37 AL: GRANDMOTHER

The day warmed enough to start melting the snow. They packed up their items in preparation for the final push. Grandmother was careful to collect all the pins and wedges she used to hold the vents closed and the doors open. She led her party out of the ruins and into the meadow. She refused to slow her pace when Todd paused to give the entrance one last look.

Todd seemed to have recovered by the time they reached the creek. He swung Sarah up into his arms and carried her across so she didn’t get wet. Grandmother's boots weren’t integrated. They leaked a bit as she waded across. She didn’t let the cold water bother her.

They climbed the narrow path up the ridge on the other side of the meadow. Grandmother slowed her steps as they approached the edge of the structure's influence. She thought this would be a rough test for her companions. She wasn’t certain that they would make it. Grandmother was in the lead. She judged herself farther up the path than the last time. That was bad news, since it meant the structure's area of influence expanded again.

She heard a gasp behind her. She deliberately took another ten steps before she turned to look at her companions. Sarah was still walking forward. She seemed the least affected by the transition, although her clothing lost its flexibility and green color. What was once a green cloth was transformed in the last few steps into something that looked like white plastic. Even her pack was affected. She looked like she was wearing camouflage for the snow.

Todd was similarly attired, although it looked like his belt and pack were not integrated. They held onto their original color. Ellen’s clothing looked faded but not quite white yet, while Alex at the back was still wearing hunter’s greens. She knew Todd and Ellen must also be feeling the other side effect, which was a loss of strength, agility and stamina. Alex might be far enough back to not yet be feeling the effects.

Exiting the structure's area of influence was a nasty surprise the first time she returned. She was alone on a much colder winter day with a lot farther to travel. Luckily she wasn’t carrying many integrated items and her Speedwell blanket was still tied to her pack. She ended up wearing it before she found someone to drive her the rest of the way.

Looking at her companions, Grandmother realized with some trepidation, that she wasn’t feeling the effect. Since she was the farthest forward she should have lost the visual augmentation on all of them. Not just the leaders. If she was still seeing Alex in green it meant the nanobots in her corneas were still active. A chill went down her spine.

“We are leaving the structure’s area of influence,” Grandmother explained to them. “It will be hardest for you Todd, because you are the oldest. Your body has become dependent on the little boosts the structure gives you.” Ellen stepped forward to Todd’s side. The rest of the color faded from her clothing. The color started to fade from Alex as he brought up the rear.

“We need to hurry now,” Grandmother explained. “Without power from the structure your integrated clothing won’t keep you warm. Our transport isn’t far and it is heated.” Sarah caught up to Grandmother. She reached out to take the older woman’s hand. Grandmother paused long enough that she saw a look of determination come over Todd’s face. He took a step forward. He used the butt of his spear, which was now a flat gray, as a crutch.

Grandmother turned, keeping her hold on Sarah’s hand and continued up the hill. The young girl was able to keep up, although the stiffness of her depowered clothing obviously bothered her.

It was another hour walk before the small trail widened out into a clearing. Raw stone protruded out of the ground at the spine of the ridge. The climb helped to keep Sarah warm. As soon as they stopped she started shivering with cold. The lack of tree cover allowed more snow to accumulate here. Even with the rising temperatures of the day there was still four to six inches on the ground. On the side of the clearing stood a small pole building. The dark roof was free of snow, revealing solar panels.

Grandmother left Sarah waiting, as she did a quick circle survey of the structure. Nothing looked damaged. The snow free roof indicated the panels were still collecting power that was used in the maintenance cycle to clear themselves. Grandmother punched the lock code into the door and rolled it up. The inside of the building was very tight. The building was barely bigger than the maintenance cart that was parked inside. The lights inside automatically came on with the detected motion of the door.

Grandmother positioned Sarah to the side of the building and told her to stay there. She squeezed into the space between the wall and the cart and worked her way to the driver's door. She took her pack off and swung it inside the vehicle along with her staff. She did a quick check of the cart’s controls and found it showed a full charge. She turned on the heater before moving forward into the building to unplug the charger.

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In front of the cart was the building’s battery pack that stored energy from the solar panels. All the batteries were still showing green. Grandmother unplugged the cart from the charging station and carefully stored the cables. She climbed back into the cart and powered it up. She drove it back out of the building. Once the cart was outside, Grandmother got back out to fetch Sarah.

Sarah was watching the cart with wide eyes. Grandmother could hear the others approaching through the trees. Grandmother set her pace so she wouldn’t leave them too far behind.

“Let’s get you inside where it is warm,” Grandmother told the girl. She led her over to the passenger door and loaded her into the cart. She warned the girl not to touch the controls. She swung the girl's small pack into the back.

As Grandmother waited for the rest of them she watched the girl explore her surroundings. Born in the structure, Sarah had never seen any kind of car or cart. Grandmother would have to watch out for signs of anyone getting nauseous when she drove.

The rest of the group stumbled into the clearing. Grandmother was relieved to see that Todd was still among their number. She thought that Alex’s endless enthusiasm would drive him forward, while Ellen would never leave her sister. Grandmother didn’t lie when she said Todd would be the most affected. Partly it was his age but it was also due to his tier. All of them, including Sarah, were more affected than she was that first time long ago. The generations born in the structure were more fully integrated. Grandmother could always detect integrated cloth or leather from the real thing by the texture. No matter how perfect it looked, when she ran her fingers across it she could feel that slick white plastic underneath.

People born in the structure could not. It worried Grandmother. On bad days she wondered how human any of them were anymore. This wasn’t a bad day. The determination on Todd’s face, the worry on Ellen’s and the hint of joy on Alex’s were all too human.

“Sarah won the front seat by getting here first,” Grandmother called to her companions. “Hurry and get in the back, it is warm inside.” She pulled the cargo doors open and waved them on. They clumsily crawled inside, shifting weapons and bags and bodies until everything fit. The stiffness of their clothing didn’t help. Grandmother closed the doors behind them.

She circled around and did one last scan of the building interior and roof. She closed and locked the building's entrance before getting into the driver's seat.

There was shock and concern expressed by the passengers when the cart began to move. Sarah laughed at them having the advantage of having seen it move before. The others arrived in the clearing after the cart was already out of the building.

Grandmother took it easy, turning the cart around, before heading down the track cut through the trees. On earlier trips she found the track blocked by downed trees. She hoped that wouldn’t happen this time.

Her passengers were thrilled to be traveling so fast. They were surprised when the trees just kept going. They were familiar with trees but only in the limited spaces of the greens. As the excitement started to fade, Grandmother heard comments about the slope of the land. The ground of the greenspaces never varied more than one or two stories. This ridge with its thousand foot rise and drop was completely foreign to them.

The cart reached the bottom of the ridge and started on the last straight stretch that ran along the western most field. The field was abandoned long ago. The forest growing in its place was getting old enough it was hard to distinguish it from the virgin forest of the ridge. Grandmother couldn’t remember if they salvaged the watering lines that once irrigated it, or if they were still out there in the woods. They reached the intersection with the main road. More than just the western field was abandoned. The next two sections were also allowed to return to nature.

Grandmother turned the corner and started driving north. These fields were abandoned later and the trees and brush were much shorter. Grandmother caught glimpses of a dark object on the horizon over the tops of the trees. Her passengers didn’t notice it, since they didn’t know where to look.

The cart went around a turn and emerged out of the trees. The remaining fields were still all in production. They lay fallow in the winter with a heavy layer of snow on them. The valley continued its slight rise to the north, where the ridges on each side closed together to form the base of the peak beyond. Just below that peak, at the head of the valley stood the Speedwell.

The concrete pad had its feet deep into the soil of the valley. The ship sitting on that pad, rose up forty stories. The slick metal surface shed the snow, leaving the metal skin with its integrated solar panels to stand out even in the weak winter sun. A series of structures were built around and against the concrete base. They housed the automated farming and manufacturing equipment. Beyond the ship rising up on the stone of the peak was a series of windmills. Their blades turned slowly in the light winds of the day.

It was an impressive sight. Even though the structure was much larger, it was hard to get a feel for the size of it from the inside. The entrance looked more like a cave than a building. The ship stood proud against the sky. Its full height towered over them.

“What’s that?” Sarah asked, from her position in the front seat. Her view was the best of all the passengers of what lay ahead. Grandmother slowed and then stopped the vehicle. Ellen, Todd and Alex shifted around in the back, trying to get a good look out the front of the cart.

“The Speedwell,” Grandmother told the girl. “That is the ship that brought your ancestors across the stars to this world.” She looked out at the view for a moment before adding, “My home.”

Todd gave Ellen a knowing look. Ellen nodded back to him.

“The wizard’s tower in the east,” Alex said reverently with a look of pure joy on his face.