 |
|
I picked up the biggest rock I can carry, Grand Zero. Thank you for helping. I feel much
better now that we have a plan in case I meet a C-probe. So far, so good. I am more than
halfway across the canyon to the Fortress entrance.
I wish Zachary and Enoch would leave those ugly C-probes alone and come back to the
Fortress. I have transmitted and transmitted, but they won't stop what they are doing. It
almost seems like they are having too much fun.
"Theresa! Are you all right? Did you miss me? I was never so glad to see anybody before!
Hmm, this place is a mess. What have you been doing? Never mind, I'm happy to see you
anyway."
Delemreck are not on Mars.
Yet.
They are coming soon.
Ipsolstai may need protecting.
Enoch and Zachary and Gail more.
The One is not good.
Or bad.
It is.
It does.
We are here.
We have fled and flown.
But are we safe?
I made it. I slipped away and took cover. I'm right next to the entrance, just behind
a batch of long cylindrical metal stuff that is standing there in a line. Oops,
looks like these are stacks of missiles. Anyway, there is enough space between
them and the wall and they are leading me directly into the hall.
Space Turtel, I gave Enoch a sign and he signaled that it's okay with him. I'll
check if I'm still in visual contact with him. No, I'm not. I know, what you mean.
By no means will I ever tell anyone that Enoch is out there.
I entered the hall. I'm still covered by these missiles. It's true, they are
manufacturing C-probes. Everything is running fully automated. A lot of machines
and assembling lines. It's quite noisy in here. Nothing to see. I will try to get
farther in. There is a gangway running high up along the wall. There are windows too.
I will keep away from that.
I'm pretty far in now. There are tipping wagons running on rail. They are loaded with
rocks. They are dumping it into huge vats. Looks like they are melting them. Over here
they are casting treads and there they are bending shields and are cutting strings. Now
other wagons are moving that stuff to the assembling lines. It's amazing. What I thought
were drones are big robot arms, the two little buildings ...
Wait. There is someone coming. Where shall I move? I hope they didn't find me already.
Zachary went toward the hall. I can't see him. There are too many C-probes between
me and the hall. Do you know if he gave me signal to follow? I will risk moving over
and looking around for him.
I did. I also checked between the treads. I didn't see him. I looped two times. He isn't
around. I'm back. That wasn't planned wisely. Our strategy was to stay together. Shall
I call him? No, that would endanger him and me. Looks like that each of us is standing
now on his own. Same mission but separate approach.
Our task is still to stop the C-probes. I have the cartridges, so I can blow up either
their communications or their sunsails. I will search for their communications center
first. Zachary turned to the right, so I will turn to the left. Don't worry, Space Turtel,
there are enough rocks at the slope for cover.
I found something. It's not the communications, but it's a tube. It leads underground
into the slope. It's hard to say, but it could be of Ipsolstai origin, maybe.
Just have a look at it.
I think I will enter it. We have to find out what it is about. I will be careful. Believe
me, I have much more experience exploring tunnels than open fields full of C-probe.
We have been moved. The container was moved several times. We haven't moved for some
time, though.
I don't know how to describe what is coming. I really don't. I saw them, I felt them, I heard
them. They are a busy race. Active, dynamic, violent. Different from us, and from themselves.
Does that make any sense? It is difficult to know how much is mine and how much the One's.
The One is not supreme. It is capable of very little, I think, but it knows. It sees and hears and
knows. Ask and it will say, but few ask. The Ipsolstai can ask, but know not what they ask.
Something is happening. The container shook a little. A crack! Light! The containter is
opening. It is in a room, it is brightly colored here. I see three Ipsolstai. Two have opened the
container. I think the other is Gabriel. He is still in his suit, but still with no helmet.
Isaac didn't wait to hear more, he ran out of the container. He almost ran over one of the
Ipsolstai.
"Isaac! Come back!"
I am following him. I see another container next to mine, but it is not open. Isaac has run down
the hall, I can't believe him. I'm following as fast as I can.
I don't know what Gabriel means, but I have almost caught Isaac. He went around a corner.
I've almost caught him!
"Isaac come here right"
Oh my. I think you had better see this. I am amazed. It is one thing to be told, but to see it.
Told you did I. Different are you now place.
Naming Humans place this have.
Them known to as Wolf-359. Welcome.
I do not know what to say. This is really What's next.
Andrew reporting.
I am definitely disoriented. Our container has been transported to an unknown location.
After several alternating periods of motion and stillness, I experienced extreme vibration.
I extended my legs to brace myself against the wall of the container. The vibration
increased.
I have received transmissions from an unknown source. It is not a transmission like I get
from the other probes, or from Earth. It contains more information than I can process
easily. It is like having remote sensors all over the planet feeding data, but yet there is
a sense of order and intelligence.
"Daniel, did you experience. . .?
Then the vibration started again.
They let us out! Two Ipsolstai let us out but they seemed unhappy. One had a weapon.
There is another container like ours, already open. The Ipsolstai are leading us down a hall. I
don't see Burn anywhere. I wonder if these Ipsolstai work for Caleb.
I see Bette and Isaac. I'm glad they are all right! They are looking at something behind them, it
looks like
Oh my.
 |
|