Read Online Pinball by Alan Seeger - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Alan Seeger
Tags: SciFi
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enthralled by the adventure he was experiencing.
He gathered his things and left the library, hoping he could return at some point. He walked through the gathering darkness, noting the presence of several crescent moons of various sizes in the dimming sky, and found Randolph tinkering with what appeared to be some kind of vehicle, a three wheeled wooden wagon that looked like a cross between a horse drawn carriage and a tricycle.
“I need to go home,” Steven said. Randolph nodded and stood slowly to his feet, and the two men walked down the road toward the Gate.
They said their goodbyes and Steven, feeling like an old hand now at this Gatespace stuff, walked into the vortex.
The return home was easier than he’d anticipated; he was worried that he wouldn’t be able to find what he now thought of as his “home” Gate; did the Gates drift about in Gatespace the way that the people and other objects floating in it did? But much to his relief, he found the Gate without much trouble, seeing the familiar landscape when he looked into it, and propelled himself through.
Chapter 17
Steven expected to feel the familiar chill of December on his face, but instead he realized that the sun was high in the sky and the heat was blistering. It had to be July, maybe August. He was also surprised to see that what appeared to be a camouflage tarpaulin had been erected over the Gate. Steven shed his coat and began to walk toward home, realizing that at least six months must have passed while he’d been gone.
When he ducked under the edge of the tarp, he was stunned to see that an eight-foot wire mesh fence had been erected around the portal site. Within the fence, he noticed several weathered wooden posts that had been driven into the ground. There were tattered remnants of yellow police tape still tied to a couple of them, weathered and bleached by the sun.
Steven stood staring at one of them as it flapped in the wind like a tiny pennant. He looked around and saw that there were several buildings of various sizes surrounding the fenced area. The nearest appeared to be nothing more than a guard shack, just large enough for a single stool. It was open to the air on the side facing the Gate, but was empty.
He walked to the fence and saw that there was a gate which evidently had been kept locked at one time, but the padlock hung open on the fork latch. Either something had happened here to cause security to lapse, or someone was falling down on the job.
Steven slipped the padlock off the latch and pocketed it. Opening the gate, careful not to make any unnecessary noise, he edged out of the fenced area, noticing a metal sign on the fence outside which read NO ADMISSION – AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY . He walked quietly toward the guard shack, uncertain of what to expect.
Something was very wrong indeed. Jesus, Steven thought, how long was I gone this time? He began to panic as he walked in the direction of the house. It dawned on him that there was no sign whatsoever of the wound in the earth that the Mini-Guardian had inflicted; as far as he was concerned, that had been only a few hours ago, but clearly, that wasn’t the case.
He passed several structures that seemed to be storage buildings, and a large building with several overhead doors on one side that he assumed was a vehicle garage. They all bore signs by their doors identifying them as UAA Army facilities. Holy shit, thought Steven.
He walked toward the southwest, watching carefully for troops. He saw a couple of soldiers in ACUs that appeared to be working on the engine of a truck parked behind the garage, but they were too busy to notice him. He passed a couple of buildings that seemed to be offices that were occupied but managed to pass without drawing anyone’s attention. They certainly didn’t seem to be on any sort of high alert; Steven was beginning to suspect that much more than six months had passed since he’d been gone.
As he neared the
He gathered his things and left the library, hoping he could return at some point. He walked through the gathering darkness, noting the presence of several crescent moons of various sizes in the dimming sky, and found Randolph tinkering with what appeared to be some kind of vehicle, a three wheeled wooden wagon that looked like a cross between a horse drawn carriage and a tricycle.
“I need to go home,” Steven said. Randolph nodded and stood slowly to his feet, and the two men walked down the road toward the Gate.
They said their goodbyes and Steven, feeling like an old hand now at this Gatespace stuff, walked into the vortex.
The return home was easier than he’d anticipated; he was worried that he wouldn’t be able to find what he now thought of as his “home” Gate; did the Gates drift about in Gatespace the way that the people and other objects floating in it did? But much to his relief, he found the Gate without much trouble, seeing the familiar landscape when he looked into it, and propelled himself through.
Chapter 17
Steven expected to feel the familiar chill of December on his face, but instead he realized that the sun was high in the sky and the heat was blistering. It had to be July, maybe August. He was also surprised to see that what appeared to be a camouflage tarpaulin had been erected over the Gate. Steven shed his coat and began to walk toward home, realizing that at least six months must have passed while he’d been gone.
When he ducked under the edge of the tarp, he was stunned to see that an eight-foot wire mesh fence had been erected around the portal site. Within the fence, he noticed several weathered wooden posts that had been driven into the ground. There were tattered remnants of yellow police tape still tied to a couple of them, weathered and bleached by the sun.
Steven stood staring at one of them as it flapped in the wind like a tiny pennant. He looked around and saw that there were several buildings of various sizes surrounding the fenced area. The nearest appeared to be nothing more than a guard shack, just large enough for a single stool. It was open to the air on the side facing the Gate, but was empty.
He walked to the fence and saw that there was a gate which evidently had been kept locked at one time, but the padlock hung open on the fork latch. Either something had happened here to cause security to lapse, or someone was falling down on the job.
Steven slipped the padlock off the latch and pocketed it. Opening the gate, careful not to make any unnecessary noise, he edged out of the fenced area, noticing a metal sign on the fence outside which read NO ADMISSION – AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY . He walked quietly toward the guard shack, uncertain of what to expect.
Something was very wrong indeed. Jesus, Steven thought, how long was I gone this time? He began to panic as he walked in the direction of the house. It dawned on him that there was no sign whatsoever of the wound in the earth that the Mini-Guardian had inflicted; as far as he was concerned, that had been only a few hours ago, but clearly, that wasn’t the case.
He passed several structures that seemed to be storage buildings, and a large building with several overhead doors on one side that he assumed was a vehicle garage. They all bore signs by their doors identifying them as UAA Army facilities. Holy shit, thought Steven.
He walked toward the southwest, watching carefully for troops. He saw a couple of soldiers in ACUs that appeared to be working on the engine of a truck parked behind the garage, but they were too busy to notice him. He passed a couple of buildings that seemed to be offices that were occupied but managed to pass without drawing anyone’s attention. They certainly didn’t seem to be on any sort of high alert; Steven was beginning to suspect that much more than six months had passed since he’d been gone.
As he neared the
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