Chapter 15

Once upon a time their mountain range had been covered in snow. Families who'd survived the Epidemic remised of the old country known as Switzerland. Of its steep pasture land and world renowned cheese. Cheese was a delicacy nowadays, something made by a few artisans within the country who remembered the old ways and taught them only to their children; jealously guarded family secrets. The humans who chose to live in Winterthur – one of the few Free towns scattered across the country – were always delighted with the quality of the food. It was funny to think of home, with the humans Ally considered friends, even family, and to compare it to those they met on this, and all the other expeditions. In Winterthur you were free to be yourself, providing you allowed others the same courtesy. The council of Winterthur presided over the town in a manner that considered the good of all, and not the opinions of one or two who disagreed. Those that didn't abide or accept the rules were moved on. For Winterthur to work as a progressive town it had to be at a level of peace. But with Prometheans and Humans being so similar, yet inherently different, problems couldn't help but arise. The council's fifteen members were all Prometheans, something that irked even the most loyal of humans. And while Ally understood their concerns, they also couldn't argue that the Prometheans were more suited to the task than humans, who could be diverted by greed and prestige. Prometheans were designed to lead, to keep the consideration of all, to be the Peace Keepers.

A hum beneath her hand distracted Ally from the politics of home, pulling her back to the present of the tunnel. Blinking, she saw a remote hovering beneath her palm. Exclaiming in surprise, she pulled away too sharply and had to hold her hand still for a moment before it reappeared.

Very basic, the remote only had two buttons – open, and close.

Glancing around, mind arguing with itself as to whether she should call Eoin first, Ally grinned mischievously. What he didn't know couldn't hurt! She punched the open button.

The wall, solid moments ago hissed and split apart, doors sliding open to reveal a huge enclosure. Gleaming in the lights that flicked on were three alien vehicles. Ally sucked a breath in, heart suddenly pounding as she stared.

'Promethean, welcome to the garage.'

The foreign mechanical voice spoke old English like the voice of the lab. Tentatively, eyes darting back and forth as she took it all in, Ally stepped into the room. The doors whisked closed the moment her feet cleared the threshold.

The moment of thrill halted in her throat.

She twisted her hands against the solid looking wall. Instantly the doors opened.

Dropping her hands, Ally watched them close again. The panic within calmed, body relaxing as she confirmed the ability to exit at her desire.

Turning back, Ally stared at the three vehicles with a growing sense of excitement.

'Mechanic?' she called in a croaky tentative voice, unsure if it would be the correct term.

'Yes, Promethean?' The mechanical voice answered back in an instant.

'What is the status of these ... vehicles?'

'Basic terrain vehicles one and two have eroded batteries. Will need a full engine reconditioning. Extreme terrain vehicle three requires lubrication and calibration. The hover skirt needs examining for age deterioration.'

Lights over the vehicles lit and dimmed as the voice referred to them. The vehicle currently lit was unlike any vehicle Ally had ever seen before. It didn't look substantial enough to be considered 'extreme'. White and silver with so much glass! She stared through the bulbous front window at the two large seats, a second row behind and space behind that too. With a hesitant glance around, Ally rapped her knuckles on the window. Not glass! Smoothing her hands across the clear surface, she frowned while trying to make sense of the material.

'Mechanic? What is this material?'

'Plasoglass. Can accommodate a strike of three ton.'

'Three ton?' Ally gaped, the plasoglass reflecting her astonished face. 'What is the white metal?'

'Titanium alloy, coated in a protective resin.'

'The alloy needs coating?'

'It is another layer of protection.'

Ally nodded then crouched peering beneath the vehicle. It had a set of small wheels that were completely round. Those can't be any use outside, Ally thought then asked, 'Those wheels are too small for rough terrain?'

'Yes. Those are the hanger wheels only. Once outside they change for all terrain wheels, or hover, if desired.'

'What is the hover, Mechanic, can you show me?'

A hum, deep and vibrating, rumbled through the garage. Ally stepped back smartly when the vehicle began to shudder. Abruptly it all stopped.

'The PMM requires a spin. Please turn the handle.'

As the voice of the mechanic requested a white and silver handle appeared in the floor, sticking upright. Staring at it Ally called out. 'Which way do I turn it?'

'Clockwise.'

Bemused at the concept, Ally crouched down and with one hand braced on the floor, the other firm on the handle, began to drag the handle around. Vibrations rumbled through her hand and arm, the vehicle shuddering but this time it kept it up, rumbling until the noise lifted. The moment it did a skirt of fabric flicked out from the bottom of the vehicle, puffing with air as a motor roared into life. The cushion of air floated the vehicle gently in the air, like a leaf bobbing on a creek. Ally stared opened mouthed at the sight as the mechanic began to speak.

'Hover ability is normally used for over water. As you can see, it gives a decent lift. It isn't suitable for rough water.'

As the voice finished its speech the hover engine dropped to a whisper and the small hangar wheels unfurled as it set back down. The soft humming of the engine made Ally move closer, head cocked as she listened to it. 'May I see the engine?'

'Certainly.' The vehicle smoothly turned as though self-aware, presenting its rear. What had appeared a seamless covering split apart, layering back upon itself, exposing the motor within.