Overthrowing Heaven-ARC Read online

  Almost.

  Without looking at her, I said, "I truly am looking forward to seeing the place."

  Pri turned toward me and smiled.

  I smiled in return as I realized I was actually happy to be there.

  "I can't sit," Pri said. "This is too exciting." She got out of her chair and stood beside me, her stomach bumping into me as she moved.

  Touching her stomach reminded me of how full I'd been, which took me back to last night's dinner, which quickly led me to think again about that delicious dessert. More to myself than to Pri, I said, "I wonder if they sell that chocolate gelato on the island."

  Pri shook her head in obvious amusement and said, "I'm sure they do."

  The shuttle's door snicked shut, and we rose away from the station into the air. We started slowly, the sense of motion barely present, the sound of gentle airflow coming from the invisible speakers scattered around us. Through the floor I watched as the land receded and we picked up speed and altitude. The sun visible through the roof shined strongly, the morning haze already a memory. Through the sides in the near range was only air and a distant horizon; the modern suburbs of Entreat were visible behind me, and the old town lay ahead in the distance in front of me. I glanced to my left, in the direction we were heading, and though I knew the track had to be there, I could not see it. My mind told me we were riding in a fancy train car, but my instincts said we were flying, soaring toward our destination. I swiveled my chair so I was facing forward, aiming at our destination.

  Within two minutes, we had left the land behind us and were above water, still climbing, the cityscapes ever more distant, the river below us a blue richer and deeper than the sky.

  When I looked up, Pri was studying my expression.

  "The magic works, doesn't it?" she said.

  I nodded, enjoying the sights and not wanting to speak.

  She leaned close enough that her lips brushed my right ear. "They built the huge river below us," she whispered, "when they created the island. It's more a moat, really, than a river, but on such a scale that you can't really see it that way, not unless you're in orbit."

  "Smart," I said. It was: They'd managed to construct an easily policed defensive zone that doubled as a tourist attraction.

  We picked up speed, the land visible behind us blurring as we accelerated. Ahead of us appeared a solid wall of white cloud that stretched from the ocean below to as far up as I could see. When we'd looked at the cloud cylinder on Lobo's displays I'd not realized it had stretched all the way to the ground; in person, the effect of the enormous bank of clouds was both mysterious and fascinating. We continued to gain speed and now we also climbed more steeply, hurtling at the thick white mist as if we were trying to achieve escape velocity. Higher and faster we went, the clouds ever closer, the wind through the speakers louder and louder and louder until suddenly we passed inside the mist, all we could see was each other and the soft whiteness around us, and it was as if we had transformed in an instant into angels resting on soft white pillows in the sky.

  I let out the breath I hadn't even realized I'd been holding. I heard Pri do the same. Neither of us spoke. My pulse echoed in my ears. As best I could tell, we continued to slow, but with nothing but whiteness all around us, no frame of reference, I couldn't be sure.

  The shuttle burst out of the clouds into the blue, sunlit sky, and it stopped, hung in the air, the wall of clouds almost touching its rear.

  Through the ceiling I watched as a huge creature floated down, circling lazily. Its body was long and thin, with legs so delicate it was hard to imagine they were useful. Enormous wings sprouted from its sides; its wingspan was slightly wider than the length of the large passenger shuttles, maybe ten meters from tip to tip. A thin, light-red neck almost twice the length of the body terminated in a small head with a tiny crest atop it and an elongated, slender, cartilaginous beak. The creature rode the thermals down to us, arced so close we could see its eyes, and then continued its downward path, wings flapping only a few times to adjust its course.

  It was fading from view, and I was still processing what I had seen, when a rich bass voice filled the small compartment.

  "Welcome to Wonder Island," it said. "Prepare to be amazed."

  Chapter 11

  Our ride to and through the cloud wall had focused on the world around us, a flight that relied on nature to provide the show. Our descent was all about the creations of Wonder Island. The shuttle rode the rail, which remained invisible except for occasional moments when the sun and our shadow combined to make a section wink into view for a few seconds. We spiraled downward much like the huge creature we'd first seen but in wider, lazier arcs. When I'm on a mission, this kind of pace usually disturbs me, strikes me as a wasteful interlude before we get down to the real work, but that's not what happened this time, not at all.

  The creatures soaring and floating all around us made me stare and hold my breath, and I was in no more hurry for this trip to end than any of the children in the shuttle ahead of us; they were all gasping and pointing at the sights around them.

  A thick-bodied, web-footed seabird with a three-meter wingspan followed us for a bit, circling us, advancing a couple dozen meters for every meter it dropped, occasionally flapping its wings to rise and then loop around us again. White on its underside and black on the top, it would be hard to spot from the ground or sea, but from our vantage point alongside it the bird reeked of alert power. Its small, dark eyes never stopped scanning the water below.

  An amazingly long, thin dragon charged us, enormous wings outstretched for gliding, its body thinner than the dragons of storybooks but impressive nonetheless. It opened its mouth to reveal menacing teeth, and it raised its claws as if it were about to rip apart the transparent wall that separated it from us. Shades of green, yellow, and gold on the top, the creature contrasted beautifully with the rich light orange of the sunlit clouds behind it. Its underside glistened with even more spectacular blues that resembled shallow sea water flickering in the morning sun. Its tail stretched into the distance, growing thinner and thinner as it faded away from the wings. The dragon conveyed an air of majesty that I would not have thought possible from a creature so very long and thin.

  Physics limited the body sizes the Wonder Island bioengineers could give their winged creations, but within those limitations they did amazing work.

  The dragon stayed with us for several seconds, until a trio of military ships passed by, Heaven's government apparently giving itself a pass on the no-fly rules. As soon as the ships drew near, the dragon snarled a final time and flew off.

  As we drew closer to the ground, the animals grew smaller and more fanciful but no less fascinating. A small lion with the beaked head of a bird flew by twenty meters away, wings a good eight meters across supporting a body no bigger than a child's. With bird's claws for front feet and lion's legs in the rear, thickly feathered wings and a densely furred body, the creature was a strange combination, frightening despite its relatively small size.

  Three winged horses passed us on the other side, their pure white, meter-long bodies held aloft by a huge expanse of equally white, thick-feathered wings. The nearest one glanced at us as it flew by, its huge pink eyes lingering on us for only a moment; it had clearly seen so many shuttles that two people floating in the air didn't warrant a second look.

  Following forty meters behind that trio was a creature that at first glance appeared to belong with that group, the rear half of its body that of a horse and its wings much like those of the horses that had just flown by us. As the animal drew nearer, however, we saw that it could as easily have been a partner to the part-lion, part-bird we had seen earlier, for like that beast this one had the head and front feet of a bird. It flapped furiously, as if intent on catching up to comrades we could not see.

  In the distance we spotted more animals floating and flapping in the air. Pri tapped the shuttle's sides to magnify the distant wonders, but I didn't want to spoil my own illusio
n of flying, so I focused on what I could see without assistance.

  A mission of five winged monkeys in red coats with gold buttons flew just above us. Black and gray in body and wing, running in a "V" formation that left space among them for their four-meter-wide wings to work, they pointed and chattered at us, the shuttle's speakers bringing us the high-pitched sound of their conversation. Three of them made fists and shook their arms as they passed so close to the top of the shuttle I thought they might land, but then they moved on, satisfied they'd made clear whose territory this really was.

  As we continued to descend, a deer maybe half my height trotted through the air at us, its huge golden wings beating frantically, its path a collision course with us, and then at the last moment it leapt and soared over us, so close we could see bits of grass clinging to the underside of one of its hooves.

  All too soon, though, our shuttle rode the rail the last few meters to the ground and eased forward into a shallow ditch exactly its width. Doors on both sides opened, and we stepped out onto grassy ground exactly level with the shuttle's floor. A gentle breeze blew across us, birdsongs played backup to the oohs and aahs of the passengers of the larger shuttle that had landed a minute earlier, and the rich smells of damp morning grass and nearby jungle filled the air. Despite the task at hand, I couldn't help but smile and even relax a bit.

  I had to hand it to the island's designers: They knew how to craft an entrance.

  The group that had ridden that other shuttle was still emptying onto the island. The voice that had welcomed us spoke again, seemingly all around both us and the other tourists even though no human had yet appeared. "Wander as you will, anywhere you choose, on foot or in any of the shuttles you will see." The voice lowered to almost a whisper. "Your wallets will warn you of extra-cost attractions or fees for additional hours." It resumed its normal, larger-and-louder-than-life tone. "Harmless animals wander freely. You are welcome to pet them, but please do not pick up any of our creatures. Our dangerous inhabitants—and there are many, some as deadly as they are amazing—live behind barriers neither you nor they can cross. You can always, however, see through them. At stands scattered around the island, refreshments are available—" the voice dropped again in volume "—at reasonable extra charges—" and picked up again "—and will also come to you upon your spoken request courtesy of our beautiful couriers."

  In still quieter tones, so only we could hear them, the voice said, "May we assume from your weapon that you'd like to sign up for the handgun hunt?"

  The more time I spent in directed activities, the less I could invest in recon. I caught Pri's eye and shook my head ever so slightly.

  "Sir?" the voice said.

  Pri got it. "Must you, dear?" she said. "Couldn't we simply walk together?"

  "If you insist," I said. "Where do I leave the weapon?" I asked the voice.

  "In your shuttle," it said. My wallet buzzed a receipt. "Your claim ticket," it added.

  A swarm of butterflies emerged from the forest in front of me and mirved, one winged insect approaching each of us. Mine stopped half a meter in front of my eyes and hovered there, its purple and yellow spotted wings beating rapidly. Tiny feet clasped a pale pink earbud. My wallet buzzed.

  "If you'd like our tour guide to provide commentary and any other information about Wonder Island that you might desire, simply accept the charge from your wallet, hold out your hand, and take the earbud the butterfly drops. If you'd prefer to wander on your own, do nothing."

  I glanced at Pri, who was watching me. I again shook my head slightly; based on what I'd seen so far, I had to assume their narration would be excellent and so would make it harder to focus on the mission. I also didn't want anything in my ear that I hadn't tested.

  She nodded and said, "I don't think we need the guide. My last visit is still fresh in my mind."

  Good for her. I smiled and did not accept the charge. Thirty seconds later, the butterfly flew away. Pri's did the same, as did the butterflies that had been hovering by half a dozen of the folks in front of us. Good; I didn't want to stand out.

  Five paths led away from the clearing where we stood. I scanned the sky in the direction of our approach and saw another shuttle heading to a section of the island somewhere to my left.

  Pri was watching me when I looked again at her. Most of the people had already chosen a route and were walking into the jungle, so we were among the few still trying to decide where to go. Her eyes were bright and the skin around them taut. "I've never started from here before," she said, her voice tight and forced.

  One other couple a few meters to my right was arguing about which path to take. I wanted to leave before they did, so I laughed and said to Pri, "Then it'll be our special trip." I hugged her and whispered in her ear, "Relax. All we're going to do this trip is look around." I pulled back, smiled, and stared at her. She appeared a little more relaxed, but not as much as I'd hoped. "Your choice," I said. "Pick a path, any path."

  She forced a smile, nodded, turned, and pointed to the one straight in front of her. "Let's go there."

  "Lead on," I said.

  We made it to the edge of the forest before we heard a loud, pounding sound to our left, the noise a large and fast animal makes as it approaches. The voice had said the dangerous creatures wouldn't be able to touch us, and the place was a very successful tourist attraction, so I largely trusted that we were safe. Still, I urged Pri a couple meters forward into the woods, then turned and watched the clearing. The sound grew closer and closer until it was almost upon us, and suddenly a pair of huge pure white horses—not horses, I saw, but unicorns—burst into view. Their enormous blue eyes and light gray, cloven hooves were the only colored bits on them; even their horns, which sparkled in the morning sun, were utterly white.

  One unicorn walked over to us, stopped half a meter away, and neighed. The second did the same to the other couple still in the clearing. Ours stared at us and waited patiently. I noticed a small, white plastic container hanging under its neck and behind its small beard. White letters on the cylinder read, "Treats."

  Pri reached out and petted the unicorn's nose. The animal leaned into her hand.

  "Go ahead," Pri said, "give her a treat."

  "How do you know it's a female?" I said.

  "Well," Pri said, giggling, "I certainly haven't noticed anything to suggest it's not, and on an animal this size, I assume I would."

  Think before you speak, I reminded myself. Dealing with animals had never been my strength, but even I should have remembered to do that bit of verification before I asked. I flipped open the container's lid and took out two small orange cubes.

  The unicorn forgot Pri and stared expectantly at me.

  I held out the hand with the treats in it. The unicorn's tongue, surprisingly strong and a bit rougher than I'd expected, swept them away and chewed happily. Pri kept petting it, and when I didn't open the container again it turned its attention on her.

  While she petted it, I more carefully scanned the area. Any disembarkation point provided a natural location for underground hatches, because if visitors experienced a problem during the shuttle ride this location would be the first one at which island staff could help them, but I couldn't see anything that suggested an opening in the ground. I switched my vision to IR, but either there were no ground entrances in sight or the Wonder Island creators had covered them with enough dirt and grass to make them read like the rest of the earth under our feet. I guessed the latter, but I couldn't prove it.

  I gave up, touched Pri's shoulder, and said, "I think we should move on."

  She ran her hand along the side of the unicorn's head one last time, then nodded, turned, and walked with me into the forest.

  A few seconds later, we heard the unicorn trot away.

  As we moved deeper into the woods, the canopy grew denser, less and less sunlight penetrated all the way to the ground, and the temperature dropped. We never had any trouble seeing the path or the many sights around us, but t
he dim light and the many shadows cloaked the space in magic. Shrubs bursting with golden flowers sat next to trees with pale blue blossoms poking straight out of them, a combination of new and old growth that I'd never seen in any natural setting. A flock of gray mouse birds screeched down at us from our right, and both Pri and I involuntarily jumped. The mouse birds settled momentarily to a hover in front of us, their black eyes studying us carefully as they chittered and worked their front paws against one another, and then they soared away to our left. I laughed as they departed, amused both at how easily they'd startled me and at how funny a sight they were.

  The combination of the trees lining the dirt walkway and the undergrowth was dense enough that it was clear we weren't supposed to enter the woods, but at the same time there were no overt warnings not to leave the path. We were alone, no one else in sight, so we had a perfect opportunity to see how the island security responded to someone breaking the rules. I stopped, touched Pri's shoulder, and pointed to a square meter of dazzling purple flowers on a shrub a good fifteen meters to my left. "Aren't those beautiful, dear?" I said, working to channel the awe I'd felt at the animals into a passion for flowers I've never truly felt. "I think you'd look lovely wearing one of them."

  I stared at Pri, hoping she'd understand what I wanted.

  "They are pretty," she said. I nodded very slightly, so she continued. "And yes, I would love to have one, but I'm not sure we're allowed to go in there."

  I made a show of looking down the path behind us and then ahead of us. "Nobody's going to know," I said, "and surely one little flower can't hurt." I knew exactly how much it could hurt, of course, because I've seen beautiful places destroyed by only one in a thousand visitors deciding a little bit of the area simply had to go home with him. What may seem safe as a small individual act can turn into a weapons-grade destructive force if enough people do it repeatedly over a long period of time. Fortunately, I wouldn't be hurting nature here so much as lowering the value of a very profitable if highly unusual amusement park.