Readyworld

fiction by michael werneburg

"Not now, Doctor, we've got a more immediate situation at hand."

Something in his tone caused me to turn to look at him more carefully. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"I suggest we take cover." He pointed at one of the small structures that capped a ramp that led to the large cavern under the hill. "Is that the route you take to the 'Big Room'?"

"No, but it will do. Why do we need to take cover, it's just a room with a flooded floor!"

Then I saw something rise over the curve of the hill. It was a flying animal, a big one.

"Let's go!" Mead declared, grabbing at my arm.

I avoided his grasp, and told him, "Hey, who do you think you are?" I demanded in my most outraged tone. "What is that," I asked, pointing at the bird-like thing that was approaching, "and what's going on?"

"We don't know what that is, but it's got a wingspan of at least six meters, and we're not going to sit around hoping for a closer scientific study!"

But Alain Hu said, "You go, then, I have to get this. That's bigger than six meters, I'll tell you that!"

He dropped to his knees, and was fumbling with his sensor equipment. He drew out a canister shape and set it on the cracked earth before him. Holding it steady with one hand, he made a couple of quick gestures at the interface on top of the canister and released the thing. The canister suddenly split open at the bottom and the top simultaneously. The halves of the lower portion unfolded into what were obviously four graviton generators. The upper part sprouted an array of small sensors. Emerging from the center of the canister was an optic device; some kind of fancy camera. The thing leapt up off the ground and floated a meter or two above us for a moment. It was a servomech, and an expensive one.

I glanced at Hu. He had that faraway look of someone staring at an OHUD. The servomech leapt up from the ground and raced up over the hill toward the vast bird. It seemed that Alain was as motivated as I was to get the scoop on something new! Good man. I was sure now this was going to be a profitable day.

"Now we can go," he said to Mead.

But Mead was now looking back at the entrance to the small building we'd been heading toward. And he wasn't going anywhere. In fact, I wasn't sure he'd even watched Alain's little show.

Now what! With growing unease, I accessed my own OHUD, and opened the map I usually used when navigating the site. Immediately, I saw what was concerning the military staff. There were two people in the Big Room.

"Those aren't colleagues of yours, are they?" asked Mead, still staring vaguely into space.