James Scotson - Planets Falling

The thrum coalesces and then we hear an artificial voice. “Hello?”

Theo leaps. “Gorian, this is wrong. What’re you thinking, bringing another one of those things to life?”

The voice responds. “Gorian, thank you for reviving me. My chronometer tells me that I’ve been deactivated for more than a thousand years. Is this true?”

Gorian bites her thumbnail, looking guilty. “Well, yes. I couldn’t resist talking with you. Do you know what happened?”

“My power source became disconnected. I was operational on low power for nearly a century but eventually powered down. This was called Yosemite Resort. My keepers left and never returned.”

Gorian looks at us. “See, this unit’s quite harmless. Let’s explore whether it has any security options for the lodge.”

“Please call me Sam,” the human machine interface responds. “My primary protocol was service and outside communications. I can see that most of my conduits are degraded beyond repair. I do have some rudimentary security systems. I can shutter the windows and detect intruders.”

Theo chimes in. “Um, Sam? Can you still do those things?”

With a loud clacking throughout the building, all the windows and doorways become encased in metal. “Apparently, I can.”

Gorian rubs her belly. “Sam, please provide me with a list of your functions on my computer here. I’d like to see what kinds of tricks you might still have. Most importantly, can you synthesize vanilla ice cream?”

“Yes, I still have that capacity.”

“What about nauron food?”

“What is a nauron?”

“The slimy critter here in the corner. Here, let me send you the molecular composition of his food.”

Sam’s silent for a while. “Yes, I have the capacity to make this material.”

Gorian claps. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get our Iggy back.”

Within a day, we’re unsure how we lived without Sam. He’s so different than Troll — he only does what we tell him to do and is quite limited. However, he’s improved our options and most importantly, revived Iggy. The he-she nauron consumes gallons of green slime, his strength intensifying with every slurp. Gorian, with Sam’s help, manages to get warm water running through the pipes. I soak in a bath for an hour, my feet turning to dried grapes.

Bets seems relaxed if not happier. She’s working closely with Gorian and Iggy to set the charges throughout the perimeter. To our joy, Sam’s surveillance system functions, with the exception of the south section of the property. Theo’s agreed to take the first watch there. Hopefully, we’ll be able to repair that section and avoid having to crouch in the cold during all hours.

Two months pass without a sign of the dead soldiers that Thresh promised us. Gorian’s expanded, her small frame horribly unbalanced. With coaching from Iggy, Theo’s repaired the damaged security perimeter. Sam tells us when the smallest mouse breaches any part of the grounds. With each day, we’re more optimistic that Etch, Grey, and the others will appear in the sky and sweep us away. Hope’s a powerful but often misleading concoction, so we’re resolved to keep our guard.

The nights are hard for me. I simply don’t want to sleep and face Thresh again. I doubt that Etch would try to contact me again, although I know that my companions desperately want news of the sunken Fuerst. I want to see Fromer the most. His insight into our plight would be most welcome and I’d like to know whether Wenn and father are still well. Strangely, my thoughts of Wenn are fading, although I think about Eliza constantly. I see father most clearly as the young man who used to carry me on his shoulders. The old man who disappeared that awful night is a ghost to me.

One evening, I’m wandering the empty, dimly lit corridors of the lodge feeling quite lonely. I’ve explored every dusty and cobwebbed room of the building and have found no place that gives me solace. I hear someone behind me and swing around.

“Hi Sprouter.”

“Theo, it’s been a while since you’ve snuck up on me. It seems like years since we had a normal life in the village.”

“Amy, I have a confession. I’ve been having the worst feelings lately — like we’re not gonna make it.”

“What?” I’m genuinely surprised. “This is my bright, optimistic Theo talking here. Why are you so worried?”

“Bad dreams and feeling, wrong. Mind you, we’re ready for those bastards. But it’s like that Thresh woman and her horror show has gotten to me, you know?” He puts his hands on my shoulders. They’re too warm and my heart’s pounding. His eyes are so sad. Before I know it, I’m kissing him hard. He grabs my hair and pushes me back against the wall. I want this with all my being but I know it’s wrong. If only I could banish Wenn from my mind. I push away.

“No, Theo, we can’t.”

His face is flushed and hair tangled. “But—”

“Wenn’s your brother — closer than blood. If he’s alive, neither of us will be able to forgive ourselves.”

Theo touches my cheek and sulks down the corridor.

When I return to the main room, the fire’s blazing and everyone is bundled up in their bed rolls, including Theo.

I don’t sleep the entire night. Eventually, my companions rise, settling into their routines. Theo awakes cheerful, whistling as he goes outside to gather snow for tea. There’s no sign of the troubled boy I saw last night. He glances at me and smiles. “Hi Sprouter.” I’m puzzled and slightly annoyed.

Bets returns mid morning with a turkey, a rare find. We’re delighted about augmenting Sam’s menu. The food he produces from our waste, tree limbs, and sawdust is edible and nutritious, but not particularly palatable. The food synthesizer lost something while sleeping for centuries. I’m plucking the bird when Sam announces that two rabbits are at the perimeter. “Thanks Sam, no need to tell us anymore.”

“Amy, it is best that I keep watch. Three more rabbits and a fox have arrived. They are as cold as the snow, emitting no body heat.”

“Sam, now you’ve got my attention.”

I call the others and we peer out the window. There are twenty small animals on the north woodline of the lodge. They’re acting like the bear, gimping through the deep snow and leaving trails of brown tracks behind them.

“Holy shit.” Gorian grabs her tablet.

“You’re not planning to set the charges are you?” Bets places her hand over Gorian’s screen.

“Nope. But I’m preparing. If their friends arrive, we need to be ready.”

More animals have gathered, including raccoons, squirrels, and a few wild dogs. The dogs bother me. My gut squirms at the thought of my mauled mother. The dead creatures mill haphazardly about, surrounding the lodge. I swallow hard. “They’re scouting out the location. Thresh is on her way.”

I concentrate, searching for my faithful caribou or other woodland creatures willing to take me in. My mind’s blank, except at its periphery, where I feel Thresh’s familiar, frenetic vibe. If I can sense her, she’s close and may be able to reciprocate. While we watch the animals pace back and forth, I wonder why Thresh can’t possess me the way I can occupy her. Perhaps she can and hasn’t discovered that talent yet. Gods help us if she does.

Late afternoon arrives and the shadows grow. The animals are obscured by the dark trees. Gorian tells Sam to hit the lights, and the exterior of the lodge shines, bright as day. The animals are visible once again, seeming unconcerned by the brilliant light. The snow’s muddied by their slime.

Sam declares, “I’ve detected three human figures with no apparent body heat at the east perimeter.” We cringe. Theo and Bets run to the east window and crack it open, rifles extended. Three shots crackle through the air. Sam confirms. “The figures are motionless and have been eliminated.”