Chapter 16

A gasp of admiration shuddered out Ally's chest as she stared at the beautiful workings. Spheres of metal spun at different speeds, one way then back, while delicately wrought hemispheres of metal moved around them, all pieces seeming to push the next into a swirling mass of constant motion. It was utterly mesmerizing, the pieces all in varying shades of bronze, tan, gold, silver, and dark steel, enclosed beneath a sheer layer of plasoglass.

'Mechanic, how does it keep moving?'

'Perpetual motion. Initially powered by solar, or if no solar is available, the turn handle.'

'How long can it run for?'

'If in use, perpetually. If at rest, it will slow to a stop over several months. Do you still require to view it?'

Ally could have watched it for hours, lured into the hypnotic dance. 'No, you can close it.' She felt a twinge of regret as the metal casing smoothed back over, hiding any trace of it. Leaning forward to see if she could spot a seam, even a hint of one, she placed her hand on the vehicle then jerked back when a loud peep sounded. The plasoglass protecting the front two seats slid back.

'You may examine the interior if you wish,' the mechanic said, unnecessarily, Ally already in the process of stepping in, head tucked down against the curve of the ceiling. Carefully turning, she eased herself into the front right seat, flinching in reflex when the plasoglass slid back down. Before Ally was a low white dashboard that when she reached her hand toward it, to look around, lit up. With a muffled exclamation she snatched her hand back, staring saucer eyed at the various daunting displays. Numbers and percentages with old English words shimmering alongside them made no sense whatsoever to her. A number of small screens projected across the dash, allowing a full 360° view of the space around the vehicle.

'Mechanic, what is all this?' Ally spoke loudly but didn't need to, the answering voice made her jolt in shock as it appeared to come from the back seat.

'Controls. Allows the driver to have full control so they needn't leave the vehicle unless they desire.'

'But what if,' Ally groped for a scenario. 'What if a sharp rock punctures a tire?'

'Airless tires,' the mechanic's voice droned and identical images flashed simultaneously across all the screens before her. The shape was that of a tire, but that was it. The dense dark material used to create the tires was moulded into numerous hexagonal shapes jammed together so it looked like honeycomb. The screens showed a short video of the tires tackling all terrains, including footage of it passing over glass in a city. Ally gasped, face close to the screen as her eyes darted all over it, frantically trying to absorb this memory of an ancient world she'd only read about. Perhaps half a minute, showing enormous structures of metal, with people, humans, everywhere!

'Mechanic, replay that video!'

Again and again she instructed the video to replay, watching that glimpse of history. The humans wore all manner of clothes and the colours! The images flashed past too quickly, leaving her with that tantalizing taste of the past. She sat back with a smile, mind preoccupied before she sat upright, waving her hands to the plasoglass.

'Let me out! I have to show Eoin!'

The glass slid back and the mechanic voice bid her farewell as she darted out the room, backpack jolting away on one shoulder when she set off at a steady jog, delighted to have something so exciting to show off.

Her feet padded softly against the hardened dirt of the tunnel floor before sound erupted around her, lights popping down from the tunnel ceiling and a mechanical voice began a stern intoning.

'Emergency beacon has been activated. Emergency beacon has been activated.'

Ally pulled up short and twisted, looking back down the tunnel with wide eyes.

Someone had tripped one of the wires!

'What? Holi, what is that?!' Eoin shouted over the sudden din of alarms.

'That is one of the emergency beacons Alyssa took. She has triggered it.' The projected blonde spoke with no trace of concern, confusing Eoin.

'She's lost?!'

'No, I believe she intended to utilize them in trip wires.'

'Trip wires?! Holi, how long has she been gone, why didn't you tell me?' Eoin stared wildly around the room, mind frantically trying to recall the last time he'd heard…

He'd heard the door.

Eoin stiffened when he suddenly realized. He bolted, taking the stairs two at a time up, then down, his feet hitting the dirt covered floor of the tunnel. Heart pounding and face flushed from fear, Eoin pushed himself to a sprint, body instantly registering the various emotions as triggers, the nano-virus flushing his system with a variety of stimulants, his vision and hearing enhancing while his mind flared to life in a way that made his normal mental abilities comparable to a monkey. Lungs expanding and heart rate steadying, his skin began to tingle as the nano-virus worked at increasing his pain threshold. The sound of his breathing slowed while the soft echo of his pounding feet kept their punishing rhythm.

Eoin burst from the tunnel into the open space of the hole, eyes scanning every inch in less than a minute.

Ally was gone.

The rank scent of eye watering body odour from the human she crept after had Ally shaking her head, breathing shallowly through her mouth. The dog at least smelled fine, just normal animal muskiness. Though the pair carefully made their way through the jungle, heads low as the human scanned the area and the dog sniffed, she could have heard their movements a mile off. Ally watched as they moved further away from the hole and with a cautious glance around to make sure no others snuck up behind, she silently scaled a tree that had heavy hanging foliage; perfect for hiding amongst. Stretching out along a high branch, Ally breathed with relief when a clean fresh breeze blew through the fragrant leaves that concealed her.