three heartbeats they listened, hoping for silence, and were rewarded with the sacred chamber and its amphitheater being dark and empty.

Quickly Al programmed the Avalon coordinates into the control panel and opened the door to the teleport box. He instructed Darius on which buttons to press and then stepped around to enter the chamber.

He was going back to Avalon with good news and bad, but he was finally on his way back to his wife, his family, and his friends. In his excitement, he almost forgot something. With his arms up he said, “Wait a second.”

He put on the hat and the sunglasses, emptied the vial of alcohol into the glass and added the umbrella.

“Okay, now I’m ready. You two be careful, and I’ll see you in a few days. Do you know what you need to do?”

Timothy glanced at Darius, and Darius supplied the answer. “Assemble more help, make note of the guard’s schedules, and take care of Falkor. Is that about it?”

“I think you have it. All right, let’s do this.”

Al stepped into the sacred chamber, and Darius activated the device. In a flash of light and the blink of an eye, Al disappeared; his molecules already halfway home.

The first thing Elizabeth did when she saw her husband was run to him and give him a big hug. His son-in-law, Christopher, was right behind her smiling, obviously pleased to see him. They were excited, and both talking at once, until Elizabeth said, “We need to get you upstairs where we can talk. Why are you dressed like that? Never mind—hurry before someone sees you.”

She wanted to get the details of his journey before he answered a thousand questions from everyone else. They took a roundabout path through the equipment crowding the cavern floor, to reach the lift unnoticed. As soon as the lift left the ground she told Al to lie down, to hide him from below.

He tried objecting, “Oh—come on Liz, most people are in the tunnel apartments…sleeping.”

“I don’t care. I want you first before the word gets out you’re back. Lie down.”

Suitably chastised, Al did as she asked. He knew better than to argue.

From the elevator, it was a short trip to the in-house transporter that put them in the upstairs sleeping area. Elizabeth stopped her son at the smoky screen that served as a door to their tiny sleeping quarters and said, “Give me just a minute, Chris, I want to talk to him first.”

Once inside, and alone, she turned to him and her gaze went down and then up. “Well? Start with your outfit; I can’t wait to hear why you are dressed like that.”

Al knew he would be repeating his story several times, to a lot of people, so he tried to condense his answer knowing there would be people banging on their door before long.

“We kind of had a little party before I left. I think they gave me the clothes so I would not forget them. I should probably change, don’t you think?”

“Never mind that—did you find a place we can live?”

He had considered an answer to that query. “Yes, but there are conditions. Before they can assist us, we have to help them.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Caretaker outpost on their planet is controlled by someone calling himself King Agenor, who uses the townspeople for slave labor. His ‘scholars’ have learned over the years how to operate some of the equipment, and they use what’s produced as leverage. He’s using them to build a castle around the facility.”

“Why? That makes no sense. The facility is secure by itself.”

Al didn’t know why. What he did say was, “I think he is suffering from a God complex. All powerful and all that.”

“What does that have to do with us?”

“We have to help overthrow the king—but we will have a dragon to help.”

“A dragon?”

“It’s a long story.”

“You did all this in twelve hours?”

“Twelve hours? Was I only gone twelve hours?—I was there for ten days!”

Elizabeth was right, and it wasn’t long before there was a crowd in the common area outside their room. It was not more than fifteen minutes before someone was tapping at the door.

Chris was on the radio as soon as they left him standing outside, and they all came; all the close friends and the de-facto leaders of the settlement. Captain Tobias Effinger, captain of the Excalibur, and Camelot’s elected mayor was the first to arrive; followed by Doctor Jacody Mumbada (Cody), the Haitian surgeon that had been around since the beginning and one of Al’s closest friends.

Doctor Edward Florida, the community roboticist and the one responsible for the maintenance of Al’s high-tech body, came down from his work. He and Tammy Morris, Chris’ wife, were replicating items needed for the colonists and were surprised to hear he was back already. They hurried to the sleeping area to find out why.

Last to arrive was Anastasia Kossalowski (Ana), the young hibernation specialist that helped to wake the first survivors; and with her was Kira, the native Avalonian that followed the colonists into their mountain dungeon. She was transformed by her relationship with the Earthlings and was now more comfortable with their kind than with her own. A girl with metal legs did not fit in the world of before.

In the center of the common area outside the sleeping cubicles is a six-foot square table with low benches on three sides. It proved to be the perfect tight setting to tell a story.

When everyone settled down, and Al was ready to begin, Tiro appeared. The holographic representation of the Caretaker needed an update, like everyone else. All these refugees were overwhelming his resources and damaging his complex. “Do not mind me Mister Clark. Please continue.”

Al started in the beginning and worked his way through the tale. He told them of the abandoned station on the desert planet, and his failure to find anything worth salvaging. When he mentioned his surprise discovery of the invisible lizard with wings, there were immediate questions.

“An invisible lizard with wings?” repeated Chris.

“Yeah, kind of a mini-dragon. Without the fire-breathing, of course,” answered Al.

Ana wanted to know how big it was, and Al held his arms apart, “About three feet or so. He is very friendly—and smart. He helped me escape from the castle guards.”

“Castle guards?” repeated Elizabeth.

“Where is he now?” asked the Captain.

Al smiled and said, “Hold on, let me tell the story.”

He told them of Dusty, Darius, and Timothy, and about his secret trips around the island called Thera; how the land glowed in the moonlight where he thought they should settle. When he finished, they sat for a moment thinking over Al’s story, and then the questions began again, and he did his best to fill in the details.

They viewed the two data cubes Al brought back with Tiro’s assistance. The cube from the desert planet revealed a sun-drenched dying landscape with naked drooping trees, large open bare spots devoid of plant life, and the remains of a lake that had turned stagnant. The rings left by the water line indicated it was evaporating quickly. The image was still, but the audio recorded a group of frightened people determined to leave in a hurry. A Shuttlecraft could be heard winding up for departure, and then a loud crash just before the recording stopped. The remaining silence was ominous.

The cube he acquired from the temple on Thera told a different story. The leaders of the settlers from Earth watched the screen before them with interest. The scene was an idyllic village seen from the elevated outpost. Straight lined crops surrounded the little village of twenty mud and straw huts that resided along a running stream of water cascading down from the slopes of the mountain.

A hunting party was headed out, armed with bows and arrows, the men laughing and joking as they head into the forest. People were outside working the land, and improving their homes. The Caretaker transplants appeared hard working, healthy, and happy. Stored in the cube were hours and hours of simple villagers going about living. They watched for half an hour and then started making plans.

Cody and the captain had duties to attend to at Overlook, so they decided Chris, Elizabeth, and Edward would accompany Al back to Thera. Edward came for the expertise he learned from Tiro of the Avalonian facility, Chris because he was competent, eager and young, and Liz because she would have it no other way.

Kira stood across from Al, and he saw the way she shifted her bionic legs to stay balanced. She appeared pent-up, and restless. “How about you Kira? Are you well enough to go?”

Her reply was immediate, “Yes Mister Clark, It would please me to be allowed to help. I am feeling no ill effects from my new legs, and I’m getting used to them. If I lean forward, I can run like the wind!”

Al chuckled, and some laughed.

“If it has anything to do with willpower, Kira, I think you might be right.”

Before they left, they needed to inform the rest of the settlers of Al’s find and give them some of the details. The largest gathering place they had was a room they used for a dining area, and the captain sent out word for a meeting. His goal was to calm their fears, and side track gossip with facts. These were not happy people; crammed into a tunnel divided by blankets, thin sheets of plastic, and equipment. Their lifestyle had deteriorated drastically.

The meeting room filled quickly, with people outside the large doors jumping up and down to see the captain when he began his announcement. He tapped on the box set up as a rostrum and gazed around the room until the crowd quieted: seemingly holding their breaths. “Our security chief Al Clark has successfully transported to a world we might be able to colonize, and returned safely.”

The result of his statement was a joint release of breath and then a hundred questions bombarded him simultaneously. He made no move to speak again until they settled down, and then continued.

“A small party will accompany him on his return and attempt to make arrangements for our relocation. He has made contact with the local population, and they are receptive to our early inquiries. Preparations are underway for this exploratory party to leave tomorrow, and I don’t want to be too premature, but the prospects look good.”

He wanted to give them something to look forward to. A glimmer of light at the end of a long and arduous journey. Many had lost family and friends in the attack that led to their exile, and they were a sullen and beaten group.

“We need to equip the party with essentials and are asking for your help. We will be posting a list on the wall to my left. We need specific items, and I need all of you to check the list, to see if you can help with some of it.”

A good leader attempts to supply hope in dire circumstances, and if possible, a sense of purpose and team. He needed his colonists to act as a team, towards a goal they collectively desired. He wanted them to believe they could leave this place, and try again somewhere new.

He answered their questions as best he could, without getting too involved before going to the next question.

“Who is going?” came up early. It was an expected question.

“Mister Clark, of course, and Elizabeth Clark, Chris Morris, Edward Florida, and Kira, the new addition to our community. That is all we dare send for fear of scaring the natives. For this to work, we will require everyone to help where they can.”

The captain ended by thanking them for their continued support and cooperation. He added, “We will get through this, and our lives will improve. Please be patient.”

They developed a backpack for each member of the team. Explosives were carefully packed into one, and climbing gear in another, which Al and Chris would carry respectively. Rations and cookery filled the pack Elizabeth would wear, and emergency medical in the pack for Edward. Kira was still adapting to the robotic legs her friends the Kuthra made for her, and they decided she didn’t need to carry additional supplies. The added weight would throw off her balance.

These were ordinary people they would be fighting, confused by propaganda, and the ultimate goal was to have no casualties. A bloodless coupe. For that reason, they would all carry tranquilizing dart guns. If deadly force became necessary, Chris and Al were armed with laser pistols.

During their preparations, Tiro could sometimes be found monitoring their conversations. When Al confessed to the captain he was having trouble developing a plan to gain control of the outpost, the alien hologram appeared. Tiro asked, “Are you aware that my program is stored in a single data cube, and that I can be used in any of our research facilities where there is a functioning central computer?”

Al realized what Tiro was proposing, “We can take you with us?”

“Yes, and once installed I can reformat the controls, and temporarily lock down the outpost to only authorized personnel.”

“You would do that? Favor one group of people over another?” asked the captain.

“You are all our children, but outright control by a few is not beneficial to the whole. The facility was unearthed many years ago and has done little to improve the lives of the population. It is time they learned the truth, and the technology made accessible to all.”

Al and the captain were pleased. Tiro helped enormously when they discovered the outpost on Avalon. It was the hologram’s creator, long dead, that left a trail of blinking indicators that led to the activation of the short, gray, alien hologram. The knowledge he possessed was invaluable. His addition to the team would simplify the operation considerably.

To alleviate the chaos of a public departure, only a few selected representatives were allowed to attend when they donned their gear and stepped into the glass cube. The overall mood of the team was excited and hopeful.

It was early in the morning according to their data pads, when the captain initiated the transfer. Once again Al went from a place of bright lights to one of total darkness. The trip concluded in an instant.

LED lamps came on and swept the interior, to find the room empty. They started with a piece of luck, and Al thought,
So far so good
. He opened the door, and they left the transport cube as quietly as possible, gathering by the external control station.

Elizabeth whispered, “Doesn’t look at all like what I expected. There is nothing like this on Avalon.”