“Here, I’ll do some,” said Veofol, loading up another toasting fork.
“So are we going back tomorrow?” asked Olivia.
“Not immediately,” I said.
“There are more activities?” asked Iokan.
“Not exactly.”
“Are you going to tell us anything?” asked Kwame.
“It’s a surprise.”
“Is it a nice surprise?” asked Liss.
“It’ll make you think,” I said.
8. Group
I joined the group on their walk the next day, and it wasn’t long before we came upon a bus floating gently in another clearing.
“First of all,” I said, as they took off their packs with great relief, “I think everyone did brilliantly this week. And now, we have a choice. If you prefer, we can go back home right now.”
“Well that’s splendid,” said Olivia. “You’ve got my vote.” She hadn’t slept much overnight, but Iokan, Kwame and Katie had been true to their word, and that kind of trust building is priceless. It didn’t stop her being grumpy, of course.
“What’s the other option?” asked Iokan.
“We pay a visit to an archaeological site near here.”
“Archaeology?” asked Liss, clearly thinking the word ‘boring’ deserved to be added.
“Is this something to do with the people who used to live on this world?” asked Iokan, who was immediately interested.
“That’s exactly it,” I said. “When the IU first settled this planet, it was thought that either there were no humans, or they died out before they became sapient. But a few decades ago, we started finding cities. One of which is nearby.”
“They died in the asteroid strike?” asked Kwame.
“They did,” I affirmed.
“Why?” asked Pew.
“I’m sorry?” I asked.
“I mean… why do we need to see it?”
“Because I want you to start talking about all the things that happened on your worlds. And I want to show you that these things happen more often than you’d think. But I do realise that this could be distressing, so—”
“I suppose there’s bodies,” said Olivia, shaking her head. “You’re so bloody squeamish, you lot.”
“No. No bodies. But they’ve uncovered some of the streets and buildings, and… well, a lot of visitors find it very emotional. I don’t want to push you too far if you don’t think you’re ready.”
“I saw some archaeologists once,” said Liss. “They dug a hole and found a bit of old plastic from the dark ages and they all went squee. Is it like that? I can handle that…”
“Well, there’s a bit more to it than that. But it’s up to you. If you’re tired and you want to go back to the centre, that’s okay. We can always come back another day.”
“Sod it,” said Olivia. “Let’s get it over with.”
“Does everyone agree?” I asked.
They nodded or looked noncommittal. I took it as a yes. The only voice raised against the journey was Veofol’s, and that had happened before I addressed the group. Veofol was concerned it was too soon to throw them into anything potentially traumatic. I explained my reasoning: I wanted them to have a real talking point from this trip, as well as team building. He agreed, but was still concerned we were going too fast. I think he worried that the people who’d had the group set up in the first place were in some way pressuring me, but I reassured him I was acting on my own initiative. I just needed something to shake them into taking therapy seriously.
9. Archaeology
From far away, we saw a river flowing through the forest towards another river, joining so they became one. We were headed for the meeting-place of the two, around which the trees thinned out, revealing gentle hills and valleys between the confluence.
“Are we there yet?” asked Liss.
“We’re already over the outskirts of the city,” I said.
“I don’t see it…” said Pew.
“It’s just a couple of rivers,” said Olivia.
“You’ll see it when we leave,” I said. “Trust me.”
We landed by the archaeological outpost, a fenced compound on a patch of flat ground surrounded by hills and valleys. It was another set of prefabricated buildings dropped into the site, though of a different design than those we used in the Refugee Service. The archaeologists had brought a little piece of Hub Metro with them: a tapering tower of glass and whimsy that served as living space and offices, along with storage and preservation facilities for all the artefacts they’d pulled from the earth. Beside it, much lower but still shaped into fanciful contours, was the visitor centre. It was there we landed and met the chief archaeologist for the site, Ren Messalien, a massive bearded man seemingly carved out of one of the local trees but with the manner of an enthusiastic eight-year old. He waved a stained bush hat at us and grinned. “Welcome to Kintrex!”
“This is just going to be a hole in the ground, isn’t it?” asked Liss as she stepped off the bus.
“Thanks for having us,” I said to Ren. “Don’t mind Liss.”
“I guess you guys didn’t see it yet, huh?” said Ren. “You will. Come inside and let’s get the boring part out of the way.”
He took us inside to a briefing room, where we got the usual health and safety presentation, illustrated by cartoon figures in cartoon archaeological sites. Much of the ground in the area wasn’t safe, as some buried buildings had fragile ceilings. Everyone had to carry a panic phone while they were on site, and wear high-visibility vests at all times. If they entered any of the deeper excavations, they would be issued with helmets that doubled up as an air supply in the event of a collapse. They had to follow the instructions of any archaeologists they came across. They were forbidden to touch any artefacts. They were not allowed to remove even one blade of grass. And on, and on. Olivia fell asleep twice, and Veofol woke her with a gentle hand on the shoulder each time, getting a remark on his treacherous elfin ways for his trouble.
“Right,” said Ren, after finishing the presentation, “now all that crap’s over, let’s take a look at Kintrex!”
He led the group outside and away from the buildings. “Okay, so we’re in the middle of the city right now. This is a level kind of area, probably a public park. Not much in the way of artefacts in the ground so that’s why we set ourselves up here. But we are literally surrounded by the city. Do you see it?” They looked as he pointed out the green-sloped hills and valleys all around them.
Iokan gasped. “I see it,” he said.
“What city?” asked Liss. “This is still country!”
“Oh, sure, it’s countryside now,” said Ren. “But look at the hills and valleys. What do they remind you of?”
“Oh, that can’t be…” said Olivia as she realised what she was seeing. “Gods… those can’t be… streets? Can they?”
“Streets?” asked Pew. “I don’t see it…”
“This is a city… and no one has lived here for a very long time…” said Kwame, looking down the long valley, peppered with trees, that stretched away in front of them and ran down towards the meeting of the rivers. At several points, other valleys seemed to be crossing the first.
“Where is it?” demanded Liss. She happened to be looking at Katie at the time.
“The buildings surround us. Their degradation indicates complete reclamation by natural forces,” said Katie.
“You still don’t see it?” asked Ren. Liss shook her head. Ren pointed at the hills. “All those hills used to be buildings. And all the valleys used to be streets. It’s been so long since it happened that soil’s been laid down over the whole area. And this, my dear, is what’s left.”