Rooms Read online

  "Release your fear. I will teach you."

  Zeer willed herself to relax. She listened and learned from Calna. The great Scree spoke to her and taught her about the geological history of Loon and about the Scree.

  During the billions of years that brought Loon to its present state, the Scree’s development transpired through a series of interactive events. The double star system that warmed and lighted Loon's surface, was located a particular distance from the surface of the planet. A combination of the gravitational pull and energy from those suns, the violent explosions on the surface of Loon, and the strong pull of the two orbiting moons around Loon created its atmosphere. As that atmosphere deepened, the hydrosphere on Loon began to grow. Water was literally being pulled from the rocks and lava. The moisture then condensed and collected in the layer of gases above the planet. These gases acted as a greenhouse, collecting heat and moisture. It wasn't long, in geologic time, before the rains began.

  As the hydrosphere developed, more and more showers began pummeling the surface of Loon. Sholar was being born. With the birth of the great ocean, the ability of its new atmosphere to hold in moisture and heat, and the continuing source of energy from Loon's two suns, life soon followed.

  The basic process was similar to Earth's metamorphosis, although the exact mixture of gases within the atmosphere and the make-up of Loon's crustal plates were different. Life on Loon soon began to broil at the edges of the sea in the tide-pools and in the small, moist, and muddy crevices on the land. The evolution of life on Loon had begun, and with it, the chance events that led to the eventual development of the Scree.

  Life on land was abundant, but no one creature had taken that step towards truly advanced intelligence that man had taken on Earth. Through thousands of mutations and the abundance of food sources in the great ocean of Loon, the Scree moved forward on the evolutionary chain with tremendous speed to fill that niche. Their ancestors were much smaller, but with the size of their brain, the lack of predators, and the fact that their food source, a plant called pludides, was abundant, this gave them the edge to begin their climb towards dominance.

  The Scree developed a communal living style, which they have fostered and continued for thousands of years. They have few enemies, but they maintain a constant population out of respect for Loon and Sholar. They are still vegetarians, by choice, even though they could easily develop ways to kill and consume prey. They migrate as nomadic tribes to the areas in Sholar that, at varying times of the year, hold the greatest amounts of pludides. They are a proud and sentient species with an undying reverence for their home and for life.

  Zeer sat on the beach exhausted. She was still gazing incredulously out towards where she had met Calna. Her body was shaking as the breeze robbed her of valuable moisture. She had no idea that she might be in danger, never having been exposed to the elements to this degree. Landree was beside her and placed a blanket around her shoulders.

  "The Scree were so...calm...so...serene. I'm in awe, Landree. I’ve just met another life form with human-like intelligence, with emotions, beliefs, hopes, and dreams. Their intellect was incredible. They have so much to teach us. How did the people of Loon ever find them and start communicating?”

  Landree remained thoughtful for a moment and then explained, "It took many years, Zeer. After we arrived, we first had to create our own settlements and culture so that we could survive on Loon. We’d noticed the Scree and observed their habits, but it took over a hundred years before we were aware of their intelligence. At that point, our Science Cluster had developed a way to communicate with them. That was a decisive moment for us, and for the Scree. We have learned a great deal from each other, and now we coexist – the Scree being superior within the realm of the great ocean, and we on the land. We love and care for their home on Loon, and they honor us with the same reverence for ours. We understand our interdependence, and ideologically, our cultures are very similar.”

  Landree stood and gave Zeer his hand and helped her up. He knew that it was time to get her out of the elements and back to his Cluster. She was reluctant to go. She had witnessed a new life form- the kind that man had been searching for, for thousands of years.

  The two walked slowly back to the bubble-chair. It was still hovering over the beach. Without a word, they each grabbed the handholds, stepped inside and traveled to Landree's Cluster - the Learning Cluster of Loon.

  ***

  A tear slipped down Dominie's cheek as he watched the interaction between Zeer and the Scree. He understood the emotion that consumed her. He smiled and thought about how the Scree was such a proud and respected species.

  Dominie had kept in close contact with Landree during Zeer's education. She had never known, but at the end of each work period Dominie had communicated with Landree. Through Landree's thoughts and mental pictures, transported via his energy sphere, Dominie had stayed informed. He respected Zeer’s intelligence, her curious nature, and the deep passion that she had developed for Loon. She had grown in the ways of the cycle in a very short time. All of the Clusters were honored by her. Fawn had chosen well.

  ***

  The Loonites who were part of the Learning Cluster knew that Landree and Zeer were on their way. They had begun to prepare to welcome her. It would be a once in a lifetime celebration as she was the first human to come to Loon who had not been a direct descendent of those born on the ship from Earth.

  Landree nudged Zeer and pointed, "We're nearing the Cluster."

  Zeer strained her eyes. All that she could see in front of her was a typical coniferous forest on a southern slope with a large grassy meadow nearby. She didn't detect anything unusual. She had assumed that she would see large buildings or some other evidence of human civilization. Although, during her time on Loon, she had never seen anything of the kind. Even so, Landree was becoming visibly excited with a huge smile wrinkling the corners of his eyes.

  The vehicle slowed and swooped closer to the trees. Below them, clearly visible now, were hundreds of people, and behind them was the glint of what looked to be some type of reflective material imaging the surroundings. Zeer could even see their bubble-chair in it as they flew above the ground. Then it hit her. The buildings of the people were literally built inside the hills with glass-like, reflective facades that acted as camouflage. No wonder she had never been able to see them. The structures of their society were intricately woven into their world and mirrored their environment. From a distance, the Cluster was completely invisible to the naked eye.

  The bubble-chair landed. The crowd pushed forward, and the two were greeted with open arms, smiles, and feelings of warmth and love. Zeer was overwhelmed. She had not seen more than two humans during her time with Landree. It was almost too much at first, so she simply did her best and went with the flow, carrying an interminable smile on her face. Someone grabbed her arm, swirled her around and planted a warm, loving kiss on her cheek. She stepped back and looked. It was Dominie. She wrapped her arms around him. It was great to see someone else that she recognized. The sun was bright - the day beautiful. Zeer was filled with love for her new home and the astonishing gift of knowledge that she had received.

  The celebration went on for many segments. Representatives from most of the Clusters of Loon were present, and many other Loonites were able to experience the gathering and welcomed Zeer through the use of their own spheres. The celebration was filled with laughter, food, games, and many, many stories. All of which were a joy for the people to share with her and were a means by which she was able to learn even more about them. It seemed that the sharing of their history and collective knowledge were an extremely significant part of their culture, and at the end of the day’s celebration, Zeer sat down and put to paper much of what she had learned that day.

  All of the Loonites in every Cluster were descendants of the original immigrants from Earth. These immigrants were a chosen few who had been conceived in the dead of space within an experimental spaceship. A group of people f
rom Earth had formed a plan in which they had built an experimental galactic ramjet that they had hoped could travel at or slightly faster than the speed of light. The ship was run totally by advanced computers and robots, and when it left Earth, it had only one human passenger. The ship’s cargo had been the DNA from many of Earth's so-called legends, leaders, greatest poets, scientists, engineers, artists, musicians, athletes, and geniuses. A few randomly chosen genetic samples were thrown in for variability. The mission was to search for a habitable planet in Earth’s galaxy - one that could sustain life as Earth had. If one was found, the robots and computers were capable of starting up a small colony of Earth babies from the genetic material on the spacecraft. The craft would then orbit the planet until enough was learned about its environment, and when the humans had grown to an intellectual and physical age capable of dealing with the problems of colonization, they would then be taken down to the planet’s surface. The immigrants were the first generation on Loon. The members of all the Clusters were their descendents.

  The Loonite civilization had developed ways of clustering their talents. There were those who were great learners. They collected the knowledge of Loon and stored it in an amazing super computer system that was tied to each individual’s energy sphere. They also passed on that knowledge to the young and old, as learning was a life-long, continual process.

  There were other Clusters as well. There were the Building and Engineering Clusters. The members of those had developed ways for the people of Loon to survive by living within the energy limits of their environment, using the power of the suns and other renewable resources to meet the demands of their population. There was a Healing Cluster, an Agricultural Cluster, an Environmental Study Cluster, a Technology Cluster, along with many others. All of them had, as their overriding philosophy, the importance of working together to preserve and enhance all life on Loon.

  ***

  Zeer had been on Loon for many cycles now and was filled with wonder at the quality of her good fortune. Out the window of her flat was an exquisite land, and as she gazed at it, she could not help thinking back to the past. She thought of the lifeglobes, the planets, the wandering, and the barren nature of all those places where she had lived before Loon. She recalled the devastating history of Earth that she had encountered after being chosen as the first person to play the Room that Fawn had designed, and she was reminded of the unbelievable beauty, strength and diversity of the human race as it fought to survive all over the galaxy. People were living on planets whose ability to sustain life was negligible at best, and they endured because of their ingenuity and determination. But just surviving wasn’t enough. On every lifeglobe, the people continued to search for diversions to add meaning to their lives. She understood more than ever now that the Rooms had been created for that purpose. But the real dream was the drive to find that speck of dust within the gigantic scale of the universe that would, as Earth had once done, provide the human race with another chance to live free and open on a living planet.

  As Zeer pondered all this, she looked out at the stars. It was calm outside. Sholar, a short distance away, ebbed and flowed upon the land. The sound was always near as this particular Cluster was just a few hundred meters from the ocean. Zeer then reached inside the pocket of her garment and pulled out an object. It carried memories that were still very strong and caused her to think of Rad. He had been in the back of her mind for a long time.

  She looked again at the object. It lay open on her lap; its leathery cover was smooth and worn. She opened it. The pages were covered with hundreds and hundreds of words. It was a book, an open book, a teaching book, a book of life. At present, there was only one other like it in the universe.

  10

  The Room: Level 1

  They grasped Rad's shoulders carefully but firmly enough to support him. His head lay on the table between the rumpled sleeves covering his arms. Tal and Simon had discovered Rad in the Hall of Records. A friend had noticed him and contacted them. He was unconscious. Their concerned, persistent jostling aroused him. A leather book fell from his grasp. Tal picked it up and put it into Rad’s pocket. His half-awake speech was nonsensical as they guided him outside and into an air-cab.

  After arriving at Rad's home, they undressed him. His tattered and dirty clothes and his body reeked from several weeks of frenetic activity, spilled food, sweat, and the lifeglobe. They gave him a bath of sorts, dried him off, and were able to get him into a clean pair pants and t-shirt. Then they laid him on his bed, covering him with a blanket. He barely woke up during the process and then was out again. Tal laid Rad’s dirty clothes aside and checked the pockets. He found notes scribbled with names, numbers, and nonsensical words as well as the unusual book. He put everything on the stand next to the bed and then sat down next to Simon. Rad lay there weak and haggard. He had lost weight, and his face was bearded and drawn. The change in him was discomforting.

  Hours passed, and during that time, Tal and Simon had been able to wake Rad just enough to give him small amounts of food and drink and bring in a healer to check him. Their suspicions were confirmed. He was simply suffering from exhaustion, dehydration, and a slight case of malnutrition. He needed rest, liquids, and food. They decided that they would continue to take care of him and watch over him; Tal would stay one day and Simon the next. They were determined not lose him again or let him out of their sight. Every once in a while he would try to wake up. He kept mumbling. They couldn't make out what he was trying to say. In the state that he was in, it didn't really matter. They simply continued to watch over him and wait.

  ***

  It was late in the day, and Tal had just come back to give Simon a break. Simon was asleep in a chair outside Rad’s bedroom. Tal walked over and touched him on the leg and said, "Simon…Simon, wake up.”

  "Uh... You're back, huh?"

  Tal whispered, "We ought to do something with those clothes. I can’t stand their smell any longer. I'll get them out of his bedroom and put them down the cleaning shoot."

  "Yeah. Okay." Simon struggled forward, placed his hands on his knees and rubbed his eyes. "What time is it? How long have I been here?"

  "About twenty hours."

  The living area, outside Rad’s bedroom, was cast in darkness with small eye-level lamps spreading just enough light for Tal and Simon to see where they were going in the room. Rad's food dispensing device and techno-entertainment wall gave off minimal light as well, but the mood in the room was somber.

  Tal entered Rad’s darkened bedroom. He felt his way around and followed his nose to where Rad’s clothes were laying. He began gathering them up to put into the cleaning shoot, and as he did, he thought of the book that he’d left on the stand near Rad’s bed. Books like that were extremely rare, and he’d made a mental note to take a look at it when he had a chance. To be able to see, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his communicator to use as a light. He flicked it on and walked over to Rad’s bedside table and glanced down. The piles of paper and notes were still there, but the book wasn’t. Bending down, he looked under the stand to see if it had fallen on the floor, but to no avail. He immediately thought of Simon. He grabbed the final piece of clothing and walked out of the bedroom. Putting his communicator back in his pocket, he put the clothes down the shoot and then looked over at Simon.

  He was sitting, drinking tea as Tal asked, "Simon, did you put Rad’s leather book somewhere? I’d like to take a look at it tonight."

  "What?"

  "The book that we picked up when we found Rad. Do you know where it is?"

  "No, it has to be here somewhere, though."

  Simon stood and helped Tal look. They raised the lighting and moved a chair. They searched the counters and checked every part of the living area. Then they turned to go back into Rad's sleeping quarters. As they did, they heard Rad groan. They rushed into the dark room. The pupils of their eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness, and in their rush, they misjudged the location of Rad's bed and bot
h of them stumbled onto it. The bed was empty. Rad was gone.

  ***

  Harsh and cool surfaces broke through Rad’s wall of unconsciousness. A murky light ushered in a sense of reality as his foggy veil lifted. He was groggy but awake. He sat on the ground with his back against an unopened doorway in an alley. Another building's outer surface stared back at him. He supported himself with his palms by pushing down against the pavement; small indentations of rock and dirt creased the skin of his hands. He shook himself, waking up, but didn’t know where he was.

  He then noticed a woman’s hand reaching out for his. He looked up into her smiling eyes and accepted her help. He was still weak, shaky, and confused, but he stood with her support. She had one arm around his waist and the other holding his forearm. She gently urged him to turn around and said, “Let’s go in, Rad.”

  ‘How did she know my name?’ But just as he was about to ask the question, he noticed the door in front of him. It was the door - the brown wooden door that he’d seen months ago. Surprised and still baffled by what was going on, he watched her turn the bronze knob and followed her inside.

  The room was dark yet warm and comfortable. His eyes settled. "Um…who are you? Why am I here?"

  The woman did not answer. She sat him down on a supple, luxurious rug, then turned and walked off in the direction of some hand-woven curtains hanging from the ceiling of the room. She passed behind them, and Rad watched her obscured figure as she reached down into a what looked like a box. When her hands came back up again, one seemed to glow, the other held something solid.

  The glow from her hand was somehow familiar to him and gave him a feeling of peacefulness and confidence. The light held his attention, and while he watched it, the woman returned. Sitting down with him, she held out a bowl of liquid. Taking it, Rad felt somewhat wary but began drinking from the bowl. He felt his stomach growl. His appetite was returning, and he found the broth to be warm and delicious. It was spiced in such a way that its flavors exploded inside his mouth. She smiled at his wide eyes. He ate ravenously.