2041 Sanctuary (Genesis) (39 page)

Goodwin heard someone approach across the pebbly beach and he opened his eyes.

Kara Vandervoort walked towards him and sat down by his side to gaze out across the lake and the strange barren landscape of the massive three mile high chamber that had become their world.

Neither of them spoke for a while, each absorbed in the contemplation of their own thoughts, until Kara decided to break the silence.

‘It’s strange, don’t you think?’

‘What is?’

‘All this.’ She gestured towards the blue skies and the dazzling light. ‘It’s very similar to our sunlight generators back at Steadfast.’

‘It’s better than Steadfast’s systems, much better. It almost looks like the real thing.’ He thought for a moment longer. ‘And why is that strange, anyway?’

She gave him an odd look. ‘Because this could be a million years old, that’s why.’

‘Perhaps it’s the optimal design. Isn’t there a case where two completely different species turned out looking like the same thing, a hedgehog and something else?’

‘An echidna, yes. There are many more examples, too. The process is called convergence, or convergent evolution. It’s where life comes up with the same environmental solution from different start points.’

‘So if evolution can produce two animals with similar, or near identical, traits over millions, even billions of years, surely two closely related species, Humans and Anakim, can come up with the same solution to the same problem?’

‘Maybe,’ Kara said.

‘What other explanation is there?’

‘The one that’s staring us in the face.’

‘Which is?’

‘What if our versions come from theirs?’

‘You think we reverse engineered them from Anakim technology?’

‘Why not?’

Goodwin looked up at the sky again. It was an interesting theory.

In the distance a rumble of thunder echoed through the chamber and the haze of rain could be seen falling from a smattering of clouds.

‘It’s beautiful, though, isn’t it?’ she said, looking up.

‘Magnificent, I only wish … all of us, could have been here to see it.’

Kara placed her hand on his. ‘You can’t save everyone.’

‘I can’t stop wondering …’

‘What?’ She glanced at him.

‘Did they suffer when they died? Or did the crystal shield them from any pain?’

‘Don’t torment yourself. You did what you could, no one could ask more.’

Goodwin stared at the lake, its cold waters turned blue in reflection of the artificial skies above.
Did I do what I could?
he asked himself.
Did I do enough? Could I have done more? I should never have involved Rebecca. That was my first mistake … the first of many.

The buzz of insects interrupted the flow of his thoughts and he paused to watch the tiny winged creatures dance across the ground like a miniature aerobatic display. It was odd to think such an innocuous sight had become so enchanting because of its absence. Life in Sanctuary’s depths, with the exclusion of the lake itself, was – or should that be,
had been
– a rare commodity indeed.

‘Your theory that Sanctuary’s atmosphere was created by a large ecosystem turned out to be true,’ Goodwin said.

‘It’s ironic.’ She sighed. ‘It was right under our noses all along and we didn’t even know.’

Goodwin nodded. ‘Captain Winter said there’s a whole other world down there. It must have been sealed for thousands of years, maybe hundreds of thousands.’

‘Do they know how big it is?’

‘Hilt’s already sent two recon teams down to take a look. They’re also keeping an eye on Terra Force as they retreat back to their base.’

‘Has he mentioned the lights?’

Goodwin gestured at three figures approaching from the south. ‘You can ask him yourself.’

Kara turned to look, her expression full of mixed emotion. ‘The Commander,’ she said, hesitating, ‘Hilt … has requested that you be reinstated as camp leader.’

Goodwin refrained from saying anything at first. He knew she was proud of how she’d been coping with the tribulations of being in charge and he felt no ill will toward her that she’d seen fit to dethrone him during his struggles. With hindsight he’d have probably done the same thing.
I was out of control, I can see that now. Although
, he thought,
sometimes extreme circumstances called for extreme action
.

‘What did you say?’ he said, keeping his tone neutral.

‘I said it was a good idea.’

‘You did?’

‘Now that things have calmed down and we’re not looking over our shoulders to see what’s lurking in the dark, it’s for the best. I think your mood has already lifted and that whatever else was going on has run its course.’

Goodwin grunted in response and Kara gave him a questioning look as they got to their feet.

Hilt and Captain Winter came to a halt in front of them.

‘Commander,’ Goodwin said, ‘Captain.’ He peered round Hilt’s armoured form to spy Susan hiding in the Darklight leader’s shadow. He gave her a wave and she ducked out of sight.

‘She’s taken quite a shine to you, Commander,’ Kara said, her expression wary.

Hilt glanced behind him. ‘It appears so.’

‘Her carer,’ – Kara moved to keep Susan in her sights – ‘Julie, is worried she might still be dangerous.’

‘She has never been dangerous,’ Hilt said. ‘The creature that was attracted to her was.’

‘But you can see her point,’ Kara said, frowning.

Hilt said nothing. What could he say? No one knew what would happen next and they couldn’t just abandon the poor girl because some
thing
had formed an attachment to her.

Goodwin saw an altercation brewing and he attempted to avert it. ‘Has there been any sign of the Pharos?’

‘None so far,’ Captain Winter said, ‘although now we have light they might be harder to spot.’

‘Can we track them?’

‘This is their domain,’ Hilt told him. ‘They’ll only be found if they want to be found.’

‘But there’s still a strong possibility they all died in the lake,’ – Kara looked from Goodwin to Hilt and back again – ‘isn’t there?’

Goodwin swapped looks with the Darklight commander. ‘It’s possible—’

‘But unlikely,’ Hilt said. ‘There are three of these entities, these Pharos, that we know of. Even if they perished in the lake, there could be others.’

Goodwin gazed at the water, which suddenly seemed more ominous than before. ‘They could still be alive down there,’ he said, ‘watching.’

Kara shuddered.

Captain Winter put a hand to his Darklight helmet and his eyes went distant as he listened to an incoming message. ‘Ma’am,’ he said, looking at Kara, ‘you’re needed back at camp, something about burial pits.’

Kara’s face grew grim and she made to leave. ‘Gentleman,’ she said to the two black-garbed soldiers. She turned to Goodwin. ‘I’ll see you later?’

‘Sure.’

She flashed him a tired smile and then strode away.

‘Escort the doctor back,’ Hilt said to Winter as they watched her go, ‘there’re roving patrols, but let’s not take any chances.’

The captain saluted his commander, gave Goodwin a nod, and then jogged off in pursuit.

Goodwin waited until Kara and her chaperone were out of sight before turning back to Hilt. ‘Do we have many injured?’

‘We do, casualties were high on both sides. The bigger problem is what we do with the enemy injured.’

‘Terra Force aren’t our enemy,’ Goodwin said, ‘nor are those in the base, perhaps with the exception of Malcolm Joiner and those under his control.’

‘Do I need to point out the contradiction in that statement?’ Hilt said.

‘You know what I mean; those soldiers are just following orders. It’s the people at the top who are the real threat.’

‘If someone shoots at me, they’re my enemy,’ Hilt said, ‘until they prove otherwise.’

Goodwin didn’t argue. Hilt sometimes saw things in black and white.
And perhaps that’s how it needs to be for a man who shoulders the burden of both protecting and taking life. In war, hesitation would get you killed ten times over
. His mind wandered and he recalled something the Darklight leader had said previously.

‘I’ve been meaning to ask you,’ Goodwin said, ‘what did you mean before when you said you lived up to half your promise, but not in the way I thought?’

Hilt held his gaze, his expression as enigmatic as usual.

‘You secured the Deep Reach maps,’ Goodwin said, ‘and you returned Susan to us.’

‘Did I?’ Hilt said.

‘Yes, you said it yourself, you got the maps to the base from Sarah’s Deep Reach helmet,’ – Goodwin looked at Susan, who sat on the ground playing with pebbles – ‘and unless she’s a figment of my imagination, you found Susan and brought her safely back, too.’

‘Except Susan was already here by the time I arrived,’ Hilt said.

‘But you found her, didn’t you?’

‘We found something.’

Goodwin felt a tingle of unease spread up his spine. ‘She’s not something; she’s right there, flesh and bone. It’s Susan. Look.’

The small woman looked up at the mention of her name before going back to her game of stones.

‘From what I’ve heard and seen,’ Hilt said, ‘I’m not certain of anything anymore.’

‘I know that look,’ Goodwin said, ‘there’s something you’re not telling me, isn’t there? Something happened while you were down there, something you’ve kept to yourself.’

Hilt stayed silent for a moment as he gathered his thoughts. ‘We tracked the creature for many days,’ he said, staring out at the lake’s idle waters, ‘and it wasn’t until the sixth that we caught our first sight of Susan.’

‘Go on,’ Goodwin said when Hilt paused.

‘Before that time,’ the commander continued, ‘I feared she was already long dead and that the mission was a seek and kill. As far as I was concerned stopping the creature was my priority. I couldn’t allow it to get back to camp under any circumstances.’

‘But you changed your mind?’

‘When we saw Susan with the entity, yes. Knowing she was alive changed everything, but when some of my team started to experience vivid dreams – powerful, mind-altering dreams – I began to suspect they were linked to her, somehow. Every time she showed up the more we were affected.’

‘Linked?’ Goodwin frowned. ‘Their nightmares, were linked to Susan?’

‘Night terrors would be more accurate, violent night terrors.’

‘And you experienced these terrors?’

‘To a degree, but mine were nothing compared to others.’

‘What happened?’

‘One night we caught Susan amongst us when we were asleep,’ Hilt said. ‘She was touching people’s temples. When someone sounded the alarm she turned rabid, like an animal. At the same time the creature probed our defences, drawing our attention elsewhere, and she made her escape. The same night, the man she’d touched last shot himself in the head.’

‘What?’ Goodwin said, horrified.

‘Quite, but that was after he’d scrawled a message in the ground for us to read.’

‘What did it say?’

Hilt detached a screen device from his armour, unfurled it and held it out to him.

Goodwin looked at the image and saw five words inscribed in dark earth, soaked in blood:

Goodwin studied the photo, trying to make sense of the senseless. ‘What does it mean?’

‘Scroll to the next image,’ Hilt said. ‘We found this scratched into a wall the next morning.’

Goodwin did as he was bid, and found a second message, which read:

Goodwin’s disquiet deepened. ‘Who knows who’s where?’

Hilt retrieved the screen to study the message again.

‘Is the “
we’re
” us?’ Goodwin said. ‘And the “
here
”
Sanctuary?’

‘It seems the logical conclusion.’

‘Then who is the “
they
”?’

Hilt looked at him. ‘That’s the million dollar question.’

‘Does it mean the Pharos?’

‘Perhaps.’

‘Or Terra Force, S.I.L.V.E.R. … Joiner even?’

Hilt’s expression showed his doubt at such reasoning.

‘If not them,’ Goodwin said, ‘then who?’

‘Whoever, or whatever, “
they
” may be, the first part of the first message is perhaps the most troubling.’