Both men grinned, and Al replied, “We will need a proper tour a little later, but for now just take care of what you need to. We’ll be back later.”
They left to deploy the surveillance drones sent along with them. What they needed was a map of the island, and this was the best way to do it. They found a nice clear spot devoid of trees and used their data pads to program the drones to initiate a search grid. Guided by the grid, they will follow the contours of the land, staying one hundred feet off the ground and effectively mapping the entire island. One Watcher would cover the south half while the other recorded the north.
Al had the watchers properly cleaned, and the power supplies replaced only months ago, so the image was crystal clear from the on-board cameras as they lifted off and disappeared. An occasional flicker was the only sign of their efforts as they went about their business. Chris and Al sat back in the grass, with the video from the drones displayed before them.
Chris commented, “It sure does look different from up there—doesn’t it?”
“Yeah, it looks better.”
“Better?”
With a smile, Al answered, “You can see more of the island…that makes it better.”
Chris tried not to laugh but was only partially successful.
They watched mesmerized by the scenery unfolding below them as the drones headed away from the mountain. They followed the coastline initially, and there were trees of many exotic varieties, hanging off the bluffs and circling the beaches. There were paths, but they were small, and stopped and started at the whim of the animals using them. For the most part, the land was grass, and rocks, and sand. Tiny boats could be seen rocking in the surf at the edge of town.
When the drones turned around and headed back towards the mountain, they went over miles of forests, grasslands, and a small lake. A landscape ideal for settling.
The Watchers reached the slopes of Vision Peak and began the climb to the top. On the screens of their data pads, a 3D image was being created as the drones followed the pattern of the grid. It was a small window in the corner of the display and lacked detail until expanded to full screen.
The mist seemed to be unusually heavy this morning, and visibility at the top dropped to zero. One hundred feet above the peak the camera lenses on the drones fogged up. Once above the rising fog, the lenses cleaned themselves, and the Watchers continued. The end of the island behind the mountain was mostly sheer cliffs, dropping hundreds of feet to the sea. There was no access to the island from that side.
On the second trip over the mountain, the 3D generated image became more complete. Something about it caught Al’s attention, and he touched the image to bring it to full size. Then he expanded on that and twisted it around.
He pointed to the center of the screen and asked Chris, “Do you see what I see?”
Chris enlarged the image on his pad and said, “Is that what I think?”
The 3D topographical representation was in part created by sensors on the Watchers that detected terrain density, and the image displayed on their pads revealed the mountain was not entirely solid. Vision Peak had a hole going right down through the middle.
Something was not right about the mountain, and the best one to explain it would be Tiro the hologram. By the time the drones finished their survey, it was getting dark, and lanterns were being lit in the houses. Black clouds rolled in, and the wind picked up as they collected the Watchers and headed toward the outpost.
Chris asked Al, “Do you think it is active? I mean—there is that mist.”
“Darius told me the fog comes and goes, but is usually a part of the mountain top. They call it Vision Peak because of that, and it’s been that way for generations. We don’t have enough information even to make guesses. We need to talk to Tiro.”
Al asked for the hologram as soon as he entered the outpost. “Tiro, I would like to speak with you.”
Tiro was a program that interacted with the facility computer, and could be generated anywhere he was needed. It was only a matter of seconds before the alien hologram appeared in the corridor before them.
“Do you require my assistance Mister Clark?”
Al thought for a second, deciding how best to ask, and decided to be direct. “This mountain we are in, could it be classified as a volcano?”
For two beats of Chris’ heart, Tiro paused; presumably analyzing the reference.
“Yes. I have learned much in your absence. This research facility was designed to monitor the progress of the transplanted humanoids, with an additional feature. The outpost circles the central vent of the volcano and was meant to record its activity. The control room is in the back, and completes the circle.”
“There is another room at the end of this corridor? A secret one?” asked Al.
“It is not secret to me,” stated Tiro.
Al looked at Chris and grinned. Then returned his attention to Tiro. “You people and your secret rooms. The hidden cavern under the library at Avalon was where we found the interplanetary teleporter. Were you going to tell us about this one?”
“Mister Clark, I have only been here for a few hours, and this is the first opportunity I have had to speak with you since this morning. I have been waiting for your return to inform you of my discoveries.”
Al reminded himself it was a waste of time to joke with a computer. “I’m sorry Tiro; I know you only want to help. Let’s go take a look at this control room.”
The two men followed the corridor past the doors leading to the Throne room and Library to the wall at the far end. In the center of the barrier, they found the outline of a one foot square, four feet off the ground. There were scratch marks around the thin seams of the hidden panel as if someone tried to force it open without success.
When Al stepped before the square, the total access badge he wore caused the panel to slide back and to the side, revealing a large red button.
Tiro said, “Records indicate this door has been unopened for many years. Press the button Mister Clark and I will show you the monitoring equipment.”
Al pressed the button, and the sound of motors started inside the wall. The door protested, popped open three inches, and came to a sudden stop. The crack left by the door’s movement was a slash of darkness. A dark line that begged to be explored.
Chris grabbed the edge of the door and pushed, straining with his effort. Al joined him, and they both tried unsuccessfully to force it aside. The door was stuck. They took a step backward and stared at their problem.
Chris asked, “Well, what do you think, Al?”
“I believe that we need to get in there.”
“Do you think you can open it?”
Al smiled and said, “I know I can.”
“Will you get in trouble?”
“Probably.”
“You know Mom just worries you might run yourself out of power again.”
“Yeah, I know. But this will just be for a few minutes. She won’t even have to know.”
“If she doesn’t ask, I won’t bring it up,” promised Chris.
The simple alliance just agreed upon was not the first. More than likely, it would not be the last.
Al closed his eyes and said, “The metal of a man is measured by what is inside.”
The transition was always new, and always magical. Power surged through his body, and he could feel the enhancements as they came on-line. His hearing became sharp and omnidirectional. Then he opened his eyes and marveled again at the sharpness and clarity of his vision. Through the crack in the door, he saw the outlines of equipment attached to the walls, and a dust-like haze throughout.
He braced himself and pushed on the door, gradually adding pressure until it squealed and broke free. The door slammed into its slot. The hard-to-ignore power indicator registered ninety-three percent of a full charge, so he regretfully powered down. Al asked, “Tiro, are there lights inside you can turn on?”
“The lights are triggered on entry.”
“Oh-yeah. Sorry.”
The lighting came on when they entered, but it was a muted light. The fine dust covered everything. In some places, a half inch thick layer hid what was underneath.
“Where is all the dust coming from?” asked Chris.
Tiro answered, “There is a small breach of the protective layer between the core and this room, and the air circulation system has failed.”
“Can you fix it?”
“Yes, but it will not be today.”
There were dials on the wall, and rows of marked switches around them. In the center of the wall facing the mountain, a round porthole covered a six-inch tunnel drilled at a slight downward angle into the core. The small shaft gave an indication of the lava pool below the mountain. Chris saw nothing but darkness inside, but Al could detect a dull red glow coming from the distant end. Even in human mode, his eyesight was better than most.
Beside the porthole, a vertical row of indicators on a metal panel caught their eyes. The lower four symbols were lit, with the highest one reading twenty.
“What does this indicate Tiro?” Al asked.
“The warning lights you refer to indicate the likelihood of an eruption.”
“Are you saying there is a twenty percent chance this thing will explode?”
“Yes. That is precisely what that means.”
The clouds taking over the sky when they arrived produced a storm, and lightning crackled in the distance. Hard rain pelted them as they ran to the safety of Darius’ house to inform and discuss with the others the room they had uncovered—and what it told them about Vision Peak.
The first few weeks passed in a blur. Eight days after Al’s return to the island, the outpost on Avalon began sending people to Thera. Ana and Kayla arrived on the eleventh day. As trained nurses, they would assist in addressing the many medical issues of a growing population, and immediately began outfitting a small clinic. When Doctor Cody arrived, he would have a place to work waiting for him.
Back on Avalon, the captain and Jesse took one last trip to Camelot and managed to save some of the medical equipment along with a small sample of seeds from the seed banks of the devastated village. They did not stay long, afraid the Riktors would find them trespassing.
On the return trip, they retrieved the dune buggy. They lifted the vehicle by using cables tied to the shuttle and ferried it back to the entrance of the mountain. Once there, they had a fast trip down the tunnel, where they disassembled it enough to fit it into the transport chamber, and sent it to Thera. The buggy would provide transportation, and a means to carry larger cargo.
Temporary housing was erected for the newcomers as they arrived. The people of Thera were no longer required to spend their time building a castle to hide the alien outpost, so they devoted their efforts to helping the refugees get settled.
They used both shuttles to pick up the Sansi from the caves of their ancestors and ferried them to Lookout Mountain in one trip. Transport to Thera started almost immediately. Everything they brought with them, they stuffed into those two shuttles, and it marked the beginning of a significant change in lifestyle. A tribe that spent generations living in caves and hiding from the monsters of Avalon would now adapt to life in the open; free from the fears of their past.
Kira moved into a small house with her parents and spent her time settling her people. Jesse and Kira were both kept very busy, but not so busy where they didn’t manage to find a chance to see each other. They were drawn together, like magnets with opposite poles, and could sometimes be seen walking together late at night.
Temporarily, the ruling party from Avalon took up residence in the Theran outpost. Al and Elizabeth moved into one of the dozen sleeping compartments inside the outpost, while most of his closest friends commandeered the other compartments. The leaders of the three groups decided that the settlement was better served if the people most knowledgeable with the wonders inside the mountain were to live there.
Falkor was the happiest of all. Al rewarded Dusty with the added responsibility of taking care of the little dragon, who was now six feet long with a wingspan that was becoming problematic while indoors. The young man had his chores but still had free time.
The two were inseparable and roamed the island helping where they could. Dusty introduced the dragon to the villagers a little at a time. They seemed fascinated and appreciated the chance to meet a real live dragon. He wasn’t quite big enough to be threatening, and most were won over by his friendly actions.
Falkor’s demeanor changed when Al was around, and he would become protective. Al was the one that rescued him and brought him to paradise. He was first and foremost loyal to the human that saved him.
The group responsible for the islands welfare discussed the latest developments, and Falkor was quite content lying underneath Al’s chair.
“How accurate are the instruments in the volcano control room?” asked Cody.
Al’s answer was uncertain, “Tiro tells me the twenty percent chance is based on the probability of something happening within one hundred years, which means it could be anytime between now and then. Not very precise I would say.”
Darius volunteered his home for the meeting and was playing host. Robot Nine, the three foot unofficial member of the first six that rolled around on a single ball, was always invited and assisted the host, allowing the Theran representative to participate in the discussions. Most of the senior staff were there, along with a few others important to the island. They were all tired, but this was their first chance to get together since the relocation began more than thirty days ago.
Ana asked Darius, “Has there been other tremors or plumes of smoke from the mountain?”
“Only twice do I remember a shaking of the ground. The last one was only months before your arrival, and it helped the King to recruit more to support his beliefs. The other occasion happened many years ago. There is usually a cloud at the top, and sometimes it is thicker than others, but the mist is usually moisture, and shades of white, not gray. When the ground shook the last time, there was a plume of gray smoke.”
The other native present, Timothy, agreed. He added, “The last time was severe enough to scare some into thinking the end had arrived. I remember it like it was only yesterday.”
“I think we need to talk to Tiro about the possibility of another landmass on this planet—just to begin analyzing our options,” stated the captain. “If we need a plan B, it might be a good idea to have one.”
Darius interrupted, “The scholars of the temple proclaimed there is only Thera. The name is inscribed prominently in the temple, and they believed it proved there was no place other than the island.”
Al grinned and said, “If there is any information in the outpost computer about this planet, Tiro should be able to dig it out. He understands a lot more about the outpost than your ‘so called’ scholars. Then, if he does find a place, and it’s not too far, we can send one of the Watchers to investigate.”
“Will that help us?” asked Edward. The older man was listening intently, well aware of the importance of the topic under discussion. The thought of trying to move so many people to another location concerned him. “How do we get everybody there even if we do find another land mass? We have no shuttles. The boats of the villagers are designed to fish the waters no further than a mile or two. I don’t see how it would be possible to accomplish what you are suggesting.”
The captain explained, “I think it’s more a matter of gathering information. It would be wise to learn as much as we can about the facility, the island, and the planet. Researching the database for information is something that needs to be done. We have no idea what the records might reveal. Even if the information is hundreds of years old, it might prove useful.”
Al said, “I have to go there in the morning. I can ask him to begin looking for any planetary survey records, or references to anything outside of the island. It wouldn’t hurt to check.”
Timothy inquired, “This little person you speak of, this…Tiro. Does he live in the temple?”
“He lives in the central computer. Tiro is a hologram generated by the computer that makes it easier for us to interact and instruct the system. The alien that created him used his own image, and from what I know now, he must have been an interesting character.”