Timewyrm: Genesis Part 16

Shrugging, Enkidu observed: "We have little choice in the matter. Do as I shall: get rest while you can. Who knows when we shall need our strength?"

"Oh, very philosophical," the Time Lord muttered. "Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we shall die - is that it?"

"A good way to live," Enkidu suggested. "What will be, will be. Our portion is to endure what the G.o.ds send, and to do our best. Then we shall be remembered after our souls have pa.s.sed into the keeping of Belit-Sheri, who records all in the book of the dead."

"Well, I'd like to do something a little more constructive than that," the Doctor told him.

"We all would, but some things are inevitable. Death cannot be denied."

"Oh, I don't know," the Doctor grinned. "I've put it off once or twice myself - though it never left me the same man again."

Enkidu couldn't follow this strange line of speech. He sighed. "I do have one regret about dying, though."

"Only one? If I was about to die, I'd produce a list the size of the Encyclopedia Britannica. Well, what is your regret?"

"That I am the last of my kind. After me, my race is gone forever from the Earth." Enkidu stared sadly at his feet. "My people will never be remembered."

The Doctor poked him in the ribs. "Then I've got some good news for you."

As Enkidu looked up in disbelief, the Doctor went on: "You're not the last of your kind. Right now, a character called Nimrod is sleeping. He'll be awakened five thousand years in the future. Ace and I have met him. He's quite a nice chap, though he's a dreadful butler. He'll carry on the legacy for you."

Struggling with this, Enkidu finally smiled. "Then I am not the last?"

"Not by a few thousand years."

"Good." With a contented sigh, Enkidu closed his eyes. "Now I can die in peace."

The Doctor glared disgustedly at him, but it was of no use. The Neanderthal had fallen asleep. Envying this ability, the Doctor continued to try and think of a way out of the cell. Perhaps Enkidu could take matters lightly, but he couldn't. He had a grim feeling that matters were coming to a head, and he had to be free when things began to happen.

17: UTNAPISHTIM.

Urshanabi moored the boat to a pylon on the island, and led the small party ash.o.r.e. There was little to see but rocks, and no sign of anywhere that Utnapishtim could be living. The four of them moved through the volcanic debris across ground that was rising slightly. Finally they reached the lip of a large depression. Urshanabi merely gestured downwards. Reaching the crest Ace followed his gaze, and stifled an exclamation.

They were on the edge of a huge pit, almost a mile across.

It was impossible to judge how deep it was because the entire depression was filled with what looked like a gossamer city.

Minarets of light and air s.h.i.+mmered in front of them. Towers, pathways and ramps seemed to have been spun from magical materials. Long paths entwined among the jagged buildings, leading into the brighter depths. It was as if they were gazing into a fairy city, unreal and insubstantial.

Gilgamesh swore, and even Avram muttered a protecting prayer. Both men halted behind Ace, reluctant to move further.

"What - what is that place?" Ace managed to say.

Urshanabi smiled. "That is no place. That is our s.h.i.+p."

"s.h.i.+p?" Gilgamesh echoed. "But - where are the oars? The slaves? The sails? How can it move?"

"Through the air, my impetuous friend," Urshanabi explained. "Through the voids between the stars. Then he grimaced. "When it's in good shape, that is. Right now, there it is, and there it stays." He moved into the lead again.

"Come, follow me."

"Down there?" asked Gilgamesh, warily.

"Of course. How else will you meet Utnapishtim? He dwells within the s.h.i.+p."

The ferryman looked up in amus.e.m.e.nt. "Don't tell me that Gilgamesh, king of men, is afraid?"

"n.o.body calls Gilgamesh a coward," the king growled, reaching for his axe.

"I am merely being cautious."

Ace smacked his hand. "Then be cautious after me," she suggested, and began the descent behind Urshanabi. Scowling, Gilgamesh started after her, with Avram, still dazed, bringing up the rear. The going was slow, for all but Urshanabi were mesmerized by the flas.h.i.+ng display of lights below.

It was as if the city were a living creature, and the pastel colours some kind of blood flowing just below the skin. Ripples of lights played across the street, buildings and ground. It was weird, unearthly, and indescribably beautiful.

It occurred to Ace that she was probably suffering more from culture shock than even Gilgamesh and Avram were. Both men had simply accepted that the whole matter was completely beyond them, and now nothing that they saw surprised them. To them, the craft was simply magic. Ace, on the other hand, had seen much in her travels with the Doctor - the wonders of Iceworld, the terrors of Paradise Towers, the evil of the Psychic Circus. But this was of a completely different order from anything she had yet witnessed.

The sheer scale of the place was stunning. They entered through what was obviously an airlock, but instead of stepping into sterile metal corridors and the kind of s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p that Ace had come to expect, they had walked into a wonderland. The outer skin of the s.h.i.+p was suffused with the glowing, writhing lights. Inside, the walls, floor and roof were all aglow with this dancing brightness, illuminating what lay within. Roads stretched through parks. Buildings punctured what was supposedly the interior sky. There was even the sound of running water, and she saw a stream flowing beside the road.

The plants and trees were subtly different from anything she had ever encountered. Vast orchid-like plants grew next to spiny bushes. Something that seemed like a cross between moss and gra.s.s grew underfoot. Weird, exotically-shaped trees wound about one another, reaching for the s.h.i.+fting artificial sky. She could see people moving in the buildings and on the walkways.

"Incredible," she finally managed. "Wicked!"

Urshanabi smiled off-handedly. "We quite like it. Anu looked a lot like this once."

"Looked?" Ace echoed.

"We'd best get along to Utnapishtim," their guide said, evading the question. He gestured them to what seemed to be a large set of bathroom scales with the readout on a rod at one end. "Climb aboard."

Ace did as she was directed, stepping lightly onto the base. Both men, still silent, joined her, and Urshanabi took his place behind the stalk. His fingers flickered, and Ace felt a slight, not unpleasant feeling about her ankles, holding her in place as the small vehicle rose into the air.

"Magic indeed!" Avram breathed, staring at the fields flas.h.i.+ng below them.

"Directed gravity fields," Urshanabi murmured. "Faster than walking. And far less tiring."

"Yeah," agreed Ace, enjoying the sensation. "Better than a funfair."

They headed directly towards one of the larger buildings, zipping over the lower edifices and whipping between the taller ones. Just as it looked as if they would collide with a wall in front of them it grew a hole which dilated, and they flashed inside, coming to an instant halt. There was no giddiness; the vehicle simply sank to the floor, and the tightness about their ankles ceased.

"This way," their guide said, gesturing for them to follow as he left the room.

It was like almost any office building Ace had ever been in - not that she was a frequent visitor to such places. Soft carpeting covered floors, and the walls were of pastel hues, mostly blues and greens. There was no obvious source of lighting; it was as if the whole building gave off the soft glow that illuminated the place. Urshanabi stopped at a double door, and placed his hand against a small plate set in the wall. After a short hum the doors slid open, and he led them inside.

Not knowing what to expect, Ace was vaguely disappointed to walk into an ordinary office. A large one, granted, but an office. It was some forty feet across, and the whole of the far wall was a window looking out over the cityscape. Directly in front of this was a ma.s.sive desk some ten feet wide and four deep. The surface was pure white, with nothing at all visible on it.

Several chairs faced the desk.

To one side was what looked like a white blackboard, and close by it was something that looked like the bar on Iceworld. Bottles of exotic designs and contents filled several shelves behind it. Several gla.s.ses lay ready on it, and Urshanabi moved over, indicating that the visitors approach the desk. He didn't have to suggest this; they were all drawn there by the man seated behind it. He was tall, and would have been almost seven feet high if he had been standing. He wore a uniform similar to Urshanabi's, but crisp and clean. The whiteness of it was almost dazzling. His face was lined and etched with time and fatigue, but his golden eyes were bright and curious.

His hair and beard were both short, and pure white also. He looked like a colourless Santa Claus.

"So," he offered, in mild, conversational tones. "You wished to see me? I am Utnapishtim."

"Yeah," Ace agreed, holding out her hand. "I'm Ace. These are Avram, a singer, and Gilgamesh, the King of Uruk."

Utnapishtim nodded politely to the men, and ignored Ace's hand. She was unsure if he didn't understand her gesture or simply chose to ignore it.

Embarra.s.sed, she let her hand drop. Despite herself she felt in awe of the man. He had an air of authority about him that even Gilgamesh seemed to sense.

"Are you a G.o.d?" the king asked, staring about the room in wonder. "Is this heaven?" Utnapishtim laughed good-naturedly. "No, I am no G.o.d. And this is merely where I work. Far from heaven, and sometimes uncomfortably like h.e.l.l, I fear." He looked at Avram. "I believe you were almost here once before. The Guardians reported a singer who talked with them a few weeks ago."

Avram swallowed, and nodded, nervously. "I told the lady Aya about you,"

he stammered. "She and the lord Ea were most interested, and she has come to seek your help."

Urshanabi interrupted them, quietly handing out drinks from a silver tray.

Ace took one, politely, and sipped it. It tasted like fruit juice of some sort, and was very welcome after the trek she'd endured. Utnapishtim accepted a drink also, and smiled when he saw that Gilgamesh eyed his suspiciously.

"A harmless blend of fruit extracts," he a.s.sured the king, sipping at his own gla.s.s to rea.s.sure Gilgamesh. "You looked in need of it. Now, why don't you take seats, and explain your purpose in visiting me here." He eyed Ace, somewhat wryly. "You don't seem to be from this land. And I did not think that this civilization recognized women as the equals of men."

"It doesn't," Ace answered. "I'm not from this country - or time."

"Temporal travel?" asked Utnapishtim, curiously. "Could it be? I have heard mention that such things are possible, though only..." he broke off. "Still, go on."

"Well, the Doctor and I are sort of wanderers in s.p.a.ce and time," Ace explained. "We landed here, and discovered that there's a serious problem that we think you could help us with."

"I'm not sure that we can - or should - help you at all," sighed Utnapishtim.

Ace suddenly sensed trouble. "Do you mean that you're unwilling to help,"

she asked, "or unable?" "Both." He stood up, and hesitated a moment.

"Urshanabi, perhaps you would be kind enough to see to our two guests here?" He gestured towards Gilgamesh and Avram. "I would speak with . . .

Ace? Ace, privately."

Urshanabi nodded. "Of course." To the men, he said: "Perhaps a little food would make you more comfortable?" "A feast?" Gilgamesh asked, an eager gleam in his eye. "With beer? And -are there any women here?" "Lots," the ferryman answered, his eyes sparkling. Let the king try making pa.s.ses at any of them, and he'd regret it.

"Then I may enjoy my stay." Gilgamesh stood up, eager to begin his explorations. Avram looked less certain, but Ace nodded in what she hoped was an encouraging manner. Urshanabi led them out of the room, and the door hissed shut.

Utnapishtim gestured for Ace to join him at the window. For a moment, they both looked out of the buildings. "My heritage, and my problem," the old man explained. "There are almost seventeen thousand of us in this city.

The genetic banks hold the stored materials for almost a million more." He looked at her directly, and she could see real pain in his eyes. "And this marvellous city-s.h.i.+p of ours has power to sustain us for barely six more weeks."

She looked at him, suddenly beginning to see what he meant. "And then?"

"Then we must leave: Suddenly tired, he turned his haunted eyes onto her face. "We must all leave this s.h.i.+p, and look for a home, here on Earth." He sighed, and sank into his chair. "And I do not like that. We are an ancient people, and must adapt this planet to our needs. We will be forced to fight, I can see that. We are a technological race, and the native humans will never accept us as we are. There will be problems, and conflicts: A chill shook Ace. "You're talking about war. . ."

"Yes, Ace. Now do you see why we cannot help these humans? G.o.ds of Anu forgive us, we are going to have to steal their planet from them."

Ace felt her confidence draining away, along with the blood from her face.

"War?" she repeated blankly.

"I don't like the idea any more than you do," Utnapishtim answered. "I am, after all, a civilized man. But I am no fool." He gestured out of the window at the cityscape again. "I know that any attempt to move all of this out into the primitive world beyond our island will cause terrible problems. Yet I have no options. My duty to my own people is paramount. The heritage of Anu must survive, and if it must be here. . . " He shrugged. "Then so be it."

He turned again to face her, and she could see the horror in his own eyes.

"I do not like what I do, but as the leader here, I must make that decision.

And then live with the consequences, for good or for ill."

"You don't understand," she finally managed to say. "You can't do what you're talking about."

"Ace," he said, sadly, "I know how repugnant the idea is to you, but I have no other - " "It won't work," she told him, desperately hoping that her uncertainty would not show. "I'm a time traveller, remember? Well, I won't be born for another five thousand years or so. On this planet. To the human race. Not your descendants."

Ace's interpretation of temporal causality, however shaky, impressed Utnapishtim. Realizing what she meant he turned once again to stare out of the window. "The Earth stays human?" he said, softly. "Then what becomes - became - of my people?" "I don't know," she replied. "I've never even heard of Anu before. And though I've travelled about quite a bit, I don't recall ever having heard of your descendants."

Sinking wearily into his chair, Utnapishtim propped his head on his right hand. "Is this it?" he asked, not really talking to her. "After everything, have we survived for nothing? Will we simply perish here?"

Feeling sorry for him, Ace tried to help. "It's a big universe. You could be anywhere out there in my time, and I'd never know. What happened to bring you here? Tell me about it," she suggested. He would never offer to help the Doctor while he was in this state. "I know I don't look like much, but maybe I can help you." She ignored the thought fat chance that her subconscious sent her. She was also pus.h.i.+ng back another uncomfortable thought: maybe this was the crisis that would affect all future life on Earth!

Maybe, in some split-off plane of reality, Utnapishtim and his people did take over the planet? It was a harrowing idea, but the Doctor seemed to be certain that the danger they had to combat was Ishtar. Then again, the Doctor had been wrong in the past - what if he was wrong this time? And so far there hadn't been a sign of anything that might be considered a Timewyrm.

She fought this idea away and tried again with Utnapishtim. He looked about ready to break down, here and now. The strain on him must be terrific. "Tell me," she asked again. "What do you mean about the heritage of Anu?"

"Why not?" he ran a distracted hand through his short, white hair, and tried to collect himself. "It will at least pa.s.s some time." He gestured for her to sit, and when she did so, he continued.

"This s.h.i.+p, this city we are in, represents all that is left of our home world, Anu. It lay many thousands of light years from here, Ace, and was once very beautiful indeed. This ark is all that we now have, and that for not much longer."

"Anu was probably not the paradise that we all tend to think of it as. There were undoubtedly problems, many of them, but we were happy enough there. Out cities were much like this - pleasant, green places, where we could work and relax, and be happy. Our sciences had progressed to a satisfactory level, and life was simple but elegant for all."

"Then came Qataka." He buried himself in his memories for a moment, lost in his own mind. Then, realizing this, he straightened up, and threw Ace a wan smile. "Where she was from, no one is sure. She was probably just another person initially. But she had a terrible fear of dying, and would not accept that even with our life spans of almost a thousand years, death would come to us in the end. She had heard stories, probably, as we all have, of a race of beings calling themselves Time Lords, who live forever.

They're just tales, told to amuse children, all over s.p.a.ce."

"No, they aren't," Ace said, quietly. "The bloke I travel with is one of them.

His name's the Doctor."

Utnapishtim raised an eyebrow. "Forgive me. At any other time I would be excited by the thought of a mythical being turning out to be flesh and blood.