Iain Pears - Arcadia

‘Lying for Oldmanter already? Will you do that?’

‘Yes. I must.’

‘Do you realise how dangerous using that machine could be? Does Oldmanter?’

‘I know nothing. You tell me it is dangerous, Oldmanter is sure it is not. As he is the most successful person on the planet, then his opinion is likely to prevail. Emily told me she knows what she’s doing.’

‘Did she indeed?’ Hanslip’s eyes narrowed as he thought. Then his face cleared and became almost contented. He nodded to himself and almost smiled. ‘Yes. Maybe she does. She’s her mother’s daughter, after all. I told you that Angela was a ruthless woman. Would you tell Emily that I understand what she is doing, and wish her luck? Also that she can count on me.’

‘If you wish.’

‘Thank you, Mr More. I appreciate your kindness in coming to visit me. Good luck to you, as well. You will need it more than any of us, I think.’

That evening Jack, with three armed soldiers, got Emily from the enclosure once more and walked her along the corridors into the open air. He led her through, then ordered the guards, ‘Keep far away. Within eyesight, as I suppose you must, but in the background, please.’

‘A man of authority,’ she commented as the guards dutifully fell back and allowed them to head down to the shore unaccompanied.

‘That’s me. They’re all right, those three. They don’t really care what happens as long as they don’t get into trouble.’

‘Like most people.’

‘I suppose.’

They walked along in silence for a while, Emily absorbing the fresh air. ‘It’s empty up here. I like it.’

‘Good. You will be getting to know it quite well.’

‘Why?’

‘It’s your destination,’ he said simply. ‘They’ve decided it is too expensive to move you geographically. So whenever you arrive, it will be exactly at the point where you left. On this island, in fact. You’ll have to make your own way after that.’

‘How many of us will go?’

‘Just you, to start off with. I’m afraid they intend to use you as an experiment, to see if it works. If you think about it, it shows they are taking it seriously. They want to do it properly.’

‘That’s unfortunate. When will the rest follow?’

‘You are asking the wrong person. I am only a security officer, remember.’

‘Then I must hope he will keep his word.’

‘He will, I think. In his odd way it is important to him. But it’s not too late to change your mind if you have any doubts.’

‘I might, if I could think of anything better. What date am I going to?’

‘I’ve no idea.’

‘Have you seen Hanslip?’

‘I have. He does not wish to go. He also said that he understands what you are doing and wishes you luck. And that you can count on him. What does that mean?’

‘Are they going to kill him?’

‘Yes.’

‘Then it means that he has grasped that it doesn’t matter if they do or not. He is going to die anyway if he doesn’t come with me. Why don’t you come instead?’

‘You must be joking.’

‘I really do know what I’m doing.’

He eyed her curiously, trying to understand what she was saying.

‘Won’t you trust me?’ she added. ‘It’s important. I cannot tell you why.’

He hesitated, then shook his head. ‘No,’ he said. ‘You’re a renegade. I don’t share your opinions or values, even if I do not object to them as much as most people do. Besides, everything I want is here. I am secure, I have proper privileges for the first time in my life. I have a place and a value. I know that doesn’t mean much to you, but it is all I want.’

She nodded. ‘I suppose. Still, I tried. Let’s go back.’

Jack had seen it all before, but while the transmission of Alex Chang had been low-key and without ceremony, this time it was done with considerable fanfare. It was recorded, for one thing, so that in due course Oldmanter could present his discovery to an awed world in a suitably spectacular fashion. He even allowed himself to be filmed, for the first time in decades, so important was it to his power and reputation.

They were also using the new machine, unfinished when Angela fled but now completed and equipped with sensors to give a much better idea of where the subjects landed. It was in a large room, dramatically lit and prepared. A suitable hush attended the technicians, hunched over their instruments and concentrating hard, the very picture of technocratic excellence. The volunteer was led in and received a round of applause as she mounted the podium. No one said she was a renegade; rather she had been given the profile of a heroic explorer, a pioneer wishing to better humanity. The child of distinguished scientists ready, yet again, to demonstrate the devotion of her calling to the betterment of mankind. She sat down, nodded to say she was ready, and the magnetic field was raised, trapping her inside.

The cameras focused lovingly on her face until it disappeared into the blue darkness; pretty, fresh and uncomplicated, everything the viewers would like to look at.

Then the room itself darkened until only the blue light could be seen, pulsating rhythmically. Ordinarily the transmission was instantaneous; one moment the subject was there, the next it was gone. This wasn’t good enough; the publicity department had insisted on something more visual and dramatic. Can’t you keep it going for longer? We need a sense of journey, and what you’ve got is about as exciting as switching off a light bulb.

It could be done, but only by keeping the volunteer in a state of artificial non-existence for that time. As long as the power was running through the system, she would be kept in limbo; they could add in lighting effects, cut to anxious looks on the faces of technicians, have a commentary building up to the moment when the power shut down and the traveller — presumably — exited at her destination. The lights would come on to reveal the now completely empty podium. It still wouldn’t look much, but it was better than nothing. Eventually it had been arranged. The transmission would be dragged out as required. They didn’t tell Emily about this, in case she worried. The producers needed her to smile.

Oldmanter watched from the side; he had set it all in motion and was more than happy to leave the technical operation to others. When the theatricals began, he became impatient and walked to the room down the corridor containing the smaller, older machine, the one used in the days of Hanslip. On the transmission pad was nothing but a black metal sphere, about two feet across. Jack went with him; he was instructed to make sure no one else came in.

‘I thought you might like to see this,’ Oldmanter said as they walked in. ‘It is the more serious experiment taking place today.’

‘What was that down the corridor?’

‘A little publicity. Sending one girl isn’t going to accomplish anything. But she looked good and will tug at people’s heartstrings.’

‘So what’s this, then?’

‘This, Mr More, is a nuclear bomb. You can have no idea how difficult it was to get hold of it. They are very well guarded, as you can imagine. It’s small, but unfortunately that is the maximum density this device can cope with. Sending metal of any sort requires gigantic amounts of energy. The world, I’m afraid, is about to suffer another major power failure.’ He turned to Jack with a smile. ‘These terrorists, eh? There’s no limit to their audacity.’

‘What are you going to do with it? What’s the point?’

Oldmanter smiled. ‘We are going to clear a world for colonisation. Might as well get started to test the practicality.’

‘With one bomb?’

‘Just one. We can rely on the inhabitants to do the rest for us. It’s cheaper, you see. Otherwise we have to go back further and that is more expensive.’