Minx Ep. 03: The Sphere, Cenozoic Zone

At last a flash of blue caught her eye. She held the binoculars still for a few seconds and the optics adjusted to provide her with a glimpse of a lake or ocean. There were no sea creatures or birds visible in or over the water, so she suspected that it was much further away than she had originally thought. She followed its shore with her eyes, and found it to stretch from the left to the right in a fairly unusual straight line. Confused, she followed the shore off to the right as far as she could see. The sea ended in another straight line perpendicular to the first, and beyond that line was smoothness. She followed the border between this smooth surface and the landscape, turning her head from left to right. She spied forests, plains, deserts, lakes, and mountains, but the boundary with that smooth surface remained constant.

She wondered how this could be. She was inside a hollow sphere. Could it be that the makers of this sphere did not have artificial gravity, or even if they did they had chosen not to use it for this enterprise? So the sphere was rotating, and she had watched that rotation as Ship had approached this world. It quickly became clear to her that what most people called centrifugal force was acting in place of gravity on the interior of this world, but only the equatorial regions would have anything like normal gravity.

She could now see that the land around her was relatively flat, at least along a meridian. However, as one looked east or west the world curved as if you were inside a giant depression. She reasoned that the smooth areas were incapable of supporting normal life because the centrifugal force would not be perpendicular to the surface, and the mock-gravity that was there would vary greatly as someone travelled north or south. She shook her head at the immense waste of surface area.

She put the binoculars to her eyes again and continued her survey. It took her several minutes, but she did find a large, flat, circular area several hundred kilometres away. The glasses adjusted automatically, and she could make out rectangular shapes and smoke. That strongly suggested some sort of civilization to her, and Ship had mentioned she detected something like that near the airlock.

Minx climbed down the tree and collected her equipment. She had marked the direction of the airlock in her mind. Examination of her compass had revealed its constantly spinning needle was useless on this world. The climb had made her sweat a little, and she found the temperature warm. She opened the seam at the top of her white, form-fitting uniform. The light breeze on her chest was refreshing. She wasn't going to strip down, as she had no idea what dangers awaited her on this world and the uniform would offer some protection from anything she did encounter. The bounty hunter grabbed a scrunchy from a pocket and fixed her hair into a ponytail.

"Ship, I'm heading out. I hope the subcutaneous transmitter and receiver still work."

"They do, boss."

"Ah, you've got some energy back. I wanted to ask you about what you said earlier..."

"Hisss. Squawk. Hisss."

"Never mind. You'll tell me when you're ready."

Minx took a deep breath and began her journey.

"Uh, boss?"

"Hm-mm?" The brunette nimbly vaulted a fallen tree trunk.

"You wouldn't be too upset if I had possibly arranged for Dragon and Hephaestus to perhaps rescue us if we got into trouble, would you?"

"Not too upset at this point, Ship." So that's what was going on, thought Minx.

"I was leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for them. Dragon asked me to. He didn't want you to know because he thought you'd be furious."

Minx froze.

"Boss?"

"I expected better from you, Ship. We don't really know that we can trust Dragon, do we? He is a hyperman, after all. And he's made it abundantly clear that he only wants me for breeding purposes."

"Well, that's not exactly true. If you remember..."

"Ship! Let's not talk about this now. You need to conserve your energy."

Minx continued on her way. The pleasing and refreshing sounds of nature rose in volume the further she walked from Ship. She decided to take it as an omen that this world was welcoming her.

IV

Dragon paced the spartan bridge of Hephaestus, his black boots clicking on the hard floor. His dark, wavy hair was dishevelled, he hadn't bathed in several days, and his face showed a healthy growth of beard. He glanced at the view screen, but only saw the same grey orb that had claimed his attention these last few weeks.

The last communication from Minx's vessel had been Ship informing him that the two were entering a portal into this strange world. He'd heard nothing more from either of them since. Nor had he been able to follow them to the interior of this world. What was he missing, he wondered?

The portal opened for Minx, but not for him. Why did someone want her and not him? This didn't seem like hyperman technology, but then some of his people were very eccentric and preferred some odd styles and equipment. He spied the reflection of his black uniform on a shiny, white wall. A glance at his own face, clear evidence of his failure of the last few days, made him scowl.

Was it the vessels? They'd definitely appear different to a casual observer, and a more detailed observation would reveal that his ship carried far more armaments than did Minx's. Perhaps whoever or whatever had opened the airlock was just being cautious.

He threw himself into his pilot's chair. None of these logical exercises mattered one iota, he knew. Minx was likely in danger and he was going to protect her.

At his mental command, small ports opened in various places on the skin of his vessel. Unbelievable energies blasted away at the dust-covered surface of this large world. Dragon kept this up for a full minute and then silently ordered Hephaestus to cease.

The ship's instruments detected significant damage, and a large crater was soon visible on the view screen. Dragon smiled in triumph. Let the intelligence that was keeping him from Minx wonder what he might do next.

An hour later the airlock still remained closed. Dragon was furious, but not with his nemesis. He vented his anger upon himself. His feelings for Minx had caused him to act irrationally and illogically. Using violence upon this world likely only convinced its ruler that Dragon was a deadly threat. There was no way that airlock was going to open for him now.

He stared at the view screen. As a hyperman, he was used to being alone and used to dealing with threats and other problems with no help from anyone. He had grown accustomed to Minx's company over the few days they had spent together, though, and he would have dearly liked to have debated possible solutions to this problem with her. Her mere presence seemed, paradoxically, to both cloud and clear his mind. It drifted to their debate over allowing their vessels free will. He wondered if it was possible that Hephaestus could offer a solution to this enigma, if he were a free agent. Would he want to? It wasn't a risk that Dragon could take. Or was it?

Something moved in the crater on the screen. Dragon leaned forward in his seat.

"Hephaestus, magnify that image," he said needlessly, for the ship had already responded to his mental command.

Dragon watched the movement for several minutes. "Would you look at that? Robots are rebuilding this world. Robots. And that white, rope-like material that the true surface is made of..."

This was a riddle, and a good one. How could he crack open this great egg without killing everything inside? Would a meteor of appropriate size be capable of punching through the shell sufficiently that he could then work his way inside? He'd have to meditate on this. He really wished he knew if Minx was still alive.

V

The sabre-toothed cat crouched low and shifted its weight from paw to paw. Its eyes were fixated on Minx as she walked nonchalantly through the woods. It crept a little closer, and knew that in a few seconds more this prey would be within pouncing range. Its short tail swished back and forth eagerly, and the feline's tawny fur rippled as its muscles tensed.

Minx stopped. She wiped her brow with her sleeve. She opened the seam on her top a little more, revealing some cleavage.

The biting bugs had become a real nuisance, but she'd quickly found that her pheromones also acted as bug repellent. The revelation was quite a surprise, but a nice one. And having met no men, she knew that there'd be no side effects to relaxing her control over emitting these chemicals.

Lifting her arm, she looked at her chronometer. Minx sighed as she suddenly realized that she'd been on the march for over twelve hours. She was overdue to check in with Ship.

There was a rustle in the ferns to her right, and light-brown lightning shot out at her from the undergrowth. There was a flash of white, teeth and talons, as the great hunting cat leapt at Minx.

The bounty hunter reacted instinctively. Her sword and a laser pistol were in her hands as the predator struck her. There was a flash of ruby light and a yowl. Minx felt something stab into her arm, causing her to drop the laser pistol. Then she was down on the ground, with the beast atop her. They rolled once. The beast pushed her flat on her back, and she watched two enormous fangs press down closer to her face and neck.

Without thinking, Minx reached up with her right hand and grabbed a tooth, futilely trying to keep the cat's fangs from her flesh. Her left arm was across her chest, her fingers wrapped around the grip of her sword. She pushed up with her right, and then swung across with her sword arm. Her blade sliced through the beast's throat, washing Minx's chest and neck in its hot blood.

The great cat sprung away. It coughed once then collapsed upon the ground.

Minx rolled over and stared at it. It was still breathing, but bubbly, red blood was pumping out of its neck with less and less force. She watched the predator die.

She wished Dragon were with her. There was a sense that the two of them could overcome any threat, any opponent. But he isn't here, she thought, as she sat up. Her laser pistol was a short distance away. There was a small cut on her right arm, likely from her own sword. She bandaged herself up and used some ferns to wipe away the sabre-toothed cat's blood.

"Ship? Are you awake?"

"Yes, boss. Are you all right?"

"Yeah. I was just wondering what the odds were that the same animal would evolve on two different worlds."

"It's a big universe, boss. Anything is possible. But if you encounter something here that seems to be a duplicate of something on Earth then it would probably be originally from Earth."

"Why do you say that?"

"This is an artificial world. Anyone who could make an artificial world could likely transport it from place to place. It's far more likely that they would have picked something up from Earth during their travels than it is for evolution on two worlds to produce exactly the same species. What did you see, boss?"

"Oh, maple trees, pine trees, oak trees, crows, small deer," she hesitated at telling Ship everything for fear of her friend worrying. Pragmatism won. "Sabre-toothed cats."

"Oh, wow! That's amazing, boss. You'll want to stay away from those sabre-toothed cats, though."

Minx rolled her eyes. "Thank you for the advice."

"I guess whoever built this world visited Earth millions of years ago and picked up some trophies for their menagerie. If there's something there from Earth they must have liked that world. Perhaps they made repeat visits. Do you think there might be megalodon or a tyrannosaur?"

"I hope not."

"Maybe there are people, too."

"That's what I'm hoping for."

"On the other hand, you might be the first human specimen. That would be a distinction."

Minx rolled her eyes. "I don't think being put on display in a cosmic zoo as the first human specimen is a distinction, Ship."

"I meant for the aliens, boss. You're quite a remarkable human, although it might be difficult to catch a suitable male to breed with you. However, I'd be proud to have you in my zoo."

VI

A few days later Minx came across a swift-flowing stream that suddenly slowed as the cool water cascaded over a series of wide, natural stone steps. Having met a number of creatures on her journey, some dangerous and some not dangerous, she had learned to be cautious. She found a place to build a blind and watched the stream for two hours to make sure it was relatively safe. In that time only one animal came to drink, and that was a beaver the size of a bear.

She watched from her hiding spot as the animal left the area, then she went to the stream. After taking a long drink from a pool, she splashed some of the refreshing liquid on her face and upper chest. The water was cool and inviting.

"I wonder if I should risk a bath," she murmured to herself.

"Are you sure it's safe, boss?"

Minx had forgotten that Ship might be alert again. "It looks fairly safe. Nothing dangerous seems to be around. I'm going to risk it."

The bounty hunter stripped down, pausing to examine the many tears in her once-clean white uniform. She set her gear, clothing and weapons within easy reach and stepped into one of the deeper pools.

The temperature of the water chilled her. She took a few quick breaths and then submerging herself completely, remaining underwater for over half a minute. When she stood she found it shallow enough that she broke the surface; water rolled down her face, neck and shoulders. The pool was chest deep, and being able to relax in it almost made her forget about continuing her journey.

Minx scrubbed herself and then submerged again. This time when she came to the surface she sat by the edge, with her arms on the rocky lip of the pool.

"This feels so good, Ship."

"I bet it does. Can you describe it?"

"Well I'd prefer it to be warm, like something from a hot spring. But just being able to immerse myself for a few minutes in peace is luxurious. It's nice to be able to get out of that ratty old guild uniform and let the water wash all over me."

"I bet you'd prefer to share your bath with someone we both know."

Minx blinked in surprise. "You know I haven't even thought about Dragon since," she had to think about it, then continued, "since two days ago. I've been so busy surviving and travelling that he just hasn't come to mind." She stretched. "I guess when it comes down to it I really don't need him, or anyone else for that matter."

"What about me, boss?"

Minx chuckled. "I'll always need you, Ship. You're my best friend, and my confidant."

"I think you need someone else too, boss. Even if you're not willing to admit it right now."

VII

In orbit around the massive world, Dragon was a very frustrated hyperman. Having tried energy weapons with no success he had then resorted to kinetic weapons, then various signals and messages, and now he sat in the mess hall of his empty vessel and brooded over his next move.

His ship was the key, he knew. The attacks had come from his ship. His ship looked so much more dangerous than Minx's. His nemesis within this great world was watching Hephaestus very carefully, and there was absolutely no chance that the portal leading to the interior of this world was going to open for the hyperman's ship.

"Hephaestus! Prepare a spacesuit with full weaponry and defences. I'll need some mobility and some special equipment as well." Dragon sent all the details through his mental connection with his vessel. Minx had been right yet again, it was better to communicate with your ship as equals. Despite his intellect, the hyperman needed someone to discuss his ideas with. Once he had the girl safely aboard he resolved that Hephaestus would be given its autonomy. The bounty hunter's own ship would help ensure that Dragon's ship did not turn against him.

Once inside the airlock Dragon inspected the spacesuit. Everything was as it should be. He donned it, gave Hephaestus strict instructions to continue his orbits until notified otherwise, and then stepped out into vacuum.

One push and the hyperman was falling to the surface of the world, although very slowly. That was exactly how he wanted it. He calculated the time before he reached the surface and then went to sleep.

He awoke easily, just a few minutes before impact. He risked using his jets to slow his descent and came to a reasonably easy landing on the thick layer of dust that covered this enormous world. The planet's surface gravity was low, as he'd expected. He'd already been able to determine that this world was largely hollow, and despite the fact that it was as vast as the largest of gas giants, its low density ensured a relatively weak gravitational field.

Dragon scrutinized the area, but spied none of the repair robots nearby. He lifted an arm to his faceplate and activated a display that showed him the locations of the robots nearest him. He kicked himself up from the ground and then skipped toward the nearest automaton.

He found his means of locomotion quite enjoyable. The nameless world had no star, so the surface was dark and colourless and lit only by the myriad twinkling stars above him. Each launch from the dust of the surface was a perfect parabola and he spent his time calculating the height and length of each skip based upon the time he spent between touchdowns and the effort he expended. It passed through Dragon's mind that it would be quite enjoyable for him and Minx to be doing this hand in hand across this barren surface, at least for a short while. And he thought it odd that so repetitive an action should be a diversion for him; had the beautiful bounty hunter brought about this change within him? And was it a weakness, or a strength?

He put those thoughts aside as he caught a glimpse of a metallic form ahead of him. He landed with his legs bent, absorbing his momentum as best he could. Dust flew up around him. The cloud dispersed and then gradually began to settle back to the surface.

Dragon glanced at his display and noted the robot was a mere sixty-three metres ahead of him. He pulled his laser pistol from its holster and advanced. His pace was steady and his boots did not stray far from the ground. Keeping one eye on the display and the other on the expected position of the robot, he walked down the slope of a dust crater. It was cone-shaped and he kicked quite a large amount of dust to the bottom. He climbed the opposite side using gentle jumps, and then froze at the top.

The robot was arachnoid in appearance, and about the size of a man. The gleaming, grey machine was using its front pairs of legs to smooth out the dust around it. Dragon could see no obvious weapons on the device, so he suspected it was some type of maintenance robot. He watched, as it finished its work and then scampered off.

Wondering if it had eight eyes and could see in all directions like a spider, Dragon leapt out and followed the automaton. He was forced to revert to skipping, which covered a lot of ground quickly on the surface of this world, but was not quite fast enough to keep up with his prey. He soon lost sight of it.

The hyperman reverted to watching his display. The mechanical animal appeared to be several metres ahead of him and just over a hillock when it vanished from the display. Dragon leapt to the top of the hill just in time to spot one of the spider's legs being drawn after it down into the grey dust.

"Clever. Entry ports for the maintenance robots all over the surface. That would allow them to reach any part of the world for repairs from meteorites and attacks. There must be some sort of shuttle system inside the crust, else it's filled with maintenance robots."

He wondered why he was talking to himself. Across the entire surface of this enormous planet he was completely alone. Was he lonely? He almost laughed at the idea: hypermen did not get lonely! Loneliness was a weakness. With gritted teeth he recalled that it was frailties such as this that had caused him to flee the hyperman systems on the edge of the galaxy. Many considered him vulnerable, and some considered his very existence to be an insult to hyperman superiority. He'd show them!