Twin Earth

Chapter 37

Thankfully no-one else was inside the room behind the boulder, but what was inside took my breath away. Gone was the rocky, cave-like exterior that had greeting us thus far. Instead was something far more futuristic.

"What is this place?" I breathed, walking around and draping my hands just above the smooth metallic surface of the walls that ran in a perfect circle around us. Thousands of diagrams were embedded deep into the walls, which shimmered as if made from silver, and in the centre of the room lay a platform, like the one I had seen in the room where Apo had been arguing, or not arguing. I was still confused on that point, but this time it was covered in the same silver etchings, detailing in great detail what I assumed to be instructions on how to use the ellipse.

"This is incredible," Rachel remarked, also in awe of the drawings. "Is this explaining how to use the ellipse?" Rachel asked, pointing to one particular drawing.

"Don't touch it," Adom replied, hurriedly walking over.

"I... I wasn't planning to," Rachel stuttered, yanking her hand back in surprise.

"It's just, these diagrams are active. They control the ellipse, as well as other things."

"Oh," Rachel replied, sheepishly.

Sarcastically tutting in amusement, I grinned at Rachel's faux pas, which immediately caused her to frown in my direction.

"So where is the ellipse?" I asked, turning to look at Adom. "Has it been stolen?"

"You cannot just steal an ellipse," Adom muttered as he fiddled with the drawings on the walls causing them to light up and fade into multiple colours.

"But you said the underdeveloped stole them, so I assumed..."

"You would have to take the whole room apart, piece by piece. It would take days. If the walls are here, the ellipse is here," Adom interrupted.

"I see," I mumbled, feeling a little disappointed. "So, where is it then?"

Ignoring me, Adom continued to play with the drawings on the wall and then he turned, waving his hands towards the platform in the centre of the room.

"What is he doing?" I whispered to Rachel as we both waited to see what would happen. "Do you seriously trust this guy to know what he's doing?"

"This again?" Rachel frowned, looking at me.

"Fine," I backtracked, lifting my hands up in defeat.

"Can't you for once, just take this seriously," Rachel replied.

"Hey, I've done nothing but take this whole trip seriously. Do you have any idea what I've been through since waking up in this place?"

Sighing, Rachel looked away to watch Adom playing with the walls again. Whatever he was doing, he looked to be struggling as he had a very confused expression on his face. Not that I dared to bring that up with Rachel.

"Look, I'm sorry okay, for being such an arse to you earlier," I mumbled to Rachel.

"At what point exactly?"

"Okay, I may have deserved that. I meant before, in my room. I never meant to make you feel inferior somehow. I seriously do respect you as a scientist and as..."

"A woman?" Rachel interrupted, turning to look at me again.

"Yes, as a woman," I replied defiantly.

Hearing her sigh, I could see I had finally broken her defensive barrier.

"Fine, I'm sorry too. I know you've had a rough time with your ex-wife and losing your job. I know how much you have to prove."

Raising my eyebrows, she had me there. I couldn't deny it. I did have something to prove and it was probably why I was feeling so miserable because so far nothing had been going to plan. I couldn't even enjoy discovering this amazing new planet because it came with so many problems, least of all the fact it was tearing our own planet apart.