Песах Амнуэль - Zion's Fiction - A Treasury of Israeli Speculative Literature

“No.” Shir got to his feet, dragging me with him.

“And that’s why the aliens are coming. They want to complement their space-warp fields with time-warp as well.” Nuphar smoothed her robe using both hands.

“But information travels at the speed of light.” I folded my hands on my chest. “Your instructions could have spread out for two hundred light-years at the most.”

Nuphar mimicked me, crossing her hands over her chest. “Our instructions were warped by the field, and the fields are in synch everywhere, everywhen.”

There was silence in the room. I heard the sharp, rugged breathing of the crowned woman. A roomful of people, all of whom comprehended this faster than I did.

“Once the Founding Fathers set up the original field, it warped space. Not just time.” Nuphar lowered her voice, as the room was completely quiet now. “I am so sorry.” She sniveled. “But what happened was that areas of space became warped all across the Universe, broadcasting our instructions further and further.”

“And they are coming here looking for more know-how?” I closed my eyes. More and more invasions? Forever?

“Just a moment!” Shir snapped his fingers. “If all fields are in synch….”

Nuphar nodded. “Destroying any one of them will suffice to destroy them all.”

“But we keep destroying them!” I nearly shouted.

Nuphar shook her head. “We are still here.” She moved a tuft of hair behind her ears. “So long as the original field is here, those fields can’t be destroyed.”

I was trembling.

Nuphar addressed the crowd. “Those aliens won’t stop, for as long as their warp fields work. They won’t stop trying to get the know-how we have here. We know how science can be used for destruction. It is our duty to make sure this won’t happen ever again.”

People were wiping their eyes. The crowned one buried her face in her hands. Nuphar looked at us. “Does Earth have the resources to support two thousand four hundred thirty-five human beings?”

We nodded as one.

Nuphar nodded in reply. She turned to address the crowd again. “I propose a declaration: Mission accomplished, immediate evacuation.” She fell quiet then.

There was a moment of alarming silence, then the white-robed man stood up. He said nothing. He just stood there, looking at Nuphar. The woman beside him stood up, and two children, too. One minute later the entire bloc they were with stood up, then the rest of the room.

Shir and I exchanged looks. He turned to Nuphar. “I don’t understand,” he said.

Nuphar came down from her desk and approached us. “Our Mission was to document human civilization, as much of it as possible.” She shrugged. “We’re the only humans left. The Library’s work is done.” She laid both her hands on Shir’s shoulders. “Thank you.”

She looked at me and said, “The original field surrounds the entire Library. Destroying it means destroying the Library.”

I was trembling. Again.

Nuphar smiled at me. “Not to worry, we too have backups. Everything is either scanned or hologrammed. We shall lose the original stuff, but paper, that’s a stupid way of saving information anyway.” She moved her eyes to Shir. “Perhaps we shall build a new Library outside?”

Shir smiled and nodded. As did I.

Emerging from the vestibule, we found the night as we’d left it. The soldiers were frozen in the same positions they were in when we’d entered the sphere. I sent out a stand-down order, and they shouldered their guns. I went to their leader. “We need an evacuation, but there will be no use of the Web. Your trucks still here?”

He nodded.

“Summon them.”

He frowned.

“Now,” I said, louder.

He saluted, and sent some troopers to bring in the trucks.

Shir entered the sphere and returned almost immediately, but the stubs on his chin were half a centimeter longer. “At long last, they’re ready.”

I came closer. “How much time passed inside?” I asked quietly.

Shir shook his head. “Don’t ask.”

I smiled. He smiled in reply. Things will be alright now. I knew they will. There will be Humans again on Earth, and this time we’ll be able to protect them as should be. We’ll destroy the Library’s field and use their know-how to improve our offensive tactics. For the first time since the original activation of my first backup, I felt the sensation Romi defined as “relief.” Shir had an identical smile on his lips.

People started coming out of the sphere. I saw the soldiers tense, but then their faces were flooded with emotions. One of them cried openly. The librarians came out with suitcases, backpacks, wheelbarrows, large spheres floating above them, jars on their heads. The soldiers escorted them to the trucks. I made sure no transmissions came out. We didn’t know for certain whether the Superiors were listening, but we didn’t want to take any chances.

There were more people than trucks. Some soldiers went out to get extra bubbles. Nuphar came out last; her cheeks were smeared with tears.

Shir approached her first. “You forgot your gear,” he said.

She shrugged, and wiped her nose.

I joined them. “Do you need any help?”

Nuphar snuffed again. “We have a problem,” she whispered. She cleared her throat and repeated, quietly, “We have a problem.”

I straightened my back.

“We have no explosives.” Nuphar wiped her eyes. “I thought we had, but when I came to the room where they were stored, I saw that they were not kept properly, and now they are useless.” She looked straight at me. “We have no way to destroy the fields.” She bit her lip and added, “The Library… is very large. It seems that you two won’t be enough.”

Shir patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Nuphar, we’ve done this any number of times.” He grinned. “We are Earth’s greatest experts on field demolition.”

Tension drained out of her shoulders all at once. “I didn’t know how to ask,” she said quietly.

I shook my head. “This is our destiny.” I laid a hand on her shoulder and tried to mimic the way she’d said it earlier, “Not to worry, we have backups.”

Nuphar smiled. “So… this is not a suicide mission?”

Shir pointed at his chest. “Human tissue and a mechanical body, that’s a stupid way of storing consciousness anyway.”

Nuphar let out a giggle. She handed me a chip. “This is the floor plan for the entire Library. To make sure you hit the right places.”

I accepted the chip. “You’d better go get your things. We’ll do it as soon as you come out.”

She nodded and went back to the vestibule.

I downloaded the data. Nuphar came back, wearing new clothes, with a bluish robe on her shoulders and a hat made out of some thin metallic stuff on her head, holding a three-legged suitcase and a floating balloon. “I’m ready,” she said.

I ran the data. The Library was humongous—bigger than any field we’ve ever tried to destroy. There must have been a solution hidden in there, but it eluded me. I stretched my hand to Shir. “I need help with the calculations.” I didn’t want to broadcast the pattern to him.

He raised his eyebrows, but then laid his hand on mine. We interfaced. He repeated my calculations. When the results came in, he clenched his fist and looked straight at me. He nodded. A small nod, imperceptible to others.

“What’s going on?” Nuphar moved her eyes between us.

I cleared my throat. “We need some help.”

“Sure. Whatever you’ll ask for.” Nuphar patted her hat.

“Not from you,” I said, trying not to sound disdainful. “From a few more of our backups.”

Nuphar raised her eyes to Shir. “Is the Library too large for the two of you?” she asked.