A.R.: Beyond the Universe

A slight vibration comes from Alex’s PDA. “Seems that someone is calling you, Mr. Rogers. To answer it, say ‘answer call’ or touch the oval on the screen.”

Alex touches the little oval. The screen on the PDA switches from showing MacGuyver to a hologram of a woman he had never seen before, a very beautiful woman.

“Hello, Alex. My name is Sara. We spoke on the phone.” The woman appears to be in her mid-thirties, with big brown eyes and long eyelashes. She has shoulder length hair and slightly olive complexion. The loose waves in her hair remind him of the waves made when you throw a pebble into the still waters of a mountain like. Her voice, like her complexion, is like pure silk.

“Uh… Hi?”

“Relax, Alex. You’re in the safest place on the Earth. I hope your flight went well.”

“Yes, thank you. I understand that, if it weren’t for your people, I’d probably not be around anymore. Very impressive place you have here.”

“You’re quite welcome. Your extraction had been declared an urgent matter, and we did what we could to get you to safety. Mr. Caldwell has told you some of why you are here?”

“Yes, something about the dream that I had and seeing stars disappearing. He’s told me about the Complex and gave me this thing. I still have a couple of million questions left to ask, though.”

“All in good time, Alex. First, let’s get you settled. Get MacGuyver and meet me in the Conference Room, Level 3. Mr. Caldwell will accompany you. Your quarters are also on that level.” The image of the woman disappears and is replaced with the hologram of the dog stretched out on some grass, intently keeping watch of everything he can see.

“Level 3, conference room, where?” asks Alex.

“Just say ‘replay call’ to hear it again. Or, if you do not feel quite used to speaking to it, you can do this.”

Mr. Caldwell shows Alex how to change the screen on the PDA to show a multitude of choices. One option is “replay call.” Alex selects the little dot next to the text and the call is repeated. Alex felt odd listening to his own voice. As he listens to the call again, he searches for something to write with and asks for a pen. “You don’t need one. Use the stylus on the side of the PDA and write the note on the PDA screen. Once you press the stylus on the screen, the PDA will know that you are going to start writing and will temporarily change screens.”

Alex listens once again to the instructions and writes them down.

Mr. Caldwell looks at Alex and cuts in. “Actually, you did not even need to do that. When a call is placed giving you instructions where to go, the System automatically creates a set of instructions for you. Look for the ‘retrieve instructions’ option on the second screen.

Alex finds the option and selects the dot next to it. The screen changes to a map of the level they are on. It shows a series of flashing dots going from the park to a red circle.

“What’s the circle?”

“A transport chute. It’s like an elevator but uses something like magnetic currents to move the platform instead of electricity or hydraulics. Once we’re on the platform in the chute, the system will already know what level you need you get off on.”

“How’s that happen?”

“Simple. When you accessed the map, the instructions were interpreted by the System. Once you get on a chute, the system knows where you need to go. Of course, you can get off at any level you choose.”

Alex stands up and calls for MacGuyver. He says “locate” to the PDA and once again sees the diagram of the room with the three dots in it. One is moving toward them. In about 30 seconds, the little dog comes trotting over to his master, looking like a very happy, satisfied dog.

“Until you two get used to moving around in here, it’s probably a good idea to use a leash on him. You’ll find one hanging beside the door we came in.”

Alex stands, taps his leg to let the dog know to follow him, and heads for the door. There, hanging on the wall, is a 6-foot long leash. Alex takes the leash and clips it to the dog’s collar. With the dog walking beside him on one side and Mr. Caldwell on the other, the three head for the door and down the corridor. To get used to using it, Alex keeps one eye on the PDA to make sure he is still heading in the right direction and the other on his dog.

At the end of a long corridor, they find a curved wall with a red circle on it. “Let me guess, I saw a red circle on the map. You say that the circle is a chute. We are now standing in front of a curved wall with a red circle on it. The chute, I’m guessing?”

“Correct.”

When they are about 3 feet from the curved wall, the wall rotates to the left, following the curvature of the wall. The inside of the chute is about 10 feet in diameter. The walls are bare. The ceiling has several lights embedded into it, providing plenty of light. The floor has a large “1” painted on it and is lit from below.

“We were finding so many of these chutes that we had to start numbering them, so people can know for sure what chute they are on.”

Once all three are inside the chute, the door rotates closed. There is no sensation of moving downward. Alex keeps wondering when they will start moving, so he asks. Mr. Caldwell smiles. “We started moving the moment the door closed. Like the HC, the chutes are also equipped with inertia dampeners. That’s why you do not feel any movement or motion.”

“How far down are we going?”

“Ask your PDA.”

Alex asks the question and the response almost horrifies him. A tube typically goes 25 miles straight down, and Level 3 is only 3 levels up from the bottom of the chute. We must drop almost to the bottom of this thing!

Alex wonders how long it will take. Since he has no sense of moving, he is curious about how far they had gone down. He asks the PDA, “location.” It shows that had just passed level 2613 and are descending rapidly.

Wait a minute…over 25 miles down? And there is a level at every 30 feet? He gets the stylus and starts to write, then asks Mr. Caldwell a question. “If I want to do math, how do I write it?”

“Just write the numbers and use standard math symbols. When you want it to come up with the answer, tap it twice with the stylus.”

Alex begins thinking. OK. One mile is 5240 feet (I think…close enough). 5240 divided by 30 levels… Wait a minute, I’m doing this the hard way! Alex speaks to the PDA, “How many levels will this chute access?” The answer appears on the screen: 4400 levels.

The number was almost dizzying. In less than a minute, they dropped over 12 miles!

Mr. Caldwell smiles as Alex begins to realize the magnitude of the Complex.

“This place is massive!” Alex says.

“Alex, you have no idea. You just did the numbers for this one chute. There are 50 others, each with their own set of levels. Each level has 100 spaces on it. Some levels we have converted to shops, medical facilities, hospitals, machine shops, entertainment, etc. Each tube is connected with a series of corridors and conveyors.”

Unexpectedly, the door to the chute slides open. “Are we there already?” Alex asks.

Alex looks out into the corridor to see the same woman as he saw in the hologram. She is about 5’9” with a slim build and an athletic look and is dressed in a silvery gray calf-length dress. She greets them and introduces herself to Alex as Sara.

“It is good to finally meet you in person,” she says to Alex. Alex, who is not used to being around a woman so good looking, is not quite sure what to say.

MacGuyver is getting curious about the new person. He slowly walks toward Sara and stands there looking up at her. She bends down and pets him with long, gentle strokes.

“He’s adorable. A Sheltie?”

“Yes. I was told a long time ago that they make great companions. When I saw one up for adoption, I took the chance. Haven’t regretted it for a minute. He really is man’s best friend, or at least this one is.”

She looks back at the little dog. MacGuyver gives her a lick on the cheek, which catches her off guard.

“Sorry about that. I think he likes you,” Alex apologizes for the little dog. It is easy to tell that the dog is happy. As Sara pets him, he looks up at her and then back at Alex. His thick, bushy tail wags back and forth, side to side. His head is held high and his ears are vertical and still. When he gets nervous, the dog’s ears seem to pivot a little, each on their own, as if trying to listen for something. They always remind him of little, furry radar antennas.

Sara looks up at Alex and smiles back. “He’s a beautiful dog.”

As Sara begins to stand up, Alex reaches down to offer her a hand getting up. She accepts and takes his hand. For a moment, time seems to stop for Alex. He helps her stand up but he suspects that she would have had no problem standing up on her own.

She smiles at Alex and asks them to follow her. They walk past several doors and enter a room on their right. From what Alex can tell, this must be the conference room. It is a large, oval room with an oval table in the middle surrounded by padded metal chairs. Along all walls are three rows of monitors. Each monitor is showing something different--sports, stock market activity, news broadcasts, offices, corridors or other rooms.

Sara slides out a seat and sits down. Both Alex and Mr. Caldwell chose a seat on the opposite side of the table. MacGuyver, following his master, lies down beside him on the floor.

“We’ll make this brief. I know you were retrieved from your home at night before you had a chance to get some sleep. You napped a little in the HC, but you must be still tired. We’ll get you to your quarters in a minute,” she tells Alex.

“I just wanted to introduce myself and make sure you feel welcome and comfortable. As soon as you’ve gotten some rest, I can show you around. Once you’re more familiar with the Complex, its workings and the some of the people here, we can get started.”

“Get started?” Alex asks.

“What I am about to tell you cannot leave this room. What you are about to hear not even Mr. Caldwell is aware of. I am sure he has told you the Complex was built by an ancient group of people. We have no idea where they came from, who they were, or why they left. We do know that this place was left here for a purpose.”

“Do you know what that purpose is?” asks Alex.

“Yes. The Complex is a giant defense mechanism. We know that from translations just completed yesterday. We still do not know what it is designed to defend against. We do not know how it works, or what happens when it is activated. We do know that the System has automatically detected something out in the deep reaches of space. That something has been making the stars disappear, just as you saw in your dream. The System has been making computations ever since and storing incredible amounts of energy. If the current amount of energy stored in the core is filtered into one energy beam like that of a laser, it would equal many times the output of the sun. It is using the heat from the molten mantel to draw energy, converting and storing it in the Earth’s core like a giant capacitor. Whoever designed this place felt it had to require incredibly great amounts of energy for use as a weapon. If that is the case, what is out there that we need so much power to defend us from? That, Mr. Rogers, is why you are here. You are the only living being that has seen whatever this is. You have found a way to get there and, if possible, we need to find what you did to use that ability.

“Once we can determine what has been happening to you, we are hoping that you can learn to control it and keep an eye on what is happening out there. If what you do is something that can be taught, we are hoping to you can teach us, so that we too can study the thing out there.”

Alex gives her a look of apprehension. “I hate to be the one to tell you this, but I have no idea what I did or why it’s happening. I was hoping someone would tell me.”

“Alex, that is another reason why you were brought here: to see if we can determine why you can do what you do. If the translated prophesy is correct, we may be watching the end of everything we know. Now we have to determine if there is anything we can do to stop it.”

Alex sits there, stunned. He has just heard a very beautiful woman explain that the end of everything is coming, and he is their only hope.

Nope, no pressure here.

“Are you telling me that what I dreamed about was real?” Alex asks her.

“Very real. The Complex has scanners built into it which can see well beyond anything that we could ever imagine. The System has, within its core, a massive database of galaxies, black holes, planets, practically everything out there. We think it was equipped with this information when it was put here. It scans what is out there now and compares it with conditions that existed when it was built. That way, it knows when conditions have been met to initiate the alarm.

“Three weeks ago, that alarm started sounding. We thought someone had accidentally started something we were not familiar with. However, we have since determined that was not the case. The System purposely turned on the alarm. It was meant as a warning that something is happening out there. When the alarm started, an unknown door opened in the floor of the room where the core is, leading to a room that is full of 3D holographic maps. Our best people are now studying what is in that room.

“The maps show stars in places where stars now do not exist. If, as we now know, each star is really an entire galaxy full of millions of stars, solar systems and planets, then what could make entire galaxies disappear like that without a trace?”

A phone on the wall buzzes. Sara gets up, walks to the handset and picks it up.

“I’ll be right there,” she responds. “Gentlemen, I have matters to attend to. Mr. Caldwell, would you please show Alex to his quarters? It is suite 325.” Sara excuses herself and walks out the door.

“Is she serious?” asks Alex, as he turns to Mr. Caldwell. “Are you people really expecting me to help with that thing that I saw in one of my dreams?”

“You had more than the one dream?”

“Yeah, several. In one of them, I saw a little boy playing with some type of balls that kept changing shapes.”

“Alex, it is apparent that you do indeed exhibit special abilities, and those abilities are increasing. I suggest we introduce you and MacGuyver to your quarters. You can get some rest. Afterwards, we’ll show you some of the Complex. Then we’ll see what we can learn.”

Mr. Caldwell gets up and asks Alex to follow him. They leave the room, followed by MacGuyver and continue going down the same corridor they entered when they left the chute. With his suite on the same corridor 6 doors from the conference room, it is easy find, even for Alex.

Mr. Caldwell stops at a door with 325 on the sign next to the door. Alex waits for him to open the door. Mr. Caldwell steps aside and waits for Alex, who realizes that he is to open the door.

“Um, how do I open it?” Alex asks.

“Just walk toward it. If you are authorized to go in, the door will open. The System controls the place. It also knows where and who you are. Just start walking toward the door and it will unlock and open.”

Alex is hesitant about embarrassing himself by walking into a closed door, but he does as he is told. As he starts to step towards the door, it slides open quickly. MacGuyver is neither impressed nor curious. He is very leery about this thing that suddenly disappears in front of him. He takes a few steps back and proceeds to bark loudly, letting it know firmly that he is not a happy dog and does not like surprises. When MacGuyver gets like that, Alex knows he will not calm down quickly. He bends down, picks up the dog, and walks into the room.

The first thing Alex sees brings a smile to his face. Sitting there in the living room is a leather recliner just like his at home, but this one is new. He had spent many years in his old recliner watching TV, eating, reading, and catching some extra sleep. But, it had its problems. Several springs were worn out, the reclining mechanism should have been replaced long ago, and there were places where the leather had cracked. This one is brand new. No more having to put up with the bad springs. He should be able to do some first class napping now. Draped over the recliner is his beloved afghan his aunt made for him many years ago. With just those two objects, Alex begins to feel comfortable about giving this place a chance.

Sitting next to the recliner is a small cherry side table with a reading lamp on it. Sitting beside that is, of all things, the matching leather sofa to the recliner. Alex had dreamed of getting the sofa some day but knew he’d never be able to afford it. In front of the furniture covering the floor is what appears to be a very expensive oriental rug, like what he had at home but much better, made of silk with a lot of fine detail. On the other side of the rug is a wall with what has to be a 60-inch large screen TV. Seeing speakers located on all walls tells Alex that the TV has come with a surround sound system. Smaller versions of the TV sit on each side of the bigger one. Each of the smaller TVs are sitting on bookshelves covered with personal items from Alex’s home: several small pieces of Chinese jade statues, a vase given to him by his mother, the ship in a bottle that he had made. There are shelves containing his favorite books and other personal belongings. The walls all have prints and paintings from Alex’s house. And there is the stained-glass table lamp he made.

Centered below the shelves is a gas fireplace, already lit, shedding a warm glow across the room.

The living room is a good size, about 16 feet square. From here, Alex can see the kitchen and a hall leading to several doors. He walks to the kitchen and looks around. It has everything he would ever need. There are cherry cabinets, a counter made of a stone Alex does not recognize, a cork-covered floor. His expensive pots and pans are hanging from two different pot racks suspended from the ceiling. He opens the fridge and freezer to find them full of food. They even have several boxes of the kind of cold cereal he likes as a late-night snack. One of Alex’s dreams has been to refurbish the kitchen in his home. If he had the money, this is exactly the kitchen he would have wanted.

He turns around to look at Mr. Caldwell, who can tell Alex is satisfied by what he sees.

“This way to the baths and bedrooms,” Mr. Caldwell motions toward the hall.

Down the hall are several doors. Two of them lead to bedrooms larger than the master bedroom in his home. Both are fully furnished with all he would ever need. Alex sits on the bed and discovers the mattress is the type which uses air, not springs. He had always wanted one but could never afford it. Each bedroom has its own spacious bathroom with separate tubs and showers. Each has two large closets, one is full of hanging clothes and the other has drawers already filled with clothes. Several pairs of shoes and house slippers sit in a rack on the wall next to the drawers.

It is evident that a third room is just for MacGuyver. Just like the park, the floor is covered with soft, green grass. There is a stand with his food and water bowls. Mr. Caldwell shows Alex how the food and water are automatically taken care of. All Alex must do is to program the system for when the dog eats and how much. He only needs to keep fresh food bin built into the wall filled with dry dog food. The water bowl has a built-in function that keeps it full of filtered water. There are several balls on the floor, along with many other dog toys. In one corner is a dog bed, ready for use. Alex puts down the dog and lets him know it’s OK. MacGuyver looks back up at his master and slowly takes one step forward. He lowers his head and sniffs at the ground. Satisfied, he begins to explore the room.

While the dog is checking out his room, Alex is shown the room that seems to be set up just for him. In it, there is an array of miniature tools and machines, with plenty of shelves, drawers, and cabinets. There are two long countertops and a large table in the center of the room all set up for doing stained glass and model ships. There is a door on one wall that leads to a separate room designed for his bonsai trees, complete with potting soils, tools, and an automatic water spraying system.

“Are you telling me there are rooms just for my hobbies?” Alex asks, questioning if everything that he is seeing is real.

“Yes, we tried to furnish you with the things that might make you comfortable. Since we have no idea how long you will need to be here, the more comfortable you are, the better off you will be, and the easier it will be for you to concentrate on your training.

“Now, I am going off to take care of some business. I suggest that you get some sleep and a shower. I’ll check in with you tomorrow morning.” Mr. Caldwell starts to walk to the front door.

“Wait a minute,” Alex stops him. “Calling you Mr. Caldwell all the time is a bit formal for me. Can I know your first name?”

With a big smile, Mr. Caldwell responds. “There is a reason I have not told you. When I am with you, everyone refers to me as Mr. Caldwell. My first name is Alex.”

Alex grins and realizes why he always heard everyone call him Mr. Caldwell instead of using his first name. Having two people called Alex would have caused problems.

“Will you need anything else, Alex?” Mr. Caldwell asks before leaving.

“No, Mr. Caldwell, I think that I can take it from here,” Alex grins. He’ll have to work on the not grinning part when Mr. Caldwell is with him. But for now, a hot shower, a little TV, and a long nap will do him just fine.

Several hours pass as Alex sleeps. His dreams continue about being in space and seeing more stars disappear. But, unlike at home, even with the dreams, he is getting some restful sleep. When his PDA buzzes, Alex wakes up immediately and tries to stop it from buzzing. However, he has forgotten how. It is by pure luck that he presses the right button on the PDA.

Mr. Caldwell’s hologram appears. “Hello, Alex. Sleep well?”

“Yes, but I had more of the dreams. This time it was not just one dream but several. It was like I was in several places at the same time.”

“As I stated earlier, your abilities are increasing. Today we’ll get you a tour of the Complex. Tomorrow we’ll see what we can do about getting you to use those abilities. We’ll see you in a few minutes.”

Alex gets out of bed and goes looking for MacGuyver. Normally, the dog sleeps in the back room of the house. But this is not the house. He’ll have to look to see where the dog is. Alex heads out the bedroom door and to the room set up for the dog. There he finds MacGuyver curled up in a corner on the grass, sound asleep. Not wanting to bother the old dog, he quietly walks to the kitchen, gets a glass of orange juice, and then fixes a bowl of cold cereal. He rises off the dishes and heads for the shower.

He has just enough time to get dressed when he hears what sounds like a doorbell ringing, which wakes up MacGuyver. Alex walks to the front door, followed by a drowsy little dog, ready to open it. But there is no doorknob to open the door with. Just as he gets to the door, it automatically slides open. On the other side is Mr. Caldwell, with Sara standing next to him.

“Are you ready to see the sights, Alex?” she asks.

“Yes, but how long will we be gone? I’ll need to take care of MacGuyver before we leave,” Alex replies.

“We can sight-see for as long as you want. We’ve arranged for a pet sitter to watch your dog for the day. She’s on her way now with instructions on MacGuyver’s care. Ready? We have a lot of ground to cover” she responds.

With MacGuyver apparently taken care of, Alex gives the dog a hug, leaves his new home and walks with them down the corridor toward the same chute they used earlier. They enter it and watch the door close.

“Where are we going?” Alex asks.

“We’ll try to cover as much ground as possible without getting you disoriented,” Sara says.

The chute door opens to reveal another corridor. “This is where I get off,” Mr. Caldwell says. “I’m no good at being a tour guide. You two have fun.”

They watch as Mr. Caldwell exits the chute and then heads down the corridor. As the chute door closes, Alex realizes he is alone with Sara. He begins to look around and fidget.

“You’re not very used to being around a woman, are you?” she asks.

“Once upon a time, for 16 years, I was married. Eventually I found out that I was just not suited to live with someone else. I’ve just never been very comfortable with people.”

“Do you mind me showing you around? I can get someone else if you wish,” she tells him.

The thought spending the day with her pleases Alex, but it also made him very nervous. He is already growing fond of her. He thinks about it for a moment and decides to give it a try.

“If it’s all right with you, I think I’d like to have you show me around,” Alex cautiously says, hoping he had just said the right thing.

“Good, I was hoping you would agree,” she replies.

By that time, the chute had gotten to the level Sara wanted. The door slides open and they step out.

Alex looks to see a room the size of several football stadiums. The domed ceiling has to be several hundred feet high. Everywhere he looks there are colored neon lights from shops. There is a food court, with restaurants of every type. There are libraries, movie theaters, clothing stores, furniture and pet stores. It is like being in a huge shopping mall.

“This is one of several dozen malls in the complex. Each differs slightly. Some have a circus theme, some look like Vegas or Broadway. We finally figured out that the mall is the one place where everyone seems to feel comfortable. It’s great for meeting people, taking long walks, doing some shopping, or just plain window shopping.”

Alex is impressed with everything he has seen so far. The Complex seems to have everything that anyone would ever want.

“Where do you get all the stuff in the stores?”

“We have our own manufacturing facilities here. If you see it here, we make it or grow it here.”

“Speaking of growing things: how is it that you can have such green, lush grass in here? I saw it at the park when I first came here, and there is grass in MacGuyver’s room.”

“See the lights above us? They produce a type of light that duplicates what the sun provides us with except no sun burns. The light is perfect for growing plants. That’s why you can find grass, trees, and shrubs here. The same type of light has also been proven to be very beneficial for both human and animal life. There are parts of the Complex dedicated just for animals. We have complete farms where they grow corn, wheat, rye, rice, oats, soy, and a wide variety of fresh vegetables. There are other areas for ranching, where we raise cattle, sheep, chickens and other animals. We also have several zoos, some with now-extinct animals. The Complex is 100 percent self-sufficient. If the world outside were to become uninhabitable, this place would continue operating as if nothing had happened.”

“Would you like to go for a walk?” she asks.

“Lead on,” he says with just a slight hint of pleasure in his voice. She can see that Alex is more relaxed that he was in the chute.

They did not get far on their walk before Sara notices that something has caught Alex’s attention. Looking in that direction, she has no trouble figuring out what it is.

Walking in their direction is an incredibly beautiful woman. She is about 5’ 8” tall with long, straight, dark brown hair and very long, shapely legs. Her face is exquisite, with a slightly olive complexion and high cheekbones. She is slim and lean, but not too thin, with a body that seems perfectly proportioned. She is dressed immaculately, as if she had just come from a board meeting or walked down a model’s runway. Her stride speaks of confidence and elegance. As she gets closer, Alex cannot help but notice her big, olive green eyes. The makeup she is wearing is barely there, just enough to compliment her appearance but not overpower her face. Her smile could have melted an iceberg.

“Hello, Sara,” she says.

“Hi, Kate.”

“Alex…” Sara starts to say. But Alex is too busy studying the woman. She shakes her head a little and taps him on the shoulder, which grabs his attention immediately.

“Alex,” Sara tries again. “This is Kate. She’s the one responsible for how your suite looks. She’s our head interior designer and is the one who decorated your living quarters.”

“And, she’s my sister, so behave yourself!” she warns him, as she notices how Alex is studying her sister.

Alex grins sheepishly. “Sorry ’bout that. Hi, Kate. You did a great job with my place. You nailed it for my dream home. How did you manage to get my stuff here?”

“I arrived at your house just after you left. Some of us were there to help up clean your house after the attempt on your life. I and my team searched through your house and grabbed what we thought was important to you. We took a quicker flight back and finished staging everything just as you got off the chute and headed to the conference room.”

“I have to admit,” Alex says, “that you nailed it. Everything that makes my place a home to me, you brought. You got the bonsais here without damaging them. That was impressive, considering that you transported them to the other side of the planet and it’s got to be 45 below outside.”

“Yes, that one was a challenge. I had to call back here and talk to the ones who handle the tree nursery just to find out how to care for the little trees, which are wonderful to look at. According to them, these will be the only bonsais in the Complex. You may start getting some offers. Did everything make it OK? Nothing got broken did it?” Kate asks him.

“Nope, everything made it without any damage. I like the pot racks in the kitchen, the cabinets, floor, everything. Nice touch for getting all my cookware out of the way.”

“When I saw the expensive cookware you had, it was a no-brainer. Cookware like that should be on display when you’re not using it. Speaking of, do you actually know how to use cookware like that?”

“When you live alone and want to eat, you either learn to cook or go out a lot. I learned to cook,” he tells her.

“Maybe you can teach me how to make some of your recipes,” she says.

“Maybe you can teach US how to cook some of your recipes,” Sara cuts in. The two women look at each other and grin.

“Will you may be late for our dinner?” Kate grins as she asks her sister the question.

“We’ll see,” Sara says. “Bye.”

As Sara starts to continue her walk, she wraps her arm around Alex’s. It is an unexpectedly but a very comfortable feeling for her. She looks at Alex’s face. He is already looking back at her with a very big, sheepish grin.

“Sister, huh?” he asks as he turns, and watches Kate walk away.

“Watch it!” she warns him. A very soft grin on Sara’s face tells Alex that maybe Sara…likes him?

The two spend the day going from place to place. They see a movie, then walk to a park for a picnic. Sara shows him one of the ranches where they breed horses. She convinces Alex to take a ride on one, even though he would live to regret it. The bouncing up and down on the horse’s back does not agree with Alex’s lower back at all.

“Anything wrong?” she asks as she notices Alex rubbing his lower back. He tells her of the pinched nerve in his back and how it gives him trouble every now and then.

“We can take care of that now,” she responds. “That is a simple 15-minute operation, with no down time involved. Let’s go see someone about it right now. The quicker you get it done, the less chance that your back will be a problem during training.”

True to her word, it takes only 15 minutes to get his back fixed. Using a combination of lasers and micro-technology, Alex’s back feels as good as new.

After the operation, they head for a chute, where Sara selects the level.

“Where are we going now?” he asks her.

“You’ll see” is her only response.

The door opens to the cute, revealing a long, wide beach. The screech of seagulls can be heard, along with the soft lapping of the waves on the sandy beach. They exit the chute and head down what looks like a beach that goes on for about a mile. There is a basket on the beach, with some wine, cheese, sliced fruit and a large blanket, which they spread on the soft sand. As they open the wine, they watch as the sun sets over the water.

“How does that work?” he asks, pointing to the setting sun.

“The System broadcasts a live image of the setting sun on what is nothing more than a large movie screen. In this case, it is a live scene from Australia. The difference is that the image you are seeing is 1000 times denser than HDTV. That gives you a very life-like sunset to look at, even when looking at a screen several hundred feet long.”

They talk about all sorts of things, nothing major or important, just a lot of little things. Alex has never felt so comfortable with a woman.

It was an incredible day for Alex. He has flown in a craft that no one knows exist. He has been introduced and is now a part of the most incredible place on Earth. He is living in his dream home and finally got his back fixed. And, he is on a beach with a very beautiful woman, watching a live sunset on an ocean, even though he is thousands of feet beneath the Himalayan Mountains. If this is his first day in this new world, he begins to wonder what tomorrow will bring.

At the end of the day, Sara walks him back to his quarters. At his door, he thanks her for her help and wants to kiss her but is not sure if it would be the right thing to do. As they begin to part ways, Alex asks her a question. “Sara, what is it that you do here? I forgot to ask.”

Sara turns to Alex and gives him a small, soft kiss. There is a sad look in her eyes.

“I am the one in charge of the Complex. I am Sara Jackson, the daughter of a mountain climber who was lost in a blizzard with ten other people. My father is the one who found the opening to the Complex over 200 years ago.”