ROMULUS (The Innerworld Affairs Series, Book 1) Page 5

  He continued his scientific explanation, seemingly oblivious to the dismayed looks passing back and forth around the table. "We take every possible precaution but occasionally, for various reasons, the presence of a small vessel in the area at the time we are opening a door goes undetected. In such a case, the vessel is pulled downward into the core of the Earth."

  They now viewed a tiny ship spinning down within a tunnel toward the heart of the sphere. The fluorescent vision changed shape again. A yellow illuminated arrow blinked on one spot of another map. The outline was not recognizable.

  The group of castaways sat mesmerized by the play of lights performing in mid-air as the chief administrator continued. "This is where we are at this moment, in the city of Car-Tem One, Car-Tem Province. This entire map constitutes the Noronian colony of Innerworld, as opposed to Outerworld, where you previously resided. It is approximately half the size of the United States and has a population of almost twenty-five million.

  "We are completely self-sufficient but we do communicate with and travel to and from our home planet, Norona, on a regular basis. We provide our people there with a valuable commodity that is found in Earth's core. Thus the need for our colony and the doorways."

  At this point, Romulus paused to switch off the image and to bring the lights back to normal but Aster continued to stare at the spot where the holograph had been. Completely baffled by everything she had seen and heard so far, she hoped the punch line to this joke was near at hand. Romulus's voice drew her gaze back to him.

  "Not everyone has an avid interest in history or scientific achievements. Therefore, rather than dwell on either of those aspects, I suggest you visit our library. Information is available both electronically and in the physical form. Who we are, how we came to be here and all our knowledge has been recorded in detail.

  "The most vital piece of information you need to absorb today is that you cannot go back." He hurried on as their heads popped up and they turned to one another in panic. "Now that you know of our existence, we cannot return you to Outerworld. The temptation to share your unusual experience with others would be too great. Therefore, it is now necessary for me to introduce you briefly to our laws and the general structure of our society."

  Aster's headache returned in full force. He could not have said what she thought she heard. Never go back? This did not sound much like a joke. He had sounded dead serious.

  "We will help you adapt to our world as quickly and smoothly as possible. A caretaker has been assigned to each of you to assist with your acclimation.

  "Our laws are not so different from yours. You will receive written guidelines before you leave this room. There are a few restrictions you must abide by but they mainly involve travel and politics. The primary requirements of each individual in Innerworld are to work at something productive, to enjoy the work one chooses and to maintain a healthy body. Violence or abuse of any kind will not be tolerated.

  "We have more leisure time than you may be accustomed to. You will be expected to make good use of that time as well. I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised by the variety of games and energy outlets available to you."

  The chief administrator hesitated, taking a moment to look at each person directly... except her. All through his speech, he had pointedly avoided meeting her eyes.

  The faces on each side of Aster revealed a combination of bewilderment and tension. Fidgeting in her chair, Aster felt she might burst if she did not speak her mind soon, but she had no idea what to say.

  "You may work in whatever field appeals to you. Each of you will have the opportunity to discuss what might be suitable with a career counselor. If training or education is required, that will be provided.

  "To begin with, you will receive a supply of food and clothing, free of charge, and an entry-level apartment will be made available to you, prepaid for two months. You should adjust to our system of economics without much difficulty."

  Rom's earlier resolve not to look at her disintegrated instantly when Aster ceased her nervous movement and sat forward in her chair. Her expression changed from pure defiance to mild curiosity. It occurred to him that he may have discovered Miss Mackenzie's touchstone.

  "The main difference between our systems is that we do not use hard currency. An accounting file will be opened for each of you. You receive credits to your account for working or attending school and debits when you make a purchase. You cannot spend more than you have. Ten percent of your credits is automatically transferred to the Car-Tem Provincial Account. In return, you are provided with education, medical care, utilities and public facilities. If you have any questions about how all this works, I will be glad to discuss it further at a later time."

  Romulus risked one more glance at Aster to make sure she had heard his offer but she was intently studying a spot on the table in front of her. Opening his mouth to continue, he received a shock. He could not remember where he had left off. This had never happened to him before. What was it about that woman? Rather than reveal his problem, he skipped to the question-and-answer segment of his presentation.

  "I will now try to answer some of your questions. I would appreciate your introducing yourselves first." He nodded to the man seated at his left. "Go ahead, please."

  "I'm Johnny Basiglio. This is my wife, Betty. I was the captain on The Baronette. I'm just so glad to be alive, I don't know what to ask about first. How about those three guys—the pirates—what happened to them?"

  "After you arrived, we reviewed a replay of the incidents that had occurred on your ship during the previous twenty-four hours." When several sets of eyebrows shot up questioningly, he explained, "The process involves picking up images left behind on matter before they dissipate. At any rate, one of the criminals was dead long before the accident. His body and that of another crew member had been... previously removed from the ship. The other two were dispatched to the Rehabilitation Clinic in a distant province. They will be dealt with according to our laws."

  Paul Feinstein broke in. "I certainly don't want to be accused of being a wet blanket but it seems like you're taking our acceptance a little too much for granted. We have three grandchildren back home whom you're telling us we'll never see again. It's easy for these younger people here to start a new life but we don't want to finish our days in a strange place."

  "Please forgive my husband's blustering, Mister Romulus. We're Sheila and Paul Feinstein and we really are grateful that you came to our rescue. But, you see, I have terminal cancer. Paul was upset at the thought of living without me in our own world, among our family. Isn't there some way he could get back... after I'm gone maybe? He would never tell a soul where he's been."

  "First, we do not use the title Mister here. You may call me Romulus, or if you prefer something more formal, Chief Romulus, but it's not necessary. Next, we will not send anyone back for any reason. That is not negotiable." He recalled the report on Sheila Feinstein. "I gather you are unaware that the disease was eliminated from your body while you were under the beam. Not only are you not dying but you both have many years left to enjoy life. You're barely middle-aged by our standards. A few visits to our medical facilities and you'll be feeling like youngsters again."

  Sheila and Paul hugged each other tightly, tears of joy flowing freely down their weathered cheeks.

  Romulus permitted a smile to soften his purposefully stern expression for a moment. "I hope we will eventually discover something that will please the rest of you just as much, or at least make up for what you left behind."

  He looked at Aster but the brunette spoke up.

  "Hi, I'm Cherry Cochran, and I want to know something a little more personal. I mean, are you human or is that some kind of super bodysuit?"

  The unexpected question caused snickers around the table and Romulus had to struggle not to join in. Clearing his throat, he quickly regained control. "Occasionally I monitor Outerworld media, so I have a fair idea where you would get such an idea. Let me assure you, we are
humanoids. The differences between us are mostly technological."

  Aster struggled with a problem of her own and it was far from Cherry's silly concerns. Anxiety overwhelmed her. She felt her heart constrict and her head was woozy. Her lungs strained for air in a room that had become a vacuum.

  Too many times in her life, events beyond her control had turned her upside down. After Dennis's death, she had prayed for a little peace, for everything to remain stagnant for a while. But this time the change was beyond her imagination. She had to do something and she employed the relaxation technique she used many times before. Calm down, breathe deeply, count to three. Repeat.

  Feeling some relief, she had exchanged her panic for anger. "Excuse me for interrupting," Aster cut in impatiently. "It seems to me there are more than technological differences between us. The woman who was with me said the nurse 'touched' my mind and learned things about me. Are you all able to read our minds? How are we supposed to deal with that? And what other secrets haven't you told us about?"

  Unable to stay seated another minute, Aster stood up and paced restlessly behind the chairs. The frown on Romulus's face told her she had brought up one of the subjects that he would rather have avoided but his tone of voice remained amiable.

  "I can see how that might have upset you but it's not as frightening as it sounds. Yes, we have expanded mental capabilities, some more than others. However, you will learn that we put great store in individual privacy, not that we have anything to hide from each other or from you.

  "In certain situations, such as an emergency, we have the right to touch or read your mind but only to the extent to provide help. Otherwise, it is required that you give the other person your permission. We are bound by a code of honesty and I am sure you will come to trust us eventually."

  "Trust you? I not only do not trust you, Chief Romulus, I don't even believe in you. This could be some sort of group hallucination. And if not, if what you've told us is real, then that's even worse. I mean, who do you think you are anyway? Snatching people out of their world, rearranging their whole lives to fit yours and aren't we lucky that we're here! I have responsibilities and a job that I love out there. Besides, the whole premise of our being in the center of the Earth is ludicrous. Everyone knows the inner core of our planet is a ball of fire.

  "And what about the rest of you? Sitting there nodding and smiling like this man has the right to do what he's done!" Aster was picking up momentum. She would have continued venting her anger and frustration except when she looked at the rest of the group, they turned their eyes away from her.

  Betty walked over to Aster and took her hand. "Aster, dear, you must face certain facts. There is no question we would have all been dead at the hands of those pirates. That's usually the way it ends. We've been offered a very rare opportunity to begin our lives all over again, in a new and unusual way. Try to look on the positive side of this, for your own sake."

  "How do you know we would have been dead? Maybe they would have let us go like they promised." Aster didn't even believe that herself but she wasn't ready to give in.

  "I'm afraid Betty is correct. Miss Mackenzie," Romulus answered before Betty could. "Explosives had been planted in the bulkhead of the ship. Upon reading the thoughts of the two men, we learned of their intention to kill you and detonate the explosives by remote control once they removed themselves and their cargo. I would be most happy to show you the proof in the wreckage before it is recycled if that would help convince you."

  Aster knew they were right. It was just so hard to accept that she could never go home. She met the chief administrator's gaze and allowed it to touch her for an instant. "No, thank you. That won't be necessary." Lowering her eyes, she returned to her seat.

  She could not decide what disturbed her more—the situation she found herself in or the fact that the man from her dreams had dared come to life and talk to her as if he were real. Somehow she was sure she could rationalize this whole thing if she could only get away from him and his tempting mouth that had almost kissed her so many times, but never quite— No, that was the dream again.

  "In answer to your other questions," Romulus continued, "I am certain you will find as much satisfaction with your employment here as you once enjoyed in Outerworld. With regard to the inner core, we created our own protective shield, along with our environment, as you will witness when you leave here. As was our intention, Outerworld scientists cannot detect anything extraordinary."

  Nick then spoke up. "Sir, I'm Nick Valentino. To tell you the truth, and, uh, Aster, I'm sorry you don't agree with me but I can't help being kind of excited about all this. I didn't have all that much back there that I'd miss anyway. I would like to know though, hasn't anyone ever gone back before? You know, like escaped?"

  "Actually, Nick, Outerworlders who have acquired knowledge of our civilization have no interest in returning to their world. I believe you will feel the same way soon." He pressed an icon on the panel and murmured a few words.

  A heavy-set man entered the room, carrying a small stack of notebooks. Aster noted that he wore the same shade of uniform as the rest of her group. She suspected that the color of one's clothing might correlate to position or rank and wondered what her dark blue might mean. Allowing herself a glimpse at the administrator, she decided the deep forest-green jersey he wore indicated a high level of management. Regardless of its meaning, it did do wonderful things for his hazel eyes. What a ridiculous thing to be thinking of!

  Romulus took the bundle from the man. "Tha—" The word froze in the air as the man pointed a small black box directly at the chief's forehead.

  "Don't y'all even think about touchin' that alarm, you snotty sumbitch," the man growled in a thick Southern accent. "Git up and stand over by the door, and don' try nothin' cute."

  Romulus maintained a semblance of control as he speculated about what was happening. Imperceptibly, he nodded toward the monitor concealed in the far wall, hoping that the runner, Karl, was unaware of its existence. Something was very wrong with the normally mild-mannered man. His eyes were wide, his pupils dilated, as he stole glimpses of the others in the room. But his hand was steady on the paralyzer, his thumb poised precariously over its firing button.

  "Karl, what's the problem? What do you want?" Rom's voice remained quietly concerned as he obeyed Karl's command.

  Karl blinked, hesitating for a fraction of a second during which the glazed look in his eyes almost cleared. Then it returned. "What do ah want? Ah want to git out of this damned place. Back to the good ol' U. S. of A. Ah'm sick and tired of bein' treated lahk a slave. Sick and tired of you and all the other sumbitches 'round heah lookin' down on me. Ah want to go back to the greatest country in the world, mah world, where ah can come and go as ah please, where ah get to vote for the assholes who run the damn country, where a man can smoke a pack of cigarettes and drink a quart of bourbon whenever he hankers fer it!" He was shouting now as he turned toward the group of new arrivals.

  "Fifteen yeahs ah bin heah. Fifteen goddamned yeahs without a cigarette or a real drink. For our own good they told us. Hah! Well, no more. Ah know the way out and y'all are comin' with me, befo' they brainwash you lahk they did all mah friends. Git up, all of you, line up behind the chief heah. He's the magic ticket that'll git us home."

  So, no one had any interest in returning, Aster thought as she cautiously stood up. She and the others moved behind Romulus, hoping the demented man did not turn his anger on them. The box in his hand had to be a weapon of some sort, considering the respect it elicited from the chief administrator. Why did he look so calm? Why was he just standing there, letting the man rant on?

  Her answer came the next moment when the conference room door slid open. Five black-uniformed men and women surged in. A flash of light streaked from one of them to the man named Karl. Again his eyes seemed to focus for an instant before they closed and he collapsed to the floor. The invasion force picked Karl up and exited.

  Romulus blocked the doo
rway. "Please remain here for a few minutes," he ordered tersely, then quickly followed his people. The entire episode was over in less than two minutes.

  Nick rushed to the opening but not fast enough. He slammed his fist against the metal closure. Hurriedly, he passed his hand around the smooth edges but the door remained closed. "Damn! I know I saw it open this way. Hell! Something's not right here. We should have run while we had the chance."

  "And get a taste of that light?" Johnny answered sarcastically.

  "What do you think?"

  "Why would..."

  "What if..."

  Everyone spoke at once and Aster held her palms over her ears and took a deep breath. She could not stand another minute of this chaos. "Stop it! This isn't getting us anywhere. Besides, I'm sure we're being watched. I saw the administrator nod at a spot somewhere behind me before he responded to Karl's command. Then a security team instantly turned up to eliminate the threat. Who knows what the truth is? The only thing we do know is the pretty Garden-of-Eden picture Chief Romulus painted must also have the proverbial serpent in it."

  "But, Aster," Sheila interrupted. "You can't simply discount everything because of the ravings of an obviously disturbed man."

  Betty put her arm around her husband's ample waist. "Johnny's alive. That's good enough for me."

  "So am I," Cherry added softly.

  Aster looked from one worried face to another. "It seems you've outnumbered me again but the jury's still out as far as I'm concerned. Our alien host swears to a code of honesty but I'm positive we didn't hear the whole truth about this place."

  * * *

  "Holy stars, Rom. I just heard about it." Tarla jumped up from behind her desk and followed him into his office. "What could have possessed Karl to do that?"