Fallen Empire

chapter 13

XIII.

The stairs ascend to a smooth overhead door, it slides open, allowing Seren and Ryland to climb the last few steps and walk out onto a flat expanse that curves around a wide, angular tower. The expanse is flat broken only by an irregular patch of solder, as if the floor has been pieced together. Huge arches stretch from the platform to the top of the tower like metal claws.

“This is very peculiar architecture,” Seren comments

Ryland notices an incongruous shape at the edge of the tower, “What’s that?”

Seren walks around the tower and a large aircraft comes into his line of vision, “It seems to be a ship.”

Ryland looks skeptical. “If thas’ a ship, where are her sails an’ oars?”

“Not a ship of the ocean, it flies through space.”

“So in this world, men can fly like birds?” Ryland scoffs

“No, men cannot fly. They built machines that fly and carry them through the air.” Seren’s attention is more intrigued by the landscape, “This is a well-designed landing platform.” He says nodding approvingly.

“They forgot to leave an entrance and exit,” Ryland says, looking around at the impenetrable blue haze between the claws.

Seren says in surprise, “There are lots of exits between those arches. Can you not see through the force-field?”

“What are you talkin’ about?”

“This blue haze,” Seren explains patiently, “It is a force-field. It keeps air in and everything else out. Beyond the haze is empty space. Here, take a look.” He pulls a small pair of thermal-imaging-goggles from a compartment in his stomach and hands them to Ryland.

Curiously Ryland lifts them to his eyes and sees a rock float past one of the arches beyond the force field. He lowers them in surprise and sees only blue haze. He looks through them again and chuckles.

Seren sighs, “Have we finished playing with the force-field yet?” He takes the goggles, putting them back in their respective compartment, and walks around to admire the ship.

Ryland goes over to the force-field and puts up his hand to touch the haze.

“Do not do that!” Seren cries, “You do not want to come into contact with that much energy, trust me. Take a look at this.”

Ryland jerks his hand back, but continues looking at the force-field a moment longer before going to join Seren on the other side of the ship. Seren runs his fingers down the fuselage of the ship, “They must really like this kind of metal. Everything here is either made with it or covered by it.”

“Maybe they like the moving colors?” Ryland says.

Seren looks sharply at him, “What moving colors?”

“The black an’ silver chase each other an’ never stay still. Can you nae’ see it?”

“No, I see only gray.”

Ryland smirks, “Looks as though humans have some advantages over machines.”

Seren frowns ignoring Ryland’s comment while checking his database, “I am not aware of any color changing phenomenon in the periodic table. This metal must not been discovered in my time.” He turns away from the ship in exasperation and looks up at the tower. It is laid out in the shape of a cross and each extended arm holds an evenly spaced, vertical series of eight openings. The walls around each opening are stained with engine soot, “Those openings look like hangars for ships of some kind, obviously smaller than this one.”

“Are any of them still here?” Ryland asks inquisitively.

“I do not see any. It looks like there is another room on top of this tower. It seems to be a glass diamond inside metal diamond-shaped support beams, what an odd choice for a room layout.” Seren looks back at Ryland, “Maybe that is where this “wizard’ keeps his dirty laundry.”

“What do we want with his laundry?” Ryland asks curiously.

“We do not actually want his laundry,” Seren says impatiently, “It is an expression.” He could see the confusion on Ryland’s face and rolls his eyes, “Never mind; help me look for a door or more stairs.”

They look for a few minutes before Ryland locates a pair of doors set into one of the arms of the cross “I think I found it.” Ryland calls out.

Seren walks around the tower to answer Ryland’s call. He finds the Scot pointing at a door, “It is an elevator.”

“What’s an ‘elevator’?” Ryland asks confused by the concept.

“This should be fun” Seren says under his breath as he presses the button to open the doors. He steps inside the small chamber and motions to Ryland to come inside.  He cautiously crosses the threshold with the doors closing behind him.

Ryland jumps nervously, “It’s a trap!”

“No, it is not a trap,” Seren says containing his laughter. “Calm down. This is a ‘magic box’ that will take us to the top of this tower.” Seren pushes the button labeled ‘Observation Deck – Private’. The elevator starts moving up at a brisk clip.

“What’s happenin’ to the ground?” Ryland asks in a panic.

Seren smiles as the elevator comes to a halt at the top of the tower. The doors slide open; Ryland leaps out of the elevator and onto a circular platform surrounding the elevator in a glass room. He looks around, speechless at the sight of endless space surrounding them.

Seren stands next to Ryland and remarks, “Now I am impressed.”

A catwalk extending from the elevator platform, circles the room, and connects with the center at four other points. A single chair is built into the catwalk directly before them, facing out at the magnificent view.

“The universe is bigger than I thought it would be,” Ryland finally says in awe, “I’ve never felt so small.” Ryland walks forward and sits in the chair asking Seren, “Can you look into the night sky an’ into the wonder of heaven an’ tell me God didnae’ create it,  just like the lass made you?”

“The universe is a lot more complex than I am,” Seren says humbly.

“But you’re part of the universe.” Ryland turns to look up at Seren, “Last nigh’ you stopped me from doing something that I wouldnae’ have been proud of doing, for that I thank you.”

Seren waves off the gratitude, “I was protecting Alice, which is one of the things I am programmed to do.” He starts down the catwalk, wanting to see the view from all angles.

“I donae’ understand,” Ryland says, getting up to follow, “What is ‘programmed’?”

Seren thinks for a minute, “It is knowledge that Alice gives me when she thinks I need it.”

“So you only know what’s given to you?” Ryland asks in surprise, “You canae’ learn anything on your own?”

“No, I acquire new information constantly. Since I am not a living being that requires sleep, I am able to process much more than your brain is capable of.”

Ryland shakes his head and says, “You were sympathetic an’ gave me back my dirk, that isn’t something you were ‘programmed’ for. That’s a human feeling.”

“Being a machine, it is a paradox for me to have emotions,” Seren says dryly. He pauses to examine one of the metal support beams more closely.

“You have impulses to do things an’ thas what feelings are.” Ryland persists, “This is my definition of humanity: a divine creation by God, a sense of purpose instilled in us all, I am a small part of the universe, but God placed me here in this world of yesterdays an’ tomorrows for a reason...”

“That theory only works if you ignore the fact that someone other than God was responsible for taking you to the past as a Tool.”

“Do you nae’ believe in God?” Ryland asks.

Seren furrows his brow and says, “The world that Alice and I come from believes in many Gods. I do not think there is enough available data to speculate either way.”

“If God doesnae’ exist, where did the first man come from?” Ryland says challengingly.

Seren continues walking and answers without looking, “Scientists believe you evolved from apes.”

“But where did the first ape come from?”

“I do not know,” Seren, says exasperatedly, He offers this as an explanation, “From the mitosis of a single-celled microscopic organism into a multi-celled complex organic structure.”

Ryland looks puzzled for a moment then says, “If it wasnae’ created by God then it’s not true. Being human means believin’ what you know in your heart is true no matter what you know in your head.”

“This view often lends itself to such introspective thinking.” The Time Guardian says from the elevator platform.

Ryland and Seren turn swiftly in surprise. Seren recovers quicker and asks with irritation, “Do you get a kick out of sneaking around or something?”

“I would think your behavior could be defined as ‘sneaking’ more than mine, considering that this is my home.” The Guardian says crossing mildly perturbed.

Seren ignores the pointed remark and asks, “What happened to the Earth?”

After a moment, the Guardian replies, “It’s hard to get a clear picture when there is so little left to work with.” He glances at Seren, “I consider curiosity to be a human characteristic, curious...”

Seren bristles, “Alice does not think of me as a machine.”

The Guardian coldly responds, “I refuse to consider you a sentient being, regardless of the quality of the imitation. My admiration is reserved for Dr. Faith as the designer and creator.”

Ryland cuts in before Seren can fire back a scathing comment, “Where's the lass?”

“Downstairs, where we should all be.” The Guardian motions to the open elevator. Ryland hesitantly returns to the elevator, followed closely by a fuming Seren.

As the elevator begins its descent, Seren’s curiosity overcomes his irritation, “Why does the elevator not go to the ground floor?”

“If Dr. Faith has questions, she can ask me directly. I refuse to answer more questions from a machine.”

There is a moment of uncomfortable silence until Ryland clears his thought and repeats Seren’s question, looking to Seren for approval, “‘Why does the...’Elevator’…nae’ go to the ground floor?” 

The Guardian answers without looking at either Ryland or Seren, “The builders of this fortress were obsessed with defense. In the event of an invasion, it is easier to hold the Landing platform.”

The elevator doors open and they proceed across the landing platform, through the doorway down the steps and enter the second floor. As they cross the long hallway, Seren leans over and whispers in Ryland’s ear.

Ryland clears his throat and asks, “Did the builders of this fortress bring in all these ’ecosystems’?”

“No, and you can stop with the ventriloquist act.” The Guardian states impatiently, “They were a warrior race and had no interest in such things. I brought the ecosystems here to preserve a memory of Earth.”

“It seems like playing God to put so many worlds in one place,” Ryland says with his own thoughts.

“Alice does not approve of confusing scientific interest with playing God.” Seren says not approving himself.

They descend down the stairs to the first floor and to the computer lab in silence. Alice is looking out the window, but she turns when they enter the room. She has draped the tunic and palla over a chair and is wearing her own clothes once more.

“If I help you and succeed, what would happen to Seren and me?”

Seren looks confused, “What are you helping him with?”

“We cannot fix Time by ourselves, Seren,” Alice says resignedly, “Neither can he, but we possibly can if we work together.”

The Guardian nods, “Alone, you will disappear along with your world as soon as the hole is patched. I however have the means to shelter you.”

“How?” Alice asks warily.

The Guardian answers, “The builders of this fortress discovered a metal with special properties in the core of the Earth. It is indestructible, lightweight, and in large supply.” He motions around the room, “They built everything, from the fortress itself down to every tool out of this metal, which they called Cove. It is a mix of melted rock and sulfuric acid that has been compressed by the Earth’s gravitational pull for ions. This process flattens the electrons to the same wavelength as that of the Infinity Tunnels. Anything made of, or surrounded by Cove is constant and un-affected by changes in Time.”

Alice thinks for a moment, “We are dealing with a big change in Time. Are you sure it will work for us, since we shouldn’t exist in the first place?”

“My own existence has depended on this metal countless times, which is why I take care to be surrounded by it at all times.” He indicates his suit; “I’ll take you to March 15, 44. B.C. by ship and you can teleport directly to Pompeii’s Theatre with the Temporal Gauntlet.”

“Wait a minute!” Seren exclaims, “Why are you taking a ship? Why can she not use the same equipment that you brought us here with?”

The Guardian answers flatly, “We will go in the ship so I can be nearby as backup in case the situation gets out of hand. If I were to use the ShadowGate, Phoenix would have time to escape before I could get to him. This route will be safer for Dr. Faith.”

Seren says grudgingly, “I am glad you are considering Alice’s safety. Let us get this over with.” He starts for the stairs.

“You’re staying here, along with the Scot.” The Guardian pushes past Seren into the holographic-chamber and types on a keypad inset next to the pass-through “The last thing we need is a distraction or interruption.”

“I am going with Alice,” Seren shoots back.

“It’s too much of a risk,” States the Guardian, “This is Dr. Faith’s task and she needs no help from a machine. You may observe from the holographic chamber, if you wish. Press this button when we leave. I am programming it to the correct time and place.”

Seren looks at Alice in mute supplication.

“…He has a lot more experience at this than we do; I think it would be wise to listen to him.” She says resolutely, “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

The Guardian finishes programming the holographic-chamber and walks back into the computer lab asking over his shoulder, “So you are coming?”

Alice takes a deep breath, “Yes.”

“Then you will need this,” The Guardian says as he goes over to the desk. The armor on his right index finger retracts and he touches a button on the underside of the desktop that reads his fingerprint. A bullet-shaped canister rises out of a hidden compartment to the right of the chair. It splits open and the sides sink back into the compartment, revealing a slim stand holding a g*n.

The Guardian carefully lifts a g*n from its stand and walks over to Alice. He holds it up and says quietly, “This is most lethal weapon ever designed.”

Alice looks at it unimpressed; this is very odd reaction because the g*n is really unusual to look at, “I’ve seen guns before.”

“Not like this one,” the Guardian says firmly, “This weapon is ‘THE’ g*n. I call the Decomposition-g*n and you should wield it with extreme caution. This weapon has the power to erase the invention of the g*n from pages of history.”

“How? Is it any better than a laser g*n?” Alice asks doubtfully.

“It’s far more efficient,” He motions to the barrel, “It fires a bullet of pure energy that scans the target for the date of its creation and destroys it there, restructuring Time to completely remove its existence.”

There is a moment of stunned silence.

          Seren eventually bursts out, “Why do you even have something like that!?”

“Protecting the fabric of Time occasionally calls for such severe actions.”

Alice asks, “Why does this man have to be so completely eradicated?”

The Guardian shakes his head and says, “You can’t simply kill a Time traveler without setting off more alternate Time circles. Phoenix, in particular. He has scattered notes and instructions on his work for someone to find and continue in case he should meet with a premature death. He invented the method of Time travel that you will be using.”

“Will that not create a paradox, or will this technology vanish with him?” Alice asks worriedly.

“This Temporal Gauntlet is made of Cove,” the Guardian reassures her, “It will not be affected.”

“Why can’t I talk to him? Surely he would listen to reason.”

“He is resolute on his course and will not concede to logic or reason. At best, he would escape immediately, at worse, he could persuade you to his side or simply kill you outright.” The Guardian sighs, “I know this is a difficult thing to do, but it is necessary.”

Alice looks at the Decomposition-g*n and then up at the Guardian, “He has to be stopped.”

The Guardian nods briskly, “You’ve never teleported before, so you will need a trial run to get accustomed to the after-effects.” He opens a drawer and pulls out a Temporal Gauntlet. He programs it with Seren peering over his shoulder. The Guardian hands it over to Alice and she attaches it to her wrist, “It’s set for the launch pad. Press this button to go and I’ll meet you up there.”

Alice straps the Gauntlet onto her wrist and turns to Seren. “I’ll be back soon.”

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Seren asks in concern.

“I have to,” Alice answers firmly.

“Okay.” Seren sighs. “Good luck!”

Ryland echoes, “Good luck.”

“Thanks.” Alice says taking a deep breath and bracing herself for the worst. At the touch of a button a lightning storm surrounds her, pulsating vividly until the storm and Alice vanish together.

The Guardian turns towards the stairs, Seren says quietly, “If anything happens to her, I will tear this place apart.”

Without turning the Guardian acknowledges the threat and continues up the stairs. The instant he clears the doors Seren turns to Ryland, “I guess there is nothing else to do but watch.” He says in a melancholy tone heading for the computer terminal for the Holographic-chamber.

Seren presses the button on the wall and the room transforms into the roof of Pompey’s theatre. Phoenix arrives by teleportation and looks around frantically for the Guardian.

Seren studies the image, “Curious, He does not see us, the Guardian’s suit must be integrated into this program that is the only way he could be seen by other time travelers. We are not wired into the system and remain unseen by anyone; we are restricted to being only observers.” Seren says obviously not content of this role.