“As I was saying,” the cat cleared his throat. “I have heard of this Northern Sage.
A children’s story about a man that lives between worlds, granting wishes for a price, and ferrying the souls of the dead to the afterlife.”
“He’s a jackass is what he is! I never would have wished to end up here.”
“This is very interesting,” Allie disappeared and reappeared at Sam’s side, poking a holographic finger at Mister Mittens as if trying to get him to talk again. Sam jumped in startlement, obviously still believing Allie to be a ghost.
“Tell me about the Spires of Infinity,” Gabriel said. “I want to know everything.”
“Everything will take a very long time to tell.”
“How about the Reader’s Digest version?”
Sam tugged on the arm of his coat and nodded toward the window meaningfully,
mouthing, “Apostle.”
“Oh, right. Hey, there’s someone named the Apostle who organized all of the
mutants in the Quarantine Zone, fought off the Imperial Army and is headed here with an army.”
“I suppose it was bound to happen sooner or later,” Allie shrugged. “No worries, my walls have broken more than one army. I am currently running at one-percent capacity. That is enough to keep the lights working, the computers, the containment field on the singularity, and myself of course. Boosting to my maximum allowance of ten-percent will give me enough power for the shield and the wall guns. If I can withstand nuclear bombardment, I can withstand an army of primitives.”
“Singularity,” Gabriel cried at the same time that Sam cried, “you mean the Spires of Infinity are still draining the sun of energy?”
Looking from Sam to Gabriel, Allie looked unsure which to answer first.
Shrugging, she went back to poking Mister Mittens who was looking thoroughly annoyed by now.
“I suppose one question answers the other. This facility is built around a
gravitational singularity.”
“Singularity,” Gabriel repeated. “You mean there’s a black hole in the
basement?”
“Not a whole black hole, only the singularity, or core of a black hole. It is the point within a black hole at which gravity, mass and time become unmeasurable, or infinite for all intents and purposes. The containment field holds the singularity in check, preventing an actual black hole from forming around it. For explanation’s sake we will call it a black hole if that makes it easier for you? It is beneath the central spire. They are usually born when a star collapses in on itself, but the unique properties of this region of space allowed for the creation of one here. This facility was, firstly, built to generate power, ending reliance on dwindling fossil fuels.
“There was a secondary goal. Long ago, humans traveled the stars between
worlds, seeking new homes. That is how humanity first came to Ethos. As you may know, the universe has a speed limit, making it physically impossible for anything to travel faster than the speed of light. Using technology borrowed from an extinct alien civilization, they created the first star drives capable of instantaneous travel between two points in space. That technology has been lost, but the desire to follow in the footsteps of our ancestors spurred scientists to devise another way of faster than light travel.
“Using the existing gravitational anomaly in this region we created a micro
singularity beneath the facility, within a safe containment field. The gravity generated by this singularity is so great that it can tear the fabric of space and time. It is so dense that it actually bores a hole right through the universe to a place that exists outside of reality itself. From this place, you can step back inside at any location at any time provided you have a computer powerful enough to make the calculations. We call it Gate Jumping.
“A computer like you,” Gabriel said.
“Yup,” Allie tapped her chest proudly. “A computer like me.”
“So going back more than ten thousand years just isn’t possible,” Gabriel asked.
“Theoretically it is,” Allie shrugged, giving him an apologetic look, “but I am afraid that without regular maintenance, my computing capacity is not what it once was.
The calculations required could burn me out, and frankly, I enjoy living.”
Sighing, Gabriel looked to the window. He could feel Sam’s eyes on him. He
wasn’t exactly sure how he felt about this. The Spires of Infinity had been his ticket home in his mind for so long, but that had turned out not to be true. Besides, as much as he wanted to go home, he wouldn’t leave Sam behind for anything. Still, the revelation that his way home was a no go hit him pretty hard.
“What the hell are you two talking about,” Sam suddenly burst out, sounding
more than a little dazed. “I don’t understand anything!”
“Why is the facility still running,” Gabriel asked with a placating look at Sam who was visibly fidgeting about the conversation going way over her head. “I was told that it was shut down, and the panic resulting from the sudden loss of power caused the nuclear war.”
“That is partially correct. When we discovered the long-term effects on the sun, we shut down to minimal running capacity to give us time to find a solution.
Unfortunately it is impossible to shut it down completely.”
“Why not,” Sam demanded. “You’re killing the sun, and everyone in the world
with it!”
“It is not that simple,” Allie’s overly patient tone made Sam’s wolflike tail
actually bristle with anger.
“The black hole,” Gabriel said.
“Yes,” Allie nodded to him. “You are smart, aren’t you.”
She said it in a way that implied Sam was not, which only made Sam bristle even more.
“The containment field must remain active at all times. Though small, the
singularity is still powerful enough to devour this entire star system with room for desert.
Removing the containment field would allow the singularity to fully form into a black hole. Shutting down the facility will mean the instantaneous destruction of this moon.
You would not even realize you are dead, trapped in your last moment for all eternity.
Which death do you prefer?”
Swishing her tail angrily, Sam glared silently, her jaw set.
“It was not an ideal solution, but it was meant to give the scientists time to work out a way to put everything right again,” Allie said.
“But then came the nuclear bombs, and they put an end to that.
“Correct. The facility can generate an energy shield that will protect against nuclear bombardment, however, the shock waves killed many, the radiation got to those stupid enough to venture outside, and starvation took care of the rest. Millie was the last, and she left in search of food five hundred and eighty eight years ago.
“I estimate that the sun will degrade enough to make life on this moon impossible in approximately forty-seven years. Twenty-nine years after that, there will no longer be enough power to hold the containment field and this region of space will be devoured.”
“You mean the world’s gonna end in forty-seven years,” Sam asked, looking
much like one would expect of someone who had just heard the world was ending. Her ears drooped forward and her tail went limp.
“Correct,” Allie nodded. “If nothing is done to stop the drainage, this moon will no longer be capable of supporting life in forty-seven years. Give or take.”
“So do something,” Sam cried. “You’re some sort of super smart computer thingy, aren’t you? Surely you can think of something to do!”