CHAPTER 9

CONSERVATORY

Unknown Facility

The crew followed the robot to the double doors. Dan leaned on John for support. He examined the robot while they walked. It was unusual in its construction. He'd seen many Guardian operated robots in his day, but almost none of them had been humanoid. They were rare, most robots taking on more specialized designs for whatever tasks humans either didn't want to do or could not do. That a robot had greeted them and not a human was something else that struck Dan as strange.

A poor step jostled Dan and sent a jab of pain through his body. He winced and grabbed John's shoulder harder.

'Careful there Dan, just focus on walking. We'll have you fixed up pronto,' John said.

'Since when are you a doctor?' Dan asked.

'Call it a hunch,' he said with a smile.

'Stick to piloting John.'

'One of us has to.'

'When we get out of here, I'll let you know what I think of that remark,' Dan said.

'Cheer up, at least you've still got all of your extremities left.'

'Can I suffer in silence please?' Dan said, wincing again.

John grinned and nodded.

They reached the double doors. The robot stepped forward, and the doors opened with no prompting. They stepped inside and saw it was an elevator. There was a bank of buttons, but the car moved without anyone selecting a floor.

'How much control do you have in this facility?' Ise asked the robot.

'All the systems are Guardian controlled. The facility can be run by automation alone for an extended period, only requiring the occasional supply trip. It is unfortunate you would arrive during such a trip on the Advocate's part. '

'Who is your Advocate?' Ise asked.

'There will be time enough for questions later. Please be patient. We must help your friend first,' the robot said.

Dan didn't like that answer. They weren't doing anything else. They were just riding an elevator. There should be plenty of time for questions, and for some answers to boot.

He pulled himself upright a little and thought of something he wanted to ask. Before he could form the words, the elevator car passed a junction point, and the walls gave way to a clear tube, with rings of metal along with it at regular intervals. Everyone stopped and stared at what was visible around them.

***

'It's massive!' Jing said.

No one replied. Jing walked up to the side of the elevator car and peered out.

The elevator shaft was descending from the top of a massive chamber carved out of the stone of the small planet. Jing could see other shafts in the distance, stretching from the roof to the ground. Four massive pillars of stone and steel held up the roof of the chamber. They widened near the top and bottom and were spaced in a square around the chamber. The other elevator shafts stood between each of the pillars, forming an octagon with them. The centre of the chamber held an open body of water. Other smaller bodies of water were visible scattered across the ground and around the edges.

The chamber itself caused everyone to stare in wonder. The size alone would be enough to be noteworthy, but that a dazzling collection of flora and fauna filled its space was the most striking thing about it. It was like a garden in the middle of nowhere. An oasis in the void.

A trio of birdlike creatures flew past the shaft, letting out a piercing cry. Jing jumped back from the side of the car in fright before stepping forward again in amazement. The creatures had leathery hides with feathers along the edges of their wings and tails. Their heads had large, pointed beaks on them, and as they flew, one opened its mouth, and Jing saw a row of sharp looking teeth. Their skin was a dark gray though the feathers varied from creature to creature.

He saw small rivers along snaking around the chamber, going from pond to pond. A herd of some unknown animal was grazing on the lower slopes of the nearest support pillar. He could see distant animals near the other pillars. At there bases were mounds of earth forming great hills, with valleys between them. The edge of the chamber was ringed with a stone facade that looked like mountain cliffs, creating a barrier around the space.

The elevator slowed as it approached the chamber floor. It continued for a few more feet before coming to a stop. The doors to the car opened, and the robot stepped out. Tentatively, the crew stepped out after him.

'Please wait here. I will have another robot meet us here with a medical diagnostic kit. Visitors are not permitted into the lower levels,' the robot said.

The crew looked around in awe. Animals of all kinds and description wandered the enclosure.

Jing looked up toward the roof. He noticed powerful lights inset into alcoves. They cast an even glow around the chamber.

'How big is this place?' Jing asked.

The robot turned and regarded him, 'The roof is two kilometres high at the apex. The chamber itself has a radius of four kilometres from the central point. The elevator shafts and support pillars sit at a span of two kilometres from the centre point.

Jing's eye's widened in surprise. 'Those pillars must be stronger stuff than just stone.'

'That is correct. They are heavily reinforced to withstand the forces pressing down on them.'

Jing turned to Ise. 'If the roof is two klicks up, that would explain how we could pick up the wireless signal from so far away. There was nothing between us and it except air.'

Ise was tight-lipped. She nodded and gave no reply.

Jing realized that they still weren't sure what all this was about and tipping their hand about anything might not be a good idea. He looked around the chamber again, admiring its size and vibrancy. Jing felt something against his skin, and realized this place had wind currents.

'I feel a breeze, what kind of air ventilation system are you using?' Jing asked curiously.

'That is a difficult question to answer, but it suffices to say it is adequate for the size of the facility,' the robot answered.

Jing looked up at the upper part of the chamber and saw what looked like ventilation shafts lining the tops of the stone cliffs.

'The resources required to build this place must have been immense,' Jing said.

'The interested parties had resources available. Most notably, a considerable cache of robotic construction machinery,' the robot said.

'Can I see some of it?' Jing asked, an eagerness in his voice.

'That would not be possible. The machinery has already been removed from this facility as it was no longer required.'

Jing nodded and strolled around the base of the elevator shaft. The doors of the elevator closed, and it disappeared below the ground. He could still see its roof through the clear side of the shaft. The car hadn't gone far.

The rest of the crew looked around still taking in everything around them. The robot raised its hands. 'Do not worry; the elevator is merely waiting for the robot with the medical diagnostic kit. Please have a look around; it will only be a moment.'