Ark II: Life on Gaea - 11. The Dome

Joel couldn’t stand leaving his family, but it had to be done. His children did not need for him to get them up to start the day; they were eager to do it on their own. He was pleased to see the Cavills had been sharing the space with the Nesmiths. That included Robbie, Rob, Robot and Apollo. The noise was increasing to normal levels with animated conversations were returning.

“Who made breakfast?” Joel asked suddenly.

Rchel smiled, “Athena.” She waved at the kitchen and the dispenser. “I can get you what you would like.”

Joel grinned as he touched her shoulder as he passed, “Thank you, honey. My legs still work. I can get it just as well as you can.” The other great thing with his neural link with Athena was he could ask for whatever and never touch a computer or even ask verbally. He went to the cabinet with the big mugs and as soon as the mug was in place came the whirring sound of his latte churning. In mere seconds, the liquid was coming out. He searched the menu in his head and ordered the buttermilk pancakes with the side of bacon. It would take a few minutes. He could also see the inventory of what they all had. With one thousand families sharing the same inventory, they had to watch the usage. They had pretty well gone through the supplies from Earth. That inventory was having what they grew here on Gaea. It was fine.

Hank came in the dining room carrying Alica. Chloe had Little Hank. Daylia was being held by Rob. Hank yawned and then smiled, “I’m fine. These longer nights are hard to sleep through.” He came to the cabinet and got his mug and put it in the dispenser. The familiar whir and steaming liquid came out.

Joel could smell the little coffee and caramel scent. And there was a stronger scent. “Coffee and Espresso?” Joel nodded, “It will be a long day.”

“We’re going in the dome,” Hank nodded.

“Yep,” Joel nodded and looked at Chloe. “I know I asked for a clock. Now that think about it,” he waved at Hank. “He is operating on a twenty-four-hour clock. We evolved to operate from sunup until sundown. Fourteen to sixteen hours, if not more.”

Chloe nodded putting Little Hank in a bassinet, “Sure.”

“How old are you?” Joel smiled.

Chloe looked confused, as did the others in the dining area, “Thirteen.” Chloe waved at Joel. “You were there, Uncle Joel.”

“In Earth years,” Joel pointed out. “How many Gaean years?”

Chloe’s eyes widened, “I need my calculator to be exact.”

Joel chuckled, “Why?” He waved at Chloe, “You’re thirteen!” He threw his arms out in exasperation. “Three hundred and sixty-five Earth days each year. Gaea has four hundred and nineteen Earth measured days consisting of days that are thirty-three Earth hours long.” His left hand covered the left side of his head, “Ow, the left side of my brain is causing a headache. Math! I can do the calculation, but I don’t want to.” He heard the chuckles around the room and ignored them. “My point is, if you didn’t know Earth and the time there...only what your world has; you could say you are eight! Your body tells me otherwise.”

Chloe grinned, “I told you that in the beginning.”

“Stick with Earth’s hours and years,” Joel said. “We’ll schedule our day by Ran.”

“I already have,” Chloe laughed lightly. “The Earth clock is there, under which is the Gaean clock.”

“Mars goes by the Earth’s hours and Jupiter does, too.” Hank smirked. “The Lunar Colony...”

Joel nodded, “It was my issue. Got it.” A timer told him his breakfast was ready. “Eating now.” He put the pancakes and bacon on a plate and sat down sighing. “Pass the syrup, please.”

The dark shadow of what happened was just there. Part of his soul was gone. He would always feel Sara Beth’s loss. He knew the many psychological projections and expectations. He was feeling it and now understood more. That morning he left his family was a positive step forward. It wasn’t as dark as most mornings. His children were going through it as well. He was always telling his children to voice how they felt. He watched Hank closely. Hank was not really talking about Rita. He didn’t want to push him. Remembering how Hank had taken the medication help with his loss. Joel feared Hank was still doing that but resisted talkng to any medical personnel. Yet, Joel needed Hank to be clear thinking. He needed to be clear thinking.

Joel looked at the sky as he walked to the Control Center. The sky was a vibrant blue and Ran was shining light. It was a beautiful day. Sara Beth would have loved it. The walkway to the Control Center was devoid of the younger citizens as they were in school. The clouds of white overhead with the occasional birds flying. Joel saw a butterfly and he felt peace. Sara Beth would want him to.

His tasks were before him. Sara Beth’s position with the Ark needed to be filled. He had a man in mind for that. Would he accept it? He was a wonderful physician. There was Sara Beth’s position with Botany. There were many that could do it. It shouldn’t be his decision. Not alone. The future with the plants, as in the trees and flowers...the many crops they raised. It was so important. He heard the chittering again. Looking, he saw the same chipmunk asking for another nut. Joel chuckled lightly, “Why not?” He went to the dispenser. “You probably would like to figure out how to get these yourself.” He got another nut from it and knelt and held it out to it. “It’s selfish. We want you to ask us to get to know you.” The chipmunk took the nut and began consuming it. “Now, I have work to do. I’ll see you when that’s done.” Joel stood and continued to the Control Center.

The people of this Ark were proving to be Human. They had a woman having another man’s baby. That broke up two families. There would be affairs. They had Debra’s and Jeremy’s baby they knew had Downs Syndrome. Would they have the child? There was no shortage of doctors to handle anything. Certainly, a special needs child. There were concerns with cardiac development and gastrointestinal problems. Dr. Dedra Orlov was a wonderful pediatric surgeon and could fix problems before the birth. He was beating this horse before he even saw the problem. This was Debra’s and Jeremy’s child. They may stop it.

He needed to see Mark. That man suffered the loss of his husband. Joel found that Mark was spending a lot of time in the lab. He wasn’t spending much time with anyone else. Isolation was also part of the grieving process.

In the lab he found Mark who seemed absorbed with one of the artificial eggs. Joel knew what was in that egg. Proportionally, it was just a little larger than a Human womb. It was solid white with tubes attached seemingly suspended in midair. Joel saw several screens that showed the infant inside. He was familiar with seeing many “pregnancies” and recognized the Human embryo. It even had a placenta. Joel smiled, “Hello, Mark.”

Mark turned at the hail and gave a small smile. “Hello, Joel.”

Mark’s face lacked the joy that he normally had.

“I apologize,” Joel began. “I haven’t spent much time with you.”

Mark looked puzzled for a mere second. That puzzled look was replaced with understanding. “You’re busy.” Mark stated. “We all are.” He chuckled lightly, “We’re trying to build a world and rebuild another world. I understand.”

“Do you feel alone? Are you feeling supported?” Joel asked. He knew Mark did feel alone. Part of him was taken just as Joel had part of him taken.

Mark nodded, “I feel alone all the time.” He waved at Joel, “You feel it. I know you do.”

“I do,” Joel agreed. He looked at the various white eggs around. There were quite a few. He waved at the one Mark was tending now. “Is that...”

Mark nodded, “Matt’s and my son.” He smiled sadly. “Matt will have two children. Connie and Nancy are having a child by us soon. This is Matt’s and my son.” He waved at one of the artificial eggs. “That will be Connie’s and Nancy’s.” He chuckled. “Bringing the two strands of DNA from each is not easy. Getting the two to work together is effort, but I can do it.”

“They are not clones,” Joel said, confirming.

Mark shook his head, “Working on a copy is a lot easier. These are new originals of combined DNA from two individuals.” He waved at the egg with his and Matt’s child. “The new combination of our two DNA took a bit more, but it’s done. Connie and Nancy have the eggs that contain half of what makes them. Matt and I have the sperm that contains half of each of us.” He grinned at Joel. “You know the male determines that offspring’s gender.”

“Yes,” Joel nodded. “All is delivered to the female and what enters the female’s egg determines the gender. We deliver both the X and Y. The X makes the girl, and the Y makes the boy.”

Mark smiled more, hearing that, “Right. All the building blocks are there.” He grudged a slight nod, “I just move it along.” He waved at another egg. “Brice’s and Adel’s son is doing just fine.” The he held his point finger up, “With them, I had to delve into Adel’s DNA more to retrieve her mitochondrial DNA.” He looked at Joel, “Her mother’s DNA.”

Joel smirked, “I got that. But it is a child composed of Adel’s and Brice’s DNA.”

Mark nodded quickly, “Oh, yes. He’s doing just fine.” He nodded as a screen opened showing another fetus...Joel hated that word! It was a baby. The baby was looking like a baby. He was larger and had the umbilical cord that was attached to a placenta.

“Doesn’t the mother grow the placenta?” Joel waved at the image.

Mark again grudged a nod, “It’s part of the gestational process. The mother knows and the zygote knows. You know zygote, right?”

“One cell embryo right after conception occurs and before it begins to divide,” Joel nodded. “I paid attention in science class!” He grinned.

Mark smiled, “I say you did.” He lowered his eyes, “Understand, I want to help, but I don’t know what I can do with Barroso. I see him and want to kill every time.”

Joel nodded, “I do understand.” He brought Mark into a hug. “You don’t have to come. We can handle it.” He held Mark out a little. “You aren’t alone.” He looked at the eggs. “You’ve got your hands full.” He looked at a row of golf ball sized eggs. “What are these for?”

Mark grinned, “Fish!” He looked at Joel, “When Leif and Steve okay them.”

“Fish,” Joel nodded.

“Pilchard to Amphitryon,” Mark held his arms wide in the eggs’ direction.

“I got the Clownfish, but...Pilchard?” Joel asked.

“Sardine!” Mark answered with a smile. “We will have Crill and even sea turtles. The sea turtles will be harder.” He chuckled, “They won’t be buried but released on our beach. That way they will know what beach to return to. They will have no predators, so...”

“Crill,” Joel grinned. “Other prawns?”

“Absolutely,” Mark nodded. “We will need their abundant breeding for the whales. Playing God is exhausting!”

Joel snickered a consenting nod, “Yes, it is! We just can’t screw it up. We need to start working on our New Atlantis.”

“There are two thousand people here dedicated to bringing life to Gaea,” Mark marveled. “For the lobster and other crustations have their own team who are anxious to get started. The prawns and fish have their own team! Everyone is dedicated to bringing that life here. Even our engineers are dedicated to that job. We want to get started!”

Mark was right. Everyone on the Ark was here to bring that life. Joel noticed when Mark said that, that sadness was less apparent. He knew that under Mark was a team to help Matt and Mark do that.

“In about two hours,” Joel began. “We’re going in that dome. There may be nothing, but I want to know.” He frowned.

“That part of Earth will be morning,” Mark nodded.

Joel grudged a nodding shrug, “Not that it matters. It will be dark under the dome. We need to know.”

“All the planets have their own clock,” Mark nodded. “Twenty-four hours for Earth. Thirty-three for us.” He looked at Joel. “How long is Elysia's day?”

“Twenty-eight Terran hours,” Joel answered. “I think. They won’t be on Earth yet. They nod the android bodies to do that.”

“Can’t they use one of our A2s? They have the neural interface.” Mark asked.

Joel gave a grudging shrug, “They expressed no interest.” He sighed. “They are just adjusting their opinion of artificial intelligence. They are getting to know Oracle. They would be welcome to join us. I don’t think they will. For almost a century they thought what happened was Oracle’s fault. They need time.” He shrugged, “There may be nothing to find. We’ll know soon.”

Joel went to their quarters quickly telling Rob and Daylia he’d be back soon and went to the Control Center. He found Hank, Nayef, and Scott waiting. Nayef and Hank were consumed with a conversation of their own. Joel's hearing was very good.

“...she’s never done this before,” Hank said quietly to Nayef.

Nayef frowned, “Well, she’s never been thirteen before.” He shrugged, “She’s growing up. The crime here is that she lost someone that could help her through this. There are women here that can help her. However, having maternal support is not the same as a mother. She can’t go anywhere. There are no bad groups for her to get lost in.”

“Is this a private conversation?” Joel asked. “I know it’s about Chloe.”

Hank’s head wavered and he looked at Joel, “Chloe is in love she says.”

Joel nodded, “Okay.” He waited and no one said more. “She told you. At least she felt comfortable to do that. It was something that bothers you. What is it?”

Hank frowned, “She loves Efim Makhailov.”

Joel’s eyes widened, “Efim? Our bee man?” He understood more. He was one of the men that recently got a divorce. “Our bee charmer? He’s fifteen years older than Chloe.”

“A bee charmer!?” Hank balked.

Joel nodded, smiling, “People are occasionally born so calm and nonthreatening they literally can charm bees!” He held a hand up, “Efim is Russian. Born in St. Petersburg and his specialties are biology and zoology. Particularly, bees!” He nodded and waved Hank down to wait. “I know, that has nothing to do with Chloe. That calm demeanor and...” he grudged a shrug, “...and is damned good-looking!” He nodded at Hank. “Chloe just recently lost a person that could help. She’s still grieving.” He looked at Hank, “Is he pressuring her?”

“No,” Hank admitted. “She’s a child! My child!”

Joel slowly understood, “He could without meaning to. I get it.”

“This is something we need to address,” Nayef suggested. “He and Marta are divorced now, but he was married. Chloe of course, has not. We assumed our children would choose from their peer group. Kevin, Lunga, or Lui.”

“Now they are too immature!” Hank protested. “She’s too immature!”

Joel smiled, “I see a molehill. You see a mountain.” He sighed, “I’m not really wanting to regulate who sees whom.” He took Hank’s shoulders, “I say, let it play out. She is immature because she is a child. Let her see for herself any flaws. He may snore or even pick his nose. Let the infatuation go. She’s thirteen and it might die on its own.”

Nayef nodded, “I said that!”

“Bee Charmer?” Hank asked. “One of those Southern terms?”

Joel shrugged, “I don’t think so, but it’s on record that at eight years of age, he would come home with a jar of honey he got from a beehive...he never wore the protective gear,” he laughed lightly, “He was never stung because the bees trusted him. As the bee population was dwindling, he got it to improve in Russia. Flowers were blooming and crops thrived. Because of him! He helped get our bees on Gaea started.” He noticed the time. “We need to go or we’ll be late.” He shook Hank. “We’ll deal with it. Chloe will be fine. I don’t want to slap rules about dating.” He saw Hank’s startled face, “I’m not saying Chloe or Efim shouldn’t date. I think she’s too young, but that’s what her father needs to say is okay. I know you won’t.” Joel smiled compassionately and touched Hank gently. “She’s hurting. Efim is a kind man and gentle. She needs that right now. We’ll watch them. It will be fine. She’s a teenager and not thinking rationally.”

Hank grunted a nod, “We’d better go. We don’t want to be late.” He muttered.

Anthony Yates jogged up, “Sorry, I had a situation with Cassidy. Of course, Medi was nowhere to be found.” He grumbled. He sighed and smiled, “Cass is fine. Crisis diverted.”

Joel smiled back, “I remember the crisis with my three. At eight those crises are unbeatable.” He waved toward the Control Room. “Let’s head to Earth!”

Anthony grinned, putting the electrodes to his temples, “Earth in just seconds!”

“It won’t be the Earth you remember,” Joel cautioned.

“It’s been almost two centuries,” Nayef added. “Prepare yourself.”

It took a few seconds for Joel to realize he was in his android body orbiting Earth. “Everyone okay?”

“Ready to see what’s under that dome.” Hank said.

Anthony came into an A2 behind Joel. He was extending the fingers and moving his arm around, “I’m fine.” He chuckled, “I designed the damned things. Getting used to it is something else.” He looked out a porthole. “I wouldn’t mind seeing home...I know we have a job to do, but...” He hurried on, “Gaea is home, I know...”

Joel gave a grudging nod, “You can see it when the day begins there. It’s still night now. We can fly up to the Northern Hemisphere. It will only take a few minutes. We have time. Hank, Nayef we’re doing some sightseeing. Back in a few minutes.”

“We’ll land near the dome,” Hank said. “I’d rather not.”

“Understood,” Joel acknowledged and took the Harpy-stinger north. It was a quick trip. The Eastern Time zone hadn’t gotten the sunrise yet, but Joel noticed immediately that the Northern United States was dark. No lights from any cities. Only a few dots of light could be seen. The ocean, which was usually blue, had a greyish tint. Europe was beginning its day. The dark scarring from devastating bombs could be seen. Joel couldn’t look. Billions of people were dead. Millions were suffering now. He headed South so Anthony could see Africa. The green was there but not like it was. How many animals lived there now?

“Okay,” Anthony said quietly. “That’s enough.” He sighed, “We evolve out of Africa. We now fly high above and see the destruction we cause.”

“We see and know, now,” Joel nodded. “We can fix it.” He gave Anthony a sad smile. “We aren’t like locusts that ravenously eat and destroy everything it our path. We are a bit like weeds, but we don’t have to be.”

Joel lowered to Brazilia as the chop of the air shook the stinger. He deployed the wings. Getting closer, he saw the construction crews near Brazilla. The capitol had moved East from where it originally had been. Near the coast. There was construction happening for the Space Ladder, and the wall was being worked on to enclose the whole area. Including where the dome was. That dome would be gone soon. The lower he got he could see where there was construction of the new city. People went about their tasks as they watched Joel descend. There was a new construction at the base of the dome with a landing pad with the other Harpy-stinger. The new antigravity was amazing. Joel lowered his stinger without a bump. He turned to Anthony and suddenly withdrew. He looked like Anthony! Meaning the A2 looked like Anthony!

“What did you do?” Joel demanded.

Anthony bowed his head slightly. “What do you see?”

“You!” Joel blurted. “Not a perfect image but I can tell who you are! You look like an A2, but you!”

Anthony chuckled. His voice ever sounded more...normal. “Wei and Mark complained that they had to paint letters on them to get people to know who they were. The skin of the A2 is pliable and can be made to give the user the right face. I programmed mine, yours, Hank’s and I need to do Nayef’s...” he thought. “I’m doing Wei’s...”

Joel jumped up and hugged Anthony, “You genius! That paint think was a pain in the ass!”

“When an A2 is babysitting,” Anthony began. “If Athena’s sitting, she can porgram whatever face.”

“You deserve a raise!” Joel declared. “If we had currency, I would.”

Anthony shrugged, “It’s the thought that counts.”

Getting out the approached Barroso, Raymond of Ark V, Hank, and Nayef. There were some men and women Joel knew were locals.

Hank looked, appeared shocked and then smiled, “Anthony! It’s good to see you!” He emphasized the word “see.”

“Can I do that?” Nayef asked.

Anthony laughed and waved him down, “You will. I promise.”

Raymond waved at the new construction at the base of the dome. “In here are jet-bikes from your Harpy. The air will be sucked out once we cut through. We are sending some flares in first. That will give light to travel by. Nightvision works with little light. There is no light under that dome. He turned to one of the women near him. “Here is a power supply for the computer.”

Barroso held up a paper map, “Grandfather’s lab is here.” He pointed. “It’s central for the whole complex. You will need flashlights when in the complex.”

Anthony nodded and his eyes light up briefly, “We all have them.”

“Well, let’s go,” Joel said.

Raymond opened the outer door, “We’ll suck out the air and sterilize when you’re in. I hope you find nothing, but if you do...”

Hank nodded, “No time like the present.”

Once in the “airlock” they heard the sound of the air being sucked out. Then the laser torch lit and began slicing into the dome’s cover. It took a few minutes before an opening was big enough for a man and his jet-bike. The outer door would remain sealed. Joel held the flare gun, and at the entrance and fired four times. He watched the flares cover a good distance arching as they flew. Overhead the flares lit this area that had not seen light for three decades. Shadows of buildings, houses, and a small grocery store, a market with bins in front now empty. He saw clearly. Human eyes would not but he could in his android body. He sat on his jet-bike and activated his antigravity field and moved to let the others in.

Once they were all in, they headed carefully to the laboratory complex. This was more than a ghost town. Nothing was alive. The skeletons of trees long dead remained. No cats or dogs...no rats or insects. Abandoned cars in front of homes. A turned over tricycle made Joel’s heart ache. Did the child live? More abandoned bikes, a car with its door open. No skeletons...oh, there was one of a dog. Joel quit looking. It was a horrific thing to see. This was long after the bombs! This was done by Campos Saies. Yes, it would all be melted, but what else was there?

They got to the complex and went in. Yes, the android bodies had lights they could see by. Labelling the doors would have helped, but Campos had wanted to keep this secret. Doors were locked. Like that would keep them out. After a few doors shattered, they entered a room that had to be a laboratory. Trashed beakers and Bunsen burners, clear tubes over desks and chairs. Here there were three Human skeletons. One on the floor and two at desks where they died doing their work.

“That looks like their computer,” Anthony suggested pointing. “It’s primitive.” He raised the battery they had to start the system up again. “Give me a few seconds.”

Joel gently lowered one of the men to the floor and sat at the console he had used. It was really only a few seconds, and Joel heard the hum of the computer begin. Lights from the computer added some light to the room. He reached over and pressed “on.” The monitor flickered and then lit up brightly.

Joel frowned. He had Athena looking with him. The problem was he wasn’t having to think. What he saw she translated for him. He needed to tell her to help but let him figure things out. He felt he was taking a test where she told him all the answers. Wrong! However, with this investigation, he appreciated her help. His boys would not be getting the filaments until in their late twenties, dammit! Period! Daylia? Forget it. He saw the computer ask for a password. He knew nothing would get out, but could he interface with this computer? Suddenly, it seemed a decryption program was working. So, yes, he could interface with the computer.

“Here’s how they blinded Athena from the approaching missiles,” Anthony was doing the same thing Joel was. “They had a computer program that came from those that made our Ark. I guess it wasn’t classified.” He frowned and shrugged, “It doesn’t matter if it was. They got it. They were made so she couldn’t see them.”

“They were working on weaponized Ebola,” Nayef said sadly. “My God, he sacrificed dozens of his own people to make them immune!” He said in horror. “He was working on several more missiles and bombs to send them to us again. To Tau Ceti. The moon. Mars. The mines around Jupiter...”

“He would kill everyone but his own people?” Hank asked. “He was testing on his own people. How does that work?”

“It wouldn’t,” Joel said sadly. “It didn’t.” He looked at Anthony. “Has anymore been sent?”

“No,” Anthony answered. “They are below but unsent.”

“Is any of the Ebola active here now?” He looked at Nayef.

“Not that I can sense,” he looked at Anthony. “What about you?”

“No,” Anthony replied. “I detect no radiation either.”

Hank turned to the corpse beside him and turned the man’s head gently. The decomposition had taken much of him. The soft tissue and organs were receding. Here was a layer of skin left over bones you could see. He saw the man’s teeth in that skull grin. The man’s black hair was still attached, more or less. Vacant eye sockets looked blankly. “I can say nothing killed him such as decease but this hole in the back of his head. We know it was a bullet.”

Joel leaned toward the body he had replaced in the computer seat. Joel turned his head and found a bullet hole in the back of his head, “The same with this guy.”

Nayef turned the one on the ground and sighed, “This man was shot while getting away. He has two bullet holes in his chest and another in the back of his head.” He pointed to the man’s shirt and the holes there.

“We know he killed all of those that worked here.” Joel shook his head. “What I read was there were thirty that worked here. We got three,” he looked up. “Where are the twenty-seven others? I didn’t see anyone on the way here.”

“They were using a version of Athena here,” Anthony explained. “That’s why we could easily interface with it.” He frowned. “A simpler form of Athena. It is the same system.”

“All will be melted,” Joel stated firmly. “After we see those missiles intended to go out.”

Nayef waved at another end of the room where glass doors held whatever inside, “The samples of the Ebola are in there. I sense nothing. They are dead now.”

Joel nodded, “We’ll confirm the missiles are there and then melt everything.”

They went down to where they had worked on those deadly missiles. They were ready to be launched but Campos Sais had died before that. There they remained. There were a few more bodies, but not all of them. They may never know.

They got their jet-bikes and rode to the doorway they had cut. One by one they exited the dome. The breech was sealed and the air in the airlock was sterilized.

Joel looked at Raymond and Barroso, “We got what we came for. I will have a report and send it to all of you.” He stiffened. “We will melt the whole thing!”

“The shield and electroplates are in place,” Raymond reported. “Now?”

Joel nodded, “Now.”

Raymond and Barroso pulled them away from the dome.

“It will take a few hours,” Raymond said and took out a tablet. He touched the surface.

A hum filled the air as the entire dome became somewhat obscure. The shield held the heat in, but Joel swore he could feel it. Not a lot, but just warmer. He instinctively backed further away. The dome was slowly collapsing. Melting. He was told those electroplates would heat things near to the temperature of the sun. Joel knew that was impossible, but it was very hot under the shield. How many bodies were being melted as well? It was a tomb now. Campos Sais insanity was being erased. Joel turned to see the construction in the village. He saw robots laying the isotopes to absorb any radiation was working. More construction of a vertical farm was going up. This would be a hydroponic farm until the soil was cleansed. It would work. This planet would heal.