Under an alien sky, p.10
Under an Alien Sky, page 10
“It’s the half-rats, isn’t it? But what’s happening?” A warm hand squeezing her bare shoulder was her immediate answer. She knew it was Michael even before he spoke.
“Whatever it is, it’s happening out there away from us.”
Daniel hazarded, “Isn’t that about where the post was?” In silence, they watched the flashes explode in the night.
“My guess, it’s a fence. Y’know, like an electric fence in the country.” Michael spoke quietly. His hand still rested on her bare shoulder, and it was a comfort. “It’s keeping them out, away from the building. Those white pillars we saw must be a barrier…a defense line.”
A man somewhere behind Kyla asked, “What kind of barrier? Why didn’t it zap us?”
Devlin answered, “Maybe it only works on animals. Maybe it only works at night. Could be a number of reasons.”
“There must be thousands of the damn things out there.” Daniel drawled, “It’s not slowing down, either.”
“Thank God we're inside,” Kincaid spoke for the first time, his voice cracking with emotion. “I don't think we could have lasted another night. Vicious…vicious creatures!”
Kyla shivered. The callused hand on her shoulder drew her closer unconsciously offering the protection of his body.
The lights flashed hypnotically and the group watched in spellbound silence.
Kincaid stared at the lights in the grasslands, and then sighed, “We're safe here. Might as well try to get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be another long day.”
Chapter 10
Kyla managed to get a few hours sleep. She found herself with other early risers in what appeared to be a food dispensary trying out various voice commands with a noticeable lack of success. Both outer sides of the great room’s transparent walls were now open, spilling in the morning’s brilliant sunlight. The men’s dormitory hadn’t made the window connection, and a couple of the children took delight in demonstrating the feature until bodily escorted out.
The dispensary area was nothing much more than a large room filled with primary colored, molded table and chair units enclosed by bare walls. Each of the six chairs spaced around the edge formed part of the tabletop and the bracing to the floor underneath. They were stackable in a large pre-school way, constructed of one continuous piece of molded material. Soon one of the flight crew entered and requested everyone assemble in the main room.
Filled with sunlight and soft, comfortable furnishings the great room was a haven after the past few days. People smiled as they pointed out details to one another. Horror and fear were gone from their eyes. At least for most, a few sat in subdued silence, their demeanor withdrawn. Jenni's red curls stood out in the small sea of bodies and faces; Kyla made her way around couches and clumps of people until she found a seat next to her and the nurse. Huddled against the wall, Jenni appeared even smaller than her normal diminutive stature. Kyla shot a quick glance at Anne.
The woman shook her head slightly and as she did, patted the seat next to her, “Come sit here. How are you feeling? Any problems?” She may have been asking the question of Kyla, but her gaze was on Jenni.
Kyla said as she sat, “Probably the same as everyone else, but nothing bad.”
Anne asked Jenni directly, “And how are your feet?”
“Sore.” It was little more than a whisper and she didn’t look at the nurse. “I can barely stand.”
“Let me look at them. It's going to take a while before we get comfortable here. Things are, for lack of a better term 'unusual' but look on the bright side. We're warm, dry and have a good place to sleep. We've got showers and toilets. And those nasty beasts can't get to us. Things are looking up!”
Kyla watched the experienced nurse in action. With soothing tones and quiet conversation, the woman was gradually drawing out Jenni. The young woman was beginning to respond; a shy smile appeared and the apprehension lurking in her eyes faded.
The flight crew ushered in the last of the people. When everyone found a seat, Kincaid spoke.
“I don't need to tell you just what a godsend this place is. As I'm sure many of you are now aware, it appears the rat creatures tracked us across the valley yesterday. They arrived a couple of hours after dark.”
The volume rose among those assembled; apparently, the word of the animal’s arrival had not filtered through the entire crowd.
The Captain hurried to bring everyone up-to-date, “For those who didn’t hear, last night we observed the rats coming in contact with what we believe is a defensive perimeter. The pillars form a fence. Because it was dark, we couldn't see what exactly happened. But we don't believe any rats made it to this building.” His gaze roved from face to face. “Later today, we will be sending out a team to check out the area.”
“How do we know they're gone? They could still be out there.” The vocal middle-aged woman called out; voice shrill. A few heads bobbed.
Kincaid said, “We’ve never seen them in sunlight, only at dark or twilight, and as you know, there is no cover out there. I can't even begin to imagine where such a large gathering would hide. However, we'll have to be prudent. We'll have to watch and observe everything very carefully.” He paused. “That brings me to today. This building appears to have three different levels; the ground level we came in, this level, and one more above. I would like to divide into four groups, one to each level and a fourth to explore outside and check out the perimeter fence. Each will select a leader, assign tasks and report here at noon. We need to find out anything we can about this building; who built it, food; any number of questions needs answers. We still have no idea what is going on, and we need to use discretion in our actions. Okay, let’s divide into teams and meet back here at noon. I hope we will have managed to find food by then. Any questions?”
An older man quite thin and spare called out, “Sir!” Pain bloomed on his face as he rose to his feet.
“Yes?”
“Some of us are a bit laid up from yesterday. My wife can’t walk.” His hand fluttered at a white haired woman at his side, her feet wrapped in blood-dotted rags. “Does everyone have to be on a team?”
A quiet undertone swept around the room, and more than a few nodded in empathy.
“Those of you who feel physically unable to move around or need to tend children will become Level 2’s. Your responsibility will be this floor. Check to see if we are missing anything on this level. Acceptable?” Vigorous nodding of heads across the room was his answer.
“All of you staying on level two move to the far side, over there. Pick a leader. Oh, and people, try to get some food out of the dispensary thing. It’s a priority.”
Anne, stiffly maneuvering her bulk from the deep seat, pushed herself up. Kyla placed a hand on the older woman’s arm, mutely questioning her friend.
Anne patted Kyla’s her hand, “I’m okay, but I can do more good with them. Someone will have to check blisters and give the massages.” She offered a hand to the other girl. “Jenni, I really don’t think you should be walking much today. I don’t like the looks of your feet. Why don’t you stay and work this area with me.”
With an apologetic glance at Kyla, Jenni rose from the couch. Picking her way slowly on tender feet, she followed the nurse to the other side.
Kincaid, who had been earnestly conversing with other men, ended his conversation as the level two personnel drained away out of the room. He addressed the remaining passengers. “Those of you remaining, count off. One, three, four. Each person assembles at your area. Level four people meet outside the main door. I will unlock it now.”
Methodically moving through the crowd, Kincaid divided them into teams. Kyla found herself part of Level One team. Down the staircase, she stopped at the bottom. Michael flashed a quick smile as he passed, but he didn’t stop to talk as he strode down the corridor and out the front door.
Twenty people were standing at the base of the staircase. Kyla realized she knew none by name but had worked with all of them one time or another. Unfortunately, a couple had already made less than stellar impressions on her. One, in particular, stood out. Beefy, his blondish hair close-cropped, Kyla recognized him as part of the set of men beginning to hang around Sanders.
“Hey people, we hav'ta get organized. Listen up, will ya. Okay, better. We need to appoint a leader like Kincaid said. Any nominations?”
The slim man with the raspberry birthmark shrugged, “You’re doing the talking, why not you!”
The blond man stood straighter and spoke louder, a wide grin on his face. “If no one has any objections, okay! My name is Cliff…uh, Cliff Myers. Now as to our job. Piece of cake! We've got three sections, the hall on each side of the front door and the hallways behind the staircase. Not a door in sight but we might as well check them over just to make ol' Kincaid happy. My guess is like…this whole area here is foundation work for the upstairs, y'know—balance. This is one weird building. Anyway, you women can take the front hallway. That shouldn't be too hard for ya to deal with.”
He smiled at a couple of women in the forefront, one in particular. Kyla noticed he pointedly focused on her bust line. When the woman flushed and crossed her arms, he grinned.
“And, I’ll take the men to the back section. Go on back upstairs when ya want. Spread out everyone.”
Dumbfounded, Kyla watched Cliff Myers saunter away, several men trailing behind. Annoyed by his dismissive attitude, she walked toward the main doors. Halfway down the hall, she leaned against the wall, waiting.
A black woman walked down the hallway toward her, speaking as she came close to Kyla. “Can you believe him? What a jerk.” She made no attempt to lower her voice. Pushing an errant strand of tightly braided hair out of her view, she held out a hand.
“Tanisha. Tanisha Sawyer.”
“Kyla Anderson.”
“I believe the correct terminology to use in this instance would be ‘Asshole' rather than ‘Jerk’.” Both the women laughed as a third woman joined them. Thin, her dark hair pulled severely back, she held herself in a quiet authoritarian manner, but the glint of laughter in her eyes gave lie to it.
“Actually I can think of at least two more very descriptive terms which would suffice, but I was taught a lady never said them aloud. And I was raised to be a lady!”
Two more women added to their numbers within a few minutes, but the rest of the people quit the level apparently viewing it as a waste of time. The introductions were straightforward and short. Kyla knew she might have trouble later remembering names; so she concentrated on putting names and faces together. Marianne Cavelli, the thin, dark woman was an accountant; Tanisha Sawyer, black, a paralegal aide, Carolyn was Joe Devlin’s wife—Kyla remembered her from the beach. Suzanne ‘Suzie’ Blanda, long, blond hair braided, was a production assistant with the film crew.
“I hate to say this, but perhaps he’s got a point. I can’t see anything down here.” Suzie said hesitatingly, as she looked to each side.
“It's entirely possible there's nothing here, but at least we'll have the satisfaction of knowing we checked,” Tanisha stated firmly. “Nothing pisses me off more than a half-assed job.”
Marianne threw a look over her shoulder as the men disappeared out of sight in the corridor behind the staircase. “Do we work as a group or split in two and work both sides of the hall at the same time?”
“I vote for splitting. We can swap sides for second opinions later.” Carolyn offered.
“Sounds reasonable. Anybody have a problem?”
“Even and odd count, Even - right side from door, Odd - left side from door.”
Kyla paired with Tanisha. The woman's voice was smooth, firm, and her demeanor down to earth. When she smiled, her whole being lit up with warmth that engulfed the onlooker. Pleased to be paired with this confident, self-assured woman Kyla shyly followed her down the passage. Together they moved to the end of the hall and stopped at the first wall section on the left beyond the door. They tested the panel feeling for buttons or switches and pressed fingers along strips joining segments. Periodically speaking “OPEN,” the segment remained frustratingly closed.
“Find anything?” Tanisha finished working her way the length of the panel to Kyla.
“Nothing.”
“On to the next.”
One by one, each twelve-foot wall section was treated to the same scrutiny. Kyla was just about to move to the last one when a glance at her co-worker stopped her.
“What is it?” Kyla peered over her shoulder.
Tanisha’s fingers traced and pointed out the thin joining seam. “I can feel the air blowing through. How about your side?”
Kyla licked a finger and held it close to the crack on her side. Just above the junction, a faint coolness touched her fingertips.
“Ladies!” The echoing summons brought all five women together in front of the panel. Three more sets of hands and ideas came into play. The draft ran the full length of the floor as well as the two vertical sides. They trooped outside and stepped off the dimensions both inside and outside. A room or set of rooms lay behind those walls! There was too much hidden space to be anything else. No other panel on the left side gave the same air current. However, on the right, the second panel closest to the staircase had the same draft. There was a second hidden room!
They sat on the floor brainstorming various ideas of how to open the door. None of the command words worked. The flat panel remained stubbornly and firmly in place. Occasionally the sound of men's laughter echoed down the hallway, but no one bothered to check on them. Now voices approached as Cliff and those still remaining with him rounded the bottom corner of the staircase.
Tanisha quickly whispered to the women, “Not a word!”
The man smiled toothily at sight of the seated women in the hallway, and he stopped. “Not having any luck, huh? Didn't think ya would. Shoot, any fool can see there's nothing there.”
Kyla was in a position to catch the flash in her eyes just before Tanisha asked Cliff in a honeyed voice, “Did you have better luck than us? Find anything?”
“Hell, no. Like I said solid walls—foundation stuff. Anyway, hope ya didn't work too hard. Wouldn't want to be accused of tiring you ladies out. Of course, there's other ways to do that!” Smirking, he waved an exaggerated goodbye and headed up the staircase.
When all the legs on the staircase were out of view, Tanisha turned to Marianne. “You called it right, lady. He needs to be put down and put down hard.”
With a dismissive sniff, Marianne leaned back against the wall. Unconsciously her fingers tapped on the floor.
Carolyn Devlin cleared her throat. At everyone's curious glance and with some urging, she shyly offered, “It's a thought, probably stupid. But what do you do when you want to go into a room? You knock, don't you? Like this?” The woman rapped three times.
The whole panel shot skyward, and artificial illumination flooded the space with light.
The women peered into the once concealed room. A small foyer with a set of opaque doors opposite swung open on command revealing a second and larger room. Four contoured couches banked on one wall, nosed into recessed niches. The walls were bare, but as they had just proved, the walls might conceal anything. White light radiated from the ceiling and the floor. The second set of doors opened on an identically sized room, but here a nightmarish set of mechanical arms hung from the ceiling, positioned over a flat, straight table underneath. The women viewed the deadly looking apparatus with some trepidation.
Suddenly Suzie giggled, “I think it's an operating table. You know, a medical center. I've worked on Sci-Fi productions before, and this looks like one of those sets.”
Once Suzie spoke, the room did lose its ominous aspect. Eagerly the women examined the space. One wall was full of small drawers and cupboards. Opened at random, the women found empty containers, dressings and a few small, simple instruments, everything confirming Suzie’s guess.
“Anne is going to love this place!” Kyla breathed as she mentally inventoried the interior. “This’s fantastic! All she has are a few aspirin. I can’t wait to tell her. She’ll have this figured out in no time. I’ll go get her!”
“Whoa! Slow down. Remember we've got another door to open.” Marianne countered. “Let's not rush things. We need to check out the other spot. After that, we’ll decide what to do.”
They ran down the corridor to the second suspect panel. Tanisha knocked on the wall. The unit obliged her by disappearing soundlessly into the recess above. A bare assembly room lay before them. Rows of benches faced a platform. The hard, metallic seats were fixed in place, as was the small, step-up platform. The room felt like an empty shell, stark and barren. They tried to create windows on the outer walls, but the walls just remained solid and unassuming.
Marianne, posing theatrically on the stage, spoke, “You must be wondering why I’ve called you all together.” Laughing she stepped down, “This is positively anti-climactic after the other room. We should have found this one first. Oh well, let’s think positively. Anything we find will help embarrass Cliff.”
HELP IS AVAILABLE FOR MANY SUBJECTS. IN WHAT SUBJECT DO YOU REQUIRE HELP?
The artificial voice filled the chamber, its sound reverberating through the emptiness.
Startled, Kyla bolted from the platform dashing back up the aisle. She wasn't the only one. Her hearing registered a couple of shrieks and vigorous swearing from someone beside her. Her heart pounding, Kyla turned to face the wall. The spoken words, centered in the middle of the panel, displayed themselves in black, five-inch high block letters in English showing crisply against the white wall. Kyla glared first at the offending panel then at the other women, waiting for someone to take the lead.
Marianne was the first with enough composure to address the ersatz wall, “Who are you?”
No response.
“What are you?”
THIS UNIT IS A COMPUTER.
“What is your purpose?”
THIS UNIT WILL PROVIDE KNOWLEDGE UPON DEMAND FOR HUMAN INHABITANTS.
