The Antarcticans (25 page)

“No one knows really. The Ptahs built what we asked them to, but we never asked them to stop. There are some more isolated communities that live farther out. Separate groups of Ptahs created their homes.” He pointed up ahead. The tunnel opened into a cavernous room with a column rising up from the center of the floor and spreading wider, fanning out over the ceiling. Tunnels entered the circular room all the way around the perimeter. Antarcticans were arriving through these tunnels, while others were waiting for a disk to arrive to take them somewhere else. The disks they rode on slid to a stop then changed color, indicating it was safe to step off. Noila looked up at the column’s electronic display of unfamiliar letters and symbols circling around it; it seemed to be a giant display board. The letters and symbols were blue, with a few strings of the foreign Antarctican language turning orange then falling away.

“This is one of our main transfer hubs,” Addie explained. “Lucifer came up with the design in order to link us together better. Before these, we had tunnels zigzagging through the ice shelf, but they all went to just one destination and were inefficient.”

“Were you there, at the beginning?” Noila asked.

Addie shook his head. “No, but I’ve heard the stories of those who were. Amun has the collective memory of what happened, because the Ptahs were there, and he knows everything they know. So he’s our guide, because he stores within him all the lessons of our history.”

“That’s incredible. Every civilization could use a historian like that.” Noila couldn’t stop looking around at the flow of traffic through the hub. The organization was stunning. She felt a wonder that this species had existed long before humans and was going through their daily lives here as she had lived in Florida, thousands of miles away.

“I guess. It’s all ending, though. The warming is happening here. That’s what I was going to show you next.” Noila followed him to a green glowing disk outside a different tunnel. They stepped onto the disk, and it carried them through the tunnels. Addie reached over to her and tapped her suit. “Make sure you don’t accidently turn this off. We’re going to be outside in a few minutes.”

The tunnel grew darker until Noila couldn’t see anything, but she still felt the cold air rushing by her. She reached out and lightly held Addie’s arm to stabilize herself.

“Don’t worry,” Addie reassured her. “The disk forms weak bonds with the minerals in your suit. Even if you feel like you might fall, your feet won’t come off it. It’ll be a more comfortable ride if you just trust it.”

Addie’s voice in the darkness was comforting. In the distance, a point of light appeared and expanded until Noila saw an opening into the outside. The disk slowed and came to a stop; they were behind a waterfall. Through the waterfall, Noila saw nothing but the frozen Southern Ocean stretching out on the horizon. The disk rose and made a few jerky movements before bringing them above the surface of the ice. She and Addie stood on an island between rivers of blue water streaming past them. In the distance behind them stood a large peak of ice the size of a skyscraper. Pieces of it were breaking off and falling to the ground below. The rivers around them rose and fell as each piece of was ice added or subtracted from the volume of the water.

“It isn’t safe for us to be here long, but I wanted to show you what’s at stake,” Addie said. “The world around us is melting. The tunnel we just came out of? Well, at one time it extended farther, for thousands of feet. Unexpectedly it broke off and fell into the ocean. Hundreds of Antarcticans lived out here. Some of them managed to be rescued, but many of them were lost.” He turned and pointed out to sea. “See all those patches of floating ice?” Noila nodded. “They used to be one solid sheet of ice. What happened to us sixty thousand years ago is happening again but much faster.”

“That’s terrible. Have you…” She paused for a moment. “Have you lost any of your family to the disasters?”

“We are all family, so yes, we have all lost someone.” He pressed his powerful hand against an outcropping of ice. “I’ve never been off this continent, but from what the science council talks about, the risk to your species is as great as it is to ours.”

“God help us.”

“God?” Addie asked.

“Yes, God,” Noila answered.

“I’m not familiar with that word.”

“Creator of the universe, ruler, the grand spirit who controls everything and lives in Heaven? Do you have a different name for that?”

“No, no name. We have Amun, but it doesn’t sound like the same idea. Look, look!” He pointed behind her.

The tower of ice began to crumble; huge chunks of ice imploded, breaking away and colliding with the ice below them. The rivers around them began to rise; the edges of the island were being overtaken by the water.

“Time to go.” Addie pulled Noila back onto the disk. They descended into the tunnel and sped faster than their journey here, away from the waterfall at the end of the tunnel. “That wasn’t in our models,” Addie said. The tunnels around them were rumbling, deep cracks forming and shattering the serenity that usually cloaked the walls of the underground tunnels.

“Are we going to make it?” Noila was becoming panicked.

“I don’t know…I wasn’t expecting this to happen, but I think we’ll be fine.” He tapped the disk with his foot and activated a control panel. Typing in a code with his foot, his other foot firmly planted on the disk for stability, he activated an emergency alert. As the disk turned from green to flashing blue, the whirling sound of the Ptahs stirred from all around them. The tunnel walls began to move, and Ptahs burst out, writhing in every direction, eventually turning and focusing on the end of the tunnel and racing to the small point of light.

When the disk emerged from the tunnel in the transfer hub, the Antarcticans were crowding into queues, trying to make their way through the connection point as quickly as possible. Directions to the safest destinations and emergency posts were being announced in Antarctican. Translations swirled around the main column in text so quickly that Noila couldn’t decipher the loosely translated words. The queues for each of the transport disks were long, and the disks sagged under the heavy weight of each overcrowded load. The Antarcticans clung to one another as they boarded. Addie and Noila got in line; Addie was nervous, his eyes darting to the walls and ceiling, looking for movement or fissures. He pushed Noila to the center of the disk they got on and put his arms around her to protect her from the other pushy Antarcticans, who were scared and much larger than her. Noila’s panic dissipated as the crowd surrounded her, giving her an island of safety to cling to in a world that was falling apart. The disks were moving quickly; the tube entrance to the chamber where Amun was located was blocked by Ptahs spinning in a configuration that reminded Noila of the huge drill bits that dug out subway tunnels beneath large cities.

When Addie and Noila arrived at the tunnel station to Chimeruth village, the ground was trembling just slightly, and the dome was fully intact. Vinettea was welcoming a new group of humans. The orientation was much more rushed, and she wasn’t showing the video of the origin of the Antarcticans. Noila heard a loud crack overhead, and then the ground sunk a foot or two beneath them; a collective scream came from the new group of ten scientists. Vinettea pushed her hands up in the air as if she were waiting for something to fall on her head. She quickly regained her composure and ushered everyone into the glass staircase that led into the ground. Noila looked at Addie for direction, but he merely shrugged. Noila’s heart raced; something felt wrong. The ice beneath her suddenly felt thin, like she might break through and be lost in the endless tunnels. She ran for her cottage through the village which was a blur of fear and adrenaline.

Gavin woke up before his eyes opened; he intentionally stayed in the darkness for fear of what he might see. If his encounter with Arkita had been a dream, it was terribly vivid, something he hadn’t experienced in decades. The room was silent and dark, and he was naked. Not a good sign.

When he finally opened his eyes, he couldn’t see much. He fumbled with the nightstand to activate the lights. He was alone in the room; his clothes were in a pile next to the bed; his body felt sticky; and his mouth tasted unfamiliar. After getting up from bed and walking to the bathroom, he looked at himself in the mirror. He looked younger. Was his waist trimmer, his chest tauter and fuller, his hair lusher, his stubble darker? He felt amazing. He aimed his penis at the toilet and took a pee. He was fully hydrated. He ruled out his reflection being the result of too much Scotch. Walking back into the main room of his cabin, he looked at the table near the door. The blue-velvet case wasn’t there. He sighed; it
had
been a dream. He sat back down on the bed, wondering why that dream had come. He missed Noila, Joshua, and his church. It seemed like the world had been upside down for so long. The first bit of light had come during his conversation with Dr. Cristofari. Her demeanor seemed to have changed a bit; he hoped she would be a friend he could count on for the rest of his time here. After showering and dressing, he was ready to walk out the door to return to the medical unit. He wanted to check on Dr. Sagona as well.

The projection system in his room activated, and Arkita stood in front of him, wavering in the air. His heart stopped, and his mouth went dry.

“Leaving so soon?” she asked.

He was embarrassed by the dream, so fresh in his mind, but she didn’t know about it. He stood up straighter. “I’m going to see my son. Nice to see you.” He walked around the image and waved his hand over the panel to open the door. He looked back and saw a second person enter the projection. He recognized himself in the clothes that were crumpled on the floor. He was holding a blue-velvet case. The image skipped; he and Arkita were naked in bed. Gavin couldn’t stop watching. The mental calmness that had arrived minutes ago when he had convinced himself that it was only a dream instantly faded. Sweat popped out of his forehead and under his arms. His stomach was on a quickly descending elevator, his mind racing through all the scenarios of how this would turn out. His carnal self turned eyes on him. He saw the lust burning in them; a strange force had overtaken them.

“Why? Why would I do that?”

“Do you regret it?” She pouted; her feelings appeared to be hurt.

“I shouldn’t have done it. It was wrong,” he said.

“But you did, and it was everything.” Arkita licked her lips. “It was amazing, and you know it.” Her laughter boomed through his cabin.

Gavin’s phone vibrated; he glanced at it. It was a heart emoticon from Noila.

“She’s such a doll, isn’t she? Well, don’t worry, stud—I won’t say a word. Let’s keep this between you and me. That way, if we ever want to do it again, well, there won’t be any suspicion, will there?”

Gavin shook his head. “Listen, I made a mistake. I’ll repent for it and ask forgiveness, but I won’t do that to my wife. She doesn’t deserve this.”

“Oh, don’t be so naïve.” Arkita’s image disappeared, and a close-up of Noila and Addie huddled against each other in a small cavern appeared.

“Who—or
what
—is that?” Gavin was taken by Addie’s strange catlike face and white mane.

“Just someone who’s taken a liking to Noila.” Her laughter trailed off, and the image went dark.

Gavin grabbed his Bible from his nightstand and read a Psalm out loud.

Have mercy on me, God, in accord with your merciful love;

in your abundant compassion blot out my transgressions.

Thoroughly wash away my guilt;

and from my sin cleanse me.

For I know my transgressions;

my sin is always before me.

He sat at the edge of the bed and read it over and over, praying for forgiveness and that this wouldn’t impact their marriage. He sought guidance from the lord. Finally he stood up and made his way to the door, ignoring Arkita, who was still standing there.

“No good-bye kiss?” She stuck out her lips and puckered them.

Gavin chucked his Bible at her and stormed out of the room.

When he arrived at the medical unit, Dr. Cristofari was standing at the door, waiting for him. She thrust a cup of coffee into his hand and put her arm around him. “We have enough of our systems back up online. The patient load is under control, and some of the staff has time to get you in there. We’re going to try the treatment. I need you completely on board with this. You’re the key to making it work.” She sounded enthusiastic.

“Right now?” he asked.

“We can have you suited up in less than an hour, but I need to brief you first so you’ll know what to do once you get in there. This won’t be easy. We’ve tried our best external applications, but Joshua won’t let go of the personalities in his head.” She was looking over her glasses at him; her forehead was wrinkled. “You okay? You look very worried about something. Did you get some news about your wife or…?”

“No, not really.” Gavin looked at the floor. He wasn’t about to spill the gory details to her.

“Well, whatever it is, you need to have a clear mind. You can’t be battling your own demons when you go in to battle your son’s.”