Adam Brodie and the monster from the dark planet

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

The last lesson of the day was taken by the super android Meknos who taught astrophysics with the aid of free floating holographic models, which he brought into existence and erased again with a sweep of his steel hands. Meknos explained about the multiverse but Adam scarcely listened.

Malcolm could not grasp what Meknos was saying and kept leaning over to Adam to ask questions.

"Adam, what is this I'm hearing about the cosmos? Where are the crystal spheres and where are the angels moving them and why does he say the sun is at the centre? The earth is at the centre, everyone knows that? Is he mad? Why does he wear that armour? Is he a knight?"

Finally it was the end of lessons and Adam, glancing at his watch, saw it was four o clock so he returned to the building housing House Red Giant. As he entered the building he looked up at the spiderweb of walkways and towers in which vehicles blew about like silver insects. No, he decided, he would never get used to this nightmare. He entered a corridor and looked around. What now?

"This way." It was Trinity's voice.

Adam looked at the wall before him.

"Walk into the wall."

"I don't think so."

"Adam, the wall will become mist."

Adam was puzzled. The wall looked solid enough. On the other hand he was getting used to just how truly weird the Nexus was. This was evidently another jack in the box. He decided to go for it. Hesitantly Adam walked towards the wall and held out a hand. The hand passed into the wall as though it were indeed mist. Emboldened by this Adam strode forward and found himself surrounded by a dense white fog.

"Keep walking," said Trinity's voice.

Adam obeyed and the fog cleared and Adam found himself in a city of soaring towers. These were not the towers of the Nexus, these were tall slim towers glittering and shining in a way that was eerie and unnatural. He knew the light was all wrong. Adam quickly found out why, looking to the sky he saw not one sun but two. He scanned the city. There seemed nobody in it and he could see no vehicles moving about the towers. There was a deathly silence surrounding him. In the Nexus, out in the open, there was always a pulsing drone.

Before him was a huge building shaped like a great pillar ascending to the sky. The surfaces everywhere looked strange, not metal or stone or concrete but something else. Across the doorway of the building were words in huge, polished gold lettering, set against a black background, saying TRINITY TOWER. Beneath the legend two huge doors swung open before him. Adam felt he was expected to enter the building.

He did so and the doors slammed shut by themselves. He found himself in a great hall where the surfaces were coloured with hues of green and blue and black and white but the textures were all glass like. The floor, walls and ceiling looked vaguely familiar but he could not put his finger on what they could be made of. They all had a clouded appearance. He looked around, wondering.

"This tower is made completely of crystal," said a voice above him. It was Trinity's voice. "So are all the buildings in this place, so is the ground. My domain in E-space. Stop gawping and come on up."

Two doors opened and Adam saw a tiny room like the inside of a lift. He wondered if it was a lift, but entered it anyway and the doors closed. Adam saw the doors had that same glassy aspect and were cloudy white. They immediately opened and Adam looked out onto a large room with a huge circular table made of what looked like rock crystal.