112 lines
5.3 KiB
Plaintext
112 lines
5.3 KiB
Plaintext
We had been waiting for some time, 32 shifts from green to red had
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passed by on the blur of light at my feet. Might have been half an
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hour, or an hour, but it felt like a week. Cranium was meditating,
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loudly. Two tiny Mr Swarms were playing catch with a mote they
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found on the floor, the large Mr Swarm idly watching. Hex was
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brushing her hands across the walls, mumbling to herself.
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"Oh!", she blurted as the floor rose under her heel.
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"My condolences, I misinterpreted your perambulations." a small
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form bowed and continued, "Your quarters have been finalized, they
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shall be more than satisfactory. Come."
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We followed our guide around a corner to a large circular room with
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4 doors spaced evenly around it. Behind each door laid a nearly
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triangular room that terminated in a large curved wall, glowing a
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calming amber color like firelight. A long low bench, about 4 feet
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wide, ran along one wall, a portion at the end held a thick
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mattress below it was a folded stack of various bedding. The other
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wall contained a long counter, with a small sink near the door.
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There appeared to be a small selection of books on the far end.
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"Please, refresh yourselves. If you wish you can inform yourselves
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with the materials we've left in your quarters. When you are ready,
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meet here in the central hall." our guide continued, "We are
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anxious to begin our conversation, please notify that you are
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prepared with the device on the table." Our guide flattened into
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the floor, and small table and 4 benches arose out of it, on top
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was a large button-like object.
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We adjourned to our temporary quarters. I found a towel near the
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bedding and spun it experimentally, then tried the sink.
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It turned on the moment I stuck my towel under the faucet. A clear
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liquid was familiarly pouring out of it. It only made towel wet,
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and didn't seem to have any negative effects on my gloves. I gave
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the towel another twist and snapped it in the air.
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What appeared to be books were a collection of tablets, each marked
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with a number of angles in ascending order. I picked up the last
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one, there was a nearly formed 7-pointed star on the edge. I
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flipped it over in my hands the same motif appeared on each face.
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I went to hold it up to the light, but the moment my second hand
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touched it a blur of light flashed before my eyes, and I was
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outside in the wasteland. Startled, I dropped it and found myself
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still standing in my room.
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I walked out into our lobby, and checked the other doors - everyone
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seemed to be consumed by their tablets, so I returned to my room and
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grabbed the one marked with only one line on the edge. Instantly
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I was standing outside, before whatever catastrophe we saw on the
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surface of the planet ever began. The sky was the same blue/purple,
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dotted with high whisks of clouds. The sun shown a pale red, making
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the freckles on my arms appear black. I looked down, and found
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myself wearing a red Tommy Bahama and linen slacks. We were on the
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light side of the planet, near a lake, surrounded by short squat
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trees.
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"Welcome to Nalmyke, 46 Billion years ago..." a narration began. I
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put down the tablet and picked up the second one. "The Glodan
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Empire reigned from 2900 to 1700 years ago. Their power extended
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from the Afram Sea to the Frozen Spires of Durklunt..."
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Miles below my feet was a large ocean, The world spun across
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hills and valleys, simple trade routes, lakes dotted with tiny
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ships, and finally across the horizon where frozen cliffs touched
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the sky in perpetual darkness. A lone track led into some sort of
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fortification built into the cliffs face.
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"...Glodians power also came from their ability to sycrentize with
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other cultures, their own culture fascinated with the art and
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socio-political theories set forth by the Flalo people before them,
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who also desired to seek out new arts, technologies, and advances
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to society." Onyx busts of kings and great thinkers whirred past me
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in space like I was supposed to recognize them. I set the tablet
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down and walked back into the lobby.
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"You can take off that mask, already" Hex said, balancing her
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athame on her finger. "The water in the sinks has a bit of sulphur
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in it, but it's fresh."
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I pulled off my mask and wrestled it into its compartment on my
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back. The air was heavy, and pleasantly earthy.
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"The others still immersed in history?"
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"Yup."
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"Find anything out?"
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"You didn't finish either?" Hex didn't wait for my response. "I
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skipped around. From what I can tell, they co-evolved with our
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ancestors. Built several great civilizations before being attacked
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by aliens and uniting as one people with the aid of another group
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of aliens. Unfortunately, by this time most of the surface was
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uninhabitable, and the atmosphere was badly damaged, so a lot of
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them left with the latter group... Oh, and I'm pretty sure we're
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in some sort of government bunker."
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I wondered if they were listening to us right now.
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"Not right now, no, they're still close though, I can still sense
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them." Hex rolled her head, and slowly opened her eyes. I never
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liked her or Cranium using their powers on me, but I guess if you
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can read minds you might as well do it. I knocked on the 2 closed
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doors, no reply. I sat across from Hex and noticed she had done one
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of her Tarot spreads.
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"Don't mind the Death card there - it symbolizes the end of one
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thing, and the beginning of another."
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