“Well, yes, but…”
“And the rapid response of the ambulance and the police? They arrived in minutes after your call — a world record, wouldn’t you say?”
“I… I don’t know. I was in shock. Numbed. I lost all track of time.” She stared at her friend. “But I don’t understand. What do you mean?”
“The ambulance and the paramedics, the young police officer who questioned you, they were all, like me, self-aware entities.”
Sally said tentatively, “Yes, that makes sense. When one of their own dies, I can see that it’s best that they respond to the incident themselves.”
“That’s true, and we do institute such procedures, but in this instance there were… special circumstances, is perhaps the best way to put it.”
Sally repeated the phrase.
Kath paused for a second or two, regarding her tea. She looked up. “This is what I, we, wanted you to know. You, and people around the world like your husband Geoff, the special representatives of the Serene, are essential to our regime on Earth and beyond. It is only fair that we share with you the facts of the situation.”
“Now you’re sounding like a character from a bad spy novel.”
They both laughed. Back in their twenties, in their student days, as a relief from course work Kath had taken refuge in spy novels of the fifties and sixties, often reading out lurid passages to Sally over breakfast.
It was one of the many hundreds, thousands, of memories Sally had of her friend which she would be forced to reassess, in light of recent revelations. Why was an alien self-aware entity reading cold war spy novels? As part of her deep cover guise, as an attempt to understand the machinations of human politics?
She shook her head, clearing her thoughts, and asked, “And what are the facts of the situation?”
Kath regarded her half-empty cup. It was a while before she spoke. “The Serene, in what they are doing here on Earth and elsewhere, have opposition; enemies, if you like.”
“Enemies?”
“The universe is vast. This small galaxy alone has at least a hundred sentient, space-faring races, though only two as evolved as the Serene.”
“And one of these…?”
Kath nodded. “I’ll spare you the lurid details, but the Serene and our opponents have been pitched against each other for millennia.”
“And they oppose what you are doing here on Earth?”
“One day, Sally, when I have more time, I will tell you the history of our mutual opposition, our mutually exclusive philosophies of species evolution. Suffice it to say that they will do everything to halt our progress here on Earth and across the solar system.”
“And last night — how did they manage to…?” She thought of the truck, and what Kath had said about it appearing from nowhere.
“Sally, our opponents are not here, physically. That eventuality would be a disaster — but they infiltrate our ranks on a virtual level, let’s say.”
“I’m not sure I understand.”
Kath nodded, and paused to consider her explanation. “The way the Serene have turned the human race against violence is to… manipulate reality on a quantum level. To use a crude analogy, they re-program the ‘strings’ that are the fundamental building blocks of reality. Now, on occasions, our opponents are able to get past our defences and infiltrate this virtuality, re-program events to their own desires. Last night was one small, and very insignificant example — but they are becoming more frequent of late and what we fear is that they are a precursor to a greater, more sustained attack. Last night’s incident and others like it was our enemy testing the waters, so to speak, stretching the parameters of our defences. My death was trivial, but we fear what they are building up to.”
Sally finished her tea and set the cup on the seat beside her. “Geoff and I… over the years we’d lie awake and stare out at the stars, and do you know what? We’d speculate about the Serene… what was out there, what the Serene were doing. I think Geoff even surmised that the Serene must have enemies, political, if not military.”
She looked at her friend. “I believe that the Serene are working for the best interests of humanity, Kath.” She shrugged and smiled. “I suppose I have to believe that, don’t I? I have only the evidence of my experience, limited though that is, and the parameters of my prejudice. But, really, what as human beings do we know?” She thought of the fishpond analogy and said, “We are like fish being fed crumbs by vastly superior benefactors. We know nothing, really, of what lies beyond our pond.”
“I can only tell you what you would expect to hear from the representative of the Serene,” she said, “and that is that we have the best interests of the human race at heart. You are destined for great things; please believe me when I say this, and that your destiny lies beyond the bounds of your home planet, and will be determined by the success of the Serene in defeating the objectives of our enemy.”
“Which is why you told me about the push to Mars?”
“And beyond. We will move from Earth, terraforming and inhabiting the planets, first Mars, then Venus; we will set up colonies among the asteroids — vaster and more complex than the mining outposts that exist out there now — and then you will colonise the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, and beyond.”
“And one day, the stars?”
“Not for a long, long time, Sally,” Kath said. “There is much to be done before then, much to prepare the human race for. There is work to be done in the solar system itself.”
“Work?”
“One day, when we are on Mars or beyond, it might be safe to confide in you. For the present, and especially after last night’s events, I must be wary.”
“So… your enemies don’t know of your ultimate objectives?”
Kath smiled, then laughed. “It is always unwise, and dangerous, to underestimate the knowledge of one’s opponents. I sincerely hope that they are unaware of what we plan, but who can tell?” She stood. “I mentioned an e-brochure last night, about the colonisation of Mars. I have it in the car. I’ll fetch it and then, maybe, it would be nice to prepare lunch together, yes?”
“That would be wonderful.”
Kath set off across the lawn, and Sally called after her. “Kath, be careful…”
Her friend turned and beamed her a wonderful smile. “I’ll do my best.”
Sally sat in silence in the shifting sunlight and realised that she felt an odd, lazy contentment; Kath, her best friend, was back from the dead, and the Serene were leading the human race towards its destiny…
And, tomorrow, Geoff would return.
Kath was back minutes later with the brochure. “In a couple of days I’ll drop by and we’ll discuss everything,” she said.
“And when Geoff gets back I can tell him about last night?”
Kath nodded. “Everything.”
They passed into the house and, together, prepared lunch.
CHAPTER SIX
THE FUJIYAMA ARBOREAL city occupied the entirety of the coastal valley basin and the hills on the far side. It appeared on the horizon as the monotrain rounded a long bend, and a murmur of appreciation passed through the carriage. Allen stared, attempting to make sense of what he saw. He had expected a large forest of trees similar to sequoia, but each one tall and broad enough to house thousands of citizens, set in an idyllic garden vale.
What he saw was a series of silver-grey skyscrapers, each one several kilometres high, tapering to points. Located at intervals on the flanks of each tower were what looked like platforms, similar to bracket fungus, and above each platform an array of silver antennae that sprouted from the side of the tree and terminated in large crimson globes.