For centuries the Golden City prospered under the cold northern ice. After it reached the comfortable phase it stopped growing rapidly. Most of the clone banks were shut down and the Immortals, assisted by the robots, concentrated on completing the Master’s projects as he announced them. Much of their work consisted of doing research and experimentation for the Master.
They were constantly building new instruments and trying new experiments. Often they knew not what the intent of an experiment was, they merely reported the results. Other times they were given an assignment to test a new principle of science. The Master would give them a hypothesis and then ask them to devise ways to prove or disprove it.
The concepts and forces they experimented with were basic and powerful—for instance, they mastered nuclear energy early on. There were failures and occasional fatal accidents. The Immortals worked at reducing them but they were accepted as a part of their life of working for the Master. This quality, in fact, was one of the pivotal qualities the Master sought in the Immortals.
“My own people,” he had told the Immortals shortly before moving to his retreat, “have always been immortal. As a rule they will not risk death for any gain. I am a slight aberration. I will risk it in others. You, my children, on the other hand, are bred of mortals. You have developed no such inhibition. Death is a natural part of your lives. You are willing to take risks I can barely imagine. Thus you can think easily of things that fill me with mind-deadening dread.
“This willingness to take risks, plus your precocious intelligence and fierce loyalty, is what makes you such suitable tools in the continuation of my researches. It is also what makes it so hard for me to live with you. You risk too much for me to be comfortable with. You are my children and I love you dearly but you must live apart from me.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mary and Tarna parked a few doors down the street and sneaked back to the dark house. They were hiding in the bushes bordering the yard, studying the house, when they saw the Ford drive by without stopping and continue on towards Forthright.
The two waited a minute in the moonlight to see if the car would return. Then they looked at each other, shrugged, decided they might as well continue, and sprinted across the lawn into the shadows of the house.
Aided by small flashlights they looked around the outside of the house for clues. What kind they had no idea at first, but things started showing up quickly.
“Look at this, Mary.” Tarna showed her a shovel on the back porch. “It looks like an old-time rusty shovel but it’s brand-new and made of plastic.”
“So? The owner is into fake antiques.”
“Fake, yes, but look carefully. There’s no writing on it. No ‘Made in USA’ or brand name and it doesn’t look like any labels have been peeled off. Check out this wringer washer. It’s new and electric but there are no warning decals or operating instructions.
“Remember how we thought the whole house looked as it if was only as old as the paint. I’m betting now the insides are that way too. Where’d all this stuff come from?”
They stared at each other.
“Maybe it’s time to get Dad involved,” said Tarna.
“Maybe. Let’s get out of here; this place is giving me the creeps.”
As they turned the corner of the final bush they ran head-on into the pigtailed girl. Mary grabbed her by the arms and held her from running.
“Just hold on a second! Who are you and why’re you following us?”
The startled girl struggled briefly but couldn’t break free. She was an attractive teenager, about fifteen or sixteen.
“My name’s Freeta. I wasn’t following you. I was walking down the street. Who’re you?”
“Mine’s Mary. This is Tarna. We’re Professor Threshmore’s daughters. And yes you’ve been following us. We saw you at the power plant, at the movie, and now here. And we aren’t going to let you go until you tell us what’s going on.”
Freeta started to struggle again. Mary finally stopped her by twisting her arm behind her and threatening to break it off.
Relaxing a bit, Freeta asked, “Do either of you know a boy from around here named Toby?”
“We’ve heard the name,” answered Tarna cautiously.
“Was he in that car in front of you at the plant? Does he live around here? I’m his twin sister. I was trying to catch up with him. I’m here for the rally.”
Mary relaxed her hold and let go.
“He lives right there,” said Mary. “We were stopping to see if … uh … if he and Ned’d come back yet from the plant.”
“Oh. Well you don’t have to wait out in the fog, if you don’t want to. I have a key and I’m going to wait here for him. You’re both welcome to wait. And please excuse me for acting so mysteriously. I just wasn’t sure of my way. This is my first time here.”
Freeta and the girls walked up to the front door of the mystery house. Freeta took out a rather queerly shaped key. She held it in front of the keyhole and paused a moment. She never seemed to quite get it in the lock but the door popped open. She walked in, turned on the lights, and headed for the kitchen. She rummaged a minute, found a pot and ingredients, and started heating some milk for hot chocolate.
“Why were you looking for Toby?” she inquired politely.
“Actually, we’re looking for Ned. They went together to the plant.”
“Oh … well … that’s fine.” She seemed to be thinking hard as she spoke, then said, “Tell you what, my car is parked just down the road. Let me go get it and move it into the driveway while the chocolate is warming. I’ll just be a minute.” Freeta hurried out of the kitchen and ran off down the street.
Tarna looked at Mary. “One of us ought to get out of here and take the car home. Right? No one knows where we are and this place is giving me the creeps more than ever.”
Tarna shivered.
Mary said, “You go. As soon as you let Mom or Dad know where we are, come back. I don’t trust Freeta, but I still want to try to figure out what’s going on here. All right?”
“Got it. See you, sister.”
Tarna ran out into the fog.
Mary kept looking and found plenty more fakes. But they didn’t tell her much other than there was very little authentic about this place, if anything.
A few moments later Freeta came back inside carrying her duffel bag. She dropped it in the dining room and came back into the kitchen.
“Where’s your sister … Tarna, wasn’t it?”
“She had to leave to pick up my dad. She’ll be back soon.”
“Well, the chocolate’s ready now. Have some,” Freeta said, handing her a cup. “We can talk in the dining room until she gets back.”
They sipped the chocolate as they walked into the dining room and sat down in two of the chairs around the dining room table.
“So you’re here to see Ned. Who is he again?”
“He’s Toby’s uncle. That would make him your uncle too, wouldn’t it?”
“I don’t have an Uncle Ned. … Oh, Uncle Theodore! Is Toby calling him ‘Ned’ now? How cute! He’s not really our uncle, we just call him that. Yes, he’s quite a fellow. I wasn’t aware he was up here too. How interesting. I wasn’t aware he was interested in power plants.”
You weren’t aware he existed, Mary thought, but I’m not going to call you on it.
“What sparks his interest in Clamsport?”
“He’s one of the leaders of the rallies here,” Mary answered. “He’s trying to keep the plant from opening before it’s safe, if it ever will be.”
“He is now, is he, and Toby’s helping him in this endeavor?”
“Quite a bit it seems. The two are inseparable with all the planning they do together.”
“I see. … And it was Toby and Uncle Theodore you were following to the power plant. And they went inside?”
“That’s right. … At least, I think that’s right. Excuse me, but all of a sudden my head seems a bit cloudy.”
“Oh, it’s quite all right, Mary. Have some more chocolate while I get some things out of my duffel. It looks like it’s going to be a busy night.”
Mary could barely move; her body was going tingly. She watched as Freeta started rummaging through her duffel, pulled out some leather straps, and walked over behind Mary.
As Mary leaned back in her chair to steady herself, Freeta gently pulled her arms behind her.
“That’s a good girl,” she murmured quietly in Mary’s ear. Quickly Freeta used the straps to tie Mary’s wrists together behind the chair back. Mary wanted to stop her but the drug had full control. She was conscious but weak as a kitten.
As Freeta strapped Mary’s ankles together she spoke quietly and quickly in an almost motherly fashion.
“My dear, this situation you’re involved in is much more than it seems. I fear that if you keep showing up in the wrong places any more you’ll get hurt. So I’m going to keep you here ‘til we can get this matter resolved.
“I want to thank you for the detective work you and your sister have done and what you’ve told me. It’s saved me a lot of time.
“The drug you’ve taken will wear off in just a few minutes and your sister should be coming back soon to rescue you. By then this matter should be resolved and there’ll be nothing more to investigate, least of all me.
“Goodbye, dear, and thanks for the brief company.”
With that Freeta cleaned up the cups and rushed out the front door. Mary stared at the black hole of the open door and waited until the drug started wearing off.