The World Anew Chapter 2 (In Progress)

The Nin was uncomfortable. There was a rough seam right over the hip, and it was chafing a blister. All he wanted to do was adjust his suit just a little, but he was afraid to ask Game Wolf. Besides that, Game Wolf was really busy right now, looking at something on her know-box that the Nin couldn’t hope to understand. That made him even more uncomfortable.

He could never forget the first time they had to come to this cave. That time he was with another Nin, and they had a Hunter Wolf with them. It was also the first time he had ever been near a Hunter Wolf, and that had scared them both more than this cave. The Hunters knew your every weakness, and never hesitated to demonstrate this knowledge. In fact, the only thing that kept the Hunters from torturing their Nin was their fear of the Alphas.

Or so said Den Wolf.

The Nin's heart raced, thinking back to that dreadful night when the Hunter took them into the cave for the first time. Their task was simple, and it was the same every time. Go into the cave to the end, where the door never opens. Look: the door is shut; the know-box lights are red. One, two, three, four, five. Listen: the know-box hums, the door is silent. Everything the same. Come home.

He didn't know why they had to wear this heavy suit, because it was so hot. Nin all wore suits to the cave, Game Wolf same, Hunter Wolf same. Not so the giant Erby that he rode on. Erbys never needed a suit because they were half machine; this is what Den Wolf said. They aren't affected by the rads, but Wolf is, and since Nin become Wolf, so are Nin same. But always to the cave they ride the big grey Oli-Erby with the long nose that touches the ground. Game Wolf said, it's easier to carry big weapons with the strong Olis.

This time everything was different. The door was shut, but something was different: the know-box lights. Only one, two are red. One light is off. One, two lights are green. Now Game Wolf was looking really worried as she kept looking at her know-box and pressing buttons. Something was wrong, and the Nin didn't like it one bit. When they saw the lights different, she made him move his Oli-Erby away. He could do nothing but obey, and be afraid.

Finally, Game Wolf turned around. "Nin! You must open the door. I will show you how."

Now the Nin was really afraid. For a moment, he couldn't do anything at all. He knew he must obey Game Wolf, but all his muscles were stiff. He was so hot and sweating uncontrollably, but with the suit he couldn't wipe the sweat away. Finally he forced his hands to touch the Erby's controls, even though they were shaking so badly he didn't think he could control the beast very well. He was starting to feel dizzy, his throat hurt, and it was all he could do just to stop the Erby before running into Game Wolf.

"Listen to me, Nin," Game Wolf said patiently. "See each light on the know-box. Under each light is a button. Point to the buttons now. One, two, three, four, five. Good. When I say a number, you press the button for that number. Then look at the same light, and tell me the color. Klar?"

The Nin nodded, terrified. "Klar, Game Wolf. All Klar."

Satisfied, the Game Wolf moved her Oli-Erby back up the tunnel a short distance. She readied her weapon onto her shoulder and pointed it at the great door. "THREE," she said very clearly.
The Nin reached over to the know-box. He counted: one, two, three; and then he pressed the third button. The light was still off.

"Button three klar, Game Wolf. No light."

Game Wolf nodded, maintaining her focus. "FOUR," she commanded.

The Nin again found the correct button and pressed it. This time, the green light turned off and a faintly glowing red light flickered in its place.

"Button four klar, Game Wolf. Red light but only small." The Nin was breathing heavily now, and the sweat was dripping, stinging his eyes and he couldn't see very well.

Game Wolf nodded patiently again, not moving. "FIVE," she commanded coolly.

This time when the Nin pressed the button, the green light changed into a bright red light. He breathed a small sigh of relief. This was better, he knew. Closer to the way it should be.

"Button five klar, Game Wolf. Red light." There was hope in his voice.

Game Wolf nodded patiently again. "Good, Nin. Now listen to me, Nin. Tell me the color of light number two."

The Nin looked at the know-box on the wall. He counted: one, two. The light was red. He smiled, and was about to report when it suddenly changed to green. He couldn't believe it; something was definitely wrong now, he knew it for sure.

"Number two green now, Game Wolf. Green!" he shouted anxiously.

Game Wolf only nodded, looked quickly down at her know-box, and then looked back into her weapon guide.

"Listen to me, Nin." She spoke slowly and deliberately. "When I say, you press button number One. Then quickly move your Erby backwards until you are beside me. Watch: the door will open. If you see anything move on the other side, use your weapon and blow it up. Klar, Nin?"

The Nin swallowed hard. Never before had anyone commanded him to use his weapon. Nin weren't allowed to use their weapons, unless commanded by a Wolf. Something was terribly, terribly wrong and he was afraid; more afraid now than when he came here with Hunter Wolf.

"Klar, Game Wolf."

-=-=-=-=-=-
Josh finally continues
-=-=-=-=-=-

"Game Wolf, do not do anything."

The sudden order made both the Nin and Game Wolf turn around.

Standing there was Shaman. The Clan always listened to Shaman's orders. The previous Shaman had died only three months ago, and the Clan had a little trouble getting used to the new Shaman. But when Shaman had announced that Alpha's daughter was to be the new Shaman, and took her off to train her in the way of Shaman, no one would dare argue. Most of the Clan still had trouble listening to the young girl - she was still not old enough to have undergone the Ritual of Adulthood (although, now she was Shaman, she would not need to), younger even than the Nin was. He remembered playing with her, back before she was Shaman and before he was taken to serve the Wolf.

Game Wolf's voice disappeared. The Nin realized that the Game Wolf must have changed his voice-device so that only Shaman could hear her. When the Nin would go through the Ritual of Adulthood (only three months to go!) and became a full Wolf himself, he would also get a new suit - one with the voice-device control on it as well.

"Nin."

The sudden call from Game Wolf made the Nin jump, causing the Erby to skitter about. It took the Nin a minute to quiet the Erby, and then he responded "Yes, Game Wolf?"

"Shaman has told me we are to ignore the old ways, ignore what the old Shaman told us, and we are not to open the door. I will now instruct you in relocking the door. It will be the same as the unlocking, only in a different order, and each time, a light will return to be green, and not red. Understood?"

The Nin acknowledged, and a few minutes later, after the lights were all green again, the Game Wolf called the Nin to ride next to her closely.

"Shaman has told me that we are not to tell anyone, not even Alpha of what we saw. Understood?"

Without waiting for a response, Game Wolf continued. "The Clan has been running low on fresh meat these last few days. Come, I know where there is a pack of geenboves. Come, now!"

With that, Game Wolf pushed her Erby to start moving at its fastest. The Nin had trouble keeping up, but managed.

Meanwhile, Shaman had returned to her cave, high above where the Clan lived.

The Heart of Those-Who-Had-Gone-Before was glowing red, so Shaman went into the side cave where her bath was. She purified herself as the old Shaman had taught her, and returned to the main cave.

Kneeling in front of the Heart, she placed her hands in the ritual positions and spoke the mysterious words of the ritual.

"Outpost ninety-three here. We receive you loud and clear."

-=-=-=-=-=-
Erik's part after much ado...
-=-=-=-=-=-

Though she managed to keep her voice calm and steady, Shaman was trembling.

On the surface, everything appeared completely normal, but somehow something just did not seem right. All of the ritual protocols had been observed, but over the past two weeks she had been getting a growing sensation that just beyond her grasp some greater purpose was materializing.

The reply that crackled from the Heart confirmed her growing suspicions.

"Clan Acadia. Orders are changed by the Mother. You will sweep ninety-three and journey full clan to Red Den. Klar."

Shaman closed her eyes. It had come at last. For what reason she did not know, the Mother had just ordered her clan to leave what had been their home for as long as she could remember. What lay in store for them was the darkness of the unknown, and for the first time since her elevation to Clan Shaman, she was afraid.

"Klar. Clan Acadia will sweep ninety-three and journey full clan to Red Den," she read back meticulously. "Out," she called finally in completion of the ritual, barely holding back her tears.
Sweep ninety-three. Leave no trace behind. Abandon their home. Full clan. No sentries to monitor the aftermath of their work. None to continue observations on the ancient tunnel.

Yet there was one thing that must be done.

******************************************

Shaman stood unmoving. To the rest of the clan, who all watched her intently in the predawn cold, she was a rock. Shaman was their leader, whom they followed without question. The Nin watched with the others, waiting for whatever was going to happen.

Ever since the incident with Game Wolf at the cave yesterday, things had been very different. Shaman could seldom be seen any more and other things were different too. Den Wolf had seemed sad, and none of the Nin dared approach Alpha or the Game Wolfs; they were constantly in the foulest of moods, as one of the older Nin had learned with a broken arm. The Nin thought that it must have something to do with what had happened with the lights in the cave, but exactly what he had no idea.

As the predawn light increased enough for him to see, the Nin chanced a nervous glance around, fearful that a Game Wolf might punish him for not watching Shaman, but unable to resist the temptation. This narrow valley was the only home he had ever known, and now they were leaving it. He had returned with Game Wolf yesterday afternoon and had only just had time to shut down his Oli-Erby, when Shaman had called the entire Clan to the rock. If this was not alarming enough, just before dinner, Shaman had then announced that they must sweep immediately.

The Nin had had to ask Den Wolf what Shaman meant by sweep, and had almost been sick when he finally understood. Take everything important and pack it into his Oli-Erby, then burn everything else. The Game Wolfs had stayed up late into the night, carrying ashes from the many fires to the river. The Nin had been awoken while it was still dark, and now he sat on his Oli-Erby with all of his belongings that he could fit, cold, tired, bewildered, and more than a little afraid.

Finally, the sun broke over the horizon in a brilliant haze of purple. This must have been what Shaman was waiting for, because she raised the clan banner and pointed it forward. At last, they were leaving.

******************************************

Shaman did not feel prepared for the journey that lay ahead, but she also knew that she must not show any hesitation or doubt, even to Alpha. This was a memorable event that would be recorded in the Clan Records to be remembered until the end of time. If she faltered at any step, that too would be recorded and remembered. As the sunrise broke, with the entire clan behind her and hanging on her every action, she raised the banner that represented her Clan Acadia sharply, and pointed it forward. It was time to leave.

"STOP."

The voice echoed through the entire canyon. Shaman was alarmed and momentarily bewildered until she saw the figure that, until precisely the moment he had spoken had been concealed in darkness only a short distance before him. The instant she saw the man, hooded and dressed in his long dark robes, she knew who he was. This was a Watcher.

From her teachings, she knew that Watchers would appear along their route, always in groups of three, to observe the Clan and ensure that none strayed from the appointed path. Clearly she remembered, though, that they appeared always in groups of three. This Watcher stood alone, and now he beckoned her to approach.

She paused for a moment, unsure of what she should do. According to her teachings and the traditions of her people, Watchers appeared always in threes and did not speak. Yet there was no denying that this was a Watcher.

Shaman handed the clan banner to Alpha Wolf who received it strongly. She approached the robed figure. With the hood over his head, his face was in shadow and she could not see any features. He spoke softly, and his voice was hoarse and strained.

"Shaman, do not be afraid. You must listen to me. Much has happened that you will not understand, but you must know this much: the Mother is dead. Whatever else anyone tries to tell you, you must remember that the Mother is dead. You must not go to Red Den. You will not have known this, but Red Den is the mark of death. They mean to destroy this clan because you have evidence that they desire to remain hidden. You must instead follow me; I will guide you to a safe place. There you will meet the others."

-=-=-=-=-=-
And after far too much ado, on to JohnT!
-=-=-=-=-=-

Dr. Naguri watched and waited as Davidson and Schwartz set their plans in motion for blowing the two slabs of rock to bits so they could continue their journey to the surface. He liked the plan but wondered why Jimmy had been included so much. Pity? Something more?

After all, General Wilkins had given him specific orders about the boy. Strange orders, but then again…

"Commander." Dr Erzulie called out. Davidson and Schwartz both started from the broken silence and looked up with a bit of anger in their eyes. "You weren't reading your screens." she accused and sat down at her console to type.

Davidson shrugged at Schwartz and turned to his console as the others in the Car had. "Yes, Susan?" he wrote.

The reply was instantaneous. "As a doctor, if I remove an appendix which has gone bad, we don't tear it apart. It could harm the patient. I was thinking we could use the same idea here."

"Okay." He responded, "What's your idea?"

"We simply remove it from the large intestines, whole." Jimmy groaned and stopped reading.
Dr. Erzulie waved her hand to get the other's attention and pointed towards the front of the ATV, then typed, "Why not save our ordinance and do the same here? That's how you would have done it at the train tunnel if needed. Break up the rock and drag it out."

"Yes, but we are in a tunnel here. There is not much room to maneuver." Schwartz responded.

"It would be better to drag a slab or two rather than move over rubble." Jimmy wrote, back at his screen.

"If we broke them into two pieces we could drag them out with the Car." Schwartz wrote. "It won't be easy. More time spent outside."

Davidson thought for a few moments. "I like it." he agreed. "If we need smaller pieces to move, or drive around, we'll just blast a little more, but with less power."

"It will also be easier on the surrounding strata." Dr. McCarthy pointed out. "Less likely to dislodge more rock." and he pointed at the roof in emphasis.

"Agreed?" Davidson asked Schwartz quietly. She nodded assent. Davidson then typed "Thank you, Dr. Erzulie. We will try your idea." Erzulie smiled and sat back to wait it out.

Malcolm Naguri liked this idea as well, as did Jimmy judging from his expression. It made Malcolm think back five days ago when he was asked to see General Wilkins in private. An unusual meeting.

******************************************
"Doctor." Wilkins greeted him with a warm handshake.

"General." Naguri responded in kind, wondering why he was getting a bit of the red carpet treatment.

"Drink? I have some pleasant hundred year scotch."

"No thank you. I have work to do this afternoon."

"Down to business, then. I need you for a secondary mission on board the 'Great Whale' Expedition." Naguri noted that the General always like to name events and items with colorful metaphors. The General paced behind his polished granite desk which held holos of his young family. Naguri noted a young wife, an older daughter and a younger son. None seemed to smile well.

"You've heard about this Jimmy Rodgers?" Wilkins shot suddenly, enough to make Naguri jump involuntarily.

"Yes." Naguri cleared his throat. "Yes, a last-minute addition to our crew."

"No. Not last minute. We've had him slated for this mission for some weeks." Naguri sat forward in interest. "He's a disruptive troublemaker, Doctor. I'd like you to keep an eye on him. I also want you to discredit him at every possible opportunity. Elevate yourself doing this so when you return we can proceed with the 'Exodus'."

"We may not come back…"

"Hah! Think positive, Doctor. Our resources are nearly tapped. I know I don't make hype out of later expeditions 'Outside', but they will be necessary. We will have to open permanently and move outside. If we don't begin colonizing 'Outside' and leave this environ, we'll starve in another thirty years."

"But our resources are set." Naguri pointed out.

"That's what is 'Official'. What is not known is that our little community of one million is now roughly one-point-three million and growing. We are not dying off as fast as was anticipated. No one has noticed because our forefathers had the good sense to make more room than was needed, in case this City became a capital and wanted to grow. Our one saving grace on this epidemic of population."

"How does this Jimmy Rodgers fit in this? This makes no sense to me."

"Not your concern, good Doctor. We Internals shall worry about that aspect."

He held up a restraining hand to Malcolm before he could protest. "Discredit the child! He must not come back…" Wilkins appeared to think a moment, and then continued more calmly. "He must not return here with high regard. That is reserved for the real crew and yourself. He is a danger that must be kept out of the limelight. Is this understood?"

******************************************

Dr. Naguri looked over at Jimmy across the Car where he was idly playing a shell game with his monkey. What possible danger could this boy represent? Why did Wilkins do this on the sly? Did Commander Davidson, an Internal or Schwartz, the military force on board also have orders? Jimmy was untrained for this mission. He already was low man in their group, and the Monkey business didn't help him.

So far, Dr. Naguri didn't need to TRY to discredit Jimmy; he was doing that to himself with the monkey and some of his wild theories - close as they were to what Naguri had done in the past. Naguri was beginning to think that his close call with Jimmy's idea about the biological radiation was merely an accident and that he didn't have a clue to 'Greensleeves' or any other protected information. But he was an accomplished hacker.

Dr. Naguri wondered if there were personal considerations at work in General Wilkins' orders.
Unknown to him, Jimmy was also thinking about the General. He was thinking about their first encounter a year ago at the General's 'Feast Day' event, and another shell game.

-=-=-=-=-=-
Onward! Back to Erik
-=-=-=-=-=-

Still in custody because of his misdemeanors, Jimmy had been accompanied to the General's office by three fully armed Internals. He had never met the general before, but recognized the name instantly. The full ceremonial dress uniform Wilkins had donned for the annual event also gave him away.

The General was standing pensively, his hands crisply folded behind his back, when Jimmy was led into the room.

"Mister Rodgers," he said simply. "Won't you please sit down?" Wilkins gestured to a simple but elegant chair, and Jimmy sat in it. The Internals were dismissed.

"You should feel privileged, James." Jimmy winced; nobody called him James.

"Few people ever have the opportunity to see my face, though I've no doubt my name is widely known. I am, of course, General Wilkins."

This was a confirmation of what Jimmy already knew, but it was still difficult to hear. The General's name was indeed well-known throughout the City, and rumors about what happened in this office were often whispered in private.

The General did not appear to notice Jimmy's distress. "You may indeed be interested to know why you are here, James." Jimmy was trying to decide whether he could allow himself the liberty of hating this powerful man. "You see, I have a problem."

Wilkins turned around and sank slowly into his high-backed leather chair. Jimmy ventured a response. "A problem, sir?"

The general paused only briefly. "James, you have a proven affinity for knowing certain things that others do not. This can be a dangerous thing; not just for yourself, but for everyone else. Now I am going to ask you a very simple question, and I want you to answer me plainly and completely. Let me tell you first, that your answer to this question could possibly affect the lives of every single person in this City, particularly yourself. Do you understand this perfectly?"

Jimmy swallowed a cannonball. "Yes sir. I understand."

Wilkins smiled. "Good. Now, James." He leaned forward over his desk. "What is Pegasus?"

He hadn't been expecting this at all. The thought of lying to the General actually crossed his mind but quickly dissipated in a haze of fear. How could he have known?

Or for that matter, did he really know about Pegasus? Or was he bluffing? Either way, the General had put him in an extremely difficult position.

Jimmy closed his eyes and as he began to speak, it felt as though he were leaving his body behind to do the mechanical work of telling the general everything. He hadn't had any choice, really. The truth was, he didn't really know what Pegasus was, but he knew that wouldn't have been an acceptable answer. He had to tell Wilkins everything he knew.

"To the best of my knowledge, sir, Pegasus is a computer."

"I see," replied Wilkins, betraying nothing. "Go on."

"Without going into the technical details, I basically … well; about three years ago I hacked into a computer. The information in it was … well, it was strange, sir. It took me a while to begin to make sense of it. I tried cross-referencing data patterns against known languages, and didn't find anything. It was killing me.

Jimmy paused to wipe sweat from his brow. "You see, sir, there's nothing that bothers me more than a computer code I can't crack. I figured I was able to crack just about everything, but this one had me stumped. Totally. It wasn't just as though it contained files that I couldn't make sense of, it was … well, I know it sounds crazy, but it seemed like it was alive almost, watching me. The data patterns kept changing every time I looked at them, almost like a scared animal that's being poked.

Then it occurred to me that as crazy as it might sound, this computer I had hacked into might possibly be on the Surface! Now before you tell me it's impossible, I have some good reasons for thinking that. But that's not important. What's important was that once I thought of that possibility, I started looking up old Surface languages and ancient computer protocols, plus any kind of information I could get on the ancient Surface.

Of course, our records are quite limited, so I didn't get too far. So then I figured, if I can't figure out this computer, maybe I can use it to leap-frog onto another computer. Maybe, just maybe, if I could see a kind of communication protocol buried in there somewhere, I could reach outside and get more information!

I couldn't sleep, I could hardly eat. I didn't leave my room for two months. But I found it; it was an encryption key, and it matched a late Surface-era network protocol. I spent about a week deciphering everything and writing a worm program that used this key, hoping it would still work. Remember, the data patterns were constantly changing, but I had to try it. So I did, and that's when the really freaky part happened.

I let the worm run on this computer, and waited. Nothing happened at first, then the program just … I don't know how to explain it, it just disappeared. As though I had never written it. Deleted from my own computer. Like the whole thing just backfired and self-destructed, leaving no trace of its existence. This had me confused, but then my computer screen started going crazy, and I got a message. Not your regular kind of message, mind you; this was an audio message only. I will never forget what it said:

'Good morning, James Carawell Rodgers. I am Pegasus. I have been watching you; you are a very clever person, but you are attempting to tamper with that about which you know too little. This is a dangerous thing, James.'

"Then there was this pause -- I was totally stunned; I didn't know what to do, but then it started speaking again, only this time it was the same voice but not at all gentle:

'You cannot harm me from your secret caverns, James. But I know where you are, and I will hunt you down and destroy you.'

At this point of recalling the story, James was shaking visibly. He paused to compose himself somewhat. "General, I was so scared. I just shut the computer down, unplugged the thing. I took all of the data disks and I - well, I snuck them into Recycling."

He looked bashfully up at Wilkins, almost more afraid of the General's reaction to his tampering with City Materials Recycling -- an understandably tight process in an enclosed environment -- that his reaction to the Pegasus story. In the end, he was mistaken on this point.

"Jimmy," the General began. Jimmy looked up hopefully; he hadn't called him James.
Perhaps this meant everything was going to be OK. "I can't begin to tell you what the implications of this are. Everything we have been working towards over the past three hundred years is now jeopardized, and it now falls to me to decide what to do about it."

The General studied Jimmy thoughtfully for a few moments. "Jimmy, Pegasus is more than what you imagine it to be. Much more."

-=-=-=-=-=-
Next up: Wyatt
-=-=-=-=-=-

Mother would never have allowed such destruction, let alone ordered it. She must indeed be dead.

A curl of acrid smoke spiraled up from the remains of a tent near one of the caves. Fresh gray ash trailed from the lower dwellings to the river, the footprints of Clan Acadia members still lingering in the dust. The three Watchers stopped at the edge of the former settlement, surveying the waste and searching for the entrance to a particular cave.

For two days now the mouth of the cave had appeared in the waters at the base of the mountain where they had always kept their silent Watch. The vision had expanded yesterday morning, just before the order to sweep ninety-three. In the watery image, dark tunnels opened up inside the maw of the cave and huge metal doors appeared, past which the Watchers could not see.
It had never been a dialogue. They didn't communicate with Mother. She commanded the Shaman, and the Watchers made sure her will was followed. She was eternally wise, graceful and benevolent. She had given the Watchers the power to see her intention in the waters, and for centuries they had followed her.

But now, for the first time any Watcher could remember, the waters ran fierce. They stirred and crashed and the images cut in and out. Even before the command to sweep ninety-three came, they knew something was wrong.

The Watchers peered at the mountainside, seeking out the familiar thick, dark rocks of the cave from their vision. Just as they saw it, something exploded within, expelling a wave of pressure from the maw. Without hesitation, the Watchers strode toward the opening.

-=-=-=-=-=-
And so Josh continues
-=-=-=-=-=-

Shaman bowed low to the Watcher. “The word of the Watcher is the word of the Mother. We hear and obey."

The Watcher gestured behind him.

Suddenly, something that made everybody gasp came out of the darkness. It was something that none of them had ever seen before, something they had only heard about in the Den Wolf's stories, late at night.

It was an Ulf-Erby, a terrible, vicious Erby, known only for it's hatred of the Clans and of how hard they were to kill.

"Do not be afraid," the Watcher said. "This Erby is my Erby, and is under the control of the Mother. He will not attack you."

And then the Watcher did something that shocked the Clan even more. He climbed onto the Ulf-Erby, intending to ride it, like one would ride an Oli-Erby!

"Let us move. We have much traveling to do before the sun sets."

He waited for Shaman to climb onto her Oli, and then led the Clan up the path that led out of the canyon.

The Nin looked back as he rode. This was the only place he had ever known. His whole life had been bordered by these stone walls and the River. And now it was all gone.

"Nin, I have a job for you.” Game Wolf was speaking.

"Yes, Game Wolf. What is it?"

"I wish for you to follow me. Shaman is worried that we might be attacked by the beasts that live beyond the Place of the Clan."

"Yes, Game Wolf. I will be happy to follow you."

"Good. Let us be on our way."

-=-=-=-=-=-
Wyatt takes another turn!
-=-=-=-=-=-

Moppet pulled at his ear, and Jimmy batted the monkey off his shoulder. "Not now," he said.
His voice was cracking, his palms wet and clammy. He was sitting in back again, cloaked in cool shadows that did nothing to calm him.

The reports on the approaching creature were coming in quickly now. Was this Pegasus, coming to destroy him? He couldn't keep his eyes from the window, straining into the darkness, waiting to see anything. As the crew received more information from McCarthy everyone was leaning forward in anticipation. Jimmy half-wanted to warn them of the threat he'd gotten, but knew that such disclosure would jeopardize his standing in the mission.

"There are three creatures, each slightly larger than human, coming down the corridor side by side," McCarthy typed. "We should have a visual in a minute."

Trying to steady himself, Jimmy took advantage of his position behind everyone and performed a silent haircut-personality analysis, conjecturing what all these doctors might be like in real life. There was Naguri with the black single braid down his broad back, McCarthy with her tight brunette bob. And it wasn't just the tousled blonde mop of Dr. Erzulie that made him think she was probably the type he could have fun with. Ever since he was a boy he'd had a thing for nurses. She had a delicious shape, too, he mused.

-=-=-=-=-=-
Next up JohnT
-=-=-=-=-=-

The three Watchers advanced down the tunnel to where the cracked walls had fallen in. Where they expected to see more tunnels, or another door, they were met by settling dust, stagnant water that had been sloshed about, and boulders from the ceiling.

One of the boulders moved with a loud grating sound and the Watchers jumped back involuntarily with fear and dread. What was coming?

“Should we return and seal the doors?” one asked.

“No. Mother’s last message was this tunnel. We need to see it.”

“But is it salvation or destruction?” said the third.

“I read hard radiation from ahead. Nothing our suits can’t handle.” Said the second.

The stone slid away and other rocks and ruble fell down, leaving a gap where it used to block the upper sections. From the gap shone light unlike that of the sun. They soon recognized it as artificial, like the lights on the door panels, only brighter and more of them. Rumbling began from deep beyond the gap in the tunnel and they retreated back a few yards and waited.

******************************************

“How can they be humanoid? Humans died out up here over three hundred years ago.” Commander Davidson demanded.

Lt. Schwartz did something she was not used to. She shrugged and said, “I don’t know.”

“Humans?” Dr. Naguri asked. “Are you sure?”

“These sensors could be wrong.” Schwartz murmured.

“You don’t sound convinced.” Davidson said quietly.

“I’m not. I trust them and they tell me that three largish humanoids are coming.”

Davidson studied his monitors, and then turned to McCarthy. “Well, Dr. McCarthy? What are they doing now?” he asked, ignoring the air conservation order he had given earlier.

“They’ve moved back.” She said

“We’ve frightened them, trying to break out of here.” Dr. Naguri ventured.

“Good.” Schwartz said under her breath, then to everyone, “Let’s keep at it, then.”

“I agree.” Davidson said. “I want room to maneuver. How soon can we get that last chunk hooked up and moved?”

“Give me five minutes.” Schwartz said and walked into the airlock for the sixth time that day.

“She’s going to need a shot of adrenaline for the radiation exposure.” Naguri whispered to himself, reaching for his medical kit under the console.

Jimmy leaned out of the dark from behind him, fear etched in his features. “Are we in danger?”

“No, Jimmy. We’re not. Take care of Moppet.”
******************************************

Lights flashed around, metal pinging and thuds could be heard. A fresh, loudly reverberating slam-pop resounded and the three Watchers stood and stared out of the tunnel, waiting. Two minutes later the last large boulder blocking the tunnel began moving down away from them and a deep growling could now be heard from beyond, rising and falling in pitch, almost matching the movement of the boulder out of their sight. Their fear resurfaced.

Neither of the Watchers wanted to be the first to break and run, but all of them were at the end of their ropes, nerves taunt with unknown fear for themselves, and from what had killed Mother.

As the Car rounded the bend, climbing over smaller rocks and raising dust, the Watchers broke and ran as one, nearly tripping over themselves in their bulky suits.

Lights flashed over their bodies and they believed the killer of Mother was now upon them. They could see their running shadows stretch out before them horribly, and they ran faster. Nothing good ever came from below!

******************************************

Cmdr Davidson looked beyond the tunnel and tried to take in everything at once.

Shattered tunnel. Running figures that Lt. Schwartz was now hitting with a spotlight. Daylight fading into night beyond Airlock Number Two.

“Door Number One is gone.” Davidson said in awe.

“Those are men in radiation suits.” Schwartz said.

“I’m registering lessening radiation ahead.” Dr. Naguri said.

Jimmy vomited with tension, Moppet riding his shoulders and saying “Bad food?”

Davidson stopped the Car and idled. Air was no longer a concern for them. They had time to stop and consider…everything.

The figures were silhouetted at Airlock Two for a moment, as if they had paused to see what was behind them, or if it was pursuing them.

Davidson hit the outer speaker controller. “This is Commander Jim Davidson of the Internals of the City. We mean you no harm.” He called out as the figures vanished around the corner into darkness.

“At least we know what time it is out here,” Dr. Erzulie said. “Should we wait until morning to explore?”

“We may have to,” Schwartz said. “They’re closing the airlock.”

A moment later, the doors slid closed and the lights on a console to the left of the tunnel went from yellows to greens to red, locking the door.

“They have the codes,” Davidson said.

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Next up Wyatt
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The watchers thought as one.

What if Mother was not dead? What if Mother was alive and her orders were right? The tumult of the crystal spring could be explained by this. What if Mother was merely trying to protect them from this underworld menace by sending Clan Acadia to Red Den? Perhaps the Clans did need to be protected from the knowledge of these things from below.

They hadn't paid heed to Mother since the order to move Clan Acadia to Red Den. What would be her plan? How could they prevent these intruding beings from destroying the Clans? If only they had kept watching the spring, she must have communicated a next step.

They still heard rumblings from the other side of the great door. What if the giant metal beast was able to batter it down somehow? They checked the know-box. The door was secure, for now.

They must return and seek advice of the council at the spring, now, before this thing broke through.

******************************************

Shaman called to the Watcher moving away from them down the rough trail. "Slow, please. Clan Acadia grows tired and hungry."

They had crested a steep rise in the canyon, and now were coming down into a shadowy valley in the twilight. The red rocks, baked by the sun, cracked beneath their feet. Some of the mothers cradled children in baskets on their bellies. Fathers carried young ones on their shoulders. Shaman kept peering back down the hill and now saw several elders falling behind.

The Watcher didn't speak, but hesitated only a minute before continuing his descent. Shaman wished with all her being that she knew where this safe place lay.

Suddenly there was a bright white flash from the cliff side that pierced the darkening sky. "Halt!" commanded the Watcher.

******************************************
Josh continues
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Nin followed Game Wolf away from the Clan. He paused his Oli on an outcrop, and they watched the Clan pass.

"Look, Nin. There. Do you see them?"

Nin looked at what Game Wolf was pointing at. He strained his eyes, but couldn't see anything in the underbrush.

"You don't see it, do you, Nin? Look at the slight motion of the bottom of the bush. There is something hiding in there. And when the Clan passed that rock there, it shifted again. You will learn to watch the motion of the plants, and to see what makes them shake."

Game Wolf reached around to the back of his Oli and pulled out his crossbow. He pulled the bow string back, and loaded it with a metal tipped bolt.

"Observe, Nin."

He aimed and fired the crossbow. The bolt flew into the bush, and there was a sudden howl of pain. Out of the bush jumped a rockbeast, the bolt sticking into its shoulder. The twang of the crossbow made Nin jump. He had not realized that Game Wolf had reloaded and had fired again.
"Quickly, Nin, we must ride. The rockbeast will chase us, and not the Clan. Now, ride!"

The Game Wolf dug his heels into his Oli, and the Nin was right behind him.

The two Olis covered the ground quickly, but the rockbeast was close behind. The Nin thought he could feel its fetid breath on the back of his neck, but he didn't dare to turn and see, for fear that the rockbeast was really right behind him.

The Game Wolf's Oli turned off to the right, and the Nin directed his Oli to follow.

As he came around the bend, the Game Wolf hissed "Down. Now!"

The Nin knelt as flat as he could on the back of his Oli. He felt the bolt as it flew past him, but did not stop to turn to see whether it hit. There was a howl from behind him.

As he passed the Game Wolf, who had, in the meantime, reloaded the crossbow, he turned his Oli so he could see the rockbeast.

It was whining, twisting its body as it writhed on the ground.

The Game Wolf got off his Oli and took careful aim with his crossbow. This time, the bolt sunk deeply into the rockbeast's skull, killing it.

"Come, Nin, the smell of the blood will soon draw other predators, and these rockbeasts often run in packs."

The Game Wolf knelt by the rockbeast, and pulled his knife out. He quickly skinned the animal, rolling the grey and brown fur into a bundle he tied to his saddle.

As quickly as he worked, the Nin could already hear the howls of rockbeasts drawing nearer, drawn by the smell of the blood.

The Game Wolf got back on his Oli. "Come quickly, Nin. We must find the Clan again." He spurred his Oli to start moving.

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John’s Turn
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While they waited, Jimmy cleaned up the floor by his feet. Dr. Erzuli had looked after him a moment after he had gotten sick and then told him to clean it up before the entire Car stunk up. He had hastily obeyed. While he cleaned up, she had then gone to Schwartz and injected her with adrenaline for the radiation exposure.

Stonily, Schwartz had taken the needle without a flinch and then went back up to the front of the Car where she and Davidson began discussing their options.

“I don’t know,” Cmdr Davidson said. “If we go now, we risk being attacked by whomever it was we frightened away. But you think we should show force?” Schwartz nodded. “I don’t know. Why do we need to show force? We’ve already scared them out of our tunnel. They have to know it’s no longer just theirs, no matter how they got the codes.”

“If they’re scared, we’ll have the advantage when we get out there. We still don’t know what’s waiting for us out there. Any advantage is better than none.”

“I disagree.” Said Dr. Naguri. “We already know what’s out there.”

“We do not!” protested Schwartz.

“We do?” Erzuli asked.

Dr. Naguri nodded. “We’re off the air protocol, yes?” Davidson nodded this time. “Good. We know they breathe our air. There must be food and water out there for them to live off of. In three hundred years, it would be impossible for anyone to live off of old pre-devastation food even if it weren’t highly contaminated. We also know they fear radiation.”

Davidson shook his head. “No, we don’t know that at all.”

“What do you mean?” Dr. Erzuli said.

“Dr. Naguri and I were reviewing the tapes from those men who ran off. Look at this.” Davidson sent the video to all the stations. It was a washed close-up of the encounter. He froze it and they saw the computer scan lines run over the still image and clean up the interference and dust. Once it was done, it was clearly evident that the men in the radiation suits had no idea what they were doing. The suits were worn, there were large holes in the legs and upper thighs where tools or something were slung for easy use, and they had no air supply whatsoever.

“No matter who they are, they’re either used to the radiation, or they’re just plain crazy.”

“They’re not entirely crazy.” Schwartz countered. “They ran from us.” She said smugly.

-------------------------------------------------------

In a moment the light was gone, but not before it wiggled and dimmed, then brightened again and finally went out. They waited long moments, the stragglers of Clan Acadia moving among the others and nearly falling to their knees in exhaustion. Shaman walked among them, doling out berries for strength and having water given to everyone. Let the Watcher deal with the dangers from the mountain. If she didn’t tend to her people, she may not have any people left from this ordeal.

Watcher watched the cliffs. The bright lights dimmed but there were other, smaller, lights twinkling. He was too far away to make out anything. While deciding what to do, he heard something move along the cliffs behind where the valley steepened behind him.

Shaman realized something was wrong. The avid gaze of the Watcher had ceased and he had closed his eyes as if he were listening for something. She began herding the weak into the middle of the Clan. Men pulled up clubs and spears in defense.

Watcher suddenly turned his Ulf-Erby in a half circle and it reared up and began tearing up the ground in great gouts of grasses and dirt clods. Barks and squeals sounded but it was too dark to see anything clearly, only four dark shapes dodging about.

Shaman made to move forward to see better when a large grayish matting of fur and teeth loomed out of the darkness to descend upon her, breaking away from the melee with the Ulf-Erby and tearing at her throat.

====================
Next up Wyatt
====================
The three Watchers made the trip from the cave as quickly as their rugged musculature would carry them. They didn't speak through the rocky foothills or the sparse pine forest in the valley. They didn't need to speak, for each knew what the others were thinking, wondering how the Watchers at the spring would take their news. Never before had something emerged from the caves. Whatever it was, it would mean a drastic change for the clans. They wished they could trust Mother, especially now.

Beneath the trees, the forest noises grew louder as night fell. The wind in the branches sighed and hummed above them. In the darkest valley, where the boughs of the willows curled over the tiny crystal spring and shielded it from view of all but trained, familiar eyes, the Watchers waited for their return. They saw in the water the three in the tunnel, saw the rising dust and heard the noise of the great beast about to erupt from the underworld. And for the first time, the Watchers didn't think as one.

What the three saw as they came upon the spring startled them, and one or two or perhaps all three almost shouted in alarm. The circle was broken. Instead of the huddle of robed bodies peering into the water, the Watchers had become two separate crescents, each carefully watching the water about fifty meters apart. One Watcher dislodged himself from the closest group and approached them.

"The time of the schism has come. Choose - Mother Crescent or Clan Crescent."

They were to choose their allegiance, they knew. Half the Watchers believed Mother was dead and they were now to give more power to the Shaman in leading the clans. The other half believed Mother was still alive and trying to guide them through perhaps their darkest time.
Before they could choose, there was a commotion in the groups huddled over the water. The three hurried to the first Crescent to see the vision. In the water they saw Clan Leondell at outpost eighty-two, two strong Nin pulling at the gates of their corral, opening the wide wooden doors to release four Ulf-Erbys. The Nin who had just opened the door jumped back, startled, but the beasts with their gray fur flying and slavering, toothy mouths, ran by them toward another target.

"We waited too long. Mother's orders were followed. Clan Leondell has released the beasts. They will attack Clan Acadia soon."

Sure enough, within minutes, before they could have hoped to send out Watchers to stop them, if they could decide among them to do that, the Ulf-Erbys were raging down the mountainside in the darkness and attacking Clan Acadia as it made its journey.

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Josh takes a turn
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Davidson took another glance at his instrument panel.

He turned and looked at the others.

“I have decided we should advance to the entrance to the cave. We can take better readings from there as to what we will find outside.”

He motioned to Lieutenant Schwartz. “Take us forward to the edge of the cave.”

There was silence in the car as they moved forward. The only sound was that of Moppet, happily crunching on a snack of some crackers.

As they came closer to the edge of the cave, they all looked upwards at the sky. This was the first time any of them had seen the sky for real. They had seen vids, but nothing had prepared them for the real thing.

“It’s so … blue …” Dr. Naguri started.

“And the sun …” Dr. Erzuli said.

“And it just keeps going …” continued Jimmy.

The car stopped. Davidson asked Dr. McCarthy to release one of the probes. She entered the commands on her keyboard.

A small hatch opened up in the nose of the car. A mechanical arm stretched out, and released what looked like a large metal spider. The spider moved its legs and walked twenty feet ahead of the car.

“Well, Doctor, what do you have for us?” Davidson asked Mary, whose eyes were glued to her screen.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Game Wolf suddenly reined in his Oli. He looked around, as if he had heard something or smelled something, and wasn’t sure of what it was.

Nin pulled up behind him. He was curious to know why they had stopped, as he had not heard or smelled anything unusual. But he knew better than to ask Game Wolf until Game Wolf was ready to teach him.

Game Wolf got off his Oli, and motioned to Nin to stay on his. He took his crossbow over to Nin and gave it to him. He motioned to the Nin to keep an eye out for anything around them. Game Wolf then went back to his Oli and unpacked a second crossbow. He cocked and loaded it and then walked in front of his Oli where he knelt down. He put down the crossbow, but near enough that he could get it quickly. He began to looks at something on the ground, but what, Nin couldn’t tell.

Nin looked around as best he could, trying to see if the bushes were moving from the wind, or if there night be something alive moving them.

Game Wolf straightened up, and brushed his hands off against his leggings. He unloaded his crossbow, and packed it back into his bags. He turned to walk to Nin to take the crossbow back, when suddenly something burst from the bushes up ahead of them. Nin couldn’t get a clear view of what it was, but what he could tell was that it was striped brown and green, and was heading straight for Game Wolf.

He raised the crossbow and took careful aim, but before he could fire, Game Wolf ordered him to stop.

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John’s turn
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Pegasus scanned. There was a panic beginning. The clans were in turmoil.
If Pegasus could smile, it would have.

With their Mother dead, Pegasus could complete its functions. It contacted the bunkers it owned as well as those it had conquered. Those that responded accurately, Pegasus took control of. The others were put in standby mode. In those bunkers all over the globe which were one hundred percent responsive, computers came alive. These simple computers began warming up fuels and power cells. Codes were prepared. Tallies were calculated.

Reserves: 12%
- 9% active
- 1% lost connection
- 2% all missiles spent
Usurped: 77%
- 32% active
- 15% lost connection
- 30% all missiles spent

In one bunker, the lights from unwatched computer screens flashed on the nearly powdered skull resting on a chair among the remnants of a body in military clothing. A name tag was still visible in the flashing lights as the computer registered four of the eight missiles had been fired over three hundred years ago. The lights illuminated the insignia on the uniform arms and chest. The insignia was so old that it could not be properly identified, the colors so faded it could have belonged to any nation, but the plastic name tag was still readable.

The computers noted that of the remaining four missiles, three had been fired around two hundred and fifty years ago, manually. The remaining missile was now in prep mode to determine if it could be fired safely and reach targets within its range. Once ranges were checked, the viability of the missile was again checked.

Lights reflected off metal buttons from the uniform and from metal springs in the chair where holes had been torn into it near chest level. Below the skull was a metal necklace with a dog-tag. The tag was a ruined, twisted mess and completely unreadable except for ‘Cmdr…’ and ‘…ns II’ around a torn hole. A sidearm was lying on the floor, still safely secured and covered in a fine powder of bone and plastic dust.

The lights played over the skull, and a slightly shiny metallic slug resting in the nasal passage, where it came to rest after being fired through the back of the skull. The tag on the clothing read Cmdr Wilkins II.

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Wyatt takes a turn
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