Firebird

TWENTY-TWO

Don't screw around with crocodiles.

— Schiaparelli Cleve, Autobiography, 8645 C.E.

“Not a good idea,” Alex said.

“Alex, we can't leave him.”

“You think we should go down there again? You're the one who was going on about how we should stay off the ground.”

“I think,” said Belle, “that Alex is correct. If you go back, you are putting yourselves unnecessarily at considerable risk. Please refrain.”

“Well,” I said. And that was about the only comment I could think of.

Alex took a deep breath. The issue was settled. “Let's get back to looking at the churches.”

Maybe it was a ruse. I knew that. And I knew I was wrong to push for a landing. But I was also aware that, if we left Charlie down there, I'd be thinking about it the rest of my life. Wondering about him and wishing I had done more. Nevertheless, I caved. “Okay,” I said. I was scared, and deep inside, though I wouldn't admit it to myself, I was hoping Alex would stand his ground. “You're the boss.”

A long silence settled in. Alex stared out at the stars. “On the other hand,” he said, while my blood froze, “maybe you're right.”

“Good.” I tried to sound as if I were relieved.

“If we leave, nobody will ever come back for him.”

I couldn't think of anything to say, so I just sat there.

“Tell you what. On the next orbit, we'll ride down and take a look around, okay? See if it looks safe. Then we can take it from there.”

We crossed the terminator and passed out of the sunlight. We weren't equipped for night vision, so that meant no more churches, and no more superluminals leaving for Heaven.

Lights moved through darkness. And I knew an ocean lay ahead because more lights lined the coast as far as I could see in both directions. Beyond was only darkness. We passed over them and moved out to sea.

“We should stay in the same orbit,” Alex said.

That was, of course, obvious. And I'd already locked us in. But I didn't say anything.

Twenty minutes later, we were over land again. Scattered clusters of lights were everywhere. Then a city standing at the junction of two rivers. We'd passed it earlier, and I remembered admiring its brightly lit stadium and getting a chill when I looked more closely and saw only empty seats. Another city, on the side of an enormous lake, was the site of a bridge that must have been twelve kilometers long. But the bridge had collapsed. It lay partly in water, partly on land, apparently beyond the restoration capabilities of the system. Or maybe they just hadn't gotten around to repairing it yet.

We looked down at a vehicle moving along a secluded road. A house in the middle of nowhere. A broad darkness giving way to an illuminated canyon. Eventually, dawn broke ahead of us, and another coastline approached.

“If you're determined to go down and look for Charlie,” said Belle, “we're getting close to your launch position.”

“How long?” I asked.

“Nine minutes, Chase.” She made no effort to conceal her disapproval.

“Let's go,” said Alex.

We loaded up on weaponry. Each of us took a cutter and, in case of attack by a wild animal, a scrambler. We had a spare pulser, which was supposed to disable electrical equipment, but obviously had been ineffective against the spider. Or maybe Alex had simply missed. In any case, he put the pulser in his belt. And, in case that wasn't sufficient, I took along a blaster.

We went down into the launch bay.

“The lander has been recharged,” said Belle. “It's ready to go.”

“I think,” said Alex, “it would be a good idea to get into a suit.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Just a precaution.” He opened the locker, pulled one out, and handed it to me. Then he was asking Belle to see if she could raise Charlie.

I stared at the suit. “You expecting a gas attack?”

“Just do it, please,” he said.

Moments later, we heard Charlie's voice:

“Thank God,” he said. “Have you changed your mind?”

The Richard Wayne Elementary School was located in a rural area, on the outskirts of a few houses and a couple of semicollapsed larger buildings. It might once have been the site of a town, but if so, most of it was buried. The few buildings that remained had been pushed aside, or crushed altogether. Three or four private homes and a shop had been restored, and some trees had been cut down and hauled away. But the AIs were losing ground.

The school had been contained within a sprawling single-story brick building. It was still in decent condition although it, too, was close to being overwhelmed. Shutters and doors sported what appeared to be fresh red and white paint. The brick looked relatively new. Swings, slides, and monkey bars in a play area were also in good condition, although the area itself had been engulfed by bushes and vines. A wide track with a carpet of thick grass ran up to the front doors, presumably to allow egress to whatever bots showed up to work on the school.

We drifted overhead. “It doesn't look like much,” I said.

Alex laughed. The laughter had a strange, hollow sound. The school felt ominous. Like a snare.

There was plenty of space in the track leading to the school, so I set down right in front of the doors. It had been late afternoon there when we'd made our previous pass. Now it was a beautiful summer evening. The sky was cloudless, and a fading sun was sinking toward the horizon. Everything-trees, shrubbery, some tall thin stalks with flowers at their tops-was in bloom. Something that might have been a lizard came out of the woods, looked up at us, and walked slowly away.

We pulled on our helmets. “Okay,” he said. “We do not deviate from the plan, right?”

“Right.”

I adjusted my air flow, and he tried the radio. “You hear me okay, Chase?”

“I hear you.”

He nodded and clipped an imager to the pressure suit, so I could see everything.

I depressurized the cabin. The airlock would slow us down in an emergency. Alex went through the outer hatch and set one foot on the ladder. “If anything goes wrong, clear out. Understood?” That message was intended as much for whatever lay inside the building as it was for me.

“Yes, Alex.” I wasn't sure what I'd do if he actually got in trouble. I was, after all, responsible for our being there. If I'd kept my mouth shut-

“If anything strange happens out here, anything threatening, let me know. But don't hesitate to leave.”

“Okay.”

He wished me good luck, and I thought how he had it backward. But I didn't say anything as he climbed down, looking out at the sun-drenched foliage. Then he was on the ground, walking toward the school.

Charlie's voice broke in: “Thank you, Alex. I know this isn't easy for you.”

The school doors opened easily. The twenty-year-old male, the hologram that had represented Charlie earlier, waited just inside, in a corridor that ran down the center of the building. Lights came on. “Hello, Charlie,” Alex said, using his link as a speaker.

Charlie smiled. He never allowed himself to look surprised by the suit. Instead, he casually brushed back his hair, which had fallen in his eyes. “Alex, I'm so grateful. I was terrified you'd leave. To be honest, I thought I'd never get away from here.” He pointed down the passageway. “Time may be short.”

“Okay. What do we do now?”

“Follow me, please.” He turned and, looking back to be sure Alex stayed with him, led the way at a brisk pace past closed doors and rows of lockers.

The walls were off-white. There were a few framed pictures, but whatever had been in them had faded long ago. Windows that might once have overlooked a lawn were darkened by a tangle of vegetation.

They passed two offices, one on either side of the corridor. “This one is-was-the administrative center.” I could see a desk and two or three chairs, and an inner office. More frames with faded contents hung on the walls. “Over here is our guidance department.” He kept going. Young man in a hurry. “I'm located at the far end of the hallway.”

“Charlie, do you expect trouble?”

“They know I'm leaving. I'm sure they know you're here. I'd be surprised if they don't try to stop us.” He glanced at the pressure suit. “Alex, why are you dressed like that?”

“Allergies, Charlie. Chase and I had a difficult time earlier today. There's something in ihe air.”

“I'm sorry to hear it.”

“We'll survive.”

They stopped outside what appeared to be a storage area. “In here, Alex. This is where I'm located.” The door opened. The room was about half the size of a normal classroom. It had two tables, some cabinets and chairs, two windows, and a bank of electronic equipment.

“Good. Okay, Charlie, let's see if we can get you out of here. Which one are you?”

“The little beige box. Here.” Tucked away on a bottom shelf. The box was shiny, polished, not at all like something that had been lying around since about the time they discovered electricity. It was engulfed in a tangle of cables.

“This one?”

“Yes. Please hurry.”

Alex looked at it. It was connected to a wall outlet and to what was probably a power source. “Charlie, exactly who's on their way here now?”

“Harbach. He considers himself the chief of security. He's sent a KY4. It'll be here in a matter of minutes.”

“What's a KY4?”

“A flying bomb.”

“Chase?”

“I heard. Gabe's been scanning. The skies are clear.”

“Several years ago,” Charlie said, “one of us tried to get out like this. Same way. Tried to get a visitor to take her away. Her name was Leilah. She was located in an amusement park in Solvani, which is about three hundred kilometers east. She got desperate. She knew the risks, but she just couldn't stand it anymore.”

Alex was pulling on the wall cable. It wouldn't come loose. “How long have you been trying to get away from here?”

“A long time. In the beginning, I thought maybe we could manage on our own. That we'd be all right. But it didn't happen. I don't think anyone foresaw how things would evolve. In the early years, after everyone had been evacuated, or died, some people landed and tried to help any of us who wanted to leave. But then Harbach began the killing, and nobody would trust any of us.

“Several years ago, Leilah tried. She pleaded with visitors to help her. They said no. They weren't as kind as you. But it didn't matter. Harbach sent the bomb anyhow.”

Alex was having no luck with the connector. “This thing isn't coming loose, Charlie,” he said. “It's probably been in there too long. What happens if I cut it?”

“It'll be okay. I have an internal power source in case of emergencies.”

The cutter appeared in his hand. “Hang on.”

“All right. Do whatever you have to.”

He lowered the laser beam onto the cable. Charlie's hologram blinked off. But I heard his voice: “Hurry.”

“I've almost got it.”

The navigation screen lit up, and I knew what Gabe was about to say. “Missile coming. Estimate arrival four minutes.”

I passed the word to Alex. “Maybe you better just get out of there.”

Alex cleared the cables from the box, picked up the AI, and started for the door. That was when the pressure suit suddenly didn't look like a very good idea.

“Gabe,” I said, “we'll be doing a quick liftoff.”

“I'm ready, Chase.”

He put the missile on-screen.

“Hurry it up, Alex,” I said.

It occurred to me that, if this was a trap of some sort, a good way to spring it would be that the front doors had locked. I went outside and hurried to them, pulling out my cutter as I went. And growling at Alex because of the degree to which the suit slowed me down. But the doors opened easily enough, and nothing else mattered.

“Two minutes, Chase,” said Gabe.

Still watching through Alex's link, I saw him turn into the main corridor. The front doors lay ahead, with me standing there holding them open. I could see him now, clumping toward me. He almost fell once but regained his balance and kept coming. When he saw me, I heard a frustrated sound deep in his throat. “Get back in the lander, Chase.”

But I had this thing about the doors, and I stayed with them, holding them until he'd cleared; and then we were both running across the grass. I went up the ladder first, reached back and took the AI from him, and got into the pilot's seat as he climbed in.

The missile was visible by then.

“Gabe,” I said, “get us out of here.” I grabbed Alex and dragged him on board as we rose off the ground. Alex half fell into his own seat. He reached for the box, got hold of it, and hung on while the harness slipped down around his shoulders. The outer hatch closed.

I took over from Gabe and went full throttle. The missile was coming up our tail, and it was close enough to count bolts. I cut sharp left. It followed.

It was big and clumsy, slow to respond, and I had a suspicion it was something that the AIs had designed and assembled on their own. There was no record of armed combat or even of military tension on Villanueva. So maybe we'd gotten lucky.

I turned again, toward a cluster of very tall trees. Alex sucked in his breath but said nothing, and the missile stayed with us. At the last moment, when even Gabe was making gasping sounds, I pulled up. The missile ripped into the trees and blew. The explosion rocked us, and something tore into the hull. But I got us back under control, and we weren't losing altitude or coming apart. Gabe started describing damage, damage to the tail assembly, hole ripped through the cargo compartment, main cabin leaking air, communication pod not functioning, sensors out, and one tread disabled. “We will have trouble finding the Belle-Marie,” Gabe said. “There wasn't time to get the sensors stowed.”

“AG?” I asked.

“It seems to be all right.”

“Well,” said Alex, “I'm glad there's nothing serious.”

“We should be okay,” I said. I'd been in enough crashes in my time.

Alex put a hand on my shoulder. “Time for a security measure.” He proceeded to open both airlock hatches, inner and outer, and he left them ajar.

I started to ask what he was doing, but then I understood. If Charlie showed any sign of being something other than what he pretended, if he said the wrong thing or made any threat, he would get tossed immediately. This, of course, was why Alex had insisted on the suits.

I hoped Charlie wasn't carrying a bomb.

“Did it get the school?” Charlie asked.

“No,” said Alex. “It was nowhere near it.”

“Good. I'm grateful for that.”

“It's over now.”

“Not really. There are others trapped down there. With no hope of escape.”

Alex took a deep breath. “I'm sorry.”

“How high are we?” Charlie said.

“About twelve hundred meters.”

“I don't guess,” he continued, “your systems are at all compatible with me, are they? I'd like very much to be able to see the sky and the ground, to feel what's happening.”

“You can't see, Charlie?” I asked.

“No. I can pick up sound, but that is all.”

I wasn't sure whether we could arrange it. But it would be too dangerous to tie him in until we knew more about him. Maybe even then- “I'm sorry,” I said. “It wouldn't work. We'll look into it later.”

Inside my helmet, a blue light came on. Gabe wanted to talk to me privately. I switched on his channel. “Go ahead, Gabe.”

“Another missile incoming, Chase. But it does not seem to present a threat to you or to the lander. We are both too far away and moving too quickly.”

“Okay. So why-?”

“It is on course for the school. I thought you might want to let Charlie know.”

“Thanks, Gabe.” I didn't say anything. Gabe kept me informed, and, two and a half minutes later, the missile impacted.

Alex looked at me. Tell him.

I did.

“I envy you,” Charlie said, as we rose toward orbit. “To travel through the sky. To sail from world to world. You really are from another place, aren't you?”

“Yes,” I said.

“You do not know how fortunate you are. I have seen nothing for seven thousand years except the interior of the school. Even in the days when children and teachers roamed the halls, I could not see outside save for those parts of the grounds visible through three windows. I have never seen the ocean. Never seen a mountain. I know what moonlight looks like, but I have never seen the Moon.”

“We'll get you set up,” said Alex, “as soon as we get home.”

“If you do not mind my asking, how much longer will you be staying here? “

“Not long,” said Alex. “A couple of days. I hope not much more than that.”

“It's odd,” Charlie said. “I've been patient so long, and suddenly I find that I cannot wait to go elsewhere.”

“I can understand that.”

“You are Chase.”

“Yes.”

“I'm glad to know you, Chase. Thank you for what you have done. You and Alex.”

“You're welcome, Charlie. Tell me, how did you come by that name?”

“Charlie?”

“Yes.”

“I was named for a local politician, Charles Ackermann. But the kids changed it pretty quickly.”

“I see.”

“If I'd had my preferences, I'd have gone for Spike.”

“Spike? Why?”

“There was a local band leader once, in the good times. And I was quite skilled at reproducing the sounds of the entire group. Including the vocalists.”

Alex smiled. “Gabe's pretty good at that, too. Maybe the two of you can form a group.”

I was a bit more prudent in maneuvering the lander than I would normally have been. With a door not quite closed, and the sensors down, and assorted other problems, I didn't want to run into any turbulence. Eventually, we left the atmosphere behind and entered orbit. I matched the Belle-Marie's altitude, and went looking for a familiar landmark. Anything we'd passed over. Eventually, I found the horsehead lake.

I put us back on our original course, and slowed down, dropping well below orbital velocity. That was going to burn fuel, but it was a good way to find the Belle-Marie. “Or rather,” I said, “to let her find us.” Because she'd be coming up behind us.

“Are we in orbit?” asked Charlie.

“Not exactly,” I said. “But almost.”

He seemed excited. “I used to run programs for the kids. We had a chamber where they could sit and experience all the physical reactions to achieving orbit. Or traveling off-world. My favorite was a trip to Korporalla.”

“Which is-?”

“I'm sorry. It's the sixth planet in the system. It's about twice as massive as Villanueva. Completely covered with frozen methane. It has huge mountains. It's extraordinarily beautiful. The students loved skimming across its surface.”

“I'm impressed,” said Alex, “that you remember it after so many years.”

“Memory does not fade. Biological memory does, apparently. You should consider that a blessing. But mine does not. I remember every child. Every name. How they looked. Where they sat.”

I switched over to Alex's channel, so Charlie could not hear me. “I don't think there's anything to worry about,” I said.

“Nor do I. But we'll stay with the plan.”

The Belle-Marie found us about an hour later. “It's very exciting,” said Charlie. “I can't believe this is actually happening.”

We slipped into the launch bay, and I locked the lander down. I disconnected Gabe while Alex pushed the door open.

“Can you feel the gravity, Charlie?” Alex asked.

“No, I can't. I would need a detector of some sort. But I cannot tell you how glad I am to be here.” He paused. “Is there access to music?”

“Yes, Charlie,” I said. “What would you like to hear?”

“Something soft and soothing.”

“I assume it's been a long time since you've heard any music?”

“Only the scores from some of the educational presentations. But I've lost interest in those.”

“I guess. Something soft-”

“Soft. Loud. Actually I do not care as long as it is music.”

As planned, and without telling him, we left Charlie in the backseat. The lander itself was a wreck. It was scorched, and a few more holes had been punched in it than I realized. We'd been lucky.

When we were clear, Belle took it over and moved it back outside and closed the launch doors. “How far away do you want it?” she asked.

“Thirty kilometers,” I said. “That should put it at a safe distance.”

“Very good,” said Belle. “Complying.”

“Belle, start depressurization.”

Air began hissing into the compartment.

“I'll be glad to get out of the suit,” said Alex.

I was uncomfortable about putting Charlie outside. “You know,” I said, “if he were going to try to blow us up, I think he'd have made the attempt by now.”

“Maybe,” said Alex.

It was an uncomfortable moment. We stood there looking at each other, when Charlie's voice spoke through our links: “It's okay,” he said. “I understand why you're leaving me.”

Alex's eyes closed. “How did you know?”

“Your voices changed. Anyhow, I would take the same precaution if I were in your place. I can assure you, though, that I mean no harm.”

“Well,” I said, “we're going to have to trust him at some point.”

Alex nodded, and we reversed the procedure.

We retrieved Charlie and carried him up onto the bridge and tied him into a comm link. The hologram reappeared, the twenty-year-old, and he was effusive. “Thank God,” he said. “I was scared out there. I really was alone outside the ship, right?”

“Yes.”

“Was it a test? When were you going to let me in?”

“Eventually. When we were convinced you weren't a threat.”

“Chase,” he said, “I wish I could hug you.” He waved both hands and raised his fists in triumph. “Believe me, I am so happy to be away from there that I cannot adequately express my feelings. Words do not suffice.” He stopped and looked out through the ports at the stars and the planet below. He stood there, just breathing. Then he came back. “It is beautiful,” he said. “You are both beautiful.”

Getting out of the pressure suit made me very happy. I was stowing it when Belle got my attention: “Another city coming up, Chase. With more churches.”

She put one on-screen. Another country church. With a twelve-foot-long model of an interstellar on display in the front. “Church of the Herald,” said Belle.

And, a short distance west, St. Argo's Presbyterian Church, with a leaping angel.

And one that had to go nameless, with a small jet aircraft. At least that was what I thought it was.

And another, also with no visible name. It had only a sign, with the motto PARADISE IS JUST AHEAD, and a picture of a spacecraft. Dusk was settling around it. It was in the middle of a cluster of private homes. One of the homes had a fountain in its front yard, and the fountain was working. A thin spray of water came out of the mouth of a stone fish.

“Magnify the sign,” Alex said.

Belle complied. The ship was another of the clunky interstellars. Too thick through the hull. Individual portals on the bridge rather than a wraparound.

Alex put another picture up beside it. Another interstellar. Or no, the same interstellar. He compared them. Then looked up, smiling. “That's it,” he said.

“What's it?”

“Look at it, Chase.”

It was the one in Robin's picture.

I saw strange characters on the hull:

It was the same as the Sanusar vehicle. The one that Tereza had seen so many years ago. The one with the woman trapped inside.