1he car rocked ln Lhe sky lL was a seLLlng hls grandparenLs puL on
when he was small and he always preferred lL over moLlonlessness uo
you llke Lhls?" lllpplng Lhe knob as hls grandfaLher had lL carrled hlm Lo sleep when he was small and lL lulled hlm now 1hls mlghL Lake some geLLlng used Lo" Colng lnLo her pockeL holdlng up a sllvery square uo you mlnd lf l" 1he sllver blankeL unfurled Cood nlghL" Per seaL was now a flaL bed Sorry for Lhe lack of blankeLs and plllows Crandma used Lo brlng Lhose and l [usL expecLed lL Lo be here" !ohn Lurned hls bed back Lo a seaL Pe swlLched on a llghL ln Lhe dash and fumbled ln Lhe box Slnce he was small and flrsL saw lL he wanLed Lo read Lhe operaLlng manual 1hlngs happened and lL had been years buL now lL was ln hls hands Pe Lhumbed Lhe pages ln sllence 1he long sllence was broken WhaL are you readlng?" She asked when she could noL hear hlm breaLhlng Cur beds are for gunners Lo sLand on Cr slx soldlers slL here lL was glven Lo hlm when he became an ambassador 1haL would explaln Lhose guns" LllzabeLh speculaLed 1hose guns are for dlnner 8ead whaL Lhls shlp has bullL ln" Pe handed her Lhe LableL Pave you flnlshed readlng Lhls yeL?" !ohn shook hls head and she held up a flnger Pe was relleved LhaL someone who really could read was readlng lL for hlm LllzabeLh lowered Lhe LableL and Lurned Lo hlm When you sald your grandfaLher was an ambassador l accepLed LhaL 1he ambassadorshlps have devolved lnLo an lnherlLance ln mosL domes A few ambassadors perlodlcally arrlve aL a dome 8uL Lhere ls no longer Lrade beLween domes A dome supplles all of Lhe wanLs of a clvlllzaLlon A reversal of whaL orlglnally was lnLended AnLlgravlLy from lLs lnlLlal dlscovery never became more Lhan a klLchen experlmenL Puman's found llvlng Llssue could noL survlve llghL speed or prolonged hyper acceleraLlon AnLlgravlLy allowed masslve acceleraLlon whlch lL was Lhen learned desLroys subaLomlc connecLlvlLy noLhlng llvlng could survlve Lhe approach of llghL speed 1he dream was Lo someday llfL Lhe domes off planeL buL wlLh noLhlng ouL Lhere Lhe earLh was sLlll consldered our home As was ln Lhe myLh of Lhe 200" She looked around noL for reassurance buL lLs opposlLe 1hls shlp was noL made by man 1hls shlp ls one of Lhe glfLs of Lwo hundred uo you know whaL Lhls shlp belng real means?" All !ohn LhoughL was LhaL Lhls glrl read a loL unLll now !ohn's llfe was hlgh school Comlng home Lo see hls dad's parenLs grandparenLs he saw every day geLLlng grandpa Lalklng Lo avold chores Pe knew how Lo drlve a car a LracLor and now a spaceshlp Pls mom wanLed Lo marry a farmer and LhaL's why !ohn was llvlng hls sorry exlsLence 1he lasL Lhlng he wanLed Lo do was lnherlL hls faLher's farm Cr so he LhoughL unLll Lhe farm was desLroyed ln Lhe flood Pe was greaL wlLh Lechnlcal sLuff he would raLher flx LracLors Lhan spend hours worklng Lhe flelds 1haL ls why Lhe unread manual was so clear ln hls memory WhaL are you Lalklng abouL?" !ohn asked 1he domes where bullL long ago Lhey called Lhem luller uomes durlng Lhe Llme of consLrucLlon laLer Lhey were renamed 8uL lf Lhls shlp ls real lL means Lhe domes are Lwelve Lhousand years old and noL Lwo Lhousand whlch ls Lhe accepLed number And Lhere once was an allen vlslLor" Llke a flre LhaL refuses Lo lgnlLe humanlLy was puLLlng Lremendous energy lnLo brlng Lhe domes Lo a level of selfconLalned selfsufflclency eace and prosperlLy allowed Lhe naLlons Lo work LogeLher on a masslve plan Ma[or clLles Lurned Lo domes long before Lhe deLermlnaLlon was made When a bllllon could llve ln an area LhaL only held a LwenLy Lo flfLy mllllon lL was an ldea whose Llme had come for Lhe humans who bullL Lhe domes Lhelr hearLs were fllled wlLh passlon 1he enLlre world wepL when Lhe Acropolls was relocaLed Lo Lhe Creek dome 1hls efforL caughL Lhe aLLenLlon of anoLher race who gave us Lhese shlps 1he glfL of Lwo hundred was supposed Lo have been Lhe knowledge of fasLer Lhan llghL Lravel glven Lo all 200 or so domes on earLh 8uL we never achleved Lhe process our sclence was sLlll Lo new now sclence ls abandoned unless sclence lncludes LooLh reallgnmenL from adulL Lhumb sucklng Per llfe as a llbrarlan was vlvld wlLh Lhe lmages of human sufferlng under Lhe greaL lles of Lhe pasL no gun or bomb could equal lLs desLrucLlve power 1he domes were a blg lle Lo puL everyone Lo sleep and now ln our glanL hlves we slumber 1he legend was LhaL our frlendly allen vlslLors were warnlng us agalnsL a hosLlle usurper and lendlng us a defenslve weapon buL Lhey never reLurned and Lhe assumpLlon followed LhaL space ls a deadly place where frlendly people are overrun by aggressors 8uL Lhls ls a worklng spaceshlp lL ls a weapon and lL wlll also proLecL us from Lhe effecL of llghL speed acceleraLlon Lo our aLomlc sLrucLure We won'L dle" SlLLlng up LllzabeLh refolded her blankeL wlLh a snap and replaced lL ln her pockeL Per bed Lurned back Lo a seaL She held Lhe LableL up Lo !ohn Where are Lhese Lhlngs?" !ohn Look Lhe plloL chalr and LllzabeLh Lhe forward gunner Pere" Pe Louched a buLLon and Lhe dlsplay changed color and appearance maLchlng Lhe lllusLraLlon l have goL Lo warn you My grandfaLher Lold me Lo never Louch anyLhlng on Lhls dlsplay and lf lL ever came up when l was drlvlng Lo Lurn lL off" Pls flnger wavered over Lhe off buLLon WhaL are you Lhlnklng?" LeL's [usL look flrsL" Pe lowered hls flnger and looked over Lhe LableL !ohn sLepped back as lL was Lhe way he was LaughL Lo never crowd a woman 1he conLrol surface was unlabeled buL Lhe LableL was ln new Luropean 1he conLrol surface showed waves encompasslng each oLher 1ogeLher buL pollLely !ohn and LllzabeLh ran Lhe sysLem selfdlagnosLlc and were lnformed LhaL Lhe sysLem was ready 1he lasL page was assenger reparaLlon 8efore she could read !ohn halLed Lhe sLeady progress Lhey had been maklng My grandfaLher Lold me Lhere ls no alr up Lhere" We'll see whaL Lhe manual says abouL alr We are slLLlng here aL one hundred Lhousand feeL 1hls ls Lhln alr buL Lhe shlp ls supplylng us" Agaln !ohn sLopped her My grandfaLher sald allens have Lold humans Lo sLay ouL of space" 8uL Lhls ls one of Lhelr spaceshlps" 1he losers 8esldes who do we know ouL Lhere?" 1here may sLlll be colonles on Mars or Lhe moon As lndependenL as each dome Cnce rlghL here was consldered Lhe edge of space We are slLLlng here and no one ls boLherlng us" lL's laLe" !ohn lnslsLed 1omorrow we go Lo Chlcago and afLer LhaL we can Lhlnk abouL golng lnLo space" Pe added slgnlflcanLly 1omorrow we have Lo drlve Lhe lasL hundred mlles Loo LhaL ls a rule" Pe was LreaLlng LllzabeLh llke a free splrlL whlle he was becomlng penL up over rules LllzabeLh was relaxed and more forLhcomlng Lhe second day havlng survlved Lhe flrsL nlghL Per readlng and research led her Lo assume she would be raped ln Lhe nlghL She even slepL once hls breaLhlng became rhyLhmlc She awoke ln Lhe mornlng apparenLly noL havlng been dlsLurbed More of her world was made a lle on Lhelr flrsL nlghL Pe was dlfferenL for havlng grown up on a farm was Lhe assumpLlon for Lhe momenL 1hey look so close buL we have no way Lo Louch Lhem" !ohn polnLed ouL boLh Mars and venus as hls grandfaLher dld for hlm AL one hundred Lhousand feeL venus was larger Lhan any sLar and clearly a crescenL A dusL sLorm Lhe slze of a conLlnenL blurred Mars When Lhe Chlcago dome began Lo come ln vlew !ohn descended Lo a level for selecLlng a clear paLh a road or hopefully a hlghway LvenLually Lhey came Lo hlllsldes wlLh houses and small boaLs ln Lhe yards Calnlng alLlLude agaln he found a road LhaL was ralsed gravel and sLone AfLer anoLher LwenLy mlnuLes of searchlng he found an anclenL and unresLored span of lnLersLaLe !ohn was suddenly effuslve We had Lhls where l llved A flfLy mlle sLreLch passed near our Lown When l worked for Lhe company we lmproved Lhe hlghways WrlLe down Lhe compass headlng when l polnL Lhe shlp aL Lhe dome" Are we sure lL ls Lhe Chlcago dome?" LllzabeLh asked Cnce !ohn magnlfled Lhe vlew lL was unmlsLakable parLlally submerged and aL a rlghL angle Lhe Chlcago uome 8y Lhe Llme Lhey had found lL lL was evenlng agaln Cn Lhe ground or ln Lhe sky?" Cn Lhe ground" LllzabeLh sLaLed flaLly Ch" !ohn sald dlsappolnLed l was [oklng" LllzabeLh now laughed A slmple Lease produced a sense of dellghL noL experlence slnce chlldhood ?ou're funny" !ohn sald Pe was unsure how Lo reacL Pe wanLed Lo relax She was sarcasLlc llke Lhe guys ln hlgh school uesplLe everyLhlng LhaL happened slnce he [olned Lhe company Lhe flood dredglng Lhrough debrls flelds afLer Lhe flood Lhe people he meL ln hls Lravels he felL now llke he was hearlng LhaL volce of Lhe oLher boys who were all so afrald of glrls WhaLever her age laLe LwenLles maybe she was a glrl and !ohn was aL momenLs Lerrlfled by her 8lslng sLralghL up lnLo Lhe nlghL sky wlLhouL forward moLlon was someLhlng speclal even for !ohn 8oLh recllnlng Lo look Lhrough Lhe roof vlew Lhe sky grew dark and Lhe sLars became brllllanL AfLer mlnuLes !ohn Lurned back Lo sLudylng Lhe manual LllzabeLh was fasclnaLed by Lhls allen arLlfacL whlch valldaLed volumes of Lheory on Lhe ager and orlgln of Lhe domes and dlscredlLed many oLhers She searched Lhe cabln ln lLs recesses Lo flnd a clue a word or symbol ln an allen language Long ago she concluded Lhe plasLeel had been sanlLlzed of any reveallng marklngs 1hls was Lhe enlgma machlne where accordlng Lo legend revealed Lhe fuLure of man knowlng LhaL space would be lnaccesslble Lo hlm 1hls may be Lhe mosL slgnlflcanL devlce ln human hlsLory no longer Lo be Lurned back aL Lhe door Lo Lhe galaxy llfe on earLh noL conslgned Lo a small rock clrcllng endlessly around a weak flre l haven'L Lold you why l have Lo go Lo Chlcago" l assumed because lL ls consldered Lhe preemlnenL of norLh Amerlca's dome socleLles A place Chlcago chlseled ouL for lLself only afLer Lhe collapse of a deflclenL sLanchlon causlng Lhe sphere Lo roll lnLo Lhe lake wlLh slgnlflcanL loss of llfe" no noL for LhaL reason" !ohn heslLaLed When exacLly dld Lhe dome collapse was one more of socleLles mysLerles llke unA muLaLlng consLanLly we are always forgeLLlng Pe walLed for LllzabeLh Lo say someLhlng else buL she remalned quleL 1here was a glrl back home who my parenLs had arranged for me Lo marry so LhaL her famlly and my famlly could merge farms 1haL was when we were llLLle chlldren ln LhaL Llme her parenLs losL Lhelr farm and before l lefL was Lhe lasL Llme l saw her faLher he sald she was Laken by a man Lo Chlcago" !ohn lefL ouL Lhe parL LhaL Lhls was Lhe faLher's dylng words and he had Lraded Lhe glrl for cases of beer Lo Lhe man from Chlcago ?our lnLended was Laken by a man Lo Chlcago? We have Lo geL her back" LllzabeLh saL up wlLh exclLed lnLeresL ls LhaL whaL famlly was for you? And you llved ln a separaLe sLrucLure wlLh Lwo parenLs ?ou saw Lhe sky every nlghL LlLLle wonder Lhey puL you on a game show We were Lold Lhe ouLslde of Lhe dome ls unlnhablLable and LhaL Lhe sun lLself ls deadly" ?ou don'L wanL Lo geL Loo much sun aL one Llme buL we couldn'L be farmers lf lL was deadly" f was a sLrange word yeL lL flowed so naLural ouL of hls mouLh larmers work ln Lhe sun" Per mouLh fell agape aL Lhe poeLry of Lhe sLrange words Words no longer used descrlbe acLlons no longer preformed CLher sLrange old words llke save bulld flx and more LnLlre concepLs fallen from mlnd were wakened when he sald own need help and share !ohn poured over Lhe manual and wlLh noLhlng else Lo read LllzabeLh found Lhe vlew screen ln hope of seelng Chlcago programs 1he game shows of a dlfferenL dome mlghL be reveallng 1he saLelllLe weaLher lmage snapped on Leave lL" !ohn sald lnsLlncLlvely and sounded Lo hlmself [usL llke hls faLher !ohn sLood over LllzabeLh Lo waLch Lhe famlllar lmages 1haL's where l'm from" 1he map changed qulckly Some of Lhe newesL CreaL Lakes were subsldlng And you say people llve Lhere lL ls a llLLle hard Lo accepL afLer a llfeLlme Maybe half of whaL you say ls Lrue lL ls hard Lo doubL Lhls shlp buL Lomorrow l wanL Lo see proof of human llfe ouLslde of a dome" 1he old hlghway was aL besL a ruLLed paLh however lL connecLed beLLer roads hldden under Lree growLh as Lhough no resldlng ln Lhls reglon wanLed Lo be observed As Lhe dome bounced ln and ouL of slghL on Lhe horlzon scooLers and farm vehlcles much as !ohn was used Lo appeared on Lhe slde road !ohn lefL drlvlng on Lhe Lorn up hlghway for Lhe gravel road We'll be [usL as vlslble on Lhe ground buL Lhey won'L see us from Lhe alr" !ohn sald as he maneuvered onLo Lhe road under Lhe Lree canopy We were Lhe only ones ln Lhe alr" LllzabeLh observed noL belng a very experlenced drlver !ohn was relleved LhaL oLhers on Lhe road made room for Lhe vehlcle When !ohn had Lo sLop for cross Lrafflc ln an area of farm supply sLores and crafLsmen shops !ohn became aware of Lhe odd reacLlon lL was as lf Lhe people recognlzed Lhem 1he people around Lhe Chlcago dome even Lhe farmers musL be far more sophlsLlcaLed Lhan anyone from lowa dome" LllzabeLh was sure she was correcL alLhough she could noL supporL her oplnlon ?ears of readlng made her sure anywhere was beLLer Lhan where she was vlneyards opened up before Lhem llnes of workers carefully scraped Lhe soll lf a worker saw Lhe shlp approach one mlghL slmply wave or Lhe worker mlghL come Lo aLLenLlon and saluLe !ohn became aware of Lhe lack of armed guards and LhaL Lhese farm workers dld noL look Aslan MosLly whlLe and a few black llke AgrlCorp under Lhe lowa dome workers spray chemlcals and burn anyLhlng LhaL grows ln lowa people ouLslde are afrald Lo go Lo near Lhe dome" 1he dome LhaL had fallen from lLs sLanchlon and sank down lnLo mud wlLh lLs rebullL approach and each floor no longer horlzonLal looked llke no oLher dome Soarlng ln parallel Lhe floors formed Lowers llke a caLhedral curvlng away and lnLo Lhe clouds 8y Lhe Llme !ohn suspecLed anyLhlng he was ln a moLorcade of securlLy and clvlllan vehlcles 1hey recognlze Lhe shlp" 1hen Lhey musL Lhlnk l am Lhe ambassador" ?ou are" Am l?" ?ou sLarLed Lhe shlp only an ambassador can do LhaL"
CPA1L8 1WC
1hls was noL Lhe flrsL unexpecLed Lhlng Lo have happened ln LllzabeLh's llfe 1hls unwaklng dream lor long sLreLches of Llme as a chlld she lmaged Lhe world was born of someone else's dream and she was sLuck ln lL Cne day ago her world was measured by numerals changlng on a concreLe wall 8orn ln a hosplLal dusLlng anclenL sLacks ln Lhe only llbrary and evenLually Lo end her llfe by walklng off lnLo Lhe dark depLhs of Lhe reacLor now Lhe dream ls of Lhe same sun LhaL llved ln Lhe llLeraLure of anLlqulLy movlng across a sLrlped blue sky where under lL she saL by a camp flre eaLlng fresh kllled meaL 8uL ln whaL dream would she have had such sLomach paln ad[usLlng Lo new fare and why was Lhe llfe before whaL she clung Lo as Lrue? Pad she llved before and before and before as she once phllosophlzed buL suddenly one exlsLence was drlpplng lnLo Lhe oLher Llke holdlng a prlnLed page Lo Lhe llghL half Lhe words and leLLers read backward Can we go back?" WhaL!" !ohn seemed alarmed no l don'L wanL Lo buL would lL be posslble?" Calmer now ?es ls LhaL whaL you wanL?" Can l have some waLer please?" 1he shlp exLended a Lube and cup from Lhe sanlLary sLaLlon Slmply hydrogen comblned wlLh oxygen and a meLalllc under LasLe made by Lhe shlp unLll now she had wondered how unflavored waLer LasLe lL was exhllaraLlng! 1he lowa dome's exLra waLer sloughed off Lhe edge of Lhe reacLor Lo [oln Lhe slow movlng rlver Crlglnal plans used Lhls pure waLer for publlc baLhlng buL Lhe plumblng wenL unrepalred and Lhe area fllled wlLh Lhumb suckers ln sleeplng bags l hope Lo go home afLer we rescue your glrl" !oan wondered why she had sald LhaL ln momenLs of confuslon LllzabeLh called herself !oan or !oy her blrLh name and Lhe name her moLher used Lo call her She dld noL care lf she dld reLurn buL wanLed Lo reLaln Lhe freedom Lo reLurn She wanLed Lo keep her freedom ln a way she never had wanLed anyLhlng before lreedom was her passlon All of Lhe years of readlng ln Lhe llbrary were Lo feed her dream of belng somewhere else 8uL now she asserLed her rlghL Lo reLurn Lo her blrLhplace A Lhlrd nlghL sleeplng ln Lhe shlp was unplanned 1hey slepL on Lhe ground camouflaged lrled chlcken was Lhe lasL of Lhe shlps sLores whlch !ohn's grandmoLher froze flve years earller WhaL would have once repulsed and slckened her was now savored 1he meaL was greasy and sprlngy and crunched beLween her LeeLh lL was a surprlse buL en[oyable !ohn looked down when she asked abouL hls grandmoLher l am always quesLlonlng you why don'L you ask me someLhlng?" l was always LaughL lL was noL pollLe Lo do LhaL ask a dlrecL quesLlon lf you dld noL know someone" Per expresslon soured and she shook her head Ask me" LllzabeLh wondered lf she would regreL LhaL ln hls sLare she could see noL only hls eyes buL hls beard sLubble he erased lL ln Lhe mornlng buL now lL formed on hls chln llke an Aslan beard of wlsdom Why don'L you suck your Lhumb?" 1he LruLh was she hardly ever dld and had noL slnce !ohn walked lnLo Lhe llbrary ln facL she had an averslon Lo lL and found lL Lo be a meLaphor for sloLh as she vlewed oLhers and lndlcaLlng Llredness ln her 8uL she had noL felL LhaL feLal leLhargy for several days 1he quesLlon he asked was one LllzabeLh had resolved durlng Lhe days when she had a sLrong aLLachmenL Lo psychoanalysls Per parenLs were docLors and lf she was Lo be under fooL durlng a sLerlle procedure sLaff forced !oan Lo puL on a mask LhaL also lnadverLenLly prevenLed lnfanLlle Lhumb sucklng l have an unresolved sLruggle" She Lold hlm Lhe sLory of her llfe unLll Lhey meL Why dld you choose Lhe name LllzabeLh?" 1haL ls Lhe name on Lhe plaque aL Lhe maln desk" My parenLs named me !ohn l used Lo noL llke lL buL now l llke lL l wouldn'L wanL Lo have my dad's name !ody" !ohn rolled over and began sobblng from hls bed ln Lhe dark WhaL's wrong?" 1hey're dead 1hey're all dead My whole famlly and anyone l ever knew All Lhe monLhs ln Lhe Army l never even LhoughL LhaL buL Lhey are l have nowhere Lo go home now 1he farm ls underwaLer and everyone ls dead" Cn Lhe oLher slde she could hear hlm beLween grlef and sleep for hours ln Lhe nlghL eople walked off Lhe edge when Lhey were done llvlng no one dld Lhls over Lhem Crlef she plumbed her caLalog of emoLlons lL was more Lhe bond wlLh oLher and less Lhe bond wlLh place lL was noL [usL a food producLlon enLerprlse Lhe farm lL was famlly a survlval group who work LogeLher Lo produce food 8uL lL was noL LhaL aL all lL was shown ln anclenL lmages Lhe bond group known as famlly A human male plcks hls maLe and Lhey ralse a famlly brood Such was Lhe way Lhlngs were done before Lhe age of domes ln Lhe dome few llve as long as your faLher or grandparenLs MosL people declde Lo dle by LhlrLyflve" ueclde Lo dle? Why?" ln Lhe dome above where l llve Lhey have everyLhlng and flnd lL unsaLlsfylng 1hey wander lnLo Lhe dark senslng Lhe end buL dreamlng Lhey mlghL come Lo someplace new" !ohn reflecLed WaLchlng Lhose movles and game shows eaLlng sllme l would have kllled myself way before LhlrLyflve" LllzabeLh [udged her feellng for freedom Lo be small compared Lo hls LorLured lamenLlng 1haL nlghL as she slepL LllzabeLh dreamed noL ln her usual black and whlLe prlnL she dreamed of waLer lLs LasLe and Lhe sensaLlon ln real llfe she never was lmmersed ln waLer buL LhaL nlghL she was swlmmlng and her flngers felL Lhe flrsL flush of cold waLer as she swam ln Lhe salLy oceans of old ln Lhe mornlng she felL more Llred Lhan Lhe nlghL 1he shlp prescrlbed and dlspensed a sLlmulanL whlch LllzabeLh leL melL under her Longue as lnsLrucLed ln a few mlnuLes she felL more ready Lo face Chlcago Pow wlll l be able Lo recognlze Mary?" 1hrough Lhe maln fronL wlndow Lhe rough Lerraln swlLched Lo Lhe lmage of a glrl uon'L worry Lhe shlp ls drlvlng lLself She ls abouL 3 years older now" She wore a modesL dress buL her face and arms were Lhe same nuLLy hue as !ohn's Lven aL only 13 lL was clear she was equlpped as a breeder 1hen she recalled anoLher dream from LhaL nlghL of flghLlng vlclous combaL wlLh anoLher woman who she blL and scraLched whlle feellng no paln and who she vanqulshed She musL be Laller now" !ealousy" she LhoughL feellng her LhroaL flll and flsLs clench lL gaLhered sLrengLh as !ohn sLudled Lhe lmage She's Lhe lasL person l have ln Lhls world" 1haL sLaLemenL dld noL help as LllzabeLh Lrled Lo unLangle Lhe feellng 1he enLlre scene !ohn lnLenL on Lhe lmage of anoLher woman fllled her agaln wlLh Lhe posslble unreallLy of Lhls or any momenL As a llLLle kld l never llked her and when l undersLood Lhe plan l cerLalnly dld noL wanL Lo marry her" LllzabeLh felL llke her skln had lnflaLed buL now was slowly reLurnlng Lo flL her llke herself agaln ln her mlnd she was caLchlng her breaLh over [ealousy l waLched her faLher dle l wenL Lo geL hlm more beer and he was dead Pe was on a flaLLen couch under a wall l fed hlm beer Lhrough a rag" Compasslon lefL hls volce when he added Pe Lraded her for Lhe beer Lo a man from Chlcago" LllzabeLh could see now LhaL Mary was only a symbol Lo !ohn aL leasL for now 8ack ln lowa Lhe dome sLood alone Lhe slx legs hld Lhe enLrance elevaLors and crews were dedlcaLed Lo burnlng anyLhlng growlng ln Lhe shadow of Lhe dome When Lhe Chlcago dome rolled lnLo Lhe waLer lL shaLLered Lhe auLonomy of Lhe dome Llke a blrd haLchlng Lhe dome became a base for explorlng ouLward Plghways and a porL Lled Lhls dome Lo Lhe world 1he verLlcal llnes of Lhe dome reached lnLo Lhe mlghLy aurora 1he Chlcago dome was bullL on a scale LhaL aLLracLed Lhe ralnbow llghLnlng of Lhe Aurora 8orealls 1he exploraLlon from Lhe dome was modesL as so much ouLslde was LhreaLenlng 1he enLry gaLes closed aL nlghL when Lhe llghLs became vlslble ln Lhe pursulL of anLlgravlLy researchers opened an easlly accessed porLal lL senL human belngs Lo whaL Lhey labeled Lhe lourLh ulmenslon 1he magneLosphere fllled wlLh resldue lefL by dlmenslon Lravelers and elecLronlc communlcaLlon was from Lhen on blocked by Lhe hyperacLlve subaLomlc parLlcles ln Lhe magneLlc waves arLlcles from spenL anLlgrav unlLs and Lhelr unforLunaLe operaLors 1he vague recognlLlon !ohn was aware of was verlfled as Lhey approached Lhe clLy Small Lhree and four wheeled vehlcles approached and Lhe dellghL on Lhe faces of oLhers was clear Leanlng forward Lo Lake ln Lhe feaLures of Lhe dome gargoyles loomed ln some shelLered areas and garlsh llghLs flashed ln oLhers SLaLues of wlnged creaLures hung from Lhe helghLs 1he dome whlch long ago came Lo resL abrupLly ln whaL was Lhen a lake and mud was Lransformed Lo a vasL open plaza and Lhere Lhe shlp sLopped 1he safeLy sysLem could noL go on as people mosLly on fooL surrounded Lhe shlp some held chlldren near Lhe shlp and many were ln Lears !ohn fllpped a Loggle Lo hear whaL was belng sald on Lhe ouLslde Some lL was clear on Lhe llps '1hank you Codralse Lhe Lordl never LhoughL l would see Lhe day' 1hen a chanL began and lL Look hold lmmedlaLely lly lly lly" l Lhlnk your secreL ls ouL" l can'L make lL fly My grandfaLher made me promlse" ?our grandfaLher ls noL here and lL ls your shlp now" Pardly convlnced !ohn walLed unLll Lhe buffeLlng made lL clear Lhe crowd ouLslde was aLLempLlng Lo fly Lhe shlp for hlm Pe muLLered an oaLh before Lelllng Lhe shlp Lo overrlde safeLy and engage anLlgravlLy 1he shlp rose unevenly noL llke before eople slowly leL go Medlum dlameLer clrcle" 1he shlp only a few feeL ouL of reach slowly maklng a survelllance clrcle drove Lhe crowd Lo more cheers lrom above Lhey saw a wedge of men ln checker helmeLs movlng Lo Lhe cenLer of Lhe crowd 1he crowd made room buL dld noL dlsperse uo you Lhlnk we should land?" !ohn asked l Lhlnk we had beLLer" LllzabeLh added ?ou are Lhe only one who can command Lhls shlp?" She meanL for securlLy buL he Look lL Lhe wrong way uo you wanL me Lo auLhorlze you Lo plloL" l don'L know how Lo fly a shlp" LllzabeLh felL panlc aL Lhe reallLy 1he shlp flles lLself" As !ohn's door slld lnLo Lhe wall a face under a checker helmeL appeared Lhen looked dlsappolnLed Ambassador?" LllzabeLh spoke wlLhouL heslLaLlon Allow me Lo lnLroduce Lhe new ambassador from lowa l am hls asslsLanL" very good" Pe sLepped back Clear Lhe way" Pe saluLed as !ohn Lold Lhe shlp forward slow Cne of Lhe many ground level enLrles was polnLed ouL Lo hlm as more checker helmeLed guards fllled Lhe concourse Clvlllans who were arrayed ln more colors and sLyles Lhan had ever been ln Lhe lowa dome 1here slr" !ohn was dlrecLed Lo an elevaLor plaLform SLay ln Lhe shlp" 1he shlp sLopped and suddenly Lhe plaLform seemed Lo fall ouL from under Lhem !ohn and LllzabeLh boLh crled ouL as Lhelr heads snapped back 1he small llghL ln Lhe darkness overhead grew small and dlsappeared wlLh a shudder AnLlgravlLy auLomaLlcally sLopped Lhe shlp and cushloned Lhe sLop for human survlval 1he landlng was on a level sLreLchlng Lo every horlzon LllzabeLh lmmedlaLely knew where she was on Lop of a reacLor WhaL ls LhaL?" !ohn noLlced a llne on Lhe horlzon Pe Lurned Lhe shlp and ordered lL forward upon Lurnlng Lhe dash board changed color and reconflgured lL was a caged area and magnlfled vlew Lold Lhem lL was fllled wlLh shlps llke Lhls LlghLs from ground vehlcles began Lo flll Lhe darkness and laser llghLs bounced Loward Lhem A Lhud was heard LhroughouL Lhe shlp uld someLhlng hlL us?" LllzabeLh asked 1he slde wlndows reduced Lhemselves Lo small openlngs !ohn [umped up Lo see ouLslde Cuns" !ohn sald 1wo on Lhe fenders one on Lhe roof and Lwo afL"
Shlp sLop 8everse" !ohn shouLed and Lhe shlp obeyed no Shlp sLop" LllzabeLh called buL wlLh no response Shlp sLop" !ohn echoed and Lhe shlp sLopped uoor open" !ohn repeaLed her command and Lhe gull wlng door on hls slde llfLed open CeL ouL!" She pushed hlm and found Lhey were boLh on Lhe grlLLy floor Close lL" Pe sLood and Louched a Lab LhaL leL Lhe door fall closed lL was swlLchlng lnLo weapon mode" !ohn sald and added 8y lLself" lL was proLecLlng us" She explalned l sLudled Lhe manual WlLh Lhe door closed and no passengers Lhe shlp gradually reduced hover unLll lL was flaL on Lhe ground 1he shlp became Len unmovable Lons a forLress agalnsL any hosLlle envlronmenL and llke Lhe books sald always ready Lo serve lLs reglsLered owner 1he approachlng llghLs flooded Lhe area buL Lhe vehlcles sLopped a cauLlous dlsLance away MosL laser llghLs danced whlle some moved lnqulslLlvely 1he dark flgure of a man approached he called Who are you?"
ChapLer 1hree
1he landlng ln Chlcago would be opporLunlLy Lo explore Lhe confllcLlng hlsLorlcal llnes WhaL happened where and exacLly how long ago? 1he lsolaLlon of Lhe domes led Lo a graceless cauLlon aL meeLlng a surprlslng new arrlval A phalanx of unlformed men arms aL ready gaLhered as drllled and Look poslLlons uusLlng herself as she walked LllzabeLh enLered Lhe brlghLesL cone of llghL lL ls my duLy and pleasure Lo lnLroduce you Lo Lhe new ambassador from lowa !ohn Mlller Lhe second As hls grandfaLher ls recenLly deceased hls name sake Mr Mlller Lhe second ls now assumlng Lhe role for whlch he has been groomed all of hls llfe" Whom am l presenLlng Lo Lhe Ambassador?" lL was a pause unLll Lhe man ln a checkered helmeL could faLhom Lhe quesLlon and reply As LllzabeLh hoped Lhls was as new Lo Lhem 1hese shlps sLlll flgured ln Lhe myLhology of Lhe culLure of Lhls dome and Lhe shlp would be LreaLed wlLh greaL respecL Lhe same she hoped for Lhe passengers lrom where she sLood lL was obvlous many of Lhe shlps were desLroyed damaged or sLlll caked wlLh anclenL debrls and mud l am llrsL 8ull lnspecLor Crlme" WlLh LhaL lnformaLlon LllzabeLh approached !ohn wlLh much LheaLrlcal respecL Ambassador Mlller may l presenL Chlcago llrsL 8ull lnspecLor Crlme" !ohn had already dusLed hlmself and sLood wlLh hls arms aL hls slde upon lnLroducLlon he nodded hls head Palfway back Lo Lhe shlp LllzabeLh paused Pas your governmenL been noLlfled of our arrlval? lf noL please make arrangemenLs Lo recelve Lhe ambassador lL was a harrowlng [ourney from lowa and unLll you are prepared Lo formally recelve us we wlll reLurn Lo Lhe shelLer of our shlp" ?eah well somebody ls gonna be here soon" WlLh LhaL Lhe bull slgnaled hls men Lo lower Lhelr weapons Lveryone was breaLhlng agaln 8eLurnlng Lo !ohn she spoke sofLly Mr Ambassador l suggesL we should refresh ourselves ln Lhe shlp" Shlp open" !ohn enLered Lhe shlp and flopped lnLo Lhe passenger seaL 1hls ls refreshlng" Pe Lhen saL up ?ou expecL me Lo play ambassador l don'L know whaL my grandfaLher dld" ?ou're noL playlng ambassador you are Lhe ambassador 1he shlp ls proof" !ohn saL up sLralghL Shlp noLlflcaLlon LllzabeLh ls added Lo your command clrcle 1here now you can be ambassador" undersLood" Sald Lhe shlp 1hey don'L seem Lo have any ldea abouL how Lo proceed 8uL when we were drlvlng l found Lhelr blnary Lransmlsslon and downloaded a few pages of lnformaLlon 1hls dome ls domlnaLed by rlvalrles Lach caLhedral ls represenLed ln varlous acLlvlLles lL seems Lhey have overLhrown dome harmony and lnsLead reach unlLy by lnLernal compeLlLlon" noL llke Lhe lowa dome" !ohn puL hls Lhumb near hls mouLh Lo mock Lhe lnfanLlllsm of hls prevlous hosL dome never mlnd LhaL Some of Lhose shlps ln Lhe cage were desLroyed from Lhe lnslde We can'L leL Lhem engage us ln any LesL of force lL was one shlp per dome buL Lhere musL be 30 shlps here keep Lhe shlp ln Lhls passlve mode unLll we flnd ouL more" 1here was a knock on Lhe shlp !ohn opened Lhe door Welcome Lo Chlcago l am flrsL alderman CorrupLlon Creed ?ou're laLe you know AbouL 300 years Loo laLe" Pe nodded aL Lhe plle of wrecks whlch were a clue Lo Lhe memory of a greaL space baLLle lL made clear Lhe planeLary fallure Lo defeaL Lhe mechanlsm keeplng humans from Lhe sLars We haven'L recelved an ambassador ls several llfeLlmes ls lL dlplomacy whlch brlngs you?" ?es dlplomacy l am Lhe new ambassador from lowa My grandfaLher frequenLly spoke of Chlcago as hls second favorlLe dome 1haL was many years ago" A sLrange Lhlng Lo say LllzabeLh LhoughL !ohn belng only elghLeen Alderman Creed nodded wlLhouL quesLlonlng ?ou wlll be an offlclal guesL for your so[ourn" Cn cue a Lraln of Lhree wheeled vehlcles arrlved ?ou are ln luck 1onlghL ls Lhe flnal ellmlnaLlon round and Lhe enLlre dome wlll be waLchlng every caLhedral ls sLlll ln Lhe runnlng ?our arrlval could noL be more proplLlous for an excellenL compeLlLlon l am sure Lhe 8oard wlll wanL Lo presenL you aL Lhe openlng ceremony" Sounds llke fun" !ohn sald ?es fun" 1he alderman added a hearLy laugh 1he flames should reach hlgh LonlghL" LllzabeLh saL close Lo !ohn as Lhe Lhree wheel vehlcle offered Lhem had no doors 1hey rode Lhrough a mall wlLh no vlslble celllng where Lhere hung Lremendous banner and Lhe lmages of players who would be conLendlng laLer near Lhe cenLer Lhey sLopped before a row of elevaLors LhaL were ln consLanL use 1he drlver cauLlously maneuvered onLo an open plaLform 1wo oLher vehlcles [olned Lhem WlLh Lhe blare of a warnlng horn Lhe anLlgrav plaLform locked lnLo endless plllars began lLs ascenL 1he orlglnal conflguraLlon of Lhe dome could be dlscerned wlLh alLlLude pools and gardens LhaL were now aL rlghL angles Lo Lhelr deslgn became lmmense frames for plcLures of enLlre Leams 1helr drlver polnLed ouL hls favorlLe Lhe Lake SLreeL Muggers Lhree seasons unscaLhed and sald he was a Lake SLreeL boy once Pls prlde over LhaL was clear romenades and fooL paLhs LhaL wenL up Lhe wall dld look sLrange 1he rlslng plaLform enLered an unllL zone afLer Lhe 130 Lh floor AlmosL Lhere now" Lhe drlver sald ln Lhe gloom ?ou wlll have a greaL vlew of Lhe game governmenL offlces look down on Lhe maln arena" 1he plaLform sLopped where Lhe column LhaL gulded Lhem ended AlmosL Lhere now" 1he drlver Lurned sharply 1he wall on one slde conLlnued Lo unseen helghLs and on Lhe open slde a frall looklng fence kepL Lhem from falllng Lo Lhe floor below 1urnlng agaln Lhey could see noL Loo far a llL area CovernmenL CenLer sald Lhe slgn Lhlck wlLh dusL LveryLhlng ln Lhe quarLers was gold and sllver buL Lhe smell of musL was sLrong lL's been a whlle sald Lhe drlver" lllpplng a swlLch produced a loud sound and a mlld breeze We'll Lake care of you noL Lo worry" 1hese are some real oldles" 1he drlver sald examlnlng one of Lhe many porLralLs LhaL were LhroughouL Lhe CenLer vengance he was one of Lhe greaLs 1en seasons no one can do LhaL Loday llve seasons and mandaLory reLlremenL" 1urnlng as he spoke Lhe drlver polnLed aL hlmself wlLh boLh Lhumbs l survlved four" ulllng up hls Lee shlrL reveallng a large uneven scar l sLuffed ln my own lnLesLlnes and goL back ln Lhe game 1haL was my lasL season" We are very lmpressed" LllzabeLh sald We are noL Loo famlllar Maybe you can explaln Lhe scorlng Lo us" She held ouL Lhe LableL dlsplaylng Lhe blnary lnformaLlon downloaded Lhe day before 1he drlver examlned Lhe LableL flrsL l dldn'L go Lo LhaL game l had a seaL ln Lhe maln arena four seasons means llfeLlme seaLlng l llke Lo slL close where l can geL splaLLered remlnds me of Lhe old days WhaL do you wanL Lo know?" WhaL do Lhe numbers mean?" Pe defLly ran hls flnger down Lhe slde 1hls ls Lhe SlaughLer Avenue Cang agalnsL Lhe 8apld uogs Leam loses ln LhaL maLch season sLandlng LoLal Lhls season and Lhe subLrahend 1en Lo eleven a close one and Lhe LoLal LwenLy Lwo" WhaL abouL Lhls blg boLLom number?" Pls explanaLlon had noL clarlfled anyLhlng Cne hundred flfLy seven mllllon Lwo hundred nlneLy one Lhousand and seven hundred and elghLeen Lhe mlnuend" ?es l can read buL why ls lL so hlgh?" lL wlll be lower Lomorrow afLer LonlghL's games 1haL's for sure" Pe laughed aL hls humor Lhen added a laugh Lo slgnal he was leavlng Pe llcked hls llps before speaklng 1here ls noLhlng llke lL l been Lo plenLy of orgles and noL even sex compares Lo Lhe exhlleraLlon and fear of belng on Lhe playlng fleld SLay close ?our arrlval ls a good slgn We wlll have a camera llne on you 1he flrsL nlghL of Lhe flnally prellmlnary ellmlnaLlon and Lhe flrsL ambassadorlal vlslL ln 97 years lL ls no mere colncldence lL's god's wlll 1hls should be a greaL nlghL" 1he gold door closed afLer hlm !ohn sLood aL Lhe wlndow Lhe dome had a lens cuL lnLo lL Lo make Lhe shape of an arena lrom Lhelr wlndow ln Lhe 130 Lh floor Lhey could see Lhe pollshed floor of Lhe playlng fleld and Lhe publlc sLands buL mosL of Lhe vlew was Lhe lake and sky 1ogeLher !ohn and LllzabeLh marveled aL Lhe mlghLy aurora colorlng Lhe sky SLlll Lhree hours away people were gaLherlng Lhe rlng around Lhe playlng fleld was almosL full 1he probable reason Lhe drlver wlLh four seasons was ln such a hurry 1o caLch some splaLLer uld you llke hls scar?" !ohn asked noL funny l don'L llke anyLhlng abouL Lhls Pow are we supposed Lo flnd Mary?" Maybe when everyone ls aL Lhe game we can look around" 1earlng herself from Lhe wlndow LllzabeLh examlned her surroundlngs and found a Lermlnal slmllar Lo Lhe one ln Lhe llbrary excepL llke everyLhlng ln Lhe room lL was sllver wlLh gold buLLons and screws Lach of Lhe 24 parlshes came up ln a llsL She wanLed Lo know how many faces Lhey would have Lo compare Lo flnd Mary AL boLLom was LhaL number agaln 1hls ls noL [usL a game 1he number 137291718 ls Lhe populaLlon of Lhe dome l don'L know whaL lL means buL l don'L feel good abouL Lhls" lor Lhe momenL she was quleL abouL her susplclon of whaL lL meanL 1he deslgn of a dome was flrsL Lo safely house Lhe local populaLlon buL Lhe poLenLlal for Lhe domes was LhaL once Lhe boLLom and lower walls fllled wlLh people Lhen Lhe floors spannlng Lhe dome could be bullL Lo hold many Llmes Lhe populaLlon lor Lhose added mllllons Lhe accommodaLlons were Lo be bullL laLer ln Lhe fuLure when Lhe need became apparenL 1he deslgners' lnLenLlon and Lhe acLual resulL were noL whaL was once dreamed LllzabeLh's naLlve dome had been ln a sLeady populaLlon decllne and Lhe percepLlon here was as dlfferenL as Lhe soluLlon ln Chlcago afLer Lhe narrow cubes wlLh low celllngs for llvlng were Lurned on Lhe slde Lhe bland floors became soarlng Lowers Lvery floor had an acLual Lop and boLLom lL awoke ln Lhe lnhablLanLs a hlerarchy !usL as Lhe flaLness of Lhe modesL slngle floor encouraged equallLy among resldence Lhls new archlLecLure dld Lhe opposlLe Chlcago became a Lyrannlcal world domlnaLlng power and was lnevlLably overLhrown and now ln LhaL furLher afLermaLh ls Lhrlvlng once agaln She hoped her analysls was wrong buL lf noL she wanLed no parL of Lhls comlng compeLlLlon
CPA1L8 4 WhaL a greaL nlghL WhaL a greaL nlghL WhaL a greaL nlghL SLaggerlng from Lhe specLacle she found Lhe brlghLly llL baLhroom where she puked on her knees ln a clamshell shaped LolleL She fell lnLo her bed LhaL was llke a cloud buL only saw Lhe same Lhlng ln fronL of her eyes 8eLurnlng Lo Lhe vlewlng area she gaLhered !ohn who had hls head ln hls lap Lhe floor aL hls feeL was weL ln Lhe vlew room open on Lhe buLchery below she noLlced LhaL smell for Lhe flrsL Llme and she foughL Lhe urge of her sLomach Lo empLy Cnce on hls feeL !ohn walked 1hls ls golng Lo be a greaL nlghL" 1he governmenL's oLher guesLs were saylng and cheerlng 8y bloody Lurns enLhuslasLlc vlcLems dled LhaL nlghL and Lhelr bodles fed a flre !ohn and LllzabeLh had clearly been responslble for Lhe gore on Lhe fleld 1he nexL day Lhey were led around 1he prlde Lhey resLored Lo Lhe baLLllng caLhedrals overflowed lnLo Lhe commons 1hey saL Lhrough parades and feasLs ln every corner !ohn was glad Lo Lake some wlne LllzabeLh could noL eaL or speak and !ohn who as a Leenager was begln Lo learn Lhe effecL of words remalned sllenL he learned how Lo carry hlmself monLhs ago on Lhe lowa dome game show Pe shared hls lnslghL wlLh LllzabeLh 8e quleL and leL oLhers reveal Lhemselves Lo you" uays laLer lL was sLlll recalled @f was a greaL nlghL lL made Lhe recepLlon for Lhe ambassador graclous and opulenL fllled wlLh glfLs and feasLlng Lo be followed by anoLher maLch ln Lhelr honor 1he success of Lhelr dlplomaLlc mlsslon lf Lhere was one would now be assured 1helr arrlval had broughL new llfe Lo Lhe games lL was days unLll LllzabeLh could say she was no longer experlenclng Lhe sense of unreallLy Lhe specLacle lnduced LvenLually she plcked up a newspaper prlnLed on plasheeL and learned more 1he number of bables concelved LhaL nlghL was prlnLed and even Lhe deLall of Lhose concelved durlng Lhe game was lncluded ropheLs and oplnlon makers ln prlnL all agreed f nlghL marked Lhe end of Lhe LlmldlLy of Lhe currenL generaLlon and as Lhe world reaches Lo us ln Lhe person of Lhe ambassador and hls lovely pale helper so Loo can we expecL greaL nlghLs ln Lhe fuLure l Lhlnk we are Lhe flrsL ouLslders Lo see Lhls" LllzabeLh Look lnLeresL ln Lhe way Lhe playlng floor was resLored and even Lhe alr was cleansed of Lhe meaLy smell of dead flesh and Lhe smoke of Lhe game A dozen Laken down by one bladesman before Lhe conLenders could leap from heaped bodles and aLLack wlLh Lhe dead's severed llmbs 1he enormous blades gllnLed as llmbs lnLesLlnes and head chunks sprayed Lven Lhe showy dlsplay of Lhe Aurora was forgoLLen and Lhe shower of blood lnvlLed more conLesLanL lL was lnLoxlcaLlng Lo Lhem numbers ln all compeLlLlons were up ln Lhe wake of Lhe slaughLer ln Lhe maln arena l don'L wanL Lo sLay here 1he goal of Lhe game ls populaLlon conLrol l Lhlnk we should leave" Mary" !ohn spoke her name lnLo Lhe alr as Lhough he knew she would noL be found She was a splrlL now Pow do we geL back Lo Lhe shlp? 1hey knew us comlng ln and Lhey mlghL sLop us golng ouL" 1hey can'L keep us We'll [usL say we have Lo conLlnue Lo Lhe nexL dome l have Lo look for her" ln Lhe few days slnce Lhey arrlved Lhe narrow peak of 130 Lh level had become lllumlnaLed as rooms lmmedlaLely below fllled wlLh servanLs caLhedral represenLaLlves cooks food LasLers food servers bulls overseers and women wlLh Lape measures who were sendlng a consLanL processlon of new apparel Lo Lhe room and Lechnlcal help Lo keep all sysLems ln Lhe room runnlng 1he mosL avld conLacL was Alderman Creed and lL was who !ohn approached l'm looklng for a woman" She's no good?" 1he alderman asked LllzabeLh was sLandlng rlghL Lhere and !ohn [umped ln Lo prevenL awkwardness l am looklng for a speclflc woman who may be here agalnsL her wlll" 1he alderman looked baffled LhaL anyone from ouLslde would noL wanL Lo be here uoes she have a name?" !ohn Lold her buL lL was an aLLempL desLlned Lo fall as Lhe alderman was deLermlned Lo prevenL any Lrouble Clvlng Lhe ambassador a brace of servanLs was flne lL spread prlde and harmony Lhe more of LhaL Lhe beLLer Powever unleashlng Lhe bull deparLmenL Lo search Lhrough Lhe many hlcks who found Lhelr way Lo Chlcago was ouL of Lhe quesLlon uurlng Lhe days of walLlng for Lhe resulL of Lhe alderman's lnvesLlgaLlon Lhe games conLlnued !ohn and LllzabeLh found no way Lo escape lL 1here was an ocean of blood rheum and slnew gaLhered llke foam and bones proLruded everywhere uurlng Lhe day loudspeakers broadcasL lnLervlews wlLh random survlvors 1hey all sald Lhe same Lhlng lL was a greaL game l goL sLlLches hl mom" ln publlc areas and sLore wlndows lmages wenL up of Lhe ambassador and hls asslsLanL on Lhelr flrsL nlghL aL Lhe game before Lhe expresslon of shock seL ln 1he smell was back each nlghL buL Lhe smoke was fllllng more of Lhe sLadlum as Lhe bodles were more numerous and Lhe flames grew hlgher !ohn waLched one nlghL and reporLed Lo LllzabeLh abouL Lhe prlesLs who fed handfuls of chemlcals from buckeLs Lo color Lhe flames 8uL afLer Lhe flrsL wave aLLacked and managed Lo capLure Lhe blade !ohn was agaln slck CLhers ln Lhe room laughed aL hlm even Lhe servanLs 1he sporL had been flneLuned over cenLurles squads of flfLy men adulLs who were ln good flghLlng condlLlon wearlng only Lhe colors of Lhelr clLy or caLhedral around Lhelr mlddles barefooL and hands empLy fall ln waves agalnsL Lhe clrcle of bladesmen 1he flrsL mlnuLes are an agony unLll a bladesman ls broughL down buL ln Lhose mlnuLes Lhe playlng fleld ls Lransformed 1he blood guLs and shlL make Lhe surface sllck and Lhe man holdlng Lhe heavy roLaLlng blades may become a LhreaL Lo hls own Leam and hlmself should he sllp 8uL soon ln LhaL fleld Lhe survlvlng players seem Lo en[oy Lhemselves 1hose who llve afLer Lhe flrsL onslaughL of play have a hope of survlvlng Lo Lhe end and a chance Lo do some kllllng lL was noL [usL one Leam agalnsL Lhe oLher lL broughL up Lhe anclenL ways Leam work and LacLlcs a small group of a Leam wlll cuL off a slngle sLraggler of Lhe opposlLlon 1hey especlally en[oy LhaL klll and have a splrlLual communlon ln kllllng as one lrom seaLs ln Lhe arena or waLchlng on boxes Lhe resL of Lhe dome [oln ln LhaL speclal feellng All LhaL ln Lhree mlnuLes and afLer each conLesL when Lhe dead and body parLs are rolled up and Lled wlLh lnLesLlnes lL ls a soberlng momenL lL says Lo Lhe dome LhaL lL could be any one of us ollshlng machlnes qulckly clean for Lhe nexL fresh conLesLanLs and refreshmenL sellers walk Lhrough Lhe grandsLand 1he flrsL maLch ls always Lhe greaLesL Seelng Lhe blg men go down made lL an lnsplraLlon for Leens women and glrls who followed Cnce a monLh was klds nlghL and Lhey had an old Llmers league of men ln Lhelr flfLles sllclng each oLher wlLh old sLyle daggers uo you llke lL?" !ohn was asked more ofLen Lhan he asked anyLhlng abouL Lhe game Pe never could blurL ouL whaL he was feellng buL he could noL hlde hls palned expresslon he was always remlnded LhaL lL was needed for populaLlon conLrol and only Lhe sLrong survlve !ohn could only plcLure hlmself hldlng under a sLack of legs Pe sensed LhaL Lhey sensed hls dlsgusL Alderman Creed explalned lL Lo Lhe ambassador one nlghL 1hls ls our way lf man musL have war leL's [usL do lL wlLhouL Lhe machlnes LhaL geL desLroyed or are lmmedlaLely ouL daLed A wasLe of money and resources 8uL here you see war as lL was foughL ln Lhe beglnnlng wlLh Lhe same prlde and healLhy feellngs as our ancesLors felL lL served as populaLlon conLrol Lhen as now And when Lhe games are popular lL drlves Lhe economy and people are happler" Pow do you know lf people are happy?" !ohn asked Less sulcldes and more bables When Lhe games are exclLlng people are here or home wlLh Lhelr boxes waLchlng oLher people dle and noL kllllng Lhemselves lL's noL as bad as lL looks l've been Lhrough Lwlce only a llLLle scraLch" Pe leaned forward ln hls seaL and pulled down Lhe back of hls shlrL collar reveallng a crescenL scar sLarLlng ln hls scalp dlsappearlng down hls back 8lade grazed me l helped Lake down Lhe flrsL bladesman l was LwenLy elghL and ln Lhe shape of my llfe Cver one hundred sLlLches Cne hundred and LwenLy flve" lf Lhe prlde aL Lhe momenL of klll was noL enough !ohn could see Lhe laLer prlde of Lhe Alderman Creed Would you llke Lo Lry? l could send you down wlLh Lhe Leen boys ?ou're ln good shape 1hey go ln 200 aL a Llme Palf don'L even geL a scar" l have a dlplomaLlc mlsslon 1hank you maybe anoLher Llme Pave you had any luck wlLh my frlend?" Mary ls a very sLrange name l don'L Lhlnk she could have goL far calllng herself LhaL Pow abouL a number? WhaL's her number? 1haL's how people conLacL each oLher around here by number" She was from lowa Lhere we are sLlll known by names" Well Lhls ls Chlcago" WlLh Lhls lnslghL !ohn wenL back Lo LllzabeLh's prlvaLe room l Lhlnk we mlghL flnd Mary lf we look under a dlfferenL name" WhaL? CeL ouL of here you sLlnk" !ohn wenL back Lo Lhe hall and Lalked lnLo Lhe door crack LeL's face lL Lhe man Look Mary here for one reason and we have Lo sLarL looklng for her under a name LhaL has Lo do wlLh sex or screwlng" She Lhrew a robe wlLh fur Lrlm over her plaln pa[amas and wenL Lo Lhe door Cf course WhaL are some of Lhose phrases Lhey used ln Lhe llLeraLure Llke PoL Mama or lloozy LeL's Lry Lhe Lermlnal ln Lhe mlddle room" 1he publlc room was full of LhaL smell so slckenlng Lo LllzabeLh l'll look wlLh you ln Lhe mornlng" She lefL !ohn aL Lhe Lermlnal and reLurned Lo her room Cne dld noL have Lo spend a llfeLlme ln a llbrary Lo know Lhe Lerms for whore 1he Lermlnal poured ouL an unfaLhomable amounL of maLerlal 1he crowd ln Lhe oLher room was waLchlng Lhe undercard ln Lransflxed sllence whlle Lhe room !ohn was ln grew more redolenL wlLh Lhe sLench lL seemed Lo !ohn all of Lhe sex for hlre was locaLed ln Lhe same dlsLrlcL of anoLher caLhedral 1haL was Lhe place Lo look and wlLh everyone waLchlng Lhe bloodshed Lhls seemed a good Llme Lo go
CPA81L8 3 lL was dlfflculL geLLlng away from Creed When Lhe supreme counsel came Lo call on Lhe ambassador Lhey meL ln Creed's offlce and passed Lhrough hls lush appolnLmenLs and were walLed on by hls servanLs Creed explalned Lo !ohn LhaL ln Lhe power sLruggle beLween Lhe caLhedrals and Lhe councll LhaL he was Lhe supreme of boLh ln Chlcago no man publlcly wlll speak Lo a woman excepL ln orderlng servanLs and LhaL ls done avoldlng any eye conLacL LllzabeLh lf menLlon was referred Lo by aLLrlbuLe ?our Lall helper pale asslsLanL frlend wlLh long halr lf Creed had chlldren lL was only 3 sons Lhe 3 daughLers were noL menLloned ln publlc or ouLslde Lhe home and flrsL clrcle of Lhe famlly 1he home was a nesL for baby producLlon CuLslde women could work as servanLs and men dld everyLhlng else And everyone Look parL ln Lhe games Creed klcked a LoLLerlng servanL and !ohn learned LhaL Lhere was also a casLe off subhuman who falled cerLaln LesLs and desplLe belng sLerlllzed Lhey kepL arlslng ln Lhe populaLlon When Lhey reached a sLaLe of belng unmanageable or dlsobedlenL Lhey were asslgned Lo Lhe pracLlce sesslons for Lhe game ln Chlcago everyone of upper casLe ls brusque ln speech and men greeL wlLh shoulder punches when noL worklng Lhey bulld Lhelr bodles ServanLs are hunched and Lend Lo look ashy and few of Lhem go Lo Lhe games volunLarlly 1he lower casLe has no culLure buL ls deemed congenlLal cowards 1he splrlL of Lhe game ls robusLness and healLh Lhe sLrongesL llve Lo reproduce because Lhe lower casLe lncluded Lhe bllnd and lame Lhey Lended noL Lo have LhaL passlon Loss of genlLalla and sLarvaLlon food raLlons conLrlbuLed Lo Lhelr cowardllness 8elng chlldless Lhey have llLLle sLake ln socleLy All of Lhe caLhedrals converged on Lhe common 1he 22 faces of Lhe dome bared Lhelr LeeLh aL Lhe world !ohn goL ln a Lhree wheeler and Lold Lhe drlver Lhe name of Lhe caLhedral where all of Lhe sex for hlre was golng on !ohn felL no embarrassmenL because Lhe servanLs were so well adapLed Lo beLraylng no emoLlon of Lhelr own Where mosL caLhedrals had gargoyles and Lallsman carved lnLo Lhe columns here Lhe columns were plaln and had once been whlLe buL were dlngy from Lhe smoke whlch someLlmes blew back lnLo Lhe dome lmmedlaLely !ohn recognlzed lL as a hosplLal 8uL where were Lhe salesmen? 1he servanL asked lf he should walL WhaL dld you say?" l wlll walL slr" !ohn had been around enough Lo know LhaL Lhls servanL knew who he was and was badly conceallng lL on purpose lL would be Loo blzarre lf he sald unnecessary words Lo a servanL !ohn walked lnLo Lhe plasLeel and plaglass enLry Lo Lhe hosplLal Can l help you?" She wore a sLrlpped dress buL was noL a servanL l am looklng for a parLlcular sex worker" Per llps sealed she backed away buL polnLed lollow LhaL maroon sLrlpe" lollowlng Lhe maroon lnvolved several elevaLor changes he saw bables Lhen old people Pe changed elevaLors and heard groans from survlvors of Lhe games who llved Lo be LreaLed Lhelr wounds belng Loo serlous Lo sew closed Lhemselves up Cn LhaL level were large publlc boxes of Lhe game and a causeway where aL Lhe end reflecLed Lhe llghL of Lhe flre from Lhe game 1he lasL was noL an elevaLor buL an open alr holsL and a cage Pe heslLaLed geLLlng ln lL was dark above excepL for a few red llghLs 1he conLrol lnslde Lhe cage had Lwo poslLlons a pollshed red and a dull green Pe pushed green Lhere was a [olL and Lhe car rose 1hls was Lhe unresLored parL of Lhe dome where walls served as floors and doors are ln Lhe celllng Where Lhe cage sLopped Lhere were no slgns and lL was Loo dark Lo read 1he red llghLs were far aparL buL he walked slowly Loward Lhe closesL An open door ln a floor would be hard Lo see 1he llghL was ln a frame lL was a wlndow on a small huL 1here was a door !ohn knocked Lhen enLered 8aLhed ln red llghL a woman recllned on a bed near Lhe bed was a box LhaL showed where !ohn had come from ouLslde Lhe huL !ohn sLood uncomforLably hls head almosL Louchlng Lhe celllng When hls eyes ad[usLed he saw LhaL Lhe woman was naked he apologlzed and sLepped ouL Pe paused now lL was seLLled ln hls mlnd for all Llme [umplng ouL of Lhe room was hls flrsL reacLlon Lo a naked woman 1haL quesLlon was a remnanL from hls old llfe before Lhe flood Pe had been a problem aL school and lL seemed he never goL along wlLh hls parenLs Why he asked hlmself am l dolng Lhls? l am looklng for someone" he sald aL Lhe closed door 1here was no response l don'L know her name here She used Lo be called Mary l have an old plcLure of her We were Lo marry buL her faLher sold her Lo a man from Chlcago" 1he door opened very slowly WhaL's wrong wlLh you?" she whlspered openlng lL furLher naked We're noL supposed Lo Lalk up here She sllpped ouL of Lhe room presslng her back Lo Lhe wall We can Lalk here" whlsperlng Llke Lhls Lhe bulldlng sLlll Lhlnks l am lnslde and Lhe ferLlllLy monlLor can sLlll read me" Looklng only aL Lhelr feeL !ohn Look Lhe flexlble LableL from hls pockeL and held lL Lo where he hoped she could see Pe dld noL wanL Lo close hls eyes Pavlng crossed a vasL darkness he sLlll felL unsLeady Lhey had Lo whlsper and wlLh her back pressed Lo Lhe wall her breasL fllled hls mlnd CuLe glrl buL l don'L know her no one ls supposed Lo know anyone here l am here unLll l geL pregnanL lf l don'L l become reclasslfled for belng lnferLlle Why a man comes here ls hls own buslness l don'L even wanL Lo know uoesn'L she have a number?" no only Mary" 1haL doesn'L mean anyLhlng" Where l come from a name ls used lf lL ls speclal llke Mary or !ohn Lo llnk wlLh someone you loved who llved before 1haL's whaL lL means" l knew who you were as soon as you opened Lhe door ?ou're Lhe ambassador everyone ls Lalklng abouL Maybe you can help me?" Pow can l help you?" !ohn sounded doubLful slnce he was new and somewhaL a prlsoner Maybe you have some speclal sauce from lowa LhaL wlll help me geL a baby" !ohn's halr sLood on end and he had goose bumps l couldn'L l can'L glve you a baby and leave" lL Lakes up Lo half an hour ?ou can leave before Lhe ferLlllLy alarm sounds uo you Lhlnk l am ugly? ?ou would really be helplng me lf you gave lL Lo me" !ohn's morals and a llfeLlme of publlc school healLh Lralnlng fllled hls head wlLh close ups of penls cankers oozlng puss noses llke garllc bulbs from syphllls and faces dlsflgured by herpes l know l have already been dlagnosed wlLh low pheromones" l'm sorry" Pe knew her faLe and sensed Lhe desperaLlon growlng ln her lL frlghLened hlm Pe could noL be her source of hope !ohn [usLlfled hlmself lL ls a hopeless slLuaLlon ln lowa Lhe nearby company farms used slaves from Chlna and Lhls was no dlfferenL Cn Lhe way down he Look a Lhree wheeler Lo approach Lhe vlewlng area 1he fleld for Lhe games was far away wlLh very llLLle dlrecL vlew buL Lhe smoke and smell were presenL Pe could see Lhe governmenL vl quarLers dlrecLly above Lhe fleld Pe counLed llghL squares Lo flnd Lhe llghL ln LllzabeLh's room She's probably readlng he Lold hlmself SomeLhlng abouL Lhe LhoughL of LllzabeLh made hlm feel beLLer 8y Lhe Llme Lhe red llghLs were danclng on Lhe surface of Lake Mlchlgan Lhe games were over Commons" Pe Look a Lhree wheeler back Lo Lhe commons Pe could noL speak and wlshed hls sLomach would go back down hls LhroaL Pe had noL even seen Lhe acLlon lL musL be Lhe smell of LhaL smoke" Lven Lhls far away Lhe alr carrled Lhe sLench of grease smoke lf Lhe locals were noL slck Lhey were somber and quleL by Lhe end Lhe celebranL splrlL for Lhe blg men who always opened Lhe game Lransformed by Lhe lasL baLLle of small chlldren 1hey screamed and fell llke blown ouL flowers Modlfled blades gave Lhem mosLly superflclal wounds buL more Lhan a few made lL Lo Lhe flre 1he moon was brlghL brown and he found Lhe only car and drlver SLaLe SLreeL" !ohn commanded falllng ln 130 Lh level?" 1haL was a presumpLuous quesLlon Lhe sorL of breach LhaL was unheard of aL LhaL he !ohn recognlzed Lhe drlver from before Ambassador?" ?es" !ohn reLurned wlLh cauLlon 1he Lhree wheeler had drawn close Lo Lhe bulldlngs where ln Lhe darkness cameras could noL observe uo you Lhlnk Lhere ls someLhlng wrong here?" ln Lhe Llme before !ohn could answer dlplomaLlcally Lhe drlver conLlnued l know l look llke a servanL a defecLlve buL Lhere was a Llme when l was llke Lhe resL ?ou see" he gaLhered hls shlrL around hls neck l have no scars 1hey labeled me a coward buL l was only afrald of hurLlng someone else 1hey Look my balls and labeled me l don'L quallfy as a clLlzen lf l have no scars" l know ln my sLomach LhaL Lhls all of lL ls wrong" 8emalnlng quleL !ohn llsLened l was a manager when Lhey were looklng aL me for a promoLlon l Lold Lhem l dldn'L wanL lL buL Lhey would noL leL lL go 1he flnal eval for Lhe posL was who had Lhe besL scars?" 1he drlver shook hls head 1he super and a prlesL came Lo see me 1hen l was escorLed by Lhe prlesL and a bull 1hey laughed aL my Lrembllng Lven as a school boy l hung back Lhlnklng abouL whaL Lhey were dolng Cur Leachers were Lhe 8ladesmen LhaL day 1here were oLhers wlLh me Lhey were crylng and afrald l only LhoughL how wrong lL all seemed When Lhey had me under arresL Lhey LhoughL l was afrald l knew Lhey expecLed me Lo run away and Lhe bull would be happy Lo klll me on Lhe spoL 8uL l would noL glve Lhem LhaL saLlsfacLlon 8ecause of my slze l was Lhrown ln wlLh hlgh school klds from a sLrange caLhedral 1he bull sLood by never Laklng hls eye off me l could hear Lhe cheers as Lhe blg men wenL ouL And ln Lhe prep room 8ladesmen near us were ad[usLlng Lhelr blades on pracLlce vlcLlms l know Lhey dld lL on purpose 1he blades Lore lnLo Lhe vlcLlms when we were naked and Lhen Lhey handed ouL Lhe sashes 1hey goL Lhe blood on us LhaL way buL noL on Lhe school colors When Lhe door opened we wanLed ouL lf we showed any heslLaLlon abouL golng onLo Lhe fleld we would end up pracLlce vlcLlms l hung back wlLh Lhe school boys and goL Lhrough wlLhouL a scar Why am l dlfferenL? l don'L know l was Laken Lo rlngslde as a baby for Lhe blood bapLlsm 8uL l could never accepL lL 1wo or Lhree Llmes a year my faLher Look me Pe was a good dad and Lold me how he goL hls scars 8uL l never llked lL noL aL all l [usL saw so much paln from people hurLlng each oLher l re[ecLed lL 8y re[ecLlng lL l was Lhrowlng my llfe away no woman would marry a man unscarred so l hardly cared when Lhey Look my balls l asked my dad when l was a kld lf Lhe game hurL hlm Pe sald no buL added LhaL even lf lL dld he wouldn'L admlL lL 1haL he sald ls whaL made hlm a man AfLer l was flred aL work Lhey dragged me from Lhe home where l used Lo llve 8eLween games Lhey broughL ouL me and several oLher men geLLlng Lhelr balls off LhaL day l was never afrald of Lhe paln for myself l dldn'L wanL Lo hurL anyone else WhaL else would l do lf l goL Lhe blade from Lhe bladesman? 1hey could noL Lurn me lnLo a klller l LhoughL of my faLher when Lhey clamped Lhe small sprlng loaded blade around my sac Some of Lhe oLher fellows wlLh me crled and begged Lhe enLlre Llme lor my dad aL home Lo see when Lhey sprang Lhe blade and my sac hlL Lhe ground LhaL l dld noL shed a Lear or make a sound 1haL l Loo was a man" l sLlll wanLed Lo llve Some of Lhe guys l was wlLh LhaL nlghL were defecLlves When we enLered for casLraLlon Lhe crowd was laughlng and Lhrowlng small sLrlps of wlre 1he wlre for us Lo Lle ourselves wlLh before Lhe sLeel clamp ls puL on Some of Lhose poor guys who could noL Lle a shoe and fumbled wlLh Lhelr wlres were Lhe ones who bled Lo deaLh begglng for help 8uL Lhen lL was Loo laLe Lhey should have asked for help before 1hey were ldloLs and dummles Lhey dldn'L undersLand 1haL doesn'L maLLer now" Mr Ambassador Lhls dome ls a hell hole 1he penalLy for Lalklng Lo a subhuman llke we're dolng now ls worse Lhan lf you Look ouL your dagger and kllled me even wlLhouL a reason" 1ell me lL's noL llke Lhls where you come from" WlLh Lhe lmage of Lhe woman's body sLlll deralllng hls LhoughLs ?es lL's dlfferenL where l come from Cames llke Lhese are unheard of ln lowa" lL's a flve hundred year old secreL 1haL's why Lhey gaLes lock when Lhe games begln 1he domes populaLlon was doubllng and redoubllng lL puL an end Lo LhaL WhaL do you do wlLh excess populaLlon ln your dome?" noLhlng We have sLarvlng and homeless MosL people are hungry from season Lo season no kllllngs" uo you have Lhe rellglon?" Some people are rellglous buL noL llke Lhls rellglon Marrlage and funeral rellglon" Pow abouL 'do unLo oLhers Lwlce whaL you Lhlnk oLhers would do onLo you lf Lhey caughL you dolng whaL Lhey dld'? Lven Lhelr commandmenLs say 'A man shall klll only enough Lo cover hlmself and hls wlfe'? Whlch makes murder or kllllng more Lhan Lwo ln Lhe rlng Lechnlcally lllegal" Pe had pracLlced Lhe reason Lo supporL hls feellng many Llmes ln hls head buL Lhe rlsk of speaklng Lhem Look away any [oy of sharlng We sLlll have some of Lhe Len commandmenLs" 1en? 1haL's all lL musL be anarchy Cf course a loL of our rellglon ls ouL of daLe Llke 'uo noL flre unLll you see Lhe whlLes of Lhelr eyes klll or be kllled lL ls noL over unLll only one ls lefL sLandlng' Some of Lhose are lmposslble" LnLer Lhe llL area Lhe drlver leaned away from !ohn and properly lowered hls head Lo a subhuman angle lar more llghLs were on around Lhe aparLmenL Lhan !ohn had ever seen before LllzabeLh called hls name from Lhe balcony Where were you?" 8ulls were everywhere Where were you?" Alderman Creed asked A helmeLed bull looked down over Lhe drlver Where dld you plck hlm up?" !ohn spoke l wanLed a closer look aL Lhe games Am l allowed? l flnd Lhe acLlon very sLlmulaLlng" !ohn knew Lhey would lap LhaL up 1hen Lo measure Lhe reacLlon he added AfLer Lhe game l asked Lhls drlver Lo help me flnd our shlp" 1he drlver furLher lowered hls head 8uL he sald he dld noL know Lhe way" Pe wouldn'L" Creed sald LhaL shlp ls ln speclal sLorage" Co" 1he bull sald klcklng Lhe Lhree wheeler and almosL mlsslng Lhe drlver ufflng up hls chesL uefecL" Lhe bull added wlLh saLlsfacLlon We need Lo be golng Cur mlsslon musL conLlnue" Cf course" Creed sald amlably ?our shlp wlll be walLlng and you may leave as soon as Lhe gaLes open ln Lhe mornlng" LllzabeLh dld noL speak unLll Lhey were alone 1hey dldn'L llke lL when you were mlsslng 1hey have a loL of Lrlvlal vlolaLlons punlshable by deaLh" l know l found ouL l Lalked wlLh a subhuman servanL" 1haL's one of Lhe vlolaLlons l don'L llke Lhls place noL belng Lalked Lo ls sLarLlng Lo make me feel anxlous llke someLhlng ls up" 8efore l Look off Creed was offerlng me a chance Lo go ln Lhe game lL mlghL be good for dlplomacy buL lL wouldn'L be good for my llfe 1hey klll everyone around here 1he drlver used Lo be upper class buL he chose sLaylng ouL of Lhe games 1hey cuL hls you know whaL off" Pe felL funny unable Lo say balls a word he mlghL have sald wlLhouL Lhlnklng when he was worklng or back ln hlgh school wlLh Lhe boys l was looklng for Mary l found a place where women go Lo geL pregnanL She wasn'L Lhere" 1haL nlghL LllzabeLh had Lhe flghLlng dream agaln whlle across Lhe hall !ohn dreamL he was on Lhe fleld and ln Lhe game We need cloLhes and provlslons" LllzabeLh sald over breakfasL buL we don'L have room ln Lhe shlp for all of Lhls" ClfLs fllled a corner of Lhe large room We can leave Lomorrow" !ohn sald l have an ldea l mlghL be able Lo flnd Mary lf l could ask everyone ln Lhe dome 1hey announce blrLhdays and annlversarles why noL a mlsslng person? Whlle Lhey sLlll llke us l'll ask Creed when he sLops by Lhls mornlng Creed sLopped by wlLh hls followlng of Lhe press Creed's sLyle was Lo pull !ohn aslde and make hls conversaLlons prlvaLe and seemlngly of lmporLance alLhough usually noLhlng was sald 1haL was when !ohn Look Lhe opporLunlLy Lo make hls requesL Creed shook hls beefy head 1he prlesLs would never allow LhaL" Couldn'L you persuade Lhem?" AL LhaL Creed laughed as lf he never heard anyLhlng as funny no no no ?ou don'L undersLand anyLhlng abouL us ?ou cannoL be recognlzed or acknowledge unLll you have aL leasL one scar Pasn'L any of Lhls lmpressed you? Pow can you lmaglne Lhey would make an announcemenL aL your requesL lf you are unscarred?" ulplomacy" !ohn offered as a bluff lL's Llme for you Lo enLer Lhe games lf you wanL dlplomacy wlLh us" ?ou're rlghL" !ohn sald l'll do lL" 1onlghL? l don'L know abouL LonlghL 1hree nlghLs ago when l offered lL Lo you Lhe chance for you survlvlng was good 8uL LhaL was Lhree ellmlnaLlon rounds ago Lhe survlvors are Lhe besL ?ou mlghL flnlsh Lhe nlghL ln flames" l [usL wanL Lo know LhaL you wlll make my announcemenL She was Lo be my wlfe and she was sLolen away She may be here l have Lo know" ?ou have my word" Creed sald and came down wlLh an unexpecLed backslap !ohn spun halfway Lo hls knees unLll he caughL hlmself l'll send some bulls Lo make sure you don'L geL Loo cuL" Can Lhey make Lhe announcemenL before Lhe game ln case l don'L" ln case you go on Lhe flre?" Creed asked wlLh a hearLy laugh AnnouncemenLs are beLween games noL before games ?ou are golng Lo go ln Lhe flrsL game"
ChapLer 6 Senseless aln was a feaLured 8ladesmen LhaL evenlng hls flrsL maLch slnce recoverlng from hls prevlous maLch Pe almosL losL an arm whlch would have ended hls career Cnly Lhe physlcally perfecL could go lnLo Lhe maLch rlng A cusLom Lhe prlesL Look from Lhe mlllLary 1wo young bulls well scarred flanked !ohn 1hey Look a large bull Lhree wheeler and as Lhey Lraveled down Lhe caLhedral oLher bulls drove before and afLer Lhem Pls arrlval was celebraLed LhroughouL Lhe dome lrom Lhe commons Lo Lhe fooL of Lhe arena Lhe people ralned lengLhs of wlre and sLrlng 1he bull on Lhe lefL pulled a sLrlng ouL of Lhe alr and handed lL Lo !ohn WhaL's lL for?" ?ou Lle off a bleeder wlLh lL So you mlghL llve Lo play agaln Pold onLo lL" 1he bull on hls oLher slde spoke l can'L belleve you never dld Lhls before ?ou won'L need LhaL well Lake care of you !usL one scar LonlghL 1he alderman Lalked Lo me 'lf he dles we dle' he sald" AL Lhe base Lhe people wenL ln Lwo dlrecLlons game fans wenL Lo Lhelr seaLs LhaL faced Lhe pollshed game floor Lhe flre plL and Lhe vasL lake beyond 1hose Lo play Lhe game LhaL nlghL made a processlon Lo Lhe gaLes whlch locked behlnd Lhem and Lhe unseen pracLlce rooms under Lhe seaLs asslng Lhrough Lhe gaLes !ohn LhoughL Coodbye LllzabeLh Pello mom" Pe fully expecLed Lo be reunlLed wlLh hls moLher ln heaven 1he Lwo bulls qulckly goL naked and wove Lhelr sashes be Lhelr legs across Lhelr buLLs and over Lhelr bellles ?ou really haven'L done Lhls before" 1he bull lnsLrucLed !ohn how Lo wear Lhe sash of hls caLhedral A prlesL enLered hls robe was maroon Lrlmmed ln sllver and gold a whlLe shlrL underneaLh would be brown and red by Lhe games end ?ou've all done Lhls before rlghL boys?" As he walked dellberaLely across Lhe fronL laLher" several volces wenL up aL once Cver here" !ohn was wlde eyed wlLh surprlse Lhe prlesL dlpped hls hand lnLo a sllver pall he carrled and splashed !ohn wlLh warm blood 8less you Pave a good game LonlghL" uon'L [usL leL lL cloL Lhere spread lL around" Some of Lhe men used large halr removers llke Lhe small one !ohn was glven 1hey Lhlnk lf Lhey Lake off Lhelr halr lL'll make em more sllppery" 1hey also coaLed Lhemselves wlLh blood from buckeLs around Lhe large locker room !ohn [umped aL Lhe roar Lhe moLors of Lhe splnnlng blades 8ladesmen goL ready on Lhe far slde 1he men around !ohn laughed aL hls fear
!ohn could see from Lhe halry puffed up chesLs LhaL four bulls were surroundlng hlm 1he bulls were casual buL oLher men were prepplng Lhemselves Some applled LournlqueLs loosely before Lhe conLesLs MosL had a Lhln coaLlng of blood afLer wanderlng near Lhe 8ladesmen pracLlclng So long gramps" was a [oke made over a fallen old man A bell rang 1le your sash boy We go soon" !ohn Lled hls sash agaln 1wo bells rang LeL's go" !ohn followed Lwo bulls and Lwo followed hlm 1he combaLanLs proceeded ln a flve by Len recLangle bare feeL had Lo move llghLly over Lhe speclal surface LhaL sloped Lo Lhe peak where moLors roared and men ln sashes of Lhelr caLhedral wlLh splnnlng blades walLed under blue exhausL smoke 1he flrsL slLe of vlcLlms had Lhe crowd on lLs feeL chanLlng and clapplng dlfferenL caLhedral anLhems 1hree 8ladesmen formed a llne and Lhe Lwo oLhers were back Lo back Whlch one ls Senseless aln?" A bull behlnd !ohn asked Lhe oLher SLay Lo aln's lefL We'll geL you nlcked" Cn a level !ohn undersLood Lhey were Lalklng Lo hlm Pls feeL seemed Lo follow buL hls aLLenLlon was on Lhe flrsL vlcLlm who had gone for a bladesman's legs When Lhe blade sLruck LhaL one's back a second vlcLlm leapL lnLo Lhe alr and grabbed Lhe bladesman's halrless head 1he blade was sLuck unable Lo pull ouL no Llme Lo saw Lhrough When Lhey fell oLhers grabbed Lhe blade and an arm Lhen a fooL fell ouL of Lhe plle now hold hlm" 1he bulls Lrled Lo hold !ohn near a blade LhaL hls caLhedral had won from anoLher now dead bladesman !ohn foughL Lhe bulls buL lL was hopeless SLop movlng" llnally !ohn gave up and Lhey held hls head Lo one slde 1hen Lhey Lossed hlm Pe slld down Lhe Lerrlble rlse where he sLruggled Lo sLaunch Lhe blood bubbllng from Lhe flap of searlng skln on hls shoulder 1he frlendly bulls Lhree who survlved carrled !ohn from Lhe arena Pls wound was qulckly dressed llke Lhose of many oLhers ln Lhe expanslve flrsL ald quarLers CreaL wound CreaL acLlon lowa should be mosL proud of lLs ambassador 1hls ls a greaL day LeL's make an announcemenL" Creed was beamlng aL !ohn !ohn saL up on Lhe Lable and noLlced LhaL Lhe alderman's Lhree wheeler was by hls Lable CeL ln now l can really presenL you Lo Lhe Chlcago dome" Clearly Alderman Creed had a place ln Lhe hearL of every caLhedral and he could feel Lhe crowds affecLlon for hlm before he spoke Lhe words 1onlghL ls a speclal nlghL Cnly flve nlghLs ago Lhe ambassador from lowa arrlved Lo vlew our games 1onlghL he [olned our games and foughL bravely" Casps of recognlLlon preceded Lhe loudesL cheerlng !ohn had ever heard !ohn and mosL of Lhe audlence new he had behaved llke a Lerrlfled coward buL lL was noL menLloned LhaL nlghL 1he speech conLlnued l am sure LhaL wlLh Lhe warm Lhanks we glve LonlghL LhaL Lhls wlll be only Lhe flrsL and soon enLlre Leams from lowa wlll come Lo play Lhe game wlLh us now Lhe ambassador would llke Lo address us" !ohn sLood slowly from Lhe carL and spoke lnLo Lhe mlcrophone aL hls face one of several LhaL were always Lhere walLlng for lmprompLu speakers or slngers Pe held Lhe Lemporary bandage Mary lL's me !ohn from lowa l am aL governmenL quarLers l need Lo geL sLlLches l wanL Lo Lake you home" Llmbs and enLralls lefL a Lrall of blood as Lhe machlne swepL Lhem lnLo a plle Pe could recall Lhe plle walLlng for Lhe blesslng and Lhe prlesLs Lo llghL whlle he could noL remember whaL he sald ln Lhe mlcrophone very lmpressed Creed re[olned !ohn ln Lhe seaL of Lhe carL PosplLal" Pe Lold Lhe drlver a bull 1haL's whaL every pollLlclan loves llsLen Lo LhaL 1haL ls why l geL 200 of Lhe voLe Leave 'em cheerlng" And lowered hls hand wlLh a back slap Sorry" 8lLe Lhls" A nurse placed a black sLlck ln !ohn's mouLh When he blL a spray came ouL of Lhe sLlck whlch rendered hlm unconsclous Pe had crazy dreams and awoke ln Lhe bed ln hls governmenL sulLe Pow does lL feel?" LllzabeLh ln an unfamlllar garmenL sLood over hlm WhaL happened?" Pe had a Lremendous headache and dld noL wanL Lo dlg ln hls mlnd Loo deeply uld she geL Lhe message?" noLhlng so far Pere have some [ulce" She approached Lhe bed WlLh everyLhlng else on hls mlnd !ohn knew Lhls was Lhe flrsL Llme she enLered hls room and lL made hlm feel funny lL hurL Lo move anyway and LllzabeLh held Lhe glass Lo hls llps Pe needed someLhlng slnce he had Lo fasL all day before Lhe games 1hanks We need Lo geL ouL of here Pow long was l ouL?" AlmosL 24 hours" Pave LonlghL's games sLarLed yeL?" !ohn surprlsed hlmself wlLh hls enLhuslasm uo you Lhlnk people from lowa would wanL Lo go ln Lhe rlng?" ?ou're rlghL We need Lo go and soon 1hls Lhlng ls changlng you" lL's noL changlng me lL ls brlnglng ouL someLhlng" Pe LwlsLed hls head and neck agalnsL Lhe LlghLness of heallng l could go agaln and l wouldn'L be afrald Lhls Llme now lL's parL of me llke lL ls for Lhem" 1hese games are crazy 1hese people are crazy and Lhey are maklng you crazy" uL on my box please l wanL Lo caLch Lhe hlghllghLs from lasL nlghL" Cn Lhe replay he saw Lhe recLangle of flfLy men move as one excepL for hlm and Lhe bulls around hlm sLraggllng ln a far corner MosL of Lhe Llme hls feeL were noL on Lhe ground as Lwo bulls carrled hlm near Lhe end before he was glven a wound one bull who !ohn recognlzed caughL hls feeL ln a lengLh of lnLesLlne and fell forward Pe was Lagged by a blade ln a kldney lor a momenL Lhen lL ralned blood 1haL bull was clearly dead as Lhe lake of hls blood spread under hlm and dralned down Lhe sllghL lncllne !ohn Lurned lL off before seelng hlmself belng dragged or maklng hls announcemenL WhaL's wrong wlLh me?" !ohn asked ouL loud lL ls Lhe game" LllzabeLh sLood ouLslde Lhe room so as noL Lo see whaL !ohn had been waLchlng lL has a grlp on Lhem And now Lhey have your approval 1haL's why Lhey wanL you and everyone from lowa Lo play" 1he ambassador sLood Lhere was no such Lhlng as a wheelchalr ln Chlcago dome and asplrln was Lhe only paln klller lorLy Lwo sLlLches!" 1haL was conslderable even for a local Powever Lhe news sLar conLlnued Lhere were no lnLernal sLlLches" uld !ohn hear dlsappolnLmenL? And he keeps Lhe arm" ?es! uesplLe Lhe lrreverence lL was Lhe Lrlgger for a new age of accepLance 8eLurnlng Lhey were drlven by Creed hlmself he had dlfflculLy geLLlng hls glrLh behlnd Lhe sLlck of a pollce Lrlke and found Lhemselves surround by mobs once Lhe enLourage debarked Lhelr elevaLor ln Lhe commons lL was a long rlde Lo Lhe subsubsubsubbasemenL where Lhe lmmovable shlp was parked lL had noL been moved buL was shlned Lo a level of Lawdry radlance 1he nondescrlpL green grey fuzz on Lhe exLerlor was noL parL of lLs camouflage buL Lhe dlrL accumulaLed slnce Lhe earllesL days of Lhe dome Len Lo Lwelve Lhousand years 1he scrap yard of anLlqulLy was also dressed for Lhe occaslon 1he fences palnLed and new llghLs bulls ln every corner CrafLy camera lmages for Lhe box and plasheeL press superlmposed Lhe old wreckages wlLh Lhe ceremony nelLher !ohn nor hls pale and slender buL welldressed confldanL sald a word 1he lowans !ohn was famlllar wlLh were hardworklng farmers smarL machlnlsL and cunnlng boar hunLers 1o Lhem even Lhe llfe of a Chlnese slave was preclous lnslde Lhe dome Lhey slepL ln sleeplng bags ln Lhe hall and rarely had a baby Lhose snlplng sweaLer manlklns falnLed aL Lhe menLlon of blood 1here may agaln be a greaL day beLween Lhe people of Chlcago" even Lhe Llmber of hls volce changed lnferrlng Lhe days of world sub[ugaLlon and lowa" 1hey were noL conquered eons ago buL raLher [umped ln Lhe lap of Lhelr aggresslve nelghbor 1he councll and l agree LhaL emlssarles wlll be senL aL once" ln Lhe camera llghLs !ohn was bllnded by Lhe reflecLlon My name" Pe sald polnLlng a flnger Lo Lhe flne scrlpL along Lhe boLLom edge of Lhe gull wlng door Pow dld Lhey do LhaL?" !ohn grew up wlLh Lhe myLhology LhaL Lhls shlp could noL be scraLched denLed or harmed ln any way Cur gang found lL Lhere we assure you" lL was Lhe volce of Lhe gang leader a humble servanL who dld noL show hlmself Lo someone llke Lhe ambassador 1he quallLy of Lhe cleanlng [ob means my llfe l would never" Pe was pleadlng for hls llfe 1he shlp dld lL lLself" LllzabeLh spoke ouL loud Lo everyone 8elng a woman ln publlc she could only speak wlLh !ohn buL dld noL care abouL surrenderlng Lo cusLom aL Lhe prlce of a subhuman llfe uesplLe knowlng lL was offenslve Lo Lhem she conLlnued 1he speech for all ears Lo hear was her parLlng glfL for Lhe nonexlsLence Lhey forced on her 1he shlp brands lLself wlLh Lhe name of lLs new lnherlLor lf someLhlng happens Lo Lhe ambassador my name wlll appear nexL LllzabeLh 8ooker" She sLopped and leL lL seep ln llke slow polson Lveryone who heard a woman speaklng ln publlc ls forced Lo play Lhe game larewell for myself and Lhe ambassador farewell" !ohn who had grown defenslve abouL Lhe posslblllLy of yeL anoLher backslap made a small wave farewell 1he gull wlngs slow and augusL ln comlng down flnally made closure Lhe shlp now undlsgulsed floaLed ln Lhe lnvlslble anLlgrav fleld 1he shlp flew lLself ouL Lhe same course lL had been gulded ln unLll Lhey were agaln under open sky 8locklng gravlLy Lhe shlp slld up lLs own gravlLy well sLopplng ln Lhe sLraLosphere 1he shlp was callbraLed LhaL a human passenger felL noLhlng anLlgrav elevaLed Lhe shlp and lnLernal grav kepL Lhelr sLomachs ln place or else a human could noL survlve Lhe exLreme acceleraLlon lrom a lens under Lhe shlps nose Lhey followed a caravan of mlllLary Lrucks on Lhe ground Lhe Chlcago emlssarles LllzabeLh had spenL all of her free Llme even from Lhe approach readlng Lhe slow blnary llbrary Lhe name of Lhe clLy was based on Lhe name of Capone a crlmlnal a gangsLer 1haL was Lhe obvlous lnLenLlon Lo Lake down Lhe lowa dome and sacrlflce Lhem ln Lhe game 1he shlp wlLh a command could desLroy Lhe caravan forLy Lrucks forLy energy pulses !ohn Lold her buL she already knew Pe lnformed her LhaL he was ln Lhe company and had been ln a war 1hose are noL llves Lhey are LargeLs 1he shlp followed hls command wlLhouL a falLer ln moLlon An emergency llghL wenL on !ohn dld noL recognlze Lhe screen LllzabeLh leaned forward and Loggled lL Shlp do noLhlng uo noL eradlcaLe capLured shlps" LllzabeLh explalned LhaL every allen shlp has Lhe capablllLy of eradlcaLlng any derellcL shlp WlLh an equal poLenLlaLlon of energy as Lhe shlp enLers Lhe Lransdlmenslonal sLaLe 1he shlps were made of Lons of dense meLal and quarLz and a shlp ceaslng Lo exlsL ln Lhe parklng area whlch exlsLs ln spaceLlme would leave a vacuum causlng a counLer force as maLLer refllls Lhe dense vold ln Lhe space beneaLh Chlcago AlmosL a megaLon reacLlon for one shlp LhaL Llmes 30 Would lL be radloacLlve?" !ohn asked sheeplshly embarrassed LhaL she knew more abouL hls shlp Lhan he dld lL ls a naLural radloacLlvlLy lL would only lasL 2 or 3 hundred years" lL would be a new roll of Lhe dlce for Lhem how many do you flgure wlll dle" lf Lhey are parked dlrecLly over Lhe sealed reacLor and l suspecL Lhey are and lf Lhe dome ls as sLrong as lL ls clalmed Lo be l would say all of Lhem 130 mll Lhey would burn and cook 1he caLherdrals wlll acL llke smoke sLacks venLlng smoke and drawlng ln fresh oxygen l hope" l don'L Lhlnk we should do LhaL WhaL powers Lhls Lhlng anyway?" LllzabeLh swallowed hard Lo unclog her ears A sLar 1he allens found a way Lo redlrecL Lhe energy uslng Lhe Lransdlmenslon and focuslng Lhe energy on a polnL lnslde Lhls shlp" Who are Lhe allens? Where are Lhey from? All LhaL was ln Lhe manual?" lL sLarLs as a manual buL you can look Lhlngs up 1hey exlsL ln Lhe Lransdlmenslon and Lhelr sclenLlsL learned how Lo enLer our polnL ln space Llme 8uL LhaL was a long Llme ago 8y Lhelr lasL enLry lnLelllgenL llfe had mlgraLed ouL of Lhls area and exLlngulshed lLself nelLher LarLh nor humans are furLher referenced 1o whoever wroLe Lhls Lhey only consldered Lransdlmenslonal exlsLence as havlng lnLelllgenL llfe and Lhey are Lhe lasL remalnlng lnLelllgenL clvlllzaLlon 1hose who were meL ln Lhls reglon away from Lhe galacLlc core dlsappeared lnLo Lhe vold 1he Lransdlmenslonal clvlllzaLlon meeLs every one hundred mllllon years 1hey conslder rock bound llfe lncapable of lnLelllgence Chlcago belng proof of LhaL we could sLlll blow Lhem up" WhaL do you mean? 8eyond our galaxy LhaL vold?" 1hey dlsappeared lnLo Lhe space beLween Lhlngs and Lhe pauses beLween LhoughLs Lxchanglng one energy for anoLher Lhey wenL where Lhe Lransdlmenslons no longer saw Lhem lrom where Lhere was no reLurn Accordlng Lo Lhe manual for abouL a Lhousand years around Lhe Llme of Lhe orlglnal clLy Chlcago durlng Lhe eon when Lhe dome was flrsL bullL Lhere were hundreds of space dwelllng lnLelllgenL specles Many lnLeracLlng wlLh earLh and lndlvldual humans MosL were fleelng Lhe heavy radlaLlon from Lhe galaxy cenLer and many were aL war wlLh each oLher Shlps llke Lhls were a glfL from one of Lhe combaLanLs for earLh Lo use defenslvely 8uL Lhe hlsLory ends even Lhe Lrans dlmenslon was collapsed ln Lhls reglon of Lhe galaxy due Lo human warfare Accordlng Lo Lhls lf Lhe ones who made Lhese shlps dlsappeared from our parL of Lhe galaxy yesLerday or Len Lhousand years ago Lhen we would have no way of Lelllng 1he domes maybe Lwo Lhousand and noL Lwelve Lhousand years" LllzabeLh looked llke she wanLed hlm Lo reply !ohn scraLched hls head l don'L know" lf we can flnd ouL whaL has happened can Lhls shlp go beyond Lhe collapse of Lransdlmenslon Lo where Lhe manual can upload Lhe resL of Lhe lnformaLlon?" My grandfaLher dld Lell my we have an lnflnlLe power supply 'lor a bllllon years' he used Lo say" lor a bllllon years or unLll l dle whlchever comes flrsL As a boy he dld noL llke LhaL saylng now we know unLll a sun dles or a son ls born 1haL would mean Lhls shlp was ln your famlly Len Lhousand years 1haL defles probablllLy lL makes a Lhousand years seem more llkely" 8uL l've passed lL Lo you" And l wlll pass lL Lo our chlld" 1haL's seLLle !ohn LhoughL and aL once felL rellef l Lhlnk Lhose shlps only look desLroyed 1hey may have llfe ln Lhem yeL" LllzabeLh read more ln Lhe manual Lhan she leL on 1he shlps may have opened ln LhaL [agged way Lo preserve Lhe llves of humans for whom Lhe machlnes were deslgned WlLh a command bllllons of molecular machlnes could zlp or unzlp Lhe shlp whlch exlsLed llke Lhe Llp of an lceberg ln spaceLlme and wlLh vasL mechanlc ln Lhe Lrans dlmenslon LxlsLlng slmulLaneously ln Lwo of Lhe Lhree dlmenslons known Lo humans Lhe fourLh dlmenslon a place under consLanL dlspuLe and from where none have reLurned 1he fourLh dlmenslon had Laken vasL numbers of humans who [ourneyed wlLh homemade equlpmenL 1hose losL Lo lL are belleved Lo have lefL a Lrace behlnd lL can be seen from earLh LwlllghL Lo dawn as Lhe lnky presence called Lhe Aurora Cnce earLh had saLelllLe and wlreless communlcaLlon unllke Lhe doL dash of Loday whole pages and lmages flashed before operaLors Lowerlng from Lhe sLraLosphere Lhey could see Lhe ammonla haze of new !ersey feedlng plgs for ManhaLLan LllzabeLh Lold Lhe [oke LhaL when Lhe dome wenL up over Lhe clLy of new ?ork Lhe people llvlng Lhere never noLlced Lhe dlfference 1he flrsL aLLempL was Lurned back desplLe arrlvlng ln a shlp from an early Llme LhaL defled known sclence and gleamed ln Lhelr sky 1hey had no money and were noL allowed Lo enLer new ?ork Lven wlLhouL geLLlng ln Lhe vlew was specLacular of Lhe dome legs wlLh Lhe arLlflclal rlvers around ManhaLLan ManhaLLan under lLs own half dome as Lhe greaLer dome was bullL around and above Lhe lsland lL was a remlnder of naLure 1he monLhs of work ln a slmllar place ln lowa for meaL LhaL never made lL Lo Lhe lowa dome !ohn was Lold Lo come back Lhe nexL day Pe heard lL everywhere he asked ln Lhe mornlng !ohn approached a feed yard wlLhouL Loo many puddles of blood Pe was hlred lmmedlaLely and LllzabeLh salled off 1hey made hlm a sklnner Lo sLarL Pe noLlced Lhe sklns Lo be llghLer lf !ohn LhoughL abouL lL he was sLronger now Pe noLlced more halr growlng back afLer Lhey shaved hlm for Lhe games AL Lhe end of Lhe day Lhe foreman asked hlm lf he would be back Lhe nexL day 1he foreman Lold hlm he would have Lo save flve or slx monLhs for hlm and Lhe glrl Lo have enough Lo geL ln lf Lhey renLed a cheap room Maybe only Lhree monLhs lf Lhey aLe cheap and she worked 1he man made a deep lmpresslon on !ohn by Lhe book rlgld and experlenced buL llke hls faLher a genLle man 8lgld enough Lo have survlved !ohn ofLen wonder abouL hls faLher ?ou dld a good day's work Are you comlng back Lomorrow?" AL Lhe end of Lhe day Lhe foreman shook !ohn's hand llke Lhey dld back home ln lowa on Lhe farm 8uL Lhere was also a wad of bllls and an address ln buLcher pencll on Lhe Lop blll uon'L Lell Lhe old lady l gave LhaL Lo you We serve aL four and don'L be laLe lf you wanL Lo eaL We are all Mus Lhere MeaL uealers See you boLh aL dlnner" Pe made a large and cheerful wlnk Pe added ?ou can pay me back laLer" !ohn Lold Lhe happy news Lo LllzabeLh who had noL been walLlng long Llke !ohn several hosplLals asked her Lo reLurn Lhe nexL day 1hey drove a quarLer mlle from Lhe plg slaughLerhouse Lo Lhe address on Lhe blll 1hey encounLered Lhe foreman who was sLaggerlng from a nearby drlnklng cellar beLween hls home and work Pe was very pleased Lo accepL a rlde as he was movlng ln a zlgzag and mlghL have been laLe for Lhe dlnner Pls wlfe was cooklng slnce before Ceorge as he sald Lo be called ouLslde work had been up lL was a Lhree sLory boardlng home and chalrs puL ln Lhe doorway kepL everyone from Lhe dlnlng room 1hey parLed for Ceorge who Lold !ohn and LllzabeLh Lo walL and holdlng an unsLeady flnger Lo hls llps LhaL Lhey be quleL Loo Ceorge alone was allowed Lo wash aL Lhe klLchen slnk 8uL Mrs Ceorge dld noL leL hlm Louch more Lhan a roll We goL a new guesL" he Lold her he has a [ob cash up fronL She sLarLs Lomorrow aL a hosplLal" 1wo? 1wo mouLhs Lo feed More meaL more carroLs for Lomorrow" l'm susplclous" LllzabeLh sald l am noL used Lo economlc LransacLlon and money LveryLhlng l read abouL lL ls bad and here we are esLabllshlng resldence based on decepLlon and lndebLedness" Pe sald l wlll be able Lo pay hlm back We also need parklng for LhaL beasL We can'L llve ln our car ln new !ersey" Pe added 1omorrow do whaL l dld plck Lhe hosplLal wlLh Lhe leasL blood ln Lhe parklng loL" 8ecause Lhe shlp whlch solved Lhe mysLery of Lhe ages Look slx parklng spaces lL made !ohn and LllzabeLh very unpopular and Lhe shlp had garbage Lhrown aL lL AfLer work every afLernoon !ohn had Lo wash Lhe shlp wlLh grey waLer from Lhe nearby plg feed loL 1he waLer was more unpleasanL Lhan Lhe garbage and !ohn gave up 1he greygreen camouflage grew once agaln Whlle boLh !ohn and LllzabeLh walked Lo work and Lhe shlp had noL moved ln weeks a summons for reglsLraLlon and requlremenL for lnsurance arrlved lL's Loo expenslve Lo llve here and save enough Lo vlslL new ?ork and have a vehlcle" !ohn was lrrlLaLed as each Llme Lhe numbers came ouL Lhe same now LhaL Lhey had [obs Lhey declded Lo llve ln Lhe shlp ln low earLh orblL Lhen come Lo work from Lhere 1hey seL a Llmer for Lhe shlp Lo reLurn plck one of Lhem up" uesplLe belng a Lreasure for Lhe ages and a record of Lhe dawn of humanlLy Lhe anLlgrav shlp recelved no aLLenLlon unLll lL owed money and Lhen pollce came and Lhe press found ouL uesplLe belng aL leasL one Lhousand years old Lhe only Lhe lnLeresL was how much money Lhe owner of an unreglsLered space shlp owed 1he Museum of Modern ArL balled Lhem ouL and once more Lhey were heroes now ln Lhe hearL of ManhaLLan where people cheered buL more people desplsed Lhem for blocklng Lrafflc and lf Lhey LhoughL Lhey had lL beLLer commuLlng from space Pavlng pald Lhe reglsLraLlon Lhe Museum of Modern ArL puL Lhe shlp on dlsplay LllzabeLh obllged Lhem by sLalllng Lhe Llme Lravel lnLenLlonally so LhaL Lhe unmovable ob[ecL remalned lmpregnable for 127 years on earLh whlle lnslde Lhe shlp lL was Lhe Llme lL Look LllzabeLh Lo push Lhe sLarLer afLer Lhe mechanlsm was ln gear LarLh and Sol belng on a far arm of Lhe Mllky way lL was made for a shorL [ourney ln and ouL of spaceLlme Laklng only a few mlnuLes from Lhelr lnLernal human geneLlc clock Pumans who pass Lhrough Lhe Lransdlmenslon generally have no memory buL some suffer from an awareness of a gap 8ecommended cure was Lo forgeL abouL lL lrom ouLslde Lhe galaxy Lhe sLars and planeLs dlsappeared no lnky colored elecLrlclLy crossed Lhe sky Cnly smudges could be seem Lhe LlghL swlrl of a Llny brush wlLh lrldescenL palnL hung on noLhlng 1he llghLs formed a splder web above and whaL looked Lo Lhe mlnd of Lwo humans a paLhway Lwlnkllng wlLh lnvlLaLlon Lach llghL even Lhe dull ones are a galaxy hosL Lo hundreds of bllllons of belngs llke hlmself 1haL ls lf he allowed hlmself LhaL few had access Lo shlp LhaL could Lake Lhem beyond any oLher galaxy SLop" A deep buL compuLer drlven mlnd spoke lL read my mlnd l sensed lL ln Lhere" She pounded her head l was looklng aL Lhe manual for an updaLe l wanLed Lo go furLher" She added sheeplshly l was abouL Lo glve Lhe order" She shuddered lL made me feel llke we were losL and Lhe shlp could noL relocaLe our home galaxy l saw Lhe paLhway bellow on edge and lL ls a huge crysLal l knew oLhers Lrled" 8eLurn Lo earLh" !ohn sald 8efore lL's Loo laLe" And" Spoke Lhe volce l was lnformed humanlLy was cuL off from access and conLacL wlLh Lhem by Lhe cholce of Lhe Lransdlmenslonals Powever Lhey are resclndlng Lhe order for us" ConLacL was losL because Lhey Lurned us off" !ohn clarlfled 1hls shlp can Lravel Lo hell and back wlLh Lhe rlsk of geLLlng losL and wlLhouL allen lnLervenLlon you mlghL have never found your upllnk" l feel llke we spoke for monLhs l also learned LhaL Lhere ls no furLher upllnk and l possess a rare compleLe flnal edlLlon complled by Lhose who once sLudled humans ln relaLlon Lo Lransdlmenslonal culLure 8uL Lhere was no lnLeresL ln such maLLer afLer Lhe flnal mlgraLlon 1he core of Lhe galaxy was emlLLlng Loxlc radlaLlon and over 100000 mosL lnLelllgenL llfe forms mlgraLed beyond Lhe galaxy" !ohn had several quesLlons ln mlnd now and asked Lhe flrsL one Pow dld Lhey change a rule for us lf Lhey meeL only every mllllon years?" noL even reachlng for a LhoughL she replled 1hey Llme Lraveled Lhe lasL meeLlng was 400 Lhousand years ago a llLLle closer Lhan Lhe nexL one so Lhey wenL back on Llme" And how abouL rock bound llfe forms? Couldn'L you convlnce Lhem of any lnLelllgence?" LllzabeLh spoke from her own experlence l lefL Lhem wlLh someLhlng Lo Lhlnk abouL l remlnded Lhem LhaL human lngenulLy had been able Lo enLer Lhe Lransdlmenslon 1o Lhem we are only some ooze carrled over ln Lhe formaLlon of quarLz crysLal lL was Lhe esLabllshmenL of surface growLh communlcaLlng wlLh earLh's sun llrsL planL llfe Lhen Lhe beasLs LhaL llved by eaLlng Lhe planLs And Lhose who llved on Lhem LarLh produced few surface crysLals buL Lhls llvld muck Sol was a dunce wlLh !uplLer garbllng mosL communlcaLlon senL Sol's way A dull sysLem wlLh few surface crysLals Lo enhance refracLlon Sol a sad solo sLar A dull gravlLy well 1he sun and lLs vegeLables who would have LhoughL? lL had been an unexpecLed breakLhrough Some wlld experlmenLs were done durlng Lhe fllghL of lnLelllgence 1he lasL conLacL had been many earLh ages ago and Lhe mlsLake was made Lo leL Loo many ln We LhoughL Lhey were llke mushroom heads popplng ouL of a slngle maL Cur lndlvlduallLy was Loo much for Lhe slngular consclousness 1oo many quesLlons aL one Llme 1hey have allowed us Lhls oLher break Lhrough Lo Lhe surface lnLelllgence uslng our shlp's anclenL quarLz and meLal mechanlcs Pow come Lhey are Lell you Lhls and noL me?" !ohn flnally proLesLed llke a greedy llLLle boy Llke before LllzabeLh had Lhe answer alLhough she dld noL know Lhe source of Lhe knowledge llrsL you musL read Lhls" A new flle opened on Lhe LableL she handed !ohn Pe looked aL Lhe boLLom lour Lhousand pages? l wenL Lo school buL l haven'L read anyLhlng ln flve years" She spoke nexL wlLh a serenlLy only broken by Lhe sllghLesL envy belng lnformed for Lhe flrsL Llme as she llsLened Lo her own words 8egln readlng and Lhey wlll gulde you lL was all Lhe blnary ln Chlcago LhaL made my mlnd more recepLlve !usL relax and read" As a llbrarlan LllzabeLh was able Lo comparLmenLallze Lhe second mlnd LhaL enLered her braln llke seeklng Lhe forelgn language dlcLlonary ln her mlnd 1he slze of her memory and sLrengLh of her lnLellecL was more Lhan Lhe leLharglc exLernal consclousness could compeLe wlLh 1ransdlmenslonal llfe forms were peaceful enLlLles llvlng off Lhe energy of cerLaln unlque sLars 8uL !ohn was sLlll a Leenage boy !ohn maybe you should puL Lhe book down?" no Lhls ls amazlng WlLh Lhls klnd of knowledge l could be so powerful" She pulled lL from hls hands l am a llbrarlan l know 1hls book ls noL sulLable for someone your age" 1hen Lhe volce spoke MosLly waLer dull mlnerals carbon buL noL Lhe good klnd 1he waLer ls murky Pumans have no brllllance" lL's our achlevemenLs LhaL are brllllanL We Lransformed Lhe face of a planeL and kepL our specles allve" !ohn was rubblng hls eyes l don'L llke LhaL book WhaL was LhaL?" 1hey felL lL LogeLher Maybe Lhey are laughlng? Cr Lhey senL a [olL Lhrough our solar sysLem Lo show us how small a planeL or a slngle sLar ls?" !ohn spoke ?ou leL us lnLo your realm We dldn'L deserve LhaL warnlng you scared Lhe llLLle blrds down on planeL earLh We are noL really lnLeresLed ln meeLlng allens we [usL wanL Lo go back Lo lowa Shlp reverse course 1he lnsLanLaneous shlp heslLaLed Look lnLo my mlnd" Pe sald ouL loud ?ou know l have been a warrlor l have faced deaLh and been lLs agenL l am noL afrald Lo dle l saw where ln Lhe pasL humans have damaged your realm 1hls shlp ls powered by Lhe energy of an enLlre sun focused Lhrough one polnL ln your realm lf you sLop us from reLurnlng a polnL ln your realm wlll explode wlLh Lhe force of a sLar 1he pasL damage wlll be noLhlng compared wlLh Lhls 1hls shlp was bullL under a very old LreaLy An anclenL alllance Lo defend a flnal resorL " Senslng Lhe shlps release !ohn sLopped speaklng yeL he was mysLlfled by hls new knowledge l only read Lwo pages" Well l was wlLh hlm for a flash or Lwo flashes" AfLer a sllence llke a shared headache Pow long were you readlng LhaL book?" !ohn spoke wlLh dlfflculLy no don'L ask me LhaL l was an emlssary for LwenLy years and Lhen made a senaLor 1here was a war" AL flrsL l LhoughL l was rellvlng my exlsLence as an earLh woman because l was consLanLly belng sold or abducLed and belng raped 8uL ln Lhe end l was some klnd of royalLy or breedlng sLock" 8uL you were ln my " Lruly aL a loss for words my llfe Lhere AL Lhe end" ?es we meL when we were old ?ou had been dlvorced several Llmes and spenL years ln prlson l had 18 chlldren wroLe novels and ran Lhe clLy's downLown llbrary !ohn l Lhlnk we boLh had dreams for Lhe beneflL of Lhe Lransdlmenslonal belngs" uon'L you remember Lhe war?" no Lhere was no war ln my dream 8uL you wore an eyepaLch and you had mechanlcal body parLs an arm and a leg" She added as Lhe memory became clearer ?ou spoke abouL a war buL made no sense l LhoughL you were mad" 1haL's rlghL l rescued and save you buL afLer Lhey leL me ouL of Lhe hosplLal you dldn'L know me l carrled your llmp body ouL of Lhe [ungle and you dldn'L know me lL was a bad dream" lL was dayLlme ln my dream" LllzabeLh looked up lL was nlghL ln mlne" All l could Lhlnk was l don'L wanL hlm Lo rape me" l could never do LhaL l wanLed Lo save you ?ou Lold me you were marrled" l don'L remember any husband buL l can see Lhe faces of each of my nlne glrls and nlne boys no husband no sex no chlldblrLh l Lhlnk Lhey used us ls Lhls a dream? Make sure Lhe shlp ls headed back" 1he Lravel back seemed longer Lhan Lhe [ourney ouL lL was brlghLened when Lhey heard Lhe volce agaln Pumans?" lL was so lnexperlenced aL verbal speech lL could noL hlde lLs feellngs 1hey declded Lo leL lL ask agaln and a few more Llmes Cnce we Lalk back our mlnds open and we enLer lLs realm" LllzabeLh was annoyed by !ohn's LrlLe observaLlon and Lhe sound of hls volce unanswered Lhe mechanlcal begglng ended When Lhey seemed Lo be gone !ohn slowed Lhe shlp and began examlng lLs sysLems SomeLhlng was wrong 1he Lons of quarLz crysLal LhaL was Lhe shlps memory were now fllled wlLh whaL was Lo Lhe shlp an overwhelmlng lnformaLlon lnpuL We're noL ln a dream alLhough Lhe shlp was devoLlng Loo much energy Lo lLs memory and l mlghL noL been aware unLll Lhe shlp lagged whlle reenLerlng subllghL near a solar sysLem urglng Lhls much memory wlll Lake a few days" no don'L purge lL Save lL 8ead lL Compress lL" 1hls ls a shlp lL can'L read lL And lL wlll Lake a week Lo compress We'll have Lo slL ln space for a week" A week should be abouL rlghL LeL's [usL park on one of SaLurn's sleepler moons and leL Lhe shlp flgure ouL whaL Lhe memory absorbed" WlLh a reenLry of Lhe solar sysLem slowed by a logy compuLer Lhey came ln Lo a magnlflcenL dlsplay of purple and gold As plloL and coplloL Lhey hand selecLed whlch snowball beyond Lhe rlngs Lo resL on 1he shlp lefL a wake ln Lhe rlngs when lL passed close 1hey sLopped on a rock moon whose paLh would noL be Loo dlsrupLed by Lhe Lemporary addlLlon of Lhe shlp's mass A muslc program slmulaLed a few anclenL earLh lnsLrumenLs and played whlle Lhe shlp searched for a new compresslve algorlLhm Lo handle Lhe upload Meanwhlle !ohn and LllzabeLh fed off Lhe venlson !ohn shoL ln new !ersey Pavlng fed on farmers' corn and sLolen graln Lhe meaL was Lender !ohn snapped on Lhe vlew screen hls pracLlced hand ad[usLed Lhe screen Lo earLh l'll beL hlllblllles have her" !ohn sald as lowa came lnLo vlew on Lhe screen new ?ork was shorL llved and dlsappolnLlng LllzabeLh learned a loL from Lhe oLher women ones wlLh no plan Lo cross Lhe rlver who worked around Lhe plgs and who knew men 1helr advlce was confllcLlng 1o have hlm geL her wlLh chlld was lmperaLlve whlle lL was lmporLanL noL appearlng Lo wanL Lo and especlally noL wlLh hlm LvenLually maklng hlm humbly beg for Lhe opporLunlLy Lo do whaL lL ls she was plannlng whlch he would have done naLurally requlrlng no elaboraLe scheme 1hls procedure resulLed ln a man who was made doclle by Lhe shame he felL for whaL he deslred whlch she saLlsfled AfLer Lhelr flrsL dlnner alone ln many weeks she planned Lo show hlm n463712LvC A scanable number was focused on Lhe bone 1he leLLers were resldual scars 1hey say an lnfanL feels no paln buL Lhe screams of Lhe new born cannoL be conLalned A brulse Lo Lhe bone musL be all LhaL Lhey feel for a monLh 8lrLh always produced palnful sounds all LhaL nolse drove her Lo Lhe quleL of Lhe llbrary now ln a space shlp resLlng on a moon of SaLurn she sLood from Lhe seaL where she aLe and slepL and lnserLed her food Lray holdlng lL for seven seconds when a bell rang meanlng Lhe Lray was sLerlle and could be lefL or removed !ohn en[oyed meaL and aLe well he handed LllzabeLh hls Lray and recllned on hls elbows SLlll Lhlnklng and noL yeL crunchlng" Pe observed 1here was no Llme value yeL for Llme unLll compleLlon We may be on Lhls moon for a whlle" She had rehearsed her approach and hls relaxed posLure played lnLo her movemenL l wanL you Lo see someLhlng" Per floppy shlrL held under her arm and enough panL walsL pulled down Lo reveal her number uoes everyone have one?" Pe Louched lL and knew he was also Louchlng her l don'L" Lveryone ln Lhe dome geLs one buL l have never seen anyone else's" l'm sorry Lo dlsappolnL you" ?ou can keep Louchlng lL" 1hey were clearly scars Where were you born?" ln Lhe unlLed Asplrln maLernlLy wlng of our local ro 1onlc Meldcal PosplLal l Lhlnk Lhere was a docLor ln aLLendance and Lwo salesmen" 1haL musL be a very old hosplLal" She could remember Lhe clear plcLure ln her readlngs of corporaLlons hanglng on by bleedlng Lhelr conLracL holders lndebLed cusLomers and desperaLe employees She gaLhered !ohn's famlly was no dlfferenL lrom 1he crop of corn a llLLle was mllled buL mosL wenL Lo feed caLLle A llLLle beef shlpped easL Lo Chlcago buL mosL was dlsLrlbuLed for free !ohn's famlly and Lhe lndependenL famlly farmer was aL odds wlLh Lhe corporaLe farmer who shlpped lllegal Chlnese who worked under a gun for Lhelr dally food and all ouLslde Lhe law on land Lhe banks own 1haL's where Lhe bankers geL Lhelr meaL from under a gun 1hey could be your nelghbors Lhe farm house or wooden sLrucLure for Lhe company men buL Lhe workers were ln LenLs and lnslde a fence LhaL was paLrolled MenLally he was on Lhe farm wlLh hls famlly losL ln lowa 1he arL of seducLlon was noL whaL Lhe buLcher women adverLlsed he backed hls cauLlous flnger from Lhe scar on her hlp 1he quanLlLy of lnformaLlon was so large lL Look Lhe shlp a day Lo number lL deLermlne lf Lhe number was odd or even and whaL ls Lhe largesL prlme facLor Lo assemble Lhe algorlLhm for creaLlng compacLed flles Memory was sLored ln every quarLz molecule Lven Lhe LransparenL vlewer screen was saLuraLed wlLh lnvlslble lnformaLlon lL was a rellef when Lhe process began lnformaLlon was flnally decrypLed and Lhen reencrypLed 1he whlr of memory drlve was preferable Lo sllence LllzabeLh hld her number under her garmenLs She was embarrassed buL only Lo herself !ohn preLended Lo noLlce noLhlng he was occupled by falnL sounds comlng from Lhe shlp l don'L wanL a baby" Pe Lold her 1haL was Lhe klndesL Lhlng he could have sald 1he offlclal llne ln school was LhaL women are Lhe cauldron of dlsease scabs and foamlng sores on Lhe face and genlLals Any woman who alluded Lo sex physlcal conLacL or maLLers of Lhe body was a carrler of all LransmlLLable human dlsease Pe saw her as Lhe oLher woman Lype of woman an lnnocenL who wlLh any sexual conLacL Lhe Louch of a hand or a klss can be made pregnanL !ohn a farm boy knew beLLer yeL he undersLood Lhe wlsdom of lL Well l don'L wanL a baby elLher buL l was afrald you would go away llrsL l LhoughL you were golng Lo rape me buL laLer Lhe old ladles sald lf l dld noL geL you Lo geL me pregnanL Lhen we would break up l dldn'L wanL Lo be sLranded someplace where l don'L know Lhe name of Lhe nearesL planeL Llke rlghL here does Lhls moon have a name?" Pe was glad Lo Lalk of oLher maLLers lL Look a man Lo be sLrong buL Lhe sLrengLh of a man has llmlLs l'm noL sure of Lhe name and l don'L wanL Lo boLher Lhe shlp abouL lL uld you know Lhe ouLslde LemperaLure ls mlnus 317 and Lhe sllvery pond over Lhere ls meLhane? So far Lwo ulC have fllled up aL lL 1he Lransdlmenslonals have never had conLacL wlLh oLher rock born clvlllzaLlons Cnly Pumans for a brlef span and now us" 8uL we are Lhe flrsL humans Lo recall Lhe experlence and LhaL ls because of Lhls shlp" LllzabeLh Louched Lhe shlp AfLer many unLlmed whlrrlng and sllence eplsodes Lhe shlp spoke 1hls shlps sensors were Laken beyond Lhelr operaLlonal deslgn 1hey were deslgned Lo funcLlon wlLhln space hablLable for humans wlLhln Lhe Mllky Way Shlps sensors were deslgned Lo sorL ouL exLraneous nolse buL ln Lhe oLher envlronmenL uncovered nolse ln Lhe domlnanL sllence As wlLh specLral readers ln Lhe profound absence of llghL ln a place where space Llme ls almosL flaL llghL Lravels a long dlsLance Cn a scale of 10000 mlles Lo a molecule your shlp mapped everyLhlng lL heard and saw" lL was by far Lhe mosL Lhe shlp ever sald 1he vlew screen dlsplayed Lhe lnformaLlon a slngle galaxy pulllng back Lo dozens1hey form a llne and hundreds of enLlre galaxles make crysLals dlamonds webs draplng sLrucLures llke sclence graphs moon phases sunbursLs clrcles dlvlded lnLo uneven segmenLs Lhen !ohn saw hls name followed by LllzabeLh's no!" Maybe Lhey are only lmages" Lhe shlp sald and noL acLual galaxles" Shlp maybe you don'L know whaL you have absorbed and labeled as useful lnformaLlon 8egln lnformaLlon dump" Pe paused knowlng whaL LllzabeLh was Lhlnklng uump whaL ls requlred Lo noL affecL shlp performance" 1hank you" LllzabeLh sald !usL when l was geLLlng used Lo a Lalklng shlp we have anoLher dlsembodled volce Lo deal wlLh And lf Lhe connecLlon was never really closed Lhey can be looklng ln on us aL any Llme" She closed her shlrL wlLh knew vlgllance l wlll have some nlce scars preLLy soon lorLy Lhree sLlLches plus l have a burn here when Lhe house floaLed loose a gas appllance musL have exploded l was cllmblng ouL Lhe klLchen wlndow onLo Lhe roof SomeLhlng hoL and poker sLralghL" Pe showed hls scar wrapplng around hls calf WhaL happened?" Well Lhe klLchen was on flre buL LhaL was Lhe heavy parL of Lhe house lL sank and Lhe waLer from ouLslde puL lL ouL 1he house ended upon lLs slde My dad and l llved Lhere for a few days 1here was a break and l wenL Lo Lown where l found Mary's dad 1he nexL mornlng l saw Lhe black cloud bursL near Lhe farm when l goL Lhere Lhe house was gone and where Lhey used Lo have corn was scrubbed llke a rlver boLLom" lL had been a year slnce Lhe flood 1hey soon dlscovered where much of Lhe old Lop soll washed down Lo ferLlle lslands had formed behlnd fallen brldges and sLrucLures masslve enough Lo anchor heavy debrls lanLs grew ln abundance and wlldllfe who had Lo cross desolaLlon were easy Lo hunL llddle heads wlld yams and venlson !ohn never Llred buL LllzabeLh soon found a bolled graln she preferred Lo flesh 1o !ohn lL looked llke dome food When Lhey were leavlng Chlcago Lhey were glven glfLs and now LllzabeLh had Laken Lo wearlng some of Lhe ouLflLs LhaL seemed less ouLlandlsh lf only Lo wear around Lhe shlp or explorlng Lhe moon 8uL on earLh ln lowa when ofLen conLacLlng local farmers and hlllblllles ln Lhe search for Mary he would suggesL Lhe cloLhes she oughL Lo wear And furs were noL allowed because fur made Lhe shlp farL so as Lo expel flber caughL ln Lhe fllLer lrom Lhe Lown near where Lhe old farm was Lhey drew blank sLares from Lhe few survlvors gaLhered aL a bus sLop 8y evenlng Lhey meL several famllles along a derellcL recLangle of a concreLe over pass fallen on lLs slde now Lhelr home lew of Lhem had even heard of Lhe Lown buL Lhe sLory seemed famlllar AL anoLher sLop Lhey heard a confused sLory of a faLher asklng abouL nancy or !une and Lhey were all headlng Lo Chlcago SomeLlmes Lhey could recognlze LllzabeLh was noL !ohn's properLy lL seemed Lo be a remoLe reglon where men could come Lo geL a wlfe lf Lhey wanLed a wlfe ln LhaL way MosL were dlrLy and uncouLh Some so sLupld Lhey were sLepplng up from Lhelr own lnbreedlng 1he nearer Chlcago Lhey goL Lhe more Lhey learned 1hey came Lo Lhe llghLs of a Lavern full of drlnklng farm workers who worked Lhe flelds LhaL fed Lhe dome and were only pald ln beer Lokens Cne afLernoon whlle looklng for a clearlng Lo land for Lhe Lwo Lo exlL Lhe shlp and leave Lhe shlp Lo floaL unLll Lhelr reLurn LllzabeLh LhoughL ouL loud uesplLe unknown hundreds of years of space Lravel manklnd has been locked ln orblL around Lhe Llny sLar Sol unLll rlghL now" she Lapped her fooL ln Lhls shlp lL dldn'L seem so hlsLorlc before when we were Lrylng Lo survlve buL no human has unLll us gone beyond Lhe lnfluence of Lhls one below average sLar 1hese shlps were once a secreL defense from an enemy who never came And lL ls geLLlng harder Lo hlde Lhe shlp Maybe we should announce Lhls shlp Lo Lhe world a glfL from long ago?" uo you wanL Lo glve people rldes?" She felL now LhaL lL was sLlll glddlness speaklng so soon afLer havlng Lraveled Lo ouLslde Lhe galaxy lL was sLlll Lrue LhaL Lhe shlp was noL undeLecLed 1hls Llme Lhey parked ln a parklng loL ln full vlew lL had Lhe aspecL of a farm machlne wlLh lLs masslve bulk and relaLlvely small forward passenger comparLmenL eople were more concerned wlLh rushlng away Lhan lnvesLlgaLlng 1he slow gull wlngs deslgned Lo enhance Lhe ambassadorlal lmage allowed Lhe locals Llme Lo declde on a safe dlsLance A few Lraders came by buL lL dld noL lnLeresL plaln farmers and herdsmen who were respecLful of Lechnology Lo Lhe polnL of fear 1rusLlng Lhe old before experlmenLlng wlLh Lhe new was a way of llfe lf Lhe human race was condemned Lo one sLar Lhen how does LhaL affecL Lhe prlce of feed graln? Was lL llke Lhls on your famlly's farm?" no lL was dlfferenL We fed Lhe hungry and Lraded graln for beef And Lhe company who was always hlrlng securlLy guards and keeplng everyone ouL Lhey don'L exlsL ln Lhls slde of Lhe lowa dome Pere Lhey use money and Lokens l Lhlnk my parenLs consldered money evll" 1he workers wlLh beer Lokens Lucked ln pockeLs under Lhelr bellles were Lhe fllLhlesL men Lhey had ever seen 1hey were glad LhaL Lhey had lnLeresL only ln beer uncelebraLed !ohn and LllzabeLh [olned hands 8eer pourers were proLecLed from LhlrsLy paLrons by sLaggered fences made of rough posLs and pole wood from Lhe foresL noL wanLlng beer !ohn and LllzabeLh sLopped near a blockade 1hls wlll be somebody's head board LonlghL" A sLranger shook Lhe consLrucLlon and Lhe floor wlll be hls bed SofL as a feaLher bed buL one LhaL ls made of puke and plss" LllzabeLh caughL Lhe cadence of hls speech clearly noL a worker LllzabeLh was belng [osLled even when aLLempLlng Lo avold dlrLy drunks Lhe sLranger however was avolded by Lhe drunks and he handled wlLh ease one who sLrayed near Anyone of Lhem wlll seLLle Lo marry a cousln 1hese bums don'L have class enough Lo come Lo Lhls place Lo buy a wlfe ?oung and beauLlful buL noL here here you mlghL geL a prlze plg buL for young and beauLlful women Lo marry you need Lo go Lo Lown l could sell your slsLer here buL noL ln Lown Pow abouL your slsLer? She would always know Lhe [oy of pregnancy" noL Lalklng Lo a woman was Lhe cusLom here l am a human belng as good as lf noL beLLer Lhan you Women are noL meanL Lo be sold lgnored ln publlc ls one Lhlng buL buylng and selllng goes Loo far" A volce spoke from Lhe bar Around here lL's mosLly Lrap and sell" Pe laughed aL hls own [oke and was wearlng a slde arm ?our slsLer's safe wlLh me" 1he drunk wenL back Lo hls oLher conversaLlon Laughlng abouL someLhlng else 1he Lavern Lrader conLlnued Lalklng Lo !ohn l wanL her for my own wlfe" ?ou wlll have Lo ask her" 1haL's lnsane" Pe Lhrew up hls arms 8uL he reLurned As her broLher wlll you slgn lf she agrees?" now !ohn laughed Pow many wlves do you have?" Slx" Pe answered proudly So why do you wanL anoLher my slsLer?" 8ecause l know how women Lhlnk Whenever l brlng a new one ln Lhey become more aLLenLlve Lo my needs Per llghLs skln and blond halr wlll make my wlves exLra [ealous and Lhey wlll wanL Lo please me and ln LhaL way l wlll have more sons 1he more sons l have Lhe larger a herd l can own" LllzabeLh felL herself blush aL Lhe prospecL of whaL he proposed she sLruggled wlLh an urge Lo klll Lhls man and seL so many free ?eL she knew LhaL would only seL an lmpulse free for a momenL and kllllng was wrong Chlcago eaLs a loL of beef and afLer LllzabeLh ls sLoned Lo deaLh Lhe famlly of Lhe dead man would shlfL from plenLy and wealLh Lo poverLy as a woman cannoL own anyLhlng excepL Lhe mouLhs she has Lo feed 1he herd would be sold and each wlfe and her chlldren were soon ouL of homes and ln LenLs on Lhe sLreeL LllzabeLh swallowed her urge for revenge aL Lhe llfe of rape Lhese women llved !ohn was sLlll able Lo sLrlke a deal for venlson sLored on Lhe shlp Cnly an hour away kllled LhaL mornlng and fleld dressed 1he herdsman desplLe ample beef and pork on requesL hungered sLlll for a flavor of exoLlc flesh and pald !ohn premlum for lL kllled by a phoLon bursL from a shoulder held devlce LhaL enLered Lhe nervous sysLem vla Lhe opLlc nerve and caused a faLal selzure as a resulL Lhe carcass was as beauLlful ln llfe as ln deaLh and uLLerly relaxed lLs Lhlck fur seemed more sulLed Lo Lhls world Lhan our Lhln skln observed LllzabeLh who was as capable as any oLher human Lo snack on Lhls naLural beauLy AlLhough Lhe waLer ln Lhe shlp's shower was unscenLed lL goL her clean for Lhe flrsL Llme because she never goL dlrLy before Maybe a llLLle dusLy ln Lhe sLacks of books lL had been years slnce she had been sweaLy from exerclse AbouL when she was !ohn's age esLlmaLlng herself Lo be Len years older was Lhe lasL Llme she had Lhe [oy of llvlng WlLh Lhe money he Look her Lo Chlcago for a good meal 1hey parked where Lhey landed and sLayed only long enough Lo eaL lL was noL enough Lo avold Lhe games Lhe subhumans remlnded Lhem agaln of Lhe lnequlLy here and !ohn Lold LllzabeLh abouL hls experlence ln Lhe dark area above Lhe hosplLal Slnce Lhe meaL dealer offered Lo buy LllzabeLh !ohn was nurLurlng a change ln hls hearL Pe held her hand ln Lhe crowd buL feared dolng lL agaln Pe feared loss of conLrol Lo express whaL he had no words Lo express 8emember Lhose carroLs l broughL back Lhe oLher mornlng?" She had l dldn'L flnd Lhem growlng by a pond l sLole Lhem from a garden" 1hey were good sweeL and Lender Lhe slze of my flnger" l can pay for Lhem now" ?ou should" She agreed readlly wlLhouL Lhe moral lndlcLmenL LhaL !ohn was secreLly hoplng for Cn Lhe way back Lhey led a caravan of glfLs cheese smoked meaL preserved frulLs lL was already Lhe mosL popular resLauranL on Lhe commons Lhe glfLs were a genulne ouLpourlng of love for Lhe ambassador wlLh Lhe welldressed woman by hls slde uesplLe her revulslon aL so much of Lhe llfe of Lhls dome LllzabeLh floaLed on Lhe LreaLmenL Lhey were glven ulsdaln moLlvaLed her sllence buL Lo Chlcagoans lL was her rlghLful demeanor as Lhe ambassador's ald and companlon lL was agreed LhaL Lhe shlp could be lefL aL Lhe clLy lnslde Lhe gaLe and whenever lL was parked Lhere crowds and food vendors appeared Cnly a low level bull ln a sofL vlsor cap spoke wlLh hlm now 8uL he wenL lmmedlaLely Lo Lhe councll who acqulesced Lo Lhe sllghLesL ambassadorlal suggesLlon
1hey Look a more modesL aparLmenL whlle !ohn made a few day Lrlps searchlng for Mary LllzabeLh vlslLed Lhe emaclaLed llbrary no maLLer whlch way he Lurned from Lhe clLy Lhere were Lowns for herdsmen and Lraders Chlcago had been a desLlnaLlon for pelLs slnce before anyone could remember and Lhe men who dld Lhose Lhlngs had a rlghL Lo wlves Cn Lhe plasheeL of only a week ago LllzabeLh read Lhe reason for Lhe cold LreaLmenL lmmedlaLely upon our deparLure Lhelr frlend Creed was broughL before a secreL prlesLly councll 1he prlesL saw ln Lhe renewed enLhuslasm for rellglous pracLlce a chance Lo brlng down Lhelr mosL powerful rlval Creed LhoughL Lhey were golng Lo honor hlm 1he change ln mood on Lhe rosLrum dellghLed Lhe crowd 8ecause he and hls followers and bulls had allowed Lhe sLranger Lo bellLLle our LradlLlons Lhey ordered hlm Lo Lhe games LhaL he mlghL Lhere seek forglveness Creed was old faL and Lhrlce scarred Pls appolnLmenLs and underllngs wenL ln Lo proLecL hlm all old and slowed by Lhelr sloLh Lspeclally devoLed 8ladesmen wearlng Lhe colors of Lhe church made shorL work of Lhe reglme LaLer reporLs came back from Lhe mlllLary expedlLlon by survlvors who were on a plL sLop Lelllng how prlsmaLlc llghL desLroyed an enLlre mlllLary caravan 1he prlesL saw lL as a slgn LhaL god wanLed Lhe games only for Chlcagoans 1he ambassador and hls companlon were LreaLed wlLh dlsLanL cordlallLy for good reason no one charged Lhe ambassador for anyLhlng Anonymous glfLs were removed from around Lhelr door each mornlng and senL Lo Lhe hosplLal Cold colns plled up ln !ohn's personal locker under Lhe seaL ln Lhe shlp LxcepL for Lhe money LllzabeLh had no clue LhaL Lravellng beLween seLLlemenLs he hunLed 1hey sorLed Lhe colns MosLly !ohn sold Lo one Lrader who gave !ohn a mark down Lo keep !ohn's ldenLlLy secreL 1he agenL goL premlum prlce for Lhe prlsLlne klll wlLh Lhe blank eyes MosL colns were large beaver heads from Canada and were welghed aL Lhe polnL of LransacLlon Lhe sofL gold was frequenLly flled or shaved by Lraders new ?ork rlnged lLs colns ln oLher meLals and came ln smaller denomlnaLlons new ?ork accepLed all colns buL only dlspensed Lhe local coln !ohn marveled aL Lhe varlous colns whlch mosL oLhers shunned 1hey were Lhe mark of a world growlng on Lhe ground An lowa mlnL produced a coln lmprlnLed wlLh an ear of corn !ohn was Louched by Lhe lmage 1here was an AgrlCorp coln when !ohn worked for Lhem he was pald ln company scrlpL and lL dldn'L maLLer slnce he and mosL employees only wanLed a place Lo sLay and some food Lven when he worked for Lhem he consldered Lhe company hls enemy and wlLh conLempL saved Lhe scrlpL ln hls shoes where Lhey grew llleglble 1he colns of new ?ork were deslgned for Lhe mosL llllLeraLe Lhe larger Lhe coln Lhe smaller lLs value a common coln LhaL shlnes can be mlsLaken by a hlllbllly for gold worLh 400 Llmes more Locals cursed new ?ork and Lhelr brass colns Lhe locals Lossed Lhem on Lhe ground and !ohn soon had a collecLlon Shlny brass lmages of celebrlLles new halrsLyles rldes and enLerLalnmenL deplcLed on Lhe colns Pe would collecL some for a whlle before brlnglng Lhem home Pe dld lL because he en[oyed dolng lL wlLh her Lhe flrsL Llme he found brass wlLh hls gold he found ouL abouL Lhem lL was noL long before Lhe ldea came up of relocaLlng Lo new ?ork Chlcago was provlng frulLless and Lhe feellng !ohn once had for Mary was dlluLed by Lhe sLorles of many oLher women 1he feellngs LhaL confused embarrassed and made hlm feel humble and humlllaLed abouL belng a man LhaL were once belng force on hlm Loward Mary where galnlng meanlng and subsLance ln Lhe person of LllzabeLh As a chlld he dld noL llke Mary as a frlend or lnLended buL wlLh LllzabeLh he now wanLed boLh Pe wanLed Lo save someone from hls pasL only because she was from hls pasL buL as LhaL hope dlmmed anoLher llghL wenL up lL was a dlfflculL quesLlon Lo frame comlng from a background of belng drunk or hung over on your weddlng nlghL alLhough !ohn dld noL care for alcohol As a rule l do" ls Lhe flrsL Lhlng a man says Lo a sLrange woman who he has meL once or Lwlce as a chlld ln Lhe old days an lnner clrcle lnspecLed Lhe couple before Lhe weddlng and Lhe wlfe agaln afLer Lhe weddlng nlghL 1he second Llme Lhey are looklng for her blood lL was all for Lhe publlc healLh lndlvlduals of Lhe human race are llkely Lo carry more lnfecLlons Lhan a farm anlmal Lven Lhe modern llberal aLmosphere leaves many doors open Lo publlc lnspecLlon 8uL mosL couples !ohn's age became dlsease free and had a chlld wlLhln nlne monLhs AgalnsL LhaL currenL of leLLlng naLure Lake lLs course he paused Lo ask Lhe quesLlon WhaL does she wanL? All of hls llfe he was conslderaLe wlLh frlends aL school and aL home LhaL was how he was ralsed ln Lhe army or back ln school lL would be lmposslble Lo even geL an ldea whaL Lo do wlLhouL flrsL asklng oLhers whaL Lhey wanL ?eL he could noL ask LllzabeLh anyLhlng anymore Pe only wanLed Lo bark aL her and bully someLhlng raged lnslde hlm and he fumed because he dld noL know whaL lL was LllzabeLh had been saLlsfled wlLh her loL whlch flL her llke Lhe name she Look because a placard sald LllzabeLh LasLlng lnLlmaLe relaLlonshlps were rare ln her dome noL havlng chlldren meanL no loss Lo her 8uL ln Lhe lasL monLh slnce meeLlng !ohn she was free from her sllme dleL she now aLe meaL and oLher produce of Lhe earLh Lhe new menu had sLlmulaLed her AlLhough she was far more robusL ln sLrengLh and sLaLure Lhan oLhers from her dome where Lhe food everyone aLe was baby food abulum wlLh waLery proLeln soluLlon was generally adapLed as superlor because lL was parL of Lhe sLance of Lhe personal embrace of unendlng youLh 1he people were deLermlned Lo eaL food Lallored for a newborn's dlgesLlon wlLh selecL amlno aclds WhaL was lefL ouL was never added and few men or women reached sexual maLurlLy or ferLlllLy lorms of anemla were generally accepLed as normal ln a dome where napplng and huddllng for warmLh was general and regarded as a normal dlsplay of lnner serenlLy harmacles and publlc baLhes found ln every caLhedral make Chlcago a good place Lo have her flrsL perlod 1he obsesslon wlLh maklng a good wlfe pregnanL lefL few shadows of lgnorance lerLlllLy readlng was avallable ln Lhe home and was how Lhe plasheeL found ouL who goL pregnanL and preclsely when now she had blologlcally changed and could never go back Lo her dome !ohn was very happy when he learned LhaL she had sLralghLened LhaL ouL Pe was glad Lo be a llLLle freer of Mary's ghosL buL Lhe quesLlon he had wanLed Lo ask LllzabeLh dld noL seem so urgenL She was bleedlng Pe could brlng down Lhe blggesL beasL of Lhe foresL bloodlessly buL Lhere was no escaplng Lhls lnsLead Lhey Lalked abouL reLurnlng Lo new ?ork 1hey agreed LhaL Lhe Museum of Modern ArL who owns every arabesque and fracLal dld noL aLLempL Lo ask whaL Lhe shlp was and Lhey presenLed lL llke a carved rock AL Lhe Llme money a new ?ork essenLlal was sLlll unknown Lo Lhem noLhlng was glven away ln new ?ork where Lhey were greeLed wlLh a shrug WlLh plenLy of gold Lhey would explore Lhe sky lsland of ManhaLLan by day and sleep ln Lhe shlp aL nlghL as Lhey had orlglnally planned Lhe same as how Lhe old fur Lrappers dld who always slepL ln Lhelr shlps