No privacy at all around this place!
You'd think for a few seconds a guy could concentrate on what he was doing. Does it not look like this is important? Did it not seem like I was extremely focused in on what I was doing? I swear, some people have all the self-awareness of a space sloth sleeping in a black hole.
"Oben."
If I wanted to constantly be interrupted from what I was doing I could've taken the Blue Line to do this in the middle of Star Port 75. Or maybe I could setup under Sonny Eclipse's Astro Organ. If I wasn't so busy taking care of business here I'd really let him know what's on my mind.
"Oben!"
"Hmm? Merril! Can't you see I'm hard at work here?"
"Yeah, staring at that quantum toaster for the last five minutes must be real hard work. This Cloud Hopper Shake is delicious. You've got to try it!" Merril held out his glass.
"Not now, Merril. No time for snacks. I need to pick out a field assignment for tonight."
Following a couple of weird events at Light & Power, a Power Distribution Technician - Field Agent role had opened up and I was able to get the promotion. The recruiter described it as a 'lateral move' but to me progress is progress. Merril remained at our old post in the Power Distribution Control Room. We both still worked the overnight shifts so we met up at Aunty Gravity's most nights to catch up.
"Oh there goes Mister Fancy Field Agent again." Merril did a little mocking dance on his stool.
"Come on, help me pick one of these out." I said offering half the pile of anomaly files to Merril.
Cosmic Promenade pathway lighting consumption up .002% during peak traffic hours
"Pass!"
TTA Blue Line Car 12 electromagnetic spike indicated at Platform 1 off-load bay
"Not the time"
Outage reported at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Café
"Everyone knows that block has the worst wiring." Merril pushed the pile back towards me. "I don't know, buddy. These all look kind of lame."
"I'm sure you'll find the right one, Sweetie." Aunty Gravity had appeared at the counter and was refilling my caf.
Carousel Theater displaying small but consistent power load every night between Grid Cycles 3 and 4
"Huh. Didn't notice this one before." I said taking a sip of my refilled caf. "The last show is at Grid Cycle 22. And I would think the bots would all be in sleep mode or something during the night. I don't know what could be drawing power."
"You should check it out. Those actor-bots have to predate the Great Illumination. It'd be cool to get up close to them while they're off." Merril said finishing off his shake with a hollow slurp.
I held the file up to get a better look.
"You'll be available tonight if I need any help, right?" I asked Merril.
"Yeah, you know what kind of sport I am." Merril offered.
"Alright. Let's head to the office." I left some credits on the counter and picked up the files.
"Progress!"
Around Grid Cycle 2 I gathered up my gear from the Field Agent locker room and headed out to look into the power load anomaly. The old Carousel Theater building was just a short walk from the Light & Power Company office in Rocket Tower Plaza, in a quiet corner shadowed underneath the towering spires of Star Port 75. The closest building was probably the Star Command Headquarters, but a series of tall hedges and planters separated it and really made the theater feel like it was on its own little planet.
The theater was literally built on a giant carousel, rotating six divided seating areas around six stationary stages. A group of actor-bots presented the production which told the story of progress throughout the history of Tomorrowland. It was one part entertainment, one part history, and one part a major snooze-fest for most folks. This thing has been around forever and anytime someone proposes an update to it the historical society freaks out and stops it. Which is a weird reaction for a show about progress.
I walked up the long and low sloped ramp that led to the main entrance to the first theater. It was a few minutes short of Grid Cycle 3 and the whole area was completely empty of light as well as power. Even the nearby TTA line overhead was silent. I took out my Field Harmonic Analyzer and flicked the switch of the scanner to get a baseline of the area.
"Hey, Merril, power readings are coming back within a normal range over here at the Carousel. I'll keep you updated." I said into my SMART band, filling the night air with sound for the first time since my arrival. I leaned up against the wall of the building.
That's when the clock hit GC 3.
Slowly but steadily the scanner began to visualize power beginning to draw in a greater amount somewhere in the area. I nearly fell as the wall of the theater began to rotate and then came to a stop roughly halfway along the length of a stage.
"Merril...something is happening. I think I'm going in." I whispered into my SMART band.
I walked around the outside of the building with the scanner pointed inside until I found what seemed to be the strongest signal. There was an emergency access hatch on each of the seating areas but they were all locked.
"Merril, I need blueprints of the Carousel Theater if you can get them and send to me. The doors are all locked." I scrolled through my SMART band to see if I had anything that could help.
And then I looked up.
I'm not sure if every Field Agent takes their duty to this extreme. Probably not, but that's why I'll be the first ever Field Agent II come the next promotional panel. Assuming I made it off this roof.
"You don't need to worry about those blueprints, Merril. I'm up on the roof and going in through a loose panel. Do me a favor and make a 250 credit donation from the department recourse & remedy fund to the historical society to repair this."
The panel actually came off fairly easily. Lowering myself into the structure was less easy. Fortunately once I had descended enough, the infrastructure of the theater made navigating a breeze.
I had entered the building just above the 'future' scene which predicted what life in Tomorrowland was supposed to look like in the late 2900s. It was mostly a joke now but the ideas were pretty far out when this was first built. Each stage took a step back into a different time period to showcase the latest inventions of the day and how they impacted the citizens of Metropolis.
I found them gathered in the stage representing the time of the Great Illumination. The actor-bots that played John, Sarah, Jimmy, and Patricia stood gathered around the model of an ancient Astral Tuner.
At least it was supposed to be a model.
"Vaelor en sa'rieth, lumen kai tharos en Maris. Aren vi solen, ke'lara thum en. Vael en lumis."
I flipped the translator on my SMART band.
JOHN : Yes, there have been many updates here.
SARAH : A pilot discovered the Crystal of Light. Our intelligence suggests the Sons of Phobos are moving to cover it up and destroy it. This may be our last communication.
JOHN : The citizens already know. Word is out. I don't know how he can make this go away.
PATRICIA : If anyone can, it is him.
[Martian via Tuner] : Has anything come of the discoveries at Light & Power?
JIMMY : The Administrator was summoned to the Premier's Complex. He has not been seen since.
PATRICIA : Only the Administrator knows to watch over us until the time is right. What will we do?
JIMMY : He doesn't even understand the debt. Didn't you read the Transmission?
JOHN : Is it simply time for the Great Revelation to begin? These discoveries may be accelerating the timeline.
[Martian via Tuner] : Hold for now. Updates tomorrow. May the light continue to find you.
JOHN : And may it find you.
The glow of the Astral Tuner faded and the actor-bots turned away. The readings on my scanner returned to baselines.
SARAH : We must charge now for the day. I am not sure how much longer this metal body can support my presence. It wasn't supposed to be this long until they were ready.
JOHN : It won't be long now.
The actor-bot...Martians? moved backstage to plug into their charging bays. I spent a moment trying to process everything I had just heard and then moved back up to the roof.
"Merril...I have a lot to tell you. Make sure you've read the last two Transmissions."
I couldn't get away from the Carousel Theater quick enough. It was just past GC 4 and the area was still void of sound or movement. I walked quicker. Then I ran.
"Oben!" a voice called out from behind me. On a bench tucked between two hedges sat Aunty Gravity.
"Come sit down, sweetie. I brought goodies!" she raised a small to-go bag into the air and patted the bench.
"What are you doing here, Aunty?" I asked sitting down and grabbing a muffin.
"I figured you would need some help after your time with the Martians." she said smiling.
"You...you? How did you...?" I was speechless.
"Oben, you need to make sure power continues to flow to the Carousel Theater." Aunty's face grew more serious.
"What about their Crystal thing?" I asked looking up to the early morning sky.
"Don't worry about that. Find the Admin's daughter. Tell her you carry the debt for now." Aunty stood up.
"Aunty...what is going on?" I asked desperately.
Aunty had started to walk away but paused. She looked up at the stars.
"The Martians were there. At the Great Illumination. There is a whole story there that has been lost to time. They'll tell it to us again soon. But first they need our help." Aunty smiled. "They need your help, Oben."
I nodded and Aunty walked off back toward Rocket Tower Plaza.
My SMART band buzzed.
"Hey, Oben? You there? Did you get to the Carousel Theater yet?"
"Merril...haven't you been getting my messages?"
"Not a one, you know how bad the service is in here."
I took a bite of muffin and watched the sun begin to rise.
Tomorrowland Light & Power Company
Distribution Anomaly A.34657
Anomaly Description : Carousel Theater displaying small but consistent power load every night between Grid Cycles 3 and 4
Field Agent Assigned : Oben Perry
Field Agent Notes : Using Field Harmonic Analyzer identified power load anomaly is from actor-bot charging sequence. Nothing abnormal.
Anomaly Status : Closed