90: To the Next Island

To the Next Island

A few minutes later, Daneel was knocking on a rusted metal door at the end of a long tunnel that he had just climbed up.0

He could have taken out one of the crystals around his waist, but he was confident that the system was always right. It had told him that the door was unlocked, and that it could only open from one side.

Grunting, he put in more effort, even though it was a bit difficult as he was pushing up, instead of forward. Finally, with a loud creaking sound that gave a hint of all the time that had passed since it had been used, the door fell open, and Daneel poked his head out of the ground and looked around to see where he was.

The familiar flatlands of the surroundings of the town came into his vision. To his right was the door, and above it was a tarp that had been thrown aside, now, which was the exact same colour as the land.

Unless one walked right on top of it, it would have been impossible to see that there was something here. In fact, even if one did that, they wouldn't have felt anything amiss as Daneel saw after scrambling out of the hole that a layer of earth had also been laid on top of the door, which had been the reason behind his difficulty in opening it.

Coughing due to the dust he had kicked up, he checked his bags to make sure that nothing had fallen away. The journey hadn't been very long; that first ladder had led to a small tunnel underground that had been musty and uncomfortable, and it had led him to the other ladder that he had climbed to get to the surface. The wall had been built of stone, in much the same manner as the Refinery and the Courtyard, and so, Daneel had reasoned out that the same person who had carried out those incredible feats of architecture had created it, too.

He had already asked around about this topic, but there had been no answers forthcoming. Even in the books in Harrold's library, there wasn't much to be found out.

In fact, almost all of the man's collection included memoirs of some or the other members of his family. They were all useless pages dedicated to endless, meandering tales of how brave the members of the Jerrock family were, and except for an account of that first ancestor's betrayal, he had found nothing else of mention.

As for that account, things had happened in much the same manner that Daneel had guessed. That ancestor had tried to spin it in a positive away, saying that all of them would have died if not for his 'selfless sacrifice', and Daneel had been tempted to burn the whole thing.

After reaching the edge of the continent once again, he tried to stop all such thoughts as he came face-to-face with a problem that he had hit upon, but not found a manner to solve.

And that was…the way to get to the next island.

It stood in front of him, now, shining in the rising sun, its dome a sparkling replica of his home planet of Earth if seen from space. The problem was the vast gulf of water that lay between them, and if the strength of the creatures in the Sea around Angaria were any indication, then Daneel was sure that there was no way that he could swim to his destination. 

Besides, even if he chose this manner of transport, would he have enough energy to make the journey by himself?

[Transport route found. Teleportation matrix can be configured to connect to the nearest companion matrix that lies in the direction of the closest island. Host must reach the matrix present at the edge of the town, east, to begin reprogramming.]

Despite all his thoughts, Daneel hadn't been worried, at all, due to his genius little friend who had given him the answer without even asking. The waves of the ocean suddenly crashed below him, and the spray that sprung up caressed his face, making him relax completely as he closed his eyes and enjoy the feeling.

Feeling suddenly very light of heart, Daneel folded his hands behind him and began to stroll in the direction that the system had pointed out. On the way, he didn't think about the family of the enforcer who had died, his brother who had passed away nearby, or even the future of the town. He just let his heart slow down to a rhythm that was slower than almost any safe for mankind, and with an empty mind, he enjoyed the sights while mentally preparing himself for the tough journey.

The sun rose higher as he walked, showering its brilliance upon the waves far away. Rainbows became visible from time to time, arching between islands, or even between the sea and an island. The spray was cool and the smell of salt was pleasant, his long breaths taking it all in and letting it go slowly, calmly, serenely. There was always a time for action and a time for peace, and this was the latter, so Daneel enjoyed it to the fullest.

By the time he came to the teleportation matrix that lay dead, a smile had come to his lips without his knowledge. It stayed there as he used an processed crystal to touch those jutting out of the ground, and after a few moments, with a message from the system that said that it had succeeded and a flash that swallowed the small block he was holding, the matrix flashed an ominous colour that made him furrow his eyebrows.

For the first time, he saw black crystals that seemed to be drinking in even the natural sunlight around them. Daneel had seen crystals all sorts of colours so far, and originally, they had corresponded to the locations that they sent people to. That didn't mean that everyone had to follow the same concept, but still, he found himself disliking what he was seeing.

Struggling to get rid of such thoughts, he turned around and took one last look at the dome surrounding Graiton. Everything that needed to be said had already been said, so without further ado, he stepped forward…and disappeared.

After the familiar stomach turning feeling disappeared, Daneel blinked, forcefully making his eyes adjust.

He felt the difference in the air even before the rest of his senses returned to him. Just with a single breath, he felt his entire body go on edge, and as if there was danger all around, he crouched down, ready to spring up and attack in case he was attacked.

He didn't understand why it was all happening. He needed to find out more, to see what was the reason behind his instincts kicking into high gear, and after a few moments, as he raised his head to see what was around him, a gasp escaped his lips and his jaw went loose, before dropping low.

He seemed to have teleported inside the dome of an island even though the one he had teleported from lay outside the dome around Graiton. The sky was black, almost as black as the crystals from before, and lightning streaked across it continuously, causing loud booms to fill his ears.

He didn't pay any attention to them at all, though, as his eyes were fixed on what was in front of him. A long row of stakes had been erected in the ground, numbering at least a few hundred in just the small area he was seeing.

Men, women and children were tied to them, screaming hoarsely to be saved, their bones jutting out of their bodies that barely had any flesh left. Their faces were sunken hollows, their eyes were desperate wells of darkness that had already given in, shrouded with hopelessness, desperation, pain.

Their screams created a haunting music that rose to the heavens, giving even the land a backdrop of cruelty, violence, and death. Even as he stared, one of the children nearby who was merely be a couple of years old stopped crying and fell silent, and Daneel knew that he was dead.

Hell. That was the one word that kept being repeated over and over again in his head, and Daneel stepped back, as if to run away.

There was no way to run, though.

So he just stood there, rooted to the spot, and stared.

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