Things got worse. Kelly showed up about at the pyramid about a week after Cordelia, and the two groups began to fight for members. Sydney and Katelyn were so disgusted with Laura's domineering personality that they switched sides and joined Kelly, but then Cordelia heard that they were just as unhappy with conditions there.
The final straw for Cordelia with Laura's group came two weeks after Cordelia's arrival at the pyramid. By this time Laura had identified over a dozen zones on the bottom floor that offered access to the outside through crystal clear chambers that appeared to work as airlocks. Laura had Julie physically thrown against her will into the airlock, and the slave was forced to spend several hours outside in the cold thin air before being allowed back in.
Hailey flipped out over this treatment of her friend. She accused Laura of being a tin pot Hitler doing Nazi experimentations on humans, and Laura responded by restraining Hailey with chains and saying she would have to be punished for her outburst. The situation was too much for Cordelia to put up with. Risking her life, she helped overpower two guards who were armed with knives. With cries for help ringing through the area, Cordelia and her friends barely managed to escape from Laura's camp that night without a major knife fight.
In the days that followed, a three-way war broke out between Laura, Kelly, and a collection of people loosely led by Cordelia. Things got so bad that after a week of warfare all three groups realized that they would soon be having fatalities if they stayed on the path they were on. A truce was organized, and it included strict rules about announcing your presence while exploring and avoiding other people's territories.
As far as Cordelia knew, her original Christmas party was currently living as four separate groups, Laura's, Kelly's, her own team, and Hailey and Julie were off on their own and hiding from everybody. Three weeks ago Cordelia had left Hailey and Julie a message, asking again that they rejoin her group. She never got a reply. And that was the situation until Aggie showed up exploring the pyramid.
Tom asked a quick couple of questions, and it was Sydney who smiled at him and answered. "I'll use weeks because I know what a strange definition you people have for months. It's been about nine weeks since the end of the war. And as for going outside, we all feel the need for it. This pyramid is so strange, such great novelty between the rooms in terms of function, but they're all the same size! It gets to you after a while. I go for hikes at least a few times a week. I've even camped outside overnight. There's gear for it in the storage rooms by the airlock rooms, very high-class mountain gear, stuff you dream about if you're an amateur climber, ski equipment too."
"It's nice to get out," Katelyn added. "The nights are brutally cold but during the day it's actually nice when the wind is not blowing. It takes about five minutes to cycle through the airlock each way. It's a sizable pressure drop. At first we used to worry about blowouts, living in a pressurized building like this, but I guess we've gotten used to it."
Tom nodded. "We think the pyramid is pressurized to the same value as the elevation of the Great Hexagon, about 300 meters above sea level."
Katelyn smiled back at him. "Is it true you're having almost 24 hours a day of sunlight now?"
"Yeah. I haven't been back in a week, but… hey Mark! When is sunset today where you are?"
"Hi everybody," he replied. "It's 10:48 PM Great Hexagon Time, and we still have a half hour of daylight left."
"Hello Mark," said Cordelia. "All that sunshine, and the sun is directly overhead, correct?"
"No, not now, just at solar noon. The sun right now is making a big oval in the sky, rising in the north northeast and swinging just south of directly overhead at solar noon and the setting in the north northwest about eleven hours later. I remember all the darkness near the winter solstice. The change is truly spectacular."
"What about the heat though? Aren't you guys getting fried?"
Mark laughed. "No! During the winter we got as cold as a very cold day in Vermont, but so far this spring has been idyllically pleasant. Our highest recorded temperature occurred yesterday, 29C."
"Is that all?"
"The star here produces a lot less power than Earth's sun. We're also lot closer in, and the net effect is this planet gets about 90% of incident power compared to Earth. But the lack of polar icecaps means this planet reflects less sunlight back into space. With the big tilt and the fast orbit, the net effect is a planet-wide temperature just slightly cooler than Earth and with temperate climates almost everywhere, even at the equator. We believe the rain forests there are sub-tropical, perhaps similar to the laurel forests the northern Mediterranean had millions of years ago. The polar areas here would have extreme seasonal shifts if there were much land there, but it's almost all ocean above sixty degrees latitude, in both hemispheres."
"So the oceans never freeze?"
"At the poles they come close but they never quite make it. You start getting pancake ice over the polar seas near the spring equinox, but with huge rolling waves. There's just too much action with the temperature gradients for solid pack ice to form." Mark paused and then added, "Interestingly enough, both geographic poles are over land, moderately sized islands, a few thousand square kilometers each. It would be fascinating to explore there someday. We have images. Both islands seem well vegetated, but I don't think any Earth plants could withstand the temperature shifts."
Tom spoke up and changed topics, addressing the new people. "During the last equinox, about five weeks ago, did you notice a power failure shortly after… uh, midnight local time?"
Katelyn blinked. "A power failure? No. And there's always one of us on guard… Hell, a power failure inside a pressurized building? That sounds dangerous."
"Thanks for asking Tom," came Mark's voice on the phone. "I also know the orbiting telescope maintaining power during the reset. It appears the effect was limited to the Great Hexagon."
"You have an orbiting telescope?!" exclaimed Sarah. "Wow! I was wondering how you knew so much. Can you tell us about the continent of the Great Hexagon? Can you see it in real time? What's it like? Uh, this is Sarah speaking," Sarah added, remembered to announce herself.
"It's the largest of four continents in the northern hemisphere," Mark replied. "The other three are fairly close in size, all three a few percent under ten million square kilometers. The continent we're on is over seventeen million square kilometers. All four northern continents, the three in the southern hemisphere too, they all have oval shapes oriented in the east-west direction, with the ones nearest the equator having the greatest elongation. The Great Hexagon itself lies on the long axis of the continent, near the eastern end. From where we are, it's 900 kilometers south, east, and north to the ocean, but to the west the northern ocean is almost 7000 kilometers away."
"The northern ocean?"
"Yes. Didn't Aggie tell you yet? The eighth continent, the equatorial continent, it's the greatest of them all, over thirty million square kilometers. It completely cuts the world's oceans into northern and southern halves."
"Ah, right. Actually Aggie did mention this briefly. I just didn't visualize the implications. The two oceans are completely cut off from each other?"
"Absolutely. The lowest spot on the equator is about four kilometers above sea level. It seems impossible nature would create such perfection. This planet has been engineered, optimized for us we think, maybe in the biosphere too. We have some apple orchards near the Red Mall home complex that is producing some wonderful fruit. The trees seemed perfectly adapted to a 168-day cycle. Whether this is true for the planet at large, we don't know."
Sarah could hear the deep worry in Mark's voice. For a moment his tone puzzled her, and then in a flash of insight she sensed the cause. "And the destruction of the Earth, was that engineered too?"
Mark sighed deeply. "We've researched and debated that topic so much, and honestly we still don't know. The evidence is puzzling, sometimes even conflicting. We've seen technology light years beyond what we ever dreamed possible. But whether it extends to guiding… directing a neutron star to enter our solar system… We just don't know."
"What's your best guess?"
"Truthfully? I'm a fence sitter. On the one hand, anybody who can put a stopper in time, maybe they can also manipulate the path of a neutron star, maybe even create one, I don't know. The odds of such a thing happening seem so astronomically small… to have it happen by chance… And the jump technology, it implies the builders can tear space…" Mark took a really deep breath. "On the other hand, when I think how we've been provided for, the abundance, and especially my time with the interface, I sense a purpose, a genuine desire to express kindness and care. To me the attention to details implies a loving concern. It's so strange Sarah. The evidence points in both directions."
And the discussion continued.
Twelve hours later, 11 PM local time.
Aggie's and Cordelia's groups were spending the night together in zone 673. In another ten hours, Mark and Emily were scheduled to join them and escort Cordelia's group back to the Great Hexagon. Aggie's team would then continue their search.
Carla was lying in her bed, already showered and in pajamas and reading a book from the library in the connecting cell. It was difficult to read, her mind was too uneasy, and she paused for a moment to think. Living here, it was like living in a honeycomb. "Is this what it feels like to be a bee?" she thought with a sigh. Carla then tried to amuse herself by visualizing the base ring and jump size tables in her mind. R-20 would bring Mark and Emily here from the top of the pyramid, and then P-6 followed by D-5 would get them to the three-way junction. From there, the working elevator would port the group directly to the Green Mall library and Cordelia's new home. Such a simple journey, but only if you knew the codes.
Carla frowned and stretched her neck muscles before another attempt at reading. She really should be asleep now, but that was impossible. And then a motion by her bedroom archway caught her eye. There in the library stood Tom.
Carla cocked her head. "Hello stranger! You missed tonight's meeting."
Tom nodded and with a slight head gesture asked if he could come in. Carla nodded and a moment later Tom was sitting on the edge of her bed. "Didn't Aggie tell you? I had her permission not to make it."
"Ah, that explains it. Aggie was unconcerned, I admit. I just never asked. I take it you were with Sydney?"
"Yep. She was giving me pointers on how we might want to organize our search, very useful stuff."
"For three hours?" Carla worked hard and succeeded in keeping her voice neutral.
Tom sighed. "No. Actually, we spent most of the time on… well, it's a bit personal."
"Yes, I can imagine." Success was not quite perfect with this last response.
Tom picked up on emotional undercurrent immediately. "Hey Carla, you upset with me?"
"What makes you think that?" Carla stared at him, but not directly at his eyes. They almost never linked. Carla was still a little gun shy of forming their emotional attachment through linking. The speed and power of her new abilities frightened her, and she had asked Tom right after their boost graduation if they could date and let their romantic interest develop at a more normal pace. Tom agreed almost immediately and had commented that was probably a very good idea.
"Oh, come on Carla! What's up?"
"Well, Katelyn did mention to me that today was the first time she's seen Sydney tie her shirt halter-style."
"Really?" Tom gave a sheepish smile. "Well, she does have a very cute front." He took a deep breath and got serious. "But so what?"
"So what indeed. Tom, I don't mind you dating other women, and I really like Madison and Lynn. But to go off with a woman you've just met…" Carla gulped and turned her head to the side. "Sorry."
Tom reached out and offered to hold hands. Carla seemed to hesitate for a moment, and then she took it. Tom stared at her for a while, wishing she would meet his eyes. "What do you think we did?"
"Well, I've seen Sydney displaying her body for you all day, and then you two disappear for most of the evening. I'm assuming she got what she wanted. I'm assuming she got laid." Carla felt Tom's hand tighten against hers. "And I'm sorry if I seem upset. It's not as if I own you…"
Tom surprised Carla by responding in a very gentle voice. "Link with me? I know we're trying not to, but just this once, link with me?"
"Oh, all right." Carla gazed into his eyes. They had been on the same Boost team and they locked immediately, their two minds fitting together like two hands finding old and familiar gloves. Carla found herself in a dream, a very recent memory. She was standing in a perimeter room. It was a viewing room, a lounge area high up on the pyramid. It was well after sunset and the stars were out and the lights in the room turned down very low. In a comfortable couch Tom and Sydney were sitting pressed up against each other.
Tom had his arms around Sydney, but his embrace didn't seem overtly sexual. He had the arm nearest her around her shoulders, and with his other arm he was petting her hair and the side of her head as Sydney pressed herself against his chest. Tom was offering Carla access to his memories, and she could see that until a short while ago Tom and Sydney had been talking quietly with each other for a long time. But Sydney wasn't talking now. Sydney was crying her eyes out.
A current version of Tom's mind was talking to Carla as she watched the dream replay in his memory. "We were talking about our families. See the conversation?"
The hours were laid out before Carla, both the words and the extensive visual memories Tom and Sydney had shared. Carla had access to everything. She saw that Sydney was the middle child of five children. The woman had an older brother, an older sister, and twin siblings nine years her junior, a boy and a girl who were very much still children. Tom's current consciousness mixed with the playback of the memories. "Carla, you and I, we've adjusted. Until today, Sydney never had the chance."
Carla shuddered. Tom's whole memory of his evening with Sydney was open before her, and he had absolutely nothing to hide. He had spent hours consoling the grieving woman. Carla's mind floated through the conversations. Such strong family attachments! Sydney's conversation with Tom was a memorial service for her family, and Carla shivered in her recognition. "I am so ashamed," she whispered in the dream, "ashamed and afraid."
"Hey Carla, you and I, nothing has changed."
"How could I be so stupid?!"
"Mostly you were just being perceptive. You're right, Sydney has a beautiful and athletic body, and we do like each other."
"I can't believe you're not angry with me, but you're not? I guess that's a rhetorical question. I can see that you're not. But I still feel so deeply ashamed… Can we unlink? My embarrassment is unbearable."
The dream ended. Carla kept her eyes averted. "Thank you," she whispered.
"A delayed reaction to learning about the neutron star," Tom whispered back. "I didn't think of it either. A strange orange sun with twice the familiar diameter, walking through an underground closet directly to the top of a mountain pyramid, of course these people knew that something unbelievable had occurred, that they were almost certainly not on Earth. Sydney had accepted the fact she might never see her parents and siblings again. But…"
"Yes, of course, their deaths…" Carla tried to say more but the words wouldn't come. Her eyes were awash with tears. Tom moved across the bed to hold her.
A half hour later…
Carla was lying naked on the bed, flat on her stomach, Tom kneeling and straddling her thighs just below her butt. His hands had been gripping and holding her butt cheeks open, and his wet thumbs had been driving her crazy by playing with her anus. Carla whimpered in the heat of her desire, and arched her hips up and down in impatient little wiggles.
Tom hands left her cheeks and returned to caressing the inside of her thighs. His weight also lifted, allowing Carla to spread her legs and open herself. She felt the back of his hand caress her, long slow vertical strokes starting at the raised clit and then across the wet labia, very gentle, very loving. They knew each other's minds so well, Carla knew exactly what Tom was asking with the body language. One final question before mounting her, "Are you sure?" Carla tried to whimper an answer. It came out as a growl and her meaning was unmistakable. Hurry up!
She felt the glans of his penis sliding against the soft skin of her thighs, bumping her, pushing up against her clit on one thrust, then riding up through the wet lips of her labia a moment later. Tom was rubbing himself against her sex, and Carla could feel the friction diminish as Tom coated himself with her moisture, his penis sliding up into the air as the underside of the shaft pressed against her womanhood. And then he dropped down and mounted her, legs pressing down into her calves and thighs, his abdominal wall resting on her uplifted ass, arms above her arms, their fingers entwining, and the wet velvety nose of his penis was nudging her, bumping her, seeking her. On his fourth thrust he caught the angle just right and his glans was cupped into the vaginal opening. Quick eager thrusts of his hips followed, nailing Carla from the rear. He didn't stop until he was fully sheathed. Carla's vaginal lips were pressed up tightly against his groin.
He hissed into her ear, "You are so incredibly tight!"
"It's been a while," she hissed back. "Fuck me!"
Tom held the position, alternating slow and fast thrusting. He unleashed full down-strokes, and watched the slapping impacts ripple the flesh on Carla's ass. Carla's hand were like claws digging into the sheets and she squirmed and wiggled, gasping as Tom worked the piston between her legs. He began to smell the sweat of her, and the aroma was sexually intoxicating.
And then Carla settled down, still receptive but more passive, a willing vessel waiting for Tom's release. Alongside Tom's urgent need for orgasm came a loving urge for care and tenderness, and he stopped his dominating thrusts. They shared a time of caresses and licks filled with position changes and long kisses where their tongues would play with each other. By the time they coupled again, Carla was on her back, her long legs scissored with Tom's and her head resting on his arm and his other hand petting her breasts. Compared to mounting her from the back, the new arrangement was a much more relaxed and comfortable position for coitus, for both of them.
And the ease showed in the new coupling. Tom reentered Carla with one easy rock of his hips. Her vaginal cavity was well dilated from their earlier lovemaking, and Tom felt the exquisite sensation of sliding his cock into a mass of silky smooth moist feathers which then seized his erection in a muscular grip. Carla sighed deeply in her pleasure, licking Tom's lips and nose, playfully nipping at his tongue with her teeth, feeling his warm hand fondle her breasts and aroused nipples, and all the while a very eager and erect penis was sliding in and out of her, full strokes but surprisingly gentle, no jolt at all on the down stroke, just a soft slick sliding motion, in and out, in and out. It was so easy to drift and enjoy, drift and float in the pleasure, and then her uterus seemed to spasm, and a moment later her entire pelvis caught sexual fire. Carla cried out as her orgasm took her.
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