still in his baby universe, spoke again. ‘Miriam.’
She straightened up. ‘I’m here, Michael.’
‘I’m not sure how long I have left. What will happen when the power goes?’
‘I programmed the simulation to seem authentic, internally consistent. It will be as if the power in the Crab lifedome is failing.’ She took a breath, and said, ‘Of course you have other options to end it before then.’
‘I know. Thank you. Who were they, do you think? Whoever made the spiders? Did they build this pocket universe too? Or was it built for them? Like a haven?’
‘I don’t suppose we’ll ever know. Michael, I’m sorry. I—’
‘Don’t be. You know I would have chosen this. But I’m sorry to leave you behind. Miriam – look after him, the other Michael. I, we, need you.’
She looked at the original Poole, who was working at the GUTengine. ‘We’ll see,’ she said.
‘And tell Harry – well. You know.’
She held a hand up to the empty air. ‘Michael, please—’
‘It’s enough.’ The Virtuals he had been projecting broke up into blocks of pixels, and a faint hiss, the carrier of his voice, disappeared from my hearing. Alone in his universe, he had cut himself off.
The original Poole approached her, uncertain of her reaction. ‘It’s done. The GUTengine has been programmed. We’re ready to go, Miriam. As soon as we’re out of here, it will blow.’
She turned away from him, her face showing something close to hatred.
16
So, harnessed to a spider oblivious of the impending fate of its vast and ancient project, we rose into the dark. It had taken us days to descend to this place, and would take us days to return to the surface, where, Harry promised, he would have a fresh balloon waiting to pick us up.
This time, though I was offered escape into unconsciousness, I stayed awake. I had a feeling that the last act of this little drama had yet to play itself out. I wanted to be around to see it.
We were beyond the lower ice layers and rising through two hundred and fifty kilometres of sea when Miriam’s timer informed us that the GUTengine had detonated, far beneath us. Insulated by the ice layer, we felt nothing. But I imagined that the spider that carried us up towards the light hesitated, just fractionally.
‘It’s done,’ Poole said firmly. ‘No going back.’
Miriam had barely spoken to him since the cavern. She had said more words to me. Now she said, ‘I’ve been thinking. I won’t accept it, Michael. I don’t care about you and Harry and your damn vote. As soon as we get home I’m going to report what we found.’
‘You’ve no evidence—’
‘I’ll be taken seriously enough. And someday somebody will mount another expedition, and confirm the truth.’
‘All right.’ That was all he said. But I knew the matter was not over. He would not meet my mocking eyes.
I wasn’t surprised when, twelve hours later, as Miriam slept cradled in the net draped from the spider’s back, Poole took vials from her pack and pressed them into her flesh, one by a valve on her leg, another at the base of her spine.
I watched him. I’d seen this done before, more than once. ‘You’re going to edit her memories, aren’t you? Download her identity, edit it, load it back . . . All to keep her quiet. Planned this with Dad, did you?’
‘Shut up,’ he snarled, edgy, angry.
‘What will you make her believe – that she stayed up on the Crab with Harry the whole time, while you went exploring and found nothing? That would work, I guess.’
‘I’ve got nothing to say to you.’
But I had plenty to say to him. I am no saint myself, and Poole disgusted me as only a man without morality himself can be disgusted. ‘I think you love her. I even think she loves you. Yet you are prepared to mess with her head and her heart, even her personality, to serve your grandiose ambitions. Let me tell you something. The Poole she left behind in that pocket universe – the one she said
She straightened up. ‘I’m here, Michael.’
‘I’m not sure how long I have left. What will happen when the power goes?’
‘I programmed the simulation to seem authentic, internally consistent. It will be as if the power in the Crab lifedome is failing.’ She took a breath, and said, ‘Of course you have other options to end it before then.’
‘I know. Thank you. Who were they, do you think? Whoever made the spiders? Did they build this pocket universe too? Or was it built for them? Like a haven?’
‘I don’t suppose we’ll ever know. Michael, I’m sorry. I—’
‘Don’t be. You know I would have chosen this. But I’m sorry to leave you behind. Miriam – look after him, the other Michael. I, we, need you.’
She looked at the original Poole, who was working at the GUTengine. ‘We’ll see,’ she said.
‘And tell Harry – well. You know.’
She held a hand up to the empty air. ‘Michael, please—’
‘It’s enough.’ The Virtuals he had been projecting broke up into blocks of pixels, and a faint hiss, the carrier of his voice, disappeared from my hearing. Alone in his universe, he had cut himself off.
The original Poole approached her, uncertain of her reaction. ‘It’s done. The GUTengine has been programmed. We’re ready to go, Miriam. As soon as we’re out of here, it will blow.’
She turned away from him, her face showing something close to hatred.
16
So, harnessed to a spider oblivious of the impending fate of its vast and ancient project, we rose into the dark. It had taken us days to descend to this place, and would take us days to return to the surface, where, Harry promised, he would have a fresh balloon waiting to pick us up.
This time, though I was offered escape into unconsciousness, I stayed awake. I had a feeling that the last act of this little drama had yet to play itself out. I wanted to be around to see it.
We were beyond the lower ice layers and rising through two hundred and fifty kilometres of sea when Miriam’s timer informed us that the GUTengine had detonated, far beneath us. Insulated by the ice layer, we felt nothing. But I imagined that the spider that carried us up towards the light hesitated, just fractionally.
‘It’s done,’ Poole said firmly. ‘No going back.’
Miriam had barely spoken to him since the cavern. She had said more words to me. Now she said, ‘I’ve been thinking. I won’t accept it, Michael. I don’t care about you and Harry and your damn vote. As soon as we get home I’m going to report what we found.’
‘You’ve no evidence—’
‘I’ll be taken seriously enough. And someday somebody will mount another expedition, and confirm the truth.’
‘All right.’ That was all he said. But I knew the matter was not over. He would not meet my mocking eyes.
I wasn’t surprised when, twelve hours later, as Miriam slept cradled in the net draped from the spider’s back, Poole took vials from her pack and pressed them into her flesh, one by a valve on her leg, another at the base of her spine.
I watched him. I’d seen this done before, more than once. ‘You’re going to edit her memories, aren’t you? Download her identity, edit it, load it back . . . All to keep her quiet. Planned this with Dad, did you?’
‘Shut up,’ he snarled, edgy, angry.
‘What will you make her believe – that she stayed up on the Crab with Harry the whole time, while you went exploring and found nothing? That would work, I guess.’
‘I’ve got nothing to say to you.’
But I had plenty to say to him. I am no saint myself, and Poole disgusted me as only a man without morality himself can be disgusted. ‘I think you love her. I even think she loves you. Yet you are prepared to mess with her head and her heart, even her personality, to serve your grandiose ambitions. Let me tell you something. The Poole she left behind in that pocket universe – the one she said
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