Calan - The Immortality Paradox

Chapter Three: The Leonian Calanite, Part Two

If the Professor had been more sensible, he would have chosen a better-insulating piece of clothing than his light Base overcoat. His upturned collar flapped fiercely in the biting wind. He could already feel the overwhelming cold penetrating the layers of his skin. The weather kept no prisoners and was hell-bent on freezing everything in its path. The city streets were non-existent; the only evidence of there ever being roadways were the crevices between buildings. Everything was smothered in a white blanket. Kalet chose a familiar route to avoid confusing his sense of direction. Still, even on streets he had traversed thousands of times, he sometimes found it challenging to identify habitual features.

The unwavering pathway took him directly below the southern face of Montaigne Pyramidale, a breathtakingly symmetric mountain on a typical day. At the moment, Kalet could only see as far as halfway up the tree line. Most of the trees that constituted the mountain forest were protruding out horizontally under the weight of snow. Worryingly, Kalet wondered how long it would be before the entire volume of the stuff became an avalanche. The Astronomy Base would indeed be cut off, and all the Professor's employees would be forced to wait out the end of the winter season, or at least until the extreme weather subsided. The facility had adequate emergency provisions and instruments for such an event. Most of the building was assembled underground and would be secure if the Crin Peak remained.

The new Administrator, Drindlock, would have something to say, Kalet deliberated miserably. Any hint of an omission in emergency procedures or architectural design and he would be crucified without trial. The egomaniacal bureaucrat had been angling to incriminate the Professor, and this was his best opportunity. Kalet hadn't immediately considered that the opportunity would arise so quickly. Drindlock found the implements to win an election. Meanwhile, Kalet had arranged a trivial meeting with one of his closest friends, unprepared.

Thankfully, Harissa's report was not all bad news. The discovery of U2-Fly, Kalet's prized satellite, was a great relief. The communication machine had taken him five years to design and another two to construct for optimal efficiency. Due to Kalet's expertise in nanotechnology, he developed nanowires using fabricated semiconductors to improve the pulse rate and energy storage of the satellite's detectors and transmitters. Three years ago, the satellite was parked in geostationary orbit around E'blanche, giving the Leonis Chapter a distinct advantage for inter-spacial communication. Mysteriously, however, the satellite somehow ceased operation and fell out of orbit not a week ago. The Base had been searching for its whereabouts ever since. Kalet was wise enough not to assume anything prematurely, but he had a definite suspicion that it was some external interference. The natural inertia of the satellite could not have constituted its demise. Only an intimate force or tampering with the machine's guidance system could justify the incident. Conceivably, the government were uninformed. But if Drindlock caught a scent of deception, he would be obliged and passionate to make the event public.

In the white darkness, Kalet saw a shadow move ahead. At first, it was just a silhouette outlined in the blizzard, but it soon solidified. It was a four-legged creature, a crin-lapin, with a green-brown-coloured coat and light-brown-tinged ears. It was burrowing frantically through a snowdrift as Kalet approached. The snow was not its natural habitat, and the species would usually migrate down the valley to avoid the winter, but the weather had clearly disorientated the poor creature. It desperately searched for food, but the snow was too thick and replenishing quickly for its two diminutive front paws to cope. It jumped in fright as it caught sight of the Professor drawing near, scrabbled around another snow mound and then disappeared entirely. He silently prayed that the small beast found shelter and sustenance.

A few moments later, Kalet came to a clearing, which would generally overlook the grassy pastures that covered the hemispherical foot of the mountain range. He turned right and took a rugged path towards a wire fence partitioned area populated with electric vehicles. Most vehicles had wheels designed for the summer weather or mild winter snow. A circle of polished, new automobiles, shielded underneath a thick tarpaulin, were unused in the centre. Kalet was ready to make a beeline for them, but he restrained himself when he spotted a lone figure heading towards him from a concealed hut on the outskirts of the wire fence. A single shaft of light moved pendulum-like through the mirky snowstorm. Kalet hadn't realised that the light from Tanwen was rapidly waning. His diverging thoughts were causing him some confusion.

The figure swiped the beam of light across Kalet's face, and he was forced to cover his eyes from the luminosity. 'Professor?' It was a surprised voice. 'What are you doing here?'

'Surely that's obvious?' Kalet tried to use his most charming sarcasm. It was Logan, the security guard. An extra-curious individual with minimal comprehension of the passage of time, he considered Kalet, a very significant person in the community. He was frequently eager to bombard him with cavernous questions about the state of the Universe. Truthfully, the Professor pitied him for his extensive enquiry spirit and his incapability to find things out for himself. Even more so to think a man could waste his enquiring mind on mundanely guarding an automobile cache.

'Of course.' The man paused. 'But the weather... are you sure?'

'It's vital that I get up to the Base. It's an emergency.' Kalet wanted to kick himself for saying it. He could see Logan's engaging pupils double in diameter even in the half-darkness. There was no escaping his curiosity now.

'An emergency?' He repeated, almost thrilled. 'What's happened? Is it serious? Something to do with this snow? I told my friend Cassandra that you would sort it out sooner or later. It can't be difficult for an astrophysicist to figure out, right?'

'There are many different facets to the problem. Too complicated to explain now, I'm afraid.' Kalet tried gesturing towards the locked gate, but Logan was totally oblivious.

'Well, that's a shame. I'm sure you'll sort it out, though, Professor. You have a knack for problems, don't you? I seem to remember when the electricity malfunctioned in the Brunel House, and you built that...thing...machine thing. Oh, what was it called?' Kalet debated whether telling him would quicken or prolong the conversation. 'Electromagnetic generator!' Logan pointed the torch directly at Kalet enthusiastically as he recalled the machine's name. 'That was it! Awe-inspiring thing. You explained how it worked once, but I'm afraid to say I've forgotten now. But it did the trick while the engineers came to fix the connections.'

'I'm flattered, Logan, really, but I'm afraid I must be...uh....' He desperately tried gesturing once again. This time, Logan took the hint.

'Of course! The emergency. I shouldn't keep you waiting.' In his realisation, the guard started rummaging through his pockets for the keycard required for the lock mechanism. He took a torturous time, so much so that the Professor was ready to pick him up, twist him upside down and shake him vigorously until the keycard fell out of his clothes. If he had been a decade younger, he might have tried. 'Where did I put that blasted card? They must design a fingerprint for this gate - I'm always losing the card. That's something you could make in a half-hour, no doubt. I'm sure I remember putting it in this jacket, though.' Finally, after seemingly the entire night had surpassed them, the keycard presented itself in his breast pocket. 'Here it is.' He swiped the card across the mechanism, and the gate swung towards them, creating a perfect quarter-circle in the fresh snow.

'Thank you.' Kalet meant it kindly, but it was pronounced with definite vexation. Logan was not a bad person by any means, but his talkative nature had its tribulations. A less tolerant person would have struck him by now.

'Have a safe journey, Professor!' He shouted through the darkness as Kalet walked purposefully towards the snow vehicles. They were clustered haphazardly in a small group, each connected to a portable battery via thick wires. In a less frantic state, Kalet would have chosen the vehicle in the best condition, but he immediately detached the closest one and straddled the seat. The mere pressure applied as Kalet sat on the vehicle and wrapped his fingers around the front handlebars brought the machine to life. He sped off into the snowy gloom before Logan could get another word in.